Pavano Equals 06-07 Win Total

Dukes returns with a bang, Gregg blows another save and Harang continues his gopheritis. All that and more in this week's Week That Was.

Elijah Dukes: Returning from the DL with a bang, make that two bangs, Elijah Dukes smacked two dingers in a blowout of the faltering Dodgers Thursday. Dukes has always had the talent and now seems to have found a home in D.C. For those whose roto teams do not have a morals clause, Dukes could well provide a critical spark down the stretch. Buy!

Aaron Harang: Aaron Harang continued his puzzling season Thursday. The good news, Harang struck out nine. The bad news, he gave up another three dingers. Despite the fact that his season long ratios look weak and he has posted only four, yes four, wins, Harang is a major buy low candidate. Few have the potential to consistently register the number of K's Harang can down the stretch. So, if you are in a race, Harang could be a key cog. On the other hand, if you are already building for next year, Harang is a horse in his prime who is due to return to his higher level next year.

Kevin Gregg: Kevin Gregg was bombed again Friday night, giving up four earned runs for the second outing in a row. With the blown save last night, Gregg has tallied nine blown saves. The good news, he has also saved 29 games. With the Marlins starting to look toward next year, and Gregg looking shaky, it is time to invest in Matt Lindstrom. The young Marlin fireballer has hardly been the model of consistency, however, saves are hard to come at year's end and Lindstrom could well assume the position in Florida.

Chris Dickerson: Chris Dickerson had yet another strong game Friday night, going 3-5 with a homer and four RBI. In his brief stint in the show, CD is hitting well over .300 with both 4 dingers and 4 swipes. Great American is a great place to hit. The Reds have every reason to run CD out there and see what he can do. Add that to the fact that power and speed is a nice combo and you have a serious BUY recommendation. Yes, Dickerson's average will fall as the league begins to study the holes in his swing. However, he will continue to produce in the counting categories. Unless batting average is your only concern, CD is a nice investment.

Luis Ayala: Luis Ayala also had a good new, bad news evening last night. The good news is that he earned his third save. The bad news is that he allowed two runs and four hits. Turning a three run lead into a one run lead is hardly something to crow about. Bottom line is that Ayala gives up way too many baserunners and his stuff is way too pedestrian for him to last as the Mets closer in a pennant race. If you own Ayala, sell high. The price will never be higher.

Carl Pavano: In what continues to be a truly amazing story, Carl Pavano notched his second win of the season last night, allowing only three hits in six innings and outdueling A.J. Burnett. The win last night gave him more wins in his last two starts than he has had in the last two years combined. Bottom line, for a guy who has shown no heart at all over the last two years, he has pitched with a lot of heart in late 08 and could well tally a few more wins down the stretch.

Josh Beckett: Josh Beckett went on the 15 day dl this week, but it was retroactive to August 19. Every few days, he is announced as the scheduled starter and then is scratched - a maddening situation for roto players. That is the bad news. The good news is that reports indicate that Dr. James Andrews gave Beckett the green light to return this year. If you own Beckett, you have no choice but to hold the line. If you are looking for someone to anchor your staff next year, be wary. Elbow problems for a guy with so many innings on a young arm are, to state the obvious, just not good.

Josh Geer: San Diego will trot out another minor league pitcher this weekend, giving the ball to recent call-up Josh Geer. From a fantasy perspective, this one is easy. Stay far, far away. Geer posted a sub-500 record in AAA this year, including an ERA over 4.50. If you need me to explain the math here, well, that is just sad. Simply put 4.50 in AAA equals just plain scary in the show. PASS.

Travis Snider: Toronto called up Travis Snider this week and plans to install him in the OF for September. Snider may well have a bright future, but that future is NOT now. OK, here is another math lesson, .258 in the minors equals really bad average in the majors. PASS.

Kei Igawa: Will Labor Day and the roster expansion mean the return of Igawa? Geez, I hope not.

And last but not least, Schultz Says: "Football season looms on the horizon and for many who have failed in their quest for roto-baseball glory their eyes have been cast astray and they are no longer paying attention or care about the rest of their baseball season. That's all fine and dandy if you are at least maintaining the integrity of your league. However, at this time of year many do not. Leagues of repute put in a trading deadline to keep these slackers from truly ruining a league but there are those in every league that are . . . well, how to put this tactfully . . . selfish jackasses.

Who are these people? In one league, a Yahoo points league (a dumb concept that needs it's own dissertation at some point in time), a selfish, self-centered owner has decided his chances for next year would be improved by benching his entire team, leaving his roster empty and acquiring not a single point. This would somehow be fine had this selfish prig not made trades this year and the year before involving his future draft picks. The Commissioner in this league lacks a spine and has decided since there isn't a rule stating that a team must actually start players, it's OK to let this team mock everyone by starting no one. Who plays rotisserie baseball so that they can turn around and not play? It's sad and pathetic.

Why do I tell you this story instead of touting Victor Martinez' return or opining on Emilio Bonifacio's potential? Fortune favors those with integrity and while it may take a village to raise a child (if Hillary is to be believed), it only takes one team to ruin a league. Without a league that's run well or populated with people with integrity, it doesn't matter who does well and who does poorly, cause you play with jackasses who would rather exploit a league's loophole and play with dignity. While not in this form, it's a situation that every league deals with at one time or another.

Schultz does have the solution and it's an easy one: forbid asinine behavior and selfish jackassery. It's not as hard as you think. Everyone knows when they are being a jackass, especially when trying to "be creative" in light of a strict reading of a league's rules. All self-serving protests aside, they know deep down when they are putting themselves before the league, Whether explicitly or implicitly, every league has a "best interests of the league rule." If your Commissioner can't spot someone in an attempt of selfish, league-mocking activity, get rid of him, because there's your league's problem right there. Every team gets the right to compete on a level playing field. When one team wants to change that, he needs to be smacked down by the one person that has the right to do so, your Commissioner. Don't except poor substitutes.

Response: Well alright then. I have one question: Schultzie, do you feel better now?

Copyright Archive Sources
Contact Us