Happy 238th America.

Happy Birthday America.

Every year when this day comes, I think about all the things about the American Revolution that I have learned in my 33 years and how muh courage, strength of conviction and big ole harry cajones each and every one of the Colonists who decided to fight against their British colonizers must have had (I know women fought too...but cajones doesnt actually refer to body parts, its a state of mind).  I often wonder what those men and women would think of the country today (with the technology advances and population boom notwithstanding).  Would they be amazed that what they started has stood up for 238 years and counting and that they are looked upon as being some of the greatest leaders the world has ever known?  Or would they be appalled that we have not taken it upon ourselves to use their ideas as a basis to form something better and that we have not "refreshed the tree of liberty?"  Thomas Jefferson wrote, "What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve it's liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is it's natural manure."  I dont think that means that we should start a revolution or anything because Jefferson was living in a very different time and a very different historical place.  The late 1700s is not somewhere that I would particularly care to visit if I had the choice. But it does inform my opinion about whether the Founding Fathers would be proud that their ideas had held up or incensed that we had allowed their work to stagnate.  You can probably tell which side of the answer I usually come to. 

Most people celebrate the 4th by going to a carnival or watching fireworks and drinking/grilling/beaching.  This tradition goes all the back to the very 1st Independance Day celebration in 1777 in Philadelphia (the nacient country's first Capitol) where they blew off rudimentary fireworks in an attempt to raise the morale of the people as the Revolutionary War raged on.  The event was such a success that it quickly caught on in other cities.  John Adams, future second President of the US (not to be confused with his son, John Quincy Adams, who would be the 6th President) wrote, "I am apt to believe that [July 4] will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival.  It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."  Boy was he ever right.  I tend to shy away from those traditional celebrations in favor of lesser crazed ones like sitting in the backyard with my family and watching baseball on the tele.  Today I am going to pre-game (slightly different than the pre-gaming I used to do in college...that usually involved a couple of shot glasses, Tequila and some Old Style...what was I doing with my life?) in two different ways.

First, the whole not wanting to go to the late 1700s made me think about the places I would want to go had I a Terminator style time machine and the cajones to use it.  So I am going to give a quick top 3 rundown (the Rock is not involved in this Rundown, not is Stiffler).  Feel free to skip to he next part should you be so inclined (this will likely be asked as part of Taking Back Thursday in the future because it is interesting to think about..at least for me).
3) The original building of Stonehenge, whenever that happened to be.  I mean really...wtf is its purpose and how the hell did they lift those gigantic rocks into place on top of those other gigantic rocks.  I need answers and Giorgio screaming "Aliens" every chance he gets just doesnt cut it for me.
2) London, 1599 - The Globe Theater - I would love to know what seeing a play would have been like at the Hub of the theater universe in the setting that the play was written to be presented in.  Added bonus, asking people if Will had actually written the plays or if he had merely been in the right place at the right time.
1) Illinois, early 1970s - I never met either of my grandfathers, they both died in the 1970s.  I would love to have been able to meet them, even if it were just once, and know what they were like.

That was weird, I got all emotionally and stuffs.  Enough of that.

The second way I am pregaming?  A schmorgasbord of stats...June has come to an end and it's time to take stock on the last 30 days and glimpse at the year to date leaderboards.  I pulled these yesterday (7/2) so the Johnny Cueto stats are before the worst offense in the last decade beat him with a 3 run SINGLE by catcher Rene Rivera in the first inning.  I havent seen the play, but something funky must have happened for Rivera to only advance to first, but not so fleet of foot Tommy Medica (he of the 5 career minor league stolen bases...in 324 games) score all the way from first.  Just so they could make sure they were still the Padres, a 4th run was voided when Irving Falu decided that actually stepping on 3rd base while trying to score from second was optional and he was called out when the Reds appealed the play.

As always, the left table is the year to date, the right is the last 30 days.

Player	Team	R	$		Player	Team	R	$
Tulo	Dust Bunnies	65	$52		Todd Frazier	UCCMA	22	$3 (6/17)
Hunter Pence	MTMTAS	60	$23		Kold Calhoun		21
Paul Goldschmidt	MBHB	60	$60		Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	21	$89
Brian Dozier	MBHB	60	$8 (5/20)		Anthony Rizzo	Bobs Aters	21	$20
TMGS	UCCMA	59	$34

The year to date leader board doesnt yield too many surprises as the only change is TMGS jumping to 5th and Josh Donaldson dropping from second to "I have no idea because I didnt look outside the top 5."  The last 30 days board, though...that is surprising.  Todd Frazier has been a machine and Uncle Jimmy was wise to grab him when he did and Mike Trout is Mike Trout.  Anthony Rizzo has turned into one of the better 1b in the National League (when he isnt swinging at pitches that hit him in the knee), but Kold Calhoun?  WTF is going on with the world?  WTF is going on with the Angels?  Are they scoring that many runs?  Is the Kold one going to be part of our lives again shortly?  Am I on fire?

Player	Team	RBI	$		Player	Team	RBI	$
Jose Abreu	Bobs Aters	67	$2		Jose Abreu	Bobs Aters	25	$2
Nelson Cruz	Zattack	67	$8		Kyle Seager	MTMTAS	25	$8
Edwin Encarnacion	Bobs Aters	66	$27		Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	24	$89
Miguel Cabrera	Dust Bunnies	65	$76		Andrew McCutchen	Les Moles	24	$78
Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	62	$89		Justin Morneau	BySs	24	$1 (7/1)

Dont you just love that the combined salary of the top 2 guys on each list is $10?  We all totally know what we are doing...right?  Jose Abreu has nearly 50 fewer plate appearances than Cruz due to his stint on the DL, but Abreu is even with him as he continues to crush baseballs beyond the expectations of even the biggest ChiSox homer (Hawk Harrelson...god I dislike that man as an announcer).  Kyle Seager has been largely unnoticed this season (and really...over the past 2 as well) but he has been the best 3rd baseman in the AL this year not named Yangervis Solarte Adrian Beltre.

Player	Team	SB	$		Player	Team	SB	$
Dee Gordon	Bobs Aters	40	$3 (4/22)		Jose Altuve	Zattack	17	$20
Jose Altuve	Zattack	37	$20		Billy Hamilton	Bobs Aters	15	$30
Billy Hamilton	Bobs Aters	35	$30		James Jones		11
Ben Revere	Les Moles	23	$1
Tacoby Bellsbury	MWP	23	$50

Dee Gordon continues to lead this parade and we already covered How Many Altuve's monster 10 SB week that vaulted him into second place on the YTD leader board.  The monthly Billy Hamilton check shows him holding steady in the SB department, but he has been getting on base nearly 1/3rd of the time in the last month...a HUGE leap forward for him that portends even greater results in the SB category.  The new name on the list is James Jones (not the GB wide receiver).  The Mariners' rookie CF has swiped 17 bags in 18 attempts and is hitting a respectable .293.  He has no power, strikes out 4 times for every walk and has only 8 RBI in 217 plate appearances...but man can he run.

Player	Team	AVG (225+ ab)	$		Player	Team	AVG (65+ ab)	$
Tulo	Dust Bunnies	0.353	$52		Jose Altuve	Zattack	0.421	$20
Jose Altuve	Zattack	0.347	$20		Adrian Beltre	Huckleberries	0.402	$41
Lonnie Chisenhall	BySs	0.344	$2 (6/17)		Scooter Gennett		0.377
Adrian Beltre	Huckleberries	0.332	$41
Jonathon Lucroy	BySs	0.331	$9

The reason that Altuve was able to steal so many bases in the last 30 days?  He was on almost constantly.  He has been a one man wrecking crew atop the Astros lineup.  I cheated a little to get the Chis onto the board as he was 1 AB short of the requirement.  He has been so good that I couldnt leave him off.  How many of you would have guessed Lucroy (other than Kyler) was in the top 5 in the Bigs in batting?  He has been by far the #1 catcher in the fantasy game this year and it isnt just a good stretch of games for him.  He has flashed these elite offensive skills since 2012.  With catcher being such a weak position across the board, Kyler has a real leg up with Lucroy.  There's another Brewer in the 30 day leader board, Scooter Gennett.  Gennett really only plays against righties (because he can really only hit righties...career 143/167/157 against south paws) but thats the good side of the platoon.  Scoots was never really a top prospect, but he did hit nearly .300 at every stop in the minors (spent 1 season at each level...which strangely doesnt happen much anymore) before hitting .324 in a call up last season.  I am not sure that he can keep it up, but hes a fun guy to root for (he's 5"10 170 lbs..aka a real human being...and his name is fricken Scooter).

Player	Team	OBP (225+ ab)	$		Player	Team	OBP (65+ ab)	$
Tulo	Dust Bunnies	0.445	$52		Paul Goldschmidt	MBHB	0.477	$60
Jose Bautista	Dust Bunnies	0.430	$29		Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	0.473	$89
Andrew McCutchen	Les Moles	0.416	$78		Jose Altuve	Zattack	0.456	$20
TMGS	UCCMA	0.414	$34
Adam LaRoche		0.412

Another category...another Tulo sighting on top of the YTD leader board.  Nothing to see here.  Wait...Adam LaRoche has the 5th highest on base % in the Bigs?  We've never met this LaRoche before.  His K rate is down, his walk rate is up and his line drive rate is way way up (34% this year vs 21% career average), but his BABIP doesnt seem too far out of line from his career norms.  This is a player who has hit 20+ HRs in every season of his career where he has had more than 500 PA (8 times).  If he has truely turned a corner at age 34 (its a bit IF), then hes a player who belongs in the second tier of 1b along with Morneau, Rizzo and Freddie Freeman.

Player	Team	SLG (225+ ab)	$		Player	Team	SLG (65+ ab)	$
Jose Abreu	Bobs Aters	0.627	$2		Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	0.769	$89
Tulo	Dust Bunnies	0.618	$52		JD Martinez		0.739
Mike Trout	Dust Bunnies	0.617	$89		Steve Pearce		0.693
Edwin Encarnacion	Bobs Aters	0.595	$27
TMGS	UCCMA	0.591	$34

Another category...another Tulo...wait...Jose Abreu?  Opponents Cuban Missle Crisis?  Abreu has been off this list before for one reason...he didnt have enough at bats to qualify due to his early season injury.  I am not sure that he would have been ahead of Tulo all season, but he has been close.  JD Martinez and Steve Pearce are good stories of veteran players getting a new leash on baseball life in new cities by doing things like...playing in games regularly instead of not regularly.  Martinez was yanked around by the Astros (of all teams) before being released and immediately scooped up by Detroit and almost immediately inserted into the lineup.  Pearce was let go by Pittsburgh, and then Houston...and then the Skankees.. and landed in Baltimore last season.  This year they have needed a left fielder and part time 1b with Chris Davis missing time this season and Pearce has been up to the task.

This is the point where I make reference to the fact that Mike Trout is finally doing things that made him cost $89 at auction.  Over the past 28 days per BR, Trout is hitting 348/464/730 with 20R 23RBI 10 2b 8 HR 5 SB (0 CS).  Somehow, Trout is improving on both his first and second Big league seasons.  This is a 22 year old kid playing better than almost anyone has in the history of MLB.  I am pretty sure that Mike Trout is a baseball cyborg wrapped in human tissue (T-MR3000?  Oh Bernie Mac) and that one day he is going to hold his arm up and cut the skin off to reveal a metal skeleton underneath.

Player	Team	W	$		Player	Team	W	$
Rick Porcello		11			Clayton Kershaw	Zattack	6	$70
Kamakaze Tanaka	MWP	11	$10		Garrett Richards	MBHB	5	$4 (6/10)
Felix Hernandez	MBHB	10	$44		Willy Peralta		5
Adam Wainwright	Bobs Aters	10	$42
Alfredo Simon	BySs	10	$1 (5/27)

So the MLB co-leader in wins is unowned in our fantasy league.  It isnt hard to see why, as Porcello has struck out 62 in 106 innings and doesnt offer other great ratios, but it is still surprising that no one has even kicked the tires on him. 

Player	Team	K	$		Player	Team	K	$
David Price	Les Moles	153	$36		David Price	Les Moles	63	$36
Felix Hernandez	MBHB	137	$44		Clayton Kershaw	Zattack	61	$70
Max Scherzer	UCCMA	132	$39		Felix Hernandez	MBHB	54	$44
Stephen Strasburg	MTMTAS	131	$35
Yu Darvish	BySs	128	$48

Here's a Whose Who of MLB pitchers right now...3 Cy Young winners sitting on top the YTD board, 3 Cy Young winners sitting on top the 30 day board.  Kershaw missed a mess of time or he would be on the YTD board as well, but even though he isnt, check out the k/9 rate: Price - 10.5, Felix - 9.6, Scherzer - 10.7, Stras - 10.5, Darvish - 11.0, Kershaw - 12.1.  We will visit with Mr. Kershaw more in a bit.

Player	Team	ERA (90 ip)	$		Player	Team	ERA (30 ip)	$
Johnny Cueto	MWO	1.88	$10		Clayton Kershaw	Zattack	0.82	$70
Adam Wainwright	Bobs Aters	2.01	$42		Jake Arrieta	Les Moles	0.92	$3 (6/24)
Felix Hernandez	MBHB	2.10	$44		Adam Wainwright	Bobs Aters	1.16	$42
Kamakaze Tanaka	MWP	2.10	$10
Henderson Alvarez	BySs	2.33	$1 (6/24)

The usual suspects again, with a couple of exceptions.  Henderson Alvarez?  Alvarez came to MIA in the Jose Reyes/Mark Buherle trade and has been decent so far.  But his WHIP, hit rate and K rate do not suggest that he will be staying in this company for much longer.  Jake Arrieta on the other hand, might be.  In his last 5 starts he is 4-0 with 5 QS.  He has thrown 34 2/3 innings, allowed 14 hits, 3 runs, walked 6 and struck out 46...and he has taken a perfect game into the 7th inning and in his next start, a no hitter into the 8th.  I think the Cubs won the Arrieta/Strop for Clevenger/Feldman trade last year by a smidge.

Player	Team	WHIP (90 ip)	$		Player	Team	WHIP (30 ip)	$
Johnny Cueto	MWO	0.84	$10		Clayton Kershaw	Zattack	0.68	$70
Adam Wainwright	Bobs Aters	0.90	$42		Jake Arrieta	Les Moles	0.69	$3 (6/24)
Felix Hernandez	MBHB	0.92	$44		Felix Hernandez	MBHB	0.72	$44
Julio Teheran	MTMTAS	0.95	$15
Kamakaze Tanaka	MWP	0.95	$10

Every time I do this monthly stat recap, I am always surprised that Kamakaze Tanaka is still hanging on in the top 5 in one or more categories.  I shouldnt be...I mean his splitter is legitmately one of the best 5 pitches in all of Major League baseball.  Its like Trevor Hoffman's change up or Mariano Rivera's cutter...everyone knows that it is coming, yet no one can do a damn thing about it.  The Cubs have got to be kicking themselves for not trying to top the Yankees (even though it seemed insane at the time).  A top 3 of Samardzija, Arrieta and Tanaka with Edwin Jackson and Travis Wood rounding out the rotation would have put the Cubs on track to the playoffs much sooner than the 2017 or 2018 they are currently shooting for and there wouldnt be the talk of dumping Shark for parts.

Player	Team	QS	$		Player	Team	QS	$
Felix Hernandez	MBHB	16	$44		David Price	Les Moles	6	$36
Kamakaze Tanaka	MWP	16	$10		Felix Hernandez	MBHB	6	$44
Johnny Cueto	MWP	15	$10		Jordan Zimmerman	Bobs Aters	6	$26
Julio Teheran	MTMTAS	15	$15		Garrett Richards	MBHB	6	$4 (6/10)
Aaron Harangatang	Les Moles	14	$1 (5/6)
Alfredo Simon	BySs	14	$1 (5/27)

There's my on again off again boyfriend, Garrett Richards.  Richards was spectacular of the last 30 days, finishing 5-0 (6 QS) with 44 K in 42 1/3 innings and a 1.49 ERA/0.83 WHIP...that was all not quite good enough to get him on monthly leaderboards anywhere but W and QS, but his month was too good for me not to mention.  And I am trying to make up for dropping him for a week and doing things like sending flowers and teddy bears hasnt been working.  You have got to love that the Harangatang somehow has 14 QS in 17 GS despite having a 1.4 WHIP.  This is what we like to call smoke and mirrors...or the Wish and a Prayer pitching method.  

Player	Team	SV/H	$		Player	Team	SV/H	$
Mark Melanson	Huckleberries	29	$1		Craig Kimbrel	BySs	11	$29
K Rod	MWP	27	$2 (4/15)		K Rod	MWP	10	$2 (4/15)
Craig Kimbrel	BySs	26	$29		Rob Wooten		9
Kenley Jansen	MWP	25	$28
Trevor Rosenthal	Huckleberries	24	$16

Let me introduce all non Brewer fans to Rob Wooten.  I had never heard of him, so I found my company's resident Brewer fan and asked him.  He told me, "Hes been around for a couple years, kinda up and down to AAA.  He pretty much sucks."  Yet, here he is on the 30 day leaderboard with 9 holds on the path to K Rod.  His other numbers though...not so great.  Those 9 saves come with a 9.00 ERA and a 2.22 WHIP over the past month.  Basically, he is coming in with a 3 run lead, giving up a run and 2 baserunners each time, but still handing the game off with a lead...thus a hold.  Aren't stats the best?

Anyways...there will be no ass hDLes this week as I will be doing things that arent located near a computer.  We will pick back up again on Monday with the recaps.

Enjoy the birthday parties...and dont blow your fingers off.  Also, dont miss the Uncle Jimmy post.  This monstrosity might have pushed it to the next page.