My Football Fantasy: Roppongi Moose Rampage

College League: Squid loses, 103.47-73.13 (2-2 overall record)
Vermont League: Squid loses, 77.64-72.04 (2-2)
My MVP: Jerod Mayo (Linebacker, Patriots) with 14 solo tackles, 2 assisted tackles and 1 pass defended


Photo from BostonHerald.com

My opponent in the college league this week was Roppongi Moose, my fellow diplobrat. He was 0-3 coming into the week and none-too-happy about his team. They came through for him, though, especially his IDPs. I'm happy for him to finally get a win - I guess...

I am delighted to feature an IDP myself this week. Mayo, unlike my previous MVPs, is not Florida-born. He's from Hampton, Virginia. He was a tackling machine against the Dolphins last night.

My Baseball Fantasy: Triumph

I won! It was close, though. I beat the runner-up by just two points. So, I'll finally get a trophy icon on my Yahoo! fantasy profile.

My Stalwarts

I finished the year with just nine of my 23 original draft picks: Matt Kemp (OF), Ryan Zimmerman (3B), Brian McCann (C), Shin-Soo Choo (OF), Dan Haren (SP), Josh Hamilton (OF), Heath Bell (RP), Rickie Weeks (2B) and Billy Wagner (RP). All but Haren and Wagner have been featured as either my player of the week, my player of the month or both. Haren had a disappointing year but the fact that I haven't acknowledged Wagner before this is shocking. He was the best reliever in fantasy baseball this year: 7 wins, 37 saves, 104 strikeouts, a 1.43 ERA and an 0.87 WHIP.

My MVP


Photo via News Around the Globe

Player: Josh Hamilton

Position: Left Fielder/Center Fielder

Team: Texas Rangers

Stats for the Year: 32 home runs, 100 RBI, 95 runs, 8 stolen bases and a .359 batting average

Hamilton probably lost his shot at the American League MVP award by missing most of September due to injury. But then again, maybe not. He still won the league batting title and is the first batting champion to also record at least 30 homers and 100 RBI since Manny Ramirez in 2002. Plus, he's an outstanding fielder and the Rangers probably wouldn't have won their division without him. I certainly wouldn't have won the fantasy league without him so he deserves major kudos here.

Before this year, Hamilton was famous for all of the wrong reasons. The first overall draft pick in the 1999 draft, Hamilton has struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years. He has suffered through suspensions, rehabs and relapses and was out of the sport entirely for three seasons. With all of the attention paid to steroids over the past few years, it's easy to forget that baseball still struggles with broader substance abuse issues. Perhaps the cocaine troubles are not what they were in the '70s and '80s but cases such as Hamilton's serve as a reminder that there are great perils in the life of a star athlete: pressure, expectations, attention and far too much money at far too young an age. Even with all of the cautionary tales - Len Bias, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry, etc. - too many young people fall prey to addiction.

There is, of course, a very big difference between addiction and abuse. Abuse is a choice. But addiction is a disease and should be acknowledged as such. Cocaine is the headline grabber but alcohol and nicotine are far and away the most prevalent drug addictions in the United States. Alcoholism has always been a part of sports - for fans and athletes alike. It is a problem which will always haunt Hamilton. All of the press regarding the Rangers' post-game celebration of their division title focused on Hamilton's self-imposed absence due to his addiction. Most praised him for his responsible choice and that is as it should be.

None of this should diminish Hamilton's accomplishments on the field. Indeed, the fact that he has managed to come back and be a productive player and also be open and honest about his personal struggle is all to the good. The sports world, indeed the world at large, is filled with stories of those who never made it back.

Thoughts for Next Year

I thoroughly enjoyed the season. However, as much as I like the Rotisserie format, the consensus in the league seems to be that a head-to-head set up would be preferred in the future. To me, planning week to week as opposed to day to day seems a little contrived for baseball. But then, what aspect of fantasy sports is NOT completely contrived? Furthermore, I think it is probably a more sociable set up and also helps keep everyone engaged through the whole season. Also, a head-to-head league allows for playoffs at the end of the season. Realism isn't really the point. Everyone enjoying the league is far more important. So, I expect we'll make the switch.

For the record, that's two changes to remember for next time:
- no league review for trades
- head-to-head format

Let's Talk Baseball: Bold Proposal Final Standings

Following are the final standings for my bold proposal for baseball realignment. The basic idea is two divisions, upper and lower, determined by last year's final standings. The bottom three of the First Division are relegated for next year. The top two of the Second are promoted, along with the winner of a playoff between the next four.


First Division

1. Phillies (+4 from August)
2. Rays (unchanged)
3. Yankees (-2)
4. Twins (unchanged)
5. Giants (+3)
6. Braves (-3)
7. Rangers (-2)
8. Red Sox (-3)
9. Cardinals (unchanged)
10. Rockies (unchanged)
11. Tigers (+2)
12. Marlins (unchanged)
12. Angels (+2)
12. Dodgers (-1)
15. Cubs (unchanged)
16. Mariners (unchanged)


Second Division

1. Reds (unchanged)
2. Padres (unchanged)
3. White Sox (unchanged)
4. Blue Jays (unchanged)
5. A's (unchanged)
6. Mets (unchanged)
7. Brewers (unchanged)
8. Astros (unchanged)
9. Nationals (unchanged)
9. Indians (+3)
11. Royals (-1)
12. Orioles (+1)
13. Diamondbacks (-2)
14. Pirates (unchanged)


Biggest rise: Phillies

Greatest falls: Braves and Red Sox

And so...

