Last Of The Satellite Leagues Tonight

TickyBurden · Post by **TickyBurden** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:17 am

It's perplexing that these "experts" spend hundreds of hours prepping for the draft and then want to shave off 30 minutes to prove their not "newbies." 90 seconds is fine.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:25 am

75 second clock

If two guys in the draft take all their time half of the time, you'll save 15 minutes of draft time by going from 90 to 75. If the others take all of their time 3 times per draft, you'll save another 10 minutes. Counter-effects: If all players take an extra 15 seconds on 3 of their picks (because they will have less thinking time in between others' picks), you'll lose 11 minutes because of the shorter clock. If two extra times during the draft someone asks for the draft to be paused because he tried but couldn't pick because the system froze on him (when in reality the clock ran out while he was looking for a player), you'll lose another 8 minutes (est 4 per). So, predicted net time savings by knocking the clock down to 75 seconds = 6 minutes per draft. Predicted complaints per draft that it went too fast for someone, +25%.

90 second clock

Comparable calculation to the above yields a gross reduction in time of 50 minutes, while counter-effects rise at a slightly lower rate (5 picks get slowed down per team, +19 minutes) and 4 timeouts to swap players (+16 minutes). Predicted time savings by knocking the clock down to 60 seconds = 15 minutes per draft. Predicted complaints per draft that it went too fast for someone, +100%.

[ March 27, 2008, 10:34 AM: Message edited by: KJ Duke ]

headhunters · Post by **headhunters** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:28 am

90 seconds is fine. second year of this and lowered my draft time considerably but i was amazed that 3 people were complaining about others in my draft in round 2! i think it is basically a.d.s and maybe to throw other people off. 3 compain- 12 don't. should the 3 win out? plan on 4- 4 1/2 hours. or- have speed drafts. you have 6 satelites on a certain day- have 3 with 30 seconds for the experts and 3 with 90 seconds. that would lower the time you and tom have to spend and give your customers options. big mac or quarter pounder.

Nutty Scrats · Post by **Nutty Scrats** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 4:30 am

I would be curious how much actually a draft would be shorter if you shorten the draft to 60 - 75 seconds per pick? As is the average draft is probably between 3 1/2 - 4 hours? At the most that would be for 240 minutes or 14,400 seconds for the 4 hour draft. That being said if the total number of picks based on 30 rounds is 450 picks. Take 14,400 seconds divide it by 450 picks you would have the average draft pick at 32 seconds a pick for a 4 hour draft. The question would be how much could you shorten the draft.

Hope my numbers are right. Just some food for thought. So keeping the drafts at 90 seconds I don't think would be that big of a deal.

[ March 27, 2008, 10:31 AM: Message edited by: Nutty Scrat ]

The Mighty Men · Post by **The Mighty Men** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:03 am

Don't shorten the time.

I am as prepared as anyone else, and can pick very quickly. However, there are occasions when 1) I have any of 3 guys ready to be drafted, and they get picked rapid fire right before my pick. Then I have no one ready, and I need the 90 seconds, and 2) a couple players fall to me that I was not expecting. It happened last night on a couple of occasions. Then, I have to run a few calculations/scenarios through my head and determine which player is best for my team. I need over 60 seconds in those cases.

Navel Lint · Post by **Navel Lint** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 5:42 am

Originally posted by headhunters:

90 seconds is fine. second year of this and lowered my draft time considerably but i was amazed that 3 people were complaining about others in my draft in round 2! i think it is basically a.d.s and maybe to throw other people off. 3 compain- 12 don't. should the 3 win out? plan on 4- 4 1/2 hours. or- have speed drafts. you have 6 satelites on a certain day- have 3 with 30 seconds for the experts and 3 with 90 seconds. that would lower the time you and tom have to spend and give your customers options. big mac or quarter pounder. I 100% agree. If people want to speed draft, let them. I like to take my time and make what I believe is the correct pick for my team. This includes examining the picks of the other teams and determining thier inpact to the overall player/stat pool.

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:17 am

As someone who isn't real sharp with computers.

I'd probably pass on the satellites if the time was reduced from 90 seconds. Sorry. I'm just not as sharp as some of the others.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:21 am

Originally posted by The Mighty Men:

Don't shorten the time.

I am as prepared as anyone else, and can pick very quickly. However, there are occasions when 1) I have any of 3 guys ready to be drafted, and they get picked rapid fire right before my pick. Then I have no one ready, and I need the 90 seconds, and 2) a couple players fall to me that I was not expecting. It happened last night on a couple of occasions. Then, I have to run a few calculations/scenarios through my head and determine which player is best for my team. I need over 60 seconds in those cases. Yeah, but you're a lawyer who gets paid more for thinking longer. So you're opinion is biased.

All good thoughts so far folks. We're not looking to ruin the satellites, just looking for feedback from those who have done them so far. Like the drafts themselves, it appears some folks want less time, some want a little less time and some want it to remain the same. If we don't see an overwhelming need for change, we'll keep it at 90 seconds next year.

But keep the thoughts coming. All feedback is good feedback.

JohnZ · Post by **JohnZ** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:25 am

Originally posted by Nutty Scrat:

I would be curious how much actually a draft would be shorter if you shorten the draft to 60 - 75 seconds per pick? As is the average draft is probably between 3 1/2 - 4 hours? At the most that would be for 240 minutes or 14,400 seconds for the 4 hour draft. That being said if the total number of picks based on 30 rounds is 450 picks. Take 14,400 seconds divide it by 450 picks you would have the average draft pick at 32 seconds a pick for a 4 hour draft. The question would be how much could you shorten the draft.

Hope my numbers are right. Just some food for thought. So keeping the drafts at 90 seconds I don't think would be that big of a deal. I ran a 16-team, 25 player draft at 75 secs a few nights ago and it was done in 2 hr, 10 min.

751542 · Post by **751542** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:26 am

we could always offer "SPEED DRAFTS," similiar to sitin go's(poker analogy), offering an array of times before picks..i personally think the sats are too long...4:15 last night and for eastcoasters that is bad!!! n boring....offer 30, 60 90 second drafts. i am sure greg will come up with options to suit us all. by the way i should know being a person with a sattelite addiction!!

Geoffrey Stein · Post by **Geoffrey Stein** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:28 am

Mark me down for 30-second picks.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:36 am

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

we could always offer "SPEED DRAFTS," similiar to sitin go's(poker analogy), offering an array of times before picks..i personally think the sats are too long...4:15 last night and for eastcoasters that is bad!!! n boring....offer 30, 60 90 second drafts. i am sure greg will come up with options to suit us all. by the way i should know being a person with a sattelite addiction!! I think this is the best idea, offer a couple of 60-second lges for those who like faster drafts, but keep the mainstream at 90.

I think a slow draft would be a great option too ... put everyone on a 2-hour clock, probably would get thru a round or so per day. Would allow people to log-in periodically to make picks or keep their queue up-to-date with their top available pick getting auto-picked when their 2 hrs is up.

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:14 am

Originally posted by Geoffrey Stein:

Mark me down for 30-second picks. Here's another country heard from!!

Tell your boss next year you want to be paid by the hour, not by the number of leagues!!!

Nutty Scrats · Post by **Nutty Scrats** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:39 am

Originally posted by UFS:

quote:Originally posted by Nutty Scrat:

I would be curious how much actually a draft would be shorter if you shorten the draft to 60 - 75 seconds per pick? As is the average draft is probably between 3 1/2 - 4 hours? At the most that would be for 240 minutes or 14,400 seconds for the 4 hour draft. That being said if the total number of picks based on 30 rounds is 450 picks. Take 14,400 seconds divide it by 450 picks you would have the average draft pick at 32 seconds a pick for a 4 hour draft. The question would be how much could you shorten the draft.

Hope my numbers are right. Just some food for thought. So keeping the drafts at 90 seconds I don't think would be that big of a deal. I ran a 16-team, 25 player draft at 75 secs a few nights ago and it was done in 2 hr, 10 min. [/QUOTE]UFS, good point. You probably had alot of people who knew what they were doing . Not saying it can't be done. I've been in a couple NFBC satellites that finished at 2 3/4 - 3 hours which was great with the 90 second time limit. I just think in this format and trying to attract newbies the 60 second time limited could cause some problems during the draft. That's why offering the player choice of time limits would be, I think, a pretty good idea. Run several different drafts with different time limits would be a good idea. Just one man's lonely opinion

[ March 27, 2008, 02:40 PM: Message edited by: Nutty Scrat ]

Liquidhippo · Post by **Liquidhippo** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 8:52 am

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

quote:Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

we could always offer "SPEED DRAFTS," similiar to sitin go's(poker analogy), offering an array of times before picks..i personally think the sats are too long...4:15 last night and for eastcoasters that is bad!!! n boring....offer 30, 60 90 second drafts. i am sure greg will come up with options to suit us all. by the way i should know being a person with a sattelite addiction!! I think this is the best idea, offer a couple of 60-second lges for those who like faster drafts, but keep the mainstream at 90.

I think a slow draft would be a great option too ... put everyone on a 2-hour clock, probably would get thru a round or so per day. Would allow people to log-in periodically to make picks or keep their queue up-to-date with their top available pick getting auto-picked when their 2 hrs is up. [/QUOTE]90 seconds is fine. Sometimes I think people would rather go to the dentist than draft their team. Is drafting really such a horrible experience that you need to get it over with as soon as possible? Its impossible to prepare for every possible permutation of a draft that might unfold. Drafts are like snowflakes, no 2 are exactly alike. Any single pick can completely change the draft landscape, and thus subsequent strategy from that point of the draft looking forward. Its not about just picking the best player available, but properly constructing your team, looking ahead 5-6 picks/rounds based on who is still available, speculating who might go in the next few rounds, and how the countless options over that stretch would pan out when constructing hypothetical teams that will give you enough points to finish in the money. Unless you're 'the Rainman' that can take a good deal more than 90 seconds. So lessening the alloted time for a pick is not desirable in my humble opinion.

Having said that, I understand that we all have other obligations, and perhaps its simply a matter of only being able to alot x number of hours during a weeknight for a draft. So it would make sense to offer 'speed drafts' of 45 seconds, 60 seconds,etc. for people with a busy schedule. Heck, if you really want a challenge have a 15 second pick limit.

I also like KJ's suggestion of a longer draft with a 2 hour clock, that would be interesting to try out.

So my 2 cents, keep the 90 seconds as the mainstream, and offer other options such as speed drafts for those with busy schedules and those with ADD.

[ March 27, 2008, 02:54 PM: Message edited by: Liquidhippo ]

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 9:59 am

Here's something for MDC to work on. Another chess analogy I believe.

There are 30 picks. Let's give each owner a 30-minute clock. They have a total of 30-minutes to make all 30 picks. If you take 3 minutes in round 1, you have 27 minutes left for your remaining 29 picks.

Set it up so that you are forced to have 15 seconds for all your remaining picks, like a max bid in auctions.

KJ Duke · Post by **KJ Duke** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:06 am

Originally posted by ToddZ:

Here's something for MDC to work on. Another chess analogy I believe.

There are 30 picks. Let's give each owner a 30-minute clock. They have a total of 30-minutes to make all 30 picks. If you take 3 minutes in round 1, you have 27 minutes left for your remaining 29 picks.

Set it up so that you are forced to have 15 seconds for all your remaining picks, like a max bid in auctions. 30 minutes, 15 teams, 7.5 hour draft

Liquidhippo · Post by **Liquidhippo** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 10:09 am

Originally posted by ToddZ:

Here's something for MDC to work on. Another chess analogy I believe.

There are 30 picks. Let's give each owner a 30-minute clock. They have a total of 30-minutes to make all 30 picks. If you take 3 minutes in round 1, you have 27 minutes left for your remaining 29 picks.

Set it up so that you are forced to have 15 seconds for all your remaining picks, like a max bid in auctions. Very interesting. I like this, as I usually pick quickly, but there are usually 3-5 picks that I'd like an extra minute or two.

rockitsauce · Post by **rockitsauce** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:45 am

Originally posted by Liquidhippo:

Sometimes I think people would rather go to the dentist than draft their team. Is drafting really such a horrible experience that you need to get it over with as soon as possible? i'd rather be in a draft where each participant gets 15 min's per pk than go to the dentist!

at times i've wished some of the drafts i've been in were faster, but i never complain b/c i'm in a draft!! it really is my fav time of yr...even more than football, so i just enjoy the fact that it's march and i'm getting ready to play fake baseball!

Dub · Post by **Dub** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 11:49 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

Okay, here's a question that Tom posed to me last night and one I'd like to ask here: Now that we're all used to MockDraftCentral.com and are prepared for those satellites, do you think it makes sense to lower the amount of time per pick from 90 seconds? Could we go down to 75 seconds per pick? 60 seconds? I know it's hard to sort and look for players at times, but it might cut down on the length of the baseball drafts and make the experience more enjoyable. Or do you think it would be too difficult to find players in 75 seconds (or 60)?

I'd be interested in everyone's feedback who has done the satellites this year as we may even go this route in football this summer. How about 90 sec first 10, 75 next 10 and finally 60 secs for last 10?

Latham · Post by **Latham** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:03 pm

I am good with 90 seconds the way it is currently set up. Last I checked, the goal is not who can draft the quickest team. I am fine with teams that want to draft quickly and I am fine if teams want to take their full 90 seconds. I look forward to these satellite drafts and don't understand why people want to get through them as quick as possible.

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:12 pm

30 minutes, 15 teams, 7.5 hour draft Sure, worst case scenario.

Now, if everyone took all 90 seconds, it is 11.25 hours.

I can see it now -- FAAB credit for extra time on the clock or using FAAB to bid for the number of minutes you want.

sportsbettingman · Post by **sportsbettingman** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 12:13 pm

Run the numbers on a draft that just happened.

Only consider the times when a person took OVER 75 seconds to make a pick.

Add up all the seconds OVER 75 and you will see the drastic cut in time per pick will not reduce the draft much at all...and will increase the problems and complaints by a ton I'd guess.

Just like in the live drafts...we are using all the time people are "wasting" to catch up on our thinking and planning so we are more prepared when it's our turn. Some will slow down when not allowed that time to catch up...almost defeating the purpose.

~Lance

[ March 27, 2008, 06:22 PM: Message edited by: sportsbettingman ]

Liquidhippo · Post by **Liquidhippo** » Thu Mar 27, 2008 6:57 pm

Originally posted by ToddZ:

quote: 30 minutes, 15 teams, 7.5 hour draft Sure, worst case scenario.

Now, if everyone took all 90 seconds, it is 11.25 hours.

I can see it now -- FAAB credit for extra time on the clock or using FAAB to bid for the number of minutes you want. [/QUOTE]LOL!