Fantasy Baseball finally on MLBNetwork! 8:30 Sun. 03/29!!!

ZackPhilly · Post by **ZackPhilly** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 12:50 am

Fantasy Baseball finally on MLBNetwork! 8:30 till 10:00 Sun. 03/29!!

This may be in another thread that I missed, but I thought it was cool.

Tune in, DVR it and enjoy!

The hosts Mike Siano n Cory Schwartz drafted in the Main on Saturday, so they know what you've gone through.

Fantasy 411 Blog will have more info. if needed.

Have fun,

Zack - Philly (NYC 3 TM10)

Schwartzstops · Post by **Schwartzstops** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:24 am

Hi folks did anyone watch the show last night? I'd love to hear any feedback if so.

Thanks,

Cory

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 3:42 am

nope, i missed it. i'm curious if the show is like every other show/website out there. stale and unusable info provided by people who don't have a fantastic fantasy baseball resume.

mgk2004 · Post by **mgk2004** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:09 am

Cory,

I was doing an NFBC draft at show-time so missed it live, but recorded it and watched it late last night. I thought you and Mike did a great job, and it seemed as if Harold (and the other guy whose name escapes me) were interested/intrigued beyond just "doing their job". Any chance you guys might make a weekly appearance on the MLB channel throughout the summer? I find you, Mike, and Casey to be both entertaining and informative throughout the marathon baseball seasons ... and I also get my two stud catchers early!

Thanks,

--- Mike

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:20 am

You can go to MLB.com and watch 5 min clips position by position if you want.

~Lance

ZackPhilly · Post by **ZackPhilly** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:46 am

I thought it was very good.

Bad: People who don't know much about fantasy baseball were left in the dust in 10 seconds. May not propagate the fandom.

Good: "We" the fantasy baseball competitor easily followed all the conversations (including the references to higher level strategies and statistics).

Great references, jokes, one liners and information crammed into the 60 minutes or so of non-commercials.

I thought it was fun to watch, and the interplay of an interested non-fantasy competitor host, an open minded former Pro, a "gut feel" analyst, and a stats driven analyst helped bring a good balance.

Was there something I didn't know, besides some more incite on particular players relative evaluation, not that I can think of, but it was fun and about fantasy baseball, can't beat that.

Gekko, try not giving message board posting a bad name with useless comments like that one. Watch the show first! Its like you have to make a comment so badly, that you don't even bother to make it useful anymore. Get back to your roots.

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 5:59 am

Originally posted by ZackPhilly:

Gekko, try not giving message board posting a bad name with useless comments like that one. Watch the show first! Its like you have to make a comment so badly, that you don't even bother to make it useful anymore. Get back to your roots. so you are saying the show was:

1. Fresh

2. Contained useable information to win your league

3. Provided by people who have had significant fantasy baseball success

is that accurate? i don't know if it is or isn't, hence my question. If so, i'll take a peek. if not, then i won't.

Attie · Post by **Attie** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:16 am

I watched the 90 minute show on MLB last night and really enjoyed it. It was very obvious that the "Fantasy Guys", Cory and Mike knew way more about "real baseball" than the so-called expert analyst, Harold Reynolds, although the interplay among the three of them was entertaining.

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:32 am

i see the bits are posted on mlb.com.

i'll take a look 2nite and chime in with my thoughts tomorrow. looks exciting

headhunters · Post by **headhunters** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:56 am

cory, don't know what the politics is with harold reynolds- maybe you can't call him out. but if you can- he needs to get off the " lineup and ball park is everything" mantra when the guy has played in the same lineup and park for 3-4 years. the big contadiction to his theory was shortstops. he had just gotten done saying how the mets new ball park had much less foul territory (favoring hitters). then picked rollins as the #1 ss because of " lineup and ball park". well what changed from 2005,6,7,8? reyes ball park improved and all the biggies are playing in same park. so- the year to year comps don't change- but like i said- maybe you can't point stuff like that out. people on these boards need to realize the show is for a broad audience of fantasy players- not just the top 5%. good show-i thought you guys did a much much better job than espn - with matt "i am always shouting and trying to be really funny" berry.

DoubleX · Post by **DoubleX** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:02 am

Cory,

Congrats on the show. It was entertaining with good info. I enjoyed the interaction and laughed a ton after just about anything Harold Reynolds said. I hope you guys keep the show going as I have thought since the MLB channel went "on air" it should have a roto show.

Gekko, you are unreal man. That first comment you made on this thread just goes to show what a classless clown you are.

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:06 am

Corey,

I thought you and your cohort did an excellent job. I thought HR and the host did not give you much help. HR seemed to have the typical you fantasy guys are dorks attitude and the host seemed pretty uneducated on the entire subject.

I thought you and the other guy were excellent though. It is tough to play to the entire audience and you all did well.

Great job!

ZackPhilly · Post by **ZackPhilly** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:06 am

Gekko II, now that is a list of Q's that I can work with.

1. Yes, fresh, very. Not that there are many other televised fantasy shows to compete with. You may not be familiar with the "Fantasy 411" product of the last 10 years or so from MLB.com, initially Fantasy Frenzy with "successful" pioneers Lenny Melnick and Irwin Zwiling. The show has been consistently entertaining, with many varied personalities revolving around Cory n Mike for years, some topics "deep" like the ever present prediction methods of statistics that most serious site analysts participate in, to the 8T mixed fan who's conflicted over two well known players. "Infotainment" is the general goal. Lucky for fantasy baseball competitors, they also answer e-mails of various depth question on the fantasy411.mlblogs.com

2. My league useful...not NFBC (yet), not my competitive 5x5 12T (although relevant), but the guys in my "buddies" 5x5 12T could sure use it. Beside an hour of content went too fast to get the depth I would need for use, and most likely the depth of anaylysis for our use would be way over the heads of the common competitor. I do think it has a use to build my "perceived value" mental picture for trading leagues.

3. What is relevant, four people on the show, 2 compete in fantasy leagues, 2 do not. This gives the show a broader appeal, something that is needed to get it on the air. Cory Schwartz and Mike Siano have experience from the various formats but value players from different slants. Siano appears to lean toward what (i can't think of a better description) i tend to call the "gut feel" based on stats/observation, and Schwartz has a more statistical analysis approach (he is the director of Stats for MLB, so no surprise). Resume's of success. I don't know if either of them care what others think of a fantasy baseball resume they may have, if they were to compile one, and I think both would say (like many other well known analysts) that you will never be done learning in this field. I know Cory has been "successful" in the past, both are competing in Tout and other analyst leagues. What is success? If I got asked to be an analyst on MLB Networks first Fantasy Baseball related show, I'd feel pretty successful, and believe someone of importance thought I could contribute at a high level.

For me I see $'s. I feel I am successful because I have more money coming in from my fantasy exploits than going out. Positive sum $ hobby. (although if I paid myself minimum wage, I'd be bankrupt).

I hope you enjoy it. It may be a little odd as 5 min bits through the site though. Since you have an opinion, tell Cory what can be better.

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:07 am

Originally posted by So Cal Desert Rat:

Gekko, you are unreal man. That first comment you made on this thread just goes to show what a classless clown you are. why, because i don't like to waste my time?

GOD Loves You · Post by **GOD Loves You** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:11 am

Originally posted by Schwartzstops:

Hi folks did anyone watch the show last night? I'd love to hear any feedback if so.

Thanks,

Cory Going to watch it at 4 today. I will say, as long as you guys have a desk in front of you, I'll be happy.

ZackPhilly · Post by **ZackPhilly** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:12 am

By the way they seem to have the audio only version too. http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/audio/podcast/

DoubleX · Post by **DoubleX** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 7:14 am

Originally posted by ZackPhilly:

I know Cory has been "successful" in the past, both are competing in Tout and other analyst leagues. What is success? If I got asked to be an analyst on MLB Networks first Fantasy Baseball related show, I'd feel pretty successful, and believe someone of importance thought I could contribute at a high level.

[/QB]Now that was well said.

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:29 am

Maybe, we as NFBC'ers know too much.

I have never seen a televised fantasy show that had me coming away thinking,

A. I learned something new

B. They went in depth

C. It would be something I would like to see followed up

This one was no exception. Sorry, just my opinion.

[ March 30, 2009, 03:43 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

Red Sox Nation · Post by **Red Sox Nation** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:15 pm

My favorite part:

During the 2B portion: "My surprise guy---- Ian Kinsler and Brandon Phillips" Harold Reynolds

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 12:20 pm

ya, i only watched the SS clip.

basically it was...

1. HRAM is good

2. Reyes is good

3. JROLL is good

much like i suspected, this show seems to be tailored to the fantasy novice...ie, ESPN/Yahoo type player. i'm sure that's what they want, which is fine for them.

i agree with doughy, nothing to learn for the nfbc crowd.

i do think the two guys from the nfbc sounded knowledgable and did a better than expected job.

eddiejag · Post by **eddiejag** » Mon Mar 30, 2009 2:19 pm

Hey it's a start we needed to get some kind of fantasy on the MLB channel.I thought Cory and his partner were very good like theyve done this show a hundred times.Cory did bring a lot of stats like Youkalis actually hit more ground balls last year then ever but his homers went up.When discussing why Cory thought Manny Rameriz was a risk this year with his age and missed games the last few year's were reason's not too take Manny too early.I AGREED with all of that but you never mentioned once that Manny also doesnt steal bases this was something you guys didnt explain good enough to Harold.

I realize this was the first show but evanually we will need to go deeper then the top 10 at every position.If you guys can fiqure out a way to mix in the stuff for the new fantasy players and the serious 15 team drafting 450 players kind of guys then maybe this show could work.Hopefully for all in the fantasy business that this show will continue.Maybe some better host's that know more about fantasy would help.I realize Harold might have to stay but maybe someone else with him.Anyway's good luck ,also loved the Zeus Piazzi joke.

Schwartzstops · Post by **Schwartzstops** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:34 am

Thanks for the feedback everyone, positive and not-so-positive, I appreciate it. It is a challenge to do a show like this and make it informative for advanced players such as in NFBC, without coming off as too sophisticated for the more casual players and mainstream baseball fans. Ultimately we tried to strike a balance; yes we talked a lot about top-tier players but we also spent a fair amount of time on guys who went much deeper in drafts: Mike Fontenot, Khalil Greene, Ryan Spilborghs, etc.

Gekko, I don't really feel the need to defend my resume, but if it helps give you any confidence, I've been playing in money leagues for 20 years, and have won enough to keep my wife happy. In my first three years in NFBC I've finished 1-3-4 in my league (6th overall in 2006), and I've finished as high as 3rd in Tout Wars. In my day job I have full-time exposure to team and league executives so I have access to plenty of good information and intelligence. I'm not sure what your standard is for expertise but I don't feel I have a credibility gap when I offer my thoughts on something.

Plus, if you watch more of the show you'll note that every observation I offered was supported by facts. Whether or not things play out as I expect is unknown, but I wasn't just offering unsupported opinions.

Whether or not you agree with anything I said is up to you, but I did want to let you know a little bit more about me since you are using my qualifications as one of your criteria for evaluating the show.

Thanks,

Cory

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:40 am

Originally posted by Schwartzstops:

Thanks for the feedback everyone, positive and not-so-positive, I appreciate it. It is a challenge to do a show like this and make it informative for advanced players such as in NFBC, without coming off as too sophisticated for the more casual players and mainstream baseball fans. Ultimately we tried to strike a balance; yes we talked a lot about top-tier players but we also spent a fair amount of time on guys who went much deeper in drafts: Mike Fontenot, Khalil Greene, Ryan Spilborghs, etc.

Gekko, I don't really feel the need to defend my resume, but if it helps give you any confidence, I've been playing in money leagues for 20 years, and have won enough to keep my wife happy. In my first three years in NFBC I've finished 1-3-4 in my league (6th overall in 2006), and I've finished as high as 3rd in Tout Wars. In my day job I have full-time exposure to team and league executives so I have access to plenty of good information and intelligence. I'm not sure what your standard is for expertise but I don't feel I have a credibility gap when I offer my thoughts on something.

Plus, if you watch more of the show you'll note that every observation I offered was supported by facts. Whether or not things play out as I expect is unknown, but I wasn't just offering unsupported opinions.

Whether or not you agree with anything I said is up to you, but I did want to let you know a little bit more about me since you are using my qualifications as one of your criteria for evaluating the show.

Thanks,

Cory Cory,

Thanks for the post. I thought you two did a better than expected job. And, yes I noticed that you guys supported your conclusions with facts, unlike Reynolds!!

Also, thanks for giving us a little background about yourself. I like to know who I'm listening too, before I choose to listen.

All in all, good stuff.

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:43 am

PS - You guys were refreshing. I could tell you had a good handle on fantasy knowledge AND how to apply it! Again, well done.

Gordon Gekko II · Post by **Gordon Gekko II** » Tue Mar 31, 2009 3:48 am

since i'm giving out so much love today, i'll also comment that you guys handled yourselves great on camera. i didn't see any "deer in headlights" moments.