Halos Heaven

Before I get into today's links, I have to tell you...I feel great.  My new year's resolution this year was to quit smoking, and I haven't had a cigarette since January 1st.  This is somewhere around my 47th attempt to quit, but it does feel like I might make it this time.  Anyway, I would like to thank the makers of the Nicoderm patch for providing me with an opportunity of a lifetime.  One of the side effects of the patch is vivid and intense dreams, and I've had some really weird ones over the last few months, but last night's was AWESOME!  Me and Anne Hathaway went to a baseball game at Angels Stadium...and the Angels won!  (sadly, she wasn't wearing this).  The dream was more vivid than intense, but I'm not complaining.  Both Anne and I had a great time. 

Mariners 6, Angels 4 -  CBSSports.com
With one out and a runner on third, Jeff Mathis hit one of many soaring drives off struggling Mariners starter Ryan Rowland-Smith. Suzuki sprinted with his back to the plate, then jumped to make a tumbling grab on the warning track of the ball hit directly over his head. "I've never caught a ball like that before, so it will stay in my memory," the nine-time Gold Glove outfielder said through an interpreter. "Usually, it's from the right or left. That one was from straight from the top. So that was one of my most impressive catches."

Ichiro's 'unbelievable' grab recalls Mays - MLB.com
The number "51" was visible for several seconds as Ichiro hustled after the towering fly ball hit by Angels catcher Jeff Mathis in the second inning of Tuesday's Cactus League game at Peoria Stadium. Finally, just as the ball was about to sail over his head, Ichiro, with his back still to the infield, jumped, snagged the ball, lost his footing and skidded on the warning track and into the wall.

Ichiro, I served with Willie Mays, I knew Willie Mays, Willie Mays was a friend of mine. Ichiro, you're no Willie Mays.  Okay, it was a cool catch.  If you missed it, be sure to check out the video the above link takes you to.

Halos' Santana forced to miss start - angelsbaseball.com
Angels right-hander Ervin Santana was forced to miss his scheduled Cactus League start on Tuesday against the Mariners after bumping his elbow against a chair on Saturday. "He inflamed the bursa a little bit," Scioscia said. "He's playing catch. He'll throw a power 'pen in two days. He'll throw 75 pitches his next start, then 90 [in his final spring tuneup]. He'll be ready to go."

Goddamnit, Ikea!

More links after the jump...

Control issues are only pain to Shields - angelsbaseball.com
The Angels' setup artist struggled with command of his pitches, but there were no issues with his left, landing knee. And back stiffness that had surfaced in a camp game appearance last time out, three days earlier, had disappeared. "My body felt good, my pitching not so good," Shields said.

This has been mentioned before, but worth repeating...the return of Scot Shields to the Angels bullpen would be better than a date with Anne Hathaway.  Maybe.  Over the long run.  Nevermind.

Longtime minor leaguer looks for home with Angels  - The Orange County Register
Ryan and his wife Alicia, a trauma nurse, have the same bill-paying concerns many of you do. He has a 15-month-old son. They live in Pittsburgh, but now they're wondering whether they'll be in Anaheim or Salt Lake City this spring. A season in Anaheim? Ryan is familiar with the joint. He worked out with the Twins and took batting practice during the 2002 American League Championship Series – "right when the Rally Monkey was introduced," he said, knowingly. He was in the clubhouse when Adam Kennedy hit three home runs in Game 5.

This spring's feel-good-story, brought to you by OC Register's Mark Whicker.  Actually, this is a pretty good write up.

Angels catchers share more than same job - angelsbaseball.com
Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis are rare in a culture of ambitious, upwardly mobile, achievement-driven Type A personalities. "He's trying to take my job, and I'm trying to take his," Napoli said. "But we're doing it in a good way. We never pull against each other. Hey, we do everything together. How could we do that?"

Everything?  Whoa now, I've seen some photographs on the internet about that sort of stuff.  Naps, what would your mother think?

Scott Schoeneweis says Brewers released him 'because my wife died' -  NBC Sports
Milwaukee released Scott Schoeneweis today after signing him to a minor-league contract about six weeks ago and the veteran left-hander had some harsh words on his way out the door:
"The only regret I have is that I wasted a month of my time. I didn't have a chance to make the team. That's what I learned today. I'm a big league pitcher and I shouldn't have to prove anything. This will be my 12th year in the big leagues and I wasn't injured, I wasn't out of the game because my skills diminished. ... It's just ironic that I can't get a job because my wife died. It doesn't make much sense to me."

