Fantasy Baseball Week Six

I hate losing by one!  Seriously, it pisses me off.  I really need to pull off a trade to try and improve my closing situation or batting average situation.  I did pick up Michael Brantley, who has been hitting well lately, maybe he can help improve my average.  It is also time to consider looking for a shortstop.

I had seven guys hit under .250.  That is absolutely pathetic.  Oddly enough, my other three hit over .333:  Giancarlo Stanton, Allen Craig, and Mike Moustakas.  Of those three, Craig had the best week.  He had five runs, four home runs, and nine runs batted in.  The dude has been on fire since he came off the DL.

My pitching was pretty solid again, I picked up wins from Sabathia, Gonzalez, and Westbrook.  Wilson had a weird start for me.  He gave up a few runs, then there was a rain delay, so he got yanked.  He started the next day, yet I had him on the bench because nothing on Yahoo said he was pitching.  He had a 108.00 ERA for me.

I am now in 4th place overall and 2nd place in the division behind Ryan.  My record is 40-28-4 and I take on Shelley this week.  I need to win big.

Sports Greatness: Baseball Edition Part Two

A few months ago I did a post about the National League, today I will discuss the American League.  For a reminder, this is the first thought that pops into my head when I think about a team.  Could be a player, or moment.

New York Yankees

Mickey Mantle.  I know, it is the Yankees and there are about 1200 things that could pop into your head and you could make a strong argument for all of them.  However, when I was a kid, a relative of mine had a Mickey Mantle baseball card (not his rookie card, but like his fourth or fifth year card) and it was worth a few grand.  I always hoped to somehow go through a family members attic and find Mantle's rookie card, which when I was a kid was worth something like $40,000. 

I read before that Mantle hit some of the longest home runs in the history of baseball.  Granted, the figures were not as accurate as today, but still pretty damn impressive.  Also, check out his stats.  

Plus, I loved the movie 61* and the way you see how Mantle abused his body by going out partying every night. 

Boston Red Sox
Another team with so many great moments.  Before last year, I would probably have mentioned two things:  the come back against the Yankees or them trying to trade for Alex Rodriguez (and then crying when the Yankees got him).  Fortunately, last year had this moment, which will always be the first thing I think of when I heard Red Sox.

Clipped from: ngewosworld.blogspot.com (share this clip)

Baltimore Orioles
I went to a game at Camden Yard back in 1999, which honestly should be the first thing that comes to mind, however that is not the case.  I always remember the trivia question "Name the four 20-game winners for Orioles in 1971."  Actually, I never can remember the answer.  I usually get three of them (oddly enough, not always the same three).  The answer is:
Mike Cuellar
Pat Dobson
Jim Palmer
Dave McNally

Seriously, this is a fun bar trivia question to ask someone older who is a baseball fan.  If you can remember the answer, they are impressed.

Toronto Blue Jays
Joe Carter...

Suck it Philly!!!

Tampa Bay Rays
I like Evan Longoria.  Seriously, I wish the Pirates had a player like him (to be fair, they have McCutchen, he is like Longoria--I wish Pedro was like Evan).  He is a fantastic player and he just seems so damn cool.  Yeah, I think I have a man-crush on him.  Whatever, deal with it.

Fun fact:  when he came into the league, I thought he was the sister of actress Eva Longoria.  Nope, they are not related.

Minnesota Twins
I will always remember the Twins beating the Atlanta Braves in the 1991 World Series.  The Braves beat the Pirates in '91 NLCS in seven games, but not nearly as dramatic as the 1992 series.  I hated the stupid braves and was so happy to see the Twins win the game.
 

Detroit Tigers
C'mon, when people talk about crazy things players do nowadays, I like to point out Ty Cobb.  This guy did all of the insane things people hate back in the 1900s.  He sat out games to win a batting title (and do not worry, apparently Nap Lajoie had a bunch of bunt singles to try and beat Cobb, and since the opposing team hated Cobb, they played their third baseman deep).  He beat up fans, he was considered a jerk by all his peers.

He also set most of the records for a hitter and still has the highest career average.  And he held the AL record for total bases in a game until the other night when Josh Hamilton broke it.  Why did he have that record?  He wanted to prove that hitting home runs was not that hard and if he wanted to, he could hit more than Babe Ruth.  Instead, he liked hitting for a high average.

Hell, just look at that slide/flying jump kick...

Chicago White Sox
Speaking of old time players.  I was fascinated by the Black Sox Scandal of 1919 when I was a kid.  I could not read enough about it.  I always thought that Shoeless Joe Jackson got a raw deal.  I mean, just look at his stats from that series.  Does it really look like he was not trying?

Cleveland Indians
When you mention the Indians, how can you not think of the film Major League?  Hell, this clip pretty much sums up how you feel when you watch a Pirates game.



Also, I was at an Indian's game a few years ago at Jacobs Field.  Unfortunately, I do not remember much of the game.

Kansas City Royals
If there is a team that is as pathetic as the Pirates, it is the Royals.  And just imagine if you allowed them to play...yep, it was as bad as it sounds.  Just check out WHYGAVS liveblog of one of their games.  I recommend reading the whole thing and the comments with it.

Clipped from: whereisvanslyke.blogspot.com (share this clip)

I remember reading it while the game was happening and almost pissing myself laughing.  Back before the days of twitter...

