My keeper league standings are simply out of control. In the last few days I've been in second place with a deficit as large as six points, in first place by as many as two points, and every where in between. It seems that every single play in every single game somehow affects the standings. There are more than seven weeks left in the season which means I am going to develop an ulcer by the time all is said and done.
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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Wedding Dresses
Remote Pc Access Software
Indy 500
Nursery Valances
Project Management office
Dog Obedience Training
Boys Bike
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Baptism gift
Friday, August 13, 2010
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Trades Help
Since I went on a trading spree last week things are starting to look up. Cool HWIP is now up to 98 points, up from 89ish since I made my first trade. Also, first place has gone from 124ish all the way down to 115. So with 8 full weeks left I find myself only 17 points out of first place. SEVENTEEN. Just two weeks ago I was a good 35 out, so I'm halfway there. The key is for the first place team to stay down in the 110-115 range as I think there are 17 points for me to gain - anything more than that would be too much to ask for.
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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Garmin Forerunner 405cx Review
Longcase Clocks
Garmin Forerunner 50
automated affiliate formula
Polar rs300x
Garmin 205 Sports Watch
Reverse Telephone Directory
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camping tables
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...
toronto ontario business guide
Garmin Forerunner 405cx Review
Longcase Clocks
Garmin Forerunner 50
automated affiliate formula
Polar rs300x
Garmin 205 Sports Watch
Reverse Telephone Directory
fort lauderdale auto insurance quote
camping tables
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Auction or Draft
Fantasy baseball has been around, in one form or another, for three decades now. In that time the hobby has undergone a number of face lifts which seem to always accommodate the fantasy football/instant gratification crowd. Rotisserie leagues, the traditional format, are now being changed to point scoring head to head formats. This is done so the fantasy football crowd can equivocate a home run to a touchdown and check their win-loss record weekly instead of enjoying the six month marathon that is the rotisserie baseball season. American League Only and National League Only baseball formats are now more commonly converged into Mixed League settings.
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
Bonefishing Bahamas
Ford Figo Review
Mini Projector
Rosacea Skincare Products UK
automated affiliate formula
Fence for Dogs
Micro Brewery
wooden kitchen
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
Bonefishing Bahamas
Ford Figo Review
Mini Projector
Rosacea Skincare Products UK
automated affiliate formula
Fence for Dogs
Micro Brewery
wooden kitchen
Auction or Draft
Fantasy baseball has been around, in one form or another, for three decades now. In that time the hobby has undergone a number of face lifts which seem to always accommodate the fantasy football/instant gratification crowd. Rotisserie leagues, the traditional format, are now being changed to point scoring head to head formats. This is done so the fantasy football crowd can equivocate a home run to a touchdown and check their win-loss record weekly instead of enjoying the six month marathon that is the rotisserie baseball season. American League Only and National League Only baseball formats are now more commonly converged into Mixed League settings.
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
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
Fantasy baseball has been around, in one form or another, for three decades now. In that time the hobby has undergone a number of face lifts which seem to always accommodate the fantasy football/instant gratification crowd. Rotisserie leagues, the traditional format, are now being changed to point scoring head to head formats. This is done so the fantasy football crowd can equivocate a home run to a touchdown and check their win-loss record weekly instead of enjoying the six month marathon that is the rotisserie baseball season. American League Only and National League Only baseball formats are now more commonly converged into Mixed League settings.
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
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
Fantasy baseball has been around, in one form or another, for three decades now. In that time the hobby has undergone a number of face lifts which seem to always accommodate the fantasy football/instant gratification crowd. Rotisserie leagues, the traditional format, are now being changed to point scoring head to head formats. This is done so the fantasy football crowd can equivocate a home run to a touchdown and check their win-loss record weekly instead of enjoying the six month marathon that is the rotisserie baseball season. American League Only and National League Only baseball formats are now more commonly converged into Mixed League settings.
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
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
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Doc Squared
Right after I was fortunate enough to swing a deal for the great Roy Halladay I was doubly lucky to get him in my redraft league as well. To recap, I have the most hitting points in this league and the least pitching points and sit in 5th or 6th place depending on the day, about 30 points out of first. I traded for Yovani Gallardo last week and he's been great for me so far, but he won't be enough for me to make a serious run for the money.
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.
bunk bed tent
www.factorydirectsecurityseals.com
www.dankennedydownloads.com
triple threat muscle
Silk Floral Arrangements
Rent Video Games Online
Confidentiality Letter
automated affiliate formula
automated affiliate formula review
video sales letter formula
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.
bunk bed tent
www.factorydirectsecurityseals.com
www.dankennedydownloads.com
triple threat muscle
Silk Floral Arrangements
Rent Video Games Online
Confidentiality Letter
automated affiliate formula
automated affiliate formula review
video sales letter formula
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Done Deal
I did it. I finally did it. With the trade deadline rapidly approaching in my keeper league, I contacted about 6 different teams looking to work a deal out. I am in a dog fight for first place and I really needed an impact player. Enter: Roy 'Doc' Halladay. I somehow pulled off a ten player deal, sending out seven players and getting three in return all while keeping the salaries balanced which keeps me under the salary cap. Here was the 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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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.
direct mail marketing
container seal
www.memorizemarketing.com
iPhone Car Stereo Review
iphone vehicle integration
security seals
Dan Kennedy
Buy Digital Cameras Online
hemorrhoids treatment
granite countertops minnesota
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