flosses like fossas

using IE makes my eyes bleed. as does watching the way someone else uses the internet (which is a different discussion altogether). ever notice how frustrating or (less often) enlightening it can be to watch someone else search for something on the internet? also, let's talk about tabs, a revolution in surfing efficiency. sorry, i've opened up cans of worms.

with heyward, posey and strasburg all excelling and a number of other rookies pulling weight (leake, stanton, etc.), who do you guys see taking the NL ROY? i have to think that if posey can continue anything similar to the numbers he's been putting up that he would be the favorite, especially since strasburg is going to be on limited innings.

well, last i checked edmonds ranked 15th on the nl OF all-star voting. that must mean he's doing some good things. *sighs yet again at the idiocy of allowing fans to vote for all-stars.*

I'm reading it right now. I ordered the "expanded and updated" version from Amazon a few weeks ago. There were a bunch of positive reviews and IMO the reviewers didn't seem like shills so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm about 100 pages in. thoughts? so far i'm surprised by how useful much of his advice is. however, i basically disregarded the section where he develops a product to sell.

on the recommendation of my somewhat maniac MBA-student friend, i am trying out the 4 hour work week. anyone read it? thoughts? i am a huge skeptic, but after 50+ pages the least i can say is that it's intriguing. it's not gimmicky, which is nice, though the author's voice often comes across as arrogant. but he's not showing off, he speaks very confidently (most often) about decision-making, and about how hesitation and fear of "what-ifs" keep most people from achieving so many things because they fear risks. i can't say i ascribe to any of it word-for-word, but i do agree with much of his philosophy about risk taking and the rewards associated with it. it's interesting so far.

yes! how did i forget that?

if you're deathly serious, take on proust's in search of lost time. for something a bit less daunting and easier going but still classic, the rabbit series (rabbit, run, rabbit redux, etc.) by john updike.

i'm reviving this topic because i just read the very excellent baseball book 9 innings by daniel okrent. he takes a 1982 game between the brewers and orioles and turnes it into a full-on narrative. check it out. at present i'm reading the elementary particles by michel houellebecq. it's great so far. anyone read it?

excellent article on how hating the yankees affects one man's reading habits. joe queenan is a funny guy, regular essayist in the times. here's the link (http://www.nytimes.com/20...eenan-t.html?ref=books), my browser is not giving me the full gamut of rich text options. if someone wants to tidy that up by linking text, go right ahead. edit: title

yes, get to the facility and the practice fields early to get some signatures. also, if the brewers are playing a night game, go to maryvale in the afternoon because the guys who are scheduled to play that night will be taking batting practice and you can just wander the stadium unabated. we stumbled into this great opportunity before the brewers nightcap against the rangers. speaking of my spring training trip, click here to see a fairly large set of photos, including game and practice shots and a few of aroldis chapman in his green st. pat's day hat.

the first thing i would do is counter, subbing hill for pedroia. next, unless you've got starry eyes for wandy, i'd offer pedroia for kendry straight up.

2 days til we're there! are there bars or hotels with shuttles to any of the stadiums? is there a brewer bar?

it's more than i had before. thanks!

i'll be heading down to spring training next week and i have a question i haven't seen an answer for: is there danger of games selling out? if not at maryvale, are other teams' stadiums a tough ticket? my bothers and i are deliberating and can't get it sorted. appreciate any help on this.

i'd say you have to keep fielder - with league inflation 38 isn't a bad price. i'd also keep cano, those second tier second basemen have all been going in the $20 range. between the gonzos... i'd argue the same point as fielder. adrian is going to rake, and if he gets dealt his numbers could be colossal. betting on cargo is still a heavy bit of speculation, and there will be plenty of decent OF options in your auction.

sbnation noticed, but they don't add much to the discussion. Edit: typo

it would be really helpful to know the rest of your situation...BUT...i would keep adam dunn over manny. he is consistent. top 3 not including manny: dunn, abreu, c. lee under no circumstances here would i keep manny.

Did you get in one? I'm in league 7. Can't believe there are 18 full leagues already. yes, i'm hosting league #15. good luck.

are there many on this board who use auctions? i've got my first auction this year, and i've been trying to get into a good mock auction, but the ones on cbs are never full. any advice on this? would a group of bf.netters want to plan to get together for a/some mock auctions?

razzball is having a free fantasy contest. 5x5 mixed roto, espn leagues. (link button not working: http://...ball.com/2010-...ball-commenter-leagues/)

i like your approach to your keepers. what to do about reyes? deal him! maybe you can package him with another of your keepers for a blue chip piece (reyes and YO for a top tier ace?).

that's an interesting question, borbon projects to hit for average and that offense is dangerous. on the assumption that he'll hit near the bottom of the order, i'll wager he'll go .280/5/60/45 and 90 runs scored. i think borbon could steal 70, but with andrus and kinsler also running in that lineup, i doubt he will. also, while borbon is an eniticing late speed option, he's not alone in that category - pierre, rajai davis, evereth cabrera to name a few

newsflash: 10 days til pitchers and catchers report. related personal interest story: local man baffled at dearth of on-going dialogue of fantasy baseball talk on his favorite message board. in light of how much lip service we as a community pay to most player transactions, i just find this surprising. i would like to think that the two have an obvious correlation for many people who read this board. and yet, you'll note that the "fantasy baseball: 2008-2009 offseason" thread begun in october 2008 is still stickied on the first page of the 'off topic' forum. was the (2008) world series even over at that point? i'm baffled by this. i'm more excited than i've ever been for the upcoming fantasy season, i'm chomping at the bit, but this forum hasn't shown any signs of life on the topic. are people not as into it this year? distracted? is it becoming overkill? if you answered no to any - or, especially, all - of those questions, then let me hear what you've got cooking! keeper dilemmas? player A vs. player B? league play preferences? forgive me for getting worked up, but i trust bf.net as a friendly and above all reliable social resource where i can come and partake in intelligent, impassioned conversation, recommendation, debate and tomfoolery. oh yeah, and baseball talk. so i'm jonesing for some fantasy talk. help a brother out! here's a topic i've been mulling: mid-round starters, who do you like? i'm talking about guys that are right behind yo gallardo on your list - ubaldo jiminez, ricky nolasco, john lackey, clayton kershaw(?), matt garza, chad billingsley, jair jurrjens. i love ubaldo, he's still under-rated. i'm on the billingsley rebound bandwagon. AND i read some interesting stuff about the numbers behind ricky nolasco's less than aesthetically pleasing 2009. how would you rank them? talk amongst yourselves. Edit: formatting.

[bump.] still need one...

my brothers, some friends and i are starting a dynasty fantasy baseball league this year, and it looks like we might need a couple of reliable bodies to fill out our goal of 12 accountable owners. a brief bit about us and the league: - current owners are mostly mid- to late-20s, brewers, mets, white sox, phillies fans (so far) - it will be an active and competitive pay league, but it's smaller money - live online auction - 25 man rosters + 5 minors - head-to-head 6x6 - R, HR, RBI, S, AVG, OPS / W, K, SV, HD, ERA, WHIP - democratic approach to league dealings plain and simple, we're seeking experienced, dedicated owners because we want this league to be a lot of fun for a long time. this league isn't over the top, but it will likely be a bit much for most who haven't played before. PM me with your email address and i'll send you the constitution.