the mistakes ive made in expert leagues the past few years

[Ender]

Well my experience in a very competitive 14 team league with deep rosters is you must have at least one sure thing closer and one ok closer and don't draft pitching early unless it falls farther than it should.

Thats with 4 RP, 4 SP, 2 P slots though... so the impact of any one pitcher is lessened.

Also the scavanger saves people in most leagues I"ve seen throw away ERA and WHIP to stay competitive in saves and in the end its not a good idea. Guys like Burgos and McClung hurt your team more than they help it. You just have to avoid the Turnbow and Lidge types which isn't always easy.

[brandnew]

Okay, I had to go check out more of their stuff, since you guys like them so much. Easily, my favorite song on that album is Clothes Off!. I d/l'd it immediatley. I have a feeling my wife will like that song a lot - and that will make me very, very happy.

I'd pick up the CD if I were you, it's a great album. Worth the $10.

[Yoda]

PITCHING WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS

[ttwarrior1]

exactly i could of drafted johan in the 1st and kicked butt. Its easier to know where to get the guys like freddie sanchez and matt holiday in the middle rounds instead of sleeper pitchers

[Dawgpound 1613]

Since my main league has very limited waiver moves (but very large rosters), trades are the main method for acquiring talent. And, from experience, it is MUCH harder to trade for quality SP. Closers from dumping teams are always available, as well as bats. However, as for SP, the good ones are generally on the good teams, and they are reluctant to deal them. And the bad teams generally don't have any.

As such, I always target pitching (focusing on good K/9, K/BB and GB/FB ratios) and usually end up with top 3 in all 5 categories as a result. I then trade for the hitting needed to get me into the money (and often the championship).

As such, I agree with TOP to the extent that while I won't overdraft pitching, I definitely focus on it since it seems much harder to make up ground in ERA/WHIP after a few mediocre pitching gambles have torched it.

As for young SP, I only rely on it until mid-August, then look for other options. Most minor league seasons are 5 months, not 6, and young pitchers just seem to run out of gas the last 6 weeks, no matter how good they've been all year to that point. The only exceptions are generally those that have pitched sparingly in the 1st half of the season.

Lessons I've learned in 15 years of playing. They may not work for everyone, but they seem to work for me.

[bellybrother]

Don'y buy "cheap" injured players in keeper auction leagues just because they MIGHT help some this year and you'll have a bargain for next year.....Bonds last year, Prior this year.......which equates into don't play for next year with 1/20 to 1/10 of your salary.

[Dawgpound 1613]

Don'y buy "cheap" injured players in keeper auction leagues just because they MIGHT help some this year and you'll have a bargain for next year.....Bonds last year, Prior this year.......which equates into don't play for next year with 1/20 to 1/10 of your salary.

The key is to trade those players for help this year to a team playing for next. For example, get Pedro next year and play up his career numbers and trade to a team playing for 2008. There will be someone who feels he will be back to normal then and you reap the value in 2007.

[RJ24VC15]

I made the same mistakes of not getting SP's. My offense was great, but Ben Sheets and Scott Kazmir getting hurt killed me because I had no depth at all.