Sometimes a Fantasy

I don't get many requests, and I was meaning to get to this eventually, but I joined my first fantasy league this year.

I'm having a blast so far, and not just because there's a very good chance I could emerge at the top of our 14-team league after today's games. I'm following more teams and more divisions than I have in several years, but it's kind of weird pulling for players on teams I hate, so I only have one non-Cub from the NL Central and no Mets.

It's a head-to-head league, meaning each week's stats are compared with one other team in order to determine record. Just like in the big leagues, you can have a lousy day (week, in this case), but if whomever you're facing has a lousier one you'll win the majority of the 11 weekly categories. Halfway through the first week I was down 11-0, made some quick roster changes and put an appropriate Lee Elia quote on my "smack talk" header, and wound up a respectable 5-6. Last week I went 10-1, and this week looks good with one day left - 8-2-1 with an outside chance at going 11-0 with most of my starting pitchers on the hill today.

Pitching stats include wins, saves, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). I didn't take any until the fourth round of the draft, but still wound up with Roy Halladay (4th round), Trevor Hoffman (6th), Rich Hill (8th), Jon Garland (10th), Greg Maddux (13th) and Adam Wainwright (18th).

I soon realized I needed more pitchers and needed to manipulate my lineup regularly, so I've added and dropped a few since then, with Al Reyes of Tampa Bay currently remaining as a second save-category guy. I figure even the worst teams win about 60 games a year and somebody's got to pick up those saves, but there are only so many guys who fit in that category and you need more than one to compete on a weekly basis.

Hitting is based on runs, hits, home runs, RBI and batting average. In the early rounds I thought it was best to "own" a position, so I picked up Chase Utley as a deep first-round choice at 2B. After Utley, I drafted Derrek Lee (2nd round), Aramis Ramirez (3rd), Juan Pierre (5th), Magglio Ordóñez (7th), Pat Burrell (9th), Jason Kendall (11th), Bobby Crosby (12th), Ray Durham (14th), Matt Murton (15th), Brian Giles (16th), Jacque Jones (17th), Kevin Youkilis (20th), and a few guys I've already dumped off my roster.

Sammy Sosa wasn't on the list of available players on draft day, but I kept checking until he did and added him. He generally sits on my bench, but I managed to add him for two of his three homers. I figure if he gets into a couple of those hot spells where he hits homers in bunches, he might win some categories for me.

Somebody waived Ryan Theriot, probably expecting he wouldn't get enough playing time to contribute much, and I jumped at the chance to take him too. I find myself checking pre-game rosters and activating him at the last minute, since he's good for four of the six hitting categories. As I mentioned the other day I added Félix Pié (who has no hits since I added him), and grabbed Chone Figgins when somebody didn't want a player on the DL taking up roster space. I'm willing to wait with him on my bench for a couple of weeks for the across-the-board numbers he can put up.

So obviously I'm heavy on Cubs, ex-Cubs and ex-White Sox. If Jonesy is traded (Toronto looks like a good fit), my numbers will improve with more playing time for Murton and Theriot. I'm weak at catcher and shortstop in a weak market (one guy drafted four catchers, including Joe Mauer, Ivan Rodriguez and Michael Barrett), and Maggs hasn't turned it on yet, but I'm getting production out of Youkilis, Giles and Durham as utility players (five utility players' stats count, five bench players' don't), so the roster is pretty well rounded. Guys have been making roster moves like crazy - 14 teams picking from 30 MLB teams leaves a lot of flexibility at some positions - but with a few exceptions I'm pretty much locked in for the summer.

I think I can already count on doing this every summer from now on. Next year I think I'm going to see what I can do with a team comprised entirely of ex-Cubs...