Rolen out, Frazier in for Game 4 of NLDS – Scott Rolen | CIN

10 Oct
2012
Scott Rolen is not in the starting lineup for Game 4 of the NLDS against the Giants on Wednesday.
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Frazier: AP should be ‘fine going forward’ – Adrian Peterson | MIN

08 Oct
2012
Coach Leslie Frazier deemed Adrian Peterson's ankle sprain as "mild" at Monday's presser, and said AP should be "fine going forward."
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The NBA is currently putting the "off" in its "offseason," which means it is time to recalibrate. Take the Windex to the TV, run your beer helmet through the dishwasher twice, send those retro jerseys to the dry cleaners, and check up on the correct spelling of "haterrrrz." Also, perhaps, update your Twitter follows, in order to make sure you've got everything in place that's needed to stay in touch with the NBA as training camp approaches.

Inspired by Sports Illustrated's initial "Twitter 100" (which will be updated on Wednesday), we've put together a collection of indispensable Twitter NBA must-follows — from Internet types to newspaper giants, cranks and rooters, people with brains bigger than ours, and the slicked-back on-camera folk. In the interest of fair play we've excluded all Yahoo! Sports Twitter accounts from the proceedings; but let's face it, you're definitely already following Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears. How would you have known about any trade or signing from the last four years if you weren't?

Following the jump, take a look at our list, as lovingly compiled by the Ball Don't Lie team of Kelly Dwyer, Dan Devine and Eric Freeman. We're sure we've overlooked a few, unintentionally, so we welcome your feedback in the comments or in 140 characters or less. Fly onward, blue birdies …

In the finale of our five-part series, here are some People Who Are Funnier Than Us. All follower counts as of Sept. 16, 2012:

Chelsea Peretti — The Top 2 comedian (David Brenner, in case you were wondering, took top honors) and writer has taken in some deserved dap over the last year for her hilarious back and forth with Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert, but her hoop-related Twitter flights go well beyond convos with her All-Star BFF; especially when both Los Angeles teams line up for the playoff stretch. Also, she may have told a member of BDL's Staff that she wishes Phil Jackson could be her father. We all do, Chelsea. We all do.

Chris Gethard — During the season, the talented writer/performer/IFC-adopted comic (who you might remember as the superfan in those ESPN commercials from a couple of years back) tends to tweet about his abusive relationship with the New York Knicks, sharing his boundless love for and frustration with the Broadway bunch in just-about equal measure. He's also made a significant contribution to our beloved Basketball Jones in both written and podcast form. (Note: Gethard is not pictured in his Twitter avatar. That's Wynonna Judd, we've heard, reading Chris' very funny book.)

Dustin Hoffman — Dustin Hoffman is an actor who enjoys playing and practicing the sport of basketball. He was also in 'Billy Bathgate.'

Gregory Popovich -- An actually funny parody account that manages to be so because it, in all likelihood, is really what Gregg Popovich is thinking at any given time. You crusted punk, you.

J. Doug Hatings — Quips and riffs and all sorts of hoop-related ha-ha goodness from this knowledgeable NBA fan. Plug in the follow and forget that you did, then thank us once he cracks you up during a game two months from now. THANK US, because we're really needy.

Joe Mande — A comedian and newly established writer on NBC's 'Parks and Recreation,' Mande knows his hoops and his two-character "OK" tweets are the very model of economy, wit, and precision. The only way you can read them is to either visit his Twitter home page on Twitter dot com, or to follow him. Your move, Twitter.

Mindy Kaling — A busy one, the writer and actress is often at her best when the Lakers make it deep into the playoffs; which is not to say that Kaling's been limping around on Twitter since June of 2010. It just means Kobe has to pass the ball more often.

Netw3rk — Once you've got his Twitter handle memorized, no small feat, you'll be on the fast track toward enjoying the work of possibly the funniest all-around NBA tweeter out there. Also, dog pictures.

Not Walt Frazier — Not Walt Frazier, but you could have fooled us. And watch his hilarious @ replies just to see who the Faux Frazier, through the beauty of alliteration and SAT-level words, puts in his particular popcorn machine.

Russ Bengtson — Your go-to Twitter machine, should you sign for its services. Perhaps the finest compliment we can give Russ is that when some Yahoo!-types were discussing who to include in a scrolling Twitter feed to be posted on front of the NBA page as the Finals and NBA draft moved along, the journo-giant that is Adrian Wojnarowski chimed in to tell anyone who would listen that the feed should consist of Bengtson's tweets, and nobody else's. "Just him," Woj said. So, y'know — follow the guy.

Tom Scharpling — Sometimes, you luck into finding out that someone whose work you truly dig also spends his time taking 140 character shots to the dome of various NBA types. One BDL staffer referred to Tom as "NBA Twitter's funniest curmudgeon," and Tom made our cut by a wide margin over Garry Shandling. Even if Shandling can probably beat Tom, and a whole lot of us, in a game to 11.

Trey Kerby — One of the quickest wits we've ever had the pleasure to have known, not only does Trey provide us with endless laugh out loud moments at The Basketball Jones (that's not slim praise, you're not finishing his work with a wry smile peeking out from the corners), his Twitter account reflects that playful bent that we hope he keeps up. We're just glad he's slumming in the basketball realm. Also, he may have officiated one of our weddings.

Wizznutzz -- The basketball Internet's greatest absurdist project, dedicated to (appropriately) the Washington Wizards. It takes a while to learn their language, but once you do, there are very few things funnier in the world than the Wizznutzz. Save for, perhaps, the SlipNuts.

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Coach Leslie Frazier said Adrian Peterson (knee) felt "so much better" this Tuesday in comparison to the same point following Week 1.
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Frazier: AP ‘without question’ game-time call – Adrian Peterson | MIN

03 Sep
2012
Vikings coach Leslie Frazier confirmed Monday that Adrian Peterson (knee) will "without question" be a game-time decision for Week 1.
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Peterson will be Week 1 game-time decision – Adrian Peterson | MIN

30 Aug
2012
Coach Leslie Frazier expects Adrian Peterson (knee) to be a game-time decision for Week 1 versus the Jaguars.
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Adrian Peterson will not see preseason action – Adrian Peterson | MIN

21 Aug
2012
Coach Leslie Frazier confirmed Tuesday that Adrian Peterson (knee) won't play in the Vikings' final two preseason games.
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Closing Time: Welcome back, James McDonald

18 Aug
2012
by in General

Bullets on the weekend, nothing but bullets. Microwave as needed, and be liberal with dipping sauces.

There's a reason starting pitchers make everyone pull their hair out. James McDonald couldn't get anyone out over a month-long slump, and it was logical to bench McDonald in advance of his Friday start at St. Louis. Heck, dropping McDonald in a shallow or medium mixer was worth considering. And the Cardinals are merely the top-scoring offense in the National League.

All of that makes sense on the spreadsheet, but it was a different story on the field. McDonald got his groove back, posting six smooth bagels (2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 7 K) and pushing his ERA back down to 3.61. He doesn't return to the Circle of Trust off one strong outing, but we at least have to use him next week at San Diego. If that start goes well, then we'll consider the rematch against the Cardinals in two weeks.

There's not much left to say on Oakland's bullpen situation: Grant Balfour has clearly grabbed the job and isn't letting go. He recorded his third handshake in seven days on Friday, a clean ninth against Cleveland, and he hasn't allowed a baserunner in any of these appearances. Balfour's control can be dicey at times (22 walks over 56 innings), but his last walk came at the end of July. Thanks for the memories, Ryan Cook. Balfour is still unowned in half of Yahoo! leagues, a surprisingly-low number given the intensity of the saves chase.

And then there's Todd Frazier, one of the NL's most underrated commodities. Frazier had a homer and a steal in Friday's win, and over the last month he's posted a zesty .304-14-6-21 line for the rampaging Reds. With three positions of eligibility in his back pocket (first, third, outfield) and a clear spot in the lineup, why is Frazier still unclaimed in two-thirds of Yahoo! leagues?

Don't worry about Joey Votto pushing Frazier to the bench anytime soon; Votto's rehab continues to progress at a snail's pace, and even when he does come off the DL, the Reds can always slot Frazier over at third. This looks like a full-season story to me, even when the summer wind turns to autumn wind.

Even when Eric Chavez is going well — and he's been tearing the cover off the ball in the second half — the guy has just about no luck. A run of lefty starters has kept Chavez stapled on the bench for most of this week, and the southpaw stream isn't over yet. Boston throws Jon Lester at the Yankees on Saturday, and New York will face Chris Sale and Francisco Liriano in the upcoming Chicago series. Bottom line, Chavez remains a continual maintenance player, someone you need a caddy for.

