Top 10 Fantasy Baseball 3rd Basemen

Here's how I would rank 3rd basemen for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Alex Rodriguez Yankees
2. Mark Reynolds Diamondbacks - drop him down a notch if your league penalizes for strikeouts
3. Evan Longoria Rays
4. Pablo Sandoval Giants
5. Ryan Zimmerman Nationals
6. Chone Figgins Mariners - stolen bases are what set him up this high
7. Michael Young Rangers - good for 20+ HR but I'm afraid of taking him for some reason
8. David Wright Mets - last year in pre-season some were arguing he was the top 3rd baseman. This year - not so much.
9. Chipper Jones Braves - don't ever count Chipper out (but also plan to have a Plan B for when he gets hurt)
10. Aramis Ramirez Cubs

I had Kevin Youkilis listed as a 1st baseman but he's probably eligible in every league for 3rd. He'd be in the top 5.

Pythagoras and NASCAR

Pythagoras was not just an ancient mathematician and philosopher but also the founder of the religious movement called Pythagoreanism. They were very big into number mysticism including such ideas that odd numbers were masculine and even numbers were feminine.

After reading about that my first thought was about NASCAR and how Dale Earnhardt was number 3 (an odd number) and how Jeff Gordon is number 24 (an even number). The Intimidator (odd number) versus the Rainbow Warrior (even number).

Just sayin'. Maybe Pythagoras was on to something?

Franken Unfunny

I've never found Al Franken funny. This video of him more than confirms that the Senator from Acorn is a dullard.

This is how I imagine the conversation going with a Senator with a sense of humor.

Reporter: Senator - are you aware of the $7 billion in the bill for jungle gym equipment?
Senator w/ a Sense of Humor: First off - the term jungle gym is considered politically incorrect. Most of the equipment is made from plastics and anyone with common sense knows that you don't get plastics from the jungle. For me to even infer that would get me a strongly worded letter from the Sierra Club. Secondly, anyone with a classical education can tell you that the word "gym" is short for gymnasium which in Ancient Greece is where young men wrestled each other in the nude. You aren't suggesting our youth wrestle each other in the nude are you?
Reporter: No. Of course not.
Senator W/ a Sense of Humor: Good because that would make you a weirdo.
Reporter: But Senator what about the $7 billion?
Senator w/ a Sense of Humor: Normally I'm all about fiscal responsibility but since the kids will be the ones paying for all this crap in the bill - I say let them have their playground equipment. I'm just surprised someone thought to put anything in there for them in the first place.

HT Instapundit

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

The Mike Lowell for Max Ramirez trade still makes sense but I'm torn. Part of me wants the classy Lowell to stay in Boston - make that most of me... The Mesopotamian god of the moon was called Sin which is appropriate since most sins are committed at night... Awesome April Fools prank... When Gerry Ford was President he took inflation down from double digits to 5% and decreased unemployment simply by decreasing government spending. Ford used something like 66 vetoes on what he considered unnecessary government expenditures. We could use a Gerry Ford today. Instead we get a Jimmy Carter... Dogs playing Poker - Reinterpreted for Geeks... I'm probably going to read Kick-Ass the graphic novel at a Barnes and Noble before seeing the movie... Brad Wilkerson has been released by the Phillies. I, like many, am puzzled by the career of Wilkerson. He hit 32 HR as a 27-year old. He's like this generation's Phil Plantier... Heh heh...

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Shortstops

Here's how I would rank shortstops for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Hanley Ramirez Marlins - so much separation between Hanley and the rest make him that much more valuable if you have the chance to grab him
2. Troy Tulowitzki Rockies - can he repeat his performance from last year?
3. Jason Bartlett Rays
4. Derek Jeter Yankees - you could swap Jeter and Bartlett around and I'd be OK with that
5. Yunel Escobar Braves
6. Jimmy Rollins Phillies - He had a down year last season and still hit 21 HR
7. Elvis Andrus Ranger - has tremendous potential
8. Jose Reyes Mets - most other people would have him ranked higher but 'm afraid of his health and the players above him aren't chopped liver
9. Stephen Drew Diamondbacks
10. Erick Aybar Angels

Rafael Furcal just misses making the list but I have to wonder if he's too past his peak to risk taking him over any of the players on the list. Alcides Escobar of the Brewers make be the sleeper in the bunch.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

