I turned 36 on Sunday and it hit me quite hard. I realized that the girls that were born on the day I turned legal -- are now legal. This week, I've been fighting my age, wanting to relive my younger years. So I wore my Swatch watch today, along with my Shawon Dunston jersey and a pair of white Chuck Taylors. I skated to the office on my Mike McGill skateboard and I plan on staying up all night to watch music videos.
So in that vein, I thought back to the '80s TV shows I used to watch as a kid. Remember that show on Nickelodeon, "You Can't Do That On Television"? They used to have opposite sketches in which characters would say and do things that were opposite to what you normally would expect. In honor of the 20th anniversary of that show's final season in 1987, I've deemed today, "Opposite Day" at CBS SportsLine.
Dave Richard's cube is clean and doesn't have six empty pizza boxes in it. I can't wait to hear Emack's opinion on everything. I love it when Jamey asks what we're doing for lunch at 9:01 a.m. And the following are some other opposite thoughts I had on Fantasy Baseball.
Opposite thoughts for Reality Baseball
Jason Varitek is still a no-brainer No. 1 Fantasy catcher -- Before the break, Varitek had a big May (.311), and he hit .279 in the first three months combined. Since the break, he's batting only .213 with just one home run since June 24. Over 25 other catchers are hitting above that average and his 12 RBI just don't make up the difference. The star catchers are dominating and there are enough lesser-known catchers that have caught up to JV in Fantasy production that sitting him is an option against tough matchups. With only 67 percent of SportsLine leagues starting him, many of you agree.
Chris Snyder isn't worth owning because he shares starts -- Actually, Snyder is batting .364 since the break thanks to a hot stretch in the middle to end of July. Last year, he hit 25 points higher in the second half than he did in the first, including a .316 August. He won't get you much in the power categories, but as a catcher, he can certainly help out in Rotisserie play. He should not be available in 89 percent of CBS SportsLine leagues.
Ryan Braun will have to battle Hunter Pence and Tim Lincecum for NL ROY honors -- Much like his fictional relative Lloyd Braun once said, "Serenity now, insanity later!" That's what 41 percent of CBS SportsLine leagues are now saying after none of their owners picked Braun up once the Brewers promoted him. It took Braun one game longer than Albert Pujols to reach 20 home runs in his rookie season. As a matter of fact, Braun got to 20 quicker than both Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire in their home run record seasons. If he had enough at-bats, he'd be leading the NL in batting average (.346). It's his trophy to lose at this point -- and he'll enter 2007 as one of the best young keepers in the game.
Mark Teixeira's numbers are going to fall off in Atlanta -- The former Rangers' star won't be hitting in HR-friendly Arlington any more, and Turner Field is kinder to pitchers than hitters. He now has both Andruw and Chipper Jones sandwiching him in the lineup, which is something he missed in Texas. Compound that with the fact that many pitchers are seeing him for the first time, whereas he'll have a glut of teammates helping him with notes against opposing pitchers. Throw in the fact that of the 50 games left on the Braves schedule, 13 will be played at Citizens Bank Park (PHI), Great American Ball Park (CIN) and Minute Maid Park (HOU), and 22 other games are at home. Also, 25 of those 50 games are against pitching staffs with ERAs higher than 4.60 this year, ranking them in the bottom 10.
Last year was an aberration for Robinson Cano -- The Yankees' second baseman was just six points away from winning the 2006 AL batting title -- a mere three hits. But he started slow this year, hitting .270, .260 and .279 in the first three months, with just one homer in each month. Since the break, however, only Hideki Matsui has more basic Head-to-Head points than Cano among all teams. Cano is batting .438 in that span, with a league-leading 42 hits and scoring 24 runs, second overall. There is talk that he could move to third base next year if Alex Rodriguez walks, so much like his predecessor Alfonso Soriano before Miguel Cairo, his days as a 2B-eligible Fantasy player could be numbered. But for now, with Chase Utley sidelined, Cano is picking up the slack for offensive Fantasy second basemen.
Melky Cabrera will lose at-bats once Jason Giambi (foot) returns -- Actually, according to manager Joe Torre, Cabrera will remain in the lineup for the most part, which means Johnny Damon will have his at-bats lessened as the Yankees' DH. Cabrera is batting .357 since the break and the Yankees need his bat -- strangely enough. He has a 13-game hitting streak active through Tuesday and has gone hitless only five times since the beginning of July. The Yankees are hitting him in the front and in the back of their lineup, but it doesn't matter for Melky. He's batting .313 in 27 games in the first two spots of the lineup -- and he's hitting .324 in 31 games in the ninth spot. Strangely, he's still only owned in 59 percent of CBS SportsLine leagues.
Evan Longoria is blocked at third base in Tampa Bay -- Rumors are swirling that the Devil Rays could move Akinori Iwamura through a waiver wire in trade, which would open up a spot for Longoria at the major league level. Longoria hit .307 with 21 homers and 21 doubles in 105 games at Double-A Montgomery before being promoted to Triple-A Durham last week. In four games there he has yet to homer, but he is batting .308 with three RBI, three strikeouts and three walks. The Devil Rays were happy to keep youngsters like B.J. Upton and Delmon Young in the minors a few seasons, but don't forget, they were both drafted when they were 17 years old out of high school. Longoria was 21 when he was drafted after playing college baseball and he's only three weeks younger than Young now. The Devil Rays might have to pay more if he arrives early, but it could give them a headstart into next season.
Preseason football will not affect your Fantasy Baseball leagues -- With Fantasy Football gearing up, drafts going down every weekend and games on TV three or four days a week, owners in the middle-to-the-back of the pack of your Fantasy Baseball league are being distracted. Don't believe me? Chase Utley (finger) is out for most of this month -- and he's still starting in nine percent of CBS SportsLine leagues. Randy Johnson (back) is out for the year and he is still starting in four percent. SP Aaron Laffey, a rookie starting pitcher with a contending Indians team, is still available in 94 percent of SportsLine leagues. The point is that people are paying less attention to their baseball leagues -- take advantage of it.
The Beginning -- Hopefully, these items helped you with some Fantasy decisions. There are less than two months left in the season, so each choice is weighted a little heavier than say two months ago.
Now I get the convenience of deciding that any evil e-mail you send me is actually the opposite of what you meant to say.
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