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