SB Nation User Blog: Rev Halofan

16,000+ Unique Visits for Matsui Monday

Rev Halofan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 08:04:11 -0000

More photos » by Kathy Willens - AP

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2009 photo, baseball player Hideki Matsui, the World Series MVP, waves from a float during a ticker-tape parade along Broadway celebrating a World Series championship in New York. Matsui and the Los Angeles Angels have reached a preliminary agreement on a one-year contract worth about $6.5 million, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Monday, Dec. 14, 2009, because the contract was not yet final. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)

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Matsui Monday, along with news about Benedict Lackey abandoning ship, brought heavy traffic to this site yesterday. For an offseason weekday, 16,000+ unique visitors to a blog indicate that blog is doing something right. Just look at our screengrab of the stats below:

Our neutral, third party Sitemeter says it all in this screen grab shot at 11:57 Pacific Time Monday night: Everyone turns to Halos Heaven for their online Angels news and commentary. These are not stats we cook up in-house, these are records of each unique ISP number visiting the site, day in and day out. Thank YOU for visiting yesterday and helping the Godzilla of the Halosphere welcomed Godzilla to the Angels.

UPDATE: Yesterday was the biggest day for traffic in the history of SBN... Over 800,000 unique visitors poured thru the network's turnstiles. Soon it will be a million sports fans per day and the mainstream media won't know what hit 'em.

Hideki Matsui Signing a Goal of Angels President John Carpino

Rev Halofan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 19:53:25 -0000

More photos » by Koji Sasahara - AP

about 1 month ago: People watch a live broadcast on TV at Yamada Denki discount store in Tokyo, Japan, Thursday, Nov. 5, 2009, showing New York Yankees' MVP Hideki Matsui being interviewed after winning the Major League Baseball World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2009, in New York. Matsui became the first Japanese-born player to be named World Series Most Valuable Player after hitting a record six RBIs in the deciding game to lead the Yankees over the Phillies 7-3. Japanese on the screen reads: World Series MVP goes to Yankees' Hideki Matsui. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

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Multiple reports have the Angels close to signing Hideki Matsui for a one year $6.5 Million contract.

The reason the Angels have been pursuing Hideki Matsui to basically fill the Vladimir Guerrero role can be summed up with one word: BILLBOARDS.

There are two players in baseball who sells billboards, and they aren't John Lackey and Vladimir Guerrero. They are Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui. The Angels could recoup almost all of our soon-to-be new DH's salary in a few deals that will put them on the radar of advertising partners that the divorcing Dodgers can only dream of...

The new Angels President, John Carpino, was a giant in the billboard industry and understands them like Bill James understands baseball. He was Arte Moreno's Alma-Mater approved capo at Outdoor Systems and is the person besides Moreno most responsible for making Arte a billionaire. Our new team president is obviously putting his stamp on the Angels. That and the fact that he was the 2nd biggest Yankee fan (to Angels Chairman Dennis Kuhl) on Earth before joining Arte with the team ties him to this move.

This signing is a goodbye to Vladimir Guerrero. We love you Vladdy, but you don't move teevee sets in Tokyo. It is an unsentimental move to bring in revenue from other streams besides ticket sales and at least the Angels have an expert in the outdoor advertising field operating behind the scenes.

Hideki Matsui will sell more billboards in the stadium and introduce Angels management to partnerships with corporate advertisers that were off limits to anyone besides the top tier of international markets only last week. Welcome to the future, Angels fans... expect red pinstripes by 2012.

Poll

Matsui Billboard You Most Eagerly Await

KNX-1070: Angels, Matsui Reach Deal

Rev Halofan — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 01:30:46 -0000

KNX-1070: Angels, Matsui Reach Deal

...via their Twitter account, I am not gonna sit thru all their boring programming of cats stuck in trees and foreclosure commercials to get to the meat.

John Lackey Officially Benedict Arnold

Rev Halofan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:55:39 -0000

More photos » by Tony Gutierrez - AP

7 months ago: Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher John Lackey (41) reacts to being ejected after delivering the second pitch of the baseball game to Texas Rangers' Ian Kinsler in the first inning in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, May 16, 2009. The first pitch was thrown behind Kinsler and the hit the batter. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

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Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitcher John Lackey has signed with the Boston Red Sox for 5 years, $85 Million. Read all about it at OVER THE MONSTER, the SBN Boston Red Sox blog.

Poll

Is John Lackey a Traitor?

Halos Heaven on Your Mobile Phone

Rev Halofan — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 06:57:36 -0000

Halos Heaven on Your Mobile Phone

Ho, Ho, Ho! When Santa brings you an iphone for Christmas or Hannukah or Festivus or Kwanzaa or Saturnalia, etc... you will have access to Halos Heaven, can read every story posted along with comments and can join the fray while mobile.

ANGELS ALL TIME JERSEY ROSTER - #28

Rev Halofan — Fri, 19 Jan 2007 06:04:32 -0000

Angels Uniform #28 ...