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
That should be my memory.  The number of times they have changed the name.  Los Angeles Angels, Anaheim Angels, California Angels...whatever, we get it.

I will always associate Jim Abbott with the Angels.  Dude was born with one hand and still became a major league pitcher.  Yeah, makes you feel good about your life.

Plus, if I remember correctly, he was one of those guys who made the majors without spending a day in the minors.

Texas Rangers
Josh Hamilton.  I hope he signs a long-term contract with them.  He is the positive story we all love to hear in sports.  I think you all know it by now.  Oh, did I mention that the dude can absolutely destroy a baseball?

Oakland Athletics

The Bash Brothers!  Jose Canseco and Mark McGwire.  Huh, who would have guessed they were slightly juiced up...

Seattle Mariners
I think about all the really good players they have had at one point and yet they never won a World Series.  They won 116 games back in 2001.

Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Ichiro, Randy Johnson, Jaime Moyer, John Olerud, and Jay Buhner all played for this team (not all at the same time).  Just crazy when you think about it.  Imagine if they had kept A-Rod and Griffey (maybe he stays healthy in Seattle)...

Anyways, those are my thoughts.  Soon I will move to a different sport.  Leave your own thoughts/memories/players in the comments.

Fantasy Baseball Week Five

And this is why you never talk smack.  Sean defeated me 6-5.  It was actually a pretty good battle.  He started the week winning, then over the weekend I was up 7-3 at one point.  I was actually winning Sunday for most of the day.  Who knows what the hell happened...

My hitting was obviously a bit anemic, hell I had a few guys under the Mendoza Line.  Matt Kemp decided to look a little human this week by only hitting one HR and hitting .222.  My best two hitters were Giancarlo Stanton 5 R/4 HR/6 RBI/.333/.438 and Freddie Freeman 6 R/3 HR/10 RBI/.367/.364.  I would probably give Stanton the edge since his OBP was higher, however, since I did not win that category, it did not really matter.

My starting pitching was pretty good.  The relief pitching shit the bed though.  I guess it was bound to happen at some point and I believe it was pretty much just one game for each pitcher.  My best pitcher was C.J. Wilson, who had two wins, 13 Ks, 2.93 ERA, and a .98 WHIP. 

I dropped to third place overall with a 35-22-3 record.  Ryan surpassed me for first place in the division.  That bastard always starts off slow then takes over the lead.

I am still going slow on Dee Gordon.  He had a pretty good week.  I am open to any trades though.  Especially for a high average hitter or maybe a closer...

Fantasy Baseball Week Four

It is raining here in Florida.  So, I will write about my fantasy team while we wait out the storm.  As you can see, I lost 6-5.  I am still in first place of my division, and third place overall.  Still had some dominating pitching, but my hitting needs to pick up. 

My best player was Mike Moustakas who hit .429/.500 with 3 Runs/1 HR/4 RBI/1 SB.  Kemp also had another great week, as did Aaron Hill.  He was a great pickup over Gordon Beckham.  Dee Gordon needs to start getting on base.  He had two stolen bases this week, but he hit .182 and his OBP was even lower!  If he would have a .300 OBP, he would probably steal ten bases each week.

Sabathia had a nice week as well.  He had two wins and sixteen strikeouts.  Gio Gonzalez continues to be very good this year.  I honestly did not expect him to be this good.

This week I take on Sean.  He better be ready for an ass-kicking...

Fantasy Baseball Week Three

Offord and I have similar teams.  We both have guys who can steal plenty of bases for us (although Matt Kemp is too busy hitting HRs instead of hitting singles) and a good bit of relief pitching.  Actually Offord's team has one starting pitcher.  I believe he is trying a different strategy this season.  He is devaluing the win category and trying to push the other five.  Would normally work, but I have more middle relievers than most people.

With facial hair he looks a little bit less like a douchey frat boy...

In the beginning when I drafted my team, I had a very good feeling.  I mean, I was wary about Matt Kemp replicating his numbers from last year, but I figured Stanton/Hosmer/Moustakas would all improve so it would be a wash.  Well, Stanton and Hosmer have not started out so well, but luckily Kemp is still in "beast mode."

Although, Kemp was not my best player this week.  Instead that honor goes to Freddie Freeman, who got off to a slow start, but redeemed himself with a monster week:  7 Runs, 3 HRs, 14 RBIs, .478/.481.  Yeah, I will take that line every week.  Oh, that Kemp guy was still pretty good:  4 R/3 HR/6 RBI/.381/.458.

I need to see Gordon and Presley get on-base more often.  When they do get on, they usually steal, but a .286 (for both of them) OBP is absolutely unacceptable.  Also, Stanton needs to hit one out of the park.  Seriously dude, go back to Mike.  I dropped Gordon Beckham in favor of Aaron Hill.  I doubt that will last once Allen Craig returns from the DL.

Over on the pitchers side of things, I had a few notable performances from those Nationals starters:  Gio Gonzalez and Ross Detwiler.  I added Jake Westbrook to my rotation , which might be an okay thing.

I am back in the lead of my division with a 25-10-1 record.  I am only three games behind Dustin.  This week I take on Swing'TheBigStick, who is only three games behind me in the division.  I need to trounce him so that I continue to separate myself from the rest of the pack. 

Fantasy Baseball Week Two

How does a guy without any hitting manage to win again?  Oh, dominant pitching.  Suck it Ryan!  I have no mission this year, but to make sure you do not win. 

