Bleacher Report - Articles by Archie Adams

Fantasy Baseball Blog: Season Draft Special

Archie Adams — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:18:54 -0400

On the heals of the upcoming season, many fantasy baseball drafts are taking place across America. In those drafts many high caliber player have been taken as the first overall pick: Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, David Wright, and even Miguel Cabrera.

Albert Pujols fits right in with the group already mentioned. My Blog League draft was no different. Pujols was off the board within the opening seconds, and two hours later I took Elvis Andrus with the 300th pick to finish off the draft.

It is a head-to-head league with 12 teams each having 25 players.

The league fills out like this: 12 teams, head-to-head scoring, 25-man roster, keeper.

Each week I'll be back with breakdowns of the matchups and other updates from the league.

disturbed1 (First Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Albert Pujols

Lineup

C: A.J. Pierzynski, 1B: Albert Pujols, 2B: Mark DeRosa, 3B: Aubrey Huff, SS: Miguel Tejada, OF: Manny Ramirez, Ryan Ludwick, Magglio Ordonez, UTIL: Andre Either, BN: Alex Rodriguez, Melvin Mora, Shin-Soo Choo, Placido Polanco, Mike Cameron, Michael Bourn

Pitching

SP: Chad Billingsley, Rich Harden, RP: Jonathan Broxton, Bobby Jenks, P: Adam Wainwright, Ryan Dempster, Frank Francisco, Hong-Chih Kuo, BN: Joe Saunders, Kelvim Escobar

Upon first glance, this team looks to be solid in every offensive category except stolen bases, outside of Bourn who could prove deadly to the team's batting average.

The pitching side, anchored by Chad Billingsley, is solid, but injury concerns hold the staff back. Two solid closers will keep this team in contention every week.

Asbury's Outcast (Second Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Hanley Ramirez

Lineup

C: Ryan Doumit, 1B: Derrek Lee, 2B: Brandon Phillips, 3B: Jorge Cantu, SS: Hanley Ramirez, OF: Nick Markakis, Chris Young, Milton Bradley, UTIL: Billy Butler, BN: Pat Burrell, Willy Taveras, Miguel Olivo, Jose Guillen

Pitching

SP: Ervin Santana, Jon Lester, RP: Joe Nathan, Joakim Soria, P: Derek Lowe, Tim Hudson, Matt Capps, Kyle Davies, BN: John Smoltz, Dave Bush, Jose Arredondo, Shaun Marcum

No one but Hanly and Nick Markakis really catches your eye on this team. However, under closer inspection, every player except Taveras hits at least 10 HRs and there are five good thieves when it comes to the bases.

When this team came out of the draft, they had six stud starters. Problem is, four of them are starting the year on the DL. Two stud closers and another emerging star on the worst team in baseball will lock down saves most weeks.

Bad News (Third Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Jose Reyes

Lineup

C: Dioner Navarro, 1B: Justin Morneau, 2B: Jose Lopez, 3B: Garrett Atkins, SS:Jose Reyes, OF: Alfonso Soriano, Bobby Abreu, Vernon Wells, UTIL: David Ortiz, BN: Rick Ankiel, Delmon Young, J.D. Drew, Mike Jacobs

Pitching

SP: Jake Peavy, Josh Beckett, RP: Brian Wilson, Joey Devine, P: Max Sherzer, Matt Lindstrom, Chris Perez, Juan Cruz, BN: A.J. Burnett, Josh Johnson, Brad Ziegler, J.J. Putz

Questions for the Manager

1. Which one of your old-timers (Wells, Ortiz, Abreu, Drew) concerns you the most, drop off or health-wise?

"Honestly, I feel uneasy about Big Papi. It was good to see him play in the WBC, but he wasn't getting the everyday reps that players need. I think it could take him some time to hit his stride this season.

"Like he said, it's all about timing. I passed up on younger guys like Lastings Milledge and Nelson Cruz, but I needed Ortiz's power. I went with the proven bat in a solidified lineup.

"I feel comfortable with what I am getting in Abreu. He is a .300 hitter and he can fill all stat categories. Wells is injury-prone and the wrist he had surgery on last year is bothering him still. I am concerned with his health and he could be a risk throughout the year.

"J.D. Drew was gravy in round 22. He is a veteran and he adds depth in the outfield."

2. You were one of the few players who didn't take two catchers. Are you planning on upgrading/adding, or are you going to stick out Navarro only playing two-thirds of Tampa's games?

"Catcher is a peculiar position in fantasy.

"There seems to be a new flavor every week. I will be looking to upgrade throughout the season, whether that be through trade or free agents. Navarro showed up to camp in great shape and he is coming off a tremendous season. Catchers are always on my radar."

NYM No. 5 MVP (Fourth Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

David Wright

Lineup

C: Russell Martin, 1B: James Loney, 2B: Howie Kendrick, 3B: David Wright, SS: Michael Young, OF: Ichiro, Raul Ibanez, Jayson Werth, UTIL: Edwin Encarnacion, BN: Conor Jackson, Denard Span, Hideki Matsui, Nick Swisher, Rickie Weeks, Yunel Escobar, Jarrod Saltalamacchia

Pitching

SP: CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, RP:Brad Lidge, Jose Valverde, P: Joba Champerlain, Huston Street, Justin Duchscherer, Randy Johnson, Anthony Reyes

The biggest problem with this team seems to be the pitching staff. Outside of Sabathia, there's no telling what kind of production the starters will give, making the pitching categories a big question mark.

That could be improved, however, by moving a couple of the very productive bats on the team. There is no lack of power or stolen bases, so batting should carry this team during the season.

Dirtbags (Fifth Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Ryan Braun

Lineup

C: Chirs Iannetta, 1B: Prince Fielder, 2B: Dustin Pedroia, 3B: Adrian Beltre, SS: J.J. Hardy, OF: Ryan Braun, Jacoby Ellsbury, Nate McLouth, UTIL: Brad Hawpe, BN: Orlando Cabrera, Paul Konerko, Chase Headley, Ian Stewart, Jeff Clement, Joe Crede

Pitching

SP: Dan Haren, Javier Vazquez, RP: Mariano Rivera, Jon Rauch, P: Ricky Nolasco, Matt Cain, Johnny Cueto, Manny Parra, Paul Maholm, Ian Snell, DL: Trevor Hoffman

Questions for the Manager

1. You've only got two RPs on your roster, and one of them is starting the year on the DL. How are you planning on handling that situation?

"As far as relievers, by the time I was looking for a second closer, few had much upside. As a result I just went with the sure 25 plus saves I would get from Hoffman, regardless if he started on the DL. In the meantime, I put in a waiver claim for Jon Rauch and when Hoffman comes back, I'll probably drop Clement.

"Also during the draft, instead of scrambling for saves, I decided I'd just cede the category, and instead tried to compensate by drafting starters with high strikeout rates. If I really decide I need saves, I'm sure sometime during the season there will be another player that I can pickup."

2. You have two 2B with 20-plus homer potential. Are you planning on using them as trade bait or using them together?

"As far as 2B, I doubt I'll trade Pedroia, but I'll probably put Stewart on the block sometime in the near future. If anything, I'm more open to trading one of my 3B."

Doohang (Sixth Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Grady Sizemore

Lineup

C: Joe Mauer, 1B: Victor Martinez, 2B: Chone Figgins, 3B: Chris Davis, SS: Jimmy Rollins, OF: Grady Sizemore, Carlos Quentin, Vladimir Guerrero, UTIL: Curtis Granderson, BN: Carlos Guillen, Kazuo Matsui, Jim Thome, Elijah Dukes, Hank Blalock, Ramon Hernandez, Jed Lowrie

Pitching

SP: John Lackey, Carlos Zambrano, RP: Carlos Marmol, Fernando Rodney, P: Chris Young, Aaron Harang, Ben Sheets, Matt Garza, Phil Hughes

This team was the only team that autodrafted in the league, and you can tell from the roster that was put together. Outside of Rollins and the outfield, there are lots of questions at every position.

The pitching also suffered from the autodraft. There are no closers, and Sheets and Hughes won't pitch much, if any this year. There's a lot of work to be done to drag this team from the league's basement.

WigglesPLayas (Seventh Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Miguel Cabrera

Lineup

C: Kurt Suzuki, 1B: Carlos Pena, 2B: Mike Aviles, 3B: Miguel Cabrera, SS: Troy Tulowitzki, OF: Carl Crawford, Shane Victorino, Jay Bruce, UTIL: Adrian Gonzalez

Pitching

SP: Tim Lincecum, Brandon Webb, RP: Heath Bell, Chad Qualls, P: Roy OSwalt, Jered Weaver, Joel Hanrahan, Carlos Villanueva, BN: Kevin Slowey, Oliver Perez, Jonathan Sanchez, Wandy Rodriguez, Kenshin Kawakami, Sean Gallagher, Dallas Braden, Armando Galarraga, DL: Scott Baker

Questions for the Manager

1. You have the deepest rotation in the league (13 SPs). Was this to win pitching on a weekly basis or to have some trade bait?

"It is a combination of both. I do not really see a point in most leagues of having bench players since on normal days, they basically sit on your bench.

"If you are a confident drafter, then you choose your players in an order for a reason, because you think they are the best and they are going to play every day.

"Now, I will pick up bench players if there is a minor league player coming who I think is a stud or if someone gets injured or if someone is having a nagging injury and gets frequent off days. Otherwise I feel that having more pitchers gives me a great chance at winning strikeouts and wins every week since I have the deepest rotation."

2. Do you have any concerns that only three of your batters played full seasons last year, considering that you have no bench batters?

"As I said, I will be adding bench players throughout the season. Mike Aviles didn't play 150 games because he was in the minor leagues. Carl Crawford is not a yearly injury concern so I don't think he will repeat his injuries of last season. Tulowitski is a bit of an injury gamble but when he is healthy he is a top five fantasy short stop and Mike Aviles is eligible at SS as well.

"That way, if Tulowitski gets hurt, I will have a SS in waiting if I can't find anyone on free agency and can look for a second basemen instead."

LPD's Batted Balls (Eighth Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Ryan Howard

Lineup

C: Geovany Soto, 1B: Ryan Howard, 2B: Robinson Cano, 3B: Evan Longoria, SS: Stephen Drew, OF: Carlos Lee, Corey Hart, Lastings Milledge, UTIL: Alexei Ramirez, BN: Kevin Youkilis, Mike Napoli, Travis Snider

Pitching

SP: Felix Hernandez, Brett Myers, RP: Kerry Wood, George Sherrill, P: Dan Wheller, Rafael Soriano, Taylor Buchholz, Mike Adams, John Danks, John Maine, Ubaldo Jimenez, Mike Pelfrey, Chis Volstad

This team is one of the most solid lineups, with the exception of stolen bases. However, with Howard, Longoria, and Lee, every other batting category should be a struggle for the opponent.

Pitching could be this team's breaking point. King Felix is the only proven pitcher on the entire roster. If the younger pitchers begin to mature, this team could prove formidable come playoffs.

Junior (Ninth Overall Pick)

Lineup

C: Brian McCann, 1B: Adam Dunn, 2B: Brian Roberts, 3B: Ryan Zimmerman, SS: Ryan Theriot, OF: Josh Hamilton, Matt Holliday, Hunter Pence, UTIL: Justin Upton, BN: Kelly Johnson, Adams Jones, Mark Reynolds, Edgar Renteria, Adam LaRoche, Orlando Hudson, Jack Cust

Pitching

SP: Johan Santana, James Shields, RP: B.J. Ryan, Mike Gonzalez, P: Brandon Morrow, Jair Jurrjens, Fausto Carmona, Hiroki Kuroda, David Price

Questions for the Manager

1. Santana was your only SP who had a high number of strikeouts last year. Are you expecting improvements or looking to improve through trades/FA?

"I am looking for improvements out of my pitchers, mainly because they are younger guys like Shields and Jurrjens. Both could need a little help in the ERA and whip categories and I'm also hoping for carmona to come back strong from his injury."

2. Holliday, Upton, Pence, and Jones are all top guys. Who out of that group do you expect to be your best return, and which do you think will underachieve?

"Well I'm thinking Holliday will come out of that group with the best return because he holds every skill in the essence of hitting. Unlike a lot powerful hitters he's also able to steal bases which I looked for because in the past I would get beat in that category.

"The one that will come out the underachiever I think is Jones because he struggles to get RBI and might not get many chances with the orioles lineup struggling and batting in the five spot."

