Sports Blog

One of the aspects I like about fantasy baseball the most is the seemingly endless amount of players that can be scooped up on the waiver wire early in the season. Most leagues require only one starter at each position (with the exception of the outfield and pitching), so in a standard 10-team league there is an abundance of players to choose from if your draft picks aren’t panning out the way you hoped.

This is great news if you are a bottom dweller in your current league because there is no reason to panic. For starters, the fantasy baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. There are going to be plenty of ups and downs; be ready for them. It also means that there are a lot of good players you can add today that will make an immediate impact.

With that being said, here is a list of players available in most leagues that can start paying dividends this weekend. All players on the list are not nationally well known and available to pick up in at least 50 percent of mixed leagues (using ESPN for that).

Kurt Suzuki: The Cal State Fullerton alumnus is currently the 8th ranked fantasy catcher and owned in only 4.7 percent of leagues. He is third amongst catchers in batting average (.327) and seventh in runs (7), but don’t expect much out of him in the power department. Still, if you drafted a Mike Napoli type and don’t feel like waiting for Matt Weiters to be called up, Suzuki could fill in for you just fine.

Casey Blake: Even the casual Dodger fan might be surprised to hear that Blake is second (4) in home runs and fourth in RBI (11) for third basemen. Owned in only 12 percent of leagues, if you need an extra corner infielder he could be your guy. Buyer beware, though. Blake Dewitt eats into his at-bats and at 35 years old it is hard to predict how long he can keep this up.

Khalil Greene: Not exactly a household name, but if you need help in your middle infield you could do a lot worse than him. Greene is currently the 13th ranked fantasy shortstop and available in 81.9 percent of leagues. Take a look at these two middle infielder’s stat lines and tell me which one is Greene and which one is the much heralded Alexei “Sexy” Ramirez …

Player A: Average draft position - 211; HR - 2; RBI - 7; R - 9; OPS - .710
Player B: Average draft position - 69.5; HR - 0; RBI - 3; R - 4; OPS - .414

If you guessed Player A was Greene, kudos! One thing to note is Ramirez spends most of his time at second base, but retains eligibility at shortstop. You tell me who is the better value.

Nyjer Morgan: His greatest asset to a fantasy owner is his ability to steal bases, but unlike other speedsters (think Juan Pierre) he will get plenty of at-bats. He is currently the 12th rated outfielder, and while he is unlikely to remain that high for the entire season (or his .323 BA for that matter), if you are looking for steals without killing your average he could be your guy.

Paul Maholm: A teammate of Morgan, Maholm is currently the ninth rated fantasy pitcher and is amazingly owned in only 43.6 percent of leagues. If you are in a NL-only league he needs to be on a roster. Same goes for mixed in all but the shallowest of leagues.

And there you have five players that can immediately help your fantasy team. Who are some of your favorite fantasy sleepers?

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Angels pitcher killed in car accident after debut - Fox Sports
• Michael Jordan still thinks he can still play - Deadspin
• Bears Fund 4-Year-Olds Flight to Heart Surgery - SportsByBrooks
• Jennifer Aniston is after David Wright - Larry Brown Sports
• ESPN needs some better grammar - Sports Hernia
• Top 7: Baseball Streaks of the Past 20 Years - Joe Sports Fan
  

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “I want to be on his rehab program”
• Shots Fired at Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen Wedding
• National Champions: UNC Tar Heels
• Cheryl Miller and Scott Pollard Feud on NBA TV
• Jack Elway, Son of John Elway, Quits ASU Football
• John Daly Selling Merchandise from Bus on PGA Tour

Photo Source.

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Henrik Stenson strips to golf in the mud - Golf.com
• Grant Hill says Christian Laettner is a jerk - SportsByBrooks
• Michael Phelps Kellogg’s cereal donated - Larry Brown Sports
• Bernie Williams smashes camera and punches woman in the face? - Why’s My Head Growing?
• Columnists you want to party with: ESPN Edition - The Sports Hernia

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “For kicks, lets hold a press conference…” 
• Liar Liar: Vladimir Guerrero is Older than Listed
• Don’t Say It! Eagles Employee Fired for Comments
• Lane Kiffin Pulls Out All Stops in Recruiting
• Tapout’s Charles “Mask” Lewis Killed in Crash
  

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Why did Sports Illustrated take off Danica Patrick’s tattoo? - CNBC
• Harlem Globetrotter charged with domestic abuse - USA Today
• Marvin Harrison’s days in Indianapolis are numbered - NFL.com
• Lil’ Wayne blogs for ESPN, shows excitement with new tattoo - Sports By Brooks
• Jason Richardson drives 90 mph with child in car - Larry Brown Sports
• The NBA Trade Buzz is Upon Us - The Sports Hernia

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “High Flyer”
• Zachary King Tried to Cash in on Michael Phelps Photo
• Seahawk Leroy Hill Faked Arrest to Avoid Franchise Tag?
• Going Home: Ken Griffey Jr. Returns to Seattle

Photo Source.

Today’s the big day folks. Election 2008.

By the end of the day, we’ll know who are next President will be. But if you’re still undecided between Senator Barack Obama and Senator McCain, then maybe these final words from each candidate will help.

Obama and McCain were both drilled by ESPN’s Chris Berman and here is what they had to say.

Here is Barack’s comments:

YouTube - Watch 

And now for ol’ man McCain:

 
YouTube - Watch 

Is it me, or did anyone see the forced smile Berman had for McCain when he tried to imitate his “he could go all the way!” Oh it’s fun to watch an old man’s attempt at reaching to a younger crowd.

Photo Source.

Sporting Goods   NFL Gear   MLB Gear

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Patriots upset with Brady, has two more surgeries to fight infection - Deadspin
• DUI Video: Video of Rafer Alston’s arrest - SportsbyBrooks
• Classifieds - Ed Hochuli - The Sports Hernia
  
• Worthless Cards - Joe Sports Fan
• ESPN’s LA headquarters to open - Awful Announcing
• Hit of the Year: Milan Lucic hits Mike Van Ryn through glass - Larry Brown Sports

YouTube - Watch 

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “And now, the human tripod”
• Crushing Video: Ike Hilliard Gets Sandwiched by Seahawks
• The Office Linebacker Terry Tate Tackles Politics
• Boxing Video: Kelly Pavlik is a Sore Loser
• Loves Me, Loves Me Not: Pearson Shoots Pellets at Co-Eds
  

This week in sports blogs and news:

• Buy Mike Alstott’s 69 Camaro on eBay - Sports by Brooks
  
• Mariners want to beat up Ichiro - Larry Brown Sports
  
• Top 7: Baseball Numbers - Joe Sports Fan
• Chris Cooley’s mom didn’t appreciate his photo of “himself” - Deadspin
• We’ll Miss You Matt - The Sports Hernia
• Lil’ Wayne is Blogging for ESPN - The Big Lead

This week on the Smarter Sports Blog we covered:

• “Keep Your Eye on the Ball”
• Fantasy Football: Week 3 Fantasy Stats
• Cool Football Player: T.O. to Release Fitness Book, Drinks
  
• They Said What!? - Kosuke Fukudome
• Phillie Phanatic Causes Bomb Scare
  

The NFL season has officially begun. Let’s all take a moment and rejoice in this joyous occasion.

Being a complete sucker for sports history, I watched the Hall of Fame induction and imagined what it would be like to cry in front of a group of my peers and a national TV audience. I also caught most of the Redskins/Colts game and am on the verge of jumping onto the Colt Brennan bandwagon.

And although neither event was particularly memorable, watching them did get me even more excited about the upcoming season. Since I was so excited about football I decided to take a break from preparing for my fantasy football draft and came up with 10 reasons to be psyched for this year’s NFL season.

10] The Brett Favre watch – Everybody complains that they are tired of hearing about the latest will-he-or-won’t-he-play talk, but every time I speak to a NFL fan they always seem to know the freshest Favre information. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that both he and Packer’s management have treated the situation about as bad as they possible could.

Now we all begin each day wondering whether or not he will he start for the Packers this season; if Aaron Rodgers can ever mentally overcome the circus; how likely it is John Madden cries during Sunday Night Football if he sees Favre Play; and how ESPN will survive in the post-Favre era?

9] Watching this year’s “sleeper” team fail – I know it’s a little perverse, but I get sick of everyone jumping on a sleeper team every year. It has gotten to the point where it is just as bad to be the sheik sleeper team as it is to be on the cover of Madden; no one wants the curse.

Last year the media was talking about how the 49ers were a team to watch, and the moment they did, as a 49er fan I knew the season was doomed. This year the NFL community is hyping the Minnesota Vikings like crazy. Now we have to spend 16 weeks watching them not live up to expectations.

8] NFL Live – Really, is there anything more ridiculous than watching NFL Live in June? Over the summer we take a half-hour out of our day to hear why the Miami Dolphins cut their backup janitor. But once the season rolls around, NFL Live becomes as addicting as crack.

