Re-Tooling the Boston Red Sox. [Another look at a disappointing campaign so far]

As I started to write this, merely hours after a slightly humiliating 11-1 loss in game one, and a slightly less embarrassing game two [DH] Loss, it has become more apparent to me [ and others of the Fenway faithful, and the Red Sox of the UK, and probably other countries too] that things have to change. I will look at the players I would look to move on to try to salvage a respectable second half to the 2015 season.

The rotation is an absolute sham at best, and it's clear that it's never going to change, despite the better performances, its still way off where we [I] would ideally like to see it.

Clay Buchholz still frustrates the hell out of many people, and is still equally able to perform heroics to shut the opposing team out, which helps us believe he's back, then next time out get rocked through 3 innings giving up 5 or more runs. He could command a lesser named quality arm though so I'd see what I could get for him and if it helps improve the team, deal.

Eduardo Rodriguez - Good addition to the rotation, but he needs to stop tipping his pitches , this could mean altering his mechanics slightly, or perhaps change his role slightly, to work through the issues. I don't think we've seen enough of him to know what he's really like, but chances are, he's young and this is just standard growing pains each pitcher has once in their career. Chances are good he's a better pitcher than he's performing right now, and he could get a good return also, despite only being traded for last year, he's still pitched well enough to over see the bad outings, unlike....

Rick Porcello - Ugh. Enough already. I don't think he's going to work out as a Sox pitcher. Offer him for cash or draft picks, I don't think he has any value left right now, but it would probably cost too much to outright release him.

Who-ever the hell isn't on the DL. This needs to be addressed. More depth is needed.

Now, offensively, why do the Sox have players down in the minors that are better defensively [JBJ] [and aren't bad offensively [Castillo, maybe soon] ] than Hanley who is fighting every out to make 'routine' plays. Hanley is essentially, a Short stop by nature and he's playing each ball as if he still was, and that's costing a few runs here or there, but then so is Panda. I can't count on my body [fingers and toes] Errors the 3BMan has produced though in all fairness, Sandoval is trying to make up for them with the bat.

I'm not trying to claim I know what's best for the team, but people States side might be able to know that little bit more,

Cindy, a Sox fan in Mass stated
"We are all pretty discouraged. The season is over, they have some bad contracts. They always get us excited over prospects [Moncada] but they never seem to pan out [Lavarnway]. Personally my biggest complaint is that they will let their own guys go (Ellsbury, Lester) but give big money to Free Agents who are never worth the money, or just can't play in Boston [Crawford]. Not sure about their scouting department either, they never seem to make it work with trades"

Given, we're currently approaching the trading deadline [non waivers] it'll be worth keeping a close eye on to see what happens this time around.

Erica, in Massachusetts had the following to say
" I think this team needs an overhaul from top to bottom. Since 2010 [when John Henry bought Liverpool FC] the team has finished 3rd,5th,1st and 5th in the AL East and could be looking at 5th again. Cherringtons' tenure is a WS victory, and three last place finishes, he needs to go and so do the clubhouse cancers, Big Papi needs to realise he can't do whatever he wants because of the past. Sandoval needs to go, where he can instagram during a game for someone else. Bring back the Dirt Dogs. Hanley also has to go. You know why they won it all in 2013? They won because of the bombings during the Boston Marathon, and the city needed them, leaned on them, and the team got their priorities straight. Players these days just want the celeb status, which is easy to get in a big market team like Boston".

It certainly does feel like there's no passion, pride or excitement to play for the Red Sox looking in, but perhaps those on the inside see things we don't for three hours a day, although those three hours [sometimes more] are the most important in a day and we aren't impressed from what we can see.

A different take is seen from International fan [where baseball is an international game] Andre in the Netherlands who had the following to say:
"It looked well in the pre season where Hanley Ramirez came back from the Dodgers, which added so more power, but when his gun stopped shooting, the runs dried up and the pitchers aren't the best in the game, [it made it difficult to win] , although Clay Buchholz and Uehara bring the level which is suited to them. It does seem that Panda [Sandoval] can only really produce in the playoffs, like he has the past two times with the Giants. Bogaerts is the teams MVP this year and is the only player with a BA above .300. For next year, they need to stay healthy, invest in the rotation and then we can all enjoy Sweet Caroline more than ever" !

As of July 25th, The Red Sox have had 3 walk off hits, 2 of them coming from the bat of potential team MVP Xander Bogaerts although it seems, Sandoval and Hanley are a running theme [amongst complaints], although these two aren't the cause of [all] trouble with this years team. Take...

Mike Napoli - This hurts to write, but the team would be best off either moving on from Napoli, or changing his role, to occasional Monday/Thursday guy. Sadly he cannot contine to be the teams primary first baseman any more, despite his solid glove work, his average is woeful, sitting just above the Mendoza line at .206 as of Saturday 25th July [aided with his .421 8/19 efforts over the past 7 games]. It could be enough to secure a trade partner, but trading Napoli might not be well received from the faithful. We'll have to wait and see on that front but his season line sits at .207 with 32 Runs scored, 11 Home Runs, 33 Runs Batted In and 3 Stolen Bases.

A player that might garner interest on the trading front is Young Out Fielder, Mookie Betts. The Sox will be unlikely to want to move him, but he has had a good season so far and his numbers look like this: A .264 Average with 51 Runs, 10 Home Runs, 45 Runs Batted In and 13 Steals. He is on pace to scrape a 20/20 season, which is quite valuable for the fantasy circles, although it's nice to see in real terms, it's not going to help win any more or less than the Sox currently manage.

The full line-ups numbers( In no particular order) [excluding Napoli and Betts]

Dustin Pedroia - Hitting at .287 with with 35 Runs Scored, Nine Home Runs 34 Runs Batted In and One Stolen Base. Placed on the DL this weekend, it's unlikely he can contribute much more to the cause as he's scheduled to be activated mid - late August, so will likely get a handful of games before rosters expand to 40 for September, where he might lose ABs to prospects, or other players.
David Ortiz - Hitting at .234 with 35 Runs Scored, 17 Home Runs, 47 Runs Batted In and 0 Stolen Bases.
Hanley Ramirez - Hitting at .263 with 50 Runs Scored, 19 Home Runs 46 Runs Batted in and four Steals
Pablo Sandoval - Hitting at .257 with 29 Runs scored, Seven Home Runs 30 Runs Batted in and 0 Stolen Bases.
Xander Bogaets - Hitting at .310 with 40 Runs scored, Three Home Runs 47 Runs Batted in and 4 Stolen Bases
Brock Holt - Hitting at .284 with 31 Runs scored, Two Home Runs, 23 Runs Batted in and five Stolen Basis .
Ryan Hanigan - Hitting at .221 with 16 Runs scored, One Home Run Nine Runs Batted in and 0 Stolen Basis

Other guys that start on occasion
Alejandro De Aza - Acquired on June 3rd, De Aza has a line of:.258, 31 Runs Scored, Six Home Runs 26 Runs Batted in, Five Stolen Basis
Shane Victorino [Injury has disrupted his season] - .247 Average, 10 Runs Scored, One Home Run, Four Runs Batted in and Five Stolen Bases
Rusney Castillo - .230 Average, Six Runs Scored, One Home Run, Six Runs Batted In and One Stolen Base.
Blake Swihart - .237 Average, 18 Runs Scored, One Home Run . 11 Runs Batted in, and One Stolen Base
Jackie Bradley Jr - .133 Average, 2 Runs Scored, One Home Run , Two Runs Batted in 0 Stolen Bases, although a great defensive player, benefits from every day ABs and hasn't been able to translate this into the big leagues [yet]. He is highly cherished in the Sox, but it might be in the teams' best interest to move him on in a deal involving pitching.

It seems like a good time to take another look at the rotation [or what's left of it]...

Clay Buchholz - Currently on the DL but has pitched 113.1 Innings, while giving up 41 Earned Runs Walking 23 while striking out 107 batters resulting in an ERA of 3.26 with a WHIP of 1.21. Perhaps I've been a little hard on Clay this year as his numbers are better than most people might realise.
Justin Masterson - Recently returned from the DL but results haven't been great overall giving up 33 Earned Runs in 50.2 Innings pitched while striking out 40 batters, walking 22 to the tune of a 5.86 ERA and a WHIP of 1.60. Appeared in relief in a loss to the Tigers on the 25th July so his role seems to be middle relief right now.
Eduardo Rodriguez - A rookie who has had mostly good outings with some horrendous showings [take Tuesday's 2.1 7 ER allowed] to an overall tune of 54.1 innings pitched, 28 Earned Runs, 46 Strike Outs resulting in a 4.64 ERA and a WHIP of 1.27 and is scheduled to take the hill for Sunday Night Baseball.
Rick Porcello - 112.2 Innings Pitched, 69 Earned Runs allowed with 90 Strikeouts, 26 Walks and an ERA of 5.51 accompanied by a 1.37 WHIP .
Wade Miley - Has started the second half hot giving up one Earned run in 13 Innings but has failed to be awarded with a Win. Overall he's posted 114.1 Innings Pitched giving up 55 Earned Runs while striking out 83 batters, walking 44 with an ERA of 4.33 and a WHIP of 1.37.
Joe Kelly - A struggle since the opening weeks, Kelly recently got demoted to the minor leagues to work on location and it remains to be seen how much it will pay off as Kelly has pitched a total of 80.0 Innings Pitched while surrendering 51 Earned Runs while striking out 66, walking 32 to an ERA of 5.74 and a WHIP of 1.49.
Steven Wright - The Knuckle-baller has been up and down from Pawtucket and has stuck around long enough to register 48.1 innings, giving up 26 earned runs while striking out 27 walking 16 and registering a 4.84 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP.

