Some things to read while chickens break theories of evolution.
The final day of the year/decade means lots of year in review type posts. Here's a quick sampling:
- Tom H. has his top ten highlights of 2009. He's planning on posting his top ten
rain delaysdisappointments today. - In-Between Hops notes that, when ranked by winning percentage, the 2000's were the worst decade in Brewer history. Once a playoff appearance is factored in, it might only be the second worst.
- Here's a small victory: The Brewers only appeared one time in The Daily Drink's list of 2009's most painful moments.
Ryan Braun picked up an award this week, joining Rangers pitcher Scott Feldman as the Most Valuable Jewish Players of the Year (h/t Jeff Fletcher).
Anyone remember Emmert Dose, author of the worst Brewer column ever written? He's back with a list of predictions for 2010. It's not as bad as his previous work...although it's hard to imagine anything being that bad.
In significantly better work, Roguejim wondered aloud about Carlos Gomez, his position as a somewhat-guaranteed starter on a potentially contending team, and whether or not the Brewers would benefit by sending him to Nashville to open the 2010 season.
Meanwhile, there are only a few spots left on the BCB All Decade Team. Todd Coffey is currently leading the race for the latest bullpen spot, and Chris Capuano has opened up a commanding lead for the final spot in the rotation. Those votes close at 4 pm today and tomorrow, respectively.
Around baseball:
A's: Designated reliever Jay Marshall for assignment.
Blue Jays: Never actually signed their reported deal with catcher Ramon Castro, who remains a free agent.
Giants: Have reportedly agreed to a one year deal with Juan Uribe.
Rockies: Are reportedly close to a deal with Miguel Olivo.
Do you do New Year resolutions? If you do and haven't chosen one yet, Jim Caple has an above-replacement-level list of suggestions.
If your resolution is to learn more about sabermetrics, here's a nice headstart:
- Tom Tango recently received ten questions from noted saber-skeptic Mike Silva, and is addressing them one by one in a series that could be considered must-read for folks looking for a deeper understanding of advanced metrics. Here's the first post, where he explains the series, and a post with links to all ten answers.
- Big League Stew also took on WAR in their "Everything you always wanted to know" series.
And, if you're looking for food for thought on a slow news day, this Baseball Digest Daily post on Ian Snell and perceived velocity is a good read.
I don't have any Brewer birthdays today, sorry. At some point, FtJ will probably stop by the comments to inform us of one I missed, so check back for that.
That's all I have for you today, unless you're looking for Keith Law's review of Stone Age. Side note: Anyone out there live in/near the Fox Cities and like board games? If so, drop me an email or mention something in the comments.
Drink up.