The Puck Stops Here

Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Puck Stops Here. The season is quickly winding down and that means most of us are in the midst of heated championship battles. Remember, most of the fantasy hockey playoff formats make the championship match up a two-week battle. This is a bit of a different creature than the normal one-week match ups we have grown accustomed to during the season. This is what you have been playing for, so be attentive and check your team and the waiver wire everyday. The slightest advantage can make the difference.

Before getting to some of my recommendations I want to mention streaming players. I mentioned this strategy two weeks ago, but it is worth mentioning again during the two-week championship run. In this situation, streaming almost always works. Over the course of the week an extra 3 or 4 game won’t make a huge difference. However, over two weeks this could mean extra 6 to 10 games, which could make a world of difference in the results. A word to the wise, if you are heads and shoulders better than the competition or are confident you can win, DON’T STREAM. If your opponent isn’t doing it yet, he surely will when he sees you doing it. Don’t invite unnecessary competition.

Ok, here are some players that may be of some service to you. Remember, this is a weekly column, at this point in the year you should be checking your waiver wire everyday. Keep an eye on these players and others that you find interesting as well.

Wade Dubielewicz, G, NYI: Rick DiPietro is on the shelf for the remainder of the season opening a door for WD to get some quality time in goal. He is making the most of this opportunity, playing very well in his first 3 games in net. In those game he has only given up 4 goals and has a save percentage of 96%. Those are very good numbers that could help just about any team. If your goaltending could use a little help, give WD a try. However, I do not recommend him against the Penguins tonight. While he held them to one goal on Monday, the Pens offensive is too high powered to only score one again.

Jeremy Roenick, C, SJ: Roenick has 5 points in his last three games and is really starting to catch fire while playing with better linemates in San Jose. Roenick has found himself on the top unit with Thornton and Michalek, as well as the top power play unit. Playing with Joe Thornton is never a bad thing, Thornton is the Steve Nash of ice hockey and makes everyone around him better. As long as Roenick is playing with Thornton, Roenick is of definite value. It is also worth mentioning that San Jose is defensively sound with great goaltending and that combination tends to lead to higher +/- totals.

Adam Burish, W, Chi: I wouldn’t normally recommend a player like Burish because he is only valuable in the PIM category, but the value he could provide over the next two weeks would almost assure victory in the PIM category. Burish is 4th in the league in PIM and one night of solid work could net you anywhere between 5 to 20 PIM. He is worth a flier if you need help in PIM. But don’t kid yourself, if Burish gets you any form of offensive production, the hockey gods were smiling down on you.

Andrei Kostitsyn, W, Mon: Kostitsyn has found himself in The Puck Stops Here before and he has also made appearances on my own team. However, I could not handle his inconsistency, when he was cold he miserable but when he was hot, wow. Guess what. He’s hot, very hot. He has 5 points in his last three games and has found himself on Montreal’s top units again. This couldn’t be better timing for fantasy owners who can ride this hot streak during the championship round. At the very least, pick him up so your opponent doesn’t.

Johan Franzen, W, Det: Much like Kostitsyn, Franzen is really on fire right now. Franzen has 15 points in his last 10 games and is also a plus 7 over that same span. I expect all of this to continue. He is getting high quality ice team playing with Zetterberg and the top power play unit. Don’t be surprised if someone already nabbed him, but if he is available get him immediately.

Good luck with your playoff match up and check back here next week for more hockey advice. Until next time, The Puck Stops Here.

Down on the Farm: Recap

With the season under way and everyone making the final touches to their fantasy rosters I wanted to take the oppurtunity this week to reflect on a number of the players we've talked about in this column. We are going to look at 5 must have prospects, 5 to watch for and 5 to stay away from for right now. Another note none of these prospects will be from my "Sophomore Surprise" column in Feburary all five of those players have very good fantasy outlooks to start the season.

Must Haves:

1. Jacoby Ellsbury- CF Red Sox- Ellsbury wasn't traded for Santana instead the Sox held on to their top hitting prospect and will probably have a more potent offense because of it. Ellsbury probably won't start the season at the top of the Sox order but he should finish their. Regardless of where he's hitting, in this offense he will score plenty of runs and should give your team some nice stolen base production. Ellsbury should be drafted in all mixed leagues as a third or fourth outfielder.

2. Adam Jones- CF Orioles- Jones the key part of the Bedard trade is going

SportsJudge Dispute No. 1586-T: Court Upholds the Trade of Cory Hart and J.J. Hardy for B.J. Upton

SPORTSJUDGE.COM

COURT OF FANTASY BASEBALL

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	X	Index No. 1586-T Date: March 24, 2008 League Type: 10 TEAM MIXED 5X5 Dispute: TRADE DISPUTE Judge: MARC EDELMAN TRADE BETWEEN 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT AND IT BYRNES IS APPROVED
COMMISSIONER GARY B. Petitioner, - against - 2 LEGIT 2 QUIT & IT BYRNES Respondent	: : : : : : : : : :
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -	X

Petitioner, Commissioner Gary Benik, brings this claim in the COURT OF FANTASY BASEBALL, seeking to determine the status of a proposed trade of 2 Legit 2 Quit players Cory Hart (OF, Brewers) and J.J. Hardy (SS, Brewers) to IT Byrnes in exchange for player B.J. Upton (2B/OF, Rays). This court upholds the trade.

The Law on Upholding a Trade

In this court, it is the general rule that any fantasy baseball trade shall be upheld as long as the trade adequately benefits both teams. (See Public Opinion No. 101, Big Red Rockers v. Big City Bombers). Where a league constitution provides alternative criteria for reviewing a trade, the alternative criteria may supersede the general rule. (See Public Opinion No. 409-T, Commissioner P.K. v. Cartman). However, in this case, according to the league constitution, the only rule is that www.SportsJudge.com gets the final say in resolving all disputes so precedents from previous cases must be used.

The Proposed Trade

The proposed trade is a 2-for-1 trade with players matched in their positions.

2 Legit 2 Quit proposes to send to It Byrnes (final 2007 statistics in parentheses):

· Corey Hart (.295 AVG, 86 runs, 24 hr, 81 rbi, 23 sb)

· J.J. Hardy (.277 AVG, 89 runs, 26 hr, 80 rbi, 2 sb)

It Byrnes proposes to send to 2 legit 2 Quit:

· B.J. Upton (.300 AVG, 86 runs, 24 hr, 82 rbi, 22 sb)

Analysis of the Trade

B.J. Upton and Corey Hart are two young superstars in Major League Baseball who put up nearly identical numbers last season. By most accounts, Upton is the more valuable of the two players because he qualifies at second base. According to the Rotowire.com 2008 Top 200 Mixed League Rankings, Upton is ranked at no. 31, and Hart at no. 57. Meanwhile, according to the CBS Sports 2008 Top 300, Upton is listed at no. 35, and Hart is listed at 93. Finally, in the SportsJudge.com Experts League Draft, Upton was selected at no. 20 and Hart at no. 75.

Indeed, there are certain mitigating factors that cut in Hart’s favor, as brought to my attention by one of the court’s internal baseball experts, Joseph Romano. For example, an examination of the two players’ game-by-game statistics from 2007 will show that Hart started strong, struggled for some time, but then raised his average during the last month of the season. Meanwhile, Upton started strong (hitting a high point in batting average in mid-July of .344), but over the final two months of the season struggled and finished hitting just .300. This significant drop has been attributed to Upton’s lack of plate discipline and may indicate that some American League pitchers have figured out how to pitch Upton.

The wild card in all this is J.J. Hardy, a player with varied expectations. Hardy was a tremendous disappointment after a great first half last season and did not even crack the Rotowire Top 200. However, in the SportsJudge.com draft, Hardy went in the 14^th round. Indeed, the young Brewers shortstop hit 26 home runs last season, and has at least enough upside to balance any perceived difference in value between Upton and Hart, even if one were to consider Upton’s late-season struggles to be an aberration.

Finally, according to the e-Affidavit by Anthony Salva, general manager of 2 Legit to Quit, 2 Legit to Quit was “seeking to upgrade my middle infield … [while IT Byrnes] wanted to improve the quality of his outfield.” Having reviewed both teams rosters, the court finds this assessment earnest and valid, and there is no reason to doubt the parties had any intentions other than as stated.

Holding

Based on the foregoing, this court upholds the proposed trade of Corey Hart (OF, Brewers) and J.J. Hardy (SS, Brewers) from 2 Legit 2 Quit to It Byrnes for B.J. Upton (2B/OF, Rays).

Above the Rim: Bracket Busters

Today on “Above the Rim” I will attempt to use all the information I have gathered over the past few months to help you navigate the mine field which is the NCAA first round. It takes very little skill to pick the #1 seeds, so I will focus on the games that I think aren’t as obvious. Of course, I will not get many of these games correct, and the girl in accounting, who picks teams based on mascots, will walk away with the cash.

East

#6 Oklahoma (22-11) vs. #11 St. Josephs (21-12)
St. Joseph’s is an explosive team with great guard play. Conversely, the Oklahoma Sooners struggle to score points and are extremely prone to turnovers. I like the Hawk’s here and think they have a good chance to make it to the Sweet 16.

Midwest

#5 Clemson (24-9) vs. #12 Villanova ( 20-12)
The Clemson Tigers make it back to the tournament after a 10 year drought. Too bad they won’t be staying long. The Tigers reached their emotional high when they made the tournament and now they will lay an egg in the first round. The Villanova Wildcats are led by Scottie Reynolds and he is good enough to win at least two games in this tournament by himself. The Wildcats play a relentless man to man defense and will choke the life out of the less disciplined Clemson guards.

#6 USC (21-11) vs. #11 Kansas State (20-11)
I know I mentioned this game in the last article, but there is too much star power here not to mention it again. OJ Mayo and Mike Beasley are the real deal. They are men playing a sport with boys, but this game will come down to the coaches. Tim Floyd had the Trojans in the Sweet 16 last year and knows how to win close games. Look for Floyd to use gimmick defenses to throw Beasley and the Wildcats out of rhythm. I like the Trojans in a close game.

#7 Gonzaga (25-7) vs. #10 Davidson (26-6)
Gonzaga has now been on the scene for over a decade now and they no longer can sneak up on teams. To be honest, this team is much worse than it has been in the past and I expect them to be a one and done team. Davidson is led by Dale Curry’s son, Stephen Curry, who is averaging 25 points a game. This team also has the nations leading assist man, Jason Richards. Having two guards of this caliber is very rare and makes the Wildcats a very formidable foe for anyone. Look for Davidson to shoot Gonzaga out of the gym.

South

#6 Marquette (24-9) vs. #11 Kentucky (18-12)
I know Kentucky isn’t what they used to be, but Bill Gillispie has the Wildcats playing extremely tough defense and they have enough offense to survive. I am not sold on Marquette and they are one bad shooting day away from a quick exit. Dominic James is a solid talent, but he isn’t a big game player. I will take Kentucky in a low scoring affair.

West

#3 Xavier (27-6) vs. #14 Georgia (17-16)
Here is the deal with Xavier. They are coached by Sean Miller, who is a stud of a coach. They play great defense, they spread the scoring load out over a bunch of players, and they play in a weak Atlantic-10 conference. On the other hand, we have the Georgia Bulldogs, who are peaking at the right time of year. The Bulldogs are an athletic team who really believe in themselves. Look for Georgia to speed this game up and come away with a 5th straight victory.

#7 West Virginia (24-10) vs. #10 Arizona (19-14)
I know in the last article I made the claim that Arizona State deserved Arizona’s spot in the field, but truth is, Arizona is there and I like them to win their first game. I don’t like West Virginia and I think Joe Alexander is the most overrated player in the country. The Mountaineers have a good defense and a couple of good wins over UConn, but look for Arizona to be too athletic and run away with this game

Dollars and Sense: CBS Sports Reduces Price of Commissioner Services by 40%

For years, CBSSports has offered the most user-friendly fantasy baseball commissioner services on the web; however, their prices were a tad high. This season, however CBSSports has dropped their hosting price from $129.95/league down to $79.95/league, making their offering far more affordable. With this price reduction, SportsJudge.com now endorses CBSSports as a preferred league host for the 2008 baseball season.

Down on the Farm: Road Blocked

This week on "Down on the Farm" we are going to take a look at a few prospects that are Major League ready but lack an everyday opportunity on their team as it currently stands. These players will either be in the minors or on the bench waiting for an injury or trade to open up a spot for them. As it stands now these players shouldn't be drafted with the exception of deep keeper leagues, but if they get a chance to start they should all be considered priority waiver wire pick-ups.

(1) Jeff Clement-C Seattle Mariners: If Jeff Clement was a starting catcher he could be one of the top five fantasy catchers in the league. Unfortunately for Clement and fantasy owners he will only be the starting catcher in AAA Tacoma. The former 3rd overall pick of the 2005 draft doesn't have much more to prove in the minors, where he hit .275 (AVG)-20 (HR)-80 (RBI) in just 455 at bats, but figures to get one more year of AAA as the team is set with Kenji Johjima at catcher. The Mariners have considered playing Clement at first base or as their DH to get his power bat in their line-up but already have big money tied into veterans Richie Sexon and Jose Vidro. It looked at one point this off-season that Clement might be traded to the Orioles in the Erik Bedard deal giving him more of an opportunity but the M's decided to hang on to their young catcher. Barring an injury or trade Clement won't be much of a fantasy option in 2008, look for him to breakout in '09 putting up Brian McCann type numbers.

(2) Steven Pearce-1B/OF Pittsburgh Pirates: It's hard to imagine that the second worst team in baseball last year would be able to keep their best minor league hitter out of the opening day lineup but that looks to be the Pirates game plan. Pearce, who last year had a breakout campaign in the minors hitting .333-31-113 in 487 at bats over three levels of minor league ball, is ready to add his bat to the middle of the Pirates order. Pearce who has been a first baseman his entire career is looking to make a position change to the outfield since Adam LaRoche looks to be the Pirates man on first for the foreseeable future. The position change may help Pearce become an everyday starter sooner but still leaves him blocked for now as the Pirates have two of their best hitters in their corner outfield spots, in Jason Bay and Xavier Nady. Pittsburgh has listened to offers for both Nady and Bay but probably won't make a deal until after the season starts. This will give Pearce some time in the minors to adjust to his new position. If Pearce keeps hitting like he did last season look for the Pirates to move Nady well before the trade deadline to make room for him. When a spot is clear for him grab Pearce in your league as he has the potential to put up big time power numbers for your team.

(3) Ian Stewart-3B/2B Colorado Rockies: Ian Stewart has a number of things going for him; he has power he has speed and he possesses a prototypical arm for third base his natural position. Unfortunately for Stewart he has one major thing going against him; Garrett Atkins who has averaged over 20 home runs and 100 RBI's in his three years as a starter. With Atkins firmly entrenched at third, the Rockies are looking to move Stewart off the hot corner to get his bat in the lineup faster. Stewart who last year in AAA hit .304-15-65 with 11 steals in only 414 at bats, looks ready to make the jump to the NL champions but the question remains as to where he will play. Todd Helton looks to stay at first and the corner outfield spots are manned by Matt Holiday and Brad Hawpe, leaving second base as Stewart's only option. While there is an opening there Stewart doesn't figure to be a solid defensive second baseman, likely leaving the job to fellow rookie Jayson Nix. Stewart needs a trade to happen for him to become a fantasy sleeper. If he gets an everyday shot Stewart should hit around 25 home runs and add between 10-15 steals.

