Ready for another season of baseball?

[Ghost]

I'm with you on getting rid of matsui....But Nady? I think he's been doing pretty good this year and deserves a chance to stay here.

Sad news is, we lost again last night

[mr_pikachu]

How long has it been since the Braves last missed the playoffs? The Mets definitely want it to happen this year... their recent six-game win streak has given them a 7.5 game lead in the NL East. What's worse for Atlanta is that's they're another 3.5 games behind second place; that is, they're 11 games behind New York! This could be the year that the consistent Braves finally falter...

And of course, the battle between the Tigers and the White Sox for the best record in baseball is crazy. I mean, come on! The ChiSox? Detroit?! If I suggested five years ago that this might happen, I'd have been deemed clinically insane.

On the other hand, I love the pressure that's being placed on the traditional AL East powers, the Yankees and Red Sox. It would just be perfect if we could find a way for them to both miss the playoffs... go Blue Jays!

And the Royals? They still suck. Better get used to it.

[Ghost]

ZOMG!!!! The Mets got rid of matsui!!!!!(old news, I know, but im still so effing happy). They apparently got Eli Marrero from the Rockies. Hopefully he turns out better the Matsui did

[Dark Dragonite]

Let's hear it for El Duque back in the Big Apple!!

Oh, and the only reason Detroit has a better record than the Mets is...They played 2 games more so far, if the Mets win those 2, and catch up, it's a dead tie...

Could it be a NY-Detroit Series looming?

Oh, and for a close to all-rookie team, with a rookie manager, Florida is still better than KC...LOL

[Perfect Chaos]

Yeah, I was SO surprised that they got rid of Matsui. I was hoping we could have gotten someone a LITTLE better, but I heard Marrero is decent enough, and Valentin is picking up the slack pretty well.

And what about that little hot streak Beltran's having now huh? Scored more runs in the Arizona series than the ENTIRE TEAM (Beltran: 10 runs ; Arizona: 9 runs). Pretty funny to hear. From what I last saw, he's batting .298, 18 HRs, 52 RBIs which is just friggin awesome.

Anybody know what happened to Floyd?

-Sean

[Dark Dragonite]

Floyd: Jun 14 Marty Noble, of Mets.MLB.com, reports New York Mets OF Cliff Floyd (ankle) remains out of the lineup with a sprained left ankle. Floyd was expected to return to the lineup Tuesday, June 13.

Jun 13 Floyd, out since twisting his left ankle while reaching third base on June 6 in Los Angeles, expects to be back Tuesday when the Mets open a three-game series at Philadelphia, the NY Daily News reports.
Recommendation: Floyd's return should push Lastings Milledge back to right field, and Endy Chavez again to a reserve role. But the outfield soon will get even more crowded as Xavier Nady may be ready to return next Monday from his appendectomy when the Mets start a series versus Cincinnati. With the team starting three straight series against the AL on June 23, manager Willie Randolph will be able to use Floyd as a DH and hope that the situation sorts itself out by the time the Mets resume play against the NL.

[Bulbasaur4]

[color=royalblue]
*comes streaking through the topic*
GO TWINS!!! I LOVE YOU JOE MAUER!

*is chased by security*

[Ghost]

Meh. Stupid Twins beating the Red Sox. Who hit that GS last night? BTW Matt Clement sucks.

Another win... I believe that makes it 7 or 8 in a row for the mets? BTW their playing right now and we're winning by one run. Hope Wagner doesn't blow it. SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP SWEEP*Knock on wood*

Also, from now on, Every week,seeing as Mr.Pikachu does all around baseball, i will update the Mets Stats. Jeez i think we need a fricken Mets Fan club discussion lol.

