Why I don’t like keeper leagues (a.k.a. why I don’t like commitment)

Most people like keeper leagues. Any fantasy expert worth his salt will probably tell you that keeper leagues are the dream scenario, they add another dimension to the world of fantasy sports because you have to keep track of all your players during the offseason, think long-term as well as short-term, keep track of young prospects, etc. etc. I don’t like it. Keep in mind, this might be the ramblings of a man who has issues committing long-term, who has never had a long-term girlfriend, who has been employed at 7 different places since law school started 3 years ago, has written a post on his blog basically stating he’s not loyal to anybody. Lesson: this might be a “me” problem, not a keeper league problem.

(For anyone who doesn’t know what a keeper/dynasty league is, it’s a format where players you have for one season carry over to the next season, thus each manager can keep up to a certain amount of players for the next season, obviously keeping the good ones, losing the bad ones.)

1. I want each year to be new. Fresh. Original. The whole fun of each season is that it’s a new season; new year, new possibilities: new players. Sure I like Ian Kinsler as much as the next guy, but a long-term relationship with him can be kind of…..stale. Sorry, Ian; just being honest. (It’s not you, it’s me)

2. I zone out of baseball in the offseason. When baseball season’s over, I zone out. Period. I follow other sports; I go on to other pursuits. I don’t want to continue thinking about baseball, like off-season trades, free agent signings, arbitration proceedings, etc,. etc. (a.k.a. I need trial separation periods in relationships).

3. Football is not conducive to keeper leagues. My analogy is, it’s like eating pizza with a fork. Just unnatural…….the draft is so big in fantasy football, it wouldn’t be the same if people were already taken before the draft even started……

4. It diminishes the draft. Part of the hype of fantasy sports is The Draft. People look forward for months to the draft; it’s the single-most exciting event in a fantasy sports season, a time when all players are up for grabs and you fill out your whole team within a matter of honors, and in most cases you’re stuck with those guys for the whole season. A lot can happen in those 3 hours of the draft: seasons are won or lost, long-term relationships are forged. I wouldn’t want anything to diminish it. (Translation: I need a big welcoming party to make a commitment to something, so if you want to hook me into a Ponzi scheme or something, make a big splash to get me interested.)

5. I dislike the concept of “playing for next year.” I realize professional sports teams have long-term plans regularly and often go into a year knowing they’re no going to be competitive, but that’s just not me. I play to win every year, all year. There’s no “replacing veterans with young guys” at the end of my seasons to play for next year; I don’t like it at all. I think every fantasy player should be playing for one season only. Because……guess what, unlike the MLB, NBA, or NFL…..people withdraw from leagues. Leagues break up. Who knows if the league will still be around the following year. Play for now. (Basically, I’m weary of entering into a relationship because I’m afraid of breaking up). Man, I feel like I’ve made some real progress in our therapy session today, Robert.

Anyway, starting my new job tomorrow. Should be interesting; I achieved this position primarily through networking (shocker, I know). I’m excited but a little apprehensive because there’s some pressure on me to perform, a friend of mine vouched for me and I don’t want to disappoint. No commitment issues here; I want to be with the firm for a long time and do good work.

For everyone still looking for work, I don’t want to speak too soon in fear that this new opportunity may not work out and I jinx myself, but basically….Keep the faith. I was pretty much in the depths of despair a couple weeks ago, thinking my future was ruined, thinking how am I ever going to pay back my law school debt while unemployed, what alternative careers can I pursue if law doesn’t work out, etc. Keep plugging away, because although I know applying for jobs can seem futile, and slogging away on job sites can seem desperate……..all you need is one thing to work out. One offer. One person to take a chance on you. And maybe a little bit of luck ( I readily admit I got pretty lucky). Good luck, my friends.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Random Thoughts - 10 things

1.Translating Chinese is a lot tougher than knowing Chinese.
1a. There are varying degrees of fluency in a language. There’s fluent, and then there’s native. I’m looking to be native.

2. The West Wing- well beyond its time. Best character: Admiral Fitzwallace.

3. Trying to find a sell high point on my DE stock; stock market is just unstable right now. Haven’t found an appropriate point to do it;
Biggest financial headline: Greece’s debt crisis, European banks struggling, unstable global economy.

4. “Updating your resume” – a concept that signifies that someone is about to be let go, or needs to find new employment, implying that their job is no longer secure. I’ve been updating my resume for 10 years.

5. How did Entourage ever last 8 seasons? It was good for about 3 seasons, then 4 and 5 kinda dragged, and it’s been a miracle they’ve stayed on the air for 6, 7, and 8. And every single guy on the show has to be the luckiest S.O.B. ever; they somehow wiggle out of problems that they create every time. Totally unrealistic. Alas, it’s a pretty addicting show regardless.
6. Wily Mo Pena sighting: the modern-day Glenallen Hill, this guy is a mammoth. The legendary Mariano Rivera puts him down easily, though, en route to his 600th save. Congratulations.
7. Is Facebook still as big as it ever was? Or is trending downhill? I’ve stopped using it as frequently, but it’s still a great resource to see what past friends are up to. A revolutionary invention, I think it’s proven it’s not a fad: Like the Internet, it’s here to stay for good. Just think of it as a modern Yellowbook: everyone basically needs one to look people upinstead of businesses.
8. Does everyone have a gmail account at this point? That’s also a pretty modern trend that’s here to stay.
9. I’m probably gonna lose my Chinese membership card for saying this, but I really don’t like mooncake. Some of them are good, but it’s risky….. for every good one there’s one that’s really dry, nutty, and all-in-all unpleasurable. Next Mooncake festival? I’ll pass. Anyone else have ethnic holidays that they don’t really understand and don’t really like anyway???
10. My sister’s high school schedules her for 2 hours of Physical Education class next semester, but this semester she has none. Seems like an obvious problem to me…….physical education is like lunch; you need it every day. What is someone going to do, gain a lot of weight the semester without P.E. and lose it all through physical exertion the next day? Ah, the good ol’ days of playing flag football and “sharks and minnows” in the swimming pool for gym. The good ol’ days.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Almost Famous

“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.” – Andy Warhol

I admit, I’ve been sapped into the allure of becoming famous once or twice in my life. Whether it was going on Survivor/Big Brother, becoming a famous basketball player, being named as the next governor of California, I’ve had my desires of becoming famous (and still kinda do). Why? Well, for me, positive fame (not the kind you get on America’s Most Wanted) is a milestone, a marker in life showing that you’ve accomplished something, done something worthwhile, something to be celebrated, and everyone should know about it. Right or wrong, this was what motivated me to do well in school: a sense of accomplishment and proving to other people that I had what it takes. It was the same motivation in high school that propelled me to want to go to an Ivy League school: “I’ll show them. I’m awesome.”
Here’s 10 thoughts I NOW have about being famous:

1. Looking back, that motivation is a bit misplaced at best, and really I was thinking too much of myself: no one really cares that much. Most people care about themselves and their families.
2. Fame is different for a lot of people: some crave it, others loathe it, some are indifferent. It’s part of your personality: you could be the shy, reclusive type or the loud, outgoing, attention-grabbing type.
3. I wish more people got credit for positive fame: i.e. volunteering, discovering new medicines….instead of celebrity divorces, pregnancy tests, etc., etc. If more people got famous for positive achievements…. Maybe there would be more incentive to do good? Seem Logical?
4. It’s really not THAT hard to get famous (and I’m not just talking about committing a crime, etc.) Do something really unique, call your local news network, feed them the story… I guess it depends on the level of fame you want to achieve.
5. I wonder how it feels AFTER your 15 minutes (or seconds, as some are) of fame are up. Probably like you did before you had your 15 minutes….back to normal.
6. There’s some financial incentive to becoming famous (it correlates to more contacts, more recognizability, being able to book public speaking gigs)…..but is it worth the cost of getting there?
7. In 2007 I apparently was really off my rocker and took a poll suggesting I valued fame more than stability and security…….I’d like to think I’ve matured much more now and would choose the opposite.
8. I am inspired by stories of people jumping from obscurity to celebrity but remembering who their friends were before, and giving back to the community that got them there… kudos to those who’ve done that. Others who don’t do that, please learn.
9. I am disappointed by people who use their fame to belittle others or harm society in any way. If you’ve made it, congratualations.
10. Finally, to those who are famous, I say: with great power comes great responsibility. As a celebrity you have the power to change others, to have others listen to you and change people’s lives. Try to keep that in mind as you conduct your actions, and think about what you have the power to do. The world thanks you.

Fantasize on,
Robert Yan


Random life thought: Do any religions belief in a form of afterlife where right after you die, you are reborn and begin a new life, tabula rasa? Cuz I’m beginning to think that, and hope that that’s actually the case……I know, not a revolutionary theory and pretty random, but I just wanted to throw that out there.

