Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Trading Lesson #1 - A Cautionary Tale

Colonel Rhino: Hey, I could sure use J.J. Putz. He would make my team unbeatable. What would it take to get him?
FungoDude: How about two picks this year, your first three picks next year, AND I get to pick a reliever off your team next off season?
CR: But you can't take Putz back.
FD: Right, but I CAN take Joba Chamberlain.
CR: Deal.

(5 minutes later)
CR: Dang, even though I took Joba with the 4th pick in the draft, I can't see any way for him to make my team.
Pigman: Trade Joba to me!!!
CR: Whaddaya got?
P: Soiled boxers and Thin Mints.
CR: A whole box?!?
P: Half a box.
CR: Deal!

(5 minutes later)
FD: Boy, with all these picks next year and Joba Chamberlain, we could be great again!
CR: You have Joba Chamberlain?
FD: No, but I will have next year when I claim him off of your team.
CR: I traded him to the Warpigs for soiled boxers and a box of Thin Mints.
P: Half a box.
CR: Half a box.
FD: WTF!

(10 months later)
Chief Wahoo: Hey Colonel Rhino, would you trade me Brad Lidge for all of my draft picks for the next five years?
CR: Nah, that wouldn't be fair to the Fungoes.
CW: WTF!
FD: WTF!

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The NASOMA Draft - The Essential 25

The new owner of the SuperGoofs will be attending his first NASOMA Draft this year, and as a service to the rookie, here are some rules (actually, they're more like guidelines than rules. Whatever) :

1. The Draft is held on a weekend in March every year. We used to travel to different places every spring, but in the last few years, most of the Drafts have happened here in the DFW area. The Draft shall never, under any circumstances, be held on the Mavs' birthday.

2. The Friday segment of the Draft consists of 5 hours of waiting for the Zapper to arrive, 30 minutes of rules discussions (you won't be able to hear any of this because, like I said, the Zapper has arrived and will not stop talking until after midnight), and 3 hours of making selections.

3. Get there early and mark your spot. There are, however, some important things to keep in mind here. Such as...

4. Don't sit near the Zapper. The truth is, being in the same building as the Zapper puts you in jeopardy - no one is safe from the decibel level OR the smell - but sitting BY him leaves no hope whatsoever. Now, it's true that the Zapper is usually the last to arrive and there is no telling where he will park his fat ass, so it's a bit of a crapshoot anyway. Good luck. Also...

5. Don't try to sit between the Buckeyes and the Mavs. It cannot happen.

6. The FFTs, the DVs, and the Warpigs always sit together, too; but that's mostly so we can talk each other into taking the wrong guys each round.

7. Don't bring anything you value to the Draft. Have a cardboard cutout of your favorite player? A team mascot? Nothing is sacred. Leave it at home.

8. Be prepared. Everyone comes to the Draft knowing who they want to draft; but while some will have pages and pages of draft notes, others will try to make you believe they are looking at the cards for the first time and couldn't care less. It's all show. They may not have torn their cards apart, but they know who they want to draft - and so should you. Don't come unprepared or you'll find yourself taking somebody else's keeper in the 2nd round.

9. Be prepared to wait for hours at a time for some picks to be made. There is no time limit. Sometimes the picks will happen so fast you can get disoriented, other times there will be long stretches of nothingness. When this happens... it's usually the Zapper's turn.

10. There will be a run on catchers. Count on it.

11. There will be no less than a dozen instances of "Good pick." As a way of providing variety, this can be altered to "Nice pick." The HEAD INMATE has copyrighted this phrase, so you are required to pay him 25 cents for each utterance of it.

12. Speaking of the HEAD INMATE, do not be lured into his room without a chapperone. The Chief did this at his first Draft and couldn't make noise while passing gas for a full month.

13. Saturday is for playing games. The Bees and Wahoos will usually get things started by staying up after the Draft and playing their games into the wee hours. The rest of us will get started as soon as we get done with breakfast.

14. An important thing to know before playing your first game: Any player on your 25-man roster for that first game is officially on your roster and cannot be cut or traded.

15. Another important thing before playing your first computer game: Stats for games played at the Draft have a way of disappearing into cyberspace. Make sure you get the game files and/or box scores put on your flash drive before walking away.

16. Oh yeah, bring a flash drive.

17. Keep track of your results. Have a schedule made out that shows your pitching rotation. On it, make sure to write down the results of every game.

18. There are some teams you want to play early. I'm not going to tell you who they are, but some teams are harder to reach later in the summer than others. It is perfectly normal to stand in line behind their opponents until their series is finished.

19. And no matter what the Zapper tells you, you are not required to play naked. And it's okay to tell him to put his clothes back on, too.

20. At some point Saturday evening, most of the owners in the league will go out to eat. The FFTs pick the place, and he has a perfect record in this department. I highly recommend going out to eat on the Saturday trip. Next to the DV belches, it is the most memorable part of the weekend. Usually, a handful of owners will stay behind and play games. The Fungoes and Mavs usually play each other during this time. You are welcome to stay and get some games done.

21. You are required to make Strat your #1 priority for the entire weekend. Do not make plans to go anywhere or do anything other than baseball.

22. Sunday morning offers one last chance to play games. Everyone will be exiting at various times during the day, but many will still want to get some games in before going back to the real world.

23. The Snakes (and sometimes the DVs) will stay through until Monday. Snakeman and I play our games Sunday evening while taking time out to go to Sunday night mass. We have been asked to not roll dice DURING mass any more, though.

24. Email your results to me at the end of the weekend. Demerits count this year.

25. There will be a Queen of the Draft. The Queen shall have the following duties: none

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Trade

The FFTs traded Nomar Garciaparra to the Zaps for Jeff Kent.

Friday, January 23, 2009

Rosters and Draft Picks

Just a reminder, you can see current NASOMA Rosters by clicking on the link on the NASOMA home page. At the bottom of each roster is a list of draft picks owned by each team.

There is also a Draft Grid link on the homepage. It is current.

I'll add a link so you can download a printable version of both pages.

If you see any mistakes on either page, let me know, and I'll get it fixed.

Please feel free to update your roster by making any definite cuts. The sooner the better. Just email me the changes, and I'll take care of it. Cuts you make now are not binding, but it helps clean up the roster page to get rid of the dogs.

Thanks,
Pigman

Monday, January 19, 2009

Ratings Disk

SOM is releasing the Ratings Disk tomorrow. Cards are just a few weeks away.

And for what it's worth, Strat-O-Matic is a great game, but it's run by paranoid elitists who cannot tolerate anybody questioning their peculiar ways.

/End rant

Monday, January 12, 2009

Trades

The DVs traded Chien-Ming Wang and John Maine to the Buckeyes for Chad Gaudin and Ryan Madson.

The FFTs traded Jhonny Peralta and pick 95 to the DVs for Andy Sonnanstine.

The FFTs traded pick 92 to the Wahoos for picks 116 and 121.

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

2009 Hall of Fame

The poll on the left is your chance to place your vote(s) for the 2009 HOF. You may vote for as many of the players as you want. You are also welcome to leave comments on here. The official MLB results will be announced Monday.

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Trade

The Tweeners trade Aaron Rowand and pick #6 to the Wahoos for picks 25 and 41 in this year's draft and the Wahoo 1st round pick in 2010.

Thursday, January 01, 2009

Looking Ahead - 2009 BUD



Rhinos

Hitters: ARod, H.Ramirez, Abreu, Braun, Ethier, Rios, Soto, Votto, BJ Upton, Polanco, Y.Molina, Kemp
Starters: Sabathia, Sheets, Burnett, Garza
Bullpen: Lidge, Okajima, Putz, T.Pena, Lindstrom
Picks in the first 100: 16, 18, 49, 62, 79, 94

Opinion: The defending BUD champs are loaded again. This offense is scary-good, and the defense is not too bad either now that Hanley is no longer a 4. The starting pitching, headed by Sabathia, is also very good. If this team has a weakness, it's the bullpen. Adding to the problem is the fact that the Fungoes still get to claim one of these relievers to complete a deal from last spring. But the Rhinos have plenty of picks, including two fairly early ones, and there will be a lot of good relievers in the draft.

Main needs: bullpen


Wahoos

Hitters: Pedroia, Bradley, Youkilis, Morneau, Rollins, Damon, Aramis Ramirez, Ianetta, Reed Johnson
Starters: Hamels, Baker, Lohse, Meche, C.Young
Bullpen: Marmol, Fuentes, Rauch, J.Cruz, Marte, Wuertz
Picks in the first 100: 25, 41, 53, 73, 89

Opinion: The Wahoo offense is just as good as the Rhino offense, and their infield defense is the best in the league. The starting pitching is not quite as good, but Hamels is excellent. The bullpen is pretty deep, too. The Wahoos don't have any early picks, and that will hurt some; but this team doesn't need much.

