Fantasy Player's Edge

April 30, 2008

The Player's Edge welcomes and thanks you for your comments
and will try to answer questions in the context of the narrative.


Roster Shuffle:

A-Rod has tweaked his quad again, had an MRI and was
added to the DL.

Troy Tulowitzki faces the same fate. He left last night
with a quad and is probably headed for the DL.

The Bourn identity as the Astros leadoff hitter has been
assumed by Kaz Matsui. Michael's value dips somewhat
from the 2 hole where he's now hitting. It will cascade
down precipitously when he's batting 8th, which is where
he's heading if he cannot hit somewhere above the Mendoza
line.

Speedster Jacoby Ellsbury is nursing a sore groin and is listed
as day to day. You know the drill, check the Red Sox lineup
before starting Ellz.

Nick Swisher's slumping and the prevailing wisdom is to buy
him low. He can had for a bag of shells but the Edge would
rather have the shells.

Jermaine Dye returned last night against the Twins. He'll need
to find his power stroke to have any real value.

Grady Sizemore also returned to fray last evening. It remains to
be seen if he'll stay aggressive on the bases or defer to the ankle
for a few days.

Speaking of returns, Carlos Gomez and Yunel Escobar also rejoined
their clubs last evening.

Josh Willingham was a late scratch with a stiff neck. He's reportedly
day to day.

J.D. Drew left last night's action with a strained quad.

Ryan Garko was given the night off following an 0/23 skid.

Moises Alou will be activated by the Mets on Friday. The amount
of misinformation is staggering which is why it's imperative to read
the Edge daily. Apparently his could have been fractured ankle
wasn't. He's a solid candidate for a bench spot if you need offense.

Waterford Harden is on the rehab trail getting a Triple A
start on Thursday. If that goes well he'll get another and
in theory be able to go either May 11th or 13th. Las Vegas
has him even money to be back on the DL by the 12th or
14th.

John Lackey is gearing up for a mid-May return as well
with his 2nd rehab start last night.

Scott Kazmir is penciled in for his season debut on Sunday.

Big Broxton had an MRI on his lat yesterday. They say
it's nothing. He told club officials that he prefers having
MRI's on off days than heading to the beach or watching
movies. He finds the incessant humming relaxing.

John Smoltz, as expected, hit the DL due to shoulder
tendonitis.

Chad Cordero's on again, off again season is off again.
He's headed to the DL. Rauch has been a dependable
option.

Barry Zito has been relegated to the bullpen. Using Zito
in any capacity would be similar to using Andruw Jones.
There are better options, let go.

Eric Wedge maintains that Joe Borowski will resume his
closing duties when he returns to action. Eric has to be
manic to want to endure so much pain and suffering.

Johnny Cueto was finally welcomed to the bigs last night.
The Cards hammered him for 7 earned runs with 9 whip
over 1.2 innings. He threw 55 pitches. Gallardo had an
outing last season where he allowed 10 earned. It took
Yovani 2 starts after his debacle to regain his form. Cueto's
next start back could be iffy but there's no sense in cutting
him loose at this stage.

How about Mad Max. He came in middle relief and retired
all 13 batters he faced while smoking 7. The D'Backs have
got to give Scherzer a place in the rotation probably replacing
Gonzalez who he relieved last night. Fasten your seat belts.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Odalis Perez- spent summer's as a small boy searching for Pirates
treasure in Trenton. Yo, ho, ho and 500 empty bottles of rum.
2/4, 3.94/1.23 with 29 k's over 48 frames.

Paul Byrd- keeps the Mariners sleepless. 6-3, 3.38/1.41 in 69 innings.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Pedro Feliz- has no fear of the big, bad Wolf. 4/11 with 3 solo homers.

David DeJesus- knows nothing more beautiful than the full figured
form of Sidney Ponson hurling a baseball. How desperate are the
Rangers!!! 10/17 with a jack. Sid the kid has never fanned him.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Hideki Matsui (start)- Bondy remembers getting him out when they
played American Legion ball in Tokyo. H-Mat has his way with this
guy. 10/19, 4 mults, 3 jacarandas, 9 ribbies with an accidental k.

Chad Billingsley (start)- gone fishin'. 2-0, 1.89/1.00 with 24 k's in
19 innings vs. the Marlins. Does his best work on the road.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Andruw Jones (sit)- must be seeing twins when Olsen pitches
and can't hit either. 1/17, 8 k's.

Bobby Crosby (sit)- the last Crosby to get a hit off of Santana
was when Bing sang "Black Magic Christmas" with the rock
group at Pebble Beach. 0/10, 3 k's.


Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Phil Hughes (stream)- L 3.2ip/6e/11w/2k

Greg Smith (stream)- L 8ip/2e/6w/5k

Casey Blake (spot)-0/3

Ray Durham (spot)- 1/4

Kevin Youkilis (start)- 2/4, rbi

Ryan Zimmerman (start)-3/4, 2 runs, homer, 3 rbi

Vernon Wells (sit)- 0/3

Tom Gorzelanny (sit)-DNP


How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Wednesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE----7--0--4--1--.231/-1--2--8-4.91-1.91---2
------OP---7--0--4--1--.342/-0--2--3-4.50-1.75---3

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina----------^I. Rodriguez
^Teixeira----------^Ortiz
^Roberts----------^Polanco
^Braun------------^Hall
^Escobar----------^Jeter
^Griffey-----------^Burrell
^C. Young---------^M. Ramirez
^Kemp----------- ^Pierre
^Figgins-----------^Ibanez
Betancourt---------Keppinger
---------------------G. Anderson
---------------------Lowell- DL

------PE------//-----OP
7/34-5-0-4-0 // 12/34-6-0-4-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

^Harang----------J. Santana
Shields------------Zambrano
Weaver-----------Myers
Cain--------------Maine
^S.Hill----------^R. Johnson
Hughes---------^Pettitte
^Saito------------Lohse
^Fuentes-------^Rodriguez
^Wood--------- ^Jenks
^Acosta-------- ^Sherrill
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/2S, 5.2-6-12-5//0W/2S, 2-0-3-1 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(12/52) - OP (13/38)
Weekly Totals- ERA (6/(11/9) - OP ERA (2/(4/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (21/11) - OP WHIP (7/4) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE--6-----OP--7

Daily Activity:

PE Milledge(drop)/Kemp-Tues
PE Hughes(drop)/Damon-Wed


Strategy: OP did not activate Santana. Milledge was released last
night for Kemp who was waived by an impatient owner last week.
Torre seems to have committed to play Kemp and bat him third.
Kemp has 5 tool ability. Milledge is a good player and will be picked
up as soon as he's available. The Betancourt for Betancourt play is
off the table until Thursday. OP has all 9 offensive players active for
Thursday while PE has 4. We'll see how things progress but it's
imperative to keep some powder dry in case it's needed to shore
up the offense. Hughes was used to grab Damon for Thursday to
give PE 6 offensive starters including Betancourt to counter the
OP's full dance card.


Game Keys: PE experienced deja vu last night as Hughes got trashed
by the Tigers. It wasn't as severe as Liriano's disaster but it was still
quite damaging to era/whip. He almost made it through the 4th
allowing 6 earned on 11 whip. The rest of the night followed suit for
PE. OP fired up on offense going 12/34 to take control of BA. PE was
an anemic 7/34. PE sends Hill and Harang tonight to offset OP's R.
Johnson and Pettitte. Both teams have 9 starters on offense. The PE
trails 3-2 with five categories even.


^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.

PE is in 4th place, 6.5 games out of 1st and 3 games behind the
3rd place team heading into week 5.



All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 29, 2008

The Player's Edge welcomes and thanks you for your comments
and will try to answer questions in the context of the narrative.


Roster Shuffle:

Mad Max Scherzer is about to enter Thunderdome. He's
a sure thing and the second mega name (Cueto) to rise to
the bigs this year. He's worthy of a priority waiver and will
initially make his contribution in era, whip and k's. It's not
expected that he'll close or start. The D'Backs have plenty
of front of the rotation types with Webb, Haren and Johnson,
if he's right. If you have him, set your expectations accordingly
and expect him to join the rotation on or before Memorial
Day. They'll most certainly manage his innings in the range
of 150-170 or 20-22 starts. Kershaw could be next and is
thought to be even better.

Brett Myers has the dreaded velocity issue. His heater,
normally 95 mph or so topped out at 88 last start. He
claims that he's fine so use him with caution.

Rafael Soriano's prediction that he'd ready today were
dashed as he's still elbow sore. Nostradamus he's not.
This could linger for awhile. Let it play out if you have
him on the DL.

193. That's the number of innings used that would
keep you on track to deploy maximum innings (1250)
over the course of the season in Rotisserie. A number
significantly above or below should be a call to action.

Chipper's chipper again and is expected back today if he
can manage to get his jersey on without slipping a disc.

A-Rod was replaced in the 8th inning last night. It's
probably precautionary. Tonight's lineup card will tell.

Justin Upton was uxexpectedly in the D'Back 's lineup
last night. That's why we check these things!!

Yunel Escobar is expected to return today but assume
nothing. Check the Bravos dance card before activating
Esky.

Mike Jacobs has a nagging finger injury that screams so
bad that he can't swing, a major liability for a clean up hitter.
They'll sit him until it quiets down and then he'll return to
the lineup. That begs the question of will he be consistently
available?

Grady Sizemore is purportedly good to go but they may give
him one more day of rest. Keep an eye on this and prepare for
the worst just in case. Pick up a top of the order type to see you
through in the event he's not as good as they say he is. Fred
Lewis would be a good short term solution.

Fragile Kendricks is still sore but know where near as sore as
his owners who spent a mid range pick on him. Maybe he returns
over the weekend, maybe not.

Victorino, Cameron and Lowell should all be ready for work today.

Roger Clemens cross dresses. Andy Pettitte's wife confirmed the
allegations claiming the pair shared a wardrobe. Rusty Hardin flatly
denies these accusations professing Roger's preference for Nancy's
duds.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Jair Jurrjens- his name in Viking folklore means "fastball on the
black, use slider as out pitch". His mother named him and was an
All-Nordic Viking softball star. No history vs. the Nationals but is
3-2, 3.45/1.21 with 25 k's over 31 innings this season. He's better
at home but Nationals lineup may seem like home cooking.

Nick Blackburn- he pitches better when surrounded by plastic walls.
It's a childhood thing so don't ask. 1-0, 2.52/1.43 with 6 k's in 7
frames against the Pale Hose


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Jose Guillen- he actually won Millwood from Tom Hicks in a card game
in Amarillo. Kevin is bound to serve. 9/23, a jack, 7 ribbies with only
2 whiffs.

Johnny Damon- didn't we all like him better as Guitarzan! He has
managed to Bond with Jeremy as a gentile. 14/32, 6 extras, 2 dingers,
6 rbi and a stolen base for good measure.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Kevin Youkilis (start)-he's elated to start his week on Halladay.
11/32, 4 multiples, a clout and 4 rbi.

Ryan Zimmerman (start)- actually flew to Atlanta disguised as
a fountain of youth to assure that Glavine would take the hill
today. Word has it that he was a pig at a trough. 9/29, 4 extras,
5 ribolinas with only 2 itsy bitsy k's.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Vernon Wells (sit)- still befuddled that Daisuke has become Dice-K.
In America homey it's day-suck. What up with that? 2/12 but has
made contact with only 1 k.

Tom Gorzelanny (sit)- knows in his heart that the "Big Apple" is
rotten to the core. 0-2, 10.45/2.32 with 3 k's in 10 innings.


Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)


Ryan Ludwig (spot)- 0/5

Chris Gomez (spot)- rained out

Bobby Crosby (start)-0/4, run

Orlando Cabrera (start)- 0/5

Adam Dunn (sit)- 2/4, run, rbi

Grady Sizemore (sit)- DNP


How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Tuesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE----2--0--0--1--.278/-1--0--3-0.00-1.69---7
------OP---1--0--0--0--.250/-0--0--2-9.00-2.00---0

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina----------^I. Rodriguez
^Teixeira----------^Ortiz
^Roberts----------^Polanco
^Braun------------^Hall
^Escobar----------^Jeter
^Griffey-----------^Burrell
^C. Young---------^M. Ramirez
^Milledge--------- ^Pierre
^Figgins-----------^Ibanez
Betancourt---------Keppinger
---------------------G. Anderson
---------------------Lowell- DL

------PE------//-----OP
5/18-2-0-0-1 // 1/4-1-0-0-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang----------^J. Santana
Shields------------Zambrano
Weaver-----------Myers
Cain--------------Maine
S.Hill-------------R. Johnson
^Hughes---------Pettitte
^Saito------------Lohse
^Fuentes-------^Rodriguez
^Wood--------- ^Jenks
^Acosta-------- ^Sherrill
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 5.1-0-9-3//0W/0S, 2-2-4-2 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(5/18) - OP (1/4)
Weekly Totals- ERA (0/(5.1/9) - OP ERA (2/(2/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (9/5.1) - OP WHIP (4/2) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE--7-----OP--8

Daily Activity:


Strategy: with the Mets rained out, Santana's start was rescheduled
for today giving the OP another chance to activate him. Tonight
features a full compliment of offensive starters on both squads with
PE sending Hughes to the hill as an offset to Santana should he be
activated. Escobar may return today making Betancourt expendable.
I'm considering Betancourt for Betancourt for saves. His bullpen
headed by K-Rod is solid. Tonight's full slate of games will begin to
shape this week's strategy.

Game Keys: The PE has opened a 7-0 lead primarily due to a Roberts
stolen base and uneven outing from Matt Cain. Cain got the win with
5.1 shutout innings but allowed 9 whip and struck out only 3.


^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.

PE is in 4th place, 6.5 games out of 1st and 3 games behind the
3rd place team heading into week 5.



All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 28, 2008


Roster Shuffle:

Big news from the city of brotherly love is that J-Roll is
showing his owners some love by taking batting and fielding
practice. He could be good to go by May 5th when he's
eligible to come off the DL.

Chipper was feeling anything but as Jones missed he second
straight game with back spasms.

Looks like Jorgy is finally headed for the disabled list. Posada
was a late scratch due to a season long nagging shoulder problem.

Same-same for Hank Blalock who's missed consecutive games
with a sore hamstring.

Grady Sizemore's 382 game streak came to an end yesterday
with a bum ankle. Keep an eye on this as player's take these
kind of streaks to heart and the ankle might be a little worse
than we're being told.

Moises Alou may have a fractured ankle delaying his return to
the bigs for an unspecified length of time.

Justin Upton sat with a tight hamstring.

Yunel Escobar may return on Tuesday as reports now have him
with a bruised index finger rather than a shattered fingernail.

Scott Kazmir has his final rehab start today and barring a setback
will make his 2008 debut on Saturday.

John Smoltz complained of shoulder pain when he left his start
against the Mets after 4 innings. This has DL written all over it.

Dice-K had his start moved back until Wednesday as he tries to
fend off the flu bug.

Rafael Soriano claims he'll be ready to start closing again for the
Braves by Tuesday. He hasn't thrown a baseball to a live hitter yet
so this would have to be considered overly optimistic.

Micah Owings is gimping around on a sore ankle and may be
skipped. As long as he's available to pinch hit all will be fine.

Kevin Correia was added to the DL with a back injury today.

In a devastating move for fantasy owners worldwide Matt Morris
was waived by the Pirates ending a virtually unlimited number of
spectacular spot plays on offense every time Morris took the hill.
Let's all hope that someone gives him a gig soon.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Phil Hughes- had a quality inning+ of work prior to a long rain delay
in his last start. Has limited exposure to the potent Tigers attack.
0-1, 7.50/.83 with 6 k's over 6 innings. (note the whip)

Greg Smith- has not faced the Angels in his brief career but has been
extremely effective to date. 2-0, 2.88/1.16 with 16 k's in 25 innings
this season.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Casey Blake- has prospected his fair share of Silva over the years.
15/39, a tater, 7 ribeyes with only 3 whiffs.

Ray Durham- he's smellin' what's Aaron's Cookin' and lickin' his chops.
10/29, 4 extras, a jack, 5 rbi with 1 k.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Bobby Crosby (start)- proudly displays his Garland all season long.
8/18, 5 multiples, a homer and 7 rbi.

Orlando Cabrera (start)- it's Cabrera's ahoy in this matchup of
namesakes. Daniel's been kind to the little O. 7/15, 2 steals.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Adam Dunn (sit)- frequently smells his wood burning after facing
this hot Toddy. 1/8, 5k's but the hit was a jack against Wellemeyer.

Grady Sizemore (sit)- has been a perennial deer in a headlight when
confronting the Moose. 2/15 with 6 k's.


Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

John Lannan (stream)- W 7ip/0e/8w/3k

Jesse Litsch (stream)- W 7ip/1e/5w/4k

So Taguchi (spot)- 0/4

Jerry Hairston Jr. (spot)- 1/4, run

Juan Pierre (start)- pinch hit 0/2

Conor Jackson (start)-0/4

C.C Sabathia (sit)- L 8ip/1e/5w/8k

Kevin Youkilis (sit)- 0/3


How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 5: Monday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE---27--6-27--3--.279/-3--3-44-3.35-1.31---4
------OP--28--6-31--2--.291/-0--4-36-3.93-1.25---5

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina-------- I. Rodriguez
Teixeira----------Ortiz
^Roberts---------Polanco
Braun------------ Hall
Betancourt------^Jeter
^Griffey----------Burrell
^C. Young--------M. Ramirez
Milledge----------Pierre
^Figgins----------Ibanez
Escobar---------^Keppinger
-----------------^G. Anderson
-------------------Lowell- DL

------PE------//-----OP
6/24-3-2-3-1 // 3/27-3-1-1-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang---------^J. Santana
Shields-----------Zambrano
Weaver----------Myers
^Cain------------Maine
S.Hill------------R. Johnson
Hughes----------Pettitte
Saito-------------Lohse
^Fuentes------^Rodriguez
Wood----------^Jenks
Acosta---------^Sherrill
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 11-0-5-7//0W/1S, 3-1-5-3 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(61/215) - OP (58/199)
Weekly Totals- ERA (19/(51/9) - OP ERA (21/(48/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (67/51) - OP WHIP (60/48) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE--0-----OP--0

Daily Activity:


Strategy: the biggest question for the opening day matchup of
week 5 is will the OP activate Santana who's pitching today. The
preference would be for PE to play this OP full strength. Regardless,
PE must manage as if this OP was all in due to the fact that every
other owner will face this squad so scoring well is mandatory. PE has
Cain and 5 active offensive players on Monday.

Game Keys: The PE behind James Shields complete game shutout of
the Red Sox was able to capture the point in ERA. Homeruns from
unlikely sources Roberts and spot play Betancourt offset a blast by
Longoria to half this point. The tied categories Steals and Saves
were split with the OP taking saves. The final count had PE down
5-4-1. in week 4. The Liriano blow up proved quite costly but this
OP played very well without Rollins and Soriano and deserved the
victory.

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

The Player's Edge participates in many leagues but elected to
follow a team in a Public League to better approximate what might
be faced by a wide majority of players that use the Edge daily. This
team plays in a standard 5x5 scoring format and drafted 7th of 12
teams in a 21 round on-line live event in late March. We'll follow this
team throughout the entire 2008 fantasy campaign.

PE is in 4th place, 6.5 games out of 1st and 3 games behind the
3rd place team heading into week 5.



All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 27, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:

Chipper Jones missed his start yesterday due an injured back
while dressing for the game against the Mets. The Braves
have reportedly hired a squire for Jones to assist this warrior
with his battle garb.

Mike Lowell survived the dangerous dressing game and looks
to be about ready to return to the Red Sox starting lineup on
Tuesday.

Mike Jacobs sat out after jamming a finger in his locker. Only
kidding, although he does have a jammed finger and is day to
day.

Casey Kotchman became more fantasy relevant as he's been
elevated to clean up in the Halo's order.

Big Papi took a breather yesterday and is expected to return
today.

Two ancients, Garciaparra and Alou had setbacks. Nomar is heading
back to the DL and Moises has a sore ankle delaying his return to
the Mets.

Carlos Gomez is day to day with a calf injury. If he's going to be out
for an extended period you may want to pick up Fred Lewis who
went 3/4 with 3 runs and an rbi yesterday. He's not going to be
available much longer.

Rich Harden was expected to throw a 50 pitched simulated game
yesterday. No word yet on the outcome but if all goes well expect
Waterford Rich back in time for the post season.

Jason Schmidt threw to hitters yesterday and they threw back.
Maybe June, only his therapist knows.

Justin Duchscherer returned with an acceptable 5 innings allowing
2 earned, 6 whip while fanning 2. He's worth keeping an eye on.

Brian Burres threw a gem at the Pale Hose going 8 shutout frames
allowing only 3 whip. He's 3-1. Before yesterday's game he was
winning because the Orioles provided lots of run support when he
pitched. No need to rush out and pick him up unless he goes stellar
back to back.

Promising Giants hurler Kevin Correia left after facing only 2 batters
with a back injury.

Hey sports fans it seems Charlie Manual's 2 day off, 3 atbats/3 k's
was exactly what Ryan Howard needed. The big fella blasted a
homer run in his first plate appearance in his return to the starting
lineup. He was 0/3 the rest of the way with 2 more whiffs.



Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

There are no suitable streaming candidates for Monday.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Ryan Ludwick- a little known fact is that Ryan is actually
Bronson's Cardfather. 4/7, 3 extras, a jack, 2 rbi and o k's.

Chris Gomez- rumor has it that if Johan knew that this guy
left Baltimore for Pittsburgh he'd have signed with the Red
Sox. 8/14 with 1 k.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Juan Pierre (start)- bonjour amigo. Fancies Francies pantzies.
Steals a glance at Jeff's mound ensemble as he whizzes by.
9/20, 5 sb's.

Conor Jackson (start)- showing no respect for the Padres ace
leaves Jake really Peaved. 8/22, 3 extras, a homer and 7 rbi.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

C.C. Sabathia (sit)- look for the Yankees to be down right
rude when they visit El Grande's house today. 1-7, 7.13/1.75
over 42 miserable innings.

Kevin Youkilis (sit)- consistently falls on his Shields when
confronted by James. 0/10, 4 k's.



Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Justin Germano (stream)- ND 5ip/6r/8w/5k

Carlos Villanueva (stream)-ND 6ip/2r/6w/5k

Endy Chavez (spot)- 1/4, run

Nomar Garciaparra (spot)- DNP-injured

Orlando Cabrera (start)- 0/5

Tony Graffanino (start)- DNP

Troy Tulowitzki (sit)- 0/4

Adrian Gonzalez (sit)- 3/6, 3 rbi



How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Sunday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE---24--4-24--2--.282/-2--3-37-4.28-1.55---2
------OP--25--5-30--2--.320/-0--3-33-4.00-1.22---6

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
Escobar--------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
^Betancourt----A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
10/39-3-1-7-0 // 9/30-3-0-5-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang---------Haren
^Shields--------Greinke
Weaver--------Galarraga
Cain------------Dempster
S.Hill-----------Cueto
Hughes-------^Percival
^Saito--------^Nathan
^Fuentes-----^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 0-0-0-0//0W/2S, 8-1-5-5 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(55/195) - OP (55/172)
Weekly Totals- ERA (19/(40/9) - OP ERA (20/(45/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (62/40) - OP WHIP (55/45) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE--1-----OP--0

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon(drop)/Crosby-Mon
PE-Betancourt(d)/Fuentes-Thurs
PE-Liriano(d)/Weaver-Thurs
PE-Corpas(d)/Looper-Thurs
PE-Looper(d)/Y. Betancourt-Fri
OP-L.Hernandez(d)/Percival-Fri
PE-Kuroda(d)/Hughes-Sat

Strategy: Not a heck of a lot of manuevering for today.
The PE has to start James Shields in an effort to win WHIP.
Next week's OP has a formidable rotation of Johan Santana,
Zambrano, Brett Myers, John Maine, Randy Johnson and
two others. He has 8 scheduled starts with Santana going
twice and a formidable stable of closers in Rodriguez, Jenks
and Sherrill. OP's offense features Red Sox sluggers Ortiz and
Ramirez with only 3 offensive players available on Monday.
Although the OP has made 4 roster changes to date it appears
that this OP was inactive last week. The PE has to prepare as
if this OP is going to utilize all of the available roster options next
week. This type of situation occurs all too frequently in Public
leagues. Always keep in mind that the other 11 OP's are also
going to face this OP so it's imperative that PE plays to win.
The PE has 8 scheduled starts as well and 5 offensive players
scheduled for Monday.

Game Keys: The PE trails entering Sunday's finale by a 6-2 count,
with steals and saves being tied. The PE doffs its cap to this OP for
dropping Hernandez for Percival who had a save last night. Ultimately
he had no use for him after Galarraga's outstanding start. The PE
starts Shields today against the Red Sox with nothing to lose and a
chance at WHIP if he shutdowns the BoSox over at least 6 innings.
A tall order but possible for the Rays ace. Runs and Homers are still
in play along with Steals, Saves and WHIP. Best case for this week
would seem to be a 5-5 split.

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 26, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:


The Ryan Braun bashing is starting to heat up. The
"I told you so's" are reminding players that they were
advised that Braun was a risky 1st round selection.
With the season 23 games old the experts have invoked
the dreaded "Sophomore Jinx". Braun came up in May
last season let's cut him a little slack until Memorial Day.

Yunel Escobar shattered the fingernail on right index
finger sacrificing in the 1st inning last night. He's not
due back until Tuesday which seems overly optimistic.
Consider Yuniesky Betancourt for a spot play.

Andruw Jones left after a few innings with a leg contusion.
Owners are rejoicing as the decision to sit him becomes an
easy one. Leave him there or cut him.

Sheffield and A-Rod returned last night. Sheffield is not long
for this season, have a back-up plan ready to go.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been recalled. He's C/1B eligible
which is a huge plus. The question is, will he hit consistently?

Speaking of hitting consistently, speed merchant Michael Bourn
could return as early as today.

Mike Lowell's rehab is going well so you can expect his return any
day as he is eligible to be activated.

Howie Kendrick and the long lost Mike Cameron are due back on
Tuesday. Shane Victorino has a shot at returning early next week
as well.

Francisco Liriano has been optioned to Triple A in Rochester. Let's
hope one of the games most exciting young arms can find his mojo.

Another exciting young arm Jonathan Sanchez outdueled Lemon
Harang last night going 8 with 1 earned, 5 whip and 10 k's to earn
the win. The Giants rotation of Cain, Lincecum, Sanchez and Correia
has the potential to be the best rotation(sans Zito) in MLB over
the next few years. They'll have to be with the Giants anemic
offense.

This Scott Olsen is intriguing as he's become Tom Glavine
overnight. Scotty twirled 7.1 innings with 0 earned, 0 k's.
The real Glavine is good to go for a start Tuesday night.

Chad Cordero has been cleared to return but as a set-up man
for a few appearances. If he's okay he'll resume closing.

From the "no he didn't files" Charlie Manuel gave Ryan Howard
a much needed day off to clear his head as the big fella has been
slumping. Sound familiar? See an except from yesterday's Roster
Shuffle below. So Charlie pinch hits him late, Howard strikes out
and drags himself back to the bench to reflect once again on his
troubles. Bravo, Chuckster!!!!!

Charlie Manuel gave Ryan Howard a much needed day off to
clear his head as the big fella has been slumping. Bravo, Chuckster.
So what did Charlie do you ask? He pinch hits him and leaves
him in the game to go 0/2 with 2 k's. Yup, that should clear his
head.



Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

John Lannan- former Beatles stunt double faces the Cubs for the
first time. Yes that was him on the "Abbey Road" album cover.
He's been solid over 24 innings with a 3.42 era and 21 k's. He's
a bit of a whip risk due to walks carrying a 1.44 ratio at the
present time. He had an 11 k game a couple of weeks ago.

Jesse Litsch- has faced the Royals only once and that was
last season. He's been a better pitcher on the road during his
brief career, so "Kansas City, Kansas City here he comes".
0-1, 2.70/1.20 over 7 innings against the Royals.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

So Taguchi- makes himself right Maholm when he gets to
Pittsburgh. 7/12, 3 extras with only 2 k's.

Jerry Hairston Jr.- enjoys an a Giant portion of baked Zito
every visit to the city by the bay. 7/19, 3 multiples, a jack,
and a swipe.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Orlando Cabrera (start)- Trachsel confuses this guy for Miggy.
It's understandable as the resemblance is striking. 15/37, 3 multiples,
5 rbi and 4 swipes.

Tony Graffanino (start)- in the battle of extremely long names
against Hendrickson, Tony is on the Mark. 9/21, 3 extras, a jack,
3 rbi with only 1 k.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Troy Tulowitzki (sit)- detests Penny's and does not take them
readily. 1/12, 2 k's against Bad Brad.

Adrian Gonzalez(sit)- prefers any other surface to forMicah.
1/8, 2 k's versus Owings.



Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Braden Looper (stream)- ND 7ip/0e/3w/2k

Hiroki Kuroda (stream)- ND 6ip/5e/11w/2k

Akinori Iwamura (spot)- 2/5, run, stolen base

Nick Punto (spot)- 0/4

A.J. Burnett (start)- L 7.1ip/3e/11w/6k

Ryan Dempster (start)- ND 7ip/2e/7w/5k

Ervin Santana (sit)- W 6.1ip/3e/8w/4k

Carlos Pena (sit)- 1/1 pinchhit



How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Saturday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE---21--3-17--2--.288/-2--3-37-4.28-1.55---4
------OP--22--5-25--2--.324/-0--1-28-4.62-1.35---5

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
Escobar--------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
^Betancourt----A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
9/25-2-0-5-0 // 15/32-4-0-5-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang---------Haren
Shields---------Greinke
Weaver-------^Galarraga
Cain------------Dempster
S.Hill-----------Cueto
Hughes-------^Percival
^Saito--------^Nathan
^Fuentes-----^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 10-2-12-9//0W/0S, 15-3-13-10 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(45/156) - OP (46/142)
Weekly Totals- ERA (19/(40/9) - OP ERA (19/(37/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (62/40) - OP WHIP (50/37) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) PE--1-----OP--1

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon(drop)/Crosby-Mon
PE-Betancourt(d)/Fuentes-Thurs
PE-Liriano(d)/Weaver-Thurs
PE-Corpas(d)/Looper-Thurs
PE-Looper(d)/Y. Betancourt-Fri
OP-L.Hernandez(d)/Percival-Fri
PE-Kuroda(d)/Hughes-Sat

Strategy: Interestingly the OP dropped Hernandez in favor
of closer Percival giving up his starts advantage. This worked
for PE as Escobar left in the 1st inning of last night's Braves
game with a bruised right index finger. Yuniesky Betancourt
was added for Looper to spot start for Escobar if need be.
Hughes was added for Kuroda to augment next week's rotation.

Game Keys: The Edge played "Survivor" last night as
the OP was incredible on both sides of the equation. His
offense was a staggering 15/32 and his staff combined
for 15ip/3e/13w/10k. PE could not keep pace on offense
even though they were a solid 9/25. Good fortune did smile
on PE as neither Dempster or Greinke earned a win which
allowed PE to bench Kuroda at 10:15, 25 minutes before
his start. The logic was OP has only 1 start and PE had a
2-0 lead in wins with Harang pitching against the Giants.
The OP had virtually secured whip so the play was purely
era. The move paid off as Kuroda pitched poorly and Harang
took the L but only allowed 2e over 7.1ip with 8k's. The OP
leads 5-4 with steals tied. OP has the other offensive categories
and WHIP while PE has WINS and K's while clinging to SAVES
and ERA. Realistically, RUNS, HOMERS, STEALS, SAVES and
ERA are still in play. OP has rookie hurler Galarraga on the bump
today. PE has Shields waiting in the wings on Sunday which sets
up to give PE the last move in the pitching categories.

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 25, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:

Clearly Francisco Liriano is not right. He should not be
active in any format for any reason until we find out
what's going on with him.

Manny Corpas is out. Fuentes recorded his 1st save
last night so he's good to go. Hope that you grabbed
him.

Cliff Lee was spectacular again last night throwing a
complete game shutout at a past nemesis. The Edge
is still in shock but the numbers are screamingly in
his favor.

Ben Sheets is scheduled to make his next start on
Tuesday so it's safe to pencil him in. The office pool
has him limping off in the 3rd.

Rich Hill's next start is in 9 days. Clearly Piniella views
him as a # 5. C'mon Lou, he's better than Marquis!!!
The explanation is that the Brewers beat lefties. I
guess that's plausible but he's still better than Marquis.

The Phillies have been eerily quiet on J-Roll. We'll
learn today that he's being fitted for a full body cast.

Sheff is supposed to return today unless, of course, he
retires first. No joke he actually talked about retiring
yesterday. Make plans for him to be unavailable at
anytime going forward.

Carlos Guillen sat yesterday and may sit today with a
sore leg. The Tigers play this evening, make sure you
check their lineup tonight and adjust accordingly.

Lastings Milledge, true to his namesake, was late to work
and was benched last night. Rumor has it that he slept at
the stadium last night so he should active. He's been trying
to hail a cab all morning to take him to the player's gate.

Jermaine Dye will be off, at the minimum, tonight. He's groin
sore. This needs to be watched, not the groin, his availability,
as it's crunch time in HTH formats.

Rolen and Cuddyer should be playing today.

Inge would become an interesting option at C if he gains
eligibility.

Charlie Manual gave Ryan Howard a much needed day off to
clear his head as the big fella has been slumping. Bravo, Chuckster.
So what did Charlie do you ask? He pinch hits him and leaves
him in the game to go 0/2 with 2 k's. Yup, that should clear his
head.



Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Justin Germano- being outfitted for a flak jacket after last week's
3.1ip/10e/13w/1k outing in Houston. This stat line is eerily similar
to one that Gallardo had last season. The D'Backs are just the cure
for what ails "Germ"ano. 2-1, 3.63/1.38 with 15 k's in 17 innings.

Carlos Villanuevo- deep sea fishing is a true passion and he already
has one Marlins mount. 1-0, 0.00/.69 and 4 k's over 4 frames.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Endy Chavez- spends his days and nights away from the
park "fantasizing" on the banks of the Hudson.
6/17 with 3 rbi against Timmy.

Nomar Garciaparra- has absolutely no sympathy for the
plight of the Redman. 10/21, 4 extras, 1 jack, 7 rbi, 0 k's.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

A.J. Burnett (start)- they always roll out the Red Carpet for Royalty.
How long does it take to regrow a fingernail(He slammed his index
finger in car door back in November/affects his curveball)
2-1, 3.67/1.26 with 19 k's over 27 innings vs. K.C.

Ryan Dempster (start)- pays homage to every monument except
the statues that occupy the Nationals lineup.
6-0, 3.40/1.20 and 53 punches in 77 frames.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Ervin Santana (sit)- Tigers simply aren't buying into the
fantasy hype over this guy. 2-2, 5.82/1.48 and it's a road
game.

Carlos Pena (sit)- spent the entire morning playing wiffle
ball the locals. He'll need it. 4/26 vs. Wakefield's flutterball.


Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Shawn Hill (stream)- ND 5ip/2e/9w/5k

Chuck James (stream)- W 5ip/4e/10w/3k

Austin Kearns (spot)- 0/5

Ben Broussard (spot)- 0/3

Brad Hawpe (start)- 0/3, run

Mark Teahen (start)- 0/3

Conor Jackson (sit)- 2/4, run, 2 rbi

Dan Uggla (sit)- 1/3



How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Friday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE---19--3-12--2--.275/-2--3-28-5.10-1.67---7
------OP--18--5-20--1--.282/-0--1-18-6.55-1.68---3

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
^Escobar-------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
----------------A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
11/28-7-1-5-1 // 8/37-4-0-5-1 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

^Harang--------Haren
Shields--------^Greinke
Weaver---------L.Hernandez
Cain---------- ^Dempster
S.Hill-----------Cueto
^Kuroda-------Galarraga
^Saito--------^Nathan
^Fuentes-----^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
Looper
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/2S, 8.2-8-20-7//0W/0S, 7-5-10-2 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(36/131) - OP (31/110)
Weekly Totals- ERA (17/(30/9) - OP ERA (16/(22/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (30/21.1) - OP WHIP (27/15) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) 3-----OP--4

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon(drop)/Crosby-Mon
PE-Betancourt(d)/Fuentes-Thurs
PE-Liriano(d)/Weaver-Thurs
PE-Corpas(d)/Looper-Thurs

Strategy: Hurdle anointed Fuentes his closer late in the
morning. I would have preferred to keep Betancourt but
could not afford to gamble if the Rockies skipper gave Corpas
one "more" chance. Hence he was made available for Fuentes
as PE knew that Fuentes would be long gone if there was the
slightest hesitation. Fuentes closed out the Cubs today to earn
his 1st save. Liriano's implosion created incredible era/whip
issues. Betancourt and Acosta softened the impact slightly
with 3 ip/0e/3w. Looper was added for the W and perhaps 5 k's
(see yesterday's streamers) for Corpas. Liriano was dropped for
Weaver but PE will not start him on Sunday due to a terrible
matchup versus the Tigers. PE is banking that he'll get it turned
around when he gets home and will augment the rotation
nicely as we get deeper into the season.

Game Keys: The Edge has opened a 7-3 lead heading
into Friday's action primarily on the strength of yesterday's
showing on offense. Every category is in play with the possible
exception of RBI, where the OP leads by 8. The OP has 4 starts
to PE's 3 but the 10 k advantage that PE enjoys will keep Looper
inactive. We're playing for WHIP which is dead even and PE has
Harang and Kuroda vs. OP's Dempster and Greinke tonight. We'll
reevaluate the pitching strategy after tonight but Looper will be
streamed just in case. The OP's already thin lineup suffered a
setback as it's been reported that Dye will be sitting tonight.

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 24, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:

Chad Cordero avoided a death sentence yesterday when
Dr. Andrews prescribed strengthening exercises rather
than surgery for his shoulder problem. Rauch is the
answer until he returns.

Manny Corpas imploded again last night. Fuentes is a
must if you're sold on owning the Rockies closer. What
a mess!!!

Trevor Hoffman continues to struggle but his storied
career is going to preserve his role for now but he should
be wondering for "Whom the Bell Tolls". Heath Bell would
be the logical choice but not yet.

Pedro's progressing but is 3 weeks out at the minimum.
His surprise was so extraordinary that he has been named
Chairman of the Mets wives party planning committee.

Josh Beckett's going to miss his weekend start. Seemingly
we're "Waiting for Godot". Adjust your rotation accordingly.

Scott Kazmir takes the hill on May 3rd if all goes well.

Chad Gaudin threw 7 shutout innings last night vs. the
Twinkies. He's 2-1, 3.38w/1.08w with 19k through 24
frames. No need to grab him but he should be on the
radar.

Justin Duchscherer should return on Saturday. Let's
see what happens.

A-Rod's now expected back on Saturday and owner's can only
hope that the Yankees medical staff is better trained than the
Phils. Rumor has it that J-Roll has a broken ankle.

Sheff is supposed to return on Friday. The guy had 2 cortisone
shots on Tuesday. He's one swing from the DL plan for a
spot play. You might want to stash Stairs if he's available.

Who's on 1st, I dunno. Carlos Guillen was back at first last night
as iron hands Cabrera DHed. We'll see what Leyland Costello
has in mind on Friday when Sheff returns.

Youkilis and Rios missed starts due to minor ailments. They both
should see action today.

Acta has given Felipe Lopez the job at 2B. So what.



Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Braden Looper- affectionately known as the "Loopster" by the Cards
is preparing to get plain "Loopy" over the Astros. 7-3, 2.74/1.19 over
72 innings. He's a run better at home.

Hiroki Kuroda- has value on his first pass through the league. Rockies
starter Jimenez tends to get hit by the Dodgers even though he's 2-0
against the Torreadors.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Akinori Iwamura- this major disappointment would be better
off playing softball. Wakefield's arching offerings suit Aki.
6/15, 3 extras, 2 rbi and a pair of swipes with 0 k's.

Nick Punto- did ya know the little guy was a lumberjack?
Takes all of his Wood to the Mill. 7/14, with 2 steals.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Brad Hawpe (start)- is Monte Cristo to the Marquis of Chicago.
8/15, 2 extra, a jack and 6 rbi.

Mark Teahen (start)- staggers Lee quite frequently.
7/19, 4 multiples, 2 homers and 7 rbi.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Conor Jackson (sit)- pays homage to James and Bobby Purify's
"I'm a Puppet" with a serenade for Chad. 0/11 with 2 k's against
Billingsley.

Dan Uggla (sit)- is dreading another rerun of the Chuck James
show. 1/12. (only if James starts- sore forearm)

Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Kenny Rogers (stream)- ND 3.1ip, 6e/12w/0k

Todd Wellemeyer (stream)- ND 6ip/4e/8i/5k

Morris Ensberg (spot)- 1/5

Mark Loretta (spot)- 2/4, run, rbi

Jermaine Dye (start)- 0/4

Aaron Rowand (start)- 3/6, rbi

Javier Vasquez (sit)- L 5.1ip/6e/13w/3k

Corey Hart (sit)- 1/4



How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Thursday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE---12--2--7--1--.243/-2--1-21-3.80-1.41---5
------OP--14--5-15--0--.315/-0--1-16-6.60-1.80---4

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
^Escobar-------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
----------------A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
7/39-5-2-3-0 // 7/33-3-1-5-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang---------Haren
Shields--------- Greinke
^Liriano--------L.Hernandez
Cain------------Dempster
^S.Hill--------^Cueto
Kuroda---------Galarraga
^Saito---------^Nathan
^Corpas-------^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
^Betancourt
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
1W/1S, 10.1-4-16-12//0W/1S, 7-6-15-9 (daily tot: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(25/103) - OP (23/73)
Weekly Totals- ERA (9/(21.1/9) - OP ERA (11/(15/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (30/21.1) - OP WHIP (27/15) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) 5-----OP--5

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon(drop)/Crosby-Mon
PE-Betancourt(d)/Fuentes-Thurs

Strategy: Corpas got shelled yet again and the Edge is committed
to owning the Rockies closer, hence Fuentes. Unfortunately both
have to be carried in the short run until Hurdle shows his hand.
Betancourt has a twinbill today so hopefully he'll cash a save. It
would be preferable if the Edge could get by without streaming
this week.

Game Keys: The Edge holds a tenuous 5-4 advantage thanks to
pitching aided by the OP's Haren having a dismal start vs. the
Dodgers. The OP controls HR, RBI and BA. RUNS has tightened up
considerably at 14-12 for OP. Tonight is worrisome as he starts
the Reds rocket launcher Johnny "Jose" Cuerto, who is no friend
of mine. Only 5 k's separate the teams and Tequilla Johnny is
perfectly capable of making up the difference. The Edge has
Shawn Hill and Liriano on the bump and the OP will have an
extra start after tonight. The Edge needs to start hitting now!!!


^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 23, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:

Chad Cordero, fresh off his successful inning of relief, took
off for Birmingham to see Dr. Andrews the Kevorkian to
pitchers.

A-Rod missed yesterday's tilt due to a strained quad or the
birth of his 2nd child by conflicting reports. Today's the key
for owners. In a small footnote yesterday Cashman refused
to rule out a trip to the DL. Stay tuned.

Jacoby Ellsbury continues burying Coco Crisp. He hit a pair
of homers last night.

The Bourn Supremacy on the basepaths has been stymied by
a groin pull. Ouch!!

Fred Lewis has solidified his role as CF and leadoff hitter for
the Giants. He was 3/5 yesterday but may have to steal, 2B,
3B and home to score consistently in front of baseball's saddest
lineup.

Well what do you know, the Reds and Dusty have yet another
CFer in Jerry Hairston who was called up yesterday. C-Patt
owners may have to look elsewhere for swipes. Try Lewis.

Dan Ackroyd (Carlos Guillen) and Eddie Murphy (Miguel Cabrera)
are "Trading Places". Miggy will try 1B and Guillen moves to 3B.
Morty and Randy rejoice.

Cuddyer and Rolen are tracking to return over the weekend.
Can't hurt.

Gary Sheffield had a cortisone shot in each shoulder. You
might want to plan on Sheff missing a reasonable amount
of time this year. Just a thought.

J.J. Putz picked up right where he left off blowing away the
Orioles last night to pick up a save. Bedard will start on Saturday.

Manny Corpas is struggling mightily and if not for Fuentes being
shaky of late might be out of a job. The Rockies have quite a
Hurdle to overcome.

Jake Westbrook was placed on the DL with a pulled muscle in
his side. Take a look at the Nationals John Lannan if you need
to pick up Westy's innings.

Pedro Martinez will be reevaluated this week. Remember Pete
chortled a few days ago that he had a surprise for us. We'll see.

Speaking of miracles the owners of Viagra were admonished
yesterday for not discussing the downsides of the stuff on
their "Viva Viagra" cowboy commercial. Hey isn't it about
the upside!!!


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Shawn Hill- get it while you can. He's on his 2nd start so he's just
about at his annual quota of innings. 2-1, 2.57/1.29 over 14 frames
against the Shea's.

Chuck James- Neptune has nothing on this guy. Ramirez, Willingham
and Uggla are a combined 3/34 vs. King James. 3-1, 1.19/1.02 with
24 k's in 30 innings. (make sure he's starting as he complained of
soreness in his forearm after Saturday's start)


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Austin Kearns- regards Dickens as a genius, especially fond of
"Oliver Twist". 7/21, 4 extras, 3 jacks, 7 ribbies off Perez.

Ben Broussard- has the run of Bonderman's house. Ben the
Bruiser is 13/45, with 10 extras, 3 clouts, 12 rbi against him.


Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Jermaine Dye (start)- heads to the field for some "Moose"
hunting. 20/53, 6 multiples, 2 blasts and 8 rbi.

Aaron Rowand (start)- totes that barge and lifts that bale
as he traverses ol' man river. 6/19 with 3 swipes vs. Maddux.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Javier Vazquez (sit)- he's a real Yankees doodle dandy.
1-3, 5.25/1.75 in 24 innings against the Bombers.

Corey Hart (sit)- would be better served listening to
Cole Porter tunes than facing Cole Hamels. 0/7, 4 k's.

Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Vincente Padilla (stream)-L 3ip/7e/9w/2k

Kyle Lohse (stream)- ND 4ip/4e/10w/1k

Jesse Litsch (stream)- L 3.1ip/5e/10w/4k

Jason Werth (spot)-2/4, 2 runs/ homer/rbi

Casey Blake (spot)-4/4, 2 runs/ homer/ 6 rbi

Craig Monroe (spot)-3/4, 2 runs/ homer/3 rbi

Todd Helton (start)-1/5, run.

C.C. Sabathia (start)-W 6ip/0e/6w/11k

Alex Rios (sit)-DNP (Gibbons reads the Edge)

Ed Byrnes (sit)-1/4, rbi



How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Tuesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

------PE----7--0--4--1--.281/-1--0--9-4.09-1.27---5
------OP--11--4-10--0--.400/-0--1--7-5.63-1.50---5

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
^Escobar-------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
----------------A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
11/36-4-0-2-1 // 10/29-6-2-4-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang--------^Haren
Shields--------- Greinke
Liriano--------- L.Hernandez
^Cain-----------Dempster
S.Hill------------Cueto
Kuroda----------Galarraga
^Saito---------^Nathan
^Corpas-------^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
^Betancourt
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
1W/0S, 9-5-13-8//0W/1S, 8-5-12-7 (daily totals: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(18/64) - OP (16/40)
Weekly Totals- ERA (5/(11/9) - OP ERA (5/(8/9) -(er/(ip/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (14/11) - OP WHIP (12/8) - (w+h/ip)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) 6-----OP--6

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon dropped/Crosby-Mon

Strategy: I withdrew the priority waiver on Weaver late last
night after he got shelled by Boston. No-one took him so all
options are still available. Corpas blew a save badly last night
and if Fuentes hadn't been lit up lately would probably lose his
job. He still might. Betancourt will probably be needed for the
rest of the week. Kuroda starts on Friday and could be used to
stream Sat/Sun if necessary.

Game Keys: Gonzalez had a homerun for the second consecutive
day to help this opponent open big leads RBI and HR's. Although
the score is even he has control of 4 offensive categories while the
other 6 are in play. He's doing this without Rollins and Soriano!!!

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

All Done!

Fantasy Player's Edge

April 22, 2008

A new section has been added to the Player's Edge.
It's called "How To" and tracks the daily activities of
a team managed by the Edge in a Head to Head league
against a weekly opponent. The rewards of successful
tactics will be revealed along with the consequences of
those moves that go awry.

Years ago when trying to learn the fundamentals of
playing this game I had searched for information,
unsuccessfully, that would provide insights on
"how to" play the game through real time daily
activity rather than "ex-post facto, I know
more than you do" commentary.

Please let us know if the new section is helpful as
the entire mission of the staff at the Edge is to be
entertaining and more importantly informative. If
you become a better player as a result of this site
then our mission will be accomplished. Most of all,
have fun, after all it's only a game albeit, a great one!!!!


Roster Shuffle:

Some enchanted evening you may see Rich Harden. He's
still not throwing and now they are saying May at the
earliest.

"The Strained Quads", have already disbanded. Chipper
played solo last night and A-Rod plans to follow suit.

Jacoby Ellsbury is burying Coco Crisp. He swiped 2 more
bags while going 2/4.

The Bourn Identity has now pilfered 13 sacks after picking
up a pair last evening. He's hitting .216, just imagine how many
steals he would have if he could hit .250. Keep him active
HTH but think it through in Roto as that BA is a category killer.

Ryan Theriot sat out with back pain. Keep eye on this one if
he's your starter.

Chris Young was back patrolling centerfield for the D'Back's
last night. He sat out a game with a cold.

Moises Alou, went 3/3 in a minor league stint. If you need
OF/Util help this is the time to pick him up.

How about those Soriano's. Gay, carefree Alphonso may go
running on Wednesday while grim, grave Raphael will throw
caution to the wind on Thursday.

Chad Cordero pitched an effective inning of relief last night
registering a strikeout on 15 pitches. If you need saves and
he's available this might be the time to gamble on his return
to the back end of the rotation. Rauch owners should hang
on a bit longer.

From the "this is so rare it's worth mentioning" department:
Ben Sheets will miss his turn. He's even money in Vegas for
a trip to the DL.

Shawn Hill feels pretty good coming off his last start. This guy
can pitch and is worth a flyer.

John Lackey is on track to return to the majors on May 14th.
Mark it.


Streamers: (tomorrow's probable starters available as free agents)

Use these players to gain advantage in wins and strikeouts.

Kenny Rogers- the gambler plays a bit of Texas hold-em tomorrow.
6-3, 3.80, 1.39 over 90 innings versus the Rangers.

Todd Wellemeyer- has the situation well under control with a 9/26
BB/K ratio. Visits the "Pirates" exhibit at Disney before and after
spring training every year. 1-1, 3.38/1.39 with 22k's in 19 frames.


Spotties: (tomorrow's position players available as free agents)

Use these players to fill in for injured players and on off days.

Morris Ensberg- is infatuated with Vasquez. Can't get enough
of the guy. 5/13, 2 extras, a homer, 2 rbi with only 3k's.

Mark Loretta- Bronson's plays Beatles "Get Back" incessantly
when Houston's in town but Loretta will have none of it.
9/18, 3 rbi.

Start/Sit: (today)

Guide to using bench players when matchups are favorable.

Todd Helton (start)- beats Myers like a rented mule. Kind of
fitting for this Broad Street Bully. 4/9, 3 extras, a jack, 2 rbi.

C.C Sabathia (start)- gets the Royal treatment in Kansas City.
13-8, 3.38, 1.24 with 157 punch outs in 173 innings.

Guide to sit starters when matchups are unfavorable.

Normally sit these players in Roto formats only.

Alex Rios (sit)- will definitely fall on his Shields today.
1/9 with 5 k's.

Ed Byrnes (sit)- always gets indigestion from baked Zito.
2/18, 5 k's and 0 swipes.

Studs and Duds: ( a recap of yesterday's picks and pans)

Mark Hendrickson (stream)- W, 8ip, 3/e/9w/5k

Mark Redman (stream)- ND, 5ip, 4e/6w/5k

Clay Buchholz (stream)- W, 6ip, 0e/5w/6k

Mike Jacobs(spot)- 1/4, run

Wes Helms (spot)- DNP

Ryan Freel (spot)-1/3

Micah Owings(start)- W, 6.1ip/2e/6w/4k

Josh Willingham (start)- 2/4, run, homer, 2 rbi

Ken Griffey (start)- 1/3

Adam Dunn (sit)- 1/3

Jose Reyes(sit)- 1/4

Khalil Greene (sit)- 0/4

How To: ( this section is devoted to the fundamentals of daily play)

Head To Head: Player's Edge(PE) vs. Opposition(OP):

Week 4: Tuesday


Weekly Tot: R-H-RB-SB -BA/ W-SV-K ER-WH -SCORE

-------PE---3--0--2--0--.250/-0--0--1-.000-0.50----3
-------OP---5--2--6--0--.545/-0--0--0-.000-0.00----4

Offense: Lineups:

-----PE-----/----- OP

^B.Molina------^Martin
^Teixeira------^A. Gonzalez
^Roberts-------^J. Lopez
^Braun---------^A. Ramirez
^Escobar-------^Crosby
^Griffey-------^Butler
^C. Young-----^Hermida
^Milledge------^Dye
^Figgins-------^Longoria
Jacobs----------Rollins- DL
----------------A. Soriano -DL
----------------H. Kendrick- DL

------PE------//-----OP
7/28-3-0-2-0 // 6/11-5-2-6-0 (daily totals: H/AB,R,HR,RBI,SB)

Pitching: Rotation-Closers

-----PE----/------OP

Harang----------Haren
^Shields---------Greinke
Liriano---------^L.Hernandez
Cain-------------Dempster
S.Hill------------Cueto
Kuroda----------Galarraga
^Saito---------^Nathan
^Corpas-------^Wagner
^Wood--------^Broxton
^Acosta-------- Kazmir (DL)
^Betancourt
R. Soriano-DL
Harden (DL)

-----PE--------//------OP
0W/0S, 2-0-1-1// 0W/0S, 0-0-0-0 (daily totals: W/S,IP,ER,WH,K)

Weekly Totals- Batting Avg. PE(7/28) - OP (6/11)
Weekly Totals- ERA (0/(2/9) - OP ERA (0/(0/9)
Weekly Totals- Whip (1/2) - OP WHIP (0/0)
Weekly Starts(est/week to date) 7-----OP 7

Daily Activity:

PE-Byrd(drop)/Jacobs-Sun
OP Wakefield(drop)/Galarraga-Mon
PE-Jacobs(drop)/Betancourt-Mon
OP-Damon dropped/Crosby-Mon

Strategy: use Jacobs as spot play at Util. dropped for Betancourt
to further exploit saves advantage. This opponent has real
issues due to his main players being on the DL. Dropped Damon
for Crosby to spot for J.Roll. Weaver is on waivers and a priority
claim(4) has been used. He's eligible in Wednesday. Betancourt
would be dropped but will have save ops both Tues/Weds.

Game Keys: he had maximum performance from only 4 offensive
players getting 2 homers, 5 runs and 6 rbi.

^ -designates an active player on today's roster.
N- neither win or save.


Final Thoughts:

Millions of people in thousands of leagues on virtually
every continent play fantasy baseball on a daily basis.
No player should take advise from any source without
taking stock of their league's settings and a good working
knowledge of the basics of the game. With that said we
all play to different degrees based on time and interest.
Some people are fanatical, others are very serious and still
others are simply playing for casual enjoyment. The Player's
Edge welcomes all skill levels and the information provided
is not meant to be absolute. Simply said, when reviewing
the sections on streaming, spot plays and start/sit use those
players if you have a specific need. Be mindful of what specific
objective that you're trying to achieve, make your decisions
and move on. It's a 26 week long roller coaster ride so composure
and resiliency are the typical benchmarks of successful players.

To calculate era: total innings/9 = divisor, total earned runs/
by divisor = era. When using total innings use the fraction and
not the decimal to create the divisor. If your team has amassed
47.2 innings by Friday and allowed 9 runs the era would be
calculated as follows. 47.67/9 = 5.29667, 9/5.29667 = 1.70 era

Whip is calculated by adding the total hits and walks issued by
a pitcher or group of pitchers/total innings. Also use the fractional.
Ex: your team has pitched 34.1 innings so far this week and your
pitchers have allowed 46 combined runs and walks. Here's the
calculation 46/34.33 = 1.34 whip.

Batting average is total hits/total official atbats.

All Done!