ESPN The TRUM Blog

Posted by Matthew Berry

It would appear the TRUM is back. Sort of. Maybe. No promises. But while I am currently writing a TRUM about all my travels and the Vegas trip, I've gotten a lot of e-mail. And it's been awhile since we've done a mailbag.

I've noticed most of my e-mail tends to be one of five archetypes. So we'll group them.

Jerry (San Diego): TMR, I'm in two drafts this Sunday. One being over the phone with my old buddies in Detroit and the other being here in Sunny San Diego. My wife is pregnant and due March 22nd. If she goes into labor this weekend, what is a brotha to do? She already said no fantasy baseball if she is in the hospital. Love your work.

TMR: You go to the draft. Look, if you screw up the kid, you send him to therapy and have another. But you screw up your draft? That's a year's worth of misery. Trust me here. You can get another wife or kid, but you get only one chance to draft your team.

Mike (Chicago): Matthew, you are my favorite ESPN fantasy personality; just wanted to get that out of the way off the top. I have an issue in that I am in a 14-team mixed head-to-head league. I can keep 6 players, and I have the following to choose from: Miguel Cabrera, Travis Hafner, Carlos Guillen, Russell Martin, Manny Ramirez, Erik Bedard, John Lackey and Justin Verlander. I also have Jonathan Papelbon, but I know you don't pay for saves. Any help you could give me would be greatly appreciated.

TMR: You have more than one issue if I'm your favorite ESPN personality. You're dropping three here and the guys I'd lose are Manny, Papelbon and Verlander. In a mixed league, even a 14-team one, pitching is plentiful, and with Bedard and Lackey, you're set for the top of the rotation. Yes, it's tough to give up Papelbon, but you are correct, you don't pay for saves and by throwing back one of those offensive players to keep him, you'd be paying for it. It'll be easier to find Papelbon's saves than, say, Hafner's power. I think Manny is on the decline and you don't need what's left of his power with the other guys you are keeping.

Brian Krogman (Manhattan): I love your columns, and I keep changing strategies every time my wife tells me to do the dishes. (That's a great time to think about your team.) Well, I'm torn, do I keep Victor Martinez at $21, or save that money and put it toward other areas, like a speedy outfielder? It's a 12-team mixed league, and we only start one catcher, which makes me think. I usually have a $195/65 split [between hitting and pitching].

Adam (Michigan City, Ind.): I'm in a keeper league and have a bit of an issue at catcher. I have both Joe Mauer and Russell Martin. I know I want to keep one, but I'm not sure which. I'm inclined to say Mauer, but a buddy of mine says Martin. Help!

TMR: The buddy is right, it's Martin and it's not close. He's the No. 1 catcher on my board. You can read why right here in my Love/Hate for 2008 column. And … I throw V-Mart back. Catcher is very deep this year (20 catchers last year had double-digit home runs) and in a league that plays only 12 catchers, you're better off saving your money.

Matt (Dallas): Can we get some love/hate DH-style … Ortiz, Hafner, Sheffield, Thome, Big Hurt, Billy Butler?

TMR: I actually really like all those guys more than where they are being drafted except for Thome, who I am not high on. Really like Billy Butler as a late pick.

Scott (Pinehurst, N.C.): Mr. Berry, I was deployed to Iraq last year and had a friend take over for my team. I am at a complete loss on where to get started. I've been reading your articles when I can, but to be honest, I have no idea who to keep for my keeper league. We get to keep seven players for this 5x5 league (straight draft, not an auction league). Looking at the stats, Brandon Phillips, Vladimir Guerrero and B.J. Upton are easy (two second basemen?). Then the questions start. Is Manny worth keeping? Hafner? J.J. Hardy (who the hell is this?). Hunter Pence? Michael Young seems to be going downhill? Is Ryan Zimmerman going to continue his upward movement? Is Mauer going to improve and stay healthy (apparently he got hurt again?). The pitchers I had were Pedro (who was hurt when I left and didn't do anything until the end, looking at his stats), Kelvim Escobar, Brad Penny, James Shields, and Chien-Ming Wang. Yeah. I came in sixth out of 10. So any help in trying to decide what seven to keep would be greatly appreciated. I'm sorry to send you one of "those" e-mails that I'm sure you get hundreds of. If I hadn't been gone last season it would be a nonissue. Thanks for all the hard work and please keep the articles coming. They are great. Respectfully, Scott

TMR: No, thank you for your service to our country. Least I can do is answer an e-mail. You're correct on Phillips, Vlad and Upton and you have to play a middle infield guy, so don't worry about the two second basemen. Both guys are elite. You'll want to keep Hunter Pence, who is a rising five-category star, and outfield is thinner this year than you think. Escobar is going to start the year on the DL. He was the only pitcher I'd consider keeping from your team, so throw them all back. Pedro's only a five-inning pitcher now and won't be getting as many wins as you might think. Manny is on the downward trend, yes. I'd keep Hafner, Mauer and Zimmerman, all of whom are young enough to have many good years left. Yes, I realize Hafner is 30, but trust me. That's young. Or I'm old. Either/or.

