Taboo
Posted: Fri Jan 01, 2016 10:08 am
There is a taboo in fantasy drafting that amuses me. I believe I have written of it before, a long time ago, and reminded in a draft to bring it up again.
The taboo is that of the mentioning of a players name who has not yet been drafted.
I was in the chat room of a draft the other day, when a fellow mentioned Andrew Miller's name.
This was the first draft AFTER the Aroldis Chapman trade.
After Chapman was taken, a fella asked the drafter if he thought Andrew Miller would be traded or kept.
That fella then scolded himself for mentioning Miller since he was yet to be drafted.
Why do we hang on to this taboo?
We are at the stage of fantasy baseball where almost nothing is a secret.
There are no sleepers.
The definition of sleepers, has changed from 'a player known by few' to 'a player secretly coveted by a drafter'.
In this case, Miller's name was near the top of the default list.
I'm not advocating mentioning lesser known players that will be taken WAY later in drafts.
I do believe, however, that if a player like Miller is innocently brought up in conversation, that it is ok.
When drafting 'live' in Las Vegas, we hear players names from other tables.
It is an annoyance to be sure.
We don't want players coveted to be called out. In our minds, we think the the calling of names may 'tempt' a drafter to take 'our' player.
It's something we tell ourselves, while also being totally false.
If paying thousands of dollars to sit in on a draft and a drafter is influenced by the naming of a player in another draft, don't we WANT that fickle player to be in our draft?
That would be the ultimate in sheepdom, right?
In our DC's, names go to the top of the default. Some, like Lance Lynn, are obvious in why they are there.
Some, like Jacoby Ellsbury, stay awhile, until somebody convinces themselves that they got a 'value pick'.
Ugh.
A name is at the top of a default= value....that really does make me laugh out loud.
Anyway, if somebody mentions a players name not taken, it's ok.
He doesn't need to be confronted.
He doesn't need to scold himself.
The value of the chat exceeds the taboo in most cases.
The best drafts are the one's with free flowing chat.
Don't bungle that by bringing up a taboo that really should not be a taboo any more.
The taboo is that of the mentioning of a players name who has not yet been drafted.
I was in the chat room of a draft the other day, when a fellow mentioned Andrew Miller's name.
This was the first draft AFTER the Aroldis Chapman trade.
After Chapman was taken, a fella asked the drafter if he thought Andrew Miller would be traded or kept.
That fella then scolded himself for mentioning Miller since he was yet to be drafted.
Why do we hang on to this taboo?
We are at the stage of fantasy baseball where almost nothing is a secret.
There are no sleepers.
The definition of sleepers, has changed from 'a player known by few' to 'a player secretly coveted by a drafter'.
In this case, Miller's name was near the top of the default list.
I'm not advocating mentioning lesser known players that will be taken WAY later in drafts.
I do believe, however, that if a player like Miller is innocently brought up in conversation, that it is ok.
When drafting 'live' in Las Vegas, we hear players names from other tables.
It is an annoyance to be sure.
We don't want players coveted to be called out. In our minds, we think the the calling of names may 'tempt' a drafter to take 'our' player.
It's something we tell ourselves, while also being totally false.
If paying thousands of dollars to sit in on a draft and a drafter is influenced by the naming of a player in another draft, don't we WANT that fickle player to be in our draft?
That would be the ultimate in sheepdom, right?
In our DC's, names go to the top of the default. Some, like Lance Lynn, are obvious in why they are there.
Some, like Jacoby Ellsbury, stay awhile, until somebody convinces themselves that they got a 'value pick'.
Ugh.
A name is at the top of a default= value....that really does make me laugh out loud.
Anyway, if somebody mentions a players name not taken, it's ok.
He doesn't need to be confronted.
He doesn't need to scold himself.
The value of the chat exceeds the taboo in most cases.
The best drafts are the one's with free flowing chat.
Don't bungle that by bringing up a taboo that really should not be a taboo any more.
