Please help me chill out

[AussieDodger]

Study MDP and envision what kind of team you'd like (be realistic). Usually picturing who's feasible with whatever 1st round spot you have (1= Hanley, 5= M-Cab etc) will help you shape your team.



Also, listen to this relaxing song right before your draft.......... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfEmN-50el8

See if I click on your links again!

wat

Good song, gives you a tension-releasing laugh before your draft, relaxed and ready for quality picks.

[The Artful Dodger]

Whenever I need to relax, I make myself a Tequila slammer and I'm totally chilled out. Wait...what?

It sounds cliche, but I'd go out there and have fun. The luxury of a live draft is it doesn't allow you to overanalyze things, which should be considered a blessing. Just use the force during the draft and you'll be fine.

[BitterDodgerFan]

since you're doing it on CBS, do some mock drafts on CBS. it will help you identify players who are under/over valued in CBS.

for example, cafe's ranking article (http://www.fantasybaseballcafe.com/player_rankings.php) reveals some of these:

CBS

Overvalued

Virtually all closers – Jonathan Papelbon (CBS ADP = 35.10), Francisco Rodriguez (CBS ADP = 37.96), Bobby Jenks (CBS ADP = 81.66), Carlos Marmol (CBS ADP = 72.69), Kerry Wood (CBS ADP = 93.82), and Huston Street (CBS ADP = 133.26) are examples of closers being drafted WAY too early in CBS leagues, 15 to 50 spots earlier than their MDPs.

Note: Since the time this report was written, the CBS closer ADPs have taken a nosedive as mock drafters agreed wholeheartedly with these findings.

Jered Weaver (CBS ADP = 125.35) – Weaver may be a bit undervalued on other sites, but he certainly does not deserve to be an 11th round selection in 12-team leagues. Weaver’s ADP in CBS leagues is about 85 spots earlier than his MDP. This is several years in a row in which CBS has overvalued Jered.

Undervalued

Brandon Phillips (CBS ADP = 70.44) – A slightly down year shouldn’t make Phillips a sixth round selection. In CBS leagues, Phillips is being drafted about 38 spots later than his MDP.

Chipper Jones (CBS ADP = 79.51) – Yes, Chipper is injury prone, but that still shouldn’t make him a mid-seventh round selection in 12-team leagues. Jones is being drafted about 23 spots later than his MDP in CBS leagues.

Adrian Beltre (CBS ADP = 174.53) – Remember what happened last time Beltre was playing for a contract? He is being drafted nearly 17 spots later than his MDP in CBS leagues. Maybe CBS knows something about Beltre’s tax filing status that we don’t know?

Lastings Milledge (CBS ADP = 186.63) – Edge is an excellent 20-20 candidate and is being drafted way too low in CBS leagues, about 50 spots later than his MDP.

[Snakes Gould]

i dont do many live drafts anymore but i recently did one for my money league on yahoo.

it was totally different than what i was used to. of course i was entirely prepared, but its more of an auto-pilot type thing. when its not your pick, load up your queue and target 4-5 guys you want to see fall to you and also keep in my who has what positions/stats around you. if you have a corner type pick, you can let a guy slide by knowing that the next 2 guys already have a 2b, or a ss, etc...

[shoelessjoetara]

I have the 2nd pick in my draft and I know I am taking David Wright. The real problem I have is who to take with pick 27 and 30. I am not confident in who will be there at that time. I am hoping for Morneau at 27 and Markakis at 30 but I know that won't happen. Especially the Morneau part. I don't want to take Upton, Lee, Quentin, or Ichiro at those spots because they don't fit the type of team I am hoping to build. That is what my dilemma really is and its causing me to think I am not ready or prepared.

[Neato Torpedo]

Quit worrying about "what if this goes wrong?". Once you accept that things will absolutely go wrong for you, it'll be a lot easier to chill out (applies to life in general too, incidentally). If you're knowledgeable about the players and decently experienced with fantasy baseball, you most certainly have the capability to break from a plan and draft on the fly. Preparation is good, but if you overthink and overanalyze you're going to end up screwing yourself. You won your league in both the last two years, so it's safe to assume you're, you know...pretty good at this, lol. Trying to predict exactly how a draft will go is like guessing at pitches in the batter's box. You'll hit on it once in a while and get very good wood on it, but 99% of the time it's an exercise in futility. The best course of action is to recognize what's given to you, adjust your swing, and do what you can with it.

On Friday I came well prepared to my live draft with novices, but things went REALLY wrong, REALLY fast when guys started drafting pitchers like crazy in the first three rounds. 7 arms gone in the first 22 picks. I adjusted to it and still ended up with the best pitching staff. If you're drafting with people experienced with FB, the screwups will be much less drastic but will still be there, like closers going early, or 5 SS's going in one round, or a guy ahead of you reaching for the last good player at a position before a big drop-off, or a couple guys hoarding MI's/C's, or the 3B trends fast approaching your little-known late round 3B sleeper, or guys reaching for SPs you have ranked behind a couple arms you want 3 rounds from now, or a guy being even bolder than you on a bold pick you planned. Et cetera...as the mantra goes, hope for the best, prepare for the worst.

Also, do mocks. Best against humans.

[Neato Torpedo]

I have the 2nd pick in my draft and I know I am taking David Wright. The real problem I have is who to take with pick 27 and 30. I am not confident in who will be there at that time. I am hoping for Morneau at 27 and Markakis at 30 but I know that won't happen. Especially the Morneau part. I don't want to take Upton, Lee, Quentin, or Ichiro at those spots because they don't fit the type of team I am hoping to build. That is what my dilemma really is and its causing me to think I am not ready or prepared.

Too bad, so sad. If they fall to you, excellent. If they don't, change your plans. That's all there is to it.

[shoelessjoetara]

I understand what ya'll are saying. I must say it is silly. I guess this is just predraft jitters if there is such a thing.

[swyck]

My draft is tomorrow night and I am worried that I am not prepared enough. I am in a CBS sportsline league and I find myself looking at the draft averages religiously and I think I am using this too much. I am trying to figure out who I will draft according to that and I think its making me feel I don't know what I am doing. I read Rotoworld everynight and I also read this site everynight. I have won my league the last two years and I feel like I could win again if I trust myself but doing what I am doing is not allowing me to relax. What should I do to make me more relaxed and confident?

You can't. Something will happen that you won't anticipate, and the people you were going to target in the 10th will be gone in the 5th, and pitchers and closers will be going way too early! Are you really sure about your late tier rankings at 2b? You need to draft a 2B high high high to avoid them, although Teahen has been hot this spring, maybe you could target him in the 20th, but what if he's gone in the 19th? You could be in trouble, grab him in the 15th at the latest, but then you'll need a closer.........

You're nowhere near ready, dude, you need to prepare more thoroughly.

[smoovethug]

Draft as many Phillies as possible, never fails for me.