1961 - 66: Albie Pearson
1968: Vic Davalillo
1969: Vic Davalillo and Randy Brown
1970: Randy Brown
1972, 73: Vada Pinson
1975: Orlando Pena and Dave Collins
1976: Dave Collins
1977: Gil Flores
1979: Ralph Garr
1980: Ed Halicki
1981: John D'Acquisto
1983: Steve Lubratich
1986 - 88: Mark McLemore
1989 - 92: Bert Blyleven
1994: Bob Patterson
1995: Andy Allanson
1996: Todd Frohwirth and Chris Pritchett
1998, 99: Chris Pritchett
2000: Eric Weaver and Troy Glaus
2001 - 07: Jose Molina
2008, 09: Ryan Budde

Nick Adenhart Memorial Coming to Angel Stadium

Rev Halofan — Sun, 13 Dec 2009 01:40:14 -0000

More photos » by Chris Carlson - AP

2 months ago: Joan Couper pays her respects for Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart at a makeshift memorial Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2009, for the Angels' upcoming playoff baseball game in Anaheim, Calif. Adenhart died in a car accident last April. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

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According to Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times, the spontaneous, fan-generated Nick Adenhart memorial in front of Angel Stadium is going to be dismantled soon and the late pitcher's family will be offered their pick of the memorial tributes and keepsakes left at the impromptu yet venerable shrine.

The Angels will be constructing a memorial for Adenhart in the park with relics from the shrine as well as the length of outfield wall with the memorial mural.

Trevor Reckling in Roy Halladay Demands

Rev Halofan — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:05:59 -0000

Now we get ESPN online columnist Jayson Stark telling us that his source in Toronto says the Blue Jays are asking for Angels minor league prospect Trevor Reckling as part of any trade for pitcher Roy Halladay.

Stark's latest online reporting is behind the pay-wall at ESPN but MLB TRADE RUMORS makes a mention of this latest nugget.

Reckling is a left hander who is considered by many scouts, analysts and nerds to be the Angels best young pitching prospect.

ANGELS ALL TIME JERSEY ROSTER - #29

Rev Halofan — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 07:32:37 -0000

Angels Uniform #29 ... Retired in honor of Hall-of-Famer Rod Carew in 1986

1961: Faye Throneberry and Tom Satriano
1962: Tom Satriano
1964 - 68: Bobby Knoop
1969: Bobby Knoop and Tom Bradley
1970: Tom Bradley
1972: Andy Kosco and Doug Howard
1973, 74: Dave Sells
1975: Dave Sells and Chuck Dobson and Paul Dade
1976: Paul Dade
1979 - 85: Rod Carew

Last Thoughts on the Winter Meetings

Rev Halofan — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:07:08 -0000

After a decade of Bill Stoneman's Stonewalling, Angels General Manger Tony Reagins sure leaks to the press like a politician instead of a Ninja.

So what office is Tony running for? Wouldja believe Mayor of Lackeyville? Could all of the leaks of his meetings with Toronto be designed to light a fire under John Lackey to deal with the Angels?

Roy Halladay coming to Anaheim pretty much spells the end of the John Lackey era in L.A. of A, that is a fact. Does John's agent pick up the phone to get John back into Angel red faster when a truer ace is in the pipeline? With one suitor down he has less to deal with.

Meanwhile Toronto is taking its sweet time because it really doesn't want to deal Halladay to the Yankees or Red Sox unless it can put a dent in one or the other thru prospect extraction. Wouldn't you be stretching things out and allowing leaks to get other clubs to join the fray? Look, here come the Phillies, it looks like it worked!

The winter meetings are in the rear view mirror but they managed to garner enough headlines to put a Halo on Lackey and gave everyone else the chance to tell Vlad that he cannot get a job in their outfield or for more than one year. The Angels will sign Lackey before the new year so that he can get a fat signing bonus on this year's income statement and will ink Vlad to a one-year deal before February.

The only question then will be Darren Oliver, having basically spent the winter replacing Chone Figgins with Brandon Wood. Mission Accomplished?

Poll

SB Nation User Blog: Rev Halofan

16,000+ Unique Visits for Matsui Monday

Hideki Matsui Signing a Goal of Angels President John Carpino

Matsui Billboard You Most Eagerly Await

KNX-1070: Angels, Matsui Reach Deal

KNX-1070: Angels, Matsui Reach Deal

John Lackey Officially Benedict Arnold

Is John Lackey a Traitor?

Halos Heaven on Your Mobile Phone

Halos Heaven on Your Mobile Phone

ANGELS ALL TIME JERSEY ROSTER - #28

Nick Adenhart Memorial Coming to Angel Stadium

Trevor Reckling in Roy Halladay Demands

ANGELS ALL TIME JERSEY ROSTER - #29

Last Thoughts on the Winter Meetings

Pick One: