May 2009
Craig Shoemaker is Live with Archive
Craig Shoemaker, aka The Lovemaster, will be our special guest today on The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show. This award-winning comedian/actor/writer/producer is one of my favorites, so I’m excited to have him on the show.
The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show
on The Fantasy Sports Channel at BlogTalkRadio
Sunday May 31, 2009
5 pm – 7pm EST
Listener Line: 347-945-6845
Call in or ask “Shoe” a question via our chat room. And as always, Hack and I will be taking your questions as well.
Headed to the H.A.L.L.
Hack came up with a great idea the other day and we talked about it last night on the podcast. It’s just another example of how motivated we are to interact with you. Why? Because we care, of course!!!
Don’tcha feel the love?
Seriously, we like chillin’ with like-minded fantasy baseball fans and we figured a mid-season listener league would be a great way to do that. So, while the spots are filling up fast, if you are interested in joining a mid-season fantasy baseball league (Hack & Archive Listener League = H.A.L.L.) that will be run at Yahoo, shoot me an email at johnnyarchive@johnnyarchive.com.
It will be a FREE Mixed league that will have either 12 or 14 teams. Even though there is no entry fees, there will be prizes given to the top teams, and we’ll probably do a few JAILBREAKS (Random events during the season that will allow any owner, regardless of position in the standings, to win a prize)!
Last night’s show was a lot of fun, I want to say “thanks” to everyone who took time out of their Wednesday to listen to and participate in with the show. If you missed it live, you can always download it at iTunes or click on the little player at the top of this blog. The show is always better when YOU are a part of it!
A couple of programming notes. As you hopefully know by now, I am honored and thrilled to welcome comedian/actor/writer/producer/father and all around good guy, Craig “The Lovemaster” Shoemaker, to my show this Sunday May 31st. The show begins at 5pm ET, so don’t miss the fun! Also, I’m working on a roundtable event with fellow FSWA writers and members of one of my fantasy leagues for Sunday June 14th, stay tuned for more details.
It’s a lite schedule in MLB today, so take advantage of the free time and do something positive for your family or community! Yes, doing laundry qualifies!
-Johnny Archive
Good News, Bad News 05/27/09
Good News, Bad News 5/27/09
Good News – Craig “The Lovemaster” Shoemaker will be my special guest on The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show this Sunday’s show, May 31st 2009.
Bad News – I have to do everything I can to avoid being the “dorky show host” who tries to be funnier than the comedian.
*Good News – “Hack” has come up with a great idea to start a mid-season listener league, which we’ll be promoting on tonight’s (Weds) show.
Bad News – With several of my teams already sitting well back from 1st place, having the listeners pile on and pound on me could push me over the edge!
Good News – Insurance companies are going crazy with advertising, especially T.V. ads, at least some are borderline entertaining.
Bad News - Their claims are nuts too, one insurance company claimed if you wrecked your car they’d actually pay to get you a new car! Amazing, shocking! Excuse me, but isn’t THAT what insurance is for!??!
Good News – Speaking of advertising, there are some legit email ads that will allow you to opt-out of future spam from them in the future by clicking a link at the bottom of their email.
Bad News – Then there’s those like the Internet dating industry where when you click the opt-out link you are automatically barraged by every screwball online dating service out there!
Good News - Hey, there’s a Good News, Bad News post today!?!
Bad News – Yeah, I decided to give the ol’ GN, BN segment a little break and it’s amazing how many great topics I missed out on talking about during that time.
Good News – All the little school children are entering that magical time of the year — Summer Break.
Bad News – Parents all over country are doing two things; 1) signing up for extended cable packages that include ALL “children channels” and 2) refilling anti-anxiety prescriptions.
Good News – My son Jacob is really enjoying his 1st grade graduation present, a basketball rim/pole/backboard.
Bad News – Mrs. Archive and I spent most of our ‘relaxing” holiday putting the dang thing together!
Good News – It’s only taken 2 months, but I’m fairly happy with the lineup I’m trotting out there in most of my fantasy leagues.
Bad News – I’ve already covered the bad news in previous posts. In case you’ve missed them, let’s just say I’m not exactly battling for the lead in most of my leagues right now.
Good News – Now-a-days, I can easily watch 5-6 different forms of stimulus at the sametime — I have 4 computer screens, 3 T.V.’s and a few other gadgets at my disposal at all times.
Bad News – I can no longer watch one program, no matter how entertaining, I go through withdrawals when I try.
Good News – When you process as much information as I do on a daily basis you can actually feel your brain expanding!
Bad News – There is a downside of course, for instance I immediately go into a seizure whenever I hear that bald-headed dork say,”try my product”!
Have a great day! *If you’re interested in joining the mid-season league we’re going to start soon, shoot me an email at johnnyarchive@johnnyarchive.com. It will be a free league, but we’ll have some cool prizes!
-Johnny Archive
Craig “The Lovemaster” Shoemaker Cometh
It’s a done deal! Craig “The Lovemaster” Shoemaker will be appearing on The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show, which is part of The Fantasy Sports Channel at BlogTalkRadio, Sunday May 31, 2009! Not only is “Shoe” one of the funniest comedians currently touring in America, but he’s a huge sports fan.
If you happen to miss the live show you can always catch the archived edition at iTunes.com or at the Johnny Archive page at BlogTalkRadio.com.
Craig Showmaker Bio/Resume
Named Comedian of the Year by the American Comedy Awards on ABC, Craig Shoemaker’s half-hour Comedy Central special has been voted by viewers as one of the network’s “Top 20″ stand-up specials of all time.
Craig’s feature film credits include the box office hit Scream 2, co-starring opposite Patrick Stewart in Safe House and his featured role opposite Daryl Hannah as her love interest in 2007′s Dark Honeymoon. Last year, Craig won Best Supporting Actor at the Elevate Film Festival. His own film The Lovemaster (with Farrah Fawcett), won “Best Film” honors at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival.
Craig began his career in his hometown of Philadelphia, where he honed his comedy and characters winning the “Best of Philly” Award while working as a bartender and attending Temple University. As a voiceover artist, Craig’s dead-on impression of Don Knotts was featured in the film Pleasantville (which he also played the narrator) and has voiced many hit animated series including Teamo Supremo, Monsters, and I M Weasel.
Craig’s small screen credits include his one-hour special on Comedy Central titled, The Lovemaster… Unzipped, co-hosting duties on HBO’s Comic Relief 2006, roles on numerous prime time series and he was actually Joy Behar’s first guest in her Comedy Corner on ABC’s The View.
As a scribe, Craig most recently wrote, produced and starred in Totally Baked, a movie which was conceived from his own son asking if his dad had ever smoked marijuana. The film was distributed world-wide by Universal and can be found in all major retail outlets, including WalMart. Totally Baked was asked to be a featured film in the Austin Film Festival, was nominated for the 2008 High Times “Stony Award,” and is ranked in the top ten on Hulu.com. Craig’s writing credits also include ABC’s Just The Ten of Us, and Real Funny. He also wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed one-man show, Who’s Your Daddy? at the Coronet Theater.
Inspired by his children, Craig has also published two hit children’s books, now in their third printing, entitled “What You Have Now…What Your Daddy Had Then” and “What You Have Now… What Your Mommy Had Then.”
Additionally, Craig has had his own nationally syndicated radio show, which after only ten months on the air, won the prestigious Communicator Award “Crystal” prize. Two of Craig’s stand-up comedy routines made it to the Top 10 list on XM Radio, with “Playing Army” ranking #1. His “Lovemaster” routine was voted Most Popular Comedy on XM Radio’s Big Schtick Awards.
In 2004, Craig opened a comedy compound and retail outlet inspired by his nonprofit organization LaughterHeals.org. The Laughter Store (http://www.thelaughterstore.com/) is a place to find all things funny – pranks & gags, CDs, books, DVDs – anything to make you laugh!
Craig’s new stand-up DVD and CD, The Lovemaster… Unzipped was released by Universal worldwide in early 2008. The CD was featured on the front page of iTunes and was in the Billboard Top 20 for six straight weeks.
Inspired by laughter, Craig has created a new forum ‘Laughter Heals‘ where he combines his two decades of stand up into an uplifting seminar and humanistic forum to help those battling and suffering from cancer and other life threatening diseases use the gift of laughter for self -healing universal wellness.
Currently, Craig is producing and writing a feature documentary called Live to Laugh along with Mark Harris (Crash, Gods & Monsters) and Dr. Michael Beckwith (The Secret, Oprah).
So, as you might imagine, Johnny Archive is thrilled and honored to have this established celebrity on the show. If you can, do yourself a favor and check out one of ”Shoe’s” live shows.
June 3 – 7 2009
Irvine , CA
The Irvine Improv
Advanced Tickets Call: 949.854.5455
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June 18 – 21 2009
Sacramento , CA
Sacromento Punchline
Advanced Tickets Call: (916) 925-5500
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June 25 – 28 2009
Denver, CO
Denver Improv
Tickets call (303) 307-1777
See you all on the show! And remember, you’ll be able to call in or ask “Shoe” a question via the chatroom.
-Johnny Archive
More Important? Stats or Style?
Here’s another article by Hack. Today he discusses Joba Chamberlain and a few other players dealing with not so typical baseball issues. It’s not their stats, but their style that is examined.
Joba, Lastings, and The Bird
Every season the talk of the unwritten rules of baseball emerges. It is kind of a silly concept because so many people have a hard enough time following the rules that are actually written down, let alone the unwritten ones. Traditionalists often clamor when one of these unwritten rules is broken and begin to complain about players’ poor sportsmanship when compared to the players of the past. But where is the line between emotion and showing up the other team? Have we gotten to the point in our overly politically correct society that a player’s individualism has vanished?
Recently, there has been a stir in baseball around Joba Chamberlain and his fist pump. After a strike out, Joba will twirl off the mound and pump his fist in an emphatic way. Gasp! Controversy! Then when Joba gave up a home run to Baltimore’s Audrey Huff, he rounded the bases and gave not one, but two fist pumps and stared at Chamberlain-Gasp! Faint! Is this really as big of deal as much of the media has made it out to be? Not really. If that fist pump is genuine, then go ahead fist pump away. Joba is free to make those types of emotional gestures, but with that said, he must also understand that those things may rub other players and teams the wrong way.
That brings me to good’ol Lastings Milledge, the enigmatic player that now plays in the minors for the Washington Nationals. Now, I have never met Lastings Milledge, never spent any time with him whatsoever, although I have heard the rumors about his attitude problems. You might remember a game when Lastings was a rookie playing for the New York Mets and he hit a game tying home run. As he trotted out to his right field position, he high-fived some fans sitting in the stands. The next day, the media vilified Milledge by saying he had no respect for the game and he had “showed up” the opponent. His own teammates made it be known that they felt the same way.
This all brings me to the late Mark “The Bird” Fidrych. During the mid 70s, Fidrych was a star pitcher for the Detroit Tigers. But “The Bird” was known more for being, well, “The Bird.” While he was pitching, Fidrych would talk to himself, talk to the ball, taunt the other team, and strutting around the mound after outs. Baseball fans loved him and his antics, as “The Bird” seemingly became a media sensation overnight. After he recently passed away, I began to wonder if there would be another player quite like him. I came to the conclusion that the media won’t allow another Mark Fidrych to be created. Anytime a player shows emotion, the media is quick to cut him down and bring up those so-called unwritten rules of baseball.
As fans, we want to see athletes who are passionate about the sports they play. We don’t want to watch a bunch of robots out on the field. Because of player salaries, ticket prices, and off-field issues it is easy for fans to become cynical about professional athletes. What’s wrong if a player let’s a little excitement comes through in a gesture? And for those of you who don’t agree with me…I have a little gesture for you too.
Hack’s Latest Buy & Sell Players
We check in today with the current list of Buy & Sell players from our friend, “Hack” Hackenmiller. Remember, this list is based on the player’s value right now, but could change quickly.
Thanks to everyone who checked out the podcast yesterday. It was a fun show. If you missed it, simply click on the button above or download it at iTunes.
Buy & Sell
Note: Ownership is based in Yahoo! Leagues.
Three to Buy
Jimmy Rollins (.233/.339/.476, 98% Ownership)
Rollins has gotten off to a real slow start, which makes him a perfect buy low candidate. There may be an owner out there that spent a first round pick on Rollins and might be getting impatient with his struggles. One thing to keep in mind with Rollins: his career pre-All Star break line is .266/.317/.415, post-All Start break it jumps to .287/.347/.464. By getting Rollins now, you probably will reap the rewards later in the season.
Billy Butler (.283/..372/.442, 25% Ownership)
Butler was handed the first base/designated hitter job last year and promptly hit his way back to the minors. When he was recalled later in the season, he showed more patience and power. This year, Butler has started where he left off in 2008. His K/BB rate is a healthy 18:16 and he has been smashing right handed pitching at a .308 clip. Butler looks fully entrenched in the middle of the Royals’ batting order and seems ready to fulfill the 25 home run potential that was predicted in 2008.
Luis Castillo (.304/.383/.370, 6% Ownership)
Thought as a washed up infielder with bad knees, Castillo went undrafted in many leagues. Castillo didn’t get the memo, however, as he is playing like it is 2003 again. The Mets have seen the improvement and moved Castillo up to the number two spot in the line up. This could mean a lot of runs scored and stolen base potential. Those managers that are looking for a quality middle infielder should strongly consider the veteran Castillo.
Three to Sell
Hank Blalock (.252/.289/.571, 69% Ownership)
Where to begin? Let’s see, Blalock is a player that has had trouble staying healthy the past few years and struggles to hit lefthanders. But in 2009, he has come out and crushed the ball while playing in the best hitting ballpark in the American League. I might be more cynical than the average person, but I don’t foresee Blalock maintain this pace. He is not drawing any walks and he is still subject to a strict platoon considering his splits. Ride the wave while is on your roster, but be ready to drop him at any time.
Willy Taveras (.322/.382/.413, 59% Ownership)
Taveras’ value is all wrapped up in his speed. The fact that he is playing so well in other categories is somewhat surprising. He is playing well above his career numbers of .285/.334/.341 so it is safe to assume that Taveras will come back to earth at sometime this season. It is probably a good time to sell him now as his value won’t get any higher.
Johnny Cueto (2-0, 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 39 K, 85% Ownership)
I don’t mean to pick on the Reds, really, but I see some guys on their roster playing over their potential right now. Now, I think that Cueto is a quality major league starting pitcher, but if you remember how Cueto started 2008 pitching lights out only to struggle the rest of they season. At the end of 2009, I think his ERA will be around 4.50 or so, which means he could have some starts where he struggles. Managers can use Cueto in a package to get a more establish starting pitcher or hitter that will be consistent throughout the season.
Name to remember…Juan Gutierrez, Ari.-RP. Chad Qualls is fully entrenched as the Diamondback’s closer, but if he struggles, Gutierrez may get the call. With his heavy sinker and devastating breaking pitches, Gutierrez has racked 25 strikeouts in 19 innings to go along with a .240 batting average against. Although he as tons of talent, he still goes through some patches of inconsistency, but what young pitcher hasn’t? However, Gutierrez is definitely a pitcher that can help out your ratios, provide strikeouts, and possibly some vulture wins to your roster.
Matt Berry & Marc Ronick Discuss Fantasy Industry
It’s Sunday! I hope you are having a good time whereever you may be around the world! Make sure you take some time out of your day to check out The Johnny Archive Fantasy Baseball Show, which is on The Fantasy Sports Channel at BlogTalkRadio.com, later today at 5pm ET.
On the show we will discuss News & Notes around the sport of baseball like we do each and every week. We’ll also talk two-start pitchers for the week ahead. Joining us as usual will be our good friend Matt “Hack” Hackenmiller who will be sharing with us his first ever official fantasy baseball ”rant”! That should be fun.
As a special treat, I’ll play an interview our very own Marc Ronick did with Matt “TheTalentedMrRoto” Berry of ESPN. They’ll talk about the fantasy industry, as a whole, and what is good and bad about some of the people involved with it at this time. Of course, I have personally been on a crusade to try and expand the fantasy genre ever since I started writing this blog, 5 years ago. I have tried as best I can to help dispel the perception that fantasy sports are only for statistical geeks and nerds.
Frankly, I have never been overly fond of the term “fantasy” to describe our hobby. For the longest time I would cringe everytime I heard someone refer to our passion with such a silly, shallow word. For baseball it was much easier to avoid the word fantasy, as most of the real enthusiasts participated in rotisserie baseball which had its roots in statistical analysis.
But for the game played on the gridiron, the two words — fantasy and football – went together much too well. Heck, even I have to admit “fantasy football” rolls off the tongue very smoothly and is easy to remember. So, it stuck. Now, all sports — golf and NASCAR included – are considered part of the fantasy industry…even baseball, though you still hear ”roto” from time totime.
I’ll go more into this at a later time, but I think you see where I’m at on this fantasy business. Heck, you can get yourself into big trouble these days if you try googling “fantasy,” eeps! Thank goodness for parental locks for the computer.
Okay, see you on the podcast…well, I guess you’ll see me, erm…hear me. You know what I mean.
-Johnny Archive
Looking Up with the ‘Lovemaster’
Yesterday’s Special Wednesday Edition of the podcast went great! Thanks to everyone for dropping by and checking out the show. We had some great dialogue in the chat room. During the J.*****. (Johnny Archive Strategy Session) portion I discussed how to approach the rest of the season if your fantasy teams have not exactly flown out of the gate. I mentioned that several of my teams were in that situation and someone asked if I’d post the standings of my leagues.
So, here you go. I’m not thrilled with my results thus far, but there is a ton of time left and I am not by any means giving up on the season. Two players, Mike Aviles and Carlos Gomez, who I was very high on have let me down big time. With the disasterous starts that they have had, it’s no wonder my teams have struggled. They are both young players and I wouldn’t be shocked to see a rebound at some point in their careers, maybe even later this season, but so far this year they are certainly not producing like I had hoped.
Let’s start with the J.A.I.L.
| Rank | Team | Batting | Pitching | Total | Dif | Behind |
| 1 | Monster Mash | 58.5 | 47.5 | 106.0 | 2.5 | 0.0 |
| 2 | Lone Star State Looters | 42.0 | 53.5 | 95.5 | -0.5 | 10.5 |
| 3 | Firewyrms Bad Mofos | 58.5 | 25.0 | 83.5 | 7.0 | 22.5 |
| 4 | Death Row Doggies | 40.0 | 42.0 | 82.0 | 0.0 | 24.0 |
| 5 | Fatheaded Felons | 45.0 | 32.0 | 77.0 | 3.0 | 29.0 |
| 6 | Jersey Hitmen | 39.0 | 37.5 | 76.5 | 6.0 | 29.5 |
| 6 | Green Mountain Boys | 30.5 | 46.0 | 76.5 | -7.0 | 29.5 |
| 8 | PBR Streetgang | 24.0 | 52.0 | 76.0 | 1.0 | 30.0 |
| 9 | Don’t Tread On Me | 40.0 | 34.0 | 74.0 | 2.0 | 32.0 |
| 10 | Bombo Rivera AllStar Squad | 57.0 | 12.0 | 69.0 | -6.5 | 37.0 |
| 11 | Ramblers in Hell | 37.0 | 31.0 | 68.0 | -7.0 | 38.0 |
| 12 | Folsom Prison Blues | 29.0 | 32.0 | 61.0 | -5.5 | 45.0 |
| *13 |  The Usual Suspects |
10.5 | 48.0 | 58.5 | 6.0 | 47.5 |
| 14 | Triple Slashers | 14.0 | 32.5 | 46.5 | -1.0 | 59.5 |
* – Johnny Archive
As you can see, my offense has been horrid. I have made a few trades, the main one being when I sent Joe Nathan, Curtis Granderson and Matt Garza for Manny Ramirez and Chris Perez. My last deal, I sent Chris Carpenter away for Juan Pierre.
Yes, I gave up a lot for Man-Ram, but I felt I was selling high on Grandy and felt I was getting Manny right before he was about to bust out. He “busted out” alright…busted out of MLB for 50 games, which of course, is a killer.
The good news is even with just about everything possible going wrong, I’m less than 20 points out of 5th. 5th?! Yeah, 5th. I’m not even worried about the tip-top of the standings right now. 5th place is as far as I’ll let myself look ahead. Once I get to 5th, then I’ll worry about getting into the money — top 3 places.
Okay, moving on to the NFBC…
It doesn’t get any better here, again Aviles and Gomez have left their marks. Also, having blow-ups from pitchers like Scot Shields and Bronson Arroyo have not helped.
| NFBC ONLINE CHAMPIONSHIP, APRIL 4TH, 4 PM LEAGUE 3 STANDINGS (Last Update – MAY 14, 12:10 A.M. E.T.) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rank | Team | Batting Pts | Pitching Pts | Overall Pts | Change | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1 | HMS Dauntless | 36.5 | 39.0 | 75.5 | +1.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2 | Eddie’s Kingdom Killebrew | 46.5 | 26.5 | 73.0 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 | No Soup For You | 34.0 | 37.5 | 71.5 | +2.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | Hackensack Bulls-3 | 23.0 | 47.0 | 70.0 | +0.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 5 | 4-8-15-16-23-42 | 26.0 | 43.5 | 69.5 | -5.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 6 | House of Pain | 37.0 | 31.5 | 68.5 | -0.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 7 | PAGDO and PINNY | 34.0 | 33.5 | 67.5 | +2.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 8 | The End Game | 27.5 | 40.0 | 67.5 | +1.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 9 | pluto_12′s | 37.0 | 26.5 | 63.5 | +2.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 10 | Jack&Kami | 32.0 | 27.5 | 59.5 | -0.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 11 | Phillies 2 | 34.0 | 20.5 | 54.5 | -3.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 12 | Johnny Archive Snips | 22.5 | 17.0 | 39.5 | +3.5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
This league is the one where if I don’t win I have stated I will undergo a vasectomy, so I squirm a little everytime I look at the standings.
Pitching has been my downfall here. I’m dead last in ERA (5.84) and WHIP (1.53). I’m only a smidge better in K’s (216) and Wins (13), where I am second-to-last. I’m hanging in there with Saves (23) which is 2nd. My starters — C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, Ubaldo Jimenez, Scott Kazmir and Gavin Floyd –have hope and have begun to pitch better, well all except Gavin who is headed the wrong way.
Sadly, I had benched C.C. last week when he turned in that CG shutout. But he had been struggling, so I still think it was the right move, even though it didn’t work out. Overall, I think this group will be fine, though I need to find a SP or two on the wire to really give myself a few extra Wins and Ks.
My offense is decent, with Mark Teixeira and Adrian Gonzalez leading the way. Matt Holliday, Joe Mauer and Big Papi are all proven hitters who have either struggled or have been hurt. Also on the roster; Adam Dunn, Dexter Fowler, Brandon Inge, Michael Bourn and Kaz Matsui so there is a decent mix of power and speed.
I’ll share my other teams later. Let’s set our calendars, May 14th. Okay, we’ll check back in a month and see if there’s been any progress. I am very confident there will be.
If you are curious about the comic that I had on my show Wednesday, here is some more information. His name is Craig Shoemaker and he is currently on tour. He is well known for his “Lovermaster” alter-ego and is a very funny guy. I strongly encourage you to take in one of his shows when he comes to a comedy club near you. For more about “Shoe’ go to his website – http://www.craigshoemaker.com/
Have a great Thursday! It’s almost the weekend! Hang in there.
-Johnny Archive
NL Central Tidbits
Hey gang,
I’m doing a Special Wednesday Edition of the podcast tonight at 7-8pm ET live on The Fantasy Sports Channel at BlogTalkRadio. Join me and Matt “Hack” Hackenmiller as we wrap up some of the fantasy baseball topics we didn’t get a chance to get to address on Sunday. By the way, my apologies for the show ending after only 60 minutes for the live feed, not exactly sure what happened.
At some point in hour number 2, Hack and I thought the show was not being recorded for the archived edition, but it was, so at the end there is some boring ****-chat between us that is not exactly “rivoting” baseball talk. hehe We are kicking around the idea of doing a second Wednesday Night show every week. If that is something you’d like to see happen, let me know.
See you tonight at 7pm ET on the show and this Sunday at our regular time, 5pm ET, for the 2-hour extravaganza!
NL Central Tidbits
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Beginning with the action on April 16, third baseman Andy LaRoche has gone 24-for-79 (.304) with nine doubles, a home run and 11 RBI…He has reached base safely in 22 of his 23 games during this current stretch.
- Pittsburgh’s Nate McLouth has gone 14-for-42 (.333 average) in his last 10 games since missing six straight contests with a strained right oblique…Nate has also doubled four times in his last five games after not collecting any two baggers in his first 20 games.
- A total of 24 home runs have reached the Allegheny River in right field, accomplished by 17 different players…Daryle Ward is the only player to reach the river in the air with his 479′ blast off Kip Wells while playing with the Astros on 7/6/02 (the ball has bounced into the drink each of the other 23 times).
- When the Pirates are Trailing after 6…0-14
- When the Pirates Score first…10-7
- When the Pirates Starter goes less than 6 IP…0-10
St. Louis Cardinals
- Ryan Franklin worked his way into the closer’s role this year and converted his first nine save opportunities and went scoreless his first 13.2 IP before he allowed two runs Sunday for his first blown save and runs allowed this season…Franklin’s nine-straight saves to begin a season were the most since 2005 when Izzy started 16-for-16 in save opps…the team record is held by Tom Henke, who started the 1995 season converting 22 straight saves (since 1954)…Franklin is one of just nine Cardinals relievers since ’54 to convert his first 9 or more saves.
- Albert Pujols ended his streak of reaching base in each of his games
played this season via a hit, walk or HBP last Friday night at Cincy…until Friday, he had reached base in all 28 of his games played…AP’s .443 on-base pct. ranks 7th among N.L. players and he is 1st among N.L. players with a .696 slugging pct.
- Rookies have taken 1/4 of all the at-bats for St. Louis this season
at 26% (275 of 1074 ABs) and are hitting a combined .244 (67-275).
- Joel Pineiro will make his seventh start of the season on Wednesday vs. the Pirates, in what will also be his seventh career start against PIT…is 3-1 in his six previous starts with a 5.35 ERA…made four starts against the Bucs last season and went 1-1 with a 7.48 ERA…the loss came in his last start vs. the Pirates on 9/12 when he allowed seven runs in 4.0 IP…is trying to bounce back from two straight losses after winning his first four starts…allowed Cincinnati five runs (four earned) on Friday in 6.0 IP of a 6-4 loss…holds a 2-1 record, 5.47 ERA in four starts while pitching at PNC.
