The poker game that brought Omar Vizquel to the Angels.

Omar Vizquel

Is this the torn Omar Vizquel card Bart Simpson traded to Milhouse for a Carl Yastrzemski?

Omar Vizquel, the Angels’ new roving infield instructor, will be the subject of my notebook in tomorrow’s editions. For a sneak preview, here’s what the 11-time Gold Glove winner said when I asked him how he hooked up with the Angels:

I saw (Angels minor-league hitting coordinator) Paul Sorrento at a party in Seattle. Edgar Martinez was putting together a poker game. I saw him there, started talking to him a little bit about what he’s doing. He told me he’s working for the Angels. They were talking about looking for an infielder guy. I said, ‘Well, I must be the guy.’ So I got in touch with (assistant Angels GM) Scott Servais. Scott gave (general manager) Jerry DiPoto a call. I also played with Jerry in Cleveland. He knows me from those years. The communication was really quick. We put it together and I was here two days later.

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About J.P. Hoornstra

J.P. Hoornstra covers the Dodgers, Angels and Major League Baseball for the Orange County Register, Los Angeles Daily News, Long Beach Press-Telegram, Torrance Daily Breeze, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Pasadena Star-News, San Bernardino Sun, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, Whittier Daily News and Redlands Daily Facts. Before taking the beat in 2012, J.P. covered the NHL for four years. UCLA gave him a degree once upon a time; when he graduated on schedule, he missed getting Arnold Schwarzenegger's autograph on his diploma by five months.