You know what makes for a great offseason Tuesday? When, completely out of nowhere, one of your favorite TV shows begins its third season. And in fine form, no less! So today's links are sponsored by your local Greens & Grains …
• In The New York Times, Ken Belson's got a nifty primer on
baseball during the Great Depression.
• As Eric Seidman points out, the
J.C. Romero affair
isn't as simple as it might seem (player cheats, player gets suspended, case closed). It's OK to feel sorry for Romero. But as I wrote Tuesday in the comments, it's simply a fact that any sort of rigorous drug policy -- the sort of policy that was
overwhelmingly supported by fans, writers and broadcasters -- will inevitably ensnare violators who make at least some efforts to comply with the policy. Maybe Romero did his best or maybe he didn't, but in the end, that matters only to him. Because you can't ask an arbitrator to read someone's mind. The guy tested positive for a banned substance.
• Ron Kaplan runs down
another baseball legend.
• As Dave Cameron writes,
there's almost no downside in the
Jason Giambi deal for the A's. Still, I can't help but wonder what's to become of
Daric Barton. A year ago, he was Oakland's No. 1 prospect. Now, if he doesn't get traded, he's probably headed back to Sacramento for the fourth time. You know, the Orioles really could use a guy like Barton.
• Derek Carty offers a nifty little lesson in
the importance of considering context when you're looking at pitchers' stats.
• Who's closing games for the Cardinals in 2009? Apparently they're holding
open tryouts this spring in Jupiter, Fla.
• I already was figuring the Yankees as World Series favorites, but
this seals it.
Rob Neyer