(4) Adam Miller-SP Cleveland Indians: Though Adam Miller struggled last season with injuries that limited him to just 11 minor league starts, in which Miller went 5-4 with a 4.82 ERA, he is the Indians top pitching prospect. Miller would probably be in the starting rotation on more than a dozen teams in the league. Due to the strength of the Indians staff, which features Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia and 19 game winner Fausto Carmona at the top of the rotation and over 21 million dollars of payroll due to Jake Westbrook, Paul Byrd and Cliff Lee, Miller is on the outside looking in. Don't let last season's numbers deceive you, in 2006 Miller went 15-6 with a 2.75 ERA and 157 K's in 153 innings pitched, he is a front of the rotation starter and has a bright future ahead of him. As it stands now Miller figures to spend most of the season in AAA trying to show that he can stay healthy. Unless Lee is traded or more unlikely free agent to be Sabathia is moved, Miller's only chance at making an impact this season is as an injury replacement. Otherwise consider Miller a top sleeper for 2009 as he could take Sabathia's place in the rotation.

Hope everyone has a great week, I will you see you all next Monday!

Above the Rim: Selection Sunday

Welcome to another riveting edition of Above the Rim. Today we will discuss a few of the topics that are dominating the basketball world. I will take a look at the recently released NCAA college basketball brackets and discuss the winners and losers. We will also take a look at a couple of stories brewing in the NBA.

NCAA
Selection Sunday is here and we are all eagerly attempting to fill in our brackets. I will be posting a Bracket Breakdown on Tuesday, so check back for all the inside information you need to win your pool.

Winners:
Any team that makes the tournament is a winner, but these teams were especially lucky on Sunday.

South Alabama (26-6)
The Jaguar’s play in the Sun Belt conference and should consider this a gift from the NCAA selection committee. Losing to Middle Tennessee State this late in the season is inexcusable and should automatically land you in the NIT.

Pittsburgh (26-9)
The Panthers were the biggest winners of the weekend. They parlayed a Big East championship into a #4 seed. Granted, they have to travel to Denver but they went from a bubble team to a top 16 team in a matter of 4 days.

North Carolina (32-2)
In the last post, I talked about the advantage UNC could get if they won the ACC tournament and they did not disappoint. The Tar Heels will not leave the state for the next two weeks, but the NCAA committee did take notice and put a few road blocks in their way. Tennessee and Louisville are arguably the best #2 and #3 seeds respectively, and either will be a huge test for Roy Williams and the fast paced Tar Heels.

Georgetown (27-5)
The Hoyas must have spent a little longer at Mass this morning, because the selection committee did an injustice by giving them a #2 seed. A team like Wisconsin (29-4), who ran the tables in the Big-10 regular season as well as in their conference tournament, is much more deserving of the #2 seed.

Losers:
Every year there are a handful teams who get left out, but at the end of the day, the best team in America wins the tournament, and that is the ultimate goal.

Arizona State ( 19-12)
Herb Sendek and the Sun Devils had a tremendous year and it is a shame that it will only continue on in the NIT. The Sun Devils beat Arizona (who is a #10 seed) twice this year and had a better conference record than the Wildcats. The Sun Devils also had five wins this year verse teams in the top 50 of the RPI.

Virginia Tech ( 19-13)
There are not many teams in this country that can beat North Carolina and Virginia Tech came within a box-out of being one of those teams on Saturday. The Hokies finished fourth in the ACC with a conference record of 9-7, but the truth is the Hokies have not proven they can beat quality teams. Losing to the Tar Heels is not a signature win and beating Miami on a neutral court is not enough to guarantee a spot in the field of 65. On a side note, Deron Washington’s dunk on the out of bounds play against UNC was the best play of the weekend and deserves to be on ESPN’s Top 10 this week.

These teams also missed the cut, but none are deep enough to be playing on the second weekend.
Ohio State (19-13)
Illinois State (24-9)
Dayton (21-10) …with an RPI of 32

Best Game:
The most intriguing game of the entire bracket happens to be a first round match-up (Thank you NCAA selection Committee). In the Midwest bracket, we have a #6 vs. #11 match up between USC and Kansas State. This game will feature freshman standouts, Mike Beasley and OJ Mayo and will have scouts from every NBA organization in attendance. Let’s hope CBS plans to show more than a glimpse of this game.

NBA
With college basketball taking center stage this week, the NBA takes a backseat, but there are some tremendous stories coming from the league these days.

Houston Rockets
I would first like to state, that I, in no way, believe the Houston Rockets can compete for a Western conference title, but 22 straight games is extremely impressive. With a very convincing win against the Lakers on Sunday, the Rockets have proved that they can beat the elite, but I believe they have peaked too early (think of the Dallas Mavericks last year). With that said, congratulations go out to T-Mac and Rick Adelman.

Miami Heat
Another story not receiving much hype is the situation developing in Miami. The Heat is a terrible team. They have little talent, an uninterested coach, and one of the best futures of any Eastern conference team. Let’s start with Dwayne Wade. He is under contract for two more years. He is already an NBA champion and will re-sign with the Heat if they do right by him. So how does the Heat do that? Well they go out and lose 60 games this year and get at the front of the line for the Mike Beasley sweepstakes. Now, the Heat has added a 20 point and 10 rebound forward to pair with Wade. They already traded away Shaq’s contract and received Shawn Marion’s expiring contract in return. This will free up about $17 million in cap space to pursue a free agent this summer, and what better free agent than Agent O? Gilbert Arenas is an unrestricted free agent and would fit perfectly in with Wade and Beasley. Imagine trying to match up against those three each night. The only thing the Heat are missing for next year is a coach. Pat Riley was done coaching the Heat around Thanksgiving and will formally step down soon. The top candidate to replace the legend will be Billy Donovan from the Florida Gators. Donovan and Riley are great friends and the chance to coach a core of Arenas-Wade-Beasley would be enough to lure John Wooden back to the bench. I wonder if Billy Donovan would be more excited about coaching this team?

Talkin' Baseball with Chaim Bloom (Baseball Operations, Tampa Bay Rays)

Fantasy players often get their advice from other fantasy players. However, here at SportsJudge Blog (the blog for the fantasy baseball arbitration site SportsJudge.com), we wanted to bring you a step closer to the game.

So, today we are "talkin' baseball" with Chaim Bloom -- an assistant for baseball operations with the Tampa Bay Rays. Mr. Bloom is also a graduate of Yale University.

SportsJudge: Can you tell me what it is like to work in baseball operations for a real Major League team?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): I feel privileged to be working here with the Rays. Our core group of young players has gotten a lot of press and we’re excited about their future, but we also have a wonderful group in the front office and among our coaching and scouting staffs. We have people from many different backgrounds, with a ton of different life experiences, and they are all quality human beings with the best interests of the organization at heart. One of the reasons we feel so good about our future as an organization is because of the people who are here working hard to make things happen. With good people, anything is possible. The caliber of those that I work with and learn from every day is one of the most exciting aspects of my job.

SportsJudge: What type of factors do you consider when projecting a player's breakout season?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): There are so many things to consider when looking for players to break out. Some of them are based on knowledge that we have internally about progress a player has made with his health, mental state, physical condition, or training his core skills. But there are also statistical clues you can seek; a lot of these are well-documented in studies and you can find many of them on the Internet still. Many of these fall under the category of things that are outside of a player’s control and therefore can change independent of him. For instance, we feel we’ve improved our defense dramatically this off-season, and that should help our entire pitching staff even if they perform exactly the same way. You might also look for a player’s runs scored or RBI to improve if he has better offensive players hitting ahead of him or behind him in the lineup. If a player converts RBI opportunities at a high rate, but doesn’t get many of them, he’s going to be limited in how many RBI he can rack up. So it stands to reason that if his opportunities increase, so will his RBI.

SportsJudge: When looking at a minor league player, do AA and AAA stats tell the full story of a player's potential?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): I don’t believe stats ever tell you the full story of a player’s potential, especially in the case of minor league players. Different skill sets will translate differently to the major leagues even though they may result in the same statistical output in the minors. Moreover, many of the minor leaguers on whom you will be focusing are quite young – that’s part of why they are highly regarded prospects. And with young players, there is always uncertainty. They are human beings who are still developing as adults on and off the field, and even looking only between the lines their skills are still evolving. Some players realize their potential immediately, but some of them take longer and if you only look at statistics you’re going to disregard certain players too soon. And of course there are a number of cases where players put up incredible numbers in the minor leagues but could never translate that into major league success. The big leagues are the biggest stage in the world for baseball and finding success there is not just a matter of translating minor league numbers.

SportsJudge: When evaluating a player, what should a fantasy owner consider beyond just statistics?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): You owe it to yourself to consider as many factors as you can – any information on a player can help you make a more informed decision on him. One thing that many people forget is injuries. You might be able to estimate what a player can do when healthy, but you have to factor in the chances of him staying healthy for the whole year, and more important, how you will construct your team to protect you if he isn’t. Certain players might be available on the cheap because they have poor health histories, and if you structure your team with a Plan B in case such a player gets hurt, you might be able to find value in one.

SportsJudge: Having seen inside of a Major League organization, how would this change the way you would approach a future fantasy draft?

Chaim Bloom (Tampa Bay Rays): It’s hard for me to say because I don’t play fantasy baseball. I think that the time I’ve spent in baseball has broadened my knowledge of the game and my analytical abilities significantly, even while I know that I’ve only scratched the surface in both of those areas. So I’m sure some of that experience would come into play in any situation pertaining to baseball.

[Editor's Note: The SportsJudge.com team wishes to thank Mr. Bloom for taking his time to speak with us.]

Matt's Stats: Baseball Preview Edition

It seems like spring training just began but we are now only a week and a half away from the exciting Japan opener. With that in mind, we are now down to the final positional preview of the year. This last week we did the starting pitchers rankings (I still don't get all the love for Chris Young in the comment section, he is definitely above average, but not a top 5 pitcher in the league) and this week we will conclude with the relief pitchers. There are many differing ways of thought on drafting relievers. Some draft them early and often, and some wait for the inevitable closers that will be available on the waiver wire throughout the year. Personally, I like to have a few big name closers but would never want to be the first to take one. Between the top closer and the 10th closer there isn't much of a difference, but I still believe in taking a big one. What I try to do is wait until closers are starting to be taken and then after about 4 are gone I make my move and get one of the big name closers. I usually prefer to take three closers, with 2 being upper echelon closers and one later on in the draft, maybe one of the bottom more average closers, leading to a high probability of winning the saves category each week. With that in mind here are the top 5 Relievers in each league this season:

NL Relievers:

1) Takashi Saito (RP - Los Angeles Dodgers) - Saito would not be my top choice for closer if forming an expansion team today, but he is the top Fantasy closer this year in the NL. Saito's stats in his two MLB seasons are much better then anyone could have expected when he arrived in America two seasons ago. In 2006 he was 6-2 with 24 saves, 107 K's in 78.1 innings, with a 2.07 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. In 2007, Saito improved on most of those numbers with a 2-1 record, 39 saves, 78 K's in 64.1 innings, with an impressive 1.40 ERA and 0.72 WHIP. Whether it was Wetteland or Mariano, Torre always seems to get the most out of his closer and Saito should be no exception. Look for 40 saves and the lowest ERA and WHIP of any closer in the NL.

2) Francisco Cordero (RP - Cincinnati Reds) - For whatever reason many have criticized Cordero's signing with Cincy, but he is still one of the best closers in the league. Last year in Milwaukee, Cordero had 44 Saves (his second season over 40 saves), and totaled 86 K's in 63.1 innings. Cordero's ERA and WHIP may not be what Saito's are (2.98 and 1.11), but they are still respectable and Cordero should be one of the first relievers off the board in the NL.

3) Billy Wagner (RP - New York Mets) - Wagner is not as dominant with the Mets as he was in his early years with Houston, but he is still one of the top relievers in the NL. The Mets will win plenty of games this year, and if their injuries continue they will be in plenty of close games, making it very likely Wagner gets more save opportunities than last season. Wagner had 34 saves in 2007 and 40 in 2006, barring another late season Mets collapse in 2008 look for Wagner to get closer to 40 saves and about 90 strikeouts.

4) Trevor Hoffman (RP - San Diego Padres) - Hoffman may be old, but as long as you don't tell him your Fantasy season is on the line, he will be able to get you a lot of saves. Hoffman had 42 saves last year, his 4th season in a row and 9th season in his career with over 40 saves.

5) Jose Valverde (RP - Houston Astros) - Valverde broke out last year and led the MLB in saves with 47, but is no higher on this list because of him playing on a possible last place team in Houston. Valverde should be good again, but expect less save opportunities during the season. Also, probably meaningless but of interest over his 5 seasons in the majors: 2003 - 2.15 ERA and 0.99 WHIP, 2004 - 4.25 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, 2005 - 2.44 ERA and 1.07 WHIP, 2006 - 5.84 ERA and 1.46 WHIP, 2007 - 2.66 ERA and 1.12 WHIP...Will this pattern continue in 2008? Everyone knows relievers change a lot from year to year so has Valverde turned the table on his career or is he due for another off season? Only time will tell.

AL Relievers:

1) Joe Nathan (RP - Minnesota Twins) - Nathan is the best closer in the majors and there is no reason not to expect another big season in 2008. Since becoming a closer in 2004, Nathan has had 44, 43, 36, and 37 Saves, with ERAs of 1.62, 2.70, 1.58, and 1.88, and WHIPs of 0.98, 0.97, 0.79, and 1.02. And that's without even mentioning that he can get up to 20 more K's then innings pitched in any season. It'll cost you an early pick but Nathan is the best there is when drafting a closer.

2) Jonathon Papelbon (RP - Boston Red Sox) - In 2 seasons as a closer, Papelbon has totals of 35 and 37 Saves, ERA's of 0.92 and 1.85, and WHIPs of 0.78 and 0.77. Papelbon will also help you in the strikeout category as he totalled 84 strikeouts in only 58.1 innings last season. Papelbon also got to show off his dominance in the playoffs last year, possibly boosting his already high average draft position. Papelbon is an amazing closer and should be one of the first relievers taken in all drafts. Also don't forget to move Papelbon up if your league gives bonus points for dancing.

3) J.J. Putz (RP - Seattle Mariners) - Last year Putz was 6-1 with 40 saves, 82 K's in 71.2 innings, a 1.38 ERA and 0.70 WHIP, giving him one of the best years for a closer in 2007. Thanks to the Bedard acquisition Seattle should be even better this year. Expect Putz to get plenty of save opportunities, making him an excellent pick in 2008.

4) Francisco Rodriguez (RP - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - K-Rod had 40 saves in 2007, his third consecutive season with at least 40 saves. Rodriguez is one of the best relievers at helping your strikeout total after getting at least 90 K's for 5 consecutive seasons. Also if you want to go by the Valverde every other season logic, 2003 - 3.03 ERA, 2004 - 1.82 ERA, 2005 - 2.67 ERA, 2006 - 1.73 ERA, 2007 - 2.81 ERA, 2008 - an ERA in the 1's? The AL has much better relievers then the NL, so in all MLB leagues, look for K-Rod to be the 4th closer off the board.

