Daily Links For 3/24/11

Matthew Berry's Bold Predictions - Fantasy baseball predictions from THE Fantasy guy... Matthew Berry.  Not going to step on his toes by copying any of his bold predictions here. Gonna leave one of my own though - Mike Aviles will finish in the top ten at second base at the end of the year.

Football Outsiders Determines Effects Of New Kick Off Rule - Warning: Link is ESPN Insider only - Football Outsiders uses their play by play data to try and figure out how many more touchbacks there will be next year.  Simple answer, a shit load. There is a chart that shows ten kickers that all would have more than ten more touchbacks next year.

Neftali Feliz to Remain Ranger's Closer - Yeah... Link really says it all.  Important mainly for fantasy purposes, but wanted to link here.

Blaine Gabbert Is Awesome - Link is to an ESPN story all about Gabbert personally.  This kind of article is why he'll probably go first overall.  Any talent concerns with Gabbert are soothed by his amazing off the field personality.  NFL scouts are realizing more and more how important character guys are, and Gabbert has character in spades.

Buck Showalter Talks Shit About Yanks and Red Sox - Or in other words, Buck Showalter does exactly what you'd want the manager of the Orioles to do.  If you're the manager of the Orioles you are in a tough place behind the Red Sox and Yankees and Rays.  Talking shit about them is the first step to getting your team believing they actually have a shot to win that division.

Ochocinco Below Own Expectations at Soccer Tryout - There's minimal NFL news today.  That's all the excuse I have for this one.

Bill Parcells Leaves Dolphins... Back On ESPN - After a few years of hanging out in Florida doing nothing for the Dolphins... Tuna is heading back to ESPN.  He's going to be a draft analyst at first and will likely find his way back onto Sunday Countdown come fall.

Also going to use this space to kinda announce a future site feature.  Once fantasy baseball season starts I'm going to offer a daily spot start candidate.  It'll be a player available in a yet to be determined large percentage of ESPN leagues.  The plan is to offer one for every day all season long so you'll have a reason to come back here every day.

Daily Links For 3/17/11

100 Fantasy Baseball Facts By Matthew Berry - I know that I'm a day late on this one, but unless your fantasy draft was yesterday this is still useful.  Berry brings it as usual and does a great job proving the same point he does every year...Stats can be made to be misleading.  To prove it he wrote a paragraph about Player A... Using Stats Describing a player you would never want on your team.... And another paragraph about Player B... Using stats that describe him as a good player who should have a great year this year... And then reveals that both paragraphs are about B.J. Upton.  The column would be worth the read for that reminder itself but he also gives you 100 facts about other players this year.

Shogun Rua Sports Science - I'm a sucker for ESPN's Sports Science web shorts.  Nothing mind boggling here but still a decent way to blow three minutes.

Worst Fans In Sports By GQ - Not that GQ is any kind of sports news source.  But I had to link it because they put Phillies and Eagles fans in a tie for first place... Right where they should be.

Former NFL Officiating Head Mike Pereira On The Proposed Competition Committee Rule Changes - Another post that was technically from yesterday but it was updated at 11:54 P.M. so sue me.  Pereira breaks down what he thinks about the rule changes and the lack of a fix in the Calvin Johnson catch.  Even under the new proposal... The Megatron catch from week 1 won't be considered a catch.  I still think that is just ridiculous to anyone who watched the play.  He had won the game for his team and put the ball on the ground as he went to stand up.  He shouldn't have to stand up after the catch for it to count.

Late Edit Additions

Michael Wilbon on the Hill Rose issue - (Warning: Link leads to column that contains use of the n word) Wilbon brings it on the issue of what does in our society constitute "blackness" as opposed to what should.  I'm not someone qualified enough to get in on the society-wide discussion that Rose and Hill have provoked but Wilbon knows what he is talking  about and does a great job of it as always.

San Diego Linebacker Kevin Burnett Whines About Goodell - Burnett whines that Goodell has fined players and "change[d] a game that [he's] never played." Newsflash Kevin - THATS HIS JOB!  Just because he's never played the game doesn't make him unqualified.  Burnett says that Tagliabue was better, without mentioning that he's never played the game either.  Burnett also whines about drug suspensions and lack of a drug program but doesn't know what he's talking about there either.  He claims 1st offense is a six game ban, but its not. It's a 4 game ban for a first offense with performance enhancing drugs.  If you test positive for something like Marijuana you don't receiver a ban for your first offense.  In fact, they don't even tell anyone that you were caught, they put you in their drug program. You can see the entirety of the NFL drug policy here