I know that almost none of you follow IndyCar racing, but the Queen B has finally pissed me off to the point that I must dethrone her as official mascot of FNFT. Yesterday she qualified 23rd for the Indy 500 and after the run completely threw her team under the bus in an interview. "This is the worst car I've ever had. The GoDaddy car deserves to be higher up than this. It's better than this. It's just not set up right." The interview was broascast over the PA and on the big screens at Indy and she was hardily booed by the crowd. We don't need that.
Besides, there will be at least two other other women in the race and one of them, Simona de Silvestro, isn't a bad piece of tail anyway. I digress.
As most of you know, I make an annual journey to the land of speed and this year is no different. Technology will one day allow me to whip out my laptop in the morning in Lot 4 where we camp and make FNFT updates like I'm not even gone, but I'm not sure we're quite to that point yet. I will do my best to do what I can, but the worst case scenario is that website updates will be non-existent Thursday through Sunday.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Monday, May 17, 2010
PLAY ME A SONG, DEREK LOWE, DEREK LOWE
Today's lead story on CBSSports.com by Eric Mack suggests that fantasy players take a look at Derek Lowe.
In fact, Derek Lowe did not have that horrible of a start and he really hasn't been doing better of late. One 11 point game should not constitute "better" in anyone's book.
Try to overlook Derek Lowe's bad start. He has been better of late. And with matchups this week against the struggling Mets and woeful Pirates, Eric Mack sees potential for the Atlanta sinkerballerIf Mr. Mack was a member of FNFT and had access to the zippy FNFT roster and stat system, he would see that what he's saying is BS.
In fact, Derek Lowe did not have that horrible of a start and he really hasn't been doing better of late. One 11 point game should not constitute "better" in anyone's book.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
I was playing with the FNFT history database again. I figured out who the top scoring rookie was each year back to 2001. I considered each player's "rookie" season to be the year in which they first appeared on an FNFT roster.
Here are the top rookies each year with the number of points they scored and where the leader ranked in overall scoring.
2001
Ichiro Suzuki - 174 points - ranked 18th
Todd Walker - 157 points
Aramis Ramirez - 131
2002
Eric Gagne - 171 - 13th
Jacque Jones - 155
A.J. Pierzinski - 146
2003
Vernon Wells - 140 - 31st
Hideki Matsui - 121
Marcus Giles - 108
2004
Travis Hafner - 99 - 69th
Victor Martinez - 97
Pedro Feliz - 81
2005
Jorge Cantu - 139 - 37th
Felipe Lopez - 128
David Wright - 124
2006
Jonathan Papelbon - 159 - 18th
Nick Swisher - 120
Gary Mathews Jr. - 96
2007
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 167 - 10th
Nick Markakis - 162
Ryan Braun - 162
2008
Ryan Ludwick - 144 - 30th
Chris Young - 139
Edinson Volquez - 133
2009
Adam Lind - 123 - 51st
Kurt Suzuki - 96
Kevin Slowey - 94
Here are the top rookies each year with the number of points they scored and where the leader ranked in overall scoring.
2001
Ichiro Suzuki - 174 points - ranked 18th
Todd Walker - 157 points
Aramis Ramirez - 131
2002
Eric Gagne - 171 - 13th
Jacque Jones - 155
A.J. Pierzinski - 146
2003
Vernon Wells - 140 - 31st
Hideki Matsui - 121
Marcus Giles - 108
2004
Travis Hafner - 99 - 69th
Victor Martinez - 97
Pedro Feliz - 81
2005
Jorge Cantu - 139 - 37th
Felipe Lopez - 128
David Wright - 124
2006
Jonathan Papelbon - 159 - 18th
Nick Swisher - 120
Gary Mathews Jr. - 96
2007
Daisuke Matsuzaka - 167 - 10th
Nick Markakis - 162
Ryan Braun - 162
2008
Ryan Ludwick - 144 - 30th
Chris Young - 139
Edinson Volquez - 133
2009
Adam Lind - 123 - 51st
Kurt Suzuki - 96
Kevin Slowey - 94
Saturday, May 15, 2010
L28
OK, I've been doing a lot of maintenance. If you read yesterday's post, you know about the new columns in the FNFT stats. Well, I've changed them a bit. Instead of "L30" for the last 30 days, I've changed to "L28" for the last 28 days. The way the MLB schedule is, it make more sense to use some number of full weeks in this summary.
So, the columns are:
FP = FNFT points in all games this year
FP/G = FNFT points per game in all games this year
L28 = FNFT points in the last 28 calendar days
L28G = FNFT points per game in the last 28 calendar days
Note that L28G is not just "L28/28". It's based on the actual number of games that the player has played in the last 28 days.
Here's another tweak: Ever since I created this thing, the FP column has been calculated by applying a formula to the player's year-to-date stats. Because I can't exactly account for some of the bonuses we use, this number has always been a rough approximation of the player's total points but not an exact count. I've changed that. The FP statistic is now the exact number that you would get if you added each players FNFT points in each individual game they have played. This makes the FP/G and L28G columns directly comparable. If the L28G number is greater than the FP/G number, then the player has been hotter recently than his average for the year - and vice-versa.
Give me some feedback on this if you have any. Does the 28-day window seem reasonable? I could change it to 21 or even 14. The caveat is that I have to use the same window for both hitters and pitchers (well, I wouldn't have to but it would be a trillion times harder to make them different). Since starting pitchers only play every five days, I think you need a big enough window to capture at least 3-4 starts.
So, the columns are:
FP = FNFT points in all games this year
FP/G = FNFT points per game in all games this year
L28 = FNFT points in the last 28 calendar days
L28G = FNFT points per game in the last 28 calendar days
Note that L28G is not just "L28/28". It's based on the actual number of games that the player has played in the last 28 days.
Here's another tweak: Ever since I created this thing, the FP column has been calculated by applying a formula to the player's year-to-date stats. Because I can't exactly account for some of the bonuses we use, this number has always been a rough approximation of the player's total points but not an exact count. I've changed that. The FP statistic is now the exact number that you would get if you added each players FNFT points in each individual game they have played. This makes the FP/G and L28G columns directly comparable. If the L28G number is greater than the FP/G number, then the player has been hotter recently than his average for the year - and vice-versa.
Give me some feedback on this if you have any. Does the 28-day window seem reasonable? I could change it to 21 or even 14. The caveat is that I have to use the same window for both hitters and pitchers (well, I wouldn't have to but it would be a trillion times harder to make them different). Since starting pitchers only play every five days, I think you need a big enough window to capture at least 3-4 starts.
Friday, May 14, 2010
WHEN YOU'RE HOT, YOU'RE HOT
There are some new columns on the FNFT stats pages - "L30" and "L30G". These are each players' FNFT points and average points per game in the last 30 calendar days (not games - days). These stats will be updated daily just like everything else and you can sort them just like all of the other stats.
The value of these numbers will become more evident as the year wears on. Wait until you need to pickup up an outfielder in July. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be using this. I'll be adding it to all of the places it's logical, including your main roster page.
The value of these numbers will become more evident as the year wears on. Wait until you need to pickup up an outfielder in July. I can pretty much guarantee you'll be using this. I'll be adding it to all of the places it's logical, including your main roster page.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
RULE CHANGES
This is very minor. There are a couple of rule changes that I think I've talked about in the past but never implemented. I'm going to pull a Bill France and implement them mid-season without asking anyone.
The first is that I've eliminated the rule saying that if you cut a player you can't pick him up for a month. I thought I had gotten rid of this last year, but it was still in there. There's absolutely no point in having that rule anymore. It's a holdover from the days when Craig Haralson would effectively have a 35-40 man roster by making 8-10 transactions a week and re-picking up players before anyone else knew they were cut. We've gone to a single pickup per game and a all of the transactions are clearly posted. It's something I don't want to have to police. So the rule is gone. It was Rule K.4. if you were keeping track.
In it's place, I have a new rule stating:
K.4. Pickups for the next FNFT game can begin being made at midnight of the previous game day. This rule, in conjunction with Rule K.2. essentially says that you may not make any pickups between 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight of an FNFT game day.
You know when you log in and underneath the login box is says: "NEXT GAME: Game 9, Friday May 14"? That's the game number that gets posted in the transactions table for your pickups and helps me keep track of the one pick up per game rule. I used to set that manually, so sometimes you would log in Saturday morning, it would still say the next game was Friday (yesterday). I changed that to update automatically at midnight of each game day. So basically, you can't make any pick ups on Friday night for the next game unless you stay up real late.
That is all. You may get on with your day.
The first is that I've eliminated the rule saying that if you cut a player you can't pick him up for a month. I thought I had gotten rid of this last year, but it was still in there. There's absolutely no point in having that rule anymore. It's a holdover from the days when Craig Haralson would effectively have a 35-40 man roster by making 8-10 transactions a week and re-picking up players before anyone else knew they were cut. We've gone to a single pickup per game and a all of the transactions are clearly posted. It's something I don't want to have to police. So the rule is gone. It was Rule K.4. if you were keeping track.
In it's place, I have a new rule stating:
K.4. Pickups for the next FNFT game can begin being made at midnight of the previous game day. This rule, in conjunction with Rule K.2. essentially says that you may not make any pickups between 12:00 noon and 12:00 midnight of an FNFT game day.
You know when you log in and underneath the login box is says: "NEXT GAME: Game 9, Friday May 14"? That's the game number that gets posted in the transactions table for your pickups and helps me keep track of the one pick up per game rule. I used to set that manually, so sometimes you would log in Saturday morning, it would still say the next game was Friday (yesterday). I changed that to update automatically at midnight of each game day. So basically, you can't make any pick ups on Friday night for the next game unless you stay up real late.
That is all. You may get on with your day.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
THORNTON STRIKES AGAIN
Unbelievable. Matt Thornton pitched 2 innings, struck out 5 and didn't allow a base runner, scoring 18 points in the process. He now has the top two highest all-time FNFT relief pitcher scores.
In those two games he has scored over 10% of Gerry's team points for the year.
In those two games he has scored over 10% of Gerry's team points for the year.
Sunday, May 02, 2010
TRACKING RP'S
If the FNFT season ended today (and thank God it doesn't), there would be 20 batters, 12 starting pitchers and 3 relief pitchers in the auction. One of the relief pitchers would be Matt Thornton who seems quite likely to fall off the list. The top scoring RP so far is Brian Wilson who ranks 20th in player points. This new scoring system is working exactly like I told you it would.
RECORD POINTS PER GAME
I was looking through the the history database to see where Hick's 105-point game ranks all time. I remember way back in the early days of FNFT, a 100-point game was almost an unreachable height. Now, it happens about twice a year on average. Hicks's game ranks 13th.
Urban Shockers hold the single game record at 136 points. Two other teams scored 118. That's quite a gap from the top spot down to second place. Makes me wonder if that mark will ever be broken. Oh wait - with the new scoring for relievers, it almost certainly will.
In the record setting game for Max, Albert Pujols went 0-for-4.
Urban Shockers hold the single game record at 136 points. Two other teams scored 118. That's quite a gap from the top spot down to second place. Makes me wonder if that mark will ever be broken. Oh wait - with the new scoring for relievers, it almost certainly will.
In the record setting game for Max, Albert Pujols went 0-for-4.
Saturday, April 24, 2010
THE MATT THORNTON RULE
Cynic: Nice job Tief. You've managed to completely fuck up FNFT with your ridiculous new scoring rule for relief pitchers.
Tief: What the "fuck" are you talking about?
Cynic: Gerry's relief pitcher, Matt Thornton, gets 19 points this week!
Tief: So what?
Cynic: That's way too many. That's an FNFT record and it's all because of your new scoring system.
Tief: The guy faced 7 batters and struck out 5 of them. How many points do you think he *should* get for that?
Cynic: 10.
Tief: 10? That's ridiculous.
Cynic: Alright, 12.
Tief: Still too low. Under the old scoring system, Thornton's game would have been 16 points. Not much different. And that, by the way, would *also* be a new FNFT record.
Cynic: Alright then, how can you justify a relief pitcher getting 19 points when Andruw Jones hit two home runs and only got 18?
Tief: Matt Thornton had a better game than Andruw Jones.
Cynic: That's bullshit.
Tief: I know context doesn't matter in our league but Andruw Jones hit two solo home runs. Matt Thornton came in the game with bases loaded and his team down by one, struck out Ken Griffey, and then shut Seattle down for the next two innings while the White Sox came back to win.
Cynic: But it was Andruw Jones' walk-off homer that won that same game!
Tief: Like I said, context doesn't matter.
Cynic: You're a hypocrit.
Tief: The point here is that Thornton's game was a once-in-a-decade performance. That kind of thing isn't going to happen every week. The new scoring system is working just fine. Part of the problem is that you have been programmed to believe that relief pitching is less important than it actually is because of the vanilla scoring system we used to use. Given the opportunities presented to them, relief pitchers still score relatively few points in our league. There have been 100's of games in which hitters score 20 points. A relief pitcher never has. Just accept this for what it is - a great performance by a player on some other team.
Cynic: I still think it sucks.
TIef: Well then *you* should have drafted Matt Thornton.
Cynic: Good point.
Tief: See. I knew you'd come around.
(Editor's note: Thornton's score will be erased if Mariano Rivera pitches on Saturday.)
Tief: What the "fuck" are you talking about?
Cynic: Gerry's relief pitcher, Matt Thornton, gets 19 points this week!
Tief: So what?
Cynic: That's way too many. That's an FNFT record and it's all because of your new scoring system.
Tief: The guy faced 7 batters and struck out 5 of them. How many points do you think he *should* get for that?
Cynic: 10.
Tief: 10? That's ridiculous.
Cynic: Alright, 12.
Tief: Still too low. Under the old scoring system, Thornton's game would have been 16 points. Not much different. And that, by the way, would *also* be a new FNFT record.
Cynic: Alright then, how can you justify a relief pitcher getting 19 points when Andruw Jones hit two home runs and only got 18?
Tief: Matt Thornton had a better game than Andruw Jones.
Cynic: That's bullshit.
Tief: I know context doesn't matter in our league but Andruw Jones hit two solo home runs. Matt Thornton came in the game with bases loaded and his team down by one, struck out Ken Griffey, and then shut Seattle down for the next two innings while the White Sox came back to win.
Cynic: But it was Andruw Jones' walk-off homer that won that same game!
Tief: Like I said, context doesn't matter.
Cynic: You're a hypocrit.
Tief: The point here is that Thornton's game was a once-in-a-decade performance. That kind of thing isn't going to happen every week. The new scoring system is working just fine. Part of the problem is that you have been programmed to believe that relief pitching is less important than it actually is because of the vanilla scoring system we used to use. Given the opportunities presented to them, relief pitchers still score relatively few points in our league. There have been 100's of games in which hitters score 20 points. A relief pitcher never has. Just accept this for what it is - a great performance by a player on some other team.
Cynic: I still think it sucks.
TIef: Well then *you* should have drafted Matt Thornton.
Cynic: Good point.
Tief: See. I knew you'd come around.
(Editor's note: Thornton's score will be erased if Mariano Rivera pitches on Saturday.)
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
COMMISSIONER BUTTON
My son has informed me that when he logs in to the roster system that he has a "Commissioner" button on his top menu. I suspect that all of you do to. I am the only one who is supposed to be able to see that but this is one of these little things that changed when I upgraded to the new version of the software (which I'm so far regretting.)
The intent of this area is to allow me to make changes to the master player file from anywhere I have web access. I can't figure out yet how to make it appear for me and not appear for all of you, so I'm just going to leave it there for now and ask to not to go in there and screw with things. You can click on it if you'd like to see what's there.
The intent of this area is to allow me to make changes to the master player file from anywhere I have web access. I can't figure out yet how to make it appear for me and not appear for all of you, so I'm just going to leave it there for now and ask to not to go in there and screw with things. You can click on it if you'd like to see what's there.
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
MAY THE BEST TEAM WIN
On average, FNFT World Series winners win 102.7 games in the regular season. Teams losing the World Series win 99.8 games, and teams losing in the playoffs average 95.3 regular season wins.
LONG TIME COMIN'
The average length of tenure in the league of the 13 FNFT teams this year is 15.4 years - the longest it's ever been. The previous high was 14.5 years in 2008.
Monday, March 01, 2010
FNFT History Database
I know that number crunching isn't for everyone so I doubt that many of you have the same reaction to the FNFT History Database that I do, nor appreciate the wealth of knowledge contained in it.
I have always thought it would be fascinating to apply Bill James type sabermetric principals to the data generated by FNFT. I now have 10 years worth of data - certainly enough to start identifying patterns and figuring out - on paper - how to win an FNFT championship.
One of my weaknesses, I suppose, and perhaps a reason why I haven't won more championships than I have is that I put much more effort into running the league than I do running my own team. I like to share the fruits of my efforts with everyone and give everyone else as much data as I have for myself. It has been a dream of mine to create a database of all of my historical FNFT data and dive into analyzing it. This file is the culmination of over 60 hours of work over the past 4 or so weeks, and years of record keeping and planning. You may download it for yourself in about 15 seconds.
"So what?", you're all saying. And if you're not saying that, you certainly don't want to waste your valuable time crunching FNFT data. No matter - I'll do it for you. Over the next several weeks, I will post statistics and finding that hopefully some of you will find interesting and informative. Here goes...
FACT #1
The average price paid for an auction player is $29.
FACT #2
The average price for starting pitchers in the auction is $38. The average price paid for hitters is $26. The average price for relief pitchers is $15.
FACT #3
On average, almost half (49.1%) of the points that your team scores will be by players selected in the auction or in the first four rounds of the draft.
FACT #4
Players selected in the 3rd round of the draft have scored more points than players selected in the 2nd round of the draft.
FACT #5
On average, players selected in the first round of the draft score more points per than players taken in the auction.
There. You're smarter now than before you read this. And this is just a sample. I'm saving the good stuff for after the draft.
I have always thought it would be fascinating to apply Bill James type sabermetric principals to the data generated by FNFT. I now have 10 years worth of data - certainly enough to start identifying patterns and figuring out - on paper - how to win an FNFT championship.
One of my weaknesses, I suppose, and perhaps a reason why I haven't won more championships than I have is that I put much more effort into running the league than I do running my own team. I like to share the fruits of my efforts with everyone and give everyone else as much data as I have for myself. It has been a dream of mine to create a database of all of my historical FNFT data and dive into analyzing it. This file is the culmination of over 60 hours of work over the past 4 or so weeks, and years of record keeping and planning. You may download it for yourself in about 15 seconds.
"So what?", you're all saying. And if you're not saying that, you certainly don't want to waste your valuable time crunching FNFT data. No matter - I'll do it for you. Over the next several weeks, I will post statistics and finding that hopefully some of you will find interesting and informative. Here goes...
FACT #1
The average price paid for an auction player is $29.
FACT #2
The average price for starting pitchers in the auction is $38. The average price paid for hitters is $26. The average price for relief pitchers is $15.
FACT #3
On average, almost half (49.1%) of the points that your team scores will be by players selected in the auction or in the first four rounds of the draft.
FACT #4
Players selected in the 3rd round of the draft have scored more points than players selected in the 2nd round of the draft.
FACT #5
On average, players selected in the first round of the draft score more points per than players taken in the auction.
There. You're smarter now than before you read this. And this is just a sample. I'm saving the good stuff for after the draft.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
PITCHING, PITCHING, PITCHING
It's actually been a very long time since we made any changes to the FNFT points system. I consider myself a traditionalist - I think many of you are too. That's why I think it's time we make some changes.
Traditionally, a traditionalist is one who likes to keep things they way they are. I am that way. The basic FNFT scoring system was developed 24 years ago and for the most part hasn't changed (although it has, but mostly back when we were all younger and more whimsical.) But what's changing is the game of baseball - the fuel of FNFT. In particular, what's changing is the way pitchers are used. It is time we change our scoring system to accommodate that. To keep things they way they were.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Over the past four seasons, there have been 1,114 FNFT games in which a team's relief pitcher got a save. That's actually only 41% of all relief pitcher games. We reward a save with 4 points, which I think we should continue to do. Saving a game is a relief pitcher's primary responsibility and it should be rewarded as such.
The problem is though that for the most part, all saves are alike. In 85% of those 1,114 save games, the pitcher pitched exactly one inning. What this means is that in the 41% of the best games for relievers, the only thing that distinguishes them from another are the hits, walks, and strikeouts. Well you typically don't get many of those in only one inning pitched, so we wind up with all of the best relief games being basically the same number of points. No variation means no value. Admit it - the last few seasons you really didn't care who your closer was, as long as you had one.
My proposal would increase the amount of variance in relief pitcher points and therefore make the choice of relief pitchers more important to the overall outcome of games. I propose:
Another thing I like about this change is that it adds a scoring element for relievers that is not counted in traditional stats. For hitters, we have the bonus for getting at least one run, hit, and RBI in a game. For starting pitchers we award points for a 10-strikeout game. Clean outings are not an official stat. I like having things like that in our scoring system. FNFT has always been about in-game performance and things you could look up in a box score - not stats compiled over time. This scoring changes for relievers better fits that spirit.
STARTING PITCHERS
While we're at it, what about starters? It's not much of a secret to anyone that pitchers don't win as many games as they used to. In the Major Leagues there were only eight 20-game winners in the last five years. There were 26 in the five years before that. Winning games has become as much a result of team hitting than pitchers' performance. Bradon Looper led the Brewers with 14 wins last year. This year he doesn't have a job.
I propose that we reduce the number of points for a starting pitcher win from 4 to 2. This makes a win +2 and a loss -2. In addition, I propose a 3-point bonus for a "Real Quality Start". What's that you ask? You haven't been reading In-Between Hops. A Real Quality Start is a game in which the pitcher gives up fewer hits plus walks than innings pitched. If he gives up 3 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings, that's not an RQS. If he gives up the same thing in 6-1/3, it is. Essentially, this would replace the two points we're taking away for the win and add one more since this doesn't happen as often. In the Majors, about 20% of games are real quality starts. In FNFT I suspect it's much higher, but still not near the percentage of wins.
Again, this change fits the spirit of rewarding in-game performance for things that aren't counted in the regular stats. It's simple and you can look it up in a box score. As with all rule changes, we can vote on these changes at the draft. I just wanted to lay out my case here because I've put a lot of time into this. I spent several hours testing various combinations of scoring on live data and think that this proposal works out best.
Thanks for reading.
Traditionally, a traditionalist is one who likes to keep things they way they are. I am that way. The basic FNFT scoring system was developed 24 years ago and for the most part hasn't changed (although it has, but mostly back when we were all younger and more whimsical.) But what's changing is the game of baseball - the fuel of FNFT. In particular, what's changing is the way pitchers are used. It is time we change our scoring system to accommodate that. To keep things they way they were.
RELIEF PITCHERS
Over the past four seasons, there have been 1,114 FNFT games in which a team's relief pitcher got a save. That's actually only 41% of all relief pitcher games. We reward a save with 4 points, which I think we should continue to do. Saving a game is a relief pitcher's primary responsibility and it should be rewarded as such.
The problem is though that for the most part, all saves are alike. In 85% of those 1,114 save games, the pitcher pitched exactly one inning. What this means is that in the 41% of the best games for relievers, the only thing that distinguishes them from another are the hits, walks, and strikeouts. Well you typically don't get many of those in only one inning pitched, so we wind up with all of the best relief games being basically the same number of points. No variation means no value. Admit it - the last few seasons you really didn't care who your closer was, as long as you had one.
My proposal would increase the amount of variance in relief pitcher points and therefore make the choice of relief pitchers more important to the overall outcome of games. I propose:
- Award relievers two points for a strikeout rather than one. What is better than a closer coming in and striking guys out?
- Give relief pitchers two points for a "clean" outing - one in which they give up no hits or walks.
- Eliminate the 4 points awarded for a relief win. A win for a reliever is more often a bad thing than good. It most likely means he blew the save. A win for a reliever will be worth nothing.
Another thing I like about this change is that it adds a scoring element for relievers that is not counted in traditional stats. For hitters, we have the bonus for getting at least one run, hit, and RBI in a game. For starting pitchers we award points for a 10-strikeout game. Clean outings are not an official stat. I like having things like that in our scoring system. FNFT has always been about in-game performance and things you could look up in a box score - not stats compiled over time. This scoring changes for relievers better fits that spirit.
STARTING PITCHERS
While we're at it, what about starters? It's not much of a secret to anyone that pitchers don't win as many games as they used to. In the Major Leagues there were only eight 20-game winners in the last five years. There were 26 in the five years before that. Winning games has become as much a result of team hitting than pitchers' performance. Bradon Looper led the Brewers with 14 wins last year. This year he doesn't have a job.
I propose that we reduce the number of points for a starting pitcher win from 4 to 2. This makes a win +2 and a loss -2. In addition, I propose a 3-point bonus for a "Real Quality Start". What's that you ask? You haven't been reading In-Between Hops. A Real Quality Start is a game in which the pitcher gives up fewer hits plus walks than innings pitched. If he gives up 3 hits and 3 walks in 6 innings, that's not an RQS. If he gives up the same thing in 6-1/3, it is. Essentially, this would replace the two points we're taking away for the win and add one more since this doesn't happen as often. In the Majors, about 20% of games are real quality starts. In FNFT I suspect it's much higher, but still not near the percentage of wins.
Again, this change fits the spirit of rewarding in-game performance for things that aren't counted in the regular stats. It's simple and you can look it up in a box score. As with all rule changes, we can vote on these changes at the draft. I just wanted to lay out my case here because I've put a lot of time into this. I spent several hours testing various combinations of scoring on live data and think that this proposal works out best.
Thanks for reading.
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Postmortem to the 2009 Season
And on the 200th day, the Commissioner rests. So ends the 23rd season of FNFT.
In every year of FNFT I have three goals: to improve the player experience for everyone, to streamline the administrative process for me, and to try to field a championship team. I believe I accomplished my first goal. All of the feedback I have gotten about the new lineup and stats system has been very positive. The system will be back next year. My second goal was a slight step backwards, but not by much. I still spend way less time on league administration than I did 10 years ago. My third goal was one of the most stunning failures of my life. I spend a lot of time studying the game of baseball. I spent a lot of time preparing for this year's draft. I don't care if my top starting pitcher missed the whole year. A 106 loss season should never happen to me. Ever. It was an embarasement.
I've kind of had this notion that the more stats and analysis tool I provided for everyone, the more parity there would be in the league. I obviously didn't think that every team would finish .500, but with all of the same information available to everyone, I figured that it would keep the win-loss totals closer from team to team. This year in the FNFT, on average, teams were 14.0 games either above or below .500. That's the highest it's ever been. So much for my theory.
If you try to log in to the rosters system right now, you may find it unavailable. That will be the case for much of the off-season; it will be hit or miss. Alpha Five, the software I used to create the system, has an upgrade due out in a few weeks that will allow me to make a few changes. Nothing dramatic, but a few neat features will be added. I'll tell you what they are after I figure out how to do them. I do want to create a way for teams to log their own trades. The rest will be mainly window dressing. You are free to try to log in any time you wish to see what's new.
That being said, this would be a good time to let me know about any suggestions you have about the roster system or anything else FNFT. What did you think about the new playoff format? Avery thinks we should go back to both series being best of five. I would rather keep the 4-game series, but seed the playoffs so that the team with the best record plays the team with the worst record, regardless of who the Wild Card was. TMac did kind of get the shaft given his regular season record. Should we add a disabled list? Tweak the points? Now would be a good time to go on the record with your suggestions.
On thing that fell by the wayside this year was the regularly updated list of FNFT player points. I've finally done that. Here is next year's auction list:
TMac drafted Zach Grienke in the 5th round, Andre Either in the 8th round, Josh Johnson in the 10th round, and Chris Carpenter in the 16th round. All of them made the auction. Amazing.
Finally, the 2010 FNFT Draft will be Saturday, April 3 (my wife's birthday). Same time. Same place. I'll remind you 5 or 6 times before then.
Enjoy the MLB playoffs and have a good off-season.
In every year of FNFT I have three goals: to improve the player experience for everyone, to streamline the administrative process for me, and to try to field a championship team. I believe I accomplished my first goal. All of the feedback I have gotten about the new lineup and stats system has been very positive. The system will be back next year. My second goal was a slight step backwards, but not by much. I still spend way less time on league administration than I did 10 years ago. My third goal was one of the most stunning failures of my life. I spend a lot of time studying the game of baseball. I spent a lot of time preparing for this year's draft. I don't care if my top starting pitcher missed the whole year. A 106 loss season should never happen to me. Ever. It was an embarasement.
I've kind of had this notion that the more stats and analysis tool I provided for everyone, the more parity there would be in the league. I obviously didn't think that every team would finish .500, but with all of the same information available to everyone, I figured that it would keep the win-loss totals closer from team to team. This year in the FNFT, on average, teams were 14.0 games either above or below .500. That's the highest it's ever been. So much for my theory.
If you try to log in to the rosters system right now, you may find it unavailable. That will be the case for much of the off-season; it will be hit or miss. Alpha Five, the software I used to create the system, has an upgrade due out in a few weeks that will allow me to make a few changes. Nothing dramatic, but a few neat features will be added. I'll tell you what they are after I figure out how to do them. I do want to create a way for teams to log their own trades. The rest will be mainly window dressing. You are free to try to log in any time you wish to see what's new.
That being said, this would be a good time to let me know about any suggestions you have about the roster system or anything else FNFT. What did you think about the new playoff format? Avery thinks we should go back to both series being best of five. I would rather keep the 4-game series, but seed the playoffs so that the team with the best record plays the team with the worst record, regardless of who the Wild Card was. TMac did kind of get the shaft given his regular season record. Should we add a disabled list? Tweak the points? Now would be a good time to go on the record with your suggestions.
On thing that fell by the wayside this year was the regularly updated list of FNFT player points. I've finally done that. Here is next year's auction list:
| POS | NAME | MLB | PTS |
| SP1 | Tim Lincecum | SF | 260 |
| SP1 | Zack Greinke | KC | 257 |
| SP1 | Johan Santana | NYM | 221 |
| 1B | Albert Pujols | StL | 189 |
| 1B | Justin Morneau | Min | 188 |
| SP1 | CC Sabathia | NYY | 188 |
| C | Joe Mauer | Min | 188 |
| 2B | Chase Utley | Phi | 177 |
| OF | Jayson Werth | Phi | 176 |
| OF | Nick Markakis | Bal | 172 |
| SP2 | Chris Carpenter | StL | 172 |
| 3B | Evan Longoria | TB | 171 |
| OF | Matt Kemp | LAD | 166 |
| 1B | Mark Teixeira | NYY | 161 |
| SS | Hanley Ramirez | Fla | 158 |
| 1B | Miguel Cabrera | Det | 157 |
| SP1 | Roy Oswalt | Hou | 157 |
| OF | Bobby Abreu | LAA | 155 |
| DH | Ryan Ludwick | StL | 153 |
| OF | Matt Holliday | StL | 152 |
| OF | Jason Bay | Bos | 151 |
| SP1 | Roy Halladay | Tor | 150 |
| 3B | Alex Rodriguez | NYY | 150 |
| 2B | Brandon Phillips | Cin | 147 |
| SS | Troy Tulowitzki | Col | 147 |
| 2B | Brian Roberts | Bal | 144 |
| SP2 | Josh Johnson | Fla | 144 |
| C | Brian McCann | Atl | 141 |
| OF | Brad Hawpe | Col | 141 |
| OF | Andre Ethier | LAD | 139 |
| OF | Adam Jones | Bal | 138 |
| OF | Ryan Braun | Mil | 137 |
| 1B | Adam Dunn | Was | 137 |
| 2B | Aaron Hill | Tor | 136 |
| 2B | Ian Kinsler | Tex | 135 |
| 3B | Mark DeRosa | StL | 135 |
TMac drafted Zach Grienke in the 5th round, Andre Either in the 8th round, Josh Johnson in the 10th round, and Chris Carpenter in the 16th round. All of them made the auction. Amazing.
Finally, the 2010 FNFT Draft will be Saturday, April 3 (my wife's birthday). Same time. Same place. I'll remind you 5 or 6 times before then.
Enjoy the MLB playoffs and have a good off-season.
The Fourth Time's a Charm
In their fourth appearance in the last five years, Jake's Wretching Weenergies have won the 2009 FNFT Championship. The most dominant team in the regular season has ridden that wave through the playoffs and to a championship. Jake becomes the 8th different FNFT champion in the past nine years, with only Dale Johnson having multiple championships in that span. Perhaps not coinidentally, Jake was the victim in each of Dale's World Series wins,
Lincecum on Butler... never mind. Great job Jake. You obviously know more about putting together a quality FNFT team than I wish I did.
Lincecum on Butler... never mind. Great job Jake. You obviously know more about putting together a quality FNFT team than I wish I did.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
World Series Game 6 Updates
Pitching options for Friday:
Jake
Lincecum Fri vs CHC Zambrano
Lester Fri @ NYY Sabathia
Martinez Fri @ Mil TBD
Avery
Hanson Sat @ WAS Mock
Wainwright Sat @ COL Jiminez
Chris Smith MTL @ nobody
Both Verlander and F Hernandez are pitching Thursday. It's likely that either would be available for Game 7. It's possible that Lester would come back on Wednesday for Jake and be his only Game 7 option.
UPDATE 8:05pm
Just did a quick check through the boxscores. Jake has home runs from Butler and Markakis and leads 21-12 on hitting alone. All of the hitters are in the lineup in early games except Molina for Avery. Lincucum pitches tonight for Jake. Tommy Hanson tomorrow for Avery.
UPDATE 9:00PM
Things are looking good for Jake. Billy Butler has hit his second home run and has 21 points. I've got Jake ahead 39-15 on hitting.
UPDATE 9:15pm
By the game in San Francisco is listed "Delayed - Ceremony"
UPDATE 9:20pm
The game in SF is underway. Lincecum fans two and gives up one hit in the top of the first.
Early games are starting to finish. I've got Jake ahead 41-20 on hitting. If Lincecum is on tonight, he will put Game 6 out of reach for Avery and wrap up an FNFT title for Jake.
RBI single by Youkalis - 3 points for the Moops.
UPDATE 9:35pm
1-2-3 for Lincecum in the 2nd. Benji Molina is not in the starting lineup for the Giants.
UPDATE 10:05pm
Avery's hitters are done (assuming Molina doesn't play). They finish with 26 points. Jake's hitters have 42, paced by Billy Butler's 22. Butler and Joe Mauer are still playing. The game is in the 8th inning.
Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum may be putting Game 6 away. He has given up two hits, one walk, and has three strikeouts through four shutout innings.
UPDATE 10:15pm
Five shutout innings - 5 Ks for Lincecum.
UPDATE 10:20pm
Alright - final update of the night. All of the hitters are done except for Molina who is not playing. Jake wins the hitting battle 42-26. Hoffman got 7 points as Avery's #3RP but no other relievers pitched so they are all still in play tomorrow. The big story though is Lincecum. He has given up a run in the top of the 6th and the Cubs lead 1-0 with Zambrano on the mound. As of this moment, Lincecum has 16 points, giving Jake a 32 point lead.
UPDATE Saturday 7:00am
32. That's the Moops magic number if they are to extend the FNFT World Series to a Game 7.
Jake has 58 points and can only get more from one of his relievers; either Mariano Rivera (NYY), George Sherrill (LAD), or Jason Frasor (TOR). Avery gets his starter Tommy Hanson, a reliever, and Benji Molina.
Here's how this will play out. Hanson starts in a 12:00 noon game in Washington. He obviously needs to pitch well or it's over. His last start was a 1-pointer, but his two previous starts were 27 and 26 point games. He's pitching against the worst team in baseball. The Braves have won four in a row and are clinging to playoff hopes. A game in the 20's by Hanson would make this very interesting.
Then at 3:00, the Giants start against the Cubs. Benji Molina was hit by a bat on his throwing hand on Thursday and is listed as questionable for the Cubs series. This is a blow to Avery's chances. Molina has 18 HRs this year and #19 would go a long way toward getting The Moops back in it.
Shortly after the Giants game starts, the Seattle-Toronto game will end and Jake will know if Jason Frasor, his #3 RP pitched.
The Red Sox-Yankees game starts at 3:00. Jake will be looking for a save from Mariano Rivera.
If we're still playing into the night, the Reds-Astros and Dodgers-Pirates both start at 6:00. Jake will be watching for George Sherrill in the Dodgers game if Rivera doesn't pitch. In the Astros game, Avery might be rooting for Jose Valverde to NOT pitch. If he doesn't The Moops will pick up 8 points from Andrew Bailey.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE 4:30pm
Hanson - 19 points. Jake leads 56-48.
Benji Molina is not in the starting line up for the Giants.
Jason Frasor gets a 14-point game for Jake, but it will be erased if either Rivera or Sherrill pitch.
As it stands right now, Jake is in the drivers seat but Avery is still not totally out of it. If Valverde does not pitch, Avery will get 8 points from his #2 RP, Bailey which would tie Jake's score. It would then come down to either Rivera or Sherrill pitching for Jake and getting negative points. Jake wins a tiebreaker based on Butler's game.
The Yankees-Red Sox game is scoreless in the 5th. Dodgers (Sherrill) and Astros (Valverde) start at 7:00.
Jake
Lincecum Fri vs CHC Zambrano
Lester Fri @ NYY Sabathia
Martinez Fri @ Mil TBD
Avery
Hanson Sat @ WAS Mock
Wainwright Sat @ COL Jiminez
Chris Smith MTL @ nobody
Both Verlander and F Hernandez are pitching Thursday. It's likely that either would be available for Game 7. It's possible that Lester would come back on Wednesday for Jake and be his only Game 7 option.
UPDATE 8:05pm
Just did a quick check through the boxscores. Jake has home runs from Butler and Markakis and leads 21-12 on hitting alone. All of the hitters are in the lineup in early games except Molina for Avery. Lincucum pitches tonight for Jake. Tommy Hanson tomorrow for Avery.
UPDATE 9:00PM
Things are looking good for Jake. Billy Butler has hit his second home run and has 21 points. I've got Jake ahead 39-15 on hitting.
UPDATE 9:15pm
By the game in San Francisco is listed "Delayed - Ceremony"
UPDATE 9:20pm
The game in SF is underway. Lincecum fans two and gives up one hit in the top of the first.
Early games are starting to finish. I've got Jake ahead 41-20 on hitting. If Lincecum is on tonight, he will put Game 6 out of reach for Avery and wrap up an FNFT title for Jake.
RBI single by Youkalis - 3 points for the Moops.
UPDATE 9:35pm
1-2-3 for Lincecum in the 2nd. Benji Molina is not in the starting lineup for the Giants.
UPDATE 10:05pm
Avery's hitters are done (assuming Molina doesn't play). They finish with 26 points. Jake's hitters have 42, paced by Billy Butler's 22. Butler and Joe Mauer are still playing. The game is in the 8th inning.
Meanwhile, Tim Lincecum may be putting Game 6 away. He has given up two hits, one walk, and has three strikeouts through four shutout innings.
UPDATE 10:15pm
Five shutout innings - 5 Ks for Lincecum.
UPDATE 10:20pm
Alright - final update of the night. All of the hitters are done except for Molina who is not playing. Jake wins the hitting battle 42-26. Hoffman got 7 points as Avery's #3RP but no other relievers pitched so they are all still in play tomorrow. The big story though is Lincecum. He has given up a run in the top of the 6th and the Cubs lead 1-0 with Zambrano on the mound. As of this moment, Lincecum has 16 points, giving Jake a 32 point lead.
UPDATE Saturday 7:00am
32. That's the Moops magic number if they are to extend the FNFT World Series to a Game 7.
Jake has 58 points and can only get more from one of his relievers; either Mariano Rivera (NYY), George Sherrill (LAD), or Jason Frasor (TOR). Avery gets his starter Tommy Hanson, a reliever, and Benji Molina.
Here's how this will play out. Hanson starts in a 12:00 noon game in Washington. He obviously needs to pitch well or it's over. His last start was a 1-pointer, but his two previous starts were 27 and 26 point games. He's pitching against the worst team in baseball. The Braves have won four in a row and are clinging to playoff hopes. A game in the 20's by Hanson would make this very interesting.
Then at 3:00, the Giants start against the Cubs. Benji Molina was hit by a bat on his throwing hand on Thursday and is listed as questionable for the Cubs series. This is a blow to Avery's chances. Molina has 18 HRs this year and #19 would go a long way toward getting The Moops back in it.
Shortly after the Giants game starts, the Seattle-Toronto game will end and Jake will know if Jason Frasor, his #3 RP pitched.
The Red Sox-Yankees game starts at 3:00. Jake will be looking for a save from Mariano Rivera.
If we're still playing into the night, the Reds-Astros and Dodgers-Pirates both start at 6:00. Jake will be watching for George Sherrill in the Dodgers game if Rivera doesn't pitch. In the Astros game, Avery might be rooting for Jose Valverde to NOT pitch. If he doesn't The Moops will pick up 8 points from Andrew Bailey.
Stay tuned.
UPDATE 4:30pm
Hanson - 19 points. Jake leads 56-48.
Benji Molina is not in the starting line up for the Giants.
Jason Frasor gets a 14-point game for Jake, but it will be erased if either Rivera or Sherrill pitch.
As it stands right now, Jake is in the drivers seat but Avery is still not totally out of it. If Valverde does not pitch, Avery will get 8 points from his #2 RP, Bailey which would tie Jake's score. It would then come down to either Rivera or Sherrill pitching for Jake and getting negative points. Jake wins a tiebreaker based on Butler's game.
The Yankees-Red Sox game is scoreless in the 5th. Dodgers (Sherrill) and Astros (Valverde) start at 7:00.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
World Series Game 5 Updates
He found the nut. Avery has picked up Jorge de la Rosa for Tuesday's game. de la Rosa has 15 wins this season - since June 6th!
UPDATE - Tuesday 7:45pm
Early returns...
