Draft postmortem: Los Pollos Hermanos

Each day, we'll be conducting preseason interviews, or draft postmortems, if you will.

See what each manager had to say about his team immediately after the draft, and what he would change about it.

Up next: Andy, AKA Los Pollos Hermanos


Q: Which pick of yours did you like the most? Why?

A: Jeff Samardzija in Round 7. I have high hopes for this guy and I read an article in which he said he dumped his girlfriend because he wanted to prepare and stay mentally focused. Who wouldn't want a guy that dedicated on their team?

Q: Who was your biggest steal?

A: Cliff Lee. Yes, I'm declaring my biggest steal to be in the second round. I thought about taking him with my first pick, both before and during the draft, so him falling to me as the fifth pitcher drafted was very unexpected.

Q: Which pick would do over again? Why?

A: Alex Rios. I absolutely dislike him and he had a miserable season the last time I rostered him. I don't like taking players who have burnt me in the past, but he was sitting there for about three rounds past his projected value. By the 10th round and 114th overall, it simply became a value pick at that point.

Q: Where do you project yourself to finish in your division?

A: "If you're not first, you're last."
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Relax! Don't do it!

Everybody take a step back and be like Frankie for a second: Relax! Don't do it!

And by it, I mean overreact. Let me just sum up some of the reaction yesterday and today from teams:

Adam: "#9 (power ranking)?!?!?! With a 1-0 record?!?!! My team is NOT happy"

Mike: "Winning is too easy"

Shea: "Gimme a break 6 (power ranking)!? After a 16-2 week! Absurd. Chris's joke team is ahead of me"

Andy: "0-5 start on the horizon."

Chris: "Firesale!"

One four-day week does not make or break your season. It shouldn't even be a determiner in any fashion. Actually, Jack may have said it best: "Only one week thankfully."

Yes, everyone, ONE WEEK. One four-day week! Hardly, hardly, hardly a sample size to work with. So everyone excited over your 1-0 start or upset over your 0-1 start, RELAX. Yahoo made a poor decision to have Week 1 last all of four days (or, to look at it differently, one three-game series for each team). Once a year for the All-Star break is enough.

Either way, relax. Don't do it. Don't overreact.
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Draft lottery odds

Hey - who says that the bottom six teams have nothing to be excited about right now?

Everyone but Rick - who has to pay the last-place fee - has reason to be excited. And that's because we have the official 2011 draft lottery odds!


Manager // Odds of winning lottery
1. Rick // 30.07%
2. Andy // 23.08%
3. Dave // 20.05%
T4. Adam* // 9.09%
T4. Hal // 8.86%
T4. Ken // 8.86%

*Denotes tiebreaker winner (random draw).
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21 homers, 167 total bases, and not enough to win!

I had thought I'd seen it all in my years as a fantasy baseball commissioner. We've certainly had some crazy matchups and finishes, but what happened last week between Andy and Chris is certainly a new one.

I'll explain it all after the jump.


On Wednesday, Andy benched his hitters - yes, hitters - after accumulating a .318 average and 1.08 OPS. Obviously, those are gaudy numbers, but it meant he'd be losing at least six hitting categories right away. Chris' pitching was so terrible the first two days, and Andy's was so good, it gave Andy the chance to steal a win.

And that's what happened. Making it even more incredible? Chris had 21 home runs, 50 RBIs, 167 total bases, and a 1.01 OPS. In one week. 21 homers and 167 total bases! And a loss to show for it.

Andy took seven of the pitching categories, tied stolen bases, and won hitter strikeouts and OPS - which he obviously would not have otherwise won - to steal the matchup, 9-8.

"I knew I couldn't go toe-to-toe with Chris in hitting," Andy said. "I was already a man short (with Hanley Ramirez hurt) and two pickups from the 45 limit. It was like I had no shot going in. So when I had a huge start to the week, I figured I could take three hitting categories this way and give myself a chance to win."

