Bunts - Links for January 18, 2013

FanFest is this weekend. Or, more to the point, Saturday. And it's for something like 30 minutes. Get there early.

On to the links of Royal and general baseball interest:

Drinking the Royals Blue-Aid : WBC Rosters Full of Royals
I don't claim to care about the WBC, but here's a nice primer for the Royals involved.

Pine Tar Press: The Five Best "Batting Seventh" Seasons In Royals History
Spoiler alert: Bo.

Kings of Kauffman: Alex Gordon And Batting First
It bears repeating. Mainly because the Royals seem hell-bent on moving him down in the order.

Pine Tar Press: Royals Bullpen Arms to Watch
Three under the radar arms to keep in mind. Featuring the wonderfully named Zeb Sneed.

Baseball Prospectus: On the Beat: Final Free-Agent Blitz
Front-office types give their opinions on the remaining free agents, and a look at the ramifications at the Rafael Soriano and Mike Morse deals.

And a few I found moderately to incredibly interesting:

Missy Franklin Is Racing for Her High School—Which Is Fun Unless You Have to Face Her - WSJ.com
Kids today are soft.

BBC News - S African woman gored by rhino after posing for photo
It looked so harmless when I stood inched away from it's horn!

Grantland: In Memoriam: Conrad Bain, Diff'rent Strokes Patriarch
RIP Mr. Drummond.

Telegraph: Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers blasts Luis Suarez after Uruguayan admits to diving, calling it 'unacceptable'
On your feet, lad.

The Daily Wiz: Sporting KC and Ivy Funds: local partnership, innovation, and money
I am convinced we are getting closer to the day where we see sponsorships on MLB uniforms.

The Verge: For Amusement Only: the life and death of the American arcade
Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.