Brad Bergesen made his major league debut and got the win, which was huge because the team had just been swept by the Red Sox. He’s worth picking up at least until the league figures him out.
Freddy Sanchez has been hot, but he is still available in a lot of leagues. He isn’t the multiposition guy he once was, but he is still worth adding if you need a middle infielder.
Ryan Doumit may never have the power he once had, now that his wrist is being treated like a voodoo doll. Jason Jaramillo is now the starter.
Surprise! Xavier Nady is not going to have surgery after all. People are dropping him left and right. In fact, most of the people who still have them are either not very good or inactive. You should be able to trade him for almost nothing because these ploppies will look and say, “oh, he is on the DL. I don’t want him anyway. I would love a bucket of curveballs for him.” Get. Nady. Now.
The Angels didn’t call up Brandon Wood so he could sit on the bench. This guy has a lot of power and should have SS eligibility. Try to find a spot for him if you can.
Fantasy Baseball Strategy Guide and News for 22 April 2009 (Issue 29)
April 22, 2009Episode 1004 is up
April 21, 2009Fantasy Baseball Strategy Guide and News for 21 April 2009 (Issue 28)
April 21, 2009Yunel Escobar is back from injury and is a poor man’s Placido Polanco. Give him a shot.
Dare I say it? Mike Hampton is worth adding. He might be the best starter in Houston after Roy Oswalt. Bronson Arroyo is also worth considering. Ross Ohlendorf has a 1.11 WHIP, although yesterday clearly Florida was not paying attention.
Kazuo Matsui is back, although you shouldn’t drop someone of value just to pick him up.
Episode 1003 is up
April 20, 2009Episode 1002 is up
April 20, 2009Fantasy Baseball Strategy Guide and News for 20 April 2009 (Issue 27)
April 20, 2009I am thinking about turning this column into something that would go on bleacherreport.com. I am going to write a few other things for them and see how it goes.
Jordan Zimmerman wants to be the best Zimmerman in Nationals history but will have to settle for being the second best for now. However, someone has to get wins on that team, and it might be him.
After Kyle Davies‘ poor performance, some owners may drop him. Try to pick him up, but don’t trade anything too valuable for him. He does pitch for the Royals after all.
Ben Zobrist was just a name you heard in the playoffs last year, but he’s a useful fantasy contributor too.
I continue to be wrong about Oakland’s starting pitching. Dallas Braden did a fine job with Toronto’s offense yesterday. Feel free to pick him up. In that very same game Ricky Romero pitched even better. Given the choice, I think you add Braden, but both are excellent adds, even if just to trade down the road. One of them should end up in the All-Star game.
The Pillowfights “Round 1″
April 19, 2009This album is fucking awesome. If you like female-fronted semi-punk bands, this is the way to go. The songs are all short and leave you wanting more. The recording is a little raw, which makes perfect sense for this act. They are amazing here. “Buzz Buzz” starts off and knocks you down, and then all of a sudden it is “Afternoon,” which has great whistling and male backing vocals. And then there is “Hokay,” which is what Elida would always tell me when we worked together at Arby’s. She’d also call me “Jose.”
“Earthquakes” has that mid-’90s up-and-down feel, although I admit that the vocals sound as if they belong on another song. Maybe it’s like that milk in the glass bottle at Whole Foods with a yellow lid. Maybe I need just a wee bit of pasteurization in my music.
“True Story” is short enough (49 seconds) that it might be one. It’s fun. So is “Talk Shit, Get Hit.” The songs are all really short. So is this review.
Golem “Citizen Boris”
April 19, 2009This album is precious. It has a song called “Tucheses and Nenes.” What’s not to like? (This song really gets them going on the dance floor by the way. You can tell just by listening.)
There are two singers, one male and one female. The female songs are more amusing, but they are all good. “Mirror Mirror” mentions toilet paper. I bet it’s the two-ply kind.
“Meat Street” has accordion out the ass. It’s a lot of fun. You wish you could sing along, but the words aren’t in English, so you just drink more beer. “Tell Her You Love Her” should be covered by They Might Be Giants.
“Citizen Boris” asks questions that prospective U.S. citizens have to answer. They answer them too. Let them vote! “Chervona Ruta” puts a little more emphasis on the female singer, and it is something you would hear, perhaps, while hanging out with wild and crazy guys, while you all scheme ways to grab some great big American breasts.
Joker’s Daughter “The Last Laugh”
April 19, 2009Slightly sleepy and with a dreamy voice up front, Joker’s Daughter are another mellow indie pop band. Helena Costas as a great voice, even if the songs do not exhibit overly strong pipes. Quality is always better than quantity anyway.
“Go Walking” has all kinds of accompaniment and seems to be telling a great story. There’s a little more effort felt here. Sometimes it almost feels that the band is too clever for its medium. It’s only rock ‘n’ roll, after all.
When properly metered, however, you can find some genius. “The Last Laugh” has an ambient feel and is a departure from the other tracks on the album. It may not appear in a club anytime soon, but it does provide some welcome synths and a fun perspective for fans of One Dove, of all bands.
“Under the Influence of Jaffa Cakes” is the rock song that puts it all together. It brings to mind wandering minstrels with Fleetwood Mac melodies. “Jelly Belly” is another story song and is easier to follow than the others. It also has some hidden keyboard stuff. It must be the Danger Mouse influence. Cor!
“Cake and July” is good for fans of Dungeons and Dragons. Maybe they can play this in the background while they take turns letting everyone hit each other.
“The Bull Bites Back” also tells a good story and should make you want to sit patiently on your yarn loops.
The Ettes “Danger Is EP”
April 19, 2009The tracks certainly don’t sound all the same. “No Home” sounds like a Yeah Yeah Yeahs ripoff. “Lo and Behold” has nothing magnetic about it, but it does have that girl group sound I love, whether it’s The Kirby Grips or The Jolenes. “Subject” is more in the Yeah Yeah Yeahs/Pretty Girls Make Graves vein.
“The Rules” is a live song from 2004 in Los Angeles. It has harmonica. Definitely the honky-tonk sass of some other generation. Finally is “I Heard Tell,” which is a live recording from New York City in 2008. It also has the Yeah Yeah Yeahs sound, even more than the others. I guess it is pretty clear what they are trying to do here. They could pick a worse band to emulate; that’s for sure.
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