Four Bagger: Oh, it hurts …

When I set out to publish this piece Tuesday morning, I had lots on my mind. The re-anointed fantasy savior Juan Pierre had hit the disabled list, Grady Sizemore was tied for the American League lead in homers, and I attempted to discuss my reasoning for NOT playing Todd Wellemeyer this week. Well, much has changed since then, so lets not waste anymore time.

In the midst of a magical weekend

It’s a holiday weekend, so it’d be pretty tough to screw this up. But this has been a magical weekend for me, and not just involving baseball. But for the sake of this blog, I’ll keep it to the game as we’ve got many things to cover and a few pictures to show off.

It all started on Friday when I headed to McAfee Coliseum in Oakland to watch the first of a three-game series featuring the Red Sox and A’s. When I bought the tickets in March, I told myself it didn’t matter who was pitching just as long as it wasn’t Tim Wakefield, who I’ve seen on four or five occasions already.

But what do you know. We walk in and see this …

Hey Newspaperman …

Newspaperman, this is your lucky day. With the recent ruling by the California Supreme Court which in essence overturns the ban on gay marriage, Newspaperman can now live his dream: He can marry David Wright. All of those love letters and naked photos Newspaperman has sent to David Wright hasn’t gone for naught. There is now an end goal in sight: Nuptials.

The Jon dedicates this video to Newspaperman who has already created an account on youtube called mrsdwright5 and he wrote this in response to the one of many David Wright videos: omg i love him so much! he is so gorgeous! 🙂

And if for some inexplicable reason David Wright spurns Newspaperman’s advances … there are a whole lotta Newspaperman to go around …

Things I wish I knew a week ago

There are certain players that have the ability to get so hot, it defies any rational explanation. Guys that will heat up and hit as good as the best players at their best, and then fall back to earth with such a thud it baffles the mind. From a fantasy perspective these players can seem almost useless.

Which brings us to our first item.

Jack MF Cust just received a shipment of corked bats. Since Monday, the man you have an unhealthy fascination with has gone 10-for-20 with five walks (.600 OBP) and three homers.

Draft Advice: First Base

First base is no longer a deep well in which to find power hitters. Gone are the days of the ballooned headed, yoked up statues that used to man the position with mediocrity and bomb 40-50 homers with regularity. Five years ago, almost every fantasy team had one at first base and utility. Today, there are barely 10 guys that are guaranteed producers at the position. The top players at this position are still guys to build an offense around. This is where you get your power. Lose out here and try to get some sleeper, and you will be behind before the season has even started. The top three guys will be gone by the first round. Pick up any of the other 10 in the next two rounds. Just don’t be left out because the drop off from the top is abrupt and steep.

1. Albert Pujols (49)
   
2. Prince Fielder (44)
3. Ryan Howard (42)

Threads of greatness

Shame on me for never not thinking about this before, but as I got dressed this morning I suddenly realized that three of my baseball jerseys are of players who are suspected of using performance enhancing drugs. I know Oz will love the McGwire jersey, as Big Mac punked him as a little kid. The Jon will love Bonds because he never mentions his name. The only other baseball player jersey sitting in my closet is David Ortiz (Thanks George Mitchell) … which I guess I’ll be wearing to this year’s fantasy draft. Afterall, got to represent my Red Sox.