Johan Santana to miss opening day?

http://weblogs.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/blog/2009/02/johan_santana_out_indefinetly.html

Not what Mets fans wanted to hear. This has huge fantasy impact, obviously. I'll try to post the outfielder rankings later today. 

2/28 Picks

Georgetown @ Villanova

Villanova -6.5 (Loss)

St. John's @ Depaul

St. Johns -1 (Winner)

Temple @ Dayton

Dayton -3 (Winner)

Clemson @ Florida St.

Florida St. +1.5 (Winner)

Georgia St @ VCU

Georgia St. +14 (Loss)

Orlando @ Philadelphia

Orlando -2 (Winner)

Houston @ Chicago

Houston -2 (Loss)

2/27 Picks

Lakers @ Nuggets
Lakers -2(Loss)

Bulls @ Wizards
Bulls -5 (Loss)

Iona @ St. Petes
St. Petes +3 (Winner)

Marist @ Canisius
Canisius -4.5 (Winner)

Yale @ Penn
Penn -2.5 (Loss)

Good Morning

So another promising night spoiled by teams just not showing up, Arizona forgot about the second half, west virginia was just completely outplayed second half, and Cavs just forgot how to play basketball last night.

I would like to apologize for the Muzz not posting any comments lately, he claims he is busy at work but I really just think he is being a waste watching atlanta brave spring training games.

Its a real weak looking lineup tonight, going to post a couple of games, fri seems to be the night for ivy league bball so i'll research a couple of those and pick an nba game or two.

The video I posted last night is a classic, not sure I believe its totally real however.

Something Pretty Funny To Ease the Pain

2/26 Picks

Still looking over the two NBA games tonight so ill post a game later on.

As for College tonight:

Miami @ Virginia
Miami -4 (WINNER)
Miami is the more talented team in this one and with a handful of games left Miami can't afford to lose to a inferior team tonight, don't like that its being played at UVA but i'll take Miami tonight.


Arizona @ Washington St.
Arizona +2 (LOSS)

Arizona played a tough game Sunday night and ended up with a Loss, they should be able to rebound with a win tonight. WSU plays great defense but I believe at the level Zona is playing at lately they should have no problem scoring and I'll take the points tonight.


West Virginia @ Cincinnati
Wesst Virginia -5 ( LOSS)

This one may be the shakiest pick of the night but I saw West Virginia torch Rutgers on Sunday and they were on the road in that game, and even though Cinci is at home tonight I just don't believe they are talented enough this yr, lay the points and take WVU.

New Mexico St @ Louisianna Tech
LA Tech -1.5 (WINNER)

This is a matchup of to closely matched teams, I like the low spread in this one and I will be honest this is just a gut feeling pick, but I'll take the home team and lay the points tonight.

Goodluck with these college games tonight, I will post an nba game later on today, so check later on.

Update: Cavaliers @ Houston

Cavs -3 (LOSS)

Good Luck Tonight!!!!!!!

Starting The Day Off Right

Ok so last night wasnt the greatest, it could have been worse and i helped my night out with two late wins. Kentucky just never showed up for that game and the bulls lead for 3 quarters and just forgot about the 4th as Devin Harris tore them up. UConn will be returning to the #1 ranked team which means next week they will lose a game they should win. So tonight's card isn't looking to easy, no standout games really, however I do see some games that I am researching currently and will be making my picks later today.

I believe Fantasy outfield rankings will be up at some point today for baseball and last night I posted some predicitions on the top tier NFL free agents and where they will sign so check the archives for that if interested in that.

This weekend I will be putting together my first NFL Mock Draft for this year, some interesting stuff came out of the combine and this draft is loaded with talent, so check this weekend for the mock draft.

I am working from a new office today so picks may be up later than usual today so once I get the chance I will post them.

NFL FREE AGENT PREDICTIONS

Predictions for Top Tier NFL free agents to come....

Albert Haynesworth - Redskins, all signs point toward a quick signing. Bucs could make a push after clearing an additional 12.5 million in cap space earlier today. (Signed with Redskins)

Kurt Warner - Cardinals, wants to get paid in his last yrs and deserves it, will hold out but eventually resign when he gets the money he wants.

TJ Houshmanzadeh - Giants, looking to add another playmaker to potentially play opposite of plax. Also could fill the void if Plax gets in more trouble this year. 

Ray Lewis - Ravens, he's the heart and soul of the team, they can't afford to lose him. Will end up resigning and ravens will lose Bart Scott in the process of meeting Lewis's demands.

Jeff Saturday - Dolphins, already making noise to upgrade the position and would be a big veteran addition, still a good chance he resigns with the colts. (Re-Signed with Colts)

Bart Scott - Jets, Rex Ryan gets one of his big three, Jets currently freeing up a ton of cap space look for them to be very active for the second consecutive yr in free agency. (Signed with Jets)

Jeff Garcia - Jets, will probably be a late signing but after the jets realize they will need a good veteran in case Clemens and Ratliff can't handle the job.

Kerry Collins - Titans, can't let Vince Young run this team yet until he proves he isnt a head case. Collins proved he still has stuff left in the tank and Titans going to need him. (Re-Signed with Titans)

Derrick Ward - Broncos, Giants gave a contract to Jacobs today and Ward is out of the question, no real feel but would be a nice fit in Denver.

Bertrand Berry - Cardinals, dont see much of a fit and see him resigning for less, could end up on Dallas or maybe K.C.

2/25 Picks

New Day, New Picks. Had a so-so start, a pretty nice second day, now looking for a great third day. Posting the most picks today to make a statement tonight. Looked like the anonymous hater couldnt hate as much last night do to me going 3-1. So here we go:

Kentucky @ South Carolina
Kentucky +1 (LOSS) Kentucky forgot to get off the bus tonight.


Marshall @ East Carolina
East Carolina -2.5 (LOSS)


UConn @ Marquette
UConn +1 (WINNER)


Oklahoma St. @ Colorado
Ok St -5.5 (WINNER)

Chicago @ New Jersey
Chicago +1 (LOSS, Chicago forgot about the 4th quarter tonight)

Pistons @ Hornets
Hornets -8 (LOSS)


Bobcats @ Kings
Bobcats -3.5 (WINNER)


Celtics @ Clippers
Celtics -8 (LOSS)


Going with a 3 team Parlay tonight:
Kentucky, UConn, East Carolina (LOSS)

Beat the Streak begins early today and I only would choose 2 things on the board:
Stewart Cink @ 9:45 am (winner and keeping your streaks going)
Kentucky @ 7 pm (kentucky brings the streak to a crashing end)

Good Luck tonight, staying away from labeling anything a top play tonight, I like the games I have picked and looking for an overall good night.

UPDATE: Looking like a rough night tonight, damn.

UPDATE #2: What started as a very rough night could shape out to a .500 night, not as terrible as it looked like it could have been.

UPDATE #3: Overall rough night, just glad it wasn't worse than it was, be back at them tomm.

Wednesday 2/25 Start of the Day

Picks went 3-1 yesterday, hope I was able to help people make some money last night. One bad pick in Orlando, however the other three wins made up for it and should have made for a winning night for anyone checking out the picks.

The teaser failed but hey those things are prob going to go against me more than for me, I would never suggest betting large on them just take them small for some action.

Beat the streak picks kept the streaks alive for me and hope they helped some people continue there streak.

I will be checking out games this morning and will be getting my picks up later on and will be looking for a second consecutive winning day.

-Gio

Baseball America Top 100 Prospects

Selecting prospects too early in your fantasy baseball draft can be risky. The players that you hear about are usually the ones that can actually contribute. For example, a player like David Price or Matt Wieters should have some value this season. But their value lies in how young they are and their potential in Dynasty(keeper) leagues. Chances are the Rays are going to limit David Price's innings this year. And you have already seen the Baltimore Orioles sign Greg Zaun to start at Catcher this season  - Wieters probably won't be up until June and will most likely share time, initially. All that said, they are pickups that can help for your playoff run so it is worth keeping an eye on. Here are some of the top prospects that you should be looking out for:

1. David Price LHP Tampa Bay Rays

2. Matt Wieters C Baltimore Orioles

3. Tommy Hanson RHP Atlanta Braves

4. Colby Rasmus CF St. Louis Cardinals

5. Travis Snider RF Toronto Blue Jays

6. Cameron Maybin CF Florida Marlins

7. Brett Anderson LHP Oakland Athletics

8. Neftali Feliz RHP Texas Rangers

9. Matt Laporta LF Cleveland Indians

10. Andrew McCutchen CF Pittsburgh Pirates

Here is the link:  http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/top-100-prospects/2009/267698.html

2/24 Free Picks

Ok so after a mediocre night, back at it again eyeing a couple of games for tonight

Picks of the Night

Florida @ LSU
LSU -3.5 (WINNER)

Texas A&M @ Nebraska
Texas A&M +3.5 (WINNER)

Orlando @ Chicago
Orlando -1.5 (LOSS)

Charlotte @ Phoenix
Phoenix -7 (WINNER)

Instead of a Parlay I'm going with a 5 team 4.5 point Teaser:
Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Orlando, BYU, Tex A&M (LOSS)

ESPN Beat the Streak Picks: Really only one safe pick in my eyes, LSU tonight. If you have a decent streak I would only take that game, if your building trying to grow your number BYU could be the other team to take, but im staying away from it, goodluck. (LSU AND BYU KEEP THE STREAK ALIVE!)

Fantasy Baseball Pitcher Rankings ( #'s 11-20 and Sleepers)

11. Dan Haren, D-Backs
Outperformed expectations last season in a smaller ballpark. Again, weaker league and a steady climb in his K rate. All good things.

12. Roy Oswalt, Astros
Might be high for the veteran pitcher. He came on strong in the second half of 2008 and the Astros should score enough runs as long as Michael Bourn isn't hitting leadoff again.

13. John Lackey, Angels
Contract year. Steady performer on a very good team. Misses enough bats. Although this may be the highest he is ranked for the forseeable future as he is leaving his prime years.

14. Josh Beckett, Red Sox
The injury concerns may be legit, but if he is healthy, he'll win a lot of games and strikeout over 200 batters. Tough division, but Beckett has always shown that he can dominate lineups, regardless of talent level.

15. Cliff Lee, Indians
I just had to throw him in here. Yes, his 2008 will be almost impossible to repeat, but it's still something that can't be ignored. Indians are the best team in that division, so that helps too.

16. A.J. Burnett, Yankees
You'd think he would be ranked higher after last seasons performance, but he just isn't good enough of a bet to stay on the field. When healthy, the dominance is unquestionable though.

17. Edinson Volquez, Reds
His minor league track record and scouting reports didn't exactly have all the experts envisioning the year he just had. He is still way too talented to pass up on here. Reds may actually suprise this year, although their manager will do everything in his power to screw it up.

18. Felix Hernandez, Mariners
Upside. It's a term often used in fantasy that can lead to owners passing on more dependable sure things and get them in trouble. Oh yea, and the Mariners are terrible. All that said, Felix is turning 23 years old this year. He has already logged 660+ innings in his young career and at some point will breakthrough and be a annual Cy Young candidate.

19. Justin Verlander, Tigers
See Felix, except that the Tigers aren't as bad as the Mariners. His drop in velocity is scary but his strong 2006 and 2007 mean that the talent is certainly there. A successful April would go a long way instilling confidence in fantasy owners.

20. Daisuke Matsuzaka, Red Sox
Luck plays a big role in baseball and sports overall. Let me repeat myself, Luck plays a big role in baseball. Give him credit, he got out of all of those sticky situations. Why isn't he striking more hitters out? The stuff is there but Japanese pitchers tend to be too fine in their approach.

Pitchers you might of thought should of been there: Scott Kazmir, Ryan Dempster, Carlos Zambrano, James Shields. Huge red flag over Zambrano this season. His K rate has declined and he is becoming more hittable. Kazmir is an injury concern. Shields is good but you have to wonder how the always improving AL East lineups will effect him. Dempster may very well be a one year wonder. Sleepers: Clayton Kershaw, Zach Grienke, Matt Cain, Josh Johnson, David Price. Kershaw might be better than Billingsley soon. Grienke is on the Royals, but he was excellent last year and has seemed to get past his personal troubles. Cain has to start winning games at some point, right? Too good not to. Johnson may be the third best pitcher in the NL East when this season is over. Price, at some point, will be the Rays ace.

http://fantasysportingnewsandpicks.blogspot.com/2009/02/top-20-fantasy-starting-pitchers.html - the list 1-10 done yesterday.

-Efrim

New Day New Picks

Currently going through games for tonight, see a couple of small plays but nothing really jumping off the page. Last night wasnt great by any stretch but def not a total disaster. I think I may choose to post a couple of odd parlays later on and make things interesting on the night.

Got win 8 on ESPN'S beat the streak last night with Louisville, luckily was out of my house for most of the night or else I would have risked putting the streak on the line with Oklahoma.

For anyone interested I will post some possible picks in the Streak for tonight as well, thing is tough so take them lightly.

Be back later to post my official picks of the day.

Oklahoma Tonight

Kansas @ Oklahoma
Take Oklahoma -4 (LOSS)

I made my picks earlier today and have been sitting on this game waiting for some info. Blake Griffin sounds doubtful hasnt been officially ruled out, but it doesnt matter. Oklahoma is the better team even without Griffin, Kansas is a young team and wont be able to hang with Oklahoma on a big stage tonight. Take Oklahoma and make some money tonight.

