Sorry for not being able to share with you the pearls of fantasy wisdom (or idiocy, depending on which pieces of my advice you chose to take) for week 3. I was on my honeymoon so I think I can be excused. But I’m back for week 4, with your fantasy recipes for glory (or disaster, if one of my key predictions fails and you get shafted as a result) and victory (or humiliating defeat, depending on…well, you get it).

Standard disclaimer, you don’t need me to tell you to start Peyton Manning, so that is not what this column is about. It’s about filling your flex spot, 3rd RB or WR, or your quarterback in the event you missed out on the top 6-8 and have to choose between two guys with potentially similar output. Get it? Got it? Good.

If you got ’em, start em:

QB: Jay Cutler – Is it because he’s actually looked pretty good this season so far? Well, that’s part of it, but the Bears also have Detroit this week. The Lions have a pretty solid D line, but a dodgey secondary. I don’t see them doing much on the ground, so that leaves one other option. You could hit a jackpot of 25-30 points here.

RB: Frank Gore – Yeah, there was that little melt down on the sidelines in the second half of the Indianapolis game, but he did average 8 yards or so on his 11 carries. And while the Rams have some talent on defense, utterly incompetent defensive coaching and game planning leave them vulnerable to massive games by opposing backs, whether their good, bad, ugly, or whatever. And Gore is still good. He could go for 180 and 3 tds. More likely is about 125 and one or two scores.

RB: Bilal Powell – You know, either he’s not as crappy as people say, or the Jets offensive line is better than anticipated… or both. Not only is timeshare mate, Chris Ivory, dealing with a hamstring issue, Powell has outperformed him anyway. The Titans are, believe it or not, NOT the world’s best rushing defense, nor are they a threat to break the game open and force the Jets to abandon the run. 15 carries for 75 yards and maybe a score is a good bet. He also chips in a few receptions here and there, so if you’re in a PPR league, consider him.

WR: Lance Moore – As streaky as they come, he’s WAY overdue for a monster game. I’ve said it before, wide receivers are divas, by in large, and tend to pout if they don’t get balls thrown their way. Moore is not without talent, and after a completely anonymous beginning to the year, look for Drew Brees to get him involved.

WR: Pierre Garcon – They’re playing the Raiders. Ok? That should really be enough for you. That said, the silver and black have been a little better than many thought so far, but Garcon can be a challenge for even high end defensive backs, and the Raiders don’t have anyone in that category in my opinion. And eventually, RG3 is gonna break out, right?

TE: Brent Celek – He’s always been a pretty good player, but in the Chip Kelly system his opportunities are multiplying. Plus, Denver might score 60 against the porous Philly D this week and if they want to keep up, they’ll need to throw.

If you’re streaming defenses, and by some miracle Kansas City is still available, they’re going against a Giants team that just got shut out by Carolina. And the Vikings have the Steelers, who haven’t been able to do anything in terms of moving the ball. Need a kicker? If Kai Forbath misses out again for the Skins, his replacement John Potter should be available in about 84012564% of leagues, and kicking for a team that will put up some points.

If you can, sit ’em:

QB: Andy Dalton: That Cleveland defense is tough. And Joe Haden is every bit the man to contain AJ Green. Cincy should win this game, but it will likely be The Law Firm and/or Gio Bernard who get most of the scoring glory. Don’t just cut bait on Dalton though. This is just not a good matchup, and he’ll pay nice dividends for you moving forward, especially when you consider in what round you probably got him.

RB: Daryl Richardson/Isaiah Pead: Whoever starts for the Rams (D Rich has a foot issue), it won’t matter. You want no part of them. The Rams may be able to move the ball a little bit against an Aldon Smith-less 49er defense, but it won’t be on the ground.

WR: Wes Welker. Just kidding. Checking to see if you’re still paying attention.

WR: Julian Edelman: Listen, he’s done a nice job in a role he really isn’t equipped to fill. There’s a good chance that Rob Gronkowski may be back this week, and if he is, Edelman will slip out of the number 1 target for Tom Brady role he inherited, back into a more appropriate complementary role he has excelled in for a while now.

TE: Kyle Rudolph: Remember how he scored like a zillion touchdowns last year? So do the Vikings opponents. They’re watching him now in the red zone, so AP is getting the carries he should be getting anyway, and Ponder has shown some reasonably good scrambling ability recently as well.

Yup, it’s getting tougher. The bye weeks are here and it’s going to be tougher to pick your guys. I hope the above advice is helpful to you, and if you think I screwed the pooch on any of them, feel free to leave your opinion in the comments.

Bit of a mixed bag as far as the results from the week 1 column go. Got the running backs pretty much right, got the quarterbacks right, though Philip Rivers was better than expected, nailed Jared Cook and Zach Sudfeld, and even Greg Zuerlein got ya 14 points from the kicker spot if you listened. Then again, I did recommend benching Anquan Boldin… and recommended starting Cecil Shorts or T.Y. Hilton… so perfect it definitely wasn’t. That said, we now have a week under our belts and therefore a decent idea of how workload is going to be distributed. Anyhoo, the following guys are recommendations for your RB3, WR3, or Flex spot, as well your Tight End (if you have someone other than Jimmy Graham), and guys you should probably avoid playing. In no way should any of it be confused for a recommendation to bench a mega stud like AP or AJ Green for any of these guys. If you do that, you’re a moron and your parents should be ashamed.

If You Got ‘Em, Start ‘Em

QB: Michael Vick – His line sure looked good agains the Skins. Here’s the thing, a lot of fantasy “experts” are saying he looked gimpy or injured at the end of the game. He kind of did, but the point here is, they’re telling you to be careful. Don’t. Yeah, Vick scored a short rushing TD, but apart from that, didn’t rely on his legs too much. His passing on the other hand, looked crisp and accurate. Philly as San Diego at home this week, and Vick will be good for at least 25 points, gimpy leg or not.

RB: Maurice Jones-Drew – Sound obvious? Well he was invisible against Kansas City last week. That won’t be the case against the Raiders this week. I’m not saying Jacksonville is going to win this game. As long as Blaine Gabbert is the quarterback there, they may never win another game. But Drew should be a lock for at least one score, and if the Jags coaches open their eyes and finally play Chad Henne, he’s probably good for 50 receiving yards too. Look for 14 points or more.

