Weekend Round-Up - 2/27/2011

Sorry these links are a little late today.  I had to go work off the lobster and brie grilled cheese, duck fat fries, and two heavy, hearty stouts I had last night, at the gym.  It was delicious and definitely worth it.  Without further adieu, here are the links.

• Co-link of the Week:  While the Platoon Advantage had control of the ESPN Sweet Spot on Monday, Bill wrote a piece titled “People Still Don’t Get Moneyball.”  He’s absolutely right.  Moneyball wasn’t about sabermetrics, OBP, and extreme ground ball pitchers.  It was about identifying marketplace inefficiencies and exploiting them.  Unlike Monte Poole and Joe Morgan, Bill actually understands the meaning of the book.
• Co-link of the Week:  Over at the Platoon Advantage, Bill and the Common Man are taking a tag team approach to predicting the Hall of Fame over the next 25 years.  Here’s 2012-2016, 2017-2021, 2022-2026, 2027-2031, 2032-2036.
• Have you ever wondered how the 20 to 80 scouting scale worked?  Eric Schultz of the Yankee Analysts shares the goods.
• Jesse Wolfersberger of Fangraphs takes another detailed look at HR/FB ratio (pitchers) and identifies the true outliers.  Anyone who plays fantasy baseball should read this article before drafting.
• Our very own Evan Brunell doesn’t like that Zach Greinke dogged it last year, and he’s not afraid to tell you why.
• Dave Cameron of Fangraphs takes a look at the financial cost of Adam Wainwright’s injury, and how it could affect the Cardinals ability to re-sign Albert Pujols.
• Double dipping with Cameron today.  In this article, he takes on Kenny Williams’s remarks about Pujols’s demands.  Just as a brief editorial…I don’t understand how $30M per season for a 7 WAR player (Pujols) is asinine, but $26M for 4-5 wins out of Dunn and Konerko is a solid business plan.  Can anyone explain this to me?
• Joe Posnanski does it again.  Somehow he manages to hit it out of the park every time–something for which I can strive!  This time, he discusses Roland Hemond winning the Buck O’Neill Award.
• Rob Neyer’s take on the news that Jonny Gomes celebrated after hearing Adam Wainwright would miss the season.
• Brien Jackson at IIATMS wrote two tremendous pieces last week:  (1) he takes on topics like competitive balance, salary caps, labor climates, etc. in his counterargument to Mike Florio’s piece on former MLB labor boss Marvin Miller; and (2) he takes on Mitch Williams’ piece about the Michael Young situation.
• Over at Fire Brand, Charlie takes my Ortiz article from a few weeks ago a step further as he lays out potential platoon partners for Papi.
• Patrick Sullivan of Baseball Analysts takes a detailed look at the 2011 Cubs.
• Vince Carmela of Hardball Talk discusses the education of Pedro Alvarez, and wonders if his September power surge was for real.
• Which Phillies story line are you following?  Bill Baer examines the top five.
• Is Bud Selig trying to force Dodger owner Frank McCourt out the door?  Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness thinks so.  This article is worth it just for the picture.
• How did I miss this?  Ozzie Guillen attacked Bobby Jenks again?  Ben Buchanan of Over the Monster breaks it down.
• Who are the AL East sleepers?  Stephen Rhodes of River Avenue Blues shares his thoughts.
• Nick Scott of Royals Review takes a look at television rights and the MLB territory map.
• How much does the AL East hurt the Orioles?  Daniel Moroz of Camden Crazies shares his opinion.
• Weaver’s Tantrum examines the Orioles 2011 rotation.
• Random Link of the Week:  Not for the faint of heart.  This picture may keep you up at nights.

Weekend Round-Up - 2/20/2011

Today’s links are brought to by Kevin Youkilis.  Unlike Rangers DH Michael Young, he doesn’t have an attitude about changing positions.  He leads by example, not reputation.

• Link of the Week:  If you don’t read Craig Calcaterra, the blogger formerly known as Shysterball, over at Hardball Talk, you should.  Earlier this week, he wrote a tremendous piece for Baseball Prospectus (free article) on an a fascinating concept he calls “Metafandom.”  For those of you amateur analysts and Hot Stove junkies, this article is definitely for you.
• Thank god for Twitter!  This one is hot off of the presses from Dan Szymborski of Baseball Think Factory.  In this piece, he posts the 2011 ZiPS projections for the Red Sox.
• Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably heard that Albert Pujols and the Cardinals didn’t come to agreement on a contract extension by Pujols’s self-imposed February 16th deadline.  This week, Joe Posnanski wrote two articles about Pujols that were so great, I couldn’t pick just one.  In the first article, he discusses the value Pujols provides to the Cardinal franchise.  In the second, he discusses how Pujols can cash in without the Yankees.
• What would any link-o-rama be without a piece by Rob Neyer.  In the piece I chose, he discusses how the Royals will have to get worse before they can get better.  And believe me, they will get better.  Their farm system is the best in baseball, and might be the best in 20-25 years.
• Who knew the Wall Street Journal had a Sports section?  Well, I did, but that’s besides the point.  Daniel Barbarisi puts together an article all Red Sox fans should read.  He asks a poignant and amusing question:  is this the fattest Yankee team ever?  Direct quote from Joe Girardi, “I tell you what, we’ve got some big ol’ pitchers. Good gosh.”
• Should the Red Sox make Bard a starter?  Mike Silver at Fire Brand says it's not as a crazy idea as it seems...at least theoretically.
• The ESPN Sweet Spot Yankee blog, It’s About the Money Stupid, has long been one of my favorite sources for rational and interesting Yankee news.  This week, Brien Jackson provides a great take on Tony LaRussa’s comments regarding Pujols and allegations pressure by the MLB player’s union.  Also, Mark Smith discusses long term contract extensions, and uses the Yankees, Reds, and Rockies as the bases for his arguments.
• Brad Johnson of Hardball Times asks a fascinating question.  How would a team of players all making the minimum salary fare?  Given his sample, the answer might surprise you.
• Over at the Platoon Advantage, The Common Man has been counting down the forty worst offseasons in baseball history.  It’s a four part series, so here’s Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
• Dave Cameron of Fangraphs and USS Mariner is one of the smarter writers around.  This week, he looks at Jose Bautista’s brand new five year $65M contract, and discusses whether or not Bautista could be better in 2011.
• Jesse Wolfersberger on Fangraphs discusses the factors that affect a pitcher’s home run per fly ball (HR/FB) rate.
• Are the Phillies missing a right handed power bat?  Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley takes a detailed look.
• Pip of Fungoes makes a convincing argument that the Cardinals should try a four man rotation this year.
• As far as Dodger blogs go, Mike Scioscia’s Tragic Illness is tops in my opinion.  This week they look at the six reasons to be optimistic about the Dodgers.
• Noah at Brew Crew Ball compares the top two players at each position in the NL Central.  I like the idea so much, I may just do one for the AL East later this week.
• Which relievers should break camp with the Red Sox?  Ben Buchanan of Over the Monster has the goods.
• What are the chances pitching prospect Andrew Brackman makes the Yankees?  Joe Pawlikowski gives his opinion on the matter.
• Random non-baseball link of the day:  This is just terrifying.  6′ 11″ power forwards should never wear pink dresses and blond wigs.  Still, it’s worth sharing for comedy’s sake.

If anyone has any great articles or sites that you think I missed, please either shoot me an email or leave a message in the comment section.

Weekend Round-Up - 2/13/2011

This week's links are brought to you by Ferris Bueller who does not condone fascism, or any -ism for that matter. -Ism's in his opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself.  He would like to quote John Lennon, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me." Good point there. After all, he was the walrus.  Ferris could be the walrus.  He'd still have to bum rides off people.

• Link of the Week - Larry Granillo's recent article with Baseball Prospectus titled "Ferris Bueller's Day Off at Wrigley Field" has brought him a little bit of fame.  On Tuesday, it was not only the lead story on Yahoo, but also discussed on Around the Horn.  If you're a fan of Ferris Bueller's Day Off, and you haven't read the article, you should.  It's clever, enjoyable, and most definitely written by the blogger also known as Wezen-Ball.
• The Common Man from the Platoon Advantage gives his take on the Michael Young situation, and comes to the conclusion that the Rangers are not disrespecting him by asking him to change positions.  He's an employee, it's his job to do what his employers say.
• Joe Posnanski takes a comprehensive look at Hall of Fame pitchers by decade of birth.  As always with JoePos, it's a great read.
• Chris Jaffe of Hardball Times identifies the worst World Series champions of all time, but with a twist. 
• Darryl Johnston at Fire Brand reviews the left-handed relief pitching options for the Red Sox.  Oh, and some brilliant new writer makes his debut a little earlier than expected.  (Yes, it's a repeat post from something I posted here.)
• With Francisco Liriano in the news, Jason, Mark, and Brien (at IIATMS) discuss the young lefty, and wonder aloud if he's worth trading for.
• There's been a lot of talk about A-Rod's original landmark 10 year $252M contract in light of Orioles president Andy McPhail's claiming it was the worst contract ever.  Dave Cameron disagrees, and I agree with him.  The Rangers weren't bad because of A-Rod's salary.  They were bad because the Rangers had a ton of money tied up in replacement quality players.
• How does a player finish the year with the sixth best offensive numbers and 36th in WAR?  Defense.  Joe Pawlikowski takes a look at seven players who's poor defense adversely affect their value.
• Rich Lederer at Baseball Analysts graphs all of the hitters in baseball (that qualify for the batting title) in terms of plate discipline, and comes up with some interesting results.
• Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley discusses in detail the "bad and the ugly" of the Bleacher Report.  Take my advice, stay far, far away from BR.  It represents the lowest common denominator of sports journalism.  
• Do you remember all of those comparisons between James Loney and Mark Grace?  So does Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness.  He shows those are really unfair to Mark Grace.  WAR graphs rule.
• Fungoes explains why there's no room for Edmonds in STL.
• Logan Leitz of Over the Monster denounces fan elitism.
• Interested in Yankee prospects?  Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues takes a detailed look at prospects 1-30. 
• Nick from Nick's Twin Blog gets it.  One year for Liriano is a huge mistake.
• Lee Panas of Tiger Tales discusses filling the gap between FIP and ERA. 

Weekend Round-Up - 2/6/2011

This week's links are brought to you by the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers.  As a result, it's unlikely I'll be posting a lot today.  Still, enjoy the links.  I'll write if I have time.

• Co-Link of the Week:  Rob Neyer's writes his first article for SB Nation, and it's amazing.  I know...shocking.  He's officially become a member of "us," not "them."
• Co-Link of the Week:  Rob's was going to be number one, and then Mark from IIATMS had to go and create this hysterical video about a conversation between Brian Cashman and Hank Steinbrenner. 
• Big week for Fire Brand as it celebrates it's seven year anniversary.  Seven years in the blog world is like 30 years in everything else, so major props to Evan and the boys for keeping it going for so long.  The article that really caught my eye was by Charlie Saponara:  Is the lineup to lefty heavy?
• Baseball nerd alert.  If you don't like charts, graphs, and heat maps in your baseball articles, you probably won't like Vince Caramela of the Hardball Times article on the odd man out in the Reds rotation.  If you do, click away!
• Baseball Analysts gets a double dip this week.  Patrick Sullivan wonders if the Phillies rotation is a luxury or a necessity.  Dave Allen put together a fascinating article showing the shift in birthplaces by US born baseball players over time.
• Over the Monster wonders which Boston pitcher has the best stuff.  I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll give you a little hint.  It's a lefty.  
• This week's article by the Platoon Advantage comes from Bill.  Was Andy Pettitte better than his raw numbers would lead you believe?  My thoughts are probably not, but either was Tom Glavine--his closest comp.
• The great Larry Granillo of Wezen-Ball has been picked up by Baseball Prospectus!  Congrats Larry.  You definitely deserve it.  It may be time for me to finally break down, and subscribe to BP.
• Jonah Keri is down right cruel.  The Yankees trading for Barry Zito?  Doesn't he know you're supposed to wait before the body (in this case Pettitte) is cold before cracking a joke?   Only thing is that he isn't joking...and he may not be crazy for suggesting such a thing.
• Dave Cameron creates an all minor league contract team, and finds that they're not as bad as one might think.  They're still awful, don't get me wrong.  But they wouldn't be the worst team ever either.
• Could the Phillies be sellers at the deadline?  Probably not, but Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley takes a look at who could be moved and why.
• Craig Calcaterra...wow...mustache shirts?  Really?  Yes, it's true.
• Fungoes wonders allowed if A-Rod's contract is really a good comparable for Pujols?
• Nick Nelson over at Nick's Twin Blog questions whether Joe Nathan can make it to the Hall of Fame.  He's a great closer, but I don't think he's a Hall of Famer.  Then again, I think there are very few closers belong to get in, so I'm not the most biased person.  Still, it's a good read.

That's all that's fit to print.   If I don't check back in later today, I'll be back on Monday afternoon!

Weekend Round-Up - 1/30/2011

Good news!  I'm in my new house, and I have internet.  I'm a little irritated with the Salvation Army who refused to accept two of my donations (a couch and recliner), but other than that, life is good.

Without further adieu, on to the links...

• Link of the Week:  In case you missed it, Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports wrote a tremendous article about Voros McCracken, the man behind the Defense Independent Pitching (DIPS) theory.  If you haven't read it yet, I strongly encourage you to do so.  Probably one of the two or three best pieces I've read all year.
• Rob Neyer asks the question, can someone rediscover their love for a team long after it's gone dormant?  This article is so good that it's a shame it can't be named "Link of the Week."
• Very rarely will I ever link to an article that's not entirely baseball related, but Joe Posnanski was cool enough to share excerpts from a conversation he had with Michael Schur (executive producer of NBC's Parks and Recreation and Ken Tremendous of the brilliant site, Fire Joe Morgan).  Great stuff. 
• Double dipping with Joe Poz today.  He put up a great analysis of the Angels outfield situation the other day. 
• Matt Klaussen of Fangraphs takes at a cross-section of players that will make more than Evan Longoria ($2M) in 2011.  It's jarring to say the least.  It's a great contract from the Rays perspective, but Longoria is getting jobbed big time. 
• Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay were two of the most efficient pitchers in baseball last season.  In 2011, they'll be on the same team.  Paul Swydan of Fangraphs takes a look at the historical significance of their pairing.
• Dave Cameron says that it might be beneficial for the Angels to sign Vlad Guerrero.  According to him $7-8M spent on Vlad now, might save them $9M next season.
• Jason at IIATMS has been all over the "Is Cashman trying to get fired," storyline that's been setting the backpages afire.  In this article, he takes on Mike Lupica, Murray Chass, and Steve Lombardi, and does a fantastic job.  While the idea of Cashman "pulling a Costanza" is hilarious, there's no way that's what he's doing.  Everyone thinks Cashman's job is easy, but it isn't.  While he has the biggest payroll in baseball, he's under a great deal of pressure to put a championship squad on the field every season--no excuses.  Name one other GM in the same position.  You can't.  Then, he has to contend with a tenuous media and an impatient fan base on top of it.  As far as I'm concerned, he's one of the best GMs in baseball. 
• Tom Fratamico of Fire Brand compares the competitive balance between MLB and NFL.  Despite the lack of salary cap, the numbers (at least on the surface) show that they're pretty similar.
• There were a lot of really good articles at the Hardball Times this week, so I recommend hitting them up, and reading them all.  There were two in particular I wanted to point out.  Brad Johnson asks the question, is Alex Anthopoulos a top GM?  Chris Jaffe counts down the ten worst endings to postseason games in history. 
• Rich Lederer posts a video and article from when he finally got to meet Bert Blyleven.  As he says, "The fun never stops."
• The Platoon Advantage takes a look at how underrated Shin-Soo Choo is. 
• Dave Cameron at USS Mariner takes a look at the proposed Figgins-for-Kouzmanoff swap.
• If Larry Granillo of Wezen-Ball isn't the most creative baseball blogger around, he is certainly in the top five.  This week, does a baseball themed look at the Oscar nominees.
• Finally!  A comparison between the Giants and Phillies rotations!  Bill Baer of Crash Burn Alley uses SIERA to determine which team has the best one. 
• Mike Scioscia's Illness ponders the wisdom behind Scott Podsednik's decision to decline his $2M option with the Dodgers.
• Who are the best and worst base runners of the last four years?  MGL of The Book has the answers.
• Did the Yankees make a mistake in not pulling the trigger on Johan Santana a few years ago?  Stephen Rhodes of River Avenue Blues takes a two part at the Yankees non-trade.  (Part 1 and Part 2)
• Rany Jazayerli is the go to source on everything Royals.  This week, he looks at the recent Billy Butler extension.  
• Lee Panas is a research analyst with Brandeis University.  Last week, he emailed me to tell me about his new book titled Beyond Batting Average, which I plan on picking up very soon.  Incidentally, it introduced me to his excellent blog titled Tiger Tales.  This week, he took a look at Austin Jackson and his line drive rate.  Great article. 

