MondoLinks: Xmas Hangover. Silent nights.

Welcome to that tiny corner of the Internet that does not give a shit that Dan Uggla fell off a hoverboard for Christmas. And for the record, let me be the one who gives the report to the Emperor of Gizmos that the hoverboard does not, actually, "hover".

Speaking of Christmas, what did ya' get? My best included a Bulova watch (watches being my sole vanity), and 4 bottles of Rib Crib BBQ sauce imported straight out of Oklahoma.

But what? You thought we were done with holidays this month? Nay, nay, I say to you. Have thou some Card Playing Day Links:

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Angels Baseball

Top 30 Prospects: The Angels put up their MLB official Top 30 Prospect list. And, yes, it's as bad as your worst fears. Kaleb Cowart is on there, at #8. But Cowart was in our 2010 draft. C.J. Cron led our 2011 draft but not much else remains beyond Jett Bandy, our #27. Ten of the Top 30 were not even under contract with Arte at this time last year.............

Misc: I'm going to have to stop trying to keep up with the fringe activities of Billy Eppler, praying that fringe activity is not all he is allowed to do anymore. Eppler claimed another couple of guys, and ditched a pair fo guys to make room for them. One of hte guy dismissed was A.J. Achter, a guy Eppler claimed off waivers from Phjiladelphia just 10 days ago. As in, why bother?............

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Elsewhere In Baseball

Sly as a Pox: Whatever the truth, Charlie Sly is an asshole. The sporting world erupted yesterday with a report broadcast by Al Jazeera claiming various parties to have been swimming in PEDs, even recently. Peyton Manning over in the NFL was linked, as were Ryan Howard, Ryan Zimmerman and Taylor Teagarden here in MLB. Now, these are but mere allegations, but they carry the suspicion that pharmas have created chemicals that create results in athletes but are invisible to feeble testing procedures. So we worry. But the key point here is that Al Jazeera acquired their story from one Charlie Sly, who claims to have worked at a clinic in Indiana where he had access to these athletes. Sly has since recanted and claimed to have been testing Al Jazeera to see if their contact was legit. So either Sly is an asshole for moving designer drugs to pro athletes, or Sly is an asshole for using the names of real pro athletes and damaging their reputations in his own desire to be important...............

Rest In Peace, Mr. Henderson: Dave Henderson, the man behind the bat that lucked the Red Sox away from ALCS defeat at the hands of the California Angels in 1986, has died from apparent heart attack.............

RoboBall: Let's say that you have just completed your baseball robot in your basement, and you are nearing the moment when you unleash your creation upon the world of Spring Training. Soon enough, it will be reaping Daniel Murphy money and all you have to do is write the software program for your optimal swing. Well, all you need to do next is to click on over to Hardball Times and read up on the physics of the proper swing plane............

Rose-a-crucifiction: Yeah, let's figure this one out. Pete Rose has been exorcised from Major League Baseball because he gambled on baseball. The State of New York has determined that DraftKings is a form of gambling. Major League Baseball has contracted with DraftKings to be their official sponsor for All-Star Week. So, yeah, this is turning into some crazy shit.............

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Hot Stove Season

Money Balls: Daniel Murphy ended up cashing in on his 2015 playoff run after all. The Nats have signed Murphy to a 3-year deal worth $37.5 million. Going 6 straight games with a home run in front of a national audience will do things like that...........And now that the Nats have caught Murphy, they can move on from their pursuit of Howie Kendrick............

Surprise!: Adam Warren, who traded from the Yankees to the Cubs in the deal that landed Starlin Castro in New York, found out that he was traded via an ESPN TV broadcast while on a family vacation. Well, yeah, that kinda sucks, but Warren brought it on himself, totally disconnecting to focus on his family. That's his choice, and that's the risk in our 25-hour a day world. But let's look at what happens next. After leaving the restaurant where the TV was showing ESPN, Warren's wife broke down in tears. As in, yeah, nothing could be worse for a person than finding out that their spouse has just landed a surprise chance to become an instant world champion in his chosen profession...........