Friday April 9, 2004
FANTASY TEAM #4
On Good Friday, I want to remind you to check out my review of The Passion of the Christ. I want to wish everyone a Happy Easter!
Last Saturday afternoon, I participated in my fourth (and final!!) fantasy baseball draft. It was draft held in town with 13 other teams. We were supposed to start at noon, but of course that only meant that people started showing up about then. Alex Rodriguez was taken with the first pick at about 12:20! Jerry Hairston Jr., was taken with the last pick shortly after 6:00. That is a long day of drafting, but a lot of baseball talk took place, which you have to love! (by the way, I’d like to sent a shout out to BK! Happy 30th Birthday!)
Quickly, here is the point system:
1B = 1 pt, 2B = 2 pts, 3B = 3 pts, HR = 4 pts, BB/HBP = 0.5 pts, R/RBI = 1 pt, SB = 2 pts.
BS = -5 pts, CG = 5 pts, ER = -1 pt, IP = 1 pt, K = 1 pt, Save = 10 pts, Win = 10 pts, SHO = 5 pts.
It is a weekly (Monday through Sunday) head-to-head league in which the three division winners and 3 wild card teams make the playoffs.
There are 24 rounds in the draft. Each week play 19 players (C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, MI, CI, 4 OF and 8 pitchers). Pitchers can be starters or relievers in any combination.
1st Round
1.) Alex Rodriguez
2.) Albert Pujols
3.) Curt Schilling
4.) Alfonso Soriano
5.) Vlad Guerrero
6.) Todd Helton
7.) Carlos Beltran
8.) Pedro Martinez
9.) Manny Ramirez
10.) Eric Gagne
11.) Kerry Wood
12.) Randy Johnson
13.) Mark Prior
14.) Barry Bonds
2nd Round
15.) Derek Jeter
16.) Roy Halladay
17.) Nomar Garciaparra
18.) Javier Vazquez
19.) Miguel Tejada
20.) Jim Thome
21.) Magglio Ordonez
22.) Jason Schmidt
23.) Gary Sheffield
24.) Lance Berkman
25.) Roy Oswalt
26.) Carlos Delgado
27.) Bret Boone
28.) Sammy Sosa
3rd Round
29.) Mike Mussina
30.) Mariano Rivera
31.) Eric Chavez
32.) Jason Giambi
33.) Richie Sexson
34.) Keith Foulke
35.) Edgar Renterria
36.) Scott Rolen
37.) Billy Wagner
38.) Vernon Wells
39.) Preston Wilson
40.) Jeff Kent
41.) Ichiro!
42.) Bobby Abreu
4th Round
43.) John Smoltz
44.) Bartolo Colon
45.) Brian Giles
46.) Kevin Brown
47.) Tim Hudson
48.) Mark Mulder
49.) Jorge Posada
50.) Barry Zito
51.) Mike Piazza
52.) Johan Santana
53.) Kevin Millwood
54.) Brandon Webb
55.) Andy Pettitte
56.) Josh Beckett
5th Round
57.) Jeff Bagwell
58.) Randy Wolf
59.) Garrett Anderson
60.) Hank Blalock
61.) Matt Morris
62.) Troy Glaus
63.) Esteban Loaiza
64.) Octovio Dotel
65.) Aubrey Huff
66.) Roger Clemens
67.) Mike Lowell
68.) Javy Lopez
69.) Marcus Giles
70.) Ivan Rodriguez
6th Round
71.) Armando Benitez
72.) Rafael Furcal
73.) Andruw Jones
74.) Derrek Lee
75.) Greg Maddux
76.) Jamie Moyer
77.) Russ Ortiz
78.) Troy Percival
79.) Chipper Jones
80.) Hideo Nomo
81.) Jose Contreras
82.) Derek Lowe
83.) Wade Miller
84.) Luis Gonzalez
7th Round
85.) Shawn Green
86.) Orlando Cabrera
87.) Carlos Zambrano
88.) Mark Teixeira
89.) Joel Pineiro
90.) Jose Vidro
91.) Juan Pierre
92.) Torii Hunter
93.) Carlos Lee
94.) Mike Sweeney
95.) Larry Walker
96.) Eric Hinske
97.) Miguel Cabrera
98.) Frank Thomas
8th Round
99.) Eddie Guardado
100.) Livan Hernandez
101.) Jason Isringhausen
102.) Jake Peavy
103.) Carl Crawford
104.) Kaz Matsui
105.) Hideki Matsui
106.) Luis Castillo
107.) Matt Clement
108.) Morgan Ensberg
109.) Adam Dunn
110.) Phil Nevin
111.) Jim Edmonds
112.) Trevor Hoffman
9th Round
113.) Ryan Klesko
114.) Aramis Ramirez
115.) Jason Kendall
116.) Jacque Jones
117.) Michael Young
118.) Arthur Rhodes
119.) Jason Varitek
120.) Angel Berroa
121.) Johnny Damon
122.) Jimmy Rollins
123.) Joe Nathan
124.) Ken Griffey Jr.
125.) David Ortiz
126.) Jose Reyes
10th Round
127.) Austin Kearns
128.) Scott Podsednik
129.) Rafael Palmiero
130.) Corey Patterson
131.) Woody Williams
132.) Ray Durham
133.) Mark Buehrle
134.) Nick Johnson
135.) Cliff Floyd
136.) Rocco Baldelli
137.) Jose Guillen
138.) Mike Hampton
139.) Brett Myers
140.) Mike Lieberthal
11th Round
141.) Rich Harden
142.) Geoff Jenkins
143.) CC Sabathia
144.) Dmitri Young
145.) Francisco Cordero
146.) Bobby Crosby
147.) Vicente Padilla
148.) Placido Polanco
149.) Bill Mueller
150.) Junior Spivey
151.) Richard Hidalgo
152.) Juan Gonzalez
153.) JD Drew
154.) Shea Hillenbrand
12th Round
155.) Freddy Garcia
156.) Pat Burrell
157.) Braden Looper
158.) Jeromy Burnitz
159.) Corey Koskie
160.) Dontrelle Willis
161.) Ramon Ortiz
162.) Tom Glavine
163.) Brad Penny
164.) Tim Wakefield
165.) Kyle Lohse
166.) Shannon Stewart
167.) Erubiel Durazo
168.) Sean Burroughs
13th Round
169.) Joe Borowski
170.) Kevin Millar
171.) Sidney Ponson
172.) Adam Eaton
173.) Trot Nixon
174.) Bernie Williams
175.) Steve Finley
176.) Darin Erstad
177.) Ramon Hernandez
178.) Paul Konerko
179.) Kelvim Escobar
180.) Al Leiter
181.) Brad Radke
182.) David Riske
14th Round
183.) Ted Lilly
184.) Matthew Lecroy
185.) Jorge Julio
186.) Josh Phelps
187.) Reggie Sanders
188.) Odalis Perez
189.) Kenny Lofton
190.) David Wells
191.) Sean Casey
192.) Orlando Hudson
193.) Gil Meche
194.) Jarrod Washburn
195.) Matt Mantei
196.) Roberto Alomar
15th Round
197.) Mark Redman
198.) Joe Crede
199.) Joe Mauer
200.) Alex Cintron
201.) AJ Pierzynski
202.) Steve Trachsel
203.) Moises Alou
204.) Rocky Biddle
205.) Edgar Martinez
206.) Eric Milton
207.) Mark Loretta
208.) Tony Armas Jr.