I won't speculate here who I think the Sox will move for, but like most fans, I know of which players that could be available, which ones I'd like to see don a Sox jersey, and which ones currently doing so I'd be happy to see the back of. Fact is, it's more probable than not the Sox are going to be selling come the trade deadline on Friday. although if Hanley, Sandoval and perhaps Ortiz move on this week, Red Sox fans' worldwide will have something to cheer for, but complete change is probably needed in order to properly move on, a Fresh start could erase some painful recent memories, while respecting the traditional traditions of a Red Sox Team, although one are I wouldn't change is the manager, he's good for the team, and delivered a World Series his first year in charge, and he can only do so much where upper management fails him. Believe in Farrell, he will make us rise again.

The Highs and Lows in Sport....

We've all been there, in various forms of sport, whether its a rags to riches tale, a home-grown success story [ie Andy Murray at Wimbledon], Record breakers [Schumacher in Formula 1, Sir Chris Hoy in successive Olympic Games, Sampras Grand Slam record from Tennis], or whether it be a pitcher throwing a perfect game in baseball, to be watching / associated with it is pretty special. It might only be bettered by being the one that is actually doing it.

Some selective Sports Highs for me

1994
Football League Cup - Aston Villa took on Manchester United at Wembley stadium and performed  out of their skin to win by a 3 goals to 1 margin, and as a 7 year old I was extremely happy watching it on the television. Little would I know that be the last thing they'd ever win since I was born [I'm not counting 1996 here as I don't remember anything about it, but it did happen].  While it was great to see things are very different now and what could have been with a couple of different decisions, who knows ? [I'll get to that at another time though].

2007,2013 Boston Red Sox winning World Series' and being best in the world [ as far as they can be]. 2013 was more recent, and I can recall watching their entire run unfolding thinking, no matter how far down this team get, they never seemed to be out of any game [Post season Grand slams proved this to be one reason why]. [Of Course, they had pitching back then] so this wasn't difficult ! Their most recent triumph in franchise history, might never be bettered on an emotional level for me [except maybe if I was there], as when they sealed the 27th and final out against St Louis, in Game 6 - Fenway Park, Boston Massachusetts - I was sitting in a couch in New Jersey USA [in a Phillies household] and a baseball novice. We will always have that together, thanks for being part of it guys, you made it extra special !

2014/15 - New England Patriots Super Bowl campaign. With many lows in the early part of the season, The Patriots looked devoid of talent, they looked finished and many were questioning whether it was time to give up, move on and introduce Jimmy Garoppolo. There have been many Tom Brady backups over the year [most famous of all, Matt Cassell] but it's crazy how Jimmy has as many Superbowl Rings as Peyton Manning. Anyhow, but for a bit of begging to switch defensive match ups, and some rookie pluck from Malcolm Butler, this might never have happened where as time was running down, the ball on the half yard line, instead of unleashing Beast Mode, the Seahawks elected to pass, and Butler intercepted it in the goal line. What followed was an offsides penalty, moving the ball 5 yards, than a 15 yard penalty [with an ejection] and from the grimmest and most perilous of positions, the Patriots supporters' suddenly had another victory to celebrate and one which they will never forget.

2015
FA Cup Semi Final - Aston Villa faced Liverpool in an encounter the Claret and Blue were probably expected to lose given what each club has spent over the past few years in recruitment of new players, however, Tim got them playing well, playing with freedom, and it appeared a bit of pride and they held out in a 2-1 victory to get to the FA Cup Final ! Euphoria [well for Villa fans it was]. At that moment, life couldn't get much better [as we shortly found out] but us Villains had something to talk about other than #LambertOut.

Unfortunately, here are the lows.

2004,2007 New England Patriots number is called by the Giants of New York, and in 2007, a perfect season was denied via the helmet catch [which one could argue was a trap, but that's not for me to say]. Anyway, having lost to a 'fail mary' on the dying seconds, the same situation occurred again with the Patriots down by 3 with seconds remaining. This game could also be remembered for the sitting down Touchdown. Either way the end result was the same, and the Giants knocked over the Patriots for the second straight game, and coming off the back off recent Red Sox success, this game hurt Patriots nation the globe over and in one way, reminded us in life, we shouldn't expect to win all the time, and in sports, it is occasionally OK to cry.

2014 Fifa World Cup - England crashing out at the group stage. I wasn't all that bothered that England went out of the cup,[although I cared a bit ] it was more the manner in which they went out of it. Tired, boring, one dimensional football which saw defeats to Italy [although a pretty good performance] and Uruguay meant not even a win over Costa Rica could see them advance, but they couldn't even manage to do that. 1 point, 2 goals scored, 4 conceded. Need a new direction? We'll see. I think maybe a manager that is a great motivator, and isn't afraid to drop players, perhaps we can tempt Mourinho when a change is made ? The shocking campaign, made me simulate and take charge of an England team in the world cup using proper tactics, and players being played where they were meant to be played, and not taking those played out of position in the real thing. I got them to win it, then win the following European Championships [coming up in 2016 in reality] although I couldn't replicate 3 in a row [done by Spain in the 2000s] and if you're reading, Head of the FA, I'm available should you need a new manager !

And finally:

2015 Fifa Womens' World Cup - A sensational tournament [at least by previous years] in which I was captivated by every match, and I can tell that the women's' game isn't all about the money, unlike the mens, in which players move clubs for over £40m, I'm pretty sure it would be nice to have that cash available in the women's' game, much less be able to throw it away on one player. It was all about the game and the players, which is great to see, and the Lionesses should be proud of themselves for achieving history and making their first semi final ! To lose in the way they did wasn't deserved [to anyone] much less the better team throughout much of the semi final, and to see Laura Bassett [arguably player of the tournament] put through her own goal, on a defensive instinct, 99 times out of 100 would go harmlessly out for a corner kick, she must feel so terrible, while in other sports there is a saying. Hopefully next year, with a world cup, it hurts more because next year doesn't exist being a 4 year cycle, and to all the lionesses, I thank them for playing with pride, playing with good energy, playing with commitment and fighting spirit. I'm so proud of them all, and I hope to go one step further [maybe 2 by winning] in 2019, but I will also look forward to the 2017 European Championships with a renewed sense of pride. [Should any of them ever see this] #ThankyouLionesses ! It's been an emotional ride, but one for the better !

Fantasy Baseball - Roto League Tales...

This week I will review my roster, and season so far in an ESPN hosted league, entitled Beer and Whiskey Baseball. [How could you not like it]?

As of the morning of June 24th 2015 I sit in 5th place with an overall score of 69 points. There are 12 teams in this league, and each category has a scale of 12-1 and your ranking in each category gives an overall score. 12 for being the best in that category, and 1 point for being the worst. To have a chance at winning the league, you would need to be top 3 in most [if not all] categories. We are allowed to keep any 8 players every year, and only allowed to keep a player for three years [whether traded or not] per cycle. An example - A Player drafted in 2012 would be eligible to be a keeper up until and including the 2015 draft, but they wouldn't be allowed to be kept in 2016. Any keepers are subjected to salary- and each year kept inflates total cost, for example: a Player drafted in 2014 for $26 will be over $30 for his final year of keeper eligibility, before being returned into the draft system,

The categories used for hitting are R,HR,RBI,SB,AVG and for pitching W,SV,K,ERA,WHIP.

My seasonal line so far 11,8,8,10,3 7,7,8,5,1 . I will reveal the actual numbers later but the roster I have now is as follows:

Catcher - Derek Norris [I also used Wilson Ramos for a while at U].
1st Base - Yonder Alonso - Recently got the starting gig on my team as I demoted someone to the bench, but you'll find out who later!
2nd Base - Joe Panik [Steal alert for a keeper next season at only $1]!
3rd Base - Chris Davis- in his final year of keeper eligibility.
SS - Andrelton Simmons - Drafted for $3 this year, an early possibility for a keeper for 2016.
2b/SS [in some leagues this slot is named MI] - Kolten Wong. I kept him for $1 going into this year so is keeper eligible for 2016.
1B/3B [In some leagues this slot is named CI] - Justin Turner. Recently acquired via FA when dropping Ryan Zimmerman to Waivers. Zimmerman was drafted by me for $11 [had multi position eligibility, but cleared Waivers so would be $1 potentially to keep.
OF - Jason Heyward - I was able to keep him [for the first time] this year and I paid a little higher than I would had he remained in Atlanta, because I felt at the time, his move to Bucsh would be an advantage. $22. It remains to be seen what I'll do with him for 2016 but I'm enjoying his recent hot streak !
OF - Mookie Betts - Dynamo in Centre, originally a middle infielder, adjusted well and was kept at $1. Plenty of value in the long term and I won't be giving him up easily !
OF - Josh Reddick - Picked up from FA in Early April, Reddick has often been one of my top hitters over the last 7 days although has cooled off slightly of late.
OF - Steven Souza Jr - Drafted in 2015 for $4 and will likely be kept for the same price come 2016. Helping to contribute in four out of five categories.
OF - Gerardo Parra - Plucked off the FA market as an injury replacement on June 10th, has been consistent, but nothing special and is not on the radar for 2016.
UTIL - Jace Peterson - A good addition to my roster, added June 11th as cover for Simmons and Wong. Will likely be in and out of the team the rest of the way or until promotions [or people return from the DL].

SP - Jon Lester - $12 keeper for this season and is performing better and better as the season goes on and more often than not goes at least 6 innings.
SP - James Shields - Drafted for $22 and has provided nice W-L totals and contributed in most categories eligible.
SP - Jordan Zimmermann - Drafted for $25 and hasn't really performed at the levels I know he can perform at, and when on form, he's arguably, one of the best at preventing runners from scoring. He's coming off three straight losses, although his last performance was tolerable.
P - Kenley Jansen - Drafted for $15 and has been worth every cent since he returned from foot surgery. No brainer.
P - Jacob DeGrom - Drafted for $15 and has a sparkling 2.34 ERA on the season and rarely gives up more than 3 ER a start. Might be a nice trade piece later in the season, but as of now, I'm looking to consolidate my mid table finish to try to turn it into a trophy next year.
P - Jason Grilli - Picked up the Day the Braves traded Craig Kimbrel and has delivered 20 Saves for an ERA of 2.73. Not really sure what my long term plans are for Grilli but I'm enjoying the Saves for now !
P - Craig Kimbrel - Originally selected as a keeper for $25 , I traded away Gio Gonzalez and Cody Allen on June 9th. Elite as you get, if you ignore the base runners allowed !
P - Matt Shoemaker - a P o D guy going off matchups via the 411 advice.
P - Brett Anderson - Another P O D guy, but was a good bet for his last start in a 6 inning W.

My bench is devised of both Hitters and Pitchers.
BN - 1B Mike Napoli - Looked amazing in Spring Training but hasn't looked the same hitter since. This could be two things , one, the pitchers didn't have the arm strength behind them yet or two - he's pressing, and trying too hard to replicate what we all know he's capable of. Perhaps Option C is in play and he's slowly becoming a Monday - Thursday guy . Either way, I paid $5 for him on draft day so could be a very cheap keeper, if he can turn the ship around.
BN OF - Michael Taylor - Nothing against players with their first name Mike, Taylor has fantastic short term value here with Jayson Werth on the shelf until the latter half of the season, and should contribute where Speed is scarce [at least for me].
BN SP - Steve Matz - Next in line for promotion for the Mets and is coming soon, should be shortly before the ASB.
BN SP Matt Moore - Returning from the DL in, maybe the next couple of weeks, Often a slightly rough time of it after returning from TJS [the three most feared letters in fantasy baseball] Moore has a high ceiling and I'll be hoping for an amount of wins in the second half with an ERA in the low 3.00's perhaps with a view to locking him up for 2016.
BN - SS Corey Seager - Stuck behind Jimmy Rollins in the pecking order, Seager might otherwise have been up already had he been in another organisation. When he does arrive, it should be for good and I'll be looking for a good average, speed and some power to show what he can do and should be a useful player upon his activation. Could he help provide the difference in Runs scored, RBIs and HR to bridge the gap remains to be seen, but he should at least contribute to at least two categories.

My Totals

Runs - 470 [need 4 more to have a share of first] Home Runs - 109 [Need 6 more for a top three berth] Runs Batted In - 423 [Need 15 more to have a share of third place] Stolen Bases - 75 [Already in the top three in this category, and have a lead of 3 over fourth place]. AVG - .2558 - Need to add at least .200 points to be competitive in this category, currently sit in 10th.

K's - 644 [Need 45 for a look inside the top 3] Wins - 43 [Need 5 more to re-enter the top 3, and have been in and out of it all season]. Saves - 50. [Need 12 to enter the top 3, but have had a run of saves over the last fortnight sending my team up to 6th and have a comfortable cushion of 12 over the team below]. ERA - 3.918 - Having fought with an ERA above 4 for much of the season, recent movement has seen it dip below that number for a stretch and I'm hoping it continues to fall and I'll need it to be around 3.450 to get a top three spot perhaps] Finally, WHIP - 1.330 [ The top three sits around 1.181 and lower so I'll need my pitchers to stop issuing as many base runners to really see it come down.

All in all, its pretty promising beginning to the season, in one I was projected [after the draft to finish 3rd] I still reckon I have a chance of accomplishing this, and I'm excited for every pitch to see where I inevitably end up.

I should also mention I have 2 players on the DL, Jacoby Ellsbury [whom I drafted for $29 is still my leading Base Stealer, despite being sidelined for over a month] and Matt Holliday who appears to be transitioning into a line drive hitter for good average rather than that of a power guy with middling average who I selected as my final keeper for $25. He was hitting over .300 before being placed on the DL.

Swing Betters, Swing [unless you're facing my pitchers] .

Fantasy Update - Tales of a Public League Part 1 .

I will eventually revisit the other leagues/ Fantasy goings on I've posted about in earlier entries, but this week I thought I'd update you all on how I'm doing in another specific league [if you've read my earlier post about the MLB Draft, you might be able to guess which segment of the standings I'd be].

If Not, then I'm about to update you all on my standings in 'Yahoo Public 114594 [H2H based 5x5].

I'll jump right to my roster [as of Tuesday 16th June 2015]

C) Wilson Ramos [ 19 7 31 0 .265]
1B) Chris Davis [33 14 38 0 .232]
2B) Jace Peterson [27 2 28 7 .278]
3B) Nolan Arenado [33 16 50 0 .274]
SS) Carlos Correa [4 2 4 1 .324]
OF) Giancarlo Stanton [43 24 62 4 .265]
OF Dexter Fowler [42 7 18 11 .240]
OF) Byron Buxton [2 0 0 0 .200]
UTIL Mookie Betts [27 6 28 10 .253]
UTIL Joey Gallo [9 4 8 2 .261]

BENCH - Mitch Moreland [20 8 31 1 .307], Jean Segura, [24 3 17 8 .279] Starling Marte [36 12 45 13 .286], Martin Prado 24 4 24 0 .272]

SP) James Shields 7 Wins, 104 Strikeouts, 3.59 ERA 1.22 WHIP
SP) Michael Pineda 7 Wins, 78 Strikeouts, 3.74 ERA, 1.25 WHIP
RP) Mark Melancon 21 Saves, 16 Strikeouts, 1.99 ERA, 1.04 WHIP
RP) Cody Allen 14 Saves, 39 Strikeouts, 4.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP
P) Zach Britton 17 Saves, 35 Strikeouts, 1.69 ERA, 0.94 WHIP
P) Joakim Soria, 16 Saves, 19 Strikeouts, 1.78 ERA, 0.83 ERA
P) Chris Tillman 5 Wins, 49 Strikeouts, 5.58 ERA, 1.55 ERA
P) Shawn Tolleson 2 Wins, 9 Saves, 33 Strikeouts, 2.61 ERA, 1.10 WHIP

Bench Jose Quintana 3 Wins, 68 Strikeouts, 4.03 ERA, 1.38 WHIP

DL Jacoby Ellsbury. [29 1 6 14 .324]

The Categories in which the league uses are R,HR,RBI,SB,AVG and pitching W,SV,K,ERA and WHIP.

Overall I've won the following Categories
Hitting:
Runs 7 Times [2 Losses and 1 Tie]
Home Runs 9 Times [1 Loss 0 Ties]
Runs Batted In 7 Times [3 Loss 0 Ties]
Stolen Bases 4 Times [2 loss 4 Ties]
Batting Average 4 Times [6 Losses 0 Ties]

Pitching:
Wins 3 Times [6 Losses 1 Tie]
Saves 9 Wins [1 Loss 0 Ties]
Strikeouts 4 Times [5 Losses 1 Tie]
ERA 4 Times [6 Losses 0 Ties]
WHIP 4 Times [6 Losses 0 Ties]

Altogether, I've seen my Boys in this league mash for:
316 Runs, 101 Home Runs, 324 RBI, 48 SB and a Batting Average of .264
25 Wins, 76 Saves, 452 Strikeouts, 3.95 ERA and a WHIP of 1.33.

My overall record [W-L-T] is 55-38-7 which is good for third place overall 11 Games back of first. There are 12 teams overall and the top 6 qualify for the play-offs at the end of the fantasy season. The playoffs take place Week 23-25 and start September 14th and end October 4th.

As of now, my only glaring weaknesses are Wins and Stolen Bases, but come the play-offs, I reckon it will be a clearer picture of whether I need them or not, and I'll have a few decisions to make regarding them and whether or not it might be worth a risk to potentially jeopardise other categories in order to strengthen those.
If they started today, I'd have a match-up with the 6th ranked team starting on Monday.

This is the league I'm second most confident in achieving a trophy at the end of it all and I look forward to updating you all at some point.

The Boston Red Sox.....

Much has happened to this storied franchise over the years, but I don't think I've ever seen such a comedy of errors in such a small space of time before. Sure, errors happen to every club, and most players, but I've never seen them grow in frequency and each one more embarrassing [to look at] and probably be a part of, than the last .

There seems to be too many egos in the locker room, and although it's nice to see a homecoming, I'm not entirely sure the winter hot stove was handled anywhere near the correct way.

Winter Incomings - Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval,Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson, Robbie Ross, Alexi Ogando, Ryan Hanigan
Winter Outgoings - Jon Lester , Will Middlebrooks, Yeonis Cespedes, Alex Wilson, Anthony Ranaudo, Rubby De La Rosa and Allen Webster.

[This list includes most of the players leaving/ arriving though there are some I haven't mentioned].

At first glance you might like the incoming players more than the outgoings, although closer analysis reveals the Red Sox [Cherrington] didn't fill needs, just took what they wanted with an open cheque book resulting in $95M and $88M on Sandoval and Hanley Ramirez alone. The Sox didn't actually NEED Ramirez or Sandoval, they WANTED them. I can see that a 3rd baseman might have been needed, but I would have liked to have seen promotion from within [if applicable] perhaps using a player like Bogaerts shifting across in the Spring to see what might be needed longer term. Hanley is an entirely different situation, with the same sentiment, un-neccessary [at least to play him in an unfamiliar context. I think it might have been acceptable [now] if he was being played at short although I do think that would have caused problems too. While everything [for now] appears to be working itself out, this team isn't as strong as it could be. I do think two players whose names will be first on the team sheet is 2Bman Dustin Pedroia, who appears to be fully healthy and very reliable defensively [which was never an issue] and CF Mookie Betts [who could be a star of the future].

