The Balk 6-12-08

The Counselor is IN:

Larry's Ramblings:

I recently spent an evening at Hammons Field, the ballpark for the Springfield Cardinals. The Springfield Cardinals are the AA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals. This team played in the Championship series for the Texas League last year. In Springfield, we do get to see the up and coming players before they become Major League stars.

With prices at $6 a ticket, I can afford to take my family out to the ballpark and have good seats. It has become an economic hardship to my family to Busch Stadium to see the big Cards with the noise bleed seats. Financially there is no comparison.

The game was a reminder of why I love baseball. A live baseball game has wonderful atmosphere. I love the mix of the smell of the grass and the hotdog vender. You have the crowd cheering for the home team. With every man, woman, and child singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame", it was nostalgic and wonderful.

Fantasy Section:
It is nearing the middle of June. You should have a good idea of what your players are doing. You should know if your team is a contender or not.

If a contender, then you need to examine what will make your team better. Do you need that one top starter to push you over or a stolen base guy to help you in a week category? No team is perfect. The other contenders will be examining their teams and attempting to make trades. Even if you are winning your league easily, you should examine possible trades. Rarely have I seen someone leading at the All Star Game not make a move and still win their league in a traditional roto league.

If you are out of contention, then you should be examining big names that you might want to trade. This is particularly true in keeper leagues. If you have a keeper league, trade off that big name for up and coming players. Done properly, this can get you into contention next year. If you are not in a keeper league, then you should be open to trading for quality players to advance your position this year

The key to performing well in Fantasy Baseball is continued to pay attention. So often the long daily season will cause some owners to stop paying attention. Replace your injuries and examine trade options and free agency pickups. If you do this, it should help your team stay near the top.

The Counselor is OUT: