by Eddie Mayrose

Ya gotta love social networking.  As if athletes didn’t already have enough opportunities to reveal themselves as arrogant, insensitive and selfish, any dolt with a Twitter account can now make a fool of himself at all hours of the day and night.  The latest genius to fall down the rabbit hole is Tampa Bay Rays’ lefty, David Price, who criticized Rays’ fans for not turning out to fawn over his team as they closed in on a playoff berth Monday night. “Had a chance to clinch a post season spot tonight with about 10,000 fans in the stands….embarassing” was Price’s Tweet after the contest, as the Tampa ace gave himself a mouthful of shoe leather.

Now, I can understand the disappointment of any competitor deprived of the thrill that comes from a performance in front of a full house.  I’ll even cut Price a little slack in that he’s only 25 and makes enough money to insure his ignorance to the current economic state of the country.  But, to call fans on the carpet for no better reason than their failure to shower their praise upon you is more than a little sad. Let’s see if we can educate Mr. Price as to the sacrifice required of Tampa residents to attend a game at Tropicana Field.

Suppose I wanted to take my eight year old son to that game on Monday.  As it was designated a “Silver” game by Tampa brass, an Upper Box ticket was priced at $13 plus a $3 handling fee.  Tack on the $15 parking charge and I’m already $47 in the hole before the first pitch; and I’m not sitting in great seats, either.  Then after two $5 hot dogs, a $5 soda, an $8 beer a $4 bag of peanuts, (prices quoted by Tampa Bay Rays’ customer service department), gas and tolls, I’ve forked over $80 for just two people to watch a game whose outcome is of very little consequence in Bud Selig’s wacky, Wild Card world.

Twenty years ago, baseball fans everywhere would’ve been gripped by pennant fever if the best two teams in the game were locked in a divisional race as tight as the AL East in the season’s final week.   First thing every morning, people would reach for the newspaper to find the box scores and standings. Now, however, with both the Yankees and Rays assured of a post-season berth, the drama and excitement are virtually non-existent; an obvious fact to all but Price, whose ego seems to be even bigger than his mouth.

Here’s the straight scoop, David.  The absence of butts in your seats is a statement by the fans’ about the product being presented to them, not a condemnation of their support.  You make the money you do because the carpetbaggers that run your sport are dedicated to a never-ending search for ways to bilk fans of more money. They price their tickets on a sliding scale based on the quality of opponent, even though their own manager will instruct his staff to pitch around the very opponents whose All Star performances were the criteria for the price hike in the first place.  They raise the prices in the parking lot based on the same standard, as if I’m getting better pavement for a Twins’ game than I am for the Orioles.  Games that are “sold out” actually have some tickets still available as part of multi-game packages. My youngest son has never seen the conclusion of a World Series game because MLB has sold its soul to the television networks that demand 8:40 start times.  Tickets purchased for a summer Sunday afternoon carry no guarantee as they may turn out to be for a night game at the behest of ESPN; with no refund policy in place.  It is the compilation of all of these money grabbing tactics that has put those millions in your very young pocket, Mr. Price.  Maybe you should just shut up and be grateful you’re on the right side of the scam.

by Moonlight Graham

Once upon a time, before the evolution of the internet, Fantasy Baseball information was hard to come by.  News regarding critical issues such as day-to-day injury situations, rookie callups and even trade rumors were rarely current.  Often, it was necessary to directly call the MLB club in question but, even then, it was as likely as not that you’d reach someone that didn’t already frown on the entire concept of Fantasy Baseball.  Which brings me to the kid in Milwaukee.  I  never got his name so, I couldn’t say if he’s still in baseball but, wherever he is, there’s a former, public relations intern of the Brewers that, probably, still curses ole’ Moonlight at the very mention of Dan Plesac.