Weekend Round-Up - 1/23/2011

These links have been brought to you by Rex Ryan and John Madden.

Rex Ryan:  Does athlete's foot get in the way of your toe sucking and love making agenda?  It used to get in the way of mine.   Luckily, I met John Madden, and he told me about... 

John Madden:  Boom!  Tough Actin' Tinactin!  (pause)  What?  Wait a second.  Is that why you asked me about Tinactin?  So you could suck on your wife's toes? 

Rex Ryan:  Hell yeah, I suck toes!  

John Madden:  I'm not sure if I'm more disgusted by the idea of you sucking on your wife's toes, or the fact that your wife had a disgusting foot fungus that "interrupted your agenda."

Rex Ryan:  Don't judge me. 

On to the links...

• Bill James asked an interesting question the other day.  How would a player's career look if we traded 500 of his walks for 325 singles?  Joe Posnanski takes this idea and runs with it.  He uses current Hall of Fame candidates as his sample, and comes up with some interesting results.  Here's the original post, and his follow-up.
• I kept meaning to write about Gil Meche's retirement, but other, more interesting things kept coming up.  Or at least that's what I thought at the time.  Is there really anything more interesting than a player leaving $12.5M on the table because he feels retirement is the more honorable option?  Rob Neyer takes a look at how the Royals benefit from Meche's recent decision. 
• Craig Calcaterra has a take on Jeff Pearlman's decision to track down some of his more fervent internet haters.  Not surprisingly, he take is perfectly rational, which is ironic because Pearlman seems to be anything but rational.
• There were a lot of great articles on Fangraphs this week, but Dave Cameron's piece on what $75M can buy a team in 2011, takes the cake.  Not surprisingly, all of the options are better than Vernon Wells.  Shocking!
• Jason and the boys over at IIATMS put up so many great articles this week, it's impossible to name just one.  The first is by Mark who takes a look at just how ridiculous the AL East really is.  The second is by Larry regarding the Yankees "accidental budget".  The last two is a two part article by Brien and Jason regarding the state of Joba. 
• This has to be one of my favorite articles of the week.  As many of you know, Rich Lederer of Baseball Analysts is likely the reason Bert Blyleven has finally made it into the Hall of Fame.  In this piece, Lederer writes about his first meeting with the recently elected Hall of Famer--just a couple of weeks ago.
• Dave Studeman of Hardball Times shares a little bit of Bill James's four part series on the Hall of Fame.  This excerpt is on closers and their inclusion.
• The Common Man over at the Platoon Advantage, has his own clever take on the Vernon Wells trade.  Yes, everyone has an opinion, but this one is worth reading.
• I can't believe I missed this for last week's links.  Bill Baer at Crashburn Alley takes a look at Chase Utley and Robinson Cano.  It's short, but certainly worthy of a discussion. 
• More on the Meche retirement.  This time Rany Jazayerli weighs in.
• Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness looks at the Gibbons/Thames platoon in left field. 

