108 Red Stitches: Mailbag

Time to open up the 108 Red Stitches Mailbag. To ask us a question email 108redstitches@gmail.com. Try to keep it baseball related, spammers not welcome, we know where you live and have Italians on our staff, and we're not afraid to use them.


Dear 108 Red Stitches,

I've got a question regarding closers, or the apparent lack of late in fantasy drafts. Looking over my team, I've notice that I'm weak in the saves category, partially because I failed to draft a K-Rod or a Rivera earlier in the draft.
Looking over my waiver wire, I've got three options; Kerry Wood, BJ Ryan, or Eric Gagne. Any thoughts?

- Kris, New York

We're beginning to believe that you can win in mixed leagues (head to head) without relying too heavily on a closer. What's the big deal if you lose out on one stat category, when you can spend higher picks on guys that will produce in three or four different categories? Back to your question regarding which closer to pick. We faced a similar situation in our league, and decided to go with Ryan. In our situation, we were able to grab Bobby Jenks later in the draft, so we can afford to gamble on Ryan. Wood is tricky, because they have two other options for closer if he doesn't work out. Gagne seems to be the most stable with his role, no one threatening to replace him, as in Ryan and Wood's situations.

That being said, Gagne is fat and lazy. Without anything nipping at his heals, he might have the tendency to become complacent. He signed a one year fat contract, nothing incentive laced, and that scares the hell out of us.

108 Red Stitches Mailbag

Time to open up the 108 Red Stitches Mailbag. To ask us a question email 108redstitches@gmail.com. Try to keep it baseball related, spammers not welcome, we know where you live and have Italians on our staff, and we're not afraid to use them.

Dear 108 Red Stitches, "We just started up a fantasy league with a bunch of my buddies from college. Obviously we've gotta wager on the season and I'm looking for an edge on the competition. Any suggestions?"
-Kevin in South Bend.

Well Kevin;
Seeing your email is from South Bend, we're figuring you could at least look to the luck of the Irish to get some help for your fantasy team. Most fantasy sites will tell you not to load up on one stat, home runs for example. Pitching is important, make sure you take a look at a guy's innings pitched, its a key stat in determining how reliable he'll be throughout the season.
So far, some pretty normal advice. Now here's where we put our spin on things. One of the most crucial elements to a successful fantasy season lies within your team's name. Picking some old ordinary name like Pinstripes, or the Bronx Bombers, or The Green Monsters does little to invoke fear into your opponent. Fear instills laziness in most Fantasy League players. The onset of laziness begets forgetfulness, which causes opponents to forget to check their lineup. Visit this site for a distinct advantage on naming your team.

Dear 108 Red Stitches; My favorite team just signed a player that's my sworn enemy. Now that he's playing for my favorite team, should I stop hating him? - Rich, Dallas

Hey Rich,
As a famous Emperor once said "Good Luke, let the hate flow through you." Free agency has made a mockery of Major League Rivalries. We've always felt that if the Yankees ever signed Barry Bonds, we'd probably set fire to the Stadium, or at least give up our season tickets. A lot of Yankee fans had similar feelings when Clemens signed on and a lot of Mets fans had confused feelings with the signings of Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine. A lot of baseball fans are simply content with rooting for a jersey now, and attempting to remember who is wearing them.
Our advice Rich, "Give Milton a Chance!" (and tell your first base coach and/or manager to keep his hands off him).

Send us your questions at 108redstitches@gmail.com