Name AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB OBP AVG
Reyes 276 52 72 12 8 6 31 29 35 28 .333 .261
Wright 250 42 84 18 2 13 47 30 48 10 .406 .336
Delgado 246 40 66 11 0 19 49 25 57 0 .350 .268
Lo Duca 212 30 61 14 0 3 18 11 15 3 .330 .288
Beltran 203 40 61 16 0 18 51 39 46 12 .412 .300
Floyd 181 25 43 10 1 6 19 19 24 4 .330 .238
Nady 161 23 43 8 0 9 22 12 31 2 .331 .267

[Perfect Chaos]

Wow, even Reyes looks like he has better power numbers than Floyd and Nady (lol) but that's because those two haven't played for a while. I hope Floyd can SOMEWHAT return to his 2005 form and Nady just plays decently (18-20 HR is not bad at all).

Yeah, I hope that we sweep the Phillies, cause then we come back home with like an 8 game winning streak X)

-Sean

[Dark Dragonite]

Sweep finished!!
Wagner was great, hell, even Sanchez, and Heilman pitched 2 great innings each!!

Wright hit another HR!!
MVP!! MVP!! MVP!!

They now have an 8 game streak going, 9-1 in a 10 game road trip from LA-Ari-Phi...not bad...
And, the best record in the League, thanks to Tampa beating the Tigers in extra last night!!

[Perfect Chaos]

Sweet! Now we just need to keep this up until the All-Star break and we'll be in the clear X)

And I heard that David Wright is leading all NL 3B in All-Star balloting. So this means we might have at least three Mets on the All-Star team this year X) (Wright, Beltran, and Lo Duca)

This is seriously FRIGGIN AWESOME

-Sean

[Ghost]

Wow I just realized we are 9 and a half games up... Fawesome.

I think this just might be the year. *Knock on wood again*

Also, I think it is awesome that Wright is leading 3B and that Beltran is playing as good as hes getting paid.

[mr_pikachu]

Yeah, I'm the all-around baseball guy.

And speaking of stats that concern everyone, it's time to take a look at the current leaders in voting for the 2006 All-Star Game!



AMERICAN LEAGUE

First Base
1 David Ortiz, Red Sox 915,362
2 Jason Giambi, Yankees 626,289
3 Paul Konerko, White Sox 429,572
4 Travis Hafner, Indians 364,246
5 Chris Shelton, Tigers 274,730

Second Base
1 Robinson Cano, Yankees 602,637
2 Mark Loretta, Red Sox 535,043
3 Tadahito Iguchi, White Sox 499,643
4 Placido Polanco, Tigers 268,728
5 Jose Lopez, Mariners 265,692

Third Base
1 Alex Rodriguez, Yankees 1,067,369
2 Mike Lowell, Red Sox 468,031
3 Joe Crede, White Sox 341,224
4 Troy Glaus, Blue Jays 338,899
5 Eric Chavez, Athletics 311,301

Shortstop
1 Derek Jeter, Yankees 1,121,712
2 Miguel Tejada, Orioles 776,442
3 Michael Young, Rangers 293,249
4 Alex Gonzalez, Red Sox 249,094
5 Juan Uribe, White Sox 232,635

Catcher
1 Jason Varitek, Red Sox 630,657
2 Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers 595,132
3 Jorge Posada, Yankees 489,480
4 A.J. Pierzynski, White Sox 370,020
5 Victor Martinez, Indians 324,575

Outfield
1 Vladimir Guerrero, Angels 1,115,476
2 Manny Ramirez, Red Sox 1,080,426
3 Johnny Damon, Yankees 754,396
4 Ichiro Suzuki, Mariners 677,392
5 Vernon Wells, Blue Jays 554,409
6 Gary Sheffield, Yankees 466,520
7 Jermaine Dye, White Sox 407,162
8 Scott Podsednik, White Sox 384,119
9 Hideki Matsui, Yankees 362,289
10 Coco Crisp, Red Sox 354,181
11 Torii Hunter, Twins 349,262
12 Trot Nixon, Red Sox 323,813
13 Magglio Ordonez, Tigers 315,390
14 Grady Sizemore, Indians 288,314
15 Jonny Gomes, Devil Rays 225,432


NATIONAL LEAGUE

First Base
1 Albert Pujols, Cardinals 1,442,273
2 Carlos Delgado, Mets 443,747
3 Ryan Howard, Phillies 352,555
4 Nomar Garciaparra, Dodgers 332,668
5 Lance Berkman, Astros 316,477

