Fantasy Baseball 101 -- To Draft or not to Draft

To Draft or not to Draft -- Live or Auto pick?
If you're reading this, Baseball is a little more than just a simple amusement or diversion that we use to pass the summers. The truth is that once the Super Bowl is over we can't think about much else. And playing Fantasy Baseball has almost reached (dare I say... hush!) "hobby" status. (cue the music) I think that if we could actually take this from obsession to occupation, we would excel at our jobs.
While preparing for this summer job of ours, we read every bit of news we can find, printed and online. We watch the sports shows on TV even if its just a peek while waiting for a table with our wives in a fancy restaurant. We try to learn all that we can, thinking that if we could just glean a little more than our competition does, it will give us the edge that we need to succeed at our summer jobs.
Actually, it is more than a summer job. Some of us (and you know who you are) haven't stopped thinking Fantasy Baseball since the season's end last year. We have got to face it: Baseball is life. We must embrace what some may call our weakness! But that's a topic for another day.
It is timely for me to describe our yearly preseason ritual. We are already preparing for it and Major League Baseball hasn't even played game one of the PRESEASON. Once a year we gather together and fight for players that we think will get us the yearly honor of League Champion. In the past we have use tools provided by Yahoo! that managed the draft for us with minimal effort. Albeit easy, the results aren't always desirable even with an ample amount of pre-ranking. Let me give you an example.
I am participating in another league where each manager could pre-rank players before Yahoo! conducted the auto-draft. Knowing that each of the 12 managers would draft 22 players, I knew that 264 players would be drafted. With that in mind I pre-ranked about 200 players. I made estimations based on players that I wanted more than others, as well as what I thought other managers would do at certain times in the draft and then made my rankings based on that. This may have been one of the worst drafts I have ever had, even worse than last year's when I ended up with a star studded pitching staff, but no decent offense. No balance.
Here is my team this year:
C - J. Estrada1B - M. Piazza2B - T. Iguchi3B - S. RolenSS - N. GarciaparraOF - C. CrawfordOF - L. BerkmanOF - L. GonzalezUtil - J. RollinsBench - R. Ibanez(1B), J. Buck(C), J. Closser(C), B. Williams (OF)SP - T. Hudson, J. Beckett, A. Burnett, O. Perez, w. Miller, J. SmoltzRP - Fr. Rodriguez, C.Tsao, B. Donnelly
I actually thing that this team is pretty good overall. A little imbalanced, but I still think I have a chance to win. But there are glaring miscues in the draft. For starters, I drafted four catchers. 4. Cuatro. Estrada and Piazza are great picks. But even with Piazza able to play first base, that is two too many. And those two, Buck and Closser are young gambles and would have been decent backups, but not both of them and certainly not if I already have Estrada and Piazza.
Second of all, Yahoo drafted what it thought were 4 Relievers, Rodriguez, Tsao, Donnelly, and Smoltz. Tsao and Rodriguez are gambles, Donnelly may not be worth the roster spot if he doesn't get and Holds, and Smoltz is actually a starter. I don't mind owning Smoltz, but now I am stuck with only 3 relievers and only two are closers, and suspect ones at that.
The good thing is that in an auto draft, we all share the same problems with the imperfect selection system. My auto-draft didn't go great, but all the managers share the same solution -- waiver-wire pickups. I said that I think that this team has a chance to win, and I truly think so; I just need to make some very smart pickups over the next few weeks.
What is the lesson? I think that I could have made better picks on my own. Flat out. I am sure that I will make mistakes doing a live or manual draft, but they would be MY mistakes. I would own them. And it would be up to me to manage MY team to first place. Choosing your own players gives a deeper level of ownership in your team -- you don't get a team because of pure luck but rather by making smart choices when the time comes. Ok, there is a little luck too.
The Live Draft may not be for everyone, and that's why we will offer a managed "auto-draft" for those who can't or don't want to participate. Additionally, since we will spread the draft out over 4 weeks (5 picks per team each week), managers who submit their pre-rankings can edit them each week to react to "the market".
Next week I will address the "Market", the live draft, and general draft strategy. I hope you enjoy your summer job as much as I do.

Low Rise Jeans =-= The Decline of Western Civilization

What the heck is going on here. Am I taking crazy pills? Or did it suddenly become okay for women to show a "little plumber crack"?
Four or five years ago, Low Rise Jeans hit their Tipping Point and became "the only acceptable way to wear denim" for women. Not a big deal to me, I still get to wear my baggy jeans the way i like 'em, these rules didn't apply to me. And if they're done right, low rise jeans can be a very nice way to wear jeans. Shortly after that, it also became fashionable to wear "midriff revealing" tops. Again, not a big deal, because for the majority of the women doing it at the time, it was a benefit to the world at large. On occasion you would see someone wearing one of these tops who probably needed to do a sit-up or 100, but who am I to talk? I need to do plenty of sit-ups myself, but with that in mind, I try not to wear as many "swub-revealing" tops either (s.w.u.b. = soft white under belly).
Since then some of these trends have gone wildly awry -- it turns out that at the same time all this is happening in the fashion world, the Thong becomes the panty of choice among the female community. Again, on its own, this wouldn't bother me, but add it to the recent chain of fashion events, and here begins the nightmare. The "cool thing" for these fashion victims becomes wearing the Thong while wearing the Low Rise Jeans. This is one of those cases where more is not better and 1+1 does not equal two. Instead ot getting the benefit of the simple combination of two singularly acceptable fashion items, you get this ensemble which causes me to regret liking either in the first place. Add in the unfortunate Midriff Revealing Top and BANG! we, the viewers of this travesty, become the fashion victims.
But wait! There's More! Yesterday at the mall I found myself in shock... not just once, but three times I was ACCOSTED by female plumber butt. Not just a hint of cheek on these zoftig ladies, but over two full inches of frightening cleavage. The first time I just figured that it was one girl's unfortunate choice to squeeze into some low rise jeans, AND wear a short cropped top. It hurt me, but she is forgiven. Well, she was... until i saw the second. And the third. All in the span of 2 hours. Way too much. It shouldn't have happened. I may never go to the mall again.
When did this become cool? I realize that at some point in time, probably on a day when a turtleneck just wouldn't do, showing a little busom cleavage became high fashion. In fact, it might have shocked a few people back then too, but eventually it became acceptable and then "normal". I can handle that. I actually don't mind it at all. But what does this mean? Will it become normal for the "plumber style?" Will I have to put up with my daughter wearing clothes like this? I am afraid for us. I am afraid that no one else will say something and then all of a sudden, whoosh, the fad becomes the standard. Is this the decline of western civilization? Have we reached our social peak where we just can't do anything to improve ourselves any longer? I had always thought that it would be something else that would trigger it, something political or more meaningfully social. But here we are, at the apex of our society's evolution, and I can now see the trip back down the long hill. Female fashion. Scary.

Ghetto Blaster

This link is pretty cool. http://www.ghetto-blaster.com/
Click around and get the vibe.

Zombies rule

This is a funny site -- a take-off on an Amazon page that has a "Return of the Living Dead" flava. http://www.brains4zombies.com/

Super Bowl Sunday... or just another excuse to think of Baseball?

Super Bowl Sunday is here and it's the New England Patriots vs. the Philidelphia Eagles. I think that the Pats will win it again to make it 3 times in 4 years. I think that would be pretty cool, and since I am into the Yankees, I am obviously in favor of DYNASTIES!!!
But seriously, with all this pre-game football hoopla going on, with all of the wierd gambling opportunities (the best I heard was this one: The total number of points scored in the game, vs. the total number of points the LA Clippers score, minus 70. MINUS SEVENTY! hahaha), all I can think about is the upcoming fantasy baseball season.
We have been doing this league for a while, this will be the fifth year. I think that is pretty cool. And we have a bunch who are repeat guests, some newbies to the league, and a few of the original players way back in 2001. I think that we got our 12 teams settled:
Jon H. -- KDS employee (2nd year in league)
Jer K. -- my CT best friend from the way-back machine (2rd year)
Paul K. -- Jer's brother (2nd year)
Wayne S. -- KDS (original Gangsta)
Tony C. -- KDS (O.G.)
Me (MD) -- KDS (O.G.)
Carolyn F. -- KDS (rookie)
Sean W. -- former KDS (O.G.)
Lance D. -- former KDS (4 year veteran)
Mhouze -- Wayne's buddy (2nd year)
Roy A. -- KDS (O.G.)
Shawn C. -- my friend from Marietta (rookie)
Now, don't let these cat's "rookie status" deceive you -- they have probably played Fantasy Baseball in one form or another for a while, so they are serious challengers.
Wayne has been the commissioner in the past, but he is giving up the reins to me this year. We had considered going "keeper league" but that would require a great deal of work for a long time and I don't know if we have the ganas (spanish for 'desire' or 'will') for that. I think that we can make our Fantasy Football league a keeper league because the management that it would require is a little less intensive.
Anyway, Spring training is coming up and I am already eyeing some of the "prize" players -- some sleeper stars and a few super stars. I will post rosters and predictions coming up soon. Stay tuned!

Best Wings ever -- Wild Wing Cafe, Marietta, GA

On Roswell Road in Marietta is my favorite wing joint. I went back Tuesday night for a few pints and some wings and **LO AND BEHOLD** a flavor that I have never tried before... Athens Fireball.
Dang. So spicy. So delicious. 4 out of 5 on the flame scale, so it was pretty spicy. Holy moly, they were delicious. I ordered an additional plate of 8. I couldn't get through them all (I had already eaten about 15 already -- oink), but I made the best of them.
Go there. If you need me to take you, ask me. I will lead the way.

GMC Canyon -- might be the car for me

So I am evaluating new cars, right? right. and turns out that there is a discount program with my company with GMC. Good deal. Well, I am not sure exactly how good the deal is yet, but I will find out soon.
Anyway, I am now looking at the GMC Canyon CrewCab. Even though my crew consists of my beautiful and brilliant wife, and my cute and adorable kid, I think that for a LONG-TERM decison vehicle to replace my beloved Jeep Wrangler Sahara, it might be the best bet. Add a sunroof and a retractable rear window and now we are talking!
I will first have to go to Carmax and see what they will offer me for the Jeep. That will gauge how much I think I can get for the car if I sold it throught the newspaper. It might just be easier to sell it to Carmax -- save the hassle, get a little less money. We will pay off the wife's car with that money and the IRS tax refund !!BOFFO!! time for a new car for Matt.
I can't say I am not anxious about it -- happy and sad. I will miss that Jeep a lot. I have already made a deal with myself that I might forego the Porche of my future mid-life crisis to get a replacement Jeep 10 years from now. By that time it will OK for the kid to ride with me in the Jeep. can't wait. can't wait.

The day of the Jeep has passed

I have come to the time in my life when I have to give up my jeep. I hate the thought of getting rid of it, but I can't really put the kid into the jeep. Not for a long time, at least. Maybe someay I can get another and then the kid and i can take drives the way we were meant to: in a jeep with the top down.
But for now, I am stuck shopping for a new car. Not a bad place to be, right? Unless you can't find anything that you like for a reasonable price. I think that I just don't like cars. I think I have turned "car-snob". I have owned three jeeps, two were wranglers, I have owned a BMW 325i, a Honda Civic DX, and my first car was a Dodge Ram 50. I am considering a few cars right now, but none make me go OH YEAH.
Chrysler 300. Pretty cool looking. Boxy in the right way, looks like it is a Mafia Sentinel from the Grand Theft Auto games. Not too expensive and yet still well appointed.Toyota Prius. I like the idea of a gas/electric hybrid car. Actually I really like it, but i have to get over how dorky it looks. Maybe it is cooler on the inside.
that's as far as I have gotten so far. I might also want to look at some used cars, even a BMW 325 series used... we'll see.

My kid is ridiculous cute

I love my kid. She is so cute. Today she started saying "da-da". Not very well, but it sounds like it. Well, a little bit. It might not actually be "da-da" at all, but it is nice to think it. She is very smart; it is probably "da-da".
She turned 9 months old Friday. I can't believe how fast the time went by. We will have to start planning her first birthday kegger soon or else it will sneak up on us. heh heh. kegger. wouldn't that be a riot. Most first birthday parties are not a whole lot of fun for people over the age of 2. There is, however the best 5 minutes of a kid's life, when they learn the magic of SUGAR and dive deep into the icing of their very own cake. We recently witnessed this very act at Erin and Shawn's kid, Max's first birthday party. There was beer and food, friends and all their kids. Best of all, Max, digging into his very own cake. Too bad he got some icing in his eye. That kid squealed and the fun was over -- may have even scarred him for life! He will be a fan of the saltier foods rather than the sweeter, i'm sure. Poor kid.
Note to self: Make Kaylin wear goggles at her first birthday party.

Dehydrated Water Franchise Information

http://www.buydehydratedwater.com/index.htm
ok, seriously. This is a funny website.

Vegetables; And Other Assorted News

Originally published in Le Provocateur,
the Official Newspaper of Assumption College

by: Slacker
Contributing Writer

Greetings, once again from the wonderful world of being perpetually five minutes late for class. I realize that I haven't been around much, but it's tough being me. I have collected a few things to discuss for this month's news from the world alternative: the biggest bit is about vegetarianism. It turns out that I have to give an informational speech for class on this topic soon but I wanted to let more than my classmates know about what there is to know about vegetarianism.

First of all, there are a few kinds. There are those who don't eat meat for dietary reasons, personal or animal rights reasons, socio-economic/environmental reasons, or feminist political reasons. All are good reasons, but each is very separate and distinct. The dietary vegetarians are usually those who are either allergic to meat, aware of their fat intake, or have to because of doctor's orders. These people are not usually following strict vegetarian diets, but only avoiding red meats and some times the other white meat, pork. Normally, chicken, fish and dairy products are allowed and are used as alternative sources for protein.

There are many people who believe that animals should not be exploited in any way. You might be familiar with the example of veal; young calves kept in doghouse sized "living areas" not allowed to move so that they don't bruise and toughen the meat they will produce. There are other examples of this kind of poor treatment of animals which prompt many people to either choose not to eat the specific animal that is being mistreated in their eyes, or to not eat any animal product at all in protest. The latter, those who do not eat any animal products whatsoever, are called "Vegans." The vegan diet does not allow any red meat, milk or dairy products, poultry, eggs, and rarely fish but allows for any kind of grain, fruit or vegetable you could think of. Unfortunately, it is difficult to stay healthy on a diet like this, but the lack of iron, calcium, protein and other essential nutrients are made·up for by the intake of vitamin supplement pills.

There are also serious economic reasons that people decide to become Vegetarian. A great deal of the world's natural resources are wasted by being spent maintaining the civilized world's habit of eating meat. According to John Robbins, author of "Meat Kills," over 50% of all the water used in the' U.S. is used for raising animals for food. 25 gallons of water is needed to produce a pound of wheat. 2500 gallons of water is needed to produce a pound of meat. The length of time the world's oil reserves would last if humans ate a meat based diet would be approximately 13 years. The length of time those reserves would last if humans ate a plant based diet would he about 260 years. 250,000 pounds of animal excrement is produced every second in the U.S. and there are no sewage systems to treat the wastes. In 1989, over 40% of the world's grain supply was fed to animals going to slaughter. If the same grain was fed directly to human beings, there would be more than enough grain to feed the entire world. Over 20 million people will die as a result of malnutrition this year.

Finally, there are feminist reasons for vegetarianism. In times long ago, and in other cultures today, it is only the men who are allowed to eat meat. Women were only allowed to eat the grains and vegetables. This dominance over women by men in dietary matters reflects the themes of the patriarchy. In corollary, if meat is a symbol of male dominance then the presence of meat proclaims the disempowering of women. In order to assert their equality and power, some feminists believe that eating meat reinforces patriarchal values in modem society and that becoming vegetarian in diet demonstrates their refusal to recognize those beliefs of inequality.

And that's vegetarianism, as I understand it. So when you are in the Junction considering how good that burger would go with those fries, think twice. There is an excellent salad bar available, daily, and Taylor usually offers meatless entrees. An interesting and tasty addition to the Junction's menu called a "Veggie-burger" or "Grain burger" would be an appreciated alternative if ever offered.

By the way, the new Nine Inch Nails album is now available in your local record and grocery stores, so you can stop holding your breath (And for my next segue...). After a year and a half, Trent Reznor has brought to our attention the evils of drug abuse in his new album, "The Downward Spiral." If you liked his earlier accomplishments, beware; this is not like the other stuff. If you like NIN's first album because you like Trent's voice, don't buy this album, you cannot hear all that much of it over the screeching' guitars, the pounding synthesized samples, and his own screaming about how much he hates the world. It’s not a bad album by any means, just be ready for the harder side of Trent's psyche. Stylistically and thematically, the album keeps together as a whole, but I think that the entire Nine Inch Nails project would benefit greatly if Trent gave up the heroin. As a sidebar, I also picked up the maxi-single for the single "March of the Pigs," which is great for the collector or the remix fanatic. It also contains remixes of his song "Reptile" which also deserve merit.

If you don't get the Phish update in the mail, you need to know about a few Phish phacts (ha). They have a new album coming out March 25 called "Hoist" and a single that should hit the radio on March 15 called "Down with Disease." (The video for this song should be out about the same time.) And according to Trey himself, and my sources are pretty reliable, Phish is planning on releasing a live album which will contain such greats as “Suzy Greenburg,” “Possum” and “Weekapaugh Groove” which could previously only b heard at the shows or on your bootlegs. Phish’s spring concert dates are out; the closest one to us at good old A.C. is at UMASS Amherst on Saturday April 16. Tickets are only $18.50 so they will sell quickly. If you want to know other dates, either stop by 6T and ask me or call TicketMaster.

Other quick bits: The new Beastie Boys album is worth buying if you are a die hard fan. It has old tracks from their formative puck years and a formerly rare track called "Cookiepuss." From the world of alternative dance, the new single released from New Order's "Republic" album is called "Spooky" - it's worth the money. Also Enigma's new album is out and you can hear some of it at Assumption College's first rave dance party, which will take place after hours at 6D. The time and date have yet to be decided so keep your ears to the ground for the specifics. Morrissey is releasing an album on March 22, Live is releasing a new one on April 12, King Missile (one of my personal favorites) on April 19, and sonic Youth on April 27. Save Your Money and remember… Meat is Dead.