The Office

In less than a month, I will have worked at my current job for an entire year. The year that I’ve been with the firm has been a very interesting one, full of ups, downs, and lows, lots of unexpected events like victories in court, losses in court, outbursts by bosses, being moved out of one desk to another, living in no less than 4 different places for work, passing the bar, being swore into the California Bar, spending most of my time with the people at work, more than with my friends, family, or any others. I’m  mostly  just glad I’ve had this year to work, considering how much I fretted and worried about finding employment in the first place; there was a solid month there when I was really, truly, unemployed: No excuse of being a student, studying for the bar, or anything: Just plain unemployed. Dreadful times.

Coming into work at Meyer Law Organization, I had never worked for an entire calendar year at any one job. Sure I’d done internships, summer camp jobs, but never anything consecutive such as the “you’re gonna be spending the rest of the year at this job” situation. I’ve realized that life is so different as a student/ being unemployed than being at work. Here’s what I’ve learned:

1.)    Have to wake up early. Man this is the toughest part, when that 7:30AM alarm clock (or whatever it is) goes off and you HAVE to get up. No procrastinating, negotiating, etc. Suck it up, put your pants, on, and go to work. Can’t dillydally on the way out, neither, grab your breakfast and go, there may be traffic waiting for you on the way.

2.)    Same officemates every day. Ever since like eighth grade I’ve had different classes each day where you at least switch it up every day; you switch from history to English to math in any given day, or in college you have a Tuesday-Thursday schedule and a M-W-F schedule. Not so. It’s the same people EVERY day. At the same time. Wearing a lot of the same things. So you better get used to it, and get along with those people. You’ll be seeing them a lot.

3.)    You take on the identity of work. You start feeling like a lawyer, a doctor, a camp counselor, a store clerk, an accountant, an engineer, whatever its. It’s a strange concept and sort of “obvious,” but on a day to day basis I HAVE to think like a lawyer, argue with other lawyers, persuade the court of my client’s position, be assertive to the client about collecting legal fees. And while performing these tasks you take on those qualities: assertiveness, persuasiveness, argumentativeness (not a word, Bobby- try “combativeness.”) There’s no way to escape that. Even if you weren’t a type-A lawyer personality (or whatever personality your profession requires), you are that now.

4.)    There’s gonna be office politics. It follows everyone everywhere: from school to college to your social circles to the office. People v. people and trying to get to the top/trying to be the coolest person around. It’s gonna happen. Unless u work by yourself (and even then I could argue you “compete” against your dual personalities) you’re gonna have to brave the world of office politics. It’s rough waters, and some people just don’t know how to manage it. Oftentimes, unfortunately, the quality of your work gets outweighed by office politics. Seriously; true story. To quote the wire: “There’s games beyond the game.” – Stringer Bell.

5.)    Welcome to the rest of your life. I’ve used this phrase throughout the year to describe getting into the “working world” and having responsibilities and a career, but it’s really the truth. High school, college, law school….those were kind of just fairy tale stopping grounds before the long grind in the real world: you have to realize you’re a little fish in a VERY LARGE pond: if you stop to take a breath the world will not hesitate to leave you behind. The good news is: You get paid. Start working on your student loans. And you can buy stuff! Yay! The bad news is: this is the rest of your life. You have no idea when it’s gonna end. Marriage only makes it more complicated. Children worse. It’s a daily routine, 24/7, there’s a reason why they call it “nose to the grindstone.” No mythical things such as a “summer break” to take off, no “No classes on Friday!” breaks, no “O I’ll just skip class today.” This is real life. Time to nut up or shut up.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Fantasy Football Zoo

A few words before I begin my fantasy football preview:

The draft is like 50% of your season experience. Seriously. It’s big. Unlike basketball and baseball, where there’s much more player movement and adjustments needed during the season, much of fantasy football is decided at the draft. Whereas I think in baseball and football the draft is OVERRATED as too many people place too much stock on what the draft is, in football it’s almost UNDERRATED. There’s certain guys you can only get at the draft, and once they’re gone they’re probably gone forever. So preparing for the draft is essential, that’s where half of your preparation for the WHOLE SEASON should be focused.

Other tenets I usually go by:

1.)    Go for the less hyped players. A lot of very good players don’t get a lot of pubs because they’re getting older, on the same team, not in the media, not flashy, nothing really new happened in their lives, etc. They also happen to be fantasy BEASTS and are underrated. Get them.

2.)    I love something I read once: “Floor early, ceiling late.” A little cryptic: Means in your early rounds get the sure thing guys with very low chance to do poorly but not as much upside, then later in the rounds get guys who are very risky and can fall off the map but can also break out in a big way.

3.)    In the NFL, it’s young guys (30 years and over are toast). Don’t get rookies. 2^nd years, 3^rd years, and 4^th years all welcome. Doesn’t apply to QB’s.

4.)    Don’t pay for last year’s stars. Hasn’t failed me yet. Draft guys who underperformed but have better skill, not guys with inferior skill who overperformed last year.

5.)    Finally, the Secret to Fantasy Football 2012: In the last few years, the league has become a QB-WR league. Lots of split carries in backfields across the country and the opposite of “feature back.” Guess what: your stud QB’s and WR’s don’t come off the field. Draft them before RB. Seriously.

Welcome to the Fantasy Football Zoo! It’s a pleasure serving you today; my name is the Guru and I’ll be taking you through the proverbial jungle that is the fantasy football player pool this year; you never know what you might see, you could see Lions, Bears, Cardinals, Broncos, Ravens, all kinds of creatures. Keep your eyes open!

1.)    We start our tour today with what some might call our “Alpha Males,” the guys that most of you probably came to see, the awesome trio of Rodgers, Brady, and Brees. Look how they throw food at each other with razor sharp provision and have all the other animals at their command. At the top of the food chain here, these guys are always accurate, play to the crowds, and have become fan favorites. But don’t spend too much (time) on them; there’s a lot of underrated critters in our zoo that also deserve your attention that could be in the “Alpha Male” exhibit by this time next year. So let’s move on.

2.) We next bring you to one some of us call “Beast Mode,” a true beast of burden called Marshawn Lynch. Last year this guy tore up our zoo, aggressively running roughshod through other animal habitats with no regard for animal life. Unfortunately, he’s had a history of going “bananas” and then calming down a bit, so who knows what this year will bring. Nah, I wouldn’t want you to adopt this guy; no knowing what to do with him.

3.)    I see that you have seen the great long-time aerial resident Roddy White. Now, Roddy’s not the quickest Falcon, not the most ferocious, and hasn’t got the longest fangs, but all he’s done in the last 5 years is be everything we asked for, come out every day and put on a show for all of us. We got the same trainer with him, same old tricks. We love our Roddy here at the Fantasy Football Zoo and we’ll keep loving him until he proves us wrong.

4.)    Our trick wouldn’t be complete without a little luck, and for that we bring you to Andrew Luck, a new colt we just got into the zoo this week. Less acclaimed than other newly-acquired animals, there’s a reason this little guy was picked. He’s tall and can see over other animals and has all the tools to be a great asset. O what’s that? Look at him now.  

5.) A more mature mare (but still in the grooming stages) is Demariyus Thomas, who grew up before our very eyes last year despite not having the greatest of jockeys. He’s fast, he’s strong, he just keeps running. And we brought in legendary jockey Peyton Manning to get him to perform at optimal levels. We expect big things out of him this year.

                        6.) We’re gonna take a detour here and take a look at our less-traditional animals at the tight-end section of the zoo. As you can see, these guys are just jumping out of the boxes. We could show you the irrepressible jimmy Graham or indefatigable Rob Gronkowski, but you’re really in for a treat with Aaron Hernandez. Not many people like the Hernandez, but he’s Gronk’s younger brother and may do even better than Gronk, especially if our trainer utilizes him more.

            7.) What’s that? What’s my favorite critter this year? Here at the fantasy football zoo we like all animals and pay attention to them, because we never know which one will drop below value and we can get them at a discount!  Yay! I really like our little-known spotted Jaguar named Rashad Jennings, especially since our elder Jaguar Jones-Drew is out of commission at the minute. Rashad averaged 5.5 yards a carry last year and is very good at catching balls thrown at him. Really like him.

8.) We gotta show you our naughty animals too, those we put in their special place called “the doghouse.” We won’t be displaying these animals this year, and we let other zoos have them. Sometimes we’re totally wrong and we other zoos get a lot out of these animals, but I think in this case we’re right about not getting Victor Cruz, the little engine that could, or Robert Griffin III, the guy that’s gonna cost us too much, Rob Gronkowski because people are tired of him already, or AJ Green because we just don’t have a good trainer for him.

