Some last minute suggestions for those of you out there who are on the fence about players in week 1. Also, my week 1 predictions, for all you degenerate gamblers out there who have been waiting 9 months to get your fix. Happy betting!!
-Start Antonio Bryant. You may be saying-‘Who?’ But take heed. Bryant is starting opposite Joey Galloway for the Buccaneers. When he’s had a real quarterback, Bryant has been pretty good. Jeff Garcia borders on real quarterback. And he’ll be matched up with Jason David. He’s a no good.
-Don’t start Jake Delhomme. No Steve Smith means I don’t want to see you near my active roster.
-Start Matt Ryan. If you are in a 2 QB league. That’s very important to remember! Only in 2 QB leagues. You might not get many more opportunities to play him. The Lions stink.
-Don’t start Ryan Grant. Jared Allen is going to eat him with a nice slice of camembert. I also don’t like the fact that the Packers coaches are saying they want to limit Grant to 20 carries per game. What is this, JV?
-Start Dwayne Bowe. If there is anything that stinks about the Patriots, it’s their secondary. Ellis Hobbs? Seriously? The Chiefs are going to be down big and that means lots of passing.
Don’t start Edgerin James. It looks like a nice matchup, but I have a feeling Tim Hightower will be making more of an impact than most people are expecting. Edge’s 3 yards per carry is getting old.
Start Nate Burleson. Only because the Seattle WR corps is decimated. This week, they brought in John Jefferson and Charlie Joiner for tryouts. If the Seahawks win 2 road games this year, it will be a miracle. The division is there for the Cardinals to take.
Don’t start Reggie Brown or Williams. Bad week to be named Reggie.
Start Patrick Crayton at Cleveland. I guarantee you a touchdown…here it comes…get ready…IT’S IN THE BAG!!
Start Robert Meacham vs. TB. In the immortal words of Cletus of the Simpsons: “It’s my time to shine.”
Start Kevin Walter at Pittsburgh. While the Steelers blanket Andre Johnson with 5 guys, Walter will sneak in a garbage time score.
Start Anthony Fasano vs the Jets. Perfect for Pennington’s shortcomings.
Start Todd Heap vs. the Bengals. You don’t get many weeks where Heap is actually going to play. He’s listed as probable, so you should be safe. When he plays, he’s good…and the Bengals have Dhani Jones starting at linebacker. Good times.
Don’t start the Cowboys defense at Cleveland. Shootout on the horizon.
Start the Raiders defense vs. Denver. No Brandon Marshall. Plus, the Raiders D is much improved and could be this year’s surprise.
NFL Predictions
Detroit -4 at Atlanta
Buffalo Even vs. Seattle
Miami +4.5 vs. NY Jets
New England -13.5 vs. KC
New Orleans -4 vs. TB
Philadelphia -7 vs. St. Louis
Pittsburgh -7.5 vs. Houston
Tennessee +3.5 vs. Jacksonville
Baltimore +2.5 vs. Cincinnati
San Diego -6.5 vs. Carolina
Arizona -1 at San Francisco
Cleveland +6 vs. Dallas
Indianapolis -8 vs. Chicago
Oakland +1 vs. Denver
Minnesota Even at Green Bay
Friday, September 5, 2008
Thursday, September 4, 2008
3 HOURS, LOADS OF INFO
On a glorious, 95 degree Autumn day, the NFL returned to us in all it’s splendor. I can only wonder how squishy the field at Giants Stadium was following the game, thanks to the 250 gallons of sweat that was poured onto it.
In just 3 short hours, we learned a lot, whether you think you did or not.
-Did you ever think you would see anything other than an act of God bring a pro football game to us at 7:00? Just goes to show what a Metrodome full of old, rich white guys can do.
-Also, why did the Twins have to go on a 2 week, 14 game road trip to accommodate a 4 day convention?
-The Redskins seriously need to rethink this whole Jason Campbell thing. Remember heading into the 2007 season when everyone had Campbell as their fantasy sleeper? Well, he keeps on hitting the snooze button. Despite a very strong supporting cast. A top notch backfield. A Pro-Bowl tight end. Two above average, veteran receivers. The weak link is obviously at QB. Campbell looked horrible last night.
-Not to kick a guy when he’s down, but the Redskins made the playoffs last year because of Todd Collins, not Campbell. The Skins were dead in the water 5-7 when Campbell got hurt. Collins won the final four games and drove them into the postseason. This past off-season, everyone hemmed and hawed about the Vikings, saying they would be a Super Bowl contender with a better QB. Well, how about the Redskins? Their next four games are home against New Orleans, home against the Cardinals, then at Dallas and at Philadelphia. 1-4 is realistic.
-Ahmad Bradshaw will be one of the most highly dropped players heading into week 2. Bradshaw was drafted in every league I am in. Derrick Ward was drafted in none. If Jacobs gets hurt, Bradshaw might turn into the number one guy. But until then, he’s Terry Bradshaw’s illegitimate love child returning kicks.
-When you are down two scores with two minutes left and you call a play that’s a bomb to James Thrash, you’re in deep doo-doo. Seriously, Santana Moss is 5’10 and ridiculously listed as 200 pounds. (must have been with pads and helmet on) He’s the fastest guy on the field. Just keep sending him deep!
-Before the year is out, Brandon Jacobs is going to hit somebody so hard that they mess their pants.
-Jim Zorn has obviously never been a head coach before--at any level. Maybe he’ll do better during day games when he can use the sun for clock management.
-Have you ever tried to explain fantasy football to your son or daughter? I was trying to tell my daughter how it’s okay for Brandon Jacobs to get lots of rushing yards, but at the same time, have the rest of the Giants dislocate their kneecaps.
“But daddy, you said the Giants are evil.”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m glad you were listening. They are all evil except for that guy. He needs to rush for 200 yards and score 3 times.”
Puzzled look ensues.
By the time she is 12, she’ll be the Doogie Howser of fantasy sports. I wonder if she can get a scholarship for that?
-I know the Giants won, but if you are a fan, you couldn’t have really liked what you saw out of Eli. He looked less like the guy who won the Super Bowl and more like the guy who has a career passer rating of 73.4 in the regular season.
-Plaxico went a lot lower in drafts than he should have, thus proving the old Allen Iverson adage, ‘Practice?’ Plax is a top 10 receiver and if you got him lower than that in your draft, consider yourself lucky.
-Can Ladell Betts file a grievance for lack of use? Derrick Ward 11 touches, Betts 2. What’s wrong with this picture?
-While we’re at it, Chris Cooley might want to start lobbying for Todd Collins….or else he can say bye-bye to that free trip to Hawaii in February.
In just 3 short hours, we learned a lot, whether you think you did or not.
-Did you ever think you would see anything other than an act of God bring a pro football game to us at 7:00? Just goes to show what a Metrodome full of old, rich white guys can do.
-Also, why did the Twins have to go on a 2 week, 14 game road trip to accommodate a 4 day convention?
-The Redskins seriously need to rethink this whole Jason Campbell thing. Remember heading into the 2007 season when everyone had Campbell as their fantasy sleeper? Well, he keeps on hitting the snooze button. Despite a very strong supporting cast. A top notch backfield. A Pro-Bowl tight end. Two above average, veteran receivers. The weak link is obviously at QB. Campbell looked horrible last night.
-Not to kick a guy when he’s down, but the Redskins made the playoffs last year because of Todd Collins, not Campbell. The Skins were dead in the water 5-7 when Campbell got hurt. Collins won the final four games and drove them into the postseason. This past off-season, everyone hemmed and hawed about the Vikings, saying they would be a Super Bowl contender with a better QB. Well, how about the Redskins? Their next four games are home against New Orleans, home against the Cardinals, then at Dallas and at Philadelphia. 1-4 is realistic.
-Ahmad Bradshaw will be one of the most highly dropped players heading into week 2. Bradshaw was drafted in every league I am in. Derrick Ward was drafted in none. If Jacobs gets hurt, Bradshaw might turn into the number one guy. But until then, he’s Terry Bradshaw’s illegitimate love child returning kicks.
-When you are down two scores with two minutes left and you call a play that’s a bomb to James Thrash, you’re in deep doo-doo. Seriously, Santana Moss is 5’10 and ridiculously listed as 200 pounds. (must have been with pads and helmet on) He’s the fastest guy on the field. Just keep sending him deep!
-Before the year is out, Brandon Jacobs is going to hit somebody so hard that they mess their pants.
-Jim Zorn has obviously never been a head coach before--at any level. Maybe he’ll do better during day games when he can use the sun for clock management.
-Have you ever tried to explain fantasy football to your son or daughter? I was trying to tell my daughter how it’s okay for Brandon Jacobs to get lots of rushing yards, but at the same time, have the rest of the Giants dislocate their kneecaps.
“But daddy, you said the Giants are evil.”
“Yes, sweetie. I’m glad you were listening. They are all evil except for that guy. He needs to rush for 200 yards and score 3 times.”
Puzzled look ensues.
By the time she is 12, she’ll be the Doogie Howser of fantasy sports. I wonder if she can get a scholarship for that?
-I know the Giants won, but if you are a fan, you couldn’t have really liked what you saw out of Eli. He looked less like the guy who won the Super Bowl and more like the guy who has a career passer rating of 73.4 in the regular season.
-Plaxico went a lot lower in drafts than he should have, thus proving the old Allen Iverson adage, ‘Practice?’ Plax is a top 10 receiver and if you got him lower than that in your draft, consider yourself lucky.
-Can Ladell Betts file a grievance for lack of use? Derrick Ward 11 touches, Betts 2. What’s wrong with this picture?
-While we’re at it, Chris Cooley might want to start lobbying for Todd Collins….or else he can say bye-bye to that free trip to Hawaii in February.
Friday, August 29, 2008
ONE DOWN, ONE TO GO
I fool myself every year heading into fantasy football drafts. While baseball drafts can be fairly predictable, football drafts always go screwy.
Read all the publications you want. Follow all the mock drafts you want. Compile a list based on ADP (Average Draft Position). No matter what, things will end up going haywire.
I took part in my first money draft this past weekend. As the reigning champ, I had bragging rights over everyone in the room, though based on the outcome of the draft, I don’t expect to make it two in a row.
Like almost all other nowadays, this was a keeper league, with owners allowed to protect two players from their previous year’s lineup. We are also allowed to trade future draft picks. That being the case, I didn’t have a first round pick this year, since I traded it late last season for Brian Westbrook.
The results and my spin on things: (each team’s keepers are listed in parentheses)
Round 1
1-Ziliani-(Marshawn Lynch, Jason Witten)-LaDanian Tomlinson
2-Olivo-(Fred Taylor, Tony Gonzalez)-Brian Westbrook
3-Gray-(David Garrard, Stephen Gostkowski?!?)-Tom Brady
4-Layton-(Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Grant)-Joseph Addai
5-Gartner-(Adrian Peterson, Braylon Edwards)-Tony Romo
6-Blum-(Michael Turner, Wes Welker)-Clinton Portis
7-Swartz-(Phillip Rivers, Shaun McDonald)-Steven Jackson
8-Babrisky-(Eli Manning, Jamal Lewis)-Randy Moss
9-Gartner-Maurice Jones Drew
10-Blum-Terrell Owens
As you can see, right out of the shoot, craziness ensued. Gray kept hollering that he didn’t want to take Addai at 3, but nobody believed him. He shocked the world and took Brady, making his keeper Garrard completely useless. I can’t even comment on the fact that he protected a kicker….it would be too easy.
Romo at 5 was another shock, considering a pairing of S-Jax and Peterson (the good one) would have been amazing. Also, Romo could have been had with his second first round pick at number 9, considering teams 7 and 8 already had quarterbacks protected. You need to look at these things Tom!
Portis going before Jackson was another surprise. I was afraid I would be stuck taking Portis with my first pick at 12…luckily, that didn’t come to be. Did I mention I hate Clinton Portis?
And then there is MJD. The touchdowns are nice, but taking a timeshare RB with the 9th overall pick…I just can’t give it my stamp of approval.
Round 2
11-Ziliani-Reggie Wayne
12-Me-(Matt Hasselback, Jeremy Shockey)-Marion Barber
13-Babrisky-Frank Gore
14-Swartz-Peyton Manning
15-Gartner-Larry Fitzgerald
16-Blum-Drew Brees
17-Layton-Marques Colston
18-Gray-Willis McGahee
19-Olivo-Andre Johnson
20-Ziliani-Chad Johnson
I’ll start with my pick….I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found I had a choice of Marion Barber or Frank Gore with the 12th overall pick!!! I end up choosing Barber only because the Dallas offense is SO much better than the Niners. The Boys are going to run Barber into the ground this year…and no, I’m not worried about Felix Jones. Barber is THE MAN and should have gone in the first round.
I worry about Fitzgerald, only because Matt Leinart stinks. When word broke that Kurt Warner was going to be the starter, I thought it was a good pick. Then word came that he’s not starting and that being the case, I would have taken Andre Johnson ahead of Fitz.
Bad news out of Cincy, as Ocho has a worse injury than originally thought. The Ziliani curse rears its ugly head. If you haven’t drafted yet, you might want to stay away from Tomlinson and Reggie Wayne as well. And anybody else listed under Ziliani throughout the rest of this draft. They are doomed.
Round 3
21-Ziliani-Carson Palmer
22-Olivo-TJ Houshmanzadeh
23-Gray-Willie Parker (oy)
24-Layton-Santonio Holmes
25-Blum-Anquan Boldin
26-Gartner-Larry Johnson
27-Blum-Thomas Jones
28-Gray-Plaxico Burress
29-Me-Brandon Jacobs
30-Worek-(Earnest Graham, Roddy White)-Laurence Maroney
Let’s start with Willie Parker….I think he’s a good guy to take a chance on. But with the 23rd overall pick, you shouldn’t be taking chances, you should be taking sure things.
Holmes is shooting up draft boards and so is Thomas Jones. Holmes I’m cool with, but Jones is a 30 year old RB who scored 2 total touchdowns last year. I know the Jets are better, but WOW. Even money says Leon Washington outperforms Jones this season.
Burress scares me because I could see the Super Bowl hangover really effecting him this season.
I’ve always been a sucker for Brandon Jacobs, mainly because he runs people over instead of running around them and I dig that. Him and I have close to the same dimensions, but I don’t fumble as much. Looking back, I should have gone WR, but I panicked. Still, a RB combo of Jacobs and Barber is alright with me.
Round 4
31-Worek-Torry Holt
32-Olivo-Marvin Harrison
33-Babrisky-Steve Smith
34-Swartz-Selvin Young
35-Gartner-Calvin Johnson
36-Blum-Roy Williams
37-Layton-Lavarneus Coles
38-Gray-Darren McFadden
39-Olivo-Donovan McNabb
40-Ziliani-Edgerrin James
The pizza has arrived and it’s the greasiest stuff I’ve ever seen. Does that stop me from scarfing down 4 slices?
I’d like to call this the round of guys I wouldn’t want anyway. It’s always nice when guys go off the board that you had no intention of going near. 8 of the ten in this round fall into that category.
Holt, Harrison and Smith were top 5 receivers last year and now here they are. Hanging with the Lavarneus Coles’ of the world. Depressing.
If you draft a Denver RB, you are a masochist. Seriously, is there ever a week where you are going to start Selvin Young and feel happy about it?
McFadden and McNabb are the two picks I liked….in fact, I was hoping McNabb would last until my next pick, but no such luck.
Justin Fargas signed a fat extension with the Raiders this offseason and then Al Davis goes and drafts McFadden. Any NFL team looking for a RB will be able to have Fargas in ’09, because he won’t be needed in Oaktown. McFadden is for real. But he still will be sharing categories at the outset, which stinks. Plus, I’ve heard he isn’t as good as people thought anyway. Shhhh.
Round 5
41-Ziliani-Jerricho Cotchery
42-Olivo-Derek Anderson
43-Gray-Anthony Gonzalez
44-Layton-Kevin Smith
45-Blum-Brandon Marshall
46-Blum-Antonio Gates
47-Swartz-Kellen Winslow
48-Babrisky-Matt Forte
49-Me-Greg Jennings
50-Worek-Jonathan Stewart
While round 4 was old guys, round 5 went young.
Ziliani is buying way too much into the Favre hype and reached for Cotchery.
Olivo drafted McNabb at 39 and then turns to Derek Anderson 3 picks later. Confusing.
Gates will finish the season closer to being the 10th best tight end than the 1st. You know what they say about the big toe.
Anthony Gonzalez shouldn’t have even sniffed the 5th round, but when Randy wants somebody, he goes after him. Too many number one receivers still out there to be taking a number 3.
Marshall might end up being the top receiver in the league this year. He’ll triple Gonzalez’s numbers, despite the suspension, which has been reduced to just one game.
I was desparate for a WR and Jennings was the best available. I know his success came with Favre…but he’s a third year receiver who’s improved each of his first two seasons. I can’t see him matching 12 TD’s, but I think he’ll see a bump in yardage.
I’d rather have Kevin Jones than Matt Forte.
Round 6
51-Worek-Jay Cutler
52-Me-Hines Ward
53-Babrisky-Reggie Bush
54-Swartz-Lee Evans
55-Gartner-Dwayne Bowe
56-Blum-Chris Cooley
57-Layton-Dallas Clark
58-Gray-Santana Moss
59-Olivo-Rudi Johnson
60-Ziliani-Nate Burleson
I’m disgusted with myself for taking Hines Ward. Let me just say that off the bat. But Pittsburgh is going to throw a lot….and Ward had 71 catches last year despite missing 3 and a half games. (I’m trying to convince myself it was a good pick)
Then comes Evans and Bowe. At least Hines has a real QB throwing him the ball.
The guy I should have taken was Santana Moss, who is going to be playing in a perfect scheme for his skill set.
The last two picks of the round don’t even warrant a comment.
Round 7
61-Ziliani-Brett Favre
62-Olivo-Chris Chambers
63-Gray-Joey Galloway
64-Layton-Bernard Berrian
65-Blum-Vikings D/ST
66-Gartner-Cowboys D/ST
67-Swartz-Reggie Brown
68-Babrisky-Ted Ginn
69-Me-Patrick Crayton
70-Worek-Lendale White
It was about the time of the Nate Burleson pick last round that I had to pay the piper for those four slices of pizza and five cups of coke. Needless to say, the bathroom at the Hamilton PBA Hall will never be the same again.
Here’s the funny thing. On the clock was Ziliani, in his newly minted, ‘hey look at me, I’m a frontrunner’, Brett Favre NY Jets jersey. It still smelled like Walmart. When I went into the men’s room, he was on the clock. When I came out, 10 minutes later, he was finally making his choice……Favre!!
If it takes you ten minutes to decide whether or not to draft the guy whose jersey you are wearing, something is amiss.
Round 7 should be called the round of average receivers. Chambers, Galloway, Berrian, Brown….they are all guys who end up starting for you, but you aren’t happy about it.
Maybe I was brainwashed by Hard Knocks, but I think Crayton makes the leap this year. His final numbers will be a lot closer to TO’s than people expect. You’ve been warned!
I liked Lendale White better when he was on ‘The Wire.’
Round 8
71-Worek-Heath Miller
72-Me-Ronnie Brown
73-Babrisky-Vernon Davis
74-Swartz-Reggie Williams
75-Gartner-DeAngelo Williams
76-Blum-Aaron Rodgers
77-Layton-Chris Johnson
78-Gray-Tony Scheffler
79-Olivo-Ahmad Bradshaw
80-Ziliani-Derrick Mason
I’ve got to be happy swiping Ronnie Brown in the 8th round, right?
This is about the time for you to be taking some chances and some owners did. Chris Johnson looks good in Tennessee.
Olivo is a Giants fan and he scared me when he took Bradshaw this early. Considering I have Jacobs, I’m hoping Bradshaw is an afterthought. Does the G-Men fan know something I don’t or is he just sickened by the fact that he owns both McNabb and Westbrook? Let’s hope he just felt the need to get some Big Blue blood on his squad.
I would also like to start a drive to ban Derrick Mason from all future fantasy football drafts….I hate him that much. At least he’s on the team of a guy in my division.
Round 9
81-Ziliani-Rashard Mendenhall
82-Olivo-Donte Stallworth
83-Gray-Jake Delhomme
84-Layton-Jason Campbell
85-Blum-Matt Leinart
86-Gartner-Matt Schaub
87-Swartz-Dominic Rhodes
88-Babrisky-Donald Driver
89-Me-Marc Bulger
90-Worek-Vincent Jackson
It’s the attack of the mediocre to below average quarterbacks!!
Gray was actually giddy when Delhomme ‘fell’ to him. Seriously….Jake has had reconstructive elbow surgery and he’s throwing to Muhshin Muhammed. Steve Smith is overrated.
Donald Driver was ‘that’ guy. All the rankings had him going much higher, but he just kept on falling. Like that last guy in the green room at the NFL draft. I started to feel sad for him.
Vincent Jackson….breakout candidate or perennial tease? You decide.
Round 10
91-Worek-Seahawks
92-Me-Kurt Warner
93-Babrisky-Chris Perry
94-Swartz-Jerry Porter
95-Gartner-Owen Daniels
96-Blum-Jaquars
97-Layton-Packers
98-Gray-Kevin Curtis
99-Olivo-Chargers
100-Ziliani-Patriots
News broke seconds before my selection that Warner would be the starter in Arizona. Sometimes, the internet is a bad thing.
