This is the first, of what will hopefully be ten team profiles of the Junior League teams. Up first, is Charlie Singer; President  and General Manager of the Wicked Singhas. Charlie lives in Miami, FL.

On to the questions, Charlie’s answers first, my comments in italics.

How/when did you get into the league?
Um… my boss’ husband invited me.  That was weird. I took over for uber-fantasy stud Derek (sic) Whatever in 2004. Tough shoes.

A little background here. That boss that he talked about was Horseman President, Cary’s wife. I really thought we had an ace in the hole with this one. We could have put pressure on him via Cary’s wife to pull of a trade. Certainly ones job is more important than this stuff.  Alas, we never got to use this advantage because by the time the Horsemen were contending, Charlie was no longer under the employ of Cary’s wife, oh and its illegal too. We would have never done that. Second, there was an uber-fantasy stud named Derrick Widmark. Derek pulled a Ricky Williams and quit the league, and Charlie got to inherit a very good squad (though I can’t remember the specifics, apparently either Charlie doesn’t remember, or doesn’t want to remember because…….

Have you ever won a championship?

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Is there anything more pointless than handing out draft grades the day after the draft ends? Do you judge an investment one day after its made? No, these things take time. Yet, every year after the draft I find myself searching for every draft analysis I can find. The truth is, these analysis are based on perception. How high did the analyzer rate the player and when did that player get drafted. That’s it, that  is why this exercise is so stupid. In football, it’s not just how talented the player is, but what system did he get drafted into. Does that system complement his skill set? Does this player need time to develop, or is he ready to play right away? Not every draft bust is the fault of the player, teams share a role in the players future. Back to the original point, it is beyond stupid to grade a draft at this point. I notice that there is no history section for Mel Kiper Jr on the ESPN website, probably so that people can’t easily find all the terrible mistakes he has made. Remember Mike Williams, WR for USC? There are just too many things to factor in grading a draft, 3 years is probably the minimum amount of time that you need to start to grade the success or failure of a draft.  Do you think Saints fans were excited when the drafted Marques Colston #252 in the 2006 draft? Well, clearly they should have been. The guy is a terrific WR, has posted 1000+ yards in three of his four seasons. The esteemed Dr. Z game the Saints an A for their ’06 draft. Surely he must have known that Colston was the steal of the draft…

SAINTS: Congratulations for not blowing the Reggie Bush pick. You sent light into a city darkened by gloom. That gets you the A. The rest of the draft? Well, you’d better put some linemen in front of this dazzling runner, or it’ll be another Dalton Hilliard story. The first time I saw Bush run I thought of two players he reminded me of, when they were in college: Marshall Faulk and Dalton Hilliard. Same rapid cuts and quick bursts. Scintillating runners. Faulk is headed for the Hall of Fame. Hilliard, believe me, a wonderful little back, had an eight-year career with the Saints, playing behind some miserable lines. His lifetime average per carry was 3.7, and he was only in the 4.0 range twice. So during the draft this time the Saints picked up a veteran center from Cleveland, Jeff Faine. That’s good. The highest-drafted O-lineman they got was tackle Jahri Evans in the fourth round. Raw talent, everyone says. Would you prefer cooked talent?

Or perhaps not.

That’s just one example of many. NFL teams get to watch any and every college game they want. They have the combine to rank and judge all players physical tools. Yet, every year guys bust and others burst. They day after the draft is no time to judge.

I have searched and searched for “NFL Draft 2000″ “grades” or “analysis”, but I can’t find it. Mysteriously, Mel Kiper, Peter King and Dr. Z’s musings are not easily found. I wonder what they had to say about pick #199, Thomas Brady. I am pretty sure that they probably didn’t have much to say on the pick. Nothing more than a late round pick on a developmental QB. Of course, this pick turned out to be the biggest steal of the last 20 years. Why did every team miss out on Brady? He went to Michigan, a big time school. Yes, he was submarined by the Drew Henson hype machine, but his numbers were good. Every one is guilty of missing on him, even the Patriots for waiting till such a low slot to pick him. No one saw a Hall of Fame QB, and in that, lies the absolute failure in instant draft analysis. You just never know.

So I am going to withhold my excitement on this current draft for the Patriots. Sure, in theory it looks good, and I like the potential, but what do I know? All this stuff means nothing until these players actually play. Then at the end of the year, we get something even stupider than instant draft analysis… Don Banks redraft column.

So the point is, hold off on any judgments until these guys actually play a game, or preferably a season or THREE.

After last season, there was so much to look forward to with the 09-10 Boston Bruins. Alas, the entire regular season was a disaster. The injury bug bit and bit often. Most notably to Marc Savard and Milan Lucic, the former being the single most important player to the Bruin offense. The Bruins gambled by trading sniper, Phil Kessel , who lead the team with 36 goals last season. He was a restricted free agent, and they chose not to pay him big money and unloaded him to the Maple Leafs for some prime draft picks. Even without Kessel, the Bruins figured to have enough offense. Michael Ryder, Blake Wheeler and Marco Sturm all had terribly disappointing seasons. Scoring was a constant problem all season long. They eecked into the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference. They got a lucky first round draw in Buffalo. After loosing a typical 2-1 game to start the playoffs, the Bruins stormed back from a 2-0 deficit in game two, to win 5-2. Another 2-1 game in game 3, only the Bruins had the 2 spot. Now its on to game 3. I really didn’t want to get sucked in to they playoffs, when the team, really had no chance to advance. However, here I am, dusting off the Bruins jersey and getting excited for game 4. It’s probably a fools errand, but I can’t help myself.  Here are three big reasons why the Bruins can advance.

#1 Solid Defensive Hockey- The Bruins may not score many goals, but they don’t let too many in either. Tuukka Rask has been solid, his confidence is building. How many times has a hot goaltender carried a lesser team deep into the playoffs? It happens..

#2 Zdeno Chara- Still one of the elite players in the NHL. Chara has been much more involved in the offense, attacking the goal with much more frequency. When goals are at a premium, you need them any way you can get them. Chara has that booming slap shot, but is also very effective at sliding to the circle on the power play. Chara is the offensive X-factor for the B’s.

#3 the potential return of Mark Savard. It’s not happening tonight, but it could happen soon. Here is where I am taking the leap of faith. Maybe Savard can come back and provide the offensive punch that this team has lacked all season long. It’s a long shot, as he has been out of action for a while, but it’s not impossible. You can’t minimize the emotional lift Savard could bring this team. Plus, Philly has a commanding lead on NJ and that would be the Bruins next opponent. It would take a miracle to beat a team like Washington of Pittsburgh, but we would only need to beat one of them. I believe the NHL re-seeds, so no easy road.

Lastly, Vladimir Sobotka deserves praise. He is like a pin ball out on the ice, causing havoc everywhere. It didn’t result in points in the regular season, but it’s starting to in the playoffs. The more I watch him, the more I love him. Also, kudos to Michael Ryder for stepping up his game in the playoffs as well. Tonight is a big game, go up 3-1 and the fans will really start to believe. Loose and even the series at 2-2 and its back to square one, and expectations will be tempered.

GO BRUINS.

Eight games down, 4-4 for the Red Sox in 2010, time to make some very early assessments.

The Good

Dustin Pedroia- .364BA .410OBP .818SLG 4HR 10RBI. Last season, Pedroia hit a home run on opening day, he did not hit his 4th until July 9th. He has been the most consistent offensive force on this team, a true pleasure to watch. He rarely goes meekly, always fighting in every at bat.

John Lackey- 2 starts, 1-0 1.42ERA 12.2IP. Lackey has drawn two tough opponents in NYY and MIN, and produced a QS in both starts. The 6BB is a bit surprising, but like most pitchers, he is still getting his bearings. Lackey is a horse, who if he remains healthy could really be the ace of this team.

The Defense- Mike Cameron is as good as advertised in CF. Scutaro has been better than Lugo was, but he has missed some plays. Beltre and Youk play the corners as good as any other combo.

Kevin Youkilis- .321BA .429OBP .607SLG 1HR 4RBI. The HR and RBI totals are nothing special but Youk is the heart of the lineup. Teams pitch around him because the guy batting 5th has been awful.

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2010 Junior League Draft/Auction

6 hours of fun, for 6(plus months) action. Everyone gets an award.

Since I am unemployed, I have plenty of time to look over the rosters and make snide remarks. Remember, this is all in jest. No hard feelings.

The First Place Finish Award goes to, the Quatloos. I am pretty sure this is the second year in a row that you finished the auction first. I hope you got in a nice nap or something because you left $6 on the table. That money doesn’t carry over. I think this is the only 1^st place that you are getting, so enjoy.

Wildcat Award goes to, The J-Squad. Everyone was talking about the Wildcat offense the Dolphins busted out two years ago. That’s all people were talking about going into the season, and guess what, it was a bust. Same can be said of loading up on relievers. Yes, you may win saves and in theory you should have good ERA and WHIP, but it never works. Aside from King Felix, your starting pitching evokes memories of Anthony Young (http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/y/youngan01.shtml).

The Brien Taylor Award goes to, the Singhas.  Remember former #1 pick, Brien with an E? Never played in the majors, and had his mother for an agent. He did not live up to expectations, much like Rich Harden, Carl Pavano, Josh Hamilton, JD Drew, Delmon Young, and Kerry Wood. Maybe they will all have break out seasons this year.

The Anti He-Man Award goes to, JLDSMS. He-Man used to whip out his sword and say, “I have the power” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7yeA7a0uS3A 33 second mark). Well, you have no power. When Russell Branyan is your biggest slugger, you may have a problem in home runs. CC Sabathia may be your best power hitter.

The Kim Zolciak Award goes to, The Milleranians. For those of you who aren’t forced to watch the Real Housewives of Atlanta, I will explain. Kim is a faked breasted, wig-wearing, liar. She is having an affair with a married man and she also released the greatest song ever (and by greatest, I mean worst), “Don’t Be Tardy for the Party” (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsoS-RUEbqU). Yes, you were late. I am sure you have a good excuse, but you were still late.

The Blow Me (Off) Award goes to, the Creations. I really wanted to write up a league history and post it on my site. Since Jason seems to be the resident historian, I reached out to him a while back and he blew me off. So, thanks Jason for depriving everyone of a league history post. Also, your roster has a plethora of players who blow (E. Chavez, Andruw Jones, Pennington, Patterson and Valbuena).

The Separation of Church and State Award goes to, the Paleofites. Amazingly, you have only one Yankee on your main roster. Don’t you have season tickets to the Yankees? The only Yankee you have to root for is Vazquez, so anytime Yankee goes yard (and John Sterling spits out some ridiculous catch phrase) it wont be helping your team. Now, I am not saying this is a bad thing, I am just saying that it’s surprising.

The Sexual Innuendo Award goes to, Eisen Ears. You do have a guy named Wood and another guy named Hardy. Also, you have some other names that we can get creative with. Like, I took some Enztye and now I have Sizemore. That guy has an Ankiel fetish. Garko also sounds like something dirty.

The Best Potential Reality Show Award goes to, the Skyjackers. I am grasping for straws here, but I think a reality show with Shin-Soo Choo and Milton Bradley would be pretty amazing.  Bradley would complain about all his former teammates who hated him, while we wouldn’t even know if Choo understood him. As the season progresses, Choo and Bradley become best friends. Then is a sad twist, Choo gets summoned to the Korean Army and Bradley promises to write him every day.

The Senator Scott Brown Support Award goes to, The Horseman. One of the big reasons Brown won the special election was that the senior citizens got scared into voting for him. Fearing that Obama was going to take away some of their health benefits, the seniors voted heavily for Brown. Well, the Horsemen have seniors. Wakefield and Thome both played while Bush was in office, Bush 41. Mo is no spring chicken and Vlad is probably 56 years old.

A few final thoughts, how on earth did Alex Gordon go for $18? I think this was the worst buy in the auction. The best buy could be Mark Buehrle for $15.

Good Luck to everyone, except the Quats, Creations, Ears, J’s, Letters, Millers, Paleos, Singhas and the Jackers.

And remember, diamonds are forever and so are the 4 Horsemen.

Woooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!