ILX Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball League 2003 -- Part 2 . . .

"It usually isn't the Cubs if something disappointing hasn't happened, and sure, enough, that's the case here. Now sure, Bobby Hill could have helped himself by having a great camp, but he was good enough to win the job last spring, last summer, and last fall. Why should a little bit of March yips change anything? Because the new sheriff in town probably needed to see something, in the same way that he's convinced that Mark Bellhorn's not good enough if he's only hitting homeruns or drawing walks. But again, perhaps far too predictably, a Dusty-designed team favored the graybeards. So Eric Karros and Mark Grudzielanek will play, although at least Hee Choi managed to hold onto a job-sharing arrangement at first. And then you've got a Cubs bench loaded with some of the scrubbier scrubs around, Tom Goodwin and Lenny Harris and Troy O'Leary, all years removed from utility, plus Ramon E. Martinez, who, like Goodwin, is another one of Dusty's guys from the Giants. You can almost sense the disappointment that Antonio Alfonseca wasn't healthy, so that Kyle Farnsworth could be flagellated for contributing to the unlamented departure of Don Baylor. Rod Beck had a good enough camp to make it, but having overcommitted to guys like Dave Veres and Mark Guthrie already, the Cubs were a bit hamstrung in terms of their choices in the bullpen. Should they finally find a partner to deal for Farnsworth, they'll have made space for someone appropriately old enough to not be mistaken for one of the batboy's fathers."

Yip!

But haha to whoever picked up Dempster after me.

Haha and Weathers gets the 2-inning hold but Benitez blows it AND Rocky Biddle gets the win in the same game!

Leee, you have to call him the Rockmeister.

Leee, always a pleasure doing business with you. Being a pedigreed former CDK pitcher always carries with it a certain guarantee of quality. I demand retractions from everyone who even contemplated vetoing the Lo Duca for Biddle trade for being too one-sided in my favor.

OMG, KKKKKKKKKKerry Wood threw a gem yesterday.

Maybe Zito just wants to fit in with the other Hall of Famer pitchers who have been stinking it up. He's impressionable. It's been worth it for the sweet extra Smoltz footage talking about what's wrong with Maddux on BT.

Felicity, do you realize how many KKKKKKKs your team has right now? It's obscene.

'Grape' Appier, Vazquez, and Brian Anderson (who was just picked up in a fit of homeritis). 'Zippo' Leiter pitched another great game.

I'm seriously considering starting a Tim Couch bobblehead doll at third base.

This is the Pocket minute for April 14th.

If you can't do it, or don't think it's right that's ok, too.

I kind of got rooked, but my team needed a shakeup.

Vazquez stikes out the side in the first inning!

oh?

i also wuv sunday nite baseball but living the wrong side of the atlantic means it doesn't get going til ONE IN THE MORNING, which is rub when one has to go to work on monday :(

i'm still toying with the idea of signing up to NASN (http:\\www.nasn.com), but ten squid a month seems a little excessive, and also means you don't get the fantastic channel five presenters who are v funny.

Carsmile you should root for the Dodgers. They have a wonderfully distinguished history, the best radio announcer (Vin Scully) a great ballpark, the best uniforms in baseball, great weather and could really use some sincere overseas fans. Trust me.

Did I mention the Dodgers have the best uniforms? How do they get their whites so white?

The Dodgers would be more like Newcastle or Liverpool or some other team that is in no danger of relegation and occasionally wins but are not hated, overspending perpetual winners. Is there a famously long-suffering perrenial Premiere League team that doesn't get relegated but still never wins? That would be the Cubs.

sorry about rub link skills, nasn is a new satellite channel showing mlb, nhl and loads of college sport (nasn = north american sports network) oh and nascar too (yaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnnnn, and i'm a formula 1 fan). it's http://www.nasn.com obv. not entirely convinced it's worth the money, i imagine most of their subscribers are ex-pats and military types (and insomniacs) over here...

dodgers are also NL aren't they? can't be doing with this DH nonsense ;)

buh-leeve me, i hear enough of the dodger fandom in my reality baseball life f.

my dad is originally (and now) from los angeles and he gives me enough grief. most of my friends are dodgers fans.

and hold your horses, before you think i'm 100% behind the giants. i think i mentioned earlier that i hated the 1980s giants (will clark barf) but warmed when barry signed with them. (my favorite team in the 70s-early 90s were the Pirates.) one of my most hated players last year was a giant. his initials are Jeff Kent. i was never huge on dusty baker (or darren baker even!) giants pitchers are mediocre at best, their "stars" are ridiculously over-rated... very lucky.

the dodgers have been so mediocre in the past few years, i almost feel sorry for them. i do have some giants paraphenalia, but it's only in tribute to bonds. i have no respect for the management.

[i'm actually in a great mood right now, hard to believe]

Dodgers are NL yes. Double-switch or die! Jim Tracy's a gem of a manager, you'll enjoy him. Oh yes, you get Shawn Green and Eric Gagne, very exciting team . . .

See, the Dodgers and Jints have one of the Classic Rivalries in all of sports. Learn about Bobby Thomson and 1951.

or even "the devil rays", what's that all aboot? maybe if i support the expos they'll come and play some games in london :)

gagne's the awkward looking closer with the funny beard, yes?

i shall ponder this a little longer i think, anyway, anything's better than supporting exeter city (curse you, hopkins and your persuasive ways, "just come to one game" he said, "what harm can it do?" he said, four games this season and scanning the results feverishly every saturday, and a future of trolling round non-league grounds is where it leads i fear...)