TruffleShuffle

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?c_id=mlb&content_id=13609203 love that fat sox fan cursing him out behind the chain link fence. God the sox are trashy.

I've always thought that these are the toughest sons a bitches of any sport in the world. yeah they're pretty damn tough. i went to a match opening round at the melbourne cricket ground, which holds 100,000 when full. the match i went to was melbourne vs sydney and only had about 34,000 - melbourne is one of the least popular teams in melbourne (i know it sounds weird, but there are 10 teams in victoria, and most are more popular than the team named melbourne), and sydney isn't hugely popular either because rugby is bigger in new south wales. anyway, sydney was ahead by 10 to 25 points for most of the first 3 quarters, but then melbourne had a very strong last quarter and actually took a 2 point lead. then sydney got a pair of behinds to tie it, and the last 3 minutes were very intense with a tie score. it became really hard to move the ball because all the players were just swarming. really impressive the fitness of these guys to play at that intensity after 120 minutes on the field. the game ended in a tie, the first tie game of the year. the other problem in fantasy footy is that guys get hurt a LOT, and you only get 2 trades a week. i've had 4 players get injured with things that will put them out for at least half the season, so all four of my trades (it's only week 3 right now) have been dumping guys who are gone for half the year. i still have 3 reserves who have significant injury, but haven't been able to drop them yet because of all the injuries to my starters. the team i cheer for, west coast, has lost their top goal kicker (torn groin muscle) and top defender (tendon damage in elbow) for about half the season.

two former cubs started in AA against each other tonight: jake peavy and chris archer. (wait jake peavy wasn't a cub?) anyway, archer was mediocre: 4 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 3K.

i'm not sure i've ever seen nyjer morgan make an out against the cubs. maybe i just watch the wrong games.

Fukudome & Colvin: Struggle against lefties Johnson: Can only hit lefties Obvious question: why not give Johnson a start? Because Reed Johnson isn't any good and Colvin would very rarely play otherwise. and colvin doesn't struggle against lefties.

agreed. the red sox have been among the top spenders in the draft for years, and that's despite drafting late in every round due to them being good.

unfortunately theriot also just had a 2-run single after a 12 pitch at bat with 2 outs in the top of the 9th against brian wilson... cards were down 3-2 and now lead 4-3

i joined fantasy AFL this year, lots of people in my office do it. pretty fun but jeez is it a lot of work. there are 33 people on your fantasy team! going to a game really gives you a perspective on how much goes on that the camera doesn't catch - for example, the only real extended breaks in play are between quarters, so during each quarter the team has assistant coaches (wearing neon colors) running on and off the field to give the players instructions. once in a while they get in the way of play and the other team gets a free kick at goal. if there's an injury the trainers just run on the field as play is going on and attend to the injured player - unless it's something serious and then they stop play.

then i would have pitched in a prospect who was farther away from the minors or pulled back hak-ju lee, and if they still say no then just walk away. i don't see that as being a good trade when you're getting back a #3 pitcher from a cash-strapped team that's eager to clear space from their rotation.

plus he's a known steroid user... buyer beware. if he got hit by a truck in week one i might feel differently, but he got caught cheating (again) and retired. too bad.

i don't even know who polin trinidad is

based on the numbers he produced, definitely. considering that he's been caught using PEDs twice now, it's pretty reasonable to think that he's been using throughout most of his major league career. so would he have been a HoF player without them? hard to say. but for most of his career they weren't banned by the league and everyone was playing under the same lack of rules, so based on that i'd vote for him. Hasn't he actually gotten caught 3 times now? He got caught from that 2003 anonymous testing that ended up not being so anonymous, then in 09 he got caught with the masking agent, and now. He would have only gotten punished for 2 of them but 3 different times over an 8 year period he was caught using PED's. I'd say its pretty likely he was using them his entire career, putting all of his numebrs in jeopardy. He's gonna have a hard time making the HOF. If a proven steroid user makes the HOF, that will open the floodgates and then he'll get in. But until that happens he'll be standing on the sidelines like McGwire, Bonds, Sosa, Palmeiro and the rest. i'd say bonds (and to some extent clemens) are different cases because the numbers are so overwhelmingly good. bonds is the home run king, #3 all time in OPS+ and #2 in WAR among position players. clemens is #2 in WAR among pitchers and #10 in ERA+. i'd say you could make an easy case that even without PED use, those guys were HoF-caliber players. whereas some of the more borderline players - mcgwire, sosa, palmeiro - may not have been HoF players without "help."

We would be in a bigger hole than we currently are if they hadn't traded for Garza. i'd argue that they could have gotten garza without giving up archer. the rays are a cash-strapped team with a loaded farm system (especially pitching) and everyone knew they wanted to dump a starter to make room for hellboy. i don't think it was necessary to give them three of our top 10 prospects for garza, especially when one considers what kansas city - a team with similarly limited resources but an atrocious rotation - got in return for a superior pitcher.

McNutt. really hasn't pitched above high A yet, besides a cup of coffee at tennessee last year - realistically a year away at best.

based on the numbers he produced, definitely. considering that he's been caught using PEDs twice now, it's pretty reasonable to think that he's been using throughout most of his major league career. so would he have been a HoF player without them? hard to say. but for most of his career they weren't banned by the league and everyone was playing under the same lack of rules, so based on that i'd vote for him.

yep, no mulligan.

Thanks for your input. I hope you comment all season. agreed, it's nice to have the firsthand input, especially with respect to defense.

I didnt even think the lackey contract was that bad when he signed it. He's been a really good #2 for most of his career. Now he put on a red sock uniform and apparently sucks.

He's going to have a long wait to get into the hall of fame as a multiple offender.

valid point

they really shouldn't have traded archer. since they apparently see carpenter as a reliever and jay jackson's star has faded, they really don't have any solid starting prospects at the upper levels of the minors now.

let me answer that for you - he cannot.

Thats Marmol numbers there. It's also a college arm against a bunch of youngsters. Much as I am intrigued with Hayden, I wouldn't read too much into his numbers in Peoria, unless they are bad. your impression of low A ball is wrong. simpson was born in 1989. all but two of the chiefs' hitters (burruel and alacantara) were born in 1989 or before. the team they faced today, cedar rapids, has just two hitters born in 1990 with the rest born in 1989 or earlier. in fact, i would guess that simpson might be around a year younger than the average player in the midwest league.

not really. plus he hasn't pitched professionally and his college pitching was done for a small school. and a lot of people thought he was a reach at #16.

good outing from whitenack: 7 ip, 6 h, 2 er, 0 bb, 5 k, 13 go/2 fo. beliveau relieved and allowed a hit with 2 K's in an inning. cerda is 2-4 with a double, lake has a pair of singles in 3 AB (and playing SS?), beef welington is 0-4 with 2 K's as the DH, watkins 2-4 as the 2B. vitters went 3-5 with a double while spencer was a triple short of the cycle.