Sometime in the early nineties, Plesac, the Brew Crew closer, was nursing a bad elbow while a member of Moonlight’s Master Batters.  After a few absences from the daily box scores and no mention of an injury, I placed my first call to the unsuspecting intern.  Surprisingly, he really didn’t seem all that interested in the fact that a tight Saves race might decide my league.  He was equally unsympathetic when I explained that I couldn’t pick up a replacement unless Plesac was disabled by Milwaukee.

So, I asked, “Hey, what’s up with Plesac?”  “Is he going on the DL?”  “Not to my knowledge”, came the reply and thus started a daily correspondence over the course of the next six days.  Exasperated, he finally admitted to me that Plesac was likely out for awhile but, as rosters were about to expand on September 1st, would not go on the DL.  If he’d have only told me that in the first place, I’d have had another relief pitcher and he; an enjoyable week.

As the Rotisserie Baseball world has evolved, that episode has become more and more ironic to me.  Here I was, being sneered at and stonewalled by the MLB franchise owned by Bud Selig, who would become the money hungry commissioner that recognized Fantasy Baseball for the cash cow it is.  By charging exclusive rights fees to online services run by CBS, ESPN and Yahoo, Major League Baseball has helped advance an industry now so stuffed with the very news it once protected, that Fantasy Baseball owners must discern the Good info from the Bad and the Ugly.  What follows is a Moonlight Guide through the media.

The Good
If you’re in a league that holds Minor League players, you’ll want to listen to Grant Paulsen, host of MLB Network Radio’s Minors and Majors on XM channel 175.  Paulsen, just 22 himself, is as impressive as the young phenoms that appear on his show.  Infinitely more knowledgeable than his experience would have you believe, he balances MLB analysis with guest spots featuring the top prospects from each organization; kids he’s obviously taken the time to meet before they go on the air. It’s a funny, informative two hours each Sunday morning at 8AM that’ll give you an edge and put a smile on your face.

Once a daily staple for Fantasy Baseball players, The Fantasy Focus, hosted by Rotowire’s Jeff Erickson, disappeared from the MLB channel on XM radio in 2009.  Now Rotowire Fantasy Sports Today, Erickson and co-host Chris List share their expertise on XM channel 241 and Sirius channel 125 from 11 AM to 2 PM EDT.  Long a Tout Wars opponent of stats guru Ron Shandler, Erickson has a great feel for Fantasy trends, supports his views with statistics without becoming married to them and enjoys a seamless and often funny banter with the equally likable List.

The Bad
When MLB Network launched last year, it seemed like a natural fit for the Roto industry.  However, it took more than a year for The Fantasy 411 to debut. Hosted by Mike Siano and Cory Schwartz, the show is a disappointment in both its insight and timing.  The opinions offered are rarely better than any you’d already made, yourself and the 5 PM EDT slot does not allow for transactions involving day games.  What a shame that the network doesn’t cater to what is obviously it’s largest audience.

The Ugly

Imagine you’ve landed a date with the prettiest girl in school and she shows up wearing curlers and a house dress.  That’s, essentially, what MLB Network has accomplished by simulcasting its nightly Quick Pitch on its Sirius XM channels.  Harold Reynolds, possibly the best analyst in all of sports, becomes impossible to follow if you’re listening to his TV broadcast on the radio.  Discussing highlights and making demonstrations you can’t see, Reynolds and his cohorts instantly become a terrible listen.  Amazing that anyone earning his living in the profession would sign off on such a disaster.

There are a million different scenarios and things to consider when examining the biggest summer in basketball history that won’t involve a single jumper being taken. Everything from coaches, championship prospects, location, and, most importantly, money will play a role in the decisions of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade,Chris Bosh and company. It’s hard to know what will unfold and where each player will end up, (Despite what ESPN may want you to think), because only the players themselves really know where they will be inking their names come July 8th. While the final result may be hard to figure, comparing these guys to something isn’t…for me, anyway. It may seem odd, but the main pieces in this free agency period hold a striking resemblance to the cast of Saved By The Bell. Let me explain.

The Cast:

Dwyane Wade

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: Zack Morris

Zack was the kingpin of Bayside. The coolest and most popular kid on campus. He was the only high school kid EVER to have a cell phone in 1992. He could get himself into and out of huge trouble in a half hour span with no consequences. Oh, and did I mention he dated the prettiest girl in the school/state/on television…. Kelly Kapowski ? Face it. He ran the place. He knew it, the girls knew it, and Belding knew it.

Now you may think that if I’m comparing free agents to Saved by the Bell, and I mention Zack Morris than the comparison must be LeBron …right ? While James is the most appealing and intriguing  (we’ll get to his comparison later), D-Wade has the “kingpin” title because he has what LBJ doesn’t : A big, shiny ring on his finger. Which easily makes him the most coveted player on the board.

Wade  also holds another striking resemblance to Zack in this Free Agency sideshow: His recruitment of others. Zack was a full-time recruiter during his Bayside tenure. From scouting out 6’8″ beanpoles for a beach volleyball game, to convincing the gang to help him land a trip to Hawaii or rounding up money to fix Lisa’s mom’s car,  things usually worked out in the end for Zack (Would you expect anything else?) And, as impressive as he was at working/scheming alone, he was most powerful when he had the whole crew on his side. Enter D-Wade. He’s been pitching a dream team to anyone that will listen. He held the summit  to  pitch how great Miami is. He has the most winning experience. He’s convinced Miami to clear the ENTIRE roster to give this a chance to work financially. He’s the one mapping out how things should go because he knows that his reputation will make the others listen;just like Zack.  He’s got the most pull…it’s just a matter of whether the gang listens or not. Will they(LBJ,Bosh,Boozer,Amare or some combo of the 4) decide to join his side like the time they outsmarted the class ring salesman for a refund? Or, will they leave him high and dry  to sell friendship bracelets ? Only time will tell, but it seems pretty clear that, a lot like Zack, Wade is the most popular guy in school.

Joe Johnson

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: Tori Scott

Remember Tori ? She was the biker girl who got a full time role only because the producers were in a bind after they NBC ordered more episodes and Tiffany Amber Theissen (Kelly) and Elizabeth Berkley’s (Jessie)schedules couldn’t make the timing work. Plain and simple, her addition was one of the only real bad decisions at Bayside. She wasn’t overly pretty, wasn’t too funny, and she was on screen in place of Kelly; which is  never a good thing. Joe Johnson’s numbers (20.2 ppg,4.4 rpg,4.6 apg) last season are quite impressive, but as far as his being a key piece to an NBA championship, I just don’t see it. As a second option to an elite player like LeBron or Wade, Johnson is a more suitable fit. Atlanta has reportedly offered a max contract which would be a great temptation for him to stay. Playing along side Al Horford, Jamal Crawford and Josh Smith makes him a quality piece to a great cast…just like Tori.  My take is that Johnson waits it out to see where the top level players land before he makes a decision to join the same squad or stay put in Atlanta.

Chris Bosh

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: Samuel Screech Powers

Screech was Zack’s best buddy since birth, and while Zack did a lot to help him out (locking up a Russian chess stud, help boost his confidence to talk to his girlfriend Violet or persuade Lisa to be nicer to him) he also made him look like a fool(dress like an old lady to record the girls singing, dress like a hotdog on the beaches of The Malibu Sands, and making him camp out for U2 tickets). The crazy thing is that Screech went along with everything Zack said like he had drunk a gallon of the Morris Kool-Aid. Call it loyalty or call it pathetic but the main thing was that, where Zack went, Screech went. He knew it could only help him to follow in the footsteps of the cool kid. That’s how I see Chris Bosh…following in the footsteps of the cool kid.

The main thing to decide  is: Just who Bosh see’s as his Zack? I compared Wade to Zack based on his resume, but could you really argue with Bosh if he decided playing with LeBron ? LBJ did take two mediocre teams to the NBA Finals, and Eastern Conference Finals in ’07 and ’09 respectively.

Joining a player like Wade or James could be a dream for any player and Bosh is likely to have the opportunity to play alongside one of them. In fact I’m almost certain he will, because, since the beginning of this free agent process, Bosh has been talked about as the second max contract on many different teams. It’s rare that analysts have said he could be the key to a title, rather a great sidekick…much like Screech. It seems Bosh has been convinced of this and will be joining a Zack this summer.

Donald Sterling

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: Mr.Belding

Sterling may be the worst owner in the NBA and, sadly, he may be just as high on the list of worst people in the world. The stories of some of his antics(everything from evicting minority apartment renters to asking former head coach Paul Silas to save money by taping players’ ankles, himself ) are despicable  yet, somehow, Sterling thinks he has a shot at signing a top level player to come play for the Clippers;  reminding me of Mr. Richard Belding. The Bayside principal who always thought he could outsmart Zack but it never succeeded.  I have a feeling that, just like Belding had no shot at out-witting Zack, Sterling will learn he has no shot at landing LeBron, Wade, Bosh or anyone with the ability to sense a  bad guy when he sees one.

Amare Stoudemire/Carlos Boozer

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: AC Slater

These guys are grouped together, because they’re surprisingly similar. As far as talent, each brings a lot of what AC Slater brought: muscle. Boozer is 6’9 220 and Stoudemire is 6’10 250. Each can bring an excellent post presence to a team that is in the market to win right away.

AC and Zack worked well together, although they didn’t always see eye to eye. Slater was tight with Zack and they helped each other out when one guy needed it, (teaming up to convince Jessie to drop the caffeine pill addiction, or Zack helping Slater find a way to get out of the army), but Slater also tried to outshine Zack whenever he could(betting him he couldn’t keep up during Senior Cut Day, or throwing fists over who should win the affection of a new girl Joanna). Boozer and Amare have had a history of trying to venture out on their own. Boozer somewhat sideswiped the Cavs into letting him out of a deal in ’04 with a commitment to re-sign for a bigger deal than bolting like the Von Trapp family to Utah for more cash. Amare has been hoping to be dealt at each of the past two trade deadlines. What, exactly, does that say about how excited he is to stay in Phoenix ?

Boozer and Stoudemire would be a great addition to any team that gets their signature for a long term deal and, if they were a second max contract to a team that had already inked LeBron or Wade, they’d be even better. Yet it seems that given their past, they would each be the anti-Screech. Instead of realizing how great they could be with an elite player, they’ll choose to be Slater and journey out on their own. Their quality of play is not in question; it’s extremely high, it’s their toughness that seems to be a problem. How will each of them respond if things go bad again ? Will Boozer try to renegotiate in order to wiggle his way out ? Will Amare demand another trade ?  Time will tell.

LeBron James

Saved By The Bell cast member resemblance: Kelly Kapowski  

Kelly Kapowski. The most coveted girl at Bayside. Head Cheerleader….gorgeous…happy…athletic…gorgeous…nice…smart…funny…I said gorgeous right ? There wasn’t another girl like that before her and there won’t be one after her. She’s truly one of a kind. Sounds a lot like the way teams would describe LeBron James, the most coveted player on the market. He brings a game that won’t be replicated for awhile.

While I could go on for days about how pretty Kelly Kapowski is, and how impressive LeBron’s game is,each is cursed with the same flaw:questionable decision making.

Kelly had a lot going for her yet, through her time as a Bayside Tiger she pulled some real head-scratchers. Like bringing her infant brother to school to have the gang watch him & lose him at one point during the day, almost smoking pot with Johnny Dakota, breaking up with Zack for Jeff(I’ve personally never forgiven her for that one), crashing into lockers while letting an unlicensed Slater drive her around school halls in a golf cart, and agreeing to go to Senior Prom with Matt Wilson instead of Zack.

LeBron’s had a few eyebrow-raisers of his own going all the way  back to high school. The Hummer incident, (The SUV.  Get your mind out of the gutter.) and the throwback jersey incident, most notably. His pro career has constantly been under a microscope, especially after the Vogue cover issue, an excessive speeding ticket, refusing to  shake hands after being eliminated from the playoffs, confiscating the video of Jordan Crawford dunking on him and firing agent Aaron Goodwin for his high school friend, Maverick Carter.

As a girl who seems nearly perfect and a player with a near perfect game, Kelly and LeBron James are a lot alike in that they are highly unpredictable. Every time you think Kelly is going to get back on track and reunite with Zack she goes for a Jeff, and for each bunch of great decisions LBJ makes,  there’s a n incident like  him telling his mom to, “sit your ass down”, during a playoff game.

No other way to describe it. Unpredictability. Which takes us into the biggest week in basketball free agency. Where will the most coveted player in history decide to go ? Will he make the smart choice and jointhe best team (Chicago), will he remain loyal to Cleveland  or will he try to be the biggest thing on the planet by bolting to NY or NJ ?

Anyone who tells you they know  is either: wrong  or a lucky guesser.  It’s clear no one but LeBron truthfully knows because of one main reason: he’s unpredictable. I think he likes it that way.

Happy Free Agency !

by Chris Ippolito

During my years at Marist College, I came across very few true hockey fans.  As a die hard Rangers fan and ardent supporter of USA hockey, I felt obligated to push hockey on my housemates, who fortunately, were extremely open-minded about it from the beginning.  Two years after their introduction, I would consider three of the four of them good Rangers fans and all of them huge supporters of USA hockey (not a hard feat after Team USA’s Olympic performance).

With this in mind, all of my housemates were soccer supporters.  Realizing the strides that they took in their hockey fandom, they tried pushing “the beautiful game” on me.  Selfishly, I was not as open minded about watching soccer as they were to watching hockey.  To be blunt, I can’t stand watching the sport.  I played for about six years as an adolescent, even captaining my travel team for my final two years.  However, once I discovered football, I left soccer for good, never to return.  Every time one of my housemates would put soccer on the tube, I would go upstairs to my room to watch Mike Francesa or ESPN’s Around the Horn.  One afternoon, as I was about to do just this for approximately the 50th time, I was called out by all of them.  After insisting that I just simply couldn’t sit there watching a million inconsequential passes and a trillion dives a game, they made one simple request of me: “At least watch the World Cup and support the USA.”   So, wanting to placate my now fellow hockey supporters, I obliged.

Five days into the event, which is supposed to be the sport’s grandest stage, I am absolutely overwhelmed by boredom when watching this “beautiful game”. First and foremost, let me state what I can’t stand about the sport to begin with.  It starts with the lack of scoring, followed by the diving, and concluded with goalkeepers yelling at their teammates.

FIFA: Finally I Fell Asleep?

I decided not to pay attention to the inaugural games on Friday, June 11th.  The first game I watched was the United States vs. England game on Saturday, June 12th.  In all cases, if the USA emblem is on a team’s jersey, I feel obligated to support them.  This is no different with soccer.  I actually was excited to see the United States upset the heavily favored English.  I traveled down to Baltimore to meet up with two of my buddies from school to watch the event.  As we were driving to a local bar, we listened to a local sports radio station to get a game preview.  All three analysts who were interviewed predicted 1-1 ties.

We all know what happened in the game.  A quick goal by the English, due to incompetent defense by the Americans.  A weak goal scored late in the first half by Clint Dempsey due to an awful gaffe by English goalie Robert Green.  A hit post by the Americans, a big save by U.S goalie Tim Howard, and the rest is history.

