Benchwarmer News Archive - 2010

12/25/10

• Decisions for carryovers - deadline is extended to Sunday night January 2 at midnight Pacific (1/3/11 3 AM EST).
• Minnie and Paul League - your league is full.  The deadline to submit your startup draft list is Thursday January 6 - midnight Pacific.

12/20/10

• Fall Trading: Week Two Results

12/5/10

• Fall Trading: Week One Results - Final Fall trading period is now open with the deadline Friday Dec. 17.
• All post season awards - for playoff wins and players of the year - are posted for the transaction date of 12/3.  (Minor league awards coming in January or February).
• Any orphan teams picked up through 12/4 have now received 4 million in extra cash to help rebuild.

11/28/10

• 2011 Salaries are now final with the application of premium salary adjustments.

11/21/10

• 2011 Rule Changes - one listed now...a couple more to come soon.
• Speaking of rule changes, I noticed that the 2010 changes were supposed to give bonus teams to conference winners who did not win their league titles.  Those teams will be added by the end of November.

11/20/10

• Benchwarmer Baseball Blog entry that outlines the off-season tasks ahead of you.

11/18/10

• Returning leagues: You can now begin choosing your carryover players - decisions are due 12/31/10.  Go to your team roster page for the link.
• Returning leagues: There are 2 off-season trading periods - the first one is open now with deadline Friday 12/3/10.  Trades will not have any salary aspect to them...the receiving teams will be liable for 100% of the salaries in January.
• Lots of changes:
  • New leagues now available to join for 2011
  • Bonus teams awarded to winning teams in 2011
  • Player salaries updated for 2011 - These are not yet final.  "Premium adjustments" will be added in late November.
  • Positions updated for 2011 - Any position with an "x" listed is a player not yet verified and subject to change (or player deleted from the list).
  • Salary cap money distributed; Post season rewards to winning teams will come next week.
  • Payment table set up for 2011.  BWB would like you to wait to pay until 2011.  If you pay during January 2011, you'll get a $5 discount for each team.
• With the salary changes and players removed from IR, you will likely now have illegal rosters.  That's OK.  When you pick your players to keep/drop, that will take care of that situation.

11/12/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Finals  Games 1-5 posted...that's all we need.  Save the Dome Dogs from the Experts League wins the Benchwarmer Bash finals 4 games to 1.  Congratulations Jacob Vass.

11/11/10

• Player of the Year rankings are now final for each league.

11/10/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Semifinals  Series complete - on to the finals!
• Benchwarmer Bash Finals: Save the Dome (Experts League, owned by Jacob Vass) vs. Oklahoma (Triple Crown League, owned by Phil Dang).  Phil made the final series last year with his Hall of Fame League team, but lost in 7 games.  Can he win it all this year?

11/7/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Quarterfinals complete  All games posted.
• See the Bash Bracket

11/6/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Federation Finals Complete  Games 5-7 posted.
• Congratulations Federation Champions:
  • Aaron: Oaxaca Revolution (Hall of Fame League) - Sherman Wan
  • Bench: San Berdoo Mattress Police (Chevy Chase League) - E.J. Camburn
  • Cobb: Sea Isle City Sandsharks (Reality Bites League) - Robert Elias
  • DiMaggio: Tennessee Longshots (Four Sta Leaguer) - Ken DeGroot
  • Eckersley: Save the Dome Dogs (Experts League) - Jacob Vass
  • Foxx: Oklahoma Noodlers (Triple Crown League) - Phil Dang
  • Gehrig: Asia Analog Kid (K Street) - Anthony Citarella
  • Hornsby: Diamond Rats (Batman League) - Michael Himich
  • ...these teams move on to the Benchwarmer Bash Quarterfinals

11/3/10

• Are you keeping your team(s) in 2011?  Please visit your team roster pages or go here to indicate whether or not you're going to retain ownership of the team in 2011.  The deadline was October 31, but I won't be checking responses until around November 7.  You still have time to respond.

11/2/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Federation Semifinals Complete  Games 5-7 posted.

10/30/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Federation Wild Card Round complete - Game 5 & 6 posted.  Nobody went to 7 games.

10/29/10

• Are you keeping your team(s) in 2011?  Please visit your team roster pages or go here to indicate whether or not you're going to retain ownership of the team in 2011.  Deadline is October 31 or your team will be classified an orphan team.
• Experts League - Follow the Experts on Twitter (the ones I know about):
  • Johnny Archive
  • Howard Bender
  • Brad Berreman
  • Collin Hager
  • Joe Lano
  • Adam Ronis
  • Mark Schruender
  • Scott Swanay
  • and Benchwarmer Baseball

10/23/10

• Benchwarmer Bash - Field is complete - If you're part of it, you have one more chance to change your lineups by Monday night.

10/22/10

• Playoffs - Championship Week - All Series are Complete - Game 7 Posted.
• Congratulations League Champions:
  • Batman - Diamond Rats - Michael Himich
  • Beatleball - Margaritaville Parrotheads - Phil Dang
  • Beer - Hornsby's Rhinos - Don Kruse
  • Bleed Dodger Blue - Minneapolis Lakers - Jacob Vass
  • Blue and Gray - Detroit Repeat Offenders - Mike Prohaska
  • Chevy Chase - San Berdoo Mattress Police - E.J. Camburn
  • Commissioners - Humpback Camels - Roland Dupont
  • Deuces Wild - Bel Aire Princes - Doug Schnack
  • Experts - Save the Dome Dogs - Jacob Vass
  • Four Star - Tennessee Longshots - Ken DeGroot
  • Golden Throat - St. Louis Browns - Michael Quinn
  • Hall of Fame - Nordeast Knotholes - Jacob Vass
  • K Street - Asia Analog Kid - Anthony Citarella
  • The Kings of Queens - Ralston Steelers - Mike Cerny
  • Longball - Nokomis Choo Choo Trains - Jacob Vass
  • Murderers' Row - Guttenberg Gandolfinis- Tom Twomey
  • Perfect World - Cincinnati the dl1 - Michael Horvitz
  • Reality Bites - Sea Isle City Sandsharks - Robert Elias
  • Redbirds - Middle Age Krusaders - Don Kruse
  • Shadowball - Cal Tech Atoms - Doug Schnack
  • Three of a Kind - Detroit Ligers - Mike Prohaska
  • Triple Crown - Oklahoma Noodlers - Phil Dang

10/12/10

• Playoffs - Week 1 Complete - Game 7 now posted

10/6/10

• Playoff matchups posted. (You can go direct to your league's playoffs from your league home page).
• Look for Game 1 results on Thursday or Friday - probably just one game to work out the playoff kinks...then we'll go a little faster (we're 4-5 days ahead of last year!).
• Tiebreakers for division placement and playoff seeding.

10/4/10

• Congratulations to owners with multiple division winners:
  • 6 Teams - Roland Dupont and Tom Twomey
  • 5 Teams - Mike Prohaska
  • 4 Teams - Chris Bellina, Phil Dang, Jerry King, Don Kruse, Michael Quinn, and Jacob Vass.
  • 3 Teams - Michael Lehman and Jon Swanson
  • 2 Teams - Mark Currie, Michael Himich, Gary Renwick, Doug Schnack, and Adam Wilson

10/3/10

• Setting up the playoff brackets takes some manual work that was delayed by all the tiebreakers.  Look for the playoffs to begin later this week.
• Division Champions earned via tiebreakers :
  • Chevy Chase League - Clark W. Griswold Division: Bath County Black Sheep (owner Mike Bollinger) - 1st Title - Won divisional playoff game
  • Reality Bites - Fear Factor Division: Minneapolis Coonhounds (owner Jon Swanson - 3rd win in 2010) - Highest finish was 2nd in 2006; Won tiebreaker game
  • Three of a Kind League - Connor Division: Motor City Gamblers (owner Michael Himich - 2nd win in 2010) - 1st Title - Won divisional playoff game
  • Experts League - Print Division: Colter's Bean Stalks (owner Craig Bennett) - 2 GB last year; won division tiebreaker game
  • Triple Crown League - Yastrzemski Division: Kentucky Big Mack Attack (owner Tom McGraw) - 3rd place last year; won out in 3-way tie for first
  • Triple Crown League - Klein Division: Binghamton Triplets (owner James Doud) - Franchise repeats after mid-season ownership change

10/2/10

• Week 25 Statistics and Players of the Week posted.

10/1/10

• Round Robin Series Division Tiebreaker: Triple Crown League - Yastrzemski Division
  • Game 3: Kentucky 5  Pittsburgh 4 - Box (Kentucky 2-0...Raging 1-1...Pittsburgh 0-2)
  • Kentucky wins the division.

9/30/10

• Round Robin Series Division Tiebreaker: Triple Crown League - Yastrzemski Division
  • Game 2: Raging 3  Pittsburgh 0 - Box (Kentucky 1-0...Raging 1-1...Pittsburgh 0-1)

9/29/10

• One-Game Division Tiebreakers:
  • Chevy Chase League - Clark W. Griswold Division: Bath County 2  Southern California 0 - Box
  • Reality Bites - Fear Factor Division: Minneapolis 5  London 2012 4 - Box
  • Three of a Kind League - Connor Division: Motor City 5  Vegas Strip 3  - Box
  • Experts League - Print Division: Colter's 3  Men Injecting Men 1 - Box
  • Triple Crown League - Klein Division: Binghamton 5  Erie 2 - Box
• Round Robin Series Division Tiebreaker: Triple Crown League - Yastrzemski Division
  • Game 1: Kentucky 4  Raging 1 - Box  (Kentucky 1-0...Pittsburgh 0-0...Raging 0-1)

9/28/10

• Six division races ended in a tie - to be broken later this week:
  • Chevy Chase League - Clark W. Griswold Division: Southern California swept Bath County in the final three games to force a tie.
  • Reality Bites - Fear Factor Division: London 2012 took 2 of 3 in the final series to force a tie with Minneapolis
  • Three of a Kind League - Connor Division: Vegas Strip made up 2 games in the final week to tie Motor City.
  • Experts League - Print Division: It looked over when Men Injecting Men took 2 of 3 from Colter's to pull ahead by 2 games with 3 to go.  Then Adam Ronis' Rock Ridge team swept Men Injecting Men and Colter's climbed back into a tie.
  • Triple Crown League -
    • Yastrzemski Division: Amazingly, a three-way tie for first: Pittsburgh-Raging-Kentucky.
    • Klein Division: Binghamton tied with Erie; Erie took 2 of their last three games this week to force the tie.

9/27/10

• Week 25 Complete - Games 149-150 posted
  • Regular season complete...almost
  • 6 divisions have ties that require extra games (probably starting Wed. night)
• Division Champions crowned on Monday:
  • Shadowball - Chicago American Giants Division: Las Vegas Billionaires (owner Jim Sowerby) - 3rd title; League champion in 2007
  • Perfect World League - David Wells Division: Commerce Michigan High Rollers (owner Nick Chupack)
  • Beatleball - Harrison Division: Margaritaville Parrotheads (owner Phillip Dang - 3rd win in 2010)  - 1st title (2nd place 3 times); Breaks Carlisle's 6-year run on top
  • The Kings of Queens - Koosman Division: Kansas Bucks (owner Greg Flees)
  • Four Star League - Patton Division: West Coast Dynasty (owner Craig Burke)
  • Redbirds League - Smith Division: Republic of South Africa 2010 World Cup Soccer (owners Scott Campbell & Leif Jonson) - 2 straight years to win division by 1 game
  • Three of a Kind League - Speaker Division: Hudson River 3-Eyed Fish (owner Tom Twomey - 6th win in 2010)
  • Longball League - Robinson Division: Trinidad Island Vikings (owner Leif Jonson) - 3rd win; 2008 Benchwarmer Bash champ

    Longball League - McGuire Division: Nokomis Choo Choo Trains (owner Jacob Vass - 4th win in 2010) - 6 for 6 in division titles; 3-time league champ (including 2009)

  • Golden Throat League - Jack Buck Division: Philadelphia Firestarters (owner William Stingle) - 4th division win (including 2009)
  • Deuces Wild League - Brett Division: Everglades Alligators (owner Michael Lehman - 3rd win in 2010) - 2nd straight title; both wins by 1 game
  • Murderers' Row - Big Poison Division: Benchwarmer Splinters (owner Phillip Dang - 4th win in 2010)
  • Murderers' Row - Big Donkey Division: Chicago Public Enemies (owner Jerry King - 4th win in 2010)
  • Batman League - Keaton Division: Purple Cows (owner Roland Dupont - 6th win in 2010)
  • Batman League - Bale Division: Wayne Dark Crusaders (owner David Henning)

9/26/10

• Division Champions crowned on Sunday:
  • Hall of Fame League - Cooperstown Division: Oaxaca Revolution (owner Sherman Wan) - 6th straight title; 2-time defending league champion
  • Chevy Chase League - Ty Webb Division: Forest City Fog Monsters (owner Gary Renwick - 2nd win in 2010) - 1st Division Title
  • Chevy Chase League - Emmit Fitz-Hume Division: Gashouse Gorillas (owner Michael Quinn - 2nd win in 2010) - 2nd franchise title
  • Perfect World League - David Cone Division: Arkansas Hogs (owner Michael Quinn - 3rd win in 2010)
  • Perfect World League - Kenny Rogers Division: Ehime Ichiban (owner Tom Twomey - 5th win in 2010)
  • Beer League - Malt Division: Pitt Iron City (owner Dave Clum) - 1st win after 2 straight 2nd-place finishes
  • Beatleball - McCartney Division: Dinkytown Hooligans (owner Jon Swanson - 2nd win in 2010) - 1st Division Title; finished 2nd three times
  • Reality Bites League - Amazing Race Division: Sea Isle City Landsharks (owner Robert Elias) - 2nd straight division win; league champ in 2006
  • Reality Bites League - Bachelor Division: Carmel Surf Dogs (owner Andrew Lehman) - New owner - third title for the franchise
  • Reality Bites League - American Idol Division: Mighty Mice (owner Roland Dupont - 5th win in 2010) - New owner - second title for the franchise
  • The Kings of Queens - Hernandez Division: WV RiffRaff (owner Tim Legg)
  • Three of a Kind League - Wagner Division: Havana Lounge Lizards (owner Jerry King - 2nd win in 2010) - 2nd straight title
  • Golden Throat League - Ernie Harwell Division: Austin City Limits (owner Michael Lehman) - First title
  • Experts League - Airwaves Division: Detroit Foster Children (owner Mike Prohaska - 4th win in 2010) - 20 GB in 2009
  • K Street League - Seaver Division: Altoona Thunder Chicken (owner Jerry King - 3rd win in 2010) - 3 straight years in first place
  • K Street League - Sutton Division: Aksarben Bugbeaters (owner Don Kruse - 4th win in 2010) - 3rd straight win; 2 conference wins…no league title yet
  • Commissioners League - Chandler Division: Detroit Pizza Pizzas (owner Mike Prohaska - 5th win in 2010) - Repeats as division winner
  • Commissioners League - Ueberroth Division: Sara's 55-pound Chihuahuas (owner Phillip Dang - 2nd win in 2010) - Missed by 1 game in 2009
  • Bleed Dodger Blue League - Sutton Division: California Condors (owner Michael Lehman - 2nd win in 2010) - 13 GB in 2009

9/25/10

• Division Champions crowned on Saturday:
  • Shadowball - Birmingham Black Barons Division: Medford Pulp Fiction (owner Chris Bellina - 4th win in 2010) - Defending league champion
  • Shadowball - Memphis Red Sox Division: Chico's Bail Bonds (owner Vito Selvaggi) - 3rd franchise title
  • Chevy Chase League - Fletch F. Fletch Division: San Berdoo Mattress Police (owner E.J. Camburn) - Back on top after winning conference in 2007 & 2008
  • Beer League - Water Division: Hornsby's Rhinos (owner Don Kruse - 2nd win in 2010) - 1st title after 2 straight 2nd place finishes
  • Redbirds League - Brock Division: Manalapan Monchichis (owner Tom Twomey - 4th win in 2010) - 1st title after 2 straight 2nd place finishes (1 GB in 2009)
  • Three of a Kind League - Beckley Division: Detroit Ligers (owner Mike Prohaska - 2nd win in 2010) - 1st title after 2 straight 2nd place finishes (4 GB in 2009)
  • Experts League - Blogs Division: The Fantasy Baseball Buzz (owner Howard Bender) - Two for two in division titles
  • Blue and Gray League - Grant Division: Detroit Repeat Offenders (owner Mike Prohaska - 3rd win in 2010) - Won in 2009 too
  • Blue and Gray League - Lee Division: Confederate Freemen (owner Adam Wilson - 2nd win in 2010) - 2nd in 2009; Gore Cup champ
  • Bleed Dodger Blue League - Reese Division: Aksarben Krusaders (owner Don Kruse - 3rd win in 2010) - 17 GB in 2009
  • Batman League - Clooney Division: Diamond Rats (owner Michael Himich)

9/24/10

• Week 24 Statistics and Players of the Week posted.
• Division Champions crowned on Thursday:
  • Hall of Fame League - Ruth Division: Nordeast Knotholes (owner Jacob Vass - 3rd win in 2010) - 4th title; First since winning league in 2002
  • Perfect World League - Randy Johnson Division: Cincinnati The dl1 (owner Michael Horvitz)
  • Beatleball - Starr Division: Displaced New Yorkers (owner Adam Wilson) - 5th title; 2-time defending conference champion
  • The Kings of Queens - Harrelson Division: Ralston Steelers (owner Mike Cerny)
  • Four Star League - Bradley Division: North Pole Bumbles (owner Chris Bellina - 3rd win in 2010)
  • Four Star League - MacArthur Division: Tennessee Longshots (owner Ken Degroot)
  • Deuces Wild League - Musial Division: Bel Aire Princes (owner Doug Schnack - 2nd win in 2010) - 2nd place last year
  • Commissioners League - Frick Division: Humpback Camels (owner Roland Dupont - 4th win in 2010) - Defending league champion

9/22/10

• Division Champions crowned on Wednesday:
  • Hall of Fame League - Wagner Division: Las Vegas Lounge Lizards (owner Jon Swanson) - 1st Title; Ends 7-year run of playoffs by Boar's Nest
  • Hall of Fame League - Cobb Division: Springfield Isotopes (owner Andy Marquis) - 5th win; Conference champion in 2009
  • Shadowball - Pittsburgh Crawfords Division: Cal Tech Atoms (owner Doug Schnack) - New owner this year; Franchise was league champ in 2008
  • Beatleball - Lennon Division: Los Anaheim Anklebiters of Angeles (owner Jeff Deeble) - Defending league champion
  • Redbirds League - Slaughter Division: Middle Age Krusaders (owner Don Kruse) - First division title
  • Longball League - Killebrew Division: Lemon Juice (owner Roland Dupont - 3rd win in 2010) - League champ in 2008
  • Golden Throat League - Haray Carey Division: Newport News Aliens & Predators (owner Chris Bellina - 2nd win in 2010) - Defending league champion
  • Triple Crown League - Robinson Division: Oklahoma Noodlers (owner Phillip Dang) - 1st Title; 3rd place in 2009
  • Triple Crown League - Medwick Division: Oakdale Barrons (owner Nick Wallin) - Defending league champion
  • Bleed Dodger Blue League - Drysdale Division: Minneapolis Lakers (owner Jacob Vass - 2nd win in 2010) - 4th place in 2009

9/21/10

• Week Twenty-five Transactions Posted - Week 26 (Playoff) lineups due Monday night (9/27) at midnight Pacific.