- The top eight teams in the First Division would make the playoffs, the only difference from the real world being that the Red Sox are in (you're welcome) and the Reds are out (don't hate me just yet). My first playoff round: Phillies-Red Sox, Rays-Rangers, Yankees-Braves and Twins-Giants.

- The bottom three in the First Division would be demoted for the following year, so Cubs and Mariners both go down. The Angels, Marlins and Dodgers all finished with identical records so I'm going to head-to-head to make the call. Dodgers had losing records against both the Angels and Marlins this year and the other two never played each other. So, the Dodgers go down, too.

- The top two in the Second Division are automatically promoted so Reds and Padres move up. The next four would enter a playoff to determine the third promotion. That playoff's first round would be White Sox-Mets and Blue Jays-A's. The winners would then play each other. I'll give the White Sox the benefit of the doubt on this one and say they'd make it through.

After all that, next year's divisions would be as follows:

First Division

Phillies
Rays
Yankees
Twins
Giants
Braves
Rangers
Red Sox
Cardinals
Rockies
Tigers
Marlins
Angels
Reds
Padres
White Sox


Second Division

Dodgers
Cubs
Mariners
Blue Jays
A's
Mets
Brewers
Astros
Nationals
Indians
Royals
Orioles
Diamondbacks
Pirates

The Reds, of course, have the opportunity to upset the apple cart on all of this. If they should win the World Series, I'll abandon the whole idea. Please understand, though, I want them to win (I did tell you not to hate me yet). I want to be proven wrong. I want to believe that more than just an elite group of teams have a shot at winning the World Series each year.

So, as the playoffs begin later this week, I will be watching the Reds with great interest.

Orioles Sign Off for 2010

This year was such a disaster two months ago. At the point when Buck Showalter took over as manager, the Orioles were on pace to lose 113 games. That they only lost 96 in the end is nothing short of extraordinary. How good has the brief Showalter Era been for the O's? Their winning percentage with two months under their new manager is .596. Extrapolate for the season and that would have been good enough for the best record in the American League.

For the first time in ages, the Orioles should head into next season with high hopes. The beauty of the strong end to the season is the fact that this is still a very young team, especially the pitching staff. If Showalter can work even a fraction of the same magic he brought this season, substantial improvement next year is a very reasonable expectation.

The off-season will be busy. Starting pitcher Kevin Millwood is likely finished as an Oriole, relieving the team of one of its biggest current contracts. Ty Wiggington is also a free agent now and one would hope that his re-signing would be a high priority. If they're to go shopping for new faces, I think offense should be the higher priority, though I hope the team won't crowd out the young talent which has come on so strong at the finish.

Perhaps the best thing for a strong team in 2011 would be a healthy Brian Roberts. Perhaps they could look for someone who could fill in adequately as the leadoff man, just in case.

Family Adventures: Soccer Parents

It's been a busy week for Our Girl's soccer team. They won a game on Wednesday and drew today. Today's was actually a pretty exciting game. There were actual some discernible passes between players and some strong, aggressive defense. Great to see!

We are quickly learning that the most frustrating aspect of youth soccer is the parents. Most are very nice and are happy and amused to just sit and watch. Some, however, cannot help but complain. Homer (our coach) is very good at handling it, though. One of the mother's gave him a hard time about making the field big enough. I guess her daughter had complained about it after the last game. His response was awesome: "This is how you open the conversation with me? Not thanks for coaching my kid? Not congratulations on your first win this week? Let's start again and pretend that didn't just happen." It was wonderful. I was proud of him.

I complimented him on his handling and of the situation later and he assured me that he gets loads of practice handling parents with the varsity girls team at the high school.

I will get my first taste of coaching at practice on Wednesday. Homer has a high school game so his assistant recruited me to help her out. The main challenge at this age is the kid wrangling. We'll see how it goes.

My Baseball Fantasy: The Day of Reckoning

Week: September 26-October 2
Current Standing: 1st out of 12
My Player of the Week: Carlos Marmol (Relief Pitcher, Cubs) with 4 saves, 7 strikeouts, a 0.00 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP

I am delighted to feature finally feature a Cub this season! I added Marmol to my roster when Jonathan Broxton (Dodgers) was demoted. He's finishing the year strong.

So, this is it. Today is the last day of the season. My lead is even slimmer than it was a week ago: 1.5 points. No night games today so we should know the outcome early. Of course, there's also the Giants/Padres/Braves saga to follow today. I'm pulling for the Padres.

My Baseball Fantasy: September Player of the Month

Photo via PRO Rumors

Player: Shin-Soo Choo

Position: Right Fielder

Team: Cleveland Indians

Stats for the Month: 6 home runs, 25 RBI, 18 runs, 7 stolen bases and a .333 batting average