Fantasy Baseball: Week 3 Head-to-Head Update

Err... not so good.

League 1: 5-5 (18-12-0)
League 2: 5-5 (15-15-0)
League 3: 3-7 (12-16-2)
League 4: 4-6 (17-12-1)

League 3 took a very big hit, thanks in no small part to Lidge and Valverde getting crushed. However, I only won 2 hitting categories, and that's what I was counting on with this strategy. The other team did have an incredible week with Beckett, Schilling, and (most importantly) Ensberg (I can't imagine many H2H teams doing well against his 6 HRs this last week). I've never been happy with the makeup of this team, and it's apparent to me I need to make some changes.

League 4's offense fared just as well, only winning 1 category. The sad part is that I almost won Ks here against SPs Randy Johnson, Cain, Mussina, Westbrook and Lieber!

Anyway, sorry for the delay - finals are next week, and I'll finally be done on Tuesday. You can hope for more No Peppery goodness come Wednesday. Stay tuned, click that RSS feed to add me to your My Yahoo! page so you'll know the moment (and by "moment" I mean "roughly 18 hours later") I post something new.

An Off-Topic Observation

Nothing says, "We should have gotten a dog" like having a cat on a leash.

While visiting the NoPepper extended family this week, my brother and his family and I strolled down by the neighborhood park for the little guys to run around for a while. My brother's dog was in tow, who is relatively well-behaved. However, something caught her eye - a cat halfway up a tree who looked to be desperately trying to scramble higher, knowing the dog would surely eat her. Something about this cat was different (all the rest was typical - paranoia, erratic behavior, etc.) - it had a leash on it. On the other end of the leash was a slightly embarrassed woman, trying to coax dear kitty down from its arborous hideaway.

Who the hell puts a leash on a cat? What does someone hope to accomplish by putting a cat on a leash? Maybe it's to show the rest of the world you recognize the fact that this creature is far inferior to its canine counterpart. Or the cat has done something horribly wrong, and you wish to punish it by displaying to the world that the cat is, in fact, not a dog.

I wish I had a camera at the time. Luckily, Google Images comes to the rescue. I'd post one, but frankly, there are too many to choose from. So in such event, I provide a valuable linky.

Fantasy Baseball: The Cincinnati Reds

Currently, the Reds are 11-7, and about to go 12-7 with a big win over Milwaukee. Can this be right? No, it cannot. Look at this team - it has an extremely high-powered offense (aided by playing in the Great American Smallpark), and not a great pitching staff. In fact, this team has a very good chance of finishing at the top in Runs Scored, and at the very bottom in Runs Allowed. Currently, they've scored 110 runs (for 3rd in MLB), and allowed 114 (MLB worst).

Every position on this team is offering offensive numbers (though there really isn't a lot of balance at the moment.) The infield is power-potential galore: Dunn, Phillips (the kid has hit 5 HRs so far), Lopez, and Encarncion. The OF, even without Griffey, is solid: Kearns is driving the ball, and Freel is leading the league in SBs. That leaves the semi-platoon of Hatteburg, McCracken and Aurilia. There's no need for any of these guys to be on a fantasy team. Catcher is raising more questions than it should - Valentin could be hitting 20/.275 with regular time.

In other words, it may not be a bad idea to pick up E. Encarnicion and/or Austin Kearns, or trade for Adam Dunn or Freel. Oh (and while I shouldn't have to say this), stay away from their pitching.

Fantasy Baseball: Day-Early Derrek

Not a good day for a lot of fantasy teams today. Derrek Lee will be out 8-10 weeks for high-fiving a baserunning Raphael Furcal waaaay too hard yesterday (and a day early, I might add), Ryan Madson gave up 9 ER in 1 inning of work (he's not widely owned, but was a sleeper for many in the Phillies rotation), Scott Kazmir left the game early due to "tightness" in the 6th inning, and Chris Shelton hasn't hit a home run in over 48 hours.

But I'd rather light a candle than curse your darkness. Here are today's highlights:

• Michael Young is quietly doing what he does best - getting on-base and scoring runs.
• Francisco Rodriquez pitched a 4 out save, quelling some of the rumors he might be hurt. (But folks, seriously try to get Shields on your roster to back him up. K-Rod's held off Dr. Andrews for much longer than he should have with that funky delivery.)
• Brian Roberts is stealing bases like they're last year's HRs.
• Jonny Gomes is all grows up. (2 dingers, for a season total of 7. The kid's good.) (Aside: Did Jhohhnhy Pherhalhta steal Jonny's "h"?)
  
• Kaz Matsui hit an inside-the-park HR.

Ok, no one cares about that last one, nor should they.

Fantasy Baseball: Yahoo to the Rescue

A big High Five goes out to Yahoo! for their quick response today. I'm in a winner's league where a poor loser decided he'd had enough of his poor performing team and dumped everyone onto the waiver wire. I think that's an extremely crappy move, and can really destroy a league. A few of us contacted the Yahoo! help desk, who quickly and swiftly restored the offending team's roster. We're not sure if that owner is locked out of roster moves/transactions, but initial guesses are that he is. Thanks, Yahoo.

NoPepperGames: Tomorrow (4/20/06) is National High Five Day!

Keep it alive, folks.

Personally, I think National High Five Day is a fantastic idea. The thought of walking down the street and high-fiving a random stranger brings a tear to my eye. Just think of going to the ballgame, and the strangers you high-five there after a huge play/homerun/etc. It's a moment of shared exhilaration, of community. In the words of the founders:

"There is no reason why this should not happen with alarming frequency."

So tomorrow on April 20, think of your sense of community. Your sense of randomness. Your sense of passing on a tradition started within the game we love. That's right, the high five was reportedly started by one of our own, former LA Dodger and Oakland A's outfielder, Glenn Burke. Glenn may not have had the statistical legacy many would want to leave the game with, but his indelible mark of the high five will forever be a constant reminder.

Up high, Glenn. Up high.

NoPepperGames: A New Spice Rack Addition

Greetings to The Sports Arena Forums, a new sports-related message board entering the internet ether. It looks like the operator has something for everyone, from baseball to football to basketball to hockey (what's that?) to college sports. I've included a link over on the side of NoPepperGames, which certainly has relagated TSA to internet stardom.

And while everyone moves their cursor to the right, give that "Vote For Me!" button a click (or twenty). Honk if you love Dynamo!

NoPepperGames: Not So Good to Be the King

I overheard a disturbing little blurb on the radio today. "The Kansas City Royals lost their 8th consecutive game, taking them out of playoff contention." Yes, yes, the radio guy was having a bit of fun. They're not out of contention just yet - maybe next week. Other than the occassional owner having Burgos in their lineup, when was the last time someone had a Royal active on their roster? If yes, exactly how big is the AL-only league you're in?

Fantasy Baseball: Week 2 Head-to-Head Update

I had a better record, but not as successful in my opinion - but on track. I don't like those ties.

Team 1: 8-2 (13-7 overall)
Team 2: 3-7 (10-10)
Team 3: 5-3-2 (9-9-2)
Team 4: 6-3-1 (13-6-1)

Team 2 was pummelled by Jeter and Damon, as well as a strong presence from Tad Iguchi - a very interesting approach that I considered. Runs, AVG and SBs are a very legitimate way to go here. I had wanted to do the same for Team 4 when I drafted, but things didn't work out that way (instead, I have the strongest offense of the 4 on that squad). But if you were to put together Crawford, Rollins and some high R/AVG guys, you could lock up the offense. It'd be interesting to see how consistent a team like that is week-to-week. But, all things considered, Team 2 was held down by slumpers - Manny, Beltre, Bonds, and Matsui were all underperformers.

NoPepperGames: Jackie Robinson Day

59 years ago today Jackie Robinson turned the game we love more accurately into the American Pastime.

Words much more eloquent than mine have been said, in greater quantity, by people more qualified to do so and in a more meaningful fashion. Major League Baseball has now been celebrating Jackie Robinson Day for several years now (possibly one of the only things Selig has done correctly), and it's an excellent time for all of us to take a look and see what Jackie did for us, the game, and the country.



I direct you to the following sources on the topic:

ESPN.com Recognizes Jackie Robinson Day 2006
Cooperstown's Bio on Jackie Robinson
I Was Right On Time, by Buck O'Neil
The Jackie Robinson Foundation

Fantasy Baseball: Break It Down Now!

I managed to push all of my active rosters onto an Excel file to play with what I managed to get myself into this season. The results are, I have a feeling, interesting only to myself. But since you're reading, clearly you've become infatuated with my day-to-day.

The Top Ten (teams owned in paren. - 17 total)
Willingham (10)
Hermida (9)
Tracy (8)
Weeks (8)
D. Cabrera (7)
Blanton (6)
Delmon Young (6)
Granderson (6)
M. Cabrera (6)
Valverde (6)

Clearly I think way too highly of Delmon's chances of being promoted. Three of those are in either keeper leagues or REALLY deep leagues, so that's my excuse there. D. Cabrera and Granderson were taken near the end of nearly every draft, unless I took them off the FA pool.

