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DownloadThis just in, there’s another PED scandal hounding baseball.
Sigh.
I’ve been asked what I think of the recent report broken by the Miami New Times and subsequent follow-up by ESPN concerning Anthony Bosch and Biogenesis of America, the anti-aging clinic where he worked. My answer is simple: I try not to think of it. I try not to hear anything about it and I try not to read anything either. In fact, I just had to do a Google search to get the aforementioned citations.
The bottom line is I don’t care. Maybe I’m wrong to be so apathetic, but I have a hard time believing the only individuals aware of what was (and is) going on are those actually doing the dirty deed. I’m sorry, but I find it mind-boggling other players, coaches, management, medical staffs and yes, the media that covers each team has no fricking clue. And if I’m right and they know damned well what’s going on then it's obvious they don’t care. The utility infielder doesn’t care, the third base coach doesn’t care, the manager and general manager don’t care, the trainer and clubhouse attendant don’t care and the beat writers and radio and TV announcers don’t care. If they don’t care, why should I?
If you’re curious, I do care about the history of the game and while I will stop short of calling myself a scholar, I know and respect my fair share of the game’s history. But I don’t feel angered that the purity and sanctity of the game is tainted by PED’s. I’ll spare the rhetoric, you know the deal. Baseball is replete with some bad people and bad history. PED’s is just another chapter.
You see, right or wrong, for me it’s all about the game. I want to be entertained for a few hours, and that’s it. Sure, I have my favorite players and root for them. And surely my involvement with fantasy extends past the game and into player analysis, but I’m focusing more on the fan than the analyst. I enjoy watching baseball games. I enjoy trying to guess what pitch is coming. I enjoy playing armchair manager and yelling “steal” or “hit and run” as if the Skipper can hear me. I really love watching smart, fundamental play and defensive gems, but I have also been known to get a rise out of a slugfest. When an outfielder makes a great throw to nail a runner or a hitter hits a majestic homer, I think back to when I used to do that, I don’t worry if the guy is juicing. I just want to live vicariously and be entertained. Once it’s over, I move to the next game or call it a night.
If that makes me shallow, so be it. I have enough other things to worry about and deal with than to care if a guy I never met, that makes more money in a month than I’ll ever see decides to use PED’s. I am a little bothered by the fact I feel using PED’s is cheating, but I think we’re naïve if we don’t accept cheating is part of our culture. I don’t mean just in sports, but in every walk of life. If we knew of everyone that cheated in one way or another, and either refused to be friends with or do business with them, we’d be awfully lonely. And hungry. And cold. And sick.
I have a similar philosophy when it comes to other forms of entertainment like movies or music. When I watch a movie, I don’t care if the special effect was computer generated. If it adds to my enjoyment, it doesn’t matter. Same thing with music. I don’t enjoy a song less because the music is sampled or computer augmented. If it is aesthetically pleasing to my ears, that’s what matters. I might appreciate a movie or a musical composition more if the genius behind it was human, but my in the moment enjoyment is the same. I separate enjoyment and appreciation, just like I separate the ballplayer from the ballgame.
This dovetails into how I feel about the Hall of Fame. I view the Hall as a museum, not as a keeper of all that is pure. When I was a kid, my favorite player was Fred Lynn. I would argue with my Granddad all the time. He thought Jim Rice was better, I loved Lynn. When Rice was elected to the Hall, while I did think back fondly of my Granddad, I did not regret cheering for Lynn more than Rice.
Maybe I only have so much energy I can spend on things I truly care about and a guy deciding to cheat to be a better player and make a few more bucks doesn’t make the cut.
