Justin Verlander vs. Roy Halladay
Either one of these guys could be the first pitcher taken off the board on draft day. Both play on good teams, will give you 200 innings and 200 Strikeouts. And you count on a minimum 16 wins during the season. This is a tough decision, but I’m going for the younger arm and taking Verlander.

Jacoby Ellsbury vs. Curtis Granderson
Last year I reached a little and took Ellsbury in the fifth round. LBC’s waited and took an injured Granderson in the 9th. What are the chances of that happening again? Ellsbury broke out in 2011 becoming a legit speed and power threat. Everybody knew he was fast..no one saw the power potential! He finished second in the AL MVP Race. I do not see a repeat of last season, but I predict a .300/23 hr/38 SB in 2012. As for Granderson, it’s amazing what happens when he adjusted his swing and could start hitting left handed pitching. His batting average is a little shaky, but 41 dongers is no joke. He may be the nicest guy in baseball..but my choice is Ellsbury. Better average, more steals.

Evan Longoria vs. Jose Bautista
I need to disclose that I don’t like either one of these guys a whole lot. Joey Bats may have had back to back 40 homerun seasons, but for some reason I can’t completely trust this guy. Maybe it’s because he got hurt minutes after I traded for him last year? Who knows? I would not be surprised to see him regress to mere mortal numbers. I have no empirical proof for this, just my gut. As for Evan Longoria… there are a million reasons that I would like to punch him in the face, his homerun in Game 162 for starters. But I will try to stay impartial and evaluate him on purely Fantasy baseball standpoint. Longoria is the best third baseman in baseball! If he can stay healthy for a full season, he will put up crazy numbers. He missed 29 games in 2011 and still raked 31 bombs and 99 RBI’s. Impartiality over…he’s the Mark Texiera of third baseman, and a total douche. With that being said, he’s my choice on draft day. May God have mercy on my soul.

Joey Votto vs. Adrian Gonzalez
Remember that time that Joey Votto and Adrian Gonzalez got totally crazy after a game…and smiled? Yeah, me neither. These guys quietly go to work day in and day out. Put up great numbers. Play Gold Glove First base and you never hear a thing from them. Is that good? I don’t know. I prefer my All-star First baseman to have a pulse and a little personality. Both of these guys should go in the first 12 picks on draft day. I was going to make this one a tie, since its such a tough decision. But this is a manly site and I need to choose. I’m taking Votto..just to make sure the Love Boat Captains don’t get him again.

Dustin Pedroia vs. Robinson Cano
Everyone knows Pedroia is my favorite player in Baseball. Heck, he might be my favorite player in any sport on the entire planet. I have a Pedroia Bobblehead on my entertainment center right next to my TV. And I have been known to “bobble” his head for good luck when he’s up to bat. What’s not to like about him as a player? Gold glove defender, 20 hr/20 steal .300 average, heart and soul of the Sox! But I’m choosing players for a fantasy team, and the best second baseman in the world is Robinson Cano- even if he is a damn New York Yankee. Cano is good for 25 HR’s, .300 BA and 110+ RBI’s. He’s a fantasy monster worthy of a first round pick. This choice stung a little.

I really want to win the league this year. To do so, I need to pick players with my brain and not my heart. So give me the jerkiest guys in the league ( this means you Longoria) and we’ll see if there is a new champion in 2012.

You know what they say about “nice guys” and where they finish.

Five years ago, when Matt McLaughlin proposed that we start a fantasy league, my first thought was that I’d try it out for a season, but I wasn’t optimistic that I would enjoy it.  As much as I love baseball, I thought fantasy baseball was for nerds. I signed up begrudgingly, cajoled my dad and a couple of friends to join, and was able to get nine teams signed up. Unfortunately, we needed ten.

As the clock ticked down to draft time, I got desperate. I asked my wife to bail me out and sign up. She said, “No, thanks.” I promised that I would help her draft a team and assist her along the way during the season. Knowing what we know now, that last sentence sounds really stupid. She finally agreed, and the rest is history.

I never thought I would enjoy this league as much as I do. I get excited when the season is approaching and I can start looking at players and formulating my draft strategy. But as I wrote last year, my favorite part was the constant fantasy baseball talk between Ginger, the Bostonbadboy and myself. We were all hooked… hard.

The Badboy lived 500 miles away, and we would talk three times a week about teams, our opponents and what players we could trade away. These conversations were the best.

We always hoped that we would have all three Ingalls members in the playoffs, but it never came to be. As much as my dad liked to play, he wasn’t very good at it. I think we all salivated a little when we were number one in the waiver wire order, anticipating which superstar the Badboy was going to drop after they may have had a mediocre week. He managed his fantasy team like he used to manage my Little League team. He didn’t care if he won or lost. He just wanted everyone to have a good time.  The Badboy used two resources to help him assemble his team: the USA Today and his gut. Neither served him too well during a long season. The funny thing is, he really didn’t care if he lost. I know he enjoyed following baseball, talking trash, and busting balls, and I think it made him feel young to be playing with people half his age.

We’ve had people come and go during our five years of playing, but I always thought the Love Boat Captains, Boston Badboys and the Yankeehaters – three of the original ten teams – would stay playing together for many years.

The reason for writing this is that the Boston Badboy got sick in June 2011, and passed away in November. I miss him a lot. I know that I’m going to miss him much more when baseball season rolls around. In the weeks after he died, I thought that I would be done with fantasy baseball. In my mind, there was no way it was going to be nearly as fun. How could it be? But as time moved on, I remembered how much my dad enjoyed reading thefoulline.com, interacting with everyone, and using strange names for his comments (Albert Desalvo, Clark Kent, Old Man River, Lucky Larry, to name a few), all written in the same nearly incomprehensible style that was my dad’s.

I know that he would want me to keep playing,  just to keep kicking Dan the #1 Rays Fan’s butt!  But how do I replace one of the original members? Especially someone who I enjoyed playing with so much?

I originally thought it should be another family member, but although my brothers enjoy sports, they are not as rabid about baseball as my dad and I. I had criteria for a potential new player. He had to be involved all year. I can’t stand part-time players that don’t keep up with their team. Our league is too good and deserves ten committed owners. The new owner had to know baseball and be familiar with the players. He had to be passionate about his team.

After careful consideration, my choice was obvious – my longtime friend, Dennis. Ginger and I met Dennis for lunch a few weeks ago to pitch to him the idea of replacing my dad and joining our league, and he accepted. Dennis was honored and maybe a little intimidated, as he had heard stories over the years about the tough competition in our league. I think he’s going to do great. Although he’s a damn Yankee fan, Dennis knows baseball and is a tough negotiator. He has chosen his team name to the be the “October Boys.” I’ve already warned him about most of you, so please try to make him feel welcome.

While we are on the subject of team names, I am retiring the Yankeehaters name. Although it has treated me well over the past four seasons, it’s time for a change.

I wanted a name that would strike fear in the hearts of the owners.  A name rich in fantasy baseball tradition. So from here on out, I’m the Boston Badboys. But unlike my dad, I’m going to spell it the right way, I’m going to make the playoffs… and I’m going to win the league!

Consider yourselves warned.

Here was my criteria:
1. Had to be an AL team ( NL sucks..although the Brewers and Cubs were considered)
2. Can’t be on the West Coast- the games are on to late. But when we move to Seattle in 10 years, I will support the Mariners.
3. Has to be an American team – Sorry Toronto.
4. Yankee’s and Rays are automatically out- my hate burns too deep.
5. Preferably a team with a bit of history/tradition.

Surprisingly, the two team that I came up with were the Detroit Tigers and the Baltimore Orioles. For some odd reason, I have a really old picture of myself and my dad wearing Tigers hats. I was maybe a year old? I think my Dad bought them was because he really liked Sparky Anderson..or maybe it was because there was a “D” for Dave on it? Who knows, I never asked. I do know It’s one of my favorite pictures.
As for my second choice, Baltimore. I really can’t pinpoint it- they seem like a nice team, their players stay out of trouble, Boog’s BBQ, Camden Yards and who didn’t like Cal Ripken. Plus, my Little League team was once the the Oriole’s. Silly reasons, I know..but they made the cut to the short list.
I want to follow a team that plays hard, has me on the edge of my seat on every pitch and hopefully win their fair share of games. That’s not too much to ask for is it?
Ultimately, I fought the urge to become what I loathed- a fickle sports fan. If my fandom can survive Bucky Dent, Bill Buckner and Aaron Boone- surely it can be resuscitated after a historical 2011 collapse. I guess we’ll have to see what this team is made of in 2012.

