Columbia Hacks are ready to run the table

If you noticed, the picture above is from Rickwood Field, the oldest continually-operating ballpark in America. It’s housed the Birmingham Barons and (until integration) the Birmingham Black Barons, until the Barons got their panties in a wad and decided to move to Hoover, like all the other middle-class whites who previously lived in Jefferson County (white flight — it’s for the LULZ).

A lot of good guys came through Rickwood, and if we were to field a team, it would be stocked with Sox — that is, players from the Red Sox and White Sox organizations. Both have owned the Barons over the years, along with teams like the A’s. So, we went to work drafting the Columbia Hacks’ 2010 fantasy baseball roster yesterday. Here’s how it turned out.

C: A.J. Pierzynski (Chicago White Sox)
1B: Derrek Lee (Chicago Cubs)
2B: Chase Utley (Philadelphia Phillies)
3B: Kevin Youkilis (Boston Red Sox)
SS: Rafael Furcal (L.A. Dodgers)
2B/SS: Placido Polanco (Philadelphia Phillies)
1B/3B: Todd Helton (Colorado Rockies)
OF: Jacoby Ellsbury (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Carl Crawford (Tampa Bay Rays)
OF: Julio Borbon (Texas Rangers)
OF: J.D. Drew (Boston Red Sox)
OF: Milton Bradley (Seattle Mariners)
UTIL: Vladimir Guerrero (Texas Rangers)
BENCH: Vernon Wells (Toronto Blue Jays, Outfield)
BENCH: Kelly Johnson (Arizona Diamondbacks, Second base)
BENCH: Paul Konerko (Chicago White Sox, First base)

P: Justin Verlander (Detroit Tigers)
P: Josh Beckett (Boston Red Sox)
P: Cole Hamels (Philadelphia Phillies)
P: Clay Buchholz (Boston Red Sox)
P: Scott Kazmir (L.A. Angels)
P: Francisco Cordero (Cincinnati Reds)
P: Jose Valverde (Detroit Tigers)
P: Huston Street (Colorado Rockies)
P: Bobby Jenks (Chicago White Sox)

By the way, we won our fantasy football league last year, so the jokers in this baseball league ought to get ready to be totally owned.