Friday, March 9, 2012

Splicetoday: American League Fantasy Sleeper Outfielders

Brennan Boesch of the Detroit Tigers must be a very happy man right now. Prince Fielder and Jim Leyland were the main beneficiaries of Detroit’s nine-year/$214 million deal with Fielder, but as the number two hitter in the Tigers lineup Boesch could be in line for a breakout season. Boesch received a lot of publicity during his rookie campaign in 2010 as he clubbed 14 homers and drove in 67. He posted an even better performance in 2011 but was largely overshadowed by teammates Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander and Doug Fister.   Continue reading

Thursday, March 8, 2012

Yahoo! Sports: Previewing the Baltimore Orioles 2012 lineup

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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Splicetoday: Neither sinners nor Saints

When I first saw the stories of the New Orleans Saints bounty program creep across my Twitter timeline I shrugged my shoulders and moved on to actual news.  I filed the bounty story under “Duh.” I spoke to a couple of friends who had pretty much the same reaction. Then I watched the talking heads scramble and scratch for the moral high ground. Over the past few days I’ve read, and heard, some national football writers and commentators who have suggested that former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams should be banned from the league. A couple of people, obviously looking to stand out from the pitchfork wielding crowd, have suggested that Williams should go to jail for installing a bounty program in New Orleans. Let’s reserve some space in our prisons for people who have actually committed crimes, and spare me the righteous indignation.  Continue reading

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Splicetoday: NFL readies for game of musical QBs

The NFL off-season is about to get crazy. It looks increasingly likely that the Colts will release Peyton Manning prior to March 8th. Quarterback hungry teams are already readying their recruiting pitches for Manning. The Redskins, Dolphins, Jets, Seahawks, and Cardinals have been mentioned as possible destinations for the future hall of fame QB.  
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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Splicetoday: Dylan Bundy is the Orioles Next Big Thing

The Baltimore Orioles selected Dylan Bundy with their first round pick in the 2011 MLB draft. Bundy immediately became the Orioles top prospect on the day he signed his contract. He's been ranked among the top ten prospects in baseball by numerous publications this offseason.   Continue reading

Friday, February 24, 2012

Splicetoday: Yankees Hope Michael Pineda breaks disturbing trend

The New York Yankees were slumbering through a fairly inactive off-season by Bronx standards. They weren’t involved in the negotiations for big name starters C.J. Wilson, Mark Buehrle or Yu Darvish. Edwin Jackson wasn’t a likely option either; the last thing the Yankees needed was another A.J. Burnett. New York seemed content to enter another season with C.C. Sabathia and a bunch of question marks in the rotation. Then, out of the blue, Yankees GM Brian Cashman finally acted boldly and decisively to address his team’s starting pitching troubles. Continue reading

Friday, February 17, 2012

Splictoday: Jim Irsay is leading the Colts off a cliff

As a Baltimore native and product of a family of Baltimore Colts fans I rarely have much empathy for the people of Indianapolis. I don’t really harbor any ill will, but I didn’t lose any sleep over the Colts 2-14 record last season. That said, no fan base should have to endure the current situation involving Peyton Manning’s looming roster bonus and owner Jim Irsay’s insane Twitter ramblings.
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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Yahoo! Sports: Cubs lineup will be short on power

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Yahoo! Sports: Orioles rotation filled with question marks

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Splicetoday: Jeremy Lin is Half-Asian, Half-Amazin'

In just one week Jeremy Lin went from an unknown New York Knicks benchwarmer to the NBA's story of the year. Lin has captured the hearts of the Madison Square Garden faithful, drilled game winning shots, out-dueled Kobe Bryant, and sparked an unprecedented pun parade. Most importantly Lin has done something Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Isaiah Thomas couldn't do, make the Knicks a relevant NBA franchise. Continue reading

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

Yahoo!: Cubs Prospects garner praise

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Yahoo! Sports: Dynamic Prospect Duo could shape Orioles future

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Yahoo! Sports: Yoenis Cespedes would jump-start Cubs rebuilding plan

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Splicetoday: Guthrie trade is Orioles latest head-scratcher

I intended to write a rare, positive piece about the Baltimore Orioles; that is until GM Dan Duquette traded his Opening Day starter to the Colorado Rockies for no apparent good reason. My positive Orioles piece will have to wait until later in the week. The Guthrie deal takes precedence today. Continue reading

Yahoo! Sports: How would Yoenis Cespedes help the Orioles?

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Splicetoday: Destiny Calls, Ravens fail to answer

I've started writing this about five times over the past two days only to stop and begin again.  The brutal and sudden nature of Sunday's loss to the Patriots in the AFC Championship game yielded a strange array of emotions.  If this were ten years ago I probably would've have fired off a post game tirade calling for the heads of numerous Ravens coaches and suggesting that certain players seek refuge in the witness protection program.  I likely would have suggested a number of creative alternatives for Lee Evans' hands since he clearly has no intention of using them to catch footballs.  I probably would have rounded out my obscenity laced bitch-fest by denigrating everyone with the surname of Cundiff. Continue Reading

Friday, January 20, 2012

Splicetoday: Rangers make Texas-sized commitment to Darvish

The Texas Rangers signed Japanese right-hander Yu Darvish yesterday to a six-year $60 million contract. That’s in addition to the $51.7 million the Rangers agreed to pay the Nippon Ham Fighters just for the chance to negotiate with Darvish, bringing the club’s total commitment to over $111 million. Rangers President Nolan Ryan went to the Hall of Fame by causing thousands of batters to swing and miss. A swing and miss on Darvish may define Ryan’s career as an executive. Continue Reading

Thursday, January 19, 2012

Yahoo! Sports: Top 5 Playoff Games in Ravens history

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Yahoo! Sports: 5 Keys to Victory for Ravens vs. Patriots

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Splicetoday: Cheer Up Baltimore, It's the AFC Championship Game!

I spent too much time as a youngster listening to talk radio coverage of Baltimore’s quest for an NFL expansion team. Countless hours that could’ve been used chasing girls were wasted playing “Baseball Stars” on Nintendo and absorbing the sports radio ramblings of “experts” handicapping Baltimore’s chances of being awarded a new football franchise. I learned two things from that fruitless exercise, 1) there are no experts, everyone is either forwarding carefully constructed info from (league) sources or taking a position to create controversy (this means you Skip Bayless), and 2) the NFL never had any intention of placing an expansion team in Baltimore. Continue Reading

Yahoo! Sports: Fantasy Outlook for Yu Darvish and other Japanese imports

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Friday, January 13, 2012

Splicetoday: Eli Manning Answers his Critics

The New York Giants’ Eli Manning is a Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowler, and, not incidentally, Peyton Manning's younger brother. The little brother routine, coupled with playing in the pressure cooker of New York, has led to some undue criticism of Eli over the years. The Manning name certainly carries some benefits in football circles but there's a downside too. Despite Eli's many successes—number one pick in the draft, Super Bowl winner and a $100 million contract—he’s always played in the shadow of Peyton.  Continue reading

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

yahoo! Sports: Jeff Samardzija could be headed to the Cubs rotation

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Splicetoday: Where are all the first round running backs?

Any avid fantasy football player knows that superior running backs are the Holy Grail. If you can land a back who is not only a great runner but also a receiver you cling to him.  Fantasy footballers don't care about a running back's college pedigree, combine performance or scouting report. There are only two things that matter when it comes to running backs: opportunity and production. Continue Reading

Yahoo! Sports: Zambrano Trade Makes Little Sense for the Miami Marlins

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Friday, January 6, 2012

Splicetoday: Marketing slogans for the Pitiful Baltimore Orioles

The long winter may have just begun in Baltimore but Orioles fans have been suffering from overexposure for more than a decade. The Dan Duquette era has started as the Andy MacPhail era ended, with a whimper. The team lacks reliable options at second and third base as well as designated hitter. The Orioles’ projected rotation would have trouble competing in the International League. In the ultimate cock punch for any Orioles fan the Washington Nationals have reportedly emerged as the favorite to sign free agent slugger Prince Fielder. Continue Reading

Splicetoday: Andrew Luck's Power Play

I’m a Baltimore native who’s been regaled with countless tales of the glory of Johnny U. and the Colts by my dad and uncles, grew up without a home team due to the Irsays inglorious midnight escape and generally held the horseshoe in disdain but none of that has anything to do with what I’m about to suggest below. Andrew Luck should refuse to play for the Indianapolis Colts.  Continue reading