RB: David Wilson – You heard me, he of the two fumbles. Monitor this one as Tom Coughlin said they’re going to watch him in practice this week. If Wilson pouts and doesn’t try hard, he might be a pre-game inactive. But if he works hard on his technique like the coaches ask, he’ll keep the lion’s share of the workload in the Giants’ backfield. The Broncos are missing some guys on D, so there’s opportunity here. He could hang a goose egg, which would suck, but I’m thinking he’s good for double digits.

RB: D’Angelo Williams – Yes, again. He didn’t get in the endzone, but he looked good against a stout Seattle defense. Buffalo’s run defense? Not so stout. You could hit the jackpot with 150 total yards and a score.

WR: James Jones – Goose egg in week one didn’t look good. But Aaron Rodgers knows, it’s not a good idea to not target one of your main guys for two weeks in a row. Receivers are primadonnas, by in large, and if they don’t see the rock a bit, they sulk. As good as Cobb and Nelson were in week one, Rodgers needs Jones’ powerful red zone presence to remain motivated so expect him to get several targets and a score this week.

WR: Eric Decker – He’s actually not a primadonna, but he didn’t see much of the ball week one against Baltimore. Still, Peyton likes him so he’ll get some cookies. Will probably score, maybe twice this week. The Giants’ secondary is not intimidating.

TE: Jared Cook – Yes, again. Did I already use that one? Anyway, the match up is juicy. Atlanta’s defense is better than it looks, but they’re a bit vulnerable deep down the middle and that’s where Cook is dangerous.

If you’re streaming defenses, you may want to peek at Jacksonville or Green Bay this week. I don’t think RG3 is going to play well at Lambeau.

If You Can, Sit ‘Em

QB: Colin Kaepernick – Ok, don’t get get cute. Chances are you are starting Kaep. BUT, if you happen to have Sam Bradford on your bench, or even Jay Cutler, you may want to evaluate this situation carefully. Seattle is a brutal place to play, and their secondary is much better than Green Bay’s. You won’t see Boldin go for 700 yards again, or whatever he made me look stupid by getting in week 1.

RB: Isaac Redman – Is he good? No. Is Cincy’s front 7 good? You betcha.

RB: Monte Ball – The Giants are going to blitz a lot, so the Broncos are going to with a lot of Knowshon Moreno, not based on merit from week one, but he’s an outstanding blocker.

WR: Roddy White – He’s brilliant when he’s healthy, but right now he’s not. He’s a veteran and a tough guy, so he’ll probably suit up, but his effectiveness will be limited by a dodgy ankle and a capable Janoris Jenkins chasing him around.

TE: Jordan Cameron – Don’t get me wrong, I’m impressed with this kid. But I think Baltimore’s defense is well coached and knows that Weeden likes Cameron a lot. They’ll take away one of his top weapons any way they can.

There you have it, folks. Gourmet recipe for fantasy goodness delivered. Good luck this weekend!

We had the first full day of NFL football on Sunday, and there was a rule that came up that needs to be changed, fixed, and consistently applied.  That rule is the “Calvin Johnson” rule.  The rule requiring a receiver to maintain possession of the ball through the ground on a touchdown catch occurred at least twice Sunday, but only once was it recognized.

Calvin Johnson himself fell victim to the rule yet again, but Victor Cruz should have been, based on the letter of the law.  I will go ahead and address the homerism issue that may come up here since the Cruz touchdown was against the Dallas Cowboys.  I believe the rule should be demolished, I believe the Cruz touchdown should be a touchdown, and so should the Calvin Johnson play, even if it would likely lead to me losing in my main fantasy league.  That is what should happen, but it is not the rule, and by rule, both plays should have been ruled incomplete, and much like the tuck rule, someday it will be removed, but until it is, it must be enforced, and enforced with consistency, which isn’t happening.

The rule states: “If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball after he touches the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone.  If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete.  If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete.”

I want to point out that the rule does state, “with or without contact by an opponent”.  Why point this out?  Because many analysts showing the highlight have said something to the effect of “Calvin should know better, especially since he wasn’t touched”.  Well that doesn’t matter, but you have to believe that is the reason Victor Cruz’ touchdown wasn’t even reviewed.  In the Cruz play, he only got one foot on the ground before taking a hit and lunging into the end zone.  He reached the ball out, it hit the ground, popped out of his hand, and rolled away.  Referees then signaled touch down, play not even reviewed.

Calvin Johnson on the other hand, catches the ball with two feet on the ground, dives forward with full control of the ball, when he hits the ground in the end zone, the ball jars loose, but remains in his arms, and he comes up ball in hand.  This play is reviewed and overturned.

Again, I think this rule is poorly written and should be changed, but while it is in place, why can’t there be consistency?  Why did nobody even bother pointing out this rule, especially since it was brought up in a game earlier in the day?  What is the difference between the two plays?  Why don’t the referees remain consistent on a rule that is pretty clear cut?  No, seriously, why, I really want to know.

You can follow Shaun Kernahan on twitter @shaunkernahan, add him to your network on Google, and like Shaun on Facebook.

Torsten’s NFC Division Winners:

 

NFC East: NY Giants – I don’t love any team in this division, but they always have a decent pass rush, a Superbowl winning quarterback, solid receivers, and a sure-as-hell-looks-like-a-stud running back in David Wilson. They’re not a great team, but still better than the others in this division.

 

NFC North: Green Bay Packers – Like in boxing and MMA, a champ is the champ until someone takes it from them… or they test positive for steroids… ok, so that was a terrible analogy. But you get what I’m saying. They’re the titleholders currently, and nobody else in the NFC North has improved enough to threaten them.

 

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons – Offensively stacked and then you add Steven Jackson as an improvement over Michael Turner, ok, I’m in. The defense still looks questionable but this team is going to score points by the boatload.

 

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks – Both Seattle and San Francisco are excellent, but I think Seattle is a little deeper, especially on offense. Also, Seattle has a bigger home field advantage than San Francisco (the Rams didn’t tie Seattle on the road, now did they?) so I’ll give them the nod.

 

Wild Cards

 

San Francisco 49rs – As a Rams fan, let’s not mince words. I hate the Niners. They’re a pretty stacked team though, especially on defense. They’re a virtual lock for 11 wins, with an upside of 14. And Frank Gore is still great after all these years. Who’d have thunk it?

 

Detroit Lions – Going on a limb here, but with that defensive line, and that offensive potential, how do they not win 10 games? They have to, right? They have the second-hardest division schedule in the NFC so that might hamper them, but if they stay healthy the potential for excellence is there.

