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
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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.
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