My NFBC Season

[Navel Lint]

Jack Brickhouse and Channel 9:





I’ve had this idea for several weeks. I’ve been trying to decide whether or not to proceed. I still haven’t really decided, but now I have taken it to the next level. I have been considering the idea of writing about one player’s season in the NFBC, that player being me. I don’t know if this has been tried before or that it’s worth trying now. I have a lot of unanswered questions as to the viability of this idea.



Is there enough material to write about?

How will I talk about my team or opponents?

Will I talk strategy openly at the risk of giving away information that could hurt me?

Will anyone read this and/or give a sh*t?



The first three questions I will be able to answer myself in time, you guys will answer the last one.



And so it begins.



I think the best place to start would be with some basic background material. I’m 40 years old and have lived in and around Chicago my whole life. I’m a general sports fan but baseball is the one that I enjoy the most. You don’t hear the phrase very often anymore, but I was a “latch-key kid” growing up, WGN and the Cubs were my after school friends. Now I’m married with three kids, a minivan, and a 401K. Up until last season I was in a local AL only auction league that began in 1990. Last year I participated in my first NFBC event. It was a satellite league that I co-owned with a partner, 12th place. This year I am going it alone. Two satellites and my first main event.

Over the next couple of weeks I’ll have plenty of opportunities to discuss my teams and the thought process behind my picks.



As for the main event, I will be in Chicago. The draft is just three days away and I’m really looking forward to meeting the other players and drafting my team. Do I Think I can win it all? Of course I do. So do all of you, that’s why we’re here.



Next time: Pre-draft



[ March 12, 2008, 08:36 PM: Message edited by: rucrew2 ]

[Navel Lint]

I was taken out of context:





I’ve been an avid reader of the message boards since Feb of ’07. I enjoy reading the comments made and the opinions given. Like all walks of life, some people really know their stuff and some are just shooting from the hip with no idea what they will hit. I find this to be most true when people are discussing players and player projections. Some of you use sound rational and proven theories to rate and project a player’s worth. Many others, probably too many, use the “I got a feeling” theory.



As for myself, I’m a big believer in Sabermetrics. I believe in numbers. Sometimes the numbers are wrong, but they don’t give me a different result to a question just because they have a “feeling.” That being said, the output is only as good as the input.



When it comes to draft prep, I’m not the type that’s going to watch every Sports Center, go to watch spring training games or read every “B” game box score. I’m not going to bump up my projections of Ivan Rodriguez just because he hit more spring homers than usual. I will usually use two or three sets of projections that can be easily downloaded from the net and then rank/rate them based on the input used to create the projections.



I know. Many of you just read that last sentence and thought, “Great! I hope that fish is in my league” But my argument is, why spend countless hours creating an algorithm that’s going to tell me Arod will hit 49 HR’s instead of 52. If you can look at the projections of others and them put them in proper context ( playing time, injuries, etc. ). There is no reason to go through all the work.



The work that should be done is defining the proper context for your projections and then creating a plan that will allow you to succeed within the framework you have setup.





Next time: More on draft prep

[Thunder]

if you haven't, you need to read Sam Walker's "Fantasyland"

[Navel Lint]

Originally posted by cleaver beavers:

if you haven't, you need to read Sam Walker's "Fantasyland" I haven't read it. In fact, never heard of it. I just looked it up on Amazon. Looks like "my idea" has already been done.



I'm not a writer though, which is obvious.



I still haven't really decided if I'm going to continue or not. I had to force myself to put out the first two entries. I have written a third and will post it, after that.....who knows?



[ March 13, 2008, 09:15 PM: Message edited by: rucrew2 ]

[Navel Lint]

Rolen went where?





I started my draft prep in early February, just after the Superbowl. Mainly it consisted of catching up on player moves during the winter and setting a schedule for me to be ready for the main event. I’m a procrastinator. The only way I could force myself to get ready was to create a reason. So I joined a league held on the first night of satellite events, Feb. 19th. For me, this was the most helpful preseason move I could make.