9/18/10

• Division Champions crowned on Saturday:
  • Beer League - Yeast Division: The Natty Lights (owner Jesse Roche) - 3rd division title
  • Golden Throat League - Bob Prince Division: St. Louis Browns (owner Michael Quinn) - 2nd straight division win
  • Murderers' Row - Big Puma Division: Guttenberg Gandolfinis (owner Tom Twomey - 2nd win in 2010)
  • K Street League - Perry Division: Hawaii Islanders (owner Mark Currie - 2nd win in 2010) - Two years in a row
  • Commissioners League - Giamatti Division: South Park Butters (owner Tom Twomey - 3rd win in 2010) - 2nd straight win; conference champ last season
  • Blue and Gray League - Jackson Division: Charleston Cannon Fodder (owner Jerry King) - Defending league champion
  • Bleed Dodger Blue League - Campanella Division: Pygmy Raiders (owner Robert Nolter) - Conference champion in 2009
  • Batman League - Kilmer Division: Brinkley CP Bulldogs (owner Michael Quinn - 2nd win in 2010)

9/17/10

• Week 23 Statistics and Players of the Week posted.
• More Division Champions:
  • Beer League - Hops Division: Pittsburgh John Harvard's Home Made Root Beer (owner Chris Bellina) - 1st Title; 20 GB in 2009
  • Kings of Queens League - McGraw Division: Woodside Dingos (owner Tom Twomey)
  • Redbirds League - Dean Division: Prairie Chickens (owner Roland Dupont) - 3rd straight win; Defending league champion
  • Experts League - Web Division: Save The Dome Dogs (owner Jacob Vass) - 2nd place in 2009
  • Deuces Wild League - Cobb Division: Erie Great Lakers (owner Mike Prohaska) - 2nd title; Conference champion in 2009
  • Deuces Wild League - Biggio Division: Montreal Machine (owner Mark Currie) - 2nd place and 21 GB in 2009
  • K Street League - Blyleven Division: Asia Analog Kid (owner Anthony Citarella) - 1st title since league champion in 2005
  • Blue and Gray League - Sherman Division: Major Miracle (owner Roland Dupont - 2nd win in 2010) - 4th place and 21 GB in 2009

9/15/10

• Week 25 is cuts and IR moves only - there are no free agent signings allowed.

9/12/10

• Our first Division Champions:
  • Four Star League - Eisenhower Division: Georgetown Canal Mules (owner Yuri Belova)
  • Longball League - Mays Division: Mudville Nine (owner Rob Behymer) - 3rd win; conference champ in '07 & '09
  • Murderers' Row - Big Ed Division: Detroit Rock Cities (owner Mike Prohaska)

9/11/10

• Heading into the final three weeks of the season, how are the mid-season stories we highlighted playing out?
  • Consecutive division title winners?:
    • Boar's Nest (Dave Regan) - Hall of Fame - Wagner Division - 7 straight seasons from 2003-2009; Recently tied for first, but a 10-game winning streak by Las Vegas now has put Boar's Nest 7 GB.
    • Carlisle (Mark Groninger) - Beatleball - The only team to ever win the Harrison Division: 6 straight seasons from 2004-2009; No comeback this season, as it looks like a 4th-place finish in 2010.
    • Oaxaca (Sherman Wan) - Hall of Fame - Cooperstown Division - 5 straight seasons from 2005-2009; Still maintaining a lead over Party - with the margin now 6 games.
    • Nokomis (Jacob Vass) - Longball - The only team to ever win the McGuire Division: 5 straight seasons from 2005-2009; Nokomis has beat out Heartland by one game in both 2008 and 2009.  A recent 5-game swing now has Nokomis tied with Heartland as they come to the wire for a 3rd straight season (but Southern California is just 3 back).
  • Who will win the power league of BWB veterans - Murderers Row?  (And shouldn't they be all around .500?)
  • And it doesn't look like any team in the Blogs Division of the Experts League will finish above .500.
  • In 47 franchise seasons across all leagues, Jon Swanson (game founder and operator) has 4 division titles.  At mid-season he was in 1st place in 5 leagues...now that's down to 3.

7/23/10

• Contract Extensions:
  • Deadline for extensions is July 27.
  • If you're not sure what it's all about - check out my past blog entries on extensions
  • You must have the available cash on hand to pay for the full contract
  • All teams will get an extra 1 million in cash during the Week 17 transaction processing - you can use that million toward your extensions.

7/19/10

• Don't forget - transactions move to Tuesday this week!

7/16/10

• July 27 is the last date to submit contract extensions.

7/13/10

• Week 15 Transaction deadline is the final week to get a salary rebate for cut players.

7/12/10

• At just a little past the halfway point of the season, some stories to follow:
  • Consecutive division titles - A lot of parity in BWB, but some franchises have had consistent success - these teams have won several straight division crowns through 2009:
    • Boar's Nest (Dave Regan) - Hall of Fame - Wagner Division - 7 straight seasons from 2003-2009; Current position: Tied for 1st with Las Vegas.
    • Carlisle (Mark Groninger) - Beatleball - The only team to ever win the Harrison Division: 6 straight seasons from 2004-2009; Currently in 3rd place, 13 GB.  But this fits the 2009 pattern where he was 11 GB after Week 11.  Is he poised for another comeback?
    • Oaxaca (Sherman Wan) - Hall of Fame - Cooperstown Division - 5 straight seasons from 2005-2009; Currently 1st place, 4 games ahead.
    • Nokomis (Jacob Vass) - Longball - The only team to ever win the McGuire Division: 5 straight seasons from 2005-2009; Currently tied for 3rd, 7 GB.  Heartland currently leading the division after finishing 1 GB the last 2 seasons.
  • Who will win the power league of BWB veterans - Murderers Row?  (And shouldn't they be all around .500?)
  • Speaking of .500, will any team in the Blogs Division of the Experts League finish above .500?
  • In 47 franchise seasons across all leagues, Jon Swanson (game founder and operator) has 4 division titles.  Currently, he's in 1st place in 5 leagues...is this just fleeting?  (probably so)

7/8/10

• This is the final week to get a salary rebate for cut players.

