Timmy

What is there to say when a guy like this comes along and changes the landscape of a sport. Tim Lincecum is the only pitcher who completely holds my attention when I watch a baseball game. With his not so large frame (prefer not to use the S word), he still finds a way to blow pitches passed batters and keep them completely baffled. If you haven't had a chance to watch him pitch you better make some time to watch him, dominance doesn't last forever. Too bad I don't live in San Fran because it would be amazing to go out and watch him live.

Few Thoughts

I can't believe how fast time flies when work comes a callin'. It has been a full 7 days since my last post and crap has piled up in my brain that needs to be written.

Timmy - Lincecum has earned another Cy Young, 2nd straight, and for all of you who have him on your keeper list in fantasy baseball think Johan time. I love this guy! Tiny little man who throws like the big power pitchers before him, think Big-Unit, Schilling, and Clemens (does he count?). The one thing I am questioning is his choice for a 1-year deal in arbitration. This maximizes earning potential, which is great, but seems a little risky for a pitcher. I'm not 100% sure on the salary structure under the agreement between MLB and the MLBPA but heading into an off-season with two consecutive Cy Young's should break the bank either way.

Jays Fill SS - The Jays have signed two free agents and both are SS's, Alex Gonzalez and John McDonald. Nothing that can compare with the big free agents like Bay and Holliday but roster filling moves that should keep the Jays moving forward...slowly. Went digging to see who we have in the minors to fill the SS position in the coming years and I found nothing worth truly smiling about. Remember Russ Adams, how about Angel Sanchez? I have accepted a losing season from the SkyDome for the next, ummm, 5 years.

The Answer - Holy crap, this guy just doesn't get it. From my last post about Iverson, he has found a way to piss me off even more. Come on man, retiring in the middle of the season because no team wants to give you a starting gig and infect their organization with a brutal disease called your ego, arrogance, the list could go on forever. Buddy, you are good but not good enough to suck up all the shots on the court. You are good but not good enough for a team to put up with your shit. Wake up and read the papers, read the blogs, and the read the sports pages because you need to come to the realization that you are not going to be the focal point on any team that is going to be successful in the NBA. Why is it, people who have all the skill the in world have nothing else but that skill?

Federer - He finished the year at number 1 but couldn'd find a way to win the final tournament. He is not the old unbeatable Federer and everyone in the world knows it. Once the veil is lifted and we find out what things look like people usually say, "He's human just like me." It is always nice to see Federer win but with young guns coming from behind everyone will be hearing about early exits from tournaments in 2010 and beyond.

First or Bust

Fantasy baseball is over for another year and I can finally say I am a champion. After playing years of fantasy baseball I have never touched the top. Years of 2nd/3rd place finishes left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. Year after year, I build a strong team that always spends time in first place and competes against every team but year after year, there is an owner who has career years from all his players.

Some of the guys I participate with always say I should be happy that I am placing in the top 3 year in and year out but who gives a rats ass if you finish top 3 every year. It is first or bust man!

Fantasy baseball is all about drafting the right players and filling in the holes when DL stints occur and making sure to find rookies or guys having career years to add to your team before someone else picks them off the waiver wire. After a 162 game season, it was all worth it. The time spent sitting in front of the computer clicking and browsing through numbers trying to find some player who is breaking out was fun and now rewarding. Even with the injuries to Beltran, Ibanez, Torii Hunter, and the 50 game suspension of Manny I found a way to take the league. Yes, I had a pretty stacked team. Keepers/draft is where it happens. That is how great of a year I had. Finding McCutchen, Jeter being the old Jeter, Fielder coming into his own, Lincecum throwing smoke, finding Asdrubal Cabrera on the wire, Kurt Suzuki pitching (funny huh?) in from behind the plate, and one of my underrated but not under appreciated staple on my fantasy keeper list Carlos Lee.

At one point in the season, I was thinking I would never finish first especially with all the injuries and “other” things happening. But it all came together and I am glad it did. Now is the time to celebrate a little and rub it into some of my buddy’s faces but in a few weeks I will need to turn my attention to something important, scouting for next year. Yes, I am already preparing for a repeat in 2010. I don’t go hardcore into numbers and spend hours everyday in front of the computer for baseball stats but I do spend some time looking at winter baseball stats and making sure to take note of young guys who are producing. A great league to look at is the Arizona Fall League. Ever heard of a guy named Tommy Hanson? He was MVP of the league last year and we all know what he did this year in the bigs.

The season is over and everything worked out. If anyone is interested in fantasy baseball please leave a comment and if you have a competitive/serious league with owners who actual stay active through the long 162 game season, please leave me a comment and hopefully we can get a league together. March is not so far away, draft time is slowly coming.

AAA Player

Lincecum, if Zito is giving you advice on pitching...do the opposite.

Who is the highest paid AAA player in baseball right now? If you jump to Google and try to find him you'll be way off. Why do you ask? Well, the highest paid AAA player is in fact currently sitting on a Major League Baseball roster. His name, Barry Zito. Yes, the question may have been a little deceiving but I guess everything about this post and Zito have to be deceiving.

Just look at his stats since he signed a 7 year $126 million contract. Seriously, go and check it out...I'll even put a link here for you so you don't have to Google it. Is this what you get for $126million because if it is Billy Beane is laughing his ass off at how the Giants threw away money. It was a contract year and the A's, notorious cheap skates or as equity guys call it value investors, decided to step aside and let someone else over pay and suffer the consequences of a Zito that would throw nothing but batting practice during Major League games.

Every time I watch this guy and every time I see his name in the stats, all I do is laugh because of how stupid the Giants were to sign this guy to a organizational death trap of 7 years!!! Man, how stupid can can an organization be.

I know the Giants are paying this guy around $18million a year and that is kind of pricy to send his ass down to AAA but they should do it. The Giants need to embarass this so called major league pitcher because it doesn't seem like he cares about anything except knowing his salary is deposited on payday. Guy is 0-2 with a lovely 10.0ERA so far this season. What do you honestly have to lose except win some dam games. If you don't want to send him down to AAA send him to the bullpen and make him a lefty specialist but come on, leaving him in the starting rotation is just stupid. How the hell can you sell your team to Giants' fans as a competitive ballclub in search of a World Series when you have Barry Zito as a starter in your rotation. Don't look for him to turn it around because if you continue to do so, you'll continue to be the laughing stock of the major leagues.

Seriously, 7 year $126million, tell me the truth, what were you smoking when the contract negotiations went down.