Yeah, I felt like I really reached for Hamels at #23, but being at the end of the line where I was in the order, if I didn't reach for a higher 2nd tier then I would have gotten skunked at my next shot at #47.

Hamels is one of my only NL starters and he got his ass lit up tonight. I hope it isn't an omen of things to come.




That is always my strategy. Let people froth at the mouth about the closers that they say are worth so much. I pretty much won each H2H H category last year just by having David Robertson on my roster last season. This year I've got three set-up men and I got them really cheap. Non-closer relievers really vary in their output year-to-year, so I'll probably throw the three of them up against the wall and see who sticks and ditch one of them. Clippard and Venters should be shoe-ins, but I basically am not trusting anything about Atlanta this year. And Boston to a lesser extent.




I think this is a Yahoo thing for leagues starting after the opening weekend. My "pro" league which also drafted last night, is set up the same way. Speaking of which, that'll be the first MLB league I've been that doesn't count TB. That's really gonna fuck me up. It's basically the first stat I draw to to determine whether my team is keeping up with the Joneses. I'm not sure I like the Yahoo pro/money leagues, but it does take the factor of flaky commissioners out of the equation at least, I guess.

The Rockies have only scored six earned runs in their four games so far. They're really gonna need to crank that offense up to be anything this season. Losing a series to the Astros is a bad sign of things to come.

That was Zito's first shut-out in 274 starts.

The M's of all teams jumped on Darvish tonight, but couldn't hold off the Texas bats. All the talking heads are saying Darvish is a different Japanese pitcher, but this ain't good start.

Kinsler resigned with Texas for 5 years/$75. Contract, pending physical, starts next year and supposedly has an option for a sixth year.

Guillen gets a 5 game suspension.

It'll be interesting to see what Brandon Phillips gets. Should be somewhere between Uggla's deal and Kinslers.

I think Hamels should be good this year, pitching for a new contract and all. I'd think he could be bordering that top tier, if not there.

If memory serves, I think Priest was able to change the settings up to do away with the waiver period for the season start when we did our football draft late. That was Yahoo....but maybe I am mistaken.

Jew Boy is totally worth it.

I wonder if he is eventually going to get fired. I know a lot people are calling for his head.

Yahoo gives you the option of how many days you want to have waivers for. It also gives the option of having non-drafted players go immediately onto waivers, or they can immediately become a free agent. It's basically up to the commissioner to decide. In the leagues I run we always have rule changes, etc go to a league wide vote.

surely they wouldn't fire him after 4 games

Brandon Phillips resigns for 6 years, $72 million.

One year older than Kinselr and he gets a one year longer contract. Rather my club do the Kinsler deal than Phillips. And that is some hefty money Cincy has thrown out this off season. Wonder how it effects their future signings/resigning. Phillips is a valuable piece but not sure I'd consider him their second most valuable piece. They're going to need to keep some pitchers around and Jay Bruce seems poised for a breakout...but perhaps a Bruce extension if he does explode would be blocked more from the Votto deal than Phillips.

Man, are those for real? Baseball north of the border looks like the equivalent of hockey in the US, if you know what I mean. Who let the dogs out.

Awesome.

How about them Dodgers? Pretty skeptical that they keep it up, but it's good (imo) to see. Now just get Scully back in the booth. I hope there is nothing serious happening there.

NL East is looking a bit upside down a week in. I did pick the Nats to make the playoffs this year though. snailhook did too! I hope that train keeps on rollin'. The pitching is really good throughout, especially if Edwin Jackson stay focused like today (a complete game on 92 pitches).

NL East is looking a bit upside down a week in. I did pick the Nats to make the playoffs this year though. snailhook did too! I hope that train keeps on rollin'. The pitching is really good throughout, especially if Edwin Jackson stay focused like today (a complete game on 92 pitches).

Whoa Whoa Whoa!! we're just starting the season out. NL east is correcting itself and I don't think the Nats will be leading this time next week. But I do think they have some strong players and good things could be in their season. I just see the phillies and braves doing a little better. It should be close all around though which will be fun.

It'll be interesting to see how LA does once they face a team other than SD and Pittsburgh, 2 teams that shouldn't be challenging for any of the playoff spots. Kemps the real deal, the rest of that team? I am about as sold on them as I am the Mets, though the Mets fast start has me enjoying that a bit. Helps soften the blow that is the Rockies....they are just bad and seemingly worse than I originally anticipated. Could be a long season.