5) Bobby Jenks (RP - Chicago White Sox) - After exploding onto the scene in the 2005 Playoffs, Jenks has totalled over 40 saves in both seasons he has pitched. Last year, while the White Sox were a bad team, Jenks had one of his best seasons pitching to a 2.77 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. You know what you get with Jenks, it may be ugly at times but overall the numbers will be there at the end of the season.

That's all for the positional preview of the 2008 Fantasy Baseball season. I hope everyone enjoyed it and would like to wish everyone good luck in all of their drafts this season! As always if anyone has any questions specific to their teams or leagues, post them in the comments section and I will be happy to answer them. Have a Great Weekend!!

The Puck Stops Here: Playoff Primer

Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Puck Stops Here. Before jumping into hockey I would like to mention a new edition to SportsJudge.com for the NCAA tournament. Dan Elzer is authoring a new SportsJudge.com article, Above The Rim. He has already previewed the major conference tournaments, will be adding bracket analysis this Sunday and bracket advice next week. Dan is a former Division 1 basketball player who has a special eye for college basketball, be sure to check here for his advice.

Onto the ice, the NHL regular season is quickly winding down, which means you are either in the play offs or a week away. This week we will focus on playoff strategy as well as a couple players who may be able to help you in your playoff run. Remember, the nuances for head to head playoff hockey changes in comparison to the regular season. There may be ethical qualms with the strategies I mention, and I do not specifically endorse any strategy, but I have seen them work well.

Streaming: Streaming is despised in most fantasy circles, but those who hate it are the ones who are constantly burned by it. Streaming occurs when a player consistently drops and adds players on a daily basis to accumulate stats. Hockey is especially susceptible to this because there isn’t a category that hurts an owner by adding numerous poor players. The more skaters you dress, the more opportunity to accumulate stats. It is unfortunate to say this because it can ruin a league, but this works really well in hockey for the above reason. If you are desperate and lack a conscience then streaming might be enough to win your league. Be careful with this strategy, I have seen people booted from leagues the following year for doing this.

Focus on your opponent: Unlike the regular season, in the playoffs it doesn’t matter if you shut out your opponent or simply win on a tie breaker, winning is all that matters. Watch the standings everyday and adjust your lineup accordingly. If you have a narrow lead in GAA and S% don’t risk it. Take the 2 points, you assure yourself that you will at least tie the goalie stats. Don’t make the mistake of becoming greedy and trying to sweep goalie categories, sure it may work out, but if you lose GAA and S% trying to win W then you lost 2-1. This goes for other categories depending on league format. Use your head and try to hedge your bets. You don’t need to blow out your opponent, just win.

Combo Strategy: It may be too late to do this, but if your leagues are like mine there are 7 offensive categories and 4 goalie categories. If it is possible to trade or there are valuable free agents you can drop your goalies pick up extra skaters and attempt to dominate the offensive categories. At the same time, you can stream goalies. Streaming goalies almost ensures you will lose GAA and S% but you will probably win W and possibly get lucky and pick up a shut out. You will effectively give yourself the best opportunity to win offensive categories while being able to try and get a goalie category or two. This can be very effective, but this is also looked down upon because of the streaming aspect.

Sergei Samsonov, W, Car: I have been very skeptical of Samsonov, which is why he has yet to be mentioned in The Puck Stops Here, but he is slowly making me a believer. Samsonov has 24 points in his last 26 games and is getting plenty of ice time with Carolina’s top units. He is available in most leagues even though he has been very productive. Each time it looks like he is about to struggle, he picks it back up again. I was skeptical because it has been so long since he has been good, but at the same time he used to be really good. He was a top ten draft pick and rookie of the year, if he is still available give Samsonov a chance, you will be pleasantly surprised.

Michel Ouellet, W, TB: Ouellet was touted as a possible sleeper before the season but this view quickly fizzled, as most sleeper picks do. However, since the trade deadline a new Michel Ouellet has been punching his card in Tampa Bay. In the 9 games since the deadline Ouellet has scored 7 goals and 4 assists while tallying a plus 4 +/-. Ouellet definitely has scoring touch; he just needs the proper ice time to let it show. He is currently getting that ice time and is rewarding Tampa with great production. He is worth an add, however if he begins to struggle don’t by shy about dropping him. He has been known for his inconsistency.

Braydon Coburn, D, Phi: I have mentioned Coburn before, but owners still haven’t caught on to his great play. Coburn provides scoring touch with PIM and a great +/-. He is a top 20 defenseman over the entire season and a top 5 defenseman over the last month. Yet, he remains on the waiver wire in most leagues. Take advantage of your opponent’s ineptitude and pick up Coburn, you will be getting #2 defenseman production at almost no cost. I’ve heard of worse things in life.

Good luck with your play off match-ups. One last word on strategy, don’t go down one road and at the same time try to go down another. Pick a strategy and run with it, trying to do too many things will surely result in a failure. Until next time, The Puck Stops Here.

Bennett & Bodin on Baseball VI: How I Won the NFBC Auction

Last week, we focused on Cameron Bennett's fantasy baseball glory using the "S" Strategy at auction. This week, with the National Fantasy Baseball Championship ("NFBC") quickly approaching, we will discuss how Larry Bodin and his partner Marc Perlmutter won a $650-entry fee AL-only auction at last year's NFBC. (SportsJudge not only endorses the NFBC, but also will be helping to run this year's event).

Introducing the B&P-Flex Strategy

Last year, Bodin & Perlmutter unveiled a new strategy that in part consisted of selecting hitters who had considerable position flexibility. (From now on, SportsJudge.com will call this the "B&P-Flex Strategy"). This strategy allows to owners to avoid a disaster if some of their key players became insured.

At last year's NFBC auction, it turned out that Bodin & Perlmutter had an extraordinary number of injuries in May and early June. At one point, players on the DL included Joe Mauer, Howie Kendrick, Hideki Matsui, Phil Hughes and Roy Halladay. In this regard, a player like Chone Figgins (not on their team) is extremely valuable as he can be moved to several positions as players get hurt or return from the DL.

Most of the players that they selected were 30 years old or younger. The only hitter significantly over 30 years old was Hideki Matsui and he was one of the players that was injured. (Recall that one of the extended criteria of Colton and Wolf was the age of the player).

Since the owners in the NFBC league that Bodin and Perlmutter participated against were extremely aggressive in their bidding in the early rounds, they were not able to afford a closer – violating one of the criteria of Colton and Wolf. They tried an alternate strategy of picking up 4 setup pitchers - Scott Shields, Akinori Otsuka, Joel Zumaya and Juan Rincon. With that strategy, they hoped to get around 3 points (estimated at 18 saves). Suffice it to say, this part of the strategy did not work at all. Shields was mediocre (especially the last half of the season), Otsuka and Zumaya were hurt and Rincon was terrible. What saved the day with respect to saves was picking up Jeremy Accardo off the free agent list in April when B. J. Ryan was hurt. As such, they earned 4 big points in saves.

Bodin & Perlmutter had several players that would give them steals but no steal specialist (opposite of the Colton Wolf strategy). They had 4 points in steals with 4 weeks to go in the season. They picked up Jacoby Ellsbury the first week he was eligible as a free agent and held him until he was activated after September 1. He stole 8 bases. In the last four weeks of the season, their team had 29 steals (a tremendous number). They moved up 5.5 points in steals to 9.5 points in steals and won their league by 3.5 points.

Bodin and Perlmutter were forced to adjust their strategy somewhat during the auction because they did not have enough money to successfully bid on all of these players they wanted as part of their strategy. However, they were aggressive in picking up free agents and some of these free agents worked out well.

Flexibility and timing sealed the deal for them in 2007. It will be interesting to see if the B&P-Flex approach will allow for a repeat in 2008.

***
Drs. Bennett and Bodin encourage comments and questions and will attempt to answer these comments and questions both personally and in future columns. Bodin can be reached at lbodin@rhsmith.umd.edu and Bennett can be reached at cdbennet@owu.edu.

Above the Rim: Conference Tournament Preview

Hello, friends. I am Dan Elzer, SportsJudge's newest basketball columnist. Beginning today, I am going to be providing you with all of the NCAA hoops advice you need, beginning with the conference tournaments and continuing straight through March Madness.

Here is what we have on tap:

ACC
March 13th-16th at the Bobcats Arena in Charlotte
Favorites: After a very impressive win over the #6 Duke Blue Devils (25-3) on Saturday night, the #1 North Carolina Tar Heels (27-2) enter the ACC tournament as the 1 seed in the conference. Besides the title of ACC tournament champion, Duke and North Carolina are fighting for the number 1 seed in the East bracket of the NCAA tournament. This particular bracket will start in Raleigh, NC for the first two rounds, and then move to Charlotte for the regionals. This means Duke or North Carolina could potentially spend the next month playing “home” games in the state of North Carolina without boarding a plane to travel. Look for the ACC championship game to be a rematch of Saturday’s game with even more intensity and even more on the line. Clemson (22-8) is comfortably in the field of 65, so look for them to make a splash early in the week then fade off as they gear up for the NCAA tournament.
On the Bubble:
Miami (21-9), Virginia Tech (18-12), and Maryland (18-12)
Star Watch:
Tyler Hansbrough (Jr, 23.1 ppg, 10.5 reb), North Carolina
Ty Lawson (So, 12.9 ppg, 5.5 ast), North Carolina
DeMarcus Nelson (Sr, 15.2 ppg, 5.8 reb), Duke

Pac–10
March 12th – 15th at the Staples Center in Los Angeles
Favorites: #2 UCLA (26-3) is a very impressive team that has bought into Ben Howland’s defensive mind set. With a third straight regular season Pac-10 title under their belts, the UCLA Bruins are the favorite to win the conference tournament and secure a 1 seed in the west bracket. #7 Stanford (24-4) stumbles into the tournament with back to back losses to UCLA and USC. #23 Washington State (22-7) is a fashionable pick because of their national ranking, but they too have lost a couple of games recently and may have peaked too early in the year. This year’s true sleeper is OJ Mayo and the USC Trojans (20-10). Mayo has his team rolling into the Pac – 10 tournament winning 5 of their last 6 games, including an impressive home victory over #7 Stanford. This team is also the only Pac-10 team to beat UCLA at home this year.
On the Bubble:
Arizona (17-13), Oregon (18-12), and Arizona State (19-11)
Star Watch:
Kevin Love (Fr, 17.4 ppg, 10.9 reb), UCLA
OJ Mayo (Fr, 20.9 ppg, 4.7 reb), USC

Big East
March 12th – 15th at Madison Square Garden in New York City
Favorites: #11 Georgetown (24-4) has won two consecutive regular season Big East titles. They enter the conference tournament as the favorite fresh off an impressive victory over #12 Louisville (24-6). Georgetown has been getting solid play from their front court, but their guards really need to prove that they can be counted on late in a game. Besides the loss to the Hoyas, Louisville has recently been playing great basketball. Rick Pitino is a world-class coach who will have his kids ready to play. #13 Connecticut (23-6) is a great story this season, following their miserable 2006-07 season. Aside from a few, minor off the court issues, the Huskies will be a tough out at the Garden because of the inside presence of 7’3” Hasheem Thabeet. #19 Notre Dame (22-6) and #21 Marquette (21-7) have played well this year, but neither team is built to make the kind of run necessary to win it all. Pittsburgh (22-9) has been good in the Garden recently, most recently beating a potential 1 seed in Duke, on December 20th, but the Panthers have looked lost since the return of Levance Fields.
On the Bubble:
Syracuse (19-12) and Villanova (19-11)
Star Watch:
Roy Hibbert (Sr, 13.6 ppg, 6.4 reb), Georgetown
Luke Harangody (So, 21 ppg, 10.3 reb), Notre Dame

SEC
March 13th – 16th at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta
Favorites: #4 Tennessee (26-3) is the clear cut favorite. Bruce Pearl has no problem going 10 deep and that kind of bench does wonders when you are playing 3 games back to back. Tennessee will be fighting for a 1 seed and to prove they belong among the elite of college basketball. #16 Vanderbilt (24-5) recently beat Tennessee, but they have yet to prove that they can beat top notch teams away from their home gym. Kentucky (18-11) looked to be rounding into form late in the season, but a blow out loss to Vandy and the loss of freshman phenom Patrick Patterson, have the Wildcats scrambling.
On the Bubble:
Arkansas (20-10), Mississippi (21-9), Kentucky (18-11), and Florida (21-10)
Star Watch:
Chris Lofton (Sr, 15.6 ppg, 3.3 reb), Tennessee
Shan Foster (Sr, 20.6 ppg, 4.9 reb), Vanderbilt

Big-10
March 13th-16th at the Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis
Favorites: #10 Wisconsin (26-4) has dominated during the regular season, with their only losses coming to #15 Purdue (24-7). Brian Butch has anchored a strong Badger team, but he has to continue to be effective down low if the Badgers expect to win. Purdue is the conference’s biggest surprise with the outstanding play of their freshman class, but their inexperience will come back to haunt them. #18 Indiana (25-6) has all the talent in the world, but the instability and distractions surrounding the team may be too much to overcome. With that said, NBA first round picks, DJ White and Eric Gordon can win any game they play. Tom Izzo will have the #17 Michigan State Spartans (24-7) ready to play, however they are going to need a superman effort from senior guard, Drew Neitzel, if they are going to be playing on Sunday.
On the Bubble:
Ohio State (19-12)
Star Watch:
Eric Gordon (Fr, 21.3 ppg, 3.3 reb), Indiana
DJ White (Sr, 17 ppg, 10.2 reb), Indiana
Drew Neitzel (Sr, 13.6 ppg, 4.2 ast), Michigan State
Brian Butch (Sr, 12.7 ppg, 7 reb), Wisconsin

Big-12
March 13th-16th at the Sprint Center in Kansas City
Favorites: This tournament is loaded with talent and quality teams. The front runner is the #5 Kansas Jayhawks (26-3). Led by Brandon Rush, the Jayhawks started the season 20-0 and are 8-3 since then. The #9 Texas Longhorns (24-5) are 9-2 in the last 11 games, but a close loss to a very bad Texas Tech(16-14) team has me questioning if the Longhorns can stay focused. I would never count out Mike Beasley and Kansas State (20-10). Beasley is a top 3 pick in this year’s NBA draft and he has proven that he can carry Kansas State past the elite teams in the Big-12.
On the Bubble:
Baylor (20-9) and Texas A&M (21-9)
Star Watch:
DJ Augustin (So, 19.8 ppg, 5.8 ast), Texas
Mike Beasley (Fr, 26.5 ppg, 12.5 reb), Kansas State
Brandon Rush (Jr, 12.3 ppg, 5 reb), Kansas

Down on the Farm

Over the last few weeks on "Down on the Farm" we focused on position battles and players looking to make a fantasy and major league impact this season for their teams. While we tried covering everyone a few players slipped through the cracks. This week we will focus on a few players who look to breakout this season.

(1) Johnny Cueto-SP Cincinnati Reds: I knew at some point I would be writing on Johnny Cuento but I didn't think it would be until the second half of the season. No one went into this season questioning Cueto's talent just if he was ready for the big leagues, as he has only pitched a total of 83 innings above High-A ball. As Spring Training began it didn't look as though the Reds had any room for their talented 22 year old right hander. In the off season the team brought in Jeremy Affeldt, Josh Fogg and Edinson Volquez to compete with holdover Matt Belisle and stud rookie Homer Bailey to compete for the final three spots in the rotation. It seemed the Belisle and Bailey were going to take two of the spots leaving the other one up for grabs with Cueto being the long shot to get the job. Now after a great start to the spring and following up an impressive 2007 campaign, in which he went 12-9 with a 3.07 ERA and 170 K's in 161 innings, Cueto looks to firmly claim one of the rotations spots for himself. The Reds are looking to compete this year and there is no reason not to let their best arms into the rotation this season. Having Cueto and Bailey in the rotation all season will go a long way to making them a contender. If he makes it look for Cueto to get between 10-12 wins with a ERA in the 3.60-3.75 range with 150+ strikeouts. He should be a great late round sleeper pick for your fantasy team.

(2) J.R. Towles-C Houston Astros: Seeing J.R. Towles as the Astros number one catcher on their depth chart should make fantasy owners smile, as Brad Ausmus is no longer Houston's every day backstop, making that line up that much better. On top of just replacing Ausmus, Towles brings a lot of offensive potential to the Astros lineup, which should be among the leagues best. Last season in the minors Towles hit .287 (AVG)-11 (HR)-62 (RBI) in just 349 at bats. He also had a brief call up last season where he hit .375 in 40 at bats, showing the Astros enough to give him the starting job. Towles is not a huge power guy and 15+ home runs seem to be his range though he will add a few steals to go with that. Towles will hit the ball and bring in some good fantasy numbers, he should be a must have in NL leagues and a solid sleeper in mixed leagues.

(3) Luke Hochevar-SP Kansas City Royals: Hochevar became the top pick of the 2006 draft, after holding out from the Dodgers after they had drafted him in the supplemental first round in 2005. Since being picked first he hasn't done much to live up to his top prospect billing. In his only full year of minor league work, Hochevar posted an unimpressive 4-9 record to go along with a 4.86 ERA in 26 starts. These numbers seemed to make it unlikely Hochevar would have a role with the Royals in 2008, but the team is giving him a chance in Spring Training to earn a roster spot. So far that gamble is paying off as Hochevar has impressed early on in camp and is beginning to make his way up the Royals depth chart. If Hochevar can get it all together he could be a front of the rotation starter before the season is out. I think Hochevar will get at least one month in AAA but should be ready for the rotation after that. Look for 8-10 wins this year with a 140 K's. As of now Hochevar should only be considered in AL only leagues as a sleeper, but keep an eye on him in mixed leagues as the season progresses.

(4) Brandon Jones-OF Atlanta Braves: Brandon Jones has been a top prospect for the Braves the last couple of seasons but hadn't lived up to his potential, that all changed last season. When Jones tore through AA and AAA hitting a combined .295-19-100 with 17 stolen bases in 535 at bats and even earning a big league call up. Unfortunately Jones doesn't figure to duplicate those numbers this season as he will likely platoon in left field with Matt Diaz, severely limiting his at bats. Jones has the talent to be an every day player with 25 HR power and with a strong first half of the season could win the job full time for the second half of the year. Right now Jones should be a late round option in NL only leagues, but will become an option in all formats when he gets the full time nod in left.

Hope everyone has a good week and see you all next Monday!

Bang the Gavel: Sunday's Weekly Notes

On February 22nd, Major League Baseball asked the Supreme Court to review a lower court's decision that found the first amendment protects free use of baseball players’ names and statistics in fantasy sports games. For more details on MLB's petition, visit my recent column at Above the Law.

Derrick Eckhardt, the editor-in-chief of RotoNation declared Friday March 7, "Tell a Friend about RotoNation Day." Of course we are a tad late. However, Mr. Eckhardt runs one of the best fantasy news sites on the web. So, we're telling all of you about it.

With the NCAA Tournament quickly approaching, the SportsJudge team has invited basketball expert Dan Elzer to join us as a special columnist. Mr. Elzer will be helping our readers to prepare their March Madness brackets.

The National Fantasy Baseball Championship drafts begin this Friday. SportsJudge.com will be helping to run the New York City drafts. If you attend the draft, be sure to say "hello" to the folks wearing SportsJudge.com shirts. They may offer you a one-time only special promotional item.

Matt's Stats: Baseball Preview Edition

This week's preview brings me to the Starting Pitchers that will help your team this season. While I feel that starting pitchers should never be drafted too early, here are 10 difference makers at the position that are better then the rest and will help your team's drive to the championship.

NL Starting Pitchers:

1) Johan Santana (SP - New York Mets) - What more can be said about Santana then the press has already said while every writer around the country was waiting to find out where the Twins would trade him? Santana is 82-35, with a 2.93 ERA, and 1152 K's (an average of 230.4 K's per season) over the last 5 seasons with Minnesota. These stats should only improve in New York, thanks to facing a Pitcher in the 9th spot of the order instead of a DH, moving into a pitchers ballpark in Shea, and having one of the top offenses in the NL hitting behind him. It is not often that SP are recommended to go in the first round, but Santana makes an excellent end of the first round choice in all leagues this season.

2) Jake Peavy (SP - San Diego Padres) - Peavy makes for an easy choice for number 2 on the NL SP Rankings. In 2007 Peavy won the NL Pitching Triple Crown, leading the league in Wins (19), ERA (2.54), and Strikeouts (240). Peavy has shown a lot of consistency over his young career, having won 11 or more games for 5 consecutive seasons, and having had an ERA under 3.00 in 3 of the last 4 seasons. At the age of 26, Peavy has entered his prime and will only continue to get better. If you are looking to draft a SP early in your draft, make sure Peavy is one of the first you plan to take on draft day.

3) Carlos Zambrano (SP - Chicago Cubs) - Zambrano may have his drawbacks, as amplified by his fight with teammate Michael Barrett in their own dugout last year, but luckily you do not have to deal personally with fantasy players, you only want them to produce in the statistical department, and producing stats is exactly with Zambrano does. Zambrano has won at least 13 games for 5 seasons in a row, with an ERA under 4.00 for all 6 full seasons in which he has pitched. In 2007 Zambrano was tied for second in the NL in wins with 18, combined with a 3.95 ERA and 177 strikeouts. Thanks to his 12 career HRs (and 1 already this Spring) Zambrano would also be great evidence for a reason why hitting stats should count for pitchers in NL-Only leagues, as was asked asked by Marc Edelman in his blog on March 3rd. As it stands though, Zambrano's pitching stats are clearly enough to help a fantasy team and he is a top-4 Round pick in all drafts

4) Brandon Webb (SP - Arizona Diamondbacks) - This 2006 NL Cy Young Award Winner actually had a better season in 2007 then in 2006 in almost every category. He improved on his 2006 stats in 2007 by 2 wins (16-18), by .08 in ERA (3.10-3.01), and by 16 Strikeouts (178-194). Those improvements made it 3 consecutive seasons that he improved in all 3 of those main categories from his previous year's stats. Webb is still the ace, but should have less pressure this year in the D'Backs rotation thanks to Haren acquisition, and as a result, Webb's first 20 win season seems to be within reach for Webb in 2008.

5) Aaron Harang (SP - Cincinnati Reds) - Harang is probably the most underrated pitcher in the majors and should not be forgotten on draft day. Harang has had two consecutive seasons of 16 wins, three consecutive seasons of an ERA under 4.00, and two consecutive seasons of at least 216 strikeouts. Adding a better Reds team, and a better Closer in Cordero playing behind him, and Harang should be able to improve and get up to 18 wins this season.

