Today's links were thrown together quickly with the help of a potassium-filled banana (and if you want to know more exciting details about what I'm doing at any particular moment, follow me here) … • As ShysterBall notes, the Giants have (unofficially but literally) marked their territory. • Bill James speaks (and I've been meaning to write, for at least a couple of weeks, about the various books this spring that have Bill's fingerprints all over them). • Is the Verducci Effect real? As Michael Salfino writes, nobody seems to know … even though a fair number of somebodies are acting as if it's real enough. I wonder, though … don't the smart teams have their own research? • Colin Wyers is skeptical about BP's projections for Matt Wieters. So am I. Sort of hard to believe that Wieters was the fifth-best hitter in professional baseball last season. Anyway, I'd love to see a rollicking debate on this subject. • In case you missed my interview with Leonard Mlodinow (and don't like reading "old" material), Joe Posnanski raves about Mlodinow's book (and revisits the always fascinating Monty Hall Problem in great, Posnanskian detail). • Albert Chen on the state of sophisticated defensive metrics. • Marc Hulet's got a nifty rundown of what's happened (or is happening) to last winter's Rule 5 draft picks (short answer: as usual, not much). • A day late, I know … but some of you younger pups, if you haven't already, really should read the Greatest April Fool's Joke Ever.