Hello Baseball Fans,

So there I am, sitting watching the Sunday Night Texas Rangers game versus the Cleveland Indians and an event happened that really made me stop and think.  Not just about baseball, but about life.

By the way, if anyone wonders what is so interesting about fantasy baseball I offer up a game like the one we had last night.  Two teams going absolutely nowhere in the standings and though the Josh Hamilton story is an inspiring one, it has been told and retold a bizillion times this year.  So, not alot of intrigue to the game itself, unless of course you have several of the players on your fantasy team -- which I do.

Okay, back to the life-reflecting moment in the game.  Gerald Laird, catcher for the Rangers, takes a foul tip right into the part of the body mostly protected by a "cup."  Oh buddy, it was a direct hit.  Besides the baseball slightly glancing off of the bat, the 90-mph fastball didn't make contact with anything -- which might have slowed it down a tad -- before it reached it's most unfortunate destination.

Laird flopped over and was in obvious pain.  I mean obvious.  The umpire called time and the medical staff made it's way to the batters box to check on the injured player.  Of course, the replay(s) -- in case anyone missed it, the local Fox affiliate covering the game replayed the ball making contact from about 30 different angles -- showed exactly where the injury occurred.

There was no doubt that Laird was in pain, had suffered an injury and couldn't breathe or walk on his own.  What was amazing however was when the camera got close-ups of the Rangers Manager Ron Washington, starting pitcher Vincente Padilla, the Rangers dugout full of teammates, the umpires and even the fans was they all had the same expressions -- smiles!

Yes, everyone, including the T.V. announcers thought this player being in extreme pain and discomfort was somehow funny.  I was beginning to climb on my high horse when they showed Laird starting to overcome the injury and sitting there on his knees - and to my shock and amazement he was smiling, too!

What the heck was going on here?!  I mean c'mon we all know it's funny to see someone get hit in the "cheap seats" on those video shows, but this could've been serious.  I know all of us men used to laugh back in the day when one of our pals would go over a "jump" on his bike and land a little hard on his "boys".  But why exactly is that funny?

By the way, if you're sitting there with a smile on your face reading this semi-amused as you recall you're own memories of friends "taking damage" then you're not helping.  Unless you know why it's humorous and are willing to share?

Just like there's nothing funny about hitting your "funny bone".  It's not funny, it frickin' hurts.

I just think it's time to stop laughing at the poor people who have been "racked".  Afterall, one of these times it is going to be serious and do you really want to be the one sitting there holding back a laugh as you're buddy gets taken to the hospital?  I didn't think so.

I dunno, maybe it's because we don't know what to do?  I was playing hoops one day at the park when my shoulder "popped out" and a few guys came over and helped me put it back into place.  You'd never see that sort of reaction from strangers -- or even your closest "bud's" -- in a groin accident now would you?

When did this start anyway?  Did cowboys riding the range get their kicks laughing at fellow cowboys and their "bad landings" while riding their horses?  Imagine the Indians, who didn't even use saddles -- for the love of pete's sake!  Were Roman soldiers taught to hide their smirks during unfortunate jousting incidents?  I can't even begin to explore the possibilites of unskilled blacksmiths and the mishaps that may have taken place with those mallets.  Good grief.

Perhaps it's time we strive to put this tradition to bed.  Let us be the first generation to stand up and say "NO" to laughing at any injury and the use of the word "nuts".  If you're on the scene and videotaping any such disaster have the guts to put the camera down and render aid instead of zooming in on your friends face as he bellows out in agony.

I know it won't be easy, but for crying out loud, can't we at least try?

Not alot of fantasy baseball talk today, but I felt it was worth it to get the debate started on such a serious topic.

Good Day!

-Johnny Archive 

It's that favorite day, the day when everyone is happy and gay!  Well, you know what I mean.  Unfortunately, I am being pulled in several different directions these days with my boys starting school, some other real-life issues and, of course, football season just around the corner.  So, my writing time is being severly reduced. Boooo.

I should be back to normal next week, just in time to gear up for the sprint to the finish in fantasy baseball.  Of course, you can always get your Johnny Archive fix by checking out my podcasts over at BlogTalkRadio.com.  The links are just over there. ---------->

I did make a couple of trades in the JAIL league.  I have built up a 17 Save league, so it was definitely time to unload some closers since I had seven of them.  So, here's what I did:

I traded away Ryan Braun, Jonathan Broxton and Brad Ziegler for Ryan Howard and Aubrey Huff.

I traded away B.J. Ryan and Brian Fuentes for King Felix.

Not only will these deals help my team with the addition of the new players, but by adding Saves to my trading partners, I hopefully have placed some Saves which may help me as well.

Have a great weekend and I'll be doing my Friday Night Football podcast tonight at 9:30PM ET and The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show on Sunday morning at 11:30AM ET.  Tune in if you can!

-Johnny Archive

Hello Baseball Fans,

It's Monday, and there was a ton of good baseball games over the weekend, but I have my focus on football as tonight is the J.A.I.L. fantasy football draft.  I had a great baseball podcast yesterday with the chat room being really active and alot of good baseball talk going on in there.

I said some of this yesterday on the show, but let me put in written form here.  I am so thankful to the core group of fantasy baseball fans who continue to listen to The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show on a weekly basis.  Not only have they stuck by me as I have developed the show, but these guys and gals are great when it comes to show participation.

We have less then 6 weeks left of the season, so we're getting down to crunch time.  Part of me wants to dig in and be especially focused on baseball, but I understand there are a massive amount of people very excited about the upcoming football season.  I want to try and contribute my knowledge and expertise to both sports, which means for the next few weeks I'll be pulling double duty with blogs and podcasts about both sports.

Hopefully, you all understand and will give me a little slack.  There's no doubt that many fantasy baseball leagues will be won and lost during this time period, so I'll continue to do my best to alert you of players like Marlon Byrd, so you can snatch them up before the rest of the baseball world gets wind of them.

Wish me luck, as I'll be announcing the entire J.A.I.L. football draft while at the same time drafting my team.  It won't be easy, but hopefully it'll make the draft more enjoyable for the rest of the league and anyone preparing for their own upcoming draft.

If you want to listen to the draft just head on over to BlogTalkRadio.com at 8:30PM ET tonight (August 18).  Here's the direct link http://www.blogtalkradio.com/FridayNightFootball

We'll see you back here tomorrow.

-Johnny Archive 

Hello Fantasy Fans,

Today I'm going to post the standings for the 2 main leagues I'm in, the JAIL and MLB.com Fantasy 411 Ron Cey Listener League.  As we appraoch 6 weeks to go in the season, I thought it would be good to mark this time and use it as a measuring stick for the final dash for cash!  In the JAIL league Im The Usual Suspects and in the Ron Cey I'm the Archivers.

Rank	Team	Batting	Pitching	Total	Dif	Behind
1	The Usual Suspects	48.5	68.5	117.0	-0.5	0.0
2	Licking Co. Lollygaggers	47.0	56.5	103.5	0.5	13.5
3	Selling Used Carrillos	50.0	45.0	95.0	-0.5	22.0
4	Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad	54.5	40.0	94.5	3.5	22.5
5	Jersey Hitmen	39.0	45.0	84.0	-7.0	33.0
6	PBR Streetgang	40.0	43.0	83.0	0.0	34.0
7	Florida Fatheads	30.0	51.5	81.5	4.5	35.5
8	Folsom Prison Blues	52.0	25.0	77.0	5.0	40.0
9	Ramblers in Hell	37.0	39.5	76.5	2.0	40.5
10	Encouraging Bear	53.5	21.0	74.5	-0.5	42.5
11	Green Mountain Boys	25.5	32.0	57.5	-7.5	59.5
12	Firewyrms Bad Mofos	25.0	29.0	54.0	0.0	63.0
13	Big Papi`s Peep`s	14.0	13.5	27.5	-0.5	89.5
14	Prison Pinstripes	9.0	15.5	24.5	1.0	92.5
Standings Updated as of: 8/14/08 4:36 AM EST

Batting Breakdown Team BA Pts Dif Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 0.2804 14 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 0.2776 13 1 Encouraging Bear 0.2776 12 -1 Florida Fatheads 0.2766 11 1 PBR Streetgang 0.2748 10 -1 Ramblers in Hell 0.2734 9 0 The Usual Suspects 0.2724 8 0 Jersey Hitmen 0.2714 7 0 Selling Used Carrillos 0.2712 6 0 Folsom Prison Blues 0.2703 5 1 Green Mountain Boys 0.2700 4 -1 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 0.2683 3 0 Prison Pinstripes 0.2669 2 1 Big Papi`s Peep`s 0.2668 1 -1   Team HR Pts Dif Folsom Prison Blues 236 14 0 The Usual Suspects 216 13 0 Selling Used Carrillos 212 12 0 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 201 11 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 199 10 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 190 8.5 2 Encouraging Bear 190 8.5 0 Ramblers in Hell 189 7 -1.5 Jersey Hitmen 186 6 -0.5 Green Mountain Boys 183 5 0 PBR Streetgang 178 4 0 Florida Fatheads 173 3 0 Prison Pinstripes 171 2 1 Big Papi`s Peep`s 168 1 -1   Team R Pts Dif Folsom Prison Blues 876 14 0 Encouraging Bear 858 13 0 Selling Used Carrillos 852 12 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 850 11 0 Ramblers in Hell 845 10 0 PBR Streetgang 843 9 0.5 Jersey Hitmen 835 8 -0.5 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 819 7 0 The Usual Suspects 792 6 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 783 5 0 Florida Fatheads 780 4 1 Green Mountain Boys 779 3 -1 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 746 2 0 Prison Pinstripes 698 1 0   Team RBI Pts Dif Folsom Prison Blues 889 14 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 819 13 0 Encouraging Bear 817 12 1 Jersey Hitmen 806 11 -1 Selling Used Carrillos 792 9.5 0.5 The Usual Suspects 792 9.5 -0.5 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 789 8 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 782 7 0 Florida Fatheads 772 6 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 758 5 0 PBR Streetgang 751 4 1 Green Mountain Boys 747 3 -1 Ramblers in Hell 721 2 0 Prison Pinstripes 650 1 0   Team SB Pts Dif Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 154 14 0 PBR Streetgang 129 13 0 The Usual Suspects 122 12 0 Selling Used Carrillos 115 10.5 -0.5 Green Mountain Boys 115 10.5 0.5 Ramblers in Hell 112 9 0 Encouraging Bear 107 8 1 Jersey Hitmen 106 7 -1 Florida Fatheads 99 6 1 Folsom Prison Blues 98 5 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 97 4 -1 Prison Pinstripes 90 3 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 89 2 0 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 77 1 0

