Sunday, April 4, 2010

March Showers Bring April Flowers

Now that 1/4 of the year is already gone, I seem to have entered a new phase of the "2010 is my year" plan: The Execution. I recently got a fortune cookie that said, "The project you're working on will soon gain momentum." Wasn't too specific about which project and the caveat is that fortune cookies are like sycophants, they're say anything to get on your good side, but it could be some good news......

Here's what I've done already in the first quarter of 2010:

1.) Went on ski trip to Mammoth (first time)
2.) Finished my note (for law school)- trust me, it's a big deal. HEAVY drinking went on after I was done with it.
3.) Finished 3rd in my law school NCAA bracket.....not bad, but this year boiled down to who had W. Virginia and Duke in the Final Four.
4.) Helped my buddy Alex Zalkin (shout-out!) win our Fantasy Basketball Championship + $200 in cash winnings, offering sage advice at opportune times and being his eyes and ears. I should start charging a fee as the Fantasy Sport Guru.
5.) Found employment for the summer.
6.) Found employment NOW.....more later.
7.) Went to a Big Brother Casting Call ( in L.A.... probably the longest I've waited in line for something that lasted only a minute, but if "the project gains momentum," it'll all be worth it..."
8.) Drafted my 2nd annual USC Law fantasy baseball team. Privately lovin' it, outwardly reserved to appear humble.

Here's some early-season baseball guys I have a STRONG feeling about.....and remember, if I make 6 out of 10 correct calls, I'm doing pretty well as a fantasy baseball analyst.

1.) The combo of Ben Zobrist and Jason Bartlett is going MUCH too high. In our league, Zobrist went in the 4th Round. Uh-uh. After going undrafted in most leagues last year, you're rolling the dice way too much to own them again. It's like that axiom about auctions: The winner of an auction has paid too much. In the case of Zobrist + Bartlett, that is the case for both.

2.) Clayton Kershaw and Tommy Hanson: I firmly believe that both will join Tim Lincecum in dominating NL east hitting for years to come. They have similar high-level prospect profiles as Lincecum, both had realy successful freshman campaigns, and both are strikeout pitchers. Exhibits A, B, and C on franchise players.

3.) Still standing by my statements to draft no pitchers in any league for at least first 7 or 8 rounds. If you look at guys going early like Greinke, Haren, or Wainwright, I can easily see later-round guys like Kershaw, Hanson, Hamels, or Nolasco outperforming them this year. Nolasco, especially, looks like he could go out and throw a no-hitter on Opening Day. Looking deeper, there are some young strikeout pitchers that almost go undrafted like Ervin Santana, Francisco Liriano. And there's no position scarcity with pitchers, neither.

4.) As I write this, See a truly beautiful sight: Curis Granderson, fresh off signing a big contract w/ the Yankees, first at-bat, v. Josh Beckett, belts a solo homer to center. Ahh yes, welcome to the Bronx Bombers, Curtis. You're looking good already. Illinois homeboy right there.

5.) Be vigilant in the first few games. Look for peeps you had no idea existed, cuz they might be early birds and get off to awesome starts... Exhibit A, Emilio Bonifacio in 2009, Chris Shelton in 2007. There's always somebody. Especially also cuz fast starters' stats seem disproportionately awesome because of the short sample size, unwary owners are gonna be susceptible to sell-high offers. Snag them and then release.....the short sell, works all the time, 50% of the time.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

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