Second Base
1 Chase Utley, Phillies 732,592
2 Craig Biggio, Astros 581,079
3 Jose Castillo, Pirates 284,886
4 Marcus Giles, Braves 283,313
5 Jeff Kent, Dodgers 280,128

Third Base
1 David Wright, Mets 661,184
2 Scott Rolen, Cardinals 644,412
3 Morgan Ensberg, Astros 375,651
4 Miguel Cabrera, Marlins 352,951
5 Chipper Jones, Braves 347,546

Shortstop
1 David Eckstein, Cardinals 540,237
2 Jose Reyes, Mets 489,781
3 Edgar Renteria, Braves 483,639
4 Jimmy Rollins, Phillies 426,532
5 Omar Vizquel, Giants 293,628

Catcher
1 Paul Lo Duca, Mets 631,896
2 Mike Piazza, Padres 528,110
3 Yadier Molina, Cardinals 450,995
4 Brad Ausmus, Astros 360,412
5 Brian McCann, Braves 321,463

Outfield
1 Andruw Jones, Braves 813,990
2 Ken Griffey, Jr., Reds 761,091
3 Carlos Beltran, Mets 737,830
4 Alfonso Soriano, Nationals 736,907
5 Jim Edmonds, Cardinals 574,133
6 Jason Bay, Pirates 555,764
7 Bobby Abreu, Phillies 527,356
8 Barry Bonds, Giants 408,579
9 Aaron Rowand, Phillies 401,802
10 Carlos Lee, Brewers 401,503
11 Adam Dunn, Reds 304,364
12 Pat Burrell, Phillies 261,501
13 So Taguchi, Cardinals 250,433
14 Jeff Francoeur, Braves 250,375
15 Xavier Nady, Mets 246,067



(Thanks to CBS Sportsline for the info.)

[+conspiracy+]

omg soriano is closing in on beltran... well, either way both of them will make it

we should have a TPM fantasy baseball league..

[Ghost]

omg soriano is closing in on beltran... well, either way both of them will make it

we should have a TPM fantasy baseball league..

Hell yeah, that would be awesome.

BTW, thanks for the Info Mr.Pikachu. Nady made it to the top 15!

[Dark Dragonite]

I have a few problems with the voting so far...

1)Matsui has a broken wrist, why are people voting for him?
2)Nady had an apendectomy...see above...
3)Why is Posada not higher? he's more clutch than Varitek...but then again, why aren't more Detroit players up there, they are in 1st in all AL, second only to Mets in MLB?

[Perfect Chaos]

Its because the All-Star game REALLY is a popularity contest. Sure, there are alot people that DESERVE to get on (coughwrightbeltrancough), but over in the American League, its always about the Yankees and the Red Sox, no one else. That's why I'm sort of neutral over the All-Star game voting, cause some people that deserve to go do go, and some who don't but are extremely popular still manage to get in.

I mean come on, Alber Pujols has no timetable on WHEN he's coming back from his muscle strain (correct me if I'm wrong) and he STILL has the most amount of votes out of everyone in the MLB

-Sean

[mr_pikachu]

No problem, Ghost. It's what I do. ^_^


...A fantasy baseball league for TPM, huh? You know, that actually sounds like a really good idea! I wouldn't mind running the league, if we have one. After all, I do collect stats like a madman anyway, and I've played in several fantasy baseball (as well as football and basketball) leagues before. We could even have one this season and make it start at the end of the All-Star Break.

So I guess the main point of this post is to ask how many people might be interested in participating in something like that. C'mon, let's see a show of hands! Who among us would at least be interested in trying it?

*raises hand eagerly*

[Dark Dragonite]

I'd do it, I have a good track record...on yahoo?
I'll have to use another sn, I have 4 teams on one already...

[mr_pikachu]

Well, I was actually thinking that we could do it through TPM, rather than make everyone go through an outside service. For instance, if we did a head-to-head league with each match lasting one week, it'd be rather easy to get the stats together by hand. Then, a couple of fast calculations (or better yet, a simple formula using something like Excel) would be a simple way to determine the winner of each game.

