Chicago White Sox and Big Frank

Here’s my true story of becoming a Chicago White Sox fan. I grew up in Pittsburgh, so if sports had taken hold with me in the late 1970s I could be a bitter Steelers and Pirates fan, looking fondly, if distantly, at the good old days. OK, the Steelers have been good more often than bad lately. The Pirates have been awful. In any case I rebelled against my win-all-the-time local squads. In 1983 I noticed the White Sox. They were running away with their division, and I suppose my city of champions (in the 70s anyway) background had me jump on the bandwagon. The team, naturally, blew it in the playoffs and was pretty mediocre for the rest of the decade.

It wasn’t until the end of the decade that my love of the team was cemented. I started collecting baseball cards, back when they didn’t have a million different brands out every year. In 1990 the Sox made a memorable run at the Western Division title. Yes, the Sox were in the Western Division. My first favorite player was Bobby Thigpen. I bought a ton of his cards and was heartbroken when he slowly faded into oblivion after setting the league saves record that year. He had 57 saves that year, at the age of 26, then had 53 saves total before his career ended in Seattle in 1994. Thigpen’s fall accompanied another player’s rise.

If Billy Beane were a GM in 1989, he would have wet himself over Frank Thomas’s numbers. Here he was, a power-hitting first baseman who briefly played football for the Auburn Tigers, a guy who put up great numbers and got on base unlike any other college player at the time. He fell to number seven (my lucky number) in the draft and the Sox jumped on him. Big Frank made his debut on August 2, 1990, and hit .330 in 60 games with an on-base percentage of .454. Barry Bonds’ career on-base percentage is .443.

Combine this young talent on the rise with a team starting to jell and a love affair began. And before you think that I was just a stat-hound, I loved Frank for his personality also. He was an outgoing, friendly person who met his wife at a stop light. He started a foundation to raise money for leukemia research, as his younger sister died from the dreaded disease. When Michael Jordan decided to switch jobs (picking the Sox; take that, Cubs fans), Chicago was his for the taking.

Thomas won back-to-back MVP awards in 1993 and 1994. Some dispute that he deserved a MVP award in the strike-shortened 1994 season. It’s not because of his numbers. He finished third in batting, first in on-base percentage, second in home runs, third in runs batted in, and first in runs. He led the league in runs?!? He’s 6’5, 260 pounds. Are you kidding me?
He never had a Bobby Thigpen-esque meltdown, but things started slowing down once he turned 30. After winning a batting title in 1997, his average slipped to .265 in 1998. 1999 broke an eight-year streak of at least 100 runs, RBIs, and walks. At some point Thomas lost interest in playing first base and became a full-time designated hitter. In 2000 he had a bounce-back year, finishing second to steroid-boy Jason Giambi in the MVP vote. That was also the Sox’s last glimmer of hope, as a solid first half led to a gradual decline that ended in a first-round sweep to the Wild-Card Mariners. 2003 was another semi-spike with his fourth 40-home-run season, and as he looked to get back to the old Frank, and ankle injury ended his season early in 2004.

His personal life has suffered as well. Thomas was as much as a curmudgeon as Bonds, he just wasn’t as much of a national name for it to matter. His marriage fell apart, and bad investments led him to the brink of bankruptcy despite career earnings of more than 78 million dollars. There was a moment of redemption when Thomas testified to Congress during the steroid hearings. This got, appropriately, zero media play. He’s still recovering from his ankle injury, and won’t return until May at the earliest. It’s about 50/50 that Thomas will reach the formerly hallowed 500-home-run mark. He still is a Hall-of-Famer, and will be the first predominantly DH to get that award.

And now you see why I included on-base percentage as a scoring category in my head-to-head Yahoo fantasy league. Frank might be a good value in the 23rd round.

