Thursday Halolinks: Mike Trout Sits Out Last Home Game, New Low For Halos

So let me get this straight, the best reason to root for any Angels' wins for the next four days is to trash the Rangers' playoff hopes?  Are you saying I should take pleasure in another person's pain?  Laugh at someone while they're down?  COUNT ME IN!  And here's some Halolinks to peruse while we wait to pee on Texas' parade:

• This is has got to be the biggest "F&%$ YOU!" to Angels fans I can ever remember seeing:  Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers - September 26, 2013 - MLB.com Preview.  "The Angels rested Trout on Wednesday against the A's, limiting his chances to reach 200 hits. "He's played a lot -- this day off is long overdue for him," Scioscia said. "He's just out of sync and he's been grinding it, he just needs a day." Trout has 187 hits on the season but is hitting .173 (9-for-52) over his last 15 games. "In the batter's box, he's pressing, I think, a little bit," Scioscia said. "It's obviously a long season and he's tired."  It was the last game of the season at home.  The fans wanted to say good bye to their favorites, Trout being the "favoritest" of them all.  So what do the Angels do?  Keep him in the dugout.  Sure, I get it.  It's been a long season and he's tired.  If that's the case rest him the night before, NOT THE LAST GAME! Who's to blame for this?  That would be marketing geniuses running the team, headed by Arte Moreno himself.  It's kind of sad that a billionaire has nothing else to earn except other people's respect and admiration and with this, Moreno has gone bankrupt.  Cheap beer will only buy you so much time when your team misses the playoffs for 4 straight years, and then to have the player of a generation on your squad sitting out his last home game.  BRILLIANT!
• How stupid of a move was that?  It was so stupid it made the OC Register go out and hire LA Times cast-off T.J. Simers!  Okay, maybe not that bad, but look who's now on the OCR staff.  Oh, and they're not charging to read his crap articles: Simers: Time to be Accountable Arte  - The Orange County Register.  "Forbes dubbed Moreno "The People’s Owner" 10 years ago, and those were the days when he walked the Angel Stadium concourses. "I saw him when he first bought the team; he came down here and cleaned off the counter," said a longtime worker in a concession stand just down from the Diamond Club in Angel Stadium on Tuesday night. "Haven’t seen him since.’’...Some might suggest it can’t get worse around here. But just imagine how diehard Angels fans felt Wednesday, hanging in there all the way until the final home game only to find Mike Trout sitting it out."  See, even he realizes how lame that was.
• Anyway, good game Jered Weaver: MLB Recap - Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels - Sep 25, 2013 - CBSSports.com.  "Weaver pitched seven innings of five-hit ball, Josh Hamilton drove in two runs, and the Angels did a bit more damage to Oakland's home-field playoff hopes with a 3-1 victory Wednesday."  And: Oakland Athletics at Los Angeles Angels - September 25, 2013 - MLB.com.  "There will be no more games at Angel Stadium in 2013, and there will be no more starts from Jered Weaver until next spring. One last time, the Angels' ace addressed the media scrum, reflecting on a season that started off hurt, finished on a high note and was frustrating all throughout. "Personally," Weaver said, "a tough one for me." It ended with six consecutive quality starts, capped by seven innings of one-run ball against an A's team that's fighting for home-field advantage in the playoffs, but it was hindered by those seven weeks that were lost due to the broken left elbow he suffered while bracing his fall on the Rangers Ballpark mound on April 7."
• Geez, I hate to say it, but the Halos were the Rangers' bitches this season: Angels-Rangers Preview - Yahoo Sports.  "The Rangers have taken 11 of 15 from Los Angeles (78-80), which is seeking a third consecutive win after beating Oakland 3-1 on Wednesday."  Time for some payback.
• If the Angels can manage a split in Arlington, that should dash the Rangers' playoff hopes: Three teams left for two spots in American League - HardballTalk.  "Not only were the Yankees eliminated on Wednesday, but with the Rays and Indians both prevailing, the Orioles and Royals were likewise ruled out of the wild card chase, leaving only the Rangers in position to possibly overtake the top two in the hunt. The up-to-the-minute standings: Rays: 89-69, Indians: 88-70, Rangers: 87-71"
• Carlos Gomez has since apologized for his behavior, but it's still lame: Carlos Gomez and something you've never seen before - Baseball Nation.  "And then I saw something I have literally never seen before, in fact something that might never have happened before. When Gomez neared the plate, he found a catcher blocking his way. A very angry catcher ...
  
• Does anyone else miss Torii Hunter beside me? Jim Leyland cries, does awesome dance during celebration (Video) - Larry Brown Sports.  "Leyland began crying during an interview with FOX Sports Detroit, and he profusely thanked the fans for their support. As he was breaking down, veteran outfielder Torii Hunter, who is in his first season with the team, busted in to hug the manager. Hunter picked up Leyland and carried him into the main locker area to celebrate with the team. That’s when Leyland busted out a dance for the ages."
  
• "Let's see, who would be in charge of fixing this problem?  Oh yeah, me."  Bud Selig no fan of Oakland Coliseum or Rays' attendance woes - CBSSports.com.  ""It's a pit," Selig said. "It reminds me of old County Stadium and Shea Stadium. We need to deal with that. I've had a committee working on it for two or three years, and there's no question we're going to have to solve that problem."  That committee has actually been working on the problem for over 4 years.  But hey, he's old.  The days are starting to blur together.
• Oh no, what's the Angel executive staff going to do this October without any Yankee playoff games??  New York Yankees miss playoffs for second time in 19 years - ESPN New York.  "Despite baseball's highest opening-day payroll at $230 million, the Yankees failed to claim one of the 10 playoff berths."  Hopefully they start to realize the "Yankee way" isn't working for them and bypass this guy: Robinson Cano of New York Yankees plans to take his time with free agency - ESPN New York.  "Cano, 30, a career .309 hitter who has averaged 28 home runs and 102 RBIs for the past five seasons, is expected to attract the most lucrative contract ever given to a second baseman. Currently, Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers is the highest-paid second baseman, having signed a five-year, $75 million contract before this season. The Boston Red Sox also this season gave second baseman Dustin Pedroia an extension that makes his total package $110 million over eight years. Cano is expected to be seeking upward of $20 million per season for between seven and 10 years."
• Did you see this the other day? ‘SafeOut!’ Confused umpire John Hirschbeck calls it both ways on Yoenis Cespedes - Yahoo Sports.  "Video replay showed Hirschbeck appeared to get the call right (the second/final time), which perhaps is why nobody on the A's went to argue. First-base coach Tye Waller had a great reaction, turning to the dugout and smiling as if to say, "What was that?" And A's manager Bob Melvin stood on the top step, on the verge of saying something, but never actually committing."
• This is horrible...in a funny sort of way:  C.B. Bucknor approves of his ridiculous call - HardballTalk.  "That’s C.B. Bucknor with the bobblehead impression and blown call. Cesar Jimenez might have touched Yelich with his bare hand, but that hardly matters when the ball is in his glove (which he showed to Bucknor as proof of, well, something)."  Here's video of the play: Blown Calls Don't Get More Blown Than Bucknor Robbing Yelich
• Here's a video of the Brewers/Braves scrum: