Pinetar League News

Statman- I don't think we switched at all. We have several very talented SPs. Kip Wells is great and he will start game 2 or 3, but Roger had an almost perfect pre-season and I felt he deserved the start.

AP- What are your expectations for this season?

Statman- We expect to win Pinetar. We have a very strong team. Our pitching should be a strength and our offense may be the best in the league.

AP- That is a very strong statement considering the talent in Pinetar.

Statman- I know, and I'm sure that each and every other team going into this season also believes their team will win. But when I look at this team, I can't help but get excited.

AP- Craig Wilson looked great this Spring, but he is blocked at 1st by Helton. What do you plan to do with him?

Statman- Wilson is a big part of this team. He will backup Helton and he will get a number of starts in the outfield. He has a great bat and we want it in the lineup.

AP- The catching situation looks weak. What are your plans there?

Statman- We hope to have Hammock back in a few days and assuming he is healthy, we should be okay. But we are considering FA pickups or even a trade to upgrade that position.

AP- Who is the starter at 3B?

Statman- We are happy to have 2 good players to choose from. Both Castilla and Bell will get playing time. So, I can't really say there is a set starter at this point.

AP- Some criticized the recent signing of Roberto Alomar. Why do you think that is?

Statman- I don't know. Alomar is a couple of years removed from his great seasons. We signed him to backup Giles, so I don't expect him to get much playing time, but I like to have an experienced backup whenever possible and Alomar will provide that.

AP - Thank you for the time Statman, it sounds like an exciting season is upcoming. Good luck to you and the Cobras

Pinetar Trade Winds

Posted by Shack on April 16, 2004

It starts again. :)

Glad to see you like my trade Stat. Of course, everyone seemed to like my side of my trade with Fambo last year, but I ending up watching Jenkins hit bombs for Fambo while Wade Miller was getting bombed for the Predators. Everyone also seemed to think it was a great deal for me getting RJ in a deal where I dealt Webb to get him. Again, I watched Webb finish very strong, while RJ struggled. The only deal I made last year that everyone didn't like my side was the Bonds deal. In fact, following that deal, Len stated that it would be the reason I would be demoted from Pinetar last year, and I proceeded to go on a long winning streak, taking over the league lead to stay. Hmmm...On second thought, I would be much happier if you guys didn't like my side of the deal. :)

Don't want to discuss the deal too much, as I don't want to get involved in another argument like took place last season, but I will point out that Peavy is a very solid young pitcher pitching in what is very much a pitcher's park while Oswalt is more of an injury concern than Peavy and has a very good hitter's park as his home field. And Lidge is one of the best relievers in the league, and will give you the important long relief outings. The trade discussion went as follows: I asked Fambo if he'd be willing to discuss Oswalt, among others. He told me what he wanted for him, which was the exact deal we ended up making. After his offer, we discussed the possibility of expanding it to include other players, but couldn't agree on that, so we went with the original offer.

Shack

The Waves of Change

Posted by MIkey on April 15, 2004

Dateline: Toronto

Incumbent tsunami manager, Rip Tide, was summarily dismissed from his duties today. This is somewhat surprising, if only for the fact that the season has not even started.

When the current tsunami owner, the reclusive French-Canadian Beaver pelt tycoon Michel Raymond, was finally located, he had the following statement.

"I got rid of Monsieur Reep Tide because I did not like his looks, so there!!"

This seems to be an interesting management theory, to say the least.

The new manager, big Kahuna, comes to the team fresh from a stint with the Ko Ko Nutt Pineapples of the Pacific (Ocean) League.

Apparently that is his real name. His parents must have loved him a bunch.

Mr big, as we like to call him, actually as he has ordered us to call him, plans to manage using the concept of fooligarchic government.

We believe this means "Management by an Idiot".

So it seems, the more things change, the more they remain the same.

Stay tuned.

The FINAL 2004 Devinations of PSYCHIC SLIM

Posted on April 3, 2004

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CATCHER

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Totals After Rd. 7

Steamers.......116

Cobras..........115

MadHatters....113

Scalawags.....109

Bartenders.....109

Tsunami........101

Road Humps...101

Predators......100

BoyZ Bluz......100

Panthers.........85

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BoyZ Bluz: I said it elsewhere. $4,400 for Piazza is a waste. He's going down yet again, and I don't think they're talkin' about his personal life. Mediocre fill-in Brad Ausmus backs Piazza up, but at least he guarantees the Boyz some apps. so they don't have to have their hearts broken by Pizza-man. Nice backup in Todd Pratt, Piazza's old and Lieberthal's present backup. We like him, too. But, no marks for the third catcher since most don't, and most shouldn't, carry 3 of them. 11 points for all of this.

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Mikey's Big Japanese Wave, Tsunami: Innocent-until-proven guilty of rape Castro supported by Johnny Estrada, The Braves new everyday player who has done well this spring, and Eddie Perez, The Braves other catcher who plays full time if Estrada falters. Very fine draft, even if Castro goes in the clink. Lots of apps. Some nice power, too. Many good things could happen. Let's go with the constitutional presumption of innocence and give Mikey full marks for all of this: 15 points.

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PredatorsExpo Brian Schnieder for a fair price of $660, Moeller the Brew-Crew's starter, for what it's worth and for about the same, and Todd Greene still trying to find a spot, this time in Colorado behind Charles for $240. Apps. a-plenty but hard to get excited. Still, there's something to be said about not having to worry. 8 points

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Road Humps: $2960 on deposit for Kendall, to be returned after the trade. A fine price of $330 for Space Chum fav. Mike Matheny, and low money for Giant backup Torrealba. The 3000k back for Kendall will give Fambo the money lead for FA's. If it doesn't happen, great..then Matheny's the backup. Can't go wrong here, unless you carry 3 catchers for too long. Unfair to grade on a trade not yet made, so let's call it full marks for Kendall and Matheny. 15 points.

