Dream Come True

I guarantee you that something occurred last night that will swing the tides of leagues with 1-game position eligibility.

Albert Pujols played second base.

Yup, if you missed it, the slugger manned second base for the last four innings of a game last night. The Cardinals lost their other middle infielders to switches and injuries, and were forced to move Pujols to the spot.



My league uses 1-game position eligibility just to keep things interesting. And, sometimes, you get fluky things like this happening.

On my team, for instance, Brandon Inge is catcher eligible, after filling in behind the plate for I-Rod.

But, that's nothing compared to the Pujols incident.

Something similar happened in our league a few years back, when Jermaine Dye, in the midst of his monster 2005 season, manned shortstop for a couple innings.

Needless to say, Dye's owner moved him right into the SS spot on the roster. If my memory serves me correctly, he also walked away with the league title that season.

A lot of lucky Pujols owners are probably doing the same thing today. And I would be doing the same if I had the chance!

Who's Out There? (AL Version)

Well, it's not too soon to be looking to make some roster moves ... trying to pick up guys who may still be avilable in your leagues ...

Who are some of my picks?

Well, if you're in a deep keeper league (like mine), none of these guys are options. But, plenty of leagues may still have these guys dangling out there on the FA wires.

Cliff Lee: Wow, nice start to the season huh? Lee looks like he's back and focused. In fact, he's pitching as well now, as I ever think I've seen. Lee is the #1 most added player in CBS Sportsline leagues right now, with good reason. Will there be stumbles along the way? Sure! But, I'd put money down on a solid season.

Gavin Floyd: This guy is still owned in less than half of the CBS leagues right now. I'm not saying he'll be fantastic, but remember, he was a top prospect for a long time. There have been times he's looked simply dominant this season. Would be a solid addition for a lot of teams.

Greg Smith & Dana Eveland: These two A's hurlers have been flying under the radar. But, both look to be solid pickups for a team that's suprisingly feisty.

Mike Napoli: Looking for some cheap pop behind the plate, Napoli seems headed for a good year. His average isn't the best, but he's also not playing every single day, either, so he may not drag you down too badly in the category.

Carlos Quentin: Another longtime prospect looks to have locked up an everyday job with the White Sox. The average is a little low right now, but the pop appears to be there.

Ervin Santana: I was surprised to see this guy owner in 89% of the CBS leagues right now. He's pitching as well as he did when he posted 19 wins a couple years ago. The home/road woes seem to be fading a bit as well. Jump on board!

Oh ... and if you want a guy with some vulture potential ... look no further than my man Randor Bierd! He's a Rule 5'er who's jumped to the big leagues with 10 shutout innings in low leverage situations!

Plus, you get to own a guy named Randor!

Dropping Like Flies!

How big of a toll are injuries playing in your league?

I mean, seriously, this has been a freaky year already. When consistent types like Jeter and Mike Lowell are starting to go down, you know something is in the air.

On my team, it's only Cliff Floyd that's injured. And, really, who didn't see that one coming. God, I have to stop drafting the brittle brigade, because I know they exist to disappoint me.

In fact, I'm quite sure it's only a matter of time before Mike Sweeney comes down with SARS or Mad Cow Disease or the Hantavirus.

Are any of their replacements worth grabbing?

Wel, in my league ... most of these guys are already taken.

Justin Ruggiero is the type of guy that could steal a job in the big leagues while Floyd it out.

Will Greg Smith get more than 1 start now that Rich Harden is out? Maybe. And for all you praying for a Lenny DiNardo start ... well, you just might get your wish.

And what about Jed Lowrie? The guy seems like he can play, but there's no one in that lineup he's going to knock from their perch. Looks like Youkilis will slide over to 3B with Sean Casey getting more AB's.

Not sure who's next to go down ... but if you're placing wagers, put them on Mike Sweeney :)

One Week Down

Wow. There's a surprise for you.

After not feeling very confident about my draft, lo and behold, I finish the first week of the season in first place.

Yes, the newly christened Hersh-Hysers lead the field by 32 points.

How did I do it thus far?

Well, my worries about power disappeared as I led the league in Homers and RBI in Week 1. It doesn't hurt that Matsui, Cliff Floyd and Mike Napoli all banged out 2 dingers, with Ben Broussard (my 80 cent keeper!) knocking out 3!

Matsui shares hitting MVP with keeper David Murphy, who got off to a red-hot start in Texas. He even got me my first stolen base Sunday ... it looks like steals might be a concern category for me.

On the mound ... it was a solid week. 2 wins from Wang, and great outings from Santana, Carmona and Eveland got me in the right direction. And Joakim Soria was lights out for a hot Royals club.

Heck ... Randor is even throwing well, albeit for my reserve roster!

Can I keep this up? Well, I have to think guys like Konerko and Michael Young will get a little better, as some of the others get a little worse ... but I'll take a good start any day of the week!

I (Heart) Randor!

OK ... so how do I feel about my draft?

Well, my initial fears of not having enough offense may not be as bad as I first thought.

I'm hoping Michael Young and Paul Konerko can keep up what they've done in the past, that Josh Hamilton stays clean and productive, and that Hideki Matsui can do his usual.

The key to my team will be in the utility spots. I opted for 2 veteran, brittle players, who can hit if healthy. I'm a sucker for Mike Sweeney every year, but at 50 cents he was worth the gamble. If Cliff Floyd DH's more than he plays outfield, I feel good.

Did I get any bargains? Well, I love Coco Crisp at 50 cents. He's already playing with JD Drew hurt, and if he gets traded all the better.

I also don't mind Adam Loewen for 60 cents. Sure, he's on a crappy team, but I think as a long-term keeper that's not bad. REAL happy with Joel Zumaya at 40 cents. If he can come back healthy, I may have gotten a cheap closer for next year.

Of course, just because I'm a sick, sick man ... the pick that made me happiest was the last one. How can you not love having a guy named Randor Bierd on your team! Randor. I just like saying it.

As for early results ... well, I was in 11th place after day one, moved to 4th after Day 2, and now sit in second. Gotta love the early part of the season.

Roster Complete!

Well, a couple days after our draft began ... and it's finally over for me. I finished it today, with my lone Bonus Baby selection via e-mail.

Here's how my roster looked at the end of the draft (remember active roster has $30 salary cap) ... a * means I drafted them, the others were protected.

C Ramon Hernandez (1.9)
C Mike Napoli (.5)

1B Ben Broussard (.8)
2B Asdrubal Cabrera (.5)
SS Michael Young* (3.1)
3B Melvin Mora (.8)
MI Donnie Murphy* (.2)
CI Paul Kornerko* (3.4)

OF Jason Michaels (.3)
OF David Murphy (.5)
OF Josh Hamilton* (3.5)
OF Hideki Matsui* (3.4)

UT Mike Sweeney* (.5)
UT Coco Crisp* (.5)
UT Cliff Floyd* (.5)

P Paul Byrd (.5)
P Fausto Carmona (1.5)
P Jonathon Papelbon(1.3)
P Ervin Santana (1.5)
P Joakim Soria (.5)
P Chieng-Ming Wang (1.5)
P Dana Eveland* (.5)
P Joel Zumaya* (.4)
P Adam Loewen* (.5)

Reserves:

3B Brandon Inge
P Masa Kobayashi
P Hayden Penn
OF Nathan Haynes
1B Chris Shelton
SS Mike Moustakas
P Lance Broadway
P Fernando Cabrera
P Jorge Julio
2B Yung Chi Chen
P Randor Bierd

Bonus Babies:

2B Dustin Pedroia
OF Adam Lind
P Radhames Liz
3B Wes Hodges*

More on how I feel about the team in the next post ...