JT (NYC): You have to be the least knowledgeable fantasy "expert" I have ever seen. I always watch your predictions on "First Take" and they are nearly always wrong. How about your "don't draft any Browns this year"? Braylon Edwards, Derek Anderson, Jamal Lewis, Kellen Winslow Jr. Nice one.

TMR: That's the best you could come up with? I've been wrong much more recently than that.

todd (unknown): just to let you know. you suck!!!!!!!!!!!!

TMR: Through the first eight exclamation points I thought you were kidding. But then, after four more, I realized you really meant it.

krummy340 (from ESPN Conversation -- beta!): Wow, could Matthew Berry be more full of himself? Even his half-hearted attempts at self-deprecation come off as arrogant. The guy watches a lot of sports; why the inflated ego?

TMR: In fairness to me, how could I not get an inflated ego when I have fans like harr1963? Take it away, Harr. …

harr1963 (from ESPN Conversation -- beta!): shut the f up you bald, laker loving, girly dog owning, reality tv watching, Ivanka Trump stalking, Redskin fan d'bag. YOUKLIS RULES!!!

TMR: I am not bald. I am balding. There's a difference, dammit.

samurai39 (from ESPN Conversation -- beta!): I hope you are better with Fantasy MLB than you are with Fantasy NFL. I'll be WATCHING you ;).

TMR: Yeah, that's not creepy at all.

MNKyle2k3 (from ESPN Conversation -- beta!): I want to get in a fantasy league with Mr. Berry so I can mop the floor with him, then take his job. And eat anything good left in his fridge.

TMR: See, now that's funny. That's the right way to do it.

poolboysean (from my Fan Profile page): please join my league!!! so i can destroy you & say i turned you into the "talented mr lame-o"

TMR: That is not.

Brick (Brooklyn): Berry, What is the deal with the Sunday fantasy radio show? Holla! Brick.

TMR: They moved it to Sunday night at 9 p.m. ET and they asked me to join it, so now Eric Karabell and I sigh at, argue and occasionally agree with each other.

Andrew (Madison): Matthew, I'd really appreciate it if you didn't hype Brandon Phillips any more than is necessary. I would love to get him in the 2nd round. Mmmm, value. Great point about comparing him to David Wright, when you look at the stats and take into account positional scarcity, Phillips really does look like a first-rounder. He's so strong and bulky, I just wanna mush him. (Okay, I think I went too far there.) Thanks for the advice- Andrew

TMR: Well, his current average draft position on ESPN.com is 21.2, which is the first pick in the third round, so you're safe so far. And don't worry. You didn't go too far. Joe did. Take it away, Joe. …

Joe (Fresh Meadows, N.Y.): Hi Matthew, how are you? I just wanted to take a moment and give you some well-deserved praise. I read your D-Day tips e-mail from ESPN.com and I just finished your Manifesto. Please allow me to say that I have a man-crush on you! I am 100 percent absolutely straight but I get psyched when I read your columns and participate in your chats (can't wait for them to start). You bring a lot of energy and personality into your TRUMs and articles and it rubs off on me, the reader. I'm a 33-year-old high school math teacher who has students who sometimes drive him nuts, so I find solace in fantasy baseball and in your columns in particular. I may be a fantasy geek like yourself, but hey, it makes me happy and there's nothing wrong with that. So I guess what I'm trying to say is that I appreciate your enthusiasm with a game that most people (especially women) don't understand. You dish out a lot of information and you're the first one to admit when you've made a mistake. I hope you can continue to bring that energy and charm throughout the season, even when players disappoint you or chatters take shots at you. (You once mentioned to me during a chat that you try to model yourself like a Howard Stern and (I can't remember the other name you gave?)) So thank you in advance for your excitement that is hard to find in this game. You may have a man-crush on A-Rod and Johan, but I guess I have a man-crush on TMR. (Did I mention that I'm straight and I have a fiancée?) Take care, Joe, Fresh Meadows. PS - The soap opera ad in ESPN Magazine was great. Nice eye patch.

TMR: (Blushes. Shrugs shoulders while looking at ground, kicking dirt and looking sheepish. Picks up phone to call in restraining order.) Yeah, when they pitched me the idea for the soap opera parody ads, I said I have only two requests: I want an eye patch and I want to get slapped by Susan Lucci. Susan passed but I thought the eye patch was hilarious. We did something like nine episodes in all. You can see them all, send a funny smack video and much more at Endlessdrama.com.

Keith (Chicago): Is there anywhere to get hard ballpark adjustment stats? I understand the general good hitters' parks (Colorado, Philly, Cincy) and the general good pitchers' parks (Seattle, Dodger Stadium, Florida, Shea), but I was hoping to see some hard data somewhere.

