Winnin’ & McCarthy
September 03, 2008
Category: September's Daily Notes
In 2005, Brandon McCarthy was an important part of that White Sox team that won the World Series even if he was left off the playoff roster. Tell us, Grey, tell us what you think of him now? Okay, but get off my lap. It’s totally weird. The Rangers want, nay, need him to step up and be a contributing member of their rotation in 2009. (2009?! Can you believe that shizz? 2009 seemed straight out of science fiction novels or maybe I’m just dating myself — which would suck cause then I would have to pick up the check — wocka wocka wocka.) He’s been prone to giving up the long ball in the past, which could be trouble in Arlington, but he might give you WHIP and Ks down the stretch while only sacrificing a bit on ERA. In 2009, he could be a sleeper. Stay tuned. Anyway, here’s what else I saw yesterday in fantasy baseball:
Jesus Flores – In a bizarre decision, Chase Utley tried to steal home while Ryan Howard was up to bat (maybe it’s not that bizarre considering how Howard has been lately, and by lately I mean all season). Chase ended up giving Jesus Flores a flying elbow and sending him to the doctor like Snuka after he was met by that coconut to the skull. I was impressed Flores held onto the ball, but would be shocked if he returned this season. I believe the Nats are left with Wil Nieves at catcher. In a league that only uses Nats players, I would think Nieves is still available. He should remain that way.
Aaron Harang – Just when you think he’s turned the corner, he puts it into reverse and runs over your foot.
Jon Niese – 3 IP, 5 ER and it could’ve been much worse. His curve looked legit, but he had the control of an incontinent person after eating a mango.
Zach Greinke – 7 IP, 2 ER. Maybe I got off the rails a little too early on this crazy train.
Carlos Zambrano – After the game, he complained of arm soreness. Tomorrow he’ll see Dr. Gryzlo, who once dated Wendy Wallace, who went to school with Tom Pewter, who used to go to the same car wash as Dr. James Andrews. Trouble! I’m hesitant about using Big Z in the near future as it becomes obvioius I was Jokey Smurf’d in one league where I traded for him. The Cubs are going with Sean Marshall and he could have some value if he stays in the mix for starts. This might be a blessing in disguise for the Cubs. They would’ve had to roll Big Z out there in the playoffs out of loyalty, whether he was good or not. Now if he’s injured, they can go with whoever is pitching well.
Clayton Kershaw – He looked fantas– Oh, Padres. Right.
Yusmeiro Petit – Didn’t look good yesterday, though a ten day lay off can do that. This might be the opening that Jobacum needs for an explosion on the scene.
Felipe Lopez – 2-for-3 with a HR. Honestly, Buddy Biancalana could still productive if he were being managed by LaRussa. It must be something in the water. Though I don’t think it’s water.
Matt Garza – I told you he would be bad against the Yanks. Now start him next time out against the Jays.
Dustin Pedroia – 16th home run yesterday. Big Papi sits at 17. (For what it’s worth, Papi hit a double into the right field corner yesterday that he used to send 20 rows back into the seats.)
Jeremy Guthrie – Will have his turn skipped this Wednesday. As I’ve been saying for a few weeks now, he’s a very risky play going forward.
Troy Percival – Was activated from the DL. It’s only a matter of time.
Andre Ethier – A double away from the cycle yesterday. Guarantee the people over at Elias Sports Bureau were scrambling to see if someone came within a double of a cycle back in 1920. “Bootstrap” Carlyle went 3-for-4, did he almost get a double? I must know!
Joba Chamberlain – Supposedly he’ll be out of the bullpen in 2009 as the Yanks remain cautious with The Joba Rules. They should institute Pavano Rules. Hit Pavano over the head with a blunt object, bury him in the Pine Barrens and let Joba start.
Tags: brandon mccarthy fantasy, mccarthy fantasy
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Dustin Freaking Pedroia. What else can you say? I got Dustin in a trade which I gave Kinsler away in to get Jimmy Rollins. Damn, that was a great trade in hindsight.
@Frank Rizzo: What was that trade?
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:44 am
@Grey: It was a huge trade. I gave Kinsler/Hardy/Granderson/Abreu/Lowell and I got Pedroia/Rollins/Pence/Atkins. On paper it looked like a bad trade for me but I had just gotten Markakis through another trade and had Victorino in CF. I also added BJ Upton for McLouth so I had options in CF and at 2b.
Now Lowell and Kinsler are useless, Hardy is still streaky, Pedroia’s on fire, Rollins has been very good the past couple weeks, and Pence/Atkins are both doing pretty well. All the guys I got are hot right at the perfect time…..playoffs.
Question: I have a dilemma. I need to take Joba off the DL and need to drop either Cain or Scott Baker to do it. I’m on a bye this week but will be in the playoffs next week and every stat could count. I’m bringing Joba back and will keep him starting at all times since he’s SP/RP on Yahoo and every night he could pitch and give me K’s, W’s, Saves. He’s a real asset right now at the perfect time. Anyway, Cain will have SD in SD next week while Baker will have Baltimore in Baltimore. Cain has the potential to be dominant and have a huge outing while Baker is the safer call because he’d be more prone to have a lower ERA/WHIP, and maybe better potential for a W. What do you think?
September 3rd, 2008 at 8:47 am
Shin-Soo Choo is winning the quadruple crown of my waiver wire over the past 30 days with .370/5HR/19RBI/21Runs and a steal. That seems like a solid run. If my needs are average>runs>SB>RBI>>>>HR, do I drop any of Konerko, Aviles, Span, Dickerson, Cruz, Matsui or maybe Manny Parra since I keep benching him anyway. Or are any of Ayala, Putz, chair-thrower, Baltimore’s Johnson, Rodney about to lose their closer’s jobs…don’t think so. The team has been great and I don’t want to break up the chemistry, but i’m thinking Hideki can go.
Also, I had stashed Spillborghs on my DL since all spots were open and he’s available. I’ve just left him DL’ed. He’s nothing special is he? Anyone else on the DL I can stash for a late season add?
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:33 am
Can I drop Zambrano? I will only possibly used him for the 2 week period of 9/15-9/28, but whether he will start (or be any good) is too up in the air, right?
If I were to drop him I would pick up an IF to play in the place of Fielder, who has been terrible over the last two weeks (OPS of .461). I could also start V-Mart at IF, if there’s reason to keep Big Z around.
Good IF options on the wire are Polanco (and I think he’ll be facing at least 5 LHPs next week), Ian Stewart, Mike Aviles, Swisher (been worse than Prince lately, but his home #s are great and he’ll be home all week), Casilla, and Pablo Sandoval.
@Frank Rizzo: That’s a tough call, but I’d lose Baker. Not only were the Padres meager on offense but now they’re banged up and starting rookies. Plus, in Petco? Too sweet to pass up.
@knighttown: This “average>runs>SB>RBI>>>>HR” is telling me that HRs are the least valuable and average is the most important. If that’s true, I’d lose Cruz. OPr lose Parra if you’re not starting him.
Spilborghs is solid, but if you’re not going to play him then there’s no point in keeping him. Not sure who’s on your league’s DL. Maybe Sherrill? Crawford?
@royce!: You can drop Big Z if you’d like. He’s way too unpredictable right now. I’d go with Aviles, Swisher, Sandoval, in that order. But I would never bench Prince.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:15 am
Guthrie & Zambrano…what do I do with them in an 8 team league? I have a huge pitching roster so I could do nothing but should I drop one of them for another pitcher or a spot starter on offense?
C-Doumit
1B-Howard
2B-Wiggington
SS-Reyes
3B-Wright
OF-Quentin, Dye, Markakis
Ut-Cameron
BN-Delgado
SP- Sabathia, Zambrano, E. Santana, Greinke, Nolasco, Guthrie
RP-Hoffman, B. Wilson, Torres, Wheeler, Gonzalez
again 8-team league so lots of options available…
@Nick: Don’t start them in an 8 team league. Guthrie’s droppable for a spot starter on offense when there’s a short schedule day, like tomorrow.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:59 am
McLouth or Cruz today?
@IowaCubs: Cruz
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:17 am
@Grey: No way man… McClouth is the September Fantasy MVP
@IowaCubs: Him and Dave Bush may have to split the crown.
September 3rd, 2008 at 11:25 am
@Grey: I pay you to be a yes man, not to tell me what I need to hear!
@IowaCubs: Wow, you move into 15th place out of 16 teams and it goes right to your head.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:05 pm
@Grey: Thanks–you’re right, I shouldn’t bench Fielder. Though I am hoping that he spends his day off in the company of the Baconater.
@royce!: Wow, never heard of the Baconater. That looks wonderful.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:07 pm
I recall somewhere, possibly here, that a moratorium on Fielder/burger jokes was declared. If so, I apologize for my last post. So pre-ASB of me.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:16 pm
@Grey: It really does look wonderful. And I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to be baconated. Similar to a pork burn?
@royce!: Nah, not here. We’re not above anything.
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Jim Johnson may be shut down shortly. Going for an MRI and “if it continues to be sore, I’m not going to push it with only a month left in the season”
@knighttown: Thanks for the heads up!
September 3rd, 2008 at 12:49 pm
@ Knighttown: Who gets the 9th now that Kool Aid Johnson is out?
@ royce!: That Baconator does look tasty.
September 3rd, 2008 at 1:04 pm
@knighttown: @Shogun: I have the same question…
My bet is Fernando Cabrera or Jamie Walker get the saves.
@IowaCubs: @Shogun: @knighttown: Johnson saw no saves and Sherrill’s due back next week so I wouldn’t invest too heavily. I’d think Walker is the first bet, then Cabrera. Liz might even be in the mix. Again, don’t invest too heavily.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:00 pm
@Grey: I’d be dropping Wheeler to make room for an Orioles closer. I’m inclined to hold Wheeler, wait for Percival to re-injure his hammy, and then use Wheeler again. You think?
@Shogun: I think you make sense, young warrior.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:46 pm
@Shogun:
Yeah, the key point Grey makes is that I’ve played Johnson every day since Sherrill left and I’ve gotten ZERO saves. I’d wait on Sherrill or see if Ayala, chair thrower, Rodney etc are around or try Wheeler who is bound to play sooner or later.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:48 pm
@knighttown:
(me quoting me)
…except I didn’t do as above and left the closer spot vacant and picked up Scooby Choo.
September 3rd, 2008 at 2:52 pm
@Grey & knighttown: None of those guys is available, so I think I’m going to stand pat with Wheeler. He’s got pretty good peripherals anyway, so I don’t mind keeping him in the lineup until he gets another chance. Thanks for the feedback.
Who is pumped for the new Aronofsky movie? I didn’t even know he had one in production except for his RoboCop project, but lo-and-behold, his reimagining of Rocky as a an professional wrestler played by Mickey Rourke and Adrian as an aging stripper played by Marisa Tomei is opening at a European film festival on Friday. I can’t wait for it to hit the US.
@Shogun: I didn’t see The Fountain, so I can’t say Aronofsky has carte blanche, but it’ll be hard to stay away from Tomei, Rourke and Aronofsky. Plus it’s about professional wrestling. Sounds crazy enough to work.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:10 pm
@Grey: The Fountain is the weak link so far, but I think it’s better than most critics gave it credit for. It still has a bitchin’ Mansell score (which The Wrestler will as well, and in addition there will also be a new Springsteen closing-credits track) and lots of awesome visuals. Aronofsky’s foray into the Grand Themes of life and death weren’t perfect, but it’s still the kind of movie that only an amazingly talented director could even imagine, let alone execute. I’m a huge Aronofsky fan, but I think any movie geek would like it. He and PT Anderson are the two best young American directors, I think.
@Shogun: PT’s definitely up there, but I need one more from Aronofsky before I put him in the same class. I do appreciate when someone goes for it rather than when someone whose movies I really liked goes and does Pineapple Express.
September 3rd, 2008 at 3:37 pm
@Grey: Haven’t seen Pineapple Express yet, but yes, Apatow & co (or are you talking about David Gordon Green?) don’t seem interested in innovation. It’s the same beef I have with Tarantino – since Pulp Fiction he’s spent 14 years remaking movies from old genres (blaxploitation – Jackie Brown; grindhouse – Death Proof; samurai – Kill Bill). He enjoys it and does it well, but I’d like to see an authentic Tarantino movie rather than Tarantino doing a cutesy revival of some dead genre (and I love all those genres, I just want to see Tarantino doing something else). Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction had tons of homages, but their playbook wasn’t taken entirely from other genres.
@Shogun: I was talking about David Gordon Green. Tarantino supposedly stole much more credit for Pulp Fiction from Avary than he should have. If his movies after that are any indication, I believe the rumors.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:03 pm
Yeah, I had heard that about Tarantino/Avaray too. Tarantino is so damned talented yet somehow unoriginal. I don’t know exactly how that happens, but it’s starting to hinder my QT appreciation. I’ve got All the Real Girls near the top of my Netflix queue, so I’ll be looking forward to some good Green, so to speak.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:08 pm
@Grey: A friend of mine wrote a really funny blog entry I think you might like. It’s on the long-ish side, but it’ll be worth your while if you get around to it. It’s an un-PC MySpace/Facebook survey. You know, the kind where questions include “What color socks are you wearing?” and “Who is the last person you kissed?” No need to respond about it.
http://www.carbonicenergy.com/?p=99
@Shogun: I liked Rape Baby and this was kinda genius:
http://www.carbonicenergy.com/?p=89
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
@Grey: Yeah, he and I send a lot of those notes back-and-forth. He’s a great (and prolific) writer on movies, though mostly for private consumption.
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Re: McCarthy and 2 starts next week (from last post): According to ESPN pitching probables and the official TEX site, McCarthy is going to start on regular rest and TEX is going to skip Feldman, which would result in McCarthy starting this Sunday against BOS, and takes away his 2 start status for next week.
@royce!: Does that hurt you for next week?
September 3rd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
Off to happy hour. I’ll check in later.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:03 pm
@Grey: so should I pickup ethier, pence, or dickerson??
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:08 pm
@Grey: Maybe, I am waiting to see who I’ll have to face next week. It looks like if I want to keep up w/ IP, K, and W I’ll have to start at least 2 2 starters, and right now I have Lester and Carmona. Anibal Sanchez, Petit, Miner, Litsch and Blackburn are available 2 starters. I was holding Sanchez and Petit until their most recent starts, but dropped them to pick up McCarthy and activate Percival. The potential opposing 2 starters will be Burnett and Kazmir on one team and Buehrle and King Felix on the other. The rest of the former team’s pitchers are Lowe and 4 closers, so if that guy advances I won’t have to try so hard to rack up innings. But if the other guy wins, I might have to pick up one of the listed 2 starters. I know I’ve asked this before, but would you risk any of them?
I guess that was a really long-winded way of saying, “I dunnah.”
@Nick: They’re all tasty. I’d give Pence a shot in Coors.
@royce!: Well, I liked Petit and Sanchez until last night. Now not so much. Let’s see what the other guys look like after tonight.
