Phillies Fans... Get Excited!

Even though the Phillies lost their first game of the season, there are many reasons to feel optimistic about this season after game one.  If for some reason your feeling down about what this season has in store, let me give you a few reasons to turn your frown upside down:

1.       Chase Utley is back.  He is finally back!  He looked good all spring, he appears to be fully healthy and in shape, and he performed on Opening day.  He was 3-5 at the plate, with a homerun, 3 RBIs, and 2 runs.  And there is no reason to even discuss his defense.  If he is healthy, he has got it.  Get used to hearing ‘Web gem nominee’ when talking Utley.

2.        Domonic Brown is finally looking confident and productive.  He belted 7 homeruns and batted close to .375 this spring.   And on Monday, he looked like he could play the role of an everyday outfielder.  I feel like he is about to have ‘the year’ we have all been anticipating.  So much so that he is competing for a starting position on ‘Kung Foo Panda’ (my dominant fantasy team).

3.       Cole Hamels is going to be fine.  So, he had a bad game?  No big deal!  Glad he got it out of the way early.  He is healthy and we all know how the support of a home crowd boosts performance.  Not to mention, The Braves batting line up is this year is pretty tough to pitch against.  If any he lost any confidence, he is sure to gain it back this weekend pitching against the Royals at home.  Maybe he was just getting used to not having that funky mustache he had this spring. 

4.       I am pretty excited about Ben Revere.  He looked great on Monday and had a good spring.  He was 1-4 with a run and stolen base on Monday.  He clearly has a lot of speed and looks like he could be the everyday lead-off man.  I also really like his energy!  He seems to bring positive energy to the clubhouse and is excited to be in Philly. 

5.       Don’t forget about Chooch on the bench!  He will be back in 24 games, but who is counting? Chooch will boost production at the plate and his defense is a given.  When Chooch comes back, Charlie Manuel will have some flexibility with Kratz who is also performing well.  Kratz had a decent spring and could give Ruiz routine days off, as well as pinch hit down the stretch. 

6.       I am confident that Roy Halladay will bounce back from a rough spring.  There is no pitcher in the major leagues as dedicated and determined as Mr. Halladay.  I have always loved him and been a fan, and my opinion is not changing.  He will forever be on a pedestal in my world.

7.       We have arguably one of the best closers in the game.  When the ball gets to Papelbon, he means business and he gets the job done.  I will admit, it is not always pretty, but a save is a save is a save, right?  Just close your eyes if you need to when he takes the mound.

So, as you get ready to gear up for the next eight straight days of Phillies action, be a confident and excited fan. Good things are happening for the Phillies in 2013. Lastly, there is something to be said for ‘flying under the radar’. I would rather start the season with everyone pointing at someone else to be the powerhouse and favorite to bring home The World Series trophy. Because we know that is not how it works out in the end.

LETS GO PHILLIES!!

-CL

 

The Final Chapter (that is not so final)

I realize that the final chapter of my Fancave experience is way overdue, however there are a few reasons it has taken me this long to write it. For one, I have needed time to process everything that happened in the past few months and think about what it has meant to me. I have had massive writers block the few times I have tried to write down my final thoughts and thank yous. In addition, I went on vacation for a week with my parents and biggest supporters. And lastly, I don’t really think of my Fancave experience as being over as it has opened new doors, brought new friendships into my life, allowed me to learn a lot about myself, and helped me to fall more in love with the game of baseball.

All that being said, there is NO way to individually thank all the people who supported me in my Fancave run, nor am I able to express the extent of my gratitude to these same people. So, a simple ‘Thank you’ is what comes next. Thank you!! I have been overwhelmed with all the people who have had faith in me to succeed in something I wanted so bad and continue to be overwhelmed with the amount of support and praise I have received since finding out I did not make it into the cave this year as a cave dweller. So once again, thank you! I couldn't have done this without all of you.

As for what comes next for my dream of working in sports, I don’t really know. I will continue to blog and to explore other opportunities to work in sports, ideally the MLB. I will definitely keep in touch with the Fancave 30 who I met in Arizona, and hope to blog and podcast with them periodically as well. These 29 people mean so much to me, as they are my first set of friends to share the same passion for the game of baseball, along with the desire to talk about it, watch it, breath it for all waking hours. I would love to do 'out of cave' legwork for the Fancave 9 as I attend weekly games in Fenway and take my ballpark tours on the road (Beavs… Detroit is on the tour this year). I plan to host members of my 'baseball family' who visit Boston and Fenway, and I plan to keep dreaming.

On a not so serious note, since laughter is life's best friend, I will share some of the pet peeves I developed along the way in my Fancave run. Here are my top five that I think the other 29 of you (you know who you are) can relate to.

1. People who call The Fancave, ‘The Mancave’.

My thought: No, No, No I am not aspiring to be in a Mancave. Does that make any sense???

2. People who cut me off while explaining what the MLB Fancave is, to say “Wait… you are going to be on a reality show? Nobody ever looked better after being on a reality TV show.” My thought: Again, NO, NO and NO.

3. The reaction, “But you’re a nurse at Children’s Hospital… You are going to leave your job to do THAT?”

My thought: You may not quite understand... but it is a dream for some of us to work for the MLB. Not to also mention that the real world will always be there.

4. “So, you are going to live in an actual cave in New York City?” No explanation needed.

5. When hearing that I didn’t make it to the cave for the season… “Oh yay, so you are not leaving us” followed by a hug.

My thought: News flash… I said that I did NOT win. The word ‘Yay’ should not be in your response!


Of course I recognize that none of this, including the laughs, adrenaline, new friends, new opportunities, sleep deprivation, pride, motivation to succeed, etc. could not be possible without the MLB Fancave and all the incredibly dedicated and talented people who work there. Thank you MLB Fancave, thank you! Although I did not obtain my ultimate goal of becoming a cave dweller in 2013, I will always have the memories! And for that I am thankful.

My Dream Fantasy Team on the Bump

I have already drafted my ‘Fantasy’ fantasy batters, so I will move on to the pitchers.  This is a little bit harder because I don’t want to just pick the obvious; that is too boring and the top projected pitchers will not all pan out as predicted.  I am going to pick based on my league’s seven stat categories which include: W, ERA, WHIP, CG, SO, SV, and K/9.  Having wins, complete games, and shut outs definitely effects fantasy picks because I don’t want pitchers who are going to be limited in their innings, and I don’t want too many pitchers on the weaker squads.

So, here is my starting five in no particular order:

Justin Verlander:  Verlander has definitely proved that he is durable, pitching well over 200 innings in each of his past five seasons.  Coming into the year fully healthy, he has had a solid spring and The Tigers have it in them to make a good playoff run this year.  Verlander is no stranger to the complete game either.  The one thing that worries me however, is the question mark at the closer position for the Tigers.  Although if Verlander is pitching complete games, who cares in my fantasy world! 

David Price: The reigning AL Cy Young winner is 27, in his prime, and the face of the Tampa Bay Rays.  With James Shields gone, Price is going to be the man in Tampa.  He had 20 wins last year and a 2.56 ERA and I only see that improving.  He is fully healthy to start the year.  Price is also pretty hilarious and was very involved in MLB Fancave events last year.  One of my favorite skits from last year was when Price and Shields were pranked by teammate Rodriguez.  They were put in front of a green screen and were told they were filming a commercial.  It was all bogus and they did a bunch of hilarious things.  Price is also very active and entertaining on twitter. 

Cole Hamels: Hamels is going to be the Phillies ace this year.  He had 17 wins last year; I will take the over on that this year.  He is durable and healthy; if he can take his games into 7 or 8 innings, I feel confident that Paps can close him out.  I feel like Hamels will be in 2008 World Series form all season long.  I also have to give him bonus points for being one of the only pitchers to just admit that he was intentionally throwing at a batter to make a point.  And I LOVE that it was Bryce Harper.  Harper needs some humbling.  He will thank Hamels for that one day… Probably not one day soon, but one day!

Gio Gonzalez: Even though he will be opposing Hamels and The Phillies, I do like Gonzalez and give him a lot of credit.  He was a reliable strength to my fantasy squad last year with 21 wins and a 2.89 ERA.  As much as I hate to say this, the Nationals have a strong pitching squad with a quality bullpen from middle relief to closer, so I feel like Gonzalez has a very strong year ahead of him.  He also gets bonus points in fantasy because of how many times he will face the Mets.  Guaranteed wins and Ks/9… Oops, did I say that out loud? Sorry Mets fans!!

RA Dickey: Mr. Dickey is someone who I want to do well every time he steps on the mound.  I have so much respect for the enthusiasm he has for the game and for the dedication he has put into his major league career.  He is one of my favorite players in the Bigs and you can tell he is honored to be in each and every game he plays.  I don’t think that he will be able to top the year he had last year, but he has a good squad behind him in Toronto.  So, I think he will thrive off of that and put up some good numbers this year.  I have trouble when he faces the Phillies because I always want him to do well.  I am glad that he is in the AL now and I won’t have to deal with that dilemma too often.

When it comes to relievers that’s where fantasy gets tricky for me.  I am not good at drafting middle relievers because they seem to fall between the cracks in a draft.  They are however a good way to boost Ks/9 and occasionally get wins and saves.  Relief pitchers and closers are also not something I put too much stock into because you can usually hawk the waiver for saves.  Two years ago, I accidently drafted Neftali Feliz and was initially so annoyed because I had never heard of him.  Well well, didn’t that one turn out in my favor?  That is just an example of how it works with relief fantasy pitchers.  So, here are my top four:

Jonathan Papelbon: I know that it has been a rough spring for Paps, but he has what it takes to get the job done.  With the Phillies pitching staff being a bit older, Paps is going to get the ball in the majority of games that the Phillies are winning come 8^th or 9^th inning.  I also love how intense he is on the mound and how hilarious he is off the mound.  He has definitely brought me some good laughs in Boston and in Philly.  Along with Hamels, the Phillies are going to be relying on Paps this year.  I will take his tendency to walk batters for his tendency to close games!

Jim Johnson: Johnson killed it last year and I think that the Orioles are going to be better than people expect.  With the AL East being pretty weak this year, I see the Orioles making a strong playoff run.  51 saves last year and a clean bill of health… sign me up!

Vinnie Pestano: With Chris Perez having an injured shoulder, Pestano should get the early opportunity to close out games.  With him recently announcing to his Twitter family that he is in ‘the best shape I have been in a long time’, I feel like he is coming into the season with confidence.  I know he only got 2 saves last year, but he had a 2.57 ERA through 70 innings pitched.  I feel like he is just waiting for his moment, and it feels like his moment is coming.  This is one of my non-traditional draft picks that I feel like I need every year to round out my squad.  He is going to be my break through reliever.

Drew Storen: Ok, as much as it pains me, I feel like with the strength of the Nats pitching rotation, I have to go with one of their relievers on my dream team.  It was between Clippard and Storen here and now that neither of them will be closing games regularly with the addition of Soriano, Storen is my choice to lock in better stats.  I feel like he is a young pitcher on the brink of a breakout.  And should Soriano get hurt, Storen will have an even bigger role.  

So there is my Fantasy dream team.  Similar to how my fantasy teams tend to look at the beginning of each season, my bullpen is the most random part of the team, and where I made wildcard choices.  I am okay with that in fantasy however because there is always more than a few relievers on the waivers that turn out to be monster pick-ups as the season progresses.   When I hear of an injured closer, I get to the waiver wire immediately and pick up his replacement…

I had a really good time putting together a no rules fantasy team and encourage you to do the same.  It was a fun way to prepare for my upcoming fantasy draft and opens up exciting discussions.  Please let me know if you have any thoughts after analyzing my fantasy dream team.  T minus 23 days until we start setting our fantasy rosters!  As exciting as that is, please always remember that reality trumps fantasy.  For example, don’t ever hope for your favorite team’s starting pitcher to get shelled because you are playing against him in fantasy.  That’s just not cool!! 

-CL

My Dream Team Infield

Ok, before I work on my dream team infield, I want to back up to my last blog and put Jay Bruce into my outfield bench rotation.  He blasted two homeruns yesterday and after meeting him in Arizona two weeks ago, I want to and will become a big fan of his this year.  Not of the Reds obviously, but of Jay!  Btw, I love creating my own rules for my dream fantasy squad; they are a lot more fun than Yahoo’s rules! 

So, now onto my dream infield…

Catcher: Buster Posey:  Posey is a no brainer. I don’t feel like I need to justify this pick.  He is almost worth a first round pick in a normal draft due to the drop off in catcher position after Posey and Yadi.  I am not confident that Mauer will stay healthy all year, and he will most likely take more than usual routine days off.  Plus, he just had twins (makes for a good pun), so he is entering the season sleep deprived no doubt!  Posey is in his prime, coming off a World Series title and will likely outdo his .336 average from last year.  He is a sure bet!

First Base: Prince Fielder: This one is hard for me.  I feel like there used to be a plethora of options at first base, but now I am not so sold on what is out there.  Fielder has been steady the past few seasons and has proved that he is durable to play everyday, so I will take him.  Ultimately it would be great to put Posey at catcher and first since he is eligible for both in Yahoo, but a man can’t be in two places at once.  I also am really tempted to say Eric Hosmer here.  I know that sounds a little out there, but he is killing it this spring and I feel a big year coming on for him!  And he is joining the USA team at the World Baseball Classic which is a classy act!  When it comes to first, I am just not confident that Pujols or Votto can stay healthy all year.

Second Base: Ian Kinsler:  It is REALLY hard for me not to plug Cano in here, but Kinsler has been in that corner for me the past three years and is one of my favorite players.  This is definitely an emotional pick; I am worried about his health but can’t find it in me to replace him on Kung Foo Panda.  ‘Nuf said.  I like him and am proud of it!!! And hey, there were whispers about him picking up some time at first, so maybe down the road, he will be eligible for both, thus a good plug in player. 

Shortstop: Jimmy Rollins: J. Roll is going to have a big year.  The Phillies need him to be a leader, both in the batting order and in the clubhouse.  I just have a feeling that he is going to raise his average of .250 from last year significantly.  This position is a weak one fantasy wise, so this is where I am going to rely on my boys to pick up the slack!! 

Third Base: Miguel Cabrera: I feel like my infield is becoming a little generic but how can I pass up the Triple Crown winner and captain of my squad last year.  He carried us!  And I fully expect him to keep it up.  Plus, he can also play first if need be in a pinch so maybe down the pipeline he will become muliti-base eligible.  Third base is where it’s at this year in my opinion.  The options are stellar… Brett Lawrie, Kung Foo himself, David Freese.  These are all favorites of mine.  I wish Kung Foo was still fantasy eligible for catcher!!  Worst third base option in my opinion: AROD, that is if he even plays again.  NOT A FAN!!

Utility: I am going to use this position to plug in some favorites that I had to pass up previously.  I could go on and on, but names on my laundry list here that I haven’t already mentioned include: Mike Moustakas, Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo, Juan Pierre (because he is the most undervalued player in the game), CHOOOCH (despite his 25 game suspension).

And I will stop here before this becomes a list of my favorite players, which I have already made clear in a previous blog.  Again, I love comments, disagreements, agreements so feel free to give me a shout out with your thoughts!!   Next up, putting some studs on the bump and filling up a bullpen… 

-CL

My 'Fantasy' Fantasy Team... Starting with the Outfield

With Spring Training in full swing and opening day only 26 days away, it’s time to start talking ‘smack’ in fantasy baseball leagues, listening to Fantasy Focus Podcasts, arguing over who has the best team name in the league (side note, my name going four years strong is the best), reading Rotoworld’s daily columns, and of course watching the game to see who looks good, and who just doesn’t have it this year.   In honor of prepping for ‘Kung Foo Panda’ to have yet another dominant year, I am going to put together my ‘fantasy’ fantasy team.  I realize that this team would never be possible, and also realize that some of my fantasy picks are emotional picks and thus may not make sense.  But it’s fun to do, so I am going to do it!

I play in a ten team, daily lineup, head-to-head, mixed league.  We have 7 batting and 7 pitching stat categories.  I am the only girl in my league and when I first joined in 2008, the guys couldn’t stop with the ‘you belong in the kitchen’ jokes, in addition to all living in extreme fear of ‘losing to a girl’.  Well, let me just say that they got over that quick.  I have always been a strong competitor and a hawk on the waiver wire.  And I will continue to dominate!!

So, all draft rules aside, I am going to lay out how my team would look if I could pick whomever I wanted based on how our league is set up.  I will start tonight with my dream team outfield…

My ideal starting three are:

Mike Trout: Ok, who wouldn’t say Trout.  Despite being highly underpaid which is another conversation, he is 21, has been a monster in the Bigs and is looking great so far this spring! His 49 stolen bases last year should stay pretty stable if not increase (and no, his ten added pounds are not going to jeopardize that), his .326 batting average will only get better with more experience under his belt, and he should outdo his 30 homeruns with a few extra pounds behind his swing.  I am psyched to watch this kid play this year… I bet being underpaid will only serve as motivation for him to kill it!

Josh Hamilton: We all know how much I love Josh Hamilton.  I love his story both on and off the field and have more fun cheering for him than any other player in the MLB.  If Texas really wasn’t a very conducive environment for him to thrive, as he has made clear in the offseason, I can’t wait to see what he does in Anaheim.  I can only think that his RBIs will stay close to 128, and I feel like he has the potential to win a triple crown before his career is over.  I also love watching him play with my bobble head doll next to me, bopping around with excitement similar to my own.



I love that Colleen and I are creepin' in the backgroud! Ha



Carlos Gonzales: The third starter  was a tough one to nail down, but CarGo’s stats are ridiculous.  He is still in his prime at 27, and both his .303 batting average and health are huge upsides.  Plus, he is good for at least 20 stolen bases as he had last year.  Not to mention that he is nailing the ball this spring.

Now on to my dream team outfield bench (in no particular order):

Andrew McCutchen: In addition to being hilarious, and a face of the MLB, this guy is FAST, gets on base, steals bases, drives in runs, and is a leader.  I LOVE fast guys who get on base when it comes to fantasy.  And Cutch plays with 100% intensity at all times.

Michael Bourn: Speaking of fast, Bourn also falls in this category.  I am still bummed that he is not in a Phillies uniform this year, but I am excited to see him do great things for Terry Francona!

A final bench spot would be a fight between Bryce Harper and a long-time favorite Curtis Granderson.  I just don’t know if I could cheer for Harper all year, and am afraid that as he gets more ‘cred’ in the league, he is going to start flapping his mouth too much.  And then I would just straight hate him, and could not even think of cheering for a Nat.  Honestly, the whole ‘Natitude’ thing rubs me the wrong way.  And they are beyond obnoxious to Phillies fans.  Ok, I digress.  So, at the end of the day, Granderson just may win out that last spot.  He is a great, reliable veteran player who I want to see succeed…

Being that I do not have any Phillies in my outfield, I just want to throw in that I think Dominic Brown is going to have a monster breakout year, so definitely draft him and be proud of it.  I am not sure what spots on my ‘fantasy’ fantasy team I will fill in next, but definitely tweet, email or send me a Facebook message if you have any thoughts after reading this.  After all, in addition to being entertaining, these discussions also serve as a good way to prepare for your upcoming draft

Punked...

It's one week+ out from our amazing trip to Arizona.  I am still reliving every moment over and over as I see new friends who haven't heard about my trip with the MLB Fancave 30 yet.  And it never gets old!!  Here is one of the funniest things that happened on the trip.  We got 'Punked' only not by Ashton Kutcher, but by Jay Bruce.  He was awesome and I am excited to watch him play this year having met him.  I don't know about drafting him first in fantasy, but I will draft him and will cheer for him! 
I have heard from multiple friends and family that they have seen this prank on MLB Network, on CNN/ SI Hot Clicks, the MLB Fancave home page obviously... So it's getting a lot of laughs.  The guys who come up with these ideas for the Fancave are brilliant!  They are so creative and come up with these ideas left and right.
Ok, enjoy your viewing experience:

http://mlbfancave.mlb.com/fancave/video.jsp?content_id=25627335&topic_id=19224580&fbid=9f3xgdfNanm

And as usual, love feedback so email me, tweet me (@tinelorigo), facebook message me, etc. and let me know what you think!! 
-CL

Video recap of Fancave30 in Arizona... Amazing Trip