Links of the Day for 5/23/06

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Finally, a weekend of happiness and light for me to find links about (well, aside from Jessie Crain’s meltdown, but that’s a trivial thing). As, I’m sure, you all know, the Twins are getting a new park. And it’s going to have grass and public transportation, and revenue and everything a real major league team that doesn’t get threatened with contraction or moving has. Of course, maybe the problem with the Twins franchise wasn’t the lack of a stadium. Maybe, just maybe, the problem with the Twins franchise was the system itself. Maybe, a system more like the English Premiership is the answer, as DM suggests over at the Nats Blog. (And here are the links for the second, third and fourth parts of the essay).

The stadium wasn’t the only happy news this weekend. First off, it seems that giving talented youngsters an opportunity when the veterans, to put it nicely, suck, can pay off. Secondly, the Twins offense had a big weekend, scoring 26 runs in the series, moving them up to eighth in the American League. Color me surprised (and mad because I had to erase a decent joke about the ineptitude of the Twins offense after I checked the stats). They’re still nowhere near an elite offensive team, partly due to the twin black holes of suck on the left side of the infield and partly due to their lack of plate discipline. Don’t be fooled, however, the next time that Mauer or Castillo ground out on the first pitch. It isn’t due to a lack of discipline. In fact, as Neutrino Boi, whom you might recognize as a frequent Batgirl commentator and member of the Twins Batcave, suggests, it’s much more likely that they just missed a good pitch.

Finally, did you see Bond’s get one step closer to Willie Mays with his 616th Home Run? Well, that’s where he should be, according to fellow Georgetown Alumnus (I became one on Saturday) Patrick Hubry. Hubry has an interesting analysis of where Bonds would be if he had stayed clean. And, surprisingly enough (it is on ESPN.com) it uses stats, science and is a well thought out piece. For another perspective, check out Tomato Nation and Sarah Bunting’s piece on why people are having such a hard time dealing with Bonds’ pursuit of the Babe (and it’s not all about steroids).