7/3/10

• All teams received an extra million bucks this week (last transaction period in June).  One more cash distribution comes at the end of July.
• The final week to get a salary rebate for cut players is Week 15 (deadline Wed. 7/14).

6/20/10

• First round draft picks have been added to the player list and are ready to be signed.

6/9/10

• Short week ahead.  The transaction deadline this week is Thursday, but due to my schedule I likely won't be able to post results until Saturday.  And then beginning next week we shift our weekly due date to Wednesdays.  Be aware that you'll have a quick turnaround (in case you're looking to pick up a certain Florida rookie who will hit the player lists for Week 11).
• First round draft picks will likely be added to the player list for the Week 12 transaction period (due date 6/23).  Players will appear on the list for the first time after the Week 11 transactions are posted.
• Does your team suck?  Here's why you should stay involved throughout the rest of the 2010 season.

6/8/10

• 2010 Payment was due April 9.  See consequences of missing the date.  Need to check your balance?  See your payment summary.  If your team is unpaid, then since May 7, you've been blocked from transactions and lineup changes (see the note below from May 9).  But, If you do not pay by the Week 10 deadline (June 10), you will forfeit your team.

5/28/10

• All teams received an extra 1 million bucks this week (end of May cash distribution - another million comes at the end of June and the end of July).

5/18/10

Positive/Negative - Week 5 Team Total Stats

5/12/10

Positive/Negative - Week 4 Team Total Stats

5/9/10

• In order to attempt to set lineups before most teams actually play the MLB games that will affect the next week of BWB games, but to also allow for switches to occur as close as possible to that weekly cutoff, we shift the transaction/lineup deadline every five weeks.  Starting this week, deadlines are on Thursdays.
• 2010 Payment was due April 9.  See consequences of missing the date.  Need to check your balance?  See your payment summary.  If you haven't paid by the Week 5 deadline (5/7), you're now blocked from making lineup changes in addition to transactions (signings/cuts/trades) until that's cleared.  If you do not pay by the Week 10 deadline (June 10), you will forfeit your team.

5/1/10

• Team logos finally(!) loaded.  I think I got them all - if you sent me something and it's not showing you may need to send again.  If anyone wants a custom logo/picture for their team page, email a picture file (.jpg, .gif., etc.).

4/27/10

Positive/Negative - Week 2 Team Total Stats

4/19/10

• After every completed week of games, there's a stats recap to show how your players performed in that week - along with team stats, league leaders, players of the week, and a power index that takes a shot at ranking all 352 Benchwarmer teams.  Typically, that can be posted immediately after the week is done (or maybe the next day).  The first one of the season always takes a little more time (remembering how to do it, adding new leagues, etc.).  So, this time around expect to see the stats posted on Tuesday night.

4/17/10

• Reminder - you don't get a salary rebate for players you cut who are under contract.  The transaction page may show a rebate when you cut him, but the fine print above your add/drop recap (newly bolded today), covers this (it's one of those things you need to pay attention to yourself).  There's also no rebate for players making 200 or less in salary.
• For Week 1-2, the transaction order is based on 2009 final standings (or total team salary at the beginning for the season for brand new teams).  Starting with Week 3, the order is based on current season standings...but there may be a slight delay.  The standings at the end of Week 1 games will determine the picking order for Week 3.  So the order will not be reset until after the Week 1 games are done (and this usually gets reset about a day or two after the week is complete).

4/13/10

• The page that shows all rosters for your league has been updated - and hopefully more valuable than before.
• As noted Monday - Back in December, I mistyped Carlos Monasterios as Carlos "Monsasterios" when adding him to the player list.  As I matched up new statistics IDs this week, those 2 last names didn't match, so it seemed like a new guy...and I added him again (sorry, don't have all 1900+ active players memorized). 
  • This is now fixed - but if you tried to sign the guy who was "added" in Week 2, he's now out of your transaction list.
  • Instead, look for the Carlos Monasterios added in December 2009 (if he's gone, someone already has him).

4/12/10

• If you're just paying your BWB bill this week, you may need to wait up to 24 hours before it's confirmed and your transactions are unblocked again.  If it takes longer than that, let me know.  Moral of the story - don't wait until Friday to do it if you want to add/cut/trade players this week.

4/11/10

• Every week when transactions are posted, check the player lists for new players.  Look in the "Filter/Search" area of the page for the "New in 2010" option.

4/10/10

• 2010 Payment was due by April 9.  See consequences of missing the date.  Need to check your balance?  See your payment summary.  If you haven't yet paid, you'll be blocked from transactions (signings/cuts/trades) starting with Week 2 until that's cleared.

4/6/10

• John Petrilyak - the email address you have in your user profile rejects as "does not exist."  I have no other way to contact you until you change that.
• Follow Benchwarmer Baseball on Twitter (or owner Jon Swanson).
• The results of Week Zero transactions will be posted Tuesday night.  This update usually takes me a long time (lots of attempted signings usually mean a lot of "out of cash" and roster limit violations that need to be reversed...then have to fill in the teams that didn't get to a legal roster in time, etc.).  In the meantime, lineups are locked.  You'll have from late Tuesday/early Wednesday through Friday night at midnight (Week 1 deadline) to set your lineups for the start of the season.

