Category: MLB (Page 47 of 448)

There seems to be two types of fantasy owners when it comes to drafting starting pitchers:

Fantasy Owner #1: Hello Roy Halladay, Tim Lincecum or Felix Hernandez in the early rounds. I’m going to draft at least one stud early and wish the dopes that wait to grab pitchers in the middle to late rounds good luck. Hope they like playing Russian Roulette.

Fantasy Owner #2: While the morons are grabbing supposed studs in the first couple of rounds, I’m loading up on offense since it’s more predictable than figuring out what starters won’t have Zack Grienke-type 2010 campaigns. I’ll grab my pitchers in the middle rounds and be just fine.

No matter which fantasy owner you are, the No. 1 factor when it comes to drafting pitchers is understanding how the scoring system is set up in your league. If you play in a rotisserie league, then you’re probably fine employing Fantasy Owner #2’s philosophy and then making adjustments throughout the year depending on what you need (i.e. trading away saves for strikeouts, or speed for wins and ERA).

On the flip side, if you’re in a head-to-head league where you know a pitcher like Halladay can be the difference between winning and losing a couple of categories, then you may want to think about nabbing a starter early. Again, it’s all about understanding how the scoring is set up in your league.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB

Coco Crisp had an armed ‘secret service’ following him the night of DUI

March 5, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

The night A’s outfielder Coco Crisp was pulled over in his 2009 Rolls Royce for suspicion of drunken driving, the police say he was being followed by his personal security guards that Crisp described as his “Secret Service.”

From the Arizona Republic:

The Rolls Royce failed to stay in a single lane of traffic and the officer made a traffic stop, police said. The truck also pulled over.
When the officer asked Crisp if he knew the occupants of the truck, he said “there were some issues with some people so the Secret Service was providing security,” the report said.
Two men in the truck confirmed they were Crisp’s armed private security, police said. The officer wrote that Crisp’s eyes were bloodshot and watery and there was “the odor of an intoxicating beverage emitting from the vehicle.”
Crisp told officers he had been to Ra, a sushi restaurant, and Smashboxx, both in Old Town Scottsdale. He drank wine and champagne, he said. He was on his way to drop off a friend at a hotel in Fountain Hills.
After performing field sobriety tests, Crisp was cited for having a blood-alcohol content of 0.08 percent or more, driving with an expired California registration, failure to drive in a single lane and no proof of current insurance, police said.

Coco Crisp needs an armed secret service team to follow him around when he goes out? Who is he, Obama?

Actually, hey, if you feel as though your life may be in danger and you have enough money to pay armed guards to protect you then by all means – security guard it up. The bigger question I have is why he didn’t get one of his two security guards to either a) drive him home in his car or b) leave his car at the club and go back to pick it up the next day.

Three guys go out for the night, one guy is drinking. That leaves two drivers and two vehicles. Coco goes with Sober Driver A in his car while Sober Driver B follows them. Once Coco is all tucked in for the night, Sober Driver A and Sober Driver B drive home in Sober Driver B’s car. Done deal.

This isn’t that hard of a concept. I don’t know why Crisp felt it was a good idea to hire two armed guards to follow him around but he didn’t want to spend the money on a designated driver. Seems kind of dumb if you ask me.

External Sports, MLB

Coco Crisp coco crisp arrested coco crisp body guards coco crisp dui coco crisp security guards

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Outfield

March 4, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

All 2011 Fantasy Articles | 2011 Position Rankings

We’ve always viewed outfield as your one-stop shopping when it comes to fantasy baseball. Once your roster has taken shape and you’re looking to address potential weaknesses, the outfield position can be extremely useful.

Obviously we don’t need to sell you on Ryan Bruan, Carl Crawford or Carlos Gonzalez. They’ll go in the first round. We also don’t need to convince you to take Josh Hamilton, Matt Holliday or Matt Kemp, who will all go in the second. We even don’t need to say much about Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz, Justin Upton or Andrew McCutchen, because you know their value in the third and fourth rounds.

But when you start to get deeper into your draft and you notice that you lack speed or power, that’s when knowing what players can help is beneficial.

Need speed?…

Juan Pierre, White Sox
Pierre gets labeled as a “one category player,” but that’s not really the case. Sure he stole a whopping 68 bases last season, but he also hit .275 and scored 96 runs. Obviously you’re not drafting him for his power, but he’s more than just a base stealer – draft him with confidence.

Michael Bourn, Astros
The problem with Bourn is that he’s usually overrated on draft day. He was one of only three players to steal 50 bases last season and people will overpay to have him on their roster. Unlike Pierre, who’ll score 90-plus runs and hit between .275 and .280, Bourn will probably top out at 85 runs, hit .265 and rack up only 40 RBI. Granted, those numbers are only slightly worse than Pierre’s, but just know that if you draft Bourn, you’re probably overpaying for steals (which maybe you’re fine with).

Raja Davis, Blue Jays
Along with Pierre and Bourn, Davis was one of the three players last year to swipe 50 bags. The problem is that he might not come close to doing it again if he doesn’t draw more walks. That said, he’s projected as the Jays’ starting centerfielder and his defense will give him plenty of opportunities to play. He may not steal 50 bases again this year, but 45 is certainly a reasonable expectation.

External Sports, Fantasy Baseball, MLB

Milton Bradley throws glass coffee table at wife

March 4, 2011 / Anthony Stalter

According to a report by RadarOnline, Milton Bradley threw a glass coffee table at his wife during an argument on New Year’s Eve while the picture perfect couple was in New York City.

Monique requested a restraining order against Milton on January 24th and states that while they were in New York City for New Year’s Eve: “Milton cursed and yelled at me for approximately five minutes and then he grabbed a glass from off the coffee table and threw it directly at my head from across the room.
“The glass shattered on my head and I started to bleed. As soon as Milton saw me bleeding, he started crying and begging me to forgive him. He stated that he lost it and that he would kill himself if I left him. I did not know what to do.”

Apparently hotel security knocked on the door while Monique was in the bathroom trying to stop the bleeding, but Milton sent them away. Monique is requesting that she be given legal and physical custody of their two boys.

According to RadarOnline, the couple has been married for five years. I don’t know why it took five years and some glass to be chucked at her head for Monique to figure out that Milton Bradley has some mental issues but hey, love is blind sometimes.

Milton and Elijah Dukes should be cellmates when they both inevitably wind up in jail.

External Sports, MLB

Elijah Dukes Milton Bradley Milton Bradley arrested milton bradley divorce milton bradley wife

2011 Fantasy Rankings: Third Basemen

March 3, 2011 / David Medsker

All 2011 Fantasy Articles | 2011 Position Rankings

Third base: it’s almost as bad as shortstop.

In retrospect, we’d like to add a twelfth MLB player we would not want to be in 2011, and that is Jose Bautista. Going undrafted in most leagues, he scored over 200 points more than any other third basemen in one of our leagues last season, which means he now has a giant fantasy bullseye on his chest, and if he doesn’t finish in the top five among third basemen this year, he’ll be considered a bust. The reason? The sixth-ranked third baseman in the draft projections is a second baseman (Martin Prado). Yikes.

“Ski-doosh.”

But fear not, fellow roto-geeks. There are some bargain picks to be had at the hot corner once the big five (Evan Longoria, Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Ryan Zimmerman, and Bautista) are off the board. Obviously your best bet is to get one of them, but if that is not an option, stock up on as many other positions as you can, and with some luck, these men below will hopefully keep you competitive.

Kevin Youkilis, Red Sox
The Greek God of Walks will obviously do more than just keep you competitive, but you’ll need to wait a few games (ten in most leagues) before you can play him there. Once he’s set, though, just sit back and enjoy the show. And by the show, we mean the shots of Youkilis cursing at himself on the bench whenever he makes an out. Competitive bugger, that Youkilis.

Pablo Sandoval, Giants
The Panda lost 38 pounds this offseason, and is already tearing the cover off the ball in spring training. We love players who have something to prove, and after compiling a limp .268-61-13-63 stat line in 2010, Sandoval is that guy. But is he really sloted to bat eighth in the order? That’s a little disconcerting.

Aramis Ramirez, Cubs
Contract year, ahoy! Yes, the Cubs have an option for 2012, but it’s at $16 million, and it will only be guaranteed if Ramirez wins the MVP or the Cubs go to the World Series. (In other words, it will not be guaranteed.) He looked like his old self by year’s end after a putrid first half, and with the addition of Carlos Pena, the Cubs lineup has the potential to be dangerous. It could also implode at a moment’s notice – witness yesterday’s dugout dispute, which involved the normally laid-back Ramirez – but we expect Aramis to sing for his supper.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB

Aramis Ramirez Casey McGehee Chris JohnsonPablo Sandoval Jose Bautista Mark Reynolds Pedro Alvarez

Category: MLB (Page 47 of 448)

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Starting Pitchers

Coco Crisp had an armed ‘secret service’ following him the night of DUI

2011 Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Outfield

Milton Bradley throws glass coffee table at wife

2011 Fantasy Rankings: Third Basemen

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