How long can the Sam Fuld Experience keep on going? Pretty insane what that guy has been doing on both sides of the ball. Between him and Damon (before he just got hurt), they've salvaged the Rays' season, at least in this short term. They seemed like a team on the verge of total implosion.

Speaking of which, Ozzie has already been on the verge of implosion and I just saw that the ChiSox are on the road on six of their next eight series, basically on the road an entire month except for one week. I haven't seen them play, but their schedule so far seems pretty soft (Cleveland, KC, Oakland), so it'll be interesting to know if that really is/was the case or whether the ChiSox are really that bad. I was kind of surprised to hear that Ozzie was on the verge of getting canned last year after watching that reality TV show they did on MLB Network, where it looked like him, Kenny Williams and Reinsdorf were all very tight.

cleveland and kc is at the top of the central and the a's have one of the top rotations in baseball and you say the chisox schedule has been soft?

LFMAO @ Sam Fuld...I just saw a replay of his diving play (helluva play btw) in last night's game and thought, "Sam Fuld is still around?!"...KC is not legit...inevitable collapse awaits, which is unfortunate b/c Billy Butler deserves better...Cleveland's more intriguing though...if Sizemore remains healthy and Hafner continues to hit like its 2006 all over, then maybe they can compete long term...good mix of veterans and younger players in the lineup...their pitching is pretty ho-hum though w/ Perez emerging as a solid stopper...I think the White Sox will pull it together and win the Central once Rios and Dunn get hot...

how do you people claim to follow baseball and you dont know about kc?.alex gordon is finally on track, you mentioned billy butler. in about a month butler will move to dh and eric hosmer will take over at first and also mike moustakas will be playing third. the kc lineup is about to get potent. and dont let their young pitchng fool you either because they have a bullpen to back up those guys

I follow baseball, and I know this about KC - that team has reserved tickets for the cellar every year...as for Alex Gordon, are you seriously on that bandwagon?...is this the same Alex Gordon who hit .215 last year when he wasn't nursing a bruised vagina?...as for their pitching staff, wake me when someone other than Bruce Chen is their ERA leader...Hochevar has a great upside...I'll give you that...

KC is indeed on track with Gordon finally showing the potential he hasnt lived up to (I think he's 4th in batting right now). I have him in both my leagues, so I well know. I'm on the Fuld bandwagon (now) and had him watched, (after that mini-explosion in the Boston series) in both, but wanted to be sure before picking him up. He got snatched up in both leagues by someone else..no biggie there, but a nice offensive player making the most of his time, right now.

Lowrie on the other hand..I couldnt let him sit there, so snatched him up in both. I dont think Scutaro threatens his playing time..not at that clip and outside of fantasy, he may pick up even more multi positional flexability when the onset of injuries start..he can play anywhere in the infield, and I think 2 years ago, they had spotting in the outfield, if I remember correctly.

I need saves. I scoured the St Louis fronts, and came out of it with Boggs maybe having the upper hand there, when/if Larussa makes the change. I did the deed on a hunch and neither drop (Ortiz (util) & R. Davis(on the DL)) seem to be anything that can really hurt me right now..

and davies. alex gordon is spraying the ball all over the field. his swing look s great. and he isnt uppercutting like he has in the past. i think the kid has figured it out finally

scratch that, was thinking Butler..for 4th in hitting and have in both my leagues

Gordon is doing well out of the gate though

the royals are the new twins
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/pr ... 10923.html

he leads the league in hits. he has a 12 game streak going right now

The Royals will reacquaint themselves with the cellar by late May...maybe early June if they drag this thing out too long...even Royals fans aren't buying the fast start...they've seen this too many times...the Royals come out of the gate fast, the KC Star writes an obligatory "is-this-finally-the-year" story, and then they tank...Alex Gordon is a busted prospect trying to turn himself into a respectable player...the Gregg Jeffries of the 2010s...

fair enough there..it's all speculative (obv) every year anyways til the end, player or team

There's always that darkhorse team every year, and theres no reason KC couldnt make some sort of run at it.

anyone think O's, Indians or Jays could be this sort of team?

Pitching health for the O's has brought it back down to earth. Indians could..I love the Blue Jays young rotation and BP

Baseball season is a marathon, not the sprint. How you come out of the games doesn't mean much in the grand scheme of things. Really think the Red Sox are going to finish in last place?

Royals, as ESPN described them in a recent magazine, are the Yanks of the minor leagues. Their farm system is loaded and super hyped. Last orginization that got this much hype that I remember was the Angels and their results seem to be mixed; some studs like Weaver and some duds like Wood. But either way, the Angels paired that system with free agent signings to help make them the team they are so I would think the Royals will need to do the same to compete. Can Moore do that? I don't know...he's a good talent evaluator but has yet to prove anything at building a pro league roster.

