Yardbarker: Mark Prior

AARON RODGERS IS NOT GOING TO SUCK

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 10:50:33 -0500

by Andrew, The Grand National Championships

I'm not here to make the claim that Favre in 2007 would bring a downgrade to Rodgers in 2008. The asshole was awesome. But you know what? It was a lot more supporting cast aided then everybody's saying and the folks at Bring Back Brett Favre are nothing more than terrorists.

Polite, well-meaning, unorganized terrorists. But by the loosest sense of the word? They are.

ANYWAY, Aaron Rodgers. Sure, he's got a Mark Prior affinity to get himself hurt. But if he plays 16 games, the Packers will make the playoffs, and Rodgers will pull a 3700-30-10 season of yards/scores/picks.

I'm crazy right? Too much allergy medication for your old pal? Nah. There's logic to the ossified nightmare of Brett Favre. The Packers aren't going to miss him.

Reason #1 Ruvell Martin.

This guy's a 6'4" deep threat. He caught 80% of the looks that came his way in the Red Zone last season. He caught 70% of his looks on third down. And you know what? He's currently 5th on the Depth Chart.

Yeah, Ruvell is what those in the Roto world would call an opportunity based sleeper. See, Greg Jennings is the big-play guy. Donald Driver is the posession guy/mentor. James Jones is the guy who's on the Greg Jennings career track. And Jordy Nelson's a tall dude with elite hands and lateral quickness. Three big names get hurt and the Packers still aren't bereft of targets.

What does this mean? This means Babe Mother Falcon Laufenberg can rise up from his insurance desk, take snaps for the Packers, and still throw for a 51% completion rating. And Ryan Grant and Donald Lee aren't receiving chopped liver either.

Reason #2: The System

The system was not about gunslinging and just having fun out there. The system was built upon slants and receivers who could take it from there. What does this mean?

This means a talented offensive line had to hold their blocks for a shorter time. This means you won't have to roll up on a third and eighteen and throw it up for grabs. This means you can have Korey Hall or Donald Lee in for maximal protection. And you know what else?

The Packers running game just might not be an aberration either. Look at it this way, people. Spergeon Wynn could handle his shit with the other ten players that the Packers have.

Will the Packers not win the division? Maybe. Will they miss the playoffs? It's possible. If Aaron gets hurt, a 1st place schedule plus two cornerbacks who are becoming elderly could equal 8-8.

But hear me now, and let me be foolish if I am wrong.

If Aaron Rodgers stays healthy, he will be a good professional quarterback for the Packers in 2008. Let Favre rot.

Cubs 2nd Half - The Lump has Shown Up

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 12:11:11 -0500

All of you Cubbie fans out there know what I'm talking about. The lump that comes into the back of your throat when you start to worry about the season at hand getting away.....Here's the thing. The lump came late in those seasons because leading up to it they were in a battle, they were the ones hunting, not those being hunted. Well the lump has come already this season for me. It's very, very small, and can still ....

2/26/2004 - The Bartman Ball gets destroyed

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:47:36 -0500

How bad has it been for the Chicago Cubs the past 99 years? They were once so desperate to break their curse that they electrocuted, destroyed, and later ate the Steve Bartman baseball.

The Franchise Elite: Chicago Cubs

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 21:59:36 -0500

The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame launches a new series called the Franchise Elite, identifying the best players each club has offered during the Fantasy Era. The Chicago Cubs are first up, led by Sammy Sosa, Ryne Sandberg, and Greg Maddux.

Ace Pitching Floods Upper Midwest

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 08:26:23 -0500

After seeing Doug Melvin 90 miles to the north acquire CC (sans punctuation) Sabathia, Big Jim Hendry pulled out his own move acquiring hard-throwing but injury prone Mark Prior Rich Harden. To cover his ass for when if Harden gets injured, he coaxed Billy Beane to throw in Chad Gaudin, who can eat some innings [...]

Bears To Watch In Training Camp

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:11:36 -0500

With Training Camp fast approaching I wanted to put the spotlight on the Bears that will have to step up or prove themselves in their respective position. QB: Rex Grossman This one goes without saying. The Bears brought him back with a 1-year deal to try to once-and-for-all slay his demons and show that he can compete in the NFL consistently and not just show flashes of greatness followed by a game-ending interception. RB: Matt Forte Isn't this what every rookie dreams of when they are drafted? The starting spot has basically been handed to Forte, now he has to step it up and show that he deserves it. Coaches have been raving about his skills during OTA's but things are different with the pads on. The organization is holding its breath for the first few weeks of training camp to see how the youngster runs routes when he's being chased down by Urlacher and Co. in full contact drills. If things don't turn out well, the Bears may become big players on the running back market. WR: Brandon Lloyd There is a lot of attention being paid to Devin Hester but all Hester really needs is the ball in his hands and he can create his own plays. It appears the real score for the Bears on the free agent market was landing Lloyd out of Washington. Word from the Bears is he looks great in drills so far this summer and he appears to be distancing himself from the pack as the number 1 receiver. If he has a strong training camp Lloyd may be able to resurrect his career as a top wide out. TE: Greg Olsen Olsen has put together some flashy plays and has an incredible ability to go up and get after the ball. Bears quarterbacks need to look to him more often and hopefully will rely on him now that he has more experience. The Bears resigned Desmond Clark so Olsen will platoon for playing time. Both players are known for their good hands and ability to spread the field, but Olsen has blazing speed and incredible height to go along with it. Olsen has done everything right so far, he just needs to get more familiar with his quarterbacks and make sure they don't forget to look for him. OT: Chris Williams Ok rook, time to show us what you got. Chicago is not known for their great first round draft picks so Williams will have a lot of pressure on him to perform and perform well. Reporters and fans will be on his every step to see if maybe, just maybe, a first round draft pick will come through. He'll have a lot of veteran mentors on the line and hopefully he'll be up to the task. OG: Terrence Metcalf Entering into his seventh season in the league he has seen some short stints as a starter but the team has never had full faith in him. Now that Rueben Brown has departed, the job is his to lose. He will have to show coaches that he is ready to be a part of the offensive line and hold his own. Given his contribution in the past I think he's ready to be in the spotlight full time. C: Olin Kreutz Kreutz has long been considered the cog holding the Bears offensive line together and their undeniable leader. However, last year there was a sudden drop off in his productivity and he didn't look like his normal self. As a result the entire offensive line looked unprepared and confused all season. The success of the O-line starts and ends with Kreutz. He needs to get back into his old form if this offense is going to have a chance to move the ball. DE: Mark Anderson After a flashy rookie season, Anderson was given the opportunity to start at end over veteran Alex Brown and he folded under the pressure. His inability to handle the run distracted him from focusing his energy on being a great pass rusher. The Bears decided to resign Brown to a longer deal and put him back on the starting line for his experience to contain running backs. Anderson will return to his 3rd down role as a pass rushing threat on the edge. If Anderson can't find his rookie spark, he may find himself replacable down the line. DT: Matt Toeaina I had a hard time with this one because the real attention will be paid to Israel Idonije, who has put his time in as a special teamer and is trying to win a job as starting DT. However, I'll be particularly interested in watching the development of Toeaina. When the Bears were thin at the position towards the end of last season, they signed Toeaina and he burst into the backfield making plays against the Minnesota Vikings on Adrian Peterson. Any kid that can shed a block and chase down Peterson in the backfield is someone I want to keep an eye on. It may have been a fluke burst of adrenaline so he could make the team, but if not……you never know. LB: Brian Urlacher Urlacher may be the face of the defense but he also is admittedly playing with an arthritic lower back and coming off surgery on his neck this offseason. Eyes will be on Urlacher the first time he participates in contract drills to see how that back neck and back are going to hold up. It appears the neck is healed, but he will likely have to play the rest of his career dealing with an aching lower back. CB: Nathan Vasher There is a reason why they call him "The Interceptor." Vasher was injured most of last season and you could see how his absense had an effect on the team. When he returned to play a couple games the defense had a different swagger and more confidence in their play. Vasher also turned up with an interception. He's got a nose for the ball and when healthy and paired up with Charles Tillman, they can shut down opposing receivers. He needs to be healthy and get back to form for this defense to return to dominance. S: Mike Brown If you have never seen Mike Brown play I cannot even begin to describe him to you. He is to the Bears what Mark Prior was to the Chicago Cubs. He is not only Pro Bowl caliber, he is possibly a Hall Of Fame caliber player that has been sidelined by injuries his entire career. When he is on the field the Bears defense looks almost unstoppable. He will stop the run(101 tackles his rookie year), cover wide receivers, and has a knack for coming up with interceptions(14) and returning them for touchdowns (He is the franchise leader with 7 defensive TD's). He is the total package. When he plays the Tampa Cover-2 defense is running at it's best and will give an opposing quarterback nightmares. Last season he played in only one game and had to be taken off the field with an injury. After the game he broke down in tears in frustration over his career. He wasn't sure if he would return but he agreed with the Bears to give it one more shot. Every Bear fan and player prays that Brown can stay healthy and make a huge difference on this defense. Oh, and please be sure to visit our new Fan-Sided Main Page!: FanSided

