Red Cotton Stitches

A Fantasy Baseball Companion

By Kirk MacDonald

With John A. Phillips

This edition of The Morning Papers features the Foreward, written by John Phillips, and a new random excerpt from my soon-to-be-released book Red Cotton Stitches.*

FOREWARD

I have always avoided fantasy sports. I preferred the real thing and if I needed to feed my competitive side I would find a posse of kids playing a video game. I would check the scores and standings for teams I cared about and read about the players, trades, injuries, ownership, and management. That was enough to keep me entertained.

Kirk MacDonald changed that.

I have known Kirk for many years. When we first met, he was a high-level executive at the Denver Post, a major media organization. Professionally, we did not have much in common; we bonded because of our love of baseball. When we went to a game, we participated in the experience very differently (he kept a scorecard, I munched on a hot dog and drank beer), but we both could not think of many places we would rather be. Kirk moved on, but we stayed in touch. Who else would appreciate the ups and downs of the regular season, the drama of the pennant race, the heartbreak and glory of the playoffs?

Then, a few weeks before Opening Day this year, Kirk contacted me and suggested I join one of his fantasy leagues. He said it was a great way to experience the sport at a different level and enhance my enjoyment. I was skeptical, for reasons that included the fact that I had no idea how it worked. I told?Kirk I was "game," but only if we did it together. I wanted to watch and learn from him. Boy, am I glad he agreed.

Our approach to baseball has been complimentary. Kirk is the perfect fantasy manager. He loves stats, data sets, trends, player history, and odds and probabilities. He has learned to locate and apply source material that gives his teams a competitive advantage. He refers to me as the owner of the team. Like all MLB owners, I care about my team but am clueless, ask dumb questions, and make questionable comments and suggestions.

Kirk has been patient with me (as the owner I require careful handling). He has taught me the fantasy game. He has used daily "pointers" to explain how our team fared that day and how his roster moves affected the outcome. This everyday approach mirrors the game of baseball itself, which George Will described in his book Men At Work as an "everyday sport that is much different from other sports."

As the season started in the spring, Kirk cautioned me to stay engaged and not lose interest. It was a wasted warning. I look for the fantasy box scores every morning while awaiting Kirk's "pointer." The anticipated bonus of enjoying the actual baseball season is real. Fantasy baseball sucked me into the game in ways I never imagined.

I hope this book does similar things for you. I have been tempted to refer to Kirk as "The Professor" as he patiently imparts what he has learned from experience while making baseball an even more meaningful part of my life.

An unanticipated bonus: an understanding of the value of friendship and how baseball can deepen the bond between friends. Thanks Kirk! I hope you and your friends go to a game, keep score, munch a hot dog, and appreciate baseball as never before as you enjoy your fantasy.

Play ball!

John Phillips

Denver, Colorado

A new excerpt from Red Cotton Stitches:

May 1

Pointer 59. A beekeeper delivered the most electrifying performance in yesterday’s slate of 16 games.? Matt Hilton was given a standing ovation by the Arizona Diamondbacks when he arrived and departed to chants of MVP after successfully removing a coconut-sized beehive off the top of the netting behind home plate. In doing so, he ended the first-ever Bee Delay in MLB history. Watch the video on mlb.com.?

The first day of May always brings out the oddsmakers. Since 1996, 83 of 162 clubs who have had at least a share on May 1 have gone on to win their divisions. This means 3 of the 6 division leaders going into today’s game (Orioles, Indians, Mariners, Dodgers, Braves, and Brewers) will be crowned divisional champs 5 months from now. 16 of the last 27 World Series champions were leading their divisions on May 1 which means 2 of the 6 division leaders today have a higher probability of winning the World Series. We’ll see.?

The first pitch today is scheduled to be thrown at 1:10 pm Eastern.?

It’s been a quiet week for Toronto John. which is just the way his skipper, yours truly, likes it. John doesn’t anticipate his Week 6 matchup going down to the wire. He has a comfortable lead with his strongest rostered SPs Shota Imanaga and Yoshinobu Yamamoto taking the mound with favorable matchups. Both a Win Probability of >50 percent and his hitters are beginning to hit.?

Riley Greene was a recent pickup who is paying nice dividends. Gunnar is the hottest hitter in all of MLB over the last 7 days. The only offensive roster move today was adding a hot-hitting utility infielder, Rengifo, and dropping Westburg after 3 straight hitless games.

The most noteworthy roster decision was to rebalance our pitching staff.? With the addition of RP Hoffman at the expense of SP (Assad), John.a.'s staff now consists of 5 starters and 3 relievers. In prior seasons, Yours Truly has rostered as many as 7 starters and 1 reliever. This season has different pitching needs. Pitch count limits of 80-100 pitches for starters are strictly enforced to avoid further arm injuries in addition to a new scoring system that disproportionately rewards saves. Remember that this fantasy season, a save is worth five points.

Never forget that our primary goal in points leagues is to score the most points. Every lineup move and roster decision should be aligned with the ESPN points system. ?

John is anticipating fewer wins from starting pitchers and more holds and saves from relievers this year. There is a larger pool of quality relievers on the Waiver Wire and a watered-down pool of starters who are generally high-risk streaming options.?

(Note: It’s probably a good idea here to provide a refresher on ESPN’s scoring system:?

Hitters 1 point each for every walk, run scored, total bases (a home run counts for four total bases), RBI, and stolen base. Hitters are docked 1 point for every strikeout.?

Pitchers earn 5 points for every Save, 2 points for every Hold, 2 points for every Win, 1 point for every Inning Pitched, and 1 point for every strikeout. Pitchers are docked 2 points for every Loss and Earned Run and 1 point for every hit and walk.

Quote of the Day: “Baseball seems to have been invented to explain all other things in life.” — Roger Angell

*Red Cotton Stitches is a work in progress. It will become a finished product after the fantasy season ends on September 29. The plan is for the book to go on pre-sale in mid-February 2025, in time for fantasy gamers to use it as their fantasy season companion beginning with the 2025 Fantasy Draft.