Parallels: Learning from real GM's.By Joe SchulmanSeptember 16, 2005 If you play poker long enough you’ll realize players don’t lose because they made the wrong move. They lose because of a bad beat or an unlucky card. In “The Shawshank Redemption,” Tim Robbins learned that nobody was in jail because of their own actions. No, it was a bad lawyer or an unfortunate event that did them in. The same goes for baseball fans, specifically those of us addicted to fantasy variety. We research and study in the off-season, waiting for the weather to warm. When it does, we follow the games in spring training, tracking sleepers, stars and fading veterans. How then, can we finish third or, dare I say, eighth with so much preparation? We picked the right pitchers and we have enough heavy hitters and speedsters. So what went wrong? The answer can be found on any message board or chat room. Look no further than a group of guys at a bar. Bartolo Colon wasn’t the problem. Neither is my selection of Mike Hampton in the third round. Injuries. Every year, without fail, at least one manager in one of my leagues complains of injuries. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve fallen in this category too. A few years back I watched Derek Jeter slide into third only to roll over and grab his shoulder. We’ve all been there. But the truth is that fantasy baseball is like real-life counterpart in more ways than we realize. The Atlanta Braves watched player after player head to the disabled list. In May, the team was on life support. By early June, most fans were ready to pull the plug; so many of the players were from the minor leagues that the team looked as if it should have been playing in the College World Series instead of the majors. But the team showed something that every general manager (real or fantasy) should keep in mind. The baseball season is long. There are ups and downs, peaks and valleys. There is April when the Baltimore Orioles ruled, and there is July where the Cubs still might stand a chance. Every team sends players to the disabled list. Some are stars, others bench players. But no matter who it is that sits, a team is only as good as the guy that fills in for him. Us fantasy leaguers should learn from these real world teams. Almost every fantasy team will have a setback – perhaps a relief pitcher that no longer relieves or a slugger that spends more time taping his ankle than doing his home run trot. Next season, it’s a good idea to look at the draft as several parts. In the first few rounds, every team gets a half-dozen star players. It’s the last half of the draft, where the benches are filled and the third and fourth guys in the rotation are added that a league can be won or lost. Sure, the loss of a five tool player can put the skids on a championship run. But through trades, a strong bench and a good eye on the waiver list, the title can still be taken. A fantasy team doesn’t lose because Albert Pujols misses two months. The team loses because it couldn’t find a way to replace Pujols. |
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