I honestly spent that first week of February just trying to determine how I wanted to present the information for me to use during the draft. I created draft lists by position; I created draft lists by overall rank. They were color coded, numbered, and marked with special key-coded symbols. I showed my wife (Yes Dear, your baseball guys sheet looks nice), I was all proud. But it became too much info. I couldn’t take it all in. Finally, I went with a simple spread sheet that lists the players and their projected stats by my personal ranking. I really think that organizing your material in a coherent and ready to use manner is at least a half of the battle in being well prepared.



After figuring out how to present my information, I needed to create a rank for the players. For me, on Feb 19th, that means basing a vast majority of my rankings on last season’s performance. Pitchers and catchers were just starting to report. Really, I mainly used a winter ranking from the Baseball Forecaster. Sure, I made some adjustments. But in fact, my main list was from the Forecaster. That doesn’t mean that I drafted my team right from the book, far from it. You still have to piece your team together based on needs and what’s available at your pick. I think this is were most people go wrong when using published player rankings. There is nothing wrong with the lists, it’s usually just that people take them literally and don’t apply them to their particular needs.



I think I had a good first draft. But I did start to find the holes in my rankings and in the available player pool. Drafting with real people for real money on the line did more for my pre draft study than multiple mocks would have ever done.

[MichiganFantasyTeam]

wow!

That was some really good reading material. I really liked the part about showing your team to your wife...her response was the same as 99% of wifes, It was a funny comment. I also read the book "FantasyLand". I did not like it, so maybe you could make a better one

I think you need to finish better then 12th in a Fantasy Baseball league to give advice. Just my personal opinion. I will keep reading your posts though. They are funny! Good-Luck!

[Navel Lint]

A t-shirt or a jersey?





This is my first season in the main event. Last year I played in one satellite tournament. They might have the same rules, but they are not the same game. I started planning for the main draft in early February and felt real comfortable about my preparation and strategy….. until Friday night.



Do I like my rankings?

Do I know the overall player pool well enough?

How strong will the competition be?

What should I wear?



All these questions started creeping into my head Friday night. I’m glad I was at work to distract myself or I might have gone nuts.



I got home from work around 10:30pm. I planned to get some good rest, get up early, go over my list again and drive into Chicago. Instead, I watched Bill Maher and other recorded shows from the DVR, got up late, grabbed my list and did “about” the speed limit down I-294 hoping that there would not be any traffic problems. There wasn’t.



I hadn’t participated in NFBC before last season because I wasn’t sure of its legitimacy. Even last year I just did a satellite. As all of you know, and now I know, this is a top of the line event. From the moment I walked into The Rosemont Convention Center the people that were there to run the event did everything possible to make the draft go smoothly and take care of the player needs. Our draft facilitator, Jim, did a wonderful job. He keep the draft moving, he helped with names and let people know how they were doing on time. He even got a few side comments in about some of the picks made that made people laugh. I’ll be in this event from now on.



I didn’t know any of the people in my league, but the folks around me were nice and it seemed like everyone had a good time.



More later………..

[Navel Lint]

Tiger Woods for a day:





I’ve participated in live drafts previously; in fact I was in a local auction league for 15 years. This was a new experience for me. My old league was with co-workers. We all know and have worked with each other almost 20 years, no surprises. I know “Ed” will not pay for a catcher, “Bob” is going to get some White Sox, and I will have 5 $1 pitchers.



Here in the NFBC, all new. I didn’t know anyone and they don’t know me. It was clear that some people did know each other and I did introduce myself to a few players but I basically only talked with the guy that came to help me.



Just before the draft we all took our places. It was at that point an old poker adage came to mind; “look around the table, if you can’t find the fish, you’re it” Considering I have a 12th place finish in one satellite event, I was worried. It took a few rounds, but I’m not the one. That’s not to say that my team is better or that their team is worse, I haven’t run the numbers yet, but one team did have to scramble for a few of their picks and it certainly gave the impression of being the fish.



