Alright here's how we do this: I have 20 minutes from the start of this post until my last and most important fantasy baseball draft, so while I'm in the mood i'm gonna run down all of the positions in fantasy baseball and give you who's underrated, who's overrated, who you should draft, who you shouldn't, and some key names you should watch out for ( either positively or negatively).
First base:
Underrated = Travis Hafner, Adrian Gonzalez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Delgado
Overrated = Prince Fielder, Garret Atkins, not too many else
Prince Fielder is universally being selected right where ryan howard is, usually the #1 first baseman, and that's a crime. After a breakout 50-HR season, people are buying what the prince is selling. Don't do it yet. Let somebody else figure out if he's REALLy for real.
Paul Konerko is a 30HR- 100RBI guarantee, yet he's being drafted as like the #12 first baseman. A.K.A, too low. Travis Hafner had one bad year w/ 3 great years before that and people are overcompensating for the 1 bad year cuz it's fresh in their mind. This is the last time you'll get pronk in the 4th round for many years.
2nd base:
Underrated = Kelly Johnson, Chone Figgins, Dan Uggla
Overrated = Brandon Phillips, Howie Kendrick, Robinson Cano
I love howiewood cuz of a closet angels fanhood, but him and cano are similar in that their rising stars ( people love that), but they bat for average. And in fantasy bases, u don't draft for average. You gotta draft for the power, run-producing cats, and these guys just haven't proven that yet. And they're not exactly base-stealin thieves, altho people "speculate" that kendrick might still 25+ bases. I'll believe it when i see it.
Where there IS proven power, tho, to the tune of 20+ HR's in both of last 2 years, is dan uggla. In chone figgins you have proven speed and proven runs in a potent lineup. Take the safer bets rather than reach. O and let someone else buy brandon philips' career-high stock.
Shortstop
underrated = derek jeter, michael young, orlando cabrera
overrated = jimmy rollins, troy tulowitzki, edgar renteria
I think it's one of the fallacies of this year's draft prognistication that tulowitzki is being projected ahead of derek jeter, one of the best players of our time. Sure, tulowitzki did great last year ( in the 2nd half), and he might exceed jeter's numbers this year too given the right situation, but you don't draft him hoping to do that cuz the chances are low. Jeter has done the same thing for 11 years; tulo did it for the last 3 months of the season last year. Don't buy in just cuz u read the sports illustrated baseball preview article about him.
Orlando Cabrera is a really good hitting shortstop and might see an uptick in HR's but a downtick in runs, but he shouldn't be drafted so low given his talent, and michael young is just a .300+ stick ready to explode if texas's offense finally does what it's supposed to do.
Third Base
Underrated = Ryan Zimmerman, Aramis Ramirez, Adrian Beltre
Overrated = Ryan Braun, Chipper Jones, Evan Longoria
I do think Evan Longoria's stock has dropped now that he's been sent to Triple-A to start the yera, but even before that this was a guy that I would not have drafted, simply because he's too young and needs to prove himself at least a bit before i draft him over veterans or other young budding stars w/ some experience under their belt. This year 3rd base is kinda thin, and you miss out on the top 3 of a-rod, wright, and cabrera want to get right in the middle of the 3rd base tier of ramirez, beltre, and zimmerman.......you definitely don't want braun, as i've alluded to earlier, and anybody lower than the terrific 3 i mentioned is a big drop-off. Yes, you'll be tempted by Chipper's numbers last year when healthy, but the key is WHEN HEALTHY. Not only was he hurt all the time, he's getting older. The only way i draft him is to ride out atlanta's easy early schedule, see if he produces like crazy, and then sell high.
To be continued.................
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Get those dusty bags ready
Cuz it's time for fantasy baseball!
O baby am I ready for the fantasy baseball season! We got past stars, future studs, slumbering sleepers, whiney sweepers, and closers by committee. Cannot wait. I'm planning on doing a huge baseball-centered blog in anticipation of the season.
However, the baseball season technically started monday/tuesday in tokyo w/ boston vs. oakland, and yes, those were real games. It seems, though, that any time that happens in the MLB ( the out-of-this-time-zone games in Japan) that the games split. At least the cubs and mets did a few years ago, and boston and oakland did this year.
A few notes: I wouldn't buy too much into Rich Harden's awesome performance in game 2, and i'm assuming most of you who own him sat him against the red sox, so I'd start him the next game, but I wouldn't draft him TOO HIGH if you're still drafting, cuz this is what happened last year: Great start.....injury. Be careful. If he does this again next week I'm almost start sellin high immediately.
Manny Ramirez- been burned by this guy a bit the last few seasons wouldn't trust him.
Dustin Pedroia- Not too fond of him. Would take kelly johnson over him.
Athletics lineup - not looking too hot. Do you really want to pick up Emil Brown? Is Kurt Suzuki the best hitter on that roster?
Okajima vulture win already. That's why you pick up neshek, betancourt, broxton- They keep those peripherals down and pick up those odd wins + saves. Can't hurt your team.
Josh Beckett- injury problems already? Not serious, but i cringe whenever i hear pitchers miss time at the beginning of the season cuz of possible lingering effects.
Alright so basketball- haven't updated in a WHILE.
Jerry Stackhouse biggest beneficiary of Dirk injury, as predicted. Close to 20 points a night now and probably the primary offensive weapon, no longer a spot-up 3-point shooter, he drives to rim, dunks on people, it's enlightening. It's what he was supposed to be coming out of college.
Antawn Jamison, former Mav, thriving on the Wiz. Really a breakout season this year, really impressed with this guy keeping Washington in the playoff hunt--- they even leapfrogged toronto.
T.J. Ford is clearly the better option now than jose calderon. It's reminiscent of last year's time share. If only one of them was like 5 inches taller and played power forward. Urg. Bad time if you're a caldern owner that this happened, DURING the fantasy playoffs.
D-12 might have run out of gas, or is out of breath, or something. His #'s just aren't as beastly as when he was dominating kids in the middle of the affair.
Just read Harlan Coben "Gone for Good." I regard Coben's books as more of airport novels, not exactly literary classics, but this man knows how to come up with a plot. Probably one of his best, Gone for Good. Niiiiiiice.
Will we look back on 2007-2008 as peja's renaissance season? Probably not, but his 3.0 three's are a career high ( tied).
If you want to look at correction to career averages and why you should draft based on talent, look at jason richardson. Man is tearing it up this year after being relegated to like the 3rd or 4th option on GS last year. Points are back to normal, stls back to normal, shoots better FT%, sinks more 3's, and is "The Man" of his team again.
If you want to look at a young player breaking out, case #1 is chris paul. Been dissected already. Case #1a): Deron Williams. 10.4 assists, 19.5 pts. Wow. Really blossomed as pretty much the MVP of that team, and don't tell me it's carlos boozer. Booz is soft on D and doesn't run that offense. Williams gets that show on the road and feeds it to booz who would look like a lost puppy without a good PG feeding it to him.
Marcus Camby still hasn't had a serious injury yet. Guess I underestimated him. Him and B-diddy, toughed out the whole season ( almost). Both still have to lead their teams into the playoffs. Well, they're the only reasons those respective teams are even still in the playoff picture. 3.7 blks for the camb-man? That team's defense would be worse the way carmelo and AI don't play any if not for camby protecting the rim.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
O baby am I ready for the fantasy baseball season! We got past stars, future studs, slumbering sleepers, whiney sweepers, and closers by committee. Cannot wait. I'm planning on doing a huge baseball-centered blog in anticipation of the season.
However, the baseball season technically started monday/tuesday in tokyo w/ boston vs. oakland, and yes, those were real games. It seems, though, that any time that happens in the MLB ( the out-of-this-time-zone games in Japan) that the games split. At least the cubs and mets did a few years ago, and boston and oakland did this year.
A few notes: I wouldn't buy too much into Rich Harden's awesome performance in game 2, and i'm assuming most of you who own him sat him against the red sox, so I'd start him the next game, but I wouldn't draft him TOO HIGH if you're still drafting, cuz this is what happened last year: Great start.....injury. Be careful. If he does this again next week I'm almost start sellin high immediately.
Manny Ramirez- been burned by this guy a bit the last few seasons wouldn't trust him.
Dustin Pedroia- Not too fond of him. Would take kelly johnson over him.
Athletics lineup - not looking too hot. Do you really want to pick up Emil Brown? Is Kurt Suzuki the best hitter on that roster?
Okajima vulture win already. That's why you pick up neshek, betancourt, broxton- They keep those peripherals down and pick up those odd wins + saves. Can't hurt your team.
Josh Beckett- injury problems already? Not serious, but i cringe whenever i hear pitchers miss time at the beginning of the season cuz of possible lingering effects.
Alright so basketball- haven't updated in a WHILE.
Jerry Stackhouse biggest beneficiary of Dirk injury, as predicted. Close to 20 points a night now and probably the primary offensive weapon, no longer a spot-up 3-point shooter, he drives to rim, dunks on people, it's enlightening. It's what he was supposed to be coming out of college.
Antawn Jamison, former Mav, thriving on the Wiz. Really a breakout season this year, really impressed with this guy keeping Washington in the playoff hunt--- they even leapfrogged toronto.
T.J. Ford is clearly the better option now than jose calderon. It's reminiscent of last year's time share. If only one of them was like 5 inches taller and played power forward. Urg. Bad time if you're a caldern owner that this happened, DURING the fantasy playoffs.
D-12 might have run out of gas, or is out of breath, or something. His #'s just aren't as beastly as when he was dominating kids in the middle of the affair.
Just read Harlan Coben "Gone for Good." I regard Coben's books as more of airport novels, not exactly literary classics, but this man knows how to come up with a plot. Probably one of his best, Gone for Good. Niiiiiiice.
Will we look back on 2007-2008 as peja's renaissance season? Probably not, but his 3.0 three's are a career high ( tied).
If you want to look at correction to career averages and why you should draft based on talent, look at jason richardson. Man is tearing it up this year after being relegated to like the 3rd or 4th option on GS last year. Points are back to normal, stls back to normal, shoots better FT%, sinks more 3's, and is "The Man" of his team again.
If you want to look at a young player breaking out, case #1 is chris paul. Been dissected already. Case #1a): Deron Williams. 10.4 assists, 19.5 pts. Wow. Really blossomed as pretty much the MVP of that team, and don't tell me it's carlos boozer. Booz is soft on D and doesn't run that offense. Williams gets that show on the road and feeds it to booz who would look like a lost puppy without a good PG feeding it to him.
Marcus Camby still hasn't had a serious injury yet. Guess I underestimated him. Him and B-diddy, toughed out the whole season ( almost). Both still have to lead their teams into the playoffs. Well, they're the only reasons those respective teams are even still in the playoff picture. 3.7 blks for the camb-man? That team's defense would be worse the way carmelo and AI don't play any if not for camby protecting the rim.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, March 21, 2008
the marching ensues
Ok, I mean, did you hear it here first or not? Siena over Vandy? C'mon, that was really a long shot, but I called it, front and square.
