First week links

Giants closer Sergio Romo is more than just a goofball prankster - ESPN The Magazine
If you haven't read this, this should certainly be your first stop. Sergio Romo gets the long-form treatment from Tim Keown, and it's excellent. If it seems like Romo has a bit of a chip on his shoulder, it's because he does. This helps explain it.

Trapped in the minors - Brock Bond
The Hardball Times has a series about players who are trapped in the minors, and for this one they profiled Bond. Brock Bond.

Oh, man, that does not get old.

There's a chance that Nick Noonan will hit a bit in his limited at-bats and impress the Giants. But I'm thinking that once they see how little Noonan needs to play in the field, much less shortstop, Bond will come up. At least, that's the hope.

Baseball Prospectus | Wezen-Ball: A Solo Shot
An oldie but goody brought to my attention on the Twitter machine, this one is Larry Granillo taking a look at the Duane Kuiper home run. If being a Giants fan were a college course, this would be a book you bought for $80.

Verlander, Posey and the Death of Free Agency - The Triangle Blog - Grantland
Jonah Keri on the meaning of Posey and the unlikelihood of seeing an Albert Pujols-like free agent soon.

Behind the scenes with the McCourts - Los Angeles Dodger Thoughts Blog - ESPN Los Angeles
This is another old one that I stumbled across, but it's going in here because of one amazing passage:

Jeff (Kent) mentioned Ned Colletti to Jamie because he knew they were looking for a GM. Jamie suggested it to Frank. Ned killed in his interview because he didn't ask how much money he'd have to play with. A few former execs told me all this, so take it with a grain of salt. But it starts to make sense that Kent was responsible for Colletti when you see the contract extension he was rewarded with after Colletti got there.

Comcast SportsNet's White Sox Intro Video Is One Of The Worst Things Ever Put On Television And Possibly Harmful To Your Health
This making it to the air is really, really hard to believe. Someone had this idea, and it went through all sorts of people before it was produced. Not one of them said, wait, this would have been awful in 2002. Instead it's awful and dated and kind of art.

Does Tim Lincecum regret turning down that long-term deal? | CSN Bay Area
Yes. But more importantly, there are some thoughtful questions and answers in this interview. Lincecum's legacy is going to be interesting to chart over the next couple decades. It seems like Giants fans are taking him for granted, and all it took was one bad season. (Also: throw strikes, Timmy.)

Proof of America's true pastime - SBNation.com
I wrote a piece about Opening Day for the mothership. It came straight from the heart. I'm tearing up now just thinking of it.