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The Book Has Landed

I am pleased to announce that the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual is now available as a hard copy or a PDF download. Not ready to commit? Try some linky goodness: View the table of contents Download a free PDF of excerpts Read reviews of the 2007 Annual Read an interview of me at Hardball Times [...]

Friday Links (22 Feb 08)

Weather permitting, we’ve got a meetup tonight at Tony Gwynn Stadium. As of this writing, the rain is coming down pretty good in my neck of the woods, so stay tuned. I’ll keep everyone updated in the comments. Also, my proof copy of the Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual arrived in the mail yesterday afternoon. Mrs. [...]

Prospects, Meetups, and Fantasy League

Uh-oh, another post full of bullet points. I am so jonesing for actual games… I’m seriously stuck in the past. The latest installment in my re-examination of the top prospects of ’98 is up at Knuckle Curve. Padres relevance? Rafael Medina checks in at #72, Ramon Hernandez at #74. Turning the clock back another decade, [...]

Party Like It’s 1989

Doing some research for an article, flipping through Baseball America’s 1989 Almanac. The book doesn’t list top prospects by team, but it does list them by league. Here are some familiar (and not-so-familiar) names for you: Triple-A Gary Sheffield, 3B, Denver (Brewers): American Association #2 (behind Mike Harkey, ahead of Randy Johnson). Steve Finley, OF, [...]

Spring Training Notes (19 Feb 08)

I kind of run on autopilot around here sometimes and forget to ask y’all what you want. Let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like me to focus on this spring or whatever. I’m open to suggestions, but if I don’t hear anything, I’ll just assume all is well and keep doing whatever the [...]

Free Download: Excerpts from Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual

Okay, I said there wouldn’t be any more updates about the book until it hit the virtual bookshelves, but today I’m making a brief exception. The 28-page free download Excerpts from Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual is now available: Download Excerpts from Ducksnorts 2008 Baseball Annual (PDF, 143k) And for those who may have missed it [...]

OBG08 Projections for Padres Pitchers

Yesterday we ran the hitters, today it’s time for the moundsmen: OBG08 Projections for Select Padres Pitchers Player No. IP ERA Range Key: No., number of people who submitted guesses; IP, innings pitched, ERA, duh; range, lower and upper guesses for ERA. Left-Handers Hampson, Justin 11 48 4.21 3.50 – 5.05 Thatcher, Joe 11 58 [...]

OBG08 Projections for Padres Hitters

Here are the results of our community projections for 2008 Padres hitters. To see voting and discussion for an individual player, click on his name. A spreadsheet containing all of our picks will be available shortly. Thanks to all for participating! OBG08 Projections for Select Padres Hitters Player No. PA BA OBP SLG OPS Range [...]

Friday Links (15 Feb 08)

Food safety tip: “carpaccio” is Italian for “sashimi,” which is Japanese for “it ain’t cooked.” Just so you know. Super quick links today. You provide the commentary… It’s spring: Brew yourself a piping hot pot of optimism Tom Krasovic identifies five story lines to watch in Peoria (h/t LynchMob) MadFriars.com talks to Corey Brock (h/t [...]

Familiar Refrain

On pages 141-143 of his 1985 Baseball Abstract, Bill James launches into a discussion of whether baseball dynasties are a thing of the past. This is technically his essay on the San Diego Padres, who were the defending National League champions, although only two paragraphs focus on the Padres: I do not see the Padres [...]