Every other part of my bracket, though, has been really bad, so I can't really back up that talk. Connecticut falling to San Diego really messed me up, as I had theme going a pretty long ways.
O and my 8-9 seed predictions didn't do so hot. The #8 seeds went 2-2, so basically a split. If you followed my advice, you got what you would have expected if you'd have just flipped a coin on those games. I coulda went 3-1 on those 8's if Indiana, the one I was most sure about, just went out and played to their ability. Unh-uh.
O well. The thing about the NCAA tournament, and some might say i'm just in a defeatist mood or whatever, but it's really a LOT about luck. I mean, just the basic element of it has a lot to do with luck. In a 40-minute, one-game elimination, the amount of 3's you hit has a lot to do with it. If your long-range shooters just happen to get hot in a game, you're prolly gonna win, cuz the score only goes up to the 60's and 70's, so three's are so huge. And that's where luck comes in: less basketbats and possessions to allow skills to come out to their full. THAT's why you see all these upsets all the time ( not this year to such an extent, but still why SD beat UConn or Western Kentucky beat Drake).
Also, if you think about it, what are the chances you get a game right? Even if you're just the biggest diehard, watch-every-game, know-the-weather-at-tipoff kind of fan, you STILL have just a 50-50 chance at getting an 8-9 game right. I mean, these teams are so close in skill level that there's really no way to differentiate on your prognostications, and the chances of getting games right are just about 50-50. ( 1-16 matchups excluded, the most confident you can ever get with these games is like 70-30).
So if you've picked a lot of games right one year, congratulations, but just remember you got plenty lucky. And if you picked a lot of games wrong like i do every year, just remember that it's not that you're a loser ( at least this is what i keep telling myself), chance pretty much bit you in the @$$.
Alright that's my abbreviated column for today.
Good luck, folks.
Announced casting for Big brother 10 recently. Man I wish I were on that show.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Every other part of my bracket, though, has been really bad, so I can't really back up that talk. Connecticut falling to San Diego really messed me up, as I had theme going a pretty long ways.
O and my 8-9 seed predictions didn't do so hot. The #8 seeds went 2-2, so basically a split. If you followed my advice, you got what you would have expected if you'd have just flipped a coin on those games. I coulda went 3-1 on those 8's if Indiana, the one I was most sure about, just went out and played to their ability. Unh-uh.
O well. The thing about the NCAA tournament, and some might say i'm just in a defeatist mood or whatever, but it's really a LOT about luck. I mean, just the basic element of it has a lot to do with luck. In a 40-minute, one-game elimination, the amount of 3's you hit has a lot to do with it. If your long-range shooters just happen to get hot in a game, you're prolly gonna win, cuz the score only goes up to the 60's and 70's, so three's are so huge. And that's where luck comes in: less basketbats and possessions to allow skills to come out to their full. THAT's why you see all these upsets all the time ( not this year to such an extent, but still why SD beat UConn or Western Kentucky beat Drake).
Also, if you think about it, what are the chances you get a game right? Even if you're just the biggest diehard, watch-every-game, know-the-weather-at-tipoff kind of fan, you STILL have just a 50-50 chance at getting an 8-9 game right. I mean, these teams are so close in skill level that there's really no way to differentiate on your prognostications, and the chances of getting games right are just about 50-50. ( 1-16 matchups excluded, the most confident you can ever get with these games is like 70-30).
So if you've picked a lot of games right one year, congratulations, but just remember you got plenty lucky. And if you picked a lot of games wrong like i do every year, just remember that it's not that you're a loser ( at least this is what i keep telling myself), chance pretty much bit you in the @$$.
Alright that's my abbreviated column for today.
Good luck, folks.
Announced casting for Big brother 10 recently. Man I wish I were on that show.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, March 20, 2008
O the Madness! It begins
If you're missing this post due to a bout of the common disease "March Madness," I understand.
I'm watching the games as we speak right now.
O wow. Xavier was just down 11 in the 2nd half, now they've taken a 52-49 game. This is clearly the game of the morning, as Kansas and Mich. St. are both polishing off their opponents. What's sad about Georgia being in such a competitive game is that Illinois coulda been in the exact same situation if they just had completed their miraculous run in the Big Ten tourney, getting a 14 seed and beatin a 3 seed. Altho, looks like georgia will prolly drop this game now. Cinderella hasn't come to the ball yet.
Watched Big Brother and Survivor last night. CBS is prolly my fave TV station, w/ my reality shows on there all the time as well as pretty good comedies like Two and a Half Men and How I met your mother. Also the NCAA tournament ( good segue, huh? )
Anyway, I was sorta sad to see Matt go. Not because he has a charming smile, not because he's a ripped roofer, not because he wanted to win some dough from his momma, and definitely not cuz he's from boston. What I like is how much he cared about the game. So many times in reality TV i'm just pulling my hair out watching these apathetic people "playin' the game," not making the best of the opportunity and sometimes ( GASP) even quitting. Maybe i'm just a really competitive person, but I see Big Brother, Survivor, or Amazing Race as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove myself against others, to play in a game on national TV and try to win competitions to preserve your life in the game, also use social relations to get ahead in life. I guess for me it's almost a microcosm of life, in how to get ahead and work with others as well as against them to get the best solution to yourself.
And of course I love games similar to Mafia, where there's mind games and tons of strategy, unlike chess, with real people.