 

AFC Division Winners

 

AFC East: New England Patriots – See Green Bay analysis above. I think they got weaker…check that, they are definitely weaker than last year. But they play in the easiest division in the history of sports. If Buffalo, Miami and the Jets didn’t have to play each other a bunch of times, they might combine for 8 wins. As it is, one of those crappy teams is going to back into 8 wins or more.

 

AFC North:  Cincinnati Bengals – Solid defensively, very strong-looking offensively, I think this is the year they take the next step. Giovanni Bernard and Tyler Eifert are going to give Andy Dalton the options apart from AJ Green he has sorely needed in order to thrive. No excuses  now.

 

AFC South: Houston Texans – Wow, the AFC sucks. I mean really. This division is only marginally better than the AFC East, and that’s because it has Jacksonville instead of the Jets. That said, Houston is a good team with a solid defense and an incredibly easy schedule. That’s a recipe for success.

 

AFC West: Denver Broncos – But not by as much as you think. They’re missing some key guys defensively early on, and the running back situation is unsettled. But once Peyton Manning gets his way, and the superior pass blocking of Knowshon Moreno is starting at tailback, they’ll be all good. For my money, Denver is as good a bet as any to represent the AFC in the Superbowl.

 

Wild Cards

 

Kansas City Chiefs – Their defense has been underrated because the inept quarterbacking kept giving up awesome field position. They addressed that with Alex Smith and all their problems will go away. Ok, not really, but the O-line, not bad to begin with, is improved with Eric Fisher, and the skill positions are talented too. They should easily get to 10 wins.

 

Baltimore Ravens – I have no doubt the defending Superbowl champs will regress. They’ve lost too much on both sides of the ball. That said, they’re still the defending champs, and until someone takes that from them, don’t count them out.

 

Awards

 

MVP:  Peyton Manning – Cop out? Maybe… but the NFL awards selection process always seems to be a bit sentimental to me. So, when a late thirties qb, two years removed from multiple neck surgeries, leads his team to the Superbowl, who else is going to get it? I couldn’t think of anyone either.

 

Defensive POY: Aldon Smith – Smith disrupts the line of scrimmage like few players have. Reggie White, in-his-prime Michael Strahan, and Warren Sapp come to mind from my lifetime. Smith is an excellent bet to threaten the single season sacks record again this year. Admittedly, this was a close call between him and JJ Watt, who is also outstanding, but Smith is on the better team that will advance farther, and will therefore likely get more recognition.

 

Offensive ROY: Eddie Lacy – Eventually, this team is going to have to protect Aaron Rodgers. And I don’t just mean block better, I mean run the ball on goal-to-go downs and cut down on the hits Rodgers takes. Lacy really looks like the guy to be the bell cow back on a good offense. That means big numbers.

 

Defensive ROY: Alec Ogletree – Ok, maybe a homer pick here, but much like Vontaze Burfict racked up the tackles for Cincy last season, I think Ogletree will put up similar numbers for a Rams defense that seems designed to free him up for pursuit. I see a couple pick-sixes for him too this season, plus there isn’t a Luke Keuchly type of player out there head and shoulders better than everyone else from his class. It’s there for Alec’s taking.

 

Coach of the Year: Andy Reid – Remember what I said about the sentimentality of the awards selection stuff? Reid is a likable guy, and is taking over a team that’s in a prime position to make a huge improvement over last year. If KC makes the playoffs, how does he NOT win?

 

Shaun’s NFC Division Winners:

 

NFC East: Dallas Cowboys – Go ahead, call me a homer, I don’t care, this is the year….again.  I hated the Frederick pick during the draft, but I am really liking it after watching him this preseason.  Brian Waters will be able to contribute on that offensive line in a couple weeks.  The Cowboys defense is going to be good, largely due to the most underrated LB in football Sean Lee.

 

NFC North: Green Bay Packers – The Packers will beat out a good Bears team this year.  The passing game cannot be questioned, and they added two really talented running backs in the draft.  The defense is ok.  The only thing that makes me nervous if I am the Packers is the offensive line.  It is terrible, and Rodgers backup QB is Seneca Wallace, who has been with the team less than a week.

 

NFC South: Atlanta Falcons – Steven Jackson is like an incredibly rich man’s version of Michael Turner.  Jackson will really help the run game, and he is an underrated receiving back, and Jaquizz is a fantastic change of pace back.  Umenyora is not a viable replacement for John Abraham, and the lack of a pass rush could hurt that secondary.  That said, I don’t think there is another team in the division that is over .500, so the Falcons will run away with the division.

 

NFC West: Seattle Seahawks – This is actually the easiest pick.  Not saying picking Seattle over San Francisco is easy, but both are going to make the playoffs, and there is a good chance it comes via tie breaker after they end the year with the same record.  If Seattle doesn’t have another losing record on the road this season (upset alert this Sunday, Carolina is better than you think and Seattle is worse on the road) then Seattle wins the division.

 

Wild Cards

 

San Francisco 49rs – I grew up hating the 49ers, and I will not ever be accused of being a fan of them, but my family does have season tickets, and I have been able to see the hype over the final year at the ‘Stick.  I don’t see them pulling off the division title, but they are still gonna win 10+ games.

 

Chicago Bears – This is tough.  I think the Lions could challenge, so could the Giants and Rams, and I think the Panthers are gonna be good this year, but in the end, the Bears will get the final Wild Card.  It looks like the offensive line isn’t terrible for the first time in about a decade, and I really think Alshon Jeffrey will establish himself as a viable #2 receiver.

 

AFC Division Winners

 

AFC East: New England Patriots – People thought the Patriots would struggle this year after losing Welker and Lloyd, seeing that Gronk is on the shelf for a few weeks, and, in case you haven’t heard, Aaron Hernandez apparently had a habit of killing people.  Don’t worry, there are four rookies that will step up in a big way this year.  Zach Sudfeld, Kenbrell Thompkins, Josh Boyce, and Aaron Dobson might be the most physically gifted rookie pass catching group to come along in some time.

 

AFC North:  Cincinnati Bengals – Gio Bernard is going to be special, Ginger Dalton has two really talented tight ends, and a superstar receiver.  The defense might be the best coached D in football under coach Zimmer.  The Bengals are going to be the cream of the AFC North crop for 5+ years to come.

 

AFC South: Houston Texans – Foster will be fine, Schaub is good enough, and DeAndre Hopkins will actually be a quality receiver opposite Andre Johnson.  Add that to a D that had JJ Watt and a division that is terrible (spoiler alert, the Colts aren’t that good) and the Texans win the division easy.

 

AFC West: Denver Broncos – DeMarius Thomas and Eric Decker weren’t enough for Peyton Manning apparently, so they went and got Wes Welker.  As much as I hate to say it, this is the best passing game in football.  Their D would get torched the first six games of this season, if two of the games didn’t come against the Raiders and the Jaguars.  The Broncos will have the best record in football, now excuse me while I go punch myself in the face for saying that.

 

Wild Cards

 

Miami Dolphins – I am a believer in Tannehill.  He reminds me a lot of Jay Cutler, and I mean that in a good way.  He has underrated mobility, he can really gun it, and makes too many mistakes.  The difference, Tannehill spent his first couple years in college as a wide receiver not a QB and has a ton of room to grow.  He will, Miller will become a viable running back, and Wallace will really stretch the field. 

 

Baltimore Ravens – This is a defense that lost Ray Lewis and Ed Reed….and got significantly better.  Yeah, I said it.  Now, the passing game will struggle some in the beginning of the season with the loss of Pitta and Boldin, but there is a 6-4 220 pound undrafted rookie named Marlon Brown who will emerge as a quality safety net over the middle for Flacco, opening up the long ball to Torrey Smith and the dump offs to the best running back duo in football.

 

Awards

 

MVP:  Tom Brady – Remember earlier when I listed the number of guys the Patriots have lost in the passing game?  Did you pick up on who they didn’t lose?  Yeah, Tom Brady.  He is going to have a great year, re-establish himself as the best QB in the NFL, and he will be able to complete touchdown passes to 10 different receivers, and more than 35 on the season with over 5,000 yards.

 

Defensive POY: Luke Kuechly – He led the NFL in tackles last year…as a rookie!  The guy has nose for the ball like nobody I have ever seen, and I truly believe he will be the leader of a defense that will contend for a Wild Card bid.  He will have 5+ picks, 3+ forced fumbles, 5+ Sacks, and 175+ tackles.  Yes, he will have the single greatest defensive season of all time.

 

Offensive ROY: Tavon Austin – The guys is special.  He has a Percy Harvin like skill set, only he is a better route runner.  Austin will touch the ball more than 100 times this year, and will have several 50+ yard touchdowns.

 

Defensive ROY:  Ezekiel Ansah – He is raw when it comes to football knowledge, but he is a freak athletically.  The first ever play he experienced in the NFL, was a pick 6…in the preseason….against Mark Sanchez.  Ok, so that isn’t really all that impressive, but his season will be.

 

Coach of the Year: Joe Philbin – The Dolphins will be in the hunt to win the division until week 14 or so, and the team will make the playoffs.  The front office has been under a lot of scrutiny this season, but leading a team like this will make it easy for Philbin to win the award, even over Andy Reid if the Chiefs make the playoffs.

Predicting fantasy football is a bit of a crapshoot, but if you are going to take advice from somebody, how about somebody who consistently dominates!!! Well, in most of my leagues, anyway… So, in this column, we’re going to talk about guys you should start if you have them, as well as guys you should sit, avoiding temptation. No, there won’t be any no-brainer stuff like starting Adrian Peterson, sitting Blaine Gabbert, etc. etc. We’ll be talking about guys who may be one of two or three you are considering for your flex, or RB3/WR3 spots.

Without further ado:

Quarterbacks: Start ’em!

Michael Vick: Judging by his ADP, nobody went really high to get this guy. Chances are, if he is on your squad, he’s either the backup or a guy you took a “wait and see how he does” flyer on. Well, he won’t get a better matchup all season than week 1 against the Skins. Chip Kelly will have him running a bunch, the game will likely be a shootout, and the Redskins D leaves a lot to be desired in my eyes. Fearless forecast, 23+ points in standard scoring.

Terrelle Pryor: This guy is barely owned except in 12 team or bigger leagues. His team sucks, and he’s inexperienced. However, odds are, if you have him you are probably desperate. Maybe you missed on a QB run in your draft, or maybe you have a guy you’re sort of confident in but snagged TP as a flyer. Well, if he’s ever going to get you points, it’s this week against Indy. Indy will win, probably handily, and jump out to a lead early. Pryor will probably throw a couple of picks, but he might rush for a 100 yards. What do inexperienced but mobile qbs do? Exactly. Again, you aren’t sitting Colin Kaepernick if you have him, but if you need 16+ points from your qb spot, you’ll get them here.

Quarterbacks: Sit em!

Philip Rivers: Hey, I think he might have a decent year. But it won’t start this week, not against a stout Texas defense. I think Texas will play ball control, limiting the time Rivers is on the field, and while he might exceed 15 points, I don’t find it likely. If you have Rivers, you probably have another guy on your team like Bradford or Cutler, start either of them instead.

Running Backs: Start em!

Knowshon Moreno: I will bet you any amount of money (I’m looking at you, Pete Rose) that if you asked Peyton Manning who he wanted starting at running back (Hillman, Ball, or Moreno), he’d pick Moreno. Excellent in blitz pickup and as a receiver, he has Manning’s confidence. He won’t get 20 touches against Baltimore on Thursday, but he may get 12 or 13, and there could very well be a touchdown in there. In standard scoring formats, I’m thinking 13+ points.

DeAngelo Williams: Remember, this isn’t a no brainer column. If you are even considering Williams, it’s probably because you have two really top end running backs, and are just unsure of your flex…and maybe a bit disconcerteda about the Seattle D. Well, you should be. Still, no Jonathan Stewart means full time duty for Williams. He’s always been underrated as a receiver anyway. I don’t know that he’ll score, but he’s probably good for 12+ points. Not awful for your flex.

Running Backs: Sit ’em!

Daryl Richardson: The Rams should theoretically walk all over Arizona at home, but I don’t think D Rich will factor much. The bigger Zac Stacy or Benny Cunningham will likely get the goalline work, and Arizona has a decent front seven. Plus, Sam Bradford will want to give plenty of action to all his new offensive toys. Richardson may get 6 or 7 points, but not much beyond that.

Receivers: Start ’em!:

Cecil Shorts: Underrated, probably because of his crappy team. But there’s no Justin Blackmon for the first four weeks, and Gabbert/Henne will have to throw to someone with teams stacking the line. He’s target number one on that team through the air, and he’ll get lots of them. 18+ points in standard scoring formats is my guess. Yes, that’s and 18 and not merely an 8. Go big or go home.

T.Y. Hilton: Against a crappy secondary whose best guys will be focusing on Reggie Wayne, Hilton could have a field day. Heck, I’d not be one bit surprised if he also returned a punt to the house. You can bank on 13+ from Hilton with an upside of in the low 20s. Nope, not joking.

Receivers: Sit ’em!:

Anquan Boldin: He may have some value in PPR formats, but in standard, stay away from him until he proves that he can be a number one guy at his advanced age. Look for Green Bay to double him, taking away Kaepernick’s security blanket. He may catch 7 or 8 balls, but no scores and I doubt he breaks 80 yards. In standard scoring, look for 7 points or less.

Tight Ends: Start ’em!

Jared Cook: He’s huge and has big time speed, and Bradford likes him. There will be weeks where he disappears, because that’s what he does, but week one against AZ, look for several catches, including a big gainer and possibly a score. 10+ in standard scoring. (Hey, what do you want? If you have anyone outside of Graham or healthy Gronk, you’ll take 10+ from your TE and like it!)

Ed Dickson: If you got him, you probably were really desperate… but without Dennis Pitta, he’ll be the guy Flacco is looking for when he looks for his tight end. Dickson is patently mediocre, but he’s also the guy in Baltimore at the TE position right now, and could get a score. If 7 points is enough for you from the TE spot, you may get it here.

Tight Ends: Sit ’em!

Zach Sudfeld: Hey, it’s easy to buy into Patriots hype. After all, they have Brady! Now, Sudfeld may turn out to be a steal in your draft, but I doubt it will be week one. Brady likes to throw to his tight ends, but I’m not convinced that Gronk will not suit up week 1, at the very last minute. If he doesn’t, you may get some value out of Sudfeld. If Gronk does suit up, like I believe he might, you’re looking at 2 or 3 points.

I’m not going to waste much time on kickers and defenses. If you’re streaming defenses, look at snagging Indy for week 1 against the Raiders. Cincy is always under-owned in my opinion, with their awesome pass rush, and they are going against Chicago. Cutler seems to get drilled a lot. If you’re really desperate, look at KC against Jacksonville. They will probably give up a few points, but also create a few turnovers. Avoid using Green Bay. The good teams always get their defenses drafted ahead of mediocre teams who actually defend better. The Pack couldn’t stop Kaepernick last time, what makes you think anything has changed?

Not sure who your kicker is yet? Greg Zeurlein has his coach’s confidence from anywhere inside 65 yards. One of those, a chip shot, and a couple extra points get you a nice game from your kicker. Garrett Hartley will be in a shootout too. Keep and eye on Randy Bullock. He’s pretty fat at 5 foot 9 and 370 (slight exaggeration) but he has a strong, accurate leg. Nobody to really avoid. They’re kickers after all. The Jets may lose 42-9, but that still would mean Nick Folk kicked three through the uprights.

Anyhoo, that does it for this column. Thanks for reading and good luck in week 1.

TEAM	O/U WINS	TORSTEN	SHAUN
Denver Broncos	11.5	Over	Over
San Francisco 49ers	11.5	Under	Under
New England Patriots	11.5	Under	Under
Seattle Seahawks	10.5	Over	Over
Green Bay Packers	10.0	Even	Under
Houston Texans	10.0	Over	Even
Atlanta Falcons	10.0	Over	Over
New Orleans Saints	9.0	Over	Under
Pittsburgh Steelers	9.0	Under	Under
New York Giants	9.0	Even	Under
Cincinnati Bengals	8.5	Over	Over
Chicago Bears	8.5	Under	Under
Dallas Cowboys	8.5	Over	Over
Baltimore Ravens	8.5	Over	Over
Indianapolis Colts	8.5	Under	Under
Washington Redskins	8.0	Under	Under
Detroit Lions	7.5	Over	Under
Miami Dolphins	7.5	Under	Over
Carolina Panthers	7.0	Even	Under
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7.5	Under	Over
St. Louis Rams	7.5	Over	Over
Philadelphia Eagles	7.0	Even	Under
San Diego Chargers	7.5	Under	Under
Kansas City Chiefs	7.0	Over	Even
Minnesota Vikings	7.5	Over	Under
Cleveland Browns	6.0	Even	Over
Tennessee Titans	6.5	Under	Over
Buffalo Bills	6.5	Under	Under
New York Jets	6.5	Under	Under
Arizona Cardinals	5.5	Under	Over
Oakland Raiders	5.5	Under	Under
Jacksonville Jaguars	5.0	Under w/Gabbert Over w/Henne	Even

As we see every Summer with the MLB All Star Game, any time you compile a team of great players there are going to be snubs. We were not restricted to the archaic and nincompoopish rule that each team be represented when selecting our all timers, but still, in the history of baseball there have certainly been more than 50 great players.

 

As a preamble to my snubs submissions, I would like to say that I purposely snubbed Barry Bonds and Ty Cobb from my team, and now I’m snubbing them from my snubs. Clearly, character concern/PED use wasn’t a huge factor for me when assembling my roster, but lines need to be drawn somewhere and I drew mine in front of them.

 

Torsten’s Snubs and Coaches:

 

OF: Ichiro Suzuki – A recent addition to the 4,000 hit club, if you count his career in Japan, which you should, because he’s awesome regardless of what country he is in. The idiots who use Sabermetrics as the gospel will point to a somewhat low .362 career OBP for someone who sports a career batting average of .320, but find me a manager who won’t take that from his leadoff guy. You can’t. Still not enough for you? He’s a 10-time gold glover. I’m not sure how he made neither of our rosters. He’s undoubtedly in the twilight of his brilliant career but he’s a legend. Honorable Mentions – Robin Yount, Shoeless Joe Jackson, Harmon Killebrew

 

IF: Sadaharu Oh – Performance enhancing drugs used: 0. Career home runs hit: 868. Bobby Valentine, who managed in Japan for years, recently said that pretty much all everyday players in Japan could make an MLB roster. I don’t know if that’s an overstatement, but we’ve seen the proof that players can come over here from Japan and be superstars. It’s unlikely that Oh would have hit 868 home runs had he played his entire career in MLB, but it’s entirely plausible he’d have surpassed 500. Maybe even 600. Possibly even… nah… he wouldn’t have reached 700, would he have? Here’s some food for thought. In MLB, sluggers are frequently allowed to swing away on 3-0 counts. They’re also encouraged to expand the strike zone a bit if they see a pitch they can drive but may be out of the zone. If the movie Mr. Baseball is to be believed, neither of those is really true in Japan. Nobody will ever know, but isn’t it fun to wonder if Oh could have reached 1,000 career dingers with a more “Western” approach to hitting? Honorable Mentions – Frank Thomas, Mike Schmidt, Ozzie Smith, Derek Jeter

 

