Baseball Challenge 2004

It's back! Baseball Challenge on ESPN:

http://games.espn.go.com/bbc/frontpage

Group: GangsterBB (use the search to find it)
Password: corleone

Free to play. This is similar to the Fantasty Baseketball game many of us are playing.

"All you gotta do is pick a player for each position, plus a pitching staff. You accumulate points if your chosen players do well. The first 'season' ends at the All-Star Break, and then you start again."

NOTE: THE FIRST GAME IS MARCH 30 - YANKS VS TB IN JAPAN (5am, eww). PLEASE TRY TO SET YOUR ROSTERS BEFORE THEN SO YOU'RE IN FROM DAY 1. (Hear that, Bad Daddy? :p )

For nostalgic sake, here is a link to last year's fun -- but please let's keep 2004 in this new thread.


Questions?

--Commissioner Pork Chop

Grazie Don! You read my mind. I look forward to playing this year!

What a bitch it is trying to get a decent team (with the salary cap) with only Yanks/TB next week... this is gonna take some thought... (Yup, I'm already whining!! )

To make things easier for me, I would appreciate people creating team names -- or their "real names" -- that reflect your user name on this board. Either one, just so we know who's who.

It's not required of you, just a suggestion.

To change your team name:

1) Go to your team clubhouse page (the one that shows your roster) and click on "Change Settings".
2) Change the Location and Nickname boxes.
Note: Your team name can be anything. If you want a cute team name, then change your real name:

To change your real name:

1) Go to the BBC Home Page and click on your user name where it says "You are signed in as [jgeoff]".
2) Click on "Edit My Profile"
3) Click the "Account" tab in the upper left
4) Change your name -- it can be a fake name.
I use my real name here, everyone knows it anyway. If you want to keep this info private, then feel free.

You can use either method so we know who you are. It doesn't have to be your exact board name, just a piece of it if you want.

Just a suggestion...

Thanks

In the box that lets you pick which position to change (1b, 2b, etc...), there's a "Change Settings" button. Click on that.

By the way, I'm in!

Yeah. My first run through left me with Baldelli, Huff, and the rest Yankees, and waaaaaay over the cap.

This is gonna take some thought.

Regarding the team name: Thanks guys. I didn't realize that you had to be on a "player selection" page to find the "change settings" button. I saw it as soon as I started to pick my team.

This is gonna be great, huh? :rolleyes:

I agree with you Pork. Since I'm not allowed to whine on the basketball thread, I'll whine here. I'm seriously considering not picking a pitching staff for this game.

Whine all you want.

Ten point deduction per whine.

Did we have to pick a DH last year?? I don't remember.

Yup.

I'll probably attempt to sign up tomorrow, but just reading this thread I feel like I'll need all my skills and power just to figure it out. :rolleyes:

Do understand right that the Yankeee/TB game is the only one played on March 31 and therefore your whole team consists of Yankees or Devil Rays?

That's right MC. Having only one game that day is making it difficult because we don't have many options. Fortunately, it's the only time it will happen all season.

To elaborate on strategy for the newbies in the game....

Your whole team should consist of only players who are playing that day -- in this case, Yankees or Devil Rays.

While your first inclination may be to pick an "All-Star" team (to the extent that it's possible while staying within the salary cap), the main thing to remember is that

THIS IS A DAILY GAME

You get to change your roster and pitching staff (which is what you should build your team around every day, since the scoring system results in about 40% of your points on a typical day coming from pitching) every day, so if you pick players who are not playing on a particular day, you get no points from them.

On good day, you can figure on about 30-35 offensive points, and 20-25 pitching points, so having an offensive position un-filled could cost you 4 or 5 points or so, and having no pitching staff could cost 20-25, or more. Do that enough times during the season, and it adds up when everyone else is picking a full team every day.

However , bear in mind that each week the salary cap values of the good players usually increase. So, for example, if you have A. Rod, let's say, at a value of 5.0, as long as you keep him on your team he only counts for 5.0 against the cap. But let's say his value increases to 6.0, and the Yankees have an off day. If you replace him with another third baseman, when and if you want to use A. Rod again, you have to add him back at his new value. So you may want to sacrifice the potential points you can get from a replacement third baseman for one day in order to keep A. Rod at the lower price.

