For the record, I am likely the original backer of the keeper rules.
It didn't gain any support until John posted a ninth-place finish in
2002, gaining a pair of top 15 picks in the last open (2003) draft,
and doing a 180 on keepers, when it sailed through. If you are to
accuse me of odd timing, you must also John of odd timing.

I still like the keeper rules, and have since become involved in
other keeper leagues. However, I am viewing the competitive balance
of the league (Seabass finishes 2,1,1,5,1; Targeese finishes
1,2,2,1,8) and thinking things may need to be tweaked a little.

Short story long here, I think it's time for a five-year checkup. I
made the proposals not necessarily because I back them and want to
get rid of keepers, I want to toss out some fresh ideas for how to
make things better. Obviously this system is working for John (3
titles) and I (2 titles), so while on the surface you may find it odd
timing, the track record points to the opposite.

We can go back to the old, old days of the league, when the Targeese
won 5 years in a row, and narrowly avoided a 6th. We can stick with
the new, new days of the league, when the Seabass and Targeese have
played catch with the trophy. John and I have the league in a
beatdown mode right now.

I do share some of Ken's thinking in that the first round of the
draft is looking lackluster. I applaud his independent thinking, when
he would willingly give up Pujols, Soriano, and Santana to get back
to a full draft. I'll likely have a top 5 pick, and have 8 picks in
the first 5 rounds, so I'll be able to load up. I'm not sure why,
combined with the fact that I have 6 top prospects locked up for a
total of $23, I would want to get rid of the keepers when the system
has been working great for me, and will continue to work great for
me.

I believed when the keeper system with unlimited transactions was
introduced that it would allow teams a better chance to control their
destinies and be competitive (free market capitalism). Two truly
elite teams have emerged, and I'm not sure things are going to change
unless we tweak the system again.

I think John's proposal of limiting transactions to a certain number
would be a good step towards this goal. It's up to all of us to
decide if we keep the keepers, reduce the keepers to 1 or 2 a year,
phase them out, or drop them completely.





--- In northstarleague@yahoogroups.com, Rob Hall <robhall23@...>
wrote:
>
>
> I agree with you Mike. How is that fair for the rest of us who got
traded guys like David Wright and others for Hunter Pence (who was
injured at the time) and better draft picks in the 2008 draft? I
think we need to phase it out as well. I'm curious why it's
(dropping keepers) brought up at all ... at this time? I'm giving
you shit Terry, but you gotta admit the timing of your "dropping
keepers" proposal is peculiar. Tell me I'm wrong. Ha.
>
> 2002 - Terry - 9,005 pts. - 2nd Place (Keepers are fine)
> 2003 - Terry - 11,030 pts. - 1st Place (Keepers are fine)
> 2004 - Terry - 10,656 pts. - 2nd Place (Keepers are fine)
> 2005 - Terry - 10,794 pts. - 2nd Place (Keepers are fine)
> 2006 - Terry - 10,361 pts. - 1st Place (Keepers are fine)
> 2007 - Terry - 8,922 pts. - 8th Place (Let's get rid of keepers)
>
> hmmmm.
>
> Rob.
>
>
> To: northstarleague@...: hiwaymen@...: Mon, 4 Feb 2008 06:19:47 -
0800Subject: [northstarleague] Keeper Proposal
>
>
>
>
>
>
> I would propose we eliminate the naming of keepers starting this
years.
>
> In other words, this year, there will be 72 kept players, next year
36 (as the contracts expire and no more players are signed) and the
following year we would be keeper free, just like the good old days.
>
> The maintains the integrity of past trades and strategies made
under the existing rules, but also corrects a less-than-stellar
keeper experiment over the next year or two.
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> MW
> ----- Original Message ----From: Ken <kendo1372@...>To:
northstarleague@...: Sunday, February 3, 2008 11:18:52 PMSubject:
[northstarleague] Re: Keeper review
>
> I absolutely forgot about draft pick trades. In this case, I
wouldadvocate phasing out keepers. I made a draft pick trade
myselfinvolving getting a keeper for a high draft pick, and I
wouldn't wantto lose that pick, unless the trades were nullified.
>
>
> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile.
Try it now.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
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