Draft Day (Hour 7 & 8)

10:07pm Every team is looking to fill a few spots as we begin Hour 7. I'm down to a Middle Infielder and a couple Pitchers. This is where folks save up to try to grab a young up-and-comer at bargain basement prices.

10:10pm And, as I type, I fill one more position, Middle Infield, with Donnie Murphy for 20 cents.

10:15pm Then make a move, possibly for next year, by locking the injured Joel Zumaya in for 40 cents.

10:23pm And, my team is complete with Adam Loewen for 60 cents. Didn't accomplish my offensive goal, but hopefully can deal some pitching to improve. Now I get to sit and watch the rest of the draft play out, and hope some of my sleepers slip into the reserve round. With this group, I doubt it.

10:25pm Kenny Lofton is off the board. Another example of the "last seen" rule. Good pickup for a dime, assuming he lands somewhere and doesn't sit out the season.

10:40pm If this tells you where we are, the last five players taken were Morgan Ensberg, Kendry Morales, Manny Delcarmen, Rafael Perez, and Sean Casey. Not terrible players, in fact, a couple guys that could help if things break the right way.

11:00pm Still plowing through late round guys. Top prospects Matt Wieters and Travis Snider have been dimed.

11:17pm We're off to the reserves, which will happen too fast. I'll have a post-mortem on the night soon!

Draft Day (Hour 6)

9:00pm Hour 6 begins. Jarrod Washburn is the top-of-the-hour selection. He goes for a dollar. Vic Gideon says he hopes Washburn's 15 losses look good for another team.

9:06pm I make my first selection of the hour by bringing Coco Crisp on board for 50 cents. I'm banking on a trade, or the eventual JD Drew injury.

9:12pm The centerpiece of the Johan Santana trade, Carlos Gomez, is drawing heavy interest. He's our first player in the $1.90 range in a while. Folks are banking on steals.

9:15pm Believe it or not, Frank Thomas has lasted this long. He goes for the same amount as Carlos Gomez.

9:23pm Scrappy players David Eckstein and Nick Punto are gone. They don't bring you much, but they also only went for a combined 50 cents.

9:37pm And, I've completed a lackluster offensive effort, by adding Cliff Floyd for 80 cents. Looks like another good pitching, poor hitting season for me!

9:47pm Sammy Sosa goes for the minimum. He's not on a roster right now, so we have what's called the "last sighted rule." Since Sosa was last seen in the American League, he's eligible for our draft.

Draft Day (Hour 5)

8:04pm Hour 5 starts off with Luke Scott's number called. Former Tribe farmhand goes for $1.50. Could be a nice pick at that price.

8:13pm We're onto middle tier middle infielders, with Julio Lugo, Marco Scutaro and Alexei Ramirez up in quick succession. How high will Ramirez go? It's $1.00 for the promise of getting a young Alfonso Soriano.

8:17pm You know you're in a deep keeper league when the bidding really slows down over Wilson Betemit.

8:20pm The catching scrum resumes, as the bidding has erupted around Miguel Olivo. Well, not erupted, but one owner still needs both catcher positions filled. And he'll get one for 40 cents.

8:22pm An interesting name surfaces ... Bartolo Colon. Couple years ago this guy was a four-dollar pitcher. Now, we're crawling along in dime increments for him. He supposedly looked good last night, could be a bargain. He goes for 80 cents.

8:26pm This is when the draft gets strange. A mix of useful players, and young players not yet established. Carlos Quintin goes for a dollar.

8:30pm Channel 3 Sports Anchor Joe Brown continues to make cameo appearances, consulting with Reporter Vic Gideon on his team. Joe just expressed some disappointment that Vic has only picked one player in the last hour. Anchor Lydia Esparra also trying to figure out exactly what we're doing.

8:40pm Team financials entering the picture. One team is down to needing a single player, and has a buck-60 to spend on that player. Another team needs four players, but can't spend more than 20 cents on any of them.

8:50pm And the first dime player is sold! Mike Timlin's name is tossed out, and earns no bids. Always a good time when that happens.

