Weekend Reposter: Pitchers, pine tar and prom night

Michael Maffie over at Redleg Nation has an interesting analysis of the Age of the Pitcher that we're currently living through, and a look at what might be causing it.  It's worth a look.

After clarifying the much-maligned transfer rule earlier this week, commissioner Bud Selig has stated that MLB will wait until the offseason to determine whether the rules regarding pitchers' use of pine tar should be changed.  This is a result of Yankees pitcher Michael Pineda and his flagrant use of the foreign substance and resulting suspension.

Paul Dehner Jr of the Cincinnati Enquirer talked to a few Reds players about their memories of their high school prom nights.  Predictably, Todd Frazier danced all night and was prom king runner up.  Brayan Pena had some thoughts on the difference between American proms and his experience growing up in Cuba, and Devin Mesoraco couldn't seem to remember much about his prom experience at all.

The New York Times created a fascinating interactive map of baseball fandom across the country.  It's worth clicking around for a few minutes, which for me at least could quickly turn into an hour and a half.  The state of Ohio in particular is an interesting case study, with five different teams claiming at least a corner of the Buckeye State.

This past Wednesday, Conrado Marrero, the oldest living former Major League baseball player, passed away in Cuba at the age of 102.  He pitched for the Washington Senators for five season in the early 1950's.

Speaking of centenarians, this week also marked the 100th anniversary of the opening of Wrigley Field.  You may have heard about it, it was kind of a big deal.  The Cubs and the Diamondbacks wore some pretty awesome uniforms for Wednesday's game, and the Cubs even commissioned a 400 pound cake in the shape of Wrigley Field to mark the event.  You can't see it in that picture, but my favorite part of the cake was that there was a tiny little black POW/MIA flag on the outside of the stadium.

Of course, the very next day, that cake was in a dumpster, providing a perfect visual metaphor for the current state of the Cubs.