ON the subject of great starts...

[nycalderon]

[quote:052aa1c770="Jimmy_C"]Nice start ny calderon...your team is on a 141 win pace!! That would blow the doors off everything in the record books.[/quote:052aa1c770]
It would be nice but I won't hold my breath...

[steal third]

Hey NYC....maybe your home park is actually in Dehli and everyone lets your "cows / players" pass the bases untouched......

[Jablowmi]

Penn failed to mentioned that the unbelievable 17-0 start was in a live draft league that includes a ton of vets. I followed the start with interest, although I'm happy to see the fade! Glad Penn's in another division......

[Outta Leftfield]

Sometimes streaks like this can be explained, at least to some degree, by the makeup of the different divisions.

For example, I had the opposite kind of team from NYC's and Penn's once--bad at both ends but strong in the middle. I had a 1-8 start, then gathered steam, eventually running off streaks of 16 and 20 wins in mid-season. By game 99 I was 67-32, on a pace to win 110 games, but the team stumbled back to mediocrity after that, going 32-31 down the stretch. We still won 99 games--my best year ever-- but it was a season of wild ups and downs.

Perhaps one reason for this pattern was the makeup of the divisions. My home division was extremely strong (three teams well over .500) and the other divisions were weaker. My bad start was partly a result of playing the good teams in my division and my hot middle was partly explained by the weaker teams I was playing in midseason. The .500 ball down the home-stretch (when Blyleven, who'd been unhittable, dropped something like 8 games in a row), was also partly explainable by a return to the tough teams in my division. It's hard to read the strength of the divisions during the first stretch of games, when you're not playing anyone else. But by season's end, it may all become clear. :D

[honestiago1]

Thought I drafted a pretty good team, but have a ton of pitching holes. I dumped a poor performing Schmidt to clear salary space, picked up pitchers and platoon players. We're at 9-18, and only 5 GB, but, on the whole, I'd much rather start fast and hang on than play catch up. You can be more patient with players if you're ahead, seems to me (esp. pitchers).

BTW, I'm convinced -- Henke is pretty much automatic. Got 47 saves from him on a bad team, 50 on a championship team. Have him on another team, and I expect he'll get about 40. Hard to miss with the Henk.

[yak1407]

I missed with Henk.
Only time I used him, he blew six out his first 24 appearances so i axed him.
Didn't help, however, as that team ended up losing 98 games as every move I made, made the team worse.

[honestiago1]

He did get off to a rough start on one of the teams I had him on. I'm not sure what his overall save pct. turned out to be, but on the whole I was satisfied. Of course, as many have noted, you can get plenty of saves from cheaper guys.

[honestiago1]

He had an .810 save pct. with 47 saves, a 5-5 record, 1.13 WHIP. Pitched 116 innings, so he was worth the price for that year (despite my mediocre 79-83 record). The big bust for me was Tettleton. .196 avg., .693 OPS. No run production. Also had a .320 year from Larkin in which he only scored 78n runs. The team just didn't get it going.

[DOUGGRAY]

[i:43da1a0b32] Henke is pretty much automatic. [/i:43da1a0b32]

Sadly, he isnt for me :(

[Jimmy_C]

NY...it looks like the Sacred Cows took a trip to the slaughterhouse since you posted this!! Never...EVER...jinx your team.