Sample size is an important thing in all walks of life. You could have the most wonderful day with someone, but that one day is not indicative of what it’s like to be with that person every day. That alternate route you discovered with no traffic on the morning commute? Was it due to your keen intellect, or maybe it was a result of the armored car hemorrhaging dollar bills from the open door in the back? Really, the only times a false positive doesn’t exist is when you don’t want to be a baby momma or daddy and when a player searches for a second opinion. With that said, Josh VanMeter of the Cincinnati Reds has been added in 41.4% of ESPN leagues. What? I thought those leagues were all ghost. Anyways, VanMeter’s ownership is 0% in Razzball leagues. The Razzballers are a sharp group. I could give you a million reasons why, but I was going to write up Jorge Soler this week, as he was added in 8.1% of ESPN leagues to bring his ownership up to 58.4%, but his ownership in Razzball leagues is 100%. Let’s see if VanMeter is registering a false positive.
Please, blog, may I have some more?
Bear or Bull: Enter Santander
July 25, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 12 Commentsby: Son
I’m more a hip-hop and jazz kind of guy now, but I used to listen to some heavy metal back in the day. Metallica was one of my favorite bands. So, when I decided on who to write about in this week’s post, my mind immediately went to the song, Enter Sandman. Most of you are probably familiar with the song because of Mariano Rivera. And what a perfect entrance song it was, as Rivera would snuff out any light of optimism for the opposition and bring darkness to their world. Well, the same could be said for Anthony Santander. The last few Spring Trainings, there was hype and optimism that Santander would crack the lineup. As a result, I always took a flyer on him in my NFBC teams. I am not a smart man. I’d curl up into the fetal position and Nancy Kerrigan myself to sleep. Why? Whhhhyyyyy? Whhhhhhyyyyyyyyy? Well, a funny thing happened on the way to never-never land, as Santander has been playing, and playing well. Exit light, enter night?
Please, blog, may I have some more?The oceans cover 71 percent of the Earth’s surface. And contain 99 percent of the living space. Shoutout to Google for that info. Humans have only explored 5% of the ocean floor, though. We can send spacecraft hundreds of millions of miles into space, discover planets like Mars, and beam back HD-quality pictures and videos, yet we don’t know what the F is living in our oceans or what is even down there? You know those times when you lose your keys and frantically run around like a headless chicken looking for them? Often times they are right under your nose. Not literally of course, but like in the bowl on the table near the front door, except there was a piece of paper covering it. Something like that. Now that I think about it, I know where the aliens are: residing in our oceans. Brilliant! The greatest trick ever played on mankind wasn’t that the Devil didn’t exist. It is that the aliens are “out there”, when they’ve been here all along. I kid, I kid. I hope. Anyways, the ocean realm is the land of unknown, a place that Jacques Cousteau tried to uncover. Michael Brosseau of the Tampa Bay Rays may be heading to that exact place. Here’s why:
Please, blog, may I have some more?Recently, my wife’s grandmother passed away, so we flew out to NYC. Shoutout to grandma. 98 years old and her mind was still as sharp as a tack. Anyways, while it was a somber time, I was fascinated by all the traditions and rituals (wife’s family is Chinese). Can’t look at the coffin while it’s […]
Please, blog, may I have some more? One Man’s Trash: Did Ponce de Leon Find the Fountain of Youth?
July 16, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball | 18 Commentsby: Son
In 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon decided to forgo paella and siestas for………………….? It better be epic because there are not many things I’d leave for paella and siestas. Does the Fountain of Youth count? Because that’s the story. Historians call it a myth, but what else could it have been? Anyways, after setting sail on a more-than-three-hour-tour, Ponce de Leon and his merry band of men ended in Florida, where they encountered the natives, a wrinkly group of leather-faced men and women carrying golf clubs. Repulsed at the sight, the Spaniards scurried back to their boats and made their way west, until they met the Mississippi River and eventually settled up-river in St. Louis, where they obviously found the Fountain of Youth because Daniel Ponce de Leon is a 27-year-old pitcher for the Cardinals and has a 10.8 K/9 in 31.2 major league innings this season. I don’t usually write up pitchers in this column because most of the add/drop activity is due to streaming and two-start weeks, but Ponce de Leon intrigured me, so here we are. Plus, I delved into catchers last week and the Mrs. says I have to change it up from time to time.
Please, blog, may I have some more? Bear or Bull: Have Faith in this White Walker?
July 13, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 12 Commentsby: Son
George R. R. Martin described the White Walkers (the Others) in Game of Thrones as “tall…and gaunt and hard as old bones, with flesh pale as milk.” They were intimidating, powerful, and ruthless. Oh, how I miss thee, Game of Thrones! Except for the last season. That was trash, especially how the Night King in particular died. Anyways, Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks is 6′ 0″ 220 pounds, white, and is among the league leaders in hard hit rate and barrel percentage. He had a great week before the All-Star festivities but is only owned in 22.1% of ESPN leagues. Should we put our faith in this Christian?
Please, blog, may I have some more?At Razzball, we eschew paying for catchers. As Grey so eloquently wrote in his Top 20 catchers, the numero uno catcher was “The cream of the crap.” They are more susceptible to injury, take days off, and the best are not even top 50 hitters for fantasy. With that said, leagues require you to roster one, while some are sadomasochistic and dedicate two roster spots to the position. Sure, you can say F it and leave those spots empty if you so choose, but then you’d be the modern day T-Rex, whose arms and hands shrunk due to hubris. At least that’s my non-scientific conclusion. If there are any paleontolgists in the house, comment below. Anyways, over the past seven days, Danny Jansen of the Toronto Blue Jays has been the #5 hitter and added in 6.4% of ESPN leagues. Trash or treasure?
Please, blog, may I have some more? Bear or Bull: The Swinging Pillar
July 5, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 2 Commentsby: Son
There’s a dance I perform every week or so. I’ll be in the bathroom when a fly (I’m guessing they are related because all know the protocol) will say “What’s Up?” and start the proceedings. It will spin around my head and buzz my dome like Maverick and Goose in Top Gun. I’ll swipe my right arm up, to no avail of course. That’s my way of acknowledging what’s about to go down. The fly will then zoom around. Me, armed with a towel will blindly swing away. The fly responds by zig zagging like an F-15 fighter getting chased by a squadron of MIGs that just unleashed a volley of air-to-air missles. Once in a while, I’ll get lucky and down the culprit, but more often than not, I’ll hear: Bzzzzzzzzz. Bzzzzzzzzzz. That’s fly trash talking. This is when I go “Woooo sah, wooooo sah,” calibrate my sights, pay heed to William Wallace, then…..Snap, crackle, and pop. The Wicked Fly of the North is dead! Hooray! I need to be patient when I swing. Kevin Pillar, of the San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, has a completely different philosophy. It’s working, though, as he’s been the #22 player over the past month on the Razzball Player Rater. Over the past seven days, he’s been the #18 player. Bear or Bull?
Please, blog, may I have some more? One Man’s Trash: Like Craig, Like Cavan
July 3, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 8 Commentsby: Son
Craig Biggio played 20 years in the big leagues and was inducted into the Hall of Fame (2015). In 1997, he played 162 games and put up a line of 22 homers, 146 runs, 81 RBI, and 47 stolen bases while batting .309 with an 11.3% walk rate and 14.4% strikeout rate! Ha! The following year, he only played 160 games (scrub) and hit 20 home runs, scored 123 runs, drove in 88, and stole 50 bases while batting .325 with an 8.7% walk rate and 15.3% strikeout rate!! WTF! This post isn’t about Craig, though. It’s about his son, Cavan Biggio, who plays for the Toronto Blue Jays. Over the last week, Cavan has been a top 20 player, yet is only owned in 13% of ESPN Leagues. On the Razzball Player Rater, he’s owned in 74% of leagues. While it’s safe to say Cavan won’t be putting up Hall of Fame numbers like his pops (at least not yet), is he flying under the radar?
Please, blog, may I have some more? Bear or Bull: Hey Mr. DJ
June 27, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 28 Commentsby: Son
I had a buddy that used to DJ back in the day. This was a time when vinyl actually had to be spun on the turntables. A time when milk crates upon milk crates would house the entire collection. A time when amazingly awesome friends would help move all the equipment to the place of his gig. And back. Now, there’s nostalgia in the actual art of spinning records, but was all the hassle worth it? Which brings me to DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees. We have pleasured ourselves many of times over because he played in Colorado, but the end results did not bring us fantasy elation. He’s in New York now and has been absolutely balling. Is he worth it?
Please, blog, may I have some more? One Man’s Trash: The Kennedy Administration
June 25, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball, Fantasy Baseball Buy/Sell | 24 Commentsby: Son
No one is perfect. Even the greatest closer of all time, Mariano Rivera, had a career save percentage of 89%. In addition, no one can have an approval rating of 100%. There are too many divergent perspectives, opinions, and experiences for that to be feasible. John F. Kennedy, the 35th POTUS, has the highest average approval rating (70.1%) since the Gallup Poll was created in 1935. The high mark was 83%, while he bottomed out at 56%. Donald Trump, the 45th POTUS, has a high of 46% with a low of 35%, which gives him an average of 39%, the lowest by far of any POTUS. For as much as a POS he’s been, though, he has provided value for many. Which brings me to Ian Kennedy of the Kansas City Royals, who many have sworn off from past experiences, but has been added in 7.9% of ESPN leagues over the past week. How will this Kennedy Administration end?
Please, blog, may I have some more? Bear or Bull: Ramon of the Laureano Crime Family
June 21, 2019 | 2019 Fantasy Baseball | 22 Commentsby: Son
Crime often pays because A) a product is obtained for free and sold at a markup (this can also include certain services as well) or B) a product or service is provided at an exhorbitant markup due to its illegal nature. It’s not all reward, though, as there are significant risks in these ventures, the most obvious coming from law enforcement. As a result, many of resources need to be allocated to stay one step ahead of the 5-0 in order to stay in business and flourish. Which brings me to Ramon Laureano of the Oakland Athletics, who has been a Top 40 player over the past month and the #4 player over the past seven days. Is this just a lucky streak or has he discovered something in order to stay out of fantasy jail and prosper?
Please, blog, may I have some more?