Tooth fairy, Easter Bunny, Rocco Baldelli staying healthy - these are some of the fairy tales we grow out of as we get older.

In a tale of two General Managers, two “small market” teams will have to change executive decision makers for next season. You ask how can this affect Fantasy Baseball? Simply, their strategy alters playing time which directly impacts on your players’ ability to accrue points. Always remember rule Number One: “You can’t score points if your player sits.” Well, in both Minnesota and in Pittsburgh, there will be new sheriffs in town.

First came the dismissal of six year Pirate G.M. Dave Littlefield. Pirate Chairman Robert Nutting has swept out most remnants of the failed regime as Frank Coonley has been chosen to be the Pirate President replacing outgoing chief executive officer Kevin McClatchy. Coonley will be instrumental in finding Littlefield’s replacement. While this may sound boring, it does bring excitement and hope to the Pittsburgh community and may stop the flow of overpaid underachievers filling the Pirate rosters. Littlefield may have been one of the most consistently unaware player brokers in the past six years. The Pirates never lost fewer than 87 games in the tenure of Littlefield. They failed the old fashion way, they earned it. First, Littlefield chose Brian Bullington first overall in the 2002 amateur draft over such prospects as Prince Fielder, B.J. Upton and Jeff Francis. He finished with the absurd pickup of the 13.5 million dollar contract of Matt Morris this past summer. This is more remarkable when you stop to think that the Pirates' opening day payroll of $38.6 million was the majors' fourth smallest. If you do not have money to pay quality first round picks, why blow it on over the hill starting pitching? For fantasy teams, the constant shuffle of players meant you never knew who would be in the lineup or rotation. Pirate replacements were always in the wing, none worth more than a part time player. Their only star, Jason Bay, has had his worst year as a Pirate, never fully recovering from pre-season knee surgery.

Moving from the ridiculous to the sublime, Minnesota Twins G.M. Terry Ryan has resigned after exactly thirteen years at the helm of the overachieving Twins. On two occasions, first in 2002 and then again in 2006, Ryan was awarded Sporting News Executive of the Year. Unlike Littlefield, Ryan executed one of the most lopsided trades in baseball history in his favor. In December of 2003, for what turned out to be one year of A.J. Pierzynski (and many say one year is one too many), the Twins acquired Francisco Liriano, Joe Nathan and Boof Bonser. Nathan is one of baseball’s best closers. If Liriano comes back to past form, he could match current star Johan Santana, and Bonser is a good number 3-4 pitcher in any rotation. Among the many players who have come up through the Twins’ system include Torii Hunter, Johan Santana, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, and Michael Cuddyer. Perhaps Ryan’s biggest accomplishment was keeping the organization together when MLB and Twins ownership wanted to contract the team. The team survived and flourished.

There is some question as to the relationship Ryan will have with the new G.M. Bill Smith. At the end of the season Ryan will continue in the organization as senior advisor to the General Manager.  I don’t know if I want my former boss “advising” me when I take over his job. I would expect the same from Smith for at least a year or until Ryan backs away from day to day operations. Of course, not all moves were well received. I believe Twins fans wish David Ortiz was back on their team. Soon they may be saying the same about Torii Hunter and Johan Santana.

Top Players

At this time of year, you have taken all the good information from SportsGrumblings.com and turned it into a championship team. Next week, in my final article, let’s look at some of the surprises that pushed you over the top.

For now let me leave with a players who never produced as expected.

Over Their Head

Rocco Baldelli, Tampa Bay Devil Rays – I hope this will not be too surprising but Rocco has decided to throw in the towel for the balance of the year. A strained hamstring in May has lingered for four months making me think it might have been more serious or medically mishandled. Of course it is Rocco, the most delicate man south of J.D. Drew in Boston. Baldelli said when announcing he was done for the year, "I would think I'm a pretty healthy 25-year-old." Perhaps a total of 501 at bats in the three years since 2004 presents a different picture. 

Richie Sexson, Seattle Mariners – A power hitting first baseman who had not slugged under .504 since 1997 when he had only 11 at-bats, Sexson watched his slugging percent fall under .400 as his batting average hovered at .205, barely above the Mendoza Line. This was a throwaway year for the 6’8” giant who made Seattle fans wish he had been thrown away. This is especially frustrating to the fans who watched the Mariners lose 17 of 19 as Sexson batted .184 over his past fifteen games.

Mike Mussina, New York Yankees – Even with his superb 5.2 innings of shutout ball earlier this week, the Moose has only a 9-10 record and a 5.28 ERA. Also unbelievable is his 78 strikeouts in 133 innings. This follows a 172 strikeout year in 2006. The 38 year old Mussina will turn 39 in December and seems to have lost his speed and his command. The only thing left is his salary.

Alejandro De Aza, Florida Marlins – Batting only .129 with a .172 slugging percentage over the past four weeks, what should have been a promising season has instead been filled with injury and unfulfilled expectation. In the starting lineup when the Marlin’s season began, De Aza kept going down the depth charts. When I last checked, De Aza was hitting .225 with an even worse .246 on base percentage. His speed netted him only one stolen base. It was a year to forget.

Shea Hillenbrand, Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers – Playing for his sixth and seventh team in the past five years, Hillenbrand was even off all rosters for a period this summer. How could someone with a lifetime batting average of .284 be such a pariah to so many teams? Just make sure he is not on yours.

Questions and comments may be sent to davidkopacz@sportsgrumblings.com