All:

Having tallied the draft selections throughout these twenty-four long
rounds (and believe me it wasn't easy with the level of information you
misfits provided), I have had a good look at the talent that some of you
managed to draft.  Then I did a quick, perfectly unbiased, analysis of
the picks, rating OF/UT, IF, and P 5 points apiece max for the teams.
Below are the results.  Out of a possible 15 points, no team rated
higher than 12, indicative of the fiercely competitive drafting that
went on:

The bottom dweller:  Mazins (6 pts)- Andy's rookie fetish will cost him
this year.  Plus, picking players like Pat Burrell, Derrick Lee, and
Duckworth all about 5 rounds too early means the 2001 Champ has not yet
recovered from celebrating and didn't spend time doing his research.
Could it be a First-to-Last turnabout.  I think maybe so.

A step above:  Pinstripes, Red Foxes, Expectorators (8pts) - Ikey has a
good excuse- he was in the middle of yet another career and venue
change, plus he was batching it, plus he's a Southerner again.  The only
reason he picked Cordova is because he is an Oriole, and the infield is
one of the weakest selected.  Womack would have helped, a little.  The
Foxes seemed a bit bored with this draft- maybe because of the pace of 1
pick per 1.25 hours was just a tad too slow for someone used to rapid
fire action. Strong OF, but the worst pitching in the league- I kept
telling him to draft Ps and he kept passing.  The Expectorators
alternated between excellent picks and premature ones, or dogs.  Morris
went too soon, as did Floyd, Beltre, Drew, and Cruz.  Pitching is very
good; good enough to save his ass from the cellar.

The middle: Hogs, Muckrats, Leathernuts (9pts) -  Willo exerts most of
his efforts on forecasts, foolish picks, and hiding when it is his turn
to draft.  The Hogs offense is weak after Helton.  Pitching is as good
as any team's.  Willo has already earned the only title he will get this
year.  The Muckrats will remain mired in the middle again this year.
John drafted a balanced team, with some tweaking he might be able to
move these guys up a bit.  But he's still exhausted from our trade of
4-5 years back, so he won't try to tweak things much.  Plus, he didn't
draft Segui- a big mistake.  The 'Nuts, led by their squirrley esquire,
went a little nuts in this draft.  Mel got back to salvage a few decent
players, but the damage had already been done.  Edmonds in rd 5? Sexson
in rd 6?  Polonco in rd 12? Pitching hoists this sorry lot up to the
middle.

Close but no cigar: Tamales, Invincibles, Pussjackers, Panzas (10pts) -
Assuming Sobo actually selects his ninth P, the Tamales put up some good
offense and marginal pitching.  Some gambles here (a quick recovery for
Kent, comebacks for Ventura, Ankiel, Tomko) that if successful, move
this team up.  Invincibles had a solid draft- strong OF, very good IF
and P.  Liked the Knoblauch, Fick, and Conine picks- all snakes.  A
typical Hans' team- in the running.  The Pussjackers drafted a weak OF,
but the best infield in the league makes up for it.  Pitching is
average.  Al Leiter is the other ASS in the league.  Liked the Carlos
Lee and Olerud picks.   Little Anthony and the Panzas did a fine job on
offense- as usual.  Some people (e.g., Ike)  may think Womack was taken
a few rounds early.  I don't think Piazza is a first round pick anymore-
but we'll see.  Nevin went too soon, Casey was to be mine, and they were
lucky Koch was still around.  A perennial challenger.

A race to the finish:  Ballbusters, Nomads (11-12pts)-  I give the edge
to the Nomads with a solid 12 pts, but the Busters will make it
interesting with the strongest offense on the board.  Unfortunately
their pitching sucks and will cost them the pennant.  Gabes just
couldn't hold off on the Dunn pick- I thought surely I could grab him in
rd 5 or 6.  In fact, it was the Dunn pick, and John's Thome pick and
Fox's Palmeiro pick in the next round that sealed my fate/strategy of
going the speed/average/pitching course. Speaking of which, I am
convinced that one can win this thing with top tier AVG/R/SB numbers and
near-tops in the 4 P categories.  That's how I drafted and, with a
little luck and a healthy team, I think the Nomads can pull it off.  It
will take solid performances by some risky picks- Brown and Catalanotto
in the OF, Bush and Boone, and Marquis and Kim at P.  It's worth a try
anyway- at least until May or June.

A most excellent draft gentleman- let's get on with the bets, the race,
and (yes, Sobo) the trading.

Mags