Seattle just finished coming back from a 25-point deficit late in the third quarter to beat Minnesota by eight. Rashard Lewis is stepping it up to fill the Ray Allen void.
Check out West Virginia’s last second shot to beat Miss State. It was a pretty sweet inbounds play, nice misdirection. I guess the less-famous Hansbrough brother is now done playing too.
In baseball:
Ryan Howard had another stellar day, 0-4 with three k’s. Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run jack, which helps my confidence as I have him starting at third base in my keeper league.
Boof Bonser looked pretty decent. He went six innings, while giving up four hits and striking out seven. Carl Pavano went six innings and gave up six hits while not striking anyone out. I can only find his pitch count on Yahoo, and they have it at 27, with 22 strikes. Now, with his one walk and one hit batter, he must have thrown no other balls over the entire six innings. He had 14 groundball outs, including four double-play outs. I’m not really confident that the Yahoo pitch count is right, but the results are the same either way. You have to like the ground balls, but a strikeout or five would be nice too.
Morgan Ensberg hit a homerun. He’s a great sleeper because of how late he is going. Last year’s average was pretty bad, but he might be a good cheap power source.
Albert Pujols went 2-3 with a homerun, get used to seeing that in the box score. Chris Carpenter went seven strong innings, four hits and two walks, while striking out five.
Mike Sweeney went 2-3 with two runs, three rbi’s, and a homerun. He might have some success if he can stay healthy, which won’t happen. Aramis Ramirez looked pretty good, and Ryan Dempster picked up where he left off last year, giving up two runs in one innings of work.
Wow, the Padres (they’re not playing in Petco yet) exploded on the Rangers. Kevin Millwood coughed up 10 runs in 4.2 innings. Eric Gagne gave up four runs in one inning; his owners need to be worried. Conversely, Antinori Otsuka’s owners need to be excited. Russel Branyan had five rbi’s, Adrian Gonzalez added three and is a good bet to improve this season. Josh Bard brought nothing more than an 0-6 day to the party.
The Mariners showed off yet another round of astoundingly bad offseason pickups today. Horacio Ramirez (who might actually have some promise somewhere down deep) and Chris Reitsma combined for seven innings, 12 hits, nine runs, and three strikeouts.
Dave Bush struck out six in five otherwise sloppy innings and continues his run as the most underrated fantasy pitcher.
Giant Bobby Jenks gained a little bit of security when his scoreless inning was followed by Andy Sisco and Mike MacDougal getting rocked consecutively. Howie Kendrick went 2-4 and knocked in three.
Scott Hairston knocked out three homeruns and Matt Holliday added one of his own. Josh Fogg gave up 11 runs (10 earned) on 13 hits. Its nice to know he’s working to repeat last season’s 5.49 era.
-Adam
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Monday March 26, 2007
So my bracket is totally destroyed just when I thought it was all going to go according to plan. So coming into this weekend all 8 of my Elite 8 teams were still alive, giving me full potential to be perfect (wishful thinking I know). It all started going downhill On Thursday when “I don’t know how I got here” Memphis beat Texas A&M by 1, only if Acie Law IV could make a lay-up. That loss hurt the most because I had them in the Final Four and I don’t think a lot of others did, so that was how I was going to gain any ground that I had lost. Besides that loss, that round went really well because that was the only one of my Elite 8 teams that lost so I went 7 for 8. Then Saturday came and Kansas decided to play like shit and lose to UCLA, there goes my national champion. I felt if Kansas was another team not too many people picked so if I was to call it I would most likely do well, so much for that. Then on Sunday North Carolina, the other team I had in the final, decided not to score any points for roughly have the day and get blown out in OT to Georgetown (a team I really like but thought UNC had their number). The only team I was able call correctly in the Final Four was Florida (just like the rest of the nation). So I went from going 7 for 8 to 1 for 4 and am now officially dead. That is the joy of college basketball though you never know who will win. With all my teams out I will hope to see UCLA vs. Georgetown in the final with UCLA winning so that folks don’t doubt the Pac-10.
If you have not seen the ending to the Division 2 NCAA Men’s basketball National Championship go to this link now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgsn3C3UBs. That ending was nuts, a friend told me about it then I caught it on YouTube. Where would the world be without YouTube?
So it is officially less than a week until the baseball season officially starts. YAY! I can’t wait to see how the players I have drafted in my fantasy leagues pan out.
Let’s see what happened today.
Derrek Lee continues to dominate spring training’s face. Today he went 3-5, runs, 2 rbis bringing his rbi total to 17 for spring training. O and he is hitting .500 too. All Lee owners (including myself) are hoping this rolls over to the season.
Mike Piazza hit in his 16th run of spring training, his teammate Nick Swisher also drove in his 16th run of spring training. If this duo continues to do well the A’s will be looking to take their division this year because you know they have the pitching to go with those bats. I think Piazza is a good fantasy option because he is C eligible but plays DH so he will not risk injury which I feel will lead him to good numbers.
Gary Sheffield stole a base, interesting.
Aubrey Huff continues to have a solid spring going 2-3 with a run. He is batting .380 in spring training so he seems to be adjusting to Balt.
Dice-K went 5 innings allowing no hits or runs, striking out 6 and walking 5. I was able to watch part of this game while I ate lunch and I think Dice-K looked good. If he can keep the strike totals high and bring the walk total down he will be a good starter. I think the K’s will remain high going into the season because batters are not use to seeing him.
Adam Wainwright continues to pitch solid and look good in spring training. Today he went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and no runs while striking out 6 and walking none. His ERA for spring training is 0.98. I would keep an eye on this kid he could prove to be a good fantasy starter.
-Erik
If you have not seen the ending to the Division 2 NCAA Men’s basketball National Championship go to this link now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rgsn3C3UBs. That ending was nuts, a friend told me about it then I caught it on YouTube. Where would the world be without YouTube?
So it is officially less than a week until the baseball season officially starts. YAY! I can’t wait to see how the players I have drafted in my fantasy leagues pan out.
Let’s see what happened today.
Derrek Lee continues to dominate spring training’s face. Today he went 3-5, runs, 2 rbis bringing his rbi total to 17 for spring training. O and he is hitting .500 too. All Lee owners (including myself) are hoping this rolls over to the season.
Mike Piazza hit in his 16th run of spring training, his teammate Nick Swisher also drove in his 16th run of spring training. If this duo continues to do well the A’s will be looking to take their division this year because you know they have the pitching to go with those bats. I think Piazza is a good fantasy option because he is C eligible but plays DH so he will not risk injury which I feel will lead him to good numbers.
Gary Sheffield stole a base, interesting.
Aubrey Huff continues to have a solid spring going 2-3 with a run. He is batting .380 in spring training so he seems to be adjusting to Balt.
Dice-K went 5 innings allowing no hits or runs, striking out 6 and walking 5. I was able to watch part of this game while I ate lunch and I think Dice-K looked good. If he can keep the strike totals high and bring the walk total down he will be a good starter. I think the K’s will remain high going into the season because batters are not use to seeing him.
Adam Wainwright continues to pitch solid and look good in spring training. Today he went 6 innings giving up 4 hits and no runs while striking out 6 and walking none. His ERA for spring training is 0.98. I would keep an eye on this kid he could prove to be a good fantasy starter.
-Erik
Sunday, March 25, 2007
Sunday March 25, 2007
Jonny Gomes had a great day on Sunday, going 2-3 with three runs, two rbi’s and a homerun. The homerun was his fourth of spring training. He is only 26 and has hit 20 and 21 homeruns the last two seasons, while never topping 385 at bats. I think his .216 batting average last year was more related to injuries than to his skill level. In 2005 he batted .282 with nine steals, to go along with his 21 homeruns, in only 348 at bats. Simply put, the guy has talent, and if you don’t want to take him at the end of drafts in deeper leagues then at least keep an eye on him as the season starts as a cheap source for power.
Although most see him as an unspectacular lower middle-tier starting pitcher, Chuck James put up decent numbers last year and had a pretty good start Sunday. He went six innings, gave up two hits and struck out four. He also walked four, but he’s not a bad guy to keep an eye on as he could take strides forward this season.
Josh Beckett gave up three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven in seven innings. I think I’ve said it before, but it is interesting how he went from being vastly overrated to underrated in the last two years. I like him to be better this year and play like a #2 fantasy starter for teams. He plays on a good team that will win him some games, and he strikes guys out.
Gary Sheffield made the most out of his one at bat, finishing with a homerun and four rbi’s. The guy may be old, but he still has his bat speed and playing at DH will keep him healthy.
Chase Utley had himself a day, going 3-4, with two runs, four rbi’s and two homeruns (giving him 6 in spring training). I still say if he drops past fifth in drafts it’s a crime. And yes, he is the best fantasy option on the Phillies, although Ryan Howard did get a hit today.
Cole Hamels got the win with 6 k’s in 6.2 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and gave up five hits, two of them being homeruns.
Raul Ibanez hit a homerun, giving him 5 in spring training. I don’t think he’ll repeat last season’s numbers, but he should be good for 20-25 homeruns and close to 90 rbi’s. His average has never been lower than .280 when he’s had over 250 at bats.
In our keeper league, Chien-Ming Wang and Prince Fielder hit the waiver wire. Not quite sure on either one. Wang could have gone to the DL and Fielder was dropped for Doug Davis. The team adding Davis is way short on pitching, but come on, its Doug Davis. And Fielder should be owned at all times in a keeper league (or any league).
I’m a little bitter because I have the eighth waiver out of ten, so it is unlikely that I’ll get the Prince on my team, which is desperate for some power. Anyway, take it easy and don’t drop Prince Fielder for Doug Davis.
-Adam
Although most see him as an unspectacular lower middle-tier starting pitcher, Chuck James put up decent numbers last year and had a pretty good start Sunday. He went six innings, gave up two hits and struck out four. He also walked four, but he’s not a bad guy to keep an eye on as he could take strides forward this season.
Josh Beckett gave up three hits and no earned runs while striking out seven in seven innings. I think I’ve said it before, but it is interesting how he went from being vastly overrated to underrated in the last two years. I like him to be better this year and play like a #2 fantasy starter for teams. He plays on a good team that will win him some games, and he strikes guys out.
Gary Sheffield made the most out of his one at bat, finishing with a homerun and four rbi’s. The guy may be old, but he still has his bat speed and playing at DH will keep him healthy.
Chase Utley had himself a day, going 3-4, with two runs, four rbi’s and two homeruns (giving him 6 in spring training). I still say if he drops past fifth in drafts it’s a crime. And yes, he is the best fantasy option on the Phillies, although Ryan Howard did get a hit today.
Cole Hamels got the win with 6 k’s in 6.2 innings. He didn’t walk anyone and gave up five hits, two of them being homeruns.
Raul Ibanez hit a homerun, giving him 5 in spring training. I don’t think he’ll repeat last season’s numbers, but he should be good for 20-25 homeruns and close to 90 rbi’s. His average has never been lower than .280 when he’s had over 250 at bats.
In our keeper league, Chien-Ming Wang and Prince Fielder hit the waiver wire. Not quite sure on either one. Wang could have gone to the DL and Fielder was dropped for Doug Davis. The team adding Davis is way short on pitching, but come on, its Doug Davis. And Fielder should be owned at all times in a keeper league (or any league).
I’m a little bitter because I have the eighth waiver out of ten, so it is unlikely that I’ll get the Prince on my team, which is desperate for some power. Anyway, take it easy and don’t drop Prince Fielder for Doug Davis.
-Adam
Friday, March 23, 2007
Thursday March 22, 2007
Considering it is 5 minutes until it is midnight there is no way that I will be able to get this blog done today (literally) but it will contain information from today (Thursday) and that is all that matters.
So I didn’t really get to watch the first two tournament games today because I was at school and then I had yoga (yes I’m in yoga). I would have really like to see them both because the endings looked good. I wish Texas A&M would have won, they would have been my team in the final four that I don’t think a lot of people had picked. Happy Kansas won since I have them winning the whole thing. Also glad to see that Southern Ill gave them a run for their money because I like to see those mid-majors do well it makes college basketball better.
I did get to watch the second 2 games or as much of the OSU – Tenn game as CBS showed (UCLA – Pitt was featured where I’m from). Even though Pitt made the game close in the end they never really had a chance. UCLA controlled the whole game, every time Pitt did something UCLA came down and executed on their end to counteract. Tennessee made it rain from three point land in the first half of the OSU – Tenn game. I honestly didn’t think OSU could come back but they did. The question is how much longer can they continue to come back and win, it won’t happen every game. I like their chances against Memphis because 1) I think Memphis is bad and 2) I don’t like Memphis. I don’t know how they got this far, Acie “The” Law IV should of took over and beat them today but never-the-less.
As far as tomorrow’s games I like Florida over Butler because they have the size and experience. I think Oregon will beat UNLV because Oregon is playing very good ball as of late and I don’t know if UNLV can keep up with their speed and Kruger is overrated. I believe UNC will beat USC but it wouldn’t be as easy if Terry doesn’t play due to whatever illness he has. If USC does win they will make a serious statement and if none of their players go pro they will be very good next year because they get OJ Mayo who is supposedly the next Lebron. I saw this kid play when it was ESPN like a month ago and the kid can shoot. He was draining threes from who knows how far back (it seemed like half way between the 3-point line and the half line) and it seemed like the ball barely touched the net, it literally barely moved. But back to tomorrow’s games, in the last one I like Georgetown over Vandy because one it should be Washington State there not Vandy and I just think Georgetown is one of the best teams and hard to beat.
On to spring training…
Willie Bloomquist is tearing up the base paths. He had two steals today to make his grand total for spring training 9 (I believe that is more than Jose Reyes). I think do to his good performance in spring training he will see more playing time, at what position I don’t know (since he is a utility player). He could be a good pickup for steals and runs in fantasy league if he continues to play well.
Derrek Lee is hitting .511. I know this is spring training but that is still impressive, looks like last year’s injury isn’t bothering him. (Glad I got him on my fantasy team)
In Bobby Abreu’s first game back he hit a three run homer.
Nick Markakis went 4 for 4, with 2 runs, 4 rbis and 2 homers. He also had a triple in there, so he was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Add a producing him and A huff to M Tejada and Baltimore might have some offense, doubt will complete with Yanks and BoSox though.
