Halos Heaven

Indians 15, Angels 5 -  CBSSports.com
The Angels' Ervin Santana allowed five runs and six hits in 4 2-3 innings, struck out two and walked two. "I had very, very good stuff - good changeups, sliders and a lot of strikes," he said. "I'm right on time. One more and I'm ready for the season. I try to keep it simple, forget about the runners and worry about the hitters." Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia said Santana didn't have his best fastball last season, but is now throwing as well as he did earlier in the spring.

Did anyone else notice how fast Santana worked yesterday?  I don't know about you, but I liked that.

Jered Weaver in line for Angels' opening-day start - latimes.com
Jered Weaver has been aligned to start the Angels' April 5 season opener since Cactus League play began in early March, and nothing has knocked him off that course.But Manager Mike Scioscia won't officially select his opening-day starter until Monday or Tuesday. "I haven't heard anything," Weaver said.

Joe Posnanski " Who Are You To Decide What’s Unearned?*
As long as we are going to have unearned runs — and as long as they are going to blend into the statistical record — we should ask this question: Is there an art to SCORING unearned runs? Well, here are the most and fewest earned and unearned runs SCORED: Most unearned runs scored:
1. Angels, 87
2. Boston, 84
3. Atlanta, 72
4. Texas, 69  New York Yankees, 69

The Angels score an unearned run about every other game.  Is that because they put more pressure on the opposing teams' defense by taking the extra base?  Do they hit the ball harder?  Is this a trend?

MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK....

Rosenthal don't expect much from Mariners -  FOX Sports on MSN
Mariners general manager Jack Zduriencik is under no illusions. While he knows his restructuring raised expectations, he never bought into the hype. "I’ve made this statement all along: I’m not sure how good this club is," Zduriencik says. "I think there are things we do that are really good. But we need everything in place for us to be a pretty good club."

Don't tell that to Dave Cameron.

Smart-market thinking key to baseball success  - The Orange County Register
But the issue is not small markets. The issue is smart markets. Toronto was a big market. Beginning in 1991 the Blue Jays drew more than 4 million for three consecutive years. Last year they drew 1.87 million. They released Chris Carpenter, they didn't draft Troy Tulowitzki, and now they're a pauper, forced to surrender Roy Halladay for kids. Philadelphia was a small market. In 1997 the Phillies drew 1.49 million, worst in the National League. Scouting director Mike Arbuckle brought in Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. Now they're two-time defending NL champs. Last year they drew a club record 3.6 million. Thanks to Arbuckle's inventory, the Phillies obtained Halladay.

Kind of a "master of the obvious" article from Whicker.  If a team is good, they'll draw more fans.  But he's right, it's harder to be smart then rich, and to have a good team it takes more than money.

Study: Yankees players best paid in world -  SI.com
A British study says New York Yankees baseball players are the best paid in global team sport ahead of Real Madrid's footballers.

Now there's a shocker.

Bruce Bialosky : The Destruction of an American Icon - Townhall.com
Those of you who went to high school in the United States before the educational system was destroyed may remember the term "carpetbaggers." They were the Northerners who went south after the civil war and helped prolong the agony of the South while the rest of the country was attempting to heal. The term has stuck in our lexicon and retained a very derogatory meaning. It is now applicable to the owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, who are on course to destroy one of America’s most iconic sports franchises.

This whole Dodgers-Frank-Jamie-divorce stuff is kind of fun to watch...in a car wreck sort of way.

Red Sox warm up leftover Scott Schoeneweis - BostonHerald.com
"Having a lot of family in Boston, I became a Boston fan, I’m still a Boston fan - aside from two years in Toronto when I couldn’t root for Boston, I’ve always rooted for Boston," Schoeneweis said yesterday. "It’s come full circle, it’s kind of a neat thing that after all these years, I’ve almost been here a couple of times, and at least for a week, I’ll get to say I was a Red Sox."

Is he saying he rooted for the Sux while a member of the Angels?  And, "At least for a week, I'll get to say I was a douchebag."  I'm actually happy he found a job...at least for now.

Twins unveil their pitching plans -  ESPN Los Angeles
I'll put the Angels pitchers in parentheses, since they have not been announced by manager Mike Scioscia: April 5 - (RHP Jered Weaver) vs. RHP Scott Baker April 6 - (LHP Joe Saunders) vs. RHP Nick Blackburn April 7 - (RHP Ervin Santana-*) vs. RHP Carl Pavano April 8 - (LHP Scott Kazmir-*) vs. RHP Kevin Slowey

rallymonkeys: Izturis' quick recovery
Angels infielder Maicer Izturis was feeling "much better, no problem" on Sunday after experiencing mid-back stiffness on Saturday swinging the bat and leaving the game against the Giants in the third inning. He is expected to play against the White Sox on Monday night in a split-squad game in Goodyear. Scott Kazmir reported no stiffness - "all good, ready to go" - after unleashing a full-tilt power bullpen on Saturday. "I threw everything, including some good sliders," he said of his 60-pitch session. "I'm feeling pretty good about my slider." Kazmir will unload 75-80 pitches on Tuesday against the Brewers in Tempe and expects to be ready to take his turn first time around the rotation opening week.

Rangers pitcher Darren Oliver has revamped career -  FOX Sports on MSN
As fans and followers of the game, we scan the Opening Day rosters, see the aging names and say to our buddies, "Whoa, did you know that guy was still around?" But maybe he will be one of the lucky ones — the player who reinvents himself and flourishes for years to come. Darren Oliver did that. In fact, he might have done that as well as any player in uniform today. That’s a hard statement to support, but this might convince you: Oliver, now a left-handed reliever with the Texas Rangers, is the only active pitcher with 300 or more relief appearances and 225 or more starts.

This story is a couples days old, but in case you missed it (like I did).

Yesterdays ugliness: