2012 - The Year That Was(n't).....

I will take a little liberty as commish of the league to use this blog post as a clearing house for some of the events of this past year. On a personal level I have already labeled 2012 as the "lost year". It seems that all year long there was some uncontrollable pressing issue that dominated both my time and attention leaving almost no opportunity for personal endeavors. 

After a fairly normal January things quickly started heading south in February. My staffing level at the 911 center dropped to a critical level..... then....... I had one go on workers comp for 4 1/2 months. How does one wind up on workers comp from a 911 center you ask?  All it takes is a little ingenuity and shitty work ethic. So overtime began to flow like wine with me trying to do my part to cover shifts as well. Then people started getting worn out. Me included. Then people started copping attitudes about everything from pats on the back to co-workers work ethics to you name it. Trying to keep things afloat while training new telecommunicators was probably the most difficult task I have encountered since my post Wal-Mart days. 

This was the spring that I was going to make a concerted effort to attend more of Raissa's ball games. I think I saw 2 all season. 

Behind the scenes my mother-in-law's health was steadily deteriorating. This meant that Rita was spending copious amounts of time trying to attend to her mother while still working full-time. As the summer progressed the pressures on her and her general state of exhaustion became a more prominent staple of our day to day living. Every free moment she had was spent with her mother, every free moment I had seemed to be not all that free. 

Then about midway in November her mother fell at home which culminated in her passing on 12/14. I am sure I don't need to tell anyone what the last month has been like. 

So now with 13 days left in 2012 I guess things have finally reached a point where they can smooth out. I am fully staffed at the 911 center with everyone back on a regular schedule and back to a generally good attitude. Rita can finally begin to relax and get back to a more normal routine. We have had to have her sister move in with us as she is not able to fully take care of herself but overall it could help as she is able to watch Robbie while we are at work. 

But of course 2012 was also momentous on a personal level as I finally won a league championship and I can not tell you how therapeutic  Hardball Heaven was so many times this year. When everything around me seemed to have a storm cloud around it, Hardball Heaven was the beautiful rainbow that allowed me to escape if only for a couple of hours a day. 

I know others of you have expressed from time that the league proved to be "good medicine" when things weren't going so well on the outside. The league is not a league without the people in it and I will affirm once again that I think our league is a wonderful collection of super individuals.

2013 has to be a better year even if only in relative terms. At least from a real life perspective. But I think I am beginning to experience the "curse of winning the championship" in fantasy terms. Simply put, winning once only intensifies the desire to win again.  I have already begun to prepare for the next baseball season. Last season is going to be hard to top, 2 leagues, 2 regular season 1st place finishes, 2 league championships. 

I did it once..... there is no reason why I can't do it again............... or is there?

For those of you who read the blog, Thanks for indulging me as I begin to purge myself of the less enjoyable aspects of this last year. 

Randy

Mid Season Pitching

This is the last (maybe) of the mid season posts. This one will look at some pitching stats. These may not be nearly as conclusive but should offer a little insight into how each team compares.

How Much Can You Eat?

Unlike the hitting categories, pitching is not about how many innings you can pitch, but rather how well you manage the innings against your opponent. There is hardly a week that goes by that at least one if not several managers will purposely sit pitchers due to matchups or just to preserve leads in categories.

Below is a chart that is listed in order of innings pitched for the season. Also I have included # of pitching decisions. Pitching decisions is the combined total of W's, + L's + Saves. I decided to do it this way because  RP are a very integral part of our pitching stats and can get L's so we might as well count the S's as well.

Win% is the total of Win's  + Saves / # Decisions. Maybe not the best way to measure pitching success but at least it makes for an interesting comparison.  The last column is Pitching Roto Standing (Pit Roto) The highlighted teams are thop 6 teams in each category/



As you can see, there is very little correlation between innings pitched and Win% or Pitching Roto Standings.  This seems to me to support the argument that pitching categories is all about managing outcomes and not about seeing how many starts you can manage.

