The 'New' Season

[DOUGHBOYS]

Baseball fans have been put through a ringer. Months and months of a few people messing with a game previously enjoyed by millions of folks.
There has been nothing good about the whole process.
Horseshit national baseball writers are declaring 'Baseball is Back!" after being nothing but errand boys for the Commisioner over the past few months. These writers, led by John Heyman, disregarded content and fact checking in an effort to be first on the market for continuous non-stories and 'leaks' from the Commish.
Sickening.
Baseball was temporarily on hold because of a virus. Then, came to a screeching halt because of something more dangerous, greed.
The owners have gotten what they wanted. A shortened season.
So now what?

Overall baseball-wise...
it means they'll be playing baseball. It'll be a 60 game dash to the playoffs. If Corona doesn't halt the season.
Baseball will be played in silence with little or no fans.
It'll be played in a scrimmage-like atmosphere.
100's of people in a ballpark designed for 1,000's.
No signs. No taunting. No yelling. No noise. No atmosphere.
Baseball played in silence over a short period of time.
Baseball is not supposed to be like this.

Baseball fan-wise...
Records be damned.
If a middle reliever doesn't give up a run for a couple of months, does his 0.00 E.R.A. go down as a seasonal record, never to be broken?
If somebody hits .400, is it really a .400 batting season?
If so, George Brett and the family of Tony Gwynn should be pissed since those hitters went a lot longer than two months hitting .400
This is not a season for the baseball fan.
Hell, the baseball fan is not even invited to attend.
It's a desperate money grab.
One, where the owners could care less about a 50-60 game regular season. That is just a means to the end of reaping money with television and playoffs.

Fantasy Baseball-wise...
It's depends on your perspective.
Some just want action this year. Any action.
Even a watered down product is good enough for them.
Players missing games on purpose? That's ok.
One third of the usual schedule? That's ok.
No fans and less drama? That's ok.
As long as there is action under the MLB halo, these folks can't wait.

Another perspective is to draft for a shorter season with forethought.
Are Starters as important if the first 30 days or HALF THE SEASON, they cannot go beyond seven innings?
Batting Average is out the window.
Over a 60 day span, Joey Gallo can hit for the same average as Jose Altuve and consequently, Altuve may be able to hit close to Gallo's home run mark during that time.
Which players have given indications that they won't play?
With a baby coming, Mike Trout has been the most publicized of missing games.
And get this, ANY injury that pertains to the 15 day DL means that all players on that list will miss, at the least, a quarter of the season.
Every player hitting the DL is cause to drop that player during the next FAAB.
Even as the season is beginning, fantasy players will be playing the game as if near the end of the season.
That's what the 60 game season will do.

We are making sour lemonade with rotting lemons.
Making the best of a terrible situation.
It is not close to the baseball we are used to. Not even close.
Still, we love the fantasy game and want to apply it to the bad situation MLB has presented us.
Most of us we'll play because of that love for the fantasy game.
We'll be dubious when drafting for it.
And hope beyond hope, that we get a semblance of the satisfaction that fantasy baseball has given us in past years.

[Thurman15]

My first post in a long time. I agree with most of your points Dan. Your best line...." Hell, the baseball fan is not even invited to attend" Yup, it seems like we are outsiders. But for me, as much as I'm pissed off at Baseball, I love the game, both real, and fantasy. So my Yankees have my full attention, and I will indeed add a few more fantasy teams. I would only be fooling myself if I said screw it. However, the sport will/has lost a lot of fans. 60 games, here we come. (or at least here I come).

[DOUGHBOYS]

Thanks Al. Good to see you posting again!

As fantasy players, we have two seasons every year. Drafting season and baseball season.
Every year.
Till this year.
This has been Fantasy Hell. Limbo. Purgatory.
I think a lot of us just wanna get out of this place and start something else!