Roger Clemens continued down his stubborn path of denial Tuesday, restating his claims on ESPN’s Mike & Mike in the Morning that he never took performance-enhancing drugs. Baseball fans collectively sighed, found themselves unsure whether to respect or seriously question Clemens’ arrogance, and once again begged for the truth.

We’ve heard this whole song and dance before.

1.) Superstar hard-headedly denies what the public already knows to be fact.

2.) Superstar’s attempts to clear his name go horribly wrong. Superstar realizes his Hall of Fame chances are shot.

3.) Superstar admits his wrongdoing, but it’s too late. Neither America nor the baseball community will forgive. Read more »

Florida Marlins outfielder Chris Coghlan was a little known commodity entering the 2009 season. Coghlan is a former first round draft choice (36th overall, 2006), who has progressed through the Marlins’ system with relative ease, but nothing about his career statistics has pointed to super stardom.

Coghlan has slowly but surely added some premium tools to his repertoire, most notably at the plate, where he was hitting .344 with 3 home runs and 22 RBIs with Triple-A New Orleans at the time of his May 8 callup. More importantly, however, were his nine stolen bases in 10 attempts - the real key to his fantasy potential. Read more »

Milwaukee Brewers third baseman Mat Gamel got off to a scorching hot start at Triple-A Nasvhille, hitting .392 with 7 home runs and 26 RBIs in 74 April at-bats. He cooled off in May (.244-1-5), but still earned a promotion to join the parent club in time for interleague play next weekend.

The timing could have been better, for sure, but Gamel is the type of player who can rediscover his stroke at any time. Expectations will be low at first, with Gamel seeing little action at third base, where he has struggled mightily, but getting at-bats off the bench and as a designated hitter, according to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Read more »

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin was impeccable in his first 13 appearances of the season, going 9-for-9 in save opportunities with a spotless 0.00 ERA. That perfect run ended on Sunday when he gave up a couple of solo home runs in the ninth inning against the Reds, blew a save, then rebounded to pick up his first win of the season.

Needless to say, Franklin — one of the most valuable waiver wire pickups in all of fantasy thus far — still has plenty of leash left with manager Tony LaRussa. Just enough to choke himself with, which is exactly what he did after a dominant run as a closer last season. Read more »

Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Juan Pierre never did anything wrong. He aged a bit and lost a step in center field, which ultimately led to his being benched in favor of the team’s crop of young, talented outfielders last season. The Dodgers simply didn’t have much use for a corner outfielder with 13 career home runs.

Pierre, still just 31 years old, was a victim of circumstance. But, one twist of fate, a silly, stupid twist that led to a 50-game suspension for regular left fielder Manny Ramirez, and Pierre is back and relevant in fantasy again. He’s playing every day in left field and jumpstarting one of the deepest lineups in baseball. Read more »

Colorado Rockies outfielder Ryan Spilborghs won’t be getting conventional at-bats anytime soon, but that’s OK. Don’t let that fact drive you away from picking up the 29-year-old utility outfielder. The fact that he can play all three outfield positions should mean steady ABs until further notice.

Fantasy owners are shying away from Spilborghs because of the tricky platoon situation and the emergence of rookie center fielder Dexter Fowler. But, there’s still plenty of time to be had in the outfield; largely in center field, but also as a backup in center and right. Read more »

Slowly, but surely, fantasy owners are plucking two of our free agent fixtures — Rangers’ designated hitter Hank Blalock and Twins’ outfielder Denard Span — off the waiver wire. Neither has made the huge splash it takes to drastically increase ownership in standard leagues, but both have been, and will continue to be, steady and solid.

Upside is always a theme in the hunt for viable waiver wire candidates, and that pursuit is noted below with the inclusion of young outfielders Dexter Fowler and Matt Laporta and third baseman Mat Gamel, who has yet to even make his 2009 debut.

Those young, risky candidates are countered with veterans Cristian Guzman and Russell Branyan, who are backing up their respective reputations with solid starts to the ‘09 season. Guzman is hitting for average (.368), and Branyan is swinging for the fences (7 HRs in 20 games). Read more »