the yoonew verse

• Market Update: 8/19

  
  
  On today's market, the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox stole the show, while the Arizona Diamondbacks and Milwaukee Brewers caught traders eyes in the NL.
  
  The Rays had a big day with increases in "Match-Ups" against the Dodgers and Brewers which each added (+25.00%) to their value. The increases to Joe Maddon's club (Rays) can be attributed to their 6-4 win last night over the Angels which pushed them to 1 game back of the best record in the AL. On the month, Tampa Bay has more than doubled its "Team Fantasy" seat value when they were trading at a monthly low ($121.17). Asking prices for Tampa Bay are still below that of the Yankees however who have fallen to 10 games behind the Rays. The popularity of the Yankees along with the fear of selling off on them too early is keeping them in many traders portfolios.
  
  On the NL front, C.C. Sabathia locked in his eighth win as a Brewer and sent contracts of the Brewers (+4.00%) higher on the session. The Brewers have been a volatile team since the Sabathia acquisition. They've traded as high as ($50.00) and as low as ($30.00) when they were swept by the Cubs at home. The free-falling Florida Marlins continued to display high volatility and shed (-7.66%) for the session making them the biggest decliner for the National League.
  
  From the National League to the NFL, Contracts were relatively flat with sell side interest in the Chargers driving up contracts across the board. The NFC was represented by the Panthers who had a solid increase at (+7.39%) for "Team Fantasy" seats. The biggest gainer came from Bengals-Cowboys "Matchups" which traded up (+85.66%) even in the wake of a possible shoulder injury to Chad Johnson. The value of the Bengals outweighed the speculation of the injury to their star receiver.
  
  
  

  August 19th, 2008 · No comments
• The Week That Was: 8/11 - 8/15

  
  
  As the stretch run begins in Major League Baseball, trading last week shifted from America's past-time to their present. The effect even pre-season NFL football can have was displayed as NFL volume outpaced MLB trading dramatically.
  
  The New Orleans Saints led the charge with the buzz they've created amongst traders since the acquisition of Jeremy Shockey. Since the trade, investors are bullish on Sean Payton's team even before their first snap as their "Team Fantasy" seats increased nearly (+30.00%) along with substantial increases in "Fantasy Match-ups" against the Indianapolis Colts (+88.00%) and the New England Patriots (+22.00%).
  
  The 2008 pre-season has made many investors, "early" investors, when on average they wait for the beginning of the season to sort out who belongs in their portfolio. Vince Young's Tennessee Titans increased by (+28.00%) after starting the exhibition season 2-0 and being labeled a "team to watch" by many NFL insiders. The Minnesota Vikings, who suffered a huge scare this past weekend with the injury of starting QB Tavaris Jackson, finished the week with huge increases in matchups against Denver (+151.00%) and Pittsburgh (+27.00%). In other NFL match-ups, the Jason Campbell led Washington Redskins are 3-0 this pre-season and investors saw great value ($12.50) on match-up seats against perennial AFC power Jacksonville to an increase of (+26.00%).
  
  One of the premier franchises in football is now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and many investors are looking through the same lens. The Oakland Raiders, who's trading volume has been substantially high since the launch of the NFL market for a team whose last successful season was 5 years ago, opened the week up (+16.00%) and finished at closing with a minor (-5.00%) drop.
  
  On the diamond, it was a week of decreases with the St. Louis Cardinals (-43.00%), Florida Marlins (-42.00%), and the New York Yankees continuing their steep decline at (-53.00%). All 3 teams are still in the playoff race, but took major steps backwards early last week in their quest for wild card and division title contention. With their steep drops, you can expect a lot of traders who haven't lost belief in these teams to pick them up and hope for a final run. And as time continues passing, the Tampa Bay Rays continue to make traders who invested in them early in the season proud. The Rays finished last week with an (+11.00) increase after widening their AL East lead to 4.5 games over the 2nd place Red Sox. AL match-up seats against the Chicago Cubs jumped an extra (+73.00) as both teams show no signs of slowing down. Other match-ups posting strong increases were the White Sox v. Diamondbacks at (+154.00%) and the Mets v. Twins at (+20.00%) which many investors viewed as "value buys."
  
  The upcoming week brings the end of NFL pre-season and MLB match-ups that are expected to generate increased trading on the board with the Angels visiting the Rays for a series with huge playoff implications. The weekend brings match-ups between the Rays and the White Sox, Twins v. Angels, and Phillies v Dodgers in cross-divisional match-ups that will hold great importance as a tiebreaker in each league's respective Wild-Card race.

  August 18th, 2008 · No comments
• Market Update 8/18

  
  Trading was heavy at all levels during today's session. MLB World Series 2008 "team and Match-up Fantasy" seats were trading as if the playoffs had started this morning. In the AL, the Yankees and Red Sox were up +7.49%and +9.80% respectively on what seemed to be a valuation play for the Yankees. The Yankees have been struggling to justify themselves as a playoff contender lately. After a long week of selling off, traders were finally willing to delve back into these contracts which are trading at seasonal lows. The Red Sox v. Phillies match-ups were so appealing traders pushed it up +246.67%, for Cat E AL-1 for the day. On the other side of the coin, Tampa Bay and the Angels had a pullback from their near monthly highs from the previous week. The Rays shed -4% while the Angels shed -11%. Angels v. Phillies match-ups felt the brunt of the high trading of the Red Sox v.Phillies match-ups resulting in the small loss for the day. Angels v. Diamondbacks gained a hefty +40% partially offsetting the Philly resistance.
  
  The NL was not without its own price swings. Phillies contracts, largely from the previously stated match-ups, were up +60.50% for the session. The Diamondbacks also appreciated 10% off of similar match-up bullish activity. The Cubbies shed a light -8% as investors look to cheaper priced teams entering into the playoffs. To date, they've been the most bullish contracts of the NL this season and have refused to relinquish their gains. Their largely the cause for the increase in prices of an NL ticket compared to an AL ticket. Attribute it to the Cubs die-hard nature and lack of seating in Wrigley.
  
  Compared to last week's high volume, the NFL started the new week on the low end. The Broncos were the only team to experience increased activity appreciating +50% for the session. The only decline was the Browns shedding less than 1%.
  
  Baseball dominated the exchange today with substantial trading. Valuations and market inefficiencies are driving traders more towards baseball. We can expect similar/greater activity in football once it opens, but for now the deals are still to be made in baseball.
  
  Dan Matuszewski
  
  

  
  

  August 18th, 2008 · No comments
• Angels v. Rays battle for Home Field.

  vs.
  
  
  Series Preview:
  Los Angeles Angels v Tampa Bay Rays
  
  A series that can have huge implications on trading matchups and team fantasy seats begins tonight in Tampa Bay where the two best teams in baseball (record-wise) will face off against each other in a series that will not only have an effect on our market, but also have a huge effect on the standings.
  
  Current Standings:
  LAA 76-46
  TB 75-48
  
  The Tampa Bay Devil Rays can overtake the Los Angeles Angels for the best record in the AL and be in the driver's seat for "Home Field Advantage" throughout the playoffs if they sweep this series.
  
  If they win 2 of 3, they'll be 1 game back. If they win 1, they''ll be down to 3 games back. If they get swept by the Angels, you can pretty much put the "Z" next to the Angels in the newspapers which usually signifies Home Field Advantage.
  
  Let's take a look at their current stock prices:
  
  Tampa Bay Cat A: 252.00
  Los Angeles Cat A: 828.42
  
  In the middle of June, the TB Devil Rays still hadn't made believers out of investors on the board. Their seats were going for 18.00 a pop and then they made a huge run until the All Star Break to lead the AL East by 1 game. Their stock went as high as 320.00 in July and is now currently trading at 252.00. Their drop can be related to the recent rash of injuries they've had in losing Crawford and Longoria. It can also be due to the Yankees hot run in July when they closed in on the Rays to almost 2 games. Since the beginning of August, the Rays have been trading pretty consistently on the board in a range from 210-280.00.
  
  As for the absurdly consistent Angels of Mike Sciosia, to no one's surprise they have done nothing but keep rising and rising. Since August 1st, they have gone from $688.00 to begin the month to $828.00 at the current moment. The Angels have made many friends on our exchange, especially those who jumped on the bandwagon in the beginning of the season.
  
  Let's take a look at the matchups and ill do my best Roker and "forecast" who I think will win this series:
  
  Monday:
  
  You have a former Cy-Young award-winner in the Angels' Jon Garland who is 11-7 facing the young 25 year-old TB phenom (12-6) Andy Sonnestine. Garland is 2-1 in his last 3 starts and has not given up more than 3 runs per game in his previous 3. Sonnestine is 2-0 in his last 3 starts and has not given up more than 2 runs per outing in his previous 3. A pitcher's duel is on the menu.
  
  Tuesday:
  
  Ervin Santana is his name and he is one of the top 10 pitchers in baseball. Santana is 2-0 (13-5) in his last 3 starts and has given up a total of 7 runs in his previous 3 outings. Shields, another one of Tampa Bay's young upstarts is 1-0 in his last 3 starts with 2 no decisions. He has given up a total of 9 runs in his last 3 outings.
  
  Wednesday:
  
  The possible rubber game of this matchup features Jeff Weaver's little brother, Jared Weaver going up against Matt Garza. Weaver has given up a total of 13 ER in his last 3 starts and is 1-1 (10-9). Garza (10-7) threw a CG shutout in his last start and has given up a total of 9 runs in his last 3 starts with a 1-1 record.
  
  The Rays are 4-2 this season against the Angels and 3-0 against them at the gargantuan Tropicana field. Many don't believe the Angels can come into Tampa Bay and win at one of the "newest" most difficult places to play in the game. But, I expect the Angels to win 2 out of 3 in this series and be up 4 games by the end of this series. They do have the best road record in baseball folks.
  
  You can't expect the Angels to be traded the same way as the Rays. The Angels can get swept in this series, but their lock on the AL West assures them a playoff spot so even if you see a price drop, it won't be a substantially large one. Devil Rays holders should be sweating through this series and their upcoming one against the White Sox. Both of these series can help the Rays jump into the 3-400's in a Cat A or it can drop them down to 150-200. We have to remember that Boston is only 4.5 games back with series against the Orioles and Toronto coming up. By the end of the week, we may see Boston back on top of the AL East.
  
  But for now, enjoy the great baseball you will see put on by the future of baseball. 2 teams with young cores in hitting and pitching and should be forces in baseball for years to come.

  August 18th, 2008 · No comments
• Daily Tweets

  Here's our tweets 1 day at a time

  • 10:20 I'm baack!!! #
  • 10:21 sorry I've been somewhat mia, lotsa traveling, lotsa work, lotsa of progress, lotsa new announcements and lotsa promotions. stay tuned. #

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  August 16th, 2008 · No comments
• The Volatility of the Philadelphia Phillies

  Volatility is the word you use to describe the up and down of Jimmy, Chase, Ryan and the gang on the exchange this year. From confidence to stubborness to all out doubt, the Phils along with many other teams have tapped every possible human emotion within traders on our site.
  
  If you haven't been keeping up, it seems like the whole NL East has caught the losing bug and only the Mets want to win the division.
  
  The Mets have won 4 straight and are 1 game up on the Phillies and 2.5 on the Marlins. Philly lost 4 straight. Florida 2 straight. Atlanta 4 straight. Washington 7 straight.
  
  Now, I'm not going to go out on a limb and say invest in the Phillies because that wouldn't be the smartest thing to do at this point. Why? They play the Dodgers 4x, Mets 5x, Cubs 4x, Marlins 6x, and the Brewers 3x in their last 37 games. Do I think they will win the division? I actually do. And in terms of value and profit potential, they look real good right now at $140.92 for a Cat A and $30.70 for a Cat E. But their schedule as noted before can scare off anyone. But sometimes you have to take risks right?
  
  The Phils can down your mood, but they can also make you as happy as ever when you see those green plus signs in your portfolio. Typical Philly team if you ask me. They play with your emotions.
  
  Below is a chart of Cat E's for the Phillies from the beginning of May until now.
  
  Let's look at some Category E's from the 7th of May to the 3rd of this month:
  
  
  
  As you can see:
  
  May 7th - The Phillies were 19-14 and barely above .500 on May 7th. Their price: 40.00.
  
  May 25th - They dipped to 34.00 and were 28-24. That's an extra 2 loss difference.
  
  At this point, fans really didn't know what to make of the Phillies, but traders were holding and some even bought at lower prices. Now lets move onto June when the action begins.
  
  - After May 25th, the Phillies won their next 11 of 13 thru June 9th. Their stock price rose to 56.00. A 22.00 increase since Memorial Day. Their stock kept rising thru series' with LAA, STL, and Bos in which they struggled which was against the current trends. It could've been other market related factors that contributed to their rise or their impending soft schedule with Oakland, Texas, and Atlanta on the horizon that kept them up there. Whatever it may have been, by June 22nd the Phillies were at 76.00. Another 20.00 increase in a matter of weeks.
  
  - Let's fast forward to a week and a half later. By June 31st, the Phillies dropped 4 of their last 6 since the 22nd. They dropped back down to 56.00. A 20.00 decrease. That's where the dot is in the middle if you can see it.
  
  - Then July comes and the Phillies start the month 4-0 before a series against the Mets where they could've basically put them away for good for the rest of the season. At the end of July 5th, the Phils finished at 73.00. They went up 17.00 in a matter of days. After the Mets series, which the Mets won 3-1, the Phils dropped 10.00 to 63.00. After that, the Phillies managed to drop to 56.00 right at the AS break. The Phillies then came back from the break and went 4-5 thru the 27th of July and confidence in them began to wane dropping them to 36.00. Their lowest price point since late May.
  
  Now the stretch run is here and the Phillies are down to 30.00. They creeped up above 50 at the beginning of August, but are now back down and being behind the Mets in the division is probably one of the main factors. They are also 3-7 in their last 10 games.
  
  So with the pending difficult schedule, are the Phillies a value or something you stay away from? This might be one of the toughest teams to press "place order" on the site for. I think the tough schedule and the closeness of the division race will keep traders at bay until the last week of the season when everything begins to sort itself out. Maybe even the last day. We are talking about the NL East here. Remember what happened to the Mets in September last year. Anything can happen. Anything...

  August 15th, 2008 · No comments
• Market Update 8/15

  The NFL once again out shined the MLB for trading volume today. NFL Superbowl 2008 contracts are slowly gaining ground against the MLB World Series contracts that are heading into the playoffs. Trading for MLB should dramatically outpace the NFL once playoffs begin. If NFL trading volumes now are this high I can only infer that regular season trading will be astronomical. The Oakland Raiders have the most to cheer about today as their team fantasy seats appreciated +16.19% with a push coming from fantasy seat purchases. The big story on the NFL trading boards was Vikings- Broncos matchups trading over 200% for the session. Pittsburgh Steelers Vikings matchups tacked on (+55.22%) for the day as well. This brings the Vikings to a bid of 214.43 up 6.13%. Bears as well tacked on an extra ten percent on the session. Traders seem to be starting to feel the market out more and more as the season arrives. Theres still plenty of opportunity to be found in this market though.
  The MLB has been a tale of woe for the Yankees as they shed another 21% on the session. Now 9.5 games back faith in traders has been lacking for this team. Yankees Mets matchups have been amongst the hardest hit trading from the High 80s for AL1 contracts down to peanuts today. If your looking for value in Yankees team fantasy seats the Mets matchups may be your only option left as this team struggles to stay in contention for the playoffs. Rays-Cubs matchups for AL game 1-2 again today stacked on another 20%. Traders have been bullish on these matchups for the last two weeks. Traders are beginning to twiddle teams out of their portfolio as they manage their risk for the upcoming playoffs. Trading should be very interesting in the coming weeks.
  
  Dan Matuszewski

  August 15th, 2008 · No comments
• Who Will Be the Best Fantasy QB in 2008?

  August - the time of the year when a young man's thoughts turn to fantasy sports.
  
  With both the yoonew office fantasy league and the yoonew member fantasy league forming, we have begun to think about fantasy draft strategy. While LT still appears to be a favorite first pick in most leagues, the top QB position is an interesting area of debate. Where do you draft Peyton? Will Tom Brady to Randy Moss, the strategy that worked so well last year and appeared to be lifted from the playbooks of Madden 2001, be as successful this year? Or will next year be more like Madden 2002?
  
  There are many questions out there, so we decided to ask readers at the yoonew verse what they thought:
  
  
  

  August 15th, 2008 · No comments
• Market Update 8/14

  
  The Mets moved in to tie the Phillies as leader of the NL East today. Mets Team fantasy seats were up +0.78% on the session while the Phillies accrued a -7.69% loss. The Mets and Phillies prices have diverged in recent weeks after trading at close levels during the beginning of July as indicated above. Amongst the most desirable of Phillies and Mets contracts remained the Phillies-Angels, Phillies-Red Sox, Mets-Red Sox, and Mets-Yankees. Mets Twins match ups traded up +22.35% to 17.46.
  
  The Yankees continued their decline down another -8.35% on the session toward their lowest levels for the month. The Yankees are currently 9 games back. Besides the Yankees the largest decliners for the MLB were Arizona Diamondbacks and Phillies ignoring the Astros astronomical price swing.
  
  The NFL picked up today again and is making a press to drive out the MLB as the sport attracting the highest volume. Jets, Titans, and Rams each added over 15% to their team values while the Saints declined over 9% on the session. The top gainer for the NFL was Jets Rams match ups gaining (+59.53) percent on the day. Following closely behind were Jaguars Redskins match ups trading at (+53.74). Jets futures have been amongst the msot actively traded Superbowl futures over the last month largely from speculation and acquiring of Brett Favre. Jets contracts had a strong push after Favre moved in followed by a short pullback. Jets futures have about doubled on the month.

  August 14th, 2008 · No comments
• Changed The Channel After Half-Time

  
  Not even close. 92-69. Los Spaniards on Saturday.

  August 14th, 2008 · No comments