Here is something I do care about and that is the camaraderie and deep friendships that often emanate from passions such as fantasy baseball. I was in an e-mail draft in the fall. Yeah, I know, we started early. After already learning one of the drafters suffered a heart attack early on, halting the festivities while he thankfully recovered (and continued to draft from his hospital room) we later found out another drafter’s daughter was scheduled for brain surgery. She too fortunately pulled through and is well on her way to recovery. So much so, that she and her Dad picked the draft order for an upcoming NFBC satellite league as a tribute to her recovery. Here is the video of the little darling and proud papa pulling names from a hat. If this doesn’t make you forget for a couple minutes about PED’s or anything else for that matter, nothing will.{jcomments on}
We all have our guilty pleasures. Those that have met me know most of mine involve food that you won’t find in the produce section of your local grocery. Another is watching professional wrestling which has led to my following every show on the USA Network. Burn Notice, White Collar, Suits, Psych and NCIS reruns are my favorites. I have also listened to every Bob and Tom podcast since 2003 when a local radio station stopped broadcasting their syndicated morning show. Being a fan of Bob and Tom has introduced me to a plethora of comedians and their podcasts along with the incredible funk group, Here Come the Mummies.
But there’s one more – Sudoku. Mother f*(#!$g Sudoku.
When I first started solving the puzzles, I assumed it would be a bit like the Rubik’s Cube – the challenge was to learn all the tricks then the desire to continue would wane.
So I downloaded an on-line Sudoku game and would mess around when I needed a break from baseball or when USA Network was showing a movie instead of an NCIS marathon. I’d do the newspaper versions during breaks at work, when I was fortunate enough to be working. I’d do the one in the magazine on airplanes. I got pretty good, figured out a ton of logical tricks, but still relied on trial and error to finish the occasional puzzle. I saved those from my on-line game that required trial and error, hoping one day to discover the missing trick.
Over the years, I’ve had friends tell me there are a ton of Internet sites that I could go to and learn how to solve the puzzles. These are the same people that use cheat codes to play video games, which fortunately is NOT a guilty pleasure for me. Not the cheat code part, but playing video games in the first place. I know how addictive I am and if I got into playing video games, I would like them too much and I’d never get anything else done. This is pretty much the same reason I never tried cocaine. Though, I did experiment with pot way back when but honestly just did not enjoy the buzz. Besides, trust me, the last thing you want is for me to be more mellow.
And hungry.
Anyway, I finally caved and checked out a couple of the on-line Sudoku sites and discovered I had actually learned most of the tricks they described. I didn’t give them the same cute names, but I had deciphered the majority of the logic. There were a couple of tricks that escaped me, so I studied them until I understood the logic and went back to the unsolved folder and knocked most of them off – MOST.
My repertoire was still devoid a trick or two. I’ve already come over to the dark side to seek help, so I figured why not go all the way and see if there is a site where you can input the unsolved puzzle and it will solve it, explaining the moves along the way. And sure enough, there is.
Now I’m pissed. Not because I missed some tricks, but rather because the tricks I missed are really trial and error with a supposed smart sounding name. Alternate Inference Chains? Grouped X-Cycles? Unit Forcing Chains? Really?
REALLY?
I'm more than willing to admit there may be some of you whose synapses and neurons are wired differently, enabling the identification of these patterns by inspection as opposed to trial and error. I also admit to being a bit envious.
At least now, I can go to bed at night not racking my brain, searching for the Holy Grail Sudoku epiphany. And when I do finally sleep, the dreams filled with numbers in boxes will cease.
Just like this is my last “fat guy” day before I go to the gym, replacing grease and ketchup with fruits and vegetables.
Again.{jcomments on}
Hi gang, long time no cyber-see. Sorry, been head over heels wrapped up in Platinum content. The National Fantasy Baseball Championship (NFBC) has already begun drafting so we released our Platinum product earlier than ever before. Then came the winter meetings to be followed by all the trades and signings this week. But, pending the R.A. Dickey deal, we're all up to date so I get to take a beat and watch a little football today, though I may sneak in a profile or two.
Speaking of football, this is going to be a fun day for the Mastersball staff as I square off against Lawr in the semi-finals of one league and against Rob in another. I'm also in the semis in a third league, playing long time roto-buddy Michael Cox. We have been playing in each other's leagues for twelve years.
Yeah, head to head leagues are wrought with luck and sometimes the better team, at least in terms of seasonal points scored doesn't always advance, but there is something to be said about having Tom Brady while your opponent has the Niner's defense. Or having to sweat out the Monday Night match-up before a winner is decided. Besides, how many teams in professional sports win championships with inferior season records? Quite a few.
Anyway, no one cares about your team but you, so I'll leave it at that.
