NFBC Strategy

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Jim F · #101 Post by **Jim F** » March 4th, 2010, 9:29 pm

I played around in the new NFBC draft room a bit ago. I like it better than mdc buy a ton. There are still some things that I think could have been easier to see on the "front" but overall it looks good.

My impressions:

With the ease of moving between preset draft lists, it might be better to split hitters up as one draft list and pitchers on another and just label them.

It is very "busy" but the info that I seem to want to see is easier to get to than MDC such as what teams around me have picked and positions that might get drafted before my next turn.

I hope they get rid of the Ad's (hopefully that is there for mocks only) and replace it with something usefull like a seperate que for pitchers or something.

I wish they made it so you could see more than just 8 picks without scrolling.

All in all I think it is better than MDC and as long as it works that is all that matters.

deansdaddy · #102 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 4th, 2010, 9:39 pm

NickPass wrote:I agree with Ryan's approach and having the tiered sheets. In my experience, I find that guys who bring laptops are less prepared and generally take more time to make their selections than the guys who don't. It's like they think the laptop will do all of their work for them

Anyway, I'll have a bunch of sheets handy for our live draft on 3/14.

As Nick knows - I used a laptop I think once in our old league - I found that it influenced my thinking more than I wanted - so I went back to paper.

viper · #103 Post by **viper** » March 4th, 2010, 11:09 pm

Is it as easy to switch lists as you say?

I would have a hitters list, a SP list and a RP list.

deansdaddy · #104 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 4th, 2010, 11:12 pm

Well - one thing I did notice is that the rankings they are using are the Slow Draft ADP that they sent out. Tougher drafts at the NFBC from now on - no more MDC junk ADP's to exploit.

Jim F · #105 Post by **Jim F** » March 4th, 2010, 11:49 pm

viper wrote:Is it as easy to switch lists as you say?

I would have a hitters list, a SP list and a RP list.

Viper, yes I thought about your posts about hitting/pitching lists right away when I was in the draft room. It takes a second to load up different lists and it is all on the front page so you don't have to go dig anywhere. 3 Lists should be no problem, I think you will like the feature.

Another cool feature is when you click on a player you get 3 years stats and the projections for this year as well as "NewsBreakers". When I clicked on Milton Bradley (which is easy to search for players) it had the story about him blaming Chicago for being a waste of a roster spot.

Jim F · #106 Post by **Jim F** » March 4th, 2010, 11:54 pm

I guess I am posting these in the wrong area but there was no new area when I started

viper · #107 Post by **viper** » March 4th, 2010, 11:56 pm

it's as good as place as any.

Good nite all

NickPass · #108 Post by **NickPass** » March 9th, 2010, 8:44 pm

Hey Guys- I'm not sure if anyone else has done this yet. Now that we know where we'll be selecting for Sunday's draft, I've typed out a list of the overall picks for my team (Ex: Rd 1, Pick 4, Rd 2, Pick 27). I think its helpful, as it gives you a ballpark idea which groups of players should be available based on the default MDC lists.

Granted, everyone tweaks and ultimately goes with their own lists, but I'll have this by my side on Sunday.

deansdaddy · #109 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 23rd, 2010, 3:44 pm

Okay guys - it's time for us to start talking about the FAAB process.

You should all have received a list of players that weren't drafted in our recent SAT league. So you can start thinking about guys you will target. You will not be able to see who is officially available until our league gets loaded on the NFBC site. I have no word on when this will happen, but I expect it won't happen til after this weekend's Main Event drafts. There is already a lot of talk about this on the boards - so I don't think any pushing from me is going to help make it happen any sooner.

Here is when FAAB bidding starts according to the Rules: For leagues that draft on or before Sunday, March 28, the first free agent bidding deadline is Sunday, April 4, at 8 PM ET.

As I said I will be making available some info I have regarding my bidding from some leagues last year.

To get us started - does anyone have any questions regarding FAAB that they need/want answered?

rotodog · #110 Post by **rotodog** » March 23rd, 2010, 5:23 pm

I have a question about how you own your faab data from years past.

Is this something freely available during the year for us to be able to have access to our own league Faab results?

If so , what does it show? Just the winning bids or the second place bids etc...

Is it in some sort of exportable format like excel or do you have to copy/paste from a website?

I have read Shawn Childs talk about Faabing players and winning and losing on players at specific prices. If i remember right, I think he even knew how much he overbid for every player he won....

So, if you could, detail what kind of data is available week to week for league participants to view.

Thanks

deansdaddy · #111 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 23rd, 2010, 5:39 pm

I have access to data from my own NFBC leagues.

All I have is the amount I paid for the players - although I did do some tracking of some of the bids I made and players I didn't win the bidding on.

Once you have played a league in the NFBC - they keep the data around - so you can go back and look at previous teams drafts and transactions.

I heard somewhere that they were think about showing some of the losing bids this years - don't know if that is going to happen or not. In the past it just would show the winning bid and the players added/dropped. But this is stored all season and you can go back and look at the entire season of bids.

One other thing they show in season is the winning bids from ALL NFBC leagues on the NFBC message boards. This is a fun place to see how your own league compares to other NFBC leagues.

What I will share will just illustrate one man's budgeting process for one season.

I have to go out for awhile but I will get some of that data up tonight.

deansdaddy · #112 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 23rd, 2010, 5:53 pm

rotodog wrote:
Is it in some sort of exportable format like excel or do you have to copy/paste from a website?

I have read Shawn Childs talk about Faabing players and winning and losing on players at specific prices. If i remember right, I think he even knew how much he overbid for every player he won....

Thanks

As far as I know it is not exportable - but that to may change this year.

I'm sure Shawn Child's has his own system set up mainly because of the sheer volume of leagues he has to manage every week. I think he said he was doing 18 leagues this year

#113 Post by **Todd Zola** » March 23rd, 2010, 6:48 pm

Shawn is a great player, a great guy and a savant of sorts.

He has an incredible memory and can analyze a draft like a bunch of pals do their round of golf.

They post the winning bids for every NFBC leagues on the NFBC forum. You don't know the losing bids, but you do get to see the different prices the same player might go for in different leagues. I'll do some searching on the NFBC forums to see if I can dig up a couple 2009 threads, then look for a keyword so you guys can do the same.

Be right back...

#114 Post by **Todd Zola** » March 23rd, 2010, 6:53 pm

That was easy...

At the NFBC forums, use keyword FAAB and put 5 in for member number (that's Tom K) and voila...

rotodog · #115 Post by **rotodog** » March 23rd, 2010, 7:00 pm

Todd,
just what the doctor ordered........This is MONEY! Now I need to go back to see if I can find any useful stuff....Thanks

EDIT: OMG! Week one 2009 Faab prices for Emilio bonafacio and Jordan Schafer! Now I see what you mean...

Some people spent half there budget to acquire one of these guys for 400+ dollars after 3 good games at the beginning of the year! I guess it doesnt pay to pay for 3 hot days after opening day!

deansdaddy · #116 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 23rd, 2010, 7:32 pm

rotodog wrote:
I have read Shawn Childs talk about Faabing players and winning and losing on players at specific prices. If i remember right, I think he even knew how much he overbid for every player he won....

Thanks

I asked Shawn if I could post the link to his recent blogpost on FAAB bidding and he said sure. Dave has already read it - but it is a great place for all of you to start.

Here is the link: http://www.ccsdesperados.com/?p=74

viper · #117 Post by **viper** » March 23rd, 2010, 8:43 pm

As I recall, on Sunday night after the FAAB has been processed, it also shows the highest losing bid. I recall winning a bid once at 264 and the highest losing bid was 263. I think it was Patterson the year he was great for the Nationals. That was before Frank Robinson did his best Dusty Baker imitation and killed his career with over use. My opinion at least.

More often I would bid 20 on a player I wanted and the next highest bid was 1 if there was a bid at all.

One thing for sure is do not follow BBHQ and some other sites which talk about waiting to see if players is a one week wonder or a real find. I can guarantee you that someone in your league will make a bid. It may be worse than normal here because we all read the same articles and many will react accordingly.

And if a potential closer hits the FAAB, be prepared for some amazing bids.

What people like Shawn do well is bid on people the week before they break out. Thinking ahead is important. This may explain why he does so well and I don't.

#118 Post by **Todd Zola** » March 23rd, 2010, 9:10 pm

the STATS system gave the runner up bid but not the person that did it. Hopefully the Fanball one will do the same.

Sergio · #119 Post by **Sergio** » March 23rd, 2010, 9:58 pm

Hello all
Kind of off topic a bit but thought all might want to know that my live doubleplay team I drafted in AC this past Sat, 3-20 was loaded on the site recently. Not much functionality available on the site as yet. Hope our RL teams will be soon as well.

deansdaddy · #120 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 23rd, 2010, 10:22 pm

Thanks for clearing that up - I forgot that - that would explain how you could track what you overbid by.

Okay here are some quick numbers - in my Main Event league I made 47 pickups for the season and spent $996 of my $1000 budget for an average of $21 per player pickup. I didn't keep track of how much I overbid on my players - and I think I may try to do that this year. I only picked up more than three players in any given week once and I only did that in Week 26 when 3 of my players got shut down for the year and I grabbed 4 new guys. I picked up 3 players 4 times, 2 players 12 times, 1 player 7 times and had only two weeks where I didn't pick up a player. In those two weeks I lost out on a bid once and didn't bid (week 25) the other. I had $20 going into that final week and about $100 going into Sept.

Of the 47 players I picked up - 20 of them were obtained for $3 or less. 6 of these were C's as I had to fill in for an injured Ryan Doumit and then Kenji Johjima (who I had grabbed to fill in for Doumit). My two best pickups of the year were a $2 Marco Scutaro in Week 1 and $1 Nolan Reimold in Week 5. It was good luck and circumstance that thought to pick either up. Scutaro was a conditional bid that I had made that week. I had drafted Kendry Morales to be a CI - but he wasn't eligible to start the year. I had taken a chance on Dallas McPherson and he lost the ST battle to Bonifacio. I made bids on these players to make sure I got a warm body to put in at CI for week 1: Chris Getz/David Freese/Emilio Bonifacio/Pedro Feliz/and finally Marco Scutaro - I may have even had a couple more after Scutaro. Well I lost every other bid and ended up with Scutaro - and he was a godsend to my team.

Reimold was good luck in this instance. He was a minor league player who was drafted by someone in my Main Event league in the 30 rd. He was dropped in Week 2 as he didn't make the squad out of ST. I had drafted Felix Pie and he was struggling. If I don't have Pie - I doubt I am even paying that close attention to the Baltimore LF situation. But Pie was frustrating me so much - I put a $1 bid on Reimold and dropped Pie for him going into week 5 on news that a change might be coming soon. Reimold got called up a week later and went for big numbers in other leagues. I not only got him before anyone else - but I saved myself a TON of money. I benefited from a loophole that if a ML is drafted in your league and then dropped - he stays in the free agent pool. If not drafted a player will not be added to the pool until he is called up. So - do yourself a favor and keep track of any minor league players who get dropped early in the season.

19 of my pickups were P's. Some owners move two start pitchers in and out of the lineup and try to get them for as little as possible. Others light on saves chase potential closers all season long and try to speculate ahead of time to save FAAB $. That would be one explanation for an owner like Shawn having moves in the 50's or 60's for the season. I didn't really do this and only had one big splurge in the pitching market - Joe Blanton for $91. He was a necessary add as I had just lost Brett Myers to injury.

Injuries are often the biggest reason owners overspend on the wire. Fear sets in and you see a player who can fill the need and bid big on him. My biggest bids on the year were $140 on Gerardo Parra in Week 8 and $130 on A Escobar in Week 20. I got killed by JJ Hardy last year - and had the cash on hand to take a chance on Escobar. That one didn't really help too much - but I was able to get him.

My big misses on the year were Andrew McCutchen who went for $436 in my league. I think I bid in the mid $200 and was the runner-up. I was also too low on Everth Cabrera, Chris Coghlan, Mat Latos, Jonathan Sanchez and Carlos Gonzalez in this league.

I also had two drops that came back to haunt me. I had drafted Jorge de la Rosa in the 30th rd. I dropped him in Week 2 after he got shelled to start the year. I could have used him late in the year once he got on a roll - but he was long gone. I also had picked up Kyle Blanks when he got called up. For some reason I cut him loose 2 weeks later. Wished I could have had that one back.

Okay that's it for now boys - I'll be back tomorrow to talk some more.

deansdaddy · #121 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 24th, 2010, 8:15 pm

Hey guys i am re-posting the tips Todd gave regarding FAAB from another thread.

Todd Z Wrote

FAAB --

1. The season will not be won or lost based on the first week of FAAB. If you have an opening, put in a TON of bids on the cheap to make sure you get someone useful to fill the spot while letting others set some precedent with respect to what it will take to get someone.

2. UNLESS there is a make or break type player available. Then go after him HARD. Hard being a few hundred (300-500). BUT ONLY IF THIS IS A GUY YOU WILL START EVERY WEEK.

3. If a player was picked during your original draft, he remains in your pool regardless if he is in the majors. So look at the previous week's drops for a guy in the minors someone else dropped. If you like him and can afford the reserve spot, get him. The reason this is important is you will find yourself sorting by AB or IP to see who is available and the dropped minor leaguers will not appear as they have no playing time.

4. If you have the extra reserve spot and think someone will be useful, it is better to be a week or two too early and end up dropping a player if he does not work out than thinking the player will be helpful, being right and then battling everyone else for the bid the week he is going to play.

5. Don't just replace injured or under-producing guys in your ACTIVE roster. Also look to replace guy in your reserve with better free agents. Early on is when the crop is most plush. If you wait until you HAVE TO replace someone, the quality of the available players is not as useful.

6. Don't break the bank on a closer

Jim F · #122 Post by **Jim F** » March 25th, 2010, 1:09 am

Just to jump into the fray with FAAB. I played in one Sat league last year and I got a good lesson in FAAB bidding quick.

My first four bids were all on less than stellar guys (which I knew going in) and I overbid by a total of 93 FAAB. I bid something stupid like 23 on Jeff Mathis (had Nap who didn't play to start the season) and the 2nd highest was 3. This went on with the other three guys until I had wasted almost 1/10th of my FAAB the first 3 weeks all on single dollar players.

I adjusted and was more frugal with the money- lost out on some guys with close bids and then went out and got Milledge who was dropped while he was still in the minors (again went 71 on him when the next highest was 5), Coghlan and McCutchen when he got called up. McCutchen was someone I really needed to try and land and ended up getting him for 320 (closest was low 300's) but it put me at less than 300 FAAB at that point and I know most teams still had over 700.

Shortly after, Chris Davis who was dumped by an owner who couldn't waste the roster spot with all his injuries when he got demoted, started heating up in the minors in a big way so before he got called up I used a roster spot on him for 3 bucks and speculated.

I grabbed Jim Johnson of Baltimore for 2 bucks the week before the trade deadline thinking the O's might deal Sherrill somewhere and I was needing saves with Soria AND Valverde on my squad and got lucky again.

If you are still reading, why?? I guess the point of the story is that I really put myself in a HUGE hole with FAAB for the whole season early on but it made me focus a bit and think a few weeks ahead when possible and really look at the drops from other teams and try to find some possible recalls or PT changes to exploit. I sure as hell got LUCKY with a bunch of my pickups and it helped me pick up more than 50 points in the standings by the end of the year. A moral victory in my mind.

Edit: I just realized that I still remember the friggin overbids I made a year ago. That is sick. I need help.

Sergio · #123 Post by **Sergio** » March 25th, 2010, 4:35 pm

Hello all
Whats the tiebreaker for FAAB? Say week one/April 4th two owners bid the same on player A, who gets em?
During the season is it reverse order of standings to break a FAAB tie?
Thanks

#124 Post by **Todd Zola** » March 25th, 2010, 4:45 pm

Tied Bids: If there is a tie bid during the season, the team that receives the player will be determined in order by:

1. Worst league standing at the time FAAB was run (Sunday night using Saturday's standings).
2. Lowest standing the previous week (standings through previous Sunday's games).
3. Lowest standing two weeks previous (through the corresponding Sunday's games).
4. Lowest standing two weeks previous (through the corresponding Sunday's games).
5. Lowest draft position from Draft Day.

Any tied bids during the first FAAB period will be given to the team with the lowest draft order from Draft Day, whether there were a few games played before then or not.

NickPass · #125 Post by **NickPass** » March 28th, 2010, 5:27 pm

When does the bidding process begin? Also, when will our rosters be loaded to the NFBC site?

mbendar · #126 Post by **mbendar** » March 28th, 2010, 7:51 pm

I have a FAAB question:

Does the site update the entire league's remaining FAAB budget every week, or do we need to do this on our own?

Thanks,
Mark
Strike Force

viper · #127 Post by **viper** » March 28th, 2010, 8:57 pm

NickPass wrote:When does the bidding process begin? Also, when will our rosters be loaded to the NFBC site?

excellent question. I sure wish I had an equally excellent answer. This is beginning to get a bit frustrating and I am patient person. I'm guessing there are a numbe rof leagues drafted on MDC that are not yet loaded.

viper · #128 Post by **viper** » March 28th, 2010, 8:59 pm

mbendar wrote:I have a FAAB question:

Does the site update the entire league's remaining FAAB budget every week, or do we need to do this on our own?

Thanks,
Mark
Strike Force

It was in all the prior seasons. Of course, the site is new this year but I am sure it will be shown or there loudness of the complaints will be deafening.

NickPass · #129 Post by **NickPass** » March 28th, 2010, 9:09 pm

I am frustrated as well Mike. Our draft was two weeks ago and the season begins next Sunday. We may have to unleash "Mad Dog" Carey and have him rattle the cages!

viper · #130 Post by **viper** » March 28th, 2010, 10:05 pm

They are aware of the problems and that leagues are not loaded. Not sure how complaining will speed things up. But unleashing "Mad Dog" does have some appeal.

deansdaddy · #131 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 28th, 2010, 10:10 pm

NickPass wrote:I am frustrated as well Mike. Our draft was two weeks ago and the season begins next Sunday. We may have to unleash "Mad Dog" Carey and have him rattle the cages!

There are plenty of guys with a LOT more money riding on this year than us trust me - the Diamond league alone is $150,000 in entry fees

If they don't get things shaped up you won't need me to raise a ruckus.

But - I worked the Main Event league yesterday as a facilitator (Lawr Michaels was in my draft w/Todd by his side) and the fanball team was great yesterday. Everything was professional and well run. Now that the Main Event weekend is behind them - I am sure Greg and Tom will get on top of this.

bjoak · #132 Post by **bjoak** » March 30th, 2010, 1:48 pm

Sorry, guys I've been trying to get back on track after a long weekend in Vegas. I'll post some thoughts about faab before Sunday.

In the meantime, does anyone else see their rosters? Greg said the mdc satellites are all loaded but mine still lists my KDS preferences and no team!

viper · #133 Post by **viper** » March 30th, 2010, 2:11 pm

In response to the post right after Greg's long post which dealt with one of the March 14th leagues, this appeared

Yes, I re-sent every March 14 league last night.
--------------------
Geoffrey Stein - Senior Editor, Fanball.com

I think we were in the last wave of MDC drafts. I made a post on the "Ask NFBC a Question" forum and Geoff responded. I, for one, am willing to give them a day or two before I repost anything.

In the NFBC's initial year, they brought a lot of my respect. The prize fund was based on 300 teams and about a week before the draft day, the count was under 180. Most expected some type of decrease in the prize funds. Instead, the honored their commitment. The final team count was 195 and the total prize fund almost or actually exceeded the money from the entries. And that was before costs associated with the Stat service and any site charges they incurred. Clearly, they ran that first year at a loss. That was around the same time that other big money leagues were folding and not always paying off. At least for me, they earned a lot of slack.

Still, they need to get these rosters posted and have a viable FAAB process. The switch to Fanball has created lots of bells and whistles, better draft sites and a ton of more satellite options. However, the bottom line to any operation is the basic nuts and bolts along with solid customer support when issues occur. I find them doing well on the second point. It must be hard to be out there taking heat, complaints and occasionally some irresponsible remarks. I'm still confident things will be fine by mid-week. Just not as confident as I was this time last week.

deansdaddy · #134 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 30th, 2010, 2:16 pm

Good Points Mike - I too have posted about our league to make sure it is on the list - and I'm content to give them another day to get it sorted out. If I don't see something tomorrow I'll email Geoff directly. As for some of the heat they are taking - yeah I'm sure it's not fun - since they are trying to sell more of their $350 Online 12 team leagues.

Greg just posted that the Free Agent tools will be activated for tonight - but that won't mean much to us if our league isn't loaded. I'm on the boards keeping tabs - and I'll let you guys know what I see there.

NickPass · #135 Post by **NickPass** » March 30th, 2010, 7:27 pm

It's 8:30 EST and our league still hasn't been loaded. Being patient.......

Sergio · #136 Post by **Sergio** » March 30th, 2010, 9:27 pm

Hello all,
My other league (AC live doubleplay) is loaded with free agents/FAAB options open for business, its easy to use.
We just got shuffled to the bottom of the food chain. I just talked with Geoff, we meet in AC, and we (RL) will be up and running within 24 hours, we'll see.

Us being rookies, and I let him know, we should have been given a little more attention

being that all/most of us have not used FAAB before and could have used the extra week.
Good luck to all, including SinCity cause my team is a bit weak.

