Random Thoughts:

-The Chicago White Sox arguably have the worst 1-2 punch I have ever seen, both of which have been absolute fantasy killers this season. Adam Dunn makes headlines with his plentiful strike-outs, putrid average and pants-shittingly failure to meet even the most modest of expectations, Alex Rios has been worse. Way worse. Dunn’s OPS+ of 66 dwarfs Rios’ 52. These two coupled in with the revolving door at 3b (Starter Brent Morel has an OPS+ of 56 while back-up Mark Teahen is has an OPS+ of 59) have provided the worst 3rd of a lineup in recent memory. I simply cannot fathom how they are only 1 game back of .500.

-I’ve watched the video of the “blown call” from the Pirates-Braves the other day probably 25 times. Yeah, the throw definitely beat Lugo home. I still can’t tell definitively if he tagged him out or not. That ump definitely doesn’t deserve the amount of shit he got, and the call was not as easy as people are claiming. Shitty job by the catcher there, make sure you get the out. And Scott Proctor, learn how to fucking run the bases, that was pathetic.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/27/braves-pirates-julio-lugo-controversial-call_n_910617.html

-How the hell does Hiroki Kuroda have 13 losses while John Lackey has 9 wins? God the Dodgers suck.

-I’m calling it right now, Adrian wins the regular season and TJ comes in second. Drew falls to third and loses in the first round of the play-offs, bringing a smile to everyone else’s face. I think Kurt and I will battle for 4th and 5th, and Colin will come in 6th with a team that no one will want to face in the play-offs.

-Is anyone else down for throwing a championship party for the winner of the DD this year? Most of us should be around and I think it would be a real fun time.

New Article Coming Soon

I promise...

Week 17's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 16 – The top three win big, and four different teams have new homes in the standings

The Match-Up: Richie (8^th) vs Jarrett (9^th) *5*

The closest on-paper match-up of the week features two teams coming off of losing weeks. Richie had his modest 2 week winning streak snapped – no, obliterated – by Drew, 9-1. Richie drops out of a 2-week stay at the 7^th spot in the standings, falling one spot (8^th). He's 5.5 games out of the last playoff spot with 6 weeks to play. Jarrett has been in the basement all season long, but he has managed to play .500 ball over the past month (2-2). He plays Richie, Ben (7^th), and James (10^th) in the next three weeks, but then plays the top half of the league to close out the season. Jarrett is 11 games out of a playoff spot, and barring any miracle comeback, he will miss the 2011 playoffs. Jarrett beat Richie in week 8, 5-4.

The Match-Up: Colin (6^th) vs James (10^th) *4*

Colin is playing terrible fantasy ball over the past month, win-less in his last 3 contests (one tie), and just one win in his last 5 weeks. His poor play has dropped him down one spot to 6^th, and he has only a 3 game hold on the 6^th and final playoff spot. Luckily, he gets James this week, who has been equally as bad, posting the same exact stats over that 5 week stretch (although James had much stiffer competition). James has been battling with Jarrett for not-10^th the entire year, and with 6 weeks left and TJ (3^rd) and Adrian (2^nd) on the end-of-season schedule, he is all but eliminated from playoff contention. Colin beat James in week 8, 6-4.

The Match-Up: Ben (7^th) vs TJ (3^rd) *3*

Ben is finally starting to come around, following a 5 week losing streak with a tie two weeks ago, and finally a win last week against Colin (then 5^th). Ben has an interesting schedule to close out the regular season. He draws the 3^rd place team this week, faces the bottom three teams in the league (Jarrett (9^th), Richie (8^th), James (10^th)) but then plays Adrian (2^nd) and Drew (1^st) to close the season. It'll be interesting to see what Ben is able to do before his match-up with Adrian, and at just 3 games out of the playoffs, Ben is still very much alive. The Teej was also able to get off the schnide last week, beating Jarrett for his first win in 2 months. Prior to last week, he had posted a 0-4-2 record, and fell from 1^st to 3^rd. His schedule is all over the place to end the year, so it'll really show exactly how good his team is – he won't be beating up on the shitty teams or battling week after week with the good ones. TJ dominated Ben 8-2 in week 8.

The Match-Up: Kurt (4^th) vs Drew (1^st) *2*

Drew came off a convincing 9-1 victory over Richie (8^th), and he maintained his 4 game lead over Adrian for first place. He's got the hottest team in the league right now, winners of six in a row (37-18, (.673%) and eight of his last nine (54-31, .635%). If he can carry this level of play into the post-season, it'll be extremely difficult for anyone to upset this runaway train. Kurt took a 9-1 beat-down last week (his second 9-1 loss in 6 weeks), and his fourth place spot is now in jeopardy. He's only 2 games up on Alex (5^th), 3.5 games ahead of Colin (6^th), and he's 12 games out of a bye-week spot come playoff time. He's 2-3-1 in his last 6 weeks, and he needs to right the ship before taking on too much water. If he can maintain a .500 record over the remaining 6 weeks, he should find himself right in the middle of a playoff pack. Drew beat Kurt 3-7 in week 8.

The Match-Up: Alex (5^th) vs Adrian (2^nd) *1*

Adrian responded in a big way last week, snapping his 3 week losing streak with a 9-1 win over Kurt. Unfortunately, Drew won by the same margin, so he couldn't make up any ground despite the big win. His next 3 opponents are middle-of-the-pack teams, but he closes out the schedule against Jarrett (9^th), Ben (7^th), and James (10^th), so a late run is a definite possibility. Alex has been playing lights out lately, enjoying a 3-0-2 undefeated streak. But he'll really be tested in the next month, drawing Adrian this week, Drew (1^st) the week after, and a struggling-but-still-4th-place Kurt (...4^th). He was able to leap-frog Colin for the 5^th spot in the standings, but time (and his schedule) will tell if he can hold on. Fun Fact: This match up also features the highest alphabetically-ordered managers the DD has to offer. Adrian beat Alex 6-4 in week 8.

No one writes on the blog anymore. All you guys suck.

Week 16's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 15 – Drew overtakes Adrian for first place in an otherwise stagnant, shortened week.

The Match-Up: TJ (3^rd) vs Jarrett (9^th) *5*

TJ is really struggling to hang with the elite teams this year, posting an 0-4-2 record over his last 6 weeks. He has the easiest schedule in the league over the next 3 weeks, facing Jarrett, Ben (8^th) and James (10^th) before things get really tough again. If he has any hopes of grabbing one of the top two spots come playoff time, he'll have to take care of business in the immediate future. Jarrett has been better as of late, posting a 2-1 record over the past 3 weeks. He's 9.5 games out of a playoff spot with 7 weeks to go, and with Richie (7^th) Ben (8^th) and James (10^th) on the horizon, never say never...TJ scorpion-bowled Jarrett in week 7, 10-0.

The Match-Up: Alex (6^th) vs James (10^th) *4*

Alex is treading water with a 2-0-2 record over the last month despite only outscoring his opponents 21-18. After this week, he's got the toughest schedule in the league, drawing Adrian (2^nd) Drew (1^st) and Kurt (4^th). He holds a 2 game lead over Richie (7^th) and a 5 game lead over Ben (8^th) for the last DD playoff spot, so a win this week would be a huge insurance run given his strength of schedule going forward. James fought Kurt to a 4-4 tie last week, but he needs to start putting up W's if he wants to close the 12 game playoff gap. He plays the middle of the pack for the next month, so there is still a tiny glimmer of hope. Alex ripped James 3 new ones in week 7, 10-0.

The Match-Up: Richie (7^th) vs Drew (1^st) *3*

Drew's fantasy baseball excellence over the past two months has resulted in a steady climb up the rankings and finally, last week, to the top of the standings. He's won five weeks in a row and seven out of his last 8. Last week's 6-2-2 win over Adrian (2nd) left no doubt as to who the best team in the league is right now. Before last week, Drew was beating up on the bottom half of the league (James (10^th), Ben (then 7^th) and Jarrett (then 10^th)), but last week he proved those wins were no fluke. Richie is riding a nice little hot streak too, winning five of his last six, taking out Adrian (then 1^st) and TJ (3^rd) in the process. He's staring down the last playoff spot (2GB), but he's got his toughest match-up of the year against Drew's white-hot squad. Fuck the power rankings, playoffs here I come! Richie beat Drew in week 7, 6-4.

The Match-Up: Colin (5^th) vs Ben (8^th) *2*

Colin has come back down to earth after his torrid stretch in the middle of the season. He's just 1-2-1 in his last 4 weeks, including a 4-6 loss to Jarrett (9^th) last week. He still holds onto the 5^th spot in the league, but the playoff race is really tightening up once again. Colin, Alex, Richie and Ben are separated by a mere five games, with only two spots up for grabs. As James showed us last year, all you have to do is get to the dance and let the chips fall where they may (Kurt, is it possible to take a look at/post what place the champions finished the regular season? That would be cool to see). Ben managed to stop his 5 week losing streak last week, but his 5-5 tie with Alex (6^th) gives him 6 weeks without a win. A big win this week (8-2, 9-1) could really shuffle the playoff picture. Ben beat Colin 6-4 in week 7.

The Match-Up: Kurt (4^th) vs Adrian (2^nd) *1*

In the best on-paper match-up of the week, Kurt looks to extend Adrian's 3 week losing streak. Kurt's play has been mediocre as of late, following W's with L's. He could only muster a 4-4 tie with James (10^th) last week, but he has a solid grip on the 4^th seed and would really have to implode to drop a spot or two. Adrian – what is going on? 3 week losing streak? Engine 4 is taking on water. While he's in no danger of missing the playoffs, TJ (3^rd) and Kurt (4^th) are breathing right down his neck for that second bye-week spot. It'll be interesting to see if Adrian can right the ship against a tough opponent this week. These two teams played to a 5-5 tie in week 7.

All Star Break Power Rankings

As promised, here is an epic breakdown of first half performances. 

Offensive Power Rankings:  Team, Score (Record)

1.     Adrian 39  (42-24-4)

2.     TJ 37  (42-23-5)

3.     Ben 34  (39-31)

4.     Kurt 33.5  (34-32-4)

5.     Alex 32  (35-30-5)

6.     Jarrett 30.5  (29-37-4)

7.     Richie 20  (34-32-4)

8.     Colin 19  (31-37-2)

9.     James 16   (22-46-2)

10.  Drew 14  (27-39-4)

Adrian’s offense has powered him to a first place, first half finish.  TJ, while having a better record, comes in 2 points behind Adrian in the offensive power rankings.  Ben just cannot get an offensive tie.  Kurt’s offense has been solid, coming in at #4.  If you look at the numbers you would expect his offense to be more than 2 games over .500.  Alex closes out the top half of the offenses with 32 points and an offensive tie with TJ, as they both have 5 ties.

Jarrett comes in at 6^th, with an offensive record that would suggest a low score; especially with Richie 10.5 point behind and a record of 34-32-4.  Colin’s offense also appears to have gotten lucky at times, as he is the best of the three managers with less than 20 points.  James’ offense has been awful, and he has not received any luck in his matchups with a 22-46-2 record.  Drew comes in dead last, and appears content with that.  Before the All-star break he shipped off one his best offensive threats for more pitching. 

Pitching Power Rankings:

1.     Drew 50  (52-17-1)

2.     Colin 38.5  (37-30-3)

3.     James 38  (32-35-3)

4.     Kurt 25.5  (38-29-3)

5.     Adrian 25.5  (37-32-1)

6.     Alex 24.5  (30-38-2)

7.     Jarrett 23  (27-43)

8.     Tj 21  (34-35-1)

9.     Ben 16  (22-43-5)

10.  Richie 13  (28-39-3)

Drew is dominating the pitching categories, which makes you wonder why he was shopping for pitching before the break.  Can he post better numbers than the 50 overall points and 52-17-1 record?   This writer says “No!”  Colin’s starting pitching staff has been solid, while James sneaks into third thanks to a plethora of spot starts.  The 32-35-3 pitching record suggests that start volume isn’t his problem, it’s quality.  Kurt comes in at #4, edging out Adrian by having the better record.  Adrian comes in at 5^th, getting edged out by Kurt due to an inferior record. 

Alex is at the top of the Bottom Five, and his record seems a bit unlucky.  While on the subject of bad luck, Jarrett has not had a tie in any pitching category thru the first 14 weeks.  Why is that unlucky?  I can safely assume that all the ties would have been wins.   Tj, on the other hand, has been incredibly lucky.  Despite having the third lowest point total he is just one game under .500.  Ben and Richie have just had terrible pitching staffs. 

