Halos Heaven

Angels 4, Padres 3 -  CBSSports.com
Weaver was erratic through 3 1-3 innings. He walked five and allowed four hits and three runs while striking out four. After making some adjustments, "He looked really sharp his last 20 pitches," Scioscia said.

Weaver works to tame two-seam fastball - angelsbaseball.com
Weaver is working to get more ground-ball outs this season with an improved two-seam fastball, which he added to his arsenal of pitches only last season after first throwing it in the 2008 playoffs. The 6-foot-7 right-hander worked almost exclusively on that pitch on Tuesday against the Padres, as he threw it about 80 percent of the time, but it came with mixed results -- he allowed three runs on four hits over 3 1/3 innings pitched along with five walks and a hit batter.

This is why you don't worry too much about early spring training results.  I seriously doubt Weaver will throw his a new pitch 80% of the time during the regular season.  If this pitch helps cut down on his flyball rate and induce a few more ground outs (and double plays), you may be able to remove the "potential" from "potential ace" when describing Weaver.

Scioscia: Angels' lineup will be fluid - The Orange County Register
When Scioscia talks about his lineup, he uses the term "groupings." There's the grouping at the top of the order, the guys he counts on to get on base. Then, there's the power, the guys charged with driving in the runs. And then there's the bottom, the guys who are supposed to turn the order over to the top.

If the lineup is fluid, how is it grouped? 

Los Angeles Angels 2010 preview - Stan McNeal -  Sporting News
Sporting News prediction: The rest of the West is catching up, but the Angels' advantage in starting pitching will be the difference. They will win their sixth division title in the past seven seasons.

But...but...what about Pecota?  And not having a "true" number one starter?  Stan McNeal must live in Anaheim, or at least not in the pacific northwest, bay-area, or eastern seaboard.

Scouts' Views: AL West - Ryan Fagan -  Sporting News
An AL scout spoke with Sporting News' Ryan Fagan about three of the division's biggest questions: Q: Which pitcher (if any) will emerge as the Angels' ace? Scout says: "I think Joe Saunders has a chance to really solidify himself as one of the premier lefthanded pitchers in the game. He's a tremendous makeup guy, works extremely hard, has a very strong aptitude for the game. He's probably the most durable guy in that rotation. To me, Saunders is a complete package and could put himself in that category as one of the top five to 10 lefties in the game."

A couple days ago, my son asked me who is my favorite player.  I thought about it for a couple seconds, and the off-the-top-of-my-head answer was "Joe Saunders".  But after giving it some more thought, and going through all of the possible players, I came up with the same answer...Joe Saunders.  And I don't know why.  Another thing I don't know, at least on this subject, is why there's so much diversity in opinions regarding Saunders.  The above scout thinks Saunders has the ability to become the Angels ace, while others think of him as a reliable #5.  Is his good?  Is he great?  Is he adequate?  Maybe that's why he's my favorite, he could be anything.

MLB Loves To Hide Their Beautiful Game - 7th Inning Stache, a Baseball Blog
I have not liked MLB’s internet policies since the first time I tried to find an MLB highlight on the internet. It turns out the MLB destroys all content that gets posted on Youtube.The NBA on the other hand, has a firm grasp on the internet, and it’s power. As soon as you want to see an NBA blooper, highlight, or fan video, you will find it on Youtube, all over the internet on message boards, on Digg, Ballhype, Blogs etc… But who put those videos everywhere? The fans did. The NBA saves millions of advertising doll hairs by having their game in everyone’s face, and they are paying zilch for it. They are just allowing their fans to do it.

I get why the MLB protects the "MLB" usage, but why not allow embedding and such?  From their stupid blackout policy to their inability to promote their product (the players), baseball's marketing is a joke. 

Ex-Yankee Chuck Knoblauch admits to assaulting wife - Houston Chronicle
Former New York Yankees star Chuck Knoblauch pleaded guilty today to a misdemeanor charge of assaulting of a family member in exchange for a year of deferred adjudication, according to court records.

I'm not posting this link to highlight an ugly incident, just to point out how "east coast bias" isn't always a good thing.  Knoblauch played in the majors for 12 season, the majority of which were with the Minnesota Twins, yet when he's charged with assaulting his wife he's referred to as an "Ex-Yankee".

March 17 - BR Bullpen
1886 - The Sporting News, the weekly that will become "The Baseball Paper of the World," publishes its first issue. 1946 - In Daytona Beach, the Brooklyn Dodgers take the field against their minor-league farm team, the Montreal Royals. With Jackie Robinson in the lineup for Montreal, the game marks the first appearance of an integrated team in Organized Baseball in this century. A crowd of 3,100 attends the game at City Island Park, which will be renamed Jackie Robinson Stadium in 1990.

Happy birthday to...
1977 - Robb Quinlan, infielder