The Doctor Main Event Blog

[Edwards Kings]

Worry level grading system (Since I live next to a beach, and beach weather is here…)

1- Sitting pretty on the beach.

"Dustin wants an introduction...so he told me to put my cold nose on the yellow bikini...yellow bikini...yellow bikini....WAIT....I am color blind! Dustin?"

[Doctor Who]

The free falling has begun. I saw this on its way a few weeks ago, and felt helpless as to how to prevent it from happening. Well the team hasn’t fully sunk yet, it has just started to take in a ton of water, and I don’t know if we can stop the leak in time before we sink all the way out of contention.

My catchers continue to be non-existent and at this point I mine as well just fill them with guys that don’t even play. The last two weeks they have combined for 64 AB’s, a .155 AVG, 3 runs, 2 Hr’s, and 4 RBI’s. Not exactly breathtaking. This week I decided that I needed to once again try and solve this area. So I picked up the just above non-existent Alex Avila for $3. $3 too many. He is due to go on a rehab assignment as soon as this week and if all goes well, can start sucking in my lineup immediately. Anything is better than Zunino and Pena at this point. I did put in a rich bid of $77 for Mesoraco but was outbid with a winning bid well over 200. I’m shocked KJ wasn’t the one after him too. Instead he went with another choice, McKenry. Can’t wait to have KJ sign a catcher’s mitt for me next year since it seems he loves that position and all.



The other major problem this team has is no speed. Only 8 SB’s from 5 different guys won’t get it done if I want to stop this major leak. Right now this team has 3 points, but is only 7 SB’s out from getting 7 points. If this team could find a way to make up that ground and get to 7 points, I would call that a win and it would give me a fighting chance. I say this knowing that this team only had 8 SB’s the last two weeks, meaning even though it’s only a 7 SB deficit, it is laughable thinking this team can pull that off. Right before FAAB, the Indians sent down the left side of the infield. While he might not be entirely ready, he does bring some speed up the middle, so I spent $27 to get Francisco Lindor. Of course, the Indians don’t bring him up, and instead go with two different options. While he may get a shot later in the month, this team needs an infusion of speed now before the deficit gets higher.

The other penny in the wishing well is Byron Buxton. I passed on Correa in this draft and others because I simply didn’t think they would ever bring him up this year. Instead I thought the Twins might bring him up around June. Wish I had that one back. Maybe by the Astros doing this, the Twins might look at it and also decide they should bring up their top guy to fill a major hole on their first place club as well. Monkey see, monkey do right? If that prayer would get answered, it also would help with the speed leak that this team has in a weak outfield.

Speaking of that weak outfield, it might be getting some help soon as Wil Myers has finally gone on his rehab assignment and just might make it back in time for this weekend. He was a huge help the first month of the season, and if he can come back and be the same guy he was before he went down, this team just might be able to steady the ship just in time.

The other worry is the my second round pick Edwin Encarnation hasn’t looked right in two weeks, and finally got a cortisone shot in his shoulder this weekend. I hope that helps, because he has been a huge hole in the lineup with a .100 AVG, and only 1 run and 1 RBI in 30 AB’s. Getting him back to his usual self might actually be priority number one for this team that is very offensively challenged right now.

Looking at this team now, I’m shocked that it has even held up this far, as it seems only 4-5 guys really are having good years, and those guys have slowed down a little after torrid starts which is why this team has been free falling for two weeks now. So to be quite frank, after the worst week this team has experienced year to date, if this team doesn’t wake up soon, I might just be on my way to the infirmary to hear my last rights.



The last concern that I have with this team at the moment is that my luck might finally be coming to an end on the pitching side of the equation. This team has missed all the blowups it seems all season long. This past week seemed like I couldn’t avoid them. Samardzija, Shelby, The King, and Collmenter (I know, don’t know what I was thinking there) all got lit up. My biggest concern for this team has been K’s and this past week didn’t address them when I decided a two start week by Collmenter would be better than the closer that never closes in Cecil. Cecil got as many K’s as Josh did, but didn’t give up all those runs Josh did. Lesson learned. I’m just going to go back to the boring ole reliables I have relied on all season and going to let them make or break me instead of going after those terrible FAAB double starters. So this week I made a move that I wanted to make a couple of weeks ago and picked up Ervin Santana for $3. With the Twins in the race, Ervin has a chance to really help them and this team when he comes back the beginning of next month, and could deliver top 15 round value for what it’s worth.

