The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

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Glenneration X
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sun Aug 25, 2013 8:21 am

It's been a very busy week for me in an extremely busy summer. It's not uncommon for my summers to be the busiest time of my year. My work schedule often gets crazy, summer vacations, summer parties, plans with the wife and kids, sports, and of course my favorite hobby, fantasy sports, all fill my days to the virtual max. However, this past week was even busier than can be typically expected.

I was in six different cities for work during the past week, taking off and landing 5 times to get to the four of the locations, driving to the other two. That doesn't count the time spent in the office or working on the laptop at home.

The weekend was no less busy. We spent most of the day yesterday at a water park with the kids and my wife's family (great fun by the way!!! :D ) and finished the day at my nephew's birthday party. Today, we have plans to visit a local street fair this afternoon.

All this would seem to leave little time for personal hobbies. However with the start of the football season only two weeks away and the start of the NFFC Main Events only days away, I've been knee deep in draft prep and drafts as well. Outside of Tuesday and Wednesday night when I was either flying or in a late meeting, I've drafted each night of the last nine. I took part in seven drafts in that time, each more often than not with a 10pm start to avoiding conflicting with my other schedule commitments.

And sometime today, I have to find time to start baseball FAAB. :shock:

This week has been a little busier but pretty much a microcosm of the past several weeks of my summer.

You'd think with so much going on, something would have to give. Normally when I get this busy, sleep is the first to go. However, sometimes that's not enough. So lately, I haven't been able to pay as much attention as I typically do to baseball box scores or some of the latest news each night. Being in quite a few fantasy baseball races, one might think those would not be the wisest activities to bypass. I always catch up though, that's not the problem. I just kinda miss it. I'm not much of a TV watcher anymore, so checking box scores or reading up on the latest fantasy news has often served as part of my regular "wind down" time. Also part of my wind down time, reading these very message boards, is another activity I don't get to as often these days. Not that there's as much to read.

As busy as I am during the summer, I am obviously not alone. It's more often than not the busiest time for all of us and therefore harder for each of us to dedicate the time to follow the game. Let's face it, this time of the baseball season is often less interesting for many. The weeks between the end of July trade deadline and the expansion of rosters at the beginning of September brings less regular news-worthy information to the baseball forefront. Many teams are out of the race and just playing out the string. Others have playoff spots nearly wrapped up and are just trying out some things for the post season. August is the long back stretch of the baseball season before things gear up for the September race to the finish. It's called the dog days of summer for a reason.

In fantasy, we suffer the same conditions. Many are out of the race already. Others are busy with other summer activities. Still others have moved onto the "Dark Side" as Doughy puts it, focusing on the football side of this hobby. We're in our dog days before our September race to the finish. If there's any evidence needed to prove this, these very boards are clearly Exhibit A. During the preseason into April, May, June, these boards hop and the activity on them and contributions to them are non-stop. However as the summer winds along, the posts become less consistent and eventually nearly non-existent. Imagine these boards this month without Doughy's consistently interesting contributions or Outlaw's PED updates. :?

Still, we need to keep a strong focus on the game and contest itself. For those of us in races, there's still five long weeks left and a lot to be determined in those races. There's leagues to be won and overalls to play out. Good luck to everyone the rest of the summer and September. It should be a fun finish.




Summer and all that comes with it is often a busy and crazy time. With work and family, meetings and barbeques, business trips and water parks, it's tough to find time for our hobbies. For those of us in races though, we need to keep a focus on fantasy baseball.
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Ummmm, errrrrrr, what's fantasy baseball again?

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sat Aug 31, 2013 10:07 am

The memories of our lives are marked by the moments within them. The birth of our children, our first jobs, the first time we ****ed a girl (jeez, you guys have dirty minds. I meant kissed. After all this isn't a Massotto post. :P ) These are some of the times that remain indelibly ingrained in our mind's eye.

Our lives are also marked by events that do not affect us as personally, moments in history. I recall as a child, my father and members of his generation talking about exactly where they were when Kennedy was shot. Who amongst us doesn't recall where we were and exactly what they were doing on 9/11?

Even less significant moments sometimes etch a long standing place in our memories. A song may bring us back to a time and a place where we heard it for the first time. A movie. A sporting event. I still remember to this day the exact moment and my exact reaction when I first heard Seaver was traded or where I was and what I was thinking during that last inning of Game 6 before Mookie's grounder went through Buckner's legs.

