Tom Blaz – Page 11 – FantasySP Blog

March Madness

Are you ready for some College basketball? Yes, its one of those signature times of year. March Madness along with exhibition baseball bridges us from Winter into Spring.

College basketball has been under fire of late. Does it have the same feel as it once did? We get a peek back to what it once was on Sunday night as ESPN through its wonderful celebratory series 30 for 30, will profile the Michigan “Fab Five”, a group of freshman that helped shape the way things are today in the college game. Even the younger fan will relate to Chris Webber and Jalen Rose who appear regularly on cable NBA coverage and analysis.

Much has changed since then, fortunately for college basketball fans, we at least get one season from high school super stars before they take their talents to the Association. There are exceptions of course, like Brandon Jennings, who went to Europe to serve his one year “waiting period” before entering the NBA draft. Many believe courts will eventually decide high schoolers may return to a direct entry to the NBA. Personally, I would prefer three years removed from high school, as is the case in NCAA football. How might Derek Rose, Eric Gordon, Michael Beasley, Blake Griffin and Kevin Love spice things up? All would be in their senior seasons had they stayed in school

Selection Sunday is still a few days away. Another rite of Spring, spawning brackets across the land. Everyone does them, much like those random square pools for the Super Bowl that reward winners by quarter. Remember the trouble Rick Neuheisel got in by participating in a March Madness “office pool” while the head coach of the University Washington? Neuheisel, now the head coach at UCLA, was fired in 2003 for participating in a tournament bracket.

Nothing beats the buzzer beaters in the NCAA tournament. Perhaps the most famous coming from Christian Laettner as Duke defeated Kentucky in the 1992 East Regionals. We will always remember NC State’s shocking win over the University of Houston in the 1983 finals. That particular classic will be remembered forever through the “V” foundation honoring the late NC State head coach Jim Valvano who died of cancer.

This year’s tournament will be presented in a different fashion. Turner Sports has joined CBS to bring the tournament into our homes. The new broadcast arrangement coincides with the tournament field expanding to 68 teams and for the first time all games will be carried live. Nothing compares to the round the clock “hoops” on Thursday and Friday as the tournament tips off with 1st and 2nd round coverage. CBS will select feature games, with the remaining broadcast on TNT, TBS and truTV. OK, I had to look it up, truTV was formerly CourtTV, now featuring more “reality” TV programming. Might be where Charlie Sheen eventually ends up. #Winning Check your local cable operator on that one.

Some schools have already had their tickets punched for the Big Dance. The Big East tournament is underway, historically the first of the power conferences to tip off the post season madness. Congrats are in order for the Big East, as a record shattering 11 teams are expected to participate. In coming days, leading up to the unveiling of the brackets on Sunday night, you will hear much about RPI’s, strength of schedule, bubble teams and the “eye ball” test. The Madness is almost here!

What/who should you be following this Spring?

As you prepare for your drafts and auctions, what should you be doing to prepare? There is no one size fits all answer. There are keeper leagues, head to head leagues, roto leagues, auctions, drafts and more.

Those that do their homework almost always finish among the leaders. There is one major variable, injuries. There is nothing that can be done in advance of a critical injury to your star player. What you can do is know who is coming off injury and who is injury prone. If you are considering a veteran, check his games played historically. Does he consistently miss a certain number of games each season? Or is he coming off of an aberration. Pitchers must be watched closely. Is he coming off any sort of arm surgery? Were there an abnormally high number of appearances or innings? Adam Wainwright is a perfect example. Wainwright was arguably the top pitcher in the National League over the past two seasons. However heavy work load and a high percentage of breaking pitches has sent him to the operating table.

Another factor to follow, who is in a contract year? Who is out to prove something with a one year deal? Obviously this applies mainly to veterans. Lets take a look at some names that are playing for their next deal. Lance Berkman, Prince Fielder, Robinson Cano, Jose Reyes and Jimmy Rollins are some of the elite infielders that have alot of cash on the line. In the outfield, Carlos Beltran, Josh Willingham, Nick Swisher and Grady Sizemore’s performances will be in direct correlation with their next mega deal. Pitcher’s to keep an eye on this Spring include Mark Buerhle, Chris Carpenter, Rich Harden, Edwin Jackson, Scott Kazmir, Roy Oswalt and Brandon Webb.

Know who is where! There are many off season transactions in MLB and you must know how transactions have effected depth charts. A perfect example is Rafael Soriano. Soriano was a lights out closer for the Rays last season, but will now be setting up ole faithful Mariano Rivera in the Bronx. If you are in a keeper league, perhaps the job will become Soriano’s a year from now, but who know’s when Rivera will finally slow down.

Whether you are in an auction or a draft, scarcity is a constant. What positions are the deepest? If its a keeper league, are there any positions that are shallow due to keepers within your league? I have always tried to get one of the elite up the middle. A strong catcher and middle infielders. Some like the $1 or late draft pick strategy for backstops, but I try to land at least one of the best. Why? The difference between Joe Mauer and Alex Avila is huge, much more than between an elite corner/outfielder and a mid range guy you can get cheap.

What categories will you focus on? Is your league such that you can ignore a category and still compete? Again, this may be impacted by keepers in your league. Are you planning on getting involved in bidding or using a high draft pick for a closer? How about steals? Does your league also have runs scored? If so, this makes it less painful to acquire the speed merchants that will kill you with weak power numbers. The five category stars will cost you a bundle or a top pick, try another strategy by mining for extra steals from your corners, not usually a source for speed. Saves are also an area that saps resources. A good alternate strategy is to take a chance with a number of potential closers who come at a fraction of the cost of the 40+ save guys.

Just like those opening week phenoms, don’t get married to the Spring Training heroes. Often time a journeyman veteran or a prospect that is destined for the minors is lights out in March. While this is important to know, don’t build your draft strategies around it. I am sure everyone remembers Marlins infielder Emilio Bonafacio and his huge opening week two seasons ago.

We will break down positions and categories as we near Opening Day. For now, be sure to follow fantasysp.com for the latest in analysis from the top writers across the country, including our own here at fantasysp.com.

Last minute NFL free agency rush!

With the NFL bargaining sessions extending for another week, one thing we know for sure is that full blown free agency is still at least a week away. Not unlike their brothers in the NBA, NFL clubs rushed to complete last minute transactions in advance of last night’s deadline. Yes, the deadline to find common ground on the Collective Bargaining Agreement was extended 24 hours, and subsequently for seven more days but only for labor discussions. “The Tolling Agreement” prevents all 32 clubs from conducting or executing player transactions.

Some clubs chose to sit tight, waiting to see what end result an eventual new CBA may bring, while others rushed to complete some last minute housekeeping. The Redskins are never shy to miss an opportunity, and the burgundy and gold added safety O.J.Atowge who had been cut loose by the St.Louis Rams. Other moves were mostly clubs retaining their own players; Pierre Thomas (Saints), A.J. Hawk (Packers), Owen Daniels (Texans) and Leon Washington (Seahawks). The premiere free agent signing was safety Bob Sanders joining the San Diego Chargers. Sanders was an elite player for the Indianapolis Colts, but injuries limited him to just nine games over the past three seasons.

Just for fun, here’s a sneak peek at some of the free agent talent awaiting a new home. The top quarterbacks are Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck and San Francisco’s Alex Smith. Peyton Manning could be added to that list but he obviously isn’t going anywhere. Carolina’s DeAngelo Williams, Cincinnati’s Cedric Benson and Miami’s Ronnie Brown are all capable of carrying the load on a new team. Other skill position potential free agents include Minnesota’s Sidney Rice and former Giant Plaxico Burress who will be released from jail in June. Former teammate Brandon Jacobs has already given his approval of a potential return to the G Men. We will break down all the key free agents and where they may be headed once we get through all this contract business.

For now, we can all enjoy the weekend, no stakeouts of Washington hotels, not at least until Monday.

The NFL where the rich get richer

To many an NFL fan the ongoing negotiations are simply rich guys (on both sides) trying to get richer. That may be so, but there are actually some issues on the table. How to divide the league revenues tops the list. Currently, owners scoop a billion dollars off the top to offset some operational costs. In the new deal, they are seeking to double that number. The other main issue is the 18 game schedule. The owners want the schedule to move from 16 regular season and four preseason games to 18 and two respectively. The players believe 16 may already be too many.

The Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) expires at 1159pm EST tonight, but there are rumors an extension is possible. Reportedly the league is willing to give the players more detailed financial information, which remains one of the sticking points. A similar extension led to resolution five years ago.

President Obama has weighed in, saying he “expects and hopes” the two sides will resolve the situation. If politicians stick their nose in, it will undoubtedly benefit the players.

If/when a lockout becomes a reality, who is impacted most negatively? Teams with new coaching staffs for certain. Carolina, Cleveland, Denver and San Francisco will be even further behind. More than half of the league’s teams will be making some sort of front office/coaching change and their transition will be delayed.

Free agency was scheduled to begin tomorrow. Without a CBA, there is no free agency. How many players would possibly be affected? How about well over 400! If the absence of a CBA extends through the NFL draft in late April, undrafted rookies will also be negatively impacted. No CBA, no free agency, not even for the rookies.

What’s next? The NFL announcing a lockout through a press release. The players are expected to decertify and file an injunction. What does that mean? The players would move away from union representation and into the courts and anti trust law.

After that, hurry up and wait.

NBA: Best of the West

With the exception of Oklahoma City, the NBA Western Conference was weakened with the continued exodous of mega talent to the East. Even so, the two time defending champs reside in the Pacific and the sexiest team on the rise, Oklahoma City rule the Northwest, both from the Western Conference.

Gone are Deron Williams, Carmelo Anthony, Jeff Green and Chauncey Billups. The short term winners are the Lakers as they strive to three-peat. The long term winners are the Thunder as the future power of the West have distanced themselves from the rest. Finishing first in the West assures home court advantage to the finals, but also probably lands a 2nd round match up with Oklahoma City, as the Thunder are looking more and more like a 4th seed. FantasySP takes a look at projected first round playoff match ups.

Memphis vs San Antonio– The Grizzlies picked up forward Shane Battier at the deadline to help carry them through the injury to Rudy Gay. Memphis tried to trade O.J.Mayo, but missed the deadline, creating an awkward situation. Zach Randolph was also on the block, but will remain the Grizzlies main option in the post and on the boards. The Spurs will be without Tony Parker for 2-4 weeks, giving George Hill an opportunity to run the show. San Antonio may have one last run, with the inside-outside game of Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili aging.

Portland vs Oklahoma City– Portland with a huge pickup at the deadline, getting explosive forward Gerald Wallace from Charlotte. Wallace is a freak athletically and provides another option as Brandon Roy works his crippled knees back into shape. LeMarcus Aldridge has taken a step toward power elite and Wes Matthews provides necessary minutes in relief of Roy. And yes, Greg Oden is still injured. The Thunder always a popular pick may have become the favorite. Oklahoma City getting the big man they long desired, acquiring center Kendrick Perkins from Boston. The Thunder had to give up athletic flexibility in Jeff Green, but now have the big banger to face Dirk, Duncan, Bynum and beyond. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden get it done on the perimeter, but now Serge Ibaka has a playmate in the paint.

Denver vs Los Angeles Lakers– Looking at the big picture, Denver is in much better shape for the long run than they were just a few short weeks ago. Melo’s loss will be felt come playoff time, but the Nuggets certainly received value. Ray Felton, Danilo Galinari and Wilson Chandler are now in Denver, courtesy of the Knicks and will see big minutes in the post season. Ty Lawson will share the point with Felton, while Kenyon Martin and J.R.Smith will be expected to fill the scoring void. Nene was rumored to be on the block, but Denver kept him, proving to fans that winning remains an important part of the equation. Even with the Thunder roaring in Oklahoma City, the Lakers remain the favorite to three-peat. LA toyed with the idea of moving Andrew Bynum for Melo, but wisely did not, maintaining the size up front that distinguishes them from the rest. The Lakers back court is stronger, Steve Blake allowing Derek Fisher to excel in critical minutes and Shannon Brown has been a nice surprise off the bench. Most of all, Kobe is Kobe.

New Orleans vs Dallas– The Hornets seem the misfit of the West. Whomever gets New Orleans in the first round sure will be getting a break. No wonder Chris Paul wants out off NOLA. The Hornets have nice bigs in David West and Emeka Okafor, but that’s about it. You think Trevor Ariza wishes he was back in Los Angeles about now? The Mavericks are the deepest club in the Association and appear close to adding another body. Free agent Corey Brewer is being courted by half a dozen teams, but only the Mavs have a mid-level exception contract to offer. Good money, chance to go deep in playoffs, sure sounds alot better than Minnesota. Losing Caron Butler for the year hurt, but the exceptional play by center Tyson Chandler has more than made up for it.