Tuesday night's game

Tuesday night's game:

Tonights game was a good one. Mount St. Mary's came out flat and didn't look like they wanted to move on. They were taking poor shots and missing shots inside the paint. In the second half they looked like a new team. They were making good decisions passing and shooting. It looked like they were gaining confidence as the game went on. They looked weak on the boards and in the paint. Unfortunately they have to play North Carolina next, and they don't have a shot. The biggest problem that Mount St. Mary's is going to face is rebounding. They had problems boxing out and getting offensive rebounds and that's not a good sign when you have to play North Carolina with Tyler Hansbrough on the boards. They played a good game, but they are 1 and done. North Carolina by 15.

John Lackey

CBS's Scott Miller has reported that Angle's Ace John Lackey has a right bicep strain and will miss at least a month if not more. Make sure that you make adjustments to your rankings. It is possible that he will miss more than a month and this will have a huge impact on his fantasy numbers.

March madness

NCAA Men’s tournament

March is the most exciting month of the year. There's nothing like March madness. This year won't be any different. O.J. Mayo against Michael Beasley is going to be a great match up! North Carolina has an easy road playing the first 2 rounds in Raleigh and Charlotte. Possibilities of an old school match up of North Carolina Georgetown. Memphis is coming off of a 33-1 season and has a legitimate chance of winning it all if they can get past Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is an interesting team because they like to slow teams down and out muscle their opponents. Watch out for Georgia they have won 3 straight games in the SEC tournament to get in the NCAA tournament. A team that is playing on emotions is more dangerous than a talented team. Xavier could put an end to their run. The best part of this tournament is that it is so unpredictable. It’s time to fill out your brackets and let the madness begin! Check out my site www.1fantasyguru.com

How use the free agent wire

In a weekly head to head scoring league the object is to win as many weeks as possible. You can use the wavier wire to help you but you will need to gamble. If your league gives a point for each inning pitched it makes it an easier gamble. Look at the weeks probable pitchers and figure out how many games you will have to know if you think you will need help. Pay perticular attention to Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Figure out what free agents are pitching and pick up your best options. Keep in mind that other owners may be doing the same thing so pick them up early. You will have to be willing get rid of some pitchers on your bench, but you may be able to a week or two that you may have lost by a few points. Do your homework and you may get lucky and steal a few games. Good luck.

The top shorstop

Who is the #1 Shortstop?

1. Jimmy Rollins. I have him ranked #1 because of his proven stats. Some experts are expecting a decline in his numbers this year. I don’t see it. Even if he does show a decline the hitter’s ball park and a stacked line-up should make up for it. He is 29 years old and it is scientifically proved that a male athlete reaches his prime at 27 years old. Does this mean that once an athlete turns 28 his career is finished? Not at all. Every one of his stats has gone up from 2005 and 2006 except for walks. In 2006 his walks went up from 47(2005) to 57 and dropped to 49 in 2006. He had 191 hits in 2006 and 212 in 2007. The 10 walks that he lost in 2007 were made up with hits. His three year averages are as follows: 200h 22HR 77RBI 79K’s 39SB 5CS 597points. 2008 projections are as follows: 196HI 27HR 85RBI 75K's 37SB 8CS 608Points. I prefer to go with a veteran with proven stats.
2. Hanley Ramirez: Hanley comes in at #2 but has the potential to be #1. I tend to value proven stats over potential. Hanley has all the potential in the world. Last year he hit 29 homers and stole 51 bases. The trade of slugger Miguel Cabrera could have an effect on his stats. As of now he is still slated to be the lead-off hitter. If Florida decides to move him down in the line-up he may see fewer at bats and may not see a lot of good pitches to hit. His numbers should go up and he should be in the top 10 fantasy players. He has nothing but upside at this point. 2007 numbers were: 212HI 29HR 81RBI 95K’S 51SB 14CS 622Points. 2008 projections are as follows: 189HI 25HR 75RBI 110K 49SB 14CS 560Points
3. Jose Reyes: The most appealing aspect of Reyes’s game would be his speed. In 2007 he stole 78 bases. His steals have increased in the last three years from 60 in 2005, 64 in 2006 and an incredible 78 in 2007. This is a great if you are in a roto style format, but it isn’t as important in a head to head format. In points based league you get one or two points for a steal. So if he stole 70 bases this would give him 140 points. That would be the same as a hitter hitting 20 homeruns. If you look at the rest of his stats they dropped in 2007. His 2007 numbers were: 191HI 12HR 57RBI 78SB .280BA and his 2006 numbers were: 194HI 19HR 81RBI 64SB .299BA. Reyes stole 14 more bases, but his RBI’s dropped 24 in 2007. His projected totals are 184HI 14HR 60RBI 80K's 69SB 19CS 570Points. It may not be clear who #1 is in the shortstop position, but it’s clear it’s not Reyes. He is still a top 5 in his position, but he clearly needs to improve his totals to take over the top spot.