8:52pm And our first roster is filled! Brandon McCarthy goes to the Unicorns, and he is done with the active roster. He leaves a dollar on the table, but only because he had a lot of good, young, cheap keepers.

Draft Day (Hour 4)

7:02pm Our journey toward the first minimum salary player gets closer to the end. Octavio Dotel goes for 20 cents.

7:15pm We've taken a break to stretch ... back at it with Macier Izturis on the board!

7:34pm Vernon Wells finally tossed out there. One of the last good players out. We're getting to the nitty gritty. I'm in on the bidding, but bowing out soon. He's at the $3 mark right now.

7:41pm We've just had a Tike Redman reference. We're at that stage of the game.

7:43pm To Jeff: I am blogging! Doesn't mean I can't bid on Dana Eveland!

7:45pm I've tossed out JD Drew to see what happens. I had to live through him last year, not looking forward to it again. He's approaching $2-land quickly today.

7:50pm The run of the injury-riddled players continues with Scott Rolen on the board. It's a slow burn to the $1.20 mark, and it ends there.

7:54pm Hideki Matsui makes a late appearance. I go up to $3.40 on him in hope he can help my teetering offense. I'm down to needing 5 players with $2.50 left in salary. Bargain hunting time!

7:59pm And the injured players keep coming, with Milton Bradley out there. Boy, he's an attractive player if he could stay on the field. Just like the other guys above.

Draft Day (Hour 3)

6:00pm We've just forced an owner into a $2.00 bid for George Sherrill. Told him the other owner, bidding online, didn't think he had it in him to go to two bucks. He did. The online owner bowed out.

6:01pm And, I've brought another longtime guy home to roost. Mike Sweeney is a Hersh-Hyser. I always get suckered into buying him, and here we are together again. Don't get hurt Mike, please.

6:16pm The $2.00 mark seems to be the ceiling folks hesitate to crash through right now. We're hitting that point in the draft, with a lot of sure-fire winners leaving the board. Jeremy Bonderman was the latest to have people drop by the wayside around two bucks.

6:17pm Dontrelle Willis is tossed out for a dime. The lowest price available. Not a lot of confidence in him switiching leagues in the room. Bids don't go into $2 range easily.

6:25pm Plenty of arguing about Ryan Garko. It happens at the $2.50 mark. Hm. Wondering Garko versus Korerko at $3.40.

6:29pm Cheapest player has just gone. Gerald Laird for 30 cents. Most of the good catchers were protected, so some folks needed to fill spots.

6:30pm One owner has just thrown out 3 players already protected. Commissioner's reponse: "Are you looking at the rosters?" Fifth time's the charm!

6:34pm We're getting loopy. Bids for Josh Hamilton lead to comments about Rod Steiger and "The Illustrated Man." He's now up to $3.50. And he's mine for that price.

6:51pm Money is starting to get tight for teams, this is when the bidding really slows down as people start looking for bargains and figuring how much they have left. One owner keeps trying to dime a catcher, but can't succeed.

6:58pm The last few strong players start going. Raul Ibanez is up to $2.50 right now as we wrap up Hour 3. He won't top $3 but is a nice player for what's left.

Draft Day (Part 2)

5:00pm Second hour of the draft begins with Bobby Abreu going for $4.00. I think another good value bid. He ended the year with my team in 2007, with a salary of $4.70.

5:05pm The trash-talking begins, as a 3-time champion is told his era is over. He owned the league in the early days, but hasn't won in a while. He was last year's bridesmaid, however. When I announced this post to the league, the trash-talking rolled on! The former owner was told he owned the league in both the "dead-ball" and "pre-steroid" eras.

5:09pm I've just done what's being called "denigrate, denigrate, denigrate, BID!" The subject, Travis Hafner. I maintained he was done as an impact hitter, then bid him up. He goes for $3.70, well above my denigrated bid of $3.10.

5:13pm Running joke now is the commissioner claiming he forgot to cut Mike Mussina. I yelled "How'd he get on my roster!" There's also been an Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer reference.

5:16pm Just found out the defending champion's teenage daughter is drafting for him. She also helped pick his team last year, and he won. That makes me feel good.

