Live Draft Open Thread

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2010 Preseason Poll

Since team names are changing quicker than I can write a preview, teams have been addressed by their owner. Thank you to the two of you who sent back a preseason ballot, a strikingly low number considering how much grumbling there was about the football poll being slightly closed. Quit your whining, start your reading, and enjoy the preview!

1.) Team Wolf

I am awesome. I received both preseason number one picks. Thanks to the both of you for voting. I am not writing all about myself - I'll wait until Baron's preview to do that - but instead just give you the comments of the two of you who bothered to send in comments.

"A team with two perennial MVP candidates and perennial Cy Young candidates should probably be the favorite."

"Best keepers and good draft"

So there's that. Now go and re-watch the Twins' last win in the Metrodome.

2.) Team Schillinger:

Ed's won the last three stinkin' years and yet when I look at his roster, it's not that old. One would expect that he acquired the best players and sat on them for a few years, winning a few titles in the process. Mark Teixeira, David Wright, Troy Tulowitzki, Ryan Braun and Grady Sizemore are all upper echelon players and none are over the age of thirty. The team is well rounded with seven players stealing double digit bases, four players with more than 25 homers and four players with +95 runs.

Dan Haren's WHIP was 1.00 last season. That's just nasty. Ubaldo Jimenez is anchoring Colorado's staff, contributing 198 strikeouts with a sub 3.50 ERA. Joakim Soria is a top flight closer, and Rafael Soriaono and Billy Wagner are set up for big seasons as closers for new teams.

Weak points for Edwin? Son of a bitch doesn't have a single guy with an OBP of over .400. His bench is Martin Prado. David Ortiz took a step back last year, how much of one will he take this year? And he hangs out at Butler University. One comment from the poll e-mail, "I'm just not as fired up about this Ed team as I usually am. I'm sure David Wright will return to form, though."

The pitching staff is good but not legendary Edwin great. Sure Ubaldo and Haren are nice, but does anyone shake in their boots at Scott Baker, Brett Anderson, and Aaron Harang?

3.) Team Eli:

Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard are power monsters. They eat small children and digest them as home runs (92 HRs and 276 RBIs combined). Eli's fifth round pick hit 31 home runs, quiet Dan Uggla. Ben Zobrist does everything well (except run the bases in games JR and I attended at the Metrodome some three years ago; God that was funny), and is exactly what a VUFSA owner wants out of a first round pick. He had great numbers the year before, he's is young and thereby keepable, and he can play everywhere except catcher. Carlos Gonzalez has tons of potential (a full season projects him over 100 runs and near 30-30 in power and speed), especially playing in Denver. I really really wanted him and waited one round too many for him.

Roy Halladay is going to kill the National League. He recorded a sub 3.00 ERA and 200+ strikeouts playing against the Yankees and Red Sox practically every other start. Throw in pitching against the Nationals, and Halladay should be the best thing Philly has ever acquired. I hate reading about Josh Beckett's contract situation because Jon Lester is the best pitcher on that staff. Tim Hudson is the other guy I waited one round too long on as I think he's going to bounce back nicely in 2010.

Offensive weaknesses are minimal. Every year that Jorge Posada is written off as too old, he emerges as a top five fantasy catcher. At 38, that has to end eventually, doesn't it? Am I the only one skeptical on Mark Reynolds? Just wondering. Finally, I'm a little mad that Jhonny Peralta was drafted at all. Another owner's thoughts on Team Eli, "Great keepers but too young of a draft." Another comment, "His infield doesn't impress me at all (aside from Pujols, of course), but I think the pitching could be dreamy. Also Justin Upton."

The pitching situation is fairly strong, but the returners from injury do dot the roster. Second round selection Jake Peavy barely made it to 100 innings last year, and tenth round pick Kevin Slowey did not even pitch that much. Throw in a Tim Hudson and there was roughly one good arm between the three of them in 2009. How these three bounce back will tell the tale of Eli's starting rotation.

4.) Team Viano

With the exception of Jay Bruce who had an up and down 2009, all of Viano's position players had OBPs of .370 or higher. Eight players in the line-up had 20 or more home runs. Four players scored 100 or more runs. This is a potent offense with the game's best catcher and second baseman in Mauer and Utley leading the way at tough offensive positions.

The rotation boasts two elite starters in Felix Hernandez and Justin Verlander. Both won 19 games last year and combined to strike out as many batters as innings pitched. Brian Wilson is quietly becoming a very nice closer, and the drafting of Jon Rauch in the 16th round paid off when he was just announced to be the Twins' closer.

The biggest weakness on offense is speed. Chone Figgins will steal a bunch of bases, but beyond him there's not much. Chase Utley, Jhonny Damon, and Alex Rios hit double digits in 2009, but none of the above are speed demons. If you want to get picky, there's no infield depth at all with the two bench players keeping to the outfield.

Jews Be Ballin' do have a few holes on the mound with unproven Mat Latos and Brian Matusz as big question marks. The Yahoo fantasy sports writers have an orgasm every time Ricky Nolasco's name is brought up, but the dude was in fact in the minors just last year. I get that he turned it around down the stretch but when you turn it around and finish with +5 ERA, there were serious issues.

5.) Team Baron

I thought Baron made two very nice picks to kick off his draft, grabbing two guys at scarce positions. Victor Martinez is going to be a big time run producer in the Red Sox line-up. Robinson Cano will do the run scoring in the Yankees'. Matt Holliday and Jacoby Ellsbury are a nice mix of speed and power in the outfield. I personally think his best value pick came in round 17 with Marco Scutaro who I'm probably going to acquire in a lopsided trade (for Baron) since I am inexplicably a Scuatro fan.

Zack Greinke was awesome last year (242 strikeouts, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 ERA), and I would have seen his awesomeness in person if not for a freak two hour thunderstorm that instead forced me into a local Kansas City eatery where I then watched Joe Nathan implode (like his elbow ligaments), the Indians implode (lost something like a 7 run lead disappear to Tampa Bay), and Eli shout racial epithet (Asia). But enough about me, more about Baron and his ringers. Yay for Javier Vazquez for having both a "z" and a "q" in his name, and Wandy Rodriguez for nerdily making me think of the next Harry Potter movie coming Thanksgiving 2010.

Problem spots? Can Torii Hunter and Raul Ibanez keep healthy all year? They couldn't last year, which would force Baron into playing Franklin Gutierrez who is more known for his defense than his offense. Like many Cleveland fans, I like Asdrubal Cabrera, but he offers next to nothing in the way of any special fantasy categories.

The bullpen could be bad news. Houston Street is starting the season on the DL. Chris Perez may or may not be a closer in May. Matt Capps closes for the Nationals which is good for like 6 saves. Other owner thoughts, "Pitching is kind of smelly, in my opinion. Maybe I'm underrating Wandy and Javy Vasquez, his Nos. 2 and 3 pitchers. How unsexy."

6.) Team JR:

Orioles in the outfield! Adam Jones and Nick Markakis make up half of JR's outfield. They are both very nice players but it's kind of like trying to win a fantasy league with nothing but Kansas City Royals. Markakis was way down last year (OPS tumbled .897 to .801 which is well below career average), and is in line to be way back up this year. And Adam Jones has his eyes open for his press photo this year, so there's some progress. Matt Kemp could end up the best player in fantasy baseball, which is certainly nice upside.

Top three of the rotation is tremendous - Cole Hamels, Adam Wainwright, and John Lackey (perhaps his best value pick coming in VUFSA round 5).

Ichiro a career low in steals (26) but still can hit (.352). Kendry Morales had 17 career homers heading into last year and exactly doubled that (34) last season. Entering the all important 27th year of age, was it a fluke or was it the sign of things to come? Stephen Drew, the fifteenth overall pick in 2004's MLB draft - and I find it funny that I have to distinguish between MLB draft and VUFSA draft - is one of those players who just should be better after all the hype and all the defense comes into play. That said, his career OBP is .326, has not stolen more than 10 bases in a season, and has averaged exactly 15 home runs in his three full seasons. Of course all of this is moot if Jose Reyes ever returns to form. If. One owner said on the Chipper Jones drafting, "His team feels old. Doesn't he have chipper again? Time to give that up."

The bottom three of the rotation is questionable at best - David "Walkaplaooza" Price, Scott "Seriously? 17 wins?" Feldman, and Ben "hasn't pitched in a year and a half and got rocked out of spring training" Sheets. I had him all last season and loved him very much for it, but there is no way Trevor Hoffman can put up those numbers (37 saves, 1.83 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) again.

7.) Team Adam:

The offense begins at the corner spots for Funk Factory. Welty's first overall selection of Justin Morneau (30HRs, 100 RBIs in just 508 at bats) provides power that may be amplified in the Twins' new outdoor ballpark. Keeper Ryan Zimmerman finally provided the numbers in 2009 that many of us who drafted him previous to '09 wished he had done sooner. Zimmerman doubled his home runs and runs batted in from '08 to '09, and he may get better yet not that anyone should doubt a 100+ run, 30+ homer, 100+ RBI guy. Derek Jeter, Shane Victorino, and BJ Upton all stole 35 or more bases last season.

My favorite part to this team, though, is the pitching. CC Sabathia is coming off a 19 win season; Chris Carpenter is always in the mix for the Cy Young; Matt Cain had his break through year in '09; Roy Oswalt is made of rubber; and I even like Randy Wells who was taken in the 18th round despite nearly posting a sub 3 ERA in over 160 innings of work.

Ian Stewart and Colby Rasmus strike me as nice guys to have on a big league roster: young and full of potential. The hesitation on them is that they don't necessarily make great fantasy prospects at their positions. They may very well end up being nice players, but dominant, they are not. Is it possible to win a fantasy championship with Jose Lopez at the utility spot?

The bullpen is the weak side of Funk Factory's pitching staff. Heath Bell had a monster season last year, but is that repeatable? Will he even be a closer once San Diego inevitably trades him somewhere else? Matt Lindstrom wasn't supposed to be the closer for Houston, only defaulting his way into the spot after injuries. And just how many games can Mike Gonzalez save pitching for Baltimore?

8.) Team Champ

Price Fielder is a beast (103 runs, 46 HRs, 141 RBIs, and the dude stole 2 bases!). Dustin Pedroia ia good in every category (115 runs, 15 HRs, 72 RBIs, 20 steals, .371 OBP), and Bobby Abreu is another well rounded player (96 runs, 15 HRs, 103 RBIs, 30 steals, and .390 OBP). Jimmy Rollins can't possibly have another sub .300 OBP, which puts him at yet another stupendous, multi-skilled player. And Champ has Denard Span who is still my ring tone.

Josh Beckett will have a carbon copy of his 17 win, 199 K, 3.86 ERA from 2009. I was so hoping Clayton Kershaw was going to make his way to me in the second round, but Champ wisely snatched him up with the 12th overall selection. Rich Harden is a great value pick, but I'm also one of those guys who still buys into Harden despite never pitching a full season.

Low points on the line-up start with keeping a 16 home run, .355 OBP player. I honestly was in the dark on who Miguel Montero was when I saw the keeper list. Looks like a nice enough player but certainly not yet on a keeper level. Gordon Beckham is another one of those "nice enough" players but not great fantasy talent. The age of the outfield bodes poorly for full health seasons - Abreu, Lee, Soriano, and Manny are all proven talent but proven injury risks.

On the sad side of the pitching, Carlos Zambrano struggled in 2009 after being a VUFSA keeper in years past. Justin Duchscherer may never be the pitcher he was pre-arm replacement surgery. Johnny Cueto has the raw tools but hasn't put it all together yet. Ryan Franklin cannot possibly have a sub-2 ERA two years in a row.

9.) Team Tomke

Tomke STILL has not paid his dues in full. Therefore, he gets no preview other than one other owner's feedback. "To me, Miguel Cabrera is the only sure bet on the squad, but lots of upside. Sure loves the Rangers. Where the hell are the Asians?"

10.) Team Stem:

The middle infield is Team Stem's strength. With Jason Bartlett having an All-Star season (90 runs, 30 steals, and .389 OBP in 500 at bats) and Brandon Phillips posting his third consecutive 20-20 season, there are no statistical weaknesses here. Curtis Granderson may very well hit 70 home runs in the new Yankee Stadium, and Carlos Pena and his 39 home run season was of tremendous value in round four. Adam Dunn is still my favorite fantasy player I have never had on my team (38 HRs, 105 RBIs, .398 OBP).

Defensively, Worse Than The Pirates will be relying on bounce back years from a couple of pitchers who were undervalued in the VUFSA draft. Ted Lily picked up 12 wins with a 1.06 WHIP, and Chris Young will be better than 5.21 ERA in 76 innings of work. Francisco Cordero is the closer for Cincinnati, finishing off 39 games for the Reds. Cliff Lee was the league's overall number one pick and should boost the pitching department.

In looking at roster holes, one need look no further than the first spot on Stem's line up. He doesn't have a starting catcher with Buster Posey starting the year in AAA. Can Conor Jackson return to any semblance of the player who signed a big contract extension a couple years ago? If Michael Cuddyer posts better numbers than last year, I'll give Stem a dollar. I like Nolan Reimold's potential but is probably a year or two away from significant fantasy relevance.

This pitching staff was awesome in 2008. Brandon Webb was healthy, Cliff Lee was guiding Cleveland's rotation, and AJ Burnett struck out 231 batters. The problem now is that Brandon Webb hasn't thrown a meaningful pitch in a year and a half, Cliff Lee is on the DL, and AJ Burnett's WHIP last season was 1.40. All of these guys need to have seasons more like '08 than '09 for Stem to contend. E-mail replier A said, "Worse Than Pirates. I agree."

Baseball Draft 2010: Round 18 in progress

I DO NOT RECOMMEND SEARCHING GOOGLE IMAGES FOR "EIGHTEEN" AT WORK UNLESS YOU HAVE TURNED SAFE SEARCH ON -EDWIN

Round 1:

Stem- Cliff Lee
Whitlock- Jimmy Rollins
Tomke- Pablo Sandoal
Radcliffe- Cole Hamels
Welty- Justin Morneau
Brendel- Victor Martinez
Viano- Adam Lind
Wolf- Tommy Hanson
Schillinger- Andrew McCutchen
Gieryna- Ben Zobrist



Round 2:

Stem- Jason Bartlett
Whitlock- Clayton Kershaw
Tomke- Andre Ethier
Radcliffe- Kendry Morales
Welty- Derek Jeter
Brendel- Robby Cano
Viano- R Nolasco
Wolf- Shin Soo Choo
Schillinger- Ubaldo Jimenez
Gieryna- Jake Peavy



Round 3:

Stem- C Granderson
Whitlock- B Abreu
Tomke- M Wieters
Radcliffe- N Markakis
Wolf- N Cruz
Brendel- W Rodriguez
Viano- C Figgins
Wolf- J Papelbon
Schillinger- J Soria
Gieryna- M Rivera



Round 4:


Stem- Carlos Pena
Whitlock- Francisco Rodriguez (K-Rod)
Tomke- Elvis Andrus
Radcliffe- Aaron Hill
Welty- Shane Victorino
Brendel- Andrew Bailey
Viano- Brian Wilson
Wolf- Jose Valverde
Schillinger- Scott Baker
Gieryna- Hunter Pence


Round 5:

Stem- Francisco Cordero
Whitlock- Carlos Lee
Tomke- Chad Billingsley
Radcliffe- John Lackey
Welty- Heath Bell
Brendel- Huston Street
Viano- James Shields
Schillinger- Rafael Soriano
Schillinger- Brett Anderson
Gieryna- Dan Uggla

Round 6:

Wolf- Nate McLouth
Whitlock- Gordon Beckham
Tomke- Brad Lidge
Radcliffe- Trevor Hoffman
Welty- Jason Heyward
Brendel- Matt Garza
Viano- Jay Bruce
Wolf- Derrek Lee
Schillinger- Michael Bourn
Gieryna- Jair Jurrjens

Round 7:

Stem - AJ Burnett
Whitlock - Carlos Marmol
Tomke - Max Scherzer
Whitlock - Denard Span
Welty - Roy Oswalt
Brendel - Torii Hunter
Viano - Brad Hawpe
Wolf - Ryan Dempster
Stem - Nolan Reimold
Gieryna - Carlos Gonzalez

Round 8:

Stem - David Aardsma
Whitlock - Carlos Zambrano
Tomke - Lance Berkman
Radcliffe - Billy Butler
Welty - Ian Stewart
Brendel - Raul Ibanez
Viano - Johnny Damon
Wolf - Carlos Quentin
Radcliffe - John Danks
Gieryna - Chad Qualls

Round 9:

Stem - Michale Cuddyer
Whitlock- Ryan Franklin
Tomke- Brian Roberts
Gieryna- Carlos Beltran
Welty- Jason Kubel
Brendel- Rick Porcello
Viano- Gavin Floyd
Wolf- Francisco Liriano
Schillinger- Billy Wagner
Gieryna- Frank Francisco

Round 10:

Gieryna - Kevin Slowey
Whitlock - Rich Harden
Tomke - Phil Hughes
Radcliffe - David Price
Welty - Mike Gonzalez
Brendel - Asdrubal Cabrera
Viano - Yunel Escobar
Wolf - Brian Fuentes
Schillinger - Geovany Soto
Gieryna - Jorge Posada

Round 11:

Stem - Leo Nunez
Whitlock- Johnny Cueto
Tomke- Vernon Wells
Radcliffe- Bobby Jenks
Welty- Jose Lopez
Brendel- Chris Perez
Viano - Octavio Dotel
Wolf -Nyjer Morgan
Schillinger - Jeff Niemann
Gieryna - Stephen Strasburgh

Round 12:

Stem - Garrett Jones
Whitlock - Julio Borbon
Tomke - Edwin Jackson
Radcliffe - Chipper Jones
Welty - Matt Lindstrom
Brendel - Jorge De La Rosa
Viano - Jonathon Sanchez
Wolf - Mike Napoli
Radcliffe - Stephen Drew
Gieryna - Tim Hudson

Round 13:

Stem - Ted Lilly
Whitlock - Justin Duchscherer
Tomke- JA Happ
Radcliffe- Adrian Beltre
Welty - Mark Buehrle
Brendel - Matt Capps
Viano - Chris Coghlan
Wolf - Erik Bedard
Schillinger - David Ortiz
Gieryna - Dexter Fowler

Round 14:

Stem - Conor Jackson
Whitlock - Jorge Cantu
Tomke - Alexi Ramirez
Radcliffe - Ryan Doumit
Welty - Russell Martin
Brendel - Franklin Gutierrez
Viano - Brian Matusz
Wolf - Randy Wolf
Schillinger - Jason Frasor
Gieryna - Rajai Davis

Round 15:

Stem - Wade Davis
Whitlock - Kurt Suzuki
Tomke- Neftali Feliz
Radcliffe- Ben Sheets
Welty -Alcides Escobar
Brendel - Hiroki Kuroda
Viano - Scott Kazmir
Wolf - Homer Bailey
Schillinger - Howie Kendrick
Gieryna - Jhonny Peralta

ROUND 16

Stem - Juan Rivera
Whitlock- Drew Stubbs
Tomke- Miguel Tejada
Radcliffe- Ryan Ludwick
Welty- Ervin Santana
Brendel- Todd Helton
Viano- Jon Rauch
Wolf- Milton Bradley
Schillinger- Aaron Harang
Gieryna- Sean Rodriguez

ROUND 17
Stem - Pedro Alvarez
Whitlock- Jason Motte
Tomke- Rickie Weeks
Radcliffe- Chris Davis
Welty- Colby Rasmus
Brendel- Marco Scutaro
Viano- Alex Rios
Wolf- Kerry Wood
Schillinger- Martin Prado

ROUND 18
Stem - Chris Young (the pitcher)
Tomke- Ryan Madson
Radcliffe- Scott Sizemore
Welty- Randy Wells
Brendel- Bronson Arroyo
Viano- Mat Latos
Schillinger- JD Drew

SUPP RD

Stem- Buster Posey
Welty- Nicky swisher
Schill- Jason Hammel
Schill- Chris Iannetta

League Survey Results

(via) for some reason i found this hilarious

Below you will find the results of the league survey. Please discuss in the comments, anonymously if you wish. My recap is towards the end.

Again, I honestly appreciate everyone participating. I am one of the "greatly enjoy" crowd, and wanted to make sure that I'm not dragging this league along. I know what I asked you to do was nerdy, but considering the communication level that I maintain with you guys, it's hard to get a read on the league, and it's even dorkier to ask about the few times I am fortunate enough to talk to you.

1. How would you rate your current level of enjoyment in participating in the VUFSA?

I don't enjoy it (0.0% 0)
Minimal Enjoyment (10.0% 1)
Moderate Enjoyment (0.0% 1)
Mostly Enjoy it (50.0% 5)
Greatly Enjoy it (30.0% 3)

2. How does your interest in the VUFSA compare to the level when the league was first formed in 2004/2005?

I am less interested (50.0% 5)
My interest is similar (50.0% 5)
I am more interested (0.0% 0)

3. Related to the previous question, please choose a reason for your change (if applicable)... Choose all that apply

I am less interested because I have less time (71.4% 5)
I am less interested because I am less interested in fantasy sports (28.6% 2)
I am less interested because I have other responsibilities. (28.6% 2)
I am less interested because I do not come into contact league-mates as frequently. (57.1% 4)
Other (please specify) (28.6% 2)
-All keeper leagues ... would like a redraft at some point
-I still feel active, but have definitely slacked off a little due to an increasing work load, as well as a lady friend.


4. Which of the following would increase your interest/enjoyment in the league? Choose all that apply

More Keepers (20.0% 2)
Fewer Keepers (10.0% 1)
No Keepers (20.0% 2)
More Trades/Player Movement (60.0% 6)
Fewer Trades/Player Movement (0.0% 0)
League Expansion (10.0% 1)
League Contraction (0.0% 0)
Limit Trading Draft Picks (0.0% 0)
Other (30.0% 3)
-More owner interaction
-Kenny
-Higher prize money; more communication/involvement among league owners

5. Please choose the statement that best describes your feelings on league fees (currently $25).

I would pay more to increase prize money (30.0% 3)
I think the fees are appropriate (70.0% 7)
I would like to pay less and decrease prize money (0.0% 0)
I would like no fees and no prize money (0.0% 0)


6. In the future, I would be willing to make all necessary accommodations to attend a live VUFSA draft in person.

Yes (90.0% 9)
No (10.0% 1)

If yes, when is the soonest you would consider such a live draft?
-right away
-Football 2010
-Today.
-Whenever possible.
-immediately ... the league really needs it.
-Football season 2010.
-summer is good...Vegas?
-Ideally, I'd check "maybe" here.

7. Please describe your feelings on the VUFSA blog... Choose all that apply

I love the blog, and check it regularly. (10.0% 1)
I like the blog and check it when it is being updated consistently. (70.0% 7)
I think the blog is nice, but my interest is minimal. (20.0% 2)
I do not care about the blog. (0.0% 0)
I think the blog is stupid. (0.0% 0)
I want more blog activity but am not willing to contribute. (0.0% 0)

8. How much longer do you see the VUFSA continuing with the current core of owners?

0-2 years (20.0% 2)
2-5 years (50.0% 5)
5-10 years (10.0% 1)
Indefinitely (20.0% 2)

9. How much longer do you see yourself participating in the VUFSA?

1 year more (2011) (0.0% 0)
2-3 years more (2012-2013) (20.0% 2)
4-5 years more (2014-2015) (0.0% 0)
Until a major life event (10.0% 1)
Forever/Until further notice (60.0% 6)
Until I am kicked out (10.0% 1)

10. League leadership is....

doing a very good job (60.0% 6)
doing a good job (40.0% 4)
doing a fine job (0.0% 0)
doing a bad job (0.0% 0)
in need of a change (0.0% 0)



I wouldn't say that there are any huge surprises here, to be honest. Only one person considers their enjoyment below average (question 1), but at the same time responded that they see themselves participating until further notice.**

**I don't know who is this person is, but I can see all ten ballots individually so as to make conclusions like this.

It seems like most people flat out have other shit going on. (question 3) Also, it just seems as the interpersonal relationships are fading, which can be expected. That said, 60% of people want more transactions (question 4), and one person suggested more owner interaction.

-There's no question that the league is better with more action, the question becomes- is this a temporary lull while we are all meandering through our 20s, or will time only get more and more scarce?
-If you're one of the people that wants more movement- how do we achieve this?
-How can we improve upon the yahoo trading block to convey our interests?

Seems like there is strong support for a league draft, though no one will be unwillingly be left out. It seems like it would be a logistical nightmare, but I'll try to start some dialogue about this over the summer.

Questions 8 and 9 were the most important questions, to me. I hope these are all honest answers since it gives great insight on what we can expect going forward.

-70% of the league thinks the league will see massive changes within 5 years, yet 70-80% see themselves participating past 5 years. I too, voted for 2-5 years in question 8, so I am heartened to see that people see this continuing.

On a side note, if you ever change your mind, or happen to fall in the 2-3 more year category (question 9) then please do speak up. No one's going to take it personally. I don't think anyone wants to feel forced into participating, and the league will suffer if you're really not into it. If you think you just need a break, I'd be 100% happy to work out short-term arrangement if anyone feels fatigued in the short term.

Again gents, please chime in with any observations or ideas you have. Thanks again.

VUFSA LEAGUE SURVEY

You have no idea how much fucking ice skating I've had to watch in the last week.

Click here to take VUFSA league survey

The survey deals with the present and future state of the league, and is a great way to get your completely anonymous opinions out there.

Week 8: JR Takes a Break

NASHVILLE, TN - Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars steals a special moment with Vince Young of the Tennessee Titans after a 30-13 loss to the Titans at LP Field on November 1, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee before the pair went out for dessert crepes and blushed wine. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

Curtis Conway 124.25, Penguins From Hell 113.50
JR celebrated the death of his blog by losing to Ed in the week's highest-scoring game. Despite the loss, JR is still out in front with Ed up right behind him. /gay connotations

Conway was led by Steven Jackson, who finally found the end zone, only because he was facing the Lions. Roddy White and Miles Austin, potentially the waiver gem of the year, had nice weeks for Conway. LaDanian Tomlinson turned back the clocks, points-wise, but in reality, still kind of sucks as he averaged three yards per carry. Julius Peppers also went crazy.

The Penguins got nice weeks from Reggie Wayne, Pierre Thomas and Tim Hightower, but the roster also received a firestorm of suck from Donnie Avery, Anquan Boldin and Mike Bell. Boldin probably isn't healthy. Neither is the fact that I'm spending more than two minutes writing this recap.

The Gompers 102.75, Doc Brown's DeLorean 97.75
Am I supposed to know what a Gomper is? Why did Drew pick 2009 as the year he finally went with a movie reference from 1985?

Welty won almost entirely because Chris Johnson is awesome. Beyond that, there wasn't a whole lot to be excited about, as his kicker nearly had the second-highest output on his team. It's impressive, in some fashion, to get a win while only receiving 6.50 total points from three starting wide receivers. But yes, Chris Johnson is freaking awesome and that's enough sometimes.

Drew started a Cleveland Brown against an angry Chicago Bears defense, and that ended in a predictably sad fashion. However, with most of his roster on a bye week, his options were limited. Tough loss from Drew as it dropped him to ninth place, where he'll face a tough climb to try and make the playoffs.

Stanton for Heisman! 110.50, Ted Buckland Esq. 90.50
Tomke's team is quietly (though that's probably a stupid way to put it, since no one actually talks about the VUFSA publicly, loudly or frequently) putting together a nice run, and may have an outside shot at a playoff spot if the run can continue. It probably will, since he faces an Adrian Peterson-less Stafford Infection next week. Maurice Jones-Drew was awesome this week, as was Tony Romo.

Ted Buckland sits at 4-4; with Randy Moss and Hines Ward on bye, and Steve Slaton and Owen Daniels leaving their game in the 1st quarter, it probably wasn't going to be a good week. Yay for Michael Turner, or something.

ChamPeons 127.75, Stafford Infection 104
Running out of steam quickly here. ChamPeons finally got a good week from Matt Forte, even though on-field, real-life Matt Forte wasn't all that good. Robbie Gould!

Stem could be in trouble, sitting at 3-5 and facing a week where he'll be without his two starting running backs. On the plus side, John Carlson caught three passes for 36 yards. Aaron Rodgers also continued his ascent into top-5 fantasy quarterbackdom. Note: In my mind, there are like eight or nine top-5 fantasy quarterbacks, which is technically impossible but makes for easier writing.

Jared Allen Forever 114.75, MonkeyAssassinations 70
Even though Mark Sanchez is mostly terrible, he performed like a top-5 quarterback this week while filling in for another top-5 quarterback, Carson Palmer. Frank Gore had a nice week against a poor Colts rushing defense. Baron is 4-4 and no one cares.*

After a 2-0 start, Viano has lost six straight games. Vincent Jackson is a very good football player.

*I must throw Baron a bone here and note that Jared Allen is the highest-scoring defender in the VUFSA by a fairly large margin.

Anyway, that's all. This was a lot of fun.*

* No it wasn't.

Happy Halfway, Bitches

We are at the midway point, where my Penguins From Hell have flexed their dominance despite scoring a point value that should make me a bordlerine playoff team. What can I say? The rest of you suck.

It's time for our first half All-Stars!!!

First team:
QB: Peyton Manning (25.50 average), Ted Buckland Esq.
WR: Wes Welker (13.8), Doc Brown's DeLorean
WR: Miles Austin (12.7), Curtis Conway
WR: Reggie Wayne (12.58), Penguins From Hell
RB: Frank Gore (18.67), Jared Allen Forever
RB: Maurice Jones-Drew (17.92), Stanton For Heisman
TE: Vernon Davis (10.92), Curtis Conway
Flex: Adrian Peterson (17.43), Stafford Infection
K: Nate Kaeding (10.08), Curtis Conway
D: Jared Allen (58.5 total points), Jared Allen Forever
D: James Harrison (58), The Gompers
D: Patrick Willis (50.5), Jared Allen Forever

Second team:
QB: Drew Brees (23.17), ChamPeons
WR: Mike Sims-Walker (12.13), Curtis Conway
WR: Larry Fitzgerald (11.92), Stafford Infection
WR: DeSean Jackson (11.58), Stanton For Heisman
RB: Ronnie Brown (15.79), Curtis Conway
RB: Ray Rice (15.58), Doc Brown's DeLorean
TE: Owen Daniels (10.07), Ted Buckland, Esq.
Flex: Cedric Benson (15.07), Penguins From Hell
K: Lawrence Tynes (9.93), Stanton For Heisman
D: Elvis Dumervil (50.25), The Gompers
D: Darren Sharper (47.0), Doc Brown's DeLorean
D: Andre Carter (43), free agent

Week 6: Blowouts in verse

This week was not worth any work at all, which is why I only did haikus for each matchup.

The Gompers 128.50, Curtis Conway 107.75

Not enough thunder
'Cept from Elvis Dumervil
Welty (jailhouse) rocks!

Ted Buckland Esq. 188, ChamPeons 125.5

No Peyton? Oh well
Understudy just as good
Eli's best ever?

Penguins From Hell 127, Jared Allen Forever 62

Greedy Tom Brady
Goes off for 50, and then
impregnates cheer squad

Stanton for Heisman! 138, Doc Brown's DeLorean 111.75

The Trainwreck Tomke
Takes a respite from sucking
Dreadlocks and Swamp Thing

Stafford Infection 123.5, MonkeyAssassinations 89.7

It's unusual
For Tom Jones to play so well
Bad joke. Really dumb.

Week 5: Kissing your sister

Oh yeah, I forgot. Why am I doing this again?

Penguins From Hell 106, Stanton for Heisman! 106 MVP: Austin Collie. The waiver wire pickup was part of a huge Sunday night for JR.

LVP : Joey Porter. All he had to do was find the box score -- one tackle would have sufficed -- to tip the scales Monday night. I kinda feel bad for Tomke, believe it or not.

Ted Buckland Esq. 136, Monkey Assassinations 105.5

MVP: Peyton Manning. Nobody has been better in fantasy football. Special mention to Michael Turner and his three touchdowns.

LVP: Pierre Garcon. Manning goes off on Monday night, but the sexy waiver wire choice from a couple weeks ago got none of the action.

The Gompers 133.25, ChamPeons 86.75

MVP: Ahmad Bradshaw. How did Bradshaw get 25.5 points? Big win for Welty, who gives Champ his first loss of the year.

LVP: DeAngelo Williams. Surely Champ is waiting for that explosion that made Williams a mega-star last year.

Doc Brown's DeLorean 137.25, Stafford Infection 91

MVP: Kellen Winslow. Donovan McNabb had a nice return to form, as well, but it's rare to get more than 20 points out of the tight end position.

LVP: Calvin Johnson and Jerricho Cotchery. Pair of injured wide receivers combine for one point. Lame.

Curtis Conway 147, Jared Allen Forever 67.50

MVP: Roddy White. Four players cleared 20 points for Ed, so it wasn't really a game that required an MVP, but White had the most points.

LVP: Baron's entire team. Derrick Mason and Chris Cooley combining for zero points is a good place to start, but Baron had three players in double figures -- two were defenders.

VUFSA Basketball Talk

(image via tall hot guys blog....really)


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