The top-10 third basemen in 2006:

1. Miguel Cabrera, Marlins

His power numbers went down slightly in '06, but Cabrera made up for it by hitting a career-best .339. He set a career-high with 50 doubles to go along with 26 homers and 114 RBIs. Cabrera won his arbitration case in the offseason and will be paid $7.4 million in '07.

2. David Wright, Mets

Do you know any male Mets fans who don't have man-crushes on New York's third baseman? Wright hit .311 with 26 homers and 116 RBIs last year. He also stole 20 bases. At 24-years-old, look for Wright to be at the top of this list for years to come.

3. Garrett Atkins, Rockies

He broke out in '06, hitting .329 with 29 homers, 120 RBIs and 48 doubles. At 27-years-old, this will be just his third full season in the majors.

4. Alex Rodriguez, Yankees

A-Rod is in the same situation Peyton Manning was in before this season. Regular season means nothing. He could bat .370 with 65 homers and 160 RBIs, and every columnist in America would break out his woeful postseason numbers. Luckily for fantasy owners, regular-season numbers are all that matter. In a down year, Rodriguez hit .290 with 35 homers (his lowest total since 1997), 121 RBIs and 113 runs scored.

5. Aramis Ramirez, Cubs

He struggled in the beginning of '06, hitting .258 pre-All-Star break. However, Ramirez rebounded to set career-highs with 38 homers and 119 RBIs. Chicago signed him to a five-year, $75 million deal in the offseason.

6. Chipper Jones, Braves

Here's what Jones told the Associated Press about his bad feet: "There's not a foot doctor in America who will touch me right now. There's all these horror stories about breaking the feet and resetting them. No one is going to take a professional athlete and take a chance on ending his career" Jones played in 110 games last year and had 411 at-bats. When in the lineup, he was productive, hitting .324 with 26 homers and 86 RBIs.

7. Ryan Zimmerman, Nationals

One of baseball's brightest young stars, he burst on to the scene with 20 homers, 110 RBIs and a .287 average in his rookie season. He also had 47 doubles and 11 stolen bases. Zimmerman is 22-years-old.

8. Scott Rolen, Cardinals

After missing much of '05 with injuries, Rolen bounced back with a solid year in '06, hitting .296 with 22 homers, 95 RBIs and 48 doubles. He says his surgically repaired shoulder is feeling even better this year, and Rolen is even talking to Tony La Russa again. Ahh...all is right in the world.

9. Troy Glaus, Blue Jays

He's hit 75 home runs over the past two seasons and tied for the league lead among third basemen with 38 bombs in '06. You can't question Glaus's power, but know that he won't hit much better than .250, and he struck out 134 times last season.

10. Chone Figgins, Angels

He played third base 34 times in '06 but figures to see much more time there in '07 after the Angels signed Gary Matthews Jr. in the offseason. Figgins' average dipped to .267 last year, but he's stolen 114 bases over the past two seasons.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 1:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

These were the top-10 shortstops in 2006:

1. Jose Reyes, Mets

He took a big step last year, hitting .300 with 19 homers and 81 RBIs. Reyes led the majors with 64 stolen bases and has 124 SBs over the last two years. At just 23-years-old, Reyes figures to be one of fantasy's top players for years to come.

2. Derek Jeter, Yankees

The other New York shortstop (that's a joke, I bet A-Rod enjoyed it) hit .343 in '06, which was good enough for second in the American League. Jeter had 97 RBIs (the second-highest total of his career) and 34 stolen bases (his highest total since 2002). At 32-years-old, Jeter doesn't appear to be slowing down at all.

3. Miguel Tejada, Orioles

The O's shortstop posted a career-high .330 average and was tied for third in the majors with 214 hits. He hasn't missed a game in six years and piled up at least 100 RBIs for the sixth time in seven years. Early reports say that Tejada arrived at spring training in great shape and with a great attitude. The only negative was that his 24 homers in '06 was his lowest total since 1999.

4. Hanley Ramirez, Marlins

Florida's leadoff man did a little bit of everything in his rookie campaign. Ramirez hit .292 with 17 homers, 46 doubles and 51 stolen bases. In his sophomore year, Ramirez will look to cut down on his 128 strikeouts, which were the most of any National League shortstop.

5. Jimmy Rollins, Phillies

Philadelphia's shortstop set career-highs with 25 homers, 83 RBIs, 45 doubles and 127 runs scored. Rollins has never missed more than eight games in his six-year career.

6. Carlos Guillen, Tigers

He'll look to build on last year's postseason when Guillen hit .362 for the Tigers. During the regular season, he set career-highs with a .320 average and 100 runs scored. Guillen -- a free agent at the end of the season -- also had 19 homers, 85 RBIs and 41 doubles.

7. Rafael Furcal, Dodgers

In his first season with Los Angeles, Furcal hit .300 for the first time in his career, tied a career-high with 15 homers and set a career-high with 63 RBIs. He also stole 37 bases. The Dodgers signed Juan Pierre in the offseason, but L.A. manager Grady Little says Furcal will remain in the leadoff spot.

8. Michael Young, Rangers

He hit at least .300 for the fourth straight season. Young failed to hit at least 20 homers for the first time in three seasons, but he led the league with 52 doubles and drove in at least 100 runs for the first time in his career.

9. Bill Hall, Brewers

He played 127 games at shortstop in '06, but Hall is moving to center field for Milwaukee this season. Hall broke out for 35 homers last season, more than two times his previous career-high. He also finished fourth in the majors with 162 strikeouts and was caught stealing nine times in 17 attempts.

10. Felipe Lopez, Nationals

Like Hall, Lopez is set for a position switch in '07, moving to second base for Washington. He set career-highs with 44 stolen bases and 98 runs scored last year even though his power numbers went down.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Here they are. A reminder -- these are the top-10 second baseman from 2006, not rankings or projections for 2007. We'll get to those in a couple weeks.

1. Chase Utley, Phillies

A fan-favorite in Philadelphia, Utley hit .309 with 32 homers and 102 RBIs last year. He also led the league with 131 runs scored and stole 15 bases. Utley signed a seven-year, $85 million deal with Philadelphia in the offseason.

2. Ray Durham, Giants

At 34-years-old, he set career-highs with 26 homers and 93 RBIs in 2006. He hasn't reached 500 at-bats in the last four seasons, but Durham has hit at least .280 in five straight seasons. Can he once again put up big power numbers? The Giants seem to think so. They signed Durham to a two-year, $14.5 million deal in the offseason.

3. Robinson Cano, Yankees

He missed 40 games, but Cano still hit .342 (third-best in the American League) and piled up 15 homers and 78 RBIs. At just 24-years-old, he figures to be one of the top fantasy second basemen for years to come.

4. Dan Uggla, Marlins

He made his major league debut at the age of 26 and turned out to be one of fantasy's biggest surprises last season. Uggla hit 27 homers in '06, which was good enough for second-best among second basemen. His 90 RBIs were third-best.

5. Brandon Phillips, Reds

After not panning out as a prospect in Cleveland, Phillips turned heads last year as Cincinnati's everyday second basemen. He hit .276 with 17 homers and 75 RBIs to go along with 25 stolen bases -- third best among second basemen.

6. Brian Roberts, Orioles

He set a career-high with 36 steals (tops among AL second basemen) last year to go along with a .286 average, 10 homers and 55 RBIs. Nine of his 10 bombs came after the All-Star break. Fantasy owners who are expecting big things from Roberts this season are hoping he'll produce power numbers like he did in '05 when he hit 18 homers and 73 RBIs.

7. Tadahito Iguchi, White Sox

In his second full major league season, Chicago's second baseman hit .281 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs. He showed minimal improvement from his rookie season in '05 when Iguchi hit .278 with 15 homers and 71 RBIs.

8. Josh Barfield, Indians

San Diego dealt him to Cleveland in the offseason for Kevin Kouzmanoff and Andrew Brown. As a rookie, Barfield hit .280 with 13 homers, 58 RBIs and 21 steals.

9. Orlando Hudson, Diamondbacks

In his first season with Arizona, Hudson hit .283 with career-highs 15 homers and 67 RBIs. Hudson also stole 11 bases. Fourteen of his 15 homers came in the final four months of the season.

10. Luis Castillo, Twins

He had a new team in '06, but Castillo's fantasy numbers stayed the same. After spending 10 years with the Marlins, Castillo hit .296 with 25 steals in his first season with Minnesota. Castillo consistenly bats around .300 and possesses no power.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 11:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Here are the top-10 first basemen from 2006. Again, these are not rankings, but just a look back at some of last year's top performers

1. Ryan Howard, Phillies

After winning the National League MVP in his first full season in the big leagues, what can Howard do for an encore? It will be tough to top his numbers from last year -- .313, 58 homers, 149 RBIs. A big factor will be the production of Pat Burrell, who is slated to hit behind Howard. While Burrell put up solid fantasy numbers in 2006, he was a nightmare with runners in scoring position, and pitchers threw around Howard more towards the end of the season.

2. Albert Pujols, Cardinals

He's the surest thing in fantasy baseball. Pujols had another typical season in 2006, hitting .331 with 49 homers and 137 RBIs. That makes four straight years where he's hit at least 40 bombs and batted at least .330. An absolute fantasy beast.

3. Lance Berkman, Astros

He didn't get as much hype as the top-two guys last year, but Berkman was nearly as good for Houston. He hit .313 to go along with career-highs 45 homers and 136 RBIs. Of the 152 games he played in, Berkman played first base in 112 of them.

4. David Ortiz, Red Sox

This one's a stretch, considering he only started four games at first base in 2006. But Big Papi set a career-high with 54 homers last year to go along with 137 RBIs. He's had at least 40 homers and 135 RBIs in three straight seasons.

5. Justin Morneau, Twins

Last year's AL MVP hit .321 with 34 homers and 130 RBIs. It was a monstrous leap for Minnesota's first baseman after he hit .239 with 22 homers and 79 RBIs in 2005.

6. Travis Hafner, Indians

Like Big Papi, Hafner is his team's everyday DH (he only played four games at first base last year), but I'm including him anyway. He hit .308 with 42 homers and 117 RBIs last year. Hafner's hit over .300 with at least 100 RBIs in three straight seasons.

7. Paul Konerko, White Sox

It's tough to find a more consistent performer during the past three seasons. Konerko posted a career-high .313 average to go along with 35 bombs and 113 RBIs last season.

8. Jim Thome, White Sox

Another DH candidate (where else was I supposed to mention these guys?). Thome had a major bounce-back season, slamming 42 homers to go along with 109 RBIs. In 59 games with the Phillies in 2005, Thome managed just seven homers, 30 RBIs and a .207 average.

9. Frank Thomas, Blue Jays

He's the only player on this list who had a change of scenery in the offseason. As Oakland's DH last year, Thomas hit 39 homers and 114 RBIs. The 38-year-old will now try to repeat that performance in Toronto.

10. Mark Teixeira, Rangers

After hitting just nine homers in the first half of 2006, Teixeira came on strong, finishing the season with 33 homers and 110 RBIs. He's had at least 30 homers and 110 RBIs in three straight seasons.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
                    

Do you ever meet someone for the first time, shake his or her hand and then completely forget the person's name three seconds later? This happens to me frequently, and then I have to make like George Costanza and cook up some scheme to figure out the person's name without having to ask them again.

Anyway, as I sat down to start fantasy baseball rankings for 2007, I realized that if I forget names so easily in real life, I probably need a refresher on how these guys performed on the fantasy front in 2006. So in the next week or so, we'll take a look at the top-10 finishers at each position from last season. Keep in mind that this is based only on how they ranked at the end of 2006 and is not a prediction of how they'll perform in 2007. Let's start with the catchers:

1. Brian McCann, Braves

He led all catchers in home runs (24) and tied for the position lead with 93 RBIs to go along with a .333 average. Consider he just turned 23-years-old yesterday, and McCann has the talent to be a fantasy stud for years to come.

2. Joe Mauer, Twins

Either he's the American League version of McCann or McCann's the National League version of him. Mauer became the first catcher in 64 years to win a batting title as he hit .347 for the Twins. Mauer has yet to put up big power numbers (16 homers, 82 RBIs in '06), but keep in mind that he's only 23-years-old. In the offseason, he signed a four-year, $33 million extension with Minnesota.

3. Victor Martinez, Indians

He struggled defensively, but Martinez was a productive fantasy player, hitting .316 with 16 homers and 93 RBIs. Martinez is one of the most consistent producers at catcher. His three-year averages: .301, 20 homers, 94 RBIs.

4. Jorge Posada, Yankees

At 35-years-old, he's not the fantasy stud he once was (30 homers, 101 RBIs in 2001). However, as you can see by his ranking, Posada was still among the top catchers in 2006 as he hit .277 with 23 homers and 93 RBIs.

5. Ramon Hernandez, Orioles

He set career-highs with 23 homers and 91 RBIs in his first season with Baltimore. Hernandez also set a career-high with 501 at-bats and appeared to slow down at times in the second half of the season (he hit .188 in July). He wants to be in the lineup everyday, but the O's addressed their backup catcher situation in the offseason, which could mean fewer at-bats for Hernandez.

6. Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers

The 35-year-old doesn't have the power he used to. In 1999, he hit 35 homers to go along with 113 RBIs. He also put together a stretch of five straight seasons with at least 20 homers. Pudge can still hit for average though, having reached .300 in two of the past three seasons. Last year, he batted .300 with 13 homers and 69 RBIs.

7. Kenji Johjima, Mariners

The 30-year-old put together a solid rookie campaign, hitting .291 with 18 homers and 76 RBIs. He broke the record for hits (147) by a rookie catcher.

8. Mike Piazza, Athletics

He's experienced more offseason change than the others in the top-10. Last year, Piazza caught 99 games with the Padres and hit .283 with 22 homers -- his highest total since 2002 -- and 68 RBIs. He now finds himself in Oakland, where he's likely to hit cleanup as the team's designated hitter.

9. A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox

He hit .295 with 16 homers and 64 RBIs in his second season in Chicago. The White Sox brought in Toby Hall in the offseason so Pierzynski could often find himself on the bench against lefties in 2007.

10. Johnny Estrada, Brewers

He hit .302 with 11 homers and 71 RBIs with the Diamondbacks last year. Arizona dealt him to Milwaukee in the offseason

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

I remember in college, I went down to the Jersey shore for 4th of July one year with a bunch of friends.

One night, for no apparent reason, my roommate started jumping up and down on one of the beds in the hotel room. Next thing we knew, he was grabbing his knee. Man down! He had torn his ACL (for the second time in his life). And to make matters worse, think about what he had to tell doctors when they asked how he did it.

So what does this have to do with fantasy baseball? Earlier today, Reds center fielder Ken Griffey Jr. revealed that he had broken his throwing hand by wrestling with his kids on a yacht in the Bahamas. Just for the record, any time you're telling a tale of misfortune, if it happened on a yacht in the Bahamas, it's likely to get less sympathy than normal. Anyway, Griffey says he's ready for training camp. The 37-year-old was productive last year when he was in the lineup. Griffey hit 27 homers and had 72 RBIs in 109 games. He's played an average of 92 games per season since 2000.

And then there's Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood, who injured his chest by slipping in a hot tub. Wood pitched off the mound Saturday and is expected to be fine. Always a risky fantasy pick, he's started just 14 games over the past two seasons. Wood's best fantasy season came in 2003, when he went 14-11 with a 3.20 ERA and 266 strikeouts.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 4:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Erik Bedard agreed to a one-year, $3.4 million deal with the Orioles Saturday.

The O's ace was a very good fantasy option last year, going 15-11 with a 3.76 ERA and 171 strikeouts. He also tossed a 196 1/3 innings.

Bedard started out fast in 2006, winning his first four decisions. He then hit his only real rough patch of the season, losing six of his next seven decisions. Bedard bounced back and was phenomenal in July, going 4-0 with a 1.54 ERA. He ended up as the 21st-ranked fantasy pitcher (15th best in AL only leagues) and set career-bests for wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and ERA.

I won't deliver my rankings for a few weeks, but I've seen Bedard ranked as high as 20 and as low as 40 among starting pitchers by other fantasy outlets.

In other news...

Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera won his arbitration case and will get paid $7.4 million in 2007. Cabrera failed to hit at least 30 homers for the first time in three seasons last year, managing 26 bombs to go along with 114 RBIs and a career-best .339 average...

Closer Keith Foulke announced his retirement after signing as a free agent with the Indians so don't be that guy who drafts him as your friends laugh and hurl things in your direction. Foulke had a number of tremendous fantasy seasons from 1999-2004. He set a career-high with 43 saves with the Red Sox in 2003, but he'll be remembered more for the role he played in Boston's World Series run the following year...

Roger Clemens says he's 80 percent sure he's retiring. Anyone else tired of going through this year after year? Clemens was good last year, making 19 starts for the Astros. He went 7-6 with a 2.30 ERA and 101 strikeouts.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 9:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Orioles pitcher Kris Benson will likely miss the 2007 season because of a torn rotator cuff.

Benson was not a great fantasy option in 2006. He started 30 games and went 11-12 with a 4.82 ERA and a career-high three complete games. According to ESPN.com's player ratings, he was the 127th-ranked pitcher in the majors. After losing two of his first three starts in 2006, Benson won five of his next six decisions. However, he had a brutal finish, going 2-7 after July 1.

Benson's best fantasy season was in 2000 with the Pirates when he went 10-12 and set career-bests in strikeouts (184), innings pitched (217) and ERA (3.86). For his career, Benson is 68-73 with a 4.34 ERA.

So if Benson misses the 2007 season, who takes his place? The Sun's Roch Kubatko, Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal and Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman have all mentioned the name Steve Trachsel. Heyman confirms that the Orioles are talking to the 36-year-old veteran. Trachsel went 15-8 with a 4.97 ERA with the Mets last season. Since joining New York in 2001, he's won at least 11 games in five of six seasons. On the fantasy front, he's on the same plane as Benson. Last year's win total was good, but his ERA was the highest it's been since 1999, and Trachsel's strikeout numbers are not impressive.

Rosenthal also mentions left-handers Ron Villone and Mark Redman. Villone has not started a game since 2004 and is 37-years-old. He spent last season in the bullpen with the Yankees, going 3-3 with a 5.04 ERA. Redman, meanwhile, went 11-10 with a 5.71 ERA in Kansas City last year. He has a career record of 64-75 with a 4.65 ERA.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 5:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

The twins and catcher Joe Mauer agreed on a four-year, $33 million deal Sunday.

Mauer was a fantasy stud in 2006, leading the AL with a .347 average. He's only 23-years-old, and while his power numbers weren't great (13 homers, 84 RBIs), they should continue to improve over the next few years. And hopefully, at some point in his career, we won't have to hear announcers tell the story of how Bobby Bowden recruited Mauer to play football at Florida State. Keep your fingers crossed.

As for this year's drafts, Mauer should be the first catcher off the board. Cleveland's Victor Martinez was very good last year (.316, 16 homers, 93 RBIs) and Atlanta's Brian McCann also put up good numbers (.333, 24 homers, 93 RBIs).

Other solid catchers from 2006: Ramon Hernandez (.275, 23 homers, 91 RBIs), Kenji Johjima (.291, 18 homers, 76 RBIs), Jorge Posada (.277, 23 homers, 93 RBIs), Ivan Rodriguez (.300, 13 homers, 69 RBIs).

With Mauer's potential though, it would be tough to select any of those guys ahead of him.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Drew Brees dislocated his left elbow in the Pro Bowl Saturday evening.

Did you see the play where it happened? Me neither. And that's the point.

Why do they still play the Pro Bowl? It has to be the worst All-Star game out there in the three major sports (I don't even count hockey anymore). I know players rarely get injured in the game, but nobody watches it. I go through withdrawal after football season every year, but even I tuned in to a full slate of college basketball action Saturday rather than the Pro Bowl.

Here's what I propose. They name Pro Bowlers every year. This way, players can still be honored for being among the game's elite. Instead of a game, the players just go to Hawaii and still do the goofy skills competitions and other events. You schedule fan outings everyday during the week (autograph sessions, charity events, etc.) so that players can re-connect with the fans in the stands who buy tickets during the season (I'm actually not sure about this part. Who goes to the Pro Bowl? Do fans build Hawaiian vacations around it? Is the crowd all native Hawaiians? Someone help me out here). At the end of the week, everyone goes home. Nobody gets hurt. How does this not make sense?

As for Brees, he was a phenomenal fantasy quarterback in 2006. The Saints' signal-caller led the NFL with 4,418 passing yards and was third in the league with 26 touchdowns. Keep in mind that he only attempted five passes in New Orleans' meaningless regular-season finale. Entering the 2006 season, Brees' shoulder injury was a major question. Early word on his dislocated elbow is that it's no big deal, and it should have no impact on his fantasy value going into next year's drafts.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 9:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

In case you missed it, pitcher Aaron Harang signed a four-year, $36.5 million deal with the Reds, and Bill Hall agreed to a four-year, $24 million extension with the Brewers.

Harang was tremendous last year, leading the National League with 216 strikeouts and six complete games. He tied for the league lead with 16 wins and posted a solid 3.76 ERA. Although 2006 was by far his most productive season, Harang has posted double-digit wins every year since 2004. He'll likely be among the top-10 NL pitchers off the board in this year's drafts.

Hall was also very good last year, hitting .270 with 35 homers and 85 RBIs. However, he struck out 162 times (fourth-most in the majors). An advantage for his owners last year was that Hall saw time at second base, shortstop, third base and the outfield. He's expected to be Milwaukee's center fielder in 2007, but his eligibility will likely vary in different leagues.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 5:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Colts 29, Bears 17

9:22: Rex Grossman was just intercepted by Indy's Kelvin Hayden (who?). Hayden returned the INT for a touchdown, putting the Colts up, 29-17. Grossman has heard the criticism all year, and that will undoubtedly continue after this one. The interception is challenged, but Hayden did indeed stay in-bounds during the play.

9:31: Ouch. Another pick from Grossman. He's turned the ball over three times.

9:46: It's a two-possession game, but Chicago tight end Dallas Clark just dropped a pass from Grossman on fourth-down. It looks like this one is over. If it's any consolation to Ravens fans, they lost to the eventual Super Bowl champs, and Baltimore did a better job than the other teams in bottling up Indy's offense. That makes you feel better right? Didn't think so.

9:55: And so ends another football season. Peyton Manning's career is validated for some. Is he a better quarterback today than he was yesterday? Not really. But this one day will make a huge difference when people look back on Manning's career.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 9:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Colts 22, Bears 17

8:40: I can't comment on Prince's halftime performance. Do people like Prince? I don't know what's 'cool' with music anymore. Anyway, the Colts just put together a scoring drive that took half of the third quarter. The problem? They only came away with a field goal. 19-14 Indy.

8:43: Some numbers to illustrate how the Colts have dominated time of possession. With 7:26 left in the third quarter, Rex Grossman has attempted just eight passes. It has been 56 minutes since Chicago's last offensive snap. 56 minutes!

8:46: I have no connection with Grossman, but I am embarassed for him after Chicago's last two offensive snaps. The Bears had a 2nd-and-1, and Grossman lost 11 yards on consecutive plays. He was under pressure, but just tripped over his own feet. Just when you think this one can't get any sloppier...

8:54: The Colts just ran the ball on 3rd-and-goal from the 10-yard line. I don't get it. I know Dominic Rhodes got all the way down to the 2-yard line, but don't you have to let Peyton Manning take a shot at the end zone there?

8:55: I'll go back to something I said earlier. Steve Young once said that in big games, when he had to settle for a field goal, he felt like the 49ers got a little closer to losing the game. That's how Colts fans have to be feeling right now. Indianapolis has completely outplayed the Bears, but this is a one-possession game, 22-14. Unbelievable.

9:05: Chicago just scored on a Robbie Gould field goal. 22-17 Indianapolis.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 9:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Colts 16, Bears 14

7:28: Justin Timberlake just did a commercial for the Grammys next week. Why don't they have someone like him perform at halftime? Oh, never mind.

7:50: Indy's Bryan Fletcher just fumbled. I saw Peyton Manning say he calls Fletcher 'Mr. Suggestion' because he's always offering up his thoughts on how the offense should run. Well, 'Mr. Suggestion' just fumbled, killing a solid Colts drive. I'm sure Indy fans could come up with a new nickname for Fletcher if the Bears score here.

7:51: Never mind. I guess neither team wants to win this one. Rex Grossman just fumbled the snap, giving the Colts the ball back. That's the second time tonight there have been turnovers on consecutive plays. Think about that. And this is supposed to be football at its finest?

7:57: I have no clue how you gauge which team has the momentum going into halftime. I guess it's Chicago. Adam Vinatieri just missed a 36-yard field goal.

8:00: Some numbers from the first half. The Colts have 14 first downs; the Bears have 3. Indy has 193 passing yards; the Bears have 32. The Colts also have a huge advantage in time of possession. Six total turnovers for both teams. Not pretty.

8:02: Shannon Sharpe on the fumbles: 'Keep your eye on your luggage!' Do I know what he's talking about? No way. Do I love it? Absolutely. Will I steal this line and try to pass it off for my own? There's no question.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 8:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Bears 14, Colts 9

7:23: Adam Vinatieri hits a field goal to cut Chicago's lead to 14-9 over the Colts. Two big themes so far in the first half. Number one, the weather. I thought this storyline was overplayed going into the game, but we already saw Indy botch a PAT possibly because of the rain. Number two, special teams. We've had the missed extra point and the Hester touchdown. Maybe Rex Grossman will have less of an impact in this one than we thought.

7:26: CBS just said we can catch all the ads on demand after the game. That's good stuff. I've been debating whether to make these entries during commercials or during the game. I'm not sure what's more important.

7:27: The camera just showed Peyton Manning possibly complaining about the play-calling on the sideline. I remember hearing Steve Young once say that every time his team kicked a field goal in a big game, he felt like he was closer to losing. I guess Manning feels the same way.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 7:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Bears 14, Colts 6

6:22: The NFC has won 10 straight coin tosses? Good nugget Jim Nantz.

6:28: Devin Hester just returned the opening kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Unbelievable. The guy's been making plays all season. Haven't the Colts been preparing for him for two weeks? Isn't he probably Chicago's biggest weapon? I guess you can chalk it up to a great player making a great play.

6:34: The Colts have already been whistled for two false starts. The crowd is certainly favoring Chicago.

6:35: Peyton Manning was just picked off. Hmm...maybe I should go back and change my prediction.

6:47: Manning hits Reggie Wayne for a 53-yard touchdown. I knew he'd bounce back. How was Wayne that wide open? Did two of the Bears defensive backs forget to run on to the field? I'm very confused.

6:51: This is a frantic pace. The Colts just botched the hold on the extra point. On the ensuing kickoff, Indy kicked to Chicago's 30-yard line to avoid Hester, and the Bears fumbled. Sloppy, yet entertaining game so far.

6:52: I guess neither team wants the ball. The Colts turned the ball over for the second time in the quarter as Manning couldn't get the handoff to Joseph Addai.

6:55: Rex Grossman hit Muhsin Muhammad for a Chicago touchdown, putting the Bears up 14-6 in the first quarter. Didn't Muhammad have a big game with Carolina when they lost to the Patriots a couple years ago?

7:05: Cedric Benson fumbles for Chicago! What is going on here? Is it the weather? Is it the two-week layoff? Are the teams just not that good? I don't know. But there have been a combined four turnovers in the first quarter.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 7:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

My observations from Super Bowl XLI: Pregame

6:10 - We're about 20 minutes from game-time. That's right. CBS is about to go to the actual game after their 16-hour pregame show. We've now heard features on every player on both teams, including a piece on how Dallas Clark prefers chunky peanut butter over creamy. OK, that's a joke.

Anyway, I've been blogging pretty regularly all football season so I thought I'd squeeze one last pigsking post in before we start focusing on baseball (pitchers and catchers--Feb. 14).

A couple things stood out from the pregame show (which I watched on and off). Katie Couric did a great piece on Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward, his background and his offseason trip to Korea. It was a sports feel-good piece that captured a great story without being too cheesy.

The other thing that stood out? Did anyone see the video CBS obtained of Peyton Manning taking tango classes in eighth grade? I'm not making this up. That means in recent memory, Manning, Emmitt Smith and Jerry Rice have been dancing on national TV. And we wonder why old-school football fans speak so fondly of the good old days.

Prediction: Colts 27, Bears 20

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 6:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

We have to move on from football season at some point, right?

I guess this is as good a time as any.

The Orioles today signed second baseman Brian Roberts to a one-year, $4.2 million deal. Roberts is certainly a fan-favorite, but is he a fantasy favorite?

Last year, the O's second baseman hit .286 with 10 homers, 55 RBIs and a career-high 36 steals. He ranked 15th among second baseman in home runs and 16th in RBIs. However, he was among the top-10 at the position in runs, hits, doubles and stolen bases, and his power numbers picked up in the second half of the season. Second base isn't typically a position where fantasy owners look for power. Only four second basemen hit more than 20 homers in 2006.

Roberts' best fantasy season came in 2005 when he hit over .300 (.314) for the only time in his career. He also added career-highs in homers (18) and RBIs (73).

So where does that leave us? Chase Utley is by far the top second baseman. He's racked up 60 homers and 207 RBIs over the past two seasons. But after that, there's plenty of room for debate. Roberts should be among the top-five second basemen off the board in 2007 drafts.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)