Do you have your popcorn yet?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Get your popcorn ready.

Well, in Cincinnati, the show has already started.

That's the T.O. show, featuring Terrell Owens.

The Bengals now have their popcorn ready at all times.

Now that Owens is officially a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, I'm sitting here wondering how that team is going to be this season. Better yet, what is going to happen on and off the field with that cast of characters.

If you thought Chad Ochocinco was a handful or even T.O., now it's definitely reality television at its finest with both those flamboyant receivers on the same team.

Quarterback Carson Palmer must be excited to throw to both those talents, but also nervous at the same time because of the unexpected element both those guys bring to any team.

Man, this is going to be quite the show. And I bet we'll see more than enough coverage from all angles on the Bengals and how T.O. and Ocho are meshing together.

On paper, the Bengals just got a whole lot better. Actually, they are going to be great on offense with T.O., Ocho and Antonio Bryant as the top three receivers. What secondary in the NFL can stop that trio? Nobody.

But this ship could come crashing down in a hurry if the losses start piling up. When that happens, the problems in the locker room and on and off the field begin to spill over into the hands of the media.

And that's when we've got to get our popcorn ready.

If you ask me right now, the Bengals are a legit playoff team.

New England Patriots fans will get an up close and personal look at Cincinnati when the two teams square off in the season opener on Sept. 12 in Foxboro.

Make sure you get some popcorn when you enter the stadium!

The Big East: Looking for BCS legitimacy.

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

(Note: This is the first in a series of previews of the 'major' conferences in college football, including the BCS conferences - the Big East, the Big 10, the Big 12, the ACC, the SEC and the Pac-10 - as well as the Mountain West Conference, the Western Athletic Conference and the Independents.)

While the rest of college football was dealing with the issue of expansion and realignment, the Big East was going through its own changes. Conference champion Cincinnati lost head coach Brian Kelly to Notre Dame, while South Florida and Louisville also welcomed new coaches. But in general, things were quiet in the Big East. As usual, the conference is looking to gain some legitimacy for its BCS status. It didn't help itself by sending Cincinnati to get slaughtered in the Sugar Bowl, nor West Virginia help by losing to a seemingly weaker Florida State team. However, Pittsburgh did top a talented, yet inconsistent North Carolina, while UConn and Rutgers also won their bowl games.

The Bearcats followed Kelly to a 12-1, 7-0 record and a spot in the Sugar Bowl. Kelly was lured away by the Fighting Irish and without him, Cincinnati folded like a card table, losing to Florida, 51-24. Cincinnati turned once again to Central Michigan for its head coach, plucking the Chippewas' head coach to run the same offense that was run before. Zach Collaros is primed to have one of the best statistical seasons in college football, having a great deal of experience after having to fill in for Tony Pike right in the middle of the season. What's more, he's mobile, adding a whole new dimension to the Bearcats' offense. For that reason - and a manageable schedule - the Bearcats still have a decent chance of making something of themselves this season.

Pittsburgh, however, has to be the favorite in this league. After all, Pitt came ever so close to winning last year's game, snagging a 31-10 lead over Cincinnati before blowing it in the final game. Pitt has two tremendous running backs in Dion Lewis, who racked up nearly 2,000 total yards and 18 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman and Ray Graham. Tino Sunseri is a question mark at quarterback, but the Panthers will be just fine as long as he doesn't make stupid mistakes and turn the ball over. The Panthers still have a very tough defense, including one of the best defensive lines in the country.

West Virginia has a veteran team and once again should have its nose in the middle of things this year, but how far will they actually get? Noel Devine is the most talented offensive weapon and is behind an experienced offensive line and its defense should actually be a major strength this season. Like Pittsburgh, the defensive line is very strong and so are the linebackers. The question mark is at quarterback. Geno Smith, a sophomore, will take the reigns from Bill Stull with Pat White's little brother Coley backing him up. While Devine will be leaned upon, the QB needs to be able to provide some kind of balance.