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Scalawags: Mssrs. Lieberthal ($4,050), and backups Ross from LA and Ojeda from SDG. Lieberthal only played in 131 games last year...good for a catcher, I suppose, but bad if you don't have enough apps. to back him up. And, he's 32 this year and getting nagging aches and pains associated with most old catchers. Ojeda, sits behind the New Prince of NL Catchers, Ramon Hernandez, who SDG is gonna run into the ground. Ross gets to play if Shawn has to play the OF and LoDuca goes to first. If not, not. All this is to say, that there may be some concern about apps. here. Other than that, I'd be happy with Lieberthal in my foxhole any day. 9 points.

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Bartenders: Roscoe has no probs. w/AJ and his backup, Brew-Crew backup Gary Bennett. Tom Wilson, who was beaten out by Ojeda, and will be one of the first players he drops. 11 points.

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Cobras: Stat chooses Hammock on the come for $1150. Can he come back from arthroscopic surgery? If so, will he play at catcher? Right now, AZ's going with Mayne and Estalella. Chums sense it's gonna stay that way. Meanwhile, Red's starter Jason LaRue (only 114 starts last year) opens for the Cobras with Piazza backup Vance Wilson in the background, but not very much in sight. Not great offense here and some real app. concerns. 6 points.

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Panthers: Cubbie Michael Barrett for a nice price of $620. He'll start off fine and then Dusty will run him into the ground. By August, he'll have lost 50 lbs and 50 points off his batting average. But we like him! (of course). Thank goodness Old Man River Charles Johnson to provide some help and pop, if not start. Gregg Zaun was taken, but is irrelevant to this team. Nice little combo here. 15 Points.

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MadHatters: LoDuca, at a fair price; Mayne, Az's current starter, for a steal of $100, and Cubbie backup Paul Bako. Only issue is where LoDuca is playing. If so, nice squad. If not, and Hammock comes back to catch, not so nice. Space Chum Roy Campanella suggests playing the ball and not letting the ball play you. That means, LoDuca's catching and Duff chooses Mayne as his backup. Almost full 13 points for that.

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The Queen City Steamers: Ramon Hernandez for about $3000k; probable future Marlin starter, and current fine backup, Mike Redmond for a chintzy $140, and irrelevant Shawn Wooten. Well done. Full marks. 15 points.

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Totals After Rd. 8

Steamers.......131

MadHatters....126

Cobras..........121

Bartenders.....120

Scalawags.....118

Tsunami........116

Road Humps...116

BoyZ Bluz......111

Predators......108

Panthers.......100

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Going into the nonsense round and free agency, the Steamer's small advantage is leavened but their relative lack of funding for the rest of the year.

Duff, Stat and Roscoe are strong on his tail, with Stat having a small $$$ advantage over the other two.

Elmore, Fambo and Mikey are coming up strong.

Z and Shack (the $$$ winner) have some, but not a lot of, work to do and the guile and cash to do it with.

All the while, LC sits quietly, perched to pounce with her dynamnite IF and ready to do enough damage to make her a contender.

It's such a knowledgable and fine group of managers in this league... and the player talent is so evenly spread, that every team is worthy of respect and could pull it off. And, the FA market if rife with talent to be picked off by the wily investor.

In other words, you're gonna have a great season playing each other and .... be scared, very scared! But have fun!

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Good luck this season!

We'll be watching over you.

Thanks for letting us take part!

PSYCHIC SLIM & The Space Chums

3b Draft Analysis

Posted by Dr. Jay on April 3, 2004

Real quick, real dirty:

1. BoyZ BluZ, got third or fourth best 3B (RAmirez) and stayed in first place for Piazza. Wigginton will have decent apps and stats for a backup.

2. Humps, Ensberg might be taking over top spot from Rolen, if last year is any indication, and especially since Jimi finally wised up and played him everyday. De Rosa may also surprise if he ever gets teh chance to play every day.

3. Panthers, got the #1, but spent to do it (Rolen), dropped waaaay back for Catcher.

4. Predators, Shack got deent production in Burroughs. If Larson ever performs up to the hype, you've got a gem. Moved up 2 spots. Excellent.

5. Tsunami. Took chance that Alfonso will bounce back, but more importantly, Mikey moved up to number 2 from the fifth position. Tough to do at this stage, and you didn't have to make too much of a sacrifice.

6. Cast the big net and landed Lowell at #4. Slipped a spot for Catcher, but that doesn't hurt much. Lowell's injury risk and possible trade-bait status are a worry.

7. Bartenders. Good middle of the road talent here. Why was Beltre over a mil? Even so. Len moved up a spot.

8. Cobras. Not much left for STat at number 8, but Castilla might see a one-season resurgence at his old Coors stomping grounds. Could surprise. Bell will play, but that's about it.

9. Steamers. Helms could continue to produce like he did last year, which wouldn't be a bad grab at 10. Zeile will also get some starts.

10. Hatters. Utley may get some chances if Bell screws up or gets hurt. Batista seems a bit of a reach, and at the ninth position, Helms may have been a better choice. I've never liked Batista, so Duff get's the Dr. Jay grudge award.

Sorry this is so brief. Gotta run. I'll do your catcher and league preview when I return on Sunday or Monday.

Bye!

The Penultimate Devinations of PSYCHIC SLIM

Posted on April 3, 2004

THIRD BASE

Totals After Rd. 6

MadHatters....106

Cobras:.........104

Steamers.......103

Scalawags:......99

Bartenders:.....94

Tsunami:........92

Road Humps:...88

BoyZ Bluz:......86

Predators:......85

Panthers........75

BoyZ Bluz: Powerful, error-prone Aramis and Ty Wigginton. Appearances galore, Ty will be there every game to provide good stats off the bench. And, #1 in the Catcher draft. 14 points

League Question to No One in Particular: Kendall? Rank him high and get your money back when he goes to Seattle but lose out on a #1 catcher, or rank him low and let some other sucker draft him as his/her #1 catcher? You Advisors from the Astral Plane suggest the latter.

