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THT Links: “Hello World!”

by Matthew Carruth
January 26, 2007

Welcome to the first edition of THT Links. Each weekday we will compile various links from around the net and group them in one place. The stories will range from the amusing to boring, possibly machine written AP news items, whatever is needed in order to capture everything that has transpired in the past day.

Stupid Statement Staked to Small Sample Size - Basil at Federal Baseball examines the claim that Nook Logan is the greatest defensive center fielder based on three weeks of games. Shockingly, no conclusion can be drawn.

Mark Prior Seriously Injured After Cubs' Playoffs Hopes Fall on his Shoulders - THT's own Jeff Sackmann previews the Cubs

Has the King Returned? - Larry Stone discussed the leaner Felix Hernandez. Check out LookoutLanding for some side by side comparisons to last season.

Ohka is Oh-kay for Jays - Tomo Ohka passes physical, officially signed for $1.5 million.

Cubs Continue to Corner the Market on the Market Itself - Cliff Floyd signs with the Cubs for a guaranteed $3 million with another $4.5 million possible with incentives. The deal also contains a mutual option that vests with 100 starts or 425 plate appearances. Apparently Floyd is slated to be the starting LF, pushing Matt Murton into undeserved purgatory for the time being. The articles contains this gem, "It's going to happen, I know it is," Floyd said. "We have too much veteran leadership not to win and win now. I don't think fans will be disappointed this year."

Erstad + Ozzieball = Lots of Annoying Articles about The Little Things™ - The contract for Darin Erstad becomes official at $750,000 guaranteed with a team option costing the White Sox $250,000 to buy out or $3.5 million to exercise, both of which can escalate based on incentives.

Yankees Traveling to China - Yankees sending a delegation to China on behalf of Major League Baseball in the hopes of growing the sport further in the country.

Jon Lieber: The Unwanted Man? - The Good Phight is surprised that Gillick has been unable to find a deal for no-longer needed Jon Lieber. They surmise a few possible trades that would work for the Phillies.

It cannot measure clutch, A-Rod is not at the bottom. - Dan Fox and Will Carroll discuss the merits and limits of WPA/WXA analysis specifically touching on the subject of quantifying clutch ability.

First Cars, Now Pitches. What American Staple Will the Japanese Usurp Next? - More information than you ever cared to know about the gyroball pitch.

Rockies Learning. Slowly, but Surely. - Rox Girl points out how the Rockies have overhauled their roster construction since 2003, moving away from older, free agent players. She also discusses how to keep the Rockies on that path and which perilous pitfalls to attempt to avoid.

Details on Drew's Contract with Boston - Gordon Edes breaks the terms of the J.D. Drew contract. "If Drew goes on the disabled list for anything related to this finding in the third year of the deal, the Sox can void the final two years of the contract. If he is disabled in the fourth year, the Sox can void the final year of the deal."

Now They Just Need Jeff Nelson and Kaz Sasaki Back Too - Mariners sign Arthur Rhodes to a minor league contract with an invite to spring training. Anything to hold onto 2001 for as long as possible I guess.

Jeff Weaver is Moving On - Meanwhile the Mariners are also the favorites to land Jeff Weaver who has apparently made it known that he will not be returning to St. Louis. It seems like to be a 1-year contract worth about $8-9 million. Well, if you are already paying for the mediocrity of Jarrod Washburn, Horacio Ramirez, and Miguel Batista, you might as well go for four overpriced fours behind your ace.

Whither Bernie? - Bernie Williams still does not know where his future lies. Also, Carl Pavano is finally healthy. I know, I could not stop laughing derisively either.

NRI = Not Bloody Likely? - Jeff Sullivan looks at how non-roster-invitees have fared in the past for the Mariners and cautions fans not to worry to much about Rey Ordonez's chances of sucking valuable at bats away from somebody with actual talent.

Ricciardi Swings Both Ways: High and Low Cost - Allan Ryan of the Toronto Star discusses GMs hunting for those elusive pitching bargains. The Jays, who have signed both Tomo Ohka and John Thomson to small one-year deals after busting the bank on A.J. Burnett and B.J. Ryan last offseason have been highly productive in this area.

Peavy Instructed by Mom: Go Say You're Sorry! - Jake Peavy apologized to police officer and got his disorderly conduct charge dropped. One of those nice perks about being famous. The last time I tried to apologize to a police officer I got a 15 minute lecture about open container laws and they still kept me in the holding cell. I did get my clothes back though.

THT Links represents the best efforts of our editors in scouring the various tubes of the interweb for both relevant and irrelevant news items. If you have happened upon a story that we have overlooked or wish to give feedback of any sort, please notify us at

Matthew Carruth is an editor for The Hardball Times. He welcomes any and all sorts of communication at his email.

Do you have a general question or comment for one of THT's writers? Send it in to our weekly mailbag We also welcome unsolicited op-ed pieces of approximately 500 words for consideration. We reserve the right to edit for length, clarity and consistency of style. Please include your whole name and location to be considered. If you have a comment about this specific article, please email the writer.

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