Fantasy Baseball: Between the White Lines

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Welcome back to BTWL, the fantasy baseball article that takes a closer look at the transaction trends from the past week of baseball.  

Top 5 Added:

1. Mike Lowell - 3B Boston Red Sox (.319, 4 HR, 22 RBI, 9 R)

Mike Lowell leads the AL in RBI and is still available in nearly 23% of leagues.  If you live in New England, I am pretty sure he's already taken though.  Lowell has certainly surprised me with his production coming off his hip injury.  He's done nothing but produce in Boston, so as long as he stays healthy, he'll continue to drive in runs. 

2. Ryan Franklin - RP St. Louis Cardinals (0-0, 6 S, 0.00 ERA, 0.52 WHIP)

Ryan Franklin has taken over the closers role for the Red Birds and has pitched phenomenal after taking over for Jason Motte.  He's available in nearly 30% of leagues.  If you need saves, pick him up.  He may not last very long as the closer, but had 4 saves this past week.  Ride em' while he's hot and get ready to drop him for the next sensation

3. Asdrubal Cabrera - 2B, SS Cleveland Indians (.317, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 14 R)

Has Cabrera settle down and found himself again.  He was a huge disappointment last season coming off a great playoff performance in 2007, but seems to be comfortable now.  He's eligible at both middle infield positions so he offers more versatility.  I am not sold on him yet, and many others aren't as he's only owned on 40% of ESPN leagues.  I would suggest holding off and seeing if he's for real.

4. Scott Downs - RP Toronto Blue Jays (0-0, 2 S, 0.84 ERA, 0.47 WHIP)

Until BJ Ryan returns from the DL, it looks like Downs will be the closer.  He's notched 2 saves this past week and has pitched extremely well in that role.  Make sure you have him if BJ was on your team, or if you need to add saves, but understand he's only a temporary pickup. He should be still out there in most leagues.  Go and grab him as insurance for now.

5. Yadier Molina - C St. Louis Cardinals (.338, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R)

Yadier is all grown up and become a pretty good hitter, especially for a catcher.  It seems his .304 average in 2008 is not a fluke.  He'll never be a power hitter, but has shown to be a clutch performer who can drive in runs.  He's hitting .391 this past week and drove in 5 RBI and owned in only 64% of leagues.  Catcher is always a lean position so make sure to get him because he's for real.  

Top 5 Dropped:

1. Emilio Bonifacio - 2B, 3B Florida Marlins (.226, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 14 R, 5 SB)

What did I tell you during the first edition of BTWL?  Emilio is a fluke, a pretender.  I hope you were able to trade him back then because he's practically worthless now.  He hit only .133 this past week with only 1 run and 1 stolen base.  He's an effective fantasy player if he can get on base and steal, but you can't steal first base (cliche warning!!).  Drop him now if you have him.  

2. Ryan Doumit - C, OF Pittsburgh Pirates (.244, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R)

Doumit is being dropped because of his time on the DL, and looks like he won't return until June. What worries me most is the fact that it's a wrist injury.  Even when he returns, it's likely his wrist will not return to normal strength until after this season.  He was a very good fantasy catcher last year, but I don't see him returning to form until 2010.  

3. Ubaldo Jiminez - SP Colorado Rockies (1-3, 6 S, 7.58 ERA, 2.11 WHIP)

Jimenez has allowed 16 earned runs in his last 12 innings pitched.  Ouch! That is not good for the youngster.  13 of those runs did come against the Dodgers, but two out of the 3 starts were on the road, so you can't blame it on Coors Field.  He has been inconsistent at best since the Rockies run to the World Series in 07, so stay away from him unless you're desperate for starters.

4. Mike Aviles - 2B, SS Kansas City Royals (.182, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 R)

I seriously believe the shortstop position for the Kansas City Royals has become a black hole. Angel Berroa won the ROY a few years ago and then went into the tank.  Tony Pena started off hot and went into the tank.  Mike Aviles had a great 2nd half last season and seems to be going right into the tank.  Aviles is in a 2-22 slump and only hitting .182 for the season.  If you have him and can stash him for a few weeks to see if he comes out of the slump, then do so.

5. Huston Street - RP Colorado Rockies (0-1, 1 S, 7.00 ERA, 1.67 WHIP)

The opening day closer for the Rockies has the distinction of making this list two weeks in a row. He's been terrible to start the season and is now a mop up reliever for the Rox.  He has pitched better this past week not allowing any runs in 4 out of his last 5 appearances.  I think he'll get another shot at closing games for the Rockies, so he may be a good long term pick up.  He's out there in 52% of leagues.  His WHIP was a very good .92 this week which is encouraging.  

Players who need to be on your radar:

Nyjer Morgan is off to a tremendous start hitting .338 with 10 RBI, 16 runs and 6 stolen bases. He is coming into his own and doing what a leadoff hitter needs to do.  Get on base, steal bases and score runs.  He's still out there 43% of leagues so go get him if you need stolen bases.  Dexter Fowler is another player to pick up.  He's owned in only 23% of leagues and already has 9 stolen bases.  He's been so good and has worked himself into the top of the Rockies lineup.  His power numbers should be better than normal playing half of his games in Colorado.  If you need a catcher, don't worry about picking up Kurt Suzuki.  He can hit for average, .337 on the season, but that's pretty much it.  I have an absolute void at the position in one of my leagues and picked him up this past week.  He's hit over .500 this week and helped me pick up several points in my roto league.  Jordan Zimmerman is quickly becoming the better Zimmerman on the Nationals. He won his 2nd game of the season on Sunday and has put up very good stats (2-0 2.38 ERA, 1.32 WHIP).  I know the WHIP is not great, but he's young and get get people out.  Due to his age, the Nationals may choose to limit his innings pitched towards the end of the season, but jump on the bandwagon while you can.  Has anyone else noticed that Wandy Rodriguez has a 1.82 ERA with a 1.04 WHIP in 4 starts this season? He's still available in 29% of leagues and has been a solid starter all season.  He's only 1-2 on the season, but will provide you with good strikeout and innings this season.  

Well, I am done for this week, but make sure to keep checking back for the latest in fantasy baseball.

(Coming Friday: Frozen Ropes by Jim Ingram & Chin Music by Chad Garner)

Sloppy Play Spells End To Sox Streak

By the time Javier Lopez dropped the relay from Kevin Youkilis in the ninth inning, many Sox fans were probably counting how many times this game could have been won. A substantial early inning lead went out the window as Brad Penny and shoddy defense allowed the Indians to take a game that should have been in the books.

Staked to a 5-1 second inning lead, it looked as though the Red Sox were easily on their way to extending their winning streak to 12. However, errors by Mike Lowell in the second, Julio Lugo in the third, and the aforementioned Lopez all led to Cleveland runs, spelling the demise of the Sox. Lowell threw the ball into right field, Lugo and Lopez couldn't handle easy throws, and the Boston lead was gone.

Penny didn't help, giving up seven runs (four earned), in just 2.2 innings. His ERA is now 8.66 for the year, a season in which Theo and the Sox hoped to bring a former All Star back to prominence. It's looking much clearer who the odd man out will be when it comes time for John Smoltz to join the rotation.

The offense continued to roll. Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury drove in two runs apiece, as Dustin Pedroia, Jason Varitek and Julio Lugo had multiple hits. The rubber game starts tonight at 7:05, as Jon Lester (1-2, 4.88 ERA) faces Fausto Carmona (1-3, 7.36 ERA).

Celts inch past the Bulls ... again

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Does anybody want to win these games?

Seriously, though, this is like the third ESPN Instant Classic game we've had to endure in the last eight days. This time, the Celtics showed resilience, winning, 106-104, after trailing by 11 in the fourth quarter.

This is the Paul Pierce we know. He made three straight jumpers in the final 77 seconds to clinch it. Money, just money.

But that said, they almost blew it several times.

First, in regulation, Stephon Marbury passed up a wide-open 3 to give the ball to Rajon Rondo on the baseline, which he subsequently missed (because at the end of the day, he's still an average shooter) on an opporunity to make it a two-possession game. At the other end, Ben Gordon tied it up with a 3.

Big ups to Kendrick Perkins for a near-career night on the boards (19, one off his career-high of 20). He provided the physical presence down low to combat Brad Miller and John Salmons. (What's that he's playing? Playoff basketball, thank you.)

That said, that second bad decision -- Rondo's forearm on Brad Miller from behind with three seconds left in overtime -- was a nail-biter. Great idea by Vinny Del Negro, using Ben Gordon as a decoy to draw the double-team and clear the lane for Miller. If he makes it, I think I'd have to take a chill pill. This series has already driven me bonkers enough.

"That wasn't a flagrant foul, that was a playoff foul," Perkins said in the press conference, drawing laughter.

Amen, brother.

-- First off, let's quell the historical comparisons before they start. This isn't even top 10 greatest series of all-time. Not top 15, maybe top 20. Way too storied of a history, and way too many great playoff series to even THINK of drawing comparisons to series from the past.

Think about it...Bird/Parish/McHale, Cowens/Hondo/Jo Jo, Hondo/Russell/Jones, Cousy/Heinsohn/Sharman.

People this day and age are wayyyyy too quick to draw comparisons to the game's greats. I'll never forget ESPN last fall running a graphic on SportsCenter comparing Matt Forte's rookie stats through four games to Walter Payton and Gale Sayers. I understand why we do it -- because in this day and age of short attention spans, sensation equals ratings -- but I don't agree with it.

Comparing a first-round 2-7 series against anything from the banner years is ridiculous.

I won't even get into the question of whether Glen Davis can be an All-Star in the future (who cares right now?).

Settle down people.

-- First Perk's "oops, I tripped" foul, now Ray Allen's foul-out. Ray said he was "extremely upset", and it's hard to argue with him. Hate to fixade on the refs, but this is getting out of hand. Referees need to loosen the reigns when a game is tight in the waning minutes.

-- In hindsight, I can see Marbury's thinking on passing up the 3 attempt. Rondo was open rolling to the baseline, for a higher-percentage shot. If Marbury misses that 3, how many of you would be screaming at the TV?

-- Now I see why we miss James Posey and PJ Brown. Think about it, if we had fourth-quarter stoppers like Posey, Brown and Powe in the lineup, how much more effective would the Celtics be at closing these games out? Instead, without KG, Powe, Posey, PJ and with a lanky 7-footer who can't stay out of foul trouble, I feel like we're giving away crucial points.

-- Classic Heinsohn...Out of that final timeout, before the Miller play, Mike Gorman points out that there are six Bulls on the court.

Gorman: "Looks like Noah will sit."
Heinsohn: (sarcastically) "Figures."

-- I'm calling it right now. If this series goes to 7, Garnett will suit up.

To play or not to play?

By Brendan Hall
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Since MRI's on Ben Gordon released yesterday showed he has a pulled hamstring, the biggest question has been whether or not he'll be a go for the Bulls tonight in Game 5 of what has become one of the few worthwhile first-round series in the NBA.

I, like Doc Rivers, expect Gordon to play tonight, but don't get this twisted: Gordon is going to be a hurting unit. You need your hamstrings to be in good condition if you're going to be taking lots of jump shots and attacking the basket. Look for Gordon -- who leads the series with 24.8 points per game -- to be used in more of a distributor role tonight, a la his UConn days.

Don't buy his "I'm looking for a miracle" line for a minute.

With that in mind, the Celtics need to do a better job defensively tonight if they are to come out alive. Derrick Rose came loose on a few backdoor cuts, and Brad Miller got off some good shots (including long-range) when they went high-low. But considering front-court rotation they have right now, clogging passing lanes and denying entry passes on a consistent basis is easier said than done (and for the record, Brian Scalabrine is NOT a length guy).

A few more thoughts:

-- Yes, still fuming on Kendrick Perkins' call Sunday. Bill Doyle provides some colorful insight on why Perk gets caught up so much, but still ... give the dude a break.

-- The bench is thinner, but that doesn't let them off the hook for their sub-par production. The C's had just 11 bench points in the loss Sunday, compared to 25 in the blowout win on Thursday. In Game 2's loss, they had just nine. Get the picture?

Eddie House is 5 for 15 on 3's in the playoffs, after setting a franchise record for 3-point percentage (over 46) during the regular season. And in a sign of the end of all things to come, Scal played 17 minutes on Sunday. Hopefully, JR Giddens can bring some spark, after a good D-League run in Utah.

-- Brad Miller won't be reprimanded for his retaliation on Glen Davis in the third quarter Sunday, and he shouldn't. They shouldn't have even called for an ejection in the first place (which was later reduced to a technical). Like I've said, playoff basketball is physical. Let the players play.

-- ESPN Chicago's Jon Greenberg is channeling his inner Andrew Perloff when he writes today of Joakim Noah, "If you're a Celtics fan, you're probably going to boo him mercilessly Tuesday night."

Huh?

He also uses powerful imagery to show just how unique Noah is, with anecdotes such as Noah approaching Jerry Reinsdorf and asking, "What's up, Bossman?"

Oh no he didn't. Wow, he must be such an original cat if he has the audacity to address his boss as, er, a boss.

See, this is the part I can't stand about out-of-town bloggers. They probably read some crazy chucklehead from Boston ranting foolishly in a funny accent, and thought "Gee whiz, these guys must be on the same level as Philly fans. I bet they even curse!" And henceforth, they now have a narrow view of Boston sports fans as outlandish, obnoxious and misinformed.

As if this was the Boston Garden in the 80's, and Bulls-Celtics was a natural rivalry.

Give me a break.

Maybe it's just me, but I don't know too many people who hate Joakim Noah's guts. If anything, they're fairly indifferent to the guy. Never mind that he's been the least productive of Chicago's five starters in this series.

Please, radio people from Chicago, don't make like Mariotti and fudge your way to stupid assumptions.

