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Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.7.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, MLB,
Pittsburgh Pirates @ Philadelphia Phillies
I. Snell (7-6, 5.00) vs. J. Lieber (3-5, 5.79)
The Battle for Pennsylvania! Okay, maybe it’s not all that dramatic and besides you need the Amish as part of the battle for PA. At this point with both teams slumping or just playing beneath their talent level, the Amish might lose to the Amish.
San Diego Padres @ Washington Nationals
W. Williams (3-1, 3.04) vs. R. Ortiz (6-6, 4.90)
These are two of the most boring teams in the league, possessing only one player that makes you stand up out of your seat with your mouth agape and that’s Jake Peavy (Padres) and Alfonso Soriano (Nats). If the Nats were in the N.L. West this would be more interesting as every team in the division has a shot to finish in first place… except the Diamondbacks who, lately, look like they don’t want anything to do with the N.L. West crown. In any case, this is a boring series with no substantial ramifications.
Florida Marlins @ New York Mets
D. Willis (5-7, 3.96) vs. J. Lima (0-3, 8.79)
Joe Girardi, Manager of the Year. Don’t laugh because not only are the Marlins doing well lately, but they’re young, improving, and on the cusp of contending for a Wild Card spot despite their youth and inexperience. However, they will be facing the N.L. East leading New York Mets and will probably have the door slammed on them. If the Marlins can take the series or even split it, as they are on the road, it can go a long way in how the Marlins play for the rest of the season.
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Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.7.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, MLB,
Baltimore Orioles @ Cleveland Indians
K. Benson (9-6, 4.35) vs. C.C. Sabathia (6-4, 3.90)
The Indians have been disappointing and so has Sabathia who started off hotter than Elisha Cuthbert kissing Scarlett Johansson (don’t you wish you pervs!), but slowed down like we probably should have known considering that a person with a gut like his has no endurance to run a marathon like the baseball season is. On the other hand, Benson has been steady, unlike his wife’s mental state.
New York Yankees @ Tampa Bay Devil Rays
J. Wright (4-5, 4.61) vs. J. Seo (0-1, 3.86)
The D-Rays just gave it to the Boston Red Sox, taking three out of four in their recent series. Next up? The Bankees. How will this small market team do against the “Evil Empire”? Probably the same as they always do, surprising the shiznit out of them and taking te series. Now, if only management was smart enough to trade some of their youngsters (although Carl Crawford should ALWAYS be untouchable to trade) to make the team better and competitive for the next few seasons. However, it seems I’ll be part of the geriatric crew and living down there before that happens.
Toronto Blue Jays @ Kansas City Royals
A.J. Burnett (1-2, 4.30) vs. L. Hudson (1-3, 7.24)
I’m a big Burnett fan, but with his injury history, sometimes you have to be a Burnett hater. Right now Burnett is healthy (cross fingers that he stays that way) and trying to get into a groove. If he and Roy “Doc” Halladay stay healthy, Ted Lilly continues to pitch well, and the offense continues to mash (where are you Alex Rios, we miss you), the Jays can take the A.L. East as crazy as that sounds. The Royals? The only division they would take is the A.L. Sucktral division. Unfortunately (or fortunately) there’s no such thing.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.7.06
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Editorial, MLB, News,
OAKLAND ATHLETICS
Huston Street has blown 3 of his last six save opportunities. But fantasy owners need not worry. His K/9 of 8.68 and BB/9 of 2.1 are still above average for closers. Remember he is only 22 years old and is on his way to being among the elite of baseball’s closers.
After a horrendous start, which saw his batting average at .169 on May 11th, Dan Johnson has rebounded to get his average up to .241. What has really been disappointing is the drop in power. After hitting 15 home runs and 21 doubles in 375 AB last year, Johnson was expected to take a step up this year. But with just 6 home runs in 231 AB his power is regressing. He has gone homerless since June 13th, so it is not like he is showing any signs of turning it around. With his batting eye and contact rate remaining consistent, the main culprit for the power outage has been his G/F ratio, which has risen from .93 last year to 1.58 this year. He is simply not hitting the ball in the air enough or with authority to produce extra-base power. Avoid him until there is some sustained improvement in his G/F ratio.
