Ghetto Superstar

Well hello there. I really haven’t been busy, just lazy since I’ve been back from Hawaii. However, I either have mono or strep right now, so while I’m really, really tired and lazy, I’m also extremely bored. When I’m not wallowing in my own sorrows or passed out on the futon, I’m pretty bored. As luck would have it, I got sick on my days off. Super. Did I mention that I’ve been sleeping so much that my back is actually sore? That’s why I have to sleep on the futon.

But I digress. I meant to make some notes about the All-Star Game. Here goes:

1) Hello there Barry Bonds. If this isn’t Big B’s last season, it’s definitely his last All-Star appearance. Somehow those conspiracy theorists in San Francisco actually managed to get Barry and his big head voted into the starting lineup. Now don’t get me wrong, Barry’s tops in the NL in on-base and slugging percentages (but let’s be serious, he’s been walked 84 times already). He’s batting over .300 and he has more home runs than Pujols, Soriano or Beltran. Not sure he’s starting lineup worthy. Maybe they figure if they just let Barry go out with a bang, he’ll just leave MLB alone.

2) Michael Young? Really? That’s probably the one head-scratcher this year. Anyone who knows me knows that I have extreme love for M.Young. And yeah, he’s definitely heated up as the season has gone along, but he’s not an All-Star this year. There’s that rule that every team must have a representative in the game. That’s why we have Freddy Sanchez, Gil Meche and Michael Young. All have pretty good seasons, but not All-Stars.

3) I got to thinking (dangerous, I know) if the MLB could do away with the above rule. It would be bad for small market teams like Pittsburgh and Kansas City, but if All-Star weekend is for the fans, then why do we care to watch these sorta-good players represent really-bad teams? If the MLB did away with the every-team-represented rule, then I think they’d have to do away with fan balloting, which is fine with me. I am sick and tired of seeing things like Mark Loretta being the starting second baseman for the AL last year, just because he was a Red Sox. And it’s not just the Red Sox. A couple years ago Jorge Posada was almost voted into the game by the fans, then he wasn’t even selected by the players or managers. Wow.

4) They’re limiting the amount of kayaks in McCovey Cove during the Home-Run Derby and the All-Star Game. Well, I’m not sure if those balls would really be worth much. It’s the freaking Derby. So these guys can hit 67 mph gold Century 21 baseballs a thousand feet. Anyone remember how many homeruns Bobby Abreu hit after he sent 41 balls out in Detroit? Six that season (he hit 24 total) and twenty total in the two seasons after. See how much it matters?

Okay, enough about the ASG. Here are a few comments about my fantasy baseball leagues (since Danny and Dennis kind of refuse to comment):

1) It’s Tuesday, July 3rd and Hemi’s team has gone 1/32. He also accidentally benched two of his pitchers who went a combined 16 innings with two ER. Oops. Excuse me while I knock on wood, but that’s terrible. Considering I almost popped a vein over the Hemi-Danny Mac trade with my frantic drunk phone call to Greech a couple weeks ago, I think that trade has worked out pretty well.

2) Speaking of trades, in the other league there’s been a lot of controversy over a Todd Helton for Carlos Beltran trade. Essentially one of our bottom-feeders gave his good friend Beltran for Helton, a guy riding the pine. Okay, I’m all for even competition, but it’s also fantasy baseball. One of the guys in front put it best, “You care more if you’re in first place.” It’s true, I don’t give a damn about that trade because it doesn’t make my team any worse or better. If a stupid trade like that (and yes I agree it was a lame trade) in the other league where I’m in first, I would be pissed, but I wouldn’t be holding grudges. IT’S FANTASY BASEBALL. IT’S NOT REAL.

That’s all. I’m first in one league (by 27.5 points, knock on wood) and I’m in tenth in the other league. Expect more if I actually have mono and can bugger out of work for the rest of the week.

Photo Source: The Ranger Rundown, Scott Lucas