Welcome Home Captain Caveman

That's right baby, Captain Caveman is coming home to Oakland.

Now I know his time in New York wasn't pretty, but they have a dress/hair code thing going on and Captain Caveman was turned into Major Metrosexual. Lesson number one George, you don't cut Samson's hair. Look to all the complaints from Yankee fans in the coming months about how Giambi never played this well in New York.

Trade Deadline Looms

With the trade deadline tomorrow I came up with some major last minute trades that I would make if I were certain ballclubs. Yes, this list is going to shock you. It will probably make you shake your head and call me ignorant, retarded or just down right stupid. I went through all the teams that need something, want to give something away and everything in between and the following is what I have come up with.


Boston Red Sox trades Manny Ramirez, OF to the New York Mets for Fernando Martinez, OF; Jon Niese, P; Eddie Kunz, P; and Nick Evens, 1B.

Boston's Reasons-The excuse of Manny being Manny can only last so long. They may finally be ready to deal Manny and let him be someone else's headache, but only as long as it is in the NL. Sign him to the option, then ship his happy ass to NYC. They get quality prospects in return, and where they have a lot of great young talent there others are starting to show their age.
New York's Reasons-They trade the top half of their farm to Minnesota in the offseason for Johan, but their bats aren't as lively as they have been. They give up their remaining best prospects for the man who probably has the most natural talent in baseball and reap the rewards this year rather then later.

Houston Astros trade Roy Oswalt, P to the Philadelphia Phillies for Jason Donald, SS; Greg Golson, CF and Fabio Castro, P

Houston's Reason-Their team is starting to look like the Giants of last year and they need to replenish their prospects, especially after the Tejada trade. Oswalt has had a good career in Houston, but it's time to rebuild and not look at the past. They get three players who could be at the major league level next year, if not this year.
Phillies' Reason-Though their pitching has been decent, it does lack the playoff pitching experience. The Mets trade for Manny they need a veteran like Oswalt to be their rock next to Hamels. Donald and Golson weren't moving to the big league level for a long time considering what's in front of them so it doesn't hurt their depth all that much.


San Francisco Giants trade Barry Zito, P to the New York Yankees for Chris Malec, 3B; Austin Jackson, CF; and Chase Wright, P

Frisco's Reason-Barry is a huge dead weight for them right now, with a huge contract that may prevent them from doing a whole lot in the offseason. This team needs to continue their youth movement and these are three quality prospects. The only question is, could they actually get this much for Zito with how poorly he's pitched?
New York's Reason-The Yankees have a glaring need for starting pitching. It almost feels like 3 out of 5 starts are guys I've never heard of and keep getting rotated and given a shot. Zito has pitched well before and Giraldi may be able to fix whatever has caused him to forget how to play like a major leaguer and not Kevin Brown. It could work out beautifully or it could completely backfire, but it's the kind of big name splash the boss loves.

Cincinnati Reds trade Bronson Arroyo, P to the Texas Rangers for Tommy Hunter, P and Elvis Andrus, SS.

Cincinnati's Reason-They're one of many teams who are rebuilding, or in their case building over from scratch, and has shown some promise. Arroyo does not make or break that ball club so trading him to a team trying to make the playoffs could gain them some beautiful bounty.
Texas' Reason-I am a firm believer that with the offense they currently have the Rangers can make the playoffs, if they get quality pitching. Hell, with that offense they could win it all if they only had some pitching. Arroyo would be the first step towards that goal, but not the last one.

San Diego Padres trade Greg Maddux, P and Trevor Hoffman, P to the Texas Rangers for Chris Gradoville, C; Jordan Stewart, P; John Mayberry, OF; Paul Kometani, P; and Warner Madrigal, P.

San Diego's Reason-The fans would hate it, at first. Losing Hoffman who has been the face of the franchise since Gwynn retired is loved in San Diego. They need some prospects who actually work out though and they could get steals from Texas for Maddux and Hoffman. I think Maddux would even ok it, to get the shot at another ring.
Texas' Reason-Adding to quality veterans to your roster like Maddux and Hoffman when you're trying to win a title with a young team I believe raises your chances to the next level. Maddux has pitched in countless playoff games, having him being there and being a leader by example would be a great tool for the Rangers. It takes quality prospects, but like the man says to make money you gotta spend money.

Colorado Rockies trade Brian Fuentes, P to the Chicago White Sox for Miguel Negron, OF; John Lujan, P and Matthew Long, P

Colorado's Reason-They're out of the hunt and Fuentes isn't getting any younger. Giving him to a playoff team and reaping the rewards of prospects when you're in clear need of a few is a chance you shouldn't hesitate at. We all know you went to the World Series last year, but that seems more or a fluke right now then anything. Bottom line is, you're not going anywhere right now.
Chicago's Reason-Yes, they have Bobby Jenks, but who do they have in front of him? Chicago is playing out of their minds right now and should do what they can to give them some bullpen insurance before one of the other playoff teams do.

Oakland A's trade Justin Duchscherer, P to the St Louis Cardinals for John Jay, CF; Jess Todd, P; Bryan Anderson, C; Francisco Samuel, P

Oakland's Reason-Billy Beane and his Moneyball should never be question. Jay and Anderson are his type of hitters with some high OBP. Todd and Samuel show real promise in the minors, especially Samuel who could be their future closer (see below). The important thing is all four have a real chance of getting to the big league club THIS year.
St Louis' Reason-Their pitching right now is horrendous. No one knew how they were playing so well before the All Star game, but now the cracks are beginning to show. I think with a quality starting pitching like Duke they could regain their momentum and fight for a playoff spot, cause that's exactly what it's going to be in the NL, Thunderdome.

Oakland A's trade Huston Street, P to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Andy LaRoche, 3B and Scott Elbert, P.

Oakland's Reason-Street is still young, but they have a plethora of young pitching and Street has shown some durability issues. LaRoche is the big steal here, as he is probably expendable by LA cause of DeWitt and Blake now. He is though not enough for a one on one trade. Elbert has shown some promise like LaRoche could be traded and be on the big league club right away.

LA's Reason-Who would have guessed it in April that the Dodgers and not the DBacks would be sitting in first? The bottom line is Torre needs some pitching, especially one reliever and one starter. Street gives him a proven reliever. Torre has proven in the past he doesn't need thousands of prospects to succeed in the league.

Houston Astros trade Carlos Lee,OF to the Arizona Diamondbacks for Bryan Byrne, 1B; Rusty Ryal, 2B; and Alex Romero, OF.

Houston's Reason-To put it simply Carlos Lee is horrendous in the field. Yes, he'll hit every now and then but he has a short left field and couldn't stop a five hundred pound man from reaching the wall. They are in need of quality prospects, which is what Byrne, Ryal and Romero are.
Arizona's Reason-Their team is fairly solid, but missing some pop. They have the pitching in place, and the outfield is fairly solid, except in one spot. Lee would also give them a home run potential I'm not sure is really there right now. Bottom line is, if they want to join in on the Thunderdome they need to make some kind of move.

Toronto Blue Jays trade AJ Burnett, P to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Francisco Lizarraga, SS; James McDonald, P and Lucas May, C.

Toronto's Reason-They're out of the picture this year, but they do show some promise. I think Burnett is expendable for the Blue Jay and a young catcher is what they really need since both of their's are in their mid 30s. That of course means May is the key to this deal and could be a great player for Gaston.
LA's Reason-As I said before they need another starting pitcher to really make that final push and Torre knows Burnett fairly well from managing the Yankees. They can afford to lose May since no one sees Russell Martin going anywhere anytime soon.

Now the final big trade, and sorry Dews it is not Sherrill, the Os I don't think will be able to get the price their asking for.

Pittsburgh Pirates trade Jason Bay, OF to the Detroit Tigers for Jeff Frazier, OF; William Rhymes, 2B; Daniel Christianson,P; Casey Fien, P; Josh Rainwater, P and Jonah Nickerson, P.

Pittsburgh's Reason-They would need a killer bounty to trade Jason Bay and I think that is exactly what the Tigers could give them. The key to all six of these players are they are ready, next year or the year after that ready for the majors. The Pirates have a major youth movement going on and a move like this could give them some of those key people they need to succeed in the future.
Detroit's Reason-Sheffield isn't 100%, Thames hasn't been playing as well as he should and they're in a dog fight in the Central with the White Sox and Twins. I think Bay is a Leland type player and would excel big time with his first big opportunity to play in the playoffs. They once again give up a lot, but they get maybe the best player on the lower tier teams out there. As I have typed this the Tigers have traded Pudge to the Yankees for Kyle Farnsworth. Finally, the only pitcher ever to charge the plate is playing in Detorit, long live the Bad Boys.

MLB Power Rankings- Week 7

*Lance Berkman, LSWTF Player of the Week*

Michael: [in the office, imitating the terminator] I'll be baaaaack! And I am baaaack!
Pam: How'd it go?
Michael: No. No, Pam. I'm baaaaaack! For gooood!

Yes, one of the greatest quotable shows on tv……ever "The Office"! Let’s see, a lot has gone on in the past 2 weeks. I am engaged, the gang went camping, and I am job hunting….again. My apologies go out to the devout masses who look forward to my weekly power rankings. The theme of the week has been pitching, lots and lots of good pitching. Without further ado, let the debates begin.

