Author's Note: It is 12:37 AM on Monday night/Tuesday Morning. I've been without power for 40 hours. We've lost everything in the fridge. I'm waking up to fly to South Carolina in 6 hours. I will upload this ASAP, sorry for the delay.

UPDATE: 10:07, at the airport, free WiFi FTW.

Week 22's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 21 – Colin suffers an untimely slump to pave the way for a fan-fucking-tastic finish

The Match-Up: Adrian (3^rd) vs James (10^th) *5*

The once-mighty Adrian hasn't won in a month, and he has no shot at a bye week. He's win-less in his last month, 2-6-1 in his last 7 weeks, and stumbling into the playoffs. He closes the season with James, who has been a cellar-dweller all season. Jimmy's 7-3 victory over Richie (9^th) broke a streak of 7 weeks without a win. It was also his largest margin of victory of the year, trumping victories over Ben (6-3 week 2 and 6-4 week 11) and Adrian (6-4 week 13.) Adrian might drop to 4^th with a bad week, but it's hard to imagine he'd fall further than that. James is 6.5 games behind Richie for 9^th, so he's all but locked in to the lead-off position in the 2012 DD Draft. Adrian beat James 7-2 in week 4, but James was the first one to beat Adrian this year when he posted that 6-4 victory in week 13 (season: Adrian 11-8).

The Match-Up: Jarrett (8^th) vs Kurt (4^th) *4*

Jarrett has actually been playing some pretty decent fantasy baseball over the past 2 months, posting a 4-4-1 record (48-39 category record). He battled Drew (1^st) last week, losing just 4-6. At 6.5 games out of the playoffs, its hard to imagine that both Ben (T-6^th) and Colin (T-6^th) would get blown out but hey, anything could happen. Conversely, he's 2.5 games up on 9^th place, so a bad week here could slot him into the second spot in next year's draft. Kurt has quieted the skeptics after a late season win-less slump. He hasn't lost in a month (2-0-2) and he'll most likely be in the 4 vs 5 first round playoff match up. Last week, he fought TJ (2^nd) to a 5-5 tie. Ultimately, neither of these teams are going to drastically change their immediate futures: Kurt is playing for 2011, Jarrett is playing for 2012. Kurt has yet to register a win against Jarrett this year, tying 5-5 in week 4, and falling 3-7 in week 13 (season: Jarrett 12-8).

The Match-Up: Alex (5^th) vs TJ (2^nd) *3*

Alex proved he was ready for pressure match ups as he dismantled Colin (T-6^th) in what was one of last week's most intriguing match ups. The win gave Alex a huge (read: important) playoff cushion for this week; a 3-7 loss (or something like that) doesn't spell the end for Mr. G. With TJ on the docket a win might be a tall task, but if Alex can put up 4 category victories, he should glide into the playoffs with no worries at all. TJ has slipped slightly at 0-1-1 in the last two weeks but Adrian shit the bed much worse, so he's pretty much got that second bye spot. Nice goin' TJ. Pay your dues (you too Jarrett). Personally, I'm rooting for a big TJ win so the playoff picture gets nice and fucked up, total chaos. Speaking of blowout losses, I happened to glance at Alex's weekly scores for the season, and the last time his opponent put up a 7 spot or better was way back in week 10, when Kurt (then 4^th, still 4^th) beat him 3-7. The kid just doesn't get blown out. In fact, there's only been one other time Alex gave up at least 7; week 4....when he lost 0-8.....TO TJ! God I love it when that happens. Aside from the 0-8 shutout, these teams tied 5-5 in week 13 (season: TJ 13-5).

The Match-Up: Ben (T-6^th) vs Drew (1^st) *T-1*

And hereeeeee we go! Yippee-kie-yay mother fuckers! Ben and Colin are dead, and I mean dead even. 99-104-7. Who the hell could have predicted that. Unfortunately for Ben, he really gets fucked with his match up. Colin gets Richie (9^th) who sold aggressively at the deadline (and his record since has reflected it), and Ben gets Drew, who has lost once in the last like 3 months. Sucks, Ben. Just sucks. I'll do the best I can with Colin, but Joe Mauer is a dyke. My apologies. Ben hasn't lost in a month and has played well in the past 6 weeks (3-1-2), against admittedly lesser competition. The last time Ben beat someone who was above him in the standings, Osama Bin Laden was still alive. That's not true, I just thought it was funny. He beat Colin 6-3 in week 16, but that's as far back as my stats go (guesstimating, Alex might have been ahead of him in week 6 when Ben won 6-4, but I really don't know). Drew beat Jarrett 6-4 last week, making it 10 of his last 11. Yowzers. He's officially clinched a first round bye, so hat's off to the leader of the DD, DD. Drew has taken care of Ben in both of their meetings, winning 5-4 in week 4 and 7-3 in week 13 (season: Drew 12-7). I'll have one eye on this match up; the other will be focused on...

