ILX Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball League 2003 -- Part 2 . . .

How about some 2003 Reality League Predictions? Think fast!

NL
East: Phillies
Central: 'Stros
West: D-baxx
Wild Card: Cards

NLCS => Phils

AL
East: Los Yanqis
Central: White $ox
West: The Pitching Foxes A's

ALCS: => A's

A's in 6

Predictionies:

AL East: Yanks
AL Cent: White Sox
AL West: A's
AL Wild Card: Red Sox

NL East: Phillies
NL Cent: Cubs
NL West: San Frisco
NL Wild Card: St. Louis

I'd bore y'all w/ justifications, but not just yet.

NL East: Braves
NL Cent: Cards
NL West: DBacks
NL Wild Card: Dodgers

After I tell Yanc3y that it's OK to not pick the Braves this year.

God help me, the season has started.

(Surprise team of the year: The Blue Jays contend for the Wild Card slot through August.)

NL East - Braves
NL Central - Astros
NL West - Diamondbacks
NL Wildcard - Giants

AL East - Yankees
AL Central - Twins
AL West - A's
AL Wildcard - Mariners

A's over Giants, five games

AL
Yankees
Twins
A's
wc: Red Sox
narrowly missing playoffs: Angels

losses by Tampa Bay: 106 (.346)
MLB home run leader: Barry Bonds, 61

you heard it here first:

giants over twins 6 games

AL East - Yankees. Red Sox in 2nd, and they'll get the wild card; Blue Jays a close 3rd.
AL Central - Twins. I don't think there's a real contest there.
AL West - Athletics.

NL East - Braves.
NL Central - Cardinals, narrowly over the Astros.
NL West - Diamondbacks. Giants in the wildcard.

Series -- Diamondbacks take the Athletics in game 7.

Maura: Which is funny, because even the Bull Durham movie predates the actual Devil Rays team by at least ten years! They are Devo or something. God bless 'em and their fans and Sweet Lou Pinella.

road trip to wappingers falls, anyone?

anyway, my picks:

nl east - phillies. i just have a good feeling about this year.
nl central - cardinals.
nl west - dbacks.
nl wild card - cubs.
nl champs - phillies.

al east - blue jays.
al central - twins.
al west - athletics.
al wild card - yankees.
al champs - twins.

phillies over twins in 6.

okay, here's my rationale for you dingo butts:

rich aurilia batted in front of bonds in 2001. he had the best season by a SS not named A-Rod that year (thank you Bob Costas & EA Sports).

.324 ba, .941 obps, 206 hits, 37 2b, 37 hrs, 114 r, 97 rbi.

those are CLASSIC stats.

last year he got hurt but is healed and healthy but more importantly had to forfeit the the much-coveted spot in the lineup to jeff kent, who frankly is a marginal hitter when not in front of Bonds (don't get me started on his fielding).

so now back to 2003, aurilia's back in front of bonds.
this spring he's hitting:

.412 ba (21/51), 4 hrs, 17 rbis... talk to me at the end of the season I ANSWER TO NONE OF YOU FOOLS.

but seriously, i'm not being a homer, Bonds is as feared as ever (with good reason: have any of you seen him swing the bat this spring?????????????????????) i think aurilia will be seeing lots of meatballs proving Aurlia/Bonds to be THEE power hitting 2-some of the mlb this year.

f-
Bonds is my man, we go way back.

al east: skankees
al central: twins
al west: angels
al wyld: bo sox

cards beat cubbies and giants and bo sox (who beat yankees) = do not disturb my beautiful dream

Yeah, Aurilia was really great a couple years ago. And I am not being a homer either but Prior is the future. Admit it.

Ok who has Spooneybarger and what do you want for him.

Have you seen my lineup lately? We are all such homers. I want to claim Darren Baker off waivers.

Couple of things: Yes, Aurilia was great in 2001 (I had him on my team in my other league and I couldn't BELIEVE my luck), but gygax are you familiar with the concept of "career year"? See Jay Bell in 1999 and Todd Hundley in 1996. Anyway, Aurilia may very well have a kick-ass year, but the point is you could have drafted him much lower.

All you people picking the Twins (Tep = "I don't think there's a real contest there") are fucking nuts. Yes, I'm a White Sox homer, but you're out of your mind if you think they'll repeat the magical season they had last year. Everything went their way. No big deal, that's baseball; but it's unrealistic to expect it to happen again. Just ask the Mariners. The ChiSox are ready to rock; with Colon in the fold they are clearly the team to beat in the central.

and was there a more nineties team than the 1993 phillies? i mean, john kruk really!

though a yankees-phillies world series would be serious dual-loyalties time fer me.

Yeah, but the Mariners still had a great season last year -- one of the best seasons since the introduction of the wildcard of any team that didn't make the playoffs (better than many that did make the playoffs in other years, in other words). It's just that the other teams had better seasons.

I don't see that happening in the AL Central. The Tigers and Royals are out of the running, obviously. The Indians are rebuilding, and they're not done yet. The White Sox aren't chopped liver, and the improvement to their pitching may make them more of a threat than I think -- but the Twins have everything going for them that they had last year. Unlike most surprise-victory teams, they haven't lost their stars to free agency, no one seems to have become a primadonna overnight, and they got enough of a payroll increase that they didn't have to sacrifice lesser-name players in order to keep the big guns under contract.

and was there a more nineties team than the 1993 phillies?

I always saw them as an 80's team! Which was the attraction! Really really wanted them to win. Jim Fregosi was awesome.

come to think of it, the 1983 phillies were the ultimate seventies team, only ten years after the fact. they were basically the seventies reds, only in phillies uniforms for a year. the "wheeze kids" was their nickname, in fact!

god, this is taking me back ...

"We haven't seen looting like this since the Detroit Tigers made the playoffs two centuries ago."

Oh, and in regards to Gygax's Aurilia defense above... snicker

I really don't get this reference.

Hey Yanc3y, can I get in on the softball action?

So here's why no one will win the World Series this year:

Why the Yankees can't win it:

Despite their high-profile arms, the Yankees just don't have the starting pitching to dominate the regular season or to take a playoff series. Wells and Clemens are in the twilights of their careers (and look for the Rocket to start mailing it in once he hits 300 wins) and Petitte still can't knock the injury bug. That leaves Mussina to be his usual solid self and either Weaver or Contreras to step up. I don't think that they will. Obviously the hitting is there in spades, but just look at what happened to them against the Angels last year.

Why the Red Sox can't win it:

Who can pitch beyond Lowe and Pedro? Casey Fossum??? Please! (yes I know he's on my team. Shhh!) Their lineup is obviously insanely potent, but the chances that the big bats remains healthy all year are slim to none. Also, the closer-by-committee approach will be a tremendous failure.

Why the Twins can't win it:

Their starting pitching is lackluster at best. Radke will be lucky to play half the season, and we already know that Milton won't. Santana's a stud, but he's gonna be a long reliever to make room for Kenny Rogers??? Bad move. Their lineup has a lot of holes (that infield is great defensively, but terrible offensively), and there's no way Once in a Lifetime Eddie Guardado repeats last year.

Why the White Sox can't win it:

Paul Konerko shows the Sox's troubles in a nutshell: inconsistency. Aside from Ordonez, the Sox are way too streaky, and I don't think the addition of Colon (an extremely overrated pitcher -- his WHIP ain't all that at all) will fix that. Sure, the youngsters (Crede, Borchard, etc) give hope, but they're not there yet. Plus, I'm not at all convinced that their 3rd, 4th or 5th starters can win 10 games, much less the 12 to 15 needed to take the AL Central (the weakest division in baseball, of course).

Why the A's can't win it:

Can they score runs??? Sure, you've got Tejada and Chavez, but other than that it's a lineup of question marks. Can Durazo stay healthy? It's a big if. Can Dye return to form? Who knows. Of course, with that rotation (which features 2003's breakout player, Mr. Ted Lilly) they only need 2 or 3 runs a game. And Foulke in the bullpen is a huge step up over Billy Koch. But still, when Chris Singleton's getting major playing time on your squad, you've got problems.

Why the Angels can't win it:

Lightning only strikes once.

Why the Mariners can't win it:

They've let this team age in hopes of returning to their amazing form from two years ago. It ain't happening. Edgar will get his hits, but who knows if he can make it to first. Mike Cameron? He gives Greg Vaughn a run for Worst Hitter in Baseball. Ichiro's amazing of course, and, if Boone's back on the needle, he'll be great too. They'll score runs (is John Olerud ageless or what?), but they'll give up a lot too. Freddy Garcia's on a slow Ankiel-like implosion and Piniero will be God-like, but not yet.

I'll do the NL later. I have work to do...

Why the Braves can't win it:

This appears to be Atlanta's weakest squad of the past decade. Maybe Leo Mazzone's running an orphanage for wayward starting pitchers, cuz that's what their rotation looks like this year -- Mike Hampton? No way will he do anything this season. Look for maybe two or three good starts in a row to get the baseball scribes' pens twirling, but nothing more than that. Paul Byrd blows. I don't care how many wins he got in KC. And hitting-wise, they appear weak as well. Sheff is coming off a down year, Furcal still hasn't recovered from the injury, Chipper seems less potent and now they'll be playing the terminally overrated hitter Robert Fick (he's a better puncher than a batter...). But they'll win the NL East cuz they've got experience, and cuz Andruw Jones will finally fulfill his promise. But they don't get past the first round of the playoffs.

Why the Phillies can't win it:

It's turned into a fucking mantra already, but once again pitching will hold the Phillies back. Yes, Millwood's solid and Randy Wolf has shown some brilliant flashes, but beyond that you're looking at a lot of 4.50-plus ERAs. Padilla really blew last year after the All Star break, Brett Myers isn't ready to pitch games in a penant race and Brandon Duckworth will spend his career as a perennial 5th starter fighting for a job. Their lineup of batters could be the best in the majors, and while Thome won't repeat last season, he will, at the very least, make those around him better. So yes, Pat the Bat Burrell will shine, as will Abreau, Rollins and even Lieberthal. But those starting arms (not to mention that their bullpen blows -- JOSE MESA??!?!) will fade down the stretch, and they'll miss the playoffs by about six games.

Why the Cardinals can't win it:

Allow me to repeat myself again: The Cards are essentially the Phillies with slightly better pitching. The problem is that "slightly." Yeah, Matt Morris fuXing roXors, but beyond that you're getting into guys like Woody Williams -- who can be brilliant, but the injury bug crawled up his ass the 95 years or so ago that he was born. Brett Tomko could have a very good season with the Cards as well. The bullpen's suspect, as Izzy's got the injury problems and even when he's healthy he's a Top 10 closer at best. But those hitters will win them a lot of games, cancelling out the many errors their pitchers will assuredly make. But what happens if Pujols or Rolen go cold in the postseason? They're goners if that happens.

Why the Astros Can't Win it:

They've got superstars in the bullpen and superstars on the field, but they're support guys are kinda weak. But still, on paper, this would appear to be the best team in the NL. Berkman-Bagwell-Kent-Oswald-Miller-Dotel-Wagner. But beyond that they're pretty thin. The young guys like Lane and Saarloos (or however you spell that fucker's name) could end up playing big roles if they're brittle bones start to snap (which is a certainty), but relying on rookies during a playoff run is not advisable. Look for injuries to doom them.

Why the Cubs can't win it:

So here's what's confused me about all those preseason predictions showing the Cubs in the playoffs: HOW THE FUCK WILL THEY SCORE RUNS??? Yeah, Sammy's good for 130 RBI, but beyond that, who can hit? Alou, sure, if he can get out of the wheelchair. Mark Bellhorn? Gimme a break. Choi? Supposedly he's a stud, but so few rookies really break out in the big leagues. Patterson? The quintessential Cubbie: Always disappointing. Their pitching looks great, and I think that Clement might be their real No. 1 pitcher. I'm still worried that Prior will have injury problems given the amount of use his arm will be given (Kerry Wood and AJ Burnett to the doctor's office please...), but when he's on the mound he'll be solid. I really like their bullpen -- getting Remlinger was a smart move, even if Alfonseca couldn't save an important game even if he had 19 fingers. They'll contend, but they don't have the bats to pass the 'Stros or Cards.

Why the DBacks can't win it:

So we're all 'sposed to believe that Elmer fucking Dessens is that elusive third ace the D'Backs have always wanted. Whatever, Gammons. Of course Randy Schilling is worth a good 50 wins, so already they're the NL West faves. BYK should be interesting -- everyone's thinking the new Lowe, but I'm thinking the new Chan Ho-Park. Flashes of brilliance but that's it. As far as hitting's concerned, they've got jackshit. Spivey will return to the .280 plateau where he belongs, and if LoGo starts shooting roids again maybe they can score. But otherwise, this is one boring ass lineup.

Why the Giants can't win it all:

They look a lot better on paper this year than they did last, that's for sure. Durham and Jose Cruz Jr are both big additions that could account for 100 more runs this season. They're bullpen looks rock solid, one of the best in baseball. But their starting pitching is rough. Can Jason Schmidt win a game on the road? Alou will have to do some serious tweaking to keep him pitching at home during a playoff series. But Alou can rest easy -- they'll miss the playoffs by a hair. Reuter will win 15 games and Moss 13, but Bonds' big bat just won't be enough to carry them.

Why the Dodgers can't win it all:

Rupert Murdoch needs to buy himself a milk factory, cuz this is one unhealthy team. But this spring supposedly things are back in order and Brown and Dreifort are looking sharp. If this is true (and these things never are) look for the Dodgers to get off to a torid pace. Shawn Green's the most uncelebrated player in baseball (prolly cuz he's so fucking dull), but he's a great hitter. Their lineup isn't anywhere near scary, but I really think that the Crime Dog could be a difference maker. Veteran power bats are hard to come by, and I think that he'll pay off. Still, it'll be the injuries that doom them.

Whoops, just caught stealing though..

Technical question: will the roster changes I made today not show up 'til tomorrow?

2003 is clearly the year of the Orioles.

Hooray, ChicksDigKs is in sole ownership of 9th place with 151.5 points. Who knew stats could be so exciting? Go, Nomo, beat the tar out of old man Johnson tonight :P

Diamond -- you have CP, no?

Now accepting trade offers for the future '03 MVP.

That's quite a vote of confidence there for your "bench," Diamond.

I am really going to enjoy Baseball Tonight this evening.

Saturday I move into a new place with CABLE! WOO-HOO, HSTENCIL CAN WATCH BASEBALL TONIGHT EVERY NIGHT!

But, that is the most pitiful excuse from a wannabe Chicago sports fan I have ever heard. I, too, was absent from the live draft and somehow ChicksDigKs has MAGS Ordonez and Damaso "Rowr" Marte.

Haha, even Kerry Wood got a hit today! We love when the pitchers "help themselves out." THE NL ROXX U R ALL GAY

:-D

ALternatively, what is the best way to locate a player who is on someone else's team (i.e., not searchable under "available players") (No Carrie Brownstein jokes, please)

Damaso gets a "hott" in the redwellmetrics ratings.

there's is a tab on the available players page that has "Taken" (if you want to peak into other people's dugouts).

you can always do a search on the last name on that page as well just for shits and giggles.

Also you can search via the player's last name.

Yeah, a dedicated board was vetoed earlier but if we demolish the Jay-Z/Nas threads in the next two weeks or so we may want to revisit the idea.

I have named David R. as vice-commissioner to your league. I think he is a worthy candidate as he knows how to wear stirrups properly. Starting Thursday, April 17th I will hand the keys over to David. I hope to resume commissoner duties the week of May 5th but it may take some time before I can resume full-duties.

Without further ado, please extend a warm welcome for David R. as vice-commissioner.

*sheds a silent tear*

I'm all giddy with opening day-ness!

ray durham went deep leading off for the giants. maybe this will offset haynes?

LOB

i hate those slobs with lots of LOBs... i wonder what David R. thinks of this?

Michael Kay is so insufferable it makes me wanna puke up my recently digested Pizza Hut Cinnasticks. I might drive up to Beantown to see the Aislers Set after all if this crapola keeps up. Also - Soriano is a piece of crap. Also - the Red Sox got what they deserved, and I can only hope they learn how to pitch to crappy hitters from this debacle. In addition - I am glad I don't live in Boston & listen to sports talk radio. In conclusion - crap crappy crap.

Yeah Soriano!

that's the sunny side in a j's fan's life.

ugh

Best band ever.

Ugh

Live it's amazing.

UGH

Trey Anastacio was grooving to their NYC gig on Saturday!

UGH!!!!!!!!!

Who is the manager of the Lurkers? Pretty good team (shame about the caps).

Would you believe that I'm not totally stoked on baseball season starting? I think I shot my load waaaaay too early. (And to think, I was gonna make a concerted effort to avoid any metaphors that involved the schlong.)

Or what the Blount said.

What this really means is that those that avoided the waiver wire bonanza this pre-season have a very good chance to pick up Mark Teixeira when Yahoo! figures out that he's actually on Texas' roster.

I set the option to 2 days actually... but David R. is right on.

OK, now I'm going to bed. Where's my loofa?

#1. Aaron W
#2. lawrence, kansas
#3. gygax! (*ahem*)
#4. kris branch rickey
#5. bnw
#6. Leee
#7. David R.
#8. yanc3y
#9. felicity
#10. jack cole
#11. james blount
#12. kerry
#13. ???
#14. maura
#15. (i blame) hstencil
#16. mark p
#17. mr. diamond
#18. ian white

i googled his email and he's got a music blog... i assume another lurker?

if i win this league, i'm gonna assign each of you a story.

tata, good night everyone!

http://espn-i.starwave.com/%40v=0521085%40/media/mlb/2003/0331/photo/a_jeter1_lt.jpg

Fear the power of the Stephenson Rocket as it chugs to first place!

As for all of last night's action, how about the Dodgers dominating Randy! Could this be the season where he finally shows his age?

Juan Pierre = Willie Mays Hays?

Seriously, as much as I kind of root against the Yankees, I hate to see anything that even resembles a serious or career-ending injury. Just thinking about Bo Jackson and that one from the Fiesta Bowl this year, things like that make me want to cry, for reals.

:) I may have to do a screening of this.

And I just saw the Bull Durham mound conference commercial with Gammons and Karl "Rowr"vech. Is it wrong, in a consensual relationship between two adults, to ask a guy to dress up like a pitcher and fake like a move to first and third? I would, of course, pay for the uniform.

(I have no idea how open they are to freelancers, as I know the sportswriting world is very insular. But I figure that anything is better than Ralph Wiley's Page 2 column. When was it that Wiley, once a great SI writer, turned to shit?)

i boycotted MLB for 5 years (94-99) and was set to go boycott for life in 02.

Hmm, it is kind of overcast today.

felicity, it's snowing today.

use < and > for html brackets.

I DO, FOOLS HAHAHAHA If H stood for Hott you guys would be toast! Actually you're toast either way! You can have your Smoltzes and Jesse Oroscos -- the CDK pen has the finest young arms of our -- or any -- generation.

Just like the real Giants (which I'd be stocking up on if gygax didn't nab JT which I was going to do last night but didn't, grr), I'm winning because of big offense and good looks.

</muted trumptet>

he did get a K...

>:-D

maybe the thought was: hold them and try to make a run in the bottom of the 9th.

Anyone that badmouths the BoSox's bullpen-by-committee (and this incluses ESPNews' Steve Berthiaume, whose last name I can't bother to spell right because he cheesed my steak BIG TIME w/ some anti-Epstein sneering last night) (and this ESPECIALLY includes Red Sox fans, who should've learned over the past 90 years to itch that trigger finger some other way) (Poops, don't let me down, kid) is going to get a li'l Creighton in their Gubanich, if you know what I mean.

PS - SIXTEEN INNINGS AGAINST THE DEVIL RAYS!?!?!? Baldelli's speedy ass is starting to wear out its welcome. And Aubrey Huff's about to win the game for the Rays.

My Bench: Where phat stats go to die.

Houston's offense looks monstrous. Shame about the pitching.

If you're in Philadelphia, is this a bad thing?

or

The Peculiar "Charms" of Jeff Bagwell's Stance

As far as Houston goes, everyone on that team had a hit last night, except Lance Berkman. I fear he will tank it this year.

Haha, now that Leee's gotten a taste of first place, he's turned into Brian Cashman.

(Bagwell got two homers tho!)

Hahaha will I become as bitter a baseball fan as Dave R I wonder? No, I think Cubs fans are much more cheerful losers. It's because the seats in our park are properly angled towards home plate.

I was tempted to swap Alex ("Don't confuse me with A-Rod") Gonzalez with Rey Ordonez at SS but then I remembered that they are equally mediocre and at least A-Gon is kind of foyne.

The Devil Rays should play to their strenghth and have an all Ray/Rey lineup.

Yeah, Leee should be forced to changed his nickname to the Zimas as punishment.

My ego is taking up too much room up here in first -- I even had to let go of my namesake. But at the risk of jinxing my luck, I'll be changing the team name to, "Who needs pitching?"

PS - Schmidty I heart you! Calming down my ERA plus 7 Ks! U R BOOTIFUL.

Once my young guns start setting them up and knocking them down, you'll all be crying like little schoolgirls.

And hstencil, I just check box scores to see who the starters are and hope that they'll be starters for the next game. Better 'n noffink. (Hey, one night on top and I'm already giving out expert advice!)

You won't believe me
All you will see is a girl you once knew
Although she's dressed up to the nines
It's off to the waivers with you

I had to let it happen, I had to change
Couldn't stay in the league with no RBI appeal
Looking out on the diamond, behind the radar gun

So I chose free agents
Stealing home, trying everything new
But your BA impressed none at all
I never expected it to

Don't cry for me Rich Aurillia
The truth is I never rated you
All through my dugout days
My sad trades with gygax!
I kept my promise
Please keep your distance

And as for Prior, and as for Woods
I always send them in
Though it seemed to the league they were all I desired

They are mere Cubbies
They are not the solutions they promised to be
The answer was here all the time
I love Dusty and hope Dusty loves me

Don't cry for me Rich Aurillia
The truth is I needed some pitching
All through the bottom third
My sad Cubbie relievers
I kept no promise if
Only they'd keep their distance

Have I dropped too much?
There's no one more I can think of to add.
But all you have to do is press submit
That every word is Bonds

Leee, what's your teamname? And who can you offer me for Abreu?

ESPN's Rob Neyer on that bastard Baldelli:

It's not hard to see what people see in Rocco Baldelli.

He can run. Baldelli gets out of the box as quickly as any right-handed hitter I've seen since Bo Jackson.

He can throw. In the 15th inning last night, Baldelli prevented what looked like a sure go-ahead run with a perfect throw to nail Trot Nixon at the plate.