Anyway, Matty had been the guy who really cared about staying in the house, and he did what I woulda done if I were in teh house: He got screwed/ "backdoored" in the house, which is a pretty low move when the guy who nominated him had already promised him not to put him up. Instead of really gettin pissed and blowing up, though, Matty really sucked it up, understood that it was part of the game, and went about trying to save himself. He was really in a no-win situation, cuz his own physical presence hurt him: He had a great handle on making everyone in the house feel comfortable w/ him, but in a game where strength is weakness, and weakness is strength, his social advantage worked against him. He did a great job appealing his case, too, but just didn't get his archnemesis ( james ) to keep him in the game.
Possibly one of my fave reality TV contestants ever ( or at least one of the most passionate).
Looks like Xavier is running away w/ it. Figures, they have more experience and better talent. Simply the better team. 59-51 now.
Other teams i'm hoping to win but not really counting on it:
Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Butler, all the 8 seeds of course, and my upset special:
#13 seed Siena over Vanderbilt. Again, don't count on it.
Andrew Bynum coming back before the playoffs? Don't count on it, don't pick it up, and definitely don't expect him to produce at the levels he was before injury.
Pau Gasol is out for the lakers, so the purple and gold are basically the same team they were pre-Gasol that Kobe was complaining about. However, the difference is confidence. They beat dallas on the road w/o both bynum and gasol, that's saying something.
VC put up a lebron line last night, 39 pts, 10 rebs, 8 asts, and a blk. NO TURNOVERS? Wow. I didn't know he had this in him at this stage of his career. Give whoever was guarding him an assist.
Miami with FIFTY-FOUR points last night? Unacceptable. You'd think w/o shawn marion or dwayne wade OR Jason Williams somebody'd step up to be fantasy worthy, but w/ 54 points i would just ignore that team completely besides matrix if he decides to come back. Just to be fair to Ricky Davis for last year's 2nd half, I'd look at him too, but that's it.
Did Houston hit a peak? They've lost 2 a row now after the 22-game winning streak, granted it was vs. Boston and @ New Orleans, but just 69 points last night. Also let ex-teammate Bonzi Wells dump 25 pts, 2 stls, and 3 blks on them n just 26 minutes.
Cannot say enough about Philadelphia's meteoric rise. Beat Denver at their own game last night, winning w/ high score of 115-113. 12 asts for andre miller coupled with 28 points, veteran presence on a young team baby. Also, if your point guard is playing denver on any given night, expect a lot of assists. Except if you have a point guard from miami. ( see above)
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I'm watching the games as we speak right now.
O wow. Xavier was just down 11 in the 2nd half, now they've taken a 52-49 game. This is clearly the game of the morning, as Kansas and Mich. St. are both polishing off their opponents. What's sad about Georgia being in such a competitive game is that Illinois coulda been in the exact same situation if they just had completed their miraculous run in the Big Ten tourney, getting a 14 seed and beatin a 3 seed. Altho, looks like georgia will prolly drop this game now. Cinderella hasn't come to the ball yet.
Watched Big Brother and Survivor last night. CBS is prolly my fave TV station, w/ my reality shows on there all the time as well as pretty good comedies like Two and a Half Men and How I met your mother. Also the NCAA tournament ( good segue, huh? )
Anyway, I was sorta sad to see Matt go. Not because he has a charming smile, not because he's a ripped roofer, not because he wanted to win some dough from his momma, and definitely not cuz he's from boston. What I like is how much he cared about the game. So many times in reality TV i'm just pulling my hair out watching these apathetic people "playin' the game," not making the best of the opportunity and sometimes ( GASP) even quitting. Maybe i'm just a really competitive person, but I see Big Brother, Survivor, or Amazing Race as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove myself against others, to play in a game on national TV and try to win competitions to preserve your life in the game, also use social relations to get ahead in life. I guess for me it's almost a microcosm of life, in how to get ahead and work with others as well as against them to get the best solution to yourself.
And of course I love games similar to Mafia, where there's mind games and tons of strategy, unlike chess, with real people.
Anyway, Matty had been the guy who really cared about staying in the house, and he did what I woulda done if I were in teh house: He got screwed/ "backdoored" in the house, which is a pretty low move when the guy who nominated him had already promised him not to put him up. Instead of really gettin pissed and blowing up, though, Matty really sucked it up, understood that it was part of the game, and went about trying to save himself. He was really in a no-win situation, cuz his own physical presence hurt him: He had a great handle on making everyone in the house feel comfortable w/ him, but in a game where strength is weakness, and weakness is strength, his social advantage worked against him. He did a great job appealing his case, too, but just didn't get his archnemesis ( james ) to keep him in the game.
Possibly one of my fave reality TV contestants ever ( or at least one of the most passionate).
Looks like Xavier is running away w/ it. Figures, they have more experience and better talent. Simply the better team. 59-51 now.
Other teams i'm hoping to win but not really counting on it:
Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Butler, all the 8 seeds of course, and my upset special:
#13 seed Siena over Vanderbilt. Again, don't count on it.
Andrew Bynum coming back before the playoffs? Don't count on it, don't pick it up, and definitely don't expect him to produce at the levels he was before injury.
Pau Gasol is out for the lakers, so the purple and gold are basically the same team they were pre-Gasol that Kobe was complaining about. However, the difference is confidence. They beat dallas on the road w/o both bynum and gasol, that's saying something.
VC put up a lebron line last night, 39 pts, 10 rebs, 8 asts, and a blk. NO TURNOVERS? Wow. I didn't know he had this in him at this stage of his career. Give whoever was guarding him an assist.
Miami with FIFTY-FOUR points last night? Unacceptable. You'd think w/o shawn marion or dwayne wade OR Jason Williams somebody'd step up to be fantasy worthy, but w/ 54 points i would just ignore that team completely besides matrix if he decides to come back. Just to be fair to Ricky Davis for last year's 2nd half, I'd look at him too, but that's it.
Did Houston hit a peak? They've lost 2 a row now after the 22-game winning streak, granted it was vs. Boston and @ New Orleans, but just 69 points last night. Also let ex-teammate Bonzi Wells dump 25 pts, 2 stls, and 3 blks on them n just 26 minutes.
Cannot say enough about Philadelphia's meteoric rise. Beat Denver at their own game last night, winning w/ high score of 115-113. 12 asts for andre miller coupled with 28 points, veteran presence on a young team baby. Also, if your point guard is playing denver on any given night, expect a lot of assists. Except if you have a point guard from miami. ( see above)
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Gordon Korman is Awesome
This post is gonna deviate a little bit from the usual sports action although I'll include a bit of an update on the sports world.
Play-in game tonight for the NCAA tournament, the game that's like the numerous ads posted on the college community boards: Nobody cares. Whoever wins gets the pleasure of looking bad on national television to a north carolina team that's the hottest in the country. Lots to play for, gentlemen.
John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are reunited in Atlanta, but will they be the anchors of that rotation or the anchors dragging down a sinking ship? It's hard to imagine glavine has much left and as a finesse pitcher it's doubly difficult, and smoltz is also getting up there, but his ERA the last 3 years has been in the 3.00's and no real injury concerns linger, so smoltz should be the ace of that staff for one more year. He's perennially undervalued even though he's a solid pitcher on a team that wins at least 80 games every year.
All they need on the braves is to bring greg maddux back.
When you hear a guy say, " I feel like i'm holding a $90 million lottery ticket that I can only lose by coming back too early," you can't count on him to be back. ESPECIALLY if it's the player saying it. I realize gilbert is just being candid and that the wiz are in the playoff pic, but i wouldn't be suprised if he didn't come back until the playoffs or maybe 1 or 2 games before, which means he's practically worthless in fantasy. Dump. ( Shoulda done it about 3 months ago, unfortunately).
Alright now to the meaty part of the post. Gordon Korman. Now many of you prolly have never heard of him, but that's okay. He'll be part of your literature family as soon as you follow my advice:
1.) Get off the internet ( it's hurting your eyes)
2.) Go downstairs and put your shoes on
3.) Go to your closest local library ( or the one you have a card for)
4.) Search in their catalogues for "korman, gordon."
5.) Check out any of the following books: "I want to go home," "MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood," "The Chicken Doesn't Skate."
6.) Go home read the book
7.) Thank me via comments on this blog.
Gordon Korman is a writer mainly for young adults, probably from the 6th grade-8th grade level, but his writing is just hilarious. You know how you go to a comedy movie and come out feeling really good? Well, Korman does that, except he has about 20 comic books in his repertoire that are just insanely good. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them, it has so many subplots, twists, turns, ironic remarks and satiric wit that I consider him one of the greatest writers of our era. Sure, he doesn't have the artistic prose of an amy tan or the oratorial tone of shakespeare, but ask me what I like more, reading Korman or any other author and I go with my man Gordon. And of course he's still writing. Which is awesome.
What I recommend for ANYONE looking for a light, humorous, easy read ( not all of us can digest James Joyce's "Ulysses" or the Mitchell Report on baseball) is any of the 7 Bruno and Boots series books that Korman started out with, his incipient production that really showcased his genius, with the first one written as an English project when he was TWELVE! I dare any of you to read one of these books and NOT read any of the other 6.
Can you believe this guy's Canadian? Just for that I'm drafting Jason Bay on my fantasy team.
Anyway, seriously, follow my advice. I'm trying to help you. And if you're in a depressed mood, or at a crossroads in your life, in a stressed situtation, or tryin to relax before a big test, Gordon Korman will do more for your than any pills, psychics, or pieces of Dr. Phil advice. Trust me. This one's money in the bank. ( Unlike betting on 30 HR's from hideki matsui).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Play-in game tonight for the NCAA tournament, the game that's like the numerous ads posted on the college community boards: Nobody cares. Whoever wins gets the pleasure of looking bad on national television to a north carolina team that's the hottest in the country. Lots to play for, gentlemen.
John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are reunited in Atlanta, but will they be the anchors of that rotation or the anchors dragging down a sinking ship? It's hard to imagine glavine has much left and as a finesse pitcher it's doubly difficult, and smoltz is also getting up there, but his ERA the last 3 years has been in the 3.00's and no real injury concerns linger, so smoltz should be the ace of that staff for one more year. He's perennially undervalued even though he's a solid pitcher on a team that wins at least 80 games every year.
All they need on the braves is to bring greg maddux back.
When you hear a guy say, " I feel like i'm holding a $90 million lottery ticket that I can only lose by coming back too early," you can't count on him to be back. ESPECIALLY if it's the player saying it. I realize gilbert is just being candid and that the wiz are in the playoff pic, but i wouldn't be suprised if he didn't come back until the playoffs or maybe 1 or 2 games before, which means he's practically worthless in fantasy. Dump. ( Shoulda done it about 3 months ago, unfortunately).