1 (2) Arizona Diamondbacks (26-15) – They have struggled a lot at the plate these past weeks. Reynolds, Byrnes, and Young just can’t seem to click in May. Luckily for the Backs they have Webb (9-0), Haren (4-2, .99 WHIP), and Owings (5-1).

2 (4) Chicago Cubs (25-16) – First off, Dempster tossed 9 k’s in his last start; which is a testament of things to come. The guy was a reliever for all these years and is making good on his rare spot starts. Soriano is playing terrible baseball and the Cubs brought in Jim Edmonds to “Motivate” him. Yeh, nice try. What I love about the Cubs is that middle infield depth consisting of Mike Fontenot, Ryan Therot, Mark Derosa, and Ronny Cedeno.

3 (21) Tampa Bay Rays (24-17) – A lot has happened in 2 weeks, one being the complete dominance of the Rays in the AL West. Let’s break it down: Swept the Angels, took 2 of 3 vs the Jays, and took 3 of 4 from the Yanks. Sure the Saux swept them earlier in the month, but the O’s remedied that quickly, eh Dewey? Oh, did I mention Scott Kazmir is back?? Hmmmm danger Hank Steinbrenner, Danger!!

4 (8) Oakland A's (23-19) – They deserve this and everyone here knows it. They may not play sexy baseball but they win. They dominated April (A month we all know them to truly suck in). However, they are currently struggling in May but so is everyone else. True, they got roughed up by the Indians but ask Oriole fan (whom the A’s swept earlier in the month), this team is for real. Oh, and somebody give Emil Brown a cookie for carrying the offense on his back (.269, 4HR, 33RBI).

5 (1) Boston Red Sox (24-19) –It pains me to keep them on the top 5. I mean Red Saux Nation went into Camden Yards and was HUMILIATED. Despite Dewey’s bombardment of trash talk (The whole Jon Lester argument), Dews still managed to be humble. Also, need I remind you that the Twins took 3 of 4 games prior? But im not couting the Saux out just yet. Ellsbury is playing like the ROY candidate of last year and ManRam can still hit. 2 HR away to 500! Side note- Fatollo, errr Bartolo Calon is pitching excellent in AAA right now.

6 (25) Houston Astros (24-18) – Even I need to take a step back and reflect. We all knew the offense was good, but the recent success of the pitching took me off guard. Oswalt is pitching great, Wandy Rodriguez is proving to be a solid #2, and Brandon Backe is well, back! Let’s not forget that the Stro’s have won 9 of their last 11 games. Props to Lance Berkman for playing like an MVP candidate. Oh, and Miguel Tejada must be like fine wine. The older he GOT, the better he is.

7 (3) LA Angels (24-19) – They own first place in the West by a thread and their pitching savior, John Lackey got r-o-u-g-h-e-d up!! But pitchers coming off major injury tend to do that, so don’t drool just yet A fan. Santana and Saunders continue to pitch well but can they keep doing it through September. I think not! I believe the success of this team rests on the shoulders of Vlad the Great (.269, 4HR, 20RBI). Yikes!

8 (16) Cleveland Indians (22-19) – C.C Sabathia, Cliff Lee, and now Aaron laffey. They have the starters and now Kobayashi closing games. I love the pitching in Cleveland. But the problem is now in the hands of the offense. Sure, they can get on base but nobody can drive them home. Casey Blake leads the team with 25rbi. They need a more consistent RBI guy if they want to win those close games. Oh, props to Grady Sizemore for reminding the young folk what Ricky Henderson meant to baseball back in the day (That awesome lead-off HR and then follow with another on Saturday) *Jack- Not a comparison but it was refreshing to see a lead-off hitter imitate, even for one day*

9 (11) Baltimore Orioles (21-19) – Calm down Dews, the O’s earned this for making ME excited about Oriole baseball over the weekend. That sweep silenced Red Sox Nation at least for a weekend. As we all know, its not easy to quiet them. To be honest, I don’t think the momentum will last as the rotation seems to be overworked and the offense is non-existent (Well, except for that JAY PAYTON Grand Slam). And for the record, Nick Markakis isn’t the best Greek in baseball, that honor would go to Kevin Youkalis. Sorry bra’.

10 (15) Florida Marlins (23-17) – I know Marlin fan must be disappointed with the 10 rank and I don’t blame them. But a sweep against the Nats followed by GETTING swept by the Reds doesn’t help much. The offense has proved they are top of the pack in the majors. Hanley Ramirez is awesome and Dan Uggla is proving that you can still succeed despite a terrible sophomore season. My only beef is the pitching. The pitching is terrible in every aspect.

11 (7) St Louis Cardinals (24-19) – I think the luster is starting to fade on the Cardinals. Sure, Albert Pujols is playing like an MVP and the pitching is looking solid (With the exception of Izzy in the closer role). But The Pirates took 2 of 3 as did the Brewers. They need to win those series! I do love that outfield though; Skip Shumaker, Rick “Man Child” Ankiel, and Chris Duncan. Not sexy, but productive.

12 (20) Philadelphia Philly’s (23-19) – Cole Hamels; my fantasy savior, threw a brilliant CG SO against the Braves last night. I do, however, feel this team needs serious help (Brett Myers got LIT THE FUCK UP against the Braves earlier in the week). The pitching is still horrible, and Pat Burrell’s hot streak seems to be at an end as well. BUT, Jimmy Rollins is back and Chase Utley is still cranking balls. There might still be some hope in Philly. SIDE NOTE- Yes, the Giants took 2 of 3 games vs the Phills over the weekend.

13 (17) LA Dodgers (21-19) – I still think they are in deep trouble and getting swept by the Astro’s doesn’t help either. AndrEw Jones hit a homerun (I think that’s worth highlighting). The pitching has been so-so; as Derek Lowe proved to me once again why I need to drop him from my fantasy team. I do see a bright shining star though in a cloud full of smog, Blake DeWitt.

14 (5) Chicago White Sox (20-20) – I think they are a much better team than #14 rank. But Thome has 1 hit in his last 3 games, Nick Swisher is proving that Clint can see into the future and should be considered a witch/sorcerer/The Emperor, and the Sox middle infield is crap. It is worth mentioning that a fellow fantasy owner offered me Paul Konerko for Tyler Walker…….In the words on Quagmire “Giggidy Giggidy GOOO, Aaaaaallrigh”.

15 (9) New York Yankees (20-22) – I am not ready to kick them out of the top 15. Call me stubborn but its true. Sure they are in last place but with the talent and payroll that they have, it’s only a matter of time until they break the slump. Arod is back next week which is an immediate upgrade and good reason to keep them at this rank. The pitching is terrible, but rookie Darrell Rasner could be a bright spot (2-0, 3.00 ERA).

16 (13) New York Mets (21-20) – They are out of the top 15 for a good reason. How are they this bad??? Carlos Beltran is getting better and that could be a good sign. I never would have thought the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana (4-2) would be this mediocre. Oh, it’s not his fault but still. It boggles the mind!! Oh, and good luck recovering from that awful series with the Nationals. 1 win out of 4, come on!!

17 (6) Milwaukee Brewers (20-21) – Their record is exactly where it should be. Rickie Weeks, Bill Hall, and Prince Fielder have a combined AVG of .211. Those are everyday starters!! I think its time to dump Bill Hall, put red hot Ryan Braun back at 3b, and call up super-man-giant rookie Matt LaPorta. I still like the rotation even without Gallardo, but the Gagne experiment needs to end!!

18 (23) Atlanta Braves (20-20) – John Smoltz is the teams new closer. I think this is an excellent move. The rotation needs young blood and well, a closer. This move addresses both needs. Oh and when did Mark Kotsay become good again? The guy is playing with passion again!! That, and if you have been living under a rock lately, Chipper Jones gives all Brave fans a reason to smile.

19 (29) Texas Rangers (20-22) – I still hate this teams pitching, but Vicente Padilla is FINALLY playing respectable baseball. That and my pre-season theory of simply outscoring the opponent to win games are being utilized. That and Josh Hamilton IS an MVP and Comeback player of the year right now. The guy is simply making up for lost years.

20 (19) San Francisco Giants (17-25) – You God Damn right we stay in the top 20. Sure we had a few bumps but name another team behind us that is doing any better? We took 2 of 3 against the Philly’s, Matt Cain finally won a game, and Tim Lincecum is showing the world that he can win on a mediocre team. Sure the Astro’s beat us up but we did keep it competitive. Aaron Rowand (.333 5HR, 20RBI, 12 doubles) is playing PHE-NOMINAL baseball. His lack of RBIs is accredited to the fact that nobody in front of him can get on base.

21 (28) Pittsburgh Pirates (20-21) – Ok, the Pirates did sweep the Giants, but it’s my rankings so I’m allowed a discrepancy. The rotation lacks consitancy as does the rest of the bullpen. I do find it funny that the more Jason Bay bashing that I do, the better he becomes. So for the remainder of this week, he is UTTERLY USELESS!!

22 (24) Minnesota Twins (20-20) – They may warrant a top 20 but all you need to do is look at the record. Yeh, they beat up on the Saux, but they were also Toronto’s whipping boy as they got swept. Morneau is finally driving in runs but he only seems to drive in Joe Mauer. The team needs more offensive weapons. Don’t get me started on the pitching, unless you really want me to say that Livan Hernandez is this team’s ace. I know I threw up also just writing it.

22 (30) Washington Nationals (18-24) – Who would have thought the Nats would do what they did against the Mets. I did?? Nah, but seriously, the pitching is looking pretty solid now. Tim Redding and John Lannan are carrying the rotation and support guys like Odalis Perez and Shawn Hill a little better (All 4 with ERA’s under 4).

23 (27) Kansas City Royals (19-21) – They swept the Tigers…..AGAIN!! If only they played Detroit everyday. The problem in KC is that nobody can score any runs. Yes, they hit for average and yes they can draw walks, but nobody has stepped up to drive them in. Zach Greinke and Brian Bannister are pitching good enough to compensate for bad hitting. If Meche can get on track, the Royals could have a formidable 1-2-3 in the rotation. The AL Rookie favorite of mine, Luke Hochevar, is making a decent case for ROY. Good stuff!

24 (22) Toronto Blue Jays (20-22) – Vernon Wells, The Jays BEST player, is out 6-8 weeks. Yeh, that is Granted, they got the sweep over the Twins but I don’t see any player in the organization picking up his slack. I foresee bad days ahead in Canada, Eh.

25 (26) Cincinnati Reds- (18-23) – I think there is a good future in the Reds rotation, along side Harang we have Cueto and Volquez. The problem isn’t really the pitching though; it’s the complete lack of offense. Sure they swept the Marlins, but the team’s best hitter, Jeff Keppinger, is out 6 weeks with a broken kneecap. And yes, I said Jeff Keppinger is their best player.

26 (12) San Diego Padres (15-27) – What the hell happened here? I have no explanation. I literally have nothing to say *I am laughing my ass off right now though*. Padre fan was convinced the Giants would occupy last place. Sure, the Giants COULD in the future, but just not now. *Yes, im still laughing my ass off right now*

27 (14) Colorado Rockies (15-26) – Again, I sit here laughing my ass off. How does a World Series team go from great success to utter failure? Helton and Holliday are not producing and the pitching is garbage.

28 (18) Seattle Mariners (16-26) – It is a bad sign when Ichiro is hitting under .300 and failing to score runs. The team relies on the one universal truth, and that is him GETTING ON BASE. I think the Jeff Clement and Wladamir Balentien experiment has been an utter failure as well. Erik Bedard and Felix Hernandez are pitching very well but not getting any run support. Just 4 wins combined.

29 (10) Detroit Tigers (16-25) – Parody does in fact exist in baseball. If you don’t believe me just take a look at the Tigers. Crap for pitching (With the exception of Armando Galarraga) and crap for offense (with the exception of Magglio Ordonez). What happened to this powerhouse team? What sad is that I think things will get even worse!! D-Damn Tigers, you cant get swept by the Royals twice!

Thursday Mini-Throw Down

So I'm sure some of you have been wondering about the lack of updates and everything here on LSWTF in the last few weeks. Look, I'll be honest with you, I get married in less then two weeks and the majority of my free time has been taken over by finalizing plans and the like for said wedding. Luckily SayHey and Dews only have to wear kilts for me and still have been able to post, but I have been busy making place cards, entrance music, programs, seating charts, amongst other things.

Once the wedding is over and I'm not working on programs and fonts I'll get back into the grove. I'll try for a mock draft before the wedding, and definitely one final mock, maybe a full seven rounder, before the draft takes place. It will be late but I will write my piece on the retirement of the greatest wrestler of all time, The Nature Boy Ric Flair. Hell, by the time I'm recovered from the wedding, family and everything else I may even have time to speak on the PA Primary and that giant clusterfuck.

I'm going, hopefully my A's can start playing easy teams soon and none of these playoff teams. I don't think anyone expected the Nationals to be 3-0 at this point, I know I didn't. Kickball is beginning to start so expect plenty of amusing stories about Dews as he is the one single representative of LSWTF this year. Less then a month away until Robert Downey Jr is IRON MAN...fuckin word.

Happy Opening Day!

Today is, without a doubt, one of my favorite days of the year: Major League Baseball's Opening Day. Well, it's kind of Opening Day. The rest of baseball won't get going for another week or so, but this morning the Red Sox and A's played a great one in Tokyo. For those of us who woke up early and had baseball with our bacon and eggs, we were rewarded with a great 6-5, 10-inning game. I managed to drag myself out of bed at 5-something this morning, shower, and have bacon and eggs and coffee ready by first pitch.

Thoughts on the game: 1) Daisuke scares me. He really does. 2) Sox are probably going to need to trade for another long reliever/spot starter 3) Manny Ramirez is on pace for 648 RBI, and he might actually do it 4) J.D. Drew is an enigma to me 5) I still can't stand Jerry Remy 6) Boston owes Emil Brown a beer. Thank you, Emil.

38-9

You may be asking yourself, what score was 38-9? Well, that was the combined score of Oakland's victories over 2/5ths of the NL West. Namely I'm talking about SayHey's Giants and Perkin's Padres.

Now you may also be wondering, why would I bring that up? Well, it's quite simple really. We all know that Oakland is in rebuilding mode and many predict a very tough year for the elephants. So seeing this, at least in Spring Training, gives me some sort of hope for the future. We definitely haven't had a game like the Braves had against the Indians where they almost scored a no hitter, in spring training, but we've been putting points up on the board like we were the 2000 Rams.

Where in the world is...

...the LSWTF writers? I know I have an excuse, I've had nothing but work and wedding plans these last few days. I don't know what everyone else has as an excuse, but no doubt SayHey is hiding after Zito was beaten like Tina Turner and Lowry walked 9...in a single inning.

I know where Dews is, he's preparing (as we all are here at LSWTF) for the Finale of Project Runway tonight on Bravo. I find it amusing that SayHey, Dews and myself may be the only straight men who are not afraid to admit they watch the best reality show on television. Without it we may never have been able to understand what fierce and fabulous is, and we sure as hell wouldn't get our quote of tragic tranny ever week.

Last week we saw my post about my position of the GMOT and the "drama" that it was sure to create. I vented, and posting it was probably a mistake, but it at least got myself and the President talking and everything has been talked about and worked out between the two of us. There are no hard feelings, least on my part, and are working together to bring even better things to DC Potomac this season. It's refreshing to know that you can have disagreements with someone and be mature enough to sit down and work them out like civilized people.

I just heard that the Astros were LOADED WITH TALENT in the middle of their order, and on paper I can understand why they think that. The problem is is that Berkman, Lee and Tejada aren't the players they used to be. Plus ask the Yankees how well a team does by having plenty of hitting but zero pitching.

The A's have played well after the starters have left the field for both teams which leads me to believe that our prospects are able to beat every one else's prospects, and that gives me and the rest of Oakland fans hope for the future.

Listening to the Padres Giants game yesterday as I drove home alerted me to the fact that the Padres have a fucking monster on their team. Kyle Banks is 6'6" 270lbs first baseman. He's that huge and yesterday he drew a walk. Wow, how you don't get it into the strike zone of a sasquatch is beyond me.

Eugenio Velez and Emmanuel Burriss continue to impress me with their play this spring. They're both switch hitters who can also play second. Their defensive play so far has been phe-nominal.

On the A's side of things Jeff Baisley and Gregorio Petit have shown some promise and solid improvement. The A's during Spring Training have been showing more pop in their bats then I think folks are expecting.

Finally, so we don't leave Dews out, the Orioles are working on their own version of Brandon Inge. Mike Costanzo has been playing third, his usual position, and catcher as well. This is a smart move for a team filled with idiots. The kid shows some real promise and they're going to need his bat to infuse with that anemic offense.

Monday Thoughts-Let justice be done though the heavens fall

I saw this bumper sticker as I was stuck in traffic on Friday heading towards PA and Jersey. For my money, I haven't seen a better one in a long time, though I did see one that said When Bush Took Office Gas Was $1.46.

Everyone seems to think we paid Donte Stallworth all this money, we didn't. His contract is SEVEN YEARS long, basically giving him $5 Million a year. He has $10 Million guaranteed, so his first two seasons for the Browns are guaranteed. In this day in age that is far from over paying for a player. Now I'm not a Stallworth fan and I would have rather seen them go after Berrian, but he'll take people off of Edwards, Winslow and Joe J.

Hey Cincy, you like apples? We just stole a player who can eat ten truck loads of apples from you because your people don't know how to do paperwork correctly. Finally I have another Longhorn on the team other then the kicker.

Corey Williams, Shaun Rodgers and the Smiths are going to reign havoc all over the AFC and NFC East next year. They're going to take up so much of the offensive line D'Q is going to eat teams alive and Wimbley is going to be scalping some mother fuckers.

I don't care about trading away Leigh Booden, he was a bum who was constantly burned last year. McDonald and Defensive Wright are our future at the corner position, something we haven't had since Minnifield and Dixon.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow for single games at the new Nationals Park. I shall try for opening day, but so will the rest of DC. Hopefully I can get tickets for the Thursday game before the wedding so the guys and I can escape one night and watch some baseball.