Overall:

1.     Adrian 64.5

2.     Drew 64

3.     Kurt 59

4.     TJ 58

5.     Colin 57.5

6.     Alex 56.5

7.     James 54

8.     Jarrett 53.5

9.     Ben 50

10. Richie 33

What an incredibly close race, top to Ben.  Richie should be counting his blessings, as he is still in a position to grab a playoff spot.  Hope you enjoyed the Power Rankings!  Tune in on Tuesday for something else.

Week 15's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 14 – Ben is fading, new contenders for 1^st, and the stage is set for the biggest match-up this year.

**I'm making an addition to the column. I'm going to try to rank the match-ups in terms of interest and importance, kind of like a “what to watch for” like they do on ESPN. It'll be the number in asterisks. 5 match-ups every week, “1” being the #1 best match-up of that week. I think this is easier than ranking it, like a 5 star match-up, if that makes sense. If someone wants to do that though, be my guest! Or if people want me to do that, let me know.**

The Match-Up: Richie (7^th) vs TJ (3^rd) *3*

Well, who saw this coming? After 12 weeks of dominance, Adrian drops his match 2 weeks ago to last-place James, and last week he loses again, to Richie (then 8^th)! The win pushes Richie up to seventh, leap-frogging Ben and pulling him just 3 games out of a playoff spot. Richie has won four out of his last five weeks, and he seems to be hitting his stride at just the right time. Unfortunately for him, TJ (3^rd) cannot claim the same success. He's tied his last two weeks, but that makes for five weeks in a row without a victory. That being said, he's only 2.5 games out of first place. He has a favorable schedule over the next month, going against Richie (7^th), Jarrett (9^th), Ben (8^th), and James (10^th), before closing his year with the top teams in the league. TJ crushed Richie in week 6, 9-1.

The Match-Up: Kurt (4^th) vs. James (10^th) *5*

Kurt's had an interesting month of fantasy baseball, losing 1-9 then winning 9-1, losing 3-7 and, last week, winning 7-3. His .500 record has kept him locked in at 4^th place, and he is the only manager since I started keeping stats for these articles (week 10) to neither drop a spot or advance a spot in the standings. He has, however, closed the gap to a mere 6 games for the top seep, and he is definitely a player for snagging an all-important bye week come September. James couldn't keep the magic going last week as he dropped a close on to Drew, 4-5. He sits in the cold, dark DD basement for yet another week. Tough match-ups against Kurt (4^th), Alex (6^th) and Colin (5^th) will surely test his will. Kurt took care of James in week 6, 7-2.

The Match-Up: Alex (6^th) vs Ben (8^th) *2*

Despite only outscoring his opponents 16-13 over the last three weeks, Alex has gone 2-0-1 and has a hold on the last playoff spot. After losing four weeks in a row, he has come back strong. With Ben (8^th) and James (10^th) on the horizon, he has a chance to dig his heels in before facing Adrian (T-1^st), Drew (T-1^st) and Kurt (4^th). Ben is really struggling, mired in a 5 week losing streak. He's dropped from 5^th to 8^th during the streak, and things get harder before they get easier. He has Alex (6^th), Colin (5^th), and TJ (3^rd) coming up, so we'll all get to see what Ben is made of. Ben beat Alex in week 6, 6-4.

The Match-Up: Colin (5^th) vs Jarrett (9^th) *4*

Colin has been playing very well over the last two months, racking up a 6-2-2 record over that span. His play has helped him sit safely in the 5 hole, and he's only 11 games out of first. I wouldn't be surprised if he's right in the thick of things for the top two seeds in a few weeks – he has Jarrett (9^th), Ben (8^th), and James (10^th) on tap, so that 11 games could melt away pretty quick. Jarrett is still hanging around, only 7.5 games out of 6^th place. He dropped a tight one to Alex last week, 4-5. With plenty of weeks left on the season, he's certainly got a shot at sneaking into the playoffs. Colin edged Jarrett in week 6, 6-4.

The Match-Up of the season: Ali Adrian (T-1^st) vs Frazier Drew (T-1^st) *1*

Can you feel it? The energy! The excitement! I only wish it was week 22. Adrian's out-of-nowhere two week losing streak has given Drew the chance to be king of the mountain. Drew has been white hot, winning 4 in a row and 6 of his last 7. I thought last week that we might have a good match up (last week - If everything goes according to plan, we'll have a heavyweight bout on our hands next week when Drew squares off against Adrian (1^st) for the lead in the standings) but tied for first?! AND the meeting is tonight? The stars have aligned, my friends. Play your numbers and hold all tickets, first place is on the line in the DD! (for week 15).

In case you missed it, the meeting/BBQ/beer drinking/HR Derby viewing party will be held at the Maimonis residence tonight, any time after work. See y'all there!

Week 14's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 13 – One race tightens, the other widens, and a big upset that requires an apology

The Match-Up: Richie (8^th) vs Adrian (1^st)

The king has been dethroned! After 13 weeks of tyrannical rule, the most unlikely of competitors (James, 10^th) took down Adrian for his first losing week of 2011, 4-6. Adrian was 10-0-3 during his 10-3 run (Kurt, record check?). He now leads the league by only 2 games over Drew (2^nd) and 4 games over TJ (3^rd). He looks to get back on the winning track against Richie (8^th), who dropped his match up last week to Colin, 2-6-2. Richie's loss broke a 3 week winning streak, but he is still only 4 games out of a playoff spot. Richie plays Adrian (1^st) this week, Drew (2^nd) next week, and TJ (3^rd) after that, so he has his work cut out for him. Adrian beat Richie in Week 5, 6-4.

The Match-Up: Kurt (4^th) vs Ben (7^th)

Ben started the month of June in 5^th place, but he starts July in 7^th. He dropped his fourth week in a row last week to Drew (2^nd), 3-7. With Kurt (4^th), Alex (6^th) and Colin (5^th) on tap, there are no lay-ups on the horizon for Ben – his team needs to put up some solid numbers to assure his spot in the playoffs. After rolling over TJ (3^rd) last week, the commish couldn't keep up the energy and dropped his match last week to Jarrett (9^th). With the loss, Kurt has faded from the top of the pack. He's 9.5 games behind Adrian (1^st). He started out 3-0-3, but is just .500 (3-3) since week 8. It'll be interesting to see which Kurt shows up for the remainder of the season. These two teams played to a tie in Week 5, 4-4.

The Match-Up: Alex (6^th) vs Jarrett (9^th)

Alex fought TJ (3^rd) to a 5-5 tie last week, and he hasn't lost in 2 weeks. He's got Jarrett (9^th) Ben (7^th) and James (10^th) coming up, so he's got a chance to move up from the 6^th spot, or at least distance himself from the 7^th place spot. Jarrett came out of no where to beat Kurt (4^th) last week, 7-3. He retains his 9^th place spot, and is only 9.5 games out of a playoff spot. He's 1-2-1 (19-20) over his last 4 weeks, but he only has to play slightly better to get in the playoff discussion. Jarrett beat Alex in Week 5, 5-4.

The Match-Up: Colin (5^th) vs TJ (3^rd)

Colin got back to his winning ways last week, as he took care of Richie (8^th) 6-2. He gained 3 games on Adrian (1^st) for the top seed, and he's only 3 games behind Kurt (4^th). Colin is 6-2-1 in his last 9 weeks. TJ is sliding fast, and he hasn't won in a month (0-3-1). Like Ben (7^th), TJ has dropped 2 places over the course of the last month (1^st to 3^rd). He plays the bottom half of the league over the next month, so he'll be looking to take advantage of the favorable schedule. Colin beat TJ in Week 5, 6-3.

The Match-Up: James (10^th) vs Drew (2^nd)

Well, well, well, James...I'm sorry. I was wrong, dead wrong. Not only did you step up to my challenge, but you were the first person to beat Adrian all year! A tip of the cap to you sir, undoubtedly deserved. James is 2-1-1 in his last 4 weeks, and 11 games out of a playoff spot. Let's see if he can keep up the good play against Drew this week, and Kurt (4^th) after that. Drew is cutting through the league like a silent assassin, 5-1 in his last 6 weeks. His 7-3 victory over Ben (7^th) last week marked his third in a row, and he's only 2 games out of the top spot. If everything goes according to plan, we'll have a heavyweight bout on our hands next week when Drew squares off against Adrian (1^st) for the lead in the standings. Drew smoked James in Week 5, 8-2.

Happy 4^th! I wish I hadn't run out of beer. And what's going on for our Home Run Derby BBQ/meeting? Let's make sure we're all on the same page for that.