Another thing, RE: DB's comment about possibly not picking a pitching staff for the Yanks-Tampa:

The way the scoring system goes, if your pitcher gets bombed, it's possible to wind up with negative points for the day, so it's conceivable that if you have two really bad pitchers going in a small ballpark like they have in Japan, and the final score winds up 9-8 or something with lots of hits and walks, both pitchers could wind up with a negative total, in which case you would have been better off with no pitcher, and a zero score.

Hope this helps :p

Plaw just doesn't quit, does he??

Just to fill the new guys in, plaw won the first half. I won the second half. Plaw "won" the hypothetical overall title, although it never existed.

Hmmm... Looking for a way to respond to plaw's baiting... I got it!

I think plaw is currently the favorite to win the first half. He won the first half last year and was the most consistent player overall.

By the way, if anybody wants to ask any questions on how to play, general strategy, etc... ask away. I'm sure any of the old players are willing to help.

As I've told FS: "Quitters never win"

Besides, I'm going for the early psychological advantage by trash talking 10 days before the game even starts.

Not that it will affect you . Iceman.

Plaw - Way to not intimidate our Kraut-Mick friend who's thinking of joining!

My name is New York Goodfellas. This sucks trying to fit all these guys in 50 m! I've got 4 positions that are gabbling up almost half my money. The rest of my team sucks!

I read plaw's treatise and it made perfect sense to me. I'm sure it made sense to Pork also.

I wonder what it looks like to someone who has never played!

Ok, here's another stupid question because my memory is failing me...

Last year, did our pitching staffs get one point for every out or 3 points per inning? I remember Pork had a 4 out inning last year... Did you get 4 points or 3 points?

Y'know, I cannot for the life of me think of how a 4-out inning can happen, altho I do remember something peculiar like that happening. I really don't recall if I got 4 pts, or only 3 pts and then whined about how I was robbed...

Pitching Staff (PS) Points:

Innings Pitched (IP) = +1 per out (complete IP = +3)
Earned Runs (ER) = -3
Hits (H) = -1
Walks (BB) = -1
Strikeouts (K) = +1
Wins (W) = +5

And yes, those negative numbers can add up to a negative total for the day!

(Newbies should read the How To Play section)

A 4 out inning can happen if the third strike on a third out is counted as a passed ball, the runner can run to first and must be thrown out. If he is safe, the strikeout counts but the pitcher must face another batter.

Duh! Yeah, of course. I better get into Baseball mode - quick!

So yeah, a PS can get 4 K's in an inning... 4 outs... but I don't recall if BBC scored them. I would imagine they would? We'll find out eventually...

How many people are allowed in a group? 10 teams?

Damn...would someone light a damn match in here. The place stinks with so much bullshit.

Up to 50, I believe. But we play one team per person. Congrats, FS. You finally spelled "damn" correctly. :p

So I don't see your team in the league yet
What's this gonna be? Another game for you to backseat drive?

With all the useful suggestions you have (see above), maybe we can get JG to appoint you Assistant Commissioner. You'd get my vote. :rolleyes:

I guess we should help out the newbies with a few words about doubleheaders, also... :rolleyes:

And, BTW guys, I'm giving out these strategy tips because I want to win strictly because I play the game better, not because I know how to play the game better, if you see the distinction. In other words, you won't be getting any advice here (I hope) on strategy for picking your players.

Anyway, anytime there's a doubleheader, the player's stats count for both games. So if you pick a guy who plays both games, and he gets 8 or 9 at bats, he has an excellent chance of earning you more points than a guy who is only playing one game that day.

That usually translates to a mediocre offensive player being a better selection than a star player on that particular day.

The same for your pitching staff. Two mediocre games for 12-15 points each can easilly add up to more points than one well-pitched game, especially if you get at least one win, since before the games even start, you have an automatic +54 for 18 innings pitched (or +48 if you happen to pick a road team's pitching staff, and they lose both games). That's a tough edge to overcome with only one game.

Most days your pitching points result in a positive score, so it's very tough to overcome a two game total with even one well-pitched game. However, if your staff gets racked up in both games, it can result in a huge negative total.

The thing is, though, when you select your players on a given day, there's no indication next to the player's name that his team is playing a doubleheader that day. All they give you is the name of the team he's playing against, and the name of one of the opposing starting pitchers, so you kind of have to know when a doubleheader is scheduled.

You really have to pay attention here, because early in the season there are frequent rainouts, and doubleheaders get scheduled as make-up games at the last minute. That's why some of us serious players wake up in the middle of the night to check our rosters one last time before the 3:00 A.M. Eastern time deadline.

Hope this all helps.

I read plaw's treatise and it made perfect sense to me. I'm sure it made sense to Pork also.

I wonder what it looks like to someone who has never played! [/b][/quote]I'm not sure if I'm going to be playing a game, developing a business mission statement or doing research for a doctoral thesis. Plaw, you astound me. For a guy who spent countless hours at the Fillmore in a purple haze, you are quite cogent and lucid. But, I'm an old dog who likes new tricks so I'm going to stumble along with the Baseball Challenge. But I'm not going to get up at 3am to check for rainouts, injury reports or curfew violations. PLAY BALL!!

The Fillmore daze were 35 years or so ago. My head is just starting to clear now.

I've always enjoyed writing. It's just that now what I write makes sense.

Pee-Lawrence is talking like a junkie in need of his next fix. Fantasy Baseball. After all Fantasy Basketball is just about over and it didn't seem to have the same fanfare as last years baseball. He is here to win and doesn't believe that anyone should play unless they give it their all. So if you think you are coming just for some fun FORGETABOUTIT. Come to play or feel the wrath of Pee-Lawrence.

Come on Pee lets try and make this new season a good one. Loosen up a bit and let everyone enjoy the game, even if you can't have fun during competition. The rest of us can.....

Oh, by the way newbies, even if it sounds like I don't like Pee-Lawrence, The truth is I do, I just like to give him a taste of his own medicine.

By the way Pee- did I spell everything correct?

The spelling looked OK, but you need some help with grammar and sentence structure Run on sentence Should be sharply. Comma after sharply.
Another run-on sentence. Period or semi-colon after "I do".
Should be correctly

Gosh, I hope I pick my players correctly.

I forget how long plaw has been playing fantasy sports - but speaking for myself - someone who has been playing steady some 9+ years (read: multiple leagues/multiple games/basically no life 10 months a year), he sure makes it more difficult than it has to be. I'm wondering how F-U-N this league is gonna be!! :p Thank goodness for my boys Pork and DB who I know I can count on to play to win but to not take themselves too seriously. I have till Friday to decide if I am in this one, correct?

And go ahead, critique my post and point out the grammatical errors.

I'll be right back atcha with some flailing hand gestures. :p

Oh, it's going to be fun, Buffy. Pork has already promised that if he loses the first half, all of the Chicago attendees will go to a Karaoke bar and he'll sing his favorite Clay Aiken songs! :p

Clay Aiken?

Guess that WOULD be worth the price of admission just to see what Pork is wearin'. God knows he can't borrow any more of my stuff (he doesnt return).

**(sidenote since I don't have time to find the other AI thread)**

Newsflash for DB - your girl Camille is gonna go buh-bye tonight. I'm sorry. But my husband feels your pain. I have to pry him off the tube with a spatula whenever she is on :p I got him back though when Steve Young was on

Anyway, I have a few invites to fantasy baseball games here locally. But honestly, this motley crew here might be the most fun to play with. I've been in a DB way lately - distracted with work. We'll see.

*** sidenote reply to Buffy ***
Yep, she didn't do so well. There's a good chance she's staying though. When you have an entire state voting for you, it's tough to get voted out! There is something about her voice that's sultry, you know. It's tough to say anything about 18 year-olds without sounding like a dirty old man. Yea, her and the Olsen twins! :p

... AND WELCOME BACK TO THE GAME...

