On Tap

December 24, 2009

The Sportmeisters Top 10 Games Of The Decade: Game #7 – Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees – 2004 ALCS Game 4

Filed under: Alex Rodriguez, Anaheim Angels, Baseball, Bill Mueller, Boston Red Sox, Curt Schilling, Dave Roberts, David Ortiz, Derek Lowe, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ellis Burks, Esteban Loaiza, Florida Marlins, Gary Sheffield, Grady Little, Javier Vazquez, John Olerud, Keith Foulke, Kenny Lofton, Kevin Brown, Kevin Millar, MLB, Manny Ramirez, Mariano Rivera, Miguel Cairo, Mike Myers, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Orlando Cabrera, Orlando Hernandez, Paul Quantrill, Ruben Sierra, Shane Spencer, Sports, Tanyon Sturtze, Terry Adams, Terry Francona, Tom Gordon, Tony Clark, World Series — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , — SportmeisterRyan @ 9:51 pm

Game #7 – Boston Red Sox vs. New York Yankees – 2004 ALCS Game 4

With the end of the decade nearing, Sportmeisters Derek and Ryan have decided to present their top ten games of the past decade. Today’s discussion is on the tenth best game from 2000-2009. What follows is a transcript of their discussion.

Sportmeister Derek: Ryan, today we are here to discuss something that will be debated for the next few weeks. With 2010 on the horizon, we are naming our top ten games of the decade.

Sportmeister Ryan: Absolutely Derek, these games will bring an enormous amount of discussion, as it did in just us figuring out our list. We may seem stuck on repeat, but it’s hard not to give the seventh spot to the 2004 ALCS Game 4 between the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

SD: We all remember, these two teams met in the 2003 ALCS, with the Yankees winning game seven in dramatic fashion. The Yankees would go on to lose the World Series in six games to the Florida Marlins.

SR: As is the case for good teams on the brink of success, they tinker with the formula to get them over the hump. With two free spending teams like Boston and New York, they did that, and then some.

SD: The Yankees acquired Starting Pitchers Javier Vazquez, Kevin Brown, and SS/3B Alex Rodriguez via trade and signed Relief Pitchers Paul Quantrill and Tom Gordon, Outfielders Ruben Sierra, Gary Sheffield and Kenny Lofton, 1B Tony Clark, and IF Miguel Cairo.

SR: It’s funny, but if you remember, the Red Sox initially had the deal to acquire Rodriguez, but the deal fell through. The Yankees ended up swooping in and grabbed the highest paid player in baseball.

SD: After the 2003 debacle, Grady Little was removed for Terry Francona as Manager, and the Red Sox would bring in SP Curt Schilling via trade, and signed RP Keith Foulke and DH/OF Ellis Burks.

SR: Schilling, coming over from the Diamondbacks, gave the Red Sox another formidable arm who had already pitched against New York in a playoff situation.

SD: As is the case, both teams bolstered up during the season as well. The Yankees acquired Starting Pitchers Esteban Loaiza and Tanyon Sturtze via trade and signed 1B John Olerud and OF Shane Spencer.

SR: Boston was also a mover at the trade deadline, bringing in SS Orlando Cabrera, 1B Doug Mientkiewicz, OF Dave Roberts, RP Terry Adams, and RP Mike Myers.

SD: Both teams found success again, with the combination of new players and seasoned vets. The Yankees again won the division with the American League’s best record at 101-61 and the Red Sox again won the Wild Card with a record of 98-64.

SR: In the ALDS, the Yankees then breezed past the Minnesota Twins winning 3 games to 1, while the Red Sox swept the Anaheim Angels.

SD: Once again, these two historical teams would meet to determine who would get to the World Series. The series appeared to be one sided as the Yankees stormed out on top with a 3-0 lead, winning game three in Boston by a crushing 19-8 score.

SR: Right there, 19-8. How does that not destroy any motivation left for Boston? To get crushed, at home, Yankee fans were swooping in for the kill in game four.

SD: No team in MLB history had ever come back from a 3-0 deficit and everyone thought that this series was over and the Yankees would go back to the World Series.

SR: Game four featured Derek Lowe vs. Orlando Hernandez. The Yankees wanted the sweep, while the Red Sox were just hoping to go one more game.

SD: New York took a 2-0 lead before Boston came back, going up 3-2. The Yankees would take a 4-3 lead in the sixth, and held the lead through the ninth.

SR: Boston came in the bottom of the ninth, going heads up against one of the most dominant playoff closers in baseball, Mariano Rivera. He had already taken down the three through six hitters in the eighth inning.

SD: Something must of happened to Mo in the dugout, because he started the ninth by walking Kevin Millar.

SR: Millar was 1-for-2 with a walk up to that point. He wasn’t someone the Yankees needed to pitch around. It ended up giving Boston life.

SD: Millar was pulled for pinch runner Dave Roberts, who promptly stole second on the first pitch.

SR: That play right there had to have been the turning point of the entire series. Roberts took second, putting the tying run in scoring position and removing a double play opportunity.

SD: In one of the few times, Rivera’s armor had been pierced. On the third pitch to Bill Mueller, Mueller smacked it straight up to centerfield, knocking in Roberts and tying the game.

SR: That was Rivera’s fourth blown save of his postseason career. When the Red Sox tied the game, at that moment, they had to have known the momentum was in their favor. Fenway Park was rocking, and the Yankees were reeling.

SD: Rivera ended up getting out of the ninth, and both teams worked a scoreless tenth and eleventh inning. In the twelfth, the Red Sox finally struck back.

SR: Relief Pitcher Paul Quantrill had the unfortunate task of facing the tandem of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz. It’s no win there, avoid one, get the other. Face one, and you still have the other.

SD: Ramirez singled to left, followed by Big Papi blasting a two run walk off homerun. A walk off Home Run in extra innings between the Yankees and Red Sox, does that sound familiar?

SR: This game ended in dramatic fashion, setting the stage for the Red Sox to go on and complete one of the greatest comebacks in MLB history, as the Red Sox would win the next four in a row, a feat that had never been accomplished up to that point.

SD: This game had it all and that is why we have named it our number seven game of the decade. Stay tuned for the rest of our top ten coming up in the next few weeks. Any questions or concerns, feel free to email us at Derek@Sportmeisters.com or Ryan@Sportmeisters.com.

September 18, 2009

Fantasy Baseball Week 23 Winners, Losers, And Waiver Wire Wonders

Filed under: Baseball, Billy Butler, CBS, Casey McGehee, Chris Coghlan, ESPN, Fantasy, Javier Vazquez, Jorge De La Rosa, Leo Nunez, MLB, Pedro Martinez, Raul Ibanez, Sports, Ted Lilly, Waiver Wire Wonder — Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , — SportmeisterDerek @ 12:36 pm

By Derek of The Sportmeisters

With the start of Football season, I had to take a week off from the Baseball Winners, Losers, And Waiver Wire Wonders, but I’m back just in time. Another week of baseball in the books means another Winners, Losers, and Waiver Wire Wonders blog from the fantasy guru. Keep in mind, the stats I show are the players stats for the week, not on the season. It’s playoff time, so let’s go!

Winners

SP – Javier Vazquez – Atlanta Braves – 16 IP, 2 W, 1 CG, 17 K, 4 BB, 10 HA, 2 ER

Vazquez was on fire last week. After allowing ten runs in his previous three starts (spanning 19 innings), he only allowed two last week in 16 innings. One of those games was a complete game. He also had 17 strikeouts, upping his season total to 216. He is now 13-9 with a 3.01 ERA and should definitely be in your lineup for the playoffs.


SP – Ted Lilly – Chicago Cubs – 12 IP, 2 W, 14 K, 5 BB, 8 HA, 2 ER

Lilly has now won his last three starts and is now 12-8 on the year with a 3.05 ERA. If you have him, you are starting him for your playoff run.


SP – Pedro Martinez – Philadelphia Phillies – 14.7 IP, 2 W, 11 K, 3 BB, 13 HA, 3 ER

Looks like Pedro has a little something left after all. He was dominant last week, throwing 14 innings and only allowing three runs while striking out 11. He has yet to lose with Philadelphia as his record is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA. Start him while he’s hot and he just may lead you to victory in the playoffs.