My best player was Matt Kemp again.  The dude is ridiculous:  7 Runs/4 HRs/8 RBIs/.545 AVG/.615 OBP.  Yeah, he is pretty good.  Aside from him I only had one player hit over .300 for the week:  Mike Moustakas.  And then, I only had one guy hit over .250:  Alex Presley.  Yep, I have a great hitting team.

Pitching-wise, my team was led by a middle reliever.  Jonny Venters had 1 Win/6 Ks/3 Holds/0.00 ERA/1.36 WHIP.  My best starter was CJ Wilson, who is every bit as good as advertised.  He had 2 Wins/7 Ks/1.38 ERA/1.15 WHIP.  Ogando also had a good week, he had a save and three holds, but only four strikeouts.

I ended up picking up Ross Detwiler during the week.  Whenever Allen Craig comes off the DL, I will probably drop Gordon Beckham.  I am also thinking about getting rid of John Mayberry or David Murphy and picking up another starter.  Or maybe trading someone for a solid hitter.

Does anyone else feel like the hitting in the league is way down this year?  It could be too early to think about, but something worth looking into.

I am now 16-7-1 and in second place in my division (third place overall).  I take on Offord this week.  We always have a fun battle.

Fantasy Baseball Week One

As you can see I decided to beat the crap out of James this week.  Okay, just kidding, my team played like crap, luckily, his played worse.  And yes, this season I plan to just post the results like this.  Much easier than me telling you how I fared in each category.

My pitching was a huge disappointment.  Unfortunately a few things did not pan out as I thought they would:  Matt Thornton is not the closer, and Alexi Ogando is not starting nor is he the closer.  I thought that was the Rangers plan, have Ogando close and use Nathan in a setup role.  Guess I should pay more attention.

Oddly enough, I may lack in closers, but I have a bunch of good setup men who can get me holds.  In fact, when you think about it, this might be better.  Bare with my logic for a second.  I decided to pick up Venters and O'Flaherty (both play for the Braves).  The cool thing is that they can both pitch in a game and pick up a hold, whereas there can be only one save.  So, if I have a bunch of really good setup guys, they should help me win that category and help lower ERA/WHIP, right?  Yeah, should work in theory...

The only starting pitcher who did anything useful for me was Jeremy Hellickson.  Yep, 1 Win, 4 Ks, 0.00 ERA/.81 WHIP.  Other than that, everyone else got shelled.

Buster Posey and Eric Hosmer both had nice opening weekends.  Hosmer belted two HRs.  I was also right about Dee Gordon.  Not going to have a super high average, but when he gets on, he flies around the bases:  3 SBs and 3 Runs scored.

My best player though was Matt Kemp.  The dude pretty much picked up where he left off last season.  6 Runs, 2 HRs, 8 RBIs, 1 SB, .412 AVG/.389 OBP.  Not very often you will see a guy have a lower OBP than AVG.  And yes, Kemp must be serious about winning the Triple Crown this year.

Pirates Opening Day 2012

There is no better day than Opening Day.  It should be a national holiday.  Do I say this every year?  Probably.  Anyways, Lindsey and I went to the game because we are awesome people.  Although, allow me to complain about something (which everyone else has already complained about):  why the hell would they schedule the Phillies opening day? 

This is one of the few series that sells out regardless of when it is (mainly because it is cheaper for Phillies fans to drive to Pittsburgh than to buy tickets at their own damn park).  Opening day is one of the other days that sells out.  Why combine them?  Just seems silly to me.

Anyways, now that I have that out of my system.  We got up pretty early and left for the park.  Unfortunately, this year we could not afford to get a hotel room and since I had to work the following day, we knew we would not be going out after the game.  As always, we left a little too late and then hit traffic and barely had time to tailgate with Ryan and his friends.  At this point most of them were pretty drunk.  Next year we will remember to leave earlier (or stay the night before).

We had a few beers with them then went inside.  We found our seats and realized something.  They were under the overhang and in the shade we were actually kind of cold.  We stayed there for the first two innings, then we went for a walk and found a spot on the rotunda.

It was much better up there.  Also the majority of the people up there were Pirates fans, there were mostly Phillies fans in our section.

As most of you know, the game was pretty good.  It started off with Alex Presley and Jose Tabata getting on base, and the Cutch hitting into a double play.

After that, Roy Halladay and Erik Bedard had an awesome pitching duel.  From the rotunda we could really see how close Mayberry was to not catching the ball by Barmes and someone else (cannot remember at the moment).  Halladay did not give up another hit the rest of the game.  Pretty crazy.

After the game, we ended up sitting in traffic for about two hours.  Yeah, game ended during rush hour.  After two hours we finally made it to Monroeville and ate some sushi at the mall.  Yep, it was a pretty awesome day.  And yes, that is a picture of us beside Ralph Kiner's hands.  Give that man a real statue!

Fantasy Baseball Draft Results

A new season is upon us and for once, we actually had people join the league.  16 teams (at one point I was afraid we might have 18 or 20).  I know some people have some fears about a league of this size, but allow me to say that it excites me.  I just wish that I knew we had this many people from the beginning so we could have discussed adjusting roster sizes.  Oh well, always next year.  If this is successful though (meaning, highly competitive), then I think we should discuss making this a keeper league and doing it every year.  Just a thought.  Anyways, on to the draft results.