AL Pitchers:

1) Josh Beckett (SP - Boston Red Sox) - Beckett may have finished 2nd in AL Cy Young voting last year, but he is clearly the best pitcher in the AL. Last season Beckett led the majors with 20 wins and had a 3.27 ERA and 194 Strikeouts. There is no reason to think that Boston will not be as good as they were last year when they won the World Series and led the MLB in Wins, which again makes Beckett the top AL pitcher, and a pitcher that should be taken in the top 3 or 4 Rounds of all drafts.

2) C.C. Sabathia (SP - Cleveland Indians) - While Beckett is a great pitcher and had all the playoff success last season, don't forget about Sabathia who had 19 Wins, 209 Strikeouts, and a 3.21 ERA, while winning the 2007 AL Cy Young Award. Sabathia will be motivated for a new contract this season and makes an excellent pick in all leagues.

3) John Lackey (SP - Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) - Lackey has always been a consistent pitcher since bursting onto the scene in the 2002 World Series (winning 10 or more games in the last 5 seasons), but he really elevated his level of play in 2007 with a 19-9 Record, 179 Strikeouts and a 3.01 ERA. The Angels are primed to return to the playoffs in 2008 and Lackey will have to be a big part of that. Don't be afraid to draft Lackey any time in the first five rounds.

4) Fausto Carmona (SP - Cleveland Indians) - Carmona may not be as big of a name as the other three above him on this list, but Carmona had the same amount of wins (19) as Lackey and Sabathia had last year. Carmona does not get the strikeout totals that the other three above him on the list get (only 137 in 215 innings) but his ERA of 3.06 more then makes up for it, as well as a very respectable 1.21 WHIP. Carmona may be underrated a bit, but he is clearly one of the best pitchers in the American League.

5) Justin Verlander (SP - Detroit Tigers) - In two seasons with the Tigers, Verlander has combined for a 35-15 Record with a 3.65 ERA and 307 Strikeouts. Thanks to their offseason additions, the Tigers probably have the best lineup in the majors which will give Verlander added opportunities for wins in 2008, making 20 Wins, 200 Strikeouts, 3.60 ERA a distinct possibly. Verlander is not only a player that should help the Tigers quest for a championship this year, but is also one that will help lead many Fantasy teams to their league championship in 2008.

That's all for now, stay tuned for the Relief Pitchers Preview next week as I conclude the positional preview for the 2008 Fantasy Baseball season. As always, if anyone has any questions specific to their teams or leagues, post them in the comments section and I will be happy to answer them in next week's column. Have a Great Weekend!!

Bennett and Bodin on Baseball V: Using the "S" Strategy at Auction

As we alluded in our last post, today we are going to begin discussing strategies to use at an auction draft. Because strategies do not change much from year to year (only the players do), much of our analysis today comes from our research back in October 2006. That analysis originally appeared at Roto Times, a website that was once run by Nate Ravitz (now with ESPN.com). Today, however, we are proud to be SportsJudge.com guys through-and-through.

What we are going to over the next several days is present the strategies used by the top finishers in the LLRG Draft. Remember, this is a group of highly skilled players that had first competed in the LABR. Ultimately, you will have to decide which one works best for your style.

Today's strategy of the day is Cameron Bennett's "S" Strategy:

This strategy comes from one of yours truly, Cameron Bennett, who finished in first place in the 2006 LLRG by implementing what we call the "S" strategy. The "S" strategy consists of the following:

Starter: Purchase a top-end starter, as there is no way to recover from a snowballing ERA or RATIO without a true ace.

Speed: Acquire some speed since steals are always at a premium. Bennett noted that he spent too many seasons trying to make up stolen bases that just are never available during the season.

Saves: Target two middle of the road closers to keep near the top in saves.

Sophomores: Target two or three players coming into their sophomore seasons that came off of mediocre or over-hyped rookie seasons and a few others that look to retain their strong rookie seasons.

Setbacks: Target a couple top players primed for big years coming off of injuries.

Star: Acquire one offensive big bat star player.

Who Should Use the "S" Strategy?:

The "S" Strategy is not for everybody. It works best when used with patience and with foresight. An "S" Strategy team may not get many mid-price players, meaning there is a need to be extra diligent on the free agent wire. An "S" Strategy user cannot jump the gun on any high-priced player that does not fit the plan. That would throw off everything.

For those of you uncomfortable with the "S" Strategy, no worries. We will be back in a couple of days with a few alternatives.

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Drs. Bennett and Bodin encourage comments and questions and will attempt to answer these comments and questions both personally and in future columns. Bodin can be reached at lbodin@rhsmith.umd.edu and Bennett can be reached at cdbennet@owu.edu.

The Puck Stops Here: More Deadline Fallout

Welcome back to another exciting edition of The Puck Stops Here. We are now over a week removed from the trade deadline and it is necessary to update the current situations after the recent trades. We now have a clearer picture of the roles everyone will fill after the deadline moves.

Sergei Federov, C, Washington: Federov has found himself on the second line with the talented Alexander Semin on his wing. Federov did not win the lottery and land on Ovechkin’s line nor did he find himself on the top power play unit but he still has some value. Semin is a very talented winger who is just as good if not better than any winger Federov was playing with in Columbus. Federov is also getting more ice time in his new digs. He may be worth an add depending on your situation and you should definitely keep your eye on him. If he lands with Ovechkin, he could produce #2 center worthy numbers.

Mike Smith, G, Tampa Bay: Smith is 1-3 since moving to Tampa Bay, but this is not his fault. He hasn’t played poorly and he is being barraged with shots. While I still don’t see his move to Tampa as an upgrade, he is worth owning. He is getting plenty of time in goal and has played pretty well. With the exception of a 5 goal game in which he got pummeled with shots, he has roughly a 2 GAA and a 92% save percentage. Those are solid numbers, and he is a very solid #3 goalie simply because of the team he plays on, not because of his talent or level of play.

Pascal Dupuis, Maxime Talbot, Marian Hossa, Pittsburgh: 2 out of the 3 players will be playing along side Sid for the foreseeable future. Hossa is a lock when he returns and Therrien will have to decide between Talbot and Dupuis. Both are quick forwards who aren’t afraid to muck it up in the corners but are decent scorers in the right situation. Therrien has said the Malone-Malkin-Sykora line is here to stay, so Dupuis or Talbot will likely be paired with Hossa and Sid. Keep a close eye on this situation, the winner could be valuable down the playoff stretch. My money is on Dupuis, but this is up in the air.

Jussi Jokinen, W, Tampa Bay: Jussi has been penciled in alongside Lecavalier and St. Louis. This represents a great opportunity for Jussi, but it is up to him to run with it. He only has one assist since going to Tampa, but it was a top unit power play assist. He is getting ice time with Tampa’s top talent and if he can cash in on the opportunity then he is definitely worth owning. Word is he will continue to play with the top units despite his early struggles, if he gets it going you will want him on your team.

Steve Bernier, Jaroslav Spacek, Buffalo: Bernier has been hit or miss in his first four games and Spacek has not stepped up his play in the absence of Brian Campbell. Bernier has been known for his inconsistency and it looks like this will continue. His promise will tantalize you but ultimately you are going to be disappointed. I can’t advocate avoiding him, but tempering you expectations is a smart decision. Spacek’s fantasy future is a little brighter, but he could be doing so much more. At the least he has been helping out with PIM, but he has only one point since the Campbell trade. If he’s available I would still grab him and if you own him don’t give up just yet.

Jason Williams, C/W, Chicago: I mentioned Williams a few articles ago and boy has he made me look good. Williams is off to a great start since returning from a hernia, and he has 3 goals and 6 assists in the 7 games since he has returned. He also has 3 power play points and 4 PIM in that same span. Those are exceptional numbers and I believe he will continue his strong play. Go get Williams now; his position versatility is also extremely useful. Let this be the boost that gets you into the fantasy playoffs and helps win you a championship.

Thanks for reading, as always please feel free to ask any questions or post any comments. Until next time, The Puck Stops Here.