Fantasy Baseball Advice

The 2011 fantasy baseball rankings are not as far away as you might think.  Right now, January Grey is throwing darts at a board to figure out where to place Edwin Jackson.  Exciting!  In the meantime, let’s look at the players who have multiple position eligibility for this upcoming 2011 fantasy baseball season.  This took me far longer than it probably should’ve.  Can’t someone write me a program that sorts all the players by games played at a position?   Why do I need to go through every player on every roster?  It totally harshes my buzz.  I did this list of multi-position eligible players because I figured it would help for your 2011 fantasy baseball drafts.  I’m a giver, snitches!  I only listed players that have multiple position eligibility of ten games or more played outside of their primary position.  So this should cover Yahoo, ESPN, CBS, et al (not the Israeli airline).  Yes, Christmas came early this year.  (Or (C)Hanuk(k)ah came late, if you get your Jew on.)  Players with multiple position eligibility are listed once alphabetically under their primary position.  On a different post, I’ll make some comments about some of the players. In the mean’s while, you make comments in the comments. Say that fast 117 times! Anyway, here’s all the players with multiple position eligibility for the 2011 fantasy baseball season and the positions they are eligible at:

CATCHERS

Ryan Doumit C (100), OF (18)
Jake Fox C (19), OF (13), 1B (10)
Buster Posey C (76), 1B (30)
Victor Martinez C (110), 1B (14)

1ST BASEMEN

Michael Cuddyer 1B (84), OF (67), 3B (14)
Aubrey Huff 1B (100), OF (63)
Garrett Jones 1B (112), OF (49)
Xavier Nady 1B (52), OF (28)
Mike Napoli 1B (70), C (66)
Luke Scott 1B (19), OF (14)
Ty Wigginton 1B (98), 2B (40), 3B (22)

2ND BASEMEN

Mike Aviles 2B (87), SS (13)
Clint Barmes 2B (88), SS (47)
Ronnie Belliard 2B (20), 3B (16), 1B (10)
Andres Blanco 2B (40), SS (16)
Reid Brignac 2B (68), SS (50)
Mike Fontenot 2B (49), 3B (19)
Alberto Gonzalez 2B (38), 3B (27), SS (16)
Cristian Guzman 2B (63), SS (20)
Jonathan Herrera 2B (57), 3B (16)
Omar Infante 2B (65), 3B (29), OF (21), SS (19)
Howie Kendrick 2B (143), 1B (15)
Adam Kennedy 2B (86), 1B (51)
Jeff Keppinger 2B (126), SS (12)
Jed Lowrie 2B (28), SS (23)
Julio Lugo 2B (59), SS (26)
John McDonald 2B (23), SS (19), 3B (19)
Augie Ojeda 2B (15), 3B (12)
Martin Prado 2B (98), 3B (43)
Sean Rodriguez 2B (92), OF (21)
Adam Rosales 2B (47), SS (14)
Skip Schumaker 2B (123), OF (17)
Ruben Tejada 2B (50), SS (28)
Ryan Theriot 2B (119), SS (29)
Matt Tolbert 2B (20), 3B (14)
Eric Young Jr. 2B (35), OF (10)

SHORTSTOPS

Geoff Blum SS (18), 3B (14), 1B (14)
Jamey Carroll SS (69), 2B (48), 3B (11)
Alexi Casilla SS (30), 2B (24)
Juan Castro SS (33), 3B (11)
Craig Counsell SS (42), 3B (20)
Bobby Crosby SS (22), 2B (16), 3B (10)
Jason Donald SS (47), 2B (41)
Tyler Greene SS (22), 2B (15), 3B (11)
Jerry Hairston SS (62), 2B (47), OF (12)
Paul Janish SS (62), 3B (11)
Ramon Santiago SS (85), 2B (25)
Marco Scutaro SS (132), 2B (16)
Juan Uribe SS (103), 3B (26), 2B (24)
Wilson Valdez SS (59), 2B (42)
Danny Worth SS (24), 2B (12)

3RD BASEMEN

Tony Abreu 3B (20), SS (15), 2B (12)
Jeff Baker 3B (33), 2B (26)
Miguel Cairo 3B (37), 1B (14)
Alberto Callaspo 3B (130), 2B (12)
Jorge Cantu 3B (81), 1B (40)
Pedro Feliz 3B (102), 1B (15)
Brendan Harris 3B (27), SS (11)
Maicer Izturis 3B (28), 2B (22)
Felipe Lopez 3B (58), 2B (24), SS (24)
Andy Marte 3B (45), 1B (32)
Melvin Mora 3B (63), 1B (25), 2B (19)
Jayson Nix 3B (56), 2B (28)
Eduardo Nunez 3B (15), SS (11)
Ramiro Pena 3B (48), SS (23)
Jhonny Peralta 3B (100), SS (46)
Placido Polanco 3B (123), 2B (12)
Nick Punto 3B (48), SS (31), 2B (12)
Kevin Russo 3B (16), OF (11)
Pablo Sandoval 3B (143), 1B (11)
Mark Teahen 3B (52), OF (10)
Miguel Tejada 3B (97), SS (58)
Omar Vizquel 3B (83), 2B (19)
Brandon Wood 3B (56), SS (22)

OUTFIELDERS

Jose Bautista OF (113), 3B (48)
Willie Bloomquist OF (35), 3B (11)
Bill Hall OF (65), 2B (51)
Eric Hinske OF (50), 1B (32)
Don Kelly OF (74), 1B (28), 3B (15)
Carlos Lee OF (133), 1B (20)
Adam Lind OF (16), 1B (11)
Mike McCoy OF (15), 2B (14)
Mike Morse OF (72), 1B (19)
Eric Patterson OF (65), 2B (14)
Ryan Raburn OF (91), 2B (18)
Juan Rivera OF (105), 1B (13)
Ryan Ryal OF (36), 1B (24)
Matt Tuiasosopo OF (14), 3B (12)
Delwyn Young OF (21), 2B (10)
Ben Zobrist OF (110), 2B (55), 1B (14)

Chicago White Sox 2010 Minor League Review
Overall farm rankings according to Baseball America (2010)
2010 (19) | 2009 (16) | 2008 (28) | 2007 (26) | 2006 (14) | 2005 (12) | 2004 (20)

Record of Major and Minor League Teams
MLB: [88 – 74] AL Central
AAA: [67 – 77] International League – Charlotte
AA: [53 – 87] Southern League – Birmingham
A+: [81 – 58] Carolina League – Winston-Salem
A: [65 – 74] South Atlantic League – Kannapolis
R: [47 – 28] Pioneer League – Great Falls
R: [32 – 36] Appalachian League – Bristol

The Run Down
The White Sox minor league system played in a sandbox of disappointment in 2010. Their top prospect, Jared Mitchell, was out all of 2010 with a torn ACL; they traded their top pitching prospect (pre-draft) in Dan Hudson to Arizona for Edwin Jackson; their hyped catching prospect, Tyler Flowers, the prized piece in the Javier Vasquez trade, struggled all year; the other highly touted Cuban, Dayan Viciedo, showed some flashes of power in the majors but proved you can’t walk from Cuba to Florida; and Brent Morel showed enough potential to be an average at best corner infielder. With an aging team, the outlook of the future rests in some see-sawing prospects – Viciedo, Morel, Flowers – along with other high-ceiling prospects like Mitchell. The 2011 season might be the year that the White Sox actually utilize more than one prospect for the majority of the season. I could see Viciedo, Morel, and especially Chris Sale playing larger roles than expected. Flowers might have a mid-season call-up if he can thrive early in 2011.

Graduating Prospects
#13 (RHP) Sergio Santos

Arizona Fall League Players – Peoria Saguaros
Pitchers – (RHP) Anthony Carter; #27 (LHP) Charles Leesman; (RHP) Johnnie Lowe; (RHP) Henry Mabee
Hitters – #11 (C) Josh Phegley; #19 (SS) Eduardo Escobar. #1 (CF) Jared Mitchell

Players of Interest
Hitters
#2 Tyler Flowers | C | D.o.B: 1-24-86 | Stats (AAA): .220/.334/.434 | 346 AB | 40 XBH | 16 Hr | .214 ISO | 2/1 SB/CS | 121:51 K:BB | .283 BABIP
Flowers struggled mightily at Triple-A this past year, posting disappointing numbers across the board. His lone bright spot would be the ISO rate (.214 ISO). Prior to the 2010 season, Flowers’ hitting has been bolstered by pre-2010 career .358 BABIP, this year his BABIP was substantially lower (.283 BABIP) than his career rate. Marc Hulet of FanGraphs states, “When he’s swinging well, the former Braves draft pick shows plus power and takes a ton of walks (along with a lot of Ks).” BA concurs. The 24-year-old catching prospect didn’t create any believers this past year as A.J. Pierzynski signed a two year contract extension on the second of December. With a career slash line of .148/.343/.185 in the majors with 13 strikeouts in 35 at-bats, the 2011 Spring Training and early 2011 minor league season will have a large bearing on his future with the fantasy world. The upside; Bill James has him hitting .242/.347/.452 with 21 Hr, 519 plate appearances and 121 games.

#7 Dayan Viciedo | 3B | D.o.B: 3-10-89 | Stats (AAA): .274/.308/.493 | 343 AB | 35 XBH | 20 Hr | .219 ISO | 1/1 SB/CS | 78:11 K:BB | .365 BABIP
No one questions Viciedo’s ability to hit, they question his size and his lack of walks. According to Baseball America, Viciedo has “tremendous opposite-field power … can drive the ball to all fields … soft hands … average arm … helpless against off-speed … slow.” Marc Hulet says, “Veteran pitchers … will eat Viciedo alive … there is little point in throwing strikes to him. Defensively, the Cuban is a poor fielder at third base … [should move] across the diamond … He has the raw power for the position.” In 106 major league plate appearances during the 2010 season, Viciedo hit .308/.321/.519 showing he won’t be walking much, but the power is definitely there. See an old Scouting the Unknown article for more details.

#4 Brent Morel | 3B | D.o.B: 4-21-87 | Stats (AA/AAA): .322/.359/.480 | 490 AB | 52 XBH | 10 Hr | .158 ISO | 8/5 SB/CS | .385 BABIP (AA); .363 BABIP (AAA)
Has the ability to help the major league squad in 2011 as he plays good defense, line drive contact driven swing and has the power to hit 15 home runs a year. Borderline third baseman that has thrived due to high BABIP. His line in the majors (.231/.271/.415 in 70 MLB plate-appearances) suggests some moderate power, as does his minor league numbers this past year as he had success at Double-A and Triple-A (AA: .326/.376/.440 in 203 plate-appearances; AAA: .320/.348/.503 in 324 plate-appearances). Morel is boring, but could provide value in deep leagues. Could be a Casey McGehee or another Felipe Lopez.

#5 Jordan Danks | CF | D.o.B: 8-7-87 | Stats (AAA): .245/.312/.373 | 445 AB | 38 XBH | 8 Hr | .128 ISO | 15/6 SB/CS | 151:41 K:BB | .349 BABIP
Danks 2010 season was equally as disappointing as last year in which the 2009 Minor League Review stated “The little brother of John Danks, Jordan plays good defense, lacks power, and has many scouts see-sawing on his future. Some scouts believe he will be able to add more homers and power once he adds more bulk to his frame, while others completely disagree, noting specifically his sketchy swing mechanics … His strikeout rate is worth noting, but he walks a fair amount too. He kind of reminds me of Denard Span – had a lot of hype, loses favor, and then surprises later than expected. He is more of a darkhorse/sleeper after his dismal 2009 season.” After another poor year, Danks, who has been aggressively pushed, will need to rebound to gain any fantasy traction, let alone prospect hype for the future.

#14 Stefan Gartrell | RF | D.o.B: 1-14-84 | Stats (AAA): .255/.316/.448 | 534 AB | 48 XBH | 27 Hr | .193 ISO | 4/2 SB/CS | 152:42 K:BB | .305 BABIP
Gartrell has been compared to Jermaine Dye, as he has a solid frame with good size and strength. Baseball America also says that he has a “solid” swing with power towards all fields and erratic plate-discipline. John Sickels calls him a “tweener,” and that he could help in “2011.” He may get an opportunity if he keeps hitting in 2011, but I fear his batting average and lack of walks indicates he has peaked.

Pitchers
Chris Sale | LHP | D.o.B: 3-30-89 | Stats: 12.3 K/9 | 3.9 BB/9 | 23 1/3 IP | 1.93 ERA | 2.74 FIP | 1.07 WHIP | .8 Hr/9 | 5.8 H/9 | .278 BABIP
Those are his MLB numbers. Need I say more? Fastball sits in low to mid 90′s – this may sit lower when he starts. He also throws a sharp slider and has a promising changeup. If Sale can maintain the 50% ground ball rate he had this past year when starting, he could easily be the AL ROY. Yeah, I said it.

#16 Carlos Torres | RHP | D.o.B: 10-22-82 | Stats (AAA): 7.9 K/9 | 4.0 BB/9 | 160 1/3 IP | 3.42 ERA | 3.89 FIP | 1.22 WHIP | .7 Hr/9 | 7.0 H/9 | .264 BABIP
Has historically been mentioned by Grey and myself as a sleeper candidate. Torres then usually drops a deuce on our announcement with a line in the majors of 5.59 FIP in 42 innings while throwing a 7.5 K/9 rate and 5.6 BB/9 rate. Sounds like I should quit touting him. He throws a “heavy” low 90s fastball, a plus cutter – works good against lefties – a curveball and a changeup, according to BA. Might be better used as a reliever.

#22 Jhonny Nunez | RHP | D.o.B: 11-26-85 | Stats (AA/AAA): 7.8 K/9 | 3.4 BB/9 | 95 1/3 IP | 4.53 ERA | 3.47 FIP (AA); 4.35 FIP (AAA) | 1.42 WHIP | .8 Hr/9 | 9.3 H/9 | .321 BABIP (AA); .333 BABIP (AAA)
He’s a reliever that throws mid 90s fastball that peaks at 97 MPH, a two-seam fastball that sits in the low 90s and a power slider. Sounds like the perfect White Sox reliever.

Honorable Mention
Hitters
#19 Eduardo Escobar | SS | D.o.B: 1-5-89 | Stats (A+/AA): .277/.316/.393 | 570 AB | 43 XBH | 6 Hr | .116 ISO | 11/5 SB/CS | 111:32 K:BB | .352 BABIP (A+); .305 BABIP (AA)
Plays Gold Glove caliber defense but can’t hit — sounds a bit like another Escobar, Alcides. I have to say that Escobar should be looked at as a shortstop that probably will never hit much. Think Neifi Perez but with great defense.

#21 Christian Marrero | 1B/RF | D.o.B: 7-30-86 | Stats (AA): .270/.363/.383 | 488 AB | 38 XBH | 7 Hr | .113 ISO | 12/5 SB/CS | 85:72 K:BB | .311 BABIP
A light-hitting first baseman – there are only so many James Loney’s that the major leagues can handle. I vote for only one. Has good bat speed with an uppercut swing and looks to be a role player at best.

Pitchers
Andre Rienzo | RHP | D.o.B: 7-5-88 | Stats (A): 11.1 K/9 | 2.9 BB/9 | 101 IP | 3.65 ERA | 2.38 FIP | 1.26 WHIP | .4 Hr/9 | 8.5 H/9 | .360 BABIP
I couldn’t find any scouting reports on Rienzo, but in a pitching thin system a 11.1 K/9 rate definitely raises eyebrows — mine at least. He was “unlucky” (.360 BABIP), kept the ball in the park (.4 Hr/9) and had good control (2.9 BB/9). I think he might be a sleeper candidate to rise fast in the White Sox system.

#30 Justin Collop | RHP | D.o.B: 5-30-88 | Stats (A): 7.6 K/9 | 1.8 BB/9 | 154 1/3 IP | 4.26 ERA | 3.17 FIP | 1.30 WHIP | .6 Hr/9 | 9.9 H/9 | .342 BABIP
Throws a 88 to 93 MPH sinking fastball, a splitter, an inconsistent slider and sporadic changeup. John Sickels wanted him to improve his command and he did this past year. With a clean delivery and a good sinking fastball, Collop could rise fast in a pitching thin system. His 2010 season saw good command (1.8 BB/9), a decent strikeout rate (7.6 K/9) all the while being “unlucky” with a high BABIP (.342).

Gregory Infante | RHP | D.o.B: 7-10-87 | Stats (A+/AA): 10.4 K/9 | 4.0 BB/9 | 60 IP | 3.45 ERA | 2.64 FIP (A+); 2.10 FIP (AA) | 1.37 WHIP | .0 Hr/9 | 8.2 H/9 | .348 BABIP (A+); .364 BABIP (AA);
Helped by not allowing a home run in 2010 ( Career: .4 Hr/9), Infante showed value as a power throwing reliever. He has a 93 to 95 MPH fastball, very good curveball and an inconsistent changeup. Known to be erratic, Infante, at this point, is just worth a mention to keep on the radar.

Alcides Escobar stole 42 bases in 52 attempts in only 109 games in Triple-A in 2009, so what the effin’ eff in the eff hole happened last year?  How did he only steal 10 bases in 145 games?  Did he mind-meld with Prince Fielder and think he had a four-hundred pound torso?  For those of you who have Google, you can see Alcides was a fantasy baseball sleeper last year and he’s going to be one again this year.  Alcides had a Speed Score of 6.4.  For qualifying players, that’s the highest Speed Score with the lowest stolen base total.  The Speed Score of 6.4 sits right between The Dread Pirate at 6.5 (33 steals) and Scott Podsednik at 6.2 (35 steals).  In Triple-A, his Speed Score was 8.4.  Carl Crawford led the majors last year with a 8.5, Brett Gardner was 2nd with 8.1.  Escobar also has no fear of losing playing time because he’s excellent with his glove and he’s now on the peasant Royals.  If Web Gems were a category, Alcides would be a two category performer.  Right now, SAGNOF!  If Alcides Escobar doesn’t steal at least 25 bases next year, my name isn’t Grey “Is This Thing On?” Albright.  In 2011, I’m sticking my neck out with a line of 70/3/40/.275/30.

Ian Desmond is a totally different animal but I’m grouping them together because I want them at my MI (stutterer!) slot.  (Plus, there’s not enough to say about either to warrant a full post for either.  Or eye-thurr, if you’re Chingy.)  You might also notice that sleeper MIs outnumber sleeper corner infidels by two to one (no actual math done for 2 to 1; I’m guessing.  Cut me some slack.).  This is because if you go wrong at MI, you can recover a whole lot more gracefully than if you drop a turd nugget at your corner slot.  Really, what’s the difference between Ian Desmond and Jeter last year?  Some runs?  Address that to “Who Cares” with the return address of “Big Whoop,” don’t put a stamp on it and watch it go around in an endless circle of “Don’t Matter.”  I’ve pretty much convinced myself that Desmond can get to 15 homers this year.  15/20 guy at shortstop?  Like that on Facebook, you social media dork.  In 2011, I see a line of 80/15/70/.280/20.  That, friends, is a 2011 fantasy baseball sleeper.  Or sleepurr, if Chingy is still reading.

The peasant Royals decided to send their big bargaining chip for three chips and a chip to be named later.  This comes just days after Dayton Moore said Zack Greinke wasn’t happy and the Royals were going to trade him.  This is like Ted Hughes saying Sylvia Plath wasn’t happy so he was going to cheat on her.  (That was for our three girl readers and the guys who took Feminist Literature to try to get laid.  “I’m going to take Feminist Literature because it’s going to be just me and a bunch of chicks!”  Three months later, “The class is just me and chicks that hate me.”)  In 126 1/3 IP in interleague play, Greinke had a record of 10-6/4.42/1.24/112.  That includes some young years when Greinke was manhandled by depression like CT manhandled Johnny Bananas in The Gulag, it includes NL teams in AL parks and it includes some relief work.  I think he’ll be better on the Brewers.  He’s a better pitcher now.  I wouldn’t necessarily expect another automatic Cy Young year.  Let’s face it, that was a year for the ages for Greinke.  He will have a better offense and he won’t have to carry the entire starting pitching staff, which I imagine could be a drag if you don’t have the mental stamina.  After last year, Greinke was wavering between a fantasy #1 and #2.  Now there’s some shine back on him.  I’d expect a 3.50 to 3.75 ERA with a solid WHIP and Ks.  I’d have no qualms about drafting him as my first fantasy starter.  Anyway, here’s some more moves and what they mean for fantasy baseball:

Alcides Escobar – Traded to the Royals.  Doesn’t really change his value, he just needs to run.  Alcides was actually going to get a sleeper post today before this trade went down.  Now he’s getting a sleeper post tomorrow.  Stay tuned!  Or don’t!  These are your choices.

Lorenzo Cain – Who sounds like he’d be an old school rapper was traded to the Royals.  He has 20+ steal speed and some light pop.  Best case scenario, he puts up a Victorino-like season.  Worst case scenario, he’s unownable and while you’re dropping him to waivers you throw out your back and end up in traction.  I imagine in most leagues, he’ll be drafted as a “cool pick” then dropped before the first week ends.  In AL-Only leagues, he’s a great endgame sleeper pick.

