Fantasy Man

The Common Man spent part of tonight engaged in battle, scrapping over ballplayers with several other bloggers in the Baseball Bloggers Fantasy League, organized by Zach Sanders of MLB Notebook, like the 2002 Texas Rangers over a loose needle. This is The Common Man's first foray into fantasy baseball in some years, as the time-suck of grad school and fatherhood conspired to keep him otherwise occupied.

So it was with a neophyte's sense of excitement and trepidation that The Common Man waded once more into the fantasy forum, hoping to cobble together a winning squad against the likes of Charlie Saponara of Fantasy Baseball 365.com, tHeMARksMiTh of Way Gack and Gone, David Bloom of BaseballHappenings.com, Conor Cashel of 6 Pound 8 Ounce Baby Joba, as well as the aforementioned Sanders and frequent commenter/occasional guest columnist Bill (amongst others). The process was made more challenging by the somewhat arbitrary stats Zach chose for the pitching side of the league, which included walks allowed (but not hits or WHIP) and, believe it or not, holds. Hey, it wasn't The Common Man's league and he's not complaining. Just bemused. The idea, Zach argued, was to encourage owners to choose non-standard relievers, rather than just going with closers. Anyway, next year, The Common Man is pushing for BAwRISP,2Outs. The other stats are OBP, SLG, HR, RBI, Runs, SB, K, Wins, ERA, and Saves.

Anyway, The Common Man is largely pleased with his squad, ChristianBale's Unbridled Fury. He drafted 5th overall, and took Jimmy Rollins. Here's the roster:

C Victor Martinez, Chris Iannetta, Matt Wieters
1B Adrian Gonzalez
2B Orlando Hudson
3B Carlos Guillen, Josh Fields, Troy Glaus
SS Jimmy Rollins, Yunel Escobar
OF Nick Markakis, Justin Upton, Milton Bradley, Rick Ankiel, Jason Kubel, JD Drew
SP Brandon Webb, John Lackey, Jon Lester, Joba Chamberlain, Gavin Floyd, Kyle Lohse, Joe Saunders
RP Brad Lidge, Jonathan Broxton, Juan Cruz, Huston Street

The Common Man's strengths are obviously catching and starting pitching. Also, he has some good high-upside guys in the OF. He could probably use more saves (which could happen if Street ends up closing in Colorado), wouldn't mind more power, and an upgrade at 2B. He figures he can use one of his catchers (probably Iannetta), one of his top four starters (Joba?), and Escobar to get that done. The Common Man doesn't plan to bore you with updates very often, as he understands that reading about someone else's fantasy team can be an awful lot like watching paint dry. But, should he significantly out- or under-perform, The Common Man will be certain to let you all know and perhaps solicit advice from time to time. After all, he's new at this (again).