C'mon Buffy, why are you even giving this a second thought? Join in, you know you want to! Once you join, you can work on our friend Crabby!

Also, welcome to the game, TM.

Why is everyone picking on me already?
The game didn't even start yet

Hmmm... Top 5 Reasons Plaw is being picked on...

#5- Buffy placed 5th to Plaw's 6th place in football giving her the right to talk trash
#4- Plaw reminds FS of his old man and his interactions (read: anger) with plaw reveal a deep-rooted Oedipal complex- a fixation completely based on a Freudian-subconscious hyperplane
#3- The others are secretly intimidated... especially me!
#2- Crabby sent everyone out on a secret mission to give you a hard time. Little did everyone know that she is the one pulling the strings! Senator Crabby... Governor Crabby... Something...

And the #1 Reason why Plaw is being picked on...
#1- Because... he... writes... good... :p

...writes "well". (You knew that one was coming -- didn't want to disappoint you)

I set him up... he knocks 'em down!

Don Sicilia,

I give you number 6.

Because he's the oldest player in the game. (And that makes me feel good since I'm next.)

Just a couple...

Quote:

I forget how long plaw has been playing fantasy sports - (read: multiple leagues/multiple games/basically no life 10 months a year), he sure makes it more difficult than it has to be.

You need a conjunction here (such as "because" or "but") after the parentheses, to separate the two clauses in the sentence.

Quote:

but speaking for myself - someone who has been playing steady some 9+ years

steadily

:p

And people wonder why I'm not playing. :rolleyes:

I "neeed"?? I "neeed??? I must neeed my conjuntion pretty badly...

plaw, I got your conjuntion right heee-yah

Good grammar be damned. I'd rather be charming. I write like I speak. Psuedo-canadian-Shania-like accent and all, eh? :rolleyes:

Aw, c'mon.....pleeeeeeeze play with us.

I promise. You can make all the spelling and grammar mistakes you want, and you won't hear a peep out me.

Oh, you play Bethie...we all know you play. But we ARE talking about baseball still, right?

But just remember, it was me, the Buffster, who taught you that Coors is much more than just a beer. It is an actual place!! :p

There you go again. Picking on me.

That was a typo, which I corrected so quickly that the "edit message" doesn't even appear in the post.

We should all be so lucky. :rolleyes:

I think every one of us last year vowed - in writing - not to play next year (this year). So there you have it. Geoff and DB are gluttons for punishment

Not quick enough, Grasshoppa.....

Everyone's talking about their neeeeds this morning. I've got my own. But, like grasshoppa said in another thread, this board is not yet X-rated. But we're working on it. :p

and you won't hear a peep out me. [/b][/quote]No peeps? Sorry, I like my men to make a little bit of noise. (Should that have been a comma or a period"? :p

Jeez, what I'm getting myself into; English 101, Health Class for Adults and Trash Talking for Sport. 49 posts and the season didn't start yet. Last years thread had 5,103 posts on 146 pages and I thought you guys were really into baseball. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! I'll have to brush up on my sarcasm.

I was wondering when this old favorite was going to be whipped out! (Words chosen carefully considering audience)

Yep, MC, you better brush up on your sarcasm around here or guys like plaw will push you around. Not me though... I'm considered the nice guy of this group.

Only because you asked....

Do you mean after "Sorry"? If so, I believe a semi-colon would be most correct.

Noise? I make tons of it. You should hear me when my pitching staff winds up with a negative total.

OK boys and girls, I'm signed up.

Kraut Mick E. Mantle

The old dog has been taught a new trick. ARF!

So how DOES Pork affect my life hundreds of miles away from you Easterners? I received this email this morning from our Mayor:

Good morning everyone!

This is to let everyone know that the East Parking Lot in front of City Hall will be CLOSED starting at 3:00 AM tonight, through Sunday 3/28 for the First Annual 2004 Pork and Brew Bar-B-Que State Championship.

Employees will be able to park on the West Side of City Hall on Thursday, Mar.25th, until the end of the work day @ 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. After that, the west parking lot will also be barricaded and closed off for the Pork and Brew.
----
Pork and Brew? Sounds like something Geoff and Bethie would conjure up on a free Saturday night!

MC- we make plenty of fun of team names. Geoff has heard all of the "other white meat" jokes. We also have crab (and now kraut) to go with that entree. And true, DB is the nicest guy here - so we do not touch Douche Bigalow with a ten foot pole . But we love it when Kerry Wood, Woody or Millwood pitch and we watch all the guys brag about the strength and depth of their wood.

Sick bunch, indeed - but it DOES all come down to the game. These guys know their baseball.

:D

Buffy - Where's your team? Where you REALLY serious last year when you said you may not play this year?? :p

And where's SC, BD, BE, FS, OA, JJ, HH, (who was UU again?)... etc?? :rolleyes:

UU was something like "Underground Undertaker" or some kind of undertaker. I don't think he posts anymore.

Pork and brew? Sounds like a real blast!

That should be WERE not WHERE. :p Can't let pee-lawrence have all the fun.

MORE TIPS FOR BBC NEWBIES

Today's Lesson: The Proper Use of Emoticons


= Shorthand for Plawrence, especially when he's winning.

= Used to jinx someone or someone's team. Most effective when you surround the cursed with them, like so: Good Luck, Plaw!

= Used often, after a bad night. See also:

= That's me. The one who started all this; the one culpable for causing lost sleep, increased anxiety and frustration. See: Jerkoff.

And lastly:

= Bethie, after a rough night.

Well... no, never mind, too easy...

Reminds me of the joke...

"In my pockets are a miniature piano and a twelve inch pianist..." :p

Ahh yes, Upstate Undertaker. We all know who that was...

Well it seems like there is a lot of that double entendre going on here, so here is some food for thought:

As a participant, golf is my sport when it comes to swinging something. I'd say I prefer hitting them straight than being a free-swinger. But on the right course I could take a little risk and become a free-swinger. Putting is really the strength of my game. I have an eye for the curves and undulations. Usually my speed is right-on for letting it fall into the hole. I usually never ram it home, but I will if the situation calls for it. There is nothing like the feel of a lush surface for rolling them true. My short game has been improving. I have a good imagination. I can bump and run or send one high with a soft landing. The key has been to keep my head down and maintain an even tempo. Don't rush it.

I used to play softball in my younger days. I pitched. I had good control and ball movement. With the lumber I liked to go to the opposite field. Never struck out; always made contact.

Pork, you forgot to put BD on your list... (Or maybe he was part of "etc")

You can't forget Bad Daddy... the wuss! :p

EDIT: Never mind- BD was on your list. Once again, I proved, that I am, in fact, an idiot!

You used to play softball???

Nice golf story there, MC... Pork's hero, Clay Aiken, putts from the rough... :p

Geoff has posted my pic!!! And to think, baseball hasn't even started yet.

Someone (plaw) needs to calculate after the 1st half how many times that crying baby pic gets used.

Very good, MaryCas. Welcome to the dark side.

Did I say seeing you was worth the price of admission??

Pork, I am about 2 days away from finding out if I will be promoted and hiring an assistant. While that sounds like good news, I may spend the next several months trying to find that perfect person and then having them glued to my hip while I train them. Although I wont be hiring them until July 1...maybe I should just say what the heck and play a little ball until then.

There is a possibility I may get a whole new DIFFERENT job July 1. Decisions, decisions.

I don't know. Still musing the possibilities. Make it worth my while PorkChop. Promise that at least one day this season you will miss the roster-setting deadline like last year.

Boo-Yah!

Do I need to post that crying baby pic already?? You're playing. :p

LDV,
You better play. I didn't sign up to just play with guys! Besides you've been braggin' about what a MLB fan you are, poker buff, 49rs', come on, competitions in your blood. You're not gonna let a few Easterners have braggin' rights to the Baseball Challenge. Screw that job shit. What's more important?? Sign up......NOW! (all that was done with my best Knute Rockne imitation)

Gee, I was gone all day and missed all the fun.