Connecticut could be a darkhorse in this race after having one of the best 7-5 regular-season records in college football history. Not only did they have a very challenging schedule, but the Huskies lost one of their own in heartbreaking fashion. They lost to the four toughest teams on their schedule, but all of those losses came by four points or less. They lost to No. 19 UNC by two points, to Pitt by three, to No. 23 West Virginia by four and to No. 5 Cincinnati by two. This year, the schedule is much more forgiving, including games against Pitt, WVU and Cincinnati all at home. Jordan Todman is ready to take over as a feature back after splitting the carries with Andre Dixon last year, but just in case, the Huskies brought in D.J. Shoemate, who transferred in from USC after the punishments from the NCAA came down. Like the Mountaineers, the Huskies need to create some balance in their offense in order to take their game to the next level.

Predicted Big East Standings:
1. Pittsburgh
2. West Virginia
3. Connecticut
4. Cincinnati
5. Rutgers
6. South Florida
7. Louisville
8. Syracuse

Here's What I Have To Say

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Here's a list of topics in the world of sports that I feel I need to spout off about. You can either agree or disagree with me, but please have an opinion, either way.

• Man, I hope 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh and Zo are right on the money -- like a Tom Brady pass -- when they say that pint-sized WR Wes Welker will be good to go in the Patriots' first day of training camp despite recovering from major knee surgery. If Welker can come back -- all signs point to him being way ahead of schedule in his recovery -- and avoid missing substantial time during the regular season (like the first 7 or so games), then this is outstanding news for Patriot Nation. But be cautious: Welker isn't 100 percent yet, and that knee could give out at any time. But thinking positively, the shaky WR corp just become a major strength again if Welker can be 75 percent of what he was last season. Imagine if he returns and is close to 100 percent?
• The Patriots better ink their franchise quarterback to a gigantic deal ...and fast. If any of these reports are correct, then Brady is getting frustrated that the Pats haven't given him a contact extension. What are the Pats waiting for? Are they seriously trying to play hardball with one of the best QBs in the league? Not to mention, Brady has given the franchise multiple Vince Lombardi trophies, and he deserves a new and deal. Don't mess around Robert Kraft or coach Bill Belichick. If Brady ends up walking next year and wears a different uniform, you two better expect to leave town in a hurry because this fan base will not let that careless behavior slide.
• What should the Boston Red Sox do with David Ortiz? Should the Sox let Big Papi walk after the season or give him a new contact? We're all interested in what Boston's brass will do. I know Ortiz is having a very good power numbers season (18 HRs, 60 RBIs), but how much longer can the 34-year-old keep proving people wrong? Just when you think Ortiz is done (like most of us did earlier in the season), he gets hot with the bat and we all forget about his previous struggles. I can see giving him a two-year deal but not in the range of $20 million (more like $15 million). But he's currently make $13 million and perhaps he thinks he's worth that much or even more? If Ortiz leaves, I wonder who the Sox are already targeting?
• One more homer and A-Rod will have 600 for his career. It's an incredible milestone, but should he be celebrated, ignored or booed? Yankee fans will cheer, but fans outside of the Big Apple probably won't because he admitted to cheating by using steroids. Clean or not, 600 homers is pretty darn impressive. I'll cheer but still remember how he cheated the game and lied about it.
• Former Celtics guard Tony Allen took a little jab at his former team on his way to Memphis, saying that he was "overshadowed" by guys like Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Overshadowed? I'm choking on my water as I blog. We all know Tony Allen couldn't hold either Pierce or Ray Allen's jock on their worst day, but Tony Allen still needed to hype himself up because, honestly, no one in American really knows who he is. Does Tony Allen really think he's a premier player in the NBA? I'm still laughing. Celtics fans know Tony Allen is a lockdown defender, but he's got no offensive game -- well, shooting the ball anyway. When he touches the ball, you hope he passes it because he'll either throw up a brick, or drive the lane way out of control and chuck up a shot that nearly shatters the backboard. Tony Allen, good luck with the Grizzlies because you're going to need it. I bet you still can't even get a Tony Allen jersey in Memphis, and I bet people are still wondering who he is.

Pitching problems in New York

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports staff

The New York Yankees might be sitting atop the ultra-tough American League East, but how long will it last?

Well, if pitching and defense wins championships, then the Yanks will not make it back-to-back championships due to their starting pitching staff that is looking pretty shaky right now.

We all know CC Sabathia can win a game every time he takes the mound, but who else can?

Now that Andy Pettitte (11-2, 2.88 ERA) is on the DL with a bad hamstring, the Yanks know they are in a little bit of trouble, even though you won't hear or read about them hitting the panic button.

Remember: There's a reason why they tried desperately to land Cliff Lee by dangling their top prospect -- Jesus Montero -- in a package deal.

Pettitte has also been old reliable, but now with him missing at least a month, the Yanks are in desperate need of arms that can be consistent to give them a chance to win.

Youngster Phil Hughes has the kind of stuff that aces are made of, but he's inexperienced and the Yanks' brass are closely monitoring his innings, hoping to not overwork that golden arm. Plus, the All-Star Hughes hasn't exactly pitched great lately. He's showing signs of being pooped already.

And then there's that waste of money, A.J. Burnett. The No. 2 in the rotation has been a big zero (7-8, 4.99 ERA) and can never be counted on. We've seen way too many bad Burnett starts lately.

Javier Vazquez has also been up and down, and he's definitely not a sure thing ever.

With Pettitte on the DL, manager Joe Girardi is going to call on Sergio Mitre to fill in. Seriously? I'm willing to bet Mitre would have a hard time getting hitters out in the independent Can-Am League.

See, just like I said, the Yankees are in trouble.

Good thing the Yankees are blessed with a talented offensive lineup that can make up for some very iffy pitching. And don't even get me started on that bullpen.

We'll see if that staff can hold down the fort until Pettitte comes back or the organization trades for a plus-arm.

The top 10 weakest schedules

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

With all the reading I've done about the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony and my man Tim Brown, it got me itching to write something about college football. So I got to thinking. There's all kinds of scribblings about what teams have the hardest schedule. So who are the teams with the WEAKEST schedules?

Seeing as there are a lot of teams in lesser conferences who obviously play weak schedules just based on their league. Therefore, I will be exploring which BCS teams - including independent Notre Dame - have the 1o easiest schedules in college football.

10. Notre Dame
Notre Dame does play some pretty decent teams this year, but it's hard to ignore the fact that they have just three true road games this year. Both Army and Navy are neutral sights and rivalry games against Michigan, Stanford and Pittsburgh as well as a tough matchup against Utah are all at home. They do have some tough road games in USC, Boston College (Notre Dame is just 2-4 at Chestnut Hill) and Michigan State, but there just aren't enough to call it a truly difficult schedule.

9. Rutgers
Right off the bat Rutgers plays two jokes in Norfolk State and Florida International and after playing a tough North Carolina team, they face Tulane. The Scarlet Knights play seven home games, but three of the toughest games on their schedule - Pittsburgh, West Virginia and Cincinnati - are all on the road.

8. Kansas State
Kansas state has two difficult games in Texas and Nebraska, but both of those are at home. Missouri State, Iowa State, Central Florida, Baylor and North Texas should all be wins for the improved Wildcats under Bill Snyder. Colorado is also not doing so well these days.

7. Wisconsin
Back-to-back games against Ohio State and Iowa are formidable, but the rest of the schedule is pretty light. There are seven home games on the schedule, including OSU. The most difficult game other than Iowa on the road is most likely Michigan State.


6. West Virginia
There really is no game on this schedule that West Virginia can't win. The Mountaineers travel to both Pittsburgh and LSU, but home games against Coastal Carolina and Syracuse more than make up for those difficulties. Throw on Marshall, Maryland and UNLV and there are pretty much five guaranteed wins. Rutgers, South Florida are also very winnable and Cincinnati has a lot to prove before they can be considered a truly tough matchup.

5. UConn
The schedule includes Texas Southern, Buffalo, Vanderbilt and Syracuse. Yep, an FCS team, and 11 wins between the other three. On top of that, the two toughest games on the schedule - West Virginia and Pittsburgh - are both at Rentschler Field. Don't let the 7-1 conference record fool you - Temple should also be a romp as well.

4. Nebraska
You can pretty much pencil the Huskers in for at least seven wins guaranteed. The first four games on Nebraska's schedule (Western Kentucky, Idaho, Washington, South Dakota State) should be considered four easy wins. Colorado at home and Iowa State and Texas A&M are also soft matchups. In fact, Texas is the only truly formidable team on the slate for the Huskers.

3. Boston College
It can be argued that Boston College's toughest road game is Wake Forest. Enough said? No? Ok. Well, the first two games on the schedule are Weber State and Kent State and both are at home. In fact, BC plays it s first four games at home, including its two toughest opponents in Virginia Tech and Notre Dame. They also end the year with a cupcake at Syracuse.

2. Purdue
Purdue catches Ohio State and Notre Dame on the road, but would like to think they have at least five wins with home games against Western Illinois, Ball State, Indiana and Minnesota and a road game against Illinois. Traveling to Northwestern should be a winnable game as well. The Boilermakers miss Iowa and Wisconsin comes to West Lafeyette to play them.

1. Kansas
Yuck. Georgia Tech is the only team really worth noting on the schedule. The Big 12 North will be especially weak this year and their out of conference schedule is very soft outside of GT with North Dakota State, Southern Mississippi and New Mexico State.

Should Pats sign T.O?

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Should the New England Patriots sign wide receiver Terrell Owens?

That's the million dollar question right now.

Well, based on talent alone, the 36-year-old T.O. might just be a good signing.

Or would he be?

Interesting.

If you ask me, there's no substitute for talent, and T.O. adds great value to a Patriots team that is very questionable on the outside since Wes Welker is suppose to miss the beginning of the season after recovering from major knee surgery.

But T.O. also could be a major buzz kill on the field and in the locker room if he's not happy.

A cancer, as they say.

But that's why each NFL organization gets paid big bucks to make difficult decisions.

So it comes down to weighing the talent and need of a team, to how much of a negative the said player could be and how it would effect the chemistry of the team.

I know that we've always heard rumblings of T.O. being a major pain in the rump when he doesn't get the ball enough -- in San Francisco, Philadelphia and Dallas. But last year I don't remember much from him yapping in Buffalo, especially since that team was downright poor and I think he knew that anyway.

He's got a history of showing up his quarterback (remember Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo?), but would he ever consider acting up with Bill Belichick at the helm and Tom Brady as the QB?

I'm guessing no, considering Belichick puts players in a position to succeed, and Brady, with outstanding QB play, also takes care of his receivers when they get open.

Make no mistake about it, if T.O. did come in, he'd have to quickly realize that he's not the No. 1 option (Randy Moss would have a thing or two to say about that).

But from a football standpoint alone, wouldn't Moss and T.O. scare most opposing secondaries?

You're darn right they would.

But I could also see both of them ruining chemistry if they start losing or don't get enough looks in the passing game. So the season could go downhill in a hurry if one or both of those superstars aren't happy.

But Belichick and his staff have been able to turn "problem players" into model citizens (Corey Dillion, Randy Moss are great examples) before, so why couldn't they do the same with T.O., who would obviously look at New England as a spot he could win a championship at.

Go ahead and call me crazy, but I'm in favor -- not 100 percent, however -- of the Pats signing T.O.

There's just something about adding a legitimate weapon in that offense that gets me excited. But the chemistry thing, which can be a little overplayed sometimes, concerns me, too. But if the Pats are winning, not many players stand up and complain. If they do, they look silly doing it.

