Get this-
The Hall of Fame is offering two sleepovers during March. One, during the March 9/10 weekend. The other during the same weekend that we'll be drafting.
The sleepover will be in the same room with all of the Hall of Fame plaques. The kicker is that the sleepover is only available for kids 7-12 years of age. Now that, that would be downright cool.
Sounds like they have enough room.
How about a draft/sleepover for adults?
Name a ball park, no really, think of a ball park.
100 people were asked the same question in a room here in Western Colorado.
Throwing out the 'Homer Park', Coors Field, the most common answers were Wrigley Field, Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park, and Dodger Stadium.
While putting a corporate name helps a lot of bottom lines among baseball teams, it also makes their stadiums forgettable.
Ironic in that corporations put their names on Stadiums to have us remember their names.
Notable, there were two 'Astrodome' answers and no 'Minute Maid' answers.
There are a lot of reasons or curses in why the Cubs haven't won a World Series in so long.
Bartman and goats have been blamed, but maybe it is Wrigley Field itself. The Cubs have never won a World Series since Wrigley was built in 1914.
OR, maybe Chicago itself is jinxed!
Although the White Sox have won Championships during that time frame, the clinching game of the World Series was won on the opposing teams home turf.
In fact, Chicago fans have not seen a World Series clincher in their hometown since 1906!
The participants?
The Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Cubs.
Speaking of Chicago, most think the 'Black Sox' nickname is a slight at the '19 White Sox for their scandal.
The fact is, their owner thought that the players should foot the bill for washing their own uniforms. The players protested and refused to wash their uni's at all. It was already common to call this unkempt team, the Black Sox.
Tommy Hanson has headaches resulting from a concussion, 'but feels much better now'.
Whew! I feel better about drafting him, don't you?
Up to 2009, there were 790 Major Leaguers that were 6' 4" tall.
Most were pitchers and first basemen. Height is an advantage at those two positions.
Pitchers seem to be more on top of a hitter when throwing.
First basemen can reach more balls from infielders.
There have been few tall third basemen.
Third basemen are penalized by being tall. Most of their activities at the position come with bending the body to the ground.
Michael Schmidt, one of the greatest ever, seemed like a tall beast at 3b, yet he was 'only' 6' 2" tall.
This is all pre-information for the Angels and those that are hoping to draft Mark Trumbo this year hoping for third base eligibility.
The last three years, there has been a player drafted in the first five rounds with batting averages of .241, .237, and .243.
He's been a full time player for five years and despite going high in drafts, he has never drove in 90 runs or even scored 90 runs.
What he does do, is hit home runs and steal bases.
For fantasy players, these are the two 'money' categories.
Get these categories and the rest will fall in place.
The player is BJ Upton. Upton is unique. He is that two category player with ok rbi/runs and a batting average drag.
Upton is still considered 'sexy' for these reasons.
But should he be?
Let's take a look at the Anti- BJ Upton.
Michael Young excels in every category BUT home runs and steals.
Upton- .243/82/23/81/36
Young- .338/88/11/106/6
Two columns stick out like sore thumbs.
One- Upton's 36 steals to Young's six steals, a wide gap.
There can be arguments made that Upton gives drafters that 75/75 possibility.
Forget about average, I'll deal with that in other ways.
This is countered with 'I can get steals later'. Heck, Eric Young Jr. had 27 steals in under 200 at bats last year.
Two- Young's almost 100 point beat down in batting average.
Significant. Hardly any of us go on the waiver looking for batting average. It is not usually a prospect skill and we won't get it from the journeyman we find to replace stars that have injuries.
Young enjoys dual-positionality and also had tri-positionality last year, while Upton plays outfield.
Upton is sexy and will be taken first in every draft. The 'Ginger' of fantasy baseball.
Young is stable and does not excel in the sexy cats, but somebody that looks good and is easier to roster. The 'Mary Ann' of baseball.