The Sports Idiot

Future Braves centerfielder Jordan Schafer broke his silence yesterday in regards to his 50 game suspension for HGH use. Well, sort of. All he says is that he still can’t talk:

“It’s not what it seems,” Schafer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution in an exclusive interview at the team’s spring training complex. “It’s different, but I really can’t comment. I have to just let people think [what they will] and move on, and people will see by the way I play when I come back it was nothing like that. I’m the same player I’ve always been. It has nothing to do with any of that.”

It will be interesting to see where this goes, because something seems a little bit fishy. Either he got busted buying HGH, or there is something else in the works here. The details are few, and who knows if we will ever get the true story, but for some reason I don’t think Schafer was trying to cheat his way to the Bigs. Perhaps it’s because I’m a Braves fan?

John Smoltz was placed on the 15 day DL on Tuesday, and he hopes to be back on the mound in 15 – 30 days. The good news is that he will not need surgery to repair his rotator cuff, and that his biceps tendon seems to just need some rest. The better news is that he is willing to return to the bullpen, and fix the Bravos’ closer issues. With Peter Moylan likely lost for the year, and Rafael Soriano encountering “soreness” in a recent bullpen session, it sounds like this could actually be a possibility.

While we will not know for sure if he will be moved to the bully for a while (or until Bobby Cox squashes the idea), it may be worth trying to buy low on Smoltz before this news goes national. If you are in a Yahoo league, and he is named the closer, he’ll be an SP/RP which gives him a huge boost in value. Buy low if you can, but understand the risk that he may not get moved to the pen and he may be on the DL much longer than expected.

ESPN.com has picked up on this story.

Now that we have some insight into NC State’s recruiting class for 2008, it is time to look a little further down the road. The 2009 class could be an excellent one, but Sid is going to have to land some of the players considering the Wolfpack in order for that to happen. Currently, there is only one commit from the 2009 class, Scott Wood. A quick look at Wood, and the kids who are undeclared, after the jump. Continue reading ‘Recruiting Watch – 2009′

Last week we told you to be on the lookout for Max Scherzer, a right handed pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system. Well, yesterday the D-Backs recalled Scherzer from Triple-A Tuscon. It appears that he will be used primarily in relief for now, but with Edgar Gonzalez being milk I expect that he will be starting by mid-June at the latest. He’s a long shot to wind up closing in Arizona as well, so mixed leaguers need to keep an eye on him and NL-only leagues need to scoop him up ASAP. Depending on your league, he may not even show up in the player pool as of yet (he doesn’t in my Yahoo league, which is set up for him to go to waivers after today). If you are in a dynasty league, you may or may not want to use your waiver wire spot on Scherzer depending on your league rules. Clayton Kershaw (who we will be discussing shortly) is still in the minors, afterall, and he’s regarded as the #1 pitching prospect in baseball right now.

You may have noticed that I don’t do a lot of NFL coverage.  I leave that up to my good friends (I actually know these guys in real life) over at Off The Record.  Micah Warren live blogged the entire first day of the draft, and I would imagine that he will do the same today.  If you are looking for some good commentary, do yourself a favor and check them out.

Also, I have pushed Off the Record a few times here on the blog, and it’s for good reason.  Off the Record has broken a few stories, and is now recognized by Yahoo Sports and by my favorite sports news site, Rotoworld.com.  Congrats to Micah and Perry for all the good blogging they are doing.

The Atlanta Braves seem to churn out promising starting pitcher after promising starting pitcher, but none of them ever seem to live up to their potential. While the jury is still out on Chuck James, we now turn our attention to Jair Jurrjens. Through his first five starts this season, Jair is 3 – 2 with a 3.45 ERA. He boasts a 1.21 WHIP, and has racked up 25 Ks in 31.1 innings of work. His next start is against the lowly Reds, so if he is available in your league now is the time to move on Jurrjens. He will not be available in your fantasy league after that start, if he is even available now.

It should be noted that Jurrjens is not a homegrown talent for the Bravos. He was traded to Atlanta by the Tigers along with Gorkys Hernandez for shortstop Edgar Renteria. While Hernandez has yet to play for the Bravos, Renteria has been doing a fine job for the Tigers. So far, I’d have to say this is a good trade for both teams, especially since Yunel Escobar has done an outstanding job for the Bravos.

Yahoo Sports’ Brad Evans is someone who you should be aware of, and reading on a daily basis. He penned a nice entry yesterday about Max Scherzer, a starting pitcher in the Arizona Diamondbacks’ system. Scherzer boasts a mid to high 90’s fastball, that pairs up nicely with his off speed pitches. Evans points out that with Randy Johnson being old as dirt, and current #5 starter Edgar Gonzalez being milk, it’s likely that the NL’s best team will call Scherzer up before the All Star Break.

Through four starts this season, Max has a stellar 38:3 K:BB ratio. He has given up a total of three earned runs over 23 innings pitched. Put Scherzer on your radar, and be ready to pounce when he gets his call to the show.

File this one in the guys will want to know about this but it has nothing to do with sports whatsoever. Your new sexiest woman in the world after the jump. Continue reading ‘SEXIEST WOMAN ALIVE, FHM POLL’

It appears that Kaz Matsui has fully recovered from his anal fissure, and is beginning to tear it up for the Astros. He has only played in five games so far this season, but has already crossed the plate seven times and stolen two bases. If you have a roster spot, he would be a good add at this point if you need runs, stolen bases and a bump in batting average.

Your other update after the jump… Continue reading ‘Kaz Matsui Update (you know it)’

And that is to put it nicely. Geno is once again running his mouth about Pat Summit in this ESPN.com article. Apparently he is still miffed about UT pulling the plug on their annual non-conference tilt. In the recent past, Pat has refused to address why the series was canceled, and I don’t blame her. She has said that Geno knows why it was axed, and that is all she would announce. Geno, however, broke this out:

“Pat knows … So she should just tell you why instead of saying, ‘Geno knows.’ I do know,” he said. “I already told you. She accused us of cheating at recruiting. She doesn’t have the courage to say it publicly. So yeah, Geno does know. And I’ve said it.”

He also said that Pat “doesn’t have the courage to say it publicaly.” Maybe she just has more class than you, Geno. Ever think about that? Well, she does, and I applaud her approach on this issue. And oh yeah, Geno, you did cheat at recruiting when you used ESPN to try to lure recruits in. Not only are you classless, Geno, but apparently you are not too smart either. Did you not think ESPN would get the “scoop” on this secondary violation and report it?

This is just another reason to hate UCONN. Both of their basketball head coaches are ass clowns who think they are bigger than the sport. Both of them can rot for all I care. Here’s hoping neither Geno or Calhoun never win another championship.