RUMOR: The Angels are interested in Bud Black... AS THEIR GM!

Being a beat reporter is a tough gig. If nothing's happening, you have to kinda make stuff up. Other times you have to pull stuff out of your ass. I as a blogger have a duty to play along with the system. It's the mechanism. Beat reporters make up completely unfounded rumors that don't exactly make sense, but will guarantee them page views from both their visitors within their city and also get traffic from a neighboring metropolitan city. Local bloggers propagate rumors, much to the ire of the local sports team's front office.

This is not a bad idea for generating traffic.

What are the qualities that you need to be a GM in Anaheim? Off hand:

1. The ability to handle Arte Moreno's budget and grand visions for being the premier Southern California baseball team.

2. The savvy to handle the big and bigger egos of high priced baseball talent and their representation.

3. The relationships throughout baseball to pull off blockbuster trades and treat other teams like they're your own personal farm system.

4. Years of experience in handling drafts and running baseball operations for a big market baseball club.

Oh and I guess there's one more, courtesy of the OC Register, creator of rumors, emphasis mine:

Black also fulfills the No.1 requirement for this unique job. He and Scioscia can work together and did so for seven years. They share a pitching philosophy. They are contemporaries in age and playing experience. Scioscia even has a Black bobblehead on his office desk.

That's ummm.... That's the reasoning that makes Bud Black the perfect General Manager? There are no other General Manager candidates that can work with Mike Scoscia? Does Scoscia have any other bobblehead dolls on his desk? Heaven forbid there's a painting of Gene Autry on his office walls. I don't know how they'll pull off getting the Singing Cowboy to run that club. This is some kinda rumor. Nobody else shares the same pitching philosophy? What could that philosophy be? First pitch strikes? Don't ever give up a hit on the first pitch? Throw strikes? Throw balls? And the age thing? Scoscia doesn't listen to anybody older than him or younger than him? You have to be Mike Scoscia's age to listen to him? Really? Bud Black is the only person in baseball the same age as Mike Scoscia?

OK, OC Register. I will bite. Your rumor is on Gaslamp Ball now! IT HAS LEGS!!!