"Useless Info" ..... Head-2-Head

It may take Yahoo scoring to determine who wins the regular season but on a week-to-week basis all we have to do is look at the final line score to determine who came out on top. . Each week ends in a Win, Lose or Draw against your assigned opponent. Therein lies the primary motivation for practically every manager that has ever played in our league.

Head to head, mano to mano, me and you. Every Monday presents a new opportunity to pit your game against your opponent and for the next 7 days all that will matter is that the final outcome will confirm your superiority, at least for that week.

Day in and day out during each match most managers review pitching matchups, hot streaks, cold streaks, lefty versus righty and other factors to determine who to play and who to sit, trying to squeeze every needed stat out of their team. There is no next week. Unlike roto scoring, head 2 head is not just an accumulation of stats but rather a strategic approach to winning more of the 12 categories than your opponent. Whether you outscore your opponent 8 HRs to 7 or 18 HRs to 1 doesn't matter. It counts 1 point either way.

So which managers should be the most feared when pit against them? Which managers present the biggest challenge?

Below is a list of the current managers in the league and their H2H results ranked by winning %. Though, as one would expect, the list closely mirrors Yahoo scoring results it is worth noting that some have fared better H2H.



It is not surprising to see Baseman head this list. His tenacity is undeniable as he plays to win each week. Even with 1 less year in the league than some, Baseman and Stars lead the league in not only wining percentage but number of H2H wins as well.

Panties may have forgotten about those 2 early seasons in the league but we have not! Looks like Panties is a little "soft" to me :)

I went ahead and placed SoS on the bottom of the list even though he has no stats yet. Just wanted to start getting him acclimated to his position in the league :)

So there you have it guys. You see where the challenges are. Do you have what it takes to go "mano-to-mano" with the managers in this league?

Hardballers.

Extremely Important POST- Do not MISS!!!

Okay my friends. It is time to share my true benovolence to you all. After Randy's "Michell Obama Crush" I feel the need to rescue you all. And never forget fellas, I am here for you & I share this only because I truly care.

This explanation is for the new guys, the link is for everyone. As most in our league know, I used to own gymnastics centers, coach for the USA NAtional Team for many years and was blessed to coach athletesont he 1992, 96 & 2000 Oylmpic teams. I retired from coaching after the 2000 games but it is only now the true magnitude of my coaching has finally reached it real heights!!!! I share with you because you are the best managers in Fantasy Land...

Here is a pic, video & link of one of my gymnasts that I used to coach, Brooke Borso. brooke wass a memebnr for the USA Womens gymnastic team with me in 98',99, 2000 & 2001. I believe this is my best creation :)

The very athletic young Brooke is currently a covergirl & model for the 2011 Hooters Dream Girl Calendar!!!!! She is in a competition sponsored by Foxsports for Hooters Dream Girl of the Year! Check out the link & videothen vote for my girl Brooke! After you vote, you get a free appitizer coupon for Hooters to be used during Round 1 of the March Madness basketball tournament at any Hooters in the World.

Enjoy, the link, the other girls(but vote for Brooke) and remeber who really cares about their friends here at Hardball Heaven...

Here is the link.....

www.foxsports.com/hooters

Brooke Borso ( look for the "Body by Spinelli " tattoo on her left ankle) Enjoy!

Ciao pals... Champs

PS Randy, please keep your Obamaporn to yourself... I believe the fellas like the burgers at Hooters better.

A Little Drafting History by Position

Have any of you taken a gander at the draft results over Hardball Heaven's history from 2003 until 2010? Well, I decided to take on a little undertaking to see how draft results may have changed over the years and what the popular positions are for the 1st three rounds. At a later date I plan on looking at rounds 4-6 to see the tendencies. I am not sure if this post will influence your draft strategy or not, but for those that look at position scarcity to help you decide early, then this may help. Who remember good 'ole' 2007 when Hardballers made his infamous pick of Chase Utley at #1 for a coveted 2nd baseman, when nobody had him on the radar that early? I sure remember and looking at the results I will give does show 2nd basemen to have their shortcomings in round #1. Have time changed for position drafting? In our league, yes they have. I believe there are two reasons: 1) The evolution of the game for position players has changed over the years. 2) The managers at Hardball Heaven have gotten more savvy and portray more knowledge of this great game. You will see as I go along. Remember, these are picks from rounds 1-3 from 2003-2010. Also, (APD) will mean "Average Players Drafted".

Round 1:
Outfielders (29 picks) This one surprised me. Even though there are more outfielders than all positions, I was surprised to see so many considering that OF is deeper than most spots. The APD of 3.625 is pretty high, but the trend has fallen a bit over the last few years to an average of about 3 OF'ers drafted.
1st Basemen (23 picks, APD 2.875) This was not a surprise to me as there always seems to be quality first basemen. Trends have shown over the past 3 years that this position is drafted more heavily early on, so don't be late to the party! Albert Pujols, even though, not always picked #1, has been in the first round since we started the league. Now that is saying something. I think the lowest is the 8th pick!
3rd Basemen (14 picks, APD 1.75) As you can see after 1B and the OF, the number really drops off. I thought this would be a tad higher as it is a position to get power, but honestly 3B hasn't always been that deep. Most years, one could count on A-Rod or David Wright or Miguel Cabrera when he was at 3rd, but they have dropped a bit and Miggy is now at 1B with only Longoria replacing them. Position is on the decline in terms of 1st rounders.
Shortstop (13 picks, APD 1.625) When thinking of SS from 2008 to present, Hanley Ramirez is a constant. Before him it was Reyes and Rollins for a couple of seasons. Then there seemed to be one season wonders like Michael Young, Miguel Tejada and Derek Jeter. This is a position where there is scarcity, which enables Hanley to jump over Pujols like what happened in 2009 when Stars has the first pick. Nothing wrong with that as Hanley has the power/speed combo. The shortstop trend has increased a bit over the last few years. I attribute this to scarcity at the position.
2nd Basemen (8 picks, APD 1.0) Talk about weak. This was a real surprise considering how deep the position has become in recent years. The king early was Alfonso Soriano from 2003-2005. I forgot he even played 2nd base! Utley has been picked 3 times with an interruption being by Kinsler in 2009. One thing to note is all these players have pop and speed. Obvious 1st rounders, but how about now? Is Utley or Kinsler worth that ever again? Soriano is nearing the end, so will he even get drafted? Not much will change this year as Cano is really the only concensus #1. Position is rising in terms of depth, but not in first round picks.
Starting Pitching (8 picks, APD 1.0) Now here is where the league has really changed their stance. For instance in 2003, year 1 of the league, there were 4 (yes count 'em' "F-O-U-R") #1 picks. Wow, was I stunned to see this! I know baseball is becoming more pitcher dominant since we are not in the steroids era now, but that was a shocker to me. Randy Johnson came in at the second overall pick to Champs, Curt Schilling at the fifth to Baseman, Pedro Martinez at seventh to Hardballers, and Barry Zito at tenth to 8 More Outs (who the hell was 8 More Outs???) What a bunch of amatuers we were. Never will that happen again in HH I can assure you. The last pitcher picked in the first round was Johan Santana in 2007 at ten by Squirrels. The trend of picking pitchers in round 1 has definitely been non-existent for 3 years now.
Catchers (1 pick, APD .125) There really is not trend here. But can you guess the catcher, the spot picked, and the manager? Take some time and think this over. Ok, that is enough time for you. The answer is Joe Mauer at #3 by Zonk in 2010. Mauer was worthy of being picked high last year, but in my opinion picking a catcher that high is extremely risky. Mauer does play alot for a catcher with the use of the DH, yet he better be Superman if I'm taking a catcher in the first round. Ballsy pick by Zonk.

