Experts & Clowns: Discussing the Orioles, NBA Draft, Joe Torre and Fantasy Baseball

Welcome to the 27th edition of Experts and Clowns. Many of you have been here before and know the drill. For those of you who don't, we ask four topical sports questions and give each of our panel a chance to answer. Everyone did a great job of getting their answers to me in a timely manner this week, so only links and no pot shots this time.

Michael Grisso is nice to everyone, even telemarketers.

Zac Wassink loves all creatures great and small.

Nick Meyer never, ever turns down homeless people when they ask him for money.

Jake Emen is a prince among men.

And you all know me - I used to be disgusted and now I try to be amused.

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After the first week of MLB action, the Tigers started off 0-6 and in last place, and the Orioles 4-1 and in first place. Which team is more likely defy the odds and finish in that position?

Nick - The Orioles' roster just doesn't have near the level of overall talent that the Tigers' does. Not only that but the Tigers have been missing some of their absolute most important players: Curtis Granderson, key relievers Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya, and also Gary Sheffield has a finger injury he's been fighting through. The Orioles play in the AL East and teams like Boston and New York will eat them alive. The AL Central is just as tough but the Tigers have the talent to compete week in and week out while Baltimore doesn't. Remember a 6-game losing streak in baseball is the equivalent to a 3-gamer in the NBA or NHL just about. It's a long season.

Zac - The Tigers aren't going winless all year (although I'd love to see it. It's Tribe time now). They're going to be in the playoff hunt in August while the O's will be, well, the O's. They can't keep up with the Yanks, Sox and Rays (that's right. I said it). It's still fun to say right now that the Royals, Buckos and O's are all playoff teams. Yeah.

Mike - Well lets see, the Orioles have to contend with the Red Sox and Yankees who have combined to win every division title since 1998. In fact the last time Baltimore finished at the top of the AL East was 1997 when they lost to Cleveland in the ALCS. It was back when Ripken, Palmeiro, and Alomar graced the fields together. Fast forward to now and there is no way a rotation with Guthrie, Trachsel, Cabrera, Loewen, and Burres is going to be strong enough to compete with the rest of the division except the Devil Rays.

Then there is the big daddy Detroit Tigers with an all-star offensive juggernaut piling up 15 runs in a mere 7 games. Will they stay on this pace forever? Of course not, and with K.C. and Minnesota with weaker 1-2 pitchers then the rest of the division, most likely they will be in the cellar by the end of the year. Plus I would take Detroit's rotation of Verlander, Bonderman, Rogers, Robertson, and Willis over an entire season to keep my team out of the gutter. However, I still think Cleveland will end up winning the AL Central this year.

Jake - The Baltimore Orioles are more likely to finish the season in 1st place than the Detriot Tigers are to finish in last place. Let's break it down for both teams. The Tigers pitching may end up costing them a realistic chance at a playoff appearance, but their lineup is way too good to not perform all season long. Even if the old bats never get up to form, (and I do expect Sheffield to put up his usual numbers), Ordonez and Cabrera carry all the pop necessary. Granderson will return and ignite the lineup; the Royals will fall off, and the Tigers have no chance at finishing in last place.

In the AL East, the Orioles have a lot of fresh faces and young talent they got in trades for Bedard and Tejada. The Red Sox have their own pitching concerns and a Japan hangover to deal with; and the Yankees will plan on having one of the youngest, least experienced rotations ever for a playoff team (should they make the playoffs). So with the Tigers having no shot at continuing this slump all season, and the Orioles in a possibly weaker than expected division, I'll take Baltimore.

Scoring - All good answers here. I don't think either scenario is going to happen. Everyone gets one point and Jake gets an additional point for going out on a limb and not just picking Baltimore but giving a rationale for his pick.

Which college basketball player likely to move on to the pros helped his draft status most during this year's NCAA Tournament? Can you see Derrick Rose being the top overall pick?

Zac - Rose being the overall pick wouldn't surprise me after his performance in the Title game. With that said, I'll go with Rose as the guy who helped his draft status. He wouldn't have been my number one a month ago and now he is, which brings with it first overall draft pick money. That sounds better when you say it. I promise.

Mike - Well I would have to say Derrick Rose after he was overshadowed by Beasley, Love, and even Mayo this year due to the lack of pub Memphis got playing in C-USA compared to the Pac-10, Big 12 and the preseason hype. Don't get me wrong, Memphis got a lot of it being up in the rankings all year, but compared to UNC, Kansas, and UCLA it wasn't near as much. In fact, the biggest pub they got was when they lost to Tennessee.

Point is, Rose got national exposure in the tourney, especially with the Tigers making the finals and everything. People finally got to see him play and show off his NBA style skills. I could definitely see him being the overall #1 pick! However, it depends on who gets that overall #1 Lottery Pick. Right now you have Miami, Seattle, Minnesota, New York, Memphis, LA Clippers, Milwaukee, Charlotte, and a few others who will be looking for numero uno.

Any of these teams could use and market him. Can you imagine having Rose handle the ball at point with either D.Wade or Kevin Durant in the wings. Definitely would love to see those duos happen, but it would be a disappointment to ship him to Seattle. Could be the best young duo with lack of pub. Even with New Orleans trying to take control of the West Chris Paul still doesn't get his due process. Overall though every team outside of Miami and Seattle are desperately in need of a big time marketable player and Rose would definitely fill that void.

Jake - With Stephen Curry returning for another go at the college life, the player who helped himself the most was Chris Douglas Roberts. Everybody knew Derrick Rose was as good as advertised, but he overshadowed CDR in the media (and in fact, likely helped his game a great deal too). Kansas is so spread out, with so many athletes, that its hard for one player to get all the hype; and the story was written about Brandon Rush a long time ago. So it's CDR who improved his stock. As for Derrick Rose, absolutely he could go number one. It all depends on the team who picks first. If the balls roll towards the Knickerbockers, they will happily exile Starbury permanently and import D-Rose.

Nick - Stephen Curry of Davidson became everyone's hero and showed how clutch he can be and how smooth and explosive he can be as a shooter. NBA teams can all use deadeye shooters like Curry, and he is so crafty that he can usually get his shot off against bigger guys. If he concentrates on adding weight he's easily a first-rounder and a month ago I didn't even see his name on any draft boards.

As for Rose, I think it will be a toss-up between him and Beasley now. Good point guards pretty much disappeared along with true centers in recent years but now guys like Chris Paul and Deron Williams are showing how important a great point guard is. They make everyone else better and Rose certainly does that, too. He will be right there alongside Beasley, it could be Durant/Oden all over again. Rose would be particularly scary on Miami with DWade and Marion there. They could be unbelievable together as a trio.

Scoring - Jake packed the most information into the shortest paragraph and gets two points. Zac gets a point for his money argument. Nick loses a point because Curry already announced on March 31st that he was coming back to school.

How is Joe Torre doing so far with the Dodgers and what do you expect to happen with Torre and the club the rest of the year?

Zac - It's the first week of the year. He hasn't hurt anybody that I know of. He's doing fine. I expect the Dodgers to compete because they're a solid team and play in a weak division. They aren't going to win or lose 100 games but they ain't winning the Series, either.

Mike - Hey 4-3 through Monday after traveling to San Diego and taking two out of three has to be a major accomplishment this early in the season. After opening with the Giants and their lone loss coming against Lincecum who will be a household name within the next two to three years, there schedule has been tough and will be for awhile. Nine games in a row against the Padres and Diamondbacks with 6 of them being on the road will definitely set the tone for the months ahead and their confidence as a team.

