So here we are, on the cusp of a new year. But before we phase out of 2015, let's think about the good times we shared. Let's look at favorite moments of Angels Baseball in 2015. And let's start with those kinds of things which might need more runway while we have it. Name your best non-Trout moment of this past season.
And while you think about it, and we are still digging the excitement of the month, share with me Pepper Pot Day Links:
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Everywhere In Baseball
HoF: Ok, 'tis the season of fantastical tales and wonderful spirits and happy endings so, like, why the hell not? How about grinning over the possible Hall of Fame chances behind the career of Troy Glaus? No?? Well, then, how about something a little more reasonable, like that of Jim Edmonds?..........While on the subject of HoF candidates, how about some fun factoids? Such as: "...Garret Anderson, meanwhile, was hit by only eight pitches over his 17-year career, the fewest by any position player on the ballot..." and "Troy Glaus and Mike Piazza are the only position players on the ballot who never laid down a sacrifice bunt."..........
Prospecting: Draft choices are precious especially early round choices. That is because early round choices tend to turn into prospects, and prospects are immensely valuable. Or are they? With the coming of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, it is likely that minimum salaries might rise, and service time gets recalculated, and stockpiles of talent might cost lots of cash. So, for a brief time at least, perhaps the value of prospects ain't what we think it should be..............
Ye Olde Game of Balls and Bases: Long before Abner Doubleday, in 1301 to be exact, we had dudes playing pepper...............
Fat Chance: This kind of thought comes around every now and then: a neutral site for important baseball games and tournaments. In other words, a National MLB Baseball Stadium. It's a glorious idea, one that works for Little League and College World Series'. But then, of course, Little League Baseball and College baseball don't have owners vested in attendance associated revenues. Unless MLB would hand over all such revenue to the "home team" franchise, this is a non-starter............
Hairy: Yeah, this whole beard trend in baseball is ripe for parody. So let's do it. With Civil War comps.............
GIF Silly: The Best (as in Worst) Rundowns of 2015, GIF form...........
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Hot Stove Season
Chap sticky: The Yankees came to the rescue of the Reds and traded for Aroldis Chapman smack in the middle of his MLB investigation over a domestic violence incident (making the Yankees an easy target). This is the one where all the principals are constantly changing their stories and nobody knows anything other than Chapman lost control, walked into his garage, and emptied his handgun at nothing in particular..........Which brings us to this interesting perspective: the Yankees might be hoping that Chapman gets an MLB suspension. Why? Because (A) it shows Chapman and the Yankees are not skating by because, you know, Yankees. And (B) a suspension might be long enough to extend Chapman's service time and allow the Yankees to hang onto him for another year before he qualifies for Free Agency..........In any case, should the Yankees find themselves accidentally holding a lead when the 7th inning comes around (since their starting rotation is a shambles), their bullpen will be killer..........
Shoulda Coulda Woulda: Daniel Murphy got himself a $37.5million Christmas present. Out of the Nats. While I feel that is a lot of moola for a Murphy, it occurs to others with more facts that the Nats got an above average infielder for pretty damned cheap. The point of the article is that Murphy could have claimed more, perhaps even out of the Angels, had he not ignored early suitors in the hope of returning to the Mets...........
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