209.) Miguel Batista
210.) D’Angelo Jimenez
16th Round
211.) Robb Nen
212.) Ugueth Urbina
213.) Jon Lieber
214.) Matt Herges
215.) Randy Winn
216.) Carl Pavano
217.) Danny Graves
218.) Brian Anderson
219.) Rich Aurilia
220.) Marlon Byrd
221.) Brian Lawrence
222.) Carl Everett
223.) Jose Valentin
224.) David Eckstein
17th Round
225.) Raul Mondesi
226.) Kip Wells
227.) Jerome Williams
228.) John Thomson
229.) Jose Valverde
230.) Ben Sheets
231.) Scott Speizio
232.) Jeff Weaver
233.) Ryan Franklin
234.) Milton Bradley
235.) Byung-Hyun Kim
236.) Brad Wilkerson
237.) Victor Zambrano
238.) Raul Ibanez
18th Round
239.) Mike Cameron
240.) Billy Koch
241.) Jason Phillips
242.) Jeremy Affeldt
243.) Tomo Ohka
244.) Luis Rivas
245.) Eric Young
246.) Cristian Guzman
247.) Adrian Beltre
248.) Tim Salmon
249.) Darrell May
250.) Jeff Suppan
251.) Jay Gibbons
252.) Vinny Castilla
19th Round
253.) Jose Mesa
254.) Craig Wilson
255.) Juan Encarnacion
256.) Carlos Silva
257.) Cory Lidle
258.) Shawn Chacon
259.) Kenny Rogers
260.) Jose Cruz Jr.
261.) Zach Day
262.) Kris Benson
263.) Ramon Castro
264.) Horacio Ramirez
265.) Jay Payton
266.) Cris Carpenter
20th Round
267.) Brett Tomko
268.) Danny Kolb
269.) AJ Burnett
270.) Rafael Soriano
271.) Paul Lo Duca
272.) Melvin Mora
273.) Doug Mientkiewicz
274.) Kaz Ishii
275.) Mike MacDougal
276.) Julio Lugo
277.) Jody Gerut
278.) Aaron Miles
279.) Tim Redding
280.) Danys Baez
21st Round
281.) Pat Hentgen
282.) Charles Johnson
283.) Brad Fullmer
284.) Alex Gonzalez, SS, Chicago Cubs
285.) Jason Johnson
286.) Jermaine Dye
287.) Bob Wickman
288.) Todd Walker
289.) Bobby Kielty
290.) Jon Garland
291.) Alex Gonzalez, SS, Florida Marlins
292.) Eric Dubose
293.) Mark Grudzielanek
294.) Luis Matos
22nd Round
295.) Aquilino Lopez
296.) Scott Hatteberg
297.) Cliff Lee
298.) Khalil Greene
299.) Jeff Conine
300.) Bengie Molina
301.) Bobby Higgonson
302.) Craig Biggio
303.) Victor Martinez
304.) Kirk Reuter
305.) Johnny Estrada
306.) Paul Byrd
307.) Tony Batista
308.) Kurt Ainsworth
23rd Round
309.) Chan Ho Park
310.) John Lackey
311.) Jhonny Peralta
312.) Edwin Jackson
313.) John Olerud
314.) Jason Davis
315.) Tino Martinez
316.) Josh Fogg
317.) Brandon Duckworth
318.) Denny Neagle
319.) Oliver Perez
320.) Jason Marquis
321.) Willie Harris
322.) Edgardo Alfonzo
24th Round
323.) Matt Riley
324.) Rodrigo Lopez
325.) Lyle Overbay
326.) Ryan Wagner
327.) Jaret Wright
328.) Pokey Reese
329.) Elmer Dessens
330.) Brandon Claussen
331.) Jimmy Gobble
332.) Adam Kennedy
333.) Mark Derosa
334.) Omar Vizquel
335.) Matt Kinney
336.) Jerry Hairston Jr
So, here is my team:
C - Johnny Estrada
1B - Jason Giambi, Mark Teixeira
2B - Alfonso Soriano
3B - Hank Blalock, Mark Derosa
SS - Alex Cintron, Alex Gonzalez-Cubs
OF - Adam Dunn, Jacque Jones, Jose Guillen, Dmitri Young, Jody Gerut
P - Roy Oswalt, Kevin Millwood, Jose Contreras, Kyle Lohse, Adam Eaton, Gil Meche, Brian Lawrence, John Thomson, Darrell May, Carlos Silva, Edwin Jackson
I'm happy with my team. I had to take the 40/40 potential of Soriano. I wanted a top pitcher in round two, and love Oswalt. I wanted another top pitcher, probably Hudson or Mulder, in the 3rd round, but how could I possibly pass up Giambi that far down. I really decided that I wanted some top pitchers from good teams. Kevin Millwood should be that for the Phillies. I think Jose Contreras will be great! Adam Eaton and Brian Lawrence will be helped by the Padres lineup. You saw my run on OF (Dunn, Jones, Guillen and Young). I feel each of them has the ability to hit over 35 homers (Young's injury makes that a little more difficult for him, but having depth in Gerut helps.). I don't like having three players from the same team, especially from a bad team like Texas, but I'm happy with Soriano, Teixeira and Blalock!