Road Humps: Ensberg and DeRosa. Space Chum Nellie Fox guarantees Ensberg will have a great year in the 'Stros protected lineup. DeRosa is a fine utility guy who'll now be the starter at 3rd. Wes Helms numbers? No, but nice backup/off-the-bench numbers here, dontcha think? And, maybe even at 2nd, if Giles is hexed, as you-know-who think he is. All for a measley $100. Not a bad tandem, everything considered. 13 Points for all of this. And Fambo's positioning himself well for the all-important RP draft.

Panthers: Top price for the top NL 3rd baseman (Active, that is, after Ron Santo). Keith Ginter was sent down to AAA 3 days ago and isn't an option. Big deal. Rolen played in 160 games last year. You'll find someone to support him, LC. Still, can't give full points for lack of a back up. 10 Points.

Scalawags: Mike Lowell for $3,850 and Chris Stynes for $180. Lowell is alot of dough for having a 50-50 chance of not playing more than half a season. But he's good and powerful, no question about it. (Okay, this is sour grapes. He turned down the Cubs. Smart man). As for Stynes, his last mention by rotoworld.com says it best: "Chris Stynes Latest News Mar. 20, 2004 - 6:48 pm et: Chris Stynes went 0-for-3 today, leaving him 6-for-38 (.158) this spring.Stynes will enter the season as a regular no matter how badly he continues to play. He is better than this, but you can expect him to be one of the weaker everyday players in the NL this year." A liberal 10 points for all of this.

Predators: The Space Chums like Sean Burroughs' chances of growing up this year. Match him with Brandon Larson for $440, and ... "What's to complain about?" chimes in Uncle Julius "The Vacuum Cleaner" Schwartz (1918-1996), 3rd Baseman for Fritzy's House of Drapes, Lewiston, Maine (1927-1996). A very nice, potentially potent combo here, if and when Larson returns from the DL. And #3 in the catcher draft, too. 15 points.

Tsunami: Edgardo Alfonzo, this year taken 6th, and for only $1,420 is another amazing example of how the marketplace "remembers" downside stuff better than upside. Suffice it to say, the guy hit 48 RBI in the second half of last season and brought his BA way up, relatively. He should do much better this year, and Mike got a good value here. Mikey also got insurance in getting fellow Giant Feliz, just in case the Chums got it wrong. #2 for Catchers in nice, too. 9 Points.

Bartenders: Shea and Adrian. Another nice combo,especially since Shea is getting chronic injuries and Adrian is beginning to come into his own, just 1 year late. Power here, and good app. and bench support provided. 15 points.

Cobras: Vinny on life-support in OzoneLand. David Bell under Bowa's psychotic eye in Philly. I'd rather be Vinny. Apps. covered. Some power. Certainly will be "interesting" to watch. Anything's a plus, 'cause only bad is expected. Ok..it's not that bad. 9 Points.

MadHatters: Batista is not well-thought of by Stats, Inc. "The decline in his batting average and power, couple with a noticeable decline in his defense at third, decreases his value." Stats is wrong. Tony's gonna tare...tere..tear..er kill NL pitching. He's an Expo, dammit!!! Chase Utley is a real gem, if Bowa let's him play. Probably won't. 7 Points.

Steamers: Space Chum favoriate Wes Helms is below everyone's radar screen. But CJ will enjoy his steady pace with power and elegant grace at the bag. (nice turn of phrase!) Support from Old Man River Todd Zeile won't hurt the Queen City Steamers navigate the season. 13 Points.

Totals After Rd. 7

Steamers.......116

MadHatters....113

Cobras:.........113

Scalawags:....109

Bartenders:....109

Tsunami:.......101

Road Humps:..101

Predators:.....100

BoyZ Bluz:.....100

Panthers.......85

Good luck tonight!

Psychic Slim & The Space Chums

The Further Devinations gUeSsEs of bIzArRo PSYCHIC sLiM

Posted on April 2, 2004

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SHORTSTOP

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Totals After Rd. 4

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MadHatters....96

Steamers.......95

Scalawags:....94

Cobras:.........91

Bartenders:....89

Road Humps:..83

Tsunami:.......82

Predators:.....77

BoyZ Bluz:.....76

Panthers.......66

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bOyZbLuZ me lik teem name. Lotz of Z's iN iT. mE rEElLy hAtE kael green. Supey has same first name. fUn to whatch Kael all seeson. maybbee he fall flat on face. mabbee knot. Roman emperor to back him up. No one bax me up. They Ownly bak Supey. Y know-1 lik me? tEn pts.

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sCaLaWaGs Jimmee Rllns iz bad 'cuz he promiz to bee guud & aint. butT he dozn't stay home sik alot with flew & stuff. (i Lik bunnies. dUe u?). & Bery lArk-in is from Phantom Zone. mabee play 6 or 7x bee4 he brake butT or sumthing. !!!!! pts.

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big wave teem: citrus is gunna bee guud dis yr. me lik.Mikee lik-2. bIlL hAlL gunna pla iN lottsa spots. kent hert 2 hav him2. tEn pts.

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fuRry KiTtens: nice lady got beter Alx. he ken hit sumX & Awlays plas. bIzArO laff 2see Hockey stil alive. He gud sub sumtX. 9 poynts.

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RudeHumps: Klaytun sux eevn in OZoneLand. Weelsun no hlp. 5 pynts.

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SkareeSnAkeMen: Too nice startrs for statmonkee. Frum veree down on totem pole, two. Snakepeople Skaree teem knoww. thurteen pynts.

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Pre-Daters: Ever-eat gud boy. on gud teem. (fluffy ponies are fun). Cowsel used to sing with familee butT know pla ok bakup. How cum noone bax bYzArRo? Ate pynts.

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InnAblers: chyCAWgo Agun sux. Bakup jest az bad. butT apps. therr. 5 pynts.

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CrazyCaps: Oh Lando is funnee nam. (knOt az funnee az jErree leeWiz, tho). heee in sTar wArs or sumthing? Anywaz, he pla gud. Vasquez knot nesisary but nic. 10 pynts.

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Doodies:fUrCal gud. pErEz bad. 8 pynts.

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Totals After Rd. 5

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MadHatters....106

Cobras:.........104

Steamers.......103

Scalawags:....99

Bartenders:....94

Tsunami:.......92

Road Humps:..88

BoyZ Bluz:.....86

Predators:.....85

Panthers.......75

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Guud luk tookniht!

Psychic bYzArRo SlIm & The Space Chums NOBODEE!!(sOb!)

SS Draft Analysis

Posted by Dr. Jay, on April 2, 2004

Okay, sorry, but this has to be quick and dirty. I'm on a bit of a tight schedule. Also, I'm going out of town this weekend, beginning at noon tomorrow. I will try to get 3B analysis done before I leave, but I can't promise anything. Also, Catcher will have to wait until Sunday or Monday, and I apologize in advance for that delay. But, I will also rate each team after the draft is complete and offer predictions. Obviously, these predictions will only account for the team that you drafted, not for FA pickups or trades during the session, but, it should be fun, anyway.

So, here we go. Again, it's wholly subjective, but I've based my rankings on both talent and maneuvering, and we're going in reverse order:

9. tie between the Panthers and the Bartenders. Really I only did this because you both got Alex Gonzalez. LC got the Florida variety, while Len went with the Chicago flavor. They're really similar, in names, OPS productions, and levels of mediocrity. And I'm probably drafting one of them tonight as I sit uncomfortably in the 10th position in Pegasus. Still LC might get a slight edge, because she actually gained one draft position (to the third spot) for third. Len gained 2 positions, but is still in the 6th spot. But, then I might give the edge to Len for getting the better backup in RE Martinez while LC picked up Hocking, who won't play or produce much. So, a tie at 9th it is.

8 Scalawags. Elmore gets Rollins and Larkin from the second position. Rollins will be a really good pickup for this year, and he'll give Elmore solid production. Larkin is a mystery and is fading fast. Who knows how long he'll be able to keep the starting position either for lack of production or for injury. And dropping 2 spots in the process may have been a bit costly with these two picks, which rates the 'wags an 8th place finish for SS.

7. Tsunami. You can't argue with picking up Cintron at number three, and Hall will provide decent numbers as a backup for both the 'Wave and for the Brewers. Good talent. Losing three spots for third base is okay, as the depth this year I pretty good. So, I've got no problem with what Mikey did here, it's just that the other 6 teams had a better combination of talent, draft position and intangibles. Good round for the 'Wave.

6. Predators. Shack gambled on Everett (and I'll await his reasoned and eloquent response for why Everett was the best SS in the whole draft ;-). He's solid, just not stellar. Still picking at 7th he may not have hoped for better...Except for Furcal. However, getting Furcal here would have cost the Preds draft position. As it is, they now have the fifth pick, which should nab them a better 3B than the 7th slot would (or maybe he's climbing the ladder for Piazza?). Anyway, bit of a gamble that could pay off as Everett may begin coming into his own. He's got a huge righty/lefty discrepancy. Unfortunately, he hits better against lefties (.911 vs. .648). While that will be great for Shack when opponents start lefties against him, Everett himself may not get that many AB in the NL Central (74 in 2003), and even BBM teams typically face more righties too. Cousell is a decent backup, but his production is sliding as he gets older. Still, he'll provide some potential diversity in the lineup.

5. Humps. Congrats, Fambo, BTW, on your anniversary. Anytime you can do anything for 25 years, you've got to feel good. Well done! Now, as for your SS draft. Clayton and Wilson are the all underachieving pair in this round. They'll give you plenty of starts, and maybe Wilson will finally start hitting the ball further than the infield dirt. Clayton playing in Coors is a big plus, and his OPS should improve somewhat this year, so you have a serviceable SS pair. I give you bonus points, though, for moving up three spots for 3B. A small sacrifice in talent with Renteria, Furcal, and Cabrera still on the board at your pick, but I think the gain you'll get in your 3B of either Rolen or Ensberg will be well worth it. Nice job.

4. BoyZ BluZ. Greene and Izzy. Izzy will fill in as needed, but won't give you much production. Greene is a bit of a gamble, as he's unproven, but a lot of prognostications have him being 2004 ROY, so it was probably worth the risk. Plus, Z was able to maintain first for the next round. He'll either get himself a whale of a 3B or Piazza. Can't argue with that strategy. Nicely managed, Sir Z.

3. MadHatters Pinetar is gaining distinction for being cheapskates and letting high priced talent drop down to the bottom feeders. This is a good way for Pinetar to achieve parity and lay claim as a highly competitive league. Kudos to all thee of the top finishers in this round for casting wide nets. That strategy landed quite a catch. For Duff, he benefits with Cabrera dropping all the way to 9th. Wow! Merry Draftmas indeed! Vazquez will provide more than capable backup.

2. Cobras Another Draftmas boon is Renteria slipping to Stat at number 6. Are you guys crazy?!? Does Stat's reputation not precede him in Pinetar? You've heard of him, haven't you? He won Pegasus last year in a landslide, remember? So, you hand him Helton, Giles, and Renteria. Still too early, but I'd say it's almost "goodnight, Irene." Man oh man, Stat must be as giddy as a school girl. I don't even care who his backup is (Perez, what a loser), and I bet neither does Stat.

1. But, Stat doesn't win the round, that honor goes to Crazy Joe and the Steamers, who thought they would be getting coal in their stockings when it turned out to be Rafael Furcal! "Wow", thought Joe, "all is indeed right with the world! The only thing to make this truly the best Draftmas ever was if I got an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!" Well, maybe tomorrow morning, Joe. Draftmas isn't over yet. Tomas Perez fully completes this coup from the 10th position as he'll give Joe starts at 3rd, something he'll need since he's still drafting 10th for that position.

Well. There you have it.

And here me exclaim

As I type out of site

Merry Draftmas to all

And to all a good night!

The Further Devinations of PSYCHIC SLIM SECOND BASE

Posted April 1, 2004

Totals After Rd. 3

Steamers.......91

MadHatters....86

Cobras:.........85

Scalawags:....84

Bartenders:....80

Road Humps:..78

Tsunami:.......74

Predators:.....69

BoyZ Bluz:.....68

Panthers.......56

Panthers: Kent and Castro. Things are looking better, LC. Jeff's in a contract year, whole team is pumped, no reason he shouldn't do very well ... if he keeps away from Mr. Goodwrench & Co. Castro is the ubiquitous IF backup ... gaining more value now due to the dearth of 2d basemen. 10 points for all of this.

BoyZ Bluz: Robbie and Mr. Reyes from NYC. I think $840's alot to pay for a backup 2d baseman. On the other hand, Reyes shouldn't be the backup which means that price is fine but $1180 was too much for Robbie. Unlike others, The Space Chums have "seen" Robbie "play" in person in the last year ... alot. (They're closet ChiSox fans). While they know Az. is good for "elderly" folk, they don't think AZ will re-vitilize him. "That," says Antoine Freud, Ziggy's first-cousin, and the self-proclaimed "smarter one", "is nothing but poppy-cock!" (Memo to Dr. Jay: It's comforting to know the founding fathers had such a fine scientific basis for your profession, no?). Reyes..healthy or no? SC Evita Goldstein (from the Argentinian family line)says "No." I say "yes." I win. 6 points for him, 2 for Robbie, on the come. 8 total.

Cobras: Giles and Space Chum fav. Bo Hart. 8 for Giles, cause he's the real deal. - 2 points for Bo Hart 'cause he's going South and the Cobras have no backup.

Tsunami: The Polancky-Man in Philly for $2650. A lot of dough. But it ain't mine so I don't care. Kata for $230 as a backup. Nice choice. 8 Pts. for all of this.

Scalawags: Loretta for $2130. Fair price for a fine 'lil player who's finally getting respect. Grudz. is the backup, if he's ok. If not, Loretta's got it all covered anyway. Pretty decent team. 10 Pts for all the substancd and no worries.

Predators: Vidro sure fell far, didn't he. Hell, I'd take a chance on Vidro being okay any day. 9-1 (year long fear factor) = 8 points. Supposed star in the making Abe Nunez is the lifeline in case Vidro goes down. Not much of one to us. 0 points (right now).

Road Humps: Ray-Ray (ChiSox affectionate name for Mr. Durham): 7 points. Nagging injuries, age and that zhe nay say qua (just joking, I really do know Italian) starts taking it's toll.Damian Jackson is the backup. But not this life cycle. - 2 points. for this.

Bartenders: Todd Walker for $1350. Bad news is it's alot to pay for a backup, Roscoe. Good news is he may go to the A's so you'll get your bread back. Let Junior Spivey play for you all year ... unless he goes to the A's and you're left w/o any starting 2d baseman. Let's pretend none of this is happening and call it the way it is now: Spivey's a fine all-year mediocre choice at 2nd and Walker'll back him up in fact, 'cause Grudz ain't gonna last at 2nd for the Cubbies. +, Walker'll give you some 1st base and Of apps. too. So, hmmm.... 9 Points for all of this...with a better than even chance it's going down to 0 points.

MadHatters: Luis Castillo, nice price for $1440; Alex Cora, too much for $100. Apps covered and some nice positive stats as well. 10 Pts.

Steamers D'Angelo Ex-Sox Alert!!! and Anderson (Is he staying or going? Is Womack hurt or not? If he's going, is he going to an NL team? Probably not.) Let's grade it as D'Angelo w/o a backup. 4 Points.

Totals After Rd. 4 *

MadHatters....96

Steamers.......95

Scalawags:....94

Cobras:.........91

Bartenders:....89

Road Humps:..83

Tsunami:.......82

Predators:.....77

BoyZ Bluz:.....76

Panthers.......66

* Statistical Margin of Error: + or - 30 points

Good luck tonight!

Psychic Slim & The Space Chums

1b Draft Analysis

Posted by Dr. Jay on April 1, 2004

Okay, day four, must mean it’s time for seconds. The exam is over, they all failed. Each time one of them asked me to clarify something, I took my anger out on you all by finding fault with ALL of your choices (well, they asked a lot of questions today). That’s called displacement, a theory first articulated by Sigmund Freud. I’m sure he’s some kind of distant relative to Antoine, as they both are equally versed in the art of anecdotal evidence. (BTW Slim, while Freud is obviously one of the first round draft choices of modern psychology, there are a bunch of other sleepers out there that would give you more production for far less cash. Wundt and Titchener for instance, or perhaps even more valuable is William James (isn’t he one of your favorites?). James' contribution to the scientific side of the field is unquestioned. His theories suck, in retrospect, but you have to admire his methods..)

But, whoa, that’s quite the digression. If you’re actually still reading this, I guess we’d better start talking about results real quick. Hey! Someone slap Mikey and Shack, they’re drooling on their desks.

Okay, I have absolutely no system today. This is pure gut. I went into my exam without a calculator, so I couldn’t do averages today. (Just like the word processor with it’s “spellcheck” has robbed me of my once-gifted ability to spell, the revolution of the slide rule, and it’s cousin the abacus, began my downfall for mathematical computations. The calculator ruined it all, and now my brain is merely in stimulus/response mode when it comes to pushing keys on the keyboard. But hey, the food pellets sure are tasty, and they change my cage once a week, so I can’t complain.

So, in completely subjective order we have…

1. The Predators. Well that was probably worth waking up for, huh Shack? Getting Vidro with the sixth pick is a major snag. That alone warrants you first place for this round. And it only cost you one place in draft order. Nice work. Nunez is a “so, what?” but he’ll give you some starts if you need him. Small injury worry with Jose, and that trade rumor with him in his walk year are little annoyances, but ride him while you got him (any comments about a huge Johnson at this point would be most appropriate)

2. Boyz Bluz. Great solid 2-some in Alomar and Reyes. I think Robbie’s best days are beyond him, but I also think he’ll do better this year than last (I saw one publication that estimated an .800+ OPS. I think that’s optimistic, because the OPS formula doesn’t account for F.O.P. – Force of Spit – when it cranks out it’s numbers. If it did, then I’d have to say that was a good estimate. But he’s still a decent plug-in for the infield). And, to also get another starter in Reyes and move to number rates this as a damn fine round for Z.

3. Scalawags. They could rate the best round. They moved up 3 spots to the second position for SS, which will nab them high quality there, or they can wait for Rolen. Loretta is solid. He won’t duplicate last year, but he’ll still put up good numbers for a second baseman. Grudz as a backup is okay, but I think others are right in that he won’t keep his job for long. However, Grudz has always been undervalued, so you never know. Good round here.

4. Panthers. . Good pickup in Kent, he’s a Lady’s man, and she must have been gunning for him from the get go. Nice job. I think he’s back to normal and will have a better year this year than last. Castro is okay, too, because he’ll fill in at second when Larkin goes down and Jimenez moves to short for the Reds. Good, good round. Would rank higher, but you took a hit in rankings for SS.

5. Cobras. Another great round, nabbing Giles in the 3 hole. Hart will be back up at some point this year, but I’m not sure you can be that patient to hold on to him til he reappears. Still, Giles by himself was well worth every penny and every slot dropped for SS. But, a slide here costs you a top notch SS. That’s not bad, but it’s enough to get you the #5 ranking for the round. Good draft Stat’s got going here.

6. Bartenders . Walker and Spivey. Spivey will be the primary starter here, at least at the beginning of the season. For no reason at all, I’ve also got the feeling he’s going to really improve this year, so you may have yourself a steal, Len. Walker will provide good utility work at second and several other positions, but how long will he be in the NL? I don’t know. If I did know, I’d be doing something else besides teaching psychology to a bunch of ungrateful snot nosed entitled punks, I tell you that.

7. Tsunami. I had trouble ranking Mikey’s team today. Maybe it was the thought of his cool logo and the nice image of the beach in summer it gave me, coupled with the sheer panic of an incoming tidal wave and the flood that would ensue. That kind of relaxation/panic combination really confused me, so like I said, I had trouble ranking this team. I like the combo of Polanco and Kata. I think Placido will play a lot of third, particularly as I think David Bell is a bust and will lose his job. Kata though is a good backup. He won’t be able to start at 2B much, but he’ll give Mikey a bunch of versatility at various positions. Tough one. Confusing. Probably better than I think.

8. Humps. I like Durham. He spends some of his offseason here in Charlotte, so that’s a big plus. In fact, one of the fathers of a kid on my son’s baseball team has seen him hitting at some local cages. Cool. He’ll produce a good bit for Fambo, and he’s probably the 4th or 5th best 2B available this year. Jackson’s pick brings this down. It only happened yesterday that he got cut, so it may have been too late for Fambo to make an adjustment, but Damian is currently jobless, and his best prospect is in Oakland. So that leaves you with no backup.

9. Steamers. Jimenez and Anderson. Both will get a fair amount of playing time, and Marlon will give you versatility at other positions. I really think this should be higher, but I couldn’t figure out how much, so I kept putting it here. It seems like it should be better, but I guess it comes down to CJ getting two mediocre 2B. It’s nice that he’ll get a lot of starts from them, and perhaps Jimenez will play like he did the second half last year. I’m not believing that he can, but that’s just me, and my opinion ain’t worth squat (unless you were one of the students who just took my exam, then the fate of the rest of your life rests precisely with my opinion)

10. MadHatters. Again, I had a hard time with this one for some reason. I like Castillo. I had him last year, and I was glad I did. And, in the nine spot, you probably weren’t even expecting to get him that low, Duff. Nice pick up late in the first round. It’s just he’s more speed that power, and speed doesn’t count for much in BBM. It’ll help and I don’t think you could have done anything except maybe nab Spivey. Cora is okay. He’ll play, so you have the position covered.

Okay, I’m tired. I’ve got a mountain of tests to grade, plus 3 classes worth of papers that I’ve had sitting on my desk since before the draft started. I probably still won’t look at them until after my second draft is over, which is after Easter. Luckily, I’ve already had the students fill out my teaching evaluations for this semester, otherwise, I’d be toast.

See ya tomorrow! Good luck tonight!

