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Friday, May 8, 2009

Sox Tie Record While Blowing Out Tribe

Many baseball purists love a good, old fashioned pitcher's duel. For five and a half innings Thursday night, that's exactly what we got. Tim Wakefield and Jeremy Sowers were both spinning gems, with the scoreboard showing Cleveland on the winning end of a 2-1 score. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, all hell broke loose. Twelve Red Sox would cross homeplate before Sowers and the subsequent mash unit of Indians pitchers could record a single out, tying the major league record. Terry Francona has a simple philosophy for his offense: keep the line moving. Apparently, his troops are good listeners. Julio Lugo and Jason Bay each had two hits in the inning. Lugo led off the record-tying frame with a single and scored on Bay's double to deep center. Jeff Bailey's double a few batters later plated two more runs. Batter after batter reached, and before you knew it, Lugo was stepping into the box yet again. This time he would reach on an infield single and score on Bay's eighth homer of the year, a three-run shot which landed just over the bullpen in right centerfield. Matt Herges would finally stop the bleeding, recording three consecutive outs, capped off by J.D. Drew grounding out to second base to mercifully end the inning.

One thing became painfully clear during that inning: Cleveland has one AWFUL bullpen. Masa Kobayashi, who took over for Sowers, threw 12 pitches and didn't record an out before giving way to Herges. The first batter Herges faced was Bay, who greeted him quite rudely, depositing his offering over the fence. It makes for a long, long year for Tribe skipper Eric Wedge, who looked like a hostage victim by the end of the inning. The crazy part is, Boston was without it's everyday leadoff, three-hole and cleanup hitters, who were all sidelined with various ailments. Jacoby Ellsbury is nursing a tight hamstring, David Ortiz reported a stiff neck, and Kevin Youkilis is still suffering from a sore oblique muscle. In a division that is decidedly up for grabs, the bullpen will be key. Time will tell if Indians GM Mark Shapiro can find the arms to bridge the gap to closer Kerry Wood, and make a run at the American League Central Division crown.

The Sox take aim at the Tampa Bay Rays this weekend. The first of three games takes place tonight at Fenway, with Brad Penny (2-1, 7.61 ERA) facing James Shields (3-2, 3.51 ERA) in a rematch of last Sunday's Red Sox loss in Tampa. First pitch is at 7:10.

One other note: The baseball world received some bad news this morning. Dom DiMaggio passed early today, with his family by his side. The cause of death has not been reported, only that he had been ill recently. I had the privilege in the past of meeting Mr. DiMaggio and speaking with him on a few occasions. He was a genuinely nice and friendly man, very down to earth and easy to talk to. While he never had the notoriety of his older brother Joe, he was a hell of a ball player in his own right. A .298 career hitter and one of the best defensive centerfielders of his day, The Professor played in seven All Star Games. Sleep well, Dom. You will be missed.

Durand getting his shot with Titans


By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Former St. Bernard's Central Catholic High School (Fitchburg, Mass.)  star Ryan Durand, who played his college football at Syracuse University, was all smiles by the end of the NFL Draft. 
In the 7th and final round, Durand got that magical phone calling letting him know that he was the newest member of the Tennessee Titans.
"It was kind of nerve-wracking and kind of exciting," said Durand, who was chosen with the 239th overall selection. "It was a complete surprise. They called me 10 picks before their pick and said that if I'm still on the board when they pick, they were going to take me."
The reason why Durand, a smart, tough and athletic 6-foot-5, 305-pound guard, was shocked was because he didn't have any contact with the Titans throughout the whole draft process. Durand was thinking he'd either get selected by the Bears, Browns, Packers or Panthers, or sign a free-agent contract after the draft.
"I was happy because I really wasn't expecting anything," said Durand, who took part in rookie camp last weekend in Nashville, Tenn.
During rookie camp, from Thursday to Saturday, Durand had to sit through several meetings, including positional meetings and things pro athletes can expect when they're rookies in the NFL. He also had three practices with the drafted players and free-agent pickups and workouts in the weight room. 
"I thought I grasped (the meetings) very well," Durand said. "They didn't overload us at all. It had about 10 running players and five passes."
Durand did position drills with only the offensive linemen -- fourth-round pick Troy Kropog, a tackle from Tulane, and South Florida free agent guard Ryan Schmidt.
"I feel like I compare very well to the other draft pick and free agent," Durand said. "We all have our strengths and weaknesses. I didn't feel like I was in over my head."
Durand's plan to stick with the Titans is simple: He's going to work as hard as he can to earn the trust of the coaching staff.
Hard work is the only thing he knows.
"My overall expectation is just to go in there and do my best," he said. "I really have no idea what to expect."
The one thing you really need to know about Durand -- the player -- is you want him on your team, you don't want to have to play against him.
"There's definitely and on- and off-field personality," Durand said. "Some people (on the field) refer to me as a mean SOB. I'm definitely very aggressive. I'm not a dirty player, but I'm going to try to mash your face into the ground. I take pride in fighting in the trenches."
Durand also gives credit to his girlfriend, Sarah Marden, a 2005 St. Bernard's graduate.
"I couldn't have done it without her," Durand said.
Durand reports back to Tennessee on May 17 for six weeks of organized team activities. Training camp open at the end of July.

