| Increase Your Fun In Playing Fantasy Baseball | | | | win, while setting things up for your closer to |
| | | | come in and hopefully slam the door on the |
| In 1986, while working at KCBS-TV, Channel 2 in | | | | opposition. How about your defense? Does the |
| Los Angeles, California, my newsroom buddies | | | | ability of your fielders to catch and throw the ball |
| and I made up a "fantasy" basketball game, | | | | matter to your team's success? |
| drafting a bunch of NBA players, using their real | | | | How do you mix all of these elements into a |
| life stats and vying for the title of best basketball | | | | fantasy baseball game? Imagine not only being |
| owner in our workplace. However, because | | | | able to do so, but also doing it 162 times every |
| baseball was my favorite sport, I remember | | | | season, and again in the post-season if you're |
| saying to the guys in my league, "It's too bad we | | | | good enough to make it to the playoffs. There |
| couldn't figure out how to do this with baseball!" | | | | are plenty of computer simulations out there |
| Well, wouldn't you know it, the power of | | | | which will allow you to do this, and they, too, are |
| suggestion kicked in, and the very next weekend | | | | great fun. That is, if you don't mind your team's |
| after saying that, I was browsing through a | | | | or players' success relying upon the computer's |
| bookstore in the mall and found a book entitled | | | | "roll-of-the dice", or "spin-of-the-wheel" in |
| "Rotisserie Baseball". I took it off the shelf | | | | generating the outcome of your game. |
| immediately, and read the whole thing while still in | | | | For the ultimate experience, I suggest you |
| the bookstore. I was hooked. I purchased the | | | | consider finding a way to play your fantasy |
| book, took it home, and the following Monday at | | | | games where the stats your players generated in |
| work announced to my guys, "Hey, I know how | | | | real life the day or night before, have a direct and |
| to do this now for baseball." | | | | immediate impact on what your team does the |
| For the past two decades, I've been having the | | | | very next day. Where every phase of the game |
| time of my life as commissioner of many | | | | is critical, hitting for average, getting on base, |
| different types of fantasy baseball leagues. | | | | hitting for power, driving in runs, base running, |
| Expanding from the "classic" version of | | | | fielding, fielding range, throwing out base runners. |
| roto-ball...you know, using those original 8 statistical | | | | All of these elements are accurately measurable |
| categories, to a full-blown version of playing a 162 | | | | through a science known as sabermetrics, using |
| game schedule of head-to-head competition in a | | | | linear weighted values, made popular by baseball |
| league of eighteen teams, waking up every | | | | statistics researchers like John Thorn, Pete Palmer |
| morning to daily standings and box scores | | | | and Bill James, just to name a few. When you |
| generated by our fantasy players using real life | | | | assign linear weighted values to offensive events |
| statistics. | | | | in baseball, you can predict the total amount of |
| Are you a fantasy baseball player? If not, would | | | | runs any major league team will score in a given |
| you like to be? If you are, are you completely | | | | season within about a five percent margin of |
| satisfied with the way your final results and | | | | error. |
| league champions are determined? Are you | | | | Wow! Well, isn't baseball all about scoring more |
| looking for new challenges in your game? Do you | | | | runs than the other team? If you could predict, |
| have the courage...and the skill...to take it to the | | | | scientifically, how many runs a team should score, |
| next level? I believe all versions of the game are | | | | or prevent from being scored by a team's |
| great. If you're having fun playing your own type | | | | pitching staff and its defense, would that be a |
| of "Hot Stove" baseball, then that's all that really | | | | most viable and dynamic way to play fantasy |
| matters. Of course, if there are ways to boost | | | | baseball? Where every offensive event, and a |
| your fun to much higher levels, and you just | | | | pitcher's pitching index (total innings pitched...times |
| aren't aware of how to do so, you may not | | | | the league ERA divided by nine...minus the pitcher's |
| know what you're missing. | | | | earned runs) are absolutely critical to the outcome |
| Using the classic eight categories of Batting Avg., | | | | of your game. You can absolutely play a game |
| Home Runs, RBIs, Stolen Bases (for hitters), and | | | | where all of these things, and much, much more |
| Wins, ERA, WHIP and Saves (for pitchers) was | | | | are determined, every day of your season. If |
| always a blast. But hey, for a baseball afficionado | | | | you'd like to learn more about how to do that, I |
| like myself, I was always searching for ways to | | | | invite you to visit my website. And hey, no |
| enhance the pleasure of playing this incredibly | | | | matter how you play fantasy baseball in the |
| enjoyable recreational sport. More categories, such | | | | upcoming seasons, I hope you continue to have |
| as On Base Avg., Slugging Percentage, OPS (a | | | | as much fun as I do. |
| combination of the preceding two), Winning | | | | Tony Hernandez, President of Reality Fantasy |
| Percentage, picking a major league manager and | | | | Baseball, Inc. |
| using his real life record, picking a major league | | | | I am a retired TV and radio sportscaster of 36 |
| team, and somehow incorporating its home | | | | years, including doing play-by-play of Los Angeles |
| attendance into your salary cap, are all options | | | | Dodgers' games, who also has been a league |
| available in playing fantasy baseball. | | | | commissioner of fantasy baseball leagues for the |
| Does it ever bother you though, knowing that | | | | past two decades. Imagine playing a fantasy |
| one bad outing by one of your starting pitchers | | | | baseball game where your team plays a |
| can destroy your ERA or WHIP for the entire | | | | 162-game schedule of head-to-head competition |
| season? In major league baseball, a pitcher may | | | | against other teams in your league, using real life |
| have a couple of bad outings, but that won't | | | | major league statistics from the day or night |
| necessarily prevent his team from winning it all at | | | | before to determine the outcome of your game |
| the end of the year. Is it the best way to build a | | | | today. I invite you to visit my website and |
| team by stockpiling hitters who slug tons of home | | | | explore the next generation of fantasy baseball, |
| runs and collect loads of RBIs, or to load up on | | | | or Reality Fantasy Baseball, "Where Fantasy |
| closers? Those are very common strategies to | | | | Meets Reality': |
| winning in many forms of fantasy baseball. | | | | Tony Hernandez, President of Reality Fantasy |
| Have you ever built a fantasy team where every | | | | Baseball, Inc. |
| hitter in your starting lineup, from the leadoff guy, | | | | I am a retired TV and radio sportscaster of 36 |
| to the cleanup hitter, to the 8th guy in the order, | | | | years, including doing play-by-play of Los Angeles |
| each has equal importance? Do you think MLB | | | | Dodgers' games, who also has been a league |
| GM's consider these types of things to be vital? | | | | commissioner of fantasy baseball leagues for the |
| Have you ever built a fantasy team where your | | | | past two decades. Imagine playing a fantasy |
| middle relievers are every bit as crucial to your | | | | baseball game where your team plays a |
| success as your starting rotation and your closer? | | | | 162-game schedule of head-to-head competition |
| Just watch a major league game today, and you | | | | against other teams in your league, using real life |
| can see just how critical it is to have those middle | | | | major league statistics from the day or night |
| relievers who can either keep a lead for you, or | | | | before to determine the outcome of your game |
| keep you close enough to get into a position to | | | | today. |