By Gregory Mann
Cappo, League 5
Okay, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, it’s that time of year again … when the NFL season intrudes on the final month of baseball season. Chances are good that it WILL affect your fantasy baseball league.
Unless you are in a league with completely die-hard baseball fans, there’s not much you can do when the bottom 1/3 to 1/2 of your league switches its attention to fantasy football. Or is there?
By Greg Mann
Cappo, League 5
Many times winning a fantasy baseball league depends on quick decisions.
Be the first to pick up a Ryan Braun when he is called up from the minors. Be the first to pick up Ryan Franklin when Jason Isringhausen is yanked from the closer role. Be the first to pick up a player who is starting a hot streak. Be the first to make an offer to an owner with players on the trading block.
But there are also times when patience can be a key to winning, and while that sounds like an obvious statement, sometimes it’s hard to practice patience in a game that often requires urgency.
By Greg Mann
Cappo, League 5
What do the following statements have in common?
MLB.com Headline: Fukudome outshines Ichiro
ESPN broadcaster: “Pedroia may be just 5′9″, but his (offensive) numbers could go sky high.”
ESPN analyst: “Yes, I do think the Cubs will win their first World Series in 100 years.”
ESPN broadcaster: “Mickey Lolich was the last Detroit lefty to win 20 games in a season, but (Kenny) Rogers and (Dontrelle) Willis have a good chance of doing it this year.”
The answer is that all of these statements have been made within the last month. Yes, even though the season hadn’t even started yet, people in the media were speculating … again … about possibilities and probabilities.
Of course, that IS their job; but if you want to own a winning fantasy team, you have to decide which hype to believe and which hype to ignore.
By Greg Mann
League 5
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Chicago Cubs are the consensus picks to win the NL’s Central division in 2008, and whomever doesn’t win the division is a favorite to snag the Wild Card. But hope springs eternal (no pun intended), and we also find a lot of enthusiasm in Cincinnati this year. Will Dusty Baker’s arrival save the Reds and push them into contention this season?
By Greg Mann