5:18pm Another former Hersh-Hyser is back on the team, as I pick up Michael Young for $3.10. I'm not unhappy with it. I had him as a Bonus Baby way back in the day.

5:22pm We've had our first injury of the day. One owner now complaining of a broken nail. And it's not the teenage girl who's drafting with us! I just saw it, however, and it is ugly and painful looking :)

5:25pm Another seemingly good buy, as Manny Ramirez goes for $4.40. We'll see how good these look at the end of the year, but I like that deal.

5:31pm Slow bidding on Johnny Damon, so I toss in a bid of 1.90. I get outbid, but he feels like a deal at that number. Poker faces are coming out. Well, at least the ones that are here in person, and not taking part in the chat room.

5:34pm Talking about serviceable players, the following line comes out ... "Give me a team of serviceable players, and I'll give you a fifth place finish!"

5:35pm Injured closer BJ Ryan is on the board. Interesting strategy to try to sneak someone through cheap right now. I bid him up to 80 cents before bowing out as the price crosses the one dollar threshhold. He goes to the owner who punts saves. Joke emerges: "They'll bring him back as an outfielder."

5:43pm Last year's runner-up has uttered the phrase "I don't know how he won last year" ... referring to the champ. The bridesmaid's team has been called the "Anti-Seabiscuit."

5:50pm Another interesting player is on the board. The Three True Outcomes King ... Jack Cust. He should be fun to watch, that's for sure. He goes for $2.30

Draft Day! (Hour 1)

Well, it's draft day here in the Lou Proctor League ... we're set for an (at least) 6-hour affair, based out of a conference room at WKYC.

About half our league participates in person, with the other half in a chat room.

I'm as ready as I'll ever be, armed with the following:

My 2008 copy of Baseball Prospectus (one of two in the room right now.)

Printouts of all the available free agents.

Even a copy of cbssports.com magazine on the draft ...

Do I have an edge? Nope!

I kind of long for the days of reading the transactions sections of newspapers, and calling moves in on voicemail. The internet has really leveled the playing field as far as research is concerned. Now, it comes down to bidding, confidence, and luck!

So, stay tuned, as I give semi-live updates when we get rolling!

4:19pm We are underway! First player on the board is Richie Sexson! Not what I expected, but here we go. Remember, this is a $30 salary cap league. He goes for $1.30. The winning bidder just said "Are you kidding me, I paid that?"

4:21pm Magglio Ordonez on the board. That's more like it. He goes for $4.50. That's where he should be.

4:23pm Vladimir Guerrero out there. $5.1 -- Good buy I think. I couldn't pull the trigger to go higher though. Probably a mistake. A-Rod was protected at $5.9, will he still be our top paid player?

4:26pm The first pitcher is out there, and it's Erik Bedard. Bad spring and all. Not stopping the bidding in this room, he's quickly moved past $4.00. Bidding finishes at $4.10.

4:34pm I toss Joe Blanton on the table. Don't really need him, but just trying to get some bidding out there.

4:41pm The first Hersh-Hyser is Paul Konerko for $3.40. I could have protected him for $3.70. So, he's back for 30 cents cheaper, and gives me some power.

4:42pm K-Rod is on the board. The first, and best, closer that's out there. $3.60 is the final bid, and that's a good price I think.

4:46pm And, Miguel Cabrera is nominated! Let's see where this goes. He's the highest bid player of the day at $5.50. Short of A-Rod, but more than Vlad. Right about where I thought he would be.

4:50pm And the closer run starts. Mariano Rivera on the board. Not a lot of saves still out there following the proteced lists. Interestingly enough, it's slow bidding for a while. Then, he goes for a dime MORE than last year. Might be some position scarcity.

4:55pm Carl Crawford breaks the five dollar ceiling. Helps you in every category. Love this guy, had him as a Bonus Baby way back when, before he became the impact player he is today.

Draft Eve Blog-A-Palooza

Well, it's the eve of draft day in my league ... and, now that all the rosters are in, I'm a little worried.

I figured I could make a splash with some big bucks offensive additions, but I know see I'll be competing against some other well-stocked teams.

Of course, I was hoping for some pop at the corners, and other than Miguel Cabrera, the 3B available quickly drop down to the Iwamura/Inge/Chavez/Rolen section of the world.

