Hunt and Peck: Links of the Week

I watched the All Star Game Tuesday. I watched it for Waino; I watched it for Patrick; I watched it for Marp (don't even get me started); I watched it for the pageantry. Because that is what it is to me - a pageant. A chance for a team to showcase its stadium to the nation, for baseball's greatest to face one another on the same field, and for Major League Baseball to honor its truly great ambassadors (now whether this game should count for something is separate issue for another time). This is why I, unlike many others, really had no problem with the Jeterfest that took place. Yes, it was annoying, but that is what should be done when one of an organization's most important figures is taking his final bow. Because of all this, you can probably imagine my surprise when there was no mention, not even a speck of an inclining about Tony Gwynn, the 15 time All Star who passed away this summer. Some people were rather upset about this omission, prompting MLB and FOX to put out this statement:

"We are deeply saddened by the loss of Hall of Famer Tony Gwynn, an extraordinary individual whose memory we have honored in numerous ways in recent weeks," the statement read. "The Baseball family has sadly lost a number of people this year -- including Hall of Famer Ralph Kiner, Frank Cashen, and former All-Stars Jerry Coleman, Jim Fregosi and Don Zimmer -- and did not want to slight anyone by singling out one individual."

Oh, well that makes sense... Oh wait, no it doesn't! One of the biggest components of baseball is its rich history and tradition, passed down from the great players that are no longer with us to the present. There is no greater example of this than the All Star Game, a tradition that has lasted since 1933, and is something truly unique to baseball (there is the NFL Pro-Bowl, I guess but...). By not honoring Tony Gwynn and the other great baseball men that had passed recently, Major League Baseball not only missed an opportunity to really showcase what baseball is about, but it also neglected its duty to honor those that have done so much to serve it - and frankly, that is very disappointing. - SBNation; SBNation

old school this week - no capitals letters (on the headings)

what else is going on in baseball...

• Tracy McGrady goes out on top. - SBNation
• The El Paso Chihuahuas might actually wear these. - MLB Fancave
• Oh Jeez, Mets. (Thanks flood!) - Twitter
• If the Cardinals actually do somehow trade for Giancarlo Stanton, everyone in attendance of the games will have to start bringing their gloves. Good grief. - SBNation
  But it is okay, because look how awesome he is about it!
  

  Sorry you had to "Bear" this pain @JJacobson13 ! But look on the bright side, now u get my Glove & a Derby ball! pic.twitter.com/0YmTCkZsUK

  — Giancarlo Stanton (@Giancarlo818) July 16, 2014

  
  But seriously, he hit that ball into orbit.
  

  That's one for Giancarlo Stanton and the Rebel Alliance... http://t.co/YJwUH3YvZa

  — Ben Heidinger (@benheidinger) July 15, 2014

• BtBS looks at some of the best relief pitchers this year based on RE24. - Beyond the Box Score
• Here is a quick read about Dee Gordon, his father Tom, and Joe DiMaggio. - Just a Bit Outside
• The trade deadline is quickly approaching. Here are some names that could be on the move. - MLB
• Here is some really cool old audio of Joe DiMaggio talking about his hit streak. - Cut4
• Here is a quick recap of the All Star Game, featuring some pretty cool gifs. - Cut4
• Former player, Billy Bean (not current GM, Billy Beane - which really confused me), has been hired by Major League Baseball to lead its gay inclusion program. - Outsports
• This is a list of players that will make large impact on the playoff race... with their absence. GET WELL SOON MICHAEL AND YADI! - Sports on Earth

what the cardinals are up to...

• Eek! Trevor Rosenthal is on the cover of Alive Magazine. There is even a picture of him in plaid. - AliveMag; MLB; Twitter
• Leave Adam Wainwright ALONE! - Sports on Earth; Hardball Talk; SBNation
• C70 does a really cool take on Star Wars Night at the ballpark. - Cards Conclave
• Remember when the Cardinals won the World Series in 2011? That was fun times. - Joe Posnanski
• Allen Craig, please start hitting baseballs in the air again you wonderful man. - MLB
  On that note, this is also a pretty fun interview that makes we want to know more... - MLB
• The United Cardinals Bloggers had their event a few weeks ago that featured some pretty cool guest speakers. - Cards Conclave
• Happy 75th birthday to the ever youthful Mike Shannon!
  

  Happy birthday to the one and only Mike Shannon! Thank you for having us tonight to celebrate 75 great years! -K,T&K pic.twitter.com/ZRZncSLzYL

  — FSMidwestGirls (@FSMidwestGirls) July 18, 2014

• Kevin Siegrist is pitching! 
  

  Nice to see @KevinSiegrist pitching again! 2 up, 2 down to start his appearance. pic.twitter.com/sm2rzRTV0T

  — stlCupofJoe (@stlCupofJoe) July 18, 2014

• Izzy is on Twitter. This is not a drill. Positions, everyone, the timing must be perfect. 
  

  This should be entertaining people. Please follow @IsringhausenJ ---all the #cardinal fans. Don't be offended. Haha

  — Mark Mulder (@markmulder20) July 17, 2014

KNOW THINE ENEMY...

the nl central

• Jean Segura will rejoin the Brewers after recently undergoing a horrifying personal tragedy in the death of his nine-month old son. Just a very, very sad story. - MLB
• Will the slumping Brewers come out strong after the All Star Break? - Sports on Earth
• Jake Arrieta's slider was featured in the "gif of the week" and it is pretty disgusting. - Washington Post
• Standings (now that we are past the All Star Game, I will start including "games back")
  

  Milwaukee Brewers	53	43	.552	-
  St. Louis Cardinals	52	44	.542	1.0
  Cincinnati Reds	51	44	.537	1.5
  Pittsburgh Pirates	49	46	.516	3.5
  Chicago Cubs	40	54	.426	12.0

the la dodgers

• The Dodgers could be pursuing Jonathan Papelbon. - Rotoworld
• Paco Rodriguez might rejoin the Dodgers in St. Louis. - True Blue LA
• Joe Schwarz does a preview of the series for us this week. - Viva el Birdos
• For more detailed Dodgers news, check out TBLA. - True Blue LA

viva el stuff...

• Lots of trade rumors involving the Cardinals. VEB has you covered. - Viva el Birdos; Viva el Birdos (Stanton); Viva el Birdos (Lee); Viva el Birdos (Minor Moves); Viva el Birdos (Tiers)
• Some very interesting fanposts this week.
  These two by johnjf125 each discuss two of my favorite things: Gabe Kapler and Game 6. -  Viva el Birdos; Viva el Birdos
  walkitofffolks (nice name) writes about some of his fondest baseball memories and what baseball means to him. - Viva el Birdos
• Aaron gives us a Viva el Run update. Keep up the good work, folks! - Viva el Birdos

other things

• You ever thought a name was an "old person name"? Well, there is actually some truth to that! - Five Thirty Eight
• These prosthetic limbs are amazingly realistic and super cool (however do not function as well as their predecessors). - ABC
• The ESPYs were also this week, and maybe you didn't watch them. If you didn't, you should really watch this powerful speech from Stuart Scott about his battle with cancer. - SBNation
• A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with 298 passengers aboard was blown out of the sky at 33,000 feet by what Ukrainian and American officials described as a Russian-made antiaircraft missile. This is really not good. - New York Times

weekly scoreboard:

Boo.

Tonight Lance Lynn toes the rubber against Dan Haren at 7:15pm CST. Here are the series match-ups:

*Fink sent Martinez an "El Gallo" shirt which should theoretically get to him Saturday. Be on the lookout for that.

Click here for info on how you can donate $40 to Cardinals Care and receive an "El Gallo" shirt of your own!

If you find any links worth sharing, I would love to receive them! Tweet me @lil_scooter93 or e-mail me at the address in my profile!