Live Chat With Greg & Tom: Tuesday, 3 pm ET

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, welcome to our somewhat Live Chat on the NFBC Message Boards. Tom and I will be around for the next hour to take your questions and then it's back to our regular duties here. We'll try to do this every Tuesday afternoon so that you have a regular forum to ask us questions about the events or player values. Sound good?

In a week or two we'll start reaching out to some of our players or folks in the industry to do Live Chats with you guys during a weeknight. Any suggestions on who we should start out with? Shawn, where are you?

Okay, let me try to catch up with some of these questions and get the ball rolling. Thanks everyone for joining us today.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Let's talk Brewers... Will Mat Gamel finally get a chance to prove that he can hit in the Bigs? If Gamel hits well, any chance Hart sees more time in the outfield than expected? At whose expense, are the Brewers sold on Aoki? Does Hunter Morris have a chance to throw a wrinkle in "Gamel's last stand"?

What about Jean Segura? If Alcides Escobar is Elvis Andrus-lite, Is Jean Segura, Alcides Escobar-lite?

Well, Gamel will definitely get 6 to 8 weeks to prove he deserves the first base job again now that Hart has undergone knee surgery. But I'm not sure I liked what I saw last year with him in the lineup. Sure, it was over only 21 games, but he hit only .246-1-6 with 15 strikeouts in 69 at-bats. He hit .236 against right-handers, which makes no sense. I don't think he's going to be the answer at first base, but he's received a second chance, so let's see what he does. But I predict Hart will be back at first base and Gamel won't be the answer.

The Brewers like Aoki a lot and I have to admit that he was great for the offense. His .355 OBP was good enough to put runners on the bases ahead of Braun and Ramirez. They don't have guys with a good OBP, so he's perfect right now. He's not going anywhere.

I saw Morris in the AFL and he looks like a softball player playing baseball. The last time I saw someone in the AFL swing and miss this often his name was Matt LaPorta. I wasn't impressed, but his Double-A numbers were impressive. But that was the Texas League, remember. I think the Brewers expect him to be their future first baseman, but I'd be surprised if he makes the bigs before late August. He needs a full year at Triple-A.

Segura will put up better fantasy numbers than Alcides eventually. Maybe not this year though. He's smooth enough at short to stick there, even if his bat still needs work. I think he will be good enough. But remember, our big free agent signing this off-season was Alex Gonzalez, so WATCH OUT!!

[DOUGHBOYS]

True Steve, it has taken a long time. The Fanball years stagnated or even may have reversed some drafters feelings about our event. With Stats, the new players are coming in by the droves.
I remember last year seeing the lists for the 'Championship Drafts' and knowing well more than half the names.
This year, I'm lucky if I see two or three names recognized.

The growth is certainly there. Taking it to a higher price point would make it for the best players with money, not just best players.
The Main Event is the one constant in the NFBC.
I would just hate to see it changed.

And to what Tom said, I think it is mostly football.
I hear the 'win my league and everything else is gravy' mantra more than other statements.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Speaking of the Brewers...
Why was there more HR's hit at their park than any other NL park?
Is it THAT hitter friendly?
Was it the Brewers hitting?
Was it the Brewers pitching?
Their bullpen?

And speaking of pitching, what do you expect out of their rotation this year?

Dan, that's a stat I was not aware of. That's pretty amazing because Miller Park is not really a bandox for power hitters. Looking at 2011's stats, they were 6th in the NL in homers, so I think last year was just a crazy year. Heck, blame it on Carlos Gomez, who swings for the fences with every pitch even though he's the fastest guy on the team. Nothing makes any sense with these Brewers.

And the pitching was pretty solid last year, so that's kind of crazy. Hell, they'll give up more homers with this young staff than they gave up last year.

I can't explain it. Weird year. But it's definitely not a park effect, at least not to that degree.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Good morning Gents,

Can you name your top 3 candidates in the Top 15 ADP that you believe will not return 1st round value?

I would have to agree with Tom on :

Josh Hamilton
Buster Posey

I do think Pujols is going to regress. I also think at some point the innings have to catch up with Verlander. I'll put those two out there right now and let you folks throw that back at me at season's end if I'm wrong!!

[Tom Kessenich]

True Steve, it has taken a long time. The Fanball years stagnated or even may have reversed some drafters feelings about our event. With Stats, the new players are coming in by the droves.

No question. I will say this about the Fanball years, though - we had record numbers in the Main Event and the Online Championship really took off then as well. The one thing Fanball really provided was a dedicated membership of serious pay-to-play fantasy players. When we went to Fanball more people found out about our events than had been the case before.

That said, there were a number of other issues there as we all know and joining STATS has been a breath of fresh air in so many ways. The Sirius show is a great example. This is something I thought was going to happen with Fanball but nobody there had any interest in developing that or getting us that type of platform even though we had so much to offer. At STATS, everyone has been on board with aggressively working to secure this deal and now we have our own show as a result. There's no question we're better positioned now than ever before to really grow our events in every sport.

Amazing what can happen when you work for people who not only know what they're doing but legitimately believe in what you're doing and want it to succeed, grow and prosper for many years to come.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Sorry Greg, bad form in answering Steve during your Live Talk...

Do you see Mark Rogers in the Brewers rotation this year?

[Greg Ambrosius]

Greg,

What once started out as the only high stakes event option(15tm Main Event), it now shares the stage with a multitude of different play options. The ME 15tm has two weekends and now a 3rd option yet probably won't budge from 420 total entries. The NFBC has grown tremendously but the $1500 live/online event ME contest has become a niche contest it seems. A no doubt best of the best test but probably will never be the NATIONAL 2,500 entry 250k 1st place contest we all want it to be. There are just too many other options.

If it's going to be the same 300 hardcore high stakes diehards with a few new souls sprinkled in now and then maybe it's time to slant it toward the "high stakes" player and make the entry $2000 and get the overall prize to $150,000. Let's celebrate that type of player with a grand prize worthy of that accomplishment.

Wow, I have to admit this is the most surprising post we could have received on this Live Chat today. I never expected anything quite like this. It's one man's opinion, so that's all good, but surprising nonetheless.

I guess we all look at 420 signups differently. To you Steve it might seem like a niche product, but it's still $630,000 in revenue and $500,000 in prizes. It's still the marquee event we offer and the focus of our contests. Our goal every year is to grow it and to continue growing it. It's not easy in the 15-team format because the churn rate of frustrating owners can be high, yet each year we see about an 80 percent return rate. So our problem is not attracting new players to this event, which we're trying to solve through SiriusXM, Rotowire and other promotional efforts. But a niche event? Wow, I hope it's not.

Does everyone really want 2,500 teams in the Main Event?? Is that what we're striving for? I mean, if we want big numbers then obviously the Online Championship is where we should be getting 2,500 teams and a $150,000 grand prize like we're close to doing in football. But I'm not sure everyone really wants 2,500 teams in ANY of our contests. Again, I might be wrong, though.

If we're looking for a mass market Main Event, then it's obviously the 12-team format. Maybe I have this all wrong. Maybe I should have the NFBC 12 at $1,500 or $2,000, since the masses are more familiar with that than the 15-teamer. Maybe that's where I should be trying for $150,000 like you're asking for. I have considered that and right now at $1,000 maybe it's not enough for the big hitters. Maybe that needs to be the mainstream Main Event you're asking for.

All good input and all something to consider. Thanks for being honest. We'll consider any and all here.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Greg,

What once started out as the only high stakes event option(15tm Main Event), it now shares the stage with a multitude of different play options. The ME 15tm has two weekends and now a 3rd option yet probably won't budge from 420 total entries. The NFBC has grown tremendously but the $1500 live/online event ME contest has become a niche contest it seems. A no doubt best of the best test but probably will never be the NATIONAL 2,500 entry 250k 1st place contest we all want it to be. There are just too many other options.

If it's going to be the same 300 hardcore high stakes diehards with a few new souls sprinkled in now and then maybe it's time to slant it toward the "high stakes" player and make the entry $2000 and get the overall prize to $150,000. Let's celebrate that type of player with a grand prize worthy of that accomplishment.

Man, I hardly ever disagree with Steve, but I do here.
Some of us allot a certain amount of monies that we can play fantasy baseball with during the year. Such an increase would make me out of two events and into one and may edge others out from one to none.
The Main Event is just that, the Main Event. It should be optionable for as many as possible.
There are Supers and Diamonds for those who wish to play at higher levels and the $150,000 first prize is not a much bigger hook.

For my money, with all the new partners that Greg is coming up with, this is the time to increase the player base.
Pricing possible new players out of the Main Event would be counter productive in my mind.
Just my two cents and I know I did not put that in the form of a question for Greg

I don't think either post was in the form of a question. Steve's was definitely a statement, not a question!! But I agree Dan, the goal is to keep growing the user base for the Main Event. We seem to be trending past 420 even with Easter in the way of the Second Weekend. Would 450 teams really be a disappointment to our Charter Members? Is 480 still "niche"? Would $150,000 really be the prize that makes us "marketable"?

I'm not going to apologize for adding more events. To stay just with the AL and NL Auction and the Main Event would have been stupid. The Super, Ultimate and Diamond have fantastic payouts, yet folks still like the Main Event more. I am very concerned about pricing the Main any higher than $1,500-$1,600, but I do think we can grow past 420 teams and start increasing the overall prize pool soon. Let's hope we do that this year.

[Tom Kessenich]

Let's talk Brewers... Will Mat Gamel finally get a chance to prove that he can hit in the Bigs? If Gamel hits well, any chance Hart sees more time in the outfield than expected? At whose expense, are the Brewers sold on Aoki? Does Hunter Morris have a chance to throw a wrinkle in "Gamel's last stand"?

What about Jean Segura? If Alcides Escobar is Elvis Andrus-lite, Is Jean Segura, Alcides Escobar-lite?

Well, Gamel will definitely get 6 to 8 weeks to prove he deserves the first base job again now that Hart has undergone knee surgery. But I'm not sure I liked what I saw last year with him in the lineup. Sure, it was over only 21 games, but he hit only .246-1-6 with 15 strikeouts in 69 at-bats. He hit .236 against right-handers, which makes no sense. I don't think he's going to be the answer at first base, but he's received a second chance, so let's see what he does. But I predict Hart will be back at first base and Gamel won't be the answer.

I'd play Hart there. As you posted above Gamel didn't set the world on fire before getting hurt. He's never going to be a prodigious home run hitter but you need run production at 1B. It'd be great if he could become a Lyle Overbaby-type at the position but I'm not sure he has Overbay's run-production ability. Hart at least provides that and given the offensive issues I believe the Brewers have I want as many run producers in the heart of the lineup as possible.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Sorry Greg, bad form in answering Steve during your Live Talk...

Do you see Mark Rogers in the Brewers rotation this year?

No, it's fine to answer each other here. This is an open live chat. I look forward to Steve's response back.

Rogers has a chance to be the 5th starter early in the season. Chris Narveson is coming back from shoulder surgery and might not be ready in April. I think Wily Peralta will be the 4th starter in the rotation and I like him.

Rogers has a good fastball, but he's obviously been hurt most of his career with shoulder injuries. It's been that way with Brewers' pitchers for 20+ years. I saw him pitch last spring and I was surprised by his fastball. He looked good. In 7 starts with the Brewers last year, he went 3-1 with 41 strikeouts in 39 innings, while posting a 3.92 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He needs to pitch regularly, so if Narveson wins the No. 5 job Rogers will go back to Triple-A and get called up sometime during the year. He's too injury-prone for me to take in fantasy, but I'd definitely keep an eye on him during the season.

[Navel Lint]

What does the future hold for live events in Chicago?

My first ME was in 2008, we had 4 leagues. In the time since then, we have dropped to three leagues, then two leagues and now this year the signups are only at 17 owners. It's starting to become like a "home league" with the same 20-25 regulars playing against each other each year (which sucks since they keep betting me ).

I'm not sure what will entice players to come here, but it does feel like Chicago is the least regarded site. Lets put it this way, you and Tom don't come here for the draft and there aren't special parties or events held here. Not that I'm complaining or suggesting that I want/need them; I'm just wondering if there is anything that can be done, or if this is the end for Chicago as I site.

Side note: I personally blame the drop in Chicago attendance on the On-Line Option for the ME.

~ Russel

[DOUGHBOYS]

Greg/Tom,
When are place holders going to be taken care of on drafts that are completed?
I have to write myself notes in order to keep track of the players the place holders represent.
Also, when can we expect to see our completed teams under 'roster' on the team page?

[Tom Kessenich]

Greg/Tom,
When are place holders going to be taken care of on drafts that are completed?
I have to write myself notes in order to keep track of the players the place holders represent.
Also, when can we expect to see our completed teams under 'roster' on the team page?

Dan, as far as placeholders all of the ones we've been told about should be entered. If there are some missing please email them to Greg or me with the leagues.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Hello Greg and Tom,

Which players do you think will benefit the most from the fences coming in at Seattle and San Diego?

