If losing 1B/DH David Ortiz is damaging to my fantasy team, imagine how the Boston Red Sox feel.
"Big Papi" has been placed on the DL retroactive to June 1 because of a torn tendon in his wrist. Despite a slow start, which has his batting average currently sitting at .252, Ortiz has 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Until further notice, manager Terry Francona has moved left fielder Manny Ramirez into the designated hitter slot while Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew man the outfield.
And while the Red Sox still have one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, the BoSox are basically replacing David Ortiz's bat with Coco Crisp and that's not going to be good in the long haul.
Enter stage left Barry Lamar Bonds.
Bonds, Major League Baseball's home run king, is sitting at home awaiting a phone call from somebody (anybody) who wants to pay him to play baseball. The Red Sox, who are in second place behind the Tampa Bay (not Devil) Rays are in search of a left-handed power hitter to fill in for an injured star.
It's not like anyone's really interested in Bonds right now. There won't be any competing offers, so you can get baseball's most prolific home run hitter without entering a bidding war.
In 2007, Bonds hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats with an on-base percentage of .480. You can easily slide him in to the three-hole and have Ramirez batting with a runner on 48% of the time. There isn't a hitter in the world that wouldn't want that, let alone the RBI machine known as Man-Ram.
And it's not like Bonds will just be padding his stats, though that is what he'll be doing if/when he comes back. Barry is hungry for a ring, and with the kind of talent the Red Sox have, it might be his best chance ever.
So there's a free agent with these career numbers: 762 HRs, 1,996 RBIs, .298 BA and a .444 OBP. And your team needs a free agent. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right?
Well, almost. See, this wouldn't even be an issue if it wasn't for three dreaded letters: H-G-H.
But let's be honest, if adding Barry Bonds would guarantee you a World Championship, would you care about BB's past? Wait, what if Bonds was caught juicing (CJ in your scorecards) the night your favorite team clinched the title.
I wouldn't.
Because if my favorite team won the World Series, Barry's BALCO usage would be the furthest thing from my mind. I'd probably be too busy downing Old Style, spraying champagne on Erin Andrews and the Wrigleyville beauty of my choice.
Somewhere, there's a fan in Boston thinking the same way as I am.
"Big Papi" has been placed on the DL retroactive to June 1 because of a torn tendon in his wrist. Despite a slow start, which has his batting average currently sitting at .252, Ortiz has 13 home runs and 43 RBIs. Until further notice, manager Terry Francona has moved left fielder Manny Ramirez into the designated hitter slot while Jacoby Ellsbury, Coco Crisp and J.D. Drew man the outfield.
And while the Red Sox still have one of the most explosive offenses in baseball, the BoSox are basically replacing David Ortiz's bat with Coco Crisp and that's not going to be good in the long haul.
Enter stage left Barry Lamar Bonds.
Bonds, Major League Baseball's home run king, is sitting at home awaiting a phone call from somebody (anybody) who wants to pay him to play baseball. The Red Sox, who are in second place behind the Tampa Bay (not Devil) Rays are in search of a left-handed power hitter to fill in for an injured star.
It's not like anyone's really interested in Bonds right now. There won't be any competing offers, so you can get baseball's most prolific home run hitter without entering a bidding war.
In 2007, Bonds hit 28 home runs in 340 at-bats with an on-base percentage of .480. You can easily slide him in to the three-hole and have Ramirez batting with a runner on 48% of the time. There isn't a hitter in the world that wouldn't want that, let alone the RBI machine known as Man-Ram.
And it's not like Bonds will just be padding his stats, though that is what he'll be doing if/when he comes back. Barry is hungry for a ring, and with the kind of talent the Red Sox have, it might be his best chance ever.
So there's a free agent with these career numbers: 762 HRs, 1,996 RBIs, .298 BA and a .444 OBP. And your team needs a free agent. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right?
Well, almost. See, this wouldn't even be an issue if it wasn't for three dreaded letters: H-G-H.
But let's be honest, if adding Barry Bonds would guarantee you a World Championship, would you care about BB's past? Wait, what if Bonds was caught juicing (CJ in your scorecards) the night your favorite team clinched the title.
I wouldn't.
Because if my favorite team won the World Series, Barry's BALCO usage would be the furthest thing from my mind. I'd probably be too busy downing Old Style, spraying champagne on Erin Andrews and the Wrigleyville beauty of my choice.
Somewhere, there's a fan in Boston thinking the same way as I am.
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