It isn’t like this needed to be said. Folks have been giving up on the Royals for years now, but Joe Posnanski says it with passion and power. What are they doing out there?
Players
Rock On
Ben Broussard’s Official Web-site
Somehow I missed that Ben Broussard released his first album last summer, as the Indians stumbled out of the playoffs. Judging from the sampler provided here he has a laid back Jack Johnson-ish sound, and with his hot start this year the record might make a nice present for his fantasy owners with mellow-rock tastes.
Do the Right Thing
MLB – Atlanta Braves/Philadelphia Phillies Box Score Wednesday May 3, 2006 – Yahoo! Sports
For the second night this week Rheal Cormier got the win in relief for the Phillies. This bothers me because last week in the Tout Wars claims I did the wrong thing and listed Elizardo Ramirez ahead of Cormier on my sheet. My thinking had something to do with Ramirez’s good game at Washington earlier in the week, but despite his good control the chances of Ramirez having ongoing success are pretty small because he can’t dominate hitters at all. At his best, with the Reds’ juggernaut behind him, he gets a win or two with passable qualitatives. Meanwhile, a reliable middle reliever like Cormier isn’t going to hurt you, and in a week like this one may help a lot. A reminder why it’s better to play safe, rather than try to catch lightning in a bottle.
AL Hitter and Pitcher of the Month
No point in digging deep into Jason Giambi’s numbers since mid-season last year, yet, but he was certainly the dominant AL hitter in the second half last year and the has continued in that role this spring. I continue to have difficulty ascertaining whether it was steroids that made him a great hitter and an MVP or not. Certainly the braying of those who thought his accomplishments all came because he was juiced has died down, but we don’t seem to be any closer to agreeing about what steroids can do to improve a hitter’s performance. Assuming Giambi is clean now, since he’s surely tested regularly, how can he continue to rank among baseball’s best hitters?
Idiots Write About Sports
Cogent analysis of the A’s rotation this week from someone who pays attention.
Shinjo leaves the ballpark for a quiet life of nude modelling
Former Met and Giant announces his retirement at the end of this year in spectacular style. Bravo!
Yard Work »
Spoof postings from baseball celebs that are actually funny. I haven’t read them all, but each writer has a different style. This Bowden post has some laugh out loud lines and a Mike Kelly joke. Very hard to resist. Mangia.
Ask Rotoman Again
Major League Baseball : Fantasy
The new one is out, with some advice if you lost Derrek Lee, thoughts about trading Carlos Beltran, an evaluation of just how good Chris Shelton is, and a survey of the best young pitchers, this year and next.
Schilling says he was willing, just not able
I certainly don’t want to fan the flames of controversy, and as best I can tell older pitchers can be more durable, but isn’t this a fine opportunity to see if there is a residual effect to high pitch count outings?
Don’t count on these starts staying hot
Obviously, there is nothing wrong with this list. Obviously.