San Francisco Giants Link Dump, 8/27

Madison Bumgarner looking like a dominant pitcher is what I'm going to call a "good thing." I have a way with words.

Steven Souza Jr., Anthony Ranaudo headline 2014 International League Postseason All-Star selections
We all knew that someday, Emmanuel Burriss would put it all together and become an All-Star. After all, he was taken ahead of such luminaries as future Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan, future All-Star Chris Perez, and future overhyped mediocrity Joba Chamberlain. And it turned out this was the year for Burriss, as he finally ascended into the hallowed pantheon of greats that is the International League Postseason All-Stars. It's like everyone's been saying all along: the Giants' farm system is a hitter factory, and the envy of the entire league.

Polling the Clubhouses: Kershaw or Felix?
Baseball Prospectus talks to various players to find out who they'd rather face, Clayton Kershaw or Felix Hernandez? Some chose based on platoon advantages, some based on lifetime stats, and some were no fun and didn't answer at all. But the common thread was the agreement that both of those pitchers are very good at pitching. The final results of the poll were even at four votes apiece, with one guy voting for both. That one guy was Charlie Morton, who apparently doesn't know that Roy Halladay would never be so indecisive.

Money money money
The Providence Journal ran an article a couple days ago about the increasing meaninglessness of having a high payroll, attributing it to teams being more and more likely to lock up their young stars to long-term deals. Joe Posnanski expands on that here, noting that the common habit of buying current day talent by overpaying players way in the future is related to the steroid era throwing the standard baseball aging curve totally out of whack, convincing GMs that older players won't decline so badly. So in addition to Barry Bonds being the greatest while he was playing baseball, part of his legacy could be ruining the Yankees.

That man is magic, I swear.

Mark Cuban has Bud Selig derangement syndrome
There are many, many accurate criticisms you could level at Bud Selig, so naturally, a butthurt Mark Cuban chose the one thing that you absolutely can't complain about without making yourself look as ignorant as George Will at a Levi's store.

"Why are so many things here made of denim? Who even wears denim for pants?"
"Everyone, George. It's universally accepted. Who not focus on how terrible those jean jackets are, bec-"
"BLUE JEANS ARE THE WORST WHO'S WITH ME"

Photos of dogs wearing baseball gear on National Dog Day
Yesterday was National Dog Day, and so SB Nation posted an article showing dogs in baseball gear. Now I'm linking it here, and if you're surprised by this, welcome to your very first link dump.