From: nss3@kimbark.uchicago.edu (Noel Steere)
Subject: Re: (LONG) My adventures at the Chi. Strat Tourn.
Reply-To: nss3@midway.uchicago.edu
Organization: University of Chicago Computing Organizations
Date: Thu, 30 Jul 1992 05:35:35 GMT

In article <712124028.F00001@redstar.marcal.com> joel@redstar.marcal.com (Joel Veeneman) writes:
>Noel -
>
>In a msg of <24 Jul 92>, Noel Steere writes to All:
>
> NS> Well, last weekend I went to a Strat-O-Matic tournament here in
> NS> Chicago, run by the Table Baseball Association and sanctioned by
> NS> Strat.  There were 2 divisions of 10 and I finished 2nd overall.  I
> NS> thought it might be interesting to post the draft list from my
> NS> division and ask for opinions (Sean Sweda is *more* than welcome to do
> NS> so, since I kind of went overboard with his :-).  My own comments are
> NS> also included (so you can even post opinions on opinions!  A new
> NS> concept from the folks at MetaCo.!  "Because it's all relative" :-)
>
>Well, if it's comments you want... <g>
                                    ^^^
A smiley?  (Joel was the manager who beat me in the finals)

> NS> Round 1:
> NS> 1. Sandberg (Huh????  The three shortstops usually go 1,2,3.)
>
>The three shortstops he's referring to are Ripken, Larkin and Ozzie Smith. These are normally the very first players chosen, specifically because the depth at SS is minimal compared to other positions. Once you get past these guys, you're left with players who can either hit or fielkd, but not both.
>
> NS> 2. Larkin
> NS> 3. Ripken
> NS> 4. Bonds (Interesting.  I'd take O. Smith, and I love power
> NS>             as much as this guy, but Bonds would be next)
>
>Actually, Bonds is a fine selection because of Ozzie Smith's inability to hit home runs. Obviously, this manager is planning on drafting a team loaded with power. At this point as a competing manager, I would expect this team to take power hitters over on-base players whenever possible.

Considering he got T. Fernandez later, I guess so.  The difference
between Fernandez and Smith isn't as great as the difference between
Bonds and whomever would have come around in the 2nd round.

> NS> Round 3:
> NS> 1. Gagne (The Spoon in the *third*?!?)
>
>A fine pick. Being the only '1' rated shortstop left, he couldn't expect Greg to be around at the end of the fourth round - his next pick.

Using Tony Fernandez as an example, how much is Gagne's 1 worth when
you can get T. F. a few rounds later?  I think part of the difference
of opinion here is that I go for power and I would never pick Gagne
this early, since his usefulness is decreased in a hitters park.

> NS> Round 4:
> NS> Me: R. Henderson (He and K. Mitchell are the only two good LFs after
> NS>                     Bonds that can play both ways.  Little was I to
> NS> know what I was to get in the 17th round...)
>
>But you should have known. Left field and first base are *the* two deepest positions in the draft. Picking this guy before a decent center or rightfielder (cf Puckett, O'Neill, Bonilla, etc.) was criminal.

Picking a center fielder, I'll grant you, but right field is deeper
than left (as you seem to imply later with the comment on Strawberry).
As far as I can see, the only two left fielders who can hit both
lefties and righties are Henderson and Mitchell (aside from Bonds,
that is).

> NS>  Gag.) 4. Bonilla (passing up a chance on...) 3. Thomas
> NS> (Bonilla was the last good 3b though)
>
>Knowing the managers involved, there was a good probability of Bobby Bo coming back.

:-)

> NS> Round 8:
> NS> Me: Strawberry (Too bad D. Henderson was gone.  He would have been
> NS>                   perfect here.  Then I would have had someone with a
> NS>                   reasonable amount of hits on his card)
>
>The pick that ensured a loss in the finals. Still lacking a centerfielder, he goes for a bad defensive, marginal offensive player in what was still a deep position. Seeing pick number eight in this round, you should be kicking yourself. Hard.
>
> NS> 9. Avery (Lefties, lefties, lefties...)
> NS> 8. M. Thompson (Uncle Miltie's gone too?  Great, *now* what am I going
> NS>                   to do for a center fielder?)

