Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Hahaha. Get it? The Who? Tommy? Yeah. Dated cultural references mixed into fantasy baseball news FTW, eh? Sorry. Anyway, Tommy Hanson made his debut yesterday for the Atlanta Braves -- and while he was perfect through two innings, yeah, notsomuch the rest of the way: Hanson ended up getting knocked around for six hits and six earned through six innings (sign?) while striking out five and giving up three gofer balls.
Throughout the history of baseball, fans of the game have always sought out the players they could relate to. Sure, the superstars of the game receive a lot of love and adulation from their fans, but those fans also realize that they're never going to be able to hit 755 homers or hit .400. That's why there are always those cult favorites on every team. The scrappy guy who doesn't have the most talent, but through his hard work and dedication he gets the job done.
(For an example of this, just look at all those general managers who keep giving David Eckstein a job.)
Now in Detroit there's a pitcher who just about every baseball fan outside of the Bronx can relate to, not just Tigers fans. Turns out that like most of us, flame-thrower Joel Zumaya isn't much of a fan of the New York Yankees. In fact, he can't stand them.
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action, with a quick nod to what's ahead.
You Oughta Know ... That the Red Sox and Yankees seem almost incapable of playing a game in under three hours and 30 minutes. Boston and New York met for the first time in the regular season Friday night, and, predictably, it was a long one. Four hours and 21 minutes after Jon Lester threw the first pitch, Kevin Youkilis launched a Damaso Marte offering over the Green Monster seats to give the Sox a 5-4 win over the Yanks in 11 innings.
That was after Jason Bay hit a two-out, two-run home run off of Mariano Rivera to knot the game at 4-all in the ninth inning, and long after Lester and New York starter Joba Chamberlain were worn down and driven from the game by two of the most patient lineups in baseball.
It's inevitable. Injuries are going to take a toll on Major League rosters as players get ready for the grind of a long regular season. It's not terribly relevant whether the injury was Spring Training related or the effects of World Baseball Classic games. All you need to know is that most teams are headed into play next week without a few of their key stars.
The Los Angeles Angels have three of their starting pitchers (Escobar, Lackey and Santana) on the disabled list. Cardinals third baseman Troy Glaussuffered a setback and Yankees Alex Rodriguez, while apparently ahead of schedule in returning from Labrum surgery, will be out for a good portion of the early months of baseball. But, those are old news stories.
Let's take a look at the players who have been placed on the disabled list just this week.
MLB Power Rankings:Where we care what you've done for us lately when we break down the who's who and the what's what in the baseball world each week.
We're almost there. You can smell it in the air, can't you? That's right ... the NHL playoffs! Ha. I kid, of course. No one actually watches hockey (if it even exists). But people do get amped up for baseball, and the season is upon us. So, in that vein, we've got our final installment of preseason power rankings ready for your digestion. Play ball.
Are you ready for the biggest shock of your life? I hope you're sitting down right now because I have some news that is sure to shake the very foundations of the Earth and all those who live upon it. Mountains will crumble to the ground, oceans will burst aflame, and birds will then try to swim in the Pacific Inferno. It's just that crazy.
Saturday was supposed to be a key day in Tigers camp, as Joel Zumaya and Jeremy Bonderman were to throw in an intrasquad game. If both could get on track from their injuries, the Detroit pitching staff might have started to come together.
Now Zumaya has been scratched. The bullpen is a bit shaky, with Fernando Rodney the likely closer and Brandon Lyon there to set up or take over if he falters. A healthy Zumaya would have solidified the group.
So now the Tigers hold their breath on Bonderman. His recovery from shoulder surgery has become more important because Dontrelle Willis and Nate Robertson have struggled this spring. (If Detroit hadn't acquired Edwin Jackson over the winter, it would be even messier.)
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through every major player on each team. Fantasy FanHouse is here to help with a quick once-over.
Meet the... Most disappointing team of 2008. This goes for real and for fantasy. Nearly the entire team was a massive bust last year -- I said nearly, because the man in the picture to the right was immune in fantasy -- as the team finished in last place. They've made some changes, and the players coming back need to just play better.
FanHouse continues its 2009 MLB Preview with a look at the Detroit Tigers.
A preseason favorite to win the pennant a year ago, the Tigers collapsed under the weight of unreal expectations. Trading for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis was supposed to put this team over the top, but in hindsight Detroit's lineup, while potent, was never as good as it looked on paper and the pitching and defense ranked among the worst in the league.
The story of the Detroit Tigers has been pretty much the same over the last two seasons. In 2007, their bullpen cost them a chance to reach the playoffs and get back to the World Series, and in 2008 it was the bullpen bringing down a team that many thought would be the best in the American League after a winter trade for Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. So obviously general manager Dave Dombrowski's to-do list this offseason consists of fixing the Tiger bullpen if he wants his team to have a chance in 2009.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Throughout the history of baseball, fans of the game have always sought out the players they could relate to. Sure, the superstars of the game receive a lot of love and adulation from their fans, but those fans also realize that they're never going to be able to hit 755 homers or hit .400. That's why there are always those cult favorites on every team. The scrappy guy who doesn't have the most talent, but through his hard work and dedication he gets the job done.
Starting Five
Are you ready for the biggest shock of your life? I hope you're sitting down right now because I have some news that is sure to shake the very foundations of the Earth and all those who live upon it. Mountains will crumble to the ground, oceans will burst aflame, and birds will then try to swim in the Pacific Inferno. It's just 
Fantasy baseball draft season is coming, so you best be prepared by delving through 
The story of the Detroit Tigers has been pretty much the same over the last two seasons. In 2007, their bullpen cost them a chance to reach the playoffs and get back to the World Series, and in 2008 it was the bullpen bringing down a team that many thought would be the best in the American League after a winter trade for 
