krukster.com: Keeper Leagues are like one long poker game

I love getting messages from Dave that are of the long-winded variety. In our 20 team league, he is the superpower. If our league is the Gabe Paul Memorial League, then we play at Steamin' Mastadon Park.

In this observation, Dave hits on several interesting topics, including the savviness of other owners, when it's better not to replace an injured player and the plethra of information available on the web.

There's something to learn from a guy who has dominated in a competitive keeper league for nearly 20 years.

...I can survive 'cause I'm a wiley vetran of 19 years! Notto brag, but more of an observation: In those 19 years, I've won 10 titles. Why? Is it because I know more than the other guys? I don't think so. I think it is because of three things:
1. Knowing when and when not to pull the trigger on deals.
2. Guys like me because they know I'm not going to try to screw them, so they are willing to deal with me, plus when they like you, they are more apt to help you than some schmuck who you're battling who has a stick up his rear and a massive ego.
3. Not overdealing. That little ditty came from you (Thank you Trent Durrington) and I have been the recipient of it ever since. That may have been one of the most useful tidbits of info I have ever received in this game. We all know the talent, and what guys are worth, and who the hot you rookies are. That's easy. Not picking up crap when your 2b goes down for two weeks is tough to do. I've laid off picking up the TDs for a couple weeks, and lived with no stats. That was a major plus.
4. Oh, and as a bonus reason: ABs. The more you have (in general) coming out of the draft, the better you do. Stands to reason.
5. I'll add another one, just for fun. This idea that you should allocate the mass majority of your dollars to hitting — I don't buy it. You have to have an anchor.
The big dogs say you can luck into pitching. I disagree. I think you can smart your way into saves by doing your homework and buying set-up guys with potential (Brian Miller is good at that). But SPs? You pick up guys with marginal talent and they can kill you, mainly because there's only 10 pitchers on your staff.

I would rather invest in a middle reliever with solid stats, who throws 80 innings, gets you five wins and no saves (Aaron Heilman, Dan Wheeler, etc) than go after the likes of Bret Tomko and 12 win guys with monstrous whips – a trap some owners fall into every year, which is why they are constantly high in wins, low in whip/era).

We live in a time when we all know the score when it comes to talent. You couldn't sneak a stud single-A guy thru the draft without having his price tag jacked up to $7 - ala Brandon Wood. Information is everywhere on the Internet. It's like asking a guy to go out into the yard to see if he can find a blade of grass. It's easy. This game has become more like poker, where you have to know and undestand your competitors, know their tendancies, and most important, know what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Internet sites like Rotoworld and Krukster make info easy. Being able to fashion a draft strategy based on a keeper league is the one aspect of this game that gets overlooked by every magazine and Internet site out there today. Which is odd, since the majority of leagues are keeper leagues.

All of these mags write from the standpoint that they are connecting with mental fantasy midgets. They aren't aiming their info toward the smart guys in the game. It's the same reason golf courses make their courses easy for studs — so hacks can feel good about themselves and come back for more.

I use to chuckle at our old site, that had that trade evaluator on it. One owner used to bow down to that thing — which sadly didn't take into account your team needs, the fact that you had to plug someone else into your lineup in a 3-for-2 deal, how quickly you could pass guys in front of you in certain categories and an assortment of other items. It looked purely at the numbers involved. It's almost as if today''s fantasy owners rely so heavily on gadgets they can't make a decision for themselves.

Maybe that's my biggest advantage: I think I know more than the magazine writers because they think from the standpoint of a new league, and trying to reach out to morons.