4/5/10

• Monday night is the deadline for Week Zero transactions (midnight Pacific)
  • Check on special considerations for this deadline.
  • This is the final submission of transactions to finalize your roster for Opening Day. Players picked in transactions are not available until the next week, so in order to be eligible in Week 1, you must pick them up now.
  • Opening Day lineups are due Friday, April 9.  You'll have a short turnaround time between Week Zero and Week One - please start setting your lineups now!

4/3/10

• The Kings of Queens Draft Central - Phase Two, Part Three results posted.  Draft Complete!

3/31/10

• Welcome to the Experts League.  Taking over 2009's worst team, Johnny Archive has nowhere to go but up!
• New to Benchwarmer Baseball? - There are some resources to help you out.
  • Check out the big "Help" link at the top of any page.
  • The Benchwarmer Baseball Blog has 2 series of articles designed to help newcomers: The BWB Primer and Orphan School.
  • Two Benchwarmer veterans post blogs.  You may or may not find very recent postings, but search through past articles and you may pick up some things.  See Save the Dome and Dinks and Dunks.
• Do you know a fantasy baseball expert - or a baseball expert - (even in his/her own mind)?  We're still looking for 2 more experts to fill out teams in the Radio/TV division (to replace NY/NJ) and the Website division (to replace RotoExperts).
• If you sent team logo pictures, we will post them soon!

3/30/10

• 5 million dollar cash ceiling - The maximum amount of cash you can take into a season is 5 million bucks.  After the Week Zero transactions (deadline April 5), if you have more than 5 million, your cash balance will be leveled off to that maximum amount.
  • Keep that in mind on salary rebates in Week Zero, too, which go into making your final balance.  For example, you may have waited to cut Joe Nathan until now to get an 80% rebate of his salary rather than 50%.  But doing so this week will add 6202 to your bank.  Unless you're spending a lot of that cash in salaries this week, and roster-wise you can hang on to him...it may be better to wait.  (And here's where a "contingent release" of him rather than a straight-out drop may be better, so you only cut him if you sign some other high-priced player).
  • For new orphan team owners this week, I will NOT count the extra 2 million you get on Monday to rebuild the team against that 5 million max.  You have enough to deal with in learning the system this week.  If you are over 5 million solely due to that extra orphan cash, you can keep it (so your maximum is 7 million).

3/29/10

• 2010 Season Schedules - Now posted - look for a link on your league home page.  (Note, team names get updated in the schedule after transactions are posted - if you've changed your team name since Sunday, the previous name will still show for now).

3/28/10

• Week -1 Transactions Posted
  • You have just one week of transactions to finalize your roster for Opening Day.
  • Week Zero deadline is Monday, April 5 - midnight Pacific.  Check on special considerations for this deadline.
  • Opening Day lineups are due Friday, April 9.  You'll have a short turnaround time between Week Zero and Week One - please start setting your lineups now!

3/25/10

• Is your roster short on players?  You have just two weeks to get to a legal roster - don't forget, you can only submit 4 rounds of player selections each week, so if you need more than 4 players, you'll need to pick up players this week (deadline Friday night).

3/23/10

• Perfect World League Draft Central - Phase Two Draft complete.  You begin weekly transactions starting THIS week (deadline Friday night).

3/15/10

• Leagues are full for 2010 - We've filled The Kings of Queens and won't be starting up any additional leagues for 2010 (the draft process takes a couple of weeks).  Please check back in 2011!

3/14/10

• Recently Read from our Experts: (and view the Experts League)
  • Adam Ronis says shortstop is a well-stocked position, while 3B and catcher prospects are slim.
  • The Sherpa gives some "real news" from Spring Training
  • Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove is getting to the top 20 in player projections.
• We're still looking for three more experts to take over 3 orphan teams in the Experts League.  Do you know anyone in Radio/TV who talks baseball?  And need one more person affiliated with a web site/blog.

3/13/10

• Murderers Row League Draft Central - Phase Two, Part Three picks are posted.  Draft complete
• Kings of Queens League - Your league was moved to a different federation to balance out the system (important for the post-season Benchwarmer Bash).  Your "remember me" functionality won't work initially...either use the switch leagues function or, if you only have one team, please logout and then login again.
• Use It or Lose It: You cannot carry more than 5 million in cash into the season.  Any cash balances over 5 million after the Week Zero transactions will be cut down to that maximum level.  This does not apply to brand new leagues for 2010!!
• Contract Extensions??  Extensions have been open for 2-3 weeks, but we haven't publicized it yet.  At this stage...unless you are trying to get below that 5 million cash maximum (see above), we suggest holding off on extensions.
• If you're brand new to BWB (or need some reminders), please check out these notes on contract extensions before trying to submit them.

3/7/10

• We're nearing the point where all new teams are going to need to consolidate into a single league.  We will draft one more league this spring.  If you haven't joined a league yet, do it now!!
• Four Star League Draft Central - Phase Two, Part Three draft results posted.  Draft Complete!!

