Bluebird Links - The All Griffin Edition

Okay, it's not really the all Griffin edition, but there are three articles by him linked below (more than my weekly quota but some good stuff).  There's quite a few other links too - it's tough sorting through all the fluff at this time of the year but there's a few good ones so check those out.  I randomly came across a somewhat interesting piece of trivia yesterday - since 1903, 27 markets have hosted a major league baseball club and 26 of those markets currently have a team (to the best of my knowledge).  Only Montreal has had a team in the past and currently doesn't.  I'm pretty sure the other major sports don't have the kind of stability - the NFL maybe?

Anyway, here are your links.  What's happening for everyone today?

Jays Links

Blue Jays have no plans to rush right-hander Zach Stewart
It sounds like Stewart won't be starting the season with the Jays. Although, that could change in a hurry.

Aaron Hill’s uphill season
Rory Paap at The Hardball Times takes a very in-depth look at Hill's 2010 numbers and wonders if he can return to 2009 form. He also wonders what impact hitting coach, Dwayne Murphy, had on Hill's down season. Interesting reading.

Griffin: Jays’ outfielder Thames letting it flow

His stock dropped dramatically and when it got to the seventh round, the Jays and GM J.P. Ricciardi, to his credit, took a chance that the kid would be able to work his way back.

Wait, is this our Richard Griffin? Giving credit to JP Ricciardi? Never thought I'd see the day! Nice piece here on Eric Thames.

Griffin: Jays in search of Knecht big thing
Another piece by Griffin on North York native, Marcus Knecht and the Jays minor-league mini-camp. Who comes up with these headlines anyway?

Top 50 Jays Prospects, Jays Journal Edition: #2 Brett Lawrie
Brett Lawrie here at number 2. They also covered Anthony Gose, here and Zach Stewart, here.

Prospect Rankings: Compare and Contrast
The Southpaw has compiled Jays prospect rankings from the usual sources and compares the average 'pro' ranking to the average blog ranking.

The Underdogs...Or Why We Root for the Return of Jo-Jo's Mojo
The Tao of Steib has picked his underdogs to root for through spring training. Who are yours?

Around the League

Blue Jays baseball blog
Griffin shares some memories of Duke Snider from his days with the Montreal Expo's (what did Griffin do in Montreal? I forget...)

Visual baseball: visualizing game score
Kevin Dame has put together some interesting looking graphics to visualize Bill James' pitcher game score.

Which Red Sox Game Was Featured in ‘The Town’?
Apparently Travis Snideris a movie star. Thanks to Parkes for the link. The Town is a fantastic movie by the way - really enjoyed it.

 Is MLB's 300-Win Club Closed For Good?
I don't think so, however, it might be closed for a while...

The All-Five Tool Team: You Agree?
I'm not convinced any of these players are a true '5-tool' player. Maybe Tulowitzki. There's some potential with the outfielders too. The inclusion of Michael Young on this list is certainly a stretch. Who are the 5-tool players in baseball today?

Garret Anderson Retires
Albert Lyu at FanGraphs breaks down his career.

2011 American League Preview Breakdown
Travis Reitsma finished his American League previews with a league summary.