New Fantasy Judgment decision – fantasy baseball trade (Bastardo/Motte)

SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT

Road Runners v. Urban Achievers

ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM THE ANGERTHAL LEAGUE

Decided June 28, 2011

Cite as 3 F.J. 47 (June 2011)

Factual Background

A rotisserie fantasy baseball league (hereinafter referred to as “Roto league” or “The Angerthal League”) that was formed in 1988 and utilized an auction-style draft seeks an evaluation of a trade made between two teams within the Roto league.  This is a twelve-team NL-only keeper league where each team has a $260.00 salary cap to draft 23 players.  During the season, there is no limitation on players’ salaries.  Teams are permitted to retain between 7-15 players during each off-season with each individual player allowed to be kept for three years before they must either be signed to a long-term contract (“LTC”), play, or be returned to the free agent pool. 

Players with a LTC have a progressive salary structure of (Base Salary + ((N-1) * 5)) where N = the number of years a team wants to sign the player. Once a player is signed to a LTC, there is a real monetary penalty (which depends on the structure of the salary of the player – if the salary is less than $10, then there is a penalty of $20; or there is a penalty of two times the player’s salary if he is released early from a LTC). All money collected for penalties is placed into the pool for prize money.  After a LTC is completed, the player is not eligible to be signed again and must be placed back into the free agent pool for the next season’s draft. Teams that finish in 1^st through 4^th  place in the Roto League will win money prizes at the end of each season.   

As with many rotisserie leagues, the Angerthal League uses the standard 5×5 scoring categories to determine the standings and prize money.  For offensive players, the five categories are: (1) batting average; (2) homeruns; (3) runs batted in; (4) runs scored; and (5) stolen bases.  For pitchers, the five categories are: (1) wins; (2) earned run average; (3) WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched); (4) strikeouts; and (5) saves.  Statistics are cumulative throughout the course of the season and there are no head to head games contained within the Roto league.

Procedural History

The Road Runners have made a trade with the Urban Achievers.  The Road Runners traded Jason Motte (RP-STL) to the Urban Achievers in exchange for Antonio Bastardo (RP-PHI).

According to the Angerthal League’s Commissioner, several other members of the league have challenged this trade alleging there is a significant disparity in the value of a potential closer in exchange for a middle reliever with no distinct inherent value.  Members of the league also argue that the Urban Achievers failed to explore other trade options that would have arguably netted them better compensation than Jason Motte.

Issue Presented

(1)   Should the trade between the Road Runners and Urban Achievers be upheld and approved?

Decision

The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades.  The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly.  Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness.  The Court also acknowledges that the analysis for evaluating trades is much different in a keeper league than a non-keeper league.  A trade that may look uneven or lopsided on its face may receive a different opinion when it is involved in a keeper league.  The reasons for this are obvious, but must be restated.  In a keeper league, teams that are having unsuccessful seasons are more likely to continue to pay attention and make moves that will set themselves up for better success in the following season.  They can do this by acquiring young talent that is not under contract within the league, or by dumping salary (assuming it is an auction league) and allowing greater financial flexibility to sign key players in the next season’s draft.  In non-keeper leagues, there is no rationale for thinking ahead, nor is there any need to stockpile young, inexpensive talent.

Another factor that the Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams.  According to the league Commissioner, the league members involved in the subject trade are very close friends.  While several members of the league have challenged the trade, no one has outwardly accused the teams of colluding.  However, the general consensus of the league is that this is an instance of one friend helping another based on the impression that the Urban Achievers, currently in 11^th place, did not receive commensurate value for Bastardo from the Road Runners, currently in first place.  While that is a subjective point of view in determining the value exchanged in the trade, the fact remains that there is inconclusive evidence of any collusion that would warrant immediate denial of the deal.  The fact that the league members are close friends is not demonstrative in and of itself of collusion.  See Jetnuts v. Joker’s Wild, 2 F.J. 15, 16 (September 2010) (holding that family members should not be held under any additional scrutiny when making trades outside of evidence supporting a collusive effort).  The Court is not aware of any prior complaints or allegations of collusive conduct between these league members.  Based on the foregoing, the Court concludes that there is no collusion in place or tacit agreements to share potential winnings between the team owners.

At first glance, the trade of Jason Motte in exchange for Antonio Bastardo looks fair and even.  The only reason there is potential inequity between the relief pitchers is the fact that Bastardo will be the Phillies’ closer while Ryan Madson is on the disabled list.  Both pitchers have had success this season as setup relievers, posting very similar numbers.  Another similarity between them is that their respective teams have had multiple pitchers serve as closer.  In St. Louis, incumbent closer Ryan Franklin blew several saves at the beginning of the season before he was replaced by Mitchell Boggs.  Boggs then struggled and was replaced by a committee until Fernando Salas emerged as the best option over Eduardo Sanchez.  Motte has remained in a setup role, although he does have the ability to close games if needed.  In Philadelphia, incumbent closer Brad Lidge began the season on the disabled list and still has not returned.  Jose Contreras was then given the chance to close games and was successful until he succumbed to injury as well.  Following Contreras, Ryan Madson was anointed the team’s closer and has been dominant.  However, he was placed on the disabled list and the role is now likely to be assumed by Bastardo. 

The following chart represents a statistical comparison between the two players in the relevant roto categories as of June 28, 2011:

Player	Wins	ERA	K’s	WHIP	Saves
Antonio Bastardo	3	0.96	33	0.85	2
Jason Motte	3	2.81	30	1.09	0

As can be seen from this comparison, both Motte and Bastardo have very similar numbers.  The difference is that Bastardo will now have save chances for a very successful Phillies team whereas Motte does not currently have such opportunities.  While this gives Bastardo additional inherent value, there is no guarantee that his success as a setup reliever will transfer to his new role as closer.  With few exceptions (i.e., Neftali Feliz), it is rare for a pitcher with such little experience as Bastardo to step in and immediately succeed as a closer.

When analyzing the fairness and equity of a trade, the Court will consider each team’s individual needs to assess whether the trade subjectively made sense from each team’s perspective.  See Cajon Crawdads vs. Carson City Cocks, 1 F.J. 41, 42 (June 2010) (upholding a trade for Jason Bay because of the Carson City Cocks’ desperate need for a starting outfielder due to the demotion of Cameron Maybin).  This trade involves two relief pitchers.  The Urban Achievers did not have any other closers on their roster – only mediocre middle relievers including Bobby Parnell and Brian Sanches.  It was apparent that he has “punted” the saves category, which is not an uncommon strategy in roto leagues.  Acquiring Jason Motte fits the pattern that the Urban Achievers had created.  The Road Runners already had Drew Storen and Mark Melancon as closers.  Neither is considered a high-end closer, but they are closers nonetheless.  The acquisition of Bastardo will help in the saves category assuming he is successful.  Based on the foregoing analysis, the needs of each team were clearly delineated and equally met with this trade.

In terms of keeper league status and salary cap value, this trade is almost equivocal.  Motte is an owned player with a salary of $2.00 and is eligible to be signed to a LTC.  Bastardo was not drafted.  He was added through the league’s free agent auction bidding process and his rights through the remainder of the season are controlled by the owning team.  The salaries and contractual status of both players are not significant enough to factor into the evaluation given the equality of the players involved.  See Smittydogs v. Stud Muffins, 3 F.J. 10, 11 (April 2011) (holding that a $0.10 differential amongst the players salaries in a league where each team has a $36.00 budget was not enough to factor into the Court’s evaluation).

As referenced in Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 34 (June 2010), the dichotomy between the Road Runners and Urban Achievers’ motivations is precisely why the Court must look at trades in keeper leagues differently than non-keeper leagues.  However, had this trade been made in a non-keeper league, the Court would still likely approve it. 