Allow me to introduce the teams:
Burnett's Eye:  Sean (7th place last year)
Oviedo Pseudonyms:  Gideon's friend?
academic challenge:  Michelle (8th place last year)
Swing'nTheBigStick:  Gideon's friend?
Fuck You All:  James (3rd place last year)
A Chore to Four!:  Ryan (1st place-3x in a row)
DC Buccos:  Jason Offord (5th place)
Something Clever:  Me (6th place)
Game Changers:  Don (JasonI's dad)
Babe Carruth:  Gideon's friend?
El Natural:  No idea
Smutty Bastards:  Dustin (friend of mine)
Big Jacker:  David (2nd place last year)
losing in 3rd:  JasonI (4th place last year)
Darvishsanity!:  Gideon (9th place last year)
Pittsburgh Peas:  Pat (11th place last year)

I like the idea of having two divisions.  Mainly because it changes things up a little bit.  Yahoo divided the league up, and it actually worked out well.  Okay, moving on.

Rounds 1-3

As you can see, I had the second pick.  Unfortunately, Lindsey's computer would not log into Yahoo for me.  I did not get there until the second round.  If I had been there, I may have taken Kemp, but most likely I would have went with Pujols or Votto.  I truly believe that you really need a first baseman in the first round.  Oh well though, Kemp is a fantastic player, but I do not believe he will replicate those numbers. 

Unfortunately by the time my second round pick was coming, I just got into the draft and did not get a chance to see who I took.  Seriously, I had like 14 seconds left to draft, so I took my boy Giancarlo Stanton.  I guess I will have a beastly outfield, haha.

In the third round, I decided to go with Sabathia.  I always want one ace pitcher and it seemed like people were going pretty crazy with pitching early on.  I hate falling into that trap, but it is hard not to allow it to happen.

During this round, there was only pick that I questioned:  Offord took Desmond Jennings in the third round.  Was he ranked that high?  Or does Offord believe Jennings will have a huge season?  I am not making fun of the pick, I just like to know the rationale.  For example, I have no clue why Don would want Asdrubal Cabrera that early in the draft.

Rounds 4-6

Once I realized I was not getting one of the big first basemen, I decided to look for Eric Hosmer.  He was a nice addition last season and I think he will improve.  He could be the kind of guy who breaks into that elite first baseman category.  Although, I will not lie, I was starting to bite my nails toward the end of round four.  I wanted him in round five, but he was the next player available after Phillips (who I would have taken if JasonI did not take him).  It was going to be a huge gamble.

Interesting how an injury can make everyone ignore you.  Buster Posey was taken in the second round in many drafts last season.  This year I picked him up in the fifth round.  That is a nice place for an elite catcher.  My next pick was C.J. Wilson.  I liked that one as well.

I really like that James was able to get Ian Kennedy in the sixth round.  If he regresses a little bit, he might still have as many wins as Wilson or Darvish.  If he does not regress, does James have a 20 game winner for cheap?

Rounds 7-9

Here is the pick I liked:  Dee Gordon in the 7th round.  My point about Asdrubal Cabrera is that he will not replicate last season, but I have a guy who will probably come close to Elvis Andrus numbers.  The dude can flat out fly around the bases.  I am hoping for 50-60 SBs this season.

I actually did not care for the Gio Gonzalez pick.  I have no idea why I took him.  I was not really ready to start drafting closers.  Although, I did make a huge mistake, I really thought Dustin Ackley would be available in the 10th round.  So in the next round I took Freddie Freeman (a nice backup if Hosmer fails-or combine the two of them and they equal Pujols).  Unfortunately, Offord swooped in and saw Ackley sitting there and stole him from me. 

Round 10-12

At this point, I decided to go for some closers.  I went with Marmol in the 10th.  Then I took Ogando in the 11th.  I am not sure if Ogando will be closing or starting (I thought that I read Feliz will be starting this year).  In round 12, I decided to take Moustakas.  I figured since I missed out on the really good third basemen (there are like three), that I might as well wait and take Moustakas.  I believe in him.

I believe Ryan had the steal of this round by taking Jesus Montero (obviously I believe in him as well). 

Rounds 13-15

 I took Hellickson here, but in retrospect, maybe I should have taken Neftali Feliz.  In the 14th round, I took Allen Craig.  I think I will use him as my second baseman.  I just hope that he is as good as we all think he is.  I decided to take Venters after that.  I wanted someone with holds since we use that stat as well.

Offord drafted Bryce Harper and allow me to say kudos.  I honestly forgot about him, but then afterwards wished I had drafted him.  He will be up at some point, and if he is even 1/10th as good as people think, well Offord has an amazing pick.

Rounds 16-18

These are the fill in rounds.  I took Trout and Presley because, well you can never have enough outfielders.  And, I think Trout will have a good year.  Presley, well I just hope he has an awesome year.  Again, Offord had another pick that I really liked:  Adam Dunn.  He was terrible last year, and I do not think there is any way possible he could be that bad again.

Rounds 19-21

Mayberry might end up being a really good pick for me.  I hope that he hits like he did in his limited action last season, I mean one HR every 15 ABs, I will take that...

Rounds 22-23

Eh, Mike Leake.  Nothing special there.  I took Devin Mesoraco with my last pick.  He is my backup in case something happens to Posey.  He has the potential to be a 10-15 HR type of catcher.  I always like to go way out there with that final pick.  I like Pat's pick of Phil Hughes.  I actually wanted to take him instead of Leake, but oh well. 

I would go ahead and try to project each team like I did last year, but I honestly do not know if I have the time for that sort of thing.  Good luck to everyone!  Hope we have a fantastic season.

Pittsburgh Sports Stuff

AJ Burnett and the DH Debate
As most of you know, Burnett injured his eye socket during a bunting drill and will probably miss some time.   Last night, I heard one of the guys on 93.7 The Fan saying that if the NL had the DH, then this would not have happened.

He made a good point that it seems like MLB will probably push towards a DH in both leagues over time, especially now that there is expanded interleague play starting next season.  He kept saying that owners want the DH because they do not want their investments hurt doing something that is not necessary for them.  Although, what if Albert Pujols trips over first base after hitting his first home run with the Angels, destroying his knee and missing the entire season?  Wouldn't we find it ridiculous if the Angels owner started saying that running the bases after a home run should be removed from the game?

This got me thinking about the DH and whether or not I would actually care if the NL started using it.  Then I had a brilliant idea:  at the beginning of the game, have a coin toss, the manager that calls it correctly gets to choose whether or not they will use the DH.  Before you laugh, think about the strategy for a second.

-If you are playing against a team with a dominant ace, say Justin Verlander, you may want to elect not to use the DH.  That way if it is close, the Tigers might have to pull him earlier than they would like in order to pinch hit.

-You can force a team to make a tough decision about their lineup.  Using the Tigers again, they may have to keep Fielder on the bench in order to have a stronger defense behind them.  Or if they do go with Cabrera at third base, a team could try and take advantage of a weakened infield.

-If a team has a pitcher with a little pop in their bat, they may want to elect to allow him to hit.  Zambrano (back in his good pitching days) comes to mind, or maybe Micah Owings.  I especially like the idea if a team has a monster hitter who really cannot field.

-There would also be major strategy changes in building a team.  Obviously there are not enough elite power hitters to go around for every team.  I think you would start to see teams employ more one-dimensional players who just crush balls or strikeout.

If Bud Selig decides to institute a league-wide designated-hitter, then I hope he stops by here to read this and use my coin-toss idea.

Hines Ward
The Steelers decided to part ways with everyone's favorite wide receiver, Hines Ward.  I honestly wish he would just retire, but instead he will go to another team and most likely play about half the season before being cut.

One thing I will never understand though is the way some Steelers fans never see any fault in Ward.  The guy has been voted the most dirty player in the league by his peers a few years in a row, yet Steelers fans say that he is just hard-nosed.  If a Raven played like him, they would hate that guy.  I guess that is the way it is with all teams though.

The other big question is whether or not Ward deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  I am going to say yes.  I think he gets in, but it takes a few tries.

Greatest Games
On Mike and Mike this morning they were discussing Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.  They were asking the question if that was the greatest single game ever.  They mentioned Don Larsen's perfect game in the World Series as probably the greatest performance in a game ever.  I actually cannot argue with this one.

Unfortunately, they started naming other great things and they immediately went outside of team sports.  They never once mentioned hockey.  I am sure there have been some amazing hockey game performances.  the one that came to mind immediately was Mario Lemieux's five goals in different ways (shorthanded, full strength, power play, penalty shot, and empty net).  I just think that one is cool.

I can imagine Gretzky had some amazing games as well.  Or what about some goalie performances?  It just boggles my mind that ESPN does not even try to pretend to care about hockey.

2012 Baseball Predictions

Who knew this would be such a popular topic that everyone would be asking me about it?  Okay, only Offord and Ryan asked me about it, but whatever.

NL East
Phillies
Braves
Marlins
Nationals
Mets

The Phillies are still the best team in this division.  The biggest problem they have will be replacing Ryan Howard's bat for the early part of the year.  Also, staying healthy is always a huge concern for them.  The Braves will be right on their heels all season, it will definitely be interesting.  The Marlins and Nationals are both just a step behind those two teams.  I could see them flipping for third place.  The Mets...well, they have Ike Davis.

Insane Division Pick:  Johan Santana wins 15 games this year and is in the running for Cy Young.

NL Central
Cardinals
Brewers
Reds
Pirates
Cubs
Astros

Yes, the Cardinals lost Pujols, but they get Wainwright back and they signed Beltran.  They have plenty of questions though:  can Berkman play like he did last year?  Can Holliday continue to rake without Pujols in the lineup?  The Brewers lost Prince, but still have Braun for the entire year.  They will be pretty damn good.  The Reds made some moves and they could also contend for first place (this will be a close race).  The Pirates made plenty of huge moves (no they didn't).  The Cubs and Astros...wow.

Insane Division Pick:  Berkman will get hurt and Matt Adams (from Philipsburg!) will be called up to the Big Show.

NL West
Giants
Dodgers
Diamondbacks
Rockies
Padres

If the offense can put up some numbers, then the Giants should be able to win this division.  The Dodgers will be decent, Kemp and Kershaw?  They just need an owner to come in to excite the fan-base.  The Diamondbacks will not play like they did last season.  Ian Kennedy will not win 21 games.  The other two teams are there.

Insane Division Pick:  Trevor Cahill has more wins for the D-backs than Ian Kennedy.