Pitching Breakdown Team ERA Pts Dif The Usual Suspects 3.52 14 0 Florida Fatheads 3.58 13 0 PBR Streetgang 3.70 12 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 3.80 11 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 3.85 10 0 Selling Used Carrillos 3.90 9 0 Jersey Hitmen 3.97 8 0 Ramblers in Hell 3.99 7 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 4.05 6 1 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 4.08 5 -1 Folsom Prison Blues 4.09 4 2 Prison Pinstripes 4.09 3 0 Green Mountain Boys 4.13 2 -2 Encouraging Bear 4.35 1 0   Team K Pts Dif The Usual Suspects 1010 14 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 986 13 0 Selling Used Carrillos 898 12 0 Ramblers in Hell 869 11 2.5 PBR Streetgang 868 10 -1 Encouraging Bear 867 9 -1 Green Mountain Boys 854 8 -0.5 Florida Fatheads 841 7 1 Jersey Hitmen 840 6 -1 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 837 5 1 Folsom Prison Blues 836 4 -1 Prison Pinstripes 813 3 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 791 2 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 786 1 0   Team S Pts Dif The Usual Suspects 91 14 0 Jersey Hitmen 82 13 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 81 12 0 Selling Used Carrillos 73 11 0 Florida Fatheads 63 10 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 62 9 0.5 Encouraging Bear 59 8 -0.5 PBR Streetgang 52 7 0.5 Green Mountain Boys 51 6 -0.5 Ramblers in Hell 39 5 0.5 Folsom Prison Blues 37 4 -0.5 Prison Pinstripes 33 3 0 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 31 2 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 30 1 0   Team W Pts Dif Licking Co. Lollygaggers 77 13.5 0 The Usual Suspects 77 13.5 0 Jersey Hitmen 75 12 0 Green Mountain Boys 74 11 0 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 72 10 0.5 Selling Used Carrillos 70 9 -0.5 Ramblers in Hell 67 7.5 -0.5 Florida Fatheads 67 7.5 0.5 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 66 6 0 Folsom Prison Blues 61 5 0.5 Big Papi`s Peep`s 58 3.5 0.5 Prison Pinstripes 58 3.5 -1 PBR Streetgang 57 2 0 Encouraging Bear 55 1 0   Team WHIP Pts Dif Florida Fatheads 1.21 14 0 The Usual Suspects 1.24 13 0 PBR Streetgang 1.26 12 0 Firewyrms Bad Mofos 1.29 11 0 Licking Co. Lollygaggers 1.29 10 0 Ramblers in Hell 1.30 9 1 Folsom Prison Blues 1.30 8 3 Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad 1.31 7 1 Jersey Hitmen 1.31 6 -3 Green Mountain Boys 1.31 5 -2 Selling Used Carrillos 1.35 4 0 Prison Pinstripes 1.37 3 0 Encouraging Bear 1.37 2 0 Big Papi`s Peep`s 1.42 1 0

As you can see, I have a 13.5 point lead at this point.  Pitching has been a strong point, but I have traded away most of my top starters, plus a lost couple to injury, so I'm kind of in protect mode at this point.  Lately, my relievers have been getting hit pretty hard, which has really hurt.  I'm hoping that this is just one of times we all have where we take some damage, but this is going to be very tough league to actually win.  I've been leading the league for almost 3 months so if I lose it at the end it will definitely be a bummer.  Maybe I can convince the league to end the season Spetember 1st?! :P

Here's the Ron Cey League, where I have a little more comfortable lead.  Again, leading in mid-August is nice but I haven't won anything yet.

Standings

Overall Points

Overall Stats

I know looking at other leagues standings isn't exactly a thrilling read, but I wanted you all to see just how things are stacking up.  I'll post the final standings at the end of the season so we can compare what went right or wrong for me and other teams.  With more reserve spots, it's a little easier to have backups in case of injuries in this league.  *Knock on wood* Alot of bad things will have to happen for me to lose this league, mainly because there is such a tough battle for second and third in this league and they keep flip-flopping positions.

Have a great day!

-Johnny Archive

By the way, do you all like my new logo?  Mrs. Archive helped me a ton with it. 

Hello Gang,

It's Wednesday and we all know what that means.  So, on to the show...

Good News - The Snakes have struggled offensively and are officially Dunn, as in Adam Dunn.  They added the big popper just in time to inject some life into the under-performing team.
Bad News - Arizona already had a lineup filled with a ton of strikeouts and now they just added one of the most strikeout prone hitters in baseball.

Good News - I did my second fantasy football draft last night and I also did a podcast for the entire draft, so I was on the air for a little over 2 and 1/2 hours straight.
Bad News - My face is sore from yacking so long.

Good News - Oh ya, back to Dunn for a second, the first series he gets with his new team...in Colorado!
Bad News - Dunn went 1-3 (double) with 2 BB / 2 K and left 3 men on base.

Good News - Randy Johnson got his 10th win of the season and 294th of his career last in Colorado.
Bad News - The D-Backs bullpen blew a few Wins for the "Big Unit" early in the season that would've made him getting to 300 more of a certainty this year.

Good News - The USA athletes seem to be doing decent over in China.
Bad News - I am not very...umm...well...ya' know...INTERESTED there I said it!  I still love my country, though.

Good News - Matt Holliday is batting .348 with 22 HR, 69 RBI and 17 SB in 400 ABs. 
Bad News - The Colordao Rockies aren't having a very good year so far as they defend the NL championship.

Good News - The San Francisco Giants have won 50 games already this year, more then most experts thought they'd win all year.
Bad News - The entire G-Men organization is holding it's breath after stud starter Tim Lincecum had to leave Tuesday's game after taking a liner off of his knee.

Good News - The Houston Astros have won 10 of their last 12 games and the fans continue to come out to support the team for home games.
Bad News - Even with Lance "The Big Puma" Berkman hitting a grand salami last night and Hunter Pence getting hot, this team has no shot at the playoffs in 2008.

Good News - Ichiro got 2 more hits Tuesday Night as he extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
Bad News - He is still very underrated by fantasy owners when it comes to playes traded for to make a difference in a championship run.

Good News - Mark Spitz is the man who has been associated with olympic swimming for decades after winning numorous gold medals back in the 1970's.
Bad News - With all the hype around Michael Phelps going for even more gold medals in this year's Olympics, you'd have thought someone would have had the smarts to invite Spitz to be present during this celebration of the US swimming program at the current Olympics.

Okay, that's about it for now.

-Johnny Archive

Good Monday to you all!

Let's discuss some of the haps over the weekend.  Unfortunately, it was a weekend where many fantasy owners saw their hopes dashed by injuries.  Before we get into it, though, I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone for joining me at The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show on Sunday at BlogTalkRadio.com. It was one of the better shows recently, since I was finally physically healthy and we had a lot of active listeners.  I want to thank Lenny Melnick for calling in and talking baseball with us.

This is my first year doing a podcast and it seems every week I learn something new.  It has been so cool to realize that I am building a solid core of listerners who are devoted, knowledgeable and are doing a great job of getting the word out about the show.  I was prepared for the show to take a drop in numbers some when we moved into August and football began to get more national media attention.  But I am amazed and thrilled to state that not only has the show not lost listeners, we've actually continued to grow steadily, as we have all year.

I just wanted to say "thank you" to everyone who takes the time to read this blog and listen to my podcast.  You'd probably be surprised to know how much time I spend doing both, and at this point without any financial compensation.  But just knowing people are interested and benefitting from what I have to say is payment enough.  Obviously, at some point it would be great to be able to figure out a way to get some income from all the time and effort I put into fantasy sports.  However, it's pretty cool knowing that I enjoy this so much that I would indeed, literally, do it for free.

Okay, on to baseball...

Carlos Lee, outfielder for the Astros, was lost for the year when he was hit in the hand by Bronson Arroyo.  He suffered a broken pinky finger which has to be a serious blow to a ton of fantasy owners out there.  Probably the hardest type of player to get this time of year is a power bat.  Replacing Lee's production via the free-agent market is not likely and even if your trade deadline hasn't passed, getting a thumper like Lee will be almost impossible to acquire.