It is interesting to compare the #1 in pitching, Baseman and the #2 in Zonk. Baseman obviously manages his outcomes well with minimal innings while Zonk has managed to enjoy good success with maximum innings.

The last 2 stats that I will share are only slightly more conclusive to overall pitching success. K/BB ratio and K/9. The highlighted teams are the top 6 (actually 7 due to tie for 6th place) in the Pitching Roto Standings.



Pretty amazing to see TFP leading both of these lists. Having experienced 1st had his K to BB splits it is no wonder he is in the top 6 in Pitching Roto. He has almost reached the magical # of 9 K's per 9 innings.

My expert analysis.......


I am convinced that nothing can replace day to day managing of your pitching stats. There is no "one size fits all", that I can see, to pitching success. For best results though, I think you need to maintain around a 55% win rate, maintain a 2.7:1 K:BB ratio and achieve at least 7.5 K/9 ratio. Anything under those #'s will find you scrambling each week to gain wins in the pitching categories.

I would be interested in anyone else's interpretation of these #'s and maybe whether they are even relevant at all.

Mid Season Hitting

Ok, I know this is a little late. I had worked up a couple of mid season stat lines then lost interest in posting them. Actually due to the hours I have been working and having to deal with some very stressful personnel issues, I about lost interest in everything. But after having a couple of days off and finally seeing the fruits of my efforts over the last few months starting to pay dividends, I am refreshed and ready to post again.


These stats are through Week 11. (Mid Season)


Step up to the Plate!


"Cant't get a hit if you don't step to the plate" With the "all you can eat" nature of our offensive categories it only makes sense to me that the more AB's one can have the better chance you have at accumulating stats. The following chart pretty much bears that out with one notable excpetion.

The teams are listed in order of total season-to-date at bats with # of hits, batting average and the last column has the mid season Offensive Roto Standings (Off Roto)




Maybe it should come as no surprise that 5 of the top 6 Offensive Roto Leaders are also in the top 6 in AB's. The one notable exception being Stars whose league worst batting average has largely nullified his efforts to maximize his at bats. Conversely, Panties top 6 batting average has helped him overcome a slightly less # of AB's to land him 5th in overall offensive roto points.

Bang for the Buck

I have always found the ratio of Runs and RBI's to Hits to be interesting. This year the ratios are consistent (actually almost identical) with previous years. Season-to-date the average Runs per week is 28, RBI's is 27 and Hits is 54. That is essentially a 1 to 1 ratio. 1 hit = 1 Run or RBI. That has consistently been the base line ratio year after year. So how does that ratio translate on a team by team basis? Who is getting the most Bang for their Buck? (or productivity per hit if you will)

The following chart is listed in order of productivity per hit. Essentially are your hits producing over or under the 1 Run or RBI baseline?




8 of the 12 teams in the league get at least 1 Run or RBI per hit on average. It is interesting that SoS leads the league in hitting productivity but is last in AB's and therefore Hits as well. Also it is worth noting that Hitters is last in productivity but what he seems to lack in quality he more than makes up for in quantity as he leads the league in both AB's and Hits.

3 of the top 6 in Hits exceed the 1:1 ratio, a rather rewarding combination.

Ok, So What's Your Point?

Well maybe there isn't one. You will have to be the judge of that. To me it further demonstrates the delicate balance between AB's, Hits, AVG, Runs, and RBI's in order to achieve a competitive stance across the board. Are you conceding too much productivity through lost AB's? Is your team AVG dragging down your overall productivity? Is their a consistent noticeable gap between Run's and RBI's on weekly basis? Are you getting Hits but have little to show for it?

I would suggest that if you are experiencing one or more of the above issues then the 1st place to look is at AB's and then make sure that you are balanced between those who score Runs and those that get RBI's.

or not.......

Hope you find these #'s as interesting as I did.

Randy

Why We Love H2H.............

or NOT... depending on which end of a close matchup you wind up on.

I love the thrill of watching the stats accumulate each week. Back and forth up and down. One minute you're up.... go take a leak and come back and "poof" things have turned around. Actually can get rather nerve racking if you spend much time watching stattracker.

Maybe you just check it once or twice a day and miss all the ups and downs that transpire throughout the day but even then it often amazes at how things can change from one day to the next.

Then there is Sunday. " I just need one more of this or 2 more of that"... "If only my opponent can have an off day today". Or maybe it goes more like this.. ."Why did I start that sorry so-and-so" ....."Leave it to (insert name here) to stink it up just when I needed it most". "Sonofabench!.... why didn't I have him in the lineup today?" There always seems to be a few categories up for grabs on Sunday just to keep us on our toes.

We all know that the requisite number of stats needed to win each week is exactly equal to "1" better than your opponent. Some teams seem to be consistently good in certain categories. Play Baseman and you better plan on keeping the ERA low. Go against Tenn with less than 65 hits and you may as well concede the category. TFP and Champs can steal bases at will. And so on and so on.

Ever since I have been keeping stats I have tried to determine a winning formula that, if achieved, would almost guarantee I win more than I lose over the course of the season.  The most logical approach that I have been able to come up with is determining what the average stat line for the league is and then know that I have to have the ability to meet or exceed it each week. It amazes me that there is almost no change from season to season. Not very scientific I know.

What happens when you have a 2.20 ERA like Ageless did last week, which is way better than league average, only to be out done by Baseman who had a 1.58? Well, the same thing that happens when Cliff Lee throws 10 shutout innings and doesn't get a W..... IT SUCKS! But at least you know you played well enough to win but things just didn't break your way. You can only hope that over the course of the season things like that will balance out in the end.

So here at mid season it seems like an appropriate point to see which side of the "breaks" your team has been on so far. What I have done is figured the average stat line for the league for the season to date. Here is how it breaks down.



Now lets compare each team week by week to this line and see how you would have fared. Keep in mind that if you beat a category then you played well enough to win that category for that week. I have listed the teams in order of winning %.



And just to save you trouble of looking it up yourself, here is how it compares to the "actual" league standings.

What'choo talkin' about Willis!

Well I guess what it all boils down to is this. Hardballers, TFP, Stars, Utica and Squirrels ain't got much to complain about. Looks like their standings in the league mirror their overall performance.

Hitters and Baseman are pretty much on course as well. 

On the other hand....... Zonk and Panties must be stroking the baseball gods pretty regular as they are both way higher in the standings than their overall performance suggests.
  
Meanwhile..... Champions, Ageless and SoS must just plain not be living right. If they will make their amends to the baseball gods they should see a few more breaks go their way in the 2nd half.

This comparison demonstrates (in my eyes at least) the importance of consistency. Racking up 87 K's in one week works wonders in the roto standings but only gets you 1 point, for 1 week, in H2H. Hopefully this provides some ray of hope for some of you while others may want to take a moment to reflect on their current situation as we enter the 2nd half.

I know this is an incredibly long post but one that I have been wanting to do for a long, long  time. Hope you find it interesting and am looking forward to some feedback.

Roto Standings Thru Week 11

Weekly roto leader was Ageless with 85 pts. Hitters led the hitting with 55 pts and Zonk led the pitching with 50 pts.

Here is your mid season roto standings.




Still working on some other mid season spread sheet ideas.

Still working way the hell too much too so hopefully I will be able to get time to get some more posts up. Meanwhile, some of you can feel free to work something up for the blog as well :)

Randy

How's That 1st Round Pick Working For Ya?

No single event is more anticipated than the annual draft. More collective time and effort is focused on this one 1 1/2 hr to 2 hr time frame than most entire weeks during the season. And no pick is more important in the draft than that all important 1st rounder. The goal is simple. Make the best possible pick to anchor your team on your quest for league supremacy.

Some managers think that nothing is a better predictor of final season outcomes than the original draft results. I do not happen to fall in to that general mindset. I have always contended that you can not win the league on draft day but you can go a long way toward complicating the process with an ill prepared draft strategy.  My theory is that nothing is more crucial to league success than daily team management. The ability to stay on top of everything from injuries and slumps to hot streaks and changing roles is the key to a successful season.

And of course a little personal intuition can come in handy too from time to time.

So, with that in mind and inspired by Stars "Biggest Bust" poll, I decided to go back and compare just how well all that pre-draft blood, sweat and tears has paid off for us.

First, let's go back to draft day and recall who those all important 1st round picks were. I have them listed in the order they were drafted and which team drafted them and then put their year-to-date "rank" (not O-Rank) in the final columns as a comparison.

Brace yourself........



Kemp, Tulo, and Ellsbury have spent appreciable amounts of time on the DL so it is easy to attribute their performance (or lack thereof) to injury. But did you really intentionally invest a first round pick in someone you anticipated being injured? I think not.

So what's A Gonzalez, Pujols and Fielder's excuse?

Looks like the 2 picks performing closest to their perceived value are Braun and Votto. Both of whom have subsequently been dealt away

So just who IS the top player in the league? What SHOULD that 1st round have looked like?

So glad you asked. As of today (6/19/12) your top 12 performers by "rank" are as follows. Notice the original draft positions of players (2.9= Round 2 pick 9)



Ha! After hours of podcasts, mock drafts, expert analysis articles and a half dozen cheat sheets thrown in for good measure, the #1 starting pitcher was sitting there on the waiver wire the whole time.... who knew? I am sure Timmy was also thinking "stud" all the way when he nabbed Kipnis in the 14th as well.

Ok, enough of the fun. It's not even officially mid-season yet and there is a lot of baseball to be played. Before things are over Pujols could very well be back in the top 12 along with several others drafted in the 1st round. But the fact remains that if you were counting on Tulo to take you to the promised land this season then you are probably in a world of shit right now. (ooops.... sorry about that Chad... lol)

Maybe that 1st round pick ain't so crucial after all ........

Speak your piece or forever hold your mind .. (or something like that)

Roto Standings thru Week 10

Weekly roto leader was Tenn Hitters with 98 points. Champs was tops in offense with 64 pts while Sultan of Swat led the pitching categories with 52 pts.



One more week and we will be able to do some mid season recaps.

Very competitive league as always.

Roto Standings through Week 9

The weekly roto champ was Champions with 95 pts. Hardballers led the way offensively with 59 pts while Hitters led the pitching (that sounds odd) with 49 pts.

After Baseman makes his post concerning hitting having more overall effect than pitching he moves into the top spot in pitching. That's practicing what you preach... lol



With mid-season right around the corner I intend to post some mid-season stat comparisons. If any of you have any ideas of some things you would like to see just let me know and I will see what I can do.

Roto Standings thru Week 8

The week 8 roto king was Sultan of Swat with 97 points. Offensively the Tenn Hitters ruled the roost with 70 of the 72 possible points. Pitching leader this week was Baseman with 58 pts.

Here is where things stand year-to-date,



I updated my spreadsheet  to reflect what is on the Head-to-Head stats page. There were a couple of minor +1 or -1 that were the result of Yahoo stat corrections after the match was complete. ERA's got a little wonky on my spreadsheet since everything is rounded to the nearest hundredth on Yahoo but the leftover is figured in on the y-t-d stats so I got those corrected too.

Everyone have a good week. Still looking for some more chatter on the message boards.

Roto Standings thru Week 7

Week 7 saw Ageless One set the pace with 95 points for the week. He led the league in hitting roto points with 59pts. He is now the #1 hitting team in roto points.

Stars led the way in pitching roto points for the week with 44pts. It is also worth noting that both he and TFP logged a whopping 81 2/3 innings each for the week!



How much do you think inter-league play affects player performance?

Some things I wonder.....

Should you tank a SP for a poor performance when normally he has done acceptably well against league/division opponents?

Will Pujols benefit from batting against pitchers he is more familiar with?

Is there such a thing as a "solid closer" anymore?

I wonder......

Roto Standings thru Week 6

Week 6 Roto King was Panties as he scored 104 pts. Ageless had an outstanding offensive week with top honors in Runs, HR's and RBI's and 2nd place in Hits and Average.