2nd Round: There will be shorter commentary for this round and the 3rd round.
Outfielders (30 picks, APD 3.75) The number jumped up from round 1. Outfielders are plentiful, but popular just the same.
1st Base (19 picks, APD 2.375) Still popular even after round 1. This position is loaded offensively, but again jump quick before the 1st two rounds as these guys go fast.
Pitching (13 picks, APD 1.625) This is the only position that really changes much in the 2nd round. Doesn't change dramatically, but a few top tier guys will go in round 2.
Shortstop (12 picks, APD 1.5) Pretty consistent with round 1. Plenty of shortstops to be had later in the draft. I think with position scarcity over the years that most teams tend to wait if not getting a top tier player.
3rd Basemen (11 picks, APD 1.375) Some drop off here, but still pretty consistent from Round 1. Teams tend to wait on this position if not getting a top tier guy like SS.
2nd Basemen (5 picks, APD .625) Poor 2nd base gets no love. Not many in round 1 and hardly any here. I think this trend could change in the upcoming years, but probably not dramatically.
Relief Pitchers (2 picks, APD .25) I literally dropped my jaw here and to think that in 2004 I took relief pitcher Eric Gagne in the 2nd round. And to think I won the title that year from start to finish. How in the hell??? Maybe if a reliever saves 70 games, then possibly someone will pull this stunt again? But, I doubt it. The league and MYSELF has grown up since the early days!!!! Holy Cow!
Catchers (1 pick, APD .125) Mike Piazza was the pick. Again, taking a catcher this early is gambling with House Money!

3rd Round
OF (27 picks, APD 3.375) Nothing changes. Outfielders are hot and heavy.
Starting Pitching (17 picks, APD 2.125) Ok, now is the time to at least start thinking about dipping into the pitcher pool!
2nd Basemen (12 picks, APD 1.5) Finally, a few more 2nd basemen start coming off the board. Not by much, but they are in the conversation now.
3rd Basemen (11 picks, APD 1.375) Things are starting to even out a bit in terms of positions. This position has been consistent the whole way so far.
SS (10 picks, APD 1.25) Surprising, but SS has dropped more from rounds 1 and 2.
1st Basemen (8 picks, APD 1.0) The gravy train of 1B has to stop somewhere, so round 3 is where the slow down starts.
Catchers (5 picks, APD .625) Still not a lot of interest yet for catchers, but still some risk takers out there.
Relief pitchers (5 picks, APD .625) Hey if you want a reliever at this point, then be my guest.

Hope you all enjoyed. I know this piece brought up some names I haven't heard of in awhile after doing my research.
BASEMAN

Deepest Apologies to the Frequenters of this Blog.........

Fellows I must beg your forgiveness for a most disturbing item that has appeared on this blog.

I admit I will do almost anything to encourage people to visit our blog regularly. So I added a few little interesting gadgets to the left hand side of the page. I mean... who doesn't love Yogiisms?

I personally like seeing the random collectible baseball card each visit and actually have realized that I own a few of them myself.

Just so we can appear to be up to speed on  a more intellectual level I added the "This  Day in History". Ever read that part and jotted down a note or two and then when you're with one of your buddies you suavely quip 'Remember what happened umpteen years ago today?" ...... Yeah me neither.... but its there in case we ever want to!

And then tucked safely down the page a little is all of our personal favorite "Eye Candy". Just a little something to put a smile on your face (as well as encourage you to read the whole post). I picked a gadget that put up a random specimen of female beauty on each and every visit (or page refresh if your just hanging out for a couple of seconds).

Today as I was proofreading my latest post I glanced over at the lady to the left and what appeared on my screen??? ..... MichelleYomomma Obama!!!!! I 'bout lost my cookies right on the keyboard.

I hope each of you know that in no way did I realize I was exposing you to this type indecency. I immediately went to the design page and ix-nayed that gadget for good! You will be happy to note that I have replaced that gadget with one that features Elisha Cuthbert. We may get a little tired of looking at her from time to time ( I doubt it) but one things for sure... no more eye-torture like we had before.

I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me.

Hardballers

"Useless Info" ..... Winning Percent

Ok, now that I have had my moment in the spotlight, I guess it is time to take a look at some more pertinent numbers, namely winning percent.

It should come as no surprise that the all-time winningest franchise in baseball is the NY Yankees. In their 110 year history, through 2010, they have compiled a record of 9.670 Wins vs 7,631 Losses for a percentage of .568 ! What you might find surprising is that they have only finished last 4 times in their history with the first last place finish coming in 1902 as the ..... get this.... .Baltimore Orioles! Some things just never change.

(a little side note here..... before you get all hoity-toity Mr Sultan of Swoosh.... you should know there are quite a few haters in this group with "moi" being one of them)

In Hardball Heaven we have our own version of the consummate winner. Actually 2 of them. Stars and Baseman have been setting the standard for winning consistency ever since joining the league. Even so, both have felt the agony of missing the playoffs once in their career.

To demonstrate their achievement I have put together a chart showing the top ten teams ranked by winning percentage. (regular season Yahoo scoring). (minimum 3 seasons).  You will find each teams total wins, losses and ties. The formula for winnning % is (Wins + (Ties/2)) divided by total games. This is the same formula Yahoo uses to determine winning %.


It is interesting to note that only 5 teams in the history of the league have been able to maintain a winning percentage greater than .500! Caz Creek and Zonk both have excellent shots at making the mark with a good season this year. This is just a testament to the competitiveness of the league. Don't believe me? Just look at that lousy record of Champs.... yeah... that's right.... he is the current reigning League Champion!

Oh, which franchise has the 2nd highest win percentage in the history of the Major Leagues you ask?  Why San Francisco of course! 10,436 Wins vs 8,958 Losses for .538. But before you get all motivated to start smack talking O' Bearded One, you need to know that only 3 of their top 30 seasons and 1 of their 6 World Series titles have come since moving to the "left coast". Is it something in the water????


Hope you all enjoy


Hardballers

Schools In Session

So how are you passing the time till the season starts?

My youngest daughter just entered college last fall. The most oft repeated advice was "stay on top of things"! Do todays work today or no later than tomorrow. Keep your grades up as you go along. Don't wait till finals to try and rescue a grade because it won't happen. Gotta hand it to her, I think she was listening. Or maybe it is just her inherent work ethic because she seemed to do only normal "cramming" at the end and finished her 1st semester with a 3.6 gpa. Not too shabby!

Now here I am. 6 weeks before finals (read draft day). Am I keeping up? Am I doing my required reading? Or am I waiting till D-Day -1 to try and get myself ready?

To be perfectly honest, I am taking a page from my daughters playbook and am devoting time daily to study my "subject".

The draft is just one step in the process of a winning season. With 22 weeks of regular season in front of you there is lots that can happen. In Hardball Heaven the WW is always flush with viable options to rescue a draft day snafu. Still, though I have always said you can't win the league on draft day, you can certainly go a long way toward making a winning season a real struggle even before the injuries, slumps and all the other little nuances of the regular season set in.

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Over the years I have witnessed several levels of preparedness on draft day Here are just a few

Oops... forgot to prepare but hey Yahoo has em all pre-ranked. Looks good to me! This guy is not going to win the league. Oh sure, we have in the past had managers forget the draft or have connection problems and ended up having their team auto-drafted. And they wound up pretty high at the end of the season but trust me, they accomplished that feat by doing some serious WW work and some shrewd trading. Not living with their original drafted team.

Hey I got this magazine with every single player in it with rankings, projections, pictures and all kinds of neat stuff! Yeah, everybody needs a little bathroom reading to occupy their "down" time. These are the guys that will wind up drafting Andy Pettitte. While you're at it you can make good use of those pages just stay away from the slick ones with pictures.

Are you mocking me? Some people find it very helpful to participate in literally dozens of mock drafts. Mocks can be particularly helpful in getting you acclimated to the speed and tempo of the draft. Some are diehard fans of the mock draft. "I have drafted from every single position and I am ready!" Ok, but have you drafted with Ageless? I remember taking Utley with the #1 pick one year. Took some people 3 rounds to get over the shock to ADP

Look at this spread I got! Spreadsheets, projections and the like that is. I got CHONE, Marcel and ADP.I have the ESPN top 300, MLB and CBS Sports player rankings by position. Yeah well here is something else you got..... 90 seconds to sort through that shizz. It goes something like this. Buatista just got picked and that's my cue...where's my 3B liist?... ok, here it is .... Beltre, good deal..... wait... wtf... he's already been picked.. musta missed that one.. ok, now who... Prado.. naw. Alvarez.. who's he... maybe Young.. didn't I read something about him the other day... oh well Young it is .... let me find him (it is about this point that the 90 second timer runs out and you wind up with somebody like say Jay Bruce!)

So how do you prepare?

Actually I find a combination of all of the above to be helpful "prior" to draft day. But the #1 thing you need coming into draft day is a good internet connection a plan. Know your league scoring and the stats you will need. Know which positions are deep and which ones are relatively shallow in talent. Have a strategy and stick with it with minimal in-draft tweaking.

Most important of all is know your players. The managers in HH by and large know the game and know the players. Kerm not only knows the current players but will already be making plans for the 1st wave of call-ups after the season starts.

At any rate if you don't know who J Tabata is and what his strong stat categories are, coming into draft day well.............. somebody's gotta come in last..... might as well be you :)

Hardballers

"Useless Info"..... Winning!

Let's face it guys. We may play for fun but the fun doesn't really kick in good till we win. Obviously the ultimate goal is to win the whole enchilada at the end of the season. But that only happens for 1 person, once a season.

I'll take a win anytime against anyone. Sometimes I may have to redefine the terms of victory, sort of like Rocky Balboa, " if I can go that distance, you see, and that bell rings and I'm still standin...."  One way or the other I am going to get a win either literally or figuratively. 


So I decided to update my spreadsheet on all time wins based on Yahoo scoring for the regular season.  


This chart has the top 10 winningest managers of all time.  The 1st column has the # of seasons a manager has played in the league. Then the managers name followed by the most recent name of their team. They are ranked by career wins with the last column showing the average # of wins per season. 




Of course teams who have been in the league longer have a decided advantage in this comparison. It is interesting to note, however, the charge to the top by Stars and Baseman. Looking at the list there are several position battles taking place. Stars could move up to #2 this season if Ageless slacks off. Baseman clearly has Hitters in his sights with Utica right on his heels. Fear the Beard will have to reverse his fortunes this season to hold off Champions.

Just another little "sumpin sumpin" to whet the competitive appetites.

Looks like I am safe for another season or 2. Of course I really plan on widening the gap this year.

Hardballers

"Useless Info".... Draft Position

I feel like I am all dressed up with nowhere to go.....

With weeks to go before draft day I am looking for something to pass the time in a semi-constructive way. So I went through some of my old spreadsheets and found one that I did a couple of seasons ago that focused on draft position and decided to plug in the last 2 seasons and see what shook out.

Everybody looks forward to draft day. Weeks of study and mock drafts has come down to this. Flanked with cheat sheets, spreadsheets, highlighter and whatever else we can come up with we settle in for the single most important event of the season. The adrenaline begins to flow as we get ready to face a succession of "The Fastest 90 Seconds in Sports" (or so it seems round after round when its your time to pick). This is the day that our waltz to the playoffs begins because NOBODY is as prepared as we are.

