Adrián Béltre- is not listed in Thursday’s lineup for the Red Sox.  He is considered day to day after having an MRI on his hamstring that has been bothering him the last week.

Travis Snider- He is scheduled to start a rehab assignment Thursday and could be activated this weekend.  He should be back fully by next week.  Go get him if you are need of some power.

Jordan Zimmermann- Look for Zimmerman to return to the nationals rotation sometime in early August.  He was touted as an immediate impact pitcher before he got hurt and needed Tommy John Surgery.  He is coming along well and could be fantasy relevant when he returns.

Manny Ramírez- Manny should come off the DL Thursday even though he went 0-9 in his rehab assignment.  But we all know that doesn’t matter.  Manny can just roll out of bed and hit a double off the wall.  Get him activated today.

Víctor Martínez- He will have his thumb X-rayed Thursday.  The Red Sox want to determine how well the thumb has healed so far to get a better idea when Martinez will be able to rejoin the team.

Álex Rodríguez- The thumb injury that has been reported is not serious according to Yankees GM Brian Cashman.  He says that it had nothing to do with Manager Joe Girrardi keeping him out of the All-Star game.  He should be fine going forward.

Chad Cordero- After posting a 6.52 ERA in 9 games for the Mariners, Cordero has been optioned to Triple A Tacoma. He has declined the option and is now an unrestricted free agent. Some team will give him another chance.

Fantasy Basketblog

Here I will break down my thoughts on what this move will do to the NBA, fantasy owners, Cleveland fans, Heat fans and the rest of the world?  It is a sad day for Cleveland fans as you can tell by the picture above.

The news of the suspension means that Jackson’s fantasy value takes a major blow. That coupled with a possible trade could really result in a bad fantasy year for the WR. Think about it, would you rather have VJ receiving passes from Phillip Rivers or from Matt Hasselbeck?

Either way, it looks as though we won’t be able to rely on him for at least the first 3 games of the year. What is it going to take to get through to these knuckleheads? I just don’t understand how someone could get 2 DUIs. That is just ridiculous. Pay for a cab/limo/personal driver, you have the money.

It’s unlike the MLB Draft, where sometimes it takes 5 or more years before you get to see the new guy on the team.
And with the NFL Draft, it’s just so many different players, so many different positions, so many different draft strategies.

With the NBA Draft, it’s very easy to figure out the impact of getting 2 new players.  Each team is only allowed to carry 15 players ( 12 active, 3 on the IR).  If you break down those 15 roster players even more, it leaves you with 5 starters, 7 players on the bench, 3 on the IR, with a total of only 5 different positions to fill.

And out of those 5 different positions, each and everyone is so important, that on any perticular year (a point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward, or center) has the ability to be drafted first overall.
It simply boils down to talent and ability.

Every year the NBA Draft build up and wind down is so important if your a fan of the league.

How did your team do ???
Did they get that badly needed starter ???
Did they get that key bench player ???
Did they get someone who is going to be able to contribute some minutes ???
How much longer is the wait til we make the playoffs ???
Are we still rebuilding ???
Is this the year ???
Where is LeBron James going ???

Somewhere along the line, ESPN made themselves the experts in answering all these questions.
They got the exclusive rights to televised games, the five or six 24 hours a day cable channels, the packed to the gills and constantly updated website, unlimited access to all the biggest sports stars, the magazine, the funny commercials.

So after the Draft, after it appeared the Golden State Warriors screwed it all up yet again, Manny Harris moved one step closer to Scotty Thurman’s Legacy.  Scottie Renyolds made history by going undrafted after winning the AP All-American award ( the other 4 winners were all drafted in the top 5).
And almost every team in the league has some new players
or is in a better position to go after one of those marquee free agents ( LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh).

What do the experts have to say ???

You have to be an ESPN insider to read that article.

but I don’t want another magazine subscription.
and that my friends. . . . . ..  is The Roar of the Crowd !!!

J.D. Drew-  While the Red Sox maintain that Drew will not need a stint on the DL for his hamstring injury, it still remains a possibility.  Drew always seems to be one of those players that is overrated by some managers and underrated by other managers.  I say take him for what he is worth.  Play him when he is hot and sit him when he is cold.

Víctor Martínez- After being involved in a collision during a play at the plate Wednesday, Martinez is out of the lineup Thursday.  Jason Varitek will start in his place.  Not sure if an injury is coming into play here but we will keep you posted as more info becomes available.

Josh Hamilton- He missed the game Wednesday due to a tight hamstring but should be back in the lineup today.  Hamstring injuries can linger and it would be a shame to see Hamilton lose an extended amount of time due to lack of adequate rest.  On the other hand, he may be able to play through it.

Yovani Gallardo- 12 Ks and 0 BB while tossing a complete game shutout.  He only gave up 5 hits to the Twinkies on Thursday after carrying a no-hitter into the 6th inning.  Over his last 5 starts, Gallardo has a 42:11 K:BB ratio over 35 IP to go along with a 1.54 ERA in that time period.

We are in the middle of an economic crisis here in California.
And the minute Texas and Oklahoma started making some noise about joining the PAC-10, two things happened:

I reached for my calender and I reached for my check book.

There’s something about Cal vs. Oregon or Stanford vs. The Huskies that make it very easy for me to concentrate on the paying the PG&E bill versus going to a college football game.

And at the same time there’s such a incredible amount of History, Mystique, and Legend that go along with the Longhorns and the Sooners.

You have to go.

If they would have joined the PAC-10, I would have had to have gone to those games.  I would have had to make the financial sacrifice.  There’s no question about it.

Everyone in Texas and Oklahoma knows that.
And everyone in California was about to know that.

Right up until . . . Texas fumbled at the 1 yard line of my bank account and on the very next play, Oklahoma followed suit.

Now if only the Los Angeles Lakers can find a new home in . . . . Let’s say . . . Somewhere like Vermont ???

California will be one step closer to financial recovery.

And that my friends. . . . . is The Roar of the Crowd !!!

One team that has been recently rumored to want his services is the New York Mets.  Oswalt has said that he would waive his no-trade clause to go to the Mets if they can stay in playoff contention up to the trade deadline, but would the Mets even want him?

New York’s 4 and 5 pitchers in the rotation have a combined record of 9-2 which is pretty good.  Do they need to spend the prospects it would take to Oswalt and his year and a half of service?  Oswalt’s current contract runs through 2011 and he is due roughly $30 million still.  This will be a problem for the Mets and their bloated payroll and will most likely raise the price since he wouldn’t just be a rental for the rest of the season.

So, for now it looks like the Mets will try to keep winning with their current staff.  But, you never know.  They might try to swing a deal if they can free up some cash before the deadline.

Troy Tulowitzki- He should be able to return to the lineup on Tuesday after missing the last few games and having Monday off.  Feel free to return him to your lineup this week.

Jeff Francis- So far in 6 starts this season, Francis has a 3.29 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP.  He allowed 3 runs, 2 earned, over 7 IP to pick up his second win against the Blue Jays.

Colby Lewis- What a difference a trip to Japan has made for Lewis.  He has been a solid pickup for many a fantasy manager this year and he continued his hot streak against the Brewers.  He has allowed 2 earned runs or fewer in four out of his last 5 starts.  He allowed only 3 hits to the entire team, albeit 2 of those were solo HR to this man…

Prince Fielder- 2 solo HR from the big guy against Colby Lewis.  The rest of the Brewers looked pretty sad.

Troy Glaus- What has this guy done to be able to resurrect his career the way he has this year?  He 4-5 with 2 HR  and 3 RBI.  This guy can’t be stopped right now so if you were lucky (or smart) enough to pick him up when this torrid rampage started, make sure you keep him in your lineups at all costs.

Félix Hernández- Finally, we get to see the real Hernandez in action.  He gave up 2 runs on 4 hits and the 2 runs came in the manner of an inside the park HR!  The key here is that he got 16 ground ball outs to 3 fly ball outs and 9 Ks.  Let’s hope this keeps up.

Carlos González- You’ll be happy to hear that Car-Go has been moved to the 3 hole in the lineup and will most likely stay there for a few games as the Rockies try to shake things up a bit to get a lineup that works best.  He recently went 2-5 with a HR and 3 RBI from the 3 hole.

The Mariners have a few players that might interest contending teams but none more so than Cliff Lee(notes).  Lee is in the final year of his contract and the Mariners fully expect every contender to come a callin’ for his services.  The New York Yankees seem to be the most logical fit.  They could easily resign him after trading for him and the Mariners have sent several scouts to watch Yankee minor leaguers this year.

It is rumored that the Mariners are interested in one of the Yankee minor league catchers, either Austin Romine in Double A or Jesus Montero(notes) in Triple A and Triple A SS Eduardo Nunez.  The Dodgers have also expressed interest in Lee.

Bring on the future fantasy studs that we all have waiting on our own fantasy team benches.  I’ll break down the future stars that will be making their way onto the BIG diamond in the next week or so.  How about we start with…

Stephen Strasburg(notes) -  No intro needed here.  He has completely dominated the minors and is as ready for the majors as he will ever be.  If he can put up numbers half as good as he has in the minors (7-2, 1.30 ERA, 65K in 55.1 IP) he will be a dominant force in fantasy leagues no matter how deep or shallow the league is.  His schedule couldn’t be better.  He debuts June 8 against the Pirates then faces the Indians, White Sox, Orioles, Braves, Padres, and Giants in consecutive starts!!!  This is going to be some exciting baseball.