The top shelf and the bottom of the barrel

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The top shelf
Tampa Bay Rays
They still have the best record in the majors, so it's hard to argue with them being in this spot. Other than a 2-1 loss to Houston, it's been a pretty solid week for the Rays, including sweeping a quick two-game series with the Yankees. The Rays are 15-6 overall this month.

New York Yankees
It's been a while since the Yankees have been able to string a series of wins together. In fact, after Sunday's loss, the Yankees have now lost five of their last seven, including three straight to AL East teams. Still, they're in second place in the best division in baseball and still holds the second-best record in baseball.

Philadelphia Phillies
The last two days were rough on the Phillies, who were almost no-hit by Daisuke Matsuzaka, then shut down for eight innings by Tim Wakefield. That capped a pretty pedestrian week for the Phils, who split two-game sets with the Pirates and Cubs before losing two of three to the Red Sox. Jayson Werth is having a freakishly good year. He's a career .269 hitter who is batting .327 this season and is on pace for 124 RBI. His previous high was 99 last year.

Boston Red Sox
Pitching and defense is finally showing up for the Red Sox. Yes, they are in fourth place in the AL East, but they have now won five of their last seven games against the Yankees, Twins and Phillies. Everyone has been talking about David Ortiz' re-awakening, but Kevin Youkilis is doing his part as well, batting .390 with a 1.316 OPS in the month of May.

San Diego Padres
Who would have though the Padres would be in this position? Pretty much everyone figured the Adrian Gonzalez sweepstakes would be heating up by now, but now there seems to be even more of a reason for him to stay. Sure, part of the reason they are in first place in the NL West is because of how bad the division is, but an NL-leading 3.03 ERA helps as well. The huge ballpark helps at home, but the Pads still have one of the lowest road ERAs in the league.

The bottom of the barrel
Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona has the best offense in the National League when it comes to scoring runs, but it's hard to win games when the pitching staff isn't up to snuff. The D-Backs have the absolute worst ERA in the majors at 5.65 and the bullpen has blown 10 of the team's 20 save opportunities.

Baltimore Orioles
After winning a few games against good teams to start the month and some weak opponents to begin in the middle of May, the Orioles have gotten back to losing, going 3-7 against the likes of Cleveland, Kansas City, Texas and Washington. Baltimore has the worst run differential in the American League at minus-62.

Cleveland Indians
A 4-3 win over Cincinnati halted a six-game losing streak. Cleveland has failed to score more than four runs in each of its last seven games, which is not a good thing when your pitching is giving up more than six runs per game. Grady Sizemore has been invisible, batting .211 with zero home runs.

Seattle Mariners
It's been a nightmarish Month for the Mariners, who have a 5-16 mark in May. What's even more telling is the team's inability to win close games. Seattle was 2-7 in one-run games in that month.

Houston Astros
Eight quality starts for Roy Oswalt and just two wins to show for it. Carlos Lee's batting everage is hovering around the .200 mark and only two players qualified for the batting title are hitting more than .250.

Here's what I have to say

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Here's what I have to say about 10 topics in the world of sports.

1. I'm buying the Celtics. The only question is: Where do I sign?

Boston looked uninterested in the regular season and they didn't play great vs. Miami in the first round of the playoffs, but they are a legit squad right now. Yes, they are playing their best basketball at the right time of the season. The C's swatted away LeBron James and the Cavs, and now they're up 2-0 vs. the Magic in the best-of-7 series. Just bring on the Lakers. L.A. wants Boston, and Boston wants L.A. Brings back the good old days in the 1980s.

2. The Tampa Bay Rays are for real. I've admitted it finally. I'm still not sold on closer Rafael Soriano, who gets an arm injury every season, but this team can hit, play defense and they get great starting pitching just about every night. Have you seen them play? They are fun to watch. Good luck Yankees and Red Sox trying to catch that ballclub. Better start thinking Wild Card.

3. The Red Sox are not dead. Just when you write them off -- add David Ortiz in that mix, too -- they come to life and give you reason to believe.

4. The World Cup is right around the corner. Are you excited?

5. Is bass fishing a sport? Very debatable. In a tournament, yes, during a recreational activity, no way.

6. Cyclist Floyd Landis needs to keep his mouth shut. The fraud admitted to doping, and now he's trying to bring the entire cycling world down with him. Hope you can finally get a good night's sleep since you finally got that lie off your chest. You are not believable, I don't care what you say now. Is your name really Floyd?