Chris Perry is a tremendous pick in round 10, since he’ll be starting as long as he is healthy and Cincy always seems to supply it’s RB’s with scoring opportunities.
I heard Worek say the Seahawks, but I didn’t really believe it….until he put the sticker on the board. If you are missing picks in rounds 1 and 2, you can’t be taking a mediocre defense in round 10.
Pick 100 and I finally like a selection from Ziliani. The Pats schedule is cake and their defense gives you a ton of big plays. I’d definitely take them over GB, Seattle and the Cowboys.
Round 11
101-Ziliani-Jon Kitna
102-Olivo-Jeff Garcia
103-Gray-Deuce McAllister
104-Layton-Ben Utecht
105-Blum-Rob Bironas
106-Gartner-Jamarcus Russell
107-Swartz-Leon Washington
108-Babrisky-Justin Gage
109-Me-DJ Hackett
110-Worek-Nick Folk
Look at this motley crew of draft picks. Tell me one guy out of this 10 that you would come away saying you were excited to have on your team.
For some reason the Justin Gage selection resounded in a chorus of ‘ooh, nice pick.’ And they sounded serious.
With his 9th selection Worek takes a kicker to go along with his lousy D/ST.
DJ Hackett has had the label of breakout guy since I was in grade school. Maybe this year. Yeah, maybe this year.
Jamarcus Russell can throw a football 50 yards from his knees. He can also eat 50 yards worth of Italian hoagie in 10 minutes flat.
Round 12
111-Worek-Robert Meacham
112-Me-Bears
113-Babrisky-Kyle Orton
114-Swartz-Randy McMichael
115-Gartner-Adam Vinatieri
116-Gartner-LJ Smith
117-Layton-James Hardy
118-Gray-Donald Lee
119-Olivo-Todd Heap
120-Ziliani-Zach Miller
Hate to pick on Worek, but his last three picks have been Seattle, Nick Folk and Robert Meacham.
Remember the last two year, when people were selecting the Bears D/ST in like the 4th round? Now, suddenly, they are the 8th best? Last time I checked, Devin Hester was still on the team. As was Brian Urlacher.
Now James Hardy….that’s the kind of pick I like to see. Not some old retread who really has no chance of doing anything out of the ordinary (see DJ Hackett), but a young guy who might go for 1000 yards. He might also go for 250 yards on 12 catches. But I like the forward thinking. Nick pick Layton.
That’s a whole lot of lousy TE going in round 12. Sandwiched around the worst beard in the NFL, Kyle Orton. Moving on.
Round 13
121-Ziliani-Nate Kaeding
122-Olivo-Mason Crosby
123-Gray-Colts
124-Layton-Robbie Gould
125-Blum-Shayne Graham
126-Gartner-Eagles
127-Swartz-Ravens
128-Babrisky-Vince Young
129-Me-Antonio Bryant
130-Worek-Devin Hester
Back to back QB picks by Babrisky. Kyle Orton followed by Vince Young. Anybody with a QB to spare, I’ve got Babrisky’s number for you.
Kicker run!!!! Never a good time.
I love me some Antonio Bryant. Think Reggie Wayne, with not as good hands, a gay quarterback, and a big mouth. Which kind of makes them a match made in heaven. Seriously, Bryant can have a big year.
Round 14
131-Worek-Trent Edwards
132-Me-Josh Brown
133-Babrisky-Neil Rackers
134-Swartz-Ryan Longwell
135-Gartner-Sidney Rice
136-Layton-Chad Pennington
137-Gray-David Akers
138-Olivo-Giants
139-Ziliani-Josh Scobee
Before you persecute me, I took a kicker before my last RB because I was the only team left who needed an RB, thus I knew I had my choice later on.
Remember how many points Jeff Wilkins used to put up? Well, Josh Brown is a lot better than him and that was while kicking in Sasquatch Territory.
The Sidney Rice pick drew some ooh’s, but I’ve got better hands than him.
David Akers was 1-10 on FG’s over 40 yards last year. I love the guy, but he’s cooked. Shouldn’t even be drafted.
Round 15
140-Ziliani-Bills
141-Olivo-Kris Brown
142-Gray-Buccaneers
143-Layton-Steelers
144-Gartner-Mike Nugent
145-Swartz-Jim Sorgi
146-Babrisky-Kevin Boss
147-Me-Alge Crumpler
148-Worek-Troy Smith
Get your QB’s early or else you’ll be stuck with the Troy Smith’s and Kyle Orton’s of the world. Just a warning.
Alge Crumpler, if he can stay on the field, will have a top 10 year. The system in Nashville floods the tight end with balls and Alge can catch. He just can’t run that much anymore.
Round 16
149-Worek-Greg Olsen
150-Me-Raiders
151-Babrisky-Texans
152-Swartz-Jason Hanson
153-Layton-Phil Dawson
Round 17
154-Layton-Phil Dawson
155-Swartz-Titans
156-Babrisky-Cardinals
157-Me-Brandon Coutu
158-Worek-Jeff Reed
Round 18
159-Worek-Panthers
160-Me-Felix Jones
161-Babrisky-Matt Stover
Very few players of consequence these last three rounds. I saved Felix Jones for last, even though there were a lot of RB’s still around. Call it my MB3 insurance.
Also, if looking for a sleeper defense, check out the Raiders. They were pretty good already last year and then they added Gibril Wilson and DeAngelo Hall this offseason. You could do a lot worse as many of these draftees have pointed out.
In the end, my roster looks like this:
QB1-Matt Hasselback
QB2-Marc Bulger
QB3-Kurt Warner
RB1-Marion Barber III
RB2-Brandon Jacobs
RB3-Ronnie Brown
RB4-Felix Jones
WR1-Greg Jennings
WR2-Hines Ward
WR3-Patrick Crayton
WR4-DJ Hackett
WR5-Antonio Bryant
TE1-Jeremy Shockey
TE2-Alge Crumpler
K1-Josh Brown
K2-Brandon Coutou
D1-Bears
D2-Raiders
Yeah, it stinks, I know. But who won it all last year? That’s what I thought.
Read all the publications you want. Follow all the mock drafts you want. Compile a list based on ADP (Average Draft Position). No matter what, things will end up going haywire.
I took part in my first money draft this past weekend. As the reigning champ, I had bragging rights over everyone in the room, though based on the outcome of the draft, I don’t expect to make it two in a row.
Like almost all other nowadays, this was a keeper league, with owners allowed to protect two players from their previous year’s lineup. We are also allowed to trade future draft picks. That being the case, I didn’t have a first round pick this year, since I traded it late last season for Brian Westbrook.
The results and my spin on things: (each team’s keepers are listed in parentheses)
Round 1
1-Ziliani-(Marshawn Lynch, Jason Witten)-LaDanian Tomlinson
2-Olivo-(Fred Taylor, Tony Gonzalez)-Brian Westbrook
3-Gray-(David Garrard, Stephen Gostkowski?!?)-Tom Brady
4-Layton-(Ben Roethlisberger, Ryan Grant)-Joseph Addai
5-Gartner-(Adrian Peterson, Braylon Edwards)-Tony Romo
6-Blum-(Michael Turner, Wes Welker)-Clinton Portis
7-Swartz-(Phillip Rivers, Shaun McDonald)-Steven Jackson
8-Babrisky-(Eli Manning, Jamal Lewis)-Randy Moss
9-Gartner-Maurice Jones Drew
10-Blum-Terrell Owens
As you can see, right out of the shoot, craziness ensued. Gray kept hollering that he didn’t want to take Addai at 3, but nobody believed him. He shocked the world and took Brady, making his keeper Garrard completely useless. I can’t even comment on the fact that he protected a kicker….it would be too easy.
Romo at 5 was another shock, considering a pairing of S-Jax and Peterson (the good one) would have been amazing. Also, Romo could have been had with his second first round pick at number 9, considering teams 7 and 8 already had quarterbacks protected. You need to look at these things Tom!
Portis going before Jackson was another surprise. I was afraid I would be stuck taking Portis with my first pick at 12…luckily, that didn’t come to be. Did I mention I hate Clinton Portis?
And then there is MJD. The touchdowns are nice, but taking a timeshare RB with the 9th overall pick…I just can’t give it my stamp of approval.
Round 2
11-Ziliani-Reggie Wayne
12-Me-(Matt Hasselback, Jeremy Shockey)-Marion Barber
13-Babrisky-Frank Gore
14-Swartz-Peyton Manning
15-Gartner-Larry Fitzgerald
16-Blum-Drew Brees
17-Layton-Marques Colston
18-Gray-Willis McGahee
19-Olivo-Andre Johnson
20-Ziliani-Chad Johnson
I’ll start with my pick….I couldn’t believe my eyes when I found I had a choice of Marion Barber or Frank Gore with the 12th overall pick!!! I end up choosing Barber only because the Dallas offense is SO much better than the Niners. The Boys are going to run Barber into the ground this year…and no, I’m not worried about Felix Jones. Barber is THE MAN and should have gone in the first round.
I worry about Fitzgerald, only because Matt Leinart stinks. When word broke that Kurt Warner was going to be the starter, I thought it was a good pick. Then word came that he’s not starting and that being the case, I would have taken Andre Johnson ahead of Fitz.
Bad news out of Cincy, as Ocho has a worse injury than originally thought. The Ziliani curse rears its ugly head. If you haven’t drafted yet, you might want to stay away from Tomlinson and Reggie Wayne as well. And anybody else listed under Ziliani throughout the rest of this draft. They are doomed.
Round 3
21-Ziliani-Carson Palmer
22-Olivo-TJ Houshmanzadeh
23-Gray-Willie Parker (oy)
24-Layton-Santonio Holmes
25-Blum-Anquan Boldin
26-Gartner-Larry Johnson
27-Blum-Thomas Jones
28-Gray-Plaxico Burress
29-Me-Brandon Jacobs
30-Worek-(Earnest Graham, Roddy White)-Laurence Maroney
Let’s start with Willie Parker….I think he’s a good guy to take a chance on. But with the 23rd overall pick, you shouldn’t be taking chances, you should be taking sure things.
Holmes is shooting up draft boards and so is Thomas Jones. Holmes I’m cool with, but Jones is a 30 year old RB who scored 2 total touchdowns last year. I know the Jets are better, but WOW. Even money says Leon Washington outperforms Jones this season.
Burress scares me because I could see the Super Bowl hangover really effecting him this season.
I’ve always been a sucker for Brandon Jacobs, mainly because he runs people over instead of running around them and I dig that. Him and I have close to the same dimensions, but I don’t fumble as much. Looking back, I should have gone WR, but I panicked. Still, a RB combo of Jacobs and Barber is alright with me.
Round 4
31-Worek-Torry Holt
32-Olivo-Marvin Harrison
33-Babrisky-Steve Smith
34-Swartz-Selvin Young
35-Gartner-Calvin Johnson
36-Blum-Roy Williams
37-Layton-Lavarneus Coles
38-Gray-Darren McFadden
39-Olivo-Donovan McNabb
40-Ziliani-Edgerrin James
The pizza has arrived and it’s the greasiest stuff I’ve ever seen. Does that stop me from scarfing down 4 slices?
I’d like to call this the round of guys I wouldn’t want anyway. It’s always nice when guys go off the board that you had no intention of going near. 8 of the ten in this round fall into that category.
Holt, Harrison and Smith were top 5 receivers last year and now here they are. Hanging with the Lavarneus Coles’ of the world. Depressing.
If you draft a Denver RB, you are a masochist. Seriously, is there ever a week where you are going to start Selvin Young and feel happy about it?
McFadden and McNabb are the two picks I liked….in fact, I was hoping McNabb would last until my next pick, but no such luck.
Justin Fargas signed a fat extension with the Raiders this offseason and then Al Davis goes and drafts McFadden. Any NFL team looking for a RB will be able to have Fargas in ’09, because he won’t be needed in Oaktown. McFadden is for real. But he still will be sharing categories at the outset, which stinks. Plus, I’ve heard he isn’t as good as people thought anyway. Shhhh.
Round 5
41-Ziliani-Jerricho Cotchery
42-Olivo-Derek Anderson
43-Gray-Anthony Gonzalez
44-Layton-Kevin Smith
45-Blum-Brandon Marshall
46-Blum-Antonio Gates
47-Swartz-Kellen Winslow
48-Babrisky-Matt Forte
49-Me-Greg Jennings
50-Worek-Jonathan Stewart
While round 4 was old guys, round 5 went young.
Ziliani is buying way too much into the Favre hype and reached for Cotchery.
Olivo drafted McNabb at 39 and then turns to Derek Anderson 3 picks later. Confusing.
Gates will finish the season closer to being the 10th best tight end than the 1st. You know what they say about the big toe.
Anthony Gonzalez shouldn’t have even sniffed the 5th round, but when Randy wants somebody, he goes after him. Too many number one receivers still out there to be taking a number 3.
Marshall might end up being the top receiver in the league this year. He’ll triple Gonzalez’s numbers, despite the suspension, which has been reduced to just one game.
I was desparate for a WR and Jennings was the best available. I know his success came with Favre…but he’s a third year receiver who’s improved each of his first two seasons. I can’t see him matching 12 TD’s, but I think he’ll see a bump in yardage.
I’d rather have Kevin Jones than Matt Forte.
Round 6
51-Worek-Jay Cutler
52-Me-Hines Ward
53-Babrisky-Reggie Bush
54-Swartz-Lee Evans
55-Gartner-Dwayne Bowe
56-Blum-Chris Cooley
57-Layton-Dallas Clark
58-Gray-Santana Moss
59-Olivo-Rudi Johnson
60-Ziliani-Nate Burleson
I’m disgusted with myself for taking Hines Ward. Let me just say that off the bat. But Pittsburgh is going to throw a lot….and Ward had 71 catches last year despite missing 3 and a half games. (I’m trying to convince myself it was a good pick)
Then comes Evans and Bowe. At least Hines has a real QB throwing him the ball.
The guy I should have taken was Santana Moss, who is going to be playing in a perfect scheme for his skill set.
The last two picks of the round don’t even warrant a comment.
Round 7
61-Ziliani-Brett Favre
62-Olivo-Chris Chambers
63-Gray-Joey Galloway
64-Layton-Bernard Berrian
65-Blum-Vikings D/ST
66-Gartner-Cowboys D/ST
67-Swartz-Reggie Brown
68-Babrisky-Ted Ginn
69-Me-Patrick Crayton
70-Worek-Lendale White
It was about the time of the Nate Burleson pick last round that I had to pay the piper for those four slices of pizza and five cups of coke. Needless to say, the bathroom at the Hamilton PBA Hall will never be the same again.
Here’s the funny thing. On the clock was Ziliani, in his newly minted, ‘hey look at me, I’m a frontrunner’, Brett Favre NY Jets jersey. It still smelled like Walmart. When I went into the men’s room, he was on the clock. When I came out, 10 minutes later, he was finally making his choice……Favre!!
If it takes you ten minutes to decide whether or not to draft the guy whose jersey you are wearing, something is amiss.
Round 7 should be called the round of average receivers. Chambers, Galloway, Berrian, Brown….they are all guys who end up starting for you, but you aren’t happy about it.
Maybe I was brainwashed by Hard Knocks, but I think Crayton makes the leap this year. His final numbers will be a lot closer to TO’s than people expect. You’ve been warned!
I liked Lendale White better when he was on ‘The Wire.’
Round 8
71-Worek-Heath Miller
72-Me-Ronnie Brown
73-Babrisky-Vernon Davis
74-Swartz-Reggie Williams
75-Gartner-DeAngelo Williams
76-Blum-Aaron Rodgers
77-Layton-Chris Johnson
78-Gray-Tony Scheffler
79-Olivo-Ahmad Bradshaw
80-Ziliani-Derrick Mason
I’ve got to be happy swiping Ronnie Brown in the 8th round, right?
This is about the time for you to be taking some chances and some owners did. Chris Johnson looks good in Tennessee.
Olivo is a Giants fan and he scared me when he took Bradshaw this early. Considering I have Jacobs, I’m hoping Bradshaw is an afterthought. Does the G-Men fan know something I don’t or is he just sickened by the fact that he owns both McNabb and Westbrook? Let’s hope he just felt the need to get some Big Blue blood on his squad.
I would also like to start a drive to ban Derrick Mason from all future fantasy football drafts….I hate him that much. At least he’s on the team of a guy in my division.
Round 9
81-Ziliani-Rashard Mendenhall
82-Olivo-Donte Stallworth
83-Gray-Jake Delhomme
84-Layton-Jason Campbell
85-Blum-Matt Leinart
86-Gartner-Matt Schaub
87-Swartz-Dominic Rhodes
88-Babrisky-Donald Driver
89-Me-Marc Bulger
90-Worek-Vincent Jackson
It’s the attack of the mediocre to below average quarterbacks!!
Gray was actually giddy when Delhomme ‘fell’ to him. Seriously….Jake has had reconstructive elbow surgery and he’s throwing to Muhshin Muhammed. Steve Smith is overrated.
Donald Driver was ‘that’ guy. All the rankings had him going much higher, but he just kept on falling. Like that last guy in the green room at the NFL draft. I started to feel sad for him.
Vincent Jackson….breakout candidate or perennial tease? You decide.
Round 10
91-Worek-Seahawks
92-Me-Kurt Warner
93-Babrisky-Chris Perry
94-Swartz-Jerry Porter
95-Gartner-Owen Daniels
96-Blum-Jaquars
97-Layton-Packers
98-Gray-Kevin Curtis
99-Olivo-Chargers
100-Ziliani-Patriots
News broke seconds before my selection that Warner would be the starter in Arizona. Sometimes, the internet is a bad thing.
Chris Perry is a tremendous pick in round 10, since he’ll be starting as long as he is healthy and Cincy always seems to supply it’s RB’s with scoring opportunities.
I heard Worek say the Seahawks, but I didn’t really believe it….until he put the sticker on the board. If you are missing picks in rounds 1 and 2, you can’t be taking a mediocre defense in round 10.
Pick 100 and I finally like a selection from Ziliani. The Pats schedule is cake and their defense gives you a ton of big plays. I’d definitely take them over GB, Seattle and the Cowboys.
Round 11
101-Ziliani-Jon Kitna
102-Olivo-Jeff Garcia
103-Gray-Deuce McAllister
104-Layton-Ben Utecht
105-Blum-Rob Bironas
106-Gartner-Jamarcus Russell
107-Swartz-Leon Washington
108-Babrisky-Justin Gage
109-Me-DJ Hackett
110-Worek-Nick Folk
Look at this motley crew of draft picks. Tell me one guy out of this 10 that you would come away saying you were excited to have on your team.
For some reason the Justin Gage selection resounded in a chorus of ‘ooh, nice pick.’ And they sounded serious.
With his 9th selection Worek takes a kicker to go along with his lousy D/ST.
DJ Hackett has had the label of breakout guy since I was in grade school. Maybe this year. Yeah, maybe this year.
Jamarcus Russell can throw a football 50 yards from his knees. He can also eat 50 yards worth of Italian hoagie in 10 minutes flat.
Round 12
111-Worek-Robert Meacham
112-Me-Bears
113-Babrisky-Kyle Orton
114-Swartz-Randy McMichael
115-Gartner-Adam Vinatieri
116-Gartner-LJ Smith
117-Layton-James Hardy
118-Gray-Donald Lee
119-Olivo-Todd Heap
120-Ziliani-Zach Miller
Hate to pick on Worek, but his last three picks have been Seattle, Nick Folk and Robert Meacham.
Remember the last two year, when people were selecting the Bears D/ST in like the 4th round? Now, suddenly, they are the 8th best? Last time I checked, Devin Hester was still on the team. As was Brian Urlacher.
Now James Hardy….that’s the kind of pick I like to see. Not some old retread who really has no chance of doing anything out of the ordinary (see DJ Hackett), but a young guy who might go for 1000 yards. He might also go for 250 yards on 12 catches. But I like the forward thinking. Nick pick Layton.
That’s a whole lot of lousy TE going in round 12. Sandwiched around the worst beard in the NFL, Kyle Orton. Moving on.
Round 13
121-Ziliani-Nate Kaeding
122-Olivo-Mason Crosby
123-Gray-Colts
124-Layton-Robbie Gould
125-Blum-Shayne Graham
126-Gartner-Eagles
127-Swartz-Ravens
128-Babrisky-Vince Young
129-Me-Antonio Bryant
130-Worek-Devin Hester
Back to back QB picks by Babrisky. Kyle Orton followed by Vince Young. Anybody with a QB to spare, I’ve got Babrisky’s number for you.
Kicker run!!!! Never a good time.
I love me some Antonio Bryant. Think Reggie Wayne, with not as good hands, a gay quarterback, and a big mouth. Which kind of makes them a match made in heaven. Seriously, Bryant can have a big year.
Round 14
131-Worek-Trent Edwards
132-Me-Josh Brown
133-Babrisky-Neil Rackers
134-Swartz-Ryan Longwell
135-Gartner-Sidney Rice
136-Layton-Chad Pennington
137-Gray-David Akers
138-Olivo-Giants
139-Ziliani-Josh Scobee
Before you persecute me, I took a kicker before my last RB because I was the only team left who needed an RB, thus I knew I had my choice later on.
Remember how many points Jeff Wilkins used to put up? Well, Josh Brown is a lot better than him and that was while kicking in Sasquatch Territory.
