Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Maximizing Your Vehicle Storage Budget With Vehicle Covers
At first I tried a rotation system which allowed each vehicle equal parts time in the garage and equal parts time in the driveway, unprotected. Then I realized that all this accomplished was delaying the inevitable. I then started doing some research online and talking to friends and acquaintances. Through this outlet I found a life changing alternative: vehicle covers. Simply put, vehicle covers are protective tarps that are securely fastened over and around your desired vehicle which offer high quality, all-purpose protection. Whether you are worried about sun beams or water damage or those pesky teenagers with an itchy spray paint finger, snowmobile covers and truck covers provide the protection you need. All of this at very affordable prices to fit your budget. If you are a savvy shopper you can find the right vehicle cover for as cheap as $50. If you want the "Cadillac" of vehicle covers it probably will not run you more than a few hundred bucks.
What is even better is that for every vehicle type out there, you can find a protective cover for it. ATV covers? Check. Do you need a snowmobile cover or motorcycle cover? Check. How about boat covers and RV covers? Yup, they make those too. Pretty much whatever kind of vehicle you can imagine there is a cover made that will protect your valuable investment and help you keep your repair costs way down.
My only regret is not having thought of this vehicle cover solution earlier. It would have saved me a ton of cash when in terms of maintenance and upkeep. Ever since I purchased my initial set of truck covers, snowmobile covers and motorcycle covers I a have a few more dollars in my wallet and lot less problems to think about.
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Why You Should Keep a Marine VHF Radio On Your Boat
If you are in an emergency situation, a Marine VHF radio allows you to contact the Coast Guard and alert them of your situation. If you need to communicate with another vessel, this same device will help you out. You can either have a fixed mount radio installed in your boat and use it like a CB radio or you also have the option of using a hand-held VHF radio that you can carry around your boat with you and use as a walkie-talkie.
Both options, the fixed mount and hand-held Marine VHF radios, achieve the main goal of the device outlined above: the ability to communicate during emergencies. The also both have their pros and cons. Fixed mount radios are more reliable in terms of signal strength. Hand-helds give you the luxury of portability so you can take it anywhere you like on your boat and still be able to communicate with other boats if need be. If you own a large boat a hand-held is probably best so you can take advantage of this feature. If you have a smaller boat and have easy access to the main dashboard then the fixed mount variety will suit you just fine.
Believe it or not, given how important these devices are for safety, Marine VHF radios are not legally required to be on every boat. This is quite unbelievable. Even though it is not required you should still consider it a 'must have' when going through your inventory list for your boat considering the ramifications you can run into should you not have one in an emergency situation.
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How Dog Strollers Are An Alternative Transportation Solution
What I learned was that a dog stroller solved all of our problems. I found many options ranging in size and comfort level. Most dog strollers available are lined with so much cushion that even a pet with broken limbs can hang out in it comfortably. They are also built so well that they absorb the shock of outdoor elements further shielding your pet from unexpected bumps in the road.
Comfort, however, was not the only quality I found in pet strollers. Another is the security and craftsmanship. Many pet strollers are made to the same standards as baby strollers. For those who think of their pets as their children this should help you sleep better at night. I also found that dog strollers can be very easy on the wallet if you shop smart. Like any other product out there, their are different models ranging from economy to deluxe. But if you put your mind to it and do your due diligence you will find a model that both suits your needs and your budget.
To recap, it is important to understand that if you have a pet that is having trouble getting around then a dog stroller is probably a no-brainer purchase. They are affordable, comfortable, and will make life easier for both you and your pet.
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The Two Best Items To Build Your Sport Memorabilia Collection Around
The first is an autographed baseball. A nice collection of autographed baseballs tops the list for a few reasons. First, they just look good. When you buy them through a sport memorabilia vendor they come encased in a nice protective case displaying the player's name proudly. To have a handful of them lining your shelves is aesthetically nothing short of impressive. The other reason I believe collecting autographed baseballs is the best item you can collect is because they are, for the most part, affordable. Depending on the baseball players you choose you can most definitely build up a nice display of autographed baseballs without draining your bank account.
Once you have some autographed baseballs to your name it is then a good idea to start expanding your collection a little bit and my advice is to branch out by buying a game-worn jersey. Start off with one as they can be a little pricey. Try it on once as it will be one of the coolest feelings you will ever have; your spine will tingle. Then have it professionally framed and hang it on your wall near the autographed baseballs. It will look incredible. Then, as your budget allows, start adding game-used jerseys to the collection.
When starting a game-used memorabilia collection you will be overwhelmed by options. I hope this helps you narrow your focus. It is okay to start small and grow your collection steadily. Perhaps buy one game-worn jersey and one autographed baseball every other month for a few months and then gauge your happiness with the collection. From there you will be able to tell if you would like to concentrate more on one item or the other, or perhaps another item that I did not mention here. Either way, as long as you are consistently growing your collection you will be proud of it.
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Sport Memorabilia Action
When you are planning on going to a sport memorabilia convention there are some things, which you should know ahead of time and one of these is exactly what you will be looking for. There is bound to be a lot of different game used memorabilia and if you go without a plan you might end up overspending or purchasing items that you just do not need to add to your collection like another game used jersey from your favorite player. Keep in mind that there are some items, which are timeless like an autographed baseball but again you do not really need more than one autographed baseball from each of your favorite players.
Almost every piece of game used memorabilia that you can think of is available for purchase or viewing at one of these popular conventions. There are all different kinds of items and there are so many but one of the most popular still remains the game used jersey especially if you can find one that was worn by one of your personal favorite players. There is bound to be something for everyone at a convention.
You should however know some tips about attending these popular events if you want to make sure that you are able to grow your sport memorabilia collection with few problems or issues. One of the things that you should be aware of are that there are many items at these events that might seem overpriced or problematic. This is because you need to be able to be to really consider what you are looking at and whether or not you could actually find it somewhere else.
There is always the option to purchase your items from someone else. You do not have to just shop at the sport memorabilia convention even if you want to get something that you will have a hard time finding somewhere else. This is just one place where you can find everything that you are looking for but there is bound to be the same item or an item similar to what you want so never purchase beyond your means.
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Monday, September 20, 2010
Stretch Run
Conclusion? I just can't blow it. I have roughly ten more starts lined up over the final two weeks - I need to collect at least four Wins while not ruining my ratios. If I can achieve that then the second place team can have HR/RBI, however I'll obviously be hoping that does not happen.
Where do I stand personnel wise? Not good. Obviously the trade deadline has long passed. I have no more money to spend on free agents as I used up all of my budget weeks ago. To top it off, my lineup is just littered with injuries right now. Hanley Ramierez and Jason Kubel are both dealing with arm injuries and haven't played in days. Good chance they get shut down for the rest of the year. Ricky Nolasco's season has been over for over a month now with a knee injury. He was red hot and would've been huge for me down the stretch. James Shields has been planted on my bench for over a month now as he is just unusable. Depending on how I'm looking on Saturday I might plug him in for a home start vs Seattle. With Tampa trying to win the AL East that could be his one chance to make things right, to make amends with me after four long, up and down years with him on my roster.
So that's it, that is where I stand. Wish me luck, these last two weeks are going to be excruciating and I believe I have developed ulcers as a result.
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Friday, August 13, 2010
Keeper Crazy
Let's take the Wins category for instance. Ten of the thirteen teams in the league have between 74 and 70 Wins. Think about that. It is insane. There are up to fifteen games played everyday in baseball, which means up to fifteen pitchers earn a Win, which means up to fifteen Wins are distributed within this fantasy league each day. I just can't take it. And because the category is so cluttered, one Win for me or the other team I'm battling with (Majestic) means multi-point swings. Let's take yesterday for example - we entered the day with Majestic in first with 108.5 points and me in 2nd place at 108 points. He had Francisco Liriano pitching while I had CC Sabathia and Ricky Nolasco going. All three pitchers got wins. I am now in first with 110.5 points while Majestic is now in 2nd at 108.5. Madness like I've never seen it.
So what's my strategy here? I'm glad you asked, because it's ill. There's a few things to consider. First is the innings pitched limit. We have a 1,450 limit on the year. I'm at 1,055 while Majestic's at 1,094. This is huge as 40 extra innings for me can mean a few Wins. I'm hoping Majestic hits their limit with a week or two to go, which will freeze all of their pitching stats for the remainder of the season, and then I'll have a concrete idea of where I stand and I'll be able to start all of my pitchers to get what I need.
BUT - then I have my ratios to worry about. If I go strictly for the Wins points I can damage my ERA/WHIP in the process and wipe out any progress I make. The optimal solution is to get Wins while improving my ratios, but that never seems to work out for me. Classic example is what I'm facing tonight. I have Hiroki Kuroda @ Atlanta and James Shields vs. Baltimore. Both seemingly solid matchups. Do I start them and hope for Wins while risking blowups which can lose me progress in the ratio departments? Do I risk sitting them and missing out on good stats? Like I said, ulcer time. I'm leaning towards sitting them but that will change about eighteen times between now and first pitch.
The last thing I need to address is the emergence of a legitimate third title contender, the Scratchers. They made some power moves at the deadline and can make a real run at this thing. Currently they're sitting at 101.5 points and there are some points to gain sitting out there for them if they finish strong. After that its a 25 point dropoff to fourth place. So its the Trinity Killers, Majestic, and the Scratchers all within nine points of each other with seven weeks to go. You know the drill.
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Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Trades Help
So how did I make this little run in the last week? Well, Doc Halladay certainly helped. In two starts he got me two wins, eighteen strikeouts and helped my ERA/WHIP. So, thank you Doc. Yovani Gallardo, another new addition, had two starts, two wins and 19 strikeouts. So huge from both of these guys. Then, Brett Anderson in his second start off of the DL gave me a gem. Ol' Mainstay Cole Hamels? 7 innings of one run ball and eleven strikeouts. Heck, even Hiroki Kuroda gave me 7 big innings with 8 strikeouts. I also got two saves each from Joakim Soria and new pickup Michael Wuertz.
So as you can see, its all about the pitching. If I can just keep on piling on quality starts, accumulating wins and strikeouts while improving my ratios one start at a time then I have a serious shot here.
On the offensive side, so far I'm not feeling the effects of the stud hitters I traded out. This can change, but so far so good. Waiver wire pickup Alex Gordon's been big. The once heralded prospect is playing the best ball of his career. I also have Martin Prado and Shane Victorino on the DL, when they get back that should solidify any offensive shortcomings I've developed, so I'm not worried there at all.
This leads us back to the pitching. If my pitching can just stay at the level its been since I made these last two trades I will make a run at the money. I also picked up Mike Minor, a minor league stud just called up by the Braves for a two start week. He was okay last night and pitched better than his numbers indicated as he was the victim of some bad luck like bloop hits and such. He gave me 6 innings with a 1 WHIP and 5 k's. 3 earned runs sucked and I would've loved the Win, but I'll take it. It was a gamble I needed to take.
What's next? I still have a monster lead in both Runs and Steals, so ideally I'd like to trade from excess there. If I can move Andrew McCutchen or Denard Span for either a power bat to help me gain some ground in homers and RBI or one more stud pitcher. The value of these two guys is way way more for anyone else than me as their value is tied up in Runs and Steals, and as just mentioned those categories mean nothing to me, I have them both locked up for first place. So far, I'm having trouble finding any takers but we will see, I'll keep trying.
Okay, as we're winding the season down and I find myself closer than I've been in months I'll update a little more often. Keep your eyes open for more posts...
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Thursday, August 5, 2010
Auction or Draft
I blame this on "industry". When the "industry" realized there were millions to be made, "they" realized fantasy baseball was somewhat of an untapped market compared to football and that it would behoove "them" to lure the average fantasy football guys over to the fantasy baseball side. By doing so "they" felt the need to dumb the game down and simplify it so the casual fan can easily transition over to fantasy baseball. The Mixed League format is a perfect example, this allows crossovers to skim by on limited knowledge of the player pool whereas in "Only" Leagues you need to know every starter and his backup and his backup. The transition from auction drafting to straight drafting falls in line with this new way of thinking as well and I do not like it. Just because something is easier does not make it better. Yes, an auction is more complicated and it requires more preparation time, but it sure is worth it and I would like to try to convince you to make the switch to an auction draft.
First things first, lets distinguish the two drafting formats. In a snake draft, every team owner is assigned a number. Lets assume a twelve team league. The teams would then draft from slot one through slot twelve, and then in round two it goes from slot twelve back to slot one. Fascinating, I know. In most leagues there is usually a two or three minute time limit to make each pick. That means one round of drafting could take up to thirty-six minutes. Can you say snooze-fest?
On the other hand, an auction draft is a dynamic, action packed event. Each team is allotted $260 of fake money. Ideally, all teams sit in a circle while an unaffiliated auctioneer stands in the center. One team, starting with the defending champion (usually me), yells out a player and a dollar amount, for example: Roy Halladay $20. After this initial bid, everyone in the room is allowed to bid however much they want at whatever interval they want. Each bid is noted by the auctioneer and when the bidding slows down the auctioneer will say "going once, going twice, sold". The highest bidding team at the end will own this player and the winning bid will be deducted from the team's budget.
People. Friends. Strangers. This is me begging you to open your minds and embrace something new and positive. Your draft league needs to convert to an auction format this year. You do not have to marry it. You do not have to sign a multi-year contract. All you have to do is give it a shot. As a social experiment, I have asked all of my friends and anyone else I have spoken to recently who plays fantasy baseball to try and get their league to switch over to an auction format. It is amazing to me, but the look on the subjects' faces when I bring it up is the same look my Mother-in-law, who doesn't know how to use a computer, gives me when I ask her to shoot me an email. Just utter stubbornness and refusal to embrace a better, more innovative and exciting version of something they have been doing the same exact way for years. Here are some reasons why I think everyone who does a straight fantasy baseball draft should try out an auction:
1. Fantasy auctions are infinitely more fun than straight drafts. My baseball auctions typically last 5+ hours and it feels like ten minutes. The intensity is indescribable and you do not have to wait a half hour in between picks. My friends who do straight drafts go through two packs of cigarettes during their draft because there is so much down time. It just gets boring after awhile. You are constantly involved in every single moment of an auction, you must be alert and involved, at least mentally, in every single player nomination.
2. Auctions factor in so much more strategy than drafts. Do you want to roster Alex Rodriguez AND Albert Pujols (two of fantasy baseball's best hitters)? Roy Halladay AND Tim Lincecum (best pitchers)? You can have them all, but it will cost you a pretty penny and you will have to manage your remaining funds exceptionally well to fill out a balanced roster. This is not for people who like to print out rankings the day of the draft and just yell out the name of the next player on the list when it is their turn (which I am guessing is one cause of the resistance). This is where you have to think about what you are doing, where you are going, and what every other team is doing and where they are going. There are so many layers of strategy to this it is ridiculous (in a good way).
3. Luck is minimized, skill is enhanced. No longer is your fate determined by a deck of cards or pulling numbers out of a hat. The days of one team drawing the Ace of Spades or picking a piece of paper with a "#1" on it, getting the best player and riding him to the championship are over..
4. Everyone has a friend who spends money like it is water in real life, right? If his employer were to give him his annual salary in one check he'd be broke in a month. Coincidentally, this same guy always spends about ninety percent of his budget within the first ten minutes of the auction. So, from a pure comedy standpoint, wouldn't it be fun to see your friend do this.....and then go smoke two packs of cigarettes while waiting for the end-gamers? Conversely, it would also be great to see your friend who is, lets say, "careful with money" refuse to spend any of his money with the hope that he gets to keep his unused balance (he can't, it is fake money).
I hope I have convinced you to at least try out an auction draft. If you do not like it you can go back to your straight draft next year, but my money is against that. Once you go auction, you never go back.
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Auction or Draft
I blame this on "industry". When the "industry" realized there were millions to be made, "they" realized fantasy baseball was somewhat of an untapped market compared to football and that it would behoove "them" to lure the average fantasy football guys over to the fantasy baseball side. By doing so "they" felt the need to dumb the game down and simplify it so the casual fan can easily transition over to fantasy baseball. The Mixed League format is a perfect example, this allows crossovers to skim by on limited knowledge of the player pool whereas in "Only" Leagues you need to know every starter and his backup and his backup. The transition from auction drafting to straight drafting falls in line with this new way of thinking as well and I do not like it. Just because something is easier does not make it better. Yes, an auction is more complicated and it requires more preparation time, but it sure is worth it and I would like to try to convince you to make the switch to an auction draft.
First things first, lets distinguish the two drafting formats. In a snake draft, every team owner is assigned a number. Lets assume a twelve team league. The teams would then draft from slot one through slot twelve, and then in round two it goes from slot twelve back to slot one. Fascinating, I know. In most leagues there is usually a two or three minute time limit to make each pick. That means one round of drafting could take up to thirty-six minutes. Can you say snooze-fest?
On the other hand, an auction draft is a dynamic, action packed event. Each team is allotted $260 of fake money. Ideally, all teams sit in a circle while an unaffiliated auctioneer stands in the center. One team, starting with the defending champion (usually me), yells out a player and a dollar amount, for example: Roy Halladay $20. After this initial bid, everyone in the room is allowed to bid however much they want at whatever interval they want. Each bid is noted by the auctioneer and when the bidding slows down the auctioneer will say "going once, going twice, sold". The highest bidding team at the end will own this player and the winning bid will be deducted from the team's budget.
People. Friends. Strangers. This is me begging you to open your minds and embrace something new and positive. Your draft league needs to convert to an auction format this year. You do not have to marry it. You do not have to sign a multi-year contract. All you have to do is give it a shot. As a social experiment, I have asked all of my friends and anyone else I have spoken to recently who plays fantasy baseball to try and get their league to switch over to an auction format. It is amazing to me, but the look on the subjects' faces when I bring it up is the same look my Mother-in-law, who doesn't know how to use a computer, gives me when I ask her to shoot me an email. Just utter stubbornness and refusal to embrace a better, more innovative and exciting version of something they have been doing the same exact way for years. Here are some reasons why I think everyone who does a straight fantasy baseball draft should try out an auction:
1. Fantasy auctions are infinitely more fun than straight drafts. My baseball auctions typically last 5+ hours and it feels like ten minutes. The intensity is indescribable and you do not have to wait a half hour in between picks. My friends who do straight drafts go through two packs of cigarettes during their draft because there is so much down time. It just gets boring after awhile. You are constantly involved in every single moment of an auction, you must be alert and involved, at least mentally, in every single player nomination.
2. Auctions factor in so much more strategy than drafts. Do you want to roster Alex Rodriguez AND Albert Pujols (two of fantasy baseball's best hitters)? Roy Halladay AND Tim Lincecum (best pitchers)? You can have them all, but it will cost you a pretty penny and you will have to manage your remaining funds exceptionally well to fill out a balanced roster. This is not for people who like to print out rankings the day of the draft and just yell out the name of the next player on the list when it is their turn (which I am guessing is one cause of the resistance). This is where you have to think about what you are doing, where you are going, and what every other team is doing and where they are going. There are so many layers of strategy to this it is ridiculous (in a good way).
3. Luck is minimized, skill is enhanced. No longer is your fate determined by a deck of cards or pulling numbers out of a hat. The days of one team drawing the Ace of Spades or picking a piece of paper with a "#1" on it, getting the best player and riding him to the championship are over..
4. Everyone has a friend who spends money like it is water in real life, right? If his employer were to give him his annual salary in one check he'd be broke in a month. Coincidentally, this same guy always spends about ninety percent of his budget within the first ten minutes of the auction. So, from a pure comedy standpoint, wouldn't it be fun to see your friend do this.....and then go smoke two packs of cigarettes while waiting for the end-gamers? Conversely, it would also be great to see your friend who is, lets say, "careful with money" refuse to spend any of his money with the hope that he gets to keep his unused balance (he can't, it is fake money).
I hope I have convinced you to at least try out an auction draft. If you do not like it you can go back to your straight draft next year, but my money is against that. Once you go auction, you never go back.
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Auction or Draft
I blame this on "industry". When the "industry" realized there were millions to be made, "they" realized fantasy baseball was somewhat of an untapped market compared to football and that it would behoove "them" to lure the average fantasy football guys over to the fantasy baseball side. By doing so "they" felt the need to dumb the game down and simplify it so the casual fan can easily transition over to fantasy baseball. The Mixed League format is a perfect example, this allows crossovers to skim by on limited knowledge of the player pool whereas in "Only" Leagues you need to know every starter and his backup and his backup. The transition from auction drafting to straight drafting falls in line with this new way of thinking as well and I do not like it. Just because something is easier does not make it better. Yes, an auction is more complicated and it requires more preparation time, but it sure is worth it and I would like to try to convince you to make the switch to an auction draft.
First things first, lets distinguish the two drafting formats. In a snake draft, every team owner is assigned a number. Lets assume a twelve team league. The teams would then draft from slot one through slot twelve, and then in round two it goes from slot twelve back to slot one. Fascinating, I know. In most leagues there is usually a two or three minute time limit to make each pick. That means one round of drafting could take up to thirty-six minutes. Can you say snooze-fest?
On the other hand, an auction draft is a dynamic, action packed event. Each team is allotted $260 of fake money. Ideally, all teams sit in a circle while an unaffiliated auctioneer stands in the center. One team, starting with the defending champion (usually me), yells out a player and a dollar amount, for example: Roy Halladay $20. After this initial bid, everyone in the room is allowed to bid however much they want at whatever interval they want. Each bid is noted by the auctioneer and when the bidding slows down the auctioneer will say "going once, going twice, sold". The highest bidding team at the end will own this player and the winning bid will be deducted from the team's budget.