The Royals are still a process in waiting and I agree with those who dont believe the success will continue. That pitching staff is not good. Hochevar has shown no signs of being ready, Francis and Chen at their best should be mid to back end rotation guys, Davies has been a bust for far too long. And their lineup, I like Butler, I am willing to have faith in Gordon, and then? Franceur always comes out the gate fast and collapses BAD. Who else do they have? I am probably missing some guys but I really don't think they are enough to make that a lineup that can balance out that weak rotation. I don't know their bullpen well, but a good bullpen isn't really what makes a team. It's vital in maintaining a winning team but it doesn't make a team a winner.

I actually like the Royals so I do hope they can succeed. I just don't think this is the year. If I were to pick a darkhorse I would go with Toronto myself, but that division might squash that possibility.

Agree re: Troutman's assessment of the Jays rotation, but I have a hard time thinking a dark horse will emerge in the East this year...Baltimore's got the makings of a solid young rotation too, especially when Matusz returns from the DL...the Indians get my vote for dark horse contender...good mix of vets and young talent like Martinez, Brantley, LaPorta and Santana...their offense and strong bullpen should compensate for their suspect starting rotation, especially in that division...

did a double take on Mastersons line a few days ago...maybe he's finally ready to show he can control that bb he throws

Does everyone realize that Fuld is 29 years old and it's only a matter of time before he shits the bed?

As far as Alex Gordon goes, he's a solid player, but he'll never live up to the hype of being the 5th player selected in the draft.

my dark horse team is the pirates

I'm on board with Adam's assessment of KC. The Indians seem like a lot of the same, except with much more veteran presence on board. Both teams will compete but aren't serious contenders in the AL. Shit, if Chicago and Detroit keep fucking the dog, I don't know if there is a legit team in that division. Chicago was my pick, which is why I'm surprised to see them stumble out of the gate versus relatively tame competition, except for the Angels (who swept them at home), who I do consider for real.

I think either KC or Cleveland finishing .500 would be a considered a great season, and it's probably attainable, but neither team is elite with those pitching rotations.

Oakland's rotation IS elite, but they don't have the offense. I think they hang around in that division just because Anaheim is actually going to compete with Texas this year. I can see Oakland finishing in the 85-83 win range, which ain't bad, but again, it isn't elite. And most of the times I've watched the A's this season, their defense looks like a circus act, which has normally been a strength for them.

Pretty rough seeing Roy Halladay, my #1 draft pick get his ass handed to him by the Brewers tonight.

And the M's are fucking throttling the Tigers right now. Weird night.

MLB is taking over daily operations of the Dodgers. Apparently Frank McCourt has run out of money. Pretty sorry this could happen in the nation's second largest market...

The McCourts have been a disgrace from day 1, they never had the money to run the team properly and MLB should never have agreed to the purchase. Sad day, but one that was bound to happen once they McCourts started their divorce proceedings.

Selig's complete statement:

"Pursuant to my authority as Commissioner, I informed Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt today that I will appoint a representative to oversee all aspects of the business and the day-to-day operations of the Club. I have taken this action because of my deep concerns regarding the finances and operations of the Dodgers and to protect the best interests of the Club, its great fans and all of Major League Baseball. My office will continue its thorough investigation into the operations and finances of the Dodgers and related entities during the period of Mr. McCourt's ownership. I will announce the name of my representative in the next several days. The Dodgers have been one of the most prestigious franchises in all of sports, and we owe it to their legion of loyal fans to ensure that this club is being operated properly now and will be guided appropriately in the future.

Imagine if Mccourt somehow managed to be successful in his bid to buy the Red Sox. Probably better off in LA as I can't imagine the backlash in Boston if Mccourt did to the Red Sox what he did the Dodgers. It should be nice to lose that drama, though I think I saw Mccourt plans on suing MLB? Win or lose, that's more attention on him. How long before he is forced to sell and LA can function again like a normal team?

Mike Leash arrested for stealing $59.88 dollars in t-shirts. Really? Someone needs to hire an accountant/financial adviser if he can't afford that? Perhaps that was a prank or lost best gone bad?

That came out of nowhere. But nice to see Milwaukee make the commitment.

^ Great move by Milwaukee...Braun's the man, period...Fielder should be embarrassed, but I doubt he is...if embarrassment wasn't a foreign concept to Fielder he would have 1) developed a work ethic and dropped 50 lbs. by now and 2) he would be a team leader as opposed to continuing to operate as an oversized petulant child...

FACT: Milwaukee's Casey McGehee is WAY underrated...gritty throwback player...

while i do not like what happened in philadelphia monday or tuesday (both games i was at and tues was absolutely pitiful), i cannot help but agree with this statement.

Coco Crisp's afro looked awesome yesterday while wearing the throw back uniforms yesterday.