Friday, the 31st

Good morning, everyone and welcome to the last day of July. As we all know, Papi got hosed yesterday after suggesting in the spring that anyone who tested positive should get suspended for a year. Well David, I have to be honest with you, if you were'nt the only dependable option at the DH position in our little ESPN fantasy game, I would agree. Seriously, what scares me is what I heard on the radio while driving to work today. Word has it that among the 104 on "the list", there are 20 home run champs (no surprise), 5 ROY winners (again, no biggie), and 8 Cy Young winners (that one surprises me). Baseball, you really have f'd it up bigtime. If Pujols ever goes down, all integrity the sport claims it has will be lost forever.

YESTERDAY

There were some brave souls out there who did risk it all on the Rocks staff last night. Guess what? I commend your effort. Looking back, it did not pay off very well, but I think it was a reasonable move when you look at the teams overall. Good try guys, you should not regret it. Mor me, however, the Mets staff put up a strong 42 and my 59 bat points, led by McCann and Papi (non-DH'ers) gave me a total of 101, bumping me into the top 30 overall and all the way to #1665 in the second half. That's a 13,000 spot improvement since Saturday for those of you keeping score. If you are frustrated, don't give up. It can happen.

TODAY

When I cashed in last night, there was still no solid confirmation that Lee was going for the Phills today, so I missed that boat. From the Suspect Summary, it looks like Lee takers barely edged out those of us with Harden for the most popular pick. Jackson got a little play as well, but nothing too significant. My guess is that one of these three will blow up tonight and I just hope it's not Rich. My final again...

C: Mauer*
1B: Pujols*
2B: Zo (Utley*)
3B: Chip*
SS: Rollins*
LF: Bay*
CF: BJ*
RF: Ichiro*
DH: Thames (Ortiz*)
PS: Harden (Lee*)

TOMORROW

Weather:
'Stros/Cards pm t-storms
Yanks/Chisox pm t-storms
Mariners/Rangers scattered t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Braves, Yanks, Rays, Tigers, Twins, DBacks, Cards, A's

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Bosox vs. Hernandez (3-2 3.20 in 7 starts)
Natz vs. Vazquez (1-5 6.21 in 6)
Angels vs. Swarzak (3-3 3.74 in 8)

Possible Load-ups:
Rays vs. Chen (0-5 6.39)
Rocks vs. Bailey (2-2 6.87, .632 BAA)

Bats You May Want to Avoid:
Ausmus (4-23)
Loretta (4-22)
Pierre (3-19)
AJ (1-14)
Zaun (2-15)
Paulino (1-19)
Pujols (3-23)
Ryan (2-12)
C Lee (4-27, HR)
Kinsler (6-33, HR)
Hamilton (2-18)
Salty (2-11)
Benji (2-15)
Rollins (1-11)
Utley (2-11, HR)

Pitchers:
*Please be advised that at this time the Brewers starter has not been announced*
Wolf (5-5 3.43, 1.15 WHIP, 4-3 2.91 road, 2-2 2.84 July, at Atl)
Burnett (10-4 3.53, 4-0 2.43 July, at CWS)
Sherzer (6-6 3.61, 111 K in 107 IP, 2-3 2.70 road, at NYM)
Beckett (12-4 3.44, 1.15 WHIP, 127 K in 136 IP, 5-4 4.34 road, 1-0 5.54 at Bal)
Z (7-4 3.36, 3-1 2.63 July, 1-0 3.60 at Fla)
Wandy (10-6 2.65, 124 K in 132 IP, 4-0 0.75 July, 1-1 2.77 at StL)
Carp (9-3 2.19, 0.96 WHIP, 5-1 1.76 home, 4-0 1.75 July, 0-0 2.25 vs. Hou)
Felix (11-4 2.79, 1.15 WHIP, 139 K in 145 IP, 7-1 1.91 road, 1-1 3.00 at Tex)
Hunter (3-1 2.00, 3-1 2.40 home, 3-0 1.11 July, 0-0 0.00 vs. Sea)
Lince )11-3 2.30, 1.05 WHIP, 183 K in 148 IP, 6-1 2.13 home, 3-1 2.08 July, vs. Phi)
Typically, Lince would be the obvious pick, but against Philly, I'm not so sure. Wandy owns Pujols. Carp owns Carlos Lee and Berkman is out. Either of them are solid as well. Since nweather could be an issue in St. Louis (I suggest you check it late tonight), I am going to stay with my boy Lincy. At least I will go down with the best if I go down at all.

First:
Konerko (3-9, 2HR vs. good starter)
Pena (1-3, HR vs. lefty)
Miggy (5-8, HR vs. lefty)
Votto (2-5 vs. good starter)
Lee (1-1)
I'm going to take Miggy over Sowers in this one. Originally Sowers was scheduled to go today, and I passed on it. The fact that I have a second chance on it, I see as a sign. Kind of like Johan earlier this week.

Second:
Hudson (11-34)
Cano (2-2, HR vs. good lefty)
Roberts (10-33, HR vs. good starter)
Polanco (4-11 vs. lefty)
Cano is swinging a hot bat right now. Zo is tempting vs. Chen, but I think Robbie will come through.

Third:
Chip (15-44, 3HR vs. good lefty)
Inge (2-3 vs. lefty)
Atkins (2-3)
Cantu (3-7, HR vs. good starter)
Young (17-48, HR vs. good starter)
I don't take Chipper vs. lefties and none of the others sound really favorable to me. I will go with Longoria. It's been a while, but against Chen? Sure.

Short:
Furcal (5-11, HR)
Tulo (3-3)
Theriot (1-1, HR)
Tulo. Quick and easy vs. a poor pitcher.

Left:
Diaz (5-8 vs. good lefty)
Obviously, I will not be taking Diaz. Dunn and Fonzie look good, though. When Soriano gets hot, he usually gets real hot. Let's hope he does it this time as well.

Center:
Ellsbuty (2-3 vs. rook)
Sizemore (1-3)
Granderson (4-11, HR vs. lefty)
Wells (1-3)
Again, this does nothing for me. Did you know that Nyjer Morgan is 18 for his last 33? You do now.

Right:
Cake (9-30, HR vs. good starter)
Hawpe (2-3)
Ichiro (2-3 vs. good rookie)
Rios (1-3)
Hawpe is struggling a little, but vs. Homer in Cincy, I can risk it without fear.

DH:
Scott (7-13, 2HR vs. good starter)
Thames (3-9, HR vs. lefty)
Lind: (1-2)
I have to go with Thames. No real reason, just feel. Did the same thing for today and the pitchers were swapped. Can't change now.

Catcher:
McCann (4-5, HR vs. good lefty)
Posada (3-4, HR vs. good lefty)
Laird (1-2 vs. lefty)
Torrealba (3-3)
Pudge (10-28 vs. good starter)
Let's ignore the numbers and go back to Napoli. He has paidoff for me almost every time and my confidence in him is huge right now.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Napoli
1B: Miggy
2B: Cano
3B: Longoria
SS: Tulo
LF: Fonz
CF: Morgan
RF: Hawpe
DH: Thames
PS: Lincy

STAT CORNER

July Leaders:

Batting Average:
Aybar .439
Morgan .404
Castillo .384
Victorino .381
M Young .376
O Cabrera .373
Abreu .368
Jeter .364
Escobar .356
Gutierrez .356

Home Runs:
G Jones 10
D Lee 9
An Jones 8
Konerko 7
Morneau 7
Reynolds 7
ARod 7
Tulo 7
Willingham 7

RBI:
Ludwick 28
D Lee 27
Abreu 24
Sandoval 23
Willingham 23
Ortiz 22
Zimm 22
McCann 21

ERA:
Kershaw 0.71
Wandy 0.75
Cain 0.94
Hunter 1.11
Wainwright 1.17
Blanton 1.21
Pineiro 1.22
Washburn 1.44
Carp 1.75
Johan 1.82

Strikeouts/9:
Lince 13.24
Greinke 10.97
Gallardo 10.85
Nolasco 10.80
Sanchez 10.41
Verlander 10.29

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and pass the word if you don't mind.

FU HALL OF FAME
Kerry Wood (Founder, -14, -11, -7, -6)
Nick Blackburn (record holder at -43)
Jake Peavy (2 time offender at -8 and -2)
Houston Astros Staff(-4)
Los Angeles Dodgers Staff (-11)
Zach Greinke (-4)

Thursday, the 30th

Good morning, everyone. So the Pirates have now sold off their entire team practically. It's a real shame to see such a storied franchise totally give up. It may just be time for them to move. I hate to say it, but what gozillionairre is going to want to buy that mess and move to Pittsburgh of all places? Also, the Tribe traded off Lee and VMart is sure to go today or tomorrow, so they say. The reigning Cy Young winner has been traded only 4 times in the history of major league baseball. But it has happened twice in the last two years, with both CC and Lee being dumped by Cleveland. Man, baseball has really changed. I believe I have mentioned on here that I don't really like to take more than 3 bats from the same team. Take a look at my bat results from last night to see the bad side of a load-up.

YESTERDAY

Well the day certainly got off to a good start for me with Go-Caine tossing a 36 point gem. It got better when Halladay struggled to get 10 and Johan rained out. But then the Phils bats started. At least they tried to. They turned Petit into a superstar and the 5 of them combined for just 7 points. Had it not been for the 6 I got from Braun, it could have been a record setting disaster. The 17 total bat points gave me a total of 53. I jumped 150 spots to #3364 in the second half and fell back to #33 overall. It's still progress, though.

TODAY

I hope you all noticed the DH today, although I suspect that probably a third of those ahead of me did not. The Mets staff accounts for over 80% of the suspects, with the Rocks getting maybe 10%. Many of the top bats are the same for everyone. We need the Mets to take the sweep 10-2, 10-2 if there is to be much movement today. Here's the final again...