[Ghost]

That definately sounds like a good idea. I'd join no doubt

[Bulbasaur4]

[color=royalblue]
I don't care if the Twins aren't leading or anything... but *hypergirlymode* omg, best looking team ever. ^_~ *endhypergirlymode*

And... might I add that Joe Mauer leads the league with his batting average... a whopping .376, and that Santana has 104 strikeouts putting him in the lead currently as well. Mwhaha...

Hey, no one around here lives in MN so I am the lone one here. ^^;;

[Perfect Chaos]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind trying to join a TPM fantasy baseball league. Sounds like a really good idea.

-Sean

[Dark Dragonite]

that's rad, how many players, would we have an AIM draft, and are there bench spots, or just credit for any pitchers you have?

[Bulbasaur4]

[color=royalblue]
I don't care... as long as I get my Joe Mauer....

*blink blink*
... I'm not obsessed.... seriously...

[mr_pikachu]

Okay, let me just tell you all what I'm thinking, and you can all give your input about it.

First of all, we'd definitely need bench spots. This is crucial, especially to deal with the inevitable injuries that players incur throughout the season. However, we probably wouldn't designate that a certain number of bench spots are pitchers-only or hitters-only; you, as the coach, could decide what roles were most needed for your bench players.

(In this area, which you're reading at this moment, I had typed a very large paragraph which attempted to explain some overly complicated concerns. However, as I wrote the rest of this post, I found a good league system that simplifies the issues while still making things fair, so I've deleted the original paragraph. Instead, I'll explain everything using the aforementioned league system as a reference.)

As for what positions would be included, the starting lineup would be divided into either nine position players and seven pitchers. For the position players (or "batters"), each team would have one player at each of the infield positions (catcher, first baseman, second baseman, third baseman, and shortstop), three outfielders, and a "utility" player who could be an extra position player or a designated hitter. It's basically a "wildcard" spot where any player other than a pitcher can be placed. This adds up to 16 total players. However, teams may have as many as 22 players at a time; extra players will be placed on the bench.

For scoring, we can have a standard set of head-to-head point values in place. Teams will earn points based on the following statistics:


Batting Categories
Single 1 point
Double 2 points
Triple 3 points
Home Run 4 points
RBI 1 point
Run 1 point
Base on Balls 1 point
Stolen Base 2 points

Pitching Category
Win 10 points
Save 10 points
Complete Game 5 points
Strikeout 1 point
Base on Balls -0.5 points
Inning Pitched 2 points
Hits Allowed -0.5 points
Earned Runs -1 point

(Note: Pitchers do not accumulate points for hitting, even if they do bat. Similarly, position players cannot earn or lose points for pitching, even if they do so during a game. Each player will always be designated by their typical position, whether or not they happen to play other roles during some games.)


Teams will be paired against each other, and each team will play one game a week (unless we have an odd number of teams; then we may have bye weeks or doubleheaders). In each game, the team that earns more points will win.

Trading will be allowed between teams, and even "lopsided" trades (such as three players for one) will be permitted. However, the other team owners can object to trades if they believe that the teams involved in the trade are conspiring to purposely make one team stronger at the expense of the other. There's a bit of a difficult process that occurs if there are sufficient objections, but I wouldn't expect such problems to occur. They certainly aren't common.

At the end of the year, there will be playoffs between the four best teams in the league. In a two week period, the champion will be determined in two rounds of final games. In the first week, the #1 team will play the #4 team, and the #2 team will play the #3 team. In the second week, the two teams will play each other to determine the champion. (Alternatively, we may choose to disregard the playoffs if there is agreement throughout the league beforehand.)

The draft would probably be conducted through the league itself, rather than through a chat service such as AIM. It often works better that way, because everyone can be more certain of what players are being drafted, regardless of any typos or omitted pieces of information. Also, teams will be allowed to add and drop players during the season, as long as such actions don't become too drastic (for instance, dropping your entire team at once).

Anyway, I think I've pretty much got all the questions explained; at least, I've explained the ones that have been posed so far. Please, let me know if you have any more questions. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can sign up for a good league managing service. Because now that I really think about it, it might not be good for everyone to have to rely on me to collect all the statistics accurately and in a timely manner, so an automated system may be much better.

[Crazy Elf Boy]

Yeah, I wouldn't mind trying to join a TPM fantasy baseball league. Sounds like a really good idea.

-Sean

Sounds great if we do it i would so love to play

[mr_pikachu]

Okay, in regards to a TPM Fantasy League, we'll need to set a time and date to draft players. We could use an automated draft, in which it is done automatically based upon a "queue" of players that each team creates. However, from what I've seen, that often leaves people with very poor lineups (for instance, a ton of pitchers, both good and bad, along with the worst hitters you've ever seen).

So, if we're going to start the league at the beginning of the second half, we should probably run the draft during the All-Star break (or at least close to it). As a first suggestion to get some discussion going, how does 2:00 P.M. Eastern Time on Sunday, July 9th sound? (Even though the last MLB games of the first half are on that day, they shouldn't factor into any league games, as the draft will not be completed before they begin.)

I apologize for being a bit hasty with this, but under the free system that I've found which appears to work best, I can't change the draft date or time once I've created the league. So basically, I can't create the league until we can agree on when we'll be doing the draft.

I've made a list of the people who appear to be interested in the league; you can see that below. But there are still some spots left for more people who want to join, so just let us know here if you want in the game, like everyone else has!

Interested TPMers:
mr_pikachu
c0n5p1r4cy
Ghost
Dark Dragonite
Bulbasaur4 (?)
Perfect Chaos
Crazy Elf Boy

To clarify, were you interested in participating, B4? I wasn't sure.

(Wow, I never thought you all would be this excited about an idea like this! Excellent!)


Once we get everything going, and the league is established with a draft date and time, I'll send PMs to everyone who has decided to play. Those PMs will have a link to the league as well as the password for it, so you can each sign up and create your team.


EDIT: By the way, we'll need precisely ten teams in order to have a league. Considering that we've got so many people interested in such a short time, I fully expect that we'll be able to reach that limit. But since we can't have any more than ten teams, let us know right away if you're interested in playing so that you can get on the list!

[Ghost]

July 9th... (Runs to check calendar) It doesn't look like i'll be doing anything, but then again, School will be out.

I am actually really excited about this league. Although sadly we still need 3 more people.

[mr_pikachu]

Yeah, I'm psyched about this, too. I do think we'll end up with our 10 teams. After all, just look at how many people who have replied to this thread:

mr_pikachu
Dark Dragonite
Number1ChanseyFan
DragoKnight
Pokemaster Ash
Hatake Kakashi
jet1213
Myster Myuu
Ghost
Perfect Chaos
SupremeChampion
Jeff
Reborned-Dragon
Pm-5000fan
c0n5p1r4cy
Bulbasaur4
Crazy Elf Boy

Bolded members are on "the list."

In non-fantasy news, Oakland has jumped to the top of the AL West, passing the Rangers with their seventh consecutive win. That's a pretty drastic swing, especially considering that (1) the gap between first and last in that division is a mere five games, and (2) many sportswriters have spent all of this season trying to figure out why the A's have fared so poorly.

Then again, if we want to discuss a close race, we should probably look at the NL West. The Dodgers (36-30) are in first, while Arizona (35-31) stands at a game back. But San Diego, San Francisco, and Colorado are all just two games back with records of 34-30. That kind of margin is simply nuts at this point in the season.

It's funny... the NL West has both the second-weakest division leader (Oakland, at 35-31, is a game back from the Dodgers) and the strongest last-place team (the closest is the LA Angels, again of the AL West, at 30-34). So all the teams in both leagues' West divisions seem to be pretty much average. Go figure.

[Dark Dragonite]

Ok, 2 things, I need to clarify...

1)This will be in PCG I assume, as it is a game?

2)How will we be doing the benching moves, as pitchers would be a pain, like in yahoo fantasy, you have to set it up so your starters rotate in for their starts, or you don't get credit for those games. Will we be posting everyday, or in advance, depending on when they start?
Example:

P J. Santana(Min) @NYY
Bench  T. Glavine(NYM) ^Atl

"Switch Glavine to P, Bench Santana" ?