While this trade may not be the most intelligent deal that could have been made by the Urban Achievers, it is certainly not unfair.  It is not up to the Court to make a determination on what is considered intelligent.  Rather, the Court’s role in this jurisdiction is to evaluate the objective merits of a deal and ensure that the integrity of the league is maintained.  See Victoria’s Secret v. C-Train, 2 F.J. 32, 35 (October 2010).  Here, a trade was proposed and agreed to between two teams on the opposite ends of the standings.  While the potential value of the two players may not be exactly commensurate given Bastardo’s upcoming opportunities to gain saves, the trade is not lopsided enough to warrant an intervention.  Unwise decisions should not be scrutinized or vetoed merely because they are unwise.  See Id. at 35 (upholding the May 2010 trade of Justin Upton and Zack Duke in exchange for Raul Ibanez and Josh Johnson).   Additionally, the claim by the amicus plaintiffs that Urban Achievers should have solicited better trade offers for Bastardo is vehemently rejected.  Teams are not obligated to shop players around to appease skeptical league members.  Based on the foregoing reasons, the Court hereby decides that the subject trade should be approved.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

New Fantasy Judgment decision – fantasy baseball trade rejected (Cole Hamels, again)

SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT

4 Ponies v. Beaver Hunters

ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM THE INCONTINENT LEAGUE 

Decided June 15, 2011

Cite as 3 F.J. 37 (June 2011)

Factual Background

A rotisserie fantasy baseball league (hereinafter referred to as “Roto league” or “The Incontinent League”) utilizing an auction-style draft and transaction platform seeks an evaluation of a trade made between two teams within the Roto league.  This is an NL-only keeper league where each team is permitted to maintain up to ten (10) players during each off-season with each individual player allowed to be kept for a maximum of three (3) years.  Each team is also permitted to keep two minor league players which are in addition to the ten players kept.  This Roto league also has a $36.00 in-season salary cap that is applicable for all teams.   

As with many rotisserie leagues, the subject Roto league uses the standard 5×5 scoring categories to determine the standings and prize money.  For offensive players, the five categories are: (1) batting average; (2) homeruns; (3) runs batted in; (4) runs scored; and (5) stolen bases.  For pitchers, the five categories are: (1) wins; (2) earned run average; (3) WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched); (4) strikeouts; and (5) saves.  Statistics are cumulative throughout the course of the season and there are no head to head games contained within the Roto league.

Procedural History

The 4 Ponies have made a trade with the Beaver Hunters.  The 4 Ponies traded Jhoulys Chacin (SP-COL), Jordan Lyles (SP-HOU), and Randy Wolf (SP-MIL) to the Beaver Hunters in exchange for Cole Hamels (SP-PHI) and Leo Nunez (RP-FLA).

Previously, the Court rejected a trade between these two teams for the same players minus Randy Wolf.  See 4 Ponies v. Beaver Hunters, 3 F.J. 26 (June 2011) (holding that the package of Jhoulys Chacin and Jordan Lyles was not sufficient compensation for Cole Hamels and Leo Nunez, thus undermining the best interests of the league due to the inequity of the trade).  Now, the Court is being asked to consider this trade with Wolf being added to balance out the equitability of the deal.  The Court was made aware that several members of The Incontinent League challenged that trade as being too lopsided, and the Court subsequently agreed. 

Issue Presented

(1)   Should the modified trade between the 4 Ponies and the Beaver Hunters be upheld and approved?

Decision

The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades.  The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly.  Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness.  The Court also acknowledges that the analysis for evaluating trades is much different in a keeper league than a non-keeper league.  A trade that may look uneven or lopsided on its face may receive a different opinion when it is involved in a keeper league.  The reasons for this are obvious, but must be restated.  In a keeper league, teams that are having unsuccessful seasons are more likely to continue to pay attention and make moves that will set themselves up for better success in the following season.  They can do this by acquiring young talent that is not under contract within the league, or by dumping salary (assuming it is an auction league) and allowing greater financial flexibility to sign key players in the next season’s draft.  In non-keeper leagues, there is no rationale for thinking ahead, nor is there any need to stockpile young, inexpensive talent.

Another factor that the Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams.  The Court has not been presented with any evidence of such malfeasance, so assumptions will be made that this is not an issue. 

The Court has always held that the approval or rejection of a trade is based purely on its fairness, free from collusion, and in the best interests of the league.  Whether a trade is intelligent or popular will not be part of the analysis.  The virtue of a trade is measured in both quantifiable criteria and subjective needs of the teams involved.  See Carson City Cocks v. Stud Muffins, 3 F.J. 23, 24 (May 2011).

At first glance, the trade of Jhoulys Chacin, Randy Wolf and Jordan Lyles in exchange for Cole Hamels and Leo Nunez does not look even.  The reason for initial pause is identical to the rationale from the previous incarnation of this trade.  See 4 Ponies v. Beaver Hunters, 3 F.J. 26, 27 (June 2011) (holding that the trade did not appear even on its face because Hamels is unequivocally one of the top pitchers in both real and fantasy baseball, and any trade he is involved in should likely have a player of equal or approximate value on the other side).  Additionally, Nunez is one of the top closers in the National League which makes him anything but a throw-in in the deal.  The package in return includes three starting pitchers with varying degrees of success and consistency.  As stated in the previous case, Chacin is the best pitcher in the package and he has only had a modicum of success in his brief professional career.  He is certainly worthy of being designated an up and coming prospect, but hardly worth a player of Hamels’ stature alone.  Lyles has impressed the Astros enough to remain in their starting rotation, even after Wandy Rodriguez was activated.  This was not anticipated when the Court previously denied this trade, so the Court recognizes that Lyles’ value is marginally greater than before due to his remainder on the big league roster.  The addition of Randy Wolf is what the Court is being asked to consider as the balancing factor in the deal.  In general, Wolf has never been more than an average pitcher in both real and fantasy baseball.  He is a crafty veteran that is neither a short-term solution or part of the long-term plan on a keeper league fantasy baseball team.  The Court now provides a statistical comparison amongst the players:

Player	Wins	ERA	Strikeouts	WHIP	Saves
Cole Hamels	9	2.49	97	0.92	0
Leo Nunez	0	3.30	32	1.20	19
Jhoulys Chacin	7	2.90	74	1.09	0
Randy Wolf	4	3.20	65	1.23	0
Jordan Lyles	0	4.15	12	1.21	0

From looking at these players’ current statistics, it can be argued that the numbers amongst the starting pitchers is equivalent because their totals are not far apart.  In fact, the Beaver Hunters would be getting back more wins (13) collectively than Hamels has attained on his own (9).  But that cannot be the lens in which this trade is viewed.  Hamels currently leads the National League in both wins and WHIP.  As stated earlier, Nunez leads the National League in saves with 19.  In this NL-only fantasy baseball league, they are arguably two of the most valuable players in the entire league.  Loading up multiple players whose cumulative statistics equal or surpass one individual’s superstar statistics does not necessarily make a trade fair or even.  Granted, Chacin has been impressive and looks to be a legitimate pitching prospect.  But he is hardly a sure thing and cannot be considered equivalent value for Hamels.

When analyzing the fairness and equity of a trade, the Court will consider each team’s individual needs to assess whether the trade subjectively made sense from each team’s perspective.  See Cajon Crawdads vs. Carson City Cocks, 1 F.J. 41, 42 (June 2010) (upholding a trade for Jason Bay because of the Carson City Cocks’ desperate need for a starting outfielder due to the demotion of Cameron Maybin).  Since this incarnation of the trade only includes an additional mediocre starting pitcher, the Court will adopt its prior reasoning in terms of the needs of each team and their respective rosters.  See 4 Ponies v. Beaver Hunters, 3 F.J. 26, 28 (June 2011) (holding that no reasonable inference can be made as to how the Beaver Hunters benefit at all from the trade given how their current roster is construed).

In terms of keeper league status and salary cap value, this trade doesn’t make sense either.  Nunez only costs $0.10 and is in his final year under contract, which means he will be available in the 2012 draft.  However, Hamels is only in his first year under contract and can still be kept for an additional two years at $3.10.  It must be considered where these players are in terms of their career which is helpful in analyzing possible motivation to perform.  Hamels is arbitration-eligible after the season when his current contract expires with the Phillies.  He is clearly motivated to justify seeking an arbitration award comparable to Tim Lincecum’s record-setting deal.  After he likely agrees to a one-year contract with the Phillies, he will be pitching in 2012 as a pending free agent.  This should serve as an extra motivating factor for him to succeed as he will likely be seeking Roy Halladay/Cliff Lee type years and dollars on the open market.  The Beaver Hunters have him locked up under contract for these important seasons.  To trade him away for unequivocal value in return is incomprehensible.  Even assuming arguendo that Jhoulys Chacin’s potential is equivalent for Hamels’ current value, Chacin is only signed for one more year before he re-enters the Incontinent League’s draft.  So the Beaver Hunters are missing out on one whole year of productivity in this exchange.  From a financial standpoint, the Beaver Hunters are only gaining $1.60 in net salary cap space by making this trade (Wolf only costs $0.10 and still has two years left on his contract).  In a league with a $36.00 salary cap, that does not represent a significant enough amount when dealing with a players of Hamels’ magnitude.

As referenced in Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 34 (June 2010), the dichotomy between the 4 Ponies and the Beaver Hunters’ motivations is precisely why the Court must look at trades in keeper leagues differently than non-keeper leagues.  If this trade had been made in a non-keeper league, the Court would vehemently reject it. 

It should be reiterated that the Court typically favors a league owner’s ability to make trades and manager the roster according to his/her own preferences and judgments.  When a person pays money to participate in a fantasy league, the presumption is that he/she is permitted to make whatever decisions they feel are best for their team.  However, when a trade such as this is proposed, it throws off the competitive balance of the league and creates a slippery slope for future trades.  The Court has no issues with the idea of trading Cole Hamels and/or Leo Nunez.  However, given what the Beaver Hunters were receiving in return, the Court cannot endorse such a maneuver due to the inequity of the return package.  Even adding Randy Wolf to the trade does not even out the trade enough to prevent it from unjustly throwing off the competitive balance of the league.  The Court must consider the impact and effect on the overall league when determining whether a trade should be accepted or rejected.  Based on the foregoing reasons, the Court hereby decides that the subject trade, in this current incarnation is unfair, uneven, and should be modified again before being granted approval.  The trade should be rejected as it still fails to comport with the best interests of the league.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

New Fantasy Judgment decision – fantasy baseball trade (Justin Upton)

SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT

4 Ponies v. Nub Vader

ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM THE INCONTINENT LEAGUE

Decided June 8, 2011

Cite as 3 F.J. 30 (June 2011)

Factual Background

A rotisserie fantasy baseball league (hereinafter referred to as “Roto league” or “The Incontinent League”) utilizing an auction-style draft and transaction platform seeks an evaluation of a trade made between two teams within the Roto league.  This is an NL-only keeper league where each team is permitted to maintain up to ten (10) players during each off-season with each individual player allowed to be kept for a maximum of three (3) years.  Each team is also permitted to keep two minor league players which are in addition to the ten players kept.  This Roto league also has a $36.00 in-season salary cap that is applicable for all teams.   

As with many rotisserie leagues, the subject Roto league uses the standard 5×5 scoring categories to determine the standings and prize money.  For offensive players, the five categories are: (1) batting average; (2) homeruns; (3) runs batted in; (4) runs scored; and (5) stolen bases.  For pitchers, the five categories are: (1) wins; (2) earned run average; (3) WHIP (walks+hits/innings pitched); (4) strikeouts; and (5) saves.  Statistics are cumulative throughout the course of the season and there are no head to head games contained within the Roto league.

Procedural History

The 4 Ponies have made a trade with Nub Vader.  The 4 Ponies traded Brandon Beachy (SP-ATL), Domonic Brown (OF-PHI), and Logan Morrison (OF-FLA) to Nub Vader in exchange for Cameron Maybin (OF-SD) and Justin Upton (OF-ARZ).

Issue Presented

(1)   Should the trade between the 4 Ponies and Nub Vader be upheld and approved?

Decision

The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment typically favors individual fantasy sports participants and teams’ ability to make moves, transactions, and trades.  The standard of review has been that people pay money to purchase a team in a league, draft their team, and manage it accordingly.  Whether success is bred from that individual’s decision-making is purely left to some skill, luck, dedication, and savviness.  The Court also acknowledges that the analysis for evaluating trades is much different in a keeper league than a non-keeper league.  A trade that may look uneven or lopsided on its face may receive a different opinion when it is involved in a keeper league.  The reasons for this are obvious, but must be restated.  In a keeper league, teams that are having unsuccessful seasons are more likely to continue to pay attention and make moves that will set themselves up for better success in the following season.  They can do this by acquiring young talent that is not under contract within the league, or by dumping salary (assuming it is an auction league) and allowing greater financial flexibility to sign key players in the next season’s draft.  In non-keeper leagues, there is no rationale for thinking ahead, nor is there any need to stockpile young, inexpensive talent.

Another factor that the Court must always consider is whether there is any collusion or under-the-table dealings going on between teams.  The Court has not been presented with any evidence of such malfeasance, so assumptions will be made that this is not an issue. 

The Court has always held that the approval or rejection of a trade is based purely on its fairness, free from collusion, and in the best interests of the league.  Whether a trade is intelligent or popular will not be part of the analysis.  The virtue of a trade is measured in both quantifiable criteria and subjective needs of the teams involved.  See Carson City Cocks v. Stud Muffins, 3 F.J. 23, 24 (May 2011).

At first glance, the trade of Brandon Beachy, Domonic Brown and Logan Morrison in exchange for Cameron Maybin and Justin Upton looks fair.  Justin Upton is the best player involved in this trade so the equitability of the deal will focus on him and what was given in return.  Uptonhas emerged as one of the best all-around players in both real and fantasy baseball.  What makes him so appealing in roto leagues is his power and speed combination that only a handful of players possess.  Maybin was projected to be the same type of player but has yet to really put it all together in his young career.  Clearly the 4 Ponies, currently in 2^nd place, are looking to add more power and speed to their roster.  In exchange, they have traded two other young outfielders in Brown and Morrison.  Both of them are highly touted as well and have performed well in their brief careers.  However, neither possesses the same power/speed combination that Maybin and Upton have.  Despite that, Morrison has been entrenched as the Marlins everyday left fielder and is right in the middle of their lineup.  Brown was only recently called up to the Phillies due to injuries and ineffectiveness of their current crop of outfielders.  He has not played much against lefties, but it is expected that he will be worked into an everyday position as the season goes on.  In addition to Morrison and Brown, Nub Vader is acquiring Braves’ starting pitcher Brandon Beachy.  Beachy is currently on the disabled list with an oblique injury but is projected to come back within the next couple weeks.  He had pitched well before the injury and will be a solid addition to Nub Vader’s staff which is sorely in need of help. 

Statistically, the trade favors 4 Ponies by virtue of Upton and Maybin’s collective performance.  However, it must be taken into consideration that Brown was only recalled a couple weeks ago and Morrison missed several weeks due to injury earlier in the season.  This partially explains why their statistics are not nearly as close, which is demonstrated in the table below:

Player	AVG.	HR	RBI	Runs	SB
Justin Upton	.272	11	30	36	11
Cameron Maybin	.254	5	15	24	7
Domonic Brown	.283	1	6	6	1
Logan Morrison	.295	7	21	19	1

Over the course of a full season with full playing time and no injuries, all players involved in the trade are projected to have more equivalent statistics.  The evaluation must take into account why there is such a discrepancy at the time the trade is made.  As previously stated, Brown was in the minor leagues and Morrison was injured.  Now that all players are active and healthy, the trade can be viewed through an appropriate lens which shows it is equitable.

