Thanks for the memories Mosi

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Rest in peace Mosi Tatupu.

The former New England Patriots running back and special teams ace is one player that stood out, along with my father's all-time favorite, quarterback Steve Grogan, while I was a very young Patriots fan.

I can remember sitting in the stands in Foxboro with my dad (it was usually a Jets game, too) and having him hoist me up in the air whenever the Patriots scored a TD.

And usually during the Pats' scoring drive, Tatupu and Grogan played key roles.

It's a part of my childhood that I will always remember and can always thank my father --and Tatupu and Grogan -- for that.

So I got goose bumps when I read on ESPN.com -- take a look at the link -- that Tatupu had passed away in an Attleboro hospital.

My dad -- a blue collar guy who has always worked hard and always put his family first -- obviously respected Tatupu because he played the game of football with a workmanlike approach, doing the dirty work while always trying to outwork the other guy.

Yes, just like how my father has worked in his job since as long as I can remember.

Tatupu wasn't a superstar, but he was a guy that always came to play, and you have to respect a player that does that. Tatupu was the epitome of a team player.

I'm now looking back at the time that I had the honor -- yes, it was an honor -- to meet Tatupu. It was in Leominster at historic Doyle Field. Tatupu was an assistant coach under Ronnie Lippett -- another former Patriot -- and I went up to Tatupu outside of the locker room before his team came out for warmups and he graciously signed a newspaper article I wrote about the former Pats coming to Leominster to coach the visiting semi-pro football team. I don't remember the actual conversation I had with him, but I still, to this day, recall walking away thinking how nice of a guy he was.

While many Patriots come and go, there's no doubt I'll remember the name Mosi Tatupu for the rest of my life.

Rest in peace Mosi, and thanks for all the great memories.

It's make or break time for Merrimack

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

It's an exciting time for the Warriors. With their current hot streak, Merrimack has put itself in a position to take part in its first Hockey East tournament since the 2004-05 season. That's right, Merrimack has not been in a postseason series since before the league went to a 10-team format.

But the Warriors are unbeaten in their last five contests, all against teams jockeying for position not only in the Hockey East tourney, but the national one as well. Their latest successes came this past weekend in the form of a systematic dismantling of UMass.

Now things get interesting. Merrimack is hanging to a one-point edge over Vermont for the final playoff spot, so every point counts. The Warriors have the opportunity to put some space between themselves and the Black Bears with three games this week, but they will have to fight for every point. The battle begins with a rare Tuesday-night affair with second-place Boston College. From there Merrimack hosts Maine, who is fighting to maintain its hold onto home ice position, for a weekend set.

It's an exciting time all over the league with the potential for a lot more movement in the ranks. Just four points separate the ninth-place team from the fourth-place team. Here are the standings:

1. UNH 14-5-4, 32 points (15-10-5 overall)
2. Boston College 13-8-2, 28 points (18-10-5)
3. Maine 12-9-2, 26 points (15-12-3)
4. Boston University 11-10-2, 24 points (14-13-3)
5. Northeastern 11-11-1, 23 points (16-13-1)
T-6. UMass-Lowell 10-11-2, 22 points (16-14-2)
T-6. UMass 11-13-0, 22 points (16-15-0)
8. Merrimack 10-11-1, 21 points (13-15-1)
9. Vermont 7-10-6, 20 points (13-11-6)
10. Providence 5-16-2, 12 points (10-18-2)

UNH had to settle for a tie in the second of two with Vermont over the weekend and while the Wildcats did gain an extra point to lengthen the gap between themselves and BC, the tie means their streak of 20-win seasons will come to an end. It will be the first time since the 1995-96 season the Wildcats have less than 20 wins. Still, only four point separate them from the Eagles, so they can ill-afford to lose to a Northeastern team that is just one point away from home ice positioning.

Boston College is still working hard in its pursuit of the regular-season title and No. 1 seed in the national tournament, but disappointing splits in the Eagles' last two weekend series have kept them from gaining any ground. Luckily for the Eagles, they have an opportunity to close in or at least keep pace with Merrimack and UMass visiting Kelley Rink this week. BC holds a combined 3-1-0 record against those teams, including two dominating performances over UMass.

Speaking of the Mass Attack, that attack has been toothless this month as the Minutemen have dropped all five games in February and seven of their last eight, sliding down to a tie for sixth. It's very possible that after this week, they could be on the outside looking in.

