EVIL~! alkeiper

You're just asking me to jump all over this. Clutch hitting is a myth. There is no inate ability to hit in clutch situations. And if there is, I have to ask why the hell don't these "clutch" players get hits all the time? Are they incredibly lazy with no one on base? The more at bats you collect, the more so called "clutch hitting" stats tend to look exactly like career stats. Look at Derek Jeter. He's praised for his postseason performance....... Career 317/389/462 Postseason 314/385/469 Like I said before, clutch hitting is a myth.

Not a bad list. And I want to kill you al. You freaking changed your name on me so I spent the last five minutes looking for your team. You bastard. I thought it was obvious. Who else had a CHECKLIST~!?

Best Players Not Drafted...... Charles Johnson David Eckstein Steve Finley Luis Rivas Gil Meche

I'd like to take a moment and thank Flik for processing all this information.

Not sure the website, but its paid for. Kind of like how EWR is going to be.

Mike Myers is on the Seattle Mariners. He's a relief pitcher.

Would it helped if I listed my whole team?

Nick Johnson is a little high on the list. Wait until his slugging percentage shoots up before ranking him among the elite.

First round results....... Vitali Klitschko v Jameel McCline Pre-Fight: Vitali comes in having won 32 of his 33 victories via knockout. He's even looked good in his losses, giving Lennox Lewis a fight and outboxing Chris Byrd before a torn rotator cuff forced him to quit after nine rounds. In his most recent fight, he blasted Kirk Johnson in two rounds. One knock against Vitali is that he has never actually BEAT any fighter in the top ten. Vitali meets Jameel McCline, whose one blossoming career has stalled after a TKO loss to Vitali's brother Wladimir. McCline holds victories over Michael Grant, Shannon Briggs, and Lance "GOOFi" Whitaker. In his last fight, McCline TKO'd Cedric Boswell in ten rounds. The Fight: Vitali started strong, winning the first round. McCline came back to grab the second stanza. It all unraveled for McCline in the third, as Vitali beat him down and stopped him via TKO. There were no knockdowns in the fight. Vitali Klitschko wins via TKO in the third. Wladimir Klitschko v Fres Oquendo Pre-Fight: If Wladimir wins, he faces his brother in the quarterfinals. The computer does not take this in account in any form. Wladimir looked like boxing's next big heavyweight before Corrie Sanders shocked him and KO'd him in two rounds. Since that fight, Wladimir has KO'd Danell Nicholson and Fabio Eduardo Moli. Wladimir holds victories over Jameel McCline, Ray Mercer, Francois Botha, Chris Byrd, Axel Schulz, and Olympic silver medalist Paea Wolfgramm. Wladimir lost to Ross Purrity in December of 1998. Fres Oquendo comes into this fight off a great performance against Chris Byrd. Many thought Oquendo won the fight. Oquendo's only other loss came to David Tua. He holds victories over David Izon, Bert Cooper, and Obed SUllivan. The Fight: Wladimir and Oquendo started off quick, putting on a great show in the first round. Oquendo knocked down Wladimir in the fifth round. Great back and forth action, as Wladimir and Oquendo literally traded rounds back and forth for seven rounds. The fight went the distance. The scores were 114-113 Klitschko, 114-113 Oquendo, and 115-112 Oquendo. Fres Oquendo wins via split decision. James Toney v Lamon Brewster Pre-Fight: James Toney is a new commodity in the heavyweight division. After seemingly disappearing from the scene, he stunned observers by decisioning Vassily Jirov, and he followed that fight with a 9th round TKO of Evander Holyfield. The question is, Is he for real? He remains unproven against top heavyweights. He squares off against Lamon Brewster. Brewster has never FACED a top ten heavyweight. He lost to Clifford Etienne and Charles Shufford, and its a complete mystery as to why the WBC ranks him as the #7 contender. The Fight: Damn. A wild affair from beginning to end. Toney cut open Brewster's lip 30 seconds into the fight. James Toney lost a point for holding and hitting in the third, and a point in the fifth for low blows. Toney knocked Brewster down in the 6th round, and Brewster responded with a knockdown in the seventh. The fight went the distance. Budd Schulberg scored the fight 113-111 for James Toney. Bert Randolph Sugar scored the fight 113-112 for Lamon Brewster. Nigel Collins scored the fight 112-112. The fight is a draw. Toney has a cumulative lead of 337-336, so he advances to the quarterfinals. Roy Jones v Evander Holyfield Pre-Fight: Jones rose from