10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (9/5-9/7)

10. Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic Both Go Down in Semi-Finals of US Open

            Upsets are cool, until the two guys that pulled off the upsets face off in a Final no one cares about.

9. Brad Keselowski Secures Top Seed in The Chase

            A race billed as a last chance, no holds barred attempt to make the playoffs turned into a snooze-fest thanks to a dominant run by the 2012 champion.

8. Home Loss For Ohio State Caps Miserable Day For Big 10
            Following Michigan getting shut out at Notre Dame and Michigan State surrendering 28 unanswered points at Oregon, the Buckeyes looking mediocre at home was the last thing the conference needed.

7. Miami Dominates New England After Halftime, Wins 33-20

            If it wasn’t for some sloppy ball handling in the first half, the Dolphins could’ve won this game by four touchdowns.

6. Nelson Cruz Goes Bonkers Against Tampa Bay

            After missing the end of the 2013 season due to a steroid suspension, Cruz used the extra time off to figure out new ways to use performance-enhancing drugs without getting caught how to naturally improve at his craft.

5. Andrew Luck Leads Improbable Back Door Cover Against Broncos

            Indianapolis should’ve been a lot closer in this game, as they left at least 11 points on the table in the second half. There is a chance that they are better than we think.

4. Cincinnati Weathers Late Push From Ravens, Wins 23-16

            Steve Smith hit the way-back button with his go ahead touchdown, but then was quickly one-upped by superstar A.J. Green. This was a huge win for the Bengals, as it should silence some critics of The Red Rifle.

           

3. Steelers Nearly Implode, Survive Late Scare Against Cleveland

            After falling behind 27-3, at least Cleveland can take heart in the fact that they covered the point spread.

           

2. Buffalo Bills Pull Off a Shocking Overtime Win in Chicago

            There’s always one game a year in our Week 1 picks column that we don’t follow our preseason predictions closely enough and end up missing. At least it only happened once this year.

1. Matt Ryan Carries Falcons Past New Orleans

            For our money, Matt Ryan was by far the most impressive player in THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE on Sunday. In other words, he was the opposite of Tony Romo. 

5 Hitters to Trade For and Trade Away in Fantasy Baseball

The title of this article is pretty self-explanatory. I'm going to give you five hitters who have scuffled out of the gate that you should try to acquire via trade, and then five over achiever's you should try to sell high.

5 YOU SHOULD TRY TO GET

1. Hanley Ramirez, SS, Florida Marlins - He probably went no later than 4th in your league this year, but so far has only delivered a .215 batting average. This is a case of a guy who is way to talented to struggle for an entire season like this. Now that Florida has him hitting 1st or 2nd everyday as opposed to 3rd, expect a steady increase in the stolen base department.

2. Carl Crawford, OF, Boston Red Sox - His spot on this list would've looked a lot smarter if he hadn't of just gone 4-4 today with a homerun. My case for Crawford is similar to Hanley's (he's too good to be this bad all year), but Crawford does have added risk. He's admittedly been pressing at the plate since his arrival in Boston, and also appears to have struggled with the unseasonably cold New England weather. I wouldn't trade Jose Bautista for him or anything, but if you can flip a starting pitcher for him, by all means take the chance.

3. Nelson Cruz, OF, Texas Rangers - As I documented during my preseason fantasy baseball mockdraft, I have a man crush on Cruz. I've traded for him each of the past two years. He has prodiguous power, but always seems to find his way onto the disabled list with a hamstring or quad injury. He just returned Monday from another of his famed DL stints, and promptly mashed a home run in his first game back. Perhaps you can play the health risk angle with a fellow owner to nab Cruz at a discount price.

4. Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees - This listing comes with some specific instructions, so please read carefully. At this point in his career, Jeter is not going to singlehandedly carry your fantasy team. However, if you're desperate for a shortstop, you could do worse than a guy who Joe Girardi will stubbornly plug in the 1 or 2 hole everyday. Even if Jeter finishes the year with a .255 batting average, he'll still score around 100 runs. See if you can trade a backup outfielder or a mid-level starting pitcher for him.

5. Aramis Ramirez, 3B, Chicago Cubs - Baseball is known for producing statistical oddities, but none are stranger than what Aramis Ramirez has put together so far this season. A perrenial 30-homer guy for most of the '00s, Ramirez has only hit one home run all season, despite the fact that he's hitting .295. However, he has smacked 12 doubles so far, which puts him on pace for about 40. Expect a few of those doubles to morph into home runs the rest of the way, giving Ramirez a shot to finish the year close to 20.

5 YOU SHOULD SELL HIGH BEFORE SOMEONE ELSE READS THIS COLUMN

1. Matt Joyce, OF, Tampa Bay Rays - Joyce is a nice player, but you should not expect him to maintain batting average above .360. There's plenty of depth in the outfield, so see if you can sucker some owner into sending you some help in the infield.

2. Howie Kendrick, 1B-2B, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim - I've owned Kendrick a couple of times over the past five years. I'm going to tell you one thing he'll consistently do...pull a hamstring. He's missed the past five games with a hamstring injury, but apparently will avoid a trip to the DL. If he hits well for a week after he returns, try to ship him out before he pulls his groin again.

3. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates - McCutchen is a talented dude, but doesn't have enough of a supporting cast (besides No Credentials favorite Neil Walker) to deliver his full potential value. I don't think I would move him in a keeper league, but if you are in a re-draft group, see what you can get for him.

4. David Ortiz, 1B, Boston Red Sox - I think Ortiz actually is legitimate this year (a better supporting cast has helped him more than anyone else on the Red Sox), but for those of you in a league that is heavy with Red Sox fans, test the waters to find out what you can get back. You probably didn't draft him as your starting first baseman, so you should have the flexibility to move him.

5. Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs - This again applies to re-draft fantasy teams. Castro so far has delivered an elite batting average, but not much else to go with it (just one homer and only four stolen bases so far). Unless the rest of your squad is full of Adam Dunns, try to parlay his elite batting average into better counting stats.

Earnhardt Clips and Round 3 of the Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

            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 3^rd 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 3^rd 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 3^rd base eligibility between 1 and 20 games into the season (depending on your league rules). Whether he anywhere from 3^rd through 6^th 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-4^th, 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 2^nd 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 24^th 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