C: McCann*
1B: Murphy*
2B: Barmes*
3B: Wright*
SS: Tulo*
LF: Manny (Pagan*)
CF: Fowler*
RF: Frenchy*
DH: Ortiz*
PS: Johan and the other guy*

TOMORROW

Weather:
Dodgers/Braves scattered t-storms
DBacks/Mets scattered t-storms
Mariners/Rangers scattered t-storms
Bosox/Orioles scattered t-storms
Rocks/Reds isolated t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Tigers, Pirates, Mets, Royals, Rangers, Yanks, Blue Jays

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Dodgers vs. Hanson (5-1 2.95 in 9 starts)
Phills vs. Sadowski (2-3 4.81 in 5)

Possible Load-ups:
Rays vs. Ponson (1-6 6.79)
Twins vs. Santana (3-6 7.29)

Bats You May Want to Avoid:
Zaun (1-10 vs. starter)
Youk (4-22)
Lowell (3-20)
Sizemore (3-17)
Shoppach (1-10)
A Cabrera (1-10)
Wright (1-10)
Cantu (2-11)
Beltre (7-39, 4HR)
Branyan (2-17)
Griffey (2-13)
Kubel (2-11)
Yadi (2-12)
Luddy (2-11)
Benji (2-15)

Pitchers:
*At this time the Reds have not announced a definitive starter
Jackson (7-5 2.59, 1.11 WHIP, 3-4 2.35 road, 1-1 2.96 July, 2-0 0.64 at Cle)
Lannan (7-7 3.27, Low K's, 3-6 5.51 road, 2-2 2.70 July, 0-0 1.29 at Pitt)
Cook (10-3 3.87, 2-0 4.20 July, at Cin)
Davis (5-10 3.76, 2-4 4.44 road, 2-2 5.61 July, at NYM)
Harden (7-6 4.55, 104 K in 93 IP, 2-0 1.80 in last 3 starts, 4-1 2.03 road, 0-0 12.27 at Fla)
Hanson (5-1 2.95, vs. LAD)
Richmond (6-5 3.69, 0-1 5.63 at Oak, just off DL)
Braden (7-9 3.74, 2-2 5.28 July, 0-2 2.70 vs. Tor)
This is a tough call. Hanson, Harden and Lannan all could be good, but they all have their weaknesses as well. I Like Lannan aside from the lackof strikeouts. Hanson is good, but facing the Dodgers. Harden has been good on the road and thismonth. I think I have to go with Rich, mainly because he is likely to be the top pick.

First:
Miggy (5-8, HR vs. lefty)
Votto (3-6 vs. good starter)
Pena (5-12, HR)
Morneau (5-12, 2HR)
Pujols (9-17, 3HR)
AGonz (6-12, 2HR)
Pujols looked a little better last night and, while all of these could go off, I think Fat Al gets it back tomorrow.

Second:
Roberts (4-9)
Pedroia (7-21)
Zo (2-6, HR)
Kinsler (2-3)
Kendrick (5-10 vs. good starter)
Cano (3-3 vs. lefty)
I think I'll pass on Cano against the lefty and Kendrick even as hot as he is and go with Zo vs. Ponson. I simply like the matchup better and he has usually cashed in for me.

Third:
Inge (2-3 vs. lefty)
Zimmerman (1-3, HR)
Reynolds (2-3)
ARam (2-5, HR)
Chipper (16-42, 5HR)
Figgins (7-12, HR vs. good starter)
Reynolds is in a pitchers park and I don't trust Chone very much. Zimmerman does not have enough power for me, so between ARam and Chipper, I have to like Chip. The stats are too much to pass on.

Short:
Hanley (2-4 vs. good starter)
Bartlett (1-3)
Lugo (7-19)
Scutato (3-8 vs. good lefty)
I have to take J-Roll on the road vs. the rook. He is really feeling it right now and the other matchups could backfire.

Left:
Bay (5-8, 2HR)
Gomes (3-3, 2HR vs. good starter)
Abreu (5-10 vs. good starter)
It seems too easy to take Bay, but it seems equally as stupid not to take him.

Center:
Ellsbury (6-20)
Granderson (4-11, Hr vs. lefty)
McLouth (3-7)
Upton (7-12)
BJ. None others even considered.

Right:
Cake (2-4, HR)
Drew (6-18, HR)
Ichiro (20-38, HR)
Dye (2-6)
I normally try not to take singles hitters, but Ichiro's numbers are among the best I've seen with that many at bats.

DH:
Ortiz (6-18, HR)
Hafner (3-7, HR vs. good starter)
Thames (3-9, HR vs. lefty)
Papi went deep already today, and will all the hype his affection for sticking needles in his ass is about to get him, I have to pass. Thames crushes lefties and should do so again.

Catcher:
Laird (1-2 vs. lefty)
Doumit (3-5, HR vs. good lefty)
Snyder (3-8)
Mauer (8-15)
Mauer may not be a sure thing, but he is the obvious pick.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Mauer
1B: Pujols
2B: Zo
3B: Chip
SS: Rollins
LF: Bay
CF: Upton
RF: Ichiro
DH: Thames
PS: Harden

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and pass the word if you will.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

DH Edition - Rocks vs. Mets

I will make this quick, as there really isn't much to say about it. Neither team has had any significant at bats against either of the starters.

Pitchers:
Hammel (L) 5-5 4.28, 4-2 1.93 road, 0-2 4.45 July
and
De La Rosa (R) 8-7 4.78, 112 K in 111 IP, 4-0 2.43 july

vs.

Johan (L) 11-8 3.12, 120 K in 130 IP, 7-2 1.86 home, 2-2 2.28 July
and
Niese (L) 1-0 4.08 in 3 starts

I think the obvious pick is the Mets. I was going to take Lester, but the way the A's are batting, it looks scary. With Johan in a pitchers park where he has shined and a double doozy, I can't pass on him.

First:
Daniel Murphy vs. Todd Helton: Helton seems like the obvious pick, but while he hits lefties well, he has only 1 HR against them. I'll give Murphy a chance.


Second:
Barmes does hit best vs. lefties (.303), but Castillo is really hitting well right now.

Third:
Stewart hits .191 vs. lefties, so Wright is pretty obvious.

Short:
Tulowitzki vs. Cora. C'mon......

Left:
Sheff is on the DL, so Spillborghs is the only DH option. I'll take Manny vs. Loshe (5-12, 2HR) and hope he doesn't sit his lazy ass out.

Center:
Fowler is the only option and he hits .330 vs. lefties.

Right:
Hawpe doesn't do much against lefties and Frenchy has actually done pretty well in his new town. Believe it or not, I want Francouer.

DH:
Seth Smith and Jeremy Reed. I wouldn't recognize either of them at Applebee's. No thanks. Ortiz vs. Gio somethingorother is a goos deal, though.

Catcher:
Neither will go two and neither does much for me. I'll take McCann (3-6, HR) vs. VandenHurk.

LATE UPDATE!!! Word from the Country Club says that Castillo will miss game 1 due to the birth of his child (thanks, Joey)

FINAL LINEUP

C: McCann
1B: Murphy
2B: Barmes
3B: Wright
SS: Tulo
LF: Manny
CF: Fowler
RF: Frenchy
DH: Papi
PS: Johan and the Other Dude

ATTENTION!!! DH TOMORROW!!!

I know there is alot on here today, but bear with me if you will.

Due to the rainout today, there will be a Double Dip tomorrow between the Rocks and Mets with (presumably) De La Rosa and Hammel facing Johan and Niese. I am stuck at the office right now, but will have a special DH edition up by about 10:30 or so with BVSP stats and picks. Stay tuned...

The Pete Rose Debate

Below this article you will find my usual notes and numbers, but with all the talk that the Rose debate has been given lately, I want to pass along this man's opinion. Also, I am stuck at the office all day and night and have nothing better to do...

So we all know that Charlie the Hustler has been banned from baseball for about 20 years now. He was banned for aledgedly betting on baseball, betting on his own team, and presumably for betting against his own team. When this all went down, I agreed 100% that he should be banned for life. Baseball took its stance on gambling long before any of us were born, has been very clear on what the penalty is for participating in it, and has never waivered in that. Therefore, ban his ass and don't look back. At least that's the way I saw it.

The ultimate reality is that Pete knew damn well what he was doing and also knew what would happen to him if he got caught, which he did. Because of that, I felt right about my personal opinion on the matter. However, I feel that there are a few things that have occurred lately that may change my/our minds on this. Since Bud Selig has been in office, the game has changed dramatically:

1) We now have interleague play (which I hate). Thanks, Bud.

2) We have gone through the juiced ball era and, yes, I do believe that the balls were juiced after the '94 strike in order to bring fans back to the game. Thanks again, Bud.

3) We have gone through, and still may be in, the juiced player era in which the league turned its head for many years, hoping that no one would pick up on players like Brady Anderson and Brett Boone, much less the obvious roid boys. Thanks again, Bud.

4) We had an All Star game end in a tie. Thanks again, Bud.

5) We have a meaningless midseason classic that determines which team gets home field advantage in the World Series. Thanks again, Bud.

With all of this bullshit that us fans have had to deal with, it has become very hard, for me at least, to continue to be a baseball purest. Seriously, what is still pure about this game? Designated hitters, no more scheduled double headers, lights at Wrigley, no day playoff games, free agents, fire sales, no salary cap, new parks everywhere, etc. The term Bastardized comes to mind. So if everything else about the game has changed over the years, why not the leagues position on the gambling ban? Just asking.

Personally, I do not have a dog in this fight. Pete Rose is, and always has been, one of the true jerks of the game. But we do not penalize guys for that. If we did, Ty Cobb, Bob Gibson, Reggie Jackson, Ricky Henderson, Bob Feller, and yes, Ted Williams himself would have been ousted long ago. So based on that, who cares if he was a jerk? Not me, that's for sure. So we have to go back to the gambling point and, now that I have given a little background I will get to what I think.

Pete Rose should be allowed to have his bust in the Hall of Fame. Yeah, I said it. Seriously, it's just a statue of him. What he did as a player clearly places him among the top 20 all time hitters in the history of the game. I do, however, have two stipulations:

1) If Pete goes, so does Shoeless Joe. There is absolutely no indisputable evidence that Jackson had anything to do with the Black Sox scandal. If I'm not mistaken he hit over .400 in the series, hit the only Home Run in the series, and committed zero errors. If Pete goes, Joe goes. And they should go in together.

2) While I am fine with Pete getting his day in the sun, I do not for one second agree with him ever being able to participate in Major League Baseball again. It is common knowledge that Rose wants to manage again. Sorry pal, you blew that one. One slip up of any kind would give baseball the ultimate black eye, worse than the slew of them the game has already accumulated. No participation under any circumstances.

So that's my view, but we are not done just yet. Oh, no. Even if Pete were to get reinstated, which I really doubt will ever happen under Bud's watch, he will have to be elected to the Hall by the Veteran's Committee. Who do you think is the most surly bunch when it comes to baseball purity? Exactly. I think it will be very difficult for Pete to get into the Hall if these are the guys he has to depend on. Many members of The Big Red Machine will have nothing to do with him and have shunned him publicly. And these are the same guys he would consider to be his greatest advocates.

Pete, you may be fucked.

One man's opinion...

Wednesday, the 29th

Good morning everyone, even you boys down in Venezuela. I have been thinking about writing an article on my opinion in the Pete Rose hall/no hall case. If time permits in the next day or two, I will post it here. Check it out if it gets done. Also, please be aware that I have to work late tonight and since the damn censors prevent me from changing my team at the office, my personal lineup will probably not be up until 10 pm eastern, if that is something you look forward to seeing.

YESTERDAY

Well, it did turn out to be a bit of a moving day, but not as much as I would have expected. With 4 of the top 5 staffs (Zone, Yanks, Atl, Col) all finishing with between 5 and 15 points, those of you who were in that group got saved somewhat. I was fortunate enough to have Wainwright and his solid 27 points, but due to relatively weak bats across the board, didn't make up too much ground. My bats combined for only 29, led by Braun, Kinsler, and Chipper and my total of 56 moved me back up to #31 overall and #3516 in the second half. It was only Saturday when I was at over 14,000 in rank, so a quick climb has kind of got me back in the mix and at least somewhat stabilized.

TODAY

It looks like Cain is the majority starter today as about 70% went with him, including myself. With good starters all over the place, I kind of expected a little more diversity. This is good with me, though, as being in the majority as much as possible generally pays off in the long run. Halladay has about 15% of the take and Johan came in third with around 8%. There will be movement today, but most of us will have to rely on our bats to see it. Here is my final again...

C: VMart (Mauer*)
1B: Howard*
2B: Utley*
3B: Peralta (ARam*)
SS: Rollins*
LF: Braun*
CF: Victorino*
RF: Werth*
DH: Kubel*
PS: Cain*
* denotes most popular pick of the day at said position

TOMORROW

Weather:
Rocks/Mets scattered t-storms
Royals/Orioles isolated t-storms
A's/Red Sox scattered t-storms
Mariners/Rangers thundershowers
Yanks/White Sox pm t-storms
Dodgers/Cards scattered t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Mets, Rocks, Red Sox, A's, Rangers, Mariners, White Sox, Phills

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Rocks vs. Niese (1-0 4.08 in 3 starts)
Brewers vs. Martin (0-1 7.50 in 2)

Possible Load-ups:
Red Sox vs. Gonzalez (2-2 7.75)
Brewers vs. Martin (0-1 7.52)

Bats You May Want to Avoid:
Cust (1-11, HR)
Crosby (1-11)
Morgan (1-11)
D Lee (3-33, HR)
Helms (1-11, HR)
Ausmus (2-11)
Renteria (2-16)
Benji (1-15)
Winn (2-14)

Pitchers:
* Please be advised that, at this time, the White Sox have not announced a starter
Bergeson (6-5 3.56, 6-1 2.82 home, vs. KC)
Cueto (8-7 3.78, 103 7.61 July, vs. SD)
Lester (9-7 3.79, 146 K in 128 IP, 2-1 1.86 July, 0-1 9.00 vs. Oak)
Gallardo (9-7 3.09, 136 K in 128 IP, vs. Was)
Vazquez (8-7 2.98, 1.07 WHIP, 150 K in 133 IP, 3-0 2.73 July, 0-1 4.50 at Fla)

First:
AGonz (1-2 vs. good starter)
Konerko (11-30, HR vs. lefty)
Loney (2-6)

Second:
Castillo (2-5)
Hudson (6-17)
Utley (2-4 vs. lefty)

Third:
ARam (6-16, HR)

Short:
Cabrera (6-13 vs. good lefty)
Theriot (2-5)
Furcal (5-8)

Left:
Pods (3-4, HR vs. lefty)
Holliday (5-11)
Manny (5-12, 2HR)
Pierre (6-12)

Center:
Jones (2-5)
R Johnson (4-4, HR)
McLouth (1-2)

Right:
Cake (2-6, HR)
Bradley (6-16)
Fukudome (2-3)
Ichiro (2-4)
Dye (8-25 vs. lefty)
Ethier (2-5)

DH:
I got nothing here

Catcher:
Zaun (2-6, HR in day game)
Soto (1-1)
McCann (3-6, HR)
AJ (7-19 vs. lefty)
Martin (2-6)

FINAL LINEUP
will be posted by 11 pm eastern along with brief analysis

STAT CORNER

The Longest Current Hitting Streaks (and averages):

Reynolds - 12 games - .413 avg
Schumaker - 12 - .326
S Drew - 10 - .419
Counsell - 10 - .415
Callaspo - 10 - .366
Fukudome - 10 - .395
Aybar - 9 - .447
Ethier - 9 - .500
O Cabrera - 9 - .410
Hanley - 9 - .361

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and pass the word if you will.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Tuesday, the 28th

Good morning, everyone. The next two days may be what seperates the men from the boys. Look at last night, where the vast majority had Lincy. Unless you got brave and made a run with someone else, you didn't see much of a change. Today and tomorrow, though, give us many pitchers that could excell. This leads to pick diversity and will result in major moves in the next two days. With the salaries as low as they are, pitching choices on days like this will surely determine the final outcome. Pick wisely, my friends.

On side note, yesterday was our busiest day ever with 241 seperate hits. I thank you all for making this work. I'm really impressed.

YESTERDAY

Tim Lincecum is just a rediculous stud. 13 K's and 40 points was an easy way to go last night. If you went with Felix, not a bad idea at any rate, you have my sympathy. My bats held their own as well. I wasn't fortunate enough to have Willingham, but my guys did alright, led by Dunn, Reynolds and Napoli, giving me another 34 points for a total of 74. As amazing as it is, that dropped me one spot to 32nd overall, but I did leap anotuer 1300 spots to #4985 in the 2nd half. Getting there...

TODAY

The suspect list shows that Haren barely edged out Wainwright and CC for the top slot, although Jurrjens and Marquis got alot of play as well. This is why I think a moving day is looming. It should make for some good scoreboard watching tonight, as the Heineken will be flowing at my house for sure. Here is my final again...

C: McCann*
1B: Prince (Tex*)
2B: Kinsler*
3B: Chip*
SS: Yunel (Hanley*)
LF: Braun*
CF: Granderson*
RF: Pence (Cake*)
DH: Thome (Ortiz*)
PS: Wainwright (Haren*)
* denotes top pick of the day

TOMORROW

Weather:
Tigers/Rangers scattered t-storms
Royals/Orioles scattered t-storms
Braves/Marlins scattered t-storms
Rocks/Mets pm t-storms
A's/Red Sox isolated t-storms
Padres/Reds scattered t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Cubs, Angels, Giants, Jays, Rocks, Nats, White Sox, Cards, DBacks

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Royals vs. Tillman (MLB Debut)
Reds vs. Latos (1-1 3.72 in 2 starts)

Possible Load-ups:
Cubs vs. Hampton (ERA over 8.00 in last 3 starts)
Brewers vs. Mock (0-4 7.06)
Phills vs. Petit (0-5 7.68)

Bats You May Want to Avoid:
Hafner (4-23 vs. starter)
Rowand (2-13)
Doumit (2-11)
Sweeney (5-37, HR)
J Lopez (2-13)
Hannahan (0-10)
Damon (2-13)
O Cabrera (6-50, HR)
Blanco (2-15)
Young (3-19)
Blalock (3-17, HR)
Kinsler (2-14)
Morneau (0-11)

Pitchers:
Wells (6-4 3.10, 1.16 WHIP, 4-1 4.06 July, 0-0 0.00 vs. Hou)
Cain (12-2 2.27, 6-1 2.26 home, 3-0 1.29 July, 1-0 1.29 vs. Pitt)
Halladay (11-3 2.62, 1.05 WHIP, 4-1 2.68 road, 1-1 2.81 July, at Sea)
Greinke (10-6 2.04, 1.10 WHIP, 146 K in 141 IP, 4-3 2.43 road, 0-3 2.42 July, 1-0 1.29 at Bal)
Johan (11-8 3.12, 120 K in 130 IP, 7-2 1.86 home, 2-2 2.28 July, vs. Col)
Johnson (9-2 2.80, 1.10 WHIP, 4-1 1.98 home, vs. Atl)
Verlander (11-5 3.12, 1.19 WHIP, 159 K in 138 IP, 4-5 4.76 road, 3-2 2.31 July, 1-0 1.64 at Tex)
Kershaw (8-5 2.96, 110 K in 112 IP, 5-3 4.41 road, 3-0 0.90 July, at StL)
Pineiro (9-9 2.95, 1.08 WHIP, Low K's, 4-4 2.40 home, 3-0 1.24 July, vs. LAD)
Happ (7-1 2.97, 1.18 WHIP, 4-0 1.57 road, 2-1 2.91 July, at Zona)
As you can see there are plenty of fish in the sea for tomorrow. Johan and Cain are my favorites as Halladay's possible trade scares me off. I will go with Cain vs. the Hapless Bucs, simply because they are who they are and he is at home.

First:
Huff (6-16 vs. good starter)
Prince (1-3)
Pujols (2-4 vs. good lefty)
RyHo (1-2)
It's a tough call between Prince and Howard. Since RyHo has been hitting better lately, he is my pick, easily.

Second:
Kendrick (3-6 vs. good lefty)
Sanchez (6-17 vs. good starter)
Hill (1-3, HR vs. lefty)
Roberts (4-8 vs. good starter)
Hill is a safe pick, but I am going to go with Utley in Zona. Hill has already gone deep twice in a game this week and Chase is due for a dinger.

Third:
ARod (3-8, HR vs. good starter)
Lowell (1-2, HR vs. lefty)
Kouz (3-9)
Zimmerman (3-6 vs. lefty)
Blake (8-18, HR vs. good starter)
Peralta (10-23)
Since nothing jumps out at me other than Peralta, I will give him a chance. He has treated me well in the past and sometimes the numbers don't lie. Remember, he put up these numbers when Lackey was good. This season, he has not been good.

Short:
Scutaro (1-2 vs. lefty)
Alexei (3-4 vs. lefty)
Rollins (2-4, HR)
J-Roll. None others considered.

Left:
Lee (2-3 vs. good starter)
Bay (3-6 vs. lefty)
Halliday (3-7 vs. good lefty)
Manny (13-29, 4HR vs. good starter)
Quite honestly, I am not convinced Manny will start. He has fooled me on this too many times. Give me Braun again.

Center:
Byrd (5-8 vs. good starter)
Hamilton (2-5 vs. good starter)
Granderson (2-4, HR vs. good starter)
Victorino (4-5)
Ross (2-2, HR)
Shane-O. Again, none others considered.

Right:
Choo (3-8)
Hart (2-4, HR)
Swisher (3-5, 2HR vs. good starter)
One of these days, the Phillies are going to get shut down. It may be tonight, but it won't be tomorrow. Continue the loadup with Werth.

DH:
Lind (2-2 vs. lefty)
Kubel (2-5)
It's a close one, but Kubel is a better option than Lind.

Catcher:
VMart (9-19)
Benji (3-10 vs. good lefty)
Mauer (3-4)
AJ (2-5 vs. lefty)
VMart. another easy pick.

FINAL LINEUP
C: VMart
1B: RyHo
2B: Chase
3B: Peralta
SS: Rollins
LF: Braun
CF: Victorino
RF: Werth
DH: Kubel
PS: Cain is Abel

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and pass the word if you don't mind.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Monday, the 27th

Good morning, everyone. It sure feels a little better now as I kind of feel like I am catching my stride again. We're only two weeks into the second half and it already feels like it's been going on forever. I was a little long winded yesterday, so let's get straight to it.

YESTERDAY

I put up over 70 points for the second day in a row as the risk of taking Sherzer paid off well. He put up 36 to lead the popular staffs of Harden (30) and Lee (20). My bats also came through pretty well considering that Ham and Manny laid out yesterday. RyHO (11), Hanley (7), and Kinsler (6) led the pack to 36 more and my total of 72 kicked me up to #31 overall and #6280 in the half. Now I have to just keep chipping away, one day at a time.

TODAY

It will be fairly hard to make a strong move today as everybody and their mother has Lincy tonight. The bats will dictate most of the movement in this one. That said, if you are ranked in the mid - thousands like I am, there are surely many who do not have him, so a decent bump can be made. If you are at or near the top, don't sweat today, as not much will happen for you either way. Here is my final again...

C: Napoli (Mauer *)
1B: Morneau (Pujols *)
2B: Utley *
3B: Reynolds *
SS: Rollins *
LF: Dunn (Ibanez *)
CF: Victorino *
RF: Upton *
DH: Kubel *
PS: Lincy *
* denotes most picked player

TOMORROW

Weather:
Tigers/Rangers scattered t-storms
'Stros/Cubs scattered t-storms
Braves/Marlins thunderstorms
Dodgers/Cards pm thunderstorms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Rays, Yanks, Rangers, Twins, DBacks, Angels, Mariners, Jays, Pirates

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Red Sox vs. Mazzaro (2-7 4.75 in 10 starts)
Rangers vs. French (1-1 2.22 in 4)
Mariners vs. Rzepczynski (1-2 2.82 in 4)

Possible Load-ups:
Brewers vs. Balester (0-1 6.00 in 1 start this season)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
Pena (4-25, 2HR vs. starter)
Damon (6-33)
Jeter (4-31, HR)
Swisher (4-24, HR)
Matsui (4-23. HR)
ARod (2-21)
Cano (3-20)
AGon (2-19)
Schneider (1-20)
Blanco (1-14)
Cantu (2-11)
Church (2-12, HR)
Miles (3-17)
Fukudome (1-12)
Mauer (5-27, HR)
Dye (3-20, HR)
Feliz (3-23)
Wells (5-26)

Pitchers:
Bannister (6-7 3.76, 2-4 4.37 road, at Bal)
CC (10-6 3.67, 1.16 WHIP, 3-2 4.05 July, 0-0 4.50 vs. Tam)
Marquis (12-6 3.49, Low K's, 2-1 1.64 July, at NYM)
Jurrjens (9-7 2.67, 4-3 2.85 road, 41 1.93 July, 1-0 2.57 at Fla)
Oz (6-4 3.66, 1.17 WHIP, 2-0 2.40 July, 0-1 4.15 at ChC)
Buehrle (11-3 3.28, 1.10 WHIP, 4-2 4.53 road, 2-1 5.40 at Min)
Bills (10-5 3.72, 126 K in 133 IP, 1-1 6.97 July, at StL)
Wainwright (11-6 2.96, 130 K in 143 IP, 3-5 2.37 home, 3-1 1.412 July, vs. LAD)
Haren (10-5 2.14, 0.84 WHIP, 141 K in 143 IP, 5-4 2.07 home, 3-0 1.93 July, vs. Phi)
Weaver (10-3 3.57, 1.18 WHIP, 7-1 2.51 home, 2-0 6.83 July, vs. Cle)
Washburn (8-6 2.71, 1.06 WHIP, 5-2 2.42 home, 4-1 1.47 July, vs. Tor)
This one is a really tough call. Marquis is good, but his K's are extremely low. I have never had much luck with Oz. Bills hurt me last time and the Cards with a revamped Holliday are scary. Wainwright is a good call. I don't trust Weaver right now and Toronto's bats are too good for me to take Washburn. I am down to Wainwright and Jurrjens. I think I will go with Wainwright at home. The weather chance in Florida is only 40%, but that, and the fact that the Casrds are at home, are the tie-breakers for me.

First:
Tex (5-6 vs. lefty)
Votto (3-9, HR)
Helton (2-3)
Prince (1-2)
Overbay (6-11, HR vs. good starter)
I think Prince will come out of his slump tomorrow. Votto would be my second pick.

Second:
Zobrist (2-6, HR vs. good lefty)
Castillo (9-24 vs. good starter)
Uggla (5-11 vs. good starter)
Harris (8-25, HR vs. good starter)
Since none of these match-ups are very promising, I will roll with Kinsler at home vs. the lefty. His batting splits say it is a good choice, as he hits over .300 vs. lefties and .288 at home.

Third:
Wright (8-24, 2HR vs. good starter)
Chipper (9-16, 3HR)
Inge (3-10)
Kouz (9-13, 2HR)
I rarely take Chipper and when I do, it rarely pays off for me. However, I can't pass on numbers like this when the Braves are hitting as well as they have been. Kouz should be a safe bet as well.

Short:
Hanley (4-12, 3HR vs. good starter)
Escobar (5-10, HR)
Theriot (4-12 vs. good starter)
Tejada (6-18)
I like both Escobar and Tejada here. In the end, Escobar is hotter at the moment.

Left:
Braun (1-3)
Lee (7-22, HR)
Lee's numbers are more meaningful, but I really like taking Brewers at home, especially vs. rookies.

Center:
Melky (6-15 vs. lefty)
Taveras (4-11)
Span (6-14, 2HR vs. good lefty)
Kemp (1-2 vs. good starter)
Sizemore (5-16, 2HR vs. good starter)
None of these really jump out at me, but I see Granderson in Texas vs. Padilla and the swine flu. He is 2-8 against him with 4 walks. That's good enough for me.

Right:
Mags (4-11, HR)
Pence (8-20, 2HR)
Cuddyer (24-76, 2HR vs. good lefty)
Ethier (3-9 vs. good starter)
Rios (3-9, HR vs. good starter)
Dumpster is just good enough to scare me off of Pence a little, but other than that, Cake and Abreu are the only ones I will even consider. Tough call. Since Abreu faces the worst pitcher of the three.....nah, give me Pence. I changed my mind.

DH:
Thames (3-9, HR)
Talk about slim pickins' here. Thome is 5-22 with 2 HR vs. Baker. Isn't he that way with just about everyone? Baker sucks and since Big Jim sat tonight, I like it.

Catcher:
Posada (10-22, HR vs. lefty)
McCann (7-19, 2HR)
Redmond (16-35 vs. good lefty)
Martin (5-8 vs. good starter)
VMart (3-7 vs. good starter)
McCann is an easy one for me. I hope like Hell the rain stays out of south Florida.

FINAL LINEUP

C: McCann
1B: Prince
2B: Kinsler
3B: Chip
SS: Escobar
LF: Braun
CF: Granderson
RF: Pence
DH: Thome
PS: Wainwright (and I better be, too)

STAT CORNER

The Best Team Batting Averages on the Road:
Angels .283
Jays .282
White Sox .281
Dodgers .279
Yankees .278

And The Worst:
DBacks .227
Reds .233
Royals .237
Rangers .237
cUBS .240

The Best Team Batting Averages At Home:
Orioles .294
Angels .289
Pirates .281
Twins .279
Rocks .277

And The Worst:
Padres .207
White Sox .241
Indians .247
Brewers .248
A's .251

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and don't be afraid to pass the word.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Sunday, the 26th

Good morning, everyone. I have been questioned a few times lately on why I don't include a certain batter matchup on a given day, for example, some Brewers bats against a rookie. If a batter has not faced a pitcher, they are not going to be on here. Remember, this is just a simple documentation of how I pick my team. I start by checking the weather. Then, I look at the pitchers. While doing so, I check the BVSP and list the top 4 or 5 at each position here. That is where I start. Sometimes the BVSP numbers are not too strong, and that's ok. Once I finish looking at BVSP, I open up ESPN and go position by position. At this point, I have not taken into consideration at all how a batter is hitting. So, when I go to first bast, for example, I look first at the guys I have listed with good BVSP. Then, I check to see how they have been doing lately, or who they are facing. From there, I check the PP7 and look through the list to see if I have missed someone, and pick my player. So, if you do not see someone on here that you think may belong, this is why. It's just the way I do it. Unfortunately, I don't have the time to list every possible decent pick on here. The way I do it now takes up more time then I have as it is. I hope this clears things up for you.

YESTERDAY

It sure is nice to finally see a good score. Lester had a decent 24 and my bats were very solid, led by Hill, Jeter, Papi and Werth. They gave me 54 more and my 78 total bumped me back up to #33 overall and #9379 in the second half. I still have alot of work to do, but a 5000 spot jump is a good place to start.

TODAY

I imagine that Lee will be the most picked pitcher today, as the numbers certainly tell us he was the pick. With the track record I have with the Tribe staff, I just couldn't do it. I went with Sherzer, who should get some decent play as well vs. the lowly and depleted Pirates. Today could be a good moving day as there really was no clear cut, guaranteed pitcher. Here is the final again...

C: Mauer
1B: Ryho
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARam
SS: Hanley
LF: Manny
CF: Hamilton
RF: Cruz
DH: Kubel
PS: Sherzer

TOMORROW

Weather:
Tigers/Rangers Scattered t-storms
'Stros/Cubs Isolated t-storms
Royals/Orioles Scattered t-storms
Rocks/Mets Scattered t-storms
A's/Red Sox Scattered t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Orioles, Rockies, Cards, Cubs, Twins, White Sox, DBacks, Indians, Mariners, Giants

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Tigers vs. Hunter (see "pitchers")

Possible Load-ups:
Orioles vs. Chen (0-5 6.58)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
Pena (3-24, HR vs. starter)
Longoria (3-16)
Tex (1-13)
DeRosa (6-31)
Guzman (8-45)
N Johnson (2-14)
Soriano (1-14)
Bradley (2-12)
Miles (2-11)
Blum (5-32)
Punto (1-15)
Dye (2-11)
Scutaro (2-14)
Rowand (2-14)

Pitchers:
Burnett (9-4 3.74, 108 K in 120 IP, 1-0 3.21 vs. Tam)
Beckett (11-4 3.42, 1.14 WHIP, 117 K in 129 IP, 6-0 2.44 home, 1-0 2.70 vs. Oak)
Wolf (5-4 3.45, 1.13 WHIP, 2-1 2.81 July, at StL)
Carp (8-2 2.26, 0.91 WHIP, 4-2 2.47 road, 3-0 1.86 July, vs. LaD)
Hunter (2-1 2.17, 2-0 1.84 July, vs. Det)
Wandy (10-6 2.72, 117 K in 125 IP, 4-0 0.62 July, 0-0 1.39 vs. ChC)
Z (7-4 3.48, 3-1 2.93 July, 1-0 1.29 vs. Hou)
Romero (8-4 3.44, 3-1 3.94 July, at Sea)
Felix (11-3 2.45, 1.11 WHIP, 137 K in 139 IP, 3-0 2.10 July, vs. Tor)
Lince (10-3 2.45, 1.07 WHIP, 168 K in 139 IP, 2-1 2.81 July, 0-0 1.29 vs. Pitt)
King Felix is a solid pick, as are a few others but, honestly, how can anyone pass on Lincy at home vs. what's left of the Pirates?

First:
Huff (5-17, 2HR vs. lefty)
AGon (1-3)
Pujos (5-14 vs. good lefty)
Lee (12-27, 2HR vs. good lefty)
Morneau (7-22, 3HR vs. lefty)
I like RyHo, and many of the Phills vs. Garland as many of them have never faced him, but the numbers for Morneau are too good to pass on tomorrow.

Second:
Pedroia (2-3)
B Harris (7-18 vs. lefty)
Sanchez (4-6, HR vs. good starter)
Cano (9-21, HR vs. good starter)
I like Utley and Phillips more than any of these guys and will take Chase on the road. I have very little confidence in Garland.

Third:
Atkins (5-10, 2HR vs. lefty)
Zimmerman (4-11, HR)
Reynolds (2-7, HR vs. lefty)
Figgins (3-5)
I like Zimmerman, but not his lack of power. Reynolds, who hits lefties pretty well, looks like the best pick. I know Jamie Moyer is a stud and a sure-fire Hall of Famer, but I just have a feeling.

Short:
Jeter (10-26, HR vs. good starter)
Tulo (1-2 vs. lefty)
Theriot (10-21, HR vs. good lefty)
Tejada (7-18, HR vs. good starter)
Renteria (4-11 vs. lefty)
Tulo is intriguing, but Rollins is absolutely on fire and his 0-4 BVSP vs. Garland doesn't scare me away.

Left:
Crawford (14-42, HR vs. good starter)
Damon (6-18, 2HR vs. good starter)
Manny (7-24, 2HR vs. good starter)
Dunn (13-27, HR)
Lee (19-52, 4HR vs. good starter)
Ibanez (21-59, 2HR)
I don't like to take Dunn very often due to his low average and high K's, but this looks like one of those times when I have to. He's also hitting pretty well right now.

Center:
Morgan (4-12)
Byrd (3-6)
Hamilton (2-5)
These guys don't do it for me. I kind of like Adam Jones, but he only hits .254 vs. lefties. I think I will go with Victorino and stay with the Phills again. Shane-O has never faced Garland.

Right:
Abreu (15-47, 2HR)
Hawpe (2-3, HR vs. lefty)
Cruz (1-3)
Cuddyer (10-21, HR vs. lefty)
Upton (1-3 vs. lefty)
Cuddyer is a good option, but Upton hits .371 vs. lefties and even though he has never faced the immortal Jamie Moyer, I have to go with him.

DH:
Matsui (7-16, 3HR vs. good starter)
Ortiz (1-3, HR)
Blalock (1-3)
Kubel (6-13, HR vs. lefty)
I think I will stay with Kubel for another day. He may have the hottest bat in the league this week.

Catcher:
Torrealba (3-8, HR vs. lefty)
Pudge (3-10 vs. good starter)
Napoli (1-2)
VMart (3-6)
I'm going to go get Napoli again. I think he is vastly underprices and every time I take him, he seems to come up big.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Napoli
1B: Morneau
2B: Utley
3B: Reynolds
SS: Rollins
LF: Dunn
CF: Victorino
RF: Upton
DH: Kubel
PS: Lincy

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for readong, please come again, and pass the word if you will.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Saturday, the 25th

Good morning, everyone. Sometimes the right call just isn't the right call. Baseball makes the smart look stupid and the stupid look smart sometimes. And then, on occasion, you just fudge everything up no matter what you do. That's been my story thus far in the 2nd half. Yes, it's very frustrating,but this is where the luck part of the game comes in. I agree that in the end, skill prevails. That said, I am making my lineups exactly the same as I was in the first half. Nothing has changed. Same strategy. Same stats. Same everything. The only difference is that my picks have sucked rocks. And so goes Baseball Challenge. Oh well. Today's a new day.

Every pick counts. My picks of Blackburn and Kershaw this half, just those two picks alone, have cost me 114 points. Had I been on the right side of those two games I would be ranked #632 in the 2nd half and #16 overall. Instead, I'm just another tool right now. As complex as we try to make this game sometimes, it really is that simple.

YESTERDAY

I guess Iwas wrong about theTigs staff. Just a little. Congrats to those of you that took them as it certainly paid off. Kershaw barely avoided the FU Hall as he only gave me 3 stinking points last night. That 44 point mistake hurts. Bad. The bats were poor overall, but they did give me a decent 43. My 46total for the day dropped me to #41 on the overall board, in danger of dropping off alltogether, and #14,776 in the second half. Man, that's pretty weak right there.

TODAY

It looks like the overwhelming majority has Lester today, so your bat picks will likely be what make or break your day. Massive movement will be fairly unlikely. Here's my final again...

C: Mauer
1B: Ryho
2B: Hill
3B: ARod
SS: Jeter
LF: Bay
CF: Hairston
RF: Werth
DH: Ortiz
PS: Lester

TOMORROW

Weather:
Whits Sox/Tigers Isolated t-storms
A's/Yanks Scattered t-storms
Giants/Rocks Scattered t-storms
Cards/Phils Scattered t-storms
Orioles/Red Sox Isolated t-storms
Pads/Nats Scattered t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Yanks, Rays, Padres, Mariners, Tigers

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Red Sox vs. Hernandez (2-2 3.66 in 6 starts)
Rockies vs. Sadowski (2-2 4.15 in 4)
Angels vs. Swarzak(2-3 4.15 in 7)
DBacks vs. Vazquez (1-4 5.54 in 3)

Potential Load-ups:
Rangers vs. Ponson (1-6 7.63)
Twins vs. Santana (3-5 6.79, .293 team BAA)
Phils vs. Wellemeyer (7-8 5.68)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
Cameron (6-33, HR vs. starter)
D Ross (1-12)
Betancourt (7-43)
An Jones (1-11)
Beltre (4-26

Pitchers:
Braden (7-8 3.40, 3-1 3.96 July, at NYY)
Niemann (9-4 3.61, 2-0 2.25 July, 1-0 1.23 at Tor)
Lannan (7-7 3.38, Low K's, 4-1 1.99 home, vs. SD)
Millwood (9-7 3.44, 2-6 4.55 road, 1-2 7.33 July, 0-1 2.00 vs. KC)
Cook (9-3 3.94, 3-1 4.58 home, 1-0 4.70 July, vs. SF)
Lee (6-9 3.17, 2-2 2.32 July, 1-0 1.00 vs. Sea, Kerry MF'n Wood)
Sherzer (5-6 3.86, 103 K in 100 IP, 3-3 5.01 home, 0-1 4.76 July, vs. Pit)
Since Lee is on the banned list and Millwood has been atrocious lately, I have no other option but to go with Sherzer. It'll probably backfire on me, but at least he is facing a depleted Pirates lineup what wasn't very good in the first place.

First:
Tex (2-6 vs. good lefty)
Howard (2-5, HR)
Pujols (0-4)
Prince (4-11)
Morneau (4-11, HR)
I like Morneau, but I think I will stay with Howard for another day. He faces the weaker pitcher and is in the better hitters park, in my opinion.

Second:
Utley (4-8, 2HR)
Counsell (9-24)
Prado (2-3)
Kinsler (3-5)
I really want Utley, but Ponson is so stinking bad I have to give Kinsler a chance.

Third:
ARod (2-2, HR vs. good lefty)
Chipper (8-20, HR)
Wright (5-13)
Young (11-32, HR)
ARam (3-8)
Crede (4-12)
It's between ARod, Young and Aramis. ARod faces a decent pitcher and Young has little power. Since Owings is a mound turd, I think I will roll with Aramis.

Short:
Jeter (1-2 vs. good lefty)
Hardy (4-12)
Tejada (6-16)
Theriot (4-9)
Renteria (5-11 vs. good starter)
I like Tejada vs. Livan, but Jason Schmidt is early in his comeback and has never really impressed me. I like Hanley tomorrow.

Left:
G Anderson (2-4, HR)
BVSP obviously means nothing tomorrow. I like Braun, Manny and Ibanez. Either one will do well, I think. Since Lowe can be good, I will eliminate Braun. Ibanez is in the better hitters park, so let's go that way. I just saw, though that Manuel is looking for chances to sit Ibanez, particularly in day games. Give me Manny instead.

Center:
Victorino (1-3)
Hamilton (2-4)
Hamilton vs. Ponson........I'll buy that. He has sucked lately, but so has Sidney.

Right:
Luddy (2-5, HR)
Hart (5-13)
Church (4-5)
Pence (4-7)
Guillen (14-32, HR vs. good starter)
I think I'm actually going to continue my Rangers trend here and go with Nelson Cruz. Luddy and Werth were also considered.

DH:
I have nothing here. I need to have at least one bat against Santana tomorrow. Kubel fits that description.

Catcher:
Pudge (3-10 in day game)
Buck (7-15 vs. good starter in day game)
Olivo (4-10, HR vs. good starter in day game)
Benji (5-16 vs. good starter in day game)
Mauer (7-13)
Mauer it is - easy pick.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Mauer
1B: Howard
2B: Kinsler
3B: ARam
SS: Hanley
LF: Manny
CF: Hamilton
RF: Cruz
DH: Kubel
PS: Sherzer

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks (and the way things have been going...). If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and pass the word.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Friday, the 24th

Good morning, everyone. Congrats to Mark Buehrle on the perfect game yesterday and I sure hope you take good care of DeWayne Wise. Let's get right to it today.

YESTERDAY

I went to bed after Haren blew up in the 5th with a -2 from him and was wondering if he was going to be the next entry into the FU Hall of Fame. Honestly, I probably would have pardoned him anyway since he has given me an assload of points over the years. So it was nice to wake up this morning and see that both his pen and his bats (thanks Reynolds) bailed him out and we got a decent 18 out of him. My bats, led by Reynolds and Rollins (remember, I went against my own advice on him) pitched in 32 and the total of 50 was good enough to help me move up over 1000 places to #13,708 in the 2nd half. I still have a ton of work to do, but progress is progress and we never complain about that here. Overall, I am #32, holding of the Dude by a thread.

TODAY

The daily summary shows that a little over half of you were willing to risk it all on the Tigs staff. I wanted to, but the more I thought about it the worse I liked it. I really do have a bad feeling about this one. Kershaw, my boy, was the second most popular with around 20% and the rest was scattered. Most of the popular bats were the same. There will be bat movement today for sure, but not as much as we might have hoped for thanks to the insanely low values ESPN has provided us. Here is my final again...