In all seriousness, this is a terrible story.  Hopefully, things work out for Schoeneweis.

Spring training roundup: Brewers' Edmonds drives in five in comeback bid -  CBSSports.com Baseball
Jim Edmonds' comeback took another positive step Tuesday as the 39-year-old drove in five runs to lead the Milwaukee Brewers to a 10-2 win over the Cleveland Indians. Edmonds hit a three-run homer off Jeremy Sowers in a four-run first inning and a two-run single off Jensen Lewis in a five-run second.

Shoeless Joe Jackson: Man, I did love this game. I'd have played for food money. It was the game... The sounds, the smells. Did you ever hold a ball or a glove to your face?
Ray Kinsella: Yeah.
Shoeless Joe Jackson: I used to love traveling on the trains from town to town. The hotels... brass spittoons in the lobbies, brass beds in the rooms. It was the crowd, rising to their feet when the ball was hit deep. Shoot, I'd play for nothing!

Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan is a hands-on boss for Rangers -  FOX Sports on MSN
Back in his days with the California Angels, Nolan Ryan would rarely show up for spring training much before the mandatory March 1 reporting date, although he was in good enough shape that he would immediately throw 20 minutes of batting practice and was ready to pitch in the first game of the exhibition season. Seems he was delayed because they had the cattle sale in Houston the last week of February, and Ryan, the cattle rancher, had business to take care of before he would switch his cowboy hat for a ball cap and become Ryan, the future Hall of Fame pitcher.  General manager Buzzie Bavasi would fume.

Buzzie Bavasi would've tried to replace Anne Hathaway with two Rosie O'Donnells.

Your national pastime needs you: Mark Cuban : FoxSports.com Photo Gallery
Cuban's sideline antics rub some the wrong way, but he cares deeply about winning and — novelty of novelties — views his team as something more than just another slice of his business holdings.

This post is about 5 people baseball needs and five they should get rid of.  I've written before, if Cuban had been able to buy the Cubs, they'd have become my second favorite team.

Mariners' Lee still feels pain in abdomen -  Sporting News
Cliff Lee's bumpy new ride with Seattle continues. The 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner said Tuesday he still feels some pain in his strained abdomen following his first on-field test of the injury and he has no idea when he will be able to get on a mound again. That makes it possible Lee won't be ready when the season starts April 5 at Oakland.

This sucks for the Mariners.  According to Pecota, now they will only win the division by 10 games.

OPTIMISM 'ESCO'-LATING ; KELVIM COULD BEGIN THROWING TOMORROW -  FOX Sports on MSN
Kelvim Escobar must be given permission first, but he is hoping to be able to throw a ball tomorrow for the first time in weeks. The Mets' rehabbing reliever has been shut down for several weeks due to his bad right shoulder, but Escobar told The Post yesterday he has improved dramatically while on his baseball hiatus. He has been training with Mets minor league rehab specialist Chris Correnti and said he's stronger and is experiencing less soreness as a result of his daily exercises. "I think there's a pretty good chance that I'm going to start throwing next week," Escobar said.

"Next week".  Didn't we hear that from Escobar a few times last season?

Sign No. 732 you have a baseball card collecting problem - Yahoo! Sports
Then again, whatever purity the industry possessed died when they started charging more than 50 cents a pack. So who's to say that this is anything more than a sad commentary on what baseball card collecting has become?

I remember in 1986, going to all of the Toy City's in the area because you could see all of the cards in rack packs by sliding each card with your fingernail.  I still have 38 Cecil Fielder rookie cards.

March 24 - BR Bullpen
1952 - During spring training, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Bob Slaybaugh was hit in the left eye with a line drive pitch and subsequently lost the eye. The young pitcher returned to the mound in 1953 and again in 1954 before he retired from professional baseball.
1970 - Commissioner Kuhn orders a halt to the use of X-5 balls. (apparently, this was in response to the Slaybaugh incident)
1887 - Fatty Arbuckle, minor league owner (d. 1933)