And he looks like a ballplayer. He's big and he's strong and he's got "the good face" (as old scouts like to say).

But can he field? Monday, he turned a line-drive single into something worse.

And can he hit? Tuesday, he collected three base hits ... none of which left the infield.

As you might have heard, Baldelli played 23 games at the Triple-A level last summer and drew the grand total of zero walks, which suggests that he's still got a few things to learn. And that's OK, because he's still just a baby of only 21 years.

So no, Rocco Baldelli isn't Joe DiMaggio yet. But it should be fun watching him try to get there.

(Note: I'm not really a bitter guy; I'm super fun & cuddly, like a Monchichi, or Squirtle. But mock interviews & typing up chemistry labs & infuriating comp sci professors make me LKDJLXZXIQOFDLKAPI. You understand, I hope.)

I am "Who needs pitching" and I'm offering fawning compliments about your artistry for Abreu.

And who is that playing in Darin Erstad's uniform? I didn't even want him and he's like my most prodcutive player.

0\/\/|\|70R3D

It is a sad day for Chicago reality baseball. Come on Barry Zito! Get your Cuteball over for strikes!

Biddle though.. hmmm, someone just picked him up in my other league as well. He must have done something. I guess I'm supposed to be, like, keeping up on this.

Yeah, it hurt me more that it hurt Damaso to drop him but I realized I was missing out on a whole category of stats. Plus, I always liked Rocky Biddle. Such a cutie. One time he made a start aginst Mussina and Sports Center did a whole Rocky and Bullwinkle Moose thing.

I write that only because I like saying 'Hugh' Hafner.

OK everybody root for MarkKKKKKKK! It is MarKKKKKKK's big starting day!

scroll down on the rankings page dood.

I'd just like to thank Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, without whom Robb Nen would be closing for the Giants now instead of Worrell.

-- Yanc3y (ystr1ckl3...), February 13th, 2003.

HAHAHAHAHA!

Jose Valentin MVP watch: 3-4, 2hr, 3b, 4 rbi

sheesh, Yanc3y, the Baseball Almanac you're not.

4.1 IP 104 Pitches 4 Hits 1 ER 2 BB 7 SO

But they are often wrong.

Exhibit B why I hate closers and saves is a meaningless category: Billy Koch.

I dodged a bullet!

Would A-Rod start at SS for you, felicity? Do you take into account their ability when surveying the entire "package?"

As for Graves, the Reds are trying to Lowe him into a starter.

Baez, the fireballing Cuban with the unhitable split finger, is "Pocket Player of the Week"!

Alfonzo is my least favorite Giant. This guy is a chump and they should have kept David Bell.

Claim him tomorrow if you dare.

Someone answer me this: how does a catcher commit TWO errors 4 games into the season???

You know the trade might not be so bad, except I was confused, I thought Graves was still closing. Maybe he should be! Hooray for Carlos Zambrano and Juan Cruz.

Adam Kennedy 1.000
Albert "Will be traded for an iPod" Pujols 1.206
Kevin "Not Mueller" Millar 1.528
Ray Durham "Bull" 1.032
Brad Fullmer 1.1417
Jeff Liefer 0.955

They say the season is a marathon and not a sprint but I say it's a really long sprint (over 20 miles) that should be named after an ancient Greecian battle.

Make an offer!

Anyone attending any home openers today?

"The Smiths' "Panic" may be playing on every FM station from Bangor to Block Island and supermarket register clerks know that there are eight active relievers with more career saves than the combined 187 career saves of The Committee."

http://espn.go.com/gammons/s/2003/0407/1534974.html

That's ok tho, I will still continue my slow creep up the standings...

*never thought I'd ever refer to somebody on that team as "my braves." Ugh.

when i get back i'll look into a mid-season upgrade.

