From al

OK... the picks are in.  Now, the cheers and jeers for Roto Draft '99.

Prep... good move bringing in a draft buddy.  Mel and you did OK... will be
much better than last year, that's for sure!  Like the Perez pick... Your 3
first/third guys... Bagwell, Castilla, and E Martinez.. are excellent.  But
your SS's suck, and your last two pitchers are "iffy" (Montgomery and
Guzman).

Ikey... solid team all around.  Relievers may be the key.  Beck.. does he
have another year?  Acevedo... or will it be Bottalico?  And when did ANY
reliever perform well in Seattle?  Will Mesa?

Fox... 9 starters.  K's and wins will be strong... better be to battle last
place in saves.  Like the Appier pick, and Johnson/Martinez are strong 1-2
punch.  Where are your HR's coming from?  Not Olerud or Alfonso... nor your
OF.  

Gabes... must amit, like the Ballbusters.  Valdes could have a big year,
Estes is young enough to rebound well.  Tino will put up better numbers, as
will Knoblach.  I question Rolen as early as picked, as well as Encarcion.
Can Burnitz and Gwynn do it again?

Hans... Too bad about Womack... he and Deshields will be back around the
same time.  ;-)  Love Piazza.  Vaughn solid.  But Larkin's getting old,
Sansers is brittle, and Brosius is coming off the year of his life.
Pitching was looking good until those sentimental Cub picks at the end.  You
may pay the price of watching those two perform on WGN.

Sobo... slick move on Greene.  Of course, I hope he gets hit on the head w/
a backswing in week 1.  Easley at SS is another great move... does Compaq
get ANY of your time, or is it all spent surveying position stats and rule
loopholes?  In either case, my compliments.  But Finley and Burks in the OF?
I am afraid these two are on an inexorable downward slide.   

Mags... Jeter before Nomar? I see you tried making up for that on your last
pick, taking Nomo.  Well, we'll have "nomo" of those bad phoentic puns,
right, Prep.  And I predict that by June, Hideo will be no mo'.  Or, as
Gabes beloved Dad might have put it... his total number of wins will be
"Foe.. no mo'".   Seriously, Nomo could be a sleeper, and I defintely like
the Morris pick.  2 solid relivers.  But did you pick Ordonez because of the
"Mags" connection?  Grissom belongs w/ Burks and Finley... and John Valentin
as an early Utility was a ?.  But the Nuzzahs will be solid.  

John... first things first... how's the asparagus patch doing?  Love Nomar
and Punch... but the lineup could use a little more Punch, as the HR's will
be tough to come by.  Really like Hermansson.  You have to hope T Jones
stays the closer, and the Saunders/Carpenter duo performs.

Anj... you always try so hard to outsmart everyone.  You were looking
solid... LOVE McGwire/Thome at first, and Walker/Lofton was a nice start to
the OF.  But then got cute w/ the likes of Chavez and Febeles.  You have two
fifth starters in Chen and Irabu.  (Granted, their teams will win 100
each... but how many starts do those boys lose when Clemens and Maddux are
ready on their day?   Loiselle is hope, Benitez is a prayer (though I was
praying he was still available... I would have made him my last pitcher, I
think.)  Who is Haynes?

Willo... we'll always remember this draft for the Deshields/ Vina fiasco.
You need a BIG comeback from the Big Hurt.  Jones is Jones, and Bonds is
Bonds... you can write down .300, 35, 110 for both.  The OF looks pretty
anemic after Bonds, though... those boys had better steal some bases, score
some runs and hit for average... caus ethey won't be getting RBI's and HR's.
Love Woods (he's for real, I suspect) and Reynolds... but some ??? in the
rotation w/ Elarton, Fernandez, and Yoshii.  And too bad about Ligtenberg...
but he was going to be a part of a committee at best, so you may be better
dropping his ass early and movin' on. Want to trade for Franco?

And, finally, Albert.... Love the OF.  Like Delgado, and Segui had better
produce, or I'll be blaming John all year for NOT snaking him away from me.
Vizcaino had better not take time from Grudzy, and Deshields had better
steal bases in his new AL surroundings.  My pitching is unspectatcular.  I
need a healthy Pettitte... a healthy Saberhagen.... and for Benitez to be a
great setup man!  If Franco DOES lose the closer's role... I will be atking
bids on Mike Jackson.


So... let the chips fall where they may... and let the betting begin!


Al