10 Suggestions To Make Your Fantasy Baseball Season Is Fun

By Todd Farino, Fantasy Baseball Search


I've been playing fantasy baseball since 1990. It has been a blast to play the game that has brought so many people back to baseball. The initial fun of playing fantasy baseball really came when it allowed people to watch the ESPN Sunday night game just for their fantasy players. All of sudden so many games became relevant. More and probably the bulk of fun came from being able to pick and manage your own team and watch your work be successful. The best part of course is winning against your friends. Since you've started playing fantasy baseball, how many times have you called your buddy and chatted about your players, upcoming games, or just baseball in general. More of the enjoyable aspects of fantasy baseball is you not only have the games to watch, but now you have sports news and baseball tonight. The entertainment fantasy baseball brings to your life has a tremendous impact and believe it or not can improve your quality of life. Over the past 6-8 years fantasy baseball has evolved and changed from being a simple rotisserie 5x5 to having all sorts of different league systems from rotisserie to points, to including new stats to head-to-head leagues. It has expanded and with that the enjoyment and fun has expanded. Even drafts have evolved with auction style drafts and keeper leagues have expanded to new types and rules. Everything has been going great for fantasy baseball, but recently over the past couple of years with the advent of fantasy baseball web sites has come fantasy baseball advice. Obviously, we will support managers using advice to help their teams win, but some of the advice takes away the fun and that isn't good.



Over the past several seasons baseball has evolved so fast that allot of the fun has been lost. We aren't talking about most of the fun we mentioned above. We are talking about the most basic loving fun that we all expect from fantasy baseball. The fun that originates the first moment fantasy baseball season starts. The pure kid like joy you expect and if you don't get it you lose everything. We will give you our top 10 ways that you can make sure you will have fun this season and continue to enjoy the game that you've always had fun playing.


1. Stay Away From Sabermetrics - Whoever adapted this statistical method of projecting your players performance for fantasy baseball was insane. Sabermetrics was originally developed as a tool to assist scouting in MLB, but not to replace it. What sabermetrics guys have done in fantasy baseball is removed the scouting portion and just left the numbers, formulas, and statistics. It's a known fact that most sabermetrics guys hardly even watch baseball and base everything on wild formulas and repetitious statistics like batting average and batting average balls in play (???HUH???). I will admit that some basic sabermetric stats like OBP (On Base Percentage), OPS (on base and slugging, Strikeouts Per 9 Innings, WHIP (Walks-Hits Per Inning), and a few other pitching stats are very useful for fantasy baseball. However, sabermetrics guys just turn fantasy baseball into a calculus class and your fantasy baseball homework really is homework! Here are some amazing and crazy formulas and calculations for you to consider courtesy of sabermetrics: line drive rate, batted balls in play, and BsR(Base Runs). Now the true crazy sabermetric measurements used in fantasy baseball and these are freaky; LIPS (Late Inning Pressure Situations, DIPS (defensive Independent Pitching Statistics), and the best one Equivalent Average (EqA). If you think I'm making it up, here is the formula for EqA:






Now I will agree that sabermetrics is an incredible asset for MLB, but for fantasy baseball it sucks the fun out of the game, unless you like equations like the one above. Avoid using most of sabermetrics and stick to the formulas you see in the statistical categories in a players stats and you will have much more fun than a sabermetrics manager. To identify a sabermetrics manager, they probably drink lots of coffee, wear glasses (because of some much reading), and have dark circles under their eyes. They are also probably going bald because they pull their hair out from insanity of doing so many calculations just to decide to pick up Garrett Anderson and most likely they have a MIT degree!

2. Smack Talk Or Post In Your League - In order to truly have fun in your fantasy league, you have to smack talk. Leagues that don't chat and don't have money on the line don't exist for very long. Communication in a league is just as important as running your team. So smack talk with the other managers. Just remember to keep it clean and never make it personal. If you are uncomfortable with smack talk, just post. League members love articles about the league like power rankings, matchups, funny league news, etc... You can have allot of fun with it.


3. Play Head-To-Head Leagues - If you play in multiple leagues this season, try a head-to-head league. Its much different then playing the standard rotisserie or points leagues and it carries with it more fun, excitement, and drama. In a H2H league, each week you will take on a different manager and score wins according to your matchup. This allows for strategies to not only be season long, but weekly as well. Overall you will have the fun and excitement of real baseball because each week you will face a team with 10 or more wins on the line. It allows you to play more short term, rather than the drawn out long-term version that 5x5 rotisserie offers.


4. Try Auction Style Drafts - Auction style drafts are not for the weak at heart or for the rookies. However, at some point you have to give them a try. They combine the excitement of a draft with the anxiety of an auction. They require advance study of your budget and how you will spend your allotted money. Its a much more exciting way to draft fantasy baseball.

5. Keeper Leagues - Keeper League rock for one main reason. They allow you to build a franchise and do it in a league that will exist for along time. If you play in multiple leagues, make one a keeper league. Keeper leagues carry a different flavor then the standard yearly leagues and you will get to know you opponents very well. Furthermore, it allows you to get credit for your outstanding draft picks and free agents because you get to keep them for years.

6. Listen To Podcasts and Read Blogs - Fantasy baseball podcasts are full of great information and can be very entertaining as well. Now, there are some awful ones were the information can be deadly to your team and I know of some. There are many were you will get outstanding information every week and podcasts that you can learn from. We highly recommend you listen to at least one per week. We favor The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show and The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report. If you are reading this article, you probably already read blogs. Its good to find 2-4 blogs and to read them regularly. You can find great thoughts, strategies and breaking news in good blogs.

7. Prepare For Your Draft - This one sounds weird when we are talking about having fun, but if you don't prepare for your draft I promise you will have no fun drafting or playing the season. In order to prepare we recommend buying one magazine and reading on breaks at work, on the toilet, or before you go to bed. Then as we mentioned in #6, listen to podcasts. Good draft preparation makes the draft very exciting and therefore fun.

8. Don't Worry About The Score Early - Allot of us will fall behind early as other teams have a fast start out of the gate. You shouldn't worry about this one bit or allow it to bother you that you are in last place at the end of April. Just like in real Major League Baseball it just doesn't matter. Managers who make moves and trade away studs in September make the rest of their season stressful and sad. Imagine the managers who traded CC Sabathia last May. Exactly. Their season probably wasn't a happy one.

9. Go With Your Gut - This is critical. Nobody will be more upset if they make a decision that went AGAINST their gut and their gut ended up being right. Most of us trust ourselves and if our gut is wrong we are OK with that. The whole reason we get into this game is for the excitement of winning based on your own strategies and making your own decisions. Sure reading blogs and listening to podcasts help, but in the end you must make your own decisions and therefore go with your gut. Your gut might be wrong more than right, but if you don't win, at least you did it your way.

10. Break Up The Season By Months - The last piece of the puzzle to having a fun and exciting fantasy baseball season is developing a timeline for it. Obviously you have to play your team nearly everyday, but you don't have to strategize daily. We recommend breaking up your season by the month. Build a strategy for victory month by month and not only will your season feel shorter or even quicker, but you will always have something to play for and most of all hope. For example, in April strategize to have a strong start. After April ends, evaluate where you stand and based on those numbers, stratagize what you have to do in May. If you examine your team and score in detail every month you will get a much better picture then if you do it daily or weekly.

I hope our 10 suggestions for making your fantasy baseball season more fun will actually work for you. Even know we take the game very serious and in some cases lots of money rides on them, the bottom-line is its a game we play for fun and in the spirit of competition. We don't have the skills to play Major League Baseball or the chance to manage a MLB team, but we can fantasize about drafting a team and winning a championship. That is the excitement and fun and fantasy baseball and everything else is a cherry on top. Have fun in the 2009 season. If you have comments or questions about this article, email me at Toddf@fantasybaseballsearch.com.

Fantasy Studs, Sleepers & Snoozers For Week 14

Studs, Sleepers & Snoozers For Week 14 In The NFL

December 5th, 2008

by admin

QB

Stud – Kurt Warner

Warner had his 300-yard game streak snapped last week, but now he has the pleasure of facing the St. Louis Rams. Expect Warner to start a new streak in a game that has blowout written all over it.

Sleeper – Matt Ryan

Ryan has become very consistent in the latter portion of his rookie campaign and this week he can be counted on for a very solid outing. The Falcons take on the Saints and their beat up secondary.

Snoozer – Philip Rivers

Rivers is coming off of a down week and things will only get worse when the Chargers take on the Raiders. Over the last 4 games, the Raiders have allowed an average of 153 yards per game to opposing quarterbacks.
WR

Stud – Anquan Boldin

Boldin is a great play this week for the same reasons as Warner. He had a sub par outing last week and will be happy to make up for it at the expense of the Rams.

Sleeper – Eddie Royal

Royal has been hit or miss this year, but Cutler has been hot and the Chiefs are coming to town. In the first meeting with KC, Royal had 9 rec. for 104 yards.

Snoozer – Terrell Owens

Owens has had back-to-back big games, but now the Cowboys face the stingy Steelers defense. Pittsburgh has only allowed one receiver to top 80 yards in the last 7 games.
RB

Stud – Adrian Peterson

League’s leading rusher vs. League’s worst run defense

Sleeper – Kevin Smith

Smith faces a tough defense, but they could be without their 2 starting defensive tackles. Smith also averaged over 12 yards per carry when the Lions visited the Metrodome earlier this season.

Snoozer – Clinton Portis

Portis had 21+ carries in each of his first 8 games, but the injuries have caught up to him and he’s had 15 or less carries in 3 of the last 4. The Ravens also boast the league’s 3rd ranked run defense and yield just 78 ypg.
K

Stud – Matt Bryant

Bryant came through again last week with 3 field goals and 2 XP. He’s about as consistent as you can hope for and the Bucs offense gets him in range.

Sleeper – Neil Rackers

Rackers hasn’t been able to live up to expectations after a monster year in 2005, but in the 2 weeks before the Eagles game he made 7 of 8 attempts. This week he’ll face the Rams, so he’ll have plenty of chances to score.

Snoozer – Nick Folk

Folk and the ‘Boys take on a tough Steelers defense this week. Folk will also have to worry about wind and poor field conditions.

How To Make a Great Point System For Your League

Liberal Point Happy Leagues Vs. Old School Point Leagues
By Todd "The True Guru" Farino

Making a point system for your league is not only the most important factor in setting up your league, but it's the hardest. There are so many sub-factors that go into building a point system that if you forgot to consider any of them, your point system can be flawed. A flawed point system could have imbalance, gaps in scoring, and missed points that should be earned. Imbalance is the most common form of flaw and is the biggest flaw of the old school scoring system. As most of my readers know, I am a man of change in the fantasy world. America elected a new leader on change, we should change fantasy football and fantasy baseball scoring for the better. The "old school" scoring system was basic and really put most of the points in the runningbacks. Even know the quarterback is the leader on the team and puts up great numbers in real games, in the standard scoring system they were outdone by runningbacks and that is imbalance. Kickers and defense also get no respect in standard systems and you almost ask yourself why you have them if they score so low. I've always been a fan of lots of points. I'd rather play in a league that has scores like 170.1 - 158.4, then low scoring leagues like 90-84. I feel that the more scoring opportunities there is, the more strategy can be used to win. You also feel like you always have a chance to win, even when you are down by several points. Let's get into our thoughts on building a fun and effective scoring system.

Scoring Balance
A key to any scoring system is balance. This doesn't mean that every player must have the ability to score the same number of points, but some players can't dominate the points against the entire team. A great example of that in the old school system was Marshall Faulk. If you got Faulk in the years where the Rams were "The Greatest Show On Turf" you probably won your league. That's fact. I've been in a league for 9 years now, and one manager won the first two championships and he had Faulk. To avoid that I made scoring more balanced, so one player couldn't win every game for you. That you in fact need other players to play well to win. Here are scoring options we recommend for making your league more competitive and balanced.

1. Point Per Reception - PPR leagues rock. Giving a point per reception gives credit to the receiver for catching balls. The argument against PPR leagues is that runningbacks should then get a point for carries if receivers get points for receptions. First of that is insane. Receptions are an act that the player must complete. They have to run an effective route, break away from a defender, and then actually catch the ball. A running back has the ball handed to them by the quarterback. So it makes sense to give a point per reception because it balanced the receivers with extra points. It even helped the runningbacks when they catch balls out of the backfield.
2. Completion Points - This one will get the least amount of consideration, but one thing I've done in some of my leagues to make the quarterback the the points leader along with the team leader was giving him points for completions. However, if you give him points for completions its also correct to cost him points for attempts. Similar to saves in baseball. The closer will lose points for the save opportunity, but get bigger points for getting the save. If he blows the save, he loses points. If the quarterback throws an incomplete pass, he loses points. What I have done is I give .75 points for a completed pass, and -.25 for the attempt. So if the quarterback completes the pass he gets .5 points. This not only powers up the quarterback, but helps your quarterback if he gets yards and completions, but he's on a team that runs in the touchdowns.
3. Field Goal Points - This one makes complete sense and it pretty much already being down. All field goals are not created equal. Why would you give 3 points for a 43-yard field goal and 3 points for a 19-yard field goal. You have to create a tiered scoring system. Give 3 points for 19 and under, 4 for 20-29, 5 doe 30-39, 6 for 40-49, and 8 for 50+. If you do that kickers now hold considerably more significant power for your team and getting kickers with big legs become more valuable.
4. Defensive/Special Teams Points - Defenses score OK in the standard system if they do great, but there isn't any wiggle room for a great defense versus a OK defense. You also don't reward defenses that don't give up allot of yards, but allow 20 points for whatever reasons. You should award points a reverse tier for "total yards allowed" and for "points scored". Special teams should always be includes, and points for forced fumbles with fumble recovery. Besides sacks and INTs, give points for blocked kicks and punts. Be liberal with your defense and special teams. We think they should have the ability to compete with your flex player. The key to defenses is, if they have a real bad 54-point type performance that they get a bad score. There has to inherent risk in a defense, that any defense can do very bad or very good based on performance. The standard system really doesn't have good separation on performances. Put all that together and not only is fantasy football more exciting, but its more balanced.

The point of your scoring system (spot the pun?) is to make the game fun, exciting and that even when you are down to your last player, you can still win. No more being absolutely broken that you are within striking distance to win, but you have a sorry old defense left on Monday. With a modern scoring system, with luck, you can win. Pure joy is the emotion we want, and that is the whole point of the game now isn't it? Another great advantage of a more liberal scoring system would help to eliminate the "Luck Factor". You could lose a game because your opponent had a running back get 4 TDs and he nearly beats you on his own. That is much harder to do with a liberal point system. As fantasy football has evolved over the years, so should evolve its system of scoring. Have fun, play smart, and you should have a great time playing fantasy football.

Patience is a Virtue

On Thanksgiving we all had great meals and spent wonderful time with our families. In my opinion the best part of turkey day is the football. We get treated to three games across the day and man was it w great day for football and fantasy football alike.

I titled this post "patience is a virtue" because so many stud players came out to play in day and in only 3 games. Many of the players that turned up big like Tony Romo, Larry Fitzgerald, DeSean Jackson, and Brian Westbrook have largely been let downs in recent weeks or for most of the season. If you had patience, if you had the strength to hold onto LenDale White, Donovan McNabb, and even Steve Breaston than you got the pay off you were waiting for.

Here are the numbers from some of the fantasy players who haven't been as good recently, who looked very good on Thanksgiving and paid off big if you started them:

LenDale White - 106 yards, 2 TDs
Chris Johnson - 125 yards, 2 TDs
Robironas - He put up zero nothing over the past two weeks - 4 field goals, 5 XPs
Tennessee defense - 10 points, DTD, INT, 2 FF, and 4 sacks.

Tony Romo - 331 yards, 3 TDs, INT
Jason Witten - 9 rec, 115 yards, TD
Terrell Owens 5 rec, 98 yards, TD

Donovan McNabb - 260 yards, 4 TDs
Brian Westbrook - 130 yards, 4 TDs
DeSean Jackson - 6 rec, 76 yards, TD
Larry Fitzgerald - 5 rec, 65 yards, 2 TDs
Steve Breaston - 6 rec, 45 yards, TD

Even though Kurt Warner had a bad night for his team, overall it was a great fantasy night with 235 yards, 3 TDs, and 3 INTs.

I know there are a few people out there who benched Brian Westbrook. Guys who benched Jason Witten, or even DeSean Jackson. If you didn't, you got redemption for at least 1 week. For my leagues, I started all the players involved in Thanksgiving Day games and let's just say my opponents woke up Friday morning a little fatter and looking up at a mountain of a score to overcome. I hope the same goes for the rest of you out there who owns these players.

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

The NFL Stupid Top Ten of 2008 – And Their Fantasy Impact

Plaxico Burress’ latest and most seriously stupid transgression has inspired this list of NFL players who have taken dumbness to levels which even dumb people laugh at. We rate their overall Stupid Factor and the impact their actions have had on a fantasy football level. The players listed here must have been on an NFL roster for the 2008 calendar year (sadly, Michael Vick and O.J. Simpson did not qualify only for that reason).

10. Donovan McNabb, Eagles: Saying that he didn’t know that NFL games can end in ties was pretty ignorant. Compounding that further by saying “I wouldn’t want to see what would happen in a playoff game or the Super Bowl”, makes you wonder if this guy has ever watched a game he hasn’t played in.
Stupid Factor (S.F.)=7
Fantasy Impact Factor (F.I.F)=3

9. DeSean Jackson, Eagles: The "rookie mistake" excuse doesn’t explain why he would toss away the football he was holding before he crossed the goal line for what would have been a sure touchdown. He must have been too pre-occupied with starting his lame celebration for the TD he didn’t score.
S.F.= 6
F.I.F= 6

8. Chris Henry, Bengals: Henry was arrested four times in a 14 month span and has missed 12 games due to suspension in the last two seasons. His talent as a wide receiver has been obscured by his uncanny ability for being arrested.
S.F.= 8
F.I.F=5

7. Larry Johnson, Chiefs: Johnson was suspended three games this season after being charged with simple assault for allegedly spitting his drink in a woman's face on Oct. 10. Johnson also faces a Dec. 4 court date for an incident that occurred last February when he allegedly pushed a woman's face in another Kansas City nightspot. Can you define this as stupid, classless or cowardly? Take your pick.
S.F.= 8
F.I.F. = 7

6. Steve Smith, Panthers: Smith has a history of attacking teammates. He was suspended by his team for the first two games of this season for breaking the nose of teammate Ken Lucas with a sucker punch during training camp practice.
S.F.=8
F.I.F=7

5. Adam “Pacman” Jones, Cowboys: A dangerous punt returner, but a more dangerous citizen. Jones has been arrested six times, and served a full season suspension in 2007. He is known for making it rain in strip clubs and for causing a riot, which led to gunshots and the paralysis of a security guard in a Las Vegas club. His most recent bout with stupidity was punching his own bodyguard assigned to him by the Cowboys to make sure he stayed out of trouble.
S.F.= 10
F.I.F = 5

4. Tatum Bell, Broncos: When the Lions brought in Rudi Johnson to essentially take Bell’s job in Detroit early this season, Bell was caught on camera stealing Johnson’s personal bag, which contained his clothes, while in the Lions offices. Bell was officially released shortly thereafter.
S.F.=9
F.I.F=6

3. Cedric Benson, Bengals: Benson was stopped May 3 while on Lake Travis and charged with boating while intoxicated and resisting arrest. He was then pulled over in downtown Austin on June 7 and was arrested on a drunken driving charge. The Bears wasted the 4th overall pick in the 2005 draft and cut their losses by releasing him before this season. He was signed by Cincinnati a month into this season and has been a flop averaging just 3.1 yards per carry and only one TD.
S.F. = 8
F.I.F. = 7

2. Plaxico Burress, Giants: Instead of using the momentum of a catching the winning pass in a Super Bowl victory, Burress has done everything possible to throw away his career with multiple disciplinary problems. He has been fined $200,000, suspended one game by his team for blowing off work, and suspended the first half of the game against Pittsburgh for not showing up to a treatment session for an injury. All that looks minor compared to carrying an illegal gun and then shooting himself in the leg while at a nightclub. Criminal possession of a loaded weapon is a felony in New York, punishable by up to a year in prison. The five year, $35 million contract he signed before this season is in jeopardy, as are his days as a New York Giant.
S.F.=10
F.I.F.= 8 (nice way to burn fantasy owners just before the playoffs!)

1. Travis Henry, Broncos: Henry signed a five-year, $22.5 million deal with the Broncos last year, and led the league in rushing a month into the 2007 season. He blew that on blow (possession and intent to distribute) and is now facing ten years in prison and a $4 million dollar fine. During the summer, Coach Mike Shanahan said that Henry lacked commitment. He obviously had something else he was more committed to. Oh yeah, did we mention that Henry has fathered nine children with nine different women – at last count. Clearly, football has never been his primary focus.
S.F.= 10
F.I.F.= 8 (for anyone who wasted an early draft pick on him last season)

Studs, Sleepers & Snoozers For Week 13 In The NFL

Play Spaceball Football For A Chance To Win $500 A Week! www.funtasyfootball.com


QB
Stud – Peyton Manning
Manning makes a return trip to the stud spot with a very enticing matchup vs. Cleveland this week. The Browns best defense will be ball control and that’s something that their offense isn’t very good at, so look for the Colts to do plenty of damage.
Sleeper – Brett Favre
Favre has been playing fairly well as of late, but he could really break out this week. Denver has been suspect on defense for the majority of the year and the Jets passing game is really starting to open up with the emergence of Dustin Keller.
Snoozer – Daunte Culpepper
The Culpepper experiment hasn’t been awful, but it hasn’t been a success either. There is a theory that the Lions always step it up on Thanksgiving Day because it’s like their Super Bowl. That’s not the case when the Titans defense comes to town.
WR
Stud – Roddy White
White was relatively quiet on Sunday after several weeks of trying to prove that he’s the best receiver in football. This week the Falcons will head to San Diego to take on a very suspect Chargers pass defense.
Sleeper – Justin Gage
Gage had 2 big weeks, but was a disappointment last week in what should have been a nice matchup. He’ll head to Detroit on Thursday, so he should have plenty of chances to find pay dirt.
Snoozer – Randy Moss
Moss is back on the radar after his 3 TD performance on Sunday, but don’t expect the Steelers to leave him in single coverage. Pittsburgh plays the pass very well and even if Cassel has time to throw, Moss won’t be willing to risk a big hit from Troy Polamalu.
RB
Stud – Adrian Peterson
It’s tough to figure out what Brad Childress is thinking when it comes to his use of AP, but he always gets his touches in the end. Minnesota takes on a Bears defense that got shredded by Ryan Grant. That’s good news for Peterson.
Sleeper – Chris Johnson
Johnson was a non-factor against a solid Jets rush defense last week, but that’s good news for this week. He received only 10 carries so he’s well rested for his date with a porous Lions defensive unit.
Snoozer – Matt Forte
This is a tough spot to list the talented rookie, especially after coming off of a huge game vs. St. Louis. The problem is that he’s facing a very solid Vikings defense and the Bears have started to go with other options on the goal line. There are better options this week.
K
Stud – Matt Bryant
Bryant will maintain his stud status until he proves me wrong. He only notched one field goal last week, but it was a long one. He also racked up a decent amount of extra points. Tampa should have plenty of scoring chances against a weak Saints defense.
Sleeper – Stephen Gostkowski
The Patriots will certainly have trouble moving the ball against the Steelers, but this feels like one of those games that they can get into FG range and not much further.
Snoozer – Jason Hanson
Hanson is usually one of the only useful Lions on a given week, but it’s hard to imagine the Lions sustaining a drive long enough to get him any chances this week.

Spaceball Football Has Been Launched!

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How To Play Spaceball's Pick 5 Fantasy Football & Our Scoring System

Play Spaceball's Pick 5 Fantasy Football for a chance to win $500 a week throughout the entire 2008 NFL season…The Game Is Easy, Fun & Cheap To Play!

Each Week, Pick 5 Fantasy Football Contestants Will Select:

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The contestant's team that scores the highest amount of points wins!

Player Scoring Breakdown:

Positions: Quarterback, Running Back & Wide Receiver

Passing Touchdown	6 Points
Rushing Touchdown	6 Points
Passing Yards	1 Point For Every 20 Passing Yards
Rushing Yards	1 Point For Every 10 Rushing Yards
Receiving Yards	1 Point For Every 10 Receiving Yards

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Extra Point	1 Point

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BOYCOTT Blog Talk Radio's Fantasy Sports Channel & Here's Why

Here we go again, more complaining from Todd Farino right? How about more abuse from Paul Greco and his gang. I had a rough year in the industry last season due to my relationship with Paul Greco. Anyone who reads our blogs or listens to our shows clearly knows most if not all of the details. However, now things have gotten worse and again it's Paul Greco and his new found ally Tony Cincotta who are trying to silence The True Guru further.

The latest assault on me was them keeping me out of the Fantasy Sports Channel on Blog Talk Radio. They told Blog Talk Radio that if Todd "The True Guru" Farino was on the Channel that they ALL would not be and they would split. I was as shocked as you probably are to hear that grown men would actually lower themselves to tactics that can compromise another person's business just because of personal arguments. Especially in an industry that requires everyone to work together and my track record of running web sites that for 4 years solely did just that, work together. Helping young, old, and new sites get exposure was my main goal and still is. I even helped Paul Greco get discovered. I found his blog site after it first launched in 2007 and I invited him to have a link on the home page of http://www.fantasybaseballsearch.com/ and to become our site's official blog. He accepted and within weeks he went from a zero Google page rank to a 4 and according to him my impact was huge in bringing in new visitors to a site that was only months old. Our relationship turned into a friendship and in April of 2007 I started appearing on Greco's radio show every week with the great Lenny Melnick. I was on nearly every show and even guest hosted a few times before I left the show in October. I only left because I had football to focus on and fantasy baseball was over. We even did football shows together later that year and I met Paul when he came to Vegas that summer of '07.

So what went wrong? I hate to rehash old garbage, but basically Paul was not happy when I decided in 2008 to launch The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show, which I informed him in January, 2008. He then invited me to the now over discussed and tiresome Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft.

Here is a breakdown of what has happened since and then I'll give you the reasons for the boycott. Footnotes for sources are present at the bottom and marked with an asterisk in the article.

1. February 25, 2008 - Paul trashed me badly at the Mock Draft*. I requested an apology, he refused. Maybe he did it cause I was the least known expert in the drat, maybe cause I left his show. He bashed no one but me.



2. Early March, 2008 - I went on Paul's show** to defend my picks and Paul and Lenny teamed up on me further attacking me and asking me flat out false questions about Ryan Braun, like, "Do I still think he will steal allot of bases NOW that he is batting in front of Prince Fielder now?" Well, in 2007 he stole 18 of his 19 bases while batting in front of Fielder*. Apparently Greco didn't do his homework to know that.



3. We did move on as Paul was part of my Fantasy Baseball Search expert league and I thought we had buried the hatchet since he sorta apologized in private.



4. April 29th, 2008 - After listening to Talking Baseball and hearing Lenny Melnick say, "you were stupid to draft closers in the 4 or 5 rounds" (not verbatim) and feeling that comment was directed at me, I posted my thoughts on the value of closers in a blog post titled, "Closer Wars Heat Up: Us Vs. Them"***. This post heavily upset both Paul and Lenny because I challenged their theories and they felt I was not in the position as a lowly industry analysis to dare match wits with the great Melnick and Greco. LOL.


5. In June I had a phone conversation with Paul and in part of the conversation I asked him why he keeps inviting mu co host on his show, but not me or RC. His answer, "Patrick is published. We consider him an expert. We do not consider you an expert." Wow, I was an expert when I did his show and when we were going to run expert leagues together, but now I'm not an expert? This is coming from a man who's claim to fame is scrounging off of Lenny Melnick's reputation and losing in Gillette's Rookie Reporter contest. I thought Paul was a veteran reporter, not a rookie! Talk about a step backwards!



6. July 1, 2008 - Patrick DiCaprio leaves my show after Paul Greco asked him to work on their new web site launching in January 2009. Part of the deal was Patrick must leave my show ASAP. Why would Patrick not be able to stay on till September with the site not launching till January? I do not know, but I can guess Paul's immaturity and 4th grade tactics were involved.



7. During the All-Star break Paul Greco quits my expert league posting about it with the hopes more would follow. It was more like the scene out of Jerry McGuire, but not even his secretary Patrick DiCaprio went with him. Nobody else quit. After I told him off, he posted taped messages I left on Patrick's voice mail after we got in a heated argument. Paul ALSO had attacked me several times in the expert league on the message board and accused my of all sorts of improper actions. All proven false of course and all ended up being very embarrassing for Paul. In fact, who takes a recorded message and posts it on his site and solicits people in the industry to listen to it. How childish and 4th grade level is that! Really?



8. August 6th, 2008 After we went back and forth, I agreed to stop it at the request of my co hosts cause the fight was childish and a waste of my time. Patrick DiCaprio didn't think so and he put up a harsh post in his blog titled, "The Fall Of Jacoby Ellsbury"****. This article was posted while Jacoby Ellsbury was in a slump and also begged the question, "Did I qualify as an expert or should I even be called that anymore?" Well, Ellsbury got hot after that and ceased Patrick's worthless post and argument. I did not retaliate, trying to stop this BS and move on like an adult.



9. In August my good friend Johnny Archive and I were viciously attacked on our show rating comments and chat rooms by a listener called R.A. Dickey, who we later found out through IP address chasing and other sources was Tony Cincotta. Tony is the man with a thousand aliases and at the time he was not getting along with either of us, so of course it was him. Tony also attacked my radio shows by giving them 1 star ratings on Fantasy Baseball Search, and after I banned his Yahoo! IM account from contacting me, he asked to join my friend list under the alias edorfred38, saying he was a iTunes listener named Ed H. He asked me baseball related questions and never said he was Tony. Why would he do that?



10. In September the Fantasy Sports Channel launched on Blog Talk Radio and Johnny Archive and I were never invited. After several conversation with BTR customer relations and Tony Cincotta I found out that Paul was friends with Alan Levy (CEO Blog Talk Radio) and was put in charge of getting the shows for the channel. Him and Tony waged a campaign to keep Johnny and my shows out of the channel basing it on our relationship and saying I would cause problems. They even said that if I were allowed in tehy would leave the Fantasy Sports Channel. That's right me. I'd cause the problems, Not Paul and the man with a thousand alias'! I hadn't done anything in months, and if I did it was normally in response, not an attack. I had absorbed attacks by Tony and Patrick without doing anything. Hmmm. Those actiosn clearly showed that they care more about themselves and their own egos than they do the listeners or Blog Talk Radio. Even without the channel, my show is still one of the highest rated.

I left allot of details out cause I don't want this post to be a book, but you get the idea. I am asking for a boycott of Blog Talk Radio's Fantasy Sports Channel until they let us in and cease control of it from Paul and Tony. We deserve to be in there. I've been broadcasting on BTR since April of 2007 and they launched in January of 2007. I helped build the fantasy sports audience on the web site creating 4 shows and making guest appearances on countless others. My shows constantly remain in the top 20 shows (podcasts) in the sports section on Blog Talk Radio out of over 13,000+ shows! It is an injustice that I was kept out. With over 64,000 total listeners, 1.5 years in service, and 4 seasons of broadcasting I deserve to be in the Fantasy Sports Channel I helped build. Email BTR at service@blogtalkradio.com and tell them you are boycotting the Fantasy Sports Channel until The True Guru and others are let in. Blog Talk Radio is a great company and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them and what they are doing. However, they dropped the ball on this one and letting bad people like Paul Greco and Tony Cincotta make the decisions they did is just bad business. Especially when they base their decisions on prejudices and not what is right.

Check out our radio shows on Blog Talk Radio that are not in the Fantasy Sports Channel for all you Fantasy Football and Fantasy Baseball needs:

The Fantasy Football Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/The-Fantasy-Gurus

The Fantasy Football Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Football-Scout

The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/the_true_guru

The Fantasy Baseball Scouting Report - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Fantasy-Gurus-Networ

Footnotes and Sources:

* Mock Draft Central's Expert Draft February 25, 2008 hosted by Paul Greco

** Talking Baseball Live March 5, 2008 - hosted by Paul Greco

*** Closer Wars Heat Up: Us Vs. Them April 29th, 2008 written by Todd Farino

**** The Fall of Jacoby Ellsbury August 6, 2008, written by Patrick DiCaprio

The Mike Vick Leagacy

You ever see the show Dexter on Showtime? Well, I’ve been rather obsessed with it of late and I thought I might nominate a particular target for everyone’s favorite serial killer. Now, maybe a little back story: Dexter Morgan is an “orphaned” child who is raised by a noble Miami Police Officer. Early in Dexter’s life, Harry, Dexter’s foster father, realizes that Dexter has an uncontrollable psychological urge to kill, one that cannot be cured with things like therapy. So Harry, feeling attached to this boy, begins to find ways to channel his “son’s” urges toward good. He teaches him to be a perfect, uncatchable murderer, but the only condition is, he can only kill those who take innocent lives and manage to escape justice.

Did he really just say that?

Did he really just say that?

It’s not uncommon for a professional athlete or coach to give the media a sound clip that will be played for years to come.

How many times have we heard Jim Mora’s rant about the Colts making the playoffs?

How many times have we heard Allen Iverson downplay the importance of practice?

Terrell Owens, Randy Moss or Chad Johnson can usually be counted on to say something that we can talk about all week, but we have a newcomer to the group.

Donovan McNabb didn’t know that there were ties in the NFL???

"I've never been a part of a tie. I never even knew that was in the rule book," he said after Sunday’s game. "It's part of the rules, and we have to go with it. I was looking forward to getting the opportunity to get out there and try to drive to win the game. But unfortunately, with the rules, we settled with a tie."

Are you kidding me? He’s been in the league for 10 years and the last tie was in 2002. You could argue that players don’t pay attention to the outcome of other games, but McNabb and the Eagles actually played the Falcons that season after Atlanta had taken part in that tie.

Andy Reid tried to defend his signal caller by saying that there are rules that players don’t know about, but I’m not buying that excuse. We’re not talking about some obscure rule about laterals or if there is a 10 second runoff on a false start in the last 2 minutes of a game. Just because ties don’t happen often, doesn’t excuse McNabb on this one.

One thing is for sure…Donovan won’t forget that ties are possible because he’ll hear his sound bit well after he’s done playing in the NFL.

Your Fantasy Football Season Is Not Over...It's Just Begun!

What's up fantasy football fanatics & welcome to SPACEBALL FOOTBALL.......
The Game Is Simple:
*Pick 5 NFL players (1 QB, 1RB, 2WR's & a Kicker) from our players pool
*The contestant's team that scores the highest amount of points that week wins $500.00
It's that simple...No catches, no gimmicks!
Go to www.funtasyfootball.com on November 5th, 2009 to pick your roster and take a shot at winning $500.00 a week!
Oh, did we mention that it's only a lousy $5.00 per entry to play?
Who is Spaceball?
Hi there and welcome to Spaceball Football. This year you can hear me on a variety of radio stations all over the country!
Who am I? I'm the expert with an attitude. I'm the expert with a sense of humor. But then again, nobody said experts had to be boring.
In addition to my show and guest appearances on Morning and Afternoon drive shows during the week, I was also tapped by the Chicago Sun Times to write a weekly column. At my 1st ever Fantasy Football convention, over 500 men came out to talk about their upcoming drafts. (For the record - this was as Peyton Manning was coming off his 28 interception rookie season.and I told everyone to keep him as he was going to be bigger than huge). By the time I took over ESPN Radio in Chicago, Fantasy Football was a mainstay in the city.When it comes to Fantasy Football, that list of experts only goes one name deep. Millions play, hundreds are self-proclaimed 'experts,' but only one is a Fantasy Football legend. It's been my dream and now, it's your reality.
In much the same manner that Batman never revealed who he was in real life, I cannot either, however in my real life identity - I was the one who introduced the game to the general sports public some 20 years ago when I was running the Chicago sports radio station WSCR-AM (The Score) by hosting a Sunday morning Fantasy Football show. Fans would call as early as 5:30a and hold up to 45 minutes for the chance to ask my opinion on whom they should play that day.
Today, I show up on a regular basis on a number of stations throughout the country as well as make occasional appearances on a variety of other radio shows such as Steve Dahl (WJMK-FM / Chicago ), Mike North (WSCR-AM / Chicago), and Kevin Matthews (WLAV-FM / Grand Rapids ).
Give it a try. Tune in one day, talk some fantasy and let's have some fun.

www.funtasyfootball.com

The Most Underappreciated NFL Stars

The Fantasy Sports Forum.com



This past Sunday, the 49ers honored Steve Young with a halftime ceremony retiring his number. I always thought that despite his numerous accomplishments, Young was never appreciated as much as he should have been. It got us thinking here at The Fantasy Sports Forum about some excellent NFL players who never quite received the credit they probably should have. Here is our top ten list:



10. Phil Simms, QB, New York Giants: Not the strongest arm or the fastest runner, but an excellent leader who got the job done and had one of the greatest Super Bowl games of any quarterback. Could play for my team anytime.

9. Art Monk, WR, Washington Redskins: Yeah I know he was just elected to the Hall of Fame, but it took about 15 years for him to get there - even though when he retired he was the NFL leader in receptions. Wasn't flashy, didn't call attention to himself, just caught the football and kept the chains moving.

8. Jeff Garcia, QB, San Francisco 49ers: Had the impossible job of making 49er fans forget Joe Montana and Steve Young - good luck. His arm is nothing special, but all he does is win. I'm not sure anyone knows why, but he just has that something special.

7. John Taylor, WR, San Francisco 49ers: Maybe he was able to put up all those numbers because opposing defenses were worried about Jerry Rice, but he was a highlight machine himself, regularly turning five yard slants into 60 yard touchdowns. The perfect complement to Rice in that he didn't need the spotlight to shine on himself.

6. Drew Pearson, WR, Dallas: One of the best receivers of the 70s and a leader of the Cowboys. Best known for the Hail Mary completion against Minnesota in the playoffs. Has very similar numbers to Hall of Famer Lynn Swann and should probably be there himself.

5. Warren Moon, QB, Houston Oilers: Moon was a prolific offensive machine during the Oilers Run and Shoot era. And while he never won a Super Bowl, he was a multiple champion in the CFL, if that counts for anything.

4. Doug Flutie, QB, Buffalo Bills: Yes, Flutie was another quarterback who excelled in the CFL, but was never given a fair chance in the NFL, mostly due to being the anti-prototype size for an NFL quarterback. But anywhere he played, he managed to win. He should never have been passed over in Buffalo for an inferior and subpar talent like Rob Johnson. Wade Phillips would have lasted longer in Buffalo if he had picked the right man to lead his team.
3. Danny White, QB, Dallas: Took over for Roger Staubach andcontinued to lead the Cowboys as one of the top teams in the NFL, but could never quite lead them to the Super Bowl, losing three straight NFC Championship games in the 80s. If he had won even one of those, his legacy might be different. Was also a succesful punter for Dallas while being the backup to Staubach and then took over as full time QB. You don't see that anymore.

2. Terrell Davis, RB, Denver Broncos: His career was shortened after seven seasons at age 29 by a chronic knee problems after blowing it out in his fifth season and he was never the same after that. But he did put together three consecutive tremendous seasons in '96, '97 and '98, when he topped 2,000 rushing yards. Davis was also the missing component for Denver and John Elway in their two Super Bowl wins. He should get more Hall of Fame consideration.

1. Jim Plunkett, QB, Oakland/LA Raiders: Drafted by New England first overall in 1971, Plunkett was a bust for them through his first five seasons, never leading them to a winning record as their starting quarterback. He did no better in his next two seasons in San Francisco and then was picked up off the scrap heap by the Oakland Raiders at the end of the 1979 season. He then led the Raiders to a 9-2 record in 1980, getting the team into the playoffs with the wildcard. All he did after that was win all three playoff games on the road and win the Super Bowl and the MVP honor for that game. Three years later, he led the Los Angeles Raiders to a Super Bowl victory. Plunkett's career post-season record was a stellar 8-2. He fits the definition of an underappreciated star, especially when it looked like his career was on it's way to being labeled as another college star who failed in the NFL.

The True Guru Wins The Fantasy Baseball Search Expert League

Todd "The True Guru" Farino defeated radio co-host and good friend RC "The Numbers Don't Lie" Rizza 6-4 in the championship match of the 1st annual 2008 Fantasy Baseball Search Expert League. It capped off an amazing season where Todd (I) finished with a league best regular season record of 138-74-13, and compiled an expert vs. expert record of 17-5-1 and 2-0 in the playoffs. That included my hot start of 6-0 until I lost to Roto Authority in week 7.

For the readers I'd like to discuss how I was able to win in such a competitive league with so many brilliant managers. Over the course of the season I stuck to my strategy of maintaining a well-balanced team and made some great free agent pick ups along the way. A major strategy going into this roto 5x5 H2H league was to build a strong bullpen. I felt I could take pressure of my team and shorten the matchups if I dominated the SAVES category. I finished 21-2-3 overall for the season in the saves category. I also felt that batting average was critical as well and built my offense around that. The strategy being, if your guys are getting hits then they can steal bases, score runs, and collect RBIs. For power and speed I simply tried to balance it out so I can get both, but overall I did terrible in steals.

On the pitching side I firmly believed in having a strong starting rotation. Mine was built around CC Sabathia, John Lackey, Rich Harden, Fautista Carmona, Gavin Floyd, and Todd Wellemeyer. I believed with the guys I drafted (I did draft and cut Joe Saunders & Oliver Perez) that I could win strikeouts, wins, ERA, and even WHIP would be possible. So by looking at my over all strategy I was looking to win 4/5 pitching categories and up to 3/5 hitting categories each week.