The question still remains: Will the Patriots land T.O.?

If I'm a betting man, I say I'm folding right away.

There's no way the Pats take that gamble, even though T.O. would be the best No. 2 receiver in the NFL, by far.

Plus, T.O. is pretty arrogant and I don't envision him letting the Pats sign him at a discounted rate. T.O. loves money, and he's going to chase the green while other players try to chase that elusive championship.

So if he's not about team, he's not the right fit here, anyway.

Fantasy Baseball Friday: 2nd half players to have

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Since most people recognize this weekend to be the "Official" start to the 2nd half of the season, I'll humor them. What I'd like to talk about are the players you need to have on your team to help you make the playoffs. I don't care if you need to grab them off waivers, or make a trade for them. We'll take a look at each position.

Catcher:

Matt Weiters - I know he just went on the DL, but prior to that he'd finally found his swing

Buster Posey - The man has been on fire for three weeks now. Of course he'll slow down, but he'll end up in the top 5 at the position for the 2nd half.

First Base:

Gabby Sanchez - I know the position is deep, but the rookie will certainly help with average and increased power. He's a great fit in deep leagues at both first and utility.

Matt LaPorta - He's eligible at first and outfield, and has been raking since he got recalled. He finally gets a chance to play full time.

Second Base:

Ian Kinsler - Yeah, I know he's a household name, but he missed almost 20 games earlier this year. While some people are worried his average is 20 points higher than his career, I don't. His power numbers are down this year, but I feel it's more of a byproduct of his early season injury. Watch for it to return as the year goes on.

Clint Barnes - he's done a tremendous job replacing Tulo. It's nice that he's eligible at both middle infield positions, and can hit a few homers to boot.

Third Base:

Aramis Ramirez - Have you seen what he's done since coming off the DL. He seems to be back to his former self.

Chipper Jones - I'll probably catch hell for this pick, but he's been hitting for average, .301, and has an .881 OPS the past month. Not tremendous, but definitely valuable.

Short Stop: I really hate the position this year in Fantasy Baseball

Rafael Furcal - He's the only one I'm going to choose for right now. No one has been hotter of late, and he is really showing what he can do when fully healthy.

Outfield:

Carlos Beltran - In case you didn't realize it, he made his season debut last night. If the Mets were smart they'd make Angel Pagan the everyday right fielder.

Carlos Gonzalez - This is the time to prey on the lesser knowledgeable players in your league. I bet there are actually a good amount of people who don't realize how good, and valuable, he is. The man is the 5th ranked Outfielder for fantasy baseball. He hits for average, power, drives in runs and will get you 20 + steals. The only weak part of his game are his walks.

Adam Dunn - This is the year he gets traded by the Nationals. He'll go to a better team, with a deeper lineup. When that happens, his RBI total will increase.

Starting Pitcher:

Gavin Floyd - The kid has been lights out the past month. He's finally back on track and ready to turn his season around.

Max Scherzer - Talk about a man on fire. After his stint in the minors, it looks like he's righted himself. He's won 4 straight decisions allowing 6 runs and averaging 7.6 K's in those 5 starts.

Relief Pitcher:

John Axford - He's the man getting the saves for a bad Brewers team. My guess is someone takes a flyer on Trevor Hoffman at the deadline leaving him with the job for the remainder of the year.

Evan Meek - I look for Octavio Dotel to be moved as well opening up the closer's job for the man who's been great all year.

Race has nothing to do with it, Jesse

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I will put it out there right now. I am not a fan of the NBA. I think of the four major sports, it is the one with the biggest legitimacy problems.

Lebron James' hour long special on ESPN culminated pretty much everything I don't like about the organization and the people in it. I hold Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's letter to the fans in the same respect. It all seemed like a scene from professional wrestling when they set up the table in the ring and have the wrestler sign the contract for a title fight, then have someone else come down the ramp, steal the microphone and start yelling.

