Well, it’s here. First, we have links to whet your appetite…

• Bill White interviewed about autobiography (RetroSimba). This is a wonderful interview with a wonderful player from the late-’50s and ’60s. Part 2 and Part 3 are also available. [h/t BBTF]
• Home run winning percentage (Baseball-Reference). Steve Finley’s team won 74% of games in which he homered. Nice.
• Roster for Triple-A club will have big-league feel (Arizona Daily Star). Tucson’s first game is April 7, with the home opener coming on April 15. Wade LeBlanc is expected to get the Opening Day start. There’s also an article on infielder Logan Forsythe, which includes this quote:
  

  I’ve always tried to work the count. Pitch recognition, I’ve taken pride in that. This year, they want to be a little more aggressive in certain counts, especially hitting counts, drive in more runs, hit with a little more power. That’s what I’ve been working on this spring, and it’s gone quite well.

  As I’ve mentioned, I liked what I saw from Forsythe in Peoria.

• Former Padres Marcus and Brian Giles playing Softball (Gaslamp Ball). Complete with videos and pics. I still love Brian’s batting stance.
• Spring Training 2011 Question Of The Day: San Diego Padres (SBNation). Quoth Rob Neyer:
  

  There are shockingly few interesting questions we might ask about the 2011 San Diego Padres, mostly because for a rebuilding team they have shockingly few interesting players.

  In my experience, things tend to be as interesting as one makes them, but maybe that’s just me.

• What’s up with Sean Burroughs (Arizona Republic). Or Dewon Brazelton?
• Why You Should Go To The Ballgame (In Case You Forgot!) (Mop Up Duty). Bottom line: “There is no greater feeling than spending an afternoon at the ballpark.” Nailed it.
• Career projections 2011 (Hardball Times). Fun with spreadsheets… Ingest with copious amounts of salt… Chase Headley finishes with 104 homers, Will Venable with 89, Nick Hundley with 71. Mat Latos wins 117 games, Clayton Richard 86, Wade LeBlanc 53, Cory Luebke 11.
• Extra Quotes For Prospects To Pennants (Baseball America). Padres Director of Pro Scouting A.J. Hinch gets in a few words here.
• An Interview With UZR (Joe Blogs). I’m beginning to think that the best way to approach advanced statistical metrics is with humor. Actually, that’s the best way to approach a lot of things.
• Twins up to date on stats, but not loud about it (Star Tribune). Speaking of which… quoth Twins VP for Player Personnel Mike Radcliff:
  

  We’ve looked at UZR and recognize it. It’s just not something we’re completely comfortable with yet. It’s just so abstract. It’s not quite definitive enough, but [defensive statistics] will continue to evolve.

  What a sensible approach from an organization that has enjoyed considerable success over the years despite their market size. [h/t BBTF]

• On Topps: The State Of The Baseball Card In 2011 (A.V. Club). I love the old school Fergie Jenkins card with him wearing a uni that has a collared undershirt. [h/t reader bee1000]
• Previewing the Padres: Wrap-up edition (Friar Forecast). Myron has the Padres winning 85 games, which seems reasonable to me. As it was last year, the NL West should be a dogfight again in 2011. And it promises to be fun.

Now, I turn it over to you. We should talk it up more this year. Get busy…

Tagged as: bill white, brian giles, chase headley, clayton richard, cory luebke, dewon brazelton, ferguson jenkins, logan forsythe, marcus giles, mat latos, minnesota twins, nick hundley, sean burroughs, steve finley, tucson padres, uzr, wade leblanc, will venable