Friday HaloLinks: Dan Haren Is Unstoppable, Albert Pujols Stopped.

• I learned something of interest from my son last week: The Pomodoro Technique. The idea is that proper time management will insist on taking regular breaks in order to increase overall productivity. There's this whole egg-timer-that-looks-like-a-tomato phenomenon, and books and videos and web sites behind this, and even a Master's program. But the gist is simple: pace yourself. Which brings us to Dan Haren. After wrapping up his ST debut against the Indians (more about them later), Haren The Ironman talk was all the rage among the pressers. Yes, Haren has yet to miss a start in his career. Ever. 237 in a row. Which I guess is great, until you get to August of 2011. Or August of 2010. Or August of 2009. By his own admission he sometimes takes the mound feeling not so special. Maybe this season somebody might want to get him an egg timer or something. Just sayin'.
• Albert Pujols Watch, Day 3: The Slump continues. Hide the steak knives. El ArcAngel went 0-2 with a walk in the Halos' 6-5 win over Cleveland. But fear not Halo Fans, Hisanori Takahashi stepped up with a surprisingly nice outing behind Haren, helping carry The Machine to the W.
• For those of you still reeling over that whole sun-rising-in-the-East event that occured today, you might want to brace yourselves before you take a gander at yet another startling revelation brought to you by the LA Times: bullpens can be important! Yeah. One of the criteria for qualifying to have direct access to sports information gathering is mastering those angles that are well beyond those readers who just fell off the turnip truck. This is what all that advertising money for male enhancements makes possible for those who are hungry for Southern California sporting news.

MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

• Here is one for the ages: Jonathon Papelbon (!) has the nards to suggest that Philly sports fans (!!) "know the game better" than Red Sox fans(!!!). Now this whole concept is loaded with win. Papsmear saying something notable? Check. A highly favored once Red Sox player dissing Red Sox fans? Double check. The hilarity of Phildelphia sports fans being granted any kind of cred? Triple check. Baseball fans everywhere suddenly armed with poster sign material for the Pink Hat Brigade, forever? Check and Mate, matey!
• As Wi pointed out in yesterday's Links, Miami's Marlins President David Samson called Miamians Stupid. We lucky fans of Arte Moreno can file that away in the "You don't know how high you are flying until you look down" department. But then we get this nugget: A-Rod takes his own food to restaurants when he goes out to eat in Miami. I dunno. Maybe Samson didn't go far enough. You go to the trouble of making your own meal. Then you decide to NOT eat it but, instead, go through the effort of packaging it. Then you decide to carry it away from where you keep your dining table. To a place where you have to pay money because they already make meals for you. Where you choose to not eat their food anyway. And they agree to not serve you the food they prepare. So you ask them to serve you the food you prepared for yourself. And they think this is a good idea! (Note to anyone who never worked in the food industry: this is NOT a good idea. If ARod succumbs to food poisoning, was it his food or something in the glass that held his shirley temple?)
• Calling Rev's alter-ego: art critics can serve an important role in society and here is your chance. We might be well served to have a critique of Kyle Morrisey's work before we end up seeing too much of the artist "...try to hold up his paintings in the stands behind the plate during the Fox Sports West broadcasts of the Padres-Angels games." I wonder what it is about the Padres that motivates a person to blast images akin to the Oil Painting effect of Paint.NET out to innocent Pads fans everywhere? Ok. I guess I beat Mat to it. My apologies to all concerned.
• This Day In Baseball History: since the Cleveland Indians are topical for today, seeing as the Halos bested them in an exhibition outing just yesterday, it might be fun to point out that on this very day in 1897 the Cleveland Spiders signed Chief Sockalexis, a true Native American college baseball phenom. (Penobscot Nation, for those interested in that sort of thing.) Well, Sockalexis was so good in his brief career that fans started calling the team the Cleveland Indians. That name then later become the official team name in 1915. Could it be that some day this franchise shall be known as The (LA) Impalers? The (Anaheim) Machinists? The (California) Dreamers?
• Rumors Department: Torii Hunter offering a Home Town Discount? - LA Times. Dipoto sees advantages with logjams everywhere. - MLB.com. Dipoto still hoping for a logjam at lefty relief - Dan Knobler.
• Quick Hits: From Yahoo, in honor of the Rays' David Price injuring his neck while toweling off his shaved dome (again!) and the Yankees' David Robertson falling down some stairs - ON THE SAME DAY!!!, I give you the 5 Lamest Injuries Not Sustained in a game............Whoa! 13 batters hit in same game............Of course it had to be this way: Miami Marlins Pachinko Machine Christened by 15-year-old high school player............I had a brother like this: Rays pitcher loses tumor and rib to surgery, discovers that it feels weird to pitch without pain.............Finally, Astros' Owner Apologizes to Sailors for describing them as Drunken Rangers. Or something to that effect.