I'd like to give some praise to the players that won it for me. Here are a few top 5 lists for fun.

TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS

1. Kevin Youkilis #21 - 29 HRs, 115 RBI, and a .312 batting average. Who says you can't find power late in the draft


2. CC Sabathia #4 - Started rough, but clearly the most dominating pitcher. Single handedly won the championship week for me.


3. Jose Valverde #7 - Went against the industry by taking a powerhouse closer early. 44 saves.
   
4. Kerry Wood #18 - Many in the industry considered Marmol the closer in spring training. Marmol was drafted in the 12th round. Rounded out my bullpen with 34 saves.


5. Bengie Molina #22- Never draft a catcher early. I waited till round 22 and got a gem. .292 batting average, 16 HRs, and 95 RBI. He even batted cleanup in San Francisco.
   

TOP FIVE WORST DRAFT PICKS

1. Andruw Jones #9 - Never again will I make this mistake.


2. Robinson Cano #3 - Wow, was he not a bust for everyone!


3. Manny Corpas #10 - I did pick up Brian Fuentes, so the loss was minimal.


4. Matt Diaz #25 - I was high on this guy, and I must have been high. :)


5. James Loney #11 - Took him instead of Ellsbury and regretted it.

TOP FIVE FREE AGENT PICKUPS

1. Gavin Floyd - What a find for my 5th starter. 17-8, 3.84 ERA, and 1.26 WHIP. Outstanding.


2. Brian Fuentes - Saved my Corpas loss. 30 saves.


3. Xavier Nady - Outstanding season. .305. 25 HRs, and 97 RBI.


4. Akinori Iwamura - His numbers weren't the most exciting, but he played 2B/3B and scattered his hits very well. One of my best fill-ins and bench guys.


5. Ben Francisco/Luis Ayala - Ben was great most of the season, but slumped near the end. Tied with him was Ayala who I got late and powered up my bullpen to matchup against much bigger ones.

I made only one trade the entire season, trading Robinson Cano for Bobby Jenks. You can checkout the draft and final numbers at http://www.fantasybaseballsearch.com/FBSEL/fantasy_baseball_search_expert_league.asp

The True Guru's 2008 Season Review: Top 10 Myths of 2008

Let’s face it, 2008 was a very exciting year with a number of predictions that came true and a number that never materialized. Many of us made bold strategic and managerial predictions that simply never came about. It is important to consider the information you take in before and during spring training. At best all of us experts are giving you are best educated guesses, but none of us are Nostradamus. So choose your fantasy baseball information wisely or it could cost you the season.

Here are the top 10 myths for 2008:

1. Outfield Power Scarcity - I'd like to know who came up with this theory. When the idea was first proposed to me I considered it as realistic, but after a few days I backed off and said that it is ridiculous. Every year hitters come out of the wood works, have breakouts years, or others come off injured seasons. Here are some numbers from the 2008 season. There were 13 outfielders who hit 30 or more home runs. Only 28 players hit 30 or more homeruns. That's 46% of the over 30 crowd outfielders by trade. If you look at the number of outfielders who it 25+ homeruns the number jumps to 26/50 for a whopping 52% of the hitters. Tons more hit over 20 dingers, so the assumption can be made that outfield power scarcity was in fact a myth.

2. Albert Pujols Surgery - This was the hottest topic in spring training. Albert Pujols' ailing elbow took center stage and allot of experts seized on it so viciously that this once #1 draft pick 1st basemen dropped in average draft position to 9.5 by the start of the season. What a bargain for the 9th overall pick. We know this; Pujols never had surgery on his elbow and he played 148 games and his stats were amazing; .357 avg, 37 HRs, 116 RBI, 100 runs, and 7 stolen bases. He is the likely NL MVP and we can consider his elbow surgery a myth.

3. Drafting closers in the high rounds - All season I fought this battle and continued the revolution for the closer. By most respected experts in the industry it is considered taboo to draft a closer in the early rounds like 4-7. You are crazy if you do by many people's standards. The primary school of thought is you can get saves later in the draft or free agency, so focus on hitting early. I thought that was hogwash.
You can find lots of hitting later in the draft or free agency (look up Carlos Quentin, Kevin Youkilis, Nate McClouth), so the value of the hitters has the same reach. My thoughts on this mini-controversy was simple. I'd rather not draft junk like Todd Jones or Joe Borowski because they could fall into 40 saves by accident. I told my readers and listeners to get a bonifided closer early that will not only stay closer through thick and thin, but one that if he is traded he will remain a closer. My best recommendations for early picks were Francisco Rodriguez, Jonathon Papelbon, Jose Valverde, and JJ Putz. Francisco Rodriguez finished with a record 62 saves, 18 more than the next closest closer Valverde at 44. That is an amazing statistic and without a doubt worth a 4th round pick if not a 3rd round pick. However people out there still say closers are only 1 category guys. My answer to that and further proof that their draft status should be higher is they carry so much more strategic value than just one category.
In both rotisserie and H2H leagues having powerhouse closers and a supporting staff will easily get you to the top in one category giving you an easy advantage throughout the year as you battle for the other 9 categories in a H2H or rotisserie while your opponents battle for 10 categories.
Getting a top notch closer like Francisco Rodriguez is the equivalent to getting Jose Reyes. Both absolutely dominate 1 category. Both provide great support for the other 4 categories respectfully. Also, once you get past the first 4 or even 5 picks closers look very good as the offensive players start to slip. There was plenty of late offense to make up for getting a powerhouse closers.
Regardless of what is said they simply aren't just one category pitchers. In a rotisserie league where a team can compile 1200 strikeouts, operating with at least 3 closers that bring 275 K's to the match up provided the team with 23% of its strikeouts. Every strikeout counts in rotisserie. Their ERA also helps and in a league where you can throw 2000 innings, just having 3 closers provides 11% of those.
I fully admit there are closers that will get you lots of saves like Soria in the later rounds, but they are rare. However they come with risks like low strikeouts, high ERA, getting benched or traded. Those are not concerns of a Jonathon Papelbon owner.
One final note. In my Fantasy Baseball Search points league, Francisco Rodriguez had 978 points compared to the offensive leader Jose Reyes at 998.
Only 3 closers new to the full time job had 30+ saves, Sherill, Soria, and Wilson. From the top 10 drafted closers only 2 failed to get 30saves, Wagner and Putz. Both injury related. Overall, a myth.

4. Justin Verlander -I think Justin Verlander burned every expert in the world. We all thought this young man was on his way to another 100 MPH hour fantasy baseball season, but things blew up all around him and his Tiger teammates and he ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of 2008. Why? How about a record of 11-17 and an ERA 4.84 to start. Nothing really changed for Verlander except he added a changeup to the mix. He started 33 games (32 in 2007) and pitched nearly identical innings (201.2/201). Whatever happened to him injury, personal problems, just awful luck this we know; his strikeouts decreased by 11%, his walks jumped 30% and his WHIP leaped to 1.40 (24%). Justin Verlander's preseason value was certainly a myth.

5. Pitchers in the first round - No more pitchers in the 1st round. I've always been a big supporter of pitchers in the first round, while most experts do not agree. Most experts are right. Only 2 pitchers were considered in the first round, Johan Santana and Jake Peavy. Grant Santana finished the season 16-7 with 206 K's, and 2.53 ERA he just didn't carry the same value as many of his fellow players picked in the first round. Peavy was much worst, dealing with injuries and only getting 10 wins and 166 K's. He didn't even have a winning record. If the strategy of taking a 1st round pitcher was brought up to you, consider it a myth.

6. Ryan Braun - This one has some heat on it. Ryan Braun was not respected by the Sabermetric guys and many experts were afraid he'd have a sophomore slump. Well, he didn't. Besides qualifying for the outfield along with third base, Braun hit 37 home runs, and 106 RBI, and still managed to steal 14 bases. His average did suffer with 160 more at bats then last season, but many didn't expect .324. His .285 was 39 points off, but his performance and value earned him a 2nd round draft pick and a myth indeed.

7. Stolen Base Scarcity - For years there has been a philosophy that big stolen base guys are a scarcity. For several years that was true, but in 2008 it no longer held up as a relative theory and it became a myth. The key number for a stolen base guy is 20. If you can get 20 you are solid, but hopefully the player can support that with 20+ home runs. Either way chasing the elusive SB was not as hard this year with a emergence of base stealers. Guys who grabbed base stealers early in the draft paid a heavy price with other managers getting stolen bases much later and competing all year for that category. In 2008 there were 37 players with 20 or more stole bases, 16 with 30+, and dozens more with 10-20 stolen bases. With more teams like the Red Sox, Phillies, and Dodgers running allot more, stolen bases are easier to find and when drafting for them easier to get. If you decide to wait on stolen bases you will find some treasures late in the draft proving stolen bases are plentiful and the scarcity question a myth.

