Fanatsy Football!

[Omniscient]

How many of the TM are Fantasy Football buffs? Do you guys have a favorite Fantasy Football league? I have in the past always used the free leagues on Yahoo and others like it, and before I had a few that weren't online. The free ones typically suck because in a 10 team league there are maybe 2 teams who every check it after the pick the team. Thats no fun. What about you guys, do you have a league that is better than the rest? One thing that might be really cool is to get a SDMB league set up within one of the services, think of all the great trash talk we could add to our debates!!

[jayron 32]

This probably belongs in MPSIMS, but here's my response anyways.

I am currently involved in no less than 3 fantasy football leagues on 3 seperate "free" systems; Sandbox.com, Yahoo.com, and Fanball.com. They are ALL with groups of people whom I am familiar with, and so there is little problems you describe. My solution to you is to get 10 friends together before forming your FF league. All of the three systems I am on have distinct advantages and disadvantages. Yahoo and Sandbox are my favorites for customizability and their use of defensive stats, but Fanball has its charm too, especially in the power it grants commissioners and the sort of "free reign" leagues have to operate within the system. The drafting at Fanball is exactly like real-world drafting, and they even have "keeper" leagues to keep you teams going from year to year. Sandbox has a "pay" keeper league and a free non-keeper league. Yahoo only offers a non-keeper format, but its abilities of statistical managment allow degrees of freedom FAR beyond other leagues.

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Jason R Remy

"No amount of legislation can solve America's problems."
-- Jimmy Carter (1980)

[Satan]

I used Sandlot last year and enjoyed it. Wanted to do it again, but I was with people who wanted to do a live draft and so i signed up for Yahoo! which seems like it should be cool. I'll let you know later!

People bail out of pay leagues too... Your best bet is to make it a private league and do it with friends who you can beat up if they get flaky...

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Brian O'Neill
CMC International Records
rockuniverse.com/cmc/cmc.html (http://rockuniverse.com/cmc/cmc.html)

ICQ 35294890
AIM Scrabble1
Yahoo Messenger Brian_ONeill

[Omniscient]

I always try to get my friends in on it, but none of them follow sports like I do.

[VileOrb]

Why don't you start a SD fantasy league division on yahoo and distribute the password and specifics here? I'd be interested.

[Omniscient]

Maybe I'll give it a shot, I've never done the commissioner deal before.

[Nickrz]

Before you gentlemen get carried away, please allow me the opportunity to run this thread past my higher-ups.

I'm not sure exactly what it is you are contemplating using the SDMB for, so if you could give us a somewhat more detailed explanation of what this "SDMB league" entails, that would be helpful. Thanks!
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Nickrz
GQ Mod for The Straight Dope

[Omniscient]

It doesn't relate at all to the SDMB other than the fact it is the medium through which the players have become acquainted. It would merely be a unaffiliated league of players selecting a online service to allow them to choose a teams. The leagues can be restricted to only allow people who you are familiar or friends with, and not allow any strangers in. Considering many of the TM have become acquainted with each other and their personalities it may be nice for us to do this together. Short of me teasing VileOrb about me kicking his ass in this weeks stats at the end of a discussion about the use of merkins in a relevant thread, you wouldn't know it was here.

[VileOrb]

Maybe the best thing would be for those who are interested to so indicate and make their email available. I have already. Then, any other, possibly inappropriate, technical specifics can be dealt with outside the message boards. The general question (BTW I love the GQ sig Nickrz.) would be, "How do you feel about fantasy football in general and in joining a league of SDMB friends specifically?"

I frequently make the following recommendation to people who don't understand sports fans. "Pretend you care who wins and watch a game of the sport you are most familiar with. Pick a team and make a bet with yourself. Find some way to make yourself feel what it means to care who wins. Then you can feel the thrill of winning or the despair of losing. Pride, shame, many kinds of powerful emotions can be invoked without actually risking much personally." I get about a 50/50 positive response. About 50% don't want to or can't make themselves care. Anyone who can pick a team and root for them has come back to me saying that they have gained some comprehension of the joys of sports fandom. Some have become fans.

As far as different leagues goes, I'm in favor of free. I don't mind betting but would rather avoid fees. Yahoo! is my preference because of convenience and familiarity.

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If men had wings,
and bore black feathers,
few of them would be clever enough to be crows.

- Rev. Henry Ward Beecher

[Satan]

Oh Nick... You're being anal again...

