LABR TEAMS for 2009 ?

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:44 am

NL

Tristan Cockcroft ESPN

Steve Gardner USA TODAY

Dalton Del Don Rotowire

Clay Davenport Baseball Prospectus

Steve Moyer Baseball Info Solutions

Bob Radomski Sandlot Shrink

**Greg Ambrosius/John Zaleski NFBC

Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton Rotoworld

Brandon Funston Yahoo

Ron Shandler Baseball HQ (two spots left in the NFBC NL Auction for money) ????

Nate Ravitz ESPN

Derek Carty Hardball Times

Toby Mergler mlb.com

AL

Mike Sheets RotoTimes

Steve Gardner USA TODAY

Jason Grey ESPN

Doug Dennis Baseball HQ

Rick Wolf/Glenn Colton Rotoworld

Brandon Funston Yahoo

Chris Liss Rotowire

**Greg Ambrosius/John Zaleski NFBC

Christopher Harris ESPN

Larry Schechter Sandlot Shrink

Lawr Michaels Creativesports.com

Todd Zola Mastersball.com

[ January 22, 2009, 03:46 PM: Message edited by: Walla Walla ]

Purple Helmets · Post by **Purple Helmets** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:56 am

Are these drafts taking place in NY and if so, what's the date? Are they open to the public to view?

751542 · Post by **751542** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:58 am

WHEN IS GREG GONNA FIGURE OUT HE IS CARRYING DEAD WEIGHT WITH ZALESKI??? SORRY ABOUT CAPS...THIS IS MY KOTRAX IMMITATION, ACTUALLY TO LAZR TO HIT CAPS LOCk

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:03 am

Originally posted by Purple Helmets:

Are these drafts taking place in NY and if so, what's the date? Are they open to the public to view? I wish they were open to the public. I've volunteered to host these as live drafts for years, but unfortunately we can't get it done. Back in 1996-98 we held them open to the public in Florida and even tried to create an event with seminars and discussions with Ron Shandler, myself, John Hunt and other LABR owners. It didn't go over great, but the concept was cool.

Instead, this is a private two-day affair in Phoenix March 7-8. Results will be in USA Today Baseball Weekly two weeks later. RT, come join us in the Valley of the Sun and we'll cut you into our franchise!!

The more the merrier.

It's time for a title baby. We need balance, balance, balance this year and production from all spots. We'll get it done.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:05 am

Man, I need to get this spacing of type fixed. Hold tight. Time to make another request. I've been busy drafting in an NL-only mock draft this afternoon and my head is already spinning with the likes of Logan Kensing and the likes.

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:17 am

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

WHEN IS GREG GONNA FIGURE OUT HE IS CARRYING DEAD WEIGHT WITH ZALESKI??? SORRY ABOUT CAPS...THIS IS MY KOTRAX IMMITATION, ACTUALLY TO LAZR TO HIT CAPS LOCk 2/4 cashes last year. Just missed 3.

I think you were 0 for 52.

We've come close a few times. Have a good feeling about this year. Just a few minor tweaks are needed. Had we picked Pierre instead of Willingham, we'd have been right there in NL. We lost Byrnes and had a chance until we lost C.Lee/Phillips at the end

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:49 am

FYI, Captain Hook has replaced Toby Mergler mlb.com

in the NL.

751542 · Post by **751542** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 11:53 am

zaleski

how did you find time to respond??? shouldnt you be mock drafting for the next 57 days and the previous 60??? the positive about being 0-42 last year, in all reality i made 2 side bets that won 10 percent of my entry fees back, is that it was a humbling experience and i will be back with a VENGENCE!!! better hope you dont end up in my baseball league, remember i do football just to kill time til baseball...scary isnt it!!! you better get back to wasting your time!!!! see ya in a a couple of months?? right?? i hope so, i have been craving surf n turf with a bottle of chianti!!!

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:20 pm

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

zaleski

how did you find time to respond??? shouldnt you be mock drafting for the next 57 days and the previous 60??? the positive about being 0-42 last year, in all reality i made 2 side bets that won 10 percent of my entry fees back, is that it was a humbling experience and i will be back with a VENGENCE!!! better hope you dont end up in my baseball league, remember i do football just to kill time til baseball...scary isnt it!!! you better get back to wasting your time!!!! see ya in a a couple of months?? right?? i hope so, i have been craving surf n turf with a bottle of chianti!!! 1. Surf and Turf it will be. LV1 FB winner was to pay. Nice FB excuse.

2. Mock draft only last 7 days prior to ARRIVING IN LV for main draft and then at least 3 hours per day. Now is pointless and waste of time. Only mock when you have 99.8% of your final projections and know MDC adp trend movements of sheep over last month by position.

3. Play at least one late SAT as a test run. But not 52!!!!

4. Tip waiter extra to make sure BJOAK's toast comes 10 minutes late. Post a player on the MB that he took Rd 2 in 9 weeks ago.

: He arrives late and out of focus. You still can't beat him, but at least it allows BUDFOX to get HUGE HEAD for this year. Next year, BUDFOX changes name to RAPTORS/PT2

j/k guys. Don't freak.

I've stomped you in FB the last two years. You even wanted me to give you 200 pts and bet in 2007 FB!! I won more than you in 4 leagues in baseball last year.

I hope you're in my baseball league this year, cuz when I stomp you again, you'll be the one asking me the questions on how. I've added all you and Shawn have said plus the weapon you love to mock, so to speak.

Get rid of the neanderthal cardboard you now use as a home and get into the 21st century! Another "ofer" by you and you will come crawling next year with no smackability.

But since I've tried to help you with something else already and you haven't done it, I doubt I'll have time for you next year....

Where's my pizza dammit!!

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:23 pm

Originally posted by ToddZ:

FYI, Captain Hook has replaced Toby Mergler mlb.com

in the NL. Since I don't know Toby, I'm very glad to see the Captain in the draft.

751542 · Post by **751542** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 1:45 pm

old school just like mike singletary!!! remember "grasshopper" its not the cardboard. it is whats written on it and the pleya behind it!!!! u wouldnt know what to do, maybe pull out the rest of the hair you have left, if your computer ran out of juice would you??? you would lean right over to good old "RT" and ask for help....u computer geeks are 1 input away from disaster and you need that help so you can blame it on technology!!! but never fear mr zaleski, i would help you....because that how i roll!!!

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:01 pm

Like your favorite worldwide restaurant..."I'm Lovin' It!"

(This thread)

~Lance

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:33 pm

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

old school just like mike singletary!!! remember "grasshopper" its not the cardboard. it is whats written on it and the pleya behind it!!!! u wouldnt know what to do, maybe pull out the rest of the hair you have left, if your computer ran out of juice would you??? you would lean right over to good old "RT" and ask for help....u computer geeks are 1 input away from disaster and you need that help so you can blame it on technology!!! but never fear mr zaleski, i would help you....because that how i roll!!! My computer ran out of juice in FB this year. Battery only lasted 50 minutes. That's why you print cheats and prepare before hand for every nook in the draft. There has been not one moment of panic in my drafts the past two years. Some bad decisions, but no panic. Main reason I rarely finish in bottom half anymore of a league.

That's the part you use refuse to accept. The computer is 10 pieces of your cardboard. You think it makes decisions and it does not. Not once has it ever told me who to take.

What it does is gives you up to like 50 more variables to make the better decisions. Cardboard can't give you close to that, unless you start writing on the back.

What it does is keep track of league roster management during the draft, needs of all, $$ of all left, sleepers, avoids, targets, rookies, targets to hit, who's doing well/not etc.. so I don't have to waste time during the draft. It's at a glance any time I need it.

By the way the draft was going last year, it told me I HAD TO MOVE J.Hamilton up from Rd 7 to Rd 6.

The time of using cardboard only is almost gone. The only reason you've done well is that you have more of the "variables" above as natural ability instead of a learned ability, as we discussed that one day. The thing is, I'm living proof of the speed in which one can catch up and pass you using the bigger, better, cardboard option.

Another bad year with cardboard only, and you'll be the MB curmudgeon next year

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 2:35 pm

Originally posted by sportsbettingman:

Like your favorite worldwide restaurant..."I'm Lovin' It!"

(This thread)

~Lance Little does RT know that he's getting a filet o'fish, big mac and bottle of ripple in the "Surf and Turf" package.

Edwards Kings · Post by **Edwards Kings** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 12:06 am

Originally posted by Walla Walla:

NL

Nate Ravitz ESPN

Ravitz is back doing fantasy baseball? I thought he had moved on a few years ago, or did he just change venues? I enjoyed talking to him in person in '04 and a bit on the boards. Any chance he will jump back into the NFBC? As I recall he was one of the few industry flacks (

) who actually had sucess in the Main.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:45 am

Originally posted by Edwards Kings:

quote:Originally posted by Walla Walla:

NL

Nate Ravitz ESPN

Ravitz is back doing fantasy baseball? I thought he had moved on a few years ago, or did he just change venues? I enjoyed talking to him in person in '04 and a bit on the boards. Any chance he will jump back into the NFBC? As I recall he was one of the few industry flacks (

) who actually had sucess in the Main. [/QUOTE]My man Nate is doing fine at ESPN as he's getting plenty of air time, he just got promoted as editorial director of the fantasy sports division there and he just got married and honeymooned in Italy. He's living a good life.

