tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post1327081691161809103..comments2023-06-26T09:25:54.337-05:00Comments on My Baseball Fantasy: My strategy: Point accumulation (Part 2 of 7)Greg McConnellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-50690145004873499792010-03-03T23:08:23.867-06:002010-03-03T23:08:23.867-06:00Admittedly, my success:effort ratio wouldn't h...Admittedly, my success:effort ratio wouldn't have led the league last year. That honor probably belongs to Westy, who scored a hundred just doin' nuthin' in the draft. ;-)Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-34203703508402296512010-03-03T15:29:46.956-06:002010-03-03T15:29:46.956-06:00By the way. I had to go look up how to put hyperl...By the way. I had to go look up how to put hyperlinks into these comments, which I had never bothered with until now... be proud that this sort of effort came in this forum.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446127555192793682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-91705302043083969412010-03-03T15:28:37.927-06:002010-03-03T15:28:37.927-06:00Intriguing post and PS, my friend.
I'd argue ...Intriguing post and PS, my friend.<br /><br />I'd argue that a RUP is harder to do right up front, but once you develop the fundamentals, then expertise takes over, and then you're using expert heuristics. <br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heuristic" rel="nofollow">Heuristic thinking</a> is good because it's quick and easy. The problem is that novices employ heuristics that aren't great for problem solving, whereas experts employ effective heuristics.<br /><br />And let's be honest. Given my recent <a href="http://theuplblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/upl-basketball-2009-draft-recap.html" rel="nofollow">drafting history</a>, I'm not doing the legwork like I used to, though my success rate is still high. Could it be higher? Yeah - I haven't dominated quite as much as I have in the past. But the success:effort ratio is much higher, I think.<br /><br />That said, I like my team this year, though I may have to post an updated <a href="http://theuplblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/math-for-winners.html" rel="nofollow">Math for Winners</a> posting.<br /><br />-RGAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00446127555192793682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7562453620510655271.post-67764802024998145112010-02-28T19:35:40.247-06:002010-02-28T19:35:40.247-06:00Post script:
One of the reasons that I enjoy roto...Post script:<br /><br />One of the reasons that I enjoy roto baseball is that it requires more than just baseball knowledge. It's also a math challenge.<br /><br />The Chairman, a.k.a. O.N. Thugs, has actually <a href="http://theuplblog.blogspot.com/2008/04/math-for-winners.html" rel="nofollow">written about this very subject</a>. He begins the topic by saying:<br /><br /><i>One of the most important things that you can do in a Roto league is to figure what you will need to win. Those requirements then help you narrow down what you can reasonably try to do, as you shape your overall strategy.</i><br /><br />Here's how I'd summarize the Chairman's strategy in that post:<br /><br />1. Study scoreboards from previous seasons of your league<br />2. Make judgements as to what will likely be needed to win this season<br />3. From the limited resources available, prioritize your efforts to gather only what's necessary to beat all of your opponents into submission<br /><br />The Chairman concluded with:<br /><br /><i>So why bother with this post? I think that it's useful to frame how you plan out a season, so that you have a better idea as to what moves you forward, and what does not.</i><br /><br />What's my take on the Chairman's strategy? Well, it's a fact that his O.N. Thugs are <a href="http://theuplblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/not-bullish-not-bearish-definitely.html" rel="nofollow">the most successful team in UPL history</a>. Not only is his strategy sound, it reminds me of something that I learned in college. <br /><br />In one of my software engineering classes, we studied a software development methodology called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rational_Unified_Process" rel="nofollow">Rational Unified Process (RUP)</a>. The idea behind RUP is to carefully study what the entire project will require, model all of the concepts visually, test and revise the model for accuracy and efficiency, then finally start coding the software. In short, the meticulous planning at the beginning of the project should result in increased efficiencies once it's time to actually write the program.<br /><br />The Chairman's general approach to a roto league reminds me of RUP. He studies the big picture and what needs to be accomplished, searches for efficiencies, and then uses what he's learned to frame his more specific strategies that will be implemented during the season.<br /><br />In that same aforementioned college class there was another software methodology taught, called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extreme_Programming" rel="nofollow">Extreme Programming (XP)</a>. As I recall, the professor explained XP in one sentence: "Do the easiest thing first."<br /><br />Compared to RUP, XP is almost comical. Whereas RUP preaches extensive planning, modeling, and testing before any software is even written, XP would have you glance at the project's big picture, figure out the easiest thing to accomplish, get it done, and repeat. What's funnier is that my professor said that both methods were equally valid in the sense that both have their strengths and weaknesses. Much of it really just depends on your own personal preferences.<br /><br />My general approach to a roto league season is probably closer to XP. Rather than studying how many total points will likely win the league or estimating what my team's stats should be at season's end, my gaze is more short-term in nature. In fact, starting out, I'm not even looking at numbers. I'm viewing roster spots... <i>empty</i> roster spots.Greg McConnellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17504912601218236507noreply@blogger.com