We rarely give Carlos Tosca credit around here for using his bullpen perfectly, but my hat's off to the skip for last night. Stayed with the hot hand and knew when to play his ace. Quite a contrast to me pushing all the wrong buttons on my fantasy roster.
I had one of those Grady Little 'visions' about Nate Robertson, so I decided to get rid of him. Suddenly, another hunch whispered that the Expos were due; maybe Tucker could steal a 4-K, 1-walk W for me against Millwood. Yeah, right. It looked like a brilliant plan after one inning, you have to admit.
My bullpen management was just as bad; worried about getting burned by Jamie Walker in a foolish attempt to earn a save, I cut him on the day he gets a win. Giving Jennings a start on the road was an idiotic decision; I'm so mad at myself, I released him. That 9.00/2.00/1.00 line squandered much of the lead Curt Schilling gave me in those categories. It could have been worse, but Brian Lawrence saved the day.
Despite my clumsy "handling" of the pitching staff, my Toronto Walrus is leading Jurgen's Baird Brain 7-4 (it's very early) in our sudden-death match. Aubrey Huff, who I traded away, is on fire. I was counting on a big effort from former Brain ace Jason Schmidt this week; it's too bad he faces Schilling on Saturday. No chance at two wins, but I suppose if they both go eight with 8-10 K, I'm in good shape.
My hitting has been fluky; guys like Mark Loretta and Brady Clark are overachieving, but I need Carlos Delgado to have a big game or two. All the first round matchups are very close so far, and the BBFL is very polite, so don't expect any premature celebrations. I hope Jurgen and I are still friends after I "jinxed" his first-round bye.
We have our own thread every week, so feel free to discuss what's going on in your other leagues. I'm in two AL keeper pools where I mortgaged my future to rent A-Rod down the stretch. I am expecting to be in the money in both, and still have a chance to win one of them. In both of those leagues, Alex is a free agent; in one I do have "topper" rights after he is auctioned, so I can re-sign him for three years at market value. I have the same decision to make in that league regarding Roy Halladay.
My DMB team in the Three Run Homer League has led its division all year, playing small ball in Comerica, but if we do make the playoffs, a rookie is an extreme longshot against manager/GMs like Gleeman, Burley and Dudek in a 7-game series. Craig's team is a juggernaut.
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