And so it goes. The only small detail we have to concern ourselves with is where we wind up in the draft order. Most prefer to stay away from the first couple of picks, and of course no one wants to be relegated to the tail end of the draft order. "Just give me something in the middle rounds and I am home free!"

Ya think?

I took the draft order from each of our 8 seasons and compared it to the final standings of the regular season. Below is a chart that ranks draft postition (DrftPos) by average finish (AvgFin). It also shows the deviation (Dev) +/- from draft position. The last column (PO) shows the number of times that draft position has made it to the playoffs.


How ya feeling about that #1 pick now? Not such a bad deal is it? Anybody want to volunteer for pick #11? History suggests there is a 75% chance you make it to the promised land. Rounds 3-7? Give me round 5 and you take the rest of em.

Interesting to see the deviation being the lowest for picks 5 and 7 which suggests that if you draft 5th or 7th you will wind up... well ... 5th or 7th.

What about that 4th pick? Looks like the kiss of death to me. Maybe Champs will get it this year.

Obviously this little exercise does not take into consideration the person doing the drafting. I still contend that a good manager can make the playoffs from any draft position. But if there is anything to be learned at all from this little exercise, it may infer that your challenge could be a little greater from some draft positions than others.

..... or not ;)

Anybody want to opine on this little bit of "Useless Info"?

Hardballers

Wide, Wide World of (fantasy) Sports

Who came up with the name "Fantasy Sports"? I mean surely there is a more fitting title for the activity that millions of grown men (and some women) participate in year in and year out. Why couldn't they have called it something like 'Virtual Sports" or "Cyber Sports" or even "On-line Sports"? Anything but "Fantasy".

You're sitting at your computer obviously in deep thought. Your wife hears barely audible cursing and the expression on your face is one of apparent anger or disgust. She lovingly asks you.... "What's the matter honey?" to which you straighten up and reply "Oh nothing hun..... just checking on my Fantasy team".

Sounds plum gay doesn't it.

Despite the corny (and inappropriate imho) name, millions of us young and old, male and female make annual pilgrimages in various scenarios to some sort of draft. This is proceeded by weekly or daily visits to a league site to monitor and maintain their lineups. Even the most novice participant will find themselves a little more attentive when sports news is on trying to stay abreast of the latest developments. The true affecionado  will invest hours per week reading sports columns, analyzing statistics and polishing their crystal ball looking for that all important edge over their competition.

Have you ever considered what it is that makes otherwise sane and rational people such avid participants in such an irrational activity? (If you haven't then don't! I can assure you there are no redeeming qualities to be gleaned). I am certain that there is a University somewhere doing a government funded study into the physiological and psychological effects of prolonged exposure to fantasy sports. Maybe fantasy sports is the venue by which some people exercise their alter ego. You know the type. The trash talking, chest beating know it all that is trapped inside the body of a mild mannered yes man that spends most of his time sucking up to the powers to be. Maybe it is the justification for all those hours of watching sports and sports news and the annual subscription to ESPN the Magazine and 3 other sports publications. Maybe it's just an interesting time filler to occupy time during ones otherwise dull and mundane life.

Or..... maybe you just like it. Like me. I just enjoy the quasi-competition of pitting my gut and instincts against another equally infested human being. The fact that I am a feared competitor (although I have long sense lost the ability to hit even Little League speed at the batting cage), or that I watch ESPN daily, listen to baseball podcasts , have 19 bookmarks to baseball news and projection pages has nothing at all to do with my love of the "sport". And just because I consider "stattracker" exhilarating entertainment does not suggest that I don't have a lot of excitement in my life. :)

I think the bottom line for a lot of people is simply that "Virtual" Sports of any kind is a pleasant distraction from the hustle and bustle of the "real" world. If for just a few minutes a night one can "check out" as they are "checking in" on their Virtual Team. And we all know there is nothing better to smooth the edges of a rough day than seeing their expertly assembled lineup kicking some major ass on a lesser insightful manager.

Hardballers