Crown Crazed » Fantasy/Betting

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 25 – July 1

Travis Pflanz — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 20:58:24 +0000

Another tough week last week in the world of fantasy baseball Churners & Burners in the starting pitcher category. Hopefully you took the obvious route and did NOT take Vin Mazzaro on Friday against the Cardinals when he was bumped from starting against the Astros on Wednesday. I think I made it pretty clear the Astros offense was the reason to start Mazzaro. If your league doesn't penalize for hits allowed and reward a quality start, Aaron Harang and Garret Richards weren't to bad for your squad last week, but still all-in-all a tough week. The C&B ERA went down a little last week, but the WHIP went up a few thousandths of a point.

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 18: Jonathan Sanchez - 5.2IP, 4H, 6ER, 6BB, 3K
Tuesday, June 19: Aaron Harang - QS, 6IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 0K
Wednesday, June 20: Vin Mazzaro (pitched Friday, not recommended vs. Cardinals) - 1.1IP, 6H, 7ER, 2BB, 2K
Thursday, June 21: Jacob Turner - 5IP, 4H, 1ER, 5BB, 5K
Friday, June 22: Kevin Millwood - 5IP, 8H, 5ER, 3BB, 3K
Saturday, June 23: Garrett Richards (pitched Sunday) - QS, 6.2IP, 9H, 3ER, 2BB, 5K
Sunday, June 24: Alex Cobb - Bumped from start.

Last Week's Totals: 5GS, 0W, 2QS (40%), 28.1IP, 33H, 18ER, 22BB, 16K, 5.76ERA, 1.94WHIP Season Totals: 26GS, 5W (19%), 1CG, 7QS (27%), 136IP, 175H, 98ER, 71BB, 96K, 6.49ERA, 1.81WHIP The Rules:

The starting pitcher must be owned in 25% or less of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues
"Probable Pitchers" come from CBSSports.com
One "Churn & Burn" pitcher per day
A pitcher may only be used once per week

Monday, June 25: Justin Grimm (2%), Texas Rangers v. Detroit Tigers

The rookie, Justin Grimm, struck out seven Astros in his major league debut, throwing six innings and getting the win on June 16. I really believe in giving rookies a second shot after a great start, especially with an offense like the Rangers behind him.

Tuesday, June 26: Chris Archer (7%), Tampa Bay Rays @ Kansas City Royals

The Royals were hot, now they stink again. The rotation and bullpen was horrendous over the weekend. In his major league debut, Chris Archer gave up three earned runs and struck out seven batters when he faced the Nationals last Wednesday. As I mentioned before, rookies who perform well get a second shot from me.

Wednesday, June 27: Kevin Millwood (9%), Seattle Mariners v. Oakland Athletics

Although Kevin Millwood was part of a team no-hitter just three starts ago, he has allowed 17 hits in his last two starts, while only lasting five innings in each outing while being credited with three and five runs respectively. Maybe the last shot I give Kevin Millwood, but we have discussed the Oakland Athletics offense many times in C&B, so Millwood gets my blessing on Wednesday.

Thursday, June 28: Brett Cecil (2%), Toronto Blue Jays v. Los Angeles Angels

The Toronto rotation has been completely decimated by injuries in 2012. Brett Cecil has been better than serviceable in his two starts this season, posting a 2.45 ERA, however only throwing five innings and six innings respectively. The Blue Jays offense has been on fire as of late, giving a serviceable pitcher a shot at the win. Honorable Mention! Prospect phenom, Trevor Bauer, will reportedly be making his MLB debut for the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday. If Bauer is available in your league, GRAB HIM NOW! Bauer is not available for C&B because he is owned in 32% of Yahoo! leagues.

Friday, June 29: Jose Quintana (17%), Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees

The trend this week seems to be rookie/young pitching... In his last two starts, Quintana has thrown 16 innings (8 each outing), while allowing ZERO runs, striking out 10 and walking ZERO. Back to back stud outings means I am willing to give Quintana a shot at a good offense.

Saturday, June 30: Garrett Richards (18%), Los Angeles Angels @ Toronto Blue Jays

I still own Garrett Richards in my H2H league and the rookie pitcher trend continues on Saturday. Richards has three quality starts in his four attempts for the Angels, never allowing more than three runs in any one game. His only non-quality performance? 5 innings, 2 earned run.

Sunday, July 1: Jake Westbrook (25%), St. Louis Cardinals v. Pittsburgh Pirates

The second of the "old" guys this week, Jake Westbrook, is 2-1 over his last three starts with a 2.57 ERA. Taking on the Pittsburgh Pirates, another team whose offense has been discussed many times on C&B, Westbrook should be in line to get a win after five innings.

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 18 – June 24

Travis Pflanz — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 22:34:45 +0000

Again last week, my picks were nothing better than sub-par. That being said, the picks I gave you were much better than last week. I rolled the dice with three of my picks last week (Richards for two, Matusz and Millwood). Luckily, I went with three whose performances were not too horrible (my points H2H league does not consider hits allowed). Also last week, if you grabbed up the Monday starter, Garrett Richards, then held on to him for two starts, he rewarded you later in the week rather than earlier. Richards threw 8 innings with 5 strikeouts and zero earned runs and a win on Sunday. Hope I can perform better for you, as well as myself, this week.

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 11: Garrett Richards - 5IP, 5H, 1ER, 5BB, 4K
Tuesday, June 12: Kyle Kendrick - 4IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 2K
Wednesday, June 13: Brian Matusz - 5.2IP, 9H, 4ER, 3BB, 7K
Thursday, June 14 (pitched Friday): Kevin Millwood- 5IP, 9H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K
Friday, June 15: Dillon Gee - QS, 6IP, 5H, 3ER, 1BB, 4K
Saturday, June 16 (pitched Friday): Anthony Bass - 5.1IP, 9H, 7ER, 3BB, 3K
Sunday, June 17: Alex Cobb - W, QS, 7IP, 2H, 0ER, 1BB, 10K

Last Week's Totals: 7GS, 1W (14%), 2QS (29%), 38IP, 47H, 24ER, 16BB, 34K, 5.68ERA, 1.66WHIP Season Totals: 21GS, 5W (24%), 1CG, 5QS (24%), 107.2IP, 142H, 80ER, 49BB, 80K, 6.69ERA, 1.78WHIP The Rules:

The starting pitcher must be owned in 25% or less of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues
"Probable Pitchers" come from CBSSports.com
One "Churn & Burn" pitcher per day
A pitcher may only be used once per week

Monday, June 18: Jonathan Sanchez (7%), Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros

Ya, I may be a bit crazy. It's not that I really like Jonathan Sanchez, but there aren't really many options on Monday. I'm actually a bit upset that another roster churner beat me out on my Sunday night claim for Sanchez. We allow 12 MLB pitcher starts per week in my H2H league and I need 4 more on my team this week. The Astros aren't very good at the plate and their pitching staff isn't too good either, so I like Sanchez to get through five innings with the lead, so a win may be in his future.

Tuesday, June 19: Aaron Harang (23%), San Diego Padres @ Oakland Athletics

I've spoken many times about how inept the Oakland Athetics have been at the plate and how GM Billy Beane's "just get on base" philosophy has finally caught up to the As,since they simply are not getting on base. Aaron Harang has been pretty hot as of late, winning two of his last three starts with a 1.89 ERA in 19 innings.

Wednesday, June 20: Vin Mazzaro (1%), Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros

I truly cannot believe I am saying a fantasy team should roll with Vin Mazzaro, but over his last three starts, Vin has won two, with a 1.80 era over the span. As well, Mazzaro has made two of his last four starts without allowing a single run. I've already discussed the Astros offense, so if Vin can make it five innings, there's a good shot he can pull out the W.

Thursday, June 21: Jacob Turner (1%), Detroit Tigers v. St. Louis Cardinals

With only six games on Thursday, there really aren't many options... So, what the hell, let's roll with the rookie. Is that a solid strategy? Sure! If you're already churning and burning through starting pitchers, what is a better method than grabbing a once top-notch prospect who gets the callup? That's how I grabbed Garrett Richards and he's been pretty good. If Jacob Turner performs well, you can hang on to him for a few starts, or make a deal with a position player for an offensive upgrade. Turner is 3-3 with a 2.83ERA and 44Ks in 63.2 innings with 26walks in 11 starts between Double-A and Triple-A.

Friday, June 22: Kevin Millwood (12%), Seattle Mariners @ San Diego Padres

Kevin Millwood has come down from his firey three game stretch in mid-May, even though he threw six innings of a no-hitter, just two starts ago. That being said, hitting and scoring runs is tough to do in Petco Park, that alone should give Millwood a shot at a win.

Saturday, June 23: Garrett Richards (10%), Los Angeles Angels v. Los Angeles Dodgers

I own Garrett Richards in my H2H league. As described above, I grabbed him up when not many options were available... All he's done since entering the rotation: 3GS, 2W, 2QS (the other was 5IP 1ER), 20IP, 13H, 2ER, 11BB, 17K, 0.90ERA, 1.20WHIP and a .191 batting average against.

Sunday, June 24: Randy Wolf (4%), Milwaukee Brewers @Chicago White Sox

Randy Wolf hasn't been too good in 2012, but over his last three starts he has a 3.20 ERA in 19.2IP with 12 K, walking 8. Wolf has no wins over this span, but I don't like anyone on Sunday, so I decided to go with the guys who has been the "best' over his last few games.

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 11 – June 17

Travis Pflanz — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:26:32 +0000

If you took my advice last week, you're probably spitting on your screen right now - Hating me. Believe me, I'm hating myself as well. I started three of the guys on my list from last week. Still got the win, but the middle of the week got scary.

My picks last week were not good at all... Pathetic would be putting it lightly, but give me another shot. Please. On the bright side, last week's Monday and Tuesday starters had solid games in their second start of the week, so if you hung on to them, you were rewarded.

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 4: Scott Feldman - 1.2IP, 7H, 8ER, 1BB, 3K
Tuesday, June 5: Homer Bailey - 3IP, 8H, 6ER, 2BB, 2K
Wednesday, June 6: Kyle Kendrick - 5.2IP, 4H, 4ER, 4BB, 6K
Thursday, June 7: Brian Matusz - 2IP, 2H, 2ER, 5BB, 0K
Friday, June 8: Luke Hochevar - 6IP, 9H, 4ER, 1BB, 3K
Saturday, June 9: Jarrod Parker - 5IP, 8H, 6ER, 5BB, 4K
Sunday, June 10: Joe Sunders - W, 6IP, 7H, 1ER, 2BB, 5K

Last Week's Totals: 7GS, 1 W (14%), 1QS (14%), 29.1IP, 45H, 31ER, 20BB, 23K, 9.59ERA, 2.22WHIP

Season Totals: 14GS, 4W, 1CG, 3QS, 69.2IP, 95H, 56ER, 33BB, 46K, 7.23ERA, 1.84WHIP

The Rules:

The starting pitcher must be owned in 25% or less of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues
"Probable Pitchers" come from CBSSports.com
One "Churn & Burn" pitcher per day
A pitcher may only be used once per week

Monday, June 11: Garret Richards, Los Angeles Angels (9%) @ Los Angeles Dodgers

I was lucky enough last week that Homer Bailey was already on a roster, so I "settled" for Garret Richards. All he did was go 7 innings against the Mariners, while only allowing 4 hits and striking out 8 with the only earned run a solo home run from Michael Saunders.

That performance warrants a 2nd "Churn & Burn" look.

Tuesday, June 12: Kyle Kendrick (6%), Philadelphia Phillies @ Minnesota Twins

Kyle Kendrick wasn't so good in his last outing (see above). That being said, Kendrick has been good - great four of his last 5 starts.

The Twins offense is nothing impressive: 17th in the MLB in team batting average (.252), 22nd in runs scored (245) and 26 in home runs (44).

Wednesday, June 13: Brain Matusz (8%), Baltimore Orioles v. Pittsburgh Pirates

I spend enough time bashing the Pirates offense, so you know how much I like to go up against their MLB worst runs scored, on base percentage and 2nd worst batting average.

Brian Matusz is coming off a bad outing (again, see above), but I really like the progress he has made in 2012. Five of his last six starts have been pretty good, so I'm not willing to give up on him yet.

Thursday, June 14: Kevin Millwood (9%), Seattle Mariners v. San Diego Padres

Kevin Millwood left after 6 innings of no-hit baseball in his last outing on Friday against the Dodgers. The Mariners went on to complete the no-hitter. The Mariners will re-evaluate Millwood on Tuesday, but it sounds as if the team will let Millwood decide if he is ready to go. Coming off being part of a no-hitter, you better believe he will make every effort to pitch.