Main needs: CF


SuperGoofs

Hitters: Quentin, Thome, Nady, Garko, Snyder, Pence, Hunter, B.Phillips, Betancourt, Edmonds, Church, Blake
Starters: Volquez, Marcum, Guthrie, Looper
Bullpen: Broxton, Hoffman, Brocail, Byrdak, J.Lewis, Marshall, J.Miller
Picks in the first 100: 5, 37, 65, 69, 70, 85

Opinion: The first year of the SuperGoofs will be a rough one, but mostly because they're in the hardest division. The Goof offense is average, but deep, with no outstanding hitters other than Quentin. And the best three hitters (Quentin, Thome, and Nady) will leave the Goofs with 4's in both LF and RF. The starters are good and Broxton will be a fine stopper, but this team could be in for a long year.

Main needs: 3B, SS, and a division realignment


Warpigs

Hitters: Pujols, Chipper, Manny, Granderson, Giles, Bay, Furcal, Doumit, O.Hudson, S.Drew, Bartlett, Atkins
Starters: E.Santana, Lackey, Harden, Litsch
Bullpen: Soria, Wagner, Wheeler, Springer, H.Bell, Sherrill
Picks in the first 100: 1, 2, 17, 34, 81

Opinion: The Pigs have a set lineup that should score runs in bunches. The starting pitching is lacking, but having the first two picks in the draft will help that. The pen is pretty average except for Soria and Wagner, who are very good. The fights between the Pigs, Rhinos, and Hoos will be fun to watch. All three teams are easily good enough to win the league.

Main needs: SP

Looking Ahead - 2009 MFD



Inmates

Hitters: Dunn, Howard, Ankiel, C.Guillen, Beltre, K.Johnson, Theriot, David Murphy, VMart
Starters: J.Santana, Floyd, Vazquez, Myers
Bullpen: Villanueva, Franklin
Picks in the first 100: 22, 28, 38, 44, 60, 76

Opinion: The defending MFD champs have a few holes to fill if they are to repeat. The offense is very left-handed and not very deep. The defense is not great either. The pitching staff starts with Johan Santana and then drops off. The bullpen needs to be completely rebuilt. As great as Santana is, winning the MFD will be hard to do; and the only reason it's even possible is that the entire division is down again this year.

Main needs: C, OF, pitching


Buckeyes

Hitters: Giambi, Werth, Cust, Winn, Grudzielanek, Y.Escobar, Crede, Kouzmanoff, K.Suzuki
Starters: Buehrle, E.Jackson, R.Johnson, Maddux
Bullpen: D.Oliver, Madson, Gregg, Gaudin, Durbin, Colome
Picks in the first 100: 9, 42, 57, 74, 83, 86, 90

Opinion: A year away from the post season has the Buckeyes hungry, but he'll need a good draft. The offense has a couple of good bats, but the Buckeyes will be forced to manufacture runs again this year. The pitching staff is, in a word, old. There are some good numbers there, but still not a real strength. On the other hand, the Buckeyes have a really good shot to win this division.

Main needs: 1B, offense, and Geritol


Nads

Hitters: JD Drew, Burrell, Ad.Gonzalez, Willingham, Uggla, Glaus, C.Guzman, Eckstein
Starters: Webb, Dempster, Arroyo, Bannister
Bullpen: Saito, Affeldt
Picks in the first 100: 7, 23, 39, 55, 71, 87

Opinion: Could this finally be the year the Nads win the MFD and go to the playoffs? The Nad lineup is probably the best in the division. There are a couple of holes, but Drew, Burrell, Gonzo, Uggla, and company will score some runs. And Webb and Dempster give the Nads two excellent starters. Unfortunately for them, Arroyo and Bannister will both be bad. And the bullpen, other than Saito, is lacking. The Nads have big needs and no extra picks, so it will be tough, but this team has a chance to win this year. The quality of the Nad draft will tell the tale.

