Detroit Tigers: Time for the curiosity slowdown
Oooof. That’s the sound coming out of Detroit this morning. A few days ago, you might’ve heard “D’OH!” or “GAAAH!” or any number of expletives. But this morning, there is only the resignation and deflation of a drawn-out “ooooof” as the last remaining molecules of enthusiasm leak out of Michigan like air from a punctured tire.
Any day your ace pitcher takes the mound, you want to win. But when that ace pitcher is doubling as the only pitcher on your staff not surrounded by flashing neon question marks and you’ve lost the first five games of the season, you really, really want to win. And when instead of winning, you drop to 0 and 6…oooooof.
If you’re a Tigers fan, you see Justin Verlander taking the mound, you figure their lineup is due to get some hits, and you reckon their time has come. You don’t expect to get routed to the tune of 13-2. Add the info that the team doing the routing, the Chicago White Sox, are a division rival, and it’s just rubbing salt in the wound. And like a bad traffic accident, we can’t look away. Let’s do some rubbernecking and see what some Tigers blogs have to say about this pile-up.
Eric Jackson of D-Town Baseball attended the game, but found it so embarrassing, he left early. “I don’t leave games early too often but I did tonight,” he writes. “It was cold and there just wasn’t a good game out on the field. Listening to the game on the ride home made me feel good about my decision.”
Bless You Boys offers a slightly different take on the sound of woe emanating from the Motor City (EEEEAAAAAK!) as Ian Casselberry asks his readers, “You don’t really want to read a recap of that game, do you? Because I sure as hell don’t feel like writing it.”
At Mack Avenue Tigers, a shell-shocked Kurt Mensching adds more lamentation (”MEHHHHHHH”) and writes: “The ‘greatest lineup in baseball’ averages 2.5 runs per game. The Tigers hit into five double plays. They stranded nine runners.” Yes, Virginia.
Over at Roar of the Tigers, Samara Pearlstein is deep in the denial stage. “What… was… that? Seriously: what did I just see on my TV? Was it baseball? I’m not entirely sure. It LOOKED like baseball, but I’m inclined to believe that it was simply a very detailed fake.”
“Time for chicken-bone cross,” confirms Mike McClary of the Daily Fungo.
And for the ultimate exercise in masochism, you can read a liveblog of the game at The Detroit Tigers Weblog. An abridged version:
8:15 – middle of 1: A 19 pitch inning. Not exactly the kind of efficiency you’re looking for. And Verlander can’t seem to keep his fastball down.
8:40 – I didn’t know it was possible to go 3-0 on Juan Uribe.
9:40 – Aaaarrrrghhhhhh.
So we’ve got “EEEEAAAAAK,” “MEHHHHHHH,” and now “Aaaarrrrghhhhhh.”
10:35 – Top of 9: Do you realize if it weren’t for White Sox errors and wild pitches this would be a shut out?
10:55 game mercifully over: Fitting that it ended on a double play. This blew.
What’s wrong with this team? Lee Panas of Tiger Tales has a sobering diagnosis:
Poor pitching (by their Ace Justin Verlander no less), poor hitting including five double plays, horrible fielding especially by Carlos Guillen….they are just awful in every phase of the game right now. I’m still very confident that this team is going to score a lot of runs this year but other than that I’m not sure what to expect. The pitching is filled with question marks and their infield defense looks much worse this year with the immobile Miguel Cabrera at third and Guillen struggling at first. Even Edgar Renteria, while an improvement over Guillen, is showing his lack of range at shortstop.
So let’s see—pitching, hitting, fielding….yep. That pretty much covers it.
Many blogs note this faintly quivering ray of hope: Curtis Granderson’s hand is sufficiently healed. He’ll resume baseball activities today and rejoin the lineup in about 10 days. Granderson’s return will add speed to a team that one scout called Jurassically slow without him.
But as for the popular idea that a road trip will clear their heads (and heat up their bats), I think Roar of the Tigers put it best:
Hilarious note for the upcoming series: the Tigers were just swept (a billion times, it seems) at home, and the Red Sox were just swept by the Blue Jays on the road (after having been on the road for a billion years, it seems). Everyone is talking about how much good it’ll do the Sox to get home. Everyone (or, OK, mostly Joe Morgan tonight) is talking about how it’ll do the Tigers some good to get on the road. Rock, meet Hard Place.
But Detroit Tigers fans weren’t the only ones to get hit hard in the kisser last night. Home plate umpire Jeff Kellogg took a fastball to the face (Fire Joe Morgan notes that AJ Pierzysnki “got crossed up and just missed it”). Kellogg was wearing a mic for the game, giving Jon Miller got the bright idea of airing the audio from the incident. The moment seems to encapsulate, in allegorical fashion, both Detroit’s 0-6 start (symbolized by Kellogg) and the baseball-watching world’s stunned reaction (embodied by Pierzynski):
(smack)
Pierzynski: Oh — my God.
Kellogg: (on the ground) Fuck.
March 7th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I would love to be in your league! check out my stats here http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aAMlcpse2eIbzT4ZxOznYOEpokGS8MG6G the numbers speak for them self. I understand if you don’t want me. I mean you do want a shot at least, right?
LOL, you guys rock! whatagrind@yahoo.com
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
I will definitely be able to make the draft, I will update my roster daily, I will participate regularly in proposing (fair) trades, I will come up with a funny team name, and I will even talk a little smack occasionally to liven things up. Last year I was in 3 fantasy baseball leagues… please check here http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aUAMOe9mFTMYupCVUig50rNQRBmSpKjjysBDn to see my performance. Thanks for the consideration!
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
forgot to include this… email is bigscottyb@gmail.com
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:36 pm
Here is my yahoo link
http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aKYvCF4eWbewicDQ62N0O38IxFOpZnlxN?sport=baseball&groupby=0&sort=year&order=1
It has the best baseball score yet. I’m very experienced and follow baseball excessively. This might be a good startup league to become more of a better known player. I’ve made the playoffs in EVERY 12-team H2H league I’ve been in, so that’s pretty much a guarantee. I won a competitive Yahoo PLUS league I was in last year. My other Fantasy account’s score is 70 and that is 2 years old. I’ve mostly played in 12 team leagues and sometimes larger, not 8-10 team leagues. I’m always competitive and usually make the top 3. One thing about H2H is that you can win the regular season and not win because of the playoff system. So many times that happens to me and that’s why I have so many 3rd and 4th finishes.
mlb_fan2430@yahoo.com
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:44 pm
Major League Baseball is my life. I spend about half of my day at work browsing all sorts of baseball websites with my cursor over minimize button…
Another reason is that I live in Kansas City, so I need something a little more than the Royals to intensify the season!!
I would love the chance to be a manager in this league and show you all what takes!
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:49 pm
Over 80% in Yahoo leagues! Earned mostly in private leagues, not those wimpy public leagues. I would love a chance to challenge myself against some stiff competition.
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March 7th, 2008 at 6:51 pm
I play in a 7×7x1 league right now, and I deperately need to play some good old-fashioned 5×5 H2H action. Also, a high school classmate of mine is director of baseball operations for an MLB team, and I went to the same college as Keith Law. I’ve absorbed all the knowledge they have to offer, and now I’m ready to put it to good use.
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March 7th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
I’d love to play, I am currently in a 6×6 ( OPS and K/BB) 12 team full universe keeper auction league that is very intense. It’s my 3rd year, and I’ve not won it yet, but I took 3rd last year. It’s actually a pretty good accomplishment, given the competition. Seems a lot of people are saying “look I’m 90% or I’m this and that in my leagues,” but, with all due respect, I don’t see how that means anything without some method of standardization. I’ve played in some very, VERY bad leagues when I was first getting into it, they still show up on my Yahoo profile. Do I care? Not in the least. All I can tell you is playing in a league with 11 other lawyers with a 6 page constitution, a mandatory live auction, and a very active message board (about 1000 posts per month), I know my stuff. I can’t promise you I’ll win, but I’ll be competetive, sporting, and a good addition. Lemme know.
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March 7th, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Cory, Paul, Sara, Alejando:
Family and friends say I live for fantasy sports, hockey and baseball. Played in 10 and 12 baseball league teams over the last three years, 1st in 2005, 2nd in 2006, 1st last year and agree with the previous writer about H2H, you can win the season and get blown away in the playoffs,(hockey) but it happens in all sports, what makes it interesting and competative. Should you allow me to play in your league, will promise to give you all a run for you money; okay, not your money, but will keep it interesting.
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March 7th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I’m the commissioner of a 12 team H2H league on CBSsprotline.com,Never used yahoo. I have 2 baseball teams, and I’ve been looking to add a third team. I’ve been playing fantasy baseball for 8 years, along with fantasy football on and off and fantasy hockey for the last 3 years.
I love baseball. Read about everyday, and coach little league as well.
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March 7th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Fantasy Baseball is the single greatest thing ever invented.
I’m a 24 year old Ph.D. student in political science, who has been playing fantasy baseball since I was 16 years old. That’s right, way back when you had to keep track on paper. So, I know a little bit about how to conduct and participate in a fantasy baseball league.
Currently, I own four teams, two on YAHOO! and two on ESPN (three are currently money leagues). I also have participated in the same league with the same 14 owners since we were able to transfer over to YAHOO back in 2002. This league is comprised of both JD’s and Ph.D.’s, along with a four page league constitution. I have won at least one FBB league each of the last four years. I have played in H-2-H format, H-2-H points format, and many others with significant variations in the sorts of scoring categories utilized.
Being a part of this league would be an honor. I would certainly be able to attend the draft, as well. Thank you.
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March 7th, 2008 at 9:48 pm
Please consider having a 47 year old Northern Californian in your league. I’ve been doing fantasy sports for over a decade. Right now I am only in one baseball league, but it’s a pretty intense head-to-head keeper league. The owners are scattered around the country, so we meet every year at a major league city to take in a game and hold our draft in a smoke filled room (which usually bothers the hotel staff). This year we will be at Cincinnati; which will give me a chance to boo Dusty Baker.
If you would like to look at my profile please see:
http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aYwYd0z2mAM72u3hXIjB8lhtH0g1Ze4Zh
I work for a charter school, teach guitar , and like power hitting shortstops.
Thanks
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March 7th, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I am 23 year old just coming out of playing college ball. I can not get enough of baseball. I spend about 2 hrs a day just reading about it. I have played baseball for about 10 years and have loved every minute of it. Whether i is debating the value of era over whip or talking about what the top prospect in baseball is, I can not get enough.
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March 7th, 2008 at 10:05 pm
Fantasy baseball that is…I have played baseball since age 3
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March 7th, 2008 at 10:19 pm
I am a 23-year-old accountant with a degree from The Pennsylvania State University. As impressive as that is, I believe my fantasy sports resume may be even better.
I was introduced to fantasy sports at a young age. My generous father allowed me to purchase one baseball and one football team on ESPN (long before they had public leagues) at the age of 14. Shortly after I was hooked and in the top 1 percentile in the Uber Challenge.
9 years later, my main league is 14-team roto keeper money league with friends from throughout the country. We are entering our 3rd year and I am the 2-time champion. It’s easily the most competitive league I’ve come across.
Finding leagues like this one, however, seems to be a rarity. I’ve grown frustrated with public leagues and others where dead teams taint the results. I am interested in showing what I can do against writers that I respect. I frequent rotoauthority daily during the season and anyone associated is okay with me.
I’ve included my ESPN and Yahoo profile pages.
http://myespn.go.com/NYGiants1156
http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/a7Di5bXKlWsnxqsGv1oCRR8dRn7un
Thank-you for the consideration and I hope to see you guys in the war room Wednesday.
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March 7th, 2008 at 11:23 pm
What’s up UmpBump higher ups? Instead of telling you my life story (which I’m sure would be as enthralling as the others’), I’ll just keep it to the relevent things so you know you’re taking on the right guy for the league.
I’m a soon-to-be 10 year fantasy sports veteran (baseball & football). Last year I was in 5 fantasy baseball leagues. I won 3 of them (including a highly competitive 18 teamer). I came in 2nd in a 20 team dynasty league. I also took on a stinker of a keeper league team and overhauled the roster so it should be in contention for the championship this season. (If you want to see the roster for that, I can get it to you. It’s impressive to see what prospect knowledge can do.)
I stick things out until the end. Reguardless of how well or poorly things are going, I’m still actively trying to better my team.
I know baseball and not just the obvious things going on at the major league level. I know what’s up in the minors. Aside from being great for the league, I’m the guy you’re going to want to shoot the breeze about sports with.