People. Friends. Strangers. This is me begging you to open your minds and embrace something new and positive. Your draft league needs to convert to an auction format this year. You do not have to marry it. You do not have to sign a multi-year contract. All you have to do is give it a shot. As a social experiment, I have asked all of my friends and anyone else I have spoken to recently who plays fantasy baseball to try and get their league to switch over to an auction format. It is amazing to me, but the look on the subjects' faces when I bring it up is the same look my Mother-in-law, who doesn't know how to use a computer, gives me when I ask her to shoot me an email. Just utter stubbornness and refusal to embrace a better, more innovative and exciting version of something they have been doing the same exact way for years. Here are some reasons why I think everyone who does a straight fantasy baseball draft should try out an auction:
1. Fantasy auctions are infinitely more fun than straight drafts. My baseball auctions typically last 5+ hours and it feels like ten minutes. The intensity is indescribable and you do not have to wait a half hour in between picks. My friends who do straight drafts go through two packs of cigarettes during their draft because there is so much down time. It just gets boring after awhile. You are constantly involved in every single moment of an auction, you must be alert and involved, at least mentally, in every single player nomination.
2. Auctions factor in so much more strategy than drafts. Do you want to roster Alex Rodriguez AND Albert Pujols (two of fantasy baseball's best hitters)? Roy Halladay AND Tim Lincecum (best pitchers)? You can have them all, but it will cost you a pretty penny and you will have to manage your remaining funds exceptionally well to fill out a balanced roster. This is not for people who like to print out rankings the day of the draft and just yell out the name of the next player on the list when it is their turn (which I am guessing is one cause of the resistance). This is where you have to think about what you are doing, where you are going, and what every other team is doing and where they are going. There are so many layers of strategy to this it is ridiculous (in a good way).
3. Luck is minimized, skill is enhanced. No longer is your fate determined by a deck of cards or pulling numbers out of a hat. The days of one team drawing the Ace of Spades or picking a piece of paper with a "#1" on it, getting the best player and riding him to the championship are over..
4. Everyone has a friend who spends money like it is water in real life, right? If his employer were to give him his annual salary in one check he'd be broke in a month. Coincidentally, this same guy always spends about ninety percent of his budget within the first ten minutes of the auction. So, from a pure comedy standpoint, wouldn't it be fun to see your friend do this.....and then go smoke two packs of cigarettes while waiting for the end-gamers? Conversely, it would also be great to see your friend who is, lets say, "careful with money" refuse to spend any of his money with the hope that he gets to keep his unused balance (he can't, it is fake money).
I hope I have convinced you to at least try out an auction draft. If you do not like it you can go back to your straight draft next year, but my money is against that. Once you go auction, you never go back.
Fast Weight Loss Diets
Overcoming Anxiety
Auction or Draft
I blame this on "industry". When the "industry" realized there were millions to be made, "they" realized fantasy baseball was somewhat of an untapped market compared to football and that it would behoove "them" to lure the average fantasy football guys over to the fantasy baseball side. By doing so "they" felt the need to dumb the game down and simplify it so the casual fan can easily transition over to fantasy baseball. The Mixed League format is a perfect example, this allows crossovers to skim by on limited knowledge of the player pool whereas in "Only" Leagues you need to know every starter and his backup and his backup. The transition from auction drafting to straight drafting falls in line with this new way of thinking as well and I do not like it. Just because something is easier does not make it better. Yes, an auction is more complicated and it requires more preparation time, but it sure is worth it and I would like to try to convince you to make the switch to an auction draft.
First things first, lets distinguish the two drafting formats. In a snake draft, every team owner is assigned a number. Lets assume a twelve team league. The teams would then draft from slot one through slot twelve, and then in round two it goes from slot twelve back to slot one. Fascinating, I know. In most leagues there is usually a two or three minute time limit to make each pick. That means one round of drafting could take up to thirty-six minutes. Can you say snooze-fest?
On the other hand, an auction draft is a dynamic, action packed event. Each team is allotted $260 of fake money. Ideally, all teams sit in a circle while an unaffiliated auctioneer stands in the center. One team, starting with the defending champion (usually me), yells out a player and a dollar amount, for example: Roy Halladay $20. After this initial bid, everyone in the room is allowed to bid however much they want at whatever interval they want. Each bid is noted by the auctioneer and when the bidding slows down the auctioneer will say "going once, going twice, sold". The highest bidding team at the end will own this player and the winning bid will be deducted from the team's budget.
People. Friends. Strangers. This is me begging you to open your minds and embrace something new and positive. Your draft league needs to convert to an auction format this year. You do not have to marry it. You do not have to sign a multi-year contract. All you have to do is give it a shot. As a social experiment, I have asked all of my friends and anyone else I have spoken to recently who plays fantasy baseball to try and get their league to switch over to an auction format. It is amazing to me, but the look on the subjects' faces when I bring it up is the same look my Mother-in-law, who doesn't know how to use a computer, gives me when I ask her to shoot me an email. Just utter stubbornness and refusal to embrace a better, more innovative and exciting version of something they have been doing the same exact way for years. Here are some reasons why I think everyone who does a straight fantasy baseball draft should try out an auction:
1. Fantasy auctions are infinitely more fun than straight drafts. My baseball auctions typically last 5+ hours and it feels like ten minutes. The intensity is indescribable and you do not have to wait a half hour in between picks. My friends who do straight drafts go through two packs of cigarettes during their draft because there is so much down time. It just gets boring after awhile. You are constantly involved in every single moment of an auction, you must be alert and involved, at least mentally, in every single player nomination.
2. Auctions factor in so much more strategy than drafts. Do you want to roster Alex Rodriguez AND Albert Pujols (two of fantasy baseball's best hitters)? Roy Halladay AND Tim Lincecum (best pitchers)? You can have them all, but it will cost you a pretty penny and you will have to manage your remaining funds exceptionally well to fill out a balanced roster. This is not for people who like to print out rankings the day of the draft and just yell out the name of the next player on the list when it is their turn (which I am guessing is one cause of the resistance). This is where you have to think about what you are doing, where you are going, and what every other team is doing and where they are going. There are so many layers of strategy to this it is ridiculous (in a good way).
3. Luck is minimized, skill is enhanced. No longer is your fate determined by a deck of cards or pulling numbers out of a hat. The days of one team drawing the Ace of Spades or picking a piece of paper with a "#1" on it, getting the best player and riding him to the championship are over..
4. Everyone has a friend who spends money like it is water in real life, right? If his employer were to give him his annual salary in one check he'd be broke in a month. Coincidentally, this same guy always spends about ninety percent of his budget within the first ten minutes of the auction. So, from a pure comedy standpoint, wouldn't it be fun to see your friend do this.....and then go smoke two packs of cigarettes while waiting for the end-gamers? Conversely, it would also be great to see your friend who is, lets say, "careful with money" refuse to spend any of his money with the hope that he gets to keep his unused balance (he can't, it is fake money).
I hope I have convinced you to at least try out an auction draft. If you do not like it you can go back to your straight draft next year, but my money is against that. Once you go auction, you never go back.
