Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 6/22

Not having a smart phone kicks ass.  It really does.  I have the most basic, shitty flip phone available through Verizon and I absolutely love it.  It allows me to make and receive the phone calls I want to make and receive and has unlimited messaging so that I can stay in relatively constant text message contact with those I wish to text.  And the best part is, it's my personal phone, so I'm not subjected to all the work BS and don't have my contact information out there on some wireless company network for every Tom, Dick, and Harry from my company or our customer base to find.  I don't need 24/7 access to the internet or my work email and I sure as shit don't want it.  I'm on the internet for pretty much every hour of the day that I'm awake, and that's good enough for me.  If you're out there and you still have a flip phone like me, you know exactly what I'm talking about and you know that I'm right.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, William Juliano of The Captain's Blog examined the stats for 2012 interleague play to show that the AL (and the Yankees) are still the Drago to the NL's Creed.

- On Tuesday, Dan Pfeiffer of NYY Universe commented on the suddenly crowded Triple-A rotation and who could be getting moved out of it.

- Rob Steingall of Pinstripe Alley profiled Low-A Charleston 2nd baseman Angelo Gumbs and the under-the-radar solid season he's putting together.

- On Wednesday, Donnie Collins of the SWB Blog had the details on the upcoming contest to rename the Triple-A team and remove the "Yankees" title.

- Brian D. of Yankees Fans Unite issued his own reactions and thoughts on the Roger Clemens verdict.

- William Tasker of IIATMS pointed out some troubling trends in A-Rod's numbers that suggest a big power surge might not be coming from him.

- Ben Badler of Baseball America has the most thorough scouting report I've seen so far on new international FA signee Omar Luis Rodriguez.

- On Thursday, SJK of NoMaas continued to point out the major source of the Yankees' RISP Fail.

- Chad Jennings of LoHud looked at what has changed for the Yankees in the past month, both for better and for worse.

- Joe Pawlikowski of RAB ran through the possible explanations for why Phil Hughes struggles to put batters away with 2 strikes.

- On Friday, Matt Imbrogno of TYA followed up on Joe's Hughes piece with his own analysis of Hughes' pitch selection with 2 strikes.

- Mike Eder of TYA, in preparation for Sunday's "CC vs. R.A." showdown, shone his bright PITCHf/x light on R.A. Dickey and his curveball.

I had a song in mind for the Friday Jam on Tuesday, but that was before I watched the old Alice In Chains "MTV Unplugged" concert from 1996 in its entirety on YouTube on Wednesday.  Damn that was a great concert and Alice In Chains was easily the best rock band to come out in the early 90s.  I want to say I've played them once before here, but I don't care.  Alice In Chains is the biz.



One last link, and it's the usual self-promotion one.  If you have the time or the desire, please check out the AB4AR Facebook Page and "Like" it.  I would appreciate it.  Oh, and if you didn't think I was going to do another live blog for the Sunday night game, you are outside of your mind.  So make sure you're around to check that out.

Enjoy your weekends, everybody.

Frank Francisco Is Kidding, Right?

From the NY Post:

"'I can’t wait to face those chickens,' Mets closer Frank Francisco told The Post when asked about playing the Yankees in this weekend’s Subway Series at Citi Field.  'I want to strike out the side against them. I’ve done it before.'"

Checking On The Yankees' All Star Game Chances

The 2012 Major League Baseball All Star Game is a little over 3 weeks away, and there's already been a few rounds of ballot updates that have been released showing where players stand in the fan voting.  The Yankees are well represented in the top 5 at almost every position, and in some cases are leading the charge.  But how many Yankees realistically have a chance at making the ASG roster for the American League?  Quickly, and simply, let's take a quick look.