Here's how things things shake out after 6 weeks.




Hope everyone has a great week this week. !

Roto Standings thru Week 5

Have had to endure another learning curve on posting tables to the blog. I think I have it figured out now. 


Not going to be heavy on the commentary as it is still early. I would encourage some of you to sound off in the comments section. (Mainly to let me know someone is looking at these things.)



Now that I have figured out how to make this work again maybe I can start putting up some more charts and stuff for your viewing pleasure :)

Sound off..!!

Roto Standing thru Week 4

I guess it is time to start posting the Roto Standings. We have finished the 1st 4 weeks so we can see who was quick out of the gate.



The most common disclaimer I hear time and again on podcasts is "small sample size". No doubt 4 weeks is a small sample size when it comes to roto standings so take these results with a grain of salt.

BUT..... if you are wondering why you are where you are in the standings, this may provide a clue.

Are you "under" or "over" your roto results in the league standings?

Randy

Keeper Format Suggestion

Lots of interest has been shown in converting to a keeper format. I have spent literally hours reading tons of info on keeper league formats. Keeper formats are as varied as the # of leagues who employ them. There is no "one size fits all". There are however some basic elements that reappear over and over in most leagues (depending on draft format). I will try and address each element of my proposal with a brief explanation of rationale and how it addresses the overall goals of our league.

First question is how many players to keep? There is no magic number here. My main concern on this issue is not how many players we keep but how many players are available for the draft. Ideas that have been floated is 1, 2 (any player), 2 (1 hitter, 1 pitcher). Initially I liked the 2 (1 hitter, 1 pitcher) idea but trying to incorporate that in an overall keeper format has its problems. As a result I have concluded that  2 (any player) keepers is something that can be managed easily and not overly tax the available draft pool of quality players. 

Next is who is available to be kept? Obviously you can not keep a player you don't have so final rosters from the previous season will serve as the base. I reiterate "final" rosters. This will be the players you own at the close of championship tournament play. Yahoo maintains final rosters from season to season so it is pretty easy to look back and see who you will have to pick from. Also it appears that when you join the league each year Yahoo will import those players for you to choose your keepers from.

On this same topic comes the question "Can I keep Albert Pujols ad infinitum?" There may be differences of opinion here but I think the answer to this question is an emphatic "NO". If you own Pujols (as I do) you got him by luck of the (draft) draw not by virtue of shrewd drafting or waiver wire work. Additionally, in order to insure every manager has an equal chance at drafting premier players on draft day there must be a mechanism for making those players available. 

Herein lies the minor complexity of a keeper format. With the emphasis on "minor". This ain't rocket science. So follow along with me. 

A popular format that leagues use is allowing a player to be kept but you forfeit a draft pick 2 rounds higher than the round he was drafted in the previous season. ( I gotta admit that sounds complex) But to present that in a more understandable light, let me expound. Each player has a value (or cost if you will) that is based on the previous seasons draft results. In this format a players value would increase (appreciate) by 2 rounds each season. A player drafted in round 10 of season A would have a value of round 8 in season B. If you chose to keep this player then he would become your 8th round pick for this years draft. This pick would be pre-loaded prior to the draft and in round 8 of the live draft you would essentially be skipped with your keeper auto-inserted into your roster. 

That should sound simple enough. But look what it does. Players drafted in rounds 1 and 2 of season A have "appreciated" to free agency. Players drafted in round 3 of season A have appreciated to round 1 of season B. I took D Pedroia last year in the 3rd round. I love him as a player and would love to keep him but do I really want to make him my 1st round pick? I think not. Therefore I must release him to free agency. Get the idea? The top players will be available on draft day with few exceptions. The competitive balance of the league is in tact as no team can  camp out on a stud player forever. 

But what if I want to keep a player I obtained off waivers and was undrafted? What is his cost? This presents an issue that reaches not only WW pickups but late round draft picks as well. Since we ARE talking about keepers and therefore players that we obviously think are valuable then there needs to be a "minimum" value assigned to all players. (Yahoo has a provision for this) Here again there could be some debate on what that value should be but I have determined that a minimum value of round 10 would be appropriate and equitable. 