(PHOTO / Syracuse University Athletic Communications)

Fantasy Baseball: Frozen Ropes

By Jim Ingram 
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Welcome back to the weekly recap of the best and worst fantasy baseball players in the land. Now onto the good, and bad, stuff
The Good
Not surprisingly, Carl Crawford is the most valuable fantasy hitter this past week. Even if you remove the 6 steals he had in one game against the Red Sox, he still had 5 more this week giving him a total of 20 stolen bases already this season. Now that his legs are finally healthy, he should literally run away, pun intended, with the stolen base crown this season. Hitting .379 this past also helps as well. Fellow Ray, Evan Longoria continues his barrage on pitching. He hit .377 with 4 HR and 14 RBI this week.  He leads the majors in RBI with 38 and is 2nd in the AL with 10 home runs. This superstar has certainly arrived. Is it possible that Justin Upton has started to put it together? He has great power potential which he showed off this week hitting 4 homers and driving in 7 runs. He's hitting .294 overall and has played very well. He's only owned in 63% of leagues, so he's a good play if he's available in your league. I say go get him. I think Jason Bay has been in this portion of the column very week so far this season. He continued his Yankee killer ways and hit .292 with 3 homers and 10 RBI this week with a 1.141 OPS. Aaron Hill rounds out the top 5 fantasy hitters this week. He is another player who finally looks like he's put it all together. He does have an injury plagued young career, but if he's stays healthy he should put up good numbers all year. He hit .353 this past week and hit another 3 home runs. That gives him a total of 8 homers this season. That is a bit surprising, considering his career high is 17. He's also driven in 28 RBI already this season. 
The Bad:
Melvin Mora has been struggling all season, but this past week it's been even worse. He's only 4 for 28 (.145 average) this past week, but did hit a home run last night. He's only been back from the DL for a few weeks, but wasn't playing well even before the injury. He's a free agent in 65% of leagues, but I'd hold off on picking him up. Chase Utley has been hampered by a bone bruise on his left ankle. I am sure that injury has been a major factor in his recent struggles.  He's only 2 for 12 this week and has missed a few games due to the injury. He needs to rest more to heal the ankle, so you may want to bench him for the time being. He'll return to his usual self within a week or two as long as it's just a bone bruise. What's up with Jimmy Rollins? He's in the midst of another bad week to add to his terrible season. He's just 6 for 27 (.222) this week and is hitting .211 on the season. He actually started turning his season around, but this week put him back in the dumps. The slow start to the 09' season comes on the heels of an awful 08' season in which he was banged up for the better part of the year. If I had to make a guess, he'll turn it around at some point in the season, but I've been wrong before. I was very big on Ian Stewart entering the fantasy season. I couldn't have been more wrong right now. He's played all over the diamond for the Rockies, but that shouldn't bother him that much. He does have 4 homer and 13 RBI on the season, which is not terrible. It's the .224 average that is disturbing. Over the past week, he's only hitting .167 while playing mostly at third base. I still have him on two of my teams, but he's coming perilously close to being released. Grady Sizemore is one of my favorite players, so I never like to see him struggle. As Chad mentioned in a previous article, I am not sure he'll ever hit for average, but has great pop and drives in runs. He's done none of these this past week hitting only .214 with 0 homers and only 4 RBI. He seems to be tired, but was given the night off on Thursday in the hopes of refreshing him. He'll be back up at the top of this article soon enough.
Under the Radar:
Now that Manny is gone for 50 games, it's time to pick up Juan Pierre. If you haven't already, he's most likely gone though. I wasn't able to land him in my NL only leagues, which is where he'll offer the most value. He's still a good hitter who will steal bases for you. If you're in a deep league and need outfield help, take a look at Franklin Gutierez. He's on fire this week (.423, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1.170 OPS) and is hitting .287 overall this season. The Mariners love him and don't be surprised to see him hit 20 homers this season. Willie Bloomquist has a 10 game hitting streak and has played himself into the lineup on a semi-regular basis. For those of you who don't know, he plays for the Royals and is eligible at both SS and OF. He hit .450 this week to raise his season average to .375. He's also only owned 3% of leagues and may not be a bad utility guy for your bench, especially if you happen to own Jimmy Rollins. In case you didn't realize it, Chone Figgins is having a pretty good season so far. He's hitting .280 overall, with 19 runs scored and 12 stolen bases. You may be able to trade for him on the cheap if you need steals. Last but not least is Chris Iannetta. After playing extremely well in the WBC, he's had an awful start to the season. He's started to turn himself around and make him relevant again in fantasy baseball. His average still may only be .196, but he did hit .250 with 3 homers, 6 RBI, 4 Runs and an OPS of 1.213. If you need a 2nd catcher, grab him because he will hit 20+ homers this year.  

