Answers to fantasy baseball questions (and much more) since 1996
Major League Baseball : Fantasy : Ask Rotoman
The new column is posted, with my ponderings about Mike Adams, Kevin Mench (and some other outfielders), trading Jim Thome for Jake Peavy and a reaction to the notion that Brian Roberts will be undervalued in trade talks right now.
Negro League Baseball Players Association – The most informative Negro League Baseball site!
Thomas A., a regular at the new discussion board linked to this excellent site. Be warned, you could waste hours here.
Well, not waste.
Mark Mulder fans and owners have to be pleased with the two hitter, but this bravura performance came against the punchless Pirates, and in his eight innings he walked more than he struck out (especially significant because he walked only three).
Strikeouts haven’t really been a big part of Mulder’s success in the past, so one can hope that this is the start of his recovery from whatever has been bothering him since last July, but he still has some tests to pass.
The Beam in Your Eye – If steroids are cheating, why isn’t Lasik? By William Saletan
If it turns out the hysteria about the health implications of steroids is unwarranted, and there is much evidence that it is, a whole bunch of philosophical issues arise. Saletan looks at Lasik eye surgery for those, like Jeff Cirillo, who want to make their average vision better.
The New York Times > National > Beyond Balco: How One Pill Escaped the List of Controlled Steroids
This is from the NY Times, so it will disappear into their pay archive in a day or two, but it tells the tale of a supplement (DHEA) that was once banned by the FDA but is now sold over the counter as a food supplement, and which isn’t on the list of banned PEDs. It was, in fact, granted an exemption from that January 2005 law that made testosterone precursors, like Andro, illegal.
Why? Political sway, it seems, though Utah Senator, who favored the examption for DHEA, says it has nothing to do with the fact that his son is a lobbyist for a trade group of supplement manufacturers and distriibutors. Nah.
The New Ask Rotoman Discussion Board :: Index
Here is the new discussion board. There are forums for baseball talk and non baseball talk. These won’t be moderated in a strict sense, but while spirited discussion is encouraged, personal attacks will not be tolerated.
I wish it were possible to get phpBB to emulate the Boards2Go look, but this skin is as close as I could come. The advantage is that old posts will be archived, so the dumb things we say won’t necessarily go away in 300 messages.
Post accordingly.
I’m going to keep the Boards2Go conversation going, too. It won’t be censored in any way, and the link at the top of this page will continue to go there until next week.
Enjoy.
The New Yorker: The Critics: Books
In this ostensible review of Jose Canseco’s book Steven Shapin clearly explains the problems with the recent steroid hysteria, and the ambiguity about drugs that lies at the heart of the athletic experience. Well worth reading, even if you feel like you’ve heard it before.
Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Braves Win
Rafael Furcal broke out of his early season slump by going 3-4, and most spectacularly hitting two dingers while swiping two bases. Someone with better Retrosheet skills than I can perhaps give us an idea of just how rare multiple homer and steal games are, but Furcal owners are surely pleased as punch. The unfortified kind.
Yahoo! Sports – MLB – Red Sox 8, Yankees 5:
““We have to give Sheffield a lot of credit,” Damon said, “for him to restrain himself the way he did.””
I’ve complained plenty about the way baseball-fan altercations are reported, but this AP story carried on Yahoo finds a proper balance. Hmm, maybe that’s because I don’t think fans should ever punch players, and players should not ever punch fans.
In this case, Gary Sheffield wins. Big time. And Johnny Damon recognizing that is a sign of how big this problem is.
Only Baseball Matters | MLB and San Fran Giants Observations from John Perricone and friends
This one is about Edgardo Alfonzo, who is off to a fast start after losing a noticeable amount of weight this past offseason. And after carrying a noticeable amount of extra weight the two disappointing seasons before. This is the sort of thing to add to the mix of info, a reason to favor Alfonzo over someone of roughly equal talent.
Most of the time a fast start is just a fast start.