Torre himself has stayed awake during the game to this point (Oh wait that was Jack McKeon), you know Joe loves it in L.A. The weather is nice and all, but he has to be enjoying not being constantly under the microscope and 1000 times the magnification as he was in New York. However, I do feel putting Andruw Jones in the cleanup position is a mistake and moving Russell Martin that far down the order has been a nightmare for him so far this year. Alternating Furcal and Pierre in the 1-2 slots, followed by Jones, Loney, Martin, then Kent, or Kent then Martin would compliment the players better overall.

Nick - I haven't had a chance to watch the Dodgers much this year but I've heard good things about Torre. He brings instant respect to that clubhouse and adds to team morale so I think he'll be good for another 5-10 wins. They should stay in the race of that weak division for most of the year. The key is for Brad Penny to stay healthy alongside the steady Derek Lowe to give them a 1-2 punch at the starting pitcher spot.

Jake -Joe Torre is not a great baseball mind; he just isn't. What he is is a leader of ballplayers. He can mesh the old with the new and keep players happy. On a team with a whole load of young talent bursting out, and some old crusty veterans (cough JEFF KENT cough) that stand to lose playing time or be overshadowed, the team needs the integrating styles and soothing personality of Joe Torre. Not only that, but the Dodgers young talent are a group of guys that grew up idolizing the dominant mid-late 90s Yankees, with Torre as the skipper. As the season goes on, I expect Torre and the team's young talent to mesh even better than their moderate start as indicated.

Scoring - No one really distinguished themselves with their answers here. I'll give Mike a point because he made me laugh with his Jack McKeon line and Jake a point because he mentioned the youth-veterans split in the clubhouse that Torre was brought in to address.

How many fantasy baseball leagues are you in? What changes, if any, would you like to see in standard roto leagues?

Zac - For the first time in a decade I am in zero fantasy baseball leagues. I just didn't get around to it and every time there was a draft I had a previous engagement. I like the idea of having a salary cap in leagues but you really only see those in keeper leagues. The thing is any changes can be made at practically anytime by the commissioner of a particular league so I got nothing. Eh, I'm going to bed. At least Hafner hit a homer in the ninth and JoeBo didn't blow the game tonight.

Nick - I am now in two leagues but this is the first time I've played. I really don't know how to play well on a day-to-day basis and I'm just learning, so don't ask me for any advice. I did put together a couple of good teams but I think I have some bums weighing me down in terms of ERA and batting average. The one change I want to see for almost all leagues is adding injury roster slots because we don't have any in mine. That's all I got for ya. Please be gentle.

Mike - I am only in one fantasy league this year because its always been hard to keep up with them everyday but the all star break, so had to slim it down to just a loner this year. As far as changing things I would like to see a set amount of transactions throughout the year a team can utilize. Sure they are needed when people go down, but its the other stuff that is irritating.

You know, the person who picks up a free agent pitcher who is pitching that day and drops another and does this constantly throughout the year to gain on strikeouts, more chances at wins and other areas depending on what the standard is in your roto league depending on the website you play in.

Yes, I know it also can backfire on people with ERA, WHIP, and a couple others, but it can also enhance them. Plus, if someone is down and have already lost those two categories they don't care, if they have a chance to win the others. ESPN has picked up on this in 2008 and has put in a Probable Starter category so people can find the pitchers who are starting that night. All I can say is its getting out of hand.

Jake - I'm not in any. Changes for "standard roto leagues"... a unified message to disband? I like baseball, I do (Viva Los Mets), but I'm just not going to sit down and analyze VORP and the like for hours on end unless I'm being paid well to do it.

Scoring - Nick gets two points for being in two leagues. Mike gets two points for mentioning unlimited transactions, an insane loophole in most leagues. Jake loses a point for asking an institution I've participated in for 26 years to disband and another point for thinking that VORP has anything to do with fantasy baseball.

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So Mike squeaks out with a 4-3 win over Jake and is dubbed the expert for the third time in the past four weeks. Jake is encouraged to appeal this decision to the grammar police, who I grant the right this week only to overturn this verdict.