The Big Blue Wrecking Crew

Vinsandlosses

Opening day is less than 2 months away!

Rather than scrambling to get a fantasy game going the day before the opener, I think we should get some of this out of the way in the next few weeks. First things first. I am happy to start the league unless someone objects or would really like to run it themselves. The league, without question, will be a custom league this year and I would like to crowdsource some information/preferences before we get started.

If you think you want to play, please comment on the following.

- Number of Teams (Let's make sure everyone who wants to join the league gets to participate).

- League Host. I'd like to stick with ESPN as we did with football, but if more people want Yahoo or CBS we could use them instead.

- Draft Date. Everyone should be able to draft live. Planning this out well in advance, we should be able to make this a fun experience.

- Keeper or Single Year. We could have a keeper league if everyone is on board with the idea, which means that each owner gets to keep a handful of his or her players from year to year.

- Types of statistics. Most leagues use traditional stats (HR, RBI, SB, AVG, Wins, Saves, Ks) but we could use Advanced stats (SLG, OBP, etc..) or some combo of the two. For what it is worth, I prefer a mix.

So, please comment below. I had a ton of fun playing Fantasy Football in the BBWC this year and think baseball could top that. In your responses please tell me what you do like, what you don't like, and suggest the best options for you (ESPN/Yahoo, Saturday draft, Sunday draft, etc..)

Thanks

DoppelgangBang

I'll play. I like a mix of stats and would be down with a keeper league. Espn, yahoo, whatever!

UCSB07

I would like to play, i like Yahoo a little better for Football, but i have no experience with any of the baseball leagues. I like the idea of the mix especially to water out some of the more questionable stats like RBI and Wins and Saves that may not have to do with the fantasy player on your roster. Like I said I've never played fantasy baseball and have always wanted to so i'm looking forward to a league with some great people

SamAdams

Have been in a free ESPN head-to-head fantasy baseball league with mostly family members/friends for the last several years. It's awesome. We use traditional stats like SB's, W's, Saves, and HR's, but also use WHIP, BAA, and OPS. We usually have a 12 team league.

If y'all need one more participant to make it an even number, I would be happy to join in. (My wife already thinks I spend too much time with this, anyway.)

grabarkewitz

Count me in as interested. My only problem is that I lose interest in the summer, but I am hoping that because I am playing with a group of folks I actually like, instead of family members, I could stay interested.

BluePastorKyle

I'm in. I prefer the 5x5 stats, plus OPS and K/BB ratio. But I'm easy - I'll go with whatever.

DoppelgangBang

BluePastorKyle said:
I'm in. I prefer the 5x5 stats, plus OPS and K/BB ratio. But I'm easy - I'll go with whatever.

I like that, too ... K/BB instead of wins? I appreciate advanced statistics and put a huge amount of stock into them, but for some reason it's just more fun to follow RBIs, HRs, and ERA ...

Is this a head-to-head league or roto? Both are fun ...

Vinsandlosses

Quick Update.

I started the league at ESPN.com. Every setting remains customizable until I lock it in and no draft date has been set. I'd like to get the league filled up before we start tinkering with things like Draft date and time, Draft style, etc...

Since this is a LM style league (league manager) I actually have to email you an invite so you may join up (the standard leagues let you create a password to give out, but not the LM leagues).

Feel free to send me a personal message here, comment below, or email me at [email protected]

Either way, we should have a place for everyone who wants to play (I can add more teams) and have a set number of team owners by the beginning of march.

Quick final note - I have the league set for Keeper status for about four players each. If you are interested in joining but are wary about "committing to more than one year of this nonsense" (not a real quote), don't worry. The abandoned teams' players would go back into the draft pile and the new owners would start from scratch (with draft pick preferences.)

Thanks,

VnL

SamAdams

Is it head to head?

arbfuldodger

Would like to play in the ESPN league if there is any space left. Didn't do too well in the Football one and would like to redeems myself somewhat.

BluePastorKyle

DoppelgangBang said:

BluePastorKyle said:
I'm in. I prefer the 5x5 stats, plus OPS and K/BB ratio. But I'm easy - I'll go with whatever.

I like that, too ... K/BB instead of wins? I appreciate advanced statistics and put a huge amount of stock into them, but for some reason it's just more fun to follow RBIs, HRs, and ERA ...

Is this a head-to-head league or roto? Both are fun ...