C: AJ
1B: Miggy
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Q
CF: Grandy
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Kershaw

TOMORROW

Weather:
The weather channel changed their baseball layout, so here is what I have for now.
White Sox/Tigers...T-storms
Giants/Rocks...Isolated t-storms

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Yanks, A's, Reds, Jays, Rays, Mariners, Indians, 'Stros, Orioles, Royals, Rocks, Giants, Pirates

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Brewers vs. Hanson (see "pitchers")
'Stros vs. Niese (0-0 5.91 in 2 starts)
Padres vs. Martin (0-1 11.25 in 1)

Possible Load-ups:
Yanks vs. Gonzalez (1-2 9.33)
Rays vs. Tallet (.377 team BAA)
'Stros vs. Niese (see above)
Rangers vs. Hochevar (5-3 5.09, never faced him)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
Crosby (2-11 vs. starter)
Inge (3-16, HR)
Rollins (3-18)
Utley (2-13)
Victorino (2-13)
Sizemore (0-13)
Schneider (3-18, HR)
Tatis (2-12, HR)
Youk (4-22)
Lowell (3-17, HR)
Mora (3-20)
Rowand (2-14)

Pitchers:
Please be aware that at this time, the Angels have not decided on a starter.
Cueto (8-6 3.67, 1-2 8.15 July, 1-0 0.00 at ChC)
Lilly has been pulled due to a sore shoulder - no replacement named as of yet
Jackson (7-5 2.52, 1.08 WHIP, 4-1 2.73 home, 1-1 2.66 July, 0-0 3.60 vs. CWS)
Blackburn (8-4 3.44, no f'ing way!)
Bedard (5-2 2.70, 84 K in 80 IP, 2-2 2.54 home, 0-0 3.77 July, 0-0 3.86 vs. Cle)
Hanson (5-0 3.00, 2-0 2.66 road, 0-0 9.00 at Mil)
Gallardo (8-7 3.28, 130 K in 120 IP, 0-3 5.09 July, 1-0 0.00 vs. Atl)
Lester (8-7 3.87, 137 K in 129 IP, 1-1 1.61 July, 2-0 0.00 vs. Bal)
Davis (4-10 3.95, 1-2 7.32 July, vs. Pitt)
Wow! This is a shitty group to choose from. I like either Jackson vs. the Sox at home or Lester over the O's. I think Jackson will have success after the Sox bats get worn out by the DH, but if it gets to the pen.... I generally don't like to go against the O's either, but since I think that the majority will go that way, I will to. I really think the play tomorrow is to go with the top staff and take whatever lumps come my way.

First:
Lee (6-15 vs. good starter)
Howard (4-9, HR)
Pujols (0-2)
Huff (8-25, HR vs. good starter)
Pujols is always tempting, but I think Ryho is the way to go, Loshe being the giveaway.

Second:
Hill (1-2 vs. lefty)
Zo (2-5, HR vs. lefty)
Polanco (8-24, HR)
Pedroia (7-18)
Sanchez (17-34, HR vs. good lefty)
Aaron Hill took good care of me throughout the first half. Let's see if he can do it again as he hits over .300 vs. the hooks.

Third:
Longoria (1-3 vs. lefty)
Figgins (6-10 vs. good starter)
Beltre (4-12 vs. lefty)
Chipper (2-4, HR vs. good starter)
Wright (6-11, HR)
Wright is cold lately and Longo doesn't hitlefties well. It looks like a good time to go back to ARod vs. a crap rookie.

Short:
Theriot (6-17 vs. good starter)
Bartlett (2-4 vs. lefty)
Peralta (5-15 vs. good lefty)
Tulo (3-9 vs. lefty)
None of these impress me in the least. Even though Jeter is hothitting well, Iwill take him agains the lefty.

Left:
Fonzie (4-12, 2HR vs. good starter)
Crawford (4-9 vs. lefty)
Braun (2-3, 2HR vs. good rook)
Sheff (5-13, 3HR)
Bay (3-5, 2HR)
Braun or Bay. Braun or Bay. I think Hanson will be a little better prepared this time, so I will go with Bay vs. a miserable staff.

Center:
Hairston (3-9, HR vs. lefty)
Wells (1-3 vs. lefty)
Upton (2-4 vs. lefty)
Fowler (1-2 vs. lefty)
The only thing that impresses me from this group is the way that Hairston hits lefties. A washed up one like Pettite should be no major challenge.

Right:
Rios (2-3 vs. lefty)
Werth (2-3, HR)
Abreu (4-8 vs. good starter)
Ichiro (5-13 vs. lefty)
Drew (5-14, HR)
Werth = no brainer.

DH:
Cust (3-9, HR vs. lefty)
Lind (1-3 vs. lefty)
Thome (7-10, 2HR vs. good starter)
Griff (3-8, HR vs. lefty)
Hafner (4-13 vs. good lefty)
Nothing impresses. Papi is 5-17 vs. Guthrie. I guess that's enough.

Catcher:
Suzuki (4-7 vs. lefty)
Navarro (4-9 vs. lefty)
Ianetta (4-11, HR vs. lefty)
Torrealba (2-4 vs. lefty)
Benji (5-12)
Hell, they all suck. Mauer by default against the unknown Angel.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Mauer
1B: Ryho
2B: Hill
3B: ARod
SS: Jeter
LF: Bay
CF: Hairston
RF: Werth
DH: Papi
PS: Uncle Lester

STAT CORNER

The Best Day Game Batting Averages (75 AB min.):
Ichiro .458
Ad Jones .407
Prado .364
Beltran .363
Mauer .362
Pujols .358
Guzman .356
Pierre .354
Morgan .349
Youk .344

The Worst Day Game Batting Averages (75 AB min.):
Hardy .114
Andrus .151
C Davis .162
Soto .168
Kendall .168
DeRosa .173
Headley .174
C Pena .176
Fields .177
Cedeno .178


DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again and pass the word.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)


.

Thursday, the 23rd

Good morning, everyone. Please remember that there is a DH tomorrow between the White Sox and Tigers. Because of this, you will see a little different look to today's post as I will focus heavily on the double dip. Tomorrow will be back to normal.

YESTERDAY

You know, I actually gave a little bit of thought to taking Jurrjens over Lincy. I ruled it out though because it would have been a really stupid thing to do. Or so I thought... As rough as Lincy was, the pen and the K's bailed him out and he gave most of us an acceptable 14 points. Bats were hit and miss all day. Braun was my big boy, giving me 12 and the rest of them were pretty mediocre. I ended up with 31 overall from the bats and my total of 45 kept me in 31st overall and bumped me up 500 spots to #14,834 in the second half. Hey, progress is progress.

TODAY

I see that almost everyone went into the desert for their PS as expected. That's cool, we can all sink or swim together today. Bats will be the key and I really feel good about mine. This usually means that I can expect at least 2 DNP's and a couple of zero's. Nonetheless, the bats will dictate your success on this day. Here's the final again...

C: VMart
1B: Pujols
2B: Utley
3B: Reynolds
SS: Rollins
LF: Ibanez
CF: Granderson
RF: Dye
DH: Lind
PS: Haren of the Desert

TOMORROW

I've given this alot of thought this morning and will probably go all DH bats as neither of the PS options are overwhelming. The big key in this one will be wether or not to risk taking one of the staffs, especially when there is practically an All-Star cast of other starters to take. Here is what I have so far:

Weather:
none

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Yanks, Cards, Braves, Stros, Mets, DBacks, Angels, Mariners, Marlins

ALERT!!! If the Yanks/A's game rains out tonight, give me half an hour to change my lineup and post it here. Thanks.

Pitchers:
Contreras x2 (4-8 4.75, 2-1 3.38 in July, 2-4 4.50 on road, 1-1 2.70 vs. Det)
Colon x2 (3-6 4.23, 1-2 4.62 on road, 1st start since June 7th)
vs.
Verlander x2 (10-5 3.34, 1.19 WHIP, 155 K in 129 IP, 2-2 3.12 July, 6-0 1.34 home, 1-0 1.00 vs. CWS)
Bonine x2 (0-0 9.00 in 4 games from the pen in April, just called up)

Happ (7-0 2.68, 1.15 WHIP, 3-0 4.04 home, 2-0 1.93 July, vs. StL)
Halladay (11-3 2.73, 1.07 WHIP, 1-1 3.52 July, 7-2 2.76 home, vs. Tam, may be traded)
Vazquez (7-7 2.86, 141 K in 126 IP, 1.05 WHIP, 2-0 1.86 July, at Mil)
Greinke (10-5 2.08, 136 K in 134 IP, 1.11 WHIP, 0-2 2.84 July, 6-2 1.83 home. 1-0 0.00 vs. Tex)
Cain (11-2 2.32, 5-1 2.39 road, 2-0 1.21 July, at Col)
Bedard (5-2 2.70, 84 K in 80 IP, vs. Cle)
Johnson (8-2 2.74, at LAD)
Kershaw (8-5 2.95, 104 K in 106 IP, 3-2 1.62 home, 3-1 0.38 July, vs. Fla)
I really can't make a good decision here. I have begun to lean towards the Sox, but with pithing this unreliable and bats on both sodes that can go off at any time, I think I have to go with Kershaw.

First:
Miggy (8-16, HR)
Konerko (4-30 and 2-2)
I have to go with Miggy here,based on BVSP alone as the tie breaker.

Second:
Polanco (15-42 and 4-15)
Getz (2-3)
This is a pair that may provide the surprise high scorer of the day. There is one in almost every DH. I'll go with Polonco for no valid reason other than I am more familiar with him.

Third:
Inge (12-53, HR and 7-18)
Fields (0-8 and 0-1)
Fields does exactly nothing forme and with Inge banged up (knees), I can't depend onhim to play two. That said, Inge for one has been almost as good as who I would take, ARod, has been for one as well. F it. Inge it is, but count on him only going one. Beckham may go two as well.

Short:
Everett (1-3)
Alexei (3-15, HR and 0-2)
I've never been a big fan of Alexei myself, but he will surely go two.

Left:
J Anderson (1-4
Podsednik (5-22 and 0-4)
Quentin (4-14, HR and 1-1, HR)
I'm going to count on Quentin playing two. He sucks this year and just came off the DL, but may get a game at DH as well.

Center:
Granderson (11-42, HR and 2-4)
B Anderson (4-9)
Granderson is a no-brainer.

Right:
Mags (10-47, 2HR and 11-44, 3HR)
Dye (14-44, 4HR and 1-2)
Magglio sucks and may or may not go two. Dye has to be the one.

DH:
Thames (0-8 and 0-2)
Thome (10-38, 7HR and 0-2)
I trust Thome way more. He also sat today,maybe in anticipation of the double duty tomorrow.

Catcher:
Laird (1-6 and 0-7)
AJ (12-38, 3HR and 0-1)
Neither is likely to play two, but maybe AJ will get a pinch hit or something in the second game.

Guys, if you see anything definitive tonight about who will or will not play two, post a comment her andhelp out your fellow readers. I will do the same. So there it is. For less than 47 mil, I have a DH loadup in the works. Man, the salaries on this game right now are plain rediculous. I hope the Yanks play two tomorrow as well, 'cause this one sucks rocks.

FINAL LINEUP

C: AJ
1B: Miggy
2B: Polanco
3B: Inge
SS: Alexei
LF: Q
CF: Grandy
RF: Dye
DH: Thome
PS: Kershaw

STAT CORNER

Scores from Tigers/Sox games this season:
At Det - Sox win 10-6
At Det - Tigs win 9-0
At Chi - Sox win 6-0
At Chi - Tigs win 5-4
At Chi - Sox win 6-1
At Chi - Tigs win 7-6 in 10
At Chi - Tigs win 2-1
At Chi - Sox win 4-3

The Tigs hit .208 with 8 HR and 4.125 RPG vs. the Sox
The Sox hit .249 with 15 HR and 4.625 RPG vs. the Tigs

The Sox pen is 13-13 with 25 saves, and a 4.17 ERA
The Tigs pen is 13-12 with 21 saves and a 4.36 ERA

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are more than welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again and pass the word.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (record holder at -43)


.

Wednesday, the 22nd

Good morning, everyone, and what a fine morning it is. The Nick Blackburn expiriment is behind me and my BBC life is good again. I'll take this time to thank you all for continuing to show up every day. We have gone well over 200 hits each of the last two days and I am really glad to see it. Keep passing the word and I will keep my typing fingers ready (I really only use three of them). Also, do not forget that there is another Double Header coming up on Friday. Please be advised.

YESTERDAY

I don't know if I would call it a stellar DH, but it was a good one. The Halo's staff combined for a total of 35 while the next most popular group, the 'Stros, god royally pen slapped. The bats were somewhat mediocre, especially for me as I failed to put Aybar on my team. He was single handedly the difference between good and great yesterday. Napoli, DeJesus, Matthews and Abreu all put up good numbers and my 50 bat points gave me a total of 85. This kicked me up about 12,000 spots to #15,369 in the second half and #31 overall. Improvement boys, that's what it's all about these days - aside from ball bearings.

TODAY

As expected, Lincy got the cast majority of the pub today and was picked by over 80% of you. Bills was a distant second. This means that the bats are what matters today. There were some good ones out there to take, along with many favorable matchups. If you picked well, you will move well today. If not......... The final again.....

C: Salty
1B: Tex
2B: Zo
3B: ARod
SS: Hanley
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Hawpe
DH: Papi
PS: Lince

TOMORROW

Weather:
Mariners/Tigers 50%

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Jays, Indians, Braves, Tigers, Mariners, White Sox, Rays, A's, Padres

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Indians vs. Rzeprzcynski (1-1 2.50 in 3 starts)
Mariners vs. French (1-0 1.89 in 3)
Yanks vs. Mazzaro (2-6 4.09 in 9)

Possible Load-ups:
Jays vs. Huff
Phills vs. Correia

Bats You May Want to Avoid:
Mags (6-36, 2HR)
Polanco (1-11)
Thome (0-13)
O Cabrera (4-29)
Kearns (0-10)
Rollins (2-12)
Giles (3-17)
Kouz (2-12)
J Wilson (1-12)
Morneau (2-11)

Pitchers:
Washburn (7-6 2.87, 1.09 WHIP, 3-1 1.82 in July, at Det)
Buehrle (10-3 3.52, 1.18 WHIP, 6-1 2.81 home, 3-1 4.50 July, 1-0 4.05 vs. Tam)
CC (9-6 3.66, 1.15 WHIP, 3-2 4.04 home, 2-2 4.10 July, 0-0 8.10 vs. Oak)
Wainwright (10-6 3.01, 123 K in 137 IP, 2-1 1.39 July, at Was)
Morton (2-2 3.21 in 6 starts, at Zona)
Haren (10-5 1.96, 0.80 WHIP, 137 K in 138 IP, 3-0 0.78 July, vs. Pit)
Weaver (10-3 3.48, 1.18 WHIP, 2-0 7.36 July, vs. Min)
CC and Wainwright are intriguing, but Haren will easily be the most popular pick tomorrow. This is a good day to play it safe and go with the majority.

First:
Miggy (3-5, HR vs. good lefty)
Konerko (7-15, 2HR vs. lefty)
Dunn (4-12, HR vs. good starter)
N Johnson (3-4, HR vs. good starter)
Pujols (3-3, HR)
It's a good day to give Konerko a go, but like everyone else, I will have Pujols.

Second:
Zo (1-3 vs. good lefty)
Utley (3-6, HR)
The Padres are flying all the way from the coast to Philly tomorrow for a make up game. They are also throwing a world class hack. Utley is an easy pick.

Third:
Zimmerman (5-12 vs. good starter)
Figgins (6-16)
These guys do nothing for me. ARod is a decent option. Mark Reynolds, I would like you to meet Charlie Morton. Feel free to take him deep a few times.

Short:
I got nothing.
Rollins and Escobar are the only ones I like, but J-Roll is 2-12 vs. Correia and Escobar can't hit lefties well. I will go against my own advice and take the hottest bat - Jimmy.

Left:
G Anderson (21-64, 2HR vs. lefty)
Crawford (12-25 vs. good lefty)
Holliday (3-6 vs. good lefty)
Ibanez (3-4, HR)
Again with the Phillies, welcome aboard Raul.

Center:
Rowand (2-3)
Upton (6-17 vs. good lefty)
Morgan (5-9 vs. good starter)
Victorino (4-8, HR)
Matthews (3-7, HR)
I like Victorino, but don't want too many Phills, so let's take Grady vs. the rook.

Right:
Dye (5-17, 2HR vs. lefty)
Kuddy (1-3, HR)
It's a tough call between these two, but in the end, Dye is in a better hitters park. I'm not happy about it, but what do you do?

DH:
Cust (5-15, HR vs. good lefty)
I think Lind is just about the only option here.

Catcher:
Benji (1-3 but in day game)
Yadi (1-3)
Mauer (3-9 vs. good starter)
I hope VMart is beginning to come around. Since I can afford him, I will risk it.

FINAL LINEUP

C: VMart
1B: Pujols
2B: Utley
3B: Reynolds
SS: Rollins
LF: Ibanez
CF: Grady
RF: Dye
DH: Lind
PS: Haren

STAT CORNER

The Leaders in Batting Average Over the Last 30 Days:
Hanley .414
E Aybar .405
Gutierrez .387
Montero .375
Dye .371
Jeter .371
Beckham .369
Berkman .368
Ichiro .368
O Cabrera .365

Leaders in ERA Over Last 30 Days:
B Anderson 0.34
Kershaw 0.90
Lince 1.16
Haren 1.22
J Vazquez 1.34
Happ 1.46
Wandy 1.54
Wainwright 1.60
Piniero 1.63
Oz 1.66

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, and don't be afraid to pass the word.

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

Tuesday, the 21st

Good morning, everyone. I hope you all caught that there ws a rainout in KC last night and the Angels are playing a double dip against the Royals tonight. Once again, this game humbles all of us at one point or another. Seeing myself drop 26,000 spots in the last two days was not exactly how I had pictured things going down, to be perfectly honest. Am I discouraged though? Hell no. Will I quit? Fuck that! I'm coming back like a champ, beserker style. Buckle up, boys. It's a new day.

YESTERDAY

Nick Blackburn and 3 DNP's including 2 washouts. What else is there to say? Not taking Hanson cost me 70 points that will take weeks to get back. Zobrist and Hanley held their own, both going deep and my -19 total dropped me to #27,964 in the second half and 33rd overall. Like I said before, though, I'll be back. No sweat.

TODAY

In looking at the pick summary, I see that I have all of the most popular picks, aside from Jeter. I would expect very little movement in the overall standings, but with things as jumbled as they are this early, the second half rankings will bounce a good bit today. Here is the final again...

C: Napoli x2
1B: Kendry x2
2B: Callaspo x2
3B: Figgins x2
SS: Jeter
LF: DeJesus x2
CF: Matthews x2
RF: Abreu x2
DH: Jacobs x2
PS: Angels x2

TOMORROW

Late Update!!! Wakefield goes to the DL and Bucholtz replaces him in the rotation tomorrow. Please adjust accordingly.

Weather:
Mariners/Tigers 50%

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Brewers, Cubs, A's, Indians, Royals, Rays

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Marlins vs. Geer (2-1 2.67 in 5 starts)

Possible Load-ups:
Yankees vs. Berken (1-7 6.44 and at Coors East)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
Prince (3-27 vs. starter)
Kendall (2-17)
Huff (7-48)
Ad Jones (2-14, HR)
Rollins (3-17)
Feliz (1-14)
ARam (0-10)
K Johnson (1-14)
Kinsler (2-13, HR)
Lowell (8-41)
C Lee (3-23, HR)
Duncan (4-22)
Greene (2-17)
Yadi (2-13)
Crawford (2-12)

Pitchers:
Burnett (8-4 3.81, 102 K in 113 IP, 2-0 3.26 July, 1-0 3.38 vs. Bal)
Z (6-4 3.36, 4-2 2.91 road, 2-1 2.25 July, at Phi)
Lince (10-2 2.27, 159 K in 134 IP, 1.04 WHIP, 5-1 2.13 road, 2-0 1.74 July, 1-0 0.00 vs. Atl)
Jurrjens (8-7 2.77, 4-4 2.69 home, 3-1 2.16 July, vs. SF)
Felix (10-3 2.51, 1.12 WHIP, 129 K in 132 IP, 6-1 1.97 road, 2-0 2.35 July, 1-0 4.50 vs Det)
Romero (7-4 3.25, 5-2 2.91 home, 2-1 3.38 July, vs. Cle)
Carp (8-3 2.26, 0.88 WHIP, 4-2 2.50 road, 3-0 1.71 July, at Hou)
Oz (6-4 3.65, 1.18 WHIP, 2-2 3.99 home, 2-0 1.96 July, 0-1 9.00 vs. StL)
Shields (6-6 3.75, 2-4 4.60 road, 0-1 5.19 July, 1-0 6.14 vs. CWS)
Bills (9-5 3.76, 119 K in 127 IP, 6-4 4.18 home, 0-1 8.59 July, vs. Cin)
Were you aware that the Braves lead the league in runs scored this month? I wasn't until this afternoon. Still, I will not be the one passing on Lince tomorrow.

First:
LaRoche (8-24, 2HR)
Lee (4-8 vs. lefty)
AGon (3-10)
Youk (5-12)
Pujols (23-73, 5HR vs. good starter)
Youk is my favorite from this group, but I feel pretty good about the Yankee bats tomorrow and will go to Tex for the first time in a long while.

Second:
Roberts (9-20, 2HR vs. good starter)
Polanco (4-12 vs. good starter)
DeRosa (10-23 vs. good starter)
None of these matchups work for me. Kinsler is tempting for no particular reason, but I think I will go back to Zobrist against Danks.

