Halos Heaven

Wood hits grand slam, Angels rout Rockies 10-3 -  Sporting News
Wood hit his first career grand slam and Mike Napoli added a three-run homer Sunday as the Angels routed the Colorado Rockies 10-3. A top prospect for years in the minors, Wood entered the game with only two home runs and a .173 batting average. "I haven't put a swing like that on a ball the entire year, even in spring training," Wood said. "I've been working on trying to get that swing back to where I'm driving the ball. Today was the first day where it was my swing. I wasn't thinking about working on this or that. I was just being me. It felt good." "I was pumped up, man. I was standing at third base. I was jumping up and down and my fist was in the air," teammate Torii Hunter said. "The last couple of games, it seems like his swing is totally different. It looks good. He looks confident. We kind of figured something great was going to happen because he was swinging pretty well. His swing looked totally different than it did in the first two months."  Ervin Santana (8-5) struck out seven in 6 2-3 innings for his second straight victory. Three relievers shut out the Rockies on two hits the rest of the way.

I bolded the last line to point out probably the most important note from the game.  If the bullpen can continue its resurgance, the Angels have nothing to worry about.  Did someone say highlight:   Napoli belts a three-run homer to left - Mike Napoli crushes a three-run home run to left to give the Angels a 4-2 lead in the fourth,  Wood breaks the game open with a grand slam - Brandon Wood breaks the game open with a grand slam to put the Angels on top 10-3 in the eighth inning.

Los Angeles Angels could use help at first base - ESPN Los Angeles
Angels general manager Tony Reagins spent about 30 minutes in manager Mike Scioscia's office with the door shut Sunday morning. Afterward, Reagins said he has been actively engaged in trade talks, but wouldn't elaborate. "Right now, there's nothing I can say is going to happen in the next day or so," Reagins said.

I've looked at this just a little bit, and I can not see a deal to be made...unless the Angels can get something for nothing, I'm stumped.


MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

Joe Posnanski " Blog Archive " Top 100 Sports Books
I’m going to put together my list of the Top 100 sports books. Obviously this has been done before … but never by me and the Brilliant Readers of this blog. So here are the rules: 1. All sports apply. What is and what is not a sport is up to you as the nominator and, eventually, me and my panel as the judge. It’s fair to say that the house frowns upon certain sports, but we’re going to try and keep an open mind. 2. Like the above book list, authors can get multiple books on the list.  3. If you are nominating multiple books, and you think of it, put them in the order of your preference.

This is your off-day assignment; Go to the above link and add your favorite sports books and then also list them here.  In the next day or two, I'll compile your suggestions into the "Halos Heaven Favorite Book List".  Here are my suggestions, I have four baseball (in this order) and my favorite non-baseball, sports-themed book:  If I Never Get Back by Darryl Brock, Ball Four by Jim Bouton, Shoeless Joe by W.P Kinsella, and The Natural by Bernard Malamud.  Non-baseball - A Flame of Pure Fire: Jack Dempsey and the Roaring ’20s by Roger Kahn.  What are some of yours?

Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria: Spat with B.J. Upton over with - ESPN
The Tampa Bay Rays' frustrating weekend can be summed up with one image: Stars B.J. Upton and Evan Longoria standing nose-to-nose in a heated dugout spat. Upton pointed a finger in Longoria's face after the third baseman questioned the centerfielder's effort in the fifth inning Sunday, when Gerardo Parra hit a two-run homer that helped give the Arizona Diamondbacks a 2-1 win over the slumping Rays.  Here's the video:  Longoria confronts Upton

Is it too late to get this Evan Longoria guy on the Angels? 

Umpire Cederstrom admits to blown call on third strike - MLB - CBSSports.com Baseball

Another umpire has accepted responsibility for a blown call that went against the Detroit Tigers. Gary Cederstrom acknowledged he erred when he called a third strike on Johnny Damon that ended the Atlanta Braves' 4-3 victory against the Tigers on Saturday night with the bases loaded. Tigers manager Jim Leyland said on Sunday that he called Cederstrom after the game and the umpire said, "'I kicked it. I knew it right away."' Replays showed the full-count pitch from Peter Moylan was outside. A walk would have tied the game.  Here's the pitch (and the call): Moylan strikes out Damon for the final out.

This story has nothing to do with the incorporation of instant replay.  Actually, it has nothing to do with anything except to show how Detroit got ripped off again.

The Juice: Cano, Yankees pounce after epic Dodgers collapse - Big League Stew - MLB  - Yahoo! Sports
It's going to be hard for the Dodgers, who have dropped eight of 10 games, lose any uglier in 2010. Robinson Cano's(notes) two-run homer against George Sherrill(notes) was the margin of victory, and Mariano Rivera(notes) was splendid again for two innings. But it was how it got to that point that will stick in L.A.'s craw. With closer Jonathan Broxton(notes) on the hill after a fine game by left-hander Clayton Kershaw(notes), the Dogs blew a four-run lead in an agonizing ninth inning.

Yikes.

June 28 - BR Bullpen
1961 - Ryne Duren goes eight innings and strikes out 12 former teammates to give the Angels a 5 - 3 win over New York. Mickey Mantle drives in all three Yankee runs, two on a home run.
1976 - Tigers rookie Mark 'the Bird' Fidrych amuses a national television audience talking to the baseball as he one-hits the Yankees, 5 - 1.
Happy b-day:
1949 - Don Baylor, designated hitter, manager; All-Star
R.I.P.:
1922 - Dick Lowe, catcher (b.1854) (Sounds painful, or he's bragging)
1960 - Bull Durham, pitcher (b.1877) Huh?

The transformation of the loaded bases: