Wednesday Halolinks: When Good News Goes Bad, Bourjos Robs Hardy

It's tough being an Angels' fan right now as there's not much to celebrate or look forward to, and being optimistic is nearly impossible when 90% of the news is bad. Those silver-lining musings are almost non-existent as it has become, "What do you want first, the bad news or the worse news?" At least there's one good news story; Halolinks!

• The good news....Peter Bourjos is spectacular! Peter Bourjos latest Angels center fielder to rob Orioles' J.J. Hardy of home run - angels.com. "On June 27, 2012, Trout took away a shot off the bat of Hardy, vaulting off the rubberized track at Oriole Park, extending his left elbow up over the fence and turning in arguably the best catch of the season. On Tuesday evening, it happened again to Hardy. Only this time, it was Bourjos, the speedy center fielder who was activated off the disabled list on Monday and -- a bit controversially -- moved Trout back to left field."


The bad news...the Angels lost.

The worse news...they play the Orioles again.


• The good news...Jerome Williams gets another start: Los Angeles Angels at Baltimore Orioles - June 12, 2013 - MLB.com. "Williams is 3-2 with a 3.08 ERA in six games as a starter and 1-0 with a 2.55 ERA in 10 games as a reliever.
  
  The bad news...it's because he's been good (he has), but because the club was forced to give him a start: "With the Angels in need of a sixth starter because of a Saturday doubleheader, the right-hander will make his seventh start of the season on Wednesday against the the Orioles at Camden Yards."
Los Angeles Angels tickets


• The good news...Mike Trout is doing well: Angels-Orioles Preview - FOX Sports. "Mike Trout can't be blamed for those struggles since he's hitting .352 - with 15 of his 31 hits going for extra bases - while driving in 13 runs and scoring 18 over the past 21 games."
  
  The bad news...it doesn't matter: "Los Angeles continues to underachieve, losing nine of 11 and four in a row, one shy of its season-high skid from April 7-12."
• The good news...Mike Scioscia has figured out what's wrong with the team!: Angels' season is surprising for all the wrong reasons - Yahoo! Sports. "It's a matter of playing better," said Scioscia, the team's skipper since the 2000 season."
  
  The bad news...Really? You need me to point it out?
  
  
• Good news...
  

#Angels sign 6th-rder Harrison Cooney for $222,800. Florida Gulf Coast RHP, 90-95 & plus SL as RP, 90-92 & avg SL as SP. #mlbdraft

— Jim Callis (@jimcallisBA) June 12, 2013

Bad news...he becomes the Angels top prospect.


• The good news...none. Angels place RHP Coello on DL with shoulder injury - Yahoo! Sports.
  
  The bad news...elbows can be fixed, shoulders usually can't.
  
  The worse news..."The Angels recalled right-hander Dane De La Rosa from Triple-A Salt Lake to fill out the bullpen"
• I agree with Madson, why not use all available methods to get healthy? Rehabbing Angels reliever Ryan Madson wonders whether human growth hormone could help him - angels.com. "But I will still believe, even if I get healthy without that," Madson added, "that it should be legal, in the right dosage, under supervision, with doctors, for the only purposes to help heal and get players back in the Major Leagues. Because people want to watch them, because of their talents, just to get them back on the field to play. That's it. I think it would be good for the game; I think it would be good for the fans. Fans want to see the best players play, and they want to see the players that they watch come back from injury and stay back. I think it would be a good thing."
• Even NBC is using the "good news/bad news" thing: Sean Burnett shut down for a month with elbow injury - HardballTalk. "The good news for Angels reliever Sean Burnett is that an MRI exam showed no structural damage in his injured elbow and doctors have told the left-hander he won’t need surgery. The bad news? Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reports that Burnett will be completely shut down for at least a month, at which point he’ll start throwing again and see where he’s at."
• Is Phil Hughes a Good Fit for the Los Angeles Angels? - Yahoo! Sports. "So, what should they do? Fire up a flair and hope. Go out and get Phil Hughes from the New York Yankees. Once considered one of the top up-and-coming young pitchers in baseball, Hughes has been struggling with the Yankees for long enough now that a change of scenery will probably do him some good."
• Sometimes the commentary writes itself: Sinkhole at Rangers Ballpark cancels batting practice - ESPN Dallas
• Look at the passion. Look at the team spirit! Look at the FIERY ATTITUDES! Dodgers, Diamondbacks get in wild brawl - McCovey Chronicles. "1:00 "No sense calling off names. They're all there." -- Vin Scully. Just the best."





• Evan Gattis Slugged The Rosin Off A Baseball
  




• Livin' the dream! Daytona Cubs vendor with famous pitches gets big-league call - News-JournalOnline.com. "Near the end of spring training in March, Vince received a hand-written note on personalized stationery from Mark Lerner, principal owner of the Washington Nationals. It was an invitation to come work for the National League team in Washington, D.C. After more than a decade hawking such ballpark delights as frozen lemonade, cotton candy, peanuts and, most famously, ice-cold beer, in the minors, Vince had received his call up to the majors."
• Ranking the Best Ballpark Experiences - Grantland. "25. Angel Stadium, Anaheim: Do you like endless freeways, faceless business parks, a nearby El Torito, a scoreboard operator who can't possibly imagine fans MAKING SOME NOISE without incessant prompting, plus a Panda Express and a Jack in the Box in the ballpark? Then boy, have we got the place for you!" Here are the other ballparks: Ranking the Best Ballpark Experiences, Part 2 - Grantland