Prince Fielder, Brewers

In the same mold as VH1’s The Soup or ABC’s The View, isn’t it time we had a show that caters to the fantasy baseball crowd? HELL YES, I say! Fantasy owners everywhere would be absolutely ecstatic with a daily, 30-minute  television program that analyzes the tiny idiosyncrasies of our game---one that tells us who’s hot and who’s not---but in a brash, insulting tone that only fantasy owners could appreciate. In place of Joel McHale our snarky host could be Ron Gant. He’d ask questions like, “Man, ain’t that a bunch of &%$& that Brandon Inge is listed as a catcher?”  We’d all laugh and listen intently as Gant tells us he wouldn’t draft Milton Bradley even if “I had herpes and Bradley had the very last bottle of Valtrex.”  The show---let’s call it “Fantasy Stew,” would be gold, baby. Gold.

Now it’s solely up to you.  You can either dial up your local cable television provider and demand they get moving on this show’s production or go back to dealing with my Gant-less, no added salt version of my Independence Day fantasy stew.

The choice is yours.

Until then, hit it!

• Well I’ll be darn---yet another journeyman fraud is making waves in a contract year! Ladies and gentlemen, let’s all welcome Rockies SP Jason Marquis, who’s looking to get paid in 2010 and wants everyone to know it! Currently on pace to win 20 games with an ERA under 4.00, Marquis sure has a sense of timing. I mean, why else would he decide now would be the perfect time to start producing when over the last four years his ERA has averaged 4.82?  Keep in mind that this is the same Jason Marquis who in a 2004 contract year lit it up for St. Louis with a  3.71 ERA---only to have everyone including the Cardinals say “we know what you’re up to, Jason”---well aware of his motives. Ultimately St. Louis essentially told Marquis to “go screw”---signing him to consecutive one-year contracts in 2005 & 2006.    

• Now this is the Carl Crawford we’ve been waiting for! Over the last week he’s been white hot---17 for his last 38, 2 HR, 8 RBI and 3 SB---but his 2009 totals have been off the charts! He’s on pace to bat .320 with 16 HR, 80 RBI, 100 R and 80 SB---so with numbers like that, forget Jose Reyes---he’s now in the Ricky Henderson stratosphere!  Sure, only time will tell if he can sustain such lofty comparisons year after year (or even through the second half of this season), but he’s certainly locked himself into the top five in most 2010 drafts.

• Don’t look now, but Brewers 2B/3B Casey “Don’t Call Me Willis” McGehee makes for a sneaky 3B play if you’ve just lost Mike Lowell. With 3 HR & 8 RBI in the last five days, he’s producing well when in the lineup each day. Plus, it’s not like the Brewers have any other options with both starter Bill Hall and backup Mat Gamel struggling mightily and Craig Counsell taking over 2B duties. And yes, Gamel’s first name is indeed spelled with just one “t.” And yes---I find such attempts at originality to be quite overbearing. Shame on you, Gamel parents.

• Back in 1990 some of us wondered what it would be like if Cecil Fielder could do more than just hit home runs.  Well, nineteen years later we have our answer. Look no further than Cecil’s own son---Prince Fielder, who can hit above .300, steal a half dozen bases and still strike out and walk at the same rate as his dad. AND---as a good friend pointed out to me last evening---he’s VEGAN!

• Judging from his 20 for 65 stretch since being demoted to Salt Lake, what can we make of 2B Howie Kendrick?  Is he one of those classic “AAAA” players who’s too good to stay in triple-A yet not talented enough to last in the majors? Or does Kendrick’s solid numbers suggest he’s recognized this new opportunity as a “wake-up” call  to get himself back on the Angels big-league roster?  I tend to lean more towards Answer B.  Kendrick has the potential to be quality fantasy starter---but in addition to his inconsistencies at the plate, he’s almost 27 years old and has been plagued by injuries throughout his career(he hasn’t played more than 95 games in a year). I do believe, however, that he’ll put it all “together” by the age of 30 and that some lucky owner who takes a flyer on him as a free agent in 2010 or 2011 will finally reap the benefits.

• I am both fascinated and embarrassed with major league teams---especially the Cubs who already have a whack job in Victor Zamabrano---who still willfully express interest in acquiring sociopath OF Milton Bradley. The outfielder---who for years has made it a habit of bumping umpires, throwing tantrums after ejections, battled fans and most recently being ordered by his manager to go home after assaulting a dugout water cooler, is one Mile Tyson ear bite away from obscurity. To be honest---I can’t wait to see it!

• Welcome back SS Troy Tulowitski! What a June you had! A .320 AVG, 25 H, 7 HR, 15 RBI & 19 R. Not bad. Not bad at all---considering that in May and June you combined for 36 H, 5 HR, 16 RBI & 21 R.

• To most common folk who suffer from social anxiety disorders, the simple thought of attending a stranger’s house party is reason enough for apprehension. For Cardinals SS Khalil Greene, it’s a whole lot worse. You see, when you’re playing professional baseball and have a social anxiety disorder like Greene does, playing in front of 50,000 people each night becomes a real-life nightmare. On Monday, however, Greene’s uneasiness became so severe that he was placed on the disabled list due to recurrences of symptoms associated with the disorder---the second time he’s been on the DL for such an issue. Yikes.

• So much for my prediction that OF Xavier Nady would contribute to your fantasy team once back from an elbow injury. Nady, who was attempting to rehab his way back into the lineup rather than undergo a second Tommy John surgery, reinjured his elbow during a rehab stint in AAA Scranton this week. Going forward, Nady’s season (as well as a good portion of 2010) looks to be over now that he’s faced with the prospect of the second Tommy John ligament surgery of his career.

• At draft time there’s nothing better than scooping up a player who’d missed the previous year with any injury (yet before then was just on the cusp of becoming a star).  This year such honorable mention goes to Blue Jays 2B Aaron Hill. Drafted on average in Round 19 of Yahoo league drafts, Hill’s 2007 (17 HR & 78 RBI) was long forgotten by most owners this year. Instead of seeing a future star, they only saw  2 HR and 55 total games out of the second baseman in 2008…..and passed.

Well, that’s all for this week. Happy July 4^th, everyone!

Don’t blow your fingers off!