The Morning Offering - March 10, 2005
Written by The Fool on March 10, 2005
The Fool almost forgot. But unlike with his parents’ anniversary this week, he remembered at the last minute. But in reality, the parents were SOL to begin with on this anniversary, because The Fool isn’t talking to them.
Probably a little more information than you needed.
The ACC won’t let me be
The Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament invades D.C. this weekend, in what is sure to be a culture shock for some tourney regulars. Wow, the best tournament in college hoops held in a real city arena, surrounded by great restaurants (a few fellow Rotogods can verify this) and good bars (I know some Rotogods who can attest to this as well). Go figure. It’s bound to be different than, say, Charlotte or Greensboro . . . but I’d also have to assume it’s an improvement. Or maybe that’s just my District bias (and distaste for the Tar Heel state) showing. Whatever. Go Wahoos!
But more importantly . . . .
The Fool has his fantasy baseball draft this weekend. I’m sure you’ve read a few other Rotogods mentioning something about a thuper-ultra-mean-incredibly-competitive fantasy league they’re participating in . . . . well, you just laugh along with them, then turn the volume down and listen to The Fool.
My college buddies and I founded the JMBL (James Madison Baseball League) back in the spring of 1996 as a 14-player keeper league with player salaries and contracts and a salary cap. We have since expanded once or twice, turned over a couple franchises and put together a history and rule book.
In preparing the list of 14 keepers, The Fool’s final cuts were Edwin Jackson, Jeff Bagwell, Mike Lieberthal and Frank Thomas. I’m at least hoping to get a couple of those guys back in the draft, most notably Jackson – I’m paying him for the next two seasons regardless after signing him to a three year contract last season.
This weekend I’ll actually miss being at the draft in person for the first time, as it’s heading south with the commissioner to Florida. A few of us will gather in Northern Virginia to select our squads via the good old Internet. The best thing The Fool can say about his team is that it has the second-lowest cap number in the league. There’s probably a reason for that. Here’s hoping team captain Chipper Jones leads by example this year . . .
Getting to know the Nationals
The Fool just finished a column which will run in Sunday’s edition of The Washington Times. In the first of three fantasy baseball preview columns, I looked at our new home team, the Washington Nationals. Granted, there ain’t too much to look at, but that’s one of the issues I examined.
The reason the cupboard is so bare? Because Major League Baseball and the Omar Minaya, the joke of a general manager that ran the team from February 2002 until the end of last season, destroyed this team’s talent base.
Consider that, in 2002 and ’03, the Expos at one time or another had Vladimir Guerrero, the best fantasy outfield option; Orlando Cabrera, a former all star and one of the better second-tier options at shortstop; spotty but talented outfielder Cliff Floyd; and lights-out pitchers Javier Vazquez, Bartolo Colon and Carl Pavano. With the possible exception of Floyd, all of those players will get selected in the top half of any competitive fantasy draft you take part in this month.
In return, the Nats this season will have the following players on the roster: Relief pitchers Sun-Woo Kim and Francis Beltran (who has a balky elbow and shoulder); infielders Brendan Harris and Nick Johnson; and outfielder Jose Guillen, who was acquired from the Angels for Juan Rivera (who the team received, along with Johnson, from the Yankees for Vazquez).
Um, nice haul. Maybe Omar was softening the Nats up, knowing he’d end up with the Mets, another NL East team. I just wish we could make room for him in my fantasy baseball league.
Closing thoughts
I thought this was cool. Fantasy Sports comes in at No. 56 . . . A future pro to watch in the ACC Tournament this weekend is North Carolina’s Marvin Williams. He’s a freshman forward who some say will be a top three pick in the NBA Draft if he leaves after the season. In fact, the top pick could come down to him and Wake Forest point guard Chris Paul, who will miss the first game of the tournament after hitting another player in the nads. . . . Need tickets to the tourney? Call (952) 828-6500 and ask for Mike Tice.
If you have a comment, question or idea for The Fantasy Fool, e-mail him.
