Wandy Rodriguez – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitcher is Coming On

Wandy Rodriguez (left in this 2008 Topps Series 1 baseball card) was a nice sleeper in most fantasy baseball leagues heading into this season. While his mid-4 ERA and 1.3 WHIP in 2007 weren’t eye-popping, Wandy’s 7.5+ Ks per nine offered the promise of improvement. Astute fantasy baseball players were aware of his extreme home/road splits last year and had Rodriguez active whenever he pitched at home.

Wandy got off to a fine start in 2008 but an oblique injury derailed the pitcher for more than a month. He’s bounced back to post a stellar 2.58 ERA, 1.15 Whip and 51 Ks in 59 innings. He still has faired better at home with a sub-2 ERA compared with a 3.80 ERA on the road but Wandy’s splits are much less extreme than last year.

Wandy Rodriguez is a must start at home and worth a chance on the road in most fantasy baseball formats. This week Rodriguez has 2 starts, one at home and one on the road so I have him down as a must start in all formats for fantasy week 14.

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T206 Baseball Cards with Tolstoi Backs – Auction Results 6/30/08

Nothing terribly extravagant in this recent batch of Tolstoi T206 baseball cards. Addie Joss looks like a nice find, the others just aren't in great shape - what can you expect after nearly 100 years?

1909-11 T206 Tolstoi Doc Crandall New York Nat'l SGC 30 6/8/08 $47.00
1910 T206 Tobacco Bergen TOLSTOI back 6/8/08 $35.10
1909 T206 Baseball Addie Joss Cleveland TOLSTOI PSA 4 6/12/08 $309.99
T206 1909-11 FRILL TOLSTOI BACK!! HIGH QUALITY!! EX++ 6/15/08 $56.00
T206 MIKE MITCHELL WITH SCARCE TOLSTOI BACK! 6/17/08 $38.77

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Jair Jurrjens Solid Fantasy Baseball Pitcher on the Rise

Little was know about the Atlanta Braves pitcher from Curacao, Jair Jurrjens (left in this Topps 2008 Gold paralel baseball card), heading into the 2008 season but he's quickly establishing himself as a solid fantasy baseball starting pitcher. I had Jurrjens on my short list of about 30 fantasy baseball sleepers headed into this year due to last year's performance. In 110+ innings in AA last year in the minor leagues Jurrjens posted a low 3 ERA and a mid-1.2 WHIP - not pacing for a Cy Young but competent, worse have been called up and got the job done in the major leagues.

What sold me on Jair Jurrjens was his 30 innings of work in the AL central last year with the Detroit Tigers. Even though it was only 30 innings, he only had 13 Ks and posted a high 4 ERA, the 1.16 WHIP turned my head. Yes, that one outlier combined with a competant minor league resume told me this could be an effective fantasy baseball pitcher as early as this year. Throw in the move to the Atlanta Braves pitcher friendly park and a starting gig in spring training you have the ingrediants for a nice end game fantasy baseball sleeper.

We scooped him up in the 24th round of the NFBC but despite his solid start I failed to make room for him in my 10 team beer league. I've been kicking myself ever since as Jurrjens has posted a 3 ERA, 1.3 WHIP and on pace for 16 wins and 140Ks.

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Three Nights in August - Inside a Three Game Set in One of Baseball's Biggest Rivalries

Three Nights in August by Buzz Bissinger provides a great inside look at one of the great minds in baseball. Although I'm not personally a fan I am speaking of St. Lois Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa. The book covers a 3 game baseball series between the Cubs and Cardinals during the dog days of summer.

Overall I really liked having an insider's view of how to manage a baseball team. Particularly compelling was when LaRussa had to wrestle with whether to order one of his pitchers to throw at another player. Like him or hate him it's impossible to deny Larussa's pedigree when it comes to baseball knowledge - so if you don't like him get over it anyway and learn some new things about baseball.

I found the back drop interesting due to the fact that the three Cubs pitchers were the young and still very healthy Kerry Wood, Mark Prior and Carols Zambrano. This series actually takes place about two months after I added the little known Zambrano to my fantasy baseball team for what would become a 3 and a half year marriage. Not know outside of the NL central LaRussa was quick to point out that Zambrano may have been the best of the three - he was right.

This is a must read book for any baseball fan and you can pick up your own copy of Three Nights in August on eBay by clicking here.

Moneyball - a Facinating Look at Where Dollars Meet "Real" Stats in Baseball

It's been over a year since I initially read Moneyball and going in was skeptical about how much I'd enjoy Michael Lewis' 2003 take on the finances behind Major League Baseball. Upon completion I'd have to say it's easily one of my 10 favorite books of all time and unquestionably my favorite sports book.

As a Met fan I was pleasantly surprised to find that roughly the first third of the book focused on the draft and development of the early 80s Mets including my all time favorite baseball player Darryl Strawberry, Len Dykstra and of course the star of Moneyball - Billy Beane. I was fascinated to find out that there was a lot of debate within the organization between drafting Strawberry or Beane with their firt pick - as it turns out they had 2 in the top 10 and grabbed them both. Many thought Beane the better prospect of the two and he even started at a higher level of A ball in the minor leagues than Strawberry.

It was through his failure as a player that Beane embraced Sabermetrics, in part, to explain his lackluster career as a professional baseball player. Beane's obsessive behavior combined with the new math, developed by among others Bill James, allowed him to propel the Oakland A's to perennial success on a shoestring budget.

The irony of Moneyball is just how resistant people are to change and embrace new ideas. Despite unquestionable success, black and white numbers, multi-million dollar contracts, and the high pressure competitiveness of running a Major League Baseball team most owners and GMs in baseball continue to pass on this new way of thinking.

Whether your an A's fan, Mets fan, baseball fan, or fantasy baseball geek like myself you will love this book.

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Rare T206 with Brown Lenox Back Sighted on eBay

Last week I spotted an incredible baseball card on eBay, a rare Brown Lenox back T206. The card was of Jordan and graded out as an SGC 10. A card of this rarity is an exceptional find on eBay and due to the high ticket went unsold with an asking opening bid $1,250. I've never seen one of these T206s on eBay before and would be surprised to see any more in the near future.

Click here to visit eBay to find rare T206 baseball cards!

Pitching Mechanics 101 – Essay Looks at Some of Baseball’s Top Pitchers

I found an interesting blog – The Pitching Mechanic, which includes an essay on Pitching Mechanics 101. I won’t go into great detail on how to pitch a baseball because I’m a novice and it’s covered so thoroughly in the essay, but here are some tips:

• The hips should lead and pull the pitchers shoulder through
• The angle of the shoulders determine a pitcher’s arm slot
• It’s OK to lead with the elbow, it allows pitchers to create more torque
• Keep the shoulders and hips closed as long as possible during the delivery

For more be sure to check out the Pitching Mechanic blog.

Find instructional DVDs on pitching mechanics on eBay!