tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-307075622011-04-21T23:39:37.453-05:00Check out MSG.com for the weekly "Batt'r Up!" baseball podcast show, featuring my fantasy segment.The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.comBlogger231100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-27556114051016481932007-05-24T12:29:00.001-05:002007-05-24T12:37:06.274-05:00

This blog has moved to TypePad.You can read it at http://blogs.msg.com/the_knuckler .

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-75243102436534916232006-11-27T19:43:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:07:33.495-05:00

Ever since the Yankees-Tigers Sheffield swap I have been sitting back and watching the offseason unfold, and all I can come up with is that either GMs are out of their minds or there is a serious dearth of talent in the major leagues today.I just cannot understand for the life of me how players like Gary Matthews Jr. and Juan Pierre were able to land such massive contracts: Matthews - 5 years,

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1163198267674234882006-11-10T16:19:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:09:03.507-05:00

I know I haven't updated my blog since the Kenny Rogers fiasco, but I've been incredibly busy, so please forgive me.I was going to start off with the insanity that is bidding for Seibu Lions pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka, but I just heard that Yankees outfielder Gary Sheffield was dealt to the Tigers for Humberto Sanchez, Kevin Whelan and Anthony Claggett, and that makes me extremely happy!Finally,

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1161639106565799892006-10-23T15:58:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:09:21.179-05:00

In Game 2 of the World Series, the FOX cameras caught a shot of a foreign substance on Kenny Rogers' pitching hand in the first inning. From what I could see, it appeared to be a brownish-orange color on the left side of his palm. It looked like a mixture of dirt and resin, as Rogers claims it was, and I believe him. How else would you explain the next seven innings where he gave up only one hit

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1161385731227011942006-10-20T17:11:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:09:56.340-05:00

Who would have ever thought that the two playoff teams that performed the worst down the stretch would wind up facing each other in the World Series?!When Yadier Molina hit Aaron Heilman's hanging changeup out of the reach of Endy Chavez, who earlier made an outstanding, full-extension, over-the-wall catch to rob Scott Rolen of a two-run homer, everybody's World Series predictions went out the

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1160703276404347202006-10-12T20:34:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:10:10.753-05:00

The Yankees looked absolutely punchless and heartless after winning Game 1 against Detroit. There was no enthusiasm, no fire oozing out of the powerful lineup like it used back in the late 90s. Gone are the Scott Brosiuses, Paul O'Neills and David Cones. Their hard-working, blue-collar style has been eradicated by the multi-million dollar, white-collar attitude of mercenaries for hire, such as

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1160427426165005572006-10-09T14:39:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:10:59.146-05:00

Before I get started with my predictions for the AL and NLCS, I want to talk about how surprised I was to see the Twins and Dodgers out in three and the Padres and Yankees out in four. The common theme in all four series was desire; the team that wanted it more won. Oakland came out strong against the Twins at the Metrodome, riding Frank Thomas' powerful bat to a Game 1 win over the likely AL

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1159657357389744672006-09-30T17:48:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:11:34.618-05:00

This is hands-down the most exciting time of the season, following the trade deadline, and the playoff picture is almost complete.The Yankees, Tigers, Twins, and A’s are all in for the American League, as are the Mets in the National League, and in just a few days, the red-hot Astros have a chance to overtake the Cardinals for the N.L. Central crown, while the Padres and Dodgers will close out

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1158987012971691622006-09-22T18:32:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:12:02.134-05:00

Make that two no-hitters in September! Wait...maybe not. San Diego's Chris Young came within two outs of no-hitting the Pirates at PetCo Park Friday. And thanks to the trusty MLB Extra Innings package, I was able to witness Young's entire no-hit bid, which was certainly impressive.Young had a perfect game going through 5 2/3 innings before issuing a walk to pinch hitter Rajai Davis; however,

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1158207218618157462006-09-13T21:41:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:13:06.154-05:00

Just two-and-a-half weeks to go and there’s still plenty left undecided.The A.L. Central is suddenly up for grabs since the Tigers have plummeted and the Twins are one of the hottest teams in the second half.The A.L. and N.L. Wild Card races are still a huge mystery with no single team really distinguishing themselves as the clear favorite.And if you would have told me at the All-Star break that

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1157656392555761782006-09-07T13:39:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:29:09.540-05:00

It’s not every day that you get to witness history, and for the 12,000-plus fans announced in attendance at Dolphins Stadium - realistically, it was more like half that amount - September 6 was their lucky day. That night, Marlins rookie starter Anibal Sanchez joined Kevin Brown, Al Leiter and A.J. Burnett when he recorded the fourth no-hitter in team history, a 2-0 win over the Arizona

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1156995659072288462006-08-30T21:33:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:16:13.333-05:00

It's an exciting time in baseball. Not only are the playoffs drawing closer and closer, but on September 1st, all MLB rosters expand to 40 and the game's top prospects get to be showcased for the final month of the season. You have to love this time of the year. As a fan, it's great to see the minor leaguers who have been hyped up by your favorite organization all year long. Maybe you even saw

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1155854882955845352006-08-17T17:24:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:17:37.019-05:00

Since fantasy baseball is all about the numbers, I decided to put together two interesting lists. In this entry, I'll give you my picks for the top players at each spot in the batting order. Click here for comparative stats #1. Jose Reyes, SS, New York Mets The 23-year-old stands out among all leadoff men throughout the majors primarily for the way his speed impacts the game. Reyes has been

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1155258074761425392006-08-10T16:31:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:18:09.669-05:00

Though the moves are harder to make, teams can use the waiver wire to swap players. Thus far, there have only been four such deals pulled off, and just two of real significance -- Orioles catcher/first baseman Javy Lopez to the Red Sox for a player still to be named later, and Nationals starting pitcher Livan Hernandez to the Diamondbacks for minor leaguers Garrett Mock and Matt Chico.With Jason

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1154114267853531042006-07-28T13:09:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:20:09.166-05:00

UPDATED AUGUST 3RDLet's get right down to business. As usual, there were several deals made, including 12 on Deadline Day. Some were surprising, others expected, and then there were the ones that didn't get done.Read along as I break down each trade player by player:1B Sean Casey to the Tigers for P Brian RogersThe best team in the majors didn't need to do much, but with Dmitri Young returning to

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1154036239449740382006-07-27T14:53:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:23:23.781-05:00

Since the All-Star break, corner infielders have really taken off. Here are five first basemen and five third basemen who have been utterly raking the ball: First Base 1. Adrian Gonzalez, San Diego Padres Stats: 13 G, .464 BA, 6 HR, 16 RBI, 1.393 OPS In his first full season in the bigs, Gonzalez has put NL pitchers on notice that he's the man to fear in the Padres' lineup. It's no longer

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1153383811341256092006-07-20T02:52:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:24:29.433-05:00

With the trade deadline fast approaching, there are several players who could be playing for different teams by the beginning of August. Here are just a few who could use a change of scenery to bounce back from their so-so season: Livan Hernandez, SP - Washington Nationals Who couldn't use a World Series MVP (1997 - Marlins) in their starting rotation? Hernandez is 6-8 with a 5.87 ERA and a

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152811711767171732006-07-13T11:53:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:25:18.996-05:00

This just in...B.J. Upton will, in fact, make the switch from shortstop to third base and could be promoted to the Devil Rays in as little as two weeks.In 88 games with the Triple-A Durham Bulls thus far, Upton is batting .269 with 6 HR and 36 RBI. Those numbers aren't so impressive; however, he leads the International League with 37 steals, albeit in 52 tries, and his on-base percentage is good

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152734038927926492006-07-12T13:22:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:25:56.512-05:00

Good news, Houston fans! The Tampa Bay Devil Rays just sent you infielder/outfielder Aubrey Huff for two minor league prospects, right-hander Mitch Talbot and infielder Ben Zobrist.According to the Associated Press, Huff is Tampa Bay's career leader in games (798), at bats (3,016), runs (399), hits (868), doubles (173), home runs (128), extra-base hits (307) and RBIs (449). He has eclipsed 20

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152312384068491222006-07-07T17:01:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:26:19.752-05:00

From Detroit's 100-mph hurlers, Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya, to Minnesota's Francisco Liriano, Boston's Jonathan Papelbon, the Angels' Jered Weaver and Florida's Josh Johnson, among others, Major League Baseball is being inundated with scores of new pitching stars.And during Saturday's Mets-Marlins double-header, the latest, and certainly one of the most talented, editions makes his ML debut

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152228444396519662006-07-06T18:21:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:26:43.265-05:00

Earlier this afternoon, the Cincinnati Reds acquired reliever Eddie Guardado from the Seattle Mariners for minor league pitcher Travis Chick.Now, I know what you're thinking..."So what? The guy is a shell of his former self when he was known as 'Everyday Eddie' Guardado."You're right; he doesn't have a rubber arm anymore. However, Guardado is moving over to the National League for the first time

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152155508624978992006-07-05T21:46:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:27:02.730-05:00

Attention fantasy baseball GMs: Beware of the Astros' anemic offense. Not only will it wreak havoc on your major hitting categories, but it will impact the big-name hurlers you snagged in the early rounds of your draft.Yes, Lance Berkman leads the majors with 76 RBI, but after him, there's no one else to take advantage of in Houston's lineup.What happened to Morgan Ensberg? Last year, the young

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-30707562.post-1152146444040212952006-07-05T18:05:00.000-05:002007-05-24T12:27:36.710-05:00

We've reached the midway point of the 2006 MLB season, and that can only mean one thing...it's time for the All-Star Break.Always a source of exciting debate, this year's All-Star rosters are composed of several players from a short list of teams, with the highest concentration coming from last year's World Series champion Chicago White Sox.Since the men from the Windy City won it all, Manager

The Knucklerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11045221943445406273noreply@blogger.com0