Anthem Media Acquires RotoExperts and Sports Grid

This sounds like great news for my friends at RotoExperts.

Here is the Press Release:

TORONTO --- Anthem Media Group announced today that its Fantasy Sports Television Network (FNTSY) has acquired 100% of the assets of New York-based RotoExperts and SportsGrid in a cash and stock transaction. The acquisition immediately stamps the new media company as a leader and innovative force in the already-exploding Fantasy Sports industry.

RotoExperts.com is established as one of the Fantasy Sports industry's premier websites and is regarded as one of the leading independent providers of fantasy content in the space. Since 2008, RotoExperts has rapidly grown to become a prominent national staple in online content, broadcasting and syndicated offerings to reach the estimated 40 million Fantasy Sports players in North America. RotoExperts programs over 30 hours per week on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and has occupied the morning drive slot since the launch of the channel. Founder and CEO Louis M. Maione, a longtime Wall Street executive, will now join FNTSY Sports Network and serve as the Executive Vice President of Anthem Media.

SportsGrid, one of the top mainstream sports websites in the U.S., was acquired from Abrams Media. SportsGrid was founded by U.S. television personality Dan Abrams, who has been instrumental in establishing the site as a major destination and player in the sports and media worlds.

"This is a tremendous acquisition for us as we build out the world's premier fantasy sports media company," said Leonard Asper, President and CEO of Anthem Media. "We will have access to many of the most talented commentators to develop and expand the video content

for the TV channel, one of the most accomplished executives in the industry in Mr. Maione, and a great set of assets with which to market the channel."

"In SportsGrid, we add a popular website to serve as the core of our digital strategy for all our channels, including Fight Network, Pursuit Channel, FNTSY Sports Network and the other channels we will add moving forward," Asper added.

"I am thrilled to be joining the Anthem team as a shareholder and executive," said Mr. Maione. "As we were looking to further develop our web and radio presence with a team who can execute the broadcast component, Anthem became the perfect fit, so we decided to join forces to create scale and speed of execution. At RotoExperts, it has always been our goal and promise to the fantasy community that we would always bring them the highest quality of content online and on radio. Now, we can deliver the same standards of insights and information to their living rooms, where they have waited for it and really deserve it. Our vow to them is to keep innovating and surprising them because they have supported us and put us in position to give them exactly what they want."

Chad Midgley, VP Programming of Anthem and the FNTSY Sports Network, added: "We intend to continue working with all components of the industry, including other websites, talent on both sides of the border, and the providers of the statistics and data feeds that support the industry".

About Anthem Media Group Inc. Anthem Media Group Inc. is a media company operating niche television channels on linear, digital and mobile platforms globally. It is the owner of Fight Network, the world's premier combat sports channeland is a significant investor in Pursuit Channel, one of the top outdoor channels in the U.S., and FNTSY Sports Network, a TV channel to be launched this Fall targeting the burgeoning fantasy sports industry.

About RotoExperts Founded in 2008, RotoExperts quickly became one of the leading independent providers of fantasy content in the industry. RotoExperts has provided fantasy content to major sites and publishers such as NFL.com, Seahawks.com, Yahoo Sports, SI.com, USA Today and the Bloomberg Professional Service. RotoExperts programs over 30 hours per week on Sirius/XM Fantasy Sports Radio and has supplied regular broadcast content to TuneIn, Alloy Digital, the Beasley Broadcast Group and Fox Sports Radio. RotoExperts was nominated for a total of 51 industry awards in its first five years of existence. RotoExperts has won six Fantasy Sports Writers Association Awards in the past two years, including Managing Director Scott Engel being inducted with the inaugural class of the FSWA Hall of Fame.

About SportsGrid SportsGrid is the site for news, videos, and smart opinions about sports as seen through the eyes of the media-addicted fan. Its coverage of athletes, teams and coaches goes beyond the playing field, and in the SportsGrid world, a players' late night TV appearances and controversial political views matter just as much as their batting average. SportsGrid is the ultimate destination for the media-savvy sports fan who wants to stay entertained.