I give a lot of credit to single owner teams, there’s just enough going on to keep you busy at all times. Maintaining your lists, your roster, and thinking about your next pick. I’m not sure that I could or would want to.



I had a partner with me. Not a co-ownership kind of situation, but more of a Golfer/Caddie thing. It’s my team. I played all the shots. I’ll take all the credit and all the blame. But I couldn’t have done it without Bruce. He was perfect. He helped me maintain my list. He kept track of my roster and all the projected stats that I had for my players. Before I would make my shot, he would tell me it was the right play or he would suggest an alternate but always backed me before I made the call. For the price of a couple of drinks, I could not have paid somebody to do more or a better job. Thanks Bruce.

[Navel Lint]

It’s all about the $$$$:





It was hard waiting for a week to see the final rosters. I know it takes time to input all the information and I understand, but still, it was hard. I wanted to be able to compare my team against the others in the league. Overall, I’m happy. I think I have a good team that will do well in my league.



My opinion about my team may be biased though. It’s funny; the team you draft almost always looks good when judged with the projections you used to make your picks in the first place. As an example: If I project player A to hit 35 HR’s and you project 25, not only will we have different values for his draft slot but the projections for league standings will be different. That being said, I still like my team. Based on my personal projections, I think there are seven teams in my league that have a chance at the top three slots and eight teams that do not. I don’t think that is very unusual, it’s just a matter of which teams are which. Of course this only takes into account the draft rosters without any in-season moves or injuries and again based on one set of projections.



I’ve read one of the other threads on the MB in which owners broke down their draft rosters. There was some insightful information posted and it’s clear that the people who play this game are not only baseball fans but very intelligent people with thoughtful purpose behind their actions. I will break down my roster here in this thread soon.



*****************************************************************



Today was *Opening Day*. I don’t know about you, but I’m just not feeling it for these games in Japan. As a Cub fan, I didn’t like it when they opened up in Tokyo back in 2000 and I don’t really care for it now. I’m not opposed to exhibition games out of the country or in-season games at international venues.. But opening day should be celebrated as our national pastime (including Toronto) and not as another cash grab. I will be in Wrigley Field Monday afternoon for the Cubs/Brewers. That will be opening day.



[ March 25, 2008, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: rucrew2 ]

[Navel Lint]

Maddux is the best pitcher of my generation:





I had the third pick in the draft. My KDS was 4,3,2,1,15,14 ……



1.3: Hanley Ramirez; I was hoping to get HRam. I would have taken Wright if Ramirez would have been taken second. I was looking for a solid mix of power and speed.



2.13: Aramis Ramirez; I’m looking for power with avg. I take Aramis thinking about 33 Hr’s and 100+ RBI



3.3: Victor Martinez; I was targeting Brian Roberts but he goes at 3.1. I go with Martinez to pad my average and add some HR’s



( End of R3, 5 pitchers gone. By my next pick at 4.13, 10 P’s gone, two closers eight Starters)



4.13: Rafael Furcal; I pick up the steals that I missed from Roberts, not hurting my avg.

(Before I took Furcal, I saw that one owner had taken Rollins. Ichiro, Byrnes, and Figgins with their first four picks. I liked the idea of getting Furcal and making steals become a real premium for the other teams.)



5.3: Chipper Jones; Mid 20’s in HR’s , good avg. I hope he doesn’t get hurt.



6.13: Vernon Wells; I was looking into the outfield. Delmon Young was available here. I wanted to go with a little more power than speed. Young went with the next pick.



7.3: Javier Vazqeuz; Time to get a pitcher. 18 starters are gone already. I take Vazquez, 190 k’s. I hope he can keep his ERA below 4



8.13: Willy Tavarez; I wasn’t targeting him. But his 30 something steals put me in the 120+ range and I can focus on power and pitching.



9.3: Jermaine Dye; I stay with the OF. Power



10.13: Jasen Isringhuasen; Need that closer



11.3: Adam Wainright; 150k’s 13? Wins



12.13: Tim Hudson; I was going to go back to offense. But Hudson at pick #178 seemed good considering how much pitching went early in our league.



13.3: Kevin Gregg; I want a second closer. I don’t want to waste a pick in the first ten rounds on a closer if I don’t get a second.



14.13; Jeff Kent; Come on, one more year!



15.3: Ramon Hernandez; I don’t like any of the first baseman that are left. Going to slide V Martinez to first, looking to add a catcher with some descent numbers.



16.13: David Dejesus; Not my best pick. But I will take the runs scored.



17.3 : Greg Maddux; I’ve been a Cub fan my whole life. I will always consider Greg a Cub. 50% pick with head, 50% pick with heart.



18.13: Scott Baker: My take a chance Starter.



19.3: Coco Crisp: Outfield is getting thin, I’m hoping for a trade or Jacoby to fail.



20.13: John Buck: Better catchers were available. But I’m projecting a high average for my team to this point, I can take a slight hit at avg hoping for 20 hr’s.



21.3: Casey Blake; last hitting slot, looking for 15 hr’s to meet goal

22.13: Asdrubal Cabrera: Kent insurance, might go in my lineup anyway

23.3 Felix Pie: Starter in Chicago, for now.

24.13: Micah Owings: I need another starter or two

25.3: Chad Gaudin:

26.13: Aubrey Huff: at pick #388 , can’t pass up. Plus Aubrey on Deal or No Deal is my favorite model

27.3: Eddie Guardado: Everyday Eddie, who knows?

28.13: Dan Wheeler; Looking for future closer

29.3: David Riske; See Dan Wheeler

30.13: Dan Ortmeier: First base insurance

[Sheep]

Originally posted by rucrew2:

Maddux is the best pitcher of my generation:





I had the third pick in the draft. My KDS was 4,3,2,1,15,14 ……



1.3: Hanley Ramirez; I was hoping to get HRam. I would have taken Wright if Ramirez would have been taken second. I was looking for a solid mix of power and speed.



2.13: Aramis Ramirez; I’m looking for power with avg. I take Aramis thinking about 33 Hr’s and 100+ RBI



3.3: Victor Martinez; I was targeting Brian Roberts but he goes at 3.1. I go with Martinez to pad my average and add some HR’s

I think you should have went for Manny in the third as Uno, dos, tres Ramirez'

[Navel Lint]

What’s the price of talent? ;





This is the first week of free agent moves. I am in two satellites along with the main event. The first thing I noticed between the three leagues is the number of bid worthy players. In the two satellite leagues I have found 10 to 15 players each that are worthy and will probably receive at least one bid. In the main event league there is less than 10 players that will/should get bid on. There are many reasons for this to be true.



The satellite leagues drafting early – Feb 19th

Satellite owners take more flyers and tend to use more extreme strategies

The owners in the main event take fewer risks and their knowledge of useful players runs deeper.



Last season I played in my first event, a $1000 satellite. My team only had one closer coming out of the draft. During spring training my co-owner and I watched all the spring results, read Rotoworld and Baseball Weekly looking for a possible closer. We found one, Dustin Hermanson of the Reds. He was getting all the save chances and everyone was calling him the closer.



ME; “What should we bid”

Co-Owner; “We need another closer, period”

ME; “At least three other teams need one too. This guy is worth a top 15 draft slot. What’s that worth?”

CO; “We are getting this guy! Bid $500”

ME; “$500?”

CO; “No, that’s not right. Go $501. Wait, they will probably do that too. Bid $511”

ME; “$511? Are you sure? That’s more than half our cash”

CO; “No sh*t. This guy could make our season. We have to have Hermanson. Go $751.

ME; “What!”

CO; “Let’s get this guy and trust that our draft roster will not need more help. We play to win!”

ME; “You’re right! $751 it is”



Final roster cut down day before opening day. The Reds waive Hermanson. Wow! We almost blew three quarters of our money on a guy that didn’t make the roster.



Note to self: Bid wisely!