NL Wildcard:  Braves defeat Brewers
NLDS:  Phillies defeat Giants, Braves defeat Cardinals
NLCS:  Phillies defeat Braves
NL MVP:  Matt Kemp, the dude will just continue where he left off.
NL Cy Young:  Roy Halladay, until he dies, he will be my nomination.
NL ROY:  Julio Teheran
Pirates Record:  77-85, I see them getting better, but only because the hitting gets better (especially Pedro).  If the pitching staff stays healthy, they should be able to hit this goal.

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox
Rays
Blue Jays
Orioles

Yes, the Yankees are still the cream of the crop.  The Red Sox will not collapse like they did last year, but they have plenty of question marks.  The Rays pitching staff should be good enough to keep them competitive all season.  The Blue Jays are good, but they have plenty of holes.  The Orioles...wow, they are going in a direction.

Insane Division Pick:  Michael Pineda goes 9-13 with a 5.23 ERA;Jesus Montero hits 35 HRs this year.

AL Central
Tigers
Royals
Indians
White Sox
Twins

The Tigers should run away with this division.  As long as everyone stays healthy and Cabrera is not absolutely terrible at third base, they will be very good.  The rest of the division is pretty bad.  That is why I think the Royals could step up and finish in second place.  Granted, I do not think they will have a great record, but seriously, this division will be pretty bad.

Insane Division Pick:  Robin Ventura gets pissed during a Rangers game and charges Nolan Ryan.

AL West
Rangers
Angels
Mariners
Athletics

I realize that the Angels signed CJ Wilson and Albert Pujols, but I think the Rangers still have a more complete team.  The only major question about the Rangers is how good will their relievers be and can Yu Darvish be a good replacement for Wilson. 

Insane Division Pick:  Pujols has his worst season ever.  .275/29 HRs.  Actually, that would be insane.

AL Wildcard:  Angels defeat Red Sox
ALDS:  Angels defeat Yankees, Tigers defeat Rangers
ALCS:  Tigers defeat Rangers
World Series:  Phillies defeat Tigers, Verlander vs. Halladay.  Makes me hard just thinking about it.
AL MVP:  Prince Fielder
AL Cy Young:  Justin Verlander
AL ROY:  Jesus Montero (I predicted him last year too, eventually he will win this award).
Royals Record:  82-80.  They give hope to Pirates fans.

Sports Greatness: Baseball Edition Part One

The other day I was listening to the radio and heard the sports guys talking about Kobe Bryant surpassing Magic Johnson as the greatest Laker of all time.  This got me to thinking about who the greatest players are from each team.  Then it got me thinking about something else.  When you think of a sports team, what is the first thing that pops into your head?

That is what this list is, so please do not comment that Player X is the greatest for that team or that I am forgetting some other moment, blah blah blah.  If you want to list your own, do so in the comments.

Today, we shall do the National League of baseball...

Pittsburgh Pirates
This is my favorite team.  So obviously plenty of things stick out for me.  When I think about the Pirates though, there is one player that will always stand out:  Andy Van Slyke.  He was my favorite player as a kid.  I had all of his cards, I even had every magazine I could find with interviews with him.

Atlanta Braves
Pure hatred.  When I think of them, I see Sid Bream sliding home.  I remember being upset about the Pirates losing and my dad telling me not to worry that we would get 'em next year.  Ugh.  How wrong those words were...

Philadelphia Phillies
Mike Schmidt.  That dude had a great mustache.  A close second for me is Lenny Dykstra.  My cousin always argued that he was better than Van Slyke.

New York Mets

My friend James.  I never know what is worse, the Pirates ridiculous long losing streak or being a fan of a team that comes close, but never actually wins.  I will always associate the Mets with watching Carlos Beltran strike out against the Cardinals and also seeing James' face as it happened.  Dude was heartbroken.


Chicago Cubs
Ryne Sandberg.  Not only was he a great second baseman, but his son had probably one of the funniest interviews during an All Star game.  The kid is there to watch his dad and they ask him the usual questions, then the interviewer notices the kid has a gold necklace with a number 23 on it.  He asks "oh, do you wear that for your dad?"  The kid responds "no, my favorite player is Michael Jordan."


St. Louis Cardinals
Bob Gibson.  One of the most dominant and downright nasty pitchers of all time.  Hell, MLB had to change the rules after his 1968 season.  Actually, that always reminds me of how MLB will fiddle with rules in order to help attendance.  They raised the mound in the early 1960s which led to pitcher dominance, then had to shrink the strike zone to help hitters out.  Read about the rule changes sometime, it is quite funny.

Houston Astros
The look on Brad Lidge's face when Albert Pujols decided to hit a ball that is somewhere in space right now.

Cincinnati Reds
The 1990 World Series when the mighty Oakland A's got swept by the Reds.  I remember this series because I thought the A's would easily win it.  This taught me a valuable lesson:  anything can happen in baseball.

San Francisco Giants
Speaking of World Series'...I will always remember what I told my dad when he asked me who I thought would win game three.  I said something like "no one, the game is going to be cancelled due to an earthquake."  Yep, I predicted that one...and no that does not make me at all special.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Jackie Robinson.  I do not think I need to really explain this one.

San Diego Padres
The first game I ever went to was at Three Rivers Stadium against the Padres.  I was five years old.  My entire family went as a large group and if I remember correctly, we were there for the entire series.  We used to do that a few different times during my youth.  Anyways, my mom and aunts went to the Padres dugout and bugged the players until they tossed them some balls (haha that is funny sounding).  I had a ball from the Padres, which I lost a few years later because I was an idiot and used it during a pickup game of baseball.  Exactly like The Sandlot!

Colorado Rockies
Dante Bichette.  Mainly because of that awesome name, but also because he is embodiment of someone who benefited from playing in Denver.

Florida Marlins
Winning the 1997 World Series was pretty impressive, but winning a second one in 2003 was craziness.  Especially since they did it against the mighty Yankees and their endless payroll.  Also, the first time they did it by building a team with cash, this time they did it with their young players acquired during the previous firesale.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Luis Gonzalez single during game seven of the 2001 World Series.  As I have stated many times before, I stopped watching baseball in 1994 because of the strike.  The McGwire/Sosa home run chase brought me back a little bit, then the Subway Series brought me mostly back.  '01 was pretty much the first year that I really got back into baseball. This was a fantastic series to watch.

Washington Nationals
Adam Dunn crushing a ball against the Pirates.  Yep, I went to see the Pirates/Nationals the night after Stephen Strasburg made his debut.  Whatever, I saw his debut in Altoona. 

Milwaukee Brewers
Screw them.  I try to block them out.

Stay tuned for the American League.

2011 MLB Prediction Results

Let us look at how well I did this season with my predictions: 

NL East
I got the first two correct with the Phillies and Braves.  I also knew the Mets would be better than the Marlins.  Unfortunately, the Nationals had to screw things up by finishing in third.  I was right that Stanton would become an elite power hitter, unfortunately he did not hit 40, so I get no real credit.

NL Central
I did not get one team right.   Pretty damn dumb on my part.  Let us look at how I did with my Pirates against certain pitchers:
Greinke:  3-1 against the Buccos.  So they did at least beat him once.
Halladay:  2-0.  Okay, I was a little off on that one.
Lee:  1-0.  Not looking good.
Lincecum:  Did not even pitch against them.
Zimmerman:  Same as Lincecum.
Bailey:  Homer beat the Buccos, but he gave up three runs.
Gee:  He beat the Pirates twice, and had a great game where he went eight innings of one run ball.
Lohse:  He was 2-1 and did not shut them out either. 

NL West
I at least got the Dodgers correct!  Go me!  I do not think anyone predicted Arizona winning this one, so whatever.  Mat Latos started the season hurt, but did not get hurt during the season.  I also want to point out that the Giants would not have won the division if Posey had been healthy the full year.  Just saying.

I got the wildcard wrong, I got the NLDS completely wrong.  I will point out that I said the NLCS would be between a division champion and a wildcard from within that division (Phillies/Braves) and instead it was the Brewers/Cardinals. 

I did not get any of the awards right, but I did mention Freddie Freeman, who ended up in second place for ROY.  I was also a little under on Troy Tulowitzki's stats, he was just .302/30.  My bad.

I did predict the Pirates record correctly, which is pretty awesome.  I should have entered a contest or something.

AL East
I got three out of the five correct.  If the Red Sox would not have had their monumental collapse, I would have nailed the entire division. Way to go Pirates for ruining that one for me (trust me, I am more than happy being wrong, if it means being at PNC to see the Red Sox lose).  The Yankees finally brought up Montero, and I am pretty sure people will want to see him more often next year instead of Jorge.

AL Central
I only got the Royals right in this one.  Who knew the Indians would be a good team.  Or that the Twins would absolutely suck?  Not this guy.  At least I predicted that Grady Sizemore would get hurt.  Still no word whether or not he is doing softcore porn yet.

AL West
I got the Rangers and the Mariners right.

The only things I got right were the Rangers winning the ALDS over a team and the Royals record. 

Needless to say, this was a bad year for me.

Congratulations Ryan!

Good job Ryan on winning our fantasy league for the third year in a row.  Obviously, this cannot happen next season.  I do not care if we all have to band together to defeat you, but we will make it happen!

I have some ideas for next season, but that is something for another post.  I figure, the best way to show my respect for Ryan, is to show a good picture of him...

Comic Book Characters Should Play Baseball: Marvel Edition

Last time I looked at the DC characters, and it was pretty fun.  This time I want to take a look at the Marvel characters, but I do not want to use the same types of characters.

Owner
Imagine if Tony Stark had decided to never take that fateful trip and instead bought a baseball team.  Hell he would be like a drunken Mark Cuban.  He is super-intelligent, so I imagine he would meddle with the team much like Jerry Jones, but during one of his drinking binges he could always pull off a crazy trade...

Also, I am pretty sure he would have some sexy cheerleaders.

Catcher
Durability is something that makes a catcher valuable.  You do not want a guy like Chris Snyder or Ryan Doumit out there who could get hurt on every single play.  Imagine Wolverine out there (hopefully he made it into baseball before getting an adamantium skeleton), getting down, blocking balls, having no problem taking a collision at the plate.  He would easily break Cal Ripken Jr.'s record.

I picture him having a little bit of pop in his bat, and with his animal reflexes he might be able to be a pretty decent hitter.  I would imagine a .275 average and about 25-30 HRs per year.

Also, he always seems to be crouching down into a catchers position.  I think it is just a short leap for him to throw on a mitt.  I just feel bad for the guy who gets into a fight with him and one of those creepy, boney claws pops out.

