In-N-Out The 64/60

Not many topics of late on these 64/60 pages. Perhaps Gilbert and Co. are still in mourning over the lackluster season of those beloved Cats. I did notice a little blurb in the last post regarding the vision of these 64/60 pages, and while I don't particularly care about many of the topcis that are covered, I am all for new post and reaching as many eyes as possible. To this day I have yet to hear from anyone outside of the 64/60 owners pool commenting on a In-N-Out post. However Gilbert post a well written article on a WWE Manager and his own Family comments. So Gilbo if your on here the masses seek your wit and wisdom covering all things socially relevant. I'll handle all the In's and Out's or our little alternative reality.


64/60 AL Auction

Two weeks ago several owners within the 64/60 gathered for a AL Only Auction draft. A little bit of controversy broke out to begin the draft as yours truly pulled a GRC3 and showed up late. Meanwhile a rogue agent from the ether blew the lid off the draft spending 90% of his budget within the first 5 nominations. There's a fine line between a Stars and Scrubs approach and just not knowing what the hell your doing. This gentlemen took a piss on it to rid all evidence. Once I arrived at the draft I was greeted with endless request to extend the budget along with criticisim regarding the setup.

While Uncle Pennybags certainly put a damper on the events the two Autodraft teams were the biggest issue for me. Sure wish enough 64/60 owners would be interested so we could avoid a open buffet. Considering three out of 11 teams were on Auto for the majority of the draft I felt things went pretty well. Todd came a close second on spending to the Million Dollar Man but still hung around enough to build a contender. GRC 3 arrived 30 nominations in but has a very solid team across the board. The McClungs were the McClungs. On time, eager and willing, just depend too much on me to provide them knowledge. Guys I've told you for years, if you want to win a league I will help you, just not in one I'm competing in. As always Fenney took part, using a very buttoned down approach the Deathsquad had plenty of money late and for the most part avoided the AB only values most league only teams have. A couple of Owners from the online community built solid rosters and should provide some good competition. And as is always the case the BCFP built a team that barring signigicant injuries is the likely front runner. For the record I have nothing supporting this claim other than my opinion.

Post draft verbal attacks from Pennybags continued. Attacks on my charachter began. While I could handle threats to my family and the local playground vocal slangs, not for one second will I take attacks on my Commisioning abilities. After crossing the point of no return, Uncle Pennybags or AKA Steve, became the first ever banned owner in the history of the 64/60. Christopher Lee stepped up to the plate and took ownership let's see what he can do with it.



64/60 Mixed League Preview

All that is good in life is new again. The long wait of daily streaming, two-start matchups, who's in who's out, 2-3 2RBI 2RUN 2SB stat fillers, is over. Baseball is back along with late night waiver wire pickups and the warm glow of a computers monitor at 4:30AM. I realize some of you have been refreshing this site on the hour every hour for over a week waiting for the Commissioners thoughts on the upcoming season. Your patience is now rewarded three days into the season. Moving forward I hope to cover the Mixed League on a weekly basis while mentioning the standings occasionaly in the league only formats. As always I'm here to assist anyone, with fanalytical advice, anytime day or night. Here's to a great season and may your roster remain healthy, your roster moves create gains, and your down weeks mirror my schedule. 2013 is the season that fabulous trophy returns home.

BCFP- Josh Coleman. As always I'm partial to my group but for the record this is my least favorite group in quite some time. My core all has question marks with Bautista(wrist), Sandoval(arm), Hamilton(rising K rates), and Pedroia(decling numbers). I feel my roster produced plenty of potential value with Uggla, Jeter, Berkman, Sabathia, just to name a few. I felt all where taken several rounds later than just last season. However not oblivous to the fact all could be on a steep downward slope in their careers. Really like the upside of my rotation and the number of closers I was able to grab but sure wish I had more NL options rather than the AL heavy options. I have made the playoffs every season with the exception of one year, I have been in the championship game all but two seasons. I see no reason to believe this roster doesn't provide me with the pieces to make another deep run.


Lemaster Blasters- Butch Lemaster. Butch got some preferential treatment, due to his constant nagging, a few weeks back as I broke down his chances for 2013. While I'm not as enamored with the Blasters as Butchie is I do see some potential. Statistically speaking his starters look really good but from a personal standpoint I'm not big on Weaver, Hellickson, Parker, or Teheran. The Broxton move to the 8th inning is a blow as Kimbrel is his lone closer. Offensively there are some pieces Trout, Holliday, Jones, among a few. On the downside plenty of borderline 12 Team Mixed rosterable players Stubbs, Pacheco, Brantley, and Carter. The roster will look better once Lawrie returns and Profar is called up but at what point will this be? For this offense to have any teeth Jones or Trout will have to match last seasons output or AGon will have to return to 2011 form. I've doubted before only to be proven wrong so I've learned to respect the Ownership. Not a playoff team on talent but desire and passion has them playing meaningful baseball come September.

Argumentative 9irons- GRC3. Former Champ looking to earn his second title. Outside of April and Septmeber Pujols was a Top 10 player last season. He will need a repeat of that production in 2013 for the 9irons to consistently win offense. Don't get me wrong the offense is really deep with only Luis Cruz a rosterable stretch, but unless Posey hits over .330 again I don't see another Top 20 offensive player on the roster. Even though I'm not sold on Sale and the health of Halladay is concerning the rotation is very solid. Norris and Davis are the two worst options on paper but I expect good things from Davis and Norris certainly has plenty of upside. John Axford and Calros Marmol owners are already somewhat panicked, Axford owners with Marmol as the lone seccondary options could be entering a world of pain. Prefer the roster 3 to 1 over the Blasters but GRC3's ownership has been questioned in recent years. I could easily see a three week hiatus, and slow trigger on the FA market causing the 9irons a playoff spot.

Marshall Maniacs- Brandon McClung. Another season has started with Junior boasting the start of a winning tradition. For those of you unfamiliar to the History of 64/60 Football, JR won the title in dominate fashion in his rookie season. JR felt confident that this success would parlay into baseball but if you scroll back through the history you will see it's yet to repeat itself. I give the kid a A+ for heart, A+ for dedication, but when it comes to roster composition he's barely getting a C up to this point. Offensively Granderson injury certainly hurt but I completely understand keeping him and making Upton a third rounder. For this offense to be league average Granderson will have to return to form quickly and Upton will have to greatly surpass his 2012 output. While Rollins and Butler both had good 2012 seasons I don't see either of them surpassing those totals and matching them I feel would be a challenge. Don't get me wrong Aoki, Pagan, Phillips, and others are fine players but best case scenario doesn't produce a Top 20 Fantasy season. Jackie Bradley Jr. is a trade high option as some sap, perhaps your father, would likely desire the "next big thing". Love the top end of the pitching with Yu and Gallardo but I hate the back end just as much with Wandy, and 2 parts of the Dodgers undetermined rotation. Nice to see the depth in closers and Coke is certainly worth a flier at this point. Overall the roster deserves a high C grade, Ownership passion is a B, the playoffs will likely be determined by ownership vision and up to this season JR's vision has yet to be 20/20.

The Takeover- Josh Holland. First time 64/60 Owner, Holland, inherited the better starting point of the two expansion squads. Votto, Longoria, and Heyward could all be Top 20 players in 2013. As a matter of fact I would argue outside of Colvin there isn't one offensive player who doesn't warrant a roster spot in this format. Rios, Andrus, Willingham and Molina all are very solid mid round talent, while Kubel and Soriano are those classic I'll take........ selections who produce 25+ HR seasons to no excitement. As good as the offense is the pitching appears to be worrisome. I like Dickey but I prefer him much more as a two or three then the ace. Love Niese but like Dickey wish he was slotted two spots later. I've never been a huge Cueto guy but after years of outproducing my expectations I suppose it's possible I could be wrong. Myers and Vargas are better served as streaming options than rotation options at this point and Storen shouldn't be rostered in my opinion. Two solid closers will keep him competitive. Enough pieces in place to push for the playoffs but what kind of owner is he? Barring injuries a B grade in owenrship will make this team a playoff squad.

Free Hat- Todd Whitley. Offensively you have little questions. Cabrerra is the safest option at the top in my opinion. While I don't feel Harper will earn his first round ADP(drafts outside of 64/60). He's still a solid Top 30 player. Beltre could be the most underrated player in fantasy given his production and position eligiblity. Roster is loaded with very good mid round offensive players in Freeman, Wieters, Desmond, and a host of others. Overall speed is concerning but in H2H 6 catagories who cares. Pitching is worrisome with Latos as the Ace and nothing more than what I would consider a #5 fantasy option on the roster. To compound matters no closer could make the Free Hat's hoping for 7-5 W's in best case scenario. Could easily trade a piece on offense for a solid rotation guy or add depth by acquiring 2 #3's. The pieces are certainly there but barring any roster changes I find it really hard for a pitching deprived team to win consistently enough to earn a playoff spot.