- Consecutive Scoreless IP 13.1, Franklin 4/8-5/7
- Longest RBI Streak-Games 7, Ludwick 4/15-24
- Most K’s Game-Starter 9, Boggs 4/30 at WSH
- Most K’s Game-Reliever 3, Boggs 4/17 at CHI
Milwaukee Brewers
- Since making his debut on 5/25/07, Ryan Braun is among the Major League
leaders in the following categories:
Category MLB Rank
Total Bases (693) 1st
Extra-Base Hits (164) 1st
Slugging Percentage (.591) 3rd
Home Runs (79) T3rd
RBI (231) 4th
Go-Ahead RBI (58) 4th
- Ryan Braun is batting .565 (13-for-23) against left-handed pitching this season,
which leads the Major Leagues.
- Brewers starters have produced 19 quality starts this season, which leads
the Major Leagues.
- When Brewers Hit a Home Run . . . 16-7.
- When Brewers do Not Hit a Home Run . . . 2-7.
- RUNS BY INNING
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12+ Tot.
Opp. 18 4 19 21 24 10 14 20 9 - - - 139
Brewers 16 21 7 15 21 24 19 17 17 - 1 - 158
Houston Astros
- Since April 15th, Astros starting pitchers have the 3rd-lowest ERA in the Majors with a 3.38 mark…SF (3.12) and DET (3.29) have the lowest ERAs in that span.
- Houston’s bullpen leads the NL and ranks second in MLB in innings pitched this season with a combined 112.2 (LAD is 2nd with 109.0)…the relievers’ 89 strikeouts are the second-most in the NL, trailing only the Marlins (106).
- Miguel Tejada is 8 for 16 (.500) in his last four games with two HR and eight RBI…he leads the NL with seven 3+hit games and is fourth in ABs with 131…Tejada’s 12 RBI in May are T-2nd in the Majors.
- When Astros Score 4 or More Runs: 11-4
When Astros Score 3 or Fewer Runs: 3-13
- After a 6-12 start, the Astros are 8-5 in their last 13 games.
- Michael Bourn’s .583 avg (14 for 24) when facing a pitcher the third time in a game is tops in the NL…Hanley Ramirez is 2nd at .524.
- Lance Berkman needs 5 HR for 300, Carlos Lee needs 13 HR for 300.
Cincinnati Reds
- 3B Edwin Encarnacion (chip fracture, left wrist) will be examined again tomorrow.
- At 18-14 the Reds are a season-high 4g over .500 for the second time (17-13)…haven’t been 5g over .500 since they were 67-62 in 2006…during that 2006 season the Redlegs reached a season-high 12g over .500 at 36-24.
- NL Team Batting Averages in May
1. REDS …308
2. Nationals …299
3. Mets …291
4. Astros …291
Reds also first in runs scored (67), 7-4 record in May
- The Reds’ bullpen has converted all 9 save opps, all by Francisco Cordero, and for the second straight season will be the last bullpen in the Major Leagues to suffer a blown save…in 2008, Cin’s pen didn’t blow a save until the 41st game (5/14) …including last season, Cordero has recorded each of the Reds’ last 43 saves (34sv in 2008, 9sv in 2009).
- Reds pitchers lead the National League with 6 team shutouts (SF & Pit T2nd w/ 4sho)…produced those 6 shutouts in their first 26g, their fastest to 6 blankings since the 1914 staff threw its sixth shutout in the 25th game…Cin produced 6 team shutouts all of last season.
- At 11-5 the Reds have the best road winning percentage in the Major League
(.688)…the Marlins (11-8), Blue Jays (11-8) and Braves (11-7) also have 11 road victories…went 4-0-1 in their first 5 road series…produced winning records on each of their first 2 road trips (7-3, 3-2)…entering this season and dating back to 2006, the Reds had losing records in 23 of their previous 28 road trips.
- Wins By Managers
31. Whitey Herzog …1,281
32. DUSTY BAKER …1,254
33. Billy Martin …1,253
Chicago Cubs
- At 4-2, Ted Lilly has recorded a decision in each of his first six starts on the season … he’s the first Cub to accomplish the feat since Greg Maddux went 5-2 in his first seven outings in the 2006 campaign.
- Tonight marks Chicago’s 399th night game at Wrigley Field …the Friendly Confines’ first official night contest was August 9, 1988 vs. the Mets (a 6-4 Cubs win an evening after their night game vs. the Phillies was rained out)…the Cubs are slated to play their 400th night game at Wrigley, May 25 vs. Pittsburgh. The Cubs are 211-187 (.530) in their first 398 night games at Wrigley Field.
- Exactly half of the Cubs 18 victories this season have been of the come-from-behind variety…their ninth such win came last night, as Chicago erased a 2-0 deficit thanks in part to a Milton Bradley two-run, game-winning homer in the sixth.
