First of all, Happy New Year from all of us with the Missoula Osprey!! We hope that you celebrate the new year in style, but please celebrate safely, and don’t drink and drive. Every bar in the area will help you get a cab if you need it, and U Call Us will also transport you home safely.

Now, to the final post of 2012 – which is a big thank you to all of our readers here on Bird Droppings!! We’re hoping to stay in the MLB.com Top 100 blog list, and if the early numbers are any indication, we have a chance of doing just that! Bird Droppings 2012 by the numbers:

• We had over 14,000 visits this past year, which was more than 3,000 more than last year.
• This was accomplished despite the fact that we had fewer posts this year. The per average read for each was higher.
• There were five very popular blog posts this season – two of which featured outfielder Evan Marzilli.
• “The Crystal Ball” post this season correctly predicted both of the position players called up by the D-backs to make their MLB debuts this season. That’s two straight seasons that we correctly predicted the next Osprey position player to get the call to the Major Leagues. And one of our 2011 pitchers of choice, Tom Layne, made his MLB debut this past season. That post was also the fifth-most viewed post of 2012 on Bird Droppings.
• Unlike the 2011 top five, only one entry on the list pertained to the 2012 MLB Draft. And, outside of the Crystal Ball post, was one of two non-season posts to make it. The other three on the list were in-season entries, the first time that has happened in the existence of the Bird Droppings blog.
• One player has been on the most popular searches in both years – Robby Rowland. He was the most popular player to be searched in 2011, and in the top five in 2012. The top-searched subject was actually the Missoula Osprey, while the most popular player in 2012 to be searched was 2009 alum Bradin Hagens.
• The most-viewed picture:

Nice pic …

Again, thanks to all of you for continuing to follow our blog . We hope to have one whale of a 2013, and we hope your new year will be one full of prosperity and good health.