You, reader, are probably already aware that NotGraphs has entered what is often colloquially referred to as “the big time.”

As if we had to prove it any further, witness this: our very first advance proof, Neil Lanctot’s forthcoming Campy: The Two Lives of Roy Campanella.

The book goes on sale March 8th, and we’ll provide a review of some sort before that date.

In the meantime, some notes and first impressions:

• So long as the back of this book isn’t lying, Roy Campanella, who joined the Dodgers a year after Jackie Robinson, didn’t particularly get along with him (i.e. Robinson).

• Campenella’s playing career was cut short by an automobile accident, in early 1958, that left him a quadriplegic.

• There’s a chance — a chance — that this book willn’t be “full of jokes.”

• Campanella was MVP three times — 1951, 1953, and 1955 — tying him with Yogi Berra, Joe DiMaggio, Jimmie Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Stan Musial, Albert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Mike Schmidt for second on the all-time list.

• Embiggen this image (all players, 1948-1957):

If there’s one thing Carson Cistulli has his finger on — that is, besides the keys of the uber-sleek netbook on which he’s (read: I’m) currently typing these words — it’s the pulse of the people. And if there’s one thing the people want it’s definitely HELLA PICTURES OF BOOKS. Badly composed, poorly lit pictures of used baseball books, specifically.

In an attempt to capitalize on the public’s insatiable appetite for book-y photos, allow me to offer the following: some pictures I took at The Community Bookstore, located on Court Street in the Cobble Hill/Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn.

The Community Bookstore, in the event that you don’t know, looks like this when you walk into it:

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Baseballing Journalist Peter Gammons has had, like, seven careers. For years, he wrote for the Boston Globe, with which publication he more or less invented the “baseball notes” form; he spent over 20 years with ESPN, basically becoming synonymous with that network’s rise to sporting media domination; and, according to sources, Gammons has also worked intermittently as a George Plimpton impersonator — you know, for kids’ birthdays and stuff.

It’s not surprising, then, that — given his track record for innovation — that Gammons has taken to Twitter (under the handle @pgammo) without hesitation even as he enters the “elder statesman” phase of his life.

If you like Gammons’ work, you almost definitely will (or perhaps already do) like his Twitter feed. However, Gammons’ most notable quality as a Twitterer is his penchant for the accidental, or pocket, tweet.

Here are the five best from his timeline since this past October or so.

5. This is the sound a person with a lisp makes when he/she sleeps.

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After a rookie campaign that saw him slash .282/.388/.599, post a 2.6 WAR in just 374 plate appearances, and win ROTY honors, Bob Hamelin has been of little use to the common baseballing fan.

However, were one ever to get curious about Hamelin’s career stats, and were one to search for said stats on FanGraphs, and were one — instead of typing Hamelin’s entire surname into the search box — were one to type only the first three letters of it, then one would find a rather peculiar and LOL-able thing: namely, that there have been seven players with the first name “Ham” in the history of the Majors.

Here they are below, with very, very, very, very, very important notes.

Player: Ham Allen
Given Name: Frank Erwin Allen or Homer S. Allen
Years Active: 1872-1872
Teams: Middletown Mansfields
PA / WAR: 66, 0.1
Notes: Was born either in Augusta, Maine, or Hamden, Connecticut. Died either in Natick, Massachusetts, or Hamden, Connecticut. Died either on February 6, 1881 or January 7, 1892. Is generally mysterious.

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As a sort of sequel to today’s earlier post (featuring, again, a very important image of Matt Murton), reader John submits the above — what he calls “Magical Cedeno.”

A semi-industrious google search reveals no clues as to the authorship of said image (so, anyone who knows, please don’t hesitate to make note of it in the comment section).

The same google search does reveal, however, the following two images, which are sure to push us slightly further towards something like world peace.

First, courtesy of Razzball, is a screengrab of Cedeno with the Pirates. Men aged 18-Infinity will undoubtedly take some pleasure in the upper-lip part of the middle infielder’s body.

Second, from the official website of Venezuelan baseball club Tigres de Aragua, there’s this photo of Cedeno in a shirt that I, personally, will describe as “festive.”

While enjoying an adult beverage last night in the City of Broad Shoulders, reader John brought to my attention the above image, which, as the title of this post notes unlyingly, features saber-hotty Matt Murton on a frigging unicorn.

The image, so far as I can tell, first appeared at Bleed Cubbie Blue, courtesy of user santoswoodenlegs. My guess is, it will continue to appear — in the pleasant dreams of every NotGraphs reader.

If, like all of world history’s best people, you find yourself still in bed at around 10am ET or so, then it’s entirely possible you missed this news. So, now, here’s this news (courtesy of ‘Duk):

BBWAA.com visitors hoping to glean some knowledge about today’s Hall of Fame announcement are being greeted by something else this Wednesday morning: Nonsensical, yet colorful, gibberish posted by opportunistic hackers who have taken over the writers’ site.

The image above, specifically, is what you would’ve seen had you been awake this morning at that time.

As of this moment, the identity of the perpetrators is still unknown; however, the NotGraphs Investigative Reporting Investigation Team has learned that “big-time nerds” are almost definitely responsible.

Moreover, Friend of NotGraphs and Beloved Pole Dan Szymborski suspects that there is still some foul play afoot, as evidenced by this tweet:

There’s much handwringing today in Baseballville as the vote for this year’s Hall of Fame class is set to be announced at 2pm ET.

Certainly, the National Baseball Hall of Fame is important — not just to fans of the sport but also, owing to the meaning of the sport, the country generally.

But there are other some other pretty great halls of fame in this big, wide world. Below, please find a list of the more notable ones — a Hall of Fame of Halls of Fame, if you will.

Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame (Video Games)
Last year, Mark Cerny, inventor of Marble Madness, was inducted.

Burlesque Hall of Fame
Yes, please!

Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame (Salón de la Fama del Béisbol Cubano)
From Wikipedia: “With the discontinuation of professional baseball in Cuba in 1961 and its replacement by the amateur Cuban national baseball system, election of new members in Cuba ceased.” Another organization, the Federation of Professional Cuban Baseball Players in Exile (Federación de Peloteros Profesionales Cubanos en el Exilio), has held elections in Miami more recently.

Dance Music Hall of Fame
From Wikipedia (emphasis so mine): “When the nominees were selected the ballots were sent to an international voting committee of over 1,000 dance music experts.”

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Word from the Upper Middle West this morning reveals that the Minnesota Twins have announced a preliminary schedule for their 2011 Winter Caravan.

Don’t know what that thing is? Let a press release tell you!

Boom, blockquote:

The Twins Winter Caravan is one of the longest running and most extensive offseason team caravans in professional sports. It features teams of current and former players visiting schools, hospitals, corporations and service clubs during the day with a traditional “hot stove” program each evening.

Here’s the thing: I think we can all pretty much agree that the idea of players visiting schools and hospitals — it warms the cockles of the heart. Even if we look at such events cynically — i.e. that they represent little more than a PR opportunity for the organization — the kids still benefit insofar as hanging out with millionaires is always fun.

However, as is often the case, the morally virtuous path differs from the aesthetically excellent one. While everyone can feel good about smiling children, it seems as though what we really have here is a wasted opportunity. For I think the bespectacled readership would rather — much more than all the storybook-reading and high-fiving that assuredly occurs at such events — would rather test the limits of the Caravan genre.

Some suggestions, entirely off of my cuffs, as to how the Twins might more entertainingly utilize this opportunity:

• Facilitate a Question Time-style event, where fans are allowed to ask Ron Gardenhire about some of his more puzzling strategic maneuvers.

• Have Joe Mauer present a workshop on sideburn care and grooming.

• Perform a full-length stage version of Ivan Reitman’s 1988 comedy Twins. Cast Nick Punto as the Danny DeVito character and any other player as the Schwarzenegger one.

Today’s edition of the Los Angeles Times features an interview by T.J. Simers with Tommy Lasorda, the latter of whom — we’re led to believe — spends the bulk (get it?) of the interview talking between mouthfuls of delicious breakfast foods.

Because you’re a free person, you’re welcome to read the article in its entirety. Otherwise, regard these two passages, which one might safely describe as being “full of joie de vivre.”

Passage One: Mike Scioscia also likes eating.

I told [Mike] Scioscia when he played for me that I’d give him $100,000 if he lost 20 pounds,” Lasorda says by way of retort. “But I told him he had to put the check in his son’s bank account. Well, he lost the weight, I paid him and then he put on all the weight he had lost.”

There is no pause between bites.

“Ever hear the story about Scioscia down in the Dominican? We were always worried about his weight. [Former GM] Al Campanis tells someone to get him a bicycle and count how many miles are on it at the end of each week.

“One day Mickey Hatcher hears this bike pedaling like crazy. He’s impressed. He opens the door and Scioscia is lying on the couch with a pizza on his stomach and some Dominican kid pedaling the bike.”

Passage Two: Tommy Lasorda also likes gambling.

Last week, he delivered one of his inspirational speeches to Wisconsin upon its arrival for the Rose Bowl. He says it would have been better had it come directly before the game.

Wisconsin lost.

“They beat the spread, so that helps a little bit,” he says with a laugh.