OPENING DAY 2009!

We’ve made it!  Sure, last night’s game in Phily was cool, but today is the real Opening Day!  I’m going to just ramble a bit today.  I’m excited, thrilled, drained, nervous and relieved all at the same time.

• Yesterday’s podcast was excellent!  It was my highest rated show ever and also set a record for live listeners for me.  Sure, it was a bummer that Geoff Stein couldn’t make it, but he apologized big-time and explained that he was exhausted and we’ll reschedule him.
• I’m a little concerned about doing 7 fantasy leagues, but I’ll just have to work hard on staying organized — which will indeed be a chore for me.
• As I stated in my post the other day, I prefer the new Mets stadium over the Yankees new home.  Both places are nice and both teams should contend in ’09.
• Derek Lowe pitched great as the Bravos beat the Phils Sunday Night.  Brett Myers was a bit shaky early, but his breaking stuff improved as the game went on.
• Jeff Francoeur went deep utilizing a new batting stance.  I’m a bit worried that launching that HR might actually hurt him, as he might try to hit homers in his next 20-30 ABs and pull everything.
• Rookie Jordan Shafer also went deep — in his first big league AB, no less — which is not something you should expect to continue to happen.  The main part of this dude’s game is speed.  Simply aiming for the fences will probably cost him his starting job.
• I kinda wish the NCAA would move the hoops finals to another day so MLB could bask in the limelight by itself on Opening Day.  By the way, I will go with the Elephants to win it all.
• I’m in the finals of my fantasy basketball league.  My opponent is my good friend Firewyrm, who has a loaded team.  Had I not lost 2 of my top picks, Michael Redd and Amare Stoudamire to injuries, I think I would’ve won, but now I need alot to go right to take the title.
•  We’ve already had one game snowed out today, grrrr, I can’t wait until we get to the age where every team north of Mexico has a retractable roof stadium.  It just makes sense, c’mon.
• After doing my first show on The Fantasy Sports Channel at BlogTalkRadio I’ve been encouraged to entertain the idea of extending the show to 120 minutes.  Whoa, cool, I’ll take that as a compliment from the new network.
• Ryan Howard struck out in a crucial AB last night in the 9th inning.  Howard owners should remember he has been known as a bit of a slow starter, so don’t panic if it takes a few weeks to get it going — yes, I know he had a great spring.
• Keep an eye on the Rangers and Nationals pitching staffs, I just have a feeling there is going to be a few surprises emerge.
• I’m starting to jump on the A’s bandwagon, though the young pitching staff worries me.  I wonder if Pedro Martinez lowered his price tag, how’d he look in green and white?  Talk about a good mentor for young guys.
• Now that the season has started, fantasy owners need to switch gears and start preparing for free agent signings.  This is the part of the game so many owners fail at because, yes, it does require a little effort.  Last year guys like Cliff Lee, Carlos Quentin and Ryan Ludwick were all undrafted players who went on to have major impacts on fantasy leagues.
• If you are in a league that has free transactions, and most do, then don’t be tentative when it comes to snatching up a hot player, you can always release him later if he doesn’t pan out.
• Don’t be rude when you get what you consider an insulting trade offer.  The other owner may not know just how much better Carl Crawford is compared to Luke Scott and Kevin Millwood.  Plus, if you burn that bridge early you may miss out on a future trading partner.  Yes, I know, it is frustrating to repeatedly get useless offers, but simply hit the “reject” button and move on.
• For those owners coming over to fantasy baseball from football be prepared.  The season is much, much longer and you really need to pace yourself.  Don’t get too happy if your team gets off to a good start or too down if your gang struggles out of the gate.
• Now that I think about it, you’ll hear alot of people encourage team owners who’s team gets off to a bad start.  You don’t hear people reminding owners who’s team rockets out to a comfortable lead that they need to keep working.  I had a double-digit lead with a week to go last year in the 2 leagues I won and I was still sweating it out.
• Okay, I don’t want to get too aggressive with advice today, after all it is Opening Day!  It’s a day for us fantasiers to share our sport with the masses.  Go out, or stay in, and enjoy it all!

-Johnny Archive