Night

deansdaddy · #137 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 30th, 2010, 10:34 pm

Looks like our league is up and running - I am going to have to call Greg tomorrow about how Webb, Bedard and Chris Young wound up on my staff - oh wait - that's right I DRAFTED THEM!!!

AllstonRockCity · March 31st, 2010, 7:48 am

um, my team page looks the same as it always has. i was just about to post how it looks like our league is still NOT loaded.

Ryan, what's the URL?

mbendar · #139 Post by **mbendar** » March 31st, 2010, 11:59 am

ARC,
The team page does look the same, so you need to hit SELECT to get to the right screen. From that point, there are drop down menus to everything you would want, including changing your lineup.

All,
As a helpful hint, it likely will be necessary to change your lineup, as my team had no issues in total, but Ryan Howard and other starters were on my bench. I did not feel generous to leave them there

Mark
Strike Force

bjoak · #140 Post by **bjoak** » March 31st, 2010, 1:49 pm

In the NFBC's initial year, they brought a lot of my respect. The prize fund was based on 300 teams and about a week before the draft day, the count was under 180. Most expected some type of decrease in the prize funds. Instead, the honored their commitment. The final team count was 195 and the total prize fund almost or actually exceeded the money from the entries. And that was before costs associated with the Stat service and any site charges they incurred. Clearly, they ran that first year at a loss. That was around the same time that other big money leagues were folding and not always paying off. At least for me, they earned a lot of slack.

I'd say that is exactly how the WCOFB bought my respect this year, except they are giving away 300% instead of almost 100%.

Sergio · #141 Post by **Sergio** » March 31st, 2010, 6:25 pm

I got a FAAB issue guys,
I went in today and created two claim/bid lists and logged out. Went back in a bit later and bid list 1 changed to bid list 2, and vice-versa. changed it back like I wanted it went to another site then came back and they were switched AGAIN!!!
Thanks for any advise.

rotodog · #142 Post by **rotodog** » March 31st, 2010, 6:44 pm

Well, i can tell you that everyone is posting the issues with it and they seem to be working it out...

It is lacking as of today.. Searching for a pitcher is a freaking nightmare....I still havent found him....

I hope it gets worked out with search functions and sorting capabilities...otherwise it will be a struggle all year...

I would post it in the NFBC Faab ISsue thread...if you didnt already.

Sergio · #143 Post by **Sergio** » March 31st, 2010, 7:12 pm

rotodog wrote:Well, i can tell you that everyone is posting the issues with it and they seem to be working it out...

It is lacking as of today.. Searching for a pitcher is a freaking nightmare....I still havent found him....

I hope it gets worked out with search functions and sorting capabilities...otherwise it will be a struggle all year...

I would post it in the NFBC Faab ISsue thread...if you didnt already.

Thanks, will keep an eye out to see if others are having the same issues.
Searching for pitchers is a bit difficult, I found by sorting by MLB team made it easier. Also like Washburn not on a 40 man he'll not be there. Make sure your guy is on the 40-man roster.

rotodog · #144 Post by **rotodog** » March 31st, 2010, 7:48 pm

Sergio wrote:
rotodog wrote:Well, i can tell you that everyone is posting the issues with it and they seem to be working it out...

It is lacking as of today.. Searching for a pitcher is a freaking nightmare....I still havent found him....

I hope it gets worked out with search functions and sorting capabilities...otherwise it will be a struggle all year...

I would post it in the NFBC Faab ISsue thread...if you didnt already.
Thanks, will keep an eye out to see if others are having the same issues.
Searching for pitchers is a bit difficult, I found by sorting by MLB team made it easier. Also like Washburn not on a 40 man he'll not be there. Make sure your guy is on the 40-man roster.

Actually, I didnt know you can sort by team..I swear none of those sorts worked earlier when clicked.. But after you sort once by team and hit a button, the sort no longer works again until you leave and reopen it. And the P i was looking at is in Seattle..So I didnt yet have the patience to keep hitting the next button until I went thru 12 pages of slow loads to get to the end with the S's...

I will wait until Saturday and hope they make it much more functional..

AllstonRockCity · March 31st, 2010, 10:12 pm

mbendar wrote:ARC,
The team page does look the same, so you need to hit SELECT to get to the right screen. From that point, there are drop down menus to everything you would want, including changing your lineup.

All,
As a helpful hint, it likely will be necessary to change your lineup, as my team had no issues in total, but Ryan Howard and other starters were on my bench. I did not feel generous to leave them there

Mark
Strike Force

I did hit select, and the page looked exactly the same as it had for 2 weeks. But, yes, the links at the top work now, and that is the key. All is well. thanks.

Good thing too, cuz Gary never wrote back to me.

UK BlueCat · #146 Post by **UK BlueCat** » April 1st, 2010, 7:40 am

Here's a quick question on FAAB, will we be able to see how much $ our opponents have left each week on the site or will we need to track that ourselves? I noticed on Ryan's faab worksheet (thanks for that by the way) he had a place to keep track of everyone's $. I did my own worksheet a couple days ago and didn't add that to it and was wondering if that was something I needed to add.

deansdaddy · #147 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 1st, 2010, 10:25 am

The site should update owners FAAb every week - in the past you could find it by accessing the owner's list. However it is a slightly different setup this year - so I have no idea if they are going to include this. I kept track of opponents FAAB becasue as the year progresses it can help you determine some bids. It helps more in the second half as everyone's budget tightens of course - but still it's nice to get a snapshot of how much people have left. Again - the hard copy for me is just something I like to have during the week to make notes and jot down names of interest.

viper · #148 Post by **viper** » April 1st, 2010, 1:05 pm

as Ryan said - it did in year's past. Now there is a new site. I guess we will all know Sunday evening or Monday morning but it seems that all, or almost all, the prior functionality has been retained.

roman2980 · #149 Post by **roman2980** » April 1st, 2010, 4:45 pm

So I know I"m not in this league, but I've been reading the posts every day. This is my 2nd year doing a $125 Satellite and I've never done a live draft. I was just hoping some of you would give me some advice with my team. I know I'm a little short on SP and could use another "true" closer. Thoughts?

From 14th overall:

C: Kurt Suzuki (9)
C: Geovany Soto (11)
1B: Miguel Cabrera (1)
2B: Robinson Cano (4)
SS: Jimmy Rollins (2)
3B: David Freese (24)
MI: Jose Reyes (3) (44th overall, had to take him)
CI: Adam LaRoche (10)
UTIL: Vladimir Guerrero (12)
OF: Andre Ethier (6)
OF: Vernon Wells (14)
OF: Drew Stubbs (15)
OF: Conor Jackson (17)
OF: Milton Bradley (19)

Res: Brett Gardner (21), Jake Fox (26), Juan Uribe (27), Ryan Raburn (29), Randy Ruiz (30)

SP: Cole Hamels (5)
SP: Wandy Rodriguez (7)
SP: Gavin Floyd (13)
SP: Scott Kazmir (16)
SP: Kevin Correia (20)
SP: Paul Maholm (25)
RP: Andrew Bailey (8)
RP: Franklin Morales (18)
RP: Brandon Lyon (23)

Res: Erik Bedard (22), Kevin Gregg (28)

deansdaddy · #150 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 1st, 2010, 6:07 pm

Welcolme- even if you aren't in the league you are encouraged to post and join in when you want. You can even start your own thread if needed for a specific question. I'm out working now - but I'll take a closer look when I get a chance. At first glance you are going to need some SP depth. Again - I'll check back in later - but keep posting.

roman2980 · #151 Post by **roman2980** » April 1st, 2010, 9:36 pm

Thanks, Ryan. I'll look forward to your comments. I'm trying to better myself each year and hopefully work up to the main event.

P.S. I sent you an email last week to pick your brain and then found this forum. Big help.

viper · #152 Post by **viper** » April 2nd, 2010, 7:08 am

I was just reading a thread on the NFBC board. There was discussion on problems one person had in making conditional bid. It would be advisable to read that thread [title makes it obvious] and then you should go make a conditional bid as practice. Definitely read the thread as it explains the problems this player was having. You can remove it later. I have not tried yet but will later today. I have my second AL-only auction starting at 10am.

AllstonRockCity · April 2nd, 2010, 9:49 am

Sergio wrote:I got a FAAB issue guys,
I went in today and created two claim/bid lists and logged out. Went back in a bit later and bid list 1 changed to bid list 2, and vice-versa. changed it back like I wanted it went to another site then came back and they were switched AGAIN!!!
Thanks for any advise.

I'm having the same problem and I'm using Firefox. I sure hope they fix this by sunday.

deansdaddy · #154 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 2nd, 2010, 11:02 am

Yeah - Mike right in saying that everyone should get over there and tinker with the system before Sunday. It was pretty easy to use I thought - but if you forget to save stuff before navigating away - you lose stuff. If you catch stuff you should email Geoff or post it in the appropriate thread.

bjoak · #155 Post by **bjoak** » April 2nd, 2010, 11:11 pm

Okay fellas, I'm starting to catch up. You know, for being a big numbers guy, I go more for feel on faab and that's worked well for me. I certainly don't keep records like Ryan does.

Here is my process, though. I read Childs somewhere and this is pretty similar to that and even Ryan's worksheet but I'll share anyway and then give some random thoughts.

1. Assess needs on my team.
A. Where do I absolutely need an upgrade (i.e. injuries)?
B. Where can I use an upgrade (i.e. poor performance)?
C. Which stats am I falling short in?

2. Assess weaknesses on my team.
A. Who can I drop with no negative effect on my team?
B. Who can I drop, albeit someone I'd rather keep?
C. Who can I drop if I absolutely have to, either because I have no choice or because I like a free agent *that* much.

3. Find Replacements.
A. Identify replacements at positions I absolutely have to fill.
B. Identify potential sources of stats I am short on.

4. Find good players
A. Search all starting pitchers (by games started).
a. Look at walks and strikeouts to see who has been throwing the ball well.
b. Look at team and recent/minor league record of those I identified in step a.
B. Search relief pitchers by saves. See if anyone has hope as a potential closer.
C. Search all hitters (by at bats).
a. Look at homers.
b. Look at steals.
c. Look for high batting average supported by a good strikeout rate.

5. Compile all the info to make bids.

More tips in next post.

bjoak · #156 Post by **bjoak** » April 2nd, 2010, 11:38 pm

More tips:

*Read something like Mastersball to see which players came up, have potential, etc. Keep in mind that everyone else is reading this too so the more a player is hyped by the big boys, the more he'll cost and vice versa.

*Don't take the analysis too seriously. Anyone can ride a hot streak for a while. So that when Juan Uribe hits the shi* out of the ball for the first two weeks of September and everyone says he'll regress, it is worth throwing a buck down to see if you can catch lightning in a bottle.

*Don't get too wrapped up thinking you have to get a guy. Every single week, there could be someone you'll get wrapped up thinking could be the savior for your team. If you overbid on all of them, you'll end up with no money in July.