This week brought two moments in entertainment and sport that I hope do not bring about long standing memories in my mind.

The first, the moment I read on these boards and learned that Matt Harvey was hurt and might need TJS. Hopefully, even if he needs the surgery, it becomes just a blip in what still becomes a legendary career and not the memories I still have of the injuries to Craig Swan or Tim Leary or Generation K's Wilson, Pulsipher, and Isringhausen that have derailed the promising careers of past Mets pitching phenoms.

The second occurred while watching the MTV Music Awards last weekend with my wife and may be even more difficult to wash away from my mind. :shock:

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Oh the horror!!!! And by the way, what the hell is twerking??

Luckily, this week hasn't been all about bad memories. As I type this post, I am in my hotel room about an hour away from heading up to the conference room here where the live NFFC Main Event drafts are taking place in NYC. Last night, I took part in the live NYC Super. I got to see old friends Magner and Juprinka, Nelson and KOQ, Saxton and Edelman, Christie and Gillis, and a host of others who stick to the Dark Side of the NFBC/NFFC ( ;) Doughy), and of course Tom and Mike. Today, I'm sure I'll run into a few more. These live events are a great time and it's always great to see these old friends and competitors.

It brings me back to another memory indelibly ingrained. The moment I took part in my first NFBC live draft. It was a great moment and one that hooked me to high stakes, live drafts, and taking part in current and future moments just like it. I'm having a great time living another of those memories that hopefully will stay for a lifetime.


PS....Just one more thought of a moment I pray will not stay with me for long. The memory of this hotel room!!! :shock: :shock: When MtM blasted the Hotel Penn back in March, I chalked it up to another one of his "Diva" moments. Nada! If anything he understated the nightmare that is this place. Let's just say that I was aghast at the closet that they called my "upgraded" room, the inviting aroma of mold and mildew as you first open the door, the 1970's décor of the furniture, carpeting, and bathroom, and all in a condition as if it was last cleaned in the 1970's as well. Paint coming off the walls, air conditioning struggling to even keep the room below Sahara temps, and the feel that Norman Bates would be visiting at any moment while reluctantly using the shower. I won't even go into the bed, as I slept over the blankets for fear of what I'd uncover if I pulled them back. :shock: And this was the upgraded room??? What the hell were the standard rooms like, a roach motel? One thing for sure, I will never stay here again. :shock:

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The "Historic" Hotel Penn. Guests come in, they never come back.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Mon Sep 02, 2013 9:17 pm

It's now September and there's less than 4 full weeks remaining in our fantasy baseball seasons. With the turn of the calendar, I suppose it's time for the next monthly update on my teams as we head into the stretch run. I was originally planning on writing this post yesterday as it was the first of the month. However, having been away the prior two days for the NFFC NYC drafts, yesterday was dedicated to spending some quality time with my family and I never got around to visiting these boards.

If I had written this update yesterday, it would have come from a very positive outlook, the end of August seeing several of my most important teams on a roll, some strengthening its positions, others getting back into the race. What a difference a day can make. Unfortunately, yesterday's games saw pitcher after pitcher that I had rostered for their 2-start weeks in an attempt to gain ground in wins and K's for various teams, instead blow up in epic fashion, one after the other. Instead of helping my teams gain ground in counting stats, these pitchers instead performed what is akin to Armageddon on my ratios. Team after team fell precipitously in these categories taking these teams down in the standings as well. Not a good day. At least I still have another month to undue the damage. :D

The following is where each of my teams stand going into today with a few thoughts or comments on each. I've listed them in a slightly different order from what I've pretty much followed in previous updates, still keeping them somewhat ordered by category or format, but also in the order of how much focus will be spent on each during these final weeks.


Ultimate Auction - 1st place, 123 points
At the last update, Jim Ferrari had finally overtaken me after stalking me for pretty much the entire season. Jim has done an amazing job with his team, somehow managing to get to a height of 119 points despite punting not one, but TWO categories. Most amazingly, Jim punted saves and still managed to top both the ERA and WHIP categories. Honestly, I didn't even think that was possible. And it's not like he spent his entire budget on Kershaw and Strasburg. In fact, considering the results he didn't spend that much on SP at all. He just hit on every starter he bought during the Auction or picked up in FAAB, Harvey, Sale, Bailey, Samardzija, Masterson, Colon, Quintana, Wood, etc., etc., etc. He didn't miss once and every SP on his roster has outperformed their cost. Once Jim passed me, my team continued its downward trend for the next couple weeks bottoming out in the low 100's and putting even a 2nd place finish for this league in jeopardy. Thankfully, during the last week or two, I've managed to find the formula to get this team turned around again and have regained the top spot. One thing in my favor is that Jim is pretty much maxed out on points due to the punting of saves and steals. Therefore it's pretty much in my hands. If I can stay above the 120 mark, I don't think there's any way he can catch me. I obviously want this league more than any other still realistically in play. Win this one and it's a profitable season no matter what happens elsewhere.

Joe Berg's 12-team Super - 2nd place, 84.5 points
Outside of the Ultimate Auction, I want this league more than any other. The 14K difference between the 1st and 2nd place payouts is the biggest reason. However, there's another reason. Topping this level of competition at stakes this high and in a format that I just don't have the same level of comfort with as the 15-teamers would be something I would be very proud of. Joe Berg had recently run away from the rest of what was once a very close race between a number of renowned fantasy players and opened up a pretty significant double digit lead in this league that carries his name. Though I had fallen off the pace early in August, I've recently managed to turn my team around and have managed to get within 6.5 points of Joe. It won't be easy. Joe's built a powerhouse and just knows this format very, very well. Still, I'm going to do my best to come after you Joe. :) Oh and by the way, thanks for Crisp. ;)

Diamond League - 11th place, 72 points
Pitching's been my downfall here. I do have 50 points in hitting. Of course if you do the quick math, that only leaves 22 points on the pitching side. I've just done a brutal job building this staff, from the draft where I left with CC as my ace, having neglected to draft a 2nd ace, and with Carlos "ugh" Marmol as my 2nd closer, to my in-season management where I dropped pitchers like Cory Kluber and Tyler Chatwood BEFORE their successful runs. No matter what I try, and trust me I've tried, I just can't seem to fix this pitching. Honestly, the chances for this team have pretty much come and gone. If it were a lesser league with less invested and not THE Diamond, I probably would have accepted the obvious by now. However, I just can't seem to quit on it yet. This team is still only 16 points out of 4th place and a 10K payday. :? I know, I know, I'm probably just deluding myself, but if you break it down that's only 1.5 points points per category!! :D

Main Event - Las Vegas - 2nd place, 103.5 points
I went into yesterday with an 8 point lead in the standings. Then yesterday happened. While pretty much all of my teams had one or two of yesterday's blow up starters I referred to in this post's introduction, this team had more than their share of them. Alex Wood, Mike Leake, Ross Ohlendorf, and Andre Rienzo combined for an incredible 12.64 ERA and a 2.43 WHIP over 15 brutal IP's and pretty much sabotaged my standings in the WHIP and ERA categories. :o Combined with a couple lost points on offense, this team amazingly dropped 10.5 total points in the league standings in one day!!! :shock: :( I didn't even think that was possible this time of year. A comfortable 8-point lead turned into a 2-point deficit in one unimaginable day. The worst of it is I never felt fully comfortable even with that 8-point lead as it was over the likes of Nolan/Stephenson, Anthony Palavis, and the great Lindy. No lead is comfortable against that level of competition. A deficit feels a helluva lot worse. :? Why'd I even start those 4 duds you might ask? A misguided attempt to still be relevant in the Overall where I had a lot of room to move in both Wins and K's. However if I knew then what I know now, I would have just started 4 middle relievers instead. :cry:

Main Event - New York - 3rd place, 97.5 points
A year long very tight race between 4 teams, Cory Schwartz has recently created some separation between himself and the remaining three teams in the hunt, John Hogan, Laurence Edelman and myself. Even with Cory's move, he only has an 8 point lead over 2nd and amazingly only 1/2 point separates 2nd place from 4th. My team here is the virtual opposite of my Diamond squad as it has 64 pitching points, but is struggling mightily in hitting. When I drafted this team, hitting was the least of my worries. However, year long health issues to several of its core players has left it scraping for hitting points. Still, this team still has a realistic shot at taking the league if all falls right the final month. If I can manage to pull out both this league and the Las Vegas Main to win two Main Event titles in one year, it would rank as my greatest achievement since I started playing this hobby. It's a long shot, but even as a remote possibility, it is something I really want.