Have a great weekend!

Fantasy Baseball: Chin Music

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Some treat closers like gold, others treat them like second-class pitchers.
But, for some reason, closers are really holding their own as far as worth this season, compared to the starters who have seemingly been lit up like Christmas trees on a consistent basis, well, besides Johan Santana.
If anyone knows why six of the 10 top-ranked pitchers in standard Yahoo! leagues are closers, please let me know so I can trade my top starters for closers. It just doesn't make sense to me, but I'll go out on a limb and say it won't last very long.
Los Angeles Dodgers' Jonathan Broxton, Texas' Frank Francisco, San Diego's Heath Bell and St Louis' Ryan Franklin has been just filthy. Of that group, only Broxton has an ERA -- 0.64 -- so shame on you Broxton. Will this mastery of the ninth inning last? No way. 
Closers are typically viewed as "dime a dozen" pitchers, expect for the elite like Jonathan Papelbon, Mariano Rivera and Francisco Rodriguez, and even some fantasy owners punt saves to focus on other categories and positions during the draft. 
Don't forget about B.J. Ryan's replacement Scott Downs (0.59 ERA, 3 saves). And kudos to A's reliever Andrew Bailey (1.45 ERA, 3 wins, 22 Ks, 0.70 WHIP), a complete unknown who is only owned in 38 percent of leagues.
But you've got to appreciate the production they're giving your team right now. Perhaps, you should think about unloading them in a trade while their stock is sky high. Look for those owners who desperately need saves to stay in the saves race, and try to get one of their higher-profile pitchers or position players. If you're going to sell, sell REAL high!
As far as starters, Chad Billingsley is cruising with 5 wins and a 2.21 ERA. Billingsley is quickly becoming a legit fantasy ace, and a must-have pitcher. 
Also there are some early-season surprises in the form of: Yovani Gallardo (3 wins, 3.02 ERA, 0.96 WHIP) and Johnny Cueto (1.65 ERA, 1.04 WHIP) -- remember he couldn't find the strike zone as a rookie last year for the Reds.
When talking about ace stuff, look no further than Tampa Bay's Matt Garza. Everyone knows who he is now. He's got a blistering fastball and a "you-can't-hit-me mentality."
Garza is 3-0 with 3.51 ERA and 1.00 WHIP.