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:49 pm
should i hold on to wheeler or pick up mike gonzalez when my other closers are soria and jason lewis
September 3rd, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Here’s a fun one! Pick 5 for next week:
Kemp (3 @SD, 3 @ COL)
Granderson (3 OAK, 4 @ CWS)
Hamilton (2 @ SEA, 4 @ OAK)
Rios (4@CWS, 4 @BOS)
Victorino (3 FLA, 3 MIL)
Markakis (3 CLE, 4 MIN)
V-Mart (4 @BAL, 4 KC)
I really want to choo choo choose Choo, but would have to start him over a couple of these Bad Dudes (http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y154/Tokakeke/bad-dudes.jpg).
@Martin: I’d grab Gonzalez.
@royce!: Rios, Markakis, Hamilton, Kemp and Granderson.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:20 pm
@Grey: Good, despite his numbers I always want to bench Victorino. I’m sure I’d appreciate his craftiness more if I were a Phillies fan, but since I’m not it just makes me despise him. I haven’t seen him intentionally run into a fielder when caught in a pickle lately (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4176/is_20070507/ai_n19059704/pg_1) but I’ve seen it happen at least twice and it really gets my goat. And I’d prefer to keep my goat.
@royce!: I’m a big Victorino fan but he’s been struggling a bit.
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:35 pm
how bout either arroyo V chicago or suppan SDG? I easily wanna say suppan but i feel like arroyo has more value down the road
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:41 pm
@Grey: Well, I have to admit he is pretty bad ass, and he’s definitely helped out my team so far this year, so perhaps it is time to revise my opinion of him.
Re: Miner and Blackburn- I guess its gonna be Blackburn. Miner’s still pitching, but has 5 ER in 5 IP. For a minute there (more accurately, until the top of the 5th) I thought I would have to decide between nearly identical lines.
@Martin: I’d go Suppan.
@royce!: But you don’t have to start any of these schmohawks, right?
September 3rd, 2008 at 6:50 pm
@Grey: Nah, just insurance at this point. If push comes to shove, I’ll start Blackburn. If the current rotations hold, Blackburn will be pitching against Bannister and Liz, so that’s a plus. But I will otherwise just start a one starter, such as Myers or Nolasco.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Percival’s up in the 9th with the Rays down 3-6. Just to keep him stretched out, right?
Man, all this planning for the playoffs is making me jittery. I’m heading to the store for some TEE-KATE. http://www.3wheelerworldforums.com/archive/index.php/t-65577.html
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:19 pm
May see instant replay for the first time- check ESPN- A-Rod blast over the foul pole
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:25 pm
Ruled a homer, couldn’t reverse the call on the field. Has to be incontrovertable evidence.
Good call if you ask me, what do you guys think?
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:37 pm
Anybody looking for cheap homers in bunches grab Glaus now.
He’s streaky and his HRs come in 3 week spans, should end on a high note. Cust Kayin………………….cause you should all know that by now.
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:46 pm
@BigFatHippo: Couldn’t tell from the replays they showed on ESPN. I guess that means that if they were looking at the same video I was they made the right call. Do they now have a cameras that run exactly parallel to the foul lines for reviewing the plays?
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:55 pm
@royce!: From what the announcers were saying, they get the same feed we do. Apparently they review it in NY City (I can picture Bud and all his cronies sitting in Madison Square Garden, sipping wine and discussing how stupid baseball fans are)
Forgive me, couldn’t help it.
But the final decision is up to the crew chief.
@BigFatHippo: @royce!: Wow, a replay call? I went out and missed it. Was it reversed?
Tee-Kate — Ha!
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:47 pm
No Kuo?
What gives?
September 3rd, 2008 at 9:48 pm
@Grey: I assume you already saw this, but no, it was not reversed.
@Steve: Giving some rest I suppose.
@royce!: Yeah, saw that.
September 3rd, 2008 at 10:09 pm
@Grey: He rests when I say he can rest.
As can you – if you wouldn’t mind answering one last banal lineup question in the forums – thanks in advance!