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Haven't unloaded the link bag this week, so this covers the last five days. Light on Hall of Fame coverage because, let's face it, if Bruce Sutter is in and Dan Quisenberry was only on the ballot once, the whole thing is a fraud.
Royal and baseball links:
Royal Revival: Disappointment in Pete
Apparently, the Star has a winter replacement for that one guy we all enjoy.
Kings Of Kauffman: The 2013 Lineup I'd Like To See
No Francoeur? FAIL.
Kings Of Kauffman: Alex Gordon's Adjustments
How A1 turned around his career.
BBWAA.com: Hall of Fame Ballots
Just in case you need to confirm how Murray Chass voted.
General Interest links:
Awful Announcing: CNN moves forward with Bleacher Report replacing Sports Illustrated
Wolf Blitzer slideshows!
The New Yorker: Did Michael Jackson's Thriller Really Sell a Hundred Million Copies?
Disclosure: I do not own this album. Beat it.
The AV Club: NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues’ pilots hooked viewers with sex, violence, and depth
A pair of classic pilots reveal how Bochco provided a masterclass on how 60 minutes could serves as a springboard for a successful television series.
Kenpom.com: Conference Title Predictions
The computer says KU has a good chance of winning the Big 12. Computers.
Richard Ben Cramer passed away this week. You can freely find his writing on the internet, but his prose has been something of an inspiration. I read his profile of Ted Williams in Esquire in 1986 and was blown away by the depth of the reporting and how he constructed the article. This wasn't sportswriting. It felt revolutionary.
Esquire: What Do You Think of Richard Ben Cramer Now? - Esquire
The Banter Gold Standard: Know Your Way Home
Esquire: What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?
"Few men try for the best ever, and Ted Williams is one of those."