I decided to make the leap this spring and become a two sport fantasy star by joining a fantasy baseball league. You can call me Bo Jackson.
The first step was to come up with a name – Upper Deckers seemed appropriate, but since I am new to the league I need to feel out the league before going with something that, albeit fun, could offend someone. So I settle on a very generic “Green Monstah’s”. Keep that on the down-low though, because if the Fenway suits find out about I will probably have to pay some royalty.
Next up is the keeper draft with another new owner and then a two day auction draft. And what better way to enjoy all the festivities than with a running log! Away we go. . . .
Thursday, March 26th 10PM – I finished looking over the 96 players available to us (me and the other new owner) and made a list of 16 players that I am interested in keeping.
We’re going to snake draft to get our eight after looking over the teams I think I want to pick #2, even though Cliff Lee at $2 is the best of the bunch. I want to nab Carlos Gomez ($2) and Ricky Nolasco ($2) at 2 and 3. Other potential keepers:
Evan Longoria ($15), Kevin Youkilis ($16), Brad Lidge ($13), Nate McLouth ($10), BJ Upton ($16), Jacoby Ellsbury ($17), Mark DeRosa ($4), Joey Votto ($10), Andre Eithier ($2), BJ Ryan $13, Jair Jurrens ($2) and Corey Hart $8.
I have a chance to keep but decide to forgo the following players –
Jimmy Rollins – $53 is just too much, even for a guy like Rollins. My guess is I can get him cheaper in the auction.
Russell Martin and Brian McCann – both $25 and too much for a catcher, even though the position is thin I cannot see spending that kind of money on a guy who will only play 140 max.
Brandon Webb – $36, no way. First off, I am going with the philosophy that I need one stud pitcher and I have already decided that is going to be Johan Santana.
I was tempted to keep Pedro Martinez at $20, but once I confirmed that his stats in the Dominican summer league wouldn’t count, I backed off. Look out here comes a bottle (or any other inanimate object within Pedro’s reach) up and in!
Friday, March 27th 12:13 PM – No surprise as Prestige Worldwide (the other team), selects Cliff Lee with the number #1 pick and we are off.
Friday, March 27th 12:27 PM – The Monstahs grab Ricky Nolasco and Carlos Gomez, I am succeeding in keeping payroll down.
Friday, March 27th 1:24 PM – Ouch! I just got the email with Prestige’s 2nd and 3rd picks – Evan Longoria ($15) and Brad Lidge ($13). I wanted both of these guys – but I supposed I can live without the A-Rod wanna-be. Seriously, if you watch silhouettes of both Longoria and A-Roid, you couldn’t tell the two apart.
I really can’t hold it against him, however, since I can see how a young kid growing up in the late 90s/early 2000s would idolize A-Fraud. And once he had his ritual down, he can’t change it without fear of slumping so bad that even the 6,134 Tampa Bay fans would start booing.
I select Kevin Youkilis ($16) and Nate McClouth ($10). By the way, last week at this time if you asked me who Nate McClouth was, the odds were 50/50 that I would have said he is a character on Lost.
Friday, March 27th 2:05 PM – The next round of picks is complete – Prestige adds BJ Upton ($16) and Jason Werth ($2). I completely over-looked Werth, but that might end up paying off handsomely. Upton is a great deal at $16, but I was leery about him because he is hurt and he got benched three times last year for lack of effort. Still if this kid explodes like he is capable, he will be a below market $24 next year and only $33 in 2011. Hang on, can I go back and re-consider? I liked this idea of selecting keepers from a couple teams better when it was just me!
I take Jacoby Ellsbury ($17) and Mark DeRosa ($4). DeRosa is qualified at just about every position, including hot dog vendor. Ellsbury is a little pricey at $17, but he has a couple things going for him – 1. stolen bases and 2. hopefully runs at the top of the order. How much would Ellsbury go for in this league if we added a stat category for “number of teenage girls that think he’s dreamy”?
Friday, March 27th 2:52 PM – The keeper draft ends with my selections of BJ Ryan ($13) and Jair Jurrens ($2) or “JJ”. When you think of the initials JJ and the corresponding names, where does Jair Jurrens fall? After about a million other JJs, right? The first name that comes to mind isn’t even a true JJ – Jimmie Walker. But then you think Jimmy Jackson or Johnny Johnson and somewhere in the hundreds would be Joe Jacoby and June Jones. Then around 1000 would start with the silent “J” guys like Jeff Jaeger and Jose Jimenez.
