How to Make Enemies and Influence Pennant Races, part 2

In part 1… Back in 2009, I was trolling the trade wires with the owners in the Fantasy Xperts League (XFL) 15-team mixed keeper league. I received six sub-par offers, so I decided to up the ante. I sent out an email with a list of all the offers, so everyone could review, compare and…

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How to Make Enemies and Influence Pennant Races, part 1

The following column, condensed from its original version, was published at BaseballHQ.com in two parts, on June 12 and June 19, 2009. I usually don’t like to dredge up dirty laundry from the past, but… um, heck, who am I kidding? I love to dredge up laundry, wallow in the dirt, use people as my…

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The Mega-Challenge Trade

A version of this article was previously published at ESPN.com. In a recent ESPN piece, I wrote about how I was dealing with my under-performing pitching staff. One idea I offered was trying to trade my bad eggs for someone else’s equally bad eggs. Maybe a “change of scenery” could work for fantasy players too.…

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What are the odds of finishing in the money after a slow start?

Over the past week, I have been asked that question twice. “What are the odds of finishing in the money after a slow start? I recall you mentioning the odds in an article at one point, and they weren’t real good.” No, the odds are not good. But this seems like a good time to…

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Betts, Fowler Top the BABS Leaderboard

Through nearly two months, we are starting to see some of the early season’s extreme performances settling down. But even within that settlement, there are a few players who are taking that next step up. A reminder about how to use the chart: Batters and pitchers, individually, are ranked by skill, regardless of playing time.…

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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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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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