Not only do the 'Stros lose his bat, which is one of the most consistant sources of the power in the game, but I think Lee was a great clubhouse guy this year.  Many times I observed him in the dugout laughing and joking with teammates.  He was also a fan favorite, so this is a big-time loss to the entire organization.

Orlando Hudson was also lost for the season on a freak base-stealing play in which the "O-dog" collided with the base runner and broke his wrist.  This is probably a more substantial real baseball injury then it is a fantasy baseball blow because you can find a middle-infielder with a little speed/pop on the free-agent list.  It'll be interesting to see how the pitching staff of the Snakes copes with the loss of the captain of the infield, especially ground ball pitchers like Brandon Webb and Dan Haren.

Carl Crawford, the speedy outfielder for the upstart Tampa Bay Rays was placed on the DL with a hand injury.  He said he heard a pop and feels it is a ligament injury of some sort.  He'll undergo a battery of tests this week to deteremine exactly what the diagnosis is and how long he'll be out.  Crawford wasn't having his best season before the injury, but now it doesn't look like he'll get an opportunity to turn it around with a September hot streak.  There are a few speed burners available in most leagues, but not the caliber of Crawford, of course.

Some key pitchers also fell victim to injuries this weekend.  The White Sox lost Jose Contreras for the season with a ruptured achilles.  He had just come off the DL before the game with an unrelated injury, so the thinking that Contreras would be a big part of the rotation down the stretch was dashed and now the White Sox will need to find another arm.

The St. Louis Cardinals saw their long-time ace Cris Carpenter, who had just returned from the DL a couple of weeks ago, leave the Sunday Night game against the Cubs with what is being described as a mild forearm strain.  Carp' had displayed in his previous starts that he was close to returning to the dominant form he had prior to major surgery in 2007.  His next start was scheduled to be in Cincinnati, but I doubt that will happen and even if he were to make it, I highly suggest fantasy owners stay clear of that start.  Frankly, this time of the year -- especially in 1-year leagues -- it's not worth the trouble to take risks with pitchers who are possibly/probably injured.

--

I have increased my lead back to 23 points in the Fantasy 411 Ron Cey Listener League, which makes me feel a little better as the lead had been reduced to 10 points a few weeks ago.  It's still far from over, but I have a little bit of breathing room.

In the JAIL league, I'm up by 14.5 points, but there have been several teams making a serious run at me.  Keith Wire and the 'Lollygaggers are 2nd, but the big mover this week was Kris Hatfield and the Selling Used Carrillos who jumped up to 3rd when he gained 10.5 points for the week!  Joe Lano and David Miller are still in the thick of things, though they both lost ground this week.  If you want a darkhorse to keep an eye on, look no further then John Page and the PBR Streetgang, who gained 3 points this week, and continues to move on up the standings.  The last 6-7 weeks are going to be very challenging for all of us, but it should be interesting and fun!

--

Tomorrow night, I will co-hosting a fantasy football podcast of a fantasy football draft at BlogTalkRadio.com.  I'm a member of the expert fantasy football league run by Todd "The True Guru" Farino and the public is encouraged to follow the draft over at MockDraftCentral.com, as well as listening to the podcast live as it unfolds. 

Also, a week from tonight we will doing the JAIL Fantasy Football League draft live at BlogTalkRadio.com.  Cruise on by the Friday Night Football podcast for more details or to catch the archive version of past shows.

Okay, that's a wrap.  Have a great rest of your day!

-Johnny Archive

Hello there,

Not much time for baseball today as I am gearing up for my first fantasy football podcast over at BlogTalkRadio.com tonight at 11:30PM ET.  The show, called Friday Night Football, will be an half-hour long and I invite you to tune in and check out some good, solid fantasy football talk.

As much as I love baseball, and more specifically fantasy baseball, I have actually been participating in fantasy football longer and have won more cash in football leagues.  I employ the same basic style of aggressive, highly active involvement, but there is a huge difference between fantasy baseball and football.

For example, there are times when it is actually far better to lose in fantasy football.  Wha?  Lose?  Yes, you read me right.  I'll touch on that and other fantasy football strategies on the show.

By the way, did any of you take my advice and scoop up Marlon Byrd?  He had another nice game last night.  Don't wait until the masses get wind of him, as this time of the year a hot player, even for a week or two, can be huge.  Keep an eye on a few Nats' players to, like Willie Harris, who has nice player flexibility in most leagues, and Lastings Milledge who brings some decent speed/pop to a 5th OF spot.

I claimed Harris off of waivers because of his versatility and upcoming trip to Colorado.  Now is the time to pay attention to schedules.  Players headed to Coors Field and Rangers Ballpark in Arlington need to be scooped up if they have even a decent shot at playing time.

Okay, I'm off to prepare for the football show tonight.  Have a great weekend!

-Johnny Archive

Happy Thursday!

