As I’ve noted already in two posts here at the site, I’ve recently purchased the Bill James Player Ratings Books for the years 1993 through 1995.

What I perhaps have not made clear yet is how I love these books sooooooo much. So much that I’m willing to write “so” with seven Os like a 13-year-old girl would. So much that, yes, in fact, I do want to marry them (i.e. these books) even though, yes, that’s not allowed and, yes, I’m already married.

In any case, if the movie Old Yeller taught me anything, it’s that if you love something, and it gets rabies, you have to shoot it you should share it with other people.

It’s no chore whatsoever to find examples of white-hot prose in the 1993 edition of the book, but these five haphazardly chosen selections will give you an idea.

Player: Vinny Castilla, Atlanta
Notable Thing: Things, actually. Plural. First of all, Castilla’s listed as a shortstop, which is surprising. Second of all, James writes, “[T]here is no indication that he’s going to be a major league hitter… Probably no future.” Castilla, of course, went on to post a 22.9 career WAR.

Read the rest of this entry »

For many 9-year-olds the country over, the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey card was distinctly an Item of Interest. It was the No. 1 card in the company’s inaugural set, and it featured Griffey, who quickly became not only really good at baseball, but also the sport’s symbol of youthful joy — a trait he exhibited most conspicuously by, for example, managing to wear his hat backwards in a way that somehow wasn’t douchey.

With regard to the card itself, like I say, it was in the highest of demands. Would I, personally, have killed for it? No. That’s ridiculous, of course. But maimed someone badly? You know, it’s hard to say. All these hypotheticals, right?

In any case, beyond its other charms, the Griffey card is now also fighting crime!

Reader Steven brings this news story to our attention, courtesy of Albany’s WNYT (which, I’m told, offers “coverage you can trust”):

ALBANY – Ken Griffey Jr.’s rookie baseball card has led to the arrest of two men by Albany Police as detectives connect them to two burglaries last fall on Madison Ave. and Broadway in the city.
Gregory Amyot, 35, and Robert Spraker are charged with one count each Burglary (2nd and 3rd Degree) and Grand Larceny (3rd and 4th Degree).

Back on Nov. 4, 2010, Amyot and Spraker were arrested for possessing a stolen credit card, police said. Surveillance cameras inside the Price Chopper at 40 Delaware Avenue caught them attempting to use the stolen credit card in the early morning hours of November 1, according to Det. James Miller. At that time, officers found they had a valuable stolen baseball card – Griffey’s – that was taken during a burglary of 498 Madison Avenue.

Detectives investigating that incident, as well as a burglary of an architecture firm’s office on Broadway, were able to connect Amyot and Spraker to both. They were both charged late Friday afternoon and arraigned in Albany City Criminal Court on Saturday. Both men were remanded to the county jail without bail, Miller said.

Since that story ran, the NotGraphs Investigative Reporting Investigation Team has also learned that the Albany Police have, in fact, hired the Griffey card to help solve other difficult cases. “We don’t know exactly how we plan on utilizing the card,” said Police Chief Steven Krokoff, “but it obviously helped us in this one instance. Why not others?”

Krokoff also noted that, while he’s totally willing to keep an open mind about things, there’s no way he’s trading with Rochester for their dumb Canseco Rated Rookie card, so they better just stop asking.

Biggest of hat tips to reader Steven, who, again, alerted us to this very important thing via our hot hotline: not+tip [at] fangraphs [dot] com.

The most attentive of readers will have noticed a slight change in the sidebar here at NotGraphs. If you cast your eyes to the space just above the Recent Stories area, you will notice something entitled Contact the NotGraphs Team. Turns out, our Dark Overlord, David Appelman, has recently used his specific breed of dark magic to create a place where you, reader, are able to communicate vital information to us at Team NotGraphs.

The email address, I’ve been led to believe, very much resembles this: not+tips [at] fangraphs [dot] com.

“What sort of things would I email to this address?” is perhaps one question you’re having. To that I respond: “Any sort of content you find — on the internet, in a book — that you think deserves a home on this most handsome of websites.”

“What sort of content might that be?” perhaps you’re following up. To which I say: “Oh, perhaps some gift ideas or a sweet idea for some t-shirts or a celebration of dipsomania. Really, so long as it has nothing to do with Brett Favre’s — or anyone else’s — beanbag we’re probably all set.”

“Will I be rewarded for my efforts?” is the final thing you’re almost definitely asking. “Yes. But only spiritually. And even then not too much.”

Fin.

THE EXTRA 2% – Sneak Peek

Though I’m not entirely sure “It was a dark and stormy night” is the most relevant opening line for a book that examines the meteoric rise of the Tampa Bay Rays, there’s little else to criticize about this excerpt from (FanGraphs author!) Jonah Keri’s forthcoming book, The Extra 2%: How Wall Street Strategies Took a Major League Baseball Team from Worst to First.

Just from this brief excerpt — which includes Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban’s foreward and Keri’s prologue — the reader can already feel himself not only being (a) seduced by the Rays’ David-and-Goliath narrative, but also (b) overcome with a strong desire to give exactly $15.44 to Keri and his handlers.

One also feels slightly sick to his stomach when he’s forced to remember that, after the 2002 season, the Rays traded literally their best player, Randy Winn, for Lou Piniella — i.e. a frigging coach.

Were the countdown clock you see here mercilessly discarding the days, hours, and minutes till the end of the world as we know it, that would be horrible. Though it could do wonderful things for the availability of parking in the city, this hypothetical apocalypse would seem to offer few other advantages.

Anyway, as it stands, we needn’t worry quite yet about the End of Days. In fact, this clock is merely designed to alert bespectacled Americans to an event where they can be amongst their own.

Regard this blockquote:

On Saturday, February 12th, make your way to the heart of New York City to celebrate Strat-O-Matic’s 50th Anniversary/Opening Day 2011. For the first time ever, we will be celebrating the release of our new baseball season and other awesome products in the Big Apple, along with a special event in honor of the past 50 years. The day will feature seminars, panels with our research team, guest speakers and of course the opportunity to meet Hal Richman, creator and founder of Strat-O-Matic, as well as plenty of time to check out the new cards and play against other fanatics.

Dates, times:

Location:
Community Church of New York
40 East 35th St, New York, NY 10016

Date and Time:
Saturday February 12th
7:30am to 6:00pm
(Registration is 7:30am to 8:30am

Finally, I would be be remiss not to include this — about how you can get discounts in the sexiest way possible.

Restaurant/Lunch Information for Day of the Event:
• Austin’s Café (deli). 10 Park Avenue, corner of 34th Street. 15% off everything when you mention Strat-O-Matic.
• Gigi Café (deli). 64 East 34th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues. 10% off everything when you mention Strat-O-Matic.

What we have here, objectively speaking, is a photo of Rod Carew on a piece of finished wood — purchased at a thrift store in Madison, Wisconsin.

Because I heard not one mention of it during my many and incredibly challenging art history courses in school, I can’t guarantee that this item is art.

What I can tell you that it stirs something deep and profound in the manbosom.

Note: Thank you to reader MarkW for the depth of his artisitc knowledge.

The only problem with the above video, called FIP: A New ERA, is that writer, director, producer, illustrator, and narrator (?) Bradley Woodrum didn’t release it before January 1st — which, that means it won’t be eligible for this year’s Academy Awards.

It’s a bit of a must-watch situation, this, but two salient details that’ll give you at least a broad sense of its content are as follows:

1. It’s about FIP, and

2. It has a dragon in it.

A DRAGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

H/T: DRaysBay

As part of NotGraphs’ initiative to become the industry leader in forthcoming-book announcements, we are pleased to announce a forthcoming book and the receipt of advance proof for same.

The book in question is Baseball in the Garden of Eden: The Secret History of the Early Game, and it has been authored by John Thorn. Thorn’s name you will definitely recognize if you’re the sort of person who cared for sabermetrics before, say, the year 2000, for he authored, alongside Pete Palmer, The Hidden Game of Baseball, in which book the pair introduces linear weights (among other concepts integral to the field).

Thorn has apparently done some other things in the meantime — like, for example, consult Ken Burns on his very famous documentary about the game and also edit Base Ball: A Journal of the Early Game.

As for the present text, it appears to be a revision of baseball’s creation narrative, going beyond not only Abner Doubleday but also beyond Alexander Cartwright, too — all the way (or so this publicity material suggests) to “Daniel Lucius Adams, William Rufus Wheaton, and other fascinating figures that have accrued around baseball’s origins.”

The book goes on sale March 15th.

Below are all the available baseball-related films on Netflix Instant — or, at least the ones that come up when you click Baseball under the genre Sport & Fitness.

I do believe you can click on the image to embiggen it.

I don’t believe you should ever watch something called Pitcher and the Pin-Up.

This mini Brewer helmet used to have delicious cheese fries in it. Now it’s got my breakfast cereal.

Boom, victory.