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Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Doc Squared
On Friday night, the owner of team Chin Music, who had been comfortably in first place the entire season called me freaking out as his team has been ice cold and for the first time all year dropped to 2nd place. He was in full on panic mode. He had to make a deal "tonight". I was happy to oblige. He started with offering me Roy Oswalt and Pablo Sandoval for Aramis Ramirez. I couldn't say 'yes' fast enough, and I think my eagerness scared him off. I didn't worry though, I knew how desperate he was and that I would be able to make a deal seriously in my favor. After a ton of back and forth over the next twelve hours we had a deal. I sent him my best hitter, Nelson Cruz, and the resurgent yet still just blah Aramis Ramirez for Roy Halladay, Alfonso Soriano, and Jorge Cantu. Let's take it player by player:
Cantu - not great by any means, but recently traded to the monstrous Texas Rangers lineup which will give him a little boost. Considering how poor A-Ram's been overall this could well turn out to be a wash or even in my favor. A-Ram had a monster week 2 weeks ago but since then he's been back to his .167 hitting ways. Obviously A-Ram is the better player and I'd prefer to own him, but considering the rest of the deal I could do worse than Cantu.
Soriano - old man still has some pop. Due to Nelson Cruz's two stints on the DL Soriano actually has better power numbers to date. Cruz kills him in steals, but I don't need steals. I have a comfortable first place lead there so the category is useless to me. Looking forward I can see roughly the same amount of homers from Soriano as I do Cruz, but far less RBI. Cruz is a RBI machine while Soriano is hitting in the punchless Cubs lineup.
So on the offensive side, its a clear loss for me - but its a strategic one and based on the way the categories are stratified I can handle this loss. Now, I introduce you to the big fella. Roy Halladay - the best in the biz. He debuted for my squad last night by throwing seven innings of one run ball and 9 strikeouts for the Win. Huge. I need this every time out from him and believe it or not that's not too much to ask for. Considering I am in last place in ERA and WHIP, and second to last in Wins, the Halladay and Gallardo additions over the last two weeks give my team considerable upside down the stretch. Now, don't get me wrong, I realize more than 2/3 of the season has been played and ratios are the hardest stats to improve this late in the game, but by adding two aces who can conceivably give me 150+ innings of a sub-3 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, I am still cautiously optimistic that I can make a run. Call me crazy. Brett Anderson is also just off the DL (again), so it is like I am wheeling out a brand new staff to end the season. I'm excited.
One other transactional note - I picked up Alex Gordon for no good reason when he got called back up from the minors a few weeks ago. Thanks to injuries and whatnot he is my starting 3rd Basemen these days and has four homers in the past week. This kid was a beast of a prospect and a lot of kids don't come right up and produce, they bounce around the minors and majors for a few years before they find their way. I'm hoping that's what is going on here and Gordon has finally found his way which could be huge for me to help offset the loss of Cruz and Ramirez.
Another thing - in the Gallardo deal I gave up my 2nd best offensive player, Kevin Youkilis. This killed me because the guy is just so damn reliable. Turned out to be the best move I could make as he hit the DL yesterday and is likely out for the season with a thumb injury. I feel horrible for the other team, that really sucks for them, but I really caught a break there. If I was still holding Youk and didn't have Gallardo? Oh man, season would be wayyyyy over right now but instead I feel revived and poised to make a nice little late-season run. Every year there's one team that is so far out of it but somehow puts together a few monster weeks to climb back in. I want to be that team. I am going to be that team.
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Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Done Deal
I sent out Max Scherzer ($11, matching rights), Octavio Dotel ($8, expiring) Brad Hawpe ($7, expiring), Scott Baker ($6, 2012), Kelly Johnson ($4, 2011), Kris Medlen ($1, matching) and Gio Gonzalez ($1, matching) for a total of $38.
I got back Doc Halladay, only the best pitcher in fantasy with an expiring $30 contract, Huston Street ($5, expiring) and Hiroki Kuroda ($3, expiring) for $38.
With Dotel getting traded in real life to LA he loses most of his value since he won't be a closer anymore. Gettng Street back in this deal was nothing short of huge for me and should allow me to keep my lead in the Saves category.
Kuroda was pretty much a throwaway to make the money work, but I do like him. I am just up against an innings pitched limit and am not sure I'll be able to get him in the lineup.
And then there's Halladay. Oh....Halladay. This guy is a beast. No less than seven innings pitched every time out and more times than not he'll give you 8 or 9 which gives him a great chance for the Win every single start. I figure he has about 80+ innings left at a 2.50 ERA and 1.00 WHIP. That will be big for me as those are the two categories that I have the most to gain in. I also took a recent dip in Wins, where there is a total logjam. I am in the middle of the pack but only two Wins out of first place, so a little Wins run by my staff and I can gain 5.5 points. Huge.
Am I going to miss any of the guys I traded away? Not really. Baker's hurt me more than he helped me. I've barely started Medlen or Gio, both of their values resided in their matching rights for next year. Scherzer is coming into his own and has some serious upside, but he still pales in comparison to Doc. I'll miss Kelly Johnson's offense, getting legit pop from the MI slot is big, but I plan on picking Ty Wigginton up off the waiver wire which will help me fill that void.
With the remaining three empty roster spots I have, I plan on filling them with highly skilled middle relievers who will give me good ERA/WHIP numbers and hopefully some cheap wins and/or saves down the stretch. I have my eyes set on Jason Motte, JJ Putz, and Matt Thornton. These guys have been putting up silly numbers all year and I have no reason to think they won't continue. There's the added bonus that Putz and Motte will be closing next year and I'll have matching rights on them. Booyeah.
So this is it. I have done everything I can to improve this team for the final 8 weeks. If I can't capture the trophy this year I will be extremely disappointed. This is the fourth year of the league's existence and I have built this team carefully and it is all coming together now. I only have $2 left on my payroll heading into 2011, so I am starting over regardless. I just hope I have the championship at next year's draft table.
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Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Another Possible Deal
No more than a few hours later, team NONY sent out an 'On The Block Update' saying that they're looking to move their expiring contracts for good keepers for 2011 and beyond. This is an old friend of mine, so I emailed him and was just straight with him. I told him my 'next year' assets are looking grim, but I'd be willing to clear out the cupboard for him. So I offered:
Scott Baker ($6, 2011), Max Scherzer ($11, MR), Kris Medlen ($1, MR), Gio Gonzalez ($1, MR), and David Freese (ML). The 'MR' means he would have matching rights on these players at next year's auction - meaning whatever the final bid is for these players he could just say the word 'match' and they'll be on his team. The 'ML' means I drafted him to my minor league roster and at the beginning of the year his owner has the option to either drop him or assign him one of four contracts: one year at $2, two years at $5, three years at $10, or four years at $16. Freese is very solid, if I wind up holding onto him I can see using him as my cornerman for $2.
More important is my friend's response, and it was the dreaded 'let me talk to my parter'. But he did give me the heads up that it might not be enough. But, again, at the risk of sounding redundant, with so few buyers in the market, and his expiring contracts being completely worthless to him, this tips the scales in my favor. We shall see.
In a miserable turn of events, the 2nd place team, Majestic, has been on an insane run the past few days and has surpassed me as the league leader. I had been in first place for awhile now, maybe 6 weeks straight. He is scorching hot though and only has a point on me so its obviously far from over. The good thing is I've been consistently good, always in the 108-111 range and I am still there. If I just stay there and Majestic finally cools off then I'll feel a lot better about this. Or if one of these 2 trades comes through, that would be big time as well.
