As the decade winds down to its final moments, Big League Stew is reflecting on the biggest baseball moments of the 2000s. Next up are the top playoff and record-breaking home runs from 2000-09, an up-for-debate list we created by taking each blast's history, impact and moment into account. Please note that we'll be doing a separate list of big regular season home runs — think Mike Piazza and Glenallen Hill — in December.  

1. Barry Bonds hits No. 756, passing Hank Aaron for all-time lead — Aug. 7, 2007

When Bonds launched a pitch from Washington's Mike Bascik deep into the San Francisco night, he did more than just start a lottery ticket free-for-all in the bleachers of AT&T Park. The home run ended Hank Aaron's 12,173-day run atop the career homers list and provided the climactic moment in a saga that spanned several years and introduced the world to BALCO, Greg Anderson, Victor Conte, the cream and the clear.

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It's a great day here on The Stew as we celebrate what would have been Joe DiMaggio's 95th birthday while also piecing together our Myles Standish costumes for Thanksgiving.

We'll be posting Alex Remington's latest stats lesson and our top 10 "big moment" home runs of the decade list a little later on. But until then, let's all take stock of all the things we're thankful for in baseball. It's a tumultuous time for the sport, but whether it's Tim Lincecum's windup, the late innings brilliance of Mariano Rivera or the sweet swing of Joe Mauer, there's at least one thing that keeps up coming back for more.

And whether it's a warm summer night at Camden Yards in the Harbor, a dog and beer in Wrigley's bleachers or a day with Dad at Dodger Stadium, there's something about baseball that keeps baseball our favorite sport, even in the late chill of November.

So let's have at it, dear Stewies. I've set up a chat box below to record all the various things in baseball that we couldn't do without. You can either submit your thanks in the form below or send a Twitter update marked with the hashtag #StewThanks. We'll keep this box live through Friday so check back early and often to find out how other fans are showing thanks.

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Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions and tips here or via Twitter.    

1. Cue the "better buy stock in Doritos" jokes: Our own Tim Brown reports that Tim Lincecum(notes) and his agent could file a mind-blowing $23 million arbitration request. They wouldn't get it, but it'd set the tone for either a record arb award or a big multi-year deal. Yahoo! Sports
2. How much should the Cardinals pay to keep Albert Pujols(notes) in St. Louis for life?  Post Dispatch
3. Joe Posnanski is selling Hall of Fame futures for players under 30. Who's buying? JoePo
4. Wha? Jim Rice thinks Jacoby Ellsbury(notes) could be Boston's next Hall of Famer. Over The Monster
5. The Mariners are touting Edgar Martinez's(notes) HOF credentials to BBWAA voters. Seattle Times
6. Meanwhile, they have a tough decision in keeping or trading Russell Branyan(notes). Lookout Landing
7. The Twins apparently haven't gotten over their jonesin' for Rich Harden(notes). MLBTR
8. MVP voters still love to recognize Ryan Howard(notes) over Chase Utley(notes). Crashburn Alley
9. The Marlins and Mets could be playing a series in Puerto Rico this June. MLB
10. What's  Miguel Cabrera's(notes) trade value if the Tigers want to make a deal? FanGraphs
11. The Cardinals still aren't saying when Mark McGwire will meet the media. AP
12. Evan Longoria(notes) is officially your new MLB2K10 cover boy. Rays Report

Albert Pujols won his second straight NL MVP award and the third of his career on Tuesday afternoon. He was an unanimous first-place choice on all 32 ballots and the distance he put on a talented group of followers — Hanley Ramirez, Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder and Troy Tulowitzki rounded out the top five — was impressive. In the ninth season of his career, Pujols led the league in home runs (47), runs (124), OBP (.443) and slugging (.658). He was third in batting (.327) and third in RBIs (135). He has not yet celebrated his 30th birthday. 

At this point, we've almost written everything there is to be written about Phat Albert. It's quite clear that he's on a historical tear and even the most casual baseball follower knows that the Pujols name will eventually end up at the top of statistical leader lists that include names like Aaron and Ruth, Williams and DiMaggio, Mays and Bonds.

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Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions and tips here or via Twitter.   

1. It's admittedly a very loose comparison, but Joe Mauer(notes) and Mark Prior(notes) have become the Michael Jordan and Sam Bowie of the 2001 MLB draft. Star Tribune
2. Why baseball needs Mauer and Albert Pujols(notes) to stay put in their "small markets." Newsday
3. A Twins fan writes condolence letters to those who didn't win the AL MVP. Twinkie Town
4. Mauer beats out Brett Favre when it comes to Turkey Day guests in the Twin Cities. Star Tribune
5. In advance of today's NL MVP coronation, the Dodgers website provides a nice chuckle. MSTI
6. Hey, how would Dan Uggla(notes) look in a Giants uniform next season? Bay City Ball
7. The terms of Ken Griffey's new deal can again be described as "incentive-laden." Seattle Times
8. Jermaine Dye(notes) is open to playing first if it means getting another contract. Circling The Bases
9. I love that John Halama(notes) is still plugging away and trying to get back to the bigs. MLBTR
10. Weighing the possibility of replacing Mike Lowell(notes) with Adrian Beltre(notes) in Boston. Fire Brand
11. That was fast. MLB has already released the Yanks World Series film. Scott Proctor's Arm
12. In case you missed the Derek-Minka pics from St. Bart's last week. Bronx Baseball Daily

Great success! After a few months of the intangibles crowd being threatened with severe online mockery by the rest of us, Minnesota's Joe Mauer was rightly awarded with the first American League MVP of his career on Monday afternoon.

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You can't call CC Sabathia a fair weather NFL fan. The Yankees ace has always shown his love for the silver-and-black and he was rewarded on Sunday when he showed up in Oakland to watch the Raiders steal a game from the Bengals. Today he'll hand out 500 Thanksgiving turkeys in Vallejo, Calif., as his busy offseason as a World Series champion continues.

Sabathia, of course, isn't the only baseballer enjoying his time off after a longer-than-long season. Check out what a few others did over the weekend we just closed.

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Welcome to 'Duk's Dozen, a streamlined selection of 12 morning-fresh links and items to start your baseball day. It welcomes your email submissions and tips here or via Twitter.  

1. Chicago closer Bobby Jenks(notes) thinks he's being scapegoated after a season of injuries. Ozzie Guillen, meanwhile, thinks his portly pitcher "has to stay in shape if he wants to play for the White Sox." Remember when these two were baseball's odd couple? Sun-Times
2. Andrew Reilly thinks being mad at Bobby Jenks for being fat is like being mad at a dog for leaving hair on the couch. It all goes with the territory. 35th Street Review
3. Jenks may not be with the White Sox in 2010, but Omar Vizquel(notes) may be. FanGraphs
4. An Angels fan makes an emotional plea for the return of John Lackey(notes). Halos Heaven
5. Where does Elvis Andrus'(notes) rookie season rank among young shortstops? Lone Star Ball
6. The Red Sox are trying to pawn Mike Lowell(notes) off on someone else. Surviving Grady
7. Some think Jon Garland(notes) would be a good innings-eater for the Yankees. Pinstripe Alley
8. A closer look at Manny Acta's wish list for the Cleveland Indians The DiaTribe
9. The wait for the Nationals to complete their "ballpark district" will likely continue. Nats320
10. The Mariners are going to give Dustin Ackley a whirl at second base. Circling The Bases
11. The Cubs are back in the business of battling certain rooftop owners. Chicago Tribune
12. Oprah did not show Kate Hudson our A-Rod as a centaur photo. Subway Squawkers

Anyone who reads Big League Stew knows that the Fashion Ump is generally a fan of any team that decides to go with the old-school powder blue uniform.

That said, he's never been particularly fond of how the Royals choose to remember the days of Dick Howser, Frank White and Willie Wilson. Instead of going all the way with true throwbacks, the kings of Kauffman have gone with modern and inferior jerseys and haven't shown enough courage to match them with powder blue pants.

Now the Royals are going to wear this powder blue hat with the powder blue jerseys during home day games in 2010 and ol' Fashion Ump can't say he's excited as some. 

After all, the whole point to wearing throwbacks is to summon our warm and fuzzy memories of the past. When the Blue Jays go with their historically-accurate getups, it's easy to squint and think we're watching the glory days of Lloyd Moseby and Rance Mulliniks at Exhibition Stadium instead of the somewhat-depressing bunch that currently inhabits the Rogers Centre. It works.

Contrast that to the Royals, a team that will still only remind us of mail carriers while donning caps that never sat upon George Brett's dome. When they adopted the adapted powder blue jersey in 2008, we told the Royals it wasn't so much the color as it was the memory.

They apparently haven't been listening.   

Fashion Ump ruling: Foul ball