Vermont has a lot at stake with a televised weekend series in which they host BU, who has gone from the basement to home-ice positioning in a very short period of time. Vermont has gone in the opposite direction and needs these wins in order to reverse its fortunes. Friday's game will be on NESN with Saturday's matchup on ESPNU.

Fantasy Baseball: Positional Rankings - Second Baseman

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

I have to admit that I love the transition the 2nd base position has made over the past few years. Gone are the days this fantasy position is based solely on batting average and stolen bases. Due to the influx of several stars, this is now a position you can get 20+ home runs and 90+ RBI in addition to a high batting average and stolen bases.

The Top 20:

1. Chase Utley - Phillies

2. Ian Kinsler - Rangers

3. Dustin Pedroia - Red Sox
4. Aaron Hill - Blue Jays

5. Brian Roberts - Orioles

6. Brandon Phillips - Reds

7. Robinson Cano - Yankees

8. Ben Zobrist - Rays

9. Dan Uggla - Marlins

10. Ian Stewart - Rockies

11. Howie Kendrick - Angels

12. Jose Lopez - Mariners

13. Asdrubel Cabrera - Indians

14. Rickie Weeks - Brewers

15. Placido Polanco - Phillies

16. Clint Barmes - Rockies

17. Freddy Sanchez - Giants

18. Alberto Callaspo - Royals

19. Akinori Iwamura - Pirates

20. Martin Prado - Braves

The Elite:

Chase Utley - Utley is the best option at 2nd base for fantasy. Despite his average dropping to .282 this season, he still put up 31 homers, but came short of the 100 RBI plateau with 93.

Ian Kinsler - I know Kinsler doesn't really hit for average, but he does hit homers (31) drive runners in (86) and steal bases (31). That makes him a fantasy stud at the position.

The 2nd Tier:

Aaron Hill - Hill finally put together a complete/healthy season, and he certainly fulfilled his potential. He had a "breakout" season hitting .286, 36 homers, 108 RBI and 103 runs. That is a monster season for many positions, much less 2nd base. I have him ranked 4th at the position because he's so productive at the plate.

Dustin Pedroia - Despite having his worst offensive season in 2009, Pedroia ranks #3 on my list. You know you're good when it's a down year and your average slips to .296. He'll still hit you 15 homers and drive in 75 runs, but what really helps are the 20 stolen bases and the high on base percentage.

On the Rise:

Martin Prado - Now that the Braves got rid of Kelly Johnson, Prado finally get a full time job. He was given the bulk of playing time with a career high 128 games last season, and certainly played well enough to land the starting gig. In those 128 games he hit .307 with 11 homers and 48 RBI. I would expect much of the same this season, and is a good late round pick at the position or on the bench.

Scott Sizemore - The young two bagger is slotted in as the Tigers starting 2nd basemen to start the season. Sizemore has a good bat and decent power. I also think he's in a good situation for him to succeed. I wouldn't suggest starting him in fantasy, but he's a good end of the draft pick.

Asdrubal Cabrera - The As-man had a very good 2nd half last season and rebounded from a terrible first full season in 2008. It also helps that he's eligible at both second and shortstop. He only played 131 games last year, but if he can play 145+ games, look for him to score 100 runs, hit .290 with 10 homers and 75 RBI.

Howie Kendrick - Kendrick has never played more than 105 games (last season) in his 4 seasons in the bigs. Look for that to stop after he he posted a .358 average with 6 homers, 36 RBI and 33 runs in 48 post All Start games. He was essentially a full time starter from August on and really pounded the ball during that time.

On the Slide:

Placido Polanco - While he makes the transition to a hitters park in Philly, watch out for a continued drop in his production. He may not strike out, but he's seen his average drop from .341 in 2007 down to .285 in 2009. Average really is all he brings to the table as he doesn't have much power.

Freddy Sanchez - I've never been much of a Sanchez fan, and the fact that his production has slipped in each of the past 3 years doesn't help much. I don't like him hitting in San Fran either. Unless you get really stuck, stay away.

Luis Castillo - OK, Castillo has never been a good, much less decent, fantasy player. He doesn't hit for power or drive in runs. It seems like the Mets tried desperately to trade him during the off season and were unsuccessful. According to reports, he looks slow, so his bat speed and defense have suffered.

David Eckstein - Eckstein to me is like Old Yeller. They should just take him out back and put him down. I've never been a fan. At least the Padres were smart enough to put him at 2nd base, so fans don't have to cringe every time he has to make a throw from the normal shortstop position, much less deep in the hole.

Well, stay tuned for our stroll around the diamond with the 3rd base position on Wednesday and Shortstop on Friday.

Fantasy Baseball: Positional Rankings - First Baseman

By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Well, what did you think about the catching rankings? Those are pretty clear cut, but there can be a lot of debate at First Base. To me, it's the deepest of all positions.
The Top 20:
1. Albert Pujols - Cardinals
2. Mark Teixeira - Yankees
3. Ryan Howard - Phillies
4. Miguel Cabrera - Tigers
5. Prince Fielder - Brewers
6. Adrian Gonzalez - Padres
7. Joey Votto - Reds
8. Justin Morneau - Twins
9. Kevin Youkilis - Red Sox
10. Kendry Morales - Angels
11. Pablo Sandoval - Giants
12. Lance Berkman - Astros
13. Derek Lee - Cubs
14. Carlos Pena - Rays
15. Adam Dunn - Nationals
16. Bill Butler - Royals
17. Jorge Cantu - Marlins
18. Michael Cuddyer - Twins
19. James Loney - Dodgers
20. Paul Konerko - White Sox
The Elite:

The obvious is Albert Pujols. Realistically, he should be in his own category. If he can stay healthy, he'll most likely go down as the most productive hitter MLB history. Like I said above, this is the deepest position in fantasy, and there really are 5 elite first basemen. The rest are the remainder of the top 5 above.
The 2nd Tier:

It's amazing to think, but I have 6 guys that are a part of the 2nd tier. That takes up the 6-11 spots on my rankings. That alone is why this position is so deep. We're talking about the likes of Adrian Gonzalez, Joey Votto, Justin Morneau, Kevin Youkilis, Pablo Sandoval & Kendry Morales. All 6 of these guys are top 50 fantasy players going into the 2010 season.
On the Rise:

Justin Smoak - Rangers. Smoak will eventually replace Chris Davis at first base this season, or at least take over the DH spot. He's a certifiable big league hitter that has excellent plate discipline and power from both sides.

Billy Butler - Royals. Butler finally settled into the majors in the 2nd half of the season last year. His power still needs to develop, but it will with additional big league at bats. With that being said, he still hit .301, with 23 homers and 93 RBI in a bad lineup.

Joey Votto - Reds. As you can see from the rankings above, I feel that Joey Votto is poised to explode this season. I have not doubt he'll hit .300 with 30 HR, 100 RBI & 100 runs this season. Based on how good the top 5 are at this position, it's going to be tough for him to crack it, but I wouldn't be surprised.

Gabby Sanchez/Logan Morrison - Marlins. Is it time for the Marlins to insert a young first basemen into the lineup? I think so, but what do you do with Jorge Cantu? Well, Cantu should be moved back to first base and allow Sanchez and Morrison to battle it out during Spring Training. I think Sanchez, a more powerful hitter than Morrison, is the best bet to win the job.

On the Slide:

David Ortiz - Red Sox. Thanks to inter league play, Ortiz is still eligible at the position. He's really on the downside of his career, but I wouldn't be surprised if people took a look at his second half last year and he gets drafted higher than he should.

Carlos Delgado - No team. While Delgado shut me up with a pretty decent year last season, there's a reason why he hasn't signed yet. Look for him to make a second half appearance with someone, most likely the Marlins.

Lance Berkman - Astros. The Chad Garner look alike can still hit, is still in the top 12 at his position, but he has plateaued and started on the down slide. If he can stay healthy this season, he may get 30, 100 but I'm not sure. He is a good mid to late round pick at the position.

Aubrey Huff - Giants. Huff took a major hit to his production after a career year in 2008. Was 2008 a fluke? I actually think he'll have a better year this year as he'll be playing in relative anonymity.

Lyle Overbay - Blue Jays. In my opinion, Overbay has been one of the more over rated players of the decade. He's serviceable, but has never come close to fulfilling the promise he once had. I expect Overbay to be dealt by the Blue Jays at some point.

Well, keep an eye this week for the second base rankings.

Character counts for a lot in my book

By Chad Garner

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

The world stopped for over 13 minutes today.

In that span, Tiger Woods was the king of the universe.

Big deal.

Woods finally came clean ...well, sort of.

He did admit to cheating, but didn't give a total body count. Was the over-under 20?

Anyway, do we really care that he's finally come clean?

Personally, it doesn't bother me either way.

What he does in his personal life is his own business, but being a pro athlete he obviously realizes that he's always on center stage.