Alright now to the meaty part of the post. Gordon Korman. Now many of you prolly have never heard of him, but that's okay. He'll be part of your literature family as soon as you follow my advice:
1.) Get off the internet ( it's hurting your eyes)
2.) Go downstairs and put your shoes on
3.) Go to your closest local library ( or the one you have a card for)
4.) Search in their catalogues for "korman, gordon."
5.) Check out any of the following books: "I want to go home," "MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood," "The Chicken Doesn't Skate."
6.) Go home read the book
7.) Thank me via comments on this blog.
Gordon Korman is a writer mainly for young adults, probably from the 6th grade-8th grade level, but his writing is just hilarious. You know how you go to a comedy movie and come out feeling really good? Well, Korman does that, except he has about 20 comic books in his repertoire that are just insanely good. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them, it has so many subplots, twists, turns, ironic remarks and satiric wit that I consider him one of the greatest writers of our era. Sure, he doesn't have the artistic prose of an amy tan or the oratorial tone of shakespeare, but ask me what I like more, reading Korman or any other author and I go with my man Gordon. And of course he's still writing. Which is awesome.
What I recommend for ANYONE looking for a light, humorous, easy read ( not all of us can digest James Joyce's "Ulysses" or the Mitchell Report on baseball) is any of the 7 Bruno and Boots series books that Korman started out with, his incipient production that really showcased his genius, with the first one written as an English project when he was TWELVE! I dare any of you to read one of these books and NOT read any of the other 6.
Can you believe this guy's Canadian? Just for that I'm drafting Jason Bay on my fantasy team.
Anyway, seriously, follow my advice. I'm trying to help you. And if you're in a depressed mood, or at a crossroads in your life, in a stressed situtation, or tryin to relax before a big test, Gordon Korman will do more for your than any pills, psychics, or pieces of Dr. Phil advice. Trust me. This one's money in the bank. ( Unlike betting on 30 HR's from hideki matsui).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, March 17, 2008
Make Room for March Madness
Here we go, peeps, March Madness time- albeit about a week later this year, March Madness is upon us, and we got about 72 hours to fill out those brackets before thursday's games kick off.
Here our suggestions I wanna make for those filling out brackets:
a.) Never, never, go with my pick to win it all. I started doing brackets in 2001, and out of all those years where likely champions did actually win, I have NEVER picked the right one. I have always "had a hunch" about somebody, or even told somebody i might pick a certain team, but when it has come down to filling out brackets, or giving my official pick for winner, I've NEVER been right. Some may think i'm due, but i doubt it.
With that said, i'll give u my winner at the bottom of the page.
b.) One thing that I HAVE gotten right since my 2nd year is the 8-9 games. I haven't gotten them all right, per se, but there's a weird mathematical pattern that goes on with these games. You'd think these would be the hardest to pick with practically even teams that the selection committee just threw together w/o regard for the higher, but look closely. Go back to 2003 and look at who's won the majority of the games every year. In 2003, 3 of the 4 #9 seeds won, 2004 most of the 8 seeds won, 2005 back to 9 seeds, 2006 8 seeds, and so on. This has worked to perfection since then, so every year I get at least 3 out of 4 right on the 8-9's because of this.
So now you know my secret. To save you some time, this year it's the #8 seeds' turn.
c.) Expect more upsets than last year. Well, yea, duh. But seriously, last year was so upset-free in the first free rounds that it was almost boring. The fact that higher-seeded teems won, though, was actually an anomaly. Most years, the proability says it's actually LIKELY that they'll be upsets. However, don't go crazy. It's like poker, 70% you got it, 30% bluff. I'd say the 8-9 and 7-10's are crapshoots, you can pick either way, 6-11 I'd maybe pick 1 or 2 upsets at most, 5-12 and 4-13 I'd go with one upset each and just stick with it. There's upsets of 2's and 3's occasionally, but seldom enough not to bet on it.
d.) Don't go for another George Mason. Seriously, neither South Alabama nor winthrop is going to the final four this year. George Mason was like a once-in-a-decade thing. Usually by the 2nd weekends talent and the loaded programs take over.
More advice on picking brackets later. Notice how I didn't really analyze any teams. Brackets are sometimes dominated by math and probability, is my explanation. That and the fact that I haven't followed college buckets that closely this year cuz the Illini sucked.
Also w/ March Madness comes Fantasy MLB drafts, which can be even more maddening than cinderellas and bubbles bursting. I just recently did my first draft in a yahoo! winners league and it's maddening to me that......
For one, Ryan Braun is being drafted so high. As a prominent member of the fantasy community (Ha), or at least a participant in yahoo! public leagues, I am embarrassed by how early ryan braun is going. I don't care if ryan braun becomes the next alex rodriguez this season, he should NOT be being drafted this high. It's really violating one of the primary rules of fantasy: Do NOT draft high based on one really good season. And braun didn't even play a whole season last year. Sure, his #'s were incredible, but this is a 2nd-year player, arguably ROOKIE, that hasn't proved at all that he can do it again.
This goes back to the CENTRAL TENET of baseball that everyone needs to understand: You draft guys based on what they're gonna do for you IN THE FUTURE, not what they did last year. Guys, stop salivating over what Ryan Braun did for you last season, let those chops run dry a bit and think with another part of your head. Sure, this guy's a rookie, and "he's got great potential," but think about it: How many guys come up and go all gangbusters like this and are able to sustain it? It's baseball, guys, braun has to play 162 games this season when he has to deal w/ constant wear and tear, pressure of repeating what he did last year, making up for his shoddy defense, prolonged droughts where he questions whether he ever knew how to bat, and ESPECIALLY opposing pitchers adjusting to him and attacking his weaknesses. Plus, who knows what a long winter of inactivity did to him. As opposed to other guys being drafted BEHIND braun, like aramis ramirez, derek jeter, carlos lee, I KNOW what a long winter of inactivity will do to them: very little, and they've proven it. Ryan braun has not, and that at its base is why he is nothing more than a 4th-round pick to me. Not the 14th overall pick or even higher.
