Fantasy Weekend - MLB Week 14

Although the weekend was last weekend, the All-Star Break lasts until Thursday night, so this gives fantasy owners an extra three days to survey the baseball landscape and take a deep breath before the final quarter of the 20-week fantasy baseball regular season.  Since we did not have a Fantasy Weekend show this past weekend, here is the blog for the games of July 2-10:

(Legend: O/S: Owned and started in CBSSports.com fantasy leagues, SB/O: stolen bases/opportunities, hitter "slash" numbers: batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage, pitcher "slash" numbers: earned run average/walks+hits per inning pitched)

WEEKLY BEST
HITTERS
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury BOS - 55
2. LF Jose Bautista TOR - 50
3. 2B Dustin Pedroia BOS - 49

PITCHERS
1. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 78
2. SP Dan Haren LAA - 77
3. SP Jered Weaver LAA - 64

LOCAL LEADERS
HITTERS
1. CF Jacoby Ellsbury BOS - .447/.512/.816, 17-38, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 5 BB, 3 K, 3/3 SB/O (55 pts)
Season: .316/.377/.490, 11 HR, 49 RBI, 62 R, 26 2B, 28/38 SB/O, 302 pts
2. 2B Dustin Pedroia BOS - .378/.452/.784, 14-37, 4 HR, 7 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 4 K (49 pts)
Season: .284/.395/.442, 11 HR, 44 RBI, 59 R, 19 2B, 16/19 SB/O, 289 pts
3. 1B Kevin Youkilis BOS - .452/.500/.807, 14-31, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 5 2B, BB, 4 K (38 pts)
Season: .285/.399/.512, 13 HR, 63 RBI, 52 R, 26 2B, 49 BB, 68 K, 249 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 2-0, 2 QS, CG, ShO, 0.00/0.75, 16 IP, 9 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 20 K (78 pts)
Season: 13-4, 2.72/1.16, 145.2 IP, 134 H, 35 BB, 126 K, 350 pts
2. SP Cole Hamels PHL - 2-0, 2 QS, 1.69/0.88, 16 IP, 11 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 11 K (52 pts)
Season: 11-4, 2.32/0.93, 132 IP, 99 H, 24 BB, 121 K, 378 pts
3. SP Roy Halladay PHL - 1-0, 2 QS, CG, 2.81/0.94, 16 IP, 14 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 15 K (46 pts)
Season: 11-3, 2.45/1.02, 143.1 IP, 129 H, 17 BB, 138 K, 406 pts

LINES OF THE WEEK
HITTERS
1. LF Melky Cabrera KCY - 4-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HP (21 pts) (7/3 at COL)
2. SS Hanley Ramirez FLA - 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R (16 pts) (7/2 at TEX)
3. CF Torii Hunter LAA - 3-5, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 R, 1 K (15 pts) (7/9 vs SEA)

PITCHERS
1. SP Dan Haren LAA - 2-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 9 K (48 pts) (7/5 vs DET)
2. SP CC Sabathia NYY - 4-hit CG ShO W, 1 BB, 9 K (45 pts) (7/10 vs TBY)
3. SP Derek Holland TEX - 4-hit CG ShO W, 2 BB, 7 K (42 pts) (7/7 vs OAK)

STOCK UP
HITTERS
1. OF Nate Schierholtz SFO - O/S: 8/6, .293/.343/.464, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 30 R, 5 SB, 148 pts
last 13 GP: .431/.482/.667, 22-51, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 53 pts
2. 3B Emilio Bonifacio FLA - O/S: 36/30, .285/.356/.382, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 37 R, 16/20 SB/O, 145 pts
last 11 GP: .429/.510/.500, 18-42, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 11/12 SB/O, 55 pts
3. 1B Freddie Freeman ATL - O/S: 82/61 (+18/+19 f/LW), .274/.347/.459, 13 HR, 43 RBI, 39 R, 171 pts
last 8 GP: .345/.441/.793, 10-29, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 5 R, 2 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 36 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP Jeff Karstens PIT - O/S: 50/27, 7-4, 2.55/1.07, 98.2 IP, 88 H, 18 BB, 58 K, 210 pts
last 7 GS: 4-0, 1.49/0.85, 7 QS, 48.1 IP, 34 H, 8 ER, 7 BB, 18 K, 137 pts
2. SP Justin Masterson CLE - O/S: 91/59 (+4/+18 f/LW), 7-6, 2.64/1.22, 122.2 IP, 111 H, 39 BB, 87 K, 245 pts
last 6 GS: 2-2, 1.50/1.07, 5 QS, 42 IP, 34 H, 7 ER, 11 BB, 28 K, 104 pts
3. SP Brian Duensing MIN - O/S: 36/25, 6-7, 4.13/1.42, 102.1 IP, 109 H, 36 BB, 70 K, 128 pts
last 5 GS: 3-1, 2.41/1.19, 4 QS, 33.2 IP, 28 H, 9 ER, 12 BB, 22 K, 84 pts

STOCK DOWN
HITTERS
1. 1B Justin Smoak SEA - O/S: 73/40 (-7/-10 f/LW), .229/.327/.418, 12 HR, 43 RBI, 20 2B, 158 pts
last 16 GP: .073/.150/.109, 4-55, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, 2 2B, 4 BB, 16 K, 0 pts
2. RF Jayson Werth WSH - O/S: 97/57, .215/.319/.362, 10 HR, 31 RBI, 40 R, 16 2B, 11/14 SB/O, 162 pts
last 16 GP: .123/.219/.140, 7-57, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 4 R, 1 2B, 6 BB, 21 K, 0 pts
3. RF Bobby Abreu LAA - O/S: 92/71, .277/.394/.363, 3 HR, 35 RBI, 34 R, 18 2B, 13/16 SB/O, 188 pts
last 16 GP: .191/.345/.426, 9-47, 6 R, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 11 BB, 14 K, 19 pts

PITCHERS
1. RP Francisco Cordero CIN - O/S: 87/73, 3-3, 17/22 SV/O, 2.95/1.08, 39.2 IP, 15 BB, 27 K, 201 pts
last 4 APP: 0-2, 3 BS, 3.1 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, 4 BB, 1 K, -31 pts
2. SP Gavin Floyd CHW - O/S: 80/47 (-4/-5 f/LW), 6-9, 4.59/1.26, 111.2 IP, 111 H, 30 BB, 80 K, 120 pts
last 8 GS: 1-5, 44.1 IP, 54 H, 30 ER, 14 BB, 24 K, -8 pts
3. SP Kyle Lohse STL - O/S: 90/49 (-3/-14 f/LW), 8-6, 3.32/1.06, 122 IP, 107 H, 22 BB, 63 K, 215 pts
last 7 GS: 1-4, 41.2 IP, 48 H, 26 ER, 7 BB, 16 K, -1 pt

HOT PICK-UPS
HITTERS
1. 3B Emilio Bonifacio FLA - O/S: 36/30, .285/.356/.382, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 37 R, 16/20 SB/O, 145 pts
last 11 GP: .429/.510/.500, 18-42, 0 HR, 2 RBI, 12 R, 3 2B, 11/12 SB/O, 55 pts
2. OF Nate Schierholtz SFO - O/S: 8/6, .293/.343/.464, 7 HR, 31 RBI, 30 R, 5 SB, 148 pts
last 13 GP: .431/.482/.667, 22-51, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R, 3 2B, 5 BB, 6 K, 53 pts
3. LF Travis Snider TOR - O/S: 42/27, .231/.302/.368, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 13 R, 5 SB, 59 pts
last 7 GP: 11-30, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 6 R, 6 2B, 1 BB, 9 K, 24 pts

PITCHERS
1. SP Brian Duensing MIN - O/S: 36/25, 6-7, 4.13/1.42, 102.1 IP, 109 H, 36 BB, 70 K, 128 pts
last 5 GS: 3-1, 2.41/1.19, 4 QS, 33.2 IP, 28 H, 9 ER, 12 BB, 22 K, 84 pts
2. SP Paul Maholm PIT - O/S: 32/25, 6-9, 2.96/1.18, 121.2 IP, 101 H, 42 BB, 75 K, 206 pts
last 9 GS: 5-2, 2.25/1.05, 60 IP, 46 H, 15 ER, 17 BB, 31 K, 138 pts
3. SP Javier Vazquez FLA - O/S: 27/11, 5-8, 5.23/1.51, 96.1 IP, 111 H, 34 BB, 66 K, 53 pts
last 4 GS: 2-1, 0.72/1.03, 25.1 IP, 25 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 16 K, 75 pts

2011 NHL Free Agency: Predictions

First of all, welcome to July and one of the single biggest days on the NHL yearly calendar. And, of course, to our friendly neighbors to the north, Happy Canada Day.

On the most recent Sports With The StatMan show (#159) on Wednesday night, we went over the cap space and needs for the local teams:

LOCAL NEEDS
BOS: A puck-moving defenseman to possibly replace Tomas Kaberle
NJD: Defense, defense, defense (they still need defense even if Adam Larsson makes the team in '11-12)
NYI: A top-four defenseman and a top-six forward
NYR: A playmaking centerman and an offensive defenseman
PHL: Find a center to offset losses of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards

It is about 12:00 on July 1st -- high noon -- as the General Managers and free agents start getting down to business. Some teams have to reach the floor (see: Islanders) and others have money to spend (see: Flyers, Rangers). Add to that a dearth of big names and lots of money will be spent on relatively few players. Also, as we discussed on Wednesday's show, we talked about the very real possibility of an offer sheet being sent to a restricted free agent this year. There has only been one successful poaching since the lockout, Dustin Penner in 2007, but Steven Stamkos, Drew Doughty, Keith Yandle, and Andrew Ladd headline those RFAs.

On Wednesday's show, we discussed our unscientific ranking system. Yes, we could use fantasy points, and that will be the tiebreaker within tiers of free agents, but I arranged my rankings in tiers. Instead of calling these tiers by numbers, in the spirit of Hockey Christmas, we have assigned a present to each tier.

10 TIERS OF FREE AGENTS
Top-Tier: Caribbean cruise (or a trip to '70s game show fave Beautiful Puerto Vallarta)
2nd Tier: Video game (such as NHL '12, with RFA Steven Stamkos on the cover)
3rd Tier: A new bike (who wouldn't want a new bike...that is, if you are under the age of 16)
4th Tier: A great book (perhaps The Rebel League by Ed Willes, which is a fantastic book)
5th Tier: Christmas CD (useless gift for the 330 days between Christmas Day and the next Christmas season)
6th Tier: Ugly sweater (Cosby sweaters may apply)
7th Tier: A year-long enrollment in the Jelly of the Month Club (it is a gift that keeps on giving the whole year)
8th Tier: School supplies (a few minutes late and likely many dollars short)
9th Tier: An array of meat snacks from Hickory Farms (tasty for about 5 minutes, forgotten in about 10 minutes)
10th Tier: Socks and/or underwear (should be renamed the Jon Sim Tier)

So, through that prism, here are the local teams' needs:
BOS: A new bike (puck-moving defenseman)
NJD: A new bike and a great book (defensemen)
NYI: Two great books (a top-four defenseman and a top-six forward)
NYR: A Caribbean cruise and a video game (playmaking center and offensive defenseman)
PHL: A new bike (a top-two center)

FREE AGENT RANKINGS
Caribbean Cruise tier: G Tomas Vokoun, F Brad Richards
Video Game tier: D Tomas Kaberle
New Bike tier: F Ville Leino, F Erik Cole, F Tomas Fleischmann
Great Book tier: F Teemu Selanne, F Matt D'Agostini, F Michael Ryder, F Simon Gagne, F Scottie Upshall, F Joel Ward, F Sean Bergenheim, D Ed Jovanovski, D Andy Greene
Christmas CD tier: D Anton Babchuk, F Radim Vrbata, F Andrew Brunette, D Ian White, F Michal Handzus, F Vinnie Prospal, F Ruslan Fedotenko, F Raffi Torres, D Jan Hejda, F Jamie Langenbrunner, D Sean O'Donnell, D Scott Hannan
Ugly Sweater tier (not a complete list): G Jose Theodore, G Brian Boucher, D Bryan McCabe, F Tim Connolly, F Sergei Samsonov, F Cory Stillman, F Christopher Higgins, F Jason Arnott, D Radek Martinek, F Max Talbot
Jelly of the Month Club tier (not a complete list): F Brendan Morrison, D Roman Hamrlik, G Peter Budaj, G Marty Turco, F John Madden, F Alexander Frolov, D David Hale, F Ben Eager, F Cody McCormick, F Brad Winchester
School Supplies tier (not a complete list): G Johan Hedberg, F Marty Reasoner, G Mathieu Garon, F Alex Kovalev, F Kyle Wellwood, D Karlis Skrastins, D Steve Eminger, F Zenon Konopka
Meat Snacks tier (not a complete list): G Curtis McElhinney, G Martin Gerber, F Eric Godard, F Cam Janssen
Socks/Underwear tier: G Nathan Lawson, F Todd White, G Patrick Lalime, F Mike Comrie

FREE AGENT LOCAL PREDICTIONS
BOS: D Bryan McCabe
NJD: D Andy Greene*, D Anton Babchuk
NYI: F Joel Ward, D Radek Martinek*
NYR: F Brad Richards, D Tomas Kaberle
PHL: F Ville Leino*, F Eric Belanger
* - retained by their 2010-11 NHL club

Source for salary cap information: capgeek.com

2011 NHL Entry Draft: Predictions

Every year, there are a few top names that normally go according to form. This season will probably not be much different, though the order of those players from 1 through 4 may not be exact. In John Tavares's draft year, it was about the big three of Tavares, Victor Hedman, and Matt Duchene. Last year, the forward tandem of Taylor Hall and (Stanley Cup Champion) Tyler Seguin were all the rage. This year, there are three forwards and a defenseman that are around the top.

This is great news for the New Jersey Devils, who pick fourth, and less so for the New York Islanders, who select fifth, if they elect to make their selections. There is always the possibility of trading the pick to move up, down, or out of the first round. The Islanders could speed up their rebuild by trading down in some sort of package and, for the Devils, salary cap relief is mighty important to them if they want to be able afford to sign Zach Parise before arbitration or afford the award without breaking up the team.

In most publications and prognostications, with available time and money to watch these superteens play, have the top four pegged, in some order, as forwards Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Sean Couturier, Gabriel Landeskog, and defenseman Adam Larsson.

My picks for the first five selections:
1. Edmonton - C Ryan Nugent-Hopkins
2. Colorado - D Adam Larsson
3. Florida - LW Gabriel Landeskog
4. DEVILS - D Dougie Hamilton
5. ISLANDERS - F Sean Couturier
8. FLYERS - F Ryan Strome
9. BRUINS - D Ryan Murphy
15. RANGERS - RW Tyler Biggs

Fantasy Weekend - MLB Week 9

Each week on our Fantasy Weekend show (Saturday mornings, 11am ET), we look back on the last seven days and reveal our picks for the best of the past week. Our regular installments of the Weekly Best, the Lines of the Week, our Stock Up/Stock Down segment, as well as Local Leaders for the four local teams we cover (Yankees, Red Sox, Phillies, and Mets).

Listen to the podcast (Sports With The StatMan - No. 148) for all of this and more, including a look at injuries around baseball, and a look at the upcoming week with two-start pitchers and a look at next week’s schedule.

This post covers the past seven days leading up to the Saturday morning show from Saturday, May 28th and Friday, June 3rd.

WEEKLY BEST
HITTERS
#1. RF Nelson Cruz TEX – 39 points
#2. RF Justin Upton ARZ – 37 points
#3. 1B Mike Napoli TEX – 36 points

PITCHERS
#1. SP Jered Weaver LAA – 57 points
#2. RP Heath Bell SDG – 56 points
#3. SP Cole Hamels PHL – 50 points

LINES OF THE WEEK
HITTERS
#1. 1B Aubrey Huff SFO - 4-5, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R (22 pts) (6/2 at STL)
#2. C Chris Iannetta COL - 4-5, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R (18 pts) (5/28 vs STL)
#3. RF Justin Upton ARZ - 5-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 SB (17 pts) (5/30 vs FLA)

PITCHERS
#1. SP Clayton Kershaw LAD - 2-hit CG ShO W, 1 BB, 10 K (48 pts) (5/29 vs FLA)
#2. SP Ubaldo Jimenez COL - 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 7 K (44 pts) (5/30 at LAD)
#3. SP Bartolo Colon NYY - 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 6 K (43 pts) (5/30 at OAK)

STOCK UP
HITTERS
#1. RF Endy Chavez TEX – O/S: 0%/0%, .435/.469/.696, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 SB, 11 R, 46 AB (54 pts); last 11 GP: 20-37, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 4 2B, 1 3B, 11 R, 55 pts (6 5-pt games)
#2. CF Rajai Davis TOR – O/S: 56%/45%, .288/.323/.418, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 16/23 SB/O, 24 R, 153 AB (97 pts); last 22 GP: 32-87, HR, 12 RBI, 14 R, 8 2B, 3 3B, 9/14 SB/O, 71 pts (10 multi-hit games)
#3. OF Juan Pierre CHW – O/S: 68%/48%, .261/.329/.313, 1 HR, 14 RBI, 10/18 SB/O, 28 R, 230 AB (118 pts); last 8 GP: 9-34, HR, 5 RBI, 9 R, 1 3B, 5 BB, 3 K, 3 SB, 36 pts

PITCHERS
#1. SP Josh Collmenter ARZ – O/S: 26%/15%, 4-1, 1.25/0.67, 43.1 IP, 24 H, 5 BB, 26 K (136 pts); as a starter (5 GS): 3-1, 29.1 IP, 16 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 15 K, 94 pts
#2. SP Philip Humber CHW – O/S: 31%/14%, 4-3, 3.06/0.98, 67.2 IP, 52 H, 14 BB, 38 K (132 pts); last 7 GS: 49.1 IP, 33 H, 14 ER, 9 BB, 27 K, 118 pts
#3. SP Kevin Correia PIT – O/S: 51%/23%, 8-4, 3.40/1.20, 76.2 IP, 75 H, 17 BB, 34 K (135 pts); last 3 GS: 3-0, 20 IP, 17 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 61 pts

STOCK DOWN
HITTERS
#1. 2B Dan Uggla ATL – O/S: 98%/78%, .172/.242/.312, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 215 AB (74 pts); last 13 GP: 3-43, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB, 8 K, minus-1 pt
#2. 1B Adam Dunn CHW – O/S: 97%/70%, .182/.327/.324, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 72 K, 176 AB (59 pts); last 20 GP: 9-68, HR, 7 RBI, 4 R, 3 2B, 14 BB, 32 K, 7 pts (11 “minus” GP)
#3. RF Nick Markakis BAL – O/S: 96%/82%, .239/.305/.311, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB, 222 AB (106 pts); last 15 GP: 14-63, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 5 BB, 10 K, 1 SB, 19 pts (5 GP of 0 pts or fewer)

PITCHERS
#1. RP Joakim Soria KCY – O/S: 90%/71%, 3-3, 7 SV, 6.00/1.54, 24 IP, 19 K (64 pts); since 5/22 (6 APP): 0-3, 0/3 SV/O, 6.1 IP, 12 H, 7 K, minus-24 pts
#2. RP Carlos Marmol CHC – O/S: 95%/87%, 1-2, 10 SV, 3.33/1.32, 24.1 IP, 32 K (121 pts); since 5/19 (6 APP): 0-1, 1/2 SV/O, 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 BB, 7 K, minus-4 pts
#3. SP Justin Masterson CLE – O/S: 94%/66%, 5-4, 3.28/1.31, 79.2 IP, 58 K (138 pts); since 5/12 (5 GS): 0-4, 32.2 IP, 35 H, 14 BB, 24 K, 9 pts

HOT PICK-UPS
HITTERS
#1. OF Corey Patterson TOR – O/S: 24%/20%, .285/.314/.446, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 7 SB, 193 AB (113 pts); last 6 GP: 11-29, 17 TB, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 28 pts
#2. OF Josh Willingham OAK – O/S: 33%/24%, .250/.327/.467, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 184 AB (110 pts); last 7 GP: 10-27, 23 TB, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 31 pts
#3. 1B Ty Wigginton COL – O/S: 22%/11%, .254/.308/.459, 5 HR, 16 RBI, 122 AB, 1B/3B/OF elig. (71 pts); last 5 GP: 6-17, 15 TB, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 17 pts

PITCHERS
#1. RP Aaron Crow KCY – New CL (Soria); O/S: 11%/6%; 2-0, 1.33/1.04, 27 IP, 26 K (93 pts); last 8 APP: 2 HD, 10.2 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K, 32 pts
#2. SP Dillon Gee NYM – O/S: 20%/15%; 5-0, 3.83/1.15, 47 IP, 37 K (95 pts); last 3 GS: 3-0, 20.2 IP, 11 H, 7 ER, 5 BB, 15 K, 62 pts
#3. SP Jordan Lyles HOU – 1st ML start: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K (17 pts)

LOCAL LEADERS
HITTERS
#1. DH David Ortiz BOS – .474/.524/1.053, 9-19, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 2 2B (32 pts)
#2. SS Derek Jeter NYY – .318/.467/.409, 7-22, RBI, 2 2B, 6 BB, 0 K, 2 SB (27 pts)
#3. SS Jose Reyes NYM – .529/.556/.941, 9-17, RBI, 2B, 3 3B, 2 SB (25 pts) (Cano 25 pts, 8-25, 2 HR)

PITCHERS
#1. SP Cole Hamels PHL – 1-0, 2 QS, 1.80/0.73, 15 IP, 8 H, 3 BB, 14 K (50 pts)
#2. SP Bartolo Colon NYY – 4-hit CG ShO W, 0 BB, 6 K (43 pts)
#3. SP Jonathon Niese BOS – 1-0, 2 QS, 1.29/1.29, 14 IP, 13 H, 5 BB, 13 K (42 pts)

Key – O/S: Owned/Starting in CBS Sports fantasy leagues; “minus” GP: a game in which a player scored negative fantasy points; statistics are season totals unless otherwise noted

Check Out The Mets Banter

As we turn our attention from football to the upcoming baseball season, I wanted to give all of the Mets fans out there a website to add to their blogroll.

The Mets Banter is a blog that takes an irreverent look at the Mets.  Now entering its second season, it is a great place to read about what it is like to bleed blue and orange 162 games a year.  You will not find game previews or reviews on a regular basis.  What you will find is passionate editorials from real fans.  If the names Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, or Aaron Heilman get your blood boiling, you should definitely look in on these guys.

Wills Gillan, a contributor on Sports With The StatMan, heads up the writing staff.  Wills and his writers offer straight talk, positive or negative, about the Mets. Warning: the language can be R-rated at times, but you have to let them vent…it is tough to be a Met fan.

Sports With The StatMan - Show Notes: January 31-February 5

This was a big week in the nearly two-year history of Sports With The StatMan, as we transitioned from a weekly 60-to-90 minute show into three 30-minute shows per week.  To start this off, we will have baseball talk on Mondays, hockey talk on Wednesdays, and football chatter for the next couple of Saturdays with the division-by-division outlook to follow on Saturdays starting on February 19th.  It is a new format and I hope you enjoy it, whether you join me live or on the podcast.

The episodes from this week are below.  I will try to add a blog post each week to give you a little more detail about each episode.  There is a link to the podcast of each show under the title of each show, followed by information on how to find the show, how to interact with the show, and a look at next week’s shows.

This Week:
SWTS #97: Baseball - 2011 StatMan Fantasy Preview: Catchers
(Monday, January 31^st, 11:00-11:30pm ET) (Show Audio)

• 00:00: Open/Introduction
• 03:00: Catchers - Importance of position
• 06:30: Hot Stove - Signings and Rumors
• 11:00: Top 20: #1-#5
• 21:30: Top 20: #6-#10
• 25:15: Top 20: #11-#20
• 28:00: Sleeper and Supersleeper
• 28:45: Pairings
• 29:30: Close

SWTS #98: Hockey - NHL Week 17
(Wednesday, February 2^nd, 11:00-11:30pm ET) (Show Audio)

• 00:00: Open/Introduction
• 01:45: Islanders - DiPietro tomfoolery against Penguins
• 09:30: Devils and Rangers - Leading up to their clash at the Garden
• 11:30: Devils - Confusion about rumor about Devils sale
• 13:30: Islanders - Poor attendance leads to great ticket offers
• 20:30: More Devils-Rangers preview
• 26:00: All-Star Weekend Recap - Tim Thomas, Michael Grabner, Zdeno Chara
• 29:00: Close

SWTS #99: Football - Super Bowl XLV Preview
(Saturday, 2/5, 11:00-11:30am ET) (Show Audio)

• 00:00: Open/Introduction
• 00:30: Super Bowl XLV Scene Setter
• 03:15: This Week on Sports With The StatMan
• 03:45: Baseball – Andy Pettitte officially retires, Clemens, Hall of Fame chances
• 10:30: Hockey – DiPietro out 4-6 weeks after fight
• 12:30: Super Bowl Preview – Big Ben vs. Rodgers, Position-by-position breakdown
• 23:00: Super Bowl Pick and Prediction
• 23:45: NFL Fantasy Update – Conference Championship
• 26:45: Next Week – Sports With The StatMan
• 27:30: Super Bowl Preview – Common Opponents
• 29:30: Close

How to Find the Show:

• Show Page: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-StatMan
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/gstatman
• Random Musings blog: http://gstatman.blogspot.com
• iTunes: Search “Sports With The StatMan”

How to Interact with the Show:

• Leave me a tweet on Twitter (@gstatman)
• Leave a comment on the Show Page
• Leave a comment on the Random Musings blog
• Rate the show and write a review on iTunes

Next Week:

• #100: Baseball – 2011 StatMan Fantasy Baseball Preview: First Basemen (Episode Page)
• #101: Hockey – NHL Week 18 (Episode Page)
• #102: Football – 2010 NFL Season In Review (Episode Page)

NFL Wild Card Weekend Picks and Predictions

The second season has begun in the NFL. Let's look back on how we did during the regular season.

SEASON RESULTS
(Week 17 results in parentheses)

• Picks - Straight Up: 164-92 (.641) (13-3 in Week 17)
• Picks - Against The Spread: 130-118-8 (.523) (10-6 in Week 17)
• Knockout Pool - Alive in Round 7 after Week 17 (11-6, Teams Used: Wins - NYG, PHL, SDG, BAL, KCY, IND, NO, PIT, ATL, JAX, GBY; Losses - WSH, CHI, NO, NE, TBY, DAL)
• Start 'Em/Sit 'Em Three-Play (Start listed first) - 30-18-3 (.618) (2-1 in Week 16: QB (W, 12-5): K. Kolb PHL 4, T. Tebow DEN 29; RB (W, 9-6-2): R. Mathews SDG 35, K. Moreno DEN 4; WR (W, 9-7-1): J. Avant PHL 2, J. Knox CHI 0)

EXTRA AUDIO
Sports With The StatMan: Football Edition - Week 17 Fantasy Update
Sports With The StatMan: Football Edition - Wild Card Weekend Picks and Predictions

WILD CARD GAME PICKS
New Orleans Saints (11-5) at Seattle Seahawks (7-9)
Saturday, 4:30pm ET - NBC
Sheridan's Line: Saints by 10

Breakdown: The Saints RB tandem of Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory are both on IR, leaving the Saints without a RB who has scored a rushing touchdown in Reggie Bush and Julius Jones. That and the Seattle home-field advantage should be enough to cover the spread, but the Saints will find a way to win with Drew Brees and that dynamite passing attack.

X-Factor: Seattle QB Matt Hasselbeck
Picks: Straight Up - Saints; Against the Spread - Seahawks
Predicted Score: NO 24, SEA 17

New York Jets (11-5) at Indianapolis Colts (10-6)
Saturday, 8:00pm ET - NBC
Sheridan's Line: Colts by 3

Breakdown: The Jets have a chance for revenge after losing last year's AFC Championship Game in Indianapolis. The Colts are missing some major pieces like TE Dallas Clark, WR Austin Collie, and S Bob Sanders. TE Jacob Tamme picked up where Clark left off, but he is no Clark. The other replacements are not as good, either. The Jets have to run the ball right at the Colts on offense and try to make QB Peyton Manning think quickly while the defense is on the field. I think the Jets will pull even with the Colts offense and make the defensive plays when they have to in order to win.

X-Factor: Indianapolis TE Jacob Tamme
Picks: Straight up - Jets; Against the Spread - Jets
Predicted Score: NYJ 30, IND 27

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-6)
Sunday, 1:00pm ET - CBS
Sheridan's Line: Ravens by 3

Breakdown: The Chiefs lost their first game at home all season last week against the Raiders. The Chiefs are also New England West with a few players and coaches having Patriots ties, which would serve them well in the playoffs. But, the Ravens have won in the Wild Card round each of the last two years with an average of 30 points scored.

X-Factor: Kansas City WR Dwayne Bowe
Picks: Straight up - Ravens; Against the Spread - Ravens
Predicted Score: BAL 19, KCY 14

Green Bay Packers (10-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-6)
Sunday, 4:30pm - FOX
Sheridan's Line: Eagles by 2.5

Breakdown: This game is a rematch of the Week 1 game when the Packers opened the season with a victory at Philadelphia. Kevin Kolb won the quarterback job in camp and left with an injury before halftime. Michael Vick almost led a comeback, but the Eagles fell short. This time around, the Eagles have a lot more confidence, not only because of Vick, but because of the rest of the team. It will be a different game with a different outcome.

X-Factor: Philadelphia WR DeSean Jackson's ankle
Picks: Straight up - Eagles; Against the Spread - Eagles
Predicted Score: PHL 30, GBY 24

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Join us for our next Sports With The StatMan (#94) on Wednesday night, January 12th, at 9pm ET. We recap the Jets-Colts and Eagles-Packers games and get ready for the Divisional Championship round. We will also have our NHL Midseason Report.

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