2009 FOFC Hardcore League - Page 21

DeToxRox · 03-22-2009, 01:51 PM

Alright. Gimmie two seconds.

DeToxRox · 03-22-2009, 01:53 PM

Edited Qualls to Putz. I double checked but I might have missed it. Stupid Blackberry.

sterlingice · 03-22-2009, 02:29 PM

Last round!

We should be able to finish today or tomorrow. The only complaint I have is that due to the WBC, we have about 2 weeks of nothing until the season starts. I guess it's time to make some trades and mess with roster moves.

Anyone with thoughts on any more steals since round 10? A couple of teams to beat, etc? Much like we did after round 10.

Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.1

Due up: sooner333, Toddzilla, Travis, MizzouRah, Ramzavail

List picks: Lind, Pierzynski

Way to keep it going, guys. I had to work from midnight until around 8 this morning so I'm just now waking up to catch up.

SI

sooner333 · 03-22-2009, 04:07 PM

26.2 Travis Ishikawa - 1B - San Francisco

sterlingice · 03-22-2009, 05:14 PM

(For Todzilla, via PM)

26.3 OF Cody Ross, Fla

SI

Travis · 03-22-2009, 05:38 PM

26.4 Hong-Chih Kuo SP/RP

MizzouRah · 03-22-2009, 07:23 PM

26.5 CL Takashi Saito

sterlingice · 03-22-2009, 09:35 PM

Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.5

Due up: Ramzavail (due 9am tomorrow morning), myself, CleBrownsfan, samifan24, cubboyroy1826, LastWhiteSoxFanStanding, PackerFanatic- and that's the end of the draft

List picks: Lind, Pierzynski

SI

Ramzavail · 03-22-2009, 09:43 PM

26.6 Ramon Hernandez C

sterlingice · 03-22-2009, 09:58 PM

26.7 RP George Sherrill, Bal

SI

samifan24 · 03-22-2009, 10:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sterlingice

26.7 RP George Sherrill, Bal

SI

And that, folks, is why you never pay for saves. Even if Sherrill is traded mid-season he'll be a good source of saves for half the year and SI just took him in the very last round.

cubboyroy1826 · 03-22-2009, 11:11 PM

I was thinking what a bargain Sherrill would be if he continued to fall to me.

MizzouRah · 03-22-2009, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

And that, folks, is why you never pay for saves. Even if Sherrill is traded mid-season he'll be a good source of saves for half the year and SI just took him in the very last round.

I'm still happy I picked Brad Lidge.

Toddzilla do NOT read this!

Ramzavail · 03-23-2009, 12:12 AM

I don't think he's a bargain, he was N/A in the 2nd half of 2008, 1.50 WHIP and 4.73 ERA. I think he deserved to get picked where he did, maybe another round prior, but nothing more than that.

CleBrownsfan · 03-23-2009, 06:55 AM

ANother homer pick - but he is having a decent spring for what that is worth:

26.8 Anthony Reyes SP

sterlingice · 03-23-2009, 08:53 AM

Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.8

Due up: samifan24 (10am), cubboyroy1826, LastWhiteSoxFanStanding, PackerFanatic- and that's the end of the draft

List picks: Lind, Pierzynski

SI

samifan24 · 03-23-2009, 09:40 AM

Wait, 10 AM? How?

cubboyroy1826 · 03-23-2009, 09:50 AM

Its all got to do with the last round polynomial theory of the pythagorean principle of thermodynamics, i think. (translation no clue)

samifan24 · 03-23-2009, 09:55 AM

26.9 Chris Ray RP

I'm not sure why it says my deadline was 10 AM but that was not correct.

sooner333 · 03-23-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

Wait, 10 AM? How?

The pick was before the clock started in the morning, but after the clock ended the previous day. Because of that you get two hours to make your pick after the clock starts on a weekday (10 AM, CT).

samifan24 · 03-23-2009, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooner333

The pick was before the clock started in the morning, but after the clock ended the previous day. Because of that you get two hours to make your pick after the clock starts on a weekday (10 AM, CT).

Uh ok, that is really confusing, I thought we were going six hours per window no matter what since I wasn't on the clock until this morning. SI, if you need to invalidate my pick and assign me Adam Lind, I understand. I want to stay within the rules here.

sterlingice · 03-23-2009, 10:53 AM

No pick had been posted on the board so Ray's a legit pick (and what sooner333 said was right about the clock- it's how we've been doing it all along)

SI

cubboyroy1826 · 03-23-2009, 11:05 AM

26.10 RP Jose Arredondo

sooner333 · 03-23-2009, 11:07 AM

It didn't really matter since you got in before 10 AM anyway

I was just trying to clarify for you (not that it even matters, since this is the last round until next year).

sterlingice · 03-23-2009, 11:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooner333

It didn't really matter since you got in before 10 AM anyway

Oh, yeah, and then there's that

SI

cubboyroy1826 · 03-23-2009, 11:17 AM

I wouldn't have posted a pick until you made your pick anyways.

samifan24 · 03-23-2009, 12:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooner333

It didn't really matter since you got in before 10 AM anyway

I was just trying to clarify for you (not that it even matters, since this is the last round until next year).

Oh it was 10 AM CST all along. I forgot about that pesky CST thing. Good thing this is the last round. I'm falling apart here.

Travis · 03-23-2009, 12:29 PM

Here's a run down on my team:

1.9 - R. Braun - LF
2.4 - C. Utley - 2B
3.9 - C. Crawford - LF
4.4 - R. Halladay - SP
5.9 - J. Ellsbury - LF/CF/RF
6.4 - M. Young - SS
7.9 - C. Davis - 1B/3B
8.4 - J. Votto - 1B
9.9 - P. Sandoval - C/1B/3B
10.4 - J. Chamberlain - SP/RP
11.9 - J. Johnson - SP
12.4 - B.J. Ryan - RP
13.9 - B. Morrow - SP/RP
14.4 - O. Cabrera - SS
15.9 - M. Capps - RP
16.4 - M. Pelfrey - SP
17.9 - C. Carpenter - SP
18.4 - A. Jones - CF
19.9 - D. Span - CF/RF
20.4 - A. Hill - 2B
21.9 - A. Cook - SP
22.4 - M. Lindstrom - RP
23.9 - T. Snider - LF/RF
24.4 - D. Navarro - C
25.9 - E. Andrus - SS
26.4 - H. Kuo - RP

Overview: I tend to draft for youth, 3+ category contributors and position flexibility whenever I can. Being as low down in the first round as I was I didn't know who I'd have a shot at, but heading into the draft I was pretty determined to take care of my middle infield and if possible LF (had a devil of a time getting production out of that spot last season) as early as possible. Turned out LF wouldn't (knock on wood) be much of an issue as I feel Braun was a no brainer at the 9 spot and to nab Crawford in the 3rd was way too much value to turn down even though it put me a bit behind the eight ball doubling up on a single position so early on. I'm really happy with my top 4 picks as it gives me a pretty good nucleus assuming they can all stay healthy.

That said, I had hoped to get a second starter a bit earlier but I got scooped on my list of targets (Liriano, Hernandez, Greinke, Bedard) heading into the picks I was hoping to take them at. I took a big reach on Sandoval in the 9th as a few catchers had started to come off the board and I really didn't have a feel for how long he might fall and his multi positional eligibility played big into my strategy for the season. That ended up being part of the reason for me missing on Bedard, but I ended up plucking more of the sleeper pitcher list I had (Johnson, Carpenter, Pelfrey) than I thought I would and got some nice value late with Cooke to make up for that a bit.

On the offensive side, Michael Young will be a key for me. Took him in the 6th planning on starting him at 3B once he gets the eligibility there, but my plans for SS never materialized, so now I need him to keep stride with Tulowitzki (the guy I would have taken if I was planning on playing the pick solely at SS). I was hoping to get Tulo in the 7th but he went at the tail end of the 6th (and somehow I don't see Orlando Cabrera putting up big numbers this season). I might have some revamping to do in the OF once the season gets going (Span may or may not have a starting gig, Snider is still effectively a rookie while Jones and Ellsbury should be solid but were pretty streaky last season.

