The competition is heating up. There are some new teams emerging as contenders (Sarasota Red Rays, The Showstoppers), as well as some other teams turning into pretenders (Bostonbad boys, Chickenheads). Since I’m back in the win column, and no one took me up on the challenge to predict this past week’s games, I’m going to do my best to predict the winners for week 8.

There are some really good match-ups this week. Let’s look in thefoulline.com crystal ball and see how it’s going to shake out.

Yankeehaters vs. SarasotaRedRays:
This is going to be a tightly contested game. The SRR have been playing well for the past three weeks and are still getting maximum effort from their entire lineup. Tim Hudson had a bad game and still managed to put up 30 points for the week. It seems like everything this team touches turns to gold. Will they have the midas touch for one more week?

Team Yankeehater, on the other hand, had another unimpressive week from Curtis Granderson, Matt Holiday and Mark Texiera. If these guys can start producing like they are capable of, this offense could be explosive. It was nice to see some decent pitching from the YH with Fausto Carmona returning to 2007 form, and I think the addition of Kerry Wood to an already above-average pitching staff is going to push the Yankeehaters over the top this week

Prediction: Yankeehaters in a nail-biter.

Love Boat Captains vs. Chickenheads:
This game is over before it begins. LBC is riding a six-week winning streak and is facing yet another push-over opponent. I don’t know who made the schedule up to favor the only girl in the league, but this is getting ridiculous. I know that LBC has the best pitching staff in the league, but eventually big-point producers Kevin Youkilis and Jacoby Ellsbury will come back to earth. Not that it’s going to matter this week.

Chickenheads are suffering a 5-game losing steak and will add one more to the loss column this week. These guys are getting great stuff from James Shields, and that’s about it. Maybe the return of A-Rod will make this game close, but I seriously doubt it. If Chickenheads can manage to lose by less than 100 they should consider it a moral victory.

Prediction: Love Boat Captains in a blowout.

Bostonbad boys vs. Roger’s Syringe:
This is the battle of the 2-5 teams. These teams match up pretty well against each other. BBB is finally getting some production from fat-ass Prince Fielder, and Brandon Phillips, Chipper Jones, Josh Hamilton (23 points in one game), Ryan Dempster, and Dice K have been consistent point producers all year. Roger’s Syringe had a really good week from his hitters, with all of them putting up solid points. JJ Putz was a bright spot on an inconsistent pitching staff that may be showing some signs of life. With only 5 pitching starts for the BBB, I think Roger is going to take him out.

Prediction: Rogers Syringe in a squeaker

The Showstoppers vs. Boston Braves:
This is the most intriguing match-up of the week for me. It’s father against son, experience against youth, Darth Vader vs. Luke Skywalker. The Showstoppers put up some huge numbers this week, leading the league and joining the exclusive 400+ point club. They’re putting a lot of faith in closers this week with three in the lineup, but with the offensive firepower that this team has been putting up, they could put zero pitchers out there and still contend. They are facing an up-and-down team in the Boston Braves, who lost a really close game this past week that went down to the wire. BB had a good week offensively featuring the re-emergence of Alfonso Soriano and Ryan Howard, and they have 11 pitching starts to the Showstoppers’ 7. I always enjoy The Showstoppers rotating team logo, so I’m picking them.

Prediction: The Showstoppers by 25

Lessthanzero vs. My Best Efforts:
This is another game that is evenly matched. I like the team that LTZ has put together. He has a group that doesn’t put up a ton of points but produces pretty consistently every week. C.C. Sabathia is looking like a Cy Young contender again, and the under-appreciated John Maine is pitching great. I’m not sure why our favorite Canadian dumped Shaun Marcum, but I appreciate it. Maine’s two starts this week may be the difference maker.

