Here's a look at all the outfield-eligible players that look ownable in a mixed league right now. What's happened on the field to this point is merely an audition; what's below, in theory, would be my cheat-sheet if I had a new draft tonight. Players at the same cost are essentially even, and assume a 5x5 format, as always.

Next week we'll go back to the mound and figure out the maddening pitchers. Your respectful and intelligent disagreement is welcome in the comments, as always.

$31 Ryan Braun
$31 Carl Crawford(notes)
$26 B.J. Upton(notes)
$26 Carlos Lee(notes)
$25 Raul Ibanez(notes)
$24 Matt Kemp(notes)
$24 Curtis Granderson(notes)
$24 Ichiro(notes)

It's kind of an odd construction at the top, but we've seen more injuries and potholes than usual with the big-ticket items. … The Phillies took a lot of guff when they threw that big contract at Ibanez, but he's been an upgrade over Burrell in every way. Even his defense is better. … If I had a son, I'd tell him to play baseball

I was on the clock for the last no-hitter in the majors, so tonight's Closing Time won't have anything more than a nod to Mark Buehrle(notes) (and DeWayne Wise(notes) for that matter). But fret not if you want more angles from the Pale Hose Perfection; I'm happy to point you to the wall-to-wall coverage my Yahoo! colleagues cranked out Thursday. Andy Behrens wants to hear how the no-hitter affected your fantasy bottom line. Jeff Passan knows Buehrle well and offers a great profile. Gordon Edes has an engaging story about leather. Kevin Kaduk clips 10 Buehrle memories to put in your scrapbook.

My role tonight is to focus on the other eight games, and that's what I'm offering to you below. Enough with the preamble, it's time to gather up the jackets and close another night on the sandlots. We'll begin with a Bronx tale, a stud pitching prospect that's prospering in a new role.

• Everyone expects Phil Hughes(notes) to be one of the top Yankee starting pitchers in the next decade, but at

The Juggernaut Index is our annual ranking of NFL teams for fantasy purposes. Repeat: FOR FANTASY PURPOSES. We're interested in yards and points here. We began at No. 32, the NFL's least useful franchise (Oakland), and we're working our way toward the elite teams. These ranks are astonishingly accurate and highly collectible. Please enjoy them responsibly (except for the Raiders piece, you can enjoy that one as recklessly as you like).

26. Washington Redskins

My first NFL exposure came in the late 1970s and Jim Zorn was one of my favorite players. The left-hander could scramble with the best of them and never quit on a play. Zorn-to-Largent was arguably the league's most dangerous combo at the end of the decade. Seattle's defense wasn't much at the time, but you got plenty of action when you caught a Seahawks game.

And now we fast forward 30 years, with Zorn in charge of the Redskins, one of the NFL's most boring offenses. How the heck did we get here?

Washington's biggest problem on

It's time to put the Oakland bullpen under the microscope because there might be some jostling to come before the month is out. Closer Andrew Bailey(notes) received a Synvisc injection for his left knee Tuesday afternoon (although the Athletics downplayed the physical issue) and he wound up taking the loss in Tuesday night's game, allowing three baserunners and a run over two innings. That's far from a nightmare outing, of course, but we can't ignore that the A's once again have fantastic depth in the bullpen and can easily fill the ninth-inning void should Bailey need any downtime.

Michael Wuertz(notes) certainly has the raw stuff and stat profile you look for in a closer (2.72 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 61 Ks in 46.1 IP) and probably deserves a spot in most mixed leagues even if he's not the main man in Oakland. He's quietly rolled up five wins and three saves on the year, and those strikeouts pay a lot of bills if your league uses an innings cap. Brad Ziegler(notes) has come back to earth some

Looks like it's time for Clay Buchholz 2, Electric Boogaloo. The Red Sox put Tim Wakefield(notes) (back) on the disabled list Tuesday, which sets up Buccholz to rejoin the big club and start Wednesday in Texas.

This is no time for us to do a long rehash what you already know about Buchholz. He's toyed with the International League all year and only Boston's ridiculous rotation depth has kept him down this long. He was impressive in Friday's win at Toronto. He's capable of being a difference maker in mixed leagues. Stop reading this piece and go check your waiver wire now, Buchholz was mass-dropped in Yahoo! nation over the weekend (regretfully, I added one to the count yesterday).

Wakefield is expected back on Aug. 2, which means Buchholz is essentially getting two more starts to show he belongs; next week's turn figures to be a home date against Oakland. A lot could happen between now and Wakefield's return, of course; the trade deadline falls at the end of July, and Boston has some

Every so often I need to write one of these columns about nothing, get a few things off my chest. This isn't for you, it's for me. Regular baseball fare will return later tonight at Closing Time.

• I've never understand the idea that clubs shouldn't trade with teams in their own division. Why the heck not? Forget potential embarrassment later, it's a game of value. If the Jays feel the best package they can get for Roy Halladay(notes) is through the Yankees (Phil Hughes(notes)-plus) or Red Sox (Clay Buchholz(notes)-plus), that's where they should go.

• Three things you should never take for granted: your health; reasonable in-laws; good service.

• There's no reason to praise anyone for winning gracefully, that's easy to do. True class shows itself as you handle defeat.

• I feel sorry for anyone in Joe Torre's bullpen, especially Jonathan Broxton(notes) and Ramon Troncoso(notes). Keep the ice handy, fellas.

• David Feherty, one of the funniest announcers who ever lived, once opined

It's probably time to dust off the name Tim Stauffer(notes) and get him on the post-hype sleeper list. The No. 4 overall pick from 2003 missed all of last season after getting a torn labrum repaired and wasn't on anyone's radar entering 2009, but he's worked his way up from Double-A to the majors and thrown a couple of solid games for the Padres. The latest effort was a tidy no-decision against Florida on Monday (6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K), with eight of 12 outs coming on the ground.

Stauffer wasn't a big strikeout guy in his revolution with the Padres and his average fastball barely cracks 90 mph, but a fixed shoulder can't hurt the cause and he struck out seven Giants in his first start. Petco Park isn't getting any smaller, you know. A start at Washington calls on the weekend, and that's a cushy draw in our make-believe game.

• Baseball games don't come any crazier than the match the Twins and Athletics put down on Monday (AP bureau reporter Janie McCauley, one of the best sports

A full Closing Time comes your way before we hit the new day on the West Coast, but here's some early medical headlines to snack on in the meantime.

• Frank Francisco(notes) is back on the disabled list due to a bout with pneumonia, but he might not be gone too long; the move is retroactive to July 11. The wild but oddly-effective C.J. Wilson(notes) takes over the ninth inning for the balance of the week, at minimum; Texas hosts the Red Sox for three, then heads to Kansas City on the weekend.

• It's going to take a while to get Pedro Martinez(notes) back on the mound - he has to throw a simulated game Tuesday before the Phillies will let him begin his rehab assignment. Maybe some of the Pedro projections we made last week were a little too optimistic (mine, for example).

The Phillies have another intriguing pitcher on the mend – Brett Myers(notes) (hip) told MLB.com that he is "way ahead of schedule" and apparently he might have a shot to return in the second half of August. Perhaps