EVIL~! alkeiper

Of course, you could've played Pujols at third.

JHawk selects C Gary Carter. Beast, Bored and nogoodnick are next.

Autopick Time. Bravesfan selects 3B/SS Judy Johnson.

The Baltimore Orioles offer a good lineup and bad rotation. I think their lineup is overrated, and their pitching is underrated. Let's start with the offense. The lineup includes Javy Lopez, Melvin Mora and Miguel Tejada. It is a heck of an infield. However, the outfield was absolutely terrible last year. Only Larry Bigbie contributed league average performance. Center field remains a problem, especially since prospect Val Majewski will miss most of the season. Either Luis Matos needs to return to form or the team will need to play Bigbie in center. Jay Gibbons should rebound at least, and Sammy Sosa provides some punch to the group. Rafael Palmeiro is declining as an offensive force, and the club would do well to platoon for him against lefties. The rotation features a solid hurler in Rodrigo Lopez. Sidney Ponson struggled last year, but he is a better pitcher than his 2004 numbers would indicate. He eats innings (and everything else) and is not prone to the home run. The big issue is with Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera had a nice enough rookie season, posting a 12-8 record with a 5.00 ERA. Here is the problem. He walked more batters than he struck out last season. I will give everyone a few moments to look for a pitcher who maintained his success with that kind of mark. The obvious comparison is Damian Moss. This is not some kind of fluke for a young major league pitcher. Cabrera walked 5.6 batters per 9 innings in Single A Delmarva. He walked 8.63 batters per 9 in Rookie ball in 2001. Cabrera's professional track record consists of 60 good innings in the Appalachian League, and 27 solid IP at AA. He never pitched in AAA. I am not convinced Cabrera is for real, and I fully expect an ERA around 6 if Cabrera pitches in the rotation this season. I do think he could make a good reliever someday. Eric Bedard had a fine rookie season and should progress on that. It is possible Bruce Chen has turned a corner. His peripherals have always been excellent, save for a high home run rate. Keep an eye on John Maine, who pitched well in AAA (I watched him personally in August), and could break into the rotation. I don't think the Orioles have a realistic shot at the playoffs, but they are the favorites for third place.

I understand their frustration. It pisses me off everytime I identify myself as a web author, and people have no clue who I am.

The Reds started up hot last year but cooled off, finishing with a 76-86 record. It might have been a disappointment for a team that spent a few weeks in first place last year. The Reds have two unique qualities, one good and one bad. First the bad. They finished eleven games better than their pythagorean record. This is a problem because teams tend to regress towards what their runs scored and allowed would indicate, and such records are rarely sustainable. The Reds had a better record for two reasons, Sean Casey and Danny Graves. Casey garned a large number of clutch hits, and Graves accumulated a large number of saves in the first half. Casey's success could easily stick. Graves is another matter. Danny Graves surrendered 12 home runs in 68 IP last season. He is hittable, and there is little reason to consider him among the game's elite closers. However, the Reds made strides regarding their pitching staff. Juan Acevedo, Cory Lidle, Todd Van Poppel and Brandon Claussen all posted 5.00+ ERAs. All are gone from the staff, replaced by Eric Milton, Ramon Ortiz, and Luke Hudson. The pitching staff was a huge problem, and while the Reds did not pick up stars, they did gain stability, which is important. Offensively, we can expect more production from Austin Kearns. Beyond that is anyone's guess. The Reds do have a pair of excellent backups in Wily Mo Pena and Ryan Freel. If Ken Griffey and Austin Kearns stayed healthy the entire year, this team could surprise people. Remember, when they had Griffey, they contended. Realistically, this team could contend for as high as second place, if the Cubs' pitching collapses and the Astros decline. They will likely fall between third and fifth.

Kent Tekulve?

Primarily because those leagues have minor league systems. Also, MLB has the unique issue of players coming in from Latin America.

I just remember the last time Congress hauled MLB into the chambers. MLB blatently lied about their finances and actively attempted to run an extortion racket to squeeze the state of Minnesota into giving the Twins a new stadium. Congress blasted Selig, and did fuck all about it. MLB talks a good game and does nothing. Congress does the same nonsense. I honestly have no confidence in the government to actually take action. Honestly, what should Congress do? They really shouldn't give two shits what happens to any sport. I've yet to figure out why fixing pro sports is illegal. -=Mike I do not believe fixing professional sports IS illegal. The consequence of fixing a sport is the loss of a fan base who believes they are witnessing an honest contest between two teams. Now, the fixing of professional sports for the purpose of gambling IS illegal, and that was the focus of the Black Sox' trial in 1921. By throwing the World Series, the Black Sox players defrauded those who placed legitimate bets on the Series, at least according to the charges. On the first point, I agree with you for the most part. There are extreme circumstances, but this is not one of them.

Choices, choices. I'll take Craig Biggio.

If Halladay was available, I would've taken him with my first pick. There's NO reason to think he won't pitch 200+ innings and notch 175 Ks. Miller is a risk. I just don't see how this deal is anything close to fair.

I think that if a player is good enough to play in the NBA, by all means let him play. I don't think its a particularly smart move to draft high schoolers, but there should not be restrictions on them.

This is why I don't like keeper leagues. The idea of keepers is fine, but running the draft applet via Yahoo is a million times easier. EDIT: Halladay is easily a stud pitcher, in my view. Halladay for Miller, quite frankly, is overcompensation.

I just remember the last time Congress hauled MLB into the chambers. MLB blatently lied about their finances and actively attempted to run an extortion racket to squeeze the state of Minnesota into giving the Twins a new stadium. Congress blasted Selig, and did fuck all about it. MLB talks a good game and does nothing. Congress does the same nonsense. I honestly have no confidence in the government to actually take action.

Now, how is it fair that Cartman gets Halladay AND Pettitte? Seriously.

I select OF Tim Raines.

You're now a die-hard NFL fan, perhaps? Well, I was just going to abuse my mod powers to win the Head 2 Head Baseball League. But now that you mention it, football has a certain homoeroticism that I do enjoy.

I went ahead and exchanged Pedro Feliz with Chris Burke, the Astros' rookie second baseman.

It is important to remember that odds are set to minimize risk, not necessarily to produce the best projections.

Jason Lane is primed to step up, and the Astros still have Lance Berkman.

Tomorrow. Also, I've turned evil. Discuss.

IM me and I'll send an invite.

The Phillies are a good investment at 25-1.

Vern, what are you doing here when you could be writing sports for Inside Pulse? Sean Burnett is out for the season btw. The fifth starter's slot is up for grabs between Ryan Vogelsong and Dave Williams.

The Man In Blak, nogoodnick, and Bored are up next.