Sliding Into First

Update on Terry's Memorial Brick

2010-04-13T15:59:00.006-04:00

Terry's memorial brick at Citi Field, y'all. Check it out. Say HI! It's around the 1969 World Series plaque. (Down the third base line in the fanwalk.)

Phillies fans are at it again!

2010-03-26T17:52:00.004-04:00

http://cbs3.com/topstories/Police.Drunk.Pennsylvania.2.1592202.html

Obviously a Phillies fan. Some may think it would be a Pirates fan, but that's incorrect. If that were the case they would already be asking him to play right field. The opossum, of course. Not the drunk. He's already the new GM.

And just as a reminder for y'all:

If you make it to Citi Field this year say hello to Terry's brick in the fanwalk!

2010-03-16T13:04:00.002-04:00

STILL, do not draft him.

2010-03-11T17:29:00.002-05:00

Reds pitcher. Rookie. One good start for a couple innings. No one has faced him before. This spells a couple good games, and then a severe drop off after the first quarter. I'm not saying he won't be good in the long run, but he's not a good pick for his first year.

People are already going to start reaching for him. Please don't. It would be suitable with your second to last or dead last pick.

But gosh, this was pretty:

Sure makes you think about what COULD be. Just not this year, y'all.

Not really sure why I love this stuff so much, but I can't stop laughing!

2010-03-06T13:02:00.001-05:00

I'm so sleepy...

2010-03-01T12:22:00.007-05:00

OK, here they come, y'all. Your sleepers for this year. As we all know, you can't win your competitive fantasy league without a few good sleepers coming in the mid-to-late rounds. I'm here to help point these sleepers out and help you win it all. Of course, the thing with sleepers is that they could just as easily flame out. But the good thing is that you didn't waste a high pick on them! So it's a low risk, high reward scenario, and if you do it right you're almost a shoe in for fantasy gold. SO, instead of my usual 1 per Offense and Pitcher, I'm actually going to give you 1 sleeper per position. Let's get right to it:

So sleepy...

C: Kelly Shoppach, Rays. Catcher is actually one of the positions with the most sleeper ability. Why is this? Because most of them suck. I mean, really who can you count on besides Mauer? An argument can be made for McCann I suppose. However, chances are if they (anyone besides Mauer) put up decent numbers last year they're probably going to be crap this year. That's just how it happens, I don't know why. This is why I live by the golden rule of taking a catcher with my very last selection, and so should you. I won't see Mauer, McCann, Victor Martinez, or even Geovanny Soto or Russell Martin. (Both taken way too early last year, and both put a nice dent in the fantasy domination aspirations their owners had without some real quick thinking. Of course, the owners deserved it all.) But you know who I will see? Kelly Schoppach. He's got a new team, a new ballpark, a new staff to guide, and I just have a good feeling about this year. But y'know what? It doesn't really matter - it's easy to drop the player you took with your last pick! So if he doesn't pan out there will be some other catcher riding a hot streak (John Buck perhaps? I mean...Canada! Eh?) that I'll pick up for a couple weeks before HE cools off too. Then I get to pick up someone else! See how this works? Kind of fun.

1B: Nick Johnson, Yankees. Hell yeah! I love the thought of putting Nick "the stick" Johnson in Yankees Stadium! Actually, this guy has been a pretty big bummer for a while, but I like the thought of just about ANYBODY going to play in that lineup in that stadium. But this guy actually does have some talent, and an excellent eye for the ball. Think about this for a second - Johnson hit 23 HRs, drove in 70+ RBI's, batted over .290, and walked 100+ times in 2006. With the NATIONALS. What do you think that equals with the Yankees of 2010? If he gets the ABs I wouldn't be shocked to see him at 30/120/.300. Seriously! Maybe the best sleeper available.

2B: Casey McGehee, Brewers. Wow the Cubs are stupid. Seriously? Just let this dude walk away, huh? Yeah, I guess Soriano is making up for all that offense lost. And that 2B platoon you got is way better than just one good player. Wait, what? No that's not the case? Gee whiz, sorry about that!
There is a lot to like about this guy, and a bit to shy away from. But let me point out a couple things to you. 1) He's eligible as a 2B and 3B in most formats. (Flexibility, check!) 2) He hit over .300, hit 16 homers, and drove in 66 runs last year. (Can get this production on your second to last pick? Value, check!) 3) That Brewers lineup is no joke, and with a year of big league service under his belt he should have plenty of opportunities to cross the plate in 2010. (Lineup support, check!)
So there could be a sophomore slump or that wonky knee that he had surgery on in the offseason could flare up, but I say it's worth the risk!

3B: Chase Headley, Padres. I am definitely a fan of this kid, and now he has the 3B role all to himself. He's absolutely a late round steal, when that loser in front of you is taking Corey Hart. (Corey, you bastard. You hurt my heart!) I think we could see 20 HR, 75 RBI, 12 SB and a .270 AVG out of him this year. I have absolutely no problem picking him up as a late fill in for my 3B slot, or a backup/utility player to play the match-ups with.

SS: Alexei Ramierez, White Sox. He's not really that much of a sleeper, is he? Well, I'm sticking with it, because I still think he'll get taken later than he should. You know why that is? Because people are falling asleep at the wheel. Wake the fuck up and take this kid! He's a bit more mature, has great vision at the plate, and I wouldn't be shocked to see his steals jump by 8-10 if he stays healthy and his HRs jump by 5-8 as well. I don't have a ton to say, other than he was overvalued, now undervalued, and here's to not falling asleep.

OF: Chris Young, Diamondbacks. Remember how great this guy was for that magical season of 2007? I mean, holy crap - he was the Justin Upton of 2007! And then he came back to earth. It only took two season for him to be completely forgotten about. But that's not really our fault, it's his. It seems HE forgot a lot of important things. Like where the home plate was, what he was supposed to do with the bat in his hands, how to steal a base...but I'm not worried. You know why? Because now he's a sleeper! And that means you get to take a flier on him in the late rounds and cross your fingers that he parties like it's 2007! Why not? If he comes close to 30 HR / 30 SB you are set. You could hold onto him all year and gloat, or you could trade him mid-season for someone a bit more stable if you don't trust it'll last. That may be the smart route to take, but either way you'll be happy you took this kid!

SP: Francisco Liriano, Twins. Holy crap, can you imagine if Liriano really does have that slider back? Do you remember that thing? Every time he would throw it I would hear a Berman noise. "Woop!" I hate hearing Chris Berman in my head. Let's move on.
If Liriano can stay healthy, and actually has his stuff together this could be your money pick. We all know what he did in 2006. Give us 2006 and give us glory!

RP: Matt Capps, Nationals. You know what's funny about this position? EVERY year people bitch in the draft when a closer is taken "too early", and then it's followed by the inevitable run on closers. People get pissed that they now have to waste their next pick on a closer because the asshole in front of them decided they couldn't stand the possibility of an entire fantasy season watching Mariano rake in the saves for someone else's team. You know what else is funny? I hate those people that bitch. And I do not agree with the logic that a RP only gives you ONE stat. People that say that are idiots. Yes, you get saves. But if you get a certified stud (or two!) you also get a couple wins, a ERA boost, and 65-100 strikeouts. Those aren't garbage stat categories - they all count. Now, I'm not necessarily one to jump early for the top closer, but I'm not going to be a taint about those that do.
OK, I'm done with the rant. Let's talk some Matt Capps! He's not one of those studs I mentioned, and he had a pretty crappy year last year when all was said and done, which has probably caused him to fall off your competitor's radar. However, he had some injury issues, and pitched for the Pirates. The Pirates! Sure, he's not really improving on his team all that much - but the Nationals actually are looking a lot better this year all around, and I'm betting on seeing a 28 save, 50K, 3.5 ERA this year from him. Also, did you know his middle name is Dicus? And he was born on my birthday, September 3rd? I see greatness in 2010...

So that's it for sleepers, y'all. I've got nothing great to close with, so I'm going to toss it to the all time single season saves leader with # 58 :

Just getting you even more excited for the season...

2010-02-24T08:46:00.001-05:00

Getting pumped to freak out Kev again this year...

2010-02-23T14:16:00.001-05:00

Fantasy Dud time!

2010-02-19T14:37:00.000-05:00

Alright, on to the duds. These are the players that you think are going to do well but...no. I'm sorry. It's not going to happen. And both of these guys (and runner-ups) will be gone by the 6th round. So YOU'RE DRAFTING THEM TOO EARLY. Let somebody else do it and chuckle to yourself every time you see the box score the next day. (And don't forget to get extreme satisfaction out of watching the idiot that took them too early slide in the standings). Of course, once again you should remember that it's probably best to do exactly the opposite of what I say here. Enough talking, let's just got on to these picks:

Fantasy Dud (you seriously suck!) (Offense): Nelson Cruz, Rangers. There's going to be some idiot that see's the 33 HR, 20 SB, that potent Texas offense and that ballpark, and see's absolutely no way they could go wrong drafting Cruz. You know it's going to happen. You also know this: they are wrong. He strikes out more than Brick at the pants party. He's had ONE good year. He batted only .260. Did I mention he's only had ONE good year? And you know what else? Someone will take him in the 6th round. He's a poor man's Adam Dunn. But Dunn is more consistent and will still give you 20 more RBIs, 10-15 points higher BA, and you can know exactly what you're going to get. AND you will take him 3 rounds later than Cruz. W.T.F. Sure, Dunn won't get those 20 steals. Who cares? Pick up a speedster off the waiver wire when you're cleaning up your lineup a week after the draft. Runner Ups: Ichiro, Lance Berkman

Fantasy Dud (you seriously suck!) (Starting Pitcher): Javier Vazquez, Yankees. Remember the last time this dude was in Yankee pinstripes? That went really well! Look, that's not even the real issue here. What I should have said is - remember Javier's fun time in the AL? I think he gave one decent season to the White Sox. (It surely wasn't given to the Yankees.) He cruises in the NL. The AL - not so much. And he's jumping right into the AL East - the scariest division in all the land*. (*Honestly, take the Blue Jays out of the equation and an argument can be made that if you took any other one of the teams and plopped them in ANY other division they could win it. Yep, even the Orioles. But I'll save that for another day, another discussion.) I wouldn't take him in front of Josh Johnson, Matt Cain, or even Tommy Hanson. But someBODY is going to do it. Don't let that idiot be you. Runner Ups: Chris Carpenter, Justin Verlander

Next up: Sleepers. It's absolutely impossible to win in a competitive league if you don't snag a couple winning sleepers in the mid to late rounds. With that thought in mind, remember Jake Peavy? I'll throw a couple names out there (and withhold a few too...I haven't even drafted yet in my league that matters! WTF am I doing?), and tell you when they deserve to be taken, when they will be taken, and all that good stuff.

Starting over...

2010-02-17T15:27:00.001-05:00

It seems appropriate to start this whole thing over the same day pitchers and catcher report.

Let's do the prediction edition fantasy style - your Fantasy MVP's, your Fantasy Losers, your Fantasy Gods, your Superbowl winn...shit. Scratch that. It seems I'm still stuck in the football season. But time to move past - and so the best way to do that is to get on with the predictions for this year in the fantasy baseball universe. Let's start today off with the Fantasy STUD's that you never saw coming. Over the next few days I'll move through all my other fun picks for the year. Of course, the best way to win in your fantasy league is to believe exactly the opposite of what I'm about to say.

Anyway, on we go :

Fantasy Stud From Where? (Offense), 2010 : Lastings Milledge, Nationals. Yep, I'm going there. My Mets hate of him has disappeared at this point, and I can actually allow myself to see the true potential that this kid holds. Washington actually doesn't have a horrible lineup (Dunn, Zimmerman, Morgan), and Milledge has had some time to fail (and fail...and fail some more) in the Bigs. No one likes that, right? I mean, sure - you're getting paid millions of dollars, but it's still not cool to lose, right? Washington also added Pudge, so I'm figuring that his leadership may just be what Lastings needs to focus and realize his true potential. I'm thinking 20 HR, 25 SB, 90 RBI, .280 BA is not out of the question. And I wouldn't mind having that chillin' as my utility player after drafting him in the 10th round. Runner ups: Dexter Fowler, Nyjer Morgan

Fantasy Stud From Where? (Starting Pitcher), 2010 : Mike Pelfrey, Mets. Ok, so ... right. I am going there. Last year was a bummer, but injury was an issue. (Of course, we're talking about a player the Mets were counting on, so of COURSE it was.) Anyway, Pelfrey was overworked in 2008 and the Verducci Effect was in...full...effect. Fuck. Anyway, he was overworked and ended up getting injured in 2009. But that's behind him. Check out the stats from 2008 at the age of 24 : 13 wins, 3.72 ERA, 110 K. I fully expect him to bounce back from the crap '09 and improve on those 2008 numbers. A 15 win, 3.60 ERA with 130 K season is not too much to expect. And you can probably draft him with your last pick, assuming you don't wait to take a catcher there. (Take the fucking catcher last, for Christ sake. It's an expendable position unless you have Mauer. Do you remember how many people drafted Soto and Martin in the mid-to-early rounds last year? Dumb. How well did that work out for them?? Draft Pelfrey with your 2nd to last pick, and save your Catcher for your sayonara pick.) Runner ups: Francisco Liriano, Joba Chamberlain)

Yeah, they were both from the NL East. Sue me. Tomorrow we'll have a nice dose of AL for all of you people that love teams that bastardize the sport. (Designated hitter? Really? I bet Baby Steinbrenner is getting a good laugh now that Wang is in the NL full time! How long 'til he's back in that protective boot? Maybe the Nationals should have Mark Sanchez come in and show him how to round the bases correctly?)

Ok, tomorrow I'll let you know the Fantasy Dud's that you are probably still going to draft too high. Have fun lobbing them to the waiver wire by month 2!