For those who fantasize in Dodgers blue
In the 21st Century sign that baseball season is just around the corner, the first fantasy-league magazines of the year have hit the newstands, full of ratings and predictions for about 700 major-leaguers.
My baseball fantasy is that actual ballclubs still matter more than any of my friends' fantasy teams. Thus I used one of the magazines to figure out how, say, the Dodgers could expect to do in 2007 if they were an entry in a Rotisserie league.
Pretty well, apparently. Just looking at the National League West teams, and adding up their hitters' and pitchers' "projected values" from The Sporting News' fantasy preview magazine, we find the following total "values":
1. Dodgers -- $114 (led by shortstop Rafael Furcal, $21)
2. Padres -- $99 (closer Trevor Hoffman, $21)
3. Rockies -- $79 (third baseman Garrett Atkins, $23, left fielder Matt Holliday, $22)
4. Giants -- $69 (second baseman Ray Durham, $11, left-hander Barry Zito, $10)
5. Diamondbacks -- $65 (right-hander Brandon Webb, $23)
Start printing those fantasy playoff tickets.