*Don't spend all your money on one guy. Ryan Braun happened about 3 years ago. Since then there have been 10,000 $500 dollar bets on guys who have fallen short of expectations.

*You are better off hedging your bets. Last year, maybe in June, I found both Brett Anderson and Brett Cecil as free agents in my league. I loved both and spent $175 (a lot for me) on the two, thinking it was a good bet one would work out. Anderson was a huge help. Cecil, not so much. Way better idea than throwing down $500 on the hyped guy of the week.

*Throw it against the wall and see what sticks. I am very active. Anyone useless will be dropped for someone with more potential. I genuinely believe the reason I've had success in faab is because of the sheer number of guys I've given a tryout.

*Save money for September. Everyone else (unless they take this as gospel) is going to figure an April free agent helps you way more and spend the most money early. True for those few who work out long term, but when you are the only one with $100 in September, you can pluck every good free agent off the pile in any category you need. I gain points this way every September.

I'll post more if I think of 'em!

August West · #157 Post by **August West** » April 3rd, 2010, 6:14 am

I just played around with the FAAB process using Safari on a Macbook. I didn't have any problems picking players, saving and deleting my list. There could be more sorting features, otherwise pretty straight forward and pretty easy to figure out.

viper · #158 Post by **viper** » April 3rd, 2010, 7:25 am

A solid series of steps were given by Brian. It's pretty much the same series I use.

I would also include the following starting in week two of FAAB. Definitely check to see who were dropped in the prior week. At some point, you will begin to see reasonable players who are injured and will miss a month or two. Benches are seven deep but DL'ed players and players you were holding until they were called up eventually force moves you did not want to make.

deansdaddy · #159 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 3rd, 2010, 11:10 am

Good stuff again from Brain - I actually wrote an article on FAAB for MB - but it hasn't been posted yet. I closed it with 10 tips for the season which I am going to post here. Nothing ground-breaking here - just some stuff to keep in mind for the 26 week marathon. The nice thing is I think this list builds on the practical advice out above. As for the sheet - again this is something I used to help me manage multiple FAAB leagues on Sunday - but I think it actually fits in very nicely with what Brain talked about above. Here's the 10 observations on FAAB.

1. Keep in mind other team’s needs when bidding. This seems pretty basic, but I always see guys bid against themselves and overpay for mediocre players. If you need a replacement catcher don’t go overboard when you will likely only be competing with a couple other owners for his services. The exception to this is with saves and steals. These stats are always highly sought and always overpriced. There will always be someone willing to pay for them and often it will be the guy who doesn’t need them. When it comes to speed and saves always assume that you are not alone in chasing these commodities.

2. Keep track of other owners FAAB budgets. Most league services will provide this info for you, but make sure you check it out before bidding. If you have an idea who you are going up against for a certain player, this can help you decide how high to go. This can be especially important late in the year as money dwindles. Say you are chasing down a money spot and the guy in front of you needs a certain player. He only has $20 left in his budget and you have $100. A bid of $21 will make sure a difference maker stays off his roster at the very least.

3. Trust your hunches and speculate with $1 bids. I mentioned this above, but it bears repeating. If you have a feeling about a guy who is available and you have a reserve spot to play with. Drop a $1 or $2 bid on him sooner than later. If he doesn’t pan out then just throw him back for your next experiment. One of the best times to implement this strategy comes right before the trade deadline. I always try to read the landscape and grab a guy or two who may or may not come into a chunk of playing time at the deadline.

4. Be wary of buying high priced rookies. In the NFBC there are no $0 bids. Once you are out of money, you are out of moves. Sure it can be nice to land the next big thing, but you will always end up paying more than they are are usually worth. If you are going to go after young players try to do it via speculation. Once the guy you had a hunch on isn’t a secret anymore, the value of that player in relation to FAAB quickly dries up. If you do want to try and make a splash of a signing – then realize that you likely will only get one or two of them a year.

5. Keep some money in reserve for September. This can be the difference between winning and losing often. Nothing worse than getting to Week 26, needing to replace multiple players and having nothing in the bank. I would suggest having no less than $10-20 left for the final two weeks of the season.

6. If you are out of the running, still spend your FAAB. This for me is all about being a good player. It can be especially frustrating in an overall competition like the NFBC to hear about owners leaving big piles of unspent FAAB on the table at the end of the season. You can’t win every year, but you can always help make your individual league worth winning. Never give up and never stop bidding on players. It keeps everyone honest and your fellow owners will respect that you stayed active until the bitter end. You paid the entry fee so you owe it to yourself to get your money’s worth. Every week you participate in the FAAB process will help make you more efficient and effective at it.

7. Vary your bidding habits. Don’t be predictable and keep them guessing. If your league engages in some friendly trash talk, don’t be afraid to bluff from time to time. Always assume that someone is tracking how you bid so they can exploit it down the road. If you keep spending $2 on 2 start pitching every week, eventually someone will start jumping the guys you want by going to $3.

8. Set a weekly budget for yourself. If you find that the Big Spender in you wants to take over then set up a budget for yourself for the season. This will help you meet the goal of having money available to you in the final weeks. You can work backwards from the last week or month of the season and try to stay within the boundaries to make sure you don’t come up short in crunch time.

9. Conditional bids are your friends. Don’t be afraid to back up your primary targets with conditional bids if necessary. If you absolutely need to come out of the FAAB period with a P, the conditional bid process can usually guarantee that you will come away will someone. I often will target a specific SP, and then back him up with as many as 10 other names that are more speculative. The worst thing you can do it come away empty handed when you need a body to plug in your lineup.

10. Enjoy the process. FAAB is fun if you let it be. Don’t let it get to you. After the dust settles relish your victories and be good natured about your defeats. Feel free to rub some salt in the wounds of others, but don’t be a jerk. FAAB can really add some life to leagues, but the fun will evaporate if people get to amped up over it. As the season goes along you will begin to get into the flow of FAAB. Good luck and happy bidding!

mbendar · #160 Post by **mbendar** » April 3rd, 2010, 11:57 am

The FAAB, at least so far, seems too easy to be true, so want to make sure I'm using it right.

Put in 2 bids this week and they are set up as Bid #1 and Bid #2

If I get Bid #1, I am assuming I can still get Bid #2 as well since I'm dropping different players. Please provide some assurance my assumptions are true.

Thanks,
Mark
Strike Force

deansdaddy · #161 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 3rd, 2010, 12:48 pm

Yes - you are right Marc. Actually the system will not let drop the same player in multiple bids. You can do as many conventialnal bids as you want using that player to do - but only one bid list.

viper · #162 Post by **viper** » April 3rd, 2010, 1:08 pm

mbendar wrote:The FAAB, at least so far, seems too easy to be true, so want to make sure I'm using it right.

Put in 2 bids this week and they are set up as Bid #1 and Bid #2

If I get Bid #1, I am assuming I can still get Bid #2 as well since I'm dropping different players. Please provide some assurance my assumptions are true.

Thanks,
Mark
Strike Force

equally likely is not getting bid #1 but getting bid #2.

viper · #163 Post by **viper** » April 3rd, 2010, 2:18 pm

Just in case anyone wondered, this is from the NFBC forum this afternoon. Some people want to have conditional bids that are higher then the main bid. This isn't the way things works. Greg explains what happens. Apparently you can put in bids that way but beware that the FAAB process may not be what you want.

Just a heads up that the software does allow you to save a Conditional Bid at a higher dollar amount than your primary bid for a particular free agent. But the rules clearly state that bids will be processed by the highest dollar amount to lowest dollar amount. In fact, we will design the setup so that once you save your bids you will see the order of priority for your bids saves highest dollar amount to lowest dollar amount. So even if you save it with your Conditional Bid higher than your primary bid, the system will reverse the order and show you how it will be processed.

That may already be done, I'm not sure, but if not it will be processed that way and soon the system will show it this way when you save a bid.

I hope this helps you for tomorrow. Good luck all.

--------------------
Greg Ambrosius
Founder, National Fantasy Baseball Championship

Kelly_Leak · #164 Post by **Kelly_Leak** » April 4th, 2010, 8:37 am

I've searched and searched for an answer to this question on the NFBC message board, but can't seem to find it. Maybe I am blind, but...

What time are FAAB bids processed?

viper · #165 Post by **viper** » April 4th, 2010, 9:02 am

8pm EST.

In theory you can place bids up until then BUT I would suggest you have them all in by 7:30. I would alos suggest a quick peek at your bids an 7:50 would be wise just in case. Thi sis a new site and it is better to be safe than sorry.

viper · #166 Post by **viper** » April 4th, 2010, 9:06 am

Also, the FAAB list is supposed to be frozen at 7am Sunday. The time has passed. This means you don't have to check several times on Sunday to see if a last minute FA has been called up. This was a major bone on contention until this rules was put in place. There always seemed to be a 6:30pm callup that many didn't find out about in time.

I admit, I always check the NFBC board several times today to see what people post relative to injuries and players in general. This year special attention is being made to issues and problems.

August West · #167 Post by **August West** » April 4th, 2010, 9:42 am

And just a heads up to remember to select the player you want to drop. This morning I was so obsessed with picking the right players and not over/under bidding that I neglect to pick the player I wanted to drop. The system defaulted to Pujols. Needless to say, I would have looked pretty foolish if I didn't pick that up later. Other FAAB/FA software I have used has that field blank as default.

viper · #168 Post by **viper** » April 4th, 2010, 10:03 am

If that happens, an email to Greg will let you correct the obvious error. In fact, you will probably get an email from Greg asking if you are still sane - assuming that was true in the first place. j/k

In my case, he will ask if I had a senior moment.

This has actually happened in the past. Maybe not Pujols but for other 'never to be dropped" players.

August West · #169 Post by **August West** » April 4th, 2010, 5:41 pm

When are the FAAB results usually posted?

#170 Post by **Todd Zola** » April 4th, 2010, 6:20 pm

remember it is a new system so there is no way of telling, but with STATS in the past, 20 minutes after deadline

NickPass · #171 Post by **NickPass** » April 4th, 2010, 8:19 pm

An hour and 20 minutes.....still nothing.

Happy Easter everyone!!

deansdaddy · #172 Post by **deansdaddy** » April 4th, 2010, 8:23 pm

Yeah - it's taking awhile tonight - cross your fingers.

viper · #173 Post by **viper** » April 4th, 2010, 8:38 pm

greg just responded to a post in the NFBC forum. Essentially he said they want to make sure it is correct and that it will be out tonight.

NickPass · #174 Post by **NickPass** » April 4th, 2010, 9:08 pm

I am going to sleep. I'll check in the morning (assuming its done by then!!)

deansdaddy · #175 Post by **deansdaddy** » March 14th, 2011, 12:44 pm

Hey guys - I am going to be moving some of the NFBC strategy discussions from lasts years Rookie league here for future reference.