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 1000/ - 0
1B-Butler KC - 0100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 1000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 3000/ - 0
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 2110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - (8:00)
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 2121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - (8:00)
TOTAL - 22
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - (8:00)
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - (8:00)
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 3000/ - 0
SS-Ramirez CHW - 1000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 0000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 2010/2 - 2
TOTAL - 2
UPDATE 8:00pm
de la Rosa has given up 2 runs in the first inning. (-3) The Curse of Tief strikes again.
For Jake, Carlos Gonzalez has tripled and scored.
I checked out redtube.com. Now I've seen everything. I suppose it was just a matter of time before that kind of stuff started showing up on the Internet too. Who'da known?
It appears as though George Sherill may get a save opp for Baltimore.
UPDATE 8:20pm
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 1000/w - 1
1B-Butler KC - 2100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 1000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 3000/ - 0
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - (Not playing)
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 27
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2 3 2 2 1 2 - 0
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - (9:00)
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 3000/ - 0
SS-Ramirez CHW - 2000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 1000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 3020/2 - 3
TOTAL - 3
Sherill did not come in to pitch the 9th in a save situation. The game is now tied.
Jose Lopez (SEA) has hit a solo home run for Avery.
UPDATE 8:40pm
***de la Rosa is blowing up - 5 runs in with one out in the 3rd. Runs driven in by Gonzalez [edit - not true] for Jake. HE'S OUT OF THE GAME!!!***
Minus 12 for de la Rosa - and he's still responsible for a baserunner and could still get the loss.
de la Rosa's runner was erased in a double play. Colorado is only down by 1 so they could cover the loss.
UPDATE 8:55pm
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 2011/2w - 4
1B-Butler KC - 2100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 2000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 4110/ - 2
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - 1110/2 - 3
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 35
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2.1 6 6 6 3 2 - -12
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - 1000/ - 0
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 4111/H - 8
SS-Ramirez CHW - 3000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 2000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 4030/2 - 4
TOTAL - 0
Colorado has scored so de la Rosa will not get the loss.
SEA/TB game is over with no change in above scores.
DET/CLE game is over with no change in above scores.
WAS game has ended with no change in Zimmerman's score.
Uh... the reason George Sherill didn't pitch tonight for Baltimore is because he doesn't play for Baltimore. He plays for the Dodgers. (He didn't pitch for them either.)
UPDATE
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY -
RP-Sherill LAD - dnp
RP-Frasor TOR - dnp
C-Mauer MIN - 3011/2w - 4
1B-Butler KC - 3100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 2000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 5110/ - 2
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - 2110/2 - 3
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 35
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2.1 6 6 6 3 2 - -12
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - 2000/ - 0
1B-Teixeira NYY - 1010/ - 1
2B-Lopez SEA - 4111/H - 8
SS-Ramirez CHW - 3000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - 1000/ - 0
OF-Bay BOS - 3000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - 1000/ - 0
OF-Damon NYY - 1010/ - 1
DH-Choo CLE - 4030/2 - 4
TOTAL - 2
McCutchen (PIT) is done. Finishes with 12.
Valverde (HOU) pitched for Avery and got -1.
BOS/KC is done. Butler stays at 2, Bay stays at 0.
MIN/CHW are done. Ramirez stays at 0. Mauer stays at 4.
UPDATE 9:55pm
I'm going to call it a night. Jake leads 38-1. Avery has 5 west-coast hitters still playing but none of them have done much in their first couple of ABs. Unless 3 or 4 of those hitters go off, and Beckett bombs tomorrow night, Jake will win Game 5.
UPDATE Wednesday 5:40am
OK, it's not official until tonight - I know - but I'm calling it anyway. Jake wins Game 5. He takes a 33 point lead into today's action and still gets his starting pitcher, Josh Beckett. Avery's only opportunity for points are from his relief pitchers or if one of his top 4 starters unexpectedly pitches. Ain't gonna happen.
UPDATE - Tuesday 7:45pm
Early returns...
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 1000/ - 0
1B-Butler KC - 0100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 1000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 3000/ - 0
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 2110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - (8:00)
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 2121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - (8:00)
TOTAL - 22
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - (8:00)
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - (8:00)
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 3000/ - 0
SS-Ramirez CHW - 1000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 0000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 2010/2 - 2
TOTAL - 2
UPDATE 8:00pm
de la Rosa has given up 2 runs in the first inning. (-3) The Curse of Tief strikes again.
For Jake, Carlos Gonzalez has tripled and scored.
I checked out redtube.com. Now I've seen everything. I suppose it was just a matter of time before that kind of stuff started showing up on the Internet too. Who'da known?
It appears as though George Sherill may get a save opp for Baltimore.
UPDATE 8:20pm
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 1000/w - 1
1B-Butler KC - 2100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 1000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 3000/ - 0
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - (Not playing)
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 27
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2 3 2 2 1 2 - 0
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - (9:00)
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 3000/ - 0
SS-Ramirez CHW - 2000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 1000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 3020/2 - 3
TOTAL - 3
Sherill did not come in to pitch the 9th in a save situation. The game is now tied.
Jose Lopez (SEA) has hit a solo home run for Avery.
UPDATE 8:40pm
***de la Rosa is blowing up - 5 runs in with one out in the 3rd. Runs driven in by Gonzalez [edit - not true] for Jake. HE'S OUT OF THE GAME!!!***
Minus 12 for de la Rosa - and he's still responsible for a baserunner and could still get the loss.
de la Rosa's runner was erased in a double play. Colorado is only down by 1 so they could cover the loss.
UPDATE 8:55pm
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY - (9:00)
RP-Sherill BAL
RP-Frasor TOR
C-Mauer MIN - 2011/2w - 4
1B-Butler KC - 2100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 2000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 4110/ - 2
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - 1110/2 - 3
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 35
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2.1 6 6 6 3 2 - -12
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - 1000/ - 0
1B-Teixeira NYY - (9:00)
2B-Lopez SEA - 4111/H - 8
SS-Ramirez CHW - 3000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - (9:00)
OF-Bay BOS - 2000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - (9:00)
OF-Damon NYY - (9:00)
DH-Choo CLE - 4030/2 - 4
TOTAL - 0
Colorado has scored so de la Rosa will not get the loss.
SEA/TB game is over with no change in above scores.
DET/CLE game is over with no change in above scores.
WAS game has ended with no change in Zimmerman's score.
Uh... the reason George Sherill didn't pitch tonight for Baltimore is because he doesn't play for Baltimore. He plays for the Dodgers. (He didn't pitch for them either.)
UPDATE
JAKE
SP-Beckett BOS - (Wed)
RP-Rivera NYY -
RP-Sherill LAD - dnp
RP-Frasor TOR - dnp
C-Mauer MIN - 3011/2w - 4
1B-Butler KC - 3100/w - 2
2B-Zobrist TB - 2000/ww - 2
SS-Cabrera CLE - 5110/ - 2
3B-Zimmerman WAS - 3110/ - 2
OF-Smith COL - 2110/2 - 3
OF-Werth PHI - 3012/ww - 7
OF-McCutchen PIT - 4121/H - 9
DH-Gonzalez COL - 1110/3 - 4
TOTAL - 35
AVERY
SP-de la Rosa COL - 2.1 6 6 6 3 2 - -12
RP-Hoffman MIL - (Brewers getting killed)
RP-Bailey OAK
RP-Valverde HOU
C-Molina SF - 2000/ - 0
1B-Teixeira NYY - 1010/ - 1
2B-Lopez SEA - 4111/H - 8
SS-Ramirez CHW - 3000/ - 0
3B-Izturis LAA - 1000/ - 0
OF-Bay BOS - 3000/ - 0
OF-Byrd TEX - 1000/ - 0
OF-Damon NYY - 1010/ - 1
DH-Choo CLE - 4030/2 - 4
TOTAL - 2
McCutchen (PIT) is done. Finishes with 12.
