Month: July 2009 (Page 17 of 59)

      Correcting ESPN The Mag, Part 2

      July 23, 2009 /

      On page 75 of ESPN The Magazine’s fantasy football preview, Ken Daube argues that owners drafting late in the first round should take WRs with their first two picks. Generally, I agree with the theory, but a few of the assumptions that Daube made appear to be incorrect. Here’s what I wrote on his fan wall at ESPN…

      Hi Ken, I was reading “The Turn Is No Place For Running Backs,” and while I agree in principle with the strategy of going WR/WR with your first two picks at the first turn, I have a couple of questions.

      1) In the second table, you show team #2 getting a 1-5 WR in the third round while team #4 gets a 6-10 WR. In round four, teams #1 and #3 get a 11-15 RB, while team #2 gets a 16-20 RB. Why the inconsistency?

      2) Team #1 and #3 get an 11-15 RB at the start of the fourth round, but from ESPN’s live draft results, only guys in the 18+ range are available there.

      3) Team #2 gets a 1-5 WR at the end of the third, and team #4 gets a 6-10 player, when only 12+ WRs are available there.

      When I recalculate the totals to account for these problems, team #1 finishes with 1050 points, team #2 with 1011 points, team #3 with 1039 points and team #4 with 976 points. The theory still stands, but the execution is confusing.

      I’m assuming that this is a 12-team league, which appears to be Daube’s assumption since he mentions pick #12 in the opening paragraph.

      Does anyone else have this issue handy? If so, are you seeing the same things I’m seeing?

      I’ll update this post if Daube responds.

      Fantasy Football

      Report: Cardinals showing interest in Holliday again

      July 23, 2009 /

      According to a report by the San Francisco Chronicle, the Cardinals are once again showing interest in A’s outfielder Matt Holliday.

      Holliday to Cards, redux: For the second time, rumors are swirling about the Cardinals’ interest in the A’s Matt Holliday, below. One NL source said Wednesday that St. Louis might be edging closer to Oakland’s asking price, minor-league third baseman Brett Wallace, because the Cardinals need a left fielder and their other option essentially would be Washington’s Josh Willingham.

      Nothing has changed much for St. Louis since before the All-Star break. They’re still in first place (granted, only by a game over the Cubs and Astros now), their pitching is still solid, and they have nobody to protect Albert Pujols in the lineup, although Ryan Ludwick has shown flashes that he could take over that role at some point in the second half.

      There are a couple of things working in the Cardinals’ favor when it comes to Holliday. One is that they’re dealing with the A’s and GM Billy Beane, who hates trading in his own league and usually works with NL teams on bigger deals (see Dan Haren, Mark Mulder and Milton Bradley).

      Another factor in the Cardinals’ favor is that Holliday is a free agent at the end of the year and isn’t hitting that well. So while Beane isn’t going to hand him over on a silver platter, he also might have to take a deal of lesser value to make sure he gets something out of the deal he made for Holliday, which is essentially turning out to be a major bust.

      We’ll see if St. Louis can put enough of a package together to entice Beane to deal Holliday.

      MLB

      Jays might expand deal for Halladay to include other players

      July 23, 2009 /

      If (and that’s a big if) Roy Halladay gets traded in the next two weeks, the deal might include one of the Blue Jays’ other players too.

      Say a team needs a middle infielder … hop aboard, Marco Scutaro.

      If someone needs bullpen help … Jason Frasor or Scott Downs could join Halladay.

      If a club needs a lefty specialist … Brian Tallet could join Halladay on a plane out of Dodge.

      “We’ve been told that the deal could expand, depending upon our need,” said an American League scout.

      Scott Rolen has drawn interest from the Cincinnati Reds, but now the Reds look as if they will be sellers rather than buyers.

      The Jays have scouted the Philadelphia Phillies’ class-A Clearwater club this week and watched Kyle Drabek’s start for double-A Reading at Altoona last night.

      The Jays have watched the Milwaukee Brewers’ affiliate at triple-A Nashville, where shortstop Alcides Escobar, 22, is hitting .298 with three homers and 29 RBIs with 33 steals in 91 games. Scouts compare Escobar to a young Derek Jeter … “without the intangibles.”

      Third baseman Mat Gamel, who turns 24 this week, is hitting .336 with eight homers and 31 RBIs in 33 games at Nashville.

      The Jays also have scouted class-A Greenville, part of the Boston Red Sox organization. Kyle Evans, a second Sox scout, showed last night, joining scouts from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Brewers and the Phillies.

      I’m starting to have the mindset that Halladay isn’t going anywhere. I think Toronto GM J.P. Riccardi is playing everyone. He’s dangling Halladay out there to see what kind of coup he can expect next year when he really has to trade Halladay before the ace becomes a free agent. If he gets a massive offer this year then obviously he’s going to listen, but I don’t think he’s going to get a massive offer and therefore Halladay is staying put for another year.

      I just don’t think Riccardi is ready to trade his most popular player yet. I think he’s getting the fans ready for the enviable; Halladay will be traded next summer.

      MLB

      Ravens optimistic Mason won’t retire

      July 23, 2009 /

      Even though it appeared a week ago that he had made his final decision, the Ravens remain optimistic that wide receiver Derrick Mason won’t retire.

      After speaking with Mason on the phone Tuesday night, Harbaugh maintained hope that Mason would have a change of heart soon after the start of training camp next week.

      “I think it’s real honorable what he’s doing in the sense that it would be easy for a guy to just come in and go through the motions. Derrick does not want to go through the motions,” Harbaugh said Wednesday. “He wants to make sure he’s in the right frame of mind to compete at the level he’s competed at his whole career, which is a warrior-type level.

      “He’s ready physically. He’s in good shape and he’s healthy. He just wants to decide if he’s mentally ready,” Harbaugh said. “It’s really open right now. I’m optimistic and hopeful that he’ll be there, but if he’s not there, we’ll be support and respect his decision either way.”

      This just shows how thin (and desperate for that matter) the Ravens are at receiver. Mason had a solid season last year (80 receptions, 1,037 yards, 5 TDs) and has always been productive, but one would think that a team wouldn’t be too broken up about losing a 35-year-old receiver coming off shoulder surgery.

      But then you look at Baltimore’s depth chart and understand why. The Ravens have a good young quarterback in Joe Flacco and a solid running game thanks to the trio of Willis McGahee, Ray Rice and Le’Ron McClain. But their top three receivers (Mark Clayton, Demetrius Williams and Yamon Figurs) are severely lacking in playmaking ability so they either need Mason to play or they need to get creative and go after a guy like Anquan Boldin.

      NFL

      AskMen.com’s 2009 Great Male Survey

      July 23, 2009 /

      Ah, the modern man – just who and what is he? If he were rich, would he prefer a sports car or SUV? What is his favorite sporting event of the year? Does he fantasize about his girlfriend’s friend? (Yes please!)

      AskMen.com put together a cool feature that delves into figuring out who the modern man is by polling over 50,000 of its readers with questions like the ones above.

      The 2009 Great Male Survey rolls out over the next four weeks and discusses a series of poll questions ranging from sports, cars and entertainment to dating and lifestyle. To check out The 2009 Great Male Survey, click the link provided.

      Here’s one of the sports questions that was asked (along with the results):

      Q. Who is the hottest female associated with sports?
      32% – Erin Andrews
      28% – Maria Sharapova
      17% – Danica Patrick
      13% – Ana Ivanovic
      10% – Natalie Gulbis

      Some of the other sports questions include: What is your favorite sporting event of the year? Does gambling factor into your love of the NFL? Does fantasy football factor into your love for the NFL? Who is your top pick for your 2009-2010 NFL fantasy football team?

      The results to the questions are pretty interesting and entertaining so be sure to check them out, along with the poll results for the questions in the other topics.

      College Basketball, College Football, Fantasy Football, General Sports, Golf, Mixed Martial Arts, MLB, NBA, News, NFL, Super Bowl, Television, The Olympics, Women

      « Older posts Newer posts »

      © 2026 The Scores Report – The National Sports Blog

      Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