MBE suffered a big setback this week with the loss of staff ace Jake Peavy due to injury. The rest of Best Effort’s starting pitching staff has already been performing poorly, and this definitely won’t help. Lance Berkman has been playing like a man possessed and may be able to pick up their slack. Also, the recent addition of Adam Dunn is proving to be a smart acquisition, but I don’t think My Best Efforts has enough pitching to compete with LTZ this week.

Prediction: Lezzthanzero by 20

Of course this is just my opinion. I would love to hear your thoughts on how you think your team will do this week.

After five fairly predictable weeks, week six shows that any team can win at any time. After correctly picking only one of the five games this past week, I’m not going to attempt predictions this week, but I would really like to hear from the other GMs and get their take on this upcoming week.

In lieu of predictions, here’s my updated evaluation of all the teams in the league.

Bostonbad boys: The Bad Boys have really had some great point production from Dice K, Ervin Santana, and Ryan Dempster. After adding the red-hot Larry Jones to the lineup, which already features RBI machine Josh Hamilton, this is a team headed in the right direction.

SarasotaRedRays: Now, this is a good looking team getting optimal production from everyone in the lineup. Every night someone new seems to step up and give some major offense. One night it’s Dan Uggla, the next it’s Geovany Soto. With an underrated pitching staff and a lineup dead set on proving themselves, these guys are going to be tough week in and week out.

Lessthanzero: This team is the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde of the league. One week they put up 350 points and crush a team, the next they put up 260 and lose. I’m not sure what to make of these guys. They have a bunch of young talent that may be going through some growing pains, but LTZ is definitely a lot better than their 2-4 record indicates.

MyBestefforts: This is the battle of the brothers-in-law this week. Best Efforts have some great players on their team, including Lance Berkman and Miguel Cabrera, and they have the potential to put up some big numbers every week. But this GM is going to need a better performance this week from his pitching staff if he hopes to return to past weeks’ form.

Yankeehaters: These guys are obviously paper champions. They look great on paper but have failed to show up for the past several weeks. Since I’ve already traded pretty much my entire lineup, and have gradually weakened my team, I vow not to trade any players this week and hopefully let them work it out. We’ll see how that goes.

Love Boat Captains: The Captain Stubings of the league are currently riding a five-game winning streak, thanks to the newfound power stroke of Kevin Youkilis and a steady pitching staff. These girls suffered a bad break this week with the loss of the coolest guy in baseball, Vernon Wells. Ginger is going to need her outfielders to pick up Vern’s points if she plans on winning six in a row.

Rogers syringe: After a shakeup this past week, this team came out and played some solid ball. RS may feature the best outfield in the league, with Carl Crawford, Ichiro, and Carlos Lee. These guys, behind some quality pitching from Brian Bannister and Tim Wakefield, put up 295 points and may be on the way to reversing their early season woes.

The Showstoppers: This team had solid points from everyone in the lineup and was a couple of rain games away from challenging LBC. If Matt can improve his pitching staff, and finally find someone to take Hideki Matsui off his hands, he will be solid competition each week.

Boston Braves: What else is there to say about the team that took out the last of the undefeated? I don’t think these guys have played up to their potential yet. BB has had an interesting pitching carousel that has paid off for him, but Ryan Howard and Man-Ram have both been pretty quiet. When these two wake up, and they will sooner than later, Boston Braves will be tough to beat.

Chickenheads: The birds have been snakebit the past couple of weeks. First A-Rod goes out with a leg injury, and then two pitchers combine for -11 points this past week. This group has too much talent for the losing trend to continue. Things can only get better.

It’s been a lot of fun so far. Good luck to everyone this week!

Has it been five weeks already?

There were some real surprises this week. First of all, The Showstoppers finally showed up to play and handily destroyed Roger’s Syringe in the only game I predicted incorrectly. (Dylan now owes Matt Mc a round.) Secondly, the Boston Braves were beaten by a girl, by just under 100 points. Ouch. And finally, we may have seen the emergence of Mybestefforts as a solid team.

So since last week’s predictions were so popular, here are my picks for Week 6. But before I start, let’s see who is still the only undefeated team in the league, oh… there it is, the one, the only Yankeehaters.

