By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Greetings, fellow Mafia members!
We made it! Finally, we can put the 2008 fantasy baseball season to bed. Champions have been crowned, keeper lists have been submitted, and the playoffs are about to begin! Oh, and for you hardcore fanatics … you know, the ones who are drafting in playoff fantasy baseball leagues, good luck!
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
On the way to building ‘The Wire Tap Top 60′ last off-season, our team of skilled fantasy baseball “professionals” predicted the performance of over 100 Major League ballplayers. At the time, I thought, ‘Holy smokes. That’s a lot of guys … and a whole lot of work!’ In hindsight, however, I was glad we did it as it gave me a huge head start on 2008 draft preparation.
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Coming into the 2008 season, the only league in which I had anywhere near a high 1st round draft pick was the Fantasy 411 Paul C. Smith Listener League. There, I had the 6th pick out of 13 teams, so, naturally, I knew that any hopes of grabbing A-Rod, Han-Ram or Jose Reyes were less than faint. I suspected that they would go with the first three picks, which they did, so that left me to focus on the next group of likely suspects.
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
“Hanley Ramirez had arthroscopic surgery Wednesday to repair his injured left shoulder. Ramirez has had to deal with the shoulder popping out of the joint a few times over the past couple of years. This should prevent that from happening in the future.”
Don’t panic, Han-Ram owners! The above statement was actually reported by RotoWorld LAST OCTOBER to describe the rather shaky way that Ramirez finished his tremendous 2007 season. Good thing he had that surgery, though. I mean, surely he’s gotten his health all sorted out now … hasn’t he?
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
If you went into your fantasy draft this year agonizing over who was more worthy of the 2nd overall pick, Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes, you’re in luck! You may be in that very same position again in 2009.
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Let’s dive into “The 3 Rs” … reading, ‘riting, and ‘rithmetic. Oh, come on, gimme’ a break. You knew I couldn’t resist! OK. How about Major League Baseball’s “trinity” of shortstops? Does that make you feel better?
This trio made up three-fifths of my pre-season ‘Top 5′. How do my projections stack up against reality? Let’s look at the player who I was sure would be the #2 player in the game …
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
It’s that time of year already, fellow Mafia members. It’s ‘keeper time’! Get your “Lists of 12″ ready because the end of the season isn’t just the day that this year’s champions are crowned … it’s also the day that you take your first step into the 2009 season. Make sure that first step is a good one.
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
I know what you’re thinking. The trade deadline has passed. There’s nothing more you can do for your team, and now it’s time to turn your attention to bigger and better things … namely, fantasy football.
At this time of year, fantasy football’s siren song starts howling loud and clear, seducing us into leaving our baseball teams to manage themselves. Don’t let it happen, I tell you!
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Greetings, fellow Mafia members. We’re right on top of the MLB trade deadline, so let’s jump into some trade analysis. These two come from the Paul C. Smith (MLB Fantasy 411) Listener League … a 13-team, 5 x 5, vanilla, non-keeper league. Let’s dig in!
By Bob in Cleveland
League 4
Here we are. Smack dab in the “dog days of summer”. Dog days of summer. What the heck does that even mean, anyway? According to Wikipedia, this well-worn “phrase … refers to the hottest, most sultry days of summer. They are a phenomenon of the northern hemisphere that usually falls between early July and early September …” Yep. These are the “dog days”. But they’re not the dog days of the fantasy baseball season. At least they better not be …