Wakefield Dazzles Tribe As Sox Continue To Roll

Jason Bay once again homered in the ninth to help the Red Sox to victory, but the story of the game was the pitching performance of Tim Wakefield. The veteran knuckleballer didn't give up a run and allowed just one hit on four walks through seven strong innings. Manny Delcarmen continued his impressive 2009 campaign, pitching a perfect eighth inning before giving way to closer Jonathan Papelbon, who looked shaky but managed to nail down the save for the streaking Sox. Boston has now won 11 straight games and sits percentage points ahead of the Toronto Blue Jays for first place in the American League East.

Defending A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee also pitched well enough to win, but Indians closer Kerry Wood needed just one-third of an inning to give up the lead. Dustin Pedroia walked to lead off the Boston ninth, followed by a bloop single from David Ortiz that fell in front of a charging Grady Sizemore. After Kevin Youkilis flied out, Jason Bay came to the plate in yet another big spot, and he didn't disappoint. He launched a Kerry Wood fastball into the left-centerfield seats to put the Sox up 3-0 and push them to victory.

The Sox seem to have the complete package this season after a sluggish start. The offense during the 11-game win streak has averaged 8 runs a game, the starting pitching has been quite good and the bullpen has been dominant. There's an old baseball adage, "You can't win the Pennant in April, but you can lose it." Indeed, early season injuries have not been allowed to affect this team, as guys like Nick Green have stepped in and performed at a high level. That will be important to remember come mid-September, when this team is driving toward the 93-95 wins it will take to win the division.

The Sox look to make it 12 in a row tonight. In game two of the three-game series against the Tribe, Brad Penny (2-0, 7.80 ERA) faces Anthony Reyes (1-0, 4.76 ERA). First pitch is at 7:05 from Progressive Field in Cleveland.

Froch Wins American Debut

By Jorge Bannister
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

LEDYARD, Conn. — When referee Michael Ortega stepped in and stopped the fight with 14 seconds left in the 12th and final round, Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor was left wondering, “What the Froch just happened?”

Englishman Carl Froch (25-0, 20 KO) flew across the pond for his first “big” fight, and handed the Little Rock, Ark., native a 12th-round TKO with 14 seconds left to retain his WBC Super Middleweight title at the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods.

Taylor (28-3-1) was dominating through the first eight rounds. He was trailing in the first half of the eighth before he landing a double left hook to the body of Froch and took over from there. Taylor ended the round with a four-punch combination and then a left uppercut just before the bell. After the bell rung, Taylor waved Froch to his corner with his right hand yelled, “Let’s Go!”

Big mistake.

“I had some sloppy footwork and he caught me with some big right hands, then he landed a great left uppercut,” Froch said. “He then waved me off while yelling something, trying to get in my head and lower my confidence — it only pumped me up.”

Froch went on to win the 9th, 10th and 11th rounds. At that point, Taylor was up, 7-4, in the scorecard, according to Fan Fanatic Sports and judges Nobuaki Uratini and Omar Minton. Judge Jack Woodburn saw it 106-102 in favor of Froch.

In the 11th, Froch’s blows were finding their way through Taylor’s guard and landing flush, snapping Taylor’s head back with each punch landed.

The 12th was similar. Froch was landing clean shots, and Taylor matched him for the first five punches but just ran out of steam. Taylor had nothing behind his punches, which were flying wide, and had no legs to him. Froch dominated from there and knocked Taylor down with a right hand to the jaw in the corner.

Early in the fight, Taylor was dominant. He knocked Froch down for the first time in the Englishman’s career. Taylor landed an overhand right to the side of Froch’s head, sending "The Cobra" to the mat.

Do you Tweet? FFS Story makes Patriots News Twitter Page

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

No, I am not talking about Sylvester and Tweety Bird.  I am talking about Twitter, the website service that is sweeping the world.  The New England Patriots are the latest addition as they were tweeting all weekend long during the draft.  It was one of the most interesting stories of the weekend because the Patriots would announce their draft, or trades, on their Twitter page before they were announced at the draft in New York.  The Pats organization announced they were going to do this last week, and there were over 6,000 die hard Patriots fans & media members following the announcements.  

I was one of them and thought it was a brilliant way to reward Patriots fans. It was hard for me to be around the computer all day on Saturday & Sunday, but I was able to keep track of their movements on my phone through Twitter as well. Announcing the draft picks and trades via Twitter is an unusual practice for an organization that hold team information like it's gold in Fort Knox.  I have been a holdout for Twitter.  I didn't see a good use for me to follow someones daily life, but now I can see how the site can be useful.  I will certainly make the Pats Twitter page, and their news site page a bookmark of mine.  

New England Patriots picks up FFS Story:

The Patriots have posted a small blurb and link to one of the Ron Brace stories Chad wrote over the weekend.  If you click on the link above, and go to the 2nd page of stories, you'll see it. We've been working hard at FFS to provide solid content and get noticed as much as possible, so we're excited about the exposure.