On another note - my other team is fading hard. I owe you a post on them but it just hurts too much to write. Since my 'big' trade last week I've gotten even worse. I'll work up the nerve to write it and post it later today or tomorrow. But needless to say, when I think of that team my mind drifts to football.
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Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Potential Trade
So the logical step is to make a deal where I can trade off good keeper contracts in exchange for expiring contracts. The talent does not need to match up as 10 of the 13 teams are out of the running and this happens every year, they're called 'dump deals', where the bad teams dump their good players in exchange for good keepers as they're not playing for 2011 and beyond. I made an interesting offer yesterday that would help me immensely: I offered a $17 Ricky Nolasco (expiring), $7 Brad Hawpe (expiring), ( $11 Max Scherzer - free agent pickup so I can match the winning bid on him at next year's auction), $6 Scott Baker (signed through 2012) and $2 Jason Kubel (signed through 2011) for a $30 Roy Halladay, $6 Vernon Wells and $4 Paul Konerko.
The star of this deal for me is Halladay as I could use 80+ innings of guaranteed quality production. I'm giving up a lot here - for both this year and the future. On his best day Nolasco is a top pitcher, but he's been pretty inconsistent. Ditto Scherzer. Baker is the most inconsistent pitcher around and I've resorted to spot-starting him which is always a deadly game and I get that one wrong more times than right. Kubel at $2 is one of the better contracts around, he is so good and a legit .280/30/100 guy, amazing bang for your buck. Hawpe is dead weight. So on the offensive side, not that I REALLY need it, its a win for me. Vernon and Konerko are still doing their thang and would probably lock up the home run/rbi categories for me. And as good as Nolasco, Scherzer, and Baker can be on any given day, consolidating them into one Doc Halladay is a no brainer - he's the best in baseball in my opinion and would be huge for me.
I'm also facing an innings cap that I am currently ahead of pace for. If we go over 1,450 innings pitched on the year our pitching stats freeze, so I need to be aware of that. If I traded three pitchers who I currently use, to some extent at least, for one then that would solve my problem right there. My rotation would then look like Doc, CC Sabathia, Dan Haren (sick top three), James Shields and Kris Medlen. I would also fill my empty roster spots with middle relief pitchers with sparkling ERA/WHIPs and high K rates. This is my last chance to really gain some points - the place to do it is ERA/WHIP and the longer I wait to make a move the less time I have, and the more innings pitched I have amassed the harder it is to lower those ratio categories. I have officially made the offer, lets see if the other guy bites. He is done for this year so on one hand would be wise to get two good contracts plus matching rights for a third all for guys who are coming off their books. On the other hand they would we wise to shop these guys to the other two contenders and see if they can get an offer that would top mine. The good news for me is that the other two contenders are first and second in ERA/WHIP as well as competitive in the other pitching categories. They could still go after Wells and Konerko, who are ancillary targets for me, but I have a feeling Doc will be mine at the end of the day. The trade deadline is August 7th, so this needs to come together rather quickly, but I have faith. Once this move goes through I'll feel pretty good about protecting my lead for the last two months of the year. Lets bring home the trophy!!!
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010
I Have a Trade To Announce
I have a trade to announce. Cool HWIP (me) sends the rights to First Baseman Kevin Youkilis of the Boston Red Sox to Night Moves (shout out Bloomington, IN) for Starting Pitcher Yovani Gallardo of the Milwaukee Brewers and Third Baseman from the Cincinnati Reds Scott Rolen.
Reasoning: I need pitching and I need pitching bad. I’m currently sitting in fifth place with the best offense in the league and the worst pitching. I need an ACE who is capable of putting the team on his back and having a monster second half. Unfortunately, I have tried so many different avenues, trying to deal from strength (runs and steals) to get a potential ACE, not even an established guy, but to no avail. So, here we are. Gallardo was an absolute beast in the first half. 2.58 ERA. 122 strikeouts in less than 122 innings. But….cmon, you knew there was a ‘but’ coming….he is currently on the disabled list with an oblique injury. He is reportedly feeling great, good to go, and set to pitch Thursday night at Pittsburgh. Normally I would never take such a risk. This guy could be toast and I would be totally screwed, but I really had no choice. If I have any shot at making a run in the second half I need monster pitching efforts from more than one guy. I think Cole Hamels is capable. I think Brett Anderson, once he himself comes off the DL, is more than capable. I also have high hopes for Scott Baker who has established himself as a second half guy over the last few years. But I needed a no doubt about it if healthy anchor to get me points in bunches and that’s what Gallardo is. I am currently in last place in Wins and ERA. I’m in 12th place in WHIP and just middle of the pack in strikeouts. In other words, if these guys do what I hope they can do then there are 20 more pitching points for me to make up. I just need a big time second half. It’s possible. Not likely, but possible. And that’s why I did the deal, I needed to take a chance. Had no choice. I am a patient fantasy owner. Probably to a fault. I gave my staff fifteen weeks to prove their worth and they disappointed me. They failed me. So enter Yovani Gallardo, strikeout beast when healthy. Please be healthy, Yovani, please be healthy.
Of course, there are other guys in the deal. So I also got back Scott Rolen in the deal. This is a guy who went undrafted in most leagues because he can’t stay healthy, he’s old, and he’s well past his prime. Not an ideal combination. But he hooked himself up to the juvenation machine this year and clocked seventeen bombs in the first half with 50+ RBI. On paper, he’s near Youkilis’ equal. But we all know better, Rolen will regress to the mean and I’m hoping for a mediocre 2nd half. Actually, praying for it. Of course, right after I made the deal it came out that he got a cortisone shot in his right hamstring today and there’s a good chance he goes on the DL this week. Awesome. Nothing like buying damaged goods. Makes me sick. But if he just needs the minimum stint on the DL to get right, I’d rather have him healthy out there than struggling with a nagging injury. If he can come back in two weeks and hit me ten bombs the rest of the way I’ll be more than happy.
Which brings me to Youkilis. Youuuuuuuuuuuuuuk. God I’m gonna miss this guy. He is a model of consistency and reliability which are two things I value above all else in fantasy baseball. One reason I decided to trade Youk was that a ton of his value came from Runs. He leads the majors in them just as I lead my fantasy league in them. And I lead my league by a lot of Runs, like fifty. So while I value everything else Youk brings to the table I’m okay losing the Runs he brings to the table. And before Rolen’s injury I was hoping he can get me about 75% of Youk’s power the rest of the way (not that farfetched considering he went homer for homer for him so far to date). It was just a business decision. The difference between Youk and Rolen was more than made up for by Gallardo. Now he just needs to go out there and throw me a few 7 inning, one earned run, 9 strikeout games and I’ll happy.
I’ll write a few posts specifically about how this trade affected the standings, but it’ll need a few weeks to kick in. More to come…
Thursday, July 15, 2010
ASB Update
Since I have such a good offense, I can trade from strength and improve my pitching while trading away hitting. I currently have a 30+ lead in Runs and a 15 lead in steals. My goal is to pair Denard Span with a pitcher not named Cole Hamels or Anderson, and flip that package for a good, tier 2 pitcher. I offered that package for Francisco Liriano today. Unfortunately nobody seems to interested in Span even though he is so solid all around.
