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