www.fantasysource.net

If you are the owner of any current White Sox player, I’m sure you’re thinking when this power outage will be over.  Konerko, Crede, Dye, all have averages around .200 with little power so far this year.  Konerko hit 2 homers this week and Crede hit one as well.  Dye had to come down to earth after that monster season a year ago.  If you have any of these cats, be patient, they’ll come around.

All the hype surrounding the Red Sox rotation was DiceK, maybe Schilling, but the most consistent and best pitcher has to be Josh Beckett.  He recorded his major league leading 7th  win last night in dominating fashion.  His first pitch of the game was promptly deposited in the OF seats by AlexRios, but settled in and beat the Jays.  If healthy, he can be a guy who can be a streak stopper during the prime of this career.

I have to mention that Barry Bonds hit number 745 last night to move within 10 of the record.   There’s no doubt he is going to break the record, and whether you like him or not, he is an extraordianry talent we may not see again.

Tom Glavine keeps plugging away.  7IP 1 ER and 5K’s last night to improve to 4-1.  I know I was guilty 2 years ago of putting him on the waiver wire and happy to do so.  He has come back to become a solid starter in mixed league.  Until then…

Ryan Howard was given a rest until Friday at the earliest by manager Charlie Manuel. It is nothing serious, just some aches and pains and the Phills just want to make sure he is 100% and not a reoccuring injury. For those who have him, this is a tough decision to make a roster move. Hopefully you have a bench player to fill in until the weekend.

Another young superstar is hurting, only he landed on the DL. Joe Mauer suffered a strained quad and will be out for a couple weeks. With the catcher position being thin, I wouldnt necessarily be looking for trade offers to replace him, but a free agent pick up should tide your team over until he returns.

For my 2 cents on the Clemens signing. Clemens is one of those “if you had 1 pitcher for 1 game” type guys. Fierce, hardnosed, and a great clubhouse guys. I think this is a perfect fit for right now in his career. The Yanks genuinely wanted him back and he wanted to come back. The blank check helped also, but this will make the AL East very interesting this summer and not a runaway as it was turning out to be. I stand by my prediction and say the BoSox still win the division, but not until the final week of the season.

By the way, Clemens says he’ll prepare as if his first start will be around the end of May, 1st of June. I’ll leave you with this, guess who and where the Yanks play on June 1st. Until then…

If it was only for 7 innings last night, the Yankees were thinking maybe, just maybe the ship is turning. Super prospect Phil Hughes is cruising along. Some in the Bronx actually were thinking no hitter once he hit the 7th inning. Then it happened. Hughes left the game with a strained hamstring, seems like its in the water these days, and will miss 4-6 weeks. The good news is they found out this kid can pitch at this level, but they need solid outings now. Mike Mussina is due back this week, but this has to be dissapointing.

I keep looking at the NL Central standings and keep thinking the Brewers are going to fade and it has not been happening. Considering no other team is over .500, maybe this division isn’t as good as we thought. We have a lot of baseball left, but the Brewers?

Seems we never talk about the NL West, and there is some very good baseball being played on the west coast. This may be the most exciting division in all of baseball. There are no less than 4 teams with winning records, making this a very interesting race throughout the season.

I think its obvious that ARod woul dbe MVP for April. If you remember a few columns ago, I mentioned Todd Helton. This guy just keeps amazing me with what he does at the plate. He is 1st in OBP in the NL and hitting .385. His power days are over, but he has shown enough to warrant that if you can get him cheap from another owner, I would seriously consider acquiring him, he will lift your team Average and be an asset. Heres a side stat to show you what plate discipline he has and the ability to find his pitch. He has been struck out 6 times and get this, has managed to walk to first 25 times. That is no fluke either. Over a career, he has to have the best BB/K ratio in the history of the game. Until then…

Chone Figgins will be in the lineup today when the Angels open a series in Kansas City. He missed a month with a hand injury from Spring Training. He went 3-6 in his rehab assignments over the weekend and should be good to go.

If you have been reading this column you know how high I have been on John Maine. Yesterday he threw another gem to collect his 4th win. He went 7 innings, no runs with 8K’s. His ERA dropped to 1.35. The Mets needed someone to step up until Pedro comes back, this gives them 3 nice options when he does return.

Small schedule today, some aces going in favorable situations. Peavy, Halladay, Webb and Hudsin all pitch tonight in games they’ll be favored in. Should be a good night for these guys. Until then…

Breaking news out of Oakland, Randy Moss, pending a physical, has agreed to restructure his contract and become a member of the New England Patriots. This has to be good news for a guy who wanted out of the mess that is the Raiders and go to a 3 time champion with Tom Brady. I don’t see him being that elite receiver anymore, but his stock has risen quite dramatically in my book.

Speaking of the draft, if you are a Browns fan and someone told you that Joe Thomas and Brady Quinn would both wear Browns colors, I think you’d be ecstatic. It cost Cleveland their 1st round pick in 2008, but so what. They got the guy they wanted as well as a franchise tackle who will be around for a long time.

Detroit was willing to trade the 2nd overall pick, but the asking price was way too steep. Dallas and Jerry Jones called and the Lions wanted to swap firsts, the Cowboys second and third rounder this year, and oh by the way, throw in DeMarcus Ware and Calvin is all yours. No wonder Tampa is sitting on Gaines Adams and emploring that fake smile you only see in family pictures.

What was Miami thinking taking Ted Ginn at number 9. You can’t tell me that he wouldn’t have been available late 1st round. To me, Ginn could develop nicely into a number 1 receiver, but he needs to become a polished receiver, something he was not able to become at the college level. He never ran routes very well and got by with his blazing speed all year. Like I said, he can and probably will become a number 1 wideout, but a bit of a stretch at 9.

There are many storylines at the draft, too mention to mention. I welcome all comments on how your favorite teams did or didn’t do.

Tim Hudson is proving that he is back from being mediocre to the dominant pitcher he truly is. He proved his mettle last night with a 12 K, 0 run performance.  He left with a 3 run lead only to have the Brave bullpen blow it in the 9th.  Nevertheless, he will be in the top 5 in Cy Young voting this season.

Jake Peavy trumped that outing with a better one of his own.  Peavy outpitched Brandon Webb with a 16 K (9 in a row at one point) start.   Peavy gave up 2 hits, again the bullpen costing him a victory.  This guy should be considered the best pitcher in the NL right now and with Santana losing his last 2, maybe in all of baseball.

Your yearly Ben Sheets injury happened yesterday in Chicago.  Too bad, he was having a great year, this guy just can’t stay healthy.  That means a Brewer fade in the standings will happen sooner rather than later.

A lot of matinee baseball today as it is travel day among the league.  Cole Hamels gets a start at home with a hot Philly team against Washington.  Expect Hamels to top 10 K’s today.  Josh Beckett and the BoSox play in Camden Yards this evening against Adam Loewen.  Loewen has had trouble gettting out of the 5th innnig lately.  The O’s are struggling, expect more of the same tonight.  I think youre going to start to see the pitching shake itself out in the next couple starts and really separate the men from the boys, and it may have some names we’re not used to seeing.  Until then…

In what couldn’t be better timing for an Ask Don question, Carl Crawford beat the Yankees with a grand slam last night in Wangs first game back. He didn’t pitch bad, 4 runs over 6.1 IP and 0 BB. Carl went 4-4 with a SB and of course 4 RBI. This guy one of, if not the best, 5 tool guy there is. The Yanks continue to lose ground and after being swept by the Rays, find themselves in last place in the AL East.

Seems like all we talk about are injury updates, so I’ll be brief. Jeter is expected to play tonight after leaving last nights game. Chone Figgins expects to play a rehab game Thursday and possibly be back with Anaheim Monday. King Felix officially went on the DL and is due back the first week of May. Your hamstring pull of the day goes to Nick Swisher, fresh off the 2 HR performance on Monday. Thats it, you wonder how these guys get up and fix breakfast without pulling a groin in the morning.

Some good match-ups today. The O’s send Cabrera against Schilling. In Phoenix, Jake Peavy faces off against Brandon Webb. This is a battle of potential Cy Young winners. First place Milwaukee, believe me I have never said or typed those words in my life, sends Ben Sheets in a matinee against Ted Lilly in Chicago. Theres just a few games that should be exciting to watch. Until then…

What can we surmise from the first three weeks of the season? A few thoughts. Alex Rodriguez is a top 3 player in all of baseball and is placing his stamp on being one of the greatest ever. Ever. Thats right. This guy produces every year and takes a beating from everybody because his name isn’t Derek Jeter. Can’t we just sit back and enjoy watching this guy play while we can? Staying in that division, the Yanks are in trouble. Injuries, no depth and an average pitching staff when healthy will be their demise this season. The BoSox are the class of the division and the Orioles are showing flashes of life.

Its still a little early for teams to start separating from the pretenders, but it is obvious to me that the Braves and Mets will be battling all year and I don’t think they’ll be challenged. I keep waiting for the Brewers to falter, but no one in the Central wants to jump up and take control. Realistically though, I only think the Astros and Cards have legit chances to win this division.

There are 3 games I think has some value if played. I like Erik Bedard and the Orioles to take care of Oakland. The A’s travelled from Dallas to Baltimore yesterday while the O’s were home sweeping the Blue Jays. The Mets and John Maine host Colorado. Again, the Rockies played at home yesterday and travel to New york to play a team who was beat by the Braves. I really like the Mets today. Lastly, I’m taking an underdog tonight in Gil Meche and the Royals over the White Sox. Kansas City beat the Twins in KC while the White Sox had a tough series in Detroit. By the way, this is Mark Buehrle’s first game since the no hitter. Gil Meche is a good pitcher who catches Chicago at the right time. Just a few games and matchups that fall in criteria that I like. Good luck. Until then…

Ryan Howard is expected to be in the Phillies lineup this afternoon in Cincinnati. That is a welcomed sight for a team who has managed 2 wins in their last 10 games. Things aren’t going as Jimmy Rollins planned when he said they were the team to beat in that division. This certainly helps. With Hamels coming into a legit number 1 starter, they need the breaks to start going their way in a hurry, to compete with the Mets and Braves.

Speaking of the Mets and Braves. For someone who loves pitching matchups like I do, today is Glavine/Smoltz part 2. The two teams split this weekends games and this will decide the series winner. I have a feeling the race between these two teams will be very entertaining all season long.

Couple injury status reports. Looks like Chien Ming Wang will return to the Yankee rotation Tuesday against Tampa. For fantasy purposes, he will get 2 starts this week, Boston being the other start. King Felix will play catch Monday and Tuesday and have a bullpen session on Wednesday. Manager Mike hargrove says they will make a determination then if he will officially be placed on the DL, or work his way through it and make a start shortly thereafter. Stay tuned.

No predictions today, somewhat of a hot streak, going 3 for my last 3. Enjoy the games today. Until then…

It may be me, but it seems there a lot of little injuries this year causing some lost games.  Yesterday, Miguel Cabrera went down with a strained oblique.  According to the Marlins, he has a 50/50 chance of playing tonight against the Nats.  I guess it depends on the strain, as Ramon Hernandez has the same injury and has yet to play so far this season.  Cabrera may miss the series and be ready to go Monday.

Ryan Howard has a knee problem the Phils are describing as day to day.  This doesn’t sound too serious, a MRI revealed no damage.  Look for him to be back this weeekend.  That has to be good news for a team desperate for some good news.

As reported yesterday, King Felix will miss 2-3 starts and go on the DL.  I think it’s still too early to determine how many starts he’ll miss.  I would say he’ll miss more than 3+ starts.  No need to rush him so early in the season.  Looks like Randy Johnson will be back next week.  He struck out 7 in 6 innings yesterday.  He’ll most likely face the Padres  next week.

A bit of rivalry this flavor this weekend.  BoSox and Yankees play 3 in Fenway.  Schilling and Pettitte go tonight.  It’s fun to watch the early games and late season games in this rivalry,  this should be a good one this weekend.  Cards and Cubs play a set in Chicago.  Ted Lilly starts this afternoon, a good few outings for him so far.  The Mets get to return the favor and beat the Braves this time in New York.  The Mets are hot.  Sunday we get Glavine/Smoltz part 2.

AJ Burnett and Daniel Cabrera play tonight in Camden Yards.  This should be a high scoring game.   Take the Over.  Until then…