The Match-Up: Colin (T-6^th) vs Richie (9^th) *T-1*

The other half of the playoff pandemonium. Colin is reeling. 3-16 the past 2 weeks. Dropped 9 games in the standings. And now, he's fighting for his playoff life. Colin has been the most unpredictable team over the past 7 weeks, going 0-2-1 against the bottom 3 teams of the league, then beating the top two teams 8-2 in back to back weeks, and most recently getting his doors blown off by the middle of the league by the aforementioned 3-16 tally. Which Colin will show up? Richie on the other hand has been Mr. Consistency over the past 3 weeks, losing each week worse than the next. He hasn't won a match in a month and is watching his team limp to the finish line. With his playoff dreams dashed, he can only play the spoiler role. Richie beat Colin 6-3 in week 4, and Colin beat Richie 6-2 in week 13 (season: Colin 9-8).

This concludes the Regular Season Weekly Previews. I've had tons of fun writing them up, I hope you've enjoyed reading them. If you have any feedback, positive or negative, I'd really like to hear it – I was a journalism major and I'm curious to see if you guys think any of the skills have stuck with me. I still plan to do non-consolation playoff weekly match ups, which will allow me to really research the squads a lot more in-depth seeing as there will only be two match ups a week that I'm focusing on. Good luck to Ben and Colin this week, still can't believe they're absolutely square in the standings. Totally awesome.

Week 21's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 20 – Big blowouts across the board set up the league for a fantastic finish

The Match-Up: Richie (9^th) vs James (10^th) *5*

Richie's playoff door finally slammed shut last week after being tantalizingly close virtually the entire season. Alex took him down, 6-3-1 behind the stellar play of his newly acquired players via last week's blockbuster trade. Richie is now 8.5 games out of a playoff spot with only 2 weeks to play, but I am begrudgingly adding myself to the consolation committee, already populated by Jarrett (8^th) and James (10^th). Speaking of Mams, he takes place in the ultimate basement battle for the second time in three weeks (week 19 against Jarrett (then-9^th)). He's lost 3 in a row, and he's win-less in his last 7 match ups (0-5-2). He's a shoe-in to have the first pick in next year's draft at 10.5 games behind Richie for 9^th, so he's got that going for him, which is nice (manananana). Richie has beaten James in weeks 3 and 12 by a score of 6-4 (season: Richie 12-8).

The Match-Up: Jarrett (8^th) vs Drew (1^st) *4*

In what was probably the most unlikely result of the entire season, Jarrett kicked Adrian's (3^rd) ASS last week 10-0, posting the league's third shutout of the year (previous shutouts: Alex 10-0 against James, and TJ 10-0 over Jarrett). It's the first time in Diamond Dynasty history that a team has been on both ends of a shutout in a single season. I totally made that up, I have no idea if that's true, but it seems like it could be. With the win, Jarrett leap frogs Richie for 8^th place, the highest he's been since at least week 10, when I started keep track. I can't believe I'm typing this, but he's 7 games out of the playoffs...I'm just saying. But a serious uphill battle lies ahead – the mighty Drew. TJ came to challenge the throne last week and was turned away, 6-3. The win gives Drew 9 victories in his last 10 match ups, and 11 in his last 13. But most importantly, Drew is officially the first one to the playoff party, receiving the Yahoo! asterisk shortly after midnight. He also has a 12.5 game cushion on a bye week so unless Jarrett can pull another shutout out of his ass, Drew will have the luxury of letting the rest of the league beat up on each other for a week. Drew beat Jarrett 7-3 in week 3 and 5-4 in week 12 (season: Drew 12-7).

The Match-Up: Kurt (4^th) vs TJ (2^rd) *3*

It seems as though Kurt's mid-season acquisitions have helped him right the ship, as he laid an 8-1 whooping on Colin (5^th) last week. He's on a modest 2 week winning streak, and barring an epic collapse, will be in the 2011 DD playoffs. He closes the year with TJ this week and Jarrett (8^th) next week, and a lot could change by then. Kurt is 1.5 games behind Adrian for 3^rd, 3.5 games ahead of Colin (5^th), and 5 games ahead of Alex (6^th) - he could finish in 3^rd just as easily as 6^th. TJ couldn't take advantage of his first-place opportunity last week, as he lost to Drew (1^st) 3-6. It was his first loss in a month, but he still has substantial distance (7.5 games) between himself and Adrian (3^rd) for the second bye spot. He closes the year with Kurt and Alex (6^th). These teams played to a 5-5 tie in week 3, but Kurt Timbuktu-ed TJ 9-1 in week 12 (season: Kurt 14-6).

The Match-Up: Alex (6^th) vs Colin (5^th) *2*

With Ben (7^th) breathing right down both of their necks, neither team can afford to have a bad week. Alex has reloaded his roster with talent after last week's deadline deal with Richie (9^th), and he saw what his new additions could do. Jimmy Rollins hit .333 for the week, adding a home run, a stolen base, 4 runs scored and 4 RBI's, while Hiroki Kuroda, John Axford, and J.J. Putz combined for 1 win, 4 saves, 11 K's, and an ERA of (estimating) under 2.00. Their efforts helped Alex dispose of Richie, 6-3, for his first win since beating James in week 16. Colin is coming off a down week, losing 1-8 to Kurt. It's his first loss since taking out Adrian (then-2^nd) and Drew (1^st) 8-2 in successive weeks. In the last week of the season, Colin faces Richie while Alex has to go up against TJ (2^nd). Alex has a tougher draw to end the year, going up against TJ (2^nd) while Colin draws Richie (9^th). Ben lurks just 1.5 games behind Alex and 3 games behind Colin in what should be a great end to the regular season! Alex has Colin's number this year, taking him 8-2 in week 3 and 6-4 in week 12 (season: Alex 14-6).

The Match-Up: Ben (7^th) vs Adrian (3^rd) *1*

Ben took advantage of his match up last week, beating James 8-2 and thrusting himself to just a game and a half out of the playoffs. He hasn't been this close to a playoff spot since week 12, when his loss to Adrian (then-1^st) put him half a game out. He really has to earn his spot in the playoffs this year though, going up against Adrian and Drew (1^st) to close out the year. He's won 2 weeks in a row and this week runs into a slumping Adrian, who has lost 3 in a row (by a combined score of 6-24) and 6 of his last 8. He's in little danger of dropping out of the playoffs, but he is definitely not playing his best ball right now. Adrian gets the golden ticket – James (10^th) to close the year, so he can rest assured that he'll still be playing meaningful fantasy baseball in September. Because of both team's recent play, it seems as though Ben might be able to finally crack the top 6 if he can just get a little help from Alex or Colin. Adrian beat Ben 8-2 in week 3 and 6-4 in week 12 (season: Adrian 14-6). These last two weeks should be an old fashioned hootenanny! Should be a blast!

Week 20's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 19 – The trade deadline comes and goes in an otherwise stagnant week

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

With his loss last week, Adrian continued his streaky play this year. After not losing for the first 12 weeks of the year, he's dropped three, won two, and most recently lost the last two. Despite the loss, he still picked up two games on first place, and he's still within striking distance of the bye spots. He closes the season with Ben (7^th) and James (10^th), so he's got a great shot at stealing second place. Adrian also made a move at the deadline, picking up Alexi Ramirez and Jordan Zimmerman for B.J. Upton and Wandy Rodriguez. Kurt tried to trade Zimmerman to me before I found out that the Nationals put an innings limit on him, so they either took off those restrictions (doubtful) or Adrian may have gotten duped. Jarrett edged out James last week in the snoozer-bowl 5-4 for his first win since week 15. With Drew (1^st) and Kurt (5^th) on the schedule to close the year and a 4 game lead over James for last place, Jarrett may be in the driver's seat for the 2012 Diamond Dynasty draft, which could be a good or a bad thing, right? These two teams played to a 5-5 tie in week 2, and Adrian took care of business in week 11, winning 7-3 (season: Adrian 12-8).

The Match-Up: Ben (7^th) vs James (10^th) *4*

The match up with the least playoff implications features two teams going in opposite directions. Ben notched an important win last week against Richie (8^th), one of his direct competitors for that elusive 6^th seed. He's 2-1-1 over the last month but his next two tests - Adrian (3^rd) and Drew (1^st) - might keep him out of the party. James carries a 0-4-2 record into this match up, dropping last week to Jarrett, 4-5. James has managed only 3 winning weeks over the entire season, and his season weekly win/loss is an ugly 3-12-4. Surprisingly, neither of these teams made moves at the deadlines. James could have set himself up for next year by acquiring draft picks or a possible keeper, and Ben could have been either a seller or a buyer, but both teams chose to stand pat and ride out the end of the year. Of James' 3 wins on the year, 2 of them have come from this match up! James beat Ben 6-3 in both weeks 2 and 11 (season: James 12-6).