The Sidney Rice pick drew some ooh’s, but I’ve got better hands than him.
David Akers was 1-10 on FG’s over 40 yards last year. I love the guy, but he’s cooked. Shouldn’t even be drafted.
Round 15
140-Ziliani-Bills
141-Olivo-Kris Brown
142-Gray-Buccaneers
143-Layton-Steelers
144-Gartner-Mike Nugent
145-Swartz-Jim Sorgi
146-Babrisky-Kevin Boss
147-Me-Alge Crumpler
148-Worek-Troy Smith
Get your QB’s early or else you’ll be stuck with the Troy Smith’s and Kyle Orton’s of the world. Just a warning.
Alge Crumpler, if he can stay on the field, will have a top 10 year. The system in Nashville floods the tight end with balls and Alge can catch. He just can’t run that much anymore.
Round 16
149-Worek-Greg Olsen
150-Me-Raiders
151-Babrisky-Texans
152-Swartz-Jason Hanson
153-Layton-Phil Dawson
Round 17
154-Layton-Phil Dawson
155-Swartz-Titans
156-Babrisky-Cardinals
157-Me-Brandon Coutu
158-Worek-Jeff Reed
Round 18
159-Worek-Panthers
160-Me-Felix Jones
161-Babrisky-Matt Stover
Very few players of consequence these last three rounds. I saved Felix Jones for last, even though there were a lot of RB’s still around. Call it my MB3 insurance.
Also, if looking for a sleeper defense, check out the Raiders. They were pretty good already last year and then they added Gibril Wilson and DeAngelo Hall this offseason. You could do a lot worse as many of these draftees have pointed out.
In the end, my roster looks like this:
QB1-Matt Hasselback
QB2-Marc Bulger
QB3-Kurt Warner
RB1-Marion Barber III
RB2-Brandon Jacobs
RB3-Ronnie Brown
RB4-Felix Jones
WR1-Greg Jennings
WR2-Hines Ward
WR3-Patrick Crayton
WR4-DJ Hackett
WR5-Antonio Bryant
TE1-Jeremy Shockey
TE2-Alge Crumpler
K1-Josh Brown
K2-Brandon Coutou
D1-Bears
D2-Raiders
Yeah, it stinks, I know. But who won it all last year? That’s what I thought.
Friday, August 22, 2008
YEA OR NAY FOR AUGUST 22ND
I’ve always had a hard time preparing for fantasy football drafts, thanks in part to fantasy baseball.
After working and slaving over your baseball rosters for nearly five months, I’m always blown away by how many people simply drop out to focus on football. I love the NFL as much as anyone, but I can’t let that hard work go to waste…and my football teams are the ones who suffer for it.
But this year, I’m rededicating myself. My baseball squads are in pretty good order, all three in money contention. So I’ve been putting a little extra time into football, trying to come out ahead, instead of having to play from behind.
This week’s yea or nay will include words of wisdom from both baseball and football...remember, if you’re going to watch any preseason football, do it this weekend, when you’ll get the most bang for your buck. There are a ton of position battles still to be determined and this will likely be the weekend guys separate themselves.
YEA: Let’s start with last night’s Bears-49ers game. Yea to Kevin Jones. I know Matt Forte got the bulk of carries (11-4), but I believe Jones will be the guy, as long as he proves to be healthy. The fact that he is back in the lineup and broke a 34 yarder last night makes me take him before I would Forte. Forte might open the year as the starter, but Jones will end up with better numbers.
YEA: To Michael Bradley. I think he’ll step in and put up similar numbers to what Bernard Berrian did in his last two years in Chicago. Despite all the criticism, Kyle Orton wins games and Bradley will be his go to guy.
NAY: To Frank Gore. The truth of the matter is, Mike Martz cannot make every running back he coaches Marshall Faulk. His track record over the past couple years proves that. I like the fact that Gore is ‘THE MAN’ in the Niners running game, but I would still take Marshawn Lynch, Marion Barber and Clinton Portis before him.
NAY: To Vernon Davis. His one catch last night should have been overturned, since he didn’t have both feet in AND he didn’t have control of the ball. We haven’t seen the breakout yet and I doubt we will this season either.
YEA: To Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in the world.
NAY: To Michael Phelps, the worlds greatest athlete. That’s just stupid, people. He’s a swimmer. If my 7 year old daughter can do it, than you can’t be called the best athlete in the world.
YEA: To Carl Pavano. Despite all his best efforts, the Yankees are tossing him out there tomorrow against the Orioles. He’s got one month left on his 4 year, 40 million dollar contract and this will be just his 21st start. What makes me smile even more is picturing him signing a one year contract with the Red Sox and then winning 18 games for them next year.
NAY: To an MLB postseason without either the Sox or the Yanks. THAT HASN’T HAPPENED SINCE 1993!!!!
YEA: To Brett Myers. I’m as amazed as anyone that he was able to figure things out, but he has. But I still don’t think the Phils will catch the Mets, unfortunately.
NAY: To the Nationals. I watched this team play three straight nights this week and I feel dirty for doing so. This might be the most boring, impotent team ever created. Ryan Zimmerman hasn’t hit a home run since May. Jesus Flores leads the team with (get ready for this)…..54 RBI. As a team, they’ve stolen 56 bases…or 3 less than Willy Tavares. They actually have Aaron Boone as a contributing player. AARON BOONE!!! And their pitching is no better. If there is one team in all of baseball that is years away from competing, this is it.
YEA: To Matt Schaub finishing the season as a top 10 fantasy QB.
NAY: To the Browns finishing with more than 5 wins. The 2007 Browns were the biggest mirage since Johnny Cueto. My case in point: take a look at their 2007 schedule, where they finished 10-6, just barely missing the playoffs.
Wins: Cincinnati, Baltimore (twice), Miami, St. Louis, Seattle, Houston, NYJets, San Francisco.
Losses: Pittsburgh (twice), Oakland, New England, Arizona, Cincinnati
Of their 10 wins, just one came against a playoff team (Seattle) and the Seahawks are always lousy on the road (3-5 last year). The rest of the wins came against the dregs of the league. The saying goes, to be a high caliber team, you have to win the games that you are supposed to and then win some that you aren’t. The Browns didn’t do that last year…now look at this year’s schedule.
Outside of the six division games (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore)….Dallas, NY Giants, Washington, Jacksonville, Denver, Buffalo, Houston, Indy, Tennessee, Philadelphia.
You find me six wins.
YEA: To the Buffalo Bills. This will be the 2008 version of the last year’s Browns. 10 wins, mark it down.
YEA: To Thomas Jones. He’s going way too late in everybody’s draft, which is a mistake. He’s got no competition, an improved offensive line and an improved quarterback. He should be going before a lot of the guys who are in timeshares (Selvin Young and Earnest Graham, I’m talking to you).
NAY: To Carson Palmer going as the 5th or 6th quarterback off most draft boards. He was super average last year, minus that big game versus Cleveland. I’d take Schaub, McNabb, Garrard and Favre before Palmer.
YEA: To not taking a running back in the first two rounds. If you don’t pick in the top five, I would definitely consider it. What sounds better: a combo of Brady and Wayne or a combo of Portis and Lewis? If there was ever a year to sit back and wait on RB’s, this is it.
NAY: To Larry Fitzgerald. If Matt Leinart is the starter, I think Fitz’s numbers take a dive. Fitz had just 2 touchdowns in the first 8 games last year, which included two starts by Leinart and another two where Kurt Warner started, but couldn’t finish. Once Warner got his feet under him, Larry took off. I just worry, that’s all.
YEA: To Willie Parker on my team. He’s another guy going way too low. Talk up last year’s two touchdowns and then steal Fast Willie in the 4th round.
NAY: To the Mets for bringing Ryan Church back this season, despite the fact he thinks he still plays for the Nationals. Once a guy gets a concussion, it’s like they become magnets for more and you know Church will either run into a wall or get beaned or crash into the catcher on a play at home. Let the guy sit and clear his head until spring.
NAY: To my NL only waiver claim on Casey Kotchman. I could have had Casey Blake, but I opted for Kotchman, who has since gone 0 for Atlanta.
YEA: To Pablo Sandoval. If you are in an NL only league, grab Sandoval now! The crop of catchers is pretty awful, but Sandoval qualifies and he knows how to hit. Would you rather have Nick Hundley?
NAY: To drafting the Chargers as the number one ST/D. Hard to believe one player could make a difference, but if anyone can, it’s Shawn Merriman. If he can’t play, drop the Chargers down a peg.
YEA: To Livan Hernandez. Still pitching, still awful. Hard to believe he’s gotten worse since leaving Minnesota, but so far in Colorado: 2 starts, 8.2 IP, 15 ER, 2 K’s. I know that I am truly horrible, but isn’t it possible I could do better than this?
For those with drafts this weekend, my revised top 20:
1. LaDanian Tomlinson
2. Brian Westbrook
3. Joseph Addai
4. Steven Jackson
5. Adrian Peterson
6. Tom Brady
7. Marshawn Lynch
8. Marion Barber
9. Randy Moss
10. Clinton Portis
11. Tony Romo
12. Terrell Owens
13. Frank Gore
14. Ryan Grant
15. Reggie Wayne
16. Peyton Manning
17. Willis McGahee
18. Andre Johnson
19. Larry Johnson
20. Maurice Jones-Drew
After working and slaving over your baseball rosters for nearly five months, I’m always blown away by how many people simply drop out to focus on football. I love the NFL as much as anyone, but I can’t let that hard work go to waste…and my football teams are the ones who suffer for it.
But this year, I’m rededicating myself. My baseball squads are in pretty good order, all three in money contention. So I’ve been putting a little extra time into football, trying to come out ahead, instead of having to play from behind.
This week’s yea or nay will include words of wisdom from both baseball and football...remember, if you’re going to watch any preseason football, do it this weekend, when you’ll get the most bang for your buck. There are a ton of position battles still to be determined and this will likely be the weekend guys separate themselves.
YEA: Let’s start with last night’s Bears-49ers game. Yea to Kevin Jones. I know Matt Forte got the bulk of carries (11-4), but I believe Jones will be the guy, as long as he proves to be healthy. The fact that he is back in the lineup and broke a 34 yarder last night makes me take him before I would Forte. Forte might open the year as the starter, but Jones will end up with better numbers.
YEA: To Michael Bradley. I think he’ll step in and put up similar numbers to what Bernard Berrian did in his last two years in Chicago. Despite all the criticism, Kyle Orton wins games and Bradley will be his go to guy.
NAY: To Frank Gore. The truth of the matter is, Mike Martz cannot make every running back he coaches Marshall Faulk. His track record over the past couple years proves that. I like the fact that Gore is ‘THE MAN’ in the Niners running game, but I would still take Marshawn Lynch, Marion Barber and Clinton Portis before him.
NAY: To Vernon Davis. His one catch last night should have been overturned, since he didn’t have both feet in AND he didn’t have control of the ball. We haven’t seen the breakout yet and I doubt we will this season either.
YEA: To Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in the world.
NAY: To Michael Phelps, the worlds greatest athlete. That’s just stupid, people. He’s a swimmer. If my 7 year old daughter can do it, than you can’t be called the best athlete in the world.
YEA: To Carl Pavano. Despite all his best efforts, the Yankees are tossing him out there tomorrow against the Orioles. He’s got one month left on his 4 year, 40 million dollar contract and this will be just his 21st start. What makes me smile even more is picturing him signing a one year contract with the Red Sox and then winning 18 games for them next year.
NAY: To an MLB postseason without either the Sox or the Yanks. THAT HASN’T HAPPENED SINCE 1993!!!!
YEA: To Brett Myers. I’m as amazed as anyone that he was able to figure things out, but he has. But I still don’t think the Phils will catch the Mets, unfortunately.
NAY: To the Nationals. I watched this team play three straight nights this week and I feel dirty for doing so. This might be the most boring, impotent team ever created. Ryan Zimmerman hasn’t hit a home run since May. Jesus Flores leads the team with (get ready for this)…..54 RBI. As a team, they’ve stolen 56 bases…or 3 less than Willy Tavares. They actually have Aaron Boone as a contributing player. AARON BOONE!!! And their pitching is no better. If there is one team in all of baseball that is years away from competing, this is it.
YEA: To Matt Schaub finishing the season as a top 10 fantasy QB.
NAY: To the Browns finishing with more than 5 wins. The 2007 Browns were the biggest mirage since Johnny Cueto. My case in point: take a look at their 2007 schedule, where they finished 10-6, just barely missing the playoffs.
Wins: Cincinnati, Baltimore (twice), Miami, St. Louis, Seattle, Houston, NYJets, San Francisco.
Losses: Pittsburgh (twice), Oakland, New England, Arizona, Cincinnati
Of their 10 wins, just one came against a playoff team (Seattle) and the Seahawks are always lousy on the road (3-5 last year). The rest of the wins came against the dregs of the league. The saying goes, to be a high caliber team, you have to win the games that you are supposed to and then win some that you aren’t. The Browns didn’t do that last year…now look at this year’s schedule.
Outside of the six division games (Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Baltimore)….Dallas, NY Giants, Washington, Jacksonville, Denver, Buffalo, Houston, Indy, Tennessee, Philadelphia.
You find me six wins.
YEA: To the Buffalo Bills. This will be the 2008 version of the last year’s Browns. 10 wins, mark it down.
YEA: To Thomas Jones. He’s going way too late in everybody’s draft, which is a mistake. He’s got no competition, an improved offensive line and an improved quarterback. He should be going before a lot of the guys who are in timeshares (Selvin Young and Earnest Graham, I’m talking to you).
NAY: To Carson Palmer going as the 5th or 6th quarterback off most draft boards. He was super average last year, minus that big game versus Cleveland. I’d take Schaub, McNabb, Garrard and Favre before Palmer.
YEA: To not taking a running back in the first two rounds. If you don’t pick in the top five, I would definitely consider it. What sounds better: a combo of Brady and Wayne or a combo of Portis and Lewis? If there was ever a year to sit back and wait on RB’s, this is it.
NAY: To Larry Fitzgerald. If Matt Leinart is the starter, I think Fitz’s numbers take a dive. Fitz had just 2 touchdowns in the first 8 games last year, which included two starts by Leinart and another two where Kurt Warner started, but couldn’t finish. Once Warner got his feet under him, Larry took off. I just worry, that’s all.
YEA: To Willie Parker on my team. He’s another guy going way too low. Talk up last year’s two touchdowns and then steal Fast Willie in the 4th round.
NAY: To the Mets for bringing Ryan Church back this season, despite the fact he thinks he still plays for the Nationals. Once a guy gets a concussion, it’s like they become magnets for more and you know Church will either run into a wall or get beaned or crash into the catcher on a play at home. Let the guy sit and clear his head until spring.
NAY: To my NL only waiver claim on Casey Kotchman. I could have had Casey Blake, but I opted for Kotchman, who has since gone 0 for Atlanta.
YEA: To Pablo Sandoval. If you are in an NL only league, grab Sandoval now! The crop of catchers is pretty awful, but Sandoval qualifies and he knows how to hit. Would you rather have Nick Hundley?
NAY: To drafting the Chargers as the number one ST/D. Hard to believe one player could make a difference, but if anyone can, it’s Shawn Merriman. If he can’t play, drop the Chargers down a peg.
YEA: To Livan Hernandez. Still pitching, still awful. Hard to believe he’s gotten worse since leaving Minnesota, but so far in Colorado: 2 starts, 8.2 IP, 15 ER, 2 K’s. I know that I am truly horrible, but isn’t it possible I could do better than this?
For those with drafts this weekend, my revised top 20:
1. LaDanian Tomlinson
2. Brian Westbrook
3. Joseph Addai
4. Steven Jackson
5. Adrian Peterson
6. Tom Brady
7. Marshawn Lynch
8. Marion Barber
9. Randy Moss
10. Clinton Portis
11. Tony Romo
12. Terrell Owens
13. Frank Gore
14. Ryan Grant
15. Reggie Wayne
16. Peyton Manning
17. Willis McGahee
18. Andre Johnson
19. Larry Johnson
20. Maurice Jones-Drew
Monday, August 18, 2008
BACK FROM THE DEAD
When the summer started, I thought to myself ‘The kids will play outside all day and I’ll be able to write something for the blog 3 or 4 times per week.’
I can’t exactly pinpoint where things went wrong, but since my daughter got off that school bus on the last day of school back in June, I’ve had exactly 27 minutes total to myself. Trust me, I’ve been counting.
In these past two months, I’ve seen my 7 year old daughter begin to show signs of what it will be like when she is a teenager and I’m scared out of my wits. If she can act like this now, I should probably just lock myself in the bathroom the day she turns 13.
My 4 year old son has turned from a tyke into a boy, as he has gone from Thomas the Tank Engine and Diego to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It’s nice watching Empire over the Wonderpets, but today marked the 23rd viewing and Yoda is starting to get on my nerves.
It’s nice to see all the old Star Wars toys coming back into vogue, though. On our last visit to Toys R Us I came across the most recent incarnation of the Millenium Falcon. It’s a lot more fancy than that plastic piece of junk I used to have, but for 160 dollars it had better be. (no, I didn’t buy it…..but I wanted to)
There are about six weeks left in the baseball regular season, so you should definitely know by now if you’ve got a shot to come in the money. If you play head to head, most playoffs begin in a week or two, so get those pitching staffs lined up.
I was going over some stats yesterday and I realized that there are just some ridiculously fluky numbers out there that nobody is mentioning. Just going to show you that nobody can predict nothing.
-Josh Beckett: A top 10 starter coming into the season, Beckett has just 11 wins and an ERA of 4.34. He’s continuing a trend of up in odd number years, down in even numbered. But if he was pitching like he’s capable, the Sox wouldn’t be looking up at the Rays, they’d be looking down.
-BJ Upton and Alex Rios-Last year, these two combined to hit 48 homers. This year, they’ve only got 17 between them. Both were concensus first round picks in AL only and both are stealing bases like crazy. But the bombs just around there like they were expected.
-Justin Verlander-So much for all those predictions of this guy making ‘the leap’. He’s been a nightmare, with an ERA over 4.60 and even a drop in strikeouts. And things don’t seem to be improving, having given up 25 earned runs over his last 5 starts.
-The Twins-I have to put this whole team in this category, because with the trade of Johan Santana, the Twinks were supposed to be rebuilding. Instead, they’ve got a better record than both the Yankees and the Mets, the two teams that led the charge in the Johan sweepstakes. The Mets can’t be disappointed in what their end, because Johan has been as advertised, especially recently. But the fact that the Twins continue to win with their minimal payroll is an amazing testament to their organization. Throw in the fact that they were able to withstand the toilet arm that is Livan Hernandez for 4 months and their current spot atop the AL Central is all the more amazing.
-Jason Kendall-I know the guy stinks at the plate (1 home run in 393 at-bats), but Kendall is an iron man in a league proliferated with candyasses (Milton Bradley, I’m calling you out). Kendall has caught 113 of the Brewers 125 games. Since July, Kendall has missed just two games. He’s a guy who wants to compete and win and a guy everybody should want on their team.
-Brian Giles-And onto the polar opposite of Kendall. Since the league cracked down on steroids and other goodies, Giles has evaporated, in both stats and stature. San Diego tried to move Giles after the waiver deadline and had a deal in place with Boston, but Giles refused to go. Thank god for that, because the last thing the Sox needed was a 37 year old lead footed lefty with no power left to speak of. Plus, it speaks volumes when a guy refuses to move to a squad for two months, when he’s got a chance of getting a World Series ring. I still remember when Rafael Palmeiro refused to leave Texas for the Cubs a few years back. I know you guys love your families and all, but it’s TWO MONTHS! The drive to win is just not with these guys and they deserve to play in places like San Diego and Arlington.
-Melky Cabrera-I’ve been saying for two years now that Cabrera is a waste of space and my Yankee friends have been calling me a bitter Sox fan. Now, Cabrera is in the minors and I am proven right once again. So, you want Johan for Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy? When Twins GM Bill Smith hung up the phone after that conversation, how hard do you think he laughed?
-Randy Johnson-I admit, I gave up on the Unit in my mixed league back in June after he gave up 14 earned runs in a week. But it turns out my original hunch was correct. When he’s healthy, like he is now, he’s a top pitcher in the game. Still, at the age of 44. Since the All-Star break, Johnson is 4-2 with an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP under 1.00. He doesn’t strike out 10 guys a game like he used to, but you can’t complain about the other numbers.
-Ian Stewart-The last time we spoke I mentioned Stewart, who had just been handed the starting third base job. Hopefully you listened, because Stewart is already up to 8-32-.285, in just 147 at bats. Throw in that second base eligibility and you’ve got yourself a strong middle infielder, even in mixed leagues.
-Jensen Lewis-It’s no fun being an Indians fan this year, but they are still worth paying attention to. The closer situation seems like it might have finally found a solution, with hardthrowing Jensen Lewis, who has gotten the last three saves for the Tribe. After a massive rough patch in July, Lewis has gone 8 straight outings without giving up a run and seems to have earned the confidence of manager Eric Wedge. Saves are saves, even in Ohio.
-Trevor Hoffman-And since we are on the topic of saves, the all time saves leader is showing he still has what it takes. Hoffman stunk in the early going, helping to bury the Padres in the NL West. But after having an ERA above 6 back in May, the Hoff is down close to 4 now and the saves are now up to 26. Hoff has more saves than K-Rod in August.
