1999 to 2007 - Part I
By Carl in the Bay State
Last year, I tried to answer the question ‘Does Coors have an effect on the pitcher, enough to affect their next performance?’ Little did I know it was going to be so excruciating just to get the correct data for 2006, the season upon which my exercise was based.
And, after obtaining the data, I had to run analysis on it, decide on acceptable formulae for the analysis, graph it, and write it up. This left me no time to prepare for my fantasy leagues, as I had to go right into my drafts for 2007 totally unprepared for anything other than knowing which pitchers look the best at Coors!
So, what do I do this year? I tell Bob in Cleveland and GP that I will update and expand it using more years. They did not put a gun to my head; promise me the first pick in my draft, nothing. Was I nuts to attempt to do this again?
By Jesse Severe
League 3
Normally, in this space, I identify and lionize those little-discussed middle relievers sitting on your waiver wire who can provide short-term help to your strikeouts and ratios. Two weeks ago, I told you about an exciting rookie lefty, Mitch Stetter. He had a 1.69 ERA at the time, 15 strikeouts and only four walks in 9 and 2/3 innings, and seemed the unlikely rock in the meltdown that is the Milwaukee bullpen.
By the time, Up the Middle published that Friday, Stetter had one outing with four walks and an earned run in 2/3 of an inning and another with three walks and an earned run in 1/3 of an inning. By the weekend, he was back pitching for my local Nashville Sounds.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
Buying Low and Selling High: A Primer
Buying low and selling high is a basic working principle of any business, and your fantasy team is no different. We talk a lot about buying low and selling high when trading, but what does that actually mean, and how can one be more successful at it? It’s easier said than done, that’s for certain. You can think you bought low or sold high, only to have the exact opposite results.
There are a lot of factors that can determine whether you’re buying or selling, low or high. Your place in the standings, your league’s construction and tendencies, team health, team depth and needs are just a few factors to consider. Here are some words of advice to ponder when considering a “buy low” or “sell high” situation.
By Terry Mahoney
Cappo, League 13
One of the most popular storylines in the early season has been the emergence of Edinson Volquez of the Cincinnati Reds. He has put up gaudy numbers as one of the few bright spots on a struggling Cincinnati roster. At first, Volquez was overshadowed by the dominance of Johnny Cueto. As Cueto fell off, however, Volquez remained consistent, allowing no one to argue with his performance. Well, maybe no one.
By Butters in D.C.
League 14
League 16
I had the pleasure of walking around my favorite city in the country recently, New York City. Specifically, I was in Manhattan, in Times Square, going to get my favorite cookie from the Roxy Deli. I started out at the bottom of Times Square, around 42nd and Broadway, and made my way to the Roxy, which is located at about 47th and Broadway.
Sounds simple right? Well, to navigate my way up those few short blocks, I had to maneuver my way around a street band, between vendors selling roasted nuts that always smell way better than they taste, and through the crush of humanity walking straight for me at every corner.
How does all of this relate to fantasy baseball you ask? Well, I saw it as a metaphor for all of the obstacles we face as fantasy GMs. The street band, the food vendor, and the mass of people each represent an obstacle in the fantasy baseball world. Follow along, and I’ll tell you what they are and how to avoid them.
with Chris from Atlanta
League 17
Week #8
Last week at this time, I was sucking down Coronas in Key West with the wife. I diligently spent all day Tuesday going through and setting my roster for each day I would be away from “the Internets.”
I was moving starters in and out as needed. I even tried to plan for rainouts by keeping starters in an extra day. It was the perfect plan. That is, until I saw the news Wednesday morning on ESPN (I told my wife that it was the Internet or ESPN - but not both). I didn’t plan on Ryan Doumit breaking his thumb! I knew that Paulino was available on the wire, but I had no way to pick him up!
It wasn’t until Thursday afternoon that I realized I could access the Sporting News site on my Blackberry. So there I was, in the Southern-most part of the United States, sitting in my hotel room, trying to pick up a #2 catcher on a 2″ x 2″ screen. Fantasy baseball … you gotta to love it!
By Richard Schortemeyer III
What an interesting first interleague weekend it was in MLB Land. It seemed to have woken up two sleeping giants as David Ortiz looks like Big Papi again and Adam Dunn looks to have regained his role as Mammoth HR Hitter.
It also gave the St. Louis Cardinals some magic as two straight late-inning heroic efforts helped them take the series against the Rays. It also amazingly saw a Battle of Mediocrity in NY? Yes, that’s right, as the locker room-split Mets swept the last place Yankees in a rain-shortened series.
In this special I-95 edition of “On the Record,” we’ll talk about a Jayson who’s proving his ‘Werth’ in Philly, a Tiny Tim making huge contributions in D.C., and a Wild Thing finally looking controlled in Baltimore.
By The Jersey Hitman
League 6
League 17
Holy broken baseball bats, Batman! Mike Piazza retired! I wish I could find a catcher today that could hit the way he could. And I wish the Yankees could find someone that could hit. Something is missing in the Bronx: in the words of Paul Simon, “Where have you gone, Joe Torre?” Well - something like that.
By Sean in DC
As Mafia league members, you wanted to be part of the best, join the elite, be a gang member, and separate yourself from the Average fantasy-playing Joe. Has this happened yet?
What I am guessing, for most of you, is that you are finding out that, yes, playing in a Mafia league is tough because everyone takes the game seriously. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone here plays the game the same way.
By Gabriel Lundeen
Cappo, League 10
Let’s face it, fantasy baseball owners are a fickle bunch. Sometimes it’s by necessity, sometimes it’s misguided, but most of the time we’re just adapting to an ever-changing landscape, trying to gain an edge in a world of volatility.
We tend to either overhype a young player and create unrealistic expectations he cannot possibly meet or completely write an established star off the moment he has a bad year.
Let’s take a look at this trade, coming out of League 4, involving three players who know what it’s like to be on the bad end of our fickle nature.