The Match-Up: Kurt (5^th) vs Colin (4^th) *3*

Kurt was the most active during the trading deadline, acquiring two stud starters (Dan Haren and Zack Greinke) for...some closers...He also picked up Wandy Rodriguez, really bolstering his pitching staff for the stretch run. He also broke out of a brief 3 week winless streak, beating Alex 5-4 last week. He's got an 8.5 game lead on Ben (7^th), so it seems as though one or two more solid weeks will guarantee a spot at the final table. Colin didn't make any moves at the deadline, but he didn't necessarily have to given his recent play. After failing to beat either Ben (then-8^th), James (10^th), or Jarrett (9^th) in successive weeks, he beats Adrian (then-2^nd) and Drew (1^st) by a combined score of 16-4. He's shot up the standings, cutting his first place deficit from 21 games to just 12.5. He's 10.5 games out of a bye spot, and if he keeps playing like this it's possible he might legitimately be in the mix. Kurt beat Colin 4-5 in week 2, but Colin came back to smoke Kurt 9-1 in week 11 (season: Colin 13-6).

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

These two squads were on opposite ends of the biggest trade of the year. Alex and Richie were able to strike a deal a few hours before the deadline, and both teams stand to gain a lot. Alex added two of the best-performing closers this year, adding John Axford (29 consecutive saves) and J.J. Putz (29 saves on the year). He also added Jimmy Rollins and Hiroki Kuroda, who are above-average options at their respective positions. While the move may have given him enough firepower to finish in the money this year, he had to deal away King Felix, thus ending a marriage that lasted for quite some time. Everyone has their no-doubt keepers – TJ has Pujols, Colin has Cabrera, Richie had John Smoltz. I think everyone thought of Alex when Felix was throwing up his gaudy numbers, and a divorce such as this is a somber moment...unless you're the one adding one of the best young arms in the game, then you're happy to hear the news! If that wasn't enough, this match-up has the heaviest playoff implications of the week. After last week's loss to Kurt (5^th), Alex has dropped 3 in a row, and holds a 3 game lead over Ben for the final playoff spot. He's got a tough road ahead of him, battling Colin (4^th) and TJ (2^nd) to close out the year. A win this week would go a long way toward fending off Ben (7^th) and Richie, who are still within striking distance. After the trade, Richie definitely lost some weapons that have kept him in the race this season. He's winless in his last 2 weeks, and 5.5 games out of the playoffs. This week is a must-win for him, or else he'll join Jarrett and James in the consolation bracket. This is the rubber match for the season – Alex beat Richie 6-4 in week 2, and Richie beat Alex 5-4 in week 11 (season: Alex 10-9).

The Match-Up: Drew (1^st) vs TJ (2^nd) *1*

Yet another 1-v-2 match up for the DD to keep an eye on. Drew finally lost, snapping an 8 week winning streak. The 2-8 beat down at the hands of Colin cost Drew big-time, as his 6 game lead over TJ was cut to just 2. There's no question Drew was dealing from a position of strength when he dealt Haren and Greinke to Kurt, but I have yet to talk to anyone who thinks Drew made a good deal. The other thing that surprised me about the deal was the sheer magnitude of it. For a guy who had won 8 weeks in a row at the point of the trade and had a solid hold on first place, it would have been difficult for me to pull the trigger on any trade almost regardless of what I was getting in return. It was obvious that he had good balance on his team and, whether they're connected or not, he did end up losing in the week of the trade. He closes the year with Jarrett (9^th) and Ben (7^th), a favorable end to the year. TJ is on a great run, winner of 4 straight weeks. He's picked up 5.5 games over the past month, and can now take control of first place with a solid week against Drew. He closes the year with Kurt (5^th) and Alex (6^th), so a win this week would all but solidify a bye week position for him. TJ beat Drew 6-4 in week 2, and Drew beat TJ 5-4 in week 11 (season: TJ 10-9).

The Sheridans!

Cue Keenan and Kel cuz "Aw here it goes". From here on out, Im devoting my time to creating articles about to players who have pissed me off. Inspired by Kurt and named after everyones favorite high school bag of douche, Im hoping to produce these esteemed awards this weekly. Or atleast every once in a while.

Chone Figgins - For starters, his name should be pronounce CHA-own, but his mom decided to slap the English language in the face and make it "Shawn". You shouldn't be allow to arbitrarily make up your own rules for an established language. Its crap. He doesn't even steal bases anymore, notching only 11 in half a season. Why on earth does he make $9.5 millio... Oh wait, that's right, he's on the Mariners. Yeah, that sounds about right for that franchise.