-Wily Tavares-Did you know Wily leads the majors in steals with 58? Me neither. And it’s not even close.
-Jacoby Ellsbury-And on the topic of steals, remember when Ellsbury had 34 steals back in June and he looked like the Native American version of Vince Coleman? I do, because I played against Ellsbury the week he stole 9 bases. Anyway, over the past two months, Ellsbury has stolen a grand total of 4 bags. So much for that.
-Carlos Quentin-He leads the majors in home runs. I’m not kidding. Not bad for a guy who went undrafted in most leagues. If you took a flier on him, chances are you are going to win some money.
-Dan Uggla-He had 23 home runs heading into the break. He’s had just 3 since, including ZERO in all of August. And it’s not just homers that are vanishing. Uggla has driven in just 3 runs this month (all on 8/10) and scored just 6 runs.
-Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista-Looking back, the Erik Bedard trade was bad. The signing of Richie Sexson was terrible. The mega contract given to singles hitter Ichiro was bordering on asinine. But the signing of Carlos Silva might have been the worst move ever made by the old regime in Seattle. 4 years/48 million dollars. For a guy who’s season high for strikeouts was 89 in 202 IP. For a guy who in four years as a starter was 2 games over .500 and had an ERA of 4.42. For a guy who has given up an average of 235 hits per year over the past four years! Year one of that golden parachute has produced a 4-14 record, 6.36 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 59 K’s and 191 hits allowed in just 140 IP. That’s 3 million dollars for each win this season and $203,000 for each guy he struck out.
And let’s not forget about Miguel Batista, who, paired with Silva, could possibly form the worst pair of starters in HISTORY. Batista has somehow been actually worse than Silva. Both have 4 wins and Silva leads in the loss category 14 to 12. But Batista outdoes his mate in ERA and WHIP, with a 6.63 and a 1.92!!! Amazingly, it has taken Batista less than 100 IP to put up these gaudy numbers. Now you know exactly why the M’s sent Brandon Morrow back to the minors to learn how to be a starter.
-Roy Hallday-I admit, I was among the ones who thought Halladay might be on his way out of the elite pitching ranks. After seeing his ERA and WHIP rise significantly the last two years, I thought Doc’s best days might have been behind him. But he’s back this year with a vengeance and he’s a Cliff Lee relapse away from being the Cy Young favorite. 2.64 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 14 wins and 8 complete games. Even the K’s are back up, on pace to crack 200 for just the second time in his career. For those of us who took Bedard and Verlander ahead of Roy are pretty bummed out.
-Jimmy Rollins-We knew it would be impossible to duplicate 2007, but this is getting so out of hand. Even factoring in the lost three weeks due to a sprained ankle, the numbers are worrisome. 30 home runs down to 8. .296 average down to .266. 94 RBI down to 42. And the most amazing: 139 runs down to 56! The steals are still there, 41 down to 31, but it’s the runs scored which made me do a double take. Reyes and Ramirez are holding up their ends of the bargain, but J-Roll seems like he just can’t keep up with the young guys.
-Matt Cain-Hasn’t given up a home run since June 4th. That’s 13 starts. If the Giants could get a lick of hitting and not thrown money down the toilet on guys like Aaron Rowand, they could ride Cain and Tim Lincecum to the top of the NL West. Either way, these two guys are both very young and very phenomenal.
-Randy Winn-Mr. Irrelevant, because nobody ever seems to want him on their squad. But over his last 21 games, Winn is hitting .434, with 13 RBI, 15 runs and 3 SB.
I’ve got to go. Luke just got his hand cut off by Vader. Maybe I can convince him to watch Jedi for a change. Check back later this week for some free fantasy football rankings.
I can’t exactly pinpoint where things went wrong, but since my daughter got off that school bus on the last day of school back in June, I’ve had exactly 27 minutes total to myself. Trust me, I’ve been counting.
In these past two months, I’ve seen my 7 year old daughter begin to show signs of what it will be like when she is a teenager and I’m scared out of my wits. If she can act like this now, I should probably just lock myself in the bathroom the day she turns 13.
My 4 year old son has turned from a tyke into a boy, as he has gone from Thomas the Tank Engine and Diego to Star Wars and Indiana Jones. It’s nice watching Empire over the Wonderpets, but today marked the 23rd viewing and Yoda is starting to get on my nerves.
It’s nice to see all the old Star Wars toys coming back into vogue, though. On our last visit to Toys R Us I came across the most recent incarnation of the Millenium Falcon. It’s a lot more fancy than that plastic piece of junk I used to have, but for 160 dollars it had better be. (no, I didn’t buy it…..but I wanted to)
There are about six weeks left in the baseball regular season, so you should definitely know by now if you’ve got a shot to come in the money. If you play head to head, most playoffs begin in a week or two, so get those pitching staffs lined up.
I was going over some stats yesterday and I realized that there are just some ridiculously fluky numbers out there that nobody is mentioning. Just going to show you that nobody can predict nothing.
-Josh Beckett: A top 10 starter coming into the season, Beckett has just 11 wins and an ERA of 4.34. He’s continuing a trend of up in odd number years, down in even numbered. But if he was pitching like he’s capable, the Sox wouldn’t be looking up at the Rays, they’d be looking down.
-BJ Upton and Alex Rios-Last year, these two combined to hit 48 homers. This year, they’ve only got 17 between them. Both were concensus first round picks in AL only and both are stealing bases like crazy. But the bombs just around there like they were expected.
-Justin Verlander-So much for all those predictions of this guy making ‘the leap’. He’s been a nightmare, with an ERA over 4.60 and even a drop in strikeouts. And things don’t seem to be improving, having given up 25 earned runs over his last 5 starts.
-The Twins-I have to put this whole team in this category, because with the trade of Johan Santana, the Twinks were supposed to be rebuilding. Instead, they’ve got a better record than both the Yankees and the Mets, the two teams that led the charge in the Johan sweepstakes. The Mets can’t be disappointed in what their end, because Johan has been as advertised, especially recently. But the fact that the Twins continue to win with their minimal payroll is an amazing testament to their organization. Throw in the fact that they were able to withstand the toilet arm that is Livan Hernandez for 4 months and their current spot atop the AL Central is all the more amazing.
-Jason Kendall-I know the guy stinks at the plate (1 home run in 393 at-bats), but Kendall is an iron man in a league proliferated with candyasses (Milton Bradley, I’m calling you out). Kendall has caught 113 of the Brewers 125 games. Since July, Kendall has missed just two games. He’s a guy who wants to compete and win and a guy everybody should want on their team.
-Brian Giles-And onto the polar opposite of Kendall. Since the league cracked down on steroids and other goodies, Giles has evaporated, in both stats and stature. San Diego tried to move Giles after the waiver deadline and had a deal in place with Boston, but Giles refused to go. Thank god for that, because the last thing the Sox needed was a 37 year old lead footed lefty with no power left to speak of. Plus, it speaks volumes when a guy refuses to move to a squad for two months, when he’s got a chance of getting a World Series ring. I still remember when Rafael Palmeiro refused to leave Texas for the Cubs a few years back. I know you guys love your families and all, but it’s TWO MONTHS! The drive to win is just not with these guys and they deserve to play in places like San Diego and Arlington.
-Melky Cabrera-I’ve been saying for two years now that Cabrera is a waste of space and my Yankee friends have been calling me a bitter Sox fan. Now, Cabrera is in the minors and I am proven right once again. So, you want Johan for Melky Cabrera and Ian Kennedy? When Twins GM Bill Smith hung up the phone after that conversation, how hard do you think he laughed?
-Randy Johnson-I admit, I gave up on the Unit in my mixed league back in June after he gave up 14 earned runs in a week. But it turns out my original hunch was correct. When he’s healthy, like he is now, he’s a top pitcher in the game. Still, at the age of 44. Since the All-Star break, Johnson is 4-2 with an ERA of 1.56 and a WHIP under 1.00. He doesn’t strike out 10 guys a game like he used to, but you can’t complain about the other numbers.
-Ian Stewart-The last time we spoke I mentioned Stewart, who had just been handed the starting third base job. Hopefully you listened, because Stewart is already up to 8-32-.285, in just 147 at bats. Throw in that second base eligibility and you’ve got yourself a strong middle infielder, even in mixed leagues.
-Jensen Lewis-It’s no fun being an Indians fan this year, but they are still worth paying attention to. The closer situation seems like it might have finally found a solution, with hardthrowing Jensen Lewis, who has gotten the last three saves for the Tribe. After a massive rough patch in July, Lewis has gone 8 straight outings without giving up a run and seems to have earned the confidence of manager Eric Wedge. Saves are saves, even in Ohio.
-Trevor Hoffman-And since we are on the topic of saves, the all time saves leader is showing he still has what it takes. Hoffman stunk in the early going, helping to bury the Padres in the NL West. But after having an ERA above 6 back in May, the Hoff is down close to 4 now and the saves are now up to 26. Hoff has more saves than K-Rod in August.
-Wily Tavares-Did you know Wily leads the majors in steals with 58? Me neither. And it’s not even close.
-Jacoby Ellsbury-And on the topic of steals, remember when Ellsbury had 34 steals back in June and he looked like the Native American version of Vince Coleman? I do, because I played against Ellsbury the week he stole 9 bases. Anyway, over the past two months, Ellsbury has stolen a grand total of 4 bags. So much for that.
-Carlos Quentin-He leads the majors in home runs. I’m not kidding. Not bad for a guy who went undrafted in most leagues. If you took a flier on him, chances are you are going to win some money.
-Dan Uggla-He had 23 home runs heading into the break. He’s had just 3 since, including ZERO in all of August. And it’s not just homers that are vanishing. Uggla has driven in just 3 runs this month (all on 8/10) and scored just 6 runs.
-Carlos Silva and Miguel Batista-Looking back, the Erik Bedard trade was bad. The signing of Richie Sexson was terrible. The mega contract given to singles hitter Ichiro was bordering on asinine. But the signing of Carlos Silva might have been the worst move ever made by the old regime in Seattle. 4 years/48 million dollars. For a guy who’s season high for strikeouts was 89 in 202 IP. For a guy who in four years as a starter was 2 games over .500 and had an ERA of 4.42. For a guy who has given up an average of 235 hits per year over the past four years! Year one of that golden parachute has produced a 4-14 record, 6.36 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 59 K’s and 191 hits allowed in just 140 IP. That’s 3 million dollars for each win this season and $203,000 for each guy he struck out.
And let’s not forget about Miguel Batista, who, paired with Silva, could possibly form the worst pair of starters in HISTORY. Batista has somehow been actually worse than Silva. Both have 4 wins and Silva leads in the loss category 14 to 12. But Batista outdoes his mate in ERA and WHIP, with a 6.63 and a 1.92!!! Amazingly, it has taken Batista less than 100 IP to put up these gaudy numbers. Now you know exactly why the M’s sent Brandon Morrow back to the minors to learn how to be a starter.
-Roy Hallday-I admit, I was among the ones who thought Halladay might be on his way out of the elite pitching ranks. After seeing his ERA and WHIP rise significantly the last two years, I thought Doc’s best days might have been behind him. But he’s back this year with a vengeance and he’s a Cliff Lee relapse away from being the Cy Young favorite. 2.64 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 14 wins and 8 complete games. Even the K’s are back up, on pace to crack 200 for just the second time in his career. For those of us who took Bedard and Verlander ahead of Roy are pretty bummed out.
-Jimmy Rollins-We knew it would be impossible to duplicate 2007, but this is getting so out of hand. Even factoring in the lost three weeks due to a sprained ankle, the numbers are worrisome. 30 home runs down to 8. .296 average down to .266. 94 RBI down to 42. And the most amazing: 139 runs down to 56! The steals are still there, 41 down to 31, but it’s the runs scored which made me do a double take. Reyes and Ramirez are holding up their ends of the bargain, but J-Roll seems like he just can’t keep up with the young guys.
-Matt Cain-Hasn’t given up a home run since June 4th. That’s 13 starts. If the Giants could get a lick of hitting and not thrown money down the toilet on guys like Aaron Rowand, they could ride Cain and Tim Lincecum to the top of the NL West. Either way, these two guys are both very young and very phenomenal.
-Randy Winn-Mr. Irrelevant, because nobody ever seems to want him on their squad. But over his last 21 games, Winn is hitting .434, with 13 RBI, 15 runs and 3 SB.
I’ve got to go. Luke just got his hand cut off by Vader. Maybe I can convince him to watch Jedi for a change. Check back later this week for some free fantasy football rankings.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
YEA OR NAY FOR JULY 24TH
I know this might come across wrong since it is being written by someone who despises the New York Yankees, but can the media please drop all this final year of Yankee Stadium hullabaloo?
It’s nothing but another baseball stadium and the fact that I have to hear about it every single night while watching ESPN makes me sick.
So it’s got a cemetery in centerfield…BIG DEAL. I’ve been to Yankee Stadium and there really isn’t anything special about it.
I can understand Yankee fans wanting all this coverage, but isn’t that what YES is for?
Where’s all the coverage on the last season at Shea? Don’t Mets fans watch ESPN too?
There is still three months worth of baseball to be played in the old house in the Bronx. You want to talk about it over the last couple of weeks? Fine with me.
But it’s only JULY! I may have to chop off my own ears by the time September rolls around if they keep going at their current rate of discussion.
I can see the Sporscenter lead on September 17th….’Who was the greatest groundskeeper in Yankee Stadium history? The PTI guys will debate that in just a few minutes.’
Get over yourselves, Yankee fans. If your stadium was so great, why are they tearing it down?
It reminds me of the old adage…if enough people say something is true, than it must be. There are more Yankee fans than any other team and they are all saying how stupefying this place is. So then everybody else seems to think that must be true and so on.
Well, I’m here to tell you it ain’t. Deal with it.
YEA: To the fact that we can legitimately start to talk football once again. Hallelujah!
YEA: To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I know Pete Rozelle was the guy who made the league what it is today, but Goodell is easily the best current commissioner in all the four major sports. He’s tough, decisive, and won’t take any bull. Goodell knows that this whole Brett Favre fiasco needs to be taken care of immediately, so he told the Packers to somehow, make it right, thus leading the Pack to start pursuing trades. Goodell pushes all the right buttons and will only make the NFL better.
NAY: To the NL West. Remember how terrible the Rockies were earlier this year? Well, they are still in it, thanks to the D-Backs and Dodgers sucking the life out of the sport.
NAY: To the revolting slob that is Andruw Jones. A lot of his struggles were blamed on a bum wheel, which landed him on the DL for a month and a half. July saw his return to action and voila! He still blows: 7 for 42, 0 homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 19 punch-outs.
YEA: From the in case you missed it file…The Rockies have recalled prospect Ian Stewart and have given him the full time gig at third base. And so far, he’s rocking it. Throw in the fact that in many leagues he also qualifies at second base and you’ve got a jewel in the making. Get on board.
YEA: To Robinson Cano. We’ve waited and waited and it seems the All-Star break might have woken his ass up: 12 for 23 since with five straight multi-hit games and two homers. Welcome.
NAY: To the Joe Blanton trade. I know Adrian Cardenas was never going to play in Philly thanks to Chase Utley blocking his way, but how was Blanton the best they could come up with? Is he that much better than JA Happ? Not from the looks of his first start in the NL. It’s nice to see them making an effort to win, but just once, I’d like to see them try to land the real big fish.
YEA: To the Rangers for making the wise decision and not benching rookie Chris Davis. Hank Blalock’s return meant the Rangers had to do something and instead of shipping Davis back to AAA, they told Blalock that he is going to play third base and like it. Davis already has 8 bombs and now knows it’s his job to lose.
YEA: On selling high on Chris Davis; just my opinion.
YEA: To Willie Bloomquist. Every year, Willie plays well in a part time role, never getting a shot to start. By the time the year is up, he ends up stealing a dozen bases, scoring a decent number of runs, based on his limited at-bats. Well, Seattle has decided to start Willie and he’s rewarding fantasy owners. Check this out: since he started playing regularly on June 15th, Willie is 28 for 82 (.341), with 6 steals and 15 runs scored. Sure he doesn’t drive in any runs, but the bonus is he is eligible at 2nd, 3rd, SS and OF. It’s guys like these that help you win in the end.
NAY: To Gary Matthews Jr. Another example of money not well spent. The Angels are stuck with him for a couple more years, but that doesn’t mean they are making the same mistake the Dodgers are with Andruw. Matthews is benched and won’t be starting anytime soon.
YEA: To Juan Rivera, the guy who has taken Matthews’ job. Rivera has always hit when healthy, so he’s worth a look in AL only for sure.
NAY: To Jon Rauch. There has been a lot of talk of current closers who might get traded, but Rauch wasn’t one of them. Surprise! Rauch is pretty much a waste right now, back to being a setup man, unless the wheels come off of Brandon Lyon. Joel Hanrahan has been named Rauch’s replacement in DC, but he has never closed before and he’s on a terrible team. Saves are saves, but caution: flammable.
YEA: To Blue Jays outfielder Adam Lind. He’s been on the radar for a long time now. He tears up AAA and then flames out in the majors. He’s been given another chance and this time he might actually stick. He’s 22 for 58 (.379) in July with 3 homers and 17 RBI.
NAY: While the entire world was out seeing The Dark Knight this past weekend, I was taking in Space Chimps. Kids suck.
YEA: To the WNBA. Did you know that there is a professional basketball league made up entirely of ‘women’? A one on one catfight is awesome. A five on five catfight would be a ratings bonanza. I think the Palace at Auburn Hills must have been built on an ancient Indian burial ground, because it brings out the worst in people.
NAY: To Jose Reyes. The dude is a scumbag and one day, somebody will have the balls to drill him in the head. When it happens, I will be happy.
YEA: To Jorge Posada putting off surgery and coming back to the Yankees. Because god knows, what the Yankees need right now is a beat up, broken down catcher who can only DH and when he does, won’t produce anyway. Good use of a roster spot.
YEA: To those of you who like independent films, check out one called ‘George Washington’. Made in 2000, it has nothing to do with our first President. Airing on IFC this month.
NAY: To draft day dilemmas. I’ll never understand how people can have problems with scheduling when it comes to drafts. It’s three hours of your life, yet it always causes drama. Mainly because guys don’t have the guts to stand up to their wives and tell them they won’t be home to watch the ‘Scrubs’ marathon.
With that being said, my first round of my fantasy football draft would look like this:
1. LaDanian Tomlinson
2. Joseph Addai
3. Brian Westbrook
4. Steven Jackson
5. Tom Brady
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Marion Barber III
8. Randy Moss
9. Ryan Grant
10. Marshawn Lynch
It’s nothing but another baseball stadium and the fact that I have to hear about it every single night while watching ESPN makes me sick.
So it’s got a cemetery in centerfield…BIG DEAL. I’ve been to Yankee Stadium and there really isn’t anything special about it.
I can understand Yankee fans wanting all this coverage, but isn’t that what YES is for?
Where’s all the coverage on the last season at Shea? Don’t Mets fans watch ESPN too?
There is still three months worth of baseball to be played in the old house in the Bronx. You want to talk about it over the last couple of weeks? Fine with me.
But it’s only JULY! I may have to chop off my own ears by the time September rolls around if they keep going at their current rate of discussion.
I can see the Sporscenter lead on September 17th….’Who was the greatest groundskeeper in Yankee Stadium history? The PTI guys will debate that in just a few minutes.’
Get over yourselves, Yankee fans. If your stadium was so great, why are they tearing it down?
It reminds me of the old adage…if enough people say something is true, than it must be. There are more Yankee fans than any other team and they are all saying how stupefying this place is. So then everybody else seems to think that must be true and so on.
Well, I’m here to tell you it ain’t. Deal with it.
YEA: To the fact that we can legitimately start to talk football once again. Hallelujah!
YEA: To NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. I know Pete Rozelle was the guy who made the league what it is today, but Goodell is easily the best current commissioner in all the four major sports. He’s tough, decisive, and won’t take any bull. Goodell knows that this whole Brett Favre fiasco needs to be taken care of immediately, so he told the Packers to somehow, make it right, thus leading the Pack to start pursuing trades. Goodell pushes all the right buttons and will only make the NFL better.
NAY: To the NL West. Remember how terrible the Rockies were earlier this year? Well, they are still in it, thanks to the D-Backs and Dodgers sucking the life out of the sport.
NAY: To the revolting slob that is Andruw Jones. A lot of his struggles were blamed on a bum wheel, which landed him on the DL for a month and a half. July saw his return to action and voila! He still blows: 7 for 42, 0 homers, 4 RBI, 2 runs scored, 19 punch-outs.
YEA: From the in case you missed it file…The Rockies have recalled prospect Ian Stewart and have given him the full time gig at third base. And so far, he’s rocking it. Throw in the fact that in many leagues he also qualifies at second base and you’ve got a jewel in the making. Get on board.
YEA: To Robinson Cano. We’ve waited and waited and it seems the All-Star break might have woken his ass up: 12 for 23 since with five straight multi-hit games and two homers. Welcome.
NAY: To the Joe Blanton trade. I know Adrian Cardenas was never going to play in Philly thanks to Chase Utley blocking his way, but how was Blanton the best they could come up with? Is he that much better than JA Happ? Not from the looks of his first start in the NL. It’s nice to see them making an effort to win, but just once, I’d like to see them try to land the real big fish.