Even with my monster offensive totals, I'm still actually relatively week in Home Runs and RBI's, thanks to 2 DL stints from Nelson Cruz and Aramis Ramirez choosing to have his worst season since little league this year. So I've also tried flipping Runs + Steals for power, but that's been shot down too. Based on all of my trading efforts I have a feeling I'm stuck with my current roster outside of any free agent breakouts I might find.
I also have Edinson Volquez chillin' on my DL. He's due back on Sunday after missing the last year + from Tommy John Surgery. If he can catch the magic from his rookie season and give me 75 solid innings with a 3.5 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 70 K's, that would go a loooong way in helping me get back on track.
So as of now, my 2nd half rotation will look like:
Cole Hamels
Brett Anderson
Jason Hammel
Scott Baker
Edinson Volquez
I like that staff and if we were starting from scratch right now I'd love to go to war with this crew. I just don't have the confidence that these guys can put together a 450 inning run of monster stats that can gain me 20+ pitching points in the 2nd half. That's why I'd love to trade for an almost elite guy. If Hamels has a better 2nd half, Anderson stays healthy, and I add a Liriano type? Watch out, that could be magical - all while keeping my offense intact.
One other thing to keep an eye on is the first place team, Chin Music. They've been comfortably in first place for pretty much the entire season, totally replicating the season I had last year in this league. Right now they sit at 123 points. My league record of 128.5 is in jeopardy. I thought I'd hold that mantle for at least a few years. The good news is that Chin Music is starting to show some cracks in the armor and what was once a consistent 25-30 point lead is down to seven. But, in true Single White Female fashion, last year right before the ASB I hit a little slump, dropped down to 123.5 and had just a 7.5 point lead. Right after the ASB I blew the heck up and absolutely cruised the rest of the way. Once I got back over a 20 point lead I never looked back. It was really tough though and I got super lucky on the injury front - for that to happen to two teams two years in a row would be unheard of. I really hope he fails and I'm the team that takes advantage.
Sorry for the lack of updates on this team but it makes me nauseous to discuss a team of mine when I'm struggling. If I don't improve soon I'll look to get an early jump on football season. That's right, football is right around the corner! HELLOOOOOOOOOOO....
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Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Update Time
As much as I like my team, as much as I like a nine point lead, and as much as I like where I'm situated in each category, I cannot get complacent as last year still gives me nightmares. Around this time last year I was cruising with 115 points and about a 20 point lead. In early August my pitching absolutely collapsed and I blew the lead, finishing in 2nd place just two points out of first. That kills me every time I think about it. So, I cannot be comfortable with where I'm at right now. As I see it, there are still about 13 points I can legitimately gain, mostly on the pitching side.
Batting Avg: 2nd place/12 points. Hitting .277 as a team. First place is at .279. I count this as one point I can gain.
Home Runs: 1st place/13 points. I have an 8 homer lead over 2nd place and I like my chances to keep this lead as I have legit power producers throughout my roster and I'm still waiting for Carlos Pena's monster outburst (I think he still has 20+ homers coming in the 2nd half).
Runs: 4th/10. 2 runs behind 3rd place and 7 behind 2nd. I count this as 2 points I can pick up rather easily, all it takes is one of those 10 run nights and I'm in business (I'm 19 runs outta first fwiw).
RBI: 2nd/12. 8 behind the leader. I was leading by 8 less than a week ago as the leader and I have been flip flopping here all season. This is another point I believe I'll pick up.
Steals: 2nd/12. 3 behind the leader. Rajai Davis losing his full time gig hurt me big time as he was stealing a bag almost every night it seemed. I still have a bunch of well rounded players who can get me steals in bunches on any given night as well as speed ace Scott Podsednik who already has 24 swipes on the year. Another point I can realistically gain.
So that is 59 hitting points, most in the league by 7 and I think there are 5 points to be had here for me. Now onto the pitching:
ERA: 11th/3. I just don't get it. My staff is so good on paper and has been hot as hell lately, but I just can't seem to gain any ERA steam. I believe it'll happen though. CC is gonna do his second half thang as is Ricky Nolasco. I also fully believe Dan Haren will turn it around and have a bizarro Haren season (bad 1st half/sick 2nd). Then if Max Scherzer and Kris Medlen keep doing what they do and James Shields can get just a little bit better, I can make a big run here. Right now my team ERA stands at 3.901. 5th place is at 3.728. That's 6 juicy points just waiting for me in one category - that's so big time.
K's: 1st/13. Huge lead. Only way I'll lose it is if injuries hit me or if I come close to the innings pitched limit and I have to start benching guys in September. As of now though, loving the strikeouts.
Saves: 1st/13. 5 save lead. Billy Wagner and Rafael Soriano are so big time and are my Closer anchors. I also have Octavio Dotel chipping in and helping out, but all indications are that he'll get traded before the deadline and that will hurt me. However, I'll always be able to find saves via trade or free agency so this doesn't worry me too much at all.
Wins: 4th/10. Only 2 Wins outta first though. That's 3 quick points I can pick up with a little luck. Call me optimistic but I'm banking on that happening.
WHIP: 5th/9. I'm at 1.2558, very close to 4th place and within spitting distance of 3rd place. I'm confident I can gain two points here since I still think my staff goes on a nice 2nd half run.
So that's 48 pitching points, 3rd most in the league and by my count there are a solid 9 points sitting on the table waiting for me grab.
More updates to come....
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Friday, June 11, 2010
Player Analysis
Kurt Suzuki - minus a three week stint on the disabled list, this guy is doing exactly what I expected. .275 hitter with 7 homers and even chips in a few steals. Exhibit 569 why you punt catcher.
Adrien Gonzalez - a little streaky but at the end of the day he does the damn thang. On pace for 35+ homers and 100+ RBIs. With the Padres in first place it looks like he'll stay in SoCal for the remainder of the season, killing my dream of him playing in a real lineup and a real park.
Joey Votto - to think that I have him at $4 is laughable. This guy is a super duper stud playing in a great hitters park with a few good players surrounding him. lock for .300/30/100/10 and that's just his floor. His ceiling is scary. He'll probably be on my 'pay whatever it takes' list next year.
Carlos Pena - my buy low trade is already paying dividends. 5 homers in his last 4 games. Still hitting sub-.200 but that'll correct itself in time. This guy is gonna get to 40 bombs and 35 of them will be on my watch after he had a brutal April. Yay me.
Brandon Phillips - the draft room laughed a bit when I spent $28 to roster him. Look, I know he's not going to light the world on fire, but a bankable 20/20 second baseman is gold. Throw in the fact that he is on pace to hit around .300 and you can call him cash money in cleats. My only complaint is that he's batting 2nd instead of his traditional cleanup role, so his RBIs are wayyyy down. I was expecting 90ish, now he's on a 70ish pace.
Kelly Johnson - continues to do his thing as he hits .280 with 13 homers and 30+ RBI. Thank you Kelly. I have him at $4 for next year remember - that's big.
Hanley Ramirez - I don't even check in on him really. I just know he performs. Last I checked he was hitting below .300 but was on a 30/30 pace. Yes please.
Jayson Werth - slumping horribly as his average has dropped about 80 points in the last few weeks. Still on pace for 30+ homers and 100+ RBI though, and thats really why I hired him. Where are the steals though? Only 2 so far. Lets go Jay Jay.