The strategy worked, and if not for a 19-hit Sunday by Chris, Andy would have won average as well. Chris ended up at .319 after in incredible Sunday night surge.

In fact, Chris would have tied the matchup if not for an intentional walk by Scott Downs on Sunday Night Baseball.

"No comment," Chris said when twice asked questions about the matchup.

This puts a huge dent into Chris' division title hopes. Now it's Shea who is out in front of the Twitter Division with one week to play.

"Well I'm obviously ecstatic about (Andy's) win and the opportunity to take the division," Shea said. "I'm even more excited by the way it was won!!! (Chris) had an MTL record week and lost!"
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MLB trade deadline fantasy winners and losers

The MLB trade deadline has come and gone, with some big names changing cities.

There were many players on fantasy rosters traded (some bigger than others, obviously). So let's have a look at some of the fantasy winners and losers.

Feel free to add your own in the comments section.


Winner: Chris
Hunter Pence goes from a dreadful lineup in Houston to protecting Ryan Howard in Philadelphia. Pence's production should go up.

Loser: Ken
I'm not buying that Beltran has more success in San Fran than New York. The Mets were hitting the ball, and hitting the ball hard. The Giants' offense is putrid. I see this as a negative for Beltran and Ken.

Winner: Adam
Aramis Ramirez doesn't get traded and remains in the friendly confines; Ryan Howard gets major protection in Pence (and explodes this week with him there)

Loser: Adam
B.J. Upton could have been dealt, but instead stays in Joe Maddon's doghouse and the bottom part of the batting order in Tampa Bay.

Winner: Rick
Mike Adams should get more hold opportunities in Texas than San Diego, although he did get his fair share with the Padres as was.

Loser: Dave
Ubaldo Jimenez was dangled and stringed around more than Pinnochio; when it was all said and done, he now has a tougher schedule in Cleveland and he was pulled in the midst of a 1-inning start.

Winner: Joe*
Pitchers thrive under Dave Duncan in St. Louis. Combine that with Edwin Jackson's post-trade deadline resurgence last season and we expect a lot of success with the Cards. *Perhaps this helped negotiations between Joe and Bob in the latest trade?

Loser: Shea
Michael Cuddyer stays in Minnesota, where it's tougher to hit home runs than most other ballparks.

Winner: Jack
Michael Bourn goes from Houston to Atlanta, where he should get more opportunities to score runs. Plus, playing in a bigger ballpark should lead to more doubles and triples.

Loser: Andy
Because all he does is lose. So why would anything at the trade deadline actually help him?
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Joe, Chris kick off keeper trades; Andy, Ken follow suit

Last year, there were no in-season keeper trades, likely due to the strict restrictions put in place by the owners. This past offseason, those restrictions were lightened dramatically, and as a result we've seen our first two keeper trades.

Joe sent keeper Dan Haren and Howie Kendrick to Chris for keeper Zack Greinke and Jhonny Peralta. Then, a few hours later, Andy sent keeper Kevin Youkilis and Jair Jurrjens to Ken for keeper Cliff Lee and Ryan Ludwick.


All four managers will lose an 11th-round draft pick as a result of trading the keeper contracts. So how much did that restriction of losing a draft pick matter to the participants?

"The draft picks really worried me at first," Ken admitted.

"It played a small role," Joe said.

"Very little," Chris said.

"None. None at all," Andy said.


***

These trades really made sense on all levels when you look at them closely. Joe has three one-year deals right now, and he didn't have three legitimate keeper options. So he traded Haren and his expiring contract for Greinke, who still has another year left. And Joe gets value in a big third-base upgrade.

"This gives me flexibility with my keepers going into this offseason," Joe said. "I also think Greinke is a buy-low move, while Haren was a sell-high move. Besides Greinke's ERA, all of his other numbers are fantastic, including his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Meanwhile, Haren is known for poor 2nd halves. Aside from last year."

