LorfTVP

Maybe they have average depth...but by that I mean I don't like their age and how they'd use said depth to fill in holes. We saw what a lack of depth did to the Yankees last season and I'm one of those guys that thinks that you've basically been replacing lost production. Your rotation is strong though, I'm not a believer that Burnett will crack, Wang was starting to strike people out last year...Pettite. Eh, he has experience running the gauntlet. But over half your offense is on the wrong side of 30 and you really don't have too many options if Jeter gets injured or if Damon smashes his skull into Damian Jackson's again (Ooh, I feel bad talking about that). Plus there's the Yankees lack of defense. Moving Damon to left should help, plus you have speed in Gardner in CF now. You've added a GG winner at 1st. Plus they're still all so gray and corporate.

Am I the only one? It's so close. I can smell it.

I didn't even realize that Sportswrath had a blog feature. Don't even know if anyone could find it if they knew it existed either. Oh well, I'm not gonna take this too seriously. Just gonna use this area to discuss the Sportswrath Fantasy Baseball League and all of its inherent trades, drops, trends, etc. Either that or I'll use this area to complain about the players who have burned me. Well, since the season has yet to begin and all the trades are pending, I'm gonna go over a short list of players who will not burn me again, and a few I simply don't trust. Rickie Weeks, Howie Kendrick - I throw these guys in the same boat because I've historically had 2b problems in fantasy baseball. Weeks, who a sportswriter recently considered renaming the dated Mendoza Line after, is an extremely frustrating player to have and a drain on the ol' BA. While Weeks teased, Kendrick is like a topless chick behind a glass window. He hits for a high BA, which would help as a whole if he got enough ABs, but he always gets hurt and never does deliver enough production to merit the consideration. I ended up with the league replacement level Placido Polanco next year. Joe Mauer - I have all the respect in the world for him but people are fawning over him for no reason, especially when he's just an average catcher (10 HR) who can't steal anymore. Love the batting average but of all the positions where you can get a high BA, catcher helps the least. Never had him, never will. Alex Gordon - I've been down that road a couple of times. I fell in for the hype and then I thought that he'd be a good post-hype sleeper. Nope. I'd probably be better off chasing a Cameron Maybin type. At least he runs. Scott Kazmir - He's given me some good years but he just isn't steady enough to stay on the mound. Plus his historical dominance of the Red Sox always made for a frustrating conflict of interest. Ichiro Suzuki - Still an amazing player, but you never know if you'll get a .310 or a .350 BA. Either way, his proficiency as a leadoff hitter does wonders. Any Yankee - I just can't do it. Sorry, there's no way. I can work my strategy around it by getting players I trust. So yes, let the season begin. As of now, there are many trades in the works.

My first game was Pedro Martinez vs. Mark Redman of the Oakland Athletics on July 7, 2004. He pitched 7 innings allowing 5 hits, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts, and three runs, two earned. Manny bounced a homerun off the cap of the Coke bottle too. He is always going to be a god amongst men.

Greinke's yet to come into his own? I guess you've missed the entire 2008 season then. The dude finally overcame all the mental handicaps which were holding him back and was able to put up a 13-10 record with a 3.47 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 183 Ks to 65 BBs in 202.1 IP. Billingsley was one of the best SP in the game last year, and although his walk troubles are troublesome, the man's proven himself. I'd consider a 3.14 ERA completely dominating, especially considering the fact that it bests Webb and Cain. Lincecum's in a world of his own. I would also match up Yovani Gallardo, the de facto ace of the Brewers, next to Philip Hughes any day. Hughes has 106 ML innings under his belt and has mustered a 5.15 ERA. Gallardo, in turn, has managed a 3.35 ERA in 134 big league innings. These guys are actually relatively comparable. But seriously, Hughes has yet to prove anything. Once the Yankees' LACK of depth in the rotation shows itself, we'll see how he performs. But right now, Phil Hughes is still EQUAL to Clay Buchholz, he of the 98.2 ML IP and 5.56 ERA. Remember all the arguments and comparisons between the two just last year? I'm not trying to bash you or Hughes in general, just trying to say that you gotta prove yourself before you can be the Ace of a third of the teams in baseball. I was writing a full list but my computer died and I don't wanna write it again. Then again... AL East Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, Orioles, Blue Jays - I don't like the Yankees' lack of depth and I expect their age to be a hindrance. The Red Sox have depth, and although their offense isn't spectacular, they possibly have the deepest pitching staff in all of baseball. The Rays shored up their weaknesses (Pat Burrell, anyone?) and I'm scared shitless by BJ Upton after the ALCS. Their rotation still has to prove itself, and Kazmir has to stay healthy, but Shields is the real deal. I think the Blue Jays rotation, or lack thereof after Halladay, will prove its undoing and Baltimore, behind some good young players (Markakis, Jones, Wieters (pronounced White Ears)) will surpass the Jays. AL Central Twins, White Sox, Tigers, Indians, Royals - The Twins, remarkably, had the fourth best offense in baseball last year and should do fine, especially with that strong yet unheralded rotation. The White Sox are well rounded. The Tigers' rotation scares me, especially with Verlander and Bonderman. Although Miguel Cabrera is a monster. The Indians have to do too much mixing and matching for me to be too confident, and although I always hope for the Royals, this isn't the year they climb up. AL West Rangers, Angels, As, Mariners - No confidence in the Mariners, but there's no shame in that. A lot depends on where Brandon Morrow goes, rotation or closer. I'm not just appealing to VG here, but the Rangers have got to go somewhere eventually. With the league's best offense and an unending fount of young pitchers coming in, I think there is a lot of buzz and excitement around these guys. As far as the Angels, one can never count them out, but they made some really bad moves with Hunter and Matthews. Vlad just isn't as scary anymore...although Abreu should do wonders for them. They'll be at the top all season long. The A's always have promise but so long as they're taking the three run homer approach, they'll go nowhere. NL East Phillies, Mets, Braves, Marlins, Nationals - Pretty straightforward, you can't go wrong with the defending champs. As wary as I am about the Mets rotation, the fact that the bullpen has hopefully been figured out should do wonders. And to that remark about how few everyday players the Mets have, those that they do have are among the league's best (Reyes, Wright, Beltran) along with the ever-godlike Santana. The Braves, this is a different year for them, and I won't know anything until I see them. Marlins, Nationals...the Marlins actually always find a way to compete despite Loria's affinity for ass fucking his team, so they'll be in the mix. The Nationals. Need I say more? NL Central Cubs, Reds, Cardinals, Brewers, Astros, Pirates - Worried about Zambrano, but the Cubs still seem to be cream of the crop. The Reds are young, exciting, and have a sneakily good rotation. As far as their offense goes, let the homers fly. The Cardinals, Brewers, and Astros all have worrisome rotations, despite having some of the best players in the game (Pujols, Braun, Berkman). Astros did next to nothing this offseason. The Pirates, well, it's always exciting to see ex-Red Sox prospects such as Craig Hansen and Brandon Moss do their best to blossom. NL West Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Padres - Dodgers seem the most...least sucky of an unappealing group. The west does have some amazing pitchers though, many of whom are in the Giants rotation. The offense is FINALLY getting younger (Sandoval, anyone?) and they have some legs to take advantage of their big home park. The Diamondbacks still have that rotation and a younger offense while the Rockies have a rotation that's better than expected. Still, I only put them above the Padres because at least they have some semblance of an offense.

Just hasn't been the same since EA Sports was shoved out of the MLB game business. EA Sports, it's in the game. Plus they're the best sports company as far as I've seen.

So, who would be the greatest "clean" player of our generation? Manny Ramirez seems to lead the hitters with...maybe Randy Johnson leading the hitters. Griffey, mrrm, guess so but his glory years were right before my time.

> Texas Rangers finish second in the AL West. > Nick Markakis will be amazing for the cellar dwelling Orioles. > The Yankees will trade for Matt Holliday in a three team deal. > Jacoby Ellsbury steals 60+ bases. > Alex Gordon finally hits 30 homeruns. > More of the 114 names will be released. > Selig, Orza, and Fehr will continue to be sleazebags. > Felix Hernandez posts ERA under 3.50

Hey, if the veteran is generous, hard-working, and accepts his role with grace then more power to the practice. Sucks about Sheets by the way. I would've loved to see him in Texas.

Hehe, a minor league contract. Y'know how veterans take minor leaguers out to eat? Where would Andruw take them? Somewhere with bibs?

The word "sheeped" suggested that VG was being assaulted and that doesn't make wny sense. Seems backwards.

What bothers me more than who did what is the conspiracy between MLB, the MLBPA, and baseball as a whole. On the MLB Network, Selig bashed the Player's Union about warning plauers ahead of time and tried to blame everything on them. Of course it was industry wide...I wonder which agents pushed steroids. Boras?

[quote name='SocalDub' date='Feb 7 2009, 11:45 PM' post=' What next, VG actually sheeped? No, SoCal actually being funny would be more of a shock.

Joba Chamberlain throwing at Kevin Youkilis' head multiple times helps

The market for hitters is incredibly cheap now, look at Burrell, and the likes of Abreu and Dunn are still out there. Plus there are all those end of their ropes superstars out there. But yah, not looking good. Still, with Reyes, Beltran, Wright, and Delgado as part of your core lineup, you should definitely crack 83-86. It's the pitching that'll do it in. But the NL East, like the AL, is a clusterfuck, and anything can happen with intradivisional games. Just don't finish behind the Marlins. :brooding:

Agreed! I mean, if anyone was going to be a unanimous shoo-in, it would be Ricky. I've never understood HoF voters. What was it Jayson Stark said, 28 people didn't vote for Ricky? He mentioned that three were blank steroid protest ballots, and I respect that, but those other 25 people are smoking something. Sure he ruffled a few feathers but if you're on top of that many lists, including some of the most important stats in baseball, then god damn it, you deserve some respect. Even though he we was at the end of his days with the Red Sox, I'm glad I could see him play. Even though my fondest memory of him in a game is a golden sombrero in the Rogers Centre.

He never had the defense to be elected in his first couple of years but eventually, he deserves it. Now a tougher question, even though he has amazing stats, is Roberto Alomar.

Hahaha! Melky Cabrera. Hahaha! :LMAO: :LMAO: :LMAO:

Rickey for WBC!!!

I think the Yankees were overspending when they were handing out some of those goddamn awful contracts of theirs. Now they're handing out contracts which are at least a bit more reasonable. I remember arguing about the Yankees' spending in high school...but eh, let them be. I agree that the small market teams are killing baseball. There should be some sort of loyalty test for all baseball owners...something simple like naming all the players on your own team or at least exhibiting some general knowledge of the sport. Padres aren't nearly as much of a waste as the Florida Marlins though. They find a way to compete every year and are fucked no matter what they do. They win two World Series since...what, '97, and are still equally fucked! But to tell you the truth, for some reason, I think that this is going to be an incredibly competitive year throughout baseball. Maybe I'm just thinking about the AL East, which is going to be tough, but I feel like the sport has proven it's parity and will continue to produce surprise teams every year. What the sport needs though is for those surprise teams to continue to compete.

Haha. Don't forget about the prospective fat tax in New York. Should help him out a bunch.

Tampa Bay does it with more class.

Maybe...but to have John Smoltz and Brad Penny as depth is wonderful. Our rotation isn't as top heavy as the Yankees, although it's close, but it's definitely deeper at this point. At least so far as having veterans back there who CAN pitch. Your fifth spot is still up for grabs while the Red Sox have Penny, Smoltz, and Buchholz there with Masterson (although I hope he stays in the bullpen) and Bowden in the wings. I really do like this depth. Gonna be strange seeing Smoltz in a Boston uniform though. Penny...less so.

Brilliant moves. Smoltz is reportedly signing for a 5.5 million base salary that can reach up to 10 million while there are no details out on Baldelli yet other than people saying he's about there. Either way, Baldelli is a great player who was simply derailed by his misdiagnosed condition and the wrong treatments. So long as he can stay healthy, he's an excellent fourth outfielder. Though this does give us the need for our backup 1b to be a 1b/OF just in case Baldelli can't play on back to back days. Still, the speed off the bench really helps. As for Smoltz, I'm surprised that he's leaving the Braves, and he won't be back until May, but this is a very high upside move. I don't know if this spells the end of Wakefield's days as a starter or a trade of a young pitcher, but it's going to create some action. As they say, you can never have enough starting pitching, but as of May, Wakefield would seem like the odd man out with Beckett, Lester, Matsuzaka, Penny, and Smoltz. Slowly but surely, the Sox are improving themselves.