Fantasy Baseball Bible

With the advent of the great American pastime, Players, Coaches, Parents and Inventors have made amazing strides in the development of baseball mitts and gloves. Advancing Player performance at all levels which is tempered by distributed cost are the challenges faced by all.

Many significant advances are protected by United States Patents. Contemporary gloves make these original designs seem obvious in their development. But at the time, these changes were ground breaking.

An early Patent, Ball Players Glove. Although not baseball specific, the abstract gives full detail on what it is used for and whom they are to protect. Filed by Edwin Loucks of New York on August 23, 1887 under Patent Number 368,724. Essentially, this is an open finger glove with leather palm and rear strap with buckle.

The ringing goal for his invention was to be ’serviceable, cheap and extremely durable.’ Here, Player protection while participating in this new game drove its development.

As it has been said before, what is old is new again with time. Even in 1887, cost control for players was in the thoughts of their parents and equipment makers. The best mouse trap in the world is useless if the cost to acquire it outweigh the benefits of having one.

Further United States Patent 1,056,909 in 1913 by Charles M. King of Washington DC as assignor to AG Spalding & Brothers a New Jersey Corporation. In the Abstract, “The object of my invention is to produce a base ball glove or mitt in which the palm portion is constructed to present a more adherent surface in catching a base ball.”

Notice that baseball way back then was two words. But this summary pretty much starts it all; modern age of improving glove technology and the gloves ability to catch a baseball. Here creating equipment to functionally assist the Player.

US Patent Number 01,496,824 Robert F. Nixon Jr. of Philadelphia Pennsylvania took things up a notch with his patent in 1924 by most notably adding fingers to his Baseball Gloves and Mitts Design.

Through the history of baseball, design changes like these have been added to those then contemporary models. Each improvement enabling Players to stretch just a little farther or make plays during the heat of the moment not previously seen.

Another US Patent Number 2,750,594 by Henry Denkert of Johnstown NY added one of the most recognizable features still used in baseball glove and mitt manufacturing today. He created the baseball glove with a pre-formed pocket. His creativity forever solved an ongoing problem. “Gloves of conventional construction take considerable time for the pocket to form properly and since the padding can shift its position, the pocket may not retain its proper shape.” This break through occurred in June 19, 1956

From this point forward gloves look much as they do today. Changes in assembly, materials and processes still add to the equipments ability to function at a higher level then their predecessors.

One lingering question on the mind is would the historical greats have done better or worse if contemporary equipment was available to them. Would a 1924 Major League short stop have the same skill and ability if he was trained with a superior performing glove. Would he have learned to use two hands as well as he did when his glove demanded two hand performance?

It almost seems obvious that the player using a pocketless glove would have a significant in developing the use of two hands for all catching situations. When choice is provided between using two hands or clasping with one, modern players, particularly new players, opt for the single hand solution. Without great Coaching, breaking these habits is extremely difficult and could spell the demise of the Players advancement.

By: Mitchell Dowdy

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Divisional Makeup

The AL (American League) East has operated under the same configuration since the 1998 season. In that year the Detroit Tigers moved out of the division to allow the expansion Tampa Rays in. The division itself now consists of, in alphabetical order, the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Tampa Rays (formerly the Devil Rays) and the Toronto Blue Jays.

History

The East has been one of the most productive divisions in all of baseball, winning 5 World Series Championships over the past 11 seasons. It has also produced 7 of the 11 Wild Card playoff teams during this span. As for the inter-division results themselves, the New York Yankees have won the division 9 times (3 World Series), followed by the Boston Red Sox (2 World Series). The only other team to win the division during this span has been the Tampa Rays. The two other divisional teams, the Toronto Blue Jays and Baltimore Orioles have not won the division since the 1998 reconfiguration, although Baltimore did win the division in 1997.

Competition

This division is unique within the majors as two of the top payroll clubs, the Yankees and the Red Sox usually rule. With their deep pockets they are able to construct ball clubs that can compete each and every year. The other teams in the division don’t have this luxury. For these remaining teams (Baltimore, Tampa, & Toronto) to compete they need to use a “restock” philosophy, which is essentially building teams for one or two year runs and then trading out the personnel when it becomes to costly to maintain.

In a nutshell this is the AL East. In 2008 the Tampa Rays were able to win the division with a young, low cost core. The Rays should be able to compete for at least two more seasons at a reasonable cost, turning the AL East into a three team powerhouse along with the free spending Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.

By: Matthias Koster

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Fantasy sports are quickly becoming one of Americas favorite past times. People are playing in competitive leagues, friendly leagues with their friends, and even family fantasy baseball leagues are getting started. Some of these leagues have a lot of money on the line, while others just have your pride. You don’t want to be in your friends and family league and come in last place; you will never hear the end of it. In fact if you win your league you will be able to give everyone a hard time, all year long. I have come up with a few strategies I have used to place in multiple fantasy baseball leagues.

The Draft: The part of the fantasy baseball season that has the biggest impact on how well you do is the fantasy draft. If you go into it without a draft strategy and you are just winging it chances are you will not do as well. Knowing what players you want to target and having a sound draft strategy are a great start to a fantasy baseball season. Another tip about drafts is to stick to your plan. If your plan is to draft all pitchers first, then stick with it, no matter what!

Trading: Don’t just draft your team and then leave it. If you draft a lot of pitchers then you are probably weak on offense. Try and trade a few pitchers to boost your offense. Don’t be afraid to offer a trade just because you would not accept it. Everyone values each player differently. Try and find out what they are looking for and work with the other fantasy baseball team. Also knowing what their favorite baseball team is, and offering a player that plays for that team to them could boost your chances of the trade going through.

Waiver Wire: Stay active. Check the waiver wire daily and see who is available. Be observant of trends and be sure to not miss out on hot streaks. Don’t miss the best rookie of the season just because you don’t check on your league daily.

Know your Scoring System: There are many different types of scoring systems in fantasy baseball. They all have different strategies that work. Know your scoring system and know all the loopholes it has. Even if you don’t use them, at least you will be aware when someone else does it.

It doesn’t matter if there are thousands of dollars on the line, or just your family pride; winning your fantasy baseball league is a lot of fun. Using a strategy and the tips outlined in this article you should be able to make it in the top half of the standings. The biggest tip though, have fun!

By: Christopher Hufnagel

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