- Cubs closer Kevin Gregg has saved five of the team’s last eight wins, and finished two others, dating to May 1…the right-hander is six-for-seven in save situations this season, having successfully converted his last five opportunities.
- Chicago is 13-4 when drawing four or more free passes in a game compared to a 5-10 mark when coaxing three or fewer walks.
- Chicago is 16-5 when playing errorless ball, and 2-9 when committing an error.
- The Cubs have scored four or more runs in all 18 of their victories, but have plated three or fewer runs in 12 of their 14 losses…Chicago is hitting 96 points lower in losses (.197) compared to their victories (.293).
- Carlos Marmol is tied with Jose Arredondo (LAA) to lead the majors in Holds, at 10.
-Johnny Archive
(Information for this post collected from various sites including; MLB.com, FoxSports.com and numorous MLB team sites.)
3 Up, 3 Down
Matt “Hack” Hackenmiller checks in with his latest article. Today, he talks about a few players you may want to go after and a few you may want to try and move, if you can. If you listened to the podcast on Sunday, I apologize that the second hour was messed up due to technical issues with BlogTalkRadio. The plan was for “Hack” and I to cover these players in depth during that time. I am going to try and reschedule a show for sometime this week, hopefully Tuesday. If not, make sure and join us next week on the podcast.
Buy & Sell
Note: Ownership is based in Yahoo! Leagues.
Three to Buy
Carlos Quentin (.233/.339/.476, 98% Ownership)
After several years of “can’t miss prospect” status, Quentin exploded for the White Sox last year. He has struggled somewhat with the average, but the power is still there and he has a healthy BB/K ratio. He is also aided in the fact he plays in a great hitting park and a pretty good line up. Quentin is a great buy low candidate as some owners may be scared off by his low average and lack of track record. But I think that he will easily match his numbers from last year.
Cliff Lee (1-0, 3.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 33 K, 96% Ownership)
On draft day, many owners were scared off of Lee because they felt that he was bound to come back to earth after his historic 2008 season. Lee promptly followed through on those predictions as he got off to a rocky 2009. But after two bad outings to begin the year, Lee has rattled off five quality starts in a row in which he has pitched into the seventh inning four of those starts. As long as Lee keeps his walks down and Cleveland’s infield defense plays well, Lee should continue his strong season. Some managers might try selling high on Lee, but those who grab him up will be getting a dependable starter to head their staff.
Marlon Byrd (.323/.327/.505, 8% Ownership)
An injury to Josh Hamilton has opened up a spot for Byrd and he has responded by going on a tear the last ten games. Playing in a hitter friendly park has allowed Byrd to post quality fifth outfielder numbers. There is still a question about whether he will still receive the same playing time when Hamilton returns and his 1/10 walk to strike out rate shows that he could run into problems later in the season. But in deeper leagues or A.L. only formats, Byrd is solid choice as he will provide a solid batting average and score a lot of runs playing in that potent Texas Rangers line up.
Three to Sell
Derek Lee (.209/.282/.363, 84% Ownership)
A recent problem with a bulging disk in his neck has caused Lee to miss some time for the Cubs. But even before that, he was struggling at the plate. Lee is still living off the reputation he built during his monster seasons of 2003 and 2004. Since then, however, he has dealt with injuries that have affected his production. He is no longer in the upper echelon of first baseman in the league and owners might want to look for a replacement as a trip to the DL may be coming.
Orlando Cabrera (.230/.288/.257, 33% Ownership)
The veteran shortstop has gotten off to a rocky start with the Oakland Athletics. The main concern for Cabrera is that one of his main assets in his ability to steal bases. But the A’s are known for their aversion for running, which in turn, decreases Cabrera’s value. Although Cabrera is known for a slow starter, he pre-All Star break numbers (.271/.321/.392) are not that different from his post-All Star break numbers (.275/..322/.402). So if you are waiting for a big turn around, it may not happen.
Erik Bedard (2-0, 2.37 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 39 K, 89% Ownership)
Bedard has rebounded nicely after a disastrous 2008 season. His strong start makes him a perfect sell high candidate. The various injuries that plagued him last year might rear their head at anytime. Bedard also has the name recognition that might bring back plenty of value in return.
Name to remember…Brendan Harris – Min, 2B, SS, 3B. With Alexi Casilla being send to the minors and Nick Punto being, well, Nick Punto, playing time has opened up for Harris. He has put up solid numbers so far this year in limited time and the last season he played regularly, 2007, Harris had a productive line of .286/.343/.434. Plus, his multi position eligibility makes him someone to target in deep mixed or A.L. only leagues.
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