With the increase on drug testing, which players are most likely to get caught this year and penalized?

Who do you think will be the comeback players of the year in each league?

Thanks

I'm not sure we're going to see much change in the offensive numbers in Seattle, San Diego or Minnesota with the changes they've proposed. Maybe a little bit, but not much. Maybe Jesus Montero hits a few more homers, but it's hard to predict.

Take a look at this story on Petco Park possibly being a neutral ballpark, which would be a great improvement:

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd ... key=news_s

Here's a look at the Safeco Field change:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/baseball/2012 ... eco-field/

I can't predict any Balco suspensions. The players who have been caught fell well under my radar, like Melky Cabrera and Bartolo Colon. The guys you least suspect will show up next. But think about it: They said the cost of PEDs was $3,000 per month and the suspension is only 50 games. Melky gets caught and still signs a $16 million contract with the Blue Jays this off-season. Isn't the reward worth the risk for some of these players? Expect more people to show up on these lists soon.

I'll have to give the Comeback Player question a little thought.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Greg/Tom,
When are place holders going to be taken care of on drafts that are completed?
I have to write myself notes in order to keep track of the players the place holders represent.
Also, when can we expect to see our completed teams under 'roster' on the team page?

Like Tom said, we made sure yesterday that all Placeholders were entered for the DC leagues. In your $125 league I may have missed some of those Placeholders. Let me find that sheet and finish that one up. There were some pretty obscure names being drafted in that league that weren't in the system at the time I entered that league.

When online drafts start on Feb. 19th, I'm pretty sure the Roster for all leagues will go live. That's my guess, at least.

[Greg Ambrosius]

What does the future hold for live events in Chicago?

My first ME was in 2008, we had 4 leagues. In the time since then, we have dropped to three leagues, then two leagues and now this year the signups are only at 17 owners. It's starting to become like a "home league" with the same 20-25 regulars playing against each other each year (which sucks since they keep betting me ).

I'm not sure what will entice players to come here, but it does feel like Chicago is the least regarded site. Lets put it this way, you and Tom don't come here for the draft and there aren't special parties or events held here. Not that I'm complaining or suggesting that I want/need them; I'm just wondering if there is anything that can be done, or if this is the end for Chicago as I site.

Side note: I personally blame the drop in Chicago attendance on the On-Line Option for the ME.

~ Russel

Russel, as you know, we have some guys who live in Chicago who used to draft live in Chicago who now do the Main Event Online. So this is a tough one. Tom and I fought to do Chicago again this year because we felt with our SiriusXM reach that we might be able to bring in some new players to a live regional event. But you are right, if we are down to 2 Main Event leagues each year then it's possible that we can't return there next year. It's the same decision we made in Tampa and Orlando when we got down to two leagues. It didn't make financial sense to host live drafts there.

We all want Chicago to have full auctions, NFBC XII's and 3-4 Main Events. If Tom or I hosted drafts there, I'm sure the numbers would be the same. And as far as throwing parties, etc., we do everything the same in Chicago as we do in New York. I mean, we don't have elaborate parties in the Big Apple. Very few customers stay overnight in Chicago or New York, so our job is to put on a first class draft, have drinks with our customers which Rocky and now Dean and other staffers always do, and make sure everything runs smoothly. I'm not sure what me or Tom could do much differently if we left Las Vegas and New York for Chicago.

It's up to the players if we return in 2014 or not. We should fill 4 leagues there this year between the Auction, Main and NFBC XII, but even that would be a low number. But we're there now and hopefully with all of the promotions we have out there we do recruit new members and keep things live in Chicago for years and years to come.

[Greg Ambrosius]

it seems like baseball is getting more specialized. in fantasy football we have to deal with 2nd and sometimes 3rd running backs and its changing the fantasy game.

In colorado this season they seem intent to use a 6 man rotation and only letting starters throw 75 pitches. do you think you can get any value out of any of those starters? also do you have any different strategies this season with regard to a larger portion of players platooning? its an ugly fantasy word, but its happening more and more to the non "all star" players.

lastly..is the closer situation more turbulent and unknown than ever before?

It's hard to know for sure what the Rockies are going to do this year, but I think they are going back to a 4-man rotation:

http://www.denverpost.com/rockies/ci_21 ... n-rotation

Anyway, who wants a Rockies' pitcher no matter how often they start? As for platooning players, stay away if possible. I mean, this is a counting game and what you want is as many stats as humanly possible. Go with guys who are getting playing time, playing time, playing time.

