Tuesday Halolinks: Joe Blanton Stays On Track, StubHub Going To Court

I suppose it doesn't make much of a difference, but is Joe Blanton really the Angels' #3 starter? I thought Jason Vargas had that spot. Angels pitcher Joe Blanton stays on track with Minor League outing - angels.com. "Angels manager Mike Scioscia didn't want his team's scheduled off-day to get his projected No. 3 starter off track, so he had Blanton throw in a Triple-A game on the main field at the Tempe Diablo Stadium complex. Blanton gave up two hits (one a solo homer), walked none, struck out five and threw some more in the bullpen after being removed with one out in the sixth, putting his final tally at 75 pitches."

This is getting to be an interesting story. The fight between the Yankees and free trade. The Yankees sue StubHub over store near Yankee Stadium - HardballTalk. "The Yankees say it’s a ticket resale store and that its presence less than 1,500 feet of a sports venue violates New York scalping laws. StubHub counters, saying no, it’s just a place were people on their way to a game can print out and pick up their tickets which were purchased online." If I want to sell something I legally own, I have to sell it in a manner the original "manufacturer" approves of? Does this mean Chevrolet is going to tell me how to sell my used car?

Angels pitchers set to take their hacks - Yahoo! Sports. "Angels pitchers started bunting midway through spring training. A week later, they started taking batting practice. "You've got to do what you've got to do," said Jered Weaver, the Angels' Opening Day starter. "You don't really have a choice. We've got to prepare, and that's what we're doing." The Angels play 10 games in National League parks this season, three in Cincinnati in April, two at Dodger Stadium in May, two at Chicago's Wrigley Field in July, and three in Milwaukee over Labor Day weekend." I'm REALLY looking forward to seeing the Angels play at Wrigley.

Maybe one way is to not let them bat? How to Keep Pitchers From Getting Hurt -- New York Magazine. "There’s something strange about almost every snapshot ever taken of a professional baseball pitcher while he’s in his windup or his release: They look grotesque. A pitcher throwing, when you freeze the action mid-­movement, does not look dramatically different from a basketball player spraining his ankle or a football player twisting his knee. His arm is almost hideously contorted."

Who is "Mr. Angel? Gene Autry? Tim Salmon? Alex Johnson? Digging into Baseball's Messrs. - Baseball Nation. "So here's a test of your baseball knowledge ... How many legitimate baseball Misters can you name?"

I thought this was pretty interesting, the Angels have a very good opportunity of becoming a winning franchise this season: Top 10 upcoming player/team milestones in 2013 - Hardball Times. "8. Fighting for .500: Arizona and Anaheim The Pirates are one of just 12 teams with cumulative franchise records over .500. It might seem odd that 18 are under .500 while 12 are above, but that’s due to expansion. The teams that have been around longer are over .500. In fact, every single expansion club without exception currently has an all-time record under .500, though that wasn’t always the case. In the past, the Blue Jays, Astros, Royals, and Diamondbacks were all over .500, but now none are. Arizona and Anahiem both can change that this year. Both clubs enter 2013 exactly 10 games under .500. If they go 86-76, they’re at .500. Do better, and they fly over it. Neither are guaranteed to do it, though. It’s feasible in both cases, but not guaranteed. The Angels won 89 last year and 86 before that, but the mid-80s victory range is where they normally are these days. Arizona had a great 2011 as the surprise NL West team but last year fell back to 81-81. We’ll see how these clubs fare in 2013." Being a fan of the team since the late 60s/ early 70s, I would have never thought the club could get to this level...at least in my lifetime.

We need to ask Torii Hunter how many black Americans play for the Angels. Is it 3 or one? Baseball struggles to reach black America - SFGate. "The Giants are, according to Comcast Sports Net's Andrew Baggarly, the only team in the majors without an African American player this spring. They're extreme but not alone: This is just a tangible sign of an ongoing league-wide trend. The number of African American players in the game has steadily declined, from a high of almost 30 percent in the 1970s, to just 8.05 percent last year."

The meaning of baseball statistics - ESPN. "But the stats are here. The people who run teams are using them. Although as James wrote, you still sometimes wonder if they're using the right ones. (Did the Angels give Josh Hamilton $125 million for his second-in-the-AL 128 RBIs or for his 25th-in-the-AL 6.9 WAR over the past two seasons?)"

This has nothing to do with baseball. It's just cool: Watch The Largest Bridge Explosion In Texas History In Glorious Slow Motion