Gulp.

There's a little more variety at 1B, but it isn't long before you drop down to Richie Sexson.

I need help in the OF too ... and that's a little more stocked.

Interesting fact: 13 catchers protected in our league. VERY slim pickings out there for the rest of the bidders.

By the way, our league commissioner (an entertaining writer), has launched a blog just about our league.

Here's what he said about my protected list.

"Want some saves? Go begging to the newly renamed HERSH-HYSERS. They’ve got about 70 saves lined up for less than two bucks between Jonathan Papelbon and Joakim Soria. That’s just part of what could be a dynamite pitching staff, what with cheapies Fausto Carmona, Chien-Ming Wang, Ervin Santana, and Paul Byrd loaded and locked in through next year.As for the hitters – well, they’ve got some. But they’re the type that inspire women to show off ugly purses while exclaiming, “And I got it for half off!” If low, low prices make for a good offense, then perhaps the new Hersh-Hysers logo should be a bouncing smiley face. But at least they have two more catchers than the Steins! (And Dustin Pedroia on the Bonus Babies.)"

So .. if you want to follow my league through a second blog ... click here:
http://louproctorleague.blogspot.com/

I'll also be providing updates from our draft, which gets underway tomorrow at 4 pm.

It's just a game: 2K8 baseball preview

I enjoyed the Sweet 16 simulation I did on College Hoops 2K8 so I figured I would see what 2K Sports would produce when it came to baseball. Using Major League Baseball 2K8, I simulated the entire baseball season to see how teams will finish and which players will have the big years. Obviously this is just for fun, but it's interesting to see how things turned out. Here are some results:


AMERICAN LEAUGE
East Champ: New York Yankees
Central Champ: Cleveland Indians
West Champ: Los Angeles Angels
Wild Card: Boston Red Sox

Batting Leader: Victor Martinez, .351
HR Leader: Vladimir Guerrero, 51
RBI Leader: Alex Rodriguez, 170
Runs Leader: Bobby Abreu, 144
SB Leader: Chone Figgins, 63

Wins Leader: Chien-Ming Wang, 18
Saves Leader: Francisco Rodriguez, 51
ERA Leader: Daisuke Matsuzaka, 2.90

MVP: Alex Rodriguez (.269, 48 HR, 170 RBI, 140 Runs, 31 SB)
Cy Young: Daisuke Matsuzaka (16-8, 2.90 ERA)
Rookie of the Year: Jacoby Ellsbury


NATIONAL LEAGUE
East Champ: New York Mets
Central Champ: Milwaukee Brewers
West Champ: Colorado Rockies
Wild Card: San Diego Padres

Batting Leader: Prince Fielder, .324
HR Leader: Ryan Howard, 50
RBI Leader: Mark Teixeira, 149
Runs Leader: Jose Reyes, 134
SB Leader: Jose Reyes, 90

Wins Leader: Franklin Morales, 20
Saves Leader: Trevor Hoffman, 53
ERA Leader: Johan Santana, 2.62

MVP: Mark Teixeira (.284, 47 HR, 149 RBI, 127 Runs)
Cy Young: Johan Santana (17-7, 2.62)
Rookie of the Year: Franklin Morales


AL PLAYOFFS
Yankees defeat Indians, 3-1
Angels defeat Red Sox, 3-1

Yankees defeat Angels, 4-1


NL PLAYOFFS
Brewers defeat Rockies, 3-1
Mets defeat Padres, 3-1

Mets defeat Brewers, 4-1


WORLD SERIES
Mets defeat Yankees, 4-1


So, apparently the addition of Johan Santana was the key for the Mets. The Yankees and Red Sox might now be kicking themselves for not pulling the trigger on deals to bring the lefty to their rotations. Now we'll just have to wait and see if things really play out this way.



