2011 Fantasy Baseball: April 2010

All New ASBA Charlie Manuel Show Commercial!!

April 2010

Look for this new All Star Baseball Academy commercial on "The Charlie Manuel Show" which airs when Phillies' games are broadcast on WB17!

To get a preview look at the new commercial, click on this link:

All Star Baseball Academy from Travis Brower on Vimeo.

Monday Alumni Update by Mike Manning

April 2010

A Night in Charlottesville with ASBA

Davenport Field, UVA

On a freezing cold night back in December, I decided to pick one college baseball game to attend this spring outside of the Philadelphia Area. I came across an interesting matchup in late April down in Charlottesville, Virginia. Little did I know that I would be seeing the #1 ranked Virginia Cavaliers vs. the #1 RPI ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers. After our weekly staff meeting at the ASBA West Chester facility, Steve Van Note and I jumped in my car and made the 4 hour drive to Davenport Field on the campus of The University of Virginia. On the drive down Steve made about 100 phone calls to various contacts for our college coaches’ camps in Cincinnati and Western PA. I was consumed with the always daunting task of navigating I-95 and the Beltway in DC.

Upon arrival we were instantly greeted by two friends of All Star Baseball Academy, Chad Oxendine and Joey Hauge, coaches from the University of Richmond. Both are graduates and former players from Coastal Carolina University. We made the short walk to the stadium with the Spider coaches and in true college coach fashion all they wanted to know was how the 2011 prospects were doing in the Philadelphia area. Of course Steve and I spilled the beans on every ASBA player!

You might be asking why did I choose this game. Simple! There were former ASBA players and instructors all over the field. Where do I start? Phil Gosselin (Malvern Prep) crushes a 2-1 curve ball deep into the left field bleachers for a grand slam for UVA in the second, John Barr (Germantown Academy) plays a great left field and crushes two balls that were caught for outs. Jerry Oakes was making laps from the Coastal Carolina dugout to the bullpen every other inning. Reed Gragnani seemed to square up every pitch thrown at him. Keith Hessler warmed up twice but never got in. Dan Bowman was swinging out of his shoes on every pitch. His family was there cheering for UVA, except when Dan was hitting. Interesting situation there! Dan grew up right near UVA. Casey Fay, KC Royals Scout (former Temple Univ. Coach and former Univ. Delaware player) was locked into every pitch. Chris Cowell, former ASBA player and Univ. Richmond catcher, was there rooting for his high school teammate, Phil Gosselin.

Virginia prevailed 6-3 in a well-played game by both teams. Post game was almost as fun as watching the actual game. Steve and I caught up with all the coaches from both teams; again they all wanted to know how the 2011 area players were doing. Jerry Oakes had to jump on the bus for the 8 hour ride back to Myrtle Beach. I think he had a test on Wednesday at 8:00 a.m. It was great to see him. Then said hello and caught up with players Rob Amaro, Steve Bruno, Keith Hessler, Dan Bowman, Reed Gragnani, John Barr and Phil Gosselin. UVA Coach McMullan took Steve and me on a tour of the stadium. All I have to say is WOW! The upgrades to the locker room, indoor hitting area, video room, weight room, board room, visitors’ locker room and coaches’ lounge were incredible. The last 20 minutes of our stay we spent time with the entire UVA coaching staff in the coaches’ lounge. What a facility!

Then, 4 ½ hours and two wrong turns later, Steve and I pulled into ASBA West Chester. I think I picked the right game back in December. This one was well worth the ride.

Your League Probably Sucks: 04/30/2010

April 2010

...IF players like these are still available on waivers:

1B Paul Konerko, CHW is the major league leader in HR with 10, yet is only 69% owned in Y! leagues. Can I get an invite to those other 31% of leagues?
2B Kelly Johnson, ARI is only hitting .320 with 17 R, 9 HR, 18 RBI and an OPS of 1.202. What more does a guy need to do to be owned in more than 72% of Y! leagues? Walk on water? Good luck finding any in the deserts of Arizona.
SP Kevin Correia, SD has four wins in five starts with some nice peripherals (3.86 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 8.36 K/9). His ownership numbers are baffling (13% E; 77% Y!). Yes, he's averaging less than 6 IP per start, but he's winning. Period!
RP Matt Lindstrom, HOU is the closer and should be owned, so why is it that he's only 60% owned in both ESPN and Y! leagues? Houston has put their 0-8 start behind them and are now winning ballgames. Do people not like his six saves and 9.90 K/9 ratio?
OF Austin Jackson, DET strikes out a bunch (32 K in 22 G). So what! He's hitting .330 with 18 R, 1 HR, 7 RBI and 4 SB. Those numbers aren't worth owning in more than 32% ESPN and 35% Y! leagues? Unreal.
OF Marlon Byrd, CHC. What's everyone got against a guy that's hitting .333 with 12 R, 3 HR, 15 RBI and 1 SB? Only 55% ESPN and 56% Y! owned? I have this guy on three of my four teams and enjoying the benefits.
C Miguel Olivo, COL has performed so well, the Rockies sent Chris Iannetta to AAA and gave him the starting job. So why isn't he on more fantasy rosters? Just 13 % ESPN and 60% Y! owned, he deserves better and his numbers prove it (.314 BA, 1.004 OPS, 10 R, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 1 SB).
1B/2B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL has done nothing but produce since being inserted into the everyday lineup when 2B Brian Roberts went on the DL. His .323 BA, 11 R, 6 HR, 12 RBI and 1.064 OPS plus three-position eligibility have been fantasy gold for the 41% of ESPN and 55% of Y! managers that grabbed him off waivers. With as bad as Baltimore is playing, Wiggy will continue to play even after Roberts is activated.
SP Jaime Garcia, STL is 4-for-4 in quality starts and posting some awesome statistics (2-1, 26 IP, 16 H, 3 ER, 0.96 WHIP). What are people waiting for? Just 12% owned in ESPN leagues is embarrassing.
SP Colby Lewis, TEX has already posted two 10 K performances in only four starts. He's averaging below 6 IP per start but has managed 3 wins. If he can get his stamina up and his pitch counts down, be ready for a lot more 10 K performances. Oh, take your time picking him up. He's only 10% ESPN and 43% Y! owned (not for long).

Are there other players in your league(s) that you can't believe are just sitting there on waivers? How do you explain such low ownership rates for such highly performing players?

Any questions, comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.
* All statistics accurate through 04/29/10

Historic Sahuaro Ranch Park

April 2010

In the historic area of Glendale lies a gem hidden away amongst the tall trees surrounding it. Just north of Glendale Community College on 17 acres is one of the city’s oldest and greatest exceptional ranches known as Sahuaro Ranch Park. The 1885 homestead consists of 13 original buildings, a beautiful rose garden, and barnyard and historic orchards sitting on this well-preserved land is the mists of Glendale. This place is listed on the National Register of Historical Places and referred to as the “Showplace of the Valley”.

The history of Sahuaro Ranch begins in the year 1885 when the Arizona Canal was finished and opened up 44 miles of canals, and about 100,000 acres of desert land for farming and homesteading. In 1886, 36 year old William Henry Bartlett and his brother Samuel became interested in investing in a fruit ranch. They saw the huge market for ranching and started their homestead just north of where Glendale would eventually exist. By 1918, Bartlett had the most prevalent ranches in the area which consisted of over 2,000 acres near Glendale.

Bartlett had several structures built on the land such as homes for the ranch hands, friends and other family members. The Adobe House was the first to be constructed and was the home of Stephen H. Campbell, who served as the ranch’s first superintendent. The horse barn and blacksmith shop were built next. The ranch had a large array of animals such as horses, mules, cows, bulls and hogs. He added hundreds of varies colors of rose bushes, trees, various types of plants, a large pond with a bridge which takes you to the gazebo on the island.

Bartlett was a regular visitor to the ranch but never made it his permanent residence. He did have totally control in every facet of construction or day to day operations of the ranch and its beautiful grounds. By 1890, Harry W. Adams took over as the superintendent and continued to plant fruit orchards and grain crops, under the watchful eye of Bartlett.

On November 8, 1898, Bartlett moved to his family to the ranch after his youngest son, Willie, was stricken with tuberculosis. His doctor told him that moving him to a warm dryer climate would be better for his health. As time went on, electricity was added to the ranch along with an electrical generator to pump water from a well. Automobiles were added in 1905 and used to aid in the work done on the ranch. Bartlett lived on the ranch until his death in 1918.

Sahuaro Ranch Park has seen several owners after Bartlett. P.E. Bradshaw owned the ranch from 1913 to 1927, and then Richard W. Smith bought it in 1927. After Richard’s death in 1944, his son Richard Jr. acquired the exquisite ranch and grounds. By 1966, the mayor of Glendale, Max Klass, partitioned for a federal grant to have the ranch purchased by the City of Glendale. It wasn’t until 1977 when the city finally acquired the ranch making it an historical area.

Along with the many chickens and roosters that roam freely around the park, there are stories that some ghosts are wandering around as well. Some have seen the presence of a male ghost hanging around the buildings and grounds of the ranch. Perhaps it is the spirit of Bartlett still keeping a watchful eye on the place. A woman is also known to be haunting the Ranch House and has been seen by some. The story is told that she may have a connection to the Smith family. You do get a sense of the grand history of the ranch and the spirits that seem to be living there as you walk around the grounds.

Beloit blasts Burlington before the Bees get their 1st day off

April 2010

Starting pitcher John Lamb despite not having any wins, has put up some pretty good numbers, until the Wednesday morning game in Burlington, Iowa. The Beloit Snappers, Class A team of the Minnesota Twins, got to Lamb early by putting up 2 consecutive runs in the 1st and 2nd inning and taking a 4-1 lead into the top of the fifth inning when Lamb was removed from the game.

Lamb gave up his first home-run of the Midwest League season to Aaron Hicks, whom both played as team-mates during the Fall of 2007 on a Southern California scout team.

Once again, hitting his early season pitch count restrictions for the young Southern California "southpaw," due to walks and deep counts on the hitters. The ball was now in the hands of the bullpen, which has not done very well during this early portion of the season. Unfortunately, the ball was given to the two pitchers with the two worst season ERA numbers for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eigth innings.

Game recap:

Beloit Top 1st

Aaron Hicks walks.

Brian Dozier pops out to third baseman Ryan Stovall.

Steven Liddle walks. Aaron Hicks to 2nd.

Angel Morales flies out to center fielder Carlo Testa. Aaron Hicks to 3rd. Steven Liddle to 2nd.

Josmil Pinto singles on a line drive to center fielder Carlo Testa. Aaron Hicks scores. Steven Liddle scores.

With Daniel Rams batting, Josmil Pinto steals (2) 2nd base.

Daniel Rams strikes out swinging.

Burlington Bottom 1st

Gerard Hall walks.

Deivy Batista out on a sacrifice bunt, third baseman Reggie Williams to first baseman Daniel Rams. Gerard Hall to 2nd.

William Myers doubles (3) on a soft fly ball to left fielder Steven Liddle. Gerard Hall to 3rd.

Joey Lewis singles on a line drive to right fielder Aaron Hicks. Gerard Hall scores. William Myers to 3rd.

Carlo Testa strikes out swinging.

Rene Oriental flies out to right fielder Aaron Hicks.

Beloit Top 2nd

Tobias Streich pops out to second baseman Deivy Batista.

Reggie Williams singles on a ground ball to third baseman Ryan Stovall, deflected by pitcher John Lamb.

With James Beresford batting, Reggie Williams steals (1) 2nd base.

With James Beresford batting, John Lamb picks off Reggie Williams at 2nd on throw to Gerard Hall.

James Beresford walks.

With Aaron Hicks batting, James Beresford steals (3) 2nd base.

Aaron Hicks homers (3) on a fly ball to left field. James Beresford scores.

Brian Dozier pops out to pitcher John Lamb.

Burlington Bottom 2nd

Ryan Stovall strikes out swinging, catcher Tobias Streich to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Adam Frost grounds out, shortstop Brian Dozier to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Allen Caldwell grounds out, shortstop Brian Dozier to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Beloit Top 3rd

Steven Liddle strikes out swinging.

Angel Morales walks.

With Josmil Pinto batting, Angel Morales picked off and caught stealing 2nd base, pitcher John Lamb to first baseman Joey Lewis to shortstop Gerard Hall.

Josmil Pinto hit by pitch.

Daniel Rams pops out to shortstop Gerard Hall.

Burlington Bottom 3rd

Gerard Hall flies out to right fielder Aaron Hicks.

Deivy Batista grounds out, third baseman Reggie Williams to first baseman Daniel Rams.

William Myers pops out to catcher Tobias Streich in foul territory.

Beloit Top 4th

Tobias Streich flies out to right fielder Rene Oriental.

Reggie Williams pops out to first baseman Joey Lewis in foul territory.

James Beresford flies out to left fielder Allen Caldwell.

Burlington Bottom 4th

Joey Lewis lines out softly to second baseman James Beresford.

Carlo Testa strikes out swinging.

Rene Oriental flies out to center fielder Angel Morales.

Beloit Top 5th

Pitcher Change: Scott Kelley replaces John Lamb.

Aaron Hicks singles on a ground ball to center fielder Carlo Testa.

Brian Dozier grounds into double play, shortstop Gerard Hall to second baseman Deivy Batista to first baseman Joey Lewis. Aaron Hicks out at 2nd.

Steven Liddle homers (3) on a fly ball to right field.

Angel Morales strikes out swinging.

Burlington Bottom 5th

Ryan Stovall grounds out, shortstop Brian Dozier to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Adam Frost lines out to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Allen Caldwell walks.

Gerard Hall called out on strikes.

Beloit Top 6th

Josmil Pinto grounds out to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Daniel Rams grounds out, pitcher Scott Kelley to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Tobias Streich grounds out, shortstop Gerard Hall to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Burlington Bottom 6th

Deivy Batista called out on strikes.

William Myers singles on a pop up to second baseman James Beresford.

Joey Lewis pops out to second baseman James Beresford.

Carlo Testa walks. William Myers to 2nd.

Rene Oriental grounds into a force out, fielded by third baseman Reggie Williams. William Myers out at 3rd.