Passan's All-overpaid and All-underpaid Teams

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:24:33 -0500

By Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports Take a bow, Carl Pavano. Just don't hurt your back. You, sir, are the kind of baseball player that makes the annual All-Overpaid team possible. Since you signed with the New York Yankees four years ago for $39.95 million – remember, you fired your agent because he didn't get you $40 million! – you have made 19 starts, won five games and earned $359,282.51 for every inning you pitched. The Yankees expect you back in August. Yeah, just like they expect $1 gas. Sadly, your contract expires this offseason, which means another lucky soul can be recognized for being grossly overpaid, even by baseball standards. In the interest of fairness, we'll take another shot at the All-Underpaid team, too. The same caveat applies this year as did last: no players who have yet to hit arbitration. Baseball rules artificially depress their salary, and the credit due to teams for signing them doesn't apply. So that means no Josh Hamilton, even though, at $396,830, he is probably baseball's biggest bargain. No Carlos Quentin ($400,000), Ryan Ludwick ($411,000), Nate McLouth ($425,000), Edinson Volquez ($382,000) or Tim Lincecum ($405,000), either.

Cleveland Bests Slumping Texas Bullpen, 13-9; Rangers May Player Of The Month Awards

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:28:09 -0500

The Texas Rangers waste yet another dramatic rally with their second horrific bullpen implosion in as many games; running through the Rangers' Major and Minor League Players of the Month for May.

Steve Bartman sighting in Arizona

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 00:45:34 -0500

If you're from Chicago, you remember the play. The Cubs were five outs away from going to the World Series. With one out in the top of the eighth inning in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, Luis Castillo slapped a Mark Prior fastball toward the left field corner and Moises Alou sprinted toward the dividing brick wall. And while most fans with a grasp of baseball common sense..

Dusty Baker Is Out to Ruin More Young Arms

Wed, 28 May 2008 14:26:05 -0500

Dusty Baker appears determined to ruin the young of the Reds just like he did in Chicago in 2003 with Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Cincinnati fans and fantasy owners in keeper leagues need to be wary of what Baker is currently doing to Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez.

Joba's dad says his son is ready to start

Fri, 23 May 2008 09:28:44 -0500

Is Joba Chamberlain ready to be a starting pitcher for the Yankees? I don't think so... this move could backfire.

Fantasy Rundown: Joba (Finally) Set to Start

Thu, 22 May 2008 02:40:11 -0500

Joba Chamberlain looks like he will finally be making his long awated transition to the starting rotation according to manager Joe Girardi. While the Yankees wait Darrell Rasner has helped shore up the rotation, Bartolo Colon returned to the majors, Chone Figgins returned from the DL, and Dusty Baker is out to ruin another young promising arm in this edition of the Fantasy Rundown.

The Greatest One Hit Wonders

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:21:21 -0500

The Fantasy Baseball Hall of Fame presents the greatest one hit wonders of the fantasy era.

Bartman Off the Hook?

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:01:09 -0500

If you're from Chicago, you remember the play. The Cubs were five outs away from going to the World Series. With one out in the top of the eighth inning, Luis Castillo slapped a Mark Prior fastball toward the left field corner and Moises Alou sprinted toward the dividing brick wall. And while most fans with a grasp of baseball common sense knew to get out of the way, the now-infamous Steve Bartman reached out with both hands and knocked it away from Alou's extended glove. Or did he ...

Spring Training Injury Impact - Pitchers

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:14:17 -0500

In this article, we discuss the severity and fantasy impact of injuries sustained by pitchers during spring training.