EDIT: Oh, I forgot, the best looking division in the league is NL West:
Team                  GB
L.A.                      --
Arizona                1
Colorado              2
San Diego            2
San Francisco        2

EDIT2: Also, yeah, Oakland has a 7 game streak, but people make such a big deal about that when, NYM has an 8game streak going, had a 7game streak earlier in the season, and haven't played this good since:
1986-Won the WS
1988-Lost the NLCS

[+conspiracy+]

ummm... i'm confused yay, im happy im confused

anyways, I'm definitely in as my fantasy track record is great [/brag], but what im thinking is that having a yahoo mid-season league would be incredibly easy... if thats not what we're already doing... -_-

oh and btw *checks calendar* o0o July 9th is a Sunday, which means that I have a game at *checks schedule* 1:00... but that's Hawaii time :grin: so that time is definitely suitable for me.

and back on topic... well, not exactly, but this is something that I've brought up numerous times with people regarding the 2004 NL Cy Young in which Roger Clemens took home oh so not deservingly over Randy Johnson... and here are the stats..

Randy Johnson
Record: 16-14
4 CG's, 2 Shutouts, 1 Perfect Game
290 K's, 2.60 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, .197 BAA

so he lost 14 games with an ERA under 3 which just means that Arizona gave no run support... but those stats are amazing

Roger Clemens
Record: 18-4
0 CG's, 0 Shutouts
218 K's, 2.98 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, .217 BAA

now, unless my eyes decieve me, that's only two more wins then the unit, which is the only stat that he prevails in.

I know this is two years ago, but seriously, if A-rod can win the MVP (which takes into account how you help your team to victory) with the RANGERS, then Randy should have definitely won the Cy with the Dbacks...

I'm living in the past.

[Perfect Chaos]

Ah...July 9 huh?

If that's the case, then I'm afraid I'll have to pull out. I'll be on a flight to India this coming Monday and I'll have no Internet access until August So I guess this means that I'm off "the list"

Sorry, maybe the next time this thing starts again (if it continues?)

-Sean

[Dark Dragonite]

Randy can't win the NL cy young...the Yankees are AL, I believe the AL cy young winner of 2004 was Johan Santana of the twins:

G GS W L CG SHO IP H R ER HR BB K ERA WHIP BAA
34 34 20 6 1 1 228.0 156 70 66 24 54 265 2.61 0.92 .192

You have to admit, santana is impressive, with the last 3 years, he has like 5 CGs, and 3SOs

This year, I'd say Santana is up for it again, Johnson has W-L ERA K Walks WHIP
8-5 5.32 69 31 1.36

VS. Santana

W-L ERA K Walks WHIP
6-4 2.99 104 16 1.02

and in the NL...Brandon Webb? holy shit...

[mr_pikachu]

Okay, to answer your questions...


Dark Dragonite: If we do have this in PCG, I'll need to get it approved really quickly. I was actually hoping that we could manage this through an automated league, at least this during this first semi-season.

Each league game lasts for a full week, so whatever roster you set at the beginning of the week cannot be changed until the following week. Therefore, your starting pitchers will accumulate stats only for the games that they start during that week (unless they happen to serve as a relief pitcher, as well). That actually helps to balance things out with the statistics; otherwise relief pitchers wouldn't stand a chance. Also, it makes it easier to manage your team if you're not able to look at your lineup every single day; missing a day isn't catastrophic.

Note that your lineup automatically remains the same from week to week unless you make changes to it. Any lineup changes made during one league game will go into effect at the beginning of the next league game.


c0n5p1r4cy: Glad to hear that you've done this before! You should pick this up fairly quickly, then.

However, I'm actually not a big fan of Yahoo's fantasy baseball, as I've found that their head-to-head leagues leave a lot to be desired. (Frankly, I don't like their rotisserie system all that well, either, but their head-to-head format just doesn't make much sense.)