Heading into the season I probably have the most confidence in my starting pitching of any position on the team, though if Lindstrom is ready to start the season then my pen should be pretty effective too. I'll need the same sort of luck with my younger position players that I had last year to do well though. We'll see if my approach of a balanced attack across all categories (in truth my hope is that 1/3 of my guys are on hot streaks each week, 1/3 producing normally and then the invariable 1/3 that tends to have an off week) rather than having many category specialists can make up for the lack of power it looks like I have right now (yes I'm looking at you Votto), but overall, I am pretty happy.

Personal reach of the draft: Sandoval
Personal steal of the draft: A few to choose from. If Hill stays healthy then he's likely my best bet, but I also like the potential returns from 3 straight picks in Pelfrey/Carpenter/Jones
Robberies: As mentioned above, had a few guys I was really targetting nabbed within a round of where I was hoping to get them, but this was the first season that the owners picking within 2 spots of me weren't the one's doing the nabbing so I had some time to explore alternate options. The closest I had to a last second robbery was Matsui going 2 spots before my pick in the 18th, but this is the first draft I've done in a long time where I wasn't scooped at the last second. That might say more about my picks/projections being a bit out of line with the norm than anything else though, heh.

As for other teams/league wide comments, I'll have some more once I can look at the other teams a bit closer, gotta get some work done here first

LastWhiteSoxFanStanding · 03-23-2009, 01:02 PM

26.11 Justin Masterson

Bring it home packerfanatic!

sooner333 · 03-23-2009, 01:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by samifan24

Oh it was 10 AM CST all along. I forgot about that pesky CST thing. Good

East Coast Bias.

PackerFanatic · 03-23-2009, 01:21 PM

I suppose I should finish this puppy off, eh?

PackerFanatic · 03-23-2009, 01:25 PM

26.12 SP Andy Pettitte

Maybe he can bounce back, maybe not. Either way - it's Mr. Irrelevant!

CleBrownsfan · 03-23-2009, 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PackerFanatic

I suppose I should finish this puppy off, eh?

PackerFanatic · 03-23-2009, 01:32 PM

That video is fantastic.

sterlingice · 03-23-2009, 01:37 PM

C Doumit 8
1B Berkman 2
3B Cabrera (CI) 1
CI DLee (1B) 12
2B KJohnson 11
SS Hardy 6
MI Escobar (SS) 21
LF Bay 3
CF Taveras 20
RF Magglio 5
OF Hawpe (RF) 15
UT Butler (1B) 18

SP Peavy 4
SP Felix 7
SP Vazquez 9
SP Harang 10
SP Weaver 14
SP Maine 17
RP Fuentes 13
RP MGonzalez 16
P JSanchez 19

BN SP Purcey 22
BN SP Snell 23
BN RP Corpas 24
BN RP Sherrill 26
BN OF Bourn 25

The corners are strong. On the infield, Cabrera bounces back, Berkman keeps plugging along, and Lee is CI with Butler hanging around at UT, if necessary. For the outfield, I went with pretty safe production with Magglio, Bay, and Hawpe. Sure, not sexy picks but with those early picks, it's all about floor not ceiling.

I just don't know about my middle infield. Johnson, Hardy, and Escobar just don't strike fear into anyone's heart. I wish I could have snagged one of the two elite fantasy SS's (no, Rollins is not one) or Utley but I was just in the wrong part of the draft. Both Hardy and Johnson sound a little like reaches in retrospect but I think Hardy keeps slightly improving and Johnson was one of the last of the "not bad" options out there, in my mind. The Taveras/Bourn SB monster in CF gives me nothing else- they'd better get me SBs or else they have no value.

I usually overvalue pitching and I tried hard to not do that this year. I also wanted some of the Greinke, Bedard, Billingsley action- but they got picked a little ahead of where I was comfortable. I like Vazquez where I got him. Hell, I like pretty much all of my pitchers where I got them but that's because in my mind, pitchers are a giant continuum and sliding scale whereas positional players, you have to deal with tiers.

I'm good with the bullpen- not exciting but gets the job done with the type of guys who, if they were position players, would be at the bottom of their tiers but still on said tiers. I'm still surprised there wasn't more play for relievers. Oh well, first time owners will learn. There aren't a ton of saves sitting on the WW every year in this league.

Bargains: Lee, Hawpe- I think getting that much production after the first 10 rounds of the draft will really help. These were guys I had been watching fall for at least three rounds each and I just had to pull the trigger even if they weren't needs.

"Steals": Who is going to look like a bargain because their average draft position is too low this year? I think Peavy bounces back and will be drafted in the first couple of rounds next year. I think Harang will bounce back this year a lot (only to have his arm blown out again by Dusty).

Reaches: Again, Hardy. I feel a little nervous about Felix but I figured I went really safe 1-5 so I could boom/bust a couple of the next few picks.

Outlook: I don't feel super excited about it and keep coming back to the word "solid". But solid doesn't exactly inspire confidence. It sounds more like 4-8th place. Still, I think some of that is reflective of a 12 team league with active owners. You're not going to have an All-Star team so enthusiams need to be tempered.

The one real thing that also sticks in my mind is that I don't see that couple of teams out there that will dominate either. With a mixture of strategies, there are a lot of differently constructed teams and I just don't see that dominant one.

SI

sterlingice · 03-23-2009, 01:50 PM

I've started the season!

Make sure to double and triple check your teams. Make sure I didn't put Bob Johnson, plumber for the Lansing Lugnuts on your team instead of Randy Johnson. I can't go back and change who was drafted but if you got the wrong player- but in a waiver claim for the right one. If it was a mistake I made entering it in- I'd ask people to let the people get their rightful players. Again, if it was a mistake on my part, I'll edit rosters until March 25th (Wednesday). After that, you're on your own.

If you go to "Tuesday Mar 24th", you'll be able to see and set your lineup. It isn't done automatically so make sure to do it before Opening Day (which is two weeks from today, well, except for the Sunday night game).

Man, there's not much in the ww and it's been that way for a couple of rounds now. Tho I was considering a possible change for next yeah of 2 C's since they don't play a ton of ABs anyways. Any other thoughts while things are fresh on people's minds?

SI

Travis · 03-23-2009, 02:41 PM

Two C's would get my vote, make things more interesting near the end of the draft I would think.

samifan24 · 03-23-2009, 02:50 PM

Any idea when Yahoo will place Alex Rodriguez on the DL? If it's prior to week one, I can add a player to take his roster spot for the week one match. If it's after April 5, that player will only count for week two.

edit - I also like teams carrying two catchers next year.

cubboyroy1826 · 03-23-2009, 03:04 PM

I am also for the 2 catchers.

sterlingice · 03-27-2009, 08:32 AM

Bump- One week to go

SI

MizzouRah · 03-27-2009, 01:56 PM

I think I'm ready!

samifan24 · 03-29-2009, 11:30 AM

Do the rosters lock tomorrow for week one? I think that they do but I just want to double check. The matchup screen says "March 30-April 12."

sterlingice · 03-29-2009, 03:44 PM

I don't know for sure, but playing with the roster changes, it looks like they lock next Saturday (ahead of the Sunday game) as you can't edit any day after that.

I've got my lineup set just in case

SI

samifan24 · 03-29-2009, 04:06 PM

Yeah, I set mine too. I dropped Bonderman because I'm afraid that I won't hit the weekly innings requirement with just six SPs in one week. I think A-Rod and Bonderman will both go on the DL to start the season but of course Yahoo won't put them there until the season actually begins.

DeToxRox · 03-29-2009, 04:28 PM

Can we access the DL yet? Lackey looks to be starting the year on it so I'd like to be able to pick someone up for the time being.

sterlingice · 03-29-2009, 04:39 PM

Sounds like most players aren't put on the DL yet. That is typically true- teams will wait until the last minute to put players on the DL. Particularly with someone good like Lackey or Rodriguez- best to just go with 4 bench spots for a week for now

SI

sterlingice · 04-05-2009, 10:59 AM

Game on!

SI

MizzouRah · 04-05-2009, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sterlingice

Game on!

SI

Yeah baby!

DeToxRox · 04-06-2009, 06:33 PM

My team is going to hit 1,250 HR this year. Felipe Lopez with 2 bombs .. McCann last night. Oh boy.

I'm passing out white flags for everyone if interested.

MizzouRah · 04-06-2009, 10:12 PM

Toddzilla with 4 pitchers playing who are on the DL?

03-22-2009, 02:29 PM	#1003
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Last round! We should be able to finish today or tomorrow. The only complaint I have is that due to the WBC, we have about 2 weeks of nothing until the season starts. I guess it's time to make some trades and mess with roster moves. Anyone with thoughts on any more steals since round 10? A couple of teams to beat, etc? Much like we did after round 10. Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.1 Due up: sooner333, Toddzilla, Travis, MizzouRah, Ramzavail List picks: Lind, Pierzynski Way to keep it going, guys. I had to work from midnight until around 8 this morning so I'm just now waking up to catch up. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-22-2009, 05:14 PM	#1005
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	(For Todzilla, via PM) 26.3 OF Cody Ross, Fla SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-22-2009, 05:38 PM	#1006
Travis Pro Rookie Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Canada eh	26.4 Hong-Chih Kuo SP/RP __________________ "I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby

03-22-2009, 09:35 PM	#1008
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.5 Due up: Ramzavail (due 9am tomorrow morning), myself, CleBrownsfan, samifan24, cubboyroy1826, LastWhiteSoxFanStanding, PackerFanatic- and that's the end of the draft List picks: Lind, Pierzynski SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-22-2009, 09:58 PM	#1010
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	26.7 RP George Sherrill, Bal SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-22-2009, 01:51 PM	#1001
DeToxRox Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Michigan	Alright. Gimmie two seconds.

03-22-2009, 01:53 PM	#1002
DeToxRox Head Coach Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Michigan	Edited Qualls to Putz. I double checked but I might have missed it. Stupid Blackberry.

03-22-2009, 04:07 PM	#1004
sooner333 College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Norman, OK	26.2 Travis Ishikawa - 1B - San Francisco

03-22-2009, 07:23 PM	#1007
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	26.5 CL Takashi Saito

03-22-2009, 09:43 PM	#1009
Ramzavail College Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Strong Island, NY	26.6 Ramon Hernandez C

03-22-2009, 11:11 PM	#1012
cubboyroy1826 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2002	I was thinking what a bargain Sherrill would be if he continued to fall to me.

03-23-2009, 12:12 AM	#1014
Ramzavail College Starter Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Strong Island, NY	I don't think he's a bargain, he was N/A in the 2nd half of 2008, 1.50 WHIP and 4.73 ERA. I think he deserved to get picked where he did, maybe another round prior, but nothing more than that.

03-23-2009, 06:55 AM	#1015
CleBrownsfan Pro Rookie Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: C-Town	ANother homer pick - but he is having a decent spring for what that is worth: 26.8 Anthony Reyes SP __________________ *XBox Gamertag:* Pronk32 FOOL-X - Cleveland Naps FOOL - Cleveland Cyclones SLOP - Cuyahoga Spiders

03-23-2009, 08:53 AM	#1016
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Yahoo and thread updated thru 26.8 Due up: samifan24 (10am), cubboyroy1826, LastWhiteSoxFanStanding, PackerFanatic- and that's the end of the draft List picks: Lind, Pierzynski SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-23-2009, 09:40 AM	#1017
samifan24 Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: NC	Wait, 10 AM? How? __________________ "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball...and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." -Jim Bouton