It's becoming more clear that Victorino might never top 2013 in his career [particularly his post season grand slam], and his career in Boston is getting shorter, not least because of his ongoing, more frequent injury problems. It's good to see Rusney Castillo getting an extended look, although he'd be the one I'd have used at LF instead of signing up Hanley Ramirez which could in turn have freed up JBJ [Jackie Bradley Jr] to play RF, or place him in CF and have Mookie patrolling RF. Either way, has to be better than a [second] fumbling player called Ramirez in the OF right ?

This leads me on to pitching. I believe that Boston knew it wouldn't be resigning Jon Lester, at ANY price last year, so trading him was the correct move, in order to try to build for 2015, however trading away those pieces could have been a detriment. However, in knowing about the desire to go elsewhere, surely that could have meant they could go harder in an area of need instead of leaving it on the back burner, to go out, make a few signings to in my view, "appease for the loss of key players". I'm constantly reminded of the film [and book] 'Moneyball' in which the Oakland Athletics tried to reinvent the game of baseball, or the way in which it was played.
Of course, it's likely that taking this approach would always end in frustration if it didn't work, so I write the following to Boston Red Sox, Ben Cherrington et al associated with the club currently

Dear all.
While winning baseballs World Series is one of the greatest feelings a professional baseball athlete will ever experience, for its fans it's pretty magical too, however most fans are aware that no team can win every year. I feel compelled to write this letter directed at the upper management most of all as I feel its their blundering about which has caused this pantomime show otherwise known as the Boston Red Sox. I don't know how entertained you are by watching pop ups land in between a cluster of fielders, or watching players run into each other, with seemingly no communication on other pop ups, but I'm tired [Not least because I get to stay up until 3 am to watch games, given I live in the land of the United Kingdom [in England], of it. I don't want to see the wrong people getting the brunt of the fan hate here, and I ask that something is done, and soon. There are worse teams [records] that play better more aesthetically pleasing baseball, but just get beaten by the better team on the day, of late the Sox have been beating themselves and it has to change, Now. I ask, have a look at the structure of the team and fix it . It's not [yet] too late and this team can be great but it definitely cannot go on on the way it has been.
Thanks for reading, I hope to see some real positive changes soon.

The Major League Draft [From a Fantasy Prospective]

This week began the annual MLB Draft. It is a key point in the calendar when previous draftees could [or already have] start[ed] their major league journey and if you play in Dynasty leagues, you might have an advantage longer term with knowledge that non dynasty league players might not have.

Recent Callups [2015] Kris Bryant, Noah Syndergaard, Carlos Correa, JR Graham, Archie Bradley, Corey Spangenberg, Addison Russell, Blake Swihart, Carlos Rodon, Kevin Plawecki, Eduardo Rodriguez and not forgetting Joey Gallo. There are prospects still to come in 2015 Corey Seager, Steven Matz, Francisco Lindor, Slade Heathcott [although he has already been promoted and debuted, it was a quick flash in the pan before being placed on the DL],

Of the above names, I own most of them in some / multiple leagues I am in. Most of any of the names alone, could tip the scales in your favour, but if you own more than one of them [which I do in a few leagues] could mean the league is mine, [or yours if you're in a similar situation] to lose.

Archie Bradley isn't healthy right now, but was pretty good before being hit in the face, although his recent DL stint is unrelated, and is shoulder related. That alone could be worrying, as you never want to see pitchers missing time through arm/shoulder problems, but he's young so it could just be tiredness and nothing too serious. I own him in two leagues and I hope he can contribute both up to the All star Break, and in the second half of the season showing the kind of stuff he demonstrated in his first few starts.

Noah Syndergaard. Yes- all the win here. Despite recent struggles, I wouldn't read much into it as the Mets have been playing with their rotation and recently trialled 6 giving each starter extra rest between starts, which sometimes altars mechanics. I own Syndergaard in three leagues [2 of which are the same two I own Bradley in].

Kris Bryant - Arguably the biggest name on the list in terms of what he'd bring to the show and has a great line-up around him in Wrigley. I was lucky enough to snag him in one league, with many rebuttals in efforts to acquire him via trading in others.

Joey Gallo - Arrived with much fan fare via an injury to other players, I managed to snag him in two leagues [one the same league I own Bryant] and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens with him whether it be another trip to the minors, or if he rakes up in the show past when he might otherwise be demoted, in other words will the Rangers have to find a spot for him in the lineup.

Steven Matz - Yet to make his debut, and I am trusting that when he does [around the All Star Break] he will be a mainstay and already have him in two leagues and I'm happy to burn a bench spot waiting for him [in the league that doesn't allow minor league rosters too].

Corey Seager - I owe Corey Schwartz a beer if my acquisition of Seager in a roto league [where at start of games on the 10th June 2015, left me in 4th place] can help me ride a storm and shoot up the board into the top 3, and possible title contention.

Carlos Correa made his debut this week and luckily enough for me, I could add him to my infield that includes Bryant,Arenado,Gallo, [Panik and A-Gon, and with an OF of Harper,Pederson and Trout] I'm pretty happy with my team in this league ! I really need to focus a little more on pitching, as that's probably a reason why I'm not winning ,although I'm in 2nd place. The other reason is lack of speed as I'm last in that category, but this league is really shallow so don't read too much into how I managed to nab such an awesome line up.

This years Draft is well under way now and the number one overall pick [has one of the coolest names] Dansby Swanson. At first glance, this years' draft doesn't have the talent that we have come to know from years previous, but it could be argued we say that every year, but the 2005 draft had some of the biggest talent to choose from, Swanson will hope for a similar career that 2005 first pick Justin Upton [also by the Diamondbacks] has had to date. Upton,Alex Gordon,Ryan Zimmerman, Ryan Braun, Troy Tulowitzki, Andrew McCutcheon, Jay Bruce and Jacoby Ellsbury all still have stellar careers at the top of the game, and some other players from this draft took longer to develop but also still have a career in the game such as Cameron Maybin[ who was 10th overall], Colby Rasmus [28], Clay Buchholz [42], Jed Lowrie [45] all took a little longer to adjust to the big leagues, but when healthy are very helpful in fantasy baseball. Chris Davis [Baltimore] was selected with pick #1496, 1063 initially, but didn't sign with the Yankees, nor Angels respectively, Davis eventually went on to hit 53 Home Runs in 2013, so its' not all lost if your name isn't called early on.

Hopefully, I can use this to build for future years, and who knows, one day I'll be writing about how the draft class of 2015 has helped to guide me to multiple fantasy trophies.

-> Many thanks to Stijn Oomen for the suggestion about doing the draft. Thanks dude !

The Fantasy Baseball Mentality.

Its often thought that you need as many power hitters as possible, in order to win the game of fantasy baseball [This might be true]. Apparently the Boston Red Sox [in reality] are trying to achieve this in the real game [where it simply doesn't work]. I will look at the players involved and I have a few things I would do if I were phoned up by the GM Ben Cherrington to offer my insight into how to turn the club around and not let it get to a situation where "it's getting late early".

Firstly, the batting line-up isn't balanced. Players are in the wrong slots, and they just have too many power hitters. The commonly used lineup is:

Pedroia,Betts,Ortiz,Ramirez,Sandoval,Napoli,Bogaerts,[whoever is at RF] (unless it's A healthy Shane Victorino),Swihart.

The first glaring problem [to me] is Ortiz is no longer a number three hitter, with waning power, and a growing inability to constantly be on base, This would be one area I would change. [I will detail below which lineup I would use]. Secondly, there seems to have been an oversight in terms of pitching. While it's nice to have a lineup that "can out-hit any one" Not having the capable pitching to keep runs down in the event they can't produce isn't helpful. I will talk about the rotation first as its fresher on my mind [like that would help].

Clay Buchholz,Rick Porcello,Joe Kelly,Wade Miley, Eduardo Rodriguez [recently promoted from Triple A] .

There's no obvious person [to me] on the staff that could be relied upon regularly, although I have seen signs of improvement from Porcello and Miley, and [to an extent] Buchholz. The staff is lacking an obvious ace like Lester in previous years,Pedro Martinez,Roger Clemens [in the beginning of his career] and other pitchers I may have forgotten about.

Joe Kelly - Is better than how he's pitching, I'm just not sure if he's suited to the AL East. Has a record of 1-4 with a 5.83 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 46 Ks.
Rick Porcello - Has had an indifferent start and was rewarded with a contract extension back in April [without pitching a ball]. Has a 4-4 record with a 5.37 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 50 Ks. If Porcello can make it past the 6th inning, he'll usually reward Fantasy owners with a W [or a QS].
Wade Miley - Has definitely improved since his last start in April where he gave up 6 ER in 2.1 IP and has a season line of 4-5 with an ERA of 4.97 and isn't missing that many bats with 33 Ks and a WHIP of 1.42.
Eduardo Rodriguez - Dominated the Texas Rangers on his debut with a scoreless, 7.2 Inning performance. Prior to that, he had pitched 48.1 innings in Triple A, with 44 Strikeouts, and a sparkling 2.98 ERA.
Clay Buchholz - Not sure where to start with Clay who is just as capable of giving up 7 runs in an inning than he is to pitch an 8 inning shut-out. His actual numbers on the year are 2-6 with an ERA of 4.33, 62 Ks and a WHIP of 1.29 [ that's quite good for this part of the season].
Previously, in the rotation has been Justin Masterson. Masterson was previously a member of the Red Sox, before being traded away in July of 2009 to the Indians, and would go on to have a career year with them in 2011. [ERA 3.21, 216 Innings pitched]. From there he was traded to the Cardinals in July of last year and returned to the Red Sox as a Free Agent for the 2015 season. His season so far has a 2-2 record with an ERA of 6.37 a WHIP of 1.67 and 24 Strikeouts. Justin is currently on a rehab assignment after being placed on the DL in mid May.

I don't think the rotation is as bad as their records actually suggest, but I would have liked to have seen a bigger effort to acquire a number 2 pitcher, to bolster it and can perform as an ace if adjustments need to be made.

Now to the line-up issues.

The lineup posted above, hasn't always looked like that, and recently Pedroia and Betts switched positions in the lineup, which is one thing I would have done myself.

The full changes :

1) Dustin Pedroia - 2B
2) Pablo Sandoval - 3B [although I don't agree with the signing, I feel it was done to appease missing out on Jon Lester]
3) Hanley Ramirez - LF. It's cool to see Hanley return to where it all started for him, although in a slightly unfamiliar position perhaps.
4) Mike Napoli - Recently awoke from a season long slump and appears to be finding his offensive prowess again and could help shape a game from the first inning if the men in front get on, he'd have more chances to drive them in hitting here.
5) Xander Boegarts - SS . Too good a hitter to be hitting down in 8th and would stabilise the lineup that little bit more, and would see more pitches hitting in front of ...
6) David Ortiz - DH. The DH hits for the pitcher, although as I mentioned above Ortiz isn't the same guy that could terrorise a teams pitching staff within a full season series.
7) Blake Swihart - C. The primary option at back stop now. Since losing Jason Varitek back in 2011 to retirment, the Sox have struggled to replace his presence, both as a catcher and a playcaller, although in a few seasons' , Swihart could one day be in the mould of Jason.
8) Brock Holt U. Its unclear what position he will play on any given day, given his ability to play anywhere on the field, although with uncertainty on the OF, he will likely see most of his time now at RF. He's a great hitter and is hitting .286 on the year so he gets a base hit just less than 3 times out of ten trips to the plate.
9) Mookie Betts. While his range in the field isn't doubted, I don;t feel he can properly deliver with the bat in the 2 hole at this stage of his very young career, and with him hitting ninth, would help make Pedroia even more valuable with the blend of speed and power that would turn the line-up over at a very successful rate.

There are plenty of good - great players down in the minor leagues just developing their skill set further to better equip themselves when they get the call to Fenway Park.

I'm pretty sure that as I write this, this won't be the final line up past the trade deadline, I'm almost sure some offensive players will be shipped away for some pitching, as that's one thing that's been obvious to everyone that pitching has always been an area of need. It could be looked at another way by some GMs, there are players in the minors which wouldn't ever get the call so they will agressively pursue these.

It will be fascinating / annoying waiting to see what happens though !

Wembley Memories !

It's been a while since I've written about Aston Villa, and some big changes have happened of late. Paul Lambert tried his best, but ultimately, I believe the job became too much for him and he has since been replaced by Timmy! [Tim Sherwood]. Sherwood has shown the passion for football that once helped him as captain of Blackburn Rovers lifting the premier league trophy under the management of Kenny Dalgleish [and recently stating how he hates to lose] Tim could start to become a legend if he can mastermind one more victory this season and all the pressure would be on Arsenal to retain their title.

The last time I visited Wembley Stadium [as it is now] I witnessed Tom Brady distribute a 45-7 beat down over the St Louis Rams in a wonderful performance in which Tom Brady went 23/35 for 304 yards, 4 TDs and 0 INTs. TE Rob Gronkowski had 8 catches for 146 yards with 2 scores on the hallowed turf and Michael Hoomanawanui also played [I just like saying his name out loud, you want to try it to, don't you]? The Rams didn't start out too badly, converting a 50 yard pass from Sam Bradford on the games' first drive [which at the time, Patriots fan in me wouldn't let me appreciate, but I knew it was special from the roar], but really didn't get a look in after this due to the Pats being more than ready for the Wembley crowd. If I was writing Ones to Watch back then [look out for that over on UKFirstDown], this game would have been an amazing chance for the Rams to prove they belonged and victory there would have evened their record at 4-4, and could have proved a catalyst to possible post season glories, [I would have said that too].

Before that, way back in 1990's [at the old Wembley, with the twin towers, and this logo ]

I witnessed the England Schoolboys play Germany Schoolboys in a final of something, which obviously, the Germans won, although I'm pretty sure I saw a special performance from future sensation Michael Owen in that game. I remember being a young , smaller person [with a lot more hair] believing one day I'll see Aston Villa lifting the FA Cup at Wembley.

Fast forward to the year 2000 I thought I might get that chance, but it wasn't to be as they lost to Chelsea, which transformed Chelsea into eventual world beaters. [Not because of this triumph, but it certainly helped]. A few weeks later it closed and a few years later, Wembley Stadium, as we knew it would be demolished.

Fast Forward again to the year 2007 and Wembley reopened. It now sports this logo.


 It leaves me a little deflated [leave it], as the old W for me was everything growing up !
 It also bought with it regular season games within the NFL calendar and eventually saw the Patriots come over and play [first in 2009 victorious over the Buccaneers, and in 2012 detailed above].

30th May 2015 will live in the memory banks forever as the day Aston Villa finally made it back to a final with a chance to lift a trophy, having already beaten more favoured opposition in Liverpool back in the Semi Final [which shouldn't, in my opinion be held at Wembley] and will undoubtedly be up for the challenge. To borrow a phrase from the other type of football I care about, AVFC, #DoYourJob and the title is yours. In watching videos on the internet earlier, I thought that, there can't be any other option than lifting the trophy, it's not possible to us to go there and see them lose [again], but there is no tomorrow.  It feels like our name has been written on the cup since the campaign kicked off, but there's a lot of hard work to between the lines. They've had better chances to lift the title and didn't even make the final [Bradford semi fnal league cup] and haven't won the FA cup since 1957, it's long over due and if on the day, Villa can't win the cup, I may get over it one day, but if a cup being held aloft by Fabian and co is how the day ends up, I'll never forget it, and I'll be so honoured to have watched it on the television, wishing I could have been there in person.

I've been to Wembley in different guises, but I would trade it all in to be in the crowd to see a potential FA cup victory this year in 2015.

I love you Aston Villa, through hard times, through glorious times, I will always be a Holte Ender. 

Fantasy Baseball, Tales of the SABER WAR.... Part 1 !

Saber War is another rotisserie based format and this is also hosted via Yahoo and is a 14 team, 14x14 category league. This might seem a lot but in addition to the usual R,HR,RBI,SV,AVG cats on hitting we also use XBH, GIDP for negative points, Ks for negative points, BB [Walks], CS for negative points and Sacrifice Hits and Sac Flies. On pitching, IP,SV, ER for negative points,HR for negative points, Ks, Replacing Wins with QS, and also for negative points, BB allowed, Wild pitches and HR allowed.

Now, You may remember from previous instalments that I've always favoured H2H because I found them easier to win, and a look at my Fantasy Sports CV would indicate that to be correct with 100% of victories coming in H2H play, but this year I feel more in touch with roto and up until midweek I was 2nd in the league and have alarmingly slid down to 6th place at start of play 25/05/15.

My lineups as of now are C Miguel Montero, 1B Chris Carter, 2B Yangervis Solarte, 3B Mark Reynolds, SS Andrelton Simmons, CI Adrian Gonzalez, MI J.J Hardy, LF Justin Upton,CF Cameron Maybin, RF Will Venable, OF Gerardo Parra and Billy Burns, UT1 Ian Desmond, UT2 Mark Trumbo and on the bench I have Corey Spangenberg.
Pitching wise I have the following names:
SPs Michael Pineda, Mike Leake, Bartolo Colon, Dan Haren, Garrett Richards, Tim Hudson, Stephen Strasburg.
RPs Joakim Soria, AJ Ramos, Jake Petricka, Pat Neshek,Joe Smith, Brad Zieglar, Drew Storen and Tony Watson,

[On the DL I have Jacoby Ellsbury and Austin Jackson hitting wise and one pitcher on the DL Mike Minor - I live in hope he will pitch again ] !

I may be 6th right now with 2322.00 total points, but I've never been more than around 833.00 points behind the leader [which is currently where I'm at] and at one point was within less than 500. I feel good about this league and I fully expect to win a trophy at the end of the season [although 1st place would be amazing, anything less than third will be a failure compared to where I've been most of the season]. It's not as if I've suddenly started losing points, I've just been scoring less than the teams around me. Yesterday I scored 49 points, compared to the 133 by the team directly behind me, 113.50 by the leader to slightly extend his lead and the teams in 5th place and 3rd place scoring 58.00 and 65.50 respectively. If I can get down to less than 750 behind by the weekend, then I might be onto another good run to get me up there again. I will update this story shortly, at an interval that seems appropriate.

thanks for reading, till I write again stay well !

Fantasy Baseball Analysis... Time to panic?

I thought I would take the time to write about a specific league this time so the league I will focus on in this edition is based off of Yahoo, and is called 'Baseball Fan Dynasty League'. From what I remember about this league, is originally [way back in maybe 2006] it used to be called something slightly different, then a series of events occurred which helped to set up Dynasty League Baseball [which I won in its inaugural year], and now we have the BBFDL. In its current guise, we have 16 teams [6x6 categories] with standard Dynasty league rules, [in which we name our team after a historical, or current major league franchise] and we have a minor league farm of up to 8 players at the start of the season. The league is Head to Head based [H2H]. My team is the Colorado Rockies and my roster looks like this [as of Monday 18/05/15].