light heavyweight to challenge John Ruiz, and won a lopsided decision. For purposes of this sim, I'm using Jones as a light heavyweight, taking weight classes into account. Evander Holyfield is finished, for all intents and purposes. He has lost three of his last five fights, the last to James Toney. This is his last chance to reclaim the undisputed crown. The fight: A tactical fight. Jones outboxed Holyfield from bell to bell. Holyfield lost a point in the 11th for holding and hitting, and one in the 12 for head butting. It didn't make a difference, as Jones won unanimously, 118-110, 116-110 and 117-108. Corrie Sanders v Joe Mesi Pre-Fight: Corrie Sanders was all but forgotten until he KO'd Wladimir Klitschko in two rounds. Sanders has not fought in a year, biding his time. In real life, this strategy has netted him a shot at the World Championship. Here, he needs four victories. At 38, time is running short. He faces Baby Joe Mesi, the only undefeated fighter in this tournament. Mesi is an unproven commodity, as he is really yet to face a top-tier fighter. The Fight: As predicted, a slugfest. Sanders easily had the better of the bout, cutting Mesi above and below the right eye. Mesi was knocked down twice in the 8th round before Mills Lane stopped the fight. COrrie Sanders wins by 8th round TKO. David Tua v Hasim Rahman Pre-Fight: Its deja-vu all over again. These fighters have fought twice, with Tua winning the first time, and the two fighting to a draw the second time around. Both were controversial, and neither was particularly exciting. Rahman shocked Lennox Lewis for the title nearly three years ago, but has yet to win a fight since. In his last fight, he lost a decision to John Ruiz, thus allowing the fraud to live another day. Tua has yet to fight since the last Rahman fight. He owns KO victories over Michael Moorer, Fres Oquendo, and John Ruiz (in 19 seconds). The fight: A stunning fight. After a docile first round (won by Tua), David Tua turned it up, and stopped Hasim Rahman in just the second round. John Ruiz v Mike Tyson Pre-Fight: Have I ever mentioned that I think Ruiz is over-rated. He's a two time WBA "Champion" and holds victories over Hasim Rahman and Evander Holyfield (once in three fights). The rest of his career accomplishments have been written on a single piece of rice. Tyson is an enigma. He hasn't fought since a KO victory over Clifford Etienne. He hasn't beaten a top heavyweight for a while, but remains a dangerous opponent. The Fight: Ruiz cut Tyson in the first round, and knocked him down in the third. Tyson hung on. Tyson knocked down Ruiz 27 seconds into the sixth round. Ruiz got up at two, and at 43 seconds into the round, Mills Lane stopped the fight, due to Tyson's eye swelling shut. Yes, its the dreaded Flair/Luger finish, as Ruiz wins via 6th round TKO. Chris Byrd v Kirk Johnson Pre-Fight: Byrd looked bad in a decision win over Fres Oquendo, but he remains the most accomplished fighter in this tournament. In addition to Oquendo, he's beaten David Tua, Evander Holyfield, and Vitali Klitschko. Kirk Johnson has been knocked around lately. He lost by DQ to John Ruiz, and lost by KO to Vitali Klitschko. Apart from those two, he hasn't fought any top tier fighters. The Fight: Kirk Johnson started strong, knocking down Byrd in the third round. Byrd came on as the fight progressed however, knocking down Johnson in the 6th, and winning a unanimous decision. Quarterfinals Vitali Klitschko Fres Oquendo James Toney Roy Jones Corrie Sanders David Tua John Ruiz Chris Byrd

Chris Byrd v Andrew Golota, likely April 17th.

I already beat ya to it, Rob. Sorry.

We have ONE spot left open in the league. The draft is tomorrow. First come, first served.

If we don't finish, we'll have at least gotten to the bench players. Why not input the teams, and let teams fill out their bench via waiver rules?

As long as I'm around, you're in for a fight. I think we have Tom on board, as well as Bored, and Vern Gagne. We've got lots of quality players in our league.

Catchers do not make their pitchers better. Lets take a look at a table..... Year Games Runs Allowed Wins 1997 1 857 78 1998 86 729 92 1999 144 718 94 2000 139 745 85 2001 51 745 82 2002 132 665 83 2003 142 809 95 1997 to 98 was due to Pedro coming to the Sox. Take a look at 2000-2001. Varitek catches 80 less games, and the Sox allow exactly the same number of runs. 2002 was due to the emergence of Derek Lowe. There's no evidence that catchers make their pitchers better. Chalk it up to traditional baseball voodoo, along such relics as veteran leadership and team chemestry.

