Joe Morgan doesn't believe in you.

You bring up Varitek's stats, but you ignore the contributions he made to that team. Remember when Tony LaRussa informed you that Scott Rolen's defense saves his team at least 3 runs per game? Well Jason Varitek's ability to successfully manage the pitching staff is worth at least...let's say 33 wins per year. Probably how he got the jersey number.

Without 'Tek, Red Sox starters would all be curled up in fetal positions on the mound by the third inning. FACT.

Sure, he hasn't broken .260 since 2005, but would you rather have a guy who's traditionally successful "statistically", or a guy that plays the game the right way?

You can't teach intangibles.

As for Boras, clearly the responsibility to curb his atrocious behavior lies with his clients. My hope is that Varitek threatens to leg whip him for costing him all that moolah. Have you seen Jason's quads? Boras wouldn't be walking for a while.

Boras

I guess, in a sense, Boras does lose money when his clients do because he gets a percentage of their contract and when their contract amount is lower because of his advice, his cut is lower.

I'm generally very torn on Boras. On the one hand, he's clearly an egomaniac who lets his concern with his own reputation get in the way of what might be best for a player in a given situation. Then again, it's kind of like that thing about negotiating with terrorists. You don't do it, even though it might make sense in a given situation, because of the larger implications. Boras feels like if he softens for one player, teams are going to know that he can be softened and he won't be able to get the most for his players in the future.

In the end, I think the primary responsibility for anything that Boras does rests squarely on the player. The player chose Boras not because he thought Boras was going to get him into the best situation (i.e. a winning team or a good fan base or whatever) but rather that he'd get them the most money. For most players, that gamble has resulted in them getting some ridiculous contracts (ARod the first time around being an example). Unfortunately for Boras and his clients this time around, they all ran into the buzzsaw of th economic collapse and its evident effect on the mentality of baseball's owners. This has proven to be harsh for Manny Ramirez in particular. I can't feel too sorry for him for obvious reasons. Nor can I feel too sorry for Jason Varitek because, as upright as citizen as he is, he sucked such tremendous crap last year that crap is like "don't compare that guy to us, he really sucks." I mean, have you looked at his stats? They're disgusting. Bob Ueker could hit better than that, and the man's like 80 years old. Terrible.

If Scott Boras Costs His Clients Money...

...shouldn't he have to pay them back?

I mean, he gets a cut of whatever they make, right? So when they GET money, he GETS money. Seems like when they LOSE money, he should too.

His...cough..."advice" already cost Jason Varitek millions of dollars, and it's looking good that Manny is going to follow suit. Believe me, nothing would make me happier than seeing Manny get the financial equivalent of a prostate exam, but from a strictly business-oriented standpoint I feel compelled to defend him.

The argument is that if an agent fails to secure a sufficient deal, or if he underperforms, or if his ego gets loose and takes out a busload of schoolchildren, a player is free to hand him his walking papers. This self-regulation should ensure that bad agents don't last very long.

But I fear that Boras' clients aren't aware of such rights. Either Boras brain-washed them or simply stole the memo out of their mailboxes. (Granted with Manny, brainwashing would take precious little time, effort, or soap.)

Is the man out of touch with the realities of the current financial market, or he merely overestimating his powers of persuasion?

Here's my hope: I hope the Dodgers, in true Dick Cheney fashion, say to Manny, "Go **** yourself!" and proceed to sign Adam Dunn. Who, by the way, is Ryan Howard with slightly lower HR totals.

Then we could all watch as Boras is forced to shop Ramirez like common waiver-wire trash.

Sweet.

Hall of Shame

I am thinking about starting a Hall of Shame to solve that eternal fantasy baseball problem of "how can we make fun of losing teams even more." I propose that we post suitable pictures of the last place team manager on this blog in a Hall of Shame, surrounded by the appropriate contextual figures. These contextual figures would be thematic counterpoints to the Pantheon of Champions figures of Billy Beane and Jek Porkins (I would nominate Giant's GM Sabean as one of those figures, if he still is their GM). These losers would have hopes to be removed from this Hall of Shame by finishing in the top half of the league at some point in the future. I would like the losers' cooperation in supplying an appropriate picture of themselves for this project. However, since Mike and Jimmy are the only managers who fit the bill currently, I could probably dig up something myself if they do not supply a picture. Comments?

Constitution

Article 1 - Definitions

(a) Fantasy baseball managers in this league will henceforth be termed Participants.
(b) Baseball players will henceforth be termed players.
(c) The website where this league is played (Yahoo!) will henceforth be termed Host.
(d) The blog ("Blog") where league news is posted is found at http://bpguineapigs.blogspot.com/.
(e) Any player who has neither qualified as a rookie in accordance with MLB rules (e.g. a hitter who has not had 130 ABs or a pitcher who has not pitched 50 IP in any one major league season) nor has significant international professional league experience will henceforth be termed a minor league player. See http://www.mlb.com/mlb/official_info/ about_mlb/rules_regulations.jsp.

Article 2 - General Rules

(a) Roster - Participants begin the season with 26 roster slots that must be filled as follows: 1 C, 1 1B, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 SS, 5 OF, 1 CI, 1 MI, 1 UTIL, 9 P, 3 BENCH - any position, 1 BENCH - limited purpose, see Article 6(c). Once the season begins, 2 IR slots may be filled by injured players.
(b) Scoring - Scoring categories are as follows: R, RBI, HR, SB, OBP, W, K, ERA, WHIP, K/BB.
(c) Innings Pitched Limit - IP limit is 1500.
(d) Free Agency - All Participants start the year with a Free Agent Acquisition Budget ("FAAB") and all players not drafted start the year as a Free Agent ("FA").
(e) Entry Fee- Participants must pay an entry fee of $25 to the Commissioner, due on March 1. If the entry fee is not received by March 1, the Commissioner may find a replacement Participant.
(f) Prizes - Prizes are as follows: 1st Place - $150; 2nd Place - $75; 3rd Place - $25.
(g) Roster Freeze - Rosters are frozen on the last day of the regular season until the next season's draft results are posted. Trades may be allowed in the off-season at the discretion of the Commissioner.
(h) Incorporation - These rules are not exhaustive. Additional applicable rules and interpretative material may be found at the Host, the Blog, and elsewhere.
(i) Tie-Breaker- In the event that multiple teams finish tied, the winner between those teams shall be the team that has beaten the other tied team(s) in the most total scoring categories. In the event that those teams are still tied, the winner between those teams shall be the team that is closest to the innings pitched limit.

Article 3 - Auction Process

(a) Draft Budget - Generally, the budget for the draft is $260. Keeper costs are subtracted from this total before the start of the draft. A Participant may include draft money in trades.
(b) Draft Nomination Order - The Participant who finished in last place the previous season nominates the first player, followed by other Participants in snaking order.
(c) Draft Bidding - A Participant who nominates a player also makes the initial bid on that player, which shall not be below $1. A Participant may not nominate a keeper. Another Participant may bid a higher dollar amount in whole dollars. Once a Participant fills his roster with players, he is ineligible for subsequent nomination of or bidding on players. Tying bids are not permitted. At no time may a Participant bid more money than would be necessary to fill out all empty roster spots on his team with $1 players.
(d) Draft Bidding Closure - The Commissioner will give two warnings when the bidding slows down that bidding is about to conclude. Then, the Commissioner will call an end to the bidding. The Participant with the highest final bid wins the player, which constitutes the player's auction cost, which shall be subtracted from his budget. No bids will be accepted after the Commissioner concludes the bidding. The Commissioner's post regarding auction cost on the Blog shall be authoritative.
(e) Draft Remedies - In the event that a Participant bids an amount exceeding his budget according to subsection (c) of this article, this bid will be disallowed at the time it is made. In the event that bidding has already closed on that player, bidding shall be reopened at the last acceptable bid.
(f) FA Budget -All Participants start the season with a $100 FAAB.
(g) FA Bidding - A Participant initiates the bidding process on a FA by adding the FA (on Day 0). Other Participants will have two days (Day 1 and Day 2) from the time of that transaction to bid on the FA via the Host message board. All bidding periods shall end at 8 PM EST on Day 2. In the event that a Participant makes a bid in the last thirty minutes of bidding, the bidding shall be extended until midnight. At no time may a Participant bid more money than remains in his FAAB.
(h) FA Bidding Closure - The winning bidder will be awarded the player at the final price which constitutes that player's auction cost which shall be subtracted from his FAAB. If there are no bids on the FA, the cost shall be $0. No bids will be accepted after the bidding time period expires. The Commissioner's post regarding auction cost on the Blog shall be authoritative. FAAB money may not carry over into the next season.

