Opening post

There is nothing quite so suited to a blog as one's fantasy sports teams. Why? you might ask? Because only one person really cares to hear about how your teams are doing, and that is the same person who is the primary reader of your blog.

That all said, my current standings in baseball:
Beat the Geeks league: 3rd of 11
FBM Keeper League: 3rd of 11
Milwaukee league: 6th seed in playoffs, playing 3rd seed this week.

It has been a bitterly disappointing season, as I started with realistic hopes of winning all three leagues.

In the keeper league, I tried a desperate trade of Albert Pujols for three guys just before the trade deadline, in hopes of finally breaking through. The move clearly failed. I am locked for another month in a likely third-place finish, with a weaker team going into next year. Scott Rolen, Raul Ibanez, Rickie Weeks, Joe Mauer, you all know what you did to me. This after my luck at drafting pitching totally turned around for the positive this year, too! Gnash!

In the Milwaukee league, I caught a lot of heat early for the vaunted pitch-or-ditch strategy, which does play havoc with a head-to-head league where it is tough to actually bury yourself in ERA or WHIP. Problem is, I just haven't had the best players all year and I'm desperately trying to scrap my way to the finals to defend my title. August was unkind.

In the Geeks league (of the now-defunct Baseball Geeks podcast), I have actually improved a lot. For a time, I was in last. Now, however, I am steadily climbing. I really think I still have a shot to win, especially if my home runs and wins pick up a bit (which they should). I never played a weekly transaction league before, and I'm starting to appreciate the importance of the two-start pitcher a little more. I am two-starting all the positions through September, and hoping for at least one title to salvage 2007.

Football season is also upon us. I have three leagues to keep up with again:

First and foremost is my church's 10-team league. I felt pretty good after this league's draft starting with Romo-LJ-Parker-Wayne-Evans-S.Moss-Davis. Biggest reach was taking Davis right ahead of Tony Gonzalez, which felt like a bad decision even at the time. Ronnie Brown and Fred Taylor as backup RBs are outstanding. I should be good for a playoff spot if all goes according to form, but you never know.

Second is the Milwaukee league, where I continue to play a group of rather profane fellows I have never actually met. It's a fourteen-team league, which explains why I am trotting out Rivers-LJ-F.Taylor/J.Lewis-Holt-Wayne-Hackett-Gonzalez. My receivers are again a source of strength, but my bet on Cleveland's rebuilt offensive line will be tested here. Again, with an 8-team playoff, I feel somewhat confident I should survive into December, and then, who knows?

Last is the official league of NFL China, or so it purports to be. I got hooked up with it through a guy I've been playing against for years who works in Shanghai. I think most of the players in this 12-teamer are actually Chinese, which is pretty cool. (I had a Chinese friend once who explained to me the things he hated most about America were cheese and football. I explained the logical conclusion that he must really hate the Packers. But I digress.) These football-loving fellows allowed me VY-Kitna-Westbrook-MJD-Wayne-Cotchery-Norwood-S.Holmes-LJSmith. A deep and confusing roster, but it should keep me competitive.

The problem with having three fantasy football teams is akin to the problem of three baseball teams: whenever someone on one of your teams does good, he is probably doing harm to you in another league. I really makes it difficult to cheer. In football at least, you have the day Monday to clear your mind to focus on the crucial last player coming up in a Monday night game. The common thread of my teams is clearly Reggie Wayne. I see him as a top-5 wide receiver. That I got him in all three of my leagues, though, tells me I must think better of him, on average, than the 33 teams I drafted against in August. Will he be the Rickie Weeks of my football season (the sixth-round bust who ends up on all my clubs and screws them all up)? Soon to see, I guess.

More, better, later.