Now, with 30% more iron… irony… something…

• Study Finds Independent Bloggers “Least Trusted”, Likely Denied Press Credentials in Baseball (Biz of Baseball). In related news, independent bloggers find study least trusted. [h/t BBTF]
• Rob Dibble Thinks Stephen Strasburg Should ‘Suck It Up’ (FanHouse). Every village needs an idiot, I suppose. Quoth the one in question: “Stop crying, go out there and pitch. Period.” Presumably Dibble is accepting responsibility for whatever outcomes his “suggestion” might yield, including financial reimbursement of player and team if further injury results. Eh, what do I know; heeding the medical advice of a guy who blew out his shoulder and was washed up at age 29 is probably a great idea (although in my defense, Joe Posnanski isn’t impressed by Dibble’s nonsense either). [h/t BBTF]
• Strasburg predictions (The Book). Speaking of which, Tom Tango looks back at expectations for the former Aztec. [h/t SweetSpot]
• 2010 Scouting Report (The Book). Tango is doing that thing again this year… you know, that thing he does every year. Go, be a part of it. Here’s the direct link for the Padres.
• Feet first, or head first? (Inside the Padres). Tom Krasovic talks about Jaff Decker’s injury.
• Teaching Sabermetrics (Pitchers and Poets). As one who has been known to dabble in both sabermetrics and poetry, I found this amusing. [h/t BBTF]
• Save the Outrage for a Guy Who Deserves It (M.C. Antil). Roberto Alomar? Really? Dude, even the recipient of Alomar’s spit isn’t behind you on this one. I suggest you redirect your outrage toward the guy who took your stapler; just don’t go burning down any buildings, mkay? [h/t BBTF]
• Interview: Dave Winfield (Dayn Perry). Quoth Winfield: “Bud Black is a great manager. He’s taught them pitching, base-running and defense. They fight and scratch and claw, and they embrace the underdog role. Even the fans don’t quite believe it.”
• M’s fans will return when the model’s built (SweetSpot). Quoth Neyer: “People like Larry Stone and Dave Cameron and Rob Neyer really, really, really want to believe that if you start building something cool, everybody’s going to want to watch… To most people, though, it’s just a big mess. Nobody wants to see the kit, or all the pieces and the airplane glue and the paint thinner. Everybody wants to see the completed model, with the paint and the decals, hung from the ceiling with fishing line.” Huh, I think we just went through that here in San Diego.
• PART I – Advanced Experimentation 410: The Zduriencik Supremacy, or Containing an Implosion (Management by Baseball). Jeff Angus offers some interesting thoughts on last year’s flavor of the month. Part 2 and Part 3 are also available. [h/t BBTF]
• Cooperstown Confidential: The Accomplished Mr. Brown (Hardball Times). Bruce Markusen recalls the contributions of former Pirates GM Joe Brown, a pioneer in procuring and developing minority talent.
• Aging Players – Bargains for 2011? (Baseball Analysts). Patrick Sullivan presents an intriguing list. Mark Ellis might make for a nice option at second base next year, assuming his price is low due to the poor 2010 showing… and assuming his poor showing is a blip rather than the beginning of the end (Tadahito Iguchi sends his regards).
• Marlins’ profits came at taxpayer expense (Yahoo!). Jeffrey Loria and David Samson engaging in shenanigans? It wouldn’t be the first time. [h/t BBTF]
• Will Leaked MLB Financials Alter Revenue-Sharing? (FanGraphs). From Maury Brown’s article: “And while the leaked documents are an incredible look inside how clubs truly operate, greedily we should demand more. Those at the top of MLB’s revenue-making ladder should be placed under the same scrutiny.” Sounds great, but I’m not holding my breath. If there’s one thing the owners excel at, it’s circling the wagons.
• Incomplete thoughts on ground-ball pitchers (Ivan Bezdomny’s Baseball Blog). Interesting stuff: “You can’t be a great pitcher on ground balls alone, at least not over a course of several years. You need to have strikeouts.” [h/t BBTF]
• Hot Topic: Attendance (Gaslamp Ball). From the article: “Teams that have sudden success do not have their largest boost in ticket sales for the current season. They have it the following season. Part of that is about the hype for the team and part of it is about people trying to secure playoff tickets.”
• Say It Ain’t So: Shoeless Joe Jackson’s “Black Sox” Jersey in Baseball Hall of Fame is a Fake (Hauls of Shame). Wow. Just wow. [h/t BBTF]
• Heath Bell Takes Another Step Forward (FanGraphs). Really? Could’ve fooled me. Don’t get me wrong, I love Bell and what he’s meant to this team over the past few years, but I do miss those 1-2-3 innings: 16 in 53 appearances (30.2%) through August 26 this year vs 24 in 68 (35.3%) in 2009.
• An underrated fastball (Hardball Times). Ricky Zanker likes Bell, too.
• Padres 2010 Instructional League Roster (MadFriars). There are some interesting names on this list: John Barbato, Adys Portillo, Jason Hagerty, Jonathan Galvez, Jedd Gyorko, Edinson Rincon, personal fave Jeudy Valdez, Rymer Liriano, Yair Lopez (someone please return his plate discipline), Everett Williams… The guys at MadFriars also have a couple of interviews up behind the paywall: one with Randy Smith about the Instructional League and one with Jason McLeod about the 2010 draft.
• Umpires Are to be Seen and Not Heard (Crashburn Alley). On the bright side, at least Ryan Howard didn’t blow out a knee while being tackled by his manager. [h/t SweetSpot]
• Superstitions a way of life for some Padres (U-T). Moral of the story? Be nice to the groundskeeper or things could get wet.
• Chat: Marc Normandin (Baseball Prospectus). Marc likes the Padres and thinks they match up better against the Phillies than against the Giants in a potential playoff scenario. The bullpen? “This is not a Petco bullpen, this is a pen full of really, really good pitchers.” Also, someone is posting questions as “Geoff Young’s Biggest Fan”… I hope it isn’t Kathy Bates. [h/t reader Lance]

And thar ye have it.

Tagged as: bud black, dave winfield, florida marlins, ground balls, heath bell, instructional league, jack zduriencik, jaff decker, jason mcleod, kathy bates, mark ellis, office space, press credentials, randy smith, rob dibble, roberto alomar, sabermetrics, seattle mariners, shenanigans, shoeless joe jackson, stephen strasburg, superstition