Sunday Surprise...A tribute to fathers day!

Written by Consigliere
No, this Sunday isn’t the Super Bowl, but for many people the day means just as much.Father’s Day is a special time of the year when you can let your dad know exactly how much he’s meant to you over the years. When you think back to some of the memorable times that you’ve spent with your dad, there’s a pretty good chance that baseball played a part. Whether it was your first trip to an MLB ballpark, a ride to Little League practice or just playing catch in the front yard, baseball has always been present in the father-son relationship.As Sunday draws closer and you start to recall some of those times, it’s interesting to note that there have been some pretty memorable on field moments in the history of Father’s Day.The date in history has provided us with a little bit of everything. In 1925, Philadelphia scored 13 runs in the 9th inning to erase a 14-2 Cleveland lead, en route to a 17-15 win. In 1938, Reds pitcher Johnny Vander Meer pitched his 2nd consecutive no-hitter. In 1982, Jeff Reardon recorded his 342 career save and passed Rollie Fingers on the All-Time list. In 1996, Juan Castor, Delino Deshields and Eric Karros turned a triple play. In 1999, Brewers pitcher, Jim Abbot recorded his first career hit and Orioles first baseman Will Clark recorded his 2000th career hit.Not everything was something to remember though, if you’re a Cubs fan. In 1964, the Cubs traded Lou Brock to the Cardinals for Ernie Broglio. Of course, Brock went on to amass 3000 hits and over 900 stolen bases while Broglio went on to record just 7 more career wins. If you’re planning on getting together with your dad this Sunday, here are a few games that have a chance to be memorable…Dodgers at Tigers: Super prospect Clayton Kershaw is the scheduled starter for LA.San Diego at Cleveland: Reigning Cy Young winner CC Sabathia takes the mound against 4-time Cy Young winner Greg Maddux.Boston at Cincinnati: This could be the matchup of the day as 2007 World Series Champions take on a surging group of youngsters. Rookie Homer Bailey will square off with veteran Josh Beckett, but if pitching isn’t your thing, the game also features 8 HR Derby pool players. Mike Lowell and Manny Ramirez will have to make up for the injured David Ortiz, while the Reds will field Ken Griffey Jr, Adam Dunn, Brandon Phillips, Joey Votto and Jay Bruce.From all of us here at the All-American Homerun Derby, we want to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all of the dads out there. We hope that Sunday is a special day for you.

Week 10 Review from The All American Home RUn Derby

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Week 10 Review
The battle atop the leaderboard rages on!
Mr. Papa Georgio is in a dead heat with #1Philsfan with each team having a total of 176 HR. AllorNothin sits in 3rd place, just one HR off the pace. Dilldocks remains in the hunt with 173 HR and Adragon’s Bash Bros holds down the 5th spot with 169 HR.
Let’s look at our pool player breakdown…
1 player with 21 homeruns
1 player with 18 homeruns
3 players with 17 homeruns
2 players with 16 homeruns
5 players with 15 homeruns
3 players with 14 homeruns
4 players with 13 homeruns
5 players with 12 homeruns
4 players with 11 homeruns
6 players with 10 homeruns
4 players with 9 homeruns
13 players with 8 homeruns
9 players with 7 homeruns
8 players with 6 homeruns
7 players with 5 homeruns
6 players with 4 homeruns
5 players with 3 homeruns
1 player with 2 homeruns
3 players with 1 homerun
4 players have failed to go deep
Chase Utley maintains his league-leading total yet again this week. His 21 HR are good enough for a 3 HR cushion over Dan Uggla. Josh Hamilton, Lance Berkman and Adrian Gonzalez are all 4 HR back, while Ryan Braun and Adam Dunn are 5 HR off the lead.
We have 12 players with a HR total between 13 and 15 HR. Jason Giambi(13) and Joe Crede(14) have had nice weeks, but Chipper Jones(15) and David Ortiz(13) are currently on the sidelines.
There are 15 players in the 10-12 HR pool. Jack Cust(11) added to his total this week and Hanley Ramirez(12) has been showing power since returning to the leadoff spot.
Our biggest group is the 7-9 HR class with 26 players. Alex Rodriguez(9) continues his climb towards the upper echelon, Ian Kinsler(8) is turning things around after a slow start and Corey Hart(7) hopes that he’s found his HR swing.
The 4-6 HR group is where we start to find the injured and underachieving. Vladimir Guerrero(6) isn’t where you would expect and Eric Byrnes(6) is just hoping to get back on the field. Vernon Wells(5) has returned from the DL and hit a HR in his 2nd game back.
The 1-3 HR group can be summed up with just 2 words: DELMON YOUNG(1)!!!!!
With Delmon and Eric Chavez homering this week, we have just 4 players in the Goose Egg Club. Andy LaRoche is in the process of being called up. Josh Fields is in the minors. Barry Bonds is in court. Victor Martinez owners are in trouble.