I watched JFK last night, and it brought back all those feelings I've been repressing about our government for the last fifty years. Our own people killed a great man because he wanted to change things, he wanted to alter the status quo, and those in power couldn't afford that. I worry sometimes about Barack Obama, I worry that he is too big of a challenger to the status quo like JFK, Bobby and King were and we know what happens to people who want to change the world.

I recently bought Frontline:Fuel of War from Steam since I needed something new. Like many people I've had nothing but fuckin problems with this game. Single Player was fine, but people don't buy first person shooters for single player. It then got completely FUBAR with the different versions that Steam and Kaos/THQ haven't worked out yet. Needless to say it took all day yesterday attempting to fix it, which I finally did (allegedly) at midnight. Great game, great fun, way too much fuckin work that needs to be fixed and sorted out yesterday.

Finally at first look I thought I had missed from Exhibition Football game when I saw that Oakland had beat San Francisco 23-5. I then learned that it was actually the Athletics going over the Giants. The game was so ugly I thought the Giants were being played by Jodie Foster in The Accused.

Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer.

I've attempted to defend Billy Beane, and have done a good job at I feel. There is no way, however, that I can defend the Oakland A's owner when he says absolutely ridiculous shit.

Look, at the end of the day, it’s where you finish, but you’ve got to have a platform to get there,” Wolff said. “Last year was a disappointment for me, not because the players didn’t try, but we had so many things that didn’t work out.

“I think we’ll do better in ‘08 than ‘07. If we stayed with what we had, on paper it might have looked terrific, but then you’re doing nothing; you’re not proactive. We’ll be very competitive and, with a little luck, will win more games than people are anticipating.”

I can understand why he's thinking the way he is, but let's admit one thing, the old bastard is absolutely wrong. We don't have Joe Girardi as our manager so there isn't going to be some miraculous season that no one sees coming. We have a manager that couldn't get wins and production from the squad we had last year.

You know at the rate Billy Beane does things I can never buy an A's jersey for an active player. My Barry Zito jersey is already null and void, though Chavez is still with the team though I feel only because no one wants to take his contract. I just look forward to next year, when Rickey Henderson is inducted into the Hall of Fame and during his speech he explains how he was just signed by the A's to be their leadoff hitter down the stretch so he can be the first hall of famer to steal a base after induction.

Power Rankings- Pre Season MLB

Not a whole lot of action this week since baseball pretty much shuts down around this time of year. A couple minor signings and a trade that shocked the west coast. With all that has happened; expect alittle relief and a bit of optimism for Shane, while Dews and MoDews prepares for a shocker.

1 (1). Boston Red Sox- Great mixture of youth and experience. Life is good in bean town.

2 (2) Detroit Tigers- Well, my hopes of Brandon Inge to San Francisco is all but shattered. Detroit says teams are interested but nobody wants to absorb the 3 year 19 million dollars left on his contract.

3 (3) New York Yankees- Hank was a hero and a goat this week. Hero for pretty much distancing the franchise from Roger Clemens. The goat for expecting baseball fans to be sympathetic toward his latest trade offer to the Twins. Hank is confused as to why the Twins havent accepted another offer NOT involving Joba. Get a clue Hank!

4.(4) LA Dodgers- Gonzo is still a Free Agent. Orioles management where are you???

5 (5) Chicago Cubs- I would be shocked if the Cubs made any more player moves. But expect them to remain on the top 5, at least until Spring Training.

6 (7) San Diego Padres- You continue to make noise. Jeff Devannon is a good 5th OF option and Robert Fick isnt half bad either. Well done

7 (6) LA Angels- Dallas McPherson rumors are running wild. This is good news for Chone Figgins.

8 (8) Cleveland Indians- No splashes made this offseason. Can ya blame them?? However, your were one solid SP away from beating Boston last year. *Insert hint here*

9 (9) Arizona Diamondbacks- Still in awe with the combo of Haren and Webb. 2 durable winners in my beloved NL West. Sheesh, how many times will my Giants get No-Hit this season.

10 (10) Colorado Rockies- They STILL need a second baseman badly. Marcus Giles is STILL available to. Hell if I were GM this would have been done weeks ago.

11 (11) Minnesota Twins- Im so proud of Twins management. Its like watching your child become potty trained. You may be a small market team but you wont get bullied on the playground. Your holding out for Joba and making Hank sweat. 2 Feats once deemed impossible

12 (13) Houston Astros- Other than Oswalt, who will start games?? Wandy, Bache, Williams?? Yeh, I thought so

13 (12) Philadelphia Philly’s- They could easily move up a slot with the acquisition of a quality SP. Perhaps John Leiber will come back?? Who knows

14 (14) New York Mets- MLB.com did a feature on Carlos Delgado.......Yes, MLB.com has nothing better to do right now.