Yes, closers are more volatile than ever before. Last year 10 closers who started the year as their team's closer finished the year as their team's closer. That's 33% holding onto the job all year. That's pathetic. Still, it's not easy to identify the new closers or to get them before your competitors get them, so don't think it's so easy to just find closers during the season. That's still a tough nut to crack.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, thanks for the questions everyone. Feel free to post some more throughout the night and we'll get to them when we can. Now it's time to get back on the phone and recruit some old friends back to the NFBC. It's already a great start to the season, but before you know it Draft Day will be here. It's time to get folks locked back in. Thanks all.

[Navel Lint]

What does the future hold for live events in Chicago?

My first ME was in 2008, we had 4 leagues. In the time since then, we have dropped to three leagues, then two leagues and now this year the signups are only at 17 owners. It's starting to become like a "home league" with the same 20-25 regulars playing against each other each year (which sucks since they keep betting me ).

I'm not sure what will entice players to come here, but it does feel like Chicago is the least regarded site. Lets put it this way, you and Tom don't come here for the draft and there aren't special parties or events held here. Not that I'm complaining or suggesting that I want/need them; I'm just wondering if there is anything that can be done, or if this is the end for Chicago as I site.

Side note: I personally blame the drop in Chicago attendance on the On-Line Option for the ME.

~ Russel

Russel, as you know, we have some guys who live in Chicago who used to draft live in Chicago who now do the Main Event Online. So this is a tough one. Tom and I fought to do Chicago again this year because we felt with our SiriusXM reach that we might be able to bring in some new players to a live regional event. But you are right, if we are down to 2 Main Event leagues each year then it's possible that we can't return there next year. It's the same decision we made in Tampa and Orlando when we got down to two leagues. It didn't make financial sense to host live drafts there.

We all want Chicago to have full auctions, NFBC XII's and 3-4 Main Events. If Tom or I hosted drafts there, I'm sure the numbers would be the same. And as far as throwing parties, etc., we do everything the same in Chicago as we do in New York. I mean, we don't have elaborate parties in the Big Apple. Very few customers stay overnight in Chicago or New York, so our job is to put on a first class draft, have drinks with our customers which Rocky and now Dean and other staffers always do, and make sure everything runs smoothly. I'm not sure what me or Tom could do much differently if we left Las Vegas and New York for Chicago.

It's up to the players if we return in 2014 or not. We should fill 4 leagues there this year between the Auction, Main and NFBC XII, but even that would be a low number. But we're there now and hopefully with all of the promotions we have out there we do recruit new members and keep things live in Chicago for years and years to come.

Thanks.

I agree, Chicago has always been run first class and the guys that have been there to run the events have been great. The locations have been good (except the year we were at the Cubby Bear across from Wrigley). I guess I'm just a little disappointed that this could be the end.........

I guess I'll have to plan on Vegas next year

[Money]

How are the NFBC XII signups coming along this season? It seems to me (an uneducated observation) that the emphasis is on driving signups for the 15 team event. The 12 team event seems to be lost in the luster of the 15 team event. Why not promote it more? Promote last years champion, Jeff Butler as you do Dave Potts.

I heard some players last year state that they thought everyone walks away from the draft with a great team in this format and thats why they didn't play. What they don't realize is that the guys with the experience recognize their teams weaknesses very quickly and in the NFBC XII they have a larger free agent pool to pull from to fix those problems. A lot of very established players finished very high in the NFBC XII overall last year. A lot of established 15 team participants are missing the boat.

Just my thoughts, lets start promoting the NFBC XII!!

[Quahogs]

Greg,

Never said the addition of different types of events was a bad thing. I think it's great. So there's no need to apologize for adding them. Why would you think that ?

You view niche as a bad thing? I don't mean it as such and maybe my characterization is wrong ? Are new players flocking to the ME ? (I don't see it). Is it growing in popularity or are there more opportunities for the same individual to enter multiple teams propping the #'s ? It seems that way. So to me it becomes a contest for a certain type of player. That's what I mean by niche. Now why wouldn't you want 2500 entrants ? Talk about a rush. You old timers always talk about the 1st WCOFF with 1000 players in one room. No one seemed to care about those odds. But I don't think that'll happen here in the ME. So if it's going to be the same 350 individuals every year then let's spice it up.

