It occurs to me that I haven’t provided a book update in a while. We’re getting real close. I’m doing some last-minute rewrites on one of the chapters, and this weekend Mrs. Ducksnorts and I will edit the whole beast. Then I just need to create the subject index and finalize the cover, so if everything goes according to plan, it should be off to the printer within the next 7 to 10 days.

Oh yeah, I received the foreword on Wednesday. I’m not quite ready to reveal the juicy details, but I promise it will not disappoint. For the third straight year, my #1 choice agreed to contribute and I couldn’t be more thrilled.

• Speaking of books, The Hardball Times Season Preview 2009 is now shipping. My copy arrived on Thursday, and it’s a fantastic read — even the parts I didn’t write. So, you know, buy the thing because it rocks.
• Padres.com beat writer Corey Brock has resumed blogging. Go say hey.
• Paul DePodesta is asking for suggestions on how to improve his blog.
• Baseball Prospectus has posted its projected standings. BPro has the Padres at 74 wins. THT has them at 73 and I have them at 75, so we all appear to be drinking the same really bad Kool-Aid.
• USA Today reports that Bud Selig “is considering reinstating Hank Aaron as baseball’s home run king in the record book.” I’m all for rewriting history and pretending that stuff never happened. I hope he doesn’t stop there, though. If Selig wants to divorce MLB from the steroids era that he oversaw, he should go ahead and expunge his own name from the record book as well. For as embarrassing as it may be to have Barry Bonds break Hank Aaron’s record under your watch, it’s got to be even worse to realize that you’re the guy who made it all possible. So let’s make everyone feel better by no longer acknowledging Selig’s tenure as commissioner. There, wasn’t that easy?
• The Seamheads Historical League is going strong. My Padres are 24-24, tied with the Natspos (speaking of things that Selig made disappear) for first place in the Expansion Two division. Our offense is terrific — we’re leading the league with a .367 OBP, .449 SLG, and 280 runs scored. Mind you, this is against teams with Bonds, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, etc. Gary Sheffield (.393/.423/.618), Gene Tenace (.255/.422/.497), Tony Fernandez (.328/.429/.467), and Ryan Klesko (.301/.399/.497) have been beasts, and the rest of the lineup isn’t too far behind. Pitching has been a different story, with everyone not named Bruce Hurst (7-1, 3.13 ERA), Rich Gossage (1-0, 2.32 ERA), or Craig Lefferts (0-0, 2.66 ERA) pretty much stinking up the joint. Jake Peavy is 3-5 with a 6.07 ERA, thanks for asking. I’m thinking it might be time to summon Andy Ashby (5-4, 2.60 ERA) or Clay Kirby (5-3, 2.95 ERA) from Portland.

That’s all for now. Happy Friday!