Noteworthy performances from some Indians:

Victor Martinez - .351, 25 HR, 104 RBI, Best Hitting Catcher award, All-Star
Travis Hafner - .315, 34 HR, 48 2B, 109 RBI, 105 Runs, All-Star
Grady Sizemore - .255, 18 HR, 52 2B, 70 RBI, 99 Runs, 27 SB, Best Fielding CF award
Jhonny Peralta - 19 errors (league leader)
C.C. Sabathia - 14-11, 3.56, All-Star
Fausto Carmona - 12-9, 3.74
Cliff Lee - 16-9, 3.86, All-Star

One Game Does Not A Season Make

So, the first big league game is in the books ... and you can already see the ripple effects in your drafts!

I always think its fun to draft a week (or a few games) into the season, because players get unnaturally over or under valued.

My best story is from my first year in the Lou Proctor League.

We drafted while the Tribe was playing a home game against the Twins. Brad Radke was making his big league debut and absolutely baffled the Indians hitters in the contest. Well, he went for more than $1 in my league (salary cap of $30 remember), and delivered a perfectly crappy rookie season.

So, what can we take away from today's Red Sox - A's tilt in the Orient?

Well, if you play in an auction league, Brandon Moss just got a little more expensive. Replacement for an already injured JD Drew? Check. Clutch 9th inning homer to tie game? Check. Been on prospect lists for a while? Check! Get ready to pay more.

Also, JD Drew himself probably costs a little less today, since there are ALREADY injury concerns. I picked him up last year, and won't make the same mistake this time around (unless he comes real cheap.) Needless to say, he wasn't a keeper for me.

If Huston Street is up for bid in your league, well, you're bidding on an ugly Game 1 line ... and already have a loss! Will he be this bad all season? Probably not, so bid accordingly (and remember the injury risk here too!)

Daric Barton drew 3 walks in the game ... a good start for a good prospect! And Jack Cust whiffed all 4 times he came up! Is last year's cinderella turning back into a pumpkin? Or will you have to enjoy those 200 K's that go with 100 BB's, a bad batting average and big-time pop?

Cust is available in our league ... I'm eager to see what happens.

Roster Deadline

Well, our keeper deadline has come and gone, and I've decided who will form the foundation of my team heading into the draft.

Remember, we play in a deep American League only, keeper league. Salary cap is $30 ...

So, here's who I kept ... with their salaries.

C Ramon Hernandez (1.9)
C Mike Napoli (.5)
1B Ben Broussard (.8)
2B Asdrubal Cabrera (.5)
3B Melvin Mora (.8)
OF Jason Michaels (.3)
OF David Murphy (.5)

P Paul Byrd (.5)
P Fausto Carmona (1.5)
P Jonathan Papelbon (1.3)
P Ervin Santana (1.5)
P Joakim Soria (.5)
P Chieng-Ming Wang (1.5)

Plus ... I retained 3 Bonus Babies (their salaries don't count against our $30 at the beginning of the year)

2B Dustin Pedroia
OF Adam Lind
P Radhames Liz

So, looking over my roster, I basically chose to keep affordable starters. Broussard & Mora should be ok for .8. And, if they aren't, I didn't keep them for that much. I'm hoping for a bounce-back season from Hernandez. My biggest stretch, of course, is Ervin Santana. He can't be as bad as he was last year, right?

So, what do I need going into the draft?

Well, obviously some offense. I need some thumpers at 3B and the OF ... plus my 3 UT spots. I'm waiting for some other teams to make their cuts, to see what's available. But, I'm thinking Miguel Cabrera could be a BIG target for me right now.

I do have 4 starters (all on what should be good teams) and 2 closers, so most of my cash is going to be spent on some pop for my lineup.

As for my financials, I have to fill 11 active roster spots, and have 17.9 to spend, which isn't a terrible ratio. I won't go above the minimum (.1) for my MI spot, because I'll end up re-promoting Pedroia from my Bonus Babies when the season begins. So, I need to target 10 players who can help me into contention.

Russ, and anyone else, watcha think of my keepers? Any advice for me?

The Calm Before The Storm

Well, this is why people think we're crazy.

After a busy day at work, I came home to approximately 28 emails from fellow league owners. We're debating rules changes for the upcoming season.

The first is a no-brainer, we're probably going to increase our entry fee for the first time in 15 years or so.

The second is a proposal to remove our 5th OF slot and turn it into a third utility position. I like this as well. If you read below, you'll see just how deep our keeper league is.

