The Crystal Ball – Call Me MAYbe

April 25, 2013 | fantasy baseball strategy, Fantasy Notes | 69 Comments

We are almost through April and most fantasy baseball owners fall in two categories. There are those owners that have gotten off to a good start and feel pretty comfortable about their teams. Maybe almost too comfortable. Then there are the “OH-MY-GOD-WHAT-HAVE-I-DONE!!!!” owners. You know who you are. I feel ya. I do. Hell, I’ve been there. Something has gone astray. You didn’t draft well or you had a minor Jerry Maguire freak-out moment and then proceeded to make a bad trade. This stuff happens to everyone, so how do you start to right the ship? There are some moves that you can make that to either stop the bleeding or to continue a fast start.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“If I Could Turn Back Time…”

by: The Bender

If I could find a way
I’d take back those words that hurt you….

Damn you Cher. Damn you and your catchy songs. And damn you for killing Jack Nicholson in Witches of Eastwick. No one kills Jack. Jack is the man. Goes to Lakers games. Hits on Jennifer Lawrence during the Oscars. Lives in Hollywood. The man.

If you drive about an hour south of Hollywood through Los Angeles you get to Newport Beach.T hat just happens to be the home town of one Gerrit Cole. (Sexy Segue complete.) Cole is also the man. Drafted first in 2011, he will get his call to the show at some point this year. This guy can flat out pitch. In his first professional year, Cole climbed the complete ladder of the minor leagues by starting in high-A ball and ending in Indianapolis (AAA) for a cup of coffee. The guy sports a 98+ fastball that if it hits you it’ll leave a six-foot hole coming out. And he’s not afraid to be aggressive. (Be aggressive! B. E. Aggressive!) Just listen to what Gaby Sanchez said about the kid via Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

“Some guys who throw hard, they’re a little shy about going inside. This kid, he’ll get two strikes on you, then back you off, and now he’s got the whole plate to get you out. Tough, man. Tough.”

But when will we see him in black and yellow?

Please, blog, may I have some more?

“I’m dropping the Hammel!” “No, you’re not!”

April 4, 2013 | Pitcher Profiles | 36 Comments

by: The Bender

Cole Trickle was such a hypocrite. When Harry Hogge gave the young cocky kid a chance, Trickle did nothing but wreck other drivers, get into a fight his crew chief in pit row, and made enemies with other drivers including veteran, Rowdy Burns. Then after a wreck, in which he was too arrogant to slow down to avoid, he gets upset when another young cocky kid comes along in Russ Wheeler. “Our hero” Cole does anything is his power (including intentionally wrecking him after Wheeler wins a race) to get back on top as the King of Young Cocky Drivers. Drop the hammer, Cole. And do it for Harry.

Now it’s time for a sexy segue.

Days of Thunder was produced by the late Don Simpson.
Simpson was born in Seattle, Washington.
It takes about an hour to get from Seattle to Port Orchard, WA via the Bremerton Ferry.
It just so happens that, Baltimore Orioles opening day starter, Jason Hammel is from Port Orchard.

Segue complete! Whew.

Please, blog, may I have some more?

Author: The Bender

Read some of The Bender's 3 posts

The Crystal Ball – Call Me MAYbe

“If I Could Turn Back Time…”

“I’m dropping the Hammel!” “No, you’re not!”