Hunt and Peck: A VEB Winter Meetings Recap

Monday night marked our annual VEB Winter Meet-up, better known as VEB Winter Meetings. We use these meet-ups as an opportunity to get to know the faces behind the computer around here. We also use these meet-ups as an excuse to drink beer (or hard cider in some cases) and play shuffleboard.

Here were the items on the agenda:

• The Continental was wearing an amazing holiday sweater
• Fink was in his winter hair so his Mark Ellis-ness was much subdued
• Fritz left early to pick up a hot ham and cheese from IMO's
• Dogtown is a rather nice area
• Hatts for Matts and I nearly completed the comeback to take down Joe Schwarz and Drew Silva in shuffleboard, but fell just short
• In perhaps one of the greatest comebacks in history, Fink and I defeated Joe and Drew in shuffleboard
• Fink and I were defeated by Mrs. Fink and Spants in shuffleboard - the final score isn't important
• A recap of last meeting's events
• A recap of my getting lost trying to go to last meeting's events

what else is going on in baseball...

• Is pitch framing important? - Beyond the Box Score
• Here is a team comprised of only players that moved during Winter Meetings. - Sports on Earth
• Madison Bumgarner was Sports Illustrated's Sportsman of the Year. You can check out his acceptance speech here. - MLB Fancave
• Remember that poor girl that cried when Brett Lawrie was traded to the As? Well look:
  

  I'm sure u guys all remember seeing this little girl on YouTube about me leaving the jays so I thot I'd surprise her pic.twitter.com/AUNyRloTgi

  — Brett Lawrie (@blawrie13) December 12, 2014

  
  More on this story Friday.
• White Sox sign Melky Cabrera. - Hardball Talk
• And he was just the team's most recent acquisition. - SBNation
• Former White Sox Mark Gilbert is now the U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand. - Cut4
• Don't forget about Allen Craig. - MLB
• Joe Kelly won the MLB Network Social Media Award for Best Selfie. Check out his acceptance speech:
  

  ICYMI, check out this awesome acceptance speech from @JosephKellyJr for #BestSelfie. #MLBNSocialAwards https://t.co/vkx160XMWh

  — MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) December 15, 2014

• Chase Headley is still a Yankee. - MLB
• Viva el Rumors. - SBNation
• The Braves are losing in their own stadium drawings. - SBNation
• Michael Morse, also known as my muse, is signing with the Marlins. - Sports Illustrated
• Chase Utley goes on The Ellen Show and surprises this Phillies fan fighting cancer. - SBNation

what the cardinals are up to...

• Rumor has it:
  

  The #STLCards say they are NOT active suitors for Max Scherzer. Too expensive for their taste.

  — Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 14, 2014

• This is a very interesting article on Oliver Marmol, a manager in the Cardinals system. - MLB
• Mark Reynolds is a Cardinal. Bernie gives his take. - STLToday
• Derrick Goold does his weekly chat. Here are the cliffnotes. - STL Today

KNOW THINE ENEMY...

the nl central

• Could Colby Rasmus be a Cub? - Hardball Talk

• This week's national cover: The Lester Factor http://t.co/a91aEfo8Kb pic.twitter.com/4zvIdykb8j

  — Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 16, 2014

• The Brewers are putting "The Selig Experience" in their museum at Miller Park and it was inspired by an Abraham Lincoln exhibit. - Hardball Talk