Actually, when I think of the 5x5, I think of:

Wins, ERA, Ks, Saves, and WHIP

Ave, Runs, HRs, RBI, SBs

Add to that K/BB and OPS, and I think it's perfect. But that's just me. Like I said, I'm good for whatever.

Vinsandlosses

It is head to head.

There is room for Arbfuldodger (but you have to message me, either via BBWC or email, because the espn system has to email you the invite)

I like OPS and K/BB as well. Those may be the most logical SABR stats to add.

Vinsandlosses

Doppel and Pastor, your invites have been sent.

BluePastorKyle

I'm in, but I can't edit my team name or anything.

Vinsandlosses

4 spots have been reserved (me plus 3 invites). Who else wants in?

Vinsandlosses

BluePastorKyle said:
I'm in, but I can't edit my team name or anything.

It shows your member status as "invited". I don't know if it should show "joined" once you accept the invite. I will look into it.

Vinsandlosses

Pastor, I want to send you a new email and have you try joining again, let me know if it works.

BluePastorKyle

Vinsandlosses said:
Pastor, I want to send you a new email and have you try joining again, let me know if it works.

It works, and I'm in again. But as you can see with Jerry and Nick, we're all just "team 2" or "team 7," etc. You've found a way to change your team name, but that's what I (and I think we) aren't able to do.

arbfuldodger

Vins, I sent you a message thru the board but I don't know if it went through. My addy is my board nick @hotmail.com

SamAdams

I was able to sign up and change my team name. (Sorry for the lack of originality there.)

Vinsandlosses

New invites sent. SA, would you talk to Kyle to figure out where you were able to join and change team name and where he isn't. It's hard for me to replicate since, as the LM, I have a different interface.

Pastor, the member form still shows that you have been invited but have not yet joined. I'll post here tomorrow if I can figure out what's happening. If after tomorrow we are still not able to get it, I have another way to get it done.

Arb and UCSB, let me know if you can join and change your team names, etc..

BluePastorKyle

I'm showing 6 teams, but only you and SA have different team names other than "team ___".

UCSB07

Vins,

All joined up and team name changed. Here's to hoping a new name will get me better results than my disappointing football performance.

BluePastorKyle

OK, found the issue. I had to sign out, then sign in again, then go to the invite and accept the invitation again. Very strange, but all is well.

Vinsandlosses

Good to hear that everyone who has been invited successfully joined.

We now have 6 owners set up. I'd like to have at least 10, but we could have 12 or 14 if that many want to play.

If no one else from the BBWC wants to join up we may want to ask the non BBWC members who played in the BBWC Fantasy Football League. Either way, I plan on taking the next couple weeks to give everyone a shot at joining and then figuring out a draft date/time that works for everyone.

jamesmir11

How many spots left?

Vinsandlosses

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

At least 4, maybe more.

Vinsandlosses

By tomorrow the league will have 8 spots filled. I just added two more making a total of 12 teams. If there are not 12 owners who want to play I can always delete the extra teams.

That is all.

Vinsandlosses

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

Do you want to play?

jamesmir11

Vinsandlosses said:

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

Do you want to play?

I'm thinking about it, because I've lost the will to keep up with Fantasy Basketball. When's the deadline?

jamesmir11

Vinsandlosses said:

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

Do you want to play?

Actually, yea. Sign me up.

Vinsandlosses

jamesmir11 said:

Vinsandlosses said:

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

Do you want to play?

I'm thinking about it, because I've lost the will to keep up with Fantasy Basketball. When's the deadline?

I can't stay on top of Fantasy Basketball. Football is no problem. Baseball is also easy (with most players playing 6 days a week). Basketball is time consuming and not very rewarding.

Vinsandlosses

jamesmir11 said:

Vinsandlosses said:

jamesmir11 said:
How many spots left?

Do you want to play?

Actually, yea. Sign me up.

I have to email you (I don't keep addresses) so you have to email me first ([email protected]) or you can private message me at the BBWC with your email address so ESPN can send you the invite.

saeldway

I'm in if there's room. Now that I'm going to be a team owner, can I take front money on my team's next TV contract?

Vinsandlosses

saeldway said:
I'm in if there's room. Now that I'm going to be a team owner, can I take front money on my team's next TV contract?

Private message on the BBWC or send me an email ([email protected])

ESPN's system needs to email you the invitation, so I'll need an address.

Die-Hard Dodger Fan

If there is room, I would like to play. Would be fun to be in the same league with Dodger fans from here.

I can be emailed at [email protected]

jamesmir11

When does the draft begin?

Vinsandlosses

If there is room, I would like to play. Would be fun to be in the same league with Dodger fans from here.

I can be emailed at [email protected]

jamesmir11 said:
When does the draft begin?

Die Hard and Saeldway have been invited, which brings us to 11. At this point we could stop at 12 or keep going to 14.

As for JMir's question, we don't have a draft date and time yet and we won't until the league is full. Once that happens, I will try to find a day and time that everyone can make. It should be no earlier than 2 weeks before the season begins and no later than the end of spring training (March 18th to March 26).

The Dodgers don't open the season until the first week of April, but the Oakland and Seattle open the season on March 28th in Japan. From there, They go back to exhibition games until the regular schedule starts. Yes, MLB is nuts.

Back to the number of members, I'd like to cap it at 12 - but if I get an email from someone on this board there is no way I won't let him/her in. Once we reach 12 I'll start taking recommendations for the draft date and we can go from there.

Die-Hard Dodger Fan

Thanks for the invite! Looking forward to a fun fantasy season with some BBWC members!

SamAdams

Vin, do you plan to customize the league or just go with the default settings? I know earlier there was some discussion about incorporating OPS, WHIP, etc. into the scoring categories. Also, I would prefer a daily nine-man lineup (eight positions plus Utility, along with five active pitchers and two relief pitchers.) This requires more managerial input than just playing nearly the entire team every day.

It's your league, so this is just a suggestion, and I appreciate your putting it all together. Thanks.

Vinsandlosses

SamAdams said:
Vin, do you plan to customize the league or just go with the default settings? I know earlier there was some discussion about incorporating OPS, WHIP, etc. into the scoring categories. Also, I would prefer a daily nine-man lineup (eight positions plus Utility, along with five active pitchers and two relief pitchers.) This requires more managerial input than just playing nearly the entire team every day.

It's your league, so this is just a suggestion, and I appreciate your putting it all together. Thanks.

Once everyone has joined, this is exactly the kind of discussion I'd like to have. A guess - we probably won't stray to far from the standard variation but I would like at least one SABR hitting and SABR pitching stat. As for roster sizes (both active and total) that will depend on the size of the league. If we end up with 14 teams, we will definitely cut it down a tad. In a standard 10 owner league, 9 hitters will mean everyone has all-stars at most positions. Not that I'm against that, hahaha.

So we will see.

Vinsandlosses

12 teams now spoken for. I would like to have the owners finalized at the end of the week. Let's do this!

AllDayLA42

Im all signed up any ideas on draft date.

Vinsandlosses

Okay, Unless I receive more requests by the draft date we will be a league of 12.

Tentatively, I'd like to hold the draft on one of three days.

They are...

Sunday March 18th during the afternoon

Monday, March 19th during the evening (after people get home from work but before people are going to bed, assuming you don't work night hours like me.)

Saturday, March 24th in the early afternoon.

Let me know what works.

UCSB07

I like the 18th, but any of the days work

saeldway

Vinsandlosses said:
Okay, Unless I receive more requests by the draft date we will be a league of 12.

Tentatively, I'd like to hold the draft on one of three days.

They are...

Sunday March 18th during the afternoon

Monday, March 19th during the evening (after people get home from work but before people are going to bed, assuming you don't work night hours like me.)

Saturday, March 24th in the early afternoon.

Let me know what works.

Any of those dates works

DoppelgangBang

Vinsandlosses said:
Okay, Unless I receive more requests by the draft date we will be a league of 12.

Tentatively, I'd like to hold the draft on one of three days.

They are...

Sunday March 18th during the afternoon

Monday, March 19th during the evening (after people get home from work but before people are going to bed, assuming you don't work night hours like me.)

Saturday, March 24th in the early afternoon.

Let me know what works.

I'd prefer a weekday, but I understand if people can't because of work.

arbfuldodger

I'm fine any of these dates & times.

Brookster

If you can go.to 14, I would like to get in. if not, I understand since I am late to the game.

Dave

Vinsandlosses

Brookster said:
If you can go.to 14, I would like to get in. if not, I understand since I am late to the game.

Dave

We can go to 14. I'll send you an invite tomorrow.

Vinsandlosses

Thanks to everyone for the input so far. I'm leaning towards the monday evening draft time. What's the best time for everyone. 8:00 pacific? Is that too late for the Texas/Central time zone crowd? Let me know.

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