Many times, with 5 OF spots to fill, there aren't actually enough outfielders in the AL to fill our rosters once injuries hitting. Plus, I like the idea of having an extra utility spot to strategize with.

The third proposal is the one we're haggling over.

Currently, it takes 3 owners in our league to protest a trade. There's a proposal to up that to 5 owners (which would be half the owners not involved in the deal.)

There's a counter-proposal to LOWER it to 1 owner.

And, there's a third idea floating about to set up a committee and alternates to judge EVERY trade and pass judgement.

And if you're wondering, we do argue about trades. A lot.

Anyone out there care to elaborate on how you folks avoid dump trades?

It's a mad(ness) world

It's NCAA Tourney time and, in my world, it's basically an unofficial holiday...that lasts three weeks. Unfortunately, when it comes to my brackets, the season hasn't been full of cheer this time around.

Don't get me wrong. The games have been great and it has been one of the most enjoyable tournaments in recent memory. The power teams don't seem as dominant as in past years and squads from smaller conferences have elevated their level of play. We have truly reached a point when anybody can beat anybody on a given night.

But there is always a pride factor in being able to predict (ok, "guess" might be a better word) which teams will win. The state of equality that is rooting itself in the NCAA is really messing with the ability to be accurate. In fact, my bracket sheet was a mess after the first day. Now it has more red slash marks than a Dan Quayle spelling test.

Being that my method didn't work this year, I figured I would try something else as we approach the Sweet 16 games. I'm using a video game to predict the outcomes. I decided to simulate the remainder of the tournament using College Hoops 2K8 on the Xbox 360. Obviously this is just something for the purpose of having fun and I wouldn't count on things turning out this way, but you never know. Anyway, here's the way things worked out:


SWEET 16

EAST
North Carolina 93, Washington State 63
Tennessee 100, Louisville 79

MIDWEST
Kansas 90, Villanova 59
Wisconsin 78, Davidson 69

SOUTH
Memphis 85, Michigan State 83
Stanford 86, Texas 56

WEST
UCLA 88, Western Kentucky 81
Xavier 88, West Virginia 82



ELITE 8

EAST
North Carolina 81, Tennessee 66

MIDWEST
Kansas 76, Wisconsin 62

SOUTH
Memphis 79, Stanford 76

WEST
UCLA 69, Xavier 66



FINAL 4

Kansas 105, North Carolina 75
Memphis 88, UCLA 67



CHAMPIONSHIP

Kansas 87, Memphis 79

Key performances:

KANSAS
Darrell Arthur - 11 pts., 7 reb., 2 blk.
Brandon Rush - 16 pts., 5 reb.
Russell Robinson - 13 pts., 6 reb., 5 asst., 3 stl.
Sherron Collins - 9 pts., 9 asst.

MEMPHIS
Derrick Rose - 16 pts., 10 asst., 2 stl.
Robert Dozier - 13 pts., 9 reb.
Joey Dorsey - 13 pts., 13 reb., 4 blk.


So there you have it. According to the simulation on College Hoops 2K8 (from 2K Sports), the Kansas Jayhawks are going to be the 2008 NCAA Champs. The key for Coach Bill Self's squad was Darrell Arthur. The sophomore forward averaged 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.3 blocks over the final four games. That's quite a performance!

Well, take it for what it is - a video game simulation of 15 games. I definitely can't say I buy into all the results, especially when considering some of the scores. But, after the bracket trouble I have had, who am I to argue?

Tribe time

Being that many people like to draft players from their favorite team, it seems to make sense to throw out the names of a few young players in the Cleveland system. This isn't an extensive list, just a some guys who could fly under the radar at drafts this year.

Josh Barfield, 2B - One belief is that Jesse's boy will begin the 2008 season at Triple-A, with Asdrubal Cabrera claiming the starting gig. There's a chance he could be used in a utility role, though the organization probably would want Barfield to get regular ABs. Or he just might do enough in Spring Training to stay at the top of the depth chart. Odds are it will be a trip to the minors or a utility job. But, for people in keeper leagues, don't overlook Barfield if one of those should happen. He's still young and has already shown the ability to produce at the major league level. He just happened to have a rough '07 season.

In the future, it's possible that Josh becomes the starting 2B again, with Cabrera sliding to his natural position of Shortstop. Obviously that would mean Jhonny Peralta moves to 3B or another team. Either situation seems reasonable.


Beau Mills, 3B - Should the team be looking for someone to man the hot corner after this season, there's a good chance it will consider this kid, even though many see 1B in his future. But fantasy is about offense and, regardless of position, Mills will probably be heard from sooner rather than later.

He raked in college and there's no reason to think he won't be at least a solid producer as a pro. He started off at Fresno State but, after two seasons, decided to transfer to the smaller world of Lewis-Clark State.

The surroundings may have changed, but Mills' ability didn't. He hit .458 with 38 homers, 22 doubles and 123 RBI in just 240 at-bats. The Indians were impressed enough to use the 13th overall selection in last year's draft to snag Beau, the son of former major leaguer Brad Mills.

If you can draft and stash with an eye toward 2009, he might be worthy of a roster spot. Casey Blake won't be here forever, folks.


Adam Miller, SP - Most fantasy owners already know about Miller and his seemingly unlimited potential. Personally, I'm not interested. I don't question the talent, I'm just worried about Miller's ability to stay healthy enough to use it. During his short minor league career, it seems one thing after another has kept this prospect from taking the hill every fifth day. Now he's still dealing with blisters suffered during winter ball. Maybe the finger issues represent the last of his ailments, maybe not. But, unless I have an extremely large roster and stashing him won't hurt, I'm more than willing to let someone else burn the roster slot on him.


Trevor Crowe, OF - Honestly, I wasn't too impressed with him when he was drafted. I see a slap hitter who can possibly serve as a back-up OF. For fantasy purposes, he may eventually provide a handful of steals, but I really don't think he'll offer much else.


Jeremy Sowers, SP - He had a great debut in 2006, but was overmatched in '07. Whether it was a lack of power stuff, an inability to make adjustments, or just a sophomore jinx, the results just weren't there for Sowers. But, there's a reason the organization loved this kid prior to his big splash two seasons ago and there's a chance he could claim the 5th spot in the rotation this year. More than likely he'll be sent to Triple-A for a little more seasoning, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. He's still young and getting off to a good start in the minors could be good for his confidence. If you have a relatively deep bench, take a chance on Sowers. If not, follow him closely and be ready to pounce if he looks to have regained his '06 form.

I'm not ready!

Most of us have been en route to a fantasy draft and proclaimed, "I'm not ready!" It's a pretty normal thought for draftniks. No matter how much studying is done, there's still a feeling that at least one stone has been left unturned. I'm here to tell you not to fight it. Embrace it. It can help you.

Every year I prepare for my league's draft by ranking players at each position based on the previous season's value (total points actually). This isn't necessarily the order I will draft them in, but it provides a nice base from which to work. It also stops me from overlooking those players that don't get much attention but quietly produce results. Yes, good fantasy owners should be aware of those players, but it can be easy to forget about them in the heat of the draft when superstars, prospects and sleepers are running through your brain.

I'll follow the happenings of Spring Training, hoping to see which players have recovered from injuries, which ones have developed ailments and whether any position battles are being clearly decided. As news becomes available, I'll make notes on my rankings, often highlighting in several different colors. Green might mean a player's value should be higher than his listing, pink would be a warning that he's not a good value, and yellow might indicate a player dealing with an injury.

There are many visits to websites - professional and personal - to get an idea of how others view the players heading into the season. If I think someone is going to be a Top 50 player but the general thought is that he's not a Top 100 performer, it lets me know that I might be able to wait a little longer before drafting him, providing even more value to the pick. It doesn't mean I'll definitely wind up with that player (somewhat may take him before I do), but knowledge of what the majority thinks is a very useful tool.

For players with limited MLB experience, I'll try to find out about their minor league production. Did they hit for average? Power? Both? Is a player's game based solely on speed? How often does a player K? A minor leaguer could club 40 home runs and tally 130 RBI, but if he strikes out 170 times, I'll probably shy away. The guy might be a stud immediately, but a high K total usually indicates early struggles in the Show. If minor league pitchers can miss his bat that often, just think about the trouble he will have putting the bat on the filth that major league hurlers can deal.

Those aren't all the things I do, but it's obvious that my preparation is extensive. But, despite that fact, I still go into drafts feeling unprepared. And, honestly, I think it helps.

That uneasy feeling keeps me on my toes at the draft and I'm always trying to stay one step ahead of the other owners. I'm looking for anything that can give me an advantage. Maybe it's spotting the beginning of a closer run. Perhaps it's knowing that only two teams need a starting catcher: mine and the guy picking right after me in a particular round. I might realize that teams are willing to take more risks with young, unproven players, meaning a large pool of solid veterans will be there for the taking. Whatever it is, I'm looking for an edge. I want it. I need it. Why? Because I'm not ready. I need any advantage I can find.

One thing to be wary of is feeling like you are ready and there's nothing more you can do: you're prepared, have gathered all the info possible and there's no way anyone can have a better draft than you. That type of thinking will knock you out of the running right away. It will lead to being lazy at your draft and things will slip right by you.

As the start of the season approaches, be sure to do all the things you have to in order to try to be fully prepared. Just know it isn't going to happen. You'll be heading to your draft and you'll utter, "I'm not ready." Don't get upset about it. Embrace it...then use it to conquer your draft.

A League Of My Own

Well, an e-mail went out yesterday from my league's commissioner. It's time to get ready once again.

So, what I'm going to do now is explain my background ... so those of you who actually read this can see where I'm coming from.

I'll be entering my 13th season in a locally-run fantasy league. And, what a league it is.

First off, you know it's a cool league, when it's named after a Cleveland telegraph operator who inserted his name into a box score in 1912 ... and appeared in the Baseball Register for years as a result. (For more on Lou Proctor, click http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lou_Proctor)

Another good sign ... the league's been around long enough to have purchased a brick near the Feller statue at Progressive Field.

And the last good sign, you have a diverse group of owners. Two of us work at WKYC (although our time in the league goes way back before we worked here). We have the author of the most recent Godfather books, a DFAS employee, the head of programming for a cable network, a local immigration attorney ... the list goes on and on. Impresive folks one and all.

Our league is what's known as a deep keeper league. And when I mean deep, I mean "get the bends when you try to surface too quickly" deep.

We have the fairly standard 12 owners, and play the fairly standard Rotisserie format.

What makes us deep is our rosters. We carry 24-man active rosters, 12-man minor league rosters, and 4-man "Bonus Baby" rosters. The Bonus Babies cannot have played above AA at the time of the draft.

So, yes, we basically have our own 40-man rosters. What makes this so fun is virtually every major league player is on a roster, with the exception a few scattered situational relievers.

We also run our draft in an auction format. Every player is tossed out, owner-by-owner, and bid upon. For some strange reason, we use a $30 salary cap, and bid in dime increments. Usually the best players go for around $6 ... and the worst go for a dime!

Of course, this forces the owners to clear an entire day for the draft. Yes, we have drafted in public places, where people are literally shocked that we're still at it after 8 hours or so.

The keeper aspect involves contracts. Whenever you draft a player, you can retain him for 3 years (4 for Bonus Babies). However, after the second season, you can choose to sign him to a long-term contract. The contract adds 50 cents to his salary for each year you want to keep him.

So, if you play the game smart, you can literally control a young player for years once he enters the league. I think it was 7 years before A-Rod was available at the draft, because someone owned him from his Bonus Baby Days, then signed him to a long-term deal.

Also, no matter how good or bad your team is, you have to keep between 8 and 16 players prior to the draft.

I'll get into other league rules, such as trades and such, later in the season. In the meantime, you can now see the decisions I'm wrestling with.

Among them:

Is Ben Broussard a keeper at .8?
What do I do with Brandon McCarthy at 1.2? Keep or toss back?
How about Ervin Santana at 1.5?
Do I sign Jonathon Papelbon to a contract, or ride out the last year of his deal at 1.3?

Got any advice for me? I'll post my full end-of-2007 roster in a bit ... for you to take a look at!