Beloit Top 7th

Reggie Williams singles on a fly ball to right fielder Rene Oriental.

James Beresford singles on a ground ball to right fielder Rene Oriental. Reggie Williams to 3rd.

Aaron Hicks reaches on a fielder's choice, fielded by first baseman Joey Lewis. Reggie Williams scores. James Beresford scores on the throw. Aaron Hicks to 2nd. Throwing error by catcher William Myers, assist to first baseman Joey Lewis.

With Brian Dozier batting, passed ball by William Myers, Aaron Hicks to 3rd.

Brian Dozier walks.

Pitcher Change: Sam Runion replaces Scott Kelley.

Steven Liddle out on a sacrifice fly to center fielder Carlo Testa. Aaron Hicks scores.

Angel Morales strikes out swinging.

Josmil Pinto grounds out, shortstop Gerard Hall to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Burlington Bottom 7th

Ryan Stovall grounds out, shortstop Brian Dozier to first baseman Daniel Rams.

Adam Frost singles on a sharp ground ball to third baseman Reggie Williams, deflected by pitcher Tom Stuifbergen.

Allen Caldwell singles on a fly ball to left fielder Steven Liddle. Adam Frost to 2nd.

Gerard Hall grounds into a force out, second baseman James Beresford to shortstop Brian Dozier. Adam Frost to 3rd. Allen Caldwell out at 2nd. Gerard Hall to 1st.

Deivy Batista grounds into a force out, third baseman Reggie Williams to second baseman James Beresford. Gerard Hall out at 2nd.

Beloit Top 8th

Daniel Rams singles on a line drive to right fielder Rene Oriental.

Tobias Streich grounds into a force out, shortstop Gerard Hall to second baseman Deivy Batista. Daniel Rams out at 2nd. Tobias Streich to 1st.

Reggie Williams homers (1) on a fly ball to right field. Tobias Streich scores.

James Beresford singles on a fly ball to left fielder Allen Caldwell.

Aaron Hicks grounds into a force out, first baseman Joey Lewis to shortstop Gerard Hall. James Beresford out at 2nd. Aaron Hicks to 1st.

Brian Dozier doubles (3) on a fly ball to left fielder Allen Caldwell. Aaron Hicks scores.

Steven Liddle flies out to left fielder Allen Caldwell.

Burlington Bottom 8th

Pitcher Change: Kane Holbrooks replaces Tom Stuifbergen.

William Myers called out on strikes.

Joey Lewis singles on a ground ball to left fielder Steven Liddle.

Carlo Testa reaches on force attempt, throwing error by pitcher Kane Holbrooks. Joey Lewis to 2nd.

Rene Oriental flies out to right fielder Aaron Hicks.

Ryan Stovall called out on strikes.

Beloit Top 9th

Pitcher Change: Mitch Hodge Nielsen replaces Sam Runion.

Angel Morales grounds out, shortstop Gerard Hall to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Josmil Pinto pops out to shortstop Gerard Hall.

Daniel Rams grounds out, third baseman Ryan Stovall to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Burlington Bottom 9th

Pitcher Change: Dakota Watts replaces Kane Holbrooks.

Adam Frost singles on a line drive to left fielder Steven Liddle.

Allen Caldwell flies out to center fielder Angel Morales.

Gerard Hall strikes out swinging.

Deivy Batista grounds into a force out, third baseman Reggie Williams to second baseman James Beresford. Adam Frost out at 2nd.

The Bees offense was not capable of getting more than the 1 run posted in the first inning and lost the game by a final score of 11-1. Best news in the clubhouse should have been a reminder of having Thursday off from any scheduled games. Finally, giving the guys a much-needed break, for the first time, during this 140 game season.

The final pitching numbers for the game:

HBP: Pinto, J (by Lamb, J)

Groundouts-flyouts: Stuifbergen, T 9-5, Holbrooks 0-1, Watts, D 1-1, Lamb, J 0-8, Kelley, S 5-0, Runion 3-2, Hodge Nielsen 2-1

Batters faced: Stuifbergen, T 29, Holbrooks 5, Watts, D 4, Lamb, J 18, Kelley, S 11, Runion 10, Hodge Nielsen 3

Inherited runners-scored: Runion 2-1

Umpires: HP: Matt McCoy. 1B: Rocky Craig. 2B: . 3B: .

Weather: 59 degrees, sunny

Wind: 6 mph, R to L

T: 2:37

Att: 1,804

John Lamb, and a friend, behind home plate the day before a pitching start!

From a Dad's eyes:

Game decisions sometimes just don't make any sense for a Dad of a professional baseball pitcher, but this is not my first game I have watched. The Burlington Bees, Class A team of the Kansas City Royals, were only 3 runs down and decided to go with two pitchers that have given up the most runs on the team, during there limited work. No sense at all for the purpose of winning, so it must have been for development reasons.

Enjoy the day off, Bees!

- - - James Lamb

http://www.4-domain.com/

The Shapeshifter?

April 2010

I found this on http://www.dreadcentral.com/ and thought is was funny.

Ghosts 'R' Us

April 2010

Many stores report all kinds of strange happenings, especially toy stores. In Sunnyvale, California a famous photo shows what appears to be an apparition of a man leaning on a wall. After many photos taken, only one had this image in it. Along with the photo, there are many stories of strange things happening such as objects moving on their own as witnessed by employees.

Not to be outdone by the Sunnyvale stories, the Toy's 'R' Us at Metrocenter in Phoenix has many of its own eerie stories to tell. Mike and both of my kids worked there and told many crazy stories of things that happen to them especially at night. They would be stocking the store for the next day after store hours, and that is when most of the activity occured. Last year, Mike did a post on his experience. Instead of rewriting Mike's story, here is a link for you to read all about it.

The land that this store was built on was a sparsely populated residential district. I really couldn't find any reason for the activity. Maybe those playful ghosts just want to spend eternity playing with the toys.

Did You Know? 04/25/2010

April 2010

Here's some statistical* randomness to enjoy in the initial installment of Did You Know?

Miguel Cabrera, Michael Cuddyer and Justin Morneau are all higher-ranked first basemen than Albert Pujols in ESPN leagues. And Jorge Cantu is ahead of him, too, in Yahoo! leagues.
No disappointment in drafting Joe Mauer early (.381 BA, 11 R, 1 HR, 12 RBI, 0 SB) but you could have gotten Ivan Rodriguez (.434 BA, 10 R, 0 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB) and Miguel Olivo (.297 BA, 7 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB) at the end of nearly every draft if you passed on the top tier of catchers.
Here's a look at the top five players leading MLB in total bases: (1) Vernon Wells (2) Jose Guillen (3) Matt Kemp (4) Miguel Cabrera (t5) Nelson Cruz (t5) Ryan Braun. Mull that list over for a bit.
Matt Capps' MLB leading seven saves will solidify people's beliefs that you "never pay for saves", but are people that paid for Mariano Rivera's six saves, 0.00 ERA, 0.57 WHIP, .208 OBA and 6:1 K:BB in 7 IP disappointed that they paid for those saves? (I think not).
No surprise that Adam Wainwright, Roy Halladay, Felix Hernandez and Tim Lincecum are 4-for-4 in quality starts but so are these guys: Andy Pettitte, Barry Zito, Jeremy Guthrie, Roy Oswalt, Fausto Carmona, Jered Weaver, Ubaldo Jimenez, Dallas Braden and Ricky Romero.
Everyone likes to talk about how shallow the third base position is in fantasy baseball but only three shortstops qualify in the top 100 using Yahoo! rankings: Rafael Furcal (17th), Derek Jeter (45th) and Alex Gonzalez (58th).
Only five pitchers have a K:BB ratio of 6:1 or better: Carl Pavano (17:1), Roy Halladay (9.33:1), Kevin Millwood (6:1), Carlos Sliva (6:1) and Hiroki Kuroda (6:1).
Matt Kemp has 7 HRs and 7 SB attempts. Unfortunately he's been caught stealing 5 of 7 times. This seems like a guy that is out to prove he can go 30/30 or even 40/40.
Vernon Wells and Kelly Johnson lead the majors in extra-base hits with 14 each. Alex Gonzalez and Miguel Cabrera are next with 13 each.

* All statistics accurate as of 04/24/2010

A Steady Stream: 04/25/2010

April 2010

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Monday, 04/25/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

Dana Eveland, TOR (3% E; 9% Y!) @ home vs BOS - You may be drawn to his 1.93 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 18.2 IP, but look closer at his 9:7 K:BB and 4.34 K/9 ratios. He's hittable and BOS hits. Add in that he is facing Beckett and I want nothing to do with this matchup. RISK: HIGH
Oliver Perez, NYM (2% E; 2% Y!) @ home vs LAD - Don't be fooled by his 3.71 ERA. Look deeper at his 1.53 WHIP and 14:10 K:BB ratios in 17 IP. Perez isn't streamable until he proves he can get it done consistently. RISK: HIGH
Jeremy Bonderman, DET (2% E; 3% Y!) @ TEX - Bonderman is still trying to find his form but looked good in his last outing @ LAA (6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K). His ERA (7.20) and WHIP (1.40) are high but so is his K/9 (8.40). RISK: MODERATE
Matt Harrison, TEX (0.3% E; 1% Y!) @ home vs DET - Harrison started off well until running into BOS in his last start (4 IP, 6 ER). Regardless, he still has some decent numbers (4.24 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, .293 OBA, 5.29 K/9). RISK: MODERATE
Mat Latos, SD (78% E; 11% Y!) @ FLA vs J. Johnson - I added Latos as a streamer simply because he's only 11% owned in Yahoo! leagues. That's a head-scratcher. The Padres are hot and this has the makings of a classic pitchers duel. RISK: LOW
Carlos Silva, CHC (6% E; 21% Y!) @ home vs WAS - No one wants to believe Silva will continue to put up the numbers he has so far (3 QS, 2-0, 19 IP, 10 H, 2 ER, 12:2 K:BB, 0.95 ERA, .063 WHIP, .194 OBA), but I'm buying while he's hot. RISK: SLIGHT
David Huff, CLE (0.5% E; 3% Y!) @ OAK - Huff struggled with his control in his last start (6 IP, 6 BB, 1 K) but could benefit from pitching in spacious Oakland. Was his complete game a fluke? RISK: EVEN
Zach Duke, PIT (6% E; 13% Y!) @ MIL - I still can't recommend streaming a Pittsburgh starting pitcher. Do these numbers help (24 IP, 24 H, 10 BB, 8 K)? Duke is very hittable and the Brewers hit! RISK: VERY HIGH

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

Kyle Davies, KC (0.1% E; 0% Y!) @ home vs SEA Hernandez
John Lannan, WAS (0.4% E; 3% Y!) @ CHC
Kyle Lohse, STL (2% E; 17% Y!) @ home vs ATL Hudson

Streaming on Monday and Thursday makes sense in head-to-head leagues because there are less games and this is a nice opportunity to pick up an extra win or two, when selecting the right match up to invest in. GOOD LUCK!

Quality start does not yield a win for Lamb.

April 2010

John Lamb from Laguna Hills, CA took the ball on the mound to start the Burlington Bees recent home stand series against the Cedar Rapids Kernels, Class A team of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, tonight in Burlington, IA. Can't do much better than his five and two-thirds innings of work on a cloudy, cool night with a storm bearing down on the area of the Midwest League professional baseball contest.

John surrendered the ball to the bullpen with one out in the 6th and 2 runners on and a 8-0 lead for the Bees, as indicated with the following details.

Adam Younger walks.

Mike Trout called out on strikes.

Jean Segura singles on a ground ball to right fielder Rene Oriental.

Adam Younger to 2nd.

Pitcher Change: Scott Kelley replaces John Lamb

Luis Jimenez doubles (7) on a ground ball to left fielder Allen Caldwell.

Adam Younger scores.

Jean Segura to 3rd.

Carlos Ramirez flies out to left fielder Allen Caldwell.

Randal Grichuk reaches on fielding error by first baseman Joey Lewis.

Jean Segura scores.

Luis Jimenez to 3rd.

Jose Jimenez homers (2) on a fly ball to right field.

Luis Jimenez scores.

Randal Grichuk scores.

Eric Oliver grounds out, pitcher Scott Kelley to first baseman Joey Lewis.

Close the book on John Lamb after his five and one-third innings of work with, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 walks, 8 strike outs while facing a total of 20 batters. John got 5 outs on grounders and 3 by the fly ball before leaving the game. ERA climbed a little to an even 1.00 for the season, but still another good day on the mound for the tall left-hander.

The Bees bullpen continued to struggle throughout the game all the way into the top of the 9th as the game was tied up. The Burlington Bees, Class A team of the Kansas City Royals, picked up the win in the bottom of the 9th with a walk off base-hit by Adam Frost that scored Rene Oriental.

Although I can't share with you the four words that I received via text message following the loss of opportunity to pick up his first win of the 2010 season, but I can share his frustration with him. The game can be very hard to swallow, at times, from a personal level with the basis of failure that surrounds play.

I know that John Lamb continues to work hard and eventually the wins will be only one of the rewards for his efforts as he continues to develop in professional baseball.

- - - James Lamb

http://www.jolamb.com

Original O.K. Corral Papers

April 2010

"BISBEE, Ariz. (AP) — The original court transcripts from the 1881 Coroner's Inquest into the Gunfight at the OK Corral will be handed over to the Arizona State Archives on Wednesday.

The 36-page handwritten account of witness testimony given after the shootout that left three men dead in Tombstone had been missing for years. Two Cochise County court clerks cleaning out a storage space at the Bisbee courthouse found the old documents in a box in March.

Cochise County Clerk of Superior Court Denise Lundin realized they were the original OK Corral documents that had disappeared prior to her becoming clerk in 1994.

Although the documents belong to Cochise County, Lundin says her office can't maintain them and they are an important part of state history that belongs in the archives."
(Associated Press, http://www.azfamily.com/)

Last day of road trip!

April 2010

The Burlington Bees, Class A Kansas City Royals, will finish up their recent road trip tonight against the Clinton Lumber Kings, Class A Seattle Mariners. The Bees continue to struggle during the early part of the season trying to get wins.

John Lamb is sitting in the stands tonight in preparation for his start tomorrow on the mound. Just got off the phone with him during a break and had to wait for him to autograph a ball for a fan at the game. A little weird that my 19-year-old is giving out his signature to fans in a visiting ballpark, but still pretty cool.

- - - James Lamb

http://www.squidoo.com/prospects_dad

A Steady Stream: 04/22/2010

April 2010

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league. My goal is to revisit the streamers to see how accurate (or not) my assessment of the risk was.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Friday, 04/23/2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

Carl Pavano, MIN (30% E; 38% Y!) @ KC - Pavano was lit up for 11 H and 7 ER in just 3.1 IP in his last start at home against KC, so there is some hesitation to stream him again against the same opponent on the road. He's also not fared well in his career against KC (10 G, 7.84 ERA, 1.61 WHIP). I like his 12:1 K:BB ratio so far in 2010 but KC seems to have this guy's number. RISK: HIGH
Scott Feldman, TEX (29% E; 46% Y!) @ home vs. DET - Feldman started the year off with two quality starts but ran into NYY and was pounded for 4 ER and 7 H in just 2.1 IP. DET sports a top 5 offense and it could turn into a slugfest in Arlington. His career numbers against DET are frightening too (16.1 IP, 16 ER). RISK: VERY HIGH
Ervin Santana, LAA (14% E; 55% Y!) @ home vs. NYY - Santana looked strong in his last start, pitching a CG, 1 ER game at TOR. He has nice career numbers at home (70 GS, 3.77 ERA, 1.23 WHIP) too but this is a Yankee lineup that pounded him for 5 ER in 5.2 IP on 4/13. RISK: MODERATE
Justin Duchscherer, OAK (12% E; 61% Y!) @ home vs. CLE - Cleveland owns the worst-ranked offense in MLB and Duchscherer is riding a scoreless streak of 13 IP. 'Nuff said. RISK: LOW
Jaime Garcia, STL (8% E; 27% Y!) @ SF vs. Lincecum - Matching up against Lincecum comes with a certain level of risk, but Garcia has been phenomenal in his two starts so far in 2010 (13 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 5 BB, 10 K) and I'm buying what Dave Duncan is selling. RISK: EVEN
Kevin Correia, SD (5% E; 73% Y!) @ CIN - Correia needs to go deeper into games to be more widely recognized as a quality starting pitcher (6 IP, 5.2 IP, 5.2 IP) but 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 8.83 K/9 are all very ownable statistics. RISK: LOW
John Maine, NYM (5% E; 12% Y!) @ home vs. ATL - I want John Maine to be fantasy-relevant again, but so far it's not looking that good (13 IP, 21 H, 15 ER, 10.38 ERA.449 OBA, 2.23 WHIP). Maine is now pitching simply to stay in the Mets' rotation. Good luck. RISK: VERY HIGH
Jeremy Guthrie, BAL (0.7% E; 2% Y!) @ BOS vs. Lester - Guthrie hasn't pitched as badly as his record indicates (0-2, 3 QS) and has put up decent ratios (3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP, 14:3 K:BB) so far. He's never pitched well against BOS (11 GS, 1-5, 4.74 ERA, 1.68 WHIP) and even worse at Fenway. RISK: DANGER!

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

Johnny Cueto, CIN (9% E; 45% Y!) @ home vs. SD
Kenshin Kawakami, ATL (1% E; 42% Y!) @ NYM
Ryan Rowland-Smith, SEA (1% E; 35% Y!) @ CHW
Paul Maholm, PIT (0.8% E; 22% Y!) @ HOU vs. Oswalt
Greg Smith, COL (0.4 % E; 2% Y!) @ home vs FLA Nolasco

Would love to hear if you've already resorted to streaming in your Rotisserie league to make up points or in your Head-to-Head league to capture a category victory. Also looking for opinions (for and against) the practice of streaming pitchers.

The Nortorious "Pete Spence"

April 2010

As we were wandering around the cemetery in Globe last month, we came across a grave with a headstone marking the name, E. L. Ferguson. According to Debe, Ferguson wasn’t actually buried there but in an unmarked grave near Fin Clanton. She decided to get out her dowsing rods and check out this theory. The dowsing rods showed no body resting in the grave marked with Ferguson’s name but did show that a body was lying in the ground in the unmarked gravesite. I knew there was much more to Ferguson’s story and planned on checking it out when I got home. After all we share the same last name so how bad could he have been? How bad indeed!

I started my search as I always do with Google search. I put in the name E. L. Ferguson and got many other folks with that last name but not the man I was interested in writing about. Then I took another look at his headstone photo I took and noticed the name “Pete Spence”. I Googled that name and jackpot, Mr. Ferguson was found. It looks like he definitely left his mark in Arizona history.

He was born Elliot Larkin Ferguson in 1851 according to his headstone. When Ferguson later went under the alias “Pete Spence” during his notorious robbing and murderous days, it remains a mystery where he was precisely born. Some records show that he was born in Texas in 1852 or in Louisiana in 1850. There is nothing known of his childhood, his parents, or of any siblings. The first known record that Ferguson existed was when he enlisted in the Texas Rangers and served under Captain Wallace in June 29, 1874. He acquired the rank of second lieutenant, with unknown information on his whereabouts after leaving the Rangers.

It was in 1878 when Ferguson began his run from the law after committing a robbery in Texas. His journey took him to the Arizona Territory where he decided to hang his hat in Tombstone and change his name to Peter M. Spencer. Bisbee and Tombstone seemed to be the place where many fugitives, gun slingers, and murderers would settle down and hide from the law.

Spence lived in a small house in Tombstone, across the street from the Earps. This house still stands in Tombstone today. In October of 1880, Spence was charged with stealing Mexican mules, but was never convicted of the crime. He became friends with the Clanton family and business partner with Frank Stilwell. Together the pair ran the Franklin Mine, other mining ventures and a saloon in Bisbee. Those who lived in Bisbee and Tombstone and were buddies with the Clanton’s, usually were on the wrong side of the law and this included Spence.

The twosome, Spence and Stilwell, robbed the “Sandy Bob Line” Bisbee stage and were quickly apprehended afterwards. They were recognized by their voices and Stilwell by his unique boot prints by a Bisbee cobbler who just worked on them. Wyatt Earp was part of the sheriff’s posse that arrested the pair but had to let them go later for lack of evidence. They were arrested a second time by Virgil Earp for meddling with the mail delivery. This arrest angered the McLaury boys and 13 days later the gunfight at the O.K. Corral occurred. Stilwell was in jail on that day but Spence was released several days earlier because of the little evidence leveled against him.

It is suspected that Spence, along with Stilwell were responsible for the death of Morgan Earp. The actuations were brought on by Spence’s displeased wife, Marietta Duarte. The charges against Spence were dropped because spouses were not allowed to testify against each other. The Earps got wind of what the coroner’s report showed and decided to take matters in their own hands. There are stories told that Spence had a lookout named “Indian Charlie” during Morgan Earp’s murder and was killed two days after Morgan’s death by the Earp Vendetta Ride posse. Others were killed by this posse as well. Spence was able to escape the posse by turning himself in to the authorities for protection. The Earps found out later that Spence was an accessory in the murder, but it was Stilwall that fired the fatal shot at Morgan. The story goes on to say that Curly Bill Brocius fired his gun at the same time through a door which almost hit Wyatt Earp. Curly was later shot and killed by the posse for his part in Morgan’s assassination.

In June of 1893, while serving as a deputy sheriff in Georgetown, New Mexico, Spence was punished and convicted to a 5-year term in the Yuma Arizona Territorial Penitentiary for pistol-whipping Rodney O’Hara, resulting in his death. The photo is the only known authentic picture of him and was his prison mug shot from the Yuma Penitentiary in 1893. The photo shows a very unfriendly and unnerving man that chills me right down to my core. His eyes appear to be cold and empty, almost like he is missing his soul. For some unknown reason, he was granted a full pardon the territorial governor, after serving less than 18 months.

Spence later moved to Globe and together with his long time friend, Phineas “Fin” Clanton, brother to Ike Clanton, they owned a goat ranch located south of town in the Galiuro Mountains. He also was in charge of burro trains which brought supplies into the Globe area. His good friend Fin died in 1906 and Spence remained friends with his wife. On April 2, 1910, Spence married the widow of Fin Clanton, but this time using his real name E. L. Ferguson. He died in 1914 and is buried in the Globe, Arizona cemetery and said to be next to Fin Clanton. His grave is unmarked till this date, but another marked grave with his name on a headstone is also in this cemetery. So the question remains, where is E. L. Ferguson’s final resting place? We may never know.

Waiver Saviors: 04/21/2010

April 2010

Waiver Saviors will look at players available in a majority of leagues that are having a statistical impact over the last 7 days and could be worth owning, if you have the need. Waiver pickups are all about filling a need with a player(s) that is currently hot and beating your fellow owners to the punch. The stats in parenthesis are a summary of the past week's data.

HITTERS

2B Alberto Callaspo, KC (9/25, .360 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB) continues to perform and should see regular playing time while Chris Getz is on the DL. 3B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (9% E; 31% Y! owned)
1B/3B Ty Wigginton, BAL (7/23, .304 BA, 6 R, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB) is making the most of his playing time as a fill-in for Brian Roberts and Miguel Tejada. 2B eligibility in Yahoo! leagues. (15% E; 29% Y!)
C Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (12/26, .462 BA, 7 R, 0 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB) is hitting. Any catcher that is hitting should be owned! If you are hanging onto a guy like Ryan Doumit, why not bail on him and take a shot at where Rodriguez goes. Odds are no one is dying to pick up Doumit, at this point. (43% E; 53% Y!)
2B Mike McCoy, TOR (6/15, .400 BA, 4 R, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 SB) is filling in for the injured Aaron Hill and making the most of his opportunities. If your team is decimated by injuries or you play in a very deep mixed league with large rosters and positions like INF, MI or 2B/SS, McCoy could be a nice temporary filler. (0.1% E; 0% Y!)
OF Josh Willingham, WAS (5/22, .227 BA, 7 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 SB) has walked 9 times over his last 7 games and continues to produce. Definitely worth owning at this point. (61% E; 55% Y!)
3B/OF Jose Bautista, TOR (7/23, .304 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB) has been dropped to 6th in the Blue Jays lineup, leading to more RBI opportunities. (1% E; 4% Y!)
OF Jim Edmonds, MIL (7/18, .389 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) keeps stealing at-bats from Corey Hart and making the most of those opportunities. Hopefully he finds his power stroke soon. (1% E; 2% Y!)
SS Cristian Guzman, WAS (11/27, .407 BA, 5 R, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB) is getting playing time at SS and 2B and making it count. Either Ian Desmond or Adam Kennedy could be in danger of losing their starting job if Guzman continues to perform. Already 2B eligible in Yahoo! leagues. (2% E; 23% Y!)
DH Andruw Jones, CHW (6/16, .375 BA, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 0 SB) is performing and could be a nice source of cheap power while he's hot. He's a little more versatile in Yahoo! leagues, having already become OF eligible. (3% E; 11% Y!)
1B Casey Kotchman, SEA (6/18, .333 BA, 4 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB) is the only Mariner hitting right now. He accounted for both of the teams only HRs this past week (let that settle in) and should be owned in deeper leagues with a CI position. (5% E; 8% Y!)

PITCHERS

SP Jason Vargas, SEA (13 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 2.08 ERA, .204 OBA, 0.77 WHIP, 7.62 K/9) is doing his best to stay in the rotation once Cliff Lee is activated from the DL. (0.3% E; 1% Y!)
RP Fernando Rodney, LAA (5 IP, 1 H, 5 SV, .063 OBA, 7.20 K/9) did an incredible job filling in for Fuentes as the closer and shouldn't be dropped until Fuentes proves he's healthy or if your league uses Holds. (31% E; 51% Y!)
CL Matt Lindstrom, HOU (4 IP, 3 SV, 13.50 K/9) is raking up the saves quickly (3 in the last 3 games) and has a firm hold on the closer role, for now, ha. (44% E; 41% Y!)
SP Mike Pelfrey, NYM (15 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 0 ER, .236 OBA, 0.87 WHIP, 7.20 K/9, 1 SV) has done it all this week and looks to be living up to fantasy expectations. Stream him if you are afraid to lock him up as a starter on your staff. (17% E; 43% Y!)
SP Randy Wells, CHC (12.1 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 3.65 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 8.76 K/9) has gone at least six innings in all three starts this season and has some nice potential. (11% E; 74% Y!)
RP Kevin Jepsen, LAA (3 IP, 4 HLD, 15.00 K/9, 5.00 K/BB) is a must-own if your league uses Holds and worth keeping an eye on for your bullpen with a 10.29 K/9 this season. (0.1% E; 4% Y!)
SP Brad Penny, STL (14 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, .231 OBA, 0.86 WHIP, 5.79 K/9, 9.00 K/BB) is flourishing in St. Louis, having thrown 7 IP in each of his 3 starts this season with a 13:3 K:BB ratio. (49% E; 51% Y!)
RP Burke Badenhop, FLA (3.2 IP, 0 H, 1 SV, 1 HLD, 9.82 K/9) is working his way into the bullpen mix for Holds and opportune Saves. Deeper, mixed leagues using Holds are made for guys like this. (0.4% E; 6% Y!)
SP Jaime Garcia, STL (7 IP, 1 QS, 0-0, 1 H, 0 ER, 6.43 K/9) is proving he's legit with his 13:5 IP:H ratio. He's flying under the fantasy radar for most, so now is as good as time as ever to give him a start. (7% E; 21% Y!)
RP Joba Chamberlain, NYY (4.2 IP, 2 HLD, .188 OBA, 0.64 WHIP, 13.50 K/9) is back to his old self as the Yankees' setup man and should be owned in leagues utilizing Holds. Would be next in line for Saves if Mariona Rivera can't go or suffers an injury. (30% E; 28% Y!)

Any other guys out there that you've picked up off waivers recently that are paying off dividends?

Ultimate Lineup: 04/19/2010

April 2010

Ultimate Lineup will be a weekly column looking at the players currently ranked highest at their respective positions over the last week of action. I'll be using ESPN's Player Rater and Yahoo!'s current rankings to determine my starters and reserves based on position eligibility.

CATCHER

Starter - Ivan Rodriguez, WAS (28% E; 37% Y!) - 10/21 (.476 BA), 7 R, 0 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Bengie Molina, SF (91% E; 86% Y!) - 9/17 (.529 BA), 6 R, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Nick Hundley, SD (0.3% E; 2% Y!) - 5/16 (.313 BA), 4 R, 1 R, 6 RBI, 0 SB

FIRST BASE

Starter - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Carlos Pena, TB (100% E; 93% Y!) - 7/24 (.292 BA), 6 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Michael Cuddyer, MIN (100% E; 88% Y!) - 9/24 (.375 BA), 4 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB

SECOND BASE

Starter - Chase Utley, PHI (100% E; 99% Y!) - 7/21 (.333 BA), 8 R, 5 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Dan Uggla, FLA (100% E; 95% Y!) - 13/28 (.464 BA), 7 R, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB

THIRD BASE

Starter - Ty Wigginton, BAL (3% E; 8% Y!) - 8/23 (.348 BA), 6 R, 4 HR, 10 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Casey McGehee, MIL (90% E; 71% Y!) - 10/22 (.455 BA), 5 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Alberto Callaspo, KC (4% E; 25% Y!) - 9/27 (.333 BA), 4 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB

SHORTSTOP

Starter - Derek Jeter, NYY (100% E; 98% Y!) - 11/22 (.500 BA), 5 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Yuniesky Betancourt, KC (2% E; 4% Y!) - 11/24 (.458 BA), 6 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 SB
Reserve - Ryan Theriot, CHC (88% E; 57% Y!) - 8/28 (.286 BA), 4 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 4 SB

OUTFIELD

Starter - Shin-Soo Choo, CLE (100% E; 96% Y!) - 11/19 (.579 BA), 5 R, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 1 SB
Starter - Matt Kemp, LAD (100% E; 99% Y!) - 8/24 (.333 BA), 8 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Starter - Jose Guillen, KC (60% E; 59% Y!) - 12/26 (.462 BA), 7 R, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Ryan Braun, MIL (100% E; 99% Y!) - 11/26 (.423 BA), 5 R, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB
Reserve - Andre Either, LAD (100% E; 95% Y!) - 11/26 (.423 BA), 4 R, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB

STARTING PITCHER

Starter - Adam Wainwright, STL (100% E; 98% Y!) - 17 IP, 1 CG, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.06 ERA, 0.76 WHIP, 5.33 K/BB, 8.47 K/9
Starter - Ricky Romero, TOR (65% E; 72% Y!) - 16 IP, 2 QS, 1-1, 1.69 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, 4.50 K/BB, 10.13 K/9
Starter - Matt Garza, TB (100% E; 94% Y!) - 16 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 0.56 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 2.00 K/BB, 5.63 K/9
Reserve - Andy Pettitte, NYY (77% E; 59% Y!) - 14 IP, 2 QS, 2-0, 1.29 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 1.67 K/BB, 6.43 K/9
Reserve - Mike Pelfrey, NYM (7% E; 24% Y!) - 8 IP, 1 QS, 1-0, 1 SV, 0.00 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 6.00 K/BB, 6.75 K/9
Reserve - Ubaldo Jimenez, COL (100% E; 98% Y!) - 9 IP, 1 CG, 1 QS, 0 H, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP, 1.17 K/BB, 7.00 K/9

RELIEF PITCHER

Starter - Fernando Rodney, LAA (24% E; 48% Y!) - 3 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 6.00 K/9
Reserve - Jonathan Broxton, LAD (100% E; 98% Y!) - 4 IP, 1-0, 1 SV, 13.50 K/9
Reserve - Rafael Soriano, TB (100% E; 92% Y!) - 4 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 9.00 K/9
Reserve - Mariano Rivera, NYY (100% E; 98% Y!) - 2 IP, 0-0, 3 SV, 13.50 K/9

Most of these players are owned in the majority of ESPN and Yahoo! leagues, but there definitely are waiver wire opportunities out there (Rodriguez, Guillen, Wigginton, Romero, Pettitte) to help improve your team(s). Smart, successful owners are always looking at the stats for the "last 7", "last 15" and the "last month" to see who's hot (and not) and where they can improve their team(s) off waivers.

Good luck assembling next week's Ultimate Lineup.

The Haunted Strip Mall

April 2010

This unassuming strip mall, on 19th Avenue & Northern in Phoenix, has an Albertsons, Starbucks, Einstein’s Bagels and other shops or offices, and would never thought to be haunted, but it is. Many years before the strip mall existed on this site, there used to be several eroded buildings standing there. These structures were murky and eerie and abandoned for many years. There was much speculation that the buildings were haunted and ghosts have been reported wandering around the grounds. Between the deteriorating walls of these dark dwellings, apparitions and other strange occurrences had been seen and heard by eyewitnesses. Young kids and teens would dare each other to investigate the buildings at night using only a flashlight for protection. They would find an open hole in the fence to gain access and slowly, as a group, would enter a building. They never lasted the night claiming to hear crying, and whimpering sounds coming from the long dark passage. Only a few brave souls would check out the basements where there were rumors of torture and murder that occurred in there. Others would report seeing three headstones, one large in the middle and two smaller ones on each side. The strange thing was, they were never seen in the light of day.

Today there sits a strip mall where some employees reported hearing crying and seeing what they could only describe as a ghost in various areas of the stores they were working at. Others have claims of seeing a ghostly looking homeless man in the area behind the store where a body of one was found several years ago. The reports were that he was murdered in his sleep. He seems to be still hanging around behind the strip mall, making an appearance from time to time.

Bees struggle to win in Peoria even with a 1st inning lead...

April 2010

Being the Dad of a baseball prospect can be a little like riding a rollercoaster. There are plenty of highs and lows associated with the experience. Nights before my son has the starting pitcher's role are usually full of tossing and turning mixed in with a few winks of sleep. I really don't know when this started but I think it was his second year of high school baseball. This only seems to happen when he pitches. When he played a position during his amatuer career, between pitching starts, I never lost a wink of sleep over the anticipation of his performance, or his team.

Thank goodness he has accepted the highs and lows involved with the game and simply goes about his business one pitch at a time. There is more to winning baseball games than a pitcher simply throwing strikes and trying to make good pitches. Team members need to play catch to avoid unearned runs and hit the ball to score runs for a fighting chance to win at any level of baseball.

The 3rd pitching start for John Lamb of the 2010 season against the Peoria Chiefs, the Class A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs, went relatively smooth for the first three innings. After clearly picking off the Chiefs short-stop, Logan Watkins, in the 4th inning the play concluded with a throwing error by first baseman, Joey Lewis, allowing Watkins to stay a second base. Following a couple of hits in the inning the Chiefs managed to score three unearned runs and forcing John to leave the game in the bottom of the 5th inning, due to pitch count.

The ball went to the bullpen to try and hold the score, but instead allowed even more runs with the final tally being a 10-3 loss for the Burlington Bees, the Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals organization.

John Lamb finished his day of work spreading out 5 hits, 0 HR, 1 HBP, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3 runs without giving up an earned run over four innings and lowering his ERA for the year to 0.71. Again, it takes more than pitching to win ball games in professional baseball. Still proud as can be of my 19-year-old son living his dream.

