TuesdoLinks: Bobbling Ahead

Every year I miss National Bobblehead Day. Somehow it fails to get into my calendar. This year, that day was yesterday (see The Duffle Bag, below).

What I do not miss, though, are the actual bobbleheads that are so prized by many. Why? because I see them all the damned time for sale at thrift and antique stores.

Just the other day I tripped over these gems. Not the largest single collection to be found within the same block, merely the 3rd largest. This guy’s collection for sale is pretty weak. But this guy, well, this guy knows how to choose them! (Note the barely-visible neighboring bobblehead being offered.)..........

Bobble-These-HaloLinks:

The Teensiest, Most Minute Amount Of Angels News That’s Fit To Print

Your LA Halos: worth more than the Padres, worth more than the Kings, and worth more than the Ducks........

Everywhere In Baseball

MLB saw revenues of $10.3 billion in 2018. As the article notes, that does not include an additional $2.58 billion for the sale of BAMTech to Disney. That’s a new record number. If I use SporTrac as a best guess for 2018 player payrolls, we have a player total of $4.3 billion in salaries. That’s 42% of the gross. Not bad...........

Another Stirrups invention put into real practice. If you will recall, my outline for a new Angles Stadium in Tustin included the idea of a grove of real producing trees as teh batters eye, in tribute to the legacy of OC agriculture. Orange trees, walnut trees, avocado trees, etc. would have made for a “living batter’s eye” that would also improve climate and fragrance throughout the outfield seating and concourse areas. That idea was first published here a couple of years ago. Well, here come the Twins, and here comes MLB’s first real-world “living batter’s eye”!..........

Hall of Fame Season update: Jay Jaffe puts forth his Part 3 and Part 4 of HoF Ballot One and Dones. I want to vote for Darren Oliver.........

Screw the science behind a bad hop. I used to play 3B. I don’t care about the science. I care about the pain..........

We talk about it all the time. Writers complain about teams failing to line up to be the first to splurge on big name free agents, and then writers mock the teams that rushed to sign up a big name free agents and throw away money needlessly. So, for your historical bookmarking pleasure, here is an example of Jonah Keri pointing out the contract follies (from yesterday)....And here is an example of Jonah Keri pointing to collusion among MLB franchises to punish labor (from October of 2017).........

Cable rates keep on climbing. Always a smart move when one is losing the customer base........

Hot Stove

The Brewers and the Giants are talking about a move that would send Madison Bumgarner to Milwaukee for a year..........

The Halos were NOT left out of the news yesterday, despite all the silence in Anaheim....Ex-LAA pitcher Hector Santiago just signed on with the Mets, and Blake Parker is signing with the Twins............

Department of Poor Timing Award goes to fan Jason Reed, who proposes that the Angels should go all in on Kelvin Herrera as the closer. Less than a day later, Herrera is signed by...the White Sox? Hererra kicked some serious ass in the AL last year, before being traded to the Nationals..........

What’s this? The Cubs are not active because they are out of cash?..........

There is a lot of fancy dancing going on behind the scenes with the Bryce Harper and Manny Machado markets. The most humorous dance step from my POV is the ongoing notion that the Yankees are willing to dump the guy that MFY fans insist is the 2018 RoY - Miguel Andujar..........Scott Boras is using all the Harper/Machado media attention to frame a modern contract development with a new word: ‘swellopt’. Matt Snyder of CBSSports might not be on board, yet, but there are enough small-town scribes who will love that word that the tide is in Boras’ favor.........Meanwhile, Manny Machado’s wife must have recently had dinner with the wife of Mark Teixeira..........

Grant Brisbee is tired of waiting, and plays the mind game of forcing the top remaining FA’s onto teams. Alas, not even Brisbee wants to help us out. No dudes for Anaheim. Every other California team gets a present, but not Billy Eppler.........

Buster Olney must want to outlaw trades between teams as a way to tune rosters. Because fixing your roster by swapping contracts does not do enough to put more money into the pockets of older, declining Free Agents..........

The Duffle Bag

Before I begin, remember that this is Kyle Seager we are talking about here...THIS KYLE SEAGER...Thus, reddit gives us Carlos Carrasco pwning Seager in a much different way...........Yesterday was National Bobblehead Day.....Dig some Trout.....Dig some Guerrero (thanks, Dipoto!)..........Move the Home Run Derby to the Bahamas and maybe I will attend!..........