Something you may care about is my early take on the 2013 baseball season. I have already completed drafts in two leagues that "count" as well as participating in two magazine mock drafts. Here are some thoughts.
With the first pick, I'm taking Ryan Braun. Every time.
With the second pick, I'm taking Miguel Cabrera. Every time.
With the third pick I'm taking....
With the third pick I'm taking...
This is where it gets fuzzy. My projections say Mike Trout. And I factored in some pretty heavy regression. The numbers say .280 with 26 HR and 42 steals. Remember he missed April last year so he's devoid more than 4 HR and 7 SB. But here's the thing. I know I need to introduce more risk into my game, but with Robinson Cano sitting at number four on my projections, my lean is to go safe and take chances later. So...
With the third pick I'm taking Robinson Cano.
Unless I'm feeling frisky.
Buster Posey is worthy of a first round pick, and I predict his ADP will be 10-12, but I'm not investing in a catcher that early. At least thus far, according to my numbers, catchers are being undervalued all the way down the board. Victor Martinez and Joe Mauer can be had in the 4th, 5th or 6th which means you can build a solid foundation before taking one. But like I said, my numbers suggest all the catchers are lasting a round or two longer than the rankings dictate so waiting and snagging Miguel Montero, Salvador Perez, Jonathan Lucroy etc. is perfectly viable. Matt Wieters will cost, as will Yadier Molina. Check out how similar Molina's and Posey's numbers were last season:
AVG | R | HR | RBI | SB | |
Buster Posey | 0.336 | 78 | 24 | 103 | 1 |
Yadier Molina | 0.315 | 65 | 22 | 76 | 12 |
Yeah, Posey's were better, but especially when you consider Yadi's steals, it may be closer than you realized. That said, while I believe Molina has definitely improved as a hitter, I am more confident Posey approaches last season's numbers than I am Molina.
Paul Goldschmidt is a hot commodity, and his projection corroborates that, but I'm not completely sold. The key will be if he keeps the gains he made in contact rate. At a position as flush as first, I need to see it another year before I pay for it, especially at the 4th/5th round ticket.
While on the topic of first basemen, make a mental note that after a late season string of games where he toted the leather, Billy Butler qualifies at the position and not just designated hitter. For what it's worth, while I won't chase him, I do believe Eric Hosmer is in line for a bounce-back season and I can see him as my corner in a couple of leagues.
I'm sure this will change as some of the situations in flux flesh out, but I am finding the spot I like to take closers to be weaker than normal. I prefer to pass on the upper echelon, but I don't like to toss my line in the speculative seas either. If I were to list the guys I can comfortably target, it would be one name -- Jason Motte. I'm not going to be the guy that takes Craig Kimbrel. I'm probably going to pass on Jonathan Papelbon as well, but maybe not. That's really it for the "sure things." Motte would be the next safest, but since he doesn't have the reputation yet, he is still sliding a bit.
Think about it. Will Mariano Rivera be his old self? Can Joe Nathan stay healthy? Will Joel Hanrahan and John Axford get their walks back in check? Can Huston Street and Andrew Bailey stay healthy? For that matter, has anyone actually seen Street and Bailey together? My theory is they are actually one guy and this is a ruse to pull two salaries. What about Steve Cishek, Tom Wilhelmsen, Addison Reed, Greg Holland and Glen Perkins - can they hold the gig for 162? Is Sergio Romo durable enough? Where will Rafael Soriano sign and what will his role be? Brandon League -- really? Will Chris Perez and Hanrahan be traded? If you think Jim Johnson will repeat, I have a bridge I'd like you to look at. If you think Fernando Rodney will repeat --well, he just may, with an ERA correction, but are you willing to pay for it? How long before Kyuji Fujikawa (and the horse he rode in on) supplants Carlos Marmol? What happens if Jonathan Broxton struggles and so does Aroldis Chapman? Brandon League -- REALLY?!?!?! I've been in two drafts where Kenley Jansen was taken before Broxton and this was AFTER the announcement that League was the closer. Drew Storen or Tyler Clippard? Who will get both of the Astro saves? Will Brian Wilson and Ryan Madson regain form after Tommy John surgery?
You know, Grant Balfour is looking pretty good right now.{jcomments on}
I have no idea what I’ll be doing tomorrow, let alone five years from now. But, as part of the recent First Pitch Arizona Fantasy Baseball Conference, I was among 12 soothsayers tasked with assembling a fantasy baseball team under the provision that whoever we picked would be on the squad through the 2017 season.
I was joined in this Five-Year Futures Draft by site partners Lawr Michaels and Brian Walton, with staffers Perry Van Hook and Don Drooker in the audience. The instructions were a bit vague (the only rule was as stated, whoever we pick we are married to until our fifth anniversary). Obviously, since this was a fantasy baseball symposium we drafted assuming this was a standard 5x5 roto league, but that was the extent of the boundaries.
I’ve been playing fantasy baseball since 1989 and have participated in exactly 4,216 drafts, without ever having the first pick. Guess who got the first pick in number 4,217? Here is a synopsis of my fellow combatants in order of initial pick:
2. Rob Gordon, co-author of Baseball HQ’s Minor League Baseball Analyst |
3. Tim Heaney, KFFL Managing Editor and author of Rounding the Bases |
4. Lawr Michaels, needs no introduction |
5. Derek Van Riper, Baseball Editor for RotoWire.com and co-host of RotoWire Fantasy Sports Today on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio |
6. Brian Walton, neither does he |
7. Steve Gardner, Senior Fantasy Editor for USA TODAY Sports |
8. Matthew Cederholm, Baseball HQ Analyst |
9. Steve Moyer, former President of Baseball Info Solutions |
10. Nicholas Minnix, KFFL Managing Editor and author of Finger Nickin’ Good |
11. Andy Andres, Baseball HQ Analyst |
12. Jock Thompson, Baseball HQ Analyst |
My strategy was buoyed by being awarded the initial selection. In real leagues of this nature, I selfishly try to win the first season as well as build a foundation for future championships. Admittedly, this is hard to do with a later first round pick and is anti to the advice I offer for those is keeper leagues – either go for it or rebuild, else you end up doing a half-ass job at both. Having the first pick gives me a head start at multi-tasking.
Going in, I was aiming for balance. I wanted a nice combination of established players versus prospects. While injury risk would be a consideration, with so many players visiting the disabled list nowadays, I would not shy away from a player with an injury history to take a less talented player. With respect to pitching, I did factor in this was a 12-team league, therefore I did not feel strategically it was necessary to secure one of the elite arms (either present or future), relying on my ability to piece together a contending staff starting a tier or two lower. If the draft went long enough, I would not shy away from taking a chucker, I just wanted to focus on a hitting base early.
Here is the draft. We completed six rounds:
1.01 | Zola | Ryan Braun |
1.02 | Gordon | Mike Trout |
1.03 | Heaney | Miguel Cabrera |
1.04 | Michaels | Mike Stanton |
1.05 | Van Riper | Jason Heyward |
1.06 | Walton | Andrew McCutchen |
1.07 | Gardner | Carlos Gonzalez |
1.08 | Cederholm | Joey Votto |
1.09 | Moyer | Bryce Harper |
1.10 | Minnix | Starlin Castro |
1.11 | Andres | Justin Upton |
1.12 | Thompson | Matt Kemp |
2.01 | Thompson | Albert Pujols |
2.02 | Andres | Robinson Cano |
2.03 | Minnix | Buster Posey |
2.04 | Moyer | Elvis Andrus |
2.05 | Cederholm | Stephen Strasburg |
2.06 | Gardner | Clayton Kershaw |
2.07 | Walton | Evan Longoria |
2.08 | Van Riper | Troy Tulowitzki |
2.09 | Michaels | Matt Wieters |
2.10 | Heaney | Jay Bruce |
2.11 | Gordon | Prince Fielder |
2.12 | Zola | Ian Kinsler |
3.01 | Zola | Brett Lawrie |
3.02 | Gordon | Justin Verlander |
3.03 | Heaney | Adam Jones |
3.04 | Michaels | Desmond Jennings |
3.05 | Van Riper | Yoenis Cespedes |
3.06 | Walton | Felix Hernandez |