I see Pee has driven away a few more people from this years game already. Come on now. Pee, you have got to clam down and let people be themselves!

By the way what do you do for a living Pee? School teacher? editor, proof reader, Royal pain in the ass?

Where's YOUR team, FS? :rolleyes:

Perhaps I should only allow people who PLAY to post here... hmm... :p

I don't know if Plaw's a religious man, but was that you Plaw? I heard a faint "Halleluia" all the way here in Chicago!

Crabby....won't hear from her no more. :p

You're playing, too, Crabby... :p

Damn, where is that icon with the guy holding his crotch when you need him?

Whats the hurry, we have lots of time to get started. If not I can always use that as an excuse. I started ten days late you know!

Ummmm... what's going on here??

Just one guy giving another guy a hand I guess!


maybe he doesn't want to play this year
either!

I think he just told him about what you said about not being able to post without a team.

I think in Oklahoma they're now legally married.

Caption on that picture: I'll see you in the shower later. Remember, its my turn to drop the soap.

BTW. I see Fred McGriff (Devil Rays) was given a minor league contract. So much for my first baseman. Does this shuffling happen often? Maybe I will have to be up at 3am like plaw said. :rolleyes:

Once the season starts, there is shuffling that keep you on your toes, but the problems tend to be injuries, matchups versus certain pitchers, things like that...

Um ...

Stuff like McGriff's demotion, MC, is the kind of info you want to keep to yourself.

There's always the possibility that one of the other people in league were unaware of it, and might have picked him.

One thing you will learn very quickly here: We don't share information about the players.

Quote:

Maybe I will have to be up at 3am like plaw said. :rolleyes:

3:00 is too late. The rosters have to be in by 3:00. I usually shoot for about 2:00, when the West Coast games are over, so I can check for last minute injuries.

Read: Pork! :p

Actually, MC, share all the info you want! We're particularly keen on injuries. Look -- we are all reasonable men here; we don't have to give assurances as if we were lawyers...

Well, yeah. Share all you want with us. Just don't expect anything in return.

Make sure you keep us abreast of all double-headers while you're at it!

YAY!! Buffy's in!!

Great! She must have heard that Terrell Owens signed a minor league contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He wants to be the next Bo Jackson-Deion Sanders.

Yes, I am not only in....I am ALL in.



Hey thanks for the good luck wish Pork. Right back atcha!

Tomorrow it all starts! Everyone ready? I think there's only 3 games in the first 3 days of the season (Tues, NYY vs TB, Wed, NYY vs TB, and Thurs, Bos vs Balt)

I believe Bos/Balt series starts on Sunday, and everyone else follows starting Monday.

Am I ready? Sure.
Am I happy w/ my NYY/TB lineup? Not so much.

I thought the season started tomorrow with Yanks/D-Rays. So then no one else plays again until next monday??

Yanks/TB Tues & Wed, in Japan. Then, Boston on Sunday night. Then everyone else Monday.

HOW THE FUCK DO I CHANGE MY TEAM'S NAME???

Man.....the season hasn't started and I'm cussin' already

Click on "Change Settings" on your Clubhouse page, where your lineup is. Welcome aboard!

Thanks, Geoff.

I'm warnin' ya now....I better not see this guy here this year ---->

That sucks, only 2 games next week! Oh well, at least I'll have time to change around my team for Sunday!

Can't make any promises! :p

Besides, I use that guy when I say hi to Lori...
Hi, Lori!

Question: (before the competition begins) Where is the best place to find out the roster for each game? for the purpose of changing players.

Mary -

After you log in, go to your team's lineup page. On the upper left hand side you'll see a "Change Roster" line, and all the defensive positions next to it. Click on any position, and you'll be brought to a page listing all players available for that position.

K-M, I'm not certain what exactly you mean. You mean daily lineups for each team? Exact daily lineups aren't usually known until game time, though in general they remain pretty close unless someone gets hurt or something. Once the season starts, however, you can go to each team page and see what the typical lineup is. The same should be true for the entire 25-man rosters. Look for depth charts, I think that's what you're talking about.

What you probably want to do is look at each position roster (where you pick one 1B for instance), and choose someone who's doing well that you can afford. You can see how each player is doing by clicking on their name.

Similary, you can get pitcher vs batter stats by clicking on the pitcher's name.

Everything should be available on ESPN's site, though I do like to get second opinions elsewhere sometimes...

REMINDER : YOUR ROSTERS FOR TOMORROW NEED TO BE SET TODAY IF YOU WANT POINTS!!

Good luck, everyone!

Plaw, too

Good luck everyone! I'm sure I'm going to suck since this will be my first year playing with you guys, but I just wanna have fun.

Well, it's finally here -- the first game less than nine hours away. Plus basketball going, too. As a gambler, I love April thru mid-June, when there's basketball and baseball to bet on, as well as September & October when there'e football and baseball.

Anyway, here's my analysis of the players for the upcoming season. The "probable odds" are for the first half only. Last season's cumulative scores in parentheses.

plawrence (8348): Waltzed through the first half last season, winning 4 or 5 weeks in a row at one point. Lost the second half to then-upstart Douche Bigelow (who went on to prove his fantasy mettle in basketball), but finished first in cumulative points by a comfortable margin. Coming off the four halves of his last two fantasy games (1st & 2nd in baseball, 1st and probably no worse that 2nd in basketball), PL has to be installed as the early favorite. Odds 5-2

Douche Bigelow (8004): First in last year's baseball second half, fourth in overall points. But had a slow start the first few weeks of the first half, and that cost him. Since then he's been the second strongest fantasy player on the Gangster BB, and his rivalry with PL will certainly be an historic one if they both hang around for the next few years. Has ice water in his veins and never gets rattled, although he has a tendency to whine too often. But at least he he gives you a "whine alert" when he does. A solid choice for second, but don't be shocked if he wins it all Odds 7-2

LaDolce Vita (8071): Probably the most experienced fantasy player here, and very knowledgable for a chick. Finished third in overall points last season, and might have finished second if JG didn't cheat by getting a one day head start on everyone. But here first love is football and the 49ers, so it's hard to see her winning. Besides, she is a chick. But a solid choice for third. Odds 5-1

JG (8097): Had been playing fantasy baseball for years, but it took about a week of playing with us newbies last year for him to learn the correct strategy. He definitely stepped his game up a notch to compete with people he knew, but it wasn't enough. Continued to make mistakes all of last season, like picking injured players, forgetting that Mike Piazza doesn't catch a day game after a night game, or not setting his roster. Finished third in the overall standings last season, but only because he got a one day head start. Has to rate slightly lower than LDV Odds 6-1

SC (6983): Showed flashes of brilliance last season, but has a problem paying attention. Had way too many days when he didn't change his roster. If he concentrates all season he could be a factor, but off of last year who knows if he will? Odds 8-1

Irishman (NY Goodfellas) (DNP last year):
No fantasy history here, but posts in other threads show that he knows his sports. Given the other players, I have a feeling he could be the best of the rest as long as he doesn't let his love of the Yankees influence his picks. Odds 10-1

Big Daddy Don (8004): Hasn't joined the league yet. Probably waiting to start 10 days late like he did last year, so he has a built in excuse for not winning. If he starts on time, he could be a factor, since if you give him an additional 400 points or so for the ten days he missed, he would have been right in the thick of the battle for second place in cumulative points last season. Still, it's hard to pick a wuss to win, and he's probably the biggest whiner around. Odds 15-1