My bench now consists of 5 players that are either close to coming back from the DL or suspension, or hopefully about to be called up by their teams. This team has allowed me to continue playing the long game due to the relative good health it has all year, which is a positive considering how this team doesn’t have the funds for major players in FAAB that others do. Cecil will once again sit, even though the Jays have started to warm up and might get some saves finally this week. Instead I’m going back to my roots and starting Bartolo for his home start against the Braves. I still might pull a last minute move to somehow get Cecil back into the lineup. The only other move that could be possible is Valbuena going back in for an injured EE. He is questionable at this point for Monday’s game, so time will tell on that move.

Until next week fellas, I’ll be drinking a lot of whine… Oh I think it is spelled wine, sorry. If this team can’t stop the water from coming in, maybe I can drink so much that I can put all the corks together to stop it myself. I think that just might work…

[Edwards Kings]

Funny...two blogs...one post.

Sorry I was writing to post just after you did and we end up with the same basic message...



Maybe this is just our rough stretch...

[Doctor Who]

At least it will make it easy for either one of us to guest blog again later in the year.

[GetALife]

Worry level grading system (Since I live next to a beach, and beach weather is here…)

1- Sitting pretty on the beach.

"Dustin wants an introduction...so he told me to put my cold nose on the yellow bikini...yellow bikini...yellow bikini....WAIT....I am color blind! Dustin?"

One of the first things anyone was likely ever taught about dogs, other than the fact that they are man’s best friend and enjoy nuzzling crotches, is that they are color-blind. For a long time, it was believed that dogs could only see in shades of white, black, and gray and that they identified things by the brightness of the object and not its actual color.

However, a group of Russian researchers determined that this is not actually the case, and that dogs can in fact see some colors. The belief that dogs were color-blind was based on the fact that while humans have three cones in their eyes, dogs only have two. The Russians put together a series of experiments that seem to prove that despite this difference, dogs in the study were more likely to identify an object based on its color as opposed to its brightness, contradicting the long-standing theory that they are color-blind.

The researchers trained the dogs to identify certain colors with different objects, such as food. After a short time, when the dogs spotted those specific colors, they began associating them with the treats, proving that it was the color, and not the brightness of the sheets of paper being used, that the dogs were identifying. The experimenters found that dogs can at least see some greens, blues, and yellows.

http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/08/17/dog ... lor-blind/

[GetALife]

In my most humble opinion, I don't think we (including vets) know squat about canines. Most information are myths told over centuries. I will say I've had dogs that are much smarter than given credit for. My mom's dog (for real) opened up her zipped up purse that had white castle hamburgers stuffed inside. She either used her teeth to open the zipper or her paws. A future experiment is pending with video this time.

[Edwards Kings]

Worry level grading system (Since I live next to a beach, and beach weather is here…)

1- Sitting pretty on the beach.

"Dustin wants an introduction...so he told me to put my cold nose on the yellow bikini...yellow bikini...yellow bikini....WAIT....I am color blind! Dustin?"

One of the first things anyone was likely ever taught about dogs, other than the fact that they are man’s best friend and enjoy nuzzling crotches, is that they are color-blind. For a long time, it was believed that dogs could only see in shades of white, black, and gray and that they identified things by the brightness of the object and not its actual color.

However, a group of Russian researchers determined that this is not actually the case, and that dogs can in fact see some colors. The belief that dogs were color-blind was based on the fact that while humans have three cones in their eyes, dogs only have two. The Russians put together a series of experiments that seem to prove that despite this difference, dogs in the study were more likely to identify an object based on its color as opposed to its brightness, contradicting the long-standing theory that they are color-blind.

The researchers trained the dogs to identify certain colors with different objects, such as food. After a short time, when the dogs spotted those specific colors, they began associating them with the treats, proving that it was the color, and not the brightness of the sheets of paper being used, that the dogs were identifying. The experimenters found that dogs can at least see some greens, blues, and yellows.

http://knowledgenuts.com/2013/08/17/dog ... lor-blind/

Vee haff studied all the data and determined the Russians are in league with cats therefore cannot be trusted!

[Doctor Who]

FAILURE. If there is any word in baseball you have to get used to, it is that one word. It is ironic because FAILURE is not associated with winning, but baseball is surrounded in it. If you fail 7 out of 10 times, you might be headed to an all-star game, that is, unless a fan base wants to see their entire team go instead. This team has been failing for almost a month now. After such a terrific start, the team is falling faster and faster every night away from the money spots. After being as good as top 10, this team is now sitting at 50th overall. Still over 100 points, but barely, good for 4th place in this excellent league that features the second overall team.

The last 3 weeks have not been kind. Maybe this team needs for me to go back to my roots and only talk about the week that was. You know, even us fantasy guys are superstitious. But let’s first catch up on the good and bad that this team has shown the last 3 weeks and where we are at today. The good thing is that I’m still averaging over 300 AB’s a week. This team also has maintained its torrid run pace averaging 40 runs a week, and other than last week, was keeping pace in the HR department as well. RBI’s though continue to kill me, along with SB. I’m averaging 28 RBI’s the last couple of weeks, along with only 3.5 SB.

Zunino and Pena continue to kill this team, and one thing I have noticed with the teams in the top 10 is they have solid catchers this year. Betting on Zunino before the season started is coming back to bite me real bad. Agone and Carpenter have cooled and EE just can’t get going due to his health. Trumbo and Napoli have disappeared from their once mashing ways. The only guys that really are adding anything of value right now are Dozier, LeMahieu, and the Grandy man. Doesn’t really strike fear into anyone…



On the pitching side, the disaster starts I have avoided all year have been coming in droves. This once top 10 pitching staff is now showing its leaks and is falling down the charts fast. There is still time to recover, but the flood gates need to shut, and needed to shut yesterday. Incredibly enough, the wins have continued to be there (4) every week and the saves have too averaging more than 4 a week. Axford has been well worth the money, but Cecil just can’t get the chances, or was on the bench for his two last week before blowing up on me Monday when inserted back into the lineup. Gray continues to be my best pick by far in the draft as he really is now the only pitcher I have that continues to be great. Colon continues to add something too, and I’m still mystified how it hasn’t ended. The King, Shelby, Nelson, Leake, and Smargy have all been terrible the last three weeks.

So that’s the bad. Dropping from almost 120 points to 100 in a matter of three weeks is a substantial drop. But if this team can wake up offensively, there are 10 points to have that are very attainable to gain in a weeks’ time, while there is 6.5 points that could be grabbed in a moments instance on the pitching side. That at least should keep hope in the back of my mind going forward with this team.



The other hope I have for this team came this past weekend. Two moves I made (one in the draft, and one in FAAB) could reap tremendous rewards for this team. Buxton came up this weekend in a move I was expecting since the Astros started the precedent it seems, followed by Lindor. I’m not going to say these guys automatically are going to be stars and take me to a title like Trout did a few years back for those folks, but young guys at least give you hope. That and saved me 400-500 FAAB dollars combined. Both give me speed, which is a huge need, and could develop into something more. It helps infuse some talent back into my outfield which has been a bit baron this season, and gives me more flexibility when I don’t have injuries (Myers again and Deshields who probably lost his job now). Santana continues to work his way back and should start pitching for a team down the stretch that again could reap rewards, and hopefully Avila can at least show some pop when he comes back from his injury to save me some from my catchers.