...You know what? Heck with it. Instead of explaining everything indirectly, I'm just going to direct you all to the league system that I've been considering using for this: CBS Sportsline.com Fantasy Baseball Rules. Note that WE WILL BE USING THE FREE LEAGUE. I do not want to make people pay to play, because frankly, we probably won't get enough people in that case. That also means no money prize at the end, but hey, it's not about the money. Right?

It'll be a private league (I'll provide the password to any TPMer who participates) played under the weekly head-to-head scoring system, and we will be using a live draft.


Perfect Chaos: Hey, don't drop out! The date was only a suggestion! We'll be using a time that best works for everyone, so if you can suggest a time that would work for more participants than the first idea, then you're in business! (Alternatively, you could choose to conduct your portion of the draft using the automated system, if you liked. That would be another way to participate, regardless of when the draft day was.)

On the other hand, if you won't have internet access until August, then that might also make it difficult to conduct your lineup well in the first few weeks... :undecided:


Dark Dragonite: ...I thought that the Unit was traded in 2005... am I mistaken?

[Perfect Chaos]

Thanks mr_pikachu

If you guys don't mind, I'd prefer if we could start it around the end of August/beginning of September. I'll be back in the U.S. by that time (and have Internet access ) and I'll also be in college, but I'm not sure how long it will take for me to adjust to college life in general. Anyways, this is just a suggestion on my part, and I'll still to do my best in trying to participate in this.

-Sean

[Dark Dragonite]

You are right, I forgot about that trade...I'm not a huge Yankee fan, lol

It has to start around all star break, they end registration by August I believe, and baseball regular season ends in October.(I mention that because a lot of bad teams do have a great player or 2, but will not be in the playoffs)

If we're using a site to do it, why can't we do daily changes, I mean, say instead of having a lot of bats on your bench, you went with pitchers, if there are 7 pitching spots, and more pitchers...ok, an example...in one of my yahoo leagues, I have:

SP C. Hamels
SP T. Armas
RP B. Lidge
RP B. Wagner
P J. Isringhausen
P T. Coffey
P B. Penny
BN J. Santana
BN B. Arroyo
BN W. Rodriguez
BN D. Willis
DL J. Patterson

EVERY pitcher is going to have a start in almost EVERY week...am I supposed to keep Arroyo or Santana benched for a whole week, and potentially miss a huge game?
Also, in other leagues I stockpile more closers than I have here, I rotate my closers depending on their record, and how they and their team has done against their opponents, I change my lineups in all 4 yahoo leagues everyday.
Just incase you are wondering if I got a lousy team in the field...

C I. Rodríguez
(Det - C)  C @ChC Top 5, 5-2 -/- - - - - -
1B J. Thome
(CWS - 1B)  1BUtilBN @Cin 7:10 pm -/- - - - - -
2B B. Phillips
(Cin - 2B)  2BUtilBN CWS 7:10 pm -/- - - - - -
3B T. Wigginton
(TB - 1B,2B,3B)  1B2B3BUtilBN @Phi 7:05 pm -/- - - - - -
SS N. Garciaparra
(LAD - 1B,3B,SS)  1B3BSSUtilBN @Oak 10:05 pm -/- - - - - -
OF G. Jenkins
(Mil - OF)  OFUtilBN Cle 8:05 pm -/- - - - - -
OF Pr. Wilson
(Hou - OF)  OFUtilBN KC 8:05 pm -/- - - - - -
OF J. Dye
(CWS - OF)  OFUtilBN @Cin 7:10 pm -/- - - - - -
Util A. Kearns
(Cin - OF)  OFUtilBN CWS 7:10 pm -/- - - - - -
BN M. Jacobs
(Fla - 1B) 

currently in 3rd by 3 games, and only 1.5 behind 2nd


EDIT: I typically go for every position and util in batting, then get everything else a pitcher, more chances to stockpile Ws, Ks, SVs, etc...