Murphdogs (10th Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Mark Teixeira

Lineup

C: Kelly Shoppach, 1B: Mark Teixeira, 2B: Chase Utley, 3B: Alex Gordan, SS: Derek Jeter, OF: Jason Bay, Alex Rios, Xavier Nady, UTIL: Joey Votto, BN: Juan Pierre, Felipe Lopez, Coco Crisp

Pitching

SP: Cole Hamels, Scott Kazmir, RP: Francisco Rodriguez, Francisco Cordero, P: Zack Greinke, Troy Percival, Brandon Lyon, Billy Wagner, BN: Daisuke Matsuzaka, Erik Bedard, Chien-Ming Wang, Koji Uehara, Brett Anderson

Questions for the Manager

1. You drafted 1B/2B in the first two rounds, but waited until the later rounds to get your C/3B. Was this strategy or just the way the draft worked out?

"I waited late to draft a catcher basically because I know the least about the position.

"Once the big name catchers were out I realized that there are 32 MLB catchers playing every day but only 12 teams drafting. I plan on picking one up.

"As for third base, I had a player lined up three or four times that was taken right before my pick so I couldn't pull a trigger on one until my hometown hope made me pick Alex Gordon."

2. CoCo and Shealy were late round picks from KC. What do you expect out of them?

"Coco might be able to get some sb's and hit for a decent average, basically a role player. Shealy was a joke."

Ransani (11th Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Ian Kinsler

Lineup

C: Bengie Molina, 1B: Carlos Delgado, 2B: Ian Kinsler, 3B: Chipper Jones, SS: Jhonny Peralta, OF: Carlos Beltran, Torii Hunter, Johnny Damon, UTIL: Jorge Posada, BN: Khalil Greene, Mark Teahen, Travis Hafner, Jason Giambi, Adam Lind, Aaron Hill, DL: Troy Glaus

Pitching

SP: Roy Halladay, Edinson Volquez, RP: Jonathan Papelbon, Brian Fuentes, P: Justin Verlander, Ted Lilly, Gil Meche, Mark Buehrle, BN: Gavin Floyd, Scott Downs

Questions for the Manager

1. Kinsler and Peralta are your only two starters who aren't over 32. Who most concerns you with a potential drop off?

"The player that I think has the most potential for drop off is Carlos Delgado. I think this because of his age. However I'm banking on a couple more seasons from him. I grabbed him because I wanted some power in my lineup. I was going for Gonzalez of San Diego but he was taken already."

2. You took a lot of pitchers in the middle-late rounds who threw 200+ innings last year. Thats a strategy I haven't seen before. Is it something you tend to stick to or something new you're trying?

"It's actually a new strategy because I'm new to baseball pools.

"I like the idea of a pitcher who will eat up innings. I think it increases the chances for wins and strikeouts. We'll see how it works out."

East Coast Bombers [my team] (12th Overall Pick)

First Round Pick

Lance Berkman

Lineup

C: Pablo Sandoval, 1B: Lance Berkman, 2B: Dan Uggla, 3B: Aramis Ramirez, SS: Rafael Furcal, OF: B.J. Upton, Matt Kemp, Jermaine Dye, UTIL: Nelson Cruz, BN: Matt Wieters, Cameron Maybin, Skip Shumaker, Kendry Morales, Elvis Andrus

Pitching

SP: Francisco Liriano, Yovani Gallardo, RP: Kevin Gregg, Jason Motte, P: Clayton Kershaw, Grant Balfour, Chris Ray, J.P. Howell, BN: Chris Carpenter, Jordan Zimmermann, Sean Marshall

Looking back on my draft, I went in with a very unique strategy. I looked to get a lot of five-tool guys.

I did that with Berkman, Furcal, Upton, Kemp, Cruz, and Maybin. In other players I looked for them to be solid in at least three of the categories, mixing power and speed.

My pitchers were where I really went for a different look.

My most successful pitcher from last year happens to be the first closer I chose in Kevin Gregg. However, Liriano, Gallardo, Kershaw, and Carpenter all look to be top 20 pitchers going into the season, as long as they stay healthy.

Zimmermann could be a strong Rookie of the Year candidate, and Marshall has been a strikeout machine his entire professional career. With my closers I went with my hunch on Gregg before he was announced the closer and got him late in the draft. Motte also fell very late and looks to be a potential 30-save, 12-strikeout per-nine innings closer after moving from catcher just two years ago.