C Brent Mayne (free agent)
1b Richie Sexson
2b Brett Boone
3b Eric Chavez
SS ARod!!
OF Brian Giles
OF Jim Edmonds
OF ROCCO!! (Free agent)
Util Juan Gone

SP Jason Schmidt
SP AJ Burnett
SP Paul Byrd
SP Brian Lawrence
SP Kip Wells
RP Kelvim Escobar
RP Scott Williamson
RP Scot Shields
RP Buddy Groom

I think it should be "You know hwat you doing."

I am lousy with Ks, ERA and WHIP. All I need is some of this stupid "offense" I keep hearing about. Who wants David Wells?

Amazingly enough, due to the weather only two of my players saw action yesterday- one went 3 for 4 and the other got a save. I still dropped a place in the standings.

/indie guilt

Offensive punch needed (at 3rd base or catcher) for Guardado. Pocket Pride is at stake.

SP Brian Lawrence

!!

On a completely different note, Rafael Furcal on the block. 4 runs, 2 rbi, 1 sb, batting .289 etc.

And who vetoed the deal?!

it looked unfair, so i thought i would just be tallying one vote against it.

set it up again.*

*David R., you around? Couple of things to ask.

You should only be vetoing trades if you feel like there's been some flagrant abuse of the system. It's ostensibly to prevent 'salary dump' type trades nearer to the end of the season.

this is the law, you are not exempt...

okay how much are you offering again? :-D

:-D

That's k-irritating.

Aaron W., trades are allowed by the league, not just the owners. This is the way the league was set up (to be fair). You have a chance to vote for or against any trade, click on the pending trades in the league page.

Is there a trade deadline, like July 31?

K-IRRITATING when people protest trades when others are willing participants, agreed.

*Do not argue with me about Baez. PH33R my baseball acumen!

Let's do it!

It offends me hstencil, because it makes me think you don't know much about baseball (or at least the fantasy kind).

Anyway, the reason why you wanna have the option to veto trades that owners agree to is cuz when an owner realizes that they are out of the running, he/she might decide to dump their best players to someone else in the league for jackshit, just to fuxor everyone else over. This has happened WAY too many times in leagues I have been in, and it's important not to let it happen here. It's fuxing frustrating!

Because it makes sense IF (and only if) its used as a procautionary measure (ie. I get fed up with my ranking at the end of the year and decide to trade A-Rod, Mulder and Halladay to Yancey for a large Coke).

As we've managed to succinctly prove in the span of ten posts, what one person thinks is a steal often isn't, and as Lawrence points out, he's already got three solid closers -> did whoever vetoed the trade take that into account?

Yo, everybody chill.

But, the veto function is for when someone is trading Vladimir Guerrero for Damien Easley, and since we all know each other -- unlike most Yahoo! leagues -- we don't really need to worry about it. The veto function is imbedded (heh) in the game so there's no way to change it, and with almost 20 teams... well, SOMEONE isn't going to like each trade. So just let them go thru. It's part of the game.

also, may i remind you that i withdrew a trade that was less unfair than either of these 2 current trades due to some protests from the managers.

I apologize for vetoing the trade, i had no idea it would render the trade inactive (this refers to the commish vote only). Please send it through again and I will okay it.

:-D

Lo Doca plays catcher, a position where in fantasy anyway, a good hitting one is invaluable. In 2001, Lo Doca went 25-90-.320, fucking awesome numbers, just a cut below Piazza (a perennial 1st round pick) and about I-Rod equal. I'm of the opinion that last year was a fluke and he'll return to form. Oh yeah, he's eligible at 1st Base as well

You guys also have to acknowledge that the current system is no good for letting all owners know about impending trades. I didn't even notice the last one, and I'd guess that there are some people in the league who haven't even logged in in a while, so it could've been more than just me or gygax! that vetoed (is it a vote tally? or will one veto nix the deal - if the latter, that's not so good) it, if vetoing is dependent only on not pressing the "approve trade" button. I didn't send a veto notice to gygax!, even tho I'd keep Biddle if he were on my team, so maybe gygax! should just go by actual emails he gets from owners?