8. Lack Of Offense In The Later Rounds - This one is easy. It is one of the most widely accepted myths in the fantasy baseball. Almost everyone preaches drafting offense early and often. Here is a list of players you could have gotten in your drafting round 15 and beyond or free agency:
Kevin Youkilis, 29/115/.312
Ryan Ludwick 37/116/.299
Carlos Quentin 36/100/.288
Carlos Delgado 38/115/.271
Dustin Pedroia 17/83/.326
Nate McLouth 26/94/.276
Aubrey Huff 32/108/.304
Jorge Cantu 29/95/.277
Xavier Nady 25/97/.305
Joey Votto 24/84/.297
Jose Guillen 20/97/.264
Evan Longoria 27/85/.272
There are lots more like Luke Scott, Jhonny Peralta, and Kevin Kouzmanoff. All these guys provided plenty of offensive power from the lower end of the draft or free agency. Nearly every one of the players listed above ranked in the top 60 offensive players in 2008.

9. Carlos Marmol - In the start of the season all eyes turned to Carlos Marmol as the Cubs closer. The talented young 6-2 flamethrower has all the talent in the world to be a closer, but got bumped for veteran Kerry Wood. We were all over this and even drafted Kerry Wood in the expert league in the late rounds. Marmol was the consensus favorite for the job, and we admit Wood was a long shot. However are analysis came up with factors that pointed towards Wood getting the job. He can't start, he's an fan favorite, he's being paid allot of money, he's a veteran, he has closer stuff, and he has to be limited in appearances and innings. The main factor was that Pinella liked having the younger guy as the setup man, so he can throw more innings and used his crafty veteran less as a closer. Respectively Marmol through 87.1 to Wood's 66.1. Since Wood ended up with 34 saves we can call this one a myth.

10. The New York Yankee Fantasy Value - The much heralded an vaunted New York Yankees offense and pitching was a puke this season. The team has a payroll that rivals the national debt, yet produced only the 10th best team in total runs at 789 and the 15th in ERA at 4.28. At one point a few years back this team was considered a fantasy team, but now its a garage sale of junk that maybe can get turned into treasure. At the start of the season there was high value players like Derek Jeter, AROD, Chamberlain, Damon, Abreau, Cano, Posada, Hughes, Kennedy, and Wang to name a few. Here are some facts about the 2008 team to sum up this season. The team high in batting average was .303, home runs 35, and RBIs a paltry 103. Only one pitcher broke 15 wins and that was Mussina, and bright spot on a dim team with 20 wins. Some major disappointments for this team were Derek Jeter, Robinson Cano, Melky Cabrera, Andy Pettitte, Chien-Ming Wang, and Jorge Posada. The Yankees didn't have the fabulous of a 2007, and 2008 showed further decline. Team batting average was down 8%, runs were down 15%, home runs down 10%, and RBI production down 22%. For the guys expecting a powerful fantasy punch from the Yankee offense you got a myth.


Todd "The True Guru" Farino

Major League Baseball Final Week Review

The Los Angeles Angels were the first to clinch a playoff spot and the first to clinch their division. They rounded out their regular season accomplishments by securing the best record in baseball, going 100-62 this season.

The Angels will play host to the American League Wild Card winners, the Boston Red Sox. The Red Sox were able to capture their playoff berth with ease and hope to play the spoiler role over an Angels team that many people predict will win the World Series.

The first team to clinch their post-season berth in the National League was the Chicago Cubs. Wrigley Field will be the site of the first two Cubs games as they welcome the Los Angeles Dodgers to town. The Dodgers were the 2^nd team in the National League to claim their spot in the second season.

The rest of the National League playoff picture didn’t settle into place without heartbreak and drama.

With the season drawing to a close, we knew that either the New York Mets or the Philadelphia Phillies would clinch the division and the loser was left to battle the slumping Milwaukee Brewers for the Wild Card berth.

Ryan Howard kept the Phillies winning when it mattered and they clinched the division with a game to spare.

That left the Mets and Brewers tied for the last spot with just one day left in the season. Mets fans were left with the reality that lightning can strike twice and the Mets had collapsed for the 2^nd time in two years and would miss the playoffs after a 4-2 loss following a Brewers win.

These 2 teams will now face off as Ryan Braun and CC Sabathia head to Philadelphia to take on Chase Utley and Cole Hamels.

The American League didn’t settle on a playoff lineup without some drama either.

The Twins were able to sweep the White Sox and claim a slight edge in the division race late in the week. The Sox and Twins both dropped 2 of 3 games in the last series of the year, which made it necessary for Detroit to head to U.S. Cellular Field on Monday for a makeup game.

Chicago won the game 8-2 and forced a one game playoff to decide the winner of the American League Central.

In what could be the worse rule in professional sports, the Twins were forced to play the game in Chicago based on a coin flip, despite holding a 10-8 season series edge.

John Danks and Nick Blackburn battled it out in an unlikely pitcher’s duel. The only mistake of the game came when Nick Blackburn left a pitch up to Jim Thome and he hit a 461-foot homerun for the game’s only run.

The White Sox win sends them to Tampa Bay to take on the American League East Champion Rays.

Is There A New Jinx That's Worse Than The Madden Curse?

The Madden Curse has a long history of claiming seasons and even a career.

There are several different opinions on how many people were actually affected by the curse.

Here is the evidence…

Garrison Heart appeared on the 1999 cover and went on to enjoy a career season, but then suffered a broken ankle in the playoffs and the Niners lost the game.

Barry Sanders graced the 2000 cover along with John Madden. Sanders retired before the season even started.

Eddie George may be an exception as he followed his 2001 appearance with a very solid year. It was a year after that in which he turned in career lows across the board and was never the same again.

Daunte Culpepper was coming off a season of nearly 4500 total yards and 40 TD. He graced the 2002 cover and threw for 14 TD and 13 INT before a back injury ended his season.

Marshall Faulk was coming off a Super Bowl appearance and was the reigning Offensive Player of the Year when he agreed to be on the cover of Madden 2003. He suffered an ankle sprain that cost him 6 games and he failed to reach 1000 yards rushing for the first time in 7 years. He never returned to his previous level of play.

Michael Vick was a rising star when he appeared on the 2004 cover. He didn’t even make it out of the preseason as he suffered a fractured fibula on a nasty tackle from behind. Vick only appeared in 5 games that season.

Ray Lewis is another questionable cursed player. He was the first defensive player to make the cover when he was on Madden 2005. He led the Ravens to a division title the prior season and had a career high 6 interceptions. After becoming a cover boy, he failed to record an INT and failed to make the playoffs. He did have a solid season though.

Madden 2006 saw Donovan McNabb on the cover. That season he suffered a sports hernia and attempted to tough it out, but Roy Williams put on hit on McNabb that worsened the injury and caused him to have season ending surgery. He played in just 9 games that year and hasn’t finished a full season since.

The 2007 curse shifted its focus to Shaun Alexander. Alexander rushed for 1880 yards and 27 TD the previous season. After appearing on the cover, he suffered a fracture in his foot and missed 6 games. He failed to reach 1000 yards and scored just 7 TD. He followed that up with a 700 and 4 campaign and is now out of football.

Madden 2008’s cover boy was Vince Young. Young appeared to be ready to step up and become a dual threat quarterback that gave opposing defenses fits. Instead he threw for just 9 TD and 17 INT and missed one game.

The curse finally seemed like it was going to skip a year when the 2009 cover featured Brett Favre, who was safely hidden away in Mississippi enjoying retirement. With his return to the New York Jets, only time will tell if the curse comes true.

What we do know for sure is that there may be another curse to watch out for as it’s already claimed its 2008 poster boy.

Tom Brady was the inspiration behind the logo for The All American Touchdown Derby at passitdeep.com after his record-breaking season last year. It seemed like a no brainer that you’d have to honor the record holder for most touchdowns thrown in one season.

And so the story begins…

The All American Touchdown Derby curse has a long history of claiming seasons.

In 2008, a Tom Brady replica graced the front page of passitdeep.com after throwing for a record 50 TD passes in 2007. He stepped onto the field to begin his follow-up campaign and didn’t make it out of the first quarter before suffering a torn ACL and MCL that claimed his season before he could register a single touchdown.

Now this could certainly just be a coincidence, but for the sake of my fantasy football keeper league, I’d prefer if the guys at passitdeep.com didn’t look at Jay Cutler when designing the 2009 version of the game.

The True Guru's 2008 Season In Review: Part 1 "Luck and Sabermetrics"

Well, this has been one heck of a tough year for me and my radio show with other personalities. I had some problems in the industry that I did not expect or see coming, but in contrast I also made many new friends with some wonderful websites. SO overall its been a great year.



One reason I made some people in the industry upset is I don't subscribe to the same old school philosophies that have guided the industry for years. That I not only use my own formula for success, but that I also use it in full view of the fantasy baseball community with huge success. I did this through blogs, radio shows, and an expert league. Another reason they may not be happy is the fact that I tell it like it is and I don't care much for unwritten rules or agreeing just to be nice. I've said all year, if you disagree with me come on my show to defend your ideas or prove it to me in a H2H expert league.



So the whole point on this diatribe is to discuss one of two issues that were brought up on my show and blogs several times through out the year and that is the question of LUCK. This was the topic of one argument between me and a former co host of The Fantasy Baseball Gurus Show. To note, my former co host's managing philosophy is build completely around sabermetrics. Now there are many managers who believe in luck, and there are even several different ways they believe in it. Those ways can be injuries, breakout or unexpected performance, scoring points at the right time, or your player playing more or less then expected, etc...

For the most part as I've said on my shows, luck exists how my former co host would say "in a vacuum". You see luck effects every team nearly every day, so chalk it up no different then RSTLN E on Wheel Of Fortune (Those are the letters chosen so often for the grand prize game that Wheel Of Fortune ended up making them automatic and allowing the contestant to pick 4 more letters.)

Luck is automatic except in cases of injury where we call it "bad luck". Its as simple as that and anyone who argues it different cannot consider themselves a champion of this game. By no means can you assume and I mean making an ASS out of YOU and ME. That's right you cannot assume that a player is lucky for whatever reason or that one player had bad luck. That a pitcher who gives up 14 more home runs then the year before is bad luck or a hitter stealing 10 more bases good luck. Its just not.

Since we already established that it's automatic for everyone then we can accept that at one point or another we all have good and bad luck.

My thoughts are simple; there are skills, strategies, pinpoint perfect moves, but there is not bad luck. There are educated guesses, match ups at the wrong time, and breakout performances that ruin your week, but no such bad luck.

The people that crow the most about "luck" are followers of the Religion of Sabermatrics (ZALTAR!). This is an amazing breakthrough as a tool used to enhance scouting in MLB, but instead it has been transformed by fantasy experts and has replaced scouting in that arena. That is just not what its meant for.

The reason they cry "luck" more than anyone is they refuse to admit that there are serious flaws in their precious calculations and that sabermetrics can and often does fail. Therefore it becomes their answer to something sabermetrics could not explain. It must be luck.


Let's see if this works in other professions:

Well, I don't know how it happened, but with some good luck I managed to give you a heart transplant.

I don't know why she died. I guess I was having bad luck cause my CPR didn't save her.

I got a "F" on my exam BAD LUCK!

OK, you all get it. Its an excuse because they can't explain what happened. The difference in statisticians, voyeurs, scouting experts, gut guys, and other experts don't have that problem nearly as often if ever. We analyze actual data or film and make expert decisions. We don't plug numbers into a formula and draft a team based on a few percentages and formulas.

So when you hear about "luck" from a sabermetrics expert know that what he is actually telling you is, "I can't explain why that happened GOOD LUCK OR BAD LUCK.

Here are some 2008 Examples that sabermetric experts would attribute luck too:

Gavin Floyd - He was lucky
Xavier Nady - He was lucky
Jose Reyes - He was unlucky
Jacoby Ellsbury - He was lucky

(Trust me there are many more)


To wrap this up, I hope I've made my point clear that using luck outside of injuries is a weak excuse and if the experts that you take advice from whip out luck as an excuse because what they said didn't happen, walk away and go towards the light of an expert who explains luck rather than use it to hide their flaws and mistakes..


I promise The True Guru doesn't believe in luck like that, just winning.


Todd "The True Guru" Farino

NFL Touchdown Sunday Quick Hits - Week 2

Pittsburgh Steelers 10, Cleveland Browns 6
So when do you think the suits at 280 Park Avenue will start kicking themselves for putting the sexy Browns on prime time five times this year? The biggest mistake the league and networks made was having three of those prime time games come after Halloween.

After Kellen Winslow screamed “I was open! I was open!” on his way into the locker room at the end of the first half (which, you recall, ended with Derek Anderson tossing an interception to Troy Polamalu), he went out and had a drop, committed a false start and ran more than one impotent route in the second half. Oh, he also had his lunch eating in several blocking situations.

I have no idea why the Browns don’t incorporate Jerome Harrison into their offense more. If Braylon Edwards is going to continue to be ineffective, Harrison may be Cleveland’s only playmaker.

Props to Chris Kemoeatu and the rest of the Steelers offensive line. I’m one of the doubters who, so far, have been disproved.

Santonio Holmes has officially surpassed Hines Ward as Pittsburgh’s premium wideout.

I’m sorry, but wasn’t Rashard Mendenhall supposed to be the two-punch behind Willie Parker?

Denver Broncos 39, San Diego Chargers 38
After this game, Norv Turner said that Ed Hochulli’s blown call on the Jay Cutler fumble was not acceptable and that it decided the game. Shut up, Norv. Your team gave up 39 points, including consecutive scores from inside the five-yard-line in the waning seconds. That’s what decided the game.

Not to mention, Hochulli made a mistake, yes (kudos to him for publicly admitting it, by the way). But it’s not like the Chargers did anything on that play – Cutler simply dropped the ball. So again, Norv, shut up.

New nickname for Antonio Cromartie: Mrs. Brandon Marshall.

How about Jay Cutler? 36/50 for 350 yards and four touchdowns!? The guy may wind up being the most prolific passer in the AFC this year. Before the season I wrote that with his arm strength, he’ll have to really fight the temptation to force tough throws into traffic. A great example of that was his interception in the end zone to Antoine Cason. But that one bad play puts only a mild dent in the young passer’s outstanding performance.

Broncos rookie left tackle Ryan Clady has performed well thus far. In fact, that whole offensive line has.

I’m really liking Denver’s running back by committee approach. Selvin Young has been making big plays, Andre Hall still catches defenses off guard when he enters the game and Michael Pittman knows how to produce near the goal line.

Tony Scheffler looks more like a star every time I see him.


Arizona Cardinals 31, Miami Dolphins 10
At one point, Kurt Warner was 9/9 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. That’s how you know he was playing the Dolphins.

The Arizona coaching staff was on Larry Fitzgerald all offseason about being a tougher runner after the catch. Fitzgerald listened. His diligent improvements in this area have been on shimmering display the first two weeks (his 75-yard catch and run in this game obviously being the brightest highlight so far).

Ricky Williams was the buzz coming out of Dolphins camp. Through two games, he has 21 carries for 52 yards and hasn’t shown an ounce of burst. It should be noted that Ronnie Brown has not been anything special, either, and Miami’s front five has looked every bit like the inexperienced, makeshift unit that it is.

The cameras were on Kendall Langford after his personal foul facemask penalty kept what turned out to be a Cardinal touchdown drive alive. With Langford being a small school rookie, and the cameras catching Tony Sparano talking to him, homogeneous analysts everywhere made the brilliant observation of “what a big mistake the young guy made.” Lay off him. It was a facemasking violation on a sack – that’s just one of those things.

P.S. Cardinal fans: your team is 2-0 after beating the 49ers and Dolphins. Be please, but contain your enthusiasm until the Cards face a varsity team.


Click here to see Quick Hits for all of the Week 2 action from Sunday.

Betus.Com Radio Interview With The All American Touchdown Derby

Only 3 more days to sign up for The All American Touchdown Derby: www.passitdeep.com

NFL Betting Daily & Week 1 Injury Reports

Every match up, every line and every significant injury is covered every week on the BetUS NFL Betting Daily Podcast, keeping you in the know for the upcoming NFL week 1 games.

We are also paid a visit by Passitdeep.com’s Jim DeGoerge who fills us in on his NFL QB touchdown Derby fantasy game running the whole NFL season…you can win $1500 in cash and a $500 BetUS Free Play for winning this thing, go sign up!

Click on this link or cut & paste it into your browser to listen to our interview with Betus Radio Show Host Damon D!

http://radio.betus.com/2008/09/04/nfl-betting-daily-week-1-injury-reports/