Thank you for visiting the Fantasy Football Zoo. May you take your knowledge gained today to great lengths, and we hope to see you next year after you conquer your own little  Fantasy Football Wars!!!!!! 

Fantasize on, 

Robert Yan 

Planning Ahead

So many plans, so little time. Here are some things I notice about “planning ahead.”

1.)    When trying to “plan ahead” in the fantasy playoffs, just forget it. I’ve never succeeded in doing that, especially with injury risk (can you be certain a guy will still be healthy 3 weeks from now? No…you can never be certain.) Guys can become really really bad,

2.)    Setting a “price point” to buy/sell a stock: can be nullified by the stock never dropping/rising to that point. However, this type of planning gives you an idea of how much intrinsic value you put in the stock, gets you thinking about the stock, makes you plan your personal finances. Not a bad idea; just make sure you make the proper adjustment if it doesn’t get there.

3.)    Planning trips: tough. Wish I had done it more law school/college, when obligations to go to class are a bit “looser” than going to work. How long can you really take off? Will something come at work that forces you to miss that vacation? Which holiday to plan it around? I’m facing this very dilemma right now: How can I maximize my (deserved) vacation time to best get the most time out of it while not losing too much work time? I’m thinking November around Thanksgiving time (already gather around with my family too much as it is, not exactly my favorite holiday anyway.)

4.)    Planning 3-day weekends: Much easier. Easier in my position as it is to take just a day off work (lop off the Monday, Friday and stretch it into Saturday/Sunday.) 3-day weekends are compact weekends that can be planned pretty spontaneously, especially for someone with me with no kids, no significant other, no pets (Sorry people who have all of those, you’re missing out).

5.)    How early to plan? Also a legitimate concern. If you plan too early, things might happen between then and now that get in the way (maybe something better comes along that weekend) that gives you buyer’s remorse. Plan too late, and things get more expensive (think airline tickets). Southwest Airlines, for example, has like a magical cut-off date when their low, low rates go from attractively low to mundanely normal. There’s always Kayak.com, but even they get pretty expensive closer to the date. It’s also a fine line between “committing” to the trip v. still leaving it open. You want to be as flexible as possible, but if that’s the case you might never come to a decision and pull the trigger. This must be what marriage is like.

6.)    Planning around fantasy playoffs: Should never be a concern, but just came up recently. If I’m in the fantasy playoffs, I want to be at home watching the games/adjusting my lineup, ESPECIALLY in fantasy baseball. Sure there’s more important things than fantasy baseball, but if you can work your schedule around an awkward time, it’s probably better to do so.

7.)    Coordinating with friends. O man this could be dreadful; So many different people with different agendas, different schedules, different requirements. The more people the harder it is. The more people there are the earlier you have to plan it. Also have to expect unexpected dropouts, unexpected and uninvited “plus-ones,” etc. etc. It was so much easier back when I was a kid, just go outside and grab people playing outside or knock on their doors. (“Can Jimmy play?”)

8.)    Structure: overall, though planning ahead gives you structure in your life and something to look forward to. It makes life seem more organized, like you have more control of what’s going to happen to you, and usually it’s exciting to do something new, go out a whim, escape from the rat race for awhile.

Planning ahead note: I’m “planning ahead” to write way more for the rest of this year. The procrastination, neglect, and sheer laziness of this particular blogger has become ridiculous and unacceptable, and I will not stand for it. Later this week is Fantasy Football preview. I have a few fantasy football league titles to defend. Be here. Plan on it.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan  

Dodgeball = Life

I love dodgeball. My friend convinced me to join at the beginning of last year, and it’s been a whirlwind ever since. It’s fast-moving, requires unbending concentration, flexibility, accuracy, teamwork, a lot of the attributes that sports that get much more attention have. I would even argue that dodgeball is much more of a sport than many of the sports represented in the Olympic games, like 1.) who can shoot an arrow the straightest, 2.) who can run the fastest, or 3.) who can lift the most. I mean, those are sports, but they’re one-dimensional. Dodgeball is a game requiring so many different facets even beyond the three main facets of throwing, dodging, and catching (of which themselves trump some of the other aforementioned sports). Takes a lot of time and a lot of games to mold this tough game, but it’s a game you can definitely “get”/”figure out.” It’s a lot like life: the more games  you play, the better you get  (hopefully).

1.)    Throw together- when you can’t do something yourself, get someone to help you. Excellent lesson for dodgeball as throwing just one ball is easier to dodge and easier to catch as opponents can hone in on one ball, but having 2 balls throw at you is exponentially more difficult to focus on. It’s called “synergies,” or “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” something mega-billion corporations and governmental organizations alike can learn from.

2.)    Throw low and hard: Avoid the worst possibility, which is a catch by the other team. The kneecaps/shin area for most dodgeballers is a weak area, as opposed to the head (most leagues penalize head shots) or chest (easiest place to catch). Exploit weaknesses. It’s kind of like finding a job; find a weakness in supply in an industry that needs certain services…once you find it, you can market yourself and make yourself necessary.

3.)    Don’t reach for the balls when attempting a catch. Overreaching- obsessing over things, investing in pyramid schemes, whatever, don’t let your ambition run wild and reel it in. You’re not gonna catch/win at everything. Minimize the losses and capitalize the gains.

4.)    Don’t be afraid of getting hit. So many analogies here like “you can’t fly if you’re afraid of falling, etc.” It’s totally a mental game: if you try to catch, it’s gonna involve some residual pain. And there’s the obvious possibility you get hit but don’t catch, in which case you endured pain for no reason. But the payoff of a catch is huge; you can turn the whole game around.  

5.)    Pay attention. In leagues I play in there’s usually 7 balls in play at all times, and most of the time those balls will not be with your teammates. They can come at you at any time. The worst feeling is getting hit by a ball that you just didn’t see coming because you were inattentive; I’ll contentedly go out on a nice shot by someone or a nice play, but getting hit with a cheap shot is very frustrating. In our I-phone/texting/tech society today, it’s such an important lesson to maintain your concentration. Don’t take your eyes off the task at hand, or even your mind, which is usually the hardest part, when your mind wanders to other places, that’s when you miss something really important, like the ball coming right at you that you don’t see.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Here’s to a strong push to make Dodgeball a nationally-recognized game. 

The Many faces of Bobby Yan

I do not have multiple personality disorder. (I’m pretty sure). However, I do feel that I “am a different person” some days than others. On different days I’m more outgoing, more athletic, more sarcastic, more contemplative, more paranoid……….it’s like an old cartoon (can’t even remember the name which defeats the whole purpose of the reference) where each day another “version” of Bobby like takes over the body, like “Bobby 2.0” or “Sporty Bobby” or “Confident Bobby” takes over for the day, and the next day another prototype takes over. And I’m actually dead serious about this; I think people are different on different days, despite what their features, voice, and all other physical appearances might suggest. Seriously, aren’t people just better on Fridays than Mondays? Anyways, here’s just ten (10!) of the different personalities of Bobby Yan that you might meet on any given day:

1.)    Funny Bobby: sometimes the comedic humor of this guy just overwhelms you. It’s not the quality of each individual joke, it’s the volume of little wisecracks that this guy can heap on. A pistol.

2.)    Vendetta Bobby: In a bad mood, and out to prove something, or just to prove that he’s right about something. (Something, ANYTHING!) Don’t mess with this guy, and he apologizes in advance.

3.)    Hermit Bobby: Doesn’t want to do anything besides stay home despite the beautiful California weather. He shows up more often than he should.

4.)    Contemplative Bobby: goes on hour-long drives just to “think about” life. Deep.

5.)    Chatty Bobby: Can’t stop talking. Likes hearing sound of his own voice. Usually shows up coincidentally on days Bobby has ingested a lot of caffeine/alcohol/artificial substance.

6.)    Athletic Bobby: channeling the athletic prowess of Bobby greats like Bobby Orr, Bobby Horry, Bobby Parish, etc., etc.

7.)    Anxiety Bobby- the guy who makes panic trades in fantasy baseball and sends off emails to friends begging for information on trivial matters. This guy “makes regrettable decisions.”

8.)    Studious Bobby: showed up a lot during first year of law school, bar exam studying. Guy’s a monster; could go 16 hours straight and work through lunch when needed without coffee or illegal drugs

9.)    Cynical Bobby: After going through various levels of dissatisfaction over the legal industry, the Bowl Championship system in college football, highway congestion in L.A., and all kinds of different malignant conditions, Bobby gets tired of it all and starts to whine about it.

10.)            Happy Bobby: Just happy to be alive and get through the day.

Realistically, it’s probably a blend of what I ate, what I’ve experienced during the day, how my fantasy team is doing (a big determinant of my overall mood on any given day) . Which of these 10 people will YOU meet when you go one-on-one with the Great One? (j/k).

