Latest links to like about "Fantasy, Reconstructed: The Innovator's Playbook for Fantasy Sports" ronshandler.com/fantasy-reco… Order from Bookbaby: store.bookbaby.com/book/fant… Order from Amazon: amazon.com/Fantasy-Reconstru… "Does your league struggle to replace owners who have left?" baseballhq.com/articles/gami… FREE article at BaseballHQ.com. Interview with Ron on Baseball HQ Radio omny.fm/shows/baseball-hq-ra… Online chat with Ron - February 19 transcript live.jotcast.com/chat/ron-sh…

Just like a shark dies if it stops moving, a writer's gotta write, right? So, after two frustrating book projects (nobody reads books anymore...), I've decided to start a Substack newsletter. Will I be able to keep up with a weekly publication schedule? 40+ years and thousands of evergreen articles say I will. Piece of cake. I hope. Check it out. It's free until February. #FantasyBaseball ronshandler.substack.com/p/g…

My new weekly newsletter begins on Monday... ronshandler.substack.com/p/g…

You have the No. 1 seed. Who are you drafting? #FantasyBaseball

Cal Raleigh in 2027. How many home runs will he hit? @BaseballHQ #fantasybaseball

If you had to choose which player will be the top fantasy earner in 2027, who would you pick? @BaseballHQ @ToutWars #FantasyBaseball

One of the most fun things I get to do each year is introduce the cover of the new Baseball Forecaster. I polled you guys earlier to choose this year's cover boy, and 74.5% agreed. We'll start taking advance orders this Monday at Baseball HQ.

Jacob Misiorowski was baseball’s #2 earner this year and is expected to have a first-round ADP for 2027. Considering health, the talent pool, etc., how long can he be expected to retain 1st-round value? @BaseballHQ @ToutWars

You have a late-round seed in next year's draft. It's the first round. #JacobMisiorowski is still available. Are you drafting him? @BaseballHQ @ToutWars

The folks at the #BaseballForecaster have chosen their cover boy for the 2027 edition. Who do you think it is? @BaseballHQ

What do you do when A.I. makes a well-reasoned, fully supported argument for you to take one course of action, but your gut says you should take the other course?

Do your league mates have kids? So, somebody is going to be celebrating Father's Day this weekend. Fantasy Reconstructed is a terrific gift idea. Drop some subtle hints to spouses, siblings and other special someones. store.bookbaby.com/book/fant… Fantasy Expert is still available too! amazon.com/Fantasy-Expert-Ba…

DON'T ASK. I'm also a Mets fan, so there's that. I'm still going to do my darndest to climb out of the cellar — yes, 14th place is still a climb — but realistically, it's going to be a loooong season. Even if you don't need a telescope to see the teams in front of you, it's tough to stay engaged when you're far behind this early. Thankfully, fantasy baseball comes in many shapes, sizes and flavors. DFS is an obvious option. You can find a bunch of folks in similarly dire straits and just start over. You can form a monthly league. There are also innovative side contests you can participate in to keep your competitive juices flowing. "Fantasy, Reconstructed: The Innovator's Playbook for Fantasy Sports" is all about finding a format that keeps you engaged while you battle it out elsewhere. I'm already gathering friends to play contests like BASES, Quint-Inning and retro-drafting, all of which give me reason to read the boxscores each morning. These games, and others, are all described in this book. GET YOUR PAPERBACK OR EBOOK NOW at store.bookbaby.com/book/fant… (It's our preferred option to help support the work we do here. But it's also available from your favorite online bookseller.) Thank you, and good luck!

Thank you for your kind words. I’m a big fan of FBM too!

Does this fantasy rules oddity need review? I have 5 players who qualify at 2B, yet none have played an inning there this year - Polanco, Gorman, Rafaela, Schmitt, Tawa. @BaseballHQ @ESPNFantasy @TheAthleticFS

This.

My wife asked me this morning, "Have you ever played an April Fools prank?" I responded, "Funny you should ask." 25 years ago today, I attempted to prank my BaseballHQ.com readers. It did not go well. On the website's home page, I posted the following Breaking News note: "Brown lost for season; Dodgers acquire Olivares... Reports out of Los Angeles indicate the RHP Kevin Brown, currently nursing a strained Achilles Heel, will be lost for the 2001 season. "It's the best decision for me, and for the ballclub," said Brown. "It's only a naggy annoyance right now. But since I have a guaranteed contract and my team isn't going anywhere this year, I thought it best that I don't risk further injury that might put the rest of my career in jeopardy." The Dodgers reacted quickly to the news, acquiring Omar Olivares from the Pittsburgh Pirates last night. "The loss of Kevin is clearly a big blow," said Dodgers' GM Kevin Malone. "But we're thrilled to be able to land a pitcher of the caliber of Omar to slot right back into the top of the rotation. Just think - we got someone who won more games in 1999 (15) than Kevin won last year (13). And all we had to give up was Gary Sheffield. It's a win-win for all of us." The reaction was swift and immediate. I received over 50 e-mails in response to that note. Here were my two favorites: "Shandler, you are such a nut! What a great April Fools joke!!! At first, I thought it was real and went to ESPN for further details. When I had no success, I started to think about. I re-read your column and knew you were pulling our legs." About a third of the emails were like that. The other two-thirds, however... "What kind of s--t are you putting on your site!!!! Is that article on Kevin Brown an April fools joke? NOT FUNNY. That was the most unprofessional move I've seen in a very long time. Your site will catch hell for this one. I've got Sandbox and CBS Sportsline fuming over this crap after I posted a warning about Brown, and then turned around, after I realized that Olivares wasn't even a pitcher, and retracted my warnings. Too late. It's spreading like wildfire that you can't be trusted to convey the news truthfully, and your sponsers will hear about this yellow-journalistic atrocity. We'll see when they get inundated with complaints about your site how far you'll go next time when you want to pull an immature little stunt like this again. F--- You." So... no. I never did that again, though I've been tempted numerous times. It's way too much fun.

Thanks for the shout out!

Final spring training home game. <sob>