What 9/11 means to me

10-year anniversary (bad word)..........10 years ago 9/11 shocked and rattled the nation, but America proved its character by staying strong in the midst of an attack.

I don't remember much about September 11, 2001. I was 14 and a freshman in high school; like many in my generation I was sitting in class, ready to begin the day, when our principal came on the public address system: there had been an incident in New York; a plane had crashed into the World Trade Center........and the rest, as they say, was history.

I'm not entirely apathetic, I feel terrible for the lives that were lost, especially of those who were innocent and were just going about their business... that really could have been anyone, anyone living in a building, in a city, or in any group of people. It was really a senseless killing: people's precious lives were lost for no reason. However, I can't say I was really that effected by 9/11: I was safe, my parents were safe, my immediate and outside family was safe, no one I knew passed away in 9/11: it really was just a news story for me that got me out of school for a day. Is that really a callous thing to say? A little bit, but it's truthful....I really didn't get rim-rattled by 9/11, I didn't lose sleep over it, no tears were shed. It was a momentous event in history for me. I'm not a very emotional guy now, and I definitely wasn't at age 14. I think back now and yes, I feel terrible, I feel awful about what happened. For me and my generation, I think 9/11 is a great lesson to learn from as we grow and understand the world, and as our understanding of 9/11 evolves so do ourselves: we become the naive kids who thought the U.S.A. was the best country in the world and thus infallible and immune against its eminies to understanding as adults that the real world is no fairy tale: there are evil people with powerful weapons who our dangers to others and are capable of great evils, and we must pay heavy costs to make sure these or similar people are never allowed to do something like 9/11 ever again.

9/11 though, is really profound. The fact that it happened 10 years ago boggles my mind. It makes me worry that the last 10 years went so fast, and you only get about 6 or 7 of these decades.....I've already used up 2.5.......gotta cherish the rest of these. And that's the point. For me, 9/11 is a reminder that anything can happen in life. 9/11 happened on a random Tuesday in mid-September: people were just getting back into the groove of work after summer vacations, Labor Day had just been celebrated with end-of-summer barbecues, the NFL kicked off week 1 of its season and people were just getting over their Monday Night Football hangovers. No one besides a few people knew 9/11 was going to happen; yet something that fundamentally game-changing, that devastating, that costly to human lives, happened in a blink. Makes one cherish life, to go downstairs when living in your parents' home (while unemployed) and talk to them a bit, to go outside and smell the fresh air, to feel alive, do the things you love and love the things you do......because one knows, the next 9/11 might happen tomorrow (not saying it will, FBI please don't arrive at my house).....Life changes, the world changes, and you could be left with nothing, or something that shatters your world forever. In the meantime, you should live your life to the fullest regardless.


Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

(just wrote one of the more satisfying posts I think I have ever done on this blog, out of the 300 or so posts that have been done here. Let's hope for some more).

Loyalty

Recently I’ve started rooting for the Angels again: like a true fair-weather fan, I followed them closely during their run to the ALCS in 2009, didn’t really care about them in 2010 when they lost the division to the Rangers, and have now hopped back on the bandwagon to the Angels as they pulled within 1.5 games of Texas and 5 games of wild-card leading Boston tonight. Go Dan Haren!!!! Yay!!!!

I admit that my Angels loyalty is a bit sparse, but it brings up an interesting point: what does it mean to be a true fan of a sports team? (I think I am a fan…. A confused fan, but fan). How many games do you need to go to every year? ( Been to 6 games in 3 years ) When the team is on TV, how long must you watch them for? (I tune out as soon as I believe the game is out of reach, many times before that). How much team apparel do you need to buy? ( I have one solitary Angels hat that was given to me……O and a used 2009 Angels cup bearing the 2009 schedule, purchased at the height of my loyalty, no doubt). It’s tough to say, really: it really depends on my mood, how much time I have on my hands, and how well my fantasy team is doing (fantasy sports comes fist, of course).
Loyalty: another trait I need some more of to improve my fantasy game, and one I preach to certain fantasy managers. ( It doesn’t apply many times because some managers are on the other side of the spectrum, TOO loyal). Players I owned at one point in the season this year before I traded/dropped them: Ian Kennedy, Brian McCann, Mike Napoli, Jeremy Hellickson, Michel Pineda, Brandon Beachy. Basically a who’s who of players that could have helped me this year. Sigh.
My questionable sports(and fantasy sports…. Hey, they’re 2 different things) loyalty does not carry on to life:

I will admit, though, that I sometimes forget about acquaintances, neglect them. I don’t do this intentionally or because people have “outlived their usefulness.” To the contrary, I wish I could stay friends with everyone I’ve ever met, especially with the emphasis on networking and “knowing people” and whatnot in today’s society. No, honestly, sometimes I lose track of people just because I’m spread too thin, it’s not convenient, or…..people don’t want to get back in touch with me. I understand…..some people just have magnetic personalities that attract people to them like bees like honey ( I hear Parvati from Survivor is one of these people). I am NOT one of these people. I’m energetic, I’m polite, but at the end of the day I’m just another Asian guy who plays violin, went to law school, and lives in California….doesn’t really stand out from the crowd. I’m not accusing my acquaintances of not valuing me or whatever, people lead their own lives……I don’t really have that much to offer people at this stage of my life besides my friendship.

However, when I do make friends, I am loyal to the end. You gotta be; you can’t just quit on people for no reason. Loyalty is one of those virtues that makes sense: you stick with others, they stick with you.
Question: Much like in fantasy sports, is there such a thing as being TOO Loyal in life, where you stick with something or someone
Easy Answer: Well yes, if you get addicted to hard drugs, it’s time to break that off and be disloyal.
Hard Answer: I do think there are times you can be too loyal. You see cases all the time on TV, battered spouses who stay with abusive husbands, corporations that stick with a shady CEO until he gets indicted for bank fraud, etc. Basically, it’s sort of a status quo: If someone has been loyal to you 100%, you gotta stay loyal. But if someone has already betrayed your trust or shown signs of not being loyal, (in law we call this anticipatory repudiation), you gotta make some preparations. People, unlike dogs, are naturally self-serving, loyalty is unfortunately secondary to self-serving desires for most people ( I will admit that there exist people who are entirely selfless….Mother Theresa is one of these people), but in general you gotta watch out for these things… if you get too close to the fire you can get burned. Grim reality of life.
(Fantasy case in point: me owning Jimmy Rollins 3 years in a row. You haven’t rewarded me yet, Jimmy).

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

The Handoff: From Baseball to Football

This time of year (it’s always around Labor Day, there’s a shift in the fantasy manager’s attention from fantasy baseball to football). Hopefully you have all of September to play fantasy baseball, the longer you go the better you’re doing, but we don’t all have that luxury. As teams get eliminated from playoff contention, fantasy football drafts come rolling around, you can feel summer ending, the days are getting shorter, and you can’t help but bid adieu to baseball and start anew with football, especially with the amount of baggage that a long baseball season can force a manager to carry.) So DaMan brings you a special Fantasy Baseball post, and then starting the NFL season right with an NFL post.
Fantasy Baseball lessons from 2011

DaMan got creamed this year. Looking back, I feel like a guy going to Vegas to fulfill the American dream, then losing his shirt and having to beg for bus fare on the way back home. So much optimism after 2 consecutive playoff campaigns, so much confidence, shattered by a lost season that really put my perspective on fantasy baseball into question.
1. Do NOT shy away from drafting guys who disappointed last year. Especially if you trust your abilities, cuz if you owned the previous year, chances are you trusted them at some point, they just underachieved in the particular season. Doesn’t mean they don’t have the talent/skills/ability to contribute the next season, and a breakout may be on the way.
My 2010 fantasy lineup (let me know if some of these names sound familiar): Matt Kemp, Adrian Gonzalez, Jacoby Ellsbury, Curtis Granderson, Jimmy Rollins, Evan Longoria. All (with the exception of Longo) hibernating last season, they each redefined the word “renaissance” and basically were all Top 10 hitters. I’ve kicked my own butt many times over this.
2. Don’t make trades too early in the season unless you NEED to. Sure, if you don’t have a catcher in your lineup, or someone got injured early, trade for one; but if you’re (like me) just trading to improve or as a reaction to underperformance, chances are you’re looking at too small of a sample size. Exhibit A of 2011: Ian Kennedy. Exhibit B: Brian McCann. I traded Kennedy after he gave up 9 runs in a game to the Cardinals; seems like he’s given up 9 total earned runs in 25 starts since. Incredible. Brian McCann: no wonder he was the 56th-ranked player in Yahoo!.
3. Young guys, young guys, young guys!!!! Bobby, how many times do you have to remind yourselves to take young guys!!!! I don’t care how many great stat years guys have, once they get over 30 they’re very prone to injuries, leveling off, or the worst (and a dirty dirty word that a fantasy owner never wants to hear), REGRESSION. This year I drafted Ian Kinsler (under 30, had great year), Derek Jeter (38, had terrible year until I dropped him at which point he instantly started hitting), Mark Teixeira (over 30 but had a great year, that happens), Kevin Youkilis (over 30, terrible year, always hurt, wasting what could have been a monster year in a pregnant lineup), Brian McCann (28, had great year), Magglio Ordonez (throwaway pick, he just sucked), and Jason Bay (over 30, will forever suck from now on). You might get lucky on an over-30 player once in a while, but you won’t make a living on it.
4. Don’t be immune to starting pitching. This might be the losing ways talking, but I’m re-thinking the whole “only draft hitting, wait for starting pitching later” idea. Watching guys like Verlander, Sabathia, Halladay, and Cliff Lee just dominate start after start really makes me want just ONE guy who I can absolutely rely on. I’ll compromise and see if one MONSTER pitcher might help out next year.
5. Pay attention during the shortened all-star week. This is just for pride; I’m now 5-23 in all-star weeks all-time in my key league: time to right that train.

Week 1 NFL picks against the spread.

They say the early weeks in the NFL season are the ones most ripe for bettors to make money, because the oddsmakers don’t know which teams are good yet, and the general public (who basically are the ones setting the odds) just bet based on names of the teams, not the actual teams as they exist. Good concept, except I really don’t know which teams are good yet, neither. Here are some educated guesses against the spread; let’s see how I do.
(picks in bold)
New Orleans +4 at Green Bay: Thought Saints were overrated last season cuz they lost to Browns and Seahawks, but I think it may be a case of being surprised and playing down to the competition + getting up for big games like the Falcons and Steelers. Green Bay should be overbet as the champs; don’t forget how bad the Packers struggled in the preseason, barely getting into the playoffs as 10-6. Even matchup on paper; I’ll take the 4 points.

Vikings +8.5 at Chargers: remember last season the 2 teams who were really talented but just couldn’t win? Yea, those were the Vikings and Cowboys. Bet against both and you would have made a fortune. But this year, I think that same talent makes them good picks as underdogs, especially against a Charger team that STINKS, I mean STINKS in September. O how short fans’ memories are.
Indy +8.5 at Houston: I’m not picking this, but 2 weeks ago I mentioned to my buddy Brother Mouzone that I would take Houston -3 v. Indy even WITH Peyton playing, and now obviously we hear Peyton is doubtful for the game. Sigh. Opportunity lost; potential millions that could have been won.
St. Louis +5 v. Philadelphia: Yes, Philly has Michael Vick. Yes, they just signed Nmamdi Asomugha. Yes, the Rams sucked last year (7-9). Yes, Philly looks like the best team in the NFL…on paper. A lot of high expectations for the Eagles, but their record is 0-0 just like anybody else, and the Rams as a home dog with 5 points seems like a real bargain, especially if they improve like they should and are a playoff team…. This will look like a steal at the end of the season.
NY Jets -4.5 v. Dallas: Yes, finally, I picked a favorite. I mentioned to my buddy that I could have made a living betting against USC, Notre Dame, and the Cowboys (big name programs that America likes and likes betting on). And…….USC and Notre Dame both looked horrible over the weekend and both missed covering by 20+ points. Dallas has Tony Romo back, but lost 2 Pro Bowl O-lineman. Seems like one step forward, 2 steps back for me. A.k.a. subtraction by subtraction.
Tampa Bay -1.5 v. Detroit: You’re telling me Detroit, the historically bad team and 2-10 team until they made an infathomible run at the end of season, is basically regarded as the BETTER TEAM on the road, only getting 1.5 points? Maybe it’s cuz the Lions went 4-0 in the preseason, maybe it’s cuz Matthew Stafford’s back, maybe it’s cuz the Lions have won 8 straight dating back to last season, but somebody’s got some wrong information about the Lions. I will bet against them. Plus I LOVE me some Josh Freeman.
Washington +3 v. New York Giants
So confident about this I’m making this my The WALKING DEAD LOCK. (Walking Dead soon to come back this fall on AMC…. Let’s hope it’s good). The Giants look like the walking dead so far this season, as they’re already without Osi Umeniyora for the opener, Eli’s struggling (although maybe not as bad as his older brother), injuries left and right. Call me crazy for picking a team with Rex Grossman as QB, but he looked good in the 3rd preseason game (historically an accurate gauge of performance) and the Skins always have talent on Defense.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan