Hockey Links- August 27, 2011

In these dog days of August, as teams gear up for training camp, not much excitement is being generated in the hockey world. Free agents, for the most part, have signed with their respective teams. At the same time, it is too early to determine how top prospects will fair. Yet, it is now that the fantasy hockey owner must diligently prepare for his or her upcoming draft. The attentive consideration and effort one puts in now, will go a long way in determining who will be raising the championship hardware come April.

Fortunately, many fine hockey writers do not lay down their pens during this canicule. By gleaning the abundant wellspring of information they provide, one may discover that golden nugget that can potentially make the difference between victory and also-ran. With this in mind, here are a few links that may help you, the fantasy hockey owner:

Fantasy Hockey Blog at Razzball.com- DC
The denizens at Razzball have done an extraordinary job opining daily about fantasy baseball since October 2007, fantasy football since July 2009, and fantasy basketball since August 2010. And now, this month, with the same wit and wry sense of humor, Razzball introduces its daily blog by DC, dedicated to fantasy hockey. DC starts preparing us for the draft with a three-day series, 2011-12 Fantasy Hockey Top 30 Rankings. In a subsequent post, he posits his "Draft Strategery" with uncomparable tips such as "The Setoguchi Effect" and "Don't Blame Me, Stupid." Currently he is examining, "The Best of the Rest: Goalies." Go over there. You will appreciate DC's hockey advice and savor his levity. For example, this is what he has to say about Mikka Kiprusoff: "He also makes me think of....... Yawnstipating. I know he’s better than that, but if you take him as your #1 goalie there’s nothing to get excited about. It’s like going to a top notch steak house and getting a sirloin."

Down Goes Brown- Sean McIndoe
With many rosters locked as training camp approaches, Sean gives us his buyer's guide to some one-time star free agents who may have difficulties finding work. For those of us who are thinking sleeper picks, the guide includes for each player the good, the bad, and where he'd fit. For example, the good for Pascal Leclaire: "Every NHL contract he has signed so far has, eventually, expired." Or the bad for Brett Lebda: "Struggled so badly last year that he was occasionally referred to as 'The poor man's Brett Lebda'." And where Sergei Samsonov may fit: "On your fantasy team as a 'sleeper pick' based on name recognition, then on the waiver wire by mid-November, just like every year." Down Goes Brown never fails to give us a good read and a good guffaw.

Puck Daddy- Greg Wyshynski
There has been much concern over the long lingering side effects of Sydney Crosby's concussion. Crosby and the Penguins are still waiting word from medical specialists in Georgia and Michigan to prescribe a treatment regimen. "They'll give us the advice on what he should do with his training and going into training camp,"coach Fred Shero said. Until he is symptom-free and gets clearance from his medical team, Crosby will not be allowed to have contact in practice or play in any games. So Greg asks the obvious question, "Would you still take Sydney Crosby in your NHL fantasy draft?" Jay's August 25th post here at FHS, Thursday's Daily Dosage- Top Five Players, generated a lively discussion in the comments section as to where in the draft Sydney should be chosen. In a standard 12-team league, Jay and jsuites would select him 5th. Michael and Slicktee would not have him in their top five. Greg at Puck Daddy asks Scott Pianowski, editor of the Yahoo! Sports blog Roto Arcade and Darryl Dobber of Dobberhockey.com for their advice. Scott would pick Syd the Kid "2nd and hope," whereas Dobber would not select him in his top nine if the draft was held today.

Dobber Hockey- Prospects to Avoid- Stu McDonald
With the draft in mind, Stu gives us seven prospects who he feels will not produce during the 2011-12 season. He believes Jonathan Huberdeau will not see more than nine games this year because the Panthers are stacked at center and will avoid putting him on the wing. Similarly, Ryan Ellis won't see a lot of ice time because Nashville has too many offensive options at the blue line (Shea Weber, Ryan Suter, Jonathan Blum, and Roman Josi). Adam Larrson is a complete defensive defenseman and will likely make the Devils this season. However, Stu questions his offensive ability and doubts he can register fantasy worthy numbers. Stu does recommend drafting Huberdeau, Ellis, and Larrson for keeper leagues. On the other hand, he warns us against drafting at all cost Nikita Filatov, Zach Hamill, Luca Caputi, and Jordan Schroeder until they can prove to be legitimate prospects again. Stu makes a special case for Anders Lindback, who he considers an underrated prospect. If Pekka Rinne gets hurt or traded he can very well become the number one goalie in Nashville. Hockey Prospectus writer Matthew Coller also believes Lindback will play 20 games this year based on his .915 save percentage last season.

Hopefully these links will provide insight as you prepare for your drafts. I will continually keep you up-to-date on blogs, articles, websites, publications, etc. to make your fantasy hockey experience as enjoyable and enlightening as possible. Please feel free to offer any suggestions in the comments about content that you feel would be of interest to the fantasy hockey community.

Off-Season Loss - Radek Martinek

When browsing Fansided a few days ago, I serendipitously happened upon Eyes on Isles. Reading the articles, I quickly discovered the deep passion that Gary and John both have for the Islanders. Their dedication to this blog, from its inception two seasons ago until now, is to be commended.

I have been an Isles fan since the 1980-84 dynasty years when I would watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs on the USA network. Unfortunately, I have never had the good fortune to attend an Isles game. Nor have I yet to run into another Islanders fan in the Pacific Northwest, where I have resided since 1978.


In their latest posts, Gary and John asked for someone to assist them with this blog. I let Gary know that I would be privileged to help. At the same time, I felt it would provide me with a great opportunity to finally express my thoughts about the Islanders with others.

I do not profess to be a hockey pundit, nor a journalist, nor a good writer. I am only here because I want to share my love of the Isles with you. Today I will embark on a series about the upcoming make-up of the 2011-12 New York Islanders. In it, I will regularly post articles about an off-season loss or acquisition, a prospect, or a player who is currently on the active roster.

Let's start with the Isles first key off-season loss, Radek Martinek. The Czech defenseman signed a one-year deal worth $2.2 million with the Columbus Blue Jackets after becoming an unrestricted free agent July, 1. He will join former Islander James Wisniewski there on the blue line.

Prior to the move, Martinek, 34, spent his entire 9-year NHL career with the Isles, longer than any other player other than Rick DiPietro. But like DiPietro, the stay-at-home rearguard had a difficult time staying on the ice because of the injury bug. His litany of maladies includes a broken foot, a fractured ankle, a fractured leg, and a concussion. He was only able to play in 16 games during the 2009-10 campaign because of a torn ACL he sustained on November 9, 2009 in New Jersey. It was the second of his career.

Martinek leaves Long Island after amassing 21 goals and 82 assists for 103 points with 272 penalty minutes in 453 games. He was the Islanders’ 12th pick, 228th overall, in the 1999 Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the club during the 2001-02 season. The economy defensive defenseman was only able to taste the Stanley Cup Playoffs the following two years. He has not been back since.

The 6-2, 210-pound native of Havlicko Brod, Czech Republic registered 30 goals, 53 assists and 195 penalty minutes in 235 career games with Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Elite League from 1996-01. He also represented his country at the 2000 and 2001 World Championships, helping the Czech Republic capture back-to-back gold medals.

“Radek Martinek has been a solid defenseman in the National Hockey League for several years and we think he will be a nice addition to our hockey club,” said the Blue Jackets' Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Scott Howson. “He is a smart, steady player who will provide character and experience on our blueline.”

Well said, Mr. Howson. Radek Martinek will be missed on Long Island.

MLB Musings

Brandon Belt (2-for-4, 2R, 2RBI), who was just called up from Fresno (AAA), hit two solo homers. It was quite a return for the struggling first baseman. He increased his slash line from .218/.315/333 to .232/.330/.415 with this performance. He could see regular playing time if Carlos Beltran is placed on the DL, which would shift Aubrey Huff from first base to the outfield.

Cody Ross (2-for-5, 1R, 2RBI) hit a solo HR off of Chris Volstad. It was only his 9th homer of the year.

Mike Stanton (1-for-4, 1R, 1RBI) hit is 26th HR of the season.

Ryan Vogelson (7.2IP, 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K) raised his record to 10-2. One of the complete surprises of the year, Vogelsong boasts an impressive 2.47 ERA. The win followed one of his worst outings of the year.

Chris Volstad (6.0IP, 7H, 4ER, 2BB, 7K) took the loss against the Giants. The right-hander allowed three solo homers and saw his ERA balloon to 5.60.

Jo-Jo Reyes (6.0IP, 4H, 1ER, 2BB, 4K) picked up a rare victory. It was his third win in 10 starts since June 17th.

Kevin Gregg (0.0IP,4H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB) failed to retire any of the six batters he faced in the 9th. His ERA soared from 3.40 to 4.20 after his miserable showing. Jim Johnson bailed the O's out and picked up the save.

Doug Fister (5.2IP, 12H, 8R, 6ER, 1BB, 5K) did not fare well in his third start with the Tigers. Fister saw his ERA rise from 3.31 to 3.59.

Nick Markakis (3-for5, 2R,4RBI) had a great day at the plate. He hit his 12th round-tripper of the year and drove in his 55th RBI. He is now batting .284/.335/.400, good in fantasy circles as a 4th outfielder.

Dan Uggla (0-for-3, 1RBI) had his 33 game hitting streak broken. He did, however, hit an RBI sacrifice fly.

Jose Constanza (1-for-2, 2R, 2SB) remained white hot. His slash line now stands at an unsustainable .382/.414/.545. Those in rotisserie should ride him until he cools down.

Brandon Beachy (5.1IP, 6H, 2R, 0BB, 8K) pitched well but was not involved in the decision.

Matt Garza (5.0IP, 6H, 4R, 2ER, 1B, 5K) did not have his best outing but was not involved in the decision.

Carlos Pena (1-for-4, 1R, 3RBI) hit a two-run game winning homer in the 7th off of Eric O'Flaherty. It was Pena's 23rd HR and 65th RBI of the year.

Erick Aybar went hitless again today and has only 3 hits in his last 49AB since July 31. He has seen his batting average plummet to .259 from .286 during this time.

Jose Bautista (3-for4, 1R, 1RBI) belted his 34th homer and now sports an exceptional .311/.448.636 slash line.

Brett Lawrie (1-for-4, 1RBI) doubled home the winning run in the bottom of the tenth. The rookie is now batting .355 since being called up to the Jays.

Dan Haren (7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 0BB, 5K) pitched well but took a no-decision.

Brett Cecil (7.0IP, 5H, 5ER, 0BB, 3K) pitched a fine game but took a no-decision.

MLB Musings

Jered Weaver (4.2IP, 8H, 8ER, 2BB, 3K) coming off of his week-long suspension suffered his worst outing of the year. He allowed 3 HR in the loss. Weaver saw his ERA increase to 2.13 from
1.78 after the beating. Joel Pineiro's woes continue as he allowed 3 hits and 2 earned runs in 2 innings of relief. Edwin Encarnacion went 2-for-4, 2R, and 3RBI's. He also hit his 11th homer of the season. Thus far in August, he has a .417 BA, 2HR, and 6 RBI. Adam Lind smacked a grand-slam and drove in 5RBI for the Jays. This after the Jays coaching staff had been working on adjusting his batting stance. It was his first dinger in 15 games. Maybe the correction will get him going for the remainder of the year. Ricky Romero (7.0IP, 2H, 1ER, 2K) was sharp. His only blemish was a solo shot hit by Alberto Callaspo in the 5th inning. Romero has allowed only 4 runs over his last 4 starts and saw his ERA fall from 3.27 to a stellar 2.87 for the year.

Jorge Posada (3-for-5, 1R, 6RBI), in his first game playing since he was officially benched last Sunday, clubbed a grand slam to lead the Yankees to a 9-2 drubbing of the Rays. Curtis Granderson (2-for-4, 2R, 1RBI) continues to make a case for MVP consideration hitting his league-leading 33rd HR off of Jeremy Hellickson (4.1IP, 8H, 4ER, 2BB, 4K). He now also has a league-leading 94 RBI's. Granderson has gone yard 5 times in his last 5 games. It was Hellickson's worst outing of the year.

Yuniesky Betancourt accounted for the only run of the game when he homered off of Kevin Correa (6.2IP, 7H, 1ER, 3BB, 3K) in the second inning as Milwaukee downed Pittsburgh 1-0. Marco Estrada (5IP, 1H, 0ER, 0BB, 5K), Takashi Saito, LaTroy Hawkins, Francisco Rodriguez, and John Axford (34th SV) combined for the 3-hit shutout.

Colby Lewis (6.1, 3H, 1ER, 0BB, 8K) stymied the A's bats and picked up his 11th win of the year. He has not pitched well this season at home. Coming into today's contest he had a 5.15 ERA and a 2.21 HR/9 in Arlington.

Tim Lincecum (7.0IP, 2H, 0ER, 3BB, 10K) toyed with Marlins and picked up his 11th win as the Giants blanked Florida 3-0. Brian Wilson earned his 35th save. Jeff Keppinger (2-for-4, 1R, 1RBI) did the damage for the Giants homering off of Javier Vazquez (7.0IP, 5H, 3ER, 10K) in the first inning. Vazquez was at one time questionable for tonight's contest because he was visiting his ailing wife in Puerto Rico.

Josh Tomlin (6IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 2K) continues to impress as he picked up another win to improve his record to 12-5 as the Indians downed the Twins 3-1. Asdrubal Cabrera (2-for-3, 1R, 3RBI, 1SB) hit a 3-run homer (his 20th) off of Brian Deunsing (6.2IP, 9H, 3ER, 2BB, 9K) to account for all of Cleveland's runs. Chris Perez, after a miserable two months, converted his second straight save in two nights without allowing a run.

Ryan Howard (2-for-4, 2R, 4RBI) clobbered his 25th homer of the year and drove in his league leading 95th RBI. Howard now is batting .257/.344/.495 for the year. Roy Oswalt (7.0IP, 6H, 3ER, 1BB, 5K) in his second start since coming off the DL (back) got the win. John Lannon (3.0IP, 4H, 7R, 1ER, 5BB, 1K) who struggled picked up the loss for the Nationals.

Dan Uggla (2-for-3, 2R, 1RBI) hit his 27th homer, a solo shot off of Randy Wells, but it was not enough as the Cubs downed the Braves 8-4. Uggla extended his hitting streak to 33 games. Starling Castro, Darwin Barney, and Tyler Colvin accounted for 10 of the Cubs 14 hits. Michael Bourn stole his league leading 43rd base for the Braves.

Ryan Roberts (2-for-4, 2R, 2H, 3RBI) belted his 16th homer leading the Diamondbacks to a 6-4 win over the Mets. Mike Pelfry was forced to leave the game in the fifth inning after being struck on the elbow by a Gerardo Parra line-drive. Daniel Hudson (8IP, 8H, 4R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K) won his 12th game and J.J. Putz pitched a scoreless 9th to pick up his 29th save.

Tim Stauffer (3.0IP, 7H, 9R, 9ER, 2BB, 1K) became the third pitcher in 2 days (CC Sabathia and Carlos Zambrano the others) to give up five home runs as the Reds hit 7 HR in all, and crushed the Padres 13-1. Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Miguel Cairo, Ryan Hanigan, and Todd Frazier each made victims of Stauffer. Hanigan and Cairo then each added another homer after Stauffer had long hit the showers.

Carlos Gonzalez (2-4, 1R, 4RBI) hit a 3-run blast off of Jaime Garcia (5.0IP, 6H, 5R, 5ER, 4BB, 3K) leading the Rockies to a 6-1 victory over the Cards. Jason Hammel (6.1IP, 5H, 1ER, 3BB, 1K) picked up the win. Albert Pujols (0-for-4) and Matt Holliday (0-for-3, 1R, 1BB) each went hitless.

Matt Scherzer (7.0 IP, 7H, 5R, 4ER, 0BB, 10K) settled down after spotting the Orioles 5 runs in the second inning, and the Tigers came back to win 6-5. The Orioles jumped out in front when Blake Davis (2-for-4, 1R, 3RBI) hit a 3-run blast and Vladimir Guerrero (2-for-4, 1R, 2RBI) connected for a 2-run shot off of Scherzer. Miguel Cabrera (1-for-2, 1R, 3RBI) clubbed his 23rd HR of the year, a 2-run homer off of losing pitcher Jeremy Guthrie (5.2IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 1K). Jose Valverde picked up his 35th save for the Tigers.

Paul Konerko (1-for-4, 1R, 2RBI) and Tyler Flowers (2-for-3,1R, 1RBI) each homered off of losing pitcher Luke Hochevar (6.0IP, 8H, 5ER, 3BB, 4K) as the Chi-Sox defeated the Royals 6-5.
Jake Peavy (6.2IP, 9H, 4ER, 1BB, 6K) was involved in a no-decision. Jesse Crain (1.1IP, 2H, 0BB, 0K) picked up his 7th win. Chris Sale (1.0IP, 1K) pitched a perfect 9th to earn his 4th save.

Clayton Kershaw (8.0IP, 6H, 1ER, 1BB, 9K) improved his record to 14-5 as the Dodgers beat the hapless Astros 6-1. It was another dominant performance for the 23 year-old left hander. He now has an NL-league leading 193 K's. Matt Kemp (1-3, 1R, 2RBI) smashed his 27th home run of the year off of Wandy Rodriguez (6.0IP, 6H, 5R, 2ER, 2BB, 3K). Kemp now has an impressive .319/.393/.575 slash line.

Casper Well (2-for-4, 1R, 2RBI) and Ichiro Suzuki (1-for-4, 1H, 1RBI) homered off of Josh Becket (5IP, 8H, 5ER, 1BB, 6K) as the normally light hitting Mariners defeated the Red Sox 5-4. Felix Hernandez (7.0IP, 9H, 4ER, 2BB, 2KK) labored but was able to gut out the victory. He allowed round-trippers to Jacoby Ellsbury (2-for3, 1R, 2RBI) and Dustin Pedroia (1-for-4, 1R, 1RBI). Brandon League retired all three batters he faced in the ninth, including 2K's, to pick up his 28th save.

MLB Musings

Ervin Santana was very efficient in his complete-game victory (9IP, 7H, 1ER, 6K). It was his 3rd complete game in his last 4 starts. His ERA is now 3.10.

Jose Bautista went hitless (0-for-3) again. The slugger has just a .205/.356/.342 slash line in the past 31 days.

Justin Masterson pitched well again (7.2IP, 5H, 2R, 2ER, 1BB, 4K) but earned a no-decision. He now has a 2.69 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP. He continues to exhibit a stellar GB% (55.3%).

CC Sabathia gave up 5 solo homers in 8 IP to Evan Longoria, Johnny Damon, Casey Kotchman, Kelly Shoppach, and Elliot Johnson. In his previous 173 innings pitched, only 8 left the park.

David Price pitched well (8IP, 6H, 1ER, 2BB, 4K) against the Yankees and evened his record to 10-10.

Pablo Sandoval accounted for the Giants lone run with a solo homer, his 14th HR of the year. He has surely righted the ship from last year's dismal performance when he was grossly out of shape. He currently owns a .314/.355/.526 slash line in 2011.

Ricky Nolasco (8IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 1BB, 4K) picked up his 9th win. Though his dominance (6.60 K/9) and control (2.10 BB/9) have fallen off from last years numbers (8.39 K/9; 1.88 BB/9), he has kept the ball inside the ballpark (.76 HR/9). However, his .324 BABIP and 71.2% strand rate show that his success is not due to luck. Nolasco has a good skill set.

Cole Hamels was not very sharp tonight (5IP, 6H, 3ER, 4BB, 5K). His record fell to a respectable 13-7. He also has a fine 2.62 ERA. He claimed after the game that he was dealing with a dead arm. It showed; he averaged only 89 mph on his fast ball.

Dan Uggla extended his hitting streak to 32 games going 3-for-3 including 2 solo shots off Carlos Zambrano. He probably is hoping that August does not end in which he is batting a ridiculous .400/.405/.700 with a .300 ISO.

Freddie Freeman continues to make a case for ROY honors belting his 16th homer and going 2-for-4, 2R, 1RBI. He has thus far put up a .296/.363/.420 slash line in his inaugural major league season.

Jose Costanza (1-for-3, 2R, 2RBI's) remains white-hot and is keeping Jason Heyward languishing on the bench.

Nick Hundley doubled and homered (his 4th) in his first game back from his second stint on the DL. He ended the night 3-3, 1R, 1BB, 1RBI.

Matt Latos (7IP, 4H,2R, 2ER, 1BB, 5K) rendered a quality start but unfortunately came away with a no-decision. Josh Spence blew the game by giving up a 3-run homer to Jay Bruce with 2 outs in the 8th inning. The game-winning blast was Bruce's 24th dinger of the season to go along with 73 RBI's.

Wilson Betemit, batting in the 9th spot, went 3-for4, 1HR, 1R, 2RBI. He now is batting .296/.354/.435.

JJ Hardy continued his resurgence going 2-for-4, scoring twice, and knocking in 2 runs. He hit his 23rd homer of the year.

Talking about resurgence, Melky Cabrera went 2-for-5, 1HR, 1R, 3RBI, 1SB. He now has 15 homers, 16SB, and 70 RBI's on the year.

Tyler Flowers, forced into the game after A.J. Pierzynski injured his hand, had a rough night. The once promising prospect continues to flounder with the bat, and now with the glove. He was 0-2 at the plate and was the victim of 5 SB's.

Zack Greinke remains dominant after the All-Star break. Tonight he allowed 6 hits, 2ER, and 1BB, while fanning 9 batters. He has allowed 2 or fewer runs in his last 7 starts. In his last 114.2 IP, he has a phenomenal 143/26 K/BB ratio.

Justin Upton (2-for-3, 1R, 1RBI) hit his 24th HR. He now has 73 RBI's on the campaign.

Ian Kennedy handled the Mets (7.0IP, 6H, 1R, 1ER, 3BB, 5K) while improving his record to 15-3.
His ERA is now 3.12.

David Ortiz maintained his torrid power surge smashing his 24th HR and driving in his 79th RBI. He is now batting .299/.386/.560 for the year. Will Boston give him a long-term deal?

Brandon McCarthy (3.1IP, 8H, 7R, 5ER, 0K) was not only knocked around by the Texas line-up, he was forced from the game when he was struck on the right knee by a line-drive off the bat of Endy Chavez. The good news is he was able to walk off the field under his own power.

Matt Kemp, in the bottom of the 10th inning, drove in Casey Blake with an RBI single to right field to account for the only run in the Dodger's 1-0 win over Houston.

MLB Musings

Cubs 4 Reds 3

Tony Campana became the first Cub to ever hit an inside-the-park homer at Wrigley Field, driving in two runs as Chicago downed Cincinnati 3-2. The rookie outfielder made a brilliant catch in center field and also added a double and a single. Ryan Dempster picked up the win for the Cubs despite walking six batters. He held the Reds to two runs on four hits in six innings.
Mike Leake took the loss for Cincinnati giving up three runs on six hits in six innings. Ramon Hernandez hit a homer, his 11th of the year, for the Reds. Cincinnati has now lost three of their last four games following a three-game sweep of the Giants.

Fantasy Fodder:
Cincinnati
Drew Stubbs 0-for-5, 3K's
Yonder Alonzo 2-for-4, 1R
Jose Arredondo Zero IP, 1ER, 1H, 2BB's

Chicago
Starlin Castro 3-for-4, 2R's,
Tony Campana 3-for-5, 1st HR, 2 RBI's, 1R
Kerry Wood 1IP, 1ER, 2H's, 3K's

Notes:
Chris Heisey strained his left oblique during batting practice and was held out of the line-up. He did come in as pinch-runner later in the game.
After starting the season 25-17, the defending NL Central champion Reds are just 29-41.
Joey Votto's 9 game hitting streak came to an end. He did walk twice.