On this day in 1309 – Pope Clement V excommunicates Venice and all its population. That just sounds strange to the moderns' ear but back in the day all of the subjects of a ruler were held to the actions of the ruler. So if the ruler was excommunicated then all his subjects were as well... Happy birthday to Nathan Fillion who turns 39 today. Captain Reynolds and Castle are two of my favorite characters.... On this day in 1945 during World War II - Operation Starvation, the aerial mining of Japan's ports and waterways began. Do you think today such an operation would be allowed to have such a politically incorrect name? More likely people would be asking why the Japanese hate us.... I really wanted to place a bet on Boston College winning the NCAA Men's Hockey but couldn't find any takers... It's been ten years since Ian Drury passed away. In his honor - hit someone with your rhythm stick today.

Linky Links

Stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- 11 of the most unusual bars and nightclubs.

- Monmouth to have fewer races but bigger purses.

- Bill Murray bartending at SXSW

- Heh Heh - this took me a minute

Rise



The Tea Party people should adopt Public Image Limited's song Rise as their anthem. Anger is an energy.

Extra Tough Trivia Question

Here's an extra tough trivia question that I wouldn't expect anyone to get without looking up the info - of the 16 teams left in the NCAA basketball tournament only 4 of them produced a Hall of Fame baseball player. Can you name each college and player produced by the four schools?

Hint - Crash Davis from Duke and Todd Helton from Tennessee are not on the list.

18 Drinks

I'm not proud of this but I thought it worthy of note. In the past 4 days - twice I've gone out and had 18 drinks. Exactly 18 drinks both times. But here's the thing - both times I've come home with more money in my pocket than when I went out.

On Wednesday, St. Patrick's Day, I got into a poker game and won. Yesterday I hit a Keno ticket for $450 to start the day. Do I dare test the magic of 18 drinks yet again today? Could this be my new full-time job?

Release the Kraken!

Debauchery - Thy Name is Preakness

This story conjures up images of the infield turned to a mud mix of spilled beer and vomit. Excellent - will there be webcams?

The key paragraph from the story:

Under the new drinking policy announced Friday, patrons will be able to pay $20 for 16-ounce mugs of beer with unlimited refills. The price of admission for the infield will be $40 - $10 less than last year - and individual beers will go from $3.50 to $3. Outside food and coolers will still be allowed, but any drinks, including water, are off-limits.

Can you just picture the potential riot waiting to happen if there are not enough places to get beer or pourers to dispense the golden liquid? This is going to be great fun to watch. I'm serious about the webcams. This will be more interesting to watch than the racing.

Welcome Home



If you don't tear up when watching this - well then there's something wrong with you.

HT American Digest

NCAA Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous March Madness thoughts and observations.

Georgetown's sports teams are called the Hoyas which is Greek for "what rocks!" Given their performance on Thursday maybe the nickname should be changed to "what bricks!"... Every year I say that I'll bet every single underdog in the first round. You would have done pretty good this year if you used that strategy. Instead I picked individual games and went 0-5 until I had Syracuse over Vermont last night... The joke is already old but is Murray State one of those 57 states that Barack Obama claimed to have campaigned in?... I'm in a knockout pool where I have Kentucky and Northern Iowa. Root for those two teams to continue to cover the spread. Can you do that for me? Thanks... St. John's should hire Mark Jackson as their next coach. Then Jackson should hire an up and coming recruiting coach and a veteran bench coach. St. John's should be one of the better programs in the country given their location and history...

Linky Links

Some stuff I found interesting and thought I'd share.

- Twelve reasons Guinness is good for you. I had plenty of goodness yesterday.

- Blockbuster heading for bankruptcy?

- Unlocking the opium poppy's biggest secret

- Bernie Madoff gets ass kicked in jail. Good!

- Darth Vader gets around

Holy Crap!

I saw this picture of Nancy Pelosi.

All I could think of was this character from the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Nancy Pelosi as a Roald Dahl character? Now it all makes sense!

College Basketball

It's that time of year again. College basketball March Madness. I use Bodog for my NCAA college basketball lines. I've put this link to their basketball lines in my blogroll (right above ESPN.com) to make things easy.

Today I like the following:

- Georgia Tech +9 over Duke (Georgia Tech to win outright with a money line of +375 also looks appealing)

- Richmond +4.5 over Temple

- Kentucky -7 over Mississippi State

- Minnesota +4.5 over Ohio State

Good luck to you and wish me luck.

