Schadenfreude

Schadenfreude is one of the most common emotions in the Rotisserie baseball.

Who doesn't feel good when the 1st place team loses their closer or their top power hitter?

Who doesn't feel satisfaction when the players on the team ahead stop playing over their head?

Who isn't happy when someone turns down a generous trade offer from you only to see the player you tried to acquire come up lame?

This schadenfreude comes up all the time. The issue is not its existence but how you handle it. If you show too much, then you risk damaging furture Roto relations with the other team. If you show nothing, then the other team may think you don't care. Oops, that doesn't belong here. (I can't help but think of Rosie Perez and Woody Harrelson in White Men Can't Jump. "I, too, have felt thirst.")

Anyhow, Roto etiquette would say you don't rub your competitiors faces in their bad luck - no matter how frustrating and annoying they were prior to their turn for the worst.

This brings me to the Atlanta closer role. If you drafted Reitsma or traded for him in anticipation of Wednesday's announcement, then you surely felt cheated when Adam Bernero's name was bandied about everywhere as the likely successor.

Were you faulty in your analysis? No, what occurred was a surprise to everyone - not Kolb being removed as any Roto player looking to grab saves on the cheap hopes for- but that it was done with no lead-up from Atlanta management.

For that, you cannot be faulted, and thus should not displace the anger towards the team that picked-up Bernero because he looked like a good longman for a winning team. (read: the same wins in fewer innings than a SP on bad team would bring.)

Just move on to the next bullpen waiting to blow - Danny graves and the Cincy Reds!