Let's start today's big blog by talking about....you guessed it, FOOTBALL!  I'll keep it brief at this location, but cruise on by my other blog, Johnny Archive's Fantasy Feature, to get more insight.

Okay, I had the 12th pick (last) so I would have 2 picks in a row, but I wouldn't get one of the super-elite players, or would I?  See, I have a very different view to this year's crop of fantasy football studs.  You know me, I'm always going back in time, but I really think there are going to be several players who rebound in 2008 after subpar 2007 seasons.

The team with the first overall pick was the team that forgot to name his team, I know, but like I explained yesterday, I view my first draft of the season as a more serious mock draft.  As it turns out, this dude didn't even show up for the draft -- which I have never understood, since the draft time is one of main reasons I join these free leagues.  Why do people sign up for drafts and then not show?  Amazing, especially since this guy had the first pick!

Anyway, his auto-draft kicked things off by selecting L.Tomlinson and on through the first round we went with pretty much all the expected players who were pre-ranked by Sportsline being yanked off the board.  There are 3 RB that I see go in the first round routinely that I would never take that high; Brian Westbrook, Marion Barber and Frank Gore.  I am just not sold on these guys being dependable enough to warrant of my top pick and building my team around them.

Don't get me wrong, they are all nice players who will probably put up some big numbers, but I think there is too much risk for one or all three of them to end up being this year's 1st round bust.

It's finally my turn, and remember I get to chose 2 peeps.  I go with Larry Johnson, who I think rebounds off of a lost 2007 when a lengthy contract holdout ruined his season.  Then it was decision time, do I snag another top RB or go with a QB?  Taking a WR here is probably a reach since Randy Moss was already gone.  The problem with going QB was both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning were off the board, and I had planned on taking one of them with Johnson.  So, I went with TO - Terrell Owens, which even surprised me.  I have a feeling Owens watching Moss get all the attention last year is going to really motivate him.  We'll see.

You know my top two picks, to find out who else I took, and why, you'll need to head to my blogger blog Johnny Archive's Fantasy Feature.  Like I said earlier, I don't want to spend too much time talking football here.  There is a ton of good baseball left in the season and I am still jazzed about watching it unfold.

My prediction on how Brett Favre does in New York as a Jet: He gets injured in week 4 and becomes an after thought by the end of the season.  Then retires again.

--

There is player available (no fair looking at the title) in your fantasy league right now who is batting 5th behind 2 elite players and in an awesome ballpark.  Do you know who he is?  Here's a hint: He just made a ball fly away when he jacked a grand slam.  Go ahead, take a minute and think about it.

Minnesota OF Denard Span, who I already talked about on a previous post, is now starting to get some attention by the masses.  He's a better real baseball player then a fantasy player because of his defensive abilities, but he's worth a look as a Monday/Thursday type fill in.  Don't expect too much though, and don't be fooled by his speed, as he is not really a good base stealer.

The Rockies signed Livan Hernandez to be a back end of the rotation type for the rest of the season.  This is a move that is very easy to laugh at, but don't forget this guy is tough, can eat up innings and has a ton of post season experience.  I think he'll actually help the Rockies, though as a fantasy owner I can't recommend him.

What else...the Indians bullpen.  I like Refeal Perez to end up with most of the Saves the rest of the season.  He got nasty stuff, his head is the only problem.

The Mets 'pen is also a mess.  Aaron Heilman should be the guy, but his problems with the long-ball have hurt his confidence and you can't close games is you are doubting yourself, even in the slightest way.  I think it will end up being a different guys mopping up until Billy Wagner gets back.  I'm sure this Eddie Kunz kid will get an opportunity or two, but tossing a Double-A pitcher to the NY onslaught of pressure from media and fans is sceeeery.

Speaking of blown saves, the Cards' are desperate for somebody, anybody to step up and take over the closer role.  It's looking like Adam Wainwright will be the guy when he gets healthy, as he's in the minors and working his way back as a releiver focusing on shorter stints.  As a Wainwright owner, I wouldn't mind seeing him take over as the closer.

The answer to that earlier as to who is the #5 hitter who is available and hitting behind 2 All-Stars is none other then Marlon Byrd.  He's only hitting .260 and doesn't have much for seaosn totals, but this guy got off to an absolutely horrible start and has really started to pick it up as of late.  Remember, you get Byrd's stats going forward, not back.  He could make a difference as a #5 OF on many fantasy teams for the rest of the year.

Okay, that's it, don't forget that a little later (I did this blog first) I'll have the other blog updated with more football stuff.

-Johnny Archive

Hot off the press, it's Good News, Bad News day!  Enjoy...

Wait, before we do, I have started a new blog so I can dive into football a little more.  Considering most people who come here, probably do for baseball, I figured a new place just for football would be best.  Sooo, Johnny, what's the new addy?!  I'm so glad you asked, here it is...

http://johnnyarchive.blogspot.com/

Don't worry, I'll still be writing my blog here, but I am a man of many talents so I will be writing both blogs while the NFL/MLB seasons overlap.  Remember, you can always go to johnnyarchive.com to see what's going with Johnny Archive.  Imagine that!

And don't forget I'm also going to be doing a fantasy football podcast every Friday Night over at BlogTalkRadio.com this football season, just look for FridayNightFootball.  Is this an exciting time of the year for sports fans, or what!!??

Okay, away we go...

Good News - Rangers manager, Ron Washington, decided to clamp down on his players in an effort to keep them focused.
Bad News - Chosing your young soon-to-be ex-closer, CJ Wilson, to be your first target when the kid is hurt and toast emotionally seems like kicking him while he's down to me.  So, he flipped the baseball to you, big frickin' deal.

Good News - The Texas Rangers are only a handful of games out in the chase for the AL Wildcard.
Bad News - The Rangers have absolutely NO SHOT at winning the Wildcard, so Ranger fans don't get your hopes up.  I'm so convinced they aren't a playoff team that if they do make the playoffs I'll walk to Dallas, from Austin to pay for my error.  I'm serious.

Good News - Paris Hilton has come out with a video response to John McCain's ad against Obama in which Paris is pictured.
Bad News - For the love of all things holy do we really need/want Paris-freakin'-Hilton involved in the politics and future leadership of our country!?!

Good News - The Brett Favre saga is finally winding down as it appears he will be dealt to a team outside the division, probably Tampa Bay.
Bad News - Brett Favre, the latest addition of Joe Montana as a KC Chief, Michael Jordan as a Washington Wizard, Tony Dorsett as a Denver Bronco or OJ Simpson as a San Francisco 49er -- whatever happened to OJ anyway? :P

Good News - I have my first fantasy football draft tonight and I'm actually starting to get excited about the upcoming football season.
Bad News - My first free league of the season is used mainly as a glorified mock draft and normally the owners are exactly the most hard-core.  Example: One owner in the league forgot to give his team a name. doh!

Good News - I'm still hanging in there in my fantasy baseball leagues (1st in Ron Cey 411 Listener League - 17 points / 1st in JAIL League - 19 points / 3rd CBS 12 team free league -- 5 points out of 1st).
Bad News - I'm starting to get a little nervous because if I end up winning both of my main leagues it will mean that I essentially went wire-to-wire.  Not easy to do.

Good News - I feel like something really good is on the horizon for Johnny Archive!
Bad News - I don't know what it is exactly, so I'm sceered I might miss it. I good enough, I'm smart enough and dog-gone it, people like me!

Good News - It's a marathon baseball day today! Woot! Starting at 11:35AM there will be live baseball on my computer all the way until about 11:00PM or so tonight.  I love my MLB.TV!
Bad News - These marathon days are not exactly the most productive days for me.  Can you say, wife-aggro?

Good News - I made another blockbuster trade in the Ron Cey league last night.  I got Sabathia, Chipper, Pudge and Heilman in return for Mauer, Thames, Lirinao, Young(SD SP) and S.Torres.
Bad News - I know I gave up alot, but my goal was to land the most stable, dominant SP I could (CC) because I am still on pace to go over the innings limit by about 75 innings.  I also think I'm getting Chipper very cheap, almost as a throw-in and hopefully he can help me with AVG, at least, when he comes back at the end of this week.  I wouldn't make this deal in May, but with 7 weeks to go, I think it makes sense.

Good News - Adam Dunn, who I acquired in a deal a few weeks ago, has been a solid source of power even though the Reds haven't played particularly well.
Bad News - I gave up Ryan Ludwick, essentially, for Dunn as part of the 3-3 deal thinking he would cool off in the final couple months of the season.  Luddy, has not cooled down, in fact he is as hot now as he's been all season.  For the most part, though, both sides have benefited from this trade, although Ludwick has probably hit for a better average.

Okay, that's a wrap.  Wish me luck in my football draft tonight!  I'll discuss the results here and over at the other blog site tomorrow.

One last thing, sit down and remember where you heard it first - the 2008 World Series teams - Florida Marlins vs. Tampa Bay Rays!  The Fish will shock the universe as they become World Champs.  Yep, the Florida Marlins will win it all in a classic Sunshine State matchup.

-Johnny Archive   

Hello there,

Tony Bartlett, author of the Tuesday Morning segment regularly seen here on this very blog at this time, is dealing with life stuff and will be back next week to enlighten us with his unique perspective.

So, what about today?

Well, you get bonus Johnny Archive time with no additional charge! Woot!

Let's focus on the New York Yankees today shall we?