Get your head outta your ass, brandon funston. You too, andy behrens. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for ranking braun so high. I'd bet you guys that a-ram has a better season than braun, but I dunno if you'd take me seriously.
Anyway, my pick for the NCAA tournament winner is Kansas. I've been burned by them many times in the past, including last year when they got destroyed by UCLA, but there you go. Take it or leave it.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Here our suggestions I wanna make for those filling out brackets:
a.) Never, never, go with my pick to win it all. I started doing brackets in 2001, and out of all those years where likely champions did actually win, I have NEVER picked the right one. I have always "had a hunch" about somebody, or even told somebody i might pick a certain team, but when it has come down to filling out brackets, or giving my official pick for winner, I've NEVER been right. Some may think i'm due, but i doubt it.
With that said, i'll give u my winner at the bottom of the page.
b.) One thing that I HAVE gotten right since my 2nd year is the 8-9 games. I haven't gotten them all right, per se, but there's a weird mathematical pattern that goes on with these games. You'd think these would be the hardest to pick with practically even teams that the selection committee just threw together w/o regard for the higher, but look closely. Go back to 2003 and look at who's won the majority of the games every year. In 2003, 3 of the 4 #9 seeds won, 2004 most of the 8 seeds won, 2005 back to 9 seeds, 2006 8 seeds, and so on. This has worked to perfection since then, so every year I get at least 3 out of 4 right on the 8-9's because of this.
So now you know my secret. To save you some time, this year it's the #8 seeds' turn.
c.) Expect more upsets than last year. Well, yea, duh. But seriously, last year was so upset-free in the first free rounds that it was almost boring. The fact that higher-seeded teems won, though, was actually an anomaly. Most years, the proability says it's actually LIKELY that they'll be upsets. However, don't go crazy. It's like poker, 70% you got it, 30% bluff. I'd say the 8-9 and 7-10's are crapshoots, you can pick either way, 6-11 I'd maybe pick 1 or 2 upsets at most, 5-12 and 4-13 I'd go with one upset each and just stick with it. There's upsets of 2's and 3's occasionally, but seldom enough not to bet on it.
d.) Don't go for another George Mason. Seriously, neither South Alabama nor winthrop is going to the final four this year. George Mason was like a once-in-a-decade thing. Usually by the 2nd weekends talent and the loaded programs take over.
More advice on picking brackets later. Notice how I didn't really analyze any teams. Brackets are sometimes dominated by math and probability, is my explanation. That and the fact that I haven't followed college buckets that closely this year cuz the Illini sucked.
Also w/ March Madness comes Fantasy MLB drafts, which can be even more maddening than cinderellas and bubbles bursting. I just recently did my first draft in a yahoo! winners league and it's maddening to me that......
For one, Ryan Braun is being drafted so high. As a prominent member of the fantasy community (Ha), or at least a participant in yahoo! public leagues, I am embarrassed by how early ryan braun is going. I don't care if ryan braun becomes the next alex rodriguez this season, he should NOT be being drafted this high. It's really violating one of the primary rules of fantasy: Do NOT draft high based on one really good season. And braun didn't even play a whole season last year. Sure, his #'s were incredible, but this is a 2nd-year player, arguably ROOKIE, that hasn't proved at all that he can do it again.
This goes back to the CENTRAL TENET of baseball that everyone needs to understand: You draft guys based on what they're gonna do for you IN THE FUTURE, not what they did last year. Guys, stop salivating over what Ryan Braun did for you last season, let those chops run dry a bit and think with another part of your head. Sure, this guy's a rookie, and "he's got great potential," but think about it: How many guys come up and go all gangbusters like this and are able to sustain it? It's baseball, guys, braun has to play 162 games this season when he has to deal w/ constant wear and tear, pressure of repeating what he did last year, making up for his shoddy defense, prolonged droughts where he questions whether he ever knew how to bat, and ESPECIALLY opposing pitchers adjusting to him and attacking his weaknesses. Plus, who knows what a long winter of inactivity did to him. As opposed to other guys being drafted BEHIND braun, like aramis ramirez, derek jeter, carlos lee, I KNOW what a long winter of inactivity will do to them: very little, and they've proven it. Ryan braun has not, and that at its base is why he is nothing more than a 4th-round pick to me. Not the 14th overall pick or even higher.
Get your head outta your ass, brandon funston. You too, andy behrens. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for ranking braun so high. I'd bet you guys that a-ram has a better season than braun, but I dunno if you'd take me seriously.
Anyway, my pick for the NCAA tournament winner is Kansas. I've been burned by them many times in the past, including last year when they got destroyed by UCLA, but there you go. Take it or leave it.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Ignored players
I've just been on an academic marathon the last few days, studying for 2 different tests and working on a case due tomorrow, it's been rather exhausting. During the process, I realize during normal times i ignore my academic pursuits a bit, and then when i'm in my academic mode i ignore some of the other things too much.
So..........on that note, I know i've ignored some players in the NBA this year, whether they're not on my fantasy teams, their numbers aren't so noticeable, or just pure apathy on my part. So for them, I apologize, and I hope i make it up to you in this blog.
