Plaw asked me to chime in about a week ago, and now I finally have the time to, so here goes my reponse to some of the recent posts. Now keep in mind, I won't be playing in this fantasy league, because without any monetary reward, I don't see the point in all the work and research required to participate, especially if I'm forced to make it my number one priority in life. So, again, this is your league and whatever you guys decide is up to you. I am not attacking anyone, I was simply asked for input so I'm providing it.

As far as people quitting is concerned, there is a big difference between fantasy leagues with head to head and total points. In head to head it is a gigantic pain in the ass because it can create imbalance in the schedule and unfairly affect playoff races. This has never happened in any of our leagues, but if a guy quit a head to head league, I'd be pissed. If a guy quit a points league, then I would be happy because it increases your odds of winning the pot. Fantasy sports is just another form of gambling. If you were playing poker and some guy put his money in the pot before the flop, then incorrectly folded his hand when he could have checked and stayed in, I know I would be happy. That is basically what a person does when they quit a fantasy league. Their money is already in, so if they drop out, your pot odds increase.

As far as somebody drafting Pujols and then quitting without using him the whole year goes, here's my take on the situation. (BTW, if you hate analogies, you might as well skip everything I ever write because I am obsessed with them. Actually, if you enjoy reading anything intelligent, you might want to skip this paragraph altogether. ) I'll put this in a way that I know some of you will appreciate after having read your posts the past year or so. Let's just pretend that I am sticking it in Jessica Alba's ass everynight. DMC, and I pick on him since I know he'll probably read this and who he would prefer to stick in to, is doing likewise with Trish. Then, after about a month, I decide I've had enough and end the relationship. Will my lack of pleasure in any way reduce DMC's? Absolutely not. It is the same way with a non head to head fantasy league. If somebody drafts Pujols and doesn't take advantage, they're only hurting themselves. You would still have Arod and reap the benefits every night, just as DMC would with Trish. The only thing that matters is how many points you accumulate.

If people quitting is that big a concern, just make the league private. I understand that the league is more fun when there are more teams, but if by the end of the year you're just going to have a limited number of teams active anyways, why not just limit the league to those owners who you know will participate all year. Plaw's PM made it sound like you guys were looking for more people to join the league, but after reading the past couple pages, maybe it would be best to look for less people than in the past. If anything, I think having too many people in a league is more detrimental than beneficial. When a league has a draft, as this one does, it is nice to have a larger number of people in order to dilute the talent pool, which makes the game more about skill rather than luck. Fantasy baseball especially is not a whole lot of fun or very challenging when everyone has a team of stars. At the same time, having inexperienced, incompetent owners stay active is a lot worse than having them drop out. At least when they drop out, their team is frozen, the league is rid of them, and they have no effect on the outcome. If they stay active, they can actually damage the league through lobsided trades, transactions, etc. I'm assuming this league would have veto powers for the commish, but IMO, a trade has to be blatantly one sided for a veto. If somebody really thinks this player is going to turn out better than another player for the remainder of the season, it's his/her team and he/she should be allowed to take that chance. An owner who isn't very good could theoretically fall behind early, start to make trades which aren't horribly lobsided, but in which his trade partners consistently get the best of the deal. Assuming you aren't one of the owners who made a trade with the guy, that owner just did a lot more damage to your team and your league than the guy who says, "Fuck it, I'm out." and bolts in the middle of May.

And Plaw, you are crazy if you plan on taking over abandoned teams. That seems like a lot of work to run a team for no real reason at all. Is anyone really going to take more pride in the fact that they beat 7 regular teams and 3 league controlled teams compared to simply beating 7 teams? If that is going to get somebody down off the ledge, then perhaps it's a good idea, but otherwise it seems like a lot of work for nothing.

Again, I hope I didn't offend anyone with my opinions. Good luck to you all and have a great season. Good god, I'm starting to turn into a windbad like somebody else I know. :p