Gilbert's comments were bombastic, ill-advised, inflammatory and at some points unrealistic, but there's one thing they weren't - racist.

Jesse Jackson has crawled out of his hole to make the most unbelievable statements in this whole ordeal - that Gilbert assumed a slave master mentality and talked about James like he would about a runaway slave.

I don't know Gilbert or his politics or his feelings on race relations. When discussing what he had to say about Lebron, I don't need to know because none of that is pertinent to what he wrote in that letter to the fans. Surely Gilbert felt betrayed. He felt scorned. He felt played. That's why he wrote what he wrote. But let's say Lebron was white and did exactly what he just did. Would Gilbert's letter have been phrased any differently? Doubtful.

In addition, it's unreal that Jackson would compare Lebron, who made more money as an employee of the Cavs than Gilbert did as the team's owner and is one of the most highly-paid United States citizens, to someone who was actually OWNED by someone else, paid nothing, given no rights and forced to work under the absolute harshest of conditions with the alternative being death.

I am not dismissing the fact that slavery has had a ringing effect on the country and that equal rights were not achieved until a very short while ago. Rather, I'm saying that Lebron is probably the last person that should be called a poster boy for racial inequality and the fact that he is being compared to a slave actually is a slap in the face to anyone who has had to deal with real hardship. Comparing Lebron's situation to racism is basically making a mockery of the suffering that anyone who was a slave faced.

Lebron had a choice of where he was going to go and how many millions of dollars he was going to make to play a game, which is his right, a right that a slave, obviously, would not even have concept of. Gilbert had a right, too. That was the right to say what he really thought of Lebron, and it was a right he exercised. And while it may not have been the most eloquent letter ever penned, surely most people could at least see why he might write it.

He didn't write it because he felt Lebron was his property. He wrote it because of the way Lebron went about announcing his decision, that the guy who had given Lebron over $62 Million over the past seven years had to sit in front of his television and find out whether or not he'd have the pleasure of paying him another ungodly amount of money. He was insulted.

Jackson is so far from being relevant anymore largely because he is so hung up on race that he can't see that not every interaction between a white person and a person of color has a negative racial connotation. Every time the very deep wound caused by slavery and continued racism begins to heal, Jackson feels the need to take out the forceps and spread it wide open again. Any rational person sees that Gilbert was not saying James was his slave. Jackson, however, is not a rational person and that's why everyone of every color should take his words as nothing more than the ramblings of a lunatic.

Swish vs. Youk debate

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

OK, I get it. Most Red Sox fans know their team inside and out, but don't know much about the rest of Major League Baseball.

Another example of that theory stems from the All-Star debate concerning Boston's own Kevin Youkilis and New York Yankees' Nick Swisher.

In case you've been living under a rock, Swisher was voted into the All-Star Game by the fans. Yes, fans throughout the country.

I'm not even going to sit here and say Youk didn't deserve to be an All-Star because he did. Currently, the Boston first baseman is hitting .294 with 18 HRs and 57 RBIs with an OPS of .992. Yes, those are All-Star numbers.

But Swisher also deserves to go, especially considering this is far and away his best season and he's probably never going to go back to the All-Star Game. Anyway, Swish has the credentials, too, with a .304 batting average, 14 HRs, 48 RBIs and a .910 OPS.

It's tough to say one guy was going to have to stay home and watch the game on television, but the fans had the final say and they elected the Yankees' outfielder, not Youkilis.

Boston fans need to pipe down and stop ripping on how Swisher's not worthy. They also need to realize there's a lot of talent in MLB, more than just guys that wear a Boston uniform.

I don't care about Lebron James

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

In case you hadn't heard, "King James" is in negotiations with ESPN (man I hate that channel) to air a one hour special Thursday night so he can announce where he will sign. Who does Lebron James think he is? The last time I checked, he was just a basketball player. He isn't a doctor, or scientist who heals the sick or helps cure cancer. He isn't a teacher who helps educate the youth. He is just a man born with great athletic ability who can play basketball.