1B – Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals – .419 BA, 13 H, 4 R, 5 Doubles, 2 HR, 12 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K, 1 SB

Butler has been quietly good all season and it’s just now that people are starting to notice. He is hitting .298 on the year with 46 Doubles, 17 Home Runs, and 80 RBI’s and is a safe play for the playoffs.

OF – Raul Ibanez – Philadelphia Phillies – .333 BA, 11 H, 6 R, 3 Doubles, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 9 K

Ibanez started the year off red hot, hitting .312 with 22 home runs and 59 RBI’s through June, but then got injured and cooled off significantly, hitting just .258 in July and a miserable .193 in August with just five home runs and 20 RBI’s. He has picked it back up just in time for the Phillies, hitting .302 with four home runs and seven RBI’s (all last week) so far in September. Keep starting him while he is smashing the ball and he should help you win a title.

Losers

RP – Fernando Rodney – Detroit Tigers – 3.3 IP, 1 L, 2 K, 4 BB, 4 HA, 5 ER

Rodney had a bad week, but by no means should this scare you off. He plays for a team in the hunt for a division title and has only blown one save all year. He has 33 saves with a 3.88 ERA. Keep starting him and you should be rewarded with a handful of saves.

RP – Ryan Franklin – St. Louis Cardinals – 1 IP, 1 L, 2 K, 2 BB, 3 HA, 2 ER

Franklin was only used once last week and he blew the save and took the loss. However, he has been practically lights out all year, converting 37 of 41 save opportunities and has an ERA of 1.93. St. Louis is going to keep trotting him out there, especially so they can finish up winning the division. Keep starting him and ignore the little bump in the road.

SP – Roy Oswalt – Houston Astros – 2 IP, 1 L, 5 K, 1 BB, 10 HA, 6 ER

Oswalt has been up and down all year and this time he was really down. Not only did he allow six runs in two innings last week, he went on to allow four runs in five innings this week and go on the DL, ending his season. Go ahead and drop him for someone you can use in your playoff hunt for a fantasy title.

3B – Chipper Jones – Atlanta Braves – .188 BA, 3 H, 2 R, 0 Doubles, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 6 K

Chipper Jones hasn’t been very Chipper-like this year. He is hitting just .269 with 16 home runs and 64 RBI’s this year and is now talking about possibly retiring after the 2010 season if he cant get his swing back. He is also nursing a strained groin muscle right now, so keep him on the bench in your playoff run, unless he plays and starts hitting like the Chipper we all know and love.

OF – Alex Rios – Chicago White Sox – .056 BA, 1 H, 0 R, 0 Doubles, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K

Rios has been a complete bust for the White Sox so far. He is just 22 for 121 at the plate with just one home run and two RBI’s. Go ahead and stash him on the bench because he could start to hit, but it’s very unlikely.

Waiver Wire Wonders

OF – Chris Coghlan – Florida Marlins – .240 BA, 6 H, 6 R, 1 Double, 1 Triple, 4 BB, 3 K, 1 SB

The Marlins rookie sensation had an off week last week, but still managed to score six runs. He is hitting .309 with 73 runs scored, nine home runs, 42 RBI’s, and seven stolen bases and is on track to win the NL rookie of the year award. He is available, only being owned in 73 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 34.6 percent of ESPN leagues, and 43 percent of Yahoo leagues. Go ahead and grab him and he will help your team’s batting average down the stretch.

3B – Casey McGehee – Milwaukee Brewers – .389 BA, 7 H, 3 R, 1 Double, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

McGehee has been a hot rookie in his time in the majors. He is hitting .304 with 15 home runs and 58 RBI’s on the year and is still available, only being owned in 55 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 21 percent of Yahoo leagues, and 23.8 percent of ESPN leagues. He is a great playoff pickup and could be a nice sleeper for next year.

SP – Pedro Martinez – Philadelphia Phillies – 14.7 IP, 2 W, 11 K, 3 BB, 13 HA, 3 ER

Looks like Pedro has a little something left after all. He was dominant last week, throwing 14 innings and only allowing three runs while striking out 11. He has yet to lose with Philadelphia as his record is 5-0 with a 2.87 ERA. He is available, only being owned in 78 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 29.6 percent of ESPN leagues, and 49 percent of Yahoo leagues. Grab him and Start him while he’s hot and he just may lead you to victory in the playoffs.

SP – Jorge De La Rosa – Colorado Rockies – 7 IP, 8 K, 4 BB, 5 HA, 1 ER

Has this guy been on fire or what? He has won three of his last four starts and has 15 wins on the year with 179 strikeouts. He is still only owned in 82 percent of CBS Sports leagues, 35.2 percent of ESPN leagues, and 54 percent of Yahoo leagues, so go ahead and grab him for your hunt for a title.

RP – Leo Nunez – Florida Marlins – 2 IP, 2 SV, 0 K, 0 BB, 0 HA, 0 ER

Waiver Wire Wonder? Nunez has grabbed full control of the Marlins closing job and doesn’t appear anywhere near close to losing it. He saved eight games in August and has 22 on the season with a 4.00 ERA. If you own him, (and most people don’t, as he is only owned in 53 percent of Yahoo leagues, 48 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and 31.6 percent of ESPN leagues) Keep starting him and be rewarded with a few saves that may help you win your league.

That’s all for now sports fans. Any questions or concerns, email me at Derek@Sportmeisters.com.

August 13, 2009

Fantasy Baseball Week 18 Winners, Losers, And Waiver Wire Wonders

Filed under: Baseball, Chris Coghlan, Fantasy, J.A. Happ, Javier Vazquez, MLB, Mark Reynolds, Ryan Zimmerman, Waiver Wire Wonder — Tags: , , , , , , , — SportmeisterDerek @ 11:39 am

By Derek of The Sportmeisters

Another week of baseball in the books means another winners, losers, and waiver wire wonders blog from the fantasy guru. Keep in mind, the stats I show are the players stats for the week, not on the season. Let’s go!

Winners

SP – Javier Vazquez – Atlanta Braves – 15 IP, 2 W, 13 K, 4 BB, 9 HA, 3 ER

Vazquez has been the Ace that the Braves hoped he would be when they traded for him in December. He has won five of his last seven starts and is 10-7 on the year with 171 strikeouts. While he is on a hot streak, you must start him.

SP – J.A. Happ – Philadelphia Phillies – 9 IP, 1 CG, 1 W, 10 K, 2 BB, 4 HA, 0 ER

No wonder the Phillies sent Jamie Moyer to the bullpen instead of Happ. Happ pitched a complete game shutout last week and is now 8-2 on the year with a 2.75 ERA. Now that we know he will continue to start, he should be owned and started in all formats.

RP – Mike MacDougal – Washington Nationals – 4 IP, 4 SV, 3 K, 2 BB, 3 HA, 0 ER

WOW! MacDougal has been surprisingly good for the suddenly hot Nationals. He saved four games last week and has now saved 11 on the year. His ERA is a bit high at 3.86, but if you need saves, he could be a nice sleeper for the end of the year. Can you say Waiver Wire Wonder?

3B – Ryan Zimmerman – Washington Nationals – .522 BA, 12 H, 10 R, 2 Doubles, 1 Triple, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K

WOW! Two Nationals on the winners list this week! Zimmerman was absolutely on fire, hitting .522 (12 for 23) with four home runs and seven RBI’s. He is now hitting .305 on the year with 24 home runs and 76 RBI’s. He is a high-end fantasy Third Baseman and should be started at all times.

3B/1B – Mark Reynolds – Arizona Diamondbacks – .448 BA, 13 H, 6 R, 1 Double, 6 HR, 10 RBI, 4 BB, 8 K, 1 SB

WOW! What a year Reynolds is having. He had six more home runs last week, upping his season total to 36 with 80 RBI’s. He is also hitting an impressive .286 with 21 stolen bases. He has been the complete fantasy player this year and should be in your lineup at all times.

OF – Chris Coghlan – Florida Marlins – .517 BA, 15 H, 7 R, 2 Doubles, 1 Triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K

It looks like Coghlan is going to keep his starting job after all. He set a Marlins record last week with eight straight multi-hit games and has raised his season average to .288. He won’t hit you many home runs, but will get on base and steal a few bases too. You will see him again on this blog.

