Today's Fantasy Rx

Colorado: 7 Home games: 4 vs San Diego; 3 vs. Detroit.
Houston: 6 games: 3 Home vs. Arizona; 3 Road at Texas.
Cincinnati: 7 games: 4 Home vs. Chicago Cubs; 3 Road at Arizona.

7 Home games
Florida: 4 vs. New York Mets; 3 vs. Tampa Bay.
Milwaukee: 4 vs. St. Louis; 3 vs. Minnesota.

7 games
Chicago White Sox: 4 Home vs. Boston; 3 Road at Chicago Cubs.
Kansas City: 4 Home vs. Minnesota; 3 Road at St. Louis.
New York Yankees: 4 Home vs. Tampa Bay; 3 Road at New York Mets.
Seattle: 4 Home vs. Anaheim; 3 Road at San Diego.

Chicago Cubs: 4 Road at Cincinnati; 3 Home vs. Chicago White Sox.
New York Mets: 4 Road at Florida; 3 Home vs. New York Yankees.
San Diego: 4 Road at Colorado; 3 Home vs. Seattle.
St. Louis: 4 Road at Milwaukee; 3 Home vs. Kansas City.

7 Road games
Anaheim: 4 at Seattle; 3 at Los Angeles.
Boston: 4 at Chicago White Sox; 3 at Philadelphia.
Minnesota: 4 at Kansas City; 3 at Milwaukee.
Tampa Bay: 4 at New York Yankees; 3 at Florida.

Other teams with six home games: Los Angeles, Oakland, Philadelphia, and Pittsburgh.

All other teams play six games with at least three on the road.

Pitchers of interest with two starts(whom we'd start if we owned them):
John Lackey: Mon:@SEA(J.Pineiro); Sat:@LA(A.Ashby)
Kevin Appier: Tue:@SEA(R.Franklin); Sun:@LA(K.Brown)
Shane Reynolds: Tue:@PHI(B.Myers): Sun:BAL(O.Daal)
Pedro Martinez: Mon:@CHW(M.Buehrle); Sat:@PHI(B.Duckworth)
Mark Buehrle: Mon:BOS(P.Martinez); Sat:@CHC(M.Clement)
Bartolo Colon: Tue:BOS(J.Burkett); Sun:@CHC(C.Zambrano)
C.C. Sabathia: Tue:@DET(A.Bernero); Sun:@PIT(J.D'Amico)
Dontrelle Willis: Mon:NYM(T.Glavine): Sat:TB(J.Kennedy)
Carl Pavano: Tue:NYM(J.Seo); Sun:TB(D.Brazelton or J.Gonzalez)
Kevin Brown: Tue:SF(J.Foppert); Sun:ANA(K.Appier)
Wayne Franklin: Mon:STL(K.Calero); Sat:MIN(K.Lohse)
Matt Kinney: Tue:STL(G.Stephenson); Sun:MIN(K.Rogers)
Kyle Lohse: Mon:@KC(D.May); Sat:@MIL(W.Franklin)
Kenny Rogers: Tue:@KC(J.Affeldt); Sun:@MIL(M.Kinney)
Livan Hernandez: Tue:@PIT(J.D'Amico); Sun:TOR(R.Halladay)
Jae Seo: Tue:@FLO(C.Pavano); Sun:NYY(D.Wells)
David Wells: Tue:TB(D.Brazelton); Sun:@NYM(J.Seo)
Ted Lilly: Tue:TEX(V.Santos); Sun:SF(J.Foppert)
Brett Myers: Tue:ATL(S.Reynolds); Sun:BOS(J.Burkett)
Jeff D'Amico: Tue:MON(L.Hernandez); Sun:CLE(C.C.Sabathia)
Joel Pineiro: Mon:ANA(J.Lackey); Sat:@SD(A.Eaton)
Ryan Franklin: Tue:ANA(K.Appier); Sun:@SD(J.Peavy)
Jesse Foppert: Tue:@LA(K.Brown); Sun:@OAK(T.Lilly)
Garrett Stephenson: Tue:@MIL(M.Kinney); Sun:KC(J.Affeldt)
Roy Halladay: Tue:@BAL(O.Daal); Sun:@MON(L.Hernandez)

Only deploy in Fantasy Baseball and other leagues that don't count qualitative stats:
Andrew Good: Tue:@HOU(J.Robertson); Sun:CIN(R.Dempster)
Omar Daal: Tue:TOR(R.Halladay); Sun:@ATL(S.Reynolds)
John Burkett: Tue:CHW(B.Colon); Sun:@PHI(B.Myers)
Matt Clement: Mon:@CIN(C.Reitsma, J.Anderson, or ???); Sat:CHW(M.Buehrle)
Carlos Zambrano: Tue:@CIN(R.Dempster); Sun:CHW(B.Colon)
Ryan Dempster: Tue:CHC(C.Zambrano); Sun:@ARI(A.Good)
Aaron Cook: Mon:SD(A.Eaton); Sat:DET(G.Knotts)
Darren Oliver: Tue:SD(J.Peavy); Sun:DET(A.Bernero)
Adam Bernero: Tue:CLE(C.C.Sabathia); Sun:@COL(D.Oliver)
Jeriome Robertson: Tue:ARI(A.Good); Sun:@TEX(V.Santos)
Darrell May: Mon:MIN(K.Lohse); Sat:@STL(B.Tomko)
Jeremy Affeldt: Tue:MIN(Ko.Rogers); Sun:@STL(G.Stephenson)
Tom Glavine: Mon:@FLO(D.Willis); Sat:NYY(J.Weaver or ???)
Jeff Weaver?: Tue:TB(J.Gonzalez); Sat:@NYM(T.Glavine)?
Adam Eaton: Mon:@COL(A.Cook); Sat:SEA(J.Pineiro)
Jake Peavy: Tue:@COL(D.Oliver); Sun:SEA(R.Franklin)
Jeremi Gonzalez?: Tue:@NYY(J.Weaver); Sun:@FLO(C.Pavano)?
OR Dewon Brazelton?: Tue:@NYY(D.Wells); Sun:@FLO(C.Pavano)?
Victor Santos: Tue:OAK(T.Lilly); Sun:HOU(J.Robertson)

Diamond Challenge

SP(6)
Randy Johnson: DL(No start)
Pedro Martinez: Mon:@CHW(M.Buehrle); Sat:@PHI(B.Duckworth)
Curt Schilling: DL(No start)
Tim Hudson: Fri:SF(D.Moss)
Matt Morris: Thu:@MIL(R.Quevedo)
Roy Oswalt: Sat:@TEX(J.Benoit)?
Mike Mussina: Fri:@NYM(S.Trachsel)
Kevin Millwood: Wed:ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Kerry Wood: Wed:@CIN(J.Haynes)
Kevin Brown: Tue:SF(J.Foppert); Sun:ANA(K.Appier)
Roy Halladay: Tue:@BAL(O.Daal); Sun:@MON(L.Hernandez)
Jason Schmidt: Thu:@LA(Od.Perez)
Mark Prior: Thu:@CIN(D.Graves)

Pedro, Brown, and Halladay are essential, and Schmidt also looks great. With the Cubs in Coors and Oakland against excellent offenses, Mussina and Millwood look like our logical choices.

Our need for RBI leads us to activate Matsui and Durazo for Dave Roberts and Carl Everett. We again can't find Jose Hernandez into our lineup, and Vlad remains benched for obvious reasons. Spending additional cash on pitching leaves us with little leeway, so we don't need to burn a move to replace Vlad this week.

Interview with the Umpire(9th lg; 58th div; 1282nd overall),
Shadow of the Umpire(7th lg; 67th div; 1283rd overall), &
Dance of the Umpires(10th lg; 58th div; 1384th overall)
Week 12: June 16-June 22

C	Ivan Rodriguez		1070
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
1B	Frank Thomas		920
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Luis Castillo		1210
3B	Aaron Boone		1010
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
OF	Lance Berkman		1640
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610
OF	Ichiro Suzuki		1480
OF	Preston Wilson		1220
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
OF	Austin Kearns		650
DH	Aramis Ramirez		820
DH	Erubiel Durazo		520

SP	Pedro Martinez		1700
SP	Mike Mussina		1210
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Kevin Brown		990
SP	Roy Halladay		890
SP	Jason Schmidt		790
RP	Eric Gagne		1430
RP	Scott Williamson	960
RP	Mike MacDougal		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740

Total Salary for Week 12: 	29740

Diamond Challenge 2nd Season

SP(6)
Pedro Martinez: Mon:@CHW(M.Buehrle); Sat:@PHI(B.Duckworth)
Curt Schilling: DL(No start)
Tim Hudson: Fri:SF(D.Moss)
Matt Morris: Thu:@MIL(R.Quevedo)
Roy Oswalt: Sat:@TEX(J.Benoit)?
Mike Mussina: Fri:@NYM(S.Trachsel)
Mark Mulder: Thu:TEX(I.Valdes)
Kevin Millwood: Wed:ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Kerry Wood: Wed:@CIN(J.Haynes)
Kevin Brown: Tue:SF(J.Foppert); Sun:ANA(K.Appier)
Roy Halladay: Tue:@BAL(O.Daal); Sun:@MON(L.Hernandez)
Jason Schmidt: Thu:@LA(Od.Perez)
Mark Prior: Thu:@CIN(D.Graves)

Pedro, Brown, and Halladay remain good plays here, and given the downside of Wood and Prior in Cincy, Mussina, Millwood, and particularly Schmidt appear our best choices since Oakland faces great offenses this week.

To deploy Helton and keep Delgado in the lineup in Baltimore and Montreal, Lowell, Sheffield, and Pierre head to the bench. Vernon Wells fills our open outfield slot, and then as we need power a little more than speed, we'll activate Durazo as our second DH instead of Dave Roberts. While we have a choice between Furcal and Orlando Cabrera, Cabrera remains in our lineup due to his superior recent play, better schedule, and Furcal's mild health problems.

Umpire The Masquerade(4th lg; 38th div; 325th overall)
Week 12: June 16-June 22

C	Mike Lieberthal		650
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Carlos Deglado		1420
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Bret Boone		1360
3B	Aramis Ramirez		820
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
SS	Orlando Cabrera		1030
OF	Albert Pujols		1750
OF	Preston Wilson		1220
OF	Ken Griffey		820
OF	Vernon Wells		750
OF	Austin Kearns		650
OF	Corey Patterson		500
DH	Todd Helton		1850
DH	Erubiel Durazo		520

SP	Pedro Martinez		1700
SP	Mike Mussina		1210
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Kevin Brown		990
SP	Roy Halladay		890
SP	Jason Schmidt		790
RP	Eric Gagne		1430
RP	Joe Borowski		750
RP	Rocky Biddle		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740

Total Salary for Week 12: 	27960

Internet Challenge

SP(6)
Pedro Martinez: Mon:@CHW(M.Buehrle)
Matt Morris: Thu:@MIL(R.Quevedo)
Kevin Millwood: Wed:ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Kerry Wood: Wed:@CIN(J.Haynes)
Kevin Brown: Tue:SF(J.Foppert)
Roy Halladay: Tue:@BAL(O.Daal)
Jason Schmidt: Thu:@LA(Od.Perez)
Mark Prior: Thu:@CIN(D.Graves)

No starts: Randy, Schilling, Oswalt, Mussina, and Ainsworth.

Millwood, Brown, Halladay, and Schmidt are easy plays, and Pedro looked good last time, so hopefully he'll remain in the game long enough to qualify for a win. Prior's cheaper than Wood and pitches consistently better, so we'll reluctantly employ him to complete our staff even though he's in Cincinatti.

As we're spending more money than usual on starters, we don't have cap room even if we wanted to go buy a replacement for Vlad. He stays benched, and since we want Matsui and Orlando Cabrera in the lineup, Jose Hernandez remains reserved, along with Carl Everett and Erubiel Durazo.

The Umpire Hunter(8th lg; 258th overall)
Week 12a: June 16-June 19

C	Jorge Posada		1120
C	Toby Hall		460
1B	Todd Helton		1850
1B	Aubrey Huff		610
2B	Alfonso Soriano		1460
2B	Luis Castillo		1210
3B	Aaron Boone		1010
3B	Hank Blalock		500
SS	Alex Rodriguez		2010
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	1330
OF	Lance Berkman		1640
OF	Manny Ramirez		1610
OF	Preston Wilson		1220
OF	Hideki Matsui		750
OF	Austin Kearns		650
OF	Dave Roberts		620 
DH	Orlando Cabrera		1030
DH	Aramis Ramirez		820

SP	Pedro Martinez		1700
SP	Kevin Millwood		1010
SP	Kevin Brown		990
SP	Roy Halladay		890
SP	Jason Schmidt		790
SP	Mark Prior		750
RP	Eric Gagne		1430
RP	Scott Williamson	960
RP	Mike MacDougal		750
RP	Tim Worrell		740

Total Salary for Week 12a: 	29910

Fantasy Baseball & Budget Baseball
(Same rules = same rosters and moves for both teams)

SP(6)
Curt Schilling: DL(No start)
Mike Mussina: Fri:@NYM(S.Trachsel)
Pedro Martinez: Mon:@CHW(M.Buehrle); Sat:@PHI(B.Duckworth)
Roy Oswalt: Sat:@TEX(J.Benoit)?
Kerry Wood: Wed:@CIN(J.Haynes)
Kevin Millwood: Wed:ATL(Ru.Ortiz)
Roy Halladay: Tue:@BAL(O.Daal); Sun:@MON(L.Hernandez)
Jason Schmidt: Thu:@LA(Od.Perez)
Kevin Brown: Tue:SF(J.Foppert); Sun:ANA(K.Appier)
Mark Prior: Thu:@CIN(D.Graves)

Pedro, Halladay, and Brown look quite good, and we also like Mussina, Millwood, and especially Schmidt. Wood and Prior are tempting given their great strikeout totals and the Cubs' solid chance of winning in Cincy with Sosa back, however we have the cap room for Mussina and Millwood and believe they'll succeed in their starts.

Offensively, Marrero, Phelps, Ellis, Hinske, Orlando Cabrera, and Vlad remain benched, however we're activating Larry Walker and Hideki Matsui for Pat Burrell and the potentially injured Juan Gonzalez.

The Umpire Chronicles(6th lg; 481st overall)
& Umpire with a Soul(8th lg; 1155th overall)
Week 12: June 16-June 22

C	Jason Varitek		1400
C	Toby Hall		1070
1B	Todd Helton		3320
1B	Frank Thomas		2030
2B	Alfonso Soriano		2570
2B	Orlando Hudson		1000
3B	Scott Rolen		2660
3B	Joe Crede		1150	
SS	Nomar Garciaparra	2300
SS	Jose Hernandez		1780
OF	Albert Pujols		3150
OF	Lance Berkman		2850
OF	Manny Ramirez		2690
OF	Vernon Wells		1780
OF	Austin Kearns		1600
OF	Hideki Matsui		1500
DH	Larry Walker		2500
DH	Preston Wilson		2410

SP	Mike Mussina		2920
SP	Pedro Martinez		2900
SP	Kevin Millwood		2400
SP	Roy Halladay		2010
SP	Jason Schmidt		1990
SP	Kevin Brown		1910
RP	Eric Gagne		2560
RP	Keith Foulke		2330
RP	Mike MacDougal		1500
RP	Tim Worrell		1370

Total Salary for Week 12: 	59650

Today's Fantasy Rx: Pedro's double should give most teams sufficient pitching salary so that they don't need to play the injured Vlad, however if you need to find a replacement, the most cost-efficient expensive outfielders are Preston Wilson, who everyone already should own), Gary Sheffield, and Albert Pujols. If you're looking for a generally effective expensive player, grab Carlos Delgado as a free agent this week.

One more reason for not replacing Vlad quite yet is that most reports suggest we should have a better idea of how long he'll need to rehab by next Sunday, so since we didn't leave much money on the table on any team, we don't mind waiting one more week to see if we can keep our most expensive offensive stud.