10 Awesome Things That Happened This Weekend (12/21-12/23)

10. The World Didn’t Explode
            I can now say that I’ve lived through Y2K, The Rapture, and the Mayan Apocalypse. I look forward to the next doomsday prediction.

9. Nick Swisher Joins the Indians

            This doesn’t have any relation to real-life, but I thought it would be a good time to mention that Nick Swisher was one of the main components I gave away in a 4-for-1 deal for Buster Posey in the No Credentials keeper league. 

8. Lionel Messi Ends 2012 With 91 Goals

            For those not in the know, that’s a lot of fucking goals.

7. Temple Knocks Off #3 Syracuse

            Here’s your obligatory mention of a big college basketball upset that I really don’t give a shit about, sponsored by Mentos.

6. Calvin Johnson Sets Record For Single-Season Receiving Yardage

            Glad something positive came out of the poop sandwich that was the 2012 Detroit Lions.

5. Dirk Returns

            We’ll ignore the fact that the Spurs beat Dallas by 29 points and simply celebrate the return of the big goofy German.
           
4. Vikings Stun Texans
            I’d like to formally apologize to anyone whose fantasy football fate depended on or Adrian Peterson Arian Foster.

3. Andrew Luck Leads Colts Back to Postseason
            They are going to lose by 25 to the Ravens in the Wildcard Round, but a playoff appearance in his rookie season with his less than stellar supporting cast is a stunning accomplishment.

2. Cincinnati Eliminates Steelers, Earns Wildcard Berth

            Fortunately this game didn’t happen on 12-21-12, or else the world surely would’ve ended.

1. Cowboys Rally, Still Lose to Saints in Overtime

            I’m overjoyed that the Giants choke job ensures that the Cowboys will blow another Week 17 opportunity to win the NFC East.   

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.

2011 Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Rounds 16-17

16-181 = Curtis Granderson, CF, Yankees – I honestly have no idea how Granderson fell this low in the mock (probably due to me over-emphasizing starting pitching and infielders). Granderson was a disappointment during his first year in the Bronx, but did hit 18 home runs in his final 81 games of 2010. A great buy low candidate you should consider taking as early as the 9^th round if you need to fill an outfield spot.

16-182 = Phil Hughes, SP, Yankees – Hughes’ poor second half is the reason he dropped on my board (along with his job pitching in the sand box that is the new Yankee Stadium). He’s going around the 147^th pick in ESPN leagues. 

16-183 = Francisco Cordero, RP, Reds – Another cardiac closer. If you own Cordero on your fantasy team this season, do yourself a favor and never watch him pitch live. Also be aware that if he struggles, Aroldis Chapman is lurking to take his job.

16-184 = Brandon Lyon, RP, Astros – Lyon is essentially the same pitcher as Cordero, but he pitches on a poorer team and has more job security.

16-185 = Michael Cuddyer, 1B-3B-RF, Twins – You won’t get much more than 15 homers and 80 RBIs, but he’s a solid bench player with corner infield and outfield eligibility.

16-186 = Jhoulys Chacin, SP-RP, Rockies – Chacin delivered a strike out per inning during his rookie year with Colorado at the age of 22. For those of you that plan on punting saves, this is a guy you want to get to fill your RP spot.

16-187 = Joel Hanrahan, RP, Pirates – Hanrahan is competing with Evan Meek for the closer job, but his high strikeout rate should give him the edge in that battle. Hanrahan was fourth in strikeouts by relief pitchers last season.

16-188 = Jorge Posada, C, Yankees – This is probably the last season Posada will ever be owned in a fantasy league, as he will lose his catcher eligibility after this season.

16-189 = Ike Davis, 1B, Mets – Davis hit 19 home runs in his first season in the majors, and at age 24, has potential to hit more.

16-190 = Carlos Quentin, RF, White Sox – Health is a concern, but at any point from round 10 on it’s appropriate to take a chance on a guy who could deliver over 30 home runs.

16-191 = Johnny Cueto, SP, Reds – Don’t expect him to turn into a top-10 starter, but Cueto is a solid option to anchor the middle of your fantasy rotation.

16-192 = Johan Santana, SP, Mets – Santana could miss as much as half the season recovering from shoulder surgery last September. It’s important to know if your league has DL spots before adding him to your roster.

17-193 = Andres Torres, LF-CF-RF, Giants – Torres’ numbers would’ve been much stronger if his appendix didn’t explode. It isn’t unreasonable to expect between 10-15 home runs and 20-30 steals.

17-194 = Fernando Rodney, RP, Angels – No matter how bad I need a closer, I will not draft Fernando Rodney. Someone desperate for saves will though.

17-195 = Matt Garza, SP, Cubs – I’m not as high on Garza as others because I feel Chicago is a mess. He’ll be a great buy-low candidate in 2012 when Pujols is playing first base for the Cubs.

17-196 = Juan Uribe, 2B-3B-SS, Dodgers – Uribe should not be targeted as a potential starter, but can be a valuable member of your bench.

17-197 = Jaime Garcia, SP, Cardinals – Garcia’s 2.70 ERA was helped greatly by opponents only hitting .243 against him. Expect it to be at least 3.85 or higher in 2011.

17-198 = Ryan Raburn, 2B-LF-CF-RF, Tigers – Similar to Uribe, Raburn’s multi-position eligibility (in Yahoo leagues only, not ESPN) makes him an attractive option for your bench. A .270 batting average with 20 home runs is not out of the question as he enters the season as Detroit’s starting left fielder.

17-199 = Kevin Gregg, RP, Orioles – You can count on three things in life. Death, taxes, and Kevin Gregg somehow finishing the year with 30 saves.

17-200 = Jorge De La Rosa, SP, Rockies – It’s often not pretty, but he’ll give you close to a strikeout per inning.

17-201 = Nick Swisher, RF, Yankees – There’s no way Swisher (a career .253 hitter) matches his .288 batting average from last year. Still, he’s a great bet to net you 25 home runs by seasons end. You could take him 50 picks earlier and get no complaints from me.

17-202 = Ervin Santana, SP, Angels – Santana was on my fantasy team for all of 2010, and I honestly have no idea how he won 17 games last year. We’ll probably never see him put up a season close to his production of 2008 (16-7, 214 Ks, 3.49 ERA, 1.12 WHIP), but you’ll happy with 170 strikeouts from your 17^th round pick.

17-203 = Frank Francisco, RP, Blue Jays – Francisco is the favorite to win the closing gig for Toronto.

17-204 = Bronson Arroyo, SP, Reds – Arroyo doesn’t have the talent to be a top-25 pitcher, but he’s going to give you a solid 200 innings. He also has a good chance at racking up 15 wins.