For More Information Contact:

Anthem Media Group Chad Midgley
VP Programming & Production
chad@fntsysportsnetwork.com

Lenny Melnick and Tony Cincotta Move to RotoExperts.com

With Lenny Melnick moving to my former home at RotoExperts.com (along with Tony Cincotta) I thought it might be interesting to move this into view again.

I want to thanks the hundreds of people who voted in the Favorite Fantasy Baseball Expert Poll. If I had to do it again (and I think I will do it again, next year) I would do it a bit differently. First, I would use Poll Software that allowed me to list more candidates. As many different popular experts were excluded. Second, I would make it more of a tournament by splitting the various experts into different categories and make it a series of polls that would culminate in the one true favorite fantasy baseball expert. Third, I would be certain to contact all of the various contenders (before posting) to allow them the opportunity to send their fans to vote.

As it is I think we did pretty well. It should not be shocking that the largest vote-getters come from the most popular (and biggest) websites. Those are the sites that I expected to get many of the votes. More surprising was the huge support for a couple of smaller sites (in Mass Media Appeal I mean). Razzball.com was an early favorite and they were not even listed on the poll. But many voters chose "other" and wrote them in via the comments section.

Just like your fantasy league we pay out to the TOP SIX spots. Considering the hundreds of fantasy experts out there this is a pretty exclusive group.



The Winners

First Place: Lenny Melnick of Fantasy Pros 911 - I should have an interview with Lenny posted in the next few days. Lenny Melnick is old school. He and his partner Irwin Zwilling were in the original ToutWars expert league and they are former NL-only champions and two-time LABR winners. Lenny is not only knowledgeable but his podcasts and radio shows re some of the most entertaining options on BlogTalkRadio. He is always willing to lend a hand to any of his listeners, if they will only ask him for it.

Second Place: Cory Schwartz of MLB.com - I think it is very interesting that our top two vote getters are most known for their podcasts and radioshows. I think that gives us an indication of where the industry is going. Fantasy owners haven't had to scour the newsstands and bookstores to find information in a long time. But now they don't even need to read. They can just login to blogtalkradio or MLB.com's podcasts and find whatever information they need. Cory Schwartz is the Director of Statistics for MLB.com. His Fantasy 411 blog and podcast is extremely popular. It may be the most popular fantasy podcast on the net.

Third Place : Ron Shandler of BaseballHQ.com - Ron Shandler introduced many fantasy baseball participants to sabermetrics and more advanced fantasy baseball methods. Baseball HQ is also responsible for bringing many baseball fans into the fantasy sports industry. Shandler has led the campaign to make other industries take the fantasy sports industry seriously. He is the inventor of the LIMA Plan and the founder of ToutWars.

Fourth Place: Matt Berry of ESPN - Matthew Berry is one of the funniest fantasy sports writers out there. No surprise that he comes to the Fantasy Sports Industry from Hollywood. Some people love him, some hate him, but everyone reads his LOVE/HATE articles along with the tons of fantastic fantasy content available at ESPN. Before Berry took over much of the content at ESPN/fantasy was considered a joke. But now they are a site to be respected and even emulated. I probably wouldn't be writing this blog if not for Matthew Berry giving me a chance at thetalentedmrroto.com. Now, he just needs to do something about his horrible fantasy draft shows on ESPN. Call me, I have a better plan for you...

Fifth Place: Jason Grey of ESPN - Anyone who reads this site on a regular basis knows that Jason Grey is my personal favorite expert. He is trained as a baseball scout and that ability gives his great columns and blog posts a unique and valuable edge.

Sixth Place: Eric Mack of CBSportsline.com - Eric Mack is an award winning sports writer. He has been playing fantasy sports since the 80's and is one of the newer members of ToutWars. He has been with CBS Sports for 11 years and the senior fantasy sports writer for the last six years.

The Honorable Mentions: Rudy and Grey of Razzball.com, Jason Collette of Fanball.com, Jeff Erickson of Rotowire, Alex Patton of Pattonandco.com, Todd ZolaMastersball.com of , and Lawr Michaels of Creative Sports.

Here are some of the many comments in praise of their favorites...

jintman1 said...

I think everyone has that 1st guy that they read or listened too that got them up to speed on how to play Fantasy at a higher level. For me it was Cory Schwartz,the way he communicates his opinions and analysis made sense to me. But I still read and respect all of the other guys out there as well.

SRM said...

Grey at Razzball as well. Probably the only column i'd consider reading even if i didn't play fantasy baseball. Good fantasy advice and the site has a collaborative and informed comments section which Grey takes his time to be a key part of.

aleast91 said...

As I said my first year of Tout, it's always an honor to get my ass kicked by people like Ron Shandler, Jason Grey and Lawr Michaels (among others, all of whom are very talented and good people). But this list is incomplete without Jason Collette, too.

Thanks,
Cory

Patrick DiCaprio said...

there is no one funnier on a daily basis than Lenny Melnick and that is what separates him from the rest-they all know their stuff!

REDRUM said...

I'll also add that Lenny Melnick is the most ACCESSIBLE and Interactive Expert...
Ive been able to talk to him on the phone, via email, and on his live shows... Some of these other guys dont make them self as available as Lenny does....

Lenny is a born comedian as well check this link at the 25 min mark..

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lenny-Melnick/2009/05/08/Fantasy-Baseball-With-Lenny-Melnick

Scott said...

Shandler gives you a unique approach to fantasy approach with his hordes of stat research. Schwartz is excellent and he does a fine job of keeping the info only relevant with mixed leagues, which suits his primary audience at Mlb.com. Lenny gives you the most up to date info of fantasy relevance, but he spends HOURS reading and tracking box scores, line-up changes, and making sure he reads 3 or 4 newspapers per team a day. If you want to miss a week of fantasy baseball for any reason, just keep track of Lenny's daily podcasts. Lenny's best attribute is his experience, but he has a tendency to fall in love with certain qualities in players, which is a bad attribute, but if you can weed this out your fine. Mathew Berry is funny and his buddy Nate Ravitz, including his hot sisters, are funny and their info is tried and tested. Berry's columns are very funny and also includes some pop culture references. Berry told me over and over again to stay away from J.D. Drew...good year or not he is bad news. Berry is also good with evaluating injury time, but I doubt he realizes his own accuracy. He sure loves the spotlight, but would you blame him. He turned his fantasy baseball fanaticism to a big fortune. I read zola and listened to him online...one of the best. Erickson has the best roto site bar none with Rotowire. BaseballHQ is the next best. That would be a great poll....What website do you visit for comprehensive news and advice. Eric Mack doesn't do much, but spews out information that we all already know. His website or maybe it is him, do a good job with prospect hunting, but anybody can do it and his articles unveal my hidden gems, which means he is probably doing his job and I hat him in spite of it. I don't subscribe to the other sites, but I know Lawr Michaels from interviews and he is kind of a clone of Lenny, so I'm sure he can give you some well-rounded advice.

Scott said...

Redrum, you are very right about Lenny being funny. He sometimes loses focus in the middle of his podcasts and you never know what he's going to sing or joke about. Some of the best humor is when he talks to the audience, but he is really talking to himself and that my friends can make for some funny radio. Cory is Yoda-like. He has the most applicable info in his head and to me is one of the best because he has the best of all talents. He has experience mixed in with a great stats background. He is the brains of MLB.com. Siano has definitely picked his brain enough to become a much better fantasy press participant. Siano would choose a fantasy team of Yankees rather draft a winning fantasy franchise. Just ask him.

josefbreuer said...

