Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting or amusing and thought I'd share.

- Interesting - Lance Berkman has gone back to school to get his degree.

- Nice Christmas gift

- Another reason to hate bathroom hand-dryers

- Another reminder of how huge Andre the Giant was

- One of the reasons NIH is "short" of money

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

OK I admit I'm panicking in Boston! The loss last night really set me off. This was supposed to be a championship caliber team and now I'm wondering if they will even make the playoffs. Yup - the preseason loss by the Boston Bruins has really made me question things... Particles found to break speed of light. Wait - what? I thought this was settled science?... Lance Berkman signs a 1-year extension with the St. Louis Cardinals. As good as Berkman's been for the Cardinals - the cynic in me wonders if this is an insurance policy against Albert Pujols leaving as a free agent. Remember Berkman also plays 1st base... The Amazing Fact Generator. Just awesome... Sam Simon once asked poker champ Dan Harrington why he didn't have a poker sponsor. Harrington responded that he didn't have a sponsor because he didn't want to go to jail... What if everything worked like the BCS: the Spelling Bee. This is WICKED AWESOME.... If I had a brewery that competed against Heineken - I would have a commercial featuring two skunks drinking Heineken and saying things like that they loved this beer and how they didn't even have to leave the beer out in the sun for hours to get it to taste the way skunks like beer to taste... The year Mariano Rivera came up with the Yankees - Jack McDowell was the ace of the pitching staff. Yeah - that Blackjack McDowell... Heh heh - Epilepsy my cock... July was National American Beer Month and August was National Anal Sex Month. I think it would be more interesting if in the future they combined the two...

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

Of all the major league pitchers who have had 5 starts so far this season - only Jose Contreras (8.31) and Oliver Perez (9.97) have worse ERA's than Brad Penny (7.61)... It's kind of a punch in the gut when you look at MLB.com's pitching stats page and you see Nick Adenhart still listed as leading the league in ERA... Lance Berkman weights 220 pounds but is hitting just .184. Just saying... Carl Crawford loves playing Boston. The six stolen bases get most of the attention but also impressive is the fact that Crawford raised his batting average 33 points in the weekend series with the Red Sox (from .284 to .317)... As good as Johan Santana has been so far this season - I think that if the season ended today then Chad Billingsley's 5-0 record and 2.21 ERA would be hard to overlook for the NL Cy Young Award...

NL All-Star Team

Here's my picks for who is most deserving to be named to the NL All-Star Team:

C - Brian McCann Braves - narrowly over Russell Martin
1st - Lance Berkman Astros - complete player
2nd - Chase Utley Phillies - any questions?
SS - Hanley Ramirez Marlins
3rd - Chipper Jones Braves
OF - Nate McLouth Pirates
OF - Ryan Braun Brewers
OF - Ryan Ludwick Cardinals
DH - Albert Pujols Cardinals
SP - Edinson Volquez Reds

Reserves - Russell Martin Dodgers; Geovany Soto Cubs; Adrian Gonzalez Padres; Dan Uggla Marlins; Jose Reyes Mets; David Wright Mets; Carlos Beltran Mets; Jason Bay Pirates; Pat Burrell Phillies; Ben Sheets Brewers; Ryan Dempster Cubs; Brandon Webb Diamondbacks; Tim Lincecum Giants; Kerry Wood Cubs; Jon Rauch Nationals;

Notes - Derrek Lee probably would start for the AL team but there's a good chance to might not even make the NL team... It is very possible that the middle infield combination of Chase Utley and Hanley Ramirez may be the best middle infield pairing to appear together in the history of baseball... Aramis Ramirez may not make the team. I bet that would go over well in Chicago.... There is a good chance that all three outfielders voted in by the fans will be players who will be undeserving based upon this season's performance. Ken Griffey, Jr., Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome both of the Cubs are the leading vote getters but none of the three really should even be on the team... Matt Holliday will most likely be the representative from the Rockies. Holliday making the team could cost Pat Burrell or Ryan Ludwick a spot on the team...

Top 5 - Biggest Fantasy Baseball Disappointments - Hitters

Today I'll take a look at who I see as the 5 biggest disappointments, as far as hitters are concerned, in fantasy baseball so far this season.

1. Lance Berkman - I thought he'd be an NL MVP candidate instead he has a .764 OPS. He was the first pick for many fantasy teams. He's the baseball equivalent to Daunte Culpepper right now.

2. Vernon Wells - just 5 HR and a lousy .691 OPS - did the new contract make him complacent?

3. Garrett Atkins - last year he hit .329 with 29 HR - this year he's hitting .234 with 4 HR

4. Rocco Baldelli - this was supposed to be a big comeback year - not the year of suck

5. Robinson Cano - still time for him to bounce back but he was supposed to be competing for a batting title not hitting .274