A short note on the genesis of this blog.

Now that we have settled in here at the blog, I wanted to just discuss what our mission here is and why I started the blog. The genesis of the blog was the proliferation of bad advice out there, and the dearth of any serious advice to those who are looking at The Big Picture. I listen to lots of baseball related podcasts and radio shows, and have always found it interesting that most fantasy GMs appear to lack a basic plan or idea for their team’s big picture.

Sadly, this is a problem endemic not just to fantasy baseball but to the world in general. There are just too many people who want a formula; they would rather be given a recipe to follow than to develop one on their own. People blindly follow their political party, or argue for political positions without even a modicum of thought as to what is going on in reality. Others look to psychics and frauds for advice instead of considering the reality of the world and what these con artists are doing. People believe in ridiculous medical claims of homeopathic remedies, a multi-billion dollar industry based on fraud. There are no shortage of other examples. If you are one of these people, then this blog probably isn’t for you!!

From a fantasy perspective, there are plenty of sources for recipes; in fact that is virtually every fantasy website. What is worse is when an “expert” gives a recipe, the owner assumes that “strategy” consists of following the recipe’s steps that are outlined, and often times that recipe is addled or simply not thorough; just look at the posts on the podcaster who shal lreamin nameless. But in reality, “strategy” is not following a recipe. What we are talking about is having a well thought out structure and plan, and making tactical decisions that comport with that plan; a plan that each General has developed for their particular circumstance.

What is strategy and why is a plan necessary?? It is about flexibility and having options, so you can respond to the inevitable downturns and chance occurrences. It is about foreseeing what will happen to your team and not being blinded by an early run of luck. Sun-Tzu advised that an army should be poised to strike in a multitude of possibilities, much like a boulder that is sitting atop a hill; it can roll in any direction and its effect will be like a devastating torrent. Granted, this is a bit overreaching when compared to fantasy baseball! The principle though is what matters. You cannot have options if you follow a recipe or adhere to bad advice.

Often I hear questions posed like “should I trade rookie X for established player Y,” or “when will this guy get called up to the majors.” The Fantasy General will not have to ask these questions. He will have already thought about his team’s context, the ML team’s needs and positions, what his team’s goals are and whether rookie X will push him toward that goal better than established player Y, and other such factors. Once this is achieved your job is done. If you think about the right questions and consider the right variables, you won’t have to call in to a radio show and get dubious advice. That is the Big Picture.