Patrick Finley Memorial Fantasy Baseball League

Time for a Little Late April Talking Baseball

2010-04-26T19:17:00.000-07:00

Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr

I've been saying it's early days and it's ... really early days. We have only to look at Tola's team. He's wallowing in last place, and you look at his lineup and you find:
T. S. Intellectual - Stats for Players While Active (Year To Date)

Currently Rostered Hitters

Name	Pos	GP	HR	RBI	SB	R	AVG
Cabrera, Asdrubal (CLE)	SS	18	1	3	1	9	.280
Davis, Rajai (OAK)	OF	20	1	8	8	14	.213
Matsui, Hideki (LAA)	DH	20	4	11	0	7	.293
Pedroia, Dustin (BOS)	2B	19	5	13	0	10	.282
Pierzynski, A.J. (CHA)	C	17	0	2	0	2	.140
Swisher, Nick (NYY)	OF	17	2	9	0	6	.224
Teixeira, Mark (NYY)	1B	18	2	8	0	10	.119
Young, Michael (TEX)	3B	18	2	14	1	10	.278
Zobrist, Ben (TAM)	2B	18	0	9	5	8	.264
Batting Totals		165	17	77	15	76	.237

Currently Rostered Pitchers

Name	Pos	IP	L	S	W	K	ERA	W PCT
Buchholz, Clay (BOS)	P	16.7	2	0	1	18	2.70	0.333
Burnett, A.J. (NYY)	P	25.3	0	0	2	16	3.20	1.000
Chamberlain, Joba (NYY)	P	9.3	1	0	0	10	3.86	0.000
Peavy, Jake (CHA)	P	22.3	1	0	0	15	7.66	0.000
Porcello, Rick (DET)	P	19.3	2	0	1	13	7.91	0.333
Rodney, Fernando (LAA)	P	10.0	0	5	2	7	3.60	1.000
Vazquez, Javier (NYY)	P	20.0	3	0	1	18	9.00	0.250
Zumaya, Joel (DET)	P	12.0	0	0	2	13	0.00	1.000
Pitching Totals

Look at Texiera. Wouldn't you trade your first baseman for him straight up right now? With the exception of Cabrera, sure. I'd trade Morneau for Texiera right now, and Morneau is hitting .360. Pierzynski is off to a bad start, but I doubt that lasts. P'ski isn't all that good, but he's very consistent. The only hitter I'd worry about -- were I the noble Tola -- is Rajai Davis. I think of him as the black Eric Byrnes, maddeningly inconsistent and with very little track record to give us confidence that we know what his baseline is. But if he can manage an OBP over .300? Sixty steals.

Pitching I'm less sure about. Porcello is only in his second year, so who knows? But *Vasquez never misses a turn.* Lousy start, but I can't believe he won't be worth the 3 bucks for whatever MT paid for him. Peavy? Don't know. Intrigued by him and would have bought him for a buck or two if I'd needed a pitcher at the moment his name occurred to whoever threw him out. So my conclusion is that Michael's hitting will be better than average because no way his final BA won't be .280 or thereabout, with all the other batting numbers towed behind. His pitching could be anything -- good, bad or in between. So I say he's even money to make money. Next week I'll look at whoever is on top. Memory tells me that being in first at this point doesn't mean much but that at least two of the top four teams will stay there. I'm trying to remember the last wire-to-wire champ. I'm pretty sure there have been some.

Monday's Child is Full of Questions

2010-04-12T21:27:00.000-07:00

Since Coco Crisp was injured before the season started, and Rajai Davis has only played center for the A's, I'm assuming we will place him in CF, not LF. I'm preparing my draft list both ways.

bcl

A Fond Farewell to a League Legend. Come Home, Prodigal Son. Peter Always Has a Little Fatted Calf in the Fridge

2010-04-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Art House Version on the right

Homer

2010-04-10T14:16:00.000-07:00

I just want to buy every Athletic in sight.

Time to Start the Conversation about Draft Day

2010-04-09T11:22:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Let's use the mighty blog to settle disputes before the actual Great Day itself -- or at least to frame the disputes so we can scream and yell more efficiently. Who qualifies at which positions can be a puzzle. For our "newbies," it's worth pointing out that we assign players to the position they are most likely to occupy this year. Thus, Zobrist -- on whom I was counting as a top second baseman -- has started his first three games in right filed and apparently will continue there.

And, of course, we will need to settle on a field position for DHs, our usual practice.

Looks like it should be a good draft. We've lost Wieder but perhaps on the third day he will rise again -- pardon me, I'm used to drafting on Easter. I have Skyped with Berger, and Peter is ready to put Berger up on his mighty Mac laptop like an outtake from 1984.

Looks good. Questions?

2009-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

Banquet 2009

2009-11-15T14:14:00.000-08:00

Little Chi Chi: On the Trail of Numbah 24

2009-08-03T13:45:00.001-07:00

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Last Three Weeks: Bob is Surging Who Knew?

2009-07-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Standings from 7/9/2009 thru 7/29/2009 (including game stats through 7/29/2009)
Download to Excel

Name	Avg	HR	R	RBI	SB	ERA	K	S	W	W PCT	Total
The Raiders	9.0	3.5	4.5	4.5	5.0	8.0	7.0	6.0	9.0	9.0	65.5
T. S. Intellectual	7.0	7.0	6.5	8.0	8.5	4.0	8.0	8.0	2.0	2.0	61.0
The Stinking Badgers	5.0	3.5	6.5	2.0	7.0	9.0	9.0	2.0	8.0	8.0	60.0
The Depositions	8.0	9.0	9.0	9.0	6.0	3.0	2.0	3.0	6.5	4.0	59.5
Little Chi Chi	2.0	5.5	8.0	7.0	3.5	1.0	6.0	9.0	3.0	1.0	46.0
Giant Steps	4.0	5.5	2.0	4.5	1.0	7.0	4.0	7.0	4.5	6.0	45.5
A Cancer on the League	6.0	1.5	4.5	3.0	8.5	2.0	3.0	4.0	4.5	5.0	42.0
Marfa Dogs	3.0	1.5	1.0	1.0	2.0	5.0	5.0	5.0	6.5	7.0	37.0
The FunGhouls	1.0	8.0	3.0	6.0	3.5	6.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	33.5

Batting Average

Name	Total	Points
The Raiders	.3074	9
The Depositions	.3058	8
T. S. Intellectual	.2903	7
A Cancer on the League	.2795	6
The Stinking Badgers	.2564	5
Giant Steps	.2537	4
Marfa Dogs	.2507	3
Little Chi Chi	.2455	2
The FunGhouls	.2449	1

Home Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
The Depositions	25	9
The FunGhouls	22	8
T. S. Intellectual	21	7
Giant Steps	18	5.5
Little Chi Chi	18	5.5
The Raiders	16	3.5
The Stinking Badgers	16	3.5
Marfa Dogs	14	1.5
A Cancer on the League	14	1.5

RBI

Name	Total	Points
The Depositions	93	9
T. S. Intellectual	80	8
Little Chi Chi	71	7
The FunGhouls	70	6
The Raiders	69	4.5
Giant Steps	69	4.5
A Cancer on the League	63	3
The Stinking Badgers	58	2
Marfa Dogs	52	1

Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
The Depositions	87	9
Little Chi Chi	78	8
T. S. Intellectual	76	6.5
The Stinking Badgers	76	6.5
The Raiders	75	4.5
A Cancer on the League	75	4.5
The FunGhouls	69	3
Giant Steps	66	2
Marfa Dogs	51	1

Stolen Bases

Name	Total	Points
T. S. Intellectual	16	8.5
A Cancer on the League	16	8.5
The Stinking Badgers	15	7
The Depositions	14	6
The Raiders	12	5
The FunGhouls	10	3.5
Little Chi Chi	10	3.5
Marfa Dogs	7	2
Giant Steps	5	1

ERA

Name	Total	Points
The Stinking Badgers	2.1985	9
The Raiders	3.2239	8
Giant Steps	3.5357	7
The FunGhouls	4.0000	6
Marfa Dogs	4.8926	5
T. S. Intellectual	5.1246	4
The Depositions	5.2326	3
A Cancer on the League	5.3006	2
Little Chi Chi	5.4750	1

Pitcher Winning Percent

Name	Total	Points
The Raiders	.7333	9
The Stinking Badgers	.6923	8
Marfa Dogs	.6364	7
Giant Steps	.6000	6
A Cancer on the League	.5455	5
The Depositions	.5385	4
The FunGhouls	.5000	3
T. S. Intellectual	.3333	2
Little Chi Chi	.2941	1

Saves

Name	Total	Points
Little Chi Chi	13	9
T. S. Intellectual	11	8
Giant Steps	9	7
The Raiders	8	6
Marfa Dogs	7	5
A Cancer on the League	4	4
The Depositions	3	3
The Stinking Badgers	1	2
The FunGhouls	0	1

Strikeouts

Name	Total	Points
The Stinking Badgers	120	9
T. S. Intellectual	96	8
The Raiders	95	7
Little Chi Chi	91	6
Marfa Dogs	86	5
Giant Steps	80	4
A Cancer on the League	78	3
The Depositions	69	2
The FunGhouls	44	1

Wins

Name	Total	Points
The Raiders	11	9
The Stinking Badgers	9	8
Marfa Dogs	7	6.5
The Depositions	7	6.5
A Cancer on the League	6	4.5
Giant Steps	6	4.5
Little Chi Chi	5	3
T. S. Intellectual	4	2
The FunGhouls	3	1

Shoes of the Pitcherman

2009-07-28T15:50:00.000-07:00

News and Notes from Around the League

2009-07-09T09:23:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

As you can see below, while we were *all* sleeping, Berger fell upon us and used us for his pleasure. But if you look at his lineup, it's no surprise that Kevin is now not only in front, he's *way* in front and likely to stay there in spite of the marvelousness of Michael Tola, our poet, prophet, peasant and king.

He took a chance on Elivis Andrus as a baby rookie, decided Konerko wasn't washed up, decdided Rolen wasn't washed up, decided Lind had finally arrived, concluded Matsui could come back from injury quickly and then on the pitching side took the long leap on Vicente Padilla and Edwin Jackson .... And banked Beckett and Burnett.

Damn, I don't think anyone will catch him. Tola has six starters: Saunders, Pettite, Garza, Millwood, Price and Masterson. Nope. Not enough miracles in those arms.

As for the BCL: Nady gone for the year, Beltre out till September, DeRosa maybe gone for the year, Giambi everything anyone who drafts an A deserves him to be. I see a splendid battle for third, and Berger cruising, the full Al Pacino.

Meanwhile, Brad, Bob and Russ battle for last place and the complimentary night with the hooker. Wait, that's a night with the complimentary hooker, the one with the learning disability when it comes to units of measure.

Standings from 6/7/2009 thru 7/9/2009 (including game stats through 7/8/2009)
Download to Excel

Name	Avg	HR	R	RBI	SB	ERA	K	S	W	W PCT	Total
Giant Steps	9.0	9.0	7.0	9.0	4.0	8.0	9.0	5.0	9.0	9.0	78.0
T. S. Intellectual	4.0	7.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	1.0	7.0	4.0	7.0	6.0	62.0
Little Chi Chi	7.0	2.5	6.0	4.0	5.5	7.0	8.0	9.0	5.0	2.0	56.0
The Money Shot	5.0	8.0	8.0	7.0	2.0	5.0	3.0	7.0	4.0	7.0	56.0
A Cancer on the League	3.0	5.5	5.0	6.0	5.5	6.0	6.0	3.0	8.0	5.0	53.0
The Depositions	8.0	5.5	4.0	5.0	7.5	2.0	2.0	8.0	2.0	1.0	45.0
Marfa Dogs	1.0	4.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	9.0	4.0	6.0	6.0	8.0	42.0
The Stinking Badgers	6.0	1.0	3.0	3.0	7.5	3.0	5.0	1.5	3.0	3.0	36.0
The FunGhouls	2.0	2.5	2.0	1.0	3.0	4.0	1.0	1.5	1.0	4.0	22.0

Batting Average

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	.3048	9
The Depositions	.2784	8
Little Chi Chi	.2744	7
The Stinking Badgers	.2683	6
The Money Shot	.2619	5
T. S. Intellectual	.2615	4
A Cancer on the League	.2578	3
The FunGhouls	.2551	2
Marfa Dogs	.2408	1

Home Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	44	9
The Money Shot	38	8
T. S. Intellectual	34	7
The Depositions	28	5.5
A Cancer on the League	28	5.5
Marfa Dogs	27	4
Little Chi Chi	25	2.5
The FunGhouls	25	2.5
The Stinking Badgers	24	1

RBI

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	143	9
T. S. Intellectual	124	8
The Money Shot	119	7
A Cancer on the League	111	6
The Depositions	110	5
Little Chi Chi	95	4
The Stinking Badgers	88	3
Marfa Dogs	86	2
The FunGhouls	84	1

Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
T. S. Intellectual	130	9
The Money Shot	129	8
Giant Steps	127	7
Little Chi Chi	124	6
A Cancer on the League	118	5
The Depositions	112	4
The Stinking Badgers	101	3
The FunGhouls	96	2
Marfa Dogs	64	1

Stolen Bases

Name	Total	Points
T. S. Intellectual	33	9
The Depositions	24	7.5
The Stinking Badgers	24	7.5
Little Chi Chi	22	5.5
A Cancer on the League	22	5.5
Giant Steps	15	4
The FunGhouls	12	3
The Money Shot	11	2
Marfa Dogs	8	1

ERA

Name	Total	Points
Marfa Dogs	2.6144	9
Giant Steps	2.6957	8
Little Chi Chi	3.0181	7
A Cancer on the League	3.6541	6
The Money Shot	3.8802	5
The FunGhouls	4.0653	4
The Stinking Badgers	4.3693	3
The Depositions	4.6901	2
T. S. Intellectual	4.7699	1

Pitcher Winning Percent

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	.7200	9
Marfa Dogs	.7000	8
The Money Shot	.6471	7
T. S. Intellectual	.6000	6
A Cancer on the League	.5517	5
The FunGhouls	.5455	4
The Stinking Badgers	.5263	3
Little Chi Chi	.4800	2
The Depositions	.4375	1

Saves

Name	Total	Points
Little Chi Chi	20	9
The Depositions	17	8
The Money Shot	12	7
Marfa Dogs	11	6
Giant Steps	10	5
T. S. Intellectual	6	4
A Cancer on the League	3	3
The Stinking Badgers	0	1.5
The FunGhouls	0	1.5

Strikeouts

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	184	9
Little Chi Chi	179	8
T. S. Intellectual	168	7
A Cancer on the League	164	6
The Stinking Badgers	141	5
Marfa Dogs	139	4
The Money Shot	138	3
The Depositions	114	2
The FunGhouls	113	1

Wins

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	18	9
A Cancer on the League	16	8
T. S. Intellectual	15	7
Marfa Dogs	14	6
Little Chi Chi	12	5
The Money Shot	11	4
The Stinking Badgers	10	3
The Depositions	7	2
The FunGhouls	6	1

News and Notes from Around the League

2009-06-08T10:05:00.000-07:00

Standings from 5/16/2009 thru 6/7/2009 (including game stats through 6/7/2009)

Name Avg HR R RBI SB ERA K S W W PCT Total
The Stinking Badgers
8.0 8.0 8.0 8.0 7.5 8.0 9.0 1.0 7.0 8.0 72.5
Giant Steps
4.0 5.5 6.0 5.0 7.5 9.0 8.0 2.5 9.0 9.0 65.5
The Depositions
9.0 9.0 9.0 9.0 6.0 3.0 1.0 7.0 3.5 4.0 60.5
A Cancer on the League
3.0 7.0 5.0 7.0 4.0 4.0 5.0 4.0 5.5 3.0 47.5
The FunGhouls
5.0 5.5 2.0 6.0 4.0 7.0 4.0 2.5 5.5 5.0 46.5
T. S. Intellectual
7.0 1.0 7.0 3.0 9.0 5.0 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.0 44.0
Marfa Dogs
1.0 2.5 1.0 2.0 1.0 6.0 7.0 7.0 8.0 7.0 42.5
Little Chi Chi
2.0 4.0 4.0 1.0 4.0 2.0 6.0 9.0 3.5 6.0 41.5
The Money Shot
6.0 2.5 3.0 4.0 2.0 1.0 2.0 7.0 1.0 1.0 29.5

Why has Peter surged to first place? It’s not enough to say the goddess has a ‘wide on’ for Peter. Who in the league is not a morsel to delight an average woman’s sex palate? No, we are a league long on charm, longer (in fact) on charm than on skill. So the question remains: blind luck or a series of master strokes on Peter’s part? (Peter does love to lay some master strokes on his part, of course, but that is semantic quibbling, so we will leave it alone. Which is more than you can say about Peter and his part. He’s a veritable coxswain: Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!)

Where was I?

How do we explain Peter’s success? He manned up and took Halliday, willing to spend money to make money, and thence on to the rest of his pitchers. Here is our first ‘aha’ moment. We are now a little frightened. He took a chance on Lee and Liriano. Particularly in Lee’s case, we see successful but unrewarded pitching. So look at that upside. He took a chance on Liriano, who has been appalling. But there is goodness in the badness: more upside! When I examine Peter’s pitching numbers, I foresee better numbers later on, no less. And oh: McCarthy? People had lost all hope. Verlander? Risk piled on risk. The question really is: What did Peter know and when did he know it?

We are also ravished by the fact Peter did what other great champions have done and blew off saves. He only has two, yet he thrives.

Now, on the hitting side, we are immediately struck by the fact his one true ‘can’t miss’ player – Grady Sizemore – has missed. And *still* Peter thrives. Mark Texarkanas – to which Peter will respond, ‘whatever’ – is now blasting in NYC. Kinsler is living up to hype and beyond. Ichiro dazzles and went cheaper than he should have. But no one rules our little roost without ~~a stroke of luck~~ good fortune. Choo-Choo is hitting. Astrolabe Cabrera is now on the world’s radar. Varitek was written off and has proceeded to write himself back on.

What I’m saying is Peter could hang in there and win this thing. And what a banquet that would be.

News and Notes from Around the League

2009-05-16T14:13:00.000-07:00

Rather than an overview, this week we’ll take a look at two teams, one doing better than expected, the second worse. The surprise challenger is Little Chi Chi, sitting on the rail and ready to surge past the BCL into 2^nd place. The surprise arises in that – let’s face it – half the league members have underwear older than Matty. He’s a child. He’s still proud of having pubic hair. He needs at least another decade of experience before he should even think about cashing a check. Yet here he is, strong in third, ready to make a move on second.

Why? How??? Let’s look at his team.

Lineup Free Agents Team Stats Trades Contract Info

Stats for Players While Active

Name	Pos	AB	H	AVG	HR	RBI	SB	R	AVG
Betancourt, Yuniesky (SEA)	SS	118	30	.254	1	12	2	7	.254
Chavez, Endy (SEA)	OF	106	29	.274	1	8	6	11	.274
Damon, Johnny (NYY)	OF	134	42	.313	9	26	3	27	.313
Dye, Jermaine (CHA)	OF	117	33	.282	8	19	0	19	.282
Figgins, Chone (LAA)	3B	128	33	.258	0	7	15	23	.258
Jacobs, Mike (KAN)	1B	115	31	.270	8	22	0	14	.270
Kendrick, Howie (LAA)	2B	120	28	.233	3	17	5	18	.233
Napoli, Mike (LAA)	C	94	30	.319	6	17	2	15	.319
Pena, Carlos (TAM)	1B	133	34	.256	13	33	0	25	.256
Totals		1065	290	.272	49	161	33	159	.272

Name	Pos	W	L	IP	S	W	K	ERA	W PCT
Braden, Dallas (OAK)	P	3	4	42.0	0	3	27	2.79	0.429
Carmona, Fausto (CLE)	P	2	4	47.3	0	2	27	5.70	0.333
Cruz, Juan (KAN)	P	2	0	16.7	1	2	12	1.62	1.000
Fuentes, Brian (LAA)	P	0	2	12.7	9	0	16	4.97	0.000
Greinke, Zack (KAN)	P	7	1	60.0	0	7	65	0.60	0.875
Guthrie, Jeremy (BAL)	P	3	3	46.7	0	3	29	5.21	0.500
Nathan, Joe (MIN)	P	1	1	14.7	6	1	15	3.07	0.500
Sabathia, C.C. (NYY)	P	3	3	56.0	0	3	37	3.70	0.500
Totals		21	18	296.0	16	21	228	3.41	0.538

Damon is tracking ahead of even the most optimistic projections. Pena apparently isn’t a fluke when it comes to long ball. Napoli is also going deep – and batting over .300. Kendrick and Figgins have BA’s that won’t linger low forever. On the hitting side, The Kid has some surprises but also more upside than makes me comfortable. Same on pitching. Greinke is finally the pitcher people back in the day thought he would be. Kudos to his shrink, who is probably also his chemist. I thought Braden was a blunder: apparently not. Fuentes is definitely going to be a disappointment – with 40 saves. And *Sabbathia has not yet begun to pitch.* I came to point out that Baby Cheech is swaying on a tightrope, and the only way to go is down. But it turns out he on a ladder that could lead to the stars. My prediction: 2-1 this year when the leaves turn to gold, there will be gold in Matt’s pocket.

Now, let’s look at Marfa, who I thought would be in the 40’s with the season a quarter gone, perfectly situated as A-Rod begins to pound.

Stats for Players While Active

Name	Pos	AB	H	AVG	HR	RBI	SB	R	AVG
Aviles, Mike (KAN)	SS	108	21	.194	1	8	1	9	.194
Barajas, Rod (TOR)	C	108	33	.306	3	22	0	13	.306
Davis, Chris (TEX)	1B	121	29	.240	10	21	0	21	.240
Gomez, Carlos (MIN)	OF	58	12	.207	0	2	3	10	.207
Lopez, Jose (SEA)	2B	137	33	.241	3	19	0	17	.241
Ordonez, Magglio (DET)	OF	124	32	.258	2	16	0	16	.258
Quentin, Carlos (CHA)	OF	118	27	.229	8	18	1	19	.229
Rodriguez, Alex (NYY)	3B	22	3	.136	1	4	0	1	.136
Thome, Jim (CHA)	DH	91	21	.231	6	18	0	18	.231
Totals		887	211	.238	34	128	5	124	.238

Name	Pos	W	L	IP	S	W	K	ERA	W PCT
Blackburn, Nick (MIN)	P	2	2	41.7	0	2	19	4.32	0.500
Floyd, Gavin (CHA)	P	2	3	39.3	0	2	31	7.32	0.400
Harrison, Matt (TEX)	P	4	2	44.7	0	4	24	4.23	0.667
Lester, Jon (BOS)	P	2	4	47.0	0	2	54	6.51	0.333
Lyon, Brandon (DET)	P	1	3	15.7	0	1	5	6.89	0.250
Papelbon, Jonathan (BOS)	P	0	0	16.0	9	0	19	1.13	0.000
Sonnanstine, Andy (TAM)	P	1	4	34.7	0	1	21	7.27	0.200
Wilson, C.J. (TEX)	P	2	2	15.3	1	2	10	4.11	0.500
Totals		14	20	254.3	10	14	183	5.52	0.412

Well, damn. What you notice first is that at .238, his team BA won’t stay there forever, and with those hits will come runs, ribs and homers. But again: *damn*. That’s a deep hole. Quentin disappoints, Gomez disappoints, Maggs DISAPPOINTS. On the pitching side, Brad’s mysterious Harrison pick (and what website shared that secret) looks prescient, but Lester puzzles more than Harrison amazes. I read some articles saying Lester was the ace of the Bosox staff and a Cy Young darkhorse. Even Papelbon has blown a couple saves. Brad says he’s not even going to pay attention till August 1. Let’s hope we won’t have to sneak into his house and burn all his calendars. This is a huge deficit.

And here are the standings for the last 11 days.

Standings from 5/4/2009 thru 5/5/2009

Name	Avg	HR	R	RBI	SB	ERA	K	S	W	W PCT	Total
Little Chi Chi	8.0	8.0	4.0	9.0	6.0	9.0	7.5	9.0	8.0	7.0	75.5
T. S. Intellectual	7.0	1.5	9.0	3.0	9.0	6.0	4.0	3.0	9.0	8.5	60.0
The Stinking Badgers	2.0	6.0	1.5	7.0	8.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	5.5	8.5	52.5
Giant Steps	9.0	3.5	5.0	7.0	2.0	4.0	5.5	3.0	5.5	5.0	49.5
The FunGhouls	5.0	6.0	6.0	4.5	2.0	5.0	9.0	7.0	2.0	2.0	48.5
The Depositions	4.0	3.5	7.0	1.0	6.0	7.0	2.0	3.0	5.5	5.0	44.0
The Money Shot	6.0	6.0	3.0	4.5	2.0	3.0	7.5	7.0	2.0	2.0	43.0
A Cancer on the League	3.0	9.0	8.0	7.0	6.0	1.0	1.0	3.0	2.0	2.0	42.0
Marfa Dogs	1.0	1.5	1.5	2.0	4.0	2.0	5.5	7.0	5.5	5.0	35.0

News and Notes from Around the League

2009-05-03T23:48:00.000-07:00

The results from the last week:

Standings from 4/26/2009 thru 5/3/2009 (including game stats through 5/3/2009)
Name Avg HR R RBI SB ERA K S W W PCT Total
T. S. Intellectual
9.0 6.5 9.0 6.5 9.0 9.0 7.0 6.0 8.5 8.0 78.5
Little Chi Chi
2.0 6.5 6.0 4.5 8.0 7.0 8.0 8.0 4.5 3.0 57.5
A Cancer on the League
5.0 9.0 8.0 8.5 7.0 2.0 2.0 4.5 6.5 4.0 56.5
The Stinking Badgers
1.0 1.0 2.5 3.0 6.0 8.0 9.0 2.0 8.5 6.0 47.0
The Depositions
8.0 8.0 7.0 4.5 5.0 1.0 1.0 8.0 1.0 1.0 44.5
The Money Shot
6.0 3.5 2.5 1.5 4.0 5.0 3.0 8.0 4.5 5.0 43.0
The FunGhouls
4.0 3.5 4.5 8.5 2.5 3.0 5.0 2.0 2.5 7.0 42.5
Giant Steps
7.0 3.5 4.5 6.5 2.5 6.0 6.0 2.0 2.5 2.0 42.5
Marfa Dogs
3.0 3.5 1.0 1.5 1.0 4.0 4.0 4.5 6.5 9.0 38.0

Russ had a slow week, but he’s still in front; Kevin Slowey is 4-0 with a 5-plus ERA (oh that’s not right)… Little Chi Chi is closing fast on the backs of Pena and Greinke, and Sabbathia has not yet begun to fight and Upton has not yet begun to hit, so he’s feeling good…. If A-Rod is back in a week, will it pick up Marfa’s lagging fortunes? Even the experts disagree, but at the end of the year his team won’t be hitting .233 so put down those clubs and torches… Tola gets six SBs in one game from Crawford; Scutaro and Inge make a mockery of prediction and projection … Don’t count Paulie out, no not yet. Mauer homers first AB back, with E.Santana, Dice-K and Wang waiting in the wings (it’s a long year)… Bob is keeping close without Lackey; so who in the hell is Frank Francisco? … Peter is convinced that Liriano can only get better while Halliday really may win 25; but that Lowrie pick won’t take its teeth out of his ass… How much do Vlad and Big Papi have left in the tank? Kevin wonders. Meanwhile, K-Zook and Cano go nuts…The BCL has four A’s, and none of them are worth a damn; he says, “More smoke! More mirrors!”