It was only after this game concluded that I realized I could not follow this sport for another minute.  How is a game so predictable that three analysts on the same show not only correctly predicted the outcome, but also the score of the game?  What’s worse is that after the game was tied at 1-1.  There were, from what I recall, two scoring chances for England, and one for the USA.  (I know I mentioned that I watched the game from a bar, but for those who are assuming my memory was unreliable, know that I drove from Baltimore to Atlantic City, NJ immediately after the game…and drunk driving is against my morals.)  In other words, I felt like the teams were complacent with tying one another.  To me, this is a severe offense; sports treason in my mind.

They Set Goals; Why Not Score A Few?

I’d now like to elaborate on my previously stated reasons for disliking soccer with emphasis on the World Cup tournament.  I understand that low scoring is simply a result of the game of soccer.  I cannot expect a well played, professional soccer game to end in a 5-4 score.  It’s simply not a fair expectation.  However, the fact that when one goal is scored, the scoring team goes into a defensive shell, to me, represents a huge problem with the sport.  First and foremost, it results in a ridiculous amount of ties.  In the 16 games that have been played, 6 have resulted in ties.  Also, 14 of the 16 games have produced two or fewer goals.  Meaning, either the game is relatively one-sided, or it results in a tie.  Soccer fans keep telling me, “That’s how the first round works.  Teams don’t want to lose their first game.  No team has ever won the World Cup if they lost their first game.” So forget your father’s favorite line from growing up, “Never play to not lose,” because at soccer’s grandest stage, that’s exactly how the game is played.  My solution: institute some form of illegal defense.

I don’t need to go too much into why I hate the diving, because although I believe it’s disgraceful, it results in free kicks, which is one of the only ways these guys actually score anyway.  I can’t stand it, but if players’ acting skills are going to result in more goals because of the calls made by easily-deceived referees, then I guess I’m ok with it.

You Don’t Run?  Then Don’t Talk

Now for my ultimate soccer pet-peeve: outspoken goalkeepers.  If I was forced to distribute an accolade to soccer players, it would be for their unprecedented cardiovascular endurance.  These guys run around the field with reckless abandon for an hour and a half, with a 15 minute break in-between.  To me, that’s remarkable.  There is no sport that demands such endurance, except for long distance running. With this in mind, it is sickening to think that under soccer’s unwritten rules, it is normal for the only person who is not running around like a wild dog, the goalkeeper, to yell and scream at his defenders like a teacher yelling at 4th grader.  This is absolutely baffling to me.  Compared to the rest of the team, the goalie runs maybe 5% of what the other players do.  To think that he has any right to bombard the position players with anything but “thank yous” is ridiculous to me.

I don’t have a problem with soccer fans.  I don’t have a problem with people who think that this game really is beautiful.  My issue is that when the NBA Finals are going on, Lakers-Celtics no less, not to mention a baseball season that thus far has the Mets and Yankees nine and 17 games over .500, I have to watch highlights and analysis of a 1-1 or a 0-0 soccer game.  If the excuse for the lack of scoring and the fear of losing in this tournament is, “that’s how the game is,” then please, designate a channel that covers sports where winning does not take upmost precedence.  Call me closed-minded, call me a hater; it very well may be true.  All I can convey are my true feelings.  And they are that this World Cup is no more exciting to me than watching paint dry or the grass grow.

The calendar says it’s early July, time for most to enjoy a summer that is just beginning.  For an ever increasing contingent of Fantasy Football players, however, the calendar tells them there’s three weeks until training camps open as they count down the days of summer in anticipation of the coming football season.   The Fantasy preview magazines have hit the stands, there are fantasy rankings to consider and draft cheat sheets to be written.  There is also the very important business of deciding where to house your online fantasy football league and what kind of players should be a part of it.

In its infancy, Fantasy Football appealed to its participants for a number of reasons.  It allowed them to pit their knowledge of the game against one another, compete for cash prizes and stay connected with friends.  Back in the day, anyone that wanted to play fantasy football had to first assemble at least nine others with a common passion; not always an easy task. Next, one of the members needed to agree to be the “stat guy”, diving into the NFL summaries each Monday morning in order to update the league’s standings.  Weekly transactions became problematic if league owners were remiss in phoning in their lineups.  Not a perfect system but, all in all, better than the alternative: no league at all.

Before the advent of online fantasy football, many who wished to be participants found themselves on the outside looking in.  Simply put, if you couldn’t find enough guys to play, you couldn’t play either.  Until CBSSportsline, Yahoo and ESPN came to the rescue.  Now, individuals have the ability to link up with each other regardless of their geographic location and experience the same enjoyment as those in a friends’ league.  With the new technology, however, comes a number of choices to be made regarding statistics, rankings and drafts.

Of the three, I prefer CBSSportsline.  While free leagues are offered, their premium leagues offer quite a bit more than Yahoo and ESPN for the fee charged.  Mock drafts, player updates, rankings, cheat sheets, injury reports roster grids and a player comparison tool are all featured on a site more easily navigated than its competitors.  YAHOO and ESPN offer more than enough to satisfy the Fantasy Football Fanatic and do so mostly at no cost.  The one thing each has over CBS is the ability to tailor free friends’ leagues, something not available on CBS,

Finally, for Mock Drafts, the pick here is Mock Draft Central, as it offers free signup for once daily drafts and membership options that range from monthly to yearly.  Essentially, for a few bucks, you can sign up for one month in July and get unlimited mocks until your draft in August.  Also, members are allowed to create drafts, giving you an opportunity to simulate the draft circumstances that exist around your own tailored leagues.

So, Moonlight, what can I do over the winter to prepare for next season?  It’s a question that’s found its way into my mailbag more than a few times over the last few weeks.  Now, I don’t expect that many of you follow the box scores from the Arizona Fall League or the Hawaii Fall League but, aside from those, there are a few easy steps to lay the groundwork for next season.

For the moderately serious fantasy player, a weekly check of sites like CBSSportsline or ESPN will provide you with Hot Stove updates regarding transactions, injury rehabs, contract status, etc.  Keeping yourself informed about these types of situations could potentially add a little more flavor to the player evaluations you’ll start during Spring training.

Serious players subscribe to the numerous websites available.  Two of my favorites have been Rotowire.com and Ron Shandler’s BaseballHQ.  As many know, Shandler is the founder of Tout Wars, a league of Roto experts chronicled by Sam Walker in his highly entertaining book, Fantasyland.  It was Shandler who first bridged the gap between the worlds of Fantasy and Major League baseball when he was hired as a consultant by the St. Louis Cardinals.  His annual tome, The Baseball Forecaster comes out in December and is full of all kinds of trends and analyses that I use to support or debunk some of my own opinions.

Also in December, the website MockDraftCentral.com begins hosting mock drafts for baseball.  They can be an invaluable tool in slotting players in your upcoming draft as well as getting a feel for how long you might be able to wait on your favorite fantasy sleeper picks.

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It was an eventful year for the members of the HK Fantasy league.  The league title wasn’t determined until the final batter of the final game when Seattle’s J.J. Putz recorded a save that gave Bobby Carr the half point he needed to break a three way tie with Lou Carducci and Luke, Bob and Lou Ricciardi. More importantly, as has always been the case in the HKRBL, friends who remain in touch with each other because of Fantasy Baseball were able to share in each other’s accomplishments and milestones.  Jack Sullivan’s son, Andrew, exploded on to the college recruiting scene with his 90 MPH fastball that has even drawn interest from the Chicago White Sox.  Unfortunately, Andy’s rights are currently held by the Shady Gradys and have been deemed untouchable.
Eddie Mayrose proudly watched his son, Terrence, complete his college football career on his way to a Sport Management degree in May 2009.  Luke Ricciardi, at the tender age of 9, became the youngest fantasy owner in league history as well as the youngest player to go yard in his Little League.  Jamie Farley survived his first year in the league while both Tim Alfano and Chris Aucone got to face the television during the draft.  Most importantly, Ken Jankowski is expecting any day and will join Patrick Grady as a brand new father.

