Nyjer Morgan is looking to come back to the U.S. after a year in Japan.

Its a rainy evening in Okaniwa but Plush found a decent Mexican restaurant in Japan. Fresh chips and gaucamole. A cha-cha dance for Plush

— Nyjer Morgan (@TheRealToneP) February 22, 2013

I think Japan will miss him.

Starting tonight!

MONDAY, JANUARY 6

7:00 PM You’re A Good Man, Charlie Gehringer

8:00 PM Rudolph the Red-Nosed Voter

9:00 PM Don Sutton’s Hair Tips

TUESDAY, JANUARY 7

7:00 PM Highlights from previous Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies

7:04 PM Mike Mussina: Actually Pretty Darn Good, an MLB Network original special.

8:00 PM Alou’s The Boss

8:30 PM Walker: Colorado Rockie

9:00 PM Loaizaguy

9:30 PM Andre Dawson’s Creek

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8

9:00 AM Murray Chass and Jack Morris stroke each other’s mustaches live on TV for an hour.

10:00 AM Barbara Walters Special: 10 Most Fascinating Hall of Fame Voters, featuring interviews with beat reporters from around the country and covering topics like “best chili in Phoenix,” and “what makes for a good-quality pencil?”

11:00 AM Hall of Fame Results Announcement Red Carpet Special, with Joan and Melissa Rivers analyzing the fashion do’s and don’ts among baseball sportswriters.

12:00 PM Hall of Fame Results Announcement

I will not keep Justin Morneau on my Scoresheet fantasy team.

(I don’t have another first baseman. And Coors. And the obligatory “I am finally healthy this year” article that puts visions of Todd Helton in my head. Commenters, please talk me out of this.)

After I did a post like this last year, I told myself I would use the “Like” feature in Instapaper to flag my favorite baseball reads of the year to make this post easier next time. I often forgot to do this, but did flag twelve pieces I thought were awesome enough for me to remember I was going to have a system for keeping track of this stuff. Here they are, and please do share your favorite reads of the year in the comments! (It is clear from my list that I think Bryan Curtis is doing some really great work over at Grantland.)

Postscript: Earl Weaver
The New Yorker / January 21, 2013 / Roger Angell

The All-Stars of David (about Israel’s World Baseball Classic team)
Details / March 2013 / Charles Bethea

Lying Around with Brandon McCarthy (terrific profile of McCarthy)
Buzzfeed / March 29, 2013 / Michael J. Mooney

Don’t Mess With Texas (the booing of Josh Hamilton)
Grantland / April 8, 2013 / Bryan Curtis

He is Not a Prospect (profile of minor leaguer Mike Cervenak)
Grantland / June 27, 2013 / Bryan Curtis

Saber Rattler (profile of forgotten sabermetrician Mike Gimbel)
Grantland / August 2, 2013 / Hua Hsu

Matt Harvey, Young Gun in the Big City
Men’s Journal / August 2013 / David Amsden

#YOSTED (the Royals and Ned Yost)
Rany on the Royals / September 10, 2013 / Rany Jazayerli

A Complete Ranking of ESPN’s ’30 for 30′ Films (okay, this one’s only partially baseball)
Vulture / October 1, 2013 / Pete Beatty

Rocked (oral history of the 1989 World Series)
Grantland / October 23, 2013 / Bryan Curtis and Patricia Lee

World Series 2013: This is it – An oral history of the Red Sox’ season so far
Over The Monster / October 23, 2013 / Bryan Joiner

Why I Quit Major League Baseball
The New Yorker / October 30, 2013 / Adrian Cardenas

Okay, first of all, no one gets instantly dismissed. Too many of these voters writing about their stupid ballots start by automatically eliminating folks like Mike Timlin or Jacque Jones. No, they don’t have the gaudy statistics of someone like Greg Maddux or Jeff Bagwell, but that doesn’t mean they’re less worthy of the Hall of Fame. People have robbed me of awards and distinctions all my life just because I don’t have the qualifications. That doesn’t make me less deserving. And it hurts my feelings. How do we know if Hideo Nomo is one rejection away from jumping off the Yokohama Landmark Tower? My ballot will not be what drives someone to his ultimate doom, I promise you.

Except maybe Jack Morris, because what the heck did he ever do to get so many people talking about him? He was a good pitcher, fine, but he looks really mean, with that crazy mustache, and people who look mean shouldn’t win accolades. Nice, friendly people should win accolades. Which is why Jack Morris is not on my ballot and Sean Casey is. Everyone loves Sean Casey. People like Sean Casey should be in the Hall of Fame.

You know, it’s fun to look at the ballot and realize how flawed most baseball players are as human beings. Armando Benitez was arresting for allegedly assaulting a former girlfriend. Paul Lo Duca had a gambling problem. Richie Sexson: DUI charges. Eric Gagne used HGH. Jeff Kent has had dozens of articles written about what a terrible personality he has, plus he was a contestant on “Survivor,” which means there’s something seriously messed up in his head. Rafael Palmeiro, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, all steroid-related issues there. Tim Raines, costly cocaine habit. Curt Schilling cost the state of Rhode Island millions of dollars. Jeff Bagwell seems to be involved in some crazy story about a hand surgeon, a divorce, and rehab.

How many does that leave? Two? Three?

Craig Biggio: driving while intoxicated.

Mike Piazza: played a gangster on stage in a Miami ballet, which definitely sounds all messed up.

Larry Walker: Canadian.

Kenny Rogers doctored baseballs.

Moises Alou urinated on his hands.

Luis Gonzalez, Ray Durham, Hideo Nomo, Richie Sexson, J.T. Snow, Jacque Jones, Todd Jones, and Mike Timlin all come close but ultimately I decided there is probably some Google evidence out there that would lead me to eliminate them, if only I searched the right keywords.

All of which leads me to my ballot:

Greg Maddux, Frank Thomas, Mike Mussina, Tom Glavine, Edgar Martinez, Alan Trammell, Fred McGriff, Lee Smith, Don Mattingly, and Sean Casey.

There are worse, aren’t there?

Hard for me to believe Mark Ellis is only 36.

Mark Ellis played with Randy Velarde on the 2002 A’s.
Randy Velarde played with Joe Niekro on the 1987 Yankees.
Joe Niekro played with Ernie Banks on the 1967 Cubs.
Ernie Banks played with Hank Sauer on the 1953 Cubs
Hank Sauer played with Ernie Lombardi on the 1941 Reds
Ernie Lombardi played with Jack Quinn on the 1931 Brooklyn Robins
Jack Quinn played with Jack Chesbro on the 1909 New York Highlanders
Jack Chesbro debuted on the 1899 Pirates.

Yes, I realize you can do that with every player.

But Mark Ellis still seems really old to me.

Hopeless Joe here, with a look at one of baseball’s top remaining free agents, someone I think has been getting a raw deal in the marketplace, with virtually no downside to signing him, a MVP award in his past, ability to play every infield position, or at least maybe, great character guy in the clubhouse, if you define character as someone who would make for a good antagonist in a movie, probably one of the ages he has claimed to be, or at least close to one of the ages he has claimed to be, possibly not still on drugs, maybe the owner of a Dominican Winter League team different from the one he was playing for, suspended in multiple countries.

I’m of course talking about Sam Fuld. Wait, no, Sam Fuld is a model citizen. Who I would pick in a fantasy draft, which is why I don’t play fantasy baseball. I mean Miguel Tejada. Who batted a .288 last season, and is obviously getting screwed, just like I got screwed when the plant I work for shut down. I mean died. Because I forgot to water it. Yes, I worked for a plant. His owner left him a ton of money in his will, and all I had to do was water him, and talk to him, and I couldn’t even do that, and he died and the executor of the will had me fired and now I don’t know what I’m doing and these FanGraphs pieces barely pay my rent, and I tried to pitch a piece to Psychology Today last week but they ended up sending someone to my apartment for an intervention, and, needless to say, they did not buy my article, even though I think the untold story of one of the widespread afflictions I suffer from, Fear of My Shadow, is a piece worth printing. But I digress.

Robinson Cano batted a .271 in 2008, which is 17 points lower than Tejada’s average last year. And Cano just got $240 million. So I don’t understand why no one is signing Tejada to a $260 million contract. It’s not like 39 is old. Please, don’t say 39 is old. Please.

Prediction: New York Mets, 1 year, $3 million.

The New York Times, with an expose about beards last week:

You can have facial hair in almost any industry these days, said Allan D. Peterkin, co-author of “The Bearded Gentleman: The Style Guide to Shaving Face,” and also a psychiatrist in Toronto. But there are a few exceptions, he said, and one of them is finance…. [B]ankers and traders are a conspicuously clean-shaven lot. In fact, I was unable to find a bearded banker to talk to me for this article.

So… one of these men is a banker. The other is not. Any guesses?

Okay, I guess neither one is a banker.

• It does not look like it will be a homecoming for Tony Lazzeri, who is not being considered for the Yankees’ second base opening. Representatives for Lazzeri were unable to be reached, although Ken Rosenthal reported seeing them in the hotel lobby, having coffee with Dayton Moore and the ping-pong-headed mascot of the Jack In The Box chain of fast-food restaurants.
• Ike Davis will be going to Japan. On vacation. He will reportedly be touring the Tsukiji Fish Market and eating at least three bowls of shio ramen.
• In the Rule LXVIII draft of unprotected broadcasters, the Padres ended up with Fran Healy, who will now be doing the play-by-play on alternate Sunday afternoon games on SiriusXM radio.
• The Red Sox agreed to terms with Billy, a new batboy, on a two-year deal, pending a physical by the team pediatrician.
• The Washington Senators met with Scott Boras regarding Stephen Drew, but they don’t exist anymore, so there didn’t seem to be the makings of a deal. The two sides will continue the conversation next week over brunch.
• The Rangers are expected to name Arnold Culliford as chief usher. Culliford’s son Chip sells hot dogs in the upper deck, and is reportedly seeking a three-year deal.
• Johan Santana is drawing interest from six teams, fourteen orthopedic surgeons, and eight financial advisors. All will be watching him pitch, bend his knees, and check his balance at a local ATM.
• Umpires are close to reaching a four-year deal on a new contract with the Florida State League. Anyone who can name any umpires in the Florida State League will automatically be eligible for the league pension, under the terms of the deal.
• Was that former commissioner Happy Chandler enjoying the steak fajitas at a nearby Mexican restaurant? Probably not.
• Bobby Valentine was said to be disappointed not to be considered for any of the zero remaining managerial openings, although he was seen in the lobby discussing the recent New York City mayoral election with Tim Bogar, Ruben Sierra, and an MLB Network associate producer.

Hi, Our Okra Kid