The Maestro’s Fantasy Football Preview 2009

Down through the years, through cable access television & YouTube & now blogs, the other members of the extended “Sports Frenzy” family have been merciless in their ridicule of The Maestro and his proclivity to play fantasy sports. However, those of you out there who partake of the bittersweet nectar that is fantasy football (or baseball or NASCAR or shuffleboard) know that it’s a beguiling elixir that can elicit endless joy or bring about profound depression. Just remember to indulge in moderation, kids...

So, without further ado (and without any more melodramatic metaphors), let’s look at some 2009 sleepers and overrated duds in each major NFL category, shall we?

Quarterbacks: Sleepers - Matt Schaub, Texans (Gary Kubiak’s in a make-or-break year as head coach & there’s nobody even close to Schaub on the depth chart); Sage Rosenfels, Vikings (looking more and more like the starter, has All-Day as his RB and some good young receivers)
Duds - Marc Bulger, Rams (a one-year wonder a few years removed, has nobody to throw to); Matt Cassel (no Tony Gonzalez, hasn’t proven himself worthy of huge contract yet)

Running Backs: Sleepers - Ryan Grant, Packers (why is his short holdout LAST season affecting his value THIS season?); Brandon Jacobs, Giants (Derrick Ward isn’t around to steal his touches this year); Ray Rice, Ravens (will rack up yardage as he puts McGahee on the bench, but McClain may swipe some TDs)
Duds - Anybody stuck in a ‘running back by committee’ situation (Carolina, Oakland, Tampa Bay, Tennessee, Indianapolis)

Wide Receivers: Sleepers - Marques Colston, Saints (he’ll come back with a vengeance this season, mark my words); Anthony Gonzalez, Colts (takes over for Marvin Harrison as one of Peyton Manning’s ‘Three Amigos’ with Wayne & Clark); Nate Washington, Titans (might be the weapon Kerry Collins needs); Domenik Hixon, Giants (Eli has to find his new Plaxico)
Duds - Denver receivers (that means you, Brandon Marshall & Eddie Royal); Roy Williams (another brilliant Jerry Jones acquisition…note sarcasm); Calvin Johnson (yes, he may be the best of all the Lions first-round receivers from the last decade, but Matthew Stafford needs some time to figure the pro game out before he can make CJ’s stats more impressive)

Tight Ends: Sleepers - Greg Olsen, Bears (two words...Jay Cutler); Kellen Winslow Jr., Tampa Bay (yes, despite all the issues, I still believe)
Duds - Todd Heap, Ravens (if a rookie QB won’t throw you the ball as an ‘elite’ tight end, your productive days are officially over); Jason Witten, Cowboys (will still be solid but fewer options at WR for Dallas means defenses will key on him more often)

Kickers: Sleepers - Jason Elam, Falcons (yes, he’s old but young Matt Ryan & the Atlanta offense will only get better this year, especially with a happy...and rich...Roddy White and new TE acquisition Tony Gonzalez on board)
Duds - Matt Prater, Denver (Cutler for Orton swap means less opportunities)

Defense/STs: Sleepers - New York Jets (Rex Ryan will make the D solid & Leon Washington’s always a return threat); San Diego Chargers (weak division plus Merriman’s healthy & Darren Sproles is still around); Green Bay (Dom Capers will help A.J. Hawk & company achieve their potential)
Duds - Chicago Bears (NFC Central is getting better offensively & secondary is extremely weak); Tampa Bay Buccaneers (iffy offense will lose time of possession battle every week, and the defense will wear down quickly)

There you go, people…save me a brew at your celebratory late December victory bash!!!

Jake Peavy on the South Side

Over the past week, I have been wrestling with my feelings over the Jake Peavy deal that White Sox GM Kenny Williams made, 4 for 1. Four young, up and coming pitchers, two of whom are power lefties (Clayton Richard, Aaron Poreda, Adam Russell and Dexter Carter) given up for one injured, former Cy Young Award winner. Too much was given up in my humble opinion and I’ll tell you why...

Jake Peavy is not going to be available to the Sox until late August at the soonest, meaning Chicago is facing four weeks without a starting pitcher. That leaves a consistent 3 man rotation of Buehrle, Floyd and Danks. Fourth in the rotation is Contreras who right now couldn’t find the strike zone if it was bright pink in the middle of an open field. As far as a fifth starter, it will be by committee. Clayton Richard should not have been part of this deal. The White Sox need a solid 4th man during this wait for Peavy and that was Richard. Kenny once again acted like it was a seller’s market, when in reality it was a buyer's market (e.g.: Cliff Lee and Jared Washburn).

If Peavy can stay healthy over the next couple of years and pitch up to his history, it will be a great move overall. I am thrilled to have a pitcher of his caliber, but I say this with some trepidation, as we have been burned in the past by the likes of David Wells and Bartolo Colon (twice now).

I think I would prefer to have taken my chances with Clayton Richard, the young left hander who throws mid-90’s and is learning his control and secondary pitches.

Trade Deadline Ramifications 2009

Okay, the ’09 MLB trade deadline has come and gone...who won and who lost?

Nah, that’s too simple - with the economics of baseball being in worse shape than the American stock market, we should filter what we’ve seen over the last few weeks into categories. Welcome to “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”, ‘Sports Frenzy’ style!!!

Moving Players Like Freakin’ Chess Pieces: Must be nice to be a Red Sox fan. Um, we need a first baseman...let’s trade for Adam LaRoche! A few days pass. Ummm, can’t we do better than LaRoche? Let’s trade LaRoche for Casey Kotchman PLUS get Victor Martinez to boot!!! There’s the ticket...

Fire Sale!!!: See ‘Pirates, Pittsburgh’ & ‘Indians, Cleveland’. Also see ‘Disgraceful’ and ‘Pathetic’...

Waiting In The Weeds Like A Viper: The Cardinals didn’t do much last year to improve themselves, and St. Louis fans wondered aloud if they were being hosed like the Pirates faithful...their team opens a new ballpark and then abruptly stops trying to excel on the field as the cash registers overflow. Not so in 2009. Mark DeRosa, Julio Lugo, and Matt Holliday have joined Ryan Ludwick as Albert Pujols’ posse, and the Phillies have started sweating a bit...

How Do You Spell Relief???: The Cubs and Dodgers decided to bolster their bullpens and stick with the lumber they already had. John Grabow comes to The Windy City from Pittsburgh, and George Sherrill goes from the East Coast (Baltimore) to the West Coast (L.A.). Now if Lou Piniella can just get Kevin Gregg straightened out again...

Aces High: The Phillies already had Hamels, the White Sox already had Buehrle. Both pitchers helped lead their teams to World Series championships within the last five years. Now, Cole has Cliff Lee to watch his back & ‘Mr. Perfect Game’ will have Jake Peavy (by late August) to ride shotgun for him...

What does it all mean? In the end, we’re still looking at the haves vs. the have-nots. We’ll probably see the Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, and Cubs (wild card) in the NL & the Red Sox, White Sox, Angels, and Yankees (wild card) in the AL. Sure, the postseason will be entertaining, but people will still drift en masse to pro football come September. Why? Because hope springs eternal everywhere in Roger Goodell’s world...the NFL makes it much more realistic for a team to stage a turnaround or comeback than the flawed financial structure of Major League Baseball does...

Just ask fans of the Pirates, Indians, Nationals, A’s, Royals, Orioles, and Blue Jays...