3monkeys

I actually tried to start this post from my new iPhone, but apparently there are a few problems with the WordPress editor running on the device.

I was in a day long conference today. My iPhone usage (as recorded by the usage meter on the iPhone itself) is at almost 6 hours since the last full charge (this morning). I did a supplementary charge this evening for about 1 hour while I was giving demos on my laptop. But, all in all, I spent most of the day emailing, surfing and talking. Now this was a little difficult because I was attending a conference and had to attend to my commitments there as well. But every chance I had to check the latest baseball scores or my email, I was pulling out the iPhone. I even made or took half a dozen phone calls.

I am admittedly a computer geek, but in the past have found myself in situations were I was unable to use a computer effectively. Things like being in a conference without a solid internet connection or on a plane for 3 hours limited my access to either real time or interesting content. The iPhone has practically eliminated this gap. Even on the plane trip to San Jose, I was able to shut the iPhone off and still listen to hours of podcast from ESPN and NASA. Speaking of which, leading up to my most recent trip, I downloaded nearly 8 gigabytes of podcast to listen to and/or watch. While this will be more than enough to keep me entertained for the next month, I was able to hit the capacity limit for my iPhone much sooner than I ever thought I would.

What do I find wrong with the iPhone? First, the volume. With my last phone I could hear it ring, (and my co-workers as well) from three states away. That is saying alot since I live in Texas not Rhode Island or Connecticut where the distance between states is approximately the distance between my home and my work, but more like a 2 hour plane ride. This probably makes my co-workers happy, but I tend to miss more calls on my new iPhone, unless I’m actively using it and the call interrupts my current action. (Does anyone know of a hack to increase the ring volume on the iPhone?) The second major problem with the iPhone is the lack of Flash ability. There are several web applications I use that are flash based. I have to wait to get to my laptop to check these type of apps.

Well, all in all, this was probably my most arsine post, but I felt I need a little venting and so… I will write a few more post regarding specific detail regarding the iPhone at a later date. I just needed a seg way for those post. This is it … I guess. Don’t pay any attention to the man behind the curtain.

Until next time….

-3Monkeys 

Popularity: 11% [?]

I know I said I would talk about my potential trades in Fantasy Baseball 2008 - Hitter draft, but even though I’ve tried nothing has materialized. For the record, I’m trying to trade off Kouzmanoff or Encarnacion for those weak at 3B, in the 40 man league. In the mean time, I thought it might be interesting to analyze players in respect to a normal 5×5 league.

HR

HR is by far this most important stat in a normal 5×5 league. As mentioned by me before, HR count not only for a HR but also a R and a RBI with a bit of a bump to AVG. We therefore need to rate high HR above all other categories. As a matter of fact the only traditional 5×5 category HR does not effect is SB. HR will even be a little bit of a boost over the normal one RBI by a bit, by the fact that not every HR is a solo-shot. We might safely asume that a HR is worth a R, 2 RBI a HR. AVG though affected will remain little affected from year to year by the number of HRs. Give this I assume a factor of x4 per projected HR in a normal 5×5 league. Given that the league leader in R (143) and RBI (156) both by Alex Rodriguez is slightly higher than the high HR total x4 of (54 x 4 = 216) also by Alex Rodriguez, we can determine that HR are worth a lot in 5×5 leagues. The problem is that in any draft, you can not obtain 3 of the top 20 HR producers. You will need to shore up the R, RBI and AVG stats with other players.

R

R (Runs) indicate a few things, the ability to get on base (AVG), speed - stretching a single into a double, a double into a triple, or a stolen base, and finally getting on base in front of high average hitters. The last tright coupled with the first traight usually spells a leadoff or second place hitter. Managers usually make good of this by placing a speedy hitter in the 1st or second place in the batting order. Due to the depth of Detroits lineup, look for top of the order Detroit players to give you a bunch of R’s

RBI

Given the fact that fast, high AVG players will be batting in the top of the order, look for high RBI producers to make up the meat of the order - 3rd through 6th. These will likely be your power hitters as well. A classic example is Ortiz and Rameriz batting 3rd and 4th in Boston with Lowell finishing up a murders row. With their off season acquisitions, look for Detroit hitters in this range to give you a lot of RBI. Teams with high RBI potential based on 2007 numbers are NYY (929), DET (857), PHI (850), BOS (829) and COL (823). Since RBI roughly equates to R, these teams will help you in Rs as well.
AVG

AVG (Average), is largely an individual statistic, for this you can look back on past performance and a change in location , especially a batting order change. Players with more protection will see a better pitch selection than those without protection. Usually those with protection will be batting 3rd or 4th. Again refer to Ortiz and Rameriz. Players that hit high in the order also tend to have a higher AVG; after all it is better to have men on base when the power hitters come up in the 3rd, 4th and 5th spots. Drafting players in the top of the order will also give you an AB (at bat) bonus. Generally each spot in the order gets about 20 less at bats than the spot above. This means that if a lead off hitter gets 650 ABs during the season the 6 spot will get about 120 less or about 430. This means 120 less chances for a HR, 120 less chances for a RBI, 120 less chances for … well you get the idea.

SB

Finally SB is almost a totally individual statistic. The only thing it really depends on other than the individuals skills, is the teams game play philosophy. Teams like the A’s don’t steal where as teams like the Mets steal as much as they can, last year the A’s only had 52 SB where as the Mets had 200 SB. Following the Mets were the Orioles (144) Angels (139) and Phillies (138) while the Padres (55), Cardinals (56) and Blue Jays (57) lead the A’s. Since team philosophy does play in SB, you need to identify where that philosophy may have changed. For example, Joe Torre moved from New York to Los Angeles, each team had similar steals last year with NYY at 123 and LAD at 137 so there should not be a big swing for the LAD.

Since SB indicates speed, you can generally account for these players being able to streatch out 1Bs into 2Bs, and 2Bs into 3Bs setting up more scoring opportunites thus more Rs. They will also be able to score more often from first base on 2Bs or second base on 1Bs. So, if you get a speedster expect a little bump to Rs.

Here are my top 25 hitters for 2008 and my projections for their statistics.

Until next time.

-3Monkeys

Popularity: 10% [?]

Most friends and family are aware of my recent auto accident. Fortunately I was not hurt bad, just a little bump on the head from the sun visor. I have taken pictures of both the old car and the new car to chronicle the event. So here they are:

Before

After

Until next time.

-3Monkeys

Popularity: 9% [?]