Four Bagger: Long Way to the Top

That’s the AC/DC tune stuck in my head today as I think about my positioning in each of my four leagues. I’m resting comfortably in second in the State League (TBS Home League), ninth in the SLO League, seventh in the Roto League, and in sixth in the Card League.

I’ve all but conceded defeat in SLO, and have actually gone into the seller’s market, dealing CC Sabathia, Carlos Lee and Adam Dunn for a pair of first-round picks, a couple of roster slugs, and a pair of young players, Evan Longoria and Jay Bruce. I’m not a huge Sabathia fan, and neither Carlos Lee nor Adam Dunn were keepers for me, so it made sense to “get younger.” The odd part about it is that I’ve also dropped some dead weight and picked up some nice players with value. I’m still competitive. More on that later.

But I want to spend the majority of this piece discussing the State League, and the dynamic of such lopsided standings. FreeSanJose currently has a stranglehold on first place leading me by 18 games, and third place by 24 games.

Fantasy football already? Booooooooooooooooooooooo!

Baseball is America’s Pastime. But Football is the country’s most popular sport. Does that make any sense? Not to me.
I don’t know about you, but I’m annoyed with the influx of football talk already. I can’t stand it. Can’t I enjoy my fantasy baseball season in peace?

Major League Baseball’s draft needs help

I’m really not one for college sports, so when the NBA and NFL drafts roll around, you’re likely to find me out on a lake somewhere fishing while others are gawking over some 20-something who is fulfilling his dream and becoming a multi-millionaire. But if there’s ones thing that I admire about those drafts it’s the national hype and circus that surrounds them. I mean I could care less who gets drafted first overall, but I always make an effort to find out, for peace of mind, you know? So when ESPN started touting this year’s Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft my ears perked up. I figured maybe this is one draft I could rally around.

Changing of the guard

Randy Johnson. Andruw Jones. Pedro Martinez. Gary Sheffield. There was a time when having these four guys on your fantasy team pretty much gave you a straight path to the finals. Now having them can lead you straight to the nut house.

Three down, one to go (more draft results)

I’ve already stated that I prefer head-to-head formats over roto leagues, but if I knew my roto draft would end up this good, I would have never made such a statement.

Another victim of the hype: Roy Oswalt

Francisco Liriano. Two seasons ago, he was the hottest pitcher in baseball and possessed the best slider in baseball.
The guy was real talk. Every pitch in his arsenal had that zip. That extra kick that hasn’t been seen since the 1999 version of Pedro Martinez.
And then it happened, the exploding arm trick. It seems Liriano’s best slider ever caused too much movement and he went this side of Tommy John.
of course the jon had him. He fell into the category of the rookie keeper in the jon’s SLO and San Jose league named after respective college alumnus. And this is where the sordid tale of the jon went against all of his natural championship instinct. The Jon has just pulled a deal in the SLO league to secure Liriano as one of his keepers. Oswalt was traded for an 8th round pick so Liriano could be a keeper. A bad deal all the way … or was it?