Predictions

1. East Coast Bombers—Usually I don't pick my own team to finish first, but in a league this jumbled at the top, I've got to make a play for myself.

2. WigglesPLayas—Deep pitching will carry the team, but the bats will hold them back from being first.

3. Dirtbags—This team is solid all the way through, and a similar finish should be expected.

Leave your predictions and any ideas of what you would like to see me blog about from our league.

Bleacher Report Fantasy Baseball Blog League Forming

Archie Adams — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:15:50 -0400

Calling all Fantasy Baseball Players!

I am starting a Bleacher Report Fantasy Baseball League. Anyone interested in joining, see the details for the league at the bottom of the page.

As I searched Bleacher Report, I found that there was not any commentary about fantasy baseball during the season last year.

With this new blog league, I hope to bring weekly updates to Bleacher Report not only on the league, but also on wheeling and dealing from inside fantasy baseball.

Starting with the draft and running until the end of the season, I hope to keep you up to date on all the big splashes around fantasy baseball

Now on to the league. I use Yahoo! as my host site. Please, only committed owner join. The draft will occur Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM, Eastern Time.

The league name and password are in the chart below, as well as all scoring and position information.

League ID#:	272234
League Name:	Bleacher Report Blog League
Password:	archieadams
Custom League URL:	http://baseball.fantasysports.yahoo.com/league/brblogleague
Season Type:	Full
Draft Type:	Live Draft
Draft Time:	Sun Mar 29 1:00pm EDT [ Add to My Calendar ]
Max Teams:	16
Scoring Type:	Rotisserie
Player Universe:	All baseball
New Players Become Available:	As soon as Yahoo! adds them
Max Moves:	75
Max Trades:	No maximum
Trade Reject Time:	1
Trade End Date:	August 16, 2009
Waiver Time:	1 day
Can't Cut List Provider:	Yahoo! Sports
Trade Review:	League Votes
Post Draft Players:	Follow Waiver Rules
Max Games Played:	162
Max Innings Pitched:	2000
Weekly Deadline:	Daily - Tomorrow
Start Scoring on:	Monday, Mar 30
Roster Positions:	C, 1B, 2B, 3B, SS, CI, MI, OF, OF, OF, OF, OF, Util, Util, Util, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, P, BN, BN, BN, BN, BN, DL, DL
Stat Categories:	R, HR, RBI, SB, BB, K, AVG, OPS, W, L, SV, BB, K, HLD, ERA, WHIP

MLB Power Rankings: The Babybacks Hold at the Top

Archie Adams — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:38:59 -0400

Another week of the season has passed and the parody of Major League Baseball continues to show. The upstart Marlins continue to hold near the top of the standings and the rattlers in the desert continue to fly above the competition.

The temperature in Tampa seems to be rising as well, with the Rays winning six in a row to move up eleven spots in the newest rankings.

Arizona Diamondbacks (Change - Even) - They're on pace to win 117 games, and Randy Johnson looks as good as a 44 year old pitcher can and Brandon Webb is an early Cy Young candidate.
Chicago Cubs (+1) - The Cubs have walked there way to the top of the NL Central and to their best start in over ten years.
Los Angeles Angels (+1) - Ervin Santana is anchoring a strong looking pitching staff for another week or two while John Lackey continues to make rehab starts.
Oakland Athletics (+2) - They're continuing to put runs on the board, and as long as they keep it up, they'll keep winning games.
St. Louis Cardinals (Even) - The Red Bird pitching staff continues to impress, and Albert Pulojs' arm seems to be doing fine.
Florida Marlins (+1) - Hanley Ramirez is on a 50/50 pace, but the pitching staff is still a bit iffy since they can't strike people out.
Boston Red Sox (-5) - Amid a five game skid, but they're looking to get Mike Lowell back in the next week or two.
Chicago White Sox (Even) - The Soutsiders are playing good baseball, but the rest of the AL Central is finally coming to life.
Milwaukee Brewers (+5) - They not hitting the ball, but they are winning games. Their biggest concern is for Ben Sheets are not to fall off Tuesday against the Cubs.
Philadelphia Phillies (+2) - Pat Burrell and Chase Utley are pounding the ball while Jayson Werth is making a case for a full time starting job.
Baltimore Orioles (+2) - Starting to look like early success was not a fluke, but they are playing in one of the toughest divisions in baseball.
New York Mets (-1) - Ryan Church has been a welcome surprise, but the likelihood of getting Moises Alou back soon is dropping.
Tampa Bay Rays (+11) - Six game win steak has the Rays feeling good, and getting Matt Garza back last week and Scott Kazmir back for the Boston series may be what this team needs to keep them near the top.
New York Yankees (-4) - They're still waiting for A-Rod to get it going and for their pitching situation to settle itself out.
Atlanta Braves (-6) - First Glavine, now Smoltz, the Braves have gone from one of the best pitching teams in the league to a team that may have to clean out their AAA team to keep the team afloat.
Cleveland Indians (+7) - They've won seven of ten, and Cliff Lee has been sparkling (.28 ERA), but losing Jake Westbrook can't help their cause.
Seattle Mariners (-1) - Eric Bedard looked strong in his return, but losing four of six to Baltimore and Oakland hurt.
Detroit Tigers (+4) - They tore the cover off the ball this past week, but the pitching staff is still struggling to find its form.
Houston Astros (+10) - Having won six in a row before losing two to St. Louis, but it can't be good that their closer is leading the team in wins (3).
Los Angeles Dodgers (+7) - The Dodgers are one of the best home teams in baseball, but their six game road trip this week may have them cringing (3-8 road record).
Colorado Rockies (-6) - They are scoring plenty of runs, but the pitching staff has given up six or more runs in five of last seven games.
Toronto Blue Jays (-4) - Just one and six in last seven, nothing seems to be going right in Toronto.
San Francisco Giants (+5) - Four more Tim Lincecums would solve just about all of the Giants problems. That and a couple more guys who could hit over .250.
Kansas City Royals (-7) - Their free fall was only slowed by meeting Toronto over the weekend. They rank last or next to last in the AL in four of six team batting categories.
Minnesota Twins (-4) - They've allowed 33 runs the last four games, not a good sign for a team that's only scored 95 runs all year.
San Diego Padres (-7) - They just can't hit the ball. Simple as that. Last or next to last in all six major batting categories. You can't win games if you can't score, no mater how good the pitching staff is.
Cincinnati Reds (-7) - They're still waiting on a third pitcher to emerge behind Harang and Volquez, and no, Johnny Cueto is not the answer. Plus, Brandon Phillips is still not getting it done like last year.
Pittsburgh Pirates (-2) - Their pitching staff is the worst in baseball. Period. And after going 0-14, Nate McClouth has it rolling again, going 4-8 with three home runs.
Washington Nationals (+1) - They're just an all-around bad team. They rank 13th or worse in every stat category, both pitching and hitting. Manny Acta may be looking for a new job if this continues for to long.
Texas Rangers (-5) - Despite their 10-0 rout of Minnesota, the Rangers were outscored 68-40 this week. They need an upgrade in the pitching department now.

MLB Power Ranking: Arizona Starts the Season on Top

Archie Adams — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:26:54 -0400

The new season is just three weeks old, and there's already excitement atop the ranks in Major League Baseball.

One of the biggest surprises of this young season is the Florida Marlins. They're sitting atop the fluid NL East for now, and they look to have the firepower to stay in the race.

The biggest letdown of the year has been the AL Central as a whole. Cleveland looks like their only pitcher who will end the year with an ERA under 5.00 is Cliff Lee. And Detroit, who was the biggest shoppers of the offseason, can't seem to get its bats going for more than a game at a time.

With that said, here go the ranks heading into the fourth week of the season.

1. Arizona Diamondbacks. Thoughts of their underachieving offense last season have been erased by a +56 run margin this year.

2. Boston Red Sox. 9-1 in their last 10, and that's without Big Papi hitting the ball.

3. Chicago Cubs. Derrek Lee looks like he's back to his '05 form.

4. LA Angels. They're hitting the ball, and their stellar pitching will only get better when John Lackey returns at the beginning of next month.

5. St. Louis Cardinals. They're getting it done with pitching, and their outfield five-some are combining to be pretty lethal.