NFL talk and a rant on 'Paks'

[rant]
I’ve recently made the transition from gum to those Listerine Pocket Packs. I know they spell them ‘Paks’ but I’m an editor by trade so I’m not into kool spelling. I’m happy with the product in general, but what’s up with the packaging? It’s like those long cardboard CD cases in the 80s. I suppose the marketers were afraid that the tiny package would disappear, so they constructed this paper monstrosity for increased visibility. On the back of the package are instructions for getting the packs out of the foil wrapping. Gum’s way more user-friendly. It’s just bad for my dental work, and about as good for the environment as nuclear waste.
[/rant]


Fun with NFL rumors and thoughts

Yesterday a blistering hot rumor made its way through the Internet like wildfire. The Chargers were talking about trading Phillip Rivers, their so-called quarterback of the future, for the 49ers number one overall draft pick. I thought it was a bit crazy since the Chargers just gave Rivers a $6.5 million bonus and surely the 49ers would want more than last year’s number five overall pick for the top choice in this year’s draft. I don’t think that the 49ers are sold on Aaron Rodgers or Alex Smith as the number one overall pick, and quarterback is their top need. The rumor has since been debunked. I just don’t see anyone trading up into the top five picks. Sure, the Chargers are desperate for a top wide receiver and have two first-round picks, but would anyone bite? Maybe my Titans at number six.

Rueben Droughns, who had a breakout 2004 season, is likely going to the Browns. The Broncos are willing to take mediocre DE Ebenezer Ekuban in a swap. Looks like Lee Suggs is in trouble. William Green will be elsewhere this fall. Does Shanahan draft another running back now that Quentin Griffin and Mike Anderson, both recovering from torn ACLs are the backups? The Broncos really like Ryan Moats of Louisiana Tech. Ever since the Clinton Portis trade the Broncos’ running back situation has been nothing but a big headache for fantasy footballers.

Most intriguing name in the draft: Matt Jones. A couple months ago Matt Jones was just another good college QB who was going to try his hand at another position. After running a 4.38 40 (that’s good, by the way), he’s looking like a second-round pick, even though his NFL position hasn’t been determined yet. Wide receiver is most likely, but his size (6’6) makes him an interesting tight-end prospect.

Adrian McPherson had his ‘pro day’ yesterday. He’s another intriguing prospect. Two years ago he was the QB of the future for Florida State. He was kicked off the team because of alleged gambling problems and passing a forged check. The following year he played for the Indiana Firebirds of the Arena League and had 80 touchdowns (61 passing) with 5 picks. Note that such gaudy statistics are fairly typical for that league. He ran a 4.5 40 yesterday, threw the ball well (including a 72-yard flat-foot toss), and was flat-out impressive. No other QB in the draft has as much ‘upside’. Would the Titans gamble on him with pick number 38, knowing that McNair has maybe two more years and that Volek would disintegrate if he had to start 16 games in a row? If they’re thinking long-term they might.

(Mostly) bad advice

Before continuing on this exciting fantasy discussion, I have to make a first-ever correction from a previous blog. Alison, my wife, pointed out that the picture of my brother and I in our underoos, circa late ‘70s, is actually in my parents’ bedroom, not the living room. Feel free to ignore this, as I have tried for years.

Because I have my ‘live’ fantasy baseball draft in a couple of days, it’s time to do something that few serious fantasy writers ever try to do. Give bad advice. OK, if you try you can get some excellent bad advice from dozens of sites out there. One reason is that no one can make perfect projections. Another is that anyone can call themselves a fantasy expert. "But I won the WUSS (Western Utah Statistical Studs) league last year! Doesn’t that make me an expert?" It might.

1. Draft injury risks early and often, because this is a good year to break the trend. Go ahead, take Kerry Wood. He’s solid. This is the year that Cliff Floyd doesn’t get hurt. And that Larry Walker, he looked really good in spring training. Be wary of any guy who routinely walks around with an ice pack on any part of his body.

2. You can’t go wrong with the overhyped rookie. Last year’s stud-to-be was Joe Mauer. Mauer has a ton of talent but he already has knee problems, which we all know is great to have in your starting catcher. If USA Today writes a long story on the guy for opening day, think about the possible consequences.

3. Closers are consistent. Three closers in major league baseball have had 30 saves in three consecutive years. This is why most fantasy baseball leagues aren’t keeper leagues. Few general managers keep their jobs by paying a ton of money to a closer.

4. Don’t worry about a team’s style when drafting players. The Oakland A’s almost never steal bases because the computers tell Billy Beane not to. It’s hard to argue since they make the playoffs almost every year with a Dollar Store budget.

5. Pay attention to your league-mates’ drafting trends at your own risk. If your friendly local Yankee fan drafts Mariano Rivera in the first round, take note. If your friendly local Pirates fan drafts Jack Wilson in the second round, laugh at him first then get him some help.

Yes, humble readers, my upcoming draft is a Yahoo league. If it weren’t for free leagues, I wouldn’t have any baseball leagues at all.

