It should come as no tremendous surprise that Steve Smith's life, after punching teammate Ken Lucas squarely in the middle of the face when he was not expecting it, has not gone back to normal just quite yet.
He is being hounded by the media, questioned by fans, has been suspended two games and now, is dealing with a concussion (via that charming, brilliant and humble gentleman that runs Mister Mittens) that he suffered in Saturday night's preseason game.
Smith took a helmet-to-helmet shot from a Colts defender on a 19-yard reception from Matt Moore, Smith's only reception of the game. Coach John Fox said Smith, who is suspended for the Panthers' first two regular-season games, was day-to-day with the injury.
It really shouldn't be shocking though -- and if you think about it, if Smith gets off with a two game suspension and a mild concussion for knocking a teammate in the face, well, that's pretty light, actually.
In terms of being ready for the season, he's got time (because of the suspension) so again, probably not a big deal. What is interesting though, is how he suffered this: a helmet-to-helmet on a 19 yard catch in a preseason game. That screams that we normal people aren't the only ones outraged by his violence on a teammate.
It should come as no tremendous surprise that Steve Smith's life, after punching teammate Ken Lucas squarely in the middle of the face when he was not expecting it, has not gone back to normal just quite yet.
He is being hounded by the media, questioned by fans, has been suspended two games and now, is dealing with a concussion (via that charming, brilliant and humble gentleman that runs Mister Mittens) that he suffered in Saturday night's preseason game.
Smith took a helmet-to-helmet shot from a Colts defender on a 19-yard reception from Matt Moore, Smith's only reception of the game. Coach John Fox said Smith, who is suspended for the Panthers' first two regular-season games, was day-to-day with the injury.
It really shouldn't be shocking though -- and if you think about it, if Smith gets off with a two game suspension and a mild concussion for knocking a teammate in the face, well, that's pretty light, actually.
In terms of being ready for the season, he's got time (because of the suspension) so again, probably not a big deal. What is interesting though, is how he suffered this: a helmet-to-helmet on a 19 yard catch in a preseason game. That screams that we normal people aren't the only ones outraged by his violence on a teammate.
Mike Holmgren might be learning the hard way why you don't announce your retirement in advance (instead, you just make random decisions, holding the hopes and whims of those that love you in a constant metaphorical tornado state).
First we had last evening's speculation that Matt Hasselback might have a wonky back and now it appears that Seattle's best healthy wide receiver, Bobby Engram (a indicative statement all its own), is sea.
Seahawks leading receiver Bobby Engram will miss six to eight weeks with a cracked shoulder, coach Mike Holmgren says.
The 35-year-old Engram set a Seattle franchise record last season with 94 catches and then skipped offseason minicamps while in a dispute over his contract that expires after this season.
And really, nothing says "quick comeback" like "35 year old with a cracked shoulder". Deion Branch is on the PUP currently, leaving the Seahawks with ... Nate Burleson! Nate flashed brilliance for a few months in Minnesota, once upon a few fantasy football destroying seasons ago, but hasn't amounted to much more than a return man in Seattle.
Torain was carrying the ball in a nine-on-seven drill when he was tackled. As he fell, Torain stuck out his left hand to brace his fall and his elbow popped.He suffered fractured bone fragments in the elbow. He was to be taken for an MRI around noon.
All told, Torain is going to miss two to three months. Being a running back and having to to take blows to the elbow often, I'm estimating this is more like three than two. This is a big blow for the talented Arizona State product, as he had a realistic shot of getting meaningful time on a team that makes studs out of ordinary running backs.
Within the article it was mentioned that Mike Shanahan thought Torain had a realistic shot at the tailback job in Denver. Now Andre Hall and Michael Pittman are left to push Young, who should have a pretty clear path to the starting gig.
The injuries seemed like they were maybe, possibly, kind of taking a turn for the better for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then they got the brutal news early Thursday that leadoff hitter and sparkplug of the offense Rafael Furcal will miss another eight weeks after undergoing back surgery.
Manager Joe Torre would not concede that Furcal will be lost for the rest of the season, but neither did he say he's holding his breath awaiting Furcal's return.
"From all the numbers I've heard, he'll probably miss a minimum of eight weeks," said Torre, meaning a return of September at the earliest.
That's probably overly optimistic. Watkins performed a similar procedure in 2002 on Dodgers pitcher Kevin Brown, whose disc was badly ruptured. Brown rushed back after two months, but quickly had to shut it down because he was not fully healed. Reliever Eric Gagne underwent a similar operation by Watkins at St. Vincent's Hospital on July 8, 2006. Like Brown, Gagne was also trying to return from elbow woes at the time and did not pitch again that season.
Like I mentioned the other day (link above), I'll believe it when I see it regarding recovery. Eight weeks is still a looooong time anyway and the odds that Furcal will be completely healthy by the beginning of September is possible but as soon as KB and EG's names get tossed around, I get a little skeptical.
And no, the "would not concede" line does not help anything either.
Fantasy Spin: I'm heading to drop him in a 12 team league right now (non-keeper) and grab someone that can help me now. Bear in mind though, that this is a head-to-head league, so not only will I be able to grab him later, but the loss of steals isn't permanent, so to speak. Still, I think he's done.
Ok, so Mussina and Pettitte: check. Joba? Wasn't he supposed to be setting up? Instead Yanks fans get treated to a rousing rendition of Kyle Farnsworth in the 8th ... woo hoo! Rasner was an uninspiring injury replacement last year, and who the heck is Dan Giese? Sidney Ponson is next to the party. You remember him, right? He's the fat dude pictured here who got kicked off the Rangers for being a royal pain in the arse and enjoys driving after a few pops.
This is news I didn't think I'd be reporting this season, and it's most certainly something I didn't think would happen in June. This is nothing short of miraculous. After all the setbacksMark Mulder has experienced, he might start this weekend in Kansas City for the Cardinals. As reported in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Tonight's outing is considered a tuneup more than a full-blown start, suggesting the Cardinals have made a decision but will wait to see how Mulder exits the appearance before confirming his return to the major leagues.
"It depends on how it goes. We're not really putting a day on it," general manager John Mozeliak said.
Asked when Mulder would start, Mozeliak said, "We'll know that by Tuesday."
So he's going tonight for Triple-A Memphis, and unless his arm falls off he could be inserted into the rotation? After everything that we've been reading up to this point, it's an absolutely stunning revelation. I'm still skeptical that he's physically okay. I mean, just a month ago we thought he'd never pitch again because they had no idea what was wrong with the shoulder. Now he's ready to pitch in the bigs? C'mon.
Fantasy Spin: Don't bother. There's no way he'll hold up over the course of the season. Even if he somehow does, he's been completely ineffective in triple-A, compiling a 13.50 ERA in 13 1/3 innings of work. He's only punched out eight, while he's allowed 28 hits en route to a horrifying 2.48 WHIP. If that's what the minor leaguers were doing the major leaguers (yes, even the Royals) will tattoo him.
Brad Penny, loser of five consecutive starts including a 3.2 inning, seven run, no strikeout outing against the Tigers the last time he took the mound, was placed on the disabled list today. Penny is dealing with an "inflammation of the bursa sac" (which sounds like something a lot worse, I think) and "mild tendinitis in his right shoulder", according to the Dodgers website.
Penny had complained of discomfort in the shoulder for more than a month without missing a start, but the pain worsened during pregame warmups before his last start, on Saturday against Detroit. An MRI performed on Monday revealed no structural damage.
Tough skids for the Dodgers, of course, but the reality is that Penny had not been pitching well. And if he was performing poorly as a result of shoulder woes -- which seems likely -- then giving him a few weeks to heal up and get right is the correct move.
Fantasy Spin: Penny is obviously DL'd or benched on your roster now (and hopefully before now) but he's not really droppable unless you're in a really shallow league. He finally put together a good second half last year and seems like a reasonable buy low at this point. Always better to inquire before he starts to head back.
He's already gotten in five games in Class-A without lingering complications and is headed to Triple-A this week to complete his rehab assignment.
So basically as fast as all the injured Rockies went down, they're coming back just as quickly ... after Brad Hawpe and Matt Hollidayrecently returned and having Clint Barmes back shortly as well. It sounds ridiculous to say, but with the entire NL West sputtering: they actually have a shot. The defending NL Champs are only 8.5 games out of first entering Monday night. Crazier things have happened, and we learned last year to not give up on this bunch.
Fantasy Spin: Tulo really struggled early in the season (.152, 1 HR, and a horrifying 19 OPS+ ... not a typo), but he's a better player than that. Last season he went .291-24-99 as a rookie. Yes, he also brings stellar defense ... but that's of no consequence in fantasy.
Regardless, he's a must-start shortstop in all but the shallowest fantasy leagues ever invented. Even in those he's a consideration. Rank him no worse than 10, and possibly higher; depending on the format.
Here on Fantasy FanHouse we've been monitoring the progress of Chris Carpenter for a bit. I covered him a few weeks ago and Greebs hit him again yesterday. There's a reason for that, which is ... when healthy, he's a stud. Well, that "when healthy" part is an issue this year, and it just became a little more unlikely.
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Carp's comeback hit a snag this week. He even went in to have an MRI on his "repaired" elbow ligament yesterday. Why?
Carpenter returned to St. Louis to be seen by team medical supervisor Dr. George Paletta after becoming increasingly concerned about what he was feeling following a Wednesday side session at the club's minor-league complex in Jupiter, Fla.
Oh boy. Also contained in the piece were that the Cards' GM is "concerned," and an admission that Carpenter won't be pitching "around the All-Star break" like they had hoped.
Look, we all knew he wasn't coming back that quickly, but the team was pushing for that date. Now they aren't, and they haven't even set an amended timetable. That sounds bad. It sounds like they are scared. Once the results of yesterday's MRI are made public we'll know much more, but this doesn't look good.
In light of this most recent news, I predict you won't see the '05 Cy Young winner on the hill this season.
Fantasy Spin: If you have already taken the initiative to stash him on your bench, keep him there until there is definitive bad news (unfortunately, my prediction doesn't qualify). You don't want to drop him and then watch someone else reap the September awards because of what turned out to be a minor setback.
The injuries seemed like they were maybe, possibly, kind of taking a turn for the better for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Then they got the brutal news early Thursday that leadoff hitter and sparkplug of the offense 
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This is news I didn't think I'd be reporting this season, and it's most certainly something I didn't think would happen in June. This is nothing short of miraculous. After 
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