Article:AGM Fantasy Update Numero Quatro: WARNING: NOT ENTIRELY ABOUT FANTASY BASEBALL



Before we get started with the latest update on the AGM Fantasy Baseball League, I have to say my bit about the Willie Randolph situation. My thoughts aren't nearly well-developed (or well-researched, for that matter) enough for a full article, and I suspect they might never be. First off, I'm biased because I've always liked Willie. He managed my favorite team of all time (the 2006 Mets), and is by all accounts a decent, blue-collar, classy person (I'm going to dismiss the controversy involving race and treatment by the media as a man under pressure, and also because I think he might be a little right). The character and class of Randolph came into direct contrast with the brashness and ludicrous treatment by the Mets front office and ownership.

Flash back to October 2nd, 2007. Omar Minaya, the Mets' GD (General Douche) or GM, or whatever, holds a press conference announcing that Willie will return for the 2008 season. However, he was not without reservation, as he stated that he had to "really think about...whether (Randolph) was going to come back or not." This foreshadowed later undignified conduct by the Mets front office and ownership, as Minaya made these remarks with Willie standing right next to him. But hey, all was well (at least in Minaya's world), as the Mets ownership had said that Willie's fate would not be tied with Minaya's. Flash back to today. Minaya states that "Willie's my friend. But this ain't about friendship." Mr. Minaya, you needn't point that out at this juncture.

I'm not arguing that Willie deserved to keep his job. He has made questionable bullpen moves on a regular basis since being hired, and his in-game decisions were a source of consistent frustration. Having him make the trip to Anaheim, only to get rid of him after the first game of the road trip (which the Mets won, by the way, proving that Minaya had his mind made up at that point). But he deserved a more dignified exit than a 3:14 AM (EST, of course) press release. I mean, Minaya claims that "logistics" prevented him from making a decision before last night. To me, that's bullshit. I've heard excuses about how the Mets thought firing Willie on Father's Day would be classless (he does have 4 children, after all). I'm sure that being fired a day later makes him feel better. And my main problem with this is the fact that Minaya has been playing games with Willie's job security all season long. A swift, quick decision was needed, either keep Willie or fire him, and it came about 6 weeks too late. It remains to be seen if it's too late to save the Mets' season. And I'll end it like this: Willie deserved better than this bush-league bullshit Minaya and the Wilpons threw his way.

END OF SERIOUS CRAP
Alright, down to business. Well, not quite business, but rather a couple bits of housekeeping before we begin the recap.


 * First, thanks a lot to Falcon for taking over for a session of the AGM Fantasy League Update. He really did a great job, and I appreciate him filling in for me when I was unable to fulfill my obligation to the AGM Community. *Is it weird that I give Jason Varitek a day off every once in a while, even though I know he'll be starting a game?  I do it to get him some fantasy rest.  Most people would say that's strange.  I'm forced to agree with them. *On Saturday, I was in 7th place.  Today (Tuesday), I'm in 4th place.  Was I too busy between now and then to write up a review?  Or did I just wait until now in order to make it seem like I was just that good?  Go ahead and make up your own mind.

Putting aside my standings gerrymandering (closest English equivalent to what I want), here's the standings, current as of Wednesday, June 17, 2008:

The top 3 (Davis, Falcon, and Tyler) remain in those places, although Falcon continues to distance himself from Tyler and close in on Davis. After being ahead of Tyler by only 3.69 points in the last version, he's expanded this to 51.25 points. And while he still trails Davis for first place by 28.54 points, Falcon is much closer than the 57.79-point deficit he faced a week or so ago.

Tmil42 (Up 3 Places)
Well, wouldya look at that? Only 3 days ago, this spunky fella with the quick comments and the sporadic appearances was in 7th place, an afterthought in the race, the proverbial Denver Nugget of this race. And now, he's in 4th place, quickly rising up the ladder in a slow, steady climb to the top of this treacherous mountain, the mountain we call victory. And does he intend to reach the summit? In a word...Absolutely, without question, and indubitably. Yes, that's 3 different expressions, one made up of 2 words, but you get my point. I WILL HAVE MY VICTORY.

How have I become such an unstoppable force in such a short time? Well, let's take a look:


 * Justin Verlander has decided that preseason Cy Young favorites should be, you know, good. In his past 7 starts, he's 2-3, but with a 2.63 ERA, 32 Ks and only 15 BB in 48 IP.  This bodes well for me, as Verlander should only get better as the season goes on.


 * Carlos Beltran has likewise decided that cleanup hitters should probably hit for some power. In his last 7 games, he's posted a stat line of .400/.486/.800, with 4 HR and 5 BB.  When Beltran gets hot, he becomes unstoppable.  So look for my unstoppable center fielder to be a factor as the season wears on.


 * The aforementioned rest I have given to my catcher, Jason Varitek, has gone a long way, because although he has been playing in those games, he hasn't been playing for me, which makes him fresher for the days when I do decide to start him.

Goose Bay Killers (Down 3 Places)
Pitching has really hurt this guy as of late (I'd tell you his name, but I'm completely clueless as to what it is). John Maine, Brett Myers, Micah Owings, and Boof Bonser have all been less than great recently. (Interesting side note: I was at the June 10th game between the D-Backs and the Mets, and Owings did not look good at all.  The Mets were absolutely crushing the ball, and Owings didn't seem to be able to miss any bats.  I'm not saying that he's not going to be effective the rest of the year, I'm just saying)  but I expect Maine to turn it around, and Myers isn't going to be this bad all summer long, unfortunately. So look for Goose Bay Killers not to lose much more ground in the near future.

Other Notes

 * Corey continues his meteoric rise up the standings. I mean, if you want to get technical, then yeah, he didn't actually move at all, but thinking positive, that means he didn't lose any ground either.  At this rate, he should be in the top 12 by around September of 2010. *Romi and Tyler are tied for the most moves, with 39.  It doesn't seem to have any direct correlation to the standings, it's just interesting to me.  It seems like a day doesn't go by where Romi doesn't try to offer me Mark Mulder for Roy Halladay or some harebrained scheme like that.


 * I wish we could liquidate all the unused teams and have a supplemental draft. After all, Jose Reyes, Tim Lincecum, Brad Penny, K-Rod, Derrick Lee, Jimmy Rollins, Kosuke Fukudome, Dustin McGowan, Joe Nathan, Bobby Abreu, and Matt Garza are all players that are languishing on inactive teams, having their talents wasted, all for naught.


 * If anybody has anything to add (suggestions for the next article, suggestions for this article, suggestions on whether or not I should go F myself, etc.), please do so.

Thanks for reading, and thanks one more time for Falcon pinch-hitting for me last time.

PS: It occurs to me that I should trade Orlando Cabrera for an ottoman. Perhaps just the beans in a beanbag chair. Any takers?