Cover of Paulie

Image via Wikipedia

A Message from Brad

2008-04-22T13:06:00.001-07:00

Create Your Own

Nostalgia (Cheap Nostalgia But Still Nostalgia)

2008-04-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Early Standings Show Swifty in Lead

2008-04-19T12:26:00.000-07:00

Swifty takes the early lead as those league members who failed their predraft drug tests serve their suspensions. The names of those suspended on account of having drug-sodden urine will not be released because of the league's basic labor agreement.

Patrick Finley Memorial Fantasy Baseball (Team List with Email addresses)
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Standings for games through 4/18/2008

Name	Avg	HR	R	RBI	SB	ERA	K	S	W	W PCT	Total
Marfa Dogs	10.0	9.0	10.0	7.5	10.0	5.0	9.0	6.0	10.0	10.0	86.5
The FunGhouls	9.0	7.0	7.0	9.0	9.0	3.0	10.0	8.5	7.5	9.0	79.0
Hell Hounds	8.0	10.0	9.0	10.0	7.0	2.0	7.0	8.5	9.0	7.0	77.5
Little Chi Chi	7.0	8.0	8.0	7.5	8.0	1.0	8.0	10.0	7.5	6.0	71.0
The Big Swinging Dicks	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.0	4.0	6.0	7.0	6.0	8.0	61.0
Giant Steps	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	35.0
Leaves of Grass	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	35.0
The Money Shot	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	35.0
The Sushi Strangers	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	35.0
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	8.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	3.0	35.0

2008-04-17T12:16:00.000-07:00

Sundays with the BCL

2008-04-06T17:27:00.000-07:00

The Choice

2008-03-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

Blues for Mr. ChiChi

2008-03-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

Celebration

2008-02-29T19:39:00.001-08:00

2008-01-31T22:42:00.000-08:00

Don't send a lame Starring You! eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

Michael Tola for President (More Audacity Practice)

2007-12-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

The League Champion Song

2007-12-04T15:32:00.001-08:00

The Banquet

2007-11-06T22:56:00.001-08:00

We Are Sparta

2007-09-17T23:22:00.001-07:00

A Gracious BCL Accepts Defeat

2007-09-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

BCL speaks

2007-08-02T13:46:00.001-07:00

You've Seen the Preview: Now the Full-Length Feature

2007-07-09T19:29:00.000-07:00

The Pundit

2007-07-09T15:41:00.001-07:00

technical difficulties

Stand Alone Stats for May

2007-06-01T11:03:00.000-07:00

Standings from 5/1/2007 thru 5/31/2007 (including game stats through 5/31/2007)

Name	Avg	HR	R	RBI	SB	ERA	K	S	W	W PCT	Total
The Six Bunny Wunnies	7.0	11.0	7.0	11.0	2.0	10.0	10.0	3.5	8.0	10.0	79.5
Chi Chi	11.0	8.5	9.0	4.0	11.0	11.0	6.0	3.5	5.5	8.0	77.5
Leaves of Grass	3.0	10.0	3.0	10.0	3.5	9.0	11.0	6.0	11.0	11.0	77.5
Giant Steps	5.0	7.0	11.0	8.0	8.0	7.0	5.0	10.0	10.0	6.0	77.0
Marfa Dogs	8.0	8.5	8.0	9.0	3.5	6.0	7.0	8.0	3.0	4.0	65.0
Little Chi Chi	6.0	4.5	1.0	7.0	5.0	8.0	3.0	9.0	8.0	9.0	60.5
Hell Hounds	10.0	6.0	5.0	6.0	1.0	2.0	9.0	6.0	8.0	7.0	60.0
The Money Shot	9.0	3.0	6.0	3.0	9.5	4.0	8.0	6.0	2.0	2.0	52.5
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	1.0	1.0	3.0	1.0	9.5	3.0	4.0	11.0	5.5	4.0	43.0
The Sushi Strangers	2.0	4.5	10.0	5.0	6.0	1.0	2.0	2.0	4.0	4.0	40.5
The FunGhouls	4.0	2.0	3.0	2.0	7.0	5.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0	27.0

Batting Average

Name	Total	Points
Chi Chi	.3499	11
Hell Hounds	.2959	10
The Money Shot	.2919	9
Marfa Dogs	.2918	8
The Six Bunny Wunnies	.2868	7
Little Chi Chi	.2803	6
Giant Steps	.2788	5
The FunGhouls	.2780	4
Leaves of Grass	.2681	3
The Sushi Strangers	.2543	2
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	.2455	1

Home Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
The Six Bunny Wunnies	37	11
Leaves of Grass	33	10
Marfa Dogs	31	8.5
Chi Chi	31	8.5
Giant Steps	27	7
Hell Hounds	26	6
Little Chi Chi	24	4.5
The Sushi Strangers	24	4.5
The Money Shot	23	3
The FunGhouls	22	2
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	19	1

RBI

Name	Total	Points
The Six Bunny Wunnies	142	11
Leaves of Grass	131	10
Marfa Dogs	128	9
Giant Steps	127	8
Little Chi Chi	124	7
Hell Hounds	118	6
The Sushi Strangers	117	5
Chi Chi	112	4
The Money Shot	110	3
The FunGhouls	103	2
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	95	1

Runs (Batter)

Name	Total	Points
Giant Steps	138	11
The Sushi Strangers	129	10
Chi Chi	128	9
Marfa Dogs	127	8
The Six Bunny Wunnies	125	7
The Money Shot	123	6
Hell Hounds	118	5
The FunGhouls	114	3
Leaves of Grass	114	3
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	114	3
Little Chi Chi	98	1

Stolen Bases

Name	Total	Points
Chi Chi	21	11
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	19	9.5
The Money Shot	19	9.5
Giant Steps	18	8
The FunGhouls	16	7
The Sushi Strangers	15	6
Little Chi Chi	14	5
Leaves of Grass	12	3.5
Marfa Dogs	12	3.5
The Six Bunny Wunnies	9	2
Hell Hounds	5	1

ERA

Name	Total	Points
Chi Chi	3.3500	11
The Six Bunny Wunnies	3.4123	10
Leaves of Grass	3.6454	9
Little Chi Chi	4.1065	8
Giant Steps	4.1123	7
Marfa Dogs	4.2036	6
The FunGhouls	4.2787	5
The Money Shot	4.3532	4
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	4.3736	3
Hell Hounds	4.8830	2
The Sushi Strangers	6.0947	1

Pitcher Winning Percent

Name	Total	Points
Leaves of Grass	.6667	11
The Six Bunny Wunnies	.6500	10
Little Chi Chi	.5909	9
Chi Chi	.5455	8
Hell Hounds	.5200	7
Giant Steps	.5185	6
Marfa Dogs	.5000	4
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	.5000	4
The Sushi Strangers	.5000	4
The Money Shot	.4706	2
The FunGhouls	.3636	1

Saves

Name	Total	Points
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	20	11
Giant Steps	9	10
Little Chi Chi	8	9
Marfa Dogs	7	8
The Money Shot	5	6
Hell Hounds	5	6
Leaves of Grass	5	6
The Six Bunny Wunnies	4	3.5
Chi Chi	4	3.5
The Sushi Strangers	3	2
The FunGhouls	2	1

Strikeouts

Name	Total	Points
Leaves of Grass	199	11
The Six Bunny Wunnies	147	10
Hell Hounds	144	9
The Money Shot	142	8
Marfa Dogs	139	7
Chi Chi	132	6
Giant Steps	130	5
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	129	4
Little Chi Chi	115	3
The Sushi Strangers	94	2
The FunGhouls	83	1

Wins

Name	Total	Points
Leaves of Grass	20	11
Giant Steps	14	10
The Six Bunny Wunnies	13	8
Hell Hounds	13	8
Little Chi Chi	13	8
T. S. Intellectual, OBE	12	5.5
Chi Chi	12	5.5
The Sushi Strangers	11	4
Marfa Dogs	9	3
The Money Shot	8	2
The FunGhouls	4	1

Let's Do the Numbers

2007-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Rick:

Starters; $26.50
RP: $3.25

Oboglo:

Starters: $22.50
RP: $7.00

Russ:

Starters: $22.75
RP: $1.00

Tola:

Starters:$21.75
Relievers: $9.50
>

Pitching vs Hitting

2007-04-15T22:17:00.000-07:00

I paid $13 for my starters & $5.50 for relievers.

I wager that this is the least paid for pitching.

Am I right?

Redundant I

2007-04-08T19:50:00.001-07:00

After conferring with his brain trust, the BCL has come to the following decision. Like all the BCL’s decisions, it can be reversed by a majority vote of league members.

The 70 starting pitchers from which we will draft will consist of the May 1 projected rotations; that is, we will rely on the mlb.com projection of what the starting rotations will be as soon as those pitchers on the DL but suffering from minor injuries have returned. For example, in the case of the A’s, Loaiza is projected to return to the rotation soon. Even though Gaudin is starting in his place, Gaudin will be draftable as a reliever. In the case of the Angels, Jered Weaver and Colon are projected to return in a week or two. The “draftable” Angels rotation will be Lackey, Santana, Escobar, Weave and Colon. Joe Saunders and Moseley will be draftable as relievers. The same will be true in the case of the Yankee rotation (Wang is the starter; Rasner is draftable as a reliever) and the Indians (Lee is the starter; Carmona will be draftable as a reliever.) Same thing for Thomson will the Jays (Towers is his sub),

If the BCL learns that some of these injuries are more serious than they now appear, we may declare certain of these subs as starters. In the case of a more serious injury like that of Kenny Rogers. Rogers is draftable as a starter as is his sub, somebody named Durbin.

This adds up to 71 starters. Add Clemens and we have 72. I suggest we could add Garza of the Twins and Hughes of the Yanks even though they are in the minors.

Reactions?

More to come on position players later in the week.

The bcl

No Lie

2007-04-07T21:47:00.000-07:00

I can't put together a list of 60 pitchers who have, on average, two arms and two legs apiece. I think we are about to see the dawn of some new strategies. Buy Santana and you are going to be stuck with *crap* at the bottom of your rotation.

Or spend $40 on pitching and have Bobby Crosby as your clean up hitter.

It's going to get ugly early.

On the other hand, dinner should be excellent.

At Last

2007-04-07T20:43:00.000-07:00

Well, lookee here commish; I managed to successfully join your bog, oops, I mean blog. I tried last week but just got the runaround. I guess your ploy of sending me outrageous numbers of "invitations" just got to me. I really hope that 12 isn't too many; it takes long enough with 10. I'm just looking forward to Peter's delish food. Hmm, you know, Jesus sat at a table for 12 and you know what happened to him! Will someone betray you? I certainly hope so. I want to see that carnage.

Sassy

Ouch

2007-04-07T09:49:00.000-07:00

Milton Bradley has a sore side. Bobby Crosby has a tweaked back.

Doesn't matter. No one is going to build a team around one of these guys. In the case of Crosby, he would be a bit of a flyer at a quarter.

But Victor Martinez has done something to a muscle! That matters. You could miss at a quarter, but if you pay big bucks for someone who goes down, there goes the season. The injury we most fear, of course, is the one that takes place during the actual draft. You select your lovely team, go home for one last internet news hit before going to bed and discover that you were drafting the dead and didn't even know. That first night after the draft your dreams are nightmares.

This Just In

2007-04-06T15:34:00.000-07:00

Contrary to everything I've read, Aubrey Huff is the O's first baseman and the supposedly crippled Jay Gibbons is starting game after game in left. I don't see anything else too weird going on. The phenom Garza has been sent down by the Twins, but he certainly is draftable as a pitcher.

The countdown clock is ticking off the seconds. I'm as excited as a little girl.

The Demons of Spring

2007-04-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Three days into the season, and Darin Erstad has gotten some hits and is moving without trouble, like a colt.

Those Irresistible A's

2007-04-04T22:11:00.000-07:00

There's a hometown premium when it comes to the fantasy draft, and when hometown players do well early on, their price goes through the roof. I had my eye on Mark Ellis as a perfectly acceptable quarter 2b, but he's driven in seven runs early.

His price is now prohibitive. Maybe I'll take Crosby for a quarter at SS?

Harden was unhittable tonight. By-by, Rich. Your price just became unnatural. Loaiza has a pulled groin; not his, but someone else's. I'll see you as a backup pitcher, my friend, but not for me.

Kenny Rogers for nothing. Any advance on nothing?

First Day Thoughts

2007-04-03T16:27:00.000-07:00

Who cares what batters for the first couple weeks -- unless, of course, they are rookie phenomena about who you are uncertain.

But those first three starts for a pitcher before the draft make me crazy. Santana was not as sharp as he could have been. King Felix was unhittable, though it was the A's who were doing the unhitting.

Schilling? Slapped around.

Contreras? Taken in the alley and mugged.

This year's league race is going to be like one of those Kentucky Derbies where they have 21 horses entered and they have to drag out the extra starting gate. There will be bumping, tripping and veering into. I think we need to make some bets on whether or not this year we will have a first-time winner. I'm saying yes.

Surprise Surprise Surprise

2007-04-02T15:44:00.000-07:00

Rosters are set, and now everyone has to recalibrate. The A's have made Joe Buck their starting right fielder, moving Swisher to 1st. Thus, first gets even more fabulous and right becomes a little more tentative.

But where will they play Ratso Rizzo?

Digital drafting

2007-04-01T12:57:00.000-07:00

What do we think, come Saturday, the fourteenth of April, of a draftee, positioned neighborhly around Mr. Moore's dining room table, keeping score of each trenchant move, not with pen and paper, or calculator, but a laptop? An affront to tradition? To good sportsmanship? To Berkeley aesthetics? Actually, Peter, do you have WiFi in the house? That, I can see, could create a certain unfair advantage for those with laptops over those without. I am game to bring mine if all agree the computer doesn't create an uneven playing field. Or, of course, glad to leave it at home. Shall we discuss?

Good News for the BCL

2007-03-29T22:14:00.000-07:00

Kenny Rogers to start the season on the DL. That is going to save me some money.

The Old Ways Were the Good Ways

2007-03-26T15:13:00.000-07:00

Brother Pressman wants to change the way we assign positions, relying on who played what position last year for 15 minutes or so.

I vote against. I vote for taking a look at who is playing what at the start of this season.

The 10/3 method Brother Pressman proposes is useful in leagues *that draft before the season actually starts.*

We do not need to dwell on the past and its mistakes. We live in the now, and in the future.

Black Hole of Time Wasting Ahead

2007-03-25T18:19:00.000-07:00

Pull Back!! Pull Back!!

This way lies madness.

As reasonable as it once might have seemed to come up with a mutually agreed upon list for elegible players in advance, it now seems to me that we're spinning off into theoretical realms (How many catchers can dance on the head of a DH?)

Let's just read off the list of players at each position as we draft like we always did.

Maybe this works. Given that the draft is on a Saturday, we'll have a light lunch during the draft and dinner to follow. I'll make something ahead like the house-cured corned beef I made last night (see secretrestaurant.blogspot.com)

Pressman Thunders from the Right Coast

2007-03-25T15:40:00.000-07:00

He writes:

Okay, no. The DH thing makes sense but Rule #2 is shit. We don't put a guy where we "need" him most. If V. Martinez played 19 games at IB in 06 and a few this Spring and the Rays say he'll be there from time to time, then he's eligible at both C and 1B no matter what hapens in the 1st ten 07 games -- and let him be drafted at whichever position comes out of the hat first. Our league should mimic the same options available in reality - isn't that Rule #1? And what say we do not post any eligiblity lists at all. Berger's right. All this hand-holding rankles, dulls the edge. The Fantasy World at large uses a simple eligibility criterion: 10 games at a position in 06 qualifies you there in 07, very easy. For rookies, we can add: 3 starts by April 14 and you can play that position in our league. The justification for exempting the DHs from this rule (although we rarely have to) is that, unlike real baseball, we don't actually hire a DH, we do our little leftovers thing at the end; so to give those players anything like their actual value, we need to put them somewhere. As for guys like Figgins used to be, roving guys like Huff, let them be bought and used at any position for which they qualify - exactly what their real team does. jlp

To which the BCL says:

Now just exactly why are we changing the rules we have played under for nearly 25 years? If it ain't broke, don't fix it. We have always settled who is eligible at which positions before the draft, drawing on the obvious "facts on the ground," and that works for maybe 95 percent of the players. Then we fiddle the few that remain. We have never played the "whatever comes out of the hat first" game.

As for working up a list of eligibles beforehand -- whatever the criteria -- that is what we always do. After a position is drawn on draft day itself, we always go through a list of who can be drafted. Not to do so invites chaos, as when someone waits till last and then announces that (let us say) Piazza is a catcher when there has been no previous agreement that he is a catcher.

Brother Tola proposed trying extra hard to disperse any debate about "eligibles" this year in the hope that we won't be sitting in Peter's dining room at midnight. Actually, I like Peter and I like his dining room, so I'm in no hurry. We can slug all this out on draft day. If slugging it out is the prime attraction, let's go whole hog and invite Koppy back!!

But as BCL, this is what I say. Do what we've always done in the past. Rely on who is playing where during the first two weeks of the season. If there are uncertainties, look at last year or at the club's statement of what the future holds Since the league is a democracy, proposals for doing things in a different way are welcome. But if those proposals fail to get 7 votes, then we do it the old way.

If there is deadlock, Koppy is brought in to arbitrate.

BCL: Working for You Today for a Better Draft Tomorrow

2007-03-25T12:53:00.000-07:00

from mlb.com

Out from behind his mask and home plate, Victor Martinez doesn't look out of place. In his first start of spring training at first base, Cleveland's regular catcher made three strong defensive plays in the field and hit one of four home runs by the Indians in an 8-1 split-squad win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Wednesday. Martinez, who is expected to catch as many as 125 games this season, will be used periodically at first - a position he switched to last year for the first time and where he made 19 starts. "I felt good out there," Martinez said. "I've been doing extra work at first. I signed with the Indians as a shortstop, so I'm always taking ground balls during the season."
(Updated 03/14/2007).

This is Not a Problem

2007-03-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

People remain fascinated by the problem of multiple positions, of depth charts that spread a player over all the outfield and half the infield. It's not a problem. The BCL's position is simple.

1) If we can find an excuse to put a DH at a position, we do so. There's always an excuse.

2) We almost always put a position player at the position at which he is playing * most of the time* at the start of the season.

3) But sometimes we make exceptions to Rule 2. For instance, some league members are convinced Victor Martinez is going to become a first basemen this year. It's not what my sources say, but I'm into light preparation. I check to the power. But all this will become clear once play begins. If Martinez is out there at 1b most of the time, then he is a first basemen. But if in the first ten games, he DH's 8 times and has one start each at C and 1b, then I say he's a catcher since we need all the help we can get at that position, at least in terms of quality hitters.

When preparing position charts, you should always go a couple extra deep, so adjusting is no big problem. If Martinez goes to first: Drop Youklis, add Zaun.

Die, Motherfucker, Die

2007-03-25T12:04:00.000-07:00

Brother Berger writes:

Was doing a little planning for my winning strategy this year and thought of the one thing that rankles slightly about our league, and that's, during the draft, people sometimes, usually out of frustration, helping others choose players. Which shouldn't be, don't you agree?

The short answer is:

Yes, Kevin, you're right. We need to produce a full list of eligibles *right here on this blog* so there's no excuse for ignorance. But if ignorance rears its head, we need to sit there mouths shut.

Or at least agree to suggest the worst player we can think of.

The problem, of course, is that these delays, these moments when a drafter gets brain lock, usually occur at the end of the draft when camaraderie has turned to mutual loathing.

But, yes, let's try to keep quiet and let people twist in the wind. It's a Saturday draft. I don't have to be home before midnight.

The Old Mailbag

2007-03-23T14:03:00.000-07:00

The BCL has one basic principle. The more players are eligible at positions, the better life will be when we have 12 drafting. So what I propose -- unless anyone objects at which point we vote the question -- is this:

1) Clemens is eligible for drafting but, as Mandingo suggested, you are taking a risk in that if he goes NL you get *nothing.*

2) Hafner and Thomas are draftable at 1B. Same thing for Piazza at catcher. In the event of a meteor strike, they could end up having to take the field. We'll call it the "meteor strike" rule.

3) I didn't realize there was about dispute about Martinez at catcher. But if they throw him out there at 1B a couple of times during the first weeks of the season and if he's not listed on the depth chart at catcher, then we'll have to talk. (Late add: My mlb.com depth chart shows him as Cleveland's starting catcher.)

4) Vidro played 107 games at 2B last year. That's good enough for me. I have no idea why the Mariners aren't planning on giving Broussard 400 ABs.

5) I read in the Chron this morning that Papelbon came back to Jesus and wants to be the closer again. That's how he's start the season. End of story.

To reiterate: With 12 drafting, it is definitely going to be the Season of the Bitch at some positions. I don't want to make it any harder than it already is. The Chi-Chi's say that as far they were concerned their draft last year was like one long outtake from "Oz". They've been out in the Yard lifting, rain or shine, and they want revenge.

Maury Wills' boyhood heroes

2007-03-21T14:47:00.000-07:00

"Our heroes were these old guys who played on weekends and called themselves semipro. These guys wore argyle socks under their stirrups and they wore mix-and-match uniforms and caps on the side of their heads. And they all had a half-pint of whiskey in their back pockets. If they didn't get too drunk on Saturday night and if enough guys showed up on Sunday, they would have a game. Those guys were our heroes, the guys we wanted to emulate."

Some fine inspirational words from the shortstop who was raised in a Washington, D.C. housing project.

Vorp Power

2007-03-20T12:39:00.001-07:00

STAT OF THE DAY
Top 5 2007 AL Starters, by PECOTA Projected WXRL
Player, Team, EqERA, VORP, WXRL
Johan Santana, MIN, 2.94, 65.3, 8.5
Jeremy Bonderman, DET, 3.58, 47.7, 6.6
Roy Halladay, TOR, 3.44, 46.4, 6.4
C.C. Sabathia, CLE, 3.76, 41.1, 6.2
Curt Schilling, BOS, 3.65, 37.6, 6.0

The Piazza Question

2007-03-19T20:30:00.000-07:00

ESPN Mag introduced Piazza as the perfect fantasy player: a DH who's eligible at catcher, having played at least 10 games there last year. In our league we've always nailed all the DHs to a position in order to put them in play during the draft. So Giambi, Ortiz, Hafner, Thome, Thomas will be eligible again at 1st, and would that make Piazza available as a catcher? For this year, yes.

Leave Him for Me

2007-03-17T11:00:00.001-07:00

The case against Johan Santana
By Ron Shandler
Baseball HQ

There are some players who perform so steadily, and with such worthy skills, that you just assume the future will be a simple extension of the past. That leads us into complacency, which can be dangerous, especially in the early stages of a fantasy draft.

Such is the story of Johan Santana in 2007. In the past three seasons, Santana has posted phenomenal ERAs of 2.61, 2.87 and 2.77 in seasons of 228 IP, 231 IP and 233 IP. A clear first-round pick, right?

Not necessarily. There are several reasons to think twice about spending a first-round pick on Santana.

He has no upside.

Every player projection you see -- at Baseball HQ, in all the magazines and Web sites -- represents an average, or most likely outcome for the upcoming year. In truth, when you draft a player, you own the universe of possible outcomes, good and bad. For most players, one can envision not only scenarios in which the player falls short of expectations (such as by getting hurt) but also scenarios in which the player exceeds expectations. After all, few players are the best at everything -- even a No. 1 pick like Albert Pujols could surprise us with some steals.

Santana, though, is the best at what he does. Last year, he was almost one strikeout per game better than the second-place guy (Jeremy Bonderman) and a full quarter of a run than the next best pitcher in expected ERA, one of Baseball HQ's metrics.

In short, there is Santana, and there is everyone else. The odds of him improving his stats further or playing his way into more starts -- anything to increase his value -- are virtually nil.

So, when you draft Santana in the first round, you're banking on another 230 IP and a sub-3.00 ERA. Yet, given his lack of upside in skill, almost everything out of Santana's control has to break right for this scenario to happen. If Santana has any setback, he won't be able to recover by raising his game any higher than it already is.

He needs help.

In fantasy baseball, even a superstar pitcher like Santana has only so much control over his numbers. Getting 9.4 strikeouts per game means there are 17.6 outs unaccounted for. To land the prized "W," Santana still needs a solid supporting cast.

Fortunately, the Twins' offense is decent, and their bullpen is rock solid. The weak link is the rest of the rotation. The auditions this spring include two youngsters with upside -- Scott Baker (6.37 ERA last year) and Matt Garza (5.76 ERA) -- and two terror-inducing veterans -- Ramon Ortiz (5.57 ERA last year) and Sidney Ponson (6.25 ERA). If those players don't pan out, and Carlos Silva logs another 5.94 ERA, even the Twins' relief corps could break down. The impact on Santana would be more inherited runners scored, a higher ERA, and fewer wins.

He is not invincible.

If you want to know what it is like to be disappointed by Santana, you need only think back to last April. That is when Santana went 1-3 with a 4.45 ERA. It was Santana's first monthly ERA over 4.00 since May 2004. He responded with two months of 1.88 ERA… followed by another uncharacteristic 4.74 ERA in July. These aberrations were not the product of bad luck -- they featured "mortal" levels of 3.0 K/BB, versus Santana's overall 5.2 K/BB for 2006. Clearly, something was awry -- mechanically or psychologically, if not physically. And anything that goes awry once can do so again.

It is possible that these bad months don't spell trouble. after all, Santana recovered from a rough stretch in 2004 to have a terrific 2005. Still, these fits of mediocrity remind us that Santana is not a robot. During 2004-06, Santana had the third-highest IP total among active pitchers (693.1 IP), following Livan Hernandez and Roy Oswalt. When it comes to workload, the human body does have limits.

He is still a pitcher.

Overall, from the pool of players who are drafted in March, some lose a portion of their projected value by October: they get hurt, they grow old, better players come along, etc. However, the pool of pitchers loses about twice as much projected value as the pool of hitters. A main reason for this disparity is the greater risk of injury among pitchers. Not to mention the fact that pitchers play less than hitters, so a few bad outings hurt their stats. Finally, fantasy ball has a structural bias against pitchers: Whereas most every hitter can potentially contribute to every offensive category, pitchers are often shut out from one or more stats -- saves for starting pitchers, wins and strikeouts for relievers.

This bias is even more profound in the first round. Here is where fantasy owners must build their foundation of counting stats. The ratio categories -- ERA, WHIP and batting average -- can be managed at any time during a draft. Since hitters contribute to upward of four counting stats, and pitchers truly only two, you put your foundation at risk by drafting a pitcher that early.

The bottom line is pitchers are less valuable fantasy commodities than hitters, but you probably already know that. A hitter who suffers a power outage can redeem himself by stealing a few bases, batting .300, or just going on a power surge for a month. Pitchers, though, have a slimmer bag of tricks. Santana will never be able to supplement his earnings with a few saves, or make up for a blown win in one start by getting two wins the next time around. All he can do is what he already does: keep facing batters, one by one, trying for strikeouts and ground balls, avoiding walk, and hoping that his offense, defense and bullpen come through.

That's enough wishful thinking to shake us all out of complacency. In snake drafts, let him slide unless you find him in your lap in Round 2. In auctions, cap at $30.

Ron Shandler is the Editor and Publisher of BaseballHQ.com and author of the annual Baseball Forecaster book.

The case for Johan Santana
By Matthew Berry
ESPN.com

Ron Shandler is as good and smart a fantasy baseball guy as I know, which is why we'll forgive the fact that he's bonkers on this one. Ron, being the "good one," wrote his article first, so I get to look at it but he didn't get to look at mine. That isn't fair, but that's life.

Here's something else that is also life. Everything Ron wrote about Santana applies for all pitchers. Pitching is a cruel mistress, we all know that. We're stuck having to use them in fantasy, so why not get the one sure thing that is so dominant that he allows the rest of your staff to be mediocre?

Consider that, while he wins a lot and gets as many strikeouts as anyone in the business, what truly sets Santana apart is that he also packs a serious impact with his ERA and WHIP multiplied by his 230 annual innings. For example, last season, let's say you screwed up your staff and had eight pitchers who threw 1,300 innings with a very ordinary 4.00 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. At best, you're middle-of-the-pack and probably toward the bottom. Add last year's Santana stats to that staff, and now we're looking at a very respectable 3.81 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. It's that significant a difference.

The other thing to remember is that it's not just the fact that he's the best, it's the fact that he's the best by a lot.

Compare Santana to the consensus No. 2 fantasy starter, Chris Carpenter, who would only wrestle those figures down to a 3.89 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP while giving you 61 fewer strikeouts. Or, compare him to the acknowledged best strikeout man in the National League, Carlos Zambrano, who still came up 35 strikeouts short of Santana and would pull you down only to a 3.92 ERA, with no benefit to your WHIP at all.

Does he need to stay healthy? Of course. But he's spent less time on the DL the past few years than Albert Pujols or Jose Reyes, that's for sure. Does he need his teammates to help him out? Sure, but what player doesn't? If no one is on base, who is Pujols driving in? Or if Carlos Delgado keeps looking at curves instead of swinging, Reyes is stuck on second base a lot, ya know?

It comes back to the principle of multicategoricalicity, which is sort of a word. Those who do well in all categories are inherently more valuable than those who do one thing extremely well. In Santana's case, he combines both those aspects: He can lead the league in wins, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.

Imagine if Pujols could steal bases like Reyes, or Carl Crawford could hit as many home runs as Ryan Howard. You'd draft them No. 1 overall, wouldn't you? Of course you would. So why on earth wouldn't you do it for a guy who can win four out of five pitching categories? Because that's what you get in Santana. And when Shandler and I go head to head in Tout Wars next week and when he bids on Santana (and he will), I will laugh the laugh of a victor ... and then bid one buck more.

Matthew Berry -- The Talented Mr. Roto -- is ESPN's new Senior Director of Fantasy. He was just as surprised as you to find out it's a real job. Read more of his analysis or play your league for free, with free live scoring, at ESPN.com

Sweet

2007-03-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Protrade Market Movers
The Ten Most Volatile Players--Week of March 16, 2007

by Jeff Ma

Printer-
friendly

Welcome to Market Movers, Protrade's series of reports covering how sports fans from around the world are valuing Major League Baseball stocks in the world's only 24/7 virtual sports stock market.

For those unfamiliar with Protrade, we are a next-generation fantasy sports experience centered around a community of passionate fans who trade players and teams like stocks. Our virtual sports stock market helps capture the wisdom of these sports fans by enabling them to display their reactions and generate a market response to every event in sports news; every at-bat, every rumor, and every injury report can be factored into the value of an athlete or team. Equalized across all sports so that in Protrade Dollars (PT$) the best baseball players are worth roughly the same as the best football and basketball players, our prices are set by market analysts before the beginning of every season with a "season IPO," and then move based on a combination of on-field performance and buy/sell pressure.

For more information on how our market works, check out Protrade's FAQ. You can register for free by clicking here!

And now, Protrade's biggest price movers since March 7, 2007:

*MLB Market Movers*
Rk	Player	Ticker	Team	Price	March 7	Change
1.	Mark Prior	PRIOR	Cubs	$102.38	$118.88	13.88%
There's no such thing as a ... How's that go again? On more than a few prominent "Sleeper" lists this winter, traders have recently woken up to the truth about Prior: He's not the same. With a fastball that's topping out in the 80s, the market sees little reason to buy shares of this former USC Trojan, and we can't bring ourselves to disagree.
2.	Cole Hamels	COLE	Phillies	$199.76	$179.53	11.27%
Speaking of relatively young pitchers with a history of fragility, Hamels enters 2007 with high expectations, but perhaps more importantly, a guaranteed rotation spot for the first time in his career. Truly dominant in the second half last season (87.2 IP, 10.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 3.39 ERA), PROTRADE investors believe that growth and experience will conflate with the southpaw's raw talent, resulting in one of the best young pitchers in the game.
3.	Chris B. Young	CYOUNG	Diamondbacks	$164.10	$147.91	10.94%
As Nate Silver wrote on Thursday, "If you don't like Chris Young, you don't like prospects." Suffice it to say that PROTRADE investors like prospects--and Young--almost as much as teenage boys like big-screen adaptations of Frank Miller comics. The former White Sox farmhard has been shooting up on our market over the last week, and with no one standing between him and a starting spot in center field, that $164 share price is beginning to look conservative.
4.	Ben Sheets	BSHEE	Brewers	$207.24	$187.11	10.76%
Sheets' ability to blow the ball past hitters while rarely missing the strike zone has never been in question. He posted a better than 10-to-one strikeout-to-walk ratio last season, but that was despite fighting shoulder tendonitis like a nagging cough. As a result, what keeps Brewers fans up at night is Sheets' ability to consistently take the mound every fifth day--something he hasn't done since 2004. Now healthy, the former Olympic hero has looked impressive in a trio of Spring Training starts, and investors are rushing for the buy button faster than you can say: "Schlemiel, schlemazl, Hasenpfeffer Incorporated!"
5.	Rodrigo Lopez	RLOPE	Rockies	$83.27	$97.08	10.15%
Expectations were never particularly high for Lopez, who enters the Colorado rotation (or maybe not) with a career winning percentage below .500 and middling peripherals. Nevertheless, the pounding he's taken this spring (12 IP, 19 H, 13 R) isn't inspiring much investor confidence, even if Coors Field continues to play like it's been moved to the farthest reaches of Neptune.
6.	Joel Pineiro	JPINE	Red Sox	$89.53	$99.48	10.00%
Originally signed with the intent of making him a closer, Boston has slowly stepped away from that proposition, opting for a low-key, closer-by-you-know-what approach. That the former Mariner so quickly turned back into Joel Pineiro this spring (7.1 IP, 10 H, 5 R) has made Theo & Co.'s decision that much easier.
7.	Jhonny Peralta	JPERA	Indians	$130.18	$118.37	9.98%
Aaron Eckart might be the new Two-Face, but this shortstop's turn from down-ballot MVP candidate in 2005 to merely average with the bat in 2006 was difficult to understand. So who will we see in 2007? Protrade investors clearly believe that Jhonny's power spike wasn't some sort of Brady Anderson-style fluke--an opinion shared by PECOTA, which, as we all know, is the cold, calculating Harvey Dent to Nate Silver's secret super-villain persona.
8.	Howie Kendrick	HOWIE	Angels	$183.77	$168.36	9.15%
You don't need to be a prospect maven to know about Howie's track record--he's among the most-written-about hitters of the decade, and for good reason. Scouts love him, statheads love him, and Protrade investors can't get enough of his shares. You want a dark horse candidate for AL batting champ? Here's your man.
9.	Josh Bard	JBARD	Padres	$90.36	$82.82	9.11%
Bard might not be the second coming of Mike Piazza, but with catching talent generally thin, traders are looking to Bard, who posted an eye-popping .338/.406/.537 line in San Diego last season. Trading at $90.36 per share, he doesn't need to be the best to have some value. He just needs to be himself.
10.	Melky Cabrera	MCABR.A	Yankees	$127.51	$140.12	9.00%
He's a nice player to have around--the thing is, there's nowhere to keep him. With Bobby Abreu installed in right and Hideki Matsui healthy in left, the 22-year-old outfielder will have to wait his turn once again. Decreased playing time means a lessened chance of hitting that triple-digit price projection.

Jeff Ma is a co-founder of Protrade.

Hey, I Read the Papers, Too

2007-03-16T10:42:00.001-07:00

In case any of you think you are the only person who's noticed all those K's Harden is getting this spring.

2007-03-13T22:35:00.000-07:00

Team Depth Charts

2007-03-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

This one is found at MLB.com. I don't know if that makes it more reliable. We don't really need to worry about this for another three weeks.

But I like to get a head start.

Is Left Field Left Out?

2007-03-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

The BCL was sitting in bed last night looking at his USA Today Fantasy issue and, boy, is it clear that left field is going to be a challenge. When will Podsednik be ready? Shannon Stewart is fragile anyway, and when Kotsay comes back and that return ripples through the A's lineup, even a healthy Stewart will lose at bats. Orioles will have Payton and Huff in left, but Gibbons is listed as "first DH," which means that either Payton or Huff may lose ABs. Unless Huff fills in at first????

Of course, it's too early to worry.

Much.

Spring training will sort most of this out, and then the first two weeks of the season will foul it up again!!

Also, Time to Think about the Last Pitcher Taken

2007-03-08T10:44:00.000-08:00

Fourteen AL teams means 70 starters, though some of those will not have started by draft time. That's usual: No problem. But with 12 people drafting five starter starters and one backup starter, that means we will draft *72* starters.

So what about those last two? Leftover relievers? Guys in the minors. Roger Clemens???? Maybe on some teams it still won't be clear who the fifth starter will be, so we have more choice there?

A knotty problem.

Kotsay Got Bad Back But We Don't Care

2007-03-08T10:26:00.000-08:00

Bradley moves over and if the tentative rosters hold up there will be plenty of bodies eligible in RF, including A. Huff and G. Sheffield. So I'm not worried. But Podsednik's "sports hernia" is a big worry. Erstad starting the season LF for Chicago?

That's terrible, draft-wise.

A Good Place to Start Research

2007-03-07T22:36:00.000-08:00

Here's a USA Today link for projected starting lineups.

