Friday Links

Alright folks.  I know we’re kind of down and out.  The Red Sox are in a precarious position, and it’s a little scary.  Still, I ask that you not panic just yet.  If the Red Sox can get through this four game set with the Rays, they’ll be up four games with ten games remaining; including seven against the cellar dwelling Baltimore Orioles.  The Rays, on the other hand, play seven of their final ten games against the New York Yankees.  Advantage:  Red Sox.  It’s funny that no one seems to be mentioning this rather obvious fact…

On with the links!

• It was such a tremendous week at the Platoon Advantage, it’s hard to pick just one article…so I will link to three!  Jason Wojciechowski discusses the theory of value; Bill and TCM debate pitcher eligibility in MVP voting; and Mark Smith explains his views on sports polygamy.
• Not baseball related, but this is just funny.  NotGiantsGM at Sabeanmetrics pokes a little fun at the news about Glen Rice and Sarah Palin.  Just one question:  How the heck did Rice get to be on the cover of a video game?  Even at his best, he was a second-tier All-Star.  Still great, but not a superstar.
• Do you think Bud Selig’s game to add a fifth playoff team in each league is stupid?  Same here.  Grant Brisbee of Baseball Nation explains the inherent flaws and redundancies involved in following through with such a plan.
• The incomparable Joe Posnanski explains the meaning of 600 saves as only he can.
• Bill Baer at Crashburn Alley posts an incredibly interesting Q&A with ESPN Sweet Spot commander-in-chief  David Schoenfield.
• Double-dipping with Phillies blogs this week… Eric Seidman of Brotherly Glove describes the desensitivity of clinching too early.
• Mark Heilig of The Ray Area wrote a pretty tremendous article about fan expectations and the joy of being a Rays fan.  His piece was written in response to a joking remark I made to him during last night’s live game chat.  To be honest, I couldn’t agree more.  As an addendum to his piece, I’d like to add that I don’t think the Rays are going anywhere any time soon.  With a rotation that will feature David Price, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Moore, and Wade Davis; they’re going to be wreaking havoc in the AL East for years to come.