I totally forgot to include a bunch of cool links in Friday’s roundup, and these probably shouldn’t wait another week, so welcome to a Very Special Saturday Links. Go crazy:

• I haven’t said anything about the Keith Hernandez/Kelly Calabrese flap. Here it is, then: Hernandez is an idiot, and bigotry doesn’t belong in baseball. His employer appears to agree, as does Susan Kelly at All-Baseball.
• Five Minor Leaguers Suspended (Baseball America). This one’s been out there for a while. Unfortunately, one of the five suspended is Padres right-hander Matt Varner, who is out 50 games “for using performance enhancing substances.” Varner, an 11th round pick in 2004 out of the University of Houston, had been the closer at Lake Elsinore this season.
• Switching benches is good move for Leone (The Oregonian). Nice piece on Portland third baseman Justin Leone, who is tearing up the PCL (.392/.473/.734 in 79 AB to start the season) and who could be a stopgap solution at the hot corner for the Padres in 2007.
• Former baseball player Derek Bell charged with drug possession (Yahoo!). Bell came to the Padres from Toronto as part of the 1993 Fire Sale in exchange for Darrin Jackson, and left after the following season in a deal with the Astros that brought Ken Caminiti and Steve Finley to San Diego.
• At Hardball Times, Steve Treder takes a good look at the early histories of the 1969 expansion clubs, the Expos and Padres. Part One covers 1968-1970, including Buzzi Bavasi’s construction of the inaugural team and Dick Selma’s 2-1 victory over Houston in the franchise opener. It also brings back familiar names such as Nate Colbert, Pat Dobson, Cito Gaston, Preston Gomez, Walt Hriniak, Fred Kendall, Joe Niekro, Dave Roberts, and more. Part Two deals with the years 1971-1974, moving from the acquisition of Enzo Hernandez from Baltimore on through the beginning of the Ray Kroc era. This is a well-researched series, and I look forward to the next installment.
• At ESPN, Nate Silver ranks the top 50 long-term properties in baseball: Part One deals with the bottom half (in which Jake Peavy ranks #29, two slots behind Anaheim second base prospect [TNSTAASBP] Howie Kendrick), while Part Two takes us to #1. It’s an intriguing list and one that is sure to fuel plenty of debate, as any such list should. [Tip o' the Ducksnorts cap to the Baseball Crank]

There it is.