YEA: To the Rangers for making the wise decision and not benching rookie Chris Davis. Hank Blalock’s return meant the Rangers had to do something and instead of shipping Davis back to AAA, they told Blalock that he is going to play third base and like it. Davis already has 8 bombs and now knows it’s his job to lose.
YEA: On selling high on Chris Davis; just my opinion.
YEA: To Willie Bloomquist. Every year, Willie plays well in a part time role, never getting a shot to start. By the time the year is up, he ends up stealing a dozen bases, scoring a decent number of runs, based on his limited at-bats. Well, Seattle has decided to start Willie and he’s rewarding fantasy owners. Check this out: since he started playing regularly on June 15th, Willie is 28 for 82 (.341), with 6 steals and 15 runs scored. Sure he doesn’t drive in any runs, but the bonus is he is eligible at 2nd, 3rd, SS and OF. It’s guys like these that help you win in the end.
NAY: To Gary Matthews Jr. Another example of money not well spent. The Angels are stuck with him for a couple more years, but that doesn’t mean they are making the same mistake the Dodgers are with Andruw. Matthews is benched and won’t be starting anytime soon.
YEA: To Juan Rivera, the guy who has taken Matthews’ job. Rivera has always hit when healthy, so he’s worth a look in AL only for sure.
NAY: To Jon Rauch. There has been a lot of talk of current closers who might get traded, but Rauch wasn’t one of them. Surprise! Rauch is pretty much a waste right now, back to being a setup man, unless the wheels come off of Brandon Lyon. Joel Hanrahan has been named Rauch’s replacement in DC, but he has never closed before and he’s on a terrible team. Saves are saves, but caution: flammable.
YEA: To Blue Jays outfielder Adam Lind. He’s been on the radar for a long time now. He tears up AAA and then flames out in the majors. He’s been given another chance and this time he might actually stick. He’s 22 for 58 (.379) in July with 3 homers and 17 RBI.
NAY: While the entire world was out seeing The Dark Knight this past weekend, I was taking in Space Chimps. Kids suck.
YEA: To the WNBA. Did you know that there is a professional basketball league made up entirely of ‘women’? A one on one catfight is awesome. A five on five catfight would be a ratings bonanza. I think the Palace at Auburn Hills must have been built on an ancient Indian burial ground, because it brings out the worst in people.
NAY: To Jose Reyes. The dude is a scumbag and one day, somebody will have the balls to drill him in the head. When it happens, I will be happy.
YEA: To Jorge Posada putting off surgery and coming back to the Yankees. Because god knows, what the Yankees need right now is a beat up, broken down catcher who can only DH and when he does, won’t produce anyway. Good use of a roster spot.
YEA: To those of you who like independent films, check out one called ‘George Washington’. Made in 2000, it has nothing to do with our first President. Airing on IFC this month.
NAY: To draft day dilemmas. I’ll never understand how people can have problems with scheduling when it comes to drafts. It’s three hours of your life, yet it always causes drama. Mainly because guys don’t have the guts to stand up to their wives and tell them they won’t be home to watch the ‘Scrubs’ marathon.
With that being said, my first round of my fantasy football draft would look like this:
1. LaDanian Tomlinson
2. Joseph Addai
3. Brian Westbrook
4. Steven Jackson
5. Tom Brady
6. Adrian Peterson
7. Marion Barber III
8. Randy Moss
9. Ryan Grant
10. Marshawn Lynch
Friday, July 11, 2008
YEA OR NAY FOR JULY 11TH
Oh my god, where has the time gone?!?! It’s been two weeks since I submitted an entry to the blogosphere and I really don’t know what happened.
I thought life would get easier once school was over and the kids were home. No more homework or T-Ball or Brownies.
Good lord was I wrong. It’s not that I don’t have the time, it’s that I don’t have the quiet that I require to write. It’s kind of hard formulating opinions and putting them on paper with two kids screaming at each other 90 percent of the day.
Who knew that two kids could fight for 4 days over a toy that came in a McDonald’s Happy Meal. 4 DAYS. I kid you not.
The odds of them both making it back to school in the fall are diminishing day by day. I just haven’t yet decided who will be the unlucky one. Give me time.
Anyway, we are just days from the All-Star Break, so I figured I would come up with some second half rankings. These are based on what guys will do from July 17th on. Wipe out what happened these first three months.
I’ve sorted them by position, but if you need to know, my number one guy to get for the second half is Jimmy Rollins. He’s basically done nothing but steal bases so far and I think he’ll have a massive second half. The power numbers will be there by the end, so buy in now if you can.
Catchers
1. Russell Martin
2. Brian McCann
3. Dioner Navarro
4. Geovany Soto
5. Victor Martinez
6. Chris Ianetta
7. Kurt Suzuki
8. Matt Clement
9. Joe Mauer
10. Bengie Molina
11. Yadier Molina
12. Ivan Rodriguez
13. Jorge Posada
14. Ramon Hernandez
15. Jarrod Salatalamacchia
16. Ryan Doumit
17. Jason Varitek
18. Miguel Olivo
19. David Ross
20. Jesus Flores
It’s a sad state when a guy who is still going to miss another month (V-Mart) ranks in the top five at his position. But catchers are terrible, especially in the AL. I-Rod, in case you missed, recently woke up and remembered it was a contract year. So if someone in your league tossed him, he’s worth picking up. And Kurt Suzuki is batting as well as Ichiro, over the past month.
I’ve always thought Joe Mauer is overrated. 4 home runs and 38 RBI from the 3 hole don’t impress me. Plus, he’s an injury risk. The way catchers wear down over the season, it’s always a good bet to take a chance on guys who haven’t played that much in the first half. Clement, Ianetta and Salty are prime examples.
I liked Chris Snyder a lot until he fractured a testicle. Good luck with that, Chris.
First Base
1. Albert Pujols
2. Mark Teixeira
3. Ryan Howard
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Lance Berkman
6. David Ortiz
7. Prince Fielder
8. Derrek Lee
9. Justin Morneau
10. Mike Jacobs
11. Adrian Gonzalez
12. Carlos Pena
13. Conor Jackson
14. Paul Konerko
15. Adam LaRoche
16. Joey Votto
17. James Loney
18. Aubrey Huff
19. Kevin Youkilis
20. Casey Kotchman
In case you missed it, Cabrera and Howard have already turned it on in the past week. Too late to buy low on those studs.
It would be hard for Berkman to put up the same numbers in the second half, though he should come close. But .347-22-70 might be out of reach.
Konerko is traditionally a second half bomber, as is LaRoche and Teixeira.
Second Base
1. Robinson Cano
2. Chase Utley
3. Brandon Phillips
4. Ian Kinsler
5. Brian Roberts
6. Dan Uggla
7. Kelly Johnson
8. Placido Polanco
9. Dustin Pedroia
10. Rickie Weeks
11. Jeff Kent
12. Mark Ellis
13. Mark DeRosa
14. Chone Figgins
15. Alexi Ramirez
16. Howie Kendrick
17. Jose Lopez
18. Alexi Casilla
19. Orlando Hudson
20. Freddy Sanchez
I know guys like BJ Upton and Ryan Theriot qualify at 2B in most leagues, but I’m basing my rankings on primary positions. Like it or not, it’s my blog.
Anyway, I love Cano and Phillips. I also really think Kelly Johnson will have a strong second half as the air heats up in Atlanta.
I think Uggla and Kinsler will simmer down a bit….not enough to bottom out, but just not producing like they did early on. Two amazing stats from Kinsler: 81 runs scored (!) and 23 steals and only 1 caught stealing. Texas can mash, but…..
Third Base
1. Alex Rodriguez
2. Aramis Ramirez
3. David Wright
4. Carlos Guillen
5. Garrett Atkins
6. Adrian Beltre
7. Alex Gordon
8. Evan Longoria
9. Mike Lowell
10. Edwin Encarnacion
11. Chipper Jones
12. Kevin Kouzmanoff
13. Scott Rolen
14. Pedro Feliz
15. Troy Glaus
16. Casey Blake
17. Ryan Zimmerman
18. Jorge Cantu
19. Joe Crede
20. Mark Reynolds
Beltre, Kouzmanoff and Atkins have strong second half track records. If Beltre gets dealt to a more hitter friendly park, the boost could be even more signifigant.
Chipper will spend half the second half on the DL. Jorge Cantu will be on the waiver wire of most leagues come September.
Shortstop
1. Jimmy Rollins
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Michael Young
4. Jose Reyes
5. Stephen Drew
6. Derek Jeter
7. Jhonny Peralta
8. Orlando Cabrera
9. Edgar Renteria
10. Yunel Escobar
11. JJ Hardy
12. Miguel Tejada
13. Ryan Theriot
14. Julio Lugo
15. Troy Tulowitzki
16. Khalil Greene
17. Yuniesky Betancourt
18. Bobby Crosby
19. Cristian Guzman
20. Jeff Keppinger
Boy, there sure are some awful starting shortstops in the majors. Injuries have hit this position particularly hard this year: Tulo, Furcal, Rollins, Jolbert Cabrera.
But I love Rollins, Young and Renteria going forward. Reyes is up and down and his whole season depends on whether the Mets ship sinks or swims. Hardy is on fire right now, but you know that won’t continue through October. Greene and Lugo have both been major busts. Hopefully, you’ve got one of the top guys. Otherwise, you are just out of luck.
Outfield
1. Carl Crawford
2. Ryan Braun
3. Matt Holliday
4. Grady Sizemore
5. Nick Markakis
6. BJ Upton
7. Carlos Beltran
8. Corey Hart
9. Curtis Granderson
10. Bobby Abreu
11. Josh Hamilton
12. Alex Rios
13. Carlos Lee
14. Manny Ramirez
15. Ichiro Suzuki
16. Alfonso Soriano
17. Pat Burrell
18. Jason Bay
19. Jose Guillen
20. Vlad Guerrero
21. Chris Young
22. Brad Hawpe
23. Carlos Quentin
24. Aaron Rowand
25. Magglio Ordonez
26. Adam Dunn
27. Torii Hunter
28. Hunter Pence
29. Jeff Francoeur
30. Carlos Gomez
31. Raul Ibanez
32. Jeremy Hermida
33. Chase Headley
34. Shane Victorino
35. Adam Jones
36. Delmon Young
37. Jermaine Dye
38. Nick Swisher
39. Josh Willingham
40. Ryan Ludwick
41. Milton Bradley
42. Mike Cameron
43. Kosuke Fukudome
44. David DeJesus
45. Jacoby Ellsbury
46. Matt Kemp
47. Rick Ankiel
48. Juan Pierre
49. JD Drew
50. Andruw Jones
Burrell, Francoeur, Markakis and Young have all been perennial second half mashers. I really think Delmon Young will figure it out and that Ordonez will come back strong.
Starting Pitchers
1. Johan Santana
2. CC Sabathia
3. John Lackey
4. Justin Verlander
5. Brandon Webb
6. Jake Peavy
7. Ben Sheets
8. Cole Hamels
9. Chad Billingsley
10. Matt Cain
11. Josh Beckett
12. Roy Halladay
13. Scott Kazmir
14. Tim Lincecum
15. Rich Harden
16. Dan Haren
17. Roy Oswalt
18. Tim Hudson
19. Edinson Volquez
20. Jeff Saunders
21. Carlos Zambrano
22. Felix Hernandez
23. Aaron Harang
24. James Shields
25. Shawn Marcum
26. Cliff Lee
27. Erik Bedard
28. AJ Burnett
29. Mark Buehrle
30. Ted Lilly
31. Javier Vazquez
32. John Danks
33. Adam Wainwright
34. Gil Meche
35. Chris Young
36. Derek Lowe
37. Daisuke Matsuzaka
38. Ervin Santana
39. Joba Chamberlain
40. Francisco Liriano
41. Zach Greinke
42. Jonathan Sanchez
43. Matt Garza
44. Clay Buchholz
45. Scott Olsen
46. Jared Weaver
47. Andy Pettitte
48. Kyle Lohse
49. Brett Myers
50. Ricky Nolasco
The injuries to Harang and Bedard make me hesitant, but if they just need rest and come back full bore, then they should be able to produce. Stick with them, for now.
I think Brett Myers will have a nice second half. It couldn’t be much worse. But you need to be patient. There is nothing physically wrong with him. Let him work out this stuff in the minors, then be rewarded.
And just like the All-Star team, no Mike Mussina and justifiably so.
Relief Pitchers
1. Brad Lidge
2. Jonathon Papelbon
3. Takashi Saito
4. Mariano Rivera
5. Joe Nathan
6. Billy Wagner
7. Frankie Rodriguez
8. BJ Ryan
9. Jose Valverde
10. Bobby Jenks
11. Joakim Soria
12. Kerry Wood
13. Jose Valverde
14. Trevor Hoffman
15. Francisco Cordero
16. Kevin Gregg
17. Huston Street
18. Jon Rauch
19. Jason Isringhausen
20. Brandon Lyon
21. Brian Wilson
22. Mike Gonzalez
23. CJ Wilson
24. Todd Jones
25. Solomon Torres
26. Damaso Marte
27. Brandon Morrow
28. George Sherrill
29. Taylor Buchholz
30. Masahide Kobayashi
31. Troy Percival
Easily the hardest position to grade, only because there are so many bullpens in flux right now.
Don’t expect Matt Capps back this year. And don’t expect JJ Putz to be closing much the last three months, either.
Tampa is playing great, but is Percival really going to hold up? While healthy, he’s the guy. But how about the other half of the time? Grant Balfour? Dan Wheeler? Too much anxiety for me.
Can you believe Todd Jones has 12 strikeouts…ON THE SEASON! Can you really rule out Rodney or Zumaya stepping in?
The shine was worn off of George Sherrill. Count me among the ones who waited too long to deal him away. He’s given up runs in 4 of his last 5 appearances and if anybody needs a few days off for the AS Break, it’s him.
With that taken care of, let’s get to this week’s Yea or Nay!
YEA: To Joba Chamberlain doing Dunkin Donuts commercials on the radio. That ranks up there with the great ad campaigns of all-time: Mickey Mantle for O’Douls, Steve Howe for DARE and Ricky Williams for Doritos.
NAY: To Dodgers hitters. You might want to sell now, because Donnie Baseball is back in town, ready to ruin another crop of young bats.
YEA: To Hiroki Kuroda. I picked him up as a flyer in my mixed league, based on two home starts this week. He rewards with a one hitter Monday night….encore on Saturday night? I say yes please.
NAY: To Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I actually liked the storyline…it was Indy I didn’t like. It took me all of five seconds to realize he was just too old for this movie. It made me weepy, thinking back to when he was a badass in Raiders. I don’t want to see my hero’s old and gray. It just makes me feel old and gray.
YEA: To Yankees announcer John Sterling, for reportedly scooping ice cream out of the container with his hand inside the press dining hall. ‘Now batting…first baseman….ooohh, is that rocky road?’(slurps fingers greedily). And I thought Suzyn Waldman was the biggest pig in the booth.
NAY: To this guy, for having a car full of porn. Who knew that was a crime? Randy, time to clean out your trunk.
YEA: To the fact Moises Alou’s latest injury might end his career. Mets fans finally have something to cheer about.
NAY: To any of you cromagnons who still say Scarlett Johansson is not the hottest thing on the face of the earth. I’ve been to CVS about 27 times this week and each time, I have to stare at this picture when I’m in line. I can’t even begin to tell you the thoughts that go through my head.
YEA: To my Edinson Volquez prediction. In his last three starts, his numbers add up to thus: 15.6 IP, 18 hits, 9 walks, 11 ER and most frightening of all, only 6 strikeouts.
Have a terrific weekend. Hopefully, none of your players will be participating in next week’s home run derby. And don’t get too caught up in all the media hype about the ‘holy shrine’ Yankee Stadium. I’ve been there. It’s a toilet.
I thought life would get easier once school was over and the kids were home. No more homework or T-Ball or Brownies.
Good lord was I wrong. It’s not that I don’t have the time, it’s that I don’t have the quiet that I require to write. It’s kind of hard formulating opinions and putting them on paper with two kids screaming at each other 90 percent of the day.
Who knew that two kids could fight for 4 days over a toy that came in a McDonald’s Happy Meal. 4 DAYS. I kid you not.
The odds of them both making it back to school in the fall are diminishing day by day. I just haven’t yet decided who will be the unlucky one. Give me time.
Anyway, we are just days from the All-Star Break, so I figured I would come up with some second half rankings. These are based on what guys will do from July 17th on. Wipe out what happened these first three months.
I’ve sorted them by position, but if you need to know, my number one guy to get for the second half is Jimmy Rollins. He’s basically done nothing but steal bases so far and I think he’ll have a massive second half. The power numbers will be there by the end, so buy in now if you can.
Catchers
1. Russell Martin
2. Brian McCann
3. Dioner Navarro
4. Geovany Soto
5. Victor Martinez
6. Chris Ianetta
7. Kurt Suzuki
8. Matt Clement
9. Joe Mauer
10. Bengie Molina
11. Yadier Molina
12. Ivan Rodriguez
13. Jorge Posada
14. Ramon Hernandez
15. Jarrod Salatalamacchia
16. Ryan Doumit
17. Jason Varitek
18. Miguel Olivo
19. David Ross
20. Jesus Flores
It’s a sad state when a guy who is still going to miss another month (V-Mart) ranks in the top five at his position. But catchers are terrible, especially in the AL. I-Rod, in case you missed, recently woke up and remembered it was a contract year. So if someone in your league tossed him, he’s worth picking up. And Kurt Suzuki is batting as well as Ichiro, over the past month.
I’ve always thought Joe Mauer is overrated. 4 home runs and 38 RBI from the 3 hole don’t impress me. Plus, he’s an injury risk. The way catchers wear down over the season, it’s always a good bet to take a chance on guys who haven’t played that much in the first half. Clement, Ianetta and Salty are prime examples.
I liked Chris Snyder a lot until he fractured a testicle. Good luck with that, Chris.
First Base
1. Albert Pujols
2. Mark Teixeira
3. Ryan Howard
4. Miguel Cabrera
5. Lance Berkman
6. David Ortiz
7. Prince Fielder
8. Derrek Lee
9. Justin Morneau
10. Mike Jacobs
11. Adrian Gonzalez
12. Carlos Pena
13. Conor Jackson
14. Paul Konerko
15. Adam LaRoche
16. Joey Votto
17. James Loney
18. Aubrey Huff
19. Kevin Youkilis
20. Casey Kotchman
In case you missed it, Cabrera and Howard have already turned it on in the past week. Too late to buy low on those studs.
It would be hard for Berkman to put up the same numbers in the second half, though he should come close. But .347-22-70 might be out of reach.
Konerko is traditionally a second half bomber, as is LaRoche and Teixeira.
Second Base
1. Robinson Cano
2. Chase Utley
3. Brandon Phillips
4. Ian Kinsler
5. Brian Roberts
6. Dan Uggla
7. Kelly Johnson
8. Placido Polanco
9. Dustin Pedroia
10. Rickie Weeks
11. Jeff Kent
12. Mark Ellis
13. Mark DeRosa
14. Chone Figgins
15. Alexi Ramirez
16. Howie Kendrick
17. Jose Lopez
18. Alexi Casilla
19. Orlando Hudson
20. Freddy Sanchez
I know guys like BJ Upton and Ryan Theriot qualify at 2B in most leagues, but I’m basing my rankings on primary positions. Like it or not, it’s my blog.
Anyway, I love Cano and Phillips. I also really think Kelly Johnson will have a strong second half as the air heats up in Atlanta.
I think Uggla and Kinsler will simmer down a bit….not enough to bottom out, but just not producing like they did early on. Two amazing stats from Kinsler: 81 runs scored (!) and 23 steals and only 1 caught stealing. Texas can mash, but…..
Third Base
1. Alex Rodriguez
2. Aramis Ramirez
3. David Wright
4. Carlos Guillen
5. Garrett Atkins
6. Adrian Beltre
7. Alex Gordon
8. Evan Longoria
9. Mike Lowell
10. Edwin Encarnacion
11. Chipper Jones
12. Kevin Kouzmanoff
13. Scott Rolen
14. Pedro Feliz
15. Troy Glaus
16. Casey Blake
17. Ryan Zimmerman
18. Jorge Cantu
19. Joe Crede
20. Mark Reynolds
Beltre, Kouzmanoff and Atkins have strong second half track records. If Beltre gets dealt to a more hitter friendly park, the boost could be even more signifigant.
Chipper will spend half the second half on the DL. Jorge Cantu will be on the waiver wire of most leagues come September.
Shortstop
1. Jimmy Rollins
2. Hanley Ramirez
3. Michael Young
4. Jose Reyes
5. Stephen Drew
6. Derek Jeter
7. Jhonny Peralta
8. Orlando Cabrera
9. Edgar Renteria
10. Yunel Escobar
11. JJ Hardy
12. Miguel Tejada
13. Ryan Theriot
14. Julio Lugo
15. Troy Tulowitzki
16. Khalil Greene
17. Yuniesky Betancourt
18. Bobby Crosby
19. Cristian Guzman
20. Jeff Keppinger
Boy, there sure are some awful starting shortstops in the majors. Injuries have hit this position particularly hard this year: Tulo, Furcal, Rollins, Jolbert Cabrera.
