Just one more thing (again, Columbo style)
Don't give in to these radio and print guys.
You guys are in the NFBC. You know as much or more about fantasy baseball than these guys.
Don't fall into their 'value trap's'.
I've said it before and I'll say it again...
One league. NFBC, 15 teams.
You take Ron Shandler or some other non-playing NFBC expert.
I'll take Ty Parsons, Andy Nolan, Chad Schroeder or pretty much any other non-Hall of Faming NFBC playing stud over your guy.
And yes, I know that Chris Liss is near the top of the Overall standings.
He gets a pass. He is like Zola or Shovein or Van Riper, etc that have become 'one of us'.
They just have to be 'value guys' for a living
Ok, on to more quirkier and fun things during the last week in baseball....
Catchers hate Jacoby Ellsbury.
Ellsbury has caused(?) catchers interference with his swing 28 times.
It happened twice last week and, really, they keep records on such things.
Ellsbury is one away from tying Pete Rose for the All Time lead.
Congratulations?
Dallas Keuchel has never picked off a runner. Ever.
This is a guy who won a gold glove.
I just found that interesting.
Last week, Matt Carpenter hit a sacrifice fly.
You may think that uninteresting and boring.
He hit the sacrifice fly to a shortstop.
Ok, still not impressed?
It was the 134th sacrifice fly caught by a shortstop since 1970.
That is 47 years for the math challenged.
Or, an average of three per year.
Carpenter is the only player to have three sacrifice flies in this manner.
The Tampa Rays kept their streak going of scoring first in every game Chris Archer has pitched.
Unfortunately, Archer has a hard time with prosperity. He only has three Wins.
By the way, Archer has had six starts vs. CLE.
He is 0-6 in those starts with a 6.00 E.R.A.
It looks numerically cool to all but those who start Archer vs. the Indians.
I have a column in my subject line about strike outs (I just plugged myself and get zero gain from it, unnecessary)
Here is a cool thing about the 'Golden Sombrero' or striking out four times in one game.
Two Yankees accomplished the feat yesterday. Holliday and Judge.
It was the first time since 1900 that two Yankees achieved the Golden Sombrero in the same game.
Who has the most lifetime Golden Sombrero's?
Ryan Howard. He had 27.
The fellow who is tied for eighth on that list is a fellow coveted in our game today.
Mark Reynolds.
Clayton Richard threw a complete game for San Diego, in San Diego yesterday.
It was the first home complete game in two years for the Padres.
The team with the longest streak of no complete games in their home ball park is the same team that is touted to have one of the best pitching staffs year after year during that time frame.
The New York Mets.
The Mets have not had a home complete game for 282 games.
Ever wish we could do like some fantasy football leagues do?
Sometimes, they will have a team's kicker instead of an individual player as their kicker.
Trevor Story owners want to invoke that rule in the NFBC.
With Story on the bench with his hurts and six homers in 111 at bats and .180 batting average, the Rockies got production from the position.
Together, Pat Valaika and Alexie Amarista combined for this nice line for the week...
28 ab, 7 runs, 9 hits, 7 extra base hits, and 11 rbi.
In those 111 at bats, Story mustered 15 rbi.
Didn't you love Trevor Story before the season, Mike?
Another Trevor, Trevor Bauer is fantastic against a team that can hit.
He proved it again this week in beating the Astros in Houston.
Bauer is 7-0 vs. Houston. The only pitcher that can say that.
Jarrod Dyson hit two homers last week.
Before that, Dyson had never homered in the same month.
Victor Martinez and JD Martinez hit homers in a game last week.
It was the 16th time that the two players who share the same last name homered in a game.
They are third on the list for sharing a name and team and hitting homers in the same game.
Can you think of the other duo's who have done it more?
The answer will be at the bottom of the post.
Tampa did something that no team has done during the modern era of baseball this past week.
Yet, it defines our era of baseball.
During a three game series with Cleveland, the Rays struck out 40 times and hit 10 homers too.
No other team had done that.
This one is my favorite.
Kenley Jansen threw an 'immaculate inning' last week.
An immaculate inning is striking out three players in an inning using just nine pitches.
Saw it and loved it. Besides foul tips, Jansen 'gave up' one foul ball.
And the last hitter he got was a toughie in Ichiro.
There have been 85 immaculate innings in history and the Dodgers have more than 10% of them.
Jansen was the fifth Dodger to accomplish the immaculate inning.
Only one pitcher has had three immaculate innings.
Sandy Koufax.
Next week is Memorial Day.
For fantasy baseball, it foregoes the use of 'it's still early'.
Memorial Day is a signal that our team's are what they are, not what they can be.
The answer for the other two duo's?
Frank and Brooks Robinson hit homers in the same game 24 times.
Nothing compared to the All Time duo and I know that most of you have this one, especially you, Wayne...
Chipper and Andruw Jones homered in the same game 59 times.That will probably be a record untouched and a great trivia question for baseball fans.
See you next week for Notes 'N Stuff....