While on the subject of the Shady Gradys, they easily take the award for milestones this year.  Not only did Patrick welcome his two baby girls into the world but Dylan Grady, nephew of Pat and Brendan brought a little class to the operation as a new owner.  Uncle Brendan will be the league MVP next week as he and his beautiful fiancée, Kelly Dolan, tie the knot.  All in all, it’s been a great year. Despite all of the economic worries and fears about job security our spirits were buoyed by each other and our mutual friend; Baseball.

*    *    *    *    *

Well, you know I… I never got to bat in the major leagues. I would have liked to have had that chance. Just once. To stare down a big league pitcher. To stare him down, and just as he goes into his windup, wink. Make him think you know something he doesn’t. That’s what I wish for. Chance to squint at a sky so blue that it hurts your eyes just to look at it. To feel the tingling in your arm as you connect with the ball. To run the bases – stretch a double into a triple, and flop face-first into third, wrap your arms around the bag. That’s my wish, Ray Kinsella. That’s my wish. And is there enough magic out there in the moonlight to make this dream come true?  Archibald “Moonlight” Graham

Enjoy the Holidays.  Ninety four days till pitchers and catchers.

Never let it be said that anyone mistook Moonlight for Mel Kiper Jr.  While the ESPN NFL Draft pundit subjects each franchise to his highly subjective scrutiny each April, he rarely, if ever, looks back at his own projections to review how successful or disastrous they might have been.  Not so here at the Fantasy Forecast.

It is the nature of Roto players to not only crow about their selections that worked out but also bemoan those picks that derailed their chances at winning.  So, as a dyed in the wool Roto man myself, here is the Moonlight report card for 2008.  A review of the fantasy sleepers that panned out and the studs that blew up.

Best Picks- SP A.J. Burnett fell just short of 20 W in Toronto while leading the AL in K. SP Rich Harden remained mostly healthy and posted an incredible ERA and K ratio.   C Geovany Soto worked his way up to the middle of the Cubs’ order by September while posting 23 HR and 86 RBI in his first full year.  OF Corey Hart gave the Brewers a 20-20 season while Rays’ C Dioner Navarro made his first All Star team. In Texas, 2B Ian Kinsler was leading the league in BA and TB when he went down in August and Rockies’ OF Brad Hawpe was a second half RBI machine. Even Manny Ramirez, devalued in many drafts, brought smiles to those who followed Moonlight’s advice.

Worst Picks- Tigers’ 1B, 3B, SS Carlos Guillen made a mockery of his 100 RBI projection with a sub-par fantasy season filled with injury.  Troy Tulowitzki did the same.  What many fail to realize, however, is that he was really bad before he got hurt, raising questions about the Rockies’ SS heading into ’09.  Rickie Weeks was a Moonlight favorite who turned into a bust as he spent most of the year battling to raise his BA over .220. In Houston, C J.R. Towles was so bad, the Astros turned to Brad Ausmus.

Incomplete-Angels’ C Mike Napoli started and finished the season on fire.  It was the injury plagued middle that turned out to be the problem.  Still, a C who pokes 20 HR in under 300 AB has value in any season.  The Twins spent most of the summer with their best pitcher in Rochester.  In a financial gambit that likely cost them the AL Central crown, they left SP Francisco Liriano in AAA where he posted a 10-1 record with a sub 2.00 ERA rather than recall him and start his arbitration clock.

Best Call-SP Chad Billingsley would be the Dodgers’ ace by year end.

Worst Call- Braves’ OF Jeff Francoeur would win the NL MVP award.  (The HK Fantasy League has had a lot of fun with this one.)