‘Winds Of Winter’ Release Date Prediction Up; Author George R.R. Martin Threw First Pitch As Facebook Employee Pays To Be Killed In ‘A Song Of Fire And Ice’

"Winds of Winter" release date prediction was made through statistical analysis by one website, based on the pace of George R. R. Martin's writing. The author, meanwhile, threw the first pitch to a minor league game as a Facebook employee will be killed of in future novels from "A Song of Fire and Ice" series.

According to the website FiveThirtyEightLife, the process of predicting the "Winds of Winter" release date is called "Martinology," which it describes as "the pseudoscientific process by which fans attempt to predict the release date for the forthcoming 'The Winds of Winter.'

"In October 2012, Martin told a reporter that he had written about 400 pages, but he hasn't commented on his progress since," the website reported about the "Winds of Winter" release date news.

However, the Washington Post claimed that George R. R. Martin's reputation as a slow writer is undeserved. "Martin is indeed taking his time - but the pace of his output, page-wise, is on track with Rowling's and higher than just about any of the other fantasy authors listed."

On Saturday night, George R. R. Martin threw the ceremonial pitch for his local minor league baseball team the Albuquerque Isotopes in a match against The New Orleans Zephyr. The author was in top shape as he made the move, without a hint that he's mindful about any "Winds of Winter" release date rumors.

Meanwhile, a Facebook employee paid $20,000 for the right to be killed in "A Song of Fire and Ice."

As reported by ABC News, Dave Goldblatt, 30, apparently won the bid.

"I'm just lucky enough to be in a position to do this. Obviously, the money is going to charity, so it's an added bonus. I didn't immediately seek to help wolf sanctuaries, but the more I read about the charities, I learned it was a worthwhile cause," he said.

According to WetPaint, Dave Goldblatt chose to be a character belonging to the Valyrians. When prodded for his reasons why he chose the Valyrians, he replied: "For whatever reason, I thought the Valyrians were cool. I'm hoping in future books we get to see more of them."