End of Week Link Roundup

It's a little late this week...but better late than never, right? Here's the end of the week link roundup with a great picture of Magic-Bird in college from the SI Photo Vault. It is Tourney time and West Virginia players are getting goofy in hotel rooms. Here we go:

Give Me Some Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

• Did you hear the Yankees made some roster decisions this week? Of course I'm talking about Gardner and Granderson getting their roles defined as Jason @ IIATMS writes and Bryan Hoch of Bombers Beat talks about Ramiro Pena winning the utility job. Ben at River Avenue Blues takes a look at the roster.
• The Yankees also sent Rule 5 pick Jamie Hoffmann back to the Dodgers and inspired Matt at Fack Youk to say the Yanks are done "Hassling with the Hoff". Aaron Gleeman at HardballTalk says that the Yankees are only done with Hoffmann...for now and MLBTradeRumors talks about the Yankees chances of getting Hoffmann back. I agree with Fack Youk: you already sent one Major League pitcher (Bruney) to get Hoffmann once...it's not worth another one to do it again.
• They don't have Chad Gaudin to use as bait anymore as Joe at River Avenue Blues writes and Fack Youk writes some more about it. My feeling: the Yankees will be looking for the exact same pitcher at some point this season. Mark it down.
• The New York Times' Tyler Kepner starts us off by talking about how close the Yankees were to getting Mike Cameron and Bronson Arroyo multiple times...but it just never happened.
• MLB FanHouse loves a Yankee prospect, a former Yankee prospect impresses according to The Arizona Republic, and MLBTradeRumors on a potential future Yankee prospect. The Atlanta Braves best prospect is going to start in the Major Leagues according to ESPN.
• I agree with David Pinto of Baseball Musings: Vin Scully is a real class act. Joe Posnanski of SI writes about another class act: Ichiro. And an old Rob Neyer article on Thurman Munson I found recently that made me laugh.
• TMI blog on how much better the Red Sox will be defensively and TMI on the best and worst base runners. Johnny Damon may lead off according to Baseball Prospectus (via ESPN) but that doesn't mean he will be a good fit in Comerica Park according to TMI.
• The New York Times' Howard Megdal says that anti-semitism may have hurt Hank Greenburg reach Babe Ruth's home run number. As sensitive I am to anti-Semitism, I'm still not sure about this. Big League Stew isn't getting with it either and neither is Craig Calcaterra of HardballTalk.
• Jason @ IIATMS previews ESPN New York as the site is in development. As a site is built, old Yankee Stadium comes down as HardballTalk writes. TMI says that the Mets plan with be Johan, Maine, and pray for...Perez.
• Flip Flop Fly Ball says a lot about homosexuality in the major leagues with just a graphic
• Stats time: Chase Utley goes for perfection from ESPN, Joe Posnanski responding to Nomar about "heart", TMI blog gives their argument for OPS and TMI blog on Quality Starts,

Mauer Power

• A lot of people took on the Mauer deal. ESPN's Rob Neyer on the opportunity cost of such a contract. ESPN's TMI blog on whether Mauer is worth $184 million and TMI blog looking at the next catcher to get paid: Victor Martinez. FanGraphs (via ESPN) says that this one was a win for the Twins.
• The New York Posts' Joel Sherman thinks that the Yankees and Red Sox are secretly happy Mauer got signed. I don't think that's true, but I do agree with his point that the Yankees were preparing for this with all the catchers they've been developing. Regardless of that fact, Lisa Swan at Subway Squawkers isn't taking this news well. Lisa: it'll be all right.

Sports, More Sports, and Entertainment

• Jose Canseco has been subpeoned to a steroid grand jury according to ESPN (and Canseco's Twitter)
• The Big Lead says that The Preakness will be hopping because of alcohol (and lots of it) coming back.
• Slate writes about the great baseball card bubble
• The most fight seen at a Nets game this year was between a fan and the CEO according to ESPN
• And Megan Fox as a prostitute in a baseball movie? Bloggers (including me) support it according to TVPredictions.com

Potpourri

• Hassidic men covering Lady Gaga from Heeb
• The New York Times tells us all how Health Care Reform will effect us and an Op-Ed columnist takes on the Conservatives.
• The Times had a great post about boomerangs: students who left home only to return in their 20s and 30s (H/T Stacey)
• Baseball Musings on "fantasy banking" ruining the economy
• Rachel Maddow takes on Scott Brown on her blog
• And you Weeds, Curb, and Ugly Betty coming to the TV Guide Channel from MovieLine

Get ready for some good college basketball and baseball returning. Wish the weather would cooperate. Have a great weekend as we see if Frank Martin blows a gasket before Gus Johnson does.