Protecting and stealing players on FBLG rosters

Here are players who will be steal-eligible Monday if not protected.

OF Matt Diaz (Rook)
SP AJ Burnett (Rook)
OF Nyger Morgan (HH)
SP Jeremy Guthrie (HH)

One rule that is unique to the FBLG is the one that prevents owners from hoarding talent on their bench.

If an FBLG owner keeps a player on his bench for four consecutive weeks, if he does not activate that player on the fifth week, that player can be stolen off his roster by another FBLG owner.

If an owner has a player stolen off his roster, he will receive a bonus monthly move that can be used as a fourth monthly move for the month.

This often is not a very enticing bonus for some owners. Owners who leave players exposed to be stolen often are not very active on picking up free agents.

Example, there are four players potentially eligible to be stolen on April 30, the first Monday that players can be stolen. Those players are on two FBLG rosters whose owners have burned a combined two April moves.

Protecting players on your roster

If a player has an April 30 steal date (steal dates are noted on FBLG scoring document on Google docs), all the owner needs to do is activate that player for Week 5 (which starts on April 30).

If the player is not activated, then he can be stolen off the roster on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. If a steal-eligible player goes unclaimed by 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, then his steal date is reset to the subsequent Monday, and the process starts over again.

Stealing a player

If you're interested in stealing a player off another roster, send the commissioner an email of your intentions BEFORE the Monday roster move deadline. The notice must also included a potential corresponding roster move, if one is needed.

Example: If Willie Mays is left exposed. Then your bid email should go something like ...

"I would like to place a bid on Willie Mays. If I get him, I will released Duke Snider."

Bids without corresponding roster move will not be accepted.

If a player is left exposed, he will be awarded to the bidding owner with the lowest league standing at the Monday roster deadline.

If there are no bids on a steal-eligible player by the roster deadline, the player will remain steal-eligible for 48ish hours after the roster deadline and will be awarded to any bidding owner on a first-come, first-get basis until 11:59 p.m. Wednesday.

Tuesday's report

OVERALL STANDINGS

1. Halladay Road (Bill) 559
2. Hammerin' Hank (Pete) 500
3. Fresh Fish (Rick) 486
4. Misfits (Reid) 471
5. Rookies (Henry) 456
6. Pickle Bugs (Jon) 452
7. BAWG (Rich-Brian) 425
8. Triple-A's (Ken) 416
9. Pitch You Blockhead (Scott) 400
10. Arbitration Losers (Tim) 333

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Pitch You Blockhead 39, Rookies 30
Pickle Bugs 43, Misfits 37
Halladay Road 68, Fresh Fish 61
Billy Ashley Wind Generator 66, Triple-A's 21
Arbitration Losers 61, Hammerin Hank 59

Week 4 roster changes

Players acquired

• 2B Jose Altuve, by BAWG (April #2)
• OF Nate Schierholtz, by Fresh Fish (April #3)
• RP Aroldis Chapman, by BAWG (April #3)
• 1B James Loney, by Arbitration Losers (April #4)

Players released

• 2B Aaron Hill, by BAWG
• OF Juan Rivera, by BAWG

Week 3 midweek replacements

• FRESH FISH: On Thursday, placed OF Chris Young on disabled list; activated OF Jason Kubel

Week 4 active roster changes

• ROOKIES: No changes
• PICKLE BUGS: Placed SP Ryan Dempster on disabled list; activated SP Carlos Zambrano
• PITCH YOU BLOCKHEAD: Benched OF Jon Jay and SP James McDonald; activated OF Angel Pagan and SP Mat Latos
• HAMMERIN HANK: No changes
• FRESH FISH: Benched OF Jason Kubel, SP Trevor Cahill, SP R.A. Dickey; activated OF Nate Schierholtz, SP Juan Nicasio, SP Vance Worley
• BILLY ASHLEY WIND GENERATOR: Released 2B Aaron Hill and OF Juan Rivera; benched C Jonathan Lucroy and SP Erik Bedard; activated 2B Jose Altuve, C Buster Fowler, OF Dexter Fowler and SP Adam Wainwright
• MISFITS: Benched SP Mark Buehrle; activated SP Johnny Cueto
• HALLADAY ROAD: Benched 1B Bryan LaHair; activated 1B Mat Gamel
• TRIPLE-A'S: Placed SP Cliff Lee and 1B Lance Berkman on disabled list; benched SP Jeff Samardzija; activated SP Mike Minor and SP Ricky Nolasco
• ARBITRATION LOSERS: Placed SP Daniel Hudson on disabled list; benched 1B Aubrey Huff and OF Justin Upton; activated 1B James Lones, OF Martin Prado and SP Jhoulys Chacin

Sunday's report

Wow, I'm not sure there has ever been a worst week by an FBLG team during a full week of games in the 20-year history of the Fantasy Baseball League of the Gods.

The Arbitration Losers had just about everything go wrong in Week 3, and that coming off a Week 4 that wasn't that impressive.

The 72-point week may have been an all-time low. And it leaves the defending FBLG champions more than 200 points in the hole three weeks into the season.

Check out this lineup: 1B Aubrey Huff (.182), 2B Rickie Weeks (.197), SS Jimmy Rollins (.254 -- he's raking!), 3B Ian Stewart (.196), C Geovany Soto (.136 … and he had two errors Sunday. Sweet!), OF Justin Upton (.205 and he missed most of last week with in an injury), OF Jay Bruce (.233), OF Emilio Bonafacio (.298 .. team MVP).

SP Tim Lincecum is in a major funk, and had his start rained out Sunday. That same rainout bumped Johan Santana back to Tuesday. SP Daniel Hudson is on the DL with a sore shoulder.

Pickle Bugs pitcher Wandy Rodriguez had a 20-point day on Sunday. The Losers haven't had a 20-point day as a TEAM in almost TWO WEEKS.

So NO ONE in the FBLG has the right to complain to the commish about their team.

Players acquired

• 2B Jose Altuve, by Billy Ashley Wind Generator (April #2)
• RP Aroldis Chapman, by Billy Ashley Wind Generator (April #3)
• 1B James Loney, by Arbitration Losers (April #4)

Overall standings

1. Halladay Road (Bill) 491
2. Hammerin' Hank (Pete) 441
3. Misfits (Reid) 433
4. Rookies (Henry) 426
5. Fresh Fish (Rick) 425
6. Pickle Bugs (Jon) 409
7. Triple-A's (Ken) 395
8. Pitch You Blockhead (Scott) 363
9. BAWG (Rich-Brian) 358
10. Arbitration Losers (Tim) 272

Head-to-head finals for Week 3

Misfits 190, Rookies 170
Pickle Bugs 162, Fresh Fish 130
PItch You Blockhead 154, Billy Ashley Wind Generator 123
Hammerin Hank 160, Triple-A's 145
Halladay Road 199, Arbitration Losers 72