Don't get me wrong, I am a huge sports fan. It just bugs me that someone who plays a game can hold this much influence over people. While he seems like a decent guy, much better than many athletes, he's not the type of person I want as a role model for my sons. It's not his fault either. I blame the public because they're mostly sheep and buy into these stars as demigods.

Realistically, not one "expert" out there knows where he's going to sign. Personally, my best guess is he returns to Cleveland, and is hailed as the savior of a hard luck city. The thing most people forget is he has not won ANYTHING in the NBA yet. Luckily for him he's only 26, and has 7 years of experience under his belt. Unfortunately for him, none of that helped when he stuck head in the sand against the Celtics this post season. If he does get his special aired on ESPN tomorrow night I will not be tuning in. After all, his team still isn't going to be better than the Celtics, Magic or the Heat.

Rant over. What do you think?

The All-Underrated Team - National League

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports

As promised, here is the National League's All-Underrated Team. Remember - these are not necessarily guys who should have been voted in, but merely guys who have done work for their teams and deserved to at least pick up a significant number of votes.

C - Miguel Olivo. Olivo doesn't qualify for the batting title yet because he spent the beginning of the year splitting time with Chris Ianetta, but that should make his numbers even more impressive. Olivo's .301 average, 39 RBI and .901 OPS are better than all of the five top vote getters in the NL and his 11 homers are more than anyone except Rod Barajas at the position.

1B - James Loney. Loney will never be a big power numbers guy, but he's a great defensive first baseman who has driven in just about as many runs as anyone in the fan voting without the benefit of the long ball. No first baseman that made the top-5 has as many hits or doubles.

2B - Kelly Johnson. Johnson has cooled off, but in the early-going, he was one of the hardest guys at his position to pitch to. Even despite some recent struggles, Johnson ranks third in homers among NL second basemen and his OPS is comparable to everyone on the list.

3B - Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman has 14 homers and while 44 RBI isn't outstanding, it's pretty good considering his team has a problem getting on base.

SS - None. Other than Troy Tulowitzki, Jose Reyes and Hanley Ramirez, no one really deserved votes in the NL. The rest of the pack was all remarkably unremarkable.

OF - Carlos Gonzalez/Chris Young. Seeing as the NL doesn't have the DH, I've decided to pick two guys for this spot. Both Young and Gonzalez could flirt with 30-30 seasons this year while currently ranking second (Young) and fourth (Gonzalez) in RBI. Young has also played some pretty good center field, recording six assists, including five double plays from the outfield. Gonzalez has yet to make an error, while splitting time between all three outfield positions (43 games in center, 20 in left, 19 in right).

The All-Underrated Team - American League

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, the MLB All-Star teams have been announced and looking at the fan voting, it's clear a lot of fans haven't been paying attention. So here's my 2010 MLB All-Underrated list. Mind you, these are not all guys who I think should necessarily be winning the voting, but guys who seemed to be totally overlooked.

Let's begin with the American League.

C - Mike Napoli. Napoli isn't the sexiest catcher out there, but he's got more homers than any other American League catcher and the highest OPS among those qualified for the batting title at that position, in front of Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer. Taylor Teagarden (currently in AAA after batting .037) and Gerald Laird (.190-2-13) are in the top-5, but Napoli isn't even considered.

1B - Paul Konerko. Konerko is currently outside of the top-5 in fan voting despite hitting 20 homers (tied for first in the AL) and 57 RBI (second). Mark Teixiera and his 13 homers, 51 RBI, .790 OPS and .230 batting average are in second place in fan voting, yet this guy's not even in the conversation? Oh, by the way, he's also a good fielder with a zone rating better than Justin Morneau and a range factor better than Teixiera (all three have one error this season).