Bobby Jenks - He would've been better off eating his right arm than suiting up for the Red Sox (probably way happier too, the fat fuck). I'd tell him to jump off the Golden Gate bridge, but the last thing Japan needs is another tsunami. Guy should volunteer as live bate on Shark Week, but that would be way too glorious for him. I can't wait till I see the TLC special "Half-ton Bobby: A story of perpetual futility".

Brian Matusz - Way to lose 6 MPH off your fast ball, ya dick. Yeah, that'll really improve your stuff. You're 24 years old and you've already peaked. What the fuck? I didnt realize progeria could strike grown men. Way to live up to your potential...

Well thats a wrap on this weeks edition of the Sheridans. Tune in next time, and please feel free to submit your own submissions/nominations to me on facebook!

Strength of Schedule

I wrote an article at the midway point of the year analyzing how keeper performance impacted overall team performance. If I had gone back through the years and looked at a bigger sample size, I'm sure I would have gotten more conclusive results, but this year keeper performance basically meant nothing - James' keepers were performing beyond expectations as dictated by their O-Ranks and Ranks, and he was in last. All in all, the article was basically a waste of time.

Kurt did the same thing last week when he took a look at statistical milestones and the players that posted those numbers, and it meant "Pretty much nothing. The findings were inconclusive."

I type all this while preparing to give you yet another possibly interesting, yet probably useless article for your (and my) enjoyment - the Strength of Schedule.

As I sit in playoff limbo, 5 games out, Kurt falling fast, Alex within striking distance, and Ben just .5 games ahead, I've been passing on a few enticing trade offers, nervous that the trade will take me out of the playoff race that I probably have no business being in. I thought to myself:

"How much longer can I play this game with myself? I'm out of the playoffs, right? I mean I have to be, I'm in 8th. Well, wait a minute. I'm not playing the top 3 from here on out. Ok, good. This week I have Ben, that's a toss up. Then Alex, another good match. Then James - wow! I have a chance! Colin is a tough draw to end the year but hey what can you do...hold on, what about Ben? And then Alex and Kurt? And then..."

And so, this article wrote itself. It's more food for thought, as we've already seen these types of articles fail to reflect worthwhile information, but hey, third time's a charm, right? The chart is organized by lowest number of wins of remaining match ups (ex - Team A plays Team B (1 win) and Team C (2 wins) - strength of schedule would be 3). I can't figure out how Yahoo! arrives at it's winning percentage - it's not wins/total categories. I think they weight ties differently, so I went with the next best thing I could think of. So without further adieu, here's the remaining strength of schedule for the rest of the league, with a pinch of analysis from yours truly:

8th - Richie......320

3rd - Adrian.....323

10th - James....331

1st - Drew........342

5th - Kurt.........345

7th - Ben...........351

4th - Colin.........352

6th - Alex..........352

9th - Jarrett......357

2nd - TJ.............371

My fears were confirmed - I have a shot at the playoffs. I have the easier SOS, and therefore the best chance to move up in the standings. In fact, of the 5 teams that are in the mix for the last 3 spots, the next closest is Kurt, who has the 5th easiest SOS (25 wins tougher). TJ's toughest SOS might suggest that the bye week will be hard to hold on to, while Drew and Adrian have much easier ends to their seasons.

Prediction

1-Drew

2-Adrian

3-TJ

4-Colin

5-Kurt

6-Richie (I can dream, damn it)

7-Alex

8-Ben

9-Jarrett

10-James

Like I said, probably more of a food for thought-type article, but it looks delicious to me! (that sounded more clever in my head).

Week 19's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 18 – Colin jumps, Kurt slides, and TJ says hello, bye

The Match Up: James (10^th) vs Jarrett (9^th) *5*

In a week chock full of HUGE match ups, this one is the only snoozer. The two last-place teams are a combined 1-6-3 since week 14, and neither teams will be in the playoffs. James hasn't won since his big upset over then-first place Adrian 6 weeks ago, and Jarrett last won in week 15 against Colin. Since I started keeping stats to help write these articles, neither of these teams have been better than 9^th place, and Jarrett had the best sniff of the playoffs, just 7.5 games out after the aforementioned victory over Colin. Not surprisingly, but still interestingly, the match-up of the J's has resulted in two ties: 5-5 in weeks 1 and 10.