Around the Internet in 80 Seconds

Today's links are being brought to you by Rex Ryan's mouth.  If you want to keep him from talking, shove a foot in his face.

• Rob Neyer writes a particularly lucid piece on the perceived difference between steroid and amphetamine use.  Within his article, he links to an excellent piece by Jeff Caple, which you should definitely read as well.
• Keeping in the same vein, Craig Calcaterra points out the inherent flaw in the BBWAA's self-righteous attempt to keep steroid users out of the Hall of Fame.  In all likelihood, there are a few already inducted.  He references a rarely reported aspect of the Mitchell Report that indicates steroid use has been prevalent in baseball since the 1960s.
• Joe Posnanski does an incredibly in depth recap of the Hall of Fame voting--as if we'd expect anything less.
• Fire Brand's Charlie Saponara takes a look at the 2011 projection for Jacoby Ellsbury.  It doesn't look pretty.
• Mark at IIATMS takes a look at Kevin Brown's Hall of Fame bid.  Does he belong in the Hall of Fame?  Probably not, but his case is on par with Curt Schilling (minus the postseason heroics), and more convincing that Jack Morris's (including his postseason heroics).  Brown deserved better than one and done.
• Joe Pawlikowski and Dave Cameron of Fangraphs both provide excellent takes of the Matt Garza trade. 
• Fangraphs' Alex Remington has a little fun with Barry Stanton's insane HoF ballot.  If you vote for Tino and Suroff, you have to vote for everyone. 
• Larry Granillo at Hardball Times is one of the better writers within the baseball blogosphere.  This time he writes about human nature and the HoF vote.  He doesn't disappoint.
• What would Hall of Fame week be without an article about the connection between Bert Blyleven and Rich Lederer?  With Blyleven finally in the Hall of Fame, this will likely be the last one.  
• Bill Baer of Crash Burn Alley makes five bold predictions about the Phillies for 2011.  The top four I can accept, but Raul Ibanez will not put up a .360 wOBA.  You can take that to the bank.
• Is there ever a bad time for Kids in the Hall?  Of course not.  Luckily, Wezen-Ball feels the same way.  He posted a fantastic clip of Scott Thompson's softball version of Casey at the Bat.
• I can't believe I missed this, but J.C. Bradbury of the recently defunct Sabernomics did a great piece titled "What's Wrong with Replacement Level Players."  While I disagree with his assessment, he certainly gives us a lot to consider.
• Should the Dodgers go after oft-injured Eric Chavez?  I wouldn't, but Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness makes an interesting argument for signing him. 
• Bernie Williams does not belong in the Hall of Fame, but Mike Axisa of River Avenue Blues argues that he should stay on the ballot for a little while.  His career eerily mirrors Dale Murphy's.  He probably won't get quite the love because Murphy has two MVPs to his credit.
• This link is great just because of the picture.  Thank you to Aaron Gleeman for finding it.  It's...well...unique.

