Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Keeper League Strategies: Player Pool Depth
One of the overlooked aspects of keeper leagues, specifically making decisions on who to keep and who to throw back, revolves around the depth of the player pool -- not just in general, but in terms of who's actually going to be available at the draft table.
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NHL Teams on the Playoff Bubble
The focus in the National Hockey League has begun to shift away from the impressive teams to the mediocre ones. The Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks and Chicago Blackhawks may represent the league’s elite right now, but they’re so pre-Olympic break. How about the Atlanta Thrashers, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Montreal Canadiens, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, and Tampa Bay Lightning? Who will actually make it, and who won't?
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Allen Iverson's Fantasy Legacy
With his career now almost certainly over, what will Allen Iverson's statistical legacy truly be?
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82 Games - About Twenty Too Many?
Can we really blame fantasy players for giving up on their hoops leagues? It seems a fair number of NBA teams and players are doing the same.
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Tuesday, March 9, 2010
AL-only Expert League
I represented RotoWIre in an AL-only expert league. Here are the results for my team:
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Tuesday's 15-Team Mock Results
RotoWire Staffers and a handful of users held a 15-team mixed league Mock Draft at MockDraftCentral.com on Tuesday. Here are the results.
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The Joe Nathan Jinx
We'd like to point out here at RotoWire, that not only do we have the best up-to-the-minute news and savvy projections, but we can also change the future.
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AL-only Mock Draft on Wednesday
We've had our share of mixed mocks, so let's start doing the "only's" as well. I've got three AL-only leagues this year, the first of which goes next week.
Wednesday, 10:15 a.m. PT.
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Nathan Injury Fallout
Joe Nathan, one of the most reliable closers in the game (though there really is no such thing as a reliable reliever), has a tear in his UCL and is going to rest for two weeks before deciding whether to undergo surgery or not. Given the history of pitchers trying to rest and rehab, the odds are not on his favor. Tommy John surgery will very likely be in his future.
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Want to Mock? 15-Team Mock Draft Tuesday
Looking for an opportunity to mock with some of the RotoWire Staffers? We're having a draft today at 2:15 PM EST/11:15 AM PST if you're interested...
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Sunday, March 7, 2010
Why Durant Can Change the Game in Ways Melo Can't
Through their first three seasons Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant look like twins as scorers on first glance. And both are known primarily for their scoring ability. So why does Durant have the potential to change the game in ways that Anthony never could?
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Crosby or Ovechkin? The Debate Rages on
This is not a debate on who will win the scoring race, but rather constitutes a presentation of all the facts concerning the matter at hand: Who is better, Washington Capital Alexander Ovechkin or Pittsburgh Penguin Sidney Crosby. With whomever your allegiances lie, I don't think there is one clear answer.
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RotoWire's AL LABR Team
I assembled our AL LABR team Saturday night. It's a 12-team AL-only 5x 5 $260 auction with 2 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 SS, I CI, 1 MI, 5 OF, 1 U, 9 P.
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Friday, March 5, 2010
Oscar (and I'm not talking about Robertson)
Third Annual "If the Oscar Movies Were NBA Teams"
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Strat-O-Matic Sleepers
It is that time of the year again. Spring Training is in full swing and Strat's opening day (although being delayed this year) has come and gone. Now it is time to dig into the cards and start figuring out how to put together a winning team.
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Want a Crack at the Experts in the Bloomberg League?
As you may have already heard, Bloomberg Sports has partnered up with MLB.com to provide a new level of analytics to fantasy owners and major league teams beginning this season. Along with the paid draft prep and in-season tools they're providing, Bloomberg is currently assembling a 12-team mixed league (
full press release) that will give six fans an opportunity to compete with six industry experts including MLB Network's Harold Reynolds, Baseball HQ's Ron Shandler, USA Today's Steve Gardner, Creative Sports' Lawr Michaels and KFFL's Tim Heaney. I am honored to be representing RotoWire in this draft, which will take place on Monday Mar. 15th. Want a chance to compete against us?
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Thursday, March 4, 2010
Yankees Observations
Andy Pettitte is the cheapest source of 14 wins and 150 Ks around. He won't help your ERA or WHIP, but in an AL league, he won't kill them, either. A.J. Burnett has jaw-dropping stuff, makes batters miss and keeps the ball on the ground. But 97 walks in the AL East is too much for anyone to overcome. He's a poor man's Felix Hernandez, but in a worse park and with a worse defense behind him. I doubt I'll be owning Javy Vazquez - he's too sabermetric friendly and coming off a career year. No idea what to make of Phil Hughes as a possible starter. There's likely to be an innings limit, and his numbers as a reliever don't mean much.
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Twins Observations
I'd still roll the dice on Francisco Liriano, especially after his showing in the Winter League and the addition of Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy on defense. I suppose you could upgrade the entire pitching staff, even though none are heavy ground ball pitchers. (Nick Blackburn has the best rate, but even he's just at 1.26 GB:FB). Joe Nathan's still my No. 2 closer even with the offseason surgery. Pat Neshek apparently feels great and could again be an elite setup guy.
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Royals Observations
If there's one AL pitcher coming off a good year for whom I'd consider paying the full freight, it's Zack Greinke. Just dominant, in his prime and doesn't labor as much as Verlander or the King. Luke Hochevar is worth a gamble based on upside. Brian Bannister strikes me as a guy who will hang around awhile and get better because of his intelligence.
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Tigers Observations
Justin Verlander threw a lot of high-leverage innings last year down the stretch. There's no question about his skills, but I won't pay retail for him. I'd take Rick Porcello, who keeps the ball down and came on at the end of the year, over Max Scherzer. Who knows what to make of Jeremy Bonderman. Keep in mind Bonderman wasn't even that good when he was healthy.
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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Radio Thursday
Scoresheet owners, tomorrow I'm having Jeff Barton on the show at 9:00 a.m. Get your Scoresheet-specific questions at the ready.
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Indians Observations
What a questionable pitching staff - I've always liked Jake Westbrook, who keeps everything on the ground, but he hasn't pitched in a couple seasons. Justin Masterson could be worth a look, too. (Very solid peripherals). I'd probably roll the dice on Rafael Perez for a buck in an AL league, though he was abysmal last year.
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White Sox Observations
If I'm going to own a White Sox pitcher, it'll probably be Gavin Floyd - improved his control, his dominance and induced more ground balls. And at 27 he can still get better. I'll let someone else guess how much worse Jake Peavy will be outside of Petco.
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A Day in the Life of An NHL Trade Deadline Couch Potato
Yet another color-commentaryesque play-by-play of the day's events. Sure, you could tune into TSN instead, but where's the fun in finding out who's been traded exactly when they've been traded, when you can read up on all the interesting events in my own personal life as well... excitement abound, I promise you!
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Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Third Base Rankings
A look at my own personal rankings for the position:
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The Chris Paul Vacuum
Darren Collison and Marcus Thornton have stepped up in Chris Paul's absence, but which one has the brighter future?
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More MLB Thoughts
Writing through a codeine-induced haze, here's a few more thoughts inspired part by the weekend's news as well as a few other observations:
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Red Sox Observations
What a deep pitching staff. I love
Jon Lester, but I actually think
Josh Beckett will come cheaper and be the better value. He induced a lot more ground balls last year to go along with the outstanding command.
Daisuke Matsuzaka is the other guy who should earn a profit - he had a couple good starts down the stretch.
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No. 23 is off limits...but not No. 6?
LeBron James is changing his number from No. 23 out of respect for a man many consider the best player in NBA history. The only funny thing is that he is changing it to No. 6, a number worn by another man many consider the best player in NBA history.
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