Friday Afternoon Linkapalooza: 3/15/13

St. Patty's Day being on a Sunday this year is a huge bummer.  Mega huge.  I can't even get excited about going out for it this year because it's on a Sunday.  Two years ago I wouldn't have given a crap.  I woulda been up at the crack of dawn, drinking in the shower at 5, and happily skipping through the streets in shorts and sandals despite the fact that it's probably only going to be 25 degrees in Milwaukee.  Now that I'm 27 and finally becoming (unwillingly) an adult, all I can think about is how I don't want to be a hungover mess at work on Monday.  Mondays suck balls as it is.  A post-St. Patty's hangover Monday would be enough to put me on suicide watch.  Taking a half-day would be an option, give me a few more hours to sleep and get my shit together, but then who wants to go into work at noon?  And I'm definitely not wasting a whole vacation day just to avoid being hungover at work.  What kind of American would that make me?  St. Patty's should be like Thanksgiving.  No set date, just the last Thursday of every March.  That would be sweet.  Now onto the links!

- On Monday, Chad Jennings of LoHud had a little piece on Larry Rothschild's rehab scheduling plan for Phil Hughes and the secrecy with which he's executing it.

- Greg Corcoran of Bronx Baseball Daily picked Austin Aune as his MiL breakout candidate for 2013.

- Sgt. Al Powell (best moniker on the site) of NoMaas put a new face on Lady Liberty and gave her a new meaning in light of the Yankees' early-week attempts to find some corner IF depth.

- On Tuesday, Chris Mitchell of Pinstripe Pundits took a really interesting look at how the minimal value of the Stewart-Cervelli catching tandem could be maximized.  Kudos to Chris for thinking of something I never could have and for perfect usage of the phrase "slightly less terrible."

- El duque of It Is High... wondered if Yankee fans have been overlooking Thomas Neal as a viable outfield option.  Neal has flown way under the radar, but has definitely performed well.

- On Wednesday, Matthew B of Yankees Fans Unite weighed in on the Nova-Phelps 5th starter competition.

- Alex Pugliese of Yanks Go Yard reflected on Mariano Rivera's career and undeniable one-of-a-kind nature with which he carried himself.

- On Thursday, Mike Axisa of RAB discussed the importance of saving runs in the early part of the season, and suggested a trade option the Yankees could pursue to help improve their infield defense.

- Steven Goldman of Pinstriped Bible had a pretty sobering take on the Ben Francisco acquisition.  Sobering, but true (sigh).

/daydreams about Nick Swisher

- Erica Morales of Bleeding Yankee Blue cast her vote for who she wants to see at third base.  Spoiler alert- it's Ronnier Mustelier.

- SG of RLYW continued his stellar season projection series with Brett Gardner.  I have to say that I would be psyched to get a 3-WAR season from Gardner this year.  What does that say about this team?

- On Friday, EJ Fagan of IIATMS/TYA asked if there is a systematic flaw in the way we're evaluating Yankee pitching and hitting prospects.

- Kate Conroy of Lady Loves Pinstripes offered up her predictions for the 2013 season.  I can't say I'm thrilled with her prediction for the Yankees, but I also can't totally disagree with it.

For this week's jam, we're going old school with "Young Lust" by Pink Floyd.  I'm definitely going to need a dirty woman to brighten my spirits on Sunday, and on St. Patty's Day in downtown Milwaukee, they shouldn't be too hard to find.



Enjoy your weekends, everybody.  Stay safe if you're going out partying.

2013 Storylines: End Of An Era

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

While the main focal point of this season will and rightfully should be Robinson Cano, and as the front office decides how much they want to pay to usher in the Robinson Cano Era of the Yankees, there is another era that will be ending after this season.  It started with the retirement of Jorge Posada, but the un-retirement of Andy Pettitte kept the Core Four flame burning.  Now with Mo set to retire after this year, Andy following him out the door, and Derek Jeter entering the twilight of his career, the final chapters of the Core Four Era will be written and the book will be closed.

CC Makes His 2013 Debut Today

Bone spurs, schmone spurs.  He's dropped some ell-bees, he says his elbow is feeling good, and he's back on the hill today.  Parachute pitching pants FTW.

Now somebody hit the fuckin' music!!