...and finally, "Da Meat Hook" comes back to baseball!

It's true, Dmitri Young is back.  If he makes a team, who has the balls to draft him?

Fantasy ballot 2012 will be an online one.  I will email it out today.  Results will be posted as soon as everyone has voted.

Blockbuster Trade Cap Off Winter Meetings

NORFOLK, MA --  The 2012 Winter Meetings are in the books and owners can now look forward to preparing for the upcoming season.  One trade was made, but the groundwork was laid for many more to follow.  The aforementioned trade involved the defending champion Metalheads and the Boston Pilgrims.


Metalheads send 3B Ryan Braun to the Pilgrims for 3B/RF Jose Bautista

There was discussion about league business including a few items that will be added to the offseason ballot for rules changes.  Although adjustment of keeper rules and/or restocking of the draft pool and moving to an FAAB style blind bid waiver system failed to gain traction the following items seemed to have potential:

• Expansion of the playoff field.  Likely from 6 to 8 teams, thus eliminating byes.  The rationale is that it would keep most teams into the season longer, reserving the annual firesales to the truly poor teams.  If ratified, this could be enacting for the upcoming 2012 season.
• A motion was called to eliminate the "Reverse Serpentine" draft.  Gil will roll in his grave, but the logic would be that non-playoff teams have earned the right to have an advantage in every round based on previous performance.  If ratified this would be a 2013 item, due to the fact that there is value already tied to the 2012 picks set by current rules.
• The idea was expressed to eliminate pure Free Agency and move to a perpetual waivers system for add/drops.  This would mean that every player is on waivers all of the time.  Teams would make their claims every day and claims would be honored the next day based on waiver priority.  It would eliminate the first come first serve method of free agency and place a little more value and strategy to the waiver position.  If ratified this would be enacted for the 2012 season.

Feel free to comment, question, or expound upon any of these items.

Other news:

• The Yellow Stars announced that they are conducting a world wide search for a co-GM for the 2012 season.  When a hiring is announced, details will be reported.

DIVISION REALIGNMENT
RAW
1.  Boston Pilgrims
2. Yellow Stars
3. Team Lewis
4. Thunderlips
5. Irish Labatt
6. Chin Music

SMACKDOWN!
1. Melrose Warriors
2. DC Dynsty
3. Multiple Scorgasms
4. SS Sluggers
5. Fenway Flats
6. Metalheads

DRAFT LOTTERY RESULTS
1. DC Dynasty
2. Yellow Stars
3. Multiple Scorgasms
4. Team Lewis
5. Chin Music
6. Irish Labatt
7. SS SLuggers
8. Fenway Flats
9. Thunderlips
10. Metalheads
11. Melrose Warriors
12. Boston Pilgrims

2012 WINTER MEETINGS

 

NORFOLK, MA -- The Winter Meetings will be held this Saturday, January 7^th beginning around 12:30-ish. Meeting will be held at Grant’s house.  Contact him or myself for directions.  Feel free to bring any beverage of the frosty kind of your choosing.  Also, please let me know if you plan on attending so I can plan accordingly.

The agenda is as follows:

1pm – Bruins v Canucks

4:15 – NFL Wild Card Games begin.

The League Related Activities include:

·         Draft Lottery

o   6 non-playoff teams are placed into a drawing in order to determine the order of selection in the draft.  Odds of getting the #1 pick are as follows, with owner of pick in parenthesis:

§  DC Dynasty                         29%        (Eric)

§  Yellow Stars                        24%        (Patrick)

§  Team Lewis                        19%        (Tom)

§  Chin Music                          14%        (Tom)

§  Irish Labatt                          10%        (Tom)

§  Multiple Scorgasms         5%          (Tom)

·         Division Re-alignment Draft

o   We have had the same divisions since we expanded to 12 teams in the 2005 season and this year we will shake them up by allowing the two division winners choose new divisions for the subsequent season.  This is a practice I would like to continue each year.  We can obviously tweak it going forward.  This year Veno will represent the Raw Division and Lisi will represent the Smackdown! Division.  Veno will pick first and then Lisi and they will alternate until all 10 teams are selected.

·         Rules Committee 

o   We will discuss rules changes and propose any items that should be added to the offseason ballot.  If you can’t make it and want to throw your 2 cents into the ring, please send me a list of suggestions prior to SAT.

Ringing In the New Year With Two New Trades!

Mike Stanton looking forward to a new year without fragile shortstops.

BRIGHTON, MA - The Commish has been enjoying his vacation to Grenoble in the French Alps and has been slacking on his administrative duties.  There have been a pair of trades consummated during the past week.  They are announced below.  Roster update will likely follow on Tuesday.  There will be a new owner contact list (so those of you exchanging emails addresses in the comments section can protect your identity).

Keep in mind that the Winter Meetings will take place at the palatial estate of Chin Music owner Grant Casassa, in Norfolk, MA.  The agenda for the meetings will also be sent out on Tuesday, but rest assured at the very least we will be conducting the 4th Annual Draft Lottery.

TRADE #1
The Warriors have announced the acquisition of Eric Hosmer from team Chin Music in exchange for brittle SS Jose Reyes.


TRADE #2
Scorgams trades: Neftali Feliz, Ubaldo Jimenez, and Scorgasms #6 pick
Team Lewis trades: Tommy Hanson and Elvis Andrus and Lewis #15 pick

Happy New Year all!

Team Lewis Strikes Again!

Justin bragging to BJ about winning the genetic lottery.

New GM Mike Lewis continues his make over by dealing the "Good Upton" to Chin Music for a boatload of draft picks.  Details are below.

Chin Music trades: Leo's #1, Veno's #2, Lisi's #2, Veno's #4 to Team Lewis for 
Justin Upton, Lewis #9, Lewis #11, Lewis #13, Lewis #14

Team Lewis Makes First Official Trade

Team Lewis has acquired C Joe Mauer from the Metalheads for a 5th round pick.  This is the first of what many believe will be a busy off season for new GM Lewis as he begins to re-shape his roster.

Metal Heads get Team Lewis' 5th round pick, Team Lewis gets Joe Mauer

Chin Music Acquires Greinke

Greinke anxious about the trade chews at his fingernails

NORFOLK, MA - In an exchange of underperforming binkies, Chin Music has acquired SP Zach Greinke from the DC Dynasty for RF Jason "Oden" Heyward.  Both sides also received draft picks.

Chin Music deals -- Jason Heyward, Lisi's #1 and Joey's #3 to  DC Dynasty for -- Zach Grienke, Leo's #6 and Joey's #7