On Chris's end, he gets rid of Greinke, a player who has caused him nothing but torture the last year and a half, and won't have to deal with him next season. But it does leave him a little thin on choosing another starting pitching keepers if he doesn't re-sign Haren.

"I had lost an even higher draft pick this year when I chose to cut Grady and am still in line to make a run at the playoffs, so I'm not too concerned about losing an even lower pick," Chris said.

The Chris-Joe trade set off a flurry of other action, including one between Jack and Ken, and then the other trade between Andy and Ken. It was a domino effect, whether meant to be intentional or not.

"Absolutely loved it," Chris said. "Thought it was awesome that within minutes of the trade being accepted I had multiple messages from different managers. ... I particularly liked hearing about the hysteria that was raised amongst some managers; makes me laugh."

***

We've detailed Ken's trades already, so let's quickly look at Andy's side of making the keeper trade. He admittedly made a mistake in the offseason by signing Youkilis to two years instead of just one. So, not only did he have to trade a 2-year contract, he had to find someone who could take him on.

Enter Ken.

"I'm ecstatic I was able to get rid of Youkilis," Andy said. "Once I acquired Hanley (Ramirez) earlier in the season, I had been trying to trade Youk because I had planned to cut him to keep Hanley. Losing the draft pick wasn't as bad if I traded him as opposed to cutting him. So that was my goal, and then to get Lee back was more than I ever expected. I'm thrilled to be going into next year with Hanley, Carlos Gonzalez and Lee."

Andy makes it clear there that he will be re-signing Lee to the final year allowed, which would cost him another high draft pick. Interesting strategy to already make that known, especially when he has possible 1-year options in Clay Buchholz, C.J. Wilson, or maybe even a long-term option in Stephen Strasburg.

No matter what happens, Andy has taken a bad season and successfully traded to go into 2012 with a roster he is happy with. And, heck, even Chris was thrilled when he saw this trade.

"Seeing Cliff Lee get traded is awesome," Chris said. "No doubt Ken actually got value in this deal, but still good to know I may not have to see Lee in the playoffs. I like my team's chances (now) and think we will take the division."
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Ken rolls the dice, puts eggs in offensive bucket

Remember when Ken was 8-2 and I put up a poll question asking if he was the favorite to win the league?

Well, in the words of so many: Lolz.

Since then, he has gone 0-4-1 and is on the verge of a truly embarrassing loss to Rick. What the hell happened?

"It was very much time for a change the way shit has started to hit the fan for me," Ken said. "I felt I was good, not great, both offensively and pitching, and decided it was time to be great in one so I went offense."

Boy did he ever. Ken made two trades in one day, and his moves were clearly the talk of the league late last week.


"It was a crazy day and easily one of the most active and exciting days of fantasy baseball for me ever," Ken said. "I am thrilled with my new squad and interested in changing up more."

After trades with Jack and Andy, here's where Ken ended up:

Cliff Lee, Ryan Vogelsong, Mike Stanton and Ryan Ludwick for Jair Jurrjens, Jake Peavy, Kevin Youkilis, David Wright, and Nate Schierholtz.

So to break it down further, since Ken really wanted to upgrade offense, he got Wright, Youkilis and Schierholtz for Stanton and Ludwick. An upgrade in offense - if Wright is actually Wright.

"Wright will be right, I'm confident," Ken said. "Four RBIs already and I'll take his potential for a better average and same production as Stanton. Obviously I love the boy, and I do think he only struggled early in the year because he played hurt for a month, but I'm confident and willing to find out how good he can be for the rest of this year and maybe more."

Interestingly enough, Ken has already announced to the media that he plans to cut Youkilis this offseason and try and trade Carl Crawford. So, if he does that, on top of already losing an 8th-round (11th overall) draft pick for the keeper trade, he will lose a 3rd-round (6th overall) pick for cutting Youkilis and an 18th round (21 overall) pick for trading Crawford offseason. Ken truly is putting all his eggs in the basket right now.