Valverde (HOU) pitched for Avery and got -1.
BOS/KC is done. Butler stays at 2, Bay stays at 0.
MIN/CHW are done. Ramirez stays at 0. Mauer stays at 4.
UPDATE 9:55pm
I'm going to call it a night. Jake leads 38-1. Avery has 5 west-coast hitters still playing but none of them have done much in their first couple of ABs. Unless 3 or 4 of those hitters go off, and Beckett bombs tomorrow night, Jake will win Game 5.
UPDATE Wednesday 5:40am
OK, it's not official until tonight - I know - but I'm calling it anyway. Jake wins Game 5. He takes a 33 point lead into today's action and still gets his starting pitcher, Josh Beckett. Avery's only opportunity for points are from his relief pitchers or if one of his top 4 starters unexpectedly pitches. Ain't gonna happen.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
World Series Game 4 Updates
Jake's offense comes alive, the pitcher that Avery didn't pitch get 24 points, but the relief pitchers keep Avery in the game.
Had Avery picked Felix Hernandez, he would have been in the books at 55 points and forced John Lester to score 12 or more for Jake. Instead, Justin Verlander and some luck are needed for the eight-time FNFT King if he is to take Game 4. Jake leads 43-31 going into today's action with only the two starting pitchers still in play.
The first to the hill will be Verlander in a 3:10 p.m. start in Minnesota and Carl Pavano. The Twins are in hot pursuit of the Tigers in the AL Central so this will be a hard fought battle. Verlander is 0-1 with a 5.11 ERA against the Twins this year. Pavano has beaten the Tigers four times in '09 with a 1.49 ERA against the Cats.
Three hours after the bar is set, Jake's pitcher Jon Lester takes the mound in Baltimore. He is 3-0 with an impressive 0.84 ERA against the Birds this year. His opponent will be David Hernandez. Yeah, I never heard of him either.
Jake wins the tiebreaker thanks to the keen hitting eye of Billy Butler whose three walks contributed to his 15 point game. Therefore, Verlander must outscore Lester by 13 points if Avery is to win. If not, we will be knotted up at 2-2.
I won't be home (again) tonight, but the suspense will kill me so I may try to blog from my phone. We'll see. If not I'll try to post an update before I crash and as a last resort, as always. I will have the final stats posted long before all of you drag your sorry asses out of bed Sunday morning.
UPDATE 7:20 a.m.
Look at the two offenses we have playing in the FNFT World Series:
I obviously know NOTHING about fantasy baseball. I'm not sure either of those would make an above average MLB offense.
(Both Jake's and Avery's teams have phenomenal pitching. And as you know: pitching, pitching, pitching. It's apparently never been more true.)
By the way - none of those guys have their own little McFarlane statues so I'm obviously going to have to get creative again with the trophy. Teixeira and Mauer might, but no way any of the others do.
UPDATE Sunday 6:40 a.m.
That's gotta hurt. Had he played King Felix instead of the pitcher that Jake cut, Avery would have delivered a knockdown punch in the FNFT World Series. Instead, Jon Lester easily covers Verlander's 5 and Jake wins Game 4.
Series all tied at 2-2. Jake's has Josh Beckett on Tuesday, while Avery's has only his #5 Jonathan Sanchez. The tide has turned. Can he pull a Chuck Smith out of that hat?
UPDATE 7:00 a.m.
There is a player sitting out there who is such a blatantly obvious pickup for Avery that it's almost laughable. Let's see if he finds the nut.
Had Avery picked Felix Hernandez, he would have been in the books at 55 points and forced John Lester to score 12 or more for Jake. Instead, Justin Verlander and some luck are needed for the eight-time FNFT King if he is to take Game 4. Jake leads 43-31 going into today's action with only the two starting pitchers still in play.
The first to the hill will be Verlander in a 3:10 p.m. start in Minnesota and Carl Pavano. The Twins are in hot pursuit of the Tigers in the AL Central so this will be a hard fought battle. Verlander is 0-1 with a 5.11 ERA against the Twins this year. Pavano has beaten the Tigers four times in '09 with a 1.49 ERA against the Cats.
Three hours after the bar is set, Jake's pitcher Jon Lester takes the mound in Baltimore. He is 3-0 with an impressive 0.84 ERA against the Birds this year. His opponent will be David Hernandez. Yeah, I never heard of him either.
Jake wins the tiebreaker thanks to the keen hitting eye of Billy Butler whose three walks contributed to his 15 point game. Therefore, Verlander must outscore Lester by 13 points if Avery is to win. If not, we will be knotted up at 2-2.
I won't be home (again) tonight, but the suspense will kill me so I may try to blog from my phone. We'll see. If not I'll try to post an update before I crash and as a last resort, as always. I will have the final stats posted long before all of you drag your sorry asses out of bed Sunday morning.
UPDATE 7:20 a.m.
Look at the two offenses we have playing in the FNFT World Series:
| C | Bengie Molina |
| 1B | Mark Teixeira |
| 2B | Jose Lopez |
| SS | Alexei Ramirez |
| 3B | Maicer Izturis |
| OF | Jason Bay |
| OF | Marlon Byrd |
| OF | Denard Span |
| DH | Shin-Soo Choo |
| C | Joe Mauer |
| 1B | Billy Butler |
| 2B | Ben Zobrist |
| SS | Asdrubal Cabrera |
| 3B | Ryan Zimmerman |
| OF | Nick Markakis |
| OF | Seth Smith |
| OF | Jayson Werth |
| DH | Randy Ruiz |
I obviously know NOTHING about fantasy baseball. I'm not sure either of those would make an above average MLB offense.
(Both Jake's and Avery's teams have phenomenal pitching. And as you know: pitching, pitching, pitching. It's apparently never been more true.)
By the way - none of those guys have their own little McFarlane statues so I'm obviously going to have to get creative again with the trophy. Teixeira and Mauer might, but no way any of the others do.
UPDATE Sunday 6:40 a.m.
That's gotta hurt. Had he played King Felix instead of the pitcher that Jake cut, Avery would have delivered a knockdown punch in the FNFT World Series. Instead, Jon Lester easily covers Verlander's 5 and Jake wins Game 4.
Series all tied at 2-2. Jake's has Josh Beckett on Tuesday, while Avery's has only his #5 Jonathan Sanchez. The tide has turned. Can he pull a Chuck Smith out of that hat?
UPDATE 7:00 a.m.
There is a player sitting out there who is such a blatantly obvious pickup for Avery that it's almost laughable. Let's see if he finds the nut.
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