As has been discussed on the board many times over the past week, third base is a relatively thin position in 2008 fantasy baseball.  Alex Rodriguez and David Wright are pretty much guarantees to produce big numbers.  Miguel Cabrera should thrive, as he'll get to DH a hefty amount with the Tigers.  Aramis Ramirez is a solid bet.  But after that?  Ryan Braun could go through a sophomore slump, Chone Figgins had some injury issues last year, and Garrett Atkins tends to be a bit streaky.  So if you don't get one of the big guns, you might be better off taking a flyer on a second-tier player.  And one of those flyers is Ryan Zimmerman.

Now let's go ahead and discuss the pink elephant in the room.  There's some injury risk with Zimmerman.  He broke a bone in his left wrist in November, a break which required surgery to repair, and then a second to remove blood from the area (I've never had surgery to remove blood, but I can't imagine that's a good or painless thing).  All reports say that his recovery is right on schedule, but you know how teams don't always divulge all the information available to them (think B.J. Ryan's "sore elbow" last year), so pay close attention to spring training reports and draw your own conclusions.

If he is healthy, you're looking at a total gamer that's going to provide you with some solid, and potentially spectacular numbers.  The 23-year old moved very quickly through the ranks, winning the starting third base job with the Nationals just nine months after being their top draft pick in 2005.  He finished 2nd in the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year voting, after posting a .287 average with 20 HR's and 110 RBI's.  Last season saw a minor correction on its face, but if you look a little closer there are some very promising signs.

Zimmerman hit .266 in 2007, and saw his SB's slip from 11 to 4.  However, he hit .282 with 24 doubles after the All-Star break.  When a young player experiences a spike in doubles, it's usually a sign that he's going to increase his home run output the following season.  Also, remember that the Nationals are moving into their new ballpark in 2008, which will be an upgrade over the cavernous RFK Stadium.  Add both those factors together, and it's the recipe for a big power season for Zimmerman.  The steals could be a bonus as well; if he gets a few green lights, double digit steals are a possibility.

If you're a risk averse owner, spend the extra dollars (or an earlier draft pick) on Ramirez; he's steady as they come, and you won't be disappointed.  If, however, you're looking to get the most bang for your buck and aren't afraid to take a chance, definitely take a look at Zimmerman.  He's a perfect buy-low candidate that could pay big dividends for you. 

So now we learn that several "ambulance chasing" lawyer types (including local guy Eric Deters) are suing the New England Patriots on behalf of former St. Louis Rams players and fans for damages resulting from the allegations that the Pats secretly filmed the Rams walk through at their Super Bowl appearnace that the Pats won 20-17. You'll recall it was the first of Vinatieri's Super Bowl winning FG and was a huge upset. Now it's been revealed that the Pats may have had an edge in that game.

The lawsuit on merit doesn't irritate me (I think the lawyers are more or less advantageous scumbags though). People should be mad over this. The Pats were "punished" for getting caught spying on the Jets this year. Roger Goddell fined Belichick $500,000 and took away their first round draft pick (#31) for this year. But that was allegedly for their indiscretions this year.

The lawsuit aside, that the NFL should further punish the Patriots for this Super Bowl Spygate incident. What the Pats did was unfair and was not in the spirit of of the game. I don't think anyone can say that it gave the Pats the upset victory, but they did have an advantage.

The first thing Goddell should do is take away the Patriots other first round pick this year (which is a nice and sweet #7 pick that they got through a trade). The reason is, that losing the #31 pick is no punishment whatsoever. Losing this high pick would be more severe. However, the commissioner should also levy a suspension and steep fine to Belichick and owner Bob Kraft. Suspend Belichick for four games, fine him a million bucks, and fine Kraft a million bucks.

Spygate is probably more overblown than people make it out to be as far as the advantage it yields for the Pats game planning, but it does just absolutely violate the fairness of the game. Goddell loves to make examples of people (see Thurman, Odell) so why not send the message, loud and clear, that this won't be tolerated.

Isssue the statement that any other incidents like this, by the Pats or any other team, will be severely punished. That should put this story to bed. The hyena lawyers can still sue whoever they want for whatever they want. I could care less about that. But it makes me sick to know that the Pats still get that top draft pick and come out of this like a rose with nothing but a slap on the wrist. It's time to get out the paddle, Roger.

The Cincinnati Reds came to terms with their final, and probably most important, possible arbitration case on Friday. They agreed to terms with second baseman, Brandon Phillips on a four-year contract that will have him in Red pinstripes until 2011. There is a club option for 2012 as well. The contract is worth at least $27 million. Phillips is guaranteed the $27 million and if the Reds pick up his option in 2012 he would get $12 million for that season. With the way the contract was done, Phillips stands to make around $43.25 million when its all said and done.

This is a great decision by the guys in the front office for the Reds. Phillips was seeking just a one-year contract for around $4.2 million. The Reds were only offering him $2.7 million though. Rather than going to arbitration, Reds GM Wayne Krivsky approached Phillips agent to try to work out a long term contract. Phillips was very excited at the fact that Krivsky was looking to lock him up for more than just one year.

"The Reds gave me a second chance," Phillips said. "They opened up the door for me - the city welcomed me with open arms."

Phillips, acquired by the Reds from the Indians on April 7, 2006, for pitcher Jeff Stevens, was paid $408,000 last season.

Phillips' agent told him that he was going to be losing money by signing the long-term contract, but he didn't care. He stated, "I just wanted the Reds to sign me to a long-term deal. I've said that since day one. I don't care about losing money and stuff - the Reds are my home now." That's so refreshing to hear. Phillips just wants to play ball in a place he knows he's appreciated. Reds fans love Phillips and should be excited that the management was able to come to a deal with him to keep him around for several years to come.

Last season Phillips hit .288, hit 30 homeruns and drove in 94 runs. He also stole 32 bases and scored 107 runs, finishing ninth in the national league in both categories. Phillips became just the second second baseman in Major League history to hit at least 30 homeruns and steal 30 bases in the same season.  Among all second baseman in the majors last season, Phillips was in the top three in almost every offensive category. In addition to his great offensive numbers, Phillips showed he could handle the glove as well as he finished the season committing just eight errors in 158 games, which translates to a .990 fielding percentage. He gave the Reds some much needed defense up the middle of the field.

The singing of Phillips by the Reds was very important. This is a guy they should not let get away. He's only 25 years old and has unlimited potential. They picked him up last year on a whim, hoping he would live up to his potential that management/scouts spotted in him in the Indians minor league system. Well he did that and then some. Nobody expected him to finish as a 30/30 guy or drive in almost 100 runs. He helped set up the lineup wherever he hit. If he was at the top of the order he was able to get on base. If he hit in the heart of the order he was able to drive in runs. Phillips is exactly the type of player the Reds need as the youth movement starts to go into effect on the team.