Utley Out Until June 09

According to ESPN, the Phillies announced today that All-Star second baseman Chase Utley will undergo surgery to repair his hip, and should be sidelined until June of 09.

As posted on ESPN.com:

According to the Phillies, Utley would be able to resume baseball activities in three to four months -- meaning sometime during spring training, but possibly not until the week before opening day.

However, full recovery time is projected at between four and six months. That means the best-case scenario is a return in early April, but the worst-case scenario is late May or early June, depending on how long a rehab option the club feels he would need.

Chase Utley "WORLD F@#*#*G CHAMPIONS!"

Phillies second baseman Chase Utley let lose on the big stage, dropping the F-Bomb on Phillies fans everywhere.



World Effing Champions from meech.one on Vimeo.

Playing God: On the Diamond

It's every baseball fan's biggest dream, their biggest nightmare,
their chance to be a baseball God.

Recently the Staff here at 108 Red Stitches was given the opportunity to draft a unique ball-club. Wii were told wii had a modest budget, and would be drafting for the expansion franchise, the Scranton Balls.

Wii were told, until our home field was finished for construction, that wii'd be playing in Yankee Stadium, and would be slotted in the American League West.

Yes we know, that's why we picked Expedia.com as our left handed reliever.
We had the first pick in the draft, and every major league team had to dump all of its players into the pool.
Here goes nothing:

With the First Pick of the Draft, the Scranton Balls Select:

*Ryan Howard*

What? Well, he was cheap, and after all we're playing in Yankee Stadium. That short porch in right is mighty tempting. He's young (technically), and his name hasn't even been mentioned in the same sentence as steroids (until now).

Rounding out the Infield:
Wii nabbed Chase Utley for second, Stephen Drew for short, picked up Hank Blalock late in the draft, Russell Martin and Chris Iannetta split time behind the plate, and David Ortiz bats fifth, as a DH.

So far so good. Now to the outfield.

Chris Duncan, Josh Hamilton, Jason Repko, and Alex Gordon (not an outfielder, but since wii're paying him, he plays where we put his ass).
It's not exactly the fasted outfield in the world, outside of Repko, which is potentially hazardous since we play in caverns for ballparks (AL West- Oakland, Anahiem, Seattle, and 81 games in Yankee Stadium).

That gapper looks a whole lot farther when you got rocks in your shoes.

Overall, its a very exciting lineup to trot out, a little heavy on the left hand hitters, but lucky for us, guys like Zito, Lilly, Pettite, and Willis all land up in the National League.

Pitching Staff:

Justin Verlander is our first pitcher chosen, followed quickly by Josh Beckett (everyone I'm drafting against has a drool cup nearby) and Cole Hamels. The rotation bottoms out with Jered Weaver and Tom Gorzelanny.
Outside of Hideki Okajima, our bullpen looks like a witness protection program.

To say wii're glad we drafted all those hitters is a gross understatement.

If you haven't figured out by now, wii were given the oppourtunity to play Baseball God
by the good folks over at Nintendo Wii, via MLB Power Pros.
Currently our team is winning the West; its a few games past the all star break and we're nine games up on the Mariners.

Ryan Howard has 84 dingers and David Ortiz has 87.

Wii're excited about the future of our franchise.

Why the Lugnuts Failed to Make the Playoffs

With only a few weeks left in the season, its time for me to look back and dissect one of the most important franchises in baseball. Where did they go wrong? How can a whole team simultaneously slump? When is it ever a good time to say goodbye to an fan favorite? In short, where did I go wrong with my fantasy team, "The Lugnuts"?

Over the past seven seasons, the Lugnuts continually hover around .500 baseball. They sneaked into the playoffs last year, but were crushed in the second round. In the seven years of existence, they've only won one Yahoo Championship. Considering the fact that I've been around the game since I was four, I should be able to build a winning team, right? Guess not. In a shameful look back on a dismal season, here are some reasons why the Lugnuts (and possibly your team) didn't do as well as planned.

1. Draft Day Jitters: Things were not looking good from the very beginning. Somehow I landed the number eight pick of the draft, a damning position in any fantasy league draft. David Wright somehow landed into my lap, and I grabbed Manny Ramirez followed with the 18th pick. Joe Mauer seemed like a sensible third round pick, but things quickly went south. Nick Swisher, Carlos Zambrano, Scott Kazmir, Takashi Saito, Barry Zito, Prince Fielder, and Ian Kennedy round out the top 12. They weren't bad moves at the time, but looking back, I overpaid for Swisher, Mauer, and Kennedy. Things started to unravel after my pre-draft day plans looked like a rorschach test.

2. Loyalty: This can kill any fantasy league player. One guy performs and carries your team in previous years, and you ultimately wind up overpaying and riding on wishes and fairy dust for the rest of the season. To date, Nick Swisher, (my hero, my rock that I built the team around, my player least likely to be back in Lugnuts uniform next season) has stats unbecoming of an outfielder: AVG: .269 R: 65 HR: 17 RBI: 63 SB: 2

3. Mediocrity and Slow Starts: It took Zambrano and Kazmir forever to get going and Zito has been hot and cold every other start. By the time the front four of my rotation got going, I was floundering at the bottom of my league. Picking up Tom Gorzelanny and Joe Blanton helped, but it was too little too late.

4. Injuries: I know, every team has to deal with injuries, but this season, I felt like I should have drafted a medic instead of a corner infielder. Ian Kinsler (after a dominating April) lands on the DL for the majority of the season. Nick Swisher and Carlos Beltran (acquired via May trade) are banged up before the All Star Break. The worst injury (as a close friend put it "When I found out the news, it was like a family member died".) was when Chase Utley went down with a broken hand. No sooner does he start to show some positive signs, does Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels plop themselves down on injury lane. Oh yeah, and Joe Mauer, he got hurt too.

Looking Towards the Future
This was the first time our league decided to join ESPNs Keeper League. I was able to make some trades (Acquired Chase Utley and Carlos Beltran via trade, Ryan Zimmerman via Coup d'état) and plucked Prince Fielder out of the draft in the 20th round (Thank YOU, Starbucks!)
So my keepers look like Chase Utley, Cole Hamels, and Prince Fielder, which are not a bad three to build your team around. They're all young, and each does something that the other doesn't, so it looks like I've got all the bases covered. Now, if I can just resist the urge to draft Swisher next season.....

So You Think You Can Help My Team?

The baseball season is getting down to the wire, and its time to take a look at past and potential acquisitions that will or have helped a team in its push to make the playoffs. Need to seal up that division title? Looking to squeak in through the Wild Card Door? Check out these players that have helped or can help your team in the final weeks of the season. (Impact is based on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest rating)

1. Atlanta Braves: Woah! Has Mark Teixeira re-found his power stroke! Possibly the best acquisition for any team in baseball, Teixeira cost the Braves a lot in terms of mortgaging their future, but has paid off in full. Teixeira shores up a weak spot in the Braves lineup offensively and on the field as well. He just recently hit 4 home runs in 2 games, and has been a spark plug, igniting the Braves lineup.
Impact:

2. NY Mets: With Damion Easley out for what could be the rest of the season, the Mets were quick to pull the trigger on a deal to land veteran outfield Jeff Conine from the Reds. Conine adds playoff experience to a team that floundered last season in the finals against the Cardinals. This could be a big payoff for the Mets, now that Conine has something to play for. He can spell any of the corner outfielders and corner infielders, which is something Willie Randolph needs to prepare for the postseason.
Impact:

3. Phillies: Get one, lose one. Things started to look bright for the Phils when doctors cleared Chase Utley to begin throwing and swinging on a regular basis. Then Cole Hamels hurt his elbow, and is expected to miss 2 starts as he heads to the DL. Utley is a welcome addition to any lineup, but losing your ace can't be good.
Impact:

4. Yankees: Get out the way old man! The Yanks have injected life into their cranky, stiff bones with the recent call ups of Joba Chamberlin, Shelley Duncan, Edwar Ramirez, and the return of Phil Hughes from the 60 Day DL. Combine that with the everyday "Baby Yankees" Melkey Cabrera and Robinson Cano, the Yanks can keep their heads above water for the next few weeks.
Impact:

5. LA Dodgers: Anytime you take strengthen your team by weakening another in your division, it has to be a good move, right? Well, not in this case. Dodgers traded for Giants firstbaseman Mark Sweeney for a player to be named (or cash). The move doesn't seem to make any sense at first, but now that Nomar is on the 15 Day DL, its a good move, sort of. If you're the type that salivates when you see anyone named Sweeney in the starting lineup, maybe you should check out this blog.
Impact:

6. Mariners: So you want to win the AL West? One of the easiest divisions in baseball to win, the West is constantly up for grabs every year. So your biggest acquisition of the season is left hander John Parrish from Baltimore? Its a wonder that Ichiro signed the deal, if this is an example of your commitment to winning.
Impact:

7. St. Louis Cardinals: Everyone wrote them off before the All Star Game. Now, with the NL Wildcard Up for grabs, and the Central looking as stable as Baghdad, the Cards gamble on signing Troy Percival looks like a briliant move. In 21 innings pitched, Percival has only given up 2 runs, batters are only hitting .183 against the righty, and he's managed to win 3 games in relief. With the resurgence of Rick Ankiel, the Cards are starting to looking like a dark horse.
Impact: