Good reads and an UPDATE

I posted a small UPDATE on my blog about Lincecum and Zito's fastballs...

Here are a few thing's I read recently and either enjoyed or at least found interesting...

New FanGraphs writer Paul Kawlikowski explains 4 reasons why teams are not jumping to sign Jermaine Dye.  Actually, teams are more or less flat out avoiding him.  Dave Cameron posted a very interesting take on the 5th reason. 

I guess there is a new bio out on Willie Mays which is getting rave reviews and is more than just worth reading.  It appears that a lot of people are intent on exaggerating Mays' legend, however, Rob Neyer did a comparison on the yards he played in to determine whether or not Candlestick hurt his HR numbers. The historical, word-of-mouth consensus is that it absolutely did. Lon Simmons: “No doubt about it.” Well, Neyer very eloquently provides evidence that Candlestick did no such thing, aside from one season. It’s a must read. He doesn’t try to downplay Mays’ greatness or anything, rather, he just wants to make sure people don't turn his legend into a Paul Bunyanesque tall tale. Neyer's stuff is always enjoyable, or at the very least thought provoking.  And, because he writes so many pieces, you don't have to wait very long for another little nugget of gold to come along. 

Like this.  Keep in mind that Neyer is a huge Royals fan and at least has a sense of humor about their incompetence.  I can relate.

And here's some more Royals stuff (ridicule) from Joe Posnanski.