My reasoning for picking Strawberry was that he was the only two-way
rf (i.e., can hit lefties and righties) remaining.  Point taken,
however.  I truly expected Milt to come back to me.  I'll know better
next time.

> NS> Round 10:
> NS> Me: Phillips (Whitaker's caddy and HoJo's defensive replacement)
>
>Another player who shouldn't have been around that long.

(Joel had Phillips as well) Were you playing Phillips every game?  I
don't think he's that good a hitter vs. RHP (good on-base, but no
power and few hits).

> NS> 9. O'Neill (Finally!)

Assuming I pick Milt in the 8th, does O'Neill in the 10th sound
reasonable, still picking Palmeiro in the 9th and forgoing Phillips
altogether?

> NS> Round 11:
> NS> Me: McClendon (Palmeiro's caddy and Tettleton's backup)
>
>A one dimensional slug to ride the bench. 11th rd pick used *once* in the final series. Sheesh.

Ahem!  The reason he was only used once in the finals was because you
didn't dare throw a lefty, in part because McClendon was waiting with
bat in hand.  Actually, because McClendon, Phillips, Grebeck, et. al
had bats in hand, but that's not the point :-).

At any rate, what else was there to pick?  I had 3 very good starters,
I was about to pick Berenguer, I needed ss and cf.  I suppose Trammel
would have been a good pick, even though most of the teams already had
shortstops, so he would have slid.  The only other cf I was interested
in getting was Boston, and I really think that the 11th round would
have been way too early for him.  Maybe Flanagan, but since I needed
someone to defend Palmeiro from the bench (as you mentioned with
Palmer later on) and Fielder, Calderon, Mack, and D. Henderson were
already taken, I decided to take the only lefty-killing first baseman
remaining.  Actually, he may not have been the last one, but he also
filled my backup requirement for catcher, saving me a roster space.

> NS> Round 14:
> NS> Me: Frowirth (I think I messed up here.  I should have picked...)
>
>You did well. See below.
>
> NS> 9. Molitor
> NS> 8. Radinsky
> NS> 7. Key
> NS> 6. Flanagan (...this guy.  I think either Frohwirth or Habyan would
> NS> have slid to me)
>
>Frohwirth would not have. Either Dave (team 4) or John (team 3) would have snapped Frohwirth. Habyan is a poor substitute for Todd.

But is Righetti/Guetterman an acceptable substitute for Flanagan?  I'm
asking for an opinion here, since I don't know definitively one way or
the other.

> NS> Round 15:
> NS> 1. Assenmacher
> NS> 2. J. Gonzalez (TEX)
> NS> 3. Boston (Eek! Another center fielder!)
>
>It's round fifteen here. If you don't have a CF by now, it's *your* fault.

I dunno.  After Bonds, Griffey, Dykstra, and Butler I don't think very
highly of everyone else.  If everyone else does, though, I don't have
much of a choice but to rate them higher next time.

> NS> 4. Albert Belle
> NS> 5. McElroy
> NS> 6. H. Morris (a steal)
> NS> 7. Osuna
> NS> 8. Buhner (a *real* steal)
>
>Not so's you'd notice. Remember, this is the 0-0 team.

Still, the fact that he's still around highlights your comment on
Strawberry.

> NS> 9. Habyan (yup.  One of them probably comes around to me.)
>
>And if you'd let Frohwirth go before, you'd be rather miffed now. :)

Indeed. :-)

> NS> Round 20:
> NS> Me: Huff (My cf in pitchers parks.  Or so I thought)
>
>A disgusting thought, naturally.

He's not that bad.  He has more than 50 on-base chances vs. RHP, can
run, has a pretty good number of hits, and is decent in cf (3e5 (-1)).
For the twentieth round, I don't think it's that bad.  Yes, Joel, I
should have taken a center fielder much earlier than when I did, but I
think I was able to recover pretty well.

>Be glad to have gotten the team you did.

I am.  Thanks for the comments.

Noel
Newsgroups: rec.sport.baseball.fantasy