[ March 26, 2008, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: rucrew2 ]

[Navel Lint]

You can’t make everyone happy:





In an earlier post I mentioned that I had run projected standings for my league. It’s an exercise that is very subjective but can be useful if you believe in the tools that you used to create your draft team. Not unexpectedly, my team fairs well using my own projections as the standard. As a matter of trying to be open and honest about my season, I am going to list the teams that I think have a chance at the league title and those that don’t.



I don’t do this with the intent to offend anyone, although I concede that it may. If you are in my league and reading this remember that these are only my projections. Come October this opinion about our league may look very foolish. I hope that you will take it lightheartedly and not as a statement of fact or boast.



Seven teams that have a chance at the league title:

Epic Powder

Hungry Hill Sausage

MP Hammers

Navel Lint

No Balls No Babies

Sportsbuff.com

Smoky Mtn. Oysters



The Eight teams that don’t:

420 Feet Away

Fried Eggs

Keeneland

Mr Dalrae

Paco Thyme

Rotorank.com

Sevo Baseball

Still Inebriated and loving it





Two of the teams ranking in the bottom eight finished last season in the top 10 overall. Take these pre-season projections for what their worth.

[The Mighty Men]

I just saw this thread for the first time. Guess what - I'm 40, living in Chicago area, have 3 kids and a minivan. But not Hanley Ramirez.



Good luck.

[Navel Lint]

BlackJack;





Week 0 done. Other than the first FAAB bids, not a lot to be said of week 0. I watched a little bit of the games in Japan, they felt like exhibition games to me. I just couldn’t get into them. Last night’s opener in Washington was nice.



I picked up one player from free agency. Ross Gload from KC. I had picked up Dan Ortmeier of SF with my 30th rd pick at the draft as a backup to Victor Martinez at firstbase but I feel that Gload will give me a better option off the bench in case I need one. I bid $21 and won the bid by $21.



I’ve already read on the MB that there were some high bids made on some players. In one of my satellites there were bids over $300 and $400 on some players. I have no problem with that. Some people think that is too much to spend early. I say get the player you want and don’t look back. If you can fill a need via the FAAB in week 0, why wouldn’t you spend anything it takes to fill that need?



I’m actually in first place after week 0. It doesn’t mean anything being only three games, but at least I will always have been in the lead at least once this year.



***************************************************************



I really like ESPN’s coverage of baseball. Jon Miller, Dan Schulman, Rick Suttcliffe and many of the others. I would like to see Joe Morgan go. I like Peter Gammons but I would rather see Sam Ryan doing the bench reporting.



I’m leaving now for the Cub’s home opener, I hope I don’t get rained on all day.

[Navel Lint]

Originally posted by The Mighty Men:





Good luck. Thanks, You too. I think we are in the same satellite together, Feb 19 WTA 2.



[ March 31, 2008, 09:42 AM: Message edited by: rucrew2 ]

[Jackstraw]

I think we are in the same league... Good thing you aren't in the same league with Gekko. He would devour every piece of information that you put up there.



Let me read further, I'm interested. From a topic standpoint, that is



But I will take note... Since we are in the same league and all

[Jackstraw]

Originally posted by rucrew2:

Maddux is the best pitcher of my generation:





I had the third pick in the draft. My KDS was 4,3,2,1,15,14 ……



1.3: Hanley Ramirez; I was hoping to get HRam. I would have taken Wright if Ramirez would have been taken second. I was looking for a solid mix of power and speed.



2.13: Aramis Ramirez; I’m looking for power with avg. I take Aramis thinking about 33 Hr’s and 100+ RBI



3.3: Victor Martinez; I was targeting Brian Roberts but he goes at 3.1. I go with Martinez to pad my average and add some HR’s

And to think we sat right next to each other... I was so into my mess of paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, and magazines that I don't even remember what you looked like. Sorry.



If you wanted HRam, then that means that 1, 2, and 3 all got their first choice. I got high hopes for Wright.



Your ARam pick could be a killer. This is my fifth year, and in my first I learned a lesson the hard way. I took the Jones Boys back to back - too early. I learned next year to just not draft any Braves. That way they can only break your heart on the field.



Sorry about Victor.



[ March 31, 2008, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: Jackstraw ]

[Jackstraw]

Good stuff



A couple of mental notes that I made as I went along.



When you were talking about doing your evaluations, I think you were basically following the right path in setting up. There are a million ways to evaluate and project, but in the end it still comes down to who you want. I think you skipped a key component though. I wrote about it earlier in my Ster-muda Triangle story. Before you can make a plan from your evaluations, you need to make a strategy.



The difference being, a plan is tactics - how you are going to do it. A strategy is a mental vision of what you want to do. The strategy blankets the plan and it allows you to make choices on the fly during the live draft. I create stories in my mind of how the season is going to pan out based on many different variables. They are economic, political, and every once in awhile have something to do with the game. That is the strategy part. I picture how I think the battlefield will play out. Then I set about deciding how I'm going to make that vision happen.



You need performance targets also, and I don't remember if you wrote about that or not. That was my second year mistake.



And don't be fooled with all of the hype that the draft gets. Fifty-percent of the season is management.



Good luck with your endeavor, and good luck winning second

[Navel Lint]

Originally posted by rucrew2:





I picked up one player from free agency. Ross Gload from KC. I had picked up Dan Ortmeier of SF with my 30th rd pick at the draft as a backup to Victor Martinez at firstbase but I feel that Gload will give me a better option off the bench in case I need one. I bid $21 and won the bid by $21.

Wow! That didn't take long.

[Navel Lint]

Let’s Play Two;





Ah! The first full day of the season. I Love Baseball! Always have. As a kid I played and watched the game, as a younger man I played softball and watched the game, and now as a 40 year old adult I watch and still get to play (NFBC).



I was at Wrigley Field for the opener yesterday. I don’t want to get into a debate about the best park in baseball, but if Wrigley Field and the surrounding Wrigleyville area aren’t the best place to watch and enjoy our nation’s pastime, I don’t know what is.



Yesterday Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, finally got his due outside Wrigley. A beautiful statue of Ernie at the plate just underneath and to the left of the marquee. They had a nice unveiling of the statue with Hank Aaron, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and others. Even though Ernie is in the HOF and everyone knows him as Mr. Cub, I don’t think he has gotten the overall respect that many of the other players from his era get. He is a two-time MVP and 14 times AS, but when you have that “name the 500+ HR hitters” bar bet, outside of Chicago his is usually the forgotten name. Here’s to Ernie!



The game itself was OK.

1. Aramis killed me, wind blowing out on March 31st and he takes an 0-fer.

2. I drafted Dave Riske hoping the Gagne would sink, which he did yesterday and then they bring in Riske to close the game in the 10th. I don’t want the Cubs to lose but I don’t want Riske to get whacked around either. That’s the worst part of fantasy baseball, when it interferes with your enjoyment of real baseball.

3. The game started late because of rain and there was a rain delay during the game. One of the great features of Wrigley can also be a pain, that great old hand operated scoreboard. No replays, no stats, and they are not exactly speedy with the out of town scores. During the rain delay, I’m trying to get stat updates on the phone. Unfortunately, forty thousand other people located on one square city block are also on the phone.



V Martinez limped off yesterday. I have Aubrey Huff to replace him if necessary but I hope it doesn’t come to that. I think the home runs would be fine but I would take a big hit in average. D DeJesus also walked off yesterday. I have him penciled in for about 90-95 runs scored this year. Sounds like he might only miss a couple of days but I do have C. Crisp on the bench if I need. Two injuries on the first day is not really the way I wanted to start the season. I also lost a start and possible win from A Wainwright in Col due to the rain out.



Just goes to show that you can do everything that you think is right at the draft and still be put asunder by forces not in your control.

[Navel Lint]

Originally posted by Jackstraw:

And to think we sat right next to each other... I was so into my mess of paper, pens, pencils, highlighters, and magazines that I don't even remember what you looked like. Sorry.

[/QB][/quote]


Next year we'll talk and I'll let you buy me a beer

[Navel Lint]

Use your Head, not your Heart;





I have to remind myself that it’s still the first week. In fact, we’ve only had one day of full scheduled action. I almost feel like I’m watching every at bat like it’s the last one and I need a hit to win the league. Time to relax and just watch.



In the past I’ve had multiple teams in a season, but usually they were AL only teams paired with NL only teams. There wasn’t much direct competition. This year I have two satellite teams and my main event team in NFBC. Of course I want to do well in all three leagues but I have already made the conscious decision to favor the main event team over the others. If my main event hitter is facing my satellite pitcher, I want a hit. I know I have no control over the outcome and I should just let it happen as it will, but just like gambling, I need a rooting interest.



For the first week of the season I had three managing decisions to make. We still have three days to finish off the week but here are the early results and my thinking.



1. J Kent or A Cabrera @ 2B; Kent is coming off a spring training injury and didn’t play much in March. Cabrera was named the starter at second and looks to play everyday. Seemed to be an easy choice, Cabrera. When Kent hit that opening day homerun I already thought I blew it, so far it’s about even.

Kent: 3/10 1R, 1HR, 2 RBI, 0SB

Cabrera: 3/12 1R, 0HR, 3RBI, 0SB





2. F Pie or C Crisp @ OF; Pie was named starter and probably going to play more than Crisp who is sharing with Ellsbury. Again it’s close so far:

Pie: 3/11 0R 0HR 0RBI 1SB

Crisp 3/9 1R 0HR 0RBI 0SB



3. D Riske, D Wheeler, or E Guardado @ P; I drafted all three guys as setup/potential closers. I didn’t see much happening for Wheeler this week so it came down to Riske and Guardado. Here is my first in-season mistake. I didn’t take Riske because he was facing the Cubs. The Cubs are my home team and wanting good things for Riske would have meant wanting bad things for the Cubs. That is such wrong thinking on so many levels that I don’t even like to admit to it. Needless to say, I went with Guardado.

Riske; 1SV 3K 0.00era

Guardado; 0SV 1K 0.00era

Wheeler; 0SV 2K 0.00era



We still have the weekend to finish, but so far I am 0 for 1 with 2 no decisions on managerial moves.



Standings:

Satt 1: 7th place

Satt 2: 1st Place

Main: 9th place / 275 overall

[JKS]

Yesterday Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, finally got his due outside Wrigley. A beautiful statue of Ernie at the plate just underneath and to the left of the marquee. They had a nice unveiling of the statue with Hank Aaron, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and others. Even though Ernie is in the HOF and everyone knows him as Mr. Cub, I don’t think he has gotten the overall respect that many of the other players from his era get.

[JKS]

Yesterday Mr. Cub, Ernie Banks, finally got his due outside Wrigley. A beautiful statue of Ernie at the plate just underneath and to the left of the marquee. They had a nice unveiling of the statue with Hank Aaron, Billy Williams, Fergie Jenkins and others. Even though Ernie is in the HOF and everyone knows him as Mr. Cub, I don’t think he has gotten the overall respect that many of the other players from his era get. Sorry about all this, my 1st post and all. I am enjoying your season and will keep reading. As far as Ernie goes, I was working as a limo driver for one of the big hotels a few years ago and they told me to get Ernie from the Belaggio. I used to take all the celebs but the baseball guys are always the ones I want to talk to and Ernie is a legend. I get there hopefull for some conversation about the old days and he is completely out of his mind drunk. He spends the next 20 minutes telling me in his stupor how to treat my wife and I never even said I had a wife. Oh well, I guess when your in Vegas you just turn into a jello head. I Look forward seeing how your season pans out. This is my first sattelite season and I am enjoying it so far. The one thing I will say is; I notice that fantasy players who are fans of a particular team are somtimes blinded by love for their hometown heros............