Well, at least I should sleep well for the next 4 nights until John's next scheduled start on April 23, at the Burlington Bees home field in Burlington, IA.

- - - James Lamb

http://www.squidoo.com/prospects_dad

Bees swept out of Kane Coutny!

April 2010

John Lamb helped erase his opening day memory with quality four and two-thirds innings of work at the Kane County Cougars field, earlier today. John had a shutout performance and allowing only one hit when he left the game with 2 runners on base. His performance was saved without any of those base runneres scoring with quick work by the Burlington Bees bullpen.

Pitch count was the reason for taking John out of the game with the following game statistics:

Innings - 4.2

Hits - 1

Runs - 0

Earned Runs - 0

Walks - 2

Strike outs (K's) - 6

HR's - 0

Season ERA - 1.04

Although, a little disappointing leaving in the middle of an inning before an official win can be credited for your effort, I am sure that my son has a clear understanding of the basis for those decisions by the coaching staff. It's not his first time and surely not the last time he will be pulled from the game, before his baseball career is over.

The Bees squandered the 5-0 lead later in the game, including giving up 3 in the bottom of the 9th to force extra innings. The Burlington bullpen suffered the loss in the bottom of the 11th by walking 4 and pushing the winning run across the plate.

The Cougars swept the 3 game series and I'm sure sent the Bees home, for a short series with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, scratching their heads with their early season placement at the bottom of the standings.

Keep up the good work son and the wins will come.

- - - James Lamb

http://www.squidoo.com/prospects_dad

Ups and Downs: 04/17/2010

April 2010

Ups and Downs will be a semi-regular column looking at players with the greatest percentage of adds and drops, according to ESPN's fantasy leagues (simply because that data is easily accessible to me), and the fantasy impact (positive and negative) of those decisions.

HITTER ADDS (data as of 04/17/2010)

OF Jeff Francoeur, NYM (+49.7%) - It's not hard to see why Francoeur is at the top of the ADDS list. He's currently the #5 ranked hitter on ESPN with a .457 BA, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 7 BB(!) and a 1.302 OPS. What is surprising is that he's still only 63.7% owned overall.
OF Chris B. Young, ARI (+47.7%) - Young looks to be living up to the potential people were drafting for in 2008 and 2009. A hot start (.325 BA, .989 OPS, 3 HR, 15 RBI, 1 SB) has boosted his ownership up to 89.3%. This ship has probably sailed if your league has any value at all.
SS Alex Gonzalez, TOR (+46.5%) - A .340 BA and 34 TB (2nd in MLB) easily explain why Gonzalez is such a huge ADD. Question is, "How long will this last?". As long as you don't dump an under-performing star to add him, ride this wave all the way to the shore. Was only 1.4% owned before this week.
OF Jose Guillen, KC (+44.4%) - His 5 HR, .350 BA and 1.195 OPS explain all the love being thrown his way. More incredible is the news of the off-season battle to save his life. Only 44.8% owned, you may have a chance to grab him before he hits any more bombs.
OF Scott Podsednik, KC (+43%) - Virtually undrafted unless for his SB potential, Pods is has not disappointed. His 6 SB are tied for the ML lead but the .436 BA is what can't be overlooked. Still only 50.6% owned. Get him for the steals and enjoy the peripherals while they're hot.
OF Magglio Ordonez, DET (+32.9%) - His ADP was 191.1 and for that, all he's done is give you a .341 BA with 3 HR, 8 R, 8 RBI and a 1.035 OPS. He's healthy and hitting but probably not available in any league worth being in (93.6% owned).

PITCHER ADDS (data as of 04/17/2010)

SP Ricky Romero, TOR (+46.9%) - He's started off with 2 QS, 1 W in 15 IP with a robust 16:4 K:BB ratio with a 1.80 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP. Still only 50.3% owned, now might be the time to pick him up and see if this is for real or not.
RP Kevin Gregg, TOR (+42.6%) - Started the season in the closer mix, he's now been anointed the Closer after Jason Frasor imploded. A must-own in all formats. Shocking he's still only 51.1% owned.
RP Neftali Feliz, TEX (+37.4%) - Another newly-crowned Closer, Feliz was a must-own even before this with his 13.50 K/9. Can you believe this guy is still only 65.1% owned? If you need saves, holds, K's or stellar ratios, get him! Get him now!
SP Dallas Braden, OAK (+33%) - Another virtually undrafted player that is off to a hot start, his 3 QS, 2 W, 2.70 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB make him ownable in all formats.
SP Carl Pavano, MIN (+25.5%) - Pavano has recorded 2 QS against two quality opponents (@LAA, vsBOS) with a 10:1 K:BB ratio. His next start is versus KC, so he should continue to succeed.

HITTER DROPS (data as of 04/17/2010)

OF Kyle Blanks, SD (-20.1%) - Blanks still has 25+ HR potential as a 4th or 5th outfielder in deep leagues but his low average (.229) and high strikeouts (13 K in 10 G) may be too much to stomach for most owners.
OF Chris Coghlan, FLA (-18.6%) - Coghlan started off poorly (.132 BA and .307 OPS) and has been battling a ribs injury. These factors may have caused the mass bails. If you have the roster flexibility, he may be a good stash (especially if he's forced to the DL) until he rights the wrongs.
C Mike Napoli, LAA (-17.6%) - Jeff Mathis somehow stole all of Napoli's ABs and it doesn't look like it will get any better. Definitely a dump in single-catcher formats. Rumors of a trade may make him ownable in two-catcher formats.
C Miguel Montero, ARI (-17.2%) - I truly don't understand this one unless your league does not include DL slots. If some frustrated owner in your league can't wait four-to-six weeks for a top 5 catcher to return from injury, get him and stash him on your DL until he's back. Some people's kids...
OF Julio Borbon, TEX (-14.2%) - Another head-scratcher here. Yes, Borbon has started off slowly (.097 BA, 1 SB), but his ADP of 144.6 means people are already giving up on a 12th round pick. Again, grab him and be patient. Texas has committed to Borbon and so should you.

PITCHER DROPS (data as of 04/17/2010)

RP Mike Gonzalez, BAL (-23.8%) - The Orioles were slow to put him on the DL, which probably caused frustrated owners (of which I was one) to dump him for RP Jim Johnson.
RP Frank Francisco, TEX (-20.6%) - Another closer that lost his job and was worth the drop unless your league utilizes Holds.
RP Matt Lindstrom, FLA (-18.8%) - Lindstrom and Brandon Lyon were expected to battle it out for the closer role but what good is a closer if you aren't winning games. Not sure he was worth the drop already, so pick him up if you are desperate for potential saves.
RP Jason Frasor, TOR (-16.2%) - Not often that a closer with three saves loses his role within the first ten games of the season, but the numbers don't lie: 2 BSV, 5.06 ERA, 2.06 WHIP, .407 OBA
SP Stephen Strasburg, WAS (-13.6%) - Not surprising that he's being dropped. The real fun is when he becomes the guy to add. Keep an eye on all news related to Strasburg's call up and jump all over the chance to own him.