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Can't Miss It, Weekend Edition: Nov 6-8
Fall Flashback
It's that time of year again. Spring training is winding down, and a couple of regular season games have actually been played over in Japan the past two days (Red Sox and A's split). This upcoming Monday marks opening day for most teams, including the Mariners, and fans all over the country have fresh optimism for the new season (even in Seattle).
For most general baseball fans, the interest is concentrated to one or two teams, and spring training can be pretty much ignored. But for those of us that play fantasy baseball, we started paying attention a while ago. We've been watching position battles, praying that our NL keepers don't get traded to an AL team, and trying to make sense of when a good time is to take J.J. Putz. When Kerry Wood was recently named the Cubs' closer to start the season, we did more than just snicker and joke about his injury history; we moved him up our draft rankings.
Some of you might be asking what the hell it is we're talking about:
Fantasy baseball is a game whereby players manage imaginary baseball teams based on the real-life performance of baseball players, and compete against one another using those players' statistics to score points. It is the oldest form of fantasy sports, and arguably one of the most difficult and time-intensive due to the 162-game season of the MLB and the inconsistency of players
So, essentially, we are a bunch of dorks who really love baseball and like to make it interesting with a little competition, be it friendly or for $$. There are many formats and methods, but the general idea is to draft a team of players and maintain your roster for the entire season in competition against other managers.
Find out what we really love about fantasy baseball, where you can sign up for a free fantasy baseball league and what beer we think Ritchie Sexson compares to after the jump.
Here is what we love about fantasy baseball:
- The draft. Our favorite method is to get together with other local managers for a draft. We have a board that goes on the wall and stickers with each player's name. It usually takes place at a bar, or someone's house, and is just a huge day of dorkiness. A live draft can also be done online (multiple websites will be listed below), or an auto-draft that runs in the middle of the night based on a pre-ranked list of players; this is the least time-intensive and is fine for beginners. For veterans though, half the fun is getting the players you really want.
- We have a reason to watch almost any MLB game. If a team you have no vested interest in is playing on TV, chances are you won't usually watch. But if you have a player on your fantasy team, you will be more inclined to watch those random games. Our love for the game has grown over the years because of fantasy baseball.
- Separate the real fantasy managers from the impostors. It really is hard to be lucky in fantasy baseball, due to the long season and large portfolio of players available. In our Seattle league, the same two guys have come in 1st and 2nd in consecutive years.
- $$. Our money league has a $100 entry for teams, and the winner can get a $1,000 payout at the end of the season. That's a lot of beer you can buy.
- Friendly competition. We have a league with our boss and other people at work just for fun. Lots of smack is talked.
- Another reason to follow the Mariners. Let's face it, towards the end of the season it can be tough to pay attention to the M's if they suck. But, if you've got J.J. Putz or Ichiro, you'll have a reason to pay attention through the last game. There are a few M's worthy of your fantasy interest, but Ritchie Sexson is not one of them. We recently did an article for Sports Northwest that compared NW beers to fantasy players. Here is what we thought of Sexson:
The Player: Ritchie Sexson – 1B – Seattle Mariners The Beer: Rainier from Milwaukee, WI (Originally Seattle, WA) Why: They are both cheap and can fill a hole. What do you say when all the good 1B picks are drafted? "I guess I'll have a Sexson." Following up the worst year of his career, things can only get better. Lucky for you, he won't cost $14M in fantasy dollars. Hey, we all drink Rainier every once in a while. But, we know it's not good. It's for getting a cheap buzz. Nothing more.
We suggest these websites for free fantasy baseball leagues:
Yahoo
CBS Sportsline
Fox Sports
ESPN
There are free leagues, and pay leagues, on all of those websites.
If you don't have 12 friends willing to do one together, you can join a public league.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at gocubbiesgo@gmail.com.
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Speak for yourself, dork!
Is this the face of a dork?
and please, people, limit yourself to one league at a time. no poly-fantasy league action, ok? it's way more fun to beat you when you can't console yourself by focusing on the 5 other leagues where you are in 1st place.
Real men play in Auction leagues.
Drafts are for novices.
ruffhauser - yeah, that is the face of a dork.
jseattle - I've got three leagues this year....one for money, one for beer and one for fun.
BigGreenFrank - You'll have to invite me if you have an open spot next year. I've never done one, but have always wanted to. Should be easy to beat me, if I'm just a novice.
Check out the big balls on Frank!
I agree, for what its worth.
I think the "fantasy sports dork" thing is getting kind of cliche.
Fantasy Football is fairly mainstream and I don't consider myself any dorkier than some guy who is into old comics, collecting vinyl or whatever passes for a hobby.
People hate what they dont understand.
jwhieger - you mean comic book dorks and vinyl dorks? I kid, I kid...
Dork is just another way of saying "extremely into"...I call myself a beer dork all the time, and I'm not dorky. Right, Jeanne? Right?
I mean dork in the nicest way. But, bring a non-fantasy baseball player to our draft on Saturday and I'm guessing they at least partially think, "Man, you guys are dorks." after we discuss the draft results for the 2nd hour straight after we're done.
'd like to invite you and your blog readers to join FantasySportsMatrix.com, a vibrant social networking community for passionate sports fans. We would be delighted for you to join us and let us know what you think of the site.
We believe that fantasy sports is more than just about leagues, stats, and drafts, but about the social phenomenon that drives it. From the sharing and mining of online sports content, to the discussions at the water cooler, fantasy sports have re-defined today's sports fan. I look forward to seeing you in the 'Matrix,' feel free to send me a message. I'm 'Dr. Mike Pick' on the site.
Cheers,
Michael Vu,CTO
www.fantasysportsmatrix.com