A 12-Team Experience
Posted: Fri Sep 06, 2013 11:38 am
I am partnered with Roger Martin in a 12 team online league. It was very last minute, we drafted the team late at night a few days before the season was to commence.
Roger wanted to get me involved with the 12 team concept, in hopes that if I liked it, maybe we could share more teams in the future.
Roger and I became closer during the drafting season when his daughter, Mia, underwent brain surgery for cancer removal. As a group, it seemed the drafters were all Mia's uncles in pulling for Mia and being comfort for Roger and his family.
And now that Mia is out of the woods, we all have the sense that each of those drafters has the other's back.
Surreal, really.
But, you didn't come here to read that, you came for some fantasy baseball stuff, and that, you will get.
The 12 team challenge has been thought of as an easier format by me.
And it is.
It doesn't include the challenges that exist for 15 team leagues. Truth is though, that the fun and the enjoyment matches that of the 15 team leagues.
It's a little like being a high school football player playing in a pickup game with friends. In a pickup game, we're allowed to be more free wheeling and not have 'assignments'.
We are reminded in why we play the game in the first place.
The sheer enjoyment of the game itself.
It's hard for me to turn down a good draft, so I obliged.
We kept in touch by telephone as we made our picks.
We drafted what has turned out to be a heckuva team. One of those teams where as June turns to July, we can allow ourselves to have thoughts of the Overall, since League play was dominated.
It's a great feeling.
How good is this team?
Our current bench sitters are Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Gio Gonzalez, Mike Minor, Martin Perez, and Latroy Hawkins.
These are our bench sitters because while we try to climb in the overall by bolstering our two lesser categories, stolen bases and Wins.
This makes us think of the game in a completely different way. We top all teams in rbi and runs. On the surface, this sounds like a good thing. But we know that every rbi and run accumulated by our competition helps them. Each rbi or run by our team, does not even add a half point in the standings.
It's a blessing and a curse.
A Bonifacio stolen base is worth more to us than if he'd hit two grand slams.
Offensively, our team is lucky enough to have Cabrera, Chris Davis, Freddy Freeman, Adam Jones, Matt Carpenter, Hosmer, Gordon, Dan Murphy and others carry the load for us this year.
In a fantasy sense, these players have done their job. It is time for Bonifacio, Dyson, Andrus, Schafer , and whatever other speed we can find to do their job and run.
We've tried so hard to figure out Wins. As does everybody.
I Remember drafting against a Yahoo Kid type and him saying that, Yeah, I expect 20 Wins and 200 K's from Hamels'
When a woman is pregnant and is 'expecting', they usually see that expectance.
Yahoo Kid types hardly ever see expectance.
We can't expect Wins!
We can put Max Scherzer against the Astros at home. The odds would be in our favor. That is what we do. We try to maximize our odds in succeeding. That is the object of our game.
But 'expecting' is folly.
So, we've done what every other red blooded fantasy player does. We rely on quantity over quality.
This week, Jon Lester faced Max Scherzer. Both pitchers on our roster. We didn't have to pick which pitcher would start. That choice was made for us.
Lester has two starts this week. Scherzer, one.
If it had been reversed, Scherzer would have gotten the start.
It turns out that we lucked out in that Lester beat Scherzer and we were happy. But, it was just that, luck.
Wins and Saves are categories of opportunity as much as skill.
Martin Perez seems to win every week. He seems to pitch just well enough to give up less runs than his offense provides him. In 15 starts, nine Wins. Teammate Derek Holland seems to leave a game just behind or tied. Most think more of Holland's skill level of pitching technique. Holland also has nine wins, its taken him 28 starts to get those nine Wins.
Opportunity and circumstances favor pitchers like Perez or Jeremy Guthrie having more Wins than James Shields or Dillon Gee having more Wins than Matt Harvey.
Jason Marquis seemingly hasn't pitched since Bull Durham came out. He leads the Padres in victories with nine.
For that category, it seems it's better to be in the right place at the right time, more than have the better skills.
Sometimes both occur, and you get seasons to remember like Ron Guidry's 25-3 year or Scherzer's year this year.
And wow, did I just get off track or what?!
Going from 12 team leagues, to an overall chase, to theories on Wins.
Getting back to the Overall chase in 12 team leagues, it really has been a kick in the pants and I'm sure Roger and I will continue to share a team next year as well.
The 12 team experience has been nothing but positive.