15 (15) Milwaukee Brewers- People ignore the fact that this team has great quality pitching. But we saw what happened to this team in 2007 when they put an all 25 or younger squad on the field. They need some age. Perhaps Catcher, Jason Kendell is the answer. Think about it....

16 (22) Chicago Whitesox- Yes, Nick Swisher is THAT good. This was the deal that makes you competitors in 2008. He can play everywhere in the OF and 1b. You struck gold with this trade. You lost a few minor leaguers but who cares. Swisher is young and can only get better. More importantly, you got Swishers girlfriend, a playmate bunny in the trade. Not to shabby.

17 (16) Tampa Bay Rays- Rumor has it that Scott Kazmir is on the block. Ok, are you high Rays management?? Sure he always winds up on the DL before September but look at his numbers prior?? Very solid.

18 (19) Washington Nationals- Why the bump?? Well, Barry Larkin is now Elijah Dukes mentor now and word from Nats camp is that Dukes is in Florida right now working with Larkin. Dukes has so much talent but is troubled. Who better than a World Series winning, MVP, future HOF SS to save the day. Washington saw success in Dmitri Young so why not continue to trend of giving "second chances" Nats, you continue to impress me.

19 (17) Seattle Mariners- Carlos Siva's career stats: 55-46, 945IP with only 395K's, and has a 294AVG vs LHB and 282 vs RHB against. Tell me, is he worth 4 years, 55 million dollars to any of you? I know, I need to let this go........

20 (18) Atlanta Braves- Yeh.......Your blowing it guys. Rumor has it that the Braves are doing nothing and liking it.

21 (20) Toronto Blue jays- Nothing doing...

22 (21) San Francisco Giants- Im getting excited with the Dallas McPherson trade rumors. We need a 3b like we need air and he would fit perfectly in our system. Oh, Pedro Feliz may come back after failed attempts to land a 3 year contract elsewhere.......Yeh, im not thrilled either.

23 (23) Cincinnati Reds- The more I analyse the Hamilton trade the more it makes sense. You still have a great OF and you added a legitimate 3rd starter in Volquez. You still need a closer though.

24 (24) St Louis Cardinals- Congrats on signing Matt Clement. Mark Mulder will make sure to save him a seat on the DL. What a pointless move.

25 (25) Pittsburgh Pirates- If Bay can stay healthy, they could be my NL sleeper team.

26 (26) Texas Rangers- Hows that pitching hunt going? Not to well from the looks of it. You wont play Baltimore every day ya know.

27 (27) Oakland A's- No, they wont lose any spots here because they managed to fill a need with that Swisher trade. Put Chavez in as DH and keep him healthy and newly acquired Ryan Sweeney will fill in at 3b. Problem solved. Now back to their pitching.....I know they are in a rebuilding year but Beane is to smart to NOT compete for 2007. I expect more action this month in Oaktown.

28 (29) Kansas City Royals- Oakland traded their franchise guy, but at least they had one to trade. KC is slowly earning my respect though. Expect them to move up once Spring training starts

29 (30) Florida Marlins- Congratulations!!! All you had to do was sign Jose Castilla, a veteran 3b to fill that hole. Rumor has it they are talking to Jorge Cantu to also compete for the 3b spot. I REALLY like these move. They may not have Miggy, but at least they are making an effort to replace him. You still have ALONG way to go and you hanging at this spot by a nose hair.

30 (29) Baltimore Orioles- I know im going to get flack for this but what have you done to remedy your dilemma?? You cant be in a rebuilding phase for the entire decade. No off season moves of benefit. All you have right now in terms of offense is Nick Markakis ( he reminds me of the AL version of Adam Dunn. Lots of power but no OBP, AVG, and K's ALOT) and Brian Roberts (who is rumored to be traded) Please, someone, give me a reason to respect this franchise.

That Sound is Shane Slapping his Forehead

There are many things on this earth that im sure anger Shane. Well, this is one of them. The complete dismantling of his beloved Oakland Athletic, ERRR I mean formation of his Sacramento River Cats franchise. First it was Dan Haren, now its Nick Swisher and his mega-hottie girlfriend; traded to the Chicago Whitesox for 3 minor leaguers. Yes....MORE minor leagers. I know, "Man-Genius" Billy Beanne said this franchise is in a rebuilding phase, but come on man. Give this team a chance to compete. Mark Kotsay and Eric Chavez are pretty much it now for offense and yes, they spend more time in rehab than Linsay Lohan. But hey, at least he managed to grab a decent hitter in Ryan Sweeney.

I promise I will try to NOT have them ranked below Florida in tomorrow's power rankings. Key word is TRY!!