among things i like about melnick, is that he doesn't try to be objective. like the one reader here remarked, you need to listen to melnick critically. still, his ability to make consistently reasonable and sound assessments is his strength. he's also down-to-earth and accessible. i'm still pretty green in FBB and have only this year been introduced to razzball.com. -- terrific collection of great minds complemented by ascerbic wit. i think jason grey's analyses are outstanding: thorough and comprehensive. i'm glad to have gotten an explanation about what limited the choices on this ballot, and would like to add kudos to mike podhorzer at fantasypros911. his leaders and laggards column is brilliant and his preseason rankings, on which i relied a lot this season, have proven very reliable.

Jason Collette said...

That's an extremely tough vote. They're all smart as hell but each has their own unique characteristic. Razzball guys are funny as hell, Melnick talks to anyone, and Schwartz is very personable, etc.

Anonymous said...

Grey & Rudy is cool, so is you Jon!

Diamond Draft - Advanced Fantasy Baseball Software

Diamond Draft - The Official Draft Software of Advanced Fantasy Baseball

I first received the Diamond Draft software a few months ago. RotoExperts.com had just purchased the rights to Diamond Draft and logically wanted their writers to become familiar with the new product. I have to say that my first impression was that it was lacking graphically. There are not many fancy visual effects. But over the course of the last three months I have used it for three different leagues -- a 20-team mixed 5x5 draft, an AL-only 5x5 auction, and an NL-only 5x5 auction. Diamond Draft has been a cinch to use and made the work of the draft and auctions a lot simpler.

Diamond Draft has proven to be an immensely valuable pre-draft tool. By entering the parameters of your league and any keepers there may be you eliminate the need to calculate inflation and cross names off of your draft list. Diamond Draft also provides you with three years of stats for every player and an extensive list of minor leaguers for those leagues that have farm systems. Every player has a projection (updated weekly) that covers includes every statistic from singles, doubles, and triples to Total Bases, OPS, and sacrifice flies. If you don't like a projection just change it. You can also highlight players in various colors to assist with your draft strategy. So, if you were using the LIMA Plan you could highlight LIMA pitchers in magenta (or whichever color you like), sleepers in blue, injury risks in red and so forth. Check out this video on using the edit screen. There is a video for almost every function available.




I have primarily used pen and paper for the 20-something years I have been involved in fantasy sports. I think it is vital to track every team's roster and budget as well as the in-draft inflation. Doing this by hand has gotten much easier over the years but it is a bitch to do. Diamond Draft handles all of this which gives you more time to look your rivals in the eye (an underrated necessity of Advanced Fantasy Baseball).

I have used a few different brands in the past and while I have nothing bad to say about them I have always gone back to my pen and paper method. One of the main reasons is I hate spending $60, $75, and even $100 dollars on software only to need to spend close to the same amount again the following season. Diamond Draft offers most of the functionality of those packages for just $34.95.

Partial List of Diamond Draft Features

1. Drag and Drop Functionality
2. League Overview Screen
   
3. Position Overview Screen
   
4. Team View Screen
   
5. Points Total Screen
6. Depth Chart Screens
7. Position Eligibility Screen
8. View/Edit Screens
   
9. Assign Players to a team from anywhere in the program
   
10. Warning Signs (overbid, position eligibility, all players drafted)
11. Multiple Leagues
    
12. Select from multiple databases
13. Printable Reports
14. Laptop Battery Monitor
15. Screen Captures
16. In-program Calculator
17. An Amazing Help Screen
18. Add Players to the Database
19. An amazing array of sound effects (including the ever popular crickets)
20. Add your own sound clips
21. Search Function
22. Select from various player pools (by league, undrafted, minor leaguers, MLB plus Free Agents
23. Choose which stats to display
24. Add Players to the depth charts
25. Move players in the depth charts
26. Complete Set of Projections
27. Edit or Enter your own projections
28. Wide array of instruction videos
29. Forum Support at the RotoExperts.com Forums
30. Half the price of similar products!!!
    