So by coming clean, he at least let the public know what we've suspected all along -- that he did cheat.

Woods is the best -- by far -- in his sport, but you can bet he's lost a lot of fans along the way now because of his off-the-course issues.

His image has been wrecked, but we're a forgiving society, so it's only a matter of time before he's back in the good graces. Kobe Bryant was once Public Enemy No. 1 after his debacle, but now he's one of the most popular player again in the NBA.

Just like Bryant, Woods will be forgiven at some point.

But as far as I'm concerned now, Woods is no longer a role model.

What he's done is downright wrong and his character has been tarnished.

It's something I'll never forget, either.

Yes, Woods is a great athlete but somewhere along the line character must play a factor in the total athlete -- just like the Average Joe you seen on the street or at work every day.

Character counts for a lot in my book.

If you don't have character, you don't have much as far as I'm concerned.

I hope Woods gets rehabilitated and I don't wish anything bad to happen to him, but I've lost a lot of respect for Woods the man. Sports is so secondary right now.

Tiger's taken a hard fall, sort of like all his opponents have done on the course while trying to battle him for a win. But maybe one day we'll all forget about it and call him the perfect golfer, husband and father.

But not right now.

Can he now be as successful in rehabilitating as he's been at winning majors?

Woods' character is in question. The ball is on his course now.

Some want Woods to come back to golf and become a better player (if that's possible).

But I'd be more impressed with him coming back a better man ... a man of character.

Fantasy Baseball: Positional Rankings - Catchers

By Jim Ingram
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
In case you didn't notice, Thursday marked the first day catchers and pitchers reported to Spring Training. With that being said, it's time for FFS to start their 2010 Fantasy Baseball Positional Rankings. We will begin the rankings today with the position of catcher.
Top 20:
1. Joe Mauer - Twins
2. Victor Martinez - Red Sox
3. Brian McCann - Braves
4. Matt Wieters - Orioles
5. Miguel Montero - Diamondbacks
6. Jorge Posada - Yankees
7. Geovany Soto - Cubs
8. Russel Martin - Dodgers
9. Benji Molina - Giants
10. Mike Napoli - Angels
11. Kurt Suzuki - A's
12. AJ Pierzynksi - White Sox
13. Ryan Doumit - Pirates
14. Chris Iannetta - Rockies
15. Yadier Molina - Cardinals
16. John Baker - Marlins
17. Ramon Hernandez - Reds
18. Kelly Shoppach - Devil Rays
19. Ivan Rodriguez - Nationals
20. Rod Barajas - Free Agent
The Elite:
Clearly, Joe Mauer is the elite of the elite at the catching position. He is a two time AL batting champ that finally added power (28 home runs last season) to his arsenal. He's hitting in a better all around lineup this year, and is entering his contract season, so look for much of the same. Personally, I see the Twins resigning him during the season. After Mauer, there is a drop off to Victor Martinez, but he's still a great option at backstop. Despite the fact that I think the Red Sox will struggle to score runs this season, Martinez is still in a better lineup than the Indians, and should be helped out by hitting in front of Kevin Youkilis as he hit .336 after arriving in Boston last season. Brian McCann rounds out the 3 truly elite fantasy catchers. He's a very consistent fantasy producer over the past few years, and is about the same value as Martinez. I put McCann at the 3rd slot due to Martinez being eligible at first base as well.
The 2nd Tier:
I would be shocked if Matt Wieters is not considered an elite fantasy catcher by next season. He struggled a bit when he was first called up, but ended the season hitting .288, 9 HR, 43 RBI in 354 at bats. That rates as pretty damn good for your first taste of the big leagues. Miguel Montero looked like he finally put it together in the 2nd half of last season. Normally, I'd be pretty cautious, but I think it's just the start of things. Jorge Posada may be getting up there in age, but he can still produce at the plate. Don't be surprised to see him get more and more time at DH, but who really cares as long as he keeps his eligibility at catcher. Geovanny Soto had a pretty awful sophomore season. I doubt he'll be a huge bargain, but you may be able to get him on the cheap a little bit. Look for a good, rebound season.
On the Rise:
Matt Weiters - Please read above
Miguel Montero - Please read above
Buster Posey - The best hitting catching prospect in baseball. Most likely a September call up unless Molina really tanks it or gets hurt.
John Baker - In 571 career at bats he has a .281 average, 14 HR & 82 RBI. He may not be young, but he can produce and is a good, late round pick.
On the Slide:
Benji Molina - Molina is certainly getting up there and had a 27 point drop in his average last season. Like I already said, keep your eye on Buster Posey
Jorge Posada - Don't get me wrong, I still like Posada, but know he's now on the down slide. He's still a border line top 5 (#6 on my ranking) fantasy catcher, just don't take him too early.
Russell Martin - As a die hard Dodgers fan, I am so disappointed in Martin. He's taken huge steps back the past two seasons. Personally, I think he's just not that good.
Dioner Navarro - With Kelly Shoppach on the team, his playing time will drastically decrease after a bad 2009 season.
Ivan Rodriguez - Pudge is old as mud, and he just isn't that good with the bat anymore.
Make sure to check in this weekend for the First Base rankings!

Big weekend could narrow Hockey East's tournament prospects

By Chris Maza
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

There are six games remaining for most teams, but this weekend could be the decisive blows for a lot of teams could be landed this weekend in one way or another.

Two huge blows were already dealt to a couple of national tournament hopefuls before the games have even begun this week. Boston University had just started playing well and has thrust themselves into the conversation, but now will have to try to make it all the way back without their first line center, Corey Trivino after fracturing his fibula in a 5-2 win over Maine on Saturday. Vermont has been unable to put away winable games lately (1-2-3 in the last 6 games against Maine, Providence and Merrimack), is on the dangling on the edge in terms of the PairWise Rankings and just dismissed Justin Milo from the team. It was said to be in the best interest of the team, so you have to wonder what was going on to cause the coaching staff to kick the team's second-highest scorer while in the middle of the stretch run.

That will make things interesting heading into the final weeks, especially with some key matchups coming up this weekend. Let's take a look at the standings and some of those matchups.

1. UNH 13-5-3, 29 points (14-10-4 overall)
2. Boston College 12-7-2, 26 points (17-9-2)
3. Maine 11-8-2, 24 points (14-11-3)
4. Boston University 10-9-2, 22 points (13-12-3)
5. UMass 11-11-0, 22 points (16-13-0)
6. Northeastern 10-10-1, 21 points (15-12-1)
7. UMass-Lowell 9-10-2, 20 points (15-13-2)
8. Vermont 7-9-5, 19 points (13-10-5)
9. Merrimack 8-11-1, 17 points (11-15-1)
10. Providence 4-15-2, 10 points (9-17-2)

UNH and Vermont have a huge series tonight and tomorrow. The Wildcats are clinging to a three-point lead in the Hockey East standings and could use a pair of quality wins to improve their PWR. Vermont is fighing for its tournament lives. While the Catamounts are eighth in Hockey East and are not playing their best hockey at this point. Still, they're in a four-way tie for ninth in PWR with UNH (League's leader and 8th place team ranked the same nationally. Crazy, huh?), Cornell and Minnesota-Duluth. A split does neither team much good. A sweep puts one team in great position, while the other is most likely done, unless it can win the conference tournament.

UMass-Lowell is on the outside looking in and needs to sweep the series with Maine in order to have any shot outside of winning the Hockey East tournament. Lowell has been in a freefall lately, going 1-4-0 in their last five games and needs a huge spark. They have been in every game during that span, but have had a very hard time finding the back of the net, wirth the exception of the 4-1 win over Boston College. Maine has been resurgent this season and once again is an elite team in the year. They were on a tear, going 5-0-1, but has lost their last two games, giving up seven and five goals in a sweep by BU. Maine had the quandry of possibly losing ground if they swept BU because of the RPI rankings, but getting swept by the Terriers took care of that, too. Maine is ranked 17th and needs wins.

BU has also rediscovered themselves and is now in a position for home ice in the Hockey East tournament, but now must go the rest of the way without one of its leaders. It shouldn't be much of a problem against Providence, but it remains to be seen how much good a sweep of such a weak team would do for the rankings. It certainly doesn't help the strength of schedule, but given the fact the Terriers are only a game above .500 at this point, they can ill afford to lose to the Friars.

Boston College has a real shot to give themselves a No. 1 seed in the national tournament if they finish strong. Taking at least three points from Northeastern, another team fighting for a chance to play beyond the conference tournament would go a long way towards doing that. BC is possibly the hottest team in Hockey East other than BU, going 5-1-0 in their last six games, including a Beanpot championship. The Huskies have struggled all season long and really don't have much chance of tournament play beyond Hockey East, but it's all about getting hot at the right time. They are coming off a weekend sweep of UMass and have won their last four, so three or four points stolen from BC could change their prospects very quickly.