When analyzing the fairness and equity of a trade, the Court will consider each team’s individual needs to assess whether the trade subjectively made sense from each team’s perspective.  See Cajon Crawdads vs. Carson City Cocks, 1 F.J. 41, 42 (June 2010) (upholding a trade for Jason Bay because of the Carson City Cocks’ desperate need for a starting outfielder due to the demotion of Cameron Maybin).  This trade at issue involves four outfielders and one starting pitcher.  The exchange of two outfielders for two outfielders essentially cancels each other out in terms of specific needs for each team.  The fact thatUpton is in the trade and is the best player involved necessitated the inclusion of Beachy.  Despite being injured, Beachy will be a welcome addition to Nub Vader’s pitching staff which is severely lacking in quality starters (he currently has J.A. Happ, Jeff Karstens, Jake Westbrook, Mike Leake and Joe Blanton).

In terms of keeper league status and salary cap value, this trade includes a large disparity in monetary value.  Beachy,. Brown and Morrison cost $0.50 each.  Maybin also costs $0.50 andUptoncosts $4.20.  This means that Nub Vader is gaining $3.20 in salary cap space which represents almost 10% of the Incontinent League’s $36.00 salary cap for each team.  In terms of contract status,Uptonis in the first year of his contract so the 4 Ponies will have him for another two years after this.  On the other hand, both Brown and Morrison only have one year left on their contracts.  Presumably, Nub Vader will be able to use his newly-acquired salary cap space to replenish his team in the 2012 draft.  Beachy is in the first year of his contract, and given his youth and initial success with the Braves, Nub Vader will certainly benefit from having him locked up for another two years. 

As referenced in Smittydogs v. Moneyball, 1 F.J. 32, 34 (June 2010), the dichotomy between the 4 Ponies and Nub Vader’s motivations is precisely why the Court must look at trades in keeper leagues differently than non-keeper leagues.  If this trade had been made in a non-keeper league, the Court would still likely approve it. 

It should be reiterated that the Court typically favors a league owner’s ability to make trades and manager the roster according to his/her own preferences and judgments.  When a person pays money to participate in a fantasy league, the presumption is that he/she is permitted to make whatever decisions they feel are best for their team.  Based on the foregoing reasons, the Court hereby decides that the subject trade is fair and even.  The trade should be approved as it comports with the best interests of the league.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Passing Judgment – Bryce Harper is a Primadonna Prospect

I recently had the fortune of being able to see Bryce Harper, the #1 pick in the 2010 MLB draft, play in a minor league game when the Washington Nationals’ Single A team came to Lakewood, NJ to play the Blueclaws (Phillies).  When I say I had the “fortune” I mean that there is something special about being able to see a highly-touted prospect, who will more than likely achieve great things down the road, in his professional baseball infancy.  If Harper becomes the star player most people project him to be, it would be neat knowing I saw him play when he was literally just starting his career.

But along with the excitement of watching the beginning of a potentially great career came the harsh reality that plagues numerous successful athletes.  I had heard and read the rumors and gossip about Harper being a primadonna.  I suspected he may act like a diva given the attention he has gotten.  But I didn’t know for sure.  Then it was all but confirmed for me when a very reliable source informed me that Harper alienated himself from his teammates by demanding special treatment and attention.  He has questioned why he needs to participate in team drills and do all of the other necessary activities that teams do together.  He thinks he should be in Double A…right now…not even a year after being drafted as an 18-year old kid. 

This story is not unfamiliar.  There are plenty of athletes out there who do the same thing and act the same way.  There are plenty of young athletes who have not proven anything at the professional level that do it.  It’s not surprising, but it is still disappointing.  Harper has the privilege of playing baseball for a living.  He has the blessing of possessing tremendous talent and athletic ability.  He has the fortune of being so young with such a bright future ahead of him.  But right now he lacks the maturity to respect the game, his peers, his coaches, and himself.  He still has a lot to learn about the game of baseball and how it is supposed to be played. 

In the game I saw him play, Harper ran the gamut in terms of both good and poor qualities.  In his first at bat, he struck out looking against a left-handed pitcher.  The fact he struck out was not alarming, but it was obvious watching his approach that he was at a complete loss on what to expect from the pitcher.  He quickly fell behind in the count before fouling off a couple pitches on swings that were defensive.  He would eventually strike out looking at a fastball on a pitch where he was clearly expecting something off-speed.  In a later at bat, Harper hit a swinging but out in front of home plate and hustled to first base beating the throw for an infield hit.  I commented to my friends that he showed great hustle on that play.  But in his final at bat, he skied a lazy flyball to center field that was easily caught.  But I watched Harper the entire time and he lazily jogged to first base, not even reaching the bag by the time the centerfielder caught the ball.  This bothered me, as it bothers me when any major leaguer doesn’t run a ball out no matter where it is it. 

I am not going to indict Harper because he didn’t run a flyball out.  But I will criticize him for his lackadaisical attitude when he thinks he is beyond this level at this point.  There is a reason why baseball has a minor league system and almost every player goes through it before reaching the big leagues.  Harper is learning how to play the outfield, how to play against equal or better competition, and how to become a professional baseball player.  Each level of the minor leagues has its own purpose and set of skills to learn.  Harper can learn a lot if he wants to, which can only benefit him as he progresses through the Nationals’ system and eventually up to D.C.

Stephen Strasburg, the #1 pick in 2009 and phenom during his major league tenure in 2010, had four years of college to both grow up and improve his craft.  Harper attended the College of Southern Nevada for one year, as a 17-year old, and was then drafted in 2010 as an 18-year old kid.  Those years of college experience, in both life and baseball, helped Strasburg possess the maturity and poise necessary to become successful at the major league level.  Harper should be using this time in the low minor league levels to accumulate knowledge and experience that will better serve him later on.  He should also learn to ingratiate himself better with his teammates because the reputation he is building forhimself will not bode well down the road.

A change of attitude and perspective is not hard to do.  But Harper must realize that himself.  His talent and skillset will eventually speak for itself.  Anyone who has to constantly remind others of how great they are probably isn’t that great to begin with.  Harper may become great.  I’d just rather find that out for myself by watching him play rather than listen to him telling me that.

The Art of Making a Fantasy Baseball Trade

Today I made a significant trade in one of my fantasy baseball leagues.  This is the league where I am the commissioner of an 18-team, head to head, mixed, points league where pitching is the key to success.  Thus far, my staff has not performed up to standards that are even below my mediocre expectations.  I have Brett Myers, Wandy Rodriguez, Aaron Harang, Ted Lilly, Jhoulys Chacin, Javier Vazquez, Heath Bell, Carlos Marmol and Kevin Gregg.  We start any six pitchers, and wins and saves are both worth ten points.  Additionally, quality starts are worth five, strikeouts are worth two each, and there are negative points for losses, blown saves, walks, and earned runs allowed.  I have suffered from poor production and some poor decision-making as I had Chacin on the bench for one of his big starts, and my unwarranted faith in Vazquez has led me to mock his being on the bereavement list. 

Every year I tend to make at least one blockbuster acquisition, so I began thinking big in order to improve my pitching.  I knew I would have to make an enticing offer to someone who needed some offense, so I decided to reap the benefits of Lance Berkman’s insane start to the season.  I recently sang the praises of the Big Puma (see http://fantasyjudgment.wordpress.com/2011/05/06/passing-judgment-the-resurgence-of-lance-berkman/) as he has enjoyed a renaissance thus far in 2011.  But the reality is that he cannot maintain this pace over the course of the season.  He is very likely going to miss some time at some point due to injuries, and his 35-year old body cannot sustain playing everyday in the outfield.  So I offered Berkman and Kevin Gregg for Cliff Lee figuring it would be rejected but hopeful there would be a counteroffer.  Sure enough, my fellow league member preferred a starter and asked for Harang.  It was a done deal for me.

Cliff Lee addresses the media at the press conference announcing that he has been traded to my fantasy team.

Cliff Lee is also a topic I have written about before (see http://fantasyjudgment.wordpress.com/2010/12/14/cliffs-notes-my-thoughts-on-the-cliff-lee-signing/).  I made the arguments that Lee is a good pitcher, but his mediocre regular seasons in 2009 and 2010 seem to be forgotten due to his dominant playoff performances the last couple years.  And for the purposes of fantasy baseball, the regular season is all that counts.  While my thoughts on Lee remain the same, he is still a tremendous upgrade for me.  He has been victimized by poor run support, but that should change going forward because Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, and Domonic Brown are not far away from joining the already respectable lineup.  Even in a loss, Lee will still throw a quality start with a lot of strikeouts and few walks. 

As I stated before, pitching is what wins championships in the OBFBL.  I have won the league three times (1999, 2002, and 2007), and each time was because I had multiple dominant pitchers.  This year is one of the only years I have ever gone with the multiple stud closer route (Bell and Marmom).  With saves being worth as much as wins, they ranked near the top of all pitchers in 2010, so it was a relative no-brainer to draft them given who was available.  Now adding Lee into the mix should give me a more formidable staff.

The beauty of making fantasy baseball trades is that there is always a nervous sensation you get because you wonder whether you are getting screwed or whether you will come to regret your decision.  I have never regretted any trade I have ever made, even if things just didn’t work out.  I don’t trade out of desperation or from a position of weakness.  I target what my specific needs are and figure out the least I can give up to acquire that need.  That is what I did here.  Sure I will miss Berkman’s bat in my lineup, but I am counting on him tailing off at some point.  Now I need to acquire another hitter, and with the pitching excess I have, that is the direction I will go.

The other key to making effective fantasy baseball trades is to be patient and have some self-restraint.  I previously wrote about not over-reacting so early in the season (see http://fantasyjudgment.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/passing-judgment-dont-overreact-after-one-week/), and it directly applies to making smart trades and decisions.  I was not happy with how my team performed after five weeks and seven games (we play divisional doubleheaders every few weeks), but I waited until the right opportunity presented itself to get the best deal possible.  If I made this offer a few weeks ago, it likely would have been rejected because my fellow league owner would have wanted to wait and see how Lee would continue to do, and he may not have believed in Berkman after such a small sample.  But now 20% into the season, there was a large enough body of work to convince him that Berkman was worth acquiring for a #1 fantasy starting pitcher.  It also helped that Harang has been so good thus far because he would have had no value earlier in the year.  So, in the words of the great Jedi master, Yoda, “Patient must you be.”

 

Tuesday Night Top Ten – May 3, 2011

Tuesday Night Top Ten – May 3, 2011

According to reliable sources such as the internet and high school students, Tuesday is the least popular day of the week.  In an effort to bring some respect, credibility and entertainment back to Tuesdays, I will be paying homage to David Letterman and provide a weekly Top 10 list for newsworthy fantasy baseball events that take place.  Each event will have a brief description including what, if any, impact it has on fantasy baseball.  The ranking is completely subjective so do not even think of challenging my authority.  In fact, in the words of Eric Cartman, you will respect my authority!  Without further adieu, here is the debut of the new Tuesday Top Ten List (as of 10:15 PM EST):

 10. Phil is ill, but with what? – Yankees pitcher Phil Hughes apparently doesn’t have thoracic outlet syndrome, which is good news, but it also leaves many questions unanswered.  Doctors and experts are still trying to figure out what is ailing the Yankees’ young hurler.  Regardless, it doesn’t look like Hughes is going to contribute much to the Yankees or fantasy owners this year.  His velocity is down and his stuff is flat.  There is very likely a physical reason why, but thus far no one can provide an answer.  For now, stash him on the DL if you have the room.  But don’t expect anything from him in 2011.  On a side note, going back to all of the trade discussions between the Mets, Yankees and Twins for Johan Santana in 2008, it is sadly bizarre and ironic that former Mets prospect and current White Sox starter Philip Humber is likely to be the best pitcher of them all this season.

9. D-Choo-I – Yet another major league baseball player has been arrested for driving while under the influence.  Indians outfielder Shin Soo Choo is the most recent drunk driver pulled over in what seems like a weekly occurrence.  Choo had one too many Cheongju before he got behind the wheel.  No one ever accused baseball players of being smart, but come on…this is getting a little ridonculous.  Assuming his situation is like every other offender, he shouldn’t miss any time so there will not likely be any effect on his fantasy status.  That is, unless, he shows up drunk at a game and starts referring to himself as Kim Jong Il.

8. Oh Jenrry – Mets prospect Jenrry Mejia will likely need to undergo Tommy John surgery to repair an injured ligament in his elbow.  Mejia was being groomed to become a starter in the Mets rotation of the future, but this will have to be put on hold for at least a year assuming he goes under the knife soon.  Mejia has electric stuff and is a popular keeper in roto fantasy leagues due to his potential to either start or relieve.  If recent history is any indication, there is no reason Mejia can’t come back and be an effective pitcher within 18 months of the operation.  He is only 22 so there is still plenty of time for him to make an impact.  But those of you who are stashing him in keepe leagues, you might as well clear the roster space.

7. Not Werth the Money – Jayson Werth made his long awaited return to Philadelphia in a Nationals’ uniform and was met with a mixture of ovations and boos.  This is not surprising because Werth’s decision to sign with Washington is understandable, but his comments after he left were unnecessary.  No one could argue with Werth agreeing to that ludacris contract, because let’s be honest, any one of us would take the money and run.  But when Werth later came out and made some disparaging remarks about the Phillies and their lack of attempts to bring him back, it soured the fans’ feelings towards him.  Werth should thank the Phillies for giving him the opportunity to put up great numbers as the team’s fourth offensive weapon.  Now he is the focal point of the Nationals’ lineup and will soon realize Adam LaRoche is not Ryan Howard and Danny Espinosa is not Chase Utley.  

6. Goose Eggs and Hamels – It is common knowledge at this point that the Phillies have the greatest starting pitching in baseball, and arguably one of the greatest staffs in the history of baseball (the 2005 Mets are in that conversation as well with Victor Zambrano and Kris Benson).  Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee seem to get most of the attention, and deservingly so.  But Cole Hamels is on the brink of becoming truly an elite pitcher in real and fantasy baseball.  There has never been an issue with his talent.  The biggest question mark with Hamels has always been his maturity and mental strength.  After what he pulled in the 2009 World Series, he has clearly grown up and emerged as a potential Cy Young candidate.  He threw a complete game gem against the Washington Nationals and continues to make people vomit at the thought he is the Phillies number three or four starter.

5. Pain in the Neck – Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista will miss some time this week with an injured neck.  He must have strained it from looking up at all the homeruns he has hit since the beginning of 2010.  I will admit that I was wrong about him being a fluke.  He will probably not come close to hitting 54 homeruns again, but he is clearly an established slugger who knows how to hit.  It seems as though he is consistently befelled by nagging injuries.  I recently had a nagging injury.  My wife wouldn’t stop nagging me, so I hit my head against the wall and sustained a laceration to my forehead.  I looked like Ric Flair in a steel cage match.

4. Bay-bee Daddy – Mets outfielder Jason Bay is on paternity leave for a couple days to be with his wife who is expected to give birth to the couple’s third child.  Bay sustained a concussion in July 2010 and missed the rest of the season.  Then, just days before Opening Day, he sustained a strain to his oblique muscle requiring him to miss the first three weeks of the 2011 season.  After playing in 10 games, it was clear he needed some time off.  Oh calm down, I am kidding.  It is great the MLB has implemented a new paternity leave program for players so they can be with their wives when children are born.  Given the baby is due in the beginning of May, that means it was likely conceived in July or August 2010.  Hmmm, didn’t Bay sustain his concussion around that time?  I guess he wasn’t injured enough to knock up his wife when he clearly couldn’t knock any balls over the fence.

3. Celebrity Rehab – American League MVP Josh Hamilton is in rehab once again.  No silly, not for smoking crack or building meth labs.  Hamilton is recovering from a fractured arm when he inexplicably was sent home to score on a foul popup and dove into home plate.  On Wednesday, he is scheduled to swing a bat for the first time since the injury which means he is at least one week ahead of schedule in his recovery.  It was originally anticipated that Hamilton would miss 6-8 weeks and not swing a bat for the first four weeks.  He was injured three weeks ago, so do the math.  What?  You were told there would be no math?  Just use a calculator.  In fact, type the number 55378008 and turn your calculator upside down.  The result answers the question “How would you describe Gwyneth Paltrow?”

2. Battle of Wounded Knee – Chase Utley may not be far from returning to the Phillies.  The all star second baseman has been bothered by an ailing knee for months and has yet to see any game time in spring training, the minor leagues, or the major leagues.  Reports out of Philadelphia are that Utley may be sent to Clearwater to play in some extended spring training games which would enable him to face live pitching for the first time since 2010.  This bodes well for fantasy owners who drafted Utley and have stashed him on the DL in the hopes he would return sooner than later.  If he is healthy, the Phillies should look into possibly trading him because they clearly can win with the “talented” duo of Wilson Valdez and Pete Orr playing second base.  Just FYI, the quotation marks were meant to indicate sarcasm font.

1. LIRIANOOOOOO! - Twins starting pitcher Francisco Liriano pitched a no-hitter against the White Sox in Chicago tonight.  There is no debating Liriano’s talent, but he has been atrocious thus far in 2011 and his starting job was in jeopardy with Kevin Slowey being considered to take his place in the Twins’ rotation.  That debate has been quelled for now as Liriano threw his first career complete game in the no-hit effort.  He walked six and only struck out two which indicates he relied on his defense instead of trying to strike every batter out.  Perhaps this is a sign that he has turned the corner and is on his way to reclaiming his status as a top tier fantasy pitcher.  Or it could just be a fluke and he will get bombed in three innings next time out.  That is the problem with Liriano – he is so inconsistent and almost impossible to predict.  Those of you in points leagues where no-hitters are credited had a good night if Liriano was in your lineup. 

Baseball and Bin Laden

For those of you who don’t know, I was in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  I was commuting into New York City on the PATH train to take my first law school exam that fateful morning.  The weather was a perfect sunny and 80 degrees.  I was a little tired from staying up late the night before to watch the Giants and Broncos play on Monday Night Football.  I purchased a new 40-trip PATH ticket and I made my way into Manhattan.  The train pulled in and I saw cops and firefighters standing on the platform directing people to the exit.  The noises coming from the station were indescribable.  Smoke was billowing from the tracks.  But I had an exam to get to, so I calmly walked to the escalator and made my way out of the building assuming that the cops and firefighters would take care of the rest.  I didn’t notice anything was remarkably wrong until I made it outside the Twin Towers and saw thousands of people across the street just staring up.  I then noticed both buildings on fire at the same time, thinking to myself how incredulous it was for both of them to be in flames at the same time.  That is when I started my journey away from the Towers, dodging falling bodies and debris.  The rest had been chronicled in prior articles, but if you really want to hear the rest of my 9-11 story, it is easier just to email me.

In the immediate aftermath of that day, I required a few months of therapy just to deal with the traumatic experience and horrific things I witnessed.  I decided to continue at my law school in New York and went on to graduate in 2004.  It took me quite a long time to truly start “moving on” and trying to resume a normal life.  It was quite difficult because there were constant reminders everywhere – both physically and mentally.  Over time, I dealt with the memories better and better.  But once the calendar turned to September every year, my anxiety levels rise and the memories come flooding back.  Those first eleven days in September are quite difficult to get through because I uncontrollably obsess about what happened exactly at that day and time in 2001.  It’s like a subconscious desire to remember what life was like before 9-11-01 because everything changed on that day.

It was frustrating not having sports immediately afterwards for the distraction.  In fact, the WWE was the first form of entertainment to come back and broadcast a live show to help start the healing process.  That edition of Smackdown was unforgettable.  But it was the first baseball game played in New York after 9-11 that was awe-inspiring.  Mike Piazza’s memorable homerun off Steve Karsay gave the Mets a 3-2 win and gave the fans something to truly cheer for.  As I have openly admitted before, I was by myself watching this game and cried hysterically after Piazza hit the homerun.  I needed to feel joy about something, and I got caught up in the emotions of seeing Shea Stadium rocking with electricity.  As a former catcher myself, Piazza was my favorite player so it was even more special that he was the one who hit the homerun.

In the past ten years, I have watched hundreds and hundreds of baseball games with varying emotions depending how the Mets are doing or how my fantasy baseball players are performing.  But generally speaking, I do not usually associate watching baseball games, or even Mike Piazza highlights, with anything associated to 9-11.  I am able to watch a game and enjoy it for what it is worth or what I am looking to get out of it.  That is, until Sunday night, May 1, 2011.

I was watching the Mets play their archrival Phillies on ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball when the news started breaking about Bin Laden’s death.  At first, I didn’t want to believe it because I have been cynical over the years as to our abilities to ever get to him in the first place.  But then I changed channels to see the news and hear that President Obama would be making the announcement that Bin Laden was dead and there was definitive proof of his demise.  All of a sudden, my joy and elation that the bastard was dead turned into a knot in my stomach.  The memories of 9-11 and everything I go through each September just cascaded into a flood of visions and emotions all at once.  My Facebook and Twitter accounts blew up with loving comments from friends and family that recognized what this meant to me.  All of a sudden, I was unexpectedly forced to deal with these emotions – and I was admittedly not prepared for it.

It is a great thing that we can celebrate justice being served to that piece of garbage that murdered 3,000 people and changed the lives of millions forever.  There is some sense of closure to this decade-long nightmare, but the truth is that it will never be over.  Those who perished that day and as a result of this conflict can hopefully rest in better peace now.

But the baseball connection is also so important to me because baseball is such a vital part of my life and who I am.  Once I had time to digest what was going on, it all became very apparent how ironic some things are with this situation.  First of all, it was great that a New York team was playing in the game when this historic announcement was made.  Second, the Mets were playing another archrival, the Braves, when Piazza hit the homerun in that first game back in New York after 9-11.  Here, the Mets were playing in Philadelphia, an away location that has not always been friendly to the Mets and their fans.  Just like how I got chills seeing the Mets and Braves hug each other in 2001, I got the same chills seeing and hearing the Philadelphia fans chanting “U.S.A.!” during the game.  Third, Bobby Valentine was the manager of the Mets in 2001 and Orel Hershiser pitched for the Mets in 1999 under Valentine.  They were two of the three ESPN announcers calling the game.  Bobby V’s participation was very fitting.  I am admittedly not a big fan of his as a manager, but he was a good guy and definitely had a successful run during his tenure.  I respect what he did for the Mets and for the game of baseball.  The final bit of irony is that the Mets won a one-run game in dramatic fashion thanks to a game-winning hit by a catcher whose last name begins with a “P.”  Ronny Paulino hit a game-winning double in the 14^th inning to secure a Mets win on Sunday night, just as Piazza hit a two-run homerun to help the Mets defeat the Braves 3-2 in 2001.

These comparisons may seem trivial to some, but they meant a lot to me. It really emphasized how circular and cosmic things can be in life.  It’s like how Doc Brown feels about the day of November 12, 1955 as being the focal point of the space-time continuum.  At the end of the day, I am glad that Bin Laden is dead.  I am also glad the Mets won their game.  Baseball has proven time and time again to be a constant form of therapy for me, and it didn’t let me down again. 

New Fantasy Judgment Decision – Green Eggs & Hamels vs. Megan Fox is Hot (fantasy baseball issue)

THE SUPREME COURT OF FANTASY JUDGMENT

Green Eggs & Hamels v. Megan Fox is Hot

ON PETITION FOR WRIT OF CERTIORARI FROM

THE BRO’S BEFORE HO’S FANTASY BASEBALL LEAGUE

 Decided April 10, 2011

Cite as 3 F.J. 4 (April 2011)

Factual Background

A fantasy baseball league named the Bro’s Before Ho’s Fantasy Baseball League (hereinafter referred to as “BBHFBL”) is a 12-team rotisserie league using both AL and NL players with each team allowed to keep up to three players for a maximum of three seasons.  The BBHFBL is a 6×6 league using the following hitting categories – OBP, HR, RBI, Runs, SB, and Hits – and  the following pitching categories – W, ERA, K’s, SV, WHIP, and QS.  Statistics are cumulative throughout the season and each team will accrue points based on their standings for each individual scoring category.  Each team has a budget of $260 to draft 27 players and then $150 to purchase free agents after the draft has concluded.

The BBHFBL is governed by a Constitution that was authored by the league Commissioner and posted on the league’s CBSSports’ homepage.  All league members were notified via email and a message posted on the league’s message board that the Constitution was available for viewing on March 25, 2011. 

Contained within the BBHFBL Constitution is a section entitled “Transactions” which is denoted as Section 2.  Under Section 2, there are several provisions regarding the rules and guidelines for making add/drops utilizing a free agent auction bidding process (“FAAB”) including the following relevant language:

1.         Each team shall be given a budget of $150 to spend on free agents throughout the course of the season.

2.         In order to acquire a free agent, teams must bid at least $1 on a player and make a subsequent transaction by either dropping a player, moving a player to injured, or moving a player to the minors.

3.         The team that bids the most money for a free agent in a particular waiver period will be awarded that player. 

4.         Once a team has won an auction, that team will move to the bottom of the waiver priority order.

6.         If more than one team has bid the same amount of money on the same free agent, the team with the highest position on the waiver priority list shall be awarded that player.

9.         Waivers will run every day at 2:00 AM which means players can be added daily.

10.       Any disputes or challenges to the FAAB process shall be raised to the league Commissioner for inquiry to CBSSports.

Procedural History

Green Eggs & Hamels, a team in the BBHFBL, attempted to add Chris Capuano (SP-NYM) as a free agent on April 8, 2011.  He utilized the FAAB process on CBSSports and bid $1 on Capuano and dropped Bud Norris (SP-HOU).  This represented the second of Green Eggs & Hamels’ FAAB requests as he bid $14 to successfully obtain Brent Morel (3B-CHW) during the same April 8, 2011 waiver period.  Also on April 8, 2011, Megan Fox is Hot bid $1 on Chris Capuano and dropped Ross Ohlendorf (SP-PIT).

Because Green Eggs & Hamels successfully won the auction for Morel, he went to the bottom of the priority order for the next round of waivers during the period.  As a result, Megan Fox is Hot won the auction for Capuano despite bidding the same amount as Green Eggs & Hamels. 

Green Eggs & Hamels disputed this transaction to the league Commissioner arguing that he should have been awarded Capuano because placed the bid before Megan Fox is Hot.  The Commissioner rejected Green Eggs & Hamels’ arguments holding that the FAAB process explicitly states that teams will go to the bottom of the waiver order after winning a bid, and that the team that bids the most amount of money next down the waiver order will win that subsequent player.

Issue Presented

(1)   Should the Commissioner’s decision affirming Megan Fox is Hot’s acquisition of Chris Capuano be upheld?

Decision

The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment is a strong advocate for having written Constitutions that govern fantasy sports leagues.  See John Doe v. Fantasy Football League Commissioner, 2 F.J. 21, 22 (October 2010).  One of the primary reasons behind having a written Constitution is so that all league members are aware of the rules and guidelines in place that govern the administration and function of the fantasy league.  See Shawn Kemp is My Daddy v. Fantasy Basketball League Commissioner, 2 F.J. 24, 25 (October 2010).  When a league Commissioner writes out the rules and distributes them to the league, it shifts the burden onto the league members to read, understand, and adhere to the rules that are delineated.  If a league member has an issue, question or challenge to one of the rules in the Constitution, they are welcome to raise this with the Commissioner before signing it or agreeing to its codification.

Here, the rules explicitly stated what the procedures are for the FAAB process.  Not only were they delineated by the Commissioner in the league’s Constitution, but that is also the process as set forth by CBSSports as per the settings input by the Commissioner.  Green Eggs & Hamels was rightfully awarded Brent Morel with his first transaction because the $14 he bid on Morel represented the highest amount of money bid on an eligible free agent.  As a result, the auction for Morel went first and Hamels was awarded him.  Once Hamels won that auction, he automatically went to the bottom of the priority order for free agent pickups.  This meant that he essentially loses a tie-breaker in the event another team bids the same amount for a second free agent – which was the case here.  Because Megan Fox is Hot was higher on the priority order, he was correctly awarded Capuano.

Hamels appealed to the league’s Commissioner for review.  The Supreme Court of Fantasy Judgment advocates for league Commissioners to have a certain amount of authority and autonomy to run and administer fantasy sports leagues.  See FlemishUSA v. League Commissioner, 2 F.J. 35, 36 (October 2010).  In this case, the Commissioner appropriately ruled on the issue by adhering to the clearly established rules and guidelines that govern the league and the FAAB process. 

Based on the aforementioned reasons, the Commissioner properly rejected Hamels’ request for review as he was correctly denied obtaining Chris Capuano.  The league’s FAAB rules clearly demonstrate that Megan Fox is Hot properly acquired Capuano.  The Court hereby upholds the Commissioner’s decision and rules that the subject transactions should be upheld.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Passing Judgment – Mets finally release Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez

The day has finally arrived where the Mets are without Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez on their roster.  After months of speculation, both Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez have been released despite being owed a collective $18,000,000 for the 2011 season.  While that is a large chunk of money to just swallow (especially given the Mets’ current financial turmoil due to the Madoff lawsuit), this was something that had to be done in order for the organization to start its rebuilding process.   Both Castillo and Perez have become symbolic of the Mets’ recent failures and mediocrity on and off the field.  In order to appease the starving fan base, something had to give, and it has now been given.

Castillo was acquired from the Twins in late 2007 to fill a hole at second base vacated by injuries to Jose Valentin.  He seemed like a logical fit as a prototypical number two hitter behind Jose Reyes, as well as a solid defender and base stealer.  He had been on several winning teams, so there was not much to argue with at the time he was obtained.  The issue became when the Mets signed him to a four-year contract worth $24,000,000 after the 2007 season.  In defense of Omar Minaya at the time, the move was made to appease Johan Santana and help convince him to sign an extension upon being traded to the Mets in February 2008.  Santana apparently liked playing with Castillo in Minnesota, so the Mets helped their cause by locking up the former Gold Glove second baseman.  At the time, people knew the contract was not a good one, but it was ancillary to the Santana acquisition. 

Over the past few years, Castillo has personified the Mets’ failures with his lackluster defense, atrocious hitting, and nagging injuries.  He was a shell of his former self despite only being in his early 30′s.  He did not provide the solid defense he was known for.  Perhaps the moment he will most be remembered for is his inexplicable drop of a pop-up hit by Alex Rodriguez during a 2009 Subway Series game at Yankee Stadium.  With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, A-Rod popped a ball up off Francisco Rodriguez which seemingly would end the game and give the Mets a solid win over their cross-town rivals.  Amazingly, Castillo’s footwork towards the ball was agonizingly awkward and the ball hit off the middle of his glove letting the tying and winning runs score.  That was the end for Castillo in Mets’ fans’ eyes and hearts.  He followed this up with piss-poor hitting and a general malaise that gave the appearance of apathy.

Oliver Perez is another story.  He was acquired at the trade deadline in 2006 from the Pittsburgh Pirates along with reliever Roberto Hernandez in exchange for outfielder Xavier Nady.  The trade was precipitated by Duaner Sanchez’s car accident in Miami that caused him to miss the remainder of the season.  Nady, who was playing a solid right field for the Mets and providing productive offense in the middle of the order, was shipped away for pitching help.  Perez was essentially a throw-in in the trade.  At the time, he was a 25-year old lefty with potentially dominating stuff and a huge upside.  Pitching coach Rick Peterson was convinced he could turn Perez into a star.  Down the stretch in 2006, it looked like the Mets had completely ripped the Pirates off as Perez won Game 4 of the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals, and then pitched great in Game 7 deserving a better fate.  He was even known as “Big Game Ollie” because of these performances.  He followed that up with solid seasons in 2007 and 2008 despite not being as consistent as the Mets would have liked. 

Following the 2008 season, Perez entered free agency and was not even offered a contract by another team.  The Mets, after seeing pitchers like C.C. Sabathia and Derek Lowe sign elsewhere, decided that Perez was the best option left and offered him a lucrative three-year, $36,000,000 contract.  At the time, the deal was not vilified because Perez was still a young, talented left-hander with a big upside.  Then, he showed up to the World Baseball Classic followed by spring training in 2009 completely unprepared and out of shape.  His velocity barely reached 90 mph and his mechanics were out of sync.  This translated into a horrendous 2009 season that culminated with a knee operation.  With hopes that he would be healthy and in better shape, the Mets relied on Perez to return to his old self in 2010.  However, nothing could have been farther from that.  His control was non-existent and his velocity dropped even more.  After being demoted to the bullpen, the Mets asked Perez to accept a minor league assignment to work his issues out.  Selfishly, Perez exercised his right to decline this and he remained on the big league roster as a complete waste of space.  He was placed on the disabled list with questionable lingering knee issues, only to return later in the summer and be sparingly used out of the bullpen in a mop-up role.  By this point, the Mets’ fans were irate with Perez for his lack of performance and professionalism.  When Omar Minaya was fired and Sandy Alderson was brought in, there were hopes that his first transaction would be releasing Perez.  Instead, the Mets gave Perez another opportunity to redeem himself this spring.  After competing for a spot in the starting rotation, Perez’s horrific performances moved him into contention for a left specialist role in the bullpen.  That didn’t work out either.  After surrendering back to back homeruns to two no-name Nationals this past weekend, Perez’s fate was sealed. 

These moves represent a cleansing of the bad taste in the mouths of Mets’ fans.  Castillo and Perez symbolized the frustration expressed by the fan base and represented a physical target to vent that frustration.  Now they are gone.  Castillo has already signed a minor league contract with the Phillies, and Perez is sure to catch on somewhere as a low risk, high reward $400,000 investment.  Even if they do find success elsewhere, the Mets are better off today without them.  There needed to be a change in the culture within the organization, and Sandy Alderson has helped facilitate this change with these two moves.  Now, the Mets must learn from their mistakes and be more circumspect about the long-term investments they make.

Passing Judgment – Not a Fun Week in Sports

Besides having some personal medical issues this week (no worries – everything is fine now), it was not a good 7 days to be a fan of the sports teams that I root for.  I have become immune and accustomed to disappointment when it comes to my sports allegiances (outside of a couple Giants’ Super Bowl victories over the last couple decades).  But generally speaking, I normally don’t have much to root for in terms of my teams’ successes.

Starting last Monday, the news broke that Cliff Lee signed with his “mystery team”, the Philadelphia Phillies.  Of course, this was bittersweet since at first I was elated when I heard the Yankees were out of the running for him.  Like many others, I assumed this meant that Lee decided to re-sign with the Texas Rangers.  But not only did he turn down the two known offers that were made, he actually approached the Phillies and ended up signing with them giving Philadelphia arguably the deepest and most talented starting rotation in baseball.  All this means is that any chance the Mets had of winning 5 games against the Phillies in 2011 pretty much went out the window.  The Mets were not going to compete for anything this season anyway, especially when the biggest news they have made is signing Ronny Paulino and D.J. Carrasco.  But knowing that the already dominant Phillies just added another Cy Young Award winner to their staff for the next 5 years is pretty demoralizing.  Every other team in the NL East has made moves and gotten better.  The Mets have stood still with their hands in their empty pockets and now may be looking up at the Nationals from the cellar of the division.

So also last Monday, the Giants did win a Monday Night game against the Vikings in Detroit.  That was very positive as it put them into a 1st place tie with the Eagles setting up the showdown this past weekend.  I think we all know where this is going as the Giants pulled off a monumental, epic, titanic and catastrophic collapse against the Eagles by allowing 28 points in the last 8 minutes of the game.  This is easily the worst loss in the Giants’ regular season history.  From the breakdowns on offense, defense, special teams, and coaching, it was a team effort to allow the Eagles back into the game and let alone able to win it in regulation.  Rookie punter Matt Dodge should be sent out of Dodge after the way he has performed this season and specifically at the end of this game.  How and why he kicked the ball in bounds to DeSean Jackson is beyond anyone’s comprehension.  But regardless of all that, the Giants still do control their own destiny for the playoffs as they can lock up the wild card by winning their own games.  However, how will a collapse like this effect their performance and focus for the next couple weeks?  This is where Tom Coughlin’s true grit, guts and value as a coach will shine through.  He has to focus his team on next week and forget about what happened against the Eagles.  Irrespective of whether the players can do that, the fans probably cannot do so that easily.  I was laying in a hospital bed watching that debacle and nearly suffered from cardiac arrest from it.  It was painful to watch as the Giants simply shut themselves down in all facets of the game.  The sad thing is that in the back of my cynical mind, I still had a bad feeling about the game, even at 31-10 with 8 minutes left.  I could just taste it in my mouth that something was going to go wrong, and it sure did.

Besides the Mets and Giants woes, I had to endure a mixed bag of emotions with the Knicks this past week as well.  After defeating Carmelo Anthony and the Denver Nuggets last Sunday, the Knicks had themselves an 8-game winning streak heading into the biggest home games in a decade against Boston and Miami.  The hype was all there as ESPN was prominently featuring the Knicks all week during their renaissance.  So last Wednesday night, the Knicks were in control of the Celtics the entire game until the very last few seconds when Paul Pierce pierced the hearts of Knicks’ fans with his beautiful jump shot with .4 seconds left on the clock.  As if that wasn’t enough, Amar’e Stoudamire then hit a 3-pointer just after the buzzer went off teasing us all.  No matter what the result was, the overall consensus was that the Knicks had arrived and could hang with any team.  They played their hearts out and provided one of the best NBA games in recent history.  This all led towards the further hype of the game against Miami where LeBron James would make his MSG debut as a member of the Heat.  After a wild and passionate first half, the Knicks found themselves tied with Miami at 57-57 and looking like they were going to be competitive all night.  Then the 2nd half started and the Knicks proved to be no match for the Heat.  Miami pulled away in the 3rd quarter and went on to a blowout victory.  As if that wasn’t bad enough, the next night the Knicks went to Cleveland to the play LeBron’s former team and still couldn’t beat the Cavaliers.  So after an 8-game winning streak and riding high, the Knicks now lost three in a row in heart-breaking and crushing fashion. 

Sports is all about momentum – riding the high’s and surviving the low’s.  It is the same for the players who play the games and the fans who cheer for them.  This week was definitely a severe low for me personally with my sports allegiances.  But after being used to such disappointment, this too will pass.  It was just kind of amazing that there was a perfect storm of suck-titude between the Mets, Giants and Knicks.  Oh yeah, I was also eliminated from the playoffs in both my fantasy football leagues.  When it rains, it pours.  Let’s just hope it doesn’t collapse the foam roof on top of my house.