Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 9/28

In case you haven't noticed, election season is in full swing.  You could probably tell from the insane amount of local, regional, and national campaign ads that are dominating your television.  And no, I'm not going to get political here because I hate everything about politics.  I think every politician out there is a lying criminal bastard who only has his or her best interests at heart.  I take the George Carlin stance to politics; I don't vote, I'm not registered to vote, and I never will be.  If you are politically active, then good on you, but it's all bullshit to me, and it gets even worse during major election years when I can't watch anything on TV without being bombarded by this nonsense.  Just get the fucking election over with so I can get back to only being pissed about the Yankees not getting a runner home from third with 1 out and not some carefully crafted 30-second smear campaign that's been approved by whoever.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog pointed out the Yankees' weakness in the pinch hitting department in 2012 despite the high number of pinch hitting opportunities they've had this season.

- David Waldstein of The NY Times had a really cool piece on Ichiro Suzuki and the incredible amount of care with which he handles his bats.  A special shock-proof, moisture-free carrying case?  How fucking baller is that?

- On Tuesday, Brien Jackson of IIATMS put the "veteran pitcher vs. young prospect" argument in perspective for the 2012 season, reminding everybody that the veterans have been the most crucial part of this year's starting rotation.

- Benjamin Orr of Yanks Go Yard pondered Phil Hughes' situation and how he fits into the plans for the rest of this season, next season, and beyond.

- On Wednesday, Jorge Arangure Jr. of ESPN did an excellent profile piece on Rafael Soriano, tracing his life back to childhood and his early baseball experience.  Arangure did a similar profile earlier in the season on Ivan Nova and this one is just as good.  Definite must-read.

- Greg Kirland of Pinstriped Bible took an anti-return stance on Brett Gardner and touched on how Gardner's limited playing ability just increases the number of incomplete players the Yankees have on the active roster.

- DBurchHero of The Greedy Pinstripes laid out the pros and cons of bringing back Hiroki Kuroda next season, and the effect other teams could have on the Yankees' decision.  As long as it's a 1-year deal, I think bringing Kuroda back is a no-brainer.

- SJK of NoMaas compared Nick Swisher's overall body of work in his 4-year Yankee tenure against the rest of the MLB outfield to show how Swish won't be easily replaced if the Yanks do let him go.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite, on the same topic of the outfield's future, looked at potential changes coming to the Yankee outfield in 2013.

- On Thursday, Joe Pawlikowski of RAB pieced Mark Teixeira's 2012 season together to show what led to his 3rd straight down year offensively, and the negative impact his injuries have had on other spots of the lineup.

- EJ Fagan of TYA unveiled the fall edition of his Top 30 Prospects list, complete with a detailed explanation of his ranking system and some commentary on individual players.

- George S of Gutty Gritty Yankees questioned some of Joe's recent lineup decisions, specifically ones where Joe seems to be resting guys.  Like George said, it's too late in the year for that.

- On Friday, Chad Jennings of LoHud asked a very pertinent question given A-Rod's latest semi-injury; where exactly does he belong in the Yankee lineup?  My answer- 2nd.

We haven't gone old school in what feels like way too long for the Friday Jam, so to remedy that I'm breaking out my favorite Zeppelin song.  I don't actually think I've ever plays Zeppelin for the FJ, which is an absolutely criminal mistake on my part, one that I apologize for.  But they're on today, so enjoy.  And if you don't like Led Zeppelin, just do yourself a favor and stop listening to music.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.