Though it should be Tiger's week it has not even come close

Though it should be Tiger's week, it has not even come close. Baseball tries to get all the attention by firing three managers in four days, and it is sickening. Baseball is becoming a drawn-out soap opera, and I am sure Bud Selig is not going to like what he's about to see.. The Pirates spoiled the return of new Blue Jays manager Cito Gaston with a 1-0 win in extra innings. The teams square-off in game two of the series tonight at 7:05.This is the Blue Jay's first visit to PNC Park and so far, the Pirates certainly are not complaining. While some fans are not amused by the fact that Ryan Doumit and Xavier Nady are unavailable for this series, it gives players such as Nyjer Morgan and Jason Michaels the chance to shine. Tonight's pitching matchup is Paul Maholm versus Jesse Litsch.Maholm again has been a true model of inconsistency He is fabulous at home but is awful at best on the road. He is 4-5 with an era of 4.45.Hopefully he will be able to continue to face similar success that Zach Duke did last night.Litsch has promising stuff overall this year, but has been mediocre in the month of June including his most recent start when he lost to the Cubs.Litsch is 7-3 on the season with an ERA of 3.70. When Maholm leaves the game in the seventh, Yates will give up three runs, and the Pirates will lose 3-1. .

Rotoworld , fantasy baseball's leading website, receives thousands of hits a day. Fans rely on sites like these for updates on players, as well as tips on how to manage their fantasy teams.It's big business, so much so that NBC Sports bought the company a few years ago. Columnists like Aaron Gleeman make a very good living writing about the hobby.Gleeman is good at what he does So are most of the fantasy reporters. Yet, their specialization is playing a game of numbers.I don't know these writers' baseball backgrounds. I never researched them, nor have I seen it displayed in their credentials. For all I know they are casual fans who have neither the expertise of playing or coaching the sport to evaluate its players.This wouldn't be a problem if they stuck to crunching numbers and playing hunches to make projections about which players will have a good year.But these guys are churning out scouting reports and making predictions of which players will end up making it in the big leagues.

Sure, some success can be derived from looking at a player's stat line. But are they qualified to evaluate a player's tools? Or are they simply forming this opinion from reading someone else's scouting report?There's a big difference between the two I'm certainly not saying I'm an expert. However, my two years on a college bench as an assistant coach and three years working in minor league front offices (I have one ring thanks to the 1996 West Michigan Whitecaps) gives me some hands-on experience.Additionally, having discussed strategies, training methods, the draft process, and the intricacies of the game with players themselves, allows me to feel comfortable in expressing my opinion about which players based on talent or determination might be successful.However, my discussions with scouts and watching them work keeps me in check and I realize there is a fine line between seeing obvious talent and recognizing hidden talent. It takes a special eye. That skill should be left to scouts and scouts alone, not fantasy baseball journalists.Don't get me wrong, fantasy sports can be fun. But, listening to fantasy experts use general terms such as, "he has a low 90s fastball, plus slider and a developing change-up," doesn't cut it.Then, they turn the spotlight on players who excel in as little as one of a few categories while marginalizing the overall contribution a player can make on the diamond.Baseball is the consummate team sport, where it takes all 25 guys playing in congress to be successful.