Shell Answer Man

[DOUGHBOYS]

Novice players, usually just starting out in fantasy baseball or local Yahoo Kids, who think they know a lot more than they think they do, and even some NFBC'ers will ask me some questions about fantasy baseball.
The questions are the same we've asked before or have read on these Boards. Among the most often asked question is, 'When my pitcher faces my hitter, who should I root for?'
Early in the season, I tell them, it's not what to root FOR, it's what to root against.
First, we don't want a walk. That hurts our pitcher and the best our hitter can do, unless stealing a base, is score, which would hurt our pitcher. Nothing good there.
We don't want a rally started by our hitter getting a hit. The one run will not off set the others to follow.
Usually, I hope for a strike out.
The at bats are just three of 50 for one night. The pitching start is one of eight or nine for the week.
Pitching usually trumps hitting.
If our pitcher is up by four or five runs and pitching past the fifth inning, I want a homer.
Since that situation hardly happens enough, the pitcher is getting my rah rah.

I'm also asked how many pitchers or hitters should I have on my bench...
The answer is, what do you need?
On some teams, I've had as many as six of one and one of the other.
I avoided the Porcello debacle by having enough pitching not to throw Porcello vs. Texas
In some leagues, I'll want enough offense so that I can bench Brandon Belt if SF plays against three lefties.
There is no set answer, your roster dictates the balance.

About bids....
Don't beat yourself up for an over bid.
You wanted that player. You probably needed him more than the other 14 league mates. If wanting to compare bids, wait till the bids list comes out on the Boards the next day and compare your bid against other bidders that wanted that player as much as you.
Severe underbidding is more damaging. It means you're like me and too cheap. Bid with your head and not your heart. Don't look at league mates money left till late in the season. If thinking somebody will help your roster a lot, bid.
Last year, I bid close to $200 on Ryan Madson and got him. Besides that bid, I've never bid over $100 on any player.
In my own mind, I find that most players going for the big bucks, ultimately, are not worth it.
Usually, high bids are either on prospects or newly crowned closers, unless desperate, I stay away from both.
I made a high bid on Madson because he had the qualities of not only a closer, but a dominating closer.

Live scoring,
I know most of you have, or are playing on CBS, Yahoo, and other sites.
CBS has a live scoring that is great. Others are good...Ours, not so good.
I get the feeling that Greg feels it's not as important as other stuff.
I know of at least five fantasy players that just watch the 'live scoring' screen on their compuers as they co-mingle with their families and live their evening lives.
I like to do it every once in awhile myself.
It is important....but have no idea when it'll live up to other sites.

Roto Sites,
It doesn't matter.
We want the news and most of them seem to get them at around the same times.
If wanting opinions, pick and choose.
I like Mastersball because they are more streamlined for the advanced, NFBC type player.
Most of their writers play right here.
Shawn's new web site is good. I think it's called sportsdraft daily and it is also for the NFBC type of player.
All other sites, be it Shandler's or RotoWorld or whatever talk of trades, 10 team leagues and have to conform to other trains of thought. I don't visit them at all unless trying to find out the status of a hurt player.
Opinion- Mine, last year's Champion, or the Yahoo Kid's, it really doesn't matter who it comes from, what matters is what YOU think andwho you put down in your lineups week to week.

If having more questions, PM me or reply to this thread.
Thanks!

[Quahogs]

If a maple fell in a forest would its splinters hit the bear, the squirrel, or the tree hugger ?

What does Edward Munch's painting The Scream signify ? The one day 20pt drop ? the blown save, or the 111-110 outbidding?

[DOUGHBOYS]

If a maple fell in a forest would its splinters hit the bear, the squirrel, or the tree hugger ?

What does Edward Munch's painting The Scream signify ? The one day 20pt drop ? the blown save, or the 111-110 outbidding?

The way injuries are going, the splintered Maple would probably strike a player.

Thought process for the Munch question-
Munch-Doritos-Go get Some- Forgot question

We've all had the one day 20 point drop. They're about to end. Once teams start developing, the space between teams starts widening in most categories. After April, it shouldn't happen as much. Unless having a brutal pitching day with little help offensively.

The blown save gets more press than deserved. Earlier, a Closer gave up a single and home run. Game over. Later on, RotoWorld descibed it as a blowup. Two bad pitches at a bad time.
Colby Lewis won a game last week giving up a single and home run to the first two hitters. No blowup was mentioned.
As fantasy players, the only question in our minds is whether the blown save puts a Closers job in jeopardy....One of the benefits of drafting Mariano Rivera, who is immune to such talk.

The 111-110 bid only means that two similar minds wanted the same player. One won, one lost.
Unless the winner put in a 110 bid to make it look like it was a close bid....some players do it....

....I know you didn't need answers to these, Steve. But thanks just the same.

[Quahogs]

[DOUGHBOYS]

The blue area behind the screamer is clearly the Abyss.
He drafted Wilson and Bailey, he has spent entirely too much faab money on Casilla and Cordero, who lurk on the bridge.
He wonders how things could have gone so wrong, so fast.
Before knowing whether he has made the right choices as the season unwinds, he does what we all want to do, especially after a bad fantasy day.....Just Scream

Below that....Heaven.
I believe the bag is early 1970's, about the time I got hooked on my favorite combo'
Nacho Cheese Doritos and Dr. Pepper......Don't knock it till you've tried it.....