Beyond that, I’m personable and have a great sense of humor. I’ll be actively involved in the league community as a whole (the message board, trading, etc.). I’m not just out for blood… I’m going to have a good time with y’all while beating you ;). You’re going to want me around beyond his season.
Here is my current Yahoo Fantasy Profile: http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aRQdnTaaZUekk_jbu142QXynU4Qgz (This screen name only shows my baseball from last season & my football archives. I’d have to dig to find my old names’ profiles so I’ll leave it at that.)
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March 7th, 2008 at 11:36 pm
I would like to join up for two reasons; I love baseball and I would like to measure myself up against the best in a fantasy league.
my email is knaylor1918@yahoo.com
Thank you for your consideration.
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March 8th, 2008 at 12:01 am
BTW, nice pic…..Not that there’s anything wrong with that. LMAO
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March 8th, 2008 at 12:05 am
And one more thing…..Derek Jeter SUCKS!
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March 8th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
Hey guys, would love to join your league. Here is my Yahoo! profile.
http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/aV60UmjimDe88jWHxjfdtqLS6acFd?sport=baseball&groupby=0&sort=year&order=1
Baseball score is 80% with 12 trophy’s in 21 teams. I have only finished out of the top 5 twice in Yahoo! since 1999. Been playing Fantasy Baseball since before the Web when we had a group of guys doing it with pens and paper. I mostly play in private leagues, some which have been going on for several years running.
I love to play, am always active, and never quit. It would be an honor to play with other diehards like myself. I like to seek out new and great competition every year and I think this league could be a great addition this year.
Hope to hear form you soon.
Yahoo! email is ltowng@yahoo.com
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March 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
I’ve been playing fantasy baseball since 2003, mostly on Yahoo! Sports, but also on ESPN CBS Sportsline, and MLB GameDay, so I’ve had to draft using different scoring and/or rankings settings. I’m primarily a redraft, 5×5 All-MLB player, meaning I don’t have any record (or sometimes even experience) to show of when it comes to rotisserie, keeper, league-only, or auction settings. I’m fairly obsessive about baseball, though, and read about 40 blogs/sites on a regular basis, participate on the Sons of Sam Horn (Red Sox) message board, and even have a blog of my own — though the latter is the most neglected of these practices, though competing with professional bloggers/writers (which I think I could) would give me a reason to upgrade my attention-level.
As far as baseball itself goes, I’m 22, I’ve been a Red Sox fan since Nomar first started playing in the big leagues, love baseball cards, and even got a chance to play varsity ball in high school. I watch a lot of games on MLBtv, including Spring Training when there’s an interesting matchup, and read advanced statistical research that catches my eye (Bill James is a good place to start). I develop player-crushes pretty frequently, too, and regardless of how they pan out as fantasy contributors, tend to keep up on them religiously (Jason Stokes, Billy Traber, and Josh Bard to name a few).
As for performance, I’ve played mostly public leagues, and out of the ones I took seriously (every year before last I’d have an all Red Sox public league team) I’ve had fairly good success: in the seven full-season leagues I played last year, I made the championship in four, won two, and finished third in the others). Before that, from ‘03 to ‘06, I won seven championships, and was runner-up six times (only 2/13 were private leagues — though those were arguably more competitive). I tend to have off-years after big winning years, though, so I’m trying to be as fresh and inventive as I can this year so not to overly trust habits that worked for me last season.
Finally, even though I might have seemed pretty boastful in this post, I was just trying to make a credible argument for myself. I’m really down-to-earth, love being sarcastic and good-natured in drafts and on message boards over the season, and love being in active leagues with girls/guys that like to have a good time.
My Yahoo! ID is ima_scab_baby (alternate co-account with a friend: ralent_entertainment), my AIM is lowesox, and my e-mail is lowesox@gmail.com (alternate: lowesox@hotmail.com). (I like alternates…)
Look forward to getting a chance to play with you, should I get it.
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March 8th, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I started fantasy baseball last year winning my Yahoo! fantasy league. I’m really into the game – I was probably the only one in the league to update rosters daily.
I would really enjoy playing.
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March 8th, 2008 at 9:45 pm
I won my league last year after finishing second repeatedly in a poor league. I plan on dominating a new league I’m in this year (which is basically my wife, 8-year-old son, 6-year-old son, and others in my family who know very little about baseball). I’ll pay attention most days I’m not in Disneyworld.
I’ll have a moderately clever teamname to go with my mediocre team (seriously, you need me to make sure you don’t finish in the bottom four spots).
Oh, I want Fukodome.
I coached high school baseball for years, but quit so I can watch my kids play. I have a cute daughter. Perhaps my biggest qualification is that I love Wendy Peppercorn.
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March 8th, 2008 at 11:26 pm
I’m a 22 year old baseball and sabermetrics fan, who has played fantasy baseball for three years, in a Yahoo 6×6 league. I’m a law student (in my spare time..) but have spent the past month creating 6 spreadsheets to prepare for my primary league draft. I’m a frequent reader of Baseball Prospectus, Hardball Times, MLB Traderumors and this site, as well.
I understand that you folks are going to want to find the best player possible. To be honest, I would challenge anyone (the authors of this site included) to best me in either fantasy ability or general baseball know how. It would be an honor to play alongside worthy competitors, and I hope to be selected for such an opportunity.
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March 8th, 2008 at 11:34 pm
I’m a 21 year old rotogeek, who has been playing fantasy baseball for the past three years, in both a 5×5 and 6×6 format. I am Junior at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Tx, where I am pursuing a Political Science bachelors with a minor in Economics. I, like every other geek who has posted their qualifications, spend an absurd amount of my day thinking, reading, watching, and just generally obsessing about baseball. I won’t bore you with the details of my sad affairs, but I’ll just state this: I am the balls. Pure at simple.
So, let’s do the damn thing.
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March 9th, 2008 at 12:57 am
I am extremely dedicated to my fantasy teams, I don’t give up on them if they fall behind early, I show up and participate in drafts, I check my roster daily. I try and only play in 2-3 leagues every year, and have won 3 out of the last 4 years in one of the leagues i am in. I am looking for some stiffer competition and am hoping you guys are capable of providing it.
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March 9th, 2008 at 8:43 am
hey, i’m very interested in joining your league…. what kind of fantasy league can it be without FATGUY!…
i’ve been involved in leagues for years and currently involved in yahoo baseball. looks like the league will be competitive so this is where i want to be!
Thx – Good Luck with the season
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March 9th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
A half-hour before my wedding I traded Nomar Garciaparra for Brett Myers. During my honeymoon, I told my fiancee I was going out to get some drinks, when in fact I visited the guest computer room at our hotel in the Dominican to check the standings of my local 14-team mixed 5-on-5 league. I name all my current teams after my daughter, Caitlin. I’m 35, own a restaurant in Connecticut, and I’m obsessed with fantasy baseball.
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March 9th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Fantasy baseball is a form of entertainment, and I treat it as such. The league needs interesting people. I’m interesting! I don’t treat fantasy baseball like life and death — I try to have a good time with it. And I’ll make sure to provide lots of witty commentary and fodder for others.
My wife goes to bed really early. So she buys me MLB Extra Innings on pay-per-view every year. I get to watch lots of games. Mostly teams on the West Coast. So I apologize in advance if you wanted Juan Pierre or Trevor Hoffman, sorry.
As if you really care about me, I’m a 27-year-old entertainment lawyer living in Atlanta. I’m a shameless fan of all of the Atlanta professional sports teams and a big Gator fan.
E-mail me: joelfeldman@gmail.com. See you at the draft (hopefully!)
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March 9th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Guys,
If you’d like to condider an older guy, 52, who lives in the Rochester NY area, I’d love to compete in your league. I’ve been playing for about 20 years now, before the internet, when you really had to work to win, like calling front offices to see if your west coast guy went on the DL over the weekend. I’ve won my share of trophies and yahoo showers, lost plenty too. But in all the years I’ve played I’ve only done auction leagues, so the chance to play in your H2H league sounds like a nice challenge.
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March 9th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
I’ll trade my 2nd rd and 7th rd for ur 1st and 10th. Fantasy is the name but trading is the game. I’ve acquired another first and second in my work h2h league. Very competitive AL only league with trash talking and trading. Looking to play with what i’m guessing is some serious comp. Doesn’t say if its mixed or not but i’m up for some new gm’s to hang with. Congrats on the mlbtraderumors gig guys, thats where i was led to umpbump and i must say i enjoy any site that not only celebrates baseball but the hot wives that are also a byproduct of this culture is the coolest!!!!! Pick me, Pick me.
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March 9th, 2008 at 10:12 pm
So I came across this site while on mlbtraderumors.com. I love fantasy baseball and would love to be in your league.
I’m a college student and have nothing better to do than drink some brewski and play fantasy games. So you don’t have to worry about me not paying attention as the season drags on.
I live it Pittsburgh, and though I love my Pirates, they are quite woeful (In case you haven’t been paying attention for the past 16 and counting years). To make up for the failures of the Bucco’s, I play and generally win fantasy baseball.
This will be my ninth season playing fantasy baseball, and I can make a league very competitive. I would love to see what I can do against a group of guys who write about baseball.
Hopefully you guys will consider me and give me a shot in the league.
Thanks for your time.
…Also, I happen to be a journalism major. If you guys are looking for a contributor or anything like that let me know. I would love to get my name and my work online for people to see.
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March 10th, 2008 at 1:16 am
For many years I have been testing my personal theory that my fantasy teams have an actual impact on reality. I have consistently drafted pitchers in the early rounds only to have them sustain year long injuries. Prior (fuck Dusty Baker), Randy Johnson, BJ Ryan, the list is endless. Perhaps it could be pointed out that these players are simply pussies and to avoid them. I can only guarantee that no team in the league will have worse luck than me and that my team will take the hard injury hits. I also obsessively check my teams and will not give up on the league, no matter the standings.
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March 10th, 2008 at 6:03 am
Just found your site today, reading MLBTR at 6am before everyone else in my family wakes up (one of 30 or so sites I read daily, but I’d now guess that number goes up to 31). I’ve been playing fantasy sports since 2004, and have 13 baseball leagues that I’m in currently, so I’d prefer to make it an even 14. I will be at the draft, I set my lineup daily (if the league settings allow), am an active trader and always stay in it until the very end, no matter where my team finishes (I’m usually competitive, but injuries sometimes get in the way). I am commissioner of an ESPN keeper league and 2 free yearly Yahoo leagues that have returning owners every season.
My Yahoo profile is at:
http://profiles.sports.yahoo.com/akQmiO66iDZiDKLOD3iZJQ07NBAmWyPj3
and my ESPN profile is here:
http://myespn.go.com/johnwhorfin
Thanks for your consideration.
P.S. I also write a monthly column for http://www.FantasyGameday.com
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March 10th, 2008 at 11:29 am
If it’s not too late I’d like to throw my hat in the ring…
I currently own teams in a couple head-to-head leagues, one a ten-teamer and one an eight-teamer that combines football and baseball (you can trade players among both sports, sign long-term contracts and we tally up the combined standings).
I’ve been playing FBB since ‘02, and if you need an owner I’d love to join in–great site!
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March 10th, 2008 at 6:55 pm
If the league is not yet filled I’d like to have a shot.
Last year I won 3 out of the 4 leagues that I participated in and made the playoffs in the league that I lost.
In 2006 I won one private league and came in 2nd place in another private league where I placed higher than a member of the Rotoauthority Silver League.
In 2001 I started playing fantasy baseball joining 4 Yahoo public leagues. I finished in 2nd in 3 leagues and won one league championship.
I have played in various scoring systems and types of leagues and have had success in all formats. I check lineups daily, can be there for the draft, and would love to play in a league with some tough competition.
Love the site…would love to have the opportunity!
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March 11th, 2008 at 4:16 pm
haha, some of these entries are funny; ppl seem so desperate to be picked; look at me, look at me!
anyways, im the guy you will hate during draft day/reg season since:
1- i will be taking your sleepers a bit earlier than you
2- if you take your sleeper very early, i will make you pay by picking up the ‘quality remains’ you left
3- i know all of the comeback candidates, prospects, players coming back from injuries
4- i will take chances on the waiver wire, and make you feel stupid for not picking up that “Braun” or “Shields” when you had the chance.
5- i am that crazy analytical guy who has linked spreadsheets and pivot tables, occasionally using access databases for querying and projecting weekly matchups.
