I never met Dale Earnhardt, but I’m pretty sure he would call anyone that would do a fantasy baseball mock draft a word that could also be used to refer to a cat. Nevertheless, 10 years after his death, I’m listing some clips of Dale Earnhardt’s most memorable moments before the 3rd round of my fantasy baseball mock draft. There’s a few crashes (not the one that killed him though, I didn’t feel the need to list that), a few of his most famous shortcomings at the Daytona 500, and some of his most memorable victories.
Dale Earnhardt's 1982 Pocono Flip – Dale broke his kneecap as a result of this crash with the late Tim Richmond.
The Winston 1987 - The Pass in the Grass – Bill Elliott had the much faster car, but Earnhardt refused to surrender the lead.
Final Lap of 1990 Daytona 500 – Earnhardt cuts a tire down going into turn 3 on the last lap, giving Derrick Cope one of the greatest upset wins in NASCAR history.
1993 Daytona 500 – Earnhardt gets passed by Dale Jarrett on the last lap to again be denied a Daytona 500 victory. This race is best remembered for Dale’s father Ned announcing the final lap of the race.
1995 Brickyard 400 – Earnhardt holds off Rusty Wallace and Dale Jarrett for his only career win at Indianapolis.
1996 Dale Earnhardt Flip at Talladega –Earnhardt refused to be loaded onto a stretcher despite a broken collarbone, sternum, and shoulder blade after this hellacious crash.
1997 Daytona 500 – In contention for the win, contact with Jeff Gordon leads to Earnhardt ending up airborne.
1998 Daytona 500 – Dale finally wins the Daytona 500.
Earnhardt Rattles Terry Labonte's Cage – Earnhardt spun out the much faster Terry Labonte with two laps to go to win the 1999 August race at Bristol. (EDITORS NOTE: Unless you really enjoy the song “Flirtin’ With Disaster”, fast forward to about the 0:45 second mark of this clip.)
Earnhardt Wins By 0.006 Seconds – Earnhardt barely held on to beat Bobby Labonte in a 2000 race at Atlanta.
18th to First – In what would be his final Winston Cup victory, Earnhardt makes an incredible charge to win the 2000 fall race at Talladega.
Now on to the 3rd round…
3-25 = Tim Lincecum, SP, Giants – Lincecum’s stats were down last season (mostly due to a horrendous August), and he threw a ton of extra pitches during the Giants’ World Series run. I would be hesitant to use a pick this high on him, but this is probably about the spot Lincecum will go.
Team 1 = Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Tim Lincecum
3-26 = Jose Reyes, SS, Mets – Reyes is another contract year guy that if healthy, should give you first round production. This is a reasonable spot to take a chance on him.
Team 2 = Miguel Cabrera, Adam Wainwright, Jose Reyes
3-27 = Kevin Youkilis, 1B, Red Sox – Youkilis will gain 3rd base eligibility between 1 and 20 games into the season (depending on your league rules). Whether he anywhere from 3rd through 6th in the Red Sox lineup, he’ll be a good bet to hit 25 homers with 105 RBIs.
Team 3 = Robinson Cano, Matt Kemp, Kevin Youkilis
3-28 = Shin Soo Choo, OF-RF, Indians – A reliable source of 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases. With a healthy Carlos Santana and Grady Sizemore, Choo could finally break the 100 RBI barrier.
Team 4 = Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Zimmerman, Shin Soo Choo
3-29 = Ian Kinsler, 2B, Rangers – Kinsler would be a perennial top-10 pick if it weren’t for the fact that he’s missed 192 games during his 5-year career. I’d be happy to grab him if he slipped into the mid-4th, but someone will grab him this high.
Team 5 = Hanley Ramirez, Felix Hernandez, Ian Kinsler
3-30 = Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers – This might be five picks to early, but his progression as a major league starter suggests that he could develop into a fantasy ace in 2011.
Team 6 = Evan Longoria, Ryan Howard, Clayton Kershaw
3-31 = Zack Greinke, SP, Brewers – If you buy all of the talk that Greinke’s poor 2010 was due solely to the fact that he was bored pitching for a losing team, than you would be more than happy to add him at this point of the draft. Greinke has the ability to be the #1 pitcher in fantasy (he was for most of the first half of the 2009 season), and his switch to the National League makes him all the more tantalizing.
Team 7 = Adrian Gonzalez, Josh Hamilton, Zack Greinke
3-32 = Matt Holliday, OF-LF, Cardinals – Holliday is blessed with hitting either before or after Albert Pujols (for at least one more year anyway). At his worst, he should finish the season with a .280-25-110 line, which makes him the safest pick of this round so far. He’s not a sexy pick, but he will help you win.
Team 8 = Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Holliday
3-33 = Andrew McCutchen, OF-CF, Pirates – I like McCutchen as a potential breakout candidate in 2011. He has solid plate discipline (70 walks to only 89 strikeouts), and with just a little help from his teammates, he could make a run at a .300-20-80-40-110 season in the five basic fantasy categories.
Team 9 = Roy Halladay, Mark Teixeira, Andrew McCutchen
3-34 = Joe Mauer, C, Twins – Mauer is the safest bet in the majors to have a batting average of at least .320. If he can get his home run total closer to 20, this pick is a slam-dunk.
Team 10 = Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Joe Mauer
3-35 = Cliff Lee, SP, Phillies – Going into this draft I figured Lee would be a late 2nd round pick, but somehow it made sense for him to go right about here. I wouldn’t argue with anyone who took him as high as the 24th pick.
Team 11 = Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, Cliff Lee
3-36 = Nelson Cruz, OF-LF-RF, Rangers – I’m a sucker for Nelson Cruz. Two years ago I traded Cole Hamels for Cruz. Last year I traded Buster Posey (and two other players, yikes!) for Cruz. This year I’ll probably just draft him in the first round so I don’t have to deal with any pesky trade negotiations.
Team 12 = David Wright, Chase Utley, Nelson Cruz
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