By Dan O’Shea

If you’re a Cubs fan, there isn’t much to do these days except debate when Anthony Rizzo will get called up. That’s how it is when you’re in last place.
And if your fantasy team is near the bottom of the standings too, you just might be doing the same thing, although more generally speaking. We’re getting to the portion of the season where bad MLB teams are starting to call up their prospects in hopes of shaking things up, and if you pick up the call-ups at the right time, they can provide a nice fantasy boost.
This season, we have already seen at least two prospects presumed to be mid-season arrivals actually called up early – Bryce Harper of the Nationals and Mike Trout of the Angels. Both of them (especially Trout) have been doing so well that they are not available in most fantasy leagues, but don’t worry. There are more call-ups on the way.
Here are my top picks for probable mid-season call-ups worth picking up:

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Posted on June 6, 2012

By Jim Coffman

The basketball was beautiful Saturday night. Sunday’s action was less so.
But yesterday’s result certainly warmed the heart of anti-Heat fans everywhere. And there is some drama in the NBA playoffs after the first two games in both conference finals earlier last week were dominated by the favorites. Now deuces – a pair of 2-2 deadlocks – are wild.

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Posted on June 4, 2012

By Marty Gangler

Okay. So, if you are reading this right now, you probably read last week in The Second Basemen Report that I said that Darwin Barney “should never be starting on a major league roster.”
So, first, what I said kinda makes no sense because he should never be starting, or never be on a major league roster – it should be one or the other, right? But my point pretty much was, he shouldn’t be a consistent starter.
But then we have to go out to San Francisco and see that Ryan Theriot is the starter at second for the Giants. And on top of that, Barney went out and had a really solid week at the plate – even more solid when you think about how bad the Cubs are at hitting.
Which made me think: I might be wrong.

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Posted on June 4, 2012

History hangs in the air the same way that the kudzu hugs the trees. Sitting in the first base grandstand, I closed my eyes for a few moments last Wednesday afternoon and tried to visualize Satchel Paige standing on the mound as a 20-year-old rookie in 1927. If that sounds somewhat peculiar, blame it on Rickwood Field.
Billed as the oldest ballpark in America, Rickwood’s turnstiles first spun in 1910. Its rich tradition and history are a part of Birmingham, Alabama, where the steel and iron industries highlighted its early economy and where the civil rights movement gained a foothold, signaling genuine change in America.
For the past 17 years, the Birmingham Barons, the White Sox’ Double-A affiliate, have staged the Rickwood Classic, a regular Southern League contest characterized by vintage uniforms, brass bands, and a few thousand fans – the announced crowd Wednesday was 7,180 – eager to hold onto and honor the past.

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Posted on June 4, 2012