And just when I am about to get one Upton back in fantasy I am on the verge of losing the the other. That sucks...though Justin has been pretty horrible opening the season. Maybe letting his thumb heal properly is what he needs.

Well, I called DC making the playoffs here as a preseason prediction, so we'll see how it goes. I ain't editing the post, so check back in September I guess. I didn't have them winning the NL East mind you, I picked Philly for that. As well as winning the World Series (Philly).

Congrats to Jamie Moyer to becoming the oldest pitcher ever to record a win. Only Rockies pitcher to have an era south of 5 too I believe.

Yep, congrats to the Ancient Mariner! And at 49-1/2 years old after Tommy John surgery!

And speaking of horrible managing of fantasy team, on Monday I benched Ike Davis (1 HR, 3 RBI), Tueday Nolan Reimold (1 HR, 2 RBI) and today Ike Davis again (2/5, 1 HR). I'm getting smoked!

Part of it is because this fucking gay "Pro League" in Yahoo only has a minimum requirement of 7 innings pitched a week as a 5X5 league. I've never played in such a league. Fucking hell, I had what I thought was a good draft, but everyone else drafts like one stud pitcher, a few guys for saves and then loads up on the bats. So to adjust, I have to drop three pitchers and load up on bats, thus making it easier to fuck the dog when a particular player has a great day.

I'm really against that low of a minimum pitched format, it is really gay you can carry six pitcher and 17 bats on a team. It's early and I can recover, but I'd expect better from the Yahoo "Pro League" for $100/team. Maybe they have different formats for those pay leagues and I just got unlucky in the draw? I don't know.

Reason number 6,275,932 why Charlie Manuel is a horrible manager. In last night's game, it's the top of the 11th, man on third, and Charlie decides to bring Jim Thome in as a pinch hitter. (When the Phillies signed Thome in the off season I did not like it at all. He is nothing more than a DH/ pinch hitter for an American League team. A National League team can not waste a roster spot for a guy who can't play the field and basically can't hit anymore.) The Giants countered Charlie's decision to bring in Thome as pinch hitter by bringing in Javier Lopez, a lefty. So instead of pulling Thome for Placido Polanco or John Mayberry Jr, he leaves Thome in, to no surprise to anyone, strikes out. What a wasted opportunity. I've been saying it for years, Manuel can not manage. If the team is a small ball team, which the Phillies currently are, he doesn't have a clue what to do. He can only manage a team consisting of power hitter and usually with this type of team he fucks it up.

I've been victim of benching the wrong guy a few times myself this week. Adam Lind on his 3 for 3 night with homer, Freddie Freemen on both his good games this week, Ike Davis yesterday, Dexter Fowler when he homered. Sucks..especially with the the Lind benching, he goes off and the rest of my team that was playing managed a 4-36 line.

Extra Innings dropped the Lee/Cain matchup at the last minute last night. Motherfucker, matchups like that, in prime time are the whole reason I subscribe to that service!!!

But I followed the box score on Yahoo. I thought the Thome substitution was strange indeed. I don't put anything past Charlie Manuel. That was a bad signing for that team, but that's not Manuel's fault. He is in a tough spot with Thome because there are virtually no situations where they benefit bringing Thome off the bench.

Charlie Manuel, Bobby V. and Dusty Baker seem to be in an unannounced competition to suck the most dick early in the season...as a Cardinal fan, I revel in watching them kick the shit out of the Reds, but last night's game left me sympathizing for Reds fans...early season dick sucking aside, all three should turn things around, but I wonder if Valentine might've already lost his team.

Not sure what Bobby V is doing in Boston. I like him but he fits best with a young, up and coming team, or at least more blue collared team, where he can better get away with "challenging" his players in such a combustive manner. Going after Youkilis like he did, when he was on the job for just a few months, seems like he was sabotaging himself, especially with their slow start. That move probably doesn't pass mustard with a team like the Red Sox. His time in the Mets also fell apart when they started bring in the veteran, big name players (such as Roberto Alomar). They never took to his style and the team lost the magic they had that got them to over achieve and reach the World Series.