But I love Rollins, Young and Renteria going forward. Reyes is up and down and his whole season depends on whether the Mets ship sinks or swims. Hardy is on fire right now, but you know that won’t continue through October. Greene and Lugo have both been major busts. Hopefully, you’ve got one of the top guys. Otherwise, you are just out of luck.
Outfield
1. Carl Crawford
2. Ryan Braun
3. Matt Holliday
4. Grady Sizemore
5. Nick Markakis
6. BJ Upton
7. Carlos Beltran
8. Corey Hart
9. Curtis Granderson
10. Bobby Abreu
11. Josh Hamilton
12. Alex Rios
13. Carlos Lee
14. Manny Ramirez
15. Ichiro Suzuki
16. Alfonso Soriano
17. Pat Burrell
18. Jason Bay
19. Jose Guillen
20. Vlad Guerrero
21. Chris Young
22. Brad Hawpe
23. Carlos Quentin
24. Aaron Rowand
25. Magglio Ordonez
26. Adam Dunn
27. Torii Hunter
28. Hunter Pence
29. Jeff Francoeur
30. Carlos Gomez
31. Raul Ibanez
32. Jeremy Hermida
33. Chase Headley
34. Shane Victorino
35. Adam Jones
36. Delmon Young
37. Jermaine Dye
38. Nick Swisher
39. Josh Willingham
40. Ryan Ludwick
41. Milton Bradley
42. Mike Cameron
43. Kosuke Fukudome
44. David DeJesus
45. Jacoby Ellsbury
46. Matt Kemp
47. Rick Ankiel
48. Juan Pierre
49. JD Drew
50. Andruw Jones
Burrell, Francoeur, Markakis and Young have all been perennial second half mashers. I really think Delmon Young will figure it out and that Ordonez will come back strong.
Starting Pitchers
1. Johan Santana
2. CC Sabathia
3. John Lackey
4. Justin Verlander
5. Brandon Webb
6. Jake Peavy
7. Ben Sheets
8. Cole Hamels
9. Chad Billingsley
10. Matt Cain
11. Josh Beckett
12. Roy Halladay
13. Scott Kazmir
14. Tim Lincecum
15. Rich Harden
16. Dan Haren
17. Roy Oswalt
18. Tim Hudson
19. Edinson Volquez
20. Jeff Saunders
21. Carlos Zambrano
22. Felix Hernandez
23. Aaron Harang
24. James Shields
25. Shawn Marcum
26. Cliff Lee
27. Erik Bedard
28. AJ Burnett
29. Mark Buehrle
30. Ted Lilly
31. Javier Vazquez
32. John Danks
33. Adam Wainwright
34. Gil Meche
35. Chris Young
36. Derek Lowe
37. Daisuke Matsuzaka
38. Ervin Santana
39. Joba Chamberlain
40. Francisco Liriano
41. Zach Greinke
42. Jonathan Sanchez
43. Matt Garza
44. Clay Buchholz
45. Scott Olsen
46. Jared Weaver
47. Andy Pettitte
48. Kyle Lohse
49. Brett Myers
50. Ricky Nolasco
The injuries to Harang and Bedard make me hesitant, but if they just need rest and come back full bore, then they should be able to produce. Stick with them, for now.
I think Brett Myers will have a nice second half. It couldn’t be much worse. But you need to be patient. There is nothing physically wrong with him. Let him work out this stuff in the minors, then be rewarded.
And just like the All-Star team, no Mike Mussina and justifiably so.
Relief Pitchers
1. Brad Lidge
2. Jonathon Papelbon
3. Takashi Saito
4. Mariano Rivera
5. Joe Nathan
6. Billy Wagner
7. Frankie Rodriguez
8. BJ Ryan
9. Jose Valverde
10. Bobby Jenks
11. Joakim Soria
12. Kerry Wood
13. Jose Valverde
14. Trevor Hoffman
15. Francisco Cordero
16. Kevin Gregg
17. Huston Street
18. Jon Rauch
19. Jason Isringhausen
20. Brandon Lyon
21. Brian Wilson
22. Mike Gonzalez
23. CJ Wilson
24. Todd Jones
25. Solomon Torres
26. Damaso Marte
27. Brandon Morrow
28. George Sherrill
29. Taylor Buchholz
30. Masahide Kobayashi
31. Troy Percival
Easily the hardest position to grade, only because there are so many bullpens in flux right now.
Don’t expect Matt Capps back this year. And don’t expect JJ Putz to be closing much the last three months, either.
Tampa is playing great, but is Percival really going to hold up? While healthy, he’s the guy. But how about the other half of the time? Grant Balfour? Dan Wheeler? Too much anxiety for me.
Can you believe Todd Jones has 12 strikeouts…ON THE SEASON! Can you really rule out Rodney or Zumaya stepping in?
The shine was worn off of George Sherrill. Count me among the ones who waited too long to deal him away. He’s given up runs in 4 of his last 5 appearances and if anybody needs a few days off for the AS Break, it’s him.
With that taken care of, let’s get to this week’s Yea or Nay!
YEA: To Joba Chamberlain doing Dunkin Donuts commercials on the radio. That ranks up there with the great ad campaigns of all-time: Mickey Mantle for O’Douls, Steve Howe for DARE and Ricky Williams for Doritos.
NAY: To Dodgers hitters. You might want to sell now, because Donnie Baseball is back in town, ready to ruin another crop of young bats.
YEA: To Hiroki Kuroda. I picked him up as a flyer in my mixed league, based on two home starts this week. He rewards with a one hitter Monday night….encore on Saturday night? I say yes please.
NAY: To Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I actually liked the storyline…it was Indy I didn’t like. It took me all of five seconds to realize he was just too old for this movie. It made me weepy, thinking back to when he was a badass in Raiders. I don’t want to see my hero’s old and gray. It just makes me feel old and gray.
YEA: To Yankees announcer John Sterling, for reportedly scooping ice cream out of the container with his hand inside the press dining hall. ‘Now batting…first baseman….ooohh, is that rocky road?’(slurps fingers greedily). And I thought Suzyn Waldman was the biggest pig in the booth.
NAY: To this guy, for having a car full of porn. Who knew that was a crime? Randy, time to clean out your trunk.
YEA: To the fact Moises Alou’s latest injury might end his career. Mets fans finally have something to cheer about.
NAY: To any of you cromagnons who still say Scarlett Johansson is not the hottest thing on the face of the earth. I’ve been to CVS about 27 times this week and each time, I have to stare at this picture when I’m in line. I can’t even begin to tell you the thoughts that go through my head.
YEA: To my Edinson Volquez prediction. In his last three starts, his numbers add up to thus: 15.6 IP, 18 hits, 9 walks, 11 ER and most frightening of all, only 6 strikeouts.
Have a terrific weekend. Hopefully, none of your players will be participating in next week’s home run derby. And don’t get too caught up in all the media hype about the ‘holy shrine’ Yankee Stadium. I’ve been there. It’s a toilet.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
DO NOT TRADE FOR EDINSON VOLQUEZ!!!!!
After 19 years and over 50 leagues, I’ve finally started to feel burnt out on fantasy baseball.
I never thought the day would come, but in recent weeks that is how I’ve felt; thus, nary a blog for close to two weeks.
But luckily, I think I’m coming out of my funk and I’m ready to tackle the second half.
While the All-Star game is the ceremonial halfway mark of the season, the real halfway mark is this week. Hope you are ready to make a run.
As you can tell by the title, the main focus of today’s piece is Edinson Volquez and his league leading 1.71 ERA.
In fact, it’s not just Volquez who I’m going to focus on but also Justin Duscherer (1.99 ERA) and Cliff Lee (2.45 ERA).
Those are the top three in the majors in ERA as of today, Wednesday, June 25th. And, amazingly, those three also went undrafted in many a mixed league back in March.
So why do I say do not trade for Volquez, or Duscherer, or Lee?
One word: HISTORY.
The simple truth is that in this day and age of monster mashing, the sub 3 ERA is a dinosaur, reserved for the elite among the elite. From 2006-07, there were only 3 starting pitchers with ERA’s below 3.00. Peavy in ’07 and Santana and Oswalt (barely 2.98) in ’06.
If you think for one minute that Volquez, Lee or Duscherer are going to finish the season with ERA’s below 3, you are out of your mind. It will not happen.
Yet, I still see owners trading for these guys as if any of them actually had some kind of track record.
It’s just simple math. For any of these three to continue what they have done over the first three months would be a statistical anomaly, one that I would not be willing to bet on.
Exhibit A for the prosecution: statistics from the past seven seasons. Below are the league leaders in ERA at the midway point of the season, from 2001-07, followed by their second half numbers.
2007
Chris Young
1st half-2.00
2nd half-4.80
Jake Peavy
1st half-2.19
2nd half-2.93
Dan Haren
1st half-2.30
2nd half-4.15
2006
Francisco Liriano
1st half-1.33
2nd half-3.03
Josh Johnson
1st half-2.21
2nd half-4.16
Brandon Webb
1st half-2.65
2nd half-3.76
2005
Roger Clemens
1st half-1.48
2nd half-2.42
Roy Oswalt
1st half-2.39
2nd half-3.65
Dontrelle Willis
1st half-2.39
2nd half-2.91
2004
Ben Sheets
1st half-2.26
2nd half-3.17
Al Leiter
1st half-2.40
2nd half-4.02
Jake Peavy
1st half-2.43
2nd half-2.18
2003
Dontrelle Willis
1st half-2.08
2nd half-4.60
Esteban Loaiza
1st half-2.21
2nd half-3.84
Kevin Brown
1st half-2.30
2nd half-2.50
2002
Tom Glavine
1st half-2.27
2nd half-3.93
Woody Williams
1st half-2.35
2nd half-3.04 (just 5 games due to injury)
Derek Lowe
1st half-2.36
2nd half-2.83
2001
Pedro Martinez
1st half-2.26
2nd half-3.46 (just 3 games due to injury)
Greg Maddux
1st half-2.41
2nd half-3.82
John Burkett
1st half-2.49
2nd half-3.79
A couple things to note from the above.
1. Of the 21 pitchers listed above, only one saw his ERA actually go down in the second half…Peavy in 2004.
2. Of the 21, only 6 posted an ERA below 3 in their respective second halves.
3. Pitchers who stand out as anomalies (Al Leiter, John Burkett, Josh Johnson, Chris Young) all had severe flameouts in the second half. I would be more apt to compare Volquez, Lee and Duscherer to those four guys, before I would put them in the class of Clemens, Peavy and Kevin Brown.
In many instances, these league leaders had decent second halves. In 2008, an ERA below 4 almost always warrants fantasy consideration.
But the point I’m trying to make is that if you deal for Volquez and his miniscule ERA, don’t think that you are taking it with you. These three months of off the chart stats are gone. You are going to get the leftovers…more than likely an ERA around 3.50.
Is that horrible? Not at all. But keep that in mind when you are making a deal. Would you trade Chase Utley for a pitcher you know was going to post an ERA of 3.84? We all know the answer to that. Just beware. The numbers don’t lie.
P.S. In case you didn’t realize it, Chipper Jones ain’t going to hit .400 either. Just in case you really thought it was going to happen.
I never thought the day would come, but in recent weeks that is how I’ve felt; thus, nary a blog for close to two weeks.
But luckily, I think I’m coming out of my funk and I’m ready to tackle the second half.
While the All-Star game is the ceremonial halfway mark of the season, the real halfway mark is this week. Hope you are ready to make a run.
As you can tell by the title, the main focus of today’s piece is Edinson Volquez and his league leading 1.71 ERA.
In fact, it’s not just Volquez who I’m going to focus on but also Justin Duscherer (1.99 ERA) and Cliff Lee (2.45 ERA).
Those are the top three in the majors in ERA as of today, Wednesday, June 25th. And, amazingly, those three also went undrafted in many a mixed league back in March.
So why do I say do not trade for Volquez, or Duscherer, or Lee?
One word: HISTORY.
The simple truth is that in this day and age of monster mashing, the sub 3 ERA is a dinosaur, reserved for the elite among the elite. From 2006-07, there were only 3 starting pitchers with ERA’s below 3.00. Peavy in ’07 and Santana and Oswalt (barely 2.98) in ’06.
If you think for one minute that Volquez, Lee or Duscherer are going to finish the season with ERA’s below 3, you are out of your mind. It will not happen.
Yet, I still see owners trading for these guys as if any of them actually had some kind of track record.
It’s just simple math. For any of these three to continue what they have done over the first three months would be a statistical anomaly, one that I would not be willing to bet on.
Exhibit A for the prosecution: statistics from the past seven seasons. Below are the league leaders in ERA at the midway point of the season, from 2001-07, followed by their second half numbers.
2007
Chris Young
1st half-2.00
2nd half-4.80
Jake Peavy
1st half-2.19
2nd half-2.93
Dan Haren
1st half-2.30
2nd half-4.15
2006
Francisco Liriano
1st half-1.33
2nd half-3.03
Josh Johnson
1st half-2.21
2nd half-4.16
Brandon Webb
1st half-2.65
2nd half-3.76
2005
Roger Clemens
1st half-1.48
2nd half-2.42
Roy Oswalt
1st half-2.39
2nd half-3.65
Dontrelle Willis
1st half-2.39
2nd half-2.91
2004
Ben Sheets
1st half-2.26
2nd half-3.17
Al Leiter
1st half-2.40
2nd half-4.02
Jake Peavy
1st half-2.43
2nd half-2.18
2003
Dontrelle Willis
1st half-2.08
2nd half-4.60
Esteban Loaiza
1st half-2.21
2nd half-3.84
Kevin Brown
1st half-2.30
2nd half-2.50
2002
Tom Glavine
1st half-2.27
2nd half-3.93
Woody Williams
1st half-2.35
2nd half-3.04 (just 5 games due to injury)
Derek Lowe
1st half-2.36
2nd half-2.83
2001
Pedro Martinez
1st half-2.26
2nd half-3.46 (just 3 games due to injury)
Greg Maddux
1st half-2.41
2nd half-3.82
John Burkett
1st half-2.49
2nd half-3.79
A couple things to note from the above.
1. Of the 21 pitchers listed above, only one saw his ERA actually go down in the second half…Peavy in 2004.
2. Of the 21, only 6 posted an ERA below 3 in their respective second halves.
3. Pitchers who stand out as anomalies (Al Leiter, John Burkett, Josh Johnson, Chris Young) all had severe flameouts in the second half. I would be more apt to compare Volquez, Lee and Duscherer to those four guys, before I would put them in the class of Clemens, Peavy and Kevin Brown.
In many instances, these league leaders had decent second halves. In 2008, an ERA below 4 almost always warrants fantasy consideration.
But the point I’m trying to make is that if you deal for Volquez and his miniscule ERA, don’t think that you are taking it with you. These three months of off the chart stats are gone. You are going to get the leftovers…more than likely an ERA around 3.50.
Is that horrible? Not at all. But keep that in mind when you are making a deal. Would you trade Chase Utley for a pitcher you know was going to post an ERA of 3.84? We all know the answer to that. Just beware. The numbers don’t lie.
P.S. In case you didn’t realize it, Chipper Jones ain’t going to hit .400 either. Just in case you really thought it was going to happen.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
YEA OR NAY FOR JUNE 13TH
It’s been a long time coming, but we finally got our first glimpse of ‘Celebrity Circus’ this week. In case you were among the billions who missed the show, here are some highlights:
The cast includes: Janet Evans, Christopher Knight, Stacey Dash, Rachel Hunter, Wee-Man from Jackass, Antonio Sabato Jr., and Blu Cantrell. The host is Joey Fatone.
Over/Under on names you recognize from the above paragraph: 3.5.
What might be the most horrifying is that ABC was working to create their own Circus of the Stars, but had to scrap it because NBC stole all the best talent.
Gone are the days when real, true celebrities would appear on such shows as Circus of the Stars and Battle of the Network Stars. As a kid, I actually remember looking forward to these programs.
Remember Barbi Benton flying through the air on the trapeze and being able to catch a quick glimpse of her talents?
How about Jamie Farr taming lions only using his nose and a feather boa?
And then, every teenage boys fantasy, the Landers’ sisters? I was always partial to Judy, who, oddly enough, went on to marry former Dodger Tom Niedenfuer.
Circus of the Stars was on every year from ’77 to ’94, which pretty much encompasses my entire childhood, thus the fond memories.
They even got Gil Gerard to do it one season! Buck Rogers himself!! But alas, no Twiki or Birdman.
This reincarnation blasphemes the name Circus of the Stars and should be called Circus of The People You Might Recognize But Just Can’t Figure Out Who They Are. I’m sad.
On to the Yea or Nay:
YEA: For the movie 'Meatballs'. I would like to start up a campaign that would mandate ‘Meatballs’ be shown at least once a day from June until September. The greatest camp movie ever, thanks to Bill Murray. This song just puts you in the mood.
NAY: To the movie ‘Strange Wilderness’. What a terrific cast and a great concept. Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Ernest Borgnine. I’ve seen a lot of movies and this might have been THE WORST EVER. I do not recommend.
YEA: To this statement…mark it down. Kevin Kolb will be the starting quarterback for your Philadelphia Eagles in game one of the regular season. I’m not saying YEA because it’s a good thing…I’m saying YEA because it will happen.
NAY: To this movie, one that I am not proud of. I wrote it in college during my senior year and at the time, thought it was amazing. But it isn’t and I’m not proud of it. Take 20 minutes and watch, if only for the debut of a young Gregg Ziliani. Also keep in mind that we were doing a lot of drugs at the time.
YEA: To Milton Bradley. He’s one crazy mofo, but I don’t blame him for wanting to tear up that announcer. Let it out Milton….and p.s. You might want to deal him now if you have him on your fantasy squad. Something bad is on the horizon, I can sense it.
NAY: To the Kobe/MJ comparisons. Can we finally put them to rest? Would MJ ever allow his team to lose a game like the Lakers did last night? Being unselfish and all is terrific Kobe, but sometimes you’ve got to be the man and put the team on your back. Kobe used to do that and got criticized for it. But he’s become brainwashed that he needs to share and that’s not always the case.
YEA: To Willie Randolph keeping his job. The only chance the Mets have of turning this ship around is Willie getting fired, so let’s keep him in as long as possible.
NAY: To Jay Bruce for MVP. That was a nice week you had.
YEA: To Jorge Cantu. Mea culpa, Jorge. I didn’t think you had it in you.
NAY: To the Nationals. Do you think anyone would notice if they packed their things and moved back to Montreal?
YEA: To Fred Lewis of the Giants. Brother is tearing it up! Check his stats and you’ll see what I’m saying.
YEA: To Ozzie Guillen. People are always complaining about coachspeak and bland press conferences (Andy Reid, come on down!), but Ozzie tells it like it is and nobody should complain about it.
NAY: To Victor Martinez. Now out 6-8 weeks. Some guys with more home runs than you: Chris Snelling, Corky Miller, Mike Rivera and Travis Denker. Some guys with more RBI than you: Rod Barajas, Marco Scutaro, John Bowker, and Jason Michaels.
YEA: To the Cardinals…really, Tony LaRussa. I know he’s a douche, but this team was not supposed to be any good. No Cris Carpenter, no Izzy, a banged up Pujols. Yet they still are cruising along with the second best record in the NL.
NAY: To trading Ken Griffey. Really, what would somebody give up for him? He’s Ken Griffey, not KEN GRIFFEY.
YEA: To Corey Hart, you’re atypical slow starter. I have him on none of my teams, though I tried, knowing he would turn things around, which he has. Hope you didn’t bail.
NAY: To Joe Blanton…or should we call him Joe Blandon. He does everything equally average. No K’s, never shuts down a team…he just goes out every five days, pitches 7 innings, gives up 3 or 4 runs and strikes out 3. Blechhh.
NAY: To Sidney Ponson. On a team with Milton Bradley, Ponson was considered the trouble maker. Says a lot.
YEA: To the Bears for cutting off Cedric Benson. It takes a lot for a team to bail on a first round pick, but if anybody deserved it, it was Cedric. He was lousy on the field, a scumbag off it and his teammates hate him. He’s got Dallas Cowboy written all over him.
NAY: To the Jair Jurjenns project. Hope you enjoyed the first month and a half, because the wheels have come off and he’s not wearing a seatbelt.
YEA: To Ryan Howard kicking it into gear. It better happen soon, or all of us Chase Utley owners are going to pay. Twice this week the Marlins intentionally walked Utley, preferring to pitch to Howard with the bases loaded as opposed to Utley with two men on. Heartbreaking.
YEA: To Troy Tulowitzki. He tore his quad off the bone only a month and a half ago and he’s already close to coming back. As an owner, I’m happy, but I’m also leery.
NAY: To expanding our fantasy football league from 10 to 12 owners. Figured I would use this forum to express my dissent.
YEA: To the new show on Nickelodeon ‘The Mighty B’. HI-LARIOUS is all I can say. It seems like all the good writers are going to cartoons, because they aren’t writing sitcoms. The B is more entertaining than 90 percent of the ‘grownup’ schlock airing on the networks. Did we really need a new ‘Password’?
NAY: To cats. They don’t make them like they used to. I thought I saw a mouse run across the floor late the other night. Our cat was sitting right next to me and he just looked at me as if to say ‘Are you going to get that?’
Story of my life.
The cast includes: Janet Evans, Christopher Knight, Stacey Dash, Rachel Hunter, Wee-Man from Jackass, Antonio Sabato Jr., and Blu Cantrell. The host is Joey Fatone.
Over/Under on names you recognize from the above paragraph: 3.5.
What might be the most horrifying is that ABC was working to create their own Circus of the Stars, but had to scrap it because NBC stole all the best talent.
Gone are the days when real, true celebrities would appear on such shows as Circus of the Stars and Battle of the Network Stars. As a kid, I actually remember looking forward to these programs.
Remember Barbi Benton flying through the air on the trapeze and being able to catch a quick glimpse of her talents?
How about Jamie Farr taming lions only using his nose and a feather boa?
And then, every teenage boys fantasy, the Landers’ sisters? I was always partial to Judy, who, oddly enough, went on to marry former Dodger Tom Niedenfuer.
Circus of the Stars was on every year from ’77 to ’94, which pretty much encompasses my entire childhood, thus the fond memories.
They even got Gil Gerard to do it one season! Buck Rogers himself!! But alas, no Twiki or Birdman.
This reincarnation blasphemes the name Circus of the Stars and should be called Circus of The People You Might Recognize But Just Can’t Figure Out Who They Are. I’m sad.
On to the Yea or Nay:
YEA: For the movie 'Meatballs'. I would like to start up a campaign that would mandate ‘Meatballs’ be shown at least once a day from June until September. The greatest camp movie ever, thanks to Bill Murray. This song just puts you in the mood.
NAY: To the movie ‘Strange Wilderness’. What a terrific cast and a great concept. Steve Zahn, Jonah Hill, Justin Long, Ernest Borgnine. I’ve seen a lot of movies and this might have been THE WORST EVER. I do not recommend.
YEA: To this statement…mark it down. Kevin Kolb will be the starting quarterback for your Philadelphia Eagles in game one of the regular season. I’m not saying YEA because it’s a good thing…I’m saying YEA because it will happen.
NAY: To this movie, one that I am not proud of. I wrote it in college during my senior year and at the time, thought it was amazing. But it isn’t and I’m not proud of it. Take 20 minutes and watch, if only for the debut of a young Gregg Ziliani. Also keep in mind that we were doing a lot of drugs at the time.
YEA: To Milton Bradley. He’s one crazy mofo, but I don’t blame him for wanting to tear up that announcer. Let it out Milton….and p.s. You might want to deal him now if you have him on your fantasy squad. Something bad is on the horizon, I can sense it.
NAY: To the Kobe/MJ comparisons. Can we finally put them to rest? Would MJ ever allow his team to lose a game like the Lakers did last night? Being unselfish and all is terrific Kobe, but sometimes you’ve got to be the man and put the team on your back. Kobe used to do that and got criticized for it. But he’s become brainwashed that he needs to share and that’s not always the case.
YEA: To Willie Randolph keeping his job. The only chance the Mets have of turning this ship around is Willie getting fired, so let’s keep him in as long as possible.
NAY: To Jay Bruce for MVP. That was a nice week you had.
YEA: To Jorge Cantu. Mea culpa, Jorge. I didn’t think you had it in you.
NAY: To the Nationals. Do you think anyone would notice if they packed their things and moved back to Montreal?
YEA: To Fred Lewis of the Giants. Brother is tearing it up! Check his stats and you’ll see what I’m saying.
YEA: To Ozzie Guillen. People are always complaining about coachspeak and bland press conferences (Andy Reid, come on down!), but Ozzie tells it like it is and nobody should complain about it.
NAY: To Victor Martinez. Now out 6-8 weeks. Some guys with more home runs than you: Chris Snelling, Corky Miller, Mike Rivera and Travis Denker. Some guys with more RBI than you: Rod Barajas, Marco Scutaro, John Bowker, and Jason Michaels.
YEA: To the Cardinals…really, Tony LaRussa. I know he’s a douche, but this team was not supposed to be any good. No Cris Carpenter, no Izzy, a banged up Pujols. Yet they still are cruising along with the second best record in the NL.
NAY: To trading Ken Griffey. Really, what would somebody give up for him? He’s Ken Griffey, not KEN GRIFFEY.
YEA: To Corey Hart, you’re atypical slow starter. I have him on none of my teams, though I tried, knowing he would turn things around, which he has. Hope you didn’t bail.
NAY: To Joe Blanton…or should we call him Joe Blandon. He does everything equally average. No K’s, never shuts down a team…he just goes out every five days, pitches 7 innings, gives up 3 or 4 runs and strikes out 3. Blechhh.
NAY: To Sidney Ponson. On a team with Milton Bradley, Ponson was considered the trouble maker. Says a lot.
YEA: To the Bears for cutting off Cedric Benson. It takes a lot for a team to bail on a first round pick, but if anybody deserved it, it was Cedric. He was lousy on the field, a scumbag off it and his teammates hate him. He’s got Dallas Cowboy written all over him.
NAY: To the Jair Jurjenns project. Hope you enjoyed the first month and a half, because the wheels have come off and he’s not wearing a seatbelt.
YEA: To Ryan Howard kicking it into gear. It better happen soon, or all of us Chase Utley owners are going to pay. Twice this week the Marlins intentionally walked Utley, preferring to pitch to Howard with the bases loaded as opposed to Utley with two men on. Heartbreaking.
YEA: To Troy Tulowitzki. He tore his quad off the bone only a month and a half ago and he’s already close to coming back. As an owner, I’m happy, but I’m also leery.
NAY: To expanding our fantasy football league from 10 to 12 owners. Figured I would use this forum to express my dissent.
YEA: To the new show on Nickelodeon ‘The Mighty B’. HI-LARIOUS is all I can say. It seems like all the good writers are going to cartoons, because they aren’t writing sitcoms. The B is more entertaining than 90 percent of the ‘grownup’ schlock airing on the networks. Did we really need a new ‘Password’?
NAY: To cats. They don’t make them like they used to. I thought I saw a mouse run across the floor late the other night. Our cat was sitting right next to me and he just looked at me as if to say ‘Are you going to get that?’
Story of my life.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY…LEAVE ME ALONE
I’m here to pledge my devotion towards the revamping of Father’s Day.
We all know it’s a disgrace the way holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day and the rest have become commercialized.
But I think we still have a chance to salvage Father’s Day. The men of this country need to stand up and make themselves heard!
The people making these commercials are idiots. You know what? Take your ‘fun’ trip to Lowes and shove it. Since when does buying Dad some paint put a smile on his face? All it is is more work...but they try and make us think it’s a grand old time.
Try this next Mother’s Day. Tell your wife you are taking her for a fun filled trip to the Shop Rite, where she can buy all the food she wants and then come home and spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. Just try it, I dare you.
No dear, I don’t want to spend Father’s Day shopping for slacks at Men’s Wearhouse. It might sound like fun to you, but guess what? IT’S NOT YOUR DAY!!! IT’S MINE!
Here is what I want for Father’s Day weekend. Start off with a bottle of Captain Morgan’s and some drunk sex on Saturday night, a pound of scrapple in bed Sunday morning, 10 minutes with the kids where they give me their homemade cards, maybe round 2 with the wife and then LEAVE ME ALONE!
Sunday will be chockfull of great sports on TV…loads of baseball, the final round of the US Open, and the NBA Finals. I’ll get out of bed around dinner time and cook up some animal on the grill and then it’s on to the couch.
I don’t remember Father’s Day when I was a little kid and I’m pretty sure that’s because it wasn’t a big deal. My Pop didn’t want to spend the day replacing the grout in the shower or trimming hedges. He got his card in the morning and then spent the rest of the day in the bar.
At least I plan on staying home.
But if you have to give me a gift for Father’s Day, how about getting some of my fellow owner’s to actually listen to what comes out of their mouths. I’ve got two ridiculous examples, both of which entered my e-mail inbox this past week.
Ex. 1: NL only league, I offer Hiroki Kuroda for Rickie Weeks. This is a rotisserie league, 5x5 and the team with Weeks is near the bottom of the standings, mainly thanks to him having only 16 points out of a possible 50 in pitching.
If he deals Weeks, he can replace him in the lineup with Ronnie Belliard...adequate, not a total slob.
I wasn’t offended by the rejection…if you don’t like a guy, then you don’t like a guy.
What pissed me off was this owner saying: Ahh no...you’ve got to be kidding, right?
And then countering with an offer of Weeks for Chase Utley, saying this was about as fair as the deal I had offered.
I get what I deserve for allowing a first time ever owner into the league.
He gets what he deserved when Weeks goes on the DL two days later. Enjoy last place, jackass.
Ex. 2: AL only league, 5x5 head to head. I’m desperate at the corners, thanks to Big Papi going on the DL. I go against my better judgement and offer up Matt Garza for sack of poo Eric Chavez.
This guy needs starting pitching and Chavez is better than what I have right now, which is Jeff Larish...egads.
Anyway, the answer comes back no and again, I’m okay with the decision. But it’s the rationalization that I don’t get.
The owner says he isn’t adverse to dealing Chavez, but he wants a pitcher with more strikeouts and a better ERA and WHIP.
So, in essence, it sounds like he is holding out for CC Sabathia or Josh Beckett.
Good luck with that…And be sure to enjoy every one of those 10 home runs that Chavez is going to hit this year.
I’m not sure what happened in MLB this week, but the injury fairy is pissed and has come to collect. And if you are in a deep league, this is the best time to find some bargains. Lots of new guys earning some important playing time….here are some to target.
Brandon Morrow-We’ve all known something is wrong with Mariners closer JJ Putz, but it finally came to a head Wednesday when he left after one better, due to pain in his elbow. This could be serious and Morrow would be the clear cut choice to step in.
Chris Duncan-He’s got three weeks to show he belongs on the big league roster. He’ll hold down first base until Albert Pujols comes back. You know Duncan has power and if he can hit these next couple weeks, he could stick around as an outfielder.
Kelly Shoppach-I’ve always been a big fan of Shoppach and if Victor Martinez’ elbow is serious, then Shoppach would make a nice fill in. As a part timer, he’s got more home runs than V-Mart anyway, so if given a full time gig, he could be nice.
Reed Johnson/Jim Edmonds-Only in the deepest of leagues. Both these guys are pretty crummy, but they’ll both be able to start now that Alfonso Soriano is out for at least a month. We could also see the return of Felix Pie…yuck.
Marlon Anderson/Chris Aguila/Endy Chavez-With Ryan Church and Moises Alou both ailing, the Mets outfield is in distress. Fernando Tatis has reverted back to being Fernando Tatis, so that leaves some openings at Shea. Chavez and Anderson should get the majority of starts, but Aguila could easily unseat either with a little production.
Andy LaRoche-He’s been tearing it up in Triple A, but the Dodgers don’t have a set spot for him. LaRoche can play 1st, 2nd or 3rd and Joe Torre says he ‘will play against lefthanders’, so that guarantees at least a couple starts each week somewhere. He hit a home run in his first game up, so the time to grab him is now.
Armando Galaragga-I’ve been hyping him all year long and now his spot in the rotation is set in stone. Jeremy Bonderman is out for the year and Dontrelle Willis has turned into Rick Ankiel, the pitcher. The Tigers are scoring 6 runs a game when Armando starts, so he’s worth your time.
We all know it’s a disgrace the way holidays like Christmas, Easter, Valentines Day and the rest have become commercialized.
But I think we still have a chance to salvage Father’s Day. The men of this country need to stand up and make themselves heard!
The people making these commercials are idiots. You know what? Take your ‘fun’ trip to Lowes and shove it. Since when does buying Dad some paint put a smile on his face? All it is is more work...but they try and make us think it’s a grand old time.
Try this next Mother’s Day. Tell your wife you are taking her for a fun filled trip to the Shop Rite, where she can buy all the food she wants and then come home and spend the rest of the day in the kitchen. Just try it, I dare you.
No dear, I don’t want to spend Father’s Day shopping for slacks at Men’s Wearhouse. It might sound like fun to you, but guess what? IT’S NOT YOUR DAY!!! IT’S MINE!
Here is what I want for Father’s Day weekend. Start off with a bottle of Captain Morgan’s and some drunk sex on Saturday night, a pound of scrapple in bed Sunday morning, 10 minutes with the kids where they give me their homemade cards, maybe round 2 with the wife and then LEAVE ME ALONE!
Sunday will be chockfull of great sports on TV…loads of baseball, the final round of the US Open, and the NBA Finals. I’ll get out of bed around dinner time and cook up some animal on the grill and then it’s on to the couch.
I don’t remember Father’s Day when I was a little kid and I’m pretty sure that’s because it wasn’t a big deal. My Pop didn’t want to spend the day replacing the grout in the shower or trimming hedges. He got his card in the morning and then spent the rest of the day in the bar.
At least I plan on staying home.
But if you have to give me a gift for Father’s Day, how about getting some of my fellow owner’s to actually listen to what comes out of their mouths. I’ve got two ridiculous examples, both of which entered my e-mail inbox this past week.
Ex. 1: NL only league, I offer Hiroki Kuroda for Rickie Weeks. This is a rotisserie league, 5x5 and the team with Weeks is near the bottom of the standings, mainly thanks to him having only 16 points out of a possible 50 in pitching.
If he deals Weeks, he can replace him in the lineup with Ronnie Belliard...adequate, not a total slob.
I wasn’t offended by the rejection…if you don’t like a guy, then you don’t like a guy.
What pissed me off was this owner saying: Ahh no...you’ve got to be kidding, right?
And then countering with an offer of Weeks for Chase Utley, saying this was about as fair as the deal I had offered.
I get what I deserve for allowing a first time ever owner into the league.
He gets what he deserved when Weeks goes on the DL two days later. Enjoy last place, jackass.
Ex. 2: AL only league, 5x5 head to head. I’m desperate at the corners, thanks to Big Papi going on the DL. I go against my better judgement and offer up Matt Garza for sack of poo Eric Chavez.
This guy needs starting pitching and Chavez is better than what I have right now, which is Jeff Larish...egads.
Anyway, the answer comes back no and again, I’m okay with the decision. But it’s the rationalization that I don’t get.
The owner says he isn’t adverse to dealing Chavez, but he wants a pitcher with more strikeouts and a better ERA and WHIP.
So, in essence, it sounds like he is holding out for CC Sabathia or Josh Beckett.
Good luck with that…And be sure to enjoy every one of those 10 home runs that Chavez is going to hit this year.
I’m not sure what happened in MLB this week, but the injury fairy is pissed and has come to collect. And if you are in a deep league, this is the best time to find some bargains. Lots of new guys earning some important playing time….here are some to target.
Brandon Morrow-We’ve all known something is wrong with Mariners closer JJ Putz, but it finally came to a head Wednesday when he left after one better, due to pain in his elbow. This could be serious and Morrow would be the clear cut choice to step in.
Chris Duncan-He’s got three weeks to show he belongs on the big league roster. He’ll hold down first base until Albert Pujols comes back. You know Duncan has power and if he can hit these next couple weeks, he could stick around as an outfielder.
Kelly Shoppach-I’ve always been a big fan of Shoppach and if Victor Martinez’ elbow is serious, then Shoppach would make a nice fill in. As a part timer, he’s got more home runs than V-Mart anyway, so if given a full time gig, he could be nice.
Reed Johnson/Jim Edmonds-Only in the deepest of leagues. Both these guys are pretty crummy, but they’ll both be able to start now that Alfonso Soriano is out for at least a month. We could also see the return of Felix Pie…yuck.
Marlon Anderson/Chris Aguila/Endy Chavez-With Ryan Church and Moises Alou both ailing, the Mets outfield is in distress. Fernando Tatis has reverted back to being Fernando Tatis, so that leaves some openings at Shea. Chavez and Anderson should get the majority of starts, but Aguila could easily unseat either with a little production.
Andy LaRoche-He’s been tearing it up in Triple A, but the Dodgers don’t have a set spot for him. LaRoche can play 1st, 2nd or 3rd and Joe Torre says he ‘will play against lefthanders’, so that guarantees at least a couple starts each week somewhere. He hit a home run in his first game up, so the time to grab him is now.
Armando Galaragga-I’ve been hyping him all year long and now his spot in the rotation is set in stone. Jeremy Bonderman is out for the year and Dontrelle Willis has turned into Rick Ankiel, the pitcher. The Tigers are scoring 6 runs a game when Armando starts, so he’s worth your time.
Monday, June 9, 2008
YEA OR NAY FOR JUNE 6TH
Finally we are into June and tempers are flaring all over Major League Baseball, as well as in most fantasy leagues.
In case you missed it, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (they will always be the DEVIL Rays…why even bother trying to change the name) went off the deep end Thursday night, taking their frustrations out on the superior Red Sox.
In no way will I attempt to defend Coco Crisp….he is a douche. But the Devil Rays need to learn what being the bigger man is about. Crisp is a loudmouth punk and the Rays fell for his crap.
But can somebody please, just once, kick Jonny Gomes’ ass?
He punked Sandy Duncan in spring training, blindsiding him from right field. And this week, he drags his 300 pound lard ass off the bench and batters Coco Crisp while he is pinned to the ground by Dioner Navarro. Way to prove yourself Jonny…I can only assume all this rage is pent up from not having an ‘H’ in his name like every other Johnny on this planet.
The dumbest part of this whole thing was the fact that this was a pretty damn important game, as far as the AL East is concerned.
I can envision the pregame pep talk from manager Joe Madden.
‘Fellas, for the first time ever, we are real players in this division. You’ve got a shot of shocking the world this season. We win tonight and we are back in first place. But I think it will be better if we get our opening day starter tossed out for beaning little old Coco Crisp, and in essence, forfeiting the game. We’ll show them they can’t mess with us!’
And then how about Manny and Youk getting into it in the dugout. I really think Manny didn’t realize Youk was on his team and thought there was in intruder in the dugout. Where Manny comes from, there aren’t many bald white dudes with overgrown goatees. It was just natural instinct.
No matter how you shape it, it’s going to be an amazing summer in the AL East!
On to this week’s Yea or Nay:
YEA: To the Yankees and the whole Joba situation. I call it a YEA because I’m happy they are screwing it all up. What is to stop every single team from doing what the Blue Jays did….sitting on pitches and getting JC’s pitch count up, thus getting him out of the game early. That’s mistake number 1…not having done this in the pre-season. Mistake number 2 comes from not having a replacement for the second coming in the 7th and 8th innings. Kyle Farnsworth stinks, Yankee fans don’t even deny it. Mariano can’t pitch two innings like he used to. It’s nice to see panic back in the Bronx, without the looting and pillaging.
I also loved hearing the fact that Joba was always a chubby little kid. So, his father decided to name him Joba and he was fat. Thanks a lot dad…way to give your kid a built in complex.
NAY: To Trevor Hoffman. 3 blown saves and 4 losses in a little over 2 months…he is a big reason the Padres are where they are. Losing Peavy and Young doesn’t help either, but the Hoff better stash away that 7.5 million he’s earning this year, because he won’t be getting any more in the future. I traded for him after week 1 and the only thing saving me is the fact that I sent Nick Johnson to the other team.
YEA: To trading Dan Uggla. The dude is the bomb at second base, but those numbers are going to come back to earth and pretty soon. Teams are going to start pitching around the U, because Jorge Cantu is a whole heck of a lot worse. And if you think Uggla is going to hit .300 on the year, I hate to say it, but you are stupid.
NAY: To the new flick ‘Kung Fu Panda’. Really, it’s more a NAY for the movie theatres, only because my local one decided to have a premiere at 12:01 last night…the first time they could legally show it. Indiana Jones…sure. Sex and the City…okay. But Kung Fu Panda at 12:01 a.m.? DYFS should have an official on hand to see what kind of mongrels bring their kids out to see a movie at that time.
YEA: To the Mariners. Hard to give a team playing at a 21-39 clip a YEA, but the front office is doing what it can to shake the players up. No post game buffet…no hot tubs….no free time away from the media. It’s kind of like what happened in ‘Major League’, but for different reasons. The M’s are 15.5 games out of first place on June 6th…chances are this shakeup is too late, but I like the idea.
NAY: To Jason Giambi and his porno mustache. I understand you are hitting well and all, but the ‘stache and the thong have got to go.
NAY: To Matt Kemp, Kyle Farnsworth and all the other retards who appeal suspensions. Really, it’s Major League Baseball’s fault, for not hearing appeals instantly. But to basically allow these guys to decide when their suspensions begin is a joke. Don’t wait for these guys to come to New York to have a hearing. Have someone in a position where they can fly to wherever these guys are and have the appeal instantly.
YEA: To me for trading Rick Ankiel in both leagues, while he was still hot and had some value. He’s pretty much been a toad since the first two weeks of the year.
NAY: To my AL only team…It’s in deep, deep trouble. Papi, Sheffield both on the dl. Rios and Upton unable to hit for any power. Alexi Casilla has been my best player the last two weeks….frightening.
YEA: To my NL only team. Sorry to the rest of the guys in the league, but my team is unstoppable. Utley, Braun, Fielder, Dunn, Burrell, CB Young and now Pedro is back…plus Tulowitzki is coming back sooner than expected. 9 teams battling it out for second place.
YEA: To Rafael Soriano. Manny Acosta is a turd. Soriano is a really good pitcher, when healthy. He’s healthy.
YEA: Can’t believe I’m saying this, but to Adam Eaton. He hasn’t been horrible and the Phils score 9 runs a game. He’s a no doubter in NL only play and might warrant matchup consideration in mixed leagues.
NAY: To Erik Bedard. I just traded for you, you scumbag. Straighten up and fly right.
YEA: To Ian Stewart…if he’s not already, he will soon be second base eligible. He plays in Colorado and he’s got power to spare. It’s either him or Aaron Miles….who you going to pick?
NAY: To JR Towles. I missed the boat on you and now you are in the minors. Thanks for making me look stupid.
YEA: To Howie Kendrick. He’s back and he’s a mesmerizing 4 for 22 with 0 homers and 0 steals. Thanks for proving me right.
NAY: To all you suckers who are jumping on Devil Rays prospect David Price. 1-He’s putting the numbers up in SINGLE A! 2-The Devil Rays starting rotation doesn’t have an opening. Somebody actually picked him up recently in my very shallow mixed league. Waste of a quarter, Tom.
YEA: To John Smoltz and Jake Westbrook….see you guys in ’09.
NAY: To the fact that I saw my first fantasy football magazine in the bookstore the other day. BOOOO.
YEA: To the end of the T-Ball season….last game is Saturday and it was a blast….I loved every single minute of it. I’m working on the off-season regimen as we speak
In case you missed it, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays (they will always be the DEVIL Rays…why even bother trying to change the name) went off the deep end Thursday night, taking their frustrations out on the superior Red Sox.
In no way will I attempt to defend Coco Crisp….he is a douche. But the Devil Rays need to learn what being the bigger man is about. Crisp is a loudmouth punk and the Rays fell for his crap.
But can somebody please, just once, kick Jonny Gomes’ ass?
He punked Sandy Duncan in spring training, blindsiding him from right field. And this week, he drags his 300 pound lard ass off the bench and batters Coco Crisp while he is pinned to the ground by Dioner Navarro. Way to prove yourself Jonny…I can only assume all this rage is pent up from not having an ‘H’ in his name like every other Johnny on this planet.
The dumbest part of this whole thing was the fact that this was a pretty damn important game, as far as the AL East is concerned.
I can envision the pregame pep talk from manager Joe Madden.
‘Fellas, for the first time ever, we are real players in this division. You’ve got a shot of shocking the world this season. We win tonight and we are back in first place. But I think it will be better if we get our opening day starter tossed out for beaning little old Coco Crisp, and in essence, forfeiting the game. We’ll show them they can’t mess with us!’
And then how about Manny and Youk getting into it in the dugout. I really think Manny didn’t realize Youk was on his team and thought there was in intruder in the dugout. Where Manny comes from, there aren’t many bald white dudes with overgrown goatees. It was just natural instinct.
No matter how you shape it, it’s going to be an amazing summer in the AL East!
On to this week’s Yea or Nay:
YEA: To the Yankees and the whole Joba situation. I call it a YEA because I’m happy they are screwing it all up. What is to stop every single team from doing what the Blue Jays did….sitting on pitches and getting JC’s pitch count up, thus getting him out of the game early. That’s mistake number 1…not having done this in the pre-season. Mistake number 2 comes from not having a replacement for the second coming in the 7th and 8th innings. Kyle Farnsworth stinks, Yankee fans don’t even deny it. Mariano can’t pitch two innings like he used to. It’s nice to see panic back in the Bronx, without the looting and pillaging.
I also loved hearing the fact that Joba was always a chubby little kid. So, his father decided to name him Joba and he was fat. Thanks a lot dad…way to give your kid a built in complex.
NAY: To Trevor Hoffman. 3 blown saves and 4 losses in a little over 2 months…he is a big reason the Padres are where they are. Losing Peavy and Young doesn’t help either, but the Hoff better stash away that 7.5 million he’s earning this year, because he won’t be getting any more in the future. I traded for him after week 1 and the only thing saving me is the fact that I sent Nick Johnson to the other team.
YEA: To trading Dan Uggla. The dude is the bomb at second base, but those numbers are going to come back to earth and pretty soon. Teams are going to start pitching around the U, because Jorge Cantu is a whole heck of a lot worse. And if you think Uggla is going to hit .300 on the year, I hate to say it, but you are stupid.
NAY: To the new flick ‘Kung Fu Panda’. Really, it’s more a NAY for the movie theatres, only because my local one decided to have a premiere at 12:01 last night…the first time they could legally show it. Indiana Jones…sure. Sex and the City…okay. But Kung Fu Panda at 12:01 a.m.? DYFS should have an official on hand to see what kind of mongrels bring their kids out to see a movie at that time.
YEA: To the Mariners. Hard to give a team playing at a 21-39 clip a YEA, but the front office is doing what it can to shake the players up. No post game buffet…no hot tubs….no free time away from the media. It’s kind of like what happened in ‘Major League’, but for different reasons. The M’s are 15.5 games out of first place on June 6th…chances are this shakeup is too late, but I like the idea.
NAY: To Jason Giambi and his porno mustache. I understand you are hitting well and all, but the ‘stache and the thong have got to go.
NAY: To Matt Kemp, Kyle Farnsworth and all the other retards who appeal suspensions. Really, it’s Major League Baseball’s fault, for not hearing appeals instantly. But to basically allow these guys to decide when their suspensions begin is a joke. Don’t wait for these guys to come to New York to have a hearing. Have someone in a position where they can fly to wherever these guys are and have the appeal instantly.
YEA: To me for trading Rick Ankiel in both leagues, while he was still hot and had some value. He’s pretty much been a toad since the first two weeks of the year.
NAY: To my AL only team…It’s in deep, deep trouble. Papi, Sheffield both on the dl. Rios and Upton unable to hit for any power. Alexi Casilla has been my best player the last two weeks….frightening.
YEA: To my NL only team. Sorry to the rest of the guys in the league, but my team is unstoppable. Utley, Braun, Fielder, Dunn, Burrell, CB Young and now Pedro is back…plus Tulowitzki is coming back sooner than expected. 9 teams battling it out for second place.
YEA: To Rafael Soriano. Manny Acosta is a turd. Soriano is a really good pitcher, when healthy. He’s healthy.
YEA: Can’t believe I’m saying this, but to Adam Eaton. He hasn’t been horrible and the Phils score 9 runs a game. He’s a no doubter in NL only play and might warrant matchup consideration in mixed leagues.
NAY: To Erik Bedard. I just traded for you, you scumbag. Straighten up and fly right.
YEA: To Ian Stewart…if he’s not already, he will soon be second base eligible. He plays in Colorado and he’s got power to spare. It’s either him or Aaron Miles….who you going to pick?
NAY: To JR Towles. I missed the boat on you and now you are in the minors. Thanks for making me look stupid.
YEA: To Howie Kendrick. He’s back and he’s a mesmerizing 4 for 22 with 0 homers and 0 steals. Thanks for proving me right.
NAY: To all you suckers who are jumping on Devil Rays prospect David Price. 1-He’s putting the numbers up in SINGLE A! 2-The Devil Rays starting rotation doesn’t have an opening. Somebody actually picked him up recently in my very shallow mixed league. Waste of a quarter, Tom.
YEA: To John Smoltz and Jake Westbrook….see you guys in ’09.
NAY: To the fact that I saw my first fantasy football magazine in the bookstore the other day. BOOOO.
YEA: To the end of the T-Ball season….last game is Saturday and it was a blast….I loved every single minute of it. I’m working on the off-season regimen as we speak
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
APATHY, THOU HAST DEFEATED ME
Apathy-(ap`uh-thee)-Lack of emotion: Lack of interest: Indifference.
There are lots of horrible things that can happen over the course of a fantasy baseball season. But if apathy comes home to roost, you may as well throw in the towel.
You can live with an owner or two who loses interest…but apathy is contagious and if you don’t nip it in the bud, it might be time to break it down.
Unlike fantasy football where you can fall off the face of the earth for 6 days and then reappear to set your lineup Sunday morn, baseball takes real commitment.
The reason rotisserie was invented in the first place was to give guys another excuse to sit around and talk baseball. If you are in a league where the majority of owners don’t even want to do that, then it’s time to blow it up.
I’ve reached that point in two of my leagues. My NL only and AL only leagues are populated by 10 owners, 9 of which participate in both.
Problem is, I just don’t get the feeling most of these guys even want to be in. That’s not a knock on the owners…if you aren’t into it, then you aren’t into it. But it certainly does suck and I am confident that unless I can find some new blood in 2009, these leagues won’t be in existence.
I’ve tried, really I have. Updating players on the trading block. Trash talking. Submitting trade offer after trade offer.
But consider in one league there is a trade offer on the table that was submitted on April 29th….there hasn’t even been a response to it by the owner. Not a rejection, not an approval, not a counter. NOTHING….IT JUST SITS THERE.
Reject it, please! You won’t hurt my feelings. At least I will know that you give a crap.
And how about one time, somebody send me a counter offer to a trade…as stupid as you want it to be. Offer me Luis Salazar for Ryan Braun…SHOW ME YOU CARE, AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT.
In my mixed league there are owners who send out 40 trade offers a week. 39 of them are ridiculous, but at least I know that they are actually enjoying themselves and trying to have others do the same. These are the guys that fantasy was made for.
The owner interaction in the distressed leagues is depressing. Even now, when cbssportsline has created a live chat right on the league site for owners to shoot the bull as games take place, nobody says nothing.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and things will change in the coming summer months.
To be honest, I had a gut feeling before the season began that these leagues could be going down this path. But I forged ahead anyway, mainly out of my own selfishness. I wanted to do an auction. I wanted to do an AL only head to head. So I guess I get what I deserved and I shouldn’t complain.
But it won’t happen again. Keep me in mind when you are putting together a fantasy league in the future. Don’t let this happen to you.
Chances are the Kimbo Slice fight was fixed this past Saturday night, I cannot deny. But it was still terrific television.
If you are like me, you grew up watching boxing. Remember when fights were actually on free TV on Saturday afternoons? How about Friday night fights on ESPN? Or even going to a friend’s house who had an illegal converter box and watching Mike Tyson when he was on HBO?
But the fact of the matter is that professional boxing has been ruined. Greed has taken over and fighters have their minds on the rematch before the current fight has even begun. I’m proud to say I have never given a single dime to Don King and I hope you can say the same. I don’t know if it will all ever come to light, but King is a truly horrible person who has ruined many, many lives.
So here comes MMA…mixed martial arts for those of you not in the know. The downfall of boxing has left a void and Elite XC is stepping in. There is still an audience out there who enjoy watching two people beat the pulp out of each other, without having to pay 80 bucks to see it.
CBS has realized this and last Saturday night, they aired a full card of bouts, to much glee in the McPherson household. At least, amongst the males over 30. (in other words, me…though, in people years, the cat is 67)
With characters ranging from the New York Badass to some guy who claims to have found Jesus and now likes to smash opponent’s skulls, the night was a success. Sure, there were some quick stoppages and some eye gouging, but all in all, I think it showed what it has to offer.
A ladies match was actually the best of the night. Gina Carano messed up Kaitlin Young over 2 rounds…but more importantly….Gina Carano is smoking hot!!! Plus, her day job is as American Gladiator Crush!
So she’s gorgeous and she can kick your ass. I know a lot of guys who would pay for that kind of action (Blum).
The biggie, though, was Kimbo Slice versus some British dude names James Thompson, who everyone says is basically a tomato can. Thompson entered the ring with a left ear the size of a small child’s head. It might as well of had a bullseye painted on it.
Drain that sucker!
But nobody was there to see Thompson…it was all about Kimbo.
You might know him from the youtube videos where he would beat the living tar out of guys in backyard brawls all over Florida. Kimbo has become an overnight sensation and EliteXC knows it. They signed him to be a marquee name, but it almost when all wrong on their biggest night.
Slice is a streetfighter, but to be successful in MMA, you need to know more than that. You need to know jujitsu and tae-kwan-do and all this other stuff. Kimbo knows how to hit people real hard in the face.
So when Thompson was laying a beat down on Slice in the second round, fight organizers probably could have used a diaper. Their biggest name was being taught a lesson.
But Thompson’s cauliflower ear would be his achilles heal and in round three, Kimbo popped that sucker. I let out a yelp as blood splattered from the Brit’s ear, but oh was it glorious!
The fight was stopped and Slice had survived. But I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been hit like that in a long time and his time in the XC might end up being short lived. Against a better fighter, Slice would have been meat.
But the important thing to consider is this: when was the last time anybody talked about a boxing card as much as this? It doesn’t happen, not anymore. If you didn’t watch, I suggest you tune in this Saturday night.
A buddy of mine, we’ll just call him Bryan, recently purchased the video game RockBand and it has consumed his entire being.
Suddenly, he has an alter ego. He’s purchased new clothes, some skull caps, and even talks with a British accent. The next time I see him, I expect him to have tattoos over half his body and a heroin addiction.
The funny thing is that of all people, Bryan is the last one I ever thought would get hooked on this game. I’ve known him for 15 years and in that time, he has purchased one CD….School House Rocks. Music has no real place in his life and suddenly, he is the drummer in a fictional rock band that practices in his living room. He’s invited me to his house to be the bass player, but who wants to be the bass player? Nobody likes the bass player.
I mentioned this movie before, but now it is on Comcast OnDemand….under free movies. Night of the Creeps. It won’t cost you a dime and you will thoroughly enjoy it…It stars Rusty from Vacation. Not Anthony Michael Hall, but the kid who played Rusty in Europe….when he made it with the German fraulein.(I’m sure that’s spelled wrong, but you know who I’m talking about)
Did I mention it’s FREE!!! What else are you going to watch now that Lost is done for the summer?
Say what you want about M Night Shama-lama-ding-dong and his movies, but he sure knows how to make an amazing trailer! ‘The Happening’ looks absolutely spooktacular, with people lying down in front of lawnmowers and jumping off of buildings. Totally cringeworthy.
It reminds me of that old TV commercial for ‘Worlds Most Extreme Video’s’ where they show a woman running to cross some tracks with a train coming….then they cut it right before she gets smashed to bits. You know her head erupted like a watermelon at a Gallagher concert, even though you didn’t see it. I viewed this commercial one time when I was 11 and I still have nightmares about it.
Back with a YEA or NAY on Friday….loads to talk about. Fat Joba, injured Papi, Dusty freakin’ Baker, Old John Smoltz and more.
Also, an FYI to those trying to leave comments. Do so without using vulagarities or they won’t get posted. Thanks.
There are lots of horrible things that can happen over the course of a fantasy baseball season. But if apathy comes home to roost, you may as well throw in the towel.
You can live with an owner or two who loses interest…but apathy is contagious and if you don’t nip it in the bud, it might be time to break it down.
Unlike fantasy football where you can fall off the face of the earth for 6 days and then reappear to set your lineup Sunday morn, baseball takes real commitment.
The reason rotisserie was invented in the first place was to give guys another excuse to sit around and talk baseball. If you are in a league where the majority of owners don’t even want to do that, then it’s time to blow it up.
I’ve reached that point in two of my leagues. My NL only and AL only leagues are populated by 10 owners, 9 of which participate in both.
Problem is, I just don’t get the feeling most of these guys even want to be in. That’s not a knock on the owners…if you aren’t into it, then you aren’t into it. But it certainly does suck and I am confident that unless I can find some new blood in 2009, these leagues won’t be in existence.
I’ve tried, really I have. Updating players on the trading block. Trash talking. Submitting trade offer after trade offer.
But consider in one league there is a trade offer on the table that was submitted on April 29th….there hasn’t even been a response to it by the owner. Not a rejection, not an approval, not a counter. NOTHING….IT JUST SITS THERE.
Reject it, please! You won’t hurt my feelings. At least I will know that you give a crap.
And how about one time, somebody send me a counter offer to a trade…as stupid as you want it to be. Offer me Luis Salazar for Ryan Braun…SHOW ME YOU CARE, AT LEAST A LITTLE BIT.
In my mixed league there are owners who send out 40 trade offers a week. 39 of them are ridiculous, but at least I know that they are actually enjoying themselves and trying to have others do the same. These are the guys that fantasy was made for.
The owner interaction in the distressed leagues is depressing. Even now, when cbssportsline has created a live chat right on the league site for owners to shoot the bull as games take place, nobody says nothing.
Maybe I’ll be proven wrong and things will change in the coming summer months.
To be honest, I had a gut feeling before the season began that these leagues could be going down this path. But I forged ahead anyway, mainly out of my own selfishness. I wanted to do an auction. I wanted to do an AL only head to head. So I guess I get what I deserved and I shouldn’t complain.
But it won’t happen again. Keep me in mind when you are putting together a fantasy league in the future. Don’t let this happen to you.
Chances are the Kimbo Slice fight was fixed this past Saturday night, I cannot deny. But it was still terrific television.
If you are like me, you grew up watching boxing. Remember when fights were actually on free TV on Saturday afternoons? How about Friday night fights on ESPN? Or even going to a friend’s house who had an illegal converter box and watching Mike Tyson when he was on HBO?
But the fact of the matter is that professional boxing has been ruined. Greed has taken over and fighters have their minds on the rematch before the current fight has even begun. I’m proud to say I have never given a single dime to Don King and I hope you can say the same. I don’t know if it will all ever come to light, but King is a truly horrible person who has ruined many, many lives.
So here comes MMA…mixed martial arts for those of you not in the know. The downfall of boxing has left a void and Elite XC is stepping in. There is still an audience out there who enjoy watching two people beat the pulp out of each other, without having to pay 80 bucks to see it.
CBS has realized this and last Saturday night, they aired a full card of bouts, to much glee in the McPherson household. At least, amongst the males over 30. (in other words, me…though, in people years, the cat is 67)
With characters ranging from the New York Badass to some guy who claims to have found Jesus and now likes to smash opponent’s skulls, the night was a success. Sure, there were some quick stoppages and some eye gouging, but all in all, I think it showed what it has to offer.
A ladies match was actually the best of the night. Gina Carano messed up Kaitlin Young over 2 rounds…but more importantly….Gina Carano is smoking hot!!! Plus, her day job is as American Gladiator Crush!
So she’s gorgeous and she can kick your ass. I know a lot of guys who would pay for that kind of action (Blum).
The biggie, though, was Kimbo Slice versus some British dude names James Thompson, who everyone says is basically a tomato can. Thompson entered the ring with a left ear the size of a small child’s head. It might as well of had a bullseye painted on it.
Drain that sucker!
But nobody was there to see Thompson…it was all about Kimbo.
You might know him from the youtube videos where he would beat the living tar out of guys in backyard brawls all over Florida. Kimbo has become an overnight sensation and EliteXC knows it. They signed him to be a marquee name, but it almost when all wrong on their biggest night.
Slice is a streetfighter, but to be successful in MMA, you need to know more than that. You need to know jujitsu and tae-kwan-do and all this other stuff. Kimbo knows how to hit people real hard in the face.
So when Thompson was laying a beat down on Slice in the second round, fight organizers probably could have used a diaper. Their biggest name was being taught a lesson.
But Thompson’s cauliflower ear would be his achilles heal and in round three, Kimbo popped that sucker. I let out a yelp as blood splattered from the Brit’s ear, but oh was it glorious!
The fight was stopped and Slice had survived. But I’m pretty sure he hadn’t been hit like that in a long time and his time in the XC might end up being short lived. Against a better fighter, Slice would have been meat.
But the important thing to consider is this: when was the last time anybody talked about a boxing card as much as this? It doesn’t happen, not anymore. If you didn’t watch, I suggest you tune in this Saturday night.
A buddy of mine, we’ll just call him Bryan, recently purchased the video game RockBand and it has consumed his entire being.
Suddenly, he has an alter ego. He’s purchased new clothes, some skull caps, and even talks with a British accent. The next time I see him, I expect him to have tattoos over half his body and a heroin addiction.
The funny thing is that of all people, Bryan is the last one I ever thought would get hooked on this game. I’ve known him for 15 years and in that time, he has purchased one CD….School House Rocks. Music has no real place in his life and suddenly, he is the drummer in a fictional rock band that practices in his living room. He’s invited me to his house to be the bass player, but who wants to be the bass player? Nobody likes the bass player.
I mentioned this movie before, but now it is on Comcast OnDemand….under free movies. Night of the Creeps. It won’t cost you a dime and you will thoroughly enjoy it…It stars Rusty from Vacation. Not Anthony Michael Hall, but the kid who played Rusty in Europe….when he made it with the German fraulein.(I’m sure that’s spelled wrong, but you know who I’m talking about)
Did I mention it’s FREE!!! What else are you going to watch now that Lost is done for the summer?
Say what you want about M Night Shama-lama-ding-dong and his movies, but he sure knows how to make an amazing trailer! ‘The Happening’ looks absolutely spooktacular, with people lying down in front of lawnmowers and jumping off of buildings. Totally cringeworthy.
It reminds me of that old TV commercial for ‘Worlds Most Extreme Video’s’ where they show a woman running to cross some tracks with a train coming….then they cut it right before she gets smashed to bits. You know her head erupted like a watermelon at a Gallagher concert, even though you didn’t see it. I viewed this commercial one time when I was 11 and I still have nightmares about it.
Back with a YEA or NAY on Friday….loads to talk about. Fat Joba, injured Papi, Dusty freakin’ Baker, Old John Smoltz and more.
Also, an FYI to those trying to leave comments. Do so without using vulagarities or they won’t get posted. Thanks.
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