OF Draft Analysis

Posted by Dr. Jay on March 31, 2004

Weird title. Kind of like Katie Couric saying “Tomorrow on Today” or Matt Lauer saying “Yesterday on Today” or me saying in USAToday Today…

What a long, strange trip it’s been (and I’m just talking about me here, must be the NyQuil). And to top it off, it’s raining here today, so watch out for my crankies. Rain and withdrawal. Yuck, makes one start contemplating listening to “Bohemian Rhapsody” over and over and over…(“I’m just a poor boy, I need no sympathy. Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality”). American Idol is on tonight, so at least I’ve got something to look forward to (is it a Queen theme? No, it’s actually Motown), But, enough about me and my pointless ramblings, let’s look at how Pinetar did with their first basemen. There’s good news (like I didn’t rank Shack in the 9 spot), and bad news (like the magic of picking last has worn off for CJ), but enough of the promo, let’s get to the results, shall we?

First, an explanation…

I ranked you each on cash remaining again, but I doubled the weight for the talent drafted. I figure draft positioning is still important, but after yesterday’s fiasco of ranking you too much based on positioning, I thought I’d even things out and go heavily on the other side today.

Here we go, in reverse order…

10. Mad Hatters. Salary rank: 9, 1B rank 10 (x2)

Duff gets Overbay and Ventura. At least both are slated to start, at least for now. I think Overbay could have a solid year, and picking in the 9th position I don’t think you could have done much better, though perhaps stealing Wilson from Statman and waiting for LaRoche as a FA (although risky) may have been a gutsy move with a lot of upside. Still, LaRoche is still there for anybody to claim, including Duff. Anyway, I digress. Overbay should produce some okay numbers, maybe around a .775 OPS. You need some help. Ventura will also be “okay” just not stellar. Combined you’ve got two 1B who will play a lot (Overbay more than Ventura), but I think a FA is in your future.

9. Steamers. Salary rank: 10, 1B rank 9 (x2)

Well, the luck had to end. And when you’re picking only two players instead of six, the dregs are much less appetizing. The quality here is just a little more than the Hatters. With Nevin, CJ gets a guy who is a proven run producer but the nagging questions always concern injuries with him. If he’s healthy, what a snag for 1460K, if he’s not…Well that’s why I’ve given you the #9 ranking. Galarraga. Well, if he hooks up with someone, he’ll be a decent backup. I’m not sure that’s a likely possibility.

8. Road Humps. Salary rank: 7, 1B rank 8 (x2)

Fambo gets Casey and Franco. I love Franco as a backup here. Especially for his starts against left handed pitching. Great catch in the second round. Casey as a front liner though…Nevin, Overbay, and even Simon were still available and they may have been better choices in the long run. Something about Casey has just never sat right with me. He seems like he should be so much better, but he’s only averaged .765 OPS over the last three years, and you’d hope that you could get more production from your starting first baseman. Fambo and Duff will be battling over LaRoche.

7. Predators. Salary rank: 6, 1B rank: 7 (x2)

Finally, Shack gets off the Dr. Jay schnied (sp?). At his position, he got the best he could (unless he wanted to get Thome, but instead appears to have chosen to save money here.) Can’t say I blame him for going low on $$$, but it didn’t change his draft position at all (not that saving money in itself isn’t useful for FA picks later on). Johnson will really have a good year. Being out of the limelight in NY will help him immensely. So will playing 22 games in Hiram Bithorn. I think you can expect an .850 OPS from Johnson. Snow is a very serviceable backup, but the injury bug raises its head again with him (I hate it when bugs raise their heads, it creeps me out). But, with Johnson playing most of the Expos games, it doesn't matter who Shack has as a backup.

6. Bartenders. Salary rank: 8, 1B rank: 6 (x2)

Thome from the 8 position. Nice. His finger’s okay. (His index finger I mean. Watch out for that middle one he’s wagging at Pinetar for letting him drop to the 8th slot). Yeah, he starts slow, and the injury may make that an even slower than normal spot, but I think Thome is the consensus number 3 1B in the NL. To get him at 8th is a coup! I did down grade the position ranking somewhat because of the injury and the slow start, and because of Baerga. I don’t think he’ll play much this year, and his production should recede a little this season, anyway. Still a nice versatile backup.

5. Scalawags. Salary rank: 5, 1B rank: 5 (x2)

Elmore gets himself Lee and Cordero. Lee will have a great year in Chicago, and hit at a .900+ OPS clip. He’s just as steady as she goes, and underrated because his name isn’t as big as Helton or Pujols or Thome (it doesn't have as many letters in it as those names do, either. Bummer). Great pick in the five hole. As for Cordero, Choi figures to get most of the playing time in Miami, but if he slumps like last year, Cordero could step in. At any rate, he’ll provide some decent pinch-hit appearances. Maybe Florida will wear their special “wife-beater” sleeveless T’s under their uniforms on nights Wil gets to start. That would be a nice gesture.

4. Tsunami. Salary rank: 4, 1B rank: 3 (x2)

Mikey nabs Sexson and Phillips here. Richie will do well in AZ. Richie would do well anywhere, but he’s had a great history of performance at the B.O.B. (.378 avg, 6 HR in 12 career games – thank you cbs.sportsline). Now 12 games is a paltry sample, but in this case I really think it’s a sign of things to come. 45 HR are more than likely. Phillips is an outstanding backup. He’ll play a little first, a little catcher, and boom, you’ve got yourself maybe the best utilityman in this round of the draft. Nicely done. Just, somebody please tell Jason that “Leave it to Beaver” is no longer in first run production. Nobody wears glasses like that anymore, not even Sabo.