03-23-2009, 09:50 AM	#1018
cubboyroy1826 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2002	Its all got to do with the last round polynomial theory of the pythagorean principle of thermodynamics, i think. (translation no clue)

03-23-2009, 09:55 AM	#1019
samifan24 Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: NC	26.9 Chris Ray RP I'm not sure why it says my deadline was 10 AM but that was not correct. __________________ "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball...and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." -Jim Bouton

03-23-2009, 10:53 AM	#1022
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	No pick had been posted on the board so Ray's a legit pick (and what sooner333 said was right about the clock- it's how we've been doing it all along) SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!" Last edited by sterlingice : 03-23-2009 at 10:54 AM.

03-23-2009, 11:05 AM	#1023
cubboyroy1826 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2002	26.10 RP Jose Arredondo

03-23-2009, 11:07 AM	#1024
sooner333 College Starter Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Norman, OK	It didn't really matter since you got in before 10 AM anyway I was just trying to clarify for you (not that it even matters, since this is the last round until next year).

03-23-2009, 11:17 AM	#1026
cubboyroy1826 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2002	I wouldn't have posted a pick until you made your pick anyways.

03-23-2009, 12:29 PM	#1028
Travis Pro Rookie Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Canada eh	Here's a run down on my team: 1.9 - R. Braun - LF 2.4 - C. Utley - 2B 3.9 - C. Crawford - LF 4.4 - R. Halladay - SP 5.9 - J. Ellsbury - LF/CF/RF 6.4 - M. Young - SS 7.9 - C. Davis - 1B/3B 8.4 - J. Votto - 1B 9.9 - P. Sandoval - C/1B/3B 10.4 - J. Chamberlain - SP/RP 11.9 - J. Johnson - SP 12.4 - B.J. Ryan - RP 13.9 - B. Morrow - SP/RP 14.4 - O. Cabrera - SS 15.9 - M. Capps - RP 16.4 - M. Pelfrey - SP 17.9 - C. Carpenter - SP 18.4 - A. Jones - CF 19.9 - D. Span - CF/RF 20.4 - A. Hill - 2B 21.9 - A. Cook - SP 22.4 - M. Lindstrom - RP 23.9 - T. Snider - LF/RF 24.4 - D. Navarro - C 25.9 - E. Andrus - SS 26.4 - H. Kuo - RP Overview: I tend to draft for youth, 3+ category contributors and position flexibility whenever I can. Being as low down in the first round as I was I didn't know who I'd have a shot at, but heading into the draft I was pretty determined to take care of my middle infield and if possible LF (had a devil of a time getting production out of that spot last season) as early as possible. Turned out LF wouldn't (knock on wood) be much of an issue as I feel Braun was a no brainer at the 9 spot and to nab Crawford in the 3rd was way too much value to turn down even though it put me a bit behind the eight ball doubling up on a single position so early on. I'm really happy with my top 4 picks as it gives me a pretty good nucleus assuming they can all stay healthy. That said, I had hoped to get a second starter a bit earlier but I got scooped on my list of targets (Liriano, Hernandez, Greinke, Bedard) heading into the picks I was hoping to take them at. I took a big reach on Sandoval in the 9th as a few catchers had started to come off the board and I really didn't have a feel for how long he might fall and his multi positional eligibility played big into my strategy for the season. That ended up being part of the reason for me missing on Bedard, but I ended up plucking more of the sleeper pitcher list I had (Johnson, Carpenter, Pelfrey) than I thought I would and got some nice value late with Cooke to make up for that a bit. On the offensive side, Michael Young will be a key for me. Took him in the 6th planning on starting him at 3B once he gets the eligibility there, but my plans for SS never materialized, so now I need him to keep stride with Tulowitzki (the guy I would have taken if I was planning on playing the pick solely at SS). I was hoping to get Tulo in the 7th but he went at the tail end of the 6th (and somehow I don't see Orlando Cabrera putting up big numbers this season). I might have some revamping to do in the OF once the season gets going (Span may or may not have a starting gig, Snider is still effectively a rookie while Jones and Ellsbury should be solid but were pretty streaky last season. Heading into the season I probably have the most confidence in my starting pitching of any position on the team, though if Lindstrom is ready to start the season then my pen should be pretty effective too. I'll need the same sort of luck with my younger position players that I had last year to do well though. We'll see if my approach of a balanced attack across all categories (in truth my hope is that 1/3 of my guys are on hot streaks each week, 1/3 producing normally and then the invariable 1/3 that tends to have an off week) rather than having many category specialists can make up for the lack of power it looks like I have right now (yes I'm looking at you Votto), but overall, I am pretty happy. Personal reach of the draft: Sandoval Personal steal of the draft: A few to choose from. If Hill stays healthy then he's likely my best bet, but I also like the potential returns from 3 straight picks in Pelfrey/Carpenter/Jones Robberies: As mentioned above, had a few guys I was really targetting nabbed within a round of where I was hoping to get them, but this was the first season that the owners picking within 2 spots of me weren't the one's doing the nabbing so I had some time to explore alternate options. The closest I had to a last second robbery was Matsui going 2 spots before my pick in the 18th, but this is the first draft I've done in a long time where I wasn't scooped at the last second. That might say more about my picks/projections being a bit out of line with the norm than anything else though, heh. As for other teams/league wide comments, I'll have some more once I can look at the other teams a bit closer, gotta get some work done here first __________________ "I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby

03-23-2009, 01:02 PM	#1029
LastWhiteSoxFanStanding College Starter Join Date: Jun 2003	26.11 Justin Masterson Bring it home packerfanatic!

03-23-2009, 01:21 PM	#1031
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	I suppose I should finish this puppy off, eh? __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

03-23-2009, 01:25 PM	#1032
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	26.12 SP Andy Pettitte Maybe he can bounce back, maybe not. Either way - it's Mr. Irrelevant! __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

03-23-2009, 01:32 PM	#1034
PackerFanatic Pro Starter Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Appleton, WI	That video is fantastic. __________________ Commissioner of the RNFL

03-23-2009, 01:37 PM	#1035
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	C Doumit 8 1B Berkman 2 3B Cabrera (CI) 1 CI DLee (1B) 12 2B KJohnson 11 SS Hardy 6 MI Escobar (SS) 21 LF Bay 3 CF Taveras 20 RF Magglio 5 OF Hawpe (RF) 15 UT Butler (1B) 18 SP Peavy 4 SP Felix 7 SP Vazquez 9 SP Harang 10 SP Weaver 14 SP Maine 17 RP Fuentes 13 RP MGonzalez 16 P JSanchez 19 BN SP Purcey 22 BN SP Snell 23 BN RP Corpas 24 BN RP Sherrill 26 BN OF Bourn 25 The corners are strong. On the infield, Cabrera bounces back, Berkman keeps plugging along, and Lee is CI with Butler hanging around at UT, if necessary. For the outfield, I went with pretty safe production with Magglio, Bay, and Hawpe. Sure, not sexy picks but with those early picks, it's all about floor not ceiling. I just don't know about my middle infield. Johnson, Hardy, and Escobar just don't strike fear into anyone's heart. I wish I could have snagged one of the two elite fantasy SS's (no, Rollins is not one) or Utley but I was just in the wrong part of the draft. Both Hardy and Johnson sound a little like reaches in retrospect but I think Hardy keeps slightly improving and Johnson was one of the last of the "not bad" options out there, in my mind. The Taveras/Bourn SB monster in CF gives me nothing else- they'd better get me SBs or else they have no value. I usually overvalue pitching and I tried hard to not do that this year. I also wanted some of the Greinke, Bedard, Billingsley action- but they got picked a little ahead of where I was comfortable. I like Vazquez where I got him. Hell, I like pretty much all of my pitchers where I got them but that's because in my mind, pitchers are a giant continuum and sliding scale whereas positional players, you have to deal with tiers. I'm good with the bullpen- not exciting but gets the job done with the type of guys who, if they were position players, would be at the bottom of their tiers but still on said tiers. I'm still surprised there wasn't more play for relievers. Oh well, first time owners will learn. There aren't a ton of saves sitting on the WW every year in this league. Bargains: Lee, Hawpe- I think getting that much production after the first 10 rounds of the draft will really help. These were guys I had been watching fall for at least three rounds each and I just had to pull the trigger even if they weren't needs. "Steals": Who is going to look like a bargain because their average draft position is too low this year? I think Peavy bounces back and will be drafted in the first couple of rounds next year. I think Harang will bounce back this year a lot (only to have his arm blown out again by Dusty). Reaches: Again, Hardy. I feel a little nervous about Felix but I figured I went really safe 1-5 so I could boom/bust a couple of the next few picks. Outlook: I don't feel super excited about it and keep coming back to the word "solid". But solid doesn't exactly inspire confidence. It sounds more like 4-8th place. Still, I think some of that is reflective of a 12 team league with active owners. You're not going to have an All-Star team so enthusiams need to be tempered. The one real thing that also sticks in my mind is that I don't see that couple of teams out there that will dominate either. With a mixture of strategies, there are a lot of differently constructed teams and I just don't see that dominant one. SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-23-2009, 01:50 PM	#1036
