Latest Gear Live Videos
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
NEW YORK YANKEES
Johnny Damon picked a good time to decrease his G/F ratio to a career low 1.04, down from last year’s 1.29. Last season he played his home games in Fenway Park, which reduces left-handed batting power by 18%. This year he moved to Yankee Stadium, which increases lefty power by 7%. By fully taking advantage of his new surroundings, he has already tied his career home run mark with 20. Expect the power to continue.
Bobby Abreu’s power was in decline when he still in Philadelphia, but since coming to the Yankees it is even more pronounced. He has just 1 home run in 78 AB since the trade that brought him to New York. With a G/F ratio of 1.86 with the Phillies, it was not a surprise that he only had 8 home runs in 339 AB. With the Yankees his G/F ratio is 1.00, so he is hitting the ball in the air more often. At just 32 years of age, it is hard to believe that he has lost the strength to get the ball over the wall. If he continues with a G/F in the 1.00 to 1.20 range, the balls will begin to leave the park at a higher rate. At least he is not letting it affect other parts of his game. With the Yankees, he is a perfect 7 for 7 in steals and is batting .397.
On the surface, Mariano Rivera still looks as dominant as ever with 31 saves in 34 tries and a 1.91 ERA. But below the surface, there is a warning sign that he could be starting to show his age. His K/9 of 6.0 is down from a 9.0 mark last season and is on the low side for a closer. His ability to induce ground balls still makes him effective, but at age 36 he may not be dominating hitters much longer.
Andy Phillips was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained ribcage muscle. He has been a non-factor in fantasy baseball since the Yankees acquired Craig Wilson.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. East
Advertisement
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 7
Posted by Alvin Lai Categories: Editorial, H2H, Props, Southeast Division, Washington Wizards, Talent,
Round 1, pick 7: Gilbert Arenas
On the plus side…
One must look back before moving forward, or something like that. So let’s start by regurgitating some numbers from last year but with the proper perspective. Like the monster players taken already in this draft, Gilbert Grapes can be found at the top of many statistic mountains. He finished fourth in league scoring (29.3 ppg), tied for second in three-pointers per game (2.5) and tied for third in steals per game (2.0). So between the buckets, the moneyballs and the swipes, his game brings everything a fantasy owner is looking for in a lead guard. Of course, assists are part of that mix as well, and though the uneducated may scoff at his 6.1 dime-drops per contest last year, that is still good enough to be among the top 20 in the league.
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 7
The Missing Details Of The Draft Blog
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Site Announcements, Site Features,
With half of the first round behind us, I thought it would be a “good” time to catch you people up on the draft order. Of course, I probably should have done that BEFORE the draft. All I can say is… oops.
In any case, I’m doing it now, so you’ll just have to live with the fact that I held out with this info longer than your high school girlfriend before you… yeah, you get what I’m saying. And, be happy because I’m not even asking you to buy me flowers or talk to me everyday. But, if you feel so inclined, I wouldn’t mind the attention.
Click to continue reading The Missing Details Of The Draft Blog
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 6
Posted by Ron Chow Categories: H2H, Props, Roto, Southeast Division, Miami Heat,
Dwyane Wade coming out party was on center stage during the NBA Finals, where he averaged 34.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 2.67 steals and 1.0 blocks per game for the championship series! Wade was named the MVP for the NBA Finals and showed a glimpse of what he can do for fantasy teams in the future.
There are whispers that Wade was working on adding the 3-ball to his portfolio. If the NBA Playoffs were an indicator of his newfound range, then he would be making only 50 3-balls made over an 82 game schedule. He would have to at least double the 3 pointers made to have 2nd overall considerations behind Lebron James. Still Wade is a welcome employee to any fantasy team.
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 6
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 5
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Central Division, Cleveland Cavaliers, Editorial, H2H, Injuries, Pacific Division, Los Angeles Lakers, Props, Roto, Site Features, Talent,
Round 1, Pick 5: Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
Have we all forgotten about the Colorado Incident yet? Isn’t it funny how people almost immediately forget scandals of celebrities, politicians, and jocks… just because there always seems to be a new one daily? Well, fantasy basketball owners never abandoned the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant as we knew that he could perform (on the court, people, on the court). And with the incident squarely behind him, Bryant went off and exploded last season (again, on the court, people, on the court).
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 5
American League Fantasy League: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, MLB,
LOS ANGELES ANGELS
Orlando Cabrera, who is batting .248 since the All-Star break, revealed that he has been playing with a sore thumb for over a month. It seems to be affecting his power and ability to make contact.
