Why your league should be auction

Is your league an auction league? Most often the answer is no. Why is that? Is it because you're used to doing snake drafts? If that's the case, I urge you to at least take some time and consider the possibilty of an auction. How bad do you want the #1 pick next year? Anyone would kill to have LT on their team. #2 won't be that bad either. LJ plays a pretty sweet second fiddle. How many people are in your league? 10? 12? That's either 8 or 10 people who have no prayer at LT or LJ. I don't know about you, but my math says those aren't good odds. You have a 16-20% chance of getting one of the true workhorses. Now imagine an auction draft. If you have a pulse, you have a shot at one of these studs. There is a catch though. You have to pay for it. This is America. If you want the best, you have to pony up. Auction style leagues are Capitalism at its finest. If you want to kick things off with the finest running backs, you will need to be a sharp drafter to fill out your team. What's the penalty for having the first pick in a snake draft? You get the last pick in the 2nd round. Oh no, how dare they. Wait a second. They give you the first pick in the third round to soften the blow. So it's fairer to draft auction style. Am I overreacting? Just how good has LT been this year? He has more TDs (23:19 rushing, 3 receiving, and 1 passing) than Manning (22:20 passing, 2 rushing) or McNabb (21:18 passing, 3 rushing).

So it may be fairer to draft auction style, but the anticipation of your turn is exciting? That is true. You have your eye on a certain player. You hope he makes it to you. Cross your fingers. Screw that. In an auction, you are in every single pick that you want to be. You can bid guys up so they go for fair value. You can go after the guys you want on your team. There is the risk of getting stuck with a guy you're bidding up. The intensity of an auction is unmatched in snake drafts. Sure, it takes more work and preparation. Isn't that what serious fantasy football gamers do? You have to think on your toes. You have to think strategically. Do you name a big stud to sink someone's budget early? Do you hold on to that special guy for late in the draft when you can name your price for him?

I know I won't get people to change overnight, but I urge you to at least consider the auction.

Friday Tidbits - 11/17/06

It's Friday. That means it's payday for many, Casual Friday for some, and Friday's Tidbit time for my faithful readers.


I'll start with the NFL. Congress is looking into the NFL Network's plans to air live games starting on Thanksgiving. I ask myself, why is Congress wasting their time and our money on this, and if there are valid reasons, why wait until a week before the Thanksgiving game (Denver vs. KC by the way)? NFC East running backs took a beating last week. Clinton Portis broke his hand and Tiki broke his thumb. It appears Tiki will fight through his injury, while CP and his many personalities take a spot on the shelf for the year. Trent Green is getting his gig back. Damon Huard did a great job in relief. If the Chiefs would have beat Miami last week, I bet Huard would be starting this week. Another disaster out of Garrard and Leftwich may be found suddenly healthy by Jack Del Rio. Apparently the Patriots need someone to buy beer for the younger players as they have signed Vinny Testaverde. I don't know if it's a common practice to have a player that's older than the head coach and the owner, but the Patriots can check that off their list. Testaverde is eligible for Social Security next year so don't think this is a long term arrangement. It appears Hasselbeck and Shaun Alexander are close to returning. Do they become the NFC favorites again when they get up to speed? The hoopla this week will be surrounding the Colts-Cowboys game. ESPN must be falling all over themselves for this matchup. They always have to start a broadcast by telling us what's happening in Dallas, what MeO had for breakfast, and how long it took for him to digest it. They also love the undefeated run the Colts are having again. They'll be in their full glory when MeO takes on Archie's boy.


I'll skip to MLB only because of the buzz surrounding my beloved Red Sox. The Red Sox dropped a cool $51.1 million for the chance to speak with Daisuke Matsuzaka of the Seibu Lions. My memory can be fuzzy at times, just ask my wife, but I seem to recall the Red Sox saying they didn't have the money to compete with the Yankees last year when they failed to do ANYTHING to help their team before the trading deadline. On top of the $51.1 Matsuzaka could get around $10 million per year for four or five years. If I dot the i and carry the one, I put Matsuzaka at roughly $20 million per year to take the mound every five days. I realize they will probably make money in merchandising, advertising, and TV rights, but that sure seems like a lot of money for a team that was supposedly trying to live on a smaller budget. Could they have signed Barry Zito and Jason Schmidt for the same amount? Dan Patrick brought up an interesting point. Maybe they are going to lowball Matsuzaka so they won't be willing to make a deal. Then the Sox are off the hook for the $51 million, he can't sign with another team for a year, the Yankees or Mets can't have him this year, and they can focus on signing other free agents. Hanley Ramirez and Jason Verlander won Rookies of the Year in their respective leagues. If you recall (Baseball Awards) I pegged both ROYs in October. Brandon Webb took home the NL selection (I was hoping Trevor Hoffman would bring home the hardware). His 16 wins aren't overly impressive, but the starting pitching in the NL was far from dominant this past year. Johan Santana took home his second Cy Young after a brilliant season. I feel it should be his third straight Cy, but they don't give me a vote. Punks. Despite not having a gig, Joe Girardi took home the Manager of the Year in the NL. He's just waiting for the right job opening. In the AL, Jim Leyland beat out Ron Gardenhire. I think Gardy deserved it a touch more because of the pitching injuries he had to overcome. He had a lot less to work with than Leyland had. Punto, Tyner, Bartlett, etc. Not striking fear in anyone's hearts. Despite signing free agent busts like Rondell White and Tony Batista, Twins GM Terry Ryan took home the Major League Exec of the Year award. His trade of A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants for All-Star closer Joe Nathan, next year's #2 starter Boof Bonser, and Francisco Liriano, who finished third in ROY voting despite an elbow injury that will cost him half of this year and all of next year clearly helped Ryan's cause. Drafting catching stud Joe Mauer also helped. Not bad for a guy with champagne tastes on a beer budget.


Darius Miles had surgery on his knee and he'll miss the remainder of the year. He truly is the Bizzaro Kevin Garnett. They look very similar, KG is always healthy while Miles is always hurt, and KG never gets into trouble while Miles occasionally finds himself there. NBA's ironman Kenyon Martin is also out for the year. He has five years, $66 million left on his contract. At that rate he earned $6.6 million a game for the two games he logged this year. Not a bad gig if you can get it. Mr. Moustache Adam Morrison scored a career high 27 points Wednesday night. No word on whether he cried afterwards. Joking aside, it is nice to see someone play with the passion that Morrison plays with. Milwaukee forward Charlie Villanueva is on the shelf for 4-6 weeks with an elbow injury. The second year forward out of UConn was off to another good start. Chris Webber has been benched for the entire 4th quarter two of the seven games this year. He is scoring half his career average. Is this the beginning of the end or does he need a new home? I'm guessing a little bit of both. Baron Davis had one of the best games of this young season Thursday night. He scored 38 points, grabbed 8 boards, and handed out 18 assists. Pretty impressive game. A quick look at the standings shows Utah leading the way with a 7-1 record. San Antonio and Cleveland are next best at 6-2. The Hornets and Warriors are early surprises at 6-3. A look at the leaders shows Michael Redd leading the league in scoring at 31.3/gm (no doubt his 57 point eruption helped vault him to the top), Chris Bosh leads in rebounding at 13.9/gm, and Steve Nash leads with 10.9 assists/gm.


In the NHL a judge ruled that Evgeni Malkin could stay with the Penguins. No word on whether "possession is nine-tenths of the law" was muttered during the arbitration. It would be a lot cooler if it was. Florida's Olli Jokinen scored a hat trick in a 5-1 victory over Montreal Thursday night. The NHL announced a deal with YouTube to show video clips of NHL games. Looks like the NHL is going after a younger audience. This is a smart move for both parties. The NHL's reigning goal scoring champion Jonathan Cheechoo left Wednesday's contest between San Jose and Colorado. No word yet as to how long he'll be out. A peek at the standings and you'll see Buffalo still leading the way with 31 points. Anaheim is next with 30. San Jose (28.), Atlanta (27), and Toronto (26) make up the top 5. Marian Hassa still leads the league in scoring with 31. Jaromir Jagr is right behind with 30 points. Hoss is your goal leader and Jagr is your assist leader. Dominik Hasek leads the league with a 1.76 GAA. Ray Emery (only 6 starts) is next at 1.88 followed by Marty Turco at 1.92. Leading all rookies in scoring is Anze Kopitar with 17 points. Malkin is on his heels with 15.


In college football there is really only one game this weekend. Bowling Green vs. Toledo. Oh wait, #2 Michigan travels to #1 Ohio State. The winner can punch their invite to the National Title game. If it's close, the loser has a chance of a rematch with higher stakes. There are actually some other good games this weekend. #4 USC takes on #17 Cal, #10 Louisville takes on 7-3 South Florida, #14 Wake Forest takes on #19 Virginia Tech, and #20 BC faces #21 Maryland. Last week's upsets: #3 Louisville lost to #15 Rutgers, #4 Texas lost to Kansas State, #5 Auburn got crushed by Georgia, #8 Cal got beat by Arizona, and #24 Texas A&M lost to Nebraska. Joe Paterno may be back at Beaver Stadium for their game against Michigan State. He won't be roaming the sidelines, but hopefully he'll be able to call some plays from a press box. Not taking a hint from Bob Barker, JoePa will be back on the sidelines next year despite turning 80.


The college basketball season has slowly started rolling. I must take this time to thank Bobby Knight for popping me in the chin so I could focus on finishing this entry. His former team got off to a rocky start when Butler beat Indiana in the NIT Season Tip-Off. Preseason All-American Tyler Hansbrough got off to a nice start by scoring 29 points on 11 of 14 shooting. #3 Kansas must have thought it was NCAA tourney time. They got upset by Oral Roberts. Either that or they thought they were going to the dentist and didn't prepare. #19 Texas fell to an unranked Michigan State team. At 4-0 now, the Spartans will be ranked soon enough. USC scored a huge victory when O.J. Mayo signed a national letter of intent to be a Trojan. He has played varsity basketball since he was 13.

That concludes the Tidbits. As always, feel free to add any stories you liked this week in sports or discuss any of the stories I mentioned. Thanks again for supporting my blog.

Early NBA Surprises

I know it's early in the season, but Atlanta's 4-2 first place start is pretty shocking. A couple of their wins (New York and Toronto) have been against the NBA bottom-feeders, but their wins against Cleveland and Orlando have been impressive. Although it's been only 6 games, they sit on top of the Eastern Conference.


Utah's 6-1 start is somewhat surprising. Having Carlos Boozer healthy and effective helps. The impressive start by 2nd year point guard Deron Williams has also helped the cause.


Boston's 1-5 start has also been pretty surprising. I didn't think they would be elite this year, but I figured they'd be better than half the teams in the conference. Dallas is off to a 2-4 start. How many people saw that coming?


Individually, Atlanta's Joe Johnson is off to a somewhat surprising start. His scoring is up 8.6 pts/gm and his rebounding is up 1.6 rbs/gm. His assists are down, but that's because he's shouldering more of the scoring load. I wish the Celtics would draft players like Joe Johnson. Portland's Zach Randolph is also off to an impressive start. He's always had the talent, he's just not always motivated. His scoring is up 9.3 pts/gm and more importantly his rebounding is up 2.3 rbs/gm. The fact that Charlotte's Emeka Okafur is still healthy is more surprising than his 18.2 pts/gm and 12.2 rbs/gm start. He's always had talent. He just seems to get hurt so often. Deron Williams ranks fourth in the league with 8.7 helpers per game. Jarrett Jack is coming along with 13.3 pts/gm and 6.6 assists/gm.



Clipper forward Elton Brand's scoring is down 9 pts/gm, but the Clippers are winning, which is what matters. Utah's Andrei Kirilenko is scoring 6.9 less pts/gm, rebounding 1.6 less boards/gm, handing out 1.3 less assists/gm, getting .8 less steals/gm, and blocking 0.6 less shots a game.


Kobe Bryant, Jermaine O'Neal, and Jason Richardson's numbers are off, but they are coming back from injuries. Like I said, it's early, but here are some of the surprises of this young NBA season.

Do you have any to add? Comments are welcomed.

Buck O'Neil...Gone but not forgotten

I have been trying to do my part to spread the word about a great gentleman that has been a part of baseball for over seven decades. His commitment to the game, even as it continually shunned him, is admirable. In his playing days, he was not allowed to play in the big leagues because of the color of his skin. As hard as that is to fathom, the decision to omit him from the HOF when the "special" committee reviewed the Negro Leagues may be even worse. I use the word special loosely because there was nothing special about their decision. Maybe his playing stats didn't justify his admission. However, they know what Buck has done for baseball (the Negro Leagues in particular) for the past half century. Keeping Buck out was a slap in the face to a baseball icon. They can try and spin it any way, but they can't justify their decision in my mind. Now that he's passed, there is no way to make it right. They can choose to let him in now. I guess I'd have to be OK with it. I just wish they could have done it while he was alive so he could enjoy it. I guess robbing this man of the joy of playing in the big leagues wasn't enough. They had to rob him of the joy of being recognized for his service to baseball. They should be ashamed of themselves.

A heralded player stepped into the batter's box. This two-time batting champ didn't crowd the plate. He didn't strike fear in the pitcher he faced. Respect yes, but not fear. Why, you say? Because the leadoff hitter in the Northern League All-Star Game this summer was one Buck O'Neil. The 94 year old former Negro League player was signed by the Kansas City T-Bones to a one day contract. He became the oldest player to ever play in a professional league with his at bats. (Buck walked in the top of the first, got traded to the opposition, and walked in the bottom of the first). T-Bones GM Rick Muntean wanted to use this appearance to raise attention to the snubbing Buck O'Neill received from the committee reviewing Negro Leagues. The T-Bones were trying to formulate a grassroots movement to petition to get Buck O'Neill in the Hall of Fame. Click Here to vote to Induct Buck.


The 12-person panel reviewing the Negro Leagues for entries into the Baseball Hall of Fame has preserved the history of injustices experienced by the players of this generation. Failing to elect Buck O’Neil and Minnie Minoso is a slap in the face not only to these two great ballplayers, but also to the sanctity of the Hall of Fame. They were the only living members among the 39 candidates on the ballot. While they are not Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb, both of these players merit being in the Hall of Fame. Minnie Minoso played 17 seasons in the major leagues and was a career .298 hitter. He was a seven-time All-Star and a three-time Gold Glove outfielder. He finished fourth in MVP voting four times. He had among the top ten batting averages eight times between 1951-1960. Nine times he had among the top ten on-base percentages during that timeframe. Six times he had a top ten slugging percentage. Nine times he was top ten in runs, eight times he was top ten in hits (including leading the league in 1960), nine times he was top ten in total bases (including leading the league in 1954). Eight times he was in the top ten in doubles (led the league in 1957), six times in triples (led the league in 1951, 1954, and 1956). Twice he was in the top ten in home runs, five times for RBIs, and four times for walks Nine times he was in top six in stolen bases (led the league1951-1953). He also led the league in hit by pitch ten times (was top four 12 times). He was 57 years old when he played his last game. Do those sound like Hall of Fame credentials to you?…it’s because they are.


Buck O'Neil's stats aren’t as gaudy as Minoso’s, but his impact on the game is just as great. Buck led the Negro League in batting in 1940 and 1946. He finished his career as a .288 hitter. He managed the Kansas City Monarch from 1948-1955, guiding them to five pennants and two Black World Series. He helped launch the Major League careers of Ernie Banks, George Altman, Gene Baker, Francisco Herrera, Elston Howard, J.C. Hartman, Connie Johnson, Sweet Lou Johnson, Satchel Paige, Hank Thompson, and Bob Thurman. In 1962 he became the first black coach in the Major Leagues with the Cubs. He helped discover stars like Lou Brock and Joe Carter. He spent 33 years with the Cubs before joining the Kansas City Royals as a scout in 1988. Buck chaired the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum Board of Directors, and served on the Veterans’ Committee of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Perhaps the most important thing Buck O’Neil did for baseball was keep the memory of the Negro Leagues alive. He fought to make sure that the injustices of the black players were not forgotten. Unfortunately, he had to relive it when this panel made their ridiculous decision. He died at 94 years old. I said it would be a shame for him to have to die before being recognized for his contributions...and it is.

Friday Tidbits - 11/10/06

We're at the midway point an the Colts are still unbeaten. It must be Groundhog Day because I vaguely remember this same scenario last year for the Colts. Until they play like the Colts and not the Ponies in the playoffs, nobody cares what they in the regular season outside of running the table. That being said, I am so impressed with the way Peyton Manning plays. He is really on a different level than most everyone else. Some injuries popped up this week. Amani Toomer is out for the season. It's surprising because he's never gets injured. Willis McGahee has three cracked ribs. I imagine that has to be a little painful. Byron Leftwich appears healthy, but he's not getting back on the field pretty soon. It seems David Garrard has played well enough to earn an extended look at what he can do. The same scenario may be going on in Kansas City where Damon Huard has done an amazing job in relief of Trent Green. KC is winning so the "don't mess with success" motto could be popping up there too. The Niners are thinking of moving to Santa Clara. It seems like it's becoming too expensive for sports teams to be located in major cities. Nearby suburbs are much more affordable options. I'm sure they would keep their same name though because the Santa Clara 49ers would make little sense.


Speaking of making little sense, LeBron James walked off the court with a few seconds remaining in an overtime loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, the sorry Atlanta Hawks beat the Cavs. He was frustrated by the 9 point loss in overtime. While I don't think it's a practice he should be making a habit, I think the media needs to lighten up a bit. This is the first negative thing I've heard about LBJ since his senior year of high school. Larry Brown is about the smartest person in the league. He signed a mega deal with the Knicks. He did an awful job. He got paid $18.5 million to walk away. How the Knicks let him word his contract knowing his track record is beyond me. This guy probably only eats at buffets because he can't make his mind up. Minnesota swingman Ricky Davis put his foot in his mouth when he called the Trailblazers "a pack of roaches". If you're going to make such statements Ricky, follow it up with a win. It's the dumbest he's looked since trying to shoot at the other team's basket to get a rebound and complete a triple-double. A quick look at the standings shows the Jazz, Hornets, Spurs, and Clippers are tops with 4-1 records. Your scoring leader is Allen Iverson at 31.4, your rebounding leader is surprisingly Paul Pierce at 13, and your assist leader is Steve Nash at 11.2.


In hockey news, Patrick Roy finds his name back in the headlines. Not for outstanding play between the pipes, but for insulting Guillaume Latendresse ,a 19 year old Montreal Canadien rookie. He said the only reason he's with the Canadiens is :because he's a francophone". He also said if the youngster played for the Remparts, the team co-owned by Roy, he would have traded him. The 19 year old shrugged off the criticism and made Roy look silly. The Anaheim Ducks remain unbeaten in an NHL record 16 straight games to open the season topping Edmonton's 1984 mark. A quick look at the standings shows Anaheim leading the way with 28 points. They are followed by Atlanta's 27 and Buffalo's 25. Dallas and San Jose round out the top five with 24 points each. Nashville is the league's hottest team going 9-0-1-0 in their last ten games. Philadelphia 2-8-0-0, Chicago 2-7-0-1, and LA 2-6-1-1 are the coldest. Marian Hossa is the league's scoring leader with 27 points. He's tied with Ilya Kovalchuk with 13 goals. Jaromir Jagr leads with 18 assists. Anze Kopitar is the rookie leader with 16 points. Marty Turco (1.84), Ray Emery (1.86), and Dominik Hasek (1.90) are the top goalies thus far, although Emery has only started 5 games.


It's pretty quiet in the baseball world. The MLB All-Stars pulled off the first sweep in the Japan All-Star Series. Ryan Howard continued to mash hitting .556 in the series along with four homers and eight RBIs. The A's are another California team that could be sliding out of the Bay Area. They are loooking to head to Silicon Valley by setting up shop in Fremont, CA. The price tag hasn't been set yet for Japanese import pitcher Daisuke Matsuzaka. First his Japanese team needs to be bought out, and then his pockets will need to be lined. His agent is Scott Boras so don't expect a bargain. Doc Gooden was released from prison. Hopefully, his 138th chance will be the one he needs to get his life back in order.


The biggest news in college football this week happened away from the field. Miami Hurricane defensive lineman Bryan Pata was gunned down outside his Miami apartment. The Hurricanes plan to play in his honor. The BCS picture got murky last night when #15 Rutgers defeated #3 Louisville. The game was tied 25-25 when Rutgers kicker Jermey Ito shanked a 33 FG. Louisville jumped offsides and Ito didn't waste his second chance. He pointed to the camera and got all cocky after the game. You just missed a kick and got lucky because your opponent had a mental mistake. How about a little humility. Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is an intense dude. This win was good for the program, but I doubt it will be enough to vault them into a BCS game. It opens up a bunch of options for the title game. The Ohio State-Michigan winner will likely grab one spot barring something bizarre happening. Now the loser of that game, Texas, Auburn, Florida, USC, and Notre Dame hope things fall in line so they have a shot at the title. Other good games this weekend include #7 USC vs. #21 Oregon, #11 Arkansas vs. #13 Tennessee, and #24 Texas A & M vs. 7-3 Nebraska. #23 Maryland looks beat Miami, dropping the Hurricanes to 5-5. It's hard to say how they are going to play following the loss of Pata.


College Hoops are underway. The preseason All-Americans have been named. UNC's Tyler Hansbrough, Florida's Joakim Noah, Alabama's Ronald Steele, LSU's Glen Davis, and Brandon Rush of Kansas hold that distinction. Bobby Knight needs 11 wins to become the NCAA's all-time victories leader. He'll pass Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith along the way. Florida holds the top spot in the poll. UNC, Kansas, Pitt, and LSU round out the top 5. My Syracuse squad starts off #20. One team that will not be sniffing the top 25 is the University of Minnesota. They dropped a preseason game to Division II Winona State. Yes, Winona State it the D2 champions, but that's pretty sad.

That concludes the Tidbits. As always, feel free to add any stories you liked this week in sports or discuss any of the stories I mentioned.