6. Oakland A's. Bobby Crosby may finally be living up to his potential.

7. Florida Marlins. They're playing with fire but haven't been burned by their 5-0 record in one-run games.

8. Chicago White Sox. The Sox are looking like a contender in the AL Central.

9. Atlanta Braves. Pitching health questions still holding the Braves back.

10. New York Yankees. Still have to wait another week before they get another home game.

11. New York Mets. David Wright's bat is coming alive in a big way.

12. Philadelphia Phillies. Chase Utley is keeping the Phillies alive while Rollins is hurt and Ryan Howard is struggling.

13. Baltimore Orioles. Hot start looks to be fizzling, and that's not helped by a seven game away stand.

14. Milwaukee Brewers. The big bats are still dead in Milwaukee, and Ben Sheets’ arm is on the rocks.

15. Colorado Rockies. The marathon game seems to have put some life back in the Rockies.

16. Seattle Mariners. Richie Sexson looking better, but they're still hoping the Bedard trade pays off.

17. Kansas City Royals. Four-game skid not looking good for the scrappy Royals.

18. Toronto Blue Jays. Pitching is still a big question for the Jays.

19. San Diego Padres. Unlike the Rockies, the Padres haven't turned it around since their six-hour night.

20. Cincinnati Reds. Young pitching has been their rock so far, but they need some more run support.

21. Minnesota Twins. Nick Blackburn trying to help fill the hole in the Twins rotation.

22. Detroit Tigers. They finally scored a few runs this past week, so maybe it’s the beginning of their turnaround.

23. Cleveland Indians. Cliff Lee is back stronger than ever, but the same can't be said for the rest of the rotation.

24. Tampa Bay Rays. Scott Kazmir and Matt Garza should be back to start in May, so the Rays have the potential to get better.

25. Texas Rangers. Josh Hamilton is tearing the ball apart, but their pitching is questionable at best.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates. Nate McLouth can't miss, but the Pirates are on a five-game losing streak.

27. LA Dodgers. Joe Torre hasn't turned things around as hoped.

28. San Francisco Giants. Their young bats are better than expected, but they just can't win a game unless they play St. Louis.

29. Houston Astros. I don't understand why professional teams don't look at their players' birth certificates.

30. Washington Nationals. 3-0 to start, now they're 5-14. Enough said.

Come back next week to see where your favorite team landed after this week's games.

Hidden Gems: The Key to the 2008 NFL Draft

Archie Adams — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 19:44:14 -0400

With all the other Mock Drafts out there, I figured that I would give my two cents on who would go where in this year's draft.

Miami - Matt Ryan. Despite contract negotiations with Jake Long, the Dolphins decide to take Matt Ryan to fill the spot of aging QB John Beck.

St. Louis - Jake Long. The Rams jump on Long, even though the QB he'll be protecting might complete more passes to the defense this year.

Atlanta - Aquib Talib. Atlanta fans are disgusted by the fact that Arthur Blank just got sweet talked by another standout druggie.

Oakland - Darren McFadden. This marks the first time the Raiders have done anything right the past five years.

Kansas City - Joe Flacco. In a panic-stricken reaction Matt Ryan being off the board, Herm Edwards persuades his scouts that Flacco is the next big thing.

New York Jets - Forfeited. In an attempt at payback, the Jets are caught filming Patriot execs speaking about potential picks and are forced to give up their pick.

New England (from San Francisco) - Chuck Norris. At first they ponder trading the pick back to San Francisco for tapes of Jason Taylor's new footwork on "Dancing With The Stars," but decide that Chuck Norris could easily roundhouse kick Roger Goodell into letting them tape for themselves.

Baltimore - Ryan Clady. The Ravens become the first team to actually draft a player they need, and will settle for another fifth or sixth round quarterback.

Cincinnati - Mike Jenkins. Jenkins immediately demands to be traded and is dealt to the AFL with his predecessor Chad Johnson.

You can read what you want into the following picks, but the really important ones are explained.

New Orleans - Jonathan Stewart

Buffalo - Brian Brohm. The upper echelon of the Bills organization made a pact with the devil to make sure that J.P. Losman never gets a chance to play.

Denver - Arthur Carmody IV. They panicked when they found out Mike Vanderjagt was coming to kick their field goals.

Carolina - Christopher Williams

Chicago - Vernon Gholston. They really like to show their commitment to Rex.

Detroit - Limas Sweed

Arizona - Sedrick Ellis. Matt Leinart told them he was just as good at getting caught at high school parties too.

Minnesota - Chad Henne. They finally decide Tarvaris Jackson wasn't the answer.

Houston - Rashard Mendenhall

Philadelphia - Dominique Rogers-Cromartie. He'll get booed by the Philadelphia faithful, that is, until they realize he was actually a decent pick.

Tampa Bay - Phillip Merling

Washington - Chris Long. Nobody else realized he slipped this far. Well, nobody other than daddy and Brady Quinn.

Dallas (from Cleveland) - Pacman Jones, despite failed attempts at reinstatement, decides to throw his name into the draft pool, and Dallas couldn't be more thrilled.

Pittsburgh - Samuel Baker

Tennessee - Derrick Harvey

Seattle - Antoine Cason

Jacksonville - Leodis McKelvin

San Diego - Malcolm Kelley

Dallas - Kevin Smith

San Francisco (from Indy) - Colt Brennan, They just like QB's from non-BCS conferences.

Green Bay - Felix Jones, The Packers decided they needed another running back to try to find their own two-headed monster, since four of the five they tried last year didn't work.

New York Giants - Chilo Rachal, The Giants decided they didn't have enough strange names already.

Complete MLB Season Preview

Archie Adams — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:46:09 -0400

Less than a week into the season, and its already a wild one. Here go my predictions for the season, even if they are a few days late.

AL East

Boston Red Sox: 92-70
New York Yankees: 88-74
Tampa Bay Rays: 80-82
Toronto Blue Jays: 78-84
Baltimore Orioles: 73-89

AL Central

Cleveland Indians: 89-73
Detroit Tigers: 86-76
Kansas City Royals: 78-84
Chicago White Sox: 73-89
Minnesota Twins: 70-92

AL West

Los Angeles Angels: 90-72
Seattle Mariners: 84-78
Oakland Athletics: 77-85
Texas Rangers: 69-93

NL East

New York Mets: 91-71
Atlanta Braves: 87-75
Philadelphia Phillies: 83-79
Washington Nationals: 74-88
Florida Marlins: 71-91

NL Central

Chicago Cubs: 89-73
Milwaukee Brewers: 86-76
St. Louis Cardinals: 83-79
Cincinnati Reds: 78-84
Pittsburgh Pirates: 78-84
Houston Astros: 72-90

NL West

Los Angeles Dodgers: 89-73
San Diego Padres: 86-76
Arizona D-Backs: 83-79
Colorado Rockies: 81-81
San Fransisco Giants: 72-90

Playoffs
AL: Red Sox over Indians(3-1), Angels over Yankees(3-2); Red Sox over Angels(4-2)

NL: Mets over Dodgers(3-0), Cubs over Braves(3-2); Cubs over Mets(3-1)

World Series: Cubs over Red Sox(4-2)

Chicago Cubs: Slow Start Not an Issue

Archie Adams — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 23:05:39 -0400

1-3.

Hey, we're still sitting better than the Detroit Tigers right now, so apparently we're not to bad. And the Yankees are the cellar dwellers in the AL East, and they're not worried a bit, outside of having Ian Kennedy get throttled in his first start of 2008.

Coming into this season, the three biggest questions on my mind were: (1)can Japanese players other than Ichiro actually hit MLB pitching, (2)how would the back end of our rotation hod up, and (3)would I rather see Felix Pie get replace, or just suffer though him hitting 8th and getting on base once every other game?

Well, after watching Kosuke Fukudome take Eric Gange deep to tie the Cubs opening day matchup, and follow that up by finishing Milwaukee series at .500, the question of whether or not he can hit Major League pitching is answered. In the words of Bret Musburger "A star is born in the teeth of the Lake Michigan wind."

I've been a fan of Ryan Dempster since he was in Florida, so it wasn't a shock to see his success earlier in his first start in over a year. Jason Marquis' spring makes me anxious to see his first couple starts. And for those who question Ted Lilly's rough outing, outside of last year, he has never had a good first start, yet by the end of the year had had an ERA below 4.50 all but one year, so look for him to rebound quickly.

For the third question, I'll give Pie until the end of next week to impress or else I, along with most Cubs fans, will be calling for Reed Johnson.

With all that said, our trip to Pittsburgh and Philly next week should help turn around this early season and provide a spark at the plate we missed to start the season.