All this leads up to my question- if your favorite baseball team ceased to exist for what ever reason…who would you follow, and why?

I really don’t have a problem with them going 7-20 down the stretch and missing the playoffs. Their pitchers stunk and the once potent offense disappeared. That’s ok, that happens. What bothered me was the tales of drinking beer during games, John Lackey glaring at Tito Francona whenever he was pulled from yet another lackluster performance, and the “anonymous” leaks in the front office that told everyone and anyone about the state of disarray the Red Sox were in. These are not the characteristics of a storied and proud franchise.

The Red Sox players, Owners and the rest of Red Sox Nation should be embarrassed how the 2011 ended. Infighting, backstabbing, lack of support for one another. This can not happen again! The new addition of Bobby Valentine may help, but its going to take some players stepping up and start to hold each other accountable. I want to see Dustin Pedroia stick his size 8 1/2 cleat up someone’s ass if they don’t hustle down the line. I want Adrian Gonzalez to put down the rosary beads and get in Josh Beckett’s face when it takes him seven minutes to throw a pitch.

The culture needs to change in Bean Town.
If it doesn’t, this loyal fan may be forced to jump ship…. maybe I’ll start following the Yankees or Rays?

OK, maybe things aren’t that bad.
Go Sox!

Your season is officially over, right? Wrong! Good news — having your first round pick get hurt is actually a blessing in disguise. Crazy talk, you say? Consider this: Two seasons ago, the Love Boat Captains lost her first-round pick for the year just  two weeks into the season. Needless to say, she made the adjustment and won the league. Last year, the LBCs lost 4 of her first 5 picks for significant time due to injury, and we all know how that worked out for her. One more example: Two seasons ago, Dan competed his ass off after the “curse of Grady Sizemore” almost sunk his season.

The reality is that every pick is important. But it’s more important to stay up on the players in the league and make the changes necessary to make your team competitive. Losing your first pick doesn’t need to be the season-killer we all make it out to be. And anyway, is there anything more enjoyable than scouting an obscure player and having him turn into this year’s Jose Bautista?

So keep your chin up, Allan. Longoria going out may have booked you a ticket to The Foul Line playoffs.

Power rankings

1. Rays Those Cowbells – An unstoppable force that has absolutely no chance of being defeated this year
2. Yankeehaters — Soon to be 3-1
3. RedRays – Showed resolve last week and pulled out a tough win
4. chefdicks11 – Tough schedule to start the year. He’ll bounce back with this team
5. bostobadboys – The little engine that could keeps plugging away
6. Love Boat Captains — Always scary
7. ToPpIn Da ChArTz – First of many wins this week. Nice job Allan!
8. UNsportsmanMike
9. WILLIS Be The Year
10. Sam’s Baseball Train

Sorry 8,9, and 10. My dad always told me that if didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Thanks everyone for playing. This is a league of smart players that really know baseball. It’s fun to be a part of. Let’s keep it enjoyable.

Good luck to all this week.

So far this season there have been a few interesting trades. I really liked WILLIS Be The Year going against conventional wisdom and trading Hanley for stud pitcher and chronic mound-sprinter Cliff Lee. I think this trade is a good deal for both teams, unlike the shellacking I gave Allan in the Gallardo/VMart deal. Keep throwing those 90-mph fastballs Yovani!

I’m going to keep this post short. The Boston Bad Boy is in town for a couple of days and we’re heading to the Trop to see Edwin Jackson outduel David Price. So without further adieu… here are your Week 2 power rankings.

1. Yankeehaters
2. Rays Those Cowbells
3. bostobadboys
4. chefdicks11
5. Love Boat Captains
6. RedRays
7. WILLIS Be The Year
8. Sam’s Baseball Train
9. UNsportsmanMike
10. ToPpIn Da ChArTz

Go Sox!

Quick Hits

• Trades in fantasy baseball are a crazy thing. Sometimes there are obvious winners and losers. Other times times one team gets absolutely crushed. An example of this would be yours truly trading Alex Rodriguez and C.J. Wilson for Cole Hamels and Justin Upton. I drafted A-Rod in the 4th round of our draft, and I was happy with the pick. I think he’s going to have a monster season. But every time I saw him up to bat, I was wishing that he would take a fastball in his earhole. I think it’s important to have a fantasy team made up of players that are not only good but also fun to watch. I think Hamels and J. Upton  are two of those guys. A-Rod never will be.
• The Yankeehaters were getting crushed this week. I traded A-Rod and my team’s performance turned around the next day. Karma? Perhaps. Either way — good riddance.
• The 8th inning experiment with star closer Rafael Soriano is not going well. Some guys are just meant to pitch in the 9th inning. Oh well, it’s only $35 million.
• B.J. Upton’s real name is Melvin.
• There’s an appendicitis epidemic sweeping through baseball. I’m going to have mine prematurely removed so it doesn’t potentially affect my playoff run in fantasy baseball.
• Manny Ramirez is a total scumbag. Joe Maddon and the Rays players supported him 100%. Manny repays this support by lying to them and then getting busted using steroids for the second time. Good riddance.
• Sam Fuld makes a great defensive play every game.
• The LBCs have been snakebit in the first week of our season. Don’t write her off quite yet. She’ll still make the playoffs.
• Thanks Chefdick for dropping Edwin Jackson. He’s looking great so far.
• The once-proud Cleveland Indians fan base was totally absent in the series against the Red Sox.  There was an average attendance of about 5000 fans per game. Didn’t they used to own the consecutive sellout streak?
• Scoring the second most points in the league and losing is one of the frustrations of playing in a head-to-head league. Sorry, Chefdick.
• Jered Weaver: 3 games, 3 wins, 9 hits allowed, 85.5 points. Wow!

The Foul Line Fantasy Baseball Power Rankings

1. Yankeehaters: 541 points! I think that might be a world record
2. chefdicks11: Some tough injuries down the stretch hurt. Playing the Yankeehaters hurt even more.
3. RedRays: Put up a ton of points and crushed the two-time defending champ.
4. bostobadboys: If Josh Beckett continues his great pitching, the BBB will be tough all year long.
5. Rays Those Cowbells: Dan made some great trades this week. I anticipate RTC climbing up the rankings this week.
6. Sam’s Baseball Train: Solid from top to bottom. Sam is going to win more than he loses this year.
7. Love Boat Captains: This week was a fluke. Her team is better than their week-1 performance.
8. WILLIS Be The Year: Pitching is pretty awful. If he addresses that, he could bounce back. He’s still 1-0.
9. ToPpIn Da ChArTz: Losing Longoria was a big reason he lost this week. I look forward to A-Rod getting injured on your team this year.
10. UNsportsmanMike: 295.5 points in an 11-day week? Really?

Go Sox!

Didn’t happen.

The good news was that the Sox were heading to AL Central-doormat Cleveland, and so were all but guaranteed to get this World Series season back on track. We all know how that series went.

So at this point, I figured I should just write something before Boston ends up 0-162.

Am I worried that the Red Sox are 0-6? I honestly don’t think it’s big deal. Yet. They have a great lineup. They have a quality pitching staff with a solid history. These guys know how to win, and they will win this year… a lot.

The Sox players are well aware of how the offseason went, with Gonzalez, Crawford, Jenks, and Wheeler added to an already potent lineup. Every news source from the Boston Globe to the Sheboygan Daily Reader was picking Boston to win 95+ games and cruise towards another championship. The players know they now have a responsibility to live up to their fans’ expectations as well as the owners’ commitment to putting a great team on the field. They’re putting a ton of pressure on themselves to win. Every at bat is critical, so bats are getting squeezed a little too tight. Every pitch has to be a strike, so balls are getting overthrown. All of this is having a negative impact on their performance.

The Sox return to Boston today after being away from their homes since February. I think a little home cooking is just what they need. Of course, if Boston gets swept this weekend by the damn Yankees, I’m going to jump off the Sunshine Skyway.

(On the other hand, I totally think that the Rays are going to lose 162 games this year. They kind of stink.)

Go Sox!

First comes love, then comes pain…
Let the games begin.
Questions rise and answers fall…
Insurmountable.

“Love Boat Captain”

 
It’s been a really long wait. Year four of The Foul Line fantasy baseball league is finally here, and I know that everyone is excited to get things going. I’m excited to have the gang back together, along with first-timer Allan. I really appreciate everyone coming back for another year of smack talk and friendly competition.

But first things first.

Season 3 ended with a bit of a whimper, with the Love Boat Captains beating our butts for the second year in a row. In our highly competitive league, to win once is incredible — to win twice is just crazy.

I feel I did a poor job in recognizing this amazing accomplishment. There was no prize package of useless baseball trinkets or parade in her honor. Just a few congrats and we all went into the off season with our tails between our legs and our pride hurt again. So this post is titled in honor of two-time champion Ginger and her Love Boat Captains.

It’s not a trophy, but at least you get a post named after you.

This year’s winner gets a trophy.

2011 THE FOUL LINE FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFT

What a great turnout for the draft. All ten owners showed up prepared and eager to pick the team to take them all the way. I love the draft. No matter how much you prepare, you just never know who the owner in front of you is going to take. It’s exciting and infuriating at the same time. Here’s my take on our draft, round by round. Enjoy.

Shocker! Albert Pujols went first.

I know Dan mulled over this decision for days. Should he take the greatest player on the planet, playing for a new contract, or should he grab one of the two elite shortstops? This was a no-brainer. Write him in for 40 home runs and 120 RBIs.

And the first pitcher taken is Roy… Wait, what?

After a predictable next three picks of Tulowitzki, Hanley, and Cabrera, Sam’s Baseball Train grabs Cliff Lee, and the other 9 owners’ jaws hit the floor. Isn’t there another Phillies pitcher that might be a little better?

And the Yankeehaters are on the clock…

I really debated this decision. I hate the #6 pick. I prayed that Tulowitzki would fall to me… Strike 1. Then I hoped I’d get Miggy Cabrera… Strike 2!

In my mind there are four elite outfielders in baseball (Braun, CarGo, Crawford, and Holliday). I figured I’d grab the one that has the best track record. The pick is Braun, and I’m ok with it.

UNsportsmanMike grabs Adrian Gonzalez at 7. I’m a little leery of taking a guy coming off shoulder surgery. Gonzo is eventually going to tear it up at Fenway, but I thought this was a little early.

With a fresh McDonalds sundae in hand, Allan takes Dan’s man-crush Evan Longoria at 8, and the already shallow 3B position takes a hit.

LBC took NL MVP Joey Votto in the 5th round last year, and she steals him again this year at 9. It’s not the sexiest pick, but a great one nonetheless.

How come when I get autodrafted, I get stuck with Dice K and Julio Lugo?

RedRays’s computer freezes up, and he gets Halladay and King Felix. Good things happen to good people.

A catcher in the second round?

I always prefer a good hitter to a good pitcher, and it looks like most of the league felt the same way. I believe that there are 3 stud catchers, and then the rest are pretty comparable. Allan opened the flood gates, and V-Mart, Mauer, and Posey were gone. I guess I’ll wait until round 10 to take a catcher…

Don’t look now, but the first basemen are going fast.

Hmmm… Who do I take? The douchebag Yankee or the 300-pound vegetarian in his contract year?

Round 3 might be the best round for all of us. Quality picks all around:

> Dan gives me an eff-you and grabs Pedroia
> Chefdick takes fireballer Josh Johnson
> Willis takes the #4 rated hitter, Teixeira
> BBB takes the guy with the best name in baseball, Buster Posey
> I loved Sam’s pick, Dan Uggla. He’s gonna do damage in that lineup
> Yankeehaters takes 2011 MVP and perennial jerk A-Rod
> Mike goes with Crawford
> Allan steals the 2011 AL Cy Young award winner
> Ginger takes the last of the good shortstops
> RedRays is back in action and takes big bad Ryan Howard

Who’s the idiot that took two third basemen?

Round 4. The best hitter still available is a great guy for my utility spot. Trade bait? Perhaps.

Added bonus: Sam makes a panic move and takes Adrian Beltre with the next pick.

I did 40 mock drafts in preparation for this draft, and round 5 always was my nemesis.

Dan jumps on Heyward with the first pick of round 5. Here’s a fun fact that’s sure to drive Dan crazy:

Player A: .276 (464 at-bats), 85 runs, 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 12 steals
Player B: .277 (520 at-bats), 83 runs, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, 11 steals

Player B is Jason Heyward.
Player A is Colby Rasmus, taken in round 19 by yours truly.

I took Jacoby Ellsbury. It’s probably a bit of a reach, but he’s been tearing up the spring, and when he’s healthy he’s a top 5 fantasy outfielder. Please stay healthy Jacoby!

Holy crap, there’s a lot of great pitchers left!

Haren, Hanson, Liriano, Weaver, Buchholz, Grienke, Latos, Gallardo, Billingsley, Scherzer, Oswalt, Cahill, Beckett, Danks…

I sure am glad I waited on pitching. I scooped up Weaver, Gallardo, and Scherzer. I was psyched to get Scherzer. He was one guy that I was targeting. I think he has huge breakout potential this year.

Then he went out and gave up 12 runs in 2 1/3 innings the very next day. Swell.

There’s still a few hidden gems left, right?

RedRays and Allan take the Upton brothers in round 10. I love the Justin pick. B.J., not so much.

I finally take a catcher, really happy with Soto. Now that he’s Piniella-free I think we’ll see his resurgence.

For some odd reason, Sam takes Corey Hart. He’s on the DL! I think I’d rather have Corey Feldman.

Dan goes fat and skinny in rounds 10 and 11 with Ichiro and Kung Fu Panda. Ichiro slips every year for some odd reason. Solid pick. I’m still not sold on Sandoval, but Dan needs a third baseman and he was the fattest available. I think I would have gone with Aramis Ramirez, but good luck with that.

Some really interesting picks in round 12:

• LBC takes Wandy Rodriguez, which could be a good value
• I take the steal of the draft with Mike Stanton. He may strike out 200 times this year, but I’m counting on 40 home runs. It’s worth a little risk for a potential huge upside
• BadBoys takes his his man crush with Aubrey Huff
• I love Willis and Dan’s Billy Butler and Brandon Morrow picks
• Francisco Cordero in this round was a horrible choice by Sam’s Baseball Train. There were much better options

It’s time to take the best of the mediocre pitchers!

Take a look at round 13. Every one of us picked a turd, with the exception of Allan and the Love Boat Captains. Jonathan O. Sanchez and Daniel Hudson are solid picks.

Dan and I picked Garza and Lackey. I usually like it when an AL pitcher goes to the inferior NL, but Garza is a head case that I think is going to wilt under the pressure of playing at Wrigley. I’m still not sure why I took Lackey. He was pretty awful last year.

Next, I take Alexei Ramirez, followed by Dan cursing me out via the chat, which only makes me like the pick that much more. The BadBoys grab Elvis Andrus. Dan responds by taking Marco Scutaro, and laughter is heard throughout thefoulline.com headquarters.

I was really happy getting C.J. Wilson in round 15. He’s the #1 pitcher on the American League Champions. He could be a steal.

I really liked round 16:

• Matt Thornton and Chris Perez are two low-cost, high-quality closers picked by the LBCs and the Yankeehaters
• Allan grabs this year’s Jason Heyward in Freddie Freeman
• Willis takes a potential 30/30 guy in Drew Stubbs
• And Dan takes Gordon Beckham, which gives him two second baseman. I don’t have the heart to tell him that he only needs one.

Is this draft ever going to end?

At this point, we’re at the two-hour mark and we’re all getting a little punch-drunk. Some interesting choices the rest of the way:

• Rays Those Cowbells:  Joe Nathan, Manny Ramirez , Jordan Zimmermann, Jorge De La Rosa. I think this is a strong finish for young Dan.
• chefdicks11:  Adam Jones, Edwin Jackson, Jake Peavy. I think this is the year Adam Jones lives up to the hype. The other two guys, you can keep.
• WILLIS Be The Year: Wade Davis and Vladimir Guerrero are solid late-round choices.
• bostobadboys: Adam Lind and Brian Matusz. Lind is a good hitter and will rebound this year, and Matusz is a future All Star.  Nice choices.
• Sam’s Baseball Train: Hiroki Kuroda is a pretty good pick. His other picks at the end of this draft, pretty bad.
• Yankeehaters: Kelly Johnson, Jhoulys Chacin, Colby Rasmus, Eric Bedard. Score, score, score, score. Once again, the Yankeehaters are playing chess, while everyone else is playing checkers.
• UNsportsmanMike:  Aaron Hill, Jaime Garcia, Scott Baker. Nice finish. These three guys will help this team.
• ToPpIn Da ChArTz: Grady Sizemore (insert punchline here), Carlos Quentin, AJ Burnett, Johnny Cueto, Rafael Furcal. I think Allan had a really good draft from top to bottom. He may be a  force this year.
• Love Boat Captains:  Madison Bumgarner, Ricky Nolasco, Brett Cecil. These are the type of pitchers that the LBCs likes to gobble up only to have them pitch their asses off.
• RedRays: Jeff Niemann, Aramis Ramirez, Fausto Carmona, Javier Vasquez, Travis Wood. I’m not sure why some of these guys were still available. RedRays has a solid history of drafting low-risk, high-reward guys.

I had a great time preparing for the draft. I’m happy with my results, and I can’t wait to get the season started. I know it’s early, but based on the draft here’s my predictions for the four playoff teams:

• Love Boat Captains
• ToPpIn Da ChArTz
• Yankeehaters
• WILLIS Be The Year

Enjoy thefoulline.com’s Quick Hits:

• Manny Ramirez has 3 sons, all named Manny.
• How is it possible that the frickin’ New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys conglomeration of suckiness is having a concert at Fenway Park this summer and Pearl Jam is not?
• If I had the chance to spend a day talking baseball with any two people in the world, Don Zimmerman and Yogi Berra would definitely top the list.
• If I had the chance to spend a day talking fantasy baseball with any two people in the world, Ginger and the Bostonbadboy would definitely top the list.
• Big, bad, burly Dan Johnson’s walk up music is Men Without Hats, “The Safety Dance.” Odd choice.
• I’m really looking forward to a season of ESPN baseball broadcasts without Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Joe Morgan is a pompous ass.
• I just read that Chipper Jones is having a great spring and is swinging the bat better than he did in 2008. I expect to be reading in two weeks that Chipper Jones is on the DL with a hang nail.
• I think the Baltimore Orioles have a chance to go 81-81. Their pitching isn’t quite there, but the lineup with Vlad, Markakis, Mark Reynolds, Luke Scott, Brian Roberts, and Matt Wieters should be fun to watch.
• Quick! Not counting Fausto Carmona, Grady Sizemore, and Carlos Santana, name three players on the Cleveland Indians. (Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner were all I could come up with.) I think the Royals may have some competition for worst team in baseball.
• I’m not sold that Josh Beckett is going to have the great resurgence that a lot of fantasy experts are projecting.
• I’m predicting that Jonathan Papelbon will be the Baltimore Orioles closer in 2011.
• Dear Seattle Mariner ownership: Please do not trade King Felix to the Yankees regardless of who they offer you. He’s your franchise guy. Build around him!
• Has anyone seen Unsportsman Mike? I don’t want to hear any more lame excuses about an auto-drafted team this year. He had a three-week notice.
• I’m hoping for the 4th-6th pick in this years draft. Not a fan of the bookend position.

12 days.