March 11, 2004

Pre and post Yahoo fantasy baseball draft trash talk thread. MORE INSIDE

posted by corpse to navel gazing at 06:26 PM - 67 comments

I got my lists, highlighters, comics, phone, cds. I blame my dismal performance last year on missing the draft, you all are going down this year.

posted by corpse at 06:28 PM on March 11, 2004

dorkwad. ;)

posted by Ufez Jones at 06:43 PM on March 11, 2004

Help! My draft tester worked at work (PC), but I'm at home now and my Mac (OS X.1.5) won't successfully test with either Internet Explorer or Netscape. Any ideas? Yahoo "help" has been of none.

posted by jeffmshaw at 06:46 PM on March 11, 2004

I'm going to teach all of you a lesson about beer.

posted by rocketman at 06:59 PM on March 11, 2004

jeff, I'm using Safari with no problem.

posted by dusted at 07:10 PM on March 11, 2004

And if for some reason you don't have Safari, IE 5 should work OK.

posted by dusted at 07:11 PM on March 11, 2004

Jeff, maybe the java applet or whatever it is overloaded on the server. And what Ufez Jones said. :)

posted by jasonspaceman at 07:14 PM on March 11, 2004

Thanks, all. Can't use Safari, 'cause I'm on OS X.1.5; I have IE 5.1, and it still isn't working. I'll pre-rank quickly and hope for the best.

posted by jeffmshaw at 07:24 PM on March 11, 2004

Been prepared with lists for over 2 months. Bring it on.

posted by jerseygirl at 07:26 PM on March 11, 2004

What about firefox or mozilla?

posted by corpse at 07:26 PM on March 11, 2004

Jeff, you still might be able to do the draft. Does the test system not come up at all or does it say it fails?

posted by jasonspaceman at 07:29 PM on March 11, 2004

yahoo, macs and java don't mix well in my experience. It's me, an unending supply of coconut rum and my lucky 1950s Braves hat. So when I draft Joe McEwing, you'll know the bottle's empty.

posted by wfrazerjr at 07:30 PM on March 11, 2004

Test system didn't work (it didn't come up), but I'm in the draft room OK in IE. I downloaded both Firefox and Mozilla, just to have a backup. Thanks all! Now, on to prove I know nothing about the NL.

posted by jeffmshaw at 07:35 PM on March 11, 2004

Draft order is up 1. San Shin 2. Springfield Isotopes 3. Sunset Park Superbas 4. ATL Crackhouse Gang 5. Broken Arrows 6. Seventh Inning Stretches 7. Raleigh Z Boys 8. Rockport Rassafrass 9. The Show 10. Kirk Gibson's Home Run 11. Pivo Pounders 12. Los Colcoes 13. Hot Shit 14. Crap City Crap Sox 15. Milwaukee Brewers 16. Elbow Tendantis 17. Dead Ballers 18. Lorreta's Scars

posted by corpse at 07:40 PM on March 11, 2004

Help! My browser hung up, and now I can't enter the draft room! Ack!

posted by rocketman at 09:17 PM on March 11, 2004

Oh well. To hell with fantasy baseball.

posted by rocketman at 09:27 PM on March 11, 2004

I got stuck in traffic for the first 4 rounds just to give you all a chance...I don't think it worked. You are all going down!

posted by pivo at 10:40 PM on March 11, 2004

... except me. None of you have three catchers, right? That must count for something.

posted by jeffmshaw at 11:14 PM on March 11, 2004

I had a carefully laid plan, and I stuck to it fairly well, but it just didn't go as well as I expected. I would line up my next three or four possible picks, and then you bastards would pick every one of them in the six or seven slots ahead of me! Several times it seemed like we were working from the same lists... Anyway, Shawn Chacón is on the trading block. He will be the Rockies closer this season. More info on him here. Or to get a wider look, try a google news search on him.

posted by dusted at 11:25 PM on March 11, 2004

I'm pretty happy with my team, although not getting Rocco Baldelli or Mark Texiera broke my little hard heart. Bring it on!

posted by wfrazerjr at 11:53 PM on March 11, 2004

I'm not sure how I feel about my team. I panicked some, and started to think I wasn't getting enough of some postions.

posted by corpse at 12:29 AM on March 12, 2004

corpse: Hellboy kicks ASS! My auto-draft however did not. My pitching is slightly above average. My line-up could use some pop. Rafael Palmeiro?! I better not hear any viagra jokes. I've got dibs on second to last place!!

posted by lilnemo at 02:09 AM on March 12, 2004

woo! I didn't pick boone! I forgot he was injured and see him sitting on the top of the pile of unpicked players. I hadn't excluded him so he coulda been mine if the roto auto draft gods wanted to hurt me. And my lineup, i dunno how it will do. wait and see i guess. but I should had a look at the fantasy stats settings. having my first fielder picked in the 5th round can't be all good.

posted by gspm at 03:12 AM on March 12, 2004

im pretty happy with the 04 edition of the isotopes.

posted by jerseygirl at 06:07 AM on March 12, 2004

Prepare for a season-long thrashing from the *giggle* Milwaukee Brewers *giggle*!!!! And if anyone needs a 2B, I've got four.

posted by rocketman at 06:21 AM on March 12, 2004

What do you think the chances are that 3/4 of your original draftees will be on your team at the end of the year? 1 in 5? 1 in 10? It's not the draft, kiddies, it's the waiver wire, free agent, trading aspect that can win this pool.

posted by grum@work at 06:43 AM on March 12, 2004

god i am so tired.

posted by jerseygirl at 08:30 AM on March 12, 2004

I think this year's autodraft is much better than my last attempt at it. I still need some help on the offensive backups though. As for pitching, I should just change my name to the Astros and be done with it.

posted by trox at 08:56 AM on March 12, 2004

rocketman, what's up with Rich Aurilia?

posted by corpse at 09:00 AM on March 12, 2004

we decide who is doing the weekly updates?

posted by jerseygirl at 09:27 AM on March 12, 2004

It won't be me. I'm not even smart even to keep my modem on-l /disconnect

posted by wfrazerjr at 09:32 AM on March 12, 2004

i dont know where to get all the info, otherwise, i'd give it a shot.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:36 AM on March 12, 2004

not I, i'm handling the ones for the other league.

posted by corpse at 09:51 AM on March 12, 2004

rocketman, what's up with Rich Aurilia? Milwaukee has no designated SS. It's only now that the draft is over that I realize I can designate the position for each player (which means yes, I can have Kieschnick hit!!!) So, who wants Rich? I'll trade for anyone, as long as they play for Milwaukee.

posted by rocketman at 10:58 AM on March 12, 2004

Of course, *I* would get post-juicing Barry Bonds.

posted by NoMich at 12:05 PM on March 12, 2004

I just wonder who does some of the pre-rankings for Yahoo. I'd bet that the majority of the people drafting last night knew more about baseball than the people paid to do that type of thing. I missed the first couple of rounds and the pre-draft kiddies are just not cool at all. S'ok though, grum's right, it's all about the swindles and the waiver.

posted by dfleming at 03:01 PM on March 12, 2004

I've got a question for the SpoFi Baseball Brain Collective: 1. Why is Alex Rodriguez considered less valuable now that he's playing third compared to his value playing shortstop? The decrease in the amount of fielding opportunities hit his way? 2. Do you expect a drop in ARod's home run numbers moving from Texas to NY, or do you think the lineup protection will offset the park differences? Thanks!

posted by dusted at 06:07 PM on March 12, 2004

1. Two reasons: First, SS is considered a more critical defensive position because most fielding chances go to the shortstop. Second, third base is traditionally considered a power position, while shortstop isn't. Hence, a power-hitting shortstop (which is thought to be rare) is considered more valuable than a power-hitting third baseman (which is not). I personally think this last is outdated, since good third basemen are arguably more rare these days, but that's what people say. 2. I don't except a significant drop-off in A-Rod's power. His splits weren't dramatically better at home anyway.

posted by jeffmshaw at 06:20 PM on March 12, 2004

My 2/100ths of a $: 1. At SS, even in this day still not a true "power" position, A-Rod's numbers are gaudy. At 3B A-Rod's type power numbers are somewhat expected, though he is still best bet at 3B at this time (unless Pujols gets qualed there again). That said I don't see this drop in value, even on Yahoo! he is #2 behind Pujols, who is just Roto Baseball gold at this point. Add to that that this year A-Rod will be dual-qualed at SS and 3B. Dual-qualed is always a nice luxury. 2. I wouldn't expect to much, if any drop off in A-Rod's numbers. He's good enough, and has proven to be very consistent in his production, that any of these new team/park factors/new division thing shouldn't have too much effect.

posted by pivo at 06:33 PM on March 12, 2004

or what jeffmshaw said...

posted by pivo at 06:35 PM on March 12, 2004

...and I missed the whole thing. I was home, sick, and I completely forgot about the draft. I haven't studied everyone's lineup yet, so I can't accurately predict if I'll finish 8th or 18th. Most surprising first round pick: Scott Podsednik. Wow!

posted by qbert72 at 05:01 PM on March 14, 2004

re: Scott Podsednik Oh! That was you?

posted by jerseygirl at 05:40 PM on March 14, 2004

re: Scott Podsednik Oh! That was you? Nope, that was rocketman. Podsednik is not a bad first pick if you're only drafting Brewers.

posted by dusted at 06:56 PM on March 14, 2004

I really hope Pod-zilla puts up numbers this year like he did last year. He's not really a power hitter, but he sure can get on base.

posted by rocketman at 08:35 PM on March 14, 2004

I like my team more and more every day. Pitching is suspect outside of schill and santana, and I'm pretty sure I'll tank the saves catagory once again. I love drafting young players, which will probably come back to bite me in the ass, but it's fun to pretend that they will all have breakout seasons.

