Everyone has a vice.  If you’re like me, you have multiple vices.  My favorite vice, fantasy baseball, is right around the corner, so I just couldn’t help but look for some interesting angle to write on in January.  Analysis of off-season moves are done by, well everyone.  Rankings and season previews are more of a spring-training time piece.  Writing about the shittiness of any one of my Houston Astros’ players value (except Mr. Bourn and WayRod, duh) is pointless for so many reasons.  So what does that really leave a guy with in January?  How about a little head-to-head action…by position.  I’m not talking about looking at the top guys at each position, but rather the guys in those second – possibly third if you’re in a deep league – tier guys that can really make or break your draft and season.  Over the next week and a half, I will take a look at a couple of guys from each position and see how they match up versus their higher drafted counterparts.  As per usual, any ideas, thoughts, or beliefs (both supporting and opposing) are welcomed.

First base is a rather deep position this year with Joey Votto emerging as the hitter many have seen coming, Adrian Gonzalez getting to trade Petco for Fenway, Prince Fielder heading into free agency after the season (I’m a sucker for a guy playing for a new, mega-sized contract), as well as your standards like Ryan Howard, Miguel Cabrera, and Mark Teixeira.  If you are not fortunate enough to secure one of those guys, then whom do you take a flier on?

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The Golden Sombrero presents MLB Look-alikes: Justin Morneau and Chris Getz

As I eluded to in Part I, the second installment of, “The Best Baseball Commercials,” is dedicated to my favorite baseball, video game commercials. The first baseball game that I remember becoming totally obsessed with was ‘Sports Talk Baseball’ for Sega Genesis. I know that Rob possesses a similar endless love for this game, considering we spent most of the summer of 2008 barricaded inside, playing it non-stop while screaming at each other. Since ‘Sports Talk’ burst onto the scene in 1991, I think that it’s fair to say that the quality of baseball games has improved, a lot. As games have become more complex and sophisticated, the marketing has followed suit by producing witty commercials starring some of baseball’s most popular players. The genuine quirkiness of each player gives the lasting impression that they are having a blast, and proud to be a part of it. Each commercial is a constant reminder that major league baseball players are human.

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Even though Votto has not notched a sombrero, he sure looks good in that hat

After watching both Jason Heyward and Mark Teixeira fall victim to the Platinum Sombrero over the weekend, I thought it would only be appropriate to reflect on all of the golden and platinum sombrero performances this season.  Some of the names on the list may surprise you, most of them will not.  For those of you who may not have noticed, there is a scrolling ticker in the top, left-hand corner of the site that offers an up-to-date list of every player that has notched either a 4 or 5 strikeout game.  Regardless, here is the current, chronological list in an easy to read format, as well as a few notes about its constituents.

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