Business is about to pick up in the sport of baseball, and business picked up last night on The Baseball Show, Clint Evans of Diamond Hoggers and M.J. Lloyd of Off-Base Percentage and Halo Hangout discussed the following with me:

-The latest chapter in the Josh Hamilton relapse saga

-M.J. tells a Mickey Mantle story about racing a limousine

-We talk memorabilia, baseball cards, collectibles (who remembers Fleer Ultra?)

-PECOTA Projections, top 5 in each league, Gordon Beckham, Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, etc.

-Top Prospects List

As we always do, we cover a variety of subjects in between the main melody line. Another great installment of The Baseball Show awaits you.

Top 1: Drew Stubbs struck out swinging against Jamie Garcia

Top 3: Stubbs struck out swinging against Garcia

Top 5: Stubbs walked against Garcia

Top 7: Stubbs called out on strikes against Lance Lynn

Top 9: Stubbs struck out swinging against Mitchell Boggs

Final Line: 0-for-4, BB, 4 K, 6 LOB

Notes: Stubbs’ golden sombrero was his second of the season, and at the rate he’s whiffing, it wouldn’t surprise me if he finishes the season with around five.  According to our friend Mevs at Diamond Hoggers, Stubbs has fanned 76 times in his last 46 games and 189 at-bats. Wow.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 64

Top 1: Drew Stubbs struck out swinging against Tommy Hanson

Top 3: Stubbs struck out swinging against Hanson

Top 5: Stubbs grounded out to shortstop against Hanson

Top 6: Stubbs flied out to right field against Scott Linebrink

Top 8: Stubbs called out on strikes against Scott Proctor

Top 9: Stubbs called out on strikes against Craig Kimbrel

Final Line: 0-for-6, 4 K

Notes: Stubbs’ 0-for-6 performance in the Reds’ 5-1 win over the Braves, might be the ugliest sombrero this season.  After fanning in his first two at-bats against Tommy Hanson, it looked like Stubbs might avoid a sombrero.  However, a two-run, ninth inning against Braves’ closer Craig Kimbrel gave Stubbs one final at-bat with two outs.  And as if it was meant to be, Stubbs struck out looking to put a sour note on a nice win by the Redlegs.

Total 2011 Sombreros: 32

When I say this is my first week of fantasy, I don’t mean the first of the season—I mean I’ve never participated in fantasy sports before this year. Previously, I assumed that I would make too big of a time commitment just to be stomped around by guys (and possibly girls) that have done this before and have, you know, strategies and such. When fellow Sombrero contributor Rick Berdelle invited me to his league, “The Sober Valley Lodge,” I thought this was a great opportunity to finally make the plunge into fantasy. The Lodge’s settings look like this:

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After reading Dee’s write-up of his draft picks, I would like to add my own review of the Denslow Cup 2011 draft.  Before we get into my picks and reasoning, let me tell you this: the league is filled with nerds, and playing in an OBP league drastically changes the way our draft goes as compared to other 5×5 leagues.  The draft was highly competitive, and was fantastic.  As Dee mentioned in his article, he and I gathered with a couple friends of the league, shared some suds and BBQ, and had our spring Christmas.  Just as with Christmas, entering draft day you never know what you are going to get.  By the end of it, you got a ton of stuff (or guys) and now it is time to see how it all works out.  I am incredibly optimistic about this year’s squad, So Fresh ‘n So Sheen Sheen, and where we can finish.  Last year was a debacle, with me finishing 13^th out of 16 teams.  This year we shaved 4 teams, and the rosters are representative of that.  So, without further ado, I present to you a team flowing with tiger’s blood and bi-winning, and that is about to right all the wrongs of 2010: So Fresh ‘n So Sheen Sheen.

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