Free At Last

For the last few months I’ve not been able to write about my favorite subject, fantasy sports.  You see, until recently I was writing for Matt Berry and his TalentedMrRoto.com web site.  Matt and I had a falling out, and I resigned. 

My agreement with him came with a three month non-compete clause, and even though writing my own blog shouldn’t be considered a violation, I held to the letter of the agreement.

It ran out a couple days ago, and I feel unfettered, unchained and holy renewed as I can focus on fantasy sports.  I have to say that my time with Matt and the team at TMR was definitely a huge pleasure, and even though Matt said I could have continued on with him to ESPN, I felt that we had lost some of that trust that is imperative for any relationship, whether personal or professional.  So I’ll read some of my former columnists like Pete Becker, Dave Hunter and others on ESPN…even day dream a little about what my byline would have looked like, and move on.

The good news is the fantasy sports industry is very much a fraternity, albeit one growing by leaps and bounds. New sites are popping up dailly in typical gold rush fashion as every sports fan with an opinion, or at least a yen to get rich, launches their own site.  As such, and thanks to my previous affiliation with TMR and my current one with George Del Prado of Fantasy Auctioneer I am in a number of fantasy baseball expert leagues with some of the most highly regarded touts in the industry.

For example, in Jeff Erickson’s XM Radio Expert League, it reads like a Who’s Who, including a number of current and former Tout Wars participants:

1. Lawr Michaels
2. Scott Pianowski
3. Todd Zola
4. Joe Sheehan
5. Ben Ice
6. Jeff Erickson
7. Patrick Davitt
8. Will Carroll
9. Craig Elsten
10. Greg Ambrosius
11. Geoffrey Stein
12. John Manuel
13. Jason Grey
14. Brian Kenny
15. Derek VanRiper
16. Stephania Bell

This was probably one of the toughest drafts I’ve participated in. It seemed at every turn my pocket was being picked.  My sleepers were rudely stolen out from under me, like Josh Hamilton, Howie Kendrick, Ian Kinsler, Delmon Young, Matt Cain, Ian Snell, even Elijah Dukes and BJ Upton went earlier than I’d seen them in other drafts, although not so early that any would be considered a reach.  Currently Scott Pianowski of Fantasy Guru is crushing the field, but it is early and things will change. Scott drafted the guy I secretly prayed would fall to me at the fifth spot when he took Jose Reyes with the second pick of the draft.  I know it was foolish of me to think he would make it to me, but a guy can hope can’t he? Lawr Michaels of CreativeSports made the comment that he was seriously considering ARod for the first overall pick but succumbed and took Albert Pujols instead.  14 home runs and setting every early home run record ablaze later I’d say he is second guessing himself, but from what I read in “FantasyLand” by Sam Walker that wouldn’t befit the man he called Zen Master.

I’m hoping to do an interview with Jeff Erickson on his XM radio show soon. If I do, I’ll be sure to post it here.

One of the things I like to do is something fellow TalentedMrRoto columnist and sometime contributor to The Boston Globe Shawn Peters called Grand Theft Roto, whereby you pull of a trade that wreaks havoc on your league while solidifying your dominance.  One of the secrets I call One Man’s Trash.  Simply put, it is taking advantage of the first greatest sin in fantasy baseball…”Thou Shall not be impatient.”  Baseball is such a long and arduous grind that you sometimes forget that numbers tend to revert to their norm. For example, last year my main trade target was Aramis Ramirez, 3rd base for the Chicago Cubs.  His first half was horrendous, causing quite an outcry amongst fantasy enthusiasts.  I managed to steal him before the break in three of my leagues and he promply went on a rampage.  Up until last night I almost had a deal wrapped up for Paul Konerko and Robinson Cano, but Konerko blew it for me with two dingers.  He is still tops on my acquisition list, but he certainly made my job more difficult.

This week’s top five to trade for are -

Scott Olsen - His early season woes make him ripe for a classic grand theft roto. With an ERA near 8.00 and a WHIP on the wrong side of 2.0, I’ve already seen a couple people bail on him and are looking for more.  I have a trade in the works right now, Derrick Turnbow for Olsen. I played up the fact that Turnbow could get his old job back and the guy I am working the trade with is in dire need of saves.  Meanwhile I picked up Joakim Soria while BJ Ryan is on the DL.

Paul Konerko - He should be blasting past the Mendosa line here any second

Carlos Delgado - His average recently rose above 200 but has suffered a power outage so far. Don’t expect that to continue

Adam LaRoche - another 1B struggling, but in that park and his power it’s just a matter of time. LaRoche is a streaky hitter, which is fairly common for younger players, but he’ll get into the groove soon enough and you’ll want him as a corner infielder when he does.

Gil Meche - a lot of people don’t believe in Meche, especially now that he plays in Kansas City.  What I see is a very talented pitcher who just needs an opportunity.  Meche has slipped some this week since he had another solid outing but might still be available for cheap if your league is shallow.

[tags]Tout Wars, FantasyLand, Fantasy Land, Nando Di Fino, Sam Walker, Fantasy Baseball, rotisserie baseball, Matt Berry, Lawr Michaels, Jason Grey, Jeff Erickson, Greg Ambrosius, Will Carroll[/tags]