Liberty is being free from the things we don't like in order to be slaves of the things we do like.--Ernest Benn

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Beware the Ides of March: Santa Barbarians In Showdown


The English (Barclay's) Premier League is underway. With four games played, it's time to assess my Santa Barbarians' prospects.

This is a 'no clones' league. Unlike some common fantasy leagues, in our league, any real player like Wayne Rooney, can only be assigned to one rotisserie team. That's what is meant by being a 'draft-based' league.


In a 3-hour coast-to-coast conference call on the night of 11 August, nine rottiserie teams were drafted. It was tense and exhausting, especially for a hard-of-hearing old man. But I had prepared well with a effective Excel worksheet. That's what enabled me save enough of my original fictitious £100 million to draft Wayne Rooney in the 15th and final round!

In the weeks that have followed, I have spent some early hours around 4 A.M. looking for early notices of new players enterring The Barclay's Premier league. I have made some astute trades. I have been good, even very good, but I think not good enough. I have missed some 'picks', principally because some of my competing managers are better versed in international soccer than I and all of them have faster, younger, and much more nimble minds than mine.

Nevertheless, Santa Barbarians Football Club are in it to win it.



16 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Yeah. Every week, another leak. And some weekends you sail into a dead calm! Like this past weekend.

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  2. In this two-week interlude leading up to Game Week 8, I have traded Maiga for Aluka of Hull City (who would have made 5 points for me this weekend if I had him not sitting on my bench; traded Danny Rose, essentially, for Adnan Januzaj (Manu) who produced 1 point. And I traded Willain and got him back, a defensive move. Also, I gave a hot tip about a game-changing player to another manager (neither who I will identify). Also a defensive maneuver. With some regrets, I might add. But I like the depth I currently display on the Barbarians. Barring injuries, I'll try to accumulate some trade permissions for when I really need them.

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  3. Replies
    1. Yes, Mesut Ozil has made Arsenal smile again. I missed out on him by seconds, one morning at 0400hrs. But I quickly grabbed up Ramsey!

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  4. Back in 1st place for a week. The negatives are that I failed to crunch the numbers in time to grab the newest game-changer. Having Chelsea's Torres would have given me a royal flush in forwards. Missed it. (Don't look back!). Looking forward to the coming weekend, most of my guys are playing away games. Bleak! And only 29 Games to go!

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    Replies
    1. Another week in 1st place. Decided not to FB it. Don't want to motivate the opposition. . .

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    2. In the middle of the current International break, my SBFC are still in 1st place for the third week running! My skippering at the keyboard is sure better than my skippering at the helm!

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    3. Soaring to new heights in the 12th Game Week. Four weeks in 1st. Trouble on the horizon:Rooney may be subjected to a three-game banning. Fingers crossed.

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    4. Who-Hoo! Almost a 3rd of the way through the season!

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  5. At this point, the only safe mind set is to think about competing against your self. How would you go about that?

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, still in 1st. But not pulling away.

      Avon Garde originally drafted Liverpool's star striker, Luiz Suarez. He spent the first 6 weeks suspended for biting another player. Now he's on the loose, scoring multiple times in each game. Avon Garde has jumped into 2nd place. So I have to quit being artistic with my line-ups and go back to my worksheets and their percentages. I have a 90 point lead but I can't rely on that against Suarez.

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  6. Liverpool's Suarez may win this thing for Avon Garde, the way they are coming on, beating me last week by 20+- points. I had to make an adjustment. Ditched the unproductive Benteke (My 1st draft choice) in order to finance the acquisition of Fernandihno. Made sense at the time. However, since then Zabaleta has been injured and he will be a big loss for two weekends or more. Not looking as good as it looked last week....

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  7. I can lose this. I know it. I feel it. Just have to keep my mind in my boat. (I mean, keep my eyes on the ball!) Whatever happens, happens.

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  8. I hope 2014 proves to be a good year for you and yours!

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