Nine Bo Jacksons

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I didn't know about RSS feeds until a few months ago.  My mornings were spent going to many different sites to catch up on things in the world of politics and sports.  RSS feeds really changed all that.  It essentially compiles a lot of different sources into an easy to read format that saves you the time and effort of going to several different pages.

Although there are tons of different RSS feeders, I'm a fan of Google Reader.  It's another great, free feature from the folks at Google.  I recommend you check it out here, then make sure and subscribe to the Nine Bo Jacksons RSS feed by clicking here.

New Features

Thanks to all who gave your thoughts on what type of material y'all want to see here on Nine Bo Jacksons.  Although all of the ideas were fantastic, I doubt I'll be able to accommodate them all.  There were some ideas that would be incredibly helpful [daily matchup analysis], but far too time consuming for a one man wrecking crew like myself.

I'll keep doing the things I've been doing [injuries, transactions, etc.].  In addition to that, here's the new weekly posting schedule:

• Mondays:
  • Mailbag Mondays: I'm sure most of y'all are familiar with mailbags.  Submit your questions to INWarner413@yahoo.com with the word "Mailbag" in the subject line.  Please do not make them specific to your own fantasy team.
  • Position Review - Catchers: For these posts, I'll do a comprehensive review of each position, much like the "Putting It All Together" drafting series.
• Tuesdays:
  
  • Position Review - 1st Basemen
• Wednesdays:
  • Waiver Wire Review: I'll give a list of a few players at each position who are decent options off the waiver wire.  Some of this may be regurgitating the Position Reviews, but oh well.  Feel free to send suggestions for this post to INWarner413@yahoo.com with "Waiver Wire Review" in the subject line.
  • Position Review - 2nd Basemen
• Thursdays:
  • Position Review - 3rd Basemen
• Fridays:
  • Buy Or Sell: This post will review some players who are drastically under/overperforming, and whether you should drink the cool aid or not.  I'm open to suggestions for who to cover on these posts; send your requests to INWarner413@yahoo.com with "Buy Or Sell" in the subject line.
  • Position Review - Shortstops
• Saturdays:
  • Position Review - Outfielders
• Sundays:
  • Position Review - Pitchers

I'm hoping to make this site more interactive for y'all, and think that some of the new features will help accomplish that.  Also, I am currently working on my next downloadable project: the In-Season Management System [ISMS].  This will be similar to DVS, but will take into account the actual stats of the season.  It's still a week or two away, unfortunately.  In the mean time, I encourage you to read Ferris Bueller's thoughts on ISMS:

"I do have a test today, that wasn't bullshit. It's on European socialism. I mean really, what's the point? I'm not European, I don't plan on being European, so who gives a crap if they're socialists? They could be fascist anarchists, it still wouldn't change the fact that I don't own a car...It's not that I condone facism, or any isms for that matter. Isms in my opinion are not good. A person should not believe in an ism he should believe in himself. I quote John Lennon. 'I don't believe in Beatles I just believe in me.' A good point there, after all he was the walrus, I could be the walrus, I'd still have to bum rides off of people."

Well said, Ferris.

What Do You Want Me To Write About?

I'm anxious to hear what y'all want to read from me as the season goes on.  Here's what I currently have planned:

• Injuries: So long as they're significant (involving DL time), I'll keep covering them the way I have.
• Trade Analysis: I'd imagine there will be a few deals made by July 31, and you can bank on me covering the fantasy impact of those moves.
• Prospects: This is a great year for prospects, and I'll cover them in depth as they reach the big leagues.
• Weekly Reviews: Starting this Sunday, I'm going to compose weekly reviews of the performances around the league.

I enjoy writing, so I'd like to have more content posted regularly.  When you visit NBJ's, what kind of material do you want to read?  I want to provide the best information I can for y'all this season, so please leave your suggestions in the comments.

Indians Option OF Francisco, Keep 3B Marte

Ben Francisco was optioned to AAA and Andy Marte received the final spot on the roster.  The logic here was pretty simple - Marte was out of options, and Francisco wasn't.  I'd imagine Francisco is probably the first in line for a call up in one of David Dellucci or Jason Michaels goes down to an injury. Marte will probably receive time at 3B when Casey Blake needs a break, or when Blake plays in the OF.  I doubt his PT will be that significant, as his struggles in the bigs and questionable success at AAA probably hasn't instilled Eric Wedge with a lot of confidence.  I think Marte is really starting to resemble a low AVG, decent HR Quad-A type player.  Then again, this will be his age 24 season, so the case isn't exactly closed yet.  Regardless, don't rush to pick him up unless you literally have no use for a roster space in only the deepest AL Only leagues.

Brewers Rotation Set

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that the Brewers released P Claudio Vargas.  This pretty much sets the Brewers pre-Gallardo rotation at:

• Ben Sheets
• Jeff Suppan
• Dave Bush
• Carlos Villaneuva
• Manny Parra

Once Gallardo returns [Mid-April], one of them will have to go.  As for Vargas, he's going to land somewhere.  For now, you can safely drop him, although I imagine he was only owned in NL Only leagues.  I had Villanueva at -$5.86 in mixed leagues; Parra at -$7.99.  Although Parra was lights out in spring training, Villanueva certainly had a decent stint in the bigs last year [7.79 K/9, 1.86 K/BB].  I think Villanueva has the best chance to stick in the rotation, but am hesitant to recommend him for mixed leagues right now.  I don't readily have NL Only values for them, but I imagine that any arm in a rotation should be owned...wait, check that.  Don't add Woody Williams.

Happy Opening Day!

I'll normally try to avoid non-fantasy related posts here, but today is special.  If I set my alarm to wake up at 4:30 AM, it better be for something important.  I think watching the Red Sox and the Athletics live from Tokyo qualifies for this.

I'll be drinking a cup or two of Irish coffee in celebration of getting our first stats on the season.  In various leagues, I have David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury, Travis Buck and Emil Brown going. 

Cheers to the new season!

Random Graph

 I really should be studying for a political theory midterm I have tomorrow, but it's much funner to play with Excel.  Thucydides was a jerk, anyway. 

This graph will show you the maximum value you can expect to find at each position in each round.  You'll need to view the large graph and probably zoom in to see it in detail; even then, it can still look strange.  This kind of thing will make more sense when I cover each position in detail.  Regardless, I thought the graph looked pretty cool.

Click here to download the excel file with the graph.  I cannot guarantee that the excel file will work with versions of excel that are older than 2007.

About Isaiah "Ike" Warner

Not too sure why, but a few people have emailed me requesting an "About the Author" kind of post.

My name is Isaiah Warner, but it is Ike Warner for those of you who cannot comprehend a first name comprised of 66.66% vowels.  No, I have never played cornerback for San Diego State Univesity and I am not a renowned chemist.  I am 23 years old and live on the northwest side of Houston, Texas, (about 8.88 miles from Minute Maid Park). I'm currently a student at the University of Houston (Go Coogs!), and will graduate with honors in May of this year with a B.A. in Political Science and a minor in history.  I currently serve as a Legislative Director in the State Legislature.

I am a diehard fan of the Houston Astros and Cleveland Indians.  These two franchises have provided a large amount of misery for me since my birth, and I'm convinced that Rocky Colavito still has it out for fans of the Tribe.

When I'm not focused on work or school, I spend most of my time on baseball.  I'm currently working on a book on international baseball; specifically, it's a comparative study of the performances of players from countries outside the U.S.  Although this site focuses mostly on fantasy baseball, my love for the game goes far beyond fantasy sports.  I also enjoy cooking, writing music, and enjoying fine beers at Houston's finest establishment.

I can be contacted at INWarner413@yahoo.com.  Also, you can "befriend" me on Facebook and MySpace.

Welcome to Nine Bo Jacksons

Welcome to Nine Bo Jacksons! I know what you're thinking; "Why is this thing called 'Nine Bo Jacksons'"?  I was just always curious what a baseball team comprised of Nine Bo Jacksons would look like.  Sure, they wouldn't hit for much average or get on base that often, but they could really hit some dingers.  Plus, I think we need to honor Bo for bringing us so many great hours of Tecmo Bowl action when we were kids.

Throughout the season, I'll be giving you my takes on the world of baseball and the events that affect the fantasy realm.  With the draft coming up, much of the discussion will involve drafting strategy until Opening Day.  From there, I'll monitor the performance of players in the show and evaluate the numerous transactions that occur throughout the season. 

I hope you'll help make Nine Bo Jacksons a hub for great scholarship and discussion.  Please consider adding the blog to your RSS feeder.