For the first time this season, I actually didn’t know what to do with my starting lineup until the injuries happened. I’ve never really had a 15 teamer before as deep as this one, which is why I want this team to turn it around so bad. I feel like this team really deserves a chance to compete. I keep trying to remind myself that there really is a lot of time left for me to make a move upward, but time continues to tick, and this team continues to sleep rather than wake up. So while this team continues to fail, I’m hoping that this is just one of the bumps in the road to an otherwise fantastic season. AS you can probably tell from my writing the past couple of years, I'm taking a new approach to do everything I can for this team. Usually, I only really focus on the negative rather than the positive. Just like in gambling, I never really get happy when I win, because I expect it. I only look at the losses and see how it went wrong or if I missed something. This team is at least in contention, rather than thrown away in the middle of June, but it is one of the last real teams I have to cheer on so I'm watching it more closely and caring more than I should this early on in the season. But for now, I'm going with the notion that staying positive can lead to positive results. I did say I was superstitious...

[Doctor Who]

Yep, I’m calling it. What I feared for weeks has finally come true. This team was just a pretender and not a contender that started the year. What I thought were two bullets firing from my gun picking up Cecil and Axford, ended up just being directed at me instead. It just took me this time to realize from the shock that the team is dead.

After a week where I was second to last (almost a full month now of sucking), it is time to put a tombstone up for this team. Zunino was a huge miss. Agone and Carpenter who carried the team the first month of the season seem like they are gone. Even my two lottery tickets in Lindor and Buxton look like bullets missed as well. The final nail in the coffin was the pitching staff finally came back down to Earth. So before we even get to the All-Star break, this team has been pronounced dead.



You shouldn’t grieve as it gave us (me, really) a ride for about a month or two worth of excitement. But with having some very good teams (like any live event) this team won’t make the money this year. It has turned from where it seemed I was making every right weekly decision into every wrong one.

This past week was the first time I got my SB goal, but it is too late now. For the week, the team batted .239, 44 runs, 8 HR, 36 RBI’s, and 8 SB in 327 AB’s. Heyward and Zobrist carried the team for the most part, and the offense did put up a top 5 showing if it’s any consolation. The pitching though was dead last in the league for the week with 1 win, 2 saves, 5.74 ERA, 1.63 WHIP, and 31 K’s. Other than King Felix and Perkins, nobody had a good week, not surprisingly. As of Monday morning, this team sat in 5th place with 98 points and falling fast.



In FAAB this week, I went back to two familiar veterans in need of a spark. Melvin (Please change your name back to BJ) Upton joined the team for $7 and CC Sabathia once again joined this team for his two start week this week for $3. I know. I just can’t get away from that guy.

For this week I am desperate and taking a huge gamble. I’m sitting Cecil and Axford for SP to try and hope they give me good starts to help in W, ERA, WHIP, and K’s. I also sat Buxton and Trumbo, and Buxton promply goes off Monday night. Thanks asshole! Yea, talking to myself there. I’ll be back next week so you guys can continue to look at the wreckage.

[Edwards Kings]

Nahhh....a couple of good weeks and you are back in it. My team is dropping as well. You just need some inspiration...buck up little camper! We go more than half this thing to go...

[Doctor Who]

Those waiting to read about the train wreck will have something soon!

[Quahogs]

WTH partner ! You coming off one of those patented 3 day Houston hangovers ??

[KJ Duke]

WTH partner ! You coming off one of those patented 3 day Houston hangovers ??

It's just a glitch Steve, nothing to worry about.

[Quahogs]

WTH partner ! You coming off one of those patented 3 day Houston hangovers ??

It's just a glitch Steve, nothing to worry about.

Full Definition of GLITCH

1
a : a usually minor malfunction <a glitch in a spacecraft's fuel cell>; also : 2bug 2
b : a minor problem that causes a temporary setback : snag
2
: a false or spurious electronic signal

yeah KJ. Nothing to see here.

[Doctor Who]

This has just been one of those years. Not only with this team but with the others that I have. Good enough to be in the money in other leagues, but in the leagues I’m in have someone having a better year. Hey it happens, you won’t hear me cry too much about it.

This team still is over 100 points and fighting daily for 3rd place with two other teams as we approach the all-star break. Our first place team owned by King of Queens, is first in the overall. I’ve been littering Greg and Tom’s email the last few weeks saying that anyone in the league with an overall winner should get their entry fee back. Yea.. I’m still awaiting an email back that doesn’t contain a no way.

This team continues to do well in Runs, Hr’s, and RBI’s (Combined 36 points), but average and SB have kept this team down (4 points each). The one bright spot I guess is that this team has been stealing more bases the last couple of weeks so maybe I can gain 3 points in this category by the end of the year. If this team gets on fire like they did the first month, it is possible to gain up to 4 points in the AVG category. So at least there is some kind of plan that could be possible, but with the luck this team has had since the first month, I’m not holding my breath.




Pitching continues to be what has even given me a chance with this team. I have gone back to my roots with this team. Forget those stupid closers. If this wasn’t a family site, you might have seen a curse word there or two. Cecil was a waste of money (How many people say this every year about wasting money on closers…), but Axford looks like he might be worth the money in the end. At least he gives me two closers going forward. I’m in the top 5 as of now, so those two should be able to keep me competitive the rest of the year. I had lost some points in the K’s department recently by going 3 closers for weeks, but I’m back to 2, so I should continue to climb in that category, and have a chance to gain two more points there by the end of the year, but battling the guys I’m fighting for 3rd place so they aren’t about to give it up easily. Just by typing this, I might be costing myself 2 points. No wonder Quahogs tells me silence is the best strategy ever! Either that or getting coffee from Circus Circus. Who knows? A lot of stuff gets lost in translation.




ERA and WHIP continue to be just above average with room to grow (3 points to be had possibly) and Wins continue to be strong as tied in second with KJ (Mind giving up there already KJ?!?! I kid. I kid.), but 10 back of the King of Queens guy. Geez, the more I look, the more I see he is having one hell of a year (Duh. He is FIRST OVERALL! Still a no on that refund Greg and Tom?). All in all, this team has some points it can get to maybe even get me to second in this league if everything fell right, but I’m in danger of losing a lot of points to so let’s just stick to staying in the money first doh-doh bird. Sorry this year has caused me to start talking to myself. I haven’t figured out if it is a good thing or bad one yet…




To be continued Sunday night, where we will go over who will be on this team to start the second half...

[Ando]

A coffee from Circus Circus.
Best line I've seen around here in awhile.
Best of luck the rest of the way. Yourself and Wayne do a great job with these; always an entertaining read.

[KJ Duke]

...
So regarding this ... "two buys this week. My first was for $337, John Axford. My second buy this week was for $337. Brett Cecil".

That was a bold move Dustin, can't fault you for going for it even though the Axford seemed very rich to me and I'll be surprised if he is worth anything close to that bid, if anything. In my second main event I am in a similar position with closers, I paid $55 for Hatcher this week but unlike you I am leaning more towards punting and building points elsewhere rather than deploy the ALL-IN budget-busting strategy on marginal closers. You've set me up for a comp to compare and contrast strategies, something fun to keep an eye on.

Now that both of these guys have resumed their previous roles as non-closers who suck, the net result for 75% of a season's FAAB budget was:

35 IP
5.40 ERA
1.63 WHIP
35 K
3 W
14 Sv

Plugging those stats into my model, the net auction value of those stats is $0. To be fair, most of us waste most of our FAAB taking shots that fill temporary holes with players we hope will not have negative value. However, "closers" with historically mediocre stats seem to result in more pissed away FAAB each season than anyone else.

Not trying to rub it in Dustin, you're still beating me in this league and have a solid shot at finishing in the money, but think of what you could do with an extra $750 !!

[Doctor Who]

I know KJ. Why when talking to Steve this year I tried to sell him on getting proven closers in our leagues because of the value of the extra faab money being able to use on actually good players. I've never gotten lucky like some do on the FAAB closer carousel.

Doubt I'll be able to make it in the money in this hard league unless I have another April where I was hot as hell. As you can see in the league, I've gone back to saying screw closers!

But Benoit who I drafted is having a hell of a year and would have done just fine for pads. Still hate them for Kimbrel trade, and Perkins has been a top closer this year. So if that trade doesn't happen, I probably never spend that money on the two bums mentioned above.