By Position
C: Willingham (10)
1B: Helton (5)
2B: Weeks (8)
3B: Tracy (8)
SS: Barmes/Crosby (tie @ 5)
OF: Hermida (9)
OF: Delmon (6)
OF: Granderson (6)
UT: Shelton (4)

SP: Blanton (6)
SP: Kazmir (3)
RP: Valverde (6)
RP: Gonzalez (5)
P: Haren (3)
P: Turnbow (4)
P: Ray (4)

What does this say? Absolutely nothing. Okay, it may say that I didn't overvalue players too badly by overreaching for Derrek Jeter in the first couple rounds like Yankee fans are wont to do. I did have a few favorite go-tos, but they were taken at value in the mid- to late-rounds. Picks like Weeks, Crosby and Tracy were routinely met with "Crap!" or "Dammit, NoPepper!" during drafts, so I'll take it on the word of complete strangers in an online applet that I done good.

One Hit Wonders
C: Martinez
1B: Pujols
2B: Utley
3B: Wright
SS: Young
OF: Guerrero
OF: A. Jones
OF: Ichiro
UT: Tejada

Wow, this means even less. The only thing this alerts me to is the fact that three of those players are all on one team (Utley, Vlad and M. Young - all keepers). I love those players! I wish I had more of them on other teams. Damn.



For those in multiple leagues, anybody you've found yourself drafting fairly regularly?

Fantasy Baseball: Pitcher Rankings Article at Rotochamps.com

I'm a semi-regular over at Rotochamps.com, and wanted to point everyone over to take a gander at a pitchers ranking article that I think is extremely well done. Quite a few surprises, but everyone of them accompanied by a justification and explanation.

The article is here.

Fantasy Baseball: Week 1 Head-To-Head Update

I can't promise I'll remember to do this every week, but then again, I can't remember to bathe myself every week either. Baby steps. Of the five teams I have in H2H leagues, 4 of them were in action last week (one was delayed on account of Rotowire.com sucking complete ass as a fantasy platform).

Team 1: 5-5-0
Team 2: 7-3-0
Team 3: 4-6-0
Team 4: 7-3-0

All in all, a good show. That 4-6 was a disappointment, but my closers just didn't perform. I don't expect that to continue from the likes of Lidge, Street, Valverde, Ray, Gordon and Worrell. That team was also waiting for Tracy to gain 3B status, and now Zimmerman will be confined to bench work. The 5-5 tie was a surprise, as I went into the final day up 7-3. But one Reitsma rocking later, and a flurry of RBIs from the opposition, and I was in a 4-6 hole. If my opponent had sat Izzy last night, he'd have taken me - and he should have, if he'd been active. There were a handful of teams I saw that went 9-0-1 or 8-2, all of which would have been beaten by my team. Them's the breaks, boys.

Fantasy Baseball 101: 5x5? 6x6? Someone please pass me the Clue-by-4

I've noticed that I get quite a few hits from folks who are Googling for "6x6 categories" or somesuch. While I do quietly point and laugh, I realize I was in the same boat just a few years ago. For those very new to fantasy baseball (or who feel they've mastered the simple complexity of the 5x5 format and want to know more), I offer the following short introduction to what the friggin' deal is.

First off, 99.9% of what I write about here has to do with the Rotiserrie format of fantasy baseball. I do not condone playing Head-to-Head (which many fantasy football converts want to initially play because they're familiar with it - to this I say, you'll not like it, and you'll hate baseball the rest of your life. If that happens, then what? Do you want to be miserable for 4 months until football starts back up? No, no you don't. So just take my word on it.). H2H is broken, it's horrible, it's a mess. To give the football folks an analogy, how would you respond to a format of fantasy football where you could consistently win without drafting (or even playing) running backs? Yup, that's the case here. (If you want a rundown on Rotiserrie (or "Roto"), check out the Wiki article.)

5x5 Format
Okay, let's get to it. Basic Roto ball revolves around 10 categories - 5 for hitters, 5 for pitchers. They are:

• Runs
• Homeruns
• Runs Batted In (RBIs)
• Stolen Bases
• Batting Average

• Wins
• Saves
• Strikeouts
• Earned Run Average
• WHIP (Walks + Hits)/Innings Pitched

This is standard, but it is not set in stone. You may find a league where they've decided that the RBI is overrated, and replace it with something (say, On Base Percentage). That's fine - but don't just refer to it as "a 5x5 league" - it's "a 5x5 league with OBP instead of RBIs" so people know what the hell you're talking about. Personally, I like to replace Batting Average with On Base Percentage - it takes walks into account, which is just as good as a hit, right? Slugging not so much, as it then double counts HRs, and still doesn't count walks.


6x6 Format
There is no standard 6x6 format. Roto ball is 5x5, with maybe a little gravy on top. Some people like beef gravy, some chicken gravy. Some strange people in the south like "cream gravy" - that's why they lost the war. But I digress...

It depends on the league to determine what extra categories they want to add. There is only one firm rule you should abide by - if you add a hitting category, you should add a pitching category. Balance it out a little bit. To go a bit further, some want to insist that you should keep the same "type" of stat as your added category. If you're adding On Base Percentage to hitting, add another percentage or ratio to pitching, like K/9 or K/BB. I don't think you have to - look at the original 5x5 format, pitching has 2 ratios while hitting only has 1.

These are a few categories that I favor:

Hitting:
On Base Percentage
Strikeouts (a negative counting stat)
Slugging (but only paired with OBP instead of AVG)
Doubles (maybe)

Pitching:
K/9
K/BB
Batting Average Against (unfortunately, Yahoo does not have this as a category)
Holds
Losses

Again, 6x6 is your creation. Just don't try to throw something in there for the hell of it - think about what you're doing before you do it. You may think, "gosh, Complete Games and Shutouts are perfect reflections of a dominant pitcher!" and forget that it's not. At all. They're perfect indications of (a) a rubber arm, (b) that Dusty Baker is your manager, (c) you're pretty darn good, (d) you're pretty darn lucky, or (e) the opposing team sucks complete ass. Usually, it's (e), with a fair bit of (b) thrown in there.

Confidential to Dusty in Chicago: You suck.

Fantasy Baseball: Gagne's Hurt, Go Pick Up... Oh, Why Do I Even Bother?

So it was announced this evening that Eric Gagne is going under the knife soon to remove a nerve. The Dodgers knew there was some risk here, which is why they signed Danys Baez in the off-season. Baez is good - he got 41 saves with the D-Rays last year, with a very good ERA (his WHIP could use some work - but he did pitch in the AL East).

I then immediately scoured my ridiculous amount of leagues I'm in. Here are the results:

• 4 Head-To-Head leagues: Baez is taken
• AL-only: not an issue
• 1 Franchise: Baez is taken (Holds)
• 2 Yahoo Winners leagues: Baez is taken (1 to back up Gagne)
• Baseball Prospectus/ESPN league: Baez is taken
• 5 Yahoo public leagues: Baez is taken
• 3 serious leagues (money and friends' leagues): Baez is taken (2 to back up Gagne, 1 in a league with Holds)

What?!? Okay, he's good - and Gagne wasn't 100% over the spring. But there have been several closer changes already, and the type of owners that stockpile potential closers would have moved Baez for Rodney, Worrell or maybe even Papelbon (go and get him, by the way - even if he doesn't close (which he will by committee, if not outright by the ASB) he'll be Linebrink/Duscherer solid). And we're talking SEVENTEEN leagues here! These people have even less of a life than I do! (Okay, that may be an exaggeration.)

Fantasy Baseball: The Circle of Trust Expands

It appears my readership has doubled overnight - welcome, Brian! He runs a Cards fan blog over at Obsessions of a Cardinal Fan, so once you've diligently clicked on all of my Google ads, go click on his. (I wish that sounded dirtier than that - but I'm tired.) I haven't fully explored it yet, but I imagine he suffers from the horrible dilemma of rooting for a team that's actually good. "Boy, Pujols sure is good. But you know what? So's Rolen. And Edmonds. And Yadier is pretty good behind the plate. Izzy's been awefully consistent." "No, you're wrong - Pujols is REALLY good. And he's like 14 years old, so he's going to be REALLY good for about 80 more years." How much fun is that, huh? I have to sit here and wait for Billy Butler and Alex Gordon to arrive. And that's most likely a load of crap, considering how much hype Teahen received before last season. Harrumph. Harrumph, I say.

Fantasy Baseball: Week One Thoughts

I'd like to say I've been inundated with requests for new postings now that the season has begun. Not so much.

But there are all sorts of "first week of the season" posts at various sites. And they all say basically the same thing:

• Stop panicking.
• No, don't drop Barry Zito (or Andy Pettitte, or John Lackey, or [insert SP who was rocked this week]).
• No, don't drop Prince Fielder (though be wary).
• Yes, you should pick up Josh Willingham (oddly, I said that last month - see, I know what I'm doing here, Mom).

So seriously, stop panicking. Stop screwing around with your roster and making poor choices. You drafted that team, now stick with them. Pick up any newly-assigned closers while dropping the guys you labelled as expendible at the end of the draft (that 5th or 5th OF, that 3rd 1B, that 7th SP - you know who I'm talking about). DON'T drop what you think is an underperformer based on 3 games. If you're worried about someone, check their splits from last year - maybe they are a slow starter and you weren't aware of that when you drafted. In that case, try to trade them, or just be careful where you start them. But don't drop 'em - you drafted them for a reason.