That is just a sampling of the functions of Diamond Draft. There are functions within the functions, a complete list would be a mile long. Believe me when I tell you this is an addictive toy that will not only help you prepare and dominate your draft but provide you with a hundred ways to waste time at work and at home! If I didn't think it was worth it I would not be posting this. I will personally assist you with any problems you may have. I am always just an e-mail or post comment away.

Follow me on Twitter: @BigJonWilliams

RotoExperts.com Writers Take Top Two Spots Among Industry Experts Competitors

I've been in bed sick the last few days. I'm back to work now andplan to make up the posts I missed. But first a little bragging on my boys at rotoexperts.com:

RotoExperts LLC and RotoExperts.com today annouced that Jon Phillips and Paul Bourdett, Senior Writers for RotoExperts.com, finished in first and second place in the 2008 RATE THE EXPERTS competition.

RATE THE EXPERTS is an annual contest held by Jeff Thitoff, fantasy sports columnist and blogger for the Columbus Dispatch. Each week, representatives from some of the most popular fantasy advice sites rated who they thought the top five fantasy performers would be in each position: QB, RB, WR, TE, DEF, & K. They also answered six multiple choice questions each week, each of which required selection of who would perform best among a predetermined list of three players.

"We've always known that our football team is one of the best in the industry," said Tommy P. Landry, Executive Editor of RotoExperts.com. "With the quality competition they faced in the RATE THE EXPERTS contest, our team really stepped up to the plate and excelled. This is just another proof point that, if you want to win your fantasy league, RotoExperts is one of the best destinations for fantasy sports advice on the web."

Also placing among the top ten in the final standings were RotoExperts Staff Writers Matt Wirkiowski, Mike Gilbert, and Mark Strausberg. Listen to the end of year podcast Interview of Jon Phillips at http://tinyurl.com/8zs8rf.

Follow me on Twitter: @BigJonWilliams

UFC 92: Mike Massenzio

Five Ounces of Pain has an exclusive interview with UFC 92 combatant - Mike Massenzio, courtesy of RotoExperts.com.

The primary focus for UFC 92 is on the “big three” bouts featuring Forrest Girffin defending his UFC light heavyweight title vs. Rashad Evans; Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira defending his interim UFC heavyweight title vs. Frank Mir; and Wanderlei Silva and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson fighting for the third time.

However, there’s an overlooked match that is scheduled to be televised on this weekend’s pay-per-view with plenty of history behind it, as former Junior College wrestling standout Mike Massenzio will seek revenge against amateur wrestling rival C.B. Dollaway.

Massenzio lost to Dollaway at the Junior College National Championships several years ago and spent the next year of his life preparing for redemption. Unfortunately, Dollaway never advanced to the finals and Massenzio’s opportunity for revenge was lost.

Diamond Draft Fantasy Baseball Software

The company I work for is making big moves. Hiring established talent from ESPN, sponsoring a UFC fighter in the big event this month, and now acquiring one of the most established fantasy baseball oriented services in the industry. This is a reproduction of the press release.

ROTOEXPERTS.COM ACQUIRES DIAMOND DRAFT SOFTWARE

Leading Fantasy Baseball Draft Software Added to Growing Fantasy Sports Franchise

December 16, 2008, Safety Harbor, FL. RotoExperts, LLC announced today that they have acquired Diamond Draft Fantasy Baseball Draft Software. The acquisition includes all intellectual property including source code, the Diamond Draft web site, and the customer database.

Diamond Draft Software, operating since 2001, has built a dedicated user base with its cutting edge approach to managing fantasy baseball drafts. Diamond Draft will undergo some minor improvements as part of the acquisition, and it will be offered in the upcoming RotoExperts Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide. RotoExperts will rebrand its line of fantasy draft software, formerly Xpert's Edge, with the Diamond Draft name. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed.

