On Monday, we wrote a post upon noticing that Edinson Volquez finished fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting despite the fact that he’s not a rookie. And we challenged our readers to “out” those three BBWAA members who didn’t bother to actually inform themselves of this fact.

But before anyone could report back, Keith Law has figured it out over at his personal blog (which, if you like to read novels and/or cook, is a very good place to go).

The three voters who included Volquez were Jeremy Cothran of the Newark Star-Ledger, John Klima of the Los Angeles Daily News, and Jay Paris of the North County Times in San Diego.

So there you go, fair readers.

Clearly, members of the Baseball Writers Association of America do not read UmpBump.

If they did, they would know that EDINSON VOLQUEZ IS NOT A FREAKING ROOKIE.

And yet, Volquez finished 4th in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

Right.

And it’s the bloggers who don’t know what they’re talking about? We’re the uninformed?

By the way, if any of can find out who the three writers were who gave Volquez those 2nd place votes, please name them in the comments section.

Hi, kids. I’m Paul Moro from UmpBump.com.

Did you know that every year, millions of baseball fans put themselves in harm’s way around this time of the year? It’s true. Because now’s the time when we’re all discussing amongst friends, co-workers and families who should win the MVP, Cy Young, and Rookie of the Year Awards. And we end up sounding like jackasses because we have no idea what we’re talking about.

Take Jim Duquette for example. Now Jim was the general manager of the New York Mets in 2004 and will forever be remembered for his brilliant acquisition of Victor Zambrano at the trade deadline that year in a deal that sent top prospect Scott Kazmir to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays – despite the fact that the Mets were already out of contention by then. So we know that Jim reached the top of his profession by becoming GM. We just don’t know how the hell that happened.

Now Jim does commentary online for MLB.com. And about a month ago, he laid out his top-five National League rookies (you can see video here). And Jim sounded like a jackass. Why? Because he put Edinson Volquez at #1.

Jim, Edinson Volquez IS NOT A ROOKIE. Here’s what the rule book says:

Determining rookie status:
A player shall be considered a rookie unless, during a previous season or seasons, he has (a) exceeded 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched in the Major Leagues; or (b) accumulated more than 45 days on the active roster of a Major League club or clubs during the period of 25-player limit (excluding time in the military service and time on the disabled list).

Volquez had already thrown 80 innings in his Major League career from 2005-2007. Which means he’s not a rookie. And I know what you’re all thinking. You’re saying, “But Paul, shouldn’t former general managers know these things?” Yes. Yes, they should.

So before you open your mouth or type up some words on blogs regarding the NL Rookie of the Year this year, just remember, kids. Edinson Volquez is not a rookie. Don’t be a jackass. Don’t be like Jim.

UPDATE: It just got worse. UmpBump’s Sarah just sent this along. It appears that a player’s poll back in August asked “Which rookie has impressed you the most?” And who was on the list? You betcha. Tied for second with 16% of the votes, Edinson Volquez. Congratulations, MLB players.

Free coffee and baseball: This is a match made in heaven, from Sarah’s point of view. Two notes: 1. Jose Canseco is worried that he’ll get poisoned via free coffee. 2. Jonathan Papelbon is advertising free coffee (with purchase of either a flatbread sandwich or a pizza) at Dunkin’ Donuts, available the day after the Red Sox win. Sounds a bit complicated to me—and it’s cheap of DD to exclude their own employees. Not to mention that Paps looks like a cheeseball in this photo. Why didn’t they just go with a real post-game shot?

Speed: the Blue Jays are going to be swiping more bags this season. And speaking of speed, I enjoyed watching the A’s relievers throw over to first with Jason Varitek standing on the bag. Yes, let’s make sure the 35-year old catcher doesn’t steal.

Fans: It just goes to show you that the Dodgers really do have a special relationship with their fans, as LA hurler Brad Penny warmed up with a lucky fan yesterday. Across town, Angels owner Arte Moreno bought souvenirs for several fans. And it seems that Baltimore’s long-suffering faithful are finally abandoning their ballclub. Just don’t get mad when the Sox come to town in May and bring their hordes of free-spending fans with them, transforming Camden Yards into Fenway South. The O’s need the revenue.

No-hitters: Yesterday, ESPN.com carried a teaser for the Chicago-Detroit game saying the Dontrelle Willis was throwing a no-no through five innings. To me, that’s just false advertising. Sure, it’s technically accurate to say that D-Train ended up one-hitting the White Sox, but it would perhaps be more descriptive to say that Willis went five innings, while walking seven and striking out none. It was the least dominant no-no bid I’ve ever watched. An outing more worthy of ESPN’s hype would have been Jake Peavy’s two-hit complete game or Manny Parra’s legit seven-strikeout no-hit bid, carried through five innings.

Reds Rookies: On the heels of Johnny Cueto’s stunning debut Thursday, another Reds rookie pitcher impresses today. Edinson Volquez has pitched five innings so far, with seven K’s and one earned run. He’s scattered three hits and two walks.

Sleep: The Red Sox really do need it. Their odyssey from Florida to Japan to California to Toronto is starting to tell, and it’s most readily apparent on defense. Boston has already committed two errors halfway through today’s game. They had two errors yesterday, too, and have racked up a number of sloppy near-errors over the past few games. They have a day off tomorrow and open Fenway Park on Tuesday.