I guess the 2008 SOMBOE season could not be over soon enough for my sorry pack of $80 million players. I had my worst season ever.

Ever.

How bad? Well, my 2005 New York Nahasapeemapetalons won 72 games as an experiment. The experiment was they featured the two most expensive players, and that is obviously not a winning ticket.

This year's Chicago Hot Dogs were 69-93, and maybe the results look like an experiment, but I was really  trying to outwit my opponents when I picked my team. And, I was really trying to finish respectfully--as in nto 20 games under .500--when I actually did what I consider the unthinkable: I cashed in some of my players.

Actually, Aramis Ramirez, who hit .308-13-39 over 227 at-bats earned his money, but Kelly Johnson (.245-8-21), Ben Sheets (3-4, 5.13), and Greg Maddux (4-7, 5.35) we just as bad as any of the players they replaced.

Weirder, I was actually 44-37 at home, but an awful 25-56 on the road. I mean, it is so hard to imagine how I could be so much worse away from the Friendly Confines.

But, so be it. My pals Trace Wood (78-84) and JP Kastner (also 78-84) did not fare much better. Nor did host Brendan Roberts (73-89) of The Sporting News. In fact over the sixw years of SOMBOE, I think this is the first in which at least one, if not two of us made the post-season.

For, as I have noted, I know what I did wrong. At least I think I know, and that was trying to cover too many angles, and not focusing enough money on everyday studs, rather than finding a bunch of very good role players. Because in the end, the role players just did not stack up, and the success of Ramirez supports that.

But, winning with Norris Hopper and Joey Gathright as integral parts of a team just won't work, as my record indicates. Note that either did not have a good year, but, my money simply would have been better spent on nine very very good every day guys, like Ramirez.

Still, it is fun to play. And hopefully learn. It is also fun to watch other buds like Joe Sheehan and Jeff Erickson make the playoffs for the first time, along with Matt Beagle. As for Dean Peterson, I think he has been there before.

Doesn't matter, though, because making the playoffs in this league is always tough. So, congratulations Matt, Joe, Jeff, and Dean.

I hope I can uproot at least one of you next year.