First Base  

You want a big power-hitter playing over at first?  How about the guy known as Power Man.  Instead of becoming a Hero for Hire, what if he went into baseball?  The dude would probably belt about 50 HRs per year.  He has the strength, he would just have to work on being able to hit a baseball.

I picture him as a three true outcome kind of guy.  Like Adam Dunn or Carlos Pena.  Probably strike out a ton, walk a good bit, and absolutely crush baseballs.  Also, since he has that enhanced durability, you do not have to worry about him getting hurt.

I would love to see what would happen if Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols tried to smack on him.  He would probably have to give them a beat-down.

Second Base
Instead of going out and raising a fortune to help fun a silly club that wants to take over the world (or whatever the Hellfire Club wants), Sebastian Shaw would have made perfect second baseman.  He could easily absorb the kinetic energy of the ball and then throw it to first with the same force (if I remember his powers correctly).

Unfortunately, he would probably have played back in the early 1900s with Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb (god, those two together would have been a pretty scary thing).  I can see him being pretty decent turning the double-play and all he would need is some people to punch him in the dugout before he could go up to bat, maybe give him a little extra strength.  I imagine a .250 hitter, with probably 10-15 HRs.  I picture him being more of a defensive guy.

Third Base
Honestly, did you think I would create this team and not include the main man of the Marvel Universe?  Obviously Captain America would be a perfect third baseman.  He has range and agility, so he would make Ryan Zimmerman look like Pedro Alvarez.  Also, tossing that shield around probably makes him a fairly accurate hitter and have a little zip on the ball (good thing Luke Cage is over there in case one misses a glove!).

Did I mention that he can probably hit a little bit too?  I imagine him to hit for a ridiculously high average with plenty of home runs.  I bet he would hit around .400 with 40+ HRs.  Honestly, he had the perfect opportunity to make this happen.  He could have been unfrozen and just disappeared from the world.  Join a baseball team and make a fortune. 

Sadly, he decided that continuing his career as Captain America was a smarter move than crushing baseballs and winning MVPs.  What a loser.

Shortstop
Quick reflexes, photokinetic memory...hmm how could these serve a baseball player?  Well just plop ol' Taskmaster in front of a TV for a few hours and allow him to watch every great SS and then watch him go out and perform perfectly.

His other skills are also enhanced, so he would probably be a great hitter.  He would basically be just like Starlin Castro...minus the fact that he could field his position. 

Dear Pittsburgh, please go out and sign this guy immediately!  His weird skeleton face might be a problem...I really hope that is just some weird mask.

Left Field
This team definitely has some power in the infield, what they would really need in the outfield is a supreme defense.  Some guys with canons who can just gun runners down.  Imagine having Bullseye out in left-field.  He can kill people by throwing a card at them.  I am sure he could throw a baseball from left to home...I bet he could throw out Sid Bream...

Also, with his fighting skills and ability to hone in on an object, he could probably be a pretty decent hitter.  I could see him hitting .300 and maybe hitting 20 HRs.

Right Field
So a similar type player, with probably a better arm over in right.   Hawkeye would pretty much kick ass out in the field.  He has that fantastic athletic ability from his circus days.

I would imagine that his years of doing all that crazy training with Captain America has made him pretty quick, so I could see him being a 20 HR guy, but his value would be his ability to get on base and steal bases.  I am thinking maybe 60-80 per year.  With these guys hitting behind him, he could probably score about 130 runs per year.

Oh, and come on, he wears this outlandish uniform and still manages to bang most of the girls in the Marvel Universe?  Yeah, he would definitely enjoy the baseball lifestyle.

Center Field
Okay, this would not be a team if I did not include Spider-Man.  Obviously, he could only play one position.  Out there in CF, he could use his abilities a little bit and rob HRs all day.  Also, he has enhanced speed and reflexes.  I can imagine a ton of Web Gems from him out there.  He would be like Andy Van Slyke out there, making constant great catches.

He has super-strength and the ability to dodge bullets.  You think a 95 MPH fastball is going to phase him?  I am guessing he would go down as one of the greatest players of all time.  Probably club 50-60 HRs, hit around .450, and steal a few bases.  Yeah, he would be good.

Oh and if you do not think he would do something like this, then you do not remember what Peter Parker did when he first received his powers.  He joined a professional wrestling group.  Maybe if Uncle Ben had not been shot, Peter may have realized that the real money is in professional baseball. 

Pitchers
Remember in the last edition, I used the Arrow family as a group that would make great pitchers.  I decided to go a different route this time.  You need a pitching staff?  I can give you two pitchers and that is all you will need.

Mystique would be able to copy pretty much any pitcher ever.  Four days in a row, she could be four different pitchers.  Clemens, Pedro, Randy Johnson, Verlander...all she needs to do is change the facial features a wee bit. 

After that you might need to allow her an off day, maybe so she could go out just be herself.  Being a guy for that long would probably get weird.

I say, you take a guy like Longshot and teach him a knuckle-ball.  Think about it, his mutant ability is to make probability/luck go in his favor.  Every time he tosses that sucker, things would be in his favor, it looks like it will be a ball, but it somehow drops in for a strike.  A guy hits it and it just seems to go right to the SS. 

Unfortunately, he might need to wear an eye-patch or something.  Also, he just looks like an old 80s style pitcher with that great mullet.  Hey Longshot, Doug Drabek called, he wants his hair-style back. 


Well there is the team, who do you think would win:  DC or Marvel?  Hmm...