3.07 | Gardner | David Wright |
3.08 | Cederholm | Ian Desmond |
3.09 | Moyer | Melky Cabrera |
3.10 | Minnix | Hanley Ramirez |
3.11 | Andres | Anthony Rizzo |
3.12 | Thompson | Wilin Rosario |
4.01 | Thompson | David Price |
4.02 | Andres | Madison Bumgarner |
4.03 | Minnix | B.J. Upton |
4.04 | Moyer | Chase Headley |
4.05 | Cederholm | Paul Goldschmidt |
4.06 | Gardner | Eric Hosmer |
4.07 | Walton | Jurickson Profar |
4.08 | Van Riper | Billy Hamilton |
4.09 | Michaels | Ryan Zimmerman |
4.10 | Heaney | Billy Butler |
4.11 | Gordon | Josh Hamilton |
4.12 | Zola | Manny Machado |
5.01 | Zola | Jose Reyes |
5.02 | Gordon | Chris Sale |
5.03 | Heaney | Dustin Pedroia |
5.04 | Michaels | Matt Moore |
5.05 | Van Riper | Pablo Sandoval |
5.06 | Walton | Aroldis Chapman |
5.07 | Gardner | Craig Kimbrel |
5.08 | Cederholm | Gio Gonzalez |
5.09 | Moyer | Carlos Santana |
5.10 | Minnix | Matt Cain |
5.11 | Andres | Edwin Encarnacion |
5.12 | Thompson | Yu Darvish |
6.01 | Thompson | Freddie Freeman |
6.02 | Andres | Dylan Bundy |
6.03 | Minnix | Johnny Cueto |
6.04 | Moyer | Dee Gordon |
6.05 | Cederholm | Ike Davis |
6.06 | Gardner | Jesus Montero |
6.07 | Walton | Allen Craig |
6.08 | Van Riper | Adrian Gonzalez |
6.09 | Michaels | Jason Kipnis |
6.10 | Heaney | Austin Jackson |
6.11 | Gordon | Joe Mauer |
6.12 | Zola | Cole Hamels |
Click HERE for the draft listed by team on a spreadsheet.
Here is a brief review of the thought process for my picks as well as some comments on other picks I favored or disagreed with. Please feel free to comment below and we will try to reply back as soon as possible.
1.01 Ryan Braun: More a pro-Braun than anti-Trout pick (see this MASTERSBLOG post), I just favor the tried and true over the up and coming. Braun has a proven track record that combines durability with excellence and is still relatively young, turning 29 in mid-November.
2.12 Ian Kinsler: I admit to fashioning the proverbial man-crush on Kinsler so I understand this pick could raise some eyebrows. The problem with Kinsler is inconsistency. His floor is Howard “don’t call me Howie” Kendrick while his ceiling is Carlos Gonzalez with second base eligibility. Age is a concern as Kinsler turned 30 in June, but he still should have a handful of solid campaigns left. Durability is also an issue, but my feelings about not worrying about health much aside, Kinsler has played 155 and 157 games the previous two seasons.
3.01 Brett Lawrie: Time to start adding some youth as well as (hopefully) shoring up an improving but still suspect fantasy position at the hot corner. In March, Lawrie, along with Eric Hosmer and Desmond Jennings, rocketed up in ADP as there is always a faction of drafters lusting after the shiny new toy. None of the three were worthy of their lofty draft status, but all remain candidates to be solid fantasy contributors and I like Lawrie to do it sooner than later.
4.12 Manny Machado: If this were a real draft, I just locked up my corner, but I would have done so anticipating Machado is moved back to shortstop right away. I admit this is a bit of a chance as he is not assured of a spot on the Orioles’ opening day roster, but it would take quite a confluence of events to send the surprise call-up back to the farm for more seasoning. Prospecting is not my niche, but the comp I’ve heard quite frequently from those I trust is Hanley Ramirez without the attitude. The main reason I was willing to chance such an unproven commodity is if this were a real draft, at some point we would be taking the older players. It is my experience that in a draft of this nature, there will be a couple of owners looking at youth from the get-go, eschewing the players a bit longer in the tooth, but yet still productive to help for the next couple of years, if not longer. I’d be the guy willing to pick up those scraps and fortify my chances to win sooner as well as later.