First off, salute to the baby bulls, they're gonna be putting the hurt on Utah tonight, beating them by DOUBLE DIGITS. Wow. Unfortuantely, the bulls roster has been an absolute fantasy mess this year, including luol deng, kirk hinrich, ben gordon. All those players have underpeformed this season and average less than previous years. I think it's fair, though, to a guy i think has the most fantasy potential on that team ( you may be surprised):
Joakim Noah. This guy came off the bench for most of the year, but he's part of the bulls' future, and he averages .6 stls and .8 blks, in just 18 minutes of action a game. Imagine him w/ 30 minutes, he could easily join the 1 stl/ 1 blk group. Give this guy some time and he could become a fantasy force in the future.
Carlos Boozer hasn't gotten that much love from me this year largely cuz his #'s are the same as last year. A double double machine, not great defensive #'s, no 3's, pretty solid guy. Encouragingly, he might put up a full season in quite a well after 74 games last year.
Kevin Durant- probably one of the most heralded rookies ever in the NBA, he doesn't get that much love from me. Personally, i don't like him. He puts up a lot of points, but his FG% is really low, and the other #'s don't go that well w/ his 19 pts per. However, it is 19pts per, and he IS a rookie. He can develop his game and prove me wrong.
Mike Dunleavy ( Jr) - former dukie putting up quite a year. He's gotten a lot more opportunity as pretty much ( dare i say it?) the top option in the Indiana offense, maybe along w/ danny granger? Averages 18 points +, 1.7 3's, really pretty solid %'s from a shooting guard who specializes at shooting, so he's been a real surprise this year for a very mediocre team.
Antawn Jamison really took over that team in Washington, averaging a career high in rebounds and pumping those points up to 21.4 for a team that really needed it after c-butt went down. Very quiet fantasy contributer, but a solid one.
Grant Hill really enjoying a renaissance year in Phoenix w/ steve nash, but his #'s are really not that impressive for fantasy. It's cuz he's mainly a shooter, and that's the problem when i owned him in 2004. Not that many supporting #'s, but he has raised his 3's to 0.6 a game, which could benefit a little bit, those %'s are also pretty gaudy.
Finally, getting really marginal here, anthony parker could actually be a contributor on someone's fantasy team. He's the only guy in the NBA whose sister is better than him at basketball ( that's not a gender-biased comment, it's just reality. If it makes you feel any better, any girls reading this are probably better than ME at b-ball). Anyway, parker's game is simple: Flow with the offense, wait for jose calderon or t.j. ford to kick it out to him, shoot an open shot, make it. He makes 1.7 of those open 3's a game, and in general his shots, including foul shots, go in at an above average rate. He is rather good. Too bad his sister is better.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
So..........on that note, I know i've ignored some players in the NBA this year, whether they're not on my fantasy teams, their numbers aren't so noticeable, or just pure apathy on my part. So for them, I apologize, and I hope i make it up to you in this blog.
First off, salute to the baby bulls, they're gonna be putting the hurt on Utah tonight, beating them by DOUBLE DIGITS. Wow. Unfortuantely, the bulls roster has been an absolute fantasy mess this year, including luol deng, kirk hinrich, ben gordon. All those players have underpeformed this season and average less than previous years. I think it's fair, though, to a guy i think has the most fantasy potential on that team ( you may be surprised):
Joakim Noah. This guy came off the bench for most of the year, but he's part of the bulls' future, and he averages .6 stls and .8 blks, in just 18 minutes of action a game. Imagine him w/ 30 minutes, he could easily join the 1 stl/ 1 blk group. Give this guy some time and he could become a fantasy force in the future.
Carlos Boozer hasn't gotten that much love from me this year largely cuz his #'s are the same as last year. A double double machine, not great defensive #'s, no 3's, pretty solid guy. Encouragingly, he might put up a full season in quite a well after 74 games last year.
Kevin Durant- probably one of the most heralded rookies ever in the NBA, he doesn't get that much love from me. Personally, i don't like him. He puts up a lot of points, but his FG% is really low, and the other #'s don't go that well w/ his 19 pts per. However, it is 19pts per, and he IS a rookie. He can develop his game and prove me wrong.
Mike Dunleavy ( Jr) - former dukie putting up quite a year. He's gotten a lot more opportunity as pretty much ( dare i say it?) the top option in the Indiana offense, maybe along w/ danny granger? Averages 18 points +, 1.7 3's, really pretty solid %'s from a shooting guard who specializes at shooting, so he's been a real surprise this year for a very mediocre team.
Antawn Jamison really took over that team in Washington, averaging a career high in rebounds and pumping those points up to 21.4 for a team that really needed it after c-butt went down. Very quiet fantasy contributer, but a solid one.
Grant Hill really enjoying a renaissance year in Phoenix w/ steve nash, but his #'s are really not that impressive for fantasy. It's cuz he's mainly a shooter, and that's the problem when i owned him in 2004. Not that many supporting #'s, but he has raised his 3's to 0.6 a game, which could benefit a little bit, those %'s are also pretty gaudy.
Finally, getting really marginal here, anthony parker could actually be a contributor on someone's fantasy team. He's the only guy in the NBA whose sister is better than him at basketball ( that's not a gender-biased comment, it's just reality. If it makes you feel any better, any girls reading this are probably better than ME at b-ball). Anyway, parker's game is simple: Flow with the offense, wait for jose calderon or t.j. ford to kick it out to him, shoot an open shot, make it. He makes 1.7 of those open 3's a game, and in general his shots, including foul shots, go in at an above average rate. He is rather good. Too bad his sister is better.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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