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	I've started the season! Make sure to double and triple check your teams. Make sure I didn't put Bob Johnson, plumber for the Lansing Lugnuts on your team instead of Randy Johnson. I can't go back and change who was drafted but if you got the wrong player- but in a waiver claim for the right one. If it was a mistake I made entering it in- I'd ask people to let the people get their rightful players. Again, if it was a mistake on my part, I'll edit rosters until March 25th (Wednesday). After that, you're on your own. If you go to "Tuesday Mar 24th", you'll be able to see and set your lineup. It isn't done automatically so make sure to do it before Opening Day (which is two weeks from today, well, except for the Sunday night game). Man, there's not much in the ww and it's been that way for a couple of rounds now. Tho I was considering a possible change for next yeah of 2 C's since they don't play a ton of ABs anyways. Any other thoughts while things are fresh on people's minds? SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-23-2009, 02:41 PM	#1037
Travis Pro Rookie Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Canada eh	Two C's would get my vote, make things more interesting near the end of the draft I would think. __________________ "I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Rogers Hornsby

03-23-2009, 02:50 PM	#1038
samifan24 Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: NC	Any idea when Yahoo will place Alex Rodriguez on the DL? If it's prior to week one, I can add a player to take his roster spot for the week one match. If it's after April 5, that player will only count for week two. edit - I also like teams carrying two catchers next year. __________________ "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball...and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." -Jim Bouton Last edited by samifan24 : 03-23-2009 at 02:51 PM.

03-23-2009, 03:04 PM	#1039
cubboyroy1826 College Benchwarmer Join Date: Jun 2002	I am also for the 2 catchers.

03-27-2009, 08:32 AM	#1040
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	Bump- One week to go SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"

03-27-2009, 01:56 PM	#1041
MizzouRah Hall Of Famer Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Troy, Mo	I think I'm ready!

03-29-2009, 11:30 AM	#1042
samifan24 Pro Starter Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: NC	Do the rosters lock tomorrow for week one? I think that they do but I just want to double check. The matchup screen says "March 30-April 12." __________________ "You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball...and in the end it turns out that it was the other way around all the time." -Jim Bouton

03-29-2009, 03:44 PM	#1043
sterlingice Hall Of Famer Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Back in Houston!	I don't know for sure, but playing with the roster changes, it looks like they lock next Saturday (ahead of the Sunday game) as you can't edit any day after that. I've got my lineup set just in case SI __________________ Houston Hippopotami, III.3: 20th Anniversary Thread - All former HT players are encouraged to check it out! Janos: "Only America could produce an imbecile of your caliber!" Freakazoid: "That's because we make lots of things better than other people!"