By Dan O’Shea

I had my pre-draft fantasy starting pitchers rankings all set until the season-canceling injury suffered by Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis.
I thought the 20-game winner in 2010 had a chance to be even better in 2011, and I would have put him right under Roy “Doc” Halladay as my No. 2 SP pick.
With the injury, everyone moves up a spot, meaning Tim “The Freak” Lincecum is now No. 2, a ranking I’m not sure I’m fully invested in. I don’t see him as a 20-game winner, and his ERA ballooned last year to 3.48, while his strikeouts declined. Here’s my new top 10.

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Posted on March 2, 2011

By The Beachwood Broadcast Bureau

The Cubs are advertising for a new public address announcer, but Beachwood Sports has learned that the team has already compiled a short list of candidates.
* David Axelrod: Because he knows all about false hope.
* Steve Stone: Would not only tell you who’s up, but what he’s gonna do.
* Alfonso Soriano: At least they would get something out of the remainder of his contract.
* Blago: Could do it from his jail cell via Skype.
* Dock Walls: Somebody has to finally give him a job.

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Posted on March 1, 2011

By Jim Coffman

The buzz heading into the trade deadline on Thursday was that the Bulls had the chance to trade promising seven-foot center Omer Asik to the Rockets for Courtney Lee, a 6-5 shooting guard from Western Kentucky who comes off the bench.
Or as part of a deal with Memphis for O.J. Mayo, the former USC standout who had also been riding the pine until Rudy Gay went out with an injury.
Bulls GM – who says he was never close to a deal despite the rumors – would have been nuts to make either trade, something that become even clearer as other options emerge late Sunday and early Monday.

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Posted on February 28, 2011

By The Onion Sports Network

“SportsTech gets a sneak peek at Madden 12’s new helmet simulators, which will simulate Sunday’s biggest hits by firing pistons directly into players’ skulls.”

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Posted on February 24, 2011

By Dan O’Shea

The New York Knicks won the battle for Carmelo Anthony. Did they pay too big a price?
We don’t care. We just care about how much this deal will affect our fantasy teams.
As we discussed a few weeks back, Anthony probably will take a giant bite out of the Big Apple and the aggressive offensive game plan of the Knicks.
Other than that, the player whose fantasy numbers could be most affected is the one who was a bit of a surprise addition to the ‘Melo trade package.
That would be Raymond Felton, PG/SG, who is headed to Denver after having the best half-season of his career in New York.

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Posted on February 23, 2011

By The Onion Sports Network

Let’s take a look.
1. “Police say the U-Haul was dangerously overloaded with an entire NHL team, equipment, produce, and the team’s front office, which operates out of the truck when parked.”

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Posted on February 22, 2011

By Jim Coffman

“As long as they aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, the Chicago Blackhawks continue to believe their season is still alive,” NHL.com reports.
“It might be getting close to the life-support stage if they don’t hit a hot streak soon, but the defending Stanley Cup champions are nothing if not resilient this season. Yes, the Blackhawks are locked in a battle with a handful of teams for one of the final spots in the Western Conference’s Top 8 position.
“Yes, they are still struggling with consistency – which has been a season-long tussle to this point. The bright side is that with those gut-wrenching valleys come hope-inspiring peaks – which is exactly what they earned on Sunday afternoon in front of 22,195 at the United Center.
“After outlasting the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 in a nationally-televised game decided by a shootout, the Hawks are still clinging to hope like it’s the last piece of driftwood for miles around.”

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Posted on February 21, 2011

By The Onion Sports Network

“Since the Cubs can’t find a taker for Alfonso Soriano’s expensive contract, they’re working him hard this offseason, with a workout plan of bullet dodging and a diet of broken glass and poison.
“And if running across a highway at rush hour is the best way to get his legs in shape, they’ll run him across a highway.”

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Posted on February 18, 2011

By Dan O’Shea

With Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues opening for sign-up a few days ago, it’s time to catch up on our position rankings.
I’ve already mentioned my top 10 overall picks and my top 10 first basemen.
This time around, we visit the rest of the infield – including a few players from the local nines.

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Posted on February 16, 2011

By Pro Football Weekly

After playing just a year-and-a-half of high school ball, Richard Dent went to Tennessee State to find himself. The Bears didn’t find him until the eighth round of the draft. The NFL didn’t find him in his first seven chances to get into the Hall of Fame. But he got there.

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Posted on February 15, 2011