Ken said he was "thrilled" to get back a "vet" in Peavy and "scrappy outfielder who is hitting .340 over the last month" in Schierholtz. But Ken's top competition for a division title was also thrilled to see his trades.

"I did not and still do not see the logic in Ken's trade with Jack," said Chris, who made a trade moments before Ken did. "Ken traded for a guy Jack had JUST picked up, plus a starting pitcher who hasn't been good for the past three years and a third baseman who was just dealing with a fracture in his back and had been out since basically May in return for giving up a hitter who has 20 long balls already on the year and the likely NL Rookie of the Year."

Ken, meanwhile, thinks these trades will put him over the top.

"As for the division, its mine," he said. "It's been a year of streaks for me and my next winning streak will begin with the new squad all together, and it will be a long winning streak that won't be snapped until next season in week 3. I hope you hang on to that last playoff spot, Christopher."

For the record, Ken and Chris face each other the final week of the season. Let's hope the division title is on the line.
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Making sense of it all

We will have our usual trade breakdown post for each deal that was made on Wild Wednesday, but for now, let's try and make sense of what happened.

Never before have we seen a day like last Wednesday. To recap, at the end of the day, here's where we stood, after seven-and-a-half crazy hours.


Trade 1 (2:14 p.m.)
Chris receives Dan Haren (Keeper/1 yr.) and Howie Kendrick
Joe receives Zack Greinke (K/2) and Jhonny Peralta

Trade 2 (4:55 p.m.)
Ken receives David Wright, Nate Schierholtz and Jake Peavy
Jack receives Mike Stanton, Ryan Vogelsong

Trade 3 (9:43 p.m.)
Andy receives Cliff Lee (K/1) and Ryan Ludwick
Ken receives Kevin Youkilis (K/2) and Jair Jurrjens

Clearly, this is a huge shake-up in the league (and not just because I have to go and re-do the image on the "This year's keepers" page.

Ken, Jack, Chris and Joe all looking to make that move to get over the top before on the playoff chase, while Andy sets himself up nicely for the future.

We'll have more on each trade throughout the week.
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What a rush!

Wow - talk about a historic day. The Commissioner's office fielded a record number of calls, texts and e-mails yesterday after three trades were made, two involving keepers.

Media was buzzing, owners were buzzing, and for the first time in ages, we looked like a real fantasy league with trades. Chris, Joe, Jack, Ken, and Andy all had a piece of the action.


Never before have we seen three trades in a day - three trades in about eight hours, actually! Clearly we'll have the full breakdown on these trades as soon as they're processed, like usual. And what a blog post that one will be, eh? But, for now, I couldn't let the day go by without getting something up here.

It will be interesting to see what kind of further ripple effect this has on the other teams, if any.
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Resurgent Adam 'out for a lot of blood' in quest for winning record

Aramis Ramirez had six home runs in one matchup.

I have been incredibly harsh on Adam this year. Take a look at some of the comments I've attached to the Phightin Sillies/MismatchMyAss on the Power Rankings:

Week 6: These are your grandfather's Phightin Sillies.
Week 7: Time to start the rebuilding effort, Adam.
Week 10: I wish I could give Adam some more props for another win. But, alas, it was against Rick so he stays put at 10.


Adam let loose on some built-up anger this week after moving to 7-7 with another great win, this time over Shea. Adam has won four straight, outscoring opponents 48-25. And, oh yeah, two of those victories came against Jack and Ken as well.

"I'm just tired of being looked down upon," Adam said. "My team has always been towards the bottom of the pack. We had a long meeting about it, and frankly, I was just tired of it all."

So what did Adam do after he was 3-7?

"We started having two-a-days, I started whipping them into shape and now I'm getting production," he said.

And now, you better believe he has those power-ranking potshots on his mind this week when he faces lowly Andy with a chance to sweep the season series and move above .500 for the first time this season.

"I'm out for a lot of blood this week against the commissioner," Adam said. "I don't think he takes my team seriously, and I'm going to show him exactly what we mean. WE MEAN BUSINESS BABY!!!"

Like he did last season, Adam is getting it done with offense. During this four-game winning streak, he has 45 homers and 153 (!!!!) RBIs. Perhaps one of the most amazing stats I've ever seen in the five-year existence? In the last four weeks, Adam has won 35 of the 40 offensive categories up for grabs. He has tied two and only lost three. A truly incredible offensive surge.

So can this lead to a playoff spot? How about a division title? Both are within reach now. Remember, last year Adam was a division leader for most of the year and made the playoffs for the first time in his career.

"I really hope we make the playoffs," he said. "Every year obviously we strive to get in. We've been a little unlucky the past few seasons, and this season, we are really going to make a big push and try to get in."
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Recapping a crazy Week 6 (UPDATE)

How can Rivalry Week top what we just saw?

Chances are, it won't. But I'm excited to see it try.

Let's take a quick look back on what we just saw happen during Week 6 - a week that featured three stars changing teams, some major smack talk, rainouts really hurting some teams, and some unbelievable Sunday drama.


A total of four matches weren't decided until the ninth inning of the Red Sox-Yankees game around Sunday night. In our five seasons, I can't ever remember that many matches up for grabs that late.

Shea vs. Hal
We start with the most exciting. Shea had no business even being in this, but Hal mindbogglingly benched all his pitchers on Saturday and Sunday (including Roy Halladay and a pitcher at home against the awful-hitting White Sox). Hal admitted he overmanaged, but as he said, better to be lucky than good. And after David Ortiz bailed Hal out with three hits on Sunday night to give him his first win, well, Papi might be getting a Hanukkah bonus this year.

Andy vs. Ken
The Match of the Week lived up to its billing, with a back-and-forth one. And on Sunday, after a truly disastrous day at the plate for Andy, it seemed he was out of it. Then Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer early in the Sunday night game, giving Andy new life. Alas, it was not meant to be, as he fell a TB, a HR, and 2 RBIs short of either tying or winning.

Jack vs. Bob
Bob took a big lead into Friday, but Joe's comments stirred the pot and maybe Jack found motivation there. He made a big comeback and got two late saves Sunday to hand Bob his first loss. Bob was the recipient of bad luck, as a starting pitcher and a couple of hitters got rained out. After further review, Bob is complaining on smack talk about being screwed just to complain. Jack actually lost a hitter Sunday, AS WELL AS a starting pitcher Win on Wednesday. Matt Harrison had a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning when OAK/TEX was rained out. (Wins and runs were two of the tied categories in this matchup.)

Chris vs. Rick
Yet another back-and-forth one throughout Sunday. Ricky was down a run and a stolen base with Brent Gardner heading into Sunday night. Chris benched Mark Teixeira, Adrian Gonzalez and Robinson Cano to secure he wouldn't lose strikeouts. But WHIP and wins were also close, so when Mariano Rivera entered the game in the ninth, Rick had life. But, Chris prevailed.

So many matches, so much drama! Feel free to add or correct anything I've said in the comments, as this is all off the top of my head.
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Three-way trade shakes up division, league

This will go down as one of the all-time blockbusters this league has ever (will ever?) see.

Three of the top 14 picks in the draft get dealt less than five full weeks into the season. And not just that. They get traded WITHIN the division. And none of them are keepers. I can't say I've ever seen anything like it. And to boot, it's a three-team deal! We haven't been this excited over a three-way since, well... OK we won't go there.

"I'm shocked we pulled it off so easily," Shea said.

Yes, Shea, all parties involved were. Andy, Chris and Shea completed the first-ever successful three-team deal. To recap:

Andy receives: Hanley Ramirez and Maicer Izturis
Chris receives: Mark Teixeira and Pedro Alvarez
Shea receives: Justin Verlander, Starlin Castro, and Martin Prado

Andy gives: Mark Teixeira, Starlin Castro, and Martin Prado
Chris gives: Justin Verlander and Maicer Izturis
Shea gives: Hanley Ramirez and Pedro Alvarez

Broken down in other terms:
Andy: Teixeira, Castro, and Prado for Ramirez and Izturis
Chris: Verlander and Izturis for Teixeira and Alvarez
Shea: Ramirez and Alvarez for Verlander, Castro, and Prado

From all reports, this is how we believe the trade went down: Chris expressed interest to Andy in a trade for Mark Teixeira, and when Andy balked at Justin Verlander as the centerpiece in return, the idea of getting another team involved was mentioned. Rosters were explored, and Andy decided he would be OK with trading Teixeira to arguably his biggest rival if he'd be getting Hanley Ramirez back. Enter Shea.

Chris said he "enjoyed negotiating with both managers and then selling the idea of a three way trade to the league."

But let's take a closer look at this deal. Alvarez's stats not included because he was cut immediately.

So Shea, one would think, improves this year by getting (for all intents and purposes) three guys for the second pick in the draft. And, let's remember, Shea auto-drafted, so he had a lot of holes heading into the season. He had the luxury of moving Ramirez because he has several keeper options, including Verlander now.

"I needed more balance and a top-tier pitcher besides The King [Felix Hernandez]," Shea said.

Chris, meanwhile, gives up Verlander and all-around utility player Izturis in return for Teixeira. Alvarez was cut immediately, so you can tell Chris had no plans in making him a reason to or not to do this trade. It was all about Teixeira and adding a power bat. Looking at it from the draft day, he gave up the 14th pick and another player (a pickup who had a hot start) for the 8th pick in the draft. Will he survive the sacrifice of a top pitcher?

"Wanted to shake things up," Chris said. "Sought a keeper-caliber hitter to replace Adrian [Gonzalez] after this year and am a big fan of Teixeira."

And Andy gives up Teixeira, Castro and Prado for Ramirez and Izturis. Did he give up too much? If we cancel out Castro and Izturis, based on the above stats, it's Teixeira and Prado for Ramirez. If Ramirez finds his swing, one would think it'll be a fine deal for Andy. If not... we bring to light the question of just how valuable Ramirez is or will be. Because Andy made this trade with two hitter keepers locked up in multi-year deals. So, either he plans on making another move or cutting one in the offseason to sign Ramirez. It will be interesting to see what he does.

"I'd say it's pretty clear I'm not done changing my roster this season," Andy said.

No matter what happens, this is one of the league's biggest stories in its 5-season history. The after-effects of this might not be decided now, or anytime soon, as this clearly seems like it will have an impact for years to come.

But we sure are enjoying breaking it down and reacting to such a monster deal. Let's see some more three-ways deals!
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Beckett saves Jack, Mike's big win, and more Week 1 trends

Let's face it - you'd much rather see a 1-0 record next to your name than you would 0-1.

But, let's not start trading everyone and declaring the season over just yet if you lost in Week 1. Our season's champ has lost Opening Week in three of the four seasons, with the lone exception being Joe in 2008.

And as we move forward, let's first take a look back at Week 1, with some notable trends.

• The only matchup decided by Sunday night's Red Sox-Yankees game was Jack vs. Joe. Down 11-9, Jack took WHIP by 0.02 thanks to Josh Beckett's magnificent gem. He almost stole a win with a complete game, too, as Beckett was in the low 100s. But Terry Francona didn't bring him out for the ninth.
• Mike talked all offseason about how crucial it was for him to get a win in Week 1. He did just that, squeaking past Dave in a rematch of Opening Week last year.
• Two dismantlings in hyped division matches between Chris vs. Hal, and Bob vs. Adam. The two title-game participants from last year won easily.
• Amazingly, Bob is 1-0 for the first-time ever.
• Hal falls to 0-2 on Opening Week. 
• Jack and Joe's tie was the first one on the opening week since 2008. Ken and Bob tied then.
• Speaking of Ken, he wins on Opening Week for the first time since 2007. That's also the last time Andy and Rick lost on Opening Week.
• Shea, with the Upset of the Week, improves to 4-1 in Opening Week.

Power rankings and Week 2 preview to come later today. Until then, what's your lasting memory from Opening Week? Leave a comment below.
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Championship game predictions, part 1

League members were asked who they thought would win and who they wanted to win. Not everyone has replied, yet. Those who have not but plan to will be featured in part 2.

Here are the responses.


Who do you think will win?
Hal: I think Bob wins with a better team top to bottom.

Joe: Bob will win he has a better team with a better core and more experience.

Shea: I think Bob will win. He has postseason experience and has successfully managed in a two week setting. Bob is also more dedicated. I anticipate him to stay up until 3am for a late night pickup over Chris.

Andy: Bob will win. He has had the best team all year and all postseason.

Mike: Cole. He didn't get top seed and best record ever in Keeper League history by accident. He seems to always have a knack for drafting a well-rounded team, and we also seem to see him late in the playoffs every year. His experience will help him reach another championship. Not trying to hate on Chris. Had a good season so far. I believe first 6 seed to reach finals. His team has obviously clicked at the right time, and maybe they have enough left in the tank to take down the favorite. However my prediction will be Cole 13-6.

Chris: I think my team will continue to surprise and it will be a close matchup. 11-8 victory for the Macironis.

Bob: I think it will be close the first week, but I think I should pull away some time in the last week. I predict a final of 12-7, just covering the early spread.

Who do you want to win?
Hal: I want Chris to win so I can say I lost to the champ and I won't feel as bad about my team, mainly my pitchers, collapsing when it counted.

Joe: I want Chris to win because he has never won. Don't want Bob to have a dynasty, and maybe it will make Chris less soggy.

Shea: I'm rooting for the sog machine. If he wins the league, he can stop whining about being broke and pony up for Vegas. Go Igs Go!

Andy: Let's go Chris! Let's go Chris! Don't want to see anyone win back-to-back.

Mike: Cole. Cole and I are tight, and there's no getting around that. We chat frequently. We made a trade earlier this season that seemed to help both teams. I received an obvious keeper in Lester, and the trade also sparked my team for a few weeks that helped me get out of the basement. I should say I also hope the best for the players I traded to Cole, however two-thirds of them are Phils, so fuck that. Do it for John Danks. Fuck the Yankees.

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Can we get some competitive playoff matches?

So far four playoff matches and four blowouts. The league and TV executives are fuming, as normally high weekend ratings have plummeted.

The closest so far was Chris' 11-8 win, which wasn't even that close. Adam didn't have a shot to win on Sunday.


And it looks like we're in for another drama-free weekend. Bob is smashing Andy, and Chris is cruising past Hal.

With not much time left, it's hard to envision Andy or Hal making a comeback. Here's to hoping I'm wrong so we get some compelling fantasy baseball over the weekend.
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Playoff preview: (1) Bob vs. (4) Andy

Records: Bob 16-6, Andy 14-9
Line: Bob -3
Season series: Bob 2-0 (Week 3: 15-5, Week 13: 9-8)
Career playoff records: Bob 2-2, Andy 1-2
All-time head-to-head: Bob 5-3
Playoffs head-to-head: Never met
Last playoff appearance: Bob 2009, Andy 2009


Hitting
There's a reason Bob has been the class of the league the past two years, and that's because he knows how to properly assemble a squad that wins. It starts with the hitting. Nelson Cruz, Ryan Zimmerman, Adam Dunn, Jayson Werth. And that doesn't even include his Bashin' Brewers.
Advantage: Bob

Pitching
Both teams started the season rich with pitching, allowing them to deal big names such as Jered Weaver, Tommy Hanson and Jon Lester during the year to beef up the hitting. Bob's current pitching staff, however, has been very consistent and has the edge.
Advantage: Bob

Managing
Bob has had a week to rest and set up his pitching rotation. Andy was not tested in Round 1 and finally got the monkey of winning a playoff game off his back - like Bob did last year. Still, Bob is the defending champ and has answered the challenge time and time again the past two years.
Advantage: Bob

Prediction
It stays close for most of the week until Bob pulls away over the weekend thanks to his offense. 12-7 Bob
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The ghost of CarGo

Joe can't seem to get away from it.

You know what I'm talking about. This. Joe traded Carlos Gonzalez to Andy, his first-round playoff opponent, on July 7.

At the time Gonzalez was hitting .303 with 15 homers, 55 RBIs and a .845 OPS (in 72 games). Since the trade, however, "CarGo" is hitting .388 with 17 homers, 45 RBIs and a ridiculous 1.193 OPS (in 54 games).


Joe has heard the talk about how Gonzalez is undeniably a keeper now. He probably wasn't beforehand. But everywhere Joe goes, he can't seem to get away from hearing Gonzalez's name.

Earlier this week, Joe was commuting home from work and listening to the radio, when a sports talk program started discussing National League MVPs.

"And, sure enough, they start talking about Carlos Gonzalez," a bitter Joe said.

If Gonzalez, who is not just an MVP possibility, but a Triple Crown threat, keeps this up the next few years, this will go down as one of the worst trades in league history.

If Andy somehow wins the league this year and has success in the future, it will be featured in the same category as Dave's awful trade of Prince Fielder to Bob for Erik Bedard.

Currently, Gonzalez is one of the players who has helped Andy jump out to a whopping 16-2 lead more than halfway through the playoff matchup. Even a Shinjay might not help Joe this time.

A CarGo sure could have, though...
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Playoff preview: (4) Andy vs. (5) Joe

Records: Andy 13-9, Joe 11-10-1
Line: Andy -1.5
Season series: Tied 1-1 (Week 2: Andy 10-8, Week 12: Joe 13-4)
Career playoff records: Andy 0-2, Joe 4-1
All-time head-to-head: Joe 5-3
Playoffs head-to-head: Joe 1-0
Last playoff appearance: Andy 2009, Joe 2009


Hitting
Andy's offense is very streaky - much like Ryan Howard. There's weeks where he will hit for .330 and others he will barely eclipse .200. Joe's, lately, has been very hot, led by Mark Teixeira. Joe has slightly more power, but Andy has slightly more contact.
Advantage: Even

Pitching
This should be an interesting matchup because both managers have a whole bunch of two-start pitchers. So by the weekend, a lot of innings will have been logged. Joe's pitching has been bad all year, but he does have Tommy Hanson going twice. And, of course, Andy and Joe made that big trade that sent Carlos Gonzalez and Casey McGehee to the Punch and Hanson and Alex Gonzalez to the Peddlers.
Advantage: Andy

Managing
Already some interesting managing going on, with Joe benching A.J. Burnett on the first day. Joe's playoff record speaks for itself and he knows how to bring it when the stakes get higher. Andy is feeling the monkey on his back of just trying to make it out of the first round of the playoffs.
Advantage: Joe

Prediction
A back-and-forth matchup all week that won't be decided until Sunday. Joe pulls out the win, 12-8.
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Playoff pairings set

(1)Bob and (2)Hal receive the byes.

The first-round matchups are as followed:
(3)Adam vs. (6)Chris
(4)Andy vs. (5)Joe

Check back later today for full coverage of both matchups.


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3 to watch: Weekend predictions

We're only doing three this week because of the barrage of meaningless matchups.

1. The Adam-Bob showdown will be close all the way until Sunday night.
For a division race that has lasted all season long, should we expect anything less than this?

2. Joe, unfortunately, will not be close to losing that final playoff spot.
Thanks for showing up this week, Dave.

3. Chris will not win more than two pitching categories.
And, for this, he will drop to the 6 seed in the playoffs and get stuck playing Adam or Bob instead of Andy.


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