MLB INjury Report from Letsgodeep.com: 6/8/08

Injury Report 6-8-08 Matt Holliday
Holliday is wrapping up a successful rehab stint and should rejoin the big club on Tuesday.Josh Hamilton
Hamilton missed Sunday’s game due to illness. He’s day-to-day.Vernon Wells
Wells was expected to be out 6-8 weeks, but missed just one month before returning to the Blue Jays lineup.Andy LaRoche
Look for the Dodgers to bring LaRoche up as soon as Monday morning.Chipper Jones
Jones is bothered by a quad strain once again and will miss at least a few games.Rick Ankiel
Ankiel has an infection is his knee that has kept him out of the lineup for a while. He could return on Tuesday.David Ortiz
Ortiz will be out at least 2-3 weeks with a wrist injury. If it doesn’t get any better by then, he could miss the rest of the season.

The Baseball Consigliere's Monthly Report

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Consigliere’s Monthly Report (May)
Each month, I’ll break down which of our pool players get the credit for their team leading the division and which players get the blame for their team being in the basement.
AL East
First Place: Tamp Bay Rays
Carlos Pena has regressed from last year, but with 10 HR, 32 RBI and 26 runs, he’s still been solid. BJ Upton only has 3 HR to his credit, but he’s been great in every other area. He has a .305 average, 34 RBI, 32 runs and 17 SB.
Last Place: Baltimore Orioles
All of the blame can’t fall squarely on Nick Markakis, but most of it can. He’s hit 9 HR which puts him on pace to set a career high, but he’s batting just .263 with nearly a strikeout per game. At this rate, he’ll end up about 40 RBI shy of last year’s total.
AL Central
First Place: Chicago White Sox
Nick Swisher, Paul Konerko and Jim Thome have all been average at best. Joe Crede’s .264 average is amazing compared to the other 3 and his 9 HR and 29 RBI look decent, until you realize that he had 2 HR and 7 RBI for the month of May. It’s clear that our pool players aren’t the reason for the Sox success.
Last Place: Kansas City Royals
Alex Gordon improved a bit in May and carries a .280 average with 5 HR, 25 RBI and 32 runs. Those are nice numbers for a contributor, but Gordon has to play like a superstar if the Royals are ever going to win.
AL West
First Place: Los Angeles Angels
Vlad Guererro, Torii Hunter and Gary Matthews Jr all have very similar numbers. They average about 6 HR, 27 RBI and 27 runs each. Hunter has the best average at .275, but this team is fortunate to be in first with Vlad not hitting like we’ve all come to expect.
Last Place: Seattle Mariners
Adrian Beltre has nothing to brag about with a .244 average, but it’s great compared to the .204 of Richie Sexson. Sexson, who spends most of his time lately riding the pine, only has 18 runs on the year. Even more concerning is the fact that 9 of those 18 have come off his homeruns.
NL East
First Place: Florida Marlins
Last month, I said, “When you look at the Marlins, you don’t have to look any further than superstar shortstop Hanley Ramirez.” While this still holds true, it’s now a 2-man show in Florida. Ramirez is batting .292 with 9 HR, 23 RBI, 44 runs and 13 SB. Dan Uggla has emerged as the star of May though. Uggla is batting .297 with 16 HR, 38 RBI and 43 runs.
Last Place: Washington Nationals
Zimmerman’s May was slightly better than his April, but now he’s been out for the last 8 games with a shoulder injury. The Nats are in trouble.
NL Central
First Place: Chicago Cubs
Last month at this time, Alfonso Soriano was on the DL and Aramis Ramirez and Derrek Lee were picking up the slack. It’s now a 3-headed monster, as they have combined for 35 HR, 112 RBI and 111 runs!
Last Place: Pittsburgh Pirates
Adam LaRoche(April)- 1 HR, 5 RBI, 6 Runs
Adam LaRoche(May)- 5 HR, 19 RBI, 14 Runs
As you can see, LaRoche has rebounded and Jason Bay is batting .296 with 13 HR, 29 RBI and 43 runs. As a team, the Pirates just aren’t good.
NL West
First Place: Arizona Diamondbacks
Chris Young has now topped Justin Upton is every category but average. Young has 4 more HR, 4 more RBI, 10 more runs and 3 more SB. If the D-Backs want to stay in first, they need “The Franchise” to step it up a notch.
Last Place: Colorado Rockies
Troy Tulowitzki – Currently on the DL
Matt Holliday – Currently on the DL
Brad Hawpe - Currently on the DL