So, what do you think? Do I have a decent team? Any ideas to make it better? I want to win this year! My first year in this league, I finished 13th out of 14 teams. Last year, I improved to 4th place, but got bounced from the playoffs in the first round. I need to get further. So, send me an e-mail and let me know what you think.
Maybe the Tigers are for real? After defeating the Twins yesterday 10-6, the Tigers are now 4-0. So, what do I think? Well, I predicted that they would still finish in last place in the AL Central, and even with this start, I am not going to alter that prediction.
However, the fact is that the Tigers are vastly improved. Look at the Before (2003) and After (2004):
2003 2004
Catcher Brandon Inge Ivan Rodriguez
1st Base Carlos Pena Carlos Pena
2nd Base W. Morris/O. Infante Fernando Vina
3rd Base Eric Munson Eric Munson
Shortstop Ramon Santiago Carlos Guillen
Left Field Craig Monroe Rondell White
Center Field Alex Sanchez Alex Sanchez
Right Field Bobby Higginson Bobby Higginson
Des. Hitter Dmitri Young Dmitri Young
I don't know about you, but I see significant improvements at four positions. Essentially Vina, Rodriguez, White and Guillen fit into the lineup and move the guys that did hit a little bit last year lower in the lineup or to the bench.
Their pitchers? Well, Mike Maroth lost 21 games last year, but the fact that he was kept in the rotation tells you that the team still likes him. He was not good, but also got no run support. Jeremy Bonderman lost 19 games last season. Nate Cornejo lost 17 games last year. Jason Johnson came over from Baltimore where he was 10-10 with a 4.18 ERA. His WHIP of 1.56 was higher than the other three in the rotation. All four of these pitchers are 1-0 after yesterday. They all have the ability to be good, maybe even average, but not this year. Consistency is often the problem with young pitchers.
Injuries are another issue with this team. Dmitri Young already broke his leg and will be out 6-8 weeks. Rondell White is hurt most years at some point. Fernando Vina got hurt last year and then was unable to beat out Bo Hart, so his upside is not great. And, the Tigers insisted on an injury clause on Pudge Rodriguez.
The big thing that will keep the Tigers in last place is the fact that they are the Tigers and they did lose 119 games last year. They will have to fight against that all season. Yes, they are 4-0, but they have yet to deal with adversity. What happens when they lose a few games in a row? What happens when more injuries strike? The real Tigers will re-emerge. But to any Tigers fans... enjoy the success. Who knows how long it will last!
Rob Bowen was called up yesterday when Matthew Lecroy was put on the disabled list. He got to Detroit just in time. In the top of the 9th, he pinch hit and hit his first major league home run. I think that while Joe Mauer and Matthew Lecroy are out of action, Bowen should be the team's starting catcher, not Henry Blanco. Could Blanco handle the job? Probably. But what is his upside? He'll hit about .220. Can Bowen do that, or better? I guess I would take my chances.
Carlos Silva looked great through five innings. At that time, he had thrown just 57 pitches and given up no runs. It's unfortunate that he gave up four runs in the 6th inning and was unable to get the win. I think that he showed that he can be successful for the Twins in the rotation.
The 7th inning was really ugly. Aaron Fultz started the inning and got the first two hitters out. Then he walked one. Juan Rincon came in to get the third out, but instead, he walked the next two hitters. He came out and lefty Brad Thomas was brought in. He proceeded to throw a wild pitch, a single and much more. By the time the inning was over, so was the game for all intents and purposes. The bullpen will be under scrutiny all season, and after a game like this, it is deserved. But just remember, games like this happen. Aaron Fultz will succeed most of the time. Juan Rincon will be just fine. And, the Twins need to make a determination on Brad Thomas. To do that fairly, they need to see him in situations like these.
Nick Punto got the start at SS yesterday. Is that a sign of things to come? Unfortunately, I don't think so. It was probably just a game off for Cristian Guzman. Punto may play 2B tomorrow.
Jacque Jones was in CF yesterday with Michael Cuddyer in RF. Lew Ford will be around by Saturday, so Jones can move out to RF. I am looking forward to Ford getting the majority of the playing time in CF.
Luis Rivas is hitting .312! He had two more hits yesterday! Michael Cuddyer had a two run single in the 1st inning. Jacque Jones hit his second homer of the young season, this one tied the game at four following the Tigers four run 6th inning. He also hit a double in the 9th, his first non-home run hit!
The Twins have today off. Yesterday, I wondered why the Tigers home opener was on Thursday, with a day off on Friday, before completing the series Saturday and Sunday. Al Bethke of Al's Ramblings sent me an answer to that question:
Teams with outdoor stadiums always request a day off after their home opener, so they get a chance to make up the game right away if it is rained out. Otherwise, you could have Jim and his boy Tucker traveling down from the UP for the 2nd game of the year...and then not being able to see it, as the opener's tickets would be accepted for Game 2.
Brad Radke pitches Saturday afternoon for the Twins against Jason Johnson. Sunday afternoon, it is Johan Santana versus Mike Maroth.
Any thoughts on the Twins? E-mail me.
The Wolves went into the fourth quarter down by 8 points. They were missing a lot of wide open jump shots, and things weren't looking good. However, with 7:12 left in the game, the Wolves took the lead. Michael Olowokandi, Latrell Sprewell, and Wally Szczerbiak all contributed. Even Ervin "Tragic" Johnson had a tip in late in the game. Kevin Garnett grabbed the rebounds. Sam Cassell was The Man! After missing a lot of early shots, he hit some big shots late.
Cassell led with 29 points, 6 boards and 4 assists. Kevin Garnett had 20 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Sprewell had 13. Szczerbiak had 12 and Olowokandi had 11. Chris Webber led Sac-Town with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mike Bibby added 19 points.
The Wolves won 94-86 with the late-game free throws. The win means that the Wolves now have the best record in the Western Conference. They have the tie-breakers over the Kings and the Lakers. If they win out, they would have the #1 seed in the West in the playoffs. However, if they don't win out, it is still possible that they could fall to the #4 spot in the playoffs. The Wolves play the Golden State Warriors tonight in Oakland, and they can not afford a let down.
Here is how the teams stack up in the Western Conference:
Minnesota Timberwolves 55 24
Sacramento Kings 54 24 0.5
Los Angeles Lakers 53 25 1.5
San Antonio Spurs 53 25 1.5
Here are the remaining schedules:
Wolves:
Friday - @ Golden State
Monday - Utah Jazz
Wednesday - @ Memphis Grizzlies
Kings:
Friday - @ Phoenix Suns
Sunday - Los Angeles Lakers
Monday - @ Denver Nuggets
Wednesday - @ Golden State Warriors
Lakers:
Friday - Memphis Grizzlies
Sunday - @ Sacramento Kings
Tuesday - Golden State Warriors
Wednesday - @ Portland Trailblazers
Spurs:
Friday - Portland Trailblazers
Sunday - @ Los Angeles Clippers
Monday - @ Portland Trailblazers
Wednesday - Denver Nuggets
So, what do you think? The Wolves may have an advantage because they have one less game. However, they have not played any of the three teams particularly well this season. The Kings/Lakers matchup on Sunday could mean the difference between a 1 seed and a 4 seed. The Trailblazers are in a battle for the 8th spot in the West, so they will be playing hard against the Spurs, as will the Nuggets, who are in that three-way race too.
It is going to be an exciting six days ahead in the NBA season, especially for Timberwolves fans. Any thoughts on the Wolves game last night, the playoff race, or the NBA in general? E-mail me.
That's it for today and for this week. Thanks again for stopping by. If you're new to the site, drop me a line and say "Hi", let me know where you're from and where you found this site. As always, if you have any questions, comments or ideas for future topics, please send me an e-mail.
Have a great Friday, a great weekend and Happy Easter!