MLB Bullets Sends A Pinch-Hitter To The Plate

Hey there. I'm Josh's fill-in on MLB Bullets. Be kind, won't you?

• You've all heard about the new catcher collision rule. Ken Rosenthal says you could call it the "Buster Posey rule." But some catchers are against it: Eric Stephen of True Blue LA reports opposition from Dodger catchers, and you probably won't be surprised to hear that A.J. Pierzynski isn't in favor of the new rule. But new Rangers catcher J.P. Arencibia (Pierzynski's replacement in Texas) and his manager are all for it.
• Masahiro Tanaka will make his first spring appearance for the Yankees Saturday. Will ESPN be able to talk about anything else that day?
• Congratulations to Amanda Rykoff, great writer and personal friend of mine, on being named Social Media Manager for the Houston Astros.
• Looks like the Cardinals could have used Amanda's services, because another player who might need some social-media lessons is St. Louis pitcher Carlos Martinez.
• You've heard all the stories about players reporting to spring training in The Best Shape Of Their Lives. Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post tells us why that might actually matter.
• MLB Network will televise both Dodgers/Diamondbacks games from Australia live. Because of the time difference, both will air in the USA on Saturday, March 22 -- the first at 3 a.m. CT, the second at 9 p.m. CT.
• Unlike many, John Sickels has fond memories of the Metrodome, now demolished.
• The Giants are testing metal detectors in their spring-training park in Scottsdale.
• Mike Trout and the Angels are still talking about that mega-deal -- nothing imminent, says this Jon Heyman article.
• Looks like Johan Santana's comeback iisn't going very well (he barely topped 80 miles per hour).
• Former MLB player Tony Clark, who is now head of the MLB Players Association, says he expects Alex Rodriguez to be playing for the Yankees in 2015.
• Rockies starter Jhoulys Chacin wins this year's award for "Earliest Pitcher Shutdown With Shoulder Trouble."
• Former big leaguer Gabe Kapler reveals his 10 favorite restaurants from road trips when he was a player. I have to admit, I had never heard of his Chicago selection before.
• Have you heard about that "Face of MLB" Twitter campaign that baseball is now running? SB Nation's Marc Normandin put together a panel to determine the "real" Face of MLB -- that is, who is the most attractive major leaguer?
• Speaking of faces, you know how Tim Lincecum has always looked like he was about 15? Well, he's grown some facial hair, possibly in an attempt to look older. (Now he looks like a 15-year-old kid trying to grow his first mustache.)
• Rangers manager Ron Washington is an unabashed defender of bunting. With profanity! (Bleeped for your protection.) Team executives must like this, because they just extended Washington's contract through 2015.
  
• In 1961, LIFE magazine gave Yankees shortstop Tony Kubek a camera to take candid shots of his Yankee teammates. You can see some of them here, including a photo of what is almost certainly Mickey Mantle farting.
• Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith thinks Opening Day should be a national holiday. I agree, and I'm sure you do too. This is a promotion sponsored by a beer company, but there's an official White House petition you can sign and if it gets 100,000 signatures by March 26, the White House is required to make an official response.
  
• You probably think fantasy baseball was invented in the 1980s. Baseball historian John Thorn shows us evidence of a fantasy league, using real teams, created in 1871 -- by future President Woodrow Wilson.

You're looking down here because every BCB linkpost ends with something familiar. Josh has his signature line, "And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster." Erik posts an interesting non-baseball-related link or two.

What I've found here is a non-baseball link, but it's baseball-related in a way, too. You might be familiar with the writing of Roger Angell, who's written about baseball for the New Yorker for many years, and who has also written several baseball books (all well worth reading, if you haven't).

Angell is now 93 years old. Recently, he wrote about growing old and anticipating death. It's well worth your time.