J. Papelbon was announced as Boston’s closer good move on their part since Pinero would have been not a good option. This brings me to another point, the other night I had a fantasy draft (as you may of seen in previous blogs) but since it was a 2 weeks before the season started there were still player positions still up in the air. So whoever drafted Papelbon late as a starter got a damn good closer cheap. This is why I like to have drafts the week before the season starts, I think more is known.
D Willis went 6.2 innings without giving up a run and striking out 5 while only allowing 3 hits and walking 2.
The Nationals put up 16 runs! Good contributions came from: R Zimmerman, F Lopez, C Guzman, and R Church.
-Erik
So I didn’t really get to watch the first two tournament games today because I was at school and then I had yoga (yes I’m in yoga). I would have really like to see them both because the endings looked good. I wish Texas A&M would have won, they would have been my team in the final four that I don’t think a lot of people had picked. Happy Kansas won since I have them winning the whole thing. Also glad to see that Southern Ill gave them a run for their money because I like to see those mid-majors do well it makes college basketball better.
I did get to watch the second 2 games or as much of the OSU – Tenn game as CBS showed (UCLA – Pitt was featured where I’m from). Even though Pitt made the game close in the end they never really had a chance. UCLA controlled the whole game, every time Pitt did something UCLA came down and executed on their end to counteract. Tennessee made it rain from three point land in the first half of the OSU – Tenn game. I honestly didn’t think OSU could come back but they did. The question is how much longer can they continue to come back and win, it won’t happen every game. I like their chances against Memphis because 1) I think Memphis is bad and 2) I don’t like Memphis. I don’t know how they got this far, Acie “The” Law IV should of took over and beat them today but never-the-less.
As far as tomorrow’s games I like Florida over Butler because they have the size and experience. I think Oregon will beat UNLV because Oregon is playing very good ball as of late and I don’t know if UNLV can keep up with their speed and Kruger is overrated. I believe UNC will beat USC but it wouldn’t be as easy if Terry doesn’t play due to whatever illness he has. If USC does win they will make a serious statement and if none of their players go pro they will be very good next year because they get OJ Mayo who is supposedly the next Lebron. I saw this kid play when it was ESPN like a month ago and the kid can shoot. He was draining threes from who knows how far back (it seemed like half way between the 3-point line and the half line) and it seemed like the ball barely touched the net, it literally barely moved. But back to tomorrow’s games, in the last one I like Georgetown over Vandy because one it should be Washington State there not Vandy and I just think Georgetown is one of the best teams and hard to beat.
On to spring training…
Willie Bloomquist is tearing up the base paths. He had two steals today to make his grand total for spring training 9 (I believe that is more than Jose Reyes). I think do to his good performance in spring training he will see more playing time, at what position I don’t know (since he is a utility player). He could be a good pickup for steals and runs in fantasy league if he continues to play well.
Derrek Lee is hitting .511. I know this is spring training but that is still impressive, looks like last year’s injury isn’t bothering him. (Glad I got him on my fantasy team)
In Bobby Abreu’s first game back he hit a three run homer.
Nick Markakis went 4 for 4, with 2 runs, 4 rbis and 2 homers. He also had a triple in there, so he was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle. Add a producing him and A huff to M Tejada and Baltimore might have some offense, doubt will complete with Yanks and BoSox though.
J. Papelbon was announced as Boston’s closer good move on their part since Pinero would have been not a good option. This brings me to another point, the other night I had a fantasy draft (as you may of seen in previous blogs) but since it was a 2 weeks before the season started there were still player positions still up in the air. So whoever drafted Papelbon late as a starter got a damn good closer cheap. This is why I like to have drafts the week before the season starts, I think more is known.
D Willis went 6.2 innings without giving up a run and striking out 5 while only allowing 3 hits and walking 2.
The Nationals put up 16 runs! Good contributions came from: R Zimmerman, F Lopez, C Guzman, and R Church.
-Erik
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Wednesday March 21, 2007
I’ve done quite a few fantasy baseball drafts so far this season, but the one tonight is the big whammy. It is a 10-team mixed keeper league with some friends and family. This is the first season of the league, so there are no incoming keepers. I’ll do a blog-through of my impressions on each round.
Second half of the draft, see Monday’s blog for the first half…
Round 11-
Team 1- Zito
Team 2- Harden
Team 3- Haren
Team 4- Crede
Team 5- Sabathia
Team 6- Lugo
Team 7- C. Young (SD)
Team 8- Papelbon
Team 9- C. Cordero
Team 10- Rios
Seven out of the ten picks in this round were pitchers, and some of them were pretty good bargains. Sabathia and Haren continue to be underrated, and are great values in the 11th round. Harden could push Johan for the AL Cy Young if he can find a way to stay on the field. I’m not crazy about Lugo who will get more runs, but steal fewer bases in Boston. I’ve never liked Crede for some reason, and I feel like Team 4 paid for a career year (which wasn’t spectacular anyway). I like Rios, barring any staff infections, and wanted him next round.
Round 12-
Team 10- Cain
Team 9- Bedard
Team 8- Cuddyer
Team 7- Saito
Team 6- A. Gonzalez
Team 5- LaRoche
Team 4- Contreras
Team 3- F. Cordero
Team 2- Hamels
Team 1- Iguchi
Cuddyer left before I could get to him. My plans of a Berkman, Rios, Cuddyer outfield just flew out the window. I like Hamels over Contreras, especially in a keeper league. Saito is older than most think and has Broxton waiting in the wings for any tiny chance to become the closer. Gonzalez and LaRoche are two pretty good, young first baseman. I can’t condone Iguchi here, when Josh Barfield was had three rounds later and Ian Kinsler was had seven rounds later. Both have better upside.
Round 13-
Team 1- Hunter
Team 2- Taveras
Team 3- Gordon
Team 4- Overbay
Team 5- Baldelli
Team 6- R. Hernandez
Team 7- Cameron
Team 8- Otsuka
Team 9- Bonds
Team 10- Chavez
I took a lot of joy in selecting Taveras a round early just so that Erik couldn’t have him. Otsuka might be the Rangers’ closer within the first three weeks, and a repeat of last year would be an insane bargain here.
Round 14-
Team 10- J.D. Drew
Team 9- Helton
Team 8- Arroyo
Team 7- R. Johnson
Team 6- Thomas
Team 5- Hawpe
Team 4- Ibanez
Team 3- Garciaparra
Team 2- Markakis
Team 1- Verlander
Pretty much all of these picks are good values at this position. Drew should excel in Boston. Helton won’t revert to 2002, but he’ll be pretty good. Arroyo and Johnson will come close to last season. Hawpe might improve, and Ibanez continues to put up solid numbers and be underrated. Markakis is a nice pick in a keeper or regular league.
Round 15-
Team 1- Burrell
Team 2- Valverde
Team 3- Beltre
Team 4- Jer. Weaver
Team 5- E. Santana
Team 6- S. Drew
Team 7- Tracy
Team 8- Matthews Jr.
Team 9- Fuentes
Team 10- Barfield
Valverde was interesting last season because he was amazing for a bit, then absolutely terrible, then just decent. I believe we’ll see closer to the amazing version, or at least good enough to be worthwhile. I’ve never liked Weaver, and now he’ll open the season on the DL. Ervin Santana is a great pickup and should provide strong ERA and wins, with passable K’s. I like Barfield, his power numbers should increase with a move away from Petco.
Round 16-
Team 10- Kent
Team 9- Posada
Team 8- Isringhausen
Team 7- Burnett
Team 6- Huff
Team 5- Schilling
Team 4- Lo Duca
Team 3- Barrett
Team 2- Encarnacion
Team 1- Wainwright
Burnett went from the most overrated pitcher a year ago to one of the most underrated now. His talent has always surpassed his success, but he has to stay healthy and put it together eventually, right? Barrett is much better than Lo Duca, especially if Lo Duca can’t hold down the two-hole in New York. Kent, Posada, and Isringhausen are a great representation of aging stars on the decline that can still provide something, as long as expectations aren’t too high. Huff should improve with a return to the AL East. You may ask what my reasoning for that is, and there is none, aside from a gut feeling. A full healthy year for Encarnacion could produce some very nice stats. Wainwright might step back into the closer role if J-Isri gets injured, but even if he stays in the rotation, he should be good.
Round 17-
Team 1- Wang
Team 2- Piazza
Team 3- R. Hill
Team 4- J. Jones
Team 5- R. Martin
Team 6- Gagne
Team 7- Willingham
Team 8- Lowe
Team 9- M. Giles
Team 10- Wickman
Ming Wang could just as easily get slammed and lose his rotation spot. He had wins, which are unreliable, and no strikeouts, which are reliable. A DH spot might keep Piazza healthy and relevant for a couple more years. Rich Hill took huge steps last season, and looks very good. Martin and Willingham are good picks. Gagne might get hurt in the first month and he might get hurt in the second month, but he surely won’t save 50 games. Wow, Giles has fallen. Maybe a San Diego family reunion will inspire some early decade Atlanta success. Wickman has Gonzalez and Soriano, who have both put up sick stats, sitting behind him, just waiting for a slip-up.
Round 18-
Team 10- I. Rodriguez
Team 9- Durham
Team 8- Hudson
Team 7- Freel
Team 6- Sanchez
Team 5- Dotel
Team 4- Bush
Team 3- T. Jones
Team 2- C. Jackson
Team 1- Peralta
Freel will be what he always is, a super-utility man who will steal in the mid to upper thirties. Sanchez might help again in average. That’s about it. If Dotel can get opportunities, he has closed successfully in the past. Bush is a great sleeper, especially this late. He teams with Sheets to make the top of that Brewers rotation pretty impressive. Todd Jones is the older, reliever version of Wang, pass. Conor Jackson should make strides, similar to Prince Fielder last season. Peralta might rebound, but not back to the numbers of two years ago.
Round 19-
Team 1- Monroe
Team 2- Blalock
Team 3- Kinsler
Team 4- Teahen
Team 5- Beckett
Team 6- Capuano
Team 7- Granderson
Team 8- O. Cabrera
Team 9- Varitek
Team 10- Clemens
The Kinsler, Teahen, Beckett run was a nice time for sleepers. Beckett followed Burnetts path from over to underrated. Not sure about Capuano, I really expected a regression last year. I don’t want Clemens since he can’t even be stored on the DL.
Round 20-
Team 10- Zumaya
Team 9- Crisp
Team 8- Hillenbrand
Team 7- Pierzynski
Team 6- Pettitte
Team 5- D. Roberts
Team 4- Garcia
Team 3- Cantu
Team 2-Vazguez
Team 1- Alou
Everyone here has a certain amount of upside, except Hillenbrand, Pierzynski, Roberts, and Alou. Crisp will run more at the bottom of the lineup, Zumaya might close eventually, Pettitte should get more wins. Roberts will do what he always does, run.
Round 21-
Team 1- Ensberg
Team 2- Broxton
Team 3- Byrnes
Team 4- B. Molina
Team 5- A. Gordon
Team 6- Benitez
Team 7- L. Castillo
Team 8- Kearns
Team 9- Podsednik
Team 10- Olsen
Not sure how Broxton, Olsen, and especially Gordon fell this far in a keeper draft, but there they are.
Round 22-
Team 10- J. Johnson
Team 9- Mo Pena
Team 8- Mora
Team 7- Iwamura
Team 6- Dempster
Team 5- Hermida
Team 4- Griffey Jr.
Team 3- Youkilis
Team 2- Torres
Team 1- Crosby
Johnson is talented, but hurt. Iwamura is a mystery. Dempster was terrible, but might not be so bad this year. Hermida is a good late keeper league pickup, as is Crosby.
Round 23-
Team 1- Borowski
Team 2- Snell
Team 3- Escobar
Team 4- J. Lopez
Team 5- A. Sanchez
Team 6- Penny
Team 7- Uribe
Team 8- Garland
Team 9- Upton
Team 10- N. Johnson
Nice to get a closer this late, even if it is Jo Bo. Snell has some serious strikeout potential, the trouble is, so far it has come with serious walks. Escobar deserves better than this. Hannibal or Animal Sanchez, whichever one you think sounds better, is overrated by some, but you can’t call him that when he is getting drafted in this spot.
So there is the draft, comments on teams or picks are welcome.
-Adam
Second half of the draft, see Monday’s blog for the first half…
Round 11-
Team 1- Zito
Team 2- Harden
Team 3- Haren
Team 4- Crede
Team 5- Sabathia
Team 6- Lugo
Team 7- C. Young (SD)
Team 8- Papelbon
Team 9- C. Cordero
Team 10- Rios
Seven out of the ten picks in this round were pitchers, and some of them were pretty good bargains. Sabathia and Haren continue to be underrated, and are great values in the 11th round. Harden could push Johan for the AL Cy Young if he can find a way to stay on the field. I’m not crazy about Lugo who will get more runs, but steal fewer bases in Boston. I’ve never liked Crede for some reason, and I feel like Team 4 paid for a career year (which wasn’t spectacular anyway). I like Rios, barring any staff infections, and wanted him next round.
Round 12-
Team 10- Cain
Team 9- Bedard
Team 8- Cuddyer
Team 7- Saito
Team 6- A. Gonzalez
Team 5- LaRoche
Team 4- Contreras
Team 3- F. Cordero
Team 2- Hamels
Team 1- Iguchi
Cuddyer left before I could get to him. My plans of a Berkman, Rios, Cuddyer outfield just flew out the window. I like Hamels over Contreras, especially in a keeper league. Saito is older than most think and has Broxton waiting in the wings for any tiny chance to become the closer. Gonzalez and LaRoche are two pretty good, young first baseman. I can’t condone Iguchi here, when Josh Barfield was had three rounds later and Ian Kinsler was had seven rounds later. Both have better upside.
Round 13-
Team 1- Hunter
Team 2- Taveras
Team 3- Gordon
Team 4- Overbay
Team 5- Baldelli
Team 6- R. Hernandez
Team 7- Cameron
Team 8- Otsuka
Team 9- Bonds
Team 10- Chavez
I took a lot of joy in selecting Taveras a round early just so that Erik couldn’t have him. Otsuka might be the Rangers’ closer within the first three weeks, and a repeat of last year would be an insane bargain here.
