TuesdoLinks: 12/5/2017

The Angels are among the 7 finalists for the possibility of adding Shohei Ohtani to the roster. Considering how Ohtani was little more than pixie dust and unicorn, pie-in-the-sky speculation a year ago this is a huge high for us Angels fans. But being among the 7 does not mean that we are the favorite. The odds are still high that Ohtani will go elsewhere. And we should not just immediately be jerks about it. Instead, we can be torn between the two possible outcomes of Ohtani being less than advertised, versus Ohtani being Ichiro Suzuki + Hideki Matsui + Yu Darvish all rolled into one roster spot, and the payroll price of a Chad Pennington. And if the latter happens at the ass-saving benefit of Jerry Dipoto, all the more reason to collapse in sorrow. For we will again have the self-entitled jackanapery of Mariners fans with which to deal.

Meanwhile, I hope that our candidacy remains intact at least until the Winter Meetings next week. Nothing perks up the readership as does relevancy. The traffic stats I have access to around here are startling. The top-viewed articles yesterday were Ohtani - Ohtani- MondoLinks (full of Ohtani), WeekEnd Links from last Friday (on the docket when the Ohtani down-selection news hit), and then Ohtani. Total eyeballs from those stories were north of 13,000.

So I shall leave all the hottest takes on Shohei Ohtani to other articles which can be more timely, do Ohtani summaries here, and focus on everything else.

Catch up then on these Ohtani-Offseason-Links:

A Little Bit of Angels News

I forgot to add this yesterday, but Billy Eppler is still looking at upgrading 2B via Cesar Hernandez of the Phillies.........

Sign Ohtani, trade Calhoun?..........

Everywhere In Baseball

I used to default to “Hell no, Jack Morris does not belong in the Hall of Fame” (I, too, was a big fan of baseball during the years of Morris’ career just like MSM dinosaurs.) But then I read about that post-WS helicopter pizza run, and now I am fully on board.........

The Supreme Court is hearing a case that might end up legalize sports betting in this country. I am fascinated to watch what legalization would do to the legal and illegal gambling industries. I do not think it would eradicate illegal gambling, only because I would fully expect legal gambling to get the crap taxed out of it. The more it’s taxed - and it will be an easy and lucrative target - the more it will push many to keep their ante underground..........

Yessiree. Yankees fans now know what it’s like to be snubbed. And they are going to hate it for a long, long time...........

Grant Brisbee, doing a very fine job of pimping the Giants. (And clearly still holding a grudge for 2002.)..........

Hot Stove

The White Sox ain’t waiting for the Winter Meetings next week to crank up the hot stove. They signed Welington Castillo to a 2-year deal. Castillo is a middle-of-the-free-agent pack catcher in a weak field. But it’s something........

Give the San Francisco Giants mad props, though. At this point they are the only team in MLB still bellying up to the bar with the chance to land BOTH Shohei Ohtani and Giancarlo Stanton. And, yeah, next year is an even-numbered season..........

Ohtani Focus: So just what the heck is Shohei Ohtani really all about as a baseball player, anyway? Ummm. Pretty frikkin’ promising, is what.............Jon Heyman, losing Ohtani from the comfort of his east coast perch, has had to completely re-tool his prognostication. He now has the Padres in the lead..........Grant Brisbee has the Russians using social media to trick him into announcing that his own favorite team is one of the final 2. Which is right on time as Ohtani is meeting with the Giants now...........The Angels would be the 2nd most shocking landing spot for Shohei? Are we that irrelevant?..........Also, if the Angels land Ohtani I would expect Eppler to entertain the use of one of his current starters as a trade asset first, and hang onto one of them as a bullpen depth chart piece second..........Ohtani feels not quite as good about Philadelphia as his potential teammate, Mike Trout..........

The Rangers plucked up Mike Minor (among others).........They plan to use him as another starter in their rotation...........

Learn to speak like an assistant GM, in one easy lesson in just in time for Winter Meetings..........

The Duffle Bag

Mike Trout’s favorite football team, the Philadelphia Eagles, are running around Mike Trout’s home turf this week, getting ready for their upcoming game against the Rams by using Angels Stadium as their practice field..........Victor was happy that the nation was celebrating his dad yesterday..........Looks like it was The Grinch who stole Brian Cashman’s Ohtani Christmas ornament..........Gary Sanchez, in search of ancient aliens, perhaps..........Need a job so bad you are willing to move to Detroit? The Tigers want to talk to you..........Yankee fans show themselves to be the worst losers............