5.01 Jose Reyes: OK, so now I’ve locked up either my middle or corner, but I’ll somehow manage to piece together a legal lineup. Reyes turned 29 in June so I hope to squeeze at least three but hopefully more stellar years out of him. The injuries are a concern, but like I said when I picked him, it’s not like everyone else has a roster replete with guys that will go 162. I’ll take the chance, especially knowing I have Machado also on the team, meaning I can use either a second baseman or shortstop to replace him if he were to go down.
6.12 Cole Hamels: Coming into the draft, I wanted to choose one from Matt Moore, Yu Darvish, Jered Weaver or Hamels as my first pitcher. At the 3/4 turn, I sensed at least one would be available if I waited so I did just that and alas, both Hamels and Weaver were there. As I announced when I made this pick, it was actually a coin flip between Hamels and Weaver with the loser being my first pick in the next round, which was the very next pick.
Overall, I feel I balanced a couple of older vets (Kinsler and Reyes) with a pair of emerging stars (Lawrie and Machado), glued together by Braun. I love starting my staff with the proven but still relatively youthful Weaver and Hamels. In a real draft of this nature, my guess is I’d be more willing than most to jump on the older but still productive starters to fill out the middle of the staff while saving the darts for the end.
COMMENTS ON OTHER PICKS
Giancarlo Stanton: This is a matter of philosophy more than anything and is also apropos to how I will treat him in 2013 redraft leagues. While I concede he has the most power potential in the league, I am still leery of the excessive strikeout rate with health being a secondary concern. If your philosophy is second place is first loser, then Stanton’s your man.
Joey Votto: Out of sight, out of mind. Votto’s injury has made a few people forget how good he is (myself included) and could actually be a value play come the spring.
Bryce Harper: I have no issues with taking Harper this early, so long as the plan is to win in 2015-2017. Heck, it wasn’t that long ago that the debate was Trout versus Harper. Presently, the debate is Trout versus Miggy for MVP and it will soon be a ménage-a-trios with Braun for the first overall pick.
Starlin Castro: Love the pick Nick, just maybe not the spot. I think this over indulges the scarcity element. On the other hand, like I alluded to with Harper, if your intention is to win in 2015-2017, I can see taking him here to lock him up and then making up for the lost stats later as even with the positional bump accounted for, I just don’t see Castro’s numbers as first round quality for the next couple of seasons, maybe in ’15.
Justin Upton: Would have taken him third, after only Braun and Trout. Guess you could say I’m still a believer. I hope to snag him in the second round in a bunch of drafts this upcoming season, perhaps even late first.
Buster Posey: Will have an NFBC ADP between 8-12 this spring, just you watch. I think it is warranted, but strategically, I’m not taking a catcher that early. In this draft, my concern would be if Posey is still catching in a couple of years.
Melky Cabrera: I’m assuming this will be questioned so I’ll just say that my gut says Steve just wanted to make the point that in his opinion, Cabrera’s numbers will not fall much as opposed to thinking he is a top-36 player overall, although with Steve you never know. Using the latter as the presumption, from a strategic perspective, I prefer to garner more counting stats from my hitting cornerstones and not realize so much of his value from batting average.
Wilin Rosario: Selfishly, I hope Jock is right as he is a keeper on my XFL squad. My concern is not just his unsightly strikeout rate, but there is some question as to whether he can stick at receiver defensively. That said, I am going to put together a list of names that will be “NFBC darlings” and Rosario will be the poster child.
Paul Goldschmidt: Another example of an NFBC darling, Goldschmidt is getting some serious love. Granted, my recent track record is anything but staunch, but it was not all that long ago that Goldschmidt was losing at-bats to Lyle Overbay.
LYLE OVERBAY!!!!
{jcomments on}It’s T-12 hours until my flight to Phoenix, Arizona is scheduled to take off. I don’t know whether to be giddy I’m getting away from the mess that Hurricane Sandy has left my East Coast brethren or guilty that I’m not going to have to deal with the inevitable aftermath.
Truth be told, this trip means a lot to me. I am heading to the First Pitch Arizona Fantasy Baseball Symposium put on by Baseball HQ’s Ron Shandler and Rick Wilton. It’s at this event that I first met Rob Leibowitz and Lawr Michaels, some twelve years ago. Jason Grey would be on the list as well though I technically met him earlier that summer at his wedding reception.