Juan Rivera now has 20 home runs, 67 RBIs and a .301 batting average. His high G/F ratio of 1.36 suggests the pace of home runs will slow down
Adam Kennedy drew a suspension of four games for charging the mound against Texas on Wednesday night. Because the Angels are scheduled to face three southpaws in the next four games, Kennedy will forego the appeals process and begin serving his suspension immediately.
Dallas McPherson suffered an injured ribcage in a minor league rehab game. This should keep him out of the majors for another few weeks. With Maicer Izturis playing well, he probably won’t even have his starting job back when he returns.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy League: A.L. West
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 4
Posted by Scott Sargent Categories: H2H, Northwest Division, Minnesota Timberwolves, Props, Roto, Sleepers, Talent,
First off, Dennis, Please tell me that you weren’t considering Dirk in the “sexy” category with LeBron James in your Marion piece. I mean, unless you dig that kind of thing…then by all means! Un-pimp Ze Auto!
“Betcha Biggie won’t slip…” – Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G. (Warning)
Now, every once in a while, fantasy owners have prayed to the “Fantasy Gods” for good health, good games, and good luck. While this is only a mock draft, the Gods shined down on the team with the fourth pick, as Kevin Garnett, or “The Big Ticket” to some, lands in the figurative lap – making this pick to be about as much of a no-brainer as ever.
Round 1, Pick 4: Kevin Garnett
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 4
On Monday, Junior Seau went back to the team that drafted him fifth overall in the 1990 NFL Draft out of USC, the San Diego Chargers, whom he played 13 seasons for. No, Seau was not going to be playing for them after being released by the Miami Dolphins, whom he played with for three seasons. He was back to party and celebrate his retirement. About 300 people were there to celebrate with him. But, guess what?
Seau may be back between the lines making opposing offensive players say his name - SAY-OW!
Click to continue reading Junior Seau UN-Retiring?
Sporting News Fantasy Football Magazine Review
Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Editorial, Fantasy, NFL,
Sporting News Fantasy Football
Sporting News Fantasy Games
Edited by Bob Hille, Dale Bye, Bill Marx, Mike Nahrstedt
$7.99 US, 152 pages, no sexy ads. Cover features Larry Johnson and Shaun Alexander.
This magazine loves the athletes – every picture is a shot of player, usually in action. It kicks off with an odds and end collection of draft day tips, then jumps right into a long expert’s mock draft section. Every pick gets a write-up, but the length of the comments vary greatly depending of how controversial they are (several paragraphs devoted to Matthew Berry’s choice of Thomas Jones late in round one, for example.)
Then Sporting News gets a little schizophrenic – it turns out that the opening article is a preview for what’s to come. Good advice, backed with numbers, but dispensed in chicken nugget-sized snippets. It’s very basic too, covering fundamentals of play – probably written to appeal to beginners. The Overall Rankings list 204 players divided into “tiers” of 12 (for a seventeen-round, twelve-owner draft.)
The position intros are very good – lots of information in a concise package. Players are listed alphabetically (within their position) in an extremely abbreviated format. Their rank, according to Sporting News’ Cheat Sheet, is included. Notes and Q&A are sprinkled through these sections. Coaching and player changes are covered, briefly, as is strength of schedule.
Team analysis and stats round out the issue and are (as you would expect) bare bones. This magazine covers everything but does so without a lot of depth. A great choice for someone whose pressed for time, and would work well as an introduction for beginners. For them, it’s recommended. More experienced (or obsessive) players might be disappointed with the brevity.
That’s it for now. Check back soon for the next installment, and remember to always take two Running Backs in the first three rounds. Always.
Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 3
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, H2H, Injuries, Pacific Division, Phoenix Suns, Props, Roto, Rumors, Talent,
Round 1, Pick 3: Shawn Marion
Okay, I have to admit it. I asked Ron whom he was going to take with the second overall pick and he said that he probably would go with Marion at that point. However, he had no problem in relinquishing that pick if I wanted to write about the Matrix because he knew about my man-love for the guy. All I can say is… MY JEDI MIND TRICK WORKED!
Seriously, I am crushing on Marion and Ron was nice enough to let me pick him for the inaugural Dropping Dimes Draft Blog. Ron… thank you, sir.
Click to continue reading Dropping Dimes Draft Blog: Round 1, Pick 3
Advertisement
© Gear Live Media, LLC. 2007 – User-posted content, unless source is quoted, is licensed under a Creative Commons Public Domain License. Gear Live graphics, logos, designs, page headers, button icons, videos, articles, blogs, forums, scripts and other service names are the trademarks of Gear Live Inc.