2B - Mike Aviles. This was a tough one because the voters have this one pretty much spot on in my opinion. If anyone does deserve to be in the top-5 in voting, it should be Mike Aviles and that's simply because Ben Zobrist has been playing the outfield primarily this season. Since his return to Kansas City Aviles is batting .319 and is once again starting to look like the spark plug the Royals thought they found in 2008.

3B - Jose Bautista. He's batting just .229, but he STILL has a better OPS than leader Evan Longoria, Michael Young and Alex Rodriguez. With 21 homers, he's just two shy of tying the total of the guys sitting in second and third combined. He's not just up there hacking, either. His 50 walks are tops among AL third basemen as well.

SS - Marco Scutaro. Ok, this is where people start calling me a homer. But hey, the guy stepped into the shoes of one of the best leadoff hitters around these days in Jacoby Ellsbury and everyone shuddered, including me. But he's been impressive, batting .284 with the third-best OPS amongst AL shortstops as a catalyst for a Red Sox offense that is scoring more runs than anybody, despite a makeshift lineup.

OF - Alex Rios. Rios is on pace to steal close to 50 bases while hitting between 25 and 30 homers and you're telling me he's not deserving of being even one of the top-15? He's fourth among AL outfielders in OPS and has been one of the best fielding center fielders in the league.

DH - Jose Guillen. Vlad deserved to run away with the votes in this category, but the fact that Ken Griffey, Jr. got more votes than Guillen is just ridiculous. Sure, Guillen's a head case, but you can't deny that he's on pace to knock in 100 runs for one of the worst teams in the league.

National League coming soon...

Fantasy Baseball Friday: First Half All Stars

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

This weekend will mark the half way point in the MLB 162 game season. Rather than wait for the All Star game, I like to name my all star fantasy team at the actual half way point in the season. So, here we go

2010 First Half All Star Fantasy Team:

Catcher: Miguel Oliva - really? .312 average and a .921 OPS

First Base: Miguel Cabrera - legitimate triple clown candidate

Second Base: Robinson Cano- may be the first half MVP

Third Base: David Wright - good to see his power numbers start to bounce back

Short Stop: Hanley Ramirez - the only SS in the top 50 fantasy players

Outfield: Vlad Guerrero - nice to see the old dog keep slamming

Outfield: Josh Hamilton - see what he can do when healthy

Outfield: Carl Crawford - let the Yankees rumors begin

Starting Pitcher: Ubaldo Jiminez - can he keep it up for the entire year?

Starting Pitcher: Josh Johnson - he's still grossly underpaid even after the extension

Starting Pitcher: Adam Wainright - all he does is pitch well and win

Relief Pitcher: Billy Wagner - finally gives the Braves the lock down closer

Relief Pitcher: Mariano Rivera - it's just a given he's on this team

2010 First Half All Star Fantasy 2nd Team:

Catcher: Victor Martinez - it's been a bad fantasy year for the catching position

First Base: Joey Votto - he will begin to garner some MVP votes if he keeps it up

Second Base: Martin Prado - I hope you picked him up earlier in the year as he keeps raking

Third Base: Kevin Youkilis - should get his first .300, 30 HR, 100 RBI season

Short Stop: Jose Reyes - man it's been a terrible year at this position too

Outfield: Alex Rios - proving me wrong all year long

Outfield: Carlos Gonzalez - the youngster is a five tool threat and a super star in the making

Outfield: Ryan Braun - the hebrew hammer makes the 2nd team in a sub par year for him

Starting Pitcher: Roy Halladay - surprised he's not having a better year

Starting Pitcher: Jered Weaver - he's putting up great stats so far

Starting Pitcher: Cliff Lee - look for his value to skyrocket with a trade to a contender

Relief Pitcher: Jose Valverde - locking down games for the surprising Tigers

Relief Pitcher: Rafael Soriano - can he stay healthy for an entire year?

That's all for this week. We'll be back the usual format next Friday.

Enjoy the 4th of July weekend!