Baseball Blogging

New Year’s Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time.
— James Agate

The best part about writing for NotGraphs, a relatively new project still in its infancy, is — let’s not kid ourselves — the money. Capitalism’s a beautiful thing, and my piggy bank will soon be overflowing.

In all seriousness, what excites me most about NotGraphs is the potential of this here blog as we settle in and prepare to wow you in 2011. I’m anticipating one of those teary-eyed, Hillary Clinton-like moments when I announce that I have indeed “found my own voice.” Can’t wait!

What I’m interested to learn from you is: What makes an alternative baseball blog? What’s in an alternative baseball blog? We’re not going to repeatedly hit you over the head with our sabermetric hammer here at NotGraphs; that’s what FanGraphs is for. So what, if there is anything in particular, would you like to see from us in this corner? From me? I’d love to know. As Victor Borge once famously put it: “Usually I don’t do request numbers, unless of course I have been asked to do.”

I ask because last week I stumbled upon a new — at least it was new to me — baseball blog called The Eephus League. The brainchild of Auburn University graduate Bethany Heck, it isn’t a blog so much as it is a community. At least that’s what it strives to be.

My initial thought was: I love the name. I just love saying “eephus.” It reminded me, of course, of Emma Span’s website, Eephus Pitch, where she’s “tossing pure junk.”

Here’s The Eephus League’s mission statement:

Baseball is obsessed with record keeping. Every pitch, out and hit is recorded by hundreds of people each day. Anyone who has ever lived in the land of baseball has been immortalized and codified on a stat sheet. The Eephus League of Baseball Minutiae is an offshoot of that spirit of codification and history making. This site is dedicated to bringing all the disparate threads of baseball intricacies together in one place. It’s a place where any baseball fan can come to share their knowledge and experiences, no matter how trivial, because in baseball nothing is trivial. Ballpark experiences, player nicknames, rules both official and unofficial, ticket stubs, baseball cards and photographs are all collected and preserved here.

There are a number of sections on the site, from pictures to baseball quotes, to nicknames, to even the most basic rules of the game. Something for everyone. Sections on baseball books, baseball trivia, and the ballpark graphics are fantastic. Ever need a primer on how to keep score at a baseball game? The Eephus League has you covered.

What I enjoyed most about the website were some of the not-for-sale — not yet, anyway — items in its shop. I’d definitely buy The Eephus League’s official scorebook, and could use some victory cigars while I’m at it.

As blogs like Walkoff Walk announce that they’re signing off, and new blogs like The Eephus League make their debut, I can’t help but think of NotGraphs, and this blog’s grand vision. As we begin a new year, one of our last ones if the Mayans are right, I’m hoping you might be so kind as to share with me your vision of what NotGraphs is, and what you’d like this corner to become.

All the best in 2011. Only 41 days until Spring Training …

Image courtesy, you guessed it, The Eephus League, and a tip of the cap to the mighty MightyFlynn.