Optimal draft strategy involves integrating the elements of expected player performance, risk and market conditions. For well over a decade now, I have been writing about different elements of this process, trying to get a handle on the best way to win our leagues.

It may sound bizarre, but one of the most gratifying things I like to see on this site is when a forum thread has a title like, "Why Shandler is Dead Wrong." This tells me one of three things:

"Irwin Zwilling... could name nineteen players he wanted before the draft and walk out owning every one of them." --Fantasyland When I read that in Sam Walker's book, it took me back to the early days of LABR and Tout Wars, when Irwin and partner Lenny Melnick were perennial contenders. They did have a knack for knowing the marketplace so well that they could build their roster before even sitting down at the draft. Irwin and Lenny always seemed to be in control of the table and won numerous titles.

Some history... When Rotisserie's Founding Fathers wrote their first book in 1984, rosters were stocked by means of an auction draft. Those of us who grew up in this industry saw that as the foundation of the game. Rotisserie was, after all, one part baseball and one part economics. As team owners, we had to consider how to build a roster within the limits of a fixed budget. There was no such thing as snake, or straight, or serpentine.

After six years of LIMA, most anyone can tell what you're doing within the first hour of the draft. Not so much with the RIMA Plan. RIMA is not easily recognizable from a scan of someone's roster, which is one of its hidden benefits. When I grabbed an $18 Esteban Loaiza early on in Tout Wars -- not a typical low-cost LIMA pitcher -- and then added a $15 Joel Pineiro, it was clear that something was different.

A post-LABR interview with Steve Moyer, formerly of Rotowire: BASEBALL WEEKLY: "When I talked to Ron Shandler, he said that you kinda knew his strategy. You might have thrown out a few guys that he would go for. Was there any kind of chance to play off of his strategy, to counter-program against him?" MOYER: "Totally, on purpose. I wrote down all his A and B+ LIMA Players and that's all I brought out all night long." BW: "So do you feel your strategy worked?"

It's like a game of telephone. Somebody starts and tries to explain a new concept to somebody else. Person #2 then passes on his interpretation to person #3, who then adds his own take to person #4. By the time the original concept reaches person #20, "grand slam home run" has become "ground ham on a bun." And so it has become with the LIMA Plan. This was the first year that I have seen so many references to the concept in so many diverse places. And half of the time, they get it wrong.

For the uninitiated, the Low Investment Mound Aces (LIMA) Plan is a strategy that allows you to target high skills pitchers at low cost, thereby freeing up dollars for offense. While the individual tactics are designed for Rotisserie play, the skills-based concepts have applications in any type of fantasy game. LIMA can be implemented in straight draft leagues, with some careful tweaking in

Three little words that nobody thought I would ever utter. "Billy Wagner, $40."

The LIMA Plan is a strategy for Rotisserie and fantasy leagues that allows you to target high skills pitchers at very low cost, thereby freeing up dollars for offense. LIMA is an acronym for Low Investment Mound Aces, and also pays tribute to Jose Lima, a $1 pitcher in 1998 who exemplifies the power of the strategy.

About four hours after the results of the American League Tout Wars competition were posted online, I received the following e-mail from one of my loyal subscribers... "Hey Ron, how come you drafted such a crappy pitching staff?"