Also, I only push yahoo, due to a lot of people having yahoo accounts, I have multiples, so I can easily get another league going there, plus I am very used to it there...
Finishes
1st: 4
2nd: 3
3rd: 2, including a winner's league

[mr_pikachu]

Perfect Chaos: Well, the really big problem (besides league registration times ending) is that if we start that late, we won't be able to play very many games. For instance, if we started right at the beginning of September/end of August, we'd really only have time for four games, since there would only be four full weeks left in the season. So I'm not sure that such an abridged schedule would work, unfortunately.


Dark Dragonite: You mentioned that you might bench your starters, because they would usually only start one game a week. But don't forget that pitchers accumulate a good amount of points for each inning they pitch, as well. For instance, a starter would earn as many points for throwing five innings as a closer would get for a save. Furthermore, that would be doubled if those five innings resulted in a win. And don't forget that since closers don't pitch in every game, it would be very unlikely for one to go five innings in a single week. Also, these points are in addition to the full point for every strikeout; since a pitcher only loses half a point for a walk, it can be very beneficial to accumulate innings in this manner.

On the other hand, closers do accumulate 10 points for each save they earn. While they're not going to get, say, seven saves in a week, they will get them frequently enough for the stats to come about even with an equally skilled starting/middle relief pitcher. That's why this method can work; you only need to make major adjustments in the event of an injury (or if a starter is scheduled for zero or two starts in a given week, rather than the usual one). Otherwise, it's more about tracking the performance of your players and making timely lineup changes and Drop/Add moves.

And one of the good things about this is that you don't necessarily have to check your lineup every single day in order to stay in contention. It certainly helps to keep track of how your team is doing; you don't want to come back after a month's absence to find that you've got five starters on the DL. But it helps to make a more even playing field for people who may not be able to get online everyday. For people who might be in a situation similar to Perfect Chaos', that might be better. Although it still comes down to superior team managing; if you've got more time to spend with managing, you'll probably have a better season.

Now, we can do a Yahoo league if everyone decides they'd prefer that; I just don't care for their scoring systems, myself. For the purposes of comparison, let me provide their method:


In a Head-to-Head League, your team will square off in a weekly matchup against another manager's team to see who can compile the best stats across a number of different categories.

A new weekly matchup begins every Monday and will consist of a set number of games based on your league's statistical categories. Each stat category counts as one game, with the win going to the team that finishes the week with the highest total in that category (the cumulative total after each Sunday's games).

So, if in a given week, your team hits more home runs than your opponent's, you would be credited with a victory. However, if your opponent's team ended the week with more saves than your team, you would be charged with a loss. If the two teams end up tied in a given category, each will receive credit for a tied game.

This weekly win-loss total will be added to a cumulative season record, which will be used to determine standings and playoff seedings. These standings will be based on your team's overall winning percentage, which is calculated by taking your win total and adding 1/2 of your tie total and dividing the sum by the total number of games your team has played.


So basically, you're comparing stat against stat, usually totalling ten statistics (such as Wins, Saves, Home Runs, Batting Average, etc). In each week's game, for every stat in which your team was superior, you get a win. For each stat in which your opponent is superior, you get a loss. Any stat that is tied yields a tie, for ten total results per week. The problem is that some managers will purposely get a team whose players are very deficient in a few of the stats but can almost always combine to win a slight majority. So when you play a team like that, even if you've got a much better lineup overall, you may lose just because you blow them away in three or four stats but lose the remainder by small margins. It certainly isn't a system that rewards balance, although it can be rewarding for people who strategize in that manner.

Anyway, I'll let you all decide what you'd prefer to use. I know some of you are probably more familiar with the Yahoo! leagues, so if more of you want to use that than the accumulation method from CBS Sportsline, that's fine. Just say whatever method you'd prefer.

And don't forget, there are still some spots open for participants in the league!

[Dark Dragonite]

I see your point, but injuries can not be predicted, and neither can good games, so if I have say Matsui in the OF, and he breaks his wrist, I'm stuck with a player not playing for 5 games?

[+conspiracy+]

yah, I'm kinda like Dark Dragonite in that in both rotisserie and head-to-head leagues I have to change lineups almost daily for better matchups or if I anticipate a day off or something...

and btw, ummm Crazy Elf Boy, can I ask if you even keep up with American Baseball?