Final grade – C+, I like Prestige’s team better, but I really wanted Gomez and Nolasco and I don’t think I get them unless I give up that first pick. I am really hoping that those two are “keeper worthy” for the next five years.
Monday, March 30th 6:54PM – Work was ridiculous today and got in the way of my draft preparation. So I feel un-prepared, but I am figuring that tonight will be the bigger name guys that I know and by Wednesday I will have time to figure out the name of the Padres starting 2nd basemen.
Monday, March 30th 7:08 PM – So we are using Skype, a free Internet calling service, to conference everyone together, but we’re having problems. The sound is amazingly clear and sensitive. I am a little nervous partly because I am now realizing that I don’t know as much about baseball as I thought and partly because my buddy, who got me in the league, told me right before “these guys really know their stuff”. Oh great, I am going to be “that guy” who after the draft everyone asks me if I have friends that are interesting in playing.
Monday, March 30th 7:15 PM – Whew, one owner no shows so I get an hour reprieve to work on my draft strategy.
Monday, March 30th 7:45 PM – Fifteen more minutes – the suspense is killing me – I feel kind of like being un-prepared for a mid-term, but I am cocky enough to think logic my way through. The delay has served two purposes – one it gave me time to “cram” and it should push quite a few lesser known players to Day II of the fantasy draft. By the way, I love the two day draft concept. And I would implement this in my fantasy football league, if I didn’t enjoy showing up on draft day with my championship belt and trophy in-tow every year. That’s right, I had to get that out – I am a two time defending champ in my fantasy football league!
Monday, March 30th 8:02 PM – Oh no, I cannot get connected to the call and it looks like they have started. I hope I don’t miss out on anyone I really want – if that happens I might have to save all my money and load up on the top 32 prospects on day II. I might be the laughing stock this year – but I will dominate in the years to come. Hey wait, that might not be a bad strategy.
Monday, March 30th 8:11 PM – I finally get connected and sure enough two players are already off the board – David Wright and Chase Utley. No big deal, I wasn’t interested in either guy at the price they went.
Monday, March 30th 8:18 PM – The catchers are gone – Brian McCann and Russell Martin. I might be naïve, but to me Catchers in baseball are like quarterbacks in football – sure you need a good one to compete but they are more random than other positions.
Monday, March 30th 8:22 PM – We have worked our way through the first eight picks and nothing for me so far. I am waiting on Johan Santana, who is my big pitching target. Jimmy Rollins is gone leaving a void at shortstop – I guess my guy is going to have to be Derek Jeter. Yea right!
Monday, March 30th 8:31 PM – The Monstah’s welcome Matt Holliday as their first ever purchase in a live draft – hmm, everyone seems scared off by Holliday’s (I got him for $31, which is $3 less than I was willing to pay) move from Coors field to Anti-Virus field (aka, “the place where hitters go to die”). I wouldn’t let little details like that get in my way. Plus, now I have this classic jingle all summer – “if I took a Holliday, oh yea, oh yea, he will be, he will be, so nice“. Time to start looking for an Oakland A’s Holliday jersey (see the jersey column, coming soon!).
Monday, March 30th 8:35 PM – Practically back-to-back, Alfonso Soriano is now a member of the Monstah’s, slight overpay, but I love Alfonso. I hate to admit this, but I even liked this guy when he was with the Yankees. I was so happy when they traded him.
You have to wonder how a guy that talented has been with just about every team in the league. Perplexing!
Monday, March 30th 8:45 PM – Whew, I got Johan Santana, paid more than I wanted but “I am loving me some of auction draft”. I have let some players go by that I should have gone a bit higher, but my plan was to stick to my budget number unless I was in a big jam. So far I am over budget by $3 and got everyone I wanted except for Jimmy Rollins.
Monday, March 30th 8:55 PM – Finally a chance to take a bathroom break, as Alex Rodriguez is nominated!
Rant Alert: In all honesty, if this league were made up of me and 10 clones of me, Alex Rodriguez would go un-nominated or purchased. The white hot passionate vitriol I have for A-Roid is matched only by the intensity of a googol suns. The thing is I hate the Yankees, but I can live with several of their players – especially their home grown guys like Jeter, Posada, Pettite and Riveria. I could also see Nady or Cano ending up on my team. But a dirt bag like Rodriguez will never be on my team. I would have trouble owning him, if he weren’t on the Yankees, but the combination of him and the Yankees makes him the least desirable player to own in all of fantasy sports, narrowly ahead of Terrell Owens and Tony Stewart.
Even though I am hyper-competitive, fantasy sports should be fun and entertaining and it is no fun to root for guys who are pathetic individuals. I learned this lesson with Terrell Owens in football – yes, he helped me win a title but at the end of the season it just wasn’t as much fun as winning with guys you truly like.
And A-Turd goes for an unbelievable $33, which is about $7 over market and $45 over what I would pay for him. You really have to ask the question – if “Mr. April” misses April, does he have value?
Monday, March 30th 9:15 PM – I am bidding on just about every nominee, but by holding to my budget, I am getting notched on every one of them.
Man, when I look at the rosters I see some unbelievable good teams with keepers alone. Unfortunately, one of them is not mine. The Dutchies team has the following keepers:
Ryan Howard $13 – roughly $20 under market
Ryan Braun $4 – ~$30 under market
Tim Linceum $4 – ~$25 under market
Shane Victorino $4 – ~$15 under market
So that extra $90 enabled them to overpay for Chase Utley $39 (not a bad overpay, but when you have that flexibility was there any doubt he would have gone higher to get Utley) and Victor Martinez $17. And slightly over-pay for Amaris Ramirez and Francisco Liriano. I wanted Liriano and set my budget for him at $15, when it came down to me and Dutchies, who bid $16, I felt like I had no chance, they have the flexibility to bid me out of the race or stick me with a number I don’t want to pay.
However, I love that about the keeper leagues, too often fantasy players are worried about getting stuck with a perpetual bad team, while another owner is stacked, so leagues, especially football, have limited keepers which really never come into play. I understand that a guy who has, say Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Jay Cutler, Andre Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald, would be dominant for a few years and probably scare other others away.
That sort of system, like this fantasy baseball league, gives you a chance to dominate the league for multiple years. And next year Dutchies will have the same four guys mentioned above for $44 combined dollars – still ~$70 under the likely market value. That team is setup nicely for the next couple years, as they will, barring career-type injury, have a no-brainer decision on Lincecum and Braun until 2013!
Monday, March 30th 9:28 PM – I so badly wanted to nominate C.C. Sabathia for $1, but I don’t know these guys well enough. You can read about my feelings about Sabathia and Burnett in my MLB prediction column, but let’s just say I see Sabathia as a major bust this year.
I know there is a Yanks fan in the league, Yanks Fan26, who might take offense to my absurd nomination of $1 for a pitcher of C.C. stature.
Off topic, I assume that “YanksFan26″ has had the name since Year 2000. I got dibs on the name “YanksFan27″, which will be passed down to my great grandson, who can use the name somewhere around 2062.
Monday, March 30th 9:45 PM – So I decide to overpay for, of all players, Scott Zazmir and John Lackey. What in the heck am I doing? This portion of the auction needs to end and I need to re-group.
My biggest fear tonight – nominating a player who is going to miss the year with injury for a price higher than a $1. I nominated JoHonny Peralta for $5 and all I heard was crickets for what seemed like a minute. Meanwhile I am scurry over to CBSSportsline to see if he is injured. Whew, I am off the hook!
Monday, March 30th 10:05 PM – Auction day #1 is over, thankfully. In addition to being ill prepared, I was dealing with some major work issues. No excuses, but I ended up with only five players on day 1. And I am in a real jam at SS – the only viable guy left is Tulowitzki, who I have a budgeted at $9. Five teams still need a shortstop, the chances are very high that at least one of them is in on Tulo. Nevertheless I am going to pay whatever it takes to get him.
Wednesday, April 1st 7:58 PM – OK, I have done some major homework and I am ready to get rolling. $69 left for a minimum of 10 players – my wish list for day II:
Troy Tulowitzki (I wonder if his middle name is Irwin) – $9
Aaron Harang – $7
Erik Bedard – $7
Yovani Gallardo – $7
Fausto Carmona – $7
Jorge Posada – $2
Jason Varitek – $1
Edwin Encarnacion – $5
Hank Blaylock – $3/Mike Lowell – $2/Mike Jacobs – $2
Robinson Cano – $7/Jed Lowrie – $4
That would leave me with $15 or so to spend on a couple prospects. Let’s get rolling.
Wednesday, April 1st 8:12 PM – The draft is underway after another round of trying to get Skype up and everyone on the call. I miss out on Cano, who is the first player nominated, he goes for $10.
Good news I can take a bathroom break, as the next player up is Joba Chamberlain.
One would think that I could at least tolerate Chamberlain, being that he is a Husker, but here is the deal with Jo-boo:
- The obvious and automatic hatred – he is a Yankee.