Shakespeare Insults Eric Massa

I saw this Shakespearean Insult Generator and this insult stood out like the Bard was speaking directly to disgraced New York Democratic Congressman Erc Massa:

"You scullion! You rampallian! You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!" - Taken from: Henry IV, part 2

This one would have worked just as well:

Thou artless tickle-brained flirt-gill!

Top 10 Fantasy Baseball Second Baseman

Here's how I would rank second baseman for fantasy baseball purposes.

1. Chase Utley Phillies - if he's healthy then it's not even close.
2. Robinson Cano Yankees - this guy is a danger to win a batting title every year plus he has 20+ HR power. Being in the powerful Yankees lineup trumps concerns that sometimes he seems to play like he doesn't care.
3. Ian Kinsler Rangers - last year it seemed that Kinsler traded batting average for batting power. This season he could find a happy medium for both and hit .290 with 25 HR.
4. Dustin Pedroia Red Sox - you could almost make the argument for any of the next three to be listed in any order.
5. Aaron Hill Blue Jays - last year was a career year for Hill but he should be coming into his prime seasons so he should be able to duplicate something close.
6. Ben Zobrist Rays - was last year a fluke? Could be a bargain in most leagues but that's because the uncertainty about him. Hey - the AL East sure has a great bunch of second basement don't they?
7. Dan Uggla Marlins - 27+ HR's and 88+ RBI each of the past four years.
8. Gordon Beckham White Sox - may be listed as third base only in some leagues but worth a pick for when he become eligible.
9. Brian Roberts Orioles - most people probably have Roberts listed much higher than this but I'm concerned about his health.
10. Casey McGehee Brewers - could be a real sleeper for those not paying attention. Last year he hit 16 HR and was 4th in OPS among second basement with at least 300 AB.

Flotsam and Jetsam

Miscellaneous thoughts and observations.

In 1942 Joe Gordon of the Yankees led the AL in strikeouts w/ 95. These days 95 wouldn't even lead the AL at the All-Star break... I'm a big fan of this beer. Sam Adams Noble Pils - a brief history/review. And yes I do consider myself an average American Bud Light swiller... OK Nomar Garciaparra signed a one-day minor league contract with the Red Sox and then retired. The contract was supposedly for $30. That raises two questions in my mind - A: did Arn Tellum (Nomar's agent) get his $4.50 and B: did Nomar also get his per diem money?... I'll say it again - TiVo is the modern technology equivalent of the Pony Express. Famous but short-lived. Both ushered in better things... I was reading a document that was talking about "private equity" except I read it as "pirate equity". I would so invest in pirate equity. Maybe something like the Crimson Permanent Assurance...

Nomar

Nomar Garciaparra retired yesterday and he retired as a member of the Boston Red Sox. That's great - now he can go into the Hall of Fame wearing a Red Sox cap.What you don't think Nomar deserves induction? Well let me tell you - if they let in Joe Gordon then Normar is a sure thing!

I'm only half-joking about that Hall of Fame bit. People say that know a Hall of Famer when they see one. That's the main argument keeping Bert Blyleven out of the Hall. Conversely people who watched Nomar play in his first full six seasons will tell you they thought they were watching a surefire Hall of Famer. Nomar won the Rookie of the Year, two batting titles and was top 10 in MVP voting 4 times during those years. If at the end of 2000 you polled baseball fans which shortstop would end up in Cooperstown then Nomar would have topped the list over A-Rod and Jeter.

Nomar was unique. His batting style, his great big nose, his love of soccer and Mia Hamm. He was the anti-Jeter and anti-A-Rod. And we loved him for it!

Then came the wrist injury. Then came the trade out of town which was accompanied by the Red Sox front office knocking Nomar down in the media in order to build themselves up. Then came the five and a half years in the wilderness where Nomar was no longer Nomar. He was an oft-injured player whose prime was behind him. Then came yesterday's retirement announcement. The prodigal son had returned and he was welcomed with open arms.

Nomar's body let him down but he never let Red Sox fans down. He gave it his all every time he took the field and just as important - he didn't disappear in the playoffs (*cough*Roger Clemens*cough*).

So welcome back Nomar. For some of us - you never really left the fold. Just do me a favor - stop with the "Red Sox Nation" crap. For real fans "Red Sox Nation" is just a made up marketing program.