Duk's Dozen, a selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items, has returned in 2011 to start your baseball news day off right. Got links? Send 'em here or via Twitter. 1. Last January, Ross over at New Stadium Insider brought us the story of a furious fan who canceled his season tickets after a World Series title because he didn't approve of Brian Cashman's offseason moves.
Today, Ross is bringing us the story of why he himself is canceling his 41-game ticket plan in the Bronx, though it has nothing to do with the Yanks' failure to sign anyone of note so far and everything to do with the Yanks' decision not to guarantee him playoff tickets as part of his package.
You'll have to go over to Ross' site to read his full explanation, but I think this makes a great starting point for a good conversation. If you had (or have) season tickets, what would be the tipping point in making you give them up? Poor onfield product? Bad customer service? Loss of perks? A change in lifestyle/income? Something else? New Stadium Insider
2. Biggest news of a slow offseason weekend? Joe Torre has been in "definitive discussions" to join Major League Baseball as an executive VP of baseball operations. That'd be a great new challenge for him, but I have to ask the question: Will Torre ever be able to sit back in retirement and enjoy his successes? MLB.com
3. If it's true that there are 30-35 future Hall of Famers playing at any one time, which actives will be playing in 2011? One Yankees blogger takes a guess. Pinstripe Alley
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4. Ryne Duren, a hard-throwing reliever for the Yankees in the late 1950s, died at 81 last Thursday. He was famous for both his fastball and the thick glasses he wore, and his obituary carried Duren's brutally honest acknowledgement of another extreme in his life. NY Times
"Sportswriters wrote that I wore glasses that resembled the bottoms of Coke bottles. Everyone agreed that it was a dangerous combination: a guy wearing glasses that thick and throwing a pitch that fast. But what everyone didn't know was that there was another dimension that made me even more dangerous than they thought I was. I had a drinking problem."
5. If Michael Vick doesn't find the free-agent market to his liking this offseason, perhaps he can fall back on baseball. He was drafted by the Rockies in 2000. Hall of Very Good
6. Braves fans are getting ready for the Freddie Freeman era at first base. Braves Journal
7. Scott Schoeneweis is hoping at least one major league team will recognize the tragedy he was dealing with the last two seasons and give his left arm one last shot. MLBTR
8. Speaking of left arms, the Chicago White Sox are hoping that Will Ohman's will be worth the two years and $4 million they just awarded it. MLBTR
9. Any Cubs fans who are feeling uneasy about the talent sacrificed in the Matt Garza deal can take solace in the fact that Greg Maddux pushed hard for the trade. Bleed Cubbie Blue
10. Tom Smith might be the best baseball photoshopper working today. Go check out his 2011 Pirates preview, which includes this choice job and five others. Rum Bunter
11. Will the additions of Scott Olsen and Kevin Correia be enough to ensure that the Pirates won't have baseball's worst pitching staff in 2011? FanGraphs
12. Let us conclude our little run of Pirates links with Jeff Passan's Bucs-centric haiku at the end of his offseason review for the team. Y! Sports
We yearn for the days
When our players did cocaine
At least they were good
(If you have a Pirates haiku of your own, post it in the comments below.)
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