Nick Fruscello: Hello again, its another Fantasy Friday! With the All Star game around the corner, how many all stars are on your fantasy team? Even better, how many all stars are on waivers in your league? Sometimes its amazing how players slip through the cracks and don't get picked up until the All Star game. Be on the lookout for that. Also, in case anyone hasn't noticed, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays are good. Very good. After 10 straight losing seasons and 10 straight years of getting high draft picks, they have been able to put it all together and compete in the toughest division in the tougher league. This is a case of what can happen when you draft the best players available, not the most affordable. Four years ago I suggested that the Pirates trade their entire franchise to Tampa for their franchise. Not plausible, I know, but people then couldn't understand why I would want to swap the Pirates for another losing team. Now I think those people know why. 16 straight and counting...

WinningTeam : I have Sheffield and Ortiz but only one DL spot. What should I do?

Nick Fruscello: I would drop Sheffy like a bag of dirt, put Ortiz on the DL and snatch up a couple gambles on waivers. Jorge Cantu is on fire right now for the Marlins and I know a lot of people are still hesitant to pick him up. Also you may want to look for Jose Guillen for OF. These guys are both on hot streaks and may not be available, but then again, these are guys that people don't have a lot of faith in and could still be on waivers.

Mazer9 : are the Marlins going to be in the race at the end?

Nick Fruscello: I never thought I'd hear myself say this after this past off season, but I think the Marlins will in the race until the very end. H Ram is still the best leadoff guy in the game, Mike Jacobs and Josh Willingham are playing up to and beyond their potential right now and Jorge Cantu has resurrected his career. Pitching is their only soft spot right now and it appears to be good enough.

Mazer9 : what is your take on the randolph firing? I think they handled it badly

Nick Fruscello: I think he was fired because something had to be done and this was the cheapest least riskiest thing to do. What did Randolph have to do with Wagner blowing three straight saves? What did Randolph have to do with Jose Reyes getting off to a slow start? What did Randolph have to do with Carlos Delgado playing like Adam LaRoche? The team isn't playing up to their potential and Randolph was the fall guy.

theWellHungarian : what's up Nick-- My pitchers are dropping like flies-- C. Zambrano, AJ Burnett, J. Duchschererererer, T. Smellymeyer, Rafael (I wish I was Alphonso-When-Healthy) Soriano ... Any thoughts on who may be a sleeper, here are 2-start pitchers that are avail-- J. Guthrie, Sonnanstine, Banninster?

Nick Fruscello: I have Big Z too and I was none too happy to see him go down. Guthrie for sure. The other two, I'm not so wild about. Both have ERA's over 4. How about Ricky Nolasco of the Marlins? He's pitching tomorrow against the A's and was N.L. Co-Player of the Week last week. His ERA is over 4 as well, but he's been playing better.

SGL : I was thinking about picking up Marcus Thames since he is available in my league. Is he just on a hot streak? Is he worth the pick up?

Nick Fruscello: He actually leads the high powered Tigers lineup with 13 homers. Go figure. He's just on a hot streak right now, so I would let him sit and have someone else pick him up thinking that they got a steal.

malkin71 : I just read that Russia's Continental Hockey League wants to steal Malkin from the NHL. They want to make him the highest paid hockey player in the world.

Nick Fruscello: I read that this morning as well. They're talking around 15 million a year. That's ridiculous. All the trouble Malkin had leaving Russia and he's going to go back? I think not. Geno may leave Pittsburgh in the next couple years, but its not to go to Russia.

theWellHungarian : are these Malkin rumours getting ridiculous or what? I mean seriously, why would you trade the guy now when he still has a year on his entry level contract? If they are going to trade him, couldn't they get more if they signed him to an extension first, then traded him?

Nick Fruscello: Here's why they would be better to trade him now instead of next year or after his extension. You can get good players for now in exchange for him. If they don't sign him to an extension and he goes RFA next year, somone will sign him away. They'll lose a ton of draft picks, but how will that help the Pens now. Also, if they sign him to too much, other teams will just go after the other talented players like Staal and the Pens won't have any room to even make him an offer. If the Pens sign Malkin to $9 mil, Crosby to $9 mil, and Hossa to $7-8 mil, that's 40-50% of the payroll wrapped up in 3 players.

theWellHungarian : is Gorzelanny worth picking up for his 2-starts or is he essentially throwing batting practice to the Yankees & Rays?

Nick Fruscello: I would stay away from Gorzo. My only hope is that he's pitching at the Yankees game I'm going to. I'll be in the left field bleachers waiting to catch the A-Rod homers.

theWellHungarian : Garko worth picking up? or let him sit?

Nick Fruscello: The Yahoo experts love this guy for some reason, but I'm not a fan. He started off the month red hot, but he has 2 RBI's in his last 9 games. Leave him on waivers.

Emily_is_Two : Do you think that the Pens will be able to sign Hossa, even though they aren't offering him any more money that he got last year?

Nick Fruscello: I think they will. Hossa has expressed an interest in staying with the Pens for a discount price. Playing for the exact same amount of money would be a kind of like a discount. I think he'll stay and he'll be a Penguin till the end of his career or close to.

Emily_is_Two : Who do you think will get Ryan Malone when he becomes a free agent?

Nick Fruscello: From all the rumors I've been hearing, Columbus wants him the most. I heard something ridiculous like $4-5 million for him. That's absurd. $5 million for a 20 goal scorer. No thanks.

theWellHungarian : i don't know, Nick, $15 Million a year ... I might live in Baghdad for that

Nick Fruscello: I think this is Geno's agent trying to drive up his price in the NHL. $15 million is a lot of money, but Malkin had some trouble with the Russian mafia over there and I don't know why he'd want to go back to that.

RumorMill : I heard that Shero was shopping Malkin to the Red Wings for Helm, Filppula, Hudler and a second round pick. Is this true?

Nick Fruscello: I haven't heard anything like that and I know the Red Wings aren't interested in Malkin, so its completely false.

theWellHungarian : ok, I see what you're saying ... I'm not Ray Shero, but I'd rather have a 21 year old Malkin (who hasn't even reached his ceiling) than a 29 year old Hossa (who has pretty much topped out.) Great centers can make mediocre wingers goal scorers (ie Lemieux & Malkin.) My plan would be to do whatever it took to keep Crosby & Malkin & do what they did last year and sign guys like Sykora, etc .... Thoughts?

Nick Fruscello: Centers are the second most important players on the team (goalies being first). Having two great centers is important to winning, but the Pens have three great centers and could trade one of them for more depth at wing or defense. Malkin will command the most money and will get the most in return for a trade, so he is the obvious choice to trade. The Pens are trying to NOT be like the TB Lightning. They locked up all their big names for big money and the rest of the team was awful. With guys like Fleury, Staal, Whitney, Gonchar, Crosby, possibly Hossa, its not realistic to keep Malkin.

RumorMill : I also heard that the Pens offered Malkin to the Charleston Chiefs for Reggie Dunlop, Ned Braden and a yet-to-be-named Hanson brother? Any truth to this?

Nick Fruscello: Yep, 100% true. Get your Charleston Chiefs Malkin jersey today.

theWellHungarian : is it true that MLB is gonna let the Pirates hit off of a tee against the Yankees to sort of even things up a bit?

Nick Fruscello: That or employ the 10 run rule

skippy : I keep reading that the fantasy experts are predicting that the Steelers are going to throw it all over the field. this year. While they opend up the offense a bit last year, I don't see them transforming into the Houston Oilers. That being said, do I hold on to Santonio in my keeper league?

Nick Fruscello: Ben might throw a few more passes a game, but I don't expect to see a Run and Shoot style offense out of the Steelers. Especially after drafting a RB in the first round. Yes, I would hold onto Holmes. He was a big play target for Ben last year and Holmes will just keep getting better and better I think.

SGL : Did you actually put Gonchar on the good list? Ugh. He stinks!

Nick Fruscello: Well he's the best defenseman the Pens have and he played good this past season. It'll be interesting to see where his level of play is next year.

SGL : What is your prediction for the Pirates/Yankees series? Will it be bad, awful, or horrendous for the Pirates?

Nick Fruscello: I think its going to be painful to watch if you're a Pirates fan. The best baseball franchise versus one of the worst. Yankees sweep.

theWellHungarian : i just think paying Hossa $7 Million a year is too much ... I'd rather pay $2 Mill more and have Malkin

Nick Fruscello: $7 million a year is a little too much for Hossa, but he's the winger that Crosby needs to have on his line and you won't get a winger that good for that price anywhere else. As for Malkin, $9 can be spent on two or three good players. To give you an idea, Mats Sundin was making $5.5 mil this past season, as was Olli Jokinen. Those are the caliber players around $5. I'll take two of those over Malkin.

Nick Fruscello: Well that's all for this week. Lots of hockey questions in June, plus a football question. I like it. Keep them coming and I'll see you next week.