"Fantasy drafting software has been an interest of our leadership team since the origins of the company," said Ben Ice, founder of RotoExperts.com. "After building a custom application for the NFL season, we decided that it would be most efficient to acquire an existing product heading into the upcoming fantasy baseball season. Diamond Draft is one of the best applications available in this space, and we are thrilled to be able to build upon such a well-designed tool moving forward."

"I'm really excited about the merger between Diamond Draft and RotoExperts," added Keith Macari, founder of Diamond Draft. "This merger will be an immense benefit for current and future Diamond Draft users. The first-rate staff at RotoExperts will supply far greater depth with player info, values, and projections. Another plus is that a greater effort can be put towards program enhancements. Improved player information and an enhanced program will be a huge win for everyone involved."

In addition to more traditional marketing efforts, RotoExperts is also working with baseball sites and blogs who are interested in generating income by offering Diamond Draft to their readers. "There are thousands of smaller web sites and blogs struggling to generate revenue in today's down economy," said Ice. "Our marketing team will reach out to them with an excellent opportunity to help their readers while generating revenue for their operations." Interested sites can contact Ice at ice@rotoexperts.com.

Existing customers will be "grandfathered" into the new program, with the software remaining available at the 2008 pricing for as long as there is no lapse in service for any full baseball season.

###

RotoExperts.com is one of the fastest growing fantasy sports advice sites in the industry, having grown from a team of six to over 40 in total in its first three quarters of operation. With a vision of providing "analysis with an attitude", the RotoExperts team has quickly established themselves as a premium provider of high quality fantasy software and savvy advice, with major media partnerships and more . Keep tabs on what else these guys are doing at www.RotoExperts.com

More Hot Stove Free-Agent Signings

The Yankees have reached an agreement with RHP A.J. Burnett and the Indians have all but signed closer Kerry Wood. You can read my complete analysis of those pitchers on the RotoExperts.com Fantasy Baseball Blog.

The New York Yankees Sign A.J. Burnett
As a New York Yankees fan I'm not all that enamored of the much rumored plan the Yankees have to sign three free agent starters.The plan forces Phil Hughes and to a lesser extent Ian Kennedy out of the rotation to begin the 2009 season. This seems like the wrong move to me. Signing CC Sabathia was a necessity for the Yankees. They needed that intimidating starter to place at the head of their rotation. I can even understand the second free agent pitcher so that the young guys are not just given a job and will instead have to fight for it. But to sign a third and probably older starter and seemingly give up on the youth movement is just not good team building.
The Tribe Inches Closer to Closer Kerry Wood
Kerry Wood took a physical for the Cleveland Indians on Thursday. Assuming that Wood passed he would soon sign a contract with the Indians expected to be for two years and $20 million. Wood stayed relatively healthy last season as the Cubs closer and was also very effective in the role. He converted 34 of 40 save opportunities while providing the Cubs with 66 and 1/3 innings. He struck out out 84 and walked just 18 batters. He is moving to the tougher league but this generally has a greater effect on starters than relievers.

More from the Hot Stove Junkie

The latest Hot Stove Junkie is posted on RotoExperts.com. Lots of interesting moves last week to analyze.

The Boston Red Sox Sign another Japanese Pitcher
I ran into Boston Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstein last week. I wanted to ask him about his off-season plans but he just kept repeating the same phrase.

I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so I'm turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so Turning Japanese I think I'm turning Japanese I really think so

After walking away in confusion, I heard some news that rather explained it. The Red Sox had just signed their third Japanese pitcher. Right-hander Junichi Tazawa signed a three-year deal for $3.3 million. Tazawa is just 22 years-old. He will begin the 2009 season pitching for the double-A Portland Sea Dogs. Translating Japanese numbers to relevance for fantasy leaguers has always been a problem but Tazawa appears worthy of top prospect status. He spent the last four years pitching in the Japanese Industrial League for Nippon Oil where he was 13-1 with 5 saves and a 0.80 ERA this season in 21 games. He struck out 114 batters to just 15 walks in 113 innings. He is someone to watch, but I would not go nuts for him just yet.