5th year doing fantasy baseball; i do it all, basketball and football. But everyone who is commenting has experience, has won their leagues and blah blah blah. However, there might be one thing I can surely offer, an intangible:
respect for diligent fantasy owners. what does this mean to you? even if i am last, i will be aggressive on the wire and taking chances on trades. I will be either first, or last; no good in being first loser (second place). I have been in leagues where ppl destroy the integrity and the season of many owners by simply being stupid. For your sakes, I hope you won’t be picking anyone like that.
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April 7th, 2008 at 11:04 am
It is painful to watch the Tigers right now…(especially with Silverlight on mlb.tv which I also subsequently removed). But, Detroit will be fine. They have waaayyyy to much offense and pitching to be this bad. I like to think of it as just a six game losing streak sometime in July – they’ll bounce back.
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April 7th, 2008 at 11:48 am
Andrew, I tried that little thought experiment too. They do have a lot of offense on paper, and they will bounce back, but I disagree with you that they have a lot of pitching.You can legitimately say that Justin Verlander just had a couple of rough outings, but the rest of their rotation is pretty much what you’ve seen so far. Plus, their bullpen is still pretty craptastic. The problem with a one-dimensional team (in this case, loaded around offense) is that when that one area hits one of those little inevitable slumps there’s nothing else to carry the squad. Still, starting the season with back-to-back sweeps by the lowly Royals and the division-rival White Sox is not good any way you slice it.
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April 7th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
True..their pitching is obviously the big unknown here. If Bonderman can bounce back a bit from last year (at least to get the ERA back to low 4’s), and the Gambler/Roaster and the D-train can look anything like ‘06, then they should be in good shape. I know..a lot of ifs…then getting Curtis Granderson back soon here will further help the offensive side.
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April 7th, 2008 at 12:29 pm
Their offense should be just fine. But it would probably help if they stopped batting sub-.300 OBP Pudge Rodriguez leadoff. I mean, I know Leyland was trying to shake things up but come on. Granderson doesn’t belong there either.
It still surprises me to hear how many people actually think that Dontrelle Willis is going to be any good this year. Face it. The guy’s done. Moving to the AL Central isn’t going to change that.
And Rogers is done as well. Bonderman really has nowhere to go but up following last year though. But overall, their pitching is a mess.
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April 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pm
OK, so where do you think the Tigers will finish in the division – third? fourth? last? They should still be able to finish up second…behind the Tribe.
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April 7th, 2008 at 12:56 pm
I think the Tigers are still good for at least 2nd in the division. But for what it’s worth, I heard yesterday that only two teams in all of baseball history had started the year 0-5 and still made the postseason, and that was the number for 0-5! I don’t even know what the number is for 0-6.
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April 7th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Don’t write the Tigers off just yet. Injuries to Granderson, Sheffield, and Cabrera have had an impact on their lineup and run scoring. This group will start to score runs, the pitching is a concern but it shouldn’t continue to be this bad. They couldn’t have gotten off to a worse start but it’s too soon to say they can’t or won’t pick it up. 96% of the season is left, people should hold off before pronouncing them finished. Kansas City didn’t win the division by sweeping those first 3 and Detroit didn’t lose it.
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April 7th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
I agree that they’re good for at least 2nd in their division, but that’s also got a lot to do with the relative weakness of the White Sox, Twins, and Royals. For any of those teams to beat them in the standings, the wheels would have to just completely fall off in Detroit. Which hasn’t happened. Yet.
Not that I’m not writing them off. I’m just pleased that I have been vindicated—and so soon!—in my then-controversial assertion that Detroit’s offseason moves were overrated. (Nonetheless, my pre-season prediction was that Detroit would win the division but get booted in the first round of playoffs due to their pitching woes. This could still happen, but it would be historic.)
But yes, they could not have gotten off to a worse start in the first six games than 0 and 6. I will give you that.
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April 7th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
I had the Tigers finishing second and I’m obviously not going to change that so soon. As Sarah points out, the rest of the division just isn’t very good. They’ll right the ship, but I still think the Indians are better.
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April 7th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
I’m not sure which transportation metaphor is more apt, here. Clearly, I originally chose to go with the automotive metaphor—a pile-up, yes, but the wheels are still on (for now). On the other hand, perhaps Paul’s more nautical metaphor works better. You could also properly describe the early going for Detroit as “a train wreck,” though it is still too soon to dub it “a tailspin.”
Thoughts?
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April 7th, 2008 at 2:09 pm
I just going to go ahead and say that this 0-6 start is a “dirigible wreck” of Hindenbergian proportions.
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April 7th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
Oh, the humanity!
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April 7th, 2008 at 4:12 pm
So Sarah, it sounds like you think that the rest of the Tigers’ season will be rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. I’m not sure that early season struggles caused by injuries to key offensive players indicates their off-season moves were over-rated. Even the best off-season moves can’t guarantee a team will be able to avoid injury and perform as expected. I think Dumbrowski made good moves but they haven’t paid dividends just yet. Does the Red Sox poor start mean Theo doesn’t deserve an A grade for his off-season moves?
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April 7th, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Melissa, I’m with you to an extent. It’s six games. There isn’t much we can learn.
But so far, what’s been going wrong with the Tigers are exactly the things that people were talking about prior to the season (but it’s happening to the Nth degree). Sheffield’s age might be showing. His best asset has always been bat speed, which is a skill that can go away pretty suddenly. While adding Miguel Cabrera is huge offensively, there is the downside of losing Inge’s glove. Also, while I think that Guillen will be a fine first baseman, the transition hasn’t been smooth. Renteria isn’t good enough to hit in the AL. Bullpen is a huge question mark without Zumaya and Rodney. And starting pitching isn’t as deep as, say, Cleveland’s.
But it really has been a Murphy’s Law type situation for Detroit so far, and things will start breaking for them soon. Although not even Curtis Granderson could have turned around that negative 24 run differential, he’ll obviously help.
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April 7th, 2008 at 4:45 pm
As I said above, the Tigers will be fine. They’ll finish at least 2nd in their division. They could still make the playoffs. But people got a little too excited about their “big moves” over the winter and forgot they had no pitching. But I think you are giving false hope to Tigers fans by focusing on their injuries. Every team has injuries, first of all. Second, injuries to Gary Sheffield should surprise no one at this point in his career. And finally, even completely healthy Grandersons and Cabreras would have had a lot of work to do when their team is getting outscored 34 to 11. The fact is, if the Tigers are going to give up an average of five or six runs a game, even a lineup as potent as Detroit’s is going to have a tough time making up for it. They’ll have to a) never get injured and b) never slump. But injuries and slumps are like the death and taxes of baseball.
Matt Taibbi had some good thoughts on this over at BP: “Sportswriters love slugging teams and love teams with big-ticket home run hitters in the middle of the lineup, which is the main reason why Detroit is getting so much love despite the fact that their pitching looks even worse than last year. Despite the fact that recent history is littered with early collapses in the form of big-slugging teams that went into the season with ignored relief staffs….[But] in choosing between a team that hits a lot and has no relievers and a team that hits some and relieves well, you always take the latter. Which means Cleveland is the obvious choice for the AL Central this year.”
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April 7th, 2008 at 4:47 pm
Ah, Paul. I see you bested me, this time around.
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April 7th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
I completely agree that injuries alone haven’t caused Detroit’s early struggles. I could be dead wrong but I don’t think their pitchers are as bad as they have shown. I thought going into the season they needed more in their bullpen for sure and their pitching will determine whether or not they win this division. It just seemed to me like the point being made was that Detroit is off to 0-6 solely because of off-season moves. It seems kind of quick to me for anyone to say a bad start means bad off-season moves. I will ask again if the same standards are going to be applied to Epstein for counting on Schilling and other aging pitchers?
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April 7th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
No, Melissa, that’s not what I’m getting at. That’s not the point that is being made. Yes, I thought their offseason moves were overrated. And yes, people said I was crazy. (The Tigers were going to score ONE BILLION RUNS! They had Miguel Cabrera! They had—wait for it—EDGAR RENTERIA. What team has ever—EVER—lost with the mighty bat of Edgar Renteria?! Pitching, schmitching!) The baseball world went momentarily crazy for the Tigers, as if they were Miley Cyrus or sub-prime mortgages. So Detroit’s lopsided start is a sort of market correction in the world of hype. Now everyone’s all, “Oh…yeah. Right. Pitching. Right, the bullpen. Not going to score one billion runs. Miguel Cabrera not one-man World Series victory. Edgar Renteria not a golden god. Okay.” The Tigers are still good. They’re just not golden gods. I really don’t think the Red Sox have anything to do with it.
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