Main needs: C, CF, SP, bullpen


Mavs

Hitters: Huff, Dye, DeJesus, Blalock, Dmitri Young, Weeks, Hardy, Chris Young, J.Upton, Laird, Headley, Kendrick, Butler
Starters: Matt Cain and four days of rain?
Bullpen: Street, Valverde, Romero, Weathers
Picks in the first 100: 3, 19, 26, 35, 51, 67, 99

Opinion: The Mavs have some good young players, but not a lot of good cards right now. Huff will be great, DeJesus will be an excellent table-setter, and Dye brings power; it drops off a bit after that. But Young, Upton, Hardy, Headley, and Kendrick are on the verge of big things. The pitching staff doesn't have much beyond Cain. Gallardo and Bailey are still around, but offer no help for 2009. The Mavs have the third pick in the 2009 draft, so another elite young player should be added to this team. This division is winnable, but 2010 is probably a better bet for the Mavs return to the post season.

Main needs: C, SP

Looking Ahead - 2009 AWD



Killer Bees

Hitters: Teixeira, C.Pena, Hawpe, Cameron, Tejada
Starters: Billingsley, Jurrjens, Cueto, Verlander, Hughes
Bullpen: umm... none?
Picks in the first 100: 10, 12, 32, 48, 64, 80, 96

Opinion: The defending NASOMA champs will have a tough time defending that title. The cupboard has been left bare. There are still some good, young arms... and they'll have a gold glove caliber fielder manning the DH position... but this team could be in trouble for 2009. Two first round picks will help, but my guess is the Bees continue a youth movement with their eyes on 2010.

Main needs: bullpen, and pretty much everything except 1B


Sidewinders

Hitters: Wright, Ortiz, Markakis, Beltran, Mauer, D.Lee, Derosa, A. Hill, Renteria, J.Wilson, Bruce
Starters: Peavy, Lester, Zambrano, U.Jimenez, Lilly
Bullpen: KRod, R.Perez, Downs, Mahay
Picks in the first 100: 13, 29, 45, 58, 61, 77, 93

Opinion: The Snakes are loaded again. There are no holes on the offense (except maybe LF). Derosa's big year with the bat and availability at six positions is a huge advantage. The rotation is set, and the bullpen has KRod and three quality lefties. They're short on RH relief, but this draft is deep in that area.

Main needs: LF and RH relief


Zaps

Hitters: Hamilton, Kinsler, Reyes, Fielder, Delgado, Byrd, Martin, C.Jackson, Encarnacion, Crawford, Milledge, A.Gordon
Starters: Greinke, Pelfrey, Jered Weaver, W.Rodriguez
Bullpen: Capps, Qualls, Shouse
Picks in the first 100: 8, 24, 40, 56, 72, 78, 88

Opinion: The lineup is as good as the Snake lineup. It is talented, young, and deep. There is power and speed. The pitching isn't as good but is still better than many teams. They have pitching depth, but no ace or closer at the top. A good indication of the expectations of this team will be that first pick. Will the Zapper add the big pitcher he needs or go for more youth?

Main needs: pitching


Tweeners

Hitters: Soriano, B.Roberts, Victorino, Loney, Hart, Swisher, O.Cabrera, F.Lopez, B.Molina, Teahen, Reynolds, Rowand, C.Ross
Starters: Oswalt, Harang, Blanton, Kendrick
Bullpen: F.Cordero, Hampson
Picks in the first 100: 6, 54

Opinion: The hitters on this team are interesting. There are a lot of good guys, but the onbase and slugging is not that great on any of them. There are only three hitters on the team with an OPS over .800 (Soriano, Roberts, and Ross). That makes me think this team is probably a year away from being on the Snake/Zap level. Oswalt is great, but the other starters struggled in 2008; and the bullpen is thin and shaky. And the biggest issue of all for the Tweeners is the lack of draft picks. They have an early pick at #6 but then only 1 more pick before round 7. The good news is the Tweeners probably don't need to draft anything but pitching.

Main needs: pitching, draft picks

Looking Ahead - 2009 NERDD




DiamondVision

Hitters: Holliday, Utley, McCann, M.Ordonez, Helton, Lowell, J.Guillen, Wells, Griffey
Starters: Beckett, Cook, Lowe, Kazmir, Kershaw
Bullpen: Jenks, S.Shields, Beimel
Picks in the first 100: 31 and 63

Opinion: The offense is pretty stout. Those first four in the list are as good as any team can put together. And Utley getting a 2 helps. The pitching is fairly average both in the rotation and the pen. Both could be easily improved except that the DVs are in terrible shape for the draft. Only 2 picks in the first 100? He sold his soul last year, and it got him a World Series berth... but he'll pay the price in the draft this year. Still it's going to be a good team. Probably not as good as last year, though.