Bako is better than no one. Barrett could hit around 15-20 HR if he gets clsoe to 450-500 at bats. Bako was better than Barrett last year although that's not saying much. No ... no he wasn't. Yes, yes he was...well when park adjusted. Both Olympic Stadium and Hiram Bithorn Stadium (Puerto Rico) were hitter's wet dream parks last year. In OPS+ Bako had a 69 and Barrett had a 63. Hahah, no. Barrett had a high OPS. More HR. More RBI. Better slugging and was better defensively than Paul Bako. OPS+ does nothing when you have 188 at bats. OPS+ is great to judge a regular player, but not Paul Bako or Barrett. They rarely played and when they did, Barrett out produced Bako offensively and defensely. Period. Oh oh .. heres Bako's numbers in Hiram-Bithorn: 1-7, 1 K. Seriously. OPS+ is used to judge a regular player, and does a great job - but clearly shows its flaws in this case. Theres more than baseball than a few park factors will show you. Paul Bako was not better than Michael Barrett. Though, I do agree - they both sucked, and this shouldnt be an arguement. The problem is you assume since a statistic does not support your claim, then it is invalid. If sample size is a problem, then lets look at career OPS+. Barrett's is 75, and Bako's is 70. Since Barrett is entering his prime, he clearly has the edge here. Of course, neither look like the kind of guy you want in a lineup.

Its rotisserie. There are no matchups here.

I'll take drafting duties for anyone is they would like. I have a checklist, and I guarantee fairness. Of course, I also think Jay Bell is a HUGE fantasy sleeper.

Of course not. But they'd face massive unrest from the people who feel that they are compromising their public safety. Hence they won't do it. I believe homosexuality is a biological choice. Use that definition, and you don't have to allow polygamy or incest. Those fall under perversions. Its not tyranny of the minority either. Its our system deciding what is acceptable under the constitution, and what is not. To me, the Defense of Marriage Act violates the 14th Amendment. It might not to you. Our higher courts will soon debate the issue in any case. Your right to bear arms is not infringed upon. You have the right to own firearms, assuming you are of legal age, and have not violated the trust placed on you by carrying guns. It also doesn't specifically mention race. Not applicable, because sexual predators are discriminated against because of their actions, not because of who they are. So is being born deformed and without sexual function, but we can't discriminate in that case either. Tyranny by the majority IS tyranny by the state. The principle is that in a straight up democracy, the majority could completely overrun the minority via popular vote. That's what the phrase refers to. Doubtful. Separate but equal was struck down by the Supreme Court.

I have a schedule conflict, and I have to switch the NL draft. Is Thursday the 11th good? If not, then we'll move it to Tuesday the 16th.

Its live.

With all the fantasy drafts coming up, I thought it would be good to make a list of the various srafts coming up, for one easy reference. All times Eastern. Monday, March 1st. 9:00pm. TSM Head-To-Head Draft Continued, via AIM. Tuesday, March 2nd. 8:15pm. Unofficial TSM AL Only, via Yahoo! (Three slots available) Monday, March 8th. 7:00pm. TSM Mixed League (Tom's), via Yahoo! Tuesday, March 9th. 8:15pm. Unofficial TSM NL Only, via Yahoo! (Two slots available)

I didn't say it doesn't violate the law. That's just my view. The 14th Amendment takes clear presidence over states' rights. I don't think so. Courts don't have any less authority in criminal cases because of these actions. What IS the right choice? How does banning gay marriage not violate the 14th? Referring to blacks voting in the South. Yes it is. The majority of voters would've kept the African Americans from voting, and effectively did for 100 years after slavery died. That's why we have a constitution. To prevent tyranny by the majority. Separation rarely equals equality. Besides, if I told my girlfriend that we need not get marriage because a civil union is just as good, she'd hit me. A civil union is NOT the same thing. Real tolerant? That's why the Constitution exists. So that groups such as those are forced to integrate those they don't desire. Why? Because you are no better than them. Homosexuality is a pre-ingrained biological matter. Most homosexuals have little choice in the matter. Denying a homosexual the right to marriage is no different than denying marriage on the basis of race. Gun laws are not the same thing at all. The 2nd amendment uses the phrase "well regulated". Thus, gun laws are constitutional.

MLB: Philadelphia Phillies are my first interest. I also cheer for the A's and Cardinals when they're on. I tend to cheer for the underdog otherwise. NFL: When I do watch, the Eagles. Also a passing interest in the Arizona Cardinals. I tend not to watch as I work Sundays, and thus the games conflict with my schedule. NBA: 76ers. NHL: Not really a fan. I'll take interest in big Flyers games, but that's it.