• In case you have been suffering from an ongoing, post-New Years delirium, Alfredo Simon is the main suspect in a murder case in the Dominican Republic.  It appears that he will be tried for manslaughter after firing a shot that both killed his cousin and wounded his brother (I know, wow).  There are two different stories that have surfaced: Simon fired a celebratory New Year’s Eve shot in the air that somehow inflicted the before mentioned damage; he fired a warning shot to disrupt an argument between two women.  Apparently the “magic” bullet that Simon fired struck his brother in the arm before lodging in the chest of his now deceased cousin.  By no means am I an expert in ballistics, but something sounds fishy about how this all went down.  If only we had some Zapruder-esque footage to fuel our suspicions.

• We have also come to learn that both Miguel Tejada and Julio Lugo – fellow Dominicans – have offered to pay for Simon’s legal fees, which will surely be enormous if he intends to fight the case in court.  If Simon is indeed charged with manslaughter, he will face up to 30-years in prison and will more than likely serve as the set up man for Ugeth Urbina on the Latin American Correctional Team.

• On The Black, a blog dedicated to the New York Mets, posted a video of David Wright that features the third baseman discussing what it is like to play for the team that he grew up rooting for.  He also touches on why he loves baseball and offers a quote that I really like, “Every game is like Saturday morning Little League, going out there and playing with your friends.”

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#49 J.P. Arencibia – Toronto Blue Jays

C/DH

DOB: 1/5/1986

ETA: 2011

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Chris Dwyer – Kansas City Royals

LHP

DOB: 4/10/1988

ETA: 2012

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The Golden Sombrero presents Rookie Card Corner: Jeff Bagwell 1991 Topps Stadium Club

Fun Fact: In his time at Xavier High School in Connecticut, Bagwell set the all-time goals mark as a member of the soccer team.

• Harmon Killebrew has been diagnosed with esophageal cancer and is currently being treated at the Mayo Clinic in Arizona.  Killebrew, 74, won the Most Valuable Player award in 1969 and his 573 career home runs ranks 11^th all-time.  He is also credited as being one of the first sluggers to incorporate a dismount into his swing following a presumed no-doubter.

• The great Joe Posnanski of Sports Illustrated has dedicated his week to scrutinizing the careers of the players on the 2011 Hall of Fame ballot; each day has had a corresponding post and he has finally narrowed down his list and acknowledged the players that he voted for.  He calls them “The Eight Definites,” and they are as follows- Roberto Alomar, Jeff Bagwell, Bert Blyleven, Barry Larkin, Edgar Martinez, Mark McGwire, Tim Raines, and Allan Trammell.  For those who wish to read his entire series, which will be concluded today, here are the articles in order- [First Round] [The Second Round] [The Eight Definites] [The Borderline Five]

• The Baseball Bloggers Alliance has recommended both Roberto Alomar and Bert Blyleven for the Hall of Fame after both players received 75.97% of the votes.  Other notable players who just missed the cut include: Barry Larkin (70.78%), Jeff Bagwell (62.34%), Edgar Martinez (59.09%), and Tim Raines (54.55%).

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