Sabathia and the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry

Look, we at The Baseball Stars are fully aware that the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings are underway. And each of us is paying attention to the moves being made there, and by teams in the weeks prior to the session.

We know about Matt Holliday, Edgar Renteria, and Francisco Rodriguez. We’ve heard the John Smoltz-Boston Red Sox rumors. And we’ve been keeping tabs on the Mark Teixeira situation. But when the Yankees pulled out all stops Wednesday signing CC Sabathia to the richest contract ever offered to a pitcher, we could not sit on our hands any longer.

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.

Is Zack Greinke for real?

This can’t be right. Zack Greinke is a fantasy pitching stud for the American League Central powerhouse Kansas City Royals? It is … but it’s only Week 2.

LIVE OPENING DAY BLOG

It all started in 1994. That was the 125th anniversary of Major League Baseball and I was psyched. So much so that I’d planned an “illness” (not unlike Ferris Bueller) and stayed home from school to watch the Opening Day festivities. Hey, I was only 13 at the time. Since then I’ve acted like I was sick — mostly faked headaches and stomachaches — but in recent years I’ve just flat out told the boss, ‘Hey, it’s Opening Day,” and used a vacation day. And then last year, when we started this site, I began blogging about it. So without further ado, I bring you Newspaperman’s (like the third-person reference?) 2008 Opening Day Blog.

Newspaperman’s Top 5 fantasy prospects

So you’re looking for this season’s version of Ryan Braun, huh? I know how it is. Braun, a relative unknown to the casual baseball fan, burst onto the scene last year and manhandled major league pitching. He likely led your arch rival to a league title, or a playoff berth anyway, and now he’s being chosen in the top three rounds of many fantasy drafts. Some publications have even projected Braun to hit 40 homeruns this year and chosen him to supplant David Wright as fantasy’s third best third sacker. (I aint buying that). That said, you’re probably looking for the “next best thing,” the prospect that will be overlooked on draft day because no one knows him. Here is a list of five prospects that should have immediate fantasy impact.

A major league screw up

Like thousands of fantasy junkies, I’ve been waiting for several months to buy a new fantasy magazine. I know it’s only January and the pickings are slim among the rags, but when you’re craving baseball, any decent magazine will do. I hit the store (a large book retailer) tonight and immediately saw five options …