TMR: espn.go.com/mlb/parksfactor

Craig (Davis, Calif.): Matthew, love what you continue to do for the site. Huge improvements and the advice is top-notch. Now the but. I would love to see how each of you (Eric, you, etc.) ranked players. The consensus group view is fine, but having more opinions really helps your readers be more informed and make better decisions. For example, I love Corey Hart (he and Braun took me to the title last year), and I believe the ESPN rankings are too low for him. You obviously agree, but I would like to see how Eric feels, how Tristan looks at it, etc. There are many others. For example, I think Jeter is too high. Thanks for your consideration. Craig

TMR: Due to popular demand (my mom does too count) I'm working on my rankings right now. Should be up soon. However, while nobody in the room (there were 12 of us) completely agrees 100 percent with where every player ended up, we like the final result. And remember, when considering where to take a player, it's not just about where you think a player should be taken, it's where everyone else is ranking him too. Ideally, you want to be grabbing a guy no more than one round before anyone else thinks of doing the same. Otherwise, you're passing on value.

Kevin (Chapel Hill): No need to respond, but just wanted to let you know that you've really put together a great team of experts this year. In particular, adding Jason Grey was a great move. I've always tried to read Jason's stuff and it's great to see him at ESPN.

TMR: Thanks. We're excited to have him and James Quintong, whom we just added from SI.com. I feel we've got the best team of analysts anywhere.

Tim (Chicago): Hey Mathew, Congrats on the continuance of the dream job so many of us covet. And you continue to do a great job. It's also great to see names like AJ, C-Dub, Pete Becker, etc. Not a knock on ESPN, but I have to say I really miss the old site, though. Any news on the Davids, Young or Hunter? Thanks, Tim Kelly owner of the Mighty McCrackens in Chicago.

Mike (New Lenox, Ill.): Matthew, real quick … if there's any way possible that Pete Becker can start writing more fantasy articles for the site, that would be awesome. I really appreciate his articles and knowledge. Keep up the hard work and thank you, Mike DePolo, -IL

TMR: Yes, Pete's great. And, fresh off his FSWA Baseball award, he will be writing more during baseball season. He's one of our main editors, though, working behind the scenes to make me and many others look better than we should. Dave Hunter is with us as well, he runs The Answer Guys service we provide for Insiders, along with "C-Dub." David Young wrote baseball for us last year but resigned to pursue other opportunities.

Bridgette (Brooklyn): Dear Mr. TMR, I need your help. I am writing to you, sorry to say, knowing nothing about you and nothing about Fantasy sports. I am married to an avid fantasy football player (that is how I have heard your name), he is a three-time champion in his fantasy football league (and I have the eyesore of a trophy in our home to prove it), plus I often trip over fantasy football magazines scattered on the bathroom floor which all read more like Greek to me. My husband is also an aspiring sportswriter, particularly in the area of fantasy football and hockey. As I watch him whittle away at his desired career of writing for both fantasy football and hockey he continues to get many nonpaying sportswriting gigs as he builds his resume as a sportswriter and expert. So I was wondering if you had any advice for those guys out there who not only have the passion for this, but the talent as well. Being a published author myself, I know that successful writing careers don't happen overnight so I am sure it takes a lot of commitment and time before anyone knows you or is even willing to give you a paycheck for your writing skills. However, if there are any other tips that you could pass off to me that I could share with my husband that would be great not to mention funny if I could say to him, "You know, TMR told me that you should …" Thanks for your help and inspiring my husband to pursue his own dreams.

Spencer (Thousand Oaks, Calif.): Hey Mathew, Thanks for all the fantasy analysis. I read everything you have to say about football and baseball. Which has brought me a few championships in the last couple of years. Quick question though, Matthew. I want your job! I want to engulf myself in fantasy sports and tell the world my Love/Hate predictions. How did you get to where you are today? I'm currently a college student and want to know what I should be studying. Any internships I should be trying to get? Do you have any? I'll literally be butler. But I hope to hear from soon. The Next Talented Mr. Roto, Spencer.

Pat (NJ): Dear Mr. Berry: I'm a 27-year-old attorney from New Jersey who happened to choose the wrong profession. I find myself sitting in my law office perusing various fantasy baseball sites instead of billing my clients through the nose. I would love to hear some advice as to how to begin a career in fantasy sports journalism. Having gone through law school, I believe that I could be very successful in this field. Moreover, I'm an avid fantasy baseball/football player. I'm not asking for your help, but merely for an opportunity. I'm willing to write on a topic of your choosing and submit it to ESPN as my introduction into the Fantasy Sports community. I ask that you e-mail me with a topic and I will promptly submit an article with my analysis/opinions. I look forward to hearing from you shortly.

TMR: I get tons of these and I wish I had the time to answer them all. I've been there, I get it, I wish you all luck. I've given more people their start than anyone else in the industry and I continue to try to hire new people. In addition to all the ESPN/TMR folks, some of the main guys at several large nonfantasy sites got their start with me. Understand that it's hard to get a full-time job doing it initially. There aren't a lot of companies that pay folks to do it. I did write a quick blog about the subject at the end of football season -- you can read it by clicking here.