Round 14-
Team 10- J.D. Drew
Team 9- Helton
Team 8- Arroyo
Team 7- R. Johnson
Team 6- Thomas
Team 5- Hawpe
Team 4- Ibanez
Team 3- Garciaparra
Team 2- Markakis
Team 1- Verlander
Pretty much all of these picks are good values at this position. Drew should excel in Boston. Helton won’t revert to 2002, but he’ll be pretty good. Arroyo and Johnson will come close to last season. Hawpe might improve, and Ibanez continues to put up solid numbers and be underrated. Markakis is a nice pick in a keeper or regular league.
Round 15-
Team 1- Burrell
Team 2- Valverde
Team 3- Beltre
Team 4- Jer. Weaver
Team 5- E. Santana
Team 6- S. Drew
Team 7- Tracy
Team 8- Matthews Jr.
Team 9- Fuentes
Team 10- Barfield
Valverde was interesting last season because he was amazing for a bit, then absolutely terrible, then just decent. I believe we’ll see closer to the amazing version, or at least good enough to be worthwhile. I’ve never liked Weaver, and now he’ll open the season on the DL. Ervin Santana is a great pickup and should provide strong ERA and wins, with passable K’s. I like Barfield, his power numbers should increase with a move away from Petco.
Round 16-
Team 10- Kent
Team 9- Posada
Team 8- Isringhausen
Team 7- Burnett
Team 6- Huff
Team 5- Schilling
Team 4- Lo Duca
Team 3- Barrett
Team 2- Encarnacion
Team 1- Wainwright
Burnett went from the most overrated pitcher a year ago to one of the most underrated now. His talent has always surpassed his success, but he has to stay healthy and put it together eventually, right? Barrett is much better than Lo Duca, especially if Lo Duca can’t hold down the two-hole in New York. Kent, Posada, and Isringhausen are a great representation of aging stars on the decline that can still provide something, as long as expectations aren’t too high. Huff should improve with a return to the AL East. You may ask what my reasoning for that is, and there is none, aside from a gut feeling. A full healthy year for Encarnacion could produce some very nice stats. Wainwright might step back into the closer role if J-Isri gets injured, but even if he stays in the rotation, he should be good.
Round 17-
Team 1- Wang
Team 2- Piazza
Team 3- R. Hill
Team 4- J. Jones
Team 5- R. Martin
Team 6- Gagne
Team 7- Willingham
Team 8- Lowe
Team 9- M. Giles
Team 10- Wickman
Ming Wang could just as easily get slammed and lose his rotation spot. He had wins, which are unreliable, and no strikeouts, which are reliable. A DH spot might keep Piazza healthy and relevant for a couple more years. Rich Hill took huge steps last season, and looks very good. Martin and Willingham are good picks. Gagne might get hurt in the first month and he might get hurt in the second month, but he surely won’t save 50 games. Wow, Giles has fallen. Maybe a San Diego family reunion will inspire some early decade Atlanta success. Wickman has Gonzalez and Soriano, who have both put up sick stats, sitting behind him, just waiting for a slip-up.
Round 18-
Team 10- I. Rodriguez
Team 9- Durham
Team 8- Hudson
Team 7- Freel
Team 6- Sanchez
Team 5- Dotel
Team 4- Bush
Team 3- T. Jones
Team 2- C. Jackson
Team 1- Peralta
Freel will be what he always is, a super-utility man who will steal in the mid to upper thirties. Sanchez might help again in average. That’s about it. If Dotel can get opportunities, he has closed successfully in the past. Bush is a great sleeper, especially this late. He teams with Sheets to make the top of that Brewers rotation pretty impressive. Todd Jones is the older, reliever version of Wang, pass. Conor Jackson should make strides, similar to Prince Fielder last season. Peralta might rebound, but not back to the numbers of two years ago.
Round 19-
Team 1- Monroe
Team 2- Blalock
Team 3- Kinsler
Team 4- Teahen
Team 5- Beckett
Team 6- Capuano
Team 7- Granderson
Team 8- O. Cabrera
Team 9- Varitek
Team 10- Clemens
The Kinsler, Teahen, Beckett run was a nice time for sleepers. Beckett followed Burnetts path from over to underrated. Not sure about Capuano, I really expected a regression last year. I don’t want Clemens since he can’t even be stored on the DL.
Round 20-
Team 10- Zumaya
Team 9- Crisp
Team 8- Hillenbrand
Team 7- Pierzynski
Team 6- Pettitte
Team 5- D. Roberts
Team 4- Garcia
Team 3- Cantu
Team 2-Vazguez
Team 1- Alou
Everyone here has a certain amount of upside, except Hillenbrand, Pierzynski, Roberts, and Alou. Crisp will run more at the bottom of the lineup, Zumaya might close eventually, Pettitte should get more wins. Roberts will do what he always does, run.
Round 21-
Team 1- Ensberg
Team 2- Broxton
Team 3- Byrnes
Team 4- B. Molina
Team 5- A. Gordon
Team 6- Benitez
Team 7- L. Castillo
Team 8- Kearns
Team 9- Podsednik
Team 10- Olsen
Not sure how Broxton, Olsen, and especially Gordon fell this far in a keeper draft, but there they are.
Round 22-
Team 10- J. Johnson
Team 9- Mo Pena
Team 8- Mora
Team 7- Iwamura
Team 6- Dempster
Team 5- Hermida
Team 4- Griffey Jr.
Team 3- Youkilis
Team 2- Torres
Team 1- Crosby
Johnson is talented, but hurt. Iwamura is a mystery. Dempster was terrible, but might not be so bad this year. Hermida is a good late keeper league pickup, as is Crosby.
Round 23-
Team 1- Borowski
Team 2- Snell
Team 3- Escobar
Team 4- J. Lopez
Team 5- A. Sanchez
Team 6- Penny
Team 7- Uribe
Team 8- Garland
Team 9- Upton
Team 10- N. Johnson
Nice to get a closer this late, even if it is Jo Bo. Snell has some serious strikeout potential, the trouble is, so far it has come with serious walks. Escobar deserves better than this. Hannibal or Animal Sanchez, whichever one you think sounds better, is overrated by some, but you can’t call him that when he is getting drafted in this spot.
So there is the draft, comments on teams or picks are welcome.
-Adam
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Tuesday March 20, 2007
So last night was the draft for the inaugural season of a keeper league that I have with some friends (yes I have friends). I was kind of worried about this draft because over my spring break I did not really get to look into fantasy baseball as much as I wanted to. This was a concern because I was hoping to find some late round young sleepers since it was a keeper league. O and only 5 people showed up for the draft, wtf that is like the best part of the season. Here is how my picks went in order:
Chase Utley, 2B *Yes I picked him over A-Rod and R. Howard, he is young and the drop off after him at 2B is pretty far
Travis Hafner, DH *It was him or Beltran, went Haf because of his raw power
Derrek Lee, 1B *I feel he will have a great year with all that offense in the lineup
Hanley Ramirez, SS *Needed some speed and he is young
Joe Nathan, RP *Wanted F-Rod but he went 3 picks ahead of me, no SP was worth taking
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B *Feel he will be good this year and only improve over time
John Lackey, SP *Needed a quality SP, felt Lackey was good all-around
John Smoltz, SP *Don’t think he will drop off, considering he closed for a few years
J.J. Putz, RP *Wanted another quality RP and felt wasn’t much left
Jeff Francoeur, OF *Thinking I should have taken Delmon Young since it is a keeper league
C.C. Sabathia, SP *Saw an interview with him on ESPNnews and liked him
Adam LaRoche, 1B *Will fill my other Util spot, might produce well with Bay
Rocco Baldelli, OF *I really wanted Willy Taveras here but got taken 3 picks before me by same jerk who took my F-rod
Brad Hawpe, OF *Might have been early for him but didn’t want to lose him like Taveras
Ervin Santana, SP *Young quality pitcher that shares name with the best pitcher (Santana)
Curt Schilling, SP *Think he has some left in the tank and will get W’s in Boston
Russell Martin, C *Needed some to feel the catcher hole didn’t want anyone worse then him
Octavio Dotel, RP *Has the skill but will he get the opportunities in KC?
Josh Beckett, SP *Think he will come around this year in Boston
Dave Roberts, OF *Needed another man to get steals and if he gets on, Barry will drive him home
Alex Gordon, 3B *This is a keeper league so I’m thinking down the line here
Jeremy Hermida, OF *Another OF incase some of the earlier OF don’t pan out
Anibal Sanchez, SP *It was him or Ian Snell, Snell got snagged so went with him and yes he will throw another no-hitter
I’m pretty pleased with the draft personally; I got the people I was aiming for except Taveras. I really love my infield: Lee, Utley, Ramirez and Zimmerman. I feel it is easier to fill the OF during the season since there 3 times as many to choose from. We get 6 keepers for next year, right now I know three and assume they will stay that way: Utley, Zimmerman and Ramirez. All my infield, nice!
Things to keep in mind before you completely dog my draft: first year of keeper league, 10 teams, roto, I picked in the 5th spot.
Please let me know what you think of my draft, if you think it sucks please let me know if you think I am a drafting god please let me know.
To see all the draft results look at yesterday's blog (a.k.a. scroll down).
-Erik
Chase Utley, 2B *Yes I picked him over A-Rod and R. Howard, he is young and the drop off after him at 2B is pretty far
Travis Hafner, DH *It was him or Beltran, went Haf because of his raw power
Derrek Lee, 1B *I feel he will have a great year with all that offense in the lineup
Hanley Ramirez, SS *Needed some speed and he is young
Joe Nathan, RP *Wanted F-Rod but he went 3 picks ahead of me, no SP was worth taking
Ryan Zimmerman, 3B *Feel he will be good this year and only improve over time
John Lackey, SP *Needed a quality SP, felt Lackey was good all-around
John Smoltz, SP *Don’t think he will drop off, considering he closed for a few years
J.J. Putz, RP *Wanted another quality RP and felt wasn’t much left
Jeff Francoeur, OF *Thinking I should have taken Delmon Young since it is a keeper league
C.C. Sabathia, SP *Saw an interview with him on ESPNnews and liked him
Adam LaRoche, 1B *Will fill my other Util spot, might produce well with Bay
Rocco Baldelli, OF *I really wanted Willy Taveras here but got taken 3 picks before me by same jerk who took my F-rod
Brad Hawpe, OF *Might have been early for him but didn’t want to lose him like Taveras
Ervin Santana, SP *Young quality pitcher that shares name with the best pitcher (Santana)
Curt Schilling, SP *Think he has some left in the tank and will get W’s in Boston
Russell Martin, C *Needed some to feel the catcher hole didn’t want anyone worse then him
Octavio Dotel, RP *Has the skill but will he get the opportunities in KC?
Josh Beckett, SP *Think he will come around this year in Boston
Dave Roberts, OF *Needed another man to get steals and if he gets on, Barry will drive him home
Alex Gordon, 3B *This is a keeper league so I’m thinking down the line here
Jeremy Hermida, OF *Another OF incase some of the earlier OF don’t pan out
Anibal Sanchez, SP *It was him or Ian Snell, Snell got snagged so went with him and yes he will throw another no-hitter
I’m pretty pleased with the draft personally; I got the people I was aiming for except Taveras. I really love my infield: Lee, Utley, Ramirez and Zimmerman. I feel it is easier to fill the OF during the season since there 3 times as many to choose from. We get 6 keepers for next year, right now I know three and assume they will stay that way: Utley, Zimmerman and Ramirez. All my infield, nice!
Things to keep in mind before you completely dog my draft: first year of keeper league, 10 teams, roto, I picked in the 5th spot.
Please let me know what you think of my draft, if you think it sucks please let me know if you think I am a drafting god please let me know.
To see all the draft results look at yesterday's blog (a.k.a. scroll down).
-Erik
Monday, March 19, 2007
Monday March 19, 2007
I’ve done quite a few fantasy baseball drafts so far this season, but the one tonight is the big whammy. It is a 10-team mixed keeper league with some friends and family. This is the first season of the league, so there are no incoming keepers. I’ll do a blog-through of my impressions on each round.
Round 1-
Team 1- Albert Pujols
Team 2- Jose Reyes
Team 3- Alfonso Soriano
Team 4- Johan Santana
Team 5- Chase Utley
Team 6- Alex Rodriguez
Team 7- Ryan Howard
Team 8- David Ortiz
Team 9- Ichiro Suzuki
Team 10- Vladimir Guerrero
Not sure everyone realizes this is a keeper draft, so it follows the path of a one-year league mostly. First round goes mostly as planned, Ortiz is a little early for my taste, but its a reasonable pick. Suzuki was a surprise this early for sure, but a contract year rise could be the reasoning, but that still doesn't work for me. Even with a contract year I don’t see the rationale for drafting him in the first round, he could put up his best season ever and only be a marginal late first round pick. Ryan Howard falls to seventh mostly because Team 4 wanted him but didn’t act fast enough and auto-picked Santana.
Round 2-
Team 10- David Wright
Team 9- Joe Mauer
Team 8- Justin Morneau
Team 7- Carl Crawford
Team 6- Miguel Cabrera
Team 5- Travis Hafner
Team 4- Carlos Beltran
Team 3- Miguel Tejada
Team 2- Mark Teixeira
Team 1- Manny Ramirez
Team 9 isn’t winning me over with another premature pick. Mauer may or may not be the best catcher this year, but there is still so much talent that is better at this spot in the draft. Morneau also goes a bit early, but if he repeats or improves last year’s stats, he will earn the draft spot. Crawford and Cabrera went later than they should have, considering Crawford should be a first-round lock especially in keeper leagues.
Round 3-
Team 1- Sizemore
Team 2- Berkman
Team 3- Jeter
Team 4- Holliday
Team 5- D. Lee
Team 6- Bay
Team 7- Carpenter
Team 8- C. Lee
Team 9- Zambrano
Team 10- A. Jones
Sizemore dropped through the second round, which is unexpected. I expect this to be the last year that you’ll be able to get Grady outside of the first round. This round went along pretty standard, with Derek Lee going earlier than you will see in most drafts. A calculated risk, but it could pay off if he can produce another healthy, MVP-type season. I will continue my distaste for Carpenter, but I can’t fault Team 7 for taking him here.
Round 4-
Team 10- M. Young
Team 9- Rollins
Team 8- Oswalt
Team 7- A. Ramirez
Team 6- Halladay
Team 5- H. Ramirez
Team 4- Abreu
Team 3- Konerko
Team 2- Peavy
Team 1- Webb
Pitching starting to fly off the board as four of the ten picks were pitchers in this round. I can’t condone taking Young over Rollins at short. Rollins will steal a ton more, hit more homeruns and score more runs. Young might make more hustle plays on the field, but as a fantasy owner that just means more opportunity for injury. The Ramirezes are both pretty good value at their spots. Hanley is basically Jose Reyes-lite three rounds later. If he takes a step forward he’ll match Reyes’s ’06 stats.
Round 5-
Team 1- Atkins
Team 2- F. Rodriguez
Team 3- Wells
Team 4- Roberts
Team 5- Nathan
Team 6- Furcal
Team 7- V. Martinez
Team 8- McCann
Team 9- Swisher
Team 10- Damon
Atkins, K-Rod, and Wells all were good values and went lower than average. Victor Martinez and McCann 35 and 36 draft spots lower than Mauer and should perform similarly, if not better. I wanted Swisher, but this is a round or two before I was expecting to get him. He is a budding star, and added 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. I expect a very Adam Dunn-like season, with 20 points added on top of Dunn’s batting average.
Round 6-
Team 10- Dye
Team 9- Guillen
Team 8- Mussina
Team 7- Figgins
Team 6- Cano
Team 5- Zimmerman
Team 4- Hall
Team 3- Ryan
Team 2- Sheets
Team 1- Delgado
Mussina is very questionable here, with Sheets, Kazmir, Bonderman, and Lackey all still available. If Sheets can stay healthy, he can be third or fourth-round value. I like the Zimmerman pick because, contrary to popular belief among these drafters, this is a keeper league and he will get even better and Washington can’t stay this bad forever.
Round 7-
Team 1- Rivera
Team 2- Kazmir
Team 3- Pierre
Team 4- Bonderman
Team 5- Lackey
Team 6- Matsui
Team 7- Wagner
Team 8- Rolen
Team 9- Matsuzaka
Team 10- Street
Pretty ordinary round. Bonderman and Lackey might put up better overall stats than Kazmir this season because their teams can win. But in the long run, Kazmir should be more valuable. Teams started to realize that closer depth was slowly thinning, so three went in this round. It was hardly a run, more of subtle trend.
Round 8-
Team 10- Thome
Team 9- Hoffman
Team 8- Uggla
Team 7- Glaus
Team 6- Sexson
Team 5- Smoltz
Team 4- Jenks
Team 3- F. Lopez
Team 2- Weeks
Team 1- F. Hernandez
Uggla, Sexson, and Lopez are a little early for my taste, but repeats by Uggla and Lopez and a rebound by Sexson could have them all earning their spots. Weeks is a little concerning because of his questionable wrist health, but if he is okay, then he’ll be a top-3 second basemen by next year.
Round 9-
Team 1- Willis
Team 2- Lidge
Team 3- Dunn
Team 4- Giambi
Team 5- Putz
Team 6- Fielder
Team 7- Harang
Team 8- Renteria
Team 9- Schmidt
Team 10- C. Jones
The fact that Harang went after Willis shows just how disrespected Harang is. Can Lidge return to form? Dunn here is a much better value than Sexson a round earlier because he’ll hit more homeruns and is younger, with a better chance to improve that average. Fielder is nice here in a keeper league. If Putz repeats last season, he is a steal this late. Chipper will be solid as always, for the 95 games that he plays.
Round 10-
Team 10- Phillips
Team 9- Sheffield
Team 8- Ordonez
Team 7- Myers
Team 6- Kendrick
Team 5- Francoeur
Team 4- Ray
Team 3- Patterson
Team 2- D. Young
Team 1- Johjima
I dislike the first three picks of this round and love the second four. Personal issues aside, Myers will be close to the top of the strikeout list. Fancoeur still hasn’t figured out that you can take a walk in the grand game of baseball (he has fewer walks this spring than vowels in his last name) but he can rake when he is on one of his hot streaks. Delmon Young was a great value in Round 10 in a keeper league even though (as one of my fellow drafters so kindly pointed out to me) throwing bats is not a standard 5X5 category.
Last ten rounds of the draft next time…
-Adam
Round 1-
Team 1- Albert Pujols
Team 2- Jose Reyes
Team 3- Alfonso Soriano
Team 4- Johan Santana
Team 5- Chase Utley
Team 6- Alex Rodriguez
Team 7- Ryan Howard
Team 8- David Ortiz
Team 9- Ichiro Suzuki
Team 10- Vladimir Guerrero
Not sure everyone realizes this is a keeper draft, so it follows the path of a one-year league mostly. First round goes mostly as planned, Ortiz is a little early for my taste, but its a reasonable pick. Suzuki was a surprise this early for sure, but a contract year rise could be the reasoning, but that still doesn't work for me. Even with a contract year I don’t see the rationale for drafting him in the first round, he could put up his best season ever and only be a marginal late first round pick. Ryan Howard falls to seventh mostly because Team 4 wanted him but didn’t act fast enough and auto-picked Santana.
Round 2-
Team 10- David Wright
Team 9- Joe Mauer
Team 8- Justin Morneau
Team 7- Carl Crawford
Team 6- Miguel Cabrera
Team 5- Travis Hafner
Team 4- Carlos Beltran
Team 3- Miguel Tejada
Team 2- Mark Teixeira
Team 1- Manny Ramirez
Team 9 isn’t winning me over with another premature pick. Mauer may or may not be the best catcher this year, but there is still so much talent that is better at this spot in the draft. Morneau also goes a bit early, but if he repeats or improves last year’s stats, he will earn the draft spot. Crawford and Cabrera went later than they should have, considering Crawford should be a first-round lock especially in keeper leagues.
Round 3-
Team 1- Sizemore
Team 2- Berkman
Team 3- Jeter
Team 4- Holliday
Team 5- D. Lee
Team 6- Bay
Team 7- Carpenter
Team 8- C. Lee
Team 9- Zambrano
Team 10- A. Jones
Sizemore dropped through the second round, which is unexpected. I expect this to be the last year that you’ll be able to get Grady outside of the first round. This round went along pretty standard, with Derek Lee going earlier than you will see in most drafts. A calculated risk, but it could pay off if he can produce another healthy, MVP-type season. I will continue my distaste for Carpenter, but I can’t fault Team 7 for taking him here.
Round 4-
Team 10- M. Young
Team 9- Rollins
Team 8- Oswalt
Team 7- A. Ramirez
Team 6- Halladay
Team 5- H. Ramirez
Team 4- Abreu
Team 3- Konerko
Team 2- Peavy
Team 1- Webb
Pitching starting to fly off the board as four of the ten picks were pitchers in this round. I can’t condone taking Young over Rollins at short. Rollins will steal a ton more, hit more homeruns and score more runs. Young might make more hustle plays on the field, but as a fantasy owner that just means more opportunity for injury. The Ramirezes are both pretty good value at their spots. Hanley is basically Jose Reyes-lite three rounds later. If he takes a step forward he’ll match Reyes’s ’06 stats.
Round 5-
Team 1- Atkins
Team 2- F. Rodriguez
Team 3- Wells
Team 4- Roberts
Team 5- Nathan
Team 6- Furcal
Team 7- V. Martinez
Team 8- McCann
Team 9- Swisher
Team 10- Damon
Atkins, K-Rod, and Wells all were good values and went lower than average. Victor Martinez and McCann 35 and 36 draft spots lower than Mauer and should perform similarly, if not better. I wanted Swisher, but this is a round or two before I was expecting to get him. He is a budding star, and added 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason. I expect a very Adam Dunn-like season, with 20 points added on top of Dunn’s batting average.
Round 6-
Team 10- Dye
Team 9- Guillen
Team 8- Mussina
Team 7- Figgins
Team 6- Cano
Team 5- Zimmerman
Team 4- Hall
Team 3- Ryan
Team 2- Sheets
Team 1- Delgado
Mussina is very questionable here, with Sheets, Kazmir, Bonderman, and Lackey all still available. If Sheets can stay healthy, he can be third or fourth-round value. I like the Zimmerman pick because, contrary to popular belief among these drafters, this is a keeper league and he will get even better and Washington can’t stay this bad forever.
Round 7-
Team 1- Rivera
Team 2- Kazmir
Team 3- Pierre
Team 4- Bonderman
Team 5- Lackey
Team 6- Matsui
Team 7- Wagner
Team 8- Rolen
Team 9- Matsuzaka
Team 10- Street
Pretty ordinary round. Bonderman and Lackey might put up better overall stats than Kazmir this season because their teams can win. But in the long run, Kazmir should be more valuable. Teams started to realize that closer depth was slowly thinning, so three went in this round. It was hardly a run, more of subtle trend.
Round 8-
Team 10- Thome
Team 9- Hoffman
Team 8- Uggla
Team 7- Glaus
Team 6- Sexson
Team 5- Smoltz
Team 4- Jenks
Team 3- F. Lopez
Team 2- Weeks
Team 1- F. Hernandez
Uggla, Sexson, and Lopez are a little early for my taste, but repeats by Uggla and Lopez and a rebound by Sexson could have them all earning their spots. Weeks is a little concerning because of his questionable wrist health, but if he is okay, then he’ll be a top-3 second basemen by next year.
Round 9-
Team 1- Willis
Team 2- Lidge
Team 3- Dunn
Team 4- Giambi
Team 5- Putz
Team 6- Fielder
Team 7- Harang
Team 8- Renteria
Team 9- Schmidt
Team 10- C. Jones
The fact that Harang went after Willis shows just how disrespected Harang is. Can Lidge return to form? Dunn here is a much better value than Sexson a round earlier because he’ll hit more homeruns and is younger, with a better chance to improve that average. Fielder is nice here in a keeper league. If Putz repeats last season, he is a steal this late. Chipper will be solid as always, for the 95 games that he plays.
Round 10-
Team 10- Phillips
Team 9- Sheffield
Team 8- Ordonez
Team 7- Myers
Team 6- Kendrick
Team 5- Francoeur
Team 4- Ray
Team 3- Patterson
Team 2- D. Young
Team 1- Johjima
I dislike the first three picks of this round and love the second four. Personal issues aside, Myers will be close to the top of the strikeout list. Fancoeur still hasn’t figured out that you can take a walk in the grand game of baseball (he has fewer walks this spring than vowels in his last name) but he can rake when he is on one of his hot streaks. Delmon Young was a great value in Round 10 in a keeper league even though (as one of my fellow drafters so kindly pointed out to me) throwing bats is not a standard 5X5 category.
Last ten rounds of the draft next time…
-Adam
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Sunday March 18, 2007
So the first weekend of the NCAA Tourney is over. What an enjoyable weekend it was well except the fact that I didn’t really get to watch much of the games because I was running around the West Coast. I did catch the only game that I had to see, which was WSU vs. Vanderbilt. We (WSU) did not win which sucks, we should have we are a better team just made some critical errors down the stretch. It was a good Double OT thriller though.
I think the main shocker from today’s games was that USC beat Texas, a lot of people probably predicted Texas to go deep because of Durant. I had them winning this one and losing to UNC but they did remind me of Syracuse when they won it with ‘Melo because they were young and had a superstar (Durant). As far as my bracket goes, I am looking good. I still have all of my Elite 8 teams in it. My Final Four picks are Florida, Kansas, UNC and Texas A&M then I have Kansas beating UNC in the Championship. I know what you are thinking, jeez Erik you picked like all the number one seeds. Well I picked who I felt was going to win, it turned out they were mostly the number 1 seeds. I feel after those teams there is not too much competition but within the top group there is no dominant team. Weird year for me I guess, I normally have more upsets but this year I didn’t pick too many. Which is nice because there hasn’t been as many as in the past, specifically no 12 seed beat a 5 seed. I seem to always pick 2 12s beating 2 5s but this year that did not pay off.
Next weekend I am interested in seeing how USC holds up against UNC, if Butler can hold up against Florida (remember Butler won the preseason NIT so they know how to get it done), I think Southern Illinois will give Kansas a run for their money but hopefully not win since I picked Kansas.
Since I have been gone all week I haven’t been paying attention to anything in baseball, which is no fun. Tomorrow I have my draft for our newly founded keeper league. I don’t feel prepared but I think I will spend sometime tonight and tomorrow researching more for it. I feel good about first couple rounds it is the later rounds where I need to improve and find some good sleepers. I’ll let you know how the draft goes and who I get then you can call me an idiot for some of my picks.
Quick side notes having nothing to do with sports:
Over break (last week) I spent 40 hours in a car, majority of that was me driving.
I feel good about all the interviews I had.
I was introduced to a CEO of a company and told he was a University of Washington grad, so I asked how they were doing in the Tourney knowing they weren’t in any. That is how much of a die hard Cougar I am, if anyone doubted.
Even though I only went out one night in Vegas it was nuts and fun as hell. It was 90 degrees down there which was nice compared to Pullman’s 32 degrees.
Well I’m tired; want to take nap but gots a lot to do.
-Erik
I think the main shocker from today’s games was that USC beat Texas, a lot of people probably predicted Texas to go deep because of Durant. I had them winning this one and losing to UNC but they did remind me of Syracuse when they won it with ‘Melo because they were young and had a superstar (Durant). As far as my bracket goes, I am looking good. I still have all of my Elite 8 teams in it. My Final Four picks are Florida, Kansas, UNC and Texas A&M then I have Kansas beating UNC in the Championship. I know what you are thinking, jeez Erik you picked like all the number one seeds. Well I picked who I felt was going to win, it turned out they were mostly the number 1 seeds. I feel after those teams there is not too much competition but within the top group there is no dominant team. Weird year for me I guess, I normally have more upsets but this year I didn’t pick too many. Which is nice because there hasn’t been as many as in the past, specifically no 12 seed beat a 5 seed. I seem to always pick 2 12s beating 2 5s but this year that did not pay off.
Next weekend I am interested in seeing how USC holds up against UNC, if Butler can hold up against Florida (remember Butler won the preseason NIT so they know how to get it done), I think Southern Illinois will give Kansas a run for their money but hopefully not win since I picked Kansas.
Since I have been gone all week I haven’t been paying attention to anything in baseball, which is no fun. Tomorrow I have my draft for our newly founded keeper league. I don’t feel prepared but I think I will spend sometime tonight and tomorrow researching more for it. I feel good about first couple rounds it is the later rounds where I need to improve and find some good sleepers. I’ll let you know how the draft goes and who I get then you can call me an idiot for some of my picks.
Quick side notes having nothing to do with sports:
Over break (last week) I spent 40 hours in a car, majority of that was me driving.
I feel good about all the interviews I had.
I was introduced to a CEO of a company and told he was a University of Washington grad, so I asked how they were doing in the Tourney knowing they weren’t in any. That is how much of a die hard Cougar I am, if anyone doubted.
Even though I only went out one night in Vegas it was nuts and fun as hell. It was 90 degrees down there which was nice compared to Pullman’s 32 degrees.
Well I’m tired; want to take nap but gots a lot to do.
-Erik
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Wednesday March 14, 2007
With the tournament right around the corner, I found myself in an NCAA tournament pool formatted like a draft. The picks were serpentine (first round- 1-8, second round 8-1), then every two rounds the draft order was randomized again. If you get a team to the final four, you get your entry fee back; the owner of the championship team gets everything else. I started with the second pick.
The first round started with Kansas, not surprising. Everyone looked at me in surprise when I took Texas A&M (a 3 seed) at second overall, but I had some method to my madness. The main goal is to get a team to the final four and Texas A&M looks to have the easiest road there.
In the West, there is Kansas, UCLA and a group of teams that can be troublesome, so it is tough to pick anyone from there.
The East is a monster of a bracket with Georgetown, UNC, WSU, Texas. I have Georgetown winning the whole thing (if they guards can just limit turnovers) in many of my brackets, but that is a tough way to get to the final four.
Florida might have an easy road in the Midwest, relative to the other teams, if Oregon ever stops hitting every shot and Wisconsin can’t recover from losing their inside presence, but I couldn’t bring myself to take them.
So, that leaves the South. Ohio State may be one of the most talented teams in the field, but the tournament is a different game, and veteran leadership, especially from the guard position helps a lot. Conley is a great point guard, but maybe not the leader needed for a deep run. I’ve never believed in Memphis that much, mostly because they haven’t played anyone. I could be wrong about them, but they don’t look like a threat. Texas A&M will have some talented teams to beat, but with Acie Law at the helm, they could go a long way.
Florida, UNC, OSU, UCLA, Georgetown, Texas, Wisconsin, Memphis, WSU, Oregon, Butler, and Pittsburgh went between my picks. I swung Maryland, a team that I liked a whole lot more before an ACC-tourney blip against Miami. I am hoping they can get past Old Dominion in the second round (obviously not high on Butler either), then make some noise against Florida.
Next, I took Virginia Tech, an athletic team that might do some damage. Then I went with a popular darkhorse in Georgia Tech that could simply overpower Wisconsin offensively. At this point in the draft, I realized that I had taken three consecutive ACC teams which was troubling, but that’s how the picks fell.
The next pick was my worst, Illinois. I had three teams queued up, ready to go. Villanova, Michigan State, and Creighton all went pretty much right before me. And before you say anything, yes, I realize that Illinois plays Virginia Tech, another team I picked, in the first round. Whoever wins is my favorite against Southern Illinois/ Holy Cross, and will get a chance to upset Kansas. At this point, there isn’t a lot of quality available anyway.
I took BYU next. Basically I took them because they were sitting out there as an eight seed, and maybe they could catch lightning in a bottle and beat an inexperienced OSU team. I ended with Wright State playing Pittsburgh (hopefully Aaron Gray doesn’t remember how to play in the post) and North Texas against Memphis.
You may notice I stayed completely away from the East. The top four teams all went in the first eleven picks and I didn’t want anyone else from the powerhouse bracket. I figure with my Texas A&M pick I’ll either be a genius or an idiot, but at least I stuck to my guns.
-Adam
The first round started with Kansas, not surprising. Everyone looked at me in surprise when I took Texas A&M (a 3 seed) at second overall, but I had some method to my madness. The main goal is to get a team to the final four and Texas A&M looks to have the easiest road there.
In the West, there is Kansas, UCLA and a group of teams that can be troublesome, so it is tough to pick anyone from there.
The East is a monster of a bracket with Georgetown, UNC, WSU, Texas. I have Georgetown winning the whole thing (if they guards can just limit turnovers) in many of my brackets, but that is a tough way to get to the final four.
Florida might have an easy road in the Midwest, relative to the other teams, if Oregon ever stops hitting every shot and Wisconsin can’t recover from losing their inside presence, but I couldn’t bring myself to take them.
So, that leaves the South. Ohio State may be one of the most talented teams in the field, but the tournament is a different game, and veteran leadership, especially from the guard position helps a lot. Conley is a great point guard, but maybe not the leader needed for a deep run. I’ve never believed in Memphis that much, mostly because they haven’t played anyone. I could be wrong about them, but they don’t look like a threat. Texas A&M will have some talented teams to beat, but with Acie Law at the helm, they could go a long way.
Florida, UNC, OSU, UCLA, Georgetown, Texas, Wisconsin, Memphis, WSU, Oregon, Butler, and Pittsburgh went between my picks. I swung Maryland, a team that I liked a whole lot more before an ACC-tourney blip against Miami. I am hoping they can get past Old Dominion in the second round (obviously not high on Butler either), then make some noise against Florida.
Next, I took Virginia Tech, an athletic team that might do some damage. Then I went with a popular darkhorse in Georgia Tech that could simply overpower Wisconsin offensively. At this point in the draft, I realized that I had taken three consecutive ACC teams which was troubling, but that’s how the picks fell.
The next pick was my worst, Illinois. I had three teams queued up, ready to go. Villanova, Michigan State, and Creighton all went pretty much right before me. And before you say anything, yes, I realize that Illinois plays Virginia Tech, another team I picked, in the first round. Whoever wins is my favorite against Southern Illinois/ Holy Cross, and will get a chance to upset Kansas. At this point, there isn’t a lot of quality available anyway.
I took BYU next. Basically I took them because they were sitting out there as an eight seed, and maybe they could catch lightning in a bottle and beat an inexperienced OSU team. I ended with Wright State playing Pittsburgh (hopefully Aaron Gray doesn’t remember how to play in the post) and North Texas against Memphis.
You may notice I stayed completely away from the East. The top four teams all went in the first eleven picks and I didn’t want anyone else from the powerhouse bracket. I figure with my Texas A&M pick I’ll either be a genius or an idiot, but at least I stuck to my guns.
-Adam
Monday, March 12, 2007
Monday March 12, 2997
I'm looking back at some of my bracket picks from yesterday and re-thinking. It was hasty, and I might change some things during the week, stay tuned. Let's cruise around baseball.
If you haven't heard of Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum yet, you have now. Watch this kid, he is doing great things and may turn into a pretty decent fantasy pitcher sometime this season.
Indians pitcher Cliff Lee is injured yet again. There is a faction out there always hoping for big things from Lee, but it is now to the point of wait and see before you buy into anything.
Watch Brian Wilson of the Giants. He is an Armando Benitez injury away from closing. He could be this year's Chris Ray. Worth a last-round pick, but you can probably let him go undrafted and pick him up later, just make sure you pay attention and don't miss out.
Remember Boof Bonser. Goofy name aside, he had some success late last season and could be a good fantasy starter.
Eric Chavez says that his arms are feeling better. If he returns to 25-95, he is a great value at where he is going in drafts.
John Smoltz looked strong, 4ip, 4k. He goes much later than he should in one-year leagues.
Its kind of short today, but I've got a lot to do, so that's the way it is.
-Adam
If you haven't heard of Giants pitcher Tim Lincecum yet, you have now. Watch this kid, he is doing great things and may turn into a pretty decent fantasy pitcher sometime this season.
Indians pitcher Cliff Lee is injured yet again. There is a faction out there always hoping for big things from Lee, but it is now to the point of wait and see before you buy into anything.
Watch Brian Wilson of the Giants. He is an Armando Benitez injury away from closing. He could be this year's Chris Ray. Worth a last-round pick, but you can probably let him go undrafted and pick him up later, just make sure you pay attention and don't miss out.
Remember Boof Bonser. Goofy name aside, he had some success late last season and could be a good fantasy starter.
Eric Chavez says that his arms are feeling better. If he returns to 25-95, he is a great value at where he is going in drafts.
John Smoltz looked strong, 4ip, 4k. He goes much later than he should in one-year leagues.
Its kind of short today, but I've got a lot to do, so that's the way it is.
-Adam
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Sunday March 11, 2007
Not much baseball news today, so I'll go through the brackets.
Starting in the Midwest...
I like Florida, Maryland, Wisconsin and Oregon to win the first round pretty easily.
Arizona should get past Purdue, the upsets here are Old Dominion over Butler and Winthrop over Notre Dame. I also like Georgie Tech over UNLV. I think Wisconsin will have some trouble scoring and fall to GT.
Sweet 16- Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Georgia Tech
West...
Kansas, Pittsburgh, and UCLA are the slam dunks in this bracket. I think the 8-9, 5-12, 6-11, and 7-10 match-ups will all be close and could go either way. Villanova comes out on top over Kentucky and Virginia Tech wins a tough won against Illinois. I like VCU's chances but I have to go with the team that played against great competition all season, plus Erik might kill me if I pick against Duke in the first round. Gonzaga will beat UNLV.
Sweet 16- Kansas, Virginia Tech, Duke, UCLA
East...
First off, it sucks that Wazzu is stuck in by far the strongest bracket. North Carolina, Georgetown, WSU, Texas are my easy wins in this bracket. Michigan State over Marquette in a good game, USC edges the best 12-seed around in Arkansas. Vanderbilt should hold off GW. I think Texas Tech wins over Boston College in one of the better first round match-ups. I know I'm being unoriginal with this bracket, but I don't see a whole lot of upsets here.
Sweet 16- NC, Georgetown, WSU, Texas
South...
Ohio State, Texas A&M, Memphis win pretty easily here. Xavier over BYU, Tennessee over Long Beach State, and Virginia over Albany. Louisville against Stanford (the only at-large with fewer than 20 wins) looks like a good game, I think Stanford comes out on top. I like Creighton over Nevada. I think Texas A&M and Memphis will have some trouble in the second round (Stanford and Creighton) but still come out on top.
Sweet 16- Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Memphis
Strongest Bracket- East
Weakest Bracket- South
Most Competitive Bracket- West
Sleeper Team- Georgia Tech
It will be entertaining as always, good luck to everyone on their brackets.
-Adam
Starting in the Midwest...
I like Florida, Maryland, Wisconsin and Oregon to win the first round pretty easily.
Arizona should get past Purdue, the upsets here are Old Dominion over Butler and Winthrop over Notre Dame. I also like Georgie Tech over UNLV. I think Wisconsin will have some trouble scoring and fall to GT.
Sweet 16- Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Georgia Tech
West...
Kansas, Pittsburgh, and UCLA are the slam dunks in this bracket. I think the 8-9, 5-12, 6-11, and 7-10 match-ups will all be close and could go either way. Villanova comes out on top over Kentucky and Virginia Tech wins a tough won against Illinois. I like VCU's chances but I have to go with the team that played against great competition all season, plus Erik might kill me if I pick against Duke in the first round. Gonzaga will beat UNLV.
Sweet 16- Kansas, Virginia Tech, Duke, UCLA
East...
First off, it sucks that Wazzu is stuck in by far the strongest bracket. North Carolina, Georgetown, WSU, Texas are my easy wins in this bracket. Michigan State over Marquette in a good game, USC edges the best 12-seed around in Arkansas. Vanderbilt should hold off GW. I think Texas Tech wins over Boston College in one of the better first round match-ups. I know I'm being unoriginal with this bracket, but I don't see a whole lot of upsets here.
Sweet 16- NC, Georgetown, WSU, Texas
South...
Ohio State, Texas A&M, Memphis win pretty easily here. Xavier over BYU, Tennessee over Long Beach State, and Virginia over Albany. Louisville against Stanford (the only at-large with fewer than 20 wins) looks like a good game, I think Stanford comes out on top. I like Creighton over Nevada. I think Texas A&M and Memphis will have some trouble in the second round (Stanford and Creighton) but still come out on top.
Sweet 16- Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Memphis
Strongest Bracket- East
Weakest Bracket- South
Most Competitive Bracket- West
Sleeper Team- Georgia Tech
It will be entertaining as always, good luck to everyone on their brackets.
-Adam
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Saturday March 10, 2007
So I was watching the Washington State University vs. USC game last night, which the Cougars unfortunately lost, and one of the announcers was talking about a previous team that won the Pac-10 Tournament and he referred to a player like so “Desmond “Flopping Like A Salmon” Farmer”. No joke, I double checked with the other people that were watching it with me. I had never heard of Desmond Farmer before but from googling it I found out he played for USC and had very short stint in the NBA for the Sonics and Pacers. But I still have no idea what “flopping like a salmon” referred to. Does anyone? I’m curious.
Oregon really made a statement in the Pac-10 Tournament; they easily won all three of there games. They beat Arizona by 19, Cal by 18, and USC by 24 for the title. Those are all pretty impressive, I don’t like Oregon but I do give respect where it is due. Looks like they are playing their best ball going into the tournament.
In the Big East title game Georgetown beat Pitt by 23. I think Georgetown looks very good, they have two good big men and I like them to go deep into the Tournament.
I thought Oklahoma State was going to beat Texas and then beat Kansas tomorrow but they decided to turn the ball over in the last minute of the game to blow that opportunity. Don’t know if they will be going to the tournament now.
Good games tomorrow: Kansas vs. Texas, North Carolina vs. North Carolina State and Ohio State vs. Wisconsin. I like Kansas, North Carolina State and Ohio State. Too bad I’ll be on the road and miss watching them.
Scanning the spring training box scores…..
Bill Hall had another good day going 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 1 rbi. Billy boy seems to be getting it done in spring training.
The soon to be homerun king, Barry Bonds, hit his second homerun of spring training. I am a Barry Bonds fan, yes I said it, but I think it is a little stretch for him to get the 22 or 23 homeruns (I forget exactly) this year considering no one over 40 has hit more than 20 in a season but he is Barry Bonds.
Willy Taveras stole another base making the total for spring training 5. I think that Taveras will be a good option this year in fantasy leagues for stolen bases and runs.
That was all the interesting stuff I found, I was hoping for more.
Well time for me to get back to packing. I look forward to filling out my bracket it tomorrow!
-Erik
Oregon really made a statement in the Pac-10 Tournament; they easily won all three of there games. They beat Arizona by 19, Cal by 18, and USC by 24 for the title. Those are all pretty impressive, I don’t like Oregon but I do give respect where it is due. Looks like they are playing their best ball going into the tournament.
In the Big East title game Georgetown beat Pitt by 23. I think Georgetown looks very good, they have two good big men and I like them to go deep into the Tournament.
I thought Oklahoma State was going to beat Texas and then beat Kansas tomorrow but they decided to turn the ball over in the last minute of the game to blow that opportunity. Don’t know if they will be going to the tournament now.
Good games tomorrow: Kansas vs. Texas, North Carolina vs. North Carolina State and Ohio State vs. Wisconsin. I like Kansas, North Carolina State and Ohio State. Too bad I’ll be on the road and miss watching them.
Scanning the spring training box scores…..
Bill Hall had another good day going 2 for 3 with 2 runs and 1 rbi. Billy boy seems to be getting it done in spring training.
The soon to be homerun king, Barry Bonds, hit his second homerun of spring training. I am a Barry Bonds fan, yes I said it, but I think it is a little stretch for him to get the 22 or 23 homeruns (I forget exactly) this year considering no one over 40 has hit more than 20 in a season but he is Barry Bonds.
Willy Taveras stole another base making the total for spring training 5. I think that Taveras will be a good option this year in fantasy leagues for stolen bases and runs.
That was all the interesting stuff I found, I was hoping for more.
Well time for me to get back to packing. I look forward to filling out my bracket it tomorrow!
-Erik
Friday, March 9, 2007
Friday March 9, 2007
Wake Forest-Georgia Tech game was insane and ended with WF on top 114-112.
It seems like just yesterday that Air Force was ranked pretty high and a lock to go to the tournament, but after four straight losses, including inexcusable games to Texas Christian and Wyoming, they might not get it. Their RPI is pretty decent at 33, but at 23-8, they have to rely on an early win at Stanford and a neutral court win against Texas Tech to impress.
Miami figured out how play basketball about four months late. They beat a Maryland team that was as hot as anyone, and they took Boston College the distance today, leading the whole game until the very end.
Stanford probably needed to do some damage in the Pac-10 tourney to supplement a week RPI (64). They might sneak in, but I don’t think it is very likely.
Matt Murton hit his second home run of the spring, still young and talented, might be a good sleeper.
Michael Young went 4 for 4, and remember this was a second round pick last year. He had a down season, but don’t forget what he can do when he is on.
Cole Hamels got Hamelled (that’s bad, sorry) for four runs in four innings. Four walks and no strikeouts looks pretty bad, but hopefully it was an aberration.
Derek Lee, and Aram were good. Rich Hill was ok. Jake Peavy was pretty bad. Expect all of those to remain the same through the season, except Peavy. He’ll be good.
Rich Harden struck out four in three innings, and more importantly, didn’t get injured yet.
Howie Kendrick went 2 for 3 with two runs. K-rod and K-shields combined for two innings and six strikeouts.
Grady Sizemore hit a homerun, there will be many more to come from last season’s league leader in extra-base hits.
-Adam
It seems like just yesterday that Air Force was ranked pretty high and a lock to go to the tournament, but after four straight losses, including inexcusable games to Texas Christian and Wyoming, they might not get it. Their RPI is pretty decent at 33, but at 23-8, they have to rely on an early win at Stanford and a neutral court win against Texas Tech to impress.
Miami figured out how play basketball about four months late. They beat a Maryland team that was as hot as anyone, and they took Boston College the distance today, leading the whole game until the very end.
Stanford probably needed to do some damage in the Pac-10 tourney to supplement a week RPI (64). They might sneak in, but I don’t think it is very likely.
Matt Murton hit his second home run of the spring, still young and talented, might be a good sleeper.
Michael Young went 4 for 4, and remember this was a second round pick last year. He had a down season, but don’t forget what he can do when he is on.
Cole Hamels got Hamelled (that’s bad, sorry) for four runs in four innings. Four walks and no strikeouts looks pretty bad, but hopefully it was an aberration.
Derek Lee, and Aram were good. Rich Hill was ok. Jake Peavy was pretty bad. Expect all of those to remain the same through the season, except Peavy. He’ll be good.
Rich Harden struck out four in three innings, and more importantly, didn’t get injured yet.
Howie Kendrick went 2 for 3 with two runs. K-rod and K-shields combined for two innings and six strikeouts.
Grady Sizemore hit a homerun, there will be many more to come from last season’s league leader in extra-base hits.
-Adam
Thursday March 8, 2007
The Pre-Know-How: Thursday March 8, 2007
I better make this a quick because I have a ton of homework to do and if I don’t finish this in a half hour it will be midnight making it Friday’s blog not Thursday’s. So let's go…
The Washington State Cougars just got done beating the Washington Huskies for the third time this season and the fifth time in a row. It felt real good to knock those punk-ass bitches out of their chance to make it to the big dance. I think with the win the Cougs solidified the fact that they should be a number 3 seed in Sacramento for the dance.
UCLA lost to Cal in OT, that is right lost to Cal. I was shocked. Cal pretty much controlled the first half then UCLA came back in second half and then Cal took over in overtime. With UCLA out of the Pac-10 tourney I think Washington State are the favorites again unless we run into Oregon, they seem to really have our number. I wonder if The Washington State vs. USC match up will be a thriller like it was last Saturday night (that game went into 2OT that Washington State won, afterwards I could not speak because I was yelling so much).
I don’t wont to dwell on college hoops too long but Duke lost in the first round of the ACC tourney to NC State. The NC State coach has a very bright jacket he wears, it is pretty dank but I think Duke was distracted by it. I am a Duke fan (after WSU of course) but I will be the first to admit they are not that good this year. I really think McRoberts needs to step up he has so much potential; he was going to go pro last year, show that you can play up there and dominate some games. I’m not a big fan of Paulus he doesn’t seem to control the game that great when I watch. They will be in the dance but might lose in the first round, depends on who they play.
On to football. Is it me or has this offseason had some off the most movement ever? It isn’t just free agent signings but big name trades. Jamal Lewis went to the Browns which I didn’t see coming I thought they were going to try and get Adrian Peterson in the draft but now maybe they will try to get the “superfreak” Calvin Johnson. I don’t know what The Browns plan to do with Jerome “The Ghost” Harrison, hopefully he remains on the team and gets a shot, I’m telling you he has talent.
Baltimore quickly replaced the hole at running back with Willis McGahee. This is a big time trade. I think this makes McGahee a big threat next year in the real world and in the fantasy world. He is already skilled but goes to a better team that likes to run. Great things could come of this.
In the brief time that I was able to watch ESPN this morning I head that Buffalo is looking to replace McGahee with Corey Dillion who was released by the Patriots. I think if Buffalo gets him they need to have a solid backup because I doubt Dillion can still carry the full load. Last year they had Anthony Thomas play when McGahee got injured and he played well but he declared for free agency, so that ain’t an option right now.
Let’s see if I can find anything interesting from spring training box scores.
Bill Hall of Milwaukee hit his third homer of the preseason seeming to continue how well he did last year when he hit 35 homers and drove in 85 runs.
Jose Reyes is lighting up the basing stealing his forth of spring training. If you want steals in your league make sure to grab this guy, that would mean you need to be the within the top 3 or 4 picks in your draft.
Terrmel Sledge, very unique name, went 2-4, with 1 run, 4 rbis, and a homerun, which is his third of spring training. If he continues to look decent in spring training you might want to keep an eye on him for the season, could be a deep sleeper.
Chris Shelton hit a homer I think that is his first one in roughly a year, lol.
Well it is 12:04am so I guess I didn’t make it by 12:00am, I apologize and it won’t happen again. Back to designing steel beams….
-Erik
I better make this a quick because I have a ton of homework to do and if I don’t finish this in a half hour it will be midnight making it Friday’s blog not Thursday’s. So let's go…
The Washington State Cougars just got done beating the Washington Huskies for the third time this season and the fifth time in a row. It felt real good to knock those punk-ass bitches out of their chance to make it to the big dance. I think with the win the Cougs solidified the fact that they should be a number 3 seed in Sacramento for the dance.
UCLA lost to Cal in OT, that is right lost to Cal. I was shocked. Cal pretty much controlled the first half then UCLA came back in second half and then Cal took over in overtime. With UCLA out of the Pac-10 tourney I think Washington State are the favorites again unless we run into Oregon, they seem to really have our number. I wonder if The Washington State vs. USC match up will be a thriller like it was last Saturday night (that game went into 2OT that Washington State won, afterwards I could not speak because I was yelling so much).
I don’t wont to dwell on college hoops too long but Duke lost in the first round of the ACC tourney to NC State. The NC State coach has a very bright jacket he wears, it is pretty dank but I think Duke was distracted by it. I am a Duke fan (after WSU of course) but I will be the first to admit they are not that good this year. I really think McRoberts needs to step up he has so much potential; he was going to go pro last year, show that you can play up there and dominate some games. I’m not a big fan of Paulus he doesn’t seem to control the game that great when I watch. They will be in the dance but might lose in the first round, depends on who they play.
On to football. Is it me or has this offseason had some off the most movement ever? It isn’t just free agent signings but big name trades. Jamal Lewis went to the Browns which I didn’t see coming I thought they were going to try and get Adrian Peterson in the draft but now maybe they will try to get the “superfreak” Calvin Johnson. I don’t know what The Browns plan to do with Jerome “The Ghost” Harrison, hopefully he remains on the team and gets a shot, I’m telling you he has talent.
Baltimore quickly replaced the hole at running back with Willis McGahee. This is a big time trade. I think this makes McGahee a big threat next year in the real world and in the fantasy world. He is already skilled but goes to a better team that likes to run. Great things could come of this.
In the brief time that I was able to watch ESPN this morning I head that Buffalo is looking to replace McGahee with Corey Dillion who was released by the Patriots. I think if Buffalo gets him they need to have a solid backup because I doubt Dillion can still carry the full load. Last year they had Anthony Thomas play when McGahee got injured and he played well but he declared for free agency, so that ain’t an option right now.
Let’s see if I can find anything interesting from spring training box scores.
Bill Hall of Milwaukee hit his third homer of the preseason seeming to continue how well he did last year when he hit 35 homers and drove in 85 runs.
Jose Reyes is lighting up the basing stealing his forth of spring training. If you want steals in your league make sure to grab this guy, that would mean you need to be the within the top 3 or 4 picks in your draft.
Terrmel Sledge, very unique name, went 2-4, with 1 run, 4 rbis, and a homerun, which is his third of spring training. If he continues to look decent in spring training you might want to keep an eye on him for the season, could be a deep sleeper.
Chris Shelton hit a homer I think that is his first one in roughly a year, lol.
Well it is 12:04am so I guess I didn’t make it by 12:00am, I apologize and it won’t happen again. Back to designing steel beams….
-Erik
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Wednesday March 7, 2007
Quick hits from today:
My favorite closer (Brad Lidge) got a win today, and not the usual bad way that a closer gets a win by giving up the lead then his team comes back, just the good old fashioned way, 1 ip, 1 hit, 1 k
There were three ties today, what is this, hockey?
Boof Bonser had 3 k’s in 3 ip’s. Might develop into something rather soon.
Best typo of the day in a box score: CHRIS DUNCAN (2) OFF BAD PENNY IN THE 1ST
And with six earned runs in two innings, I agree.
Don’t tell anyone in my leagues, but Mark Teixeira will be the best fantasy player not named Pujols, Sizemore or Reyes this year.
Browns get Jamal Lewis. Have they forgotten that they have Jerome Harrison?
Former pitcher/crazysonofabitch John Rocker used HGH.
Rocker: “I never had a prescription for any growth hormone”
Rocker’s (apparently overpaid) publicist: “That was a growth hormone that was prescribed by a doctor in relation to his rotator cuff surgery”
I’m confused
I think Lebron should just start dunking for his free throws. I mean, 63% isn’t bad, but he should be better.
The Mavs look pretty good. That is all.
Can someone take that elbow pad from Barry Bonds and give it to Kobe Bryant?
Looks like Joe Horn in Atlanta. I’d like to see Vick-Horn connection.
Cal went on a 34-2 run against Oregon State in the first half of their Pac-10 tourney game. Somewhere Sasa Cuic is crying, and hopefully getting a haircut.
Whatever happened to Quentin McCracken?
You’ll have to deal with a blog from Erik tomorrow because I was suspended one day for elbowing Ryan Leaf in the face after he blocked my shot.
-Adam
My favorite closer (Brad Lidge) got a win today, and not the usual bad way that a closer gets a win by giving up the lead then his team comes back, just the good old fashioned way, 1 ip, 1 hit, 1 k
There were three ties today, what is this, hockey?
Boof Bonser had 3 k’s in 3 ip’s. Might develop into something rather soon.
Best typo of the day in a box score: CHRIS DUNCAN (2) OFF BAD PENNY IN THE 1ST
And with six earned runs in two innings, I agree.
Don’t tell anyone in my leagues, but Mark Teixeira will be the best fantasy player not named Pujols, Sizemore or Reyes this year.
Browns get Jamal Lewis. Have they forgotten that they have Jerome Harrison?
Former pitcher/crazysonofabitch John Rocker used HGH.
Rocker: “I never had a prescription for any growth hormone”
Rocker’s (apparently overpaid) publicist: “That was a growth hormone that was prescribed by a doctor in relation to his rotator cuff surgery”
I’m confused
I think Lebron should just start dunking for his free throws. I mean, 63% isn’t bad, but he should be better.
The Mavs look pretty good. That is all.
Can someone take that elbow pad from Barry Bonds and give it to Kobe Bryant?
Looks like Joe Horn in Atlanta. I’d like to see Vick-Horn connection.
Cal went on a 34-2 run against Oregon State in the first half of their Pac-10 tourney game. Somewhere Sasa Cuic is crying, and hopefully getting a haircut.
Whatever happened to Quentin McCracken?
You’ll have to deal with a blog from Erik tomorrow because I was suspended one day for elbowing Ryan Leaf in the face after he blocked my shot.
-Adam
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Tuesday March 6, 2007
So I figure I better talk about the NFL since there has been so much movement. Let’s start with running backs:
Ahman Green signed with the Texans leaving Brett “I should retire” Farve and the Packers. You are probably saying didn’t the Texans and Packers swap running backs last season, yes they did. The Pack got Vernand Morency and the Texans got Samkon Gado. The Texans also had Wali Lundy and Ron Danye in their backfield but there was no for sure number one there, seemed to rotate depending on the time the sun set on the Wednesday of the given week. I am assuming Green has the number one spot since he is the best back in Houston. Gado is probably pissed because Green is following him and taking his possible starting job.
Travis Henry signed with the Broncos. Henry rushed for over a thousand yards last year averaging 4.5 yards per rush and scored 7 touchdowns. A pretty decent year if you ask me. Henry is only 28 and he saw limited carries in 2004 and 2005 (182 attempts combined) so he still has stuff left add the fact that he will be in Denver where there always seems to be a good rusher. With Tatum Bell gone (discussing later) he will likely share time with Mike Bell; the two-back system is becoming pretty normal now-a-days.
Sammy Morris signed with New England who cut Corey Dillon (that is what you get from going to University of Washington Corey). Morris will serve as the backup to Laurence Maroney.
Tatum Bell was traded to Detroit for Dre’ Bly. Quick side note: **that makes an insane secondary in Denver, one side is Champ Bailey and the other is Bly. I personally would only run against that. I was hoping Karl Paymah or Hamza Abdullah (both Washington State University grads) would get a chance to take the other CB spot.** Back to Bell, Bell will compete with Kevin Jones for the stating job in Detroit, they might and probably will use a dual-backfield since that is what all the cool kids are doing now a days. Don’t forget Brian Calhoun is also there in Detroit and could come into play.
Assuming Thomas Jones can pass a physical he will play for the NY Jets next year, the Bears got the 37th pick in the draft (that is early second round). Pretty good price for Jones if you ask me. Jones will be the primary back in NY, last year it was running back by committee which involved: Leon Washington, Cedric Houston, and Kevan Barlow. Washington who was a rookie last year showed bright spots but it is clear that NY wants a numero uno (that’s number one in Spanish) running back.
Let’s talk about defensive players next:
Nate Clements (CB) got an ill contract to play in San Francisco. This will strengthen the SF secondary that allowed 223 passing yards per game last year.
Michael Lewis (SS) also signed with San Fran only helping improve the SF defense for next year. San Fran could be a possible sleeper defense to pick, who knows.
Tully Banta-Cain (LB) yet another defensive player that the 49ers brought in to strengthen their defense. SF seems to be very serious about improving their defense. I really like the name Banta-Cain I don’t know why but it sounds cool.
Adalius Thomas (LB) signed with the Patriots. This makes a defense that is very good even better. Look for NE to return to being one of the top defenses in the league next year.
Patrick Kerney (DE) signed with the Seahawks giving them some mush needed pass rush. Kerney was injured last season but he is expected to return full strength.
Napoleon Harris (LB) will now play for the Chiefs (not to be confused with Chefs).
Fred Smoot (CB) who started his career in Washington will return there after playing in Minnesota for 2 years. I personally never get why players return to teams that they once left didn’t you leave for a reason or did you just go to where the most money was? I know the answer, it is money. I personally would take a small hit it the $$$ department to be part of a winning program. That is just me though; I may change my mind when someone is waving millions of dollars at me.
Joey Porter (LB) signed with the Dolphins today. So their line backing core will have Porter and Zach Thomas; while the defensive player of the year last year (Jason Taylor) well rush the QB. Porter seemed to drop off last year or maybe it was just Pitt defense in general but I expect this duo to be quite intimidating and very good.
Now all other offensive positions:
Jeff Garcia (QB) signed with the Bucs making him the most likely candidate to be the starter. Chris Simms will return but he never played very feel so I would be surprised to see him start. Garcia seems to fit more of the Gruden west coast offense.
Jake Plummer (QB) was traded to the Bucs but Plummer thought it would be a better idea to quit football all together. Probably a good idea for “Jake The Snake” he was to up and down. I do look down on people who quit like that though, all my respect (which is very little) I had for him is now gone.
Brad Johnson (QB) signed with my Cowboys, where he will serve as backup to Tony Romo. I still have not forgiven Romo for that huge mistake he made in the playoffs but I know he will be the starter next year so I will work on forgiving him. Too bad the Cowboys cut the one and only Drew Bledsoe.
Drew Bennett (WR) went to the Rams, which makes their offense even more potent given that Bennett is a good receiver. They better hope Bulger can continue to throw the ball well.
Ashley Lelie (WR) signed with the 49ers. I don’t know what to expect from him. He showed potential in Denver but has really managed to go down hill.
Wes Welker (WR) signed with the Patriots. Tom Brady has a way of making decent/ok wide receivers look good so watch out but remember Brady tends to spread it around so no one receiver has too big of a game.
I know I probably missed someone somewhere but I think I managed to get everyone I could think off. I would hit y’all with some baseball knowledge since it is that time of year but I am tired of typing and this is quite a long blog already. I will talk baseball when I write Thursday’s blog.
-Erik
Ahman Green signed with the Texans leaving Brett “I should retire” Farve and the Packers. You are probably saying didn’t the Texans and Packers swap running backs last season, yes they did. The Pack got Vernand Morency and the Texans got Samkon Gado. The Texans also had Wali Lundy and Ron Danye in their backfield but there was no for sure number one there, seemed to rotate depending on the time the sun set on the Wednesday of the given week. I am assuming Green has the number one spot since he is the best back in Houston. Gado is probably pissed because Green is following him and taking his possible starting job.
Travis Henry signed with the Broncos. Henry rushed for over a thousand yards last year averaging 4.5 yards per rush and scored 7 touchdowns. A pretty decent year if you ask me. Henry is only 28 and he saw limited carries in 2004 and 2005 (182 attempts combined) so he still has stuff left add the fact that he will be in Denver where there always seems to be a good rusher. With Tatum Bell gone (discussing later) he will likely share time with Mike Bell; the two-back system is becoming pretty normal now-a-days.
Sammy Morris signed with New England who cut Corey Dillon (that is what you get from going to University of Washington Corey). Morris will serve as the backup to Laurence Maroney.
Tatum Bell was traded to Detroit for Dre’ Bly. Quick side note: **that makes an insane secondary in Denver, one side is Champ Bailey and the other is Bly. I personally would only run against that. I was hoping Karl Paymah or Hamza Abdullah (both Washington State University grads) would get a chance to take the other CB spot.** Back to Bell, Bell will compete with Kevin Jones for the stating job in Detroit, they might and probably will use a dual-backfield since that is what all the cool kids are doing now a days. Don’t forget Brian Calhoun is also there in Detroit and could come into play.
Assuming Thomas Jones can pass a physical he will play for the NY Jets next year, the Bears got the 37th pick in the draft (that is early second round). Pretty good price for Jones if you ask me. Jones will be the primary back in NY, last year it was running back by committee which involved: Leon Washington, Cedric Houston, and Kevan Barlow. Washington who was a rookie last year showed bright spots but it is clear that NY wants a numero uno (that’s number one in Spanish) running back.
Let’s talk about defensive players next:
Nate Clements (CB) got an ill contract to play in San Francisco. This will strengthen the SF secondary that allowed 223 passing yards per game last year.
Michael Lewis (SS) also signed with San Fran only helping improve the SF defense for next year. San Fran could be a possible sleeper defense to pick, who knows.
Tully Banta-Cain (LB) yet another defensive player that the 49ers brought in to strengthen their defense. SF seems to be very serious about improving their defense. I really like the name Banta-Cain I don’t know why but it sounds cool.
Adalius Thomas (LB) signed with the Patriots. This makes a defense that is very good even better. Look for NE to return to being one of the top defenses in the league next year.
Patrick Kerney (DE) signed with the Seahawks giving them some mush needed pass rush. Kerney was injured last season but he is expected to return full strength.
Napoleon Harris (LB) will now play for the Chiefs (not to be confused with Chefs).
Fred Smoot (CB) who started his career in Washington will return there after playing in Minnesota for 2 years. I personally never get why players return to teams that they once left didn’t you leave for a reason or did you just go to where the most money was? I know the answer, it is money. I personally would take a small hit it the $$$ department to be part of a winning program. That is just me though; I may change my mind when someone is waving millions of dollars at me.
Joey Porter (LB) signed with the Dolphins today. So their line backing core will have Porter and Zach Thomas; while the defensive player of the year last year (Jason Taylor) well rush the QB. Porter seemed to drop off last year or maybe it was just Pitt defense in general but I expect this duo to be quite intimidating and very good.
Now all other offensive positions:
Jeff Garcia (QB) signed with the Bucs making him the most likely candidate to be the starter. Chris Simms will return but he never played very feel so I would be surprised to see him start. Garcia seems to fit more of the Gruden west coast offense.
Jake Plummer (QB) was traded to the Bucs but Plummer thought it would be a better idea to quit football all together. Probably a good idea for “Jake The Snake” he was to up and down. I do look down on people who quit like that though, all my respect (which is very little) I had for him is now gone.
Brad Johnson (QB) signed with my Cowboys, where he will serve as backup to Tony Romo. I still have not forgiven Romo for that huge mistake he made in the playoffs but I know he will be the starter next year so I will work on forgiving him. Too bad the Cowboys cut the one and only Drew Bledsoe.
Drew Bennett (WR) went to the Rams, which makes their offense even more potent given that Bennett is a good receiver. They better hope Bulger can continue to throw the ball well.
Ashley Lelie (WR) signed with the 49ers. I don’t know what to expect from him. He showed potential in Denver but has really managed to go down hill.
Wes Welker (WR) signed with the Patriots. Tom Brady has a way of making decent/ok wide receivers look good so watch out but remember Brady tends to spread it around so no one receiver has too big of a game.
I know I probably missed someone somewhere but I think I managed to get everyone I could think off. I would hit y’all with some baseball knowledge since it is that time of year but I am tired of typing and this is quite a long blog already. I will talk baseball when I write Thursday’s blog.
-Erik
Monday, March 5, 2007
Monday March 5, 2007
It feels like a second baseman type of day.
Rickie Weeks, Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, and Josh Barfield. These guys will look to close the gap between Chase Utley and everyone else at second base.
Now Weeks isn’t nearly the sleeper that the rest of these guys are (and there’s a good chance someone in your draft will have a man-crush on Kendrick and take him too early) but he is lumped in with the rest because they all have a lot in common. They all possess 20/20 potential. They are within 13 months of age, and they all batted within .007 last season. Player by player projections:
Rickie Weeks- As I mentioned above, you’ll have to reach for him, but he should be worth it. The health of his wrist is a concern, but don’t worry too much about that unless word comes out of spring training saying otherwise. It is possible that his power could develop much more quickly, but I don’t expect him to hit 20 hr until 2008.
17 hr - 60 rbi - 122 runs - .285 avg. - 38 sb
Howie Kendrick- He only took 9 walks in 267 at-bats last year, so he likes to swing the bat. Fortunately for him, he is a hitting machine. He has the least amount of experience among these four two-baggers, so it is possible he will show the most growth this season.
20 hr - 71 rbi - 96 runs - .304 avg. - 21 sb
Ian Kinsler- I think Kinsler will hit the most home runs out of this group in ’07, but he may steal the fewest bases. If he finds his way into the top of that Rangers lineup, he will be in good shape. He can also be had pretty late in most drafts, compared to Kendrick and especially Weeks.
22 hr - 72 rbi - 98 runs - .296 avg. - 17 sb
Josh Barfield- He knocked 13 home runs last year playing half of his games in Petco Cavern, so look for an uptick in power this season. If he could bat second, behind Grady Sizemore, he could pick up a ton of rbi’s for a second baseman just by making any sort of contact.
17 hr - 80 rbi - 105 runs - .286 avg. - 24 sb
I know, these are pretty optimistic projections, but these guys can play. If they can stay healthy and solidify their places at the tops of their respective lineups they can do big things. Kinsler and Barfield might be the best value picks, but if you are in a keeper league you might want to just pay the price to take Weeks or Kendrick while you can.
Some other guys:
Robinson Cano- Great lineup and great production, even in an injury-shortened season for Cano.
Brian Roberts- He’ll turn 30 this season, which seems ancient compared to all of the young second basemen, but he is a solid value and a known commodity.
Dan Uggla- Don’t expect last season’s stats, but even if he slows down slightly, he is still a solid second baseman.
Julio Lugo- Older than many think (turns 32 this year) and won’t run as much in Boston, but there are a whole lot of runs to be had in the Boston lineup.
Tadahito Iguchi- Consistent. Look at last year’s stats, subtract a couple of runs and you know what you’re getting.
Brandon Phillips- Shave some off of last year’s numbers, and you still get solid late-round value at 2b.
Jeff Kent- I don’t know how much longer he’ll keep up his solid numbers, but I’m not gambling on him.
Jorge Cantu- Last season was heavily dampened by injuries. I expect something closer to his 2005, but not as good.
-Adam
Rickie Weeks, Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, and Josh Barfield. These guys will look to close the gap between Chase Utley and everyone else at second base.
Now Weeks isn’t nearly the sleeper that the rest of these guys are (and there’s a good chance someone in your draft will have a man-crush on Kendrick and take him too early) but he is lumped in with the rest because they all have a lot in common. They all possess 20/20 potential. They are within 13 months of age, and they all batted within .007 last season. Player by player projections:
Rickie Weeks- As I mentioned above, you’ll have to reach for him, but he should be worth it. The health of his wrist is a concern, but don’t worry too much about that unless word comes out of spring training saying otherwise. It is possible that his power could develop much more quickly, but I don’t expect him to hit 20 hr until 2008.
17 hr - 60 rbi - 122 runs - .285 avg. - 38 sb
Howie Kendrick- He only took 9 walks in 267 at-bats last year, so he likes to swing the bat. Fortunately for him, he is a hitting machine. He has the least amount of experience among these four two-baggers, so it is possible he will show the most growth this season.
20 hr - 71 rbi - 96 runs - .304 avg. - 21 sb
Ian Kinsler- I think Kinsler will hit the most home runs out of this group in ’07, but he may steal the fewest bases. If he finds his way into the top of that Rangers lineup, he will be in good shape. He can also be had pretty late in most drafts, compared to Kendrick and especially Weeks.
22 hr - 72 rbi - 98 runs - .296 avg. - 17 sb
Josh Barfield- He knocked 13 home runs last year playing half of his games in Petco Cavern, so look for an uptick in power this season. If he could bat second, behind Grady Sizemore, he could pick up a ton of rbi’s for a second baseman just by making any sort of contact.
17 hr - 80 rbi - 105 runs - .286 avg. - 24 sb
I know, these are pretty optimistic projections, but these guys can play. If they can stay healthy and solidify their places at the tops of their respective lineups they can do big things. Kinsler and Barfield might be the best value picks, but if you are in a keeper league you might want to just pay the price to take Weeks or Kendrick while you can.
Some other guys:
Robinson Cano- Great lineup and great production, even in an injury-shortened season for Cano.
Brian Roberts- He’ll turn 30 this season, which seems ancient compared to all of the young second basemen, but he is a solid value and a known commodity.
Dan Uggla- Don’t expect last season’s stats, but even if he slows down slightly, he is still a solid second baseman.
Julio Lugo- Older than many think (turns 32 this year) and won’t run as much in Boston, but there are a whole lot of runs to be had in the Boston lineup.
Tadahito Iguchi- Consistent. Look at last year’s stats, subtract a couple of runs and you know what you’re getting.
Brandon Phillips- Shave some off of last year’s numbers, and you still get solid late-round value at 2b.
Jeff Kent- I don’t know how much longer he’ll keep up his solid numbers, but I’m not gambling on him.
Jorge Cantu- Last season was heavily dampened by injuries. I expect something closer to his 2005, but not as good.
-Adam
Sunday, March 4, 2007
Sunday March 4, 2007
So I witnessed what I would call an “instant classic” last night here in Pullman, WA at Friel Court. The Cougars beat the Trojans in two overtimes. It should have been over in regulation but we had a crucial turnover. The Trojans kept making crazy shots to stay alive: a three at the end of regulation and a so called foul at end of first OT on a three pointer. Luckily he only hit 2 of the 3 to send it to overtime number 2. The cougars have no superstar just a damn solid team, so last night Taylor Rochestie and Aron Baynes stepped up, they combined for 46 points. Rochestie hit all his free-throws down the stretch which was clutch (making up for his turnover at end of regulation).
I just completed a mock draft at ESPN.com, it is sweet to have that feature, I was pick 6 in a 10 person league, here are the results (in order):
Chase Utley 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Derrek Lee 1B
Hanley Ramirez SS
Francisco Rodriguez RP
Ben Sheets SP
Troy Glaus 3B
Gary Sheffield RF
J.J. Putz RP
Dontrelle Willis SP
Rocco Baldelli CF
J.D. Drew RF
Cole Hamels SP
Dave Roberts CF
Jered Weaver SP
Ivan Rodriguez C
Josh Beckett SP
Andy Pettitte SP
Octavio Dotel RP
Morgan Ensberg 3B
So lately with my drafts I have been going with drafting first four as offense and getting a pitcher in the 5th. I would like Carlos Zambrano but don’t want to pay too much for him. Today I went with a closer before starter, which is something I’ve never done. I felt I could wait a round and still get a good starter but not a dominant closer like F-Rod. I kind of freaked when I took Willis, I had like 3 pitchers I wanted then they all went right before me and Willis was next best in my opinion, probably a mistake though. I like the fact that I have 2 solid closers, they seem to be harder to come by then starters. My reason for this is last year my starters were garbage to begin with but I was able to pick up Verlander, Liranio, Weaver (the good one) who were all great. I also picked up A. Sanchez, J. Maine and O. Hernandez who were solid. But I wasn’t able to find a closer after Gagne went down, which hurt most of the season. In this draft I felt I was lacking steals that is why I picked D. Roberts. Dotel should be good but not too many save oppurunties. I think Ensberg is a steal that late.
One quick note from yesterday’s box scores, Jose Reyes hit another homer, 2 in spring training so far. So maybe all that power last year wasn’t a hoax.
Until next time….
-Erik
I just completed a mock draft at ESPN.com, it is sweet to have that feature, I was pick 6 in a 10 person league, here are the results (in order):
Chase Utley 2B
Travis Hafner DH
Derrek Lee 1B
Hanley Ramirez SS
Francisco Rodriguez RP
Ben Sheets SP
Troy Glaus 3B
Gary Sheffield RF
J.J. Putz RP
Dontrelle Willis SP
Rocco Baldelli CF
J.D. Drew RF
Cole Hamels SP
Dave Roberts CF
Jered Weaver SP
Ivan Rodriguez C
Josh Beckett SP
Andy Pettitte SP
Octavio Dotel RP
Morgan Ensberg 3B
So lately with my drafts I have been going with drafting first four as offense and getting a pitcher in the 5th. I would like Carlos Zambrano but don’t want to pay too much for him. Today I went with a closer before starter, which is something I’ve never done. I felt I could wait a round and still get a good starter but not a dominant closer like F-Rod. I kind of freaked when I took Willis, I had like 3 pitchers I wanted then they all went right before me and Willis was next best in my opinion, probably a mistake though. I like the fact that I have 2 solid closers, they seem to be harder to come by then starters. My reason for this is last year my starters were garbage to begin with but I was able to pick up Verlander, Liranio, Weaver (the good one) who were all great. I also picked up A. Sanchez, J. Maine and O. Hernandez who were solid. But I wasn’t able to find a closer after Gagne went down, which hurt most of the season. In this draft I felt I was lacking steals that is why I picked D. Roberts. Dotel should be good but not too many save oppurunties. I think Ensberg is a steal that late.
One quick note from yesterday’s box scores, Jose Reyes hit another homer, 2 in spring training so far. So maybe all that power last year wasn’t a hoax.
Until next time….
-Erik
Friday, March 2, 2007
Friday March 2, 2007
I would first off like to send my prayers to the baseball team of the
A few notes from pitchers around the league:
Tim Hudson said "I pitched last year like about a No. 5 starter, if that. I expect to pitch like a No. 1 starter. I think that's what I am. That's what I plan to get back to."
Beginning tomorrow Pedro Martinez can start throwing, the next step in him coming back from rotator cuff surgery. The medical staff is being very conservative with him and expects him to be back by August. I would not draft him but make sure you are sitting on the waiver wire when you start hearing about him coming back.
Daisuke Matsuzaka’s first pitch ever in spring training was a double by a junior at
A few notes from box scores around the league:
Carlos Zambrano, or as I like to call him Big Z, pitched 2 innings allowed 1 hit and had 4 strikeouts, impressive.
Howie Kendrick, one of the 2b that the other writer in this blog loves, went 2-3 with 2 runs and 1 rbi, well done.
Matt Murton went 3-3 with 1 run, 4 rbis and a homer. Murton should be batting out of the two spot in the Cubs lineup, so if he can get on base he will have a good chance to be driven home with all that power batting behind him.
Chone (pronounced Sean, I have no idea why) Figgins went 3-3 with 2 runs, 2 rbis, 1 homerun and 1 stolen base. Way to fill the stat sheet Sean.
The Milwaukee Brewers scored 21 runs. Two players had 7 rbis a piece, I have never heard of neither of them, H Iribarren (2b) and J Closser (c). 5 of the runs were off Matt Cain and 4 were off Brad Hennessey.
Detroit Tigers had 4 homeruns as a team. One was off Brad Lidge who gave up 4 earned runs in 1 inning.
One of my favorite players from last year, Ryan Zimmerman went 2-3 with 2 runs, 3 rbis and 1 homerun.
Ryan Howard picked up where he left up hitting a homer.
Well it is Friday so I better go drink……
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Thursday March 1, 2007
Warning: Marlin Josh Johnson will already miss time with a nerve problem in his elbow, now there is word that Taylor Tankersley, the pre-season favorite as closer, will be shut down for two weeks with shoulder inflammation and might start the season on the DL. White Sox XXL closer (sorry, XL, he lost some weight) left Wednesday’s game against Colorado with shoulder tightness. Keep your eye on Mike MacDougal in case the problem turns out to be serious.
Twin’s starter Matt Garza pitched well against the Red Sox, with two shutout innings. He had a rocky start last season, but I still believe he will be good. In the same game, on the other team, Curt Schilling threw 15 of his 19 pitches for strikes and looked sharp enough for an old guy.
From the Funny, But Not Surprising department, Mets starter Oliver Perez hit a photographer with a warm-up pitch before Wednesday’s game. What happened here? The guy was absolutely sick in 2004 with the Pirates, but since then he has not been able to do much of anything (besides walking batters) 90% of the time.
In the NFL, Lions gave up Dre’ Bly to the Broncos for Tatum Bell, a tackle and a draft pick. This helps both teams, as the Lions needed someone to fill the hole (Brian Calhoun anybody?) while Kevin Jones recovers from his foot injury and the Broncos needed a corner to replace the departed purveyor of the fro-hawk, Darrent Williams.
I just got back from watching the Cougars fall to the Bruins, so it is a bit of a sad time right now. The Cougs were a bit uncharacteristic, handing over 10 turnovers in the first half alone. Derrick Low didn’t do much all night, and nobody stepped into the void. The positive note was again Aron Baynes, as he looked much more confident in the post. Coach Bennet also continued the trend of heavy use of the bench. With the Cougars down six late in the game, Daven Harmeling wasn’t even in the game. That’s it for today, tomorrow, Erik will regale you with his thoughts and ramblings.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Wednesday February 28, 2007
Great night in college basketball. Texas beat Texas A&M in double overtime despite two insanely clutch threes by Acie Law. Maryland beat Duke again and is on a tear, winning six straight. Tomorrow night will be even better as Wazzu welcomes Afflalo and Co. come to the Palouse.
The Bears finally re-signed Lovie Smith. Great, hopefully I don’t have to hear about Da Bears again until… ever.
The Ravens released former-2000 yard rusher Jamal Lewis. The man was the first pick in the franchise’s history and holds the record for rushing yards in a game with 295 but he is still vulnerable to Baltimore’s need to save a dollar.
More steroid news in the sports world today as an online pharmacy was apparently selling illegal drugs to many athletes, including Gary Matthews Jr. This is great timing as I was just planning on talking about one of my favorite overpaid outfielders.
Matthews is an enigma to me because looking at his career homerun rates, last season wasn’t so much of a breakout, it was just the first time he has had over 475 at-bats in a season. Before last year, he averaged 36.7 at-bats per homerun, last year the rate was 32.6 which is obviously an improvement, but its nothing extraordinary.
However, the .313 avg. was a little strange for the .263 career hitter. It is hard to imagine a drastic turnaround for a 32-year-old that has been bounced around to six different teams during his eight years in baseball.
Yesterday I would have called last season a fluke for him. Maybe the hits simply found holes as he got a full season of playing time. But after the news today, linking him to steroids, it is possible that there were outside causes for his offensive spurt.
On a more positive note, there are four young second basemen this season that are very similar and all look good for this season in fantasy baseball. But, that’s a blog for another day.
-Adam
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Tuesday February 27, 2007
So Heroes last night was pretty damn good, I mean it is always good but last night was one of the best. It was the first time the shows stayed on one story line the whole show instead of jumping around. The episode answered a lot of questions but also presented a lot of new ones. It will be interesting to see how the season ends. For all you that don’t know NBC signed on for another year so it will not end this year.
College Rankings came out yesterday, I think where we (
In NFL combine news Calvin Johnson (Georgia Tech) ran a 4.35 40-yard dash time in someone else’s shoes. Imagine what he could do it he had his own shoes; I predict the first 4.0 second forty-yard dash. O and remember he is 6’5” and 239 pounds, have fun covering him. ESPN calls him a “super freak” and I think they it an accurate name. Besides Mr. Johnson, Jason Hill (
In regards to the Browns pick, I really hope they do not pick Adrian Peterson. Why? Because their current backup is the one and only Jerome Harrison a.k.a ‘The Ghost”. Harrison would have been the leader rusher in NCAA 2 years ago at
In MLB news the first games of spring training start tomorrow (there are 4) then continue for the next month. This is a good time to start looking at how people are playing, what position they are playing, etc. I know it is only spring training but you can still get a feel of how people might perform this year. So keep you eye on the boxes for those games; we here at Inside The Park will give our advice on what goes down this year in the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues.
Well I better get to my Pushover Analysis so my advisor doesn’t murder me.
-Erik
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday February 26, 2007
It is official! The idea Adam & I (Erik) have envisioned for probably a year has finally gotten off the ground. Why it took this long? No idea. Basically the idea is this: since Adam & I love fantasy sports (mainly baseball & football) we wanted to share our “expert” analysis of players, teams, etc. You may disagree with the “expert” part but we have to start somewhere and no better time then the present. So far we hope that the website will have:
¨ Daily blog (this is the first one)
¨ Rankings of players (overall & by position)
¨ Drafting Strategies
¨ Sleepers & Keepers
¨ Player news (updated frequently)
You get the idea basically the stuff the other websites have but our opinion on it. We will have stuff that no other websites have but those are still in the makings, so stay tuned. Feel free to contact us anytime at our e-mail InsideTheParkFantasy@gmail.com. We are more than happy to answer any questions you have.
I want to mention real quickly the idea behind the name which is “Inside The Park: Fantasy Sports Know-How”. It took a small brainstorming session between Adam, my roommate and I to come up with it. I didn’t want really want fantasy in the title because I thought people would think the website is about something else. We also had to have a name that wasn’t taken. I tried to think of a rare play in sports to signify that are website isn’t the same as everything else. You know singles happen all the time put how often do inside the park homers happen? That kind of makes it specific to baseball which are site isn’t, so don’t get that idea even the baseball is a key component. Inside the park is the notion that you are getting information from inside the park, i.e. locker room talk, batting practice, etc. It was all of that and it just sounded good.
SO HERE WE GO…
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