Meatloaf!

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Edwards Kings
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Meatloaf!

Post by Edwards Kings » Fri Jan 21, 2022 5:28 am

I remember those early years in the NFBC where Meatloaf gave the events, contests, and the entire act of being a fantasy baseball buff....well, Meatloaf gave us some of his panache! A rock legend...we are less without him!

"Marvin Lee Aday, better known as Meat Loaf, has died at the age of 74, a representative for the musician confirmed to Fox News.

A rep said on his Facebook page: "Our hearts are broken to announce that the incomparable Meat Loaf passed away tonight with his wife Deborah by his side. Daughters Pearl and Amanda and close friends have been with him throughout the last 24 hours."

The singer’s career spanned six decades and he was in dozens of movies, including "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," "Fight Club" and "Wayne's World." "
Baseball is a slow, boring, complex, cerebral game that doesn't lend itself to histrionics. You 'take in' a baseball game, something odd to say about a football or basketball game, with the clock running and the bodies flying.
Charles Krauthammer

BATS
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by BATS » Fri Jan 21, 2022 7:42 am

A fond memory of him. Years ago he appeared on a local f.m. morning radio show. They wanted to talk music. He wanted to talk about his fantasy draft picks. So cool. Also, he played at Planet Hollywood the night of a main event back in '14 or '15. I started the day with a draft and ended it with a concert. A good time.

DOUGHBOYS
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:39 am

Loved the music, personality, and just the fact that he was a regular guy.
We were talking in Vegas after a Main Event draft. He showed me his roster and said, "My team is so good, I don't know who I'll bench!"
Then asked, "Who would you start the first week?"
As I replied, a handler of his told Meat that there was a problem.
Meat turned to him and said, "One problem at a time, man, I'm trying to get this lineup right!"
He knew his priorities! :lol:
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

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Greg Ambrosius
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:04 am

RIP Meat. What a great, great dude who just loved the sport of baseball and the camaraderie of live high-stakes events.

I first interviewed Meat in 1993 for Fantasy Baseball Magazine because he was a big player on Prodigy's Baseball Manager. The game manager at Prodigy hooked me up with Meat for a phone interview and all he wanted to talk about was baseball. Not "Bat Out Of Hell" or anything musically. He wanted to talk baseball and he wanted to brag that he was in 10 Baseball Manager leagues in 1992 and he won five league titles. It was a fantastic conversation where he spoke most of the way!!!

I then met him in 2004 at our debut NFBC Main Event at the Rio in Las Vegas. What a lot of people don't know is that he actually did a doubleheader that day, doing the Main Event with us and then going to the WCOFB Main Event after that. Here's the story.

I wanted to partner with Lenny and Emil for the World Championship of Fantasy Baseball after seeing their live WCOFF event in September of 2022. That's where I knew that I could create a high-stakes fantasy baseball game and host it in Las Vegas. They didn't know much about fantasy baseball and were interested, so I wrote the rules after attending the AFL Symposium in late October and presented them with a plan. But we never were able to reach an agreement for a number of reasons and so in 2003 they took my rules and ran their own contest. I wasn't happy, but I said I'd just do my own thing then.

They got 45 teams in 2003 and Meatloaf was part of one of them. He was part of the Leaderboard Sports group on ESPN that included Dave Cushard and they were planning on competing again in Las Vegas in 2004. But Dave contacted me in December and he said their guys were interested in our event, too. We hit it off and soon the Leaderboard Sports guys were ready to sign up for our Main Event as well, but both contests were scheduled at the same time.

I called Lenny and Emil and said let's work this out so people can do both events. I would host on Saturday morning and I'd even provide transportation for Meatloaf and others to go over to MGM Grand and compete in WCOFB if they wanted. Meatloaf agreed, the Leaderboard Sports guys agreed and we were all set. We finished with 195 teams in that debut season, WCOFB had 45 teams again and the rest is history.

Meat competed in the $1250 NL Auction League with Ken Bayes that first year and they had a blast at that auction. I can still see them in like the 11th or 12th spot and either Ken or Meat had a jug of soda and their own cooler of drinks and snacks. The next day Meat was in Las Vegas League 1 of the NFBC Main Event as we had 6 live Mains at that venue. I know he sat next to Nate Ravitz and I believe Rick Thomas and he was smack talking with everyone and just having a blast. Nobody bothered him and you could tell he had fun. Then he was off to the next Main Event.

In 2005 at the Rio, he came to the Friday morning $1250 NL Auction League with I swear a 100-foot extension cord. Now we didn't allow people to use power at the live events, but he was already hooked up and on his laptop when I saw him. I asked everyone in the league if it was okay and they said yes, with some of the guys even sharing his power. Again, he had a blast and he competed the next day in the NFBC Main Event.

On Sunday, we hosted our first NFBC Ultimate Auction League. Meat was in that one with Ken Bayes and again he just had a blast. At one of the breaks, he asked me if he could invest in the NFBC because he thought it was so great. I told him that my company actually owned it and that it probably wasn't likely. At the end of the auction, I decided to bring a baseball to him and ask for his autograph just because I wanted to remember the weekend of having so much fun with a celebrity. I didn't want to impinge on his celebrity, but I could tell how relaxed he was around everyone and I didn't think he would mind. He happily grabbed the baseball and wrote "Greg, Give Me %. Meat" I cherish that baseball. As he was walking out of the ballroom, he said "Greg, do you have any more auctions this weekend?" I said, no, sorry. He said, "damn, I would love to do another one. These are so much fun."

I saw him one more time at the 2005 NFFC live events in Las Vegas and he drafted one Classic team. He actually won that 14-team league title. For some reason, ESPN Classic had him on each week for a segment and during one of those segments he held up a yellow sign that said "Las Vegas 4 Classic Champion", referring to the league he was in and won!!!

He had some financial problems at the time and he told us he was making "Bat Out Of Hell III" and would likely be on tour in 2006. That world tour never ended and he never came back to the live events or to the high-stakes games. I reached out to him via email multiple times, but never hooked up with him. I know Dave Cushard went to one of his shows and went back stage to talk with him and he was doing great. He just was too busy to do high-stakes at the time. Life happens sometimes.

I always wanted to hook up with him again because I knew how much fun he had with our games and at the live events. Everyone treated him great at the live events and he loved it. For him, the hardest part was walking through the Rio lobby because the Convention Center was a long ways away and physically it hurt him and then everyone recognized him and bothered him. But inside the draft room was his happy spot.

RIP big guy. You were one of a kind and I'm glad many of us got a chance to witness your greatness and your friendship. Say hi to Phil Rizzuto for all of us.
Greg Ambrosius
Founder, National Fantasy Baseball Championship
General Manager, Consumer Fantasy Games at SportsHub Technologies
Twitter - @GregAmbrosius

cfolson
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by cfolson » Fri Jan 21, 2022 3:23 pm

Very sad to see Meat pass. We competed a lot back in the day on ESPN and shared some high stakes teams. He truly was a nice guy.

Meat and me drafting together in the WCOFB in 2004 (we finished 3rd in the league):
Image

Meat and me auctioning against each other in the NFBC in 2005:
Image

At his concert in 2010:
Image

Clark

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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by Frozen Tundra » Fri Jan 21, 2022 3:37 pm

Great remembrance, Greg. I always enjoy the historical pieces on our little game. Coincidentally, a few years ago I joined a home league where Cushard was an owner!
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions"
-Albert Einstein

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Ando
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by Ando » Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:01 pm

Nice pics, Clark.

I also competed in the WCOFB in '04. Finished 3rd in my league as well. I believe there were only 3 leagues.

Remember I took a leap of faith on Carlos Beltran and he went bonkers.
"Luck is the residue of design."

-Branch Rickey

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Greg Ambrosius
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by Greg Ambrosius » Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:04 am

Great pictures Clark. Meat looks so intense and so happy at the live events. Post more pics if you have them.
Greg Ambrosius
Founder, National Fantasy Baseball Championship
General Manager, Consumer Fantasy Games at SportsHub Technologies
Twitter - @GregAmbrosius

Thurman15
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Re: Meatloaf!

Post by Thurman15 » Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:36 am

I wish I could have met Meat in person, but I did see him in concert and have loved his music and his passion since I learned about him after releasing Bat out of Hell. In a way Bat out of Hell was the way he lived. He did everything hard and passionately. Even on The Apprentice, he wanted to win. I don't know of a man who combined musical talent, Broadway, and love of Baseball like Meat Loaf. And as many have pointed out, he loved to be a regular man. Gosh I will miss him. Proud that he was in the NFBC, love his music and respect Meat Loaf so much. RIP Big Guy. By the time some of us get upstairs to join you, we trust you will have Fantasy Baseball all set up.
Rogers Hornsby, Hall of Famer with the Cardinals was once asked " You love Baseball Rogers, but what do you do in the winter ? " His response......"I stare out the window and wait for spring "

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