Main Event - Online - 6th place, 93 points
With this team, even I can't dream of three Main Event titles in one season. This team just won't be able to get there. However, it does still have a shot at cashing and cashing in all three of my Main Event entries would be an accomplishment I would be very proud of in itself. Currently 15 points out of 3rd, it's probably not in the cards. Still, I'll make every effort to get there. This is the team I am chronicling for BHQ. I'm sure they wish I had chosen one of the other two. :o Or maybe at this point, they just wish they had chosen someone else to represent them. :shock:

KJ's MLBC Salary League - 1st place, 123 points
Sitting in first place 13 points ahead of Alan Greenberg in 2nd, I'm starting to feel comfortable that I will hold on in this league. Then again, before yesterday I was trying to convince myself that I should feel a little more comfortable with my Vegas Main. :shock: I can't take anything for granted, especially against this level of competition.

Online Championships 3/31 - 2nd place, 94 points
Another team that was rolling before Sunday's pitching disaster, it's still only one point out of first. It's not the biggest payout I'm still fighting for, but it would be nice to take this one down.

Online Championships 3/17 - 3rd place, 75 points
This team has come back from the dead and to now make a run a serious run at cashing. Now only 5 points out of 2nd, it'd be nice to be able to pull off this dead & buried to cash comeback.

XII - Online - 3rd place, 83 points
My one XII that I still have a realistic chance at cashing being only 5 points out of 2nd. 1st place however won't be happening here as Eric John sits there with a team that's currently 2nd in the Overall. What a monster he's put together. The curse of league placement. My squad here is 25th in the Overall but 3rd in its own league. Top heavy is an understatement.

XII - Las Vegas - 5th place, 70 points
This team has been surging recently, but it's probably too little too late. Only 13 points outside of 2nd, it still has a chance, but passing 3 other teams the level of Joe Anthony, Rick Thomas, Bob Particelli, and Chad Schroeder to get there is a much tougher task than making up the 13 points on its own.

XII - NYC - 4th place, 75.5 points
16.5 points out of 2nd, barring some miracle, it's probably just not going to happen for this team. I can't believe this team was top 5 in the Overall going into June. What the hell went wrong?

FBPC Main Event - 5th place, 88 points
The red headed stepchild of the FFPC, this contest just lacks the buzz of the NFBC. There hasn't been a message board post from a player in this contest since April. Too bad because I do enjoy the format and really like the back end. I'll play out the season, but if I do ever live up to my annual promise to cut down on leagues, I'll need to be convinced why this shouldn't be one of them. Currently 5 points out of the last cash spot, if I do go out I'll work hard to make it with some hard earned cash.

CDM Mid-Season Premier League - 6th place
Being in 6th place out of 25 of the best salary cap players when playing this contest for the first time in years and only for the 3rd time ever surprised even me. Still, back a little under two months into this contest I was top 5 in the overall. Of course, it was then that the experience players of this contest decided to smack me around like the novice I am. Still I remain top 80 out of around 700. It's a fun contest but even with my unanticipated decent showing, I'm not sure I'll play again next year. I wish they allowed moves mid-week, but that's far from my biggest issue. My biggest beef is with the 6pm EST lineup deadline, a deadline an hour earlier than every other contest I play, and one that's cost me a couple times this year already. I have no idea why they would set it so far in advance of the 7pm games. On the other hand, I will say that even though I don't visit it often, the BBS is a truly special message board and may be worth the price of admission on its own.

Max's 1000 Slow Draft - 11th place, 70 points
A complete disaster. For numerous weeks, I was forced to go with holes in my lineup getting zeros from multiple positions. I promised myself last year that I would not play any more slow drafts. I just don't like not being able to fix my roster. It's not so bad in football where you can just forget a slow draft disaster as the computer does all the work. Here you're forced to still deal with the disaster twice a week in order to do the right thing and set a lineup. I wasn't going to play any slow drafts this year but gave in while texting back and forth with Max while the league was taking signups. Not Max, not Greg, not the Fantasy Gods themselves will be able to convince me next year. :D It's a great format and for some like Max, it's the most enjoyable. I'm just a fixer at heart and so it doesn't work for me. (Then again, maybe I'm just bitter because this team sucks just soooooooo bad. :))


Well there you go, the status of each of my teams. I have quite a few battles that'll be played out over the next four weeks and plenty of dough dependent on the outcomes. It should be a blast of a final month and I look forward to taking part in a few fun races. Hopefully I can pull out some of them. I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this blog. The boards have been eerily silent recently. But for anyone who is, good luck in all your races (unless of course, you're one of those mentioned above that I'm chasing. :))

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Bronx Yankees » Wed Sep 04, 2013 6:16 pm

Glenn - Just wanted to assure you that your blog is being read and enjoyed. Your juggling of so many high stakes leagues, and fantastic success in them, is very impressive. I also like how you are continuing to compete in all of your leagues, even when the chance of cashing in is remote for a few of them. That is the way to play it.

