Fantasy Baseball 2013 (Why even bother playing against LL?)

[zoraster]

LL, I can't make you cocomissioner because you hide your email.

[zoraster]

Figured I'd finalize this:

Statistics

Hitting:

Runs
RBIs
Stolen Bases
Home Runs
On Base Percentage

Pitching

Quality Starts
Strikeouts
ERA
WHIP
Saves+Holds

Rosters

Catcher
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF x 3
Utility x 2

SPx2
RPx2
Px4

6 Bench, 1 DL

Transaction Limit

Weekly Limit: 3

Question

We can either play the way we did last time, where each win of a category equals a win overall OR we could do it as 1 win per game (like football does). In other words, if you win more categories than your opponent, you get 1 win. Personally, I like the One Win system as it really highlights the individual matchups, but I'm fine with either. One win does make it so that one guy who wins 9-1 is the same as someone who wins 6-4, but that evens out over time I think.

[mastermind]

Either way is fine with me, but I think I'd also lean towards 1 win per game.

[AGar]

I prefer the old way, but I can't say I'm vehemently opposed to 1 win per game.

[Kmd4390]

I like the old way, but I won't fight change.

[Locke Lamora]

Fixed, zoraster.

I don't mind either way, really. Trying 1 win per week would certainly make for an interesting alternative.

[borkjerfkin]

having no basis for comparison, I will go with the flow here

[zoraster]

The following is a description of why I lean toward One Win. But I'm spoilering it because I want everyone to realize that I'm merely leaning this way. Sometimes I think when I make an argument for one thing or another it comes across as me trying to strong arm my way into things (see the MS Football Auction this year), when really I'm just floating ideas and putting forth my one way of looking at it. I am not heavily invested in this at all, and as commissioner I am here to serve you, not the other way around.

Spoiler: That said, this is why I lean One Win

The reason that I think head-to-head generally works best for our league is that we're mostly playing to fight out among ourselves, not truly to see who is the best, but rather to have fun against each other. It has the side benefit of being far "less serious" than roto leagues where about a third of the league is well and truly out of the competition for first place by the All-Star break.

But using the every category is a win standard kind of works against that idea to an extent. It turns it into being more about seeing who can win more categories generally rather than who can beat the most opponents. The every category is a win may well be the better way of deciding which team is the "best" in a general sense outside of lucky or unlucky matchups, but if we wanted that, we ought to just play roto.

To put a point on it: I think we usually follow sports, whether fantasy or real for the close games. The nailbiters. Yeah, maybe if we're rooting for a team we'd rather our team crush the other guys, but over the course of time that'd get boring. So imagine the following scenario:

Scenarios

It's week 6 of the season and LL and borjerfkin are coming into it 1st and 2nd place in their division. Both have a strong team. Going into Sunday (the last day of the matchup), it's clear borjerfkin is going to win runs, rbis, saves+holds, and stolen bases. It's clear that LL is going to win ERA, WHIP, Strikeouts, and OBP. They're currently tied on Home Runs and Quality Starts, but neither has a starter playing the final day.

In Scenario 1, the old system, Day 7 is the difference between the teams going 5-4-1, 5-3-2, 4-5-1, 4-4-2 or 3-5-2
In Scenario 2, the One Win system, Day 7 everything is riding on who can hit more home runs that final day. They've come out to a draw between the other categories, and it's winner take all. Everything is on the line. It's the difference between going 1-0 for the week or 0-1.

In Scenario 1, the teams will "care" in the sense that it's always better to get more wins than losses. But that final day is only of mild interest because it's one of

222

games you'll play throughout the season.

In Scenario 2, the teams will care deeply. A win or a loss is far more likely to alter their actual outcome. It's one of only 22 games in the season, and an intra-divisional game between two top teams is an extremely important game.

Anyway, again. Please take all that for what it's worth, which is merely me explaining why I lean toward One Win. But I don't want anyone to think that doing the other way is bad at all, so feel free to speak up.

[zoraster]

By the way, I checked and the top 6 (playoff teams) would not necessarily have changed under One Win, though their order would have somewhat.

1. Locke Lamora 14-6-1
2. Gorc's Dorks 13-8
2. Kmd 12-7-2
4. Mastermind 12-8-1
5. Bluberry 10-8-3
6. Zoraster 10-9-2
7. Montreal's Herons 10-10-1
8. Canadians 9-10-2
9. Rhinox 8-10-2
10. AGARRRR 7-12-2

[DrippingGoofball]

I'll be glad to widen my experiences and my learning by trying out different wincons.

[gorckat]

I dig the idea of going with One Win.

[zoraster]

mastermind

Is there any chance you could make [Sun Mar 17th Early Afternoon (2-4)]? As it stands now, it appears to be the most universal choice (6 availables, 1 inconvenient, and you at 100% can't make). All the other spots have at least two inconvenients+at least one 100% can't make.

Mar 17th Late Afternoon (4-6) would work too if you could swing it. That would mean that kmd would 100% not be able to be there, but given his work situation, that might be the case anyway.

Neither of those times has a single person who PREFERS that time, but lots of people are available for it.

Locke

What's your story for [Sat Mar 9th Early Evening (6-8)]? got a hot date? It'd also be a good time to do it, as 4 people prefer it, 1 more is available, and you're marked as "probably can't." It's inconvenient for Anix, though. What time do you need the draft done by?

AGAR

What time do you get off work or whatever on Saturdays? When's the earliest draft start you could make?

You can see the spreadsheet results here: Spreadsheet. As you can see, I'm available at pretty much any time, but my wife is in Hawaii the 9th and 10th, so it'd be a great time to do it for me.

[Kmd4390]

See, the 2-4 is "inconvenient" rather than "100% can't" because I could technically leave one job early for a draft at 2pm and then leave the draft early to get to my other job. But I'm not sure i'd actually do all that. Probably depends on how much there is to do at the first job. Did we confirm that a tues/wed evening (or even night) isn't possible?

[Locke Lamora]

Well, I think I'll be up early on Sunday, so even if we were to start at 6 EST, there's no way the draft is getting done before midnight for me and could potentially be a lot later, depending on how slow people are. I technically could do it (as long as you're not going to start it at 8), it would just be an impractical time.

KMD: what do you mean by evening? As with above, anything after 6 EST is pushing it for me, but I could maybe do 6 on a Wednesday.

[zoraster]

and i'm on the other side, in central time. I don't get out of work until 7 or 8 eastern, which makes it tough to do a weekday draft, though in an absolute necessity i could leave early.

i was asking because depending on what agar says, we could do something like a 5-7 draft

[Kmd4390]

Locke, tues/wed are my days off so almost any time works as long as I'm awake.

[gorckat]

Tuesday nights before ~9pm est are bad for me- lacrosse practice.

Wednesdays are fine anytime 6pm and later.

[AGar]

What time do you get off work or whatever on Saturdays? When's the earliest draft start you could make?

Never o'clock?

I really can't say with any certainty, though I usually make it a point to just bolt by 7.

I'm a broke part-timer who doesn't have labor laws breathing down my neck. If they ask me to work a 16 hour shift, I'll likely do it.

[zoraster]

okay. i'll send out a supplemental wednesday survey when i get home.

[mastermind]

I work 9-6 every Sunday plus whatever homework I get, so that's the reason why I couldn't do any of the Sunday times. But if I'm the odd man out then I guess I have to go with autodraft.

[zoraster]

well the goal is to minimize who's the odd man out.

[DrippingGoofball]

A big thanks for organizing this, BTW. The leagues are a lot of fun. I owe you one.

[zoraster]

kmd, if you're going to join the league, please join the league itself.

[Kmd4390]

As soon as I get to a computer. Not sure how to do it from my phone. I think it's been like 2 weeks since I've been on a computer lol

[DrippingGoofball]

HEY

No one told me about the BAD LEAGUE draft and I missed it and no trades are allowed???