Friday, June 15: Dillon Gee (9%), New York Mets v. Cincinnati Reds

Dillon Gee has thrown five straight quality starts with at least five strikeouts in each of those outings... Enough said.

Saturday, June 16: Anthony Bass (13%), San Diego Padres @ Oakland Athletics

There isn't really too much I like on Saturday. You already know how bad the Athletics offense has been in 2012, but with slim pickin's, what can you do... Except go against them? I said nearly that exact same thing last Saturday.

Anthony Bass wasn't good last week and he hasn't been good in his last four starts. I'm counting on the failure of the Oakland offense... Please!

Sunday, June 17: Alex Cobb (21%), Tampa Bay Rays v. Oakland Athletics

Alex Cobb has hit a rough patch since his first two starts of the season. That being said, the Miami Marlins offense is nothing special: 24th in runs scored (228), 23rd in batting average (.244) and 20th in on-base percentage (.315).

This seems like a good matchup to get the youngster back on track.

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 4 – June 10

Travis Pflanz — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 00:36:29 +0000

Welcome to the second installment of Fantasy Baseball Churn & Burn, with waiver wire fodder starting pitchers for the week of June 4 to June 10.

For the fantasy baseball owner who likes to focus on offense and simply grab the best available options to plug in each day into their starting rotation, this article is for you.

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, May 28: Bronson Arroyo - 4IP, 8H, 4ER, 1BB, 1K
Tuesday, May 29: Homer Bailey - W, CG, QS, 9IP, 4H, 1ER, 1BB, 5K
Wednesday, May 30: Dillon Gee - QS, 6.2IP, 6H, 2ER, 1BB, 5K
Thursday, May 31: Jeremy Guthrie - W, 7IP, 12H, 5ER, oBB, 1K
Friday, June 1: Kyle Kendrick - W, 5.1IP, 8H, 3ER, 2BB, 4K
Saturday, June 2: Luke Hochevar - 4.2IP, 5H, 6ER, 3BB, 3K
Sunday, June 3: Kevin Millwood - 4IP, 7H, 4ER, 5BB, 4K

Last Week's Totals: 3W (43%), 1 CG, 2QS (29%), 40.2 IP, 50H, 25ER, 13BB, 23K, 5.53ERA, 1.55 WHIP

The Rules:

The starting pitcher must be owned in 25% or less of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues
"Probable Pitchers" come from CBSSports.com
One "Churn & Burn" pitcher per day
A pitcher may only be used once per week

Monday, June 4: Scott Feldman,Texas Rangers (1%) @ Oakland Athletics

The Oakland Athletics and Billy Beane philosophy of wanting hitters who "just get on base" has finally caught up to the team.... and when you have the wrong guys on the team things get very bad. The Athletics have been shutout 11 times in 2012 and are 2nd to last in the MLB with a .288 team OBP and dead last with a team.209 batting average.

I will take the offense behind Feldman for at least a win.

Tuesday, June 5: Homer Bailey (16%) v. Pittsburgh Pirates

Homer Bailey is coming off a complete game with one earned run against the Pirates last Tuessday. The Pirates offense is pretty bad, dead last in the MLB in OBP with .275.

I wouldn't be shocked to see a repeat performance from Homer Bailey.

Wednesday, June 6: Kyle Kendrick (6%), Philadelphia Phillies v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Kyle Kendrick didn't make it to a quality start in his last outing, but his 5.2 inning/3 earned run outing was good enough to get the win.

The Dodgers are a good offense, but I like to ride a pitcher when he is hot. Kendrick has a 1.65 ERA with two wins in his last four starts, including a complete game shutout.

Thursday, June 7: Brian Matusz (8%), Baltimore Orioles v. Boston Red Sox

Sometime I absolutely love the fantasy players who follow a player's ownership throughout other fantasy leagues too closely. This type of owner misses out huge on players like Brian Matusz. The once top-prospect seems as if he is finally figuring things out.

Matusz's last four starts have been of the quality nature, receiving wins in three, striking out 23 batters in 25.2 innings with a 2.81 ERA and 1.013WHIP.

I don't care that he is facing the Red Sox, Matusz is beginning to become a legit force in the MLB.

Friday, June 8: Luke Hochevar (4%), Kansas City Royals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Luke Hochevar hasn't made it through five innings in his last two outings. My only real justification for Hochevar is how bad the Pirates offense has been this season.

Saturday, June 9: Jarrod Parker (18%), Oakland Athletics @ Arizona Diamondbacks

There isn't really too much I like on Saturday. You already know how bad the Athletics offense has been in 2012, but with slim pickin's, what can you do?

Five out of seven starts made by Parker have been quality, with one non-quality start a 5.2 inning/2 earned run performance. As you can imagine, Parker only has one win in seven starts.

Sunday, June 10: Joe Saunders (21%), Arizona Diamondbacks v. Oakland Athletics

It really feels like I am beating up on the Athletics, but why shouldn't I? Everyone else is.

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: May 28 – June 3

Travis Pflanz — Sun, 27 May 2012 16:25:25 +0000

Ah, the life of a "Churn and Burn" fantasy baseball owner... We all know him! He puts zero effort into drafting his starting pitchers, instead trying to grab up the "best of the rest" each day to fill out his starting pitching staff.

Throughout the years, fantasy baseball commissioners have attempted many methods to counter this type of owner, yet they still exist and I will not deny that I partake in this method from time to time.

The Rules:

The starting pitcher must be owned in 25% or less of Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues
"Probable Pitchers" come from CBSSports.com (when available)
I will give you one "Churn & Burn" pitcher per day
A pitcher may only be used once per week
I will recap how I did last week (beginning next week)

Monday, May 28: Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds (8%)

It's no secret the Pittsburgh Pirates offense has been pretty bad as of late, dead last in the MLB during the month of May in batting average at .205, OBP at .251 and runs scored with 69.

In his last 3 starts, Arroyo has 17Ks in 19.1 innings. Although he has been winless in these starts, with a 4.19 ERA. Even though the red-hot James McDonald (2.51 ERA, 9.1 K/9) is throwing for the Pirates, the Reds still have the advantage, as McDonald ranks 111th out of 121 qualifying starting pitchers in run-support.

Tuesday, May 29: Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds (5%)

I hate to go back to the same well on back to back days, but with how poorly the Pirates offense has been, I must.

Bailey has been better than Arroyo in his last three starts, striking out 16 batters in 19 innings with a 2.84 ERA. Bailey has also won two of his last three starts.

Wednesday, May 30: Dillon Gee, New York Mets (5%)

The Phillies offense is not as bad as people keep telling me it is. In fact, the Phillies have scored the 4th most runs in the MLB in the month of May with 117.

That being said, Gee was a hot and cold pitcher in 2011 and he is coming off a 7 inn, 1 ER, 9 K performance against the Padres and has thrown two consecutive quality starts.

Cliff Lee will be on the mound for the Phils, but the offense doesn't seem to give him any support as Lee has no wins on the season.

Thursday, May 31: Jeremy Guthrie, Colorado Rockies (2%)

With only 3 Thursday games, Guthrie is the only starting pitcher who falls into the rules of less than 25% ownership on one of the two websites.

Even the most loyal Churner & Burner should stay away on Thursday.

Friday, June 1: Kyle Kendrick, Philadelphia Phillies (2%)

As I mentioned earlier, the Phillies offense is not as bad as everyone keeps telling you they are. Scoring runs is the name of the game and in May, the Phillies were at the top of the list.

In all honesty, I picked up Kendrick yesterday as a "Churn & Burn" necessity and lucky was I... A complete game shutout I was rewarded. Three straight quality starts, means Kyle gets a second chance on my roster.

Saturday, June 2: Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals (4%)

If you're a Royals fan, like me, you no doubt know the story of "Good Luke, Bad Luke". Hochevar seems as if he doesn't give a crap about the game right up until the point the entire Kansas City fanbase wants to run him out of town. Then, he does his best Roy Halladay impression (pre-2012) for a few games, before disappearing once again.

Right now, "Good Luke" is pitching for the Kansas City Royals, with two of this last three starts being of the quality nature and the other 6 innings, 4 earned runs, 6 Ks and striking out 19 batters in 19.2 innings with a 3.20 ERA in those three starts. Only one win is concerning, but the strikeout rate as of late and may balance it out.

Hochevar throws today in Baltimore, but regardless of the outcome I will recommend Luke next weekend.

On Saturday, the Royals and Hochevar will face off against the Oakland Athletics, who were 25th in May in runs scored (85), 29th in batting average (.211), 28th in OBP (.291), with the 3rd most strikeouts (206). What happened to getting on base, Billy Beane?

Sunday, June 3: Kevin Millwood, Seattle Mariners (4%)

Millwood also makes a start on Monday, May 28th in Texas. While I am not afraid to start him in Texas, I decided to wait for the easier matchup in Chicago against the White Sox.

Over his last five starts, Millwood has posted a 2.70 ERA and over his last three start starts he has a 0.41 ERA with three wins, including a complete game shutout.

While the White Sox have scored the 2nd most runs in May (Rangers are #1), I am willing to take my chances with Millwood with how hot he has been lately.

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

5 Must Have Royals Players For Fantasy Baseball

Michael Urriola — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 17:31:23 +0000

Even though the MLB season has started it's not too late to create a fantasy team. Here is my list for the top 5 Royals players to get for Fantasy baseball.

1: Billy Butler

Billy Butler is red hot right now with 2 home runs and a OPS of .953, along with a .286 average. I can very well see Billy Butler playing very well all season long. I project that he will hit .280 with 25 home runs. Making Billy Butler a very valuable fantasy baseball player.

2: Jeff Francoeur

Jeff Francoeur just can't seem to not hit the ball. Jeff Francoeur is hitting .360 with a OPS of .847. I project Jeff Francoeur to hit somewhere around .290-.310 with 10 home runs. This would make him a fantasy sleeper and a good late round pick up.

3: Eric Hosmer

While Eric Hosmer has struggled so far, only hitting .207. He, still show's tremendous upside he has a lot of power, and played great in spring training and during the regular season last year. While he won't be available in the late rounds, he will still be worth the risk of taking him in the early rounds. You could easily see .285 average with 20-30 home runs.

4: Humberto Quintero

Humberto Quintero is playing the best, that he has played in his life. He is hitting .364, and looks to be a fantasy sleeper. He most likely will not get drafted letting, you pickup a solid back up catcher in free agency. You could expect to see Humberto Quintero hit somewhere between .270-300 with 5-8 home runs.

5: Alex Gordon

While Alex Gordon has played terrible, so far. He still has a lot of upside and if he can get back to playing like last year, he will be a fantasy baseball warrior. He might not even get drafted based on his current average of .160 and a .276 OBP. While Alex Gordon is a big gamble, he could pay off for you. If he can get back on track he could easily hit .280 with 15-20 home runs.

Do you agree or disagree with me?

5 Tools to Help You be a Better Fantasy Baseball Commissioner

Travis Pflanz — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 19:39:42 +0000

Anyone who is a fantasy baseball or fantasy football enthusiast has, undoubtedly, played in a league run by a commissioner who didn't give his/her full effort. This is not always the fault of the commish. Sometimes, simply, the correct tools are not being used to assist the duties. Using a few simple tools, the job of commissioner can become easier to manage and actually improve the communication and participation of your league. All tools listed are free to use.

1 - Create a rules/by-laws document separate of your league website settings

To me, this is the absolute most important aspect of any successful fantasy league. Each year and each league I operate has a rules document that supersedes the settings entered into the league website. This document needs to take precedent over league settings just in case you enter a setting incorrectly. With a rules document, you can correct settings without league protest. As well, this document needs to consider every possible situation that may affect the league and a short resolution needs to be written in. For this rules document, I use Google Documents to create and share it with the league. The best part of Google Docs is that you can allow league owners to highlight part of the rules, then leave a comment. Comments are shown in the margin and other owners can also comment on these comments. It is a great way to stay organized and remember potential modifications for the future. If you have problems writing the rules, or need a last look-over, I offer a Fantasy Rules Writing Service on my website Commish Advisor.

2 - A safe place to keep league entry fees

This sounds pretty basic, right? Well, it may not be for your league. Give League Safe a try. At League Safe, your league members pay online with their checking account or credit card, then League Safe keeps the money safe all year. At the end of the season, you tell League Safe who gets paid and how much. The winners then go to League Safe to get their money. League Safe offers 100% free options and owners can get their money the day after the end of the MLB season. Also, if an owner make a payment in person to the Commish, the Commish can pay League Safe on their behalf.

3 - Make it easy for owners to pay the entry fee

This section will actually include a few options:

League Safe - has the option to allow payment via credit card or checking account. Checking account is free, but if you choose the credit card option, all league payments will be charged a service charge.
PayPal - Most people probably already know about PayPal as an option to accept payments. Allow owners to pay the league fee with PayPal for added convenience. Make sure to add the service charge to the payment... It's not fair to take the service fees out of the league prize pool. Here is a PayPal fees calculator, so you can charge leaguemates the proper amount.
Google Checkout - Similar to PayPal, but I like/trust Google more than PayPal (eBay). Google Checkout fees calculator.
Square - Here's the situation. An owner tells you he will pay at the draft, but arrives and says, "I don't have cash, I don't have a check." Square is a small device that plugs into your Android or iOS device and allows you to take swiped credit card payments. Again there is a small fee, so use the Square fee calculator.

Like any business, make it as easy as possible for your customers to pay you... Or league members, in this case.

4 - Extensive owner contact list

Find out exactly how each one of your owners like to communicate: Phone call, text message, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Skype, Voxer, hell, even MySpace, if that is what they use. Take all the information and post it on the message board, or using the suggestion above, create a Google Docs spreadsheet, share it with the league and allow owners to change their own information and add additional methods of contact, if needed.

5 - Schedule automatic reminders for important league events and dates

I believe one of the responsibilities of the commissioner of a fantasy league is to remind owners of the draft date, cut- down dates in keeper leagues, trade deadlines, etc. Sometimes this can become a task in itself. Not only must the commish remind others, but must remember these dates for himself. I use a couple of tools to take care of this for me. First, however, I must mention, I use Google for as many things as possible.

Email Reminders

First, set up Gmail as your email client (meaning you can send/ receive email from any email address and even multiple email accounts using Gmail). If you're unfamiliar, Gmail can act as a web version of Outlook, if that is a more familiar comparison.
Next, use Google Chrome as your internet browser. Trust me, it is the best, no matter if you're on a Mac, Windows or Linux based computer. This exact method will work for Chrome, Firefox or Safari... Seriously, ditch Internet Explorer right now!
Now, create a contact group in your Google Contacts including the names, email addresses and phone numbers of all members in your league.
Install Boomerang for your browser. This plugin allows you to schedule an email to be sent at a later date.
Simply write your email, select your fantasy league contact group, the click "Send Later" and choose the date/time for the email to be sent. You can even set up recurring emails!

Text Message Reminders

From the email reminders above, you may have been thinking, "I don't need to create a group. I only need a list of the email addresses." This is true, but if you created a group above, the text message reminders will be much easier to set up.

I have an Android phone, which is also Google. With and Android phone, all contacts on the phone are synced with Gmail contacts and have phone numbers and email addresses for all owners. If you have an iPhone, you can also sync your Google Contacts.
Now go get Handcent SMS app. Handcent can be used as a replacement for your default SMS app on your phone or in addition to.
Open Handcent and go into the menu and select "Schedule Tasks." Now, write your text message and select a time for it to be sent later.

In Summary

As a commish, the league looks to you for guidance and expects leadership and activity. With a few tools you can keep organized and remove some of the mundane tasks and requirements of leading the league.

What are some of your favorite tips/tools?

2012 Kansas City Royals Odds

Travis Pflanz — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 21:32:03 +0000

The MLB season opened early this morning in Tokyo, Japan with the Seattle Mariners beating the Oakland Athletics 3-1 behind Ichiro Suzuki's 4-5 performance at the plate. The start of the MLB season always triggers my interest to look at the pre-season World Series odds. How do the Kansas City Royals stack up?

American League Central Title

Detroit Tigers -1000
Cleveland Indians +1000
Kansas City Royals +1200
Minnesota Twins +1800
Chicago White Sox +2000

American League Pennant

#1 New York Yankees +300
#4 Detroit Tigers +400
#8 Cleveland Indians +3000
#9 Chicago White Sox+4000
#9 Kansas City Royals +4000
#11 Minnesota Twins +4500
#13 Baltimore Orioles +7500

World Series Championship

#1 Philadelphia Phillies +500
#4 Detroit Tigers +800
#20 Kansas City Royals +6000
#20 Cleveland Indians +6000
#24 Chicago White Sox +7500
#27 Minnesota Twins +8000
#30 Houston Astros +20000

In case you need it, here's a nice little piece on how to read the money line - Sports Betting - Understanding Money Lines

Crown Crazed » Fantasy/Betting

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 25 – July 1

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 25: Justin Grimm (2%), Texas Rangers v. Detroit Tigers

Tuesday, June 26: Chris Archer (7%), Tampa Bay Rays @ Kansas City Royals

Wednesday, June 27: Kevin Millwood (9%), Seattle Mariners v. Oakland Athletics

Thursday, June 28: Brett Cecil (2%), Toronto Blue Jays v. Los Angeles Angels

Friday, June 29: Jose Quintana (17%), Chicago White Sox @ New York Yankees

Saturday, June 30: Garrett Richards (18%), Los Angeles Angels @ Toronto Blue Jays

Sunday, July 1: Jake Westbrook (25%), St. Louis Cardinals v. Pittsburgh Pirates

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 18 – June 24

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 18: Jonathan Sanchez (7%), Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros

Tuesday, June 19: Aaron Harang (23%), San Diego Padres @ Oakland Athletics

Wednesday, June 20: Vin Mazzaro (1%), Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros

Thursday, June 21: Jacob Turner (1%), Detroit Tigers v. St. Louis Cardinals

Friday, June 22: Kevin Millwood (12%), Seattle Mariners @ San Diego Padres

Saturday, June 23: Garrett Richards (10%), Los Angeles Angels v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Sunday, June 24: Randy Wolf (4%), Milwaukee Brewers @Chicago White Sox

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 11 – June 17

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 11: Garret Richards, Los Angeles Angels (9%) @ Los Angeles Dodgers

Tuesday, June 12: Kyle Kendrick (6%), Philadelphia Phillies @ Minnesota Twins

Wednesday, June 13: Brain Matusz (8%), Baltimore Orioles v. Pittsburgh Pirates

Thursday, June 14: Kevin Millwood (9%), Seattle Mariners v. San Diego Padres

Friday, June 15: Dillon Gee (9%), New York Mets v. Cincinnati Reds

Saturday, June 16: Anthony Bass (13%), San Diego Padres @ Oakland Athletics

Sunday, June 17: Alex Cobb (21%), Tampa Bay Rays v. Oakland Athletics

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: June 4 – June 10

Last Week's Recap:

Monday, June 4: Scott Feldman,Texas Rangers (1%) @ Oakland Athletics

Tuesday, June 5: Homer Bailey (16%) v. Pittsburgh Pirates

Wednesday, June 6: Kyle Kendrick (6%), Philadelphia Phillies v. Los Angeles Dodgers

Thursday, June 7: Brian Matusz (8%), Baltimore Orioles v. Boston Red Sox

Friday, June 8: Luke Hochevar (4%), Kansas City Royals @ Pittsburgh Pirates

Saturday, June 9: Jarrod Parker (18%), Oakland Athletics @ Arizona Diamondbacks

Sunday, June 10: Joe Saunders (21%), Arizona Diamondbacks v. Oakland Athletics

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

Churn & Burn Starting Pitchers: May 28 – June 3

Monday, May 28: Bronson Arroyo, Cincinnati Reds (8%)

Tuesday, May 29: Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds (5%)

Wednesday, May 30: Dillon Gee, New York Mets (5%)

Thursday, May 31: Jeremy Guthrie, Colorado Rockies (2%)

Friday, June 1: Kyle Kendrick, Philadelphia Phillies (2%)

Saturday, June 2: Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals (4%)

Sunday, June 3: Kevin Millwood, Seattle Mariners (4%)

Who are your "Churn & Burn" picks this week?

5 Must Have Royals Players For Fantasy Baseball

1: Billy Butler

2: Jeff Francoeur

3: Eric Hosmer

4: Humberto Quintero

5: Alex Gordon

Do you agree or disagree with me?

5 Tools to Help You be a Better Fantasy Baseball Commissioner

1 - Create a rules/by-laws document separate of your league website settings

2 - A safe place to keep league entry fees

3 - Make it easy for owners to pay the entry fee

4 - Extensive owner contact list

5 - Schedule automatic reminders for important league events and dates

Email Reminders

Text Message Reminders

In Summary

What are some of your favorite tips/tools?

2012 Kansas City Royals Odds

American League Central Title

American League Pennant

World Series Championship

Where are your bets?