SP: Gaylord Perry – I hemmed and hawed over this, not because Perry isn’t deserving of this recognition, but because there are a lot of pitchers who went “undrafted” in this little exercise of ours with impressive enough careers to seamlessly slot in to the back end of mine or Shaun’s rotation without any noticeable drop off from those already there. But I went with Perry for several reasons. His career statistics (more than 300 wins and 3,500 Ks) speak for themselves, but he did with guile and cunning, as opposed to overpowering people. His spitball was a defining pitch of his generation, though he threw a variety of pitches expertly. Think of him as a Greg Maddux who was willing to take some liberties with the rules. Honorable Mentions – Cy Young, Jack Morris, and when we do this again in five years, Clayton Kershaw

 

RP: Jeff Reardon – I think we pretty much covered the relievers. Reardon had an excellent career. You could plug in guys like Joe Nathan, Robb Nen, or Dave Righetti who had really nice careers, or you could throw in a guy like Randy Myers as an additional lefty, or Dan Quisenberry on the other side.

 

Manager: Earl Weaver – When you have a lineup full of superstars, you need a manager who doesn’t take any crap from anyone. Weaver certainly fit that bill over the course of his career.

 

Hitting Coach: Hiroshi Arakawa – I’ll be the first to admit, I have no idea about hitting coaches. But I stumbled onto the fact that Arakawa mixed Zen and samurai training into his hitting coaching. Samurai hitters?  Pass the guacamole.

 

Pitching Coach: Dave Wallace – Again, don’t know a lot of pitching coaches but I was able to see what he did with the Dodgers in the 90s and that was impressive stuff.

 

Shaun’s Snubs and Coaches:

OF: Barry Bonds – Ok, I will give in, hate him or hate him, he was great.  Regardless of all the things he “supposedly” put into his body, there might not have been a better bat to ball hitter in history.  When Barry Bonds swung the bat, chances are he was making hard contact.

IF: Mike Schmidt – Torsten and I both made strong cases for the third basemen we chose for our teams, but it is hard to argue Schmidt isn’t one of the best players in baseball history.  Personally I have him as the second best third baseman in history, but many have him as the greatest.

SP: Roger Clemens – Another poster child of the steroid era, but even before that, he was as dominant a pitcher as there ever was to start his career in Boston.  He has the most Cy Young awards of all-time, and his stuff was second to none.

RP: Dan Quisenberry – Quisenberry is actually the first guy I think of when thinking back to side armed pitchers, over Eck.  He was the first player to ever record 40 saves in a season, and has the best ERA+ of any reliever in history.  Actually, he is tied with Hoyt Wilhelm, but better than Mo Rivera.

Manager: Sparky Anderson – Torsten and I both live within miles of Sparky Anderson Field, and you would be hard pressed to find somebody who cares about baseball in the area that doesn’t have something great to say about the man.  In addition to being a great guy, the man was a phenomenal manager.  I would have him run my team any day.

Hitting Coach: Rudy Jaramillo – The 2013 season marked the first time Judy Jamarillo was not a hitting coach in baseball since the 1990 season.  He started off with the Houston Astros at the time of the Killer B’s, moved on to coach serial 200 hit man Michael Young in Texas, before finally admitting not even he could save the Chicago Cubs over the past few years.  Cub fans, you know your team is in trouble when the greatest hitting coach in history can’t even help your club.

Pitching Coach: Leo Mazzone – Remember the Atlanta Braves’ pitching staff in the 90’s?  Then you probably remember their pitching coach rocking back and forth every game in the dugout.  That guy was Leo Mazzone.  Did the Braves have incredible talent, yes, but they were also all coached up by this great pitching coach.

Torsten’s take on his picks:

Well, five picks left and four spots on my staff to fill. Good thing pitching is deep, and a couple of guys I had my eye on earlier on are still available.

 

21) Tom Seaver – SP – Tom Terrific isn’t often one of the first guys brought up when the greatest starting pitchers of all time are mentioned, but he really should be. He was the complete package, with more than 300 lifetime wins and a career ERA under 3. Reggie Jackson, one of the premier power hitters in Seaver’s generation once said about him, “Blind men come to the park just to hear him pitch.”

 

22) Barry Larkin – MI – Few infielders in history combined offensive prowess with defensive wizardry the way Larkin did. What team couldn’t use a shortstop with a resume that includes 3 gold gloves, 9 silver slugger awards, an MVP, and 12 all-star selections? And if he didn’t share a position with Ozzie Smith in the early part of his career, those 3 gold gloves may be more like 6… or 12.

 

23) Steve Carlton – SP – Somehow, the best left-handed starting pitcher of the last 40 years is my number five starter. His accomplishments are numerous: He once held the all-time strikeouts record, he was the first ever four-time Cy Young winner, once had a streak of 69 consecutive starts with at least 6 innings pitched, the list goes on. But for me, his most impressive accomplishment is winning 27 games in 1972 for a dogsh*t Phillies team that won a TOTAL of only 59. Awesome? I think so.

 

24) Wilbur Wood – RP – I needed another lefty out of the bullpen, and with all the power arms already in my pen, I decided to go with the knuckleballer, Wood. It’s not a gimmick, though, I assure you. Wood won 164 games in his career, made three all-star teams, and finished 2^nd in a Cy Young vote. His dual experience starting and relieving make him the ideal second lefty in a pen… in case I need someone to finish the last five innings of a 21 inning game carryover game that was suspended, and throw a complete game shutout in the regularly scheduled contest immediately after… like he did in 1973

 

25) Eric Gagne – RP – I know, I know. But hear me out. The brightest flames generally burn out the quickest, but the three year period between 2002 and 2004 where he converted a record 84 consecutive save opportunities is, albeit a brief one, the most dominant period ever experience by a reliever. Injuries derailed his career, and there were allegations of PED use, but if you needed three outs during that three year period, was there a pitcher you’d rather use?

 

Shaun’s take on his picks:

 

 

21) John Franco – RP – Looking back, there were really only two left handed pitchers that has long term success at the back end of a bullpen, Billy Wagner and John Franco.  Torsten took Wagner some time ago, and I am not convinced Franco is not the better of the two.  The seemingly ageless one pitched in the big leagues for 21 years while compiling 90 wins and 424 saves.  He is as decorated a lefty reliever as there is in baseball history.

 

22) Frank Robinson – OF – He has his number retired by two teams, he is the only player to ever win MVP in both leagues, he has won a triple crown, won rookie of the year, won World Series MVP, won an All-Star game MVP, was named manager of the year in 1989, and has a gold glove.  In case the laundry list of trophies aren’t enough, Frank Robinson will patrol the corner outfield or be a guy off the bench who has 586 career home runs and over 1,800 RBIs.  Decent guy to have on the bench.

 

23) Lee Smith – RP – When you really break it down, there is not much of a history of really dominant relievers.  You have the handful that are the cream of the crop, but for the most part, throughout history, you have guys that dominate for three or four years, then fall off the cliff.  Then you have guys that just go out and get the job done for almost two decades and retire as the al-time leader in saves.  For that reason, the last guy in my bullpen was an easy decision, Lee Smith.

 

24) Torii Hunter – CF – My bench has Frank Robinson, Cal Ripken Jr., and Rod Carew…that is enough excellent bats, I want a guy I can put in in the 7^th inning that will save a game with the glove, enter Torii Hunter.  Hunter is no slouch with the bat, he has over 1.000 RBIs, 300 home runs, 2,000 hits, and has nearly 200 steals, but he also has countless robbed home runs and diving grabs.  He can steal my team a bag when I need it, or be the best defensive replacement in history. 

 

25) Carlton Fisk – C – Honestly, there was one name on my mind when it came down to this final pick, but there were two players I was debating.  How you ask?  Simple, the name was Pudge, the players were Carlton Fisk and Ivan Rodriguez.  Neither guy would be the wrong choice, so, I allowed my rooting interests to break the tie.  I was at Fisk’s induction into the Hall of Fame, and he hit the most famous home run in Red Sox history.  Had I originally gone the rout Torsten went at catcher, an offensive guy, I would take Ivan for his defensive prowess, but nobody will accuse Johnny Bench of being poor behind the dish, so Fisk is my backup backstop.

 

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 

I love the Frank Robinson and Torii Hunter picks. If you’re rounding out a roster on the back end, you’re picking for a specific purpose and I think he did that really well. I’m not entirely convinced that he couldn’t have picked slightly better than Franco or Smith, but you can’t really argue with their fairly gaudy lifetime statistics. Fisk was probably a better fit for my team, as Piazza was for his, but that is what it is.

 

My starting line-up ends up like this:

 

1. Rickey Henderson

2. Alex Rodriguez

3. Willie Mays

4. Babe Ruth

5. Josh Gibson

6. Miguel Cabrera

7. Rogers Hornsby

8. Chipper Jones

9. Edgar Martinez.

 

 My rotation stacks up like this:

1. Warren Spahn  

2. Christy Mathewson

3. Pedro Martinez 

4. Steve Carlton

5. Tom Seaver. 

 

I’m feeling confident.

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Torsten finished off his rotation with Seaver and Carlton, which are two great pitchers, and no real criticism can be placed there (other than the fact his rotation clearly falls short of mine).  Barry Larkin as his middle infielder, not really sold on him.  His starter is A-Rod, who had to move to third because he was a lesser fielder than the overrated (defensively) Derek Jeter played short when A-Rod was traded to the Yankees.  Larkin was a great player, but Ozzie Smith would fit his team better here, and I think he really dropped the ball.  Clemente, Rose, Piazza, and Mantle were already on his bench, he really could have used the defensive help.  I like Wood as another addition to his bullpen and I do find it interesting we both end up with a knuckle ball specialist in our pens….interesting.  With roster spot 25 Torsten failed.  I get that Eric Gagne was phenomenal when he was in his prime…those two or three years…but he was terrible the rest of his career.  If you want to look at these rosters merely as the best season of the players career, you can’t deny Gagne belongs, but a guy that tallied a career save total under 200 and an ERA near 3.50 just seems like the one name of the fifty chosen that doesn’t belong.

My starting line-up ends up like this:

 

1. Ken Griffey Jr.

2. Ernie Banks

3. Ted Williams

4. Hank Aaron

5. Stan Musial

6. Johnny Bench

7. David Ortiz

8. Brooks Robinson

9. Joe Morgan

 

 My rotation stacks up like this:

1. Sandy Koufax  

2. Bob Gibson

3. Randy Johnson 

4. Nolan Ryan

5. Greg Maddux 

 

In the end, I truly believe I win a series regardless of the length based purely on my rotation.  These teams are very evenly matched, but I would start my fifth starter against any of Torsten’s five any day of the week.  I really think that is where the scales tip in my direction.   Not to mention my rotation and lineup are a perfect mix of lefties and righties that will take the game out of the manager’s hands in large part.

Ok, we get it. Everyone hates A-Rod, except maybe his mom… but probably her too. It’s still puzzling though, that Ryan Dempster was not ejected after drilling him on the FOURTH try! Regardless, the aftermath is why people who don’t watch baseball, citing that it’s boring, have a leg to stand on. A-Rod got the last laugh, drilling a home run off of Dempster later on in the game, but that’s pretty much it it. He paused for a moment at home plate after his trot, and may or may not have taken a jab at Big Papi David Ortiz with a gesture skyward, but that’s really it.

Now, the fact that Dempster hit Rodriguez intentionally is not debatable. He should probably get a similar suspension to what Ian Kennedy got for beaning Yasiel Puig and Zack Greinke earlier this season. But he won’t. Why not? Because it was A-Rod.

Now, knowing that it’s him against the world, why didn’t A-Rod take full advantage of his moment? Why didn’t he stand at home plate for the entire length of the flight of his home run? Why didn’t he take a super slow home run trot, pausing at each base as the crowd boos and putting his hands up to his ears as if to say, “I can’t hear you!” And when it was all said and done, why didn’t he pause at home plate and do some body builder poses? It’s not like class and tact have been anywhere near the top of his priority list any time recently. Why start now? His popularity with fans is unsalvagable. Why not turn himself into a WWE-type villain that embraces the vitriol from fans and hams it up? I think people would tune in for that.

On to the next bit, if MLB is going to establish itself as a credible operation again in the wake of all the PED crap, they have to do something about the umpiring. Saturday’s game between Detroit and Kansas City featured one of the worst displays of umpiring in history, and not just the call. With a runner on first, the Kansas City batter swung at a Doug Fister pitch in the dirt. The ball came up off the ground, hit the bat, and deflected past catcher, Brayan Pena. Not a teensy deflection, a clear contact on the bat that if you listened closely to the tv, was audible. No foul ball was called by home plate umpire, Mike Muchlinski and the runner advanced to third base. Of course, manager Jim Leyland hollered from the dugout and was ejected by first base ump, Bob Davidson, who sneered while doing so. That is a problem. What’s more a problem is that any of the four umpires on the field were in good position to get the call right, but nobody did. And then, before play resumed, Pena was tossed too. He had put his mask on, assumed his spot behind the dish, and then told Muchlinski what he felt. Again, he did this with his mask on, not showing the umpires up. Usually catchers never argue with an umpire because they feel their pitchers will get shafted on balls and strikes calls the rest of the game, or in some umpires’ cases, the rest of their careers if they do.

Now, what’s going to happen to the umpires? Probably nothing. At best, this was a horribly missed call by four umpires that could have potentially changed the course of the game. At worst, it was umpires taking an opportunity to make it personal with Leyland. If this is the case, which I personally feel it was, MLB would have to send a stern message. Suspend the umpires for the rest of the season. Especially Davidson, who sneered and laughed at Leyland as he ejected him and again during the subsequent argument.

But MLB won’t. Because like any cash cow, they care little about their credibility. Perhaps things will be different when Bud Selig, or as I like to call him, Bud @$#%^@(*^%&*&$#^% Selig is no longer commissioner. We can hope, because if MLB will ever reclaim its rightful place up alongside football and basketball as a premier, fan experience-oriented sport, it will have to.

Torsten’s take on his picks 11-15:

16)  Pete Rose – Utility – Every roster needs to have a guy that can fill in at the corner infield positions. I figure mine should be baseball’s all-time hits king. Bet you didn’t see this pick coming… see what I did there?

17) Pedro Martinez – SP – There was a period of about 9 years where he was simply the most dominating pitcher of his generations. Other flames may have burned as brightly, but none for as long. Personally, I think he could have tacked a few years onto the back end of his career by switching to relief, but who cares. Happy to have him in my rotation.

18) Mike Piazza – C – I now have the TWO best offensive catchers in history on my roster. Sure, he won’t do much to shut down the opposition’s running game, but his offensive prowess far outweighs his defensive flaws.

19) Mickey Mantle – C – Wow, center field is a deep position. How does Mantle last to the 37^th pick? You can look at the stats and see that he had an unbelievable career, but if you want to visualize how he played, think switch hitting Mike Trout. Trout is the best player in the game today, Mick was right up there in his day.

20) Goose Gossage – RP – Again, my staff is now where I need to focus. There are several awesome starters remaining but only a handful of dominant relievers, so I go with the Goose here. The prototypical closer before Tony LaRussa reinvented the position, Gossage couldn’t have been more intimidating on the mound if he was holding a machine gun. Plus, he could easily go multiple innings, as evidenced by the fact that he multiple time totaled more than 130 innings in relief in a season, and turned in 15 complete games in his one season as a starter. That’s a CAREER for most guys these days.

 

Shaun’s take on his picks 11-15:

 

16)  Cal Ripken Jr. – SS/3B – At this point, it is a lot about squad roster makeup.  Going in I wanted to be able to spend just two roster spots on the infield.  I expected to go with a middle infielder and corner infielder, but I decided to go Cal here to back up the left side.  He is a bat off the bench that can deliver a big hit regardless which of his seemingly 3 million batting stances he sported throughout his career.

17) Nolan Ryan – SP – Honestly, as I mentioned in the last installment, I was a bit torn between two guys to complete the fourth spot in my rotation, which is why I took Greg Maddux to be my fifth starter before selecting my fourth starter.  It was a toss-up for my second power righty between Pedro and the Ryan Express, so as soon as Torsten selected Pedro, my decision was made.

18) Rod Carew – 2B/1B – Since I took Cal earlier, I was left with a roster composition dilemma.  I am left needing a guy that can back up second and first.  I could pick up a catcher that has experience at first, but a backup catcher is too valuable to also be backing up first.  I could also take an outfielder that also has experience at first, or I could pick Rod Carew, one of the few that fills both second and first.  The decision was easy,

19) Rollie Fingers – RP – Honestly, the thing I have written that I had the most fun doing was my Mustache Ride Through Time, so how could I possibly pass on the guy at the top of that list.  Oh, not to mention the dude could deal.

20) Trevor Hoffman – CL – I have decided to select Hoffman as my closer.  I will admit, if I am managing a baseball team, that position doesn’t exist.  That said, if there is someone to take the ninth inning, up 2-3 runs, nobody on, and three outs to get, only one guy has done it more than Hoffman.  Oh, and his circle change can eat up any hitter regardless of era.

 

 

Torsten’s take on Shaun’s picks:

 I have to admit, I thought he began to round off his roster really well with these last five picks. Cal Ripken and his 431 lifetime homers to back up short, Ryan and his 7 no hitters, Fingers and Hoffman to help out a bullpen that he’d essentially neglected until now. If I was going to nitpick, and you know I will, it’s Carew. While brilliant in his own right, I personally would choose Tony Gwynn here, citing slightly superior batting average, and a vastly superior slugging percentage. That said, I can’t truly make a spirited argument against any of these picks.

 

So far: I had a plan going into these five picks, and I deviated because of the sheer awesomeness that was still available. I’m thrilled to have Pedro, the Mick, and everyone else… though if I was going to nitpick against myself, maybe a defensively better catcher in the mold of a Gary Carter, Yogi Berra, Benito Santiago, et al would have been a better choice. We’ll see…

 

 

Shaun’s take on Torsten’s picks:

Well, Torsten isn’t winning any good guy awards with his squad.  A-Rod and Pete Rose on the same team, imagine the media circus.  Pete Rose is the all-time hit leader, and can pretty much play any position.  In an exercise like this, if he found himself in a starting lineup it would be a travesty, but as a utility guy, I get it.  I mentioned earlier my thoughts on Pedro, but him as Torsten’s third starter and Ryan as my fourth, I feel I get the win there.  Piazza is an amazing hitter, but it feels like a fantasy team pick rather than a real team pick.  Granted, little is really known about Josh Gibson’s defensive prowess, but you certainly aren’t bringing in Piazza to help defensively late in a game.  Torsten nailed it right on the head, center field is deeeeeeep.  Mantle is often considered to be top ten best player in baseball history, but looking back, I don’t disagree with him falling this far.  Goose is a great add to a bullpen, nothing more to say there.

So far: I love the development of my squad.  The balance is there.  I have waited on my bullpen, but I like the way it is coming together, and give me the first five picks to develop a rotation and I don’t think I could develop one I like more than the rotation I ended up with.  My lineup is matchup proof, perfect balance of right handed and left handed bats, but looking back, I failed in that aspect on my bench, and spoiler alert, I will round it out with three more right handers, dropped the ball there.