Negotiating Change, part 2

In Part 1, I attempted to orchestrate some change in the free agent bidding process by working up negative backlash towards live bidding events in order to sell the idea of the Vickrey Method. The email exchange continues… JOSH PALEY, 2000 CDM Diamond Challenge Winner: As for which auction method is preferable, I suspect that if…

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Negotiating Change, part 1

The Tout Wars experts leagues made a constitutional change this season that eliminated a rule that had been in place for about a decade. After a bunch of wrangling, Tout tossed the Vickrey method for free agent bidding. There were two reasons for this change, only one of which was really valid in my mind.…

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My Grievances Against Fan-Kings

I recently received an email from a respected colleague and industry leader. He asked me, “What are your grievances against Fanduel and DraftKings?” Several long-time industry friends have asked me similar questions over the past year. I am one of the few fantasy industry veterans who has not fallen into lockstep with a blindly pro-DFS…

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Early BABS Observations

As noted on Tuesday, early season’s extreme performances will take some time to settle down, and that’s reflected in the early BABS ratings. No, Aledmys Diaz is not the best player in baseball, but BABS sure does like his skills in those small-sample April ABs. The next few full-timers, however, have more for us to…

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The First BABS In-Season Update

On the other side of the links below, you’ll find the first BABS spreadsheet update of the young season. It is important to point out just how young 2016 really is. If a single baseball season represented someone’s full lifespan, today would herald the onset of puberty. And for those of us who’ve gone through…

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The BABS Guide to DFS

If you missed my previous DFS articles, they are here (free) and here (not free). Assuming you’ve read them, let’s jump right in. My DFS planning process typically takes about 60-75 minutes, sometimes less. Depending upon my schedule on a given day, I might prep my starting pitcher options in the morning (15-20 minutes) and…

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How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love DFS

Love DFS? Hmm. Perhaps to my detriment in this changing world, I am not a gambler. I started playing fantasy sports back in the mid-1980s for the intellectual challenge and the camaraderie. The money was a nice carrot at the end of the season, but it was never even remotely a part of the motivation…

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The Complete Past 6-Month History of DFS, Abridged

(FREE ARTICLE) My opinions about daily fantasy sports (DFS) have evolved over time, with alternating condemnation and praise. My earlier writings are still accessible at BaseballHQ.com. A few more recent works are available here, and here, and here. Last fall, the proverbial human sewage hit the fan and I started peppering my Facebook newsfeed with…

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BABS In-Season

The concept of assessing talent using broad measures, and balancing assets and liabilities, applies to all stages of the baseball season. Even though our drafts are over, the need to evaluate talent does not end. BABS works just as hard during the season as in the weeks leading up to it. In some ways she…

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Fantasy Curmudgeon

(FREE ARTICLE) Mort lives down the street from me. He is probably in his late 70s, is a huge Yankees fan, reformed gambler (as he describes himself) and has been playing fantasy for about 10 years. Whenever I run into him, he cracks me up; admittedly, I feed him. The following is a composite of…

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