Win $500 in the 2007 HACKING MASS competition!
HACKING MASS is a contest to try and predict the worst/most offensive players in the upcoming season. HACKING MASS stands for Huckabay's Annual Call to Keep Immobility Next to Godliness: Maximus Aggregatus Stiffisimus Sensire.
Several important changes are being made to the traditional HACKING MASS setup for the coming season.
- Rosters are frozen. Updates will be available soon.
- positional eligibility is determined by the player's projected position according to the Baseball Prospectus Fantasy Depth Charts as of April 2, 2007. Positional eligibility will not be updated as the year progresses.
- there is one exception to positional eligibility which we are carrying over from last year: no projected Colorado Rockies pitchers are selectable for the 2007 contest. Sorry. If you happen to luck into selecting a pitcher who ends up by trade or other transaction pitching for the Rockies in 2007, his results will count towards your team totals as normal.
- there is one scoring change this year which is expanded on below. The pitching score will be determined by subtracting ERA from 4.5 rather than 4.0.
- once rosters have frozen, all incomplete teams will be dumped from the system. In other words, you must have a player selected in each position to compete in 2007.
- to assist us in the bookkeeping, all entrants must have accounts at BP. (If you have a Premium or Fantasy account, use that one; if you don't, you can buy a Premium account, buy a Fantasy account, or create a BP Basic account. It's free, it's easy, and we won't send you a bunch of garbage via email or sell your address to anyone.)
- the non-Niagara Spray Starch variety prize parade continues in 2007. The overall winner of HACKING MASS 2007 will be awarded $500 and a mint-condition, signed, framed photo reproduction of Commissioner of Major League Baseball Bud Selig*.
In addition, the top 10 teams will receive a year's subscription to BP Premium.
Your ten players will be:
- one each at catcher and each infield position (5 players)
- one at each outfield position (3 players)
- two pitchers (2 players)
Simply pick the players who you think will be the stiffest at each position. A team's aggregate stiffness is measured by summing the ESPN (Exuded Stiff Points, Net) of all of the players on your team. For hitters, ESPN is 0.800, minus his OBP, minus his SLG, and multiplied by plate appearances - i.e., (.8-OPS)*PA. For pitchers, the formula is the pitcher's ERA, minus 4.00 4.5, times his innings pitched, divided by three, or (ERA-4.5)*IP/3. This results in similar Stiffness scores for the firmest hitters and pitchers.
In each case, it isn't enough for a player to simply suck; somehow the Stiffest of the Stiff must find a way to remain in the lineup or rotation. Possession of incriminating photos of managers and GMs, telekinesis of ink onto lineup cards, large contracts that need justification, and ties to the underworld can all be important attributes of your players besides their lack of hitting and pitching talent.
Create or edit your team today!
Additional Resources
* One entry per person. In case of a tie, first prize will be divided equally among winners. First-place winner must furnish tax information to collect cash prize, and this award will be reported to the IRS. Photo and signature are a "preprinted" reproduction, whatever that means. We'll let you know when the item we bought off ebay arrives. Actual frame may be different than illustration.
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