The Shadowball 100

OK, I'm about to start posting the Baseball 100 for JoeBlogs members -- thank you all for signing up -- but I wanted to tell you that, as with all good infomercials, there's a bonus gift.

Yes, obviously, I would love to give you all a Slap Chop or an Atomic Beam flashlight, but our budget just isn't quite there yet. So instead, in coordination with the Baseball 100, you'll also get the Shadowball 100 (absolutely free!)

You might remember that in the original version of the Baseball 100, I tried to put everyone on one list. There were Negro leaguers, old-timers, Japanese players, fictional players, all of them in one ranking. That was fun. It was also chaos. I think the most-read Baseball 100 entry was the one I wrote on Roy Hobbs.

[caption id="attachment_22725" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Back by popular demand? Yeah, probably.[/caption]

So here's how it'll work this time: The Baseball 100 list will feature the 100 greatest major leaguers, using my absurd but also illogical new formula.

The Shadowball 100 will be open to everybody else, real and imagined, overlooked and overrated, sensational and, well, just people I'm going to put on the list because OF COURSE I'm going to put them on the list.

I think you KNOW who Shadowball No. 100 is going to be. If you don't, you should.

I've worked pretty hard to make the two lists connected and unconnected at the same time. This is about the best way I can explain it: I see the Shadowball 100 going with the Baseball 100 sort of the way that Dark Side of the Moon goes with The Wizard of Oz. I'll put the Shadowball players in places that make sense with the baseball list. It won't EXACTLY be a corresponding list, and the players won't EXACTLY be ranked in order. But I'm pretty sure it'll make sense as we go.

I have to say: If I pull this off, it will be really, really cool.

If I don't pull it off, well, you'll still get twice as much for no extra charge, plus free shipping.

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