Search
My Favorite Fantasy
The major league baseball season is officially underway, and all is right and good in the world. Even though baseball will never again be the way it was when I grew up, I just can't turn away from the game I learned to love as a kid.
That was in the 1950s and 1960s when many players stayed on one team their entire careers. Even Jackie Robinson, my all-time favorite player, retired rather than wear a uniform other than the Brooklyn Dodgers. Can you picture Pee Wee Reese in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform? No way. Stan Musial and Bob Gibson were Cardinals, and Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle were Yankees. Ted Williams was a Red Sox player. If some owner told him to go play for another team he'd tell that owner where to put his Louisville Slugger.
Nowadays you definitely need a scorecard to identify the players and most players end up playing for five or six teams in their career. Bernie Williams and maybe Derek Jeter may be the last of a dying breed of one-franchise players.
And forget about those pitchers throwing a complete game. That has gone the way of the hulahoop and penny candy. Back in 1953 Robin Roberts led the National League in complete games with 33. He made 41 starts and finished all but eight of them. In 2006 Aaron Harang of the Cincinnati Reds and C. C. Sabathia of the Cleveland Indians led their leagues with six complete games.
It just has to make you feel that we've lowered the standard on what it takes to be a major league baseball player. And with 30 teams nowadays instead of 16 when I was growing up, you have to believe that there are a lot of minor league players who get to earn big league salaries.
Anyway, even though baseball has changed in those ways and others, I still love it. And back in 1992 my son Erik and I started the Gagnon Fantasy Baseball League. It had just three teams that year, but now, 16 years later, it has five teams. The originals, Foxy's Foxes and Erik's team, now called Erik's Avengers, still remain. The other three teams are Goose's Ganders, owned by my brother, Lonnie's Lone Stars, owned by friend Lonnie Barriere, a big Texas Rangers fan, and Rostak's Roosters, owned by friend Ed Rostak.
You can bet at league meetings there are plenty of arguments, what with the owners being fans of the Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, Rangers and Pirates. That's because we all love baseball, and true baseball fans can always find something to argue about, even if it's about what stadium sells the best hot dogs. We all know the answer is the Dodger Dog at Dodger Stadium.
I happen to believe that I will win the 2007 Gagnon Fantasy Baseball League championship. When I tell you my lineup, you will surely agree. My first basemen (we are allowed two players at each infield position, five outfielders, and then a pitching staff) are Justin Morneau, one of baseball's bright new stars, and Carlos Delgado, slugger extraordinaire.
At second base who has the most hits for that position over the past year and a half? The answer is Robinson Cano and Chase Utley. Both proudly wear Foxy's Foxes uniforms. My shortstops are Miguel Tejada, over 100 runs batted in for six of his last seven seasons, and Carlos Guillen, who has hit .320 the last two seasons.
At third base, you can have A-Rod all you want, but I'll take Troy Glaus, who hit 38 home runs last year, and Garrett Atkins, a relative nobody who hit .329 and drove in 129 runs for Colorado last year. At catcher I have the American League batting champion Joe Mauer, with future Hall of Famer Mike Piazza as the backup.
My starting outfielders are New York Yankees: Johnny Damon, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu, with Ichiro Suzuki and Nick Swisher waiting when the Yankees face tough pitching.
The aces of my pitching staff are new Red Sox phenom Dice-K Matsuzaka, Tigers' ace Jeremy Bonderman, C. C. Sabathia, Mets' phenom Mike Pelfrey, Mark Buehrle, just to name a few. And for the bullpen Joe Nathan is one of baseball's best.
How can I lose?
It's time for Moms and Dads to play catch with their kids, time to set up the tee-ball stand, time to oil up the gloves and time to sit with your kid or best friend and watch a baseball game. This is the best time of year and lasts all the way through October!
My major league prediction: I'm cheering for the New York Yankees this year, because my Los Angeles Dodgers want a piece of them in the World Series. I can see it now! Dodgers beat the Yankees in the Fall Classic, while guys like Johnny Podres, Duke Snider, Sandy Koufax, Wes Parker, Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davey Lopes and Willie Davis watch from the stands.
Ah, that's my fantasy!
Comments
That would be unreal....I think that may be my favortie fantasy, haha!
Posted by: Aaron | April 10, 2007 2:35 PM
Well Foxy I'm sorry to say you will not win the league, you don't have any Cardinals on the roster!!! No Pujols or Carpenter? Just kidding, the line up looks real good! I do agree that this is a great time for sports because you always know there will be a baseball game on when you get home from work! Plus OU's spring game was on yesterday, and the final round of the masters is today!
And as for your prediction of a Yankees Dodgers world series, I think your half right. Take out the Dodgers and insert the Cardinals!
(Foxy's note: Sure would like to meet you in St. Louis some day for a good ol' Dodgers - Cardinals double-header. Wouldn't that be fun?)
Posted by: Aaron | April 8, 2007 11:44 AM
No modern dream team should be without 2 stars that actually won American League awards. Johon Santana, AL Cy Young winner, and proably the best pitcher in the game right now, and Joe Mauer, the first AL catcher to win the batting title. If anyone ever has been to the Metrodome, in the twin cities, nothing in any other ballpark, compares to a domedog. Biggest hotdog you will ever get at any ballpark!!! My biggest Fantasy, is the Yankees vs Twins in the Dome, at least 2 series during the season!!
(Foxy's note: Sounds great, sparcat! This is the first I've ever heard about the Domedog. Might be worth a summer trip, huh?)
Posted by: sparcat | April 5, 2007 9:08 PM
This is by far my favorite time of the year, MLB starts and NHL is in playoff mode.
To my fantasy......... As a lifelong Yankee fan I have seen a lot of good times and not so good times. From '65 through '75 and '82 through '95 the Yankees won zip, no pennants no series. People seem to think of the Yanks always winning. As a fan I know better. My fantasy is that when the Yankees win another series that people say " the Yankees won" not the Yankees bought another one. There seems to be only two types of MLB fans.........Yankee fans and Yankees haters. I happen to be a Yankee fan but I still love being a baseball fan.
Posted by: jim | April 5, 2007 6:21 PM
The other great news out today RE baseball, is that cable TV can run the MLB Extra Innings package again (as in the past). So do we thank Goose or the US Senate Committee (John Kerry) for this development?
(Foxy's note: Wow, that is great news! Goose always tells me he has friends in high places!)
Posted by: John | April 5, 2007 8:37 AM
Dodger Dogs ?? Nah Fenway Franks. We have tickets 6 rows from the field for opening day at Fenway (got lucky and was picked in a ticket lottery) I will wrap up a few of the Fenway steamers and bring them back for you. Dodgers vs Sox in the series. Sorry, Goose
(Foxy's note: I've had some Fenway Franks in my day, and they are definitely great.)
Posted by: Rick K | April 4, 2007 8:00 PM
This Yankee fan's favorite fantasy came true! I just published my first regional children's book, Adirondack Nightmare: A Spooky Tale in the North Country. How's that for a shameless plug?
(Foxy's note: Congrats, Becky, and how about a "Fox on the Run" interview on public-access TV to further promote it? Send me an e-mail (foxman@westelcom.com) if you are interested.)
Posted by: Becky Leonard | April 4, 2007 3:41 PM
How can you leave Jeter out!!! Talk about being there when you need him.
(Foxy's note: Dick - as you might guess, Goose has owned Jeter since his rookie year. I'll take Tejada's power to equate with Jeter's batting average.)
Posted by: DICK BRENNER | April 4, 2007 3:24 PM
Foxy,
Is your version of fantasy baseball different from the online version? I've been playing online with friends from high school that have moved all over the U.S. --- kind of a neat way to keep in touch.
Also, you should check out Pat Neshek's blog, he's a middle reliever for the Twins...www.patneshek.com
I still miss the Expos, but its fun to follow all of their former players like Vlad Guerrero, Pedro and Moises Alou.
Andy Brockway
(Foxy's note: Yes, Andy, the Gagnon Fantasy Baseball League is customized for our situations. We count only the Saturday and Sunday games, and ours is a "keeper league." We don't have an open draft every year. For example, this year I released 7 of my 2006 players and added 7 for 2007.)
Posted by: Andy Brockway | April 4, 2007 9:07 AM
Thank goodness Baseball season is finally here...I love watching just about any sport..but they are mainly fillers until Baseball season arrives. Luckily I can leave my driveway and be at Turner Field to watch my Braves in an hour and a half. Next week will be great...miss d and her beau will be in town visiting and we will be at Thursday night's game against Chicago. Unfortunately they are in FL this week or we could have gone to the home opener and watch my Braves put a whooping on their beloved Mets. :) Anyways...looks like a good year for the Braves as long as injuries don't come into play. Also..as you do...I enjoy a good fantasy baseball league. I belong to a fairly large one that has a lot of military members in it..including some folks over in Iraq. Even with top players going fast before I got a chance to pick during the draft, I put together what I think (you know how that goes) is the winning team. Brian McCann (C), Paul Konerko (1st), Brandon Phillips (2d)..after Utley not much top talent at this position...Adrian Beltre (3rd), Jeter (SS), Matsui, Rameriz and Francoeur (OF), and Garciaparra (utility)...got some good pitching also..Santana was the pick snatch of the draft..also Lackey, Wickman and a few others. On paper I should kick butt..course that's what the Yankeees said last year. :) PLAY BALL!!!!!!
(Foxy's note: McCann is a real good catcher and I see you have Jeter and Ramirez, both clutch hitters. Hopefully Garciaparra will stay healthy!)
Posted by: Chief | April 4, 2007 9:06 AM
Well, Foxy, it's about time you came to your senses. I had to read where you had 3, that's right, 3 Yankee outfielders on your fantasy team. Must be you really want to win. And then wishing them to get to the World Series. Congratulations are in order to GOOSE. It is difficult to get an older sibling to see the errors of their way. All those years that Goose, as a dutiful and respectful little brother, has finally paid off. You won't be sorry, Foxy. And as Goose will probably say, "hope the Dodgers make it there"
Bullet
(Foxy's note: Bullet, what do you mean "errors of their way"? I didn't say I made an error, and I'll offer no apologies for my Dodger worship over the years. I just want to see the Dodgers kick the Yankees butt.)
Posted by: Bullet | April 3, 2007 3:35 PM
Looks like the USA Today agrees with your assessment of the "Dodger Dog".
http://www.usatoday.com/travel/destinations/10great/2007-03-29-baseball-stadium-food_N.htm?csp=34
Posted by: John | April 3, 2007 11:35 AM
I lived in Southern California in 1978-81 and got to see the California Angels a lot - my house was 10 minutes from Anaheim Stadium - the Big A. Players like Don Baylor, Rod Carew, Bobby Grich, Carney Lansford, Bert Campaneris, Joe Rudi, Frank Tanana, Nolan Ryan, Jason Thompson, Merv Rettenmund, Brian Downing, Jim Barr, and Ron Fairly were guys I saw night after night. Get this! Tickets were $2 and if I wanted to splurge I'd pay a scalper $5 to sit in the 1st couple of rows inside 1st base. Thank you Gene Autry. The very 1st professional team that I was a fan of was the Brooklyn Dodgers. I even had a hat with that distinctive B on it from A.H. Marshall's. I was heartbroken when they moved to LaLaLand. When I moved out there in 1978 the Yankees kicked the Dodgers' butts in the World Series, and I was the only one rooting for the Yankees - I wasn't a popular guy in the squadron ready room, being a rookie and all. Mr October came thru that year, go Reggie (he was his biggest fan). I visited here in D.C. in 1962 and went to DC Stadium (later called RFK) & saw that fabulous NY Yankees team pound the Senators - but someone on the Senators hit a solo shot out so it wasn't a shutout. I even got to go down to the row behind the dugout and take pictures of those Yankees with my new Kodak Brownie. I took my son & nephews to see the Orioles the last year they played in Memorial Stadium - we saw Ken Griffey & Ken Griffey Jr. play the outfield together for the Mariners - the only father/son duo to ever play together in the big leagues. I have to say, Jarry Park was the best major league stadium to watch the action on the field. I'm with you, Foxy - play ball.
Posted by: Miney Rowlson | April 3, 2007 8:27 AM
My fantasy? It would have to be, of course, seeing my Red Sox take the world series again. I don't care about who they have or don't have. I don't care about previous records. I am a true Red Sox fan through and through. And for anyone who is going to bring up that fateful game so many years ago.....it takes more than one man to win or lose a game and Buckner did not mess up. The ball took a bad bounce and that is all there is to it. All of you can say whatever you want but I have lived, will continue to live, and will die a Red Sox fan.
Posted by: Kathy | April 3, 2007 5:27 AM
Foxy,
Opening Day is still special. I just wish the Mets would have opened today instead of Sunday night.There is nothing like early season afternoon baseball. Thanks to the Goose I can watch another season of Mets' games on Sportsnet New York.
Craig Mathews
(Foxy's note: The Mets look good, darn good, this year if their pitching can hold up. Shawn Green has kept his nose clean his entire career and deserves one more big season. So does Moises Alou, the ex-Expo! Those veterans and a great group of young stars might be the recipe for success.)
Posted by: Craig Mathews | April 2, 2007 7:31 PM