ROTOEXPERTS.COM TO SPONSOR UFC FIGHTER AT UFC 92

This is so cool:

December 8, 2008, Safety Harbor, FL. RotoExperts, LLC today announced that they have partnered with Team BombSquad to sponsor Mike Massenzio for his fight at Ultimate Fighting Championship 92. UFC 92 will take place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV on the last weekend of December 2008.

UFC 92 has recently been touted as “The Ultimate 2008,” offering the best fight card assembled in UFC history, with two title belts on the line over the course of the evening. The fight will be available via Pay-Per-View, and viewership is expected to approach one million households. Massenzio enters the fight with an 11-2 record, while his opponent, UFC 7 Runner-Up CB Dollaway sits at 7-1. This is the first sponsorship of its kind for a fantasy sports-affiliated venture.

"RotoExperts.com is very pleased to be sponsoring one of the fighters on the best card the UFC has ever offered,” said Ben Ice, founder of RotoExperts.com. "In our short tenure as a fantasy sports advice site, we are looking to take a more active role helping to advance various areas of the sports entertainment world. Since our primary demographic also enjoys UFC, it is a natural match for us when considering sponsorship opportunities."

"Team BombSquad is extremely happy to be working with RotoExperts.com," added Ryan Citoli, manager for Team BombSquad. "Mike is thrilled to have a sponsor like RotoExperts in his corner to support and promote him, and Team BombSquad is looking forward to a long working relationship with both RotoExperts and Mike."

To view the fight, contact your PPV provider prior to December 27, 2008. The first fight on the card begins at 10:00PM EST / 7:00PM PST. Viewers can also access the fight via Yahoo! Sports if they prefer to watch online.

Hot Stove Junkie

I blew up another computer last week and that's the reason for the sporadic posting. Hopefully I'll be back in prime blogging action tonight. For now you can satisfy your Jones for off season fantasy baseball articles by checking out my latest piece for RotoExperts.com, Hot Stove Junkie!

This is not a great trade for the Rockies. Greg Smith does not strikeout batters (5.25 K/9) and does not have good control (4.11 BB/9). This is a mortal combination in the thin air of Colorado. He also allows tons of fly balls (45.5 percent) and very few grounders (34.2). Avoid Smith in your fantasy drafts, as if he was the plague.

Huston Street is a competent reliever. However, he is another fly ball pitcher heading to Colorado. Street could retain competency due to his very good strikeout rate (9.07 K/9) but he will have to improve his platoon splits if he hopes to become their closer.

Carlos Gonzalez has all the tools and scouts drool over his potential. What the Athletics found out is that it may be awhile before he actually becomes a solid major league player offensively. Fortunately, for fantasy owners, the thin air has a way of speeding up the development process when it comes to batters.

Hot Stove Junkie

Hey peoples.

I have a new off season baseball column at RotoExperts, Hot Stove Junkie, featuring weekly fantasy spins on all the Hot Stove Transactions --from the biggest trades to the most obscure waiver pick ups. Check it out by clicking on the title link above.

I've also accepted an invitation to appear in the The Fantasy Sports Invitational Challenge, where I've been given a seat in the American League.

I've also been blogging for RotoExperts. My first few posts are on Matt Holliday and the Nationals trade.

And just in case you were wondering... This site is about to explodein production. It will now feature daily posts. Most posts will be of the quick hits variety but every Friday and Sunday you'll find expansive articles exploring the tenets of Advanced Fantasy Baseball and this is just the beginning.

Don't forget to subscribe to our RSS feed. If you aren't familiar with RSS check out the fantastic Google Reader and believe me you will be hooked. It revolutionizes blog reading.