There are a few things I would rather be doing today. Getting a root canal, finding a jury summons in the mail, passing a kidney stone, stepping on a Lego… Any of those would be preferable to this… Having to to write the 2012 thefouline.com fantasy baseball champion post for Dan Mckewen and his Rays those Cowbells.

For some strange reason, our league doesn’t award a trophy to each year’s winner. Instead, you get a few paragraphs noting your great accomplishment. But I will tell you this: if Dan wins back-to-back titles, I may hijack the Lord Stanley Cup trophy to hand out to him. It might be easier than having to write this two years in a row.

In spring of 2008, things were going great on thefouline.com. The Red Sox had just won another World Series title, and we had a loyal following and a steady stream of new posts. But despite all of the positives on the site, we were missing something. Everyone who commented on the site was a Red Sox fan. I appreciated their insight, but we all shared similar opinions. We were in desperate need of someone with a different perspective. We needed a villain.

This all changed on May 18th, on a post titled Like the Weather. A young, brash, opinionated Dan Mckewen had randomly Googled, “awesome baseball blogs written by really cool guys” and stumbled upon thefoulline.com. This was a post written in a derogatory manner that Dan did not appreciate, and he came out guns blazing in the comments section. Like Batman & the Joker, Rocky & Drago, and Buzz Lightyear & Zurg, it was thefoulline.com vs. Dan the #1 Rays Fan. We had our bad guy.

For a long time, no matter what Dan commented on, he received a bunch of abuse. He was pro-Rays on a Red Sox-dominated site. We were relentless on him. But no matter what we said to him, Dan kept coming back to the site and stating his opinions. We couldn’t get rid of him.

As time passed, we began to appreciate Dan’s loyalty to the site, even awarding him a coveted spot in our fantasy league (after his incessant begging). For four seasons, Dan has been all-in. He is arguably the most passionate owner in the league. The first couple of seasons, some may even say he was too passionate. Young Dan drove us a little nuts his first couple of seasons, and he will admit that his buttons were easily pushed. He was frustrated when trades didn’t go in his favor, or when Grady Sizemore got injured. He complained when he missed the playoffs. Then, after finally making the playoffs, he complained about losing in the finals in what is known in the league as “Tulo-gate.” He had a million excuses.

But here’s what I finally realized about Dan: He knows his baseball.

As much as it pains me, I have to admit Dan has matured. He’s a super-smart baseball mind, a tough competitor, and a loyal Rays fan. He has the only team in the league that has gotten better every year, finally culminating in his first and well-deserved baseball championship.

I’ve said a million times how hard it is just to make the playoffs in our league. To win a title is unreal (not that I know), and to dethrone the three-time champ while doing so is ridiculous.

We appreciate all of your support to the site. You’re our most loyal contributor and a great ambassador to thefoulline. Thanks for spreading the word about our little blog. I’m glad we didn’t run you off in 2008!

Congratulations on winning the title, Daniel-san. You really are the best around.

The premium league (not that we paid for it) is worth it for the early draft positions alone…

Draft Pick Order

1. chefdicks
2. Yankeehaters
3. sportsmanMike
4. The October Boys
5. Love Boat Captains
6. Panda the Hammer
7. Rays Those Cowbells
8. RedRays
9. WillisBeTheYear
10. King of Controversy

Ginger here.

We have the opportunity to switch from the usual free fantasy league to a CBS Commissioner League at no cost to any of you fine fantasy losers (and Dan). The main differences with the premium league are that every detail (roster requirements, point values, transaction rules…) can be customized and everyone gets free access to MLB Gameday Audio (home and away radio feeds for every regular season game). If we use the Commissioner league in future seasons (no promises), we’ll also have league history details maintained on the CBS site, which will be sad, because it won’t include my championships.

It is not our intention to change any of the scoring, roster, or transaction rules. If anyone thinks any of these details should change, let’s chat about it in the comments and see what everyone else thinks.

All this customization would allow us to add an 11th team for our pal Dave (brother of October Boys’ Dennis). Obviously, changing the league to 11 teams is no small thing, so please share your thoughts about it. We think he would be an enthusiastic and attentive team owner who would fit in well with our group. On the other hand, we discussed a 12-team league a few weeks ago, and there were concerns about spreading the talent too thin. Personally, I don’t buy this argument. Sure, you’ll have fewer studs on your team, but so will everyone else. I like the challenge of having to dig deeper to fill out your team. But if you’re scared…

I’ve set up the new league, but everyone will need to join again. If anyone has any concerns or doesn’t want to make the change, let us know. Otherwise, you’ll find the new league at thefoulline.baseball.cbssports.com. Please go sign up! Nothing will change as far as rules or league size without plenty of discussion here. For now, you’re just signing up for our usual game with the Gameday Audio perk.

If you run into any trouble signing up, send me your email address and I’ll send you an invite with the direct signup link.

I feel like I should start this post, It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Everyone prepares for a fantasy baseball draft differently. For me, as soon as January rolls around, I start checking out player rankings, do a few mock drafts, and read everything that Matthew Berry, Eric Karabell, Scott White, Ray Flowers and the rest of the so-called fantasy experts put out. In mid-February, I ramp up the mock drafts, listen to ESPN Baseball Fantasy Focus daily podcasts and begin creating my position tiers. I spend way too much time reading articles, comparing tiers and evaluating ADP’s. Does it help? I’m not sure. But it’s fun to read, and I enjoy preparing for the draft.

Ginger, on the other hand, waits to find out her draft position before the draft, does a few mocks, and subsequently wins the league every year.

This year’s preparation was no different. Doing my research, I made the determination that first base was really thin. I wanted Cabrera, Pujols, Votto, Gonazalez, or Fielder. I wasn’t interested in anyone else, so my first-round pick was going to be one of those five, even if I had to reach a little. I also thought that there were only a handful of truly “elite” outfielders: Kemp, Braun, Ellsbury, J. Upton, Carlos Gonzalez, Granderson, and Bautista. I wanted to grab at least one of those guys, with my strong preference being Justin Upton or Carlos Gonzalez (hopefully both). Those were the two positions I was going to fill first. There was no way in hell that I was going to take a pitcher in the first two rounds. Doing my mock drafts, I was always able to land a first baseman in the first and Justin Upton in the second. I did 10 mocks the week of the draft, and this was always the way it played out.

But something funny happened on my final practice draft, three hours before the live draft. I changed my game plan. Was it going to have a negative effect on how my draft was going to turn out?

Let’s check out the running diary from draft night.

You are… on the clock!

Prior to the draft, rumors circulated that Mike and The Hammer might not make it for the beginning of the draft. The other eight owners waited patiently in the draft room with some idle chitchat. But as the countdown clock finally hit 00:00, we had nine owners present as well as Mike ready to draft away via the iPhone.

It’s finally time to see who the new guy decided to go with at #1.

Miggy Cabrera with his soon-to-be third-base eligibility goes #1!

I know for a fact that Dennis mulled this decision all day long. He initially thought that he should grab an elite arm and shore up his rotation. Then he considered taking the best shortstop on the planet, Troy Tulowitzki. After conducting several mocks, taking Verlander or Cabrera first, Dennis goes for the bat. Great pick. Solid start for the October Boys.

• Second pick was the easiest decision in the world for Mike – Albert Pujols
• Pick three sucks. I really think it’s the absolute worst one to have. With that being said, I chuckled a little to myself when I saw that Ginger had drawn the short straw and got the third pick. With this pick, you hope someone takes a pitcher and leaves Cabrera or Pujols to fall to you. With the rumor of Mike making picks from his iPhone, this was a possibility.
   

  Unfortunately for the LBC’s, the two big guns went with the first two picks. So what’s the game plan? Ginger hates taking pitchers early, doesn’t care for Jose Bautista or Matt Kemp, and knows Tulo gets hurt every year, which means one thing… Joey Effing Votto, LBC mainstay and alleged voodoo leader of the three-time champ.

  As we approached the weeks before the draft, threats of taking Votto before Ginger could grab him were echoed by WillisBeTheYear, RedRays and myself. Our hopes were that without Joey V., the LBC’s would be sunk. No such luck.

  And I guess we’re all playing for second place again.

• believe the hype (sundae-free) takes Jose Bautista (whose production, I predict, falls way off this year).
• Boston bad boys picks Adrian Gonzalez with the fifth pick. That’s four of the top-five first basemen off the board, and my plan is working.
• Rays Those Cowbells grabs Tulo
• Halladay goes to WillisBeTheYear
• Verlander goes to RedRays
• chefdick again reaches a little on Longoria
• The Hammer nabs 2011 NL Cy Young-winner Clayton Kershaw

So far a solid start for everyone.

Round Two

I have a well publicized man-crush on Dustin Pedoria. Dan loves Longoria, Dennis idolizes Jeter, and the RedRays always grabs Martin Prado. But there’s no bigger love affair in the league than the one between The Hammer and Cliff Lee. Last year he took him with the 5th pick, and this year he snags him with the 11th. Lee is a great pitcher, but it may be time for an intervention for Sam.

This is another top notch round for The Foul Line league. Chefdick grabs another elite bat in Matt Kemp. RedRays takes Prince Fielder, the last of the great first baseman. He had planned on the elite arm/elite bat for the first two rounds. So far so good. WillisBeTheYear lands Ryan Braun with the 14th pick, which is downright robbery. Rays Those Cowbells takes my advice and snags Robinson Cano. And here is where I change my strategy.

Maybe I should have gone with the game plan and picked Justin Upton. It served me well in a lot of my mock drafts, so why mess with it? OF is shallow, so take one of the five remaining sure things, right? Nah, I’m taking Hanley Ramirez. RedRays gave me a WTF? on the chat. He later told me that he would have bet his house that I was going to take Pedroia. Nope, I take Hanley, the same guy that I picked two season ago at #2. The same guy that quit on his teammates last year. The same guy that had shoulder and back injuries in 2011. This might come back to haunt me… or I’m the smartest guy in the league. We shall see!

Believethehype picks Jose Reyes, the last of the upper-tier shortstops and guaranteed to miss 30 games at some point this season. LBC’s wanted Ellsbury with this pick, and of course she got him. Mike reached a little on Adrian Beltre, but I love this pick. Beltre is a monster, and I believe he is the safest 3B option. October Boys follows his first round gem by grabbing CC Sabathia. We may need to keep an eye on the rookie.

3rd Round, and the gloves are off!

Dustin Pedroia is a very good player, but he is definitely not worthy of a 2nd round pick. 3rd round is perfect.

I hate Felix Hernandez. Mike can have him. He plays on an awful team with no run support, and he misses out on a ton of wins every season.

LBC’s scoops up another of the great OF’s in Granderson.

I knew if anyone was going to pick Justin Upton is was going to be Allan. He traded him to me last season, and I knew he regretted it. Of course, Allan gives me an eff-you and takes the 2012 NL MVP. Nice pick! I’m left with the consolation prize, Carlos Gonzalez, and the outfield has just got incredibly thin.

Dan vowed to follow the LBC’s lead and wait on pitching. It lasted all of three rounds, and Jered Weaver is a RTC. Dan loves pitchers. It’s a fact!

Hamels, McCutchen, and Lincecum all get snagged. This draft is going as planned. It appears that everyone has been doing their homework.

Round three ends with The Hammer picking relief pitcher Craig Kimbrel. I’m not one to tell someone who to pick for their team… but this one was CRAZY.

Round 4… My plan is working!

I am definitely taking a pitcher this round. I really wanted Dan Haren, David Price, or Zack Grienke with this pick. Of the four, Grienke was my top choice. Of course, Chefdick starts off the round from hell by snagging Price. Willis sticks it in my ear and takes Haren. At this point the only thing in the way of Grienke becoming a Boston Bad boy is Dan’s pick. Having played with Dan for a few seasons, I know that he hates Zack Grienke. There’s no way that he takes him here. No freakin’ way!

And suddenly Dan is out of the draft room. I’m not a religious man, but I’m praying that Dan has loaded up his draft queue with non-Greinke players.

Tick… tick… tick…

Allan gets on the chat and says that he talked to Dan and that his computer died. How does this happen?!? At the end of last season, we all had to hear Dan complain that he would have taken down the LBC’s in the playoffs if only Troy Tulowitzki had played mediocre… blah, blah, blah. He vowed that 2012 was gonna be his year! He was dominating his mocks and ready to wreak havoc on the league. Dan talked all kinds of smack on how this was his year, and he didn’t take the time to make sure his computer was working?

Tick… tick… tick…

In the minutes leading up to the draft I made sure my computer was plugged in securely. I had my iPad on standby, iPhone loaded up to the CBS site. All contingencies were in place. So how does Dan forget to defrag his hard drive, or whatever crappy excuse he has? Now, if he winds up with a lousy, computer-generated team, we’re all gonna hear about it for the rest of the season. This is bad.

Tick… tick… tick…

And as the clock hits zero, Dan’s broken computer picks Grienke, and my perfectly constructed plan has its first problem. Thanks, Dan! A wise person once told me, “The thing about the fantasy draft is that you hope to get the player you want, but you should expect that he won’t be there.” Ok, that person was the Love Boat Captains, but she’s right. You need contingency after contingency. It can wear you down. So, I miss out on my top four pitchers and take C.J. Wilson. I’m ok with the pick. Wilson is not pitching in the Texas bandbox anymore and has had a 2.56 ERA on the road over the past two seasons. Is he an ace? Close…

Allan follows this pick by doing Dan a favor and taking Josh Hamilton. It’s well documented that I absolutely would never take this guy in a draft. He will break down at some point in the season. LBC’s, Mike, and October Boys finish the round taking great value picks Hudson, Shields, and Teixeira.

Four rounds completed, 1600 words and counting. This recap may never end!

Is it just me, or does it seem like this year there are 25 great players, followed by 25 really good players, a handful of decent guys and then garbage the rest of the way?

Rounds 5-10 – Things are getting interesting now

• The October Boys: Matt Cain, Michael Pineda, Jay Bruce, Ubaldo Jimenez, Jayson Werth and Big Sexy Alexei Ramirez. I love the Cain pick. He’s a sure thing and a great #2 on Dennis’s staff. Pineda is going to get crushed under the pressure of playing in NY. His second-half stats last year were pretty mediocre. The short porch in right field at Yankee Stadium is going to turn last year’s lazy fly balls at Safeco into home runs. Bruce is a solid pick. As for Ubaldo and Werth? Good players coming off bad years. Dennis is counting on a bounce-back.
• sportsmanMike: Yovani Gallardo, Rickie Weeks, Hunter Pence, Alex Gordon, Ervin Santana, and Asdrubal Cabrera. I’m trying to find something that I don’t like about these picks..but it seems like Mike did his homework, executed his plan and landed the players that he was targeting. Ok, Weeks was a little early, and Asdrubal will not be putting up the same numbers as his fluky 2011 season. I feel better now.
• Love Boat Captains: Carlos Santana, Mat Latos, Starlin Castro, Emilio Bonifacio, Dustin Ackley, and Justin Masterson. This is typical LBC draft. Fills two holes with elite players, then grabs a couple of sleeper picks. Bonifacio may steal 200 bases this year. It makes it even more enjoyable of a pick when Dan types “Bonifacio is it. That nobody player that damn near wins the MVP for the Love Boat Captains every year? That’s it right there!” Coupled with Dennis saying “Shit, I really wanted him too!” I look across the table to see Ginger do her little “I know more about fantasy baseball then you do” smirk, and I realize that we’re all screwed, again! It’s also fun when I tell her that I think Ackley isn’t going to be any good, and he starts off the season with a home run and the game-winning RBI. I don’t particularly like the Latos and Masterson picks, but these are the kind of pitchers Ginger rides to a championship.
• believe the hype: Giancarlo “Don’t Call Me Mike” Stanton, Tommy Hanson, David Ortiz, Michael Young, Yu Darvish, and Johnny Cueto. I really like Stanton a lot! He adds to a really impressive OF for Allan. Yu Darvish has looked good in the spring, but I’m still leery of a pitcher from Japan making the transition to American baseball. Hanson may be a steal… or a giant bust. I’m hoping for the latter.
• Boston bad boys: Dan Uggla, Madison Bumgarner, Stephen Strasburg, Matt Moore, Shin-Soo Choo, and Max Scherzer. I’m all in on Uggla. He had a great second half last season and is mashing the ball in spring training. He was a guy I targeted in every mock. I followed by making a very un-Dave-like run on young arms. Bumgarner will break out this year, Strasburg has lived up to the hype, and Moore has three great pitches and may be the best of the three. I was absolutely shocked that he fell to me. Thanks, Rays fans. I had to take an ourfielder at this point, since I only had one. I am counting on Choo to return to form after a horrendous 2011. In the 9th round, I figured he was worth the chance. I ended with my good friend Max Scherzer. Not entirely sure why I like him – I just do. Here’s hoping for a another 15-win season.
• Rays Those Cowbells: Jon Lester, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Wainwright, Lance Berman, Andre Ethier, and Josh Beckett. Dan confirmed what I already knew: he loves pitchers. He grabbed three really good ones here. This was a good run for Dan… or was it Allan at this point? It’s hard to tell. These are pretty good picks, so I’m leaning towards Allan on his Nook. If Zimmerman can stay healthy, he’s as solid as they come. Not an Ethier or Berkman fan, but at this point of the draft it’s getting to be slim pickings.
• WillisBeTheYear: Matt Holliday, Josh Johnson, Ricky Romero, Shane Victorino, Eric Hosmer, and Alex Rodriguez. Prior to the draft starting, I made the statement that Willis was the one player that scared me this season. These six picks are the reason why. With the exception of the adulterous steroid user, Willis got great value with every one of these picks. At this point of the draft, Willis has Halladay, Hamels, Haren, Johnson and Romero. To mess with his mojo, I like to remind Willis that he traded me Josh Johnson two seasons ago for Mark Reynolds. Johnson pitched lights out the rest of the season, while Mark Reynolds was, well, Mark Reynolds.
• RedRays: Ben Zobrist, Desmond Jennings, Pablo Sandoval, Chris Young, Anibal Sanchez, and John Axford. Solid run by the RedRays. It’s hard to argue with any of these picks, so it’s time for a little game I like to call “Guess the Player Stats.”
  • Player A: .333, 23 runs, 8 HRs, 20 RBIs, 14 SB
  • Player B: .160, 21 runs, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 6 SB.

  Player A is Desmond Jennings over his first 141 at-bats last season. Player B is Jennings over the next, and final, 106 at-bats. It poses the question, is Desmond Jennings a flash in the pan? (4/1/12 update: Jennings hit 3 bombs in one game.)

• Chefdick again: Brandon Phillips, Michael Morse, Matt Garza, Nelson Cruz, Elvis Andrus, and Mike Napoli. Chefdick is clearly sick and tired of finishing in second place. He grabbed the best remaining players at their positions with each of these picks, and I think he nailed every one! (Except Garza. He sucks.) The Texas triumvirate 8-9-10 was money. Chefdick, without a doubt, had the best draft.
• the Hammer: Kevin Youkilis, Alex Avila, Jimmy Rollins, Paul Konerko, Gio Gonzalez, and Drew Storen. The Hammer has assembled a pretty good team, but with the exception of perennial 30-HR, 100-RBI guy Konerko, I think he reached on every one of these picks. With that being said, these rounds were tough, and he did add some solid players.

10 rounds in, it’s time to stock up on the mediocre pitchers!

Picks I Love, Rounds 11-22

• Round 11: Brett Lawrie by LBC. David Wright by BBB.
• Round 12: Jonathan Papelbon by RTC. Pap is going to dominate in the NL. Carl Crawford by Willis. This guy does not suck, this guy does not suck (repeat 100 times).
• Round 13: Matt Wieters by TOB. This is the season that Wieters lives up to the hype.
• Round 14: Brandon McCarthy by LBC. Breakout candidate. Pitched great on opening day in Japan.
• Round 15: Francisco Liriano by BBB. I picked Liriano based on one stat: He has a 26/4 K/BB rate in the spring. His control is there. I look forward to a huge bounce-back season. Jesus Montero by Willis. I like a guy that’s eligible at catcher but is playing primarily DH. He’ll get a lot of AB’s. This kid is something special.
• Round 16: Howie Kendrick by RR. Hitting in front of Pujols is going to lead to great numbers. Add 2B/OF eligibility, and this guy is a bargain. I was going to take him with this pick, and the RedRays stick it to me for the 3rd time in the draft.
• Round 17: Kendrys Morales by Chefdick. Another guy I was targeting, before Chefdick swooped in and grabbed him. After missing the last season and a half, this guy was totally worth the gamble. Another good pick by Chef.
• Round 18: Not Applicable. We all picked garbage.
• Round 19: Brennan Boesch by RR. Solid player having a good spring. Hitting in front of Cabrera and Fielder is only going to help this year.
• Round 20: Erick Aybar by The October Boys. If you’re going to wait on shortstop, you can do a lot worse than Aybar.
• Round 21: Ryan Roberts by The October Boys. A versatile player who’ll steal some bases and hit some home runs. The rest of this round was pretty ugly.

Picks I Hate, Rounds 11-22

• Round 11: BJ Upton by Chefdick. The outfield position got thin early, but I think this is a gamble that he could have waited a few rounds for.
• Round 12: Chris Carpenter by Chefdick. If he were healthy, I wouldn’t have taken him this high. He had a mediocre 2011 with a great run in the playoffs. He’s not a guy you can count on, especially when he’s all banged up.
• Round 13: Andrew Bailey by Chefdick. Round 13 is early for a middle-of-the-road reliever. Add the nagging injuries, strained lat, and hurt thumb, and this could be total waste of a pick. That’s three turds in a row for Chefdick. Didn’t I say he had the best draft? I may need to reevaluate.
• Round 14: Joe Nathan by RedRays. Big name, bad arm. 10.79 ERA in the spring.
• Round 15: Jair Jurrjens by Chefdick. Not a fan.
• Round 16: Mike Leake by The October Boys. This t-shirt shoplifter is un-draftable. The fact is that he’s just not very good.
• Round 17: Matt Joyce by unsportsmanMike. This guy is good for one month a season. Which month? That’s a good question. PASS!
• Round 18: Adam Lind by BBB. This guy and his damn back issues. I picked him and dropped him. Believe the hype can have him! He’ll drive you crazy this year. I traded Ian Kennedy for this bum last season. I am a moron.
• Round 19: Alfredo Aceves by The October Boys. Long relievers hold absolutely no value in fantasy baseball.
• Round 20: David Freese by RTC. World Series MVP does not translate to good fantasy player. Stats are mediocre.
• Round 21: Chase Utley by the Hammer. Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Utley went from top-5 pick to Mr. Irrelevant.

If anyone is still with me, I really appreciate you reading this monster of a post. I hope you remember that this is just one guy’s opinion. Drafting a team is a fickle business. Do you draft a team of players that you enjoy watching, or the players that put up big numbers but play for a team you hate? After all, we are only playing for bragging rights, so we should just try and have fun.

In closing, I want to thank everyone for supporting the site and playing in OUR league again. I really do look forward to it every year. Let’s all try to remember that this is just a game. and that the important thing is to enjoy each other’s company, appreciate the baseball being played, have some friendly discussions, and keep the focus on the friendly competition. There’s a reason that this is the best fantasy baseball league around. We have ten owners that know their baseball and are savvy with their teams. Let’s make this the best year yet!

Playoff Predictions

Chefdick again
Boston bad boys
RedRays
WillisBeTheYear

Thanks for reading… PLAY BALL!

I can’t believe we are on the verge of our 5th TheFoulLine.com Fantasy Baseball League. Time flies when you’re having fun!

Five years ago, when Matt McLaughlin proposed that we start a fantasy league, my first thought was that I’d try it out for a season, but I wasn’t optimistic that I would enjoy it.  As much as I love baseball, I thought fantasy baseball was for nerds. I signed up begrudgingly, cajoled my dad and a couple of friends to join, and was able to get nine teams signed up. Unfortunately, we needed ten.

As the clock ticked down to draft time, I got desperate. I asked my wife to bail me out and sign up. She said, “No, thanks.” I promised that I would help her draft a team and assist her along the way during the season. Knowing what we know now, that last sentence sounds really stupid. She finally agreed, and the rest is history.

I never thought I would enjoy this league as much as I do. I get excited when the season is approaching and I can start looking at players and formulating my draft strategy. But as I wrote last year, my favorite part was the constant fantasy baseball talk between Ginger, the Bostonbadboy and myself. We were all hooked… hard.

The Badboy lived 500 miles away, and we would talk three times a week about teams, our opponents and what players we could trade away. These conversations were the best.

We always hoped that we would have all three Ingalls members in the playoffs, but it never came to be. As much as my dad liked to play, he wasn’t very good at it. I think we all salivated a little when we were number one in the waiver wire order, anticipating which superstar the Badboy was going to drop after they may have had a mediocre week. He managed his fantasy team like he used to manage my Little League team. He didn’t care if he won or lost. He just wanted everyone to have a good time.  The Badboy used two resources to help him assemble his team: the USA Today and his gut. Neither served him too well during a long season. The funny thing is, he really didn’t care if he lost. I know he enjoyed following baseball, talking trash, and busting balls, and I think it made him feel young to be playing with people half his age.

We’ve had people come and go during our five years of playing, but I always thought the Love Boat Captains, Boston Badboys and the Yankeehaters – three of the original ten teams – would stay playing together for many years.

The reason for writing this is that the Boston Badboy got sick in June 2011, and passed away in November. I miss him a lot. I know that I’m going to miss him much more when baseball season rolls around. In the weeks after he died, I thought that I would be done with fantasy baseball. In my mind, there was no way it was going to be nearly as fun. How could it be? But as time moved on, I remembered how much my dad enjoyed reading thefoulline.com, interacting with everyone, and using strange names for his comments (Albert Desalvo, Clark Kent, Old Man River, Lucky Larry, to name a few), all written in the same nearly incomprehensible style that was my dad’s.

I know that he would want me to keep playing,  just to keep kicking Dan the #1 Rays Fan’s butt!  But how do I replace one of the original members? Especially someone who I enjoyed playing with so much?

I originally thought it should be another family member, but although my brothers enjoy sports, they are not as rabid about baseball as my dad and I. I had criteria for a potential new player. He had to be involved all year. I can’t stand part-time players that don’t keep up with their team. Our league is too good and deserves ten committed owners. The new owner had to know baseball and be familiar with the players. He had to be passionate about his team.

After careful consideration, my choice was obvious – my longtime friend, Dennis. Ginger and I met Dennis for lunch a few weeks ago to pitch to him the idea of replacing my dad and joining our league, and he accepted. Dennis was honored and maybe a little intimidated, as he had heard stories over the years about the tough competition in our league. I think he’s going to do great. Although he’s a damn Yankee fan, Dennis knows baseball and is a tough negotiator. He has chosen his team name to the be the “October Boys.” I’ve already warned him about most of you, so please try to make him feel welcome.

While we are on the subject of team names, I am retiring the Yankeehaters name. Although it has treated me well over the past four seasons, it’s time for a change.

I wanted a name that would strike fear in the hearts of the owners.  A name rich in fantasy baseball tradition. So from here on out, I’m the Boston Badboys. But unlike my dad, I’m going to spell it the right way, I’m going to make the playoffs… and I’m going to win the league!

Consider yourselves warned.

Fantasy baseball is a fickle mistress. You spend hours researching players to draft a quality team. There are a select few elite players that you want to grab with your first round pick to form a solid base for your roster. Your pick comes, you get your guy, and BAM! he hits the disabled list with a pulled oblique flexor tendon or some other bizarre injury.

Your season is officially over, right? Wrong! Good news — having your first round pick get hurt is actually a blessing in disguise. Crazy talk, you say? Consider this: Two seasons ago, the Love Boat Captains lost her first-round pick for the year just  two weeks into the season. Needless to say, she made the adjustment and won the league. Last year, the LBCs lost 4 of her first 5 picks for significant time due to injury, and we all know how that worked out for her. One more example: Two seasons ago, Dan competed his ass off after the “curse of Grady Sizemore” almost sunk his season.

The reality is that every pick is important. But it’s more important to stay up on the players in the league and make the changes necessary to make your team competitive. Losing your first pick doesn’t need to be the season-killer we all make it out to be. And anyway, is there anything more enjoyable than scouting an obscure player and having him turn into this year’s Jose Bautista?

So keep your chin up, Allan. Longoria going out may have booked you a ticket to The Foul Line playoffs.

Power rankings

1. Rays Those Cowbells – An unstoppable force that has absolutely no chance of being defeated this year
2. Yankeehaters — Soon to be 3-1
3. RedRays – Showed resolve last week and pulled out a tough win
4. chefdicks11 – Tough schedule to start the year. He’ll bounce back with this team
5. bostobadboys – The little engine that could keeps plugging away
6. Love Boat Captains — Always scary
7. ToPpIn Da ChArTz – First of many wins this week. Nice job Allan!
8. UNsportsmanMike
9. WILLIS Be The Year
10. Sam’s Baseball Train

Sorry 8,9, and 10. My dad always told me that if didn’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

Thanks everyone for playing. This is a league of smart players that really know baseball. It’s fun to be a part of. Let’s keep it enjoyable.

Good luck to all this week.

Week two of our season is in the books, and the competition is as fierce as ever. I have never started a fantasy season 1-0, so to be one of only 3 teams to be 2-0 after two weeks is blowing my mind.

So far this season there have been a few interesting trades. I really liked WILLIS Be The Year going against conventional wisdom and trading Hanley for stud pitcher and chronic mound-sprinter Cliff Lee. I think this trade is a good deal for both teams, unlike the shellacking I gave Allan in the Gallardo/VMart deal. Keep throwing those 90-mph fastballs Yovani!

I’m going to keep this post short. The Boston Bad Boy is in town for a couple of days and we’re heading to the Trop to see Edwin Jackson outduel David Price. So without further adieu… here are your Week 2 power rankings.

1. Yankeehaters
2. Rays Those Cowbells
3. bostobadboys
4. chefdicks11
5. Love Boat Captains
6. RedRays
7. WILLIS Be The Year
8. Sam’s Baseball Train
9. UNsportsmanMike
10. ToPpIn Da ChArTz

Go Sox!

Holy cow, that was a long first week of fantasy baseball! I think we can all agree that a seven-day game week is preferable to the 11-day marathon. Congrats to the teams that won. Good luck this week!

Quick Hits

• Trades in fantasy baseball are a crazy thing. Sometimes there are obvious winners and losers. Other times times one team gets absolutely crushed. An example of this would be yours truly trading Alex Rodriguez and C.J. Wilson for Cole Hamels and Justin Upton. I drafted A-Rod in the 4th round of our draft, and I was happy with the pick. I think he’s going to have a monster season. But every time I saw him up to bat, I was wishing that he would take a fastball in his earhole. I think it’s important to have a fantasy team made up of players that are not only good but also fun to watch. I think Hamels and J. Upton  are two of those guys. A-Rod never will be.
• The Yankeehaters were getting crushed this week. I traded A-Rod and my team’s performance turned around the next day. Karma? Perhaps. Either way — good riddance.
• The 8th inning experiment with star closer Rafael Soriano is not going well. Some guys are just meant to pitch in the 9th inning. Oh well, it’s only $35 million.
• B.J. Upton’s real name is Melvin.
• There’s an appendicitis epidemic sweeping through baseball. I’m going to have mine prematurely removed so it doesn’t potentially affect my playoff run in fantasy baseball.
• Manny Ramirez is a total scumbag. Joe Maddon and the Rays players supported him 100%. Manny repays this support by lying to them and then getting busted using steroids for the second time. Good riddance.
• Sam Fuld makes a great defensive play every game.
• The LBCs have been snakebit in the first week of our season. Don’t write her off quite yet. She’ll still make the playoffs.
• Thanks Chefdick for dropping Edwin Jackson. He’s looking great so far.
• The once-proud Cleveland Indians fan base was totally absent in the series against the Red Sox.  There was an average attendance of about 5000 fans per game. Didn’t they used to own the consecutive sellout streak?
• Scoring the second most points in the league and losing is one of the frustrations of playing in a head-to-head league. Sorry, Chefdick.
• Jered Weaver: 3 games, 3 wins, 9 hits allowed, 85.5 points. Wow!

The Foul Line Fantasy Baseball Power Rankings

1. Yankeehaters: 541 points! I think that might be a world record
2. chefdicks11: Some tough injuries down the stretch hurt. Playing the Yankeehaters hurt even more.
3. RedRays: Put up a ton of points and crushed the two-time defending champ.
4. bostobadboys: If Josh Beckett continues his great pitching, the BBB will be tough all year long.
5. Rays Those Cowbells: Dan made some great trades this week. I anticipate RTC climbing up the rankings this week.
6. Sam’s Baseball Train: Solid from top to bottom. Sam is going to win more than he loses this year.
7. Love Boat Captains: This week was a fluke. Her team is better than their week-1 performance.
8. WILLIS Be The Year: Pitching is pretty awful. If he addresses that, he could bounce back. He’s still 1-0.
9. ToPpIn Da ChArTz: Losing Longoria was a big reason he lost this week. I look forward to A-Rod getting injured on your team this year.
10. UNsportsmanMike: 295.5 points in an 11-day week? Really?

Go Sox!

First comes love, then comes pain…
Let the games begin.
Questions rise and answers fall…
Insurmountable.

“Love Boat Captain”

 
It’s been a really long wait. Year four of The Foul Line fantasy baseball league is finally here, and I know that everyone is excited to get things going. I’m excited to have the gang back together, along with first-timer Allan. I really appreciate everyone coming back for another year of smack talk and friendly competition.

But first things first.

Season 3 ended with a bit of a whimper, with the Love Boat Captains beating our butts for the second year in a row. In our highly competitive league, to win once is incredible — to win twice is just crazy.

I feel I did a poor job in recognizing this amazing accomplishment. There was no prize package of useless baseball trinkets or parade in her honor. Just a few congrats and we all went into the off season with our tails between our legs and our pride hurt again. So this post is titled in honor of two-time champion Ginger and her Love Boat Captains.

It’s not a trophy, but at least you get a post named after you.

This year’s winner gets a trophy.

2011 THE FOUL LINE FANTASY BASEBALL DRAFT

What a great turnout for the draft. All ten owners showed up prepared and eager to pick the team to take them all the way. I love the draft. No matter how much you prepare, you just never know who the owner in front of you is going to take. It’s exciting and infuriating at the same time. Here’s my take on our draft, round by round. Enjoy.

Shocker! Albert Pujols went first.

I know Dan mulled over this decision for days. Should he take the greatest player on the planet, playing for a new contract, or should he grab one of the two elite shortstops? This was a no-brainer. Write him in for 40 home runs and 120 RBIs.

And the first pitcher taken is Roy… Wait, what?

After a predictable next three picks of Tulowitzki, Hanley, and Cabrera, Sam’s Baseball Train grabs Cliff Lee, and the other 9 owners’ jaws hit the floor. Isn’t there another Phillies pitcher that might be a little better?

And the Yankeehaters are on the clock…

I really debated this decision. I hate the #6 pick. I prayed that Tulowitzki would fall to me… Strike 1. Then I hoped I’d get Miggy Cabrera… Strike 2!

In my mind there are four elite outfielders in baseball (Braun, CarGo, Crawford, and Holliday). I figured I’d grab the one that has the best track record. The pick is Braun, and I’m ok with it.

UNsportsmanMike grabs Adrian Gonzalez at 7. I’m a little leery of taking a guy coming off shoulder surgery. Gonzo is eventually going to tear it up at Fenway, but I thought this was a little early.

With a fresh McDonalds sundae in hand, Allan takes Dan’s man-crush Evan Longoria at 8, and the already shallow 3B position takes a hit.

LBC took NL MVP Joey Votto in the 5th round last year, and she steals him again this year at 9. It’s not the sexiest pick, but a great one nonetheless.

How come when I get autodrafted, I get stuck with Dice K and Julio Lugo?

RedRays’s computer freezes up, and he gets Halladay and King Felix. Good things happen to good people.

A catcher in the second round?

I always prefer a good hitter to a good pitcher, and it looks like most of the league felt the same way. I believe that there are 3 stud catchers, and then the rest are pretty comparable. Allan opened the flood gates, and V-Mart, Mauer, and Posey were gone. I guess I’ll wait until round 10 to take a catcher…

Don’t look now, but the first basemen are going fast.

Hmmm… Who do I take? The douchebag Yankee or the 300-pound vegetarian in his contract year?

Round 3 might be the best round for all of us. Quality picks all around:

> Dan gives me an eff-you and grabs Pedroia
> Chefdick takes fireballer Josh Johnson
> Willis takes the #4 rated hitter, Teixeira
> BBB takes the guy with the best name in baseball, Buster Posey
> I loved Sam’s pick, Dan Uggla. He’s gonna do damage in that lineup
> Yankeehaters takes 2011 MVP and perennial jerk A-Rod
> Mike goes with Crawford
> Allan steals the 2011 AL Cy Young award winner
> Ginger takes the last of the good shortstops
> RedRays is back in action and takes big bad Ryan Howard

Who’s the idiot that took two third basemen?

Round 4. The best hitter still available is a great guy for my utility spot. Trade bait? Perhaps.

Added bonus: Sam makes a panic move and takes Adrian Beltre with the next pick.

I did 40 mock drafts in preparation for this draft, and round 5 always was my nemesis.

Dan jumps on Heyward with the first pick of round 5. Here’s a fun fact that’s sure to drive Dan crazy:

Player A: .276 (464 at-bats), 85 runs, 23 home runs, 66 RBIs, 12 steals
Player B: .277 (520 at-bats), 83 runs, 18 home runs, 72 RBIs, 11 steals

Player B is Jason Heyward.
Player A is Colby Rasmus, taken in round 19 by yours truly.

I took Jacoby Ellsbury. It’s probably a bit of a reach, but he’s been tearing up the spring, and when he’s healthy he’s a top 5 fantasy outfielder. Please stay healthy Jacoby!

Holy crap, there’s a lot of great pitchers left!

Haren, Hanson, Liriano, Weaver, Buchholz, Grienke, Latos, Gallardo, Billingsley, Scherzer, Oswalt, Cahill, Beckett, Danks…

I sure am glad I waited on pitching. I scooped up Weaver, Gallardo, and Scherzer. I was psyched to get Scherzer. He was one guy that I was targeting. I think he has huge breakout potential this year.

Then he went out and gave up 12 runs in 2 1/3 innings the very next day. Swell.

There’s still a few hidden gems left, right?

RedRays and Allan take the Upton brothers in round 10. I love the Justin pick. B.J., not so much.

I finally take a catcher, really happy with Soto. Now that he’s Piniella-free I think we’ll see his resurgence.

For some odd reason, Sam takes Corey Hart. He’s on the DL! I think I’d rather have Corey Feldman.

Dan goes fat and skinny in rounds 10 and 11 with Ichiro and Kung Fu Panda. Ichiro slips every year for some odd reason. Solid pick. I’m still not sold on Sandoval, but Dan needs a third baseman and he was the fattest available. I think I would have gone with Aramis Ramirez, but good luck with that.

Some really interesting picks in round 12:

• LBC takes Wandy Rodriguez, which could be a good value
• I take the steal of the draft with Mike Stanton. He may strike out 200 times this year, but I’m counting on 40 home runs. It’s worth a little risk for a potential huge upside
• BadBoys takes his his man crush with Aubrey Huff
• I love Willis and Dan’s Billy Butler and Brandon Morrow picks
• Francisco Cordero in this round was a horrible choice by Sam’s Baseball Train. There were much better options

It’s time to take the best of the mediocre pitchers!

Take a look at round 13. Every one of us picked a turd, with the exception of Allan and the Love Boat Captains. Jonathan O. Sanchez and Daniel Hudson are solid picks.

Dan and I picked Garza and Lackey. I usually like it when an AL pitcher goes to the inferior NL, but Garza is a head case that I think is going to wilt under the pressure of playing at Wrigley. I’m still not sure why I took Lackey. He was pretty awful last year.

Next, I take Alexei Ramirez, followed by Dan cursing me out via the chat, which only makes me like the pick that much more. The BadBoys grab Elvis Andrus. Dan responds by taking Marco Scutaro, and laughter is heard throughout thefoulline.com headquarters.

I was really happy getting C.J. Wilson in round 15. He’s the #1 pitcher on the American League Champions. He could be a steal.

I really liked round 16:

• Matt Thornton and Chris Perez are two low-cost, high-quality closers picked by the LBCs and the Yankeehaters
• Allan grabs this year’s Jason Heyward in Freddie Freeman
• Willis takes a potential 30/30 guy in Drew Stubbs
• And Dan takes Gordon Beckham, which gives him two second baseman. I don’t have the heart to tell him that he only needs one.

Is this draft ever going to end?

At this point, we’re at the two-hour mark and we’re all getting a little punch-drunk. Some interesting choices the rest of the way:

• Rays Those Cowbells:  Joe Nathan, Manny Ramirez , Jordan Zimmermann, Jorge De La Rosa. I think this is a strong finish for young Dan.
• chefdicks11:  Adam Jones, Edwin Jackson, Jake Peavy. I think this is the year Adam Jones lives up to the hype. The other two guys, you can keep.
• WILLIS Be The Year: Wade Davis and Vladimir Guerrero are solid late-round choices.
• bostobadboys: Adam Lind and Brian Matusz. Lind is a good hitter and will rebound this year, and Matusz is a future All Star.  Nice choices.
• Sam’s Baseball Train: Hiroki Kuroda is a pretty good pick. His other picks at the end of this draft, pretty bad.
• Yankeehaters: Kelly Johnson, Jhoulys Chacin, Colby Rasmus, Eric Bedard. Score, score, score, score. Once again, the Yankeehaters are playing chess, while everyone else is playing checkers.
• UNsportsmanMike:  Aaron Hill, Jaime Garcia, Scott Baker. Nice finish. These three guys will help this team.
• ToPpIn Da ChArTz: Grady Sizemore (insert punchline here), Carlos Quentin, AJ Burnett, Johnny Cueto, Rafael Furcal. I think Allan had a really good draft from top to bottom. He may be a  force this year.
• Love Boat Captains:  Madison Bumgarner, Ricky Nolasco, Brett Cecil. These are the type of pitchers that the LBCs likes to gobble up only to have them pitch their asses off.
• RedRays: Jeff Niemann, Aramis Ramirez, Fausto Carmona, Javier Vasquez, Travis Wood. I’m not sure why some of these guys were still available. RedRays has a solid history of drafting low-risk, high-reward guys.

I had a great time preparing for the draft. I’m happy with my results, and I can’t wait to get the season started. I know it’s early, but based on the draft here’s my predictions for the four playoff teams:

• Love Boat Captains
• ToPpIn Da ChArTz
• Yankeehaters
• WILLIS Be The Year

I was playing some disc golf with my buddy Kyle the other day, and we stumbled upon a collegiate baseball tournament that was being played on the adjacent fields. I came to find out that there are 25 baseball teams playing in a month-long tournament in Port Charlotte (Snowbird Baseball Classic on Florida’s Suncoast). After dominating Kyle in golf, we caught a few innings of Montclair State University vs. Carthage College. If you put a gun to my head I couldn’t tell you where these school are located, but I can tell you it was really enjoyable to watch. This just further proves what I always say… Any baseball is good baseball.

Enjoy thefoulline.com’s Quick Hits:

• Manny Ramirez has 3 sons, all named Manny.
• How is it possible that the frickin’ New Kids on the Block and the Backstreet Boys conglomeration of suckiness is having a concert at Fenway Park this summer and Pearl Jam is not?
• If I had the chance to spend a day talking baseball with any two people in the world, Don Zimmerman and Yogi Berra would definitely top the list.
• If I had the chance to spend a day talking fantasy baseball with any two people in the world, Ginger and the Bostonbadboy would definitely top the list.
• Big, bad, burly Dan Johnson’s walk up music is Men Without Hats, “The Safety Dance.” Odd choice.
• I’m really looking forward to a season of ESPN baseball broadcasts without Jon Miller and Joe Morgan. Joe Morgan is a pompous ass.
• I just read that Chipper Jones is having a great spring and is swinging the bat better than he did in 2008. I expect to be reading in two weeks that Chipper Jones is on the DL with a hang nail.
• I think the Baltimore Orioles have a chance to go 81-81. Their pitching isn’t quite there, but the lineup with Vlad, Markakis, Mark Reynolds, Luke Scott, Brian Roberts, and Matt Wieters should be fun to watch.
• Quick! Not counting Fausto Carmona, Grady Sizemore, and Carlos Santana, name three players on the Cleveland Indians. (Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner were all I could come up with.) I think the Royals may have some competition for worst team in baseball.
• I’m not sold that Josh Beckett is going to have the great resurgence that a lot of fantasy experts are projecting.
• I’m predicting that Jonathan Papelbon will be the Baltimore Orioles closer in 2011.
• Dear Seattle Mariner ownership: Please do not trade King Felix to the Yankees regardless of who they offer you. He’s your franchise guy. Build around him!
• Has anyone seen Unsportsman Mike? I don’t want to hear any more lame excuses about an auto-drafted team this year. He had a three-week notice.
• I’m hoping for the 4th-6th pick in this years draft. Not a fan of the bookend position.

12 days.