STUDS OF THE WEEK
The Rangers have been scoring runs galore of late and one of the major contributors has been Milton Bradley. The outfielder is batting .461 with 6 HR's and 12 RBI's over the past seven days. Jonathan O. Sanchez won his third straight start as the Giants beat the Washington Nationals 6-0 on Saturday night. Sanchez (5-3) allowed four singles, walked two and struck out four in seven innings. This marks the fifth consecutive start for Sanchez in which he lasted at least six innings and has given up two earned runs or less in each.


DUDS OF THE WEEK
Blue Jays' closer BJ Ryan had a week he would like to soon forget as he blew both of his save opportunities while posting an 0-2 record with a 33.25 ERA and an unheard of 5.45 WHIP. Fantasy owners may be a little gun shy to put him back in the line-up this week. The Cubs continue to win and lead in the NL Central, but they haven't had much help lately from 1B Derrek Lee. Over his last 7 games the slugger is batting just .167 with 0 HR's and 2 RBI's.


KEY INJURIES
David Ortiz (wrist): out until at least early July
Matt Holliday (hamstring): began rehab assignment; returns this week
Jake Peavy (elbow): hopes to return next week from DL
Chone Figgins (hamstring): sidelined to at least mid-June
Daisuke Matsuzaka (shoulder): ready to throw off of flat ground
Ryan Zimmerman (shoulder): placed on 15-day DL 6/4
Travis Hafner (shoulder): out until mid-to-late June
Carlos Pena (finger): disabled until early July
Jeremy Bonderman (back): will miss the rest of the season
Rafael Furcal (back): still struggling to get back on field


TWICE AS NICE
Here are some two-start pitchers to consider this week:

AL
Must-starts:
Josh Beckett – BAL (Daniel Cabrera), @CIN (Homer Bailey)
Cliff Lee - @DET (Armando Galarraga), SD (Wilfredo Ledezma)
Joe Saunders – TB (Edwin Jackson), ATL (Tom Glavine)

Sleeper Picks:
Mike Mussina – KC (Luke Hochevar), @HOU (Wandy Rodriguez)
Jesse Litsch – SEA (Erik Bedard), CHC (Ted Lilly)

NL
Must-Starts:
Edinson Volquez - @FLA (Mark Hendrickson), BOS (Justin Masterson)
Randy Johnson - @PIT (Zach Duke), KC (Luke Hochevar)
Matt Cain - @WAS (Tyler Clippard), OAK (Rich Harden)

Sleeper Picks:
Aaron Cook – SF (Pat Misch), @CHW (Jose Contreras)
Clayton Kershaw – @SD (Greg Maddux), @DET (Nate Robertson)


WAIVER WATCH (from leagues played at CBSSports.com)
Five most added:
C Jorge Posada(+30% roster change)
SP Homer Bailey (+27%)
RP Rafael Soriano (+27%)
SP Pedro Martinez(+25%)
C Ryan Doumit(+20%)

Five most dropped (non-injured):
SP Aaron Laffey (-10%)
C Mike Napoli (-10%)
SP Oliver Perez(-9%)
SP Greg Smith (-8%)
SP Andrew Miller (-8%)


GAMES PLAYED
Let's take a look at how many games each team will be playing this week:

American League
7: CHW, CLE, DET, KC, MIN, NYY
6: BAL, BOS, LAA, OAK, SEA, TB, TEX, TOR

National League
7: ARI, CIN, FLA, PIT, SF, WAS
6: ATL, CHC, COL, HOU, LAD, MIL, NYM, PHI, SD, STL

Though it has been 20+ years since we have seen the Lakers and Celtics tangle in the finals, this year's edition has one very familiar look - Phil Jackson.

Jackson, currently in his 8th season as head coach of the Lakers, led his team to three consecutive NBA Championships in his first three seasons with Los Angeles (2000-02). Overall, Jackson has guided his teams to nine NBA Championships, tying him for first with the late Red Auerbach.

In January of 2007, Jackson won his 900th game, currently placing him 9th on the All-time win list for NBA coaches. With this win, Jackson became the fastest to reach 900 career wins, doing so in only 1,264 games and beating Pat Riley's previous record of 900 in 1,278 games. His current record of 976-418 is without question impressive. Additionally, Jackson ranks first all time in NBA postseason history with a .699 winning percentage (179-77) while his 179 wins are the highest postseason victory total for any head coach.

Jackson is known for his use of the triangle offense as well as a holistic approach to coaching that is influenced by Eastern philosophy, earning him the nickname "Zen Master".  His approach has drawn criticism, but undoubtedly it has also produced results.

Is Jackson that good or has he simply been in the right places at the right times?

He had Michael Jordan for six titles and any coach in the NBA could have won a couple earlier this decade with Kobe and Shaq. Managing those personalities certainly wasn't an easy task, but just because he was cool enough to do it, doesn't automatically annoint Jackson as the greatest coach ever.  That's OK to Phil though because the rings and paychecks already have.

Voting for the 2008 AllStar game has been taking place for a few weeks now. You can find a ballot at your local ballpark or vote on-line at MLB.com. Here is a quick look at the current vote leaders at each position as well as a few guys that deserve consideration:

First Base - Lance Berkman
Berkman is on an MVP pace with the Astros. He is second in the NL with a .374 average and is tied for third with 17 HR. He has a substantial lead over Albert Pujols and Derrek Lee, who are both playing well. One guy that does not show up in the top five is Adrian Gonzalez of the Padres. All he is doing is leading the NL in RBI to go with 17 HR.

Second Base - Chase Utley
This one is a no-brainer. No second baseman in either league can touch the production of Utley.  He is on pace to become the third member of the Phillies in a row to win the MVP award. If you are looking for a second choice at the position, think about Dan Uggla of the Marlins. His 18 HR and 41 RBI are second only to Utley in the NL.

Third Base - Chipper Jones
Another easy pick. If there was a question of Chipper making the Hall in a few years, he is answering them in 2008. He may not finish the year at .400 but it would not be a shock to see him lead the league. And his power numbers are there too - 15 HR, 41 RBI. David Wright is a distant second in the voting as he and all the Mets have gotten off to a slow start.  Jorge Cantu has put up some nice numbers in Florida and don't forget about Aramis Ramirez.

Shortstop - Hanley Ramirez
It should not be a surprise that one of the closest races in the NL is at shortstop. What may be surprising is that Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins aren't in contention. Ramirez is certainly deserving of the start but he needs to hold off Miguel Tejada to get it. The young Marlin edges out Tejada in HR and SB, but the Astro has more RBI and a better average. This one could go down to the wire. On a side note, Christian Guzman should make the team as the Nationals lone representative. The career .266 hitter is batting .305 heading into Sundays game and has 5 HR and 42 runs scored.

Catcher - Geovany Soto
The rookie Soto got off to a great start and is on the best team in baseball. So it is not surprising that he has a huge league in voting over Brian McCann of the Braves. However things may be changing. Soto has struggled at the plate in recent weeks while McCann is starting to find his HR stroke. Don't be surprised if Braves fans put their man over the top. One guy not mentioned in the voting is Bengie Molina of the Giants. He leads all NL catchers with 40 RBI and .332 average.

Outfield - Alfonso Soriano, Kosuke Fukudome, Ken Griffey Jr.
As with Soto, Cubs fans have been voting early and often. While both are playing well and are certainly a big part of the Cubs' success there may be a few other guys to consider in the outfield. The same goes for Junior who is a fan favorite, especially as he nears the 600 HR mark. The best outfielders statistically at this point are Ryan Braun (16 HR, 46 RBI, .291 avg.), Nate McLouth (14, 45, .308) and Ryan Ludwick (14, 46, .310). Unfortunately, few fans outside of the NL Central know who those three guys are. A case could also be made for Pat Burrell, Jason Bay, Xavier Nady and Carlos Lee. And don't forget about Adam Dunn, who has his average up to .243!

There will be many names that leave fantasy owners scratching their heads this summer as they prepare for their fantasy drafts and fantasy auctions. However, there aren't many more players that leave me puzzled entering 2008 in fantasy football than Larry Johnson.

Johnson played in just eight games last season due to a foot injury, but he did participate in team workouts in late-May though and appears to be near 100%. The foot though isn't the primary concern though, it's the fact he plays for the Chiefs that should alarm you. Without Johnson in the line-up the team lost nine straight games to finish the season and finish 4-12.

Once again this season it appears as if Kansas City will have arguably the league's worst quarterack production along with its weakest corps of receivers. Couple that with an O-line that is a shell of its former self and having a coach that knows how to ruin running backs and the cards are stacked against Johnson returning to his elite fantasy status.

The 28-year old running back is starting to rack up mileage as well. Despite only carrying the ball 158 times in '07, he led the league in rushing attempts with 416 in '06 and ran the ball 336 times  a season earlier (303 attempts per year over last three seasons). 

Don't forget that this guy scored 51 TDs and compiled 4621 total yards in a 42-game span to enter last season. Johnson held out last summer and the Chiefs caved in and rewarded him by making him the highest paid player in franchise history (six-year, $45.05 million deal).

There's no doubt that LJ is one of the most talented backs in the league when healthy, but with Brodie Croyle at the helm and the fact I think the Chiefs will be playing from behind in games way too much, it's hard to imagine Johnson sniffing anything close to the '06 numbers this season. Another factor to consider is Kolby Smith. He filled in well last year for Johnson at times and if the team is going to want to protect Johnson and that could mean Smith eating into his carries on a regular basis.

Assuming he's healthy though, I still consider somewhere near the back end of my top 10 running backs.

With the off-season leaving both college and football fans alike craving for something to talk about, Yahoo.com recently had a topic that is sure to stir up some coversation as they looked at the coolest football helmets ever. There are no concrete qualifications for this list; it rewards the traditional and the iconic, as well as the goofy and the peculiar.

Interesting enough the Cincinnati Bengals' helmet came in at No. 7 on the All-time coolest list:

Unfortunately for Bengals' fans though is once again they get beat out by the Steelers (No. 1 on the list):

CLICK HERE to see the complete list.