Somebody asked who the five biggest tools are in the MLB so I decided to expand on it to have a little fun.

Tool: (1) A person, typically male, who says or does things that cause you to give them a 'what-are-you-even-doing-here' look. The 'what-are-you-even-doing-here' look is classified by a glare in the tool's direction and is usually accompanied by muttering of how big of a tool they are. The tool is usually someone who is unwelcome but no one has the balls to tell them to get lost. The tool is always making comments that are out-of-place, out-of-line or just plain stupid. The tool is always trying too hard to fit in, and because of this, never will. However, the tool is useful because you can use them for things; money, rides, etc. (2) Useless person.

Based on that definition then here are my top five tools:

1) Alex Rodriguez - GIDP 11 times, in August, can not remember the last time he had a multi-run homerun

2) Manny Ramirez - his name is manny, cannot think of a player I would rather not have on my team

3) Barry Zito - 14.5 million dollar bullpen man

4) Anyone who has played OF for the Pirates since the Bay and Nady trades.

5) Jack Hannahan - 114 Strike outs while batting .220

6) Score-keeper for CC Sabathia no-hit game

7) Dioner Navarro on the base paths - catcher with no steals and four times caught stealing

8) Randy Wolf - for being the google result when searching for "player with highest ERA" and Jimmy Gobble for actually being the player with the highest ERA (min. 20 IP) at 11.31

9) Anybody who says David Ortiz hasn't taken performance enhancing substances since joining Boston

10) Tigers Bullpen - guitar hero, Willis was in it, ERA = Todd Jones (4.97), Rodney (4.60), Karnsworth (3.88 not bad unless you have a fastball that can hit 100), Seay (3.74), Fossum (5.13), Lopez (3.92), Glover (5.71), Robertson (6.36), and Dolsi (3.76)

11) Jose Offerman - I have a better idea, lets not assault a pitcher with a bat

12) Kevin Gregg - 9 Blown Saves; and Chad Qualls -7 blown saves with only 2 saves

13) Ryan Howard - I know this is late for him but he has lead the MLB in RBI's and HR's. However he has also lead the MLB is SO's, he is about to eclipse his own strikeout record, he has 15 errors at first base and catches the ball with two hand, he is also batting .234. I hate putting him here since he is also in the RBI commericals but it is well deserved.

14) Mike Hampton - supposed to earn $16 million this year, don't know how much he is receiving of that but that is enough to put him on the list.

15) Brian Cashman - A-Rod (28) , Giambi (23) , Jeter (22) , Abreu (16) , Pettitte (16) , Rivera (15) are all earning over 15 million dollars. Tim Lincecum, Edison Volquez, Chad Billingsley, Felix Hernandez, Ervin Santana, Joakim Soria, Hong-Chih Kuo, Carlos Marmol, Jonathan Broxton, Heath Bell, Joel Hanrahan, Brandon League, Geovany Soto, Jorge Cantu, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Braun (MIL), Hanley Ramirez, Carlos Quentin, Josh Hamilton, Ryan Ludwick, Matt Kemp, Corey Hart, Russell Martin, Mark Reynolds and Dan Uggla make a COMBINED $11 Million. The team has 3 players that make more than the Florida Marlins. And twelve who make 11 million or more.

FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT STRATEGY

This year I have been trying a new draft strategy. In the first seven or eight round, in all of my leagues I have only selected RB's or WR's. Then I select a QB or TE at appropriate positions and then finally select a Defense and Kicker in the last two rounds. I have tried to select only one QB, one TE, one DEF, and one K. Then I would select another QB or TE whose bye week did not interfere with the my primary QB and TE. So basically, by the time the second to last round came I'd have a collection of RB's and WR's along with a QB, TE, and another QB/TE. In the finally rounds I would select a DEF and K that had bye weeks different from the other positions where I selected only a single player. This way I would I could drop the second QB/TE and pick up the position with the bye week. As for QB, my team have Jay Cutler, Matt Hasselback, and Marc Bulger. But I am not too worried; last year it was possible to pick up QB's like Derek Anderson, Brett Favre, and Jon Kitna mid-season. So if my guys are busts I can find one in the free agent pool without having to hassle trades. Then TE have two tiers. There is Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Dallas Clark, Kellen Winslow, Jason Witten, and Chris Cooley and then there is everyone else. At the top of the second tier is Heath Miller who I have targeted in my leagues. Miller steals a bunch of the red-zone TD's from Willie Parker, and now with more experience and rookie Rashard Mendenhall instead of Davenport, Miller should get more TD's early in the season until Mendenhall finds his place. As for Defense Seattle and Tampa Bay have found themselves into my lap but again if neither has the season expected of them I am sure there will be a decent time I can plug in as there always is in the DEF position. As for kicker Mason Crosby is fine with me after his spectacular rookie season. Now if Rodgers is not able to fill the role of QB well, it will lead to tons of long field goals which is great for Crosby but quite unfortunate for the Packers. And again, if Crosby has a rough season there will be tons of K's out there who I can pickup and will end up with fine seasons. This strategy has left me with some impressive potential for multiple players that can break 200 fantasy points and with a fair amount of trade bait since I have most of the premiere RB's and WR's. Of my three teams look at what I have:
Team 1: RB - Portis, McGahee, Bush, James, Graham; WR - A. Johnson, Burress, Driver, Reggie Brown, Mason
Team 2: RB - AP, McGahee, Morris; WR - A. Johnson, Holt, Steve Smith (Car), Jennings, Bowe, Galloway, Curtis, Reggie Brown
Team 3: RB - LT, Ronnie Brown, McFadden, James, R. Johnson (hoping he gets picked up); WR - A. Johnson, Edwards, Evans, Reggie Brown, Mason, Curry

I am quite high on Andre Johnson and Reggie Brown. Johnson is one of the best receivers in the league and had on the best seasons despite being out 7 games. Brown is going to be the number one in Phily and if he has a good game he will remain the number one when Curits returns. Brown is entering his fourth and should be ready for a monster season with a healthy McNabb. As for Running Back I am a bit worried about McGahee, since the team seems to really like Ray Rice. He is one of the most consistent fantasy players and he should be able to have another successful season.

OLYMPIC MEDAL COUNT

Instead of ranking countries by the number of gold medals or total medals they should be ranked by medal value on the web. Gold medals should be worth three points, a silver two, and a bronze one. No special reward should come about but there will be a clear cut winner using the is point value system.

CHINA THE OLYMPIC DISGRACE

The first issue is how many table tennis, judo, takewondo, and diving events can there be? If it is customary for the Olympics to have the allotted number of events that took place in each sport then I am fine with that. But it seems that China has added a couple extra in the events that they are successful at. Then how about the underage girls. Common; if you are going to cheat at least do it so that no one finds out.

NEW EVENTS IN OLYMPICS

A couple of sports that should be included are Lacrosse, American Football, Australian Football, and Cricket. The last three are some of the most popular sports in the world. As for Lacrosse, it still may take a few years until if reaches the global stage but I am hoping that it can be come an Olympic event in the near future.

BASEBALL = AMERICAN PAST-TIME

Over the summer I have had the opportunity to watch some baseball and there are some definite parallels between the sport and the ways of American living. First, cheating and pushing the rules to the limits, whether it be stealing signals or substance abuse teams and players have tried to go outside the boundaries to succeed. Second, Capitalism: baseball is the only sport without a salary cap whoever there are tax balances to keep things on a level scale as there are laws in the American economy. Number three is gambling, Pete Rose, the Black Sox scandal and all of the gambling on baseball. Somehow the America's favorite activity has found its way in to her favorite sport. Forth, Alcohol: Beer and baseball have become synonymous with one another. Finally the baseball, which is composed of cork, leather, and stitch; all of which tell unique stories about our history.

Golden State

Oracle Arena is one of the most upbeat places to play in the NBA. The fans do not sit until the opposition scores its first basket, there is always a sea of golden shirts, and if the Warriors go on a run it can be as loud as any venue in professional sports. The Warriors fast paced offense fits the excitement of the fans perfectly, but this year they will have to do it without Baron Davis. Instead, Marcus Williams will have to step up as point guard and try to keep the team in playoff contention. Williams, is young, has solid play-making ability, and has great ball handle, but will he be able to play in such a chaotic environment on a basis. The team did sign Ronny Turiaf who is sure to feed off of the abundant energy off the bench and transfer it to the court. The team also acquired Corey Maggette who in combination with Stephen Jackson and Marco Belinilli will provide an effective scoring trio around the perimeter and when their shots are falling it will be hard to keep up with the Warriors. Most importantly the team retained Monta Ellis. Ellis has great leaping ability allowing him to get up there but also has a solid jumper that keeps defenders honest; however, the trick with Ellis is whether or not he is hot. When Ellis is streaking he is on of the most dominant players in the NBA, right up there with Kobe Bryant. When the Warriors are rolling they will be hard to stop, but when the shots aren't falling the team will be in for a rough night. With the loss of Baron Davis, the team lacks a dominant low post threat to keep the team in tight ball games and a reliable clutch to win those tight games. Monta Ellis or Stephen Jackson should be capable fulfilling the clutch role, though Al Harrington will have to become more consistent on the low post. Andris Biedrins will also have to step up his offensive game. Teams will be able to get away with a hack-a-Biedrins because of his poor free throw shooting, but if he can work on his shooting or work on making the follow through when he is fouled then he can play a critical role in keeping the Warriors in games they wouldn't be expected to stay in. Biedrins is one of the best rebounders in the league (on both ends of the court) and is one of the several defensive studs on the team. It was wise for the team to acquire players like Biedrins and Jackson who can play solid defense to keep the teams in those close games, but unless the team can find some interior offensive play then the team will struggle often. The organization has addressed this situation by drafting Brandon Wright (last year), Richard Hendrix, and Anthony Randolph. All considered to be raw player, Brandon Wright may develop into one of those technique post players like Tim Duncan who are extremely difficult to stop. Anthony Randolph has tremendous athletic ability and can become an instantaneous defense help but his offensive game will still take some time. If the team can step up and contribute to replenishing the role of Baron Davis corporately, then the Warriors have a shot to stay in the mix and possibly squeeze in for a playoff position.

Los Angeles Clippers

The team did a poor job of addressing their off-season needs. The team made no public efforts to adopt an official mascot. In the last six years, every team to win the championship had an official mascot. In order to take the big step the team needs to adopt an official mascot to jump through a burning hula-hoop at half time; without that consider this season a bust.

As for the components that actually matter, the Clippers did a good job of addressing their on-the-court direction. The team acquired Baron Davis, Marcus Camby, Eric Gordon, Ricky Davis, and DeAndre Jordan. The team did take a hit with the loss of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, but focused in on a new direction which has lead to a team that can compete for a playoff position. The only problem is if the team can come together and develop chemistry before it is to far into the season. The only returning players are Chris Kaman (still waiting for breakout season) , Cuttino Mobley, Tim Thomas (consistent shooting threat), and Al Thornton (came on as one of the best rookies last season). Mike Dunleavy will have the opportunity to set the tone for the team and will be responsible for building the atmosphere around this completely new set of players. It is hard to determine how the Clippers will do this season since so much rides on what type of offense will be run and how the players cooperate. This is definitely a promising collection of talent, the question is if they will come together and succeed like the Celtics or collapse like the Knicks.

Los Angeles Lakers

Everyone is still waiting for the debut of the complete LA Lakers. The team proved to be successful with Andrew Bynum as a center, then success came with Gasol but without Bynum, but now what will happen when the two are on the court at the same time. It is a safe bet to say that the paint will be a stronghold for the Lakers with two players that can provide valid rebounding, post, and blocking efforts. Now instead of team worrying about one player blocking a shot now there are two. If that isn't enough the team also has Lamar Odom, who is one of the most versatile offensive players in the NBA, and Derek Fisher who can lead the team through good and bad. And if it helps the team has a player named Kobe Bryant. It is fair to say that the Lakers have the best starting fives in the history of basketball. Surprisingly the team also has decent depth: Bryant is reliable as anyone in the NBA so he is not a problem. Lamar Odom is also good for 35 minutes a game. Jordan Farmer can backup Derek Fisher and is definitely capable of filling in the starting role if needed. On the bench resides Sasha Vujacic, Vlad Radmanovic, and Trevor Ariza. The slight hole is the back up center but do not expect Gasol and Bynum to play at the same time for most of the game. Their playing times are sure to be balanced in order to achieve the best possible fixture for the team. The problem is future. Jordan Farmer and Andrew Bynum are the only two players that can be counted on for the future. Bryant turns 30 tomorrow. The organization cannot expect all of their players to be there playing as if they are in their prime forever. The team traded away all of their youth for Pau Gasol; however, the team is the only franchise along with the Spurs to own their own NBA D-League team. The Lakers maybe able to get by, by bringing up players that already know the system and can actively contribute. The team will be in for some glory and possibly an NBA Championship this season and as the NBA changes due to the effects of the D-League and foreign involvement the Lakers, and the team's short minded philosophy may actually pay out.

Phoenix Suns

There will be some fun matchups this seasons when the Suns and Lakers meet up. Shaq/Amare vs Gasol/Bynum. That speaks for itself. The Bryant/Bell rivalry should be fun to watch as both players are known for great intensity on both ends of the court. Steve Nash needs no explanation either. He should have a Canadian province named after him. What is more impressive about the Suns is their depth. The Lakers have a bench that can get them by, but the Suns have one of the best benches in the NBA. If the team faces an injury they should have no problem finding someone to fill the role. The team can rotate between starting Matt Barnes, Boris Diaw, Grant Hill and Alando Tucker. The team also has Leandro Barbosa, who has proved to be a consistent scorer off the bench and one of the most proficient three point shooters along with Nash. Robin Lopez is a raw player but he plays with great passion which can help boost the team when times are rough. The only flaw for the Suns is the well documented back up point guard. The Suns have managed to avoid the conflict with good fortune with Nash's health. The team did come out of the draft with Goran Dragic, who is young but doesn't seem to be the point guard fix. In Europe, Dragic was more of a two but between Dragic and Barbosa the Suns may find relief. The organization should continue to pursue a two, but not with risky aggression. Look for Phoenix to continue its success this upcoming season.

Sacramento Kings

The Kings have initiated their journey for the future but the team is strained by several interesting contracts. Kevin Martin has come on as a nice center piece to build around. The team has been quite conservative by acquiring promising players who are fundamentally sounds: Spencer Hawes, Sheldon Williams and Jason Thompson. The team also has a collection of fine veterans to lead these players in the right direction. The real appealing player is Donte' Green. Green is simply unorthodox. This has been a major turn off for several teams causing him to jump around a bit but Sacramento will be happy with what they have found. Green may become of the better offenseive forces that comes out of this draft. His shot selection is poor, and he always seems to think that he is on but when he really is he can be as difficult to stop as anyone. If the time is put into him he is sure to be a delightful payoff. Fransico Garcia also came out as a capable NBA point guard last season. Sacramento is in a tough mix this year with so many dominant teams in the Pacific; however, this will be a great learning experience for the youth who will be up against the elite centers and power forwards night-in and night-out. The Kings have lined themselves up for oncoming success in the future.

I'd like to accredit HoopsHype.com, InsideHoops.com, USAtoday.com, and NBA.com for salaries, free agents, depth charts, and rosters respectively.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets did not unload Marcus Camby's salary in order to acquire Renaldo Balkman; however, the Balkman trade will be helpful for the Nuggets' defense since Carmelo Anthony is as good as a stick on defense and in today's game most teams cannot afford to just give way on defense. As for the Camby trade, the Nuggets are still in no position to make an acquisition considering they are over the cap. The only possible explanations for the situation is that the team either knows some information about Camby that others do not or they believe that Nene will have a season proportional to his salary. Camby's descending contract is actually smaller than Nene's which really should have brought a call for concern: if the Nuggets are unloading a big salary shouldn't the player be the unproven player with recent injury trouble instead of the veteran? Just a puzzling move until the entire plan unravels. With Camby the team would have a solid starting line-up with Iverson, Anthony, Martin and Camby along with Kleiza, Balkman, or Smith; the team could reward the hottest player by allowing him to start which really pushes the player's personal motivation so they could earn a starting spot and be in line for a starting salary in successive seasons. The team will probably start Nene but he isn't a solidified starter in the manner that Camby is. Another direction that the team may take is starting Carter or Atkins a point guard which is nice that they have two veterans that know who to play the point guard role exceptionally well but then the on-the-court ball-handler and play initiate is question: Is it Iverson or one of these guys? The concept may be idle for several possessions but to install it as a team philosophy with two possible point guards on the floor at most times is questionable and will create defensive issues when trying to match up with opposition. The Nuggets, barely made the playoffs last year and now that the Blazers have had another year of experience it will be even tougher to make it into the playoffs, especially after the big man frenzy from last season. The Nuggets should be in the process of making a deal, for if they are not, the team will continue to be heading in the wrong direction and by this time next year the team may not have Iverson anymore since he is in the last year of his contract and he will be looking to join a contender (the initial reason he was traded to the Nuggets several years ago).

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves have small expectations for this upcoming season, which will allow any success that occurs this season to be overachieving and any failure to be ignored. However, the franchise will be in for delight this season. The roster which includes an array of underrated players maybe able to come together and stir some chaos in the west; possibly create some unexpected obstacles for some teams making runs at the playoffs. Mike Miller is one of the best shooters in the league, which helps to spread the defense. Then to counter him the team now has Al Jefferson, one of the better centers in the league. Jefferson played at an All-Star level last year and should be breaking into super-stardom soon. He has coasted under the radars for most of his NBA career, it is going to be sooner or later before a columnist at ESPN realizes how talented this guy really is and decides to write an article on him. The team also has Kevin Love who is one of the smartest basketball players coming out of the draft. With defenses having to compensate for Al Jefferson’s and Mike Miller’s playing styles, Love will find himself with numerous opportunities to create plays and score easy baskets. Outside of them most of the remainder of the roster is a work in progress. Like the Grizzlies the team has a lot of potential; not the same level as the Grizzlies but still a solid amount; Corey Brewer and Rodney Carney are promising players. Rashard McCants and Randy Foye are sure to be solid players to but none of the names strike as players that a team can build a championship caliber team with at starting guards. Craig Smith came on as a solid 6^th man last season and will be considered a fine role player later on in his career.

Minnesota doesn’t have an image right now and it is going to take a few weeks into the season before we see what the T-wolves will be the season. If the team decides to make a big move before the offseason the team can catapult themselves into contention, or they can coze through this season and try to build for the future. Another problem that is consistent with other teams that are building for the future is that the team lacks veterans to lead the youth. A collection of youth is worthless unless there are a few players to guide them and show them the ways of the NBA. Minnesota has three players with eight years of experience which is better than other teams but all three of the players are forwards or centers. Experienced guards who already run the offense are perfect exemplars for players that already look to them for on-the-court advice. Why not make these the same player that are looked to for off-the-court advice?

Portland Trailblazers

The Trailblazers understand the importance of combining experience and youth. Everyone knows about all the great young players that the Trailblazers have in Greg Oden, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jerryd Bayless, and Martell Webster. We have heard the rumors about European, Nicolas Batum, Rudy Fernandez, and Sergio Rodriguez. But what should strike is that the team has complemented that talent with the experience of Raef LaFrentz and Joel Przybilla along with the leadership and clutch play of Steve Blake and Travis Outlaw. Last season the team came out as an enormous surprise as they contended for a playoff spot through most of the season, but this year the Trailblazer are not going to surprise anyone especially with the addition of a healthy Greg Oden and another ball handler in Bayless providing a successive set of talent. It would not be surprising to see the Blazers battling it out with the Grizzlies in the Western Conference finals in a few years.

The Trailblazers should be able to run a balanced offense that is able to look to penetration and post play for easy baskets. Jerryd Bayless is one of the best attackers coming out of the draft; this helps to collapse defenses as players go for blocks and stripes allowing Bayless to kick it out to Martell Webster for a shot or allowing him to dime it off to Oden or Alridge to go up for an uncontested dunk. Then to complement this tactic the Blazers have Brandon Roy who is one of the better playmakers in the league. When all else fails the team can give the ball to Steve Blake and run a traditional set play offense to try to get a basket that way. The Blazers shouldn’t have that much trouble scoring. The big challenge is if the team will be able to give it their all on defense. Everyone knows that Oden was a superb shot blocker in college, but how fast will that translate to the NBA and Bayless’ defense was questioned so is he reliable. The team does have several Europeans which in recent games have shown solid fundamentals and defense but will it be enough so that it compensates for the core of the team. Most of the Blazers are also young and it is unclear if they will be able to take care of business at the end of the season; we saw a collapse last season, will the same repeat this upcoming one?

Seattle Supersonics (Oklahoma City)

Oklahoma City is basically in the same position that the Minnesota Timberwolves are in. You team has one of the most promising players in the NBA in Kevin Durant. You have another two studs in Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook, but will it all come together and lead to success. Nick Collison nor Luke Ridnour have turned out to be as good as the team had hoped and now they are laying their marbles out on a new set of youngsters. The franchise is entering anew city with a promising tomorrow; however, the team has the pieces to be successful today. The team is one big trade away from another great player; Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook are both pieces of great trade bait and can be traded for a stud on a losing team looking to enter a rebuilding process. The team should redirect their trade talks away from Milwakee (for Mo Williams) unless the team has absolutely no confidence in Earl Watson or is getting a serious bargain. A couple of options are to New York for Randolph or Crawford (if their season starts based on their performance last year), to New Jersey for Vince Carter, and to Sacremento for Kevin Martin (little chance of this since they are in the same Conference). All of a sudden you have Earl Watson who was proved to be a worthy point guard as he has played under the radar in Seattle, Chris Wilcox who is one of the better PF-C’s in the league when he is on, and Damien Wilkins who has great genes and has show great improvement over the last two seasons. This is in combination with Kevin Durant and one of the players munched above. The Thunder or Wind or Bisons or Barons or Energy or Marshalls, can be in contention for one of the final playoff spots with a big trade. The team is currently under the salary cap and could also be in position to sign one of the remaining free agents such as Ben Gordon or J.R. Smith (could also attempt to purse Andre Iguodala be it would be hard to see the sixers let go of him). The Oklahoma City can cruise where they are now or can take the next step and become a serious team in the Western Conference.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz have returned to glory days since Stockton and Malone and this time they may win a championship. The team has simply one of the best starting rosters with Deron Williams, Ronnie Brewer (who came on as a hard worker last season earning him a starting spot), Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer, and Mehmet Okur. The team also has great depth in Brevin Knight, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, and Morris Almond. What is important to notice about the team is that it is a collection for the best role players in the league and each of the role players are known for defense. Williams is one of the best playmaking guards in the league, Brewer is an explosive player with tons of energy, Kirilenko too is full of energy and is one of the most versatile defenders in the league, Boozer is deadly on the block and Okur helps to spread the offense since he is a threat anywhere on the court. Then on the bench the team has two of the best shooters in Morris almond and Kyle Korver. Brevin Knight brings experience and leadership off the bench (he will play a similar role that Derek Fisher played on the squad). Paul Millsap is another high energy guy that can come off the bench and make a couple of sequential game changing plays. In addition, to current success the team drafted several European players, of which, Kosta Koufas may be the most promising. Utah finished last season with the 6^th best record, this year they should be capable of finishing as a top 3 team in the Western Conference and capable of making a run at the NBA Championship.