At one point in his career, Jason Kendall was one of the better fantasy catchers. Now he has become a one-dimensional player who only helps in batting average. Whatever power he once possessed is completely gone as he has just 1 home run in his last 1,072 AB. While he was not hitting home runs, he was still able to hit 28 doubles last year, but even that is showing a steep decline, as he only has 9 this season. The days of the double digit steals from a catcher are also behind him, as not only does he play for a team that eschews the stolen base, he has also been caught 4 times in 8 attempts. What Kendall still does well is make excellent contact, 91% rate this season, and work counts, .96 batting eye in 2006. With those skills intact, he could see a bump up from his current .268 batting average.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. West
NBA Draft Grades: Southwest Division
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Drafts, Editorial, NBA,
DALLAS MAVERICKS
Who They Ended Up With: SG Maurice Ager, SG Danilo Pinnock
Comments: Whenever I watched a Michigan State game, for some reason I always focused on watching Ager play. He’s a great perimter shooter, a finisher on the break, extremely athletic, and just an all-around scorer. He reminds me of another MSU alumnus, Morris Peterson. Ager is a bit undersized at the two spot, but is long. He’ll need to play better defense if he wants to really do well in the league, but either way, at best he’ll be the sixth man off the bench for the stacked Mavs. Pinnock has a solid overall game, but is a better defender. If the Mavs could put Ager and Pinnock in one body, they’d have a potential All-Star player right now. BUT that’s more Dr. Frankenstein theory before a pack of villagers come raiding my house, torches in hand.
Final Grade: B
HOUSTON ROCKETS
Who They Ended Up With: SF Steve Novak, F Lior Eliyahu, SF Shane Battier (trade)
Comments: Check this stat out about Novak - he’s only missed 18 free throws his entire college career and has higher lifetime free throw and three-point shooting percentages higher than J.J. Redick. The boy can flat out shoot! With Yao Ming down in the box and Tracy McGrady penetrating to the hole, Novak should see a lot of open jumpers going through nets all around the league when he gets time on the floor. Mark my words now… Novak will win the 3-point shooting contest at this upcoming season’s All-Star Weekend. Okay, I have to be honest, I thought it was dumb to trade Rudy Gay, a potential star player and we’re talking high-end here, for Shane Battier. Don’t get me wrong, Battier has a great overall game and for those of you that play fantasy basketball know this, but we know what we get with Battier and the upside of Gay is worth a lot more. However, that said, Battier will be a great complement to Ming and McGrady and should be a front-line defensive stopper for them.
Final Grade: C+
Click to continue reading NBA Draft Grades: Southwest Division
Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.6.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, MLB,
Florida Marlins @ Washington Nationals
A. Sanchez (1-0, 6.30) vs. L. Hernández (6-8, 5.46)
Last night the Marlins and Nats decided to play another game as both teams put on the pads and played football. Oh wait, it just seemed like it after looking at the 18-9 score of last night’s game, which the Marlins took. The Marlins look to even up the four-game series before starting a four-game set (including a doubleheader on Saturday) with the N.L. East leading New York Mets.
San Diego Padres @ Philadelphia Phillies
C. Park (5-4, 4.32) vs. R. Madson (8-5, 5.71)
Here we go again, the Phillies are falling and it may not end anytime soon. With rumors of Pat Burrell and Philly favorite Bobby Abreu being available, it just indicates that the Phils are throwing in the towel at the mid-point of the season, which doesn’t make sense to me because a lot can happen still. I’m sure a lot of Phillies fans are frustrated with the team and with Brett Myers gone for all intents and purposes, where’s the pitching? Tom Gordon has been great in the closer role, but the starting pitching rotation is shakier than Kelis’ booty.
Click to continue reading Dealing To The Dish: National League 7.6.06
Dealing To The Dish: American League 7.6.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, MLB,
We’re baaaack! And so is IN-league play. No more interleague play til next week’s All-Star game. And, by the way, did you vote for the last roster spots for each league? No? Get to it!!! Here’s your American League matchups for today.
New York Yankees @ Cleveland Indians
R. Johnson (9-7, 5.25) vs. C. Lee (8-5, 4.69)
On July 4th, the Boss’ birthday (and I’m not talking about yours, I’m talking about George Steinbrenner), the Yankees got drilled by the Indians 19-1, which couldn’t have made Steinbrenner very happy. So, the Yanks came out last night and drilled back, beating the Tribe 11-3. So, which team takes it tonight in the rubber match of the series? Well, if Randy Johnson pitches like the last time out, giving up eight earned runs in six innings, the Yankees will get scalped. Cliff Lee is a little more level in his outings, so the game will hinge on which Big Unit shows up - the one that can dominate or the one that gets dominated.
Boston Red Sox @ Tampa Bay Devil Rays
T. Wakefield (6-8, 3.90) vs. J. Shields (4-1, 4.39)
Could it happen? Could it really happen? When the Red Sox and D-Rays get on the field tonight, the bottom-dwellers of the A.L. East, the D-Rays go for the four-game sweep of the A.L. East leading Red Sox. However, the D-Rays will have a tough task as Tim Wakefield takes the hill for the Red Sox and is 14-2 lifetime against Tampa Bay with a 2.77 ERA. However, the Rays are going so good lately and Carl Crawford is mashing and dashing so strong, I think Wakefield will be taking the L tonight.
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The All-Star rosters for the American League and the National League have been set by fan voting and by the managers. BUT, there’s just one more set of voting that must be done… THE FINAL VOTE! This is where you, the fan, get to vote in one more deserving player that may have been overlooked in the first rounds of getting into the game.
For the American League, the nominees are:
DH Travis Hafner, Cleveland Indians
C Ramon Hernandez, Baltimore Orioles
SP Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins
C A.J. Pierzynski, Chicago White Sox
SP Justin Verlander, Detroit Tigers
For the National League, the nominees are:
OF Bobby Abreu, Philadelphia Phillies
SP Chris Capuano, Milwaukee Brewers
1B Nomar Garciaparra, Los Angeles Dodgers
RP Billy Wagner, New York Mets
SP Chris Young, San Diego Padres
Balloting ends on Thursday at 6PM EST, so get to voting!!! Oh, if you look at the graphics for this post, you’ll know who I voted for. GO PRONK! And let me tell you, I told anyone and everyone that Chris Young was going to be good, but no one in my fantasy leagues, especially, believed me. So, I snagged him in just about every draft I had. Whether or not Young makes the All-Star team - as Nelson Muntz would say - HA HA!
Read More 
| MLB.com Final Vote
NBA Draft Grades: Southeast Division
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Drafts, Editorial, NBA,
ATLANTA HAWKS
Who They Ended Up With: PF/C Shelden Williams, PF Solomon Jones
Comments: When the Hawks’ pick was made and they kept their promise to draft Williams, I thought, what a bunch of dummies!!! They seriously needed a point guard because Tyronn Lue wasn’t cutting it and Joe Johnson was playing out of position. However, soon enough, they signed Speedy Claxton to run their offense and I felt better about the Hawks. Backing up Chris Paul in New Orleans, and sometimes playing alongside him, Claxton showed that he had starter ability and could probably get the job done somewhere else. Well, he’s getting his chance. Back to Williams - it was nothing against him, in particular, but the Hawks need a point. But, he should be a low-post force once he gets accumulated playing down with the trees on the NBA level. He’s a nice complement with the jumping jack athletes such as Josh Smith and Marvin Williams.
Final Grade: B
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Who They Ended Up With: SF Adam Morrison, C Ryan Hollins
Comments: Michael Jordan’s first big move as part-owner of the Bobcats came on draft night and just like his playing days, he hit the big shot in drafting Morrison AKA “The Stache.” Morrison will bring some much needed scoring punch for the Bobcats who are shaping up to be a good team, if Emeka Okafor can stay healthy, Raymond Felton continues to grow, and Gerald Wallace continues his trend of getting better and better. Morrison can shoot from the outside, as well as drive to the basket, and while he may look very UN-athletic, he gets his shot off and they go in. He’ll probably be a liability on defense, but with Wallace and Okafor ready to swat shots away, it may not be as big of a deal. But only if Morrison shows the ability to put the ball in the basket like he did in college. He should be able to do so as he, along with Brandon Roy, were the most NBA-ready players in this draft, but “The Stache” is pretty much untouchable when it comes to competitiveness. Hollins should be a solid shot-blocker off the bench, but other than that, anything else he gives would be gravy.
Final Grade: A
Click to continue reading NBA Draft Grades: Southeast Division
NBA Draft Grades: Central Division
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Drafts, Editorial, NBA,
CHICAGO BULLS
Who They Ended Up With: PF Tyrus Thomas, SG Thabo Sefolosha, SF Viktor Khryapa (trade)
Comments: The Bulls were able to get the player they probably wanted anyway, as well as Viktor Khryapa and a draft pick when they traded the rights to LaMarcus Aldridge whom they drafted second overall to the Blazers for Thomas. That John Paxson is one smart dude. Thomas is extremely athletic, can finish on the break, and can do with a ball what every credit card company I apply with does and that’s reject with reckless abandon. He’s still very young and might be the anti-Eddy Curry/Tyson Chandler and actually have his game grow and be more than one dimensional. Sefolosha could be a defensive stopper at this level and could be a solid bench player. I’m not sure where or when Kyryapa will play with Andres Nocioni and Luol Deng at the three.
Final Grade: A-
CLEVELAND CAVALLIERS
Who They Ended Up With: SG Shannon Brown, PG Daniel Gibson, SF/PF Ejike Ugboaja
Comments: I like the Brown pick because who knows what’s going to happen to Larry Hughes health-wise. It’s unfortunate for Hughes because he obviously has talent, capable on both ends of the floor. Brown brings some intensity to an otherwise pretty quiet team. Even LeBron James doesn’t yell and scream much, which is actually very MJ-like, as well as refreshing. Gibson was an excellent pickup in the second round as he has shown the abilty to play at a high level. He’ll probably do an apprenticeship under Eric Snow, but then take over. Gibson is more of a scorer than a true point, but maybe playing with James will change his outlook.
Final Grade: B
Click to continue reading NBA Draft Grades: Central Division
American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
Posted by Tom Massimo Categories: Fantasy, MLB, News,
CHICAGO WHITE SOX
Tadahito Iguchi is having a fine season, batting .291 with 9 home runs, 38 RBIs and 5 SB. Beware that a batting average correction could be coming. His weak contact rate of 78% and low batting eye of 0.34 are the warning signs. He is also running with less success than last season, when he was 15 for 20 in SB. This season he has been caught 3 times in 8 attempts.
Over the last three seasons, Paul Konerko has developed into one of the more reliable sluggers in baseball. It looks like he is on his way to a career year. The 21 home runs puts him on pace to equal the 41 and 40 he hit in the previous two seasons. But he could top those numbers as he generating more power. His G/F ratio has gone down steadily since 2004 from 1.00 to 0.71 and his 16 doubles are 5 more than he had in the first half of last year.
Jose Contreras keeps rolling along with a 9-0 record and a 3.33 ERA. Besides leaving New York, it looks like his success began when he stopped trying to blow away every hitter. His K/9 is down from a high in 2003 of 9.13 to its current 6.33. It’s the improvement in his BB/9 from a high in 2004 of 4.4 to this year’s 2.5 mark, along with his G/F ratio rising from a low of 1.07 to this year’s 1.31 mark, that is fueling his success.
Click to continue reading American League Fantasy Notes: A.L. Central
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