3. Panthers. Salary rank: 1, 1B rank: 4 (x2)

No, that’s not a typo. I like LC’s pick here. Yes, she could have had Thome, but the money she saved moved her into first to snag her choice of 2B tonight (Kent, perhaps, in keeping with the Astros theme?). Simon is a guy who will start against righties, too, so she’ll get additional 1B appearances with him. Yeah, Bagwell’s an injury risk, and perhaps in retrospect getting Lee at the same price may have been more conservative. But, Bags plays in a hitter friendly environ, and he’s her hometown boy. Like this pick. Plus, my best friend in high school was named Bagwell (unfortunately that was his first name. Why do parents do crap like that? Did you know that the creator of Lear Jets named his daughter Chrystal Chanda? Chrystal Chanda Lear. Ouch.)

2. Boyz Bluz. Salary rank: 2, 1B rank: 2 (x2)

I should just give a tie to Stat and Z. Look at the numbers for Helton and Pujols. They are virtually identical. Helton’s may be a little higher, on average, but Pujols is coming into his prime. He’s due for an even more productive year this year than last year. I flipped a coin, and Z lost. Pujols gets ranked at #2. And Choi is his backup, but who cares? Two words: Poo Holes! (Wait, I think that came out wrong. Would the FCC allow something like that on the air? I think not.) And, Z is still second for second. I like it! That’s almost as good as a tit for a tat, or a yin for your yang (as long as you don’t yen for my yang, I think we’re okay)

1. Cobras. Salary rank 3, 1B rank: 1 (x2)

This could easily have been Z’s spot from my perspective, and as I write this, I’m still perplexed why I didn’t just give ya’ll both first place rankings. But, I continue typing anyway without making any changes, so I guess it’s just going to stay this way. Can’t argue with Helton. Actually, I didn’t really flip a coin, I gave the nod to Stat because he got nearly identical production for 400K less, and that savings virtually netted him Wilson, a lefty killer who’ll play all over the park. Excellent first base round, and definitely in line for a top notch second sacker.

Which means, we’re done with the first sackers, so until tomorrow. Hasta…

The Further Devinations of PSYCHIC SLIM FIRST BASE

Posted on March 31, 2004

The Totals Going Into Round 3

Steamers.......86

MadHatters....79

Scalawags:....72

Road Humps:..71

Bartenders:....68

Cobras:.........68

Tsunami:.......62

Predators:.....61

BoyZ Bluz:.....54

Panthers.......45

[NOTE TO SELF: Yesterday you wrote that Mr. Z "curiously chose Junior - 'cause he's going down ... ". Junior went down yesterday. Thank The Space Chums on Pinetar's behalf]

Boyz Bluz:Mr. Z choses King Albert for 100k less than the best player in MLB ("BPIMLB")(Arod struck out 2x this morning so for the time being Albert is the BPIMLB) Anyone watch the game AT 4 A.M. with Psychic Slim? The Space Chums, of course, multi-tasked and watched it from the Planet Xenon where they were quelling a violent fashion rebellion by the indigenous DeGenerian sect. 11 Points for the BPIMLB. And, ...Z got Big Choi --- ECA!!! as a good backup, but a much less versatile one than the Cobras got, since Albert never doesn't play, and apparently is always gonna play 1st. Big Choi's value, then, --- a normal 6-7 Point man (on the come and because of Psychic Slim's inbred bias) --- must go down for this team. Let's call it 3 points. Total Team Points for First: 14

Cobras: Stat gets Todd (10 Points) for 500k less than King Albert would cost and, for about the same extra money, should be happy with Craig Wilson as an appearance heavy backup (for Stat, not the Pirates) at 1st, in the OF, maybe even at catcher 7 points for all of his maneuverability and good OBP.) 17 Points for all of this.

Tsunami: Richie "Escape from Milwaukee", Sexson (9 pts) Definite upside value in the AZ. heat. Should best his 45 homers from last year. Jason Phillips (.308 BA vs. LHP, .294 BA vs. RHP, .373 OBP, .442 Slg.) won't be needed at first since Richie never doesn't play. Unlike the versatility given the Cobras, the only value to having Phillips is off the bench ... which is nice to have, but much less points for this. Let's be kind and say 3 pts. Total of 12 pts.

The Panthers: Drafting 4th, LC predictably gets her Bags, about whom The Chums are issuing a cautionary physical warning concerning his shoulder (Ye who scoff, See, Junior, supra), but, not to worry, LC, Randall Simon's the backup. Let's call this a combo of 11 Pts, for all of the previously stated reasons.

Scalawags: Cubbie Derrick Lee and Marlin Will Cordero. Actually a better combo because Cordero sometimes gets OF time. 12 Pts.

Predators: Nick Johnson and J.T. Snow. Ho hum. 8 Pts.

Bartenders: Thome and Baerga. 12 Pts. for the power of Big Jim and Mr. Baerga's new found career and versatility.

Road Humps: Sean Casey and Julio Franco. 7 Pts. Psychic Slim is getting too sensitive about all the "old" jokes, so he won't make any.

MadHatters: Overbay and Ventura. Young and Old. Some worries here --- but should be fun to watch and see if Lyle can do it. Space Chum Sammy Davis Jr. channels, "Yes, he can!" 7 Pts. for this less-than-versatile Munster (strange) combo.

Steamers: Nevin and Galarraga. The Space Chums herein announce to the world: Phil Nevin is not the player you think he is, and not only because he's got his own ward named after him at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital. Speaking of which, hasn't Galarraga had a great career? It's over. 5 Pts.

Brand New Totals After Rd. 3

Steamers.......91

MadHatters....86

Cobras:.........85

Scalawags:....84

Bartenders:....80

Road Humps:..78

Tsunami:.......74

Predators:.....69

BoyZ Bluz:.....68

Panthers.......56

Good luck tonight!

Psychic Slim & The Space Chums

The Further Devinations of PSYCHIC SLIM OUTFIELDERS

Posted March 28, 2004

The Totals Going Into Round 2

MadHatters....49

Steamers.......42

Scalawags:....35

Tsunami:.......31

Bartenders:....29