Hello and welcome to another Wednesday of deep thoughts. As I sat down to write my blog this week, I struggled to find the right words to express my thoughts. The bombing in Boston weighs very heavily on my mind. It was a horrible event that stirs even the most cynical among us. The obvious question is why did this happen? Other parts of the world have grown accustomed to this type of terrorism. America is still new to this terror. But, here is something that I know. We are not afraid and we do not forget. Our country is often thought to be soft and quite frankly, this is often the image that we portray. What is forgotten is how we got here. Our leaders drive us in a direction of diplomacy and tact. But the truth is that the backbone of our country is full of folks that appreciate a direct and honest approach. We are a people of patience and compassion, until we are not. The time is fast approaching that we must stand tall. We must protect what is ours. To the people of Boston, I am proud to stand by you in your time of need. I have lived my life trying to treat people fairly and see the entire picture for rushing to judgment. I still maintain that this is the best approach. I also believe that actions must have consequences. This is how my wife and I have raised our kids and believe that it is imperative that our country enact this policy.

Boston has a great history. Words like liberty and freedom found their roots in Boston. How many of us celebrate Patriot Day? To be honest, we have forgotten the struggles and pain that our ancestors suffered to provide what we enjoy now. The bombing in Boston should serve as a wake up call for us. Let this day be a day that we never forget. It is time to make those guilty…pay.

There are many great rivalries in sports. Without question, the Red Sox and Yankees have to be the best rivalry in all of sports. Let’s be honest, this is a bitter rivalry. The fan bases of both clubs just do not like each other. But, in times of tragedy…this is forgotten. There are some things more important than sports. Sweet Caroline has become a tradition in Boston. Did you happen to see what they did at Yankee stadium Tuesday night? They played Sweet Caroline as a tribute to Boston. New York was not alone in playing Sweet Caroline, but the most obvious indicator just how troubling the Boston bombing was. Well done New York!

For many of us, Pat Summerall was the sports voice that we grew up with. He was the master of space and had just the right word to accompany the action we were watching. He died on Tuesday at the age of 82. Summerall was like that pair of comfortable shoes. He was there each Sunday to bring the NFL to our living rooms. Before John Madden, there was Pat Summerall. Although Madden received the publicity, it was Summerall that was the true professional, or in Madden’s words; a treasure.

I would have loved the chance to sit and talk with Mr. Summerall before he passed. He was a member of the New York Giants that played in the 1958 NFL championship against the Baltimore Colts…dubbed “the greatest game ever played”. He played for Coach Lombardi and Tom Landry in New York. Although he played some defensive back, he was best remembered as a kicker. We all have witnessed the changes in the NFL and I guess the change began when Summerall left the booth for good. RIP Pat Summerall, you will be missed.

I know that many think that sports should be played outside, but if I was planning to play baseball in Denver, I would have to strongly consider adding a retractable roof. Did you see the storm that hit Denver on Monday? With 8 inches of fresh snow on the field, there was no way to play baseball. Since the Mets only visit Coors field once this year, it was important to get the games in on Tuesday. With so much snow, there was no way that machines alone could remove the snow fast enough to get in a double header on Tuesday. What to do? Old fashioned man power proved to be the answer. More than 100 Rockie employees rolled up their sleeves and went to shoveling snow. Even owner Monfort and GM O’Dowd pitched in to lend a helping hand or shovel as it were. With the added man power, the field was ready for the early start on Tuesday. The Rockies were happy to get the game in as they took two from the Mets., although few fans found  the starting game temperatures of 39 very enticing. Not baseball weather, for sure! Although cold, this temperature was only tied for 10^th coldest starting time temperature in team history. A roof and heat would surely bring more fans to April games…

That is all I have today, but I will leave you with a bit of Jack Handey…

Probably the saddest thing you will see is a mosquito sucking on a mummy. Forget it, little friend…

Sometimes life seems like a dream, especially when I look down and see that I forgot to put on my pants.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave a few deep thoughts of your own.

As fantasy baseball players, we can all understand the difficulty involved with making trades. After all those years of swapping baseball cards with your friends, it knocks you off guard to find out that there is a lot more involved when swapping players for a fake baseball team.

First, you have to find the perfect partner, someone with whom you can not only match up in terms of needs, but also in supplying what they require. That requires examining the surplus of talent you have as well as combing through each opponent to understand how to make them want what you have.

Second, you have to then determine a worthwhile offer with which to entice them into dealing with you. Be prepared, because this first offer is often rejected and countered. If its not, then you over-packed the offer from the get-go.

Then you have the back and forth negotiating, attempting to work out a deal that is inevitably fair for everyone (and one that will be approved by other owners as well). This could be the most difficult task, as each and every owner (you included) wants to come out the winner in any trade. It's the nature of competition and the trade market is no different.

Doesn't sound so bad, does it?

Well, imagine for a minute that this is a six-year keeper league, meaning that each player on the roster is with you as long as you don't release or trade them for a minimum of six season, as long as you don't release or trade any of them. To make things difficult, we'll give you are given a salary cap with which to work with. Just for kicks, let's throw in the fact that we can swap minor-leaguers as well, a minor-leaguer with a service clock that starts when they reach the Major Leagues.

Does it still sound easy? It shouldn't, because that is what Major League general managers have to deal with.

On Thursday, we learned (from Andy Martino of the NY Daily News) that the New York Mets were keeping an eye on outfielders Giancarlo Stanton of the Miami Marlins and Carlos Gonzalez of the Colorado Rockies. While both targets are extremely attractive candidates for any general manager to chase after and the Mets would be a good trade partner for both the Rockies and Marlins, Sandy Alderson, Larry Beinfest, and Dan O'Dowd have a lot to consider in any deal.

- It isn't often that a big trade involving a player under team control goes down mid-season. Stanton is under team control through 2016 and would be eligible for arbitration for the first time this coming winter, making him extremely affordable, even for the Marlins.

Gonzalez is under team control through the 2017 season, but it less affordable than Stanton, being locked into a multi-year contract that will pay him $63.5 million over the next four seasons.

- In order for the Marlins to part with Stanton, the Mets would need to send quite the package to Miami. That would likely have to be headlined with the pair of Zack Wheeler and Travis d'Arnaud. Wheeler, was acquired in the Carlos Beltran deal two years ago and is currently ranked as the 8th best prospect in the game. d'Arnaud came to New York in the R.A. Dickey trade with the Blue Jays and is rated the sixth best prospect in baseball.

- Gonzalez, with his heavier price tag, and his being four years older than Stanton, would likely require a smaller package. d'Arnaud or Wheeler would have to be the center piece, but the deal likely wouldn't require both.

- That all said, the Mets (Alderson) then needs to decide if four years of either Stanton or Gonzalez are worth more than six seasons of low-priced team control over the top catching prospect and one of the best pitching prospect.

- On the flip side, while a deal would make real sense to the Marlins, they run the risk of further alienating their fan base by moving Stanton, their last remaining star player. However, one would find it hard to fault them for chasing a four-player package with Wheeler and d'Arnaud headlining the deal.

For the Rockies, that deal is much easier to do, as they need to drastically improve their pitching staff and getting Gonzalez's salary off the books would help them improve the team long-term. Wheeler would make more sense here, as the Rockies already have a solid young catcher in Wilin Rosario.

- Both teams also need to realize the longer they wait, the less control they surrender of these players and the small the return package becomes.

- Equally so, the Mets could make a huge splash by bringing in Stanton or Gonzalez, especially given the contract they gave David Wright signaling that they are not rebuilding the team.

Needless to say, there are a lot of moving pieces in any deal of this scope, and I can't say that I would envy either GM of their ordeal. If you thought making a trade for a fake baseball team was difficult, just imagine what it means when you are deciding the next 4-6 years of your organization.

That's what these three teams are trying to weigh, and there is no guarantee regardless of which path they take.

Easy, I don't think so.

If I can pause here for a second, I would like to grab my helmet to protect myself from the Rockies fans' outrage.

Okay, now that we've gotten that out of the way and all preventative measures have been taken, let us continue. Where was I again? Oh yeah.

It is time for the Rockies to free Carlos Gonzalez.

Trust me, as a proud drummer for all small market teams, I have no pride in saying something of this nature. No team should feel the need to shed a 26-year-old star in his prime simply to aid a rebuilding process. However, it is obvious by 31-51 record and the inability to piece together any signs of life, the Rockies are not on the verge of contending and are likely a few years removed from doing so.

So why not test the market for a dynamic slugger that is locked up long-term and will yield a huge windfall return in a year where everyone is looking for outfield help?

Gonzalez is arguably worth much more than he was when the Rockies acquired him as part of the Matt Holliday trade on November 10, 2008. In his four seasons with the Rockies, Gonzalez has quietly gone from prospect to All-Star to MVP candidate. Over the course of that time, Gonzalez has hit .315 with 90 home runs, 296 RBI, 315 runs, and 72 stolen bases. According to Fangraphs, Gonzalez's .563 slugging percentage  is the 5th highest in baseball, trailing only Miguel Cabrera, Albert Pujols, Joey Votto, and Josh Hamilton.

That's pretty solid company.

But we're not here to debate just how good Carlos Gonzalez is. We're here to debate what he is worth to the Rockies.

As I said, the Rockies are going nowhere this year, with or without a healthy Troy Tulowitzki. Tulo's heavily backloaded contract and health status make him a tough player to move, so the Rockies's most attractive trade chip become Gonzalez. And as much as you like him patrolling the Coors Field outfield, his .336 average, 17 home runs, 58 RBI, and 59 runs scored are wasted on a team that cannot put a starting pitcher on the mound with an ERA below 5.00.

On the other side of the fence, teams will line up for Gonzalez's services, and his relative affordability over the next five seasons make him very marketable. The Yankees, Braves, and Blue Jays are just a few of the teams with the pieces to put together a package of prospects that will provide a near-term return of investment on any such trade. The Blue Jays in particular, with outfielder Anthony Gose knocking on the major league door and Noah Sindergaard among a plethora of pitching prospects, could make it well worth Colorado's while should Toronto choose to go for it at the deadline.

The writing is somewhat on the wall, and fan backlash is to be expected, but sometimes a general manager needs to play the bad guy in order to protect the long-term success of the club.

Time for Dan O'Dowd to wax his mustache, crack a sinister laugh, and blow up the team.

  It's a serious question...Why would a team move their top pitcher, who they have under a very manageable contract for two more years, and an option for a third? Well I'll tell you...Because Ubaldo Jimenez is broken...

He's physically, and mentally broken...After being traded, he made the Tribe wait before joining them, saying he was "Mentally exhausted" from the whole situation...In his 4 starts since joining the Indians he has 1 win, and a 7.29 ERA...He can't get ahead of batters and is always pitching from behind...He doesn't have a consistent delivery with any of his pitches...Repeating his motion is out of the question...

And as the Indians got swept this past weekend by the Tigers, their chance of taking the division is slipping away...They need Jimenez to be an ace if they are going to make the run they brought him to be...

I was excited to see the Indians actually be buyers at the deadline...I wasn't happy that they traded their top two pitching prospects and two others, to get Jimenez...I wanted Hunter Pence, but they weren't willing to move those two guys for the quality, right-handed, power bat, outfielder that they desperately needed...But they made a bold move and I had to respect that...But maybe they should have thought about the deal more...Why did the Yankees pass on Jimenez? Why did the Red Sox pass on Jimenez? Why were the Rockies so eager to move him?

Clearly they knew something was wrong with him...Now the Indians own the head-case, and they need to fix him quickly...

Later, The Beeze.