Top Pick of the Day - OKLAHOMA!!!!!!!!

Update: Oklahoma currently at -2.5 on some boards, shop for best line

UPDATE: Sorry for that tough loss thought Oklahoma would have played an entire game they fell asleep midway through the 1st half and decided to wake up midway through the 2nd half. Tough loss.

Overall on the day finished 2-2 on single game picks and lost the parlay. Not the way I wanted to start things off, just gotta come out strong and win tomorrow.

Top 20 Fantasy Starting Pitchers(1-10)

A few things to take into account when viewing these rankings. Strikeouts are the #1 thing that a fantasy owner should be looking at. They are the best indicator of success. Difference of league is also something that should be taken into account. The American League is far superior to the National League, so try to understand that pitchers in the NL West won't have to face the type of competition that Roy Halladay, C.C. Sabathia and Jon Lester will face day in and day out. Lastly, and the most obvious, the team that the pitcher is playing for. Yes, Jake Peavy is a stud, but he is on a 95 loss team, maybe worse. So here it is:

1. Johan Santana - New York Mets
His declining strikeout rate is worrisome, but the NL is far inferior to the AL and he hasn't exactly shown any other signs of regression.

2. C.C. Sabathia - New York Yankees
Switch to the AL East will hurt his K rate and CG's, but his record and winning percentage stand to get better.

3. Tim Lincecum - San Francisco Giants
Pitches in one of the best pitcher's parks in the game and should miss bats consistently. Injury concern is overblown. Just because he is 5'11'' doesn't mean he is going to get hurt. Kid is ripped.

4. Brandon Webb - Arizona Diamondbacks

Five straight seasons of 200 innings plus may lead you to believe that he is a breakdown candidate. While that's possible, the consistency is too hard to ignore and he'll pitch 10-12 games against three of the worst lineups in the sport.

5. Roy Halladay - Toronto Blue Jays

I wouldn't of ranked him here a year ago, but the dominance that he displayed this past season was scary. The Jays offense should be better as well.

6. Cole Hamels - Philadelphia Phillies
If you were starting a baseball team, you'd have to consider drafting him as the first pitcher given his age, left handedness, and overall makeup. How does he post stats like that pitching in a silo?

7. Jake Peavy - San Diego Padres
I must say, I am not exactly confident about this ranking, but he is Jake Peavy. His team is awful offensively and should lose a lot of games, but he should strikeout enough people to warrant a ranking like this. I mean, it's Jake freakin Peavy.

8. Ervin Santana - Los Angelas Angels of Anaheim
One of the most underrated pitchers in the game. Misses bats, is on a very good team, and is just coming into his own. He's getting better and don't be suprised if he is Top 5 material next year.

9. Chad Billingsley - Los Angelas Dodgers
The broken leg should be healed by the start of the season. Three things to know: He pitches in the NL West, he strikes people out and he has one of the best curveballs you've ever seen.

10. Jon Lester - Boston Red Sox
This ranking is based on an improvement in his K rate, which should occur with the addition of his cutter. Red Sox may struggle to score runs this year if Ortiz, Drew and Lowell battle injuries and Youkilis/Pedroia regress....which has to happen, right?

#'s 11-20 and sleepers, coming tomorrow

Week of 2/23 NBA Fantasy Info

Ok so with monday here. a new week in the NBA fantasy world has begun, get your week started right by hitting the waiver wire and hope you can beat some people in your league to Leandro Barbosa, Marquis Daniels, Kendrick Pekins, and Aaron Brooks. These 4 are the top 4 to become relevant in fantasy and could add a significant boost to teams looking to make a playoff run into the season, good luck and hopefully you're able to snag one of these 4.

2/23 Picks of the Day

Louisville @ Georgetown
Louisville -1.5 (WINNER)

Atlanta @ Utah
Utah -7  (WINNER)

Tennesee Martin @Murray St.
Tenn Martin +2 (LOSS)

These are the top 3 of the day, I will be rating games later on, first want to establish a good track record.

Risky pick but one I do like on the day is a parlay of Wooford -3, Tenn Martin +2, Tenn Chat -2, good luck. (PARLAY WAS A LOSS WITH TENN CHAT NOT COMING THROUGH)

-Gio

Welcome all!!

Just started this up today with my friend the Muzz, we will be posting tons of info that will be useful to all interested in sports. We will have a range of fantasy information, random sport news, and daily picks in all sports. We are new to this and will be posting info as soon as possible.

-Gio