The Match Up: Drew (1^st) vs Colin (4^th) *4*

Hard to believe I'm rating this as the 4^th best match up this week, but the contests are really THAT good. Colin had a great week, upsetting Adrian 8-2 AND jumping two spots to 4^th. He's the only one to jump two spots in one week (since I started keeping stats week 11) and he's done it twice; the other time was in week 11, when he went from 7^th to 5^th. Hard to imagine that he posted an 0-2-1 record over the past month against Richie (8^th) Jarrett (9^th) and James (10^th), and then turns around and beats the pants off of Adrian (then 2^nd). Makes no sense. While Colin won't be sniffing a bye spot, he can't take his foot off the gas pedal yet as there's still a month to play. He'll take on Kurt (5^th) Alex (6^th) and Richie (8^th) to end the year. Drew has extended his winning streak to an incredible 8 weeks, edging out Alex, 5-4. After this week, he'll most likely have another titanic match up (the other was week 15 against Adrian, who he beat 6-2) for first place against TJ (2^nd). Jarrett (9^th) and Ben (7^th) close out his season, so if he needs those couple extra wins at the end of the year, he might be able to squeak them out. Drew beat Colin 8-2 in week 1, and Colin beat Drew 6-4 in week 10 (season: Drew 14-6).

The Match Up: TJ (2^nd) vs Adrian (3^th) *3*

I ranked this one third because while a bye week is at stake, both of these squads are in the playoffs. The other two match ups could yield a completely different playoff picture. After a 7 week absence, TJ is back in a bye spot. He's won 3 weeks in a row and it looks like his squad is peaking at just the right time. He's got one of the tougher schedules to end the year, going up against Drew (1^st), Kurt (5^th), and Alex (6^th) to end the year, and as far as I'm concerned it's a total toss-up for the two byes (between Drew, TJ, and Adrian). Adrian got his doors blown off by Colin last week, losing 2-8 and dropping to third place. Luckily for him, he closes the year with Jarrett (9^th), Ben (7^th), and James (10^th), so the schedule definitely lines up favorably for a late season push. Adrian has beaten TJ 6-3 in both weeks 1 and 10. These two are only separated by 2 games, so this should be a great match up, not unlike......

The Match Up: Kurt (5^th) vs Alex (6^th) *2*

Kurt's struggles continued last week as he could only manage to tie Richie (8th), 5-5. He's 0-2-2 in his last month and he finally dropped out of 4^th place – he was the only one to keep his exact spot in the standings since I started these articles. 6 weeks ago he was fighting for a bye, and now he has to fight just to make the playoffs. He's 2 games up on Alex (6^th) and 6.5 games up on Ben (7^th) for the final playoff spot. After this week he's got Colin (4^th), TJ (2^nd), and Jarrett (9^th) – certainly not an easy ride home, despite getting Jarrett to close the season. Alex put up a good fight against Drew's (1^st) great squad last week, dropping a tough 4-5 decision. A blowout there would have been big trouble, as he has to take on Richie (8^th), Colin (4^th), and TJ (2^nd) to end the season. He's got a 4.5 game lead over Ben (7^th) and a 5 game lead over Richie for the last spot in the 2011 playoffs, and I expect – nay, hope – that the picture gets foggier before it gets clearer (sorry boys, you understand). Kurt has held his own against Alex this year, beating him 6-2 in week 1 and 7-3 in week 10 (season: Kurt 13-5). With all the pressure on both teams to avoid a heart-breaking late season collapse, what could possibly be a more heart-wrenching, cut throat, desperate match up than that?

The Match Up: Richie (8^th) vs Ben (7^th) *1*

It's my fucking article, of course my game is the most important! Richie trails Ben by a mere .003 percentage points – Richie with one more tie, one less win. He trails ziggy by .5 games, and they're both trying to figure out if they'll be playing for 2011 or 2012. Ben has had a lot of trouble since the midway point of the season, going 1-6-2 since week 10. He tied Jarrett (9^th) last week, but he really needs to win this week – he finishes the season with James (10^th), Adrian (3^rd), and the unlucky short straw – Drew (1^st). Richie has been on a mirage-like streak, posting a 6-3-1 weekly record since week 10 (not bad!) but a 42-43-15 category record (not great!). He closes the year with Alex (6^th), James (10^th), and Colin (4^th), so he remains foolishly hopeful that he won't be on the outside looking in a month from now. Ben beat Richie 8-2 in week 1, but Richie came back with a 6-4 win in week 10 (season: Ben 12-8).

This week and next week have some fantastic match ups with huge playoff implications. Weeks 21-22 don't have the big head-to-head games, but everyone's going to be so close to each other in the standings that every single match-up, every category, every retarded RBI and WHIP percentage point is going to matter (as I type this sentence, I'm watching the Red Sox pound the shit out of Joe Nathan. Owwwwww). I've heard more chatter this year than any other regarding the trade deadline. We've already had a couple moves earlier in the year. This is turning out to be one of the best regular-season finishes that I can remember. As the great Kenny Blankenship and Vic Romano used to say, “DON'T! GET! ELIMINATED!”

Weekly Match-Ups to be posted tonight

I try to get them done in the mornings so you guys can stay sane at work all day (and it gives me something to do other than what I'm supposed to be doing), but I probably won't be able to get them up until tonight :(

A Lot Has Happened in Ten Years

Baseball is all about statistics.  We display our fanhood by fantasizing over the accumulation of numbers.  Nearly every ball that leaves the yard impacts our statistics in some way, and we know it.  Nowadays, the players know it as well.

We also know that our players aren’t playing for fantasy number, but for the numbers on their paychecks.  However, in most cases the biggest fantasy numbers will get you the bigger paycheck.  It is not far-fetched to claim that each member of your fantasy team is devoting their tireless efforts to you.  In some ways, it’s the truth.

As our teams developed from 2006 to now we grew attached to certain players, and truly believed they were just playing for us.  In all likelihood, Miguel Cabrera will never play another game where numbers aren’t accumulated by Colin’s Team.  An appropriately named “I Still Love Cabrera” kept him in 2006, after “Please Cabrera” enjoyed his success in 2005. 

We grow attached to these players, because we were smart enough to take them.  Everything that they have done well has benefitted us in a major part of our lives.  But, some players aren’t as embraced in our fantasy community as most would expect.  This begs the question; How important are these milestone season in terms of fantasy value?

Recently we witnessed Derek Jeter’s 3,000^th hit.  The Captain has been the face of baseball for over a decade, at least in terms of positive publicity.  There have been bigger names, but they were only positive when being tested for steroids.

Jeter had never been a top fantasy pick, but has surprisingly never been kept.  The first 3 years of keepers Jeter was a legitimate keeper option, but was never embraced by a Boston-born manager.  This can’t be entirely blamed on loyalty to the Nation, as there have been quite a few of our pinstriped neighbors to the South kept in the Diamond Dynasty.  This year Jeter reached 3,000 hits in a less-than-mediocre season for Richie’s 8^th place team.    The career accomplishments obviously mean less in fantasy perspective, as you can’t use past success in any given season.  But, Jarrett certainly enjoyed Bonds’ career home run record, as he finished in 4^th place.

There have been several single-season accomplishments since the inauguration of the Diamond Dynasty.  K-Rod set the single season saves record in 2008, but the one category star couldn’t help Alex reach the playoffs.  This underlines the no closer pitching staff that some managers have tried, and Adrian has succeeded with.

Ichiro set the single-season hits record in 2004.  This happened while on Chuck’s team, so the results area somewhat skewed.  Chuck finished in tenth, ahead of Jarrett and all-time loss leader, Paul.  Other feats of note: Barry Bonds set the single season walks record for Richie in 2004.  Tam Names=Overrated finished 3^rd.  Jimmy Rollins, in 2007, set the all time record for At-Bats in a season, and led TJ to a 4^th place finish and third round loss.

But, not every milestone was a positive one.

In 2004, Adam Dunn set a single-season record for strikeouts by fanning 195 times.  Dunn accomplished this feat for Tam names=Overrated, a team captained by Richie that finished in 3^rd.  The incredible number of punchouts didn’t hurt Richie’s season, as Dunn clubbed 46 homers.

Three years later Ryan Howard struck out 199 times, setting a new single-season record in Major League Baseball.  James managed the newest strikeout king, and rode his 47 home runs to a championship.

The following season Mark Reynolds made his mark on the record books, striking out 204 times, and taking Jarrett to a six place finish, and first round loss. 

It doesn’t end there, Mark Reynolds followed his 2008 campaign with an insurmountable 223 strikeouts in 2009.  Jarrett didn’t learn his lesson the year before, but was rewarded for his loyalty.  Jarrett managed Reynolds & Co to a Yahoo! Championship and the most controversial third place trophy of all time.

So what do all these milestones mean in terms of fantasy value?

Pretty much nothing.  The findings were inconclusive.

Week 18's installment of the DDWPIPOTCFFBE (Diamond Dynasty Weekly Preview In Pursuit Of The Chalice For Fantasy Baseball Excellence)

Week 17 – The favorites take care of business and the top 6 start pulling away

The Match-Up: TJ (3^rd) vs James (10^th) *5*

TJ is taking advantage of his soft schedule, beating Jarrett (9^th) and Ben (7^th) in consecutive weeks to keep pace with the first and second place teams. If he could have avoided a nasty 6 week win-less streak in June and July he might have been sitting in the driver's seat, but he's only 7.5 games out of first and 3 games out of a bye. TJ will have the toughest last month of the season, facing Adrian (2^nd), Drew (1^st), Kurt (4^th), and Alex (5^th), so it would seem that a big win this week is vital to his bye-week chances. James has been scuffling all season and the last month has been no different, posting an 0-2-2 record and remaining in last place. He's got some nice pieces on his squad and he should be a seller at the deadline, so his impact on the 2011 playoffs remains to be seen. And James knows better than anyone that anything can happen in October September. TJ beat James 6-4 in week 9.

The Match-Up: Colin (6^th) vs Adrian (2^nd) *4*

Colin has faltered at the most critical point in the season, posting a 0-2-1 record over the last three weeks against the bottom of the league (Jarrett (9^th) Ben (8^th) James (10^th)). He might have the hardest schedule coming in, drawing Adrian (2^nd), Drew (1^st) Kurt (4^th), Alex (5^th), and Richie (8^th). He's 1-3-2 in his last 6 weeks overall, and holds a 4.5 game lead over Ben (7^th) for the last playoff spot. It'll be interesting to see if Colin can right the ship and hold his ground against these hard-hitting opponents. After what seems to be a fluke losing streak, Adrian has won 2 in a row and is keeping pace with Drew after losing first place. He closes the season against Jarrett (9^th), Ben (7^th), and James (10^th), so a late season run for #1 is in order. He's got a fantastic match-up next week, facing off against TJ (3^rd) in a battle that could go a long way towards determining who gets that important bye-week come playoff time. Adrian and Colin played to a tie in week 9, 5-5.

The Match-Up: Ben (7^th) vs Jarrett (9^th) *3*

Ben lost last week to TJ (3^rd), 3-6. It's his 6^th loss in the last 8 weeks (1-6-1) and his schedule relief is coming at the perfect time. After battling the top/middle of the league, he gets Jarrett, Richie (8^th) and James (10^th) before closing out the season with a kick-in-the-balls Drew (1st)-Adrian (2^nd) combo. If he has any shot of making the playoffs, he needs to prepare for his last 2 weeks by really turning on the jets over the next three. He'll probably need to put up 20 category wins over the next three weeks in order to survive the end of the season. Jarrett has been scuffling lately, losing 2 weeks in a row and kissing his playoff hopes goodbye. He's battling James for the first pick in next year's draft, and he could pick up a couple more draft picks by selling off some of his more valuable pieces. Ben crushed Jarrett in week 9, 9-1, and he needs to do it again to insert himself back into the playoff picture.

The Match-Up: Drew (1^st) vs Alex (5^th) *2*

Drew continued his torrid stretch of dominance last week, beating Kurt 6-3 for his 7^th straight win. No other team has won more than 4 in a row this season. He's 21-3 over the past 3 weeks and downright SCARY. Does it really matter who he's playing the rest of the way? Drew is my pick to lock up the number one spot, and it's going to take a 2010 Troy Tulowitzki to knock him out of the playoffs. Alex has been playing decently as of late, despite losing 4-6 last week to Adrian (2^nd). The loss was his first in 6 weeks, but he's not blowing anyone away. He posted a 3-2-1 record over that span, but is outscoring his opponents just 30-27. Alex doesn't have a favorable schedule to improve upon his standing, drawing Kurt (4^th), Richie (8^th), Colin (6^th), and TJ (3^rd) to end the season, but a .500 record over the remainder of the year will ensure a playoff spot for the Bates graduate. Drew beat Alex 6-4 in week 9.

The Match-Up: Richie (8^th) vs Kurt (4^th) *1*

Richie got back to his winning ways last week, holding on to a 5-4 victory over Jarrett. He's 6-2 over the last 2 months, but he can't seem to close the playoff gap. He sits 5 games out with 5 weeks left, but Kurt is his toughest test (on paper) for the rest of the season. After this week, he plays Ben (7^th), Alex (5^th), James (10^th), and Colin (6^th) to close out the season. A big loss this week could mean he'll be a seller at the August 14^th trade deadline. Kurt had to face off against Adrian (2^nd) and Drew (1^st) the last two weeks and dropped both match-ups by a combined score of 4-15. He's only won 2 of his last 7, and he no longer has a shot at a bye week. Over the past month, he's gone from 6 games out of first to a whopping 19. After this week, he plays Alex (5^th) and Colin (6^th), all three teams separated by a mere 2 games. It should be an exciting finish to the season! Kurt edged Richie 5-4 in week 9.

Everyone but Alex sucks.