Nate won an NFBC league title in 2005, our second year of the NFBC and returned the next year, but he hasn't been able to play the last two years. He almost jumped in at the last minute last year, but couldn't pull it off. Nate and Jason Grey would make a tough team, that's for sure. I just saw Nate in November at a conference and I know he'd love to play again as he loved competing against RT and the guys in Vegas, but with his busy schedule it might be tough to get him back in. We'll see.

751542 · Post by **751542** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:54 am

what an awesome guy!!! nate and i ended up competing against eachother often and really built a great friendship thru nfbc. i hope to see him in gregs events soon eventhough espn might not allow. all the best. i have only seen him live on espn a couple of times...does he get regular air time???

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 2:59 am

Since I'm the only original member from LABR in 1994 still competing, let me make a few comments on this thread. For one thing, the guys in LABR don't take that league as seriously as some of the folks here. I think for those of us involved it's still just another industry league, but one that gets more pub because every result from the auctions are published in USA Today Sports Weekly. But after that, it's just another industry league.

Readers don't really follow the standings after the results are published, but for those of us in the league it's great camraderie and banter throughout the year. We have a blast and when Rick Wolf and Glenn Colton are going for a fourth AL Auction League title it means a LOT to everyone involved. We all fight to the finish and battle for every rookie call-up, but nobody in that league is any more superior than any NFBC auction league champ. The winner in both events are the best among their peers, nothing more.

LABR gets a bad rap because folks think it's an elitist league, but it's not. It's just industry guys in another industry auction with as many mistakes being made there as any other league. I know because I've made my fair share of mistakes. But when it was started in 1994 with Keith Olbermann, Peter Gammons, Bill James, John Hunt, John Benson and so many other big names, it really was the first industry draft where the results were published in a national publication. The concept was good and I can't believe I didn't think about doing that before John Hunt did. It was so good that readers made that fantasy issue the No. 1 seller of the year for USA Today and the competition was so intense that the big names left after that year because they knew they didn't have as much time to spend on this league as the other industry folks did.

I finished second that first year in the AL using Benson's software and I was one of those working trades and the waiver wire because I knew that winning that league could be good for me and our name recognition. The next few years we replaced the big names with other industry guys who felt the same way as me and the competition just kept getting tougher and tougher. We lost some guys to Tout Wars a few years later and now both are good industry leagues that provide data for interested readers, but nothing more prestigious than NFBC, in my opinion.

Ron's a great guy, as are all of the LABR guys on the 2009 list. They're fun to compete against, they know more than me and less than me in some cases. But all in all, LABR is our annual Christmas Day just like the NFBC Draft Day is your Christmas Day and we drink and play poker and have fun just like any other league. The only difference is that our stupid bids are published for all to see.

You already have Zola and Perry and Jason Grey and Ryan Houston and Brian Walton and so many other industry guys to beat up on in the NFBC if you'd like. Don't worry about those who aren't currently in the NFBC. In time, they will come over to the Dark Side.

[ January 23, 2009, 09:05 AM: Message edited by: Greg Ambrosius ]

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:02 am

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

what an awesome guy!!! nate and i ended up competing against eachother often and really built a great friendship thru nfbc. i hope to see him in gregs events soon eventhough espn might not allow. all the best. i have only seen him live on espn a couple of times...does he get regular air time??? I've seen him on ESPN News during the day at times. Mainly baseball season. Jason is thinking about taking a main event team this year, so I think it's okay for ESPN guys to compete in this. It was always good when I hosted our Fantasy Sports Trade Conference in conjunction with the NFBC because Nate and others were already there and could easily compete. Now Nate would probably have to go from Bristol to New York City and it's probably tougher with his busy schedule.

Yeah, you and him were in main event leagues two years in a row. Those were good battles.

King of Queens · Post by **King of Queens** » Fri Jan 23, 2009 3:42 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

Now Nate would probably have to go from Bristol to New York City and it's probably tougher with his busy schedule.Less than two hours by car. Nate, here are the directions:

CT-8 toward Waterbury (9.1 mi)

I-84 W toward Danbury (35.2 mi)

I-684 S toward New York City (27.9 mi)

I-684 S becomes Hutchinson River Pkwy (15.6 mi)

Bruckner Blvd/I-278 W to the RFK Bridge (5.7 mi)

FDR Drive South to the E 53rd St exit, then head across town to the Sheraton