Friday, May 20, 2011
Please go to Show Fantasy Sports
I am now writing for Show Fantasy Sports, search for them and you will find my work on this topic there...
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
NBA MVP Is Kobe the right choice?
On the day after the announcement of the MVP of the NBA I wanted to dissect whether or not Kobe is the right choice for THIS season. Most Valuable Player for the 2007-2008 season should go to the person with the best statistics but also who was most important in his team being a success. There were 4 clear cut choices for this award, Kobe, Lebron, Chris Paul (CP3) and Kevin Garnett (KG). I will look at each and give pros and cons for there winning the award and ultimately my choice for MVP.
KG: Big men never win this award. For some reason rebounds and blocks are not as valued despite the fact that they are much harder to come by then assists. KG was very important to his squad, but in reality the Celtics are a playoff team without him. He is what will make them champions, but is that the definition for MVP? He is one of the top 2 big men in the sport and is always in the equation for MVP, but this year there was 3 candidates more worthy.
LeBron: Awesome stats and clearly the superstar franchise player. People in Cleveland and across the US come to see LeBron, not Larry Hughes, Big Z, Daniel Gibson or Ben Wallace. He is a superstar and will be in the equation as well for MVP for many years. He in some ways is a young version of Kobe, always in the mix and so good that people assume he will put up certain numbers. He is tough as nails and has a great game. But like Kobe, he will not win the award right way simply because of who he is, and who others in the league have built themselves to be. You see this award CLAIMS to be for an individual season, but in reality it factors in body of work. If this was not the case, Kobe would have multiple MVP's and LeBron would have already won one.
CP3: Poor Chris may not win this award until Kobe retires. He is dominant and makes his team better. Tyson Chandler was a bum before coming to Memphis. David Wesley was an average shooter turned all-star when playing with CP3. To me CP3 is the epitome of an MVP. I guy who gets the best from his team, while playing at a level higher then all of them and making big plays when the pressure is on. Notice I said big plays not big buckets. One of CP3 biggest strengths is his ability to share the ball, putting teammates in awesome positions to score. That being said he also is one of the top off the dribble players in the game and extremely creative on his drive plays. Alas he will not win the award for a few more years as it is political and let's face it, a 22 year old who loves to share playing in Memphis doesn't have the exposure that others do.
Kobe: The best player in the game who has not won an MVP. Well that now goes to LeBron. Kobe won the award in a huge landslide which further emphasizes the fact that this is political and not a single season vote. If it were this would have been much closer between Kobe, CP3 and LeBron. That said, Kobe should have won the award. Heck even he wanted out of LA in the beginning of this season, so the fact that they finished as the top seed in the tougher conference is enough for me. He is a brilliant scorer both in the clutch and when the team is down. He plays tough defense, can drive hit the J or blast you from 3 land. He shared much more this year mainly due to the fact that he had competent people around him that he felt could score if passed too. Kobe is your MVP, and that is the correct call. It should have been closer, but the voters still got there man.
KG: Big men never win this award. For some reason rebounds and blocks are not as valued despite the fact that they are much harder to come by then assists. KG was very important to his squad, but in reality the Celtics are a playoff team without him. He is what will make them champions, but is that the definition for MVP? He is one of the top 2 big men in the sport and is always in the equation for MVP, but this year there was 3 candidates more worthy.
LeBron: Awesome stats and clearly the superstar franchise player. People in Cleveland and across the US come to see LeBron, not Larry Hughes, Big Z, Daniel Gibson or Ben Wallace. He is a superstar and will be in the equation as well for MVP for many years. He in some ways is a young version of Kobe, always in the mix and so good that people assume he will put up certain numbers. He is tough as nails and has a great game. But like Kobe, he will not win the award right way simply because of who he is, and who others in the league have built themselves to be. You see this award CLAIMS to be for an individual season, but in reality it factors in body of work. If this was not the case, Kobe would have multiple MVP's and LeBron would have already won one.
CP3: Poor Chris may not win this award until Kobe retires. He is dominant and makes his team better. Tyson Chandler was a bum before coming to Memphis. David Wesley was an average shooter turned all-star when playing with CP3. To me CP3 is the epitome of an MVP. I guy who gets the best from his team, while playing at a level higher then all of them and making big plays when the pressure is on. Notice I said big plays not big buckets. One of CP3 biggest strengths is his ability to share the ball, putting teammates in awesome positions to score. That being said he also is one of the top off the dribble players in the game and extremely creative on his drive plays. Alas he will not win the award for a few more years as it is political and let's face it, a 22 year old who loves to share playing in Memphis doesn't have the exposure that others do.
Kobe: The best player in the game who has not won an MVP. Well that now goes to LeBron. Kobe won the award in a huge landslide which further emphasizes the fact that this is political and not a single season vote. If it were this would have been much closer between Kobe, CP3 and LeBron. That said, Kobe should have won the award. Heck even he wanted out of LA in the beginning of this season, so the fact that they finished as the top seed in the tougher conference is enough for me. He is a brilliant scorer both in the clutch and when the team is down. He plays tough defense, can drive hit the J or blast you from 3 land. He shared much more this year mainly due to the fact that he had competent people around him that he felt could score if passed too. Kobe is your MVP, and that is the correct call. It should have been closer, but the voters still got there man.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Fantasy Baseball: Sleeper Tips
Getting the best from your draft is the key to winning, we can all agree on that. The first tip is show up! No one can draft your team for you as well as you can, including the pre ranked gods of the yahoo, espn or cbs worlds. Do not blame your horrible season on anyone else if you didn't bother to show up.
Know the strong positions and the weak ones and draft accordingly. In the 08 season OF, C and 2B are the deepest followed by 1B and 3B. SS is very weak, draft accordingly. I ascribe to the tiered method of drafting. That is do not simply draft the best available 2B in the 6th round because you need a secondbaseman. It is highly possible that your guy will be there 3 or 4 rounds later so wait him out and draft a really good SP or a high quality 4th OF or Util man. Taking Aaron Hill or Kelly Johnson is great they will fit nicely on your squad, but taking them in the 6th round of a 12 team draft is just plain dumb. SP and OF are so deep you can easily draft 4 OF's that will far outproduce almost any 2B so go for that first! Heck choose a Util/bench player ahead of them if you think they will be a better player. Here is a scenario to bring this home: I have drafted all of my positions except SS and C by the 10th round, that accounts for 3 OF's a Util the rest of the infield players, two starters and one reliever. My 11th rounder should be a SS or catcher right? WRONG! SS is weak and C is not a high stat producer after the first 4 catchers. After the first tier of catchers (VMartinez, Martin, McCann and Mauer) catcher production drops way down but the crop is plentiful. The same holds true for SS except there are alot more "sexier" names out there at SS. Although Orlando Cabrera sounds like a great option, you can probably get Adam Wainwright (number one starter) G Sherrill, Joe Borowski (40 saves) or a host of other great closers at this spot. A stud SP or a good closer will win you many more categories then will O Cabrera or Bobby Crosby or even K Greene. Plus most good managers will have already chosen the top two tiers of SS so that leaves you and the others who didn't grab I top flight guy to might over the leftovers. So what is the big difference between K Greene who will be available at round 11 or R Theriot who most likely will be there in round 15 or 16? Not much, a few HRs. Go with an extra OF, SP or Rp who will gain you many more stats.
Please do not take a catcher (unless it is one listed above) in the first 15 rounds. They will crash your season. Here is why, catchers get hurt often and do not play back to back games when they have a day game after a night game. Most catchers are not statistical giants anyway, remove them one game out of 6 a week and you are ripping away 1/6 of that players stats immediately even without injury. Great options will be available in the last 2 or 3 rounds, wait until then to draft one.
One final tip, watch the draft trends. Try to stay ahead of the curve. Be the first guy to draft a certain position (first tier player) rather then grabbing the fourth RP in an RP run. Anticipate what the guys around you will pick based on there needs, and select the guy on your list (this is key he must be a player you need and value) that you think is most likely to be chosen by the people around you.
Next post will be one last one on fantasy baseball stay tuned!
Know the strong positions and the weak ones and draft accordingly. In the 08 season OF, C and 2B are the deepest followed by 1B and 3B. SS is very weak, draft accordingly. I ascribe to the tiered method of drafting. That is do not simply draft the best available 2B in the 6th round because you need a secondbaseman. It is highly possible that your guy will be there 3 or 4 rounds later so wait him out and draft a really good SP or a high quality 4th OF or Util man. Taking Aaron Hill or Kelly Johnson is great they will fit nicely on your squad, but taking them in the 6th round of a 12 team draft is just plain dumb. SP and OF are so deep you can easily draft 4 OF's that will far outproduce almost any 2B so go for that first! Heck choose a Util/bench player ahead of them if you think they will be a better player. Here is a scenario to bring this home: I have drafted all of my positions except SS and C by the 10th round, that accounts for 3 OF's a Util the rest of the infield players, two starters and one reliever. My 11th rounder should be a SS or catcher right? WRONG! SS is weak and C is not a high stat producer after the first 4 catchers. After the first tier of catchers (VMartinez, Martin, McCann and Mauer) catcher production drops way down but the crop is plentiful. The same holds true for SS except there are alot more "sexier" names out there at SS. Although Orlando Cabrera sounds like a great option, you can probably get Adam Wainwright (number one starter) G Sherrill, Joe Borowski (40 saves) or a host of other great closers at this spot. A stud SP or a good closer will win you many more categories then will O Cabrera or Bobby Crosby or even K Greene. Plus most good managers will have already chosen the top two tiers of SS so that leaves you and the others who didn't grab I top flight guy to might over the leftovers. So what is the big difference between K Greene who will be available at round 11 or R Theriot who most likely will be there in round 15 or 16? Not much, a few HRs. Go with an extra OF, SP or Rp who will gain you many more stats.
Please do not take a catcher (unless it is one listed above) in the first 15 rounds. They will crash your season. Here is why, catchers get hurt often and do not play back to back games when they have a day game after a night game. Most catchers are not statistical giants anyway, remove them one game out of 6 a week and you are ripping away 1/6 of that players stats immediately even without injury. Great options will be available in the last 2 or 3 rounds, wait until then to draft one.
One final tip, watch the draft trends. Try to stay ahead of the curve. Be the first guy to draft a certain position (first tier player) rather then grabbing the fourth RP in an RP run. Anticipate what the guys around you will pick based on there needs, and select the guy on your list (this is key he must be a player you need and value) that you think is most likely to be chosen by the people around you.
Next post will be one last one on fantasy baseball stay tuned!
Friday, February 29, 2008
Fantasy Baseball is Here Draft tips: don't draft
Baseball is my game...I am all amped up for this new season of drafts and new seasons of hope!
For the next week or two I will give my advice on who to draft and who not to draft in leagues of all variety.
This first post is dedicated to the who not to draft people!
First, catchers! Short of Victor Martinez, and Russell Martin do not touch a catcher in the first 10-12 rounds. Otherwise it is too early and it will kill you in the long run! There are so many good catchers but only two worthy of a top ten round pick. Mauer and McCann might be able to slip into round 9 or ten but do your homework, I higher producer is worth more in the Util spot then a catcher will be. I usually wait til the last round or two to start thinking about grabbing a catcher. Paulino and Napoli are great post round 12 guys who will out produce most anyone and are not leaving the board earlier then that. They can usually be had after round 15.
Please do not draft Pudge Rodriguez, he is a waste of space, take Greg Zaun 10 rounds later I beg you!
Second, do not draft a position just because you don't have anyone yet at that spot. If you draft simply because you have an opening, that will be how you end up with David Eckstein in round ten or Pudge ion round 8. You will not win your league that way! A young stud prospect is a much better pick up or a 3rd or 4th proven starter. Not to mention an extra relief pitcher. DO NOT draft your holes...they will be filled in later in the draft, the good managers aren't taking those guys early. Be patient and watch draft trends.
Third, do not go into the draft without ranking your players. This doesn't have to be written down, but you need to have thought it through. Most likely you won't get the easy task of picking first and taking AROD, only one guys gets that job, if you do thanks the good Lord and then have a strategy in place as to how to get the most out of the second and third round picks you won't get for a long time. Most likely you will pick in the middle to end which means you will be deciding between Vlad Guerrero, Chase Utley, Johan Santana and Ryan Braun. Have a plan BEFORE the draft as to how you want to play that situation out. Don't just rank positions by tiers, also rank the first two or three rounds as to your preference of players. Take the best available guy off of your pre-ranked board in the early rounds, then go from there.
Do not draft injured players in the high rounds. BJ Ryan, Pedro and C Schilling are all coming off injury plagued seasons or off season surgery, don't risk it. Wait for these guys in mid to late rounds and if they don;t make it that's okay grab someone younger and healthier. Kazmir and Lidge are both injured right now, do not overpay for them no matter what the team website says. It will cost you in the long run if they battle injury and not the other teams all year. Also stay away from guys who are hurt chronically. Even if they have put up decent numbers in the past, do your homework before drafting Ken Griffey, Rich Harden or Ben Sheets.
Do not draft personal "homer" picks unless you have some really good information that you have obtained through the local media sources that are reliable. Drafting the backup SS because he is a fan favorite is a definite no-no. Just because you have his jersey, doesn't mean he will help you win your fantasy league!
Hopefully this was some helpful info, stay tuned for upcoming position rankings as well as super sleepers and rookie breakout players!
For the next week or two I will give my advice on who to draft and who not to draft in leagues of all variety.
This first post is dedicated to the who not to draft people!
First, catchers! Short of Victor Martinez, and Russell Martin do not touch a catcher in the first 10-12 rounds. Otherwise it is too early and it will kill you in the long run! There are so many good catchers but only two worthy of a top ten round pick. Mauer and McCann might be able to slip into round 9 or ten but do your homework, I higher producer is worth more in the Util spot then a catcher will be. I usually wait til the last round or two to start thinking about grabbing a catcher. Paulino and Napoli are great post round 12 guys who will out produce most anyone and are not leaving the board earlier then that. They can usually be had after round 15.
Please do not draft Pudge Rodriguez, he is a waste of space, take Greg Zaun 10 rounds later I beg you!
Second, do not draft a position just because you don't have anyone yet at that spot. If you draft simply because you have an opening, that will be how you end up with David Eckstein in round ten or Pudge ion round 8. You will not win your league that way! A young stud prospect is a much better pick up or a 3rd or 4th proven starter. Not to mention an extra relief pitcher. DO NOT draft your holes...they will be filled in later in the draft, the good managers aren't taking those guys early. Be patient and watch draft trends.
Third, do not go into the draft without ranking your players. This doesn't have to be written down, but you need to have thought it through. Most likely you won't get the easy task of picking first and taking AROD, only one guys gets that job, if you do thanks the good Lord and then have a strategy in place as to how to get the most out of the second and third round picks you won't get for a long time. Most likely you will pick in the middle to end which means you will be deciding between Vlad Guerrero, Chase Utley, Johan Santana and Ryan Braun. Have a plan BEFORE the draft as to how you want to play that situation out. Don't just rank positions by tiers, also rank the first two or three rounds as to your preference of players. Take the best available guy off of your pre-ranked board in the early rounds, then go from there.
Do not draft injured players in the high rounds. BJ Ryan, Pedro and C Schilling are all coming off injury plagued seasons or off season surgery, don't risk it. Wait for these guys in mid to late rounds and if they don;t make it that's okay grab someone younger and healthier. Kazmir and Lidge are both injured right now, do not overpay for them no matter what the team website says. It will cost you in the long run if they battle injury and not the other teams all year. Also stay away from guys who are hurt chronically. Even if they have put up decent numbers in the past, do your homework before drafting Ken Griffey, Rich Harden or Ben Sheets.
Do not draft personal "homer" picks unless you have some really good information that you have obtained through the local media sources that are reliable. Drafting the backup SS because he is a fan favorite is a definite no-no. Just because you have his jersey, doesn't mean he will help you win your fantasy league!
Hopefully this was some helpful info, stay tuned for upcoming position rankings as well as super sleepers and rookie breakout players!
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Bowl Wrap Up
It was a shocking night for most football fans. Still quite unbelieveable that the behemoth Patriots were rocked by the pebble that was the NY Giants. The Giants, ironically in the role of David and not the giant, slung there stones and struck the mighty Patriots right between the eyes. The Giants played a masterful game and upset the team many though to be unbeatable at some points during the season.
The old adage that defense wins championships certainly holds true in this case, however it was the offese that came through in the clutch with less then 2 minutes to go. Eli Manning certainly silenced the millions of doubters with his escape act that Evel Knivel is still smiling about in heaven. The circus catch by Tyree is destined to make the plays of the decade films for the 2000's. It was a great game and a wonderful win for the Giants, the NFC and the NFC East. By week 4 most thought this game would be an afterthought to the "real superbowl" that would be played in the AFC championship game. Not so fast my friend! Last I checked all of the NFC players also get paid to play football as well. There are no scab workers, and thus anything can happen. And it did. Nice job Giants. The NFL is smiling large now...
The old adage that defense wins championships certainly holds true in this case, however it was the offese that came through in the clutch with less then 2 minutes to go. Eli Manning certainly silenced the millions of doubters with his escape act that Evel Knivel is still smiling about in heaven. The circus catch by Tyree is destined to make the plays of the decade films for the 2000's. It was a great game and a wonderful win for the Giants, the NFC and the NFC East. By week 4 most thought this game would be an afterthought to the "real superbowl" that would be played in the AFC championship game. Not so fast my friend! Last I checked all of the NFC players also get paid to play football as well. There are no scab workers, and thus anything can happen. And it did. Nice job Giants. The NFL is smiling large now...
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Gibbs retires
Ouch. As a Skins fan this one hurts a bit. As Dan Snyder said in the press coference, "you can't replace Joe Gibbs." He is right, but it must be done. So who are the candidates or what is the strategy? Here are the options 3 as I see them...
Hire from within: That would include Joe Bugel Al Saunders or Gregg Williams. Williams has been sought after by several teams during Gibbs tenure and would seem to be the logical choice. Bugel may retire as well although any real Skins fan would pray that he stays! Saunders is a viable option as well but would Williams stay under Saunders? I believe Saunders will stay under Williams but not sure if the reverse is true.
Hire from the outside: Someone with no connections or credo with the Skins. Bill Cowher would be the top of anyone's list. Cam Cameron, Dennis Green, Jim Mora Jr., and anyone on the Patriots staff would be top choices! Cowher seems to be the logical choice from this group as he would be the hardest to get and thus the most money would be thrown his way from Snyder.
Hire someone with a Redskin connection: Marty Schottenheimer or Russ Grimm would be the logical choices in this group of past Skins with coachin experience. Grimm is the most likely in this bunch as Marty burned some bridges in Washington even though I think he was given a raw deal as do many Skins fans!
So that boils it down to Williams, Cowher and Grimm. I think all three would be excellent choices for the Skins. I would be happy and excited if any of them is hired as coach. So what should be looked at as the highest criteria? I believe it is credentials as a head coach. With this group of players I believe it will be important top establish that character matters and that the core needs to stay together. Williams may be the best overall candidate in that case as he was here these past few years and during the strife of the Taylor death. Gregg Williams gets my vote.
Hire from within: That would include Joe Bugel Al Saunders or Gregg Williams. Williams has been sought after by several teams during Gibbs tenure and would seem to be the logical choice. Bugel may retire as well although any real Skins fan would pray that he stays! Saunders is a viable option as well but would Williams stay under Saunders? I believe Saunders will stay under Williams but not sure if the reverse is true.
Hire from the outside: Someone with no connections or credo with the Skins. Bill Cowher would be the top of anyone's list. Cam Cameron, Dennis Green, Jim Mora Jr., and anyone on the Patriots staff would be top choices! Cowher seems to be the logical choice from this group as he would be the hardest to get and thus the most money would be thrown his way from Snyder.
Hire someone with a Redskin connection: Marty Schottenheimer or Russ Grimm would be the logical choices in this group of past Skins with coachin experience. Grimm is the most likely in this bunch as Marty burned some bridges in Washington even though I think he was given a raw deal as do many Skins fans!
So that boils it down to Williams, Cowher and Grimm. I think all three would be excellent choices for the Skins. I would be happy and excited if any of them is hired as coach. So what should be looked at as the highest criteria? I believe it is credentials as a head coach. With this group of players I believe it will be important top establish that character matters and that the core needs to stay together. Williams may be the best overall candidate in that case as he was here these past few years and during the strife of the Taylor death. Gregg Williams gets my vote.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
NFL Network, Can I work for You?
It seems the NFL Network is in a great position of power these days. As a Directv subscriber I have no problem with that! HOWEVER millions of Amreicans are out of luck when it comes to watching these thursday games on television because cable TV does not carry the NFL network. While I will happily be watching my team tonight on thursday night, many local fans here and in Chicago (the opponent) will be VERY unhappy. Funny thing is, if NE goes 15-0, guess what? They play NY Giants on Thursday night on NFL Network to go undefeated! Talk about a bargaining tool! Are you sure the NFL officials aren't throwing NE games on purpose? Oops now I sound like Raven fan!
Be watching your sports news for a huge payday for the NFL network in months to come, sending the big 4 networks into a tizzy much bigger then that they threw when ESPN scored the MNF games! Wish I had stock in NFL network...hmmm.
Be watching your sports news for a huge payday for the NFL network in months to come, sending the big 4 networks into a tizzy much bigger then that they threw when ESPN scored the MNF games! Wish I had stock in NFL network...hmmm.
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