Article 4 - Keepers

(a) Keeper Quantity - Each Participant may tag up to 4 players as keepers per year. A Participant may keep a fifth player as a "Franchise Player" in accordance with Art. 6(f). A Participant may tag as few keepers as desired. A Participant's trade for another team's keeper after the keeper deadline has passed has no effect on this limitation.
(b) Keeper Cost - The cost to keep a player is a player's auction cost plus inflation. See Art. 3(d), (h), and Art. 6(e). Inflation shall be calculated as 20% of a player's auction cost, rounded up. The minimum cost to keep a player is $15.
(c) Young Player Inflation Adjustment ("YPIA") - A Participant may apply the YPIA tag to a player whose age is less than or equal to 26 on opening day of the current season, thus avoiding inflation for that season. In the following season, standard inflation applies. Once the YPIA tag is applied to a player, no Participant may apply the tag to that player again.
(d) Keeper Notice - The deadline for submitting keepers will be posted on the Blog. Submissions made after the deadline will be accepted solely at the Commissioner's discretion. All finalized submissions must be emailed to the Commissioner with the subject line - (Team Name) Keepers. Those emails will remain unopened until the deadline date, at which point all finalized keepers will be posted on the Blog. When a Participant submits his keepers to the Commissioner, Participant must provide a good faith valuation of the keeper. If any circumstances apply besides the general rule regarding inflation, the Participant must justify a deviation from the general rule in this email. The Commissioner's post regarding keeper cost on the Blog shall be authoritative.
(e) Catastrophe Allowance - In the event that a keeper becomes significantly injured or otherwise unavailable in the time between the deadline for keeper selection and the start of the draft, a Participant may name a replacement keeper provided that the replacement has been submitted to the Commissioner at a time reasonably prior to the start of the draft. The Commissioner reserves the right to review all replacement requests and will determine whether or not a replacement is allowable and warranted under this rule.

Article 5 - Commissioner's Powers

(a) Rule Making Power - The Commissioner shall have the power to make any changes to the rules that he deems fit so long as he gives the league adequate notice. Adequate notice can include sending a league-wide e-mail or posting the new rules on the Blog.
(b) Trade Review Power - The Commissioner shall have the power to veto any trades consummated during or after the season. For a trade to be vetoed, it must be grossly imbalanced.
(c) Remedial Power - The Commissioner shall have the power to impose sanctions on Participants that violate any rules or correct any injustices.
(d) Advice & Consent - Before exercising rule, veto, or remedial power, the Commissioner shall attempt to obtain the advice and consent of an executive committee consisting of at least two other Participants.
(e) Referendum - In regard to any of the aforementioned executive actions, any Participant may call for a Yea or Nay vote for these actions to be conducted by the Commissioner. 5 votes are required to strike down the Commissioner's action.

Article 6 - Minor Leagues

(a) Minor Leagues - Each Participant has a Minor League. To be eligible for placement in a Minor League, a player must have been selected in a Minor League Draft and must qualify as a minor league player. Players kept in the Minor Leagues do not count towards the keeper limit. At no time may a Participant have more than three players in his Minor League. The Commissioner's post regarding the composition of the Minor Leagues on the Blog shall be authoritative.
(b) Minor League Draft - Prior to the start of the season, the Commissioner shall announce the commencement of a one round Minor League Draft. All minor league players that have not been kept are eligible for this draft. The Participant that finished in last place the preceding season shall have top pick, followed by other Participants sequentially. Each Participant shall have one calendar day to make his pick known via an e-mail addressed to all Participants. In the event that a Participant does not make his pick in his allotted time, his turn shall be skipped. That Participant may make a pick at any time afterwards, but shall forfeit his pick if he does make do it by midnight of draft day. The Participant's draft pick shall be added to his Minor Leagues, which shall be recorded on this Blog.
(c) Minor League Bench Slot - In connection with the passage of this article, the Constitution shall be amended to include an additional bench slot. Only a player in a Participant's Minor League is eligible for placement in this roster slot. At all times, this bench slot must either be: (1) empty; (2) filled with a player in his Minor League; or, (3) filled with a major league player if a player in his Minor League is filling an active roster slot. In the event that a Participant uses this bench slot for any other purpose, the Commissioner shall impose an appropriate sanction.
(d) Minor League Transactions- A Participant may lose exclusive rights to a minor league player in three ways: (1) the minor league player gains rookie eligibility and is not added to the Participant's roster at or before 15 days; (2) a Participant notifies the Commissioner prior to the Minor League Draft of his desire to release a player currently in his Minor League (presumably in order to free up a spot that will be filled at the upcoming Minor League draft); or, (3) a trade. In the event that a Participant picks up a minor league player that another Participant has exclusive rights to, the Commissioner shall nullify the transaction upon a request from the true owner.
(e) Player Cost - Players in a Participant's Minor League cost $0. In the year that follows a player losing eligibility for a Participant's Minor League, a Participant may keep this player at a cost of $5. In subsequent years, normal keeper rules apply except as noted in this article.
(f) Franchise Player - In the year immediately following a player losing eligibility for placement in a Participant's Minor League, that Participant may tag the player as a Franchise Player. A Franchise Player may be kept as a fifth keeper so long as this tag has not expired. This tag expires when it is applied to another player or when the tagged player is dropped, traded, or not kept. If a Participant declines to apply the Franchise Player tag to a player in the year he becomes eligible for it, the tag may not be applied in subsequent years. Note that a player may always be kept in accordance with keeper rules.
(g) Effect on YPIA - A Participant may not apply the YPIA tag to a player whose cost is below the normal minimum keeper cost, set at $15.

History:
2007: OBP replaced AVG and K/BB replaced SAVES; 1500 IP instead of 1600 IP.
2008: Special rule for 2007 draft stricken; Added Article 6 - Minor Leagues; 20% inflation instead of $3; FAAB rules.
2009: Added an IR spot; added tie-breaker rule; modified Minor League rules to include players in the Host website system and to exclude players with significant international professional league experience.

Open Letter to Hank Steinbrenner

Dear Mr. Steinbrenner,

Thank you thank you thank you thank you for signing AJ Burnett to the New York Yankees. Although I despise you and your team, Mr. Burnett is a key member of my fantasy baseball keeper team. For your next move that enhances both of our teams, I would suggest trading for Prince Fielder. Thanks again.

Your friend,

Justin

Where are the Big Rollers?

Recently, I looked through the auction data for the past two years and noticed that what our league lacks is a high stakes roller. In this regard, no one has ever placed a bid higher than $34 on a player. In 2008, Grady Sizemore and Albert Pujols both went for $34. In 2007, Miguel Tejada went for $33. From reading fantasy baseball paraphernalia, I understand that in other leagues with similar budgets and rules, top players can go for as much as $40, $50, or even $60. Is our league so much smarter than these other leagues that we can disregard the wisdom of the masses?

I think that having a manager who fits the role of the go-for-broke gambler would increase the entertainment value of the league for everyone. Mike took a tentative step last year to fill this role by nominating Putz for $10 at the start of the auction, but then failed to follow through on a promising start. This year, we need a person to step up to the plate, throw caution to the win, and bid up a player at least past the $40 threshold. This person will be a hero to me and/or earn a place of fame on this blog, at the very least.

On a more serious note, I do think that some brave soul could arbitrage this fact.