Not much Angels specific news, so you'll get what you get and like it! Halolinks for everyone!
- David Eckstein has the most awesome wife: Los Angeles Angels hire Rick Eckstein; David Eckstein wants to help - angels.com. "When David retired as a player after the 2010 season, his main focus was to be there for his wife, Ashley, and her startup business, HerUniverse.com. But now that business -- a clothing line for female sci-fi fans -- is entering its fourth year and flourishing, freeing David up to fulfill his aspirations as a coach." Now I know where to go to get my girlfriend that Princess Leia outfit:
Sorry, her sites doesn't sell that set-up, but it does have this shirt featuring a huge purple erection:
- I really like these types of articles, especially when they come from good writers such as Tom Verducci. I've never really thought of building a roster with the same mindset as building a financial portfolio, but it makes complete sense: The worst positions in baseball -- and how to fix them - SI.com. "Before the playoffs began, I asked A's general manager Billy Beane what he liked best about his club. "Baseball teams are very mathematical," he said. "You can have a star player like Mike Trout and completely nullify his performance if you have two players that are really bad. We don't have bad players. All 25 players are very specific players with very specific roles. "We're a mutual fund, and we're a value fund. We've got a bunch of equities earning three to nine percent. We don't have a 20 percent and we don't have a negative 20 percent." Oakland was one of just 10 teams last year that did not have a player qualify for the batting title with an adjusted OPS of 100 or less. Six of those teams made the playoffs." I want Beane (Beane counter! Get it?) taking care of my retirement portfolio.
- Erase one of my low-cost, high reward potential, free agent signings off of the list: San Diego Padres agree to one-year deal with Josh Johnson - MLB Daily Dish. "The Padres were not expected to have interest in starters this offseason, but Johnson's willingness to pitch in San Diego on a short-term deal allowed them to add a solid arm to their rotation on a low-risk and potentially high-reward type contract." His contract calls for a $8 million salary and includes a clause that will allow Johnson to earn an additional $1.25 million and a club option for 2015. It'd be nice if players thought of the Angels as a place they could go in order to re-build their careers.
- Ouch: Golfer Chi-Chi Rodriguez Hits Himself in the Junk Attempting a Trick Shot - The Big Lead. "Painful at any age."
I wonder what the guy in the white shirt and yellow shorts is doing. Does he think the golf ball is going to explode, and should take cover behind the big guy next to him? Or did he just realize he's in the camera shot and doesn't want his buddies to see him wearing that get up?
- I'd vote for grandma: Big League Stew’s plays of the year poll: Best fan catch - Yahoo Sports
- Peter Bourjos; the poor-man's Jacoby Ellsbury. The Slow Decline of Speedy Outfielders - FanGraphs Baseball. "There’s a belief among some that speed-and-defense players like Ellsbury are bad bets after they turn 30, since a large chunk of their value is tied to what they can do with their legs, and speed peaks earlier than other skills. However, there’s also data that shows that faster players actually age better than most other player types."
- Gabe Kapler has far from fond memories of bullying and ribbing in a baseball journey - FOX Sports. "I felt my face get red and a wave of anger fought to burst out of my pores. I was humiliated and lacked the coping skills necessary to brush it off. I had just been introduced to hazing at the MLB level."
- Is it just me, or does it seem like there have been a lot of Cuban baseball players defecting recently? Solid defensive shortstop, right-handed pitcher defect from Cuba - CBSSports.com. "As for Arruebarruena, his defensive skills have been favorably compared to fellow Cuban -- and 2013 Rookie of the Year runner-up -- Jose Iglesias. BA pegs him with Gold Glove potential. His bat, however, carries some concern. In the first half, Arruebarruena hit .275/.324/.366 and then hit .317/.415/.495 in the second half. According to BA, he profiles as a .220 hitter in the majors and needs to start at Double-A."
- This is a pretty interesting article: Tinder Dates, Drake Retweets, and Sex Offenses: Seven Streakers Share Their Stories - SI.com. "I wanted to slide into home plate and do a cartwheel or something, but when I got onto the field, my mind was totally wiped. I forgot about everything and just ran from security. It was the longest 50 seconds of my life, the biggest adrenaline rush I’ve had by far. I passed Kevin Youkilis when I ran through the infield, and he told me to sit down because I was going to get tackled. That was fun, being that close to a player." That's funny, Joe Girardi told Youk the same thing.
- What a moron: Falling Out Of Upper Deck May Have Been High Point Of Bills Fan's Week. "Robert Hopkins fell off the 300 level at Sunday's Bills game after appearing to slide down the railing. Unfortunately for Darwinism, his fall was broken by an unlucky spectator below." But it did allow me the opportunity to make this awesome GIF:
- When I grow up, I want to work for the Bleacher Report. Bleacher Report Has A New Book Out On How To Write Like a B/R Writer. "Unfortunately, though, B/R's new e-book — a 56-page e-epic that successfully flows back and forth between concepts taught in 7th grade writing/grammar and Intro to Journalism classes while tying them back into B/R's mechanistic methods — only serves as a nod of confirmation towards what we already knew about Bleacher Report."