Alfonso Soriano got traded. A five-category player got traded in the middle of the season. Right now, you're thinking, "what the hell is this guy talking about?" — and that's okay.
In the real world, it's been well-documented that Soriano is still a Washington National. However, Soriano actually was traded for C.C. Sabathia and Rafael Furcal, two months ago, in my fantasy league. This is just another example of why fantasy baseball is a million times more fun than actual baseball.
Now, in the name of full disclosure, I love baseball. I have been to dozens of games just to root, root, root for the home team and I've watched thousands on television in my relatively brief existence on earth. Some, if not all, of my earliest memories are of baseball. I even had the rare opportunity to do my university internship with my favorite childhood team. However, fantasy baseball rocks.
In the major leagues this season, the following names have been traded: Carlos Lee, Bobby Abreu, Greg Maddux and ... umm .... hmmm...
In my fantasy league this season, the following names have been traded: Lance Berkman, Alfonso Soriano, Miguel Cabrera (twice), David Ortiz, Ichiro, Roy Holliday, Pedro Martinez, Jimmy Rollins, Chris Capuano, Ben Sheets, Bronson Arroyo, Tom Glavine, Mark Buerhle (twice), Roy Oswalt, Freddie Garcia, David Wright, Dontrelle Willis, Vlad Guerrero (twice), B.J. Ryan, Riviera, Brad Lidge, K-Rod, Adam Dunn, Mark Teixeira, Barry Bonds, Curt Schilling (twice), Pudge Rodriguez, Barry Zito, Greg Maddux (twice), and many other very relevant major leaguers.
What's the point of all this? Well, it's pretty simple. Instead of all the talk and rumors and owner interference and player interference that was apparently associated with this trade deadline, it would be nice to see major league general managers loosen up and make a deal. Mortgage the future! Play for now! Ninety percent of MLB general managers won't be around to see what happens when the big-time prospect makes the big leaguers. Half the time, the big-time prospect isn't even around when he's supposed to be around.
Who are the exceptions? Who are the general managers that spend decades with the same team? They are the GMs that win a championship. So why are all these guys hanging onto the Kendry Morales's and Lasting Milledge's of the world? I don't know. Alas, I am not only blaming those searching for the big bat.
It's the bad teams with the big stud to trade, too. What good is Miguel Tejada doing on the Baltimore Orioles? If you can get a good young pitcher, a major league-ready player, and a prospect, isn't time to let the man go? Peter Angelos will never win a championship. It's not because the Orioles have to compete with the Red Sox and the Yankees. It's because the man doesn't know what he's doing.
At any rate, there is a reason fantasy baseball is so popular. It's way more exciting. Every day in my league, I know that anything can happen. Any time, I can log on and see that Vladdy Guerrero got traded from the Tubby SOBs for some pitching help and a guy who has no use, but to almost exclusively steals bases. In real life, I have to hear about someone may or may not be on the block, agents give weak answers, players give contrite responses, and general managers give no response. At the end of the day, all we get is Roberto Hernandez and Oliver Perez for Xavier Nady.
Some might argue that it was pretty interesting to see Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns moved to Washington, as there was relentless bashing of the Reds' GM. However, did you see David Wright and Dontrelle Willis get dealt for a six-man package that included Prince Fielder, Kevin Mench, Eric Gagne, Todd Coffey, Jorge Julio, and Aaron Cook? I did, and all hell broke loose. A grown man nearly cried, in fact, he might have. Good times.
The thing about it is, I don't know if there is anything Major League Baseball can do, or if they should do anything. The NFL and NBA have no need for an exciting trade deadline. While it's definitely a treat in the middle of an NHL season, there probably isn't anything that the MLB can do to loosen up the trade negotiations.
You know what we're doing, though? Our trade deadline is Sunday, August 20th, and we are looking into "general managers meetings" at the local watering hole near the office. I'm not sure what the equivalent to this would be in the majors, but you would need all the GMs, all the owners, all the agents, and even the players with no-trade clauses all getting blitzed in some remote location. I don't see that happening. Again, fantasy baseball, more fun.
Even owning a fantasy team is more fun — it was reported that Roger Clemens went to Astros owner Drayton McLane and asked him to get help at the deadline. This is a nice way of saying that, shortly after watching the Astros blow their four-run lead after Clemens threw seven innings of two-hit, no-walk baseball, he flipped out and demanded that the Astros get someone to get him a win for a change. I "own" Clemens in my league, and while I had to witness the Astros cough up his and (by association) my win the same way McLane did. I didn't have to be confronted by an angry 250 lb. man to make the rest of my team better. More fun.
Okay, I admit, I have considerably less money invested in my fantasy leagues for the various sports, but in relative terms, it's not that far off. How much will George Steinbrenner lose if the Yankees don't win the World Series? This is a business that is the source of millions and millions of dollars each year. A perfectly good reason as to why he can pick up the contract of Bobby Abreu without blinking.
The Yankees will make money regardless of whether they win. It's almost admirable that they even try. A team that can sell their radio rights to a station that can then find a sponsor for the speed of a pitch is probably doing okay on their bottom line. In fantasy baseball, you lose minimal amounts of money but only get rewarded if you win. Unfortunately, "The Bomb Show" has yet to sell any corporate sponsorship and I am still waiting for my team's cut of the gate from major league ballparks.
Going up to the deadline, we were all tantalized by all these thoughts of player movement. How would it affect our favorite team? How would it affect our fantasy team? The biggest names in the game were being bandied about — some that we have heard a million times before like Soriano, Tejada, and Pat Burrell. There were other names that came as a surprise, like Jason Schmidt and Roy Oswalt. No true impact player went anywhere. Every team is still in the same position they were last week, except maybe the Yankees.
Basically, all that really happened was one team tinkered here and another team plugged a hole and at the end of the day, I was left in a grocery store, staring at a Hollywood magazine cover with *NSYNC's Lance Bass on the cover and the headline "I'm Gay." Does this magazine cover surprise me? About as much as another lame Major League Baseball trade deadline. Thankfully, our fantasy league's trading deadline is in three weeks, and I can guarantee it will be more fun.
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