Main needs: shortstop and draft picks


Drillers

Hitters: Ludwick, C.Lee, Vladimir, Longoria, Jeter, Shoppach, Posada, Wiggington, Ellsbury
Starters: Lincecum, J.Shields, Haren, Bush, Slowey
Bullpen: Nathan, Delcarmen, Dotel
Picks in the first 100: 11, 27, 33, 43, 59, 75, 91

Opinion: The Driller offense will not be as good as in the past. The trade for Ludwick and Shoppach helped, as those two will be two of the best hitters on the team. Neither the offense nor the defense is the strong suit of this team heading into the draft. The pitching, however, is excellent. Lincecum is maybe the best pitcher in baseball, and Haren and Shields are as good a 2-3 tandem as there is in the league. The bullpen is not deep, but Nathan is outstanding; and there are enough good relievers in this draft to complement him. And unlike the DVs, the Drillers have the picks to get them.

Main needs: CF, 1B, bullpen depth


FFTs

Hitters: Mi.Cabrera, Ichiro, H&K Matsui, Iwamura, M&Del.Young, Fukudome, Peralta
Starters: T.Hudson, Wainwright, Dice K, Liriano, F.Hernandez, Kuroda, McGowan
Bullpen: J.Rivera, Joba Chamberlain
Picks in the first 100: 50, 66, 82, 92, 95, 97, 98

Opinion: The offense has dropped off a lot from FFT teams of the past, but who wouldn't love to have this pitching staff? It's above average for 2009, but it is loaded with young studs for the future. Joba, Liriano, Dice K, Wainwright, Felix, Kuroda... And any staff with Rivera at the end of it is going to win their share of games of close games. Ichiro is the best defensive outfielder in baseball, and Iwamura and Michael Young both got better than they deserved on defense, but otherwise this is not a great defense behind these young pitchers.

Main needs: C, 1B, bullpen


Fungoes

Hitters: Berkman, Sizemore, Napoli, Ibanez, Figgins, Zimmerman
Starters: Halladay, Wakefield
Bullpen: Papelbon, Rowland-Smith, Burton, Sampson
Picks in the first 100: 4, 14, 15, 20, 21, 30, 36, 46, 47, 52, 68, 84, 100

Opinion: The talent at the top of this team is amazingly good: Berkman, Sizemore, Halladay, Papelbon... but there's a big drop off after that. Napoli is going to be very good, and Ibanez will help, but this team lacks a lot of depth. The good news is, the Fungoes will rule the draft. They have 13 picks in the first 100, including 7 of the first 36 picks. And as he has proven time and time again, the Fungoes KNOW how to pick 'em. Expect the look of this team to change dramatically by the end of the draft.

Main needs: 2B, SS, LF, RF, starting pitching, bullpen depth

Strat Cards




I've spent a little time these last two weeks going thru the boxes and sacks of SOM cards you have so graciously donated. And let me tell you... rubber bands suck.

There's still a lot of work ahead cataloging and seeing how many complete sets I can put together. And beyond that, I really don't have a plan of where this all goes.

Here are a couple of pics of the vast amount of cards I have been going thru. The plastic boxes with the colored tops (66 total) are all full and divided up by years. The loose stacks on the table are the ones I have gone thru recently. They are stacked by years. All the rubber bands are gone, but many cards were damaged by them. Apparently cheap rubber bands begin to melt to the cards within 2-3 years. Even good rubber bands go bad after 5-6 years. Of course it also has something to do with how and where they are stored.

I suspect there will be 2-3 complete sets of all years 1998 and later, and at least 1 complete set of the years before that. I don't even know what years I have anymore. I know original cards go back as far as 1971, with quite a few from 1984 on, and sporadic amounts for 1971 to 1983. And there are reprints of many different years prior to 1971. Most of those should be complete sets. I am using ziplock snack-size bags to store them by teams.

If any of you want to come by and help sometime, you are welcome to. :o)