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THE THINKING CHAIR: WHAT DO JOHN DALY'S GOLF TEE AND MARVIN HARRISON HAVE IN COMMON? PDF Print E-mail
Written by Matthew Greber, RotoExperts.com Staff Writer   
Sunday, 29 June 2008

If you enjoy watching John Daly make PGA tour onlookers cringe, or you also wonder if pitchers like Bronson Arroyo feel guilty for destroying fantasy teams with one bad outing, then this week's edition of The Thinking Chair is right up your alley. Plus, what do Shaun Alexander and a former Lakers swingman have in common, besides both being out of a job?

 

David Wright
David Wright obviously felt re-energized after some time off last week. Photo Credit: kidsire

Mets third baseman David Wright was given a day off on Tuesday of last week, and on Wednesday he blasted two home runs. Wright even said the rest was part of his success. But... what do you do with that information if you are his manager? I mean, do you therefore rest him a lot? He can't hit home runs from the bench (This great insight provided to you by the good folks at RotoExperts.com). I suppose it means he needs more rest than he was getting, but where do you draw the line with a 25 year-old wunderkind who is supposed to be the franchise savior? No wonder Willie Randolph got fired.

On the other hand, as a new father, I just got seven straight hours of sleep last night, and I feel like I could bench press John Daly--I'm assuming you saw him hit a drive off of Kid Rock's beer can?  It can only be described with the over-used term: "awesome." And it's exactly the kind of image the PGA is trying to promote. Except the exact opposite.

Maybe it's just me, but I thought that was a pretty boring NBA Draft on Thursday.  Then again, I didn't watch it. As a casual Warriors fan, however, I'm delighted to hear that the guy they drafted -- LSU forward Anthony Randolph -- is often compared to Brandan Wright, who...um...the Warriors already have. NBA Action - it's Fan-tastic!

Did anyone else watch Wipeout this week? Better question -- will anyone else admit it? For those who either didn't see the show or would like to save some personal dignity by pretending they didn't see it, the show is one long obstacle course that various contestants race through, with the winner getting $50,000. The course itself -- which changes from week to week -- is pretty hilarious, and it could best be described at times as "Donkey Kong for humans." Watching people leap over barrels, jump on springboards, and bounce off giant rubber balls into muddy water...well, that's good American fun right there. The show is perhaps best categorized as "car wreck TV," something you really shouldn't watch but is hard to look away from once you see it. Not exactly the world's greatest marketing plan, but hey...it's on my TiVo.

Do you think when folks like Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo are sitting in the dugout after giving up 10 earned runs in just one inning (I'll let that soak in for a moment while you adjust to the horror), that they think about how badly they screwed their fantasy owners? I mean, you have to work pretty hard to move your ERA up by a full run in late June, but Arroyo did it. That's both impressive and horrific, which is a combination you really don't get to see all that often.

As we get ready for the NFL season -- and it's almost embarrassing how excited I am about another fantasy football season -- I need to point out one thing to you that was stated by RotoExperts' own Scott Engel: Two separate times, he described Colts WR Marvin Harrison as "Moises Alou with a football helmet." This was not a compliment to either player, and I have to agree that Harrison is definitely in deep decline. The reality of football is that players rarely decline gradually. Eventually, the constant hard contact forces them to act like...well, normal human beings instead of elite athletes.

And yes, Shaun Alexander, I'm talking about you too.  Seriously, isn't everyone a little shocked that no one has signed him yet? There's something going on here, right? He was the MVP of the entire league three seasons ago, and now he can't help anyone with a little depth? I'm assuming he's hoping to be a starter, not a backup...which could be wishful thinking at this point. 

Hey, if you are curious, check out Alexander's WikiPedia page. Given the source, I'm not sure how truthful everything is there, but I had forgotten that the Seahawks drafted him with a pick they got for trading away Joey Galloway, who is still faster than 75 percent of the league. I also never knew that Alexander professed to be a virgin until he got married and is a big believer in abstinence before marriage. Something tells me that A.C. Green and Alexander have lots to talk about.

Back to baseball -- the so-called experts (wait...I'm one of them) have said that with Eric Byrnes returning to the lineup, he should go right back to stealing bases. I'd tend to agree. Sure, he did swipe 50 last year, except there are two things to consider.

1. He only has four stolen bases for the season, or approximately as many as Jacoby Ellsbury gets between meals.
2. He was out with TWO SORE HAMSTRINGS.

Now, I'm no doctor, but are we really going to believe that Byrnes feels perfect right now? Hamstrings are pretty critical to running (again, this insight is only available from RotoExperts.com!), and until Byrnes even attempts a stolen base (let alone actually swipe a bag), I'm not buying it.

Before this season, many people (including me) were pimping Rick Ankiel as a cheap source of a lot of power. Many scoffed, and they were feeling pretty secure in their doubt when he seemed to cool off after a sizzling start. Well, Ankiel is now on pace for 35 HR this season, which I'm pretty sure you'd take on your squad. As some people say, "I'm just sayin'."

 

Matthew Greber typed the last few paragraphs of this article with one hand, as the other was holding his five-week-old daughter, whose favorite hobby so far appears to be spitting up on Mommy. Oh, good times. He can still open e-mail with one mouse-click, so fire away at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

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