- I don’t like they way he looks. And to be fair I never liked the way Clemens looked either, so I was always conflicted about rooting for him when he was with the Red Sox. I get that many baseball players look more like Norm from Cheers and less like Evander Holyfield, but in addition to looking like frumpy three-toed sloths both Joba and Raja have that look like they had their ear twisted for a quarter in grade school and are still bitter about it now.
- But mostly, I think it’s because he was never anything close to this good at Nebraska. It’s like he had one of those fluke surgeries after leaving NU and all of a sudden he had more elasticity in his should and could throw 99 MPH, thus making his other pitches virtually un-hittable. I guarantee if he was anything like this at Nebraska they would have won the College World Series. So I guess you call that sour grapes!
Wednesday, April 1st 8:18 PM – Very bad news, there are very few good shortstops left and they’re in big demand. Michael Young, who isn’t even a starting shortstop, just went for $10. And Tulo just got nominated – here we go – the bidding is crazy – already over ($14) what I wanted to pay ($9), now $16 – I have no limit – I backed myself into a corner and I need a productive SS. So I have $53 left for 9 players, bargain basement time, but at least now I have chant “do-do, do-do-do, do-do-do-do TULO!”
Wednesday, April 1st 8:25 PM – My turn to nominate a player – I choose Huston Street, who I have no desire to get but I want to try and burn off some of this money these other owners seemingly have an endless supply. There is no chatter, I begin wonder if Street’s arm fell off today – finally a bid and I am again off the hook.
Wednesday, April 1st 8:29 PM – I can tell by the early bidding that the owners are willing to spend money on guys they want – more bids and players are going for over what their value is – example Placido Polanco for $6. My turn – Juan “nice job” Pierre for $3, wow I luck out someone was willing to go $4
Wednesday, April 1st 8:35 PM – Strike me down with lighting – I just picked up Whore-Hey Pussada. Hey at $4 he is a bargain, he is just one year removed the best numbers of his career. Now if I can get Varitek, I will have the tag-team of old washed up catchers.
Wednesday, April 1st 8:38 PM – Crap, I lost out on Erik Bedard, who will probably end up on a contender at the trade deadline. Maybe I can trade for him. What that means is I have to get two of the following: Carmona, Gallardo or Brad Penny
Wednesday, April 1st 8:54 PM – Not much action in the past 16 minutes – except now Chris Young goes for $13!!! Wow! Brandon Inge for $5 – yikes I am sitting on $49 for eight players – and just about every player is now going for at least $6. I was really hoping to load up on $1 prospects at the end of the draft, now I might be lucky to fill my roster.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:00 PM – The first guy who is virtually out of money – RHAPS – 3 spots and $5 left – now I wish everyone was in the spot and I could cherry-pick my guys.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:05 PM – Chone Figgins for $13 pretty much sums up what is going on right now – $14 final price – My partial wish list:
Edwin Encarnacion – $8 – I really don’t that much about him, but I know that he will help me score double points in Scattergories.
Kelly Johnson – $5, cross him off the list he goes for $6 as I am typing
Mike Lowell – $3 – I can see a bounce back year from him, but what a risk – I still remember the way he was limped around the field in the ALDS against the Angels, for goodness sake even one of the Molina brothers could’ve beaten a bunt out on him.
Jorge Cantu – $6 – This Marlins offense is very under-rated
Jason Varitek – $1 or Chris Snyder $2
Hank Blaylock – $3 – A big sleeper this year
Wednesday, April 1st 9:08 PM – The 2007 World Series MVP for $2 – I still remember the RSN (Red Sox Nation) chanting “Re-Sign Lowell, Re-Sign Lowell”. He is now at home with the Monstah’s for a measly $2.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:16 PM – Dang, I thought I had Freddy Sanchez for $1 and then again for $3, but I get notched at $4. I really love all of these old Red Sox minor leaguers.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:21 PM – I got Fausto Carmona, so I am totally disregarding WHIP, hopefully that he can get that terrible taste of the 2007 ALCS out of his mouth. Seriously this guy hasn’t been the same since the $14 (J.D. Drew) million dollar grand slam in game 6.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:29 PM – This is like the end of fantasy football draft with questions like “who and where does he play” and “what team”. My wish list still has Cantu and Encarnacion. I am hoping to get Brad Penny and Clayton Kershaw.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:37 PM – The rook – Cameron Maybin – and the bidding goes crazy $7, no $8, up to $9. Which means to keep him next year it will cost $15. I guess if you pay $9 for him, you have to hope he not only develops this year but also produces enough to being significant.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:41 PM – Another Yankee joins the Monstah’s – Xavier Nady. Nady is tolerable simply because he hasn’t been with the Yankees long enough for me to develop an unhealthy hate for him.
Now is as good as time to unveil my Yankee un-touchable list (players that one will not find on my roster regardless of circumstance):
C.C. Sabathia – let’s see – he’s over-weight and over-extended himself for the final two months of 2008 season that sounds like a recipe for disaster.
A. J. Burnett – not a contract year for him, so he will be lucky to pitch 120 innings.
Mark Teixeira – I actually like him, er liked, but I cannot sell out with the Yankees prized free agent that they stole from under the Red Sox noses.
Quick note on the “Tex” signing – the Red Sox management really needed to shut their traps regarding this signing. The reality is the Red Sox wouldn’t budge on their 8/168 and the Yankees offered better. Everyone else moved on, but the Red Sox eight-headed management team felt compelled to play the victim card.
A-Rod/Joba/Jose Molina – for reasons detailed above
Johnny “Judas” Damon – Is this the year we find Johnny scattered amongst the debris of old Yankee stadium, with a split in half, frayed rope next to him?
Melky Cabrera – let’s just leave it at “I not a big fan”
Wednesday, April 1st 9:47 PM – Local boy Chris Synder is now a starting catcher on the Monstah’s, unable to get Varitek, I might end up better off with Synder.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:49 PM – Brad Penny joins the Monstah’s at $4. Keeping with a trend, I am big on bounce back players.
Recapping I have been frugal and still have $29 dollars to spend on four players, but I am hoping get at least 6 players for that.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:57 PM – Another rook, Colby Rasmus, is nominated for $1. I win him for $3, I literally know nothing about him except that he is listed on a top-25 prospects list. And for $3 I cannot pass him up.
I really need to get up to speed on the minors and prospects.
Wednesday, April 1st 9:57 PM – Another Yankee, Brett Gardner, which prompts a comment from a owner, “You are really loving those Yanks”. Yep, just like football – I love the Rams and Cardinals, but if Frank Gore can win me a championship, Frank Gore is my guy.
It’s just a matter of time before I am walking around with pinstriped, #2 jersey. I just threw up in my mouth!
I still have $20 left for two players – problem is, I am not sure there is a $10 player left.
Garland $6, Snider $5
Wednesday, April 1st 10:15 PM – Things were going slow, but the Monstah’s have filled their roster!!! – Jon Garland at $6 – nice sleeper pick and Travis Snider at $5. Snider is a heralded rookie from Toronto, who I am sure will torture the Red Sox 18 times this year.
Wednesday, April 1st 10:21 PM – Orlando Hudson and Mike Jacobs are the newest members of the Monstah’s – both for a buck!
Wednesday, April 1st 10:32 PM – Snake draft time – all players for a buck unless another owner wants the same guy – sweet I can afford six more players.
Wednesday, April 1st 10:44 PM – Last five picks – Kevin Kouzmanoff, Jonathan Sanchez, Casey Blake, Edwin Jackson and Chris Getz. I knew about three of these guys, but I have never heard of Chris Getz. I need to get out to a couple spring training games.
Wednesday, April 1st 10:47 PM – Finally I make my last pick, surprisingly there were still a ton of guys I thought were viable. My final pick – Andrew Miller, who I have been in love with since he was in college at UNC.
Final thoughts:
If there is a 7th place prize, then I think I have a legitimate chance to compete for it! I am little green, but I stuck to my game plan and if a couple guys pan out I might be all right.
Right now, however, I am thinking I will be dumping payroll around the deadline – Johan Santana, Alfonso Soriano and Matt Holliday might get me back some everyday, low priced keeper type players.
I also have a lot of prospects who if they pan out could really pay off next year. Honestly, I like three of four teams significantly better than mine and the rest are at least as good.
I will be better next year – like one lesson – having money at the end isn’t a good thing. Another, I really needed to put together my roster pre-draft with only a couple backup options. I did that for day II but that was after the studs were gone. There are times when you go the extra dollars for a guy if you want him and worry about money after the fact. Tulo was a prime example – in addition to be the only reasonable SS left, he has hands down the coolest name chant in the history of baseball. So I paid $7 over what I wanted and ventured into non-keeper range for next year.
I completely disregarded saves, so unless I find a waiver pickup that saves 30 or 40 games, I am guaranteed to finish last in that category.
That was incredibly fun and, despite a couple glitches with Skype, was run very efficiently. I will post some updates to how my season is going, like when the Mets bullpen blows a sure win for Santana or when Mike Lowell turns out to be “the corpse” of Mike Lowell
