Uncategorized

CREATiVESPORTS.com > Mike Ladd’s High and Tight

We have an ever-increasing pool of fantasy information out in the world, but it is hard to compile and thus rarely referenced. I’m talking about the actual results of actual fantasy leagues.

Mike Ladd of CreativeSports.com has a story in today’s newsletter that analyzes the early-round drafting strategies of the players in the World Championship of Fantasy Baseball drafts and looks to see if any particular strategy is a winner.

It’s really not a huge surprise that no distinct three-round strategy emerges as a clear winner. The sample size issues, as Mike points out, would make it awfully hard to draw strong conclusions even if there was a lot of agreement from league to league. And there isn’t. But I do think it’s meaningful that the first pick in each of the top ten team’s drafts was a power hitter.

And while this story won’t blow your mind, it is a very solid effort that points the way to increasing efforts to find out what actually happens in fantasy leagues. There is still too much debate about position scarcity, for one.

To read the story you have to sign up for the Creative Sports newsletter, which has useful info and entertaining writing almost every day.

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

It’s actually nice to be back in NY after being away all summer, or maybe it is just being home. This week’s column is out, with a look at various marginal closers, the value of a game played and a passing glance at individual hitters facing good and bad pitching teams, and a long annotated list of September call-ups, with comments about how much impact they may have.

The end of the year is a time when the questions I get are often too individual to matter to most readers, so if you have any questions that might apply more widely please send them in to peter@askrotoman.

Thanks.

I Want to Vote for Bush

If you’re feeling the Bush post-convention Bounce, and think maybe our president deserves Four More Years, I ask that you read this Fred Kaplan piece in Slate.

I don’t see how any thinking person can believe they’re safer today because George W. Bush is the president. I don’t see how any counting person can believe they’re wealthier today because George W. Bush is the president, unless they were plenty wealthy already. But I don’t care that much if you simply agree with me.

Kaplan details how Kerry’s record has been distorted. I don’t think Kerry is great candidate. I don’t think anyone who says it was a good idea to invade Iraq when we did has their head screwed on straight. But I don’t think Kerry’s weaknesses should negate our critique of the truly disastrous policies of the current administration.

You don’t have to agree, of course. But I ask you, no matter what you believe, please read this piece. And by all means continue to make up your own mind.

Rotoman

Cheers,

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

You’ll have to search the archives for last week’s column, if you didn’t catch it after I didn’t link to it here.

This week’s column is posted, in which I ponder whether to keep Hank Blalock or Justin Morneau next year, meditate on Edwin Jackson’s chances (and didn’t get a chance to mention he hit two homers tonight while getting knocked around again in Triple-A), look at how Milton Bradley has helped and hurt teams this year, and surveyed the chaotic run-up to the Sept 1 playoff roster finalization.

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

This week’s new one is up, with insights about BJ Upton, Jeremy Affeldt, a slew of starting pitchers, Jeff Kent, and a disheartening evaluation of who might be more valuable at this point: Jason Giambi or Rocco Baldelli. Plus, Calvin Pickering!

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

I filed then fled to the woods in the north of Maine. Well, Baxter State Park South Branch Pond. If you’ve been there you know why I was in no hurry to get back. Lots of canoing, hiking, and trying to figure out what they were thinking when they named those constellations.

We also came up with some of our own, including Marilyn Standing on the Grate and Willie Catching Vic.

The now old column has meditations on position scarcity, valueing wins and saves, drafting closers, and compares Rickie Weeks to David Wright as prospects. It also has stupid mistake. Rickie Weeks was the No. 2 pick in the 2003 draft (not 1993). Pardon.

Major League Baseball : Ask Rotoman

The new one takes on the Mike Gonzalez and Ryan Madson, the God Squad trio of David DeJesus, Angel Berroa and Juan Encarnacion, quality pitching at Coors, rain outs, and Orlando Cabrera. MLB.com says I’m the only one who knows the answers. I hope I’m the only one who understands the questions.

Boston.com / News / Boston Globe / Opinion / Editorials / A new ballgame

Watching baseball in a movie theater? How did I miss this? Does anyone know if they’re still doing this? I’m going to be in Boston tomorrow.

Forbes.com

A Bill James story from Forbes I stumbled upon because of the Bill James Index. Hardly essential, yet envigorating all the same.

Works of Bill James

Some years ago I had the idea that indexing the works of Bill James would be an incredibly useful project, though a terribly time consuming one. It’s the sort of perfect gig for someone who has an office job with lots of down time.

Stephen Roney has gotten the project underway, and the initial results appear to be helpful. You can find them here. The efforts of people like Stephen, which are laborious and certainly won’t be appropriately compensated, should be acknowledged.

Yet he’s just scratched the surface so far.