Author Archive
10.28.09 12:25 pm by Bernie
Philadelphia Phillies fans will have their say again on Halloween when Alex Rodriguez steps into the batter’s box. As they did in Game 3 against the Dodgers and Manny Ramirez, they will chant “Steroids” in that long, drawn out way that fans have started using in recent years. It started with Barry Bonds, and is now carrying onto the likes of Manny, A-Rod and David Ortiz.
While I, or anyone else for that matter, cannot stop the Phillies fans from chanting it, it does point to the growing hypocrisy amongst fans these days. Lenny Dykstra admitted to his steroid use and even talked to the Commissioner’s office about it after his playing days were over. So they are not above having a player who used performance-enhancing drugs on their roster either. I am willing to bet that every team in Major League Baseball has, at one point or another, had a steroid user on their team. It wasn’t until recently that MLB finally decided to do something about it, and that was only when the federal government stepped in.
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10.15.09 11:00 pm by Alex, Pat and Bernie
Bernie joins Alex and Pat to discuss baseball’s league championship series’ and make their picks for the ALCS, NLCS and World Series. Follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/thesportsgeeks. Also, send us your questions/comments/feedback: podcast@thesportsgeeks.com. We’re listed on iTunes so click here and subscribe. Thanks for listening!
NLCS: Bernie (Dodgers in 7), Pat (Dodgers in 6), Alex (Phillies in 7)
ALCS: Bernie (Yankees in 7), Pat (Angels in 7), Alex (Yankees in 6)
WS: Bernie (Yankees in 7), Pat (Angels in 6), Alex (Yankees in 6)
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9.07.09 12:49 pm by Bernie
Last week I highlighted some players that when drafted this year in fantasy baseball were expected to put up good or possibly great numbers, but have failed to do it this year. This week, I’m going to look at players that may or may not have been drafted in some leagues but now are worthy of being owned and started. This could be a rookie, a player with a couple years experience having a break out year, or a veteran showing that he still has it.
Kurt Suzuki – C
Projected: .269BA/10HR/56RBI
Actual: .276/11/62 30 doubles and 5 stolen bases.
Coming into the season, Kurt Suzuki was the 20th ranked Catcher in fantasy baseball. Matt Wieters was ranked higher than him and he had not even played 1 inning in the majors. He is currently the 6th rated Catcher in fantasy baseball. Now he will not put up numbers, for those of you in head to head points leagues, like a Victor Martinez, Joe Mauer or Jorge Posada, but he will give you a consistent week for a thin position, in any league. He has surpassed his career highs in home runs, doubles, steals, RBI, and runs. He has done all of this on an offensively poor Oakland Athletics team. While I would not keep him, I would start him if I needed a fill in for injury or a terrible slump. In 2010, Suzuki could put up better numbers, so consider taking him late in next year’s draft.
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8.28.09 5:41 pm by Bernie
With the Fantasy Baseball season nearing its end and Fantasy Football taking hold of many men and women, it’s time to take a look back on the 2009 Fantasy Baseball season. There was a new number 1 overall player coming into the season and did he live up to the billing? Not quite. I’ll explain in a bit. I’m going to list my team of busts and what to expect for draft position in 2010 or if they should be kept in keeper leagues.
First let’s discuss, Mr. #1 Overall himself, Hanley Ramirez. He was expected to go almost 30HR/30SB. He will get one of those categories, barring injury. He is however leading the National League in batting average at .365. Which is outstanding, but I have to ask where’s the power? 19 home runs are all he can muster right now? Not looking like power speed threat we all imagined. Now I know there is still a month left in the season and Hanley could go off in September to get to the 30 home run mark. But I think until he consistently proves himself capable, that he is not #1. This may not apply to Rotisserie leagues though, as he is a threat in all 5 categories. In head to head point leagues, Albert Pujols is still the man. Some might even say that he should be #1 in Rotisserie leagues as well as he can help in all 5 categories too. But that is another topic for another article, maybe for the beginning of the fantasy season.
Now onto the 2009 Fantasy Bust Team!
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8.09.09 10:08 am by Bernie
Baseball has a long history, dating back into the 1800s. The basic rules of the game were created then, and simply changed as the players and the game itself has changed. One of the older rules in the game is the Hit by Pitch or HBP. In 1887, it was decided that if a player gets hit, they are awarded first base. Seems fair enough, as long as the player was not hit in the head. At that point, seems like someone is going to the hospital.
It does not hurt a batter, from a statistical standing, to get hit by a pitch. In fact, it helps their On Base Percentage. Most of you know about the HBP, have probably have seen some guys get hit, and cringe after seeing it. I’m not here to talk about the history of the rule; I’m here to talk about current major league players and how they are dealing with getting hit.
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7.16.09 10:41 am by Bernie
Last week I wrote that the Blue Jays should trade Roy Halladay to the highest bidder. He deserves it after all he has done for that team and city.
This week, I am taking a look at another big name player and soon to be free agent: Matt Holliday.
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