Scrote Mashers- Jesse Ward. Another season another genital themed name for Mr. Ward. No other former champ in the 64/60 has had as much misery as Jesse. Perhaps it is Karma paying him back or perhaps the responsibility of big boy business and travel. Is this the year every thing comes full circle and the Pedro Alvarez inner circle pays off? The offense has a chance to be good but will need a combination of things to go his way. Victorino returning to post 2012 form, Gomez building on his 2012, Ellsbury to remain healthy, Encarnacion's production in the ballpark of 2012, Tulo health, to name a few. The rate at which these produce will determine how the offense looks in 2013. As if the cieling and floor of the offense didn't have dispartiy enough the pitching could be even more so. I like several of these players to improve on 2012 but how much? This rotation could easily be the best in the league or worst and I mean that sincerely. In the end I feel enough things will work out in Jesse's favor but his playoff spot will be determined by the abscences that have plagued him of recent years.

Tom Emanski's Deathsquad- Bill Fenney. Mr. Patient. Year in and year out, Bill's old but comes to the draft and is forced to deal with a bunch of drunks for 6+ hours. Let us not forget he has been up since 3AM that morning and still has to drive to Raceland post draft. The point of the rant is to state if any owner other than myself could win a title, I would love for that owner to be Bill. Is this the year it all comes together? As far as passion and pulse on the In's and Out's of MLB Bill gets a A but I do have to wonder if the roster composition is there. I'm not sold on Cespedes becoming a Top 20 player. Nothing exciteable to me in Morneau, Young, Cruz and Marte. Several of the bottom options Beckham, Infante, Keppinger among others are replacement level at best. The key to me is Kemp, Reyes and Crawford. I feel Reyes will be a top 10 FP in 2013, should that play out then if Kemp remains healthy and/or Crawford returns to old form then there could be enough on offense to carry it from week to week. The pitching could be special with Price, Hernandez, and Gonzalez all likely Top 15 options. Medlen, Bailey, and Iwakuma all have value where they are slotted. I would rid myself of the WHIP killer in Volquez despite the upside. I like Soriano to lead the league in SV and Rivera is Rivera. Don't know if this is the year but all the pieces are in play for another playoff push.

The HGH Factory- Nate Rice- Welcome Nate Rice to the 64/60. Nate chose the pitching heavy squad in the expansion draft much to my suprise. For those of us with several years of the 64/60 pitching for the most part isn't valued highly. I'm interested to see if the new Add limitations will change that perspective this season. Hard to argue with Kershaw, Verlander, and Bumgarner at the top of your rotation. Though I don't see Lester returning to Cy Young form he does have value as a 4. After that the rest of the rotation is slotted fairly. One closer is always a risky proposition but given the number of closer heavy squads it may not be that big of a issue from week to week. Offensively we could have some issues. David Wright can certainly be a building block and will need to be for this offense to compete. While the offense lacks star power there is steady options in Jackson, Goldschmidt, Kipnis and LaRoche. About 5 roster spots are replacement level at best. In it's present state this team will need a combination of Chris Young, Will Venable, and Nolan Reimold to have career seasons in order to be league average. You know the HGH Factory would be a perfect trading partner the Free Hat's. It's never too early fellas.

Barboursville Stars- Mike McClung. Still bitter about the final day of the 2011 season. McClung could never really live in the moment in 2012 and it cost him. Are those demons exercised? Mike you may want to sit down for this but truth be told I like this squad. The offense doesn't overwhelm you from a name standpoint but Fielder and Cano are both first round talents. Ramirez is a Top 5-8 at his position. And outside of Duda and maybe Ruggiano all offensive players are above replacement level. SB will be problematic but Cabrerra can carry that stat from week to week. The pitching is the strong suit. Everyone is slotted correctly and the back end all has some potential for gains. Typically two closers is about the league mean but it's a surplus compared to others this season. The talent level overall is playoff borderline but Mike will do enough to push into the playoffs.

Walls Of Jericho- Landon Bowe. The Champ. The man who currently holds the newest symbol of greatness in sports today, The 64/60 Champions Trophy. Can Bowe repeat like the former title holder was ablt to do or is this team a little more dependent on Barker than what was made to be believed? The offense is good but I don't believe it to be special. Castro is solid but will need to move into the 30+SB range or 20/20 to become elite. I like Stanton as a player but really worry about the upcoming season in that lineup. CarGo is a elite option. Craig, Quentin, Zimmerman all have solid skill sets but all will spend some time with injuries it's simply a given. The question is how much. As is with every team questions abound but the bottom line is enough talent across the board that at worst this unit will be league average. The pitching is a little more worrisome for me. Lee is the only lock of the bunch. I love Samardzija but little track record to warrant his ADP of a 2 or 3. Anderson, Harvey, and Estrada have limited or sketchy track records and Pettite is 40+. Please on Kazmir. Four closers is solid who cares who they play for. Good roster depth and good ownership will lead this team to the playoffs.

BC PEDophiles- Chris Lee. Perfect name given the potential trouble of Braun and Bopps penchant for the younger crowd. Post draft every year I remark on how much I dislike Bopps team. Evey year he makes a playoff push so what's the point in being critical anymore. But for the sake of this post here we go. Braun and McCutchen are both First Round talents. While I'm not worried about Braun facing a suspension this season I do think McCutchen is more of a Top 25 player then Top 10. From a statistical standpoint AVG could be a concern with Dunn, Reynolds, Bruce and a few other .250 cieling players. From a positional standpoint hard to argue at any spot once Ramirez returns from injury. To me the pitching is a concern. Grienke is more of a two for me and while I like Johnson to bounce back I like him slotted a little lower than with this unit. I'm not a big Zimmerman fan at this point in his career, I prefer more of a K provider with my No. 2. Ryu will need to produce Ace like numbers otherwise League AVG, League AVG and streaming is a risky proposition from a shallow rotation. Closer situation is solid with currently 4 options and one named Chapman.

Playoff Squads

BCFP, BC PEDophiles, Walls Of Jericho, Tom Emanski's Deathsquad, Barboursville Stars, Lemaster Blasters



Pickup Of The Week- Gerardo Parra, Free Hats. Pretty critical of Todd last post so time to show him some love. While I'm sure Brandon is screaming Jackie Bradley Jr. at his computer monitor, Parra is the choice here. With Eaton on the DL Parra could easily play his way into the job and in limited action has shown he is capable of doing so. If given 500 AB your looking at a potential 20/20 threat with a AVG in the .270's and with the potential to produce run totals in the 150's.


Head Scrathcer Of The Week- Yaisil Puig, Butch Lemaster. I don't have a issue wanting to roster Puig, but not at the cost of 11 in FAAB. He's to young to be a bat of the Bench so barring injury he has no spot.

Coming Next Week the first installment of the In-N-Out 2013.



MLB Predictions

AL East- Jays, Red Sox, Rays, Orioles, Yankees
AL Central- Tigers, Royals, Indians, White Sox, Twins
AL West- Angels, Rangers, A's, Mariners, Astros
NL East- Nationals, Braves, Phillies, Mets, Marlins
NL Central- Reds, Cardinals, Cubs, Brewers, Pirates
NL West- Dodgers, Giants, DBacks, Padres, Rockies

Playoffs: WC Round Rangers over Red Sox, Braves over Phillies
Jays over Rangers, Angels over Tigers, Nationals over Dodgers, Braves over Reds
LCS: Jays over Angels, Nationals over Braves
World Series: Nationals over Jays


Board Recap

This is the bets I have on the board keep in mind all season long we can add to these.

Nate vs. Burt Garza ERA under 4.00. $10
Nate vs. Chris Rays Win it All 22 for 20
Nate/Burt vs Rich Jeter 500 AB for 20 each
Nate vs. Rich Stubbs O/U .239 for 20
Nate vs. Burt Trout Top 12 FP min 500AB $10


Burt's Blurbs

* If you want some streaming advice may I suggest the Astros. Wallace, Pena and Carter in the heart of the lineup is a K haven for pitchers.

* Stanton owners should be worried if Placido Polanco is his protection.

* Ryu's start last night reminded me of Kuroda's rookie season. Overall numbers could be okay but he's going to be a WHIP killer.

* Despite the 2HR Opening Day the First Round ADP of Harper is laughable.

* While I've never been a Stubbs fan his defense will be missed regardless of the production Choo provides at the plate.