Fantasy Baseball: Frozen Ropes

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Welcome once again to the FFS Friday fantasy article known as Frozen Ropes. Try saying that 3 times fast. In the effort to make this article a bit better every week, I am going to try and change the format a little bit for easier reading.

The Good:
1. Alex Rios - Toronto Blue Jays. .440, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 6 R, 4 SB

It's seems like Rios is starting to bust out of his season long slump. He's an immensely talented player who, like Vernon Wells, is way too inconsistent. The power and stolen bases this week are both good signs. The Blue Jays don't run that often, but Rios should. He has his average up to .277 for the year.

2. Jacoby Ellsbury - Boston Red Sox. .364, 2, 5, 5, 6

Dare I say he's living up to the potential he showed during the 2007 World Series. Yes, I will say that. He's a very exciting player to watch. If only he could become more patient, and bunt a little more his OBP would might inch closer to .400 than .300.

3. Cory Hart - Milwaukee Brewers. .440, 3, 9, 7, 0

Like Rios, the two-time all star is finally turning his season around. He make look funky at the plate, but he can certainly hit. This may be a good time to trade him. His value hasn't been higher this season, and depending on what you need, you may get good return.

4. Mark Reynolds - Arizona Diamondbacks. .360, 3, 10, 6, 1

I still can't quite believe the year he's having. He's hitting .275 with 18 home runs, 47 RBI and 44 runs. The craziest thing of all is the 13 stolen bases. He's a top 5 fantasy player right now. If I had to guess, which I'll do right now, there's no way he keeps this pace up. I never trust someone who strikes out as much as he does, so I would put feelers out and see what you can get for him.

5. Robinson Cano - New York Yankees. .500, 3, 7, 6, 0

Cano can flat out rake. He hits for average, power and drives in runs. He's also a 2nd baseman which makes him so much more valuable. This is the first season he actually started off strong, so there's no doubt this great second half player will continue his great year.

The Bad:
1. Jorge Posada - New York Yankees. .154, 0, 0, 1, 0

Damn that's a bad week. The Yankees backstop, otherwise having a decent year, has been struggling of late. As the years go by, don't be surprised to see him tail off at the end of the year. It's only natural unless he's allowed to DH from time to time.

2. Mike Cameron - Milwaukee Brewers. .115, 0, 1, 2, 0

After starting off great this season, he's been struggling for the better part of a month. His average is now down to .250 on the season. If only you traded him at the start of the year you might have gotten something for him.

3. Jermaine Dye - Chicago White Sox. .167, 0, 0, 1, 0

I've always been a fan of Jermaine Dye since he broke into the majors. He's always around 30 homers and 100 RBI. He's on pace for the same type of season as always, so don't worry about a bad week or two. Just ride it out until he turns it around.

4. Aaron Rowand - San Francisco Giants. .063, 0, 0, 2, 0

He's been pretty darn good this season, especially after being moved to the top of the order. Unfortunately he's been about as cold as Hoth this week going 1 for 16. His average is still around .290.

5. Russell Martin - Los Angeles Dodgers. 095, 0, 0, 1, 0

Russell "The Love Muscle" as Chad calls him, has been god awful all year, so this week's numbers are not surprising. I couldn't have been more wrong about him this year. After he spent the off season getting in shape, and changing his eating and partying habits, I thought he was primed for a great year. It's been the exact opposite so far. I have him in two of my leagues, and wish I could get something for him. Unfortunately, I can't.

Players under the radar:

1. Michael Bourn - Houston Astros. .295, 1, 15, 38, 23 (season)

If you need steals, Bourn has been great so far. He'll never hit for power or drive in runs, but he does score runs and steal bases. He's also hit .295 so far this season. Did you know that he's the 88th ranked player on Yahoo? I didn't until I did some research. He's a good 3rd OF to have on your team.

2. Juan Rivera - Anaheim Angels. .358, 7, 23, 11, 6 (last month)

Have you seen what Rivera's done over the last month. During that time he's the 38th ranked Yahoo player and has been amazing. He's also owned in 27% of leagues. If you need some power in the OF or Utility spot, go grab him and ride him for now. We all know he can't stay healthy all year

3. Adrian Beltre - Seattle Mariners. .327, 3, 15, 14, 4 (last month)

After a terrible start, the Belt man is kicking it into high gear. He's in his walk year, so has a ton of motivation to finish the year strong. He's also available in about 50% of leagues.

4. Casey McGehee - Milwaukee Brewers. .500, 1, 5 , 5, 0 (last week)

Welcome to the bigs Casey. Great last night by the way! He's been tearing it up for the Brewers in place of Rickie Weeks. He's owned in only 3% of leagues so it might be time to take the youngster.

5. Chris Coghlan - Florida Marlins. .458, 0, 3, 4, 1 (last week)

Now that the Marlins have removed him from 3B, which was a complete disaster, he looks pretty comfortable in LF. The move also seems to settle him down at the plate as well. He's eligible at both 2b & OF and has some decent pop. He's only owned in 5% of leagues, but is a good pick up for deep mixed leagues as well as NL only.

Tough Titan: It's like Groundhog Day

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The same old, same old might get boring to some, but not Ryan Durand.

Durand, a rookie 7th-round draft pick by the Tennessee Titans, is once again going through the same routine during Organized Team Activities (OTAs).

"It's been the same setup ... it's pretty standard," Durand said. "You get used to a routine which is nice. It's very exciting."

Durand and the Titans have participated in OTAs on Tuesday and Wednesday and will do it again today. They'll do it all over again next week, before getting a nice break in preparation for Training Camp on July 31.

When OTAs finish next week, Durand will head back home. He won't be sitting around and doing nothing, however.

The offensive guard will train four days a week for roughly 2 1/3 to 3 hours per day at Mike Boyle's Strength & Conditioning in Boston, and also do extra running on the side. 

"I started working out with him in December," Durand said.

Since Durand was drafted, he's been impressed with how quick everyone is on the football field.

"The speed of the game is much higher than in college, and I'm getting used to it," Durand said. "That's the biggest difference I've seen -- everyone is quick."

Plus the competition level has risen in the NFL.

"It's been good," Durand said. "The competition is good; I really enjoy it."

It may be the same routine, but Durand is just fine with it. 

His main concern is simply making the team.

Red Sox bullpen willing to be called on

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Sure, starting pitching isn’t what it used to be.

Then again, if you have the bullpen that the Boston Red Sox do, well, who cares?

Five of the seven current members of the Red Sox bullpen boast ERAs below 3.00; Jonathan Papelbon (0-1, 16 saves, 1.86 ERA), Ramon Ramirez (4-2, 1.97), Manny Delcarmen (1-1, 2.25), Takashi Saito (2-0, 2.31) and Hideki Okajima (3-0, 2-40). The only two members with an ERA over 3.00 are rookie Daniel Bard (0-0, 3.29) and Justin Masterson (2-2, 3.81).

Masterson’s numbers are a bit skewed, though, because of his stint as a starter when Daisuke Matsuzaka went on the disabled list with arm fatigue. Masterson made six starts in that time. As a starter, the Jamaican’s numbers are pedestrian, at best (2-2, 4.59 ERA). In 12 games as a reliever, though, Masterson is 0-0 with an ERA of 2.37.

The big question is, can the bullpen continue on its torrid pace?

There’s only so many times that Terry Francona can make the call to the bullpen before something gives, right?

Maybe not.

The combination of young arm/veteran presence of Delcarmen, Papelbon and Masterson, the young arm of Daniel Bard and the even keel presence of Saito and Okajima, this bullpen has been the best in baseball and could very well be the reason the Red Sox are still playing come late October.