Although I'm sure it was very painful for you, I definitely can relate to your horrible pitching day with severe damage to your ratios. I play in the smaller stake NFBC leagues (for now :D ) (six "slow draft" and two leagues with FAAB) and desperately want to win one or more of those leagues (I lead one for the moment and am in contention to cash in several others). (I figure if I can win one and perhaps cash in a few others, it will be that much easier for me to justify a Main Event team next year.) In several of those leagues, I can so easily see the possible point gains if I can just add a few more wins and Ks. Of course, you go for those wins and Ks at great risk sometimes, and after a few bad (and some downright crappy) starts, relying more on relievers seems so much smarter in retrospect. (Of course, after leaving a few ace-like starts on my bench, I'll probably revert to prior form and reinstall that extra starter or two just as the tide changes.)

Finally, I'm sure you won't remember this, but in response to your dismissal of the "slow draft" leagues with no FAAB, I have to remind you that last year, I chased you all season in one of those but fell short in my efforts to catch you. Previously, I attributed your victory in that league to you having the foresight (and the balls) to draft Ryan Braun around the beginning of the third round even though everyone (or almost everyone) expected him to be suspended for a third of the season. (That wasn't your only great draft pick but it is the one I remember.). Now that we know the truth about Braun, however, I'm sure you'll agree that it was a tainted victory. :mrgreen:

Good luck the rest of the way with all of your teams.

Mike
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Sat Sep 14, 2013 7:53 pm

Bronx Yankees wrote:Glenn - Just wanted to assure you that your blog is being read and enjoyed. Your juggling of so many high stakes leagues, and fantastic success in them, is very impressive. I also like how you are continuing to compete in all of your leagues, even when the chance of cashing in is remote for a few of them. That is the way to play it.

Although I'm sure it was very painful for you, I definitely can relate to your horrible pitching day with severe damage to your ratios. I play in the smaller stake NFBC leagues (for now :D ) (six "slow draft" and two leagues with FAAB) and desperately want to win one or more of those leagues (I lead one for the moment and am in contention to cash in several others). (I figure if I can win one and perhaps cash in a few others, it will be that much easier for me to justify a Main Event team next year.) In several of those leagues, I can so easily see the possible point gains if I can just add a few more wins and Ks. Of course, you go for those wins and Ks at great risk sometimes, and after a few bad (and some downright crappy) starts, relying more on relievers seems so much smarter in retrospect. (Of course, after leaving a few ace-like starts on my bench, I'll probably revert to prior form and reinstall that extra starter or two just as the tide changes.)

Finally, I'm sure you won't remember this, but in response to your dismissal of the "slow draft" leagues with no FAAB, I have to remind you that last year, I chased you all season in one of those but fell short in my efforts to catch you. Previously, I attributed your victory in that league to you having the foresight (and the balls) to draft Ryan Braun around the beginning of the third round even though everyone (or almost everyone) expected him to be suspended for a third of the season. (That wasn't your only great draft pick but it is the one I remember.). Now that we know the truth about Braun, however, I'm sure you'll agree that it was a tainted victory. :mrgreen:

Good luck the rest of the way with all of your teams.

Mike
Hey Mike, I'm sorry it took me so long to respond to your post. It's just been crazy for me in recent weeks. Work and family of course, but also my favorite hobby (the time spent on it recently doubled with fantasy football now in play :shock: ) leaving me little time for enjoyable yet more casual endeavors such as these boards.

I do remember that Slow Draft team. If you recall that team spent a good portion of the season flirting with the top spot in the Draft Championships overall. And there lies the rub. That team presents the perfect example of what my "personal" issues are with the Slow Draft format. When the team started to slip, I had no recourse to fix it. Mariano got injured, I was stuck with one closer for the vast majority of the season. Some other player got hurt, I may have been forced to take zeros. Another player got in a slump, I may not have had a healthy or active backup to temporarily replace him with. And on and on.

As you mentioned, that team still went on to hold you and a few other contenders off to win its league and end up 15th in the Overall, both finishes that I am very proud of. However, I can't help but wonder where I could have landed that squad if I had the ability to address its weaknesses or issues in-season. We'll never know. Of course, others would have had the same opportunity to fix their teams. Still, I've decided over the years I prefer to take my chances with at least the opportunity do so.

If these Draft Championships were more like the football version that utilizes computer generated optimal lineups, I'd probably much prefer it. There if you draft a disaster, you never have to look at it again. With the baseball version however, trying to do the "right thing" forces you to set a lineup every week no matter how ugly the squad and its place in the standings.

I know many feel these Draft Championships are great prep for the larger FAAB drafts. Others just love the format on its own merits. I completely understand and respect those thoughts. Personally however, for the reasons stated above, I think I'll pass moving forward. That is unless Max talks me into it again. :)

Thanks for reading the blog Mike and I'm glad you enjoy it. It's fun for me and I enjoy writing it. Thanks also for the good luck wishes. I wish you the same as we head down the stretch of our league races.

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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Bronx Yankees » Sun Sep 15, 2013 6:23 pm

No worries Glenn. I'm impressed you and others can find time to deal with fantasy football during the penant and fantasy baeball league races.

I understand your preference for leagues with free agency, although I also like the challenge of using 50 rounds to build (or attempt to build) a team that can withstand a season's worth of injuries, poor performance, call-ups, revolving closers, etc. I guess I like both formats equally, although I differ with you on letting the computer choose the optimal starting lineup. Because there is no free agency in the slow drafts, the main in-season strategy is setting the lineups and I like that challenge (some weeks more than others as I routinely do a lousy job choosing between the decent two-start pitcher and the better one-start pitcher).

One of the biggest plusses of the slow draft leagues for me is you get to start drafting months before the other formats. I love drafting teams, and so I try to do at least one slow draft league per month until the other formats get up and going. Anyway, it's great we have different formats to choose from.

Good luck down the stretch. Mike
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Re: The Chase Continues - A Fantasy Baseball Blog

Post by Glenneration X » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:51 pm

This past week we had our lawn sprinklers shut off and blown out for the coming cold months. Our pool was closed and covered. And finally, a day later than expected, the fantasy baseball season came to an end. The last vestiges of summer were put to bed. With the end of the summer and the end of our fantasy baseball season, one final summary post will put an end to this year's blog as well.

It was a profitable fantasy season for me. I suppose it was also a successful one. I won or shared four league championships of the 15 leagues I entered.

The biggest of which was the Ultimate Auction, its prize the largest I've won for any single league in my career playing this game. Just a few years ago when all I played was one local league a season and before I even knew there was such a place as the NFBC, I would have never imagined one could win so much playing a game that I would have played for nothing or for no stakes. It was a battle to the end and I'm very proud of being able to hold off Jim Ferrari and his incredible job of team management in this league.

I also managed to close the gap enough this final week to catch and share the championship with Cory Schwartz in our New York Main Event league. It's my 2nd Main Event championship and continued a streak of cashing in a Main Event league every season of the five seasons I've been part of the NFBC, a streak I am very proud of.

My other two league championships were in KJ's MLBC league and for a 12-teamer.

Unfortunately, there were also disappointments this season. I blew a double digit lead at the end of August in my Las Vegas Main Event to not only lose the title to the should be HOF duo of Nolan/Stephenson, but to finish out of the money altogether there. My chase of Joe Berg in the 12-team Super came to within 2 points of Joe and double digit points ahead of our closest competitor, before a brutal final two weeks left me not only short of Joe, but out of the money here as well. Both these teams suffered mightily from my gambling way too often on 2-start pitchers, the wrong 2-start pitchers. Besides those two epic collapses, there were three other leagues where I finished just one spot out of the cash, and for one other just 2 points.

Still even with those close calls that weren't meant to be, it was a season I'm proud of. I was competitive in the vast majority of my leagues and against the greatest players in this game. And those close calls will just drive me to try to be even better and hopefully even sharper next year in order to turn those close misses into a few more close wins.

However for now, both those close misses and those close wins this year have me burnt. As many have pointed out recently on these boards, the baseball season is a long one, whether 162 games or 163. I look forward to a few months off. And I will take them.

Congratulations to those unbelievable players who won overalls this year. You are the best of the best. Congratulations also to all who won their leagues, it's a unique accomplishment to best 11 or 14 of the world's greatest at anything. I look forward to taking you all on again next year. See you then.

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Thank God, a break from baseball FAAB. I can finally just kick back and relax on Sundays. ;)

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