Halos Heaven

Lawyer wants murder charge dropped in Nick Adenhart case - ESPN Los Angeles
A lawyer says her client did not intend to drive drunk before a crash that killed Los Angeles Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart and has asked a judge to drop a murder charge. Attorney Jacqueline Goodman said in a motion Thursday that 23-year-old Andrew Thomas Gallo's designated driver got drunk, so Gallo took the wheel of his minivan instead.

Seriously?  I understand everyone has the right to legal representation and a fair trial, but this is despicable.  In what appears to me as an attempt to shift the blame from himself to his designated driver, Gallo is trying to avoid taking responsibility for his actions.  According to a couple sources: "As a result of the defendant’s 2006 conviction for driving under the influence, he was required to participate in court ordered alcohol awareness classes, during which he was informed of the dangers of drinking and driving and told that driving while intoxicated could result in the death of himself or others."  And, "Gallo is being prosecuted for second-degree murder instead of vehicular manslaughter under the legal theory that he knew that driving while drunk was dangerous to human life – because of his prior DUI conviction – but chose to do it anyway." 

Blue Jays-Angels Preview -  FOX Sports on MSN
While Abreu has been a catalyst atop the lineup, a rejuvenated Scott Kazmir (8-9, 6.57 ERA) is also looking to boost Los Angeles' playoff hopes. The left-hander returned from his latest injury with a strong performance Saturday, allowing one unearned run and three hits in five innings of a 10-1 win at Detroit. Kazmir is 2-0 with a 4.94 ERA in four starts against the Blue Jays (60-54). The Angels have won five of six season meetings with Toronto, taking two of three at home from May 24-26. The Blue Jays won't have Brandon Morrow as they try to build on the victory, as he is being skipped in the rotation to give him extra rest after his last outing.The Blue Jays will instead turn to Marc Rzepczynski (0-1, 7.15), who will be recalled from Triple-A Las Vegas.The left-hander, 2-5 with a 4.27 ERA in 13 starts over two seasons, hasn't won since last facing the Angels on Aug. 21. He yielded one run and three hits with six strikeouts in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-4 home victory.

Anyone else not buying the "rejuvenated Scott Kazmir" bit?  I'm going to need a couple more good starts before I jump onboard with that.


MORE LINKS AFTER THE BREAK...

Prosecutor: K-Rod had previous incidents -  FOX Sports on MSN
A law-enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation said Rodriguez's girlfriend, Daian Pena, told investigators Rodriguez beat her after an argument when they lived in California and he played for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Pena, the mother of their twin one-year-old daughters, didn't report the incident, and the official didn't know when it allegedly took place.

Ugly story gets uglier.

Brian Fuentes silences the boos from Angels fans - latimes.com
For the first three months of the season, there would be a collective groan punctuated by boos every time the bullpen door swung open and Brian Fuentes entered a game.Yet Manager Mike Scioscia stuck by Fuentes, though rarely did a series go by without him having to defend that decision. No one is booing now. Fuentes has been one of baseball's most reliable relievers since mid-June, allowing one earned run in 19 innings of his last 19 games, going 13 for 14 in save opportunities, lowering his ERA to 3.22 and stabilizing the back of the bullpen.

Nice to see, but might be a little too late.

And now from Halos Heavens Department of the Totally Obvious...

Owners unanimously approve sale of Rangers to Chuck Greenberg-Nolan Ryan group - USATODAY.com
Major League Baseball has unanimously approved the sale of the Rangers to a group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan at its owners' meetings in Minneapolis. "I am very pleased that Chuck, Nolan and their impressive ownership group have been approved as the new leadership of the Texas Rangers franchise," Commissioner Bud Selig said in a statement. "And most importantly, we won't have to deal with that Mark Cuban character."

New Rangers owners come out swinging: 'We're here to win' - USATODAY.com
"We're here to win," Greenberg said. "We're not going to accept any other result."

Really?  Your goal is to win??  As in to not lose?  Obvious guy is obvious.

Buy a Camaro in Kentucky, get dinner with Pete Rose - Big League Stew -  Yahoo! Sports
Alas, it turns out that the promotion does not involve one-on-one noshing with the Hit King, but a group feed for all buyers that will be held on Nov. 16.

Two questions; 1) Can someone buy Pete Rose a new shirt?  He's got 4192 hits and 1 shirt.  And 2)  Will his girlfriend be there?  Oh, and this video is funny.  In a sad sort of way.

August 13 - BR Bullpen
Events, births and deaths that occurred on August 13.
1900 - A mechanical pitching machine is used in a game between the Memphis Chicks and the Nashvilles. The invention of Princeton professor Charles Hinton, the early pitching gun strikes out two and allows three hits in two innings.  Those crazy scientist
1911 - Ty Cobb, apparently believing the Tigers can no longer win the pennant race, begins a vacation.  Those crazy rednecks
1911 - The Pirates' Elmer Steele throws just 72 pitches in subduing the Dodgers, 9 - 0. Steele gives up no walks and has no strikeouts, and allows just one hit - a one-out 9th inning single to light-hitting Tex Erwin. Brooklyn so admires the feat they obtain him on September 16th, but he never wins another game in the majors.  Those crazy Dodgers
1945 - Branch Rickey becomes the principal stockholder of the Dodgers. He and associates Walter O'Malley and John Smith acquire the 50 percent interest of the Ebbets estate for a reported price of $750,000.  Those crazy industrialists
1951 - Every one who shows up with a musical instrument is admitted free to Ebbets Field. 2,426 fans take advantage of the offer, including one with a piano. The Dodgers have a motive in countering the local musicians' union which wants to silence the non-union Sym-Phoney.  Those crazy union muckrakers
1969 - With a unanimous vote, the major league owners elect Commissioner Bowie Kuhn to a seven-year term.  Those crazy owners
1996 - The Angels trade pitchers Ryan Hancock and Steven Agosto and a player to be named to the Padres for OF Rickey Henderson. To make room for the future Hall of Famer, the Angels release another future HOFer, Eddie Murray. Murray will sign with the Dodgers.  Those crazy Dodgers
2003 - After missing nearly three months with a groin injury, Mike Piazza makes a dramatic return to the New York lineup as he homers and drives in five runs on Italian Night at Shea Stadium.  Those crazy Italians
Happy b-day (best friends edition):
1858 - Fatty Briody, catcher (d. 1903)  BFF - Skinny Jones
1865 - Hercules Burnett, outfielder (d. 1936)  BFF - Apollo Creed
1871 - Fielder Jones, outfielder, manager (d. 1934)  BFF - Pitcher Smith
1886 - Lefty George, pitcher (d. 1955)  BFF - Righty Tom
1888 - Limb McKenry, pitcher (d. 1956)  BFF - Torso McDouglas
1889 - Cotton Knaupp, infielder (d. 1967)  BFF - Polyester Blend
1930 - Vinegar Bend Mizell, pitcher; All-Star (d. 1999)  BFF - Sweet Tea Rivers
1970 - Dickie Brown, minor league pitcher  BFF - Pussie Greene
R.I.P.:
1968 - Lefty Guise, pitcher (b. 1908)   BFF - Righty Girlz