The Blue Workhorse

Lots of great stuff this week from fantasy baseball awards to college football freshman to a sports blogger trying out for a professional team to a ridiculous hockey play:

* Need a Halloween costume? - Epic Carnival gives you the top ten sports related Halloween costumes of 2008. I still think the idea I came up with last year is the best (just check in the comments of the story).
* GameDay Classic Signage - Busted Coverage has the 20 all-time best ESPN College Gameday signs. The ones mentioned in the comments are classic as well.
* Best GameDay Sign. Ever. - From the Auburn/LSU game last month.

…more…

Recently, we’ve been lucky enough to win a few contests:

* a few radio contests thanks to the advice from Earn on the Side
* Buddy’s Contest at Buddy’s Fitness News
* $500 gift card from the Big Marketing Blog thanks to Market Leverage (well, they’ll receive my thanks once they actually get into contact with me)
* Entrecards and advertisements from Time for a Smile’s A Celebration of Smiles Contest
* Busted Coverage’s Cleaning Out the Shitter Library, which won us a book (which I’m hoping didn’t get lost in the mail)

And now it is time for us to win another!

Except this time it will take more than just random luck. It’ll take a little skill. Of course, we are leading in the Babes Love Baseball fantasy baseball league against other baseball blogs, so expect nothing different.

Our latest contest conquest will come at the hands of 24 other blogs as we compete in Cuzoogle’s NFL Pigskin Picks challenge.

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Break is great for many reasons.

Getting to see the collection of baseball legends along with the current stars on the field at Yankee stadium was a truly special moment.

In addition to the festivities, I have always enjoyed the game itself. Watching stud pitchers give maximum effort for an inning, both leagues assembling a numbers-packed studly lineup, and the overall atmosphere of the game is a great treat midway through the baseball season.

Another great reason for the game: we all get a break from fantasy baseball. A mental break is nice from the leagues we have been keeping up with since late April.

Since we have one-more day of the All-Star Break, I want to give some props to players who brought the wood, and others who fell off the baseball map:

…more…

Let’s play a quick game of name those numbers. Who has produced these incredible statistics?

151.1 IP / 9 W / 2.28 ERA / 195 K / 1.13 WHIP

Jake Peavy? Johan Santana? Many of you might see the line and figure it must have been a line from Peavy, Santana, or one of the other top-flight starting pitchers 151 innings through the season.

However, these stats were the combined 2007 season statistics of Carlos Marmol and Jonathan Broxton, two of the most dominant middle relievers in the game.

In terms of fantasy baseball, middle relievers are often forgotten when they can be a huge weapon as an added bonus to your pitching staff. They can be the secret key to lower WHIP and ERA, and many of these guys also pile up the strikeouts:

…more…

In an attempt to jump start an anemic offense, the San Diego Padres are finally making some baseball sense. They have called up the sweet-swinging, infielder-outfielder Chase Headley from their Triple A affiliate, the Portland Beavers.

Headley has been regarded as the top offensive threat in the Padres’ organization after he tore through Double A last season posting a line of .330 AVG/.437 OBP/20 HR/78 RBI/82 R for San Antonio. This year, the former second round pick out of the University of Tennessee, struggled early in Triple A but posted a .357 average in May. Despite the early struggles, Headley’s line at Triple A Portland was still impressive: .305 AVG/.383 OBP/13 HR/40 RBI/49 R.

…more…

The Cincinnati Reds have finally decided to do what many have been anxiously waiting for.

With a rotating outfield of Ken Griffey Jr., Adam Dunn, Corey Patterson, and Ryan Freel that has combined to hit only .254, the Reds called up super-prospect (the current #1 overall prospect) Jay Bruce from Triple-A Louisville.

This is the move many fantasy owners have been waiting for. Much like Ryan Braun of a year-ago, Bruce is a prospect that can truly impact a fantasy baseball race.

As we gather with family and friends on Memorial Day weekend, we must remember that nearly a third of the Major League Baseball season has passed us, and for those of you whose fantasy teams are faltering, there is still hope, but it is likely time to make some changes.

One successful method that could get you back in the running for your league title is the “buy low” strategy, in which you nab up or trade for underperforming players. Using split-statistics, in which the players statistics are divided up into each individual month or Pre/Post All-Star Break, here are a few players who might not appear to be overly appealing now, but as the weather heats up, these players seem to follow:

Last season, the New York Metropolitans collapsed at the end of the season allowing the Philadelphia Phillies to take their first division title since 1993. The Atlanta Braves, the former requisite 1st place team in the NL East, also appear to be back in the running after two consecutive seasons finishing in third. However, each team appears to have some weaknesses whether it is age, pitching, injury issues, or a combination of possible calamities. Then there are the up-and-eventually-coming Washington Nationals and then…the woeful Florida Marlins.