A rich-man's Chavez these days is Garrett Jones in Pittsburgh, a slugging lefty who rocks as someone you can trust about 70 percent of the time. Jones offers a .298 average and .567 slugging percentage against the northpaws (along with 17 homers), but he's essentially a free out when the lefties come out (.186/.200/.349). You'll probably want to rest Jones on Sunday against Jaime Garcia (the Pirates might do the same), but he doesn't face another platoon drain until next weekend, when Randy Wolf comes calling.

The expanses of PNC Park haven't bothered Jones at all: he's slugging .881 at home. He covers two positions (first base, outfield) and is still addable in 63 percent of Yahoo! leagues.

Pitch-to-contact stories can be hard to trust at times, but Blake Beavan is worth considering as a Sunday streamable. He's posted a 3.41 ERA and 0.93 WHIP over the last month — here it is, men, go ahead and hit it — and he's working at Safeco Field against the Twins. You'll find him freely available, unowned in 94 percent of Yahoo! leagues. Anyone want to try this Emerald City rental? (Okay, fine, rent Singles instead. Enjoy the Westerberg.)

Mike Minor (42 percent) is another reasonable option, working at home against Los Angeles. Otherwise, I'm throwing a lot of cold water on this slate. I still don't trust Jeremy Guthrie, even released from Colorado purgatory. Wei-Yin Chen has his positive points, but a Detroit start is risky. Jose Quintana's strikeout rate is microscopic, a deal-breaker in a lot of capped leagues. I'd like to see one outing from Garcia before I fully endorse him; I rarely start anyone fresh off the DL, especially when it's been a lengthy stay.

The Hisashi Iwakuma story has been a fun one because it's an outlier, a nonsensical set of results. It's common for pitchers to show excellent ratios in relief but then struggle to keep those numbers in a starting role, but Iwakuma has been the opposite. His relief stats don't move anyone (4.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP over 30.1 innings), but he's been gold as a Seattle starter (3.19/1.25, 41 strikeouts in 48 innings). Here's some tape to review, see what you make of it.

You'd like to see Iwakuma's control improve (he's issued 16 unintentional walks over his eight starts), but so long as the K/BB rate stays over 2/1, you can at least put him into the streaming pool. I used him Friday night against the Twins, and I'll go back to the well for Wednesday's home start against Cleveland. Safeco Field is a beautiful thing.

Tags: , , , , , Grant Balfour, , , James McDonald, James McDonald Bullets, , , Todd Frazier
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RB Peterson activated off PUP list (Yahoo! Sports)

12 Aug
2012
MANKATO, Minn. (AP) -- The Minnesota Vikings have activated running back Adrian Peterson from the physically unable to perform list Sunday, with coach Leslie Frazier saying Peterson had done everything in his rehab that could be done working by himself.
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Adrian Peterson rushed to hospital after allergic reaction to seafood

31 Jul
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

With his face swelling and his breathing restricted, star Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was rushed to the hospital on Monday afternoon. An allergic reaction to seafood caused the health scare, briefly giving everyone in Vikings camp a pretty good scare.

Peterson's fine now, and he's been cleared to resume rehabbing from knee surgery. Here's more from head coach Leslie Frazier, via TwinCities.com:

"He's doing fine," Frazier said Monday, July 30. "He'll pick back up with his rehab (Tuesday). He's been cleared. Everything's back to normal now. Bit of a scare but he's fine now."

The team was unaware of any specific food allergies Peterson had, Frazier said.

"He had mentioned there was a time early in his life where he had an allergic reaction to something, maybe not quite as severe as this," the coach said.

Seafood allergies can develop in adulthood, so it's entirely possible that Peterson spent his whole life enjoying Long John Silvers, and one day out of the blue, a scallop or a calamari ring decided to close down his throat. According to WebMD, 2.3 percent of the population has a seafood allergy, and allergic reactions to seafood account for about 30,000 emergency room visits every year in the United States.

So, as it turns out, a bowl of shrimp scampi can do what no one else in the NFL can: slow down Adrian Peterson. I'm glad he found this out in a situation where there would have been plenty of medical attention around.

Tags: , , allergic reaction, allergic reactions, an allergic reaction, , , , Leslie Frazier, , reaction,
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