And I also know a certain person, whose favorite number is 12, who has a big-assed grin on his face as he reads these words.
Roger wanted to get me involved with the 12 team concept, in hopes that if I liked it, maybe we could share more teams in the future.
Roger and I became closer during the drafting season when his daughter, Mia, underwent brain surgery for cancer removal. As a group, it seemed the drafters were all Mia's uncles in pulling for Mia and being comfort for Roger and his family.
And now that Mia is out of the woods, we all have the sense that each of those drafters has the other's back.
Surreal, really.
But, you didn't come here to read that, you came for some fantasy baseball stuff, and that, you will get.
The 12 team challenge has been thought of as an easier format by me.
And it is.
It doesn't include the challenges that exist for 15 team leagues. Truth is though, that the fun and the enjoyment matches that of the 15 team leagues.
It's a little like being a high school football player playing in a pickup game with friends. In a pickup game, we're allowed to be more free wheeling and not have 'assignments'.
We are reminded in why we play the game in the first place.
The sheer enjoyment of the game itself.
It's hard for me to turn down a good draft, so I obliged.
We kept in touch by telephone as we made our picks.
We drafted what has turned out to be a heckuva team. One of those teams where as June turns to July, we can allow ourselves to have thoughts of the Overall, since League play was dominated.
It's a great feeling.
How good is this team?
Our current bench sitters are Miguel Cabrera, Max Scherzer, Patrick Corbin, Gio Gonzalez, Mike Minor, Martin Perez, and Latroy Hawkins.
These are our bench sitters because while we try to climb in the overall by bolstering our two lesser categories, stolen bases and Wins.
This makes us think of the game in a completely different way. We top all teams in rbi and runs. On the surface, this sounds like a good thing. But we know that every rbi and run accumulated by our competition helps them. Each rbi or run by our team, does not even add a half point in the standings.
It's a blessing and a curse.
A Bonifacio stolen base is worth more to us than if he'd hit two grand slams.
Offensively, our team is lucky enough to have Cabrera, Chris Davis, Freddy Freeman, Adam Jones, Matt Carpenter, Hosmer, Gordon, Dan Murphy and others carry the load for us this year.
In a fantasy sense, these players have done their job. It is time for Bonifacio, Dyson, Andrus, Schafer , and whatever other speed we can find to do their job and run.
We've tried so hard to figure out Wins. As does everybody.
I Remember drafting against a Yahoo Kid type and him saying that, Yeah, I expect 20 Wins and 200 K's from Hamels'
When a woman is pregnant and is 'expecting', they usually see that expectance.
Yahoo Kid types hardly ever see expectance.
We can't expect Wins!
We can put Max Scherzer against the Astros at home. The odds would be in our favor. That is what we do. We try to maximize our odds in succeeding. That is the object of our game.
But 'expecting' is folly.
So, we've done what every other red blooded fantasy player does. We rely on quantity over quality.
This week, Jon Lester faced Max Scherzer. Both pitchers on our roster. We didn't have to pick which pitcher would start. That choice was made for us.
Lester has two starts this week. Scherzer, one.
If it had been reversed, Scherzer would have gotten the start.
It turns out that we lucked out in that Lester beat Scherzer and we were happy. But, it was just that, luck.
Wins and Saves are categories of opportunity as much as skill.
Martin Perez seems to win every week. He seems to pitch just well enough to give up less runs than his offense provides him. In 15 starts, nine Wins. Teammate Derek Holland seems to leave a game just behind or tied. Most think more of Holland's skill level of pitching technique. Holland also has nine wins, its taken him 28 starts to get those nine Wins.
Opportunity and circumstances favor pitchers like Perez or Jeremy Guthrie having more Wins than James Shields or Dillon Gee having more Wins than Matt Harvey.
Jason Marquis seemingly hasn't pitched since Bull Durham came out. He leads the Padres in victories with nine.
For that category, it seems it's better to be in the right place at the right time, more than have the better skills.
Sometimes both occur, and you get seasons to remember like Ron Guidry's 25-3 year or Scherzer's year this year.
And wow, did I just get off track or what?!
Going from 12 team leagues, to an overall chase, to theories on Wins.
Getting back to the Overall chase in 12 team leagues, it really has been a kick in the pants and I'm sure Roger and I will continue to share a team next year as well.
The 12 team experience has been nothing but positive.
And I also know a certain person, whose favorite number is 12, who has a big-assed grin on his face as he reads these words.
