Let's meet the combatants!!

The Vets'

Buster - Took over a Tha Green Monster team before the '07 season; began to rebuild his team with additions like Troy Tulowitzki and Kevin Kouzmanoff via trade and Jered Weaver, Hunter Pence, Jacoby Ellsbury, Manny Parra and Max Scherzer through the draft. He saw his club climb to a 5th place finish in 2008, and an unlucky first round exit in the playoffs (had enough points to knock off all but only 3 teams but happened to be facing the highest scoring first round team in Josh) leaving his team with what would have been big hopes for the 2009 season.

Danny - Original Member, Commissioner and 2008 returning champ, suffered playoff collapses in '06 and '07 with top 2 teams. Some of his better moves: Jose Reyes and Dan Haren, 71st and 178th overall respectively in '05, Hanley Ramirez 105th overall in '06, Edinson Volquez 120th overall in '07.

One of his weaker moves, selecting Ryan Braun 26th overall in '07 and then dealing him to Brian with a 4th for Robinson Cano less than 2 months later, and 1 week before Braun made his major league debut in a season which he hit .324 with 34 HR and 97 RBI. Safe to say he'd like that one back.

Grosh - One of three expansion teams before 2006, he built his team with cheap players through the draft and spent money on key free agents to capture the 2007 playoff championship defeating Ilya by a whopping 723 - 563.5 score. Stocked with draftees like Jonathan Papelbon (38th overall) in '06, Justin Upton (18th), Evan Longoria (19th), Yovani Gallardo (20th), Matt Garza (21st) and Matt Kemp (40th) from the '07 draft, no question his team would've been a force for years to come.

Ilya - Joined the league in '05 and after finishing in the cellar the first year, took his team to the playoffs three straight years, culminating with a loss in the '07 finals to Grosh. Biggest deal likely was shipping juice-monkey ARod ($44) to Josh for Grady Sizemore ($5) and Joe Blanton ($7). Acquired Jason Bay ($20) and Dustin Pedroia ($1) for James Shields ($6) in mid '08 leading to a second half surge.

Can I get a refund? - Sent Erik Bedard ($2) to Brian for Chris Ray ($10) and Felipe Lopez ($5).

Kedro - Original Member, that's about it.

What else can be said? After two straight seasons in the cellar, what hope could there be? Ok, perhaps that's not true. Upon entering full rebuilding mode in '08, the accumulation of draft picks and young players like David Price (1st overall in '08) had this team poised for an upswing. With a clean slate and hopefully a hunger to win, the self-proclaimed best GM never to win a title should be an interesting story to follow in the new season.

Forgettable First Rounder - Kei Igawa (4th overall in '07) ahead of both Cole Hamels (5th) and Tim Lincecum (9th).

Shay - Took over a Tha Green Monster team for the beginning of the 2006 season and managed to finish 6th in his first season, earning a playoff birth. Unfortunately that would be the highlight as Shay would finish a disappointing 10th in '07 and 11th in '08 amidst frustrations about inheriting an "underprivileged" team. A new beginning has provided a breath of fresh air and enthusiasm for what should be a vastly more competitive 2009 season.

Notable Draftees: Carlos Guillen (91st in '06) and James Loney (36th in '07).

Are You a Chacin Man??: Acquired Hank Blalock ($27), Jose Reyes ($12), Jorge Posada ($17), and Gustavo Chacin ($2) from Danny for Joe Mauer ($8), A.J. Burnett ($5) and Travis Hafner ($3) before the '06 season.

But the guy went 1st overall!!: Sent Alfonso Soriano ($28) packing in early '06, acquiring former 1st overall pick Phil Nevin ($5) and Marcus Giles ($23) from Shawn.

Yosef - Another 2006 expansion team, the Y-Bomb plummeted to the league basment in '06 before nabbing Japanese import Daisuke Matsuzaka (1st overall in '07) and rising to a 6th place finish in '07 and a 7th place finish in '08. Unfortunately he finished outside the playoffs in his division in '08 leaving his only playoff appearance as a '07 first round loss at the hands of Ilya.

Known for taking aging veterans over prospects, Yosef showed glimpses of a change of strategy by selecting Geovany Soto (7th overall '08). Deprived of quality pitching over his three seasons in the league, expect him to draft for today and load up on arms in the early going.


The Rooks'

Jason G. - An alleged fantasy baseball guru with titles on his resume, he brings an interesting reputation to draft day and it will be interesting to see how his strategy develops and whether he can become an instant contender in Tha Green Monster for years to come.

Jason M. - Almost joined the league for the 2008 season, the free wheeling trader comes in with a buzz, known for getting in lengthy Bacardi sponsored negotiations until he gets the players he wants. His draft strategy will be interesting to watch, and we'll see how he gets accustomed to the league and it's rules. One thing's for sure, if you're looking to shake up your roster, this Penguins mega-fan will be the guy to talk to.

Jordie - This fantasy baseball vet is new to the league, but should be yet another immediate contender in his rookie season. Aided by winning the Inaugural Draft Lottery and the rights to select 1st overall, look for Jordie to assemble a roster of established fantasy stars. The X-factor here could be his ability to build for the future. However, the goal could be winning in the short term, and if that's the case starting with one of baseball's top stars (Albert Pujols, Hanley Ramirez or Alex Rodriguez) certainly wont hurt.