7. Are you over the Bruins' major collapse? Start thinking franchise player with the No. 2 overall pick. Good times ahead in Beantown with the Bruins.

8. Man, I really can't wait for the NFL season to start. I also can't wait for Fantasy Football. Isn't the fantasy draft the best time of the year. It's a close second behind Christmas.

9. Boy, Kevin Garnett looks pretty darn healthy now. Do you think that has anything to do with the Celtics' recent success? You better believe it.

10. I'll make it easy on the Arizona Cardinals on who to give the starting quarterback job to. Matt Leinart. He's sat and watched Kurt Warner work his magic, now it's time to see if the lefty sinks or swims calling the signals. Derek Anderson is not the answer. Why do you think he's no longer in Cleveland? Exactly.

Fantasy Baseball Friday: May 21st

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Well, I really blew it last week by not posting my weekly column. I apologize. I will offer no excuses. Now onto the article. We are almost two months into the season, and this is where you start to find out who's for real, and who's not.

Top 10 Hitters of the Week:

1. Jose Bautista (Blue Jays) - It's very hard for me to believe, but Bautista might just be a good pick up this season. He'll never hit for average, but his power numbers and run production have been consistent so far this season. Just be careful if you're in a league with strikeouts. He has a k rate of nearly 25%.

2. Dan Uggla (Marlins) - Weren't we just speaking about a hitter who k's a ton. Forget about that right now. While I'm skeptical about him keeping his average around .290 (30 points higher than his career average) he's on pace for a 30/100/100 season. That's nothing to scoff at especially at the 2nd base position.

3. Alex Rodriguez (Yankees) - What can you say about Arod that hasn't already been said.

4. Shane Victorino (Phillies) - If you know me, then you know I can't stand the Flyin' Hawaiian, but it looks like he starting to turn his season around. He's on pace to easily surpass his career high of 14 homers and 62 RBI.

5. David Ortiz (Red Sox) - Maybe I was wrong? I'm not sure, maybe he's back on his super shakes, but the one thing I know is you need to ride Big Papi for everything he has now. If you have him, I'd try and sell him high.

6. Kevin Youkillis (Red Sox) - I may not like him personally, but I respect the heck out of him as a ball player. He's about as complete a hitter out there as you'll find and is on pace for his first 30/100 season.

7. Luke Scott (Orioles) - As long as he's facing right handed pitchers, he'll rake for power and drive in runs. The Orioles are very good with his playing time and understand what he can and cant' do. He's a good guy for an extra outfielder or the utility position.

8. Nelson Cruz (Rangers) - I'm not sure people realize how productive this guy is. If he can stay healthy, he'll be a top 10 outfielder in fantasy production.

9. Justin Upton (Diamondbacks) - I'm a big fan of J-Up. It's nice to see him raise his average 30 points the past two weeks as he's been hot. It now looks like he's righted the ship after a bad start.

10. Corey Hart (Brewers) - If you need a good 4th OF, then Hart's your guy. He'll never light the world on fire for an entire season, but is a solid bench guy.

Top 10 Pitchers of the Week:

1. Joe Saunders (Angels) - He's put up two great starts after staring the season 1-4 with a 7.04 ERA. This is a good time to buy low on him if you know his current owner is frustrated.

2. Ricky Romero (Blue Jays) - I think it's safe to say he's a legitimate starter now. The former 6th overall pick is dealing again after struggling for a few starts.

3. Anibel Sanchez (Marlins) - Is he finally healthy again? It looks like it. He's owned in only 5% of Yahoo leagues so he's available.

4. Ubaldo Jiminez (Rockies) - The beast keeps rolling, and I don't see him slowing down for a while.

5. Clayton Kershaw (Dodgers) - Finally the kid goes 7+ in 3 straight starts. This just might be the start of something magical, but I'm pretty biased. His long term potential is scary good.

6. Jonathon Broxton (Dodgers) - It was only a matter of time before he started accumulating saves as he's had 4 this week and 7 straight.

7. Edwin Jackson (Diamondbacks) - One good start does not turn around a bad year. Keep an eye on him

8. Jon Lester (Red Sox) - I may not be a Sox fan, but I'm a big fan of Lester. He's won 4 in a row and is back on track. There is a reason why he's one of the best left handed starters in the bigs.

9. Jeremie Guthrie (Orioles) - He has a 3.86 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP, and a 3 to 1 K to BB rate. Pretty decent numbers. Too bad he's on 2-4. I still think he's worth a pick up though.

10. Clay Buchholz (Red Sox) - It's hard to think he's been the most consistent Bo Sox starter thus far, but that's the truth. He also leads the staff with a 3.26 ERA.

Cut em' or Claim em':

1. Ian Kennedy (Diamondbacks) - He's no Phil Hughes, but has been pretty darn good for the D-Backs so far. I say Claim him.

2. Randy Wolf (Brewers) - Cut him, cut him, cut him. He's made the Brewers look foolish so far this year.

3. Gordon Beckham (White Sox) - My gut says hold onto him, but he's been so god awful that he can no longer take a spot on my bench. Cut em'!

4. John Ely (Dodgers) - Maybe I'm just being a Dodgers fan here, but so far I'm impressed. So impressed that I say Claim em'. In 25.2 innings pitched he has 25 K's and only 3 walks. That is nice!

5. Jonny Gomes (Reds) - He's getting at bats in Cincy, and has done the absolute most with them. If you absolutely need an outfielder or utility guy, then claim him. I just don't buy the start he's had. He has to come back to reality.

6. Rod Barajas (Mets) - Catching is so thin that you need to claim him if you can. I'm not sure it will last, but the guy has an .893 OPS and 10 home runs, and is currently the #1 fantasy catcher according to Yahoo.

7. James Loney (Dodgers) - If only he could hit for power. What helps is his average, and the fact that he's stolen 6 bases already at the 1st base position. I'd claim him and use him as a solid bench player and occasional starter

8. Carlos Quentin (White Sox) - Cut him! I think his amazing 2008 is a fluke. Of course he can still hit a home run, but overall he's just not that good.

Well people, until next week

The top shelf and the bottom of the barrel

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The top shelf
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays still remain the team with the best record in the majors and therefore remain at the top of the list. Probably most impressive is the fact that Tampa Bay has four starters with an ERA of 3.00 or lower. No other team in the majors can say that.

New York Yankees
It wasn't a very good start to the week for the Yankees last week as they lost three of four to the Tigers, including two shutouts. They rebounded, however, taking two of three from Minnesota. Andy Pettitte remains terrific with a 5-0 record and 1.79 ERA. In fact, the Yankees are 7-0 in his starts this year.

Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies hold the best record in the National League and have gone 11-3 in the month of May thus far. What will be interesting to watch is how they respond to losing both of their top options in the bullpen in Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson. Jose Contreras is now the closer by default.

Minnesota Twins
The Twins have been a pretty ho-hum team over the past week, but Justin Morneau has been doing his best to keep things interesting for Minnesota. Morneau leads the league in hitting at .362 and his 1.142 OPS is also tops in the league.

Toronto Blue Jays
They are in third place in the AL East and if the season ended today would not be a playoff team, but I can think of two or three divisions that this team could be dominating. The Jays lead the league in homers and headed into Monday with a four-game winning streak. Ricky Romero is having a terrific second season after a solid rookie campaign. Opponents are batting a paltry .210 against him.

The bottom of the barrel

Milwaukee Brewers
As if a six-game losing streak isn't bad enough, the Brew Crew just lost one of its starters in a very startling manner. Doug Davis was placed on the DL on the 16th after being diagnosed with Pericarditis, which is an inflamation of the heart's tissue lining. On the plus side, Casey McGee, who has an awesome baseball name, by the way, has built upon his rookie year with an even better sophomore season.

Seattle Mariners
No team in the American League scores fewer runs, gets on base less frequently and hits fewer home runs than the Mariners. Their pitching staff has been able to keep them in some games, but last time I checked, the team that scores more runs wins most games.

Arizona Diamondbacks
You'd be hard-pressed to find a bullpen quite this bad. There are a lot of ERA's with sixes, sevens and even eights and nines in front of the decimal point. A win over Atlanta snapped a seven-game losing streak, but a 13-1 loss the following night got things back on the wrong track for the D-backs.

Kansas City Royals
Zach Greinke finally won a game and then manager Trey Hillman promptly lost his job. In the 15 games the Royals have played this month, they have scored no more than two runs in seven of them - all of those games were losses.

Houston Astros
The Astros are in dead last in the weakest division in baseball. Things seemed to be turning around, especially after the Stros swept the Cardinals, knocking them out of the top spot in the division and out of the top shelf. But it all went back to business as usual against San Francisco as they lost three straight. Roy Oswalt took one of those losses and dropped to 2-5 on the season, despite a 2.52 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 55 innings.

