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Sporting News, The, April 29, 2005 by Brendan Roberts

It's like when you're riding in a car and you gotta go. Like when you're in line at a fast-food restaurant and can't wait to eat. Like when you're waiting for teams to burn their 86 timeouts in the final minute of an NCAA Tournament game. You know you'll reach the destination, and the relief will be everything you had hoped. But you're not sure you can wait that long without screaming, collapsing or changing the channel.

What, then, should you do with struggling fantasy studs? Already we're getting e-mails from panicked owners that say: "When will the (insert team here) bench (insert player here)?" And: "Should I trade (insert stud here) for (insert decidedly average player who has had five great games and apparently has shot one of Cupid's arrows into said owner's heart)?"

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With the season not yet three weeks old--only about 10 percent complete--owners already are wondering if the early trends their players have set will continue unabated until October 2, the final day of the regular season.

I understand. I really do. I have Luis Castillo, and he's, like, 0-for-April. But the last thing I should do is trade him and watch another team gain from his steals and possibly .300 average. Or, even worse, drop him and get nothing in return.

It's called overmanaging, making too many moves as a result of too few games. Granted, the present can be a good indicator of the future, but the here and now in baseball must include at least four weeks of play.

Hitting especially is fraught with peaks and valleys. Even Vladimir Guerrero "suffered" through a seven-game stretch last April in which he went 4-for-29. Johan Santana had a 5.50 ERA on June 3 last season. Um, both have impressive hardware on their mantels right now.

Trust your draft or auction. Trust that the best players for your team are the ones already on it. It bears repeating: You can't win your league in April, but you can lose it by losing patience.

M@IL BONDING

CHRIS BAHR ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

I have the gift/curse of having the No. 1 waiver priority in my keeper league. Jeremy Bonderman just hit the waiver wire. Should I pick him up, or should I risk trying to get him as a free agent, thus preserving my waiver priority?

Bill Edwards, Anchorage, Alaska

Bill: Especially because you're in a keeper league, make a move now. You never want to waste the top waiver priority on a marginal player, but Bonderman is plenty valuable. I don't see him becoming a free agent in your league. Even if he doesn't break out until next season, he is a potential ace and a keeper.

To submit a question to our fantasy experts, click on Daily Mail at fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball.

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Sporting News, The, April 29, 2005 by Brendan Roberts

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