I hardly think increasing the contest fee puts a stake through the heart of the event. I'm happy there is an overall event of this magnitude and would love to see it grow. It's just an observation. Hey the floor was open. Should I be asking how many HR's Braun might hit this year

[Greg Ambrosius]

How are the NFBC XII signups coming along this season? It seems to me (an uneducated observation) that the emphasis is on driving signups for the 15 team event. The 12 team event seems to be lost in the luster of the 15 team event. Why not promote it more? Promote last years champion, Jeff Butler as you do Dave Potts.

I heard some players last year state that they thought everyone walks away from the draft with a great team in this format and thats why they didn't play. What they don't realize is that the guys with the experience recognize their teams weaknesses very quickly and in the NFBC XII they have a larger free agent pool to pull from to fix those problems. A lot of very established players finished very high in the NFBC XII overall last year. A lot of established 15 team participants are missing the boat.

Just my thoughts, lets start promoting the NFBC XII!!

Joe, nobody wants the NFBC XII to succeed more than me. I think this 12-team Main Event can grow more and more each year and I'd love a sellout of 300 teams. We'll definitely be getting Jeff Butler on the SiriusXM show soon and pushing the NFBC XII. As I stated before, maybe I'm underselling this format with the entry fee and grand prize. As Steve is saying, if higher entries lead to higher grand prizes it will attract the masses. With the NFBC XII, maybe $1,000 with a $50,000 grand prize is too low. We might need to spice that up in the future.

I agree, the 12-team format is a great format for owners who like to work the free agent pool. Our 12-team Online Championship is growing each year, so the format is popular. Now we need to push this Main Event format more to get to 300 teams.

Again, we have no Events Fees and no co-manager fees if you take an NFBC XII with an NFBC Classic, so hopefully more owners will take one team in each format. And then hopefully we'll attract new players who see this as a great stepping stone to the 15-team Classic.

[Quahogs]

Sorry Greg, bad form in answering Steve during your Live Talk...

Do you see Mark Rogers in the Brewers rotation this year?

No, it's fine to answer each other here. This is an open live chat. I look forward to Steve's response back.

Rogers has a chance to be the 5th starter early in the season. Chris Narveson is coming back from shoulder surgery and might not be ready in April. I think Wily Peralta will be the 4th starter in the rotation and I like him.

Rogers has a good fastball, but he's obviously been hurt most of his career with shoulder injuries. It's been that way with Brewers' pitchers for 20+ years. I saw him pitch last spring and I was surprised by his fastball. He looked good. In 7 starts with the Brewers last year, he went 3-1 with 41 strikeouts in 39 innings, while posting a 3.92 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. He needs to pitch regularly, so if Narveson wins the No. 5 job Rogers will go back to Triple-A and get called up sometime during the year. He's too injury-prone for me to take in fantasy, but I'd definitely keep an eye on him during the season.

Rogers is out of options. He has to make the team or they risk losing him. Unless my source is wrong, I'm sure someone can back me up or refute me.

[Quahogs]

How are the NFBC XII signups coming along this season? It seems to me (an uneducated observation) that the emphasis is on driving signups for the 15 team event. The 12 team event seems to be lost in the luster of the 15 team event. Why not promote it more? Promote last years champion, Jeff Butler as you do Dave Potts.

I heard some players last year state that they thought everyone walks away from the draft with a great team in this format and thats why they didn't play. What they don't realize is that the guys with the experience recognize their teams weaknesses very quickly and in the NFBC XII they have a larger free agent pool to pull from to fix those problems. A lot of very established players finished very high in the NFBC XII overall last year. A lot of established 15 team participants are missing the boat.

Just my thoughts, lets start promoting the NFBC XII!!

Joe, nobody wants the NFBC XII to succeed more than me. I think this 12-team Main Event can grow more and more each year and I'd love a sellout of 300 teams. We'll definitely be getting Jeff Butler on the SiriusXM show soon and pushing the NFBC XII. As I stated before, maybe I'm underselling this format with the entry fee and grand prize. As Steve is saying, if higher entries lead to higher grand prizes it will attract the masses..

I don't mean that at all Greg. I think the tree has been shook and we got most of the coconuts (yes that includes Massotto! lol). I don't know what will grow events since I'm aware of everything you've done to do so. The NFBC has grown big time and that is fantastic. But I think the masses are where they are and the ME prize increase is just for the type of player who has been playing the high stakes event year after year.