He's not Bruce Almighty...He's Bruce "Lee Roy"

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Ever since ESPN has tabbed Jay Bruce as Bruce almighty; this nickname has spread across the networks, newspapers & internet like wildfire! Has everyone forgotten about another Bruce that was one of the biggest bad asses on the silver screen in the 1980's?If you've seen the cult classic The Last Dragon by Barry Gordy, you know what I'm talking about! He's the baddest Bruce I've ever known (Yes, even badder than Bruce Lee) because he was the coolest karate chopping Mo Fo I've ever known! How many dudes do you know that could use their aurora & Afro to completely dominate & strike fear into their opponent? Maybe Bruce Lee Roy has shown Jay Bruce the ways of the dragon & how to connect with his inner Chi to funnel that energy into his big bat these day ;)Anyways, rent the movie if you haven't seen it & I hope you enjoy this story not about Bruce Almighty, but.......The New Bruce "Lee Roy"The Reds didn't seem to be headed in the right direction when they traded away Josh Hamilton and signed Corey Patterson. Why wouldn't you just bring up Jay Bruce to play CF? Probably for the same reason that Joey Votto had to wait patiently while Scott Hatteberg wasted plate appearances. Dusty Baker loves his vets. If you're a rookie and want to get your chance, you have to make it impossible for you to stay in the minors. Jay Bruce did exactly that. Through 49 games at Louisville, Bruce was batting .364 with 34 runs, 9 doubles, 3 triples, 10 HR and 8 SB. The one knock on Bruce has always been his high strikeout rate, which showed in Louisville(12 BB/ 45 K) and that's exactly the reason that the Reds kept using as a reason to leave him in Triple-A. When rumors started to heat up that Ken Griffey Jr would be traded back to Seattle and that Adam Dunn might be on the market, it seemed that Bruce's time was coming. After Bruce had a 10 game stretch where he batted .611, including 3 HR in his last 17 at bats; the Reds couldn't ignore him anymore. Cincinnati officially made the call up on May 27th when they designated Hatteberg for assignment and Bruce has been something out of **** tale ever since. He made his debut against the Pittsburgh Pirates and collected 3 hits, 2 walks, 2 runs, 2 RBI and 1 SB. In the 6 games since his call up, he's batting .591 with 2 HR, 6 RBI, 10 runs and 2 SB. He also notched his first career walk-off HR in a win over Atlanta. Oh, and as for his one flaw... he has 6 walks and just 1 strikeout so far.
Take It Deep: www.letsgodeep.com

Surprise!!!

Surprise!!!
Every year a few players start out very hot and every year those players eventually cool off. As the month of May comes to a close, we have a few guys that are still hot and showing no signs of slowing down. A couple of them are no strangers to the spotlight and a couple are just beginning to take center stage. Let’s take a look at the 5 guys that are the biggest surprises thus far.
Lance Berkman
Berkman has been around the game for a while now and has made quite a name for himself, but this year he’s looking to set career highs across the board. He’s currently batting .384 with 17 HR, 47 RBI, 57 runs and 10 SB. His batting average is downright ridiculous and he’s already set a career high in stolen bases. If he can maintain his current pace, he’ll set new marks for HR and RBI and shatter his previous run total.
Chase Utley
Some would call Utley a rising star and others could make the case that he’s already a certified superstar. He’s doing everything in his power to make the latter true. Utley is right at his career pace for average, runs and stolen bases, but his power numbers are through the roof. He’s currently batting .310 with 17 HR, 46 RBI, 42 runs and 5 stolen bases. He’s on pace for 49 HR and 133 RBI, which would destroy his previous highs of 32 HR and 105 RBI.
Dan Uggla
The Marlin middle infielder doesn’t have the experience that some of the other guys, but he’s well on his way to stardom. Uggla is carrying a career high .307 average along with 16 HR, 38 RBI and 41 runs. At this rate, Uggla will set new career highs across the board with 51 HR, 120 RBI and 130 runs.
Josh Hamilton
Hamilton burst back onto the scene last year and showed why you never give up on talent. With his troubles in the past, Hamilton is looking to make up for lost time. He’s batting .324 with 13 HR, 58 RBI and 35 runs. He’s already set a career mark for RBI and is currently on pace for a whopping 174 this season. At this rate, he’ll hit 39 HR and cross the plate 105 times.
Joey Votto
It turns out that the only thing holding Votto back was Dusty Baker. Once Votto was given his fair shot, he took it and ran. He’s currently batting .294 with 10 HR, 29 RBI and 28 runs. He only played a handful of games last year so he’s already setting career highs. At the pace that he’s on, he’ll hit 30 HR while scoring 85 times and knocking in 90 RBI. The scary thing is that I think he can top those numbers. Not bad for a rookie that started the year behind Scott Hatteberg.

Take it Deep: www.letsgodeep.com

Week 7 Review from Letsgodeep.com

Week 8 Review

A quick glance at this week’s leaderboard shows us that we have a new leader. AllorNothin takes over the top spot this week with 143 homeruns. Mr. Papa Georgio slips to 2nd place with 142 homeruns. #1Philsfan has 141 homeruns, which is good enough for 3rd spot. Dilldocks and bulldogs round out our top five. Let’s take a look at this week’s player totals… 2 players with 16 homeruns 1 player with 15 homeruns 2 players with 14 homeruns 2 players with 13 homeruns 4 players with 12 homeruns 6 players with 11 homeruns 3 players with 10 homeruns 7 players with 9 homeruns 13 players with 8 homeruns 6 players with 7 homeruns 13 players with 6 homeruns 10 players with 5 homeruns 5 players with 4 homeruns 7 players with 3 homeruns 3 players with 2 homeruns 3 players with 1 homerun 7 players have failed to go deep Lance Berkman leads the MLB in HR again this week, but Dan Uggla, who also has a total of 16 HR, joins him at the top. Chase Utley continues to keep pace with 15, while Adrian Gonzalez and Ryan Howard each have 14 HR. Adam Dunn and Ryan Braun stay close to the top with 13 HR each. Chipper Jones, Jason Bay, Josh Hamilton and Pat Burrell all have 12 HR. Nine players have a total of 10 or 11. The surprise of the group is rookie Joey Votto with 10 homeruns. Twenty players comprise the 8 and 9 HR groups. Hanley Ramirez and Brandon Phillips look to add to their totals, while Matt Holliday and Rick Ankiel just look to get healthy. Nineteen players make up the 6 and 7 HR group. Alex Rodriguez returned to the field with a bang and now has 6 HR, but Curtis Granderson has cooled off dramatically and remains stuck on a total of 6. Fifteen players are in the 4 and 5 HR group. Adam LaRoche is having a good month and has increased his HR total to 5, but guys like Travis Hafner and Carlos Beltran are facing a power outage and have just 4 HR each. Thirteen players have 3 HR or less. The majority of the players in this group have battled injuries and their HR totals have suffered as a result. BJ Upton and Koskue Fukudome on the other hand, have no excuses. Our bottom 10 players remain the same this week. It’s depressing to even type their names anymore. If you own them, you know who they are.

MLB Injury Report: 5/25/2008

Injury Report 5.25.08

Chipper Jones Jones is having trouble with his back again and was out of Sunday’s lineup as a result. He’s considered day-to-day. Matt Holliday Holliday was placed on the 15-day DL with a strained hamstring. Andruw Jones Jones will finally have surgery on his knee and is expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks. Brad Hawpe Hawpe joins Holliday in the category of Rockies outfielder on the DL with a strained hamstring. Eric Chavez Chavez won’t return from the DL on May 27th when he is eligible. He’ll likely be out another week. Andy LaRoche LaRoche is off to a very slow start in Triple-A and likely won’t get the call up in the near future. Hank Blalock Add a wrist injury to the growing list of reasons that Blalock isn’t on the field. He’s once again expected to return this week.

MLB Injury Report from Letsgodeep.com

5/24/2008

Andy LaRoche is ripping up Triple A and it's only a matter of time that he completes his rehab assignment and gets called back up to the bigs. The Dodgers 3rd base position is saturated, but there's no denying what he can bring to the table....He is their future at the hot corner.The hope is that some rest will help and he won’t have to go on the DL.Eric ChavezChavez is continuing to make progress during his rehab, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be able to make his return on May 27th.Victor Martinez hurt his index finger last night and should miss a couple of days to heal up.Hank BlalockBlalock had a setback and wasn’t able to rejoin the lineup this weekend, but he could return any day now.Troy Tulowitzki Tulowitzki has begun his rehab and is expected to return sometime between mid-June and mid-July.Jay BruceBruce continues to destroy Triple-A pitching with 3 more HR this week, but his call up may depend on a Griffey trade.

Mafia Moniker Musings 2 from Letsgodeep.com

Mafia Moniker Musings II



The Hundo’s was out to a nearly double-digit lead and hung on by the narrowest of margins as we hit our 1st quarter prize. Congratulations on winning $100 and 4 tickets to the MLB game of your choice!Our next prize comes on July 17th and next time the cash payout is higher. With 40 teams within 20 HR of the leader, it truly is anyone’s ballgame. Good luck to all of our participants.The good news is that The Hundo’s avoided #1Philsfan in the standings, the bad news is that no one is safe from the Consigliere and his friends. Here are a few more names that didn’t go unnoticed. Team Mas – I think you mean “Team No Mas” because your chances of winning are no more.Round Trippers – I think that you tripped rounding first because you’re way behind in this game.Beach Boys – It’s true. We wish they all could be California girls, but by the looks of your score, you have them in your lineup.GoGreen – It’s nice to see someone caring about the environment, but you can let your team know that they can start hitting homeruns because it’s not considered littering the bleachers.Michigan – Wow. Great name here. Lots of thought put into it. What’s wrong? Did you think that Idaho would be taken?Foley Bears – You better hope that your team turns it around like the Bad News Bears because the team is not looking good.Tallest Midgets – Is that like being the smartest person on the short bus?WarningTrackPower – After seeing your ranking, I’d say it’s more like InfieldPopUp.Ducchi – This name sounds too similar to a feminine hygiene product for me.Two Amigos – I think it’s time to bring in the 3rd Amigo to help you get to the top.