Today's links are mostly chocolate, with some of those little sprinkles on top ...
Via Batter's Box, a lovely introduction to Alex Anthopolous.
After reading this, I'm inspired to go to the nearest card shop and relive some fond memories.
At some point soon, Baseball-Reference.com will add (some) Negro Leagues statistics, derived from research compiled by Scott Simkus and Gary Ashwill. This might be a good time to mention that the National Baseball Hall of Fame has now been keeping their own research under lock and key for three or four years now. Nice job, Hallers! You've been beaten to the publication punch by a couple of guys who did it just for the love of the thing.
Look out, Homer Bailey: Tom Verducci's Effect has you in its sights.
On Opening Day in 1914, the Boston Braves wore swastikas on the caps. Seriously. Thanks to some serious (baseball) detective work, Here's the whole story.
Yeah, we never tire of complaining about the Hall of Fame. But Jason Whitlock is right: the Football Hall of Fame is a lot worse.
Well, it's unanimous: the Rangers are going to win the American League West! And the Cardinals are a lock in the NL Central. Anyway, that's what it says here (bonus: finding out CHONE stands for, after the fact).
Oh, if only the Johnny Damon of this winter could have jumped in a time machine and talked to the Johnny Damon of 2007.
Dept. of Corrections, Part 1: In this post about the Mets' first-base candidates, I failed to mention Fernando Tatis (I have a lame excuse that I won't bore you with). But Tatis has indeed returned to the Mets, and ideally he'll platoon at first base with the winner of the Murphy/Jacobs Derby. My (provisional) apologies to Omar Minaya.
Dept. of Corrections, Part 2: In this post about playing the All-Star Game in Cooperstown, I suggested that the Village couldn't handle the crowds. But of course that's preposterous. As Deputy Mayor Jeff Katz graciously reminds me, in 2007 Cooperstown accommodated 80,000 visitors for Cal Ripken and Tony Gwynn's induction into the Hall.