posted by corpse at 02:29 PM on March 15, 2004

My pitching is suspect, too, but I don't have Schill or Santana. D'oh!

posted by jeffmshaw at 03:32 PM on March 15, 2004

Ugh. I'm all hitting and no pitching. Autodrafting in the 17th (of 18) spots ain't pretty.

posted by mbd1 at 05:44 PM on March 15, 2004

I just hope Nomar is really pissed and motivated this year. (And that he figures out what's wrong with his wristbands.)

posted by dusted at 06:02 PM on March 15, 2004

Wristbands batting gloves. I really like my team now, too. It's not what I expected going into the draft, but it's very strong in a lot of categories and weak in only one or two. I've got the potential for a ton of saves, which will come in handy if I need to make a trade later on. Let's get it on!

posted by dusted at 12:08 PM on March 16, 2004

I think dusted has the best team based on last years stats. He's the team to beat at this point.

posted by jasonspaceman at 12:21 PM on March 16, 2004

I thought jerseygirl was considering she won last year. Ugh. I missed the first few rounds and ended up with David freaking Wells.

posted by dfleming at 12:22 PM on March 16, 2004

jasonspaceman, did you manually tally up the stats for each team, or is there a site that will do that for you? I've been trying to find a site to compare fantasy teams, but I haven't found anything. Also, it's hard to know who is going to be used and who will be benched. And this is my first time playing fantasy baseball, so there's no way I'm the team to beat.

posted by dusted at 12:35 PM on March 16, 2004

i wish the season would start already! It's mid-March, we're about to get 12"+ of snow in Boston. Play ball!

posted by jerseygirl at 01:14 PM on March 16, 2004

No I didn't manually add up anything. I just took a quick glance over the teams and yours looked to be the overall best. Of course, that doesn't mean a thing now. But I think you did the best, overall. I am with Jerseyirl. Lets skip over this snow madness and just play some damn ball. I am tired of waiting!

posted by jasonspaceman at 02:26 PM on March 16, 2004

There is no way I am looking through 18 fantasy rosters to find the team to beat. I thought about doing a draft recap on my 'blog for about five seconds, and then realized how many players were drafted. Play ball, indeed!

posted by jeffmshaw at 02:37 PM on March 16, 2004

I'd just like to point out that my team is the only one that's currently 10-2 in preseason play.

posted by rocketman at 02:52 PM on March 16, 2004

Which proves is that preseason means absolutely nothing.

posted by dusted at 04:16 PM on March 16, 2004

Delete "is" from the above sentence.

posted by dusted at 04:17 PM on March 16, 2004

After saying I wouldn't look through all 18 rosters, I kind of did. Not to find the team to beat, but to do a brief and hopefully humorous set of team summaries. Standard disclaimers: I don't know anything about the NL, I have no idea how the league is going to turn out, and I whipped this out quickly while waiting for some work stuff to come through.

posted by jeffmshaw at 04:22 PM on March 16, 2004

I think its early to do a "team to beat", but I've sure got a title to uphold.

posted by jerseygirl at 05:34 PM on March 16, 2004

Urbina is headed to Japan and Lowell is injured? aww man! my team sucks.

posted by gspm at 01:36 AM on March 17, 2004

jeffmshaw: My team name (Broken Arrows) was chosen because of the disturbing military definition.

posted by grum@work at 08:42 AM on March 17, 2004

jeffm: good job on the writeups, but the pivo that is me is the Russian, not Czech, hence no Budvar or Urquell. I agree with most of what you said about my team. I was stuck in traffic, a monsoon and at 2 train crossings for rounds 1-4...every pick you wrote about, hehe. I was none too happy about Loaiza and Wilson myself.

posted by pivo at 12:20 PM on March 17, 2004

I've decided that I'm going to win. The rest of you might as well give up, put all your players on waivers and thank me for saving you an ass-kicking down the road.

posted by dusted at 06:43 PM on March 17, 2004

Since it's my first year in the league, I hope y'all won't think I'm impolite when I win. [Thanks for the notes on your team names, grum and pivo. Weird coincidence about the broken arrow happening near the baseball season. Shudder.]

posted by jeffmshaw at 09:11 PM on March 17, 2004

I'm going to reserve trash talk for when I'm actually placed somewhere... instead of tied for last place with all y'all.

posted by jerseygirl at 09:41 PM on March 17, 2004

The ugly: Hideo Nomo had a fantastic year in 2003. But Hideo Nomo is reportedly throwing 82 miles per hour in spring training. 82 MPH? Yikes! Please Hideo, tell me that you are just trying to save your arm for the season. Please? By the way, if you've never seen Dogtown and Z-Boys, you should. It's a wonderful documentary on the kids that revolutionized skateboarding in the 1970s. You don't even have to be a fan of skateboarding to enjoy it. Great soundtrack as well.

posted by NoMich at 03:08 PM on March 18, 2004

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