7.29.2014

7.26.2014

Ye Olde ' Down the Stretch' Players

Is it not late July? Can this be? Has not Fantasy Baseball enjoyed its onset only last month? Not so, my fair reader. Forsooth, we are finishing our 4th month of 6! Thou must consider how thou mightiest maximize the remaining time to thine full benefit. Indeed, is this not a cardinal rule in life?

My fair reader, here are the players who hath experienced achievement-challenged first halves who are guaranteed success in ye olde second half.

Jason Kipnis: Hath he not become hot? Surely he is too fine a batsman to languish in the hitting depths. He shall surely finish strong. Begin the counting of thine home runs and bases taken outside the law.

Alex Rios: Perhaps ye say “but verily he hath prospered till now. How can it come about that he be upon this list?” Yet methinks he hath a mere 4 home runs. And whilst his average as a batsman is high, hath he achieved power in his service to your team? Not so. But my fair reader, rest assured. He shall yet deliver 10 home runs to thine accomplishments.

Matt Cain: Would that it were true! Yet have I listed his name as a jest. The fine young man from Alabama hath thrown too many pitches thwarting batsmen over the last four annual passings. Forsooth! He hath a life-challenged arm.

Bruce Harper: Stinketh he to this extent? No. He doeth not. Yet surely he would prosper via ye olde feet-first slide. But verily, he hath an ego which is considered of mammoth proportions. Should he stay healthy, he will indeed act in mammoth proportions as thine batsman through yon September for thee.

Matt Holiday: Yeoman Matt is successful as a batsman 30 times out of 100 times yearly. This fact is not in dispute. Yet he hath success of only 25 times in a 100 this year of our Lord. Surely that shall change. Batsman Matt shall lift his rate to a yearly 28 of 100 by the end. Methinks he shall be a .320 batsman the remainder of this season. Verily, he hath also 9 homeruns yet to come.

The original post can be found at www.rotoprofessor.com.

7.22.2014

Ronald Reagan

The American dream is not that every man must be level with every other man. The American dream is that every man must be free to become whatever God intends he should become.

7.18.2014

Draft Psychology

It’s that time: Fantasy Football! OK maybe not yet. We’ve only just begun the OTA’s. But hey, it’s close enough. I can almost hear Vince Lombardi “Gentlemen, this is a football” and Henry Jordan “Coach, could you slow down a little?”

Of course, with the advent of the football season come the fantasy football drafts. In this post I am discussing the mental side of the draft – not the rankings or the position sequence. Rather, the focus is on your composure during the draft. Here are three of the top mental mistakes fantasy football players make.

1.  Letting a bad pick influence your next pick. Hey, to quote Rafiki, “It doesn’t matter. It’s in the past.” So if you made a bummer pick, forget it and make your next pick a good one. And, seriously, you don’t know if it really was a bad pick. You’ll know for sure later, much later. But it may be your best pick of the draft!

2.  Drafting to trade. OK, you missed the player you really wanted, right? Maybe you can trade for him... Maybe if you pick the right player, you can do a trade with the other manager after the draft. Don’t try it. Don’t take someone just because you think you can trade him for the player you wanted. Don’t do it. If someone else sniped you, move on. Only select players that will help your team – not players you think you can use to get the guy you missed.

3.  Not trusting your gut. Study, do your homework, get a feel for the players you want and then select them. Well, duh, right? Yes but…. How many times have you selected a player you were lukewarm on thinking you could get your guy the next round – only to get sniped? Take the guys you like. If someone else critiques it as too early, so what? By the end of September he’ll be the guy trying to do a trade for your guy.

Most importantly, remember a fantasy football draft is 50% physical and 90% mental. Each pick stands on its own. If you think you made a mistake, stand up, flex your shoulders and read a Tony Robbins quote. Then sit back down and be empowered. Your team will be glad you did.

The original post can be found at www.rotoprofessor.com.

7.05.2014

Ronald Reagan

I know in my heart that man is good. That what is right will always eventually triumph. And there's purpose and worth to each and every life.

7.04.2014

Sports Comparison

Boy, fantasy football sure opened up early this year, didn’t it? I was in the airport last week and checked out a news store. There were more than half a dozen fantasy football magazines already on the shelves. Good stuff. I selected one and look forward to picking up several more for airplane reading.

The difference between fantasy football managers and fantasy baseball managers is interesting. To be a fantasy baseball manager takes considerably more time and commitment. I’m in two leagues with 14 teams and roughly 30 player squads. So we have a rostered pool of 420 players. One of the leagues also has a minor league system with 70 players.

Comparatively speaking, football has a very shallow pool. Once you get past the top 100 players, the value drops significantly. (Some might argue the top 50.) If an early round player goes down with an injury, it’s much tougher to make up the loss. Since the rosters are much smaller, the comparable loss of the top player is greater. Indeed, you have a double whammy: A shallow free agent pool and a greater statistically value of each player’s contribution to your attainment.

The managers themselves are quite different. Fantasy football garners far more casual fans – which in my experience leads to a significant drop in participation down the stretch. Also, many more women are involved in fantasy football. Good to have them on board. May their numbers increase.

So: Which is better? Surprise: I will answer that question. Fantasy baseball is better. The commitment required on the part of the managers, the knowledge of the player pool, the daily moves, the myriad ways of setting up leagues – all contribute to an excellent experience. That said, please note that I reserve the right to change my mind when football season starts up. Man, that’s a fun time….