It’s become a tradition each New Year’s Eve (or thereabouts!) to review my personal favorite baseball web sites of the year. This is actually one of my more enjoyable articles to write. It’s nice to talk about the great work being done around the Web.

I use this list to generally focus on the independent sites and steer away from the old reliables like Baseball Reference, Baseball America, MLB.com, Baseball Think Factory, and Retrosheet. We all already know they’re among our favorites. BDD and Baseball Prospectus are ineligible for consideration…you know, due to our little affiliation!

1 - Metsblog.com- Not only is this the best sports team blog on the Internet, the content has expanded this past year to cover baseball news and information beyond the Mets. And oh yeah, Matt Cerrone is one of the best guys you’ll ever meet in this business.

2 - The Blog on the Book - The more I read Tango & co., the more I like their work. Sometimes the content goes over my head, but I generally get the gist of what everyone is trying to say. MGL and Tango are just two great entertaining analysts.

3 - Shysterball (on The Hard Ball Times) - Craig Calcaterra is one of my favorite writers on the net, even when I don’t agree with him! He has a great handle on the game, understands the issues, and has a great sense of humor…even for an lawyer!

4 - Baseball Musings - David Pinto continues to fill a tremendous niche with constant updates from around the world of baseball. Whenever I’m away from my PC for a prolonged period of time, Baseball Musings is one of the first sites I check upon my return.

5 - MLB Trade Rumors - I generally don’t like endorsing portals, and I think the site was better when Tim gave more of his take on transactions, but MLB Trade Rumors still is very useful in aggregating rumors, signings, trades, and arbitration activity.

6 - Seamheads.com- I know, I know, we’re affiliated with Seamheads…I can’t help but endorse these guys though. Michael Lynch and his staff have done tremendous things this year, and the writing is fantastic. This is a real up and coming site that you should check out everyday.

7 - Brew Crew Ball- Our friend Jeff Sackmann isn’t as involved as he once was, but there are still plenty of reasons to visit this (mostly) Brewers blog. My favorite is the Frosty Mug! It’s a great way to catch up on all the important information around baseball.

8 - Heater Magazine - Great site, great writers, great content and they’re always adding more information. You get stats, graphs, articles, and of course, The Rundown!

9 - The College Baseball Blog - For those of you who love the ping game like me, CBB is the place to be. From recruiting and schedules to recaps and scouting reports, CBB has the college game covered. Brian Foley’s team provides a constant flow of news and updates to keep every NCAA fan satisfied.

10 - River Avenue Blues - It’s hard to believe this blog made my list considering how much I dislike the Yankees! Seriously though, this site is second to none when it comes to the Bronx Bombers. Ben, Mike, and Joseph cover the Yankees in more detail, and with more insight, than any of their NYY blogging counterparts…so much so that I even enjoy reading about the Yankees.

Other great sites worth noting…Detroit Tigers Weblog, Rain-Delay, Crashburn Alley, Talking Chop, The Newberg Report, Baseball Analysts, Gotham Baseball, It Might Be Dangerous…You Go First

Happy New Year everybody!