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Brian O'Neill
CMC International Records
rockuniverse.com/cmc/cmc.html (http://rockuniverse.com/cmc/cmc.html)

ICQ 35294890
AIM Scrabble1
Yahoo Messenger Brian_ONeill

[Nickrz]

K, doods, all is well.
Thanks for the explanations and your patience. Hope you don't mind being scooted over to MPSIMS.
Have Fun!
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Nickrz
GQ Mod

[NicePete]

Count me in.

[Drain Bead]

Sure, why not? I already have a team on Small World, but I can have more than one.

[Satan]

I'm already in a league, but hell, if you need me, put me in, coach...

[Omniscient]

Well Guys, I'm gonna do it. I'll be setting up a Private league on Yahoo. I'll hook everyone up with details as soon as I decide what format I want to use. Any suggestions are welcome. I hope to have everything set up by Monday. Some of the questions I am pondering is whether to use a points system or a head-to-head system. And to use a short lineup 1 QB, 2 RB, and 3 WR, 1 TE and team defenses, or a long one with 2 QB, 3-4 RB 4 WR, 1 TE and individual defensive players. Finally the method of draft is something to be worked out and it'll depend on the groups schedule, Ideally I'd like to do a live draft.

I'm leaning towards setting up two mirror leagues one using the point system, and one using a head to head system with playoffs. We'd draft for one and I'd submit the identical team for the other.

[VileOrb]

Live draft is much preferred if possible.
The mirror league sounds like a great idea, does Yahoo! offer that? I prefer head to head over the points system but it's not a strong preference. Being able to compare them closely with a mirror league sound great.

I vote for the longer roster.

My schedule is pretty flexible but I would prefer an evening during the week for the draft. Could we shoot for this thursday, September 2, or is that to soon?

[Omniscient]

OK Guys I set up one yahoo league, in the future I'm gonna set up the mirror league, but i'll wait until i've got some of you guys registered. Here's the link to the league homepage, I'm not sure if it'll let you register from here or not http://fantasyfootball.yahoo.com/football/show?page=leaguehome&lid=62402

This is the link to the fanatsy football homepage, and is where you may need to go to sign up. http://fantasyfootball.yahoo.com/football/

The name of the league is the Teeming Ten, the password is Cecil. You can get all the specifics there, my email is listed and I'll check it frequently until things get set up. I'm using carpe-diem76@yahoo.com as the commisioner e-mail address. Any questions or problem can email me, or if you'd perfer post here.

I am shooting for a minimum of 10 managers, the maximum is set at 15, but i can raise that if need be. I used the long lineup, but am using team defences not individual. The draft would be too long IMHO, but I can still change that no problem. There is going to be a live draft, the time is available on the league page. If you can't be there, or don't feel like it, you can select a preference and rank players, and get your team that way. The draft day and time is Sep 9, 1:20 PM PT.

If I left anything out let me know.

[Omniscient]

That e-mail should be carpe_diem76@yahoo.com

[Omniscient]

One more thing, the ID# is 62402 Not sure if they want that or the league name. Even if you plan on doing the live draft, prerank your players anyways just to be safe. Get in ASAP

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The facts expressed here belong to everybody, the opinions to me. The distinction is
yours to draw...

Omniscient; BAG

[VileOrb]

How many people do we need? 8? I think we have five takers so far. Frank, Drain, Satan, Omnis, and Vile. Should I invite some non-SD-ers? Then we could report back to the TM on the results of SD vs. non-SD.

[Falcon]

If we need another person, I'm up for it. Already in a league for my office anyway.... (draft's in a week! ACK!)

[VileOrb]

Thanks for doing this Omniscient. I hope we get 10-15 people.

I would like to clarify a point for those who may be hesitant to join us - you can set up a list of rankings and have the system make your picks for you. This means that, though we'd like to have you there for the live draft, you don't have to commit to that.

BTW, don't you hate it when you misspell the topic? Can moderators edit that easily? And how can we bribe them to do it? Remind me to stay on good terms with them so they don't start inserting embarrassing gaffs into my posts. I think that, so far, I have succeeded in not attracting their notice, but I'm snotass uming that will continue. :)

[Omniscient]

OK guys I'm calling in all the people who said they join if we needed em. Well we need ya. Come on the more the merrier.

[PTVroman]

Unfortunately, my wife doesn't understand fantasy football, and would give me mucho mucho grief for an on-line draft. I can play, but would have to have the system draft for me.

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"The large print givith, and the small print taketh away."
Tom Waites, "Step Right Up"

[Omniscient]

Did you hear that whip crack?

[PTVroman]

yes, dear.

[Omniscient]

Just wanted to reply and send this back to the top of the list.

[RTA]

I'll do it.

[Satan]

The Hell Dwellers are ready to take your souls!!!