Baseball Viral

The two sides could meet in the demilitarized zone's Panmunjom next week. from Top News http://ift.tt/2ExJtwN

A quick-thinking coach averted what could have been a terrible bus accident for the University of Dubuque women's basketball team. from Top News http://ift.tt/2qdRQui

New Year's Day felt more like Groundhog Day in the city's airports, after a computer outage left international travelers in the lurch. from Top News http://ift.tt/2A1jGJQ

Fall Out Boy is having a girl. from Top News http://ift.tt/2qaYOQB

It took two days for her to discover why he never called back: Gabriel Sarkodie was among the victims of a Bronx blaze Thursday. from Top News http://ift.tt/2zXDs9g

Newsweek tweeted, then quickly deleted an image of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in an open casket Monday. from Top News http://ift.tt/2CnMJ0o

"It was kind of low and I looked up to see it turn. I turned away and then heard the crash. It had only been in the air a minute or so," Utah resident Matt Wolfe, 38, said. from Top News http://ift.tt/2CoK71x

An Iranian lawmaker says two more protesters have been killed and others wounded during a demonstration in the southwest. from Top News http://ift.tt/2lxOHjo

An Arkansas man entered the new year with a weight lifted off his shoulders after the mosque he vandalized payed his fine for him. from Top News http://ift.tt/2lzOs8u

Erykah Badu’s New Year’s Eve was interrupted by flashing red and blue lights — and for no good reason. from Top News http://ift.tt/2qbe3cB

Cops are investigating if the woman's murder is linked to a man who hung himself from a tree in a city park New Year's Day, sources said. from Top News http://ift.tt/2EtRSkU

Ashlee Marie Preston, the transgender journalist who made national news for confronting Caitlin Jenner, plans to run for office. from Top News http://ift.tt/2zZb86o

Members of a Chicago family are scratching their heads after they were booted from an end-of-the-year flight to Disneyland. from Top News http://ift.tt/2lAZfOB

The first baby of 2018 was born at Flushing Hospital in Queens just after the ball dropped, officials said. from Top News http://ift.tt/2DIlyta

Clemson was fortunate to be down only 10-3 at halftime. from Top News http://ift.tt/2CuxRMP

After first bumping the head linesman, Richt was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. from Top News http://ift.tt/2qbgCer

Bowles is not interested in discussing the potential departure of Jets offensive coordinator John Morton. from Top News http://ift.tt/2C80ThI

Hornacek said that in order to get him 30-plus minutes they may not have a choice but to start him. from Top News http://ift.tt/2qaznP7

The Knicks will be home again on Tuesday. from Top News http://ift.tt/2CaFmoR

More than 300 Hollywood elite have teamed up for Time's Up, a new initiative aiming to fight sexual harassment and assault in the workplace. from Top News http://ift.tt/2C6tjZL

James Bond’s bosses are secretly wooing crooner Sam Smith to consider pitching another theme song for the spy franchise. from Top News http://ift.tt/2Cn3Uiw

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor) It’s hard to argue that 2017 was not a disappointing season for the Cubs’ Kris Bryant, after he won the NL MVP in 2016.  Was it the World Series hangover?  Was it the struggles of the supporting cast?  Was it just that he is incapable of matching that impressive season? That’s a question we’ll try to answer, and while no one is going to say that he isn’t among the Top 20-25 players in the game the following numbers wouldn’t justify a first round pick: 549 At Bats .295 Batting Average (162 Hits) 29 Home Runs 73 RBI 111 Runs 7 Stolen Bases .409 On Base Percentage .537 Slugging Percentage .334 Batting Average on Balls in Play Now the question facing fantasy owners is if he can rebound and deserve to be selected in the first round as we head into 2018, or if he’s morphed more into a second round selection? The two numbers that jump out at you are his HR (after hitting 39 in ’16) and RBI.  To an extent the two go hand-i...

A rousing youth movement has the A's more excited than ever about their future, but expectations must be tempered in the coming year while they practice patience with a rebuild. from OAK Homepage News http://ift.tt/2Cjd4wA

When Haley Alvarez finished her internship with the Oakland A's two years ago, she began searching for her next opportunity, understanding the A's didn't have any full-time positions available at the time. But a couple of weeks later, she received a call from the club's general manager, David Forst, asking her if she would like to attend scout school, with the A's as her sponsor. That started Alvarez on a path that eventually led her back to the A's in a full-time role. from OAK Homepage News http://ift.tt/2C89ilg

The 2017 season was a time of transition for the A's, who made promises of a rebuild and better days ahead amid a third consecutive last-place division finish. A sluggish start prompted the club to give the young guys a shot, and they responded with a 36-37 record in the second half, finishing on a 17-7 run with a core of baby-faced hitters who are igniting a roster renovation. from OAK Homepage News http://ift.tt/2lwJ310

A Florida woman is charged with felony neglect after authorities say her 8-year-old son with cerebral palsy went unfed and wasn't given his medication. WFTS-TV reports 39-year-old Linda Courter was … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2A3d7Xi

For Clemson quarterback Kelly Bryant, replacing Deshaun Watson was never going to be easy. Watson went down as one of the best college quarterbacks ever; his successor isn't there yet. … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2A3O9ah

article teaser:  Jake Lamb once again started strong before fading in the 2H. What can we expect in 2018? Plus Carlos Martinez, Jose Peraza, Anthony Swarzak, and Stephen Vogt. 2H fade again plagues Lamb … For the second year in a row, Jake Lamb (3B, ARI) got off to a fast start only to wither in the second half of the season. What can we expect in 2018? Full text available to BaseballHQ full subscription subscribers only read more from BaseballHQ.com - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Sleepers, and more http://ift.tt/2CbY2IJ

article teaser:  Jose Ramirez was the game's most skilled bat during the final month of 2017. Let's complete our look back at the most skilled players of September 2017 by moving on to hitters. Here were the most skilled bats in September/October: Full text available to BaseballHQ full subscription subscribers only read more from BaseballHQ.com - Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Sleepers, and more http://ift.tt/2pUx2I2

The Bulldogs advance to the national championship game after beating the Sooners, 54-48, in double overtime. It was the first overtime game in Rose Bowl history. from Sports http://ift.tt/2CrtthA

The Crimson Tide, helped by two key plays from 308-pound defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne, goes big to secure its spot back in the national title game. from Sports http://ift.tt/2q8DjjG

Washington finished an ‘unacceptable’ 7-9, and now it must resolve Kirk Cousins’s status before it can solidify the rest of its roster moving forward. from Sports http://ift.tt/2EsxGjf

"Things happen fast for some guys, and others, they can play quick and pressure is not a big deal for them,” Coach Barry Trotz said. He would put Djoos in the second category. from Sports http://ift.tt/2C6TKP1

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The Crimson Tide, helped by two key plays from 308-pound defensive tackle Da'Ron Payne, goes big to secure its spot back in the national title game. from Sports http://ift.tt/2q8DjjG

The defensive tackle had himself quite a game on both sides of the ball. from Sports http://ift.tt/2lC0s9g

Taking a spin around the sports dial. from Sports http://ift.tt/2Cm9TUG

The Crimson Tide held the Tigers to less than zero total yards in the first quarter. from Sports http://ift.tt/2EwdHjU

Georgia special teams coach Shane Beamer carries on his father Frank's tradition. from Sports http://ift.tt/2CpvCeH

The Bulldogs turned to their run game, and turned the Rose Bowl around. from Sports http://ift.tt/2C6lF1t

The Bulldogs advance to the national championship game after beating the Sooners, 54-48, in double overtime. It was the first overtime game in Rose Bowl history. from Sports http://ift.tt/2CrtthA

Green Bay General Manager Ted Thompson will be reassigned in the latest shake up for a division that saw the Lions and Bears fire their head coaches earlier Monday. from Sports http://ift.tt/2Cnfn1K

And the Sooners, who look almost unstoppable on offense, get the ball to start the second half. from Sports http://ift.tt/2Ev96hU

Tight end has spent seven NFL seasons with Washington but is ‘nervous’ about what the future holds. from Sports http://ift.tt/2C7VnM3

Washington finished an ‘unacceptable’ 7-9, and now it must resolve Kirk Cousins’s status before it can solidify the rest of its roster moving forward. from Sports http://ift.tt/2EsxGjf

Oklahoma's quarterback looks well prepared for a flu game. from Sports http://ift.tt/2lznQU6

If there's one theme of the past three Redskins seasons, it's of opportunities missed. from Sports http://ift.tt/2CvnCaY

Taking a spin around the New Year’s Night dial from Sports http://ift.tt/2lziyrI

"Things happen fast for some guys, and others, they can play quick and pressure is not a big deal for them,” Coach Barry Trotz said. He would put Djoos in the second category. from Sports http://ift.tt/2C6TKP1

But mostly, wings for the Bengals, whose victory over the Ravens sent Buffalo to the postseason. from Sports http://ift.tt/2qbCVkk

He exits at age 65 after five seasons in Arizona that included an appearance in the NFC championship game. from Sports http://ift.tt/2CBp4qb

The popular coach might make a good candidate for a gig on “Monday Night Football." from Sports http://ift.tt/2lDRVC2

In its past three games, Washington is averaging 32 three-point attempts. from Sports http://ift.tt/2lzTCAv

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Heath talks NFL DFS ownership levels ahead of the four-game Wild-Card slate. I was all over that Tom Brady-Dion Lewis- Rob Gronkowski gambit in Week 17. In chess, a “gambit” is basically a sacrifice of some type that allows one to gain a future advantage. In my case, Week 17 turned into merely a sacrifice. Thanks for peppering Gronk with zero targets, New England. The cool thing about daily fantasy is that we can get right back up on that proverbial horse, though. So here are Week 17’s ownership levels, including only the eight teams that will play this weekend. These percentages were gleaned from the 1.2M NFL FanDuel Sunday Million ($250K to 1st). It is a $7 buy-in, so we aren’t talking about the lowest dregs of information available (i.e. more sharps than in a $1 GPP). I will share the chart and then see what little we can glean as we look ahead. It is way too early to be planting any sort of flags, but I think some of the information can be useful. For the life of me, I cou...

Interactive Dashboard To Help You Optimize Your Daily Fantasy Lineups ** To sort column headers, click a header and wait a few seconds for the tooltip to appear. Then select the ‘ascending’ or ‘descending’ icon. Legend: Strength Index : Sums the Z-score for each player’s Minutes Per Game, Defense vs Position, Salary, Usage%, and Versitility Index for the last 5 games. DvP is weighted at only 50%. DK PPG L5 : Average DraftKings points per game in the last 5 games played by the player MPG L5 : Player’s minutes played in the last 5 games Value L5 : Given today’s salary, the average value returned in the last 5 games (Points Per Game)/[Salary/1000] Opp DvP Season : Opponents average DraftKings points given up this season Opp DvP L5 : Opponents average DraftKings points given up in the last 5 games USG% L5 : Player’s usage percentage in the last 5 games VI L5 : Versatility Index in the last 5 games. [(PPG*RPG*APG)^0.333] Sources: http://ift.tt/1P3Euq1 www.rotowire.com For a...

With many free agent relievers signed to new deals, I thought it would be a good time to update my 2018 closer rankings. Now that we are two months into the offseason, many of the free agent relievers I listed here have signed with new teams. That means we have a little bit more clarity on who will be closing where next season. That’s as good a reason as any to update my 2018 closer rankings. Right? I mean, it’s a pretty decent reason to go to this trouble. And yes, many of the big closer names like Alex Colome (likely trade), Bud Norris , and Greg Holland haven’t moved yet so I will have to pick their destinations for them. That will lead to some mocking of my selected destinations, surely. Anyway, let’s do this. Here are my early-January closer rankings for the 2018 season. The Closers Craig Kimbrel - BOS Kenley Jansen - LAD Corey Knebel - MIL Cadillac Eldorados Ken Giles - HOU Felipe Rivero - PIT Roberto Osuna - TOR Raisel Iglesias - CIN The Good Leads Sea...

A look at the Minnesota Twins with fantasy baseball in mind. Basic Stats: Final Record: 85-77 Runs: 7th Home Runs: 16th Stolen Bases: 9th ERA: 19th Saves: 12th Strikeouts: 29th We kick off the playoff teams with the first team eliminated in the 2017 Postseason, the Twins . A great story for Minnesota in 2017 as they go from the worst team in 2016, to a playoff team trending in the right direction. A balanced offensive unit backs a below average pitching staff with one of the worst strikeout totals in baseball last season. Will this change in 2018? Let’s take a look towards 2018. The Superstar: Brian Dozier The Twins best player in 2017 was the same guy who was their best player in 2016. Dozier has been pretty consistent in terms of production over the past several seasons. Since 2013, Dozier averages 29 HR 16 SB 81 RBI 99 R and a .252 batting average. He’s had at least 101 runs every season since 2014. Expect similar numbers in 2018 which makes Dozier a safe bet as a top 4...

Last year, I missed my annual resolution to slay mine foes . While I’d like to say the universe imploded as a result, there’s no sign anybody noticed. I’m here to announce that my resolve has returned in time for 2018, lest I inadvertently prove responsible for the annihilation of humankind. Or something. In the past, I’ve offered practical resolutions to advance my totally valid career as a fantasy baseball analyst. In 2015, I sought to join a dynasty league. I accomplished this with flying colors. If you pay close attention to my recent work, you may have noticed a heavy dynasty skew to my output. My 2016 resolution involved a series of unique reader leagues. They were… interesting. I ultimately decided against continuing these experimental formats. Wait, this is boring. What we need is a leitmotif . Stay awhile and listen… to this weird music I play while writing (no joke). This time around I resolve to start my own podcast. I already have the basic idea in place. It’s called T...

By RORY SMITH from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2CCVqRi

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2EA9awP

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2CmV2cT

By JOHN BRANCH from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2EwRqSH

By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2EtWmI9

By ALLAN KREDA from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2zXFLcq

By BILL PENNINGTON from NYT Sports http://ift.tt/2lyrwGn

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A man accused of deliberately ramming a car into pedestrians in a busy Australian city street has been charged with murder after one of the injured died. Saeed Noori, a … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2CqjZnB

Hospital officials say Maine's first baby born in 2018 was delivered in Portland hospital just over three hours into the new year. Baby Jaxon was delivered by Monmouth resident Anya … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2A3NZ2F

The United States beat Japan 2-1 at the Hopman Cup after an illness withdrawal by one of the Japanese players, but the win may come at a cost after Jack … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2CseiW4

Nick Saban is back in his comfort zone. Let others run up the points. He'll take a defensive slugfest every time. Especially when it gives Alabama another shot at a … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2A50ZF0

A restaurant run by television star and celebrity chef Guy Fieri in the heart of New York City's Time Square has shut its doors for good. The restaurant, Guy's American … Click to Continue » from KC Breaking News, Sports & Crime | http://ift.tt/2CpWuv4

Sandy Alderson got a contract extension last week to continue one of the most distinguished careers ever inside and outside of baseball, and his new deal reminded me of our chat before that Mets' game against the Braves when we discussed the old days. from OAK Homepage News http://ift.tt/2litj2s

Should old acquaintance be forgot? It’s a new year, and we could see a new Royals team on the field this year as old acquaintances may be departing. But the start of a new year brings new hope, new resolutions for all of us to become better people. 1. What did you do for New Year’s? 2. Any resolutions? 3. What was one thing from 2017 you are proudest of or happiest about? 4. Is there anything this year you are looking forward to? 5. Give us one baseball-related prediction and one non-baseball prediction for 2018. 6. Is there a good New Year’s-related movie? Does Die Hard count? Here’s hoping for another terrific year at Royals Review with the best baseball community on the internet! from Royals Review - All Posts http://ift.tt/2CsKojN

Gretchen Carlson has been appointed chair of the Miss America Board of Directors, just a month after the organization was rocked by scandal. from Top News http://ift.tt/2CyQc8X

Jana Kramer and husband Mike Caussin reconciled in 2017 and are ready to start fresh in 2018. from Top News http://ift.tt/2DJn7XP

Just because Barack Obama is out of office doesn't mean he's out of the loop — at least, not when it comes to pop culture. from Top News http://ift.tt/2ChDeQm

Gettleman had to like what he saw in what has been a major weakness for the Giants this season and in recent years. from Top News http://ift.tt/2DEjjai

Dave Gettleman will be handling the Giants’ draft in April himself after firing VP player of operations Marc Ross on Saturday. from Top News http://ift.tt/2zTNJmT

Former French First Lady Carla Bruni demurred when asked if she has any advice for current U.S. First Lady Melania Trump. from Top News http://ift.tt/2lyvOg8

The truth is out there, but Scully isn’t. from Top News http://ift.tt/2Cikhgr

Naya Rivera and estranged husband Ryan Dorsey have struck a temporary cease fire. from Top News http://ift.tt/2zUlJPR