Third:
Hall (16-29, 3HR vs. lefty)
Crede (1-3, HR)
Kouz (4-6)
Wright (2-5)
Stewart (1-3, HR)
Again, I really like the Yank bats tomorrow, so ARod will do at third.

Short:
Hardy (8-26, HR vs. lefty)
Cabrera (3-6 vs. lefty)
It's kind of funny how the batter/pitcher matchups aren't very useful to me this week. I think I will take Hanley vs. Geer.

Left:
Braun (5-16 vs. lefty)
Sheff (1-2)
Lind (1-3)
Did you know that Braun hits .403 vs. lefties? That enough convinces me.

Center:
Cameron (11-24, 3HR vs. lefty)
Granderson (8-18, HR vs. good starter)
Wells (4-13, 2HR)
Hamilton (2-6)
Kemp (4-6)
While I really am thinking hard about Cameron, I have to take someone against Arroyo and Kemp is the one. Maybe he will get me six the hard way.

Right:
Hart (11-32, HR vs. lefty)
Rios (3-10)
Drew (7-19, HR)
Dye (5-10, HR vs. good starter)
Ethier (5-14)
Between Rios (vs. Pavano), Ethier (vs. Arroyo) and Hawpe (at Coors vs. Garland), Hawpe is the one that has two things in his favor. Also, his team is really playing well right now, so he should have some good RBI opportunities.

DH:
Scott (4-8, HR vs. good starter)
Kubel (1-2)
Ortiz (5-15, 2HR)
Thome (4-12, HR vs. good starter)
Papi time.

Catcher:
McCann (5-13 vs. good starter)
Benji (2-3 vs. good starter)
Pudge (9-26 vs. good starter)
Olivo (1-3)
AJ (4-13 vs. good starter)
I don't feel good about any of these guys so I think I will stay with Napoli. When he hits 'em, he hits 'em hard. Damn, no cap room. Oh well, Salty will do. I like taking at least one bat against Wake.

FINAL LINEUP

C: Salty
1B: Tex
2B: Zo
3B: ARod
SS: Hanley
LF: Braun
CF: Kemp
RF: Hawpe
DH: Ortiz
PS: Lince

STAT CORNER

The Longest Current Hitting Streaks (and Averages):
Morales 18 games - .375 Average
M Cabrera 15 - .295
Kotchman 12 - .375
Lind 11 - .265
Zobrist 10 - .436
Flores 8 - .400
S Smith 8 - .400
Utley 8 - .364
Hafner 8 - .393
McCann 8 - .312

FU HALL OF FAME

Kerry MF'n Wood (Founder)
Nick MF'n Blackburn (Record Holder at -43)

DH SPECIAL !!!!!!!!!

So whenis it a good time to try to be a hero? In the first week of the half, that's when. O'Sullivan and Santana vs. Ponson and Chen. I'mnot too fond of what the Halos are throwing, but what the Royals have to show for themselves is tornadic. Since I wasn't happy about either Wandy or Wolf (my top two choices) I will give the Angels' hurlers a go. Fudge it, why not?

At first, I like Kendry Morales over Butler (Prince was the original pick).
At second, I'll take Collaspo over Kendrick and Izturis as I am not sure either of the Angels duo will go two.
I want Figgins over Teahen at third.
I'll go with Aybar at short over Bloomquist. On second thought, gove me Jeter vs. the lefty Hill.
Since Rivera is banged up, DeJesus is a better pick in left.
With the outfield in disarray, Matthews should go two in center.
Abreu is a gime in right.
I have to take Jacobs at DH.
I think there is at least a reasonable chance that Napoli will go two with one at DH.

The Final DH Lineup

C: Napoli
1B: Kendry
2B: Callaspo
3B: Figgins
SS: Jeter
LF: DeJesus
CF: Matthews
RF: Aybar
DH: Jacobs
PS: Hail the Halos

Monday, the 20th

Good morning, everyone. It sure is nice to be home. I have not seen the first pitch of any game since the 2nd half started, my research has been done in advance, and I have seen my team suffer because of it (particularly last night). It's great to be back in the saddle and to have the ability to make a decent effort again. Time to climb back up a few hills. Thanks for putting up with the shitty quality over the weekend and now, back to business.

YESTERDAY

If it wasn't for sucking, my team wouldn't have done anything at all yesterday. Gallardo and his pen were kind enough to keep me in the positives, but not much more. Why I didn't take Cain, I'll never know. My bats weren't much better. The head of the class was Zobrist with 4. The whole group combined to give me a strong 14 and my 16 total bumped me back to 17th overall and 8111 (57 off the LB) in the 2nd half. Dropping over 7000 spots gives me a bit of a belly ache. I suggest you avoid doing so yourself if at all possible.

TODAY

This was not an easy day for picking starters either. Did you go with Blackburn and his lack of strikeouts as I did? It appears that he is the second most popular pick today as the majority went with the rookie Hanson. My guess is that both of them will be less than spectacular and 15-20 points will be a good staff score today. Here's the final again...

C: Napoli
1B: Pujols
2B: Zo
3B: Figgins
SS: Hanley
LF: Soriano
CF: Jones
RF: Hawpe
DH:Thome
PS: Blackburn

TOMORROW

Weather:
Brewers/Pirates 50%
Mets/Nats 60%
Angels/Royals 60%

Teams Facing Lefty Starters:
Tigers, Yankees, Nats, Mets, Jays, Indians, Cards, Angels, Rays, Twins, Reds

Teams Facing Rookie Starters:
Braves vs. Sadowski (2-0 1.00 in 3 starts)
Brewers vs. Vazquez (1-3 6.54 in 4)
Indians vs. Cecil (3-1 5.40 in 8)
Red Sox vs. Hunter (1-1 2.35 in 4)
A's vs. Swarzak (2-3 4.50 in 6)

Possible Load-ups:
Indians vs. Cecil (rook)
Angels vs. Chen (sucks rocks)
Brewers vs. Vazquez (rook)
Yankees vs. Hill (never faced)
Orioles vs. Mitre (1st start of year)
Dodgers vs. Bailey (sucks)

Bats You May Want To Avoid:
W. Harris (0-10 vs. starter)
Ad Laroche (3-16)
Wilson (1-14)
Pujols (3-21, yeah, I said it)
C Jackson (1-13)
J Upton (1-12)
B Harris (1-10)

Pitchers:
Lannan (6-7 3.64, Low K's, 1-1 4.58 July, 3-1 2.25 home, 1-1 3.21 vs. Mets this season)
Lee (5-9 3.31, 1-2 2.86 July, 0-1 7.20 vs. Tor, Kerry Wood)
Beckett (11-3 3.35, 1.15 WHIP, 110 K in 121 IP, 5-3 4.32 road, 2-0 2.78 July, at Tex)
Wandy (9-6 2.81, 112 K in 118 IP, 4-2 2.21 home, 3-0 0.41 July, 0-1 4.50 vs. StL)
Niemann (8-4 3.73, 5-2 4.08 road, 1-0 2.25 July, 0-1 3.00 vs. CWS)
Sherzer (5-6 3.64, 97 K in 96 IP, 2-3 2.15 road, 0-1 4.50 vs. Col)
Cook (9-3 3.85, 3-1 4.44 home, 1-0 4.32 July, 0-0 9.82 vs. Zona)
Braden (7-8 3.45, 2-1 4.50 July, 0-0 2.50 vs. Min)
Wolf (4-4 3.51, 1.16 WHIP, 1-1 2.95 July, 0-2 4.09 home, vs. Cin)
This one starts out pretty easy for me. It'seither Wandy at home or Wolf at home. After that, it gets pretty difficult to choose. The bottom line is that if you took away the names and looked solely atthe stats, Wandy would be the play. That said, give me Wolf in a close one. Nevermind - Wandy again.

First:
Miggy (1-3 vs. lefty)
Youk (2-2 vs. rook)
Berkman (3-10, HR)
Konerko (2-5, HR vs. good starter)
Votto (4-9 vs. good lefty)
Youk is the only oneI like here,but I feel like I can do better outside the stats. I'm going to reach out and get Prince vs. the rookie.

Second:
Castillo (4-9, HR vs. lefty)
Pedroia (1-2 vs. rook)
Zo (1-1 vs. lefty)
Phillips (3-9, HR vs. good lefty)
Again, I will go back to the possible loadup category and get Roberts against Mitre. This game should see bullpens a plenty.

Third:
Inge (1-3, HR vs. lefty)
Zimmerman (6-19 vs. lefty)
ARam (1-3)
Rolen (5-9 vs. good lefty)
Cantu (2-3)
I like Inge, but he has been a little off lately soI will go for ARam in Philly. He has always been one of my favorites to take and Blanton is a turd.

Short:
Renteria (4-11)
Scutaro (6-17 vs. good lefty)
Peralta (2-3 vs. lefty rook)
Drew (10-32 vs. good starter)
Cabrera (2-2 vs. rook)
With nothing here at all appealing, I will take a chance on Yunel Escobar vs. the Giants rookie. It maybe the only chance the Braves get to score in this series.

Left:
Sheff (2-6, HR vs. lefty)
Fonzie (4-11)
Bay (1-2 vs. rook)
Lee (4-9, HR)
Rivera (1-2 vs. lefty)
I will keep Fonzie as well tomorrow. He is the hottest of this group and maybe finally coming out of the washed up funk.

Center:
Rowand (10-20)
Byrd (6-18 vs. good starter)
Grady is tempting and I can't pull the trigger on Rowand. I think I will stay with Jones, who is best vs. righties. Toss in Coors East as well as Mitre and pen work and I'm in.

Right:
Ichiro (1-3)
Kearns (10-29, 4HR vs. lefty)
Francouer (6-12, HR vs. lefty)
Abreu (5-7 vs. lefty)
Dye (2-5, HR vs. good starter)
Willingham (7-23, 3HR vs. lefty)
None of these guys feel good to me right now. Hawpe is a thought,but has let me down a few times lately. I think I'll give Markakis the call and stay with the blow up Mitre theme.

DH:
Scott (1-2)
Ortiz (1-2, HR)
Thome (1-3, HR vs. good starter)
Scott is tempting, but I don't like to take more than 3 bats vs. one team. Ortiz is suitable in Texas, though.

Catcher:
Benji (8-24)
Flores (4-6, HR vs. Lefty)
VMart (1-3 vs. lefty rook)
Olivo (1-2, HR)
Snyder (13-22, HR vs. good starter)
I don't trust any of them. Give me McCann by default.

FINAL LINEUP

C: McCann
1B: Prince
2B: Roberts
3B: ARam
SS: Yunel
LF: Fonzie
CF: Jones
RF: Cake
DH: Papi
PS: Magic Wandy

DISCLAIMER

My picks are exactly that, my picks. If you choose to follow my lead, you are welcome to do so at your own risk. Thanks as always for reading, please come again, pass the word, and.....

FU For Life Kerry Wood!