I really, really, really, REALLY hate to say I told you so

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

This is one of those times when I really hate being right.

Game 7 was a microcosm of the entire series, right down to the too many men on the ice penalty that ultimately cost them the game.

Boston played outstanding hockey through most of the first period, executing on power plays and throwing pucks on net while controlling the majority of the play. Then, just like in the series, everything fell apart.

They stopped forechecking. They stopped pressuring Michael Leighton. Tuukka Rask allowed a soft goal and the momentum swung. Then, with the game in the balance, a penalty that can only come from lack of concentration. At a time when a team should be most focused, 3-3 in the third period of a game 7, the Bruins lost theirs and ultimately it cost them.

I wish I could say I was surprised the Bruins lost in such a fashion, but given the character of this team all season, I'm really not. It was a team that at the end of the day could never figure out how to win. Injuries played a role, sure, but the Bruins were not the only team dealing with them.

Now Bruins fans must look to the future, which looks bright with the No. 2 pick in the upcoming draft, but also has some question marks, such as the futures of Mark Recchi, Miro Satan and Tim Thomas.

Does Recchi retire? Did the Bruins see enough from Satan when he shared a line with David Krejci to bring him back in that capacity next season? Will Thomas waive his no-trade clause and free up some cap space to go after a quality scorer?

These are just a few things the Bruins fans will get to mull through their now extended offseason as they try to shake of the sting of forever being associated with the New York Yankees.

Bruins better not choke

By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Those darn Boston Bruins better not choke.
Is there really any excuse in the world to justify why they squandered a 3-0 series lead to the Philadelphia Flyers, if they lose Game 7 tonight?
No way.
You don't lose four straight games and get a free pass. Especially not in Boston.
Boston fans are already drawing comparisions to this potential choke job to the Yankees vs. the Red Sox in the playoffs years ago.
I'm not going there, however.
But it's rather mind-boggling to me why they haven't closed out the series yet.
Well, when you have your foot on someone's throat, you better step on it even more to deliver the TKO. If not, well, you see what happens.
I know the injuries have piled up on the Bruins, in particular David Krejci's season-ender is a complete killer.
But this is a T-E-A-M, and no one man should hold the key to winning and losing.
So, it's time for the Bruins to man up, play as one, put on a show for the Boston fans, and finally put the Flyers out to pasture.
If not, there's going to be some major problems in Boston tonight.

Are the Bruins skating into a perfect storm?

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Hey, I'm not saying it's definitely going to happen, but I think we all need to start bracing for the possibility that the Bruins could become part of history.

Only three teams in the three major sports that have seven-game playoff series have ever come back from a three-game deficit. The Flyers could very well become the fourth. I made the statement that Game 5 was a must-win for the Bruins. Some scoffed. Some said that it wasn't possible because the teams that had completed the comeback were "special" teams and the Flyers were not.

I will agree that the Maple Leafs in 1942 were special. They were the second-best team in the league in the regular season and had already beaten the top team in the first round of the playoffs. But what made those other teams special? It wasn't that they were the most talented teams. What made them special was the fact that they were written off as done for and then came back to win. It was the fact that they refused to say die.

Nobody thought the Red Sox - a wild card team - would beat the Yankees - a team that won 101 games in 2004. And certainly no one thought the Islanders - a team that was just a few seasons old - would beat a Pittsburgh Penguins from the powerful Norris division.

Throw on top of that the fact that the Flyers have already proven that they are a plucky team that can come back. Remember that this was a team that was on the outside looking in at the playoff picture after a huge swoon and took win-or-go-home game against the New York Rangers to beat them out by one point for a playoff berth.

Add to that the fact the Flyers got Simon Gagne back and therefore now have the most talented player on the ice. Meanwhile, the Bruins have lost two guys from their top two lines, including their overall most talented forward and their top scorer from the regular season.

The Bruins are back in a familiar situation. People spent all season saying how good this team could be if all its difference makers were healthy. They were, for all of a few moments and yes, the Bruins looked good. But now the injury bug has bitten again and the Bruins are back where they were all season - looking inept in the offensive zone and scrambling to figure out how to keep the puck out of their own.

Sometimes it's not just about being a talented team. Sometimes it's about the circumstances and this could become a perfect storm for the Flyers.

I'm not saying it's a lock, but watch out, Bruins fans. It's not as far-fetched as you might think.