By Dan Sheahan

“I went to the desert because I wished to watch games deliberately, to front only the essential facts of baseball, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I die, discover that I had not lived.”
-Henry David Thoreau, if he were a Cubs fan
I left St. Louis on a cold, dark evening last week and arrived in the blast furnace known as the Valley of the Sun. Maybe “blast furnace” is too strong a term – that phrase is not used in Phoenix until May at the earliest, but the next two days delivered high temperatures, clear skies and the opportunity to take in some Cubs spring training baseball.

Was I up to the task?

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Posted on March 30, 2013

By Dan O’Shea

I’m wrapping up my 2013 fantasy baseball draft guide with what I think are the two most predictable categories.
There is not much to debate about starting pitcher rankings until you get well into the second ten, where you could argue Chris Sale should be much lower, and Jered Weaver much higher. Essentially, you could draft any of the top 10 pitchers and claim to have an ace.
The relief pitchers are, as usual, a mixed bag of wunderkinds with power arms and cagey veterans who keep hitters guessing. I wouldn’t be surprised to see old Mo Rivera land atop this heap one last time by the end of the season, but his retirement reminds us they don’t make closers like him anymore, who can be counted on year-in and year-out.

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Posted on March 28, 2013

And Brought The Pain

“During the second intermission, Mr. T. predicts pain and pities some fools as he shoots at center ice,” says NHL Video.
“Take notes, Jim Belushi,” says Comcast’s Susannah Collins.

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Posted on March 27, 2013

By Roger Wallenstein

After a long and boring winter for the White Sox, things got a bit more exciting last week.
Until now the biggest news was the signing of third baseman Jeff Keppinger, whose talents include not striking out very often. Although he hit .325 last season for Tampa Bay, his sixth team in seven major league seasons, 100 of his 125 hits were singles, and he drove in just 40 runs.
Shades of Jim Morrison, who manned the position for the Sox in the early ’80s. We all remember him.
But I’m willing to be hopeful on account of anyone who might be able to offset the strikeouts of the Sox’s big signing two years ago, that being Adam Dunn. When Dunn tried to bunt down the third base line in an exhibition game against the Angels recently, I figured this was newsworthy. If he could convince the opposition that he’s capable to of going to the left side – thus negating the shift that everyone uses against him – there’s no telling how high his average might rise. Two-fifty wouldn’t be out of the question.
Yet neither of these developments quite matched up to Florida Gulf Coast University being the first 15th seed in NCAA history to advance to the round of 16. What’s that got to do with the White Sox? We’ll get to that in a moment.

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Posted on March 25, 2013

By Dan O’Shea

The biggest thing happening pre-draft at the OF position is that Bryce Harper is racing up the rankings. If you thought Harper’s hype as rookie knew no limits, a whole new standard is being set for his second season. I was in a fantasy draft this week where someone predicted he will run away with the NL MVP trophy.
The interesting thing is that all the hype doesn’t seem so outlandish, as there is very little separating Harper from 2012 AL Rookie of the Year and 2013 No.1 fantasy pick Mike Trout.
I’m buying in – I originally had Harper as my No. 22 overall picks and No. 9 among outfielders, but I now have him seventh at his position and No. 17 overall.

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Posted on March 20, 2013

By Jim Coffman

He returns this week.
Just a guess, of course, but a good one. The time is right and the injury is just about healed.
For a while there, I didn’t think Patrick Sharp would be able to make it back in the short term. It was almost two weeks ago that the Blackhawks winger crashed into the boards in an awkward way and banged up his shoulder. It looked like he might be out for a relatively long stretch, but all indications are that he will return to game action at some point in the next seven days – or at the latest, the week after that.

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Posted on March 18, 2013

By Dan Sheahan

I am a Cubs fan in exile. I am a Cubs fan who lives in St. Louis.
I have to defend my insane loyalty a lot around here. After all, this is where a storied franchise of its own plays – one that has amassed 11 World Series championships, including two in the last six years.
Jesus! How is that even possible?

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Posted on March 15, 2013

By Marty Gangler and Steve Rhodes

. . . and you can light the lamp, yesssss!
. . . you have got to be bleeping me, you call that offsides? Andy McElman is killing us!
. . . that’ll be two minutes in the sin bin.
. . . you know who was the best at getting the puck off the boards in traffic? Dirk Graham.
. . . and my stick to click tonight is Hossa.
. . . let’s put the biscuit in the basket, boys.

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Posted on March 14, 2013

By Dan O’Shea

Third base traditionally is a power position, and this year that should prove to be the case again, as at least 15 of the top 20 players at the position are good for at least 20 HRs. If you’re looking for stolen bases, you should probably look elsewhere, like shortstop.
This year, there is once again a ton of speed at shortstop, and because the position otherwise lacks offensive depth, it’s a great place for fantasy managers to draft from to help satisfy their SB needs. That said, there also happen to be a handful of great all-around fantasy contributors at shortstop, but you’ll have to strike early.
Third Basemen
1. Miguel Cabrera. He doesn’t have a bit of speed, but his Triple Crown credentials more than make up for it.
2. Adrian Beltre. Eye-popping numbers, including a .920 OPS, 36 HRs, 102 RBI, .321 BA last year, yet he remains in Miggy’s considerable shadow. Can he surpass 100 RBIs again in a softer Texas lineup?
3. Hanley Ramirez. At this position, his speed stands out, but with a new home and fresh start he should have the power and average numbers to fit in with the rest of these guys.

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Posted on March 13, 2013

Fourth-Place Finish In Nationals For Local Synchronized Skating Team

“Synchronized what? Other than sharing a word and the chemical composition of the performance space – one frozen, one liquid – synchronized skating has little in common with synchronized swimming,” the New York Times writes.
“Although casual observers may question the legitimacy of both sports, there is no doubting their athleticism.
“To some, synchronized skating packs more action and is even more interesting than conventional figure skating. Synchro, as it is called, is a fast-growing discipline of figure skating that combines the athleticism and artistry of singles, pairs and ice dancing with the timing and coordination required for 16 skaters to perform as one.”
*
Here’s the free skate performance that momentarily put the Chicago Jazz in first place at the junior championships in Michigan earlier this month. They eventually placed fourth.

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Posted on March 12, 2013