Jason Kubel - showing signs of life. 8 homers and 35 RBIs as his average continues to recover from its 8 week slumber to start the season. I have full faith in this guy, big fan here.
Rajai Davis - if he's healthy he's good for at least one steal every 10 ab's. It is insane, I've never seen someone run like him. But...and you knew there was a but, he's a little banged up with a sore hammy. Get healthy Rajai I need you buddy.
Scott Podsednik - cooled down some after a hot start - I haven't been playing him lately because Rajai's been better and I don't need two speed aces in at the same time. Perfect backup/part time guy for me, it just hurts when I see him swipe some bags on my bench.
Brad Hawpe - puke. You would think a power guy in Coors would hit much better than he has. Patience though, hitters hit and he'll get his numbers one way or another.
Carlos Gonzalez - he is my homeboy. I regret not signing him long term, but that $20 contract scared me in the preseason. If I could extend him today, I'd probably go 4 years on that. He is money.
David Freese - called him up from my Minors squad but he barely plays for me. Good fill in, I like his approach. Just a solid little player who is a legit .300 guy hitting behind Albert and Holliday, so the RBI opps should be there.
CC Sabathia - traditional slow starter so I'm not worried, but I just can't watch his outings. He gives me anxiety. Another guy though who's numbers will just be there in the end, traditional July+ stud.
Dan Haren - I think I pissed off the pitching gods somewhere along the lines. Haren's about as automatic as it gets and yet he is single handedly killing my staff. I am praying this is the year he has a monster 2nd half, otherwise he will be my demise.
James Shields - having a monster bounceback season after 2 years in decline. The strikeouts are back and he's playing for the best offense in baseball. K's and wins? Yes please.
Ricky Nolasco - been awful for me since the trade. No other analysis really, not too worried yet.
Scott Baker - screw this guy. Not sure why I continue to start him. 5 earned in 5 innings vs KC last night. Thanks for nothing Scotty.
Octavio Dotel - been an under the radar great closer. Getting me strikeouts and a decent amount of saves for a terrible Pirates team. Everyone hates him. I like him, he can play for me any day.
Billy Wagner - this dude throws hot fire. Underrated top 5 closer.
Rafael Soriano - doing alright, getting the save opps as expected on this awesome Rays team. Where are the K's though? He had 102 last year. He is way, way off that pace.
I just picked up Max Scherzer for $11 (about 50% of my remaining budget) after his 14 strikeout game, then started him vs KC where he got rocked, and then benched him yesterday for a great outing vs Chicago. I don't see this ending well for me.
I've been spot starting Gio Gonzalez a bit and I gotta tell you, ,this kid can pitch. Big fan.
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010
One-Third Poll
Aside number two - it wasn't the best week for my keeper team either, I went from being in first by a decent amount to 2nd and trailing by as many as 10 points at one point. But thanks to a six homer, 20 rbi night last night and a little slippage from the 1st place squad, I narrowed the lead back down to three. I have about a 10 point lead on the next cluster of the 3-4-5 teams, which is nice. Very optimistic here - but the crazy point swings goes to show you that it is still relatively early, there is a ton of baseball left, and anything can happen.
Now onto the bad news. First off: more injuries. Not only more injuries, but they are to my same two guys! Nelson Cruz went back on the disabled list with another hamstring injury (different leg) while Brett Anderson went back on with the same strained forearm. If I had just taken out fantasy insurance on these guys....
Anyway - Aramis Ramirez is a shell of his former self while he still bats under .200 and he is about to hit the DL also. Good times! With all that said I am still sitting at 95.5 points in 6th place. 1st place is still chillin' up there with 126.5 points (although he has been as high as 134, so hopefully he is on the downturn the whole league is hoping for) and 2nd place has 107. So I am still very much in the running for the money, if not championship because as I said above, there is still a whole lotta baseball to be played.
The good news about my team is twofold, I still love my roster as a whole and think it is just one hot streak away from taking off. I think for the most part my team has not played that well and is fortunate enough to be in the position it is currently in. Then, as you will see below, in about half of the categories I am in these clusters where all it will take is a good night or two to break away from the pack and gain bundles of points at a time. I just need to hang in and stay focused and pray that this hot streak comes sooner than later. Here is the category breakdown:
Well, first off, I should say that I have 68.5 offensive points - second most in the league - but only 27 pitching points - 4th worst in the league - so right away you can tell where I need to improve.
Batting Avg - 6th place/9 points. Respectable, but still room to grow. As a team we're hitting .275 while the leader of the pack is .279. That is certainly attainable so I believe I can easily gain anywhere from one to five points with some good hitting.
Homers - Tied for 5th/9.5 points. There is a crazy cluster here. First place has 88, i have 83, and the 8th place team has 80. Power is down across the league this year so this category can stay tight all season. With Nelson Cruz coming back next week and Aramis Ramirez rumored to be dusting off his corps after the all-star break, I expect a little power streak to come and could easily see myself getting to the top here, gaining up to another 4.5 points. Boom.
Runs - First/14 points. 30 run lead on the next guy. Comfortable for now but you never know. But if my offense only gets better, as I expect, then an increase in runs should coincide and ideally I never have to worry here.
RBI - 6th place/8 points. Hurting. This is one spot where 5 weeks of Nelson Cruz on the DL has really hurt me. Oh and 10 weeks of A-Ram sucking (have I mentioned that yet?). Even worse, I am nowhere near 5th place, currently 17 rbi's behind him and only 2 ahead of 7th place. So this is one category where I just need to shut my eyes and let nature take its course and hope that over the next few months I will steadily improve here. Again, the return of Ol' Nelly will only help as he is an rbi machine.
Steals - First/14 points. 6 steal lead on 2nd place. As I had hoped. You know I just like to draft guys who all chip in 20+ steals and the sum of the parts is usually pretty impressive. The only bad part is that it may come down to me needing to trade speed for power at some point and since all of my guys chip in, meaning I don't have a Juan Pierre-type speed ace, it may be more difficult to pull off a deal. We'll cross that bridge later though.
Total Bases + Walks - First/14 points. 24 base lead over 2nd place, which is nothing and could change in a day. This is one category that is near impossible to analyze. Happy I'm here but no guarantee I stay.
Now onto the gross part: pitching.
ERA: 8th place/7 points with a 3.8 mark. Eh. The deeper we get into the season the harder it is to improve ratios. Here's hoping.
Strikeouts: 8th place/7 points. Currently in a crazy cluster where I can gain or lose 6 points any given night depending on my pitchers' performance as well as my opponents'. Last week Cole Hamels and Bret Anderson combined for 2 2/3 innings pitched due to rain and injury. That screwed me out of at least ten much needed strikeouts. Bummer. Again, just need a little hot streak here and I can gain big time.
Saves: 8th place/7 points. 24 saves, middle of the pack. Who knows, these things come in bunches and I feel like I haven't had one in forever, so maybe I have a nice saves run on deck.
Wins: Tied for last/2 points. Yuk. Can't chase wins, just have to pray. On the bright side I'm 7 wins out of 2nd place, so hoping there's a run to made here too.
WHIP: 12th place/3 points. Climbed out of the cellar here with some decent outings lately. Can realistically gain one point here in the near term and then there are three teams in the next tier I have my sights on. Very optimistic, but if I have a chance at this I am going to need my pitching to get hot.
We will see. More to come.
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