The show keeps us up to date on how every team in the NFL is doing and points us in the right direction for players to watch and players to forget. As an added bonus, hearing Ron “Jaws” Jaworski break down film makes us all wish we would have paid attention more while in school.

7] Seeing karma destroy the Patriots – Like most people who don’t live in Boston, I’m not a fan of the New England Cheaters Patriots. Although I dislike them for different reasons then most people (Bledsoe shouldn’t have lost his job to injury!), watching their perfect season swirl down the Super Bowl drain last year was beautiful.

Who would have ever thought that Eli Manning would go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady and come out on top? The Patriots look good again this year, but I have the feeling that their Spygate misdeeds will once again be punished by the football Gods.

6] Grown men beating each other senseless – If we were really honest about it we would say that one of the best things about the NFL is the big hits. Seeing a defensive end blindside a quarterback who stood a little too long in the pocket sends shivers down our spine and adrenaline throughout our body.

You could also add to the list: a running back trying to jump over the pile, a punt returner not waiving for a fair catch and getting laid out, and a wide receiver that was hung out to dry by his quarterback who makes him jump in the air over the middle.

Read more »

I know I wasn’t the only one who was a bit freaked out last night from the Yankees and Red Sox pregame show on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball.

I couldn’t understand why I was not paying attention to the commentators, then it hit me. It was because I was trying to figure out what was going on with Orel Hershiser’s nose. Then last night I woke up in a cold sweat from a nightmare from Orel’s haunting, Satanic face. I swear the man looks he’s going to jump up and bite my ankles.

With the high angle ESPN was using to shoot these guys, it made me think of Orel as a little rottweiler and Jim Miller kind of looked like the little Keebler elf without his little, funny hat.

Great, now I want a cookie. Be right back.

If you spend any time watching ESPN or ABC, you surely have seen one of the NBA’s where amazing happens commercials.

These 30 second melodramas display messages of perseverance, dedication and emotion – each glorifying a different NBA superstar – ending with a flash of the NBA logo in what is truly some of the best PR in sports.

They’re catchy. They’re emotionally charged. And now I can’t watch one without getting a dirty feeling in the pit of my stomach.

The Seattle Supersonics Oklahoma Yet-To-Be-Named played their first summer league game Monday, their first action since last week’s $75 million dollar settlement that finally brought an end to one of the saddest stories in sports.

A month from now nobody will remember the final score (95-78, Pacers) or who took the first shot in Oklahoma’s newest chapter of basketball history (Jeff Green), but years from now people will still be talking about the team formerly known as the Seattle Supersonics.

When Starbucks millionaire Howard Shultz sold the Sonics to Clay Bennett two years ago, the deal was that Bennett’s ownership group had to make a “good faith effort” to try and keep the team in Seattle. Two years and several revealing emails later, it became known that Bennett and company never had any such intentions and were in fact waiting for the right time to leave Seattle in their rearview mirror.

Throughout the entire process, NBA commissionaire David Stern had disturbingly little involvement. He sat back and let the spectacle play out, losing one Seattle fan at a time. Isn’t his duty to protect the league’s integrity? Don’t you think that if a NBA player reneged on his contract and left to play for another team Stern would have intervened?

But of course he did nothing. The people of Seattle are left with nothing more than 41 years of memories. But hey, Stern says maybe in the future it might be possible for the city to get another team.

The people in Seattle who spent the last year dishing out their hard earned money on Kevin Durant jerseys are left with a useless piece of memorabilia. But hey, maybe it will be worth money some day.

The people who grew up in Seattle watching The Glove dish alley-oops to Shawn Kemp will have to explain to their kids why they can’t go to Sonics’ games anymore. But hey, kids have to grow up sometime, right?

I realize that when it comes down to it the NBA is merely a business, but everything about this franchise relocation stinks. Bennett justified the move with a lack of public financing for a new building, but Seattle shelled out money to renovate Key Arena just 14 years ago.

Ask yourself, how long has it been since your favorite NBA franchise received a new building? Is your team next? Is mine?

Eventually we will all move on though, and to show Bennett that I’m not a poor sport I’ve even prepared an ad to get the people of Oklahoma excited for their new team.

Two tickets to opening night of the Oklahoma Yet-To-Be-Named … $120

Two hot dogs and two sodas … $18

Hijacking 41 years of history and part of a city’s identity … $75 million

Photo Source.