AT LAST, AN EXPLANATION FOR MY CHILDHOOD INJURY

2006-07-17T10:38:00.000-07:00

"If a woman has to choose between catching a fly ball and saving an
infant's life, she will choose to save the infant's life without even
considering if there is a man on base."

--Dave Barry

Ball Game

2006-07-16T21:28:00.000-07:00

Focus on the Family, Concerned Women for America and the Georgia Family Council are all just gnawing on their Bibles with outrage as they endeavor to stop the financial bid by medioctopus Liberty Media to buy the Atlanta Braves. They oppose the deal because Liberty owns On Command, a company that provides in-room hotel/motel porn movies to lonely male or female lodgers or anyone else with time on their hands and a credit card.

Oddly, this Coalition of the Deeply Offended and others who are protesting this deal seem oblivious, or at least indifferent, to the fact that the Braves are currently owned by Time Warner, an outfit that also offers adult fare (i.e. fuckflix) over its cable TV service.

Nor, now that we think on it, are they troubled that pro ballplayers are, demographically, one of the major revenue sources for the hotel porn business.

It's only a matter of time before the obvious graphic sexual symbolism of the hotdog dawns on them. Honey, there's a bit of mustard right there in the corner of your mouth. Yeahhh. That's got it.

The story, should it interest any of you sick bastards, is by AP's Charles Odum at http://www.forbes.com/entrepreneurs/feeds/ap/2006/07/14/ap2880353.html

Welcome to EBay

2006-05-20T23:08:00.000-07:00

Oakland Athletics tickets have a bar code at the right end. That means that entrance to the ballpark is gained not by the mutilation of the ticket or by the confiscation of the ticket but by its being read by a handheld device.

That means that my ticket for today's game for seat five in row 13 of section 209 in the second level -- a seat well toward right field, which means it offered a panoramic view of Barry Bonds 714th home run today -- is intact and available for purchase.

And here's some texture to give you a sense of what was happening in row 13, section 209.
As Bonds rounded the bases, first I booed and then I chanted "Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth," and when he came out for a curtain call I waved my ticket over my head and said, "EBay, Ebay!"

The ticket is also worth five dollars off a full-size Round Table pizza (single topping) if redeemed during the next seven days, but I think I can do better than that. All bids should be accompanied by a certified check for ten percent of your total bid as well as a 250-word essay explaining why you should be chosen in the case identical bids are submitted.

All decisions of the judges are final. Offered not valid in South Dakota, the District of Columbia or the Western Provinces of Canada.

Willy (Say Hey) Shakespeare

2006-05-20T10:50:00.000-07:00

If famous writers were famous baseball players, what positions would they play? Theodore Dreiser would be a DH: great writer, terrible stylist. William Faulker would be a knuckleball pitcher, I think, though I'm willing to argue that one.

These thoughts come because I am thinking about an earlier comment I made on the power of statisics to deepen one's pleasure in baseball. That made me think of Faulkner because what he said (I think) of Southerners and their history: "The past is not dead. It's not even past."

Same for baseball.

BUTTS IN THE SEATS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

2006-05-17T13:05:00.000-07:00

This may be a gimmick the Giants might want to consider while waiting for Bonds to drop the other shoe...

CURVE TO HOLD FRIVOLOUS LAWSUIT NIGHT JULY 2nd AT BCB

May 15, 2006 -

ALTOONA- Inspired by a Los Angeles Angels fan who filed a lawsuit against the club because he did not receive a red nylon tote bag as part of the major league club's Mother’s Day promotion last May, the Altoona Curve have announced that they will be holding Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night as part of their Sunday, July 2nd game at Blair County Ballpark.

The Curve’s salute to all ridiculous lawsuits ever filed will include the following:

# A Pink Tote Bag Giveaway to the first 137 men in attendance ages 18 and over
# The first 137 women 18 and over will receive lukewarm coffee so they will not burn themselves
# The first 137 kids will be given a beach ball with a warning not to ingest it
# Angels merchandise and novelty items given away throughout the game
# Honoring some of history's "Most Frivolous Lawsuits" during the game
# A grand prize drawing in which one fan will receive a “clue” and their own frivolous lawsuit.

Additional details will be announced later

“We realize that these giveaways as part of our Salute to Frivolous Lawsuit Night are fairly stupid and serve no real purpose,” said Curve General Manager Todd Parnell. “But if our fans don’t like them, then they can sue us!”

Curve President and Managing Partner Chuck Greenberg, himself a practicing corporate and sports attorney, declined to comment on his club’s promotion because of concerns that his comments could lead to a frivolous lawsuit.

A MAN OF GOD SAYS "RENDER UNTO BARRY..."

2006-05-15T12:37:00.000-07:00

The following is a verbatim lift from The Bemusement Park, a blog by Mark Hasty, a midwestern protestant minister and Big 10 devotee who is entertaining and likable despite either of those qualities. I recommend taking a look now and then. In this case, he makes a point regarding the Bonds v. Ruth roil-a-thon that is remarkable both for it's originality and perceptiveness:

"I’m sure I’m alone in this, but I am so anxious for Barry Bonds to pass Babe Ruth. I simply refuse to believe that the vaunted Babe wouldn’t have done steroids if they’d been available. I wouldn’t want Bonds as my next-door neighbor, but his perpetual under-the-bussing is growing tedious. One of the reasons I hate baseball is precisely because I’m always being told that I’m 50 years too young to have seen its best player. If baseball can’t be as good as it was then, why care about it now?"

For Those Who in Their Minds Want to Picture the Magnificent Balco Cup in Their Possession

2006-05-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

A handsome photo here.

And two more here.

No, Fuck You

2006-05-09T13:02:00.000-07:00

Now begins my most favorite league activity, that is, when I unilaterally subsitute really good players from your backups for really bad players at which point some of you (but not all of you) turn purple with rage and I yell, "Barney, Barney!" and enjoy it very much.

I pulled A.J. Burnett from Jeffrey's rotation and put in Robertson (the Detroit one) and that's why Jeffrey is now ahead of me. I understand that many of you -- like the Wife of Bath -- prize sovereignty above all else, and when it comes to players that are only marginally better or, at the end of the season, when you are betting on who will have the best September, I agree. But if one player is strikingly and indisputably superior I will, at least till August 1, make the substitution so that each morning -- or once a week or on certain Catholic feast days or whenever you look at the standings -- you will be looking at an approximation of what they actually are.

Also, my presumptuous actions should prepare you for some yet another marker of the BCL's Reich I. If anyone decided to sandbag to keep a hated rival from winning, I would not allow it! Think back to the darkest days of the Koppy era, when -- if the moral baseline on which society based its activities was the Satriale Pork Store -- Michael Koppy would have been floating face down in some convenient body of water. Some league member could have figured that if he pulled his five best players and put in five backups, that action could have swung the final standings against Koppy.

That would have been a little too much real-world. So the BCL will continue to make some moves. On August 1 if you don't like them I will take them back. But if anyone tries anything funny on September 1 when rosters are set:

Barney, bar the door.

Patrick Finley Memorial Fantasy Baseball League

Time for a Little Late April Talking Baseball

Monday's Child is Full of Questions

A Fond Farewell to a League Legend. Come Home, Prodigal Son. Peter Always Has a Little Fatted Calf in the Fridge

Homer

Time to Start the Conversation about Draft Day

Banquet 2009

Little Chi Chi: On the Trail of Numbah 24

Last Three Weeks: *Bob is Surging* Who Knew?

Shoes of the Pitcherman

News and Notes from Around the League

News and Notes from Around the League

News and Notes from Around the League

News and Notes from Around the League

A Message from Brad

Nostalgia (Cheap Nostalgia But Still Nostalgia)

Early Standings Show Swifty in Lead

Sundays with the BCL

The Choice

Blues for Mr. ChiChi

Celebration

Michael Tola for President (More Audacity Practice)

The League Champion Song

The Banquet

We Are Sparta

A Gracious BCL Accepts Defeat

BCL speaks

You've Seen the Preview: Now the Full-Length Feature

The Pundit

Stand Alone Stats for May

Let's Do the Numbers

Pitching vs Hitting

Redundant I

No Lie

At Last

Ouch

This Just In

The Demons of Spring

Those Irresistible A's

First Day Thoughts

Surprise Surprise Surprise

Digital drafting

Good News for the BCL

The Old Ways Were the Good Ways

Black Hole of Time Wasting Ahead

Pressman Thunders from the Right Coast

BCL: Working for You Today for a Better Draft Tomorrow

This is Not a Problem

Die, Motherfucker, Die

The Old Mailbag

Maury Wills' boyhood heroes

Vorp Power

The Piazza Question

Leave Him for Me

Sweet

Hey, I Read the Papers, Too

Team Depth Charts

Is Left Field Left Out?

Also, Time to Think about the Last Pitcher Taken

Kotsay Got Bad Back *But We Don't Care*

A Good Place to Start Research

AT LAST, AN EXPLANATION FOR MY CHILDHOOD INJURY

Ball Game

Welcome to EBay

Willy (Say Hey) Shakespeare

BUTTS IN THE SEATS BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY

A MAN OF GOD SAYS "RENDER UNTO BARRY..."

For Those Who in Their Minds Want to Picture the Magnificent Balco Cup in Their Possession

No, Fuck You

Last Three Weeks: Bob is Surging Who Knew?

Kotsay Got Bad Back But We Don't Care