But what if I got "2" players off waivers that I want to keep? Ah... astute one... since you only get one pick in the 10th round then you will need to designate 1 of them as your "9th" round pick. 

As you can see this format creates some interesting pre-draft decisions. Consder this. I drafted Pedroia in the 3rd round last year and Ian Kennedy in the 21st (last overall pick of the draft) Now.... do I want to keep Pedroia as my 1st round pick or Kennedy as my 10th round pick? For me this is a no-brainer. I keep Kennedy in the 10th and take my chances on redrafting Pedroia on draft day.  

Even with a minimum value of 10 you can find yourself in the catbirds seat if you make a great pickup. In 2006 in the other league I play in I picked H Ramirez up off the WW about week 3 of the season. Actually picked him up as a backup for SS. Before the season was over he was my #1 SS. Under this format here is how his value would have worked

2006-undrafted, 2007 round 10, 2008 round 8, 2009 round 6 2010 round 4, 2011 round 2, 2012  free agent. Pretty sweet huh? And just in case you think getting H Ramirez in any round other than the 1st from 2007 on is grossly unfair..... let me remind you. "I" picked him up off the WW, "I" took the gamble by addiing him to my roster. Any other manager in the league could have done it just as well. But be that as it is, 2011 would be the last season I could keep him "if" I was willing to make him my 2nd round pick. All good things must come to an end. 

Obviously the Ramirez example is an extreme one and not likely to happen often but the potential is always there. More often than not I can see this type thing happening.... I took Kennedy in the 21st last year, this year I keep him in the 10th, next year the 8th? (maybe) 2014 the 6th? probably not. Hopefully I have snagged another up and comer by then. 

Next seasons draft values are determined on draft day this season, Going back to Ramirez consider this.Panties drafted Ramirez in the 1st round. We all know how his season went and one could see a scenario where Panties may have opted to cut bait and drop him. Now suppose he did and somebody else picked him up off the WW. Did Ramirez value drop to 10 because he was picked up of WW. Absolutely not. His base value was round 1 and the team that picked him up should know that when he picked him up. Ramirez might could have helped him win the championship but he was not going to be available as  a keeper. 

As you can see using this value system not only has draft day implications but inseason implications as well. Make a trade with someone for one of their late round picks or maybe even a player they picked up off WW and now YOU are the proud owner of a potential 10th round pick. (Kerm you gotta be slobbering at the mouth at the thought of this) 

I may have made it sound more complicated than it is ( I certainly hope not) but in short. Keepers can be kept at previous draft value + 2 rounds. Simple... 

Now lets compare this to the goals for a Hardball Heaven keeper league. 

Keeps competitive balance intact. .... check

Allows all managers a chance to assemble a good team on draft day....... check

Provides a mechanism for cycling players back to draft pool.... check

Rewards managers for being clever not lucky........ check

Simple to understand and implement...... implement --check, understand? well you all tell me.

I have my asbestos britches on.... go ahead and let your opinions flow... lol

Randy

SUPER GRANDPA!!

In true Hardball Heaven fashion, one of our precious members has obtained a degree of notoriety. Though not mentioned specifically, our own Juan Torres is the proud father/grandfather of the subjects of this news report.

(added pic of the amazing one himself)

I certainly congratulate Juan on not only this rather unique experience but also for the fact that all involved are healthy and doing fine.

Watch and be amazed !!



Hope everyone is beginning to think baseball. Still waiting for some of you to confirm your return to the league.

Hardballers

Knock-Knock.....anybody listening?

Looking outside at the 1st accumulation of snow we have had all season it is a little hard to imagine that we are a little over 10 weeks away from opening day. The "Boys of Summer" are still in full hibernation mode. No need for gloves or bats, cleats or uniforms. The time for slumber sits heavily upon us.

Unless of course you are still plugging away in your fantasy football league. My season ended abruptly at the end of regular play. My big accomplishment this season was to insure myself 1st pick in next years draft... lol. GAWD FANTASY FOOTBALL IS SO FICKLE!!!!

Seriously, no amount of preseason study or planning is going to help you one iota in football. Think you made a big grab on draft day? Just wait till the 1st snap of the season and your so-called stud winds up with a hammy, or groin .... or TURF TOE for crying out loud! As much as I like football as a spectator I must admit that I get more and more disillusioned with the fantasy aspect of it each and every year. Maybe some of you did better or have a magical winning formula, but me, I have conceded that I am a fantasy football ignoramus.
And have the results to prove it!

Some of you I know do fantasy basketball as well. I gave that up about 3 years ago to provide a little respite before embarking on the grueling baseball season. Funny, my 1st league championship was in a basketball league so maybe I should be doing that instead of football. Not really though as I am also beginning to lose interest in the NBA even as a spectator. NCAA..... now that's a different story! GO BIG BLUE and every other team with a ".Ky" at the end of it.

I really feel a little lost this time of year. Baseball podcasts haven't started yet except for the occasional update about this or that trade. Baseball blogs are spending most of their time talking about prospects that probably won't even see the bigs this season or spend time rehashing this or that off season trade. No real projections yet. Mock drafts, what there are of them, are useless. In short, these are not the days for the avid baseball fan.

And then of course.... there is the snow.

This is not to say that I am not getting emotionally charged with sports. Far from it. As previously mentioned, NCAA basketball is alive and well and exhilarating! As of today Kentucky is home to 3 top 15 teams! Gotta love it! All the diehard Big Blue fans are convinced this is the year they reclaim the national championship. Not sure I see that happening yet but if Callipari can continue to get them to buy into his program and improve their skills, then by March Madness time... who knows..... just could happen.SEC play has started and the real tests begin for the 'Cats. L'ville always has its hands full in the Big East, especially with Syracuse ranked #1. (Kerm, you gotta be lovin that!) Murray State??? Bet ya never heard of them have ya? Watch em. They are gonna rain on somebody's parade before it is over.

With the NFL playoffs in full swing there is plenty to get pumped up about there. I guess in the NFL today there are basically 2 camps. Those that like Tebow and those that don't. For the record, I am in the "like" camp. Actually I am a "johnny-come-lately" as I didn't like him at all in college. Course I really didn't know much about him then. All I knew was that he played for Florida and that was all I needed to know about him to not particularly like him. When he went to the NFL I was surprised a little when they started telling about his morals and ethics and strong Christian principles. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all. And now as "Tebowing" has become a national phenomenon all I can do is stand in awe of an individual that is that strong and well founded in their faith. Say what you want, the press has made this a big deal, not Tebow. He is just doing what he has always done and now he is getting "praised" or "persecuted" based on where people stand. As a quarterback he pretty much sucks but somehow the Broncos keep winning. Divine intervention? You be the judge. All I can say is I would rather be playing with him than against him and I believe he has inspired his whole team.

So I sit here and look out the window again, inch of snow on the ground, not much but definitely far from baseball weather. Raissa is back in college from the Christmas break and starts softball practice next week. Their first game is scheduled for February 24th. Shit it is gonna be dead of winter then! She is pretty excited about her teams chances this season. They picked up some good freshmen and have lost a couple of attitudes from last year's team. I am looking forward to seeing her play a little more this season.

I hope everyone is planning on returning to the league this year. Would be nice to get a little confirmation from as many of you as possible. I hope to fill a little of my boredom with a podcast soon. I need to familiarize myself again with all the ins and outs of podcasting. I interviewed Juan last year and it was a wonderful session of about 30 mins and then after it was all done I realized that for some reason it didn't record. I ain't going through that again. I am gonna study a little harder on how to make better podcasts and then hope to feature each manager in the league at some point.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. Hope everyone is looking forward to a great year this year. Congrats to Juan on the new additions! See everyone on the field soon.

Till the call is sounded.....

Randy