Love Boat Captains (4-1) vs. The Showstoppers (2-3)
My initial reaction to this game was that The Showstoppers were going to beat the Love Boat Captains in a nail-biter. CBS Sportsline seemed to agree to it being close as well, predicting a 390-388 win for LBC. But after careful review, I have determined that there is no way in hell the The Showstoppers will win this one. Showstopper hitters David Wright, Ryan Braun, and Grady Sizemore are coming alive at the plate, but I feel the geezer combo of Andy Petitte and Randy Johnson are going to be no match for the extremely deep pitching staff of the LBCs. The LBCs could afford to improve their catcher, but that’s like throwing deck chairs off the Titanic, it doesn’t really matter.
Prediction: Love Boat Captains 355-320

Boston Braves (3-2) vs. Yankeehaters (5-0):
I would have been worried if these two teams played last week, but after seeing the Boston Braves get whipped by a girl, my anxiety has been relieved. I know the Braves’ Man-Ram, Aramis Ramirez, and the whole pitching staff underperformed last week. But after looking at his lineup, I’m kind of surprised that this team is above .500. Team Yankeehaters, on the other hand, had a poor performance by most of the pitchers and still won by 45 points. Those performances will not be repeated this week. Also, with the triumphant return of Jimmy Rollins later this week, the rich are getting richer. This will be a blow-out.
Prediction: Yankeehaters 390-278

Chickenheads vs. Roger’s Syringe
I though about ignoring this game this week, since both teams are in the midst of big losing streaks, but someone is going to come out of this game a winner, so let’s see how they stack up. First up, Chickenheads. How is it that a team with Mauer, Pujols, A-Rod, Hardy, Beltran and a better-than-average pitching staff stinks it up so bad? I have no idea, but I don’t think that it’s going to take much to beat Roger’s Syringe this week.

Speaking of Roger’s Syringe, the too-many-shortstops-and-middle-relievers experiment has officially failed. The good news is that there is still time to turn it around. Here are some free tips guaranteed to improve your team: #1, Release Julio Lugo and Orlando Cabrera. No one is going to trade for either one of these guys. If something happens to your starting SS, you will be able to find an adequate replacement via free agency. #2, Release Manny Corpas and Hideki Okajima. These two guys have not had the save opportunities that people expected. They put up low points and are taking up roster spots. #3, Make a trade for a couple of decent pitchers. You have a few trading chips on your team and there are some good alternatives out there. Make some adjustments before it’s too late. You have a rematch with The Showstoppers on May 26th, your chance to shut Matt up.
Prediction: Chickenheads 328-255

MyBestEfforts 3-2 vs. Bostonbad boys 1-4
Since MyBestEfforts has been turned over to new management, they have looked pretty impressive. Riding a two-game winning streak, they face perennial losers Boston (not so) bad boys. CBS Sportsline is predicting a BBB win. There is no way in hell that this is going to happen. MyBestEfforts is getting solid production from the entire lineup, although I’m interested to see how they replace the injured Troy Tulowitzki in the lineup. Even without him, this is a walk in the park. Bostonbad boys stink.
Prediction: Mybest efforts 348-310

SarasotaRedRays vs. Lessthanzero
This is thefoulline.com game of the week. After another impressive week, I’m starting to think that the SRR hitters may be for real. I think that the SRR are going to regret giving up on Johnny Cueto so early, especially after a poor performance from their pitching staff this week, but I do appreciate them dropping him. LTZ has been getting good numbers from everyone in the lineup. Dropping Phil Hughes and getting Eric Bedard off the DL is going to pay huge dividends. If SRR’s astronaut players return to earth this week, it could be a blow-out. If not, it should be a fun one to watch.
Prediction: Lessthanzero 370-362

These are my predictions. I would love to hear your comments. Please keep them clean.

With the fourth week of thefoulline.com fantasy baseball league behind us, I think we can divide the teams into three tiers:

The Good: Yankeehaters, Love Boat Captains, Boston Braves
The Bad: Chickenheads, MyBestefforts, SarasotaRedRays
The Ugly: Lessthanzero, The Showstoppers, Rogers Syringe, bostonbad boys

Since I am the only undefeated team and still have the highest one week point total at 443.67 (so close, Boston Braves, with 443 this week), instead of giving the week in review, I’m going to share my predictions for the upcoming week’s match-ups.

Chickenheads vs. Mybestefforts
This is a battle of the 2-2 teams. One of these two are going to join the upper echelon of the league, and the other may be have to dig themselves out of a huge hole if they hope to make it to the playoffs. Chickenheads pitcher John Smoltz may miss his next start, which alone may be enough for MyBestefforts to prevail. Both of these GMs have kept their teams pretty much unchanged all season. Maybe another mediocre week will inspire them to make a deal.
Prediction: MyBestefforts

Rogers Syringe vs. The Showstoppers
This battle of the basement dwellers is going to be interesting. Both teams have decent offensive players and inconsistent pitching. This may be the first tie game of the year, but since I have to pick someone to win…
Prediction: Rogers Syringe

Boston Braves vs. Love Boat Captains
This is thefoulline.com fantasy game of the week. Both of these teams are playing great ball and have a ton of talent. The new additions of Francisco Rodriguez and Cole Hamels are going to make LBC tough week in and week out. The Boston Braves, on the other hand, may have found the secret formula to put up 400+ points every week. This one is going to go down to the wire.
Prediction: Love Boat Captains

YankeeHaters vs. SarasotaRedRays
These two teams made a blockbuster deal earlier in the week and are currently heading in different directions in the standings. The YankeeHaters added a #1 pitcher in Carlos Zambrano, along with some needed power with the additions of Matt Holliday and Prince Fielder. Curtis Granderson is finally off the DL and will continue to put up big numbers. SarasotaRedRays added the hot-hitting Derek Lee and Evan Longoria to help their poor offensive performance this past week, but they’ll need to have the week of their lives if they hope to win this one.
Prediction: YankeeHaters in a landslide.

Lessthanzero vs. Bostonbad boys
These two 1-3 teams are mirror images of each other. LTZ has a good offensive team with a mediocre pitching staff, and Bostonbad Boys have a good pitching staff with a decent offense. This may come down to the BBB not having a utility player in their lineup. This one is the coin-flip game of the week. Heads LZT, tails BBB…
Prediction: Lessthanzero

And then there was one. After another exciting week of fantasy baseball, there remains only one undefeated team, the Yankeehaters. The Chickenheads proved to be a two-week wonder and were dominated by the Boston Braves. The SarasotaRedRays ran into the buzz saw known as Roger’s Syringe and lost a closely contested game. The good news is that there is only one winless team. The even better news is that I’m playing the Bostonbad boys this week. 4-0, here I come.

Since my team is undefeated, and I am the only one to put 400+ points up in one week, I am obviously the best general manager. So in the hopes of leveling the playing field, I am going to impart my wisdom on how to improve the other teams in the league.

You are welcome.

• Bostonbad boys: I would upgrade your outfield. I’m not sold on Griffey Jr. for a whole season. Josh Hamilton is performing well but has yet to play a full season in the majors. I would think about dealing one of your star pitchers for a good outfielder.
• YankeeHaters: This team is close to perfect, with good starters, a solid closer, and an offense that scores in bunches. I would like to see my shortstop stay healthy. I’m pretty happy with this team, although I may be interested in a good outfielder, and I always enjoy a deal.
• Roger’s Syringe: I like the outfield and the reserves that you have on this team. I think that you need a better second baseman and another quality pitcher. Could there be a Scott Kazmir deal in the future?
• Boston Braves: This is going to be the team to beat this week. They have a ton of pitching and 12 starts this week. With Man-Ram and J.D. Drew playing great ball, and a really good infield, they will be a force week in and week out. If they can trade some extra pitching for a good third outfielder, look out.
• Chickenheads: This is another solid team. The only way to improve this team would be to trade both Yankees. I don’t care what you get for them. Team chemistry will definitely improve.
• Love Boat Captains: You know that you have a deep outfield when Jacoby Ellsbury is sitting on your bench. This team could be really good with a more consistent catcher and another #1 starter.
• My Best Efforts: This team has been hit with the injury bug to its pitching staff and suffered another loss this week. They have some pop to their lineup with Miguel Cabrera, Lance Berkman and Alex Rios, but they really need to put a catcher in the lineup that is in the majors. I’m sure that it will help.
• SarasotaRedRays: This guy has done a good job of finding players on the verge of breaking out. He’s added Johhny Cueto, Nate McLouth, and Mark Reynolds, and these “no-names” have performed really well. The big question is whether they can keep it going for a whole season. If not, they may be in trouble.
• The Showstoppers: Where to start… under-performing pitching staff, no real power in the lineup, and a disgruntled owner. I agree with you Matt, blow these guys up and start over. It’s still a long season. You have time to work your Theo magic.
• Lessthanzero: These guys got the shaft this week. They put up 399.5 points… and lost. With the exception of Chocolate Cake Sabathia, they have a rotation that couldn’t be picked out in a police lineup. If they plan to get out of the basement, they need to improve their pitching.

This is just my expert opinion. I’d love to hear what you guys think as we go into week 4.

Since our friendly neighbor to the north was unintentionally snubbed this week in thefoulline.com’s fantasy baseball week in review, the staff at thefoulline.com would like not only to apologize but also to dedicate this post to a few of the things that are great about Canada.

• Hockey, the second greatest sport in the world.
• Alan Thicke, head of the Seaver family and arguably one of the top six TV dads of all time.
• Molson Ice. Beer is good. Really strong beer is very good.
• More drinkable water then anywhere else in the world.
• The way they can seamlessly incorporate “eh” into every sentence.
• Pamela Anderson’s breasts.
• Two teams in the CFL with the name Roughriders.
• The 55-year-old Canadian Tulip Festival.
• Loonies and Toonies.
• 1 Canadian dollar = 0.985319 U.S. dollars.
• Under-appreciated rock band The Guess Who.
• Survivorman Les Stroud.
• The talented Michael J. Fox, Jim Carrey, and Margaret Atwood.
• The less talented Bryan Adams, Celine Dion and Keanu Reeves.
• Birthplace of the zipper and Trivial Pursuit.

So you see, not only does Canada produce intelligent blog readers, but they have made many important contributions to the world.

Sorry about the slight, Canadian Pirate fan. We hope this fixes things.

Well foulliners, week 2 is in the books and it’s still anyone’s game. With the exception of the Love Boat Captains’ stomping Roger’s Syringe, there were some really good head-to-head games. It seemed like all the teams were matched up really well, and scoring went down to the wire. So without further adieu, here is thefoulline.com fantasy baseball league week in review. Teams are in no particular order.

• My Best Efforts: These guys jumped out to a big lead this week, only to falter on Sunday. They suffered a big blow when Dontrelle Willis went down with a knee injury and -2 points, but this is still a solid team with a 1-1 record.
• The Showstoppers: Breaking News!! Matt finally dealt for a catcher. Unfortunately for the commish, his team fell to a determined Chickenheads team this week. This team is in a little bit of a transition this week after dealing away Jeff Francoeur, Jered Weaver, and Scott Kazmir, but new additions Michael Young, Carlos Gomez and Ivan Rodriguez should provide a spark to the always-potent Showstoppers lineup.
• Love Boat Captains: OK, who invited the girl? Team LBC was a force to be reckoned with this week, with a dominant performance over Roger’s Syringe. This contest was pretty much over by Wednesday. The rich got richer this week, as LBC added the hot-hitting Justin Upton. What’s next for this team after hitting the 400-point mark is anyone’s guess.
• YankeeHaters: My team resembled a M.A.S.H unit this week, as it seemed every key player spent time on the bench nursing an injury. Victor Martinez, Jimmy Rollins, Chipper Jones, and Rich Harden all missed time. My itchy trigger finger was active again this week, as I dealt away Manny Ramirez, Kevin Youkilis, B.J. Upton, Michael Young, and Carloz Gomez. I’m counting on new additions Pat Burrell, Derek Lee, and Franciso Rodriguez to pick up the slack this week. But even with the big shakeup, Yankeehaters improved to 2-0.
• Roger’s Syringe: This team took their butt kicking and came out the other side better for it. RS made some solid moves today to improve his lineup and actually play with the full 16 guys. These guys are only gonna get better this year. Consider yourself warned.
• Chickenheads: Another impressive performance this week from the Chickenheads. This team is never content to stay pat and proved it once again by dealing away Cole Hamels and Mr. Fukudome. In what may be the best game going, Chickenheads play the Boston Braves this week.
• Bostonbad boys: The two old guys of the league had a fierce up-and-down battle going all week long as the Bad Boys fell to the Boston Braves. With a solid pitching staff already in place, if these guys improve their outfield they’ll be a tough team week in and week out. It should also be noted that my dad was finally able to log back in. What this means, I have no idea.
• Boston Braves: In what may be the deal of the century, BB fleeced the Yankeehaters by adding the potent Manny Ramirez to their lineup. The two-headed monster of Ryan Howard and Man-Ram looks great on paper, but we’ll see how this works out when Manny gets a hang nail and misses some time. With that being said, this team is a quality starting pitcher away from being in serious contention.
• SarasotaRedRays: These guys have been flying under the radar the first two weeks and have quietly gone 2-0. When Big Papi starts hitting again, this team could go on a tear. I’m thinking this sleeping giant may wake up soon and make some deals.

What are your thoughts on another exciting week?

Well boys and girl, we have the first week of the inaugural thefoulline.com fantasy baseball league in the books. The competition is fierce so far with several teams putting up some solid numbers. Since this is an off day for the Red Sox, here is a brief synopsis of what I saw from each of the fantasy teams this week. In no particular order:

• My Best Efforts: This is a pretty well-rounded team from top to bottom. They had the best individual performance from any pitcher so far with Jake Peavy and his whopping 63.5 points. If they add a catcher that is actually in the major leagues, they could be a force this year.
• Lessthanzero: An up-and-down week from our neighbor to the north. He had a big week from Derek Lee, Alex Gordon, and Corey “I wear my sunglasses at night” Hart. LTZ is going to need first-round fantasy pick Erik Bedard to rebound from his minor hip injury, and for Jose Reyes to play to his potential for this team to make a serious run.
• SarasotaRedRays: Featuring Prince Fielder, David Ortiz, and Kenji Johjima, team SRR has probably the most out of shape team in the league. He was able to get good fantasy numbers from Carlos Zambrano and Bobby Jenks. Even with J.J. Putz missing time this week and a bench in need of some work, SarasotaRedRays still performed well enough to earn 316.83 points and a third place finish.
• Bostonbad boys: This team may have the best pitching staff in the league featuring Johan Santana, Brandon Webb, and Dice K. Unfortunately, this team may stay unchanged all season because my dad forgot how to log in to the site. It’s tough getting old.
• Boston Braves: This team had a mediocre week from its big three, Ryan Howard, Russell Martin, and Aramis Ramirez. This team’s saving grace was a good week from its closers. I expect a big week for these guys next week after a blockbuster trade with the YankeeHaters (pending league approval).
• The Showstoppers: Theo Epstein’s prodigy Matt McLaughlin’s team is the league leader in points for the first week, with good numbers from every position. If he can upgrade his catcher, I don’t see anyone beating him any time soon.
• Rogers Syringe: This team is in trouble. Although it may look good on paper to have seven shortstops, pitching is also important. Dylan threw caution to the wind this week, fielding only 13 out of a possible 16 positions. He’s either the most confidant G.M., or the craziest. This team needs to be blown up and reassembled. Does anyone need a shortstop?
• Chickenheads: This team had the second most points this week and will be a serious contender if he keeps his team intact. With A-Rod and Pujols in the lineup, and an above-average pitching staff, this team won’t be laying any eggs anytime soon.
• Yankeehaters: I like the look of my team. After a blockbuster trade with the Chickenheads, the additions of Fausto Carmona and Josh Hamilton paid immediate dividends. My impatience with my players and the desire to make at least one mega-deal a week may be my downfall. I may regret dealing Manny Ramirez.
• Love Boat Captains: After a strong draft from our only woman in the league, Team LBC had an up-and-down week. Placido Polanco was a huge disappointment, going from 2007 All-Star to a two-point benchwarmer for week 2. It took a few games for stars Matt Holliday, Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter to regain their stroke from last year. A solid 35.5 points from Pirate Ian Snell (who??) made this a respectable week for LBC. This is a good team that will play better in weeks to come.

What do you think of the season so far?

Twice this week, I’ve had two of my fantasy pitchers face off against my favorite baseball team. Although I would never wish for a Sox loss, I couldn’t help but to think, If Roy Halladay or Rich Harden could hold Boston to one hit and the Red Sox could win the game 1-0, then it would be a win-win situation. I could get a bunch of fantasy points, and the Sox could get some wins. Is there anything wrong with that?

Thefoulline.com quick hits:

• After being on the road for 17 days and flying 16,000 miles, I really hope Terry Francona lets this team sleep in tomorrow.
• Didn’t Boston have one of the better defensive teams last year? The last two games, they looked more like the Bad News Bears, not the World Series Champions.
• I still think Toronto gets into the playoffs this year. They play solid baseball and have the best rotation in the AL East. If B.J. Ryan can come back from his injury and resemble his old self, they will be a force.
• A juice-free Andy Pettitte looked lousy the other night against the Rays, with 5 innings, 8 hits, and 5 runs. Maybe a call from Roger Clemens will boost his spirits.
• Julio Lugo: That image in your rearview mirror is Jed Lowrie. Objects may be closer then they appear.
• Am I the only one that is ready to see Jacoby Ellsbury lead off? This guy provided a big spark for Boston in the playoffs last year. Why mess with what’s been proven to work?

I’ll post the standings for the first week sometime tomorrow. It looks like a pretty tight race so far.

This fantasy baseball league is sucking the life out of me. I can’t focus at work. I’m ignoring my kids. I spend too much time making blockbuster trades in my mind. All with the hopes of winning the prestigious title of “Best GM on thefoulline.com.”

I’ve been scouring other teams’ lineups trying to figure out their secret formula for success. Is having seven shortstops a good thing? Can my team win without any Yankees on it? Should I have focused on pitchers? Did I over think, and put too much stock in some potential up-and-comers? Should I have just used the damned Auto Draft?

Please help me if you know the answers to any of these questions.

thefoulline.com quick hits

• Last night Dice K lived up to his hype. Let’s hope he can do this all year.
• Has anyone seen the greatest clutch hitter in baseball? He wears #34 and spits on his hands a lot. If found, please return him to the Red Sox ASAP.
• Attention, Eric Gagne: I guess it wasn’t the city of Boston that caused your woes last year. It’s that you suck.
• It took all of three games, but I am done with J.D. Drew and his candy-ass excuses for the rest of the year. The Sox should send him down to Pawtucket to “rehab” his back, and bring up someone with heart.
• I’m not sure how to pronounce Cub’s right fielder Kosuke Fukudome’s name, but he might have the greatest name in Major League history since Rusty Kuntz.
• Fantasy Baseball causes Attention Deficit Disorder.