Fantasy advice from the fired

Last night on ESPN Sportscenter, Dan Patrick interviewed Steve Phillips, former Mets GM and current ESPN baseball guy. Patrick was asking Phillips for fantasy baseball information. Is it just me, or is this wrong in so many ways? I know ESPN likes to hire these disgraced general managers. It gives them some name recognition while the GM gets a paycheck, albeit smaller than the one afforded them by running a major-league franchise.

Looking at Phillips’ resume, isn’t he the kind of guy you’d love to have in a fantasy league? While with the Mets, Phillips led the team to a World Series appearance in 2000. After that he was decidedly unsuccessful. He gave big bucks to over-the-hill starting pitcher Tom Glavine and outfielder Cliff Floyd, who can get injured walking across the street. This is exactly the kind of guy who would give you Bobby Abreu for Sammy Sosa.

While a has-been general manager giving fantasy advice of any kind is high on comedy potential, it makes sense for ESPN to take this route. How telegenic is the average fantasy geek? Most sports fans have heard of fantasy sports but there’s still a large percentage who think of the fantasy geek as a nerd with Coke-bottle glasses and an abacus. Guess what, America, some of us have lives (and wives).

Why is a former general manager a bad guy to give fantasy advice? A general manager has to find a guy to fill out his bench who can play three positions and knows how to execute a hit-and-run. The last guy on your bench in a fantasy league has been to two All-Star games. A real general manager has to consider how a guy fits in with the clubhouse and the franchise’s future. A fantasy general manager wants to know how a guy hits with men in scoring position and two outs. He (or she, it’s possible) doesn’t care about AGPI (average greenies per inning) because it’s not a stat used in fantasy leagues, at least not yet. In short, it’s not the same game.

Three-topic Monday

Topic number one: Those were some of the most intense college basketball games ever this weekend. Four total overtimes in four games? One long, torturous instant review session that made me think of football season? Yeah, and I watched about twenty minutes total of it. College basketball just doesn’t grab me. Maybe it’s because I just finished the John Feinstein book about the Patriot League. There just aren’t too many kids going to the Final Four thinking "Man, I have a biology final that week!" I am pretty sure that North Carolina could take the Atlanta Hawks in a seven-game series.

Topic number two: I am one of perhaps five people in the country who TiVo’d (it will be a verb in the next Webster’s) the U.S./Mexico World Cup qualifier yesterday. I’m not a big soccer follower but I did stay up until the middle of the night to watch the U.S./Mexico World Cup match that started at 3 a.m. That was in the dark BT (Before TiVo) days. In short the U.S. is something like 0-55-2 playing at Mexico. From what I hear, playing in Mexico City is like playing in Colorado except that you have to smoke a pack of cigarettes first. Anyway, the U.S. Is now 0-56-2 after a 2-1 loss. Pundits blame the Americans’ playing only one guy forward, which is like an NFL team sending only one guy out for a pass on 3rd and 10. I’m actually considering going to the next qualifier (versus always-dangerous Guatemala), which is in Birmingham, a tempting two-hour drive from Atlanta. I know it seems crazy but I seriously considered driving to Troy, Alabama last year to see my Missouri Tigers get humiliated on national TV.

Topic number three: I will break my sports-talk-only streak to comment on my parents’ official confirmation with the Catholic church this weekend. At first my parents doing this seemed as unlikely as Eddie George breaking a ten-yard run. Remember Eddie George, Titans fans? There they were, making solemn promises with God while I felt like an outsider to the whole experience. My parents mentioned God perhaps twice while I was growing up. The natural result is I think of God as a pretty interesting concept while everyone else is bowing their heads. Beyond that, it’s amazing that not only have my parents found a place where they belong, they are popular. Almost every other person at the reception after the ceremony introduced themselves and told me how much they loved the blown-up picture of my brother and I wearing Batman and Robin underoos (yes, we were of the appropriate age) that’s hanging up in the living room. It’s not like my parents have changed, at least as far as I can tell. My mom still puts together enormous meals with approximately 17 side dishes and my dad tells me how he’s going to beat me this year in fantasy baseball. Sure, there appears to be Someone Else in the room, but I can handle that.

Tennessee Titans offseason

I know I should be writing about the NCAA tourney, spring training, or even the upcoming release of Sin City. Football is my first love, sports-wise, so it gets the page one treatment today.

When looking at the Tennessee Titans and their offseason moves, it might make more sense to see who’s left rather than who’s departed. It's been widely reported that the Titans released a lot of important players. I would dispute the use of 'a lot'. I won't disupte that the Colts are going to get 'a lot' of passing yards against the Titans again this year.

The salary-cap demons were purged this year, and while quite a few key players are gone, it’s not a total blow-up. Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason are key losses. They both signed with the Ravens, which for me was like being hit in the back with a metal chair by my best friend. It’s hard to blame the guys since the Titans released them. Well, it’s a little easier to blame Mason since he was offered more money (allegedly) by the Patriots. Fred Miller, an average right tackle with a weakness for false-start penalties (False Start Fred was his nickname) will be missed for a couple of weeks. Kevin Carter was a good player and great off the field but not worth the $8 million a year that he was getting.

The other two ‘major’ cap casualties (according to the media, who universally reported this) were Robert Holcombe, who had lost his fullback duties to Troy Fleming and his third-down duties to Chris Brown (at least in the first half of most games), and Joe Nedney. Nedney was a big-time, for a kicker, free-agent signing three years ago. Nedney suffered season-ending injuries in the past two years, so it’s not like he was earning his keep. Note to the 49ers, who signed Nedney recently: Don’t have this guy covering kickoffs. In fact, tell him to run out of bounds as soon as he kicks the ball. We’re not going to miss either of these guys.

The Titans’ deficiencies are these: They have no real starting cornerbacks. There are only two receivers on the roster. They have no right tackle. They’re in need of a kicker. At some point, obtaining a third-string quarterback who isn’t a total scrub would be nice. The D line is very young. Right now there are three second-year defensive ends battling for starting positions. Tank Williams, who underperformed last year, blew out his knee and may not be back to start the season. Other than Pro Bowl snubee Keith Bulluck, there are questions in the linebacking corps. There is no backup running back with NFL experience. But hey, we got Norm Chow.
Solutions for the deficiencies: Jacob Bell, the outstanding rookie guard who was a fifth-round pick last year, was a candidate to move to right tackle but he injured his knee late last year. I wouldn’t count on him manning the position but it’s possible. The Titans are so desperate for receivers that they’re considering signing Kevin Dyson. Remember him? Mister Music City Miracle and the guy who ended up a yard short of the tying touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIV. Heck, the Titans gave his uniform number to Tyrone Calico.

On defense the line will probably sink or swim as-is. Randy Starks is going to be very good. One of the trio of Antwan Odom, Bo Schobel, and Travis Laboy will be a good starter. As for the other side, well, it’s hard to drop much from Carlos Hall. Peter Sirmon will return and will call the plays. As for middle linebacker, one of the Rockys (Boiman or Calmus) will start. The Titans play a ton of nickel so a stud MLB isn’t important. Tell me an NFL team with a less imposing cornerback duo than Andre Woolfolk and Tony Beckham. Woolfolk was a converted receiver in college and it shows. He’s been injured a lot. The same goes for Tony Beckham. I hear that the Titans don’t play a lot of man so a shut-down corner isn’t a priority. Lance Schulters and Lamont Thompson are starters at safety. Behind them is a whole lot of nothing unless Tank can come back later in the year.

The Titans have the number six pick overall, which gives them the right to pay a guy eight figures before finding out if the guy is actually good. I don’t ‘spect they’ll be trading down, like last year when the Texans gave them four picks and a mascot to be named later to trade up for Jason Babin.

Who will the Titans take? Here are the candidates:

Mike Williams, WR USC: He’s tall, catches everything, and hasn’t been bothered with studies for 18 months. He doesn’t have blazing speed, but he scored 30 touchdowns in 26 college games. That’s production. With Bennett and Calico, we’re talking 19 feet of receiver here.
Adam "Pac Man" Jones, CB WVU: He’s not tall, but he’s a fast cornerback, and fast cornerbacks are really valuable before a draft. Jones also can return kicks. As you might have noticed, the Titans need a cornerback with a pulse.

Antrell Rolle, CB Miami: Drafting Rolle would serve a dual purpose. First, give him Samari’s old number and a lot of people might think that he never left. Second, Rolle is a taller, more physical corner (albeit in a slower package) than Jones.

Alex Barron, OT Florida State: Barron is the top tackle prospect in the draft. If we sign him he’s our right tackle this year and will move to left tackle when we mercifully jettison Brad Hopkins after this season. From what I hear, Barron puts on a heckuva workout, but wasn’t an elite player at Florida State.

