Gut Check Friday

Year2000!-5
Baby Gorillas-4
Tied-1
A lot of bragging rights involved in this one. And to add to the drama, this baby is wide open. The pitching matchups have been fun to watch. The Gorilla's experiencing a bit of the injury bug, with Chipper Jones and J.J. Hardy being touch and go. And it doesn't help that Mike Napoli has only had 4 AB's. As for Fenway Ed, he has garnered 4 quality starts and only 2 wins. But if Shin Soo-Choo and Josh Hamilton can pick up their game to compliment Marco Scutaro, Alexei, and Adam Jones, Year 2000! will be singing Tessie from the rooftops.

Client #9-6
Clark & Addison-4
A classic matchup pitting two formidable teams. And it's close. QBF has the edge with the bat, Client #9 having the advantage on the mound. But anything can happen. Ichiro, Ben Zobrist, and Shane "Two Ear Flap" Victorino are having awesome weeks thus far, but there is a noticeable lack of power coming from Clark & Addison (with Evan Longoria and J.D. Drew hitting one bomb between the two). It's no secret I've always liked The Fighting Spitzer's pitching staff, and they continue to shine. Zach Grienke is well on his way to a Cy Young nod, with another dominating performance this week. But like QBF, where's the power?

Cornholers-7
Lawndale Longhorns-3
While 3K is Kansas City bound for a 3 game White Sox-Royals set, his Cornholers are riding a wave of quality play as they look to make their footprint in PG West (and it's about time). Let me tell ya, Juan Pierre is really taking advantage of the Manny suspension, and perhaps auditioning for some trade deadline drama. Brian Roberts continues to be the fantasy stud that he is, and Old Man Lowell is even throwing in his two cents (and a .461 batting average). If 3K could only lose the White Sox pitching staff man crush and make some trades, he may be a top contender. It's a shame that Linc has literally stalled and can't seem to get going. Sooner or later, Quentin will be healthy and Alex Rios, B.J. Upton, and Geo Soto will start producing. Chris Carpenter provides the silver lining, with a stellar 10K outing this week.

The SwinGERS-7
Hoosier Heat-2
Tied-1
With a brand new condo to monitor his fantasy team from, The Ger is trying to reestablish himself in PG East (and only 2 games out, he could be the leader come weeks end). And beating Hoosier Heat these days is no small order. How about SwinGERS Freddy Sanchez going 8 for 9 so far this week? And how happy is Ger to have Kevin Youklis back? The pitching staff is throwing bee-bee's, with Danny Haren, Wainwright, and QBF look-alike Josh Beckett all throwing extremely well. But make no mistake, Mr. Hackman is not out of this by any stretch of the imagination. David Wright and Victor Martinez look to be key in a Heat victory moving forward. Their lackluster performance thus far could cause the Heat to remain in third place in a very tough PG West (especially if #9 and T-Dub merge victorious).

The Rockpile-6
Tallcorn Cobras-3
Tied-1
This has been a really fun matchup to follow this week, with both teams hitting the bejesus out of the ball. Rocky Mike is on a bit of a roll lately, and looks to send a message by offing the darling of PG Sportsworld, the Cobras. It's great to have Mark Texeira these days, and Rocky Mike's patience has finally paid off. A .345 batting average and leading leading 5 bombs is quite impressive this week. Can he hold on? So far the noticeable difference has been on the mound, with T-Dub putting up solid numbers thus far. But hang on, he's only thrown 12 innings!! Look for Cole Hamels, Josh Johnson, Cliff Lee, and Matt Cain to throw this weekend. It might be make or break for T-Dub. If they throw horribly, Rocky Mike's gonna have two in a row.

Jimmy's Daddy-7
CO Yankees-1
Tied-2
After an embarrassing loss to 3K and the Cornholers last week, Hef is looking to come back with gusto. His boys are absolutely smacking the ball. That 5 for 5 performance for A-Rod earlier in the week had to feel good. Add Curtis Granderson hitting and swiping, and you've got yourself a winning formula. His staff is holding it's own too, but one has to think if he's regretting that Dice-K pick in the draft. It's tough to watch Yankee Mike suffer like this at the bottom of PG West. Although he is behind this week, there is a lot of baseball to be played. The Jason Bartlett injury hurts, and Yankee Mike is awaiting Prince Fielder, Grady Sizemore, Jorge Cantu, and Johnny Damon to come out of their funk. I won't even talk about his starters this week. Ouch!