Here's a secret (but not really a secret): there exists a tool that lets us know exactly how many clicks every RandBall post has ever received. We can specify a date. We can look over the span of years. Usually, we check on things a few times to see how the current day's posts are doing traffic-wise. It gives us some sense of what works, what doesn't work -- what you good people like to read. It doesn't dictate 100 percent what we write -- that would be too much pandering -- but it doesn't hurt.

In any event, we noticed an unusual number of posts from a long time ago -- like, from 2011 or earlier -- cracking the top 20 posts in terms of traffic on this very Friday. We double-checked, and there are five of them that you sick weirdos have found for one reason or another:

1. Lt. Dangle costume is a privilege, not a right (Nov. 2, 2011).

2. Twins revolving door at shortstop (May 6, 2011). Thankfully, that is no longer a problem.

3. Ex-Viking Everett Lindsay coaching in the Lingerie Football League (Oct. 11, 2011).

4. The Cowboys, Drew Pearson and the push-off (Jan. 11, 2010)

5. Bar manager: mechanical bull riding was topless, sure, but not nude (Feb. 5, 2010)

Judging by this, the archive searchers or Google users like short shorts, Minnesota sports negativity and scantily clad women. This is shocking. Just shocking.

Programming note: We will be hit-or-miss on the blog for much of next week. Expect sporadic posting (or none at all) on a few days.