Bluebird Links - It's Been a While

Hello all - sorry you haven't heard from me in a few weeks but I got stuck in a field job that took about 4 weeks longer than it was supposed to and I just haven't had time to really spend much time at all around here, never mind putting posts up.  Well, that's done for now (hopefully) and I should be around somewhat consistently again.

For those new to the site, and for the vets as well, feel free to use this as a chatter spot.  Want to talk about last nights game (okay, neither do I), you can do that here.  Want to talk about anything around baseball (and probably anything not related to baseball within reason), feel free.  With that, onto your links.

Jays Links

Jays' kids quick learners
Shi Davidi on the Jays' youth movement.

Does Brandon Morrow hit the wall or does the wall hit Brandon Morrow?
Drew wonders if Morrow consistently suffers from bad luck, or if there is something to his late(r) inning demises.

The skill is there. I don't think there is much development left for Brandon Morrow, more discovery.

Jays, Drabek search for silver linings
John Lott talks with John Farrell about Kyle Drabek. Sounds like they remain confident in him despite the atrocious Vegas numbers.

Adeiny Hechavarria Improving in New Hampshire
Mat Germain at Jays Journal compared Hechavarria to Jose Iglesias and to Yunel Escobar's age 24 AA season and concludes that he is making good headway toward becoming a viable everyday player.

Jays making a uniform change - thestar.com

It’s expected the Blue Jays uniforms will have a new look for the 2012 season, one that will reflect a Canadian theme more than ever.

Any ideas on what the new uniforms should look like? I despise the patriotic theme, and would love if they just went back to the early 90's uniforms and logo.

Around the League

Is The Best 1-2-3 Halladay, Hamels and Lee? - Beyond the Box Score
Satchel Price at Beyond the Boxscore wonders if the Phillies trio is the best in baseball. There is most definitely some stiff competition.

Jim Thome quietly closing in on milestone 600th HR

Thome is close to joining an exclusive club. With 598 home runs over his powerful 20-year career, Thome is on the verge of becoming only the eighth player in professional baseball history to hit 600. And there are all kinds of people around the game who couldn't be happier for him.

I know Thome has been good for a long time, but it still surprises me just how good he was. He's set to join some very elite company (roughly 1 in 1000 major league batters hit 600 home runs).

In Which Two Canadians Fight About A Sport That Is Not Hockey
Chris Jones and Jonah Keri debate science versus art. Good stuff.

Don't Worry: We Know Michael Young Is Really Good At Baseball
Rob Neyer touches on Michael Young's 2000 hits and the debate over the significance of the milestone that followed, in an article about target audience:

My baseball-playing friends, you have to understand that we're not writing for you. We're writing for us: All the millions of mere mortals who could never, for any number of reasons, do what you do. We would like to do what you do. We admire what you do, and celebrate what you do. But we also analyze what you do, and we're compelled to point out the relative merits of what you do.

Stephen Strasburg to make second rehab start Friday
Sounds like Strasburg might be pitching in the majors again this year.

Little League Championship not just for the boys
The Vancouver Sun has a nice piece on the female representation at the Little League Championships.