I'm Not Smart Enough to Appreciate the San Francisco Giants

     I'm on the record calling the 2014 World Series the worst match up in the history of the sport, which is a statement supported by numerous advanced statistics. but perhaps it's time to re-calibrate our expectations of a MLB team. In my youth, the best teams rolled out offensive juggernauts that featured six or seven elite hitters. The juggernaut Yankees teams during their dynasty come to mind first, but we also saw the Indian's teams in the mid-90s (Albert Belle and Manny Ramirez would've been enough to carry a team, but they had five other dudes who could rake too), Seattle when they featured Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez,and lastly the curse breaking Red Sox lineup in 2004. These teams hit the ball hard, and it often went very far.
     San Francisco has Buster Posey, Hunter Pence, and a bunch of other no name hitters, but in today's pitching dominated climate, that doesn't matter. Madison Bumgarner delivered a historic World Series performance that our first reaction is to devalue because of the lack of hitting, but that ultimately isn't fair. We're tired of being a baseball grump. The Giants are the fifth team in MLB history to win three titles in five years, which is remarkable. We still think the '98 Yankees or '04 Red Sox would smash them to smithereens, but we're still tipping our cap to the Giants.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (5/23-5/25)

10. Manny Ramirez Signed as Player Coach For Cubs Minor League Team
            I don’t doubt that Manny Ramirez is a true student of hitting, but his ability to teach younger players his methods is something to keep an eye on. Ramirez was one of the more eccentric players in his day, so we’re not sure a typical minor leaguer will understand his tips.

9. Rory McIlroy Makes Stunning 7-Shot, Final Round Comeback

            “I ditched the bitch, and now I can win golf tournaments.” – Rory McIlroy’s comments after winning the BMW PGA Championship.

            Alright, he didn’t actually say that, but he should’ve.

8. Heat Win Rock Fight Against Pacers
            It literally felt like Ray Allen was the only person in the arena that could properly shoot a basketball. Game 4 is a must win for the Pacers.

7. Nico Rosberg Claims Second Straight Monaco Grand Prix
            Even better, Lewis Hamilton spent the majority of the weekend complaining about his fellow Mercedes driver. One of the most underrated things in all of sports is a Formula One rivalry developing between teammates.

6. Los Angles Kings Take Game 3 Over Defending Champs

            The Kings acquisition of Marion Gaborik at the trade deadline should go down as the transaction of the year, as Los Angles’ offense looks totally different than it did in the regular season. 

5. Josh Beckett Throws First No-Hitter of 2014

            Big news…Beckett cares this year!

4. Serge Ibaka’s Comeback Sparks Game 3 Rout For Oklahoma City

            I guess Ibaka should’ve been the MVP of the league.
        
3. Jimmie Johnson Ends Winless Streak
            Johnson has had multiple chances to get in the win column this season, and was finally able to breakthrough with a late race pass of Matt Kenseth.
         
2. Martin St. Louis Nets Overtime Winner, Gives Rangers 3-1 Series Lead
            St. Louis’ inspired play since the death of his mother has New York on the verge of its first Stanley Cup Finals appearance since 1994.

1. Ryan Hunter-Reay Wins Second Closest Indianapolis 500

            It’s a good thing Hunter-Reay was able to hold off Helio Castroneves, otherwise the world wouldn’t of got to see his young son celebrate with him in a matching fire suit.

MLB Steroids Memories

 

           Yet another steroids scandal got No Credentials thinking (always a dangerous thing)... what are my ten favorite baseball memories? A couple of facts to set the stage before we get to my list.

1. 1995 was my first year as a die-hard sports fan. I was nine years old for 10 months of it.
2. I’ve barely watched baseball over the past five years (fortunately, managing fantasy teams does not require watching real-life games).
3. Pedro Martinez was the man.

          Without further ado…

10. Anaheim Defeats the Giants in “The Steroids Series”

What Happened = San Francisco Choked in Game 6, squandering a 5-0 lead that they carried into the bottom of the seventh inning. Both teams combined to hit 21 home runs in the seven game series (San Francisco hit 14 of them!), with final scores of 11-10 in Game 2 and 16-4 in Game 5.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = If it were ever possible for the answer to this sort of question being 6,000%, this would be time for it. I think Victor Conte was injecting Giants hitters with HGH in the batter’s box. Barry Bonds stat line might have been the peak of his ridiculous steroids run (even surpassing his 73 dinger season), as he put up a .471-4-6- batting line with an OPS of 1.994. Bonds getting robbed of a World Series ring thanks to the Giants bullpen collapse was one of the great karma moments of the 2000’s that we didn’t realize was happening at the time.

Other Memorable Moments = Dusty Baker’s kid almost got run over at home plate (because you know, letting a three year old be the bat boy makes a ton of sense), but was saved by J.T. Snow.

9. Texas Chokes Twice, Giving St. Louis the World Series

What Happened = Ron Washington, higher than a kite on cocaine (just kidding! I think…), used a bunch of weird people to try to close out Game 6 of the 2011 World Series. Naturally, things didn’t work out. St. Louis posted two rallies to tie the game, and went on to take Game 7.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = We’ll go fairly high here, throwing out a number of 65%.

Other Memorable Moments = This is the only time I remember watching a World Series game in the last three years. I just had to use Google to make sure the Giants won last season. 

8. Pedro Delivers a Giant F-U Performance in Tampa Bay

What Happened = Pedro Martinez hit Gerald Williams with his fourth pitch of the night in a late August start in 2000. The following video is what resulted from said hit batter.

            After the dust settled, Martinez went into overdrive, recording 24 consecutive outs before Tampa Bay broke up the no-hit bid with a single in the bottom of the ninth.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 100%. People don’t get pissed off like that much anymore (unless of course, it involves Zach Greinke), so roid-rage definitely had something to do with it. Also, there is no way Brian Daubach would’ve made it to the Major Leagues without the benefits of performance enhancing drugs.

Other Memorable Moments = It took four attempts (and two pitchers!) by the Devil Rays to finally hit Brian Daubach during his at-bat in the seventh inning.

Forgotten Moniker = Tampa Bay immediately became relevant when they dropped “Devil” from their team name, which is one of the great wins for God of the 2000s.

7. Mark McGwire Hits 50 Home Runs Over the Green Monster in the Home Run Derby

What Happened = Alright, I think he only did it 12 times, but regardless of the quantity, Mark McGwire hit a bunch of fucking baseballs about 500 feet in the Home Run Derby at Fenway Park. Sadly, MLB hasn’t uploaded a video of this event to YouTube yet (couldn’t imagine why), because it was incredible live television. Big Mac didn’t win the Derby, but he was the star of the show.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = Um, you know who Mark McGwire is right? 100%.

Extended Rant = There really isn’t more dated and ignorant television programming from the late-90s and early-00s than the Home Run Derbies. Watching Chris Berman go bonkers as juiceheads like Sosa and McGwire crushed baseballs is retroactively hilarious.

 

6. Josh Beckett Puts the Sox on His Back, J.D. Drew Hits the $13 Million Grand Slam

What Happened = I’m not sure if anyone remembers this, but the Red Sox were down 3 games to 1 in the 2007 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians (this was before Grady Sizemore’s career went off a cliff). Josh Beckett destroyed the Indians in Game 5 (easy to forget that performance the way his career in Boston ended), and then J.D. Drew capped a big first inning in Game 6 with the only quality play he made during his debut season in Boston.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = In the series we’ll have to say 100% (Manny Ramirez was the World Series MVP after all), but with the two guys we mentioned in the headline, I’ll say 10%. J.D. Drew or Beckett didn’t appear to give enough of a shit about baseball to ever put substances in their bodies to improve performance.

Other Memorable Moments = I was playing poker and/or heavily intoxicated during every game of the 2007 ALCS, meaning that the $13 Million Grand Slam and Beckett’s Game 5 are the only things I vividly remember about it.

5. Pedro Martinez Demoralizes Don Zimmer

What Happened = During Game 3 of the 2003 ALCS, Manny Ramirez freaked out about a baseball that was closer to home plate than his face. Chaos ensued, culminating in 146 year-old Don Zimmer going after Pedro Martinez.

 

            All right I lied Zimmer was only 72. Regardless, that’s the high comedy point of the 2003 ALCS.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 100%, with a hint of Viagra thanks to Zimmer.

Other Memorable Moments = Aaron Boone’s walk-off Game 7 homer (which only happened because Grady Little left Pedro in one inning too long…sigh) was the last stomach punch Red Sox fans took before their epic 2004 title.

Interesting Fact = On the same day as the epic Pedro-Zimmer throw down, I had almost 100 people over my house to celebrate my birthday. That scenario sounds great on paper, but I think only five of the people in attendance knew it was my birthday.

 

4. Mariano Rivera Blows the Save in Game 7 Against Arizona

What Happened = After an epic first six games of the series (remember Derek Jeter earning the nickname Mr. November?), the Hammer of God just needed to get three outs to give the Yankees their fourth straight World Series victory.

            Needless to say, Rivera imploded. A lesser man’s career would’ve gone down the toilet after such a dramatic meltdown. The Hammer of God is not a typical closer.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 200%. For proof, here’s the statline Luis Gonzalez threw up for the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks.

BA = .325 (second highest of his career)

HR = 57 (only had one other season where he hit more than 30)
RBI = 142
R = 128
OPS = 1.117 (that’s not a typo)

            Call me a party-pooper, but those numbers are a tad suspicious.

Other Memorable Moments = For my money, the 2001 World Series is the greatest playoff series I’ve ever seen in any professional sport. From Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling (soccer mom) hoisting the Diamondbacks on their backs, to the epic games in New York less than two months after September 11^th, there has never been another series like it since.

Editors Note = I made money off of this series, so my opinion is 100% biased.

 

3. Pedro Martinez Goes Bonkers in the 1999 All-Star Game

What Happened = Pedro nearly throws his right arm off as he strikes out Barry Larkin (Hall of Famer), Larry Walker (fringe Hall candidate, but he was the ’97 NL MVP), Sammy Sosa (Steroids Hall of Famer), Mark McGwire (ditto), and Jeff Bagwell (soon to be Hall of Famer) during the first two innings of the ’99 All Star Game at Fenway Park.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = With Pedro’s opponents, 100%, but as for Pedro himself, I’m saying 0.

2. The Home Run Chase of ‘98

 

What Happened = Reeling from the devastating 1994 strike (that cancelled the World Series, and for all intents and purposes, destroyed the Montreal Expos), Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa dragged MLB back from the depths with their epic pursuit of 61 home runs.

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 800%. McGwire’s whole career was a juiced concoction (he posted a league leading 49 dingers and .987 OPS in his rookie year), and Sosa’s stunning 1998 season was truly remarkable. Sosa was one of the better power-speed combo players of the mid-90s (he posted 30-30 seasons in 1993 and 1995) before morphing into the Dominican version of The Hulk. Here’s the stat line he put up in 1998, with previous career highs in parenthesis.

BA = .308 (.300, 1994)

HR = 66 (40, 1996)
RBI = 158 (119, twice)
OPS = 1.024 (.889, 1996)

1. Boston’s Improbable 2004 World Series Run

What Happened = If you don’t know the story of the 2004 Boston Red Sox, then I don’t understand how you've made it this far into the column.

 

Chances Steroids Were Involved = 8,000%. For grins and giggles, here’s the list of likely juicers from the 2004 ALCS.

Alex Rodriguez

Manny Ramirez
David Ortiz
Mark Bellhorn (remember him?)
Gary Sheffield
Jason Giambi
Andy Pettitte
Dave Roberts (just kidding!)
Bill Mueller (post steroids cycle, his 2003 numbers were ridiculous)

That’s just going from memory. The 2004 Red Sox will probably be the most memorable sports team of my life time, and it wouldn’t of been possible without good old fashioned PEDs.

           

Top 10 Hardest Red Sox Break-Ups

            Last Sunday’s trade of Kevin Youkilis (long overdue, even if the package Boston got back could be best described as a lingering fart) got No Credentials thinking. What were the ten most difficult “breakups” that I’ve had to deal with? Before I reveal the list, I’ll provide some context.

-         I was born in 1985, and didn’t become a diehard sports fan until I was nine, so if you’re in your fifties and get mad that Carlton Fisk isn’t on this list, that’s why.

      -         I tried my best to focus on the disappointment I was feeling as soon as I found out a certain player was leaving, without focusing on the aftermath. All but number nine on this list do a pretty good job of that.

Now on to the list…

10. Carl Everett

            Just kidding!

9. Adrian Beltre

            Beltre only spent one year in Boston, so there wasn’t a great deal of emotional attachment, but this move hurt the logical part of my brain. Coming off a lackluster five seasons playing for the Mariners, Beltre inked a one-year deal with the Red Sox in 2010. He exceeded expectations, batting .321 with 28 dingers, won the AL Silver Slugger Award for third baseman, and made the All-Star team. Rather than re-sign him (because you know, it wouldn’t make any sense to resign a guy who has already proven he can handle playing in Boston), the Red Sox instead chose to spend their money on Adrian Gonzalez, Carl Crawford, and John Lackey. Adrian Gonzalez is currently on pace for about 15 home runs (Beltre is on pace for 30), while Crawford and Lackey have been on the DL all season. Bummer.

8. Wade Boggs

            I’m too young to remember Boggs leaving Boston for the Yankees after the 1992 season, but I think my Dad was bummed out about it. Ironically enough, 1992 was the only season Boggs hit under .300 in a Red Sox uniform (I’m guessing a poor BABIP contributed to a .259 average that season. Either that or he was looking forward to getting the hell out of Boston). For evidence that Boggs may have been under appreciated, here are the batting averages (with on-base percentage in parentheses) Boggs posted from 1985 through 1988.

1985: .368 (.450)

1986: .357 (.453)
1987: .363 (.461)
1988: .366 (.476)    

7. Mo Vaughn

            Mo was David Ortiz before Big Papi ever made it to the big leagues. In his prime, he was a go big or go home hitter who somehow managed to post a .293 career batting average. He always came up huge in big moments (his most memorable Red moment was a walk-off grand slam off of Randy Johnson in an early season comeback against the Mariners), but unfortunately he only got to play in 7 post-season games his entire career. It was a bummer when he left for the Angels in 1999, but at least no one had any false hope that he was going to stay.

6. Roger Clemens

            Clemens is an asshole, so I don’t want to spend too much time on him. Just know that at 11 years old, I was really sad to see him go.

5. Johnny Damon

            Damon was only with the Red Sox for four years, but the goodwill he built up didn’t even make him a full on villain when he left for the Yankees in 2006. It was sad to see him go, but the way the rest of his career has gone proved Theo Epstein right. He wouldn’t have been worth the money the Red Sox would’ve had to fork over to keep him.

4. Manny Ramirez

            Sure Ramirez has had a lot of dirt thrown on him since leaving Boston. Sure the Red Sox placed him on waivers while he was there…twice. Sure he was nearly involved in a blockbuster trade that would’ve brought Alex Rodriguez to the Red Sox in 2004 (remember that?). Sure he was probably juicing during his entire career (who wasn’t?). You want to know what Manny’s postseason batting averages were during the two championship seasons? .348 and .350. The Red Sox have never really been the same since he was traded in July of 2008. 

3. Nomar Garciaparra

            The only thing that would’ve made the 2004 World Series run better for No Credentials is if Nomar could’ve been on the field for the final out in St. Louis. He was drafted right when I started becoming a die-hard sports fan. He came up and won rookie of the year. For a five-year stretch, it was a legitimate debate whether or not him, Alex Rodriguez, or Derek Jeter was the best shortstop in baseball. If he wasn’t so brittle, I’m certain he would’ve reached 3,000 hits. Lastly, numerous pets owned by friends of mine in junior high school were named Nomar. I was heavily intoxicated when word of his trade to Chicago broke, so this trade crushed me. 

2. Jonathan Papelbon

            The picture above shows everything I love and miss about Papelbon. At least I can still root for him because he’s on my keeper league team.

1. Pedro Martinez

            If you could teleport a “in his prime” Pedro Martinez to 2012, what would his ERA and WHIP be? 1.25 and 0.50? 1999-2003 Pedro was appointment television (his dominating two-inning stint in the 1999 All-Star Game against a lineup of Jersey Shore-like guerilla juice heads being the most memorable, other than of course throwing 102-year old Don Zimmer to the ground in the 2003 ALCS). He was a bit of a liability during the 2004 World Series run (remember him calling the Yankees “my daddy”?), but delivered a vintage Pedro performance in Game 3 to help Boston stomp the life out of the Cardinals. Pitchers like Pedro come along once in a generation.   

Mid-Season Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Review, Part II

           We’re at the halfway point of the fantasy baseball season (that also means that we are at the halfway point of real baseball, but sadly for MLB, fantasy baseball is much more interesting to me). Now is a good time to call out some of the good predictions, as well as the crappy ones, made by No Credentials during the pre-season. I’ll find two players from each round of my 25-round mock draft to discuss. If you missed the review of the first 12 rounds, click here. Now on to rounds 13-25.

Round 13

GOOD CALL = Adam Lind, 1B-OF, Blue Jays – If it wasn’t for a short stint on the DL, Lind would be on a 40 homer pace right now.

BAD CALL = Gordon Beckham, 2B, White Sox – His first half this year wasn’t nearly as terrible as it was last year, but he’s still been a major disappointment for a second straight season.

 

Round 14

GOOD CALL = John Axford, RP, Brewers – It hasn’t always been pretty, but Axford has delivered 47 strikeouts in 36 innings to go along with 20 saves.

BAD CALL = Brian Matusz, SP, Orioles – Matusz was so bad after returning from the DL that he just got sent to the minors yesterday. Max Scherzer suffered a similar fate last season, but came back after two starts in the minors and dominated the rest of the season. Matusz doesn’t have the same strikeout potential, but could still be useful at some point.

 

Round 15

GOOD CALL = Jordan Zimmerman, SP, Nationals – The strikeouts haven’t been as plentiful as No Credentials predicted before the year, but if you own him on your team, you aren’t complaining about his 2.63 ERA and 1.07 WHIP.

BAD CALL = Brett Myers, SP, Astros – A waiver wire gem in 2010, Myers has returned to the form he often displayed in Philadelphia, which could best be described as wildly inconsistent.

 

Round 16

GOOD CALL and a BAD CALL = Curtis Granderson, CF, Yankees – A good call in the sense that I at least called out the fact that he never should’ve gone so late in my mock, but at least I mentioned that he hit 18 homers in the second half of 2010.

 

Round 17

GOOD CALL = Nick Swisher, RF, Yankees – No Credentials successfully predicted a major dip in batting average for Swisher. He’s come to life in the past couple of weeks, so 25 home runs are still in play at season’s end.

BAD CALL = Andres Torres, OF, Giants – Another waiver wire stud in ’10, Torres has struggled mightily this season (.222 AVG, 3 HRs, 8 steals).

 

Round 18

GOOD CALL = Alfonso Soriano, OF, Cubs – Endorsed as a player worthy of a late round flyer, Soriano has hit 14 home runs in the first half of the season.

BAD CALL = Manny Ramirez, RF, Rays – The fact that he was even included in the mock makes Manny Ramirez an easy choice for the BAD CALL of round 18.

 

Round 19

GOOD CALL = James Shields, SP, Rays – It didn’t predict that Shields would be the AL version of Roy Halladay, but I did mention his very high BABIP in 2010 as a reason to believe he was poised for a solid bounce back season. Shields has been a rock for both of my fantasy teams this season.

BAD CALL = John Lackey, SP, Red Sox – In my preseason write-up on Lackey, I argued that Lackey had the talent to bounce back from a dismal first season in Boston. Writing that Lackey actually had talent was one of the dumbest things ever posted in No Credentials history.

 

Round 20

GOOD CALL = Ryan Theriot, SS, Cardinals – Theriot has delivered solid run production hitting at the top of the Cardinals line up.

BAD CALL = Marco Scutaro, SS, Red Sox – Predicted to be a source of 90 runs scored in 2011, Scutaro is currently on pace to finish the year with 32.

 

Round 21

GOOD CALL = Randy Wolf, SP, Brewers – Not having to be the workhorse for the Brewers has paid wonders in Wolf’s performance. He still gives up a lot of homers, but has been a solid innings eater who is usually good for a quality start.

BAD CALL = Travis Wood, SP, Reds – Tabbed as a guy who doesn’t walk people, Wood unfortunately had a hard time getting people out. He’s currently down in Triple-A.

 

Round 22

GOOD CALL = Ben Francisco, RF, Phillies – No Credentials predicted that if he didn’t start the year strong, his major league career would be over. He’s still on a MLB roster, but has been replaced in the Phillies regular line-up by Domonic Brown.

BAD BALL = Travis Snider, RF, Blue Jays – Called out as a potential random 30-homer guy, Snider has been plagued by injury and is currently in the minors trying to regain his mojo.

 

Round 23

GOOD CALL = Erik Bedard, SP, Mariners – This call would be considered a great one if Bedard didn’t just hit the DL three days ago.

BAD CALL = Fausto Carmona, SP, Indians – You could make a case that Carmona has been the worst pitcher in the AL who’s name doesn’t start with “L” and end with “ackey”.

 

Round 24

GOOD CALL = Jordan Walden, RP, Angels – No Credentials correctly predicted a Fernando Rodney implosion (which I’ll admit, wasn’t that hard to call out). Walden has stepped into the closer role and ran with it.

BAD CALL = Mike Moustakas, 3B, Royals – Moose isn’t a total bust by any stretch of the imagination, but I predicted that he could provide similar production to what Evan Longoria gave the Rays in 2008. Needless to say, my expectations were a little too high.

 

Round 25

GOOD CALL = Alex Gordon, 3B-LF, Royals – Gordon has finally shown that he belongs in the majors.

BAD CALL = J.D. Drew, RF, Red Sox – I liked the line I wrote about him in March so I’ll post it again.

 

Neither sexy nor likeable, Drew is a dependable source of 20 home runs.

 

Drew needs to hit 16 home runs the rest of the year to reach 20. If that happens, then the Rapture dude might’ve been on to something after all.

10 Awesome Things That Happened This Past Weekend (4/8-4/10)

10. Manny Ramirez Retires to Avoid 100-Game Steroids Suspension

            I plan on writing an obituary for Manny’s career sometime by the end of the week, so I won’t write too much here (for some analysis from an actual expert, read this post by ESPN’s Buster Olney). I will say that it is a sad end for one of my favorite Red Sox players of the ‘00s.

9. Derrick Rose Drops 39 Against Magic

            MVP! MVP! MVP! MVP!

8. New Jersey Devils Coach Jacques Lemaire Retires

            Lemaire and the Devils are sort of like Ronnie and Sammy from “Jersey Shore”. Lemaire first coached the Devils 1993 to 1998. After coaching the Minnesota Wild for the first nine years of their existence, he returned to New Jersey to coach for the 2009-10 season. He tearfully announced his retirement after last season, but was brought back this past December after New Jersey woefully underachieved for the first three months of the season. I don’t know if there is a place where you can wager on this sort of thing, but I’d like to bet that Lemaire is back on the bench for New Jersey at some point (possibly next season, if Ilya Kovalchuk is to be believed).

7. Matt Kenseth Dominates Under the Lights at Texas

            Kenseth had the fastest car all-night, and pretty much stunk up the show. It was good to see the former champion snap his 76-race winless streak.

6. Minnesota Duluth Wins NCAA Men’s Hockey Championship

            You can always count on the Frozen Four for producing at least one school that no one had ever heard of before.

5. Nuggets PG Ty Lawson Hits 10 3-Pointers

            Normally this event wouldn’t stick out to me, but the fact he is on my fiancée’s fantasy team (the team that I happen to be playing in our fantasy basketball championship) made this occurrence a bit of a bummer. Lawson had never hit more than three shots from three-point range in a single game before his performance Saturday night. 

4. New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks Sneak Into Stanley Cup Playoffs

            No offense to the fans of the Stars and Hurricanes, but the Stanley Cup Playoffs are much more interesting if the Rangers and Blackhawks are involved.

            By the way, I’ll be posting my uninformed first round NHL picks Tuesday evening. I’m super excited about it.

3. Heat Blast Celtics

            This isn’t actually awesome for Celtics fans such as myself, but it was a noteworthy event. Either Boston doesn’t care about potentially playing a second round Game 7 in Miami, or this team is truly fractured after the Kendrick Perkins trade.

2. Red Sox Win Two Out of Three Against Yankees

            I’m not sure where Boston found the 2007 edition of Josh Beckett, but it sure was a pleasure to watch him pitch last night. Hopefully ignorant Red Sox fans don’t think the sky is falling anymore.

(EDITORS NOTE: Within the next month, I’ll be writing a Magna Carta-esque document for a new group of Red Sox members. It will be primarily targeted at the pre-2004 Red Sox fan. I’m still trying to work all the kinks out, but there’s a possibility that it will be a separate web page. Stay tuned…)

1. Charl Schwartzel Wins Masters

            The only two rounds of golf I ever make a point to watch are the final rounds of The Masters and the US Open, and Sunday’s final round at Augusta didn’t disappoint. For a very casual fan of golf, this event had everything you wanted. There was Rory McIlroy (who started the day in the lead by four shots), who bombed almost as bad as The Situation did on the Donald Trump Roast (I say almost, because no one will ever bomb as bad as the Sitch did). His final round 80 was the score for the 54-hole leader since 1956. There was a point on the back nine where six golfers were tied for first. Among them was Tiger Woods, who went –5 on the front nine but couldn’t get over the hump after that. There was Jason Day’s significant other, who is somewhere between an 8.5 and a 8.75 on a ten point scale (that’s right, my scale has decimals. Deal with it). Finally, there was South Africa native Charl Schwartzel (wouldn’t of that been a great name for a bad guy in one of the “Die Hard” movies?), who birdied the last four holes to bring home the tacky Green Jacket. Sure we were missing Phil Mickelson, gratuitous violence, and full-frontal female nudity, but what more could you ask for from a golf tournament?  

Sunday Draft (3-13-11) Rounds 18-21 of the Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft

18-205 = Aroldis Chapman, RP, Reds – Even if Chapman doesn’t overtake Francisco Cordero at some point for the closing gig, he’s still a great source of strikeouts out of your relief pitcher spot.

18-206 = Manny Ramirez, LF, Rays – For what it’s worth, scouts are saying Ramirez has much greater bat-speed this spring than he has the past two years.

18-207 = Omar Infante, 2B-3B-SS-LF-RF, Marlins – Acquired in the Dan Uggla trade, Infante should see regular at-bats from the 2 hole for Florida.

18-208 = Chris Sale, RP, White Sox – Even if Matt Thornton (who has never been a full-time closer) earns the closer role, Sale still will provide quality ratios and strikeouts.

18-209 = Carlos Zambrano, SP-RP, Cubs – While certainly a loose cannon, Zambrano does have the talent to be an elite starting pitcher.

18-210 = Alfonso Soriano, LF, Cubs – Soriano’s stats have been steadily declining over the past four seasons, but the 18^th round isn’t a bad spot to see if he has any life left.

18-211 = Hong Chi Kuo, RP, Dodgers – If Jonathan Broxton’s second half struggles spill into this season, Kuo will take over closing duties for Los Angeles.

18-212 = Ian Stewart, 3B, Rockies – I hate this pick even more after word is out that Stewart will likely begin the season on the DL.

18-213 = Derek Holland, SP, Rangers – I have an irrational man-crush on Holland.

18-214 = Jonny Venters, RP, Braves – Like the first three relievers, Venters is more than likely the second option for the closer job.

18-215 = Jason Bay, LF, Mets – Don’t expect 30+ homers ever again, but seeing Bay rebound to hit 20 isn’t out of the realm of possibility.

18-216 = Jake Peavy, SP, White Sox – Peavy is coming off shoulder surgery, but is a solid buy-low candidate who has the potential to deliver top-20 value.

19-217 = Carlos Pena, 1B, Cubs – Has the potential to hit 30+ home runs, but he will be a parachute for your batting average (.241 career hitter, .196 in 2010).

19-218 = Tim Stauffer, SP-RP, Padres – Portland, ME, native Tim Stauffer is a very solid sleeper going into 2011. He keeps the ball on the ground, and has the luxury of pitching his home games in San Diego.

19-219 = Yunel Escobar, SS, Blue Jays – Every year it seems like Toronto has some random dude bust out and hit 30, 40, or even 50 home runs in a season. Escobar could be that guy in 2011.

19-220 = James Shields, SP, Rays – Shields was a victim of terrible luck last season (a .341 BABIP was insanely high), and is a great buy-low option.

19-221 = Adam Jones, CF, Orioles – Has all the tools but needs to show more patience at the plate.

19-222 = John Lackey, SP, Red Sox – Lackey had issues during his first year for the Sox, but has the talent (and the offense supporting him) to put together an 18 win season.

19-223 = Scott Rolen, 3B, Reds – Doesn’t strike out much, and is a solid bet to finish the year with 20 home runs.

19-224 = Edwin Jackson, SP, White Sox – He’s wild, but actually showed some consistency after getting traded from Arizona to Chicago.

19-225 = Clayton Richard, SP, Padres – Richard doesn’t have great stuff, but his home park helps keep his overall ERA down.

19-226 = Anibal Sanchez, SP, Marlins – Not a ton of upside, but Sanchez will give you a solid 200 innings.

19-227 = Ty Wigginton, 1B-2B-3B, Rockies – Wigginton will start the year manning 3^rd, and should be able to find regular at-bats for a solid Colorado team.

19-228 = Gavin Floyd, SP, White Sox – Floyd’s 2010 was ruined by a shoulder injury, but he appears healthy so far this spring.

20-229 = David Freese, 3B, Cardinals – Freese is an interesting option late in drafts who has potential to hit 25 home runs.

20-230 = Jake McGee, RP, Rays – Rays manager Joe Maddon likes to use the closer-by-committee approach, but he’d be a fool not to use his most talented arm in the bullpen the majority of the time.

20-231 = Justin Smoak, 1B, Mariners – Classic post-hype sleeper.

20-232 = Carl Pavano, SP, Twins – If a Yankees fan is ever getting on your nerves, ask him/her how the Carl Pavano era went for them.

20-233 = Marco Scutaro, 2B-SS, Red Sox – He’s a safe bet to rack up at least 90 runs scored no matter where he hits in the lineup.

20-234 = Homer Bailey, SP, Reds – He’s been viewed as a bust for the past few years, but one should remember he’s only 24 years old.

20-235 = Gaby Sanchez, 1B, Marlins – You shouldn’t expect him to be a star, but Sanchez can deliver solid numbers for a backup corner infielder.

20-236 = Brandon League, RP, Mariners – League is expected to hold down the closer role until David Aardsma is healthy.

20-237 = Coco Crisp, CF, Athletics – He’s usually hurt, but when he isn’t, he runs like a banshee.

20-238 = Scott Baker, SP, Twins – Gives up to many homers to justify taking him any earlier than the 17^th round. A mediocre pitcher who happens to be employed by a good team.

20-239 = Ryan Theriot, 2B-SS, Cardinals – Theriot is a good target to backup your middle infielders. He could produce better than expected value if he can earn one of the top two spots in the Cardinals lineup.

20-240 = Brian Duensing, SP-RP, Twins – Expect his ERA to be closer to 4 than 3, but he should have a shot at plenty of wins pitching for Minnesota.

21-241 = Miguel Tejada, 3B-SS, Giants – His glory days in Oakland are long gone, but he’s a solid guy to have on your bench.

21-242 = Jon Garland, SP, Dodgers – Garland will miss the first couple of weeks due to an oblique strain. Check on the number of DL spots your league allows (if any) before committing a roster spot to him.

21-243 = A.J. Burnett, SP, Yankees – Burnett has become a punch line, but still has the talent to be a solid number 2 starter. He’s worth a gamble at some point in your draft.

21-244 = Jair Jurrjens, SP, Braves – If he delivers a 3.75 ERA, you’ll be happy with the price you paid for him (currently going 223^rd in ESPN leagues).

21-245 = Randy Wolf, SP, Brewers – I’m expecting Wolf to be better adjusted to Milwaukee going into his second season with the club. It will help that he’s the fourth starter on this staff.

21-246 = Jhonny Peralta, 3B-SS, Tigers – Peralta looked comfortable in Detroit after being acquired by the Tigers during the season.

21-247 = Dallas Braden, SP, Athletics – Braden will always be remembered as the pitcher who’s grandmother called out Alex Rodriguez.

21-248 = Travis Wood, SP, Reds – He isn’t sexy but he throws strikes and doesn’t walk people.

21-249 = Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves – The 21-year old rookie is hitting .458 so far in Spring Training.

21-250 = Tommy Hunter, SP, Rangers – He doesn’t rack up strikeouts, but his presence on a contending team makes him a late-round target.

21-251 = Derek Lowe, SP, Braves – Lowe is an old warhorse that still is capable of giving 200 solid innings.

21-252 = J.A. Happ, SP, Astros – Happ was solid after being sent from Philadelphia to Houston in the Roy Oswalt trade.