Hunt and Peck: Links of the Week

It is dark. A man stands at a bus stop under a dimly lit streetlight. What started as a light sprinkling has now turned into a steady rainfall. Drops of precipitation drip down his black raincoat and fall into a puddle at his now muddy boots. This past year was a disappointing one for him. He forced himself to remember all the mistakes he made, the ridicule he endured. "We will see who gets the last laugh, now," he whispers. Finally, he can see the bright headlights of the bus as it approaches the stop seven minutes late. A weary, older gentleman opens the doors and the man steps up and removes his hood as he attempts to shake the unwanted water from his face. "Is this the bus to Jupiter?" he asks. The tired driver just nods.

The man sits down near the back of the bus. He opens his knapsack and takes out his last jelly doughnut. Another shot, Ty Wigginton thinks to himself as he takes a bite, I knew someone would give me another shot. They always do. - Viva el Birdos

Other Things Going on in Baseball...

• Everyone's favorite "utility man" and the man who was up instead of Adrian Gonzalez, twice, with the winning run in scoring position in game one of the NLCS ponders retirement. - MLB UPDATE: No longer pondering. Cleats are hung. - MLB
• Some of the top rotations in the league, if you are in to that sort of thing. - Sports on Earth - SBNation
• Oh what is this? Just some projections on how many games each MLB team will win. Detroit tops all teams with 91. - Clay Davenport
• Someone, I am thinking tintin47, linked this in a comment. In case you missed it, here is one of the coolest things ever. This query shows all home runs hit on pitches 95+. - Baseball Savant
• Grover of Sesame Street falls on his face while a future Hall of Famer looks on. Do not watch this video if you don't like adorable things. - Youtube
• But AP isn't the only guy showcasing his acting ability (yeah, that is what we will call it). Clayton Kershaw looks like a giant next to Zooey Deschanel. - CutFour
• What happened if you tried to hit a baseball pitched at 90% of the speed of light? pattimagee wants to know. Science and stuff. - What If?
• The Big Puma, Lance Berkman, has called it quits after a 15 year career. Is he a Hall of Famer? - Baseball Nation - Sports Illustrated (Thanks to Willie McGee's Twin for this one.) - CutFour
• Nolan Ryan is a baaaad 67 year old man today. - CutFour Heh heh heh - Fangraphs

What the Cardinals Are Up To...

It is apparently Kolten Wong week on the internet.

• Earlier this week, the VEB community submitted its projections for Kolten Wong (if you haven't done so yet, you should, for sure) and Craig looks at the Cardinals' History of Rookie Second Baseman. Dan Moore looks at second baseman, the forgotten man. - Mad Em Dashes
• ThePainGuy links in a fanshot to his anaylsis of Kolten Wong's swing. Check it out and give him some feedback in the comments, if you feel so inclined. - Chris O'Leary
• Should the Cardinals put Wong in the two hole (giggity)? Bernie Miklasz wonders just that and who should go there with Carlos Beltran's departure. - STL Today
• Thinking about putting some Birdos on your fantasy team (and you probably are)? Add this to your research. - CBS Sports
• Yadier Molina is battling Jose Altuve in the first round of the "Face of the MLB" and LOSING. Come on, guys. - MLB
• Joe Kelly is funny and does funny things (handshakes notwithstanding). - Twitter
• <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Always working hard <a href="http://t.co/VrtEaLv4OK">pic.twitter.com/VrtEaLv4OK</a></p>&mdash; Joseph Kelly Jr. (@JosephKellyJr) <a href="https://twitter.com/JosephKellyJr/statuses/428315599278596096">January 28, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

KNOW THY ENEMY...

• Something about Ryan Braun and PEDs. - MLB
• Apparently that whole Matt Garza thing worked out after all. The Brewers recently inked the 30 year old pitcher to a four year deal worth $50 million guaranteed, $4 million in incentives, and a $13 million vesting option for a fifth year. - MLB - Fangraphs
• "I threw two no hitters and these tightwads are just dragging their heels. Kershaw just made $300 million no problem. How many no hitters has he thrown?" Homer Bailey is getting annoyed with how long these negotiations are taking. Okay, so maybe he didn't say that exactly or at all or anything close to that. - MLB
• "Wait... did we just get threatened by the Mayor?" - Pittsburgh Pirates - Bucs Dugout

Viva el Stuff...