I have been thouroughly humbled this year.
Things have not gone right for any of the KACSPORTS teams this year. Not only have my two teams been mediocre, but overall championship contenders reside in my CDM leagues as well. The final killshot came this past weekend when things unraveled in a mere four days in the following fashion.
But it isn�t like I have nothing to do fantasy-baseball wise for the next two months +. My entry in Yahoo Fantasy Baseball is doing pretty well, in fact I�m running away with the league. And that despite missing various pitcher starts forgetting to make my changes. The I.S. Nazis at work are no help, blocking access to the Yahoo Fantasy Site (WE CAN�T HAVE PEOPLE USING THE INTERNET FOR FANTASY BASEBALL PURPOSES AT WORK!!!!!). Too many times 6:15 CT rolls around, with Ben Sheets on my bench has he begins twirling a complete game three-hit shutout.
However things have gone so well that I truly have a chance to do something special, achieving a feat that would go down with the likes of the 1972 Miami Dolphins along with Kenny J�s 8-week Jeopardy winning streak. That would be a perfect 120 points, or maxing out in all ten categories in the 12 team week. Currently I stand at 110.5 points, here�s where I stand in the various categories�
RUNS � I�m first in that category (12 points) right now with 509, with Nomar (503) and Balco (484) close behind.
HOMERS � This is where I�ve made up the most ground, moving up from four to ten points in the last couple of weeks. Not totally satisfied with Frank Thomas and Javy Lopez, I plucked Travis Hafner and Vic Martinez off the waiver wire in mid-May. I mentioned Vic�s power surge earlier, meanwhile Hafner tied a Major League record this week hitting five home runs over a two game period. Willie Mo Pena was a huge recent addition to the roster. With 127 home runs I am still 19 behind the top team, this remains the toughest category to max out on.
RBI � Despite the early lack of homers, my RBI�s have been fine all year. I�m sitting at 11 points, 23 RBI off the top team.
STEALS � Have comfortably led all year, proving how an impact steal specialist like Carl Crawford can single-handedly carry a category.
AVERAGE � Always the category fantasy teams seem to have the least amount of control over, but right now I�m on fire, tied for first with a .292 average. Besides Hafner and Martinez, Alfonso Soriano has picked up the average recently, along with shortstop Kaz Matsui (up to .273 on the year). The Marlins Mike Lowell is also hitting over .300, over 30 points above his average of the last two seasons.
WINS � Sitting in second with 44, one behind the leader. Matt Morris, Pedro Martinez, Carlos Zambrano, Jake Westbrook (pick-up), Oliver Perez (pick-up), and Ben Sheets (handsome mid-round pick) are the suspects.
SAVES � Comfortably ahead, 15 ahead of the nearest pursuer. Picking up Brad Lidge a few weeks back should allow me to bench the shaky Shawn Chacon when he�s at home. Obviously I will be looking to trade a closer (Isringhausen or Kolb) for an additional power hitter.
STRIKEOUTS � Have led all year, Pedro, Z, Perez, and Big Ben make for a very powerful staff.
ERA � Now why didn�t I forget to start Matt Morris against the Cubs, where he was shelled for seven earnies in an inning and two-thirds this week. Never start Morris at Wrigley. That dropped me from 12 to 10 points with my 3.56 ERA trailing the top team�s 3.48. Hopefully I�ll get it back.
RATIO � The Morris debacle dropped me from 11 to 9 here. Still I�m only .01 behind the top three teams who are tied at 1.22.
This year was the first time I drafted live, the conversation was lively and the competition seemed very knowledgeable. To the credit of the league, several of the teams remain very active while a couple of the cellar dwellers have packed it in (nothing unusual). A new rule instituted by Yahoo prevents teams from dispersing their entire rosters to help the spirit of competition.
How close will I come to posting that perfect 120??? It will be tough, but I think I can get pretty close. Like everyone, I have had my share of injuries (Thomas, Richie Sexson), the key has been how I�ve been able to find replacements who have proved just as capable on the waiver wire. The best news of all is the IS Nazi�s have removed the block on the Fantasy site (they have blocked and unblocked it three times now). Now I can read all the Matt Romig insight I like. And better yet, without CDM to worry about it now has my undivided attention � well expect for that football season coming up.The Houston Astros went 7-13 in the first 20 games since the Carlos Beltran acquisition, falling from five to 14 games out of first place in the process. The Cubs and Giants are quickly emerging as the two NL Wild Card contenders, with both teams seeking relief pitching. The need is especially prevalent in Frisco, as Matt Herges can�t get anyone out and has been removed from his last three save opportunities. However, the Cubs are reportedly eyeing Detroit closer Ugueth Urbina, which may relegate LaTroy Hawkins back to a setup role although he has been 12-15 in save opps. Besides Travis Hafner, it is about time to target Jason Bay as a late-season acquisition. Bay already has a pair of eight RBI games in his brief career (many HOFers can�t even claim that) and his 2004 stats would translate to 39 HR/120 RBI over a 162 game season. Down the road he should be someone the Mariners will covet (along with Lyle Overbay) when the Pirates aren�t able to afford him a few years down the road. Speaking of, Pittsburgh was awarded the 2006 All-Star game which will occur a mere 12 years after the city hosted the 1994 game. It is said that the 2007-09 host cities will be announced soon. The AL usually hosts in the odd-numbered years, but the newer facilities have already hosted recent games. The most logical candidates would be Yankee Stadium (the city has not hosted a game since �77) and Kansas City (last hosted in �73). However it seems like commissioner Bud has a thing with rewarding smaller-markets with new park, and there is talk that he may abandon the current AL/NL rotation, otherwise cities such as Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco, Arizona, and Cincinnati would be forced to wait perhaps as long as 2018 to host the game.
The mystery surrounding Jason Giambi�s funk continues, among other things he was tested for cancer this week after an 0-18 skid. The Blue Jays would desperately like to trade Carlos Delgado, but the 5 and 10 man will not accept any potential trades. Further complicating matters is Delgado�s flap over the Iraq War and the playing of God Bless America, a controversy whose intensity increased dramatically when the team visited Yankee Stadium this week. With a potential public relations hit in mind, organizations may be as anxious to pick-up as Carlos as Nevada casinos are to book Linda Ronstadt anytime soon. Kris Benson is another deadline target, but the Pirates (leary of seeing Benson turn into the next Jason Schmidt) are asking for the moon. The best pitching pick-up of the week may be recent Toronto call-up David Bush, who took a no-hitter into the eighth inning at Oakland. Bush doesn�t have a great fastball, but uses four pitches very effectively and has averaged nearly a strikeout per inning in his pro career. Bush was also a premiere closer in his college days so going back to the bullpen is also a possibility as his career unfolds.
Josh Mauer was forced to the DL with his bum knee, the long-term concern is that the injury could turn one of the more promising hitting catching prospects into a Josh Phelps-DH type. We are also beginning to see shutdowns regarding players on teams not in contention, Roy Halladay is back on the DL while Luis Gonzalez will end his season around August 1st to get his elbow repaired, but that was an ailment that was known about since last off-season, so that�s not a surprise. The Brewers and D-Rays have been nice feel-god stories, but if you�re looking for some good odds on a team winning it all, take a flier on the hot-hitting Indians who have closed to within four games of the league in the modest AL Central.
CDM ADDS/DROPS (FA'S IN BOLD)An impressive FA list sparked plenty of interest this week.