Yuniesky Betancourt – The Brewers also received Betancourt.  He’ll be a terrible option in mixed leagues.  His 16 homers last year was taking the ceiling off his ceiling and making a new ceiling with duct tape.  In OBP leagues, he’s even worse.

Orlando Hudson – There’s about five fantasy owners in the world that still believe they should draft Hudson.  He met with their loved ones to figure out a way so even those five won’t draft him.  They came up with the plan for him to play with the Padres.

Bobby Jenks – Went to the Red Sox.  Pretty incredible that some teams don’t have one closer and the Red Sox now have three.  It’s league parity, ya’ll!

Tsuyoshi Nishioka – The Twins signed the 26-year-old Nishioka.  The guy who hit .346 last year and the first player in the Pacific League to get 200 hits since Ichiro.  He also hit 11 homers and stole 22 bases.  Before last year though, he hit .260 with 14 homers and 26 steals.  You’d take that at middle infield and like it.  Only problem is sometimes things get lost in translation.  Kaz Matsui hit .332 with 36 homers and 33 steals when he was 26-years-old in Japan.  We all know how well he turned out in the States.  So will Nishioka be great in his first year or will he look like he’s fresh off the bloat?  Your guess is as good as mine.  I’d draft him late if he’s still there and hope for a decent average and some steals.  I wouldn’t count on any power.

Xavier Nady – Signed with the Diamondbacks.  I’m just hoping Brandon Allen gets a shot to play.  Or am I hoping Juan Miranda gets a shot?  Luckily, Xavier Nady probably won’t make it out of Spring Training healthy.

Josh Willingham – Heads to the A’s.  This won’t be the first Hammer in Oakland.  Only this one doesn’t wear pants seventeen sizes too big.  If you jumped out of a DeLorean and told me Willingham would play 160 games in 2011, I’d tell everyone to draft him.  Unfortunately, that seems like a pipe dream.  He’ll be ownable for stretches of the upcoming season but he’ll also be sitting at the top of your waiver wire for extended period of times while you try to justify picking him up.

Bill Hall – Signed with the Astros.  Tell me you wouldn’t want to play in a fantasy league with Ed Wade.

So you have the same song stuck in your head while you read this as I have in my head while writing it, let me just say this, “Black and yellow… Black and yellow… Black and yellow…”   At least I didn’t say, “I whip my hair back and forth,” because that’s much worse.  Or anything by Ke$ha.  You know what the dollar sign stands for in the middle of her name?  The money you have to pay me to listen to her.  When I looked at Ryan Zimmerman back in September, I said, “Seems like Zimmerman’s career is following the two steps forward, one step back Electric Slide approach.  In fairness, it was due to some thigh tightness in April and missing the last two weeks that caused Zimmerman to fall just short of projections.  I have to say, for a top guy, he kinda bored me for stretches.  Particularly, the 2 homer, .245 month of June and a zero homer month of September.”  And that’s me recapping the recap!  That didn’t sound like a huge endorsement, but he was also 25-years-old for the majority of 2010 and he was still a top five 3rd baseman.  A position that is hella shallow in 2011.  So what do I think Ryan Zimmerman can do in 2011 and what makes him a fantasy baseball keeper?

Jayson Werth took a hit when he went for the greenbacks down in Washington, but it doesn’t mean it will hurt Zimmerman.  I’m not thrilled Zimmerman has a hard time staying healthy for an entire season.  Who are you, Tulo?  Kinsler?  Minus a piddling 2008, Zimmerman has been consistent.  Good for 25 homers and a solid average.  He has some sneaky speed, but he seems like he’s abandoned that element of his game.  Probably at the request of the Nats.  If he can somehow have a full season of ABs, he could be the most valuable 3rd baseman in the game.  Bill James is only giving Zimmerman a line of 94/27/95/.291/4.  Usually BJ’s on the optimistic side, but I’m doing BJ one better.  I’m one-upping him!  I’m giving Zimmerman a line of 90/32/100/.285/5 and think we’re about to get that big season from him.  Finally.  Or maybe it’s just “Black and yellow… Black and yellow… Black and yellow…” has made me daffy.