Fantasy Baseball: X Factor

In fantasy baseball, over the course of a season players will emerge from seemingly oblivion to produce. So it is essential for anyone wishing to stay competitive in their respective leagues to continuously be on the look out for players just below the radar, waiting to burst onto the scene.

Ian Stewart (2B, 3B, OF) 58% owned in Yahoo! leagues
The utility infielder opened more than a few hardcore fantasy fans' eyes nearing the end of last season, finishing with 10 HRs and 41 RBIs in only 81 games. With Stewart now entering the everyday lineup, now is the time to pick up the middle infield option. With 2B being a traditionally shallow talent pool, at least fantasy wise, Ian Stewart could potentially finish amongst the top middle infielders with his home run and RBI numbers at his current clip. The young infielder is currently on pace for about 20 HRs and 80 RBIs this season, near elite power and production numbers for a second basemen.

Freddy Sanchez (2B) 41% owned in Yahoo! leagues
Sanchez will not hit .359 for the entire season. But as evidenced by his career average of .302, the 2006 NL batting champ (.344) is sent to bounce back from his dismal 2008 season during which he batted only .271, over 30 points below his career average. While Sanchez is primarily a second basemen, giving him no roster flexibility in the fantasy world, a second basemen who'll give you a virtually guaraunteed .300 average, roughly 80 RBI and 80 RBI, is extremely valuable over the long fantasy season. Look for Sanchez to bounce back and produce 2007 esque numbers (.304, 11 HRs, 81 RBIs, 77 R). However, be warned potential buyers, as the second basemen is completely devoid of speed, 1 SB through 18 games, and is not a tremendous source of HRs.

Pedro Feliz (3B) 9% owned in Yahoo! leagues
Pedro Feliz is no Mike Schmidt, but he is hitting .322 through 18 games in a loaded Philadelphia lineup. He should continue to get good pitches to hit, and if you could use a 3rd baseman with the ability to give you 20 HRs and 80 RBIs when healthy Feliz is your man. One could do far worse at the hot corner in deep leagues, especially if you own/ or are looking to acquire Bill Hall, Joe Crede, Adrian Beltre, or Edwin Encarnacion.

Other Fantasy Tips
-Pitch Wandy Rodriguez (SP HOU) only @ home. The Sasha Vujacic of MLB, he morphs from a mediocre starting pitcher into an elite fantasy starter at Houston (2009 so far: .95 ERA @ home, 2008: 2.99 ERA @ home, 2007: 2.94 ERA @ home) .
-Don't chase saves. Saves can be found nearly anywhere. No need to overpay for an elite level closer, in fact there are always closers that seem to come out of nowhere to rack up saves, i.e. Jeremy Accardo in '07 after incumbent B.J. Ryan went out for surgery.
-Ian Kinsler will be a top 5 player this year, barring injury. I would trade just about anyone, except for Albert Pujols, to grab the 2nd basemen who gives his fantasy team owner the advantage at 2B every week.
-Trade David Ortiz, Fausto Carmona, and Francisco Liriano for anything you can get at this point. Maybe an owner will pay for their former success and big names. This season? Ortiz is an over rated, overweight Chris Davis while Carmona and Liriano are starting to look like fellow burnout victims Dontrelle Willis and Mark Prior.

April 27th Massacre

The New Orleans Hornets went trudging back into their home town, down 2-1 in their first round battle with #2 seed Denver. Facing a must win the Hornets proceeded to get completely dismantled in a historic 121-63 blowout, matching the biggest playoff loss in NBA history. To get an idea of the historic proportions behind the margin of victory, the last time a team lost by 58? How about 1956, with the Minneapolis Lakers (now based in Los Angelos) trouncing the St. Louis Hawks 133-75.

To be blunt, this was the worst systematic destruction of the city of New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina. For a team entering the playoffs with a formidable lineup led by the best point guard in the game (Chris Paul) and featuring current and former All Stars David West and Peja Stojokavic. Chris Paul, the heart and soul of these Hornets, finished with one of the worst games of his young career, putting up only 4 points and 6 assists. The leading scorer for New Orleans in this game? David West, who put up a not so mind boggling 14 points.

















With the win, the Nuggets have a chance to do something they've failed to do ever since Dikembe Mutumbo rolled out of town back in '94: Win a playoff series. Mid season acquisition Chauncey Billups has dominated in this postseason, averaging 27.7 points on 53 % shooting, and All Star Carmelo Anthony looks to make good on his massive potential and lead the Nuggets to their first second round appearance in 15 years. While the Nuggets feature a solid, physical lineup led by a point guard (Billups) who has 6 Eastern Conference Finals appearances and 1 title (2004) to lean on during these playoffs.

That being said, this was just one of many such massacres in NBA history. As much talk remains surrounding the parity of the NBA game, the fact remains that out of the thousands of games played each season, there will always remain blowouts right alongside the double overtime thrillers and nail biting buzzer beaters.

However, it was still a failure of epic proportions. Watergate, communism, and the Detroit Lions all rolled into one horrendous experience. To further the humiliation New Orleans head coach Byron Scott admitted that the Hornets basically got ran out of their home arena, and followed that realization up with this gem: “I don’t know what you can do to change that.”

Awful. Just awful.

Point Guard Revolution

These NBA playoffs have showcased the position of point guard in all its glory. The value of a talented floor general is an integral part of most levels of organized basketball, with March Madness being dominated by dynamic guard play. But one needs to only look at the top teams this past season to glean the true value of a good point guard down the stretch and in the playoffs.

Chris Paul is the heart and soul of the New Orleans Hornets, even managing to force himself into the conversation for league MVP with the likes of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. A truly great point guard allows a team to elevate itself from a middle of the pack squad to a title contender. Consider this, without Derron Williams, the Jazz would be getting blown out of the building against these ultra talented Lakers. With their physical All Star point guard, Utah, a team considered mere cannon fodder for the #1 seeded Lakers, has been playing physical and with a purpose. More importantly, the Jazz have been staying in games, down only 3 with under 3 minutes left in Game 2 at the Staples Center. Derrick Rose's record setting 36 point, 11 assist performance in his playoff debut surpassed the playoff debut of the greatest player to ever set foot on the hardwood, and in the process carried the #7 seed Bulls to a shocking upset against the Celtics at Boston.

Guards Mo Williams and Chauncey Billups have lifted their respective teams to new heights, with Williams coming over from Milwaukee to help lead Cleveland to the best record in the league, and Billups pushing the perennially underachieving Denver Nuggets to a #2 seed in the heated West. Other point guards have been key components of their team's success, with Tony Parker, Aaron Brooks, Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, and Mike Bibby. Without their respective floor generals, none of these talented playoff teams would be in the position to make a run for the title.

The numbers back up this prognosis, as Billups made his mark with 36 points and eight assists in a win over Paul's Hornets (a game in which Paul had 21 points and 11 assists). Mo Williams had a 21-point game in Cleveland's Game 2 win. Miller scored 15 points, with seven assists and seven rebounds in Philly's Game 1 upset over the Magic. And Houston second-year man Aaron Brooks has been brilliant, averaging 25.0 points and 6.0 assists in two games. Even more astonishing, if one takes all of the starting point guards in the playoffs and takes the average of their combined statistics the numbers are eye popping: 18.2 points on 48.5 percent shooting along with 7.5 assists. These statistics would place a player in the top 30 in scoring and inside the top 10 in assist as well this past regular season.

While most championship of years past have featured marginal point guards, this year's playoffs have proved to be an exception. While even the 3 peat Lakers of the early 2000s, often considered one of the best teams in NBA history, featured Derek Fisher as their primary point guard, nearly every squad in this season's postseason features an All Star caliber player at the point. While Derek Fisher is a solid role player, and has proven to be a solid NBA starter over the course of his career, the stocky guard never averaged more than 13 points or 4 assists during the Los Angelos 3 peat.



The NBA game has shifted to a guard oriented game, with the lack of emphasis on the traditional big man clearly evident. Gone are the days of great traditional giants in the post, with the Patrick Ewings, Hakeem Olajuwons, and David Robinsons of seasons past being replaced by leaner, more athletic wing players, and the likes of Samuel Dalembert, Joel Przybilla, and Jarron Collins starting at the center position in these playoffs.



So here's to the point guard and its return to glory, may the best teams win.

LA Dominance

For anyone who witnessed young center Andrew Bynum make his return to the Laker lineup against the Denver Nuggets this next statement should come as no suprise: This Los Angelos squad will win this year's NBA championship. Easily too.

The Lakers went 25-7 with Bynum on the sidelines, and feature a loaded lineup and a deep bench. Without Bynum this Los Angelos team under the original Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson, is a top 2 or 3 squad. With their young 7 foot center, the Lakers are nearly unstoppable when healthy. But what can one expect from a team led by the best coach and the best player in the league currently? Phil Jackson's actions and words are backed by 9 championship rings and a lifetime in the NBA as a player and a coach. Kobe Bryant is the closest thing to Michael Jordan since the Airness himself graced the United Center floor. But the talent of the Lakers does not stop at the top. This team goes 10 deep, and if Kobe and Paul Gasol aren't killing you, 6th man Lamar Odom and "The Machine" Sasha Vujacic probably are. Luke Walton can run the triangle offense just as well as anyone, and Jordan Farmar is the point guard of the future.

But names alone do not justify this blogger's bold prediction of a Los Angelos romp to the championship. This team is dangerous offensively, and locks down opposing teams on defense. With 2 7 footers and 6-10 forward Lamar Odom coming off the bench, the Lakers crash the boards hard and more often than not win the battle in the paint. The team's clear cut leader is Kobe Bryant, and at the ripe, old age of 30, he has learned to trust his teammates and force them to play up to his level rather than him playing down to theirs. Above it all is the Zen Master himself, Phil Jackson. Most nights the Lakers not only have the advantage on the floor, but also on the sidelines. Few coaches can matchup with Jackson's coaching prowess and feel for the game. How many people can say they introduced the triangle offense to the world of basketball?

Is this team better than the Kobe and Shaq Laker teams of the early 2000s? In some ways. Chemistry is eons ahead of whatever those Laker squads had going on in the locker room, and these Laker are much deeper than those Lakers. But all other teams beware, the Lakers version 2009 are very good, very deep, and more importantly very hungry. Much like the Celtics of last season, the Lakers are easily the best team in the league and have a chip on their shoulder. The questions still swirl, and the Cavs, Celtics, and Magic are fast closing in on the Lakers of Los Angelos. But to decide to pick the Lakers as the 2009 NBA champions is as simple as looking at the rosters of the aforementioned teams, and then ask oneself; Can they match up with these Lakers?

More often than not the question is a resounding no. Dwight Howard can match up with any big man in the league, but even Superman himself can't keep both Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum in check. Same goes for Kevin Garnett. Regardless Kobe remains an unstoppable force come the playoffs, and Derek Fisher's experience and toughness rivals any player in the league. And if this squad is playing at home at the Staples Center? No chance. This Laker team is 35-5 at home, and Sasha Vujacic turns into Manu Ginobili at the Staples Center.

So to every other team the gauntlet has been thrown down. Between every elite team and the championship stands the best team with the best player led by the best coach. Who knows, maybe this isn't the year Kobe finally earns a ring without the Big Fella. But I honestly doubt it.
Lakers v Cavs Lakers in 5