If I had to list the top-ten weekends in my life, that first conference would no doubt be front and center. I’m still not exactly sure why, perhaps because Ron advertised the event more, but there was a plethora of fledgling fantasy baseball web sites along with Mastersball and CREATiVE SPORTS that attended the 2000 symposium. Trace Wood of LongGandhi.com, John Mosey of John Mosey Baseball along with Bob Kohm and Byron Cox of Rotojunkies.com were also there.
Jason, Rob, Lawr, Mosey, Trace and I comprised what came to be called “The Evil Panel.” Part of the festivities was a unique auction that was the brainchild of Ron. Instead of the participants tabling names for bid, in essence controlling the flow of the auction, Ron thought it would be interesting if players were instead nominated by an independent panel not participating in the actual bidding. Furthermore, in order to really alter the dynamic of the auction, there was to be a bit of madness to the method of the nomination order. Basically, Ron’s instructions were “I want you to <insert naughty word here> with them.”
So the Evil Panel convened and concocted several schemes to incur the wrath of the unsuspecting participants. The initial irritant was waiting to nominate an upper echelon player. As you know, the early stage of an auction is replete with the better players. Not this time. Part of the majesty of this experiment was not only being unsure of when we would call out a player, but also IF we would do so. The bidders had to decide whether to jump on what appeared to be an early bargain or save their funds for someone they liked, taking the chance we would opt to make him available. If nothing else, waiting to bring out a top player sent the message this was not going to be your normal day at the office.
Some of the participants figured out we were instructed to be bastards, others were downright pissed at us. My role on the Panel was to track the winning bids, announcing the team purchasing the player and the amount. To further the consternation, without even letting my fellow Evil Panelists in on the ploy, I purposely “forgot” or “mispronounced” the names as I called out the winning bids, which further irked some the participants, even putting a couple of teams on tilt. Some other means of tweaking the participants were calling out about twenty injury riddled players in succession then tabling every Pedro in the Majors before finally offering up Pedro Martinez, then the consensus best pitcher, if not best player in fantasy baseball.
The auction took place in three stages and after the second stage, we literally had half the assembled conference members upset with us. Keeping in mind we all were trying to establish web sites and earn credibility and reputations, perhaps we went a bit overboard, but we were only doing as we were told. Fortunately, Ron sensed what was occurring and defused the situation setting the stage for a much more comfortable final stage where we could focus on making sure we were able to fill everyone’s roster within the allotted time. But that didn’t stop us from one last gag, as we had purposely withheld nominating a single New York Yankee, making the participants ponder if the plan was to continue to shun the Bronx Bombers the whole time or save them for the end. The initial plan was to indeed omit the Yankees, but we eventually relented and the last twenty or so names auctioned were Yanks.
As it turned out, doing the Evil Panel ended up being beneficial as by the end, everyone understood this was as much of a laboratory as it was a draft. It was a fantastic way for my fellow panelists and I to get to know some people and in effect put our web sites on their radar. Though, I am pretty sure most of them still think I’m a moron for continually forgetting and mispronouncing their names.
While I have preferred to take a passive approach when it comes to building a reputation and making a name in the industry, I would be lying if I said I was not a little proud about the fact I was the first one of “my crowd” to be asked to speak at and not just attend the conference. I have always sort of relished if not enjoyed playing the role of the trusty sidekick, but it meant a lot to me to be asked to be a speaker before my buddies Jason and Lawr. Of course, we are all now regular speakers and are psyched to finally welcome Brian Walton to the fraternity as he will be participating as well.
There have been many other special personal moments over the past twelve years. Attending the seventh game of the 2001 World Series with Jason is a memory I’ll never forget. Being asked to take John Hunt’s spot in the inaugural XFL draft was a thrill. Having “my own table” at the tenth anniversary symposium was really neat. The set-up was each speaker was assigned to a table and was joined for dinner by a group that wanted to meet him. I am anticipating another very special moment this year as Rick Wilton, who has been battling cancer is expected to make his anxiously awaited return after missing the last couple of years.
Looks like I answered my own question – giddiness trumps guilt.{jcomments on}