This may be the final weekend for baseball in the Houston area, but fear not the TCB Links will continue to roll on through out the off-season. However we will be moving them from Fun Friday to Super Sunday. Once you've finished your Sunday worship and before your weekly dosage of football join us for some linkage goodness.
Offseason
Offseason Dates Moved Up: MLB Rumors - MLBTradeRumors.com
A considerably significant change in the Free Agency period for Major League Baseball
The Human Side of Baseball
Facebook allows Patton to meet half-sister for first time Oriole's half-sister, Heather, watches him pitch at Fenway Park - Baltimore Sun
The emotions were already running high for Orioles left-hander Troy Patton on Wednesday in Boston, as he was pitching in his first big league game in more than three years. But there was something
Johnson thrives during trying rookie season | astros.com: News
For a rookie trying to solidify his spot in the big leagues, a bad game can be tough to swallow. Chris Johnson felt that way, too, until his sister's accident gave him a new perspective.
Pitching
Why Are Modern Pitchers So Fragile?
Bradbury scans the trend in pitcher usage. His conclusion is that the trend toward fewer inning and pitches by starting pitchers is part fad (move from 4 to 5 man rotations) and part innovation (relievers are better than paced starters).
More links after the jump
Cooperstown
Visiting Cooperstown [Part 3] " Baseball-Reference Blog " Blog Archive
Another two installments of Steve Lombardi's visit to Cooperstown.
Visiting Cooperstown [Part 4] " Baseball-Reference Blog " Blog Archive
Statistics
Shutdowns, Meltdowns and Making the Playoffs | FanGraphs Baseball
FanGraphs looks at a possible replacement statistic for the save.
The Sabermetric Project and the "Science of Words" | FanGraphs Baseball
An article on the presentation of Sabermetrics to the masses.
Wins Without Homers 2010 » Baseball-Reference Blog » Blog Archive
Houston does not do a good enough job of winning games when they don't hit home runs.
TCB Twitter Follow Friday
Twitter / keithlaw:
If pitchers actually "pitch to the score," then there's more pressure when they receive no run support. It's one cliche or the other.