New Year's Eve Link-o-Rama

What better way to finish off 2010 than to share some of the best links of the week.  It's chock full o' Hall of Fame goodness.

• If you haven't read Joe Posnanski's Hall of Fame articles, stop what you're doing right now, and click these links.  He hits upon the "Easy Nos", "The Close But Not Quites", and "The Definitive Hall of Famers".  As of this moment, the "Borderline Guys" aren't up, but I'll add the link as soon as it is.
• Rob Neyer takes a look at Bob Ryan's Hall of Fame column, and gives some outstanding commentary on Jack Morris's Hall of Fame candidacy.  No matter how you look at it, he just isn't a Hall of Famer.
• Joe Pawlikowski of Fangraphs takes a detailed look at Adrian Beltre's remaining suitors.  Why aren't the Blue Jays making a serious run at this guy?
• Dave Cameron takes a look at the Cheap DH cycle.  Who will be left without a chair when the music stops?
• Can you tell if a player did steroids based on physical appearance alone?  Jason Rosenberg at IIATMS makes a convincing argument that you can not.
• Craig Calcaterra has been kicking ass and taking names when it comes to Jeff Bagwell and his HoF candidacy.  He also compares the steroid witch hunt to the McCarthy era.  Is he right?  I think so.
• More on Jack Morris?  Yes.  More on Jack Morris.  Lar Granillo of Wezen-Ball and Hardball Times asks an important question.  Is collusion to blame for Morris's HoF case?
• If you've been following Twitter, Dave Cameron and Patrick Sullivan have been discussing WAR, Jim Rice, and Chet Lemon.  Patrick Sullivan weighs, and gives his thoughts on the subject.
• What are the HoF voters doing wrong?  Jonah Keri knows, and he's not afraid to share it.
• Bill Baer of Crashburn Alley asks "Could the Phillies falter in 2011?" 
• Mike Scioscia's Tragic Illness questions, what makes an ace an ace?  As always, it's a good read.
• The Common Man and Bill of The Platoon Advantage go head-to-head regarding Jack Morris's Hall of Fame case.  To say that it's anything less than entertaining would be an understatement.

Thanks for a great 2010.  Here's hoping 2011 is even better!

Holiday Link-o-Rama

Today's links are brought to you by writers block.  Since I can't think of anything good to write about today, I figured I would share a few of the great articles I stumbled across over the last week.

• If there's one must read link this week, it's Rich Lederer's take on Jon Heyman's Hall of Fame article.  To say he owns Heyman, would be an understatement.  For those who aren't familiar with Lederer, he the man leading the internet campaign to elect Bert Blyleven into the Hall of Fame.  He's been so influential that Blyleven has said he'll personally thank Lederer in his induction speech.  
• Where do Johnny Mize and Jeff Bagwell rate all time amongst the best first basemen in history?  Rob Neyer gives his interesting, and always thoughtful, perspective on the subject.   
• Joe Posnanski's latest article on the Zach Greinke trades puts everything I wrote on the subject to shame.  That's ok.  I expected that.  He is the best living baseball writer, after all.
• What happens when Fangraphs and NBC Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra combine forces?  Read and find out!
• You know all of those multi-year deals we keep seeing relievers sign?  Dave Cameron says it's a bad idea, and he has the data to back it up.
• The blogger formerly known as Shysterball has a very interesting take on what might happen if an athlete came out of the closet. 
• Earlier this week, I mentioned (in passing) that Ricky Nolasco's elevated HR/FB rate has adversely affected his ERA, and therefore, perceived value.  Vince Caramela of the Hardball Times takes a much deeper look.  Caution, this one is for serious baseball geeks only.
• Charles Schultz's Peanuts and baseball go hand-in-hand.  So does Peanuts and Christmas.  Only Lar Granillo at Wezen-Ball can manage to bring all three together.   

That's all she wrote for now.  I'm going to take a short sabbatical for the next day or so.  It is Christmas after all.  If anything major happens, I put up something.  Otherwise, I'll be back on the 26th.  Have a great holiday everyone!  Be safe, and I'll see you again on Sunday!

Today's Special 2: Electric Bugaloo

Here are the links for the week of November 7th.  Lots of great stuff in here.  I suggest you check them out.

• Joe Posnanski takes a look at the ten World Series champions since 1946.  Oh, and while you're there, check out his take on the world's worst invention.
• Rob Neyer takes a look at the Giants, and asks an interesting question:  Are the Giants really all that different than the Moneyball A's?
• Fangraphs Matt Klaussen does a great article on 2010's most deluded person in the world.  Oddly enough, Glenn Beck wasn't on the list...
• Another Fangraphs article.  This one by Dave Cameron.  He examines why the Red Sox and Rangers made very different decisions regarding their very similar DHs.
• NBC Hardball Talk's Craig Calcaterra is one of the snarkiest baseball writers in the business.  In this article, he takes a look at baseball's desire to cut down on so-called "mystery teams."  Read for the perspective.  Stay for the Jon Heyman crack at the end.
• Another Moneyball article?  If you must know, I'm obsessed.  This time, Hardball Times compares the A's of the early aughts to the Rays of the last couple of years. 
• Get your geek on with Dave Allen's analysis of Tim Lincecum's "new" slider.  If you haven't been introduced to pitch f/x, check this one out.
• Not sick of me talking about Derek Jeter's upcoming contract yet?  Jason at ITAMS gives his take of the situation. 
• Fire Brand's Mike Silver has a controversial opinion.  Zach Greinke is not a true ace.  After reading his article, I'm not quite a convert, but I'm definitely skeptical.
• Sorry Cubs fans.

Today's Special

Everyday, I read a ton of great baseball articles.  Unfortunately, I have only so much time in my busy schedule to put together posts.  (In case you haven't noticed, I'm pretty long winded...)  So each Sunday, I'll post a bunch of links of articles I recommend.  You can read them, not read them.  It's up to you.  Let's put it this way, if I'm posting them, there's probably a good reason for it.

• Fangraphs' Dave Cameron continues his great Contract Crowdsourcing series.  This week, his subject was first basemen.  Check out the results.  There are some pretty surprising outcomes.
• Rob Neyer has a take on one of my all-time favorite punching bags (Giants GM, Brian Sabean), and how his "plan" helped get the Giants back to the World Series.
• Joe Posnanski gives us his take on anti-competitive nature of the intentional walk.  If there's one must read article on here, it's Part 1 and Part 2.
• Fire Brand of the American League's Charlie Saponara takes an objective look at J.D. Drew's prospects for 2011.  Based on his projections (one that I agree with), it looks like the 4-5 WAR production we saw from Drew in 2008 and 2009 is long gone.
• I am a huge fan of linear weights like wOBA, FIP, etc.  This article by Hardball Times Jeffrey Gross uses linear weights to find out what would happen to Ichiro's batting average if he decided to focus on power rather than hitting singles.  
• Do you not have enough reasons to think Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman was a giant tool?  Well, get your fix with Patrick Sullivan's (Baseball Analysts) piece on the Blue Jays hiring of Jon Farrell and Heyman's reaction.
• If there's one Yankee blog that I would classify as "Must Read" it's "It's About the Money Stupid."  Check out their rational, objective take on how the 2009-2010 directly contributed to the Yankees missing the World Series.
• Crash Burn Alley's Bill Baer put together a great series on Chase Ultey.  Check out the article--even if you only check it because of the clip from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
• Sabernomics is a great site.  The author, J.C. Bradbury, gives baseball a fresh look by analyzing the game through the lens of economics.  This week he asks the question, "What is Jayson Werth, Worth?"
• The Book's MGL gives an excellent explanation of what sabermetricians mean by luck.
• Nick's Twin Blog exposes Bill Smith's greatest weakness--overvaluing his young player's future performance.