Managing a Strat-O-Matic team--any fantasy team for that matter--involves such a fine line.
There is the uncotrollable urge to tinker and tweak, and yet the very concept suggests not only obsession, but, well, Aristotilean Tragic Flaw.
If you remember Aristottle, or the basic rules of poetry, you might remember that the tragic flaw is that gift that is our downfall. For example, being so focused on winning that everything else slips away can certainly fuel a good fantasy team and success.
But, that same focus cannot not only isolate and alienate us, but, cause us to look at the world through such a vaccum that ultimately all our judgements stand in question.
And, often that means the ultimate failure of the thing we loved the most: our team.
Going into this season, the team I had become the most obsessed with among my own little continent of league was my AL Midwest League El Cerrrito Mountaineers.
As I have written, the Mountaineers won 105 games last year to take our division, although we were knocked off in the first round of the playoffs by Al Koman.
But, in the off-season I traded for Matt Cain and David Bush and Austin Kearns, and drafted Asdrubal Cabrera and Jair Jurrjens. Best of all, I had frozen Carlos Pena as an uncarded player, so all I could see were bright lights.
So, after a month of play, we sit at 14-15, with one of the lowest batting averages (.247) in the league, and a worse ERA of 5.20.
And, well, Strat teams always have their hot and cold runs, just like major league teams. But, in Strat it is not only hard to gain on the leader once you get too far behind, in Strat cards and players that can look hot beyond all belief can be colder than the polar cap.
Of course, some guys overperform (Felipe Lopez is hitting .345 right now) but usually thing go according to Hoyle. The trick, I think, is being able to build the right kind of defense around a pitcher like Mike Mussina to improve his card just enough to turn him into a 20-game winner (he actually won 22 for me last year, as did Curt Schilling).
Irrespective, after that first month it became clear to me that my pitching was simply not going to be as good as I imagined. Both David Bush and Lenny Dinardo have cards that scream "hit me."
Unfortunately, so does my #2 starter, Gil Meche and while you can skate through with a #5 starter who gets knocked around from time-to-time, you cannot with three, or four of them. Period. As, there are just not enough runs to compensate.
Additionally, I made a hole for myself in stocking with good left handed relievers (Brian Tallet and Scott Downs), but with my only solid right-handed set-up/middle man, Joel Zumaya, I had another hole.
So, I made two trades.
First I let go of Nick Swisher as the main cog of a deal that netted Chad Billingsley. Also included were Felipe Lopez and my #2 draft pick next year, but in return I received Marcus Giles, Cody Ross, and Joel Petrie's #5 pick next year.
So, Joel's Wicker Park Bilderburgers get a second baseman and outfielder for the next few years, while I used Giles until next year when Cabrera should be my starter. In the mean time Billingsly gives me a much better #2 starter behind Cain, and while I lose a very effective bat against lefties in Swisher, Ross can pick up the spot as the right-handed part of a platoon that Ross Gload hitting from the left.
And, since my outfield is pretty well stocked among Melky Cabrera, Austin Kearns, and Casey Blake, Swisher was expendable.
Then, I dealt Jack Hannahan and my #3 pick next year to Al Koman and his Lake Villa Heat for Aaron Heilman.
Which gives me a nice right-handed counterpart to Downs and Tallet, and some set-up for Jonathan Papelbon.
Since we will be only two months into the season when I have this team moving at full strength, I know we can challenge for a title.
At least I think we can. I thought we could before and was mistaken.
Or, maybe all that thought and tinkering were unnecessary and the bad numbers were just working their way out of my player's cards?
Who knows? I just want them to win, you know?