Jack Marucci's focus this week has been the health of his LSU Tigers as they prepare for Saturday's SEC showdown at third-ranked Alabama. But Marucci can't help but sneak a peek at the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies.
Especially after Marucci prior to the start of the Series received a message from Philadelphia's Chase Utley that indicated he wanted a special bat to swing against New York reliever Mariano Rivera.
"It's the same wood but a different style, a little thicker and shorter," Marucci told FanHouse Wednesday.
NEW YORK -- Hideki Matsui couldn't be a big part of the Yankees offense the past three World Series games because there was no DH for the games in Philadelphia.
Actually, Teixeira was glad to offer up an excuse.
"Unfortunately, during these playoffs, it's been tough to get into a rhythm," Teixeira (hitting .172 in the postseason) said Tuesday before the Yankees worked out. "When you're in a rhythm during the season, you're going to fail seven out of 10 times. When you're not in a rhythm, you're going to fail a lot more than that. And unfortunately for me, that's kind of been the case right now."
For every Mariano Rivera, Derek Jeter and Andy Pettitte with a history of success in the October, the Yankees seem to have a player who has to prove himself in this coming one.
You'll hear all about from now until those players redeem themselves -- or the Yankees are eliminated.
"It's going to be a huge deal," said CC Sabathia, who will take a 7.92 ERA from his five playoff starts into Game 1 of this year's Division Series.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Johan Santana had never seen the Metrodome before the Twins took him from Single-A in the Rule 5 draft.
"When I first got there," Santana told FanHouse, "my first impression was, 'How can you play baseball in a place like this?'
"I came from Single-A and from Venezuela, and we don't have any of that stuff. ... I couldn't figure it out. How could this thing [the roof] be up in the air? And then it feels like you're in a bubble. And then you play baseball."
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
The team might not win a lot of games, but it sure is fun watching the Washington Nationals hit.
In yesterday's 8-3 win against Milwaukee, the Nationals received dingers from Christian Guzman, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman. The round-tripper was Guzman's fifth of the year. Seeing Dunn and Zimmerman display some power is nothing new for Nationals fans; in fact, the pair has hit homers in the same game four times in August and the seventh time this season. The round-tripper was Guzman's fifth of the year.
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
It sure didn't take long for Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen to get used to the big leagues. Matt Wieters, on the other hand, needed 48 at-bats to respond to the hype.
Both top prospects hit their first home runs at the major-league level on Wednesday -- matching two-run jacks to left field -- but there's an acute difference in perceived fantasy value between them.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
You hear that, fantasy baseball owners? Josh Hamilton's sole purpose on this Earth is to mess with you. Really, there's no way to over-dramatize the crap he's put fantasy owners through. Initially, he would have been the crown jewel in a dynasty league with minor-leaguers. When those types finally gave up on him, he made the show for the Reds. Then, he started to catch on for the Reds, but couldn't stay healthy. So he goes to the Rangers and puts himself on a record RBI pace, only to significantly slow down in the second half. In 2009, the bona fide elite-level fantasy outfielder has only played 35 games. He's only hitting .240. And he's out until mid-July.
A lot has happened since our last fantasy chat. You know what hasn't? The Yankees haven't lost. Along the way, they have become one of the teams with the most productive set of fantasy players around. Lost in the shuffle to an extent has been Robinson Cano. If it's possible for this line to be quiet, he's quietly hitting .317 with 8 home runs, 25 RBI and 28 runs. Elsewhere, did David Ortiz's home run mean anything? Is it time to give up on Adrian Beltre? Why can't the Cubs hit the ball? There's always room for any discussion -- just come check us out at 1 PM ET.
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see Jorge Posada on the field again.
Posada was placed on the disabled list on Tuesday with what's being called a Grade 2 strain of his right hamstring. That means it is a partial tear, and it probably means that it will be June before he'll be back behind the plate or playing DH for the Yankees.
From many other websites, you'll surely find lineup planners for Week 1 in fantasy baseball. I have no problem with that, but it's a week where each team is going to play six or seven games. Just as we do every year, we're entering a season where we really don't know how each player is going to fare. Sure, we have an idea, and we can speculate on all kinds of tendencies. But did anyone see Cliff Lee going 22-2 last season?
The basic premise for Week 1 in fantasy baseball is to just play your guys. You drafted the team and you know who you drafted as your starters. Play them. Doing anything otherwise is just getting too cute, and that's a good way to start off the season on the wrong foot.
Jack Marucci's focus this week has been the health of his LSU Tigers as they prepare for Saturday's SEC showdown at third-ranked Alabama. But Marucci can't help but sneak a peek at the World Series between the New York Yankees and the Philadelphia Phillies. 
NEW YORK -- 
NEW YORK -- Can a team win the World Series with an ace sporting a 7.92 ERA and a cleanup hitter with one RBI in his past 59 at-bats in the playoffs?
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
It didn't just rain on the Yankees in the Bronx on Monday night, it poured. They waited 2 1/2 hours to lose a fourth straight game to the Red Sox, saw their manager ejected in the proceedings and watched their starting catcher limp off the field with a hamstring injury. It will be a while before they see 
From many other websites, you'll surely find lineup planners for Week 1 in fantasy baseball. I have no problem with that, but it's a week where each team is going to play six or seven games. Just as we do every year, we're entering a season where we really don't know how each player is going to fare. Sure, we have an idea, and we can speculate on all kinds of tendencies. But did anyone see 
