Just curious what is running through the great baseball minds of the HalosHeaven community in regards to the John Lackey situation.  Personally, I'd like to re-sign him, as I feel his is the best free agent starter out there.  We all know how he feels about playing for a team with a "better offense," among other financial issues.

So my question to you is what happens if we do not re-sign Big Thunder?

The free agent market for starting pitching doesn't look great.  Every option is essentially either a senior citizen or injury prone.  Dumping the farm in a trade doesn't sound like a stellar idea either.  And our in-house options are lackluster.  So . . . what does the Ninja do if he finds himself in this situation? 

FYI:  I'm not interested in seeing a list of the players who, in your opinion, should make up the starting lineup, starting staff, and bullpen next season (and I think I speak for a lot of us around here).  That's what 3/4 of every other off-season fanpost are for.

Everyone has their gripes about blog etiquette.  Some people hate when others write in all lower-case.  Some people hate others who go by Fan IDs such as Ca1IFORNIA ANGELS or johnsamo. 

 What annoys me more than just about anything on this site is when people create fanposts full of links.  Now the links alone aren't what bother me, its what they link and what they choose to attach to those links.  Links should either lead to informative information or something humorous, such as a picture or video.

If you are going to talk about a certain team, you don't need to attach a link that sends me to their home page.  I know the Yankees are good and the Athletics are bad.  If I want to read news or check standings, I will go to their websites on my own.

If you are going to talk about a current league leader or legendary player, you don't need to attach a link to their biography.  I know Babe Ruth hit a lot of homeruns, I know Ken Griffey Jr. has had a decent career, and I know that Albert Pujols is an outstanding player.  I don't need to see their career/season stats to find these things out.

Having said that, let me demonstrate some examples of both good and bad links:

Bad link example:  So in the game against the Yankees last night . . . .

Good link example:  So in the game against the Yankees last night . . . .

Bad link example:  The first time I saw Mark McGwire play . . . .

Good link example:  The first time I saw Mark McGwire play . . . .

Bad link example:  Robb Quinlan's swing reminds me of a walrus mating . . . .

Good link example:  Robb Quinlan's swing reminds me of a walrus mating . . . .

Bad link example:  Torii Hunter has been such a positive force in the clubhouse and community . . . .

Good link example:  Torii Hunter has been such a positive force in the clubhouse and community . . . .

Starting to get the picture?  Just about everyone on this site has a great baseball mind, with a couple of exceptions, of course.  If you're talking about a current player, we likely know who it is and what kind of player they are.  No links to stats or bios are necessary.  While I didn't necessarily show examples of informative information (I know, a little redundant...) in this post (as I was in the mood to go the more humorous route), obscure information that may help explain some stat-head sabermetric is also acceptible.  Just remember who you are dealing with:  Great Angel fans, great baseball fans, and great sports fans.  Spare us the time of clicking on a link that will only lead us to something we already know.  Unless you're bringing entertainment value or concrete and informative (to the well-informed) information (even more redundant...), save yourself the effort of adding a link to the most basic of baseball knowledge.

Now feel free to reply about how annying it is to read a post with so many parentheticals in the text (my apologies).

Just throwin' this out there...

My roomate and I will be at the Halos/Twins series in the Twin Cities this weekend (Friday and Saturday).  We're heading into town tomorrow after we get done with class and will just be grabbing some cheap seats, but on Saturday we have tickets in the 10th row right behind home plate on the aisle.  So if you're watching the game and want to know what NoDakHalo looks like, I'll be the Angel fan behind home plate on Saturday night.  Hopefully I'll have a sign that says, "Naps is a Masher."  I plan on wearing my Bobby Grich home throwback, so keep an eye out.

What does it take to start a blog on this site?  For example, how would one go about starting a University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux blog with SBN?  Is there some sort of application process?  Does there have to be an already existing blog to prove one's superior blogging skills?  Does it have to be a popular team or school that will bring about a lot of traffic?  Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Word has it that the Yankees are pretty happy with their current roster and may revoke their one-year $10 million offer to Pettite.  We need to replace Garland somehow and Randy Johnson's name keeps coming up in coversation, but with a guy like Pettite on the market, Tony may want to start weighing his options. 

Personally I'm not a huge Pettite fan, but he would be a reasonably priced, reliable and consistent replacement for Garland.  I think that this would be an option worth giving serious consideration, as Moseley just hasn't convinced me he is worthy of spot in the starting rotation. 

What does everyone think about possibly making him an offer?

Or does anything need to change at all?

Do we need to be more patient at the plate?  Do we need to be more aggresive at the plate?

Does Scioscia need to make lineup adjustments?  Should Rivera replace GMJ?  Should Naps start in spite of Erv and Mathis' chemistry?  Or should Naps DH?

Does anyone want to throw Aybar under the bus after last night?  Give Bean Town a taste of Dick Wood? 

Here's the lineup I'm hoping for:

Figgy 3B

GA LF

Tex 1B

Vlad DH

Torii CF

Rivera RF

Howie 2B

Napoli C

Aybar SS

I know Mathis will be starting, but I can still hope. 

Some of us have learned over the past week that there seems to be a pretty large population of people somehow related to the legal field on Halos Heaven.  So let's take a roll call and find out how many of us there really are.

Are you a law student?

Are you a lawyer?

Do you work at a law office?

Are you a paralegal?

Are you going to school to become a paralegal?

And anything else I haven't mentioned that you feel qualifies....

Hey, Rev!  If Jeff ever tries to sue you, it looks like you should have adequate representation...I bet some of us would even do it pro bono (or at least at a reduced rate)!