The missing links: What's happening in the baseball blog world

It may be January, but there is still a ton of talk on baseball blogs, and there are even a few baseball-related events happening this month:

The Yankees' front office started moving to their new digs yesterday. Check out Peter Abraham's story - and video - of it at lohud.com.

Squawker colleague Bob Ekstrom writes on the Boston Sports Media web site that Jason Varitek "went Donovan McNabb on the Nation and, given his considerable baseball acumen, it’s not working on me." To wit, Varitek, who turned down the Sox's arbitration offer and is still unsigned, now claims that he didn't know that other teams would have to give up a first round draft pick in order to sign him. Sheesh.

SI.com's Jon Heyman wonders "who would make a better dinner companion" - Jeff Kent or Barry Bonds - and says that he would "take Bonds any day of the week." I agree with Heyman - once in a while, Bonds can be charming. I don't think Kent has ever been charming.

But while Squawker Jon thinks Kent should be in the Hall of Fame, Mets blogger Metstradamus disagrees, writing:

Excuse me for not saying nice things about a guy just because he retired, but when I see a Hall of Famer walking down the street, I'm usually taken aback by somebody who's larger than life. When I see Jeff Kent walk down the street I wonder if my car will be ready at the shop.

The good news just keeps on coming for Mets fans. Their team may be passing on signing Manny Ramirez, but former Mets Tom Glavine, Braden Looper, Paul LoDuca, Kenny Rogers, Jason Isringhausen, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ty Wigginton, and Cliff Floyd are still available, according to MLB's free agent tracker. Which means that maybe the Mets can reunite with these old friends. I'm sure Squawker Jon is salivating over the possibility of Glavine being a Met again!

Yahoo's Big League Stew site notes that Jim Leyritz will be signing autographs at the Yanks for the Memories event in Secaucus this weekend. Yikes! The Dodgers fan site Vin Scully Is My Homeboy is the blog that first wrote about that outrage. They also have an early 90s pic of Darryl Strawberry and Gary Carter in Dodgers uniforms. Click here to see that.

Newsday's Mets beat writer David Lennon will be hosting the BBWAA Awards dinner this Sunday, where the nation's - and the city's - baseball writers give out a slew of MLB awards, including the MVPs and Cy Young awards. The tickets, at $225 a person, are too rich for us Squawkers to afford, but it sounds like a great time. Bernie Williams will sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" and Cole Hamels will get his World Series MVP award (I'd love to see Squawker Jon have to sit through Hamels getting that hardware!) For more info, click here.

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