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan 

Le Tour de France

Fabian Cancellara, Cadel Evans, Bradley Wiggins, Andre Greipel, Marc Cavendish, and the Phenom Peter Sagan. No these are not obscure fantasy baseball pitchers who I've been using lately. These are the names of  the men I wake up to every morning as I eagerly check their statuses and what position they are in.

I'm talking about Le Tour de France, the epitome of the sport of cycling, a month-long event through the heart of France that attracts the most talented riders from across the world and pits them together in a race that spans thousands of miles, past high mountaintops, gorgeous lakes, and populous cities of France. Through watching the last two years of the Tour I've learned about the intricacies of the Peloton, the "king of the mountaints" contest, the "points classification," and of course the coveted "maillot jaune," the yellow jersey symbolizing the best overall rider. I've learned that Marc Cavendish, the Manxx Missile is the fastest man in the world but still needs his "lead-out train," what it means to sacrifice yourself from riders "on your team,"

Ironically, I didn't follow cycling or the Tour de France during its heyday (at least in the US), when Lance Armstrong dominated the sport for years and brought it into relevance. No, I discovered cycling years AFTER the Armstrong era, after the doping era, and at a time when the sport doesn't seem to be gaining momentum in the US, even though summer in the US is a bit lacking in the sports (you got baseball, tennis sometimes, and what.... golf?)

I learned about the Tour de France during my run in July last year in ESPN Streak for Cash (I know, lame). I used cycling for wins No. 12, No. 16, and No. 17........( in fact, the last 2 bets before the Colombia-Peru debacle on July 16). I don't even remember why I selected the first prop.....I seem to remember I was in a haze while studying for the bar, was in unknown territory having never gone beyond W11 on Streak for Cash before, and saw good odds and message board consensus (I know, very reliable) that this rider named Marc Cavendish was "a good bet" to win Stage 9 of the Tour de France. So I put my W11 on the line on this "Cavendish" not knowing that there are more than 200 riders at the Tour de France and that he'd have to beat all of them to the line next morning, also not realizing that the Tour de France coverage starts at 4:30AM IN THE MORNING (West Coast time). The next morning, I woke up to turn on the Tour de France, not seeing Marc Cavendish ANYWHERE and having a gut in my stomach. Why o why did I pick this prop without knowing ANYTHING about cycling, never having even seen Marc Cavendish, and especially since there seemed to be a MILLION riders, and he was nowhere in sight.

As luck would have it (literally), Cavendish's HTC Highland team got him through the flat part of the course and gave him a perfect lead-out train that day, leading to a pretty easy (relatively for a sprint course) victory, getting me my W12, and the rest was history. Every morning from that day on, I watched the Tour de France, biding my time until putting my W15 and W16's on the line, respectivelly, and achieving the desired result (another Cavendish win over his archrival Andre Greipel) and a mountain stage (Thor Hushovd took a surprising victory), winning my Any other Cyclist prop v. 3 other riders. A new sports interest was born. I'm addicted to Tour de France cycling. The announcer, with his British accent and running dialogue, is very engaging and calls a great sprint to the line.

This year I've watched A LOT of coverage of the Tour de France, becoming a bit of a "connaisseur" (learn that vocab word, high school students!) and I'm still every bit as interested as I was last year, despite not having a long streak on the line. I've enjoyed the rise of this Peter Sagan kid (just 23) who is ridiculous.......a sprinter with the ability to go up a hill, and on his way to winning the green jacket (for sprinters) without the help of a leadout train. Kid is sick. A great story, might be the saving grace of a Tour de France lacking a lot of star power and marred by early crashes. PLEASE, do not have Sagan pull out because of injury!!!

Hence the beginning of a passion for something new. Good lesson for how to develop new interests: try new things!!! Things happen by accident, but you could help out that process. Now every July, it's......Tour de France time.


Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Life of a Fantasy Baseball Manager- Through My Eyes

It’s the essence of fantasy baseball, and fantasy sports in general: You want to watch the guy you drafted perform in battle, the guy you “LOVE!” on paper based on his stats actually show up and do something, see if there’s any indications of an injury, see who’s batting around him, see “how the ball comes off his bat,” etc., etc., and nowadays. After all, a lot goes into the process of being a fantasy baseball manager: You are constantly making lineup decisions, pitching decisions, trade discussions, smack talk in the league chat room, it’s the job of both a general manager and a manager, an advanced scout, AND sometimes the owner (changing the franchise’s name, appealing to the league commissioner), etc. So when your guy actually comes up to bat, that’s the only time you’re rewarded for your hard work, when all the build-up leading up to the at-bat/outing is justified. Watching “Live Fantasy Baseball,” a fantasy manager experiences different things. Every player is different and is in there for a different reason. One thing in common: always holding your breath when your guy comes up to the plate, doubly attentive when your pitcher’s in for the half inning. Jubilation when your guy hits a 3-run homer, utter disappointment/grunting/muttering of “this guy sucks” under your breath when your pitcher walks 2 then serves up a 3-run homer. Here’s just a sampling of the “Advanced Scouting” I’ve done on my own players, coupled with a few “biased analysis” and emotional responses.

1.)    Carlos Gonzalez…..Please be at home, please be at home……..(hint, he dominates at home). His swing just LOOKS like he’s gonna drive everything, it epitomizes power, like a freighter carrying (wait for it)…. Cargo.

2.)    J.P. Arencibia…….I’ve never seen anyone hit so many offspeed pitches for home runs. Most hitters sit on fastballs and drive it when they get one. Arencibia, for some reason, sits on the offspeed pitches and drives the hangers. He’s hit 13 home runs this season, I’ve seen most of’em, and it’s always some sort of changeup and curveball.

3.)    Robinson Cano…… one of the few guys I EXPECT to get a hit every time he steps up to the plate. No weaknesses, can go to all fields, and usually has people on base. Can’t complain about the lack of speed, he is elite in all categories.

4.)    David Wright…..great opposite field hitter which contributes to his HIGH average.

5.)    Jason Kubel……the opposite of Arencibia: hits lasers after the pitcher tries to (foolishly) sneak a fastball down the middle. Gotta love the RBI’s. Keep batting him 4^th in the lineup, Snakes!!!!!  (Also an exceedingly better batter at home).

6.)    Mike Aviles…..not a great hitter, but can run and use the Green Monster while at Fenway.

7.)    Michael Morse…….TNT. Ball EXPLODES off his bat. If a fantasy baseball team were an army, Morse would be the tank. (also cuz he’s slow, podding…..)

8.)    Jimmy Rollins…….One of the few guys whom I root for NOT to hit a home run, not only cuz his home run swing is long and results mostly in flyouts, but his speed on the basepaths is better utilized with line shots or one-hoppers (hopefully) through the infield.

9.)    Casey Janssen……where did this guy come from? Hasn’t given up a run in forever. Doesn’t seem overpowering (90-92mph fastball), but what I’ve seen, is DEADLY accurate. Struck out Mike Trout (God) last week with a fastball right on the outer black.

10.)            Rafael Soriano…..this guy always pitches well as the closer, never in any other role, it appears, indicating to me that he likes the $ signs. He’s been money.

11.)            Jon Lester……pretty consistent recently after cutting down the walks.

12.)            Jered Weaver…..God.

13.)            Ryan Vogelsong……..a fighter. Has guts. Determined. Whatever you want to say, this guy just gets the job done, and fights through the fact he doesn’t have overpowering stuff, is 34-years-old, and before 2011 was a baseball “journeyman.” Also doesn’t hurt he plays in a pitcher’s park, in the National League, in the worst hitting division in baseball. Very, very, dark “dark horse” candidate for NL CY Young. Yea I said it.  

14.)            Francisco Liriano……Honestly, probably one of the most likely players on my roster to go. (I have a high turnover rate on my roster). Always more hyped than skilled because of that one 2006 season and great “stuff,” he walks too many, plays in the wrong league, and gets wild at random times. Not what I want when I lock in a pitcher for a start (can’t risk getting lit up for 10 H, 4 BB, 7 ER, etc.)

15.)            Chris Capuano: I sometimes can’t tell whether I’m watching Ted Lilly or Chris Capuano. Same team, lefthander who relies on location and movement. Perfect place for this fly-ball pitcher at Dodgers stadium, but yea those 9 wins aren’t turning into 15+ wins with that offense.

 I, unlike other managers, don’t keep holding on to managers that I hate….I just trade or cut them. Period. There’s past players I hate (i.e. Kevin Youkilis). I see something I like about each and every player I have on my team, and I build emotional relationships with the ones that have been along for the longest. (Jimmy Rollins, I’ve had a love-hate relationship with you for four years now. But, I’ve come to the realization I cannot live without you. Will you sign a three-year contract with me?)

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan