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... Team who someone predicted would win the World Series last year. Seriously. When you stop laughing, you can check out the link (he's the top one listed -- though when you see his other atrocious picks you won't be surprised). Was I any better? Glad you asked. I actually took Mr. Downey to task before Opening Day. You can check the rest of my stuff if you wish, as there were some misses in there.
Anyway, it's safe to say expectations are a slight bit lower heading into '08.
Griffey's change of heart must leave the Braves feeling jilted at the altar -- not to mention a little deja vu -- but it's hard to fault a guy for wanting to end his career in the same spot it began two decades ago.
With the Rays, Griffey would get a chance to play close to home and likely would have a shot at finally winning his first World Series ring. With Seattle, Griffey would get to close out his illustrious career in the same place where it began. The main problem is that there doesn't seem to be much hope for the Mariners to be competitive this season.
I'm a bit surprised to hear about two National League teams being in the fray. At age 39, Griffey's not near the defender he once was, nor is he remotely durable. Playing the field greatly increases his chances of getting injured and, in turn, hampers his offensive productivity. In a designated hitter role, he could still be productive enough to help a team -- even a contending one.
Ozzie Guillen doesn't end. He just goes on and on, my friend. Some people started interviewing him not knowing who he was, and they'll continue interviewing forever just because Ozzie Guillen doesn't end. He just goes on and on, my friend. Some people started interviewing him not knowing who he was, and they'll continue interviewing forever just becau-
Supporting the White Sox is a lot like being Luke Wilson's character from Idiocracy. It's a righteous cause, but more often than not you're left wandering around thinking they're all dumb****s.
When I heard the words "Ken Griffey, Jr. has been traded", I actually bugged out a little which, in hindsight, seems kind of silly. As of this morning, when Griffey was in fact traded to the Chicago White Sox, he's batting .245/.355/.431 with 15 homers and 538 at bats.
In other words, health provided, he's on pace for his worst season as he heads to the North(Ed Note: Sorry, lack of coffee and/or intelligence caused that.) South Side. Assuming he approves the deal of course.
The Reds have traded Griffey to the White Sox, pending his approval. Griffey will decide Thursday morning whether he will approve the deal, according to a source with knowledge of the situation. It is not known what the Reds would receive in return.
Griffey, as a player with 10 years of major-league service, five with the same club, has the right to block any deal. The White Sox attempted to acquire him from the Reds at the trade deadline in 2005, but the trade reportedly was nixed by Reds ownership for financial reasons.
It would seem pretty unlikely that Griffey would squash a deal like this. He gets to head to a contender relatively near his home now, and the White Sox, with Nick Swisher, Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin already in the outfield, would be able to offer him playing time and some beneficial DH "rest" (although he stinks as a DH career stat wise).
But the bigger points are that 1) Griffey gets a decent shot at a ring and 2) this isn't that huge a deal, sadly. As Mr. Calceterra pointed out, "Wow, with his bat between Albert Belle's and Frank Thomas's, the White Sox should really make some noise!"
Reports out of New York say that Duane Shaffer, in his first season as a special assistant to Seattle general manager Bill Bavasi, was in Shea Stadium Sunday to have a look at Griffey.
The Mariners need two things - someone to get the fans' interest revved up after a horrid start to the season and someone to provide some power to a lineup devoid of many run-producers.
As Hickey points out, Griffey has 10-5 rights, meaning he's allowed to veto any trade. But if the Mariners agree to move Raul Ibanez to DH and put Griffey in the outfield, there's a good chance that Griffey would approve the trade. Plus, while most of the majors seems to be ignoring Griffey's march to 600 home runs, nobody could better appreciate the milestone than the fans in Seattle, many of whom watched him hit most of those dingers before being traded to Cincinnati.
One of my most pleasant baseball memories was a summer night in the mid-90's in the bleachers of Yankee Stadium. The Mariners were in town, it was a good rivalry at the time and the crowd was in full-throated splendor. Jay Buhner and Ken Griffey were getting razzed all night long and Buhner just stared toward home plate, never looking back.
Griffey, though, would turn his head every now and then, grinning and that just got the crowd going more. Late in the game, a ball went into the right-centerfield gap and Griffey dove to make a splendid catch. After returning the ball to the infield he turned to the bleachers, put his glove on his left hand and spun it while smiling even wider. The bleachers had no choice but to applaud him.
I believe this is so unfair and hypocritical because Ken Griffey may be the first player in the last 35 years to reach 600 without cheating. He's being forced to quietly make history in the shadows.
As much negative press ESPN gave Barry Bonds and Sammy Sosa for their alleged steroid use, you'd think they would take the initiative and celebrate a man who did things the right way.
Griffey hit homer no. 597 last night against Houston and, barring another injury, should get there well before Memorial Day.
The Reds were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night, which is a relief, considering I had written them off months ago and had they actually snuck in my perception of reality would have been turned upside. But they lost more than just the game to the Cubs -- the also lost Ken Griffey Jr. for the rest of the season.
After fielding the ball in center field, Griffey pulled up lame while trying to make the throw back into the infield. He grabbed his right groin, tossed the ball to a teammate and fell to the ground in pain. Eventually, he was helped off the field by the team's training staff. So, what exactly happened? His explanation will probably make you feel sympathy pains. From the Cincinnati Post:
"Hopefully it's not as bad as it feels," Griffey said. "The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone bungee jumped off my right (testicle)."
Maybe it's me, but doesn't it sound even more painful with the word "testicle" instead of "nut" or "ball" or whatever it was Griffey actually said? I don't know, the censored version just sounds so ... medical. (Update: It was "nut"! I feel complete finally knowing.) In any case, the Reds only have 10 games left, and only three against teams with a winning record. Understandably, Griffey is probably done for the year.
These are guys who made the team despite being on the bubble. It's hard to argue that they don't completely belong, but it's also likely they got the nod simply because of past performance or a fervent voting fan base.
First of all, all three of these guys are legitimate All-Stars, I just don't see them as worthy of starting the game. Jorge Posada and Victor Martinez are having better years than Pudge, Ortiz is in the midst of a down year (and doesn't even play first base!) and Roberts is a better pick than Polanco. But we're splitting hairs, and the fans of these (likely) playoff-bound teams have spoken.
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. 
Reports were rampant on Tuesday that 
The aging 
When I heard the words "
Remember that talk last week about how 
One of my most pleasant baseball memories was a summer night in the mid-90's in the bleachers of Yankee Stadium. The Mariners were in town, it was a good rivalry at the time and the crowd was in full-throated splendor. 
The Reds were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night, which is a relief, considering I had written them off months ago and had they actually snuck in my perception of reality would have been turned upside. But they lost more than just the game to the Cubs -- the also lost 
The All-Star rosters have been announced, which means that the 