MaryCas (Kraut Micks)(DNP last year): Hard to figure. Have the feeling that he's just trying the game out and won't last the season. A noted Thespian, he'll probably drop out as soon as he has to spend his time learning some new lines for a play or something. Still, has been a sports fan for probably 35 years or more, so he has the potential to figure the game out. But he was the morning line favorite in the NCAA Tournament game, and did nothing. Odds 25-1

fathersson (4375): Strictly a front runner. If he doesn't break on or near the top and stay there, he quickly loses heart and quits. Also handicapped by the fact that he doesn't play to win. Good thing spelling doesn't count in this game, either. Has a million differnt excuses why he doesn't do well, but if he specnt half as much time paying attention to the game as he does writing his long-winded posts criticizing others, he might do better. Odds 30-1

Tony Mosrite (Destroy Squad): Who knows? Missed too many days of Fantasy Basketball to get a good reading on him, but if he misses as many days of baseball, he won't go far. besides, what can a guy from the Southern hemisphere now about the Great American Pastime? Cuba or the Dominican Republic, OK. But Peru? Odds 50-1

50-1 is too high for me, starting with the fact that I have no idea of which is my member name

Now that Pee-Lawrence has crowed all his bull crap over the thread, we can now begin the season.

I love the way you ass kiss some people. I will laugh each time I have a night better then you.

Remember Pee, some of do have a life and do do other things then fantasy sports! So what if we don't give our life away to make your game that much better. Eat your old heart out.

and if anyone pissed and moaned all season it was you! so cheer up stop being such a grouch!

See...there he goes. Making excuses before the season even starts :rolleyes:

Yeah, some of us have a life. I have a job that requires about 50-60 hours a week of my attention, plus a 15 year old son that I have on alternate weekends and for an occasional Nets game or dinner during the week, plus a 90 year old father that I have to attend to from time to time, plus a woman that I live with who has two kids (albeit grown and married) of her own, (and at your age, you can't possibly have a clue about the strain that kids from a previous marriage place on a relationship), plus an ex-wife who gets 25% of my gross income in child support even though she has a Masters Degree in Finance, is a Vice President of a major New York investment bank, and earns about five times what I do.

And with all that, I still have time to win at fantasy sports.

What's your life like?

Listen my friend, You have to simplify your life and get some of that stress removed.

Then again if Fantasy Sports is the love of your live, so be it. After reading your last post, I truely feel sorry for you my friend. I am not saying that in a bad way. Just that you have so much on your plate and much of it sounds like it is heavy on your shoulders. I tip my hat to you. No wonder you get up during the night with all that resting on you.

Good Luck fellow competitors. It looks like Irish and I may compete for rookie of the year honors and plaw.....all that....stuff you have in your life is what makes you good at this game. You must live like a tightly wound rubber band. I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Plaw, I hope you wear a condom when you make your picks. Cuz all this self-stroking could ruin your keyboard! :p

I said it before, and again: these first two games are gonna suck. Ya can't pick who you want at every position. And to top it off, who knows who Piniella is gonna play?
Great :rolleyes:

But hell, it's only 2 days. Not much to really worry about as it's a looooong freakin' season. (And besides, if Plaw does well and we don't, we can call it 'cheating' apparently!)

And Plaw - You forgot to mention I won the Yahoo Fantasy Football League. And you were, what, last? It's hard to remember... :p

5-1, plaw? Oh you flatter me. Don't let my outward appearance fool you. I am definitely ALL girl on the outside, but on the inside not at all interested in shopping, Cosmo, recipes, babies or soap operas.

While I do love my hometown Niners, I must tell you that I love baseball more than any other sport. I have been to more baseball games/stadiums than football and given the choice to watch either game live or on television I will choose baseball any day of the week. If I find myself suddenly living alone, it will be because I monopolized a few too many TV's during baseball season. But of course if I were to marry again, I would do my best to snag an MLB'er...just for season tickets alone.

You don't see me winning? I'll give you that. Although I have found myself perched on top many times, I sometimes lack the staying power and focus to stay at nubmer one. We play with some formidable foes, that is for sure. You give me 3rd out of 9? That's fair.

btw Pork your whine is showing!

quote:

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Originally posted by La Dolce Vita:
btw Pork your whine is showing!
Oh, you said whine not wang... doh! :p

Damn, 1:30 already... not sure about 5am game...