Angels’ Espinosa eager for Orange County homecoming in trade

” Growing up three miles from Angel Stadium, Danny Espinosa got to watch all the heroes of the 2002 Anaheim Angels championship team: Troy Percival, Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Darin Erstad, among others. Espinosa got the break most players only dream about when the Washington Nationals traded him in the offseason to the Los Angeles Angels, where he’s slated to be the team’s everyday second baseman.

Betts best: Red Sox count on Mookie

If you mention NBA star Stephen Curry, his eyes light up and he’ll chat about how much he loves Curry’s game and watching his Golden State Warriors. Last year, the 24-year-old became a major league star in his second full season, batting .318 with 31 homers and 113 RBIs to finish second behind Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels in the AL’s MVP balloting.

Baseball hitting, pitching sapped by jet lag

Researchers say they’ve documented an unseen drag on major league baseball players that can wipe out home field advantage, make pitchers give up more home runs, and take some punch out of a team’s bats. For baseball players, they say the problem is so bad it can affect everything from the number of home runs to the number of bases stolen.