3/2/10

• One little bonus - the financial updates for Week -5 included minor league results for 2009.  This is a highly inexact competition, but is a way to provide a small reward for having a good minor league roster (only stats earned in the minors count).  There is a link on every league's home page to take you to results.  (Brand new leagues for 2010 have the link too, but that page will have an error for now)

2/21/10

• Batman League Draft Central - Phase Two Part Four posted - Startup Draft Complete!

2/5/10

• Benchwarmer Baseball Blog: Orphan School - Lesson 3: Cash
• 2010 Weekly Transaction Deadlines - Reminder...Week -8 deadline for transactions is tonight at midnight Pacific.

2/3/10

• Benchwarmer Baseball Blog: Orphan School - Lesson 2: The Roster

2/1/10

• Did you take over an Orphan team for 2010?  Now that the Redistribution Draft is over, what next?  It's likely you're in a league now with very experienced players.  In many cases, your best first move may be nothing (but that's not always true - some of you have significant holes to fill).  In order to assist with some of the tricky parts of the game, the roster, cash balances, and what the heck are these contract-thingeys? - check out a series of entries in the Benchwarmer Baseball Blog: Orphan School (people drafting brand new teams might find it useful too).
• Redistribution Draft Complete - Rosters and cash balances now updated.  Redistribution Draft Index
• Free agency and trades now open.  Weekly transaction deadlines are Friday nights, midnight Pacific.

1/31/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Experts League
• Experts League:
  • Welcome to a new expert - Adam Ronis from Newsday (and other outlets) - who completes the Print Division for 2010 by taking over Rock Ridge.
  • Thought we had the remaining three slots filled, but I can't get confirmations, and one guy backed out.  We still have openings in the Airwaves Division (looking for connections with Radio/TV, including Internet radio) and the Web Division.  If you know of anyone, please let me know or if you know them personally, talk them up on the idea.
  • Recently Read from our Experts:
    • The Roundtable "scours" for 2010 Sleepers
    • Rotobuzz is going through position tiers for your 2010 drafts.
    • Brad Berreman links to his stories about overvalued and sleeper 1B, and OF Rankings.

1/30/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Redbirds League and Longball League
• 2010 Payment:
  • New Leagues and Owners: Owners joining for the first time in 2010 must pay before joining a league.  See the Payment Summary to handle that.
  • Returning Leagues:  Payment is not due until Opening Day, visit your Payment Summary when you're ready to take care of it.

1/29/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Deuces Wild League and Bleed Dodger Blue League
• Get a team for FREE - Be a Benchwarmer Blogger - share your thoughts, strategies, results, etc.  Email for details, but see Dave Regan's Dinks and Dunks and Jacob Vass with Save the Dome as potential models.

1/28/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Golden Throat League and Reality Bites

1/27/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Beer League and Hall of Fame League

1/26/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Chevy Chase League and Triple Crown League

1/24/10

• I'm not yet sure how/why/when this will be used, but BWB is now on Twitter...I finally catch up a little bit with 2009:
• And a personal Twitter take on things: find me at jonswansonMN
• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Commissioners League, Shadowball, and Blue and Gray

1/23/10

• Redistribution Draft - Results Posted: Three of a Kind & Beatleball
• I forgot - thankfully I automated most of the Redistribution Draft process last season...so it's a lot quicker to do this than it used to be.  But expect to see about 2-3 leagues posted per day for the next week.  In the meantime, enjoy the NFL Playoffs.

1/22/10

• Redistribution Draft - K Street results posted
• Waiting for the draft results?  New to the game?  You can work with a sample score and change your roster/batting order to get a feel for how to set up your team's roster later this spring.

1/16/10

• 2010 Rule Changes
• Returning Leagues: Redistribution Draft picks are due Monday night, Jan 18, midnight Pacific.
  • Access the form to draft players from your team roster.
  • The draft is optional, but is your best chance to rebuild your team this winter.
  • See last season's draft results

1/13/10

• There's a new filter on the player selection lists that was suggested: "Major Leaguers with salary <= 250" - what this allows you to do is find players who can be stashed on your minor league roster but are still able to be plugged into your lineup when needed.  Keep in mind that at this time of year, all players on the 40-man roster have designation of "major league" and as they are sent down in Spring Training, the designation will change back to minor league.  So, this may be more useful later on.
• There have been a few other suggestions (such as not showing any free agents or injured players) and we'll look at adding those soon.

1/12/10

• By original design (and maybe that will change next year) there is no "change your lineup" link on your roster during the Redistribution Draft phase.  But you can find a link to do that on the transactions page so that you can better analyze your current roster.

1/8/10

• Batman League Draft Central - Phase One Complete

1/3/10

• New Feature - If you are drafting more than one team, you now have the ability to copy the draft list from one team to another.  This option is available only as long as there are entries for a team in its startup draft list.  Once the Phase One draft is processed for a league, those entries are cleared.  The option will appear at the bottom of the draft page for your team.
• Four Star League - 7 of the 16 league slots are filled.  Your draft lists will be due about a week after the league is full.  Create your draft list now, so that we're not waiting on you at the deadline.  Visit your league's draft central.