Okay, let me state up front that I am not a fan of the Yankees, and though I have had some issues with Brian Cashman and the way he has done his job as GM, I am also not a Yankee-hater.  I'm Yankee-neutral, so I think you can take my opinion on the subject of Joba as totally unbiased and founded in typical baseball logic.

Lets see, should I start with my thoughts overall on whether or not I think Joba Chamberlain should have been moved to the starting rotation or should I break down the last few games and Joba's impact or potential impact? hrmmmm....

I'll go with big picture first.  I felt moving Joba to the rotation was a knee-jerk decision and one with the focus being on the short term.  The possible "good" that could come from Joba becoming a starting pitcher and having success was, in my opinion, not worth the much more likely negative impact on Joba and the team overall.

I understood the thinking that Joba had shown in the past that he could handle the extra innings, and with the young Yankee arms (Kennedy, Hughes etc...) struggling, the situation seemed desperate enough and warrent such a radical move -- yes, taking your lockdown 8th inning guy and sure-fire closer-of-the-future and making him a starter is a radical move, especially when you do it mid-season.

The obvious question when the move was announced -- and it didn't help that the new Stein Man had publicly called for it -- was who would assume Joba's role in the 'pen?  Good ol' whipping boy, Farnsy, wasn't exactly a crowd or organizational fave'.  LaTroy Hawkins who had been a  decent set-up man in the past wasn't exactly fitting in as a Yankee.  So, a void was indeed created.

Knowing what we know now, that deals were in the works -- like the addition of Pirates closer Damaso Marte -- seem to indicate a plan, so that's good.  A few days or so, at least, of adjustment time was incorporated into the plan to allow for a pecking order to work itself out in the 'pen.  Okay.  So, are all the bases covered?  Well, kinda.

Over the past few weeks, even with Joba not really getting off to a great start in his first gig as a starter, he settled into a top-end type pitcher, one where when he is slated to go, the team can expect to be given a legit shot at a "W".  Okay, so the issue is settled right?  Erm, no.

Let's go back in time, not too far, just to a few days ago...Sunday 8/03 at Yankee Stadium.  The Yanks' are battling the best team in baseball, the LA Angels and have an 8-5 lead going to the 8th inning.  Now, at the start of the season that would've mean it was Joba-time!  Not now, though.  Instead it's Edwar (anyone see a "d" laying around?) Ramirez time!  Actually, Mark Teixeira decided to make it Tex-Time, as he belted his first grand salami as a Angel to thrust the Halo's into a 9-8 lead.

You would've thought that a nationally televised meltdown by the Yankee bullpen would have brought up a storm of controversy about Joba not being there to shut the door?  right?  Probably, but the Yankee bats took care of that by ripping off 6 Runs in the bottom of the 8th and thus giving the Bombers a 14-9 Win.

Now, it's Monday (yesterday) 8/04 and Joba's turn to take the hill in Texas.  Entering the game Joba has pitched approx 85 Innings on the season, but 60 of them in the last 8 weeks.  Pitching in 105 degree Texas heat is tough for anyone, but especially for a young pitcher who had only 24 major league innings of experience coming into 2008, is not exactly a fitness buff and is learning to be a starter in the Bigs.

He ends up going 4 2/3 innings, giving up 8 Hits / 2 BB / 5ER.  But as we know, the real bad news is that he has some shoulder pain issues now.  Uh-oh.  Let's get back to the game for a minute though, because there's still some drama to play out.

One thing a manager has to do that is always open to debate is manage his pitching staff.  Knowing when to yank a guy or let him go another out or two.  Now, it only seems reasonable that the more you know a pitcher, the easier it is to know when the tank is empty.  In this case, Yankees manager Joe Girardi is trying to determine how long to go with the newly acquired Marte, a lefty.

It's the 9th inning, the pitches are starting to mount up and you really want Marte on the mound in case basher lefty Josh Hamilton makes it to the plate.  Unfortunately, batting in front of Hammy, is known clutch hitter Michael Young, who is a righty.  What to do....

Girardi decides to roll with Marte, because the thought of facing Hammy without your top lefty on the mound is just too scary.  Good news, Young flies out.  So, it's Marte versus Hamilton.  The game's on the line, 2 out, 2 on.  Semi-good news, Hamilton walks -- which is basically a victory for the Yankees.  But, wha, huh, now you have righty Marlon Byrd up and a drained lefty who has thrown 40+ pitches in the inning.  Oh no, Joe, say it isn't so....BAM...grand slam!

It makes you wonder, did Girardi know Marte enough to know when he was out of gas?  Would the situation have played out better had Joba been in the mix to deal with the tough righties?

Now, you don't have Joba as a starter or a reliever, you still have a hole against righties in none-save situations and losses are starting to pile up.  Stay tuned, to see how this ends, but it doesn't look good at the moment.  Well, unless you're a Mets fan.

-Johnny Archive