House of Swank

In Case Of Emergency Break Glass

The All-Star game is broken.

In 2002 the game ended in a tie, and to hear a lot of people say it a cardinal sin had been committed.  (Personally, I thought it was kinda cool).  They tried to fix it by granting World Series home field advantage to the league that won the game.

Then this year we go 15 innings and really over-use several pitchers.  George Sherrill pitching 2-1/3 innings?  Kazmir and Webb pitching when they really shouldn't have been used at all.  Everyone was holding their breath, because it was getting VERY, VERY, VERY close to the point where a drastic decision had to be made.  And had a tie been declared in Yankee Stadium Bud Selig would not have made it out alive.

The solution to the problem is quite simple.  They need more pitchers on the All-Star squad.  So many that there's no danger of running out, even with the antics of having the early guys pitching a few innings at most.

They don't even have to make it easier to become an All-Star, they simply have two classes of guys:  the real all-stars, and the utility guys there for when things turn desperate.

In your standard All-Star game you'd only ever see the standard All-Stars.  But if we ended up in another one of these monster games they could go to the utility guys and use them up to save the stars' arms for their day jobs.  And it would give a chance for the strong middle relievers and specialty guys to perhaps get a shot at playing in the All-Star game.

Although I have to admit that wouldn't be nearly as much fun to watch as seeing Bud Selig squirm in his seat.

Well, It's a Start

Bavasi's gone.

So we now know the top dogs at the Mariners have pulled their heads out of their asses at least a little bit.

Perhaps it was The Onion article that made them realize just how bad a team the Mariners are.

The new GM's first move needs to be to get rid of Jose Vidro - .219 does not a DH make.  I would be better as DH, and Jeff Clement is hanging out in Tacoma just waiting for an opportunity in the bigs.

Unless the GM can figure out a way to get Richie Sexson traded to another team so we can lose him AND his salary.  But if that happens he's obviously signed a pact with the devil.

RIP, Jim McKay

I just learned this afternoon that legendary sportscaster Jim McKay died last weekend at the age of 86.  He will be missed.

If I had to attribute my love of sports to any one person it would be McKay. In the days before ESPN there weren't a lot of television options for a bored kid on a Saturday afternoon.  So on those days, I'd frequently turn into the Wide World of Sports.  Sometimes it would be covering sports I had no interest in (boxing, racing), but frequently enough it would slide into the fun or bizarre that it kept my attention.  Cliff diving, pool, sports you'd frequently only see during the Olympics, it was all covered in the Wide World of Sports.  And McKay projected both reverence and joy in whatever sport he was covering.  As a kid, who knew something could be both fun and important?

I was around 6 months old during the 1972 Summer Olympics, so I did not get to witness first-hand his coverage of the hostage situation.  But I've seen him oversee coverage of many other Olympic games, and without even reading the reports could know that he covered things perfectly.

I miss the Wide World of Sports, the same way I miss MTV.  Both shows forced you to sit through the bad so as to guarantee you'd not miss the good.  They gave you little tastes of things, and if you liked what you were tasting you could go elsewhere to savor them in larger portions.  There are no television smorgasbords anymore, just hundreds of stations filled with focus-grouped programming.

So, goodbye, Jim McKay.  You'll be missed for what you brought to the wide world of sports, and that can never be replaced.

Go Cubbies!

II may get disowned from my Cardinals-loving mother for this, but I am now rooting for the Cubs to win the World Series this year. 

Yesterday on the Dan Patrick Show Dan was interviewing actor Chi McBride (from TV's Pushing Daisies, which is coming back this fall, which makes me happy).  McBride is from Chicago and a lifelong White Sox fan.  Somehow the subject of naming children after sports stars came up and I'm  not sure quite how things ended up where they did, but long story short:

If the Cubs win the World Series, McBride will name his child (I'm a little unclear as to if this is an impending child who still needs a name or an existing child whose name will be changed):  Fukudome Zambrano McBride.

OH YEAH!  Go Cubs!

Questionable Priorities

Sweetie and I are sitting here awaiting the first pitch of the MLB season that will take place in this country.  It occurred to me, as ESPN was doing the montage of President's throwing out the first pitch, that W was going to get to throw out the first pitch.  If I were owner of the team I would have W throw out the pitch (because I think it's probably law) and then I'd have Obama throw out the second pitch.

Sweetie commented that's one more reason not to vote for McCain - he can't raise his arms above his shoulders, so would be unable to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. 

Cautiously Optimistic

Today was the draft for my main fantasy baseball league.  Time will tell, but at the moment I'm feeling good about my team.  Usually after the draft I look at my list and go "Who the hell are these guys and why did I draft them?"  This year, that's only true with a couple of guys and they're backups to backups so all is good.

So, without further ado, the 2008 House of Swank:

Starting Pitchers:
Roy Halladay (Toronto Blue Jays)
Carlos Zambrano (Chicago Cubs)
Jered Weaver (Anaheim Angels)
Jeff Francis (Colorado Rockies)
Rich Hill (Chicago Cubs)
Dontrelle Willis (Detroit Tigers)
Tom Gorzelanny (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Kevin Millwood (Texas Rangers)

Roy Halladay is never allowed to quit from baseball, because I do not know what I'd do without him.  He has been on my team since my first draft - a keeper every year - and if he ever stops playing baseball I will be beyond toast. 

I did not realize Hill was a Cub when I was drafting him - by that point in the draft I was just searching for an adequate pitcher and things like what team he's on could be no bother.  So I've got 2/5 of the Cubs starting rotation.  Let's hope that doesn't suck for me.

I also did not realize Dontrelle Willis had been traded to the Tigers.  At one point I realized it, as I was looking at how many of my players from last year were Tigers this year, but I forgot that as we were actually drafting.  I really hope the Tigers do well this year.  More for my sake than for theirs, but we're in it together.  (Although not as bad as the team that has something like 10 Boston Red Sox).

Relief Pitchers:
Chad Cordero (Washington Nationals)
Francisco Cordero (Cincinnati Reds)
Todd Jones (Detroit Tigers)
Brian Wilson (San Fransisco Giants)

I've got a Beach Boy!  And another Tiger!  And thank GOD I had two closers worth keeping this year, because there was a run on them early, so if I'd needed to get more than 1 early I would have been hurting hard at other positions in my team.  (3 relievers are active each week, so I really only NEED 3 guys).

Catchers:
Jorge Posada (New York Yankees)
AJ Pierzynski (Chicago White Sox)

I really only have Pierzynski in case Posada has a horrible injury that will put him on the bench for a week or more.  Here's hoping I never have to activate him.

Corner Infielders (1st and 3rd base):
Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers)
Adrian Beltre (Seattle Mariners)
Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies)

We're up to 3 tigers now!  I generally feel good here.  I'm a bit worried about Beltre.  If he plays up to his potential I'll be very happy.  If he plays how he usually plays I'll be very glad I have Todd Helton.

Middle Infielders (2nd base and shortstop):
Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies)
Michael Young (Texas Rangers)
Rafael Furcal (Los Angeles Dodgers)

With Halladay, Jimmy Rollins has also been on my team every year since I started fantasy baseball.  In the early years he was never a keeper, but between him and Young I love my middle infield.  Furcal ain't too shabby for a backup, either.

Outfielders:
Magglio Ordonez (Detroit Tigers)
Delmon Young (Minnesota Twins)
Bobby Abreu (New York Yankees)
Raul Ibanez (Seattle Mariners)

Ibanez was a bit of a mistake.  I meant to take Furcal that round, but hit the wrong button.  I still needed an outfielder, Ibanez was at the top of the list, he is my favorite Mariner, and there were some other guys who could handle middle infield if Furcal went to someone else (lasted two more rounds as it were), so I stuck with Ibanez.  Two Mariners on my team.  That scares me.  But hey, a fourth Tiger, so that's good, right?

Utility:
Mark DeRosa (Chicago Cubs)

DeRosa is eligible at middle infield, corner infield and outfield this year.  He's a so-so player most of the time - although last year he had some hot streaks - but I like having that one guy I can plug in anywhere in case one of my positions gets plagued by injuries or suckiness.  DeRosa is just the guy for that.

So there's my team.  I've got 9 scheduled starts from my starting pitchers this week.  I'll get to see one of them (Millwood) and three of my defensive players (Young, Beltre and Ibanez) Monday at the Mariner's home opener.

Play Ball!

And So It Begins

Baseball season quickly approaches and this year I have found myself in not one, but two fantasy leagues.  By "found myself" I mean that I'm on a message board where someone suggested starting a fantasy baseball league and I reflexively said "Sign me up!" and THEN I asked how the league was set up, what the rules would be, etc.

The good news is that there are a lot of people who have never participated in fantasy sports before, and it appears there are at least one or two who are so loyal to their home team it may cloud their vision.  And it's free, so no money lost for any stupid mistakes I may make.  The huge run on catchers early in the draft has me hopeful.

The bad news is it is a head-to-head rotisserie league where you can change your team and lineups daily, which is completely different than the fantasy leagues I've participated in before.  Strategically, I have some ideas on how to best approach my team, but am not sure if they'll pan out or not.

The draft way today.  Based on a lot of factors (number of hitting vs. pitching categories, quality of players available, and how other people were drafting) my strategy is to own every category in pitching - which I think is well within my grasp given the team I've got - and do the best I can with hitting, trying to pick up some of the new phenoms as the season gets to a start.

I am very happy to say that the two members of my PPFL fantasy team who have been with me from the start are here with me on this team as well.  I didn't even have to give them priority consideration to get them on the team.  In fact, I sat on Halladay a round or two while I rounded out my outfield and was still able to get him.

So, without further ado, here is the Second House of Swank:

C - JR Towles (Houston Astros)
1B - Carols Guillen (Detroit Lions) (also eligible at SS)
2B - Dan Uggla (Florida Marlins)
3B - Alex Gordon (Kansas City Royals) (also eligible at 1B)
SS - Jimmy Rollins (Philadelphia Phillies)
OF - Jason Bay (Pittsburgh Pirates)
       JD Drew (Boston Red Sox)
       Jeremy Hermida (Florida Marlins)
Utility/Bench - Adam LaRoche (1B, Pittsburgh Pirates)
       Travis Buck (OF, Oakland Athletics)

SP - Jake Peavy (San Diego Padres)
       Roy Halladay (Toronto Blue Jays)
RP - Jonathan Papelbon (Boston Red Sox)
       Pat Neshek (Minnesota Twins)
Bench -  Felix Hernandez (SP, Seattle Mariners)
       Rich Harden (SP, Oakland Athletics)
       Shaun Marcum (SP, RP, Toronto Blue Jays)

Define Surprising, Please

Earlier this evening one of the newscasters on NPR (doing top of the hour national headlines during All Things Considered) claimed that it was "surprising" that Roger Clemens was named as a steroid user in the big report that came out today.

Although Clemens' is not a name that has come up previously, at least that I've heard, you cannot look at the man's career arc and call the claim "surprising."  When  I heard his name this morning my response was, "Well, duh, why didn't I think of that sooner."

Just click the link

LOLYankees... I can't believe I haven't seen this sooner

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

Jimmy Rollins
Miguel Cabrera
Fausto Carmona
Michael Young
Todd Helton
Steve Smith
Matt Hasselbeck
Vince Young

Double champion this week - baseball AND football!  Meaning I am completely mediocre in both fantasy leagues right now!  Yay me!