1B – Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals – .539 BA, 14 H, 6 R, 5 Doubles, 2 HR, 10 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K

OK, so we have two Nationals and one Kansas City Royal on my winners list? What is going on in the MLB this week? Butler has been a solid fantasy player all year, but this week he was on fire. He hit .539 (14 for 26) with 10 RBI’s. He is now hitting .301 with 13 home runs and 58 RBI’s on the season. Start him while he’s hot, if you own him.

Losers

RP – Francisco Rodriguez – New York Mets – 2 IP, 1 L, 2 BS, 2 K, 4 BB, 6 HA, 7 ER

This was not what the Mets were hoping for from their new big money closer. He has blown two of his last three save opportunities and has a 3.24 ERA, which is a whole run more than his 2.24 ERA of 2008. Despite this bad week, he will settle down and is still a must start fantasy closer.

SP – John Smoltz – Boston Red Sox – 3.3 IP, 1 L, 3 K, 4 BB, 9 HA, 8 ER

Talk about the ultimate loser. Not only did he get crushed, he was then designated for assignment and his career may be over. Smoltz was not the same for the Red Sox this year, going 2-5 with a terrible 8.33 ERA. Feel free to dump him, if you ever picked him up in the first place.

SP – Kyle Lohse – St. Louis Cardinals – 2.7 IP, 1 L, 0 K, 2 BB, 7 HA, 5 ER

Lohse hasn’t been the same since coming off the DL. He hasn’t won a game since May 23rd (until winning one on Monday) and has been a bit shaky. He allowed five runs in less than three innings and has only gone seven innings once since coming off the DL. He looked better on Monday, but watch him closely before deciding on starting or cutting him.

SP – Joe Saunders – Los Angeles Angels Of Anaheim – 1.7 IP, 1 L, 0 K, 1 BB, 5 HA, 5 ER

Saunders got rocked again and then went on the DL. He had allowed four or more runs in each of his last seven starts and was only 1-2 in those seven games. He is 9-7 on the year with a 5.33 ERA. You can feel free to drop him, as he may not be effective again this year.

DH – David Ortiz – Boston Red Sox – .056 BA, 1 H, 0 R, 0 Doubles, 0 HR, 0 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K

Big Papi is looking more and more like a guy at the end of his career. He had just one hit in 18 At-Bats last week and has not hit very well this year, hitting just .220 with 15 home runs and 62 RBI’s. He has plenty of power potential and for that you keep him stashed in case he heats up, but don’t wait too much longer.

SS – Miguel Tejada – Houston Astros – .154 BA, 4 H, 1 R, 0 Doubles, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K

This was just a case of a bad week for a good player. Tejada has been good all year, hitting .323 with 67 RBI’s. Chalk this up to a fluke week and continue to start him.

Waiver Wire Wonders

SP – J.A. Happ – Philadelphia Phillies – 9 IP, 1 CG, 1 W, 10 K, 2 BB, 4 HA, 0 ER

No wonder the Phillies sent Jamie Moyer to the bullpen instead of Happ. Happ pitched a complete game shutout last week and is now 8-2 on the year with a 2.75 ERA. He is owned in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues, 90 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and 53.7 percent of ESPN leagues and now that we know he will continue to start, he should be owned and started in all formats.

OF – Chris Coghlan – Florida Marlins – .517 BA, 15 H, 7 R, 2 Doubles, 1 Triple, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K

I told you that he would be back on this blog. It looks like Coghlan is going to keep his starting job after all. He set a Marlins record last week with eight straight multi-hit games and has raised his season average to .288. He won’t hit you many home runs, but will get on base and steal a few bases too. He is only owned in 10 percent of Yahoo leagues, 34 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and 4.1 percent of ESPN leagues, so go ahead and grab him for some batting average help.

RP – Mike MacDougal – Washington Nationals – 4 IP, 4 SV, 3 K, 2 BB, 3 HA, 0 ER

Can you say Waiver Wire Wonder? MacDougal has been surprisingly good for the suddenly hot Nationals. He saved four games last week and has now saved 11 on the year. He is owned in 27 percent of Yahoo leagues, 28 percent of CBS Sports leagues, and 11.3 percent of ESPN leagues. His ERA is a bit high at 3.86, but if you need saves, he could be a nice sleeper for the end of the year.

That’s all for now sports fans. Any questions or concerns, email me at Derek@Sportmeisters.com.

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