C - Wilson Ramos 2/$6
1B - Mike Napoli 2/$9 
2B - Johnny Giavetella FA [Free Agent, or No contract assigned]
3B - Pedro Alvarez 2/$9 
SS - Danny Espinosa 1/6
CI - Jose Iglasias 3/$3
MI - Stephen Drew 1/$1 [short term fill in ]
LF - Josh Reddick 2/$12
CF - Gregor Blanco 1/$4
RF - Gerardo Parra 1/2 [Picked up this morning for Carlos Beltran 1/4]
OF - Jarrod Dyson FA
OF - Brandon Guyer FA
Util - Mark Reynolds 1/3 [Picked up this morning, after placing Ike Davis on the DL] 

SP - Madison Bumgarner 2/$35
SP - Cole Hamels 1/$27 
SP - Mike Leake FA
RP - Dellin Betances 1/$10
RP - Jake Petricka FA 
RP - Justin Grimm FA
P - Jered Weaver 2/$7 
P - Chris Tillman 1/$3
P - Tim Hudson FA

Bn - Jarred Cosart 2/$12
Bn - Eddie Rosario MiL [Promoted from the Minor Leagues, but hasn't earned enough ABs [At Bats] to qualify for a contract]
Bn - Scott Atchison FA
Bn - Zack Duke FA [This league counts Holds, no other reason why I'd add him]. 

I also have the following on the Disabled List [DL]

Alex Cobb 2/13 [Acquired earlier this season in exchange for Adam Wainwright, a rare trade that nobody wins] Sorry !

Jordan Schafer 2/5Ike Davis 1/20.

My overall record so far is 13-50-9, good enough for 16th place. In what has largely been an expected rebuilding year for me [apparently, every year of late is a rebuilding job], I'm finding it a lot tougher than I thought it would be, although I have placed everyone on the Trading Block to enable a quicker rebuild process than it otherwise might be. 

While it is early in the season, I'm still only 27 Games back from first place [so if I can reel off two 12-0 wins, I'll be right back in the thick of it]. In addition to Eddie Rosario from the 'farm' I also have Christian Villanueva a young third baseman in the Cubs system currently at Triple A, Zach Lee a Right handed Pitcher in the Dodgers system currently at Triple A, Justin Nicolino, a 23 year old pitcher in the Miami system, currently at Triple A. I'm big on third baseman [apparently] as 23 year old Richie Shaffer in Double A of the Rays system so is a bit further away [Dynasty rules]. In the 2015 Minor League Draft, I added reigning Minor League player of the year, Steven Moya, an exciting OutFielder in the Detroit Farm System, Sean Coyle, a MI/CI of the Boston Farm system and catcher, Chance Cisco. 

I might be biased, but I don;t think the team I've put together is that bad, but I could be wrong from the inside looking out I feel as though I've been closer to winning than losing, although records don't accurately reflect that [can you tell I've been watching Moneyball lately] ?

The only way from here is up , though knowing me, I'll find a way to go backwards !

Til' I write again folks it's been a pleasure. 

Fantasy Baseball Addiction

Hi, I'm Matt and I'm a fantasy baseball addict.

Many people will already know that, but I felt like I needed to take a moment to explain / talk about my hobby.

I've been in some Fantasy baseball leagues since 2007, or at least I've been an active player since before then , although some leagues that existed back then, now don't.

I joined a new league for 2015 called 'The Perfect Game' League, in which it rewards defensive play as well as hitting an occasional home run. I'll be honest, My team has been banged up since the draft, and I've seen Alex Cobb, Adam Wainwright, Kenley Jansen [although this one was expected], Matt Weiters hit the DL [Cobb has since undergone Tommy John Surgery and will not represent my team until around mid 2016]. Now, last week [in the midst of going 0-5] I made a couple of trades. I traded away Andrew McCutcheon [5 year contract] [my first round pick], Jon Niese [2 years], Craig Kimbrel [3rd pick IIRC, 4 years] , in exchange for Carlo Gonzalez, Ryan Braun[2 years], James Paxton [and boosted my minor league farm] acquring Mark Appel, Steve Matz and Alex Myer. That wasn't all either and in a seperate deal, I exchanged Yonder Alonso and Minor Leaguer Henry Owens [whom I selected with my penultimate Major League draft pick] for Edwin Encarnacion [2 years] and Minor Leaguer Noah Syndegaard. As of now, I hold a 119 point lead in the weekly matchup against the leagues' other winless, cellar dwellar. I've made some moves via FA also and that is not limited to dropping players I issued a contract with after the draft [Weaver 3] or picking up Evan Gattis on a 2 year deal.

This could very well be the last H2H league I join for a long while as my passion I once held for Head to Head has wained, and now I've grown more interested in Roto leagues, and in 4 Roto leagues currently, I'm in 2nd place in 2 of them, 5th in the third [although it's my longest standing roto league]and the fourth isn't going to plan as I'm sitting down in 10th. That doesn't mean I'd be looking to leave any leagues I'm currently in, but I won't be looking to join any new H2H leagues for 2016 and beyond [for the forseeable future], nor will it be likely that I join redraft leagues either.
The standings of my longest tenured roto league after the first month saw my team down in 10th overall with 51 roto points [and as of writing this, they have climbed up to 5th place with 67.5 roto points] with a rise to the category lead in Runs, and being 2nd in Stolen Bases, Wins [although in a three way tie for that position], and just a shade outside the top three of Ks [Strikeouts] and RBI.

To sum up, for the most part I'm relatively happy with most of my teams, and over the course of the season I will address each of them to voice my discontent at how I've let them become the leagues' laughing stock, or marvel at my genius as I look down on everyone from the top position. I'm in no doubt that a few public leagues I joined this year, in an attempt to spruce up my Fantasy Sports CV will have to be the first to go to get my numbers down as well to better enable total concentration on getting another Fantasy victory.

Till I write again, Stay safe ! 

NFL Ones To Watch Week 12....

Normally, this can be found over on UKFirstDown but due to technical difficulties I am able to post it here !

Last week, Eli Manning threw 5 INTs, Peyton Manning also lost and for now, Tom Brady holds the advantage in the play-off run. This week’s Ones To watch are New York Jets vs Buffalo Bills in an AFC East duel, Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks and Washington vs San Francisco’s 49ers.

New York Jets [2-8] vs Buffalo Bills [5-5]

The Jets recently named Michael Vick starting QB and their decision paid dividends before their bye last week as they beat the Steelers in Week 10. The Jets season sees their offense ranked at 26^th, defense at 7^th, passing at 32^nd and their rushing is 5^th. Vicks season to date looks like this: 57 completions from 102 attempts totalling 528 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT. Running Back Chris Johnson recently agreed that if Michael Vick had been starting, the Jets would be winning / have won more games, and on the season he has rushed the ball 85 times, for 360 yards at an average of 4.2 yards per carry scoring 1 TD. He’s also caught the ball 17 times for 116 yards at an average of 6.8 yards per catch scoring 1 TD. Eric Decker can really move the chains as he is averaging 10.5 yards per reception from his 43 receptions totalling 450 yards and 4 TDs. It’s a far cry from his final season in Denver in which he amassed 1288 yards and 11 TDs at an average of 14.8 Yards per catch, but his QB was Peyton Manning then, but he still has a high average of more yards than needed for a first down. Jets’ defense has 27 sacks total, and Sheldon Richardson has 3.5 of those, Calvin Pace has 4.0 Muhammed Wilkerson leads the defense in sacks [4.5] from 48 combined tackles [28 total, 20 assisted].
Buffalo enter with their offense ranked at 25^th, defense ranked at 6^th, passing at 20^th and their rush game 25^th. Kyle Orton has 146 completions from 228 attempts for 1580 yards 10 TDS and 3 INTs. In rushing the ball, the Bills have three guys whom average about the same yards per rush [4.2, 4.1& 4.3] and it is Fred Jackson [4.3] whom has the only rushing TD of the regular three. Jackson has 58 carries for 249 yards. CJ Spiller and Anthony Dixon are separated by 1 carry and 9 total yards. 69 to 68 carries respectively with 287 and 278 yards respectively. Sammy Watkins leads all receivers with 5 TDs and they have come off 45 receptions for 649 yards and he averages 14.4 yards per reception. Like the Jets, the Bills have a couple of guys who dominate in terms of sacks with Marcell Dareus and Mario Williams each have 10.0. Williams has those off just 27 tackles [4 assisted] and as a staff the Bills has 12 INTs although 0 have gone all the way back to score.
This battle between AFC East foes will likely come down to defensive displays, although similar things were said about the Eagles trip into Green Bay last week, and we all know what happened there. *Due to snowfall in Buffalo, this game has been moved to Detroit’s Ford field, and also to Monday with the Lions on the road in New England.

Arizona Cardinals [9-1] vs Seattle Seahawks [6-4].
The Cardinals enter play with the 20^th ranked offense, 13^th ranked defense, 11^th ranked passing and their rushing is 31^st. It’s hard to fathom a team that’s only lost once [Bronchos] can be viewed as an underdog, but that’s how Head Coach Bruce Arians sees the situation as “going  up there, everyone is an underdog, They’re the World Champions” he told the Arizona Republic . Drew Stanton is the QB as Carson Palmer succumbed to a season ending knee injury, and [Stanton]has 67 completions from 125 attempts for 920 yards 5 TDs and 2 INTs. Larry Fitzgerald is questionable for the game, but if he can go he can build on his 46 receptions for 658 yards at an average of 14.3 yards per completion and 2 TDs. If Fitzgerald is unable to suit up for the game, the catching duties will fall to primarily Andre Ellington who has 41 receptions for 356 yards for 8.7 yards per catch on average and scoring 2 TDs also. John Brown could also be a feature, although he doesn’t start many games [he could get the start if Fitzgerald misses the game] and has 34 receptions for 468 yards with a 13.8 Yard per completion average and 5 TDs and looks to be a very promising rookie and he could go on to be the next Larry Fitzgerald. Andre Ellington also has the majority of the rushing load with 186 carries for 624 yards at an average of 3.4 YPC and has scored three times.
The Defending champion Seahawks enter with their offense at 11^th, defense at 3^rd, passing at 30^th and rushing at 1^st.
I’ll start by looking at their strength and Marshawn Lynch has 177 carries for 813 yards averaging 4.6 YPC and scoring 9 TDs. Lynch also leads the team in receiving TDs too with 3. Doug Baldwin has the most catches with 44 which he’s taken for 485 yards at 11.0 YPC and scoring 2 TDs. Russell Wilson has completed 182 passes off 291 attempts for 2019 yards for 13 TDs and 5 INTs. Wilson’s average yards per pass is down on his previous two seasons [8.2 in last year’s Super Bowl victory campaign] to 6.9, a whole yard lower than his rookie season the year before. Defensively, ‘The Legion of Boom’ look slightly out of sorts compared to seasons past, but Richard Sherman has made 37 tackles on the season [7 assisted] and that’s nearly as many as the whole of last season combined where he made 48 [regular season only]. Sherman also made 16 Pass Defences and 8 INTs [1 pick six] last year, compared to this seasons 4 and 1 respectively. Coming out of Seahawks HQ is a suggestion that Sherman could also be used in a WR role, as the offense has also been lacking some punch, and as head coach Pete Carroll told reporters “He was a good receiver growing up and has a tremendous catching range [as witnessed in his defensive play]. He'd love to do it and he’s ready, so if we get an emergency situation we’re going to him”.
It’s an important game for both teams, but one in which the Seahawks can’t lose if they are to retain any hopes of trying to go back to back, though one more loss anywhere might be too much to overturn and the Cardinals themselves will be trying to win as every win ensures the likelihood of a bye to the business end of the playoffs as the NFCs best team and to become the first team to compete in a Super Bowl in their own stadium.

Finally this week,

Washington [3-7] vs San Francisco 49ers [6-4]

Washington enters with the 8^th ranked offense, 10^th ranked defense, 7^th in passing and 16^th in rushing. The QB position has been somewhat of a revolving door and could be about to change again with RGIII struggling, but as it stands he enters play with 72 completions from 100 attempts for 763 yards 2 TDs and 3 INTs. The Washington team as a whole have 13 TDs and 13 INTs, and that in itself is one of the reasons why this team aren’t winning as many games as their numbers dictate they should. In catching the ball, DeSean Jackson is making the most of his receptions with 40 for 819 yards averaging 20.5 per catch with 4 TDs. With 10 team rushing TDs, Alfred Morris has 6 of them from 172 carries for 701 yards averaging 4.1 Yards per carry. Ryan Kerrigan leads the defense with 7.5 sacks from 41 tackles [10 assisted ]. Trenton Robinson has their only Interception return for 14 yards, although didn’t get to score from it, and the other 2 INTs were downed at the spot.
San Francisco enters with the 18^th ranked offense, 4^th ranked defense, 23^rd in passing and their rushing game is 7^th. Kap has 194 completed passes from 318 attempts for 2394 yards and 14 TDs. Frank Gore isn’t having his best season and has amassed 158 carries gaining 648 yards with a pair of scores. Gore also has caught the ball 8 times scoring once [a 55 yard effort] with 98 yards. Gore scored 9 times on the ground last season. Anquan Boldin is dynamite with his 56 catches going for 688 yards at an average of 12.3 yards per reception and scoring 3 TDs. Michael Crabtree has also chipped in with 4 scores from 43 receptions for 509 yards averaging 11.8 Yards per reception. Of the 49ers 16 INTs, only one has gone all the way back [Dontae Johnson] although Perrish Cox has 4 picks.
Both teams are loaded with playmakers who are capable of making a huge play when its needed most and this should be an entertaining battle, and the Washington team have turned a corner recently which could provide the catalyst to see off the more consistent 49ers. 

Rebuilding Aston Villa..

In my last blog about AVFC, I stated that "Somewhere in the rubble, is a foundation which will come to bloom next season . There are a few current Aston Villa players who I believe have no future, but I will comment on them after the season concludes away to Tottenham next month".

The Time is Now to address the situation going on in the confides of Villa Park.

Players I would let go [in no particular order]
Nathan Delfouneso [which actually happened] Has never looked good enough to be a Premier League player, but can still have a thriving career elsewhere.
Jed Steer [LOAN] , Nothing against him, I just don't see how not playing him improves him as a player, he should be given the chance to prove what he can do elsewhere.
Enda Stevens - I'm not sure why he got signed in the first place, but he did look useful on the rare occasion he wandered onto the big green enclosure surrounded by angry fans, bless him.
Ciaran Clark - Has often been given the nickname 'Calamity' due to his error strewn displays, I feel he just tries too hard, but he just isn't a good enough central defender.
Ryan Bertrand - Technically, doesn't belong to us, but I wouldn't make his Loan permanent as he just didn't do enough I don't think, although he did look a massive improvement on what we had at the position, until he missed a game due to ineligibility, then he looked forever lost.
Alex Tonev [LOAN] I still believe he can be a really good winger, he just needs time to settle, in a less hostile atmosphere, although with changes happening all around the club, perhaps he's in the best place. Still a regular run playing every week whill do wonders for his confidence.
Yacouba Sylla. Doesn't add anything special, should go while he's still relevant and can gain a little sum back.
Nathan Baker . Like Clark his Central Defensive partner, he just isn't good enough for this level at this time. Maybe one day he can be, but I wouldn't risk it happening under our watch.
Grant Holt. Like Bertrand isn't under contract to Aston Villa, but I would ensure he doesn't get that way as well. Did OK when Benteke was lost for the season, but I would have rather seen Robinson, Helenius or Bowery given a run in the team and the loan signing could have been used elsewhere of need.
Jordan Bowery - Until his cameo appearance in the final games of the season, I'd forgotten he was even a Villa player. Played well against Hull, but was pretty absent in the finale. Hasn't really had the regular first team action he needs to play well, as it stands is probably fifth on the depth chart which means unless there's an injury crisis, he wouldn't normally grace the bench.

Players I would sign [in no particular order]

Thomas Kuszczak - Brighton - Free His experience in the game should be a good fit in Aston Villa, and I'd definitely offer him a contract. He has worked under Sir Alex after all, who better to learn from ?
Marc Albrighton. Key when he featured, and often turned in man of the match performances. Sadly, this too has not been done as he's been released. Terrible decision.
Gareth Barry - Manchester City - Free. Would be amazing to get reunited with a player who still has it at the top level. Most Villa fans have got over his leaving, but he can really help the midfield which would free up so many other options he would be like having three new players.
James Milner - Handled his exit with class, and would love to see him back crossing the ball in to create chance after chance. Come on home Jimmy !
Charlie Austin [Providing QPR don't get promoted]. A 20 goal a season striker, would surely be a welcome addition to Aston Villa. 20 goal a season strikers are rare to come by anyway so I would put a bit extra into securing him, to form a menacing 2 headed attack with Christian Benteke [post injury].
Shaun Maloney - Struggled last time although he had homesickness troubles, seems more settled this time, so should remain a force, playing behind the strikers or doubling as a winger to assist Milner / replace him late in games.
Jonathan Woodgate - Middlesbrough. Has had injuries in the past, but has also played for Real Madrid. Good player, and would bring in a Centre back with experience which would be needed. In his final year of his contract, and he may be unwilling to leave his boyhood club, I'd certainly check in with him.

While I concede it's highly unlikely as things stand Villa could actually sign them, these are players I firmly believe they should target, given who might be available, and all could be considered realistic. The only problem with a few of them might be wages, but then, if you aren't prepared to pay top dollar, you end up paying for Yaouba Sylla.

Aston Villas Hour of need ...

What they need will be explained [hopefully] within this entry.

Firstly, I would like to point out to those that don't follow football, or Aston Villa that this has been a very trying season, for many different reasons, but it has all come to a head this week with the suspensions of Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa .

This announcement , and the following one which saw Gordon Cowans and Shay Given as assistants to Paul Lambert for the relegation avoiding run in, have seen a new lease of life around B6, and all things considered it would explain a lot as to why the players looked petrified playing at times.

There are many reasons as to why Culverhouse and Karsa have rumoured to have been suspended for, but it is clear, at many stages this season alienation and bullying is at the tip of the iceberg. For a while. things haven't seemed quite right, although nobody really knew why. Talk of players being sent home from away games alone, or being dropped because of a lack of belief in youth [even though that was supposed to be the plan] and being quoted as unavailable due to injury. [There have been a suspicious amount of Achilles heel injuries on an unrelated related note] although sadly, Christian Benteke's is real.

Moving on to another issue, the dropping of players.

A large portion of the Summer's new recruits have failed to properly settle, and once promising players, Tonev, Helenius have been relegated to bench warming roles [Although last home game against Fulham, Tonev looked back to his Bulgarian best. and even regular starters Weimann and [this one isn't really specific to this season] Agbonlahor  Good players don't suddenly become so bad they'd struggle in the non leagues [ no disrespect to the lower leagues] and bad managers don't suddenly become incapable of managing to walk from the beach to the ocean without getting lost.

Another point I would like to touch on is the idiotic morons who would troll an ill advised Q&A with Joe Bennett. They call themselves fans, although some questions were enough to raise a small chuckle, on the whole I'd be embarrassed to call myself a fan if I behaved in such a manner. The reason it's idiotic, is he'd played a handful of games in Lambert's tenure, yet people blame him for the position the club finds itself in, he is just one man, one player, and the same people also refuse to criticise Benteke for having more enrgy in flailing his arms up and down when he doesn't get the ball.

Back to my original point here, I don't condone the lack of a plan B,C or D there is barely a plan A at times, and making a substitution with less than 10 minutes to go to find an equaliser, much less a winner, is baffling, but it happens time and time again. I've been on record as saying " that kind of decision should be reserved to see out victories or to ensure points don't get dropped in the final few minutes". Lambert's lack of flexibility is eerily similar to Martin O'Neills reign where he has his XI and that was that. I'm sure there is a silver lining under all of this obscurity, but it starts this weekend in the penultimate home game vs Southampton.

Somewhere in the rubble, is a foundation which will come to bloom next season . There are a few current Aston Villa players who I believe have no future, but I will comment on them after the season concludes away to Tottenham next month.

My Graduation

So, I graduated?

Someone tell me it isn't a dream, and I did gain a degree. I do have pictures to prove it, but maybe it’s a cruel practical joke and I don’t really exist? Though, if that’s true, how did this get written?

I am so honoured to have taken this ride and along the way met some truly fantastic people, and for these people I will be forever grateful for their dealing with my 3 am rants about whatever it was I couldn't do, or just taking the time to care about how I was doing with certain tasks. It was this, that although might not sound like much to you, definitely helped me to take a deep breath and refocus my efforts and slow everything down around me to enable me to make the decisions with a clear head. I've never properly thanked these people, because to me I had no idea how to do so in a way that was more than a thank you, because I felt it deserved more than a word. Though I'm a huge believer in the little things meaning more to me with something as huge on the line as my future, simplicity wasn't ever going to cut it.

Now, I know that I’m not the first person to graduate university, and I won’t be the last, but if you know where I've come from, or where I've been then I might as well be. I know I'm pretty special to the world, and I know I have a lot to give, and I will prove it.

I seem to be walking around taller and prouder since I graduated, and I've recently become accustomed to spring fever, and I [with help] have transformed my entire man cave, and who knew that to get a better night’s sleep is to turn the bed around? Well see, I've now given you all a better quality of life, as you’ll sleep better, and in turn get more done when you’re awake. Just a small tip but I feel infinitely better since doing so.

I love the spring, it reminds me that the best time of year is to come, and up to now the best time of the year is behind me, in regards to the aforementioned graduation, 2014 is going to be pretty huge all being well. I will do everything in my power to ensure it being so!

I'm finally accepting where I am in life, and what to do to get where I want to be, and where I want to be is right there with you on this ride of a lifetime. Strap in, settle down and I will guide you through this year with positivity, Heart-felt thoughts of gratitude, and excitement of what’s to come.

I sincerely believe in myself, I always have, but now I have a new found belief that no matter what the situation is, I can turn it around, whether I end up homeless, or I get stranded with no money miles from home, or I could be down in a darts match by over 300 points, so long as I have my legs, I’ll be fine !

[those are just extreme scenarios, but the darts one really did happen, and I still managed to remain competitive].

I’d rather have regrets for trying something and it failing, then not trying it, and this too happened, but I won’t share the actual event in which I felt this [as it will ruin the feel good vibe I’ve worked hard to produce here].

To close, I am honoured to be in this position, but the real opportunity lies just around the corner, and I will say to you all, do not be afraid to try anything new.

Thanks for reading . 

Behind the Visuals.

There is always an iconic piece of music, whether it be television, film, or in the rare occasion a score to a video game which takes it into a whole other level, and some of you may be aware that soundtracks are a passion of mine, and every week starting from next week, [Week Beginning March 3rd 2014] I will post starting with Number 10 the 1st entry on my top ten list of Television Theme Songs. I will also do a Top 10 Songs from within film, and eventually get onto a top Ten Songs list all of which I'm really looking forward to putting together for you all.

The only things some people may know are two entries on each list from personally knowing me but they don't have any idea where any of the entries will come in. Set your excitement phasers to mouthwatering excitement !

Thank you for reading this, and I'll urge you all to know that, it isn't necessarily going to be from a show I watch or enjoy, but if the TV theme is iconic enough to me, then it is worthy of inclusion and some just happen to entertain me with their television programmes content.

Maccie. 

In need of greater Arsenal ...

Now, last night, Aston Villa took on Arsenal at Villa park on a cold night. For 65 minutes, we all felt the cold, then the team woke up and we weren't aware of our surroundings, and the crowd was full of energy, full of life, as was the team.

Sadly, they were already 2-0 down at this point [due to a minute of two mistakes] . This happened not long after losing Nathan Baker to a mild concussion, and a very scary moment in which he didn't move from the moment he went down, and I suspect he was already out before he hit the turf, for a further five or six minutes. They hadn't really looked like losing, until then, and didn't deserve to lose either, as Arsenal weren't that dangerous in my opinion. Something needed to happen, something like, maybe a Benteke goal, but given that he hadn't scored for 11 hours it was unlikely, wasn't it?

Suddenly, down he went and sent a diving header [which probably could have been scored with either foot] but whose complaining? A goal is a goal, and for the tall striker, a much needed confidence boost, and he looked a different player for a small period before it, but mostly after, he had a new sense of self belief, but that's only natural for an out of form player.

It was certainly refreshing to hear applause and pride from the crowd at the final whistle, instead of the usual booing, to which he have recently become accustomed. It was a moment of clarity, that when everybody is back and fit and playing well, we are definitely a team that can, and will cause problems for any team. I said at the beginning of the season, that there will be some dark times ahead, and in the future the team will start winning more regularly, and be more competitive for longer, and the beginning of "The Project" is.... Now.

I will reiterate, a creative midfielder is still needed, as is a more experienced CB, it is a position were they just can't keep healthy, and Baker is definitely better than Clark. Without Vlaar, there's little chance of a win, Vlaar is really the key for keeping the back door locked. That said, 2014-15 is tipped to be one of high potential, which should be fulfilled, for the most part.

Last night, it finished 2-1, and Villa one another day, might have had more, but sometimes that's football. 

Oh, to be a Villa Fan...

Firstly, apologies for the lack of Villa related match reports, it just became difficult to sum up woeful in more than one word. I don't mind the team going out there, fighting hard and coming away with nothing, as that signifies honour, but there is no honour in not fighting at all, a prime example, before taking the lead against Swansea [which was the first time they managed to find the net in the first half all season at home] The last time a goal was scored at Villa park by them, was back in November I believe, in a 2-0 win against Wales' other Premier league side, Cardiff.

For whatever reason, the team is lacking in confidence, and panic easily, and as fans, we haven't always been supportive, but when your team is getting at most 30% of the ball in a game what are we supposed to do? For the most part, I think us the Villa Fans are in this for the long haul, but we are alarmed at how woeful they have been lately. Things have to change, and this is the right time of year to add something new, and slightly abandon the youth policy we have going on. Youth is fine, but with injuries to the experienced players, the young lions look lost and vulnerable.

That said, we can take heart that they didn't lose against Swansea, to remain unbeaten by them in the Premier League, P3 W1 D2 . What the team needs, is a but of steely determination in the midfield, and a slight formation change. It's all well and good playing 4 - 3 - 3 but when one of your strikers has to cover Left Back, then things are never going to go that well.

Winning games against Manchester City [H] and Southampton [A] mask over the real problems, but with 65% possession against Crystal Palace, in a match they lost 0-1 , indicates what exactly we will need to kick on.

1) Experienced CB - Jores Okore looks a really decent buy, but with his ACL injury early in the season, he's not likely to play again until next season, a real shame, and Ron Vlaar is also injured at present, but he should be back within a week or two. The team look confident enough with Vlaar at the back, but another experienced head at the back, can help mentor, or guide Clark and Baker through the season.

2) A Distributor in the Midfield. While Delph and Westwood are good at what they do, they need something different in the midfield who can make that killer pass to open up defences , or can hold the ball up so strikers can find better positions. Also discipline is a slight worry, but like Delph's technical skill, that can only improve with more experience.

3) Ditch the long ball stuff. It is easy to play against Villa, home or away now, as teams are wise to their tendancy to pump it long through the air to the big men up front [Benteke or Kozak] but the team play their best stuff, when Benteke isn't in the lineup and they get the ball to feet and pass and move. After all, that's how they took the lead against Swansea with that exciting style. People say Kozak won't make it, but I'm, fairly sure he will, and if he played together with Benteke, he'd be very effective, as defenders might get confused as to which one to mark, and with Albrighton and a new buy whipping in crosses, the attacking line should be very profitable indeed. If you are going with three up front, I'd modify it so that it's more like an Attacking Midfielder and Benteke + Kozak in there, however, Benteke hasn't been properly fit for months, which begs the question, why was he played so much when he clearly wasn't right ?

4) Do not sack the manager. That seems like a ridiculous thing to have to say, but stick with Lambert, even with this questionable substitutions, but that's part of the job, they work he's a hero, they don't work he's a moron. With more options available, and from the changes he's made, I can understand some of them, but I can't fathom why bringing one someone with 5 minutes to go, to change the game is good. Sometimes, I feel that the changes are a little backwards, in that by all means, bring on some new legs with less than ten minutes remaining, but that's best used for holding a lead. If it's an attacking change, do it no later than 75 minutes. Everything will work out, people are just too impatient, and lets not forget, this was the guy we all wanted from another club. Give him a break.

Hopefully, if just one of these steps is taken from now till the end of the season then it will improve fortunes greatly, and when that questionable substitution works out, the Holte will go crazy for more, but while it's not looking close to being a formula for success, it is easier to criticise than to see the bigger picture. Every manager makes changes that are baffling, it's a learning process for the manager, as well as the XI on the pitch, but in two years, hopefully the nucleus is there to challenge for the right end of the table again.

To sum up, there will be some lows, but as time goes on more highs, and hopefully this will be a side that can stay together for five-eight years, and then slowly bring in the next breed to do exactly the same again.