Cedric Benson, RB Texas: I know, the Titans have a starting running back, but this franchise has had good luck with Texas running backs. Chris Brown is an injury factory. If Brown could average 4.9 yards a carry behind a makeshift line last year, Benson could do the same. Benson would be more of a ‘best player available’ pick. I think, and most scouts seem to agree, that Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams are going to be drafted before Benson. Ignore the Ricky Williams comments; this guy is good.

Ideally, the Vikings, picking at seven, fall in love with someone who dropped to six and offer us a second-rounder to swap picks. The Browns did this last year to get Kellen Winslow, and look how well that worked out. The cornerback position is deep and can be addressed later. It’s just not going to be pretty going to Indy this year.

Who do I want? Mike Williams. Most NFL fans and fantasy-football players think offense first. Norm Chow coached him and I think giving Norm enough weapons so he sticks around a couple of years, say until we’re good again, is a good idea. The Titans need more players than they have draft picks. That’s just how it is. I can dream, though, of next year’s offseason when the Titans can (gasp) sign a free agent. That will be a beautiful time indeed.

Fantasy baseball > Fantasy football

My fantasy-football brethren are going to howl at this, but I believe that fantasy baseball is a superior game. There are more games in a season. Improving your team via waivers is more challenging and fun. Stat categories are uniform. NBL rosters may be larger than MLB rosters, but more players are selected on the average fantasy baseball team. More is better.

One thing that makes fantasy baseball a more ‘beautiful’ game is that every player has the same value. Lots of fantasy-football leagues devalue a quarterback’s touchdowns because it’s not fair. Tight ends, since they catch so few passes, get extra credit, so to speak, to increase their relative value. Can you imagine giving an outfielder credit for .8 of a home run just because catchers generally hit fewer of them? There’s no differentiating pitchers either. You don’t get credit for 1.2 Ks when your Devil Rays pitcher gets a strikeout, although you probably should.
Most fantasy-football leagues are made for cowards. Instead of playing individual defensive players (IDPs), you get a ‘team’ defense. Do you see many fantasy baseball leagues with ‘team’ pitching staffs? Casual fans pick pitchers as well as hitters, even though most of them can’t tell you who’s the closer for the Nationals (Chad Cordero). More players = more fun = more chances to outsmart (our outluck) your opponent.

Baseball is a stat-centric sport, and fantasy sports are all about the stats. Many players in the NFL don’t have these measureables. Plus, no one wants to get that granular when creating an NFL fantasy team. You get points for yardage, carries for a running back and catches for a receiver, touchdowns, and you’re penalized for fumbles and/or interceptions. That’s about it. In baseball, you have the simple categories (batting average, runs, runs batted in, home runs, stolen bases) and the more exotic (on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and the triple-scoop hot-fudge sundae stat, on-base+slugging percentage). With pitchers you can deal with earned-run average, innings pitched, wins, losses, walks, and strikeouts. More advanced fantasy players use the ever-popular walks + strikeouts divided by innings pitched (WHIP) category. More stats = more numbers = greater advantage over owners who can’t balance their checkbook.

There are greater offensive options in fantasy baseball. There are six positions (catcher, first base, second base, shortstop, third base, outfielder). Generally you get eight starters (three outfielders, just like in real life) plus the utility category. In football there are ‘flex’ positions, but those are limited. For example, you can’t have a quarterback as a flex player. Why? Because quarterbacks are pretty boys who get the money, the girls, and the stats. In baseball, they’re all just hitters.

The length of the baseball season and the frequency of games makes fantasy baseball more challenging and fun. With football it’s all about the weekend games. Sure, it’s easier on the casual fan, but if your ‘stud’ player has a bad week you have to stew on it for an entire week. This also means that waivers is a once-a-week process. In baseball it’s continuous. Managers have to change their lineup every day and so do you. Football’s a four-month proposition while baseball goes from April to October. Remember, more games = more fun = more opportunities to get your ‘rivals’ to yell Uncle.

Now that I’ve made my point, I will add one footnote. Football is the better game. I’ll go to see my Tennessee Titans six times a year but I probably will see two or three games of my current home Atlanta Braves. I’ll watch my favorite baseball team the Chicago White Sox (explanation of my favorite teams pending) less than that. I will check my fantasy team, the Buckhead Green Sox, at least twice a day. I have to defend my league title.