Live Chat With Shawn Childs, Sunday At 5 p.m. EST

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, one of our best Live Chats we offer each year is one with Shawn Childs, an NFBC Hall of Famer who has won a record four NFBC Main Event league titles over the last eight years. Shawn is gracious enough to spend hours each year in this live chat and he's willing to set aside this Sunday at 5 p.m. EST for a Live Chat on the NFBC boards. Shawn is now a paid fantasy content provider and he can tell you a little bit about his new web site and what Scott Fleming and Shawn are doing together there. I'm excited about that as well and will help where I can. Obviously, NFBC owners are an ideal audience for what these guys are doing with this content.

Feel free to load up some questions on this thread before Sunday night and I know Shawn will spend the appropriate time to answer every question. He's learned to type faster now and he better know how to copy and paste by now to save some time before Sunday!! Anyway, ask Shawn anything on a baseball matter, NFBC matter, personal matter, love life matter, and I'm sure you'll get a straight answer.

Shawn will be drafting in Las Vegas again this year on both weekends, doing the Mains at the Bellagio on March 24th and 31st, the NFBC XII on March 25th and the $1,300 AL Auction League on Friday, March 30th. We still have two spots left in that AL Auction League, so if you want to compete against Shawn in any of these formats feel free to jump in. It should be a fun, fun two weekends of live drafts.

Load up your questions. This should be fun. And we'll see you on Sunday night for the Live Chat.

[bjoak]

Thanks for the chat, Shawn.

If I remember correctly, during last year's chat someone asked you who 2011's Jose Bautista would be and you answered Colby Rasmus. Great misinformation! Just like Bautista, he sucked and then moved to Toronto and still sucked. Okay, seriously, what have you learned from his performance this past year and where does he go from here?

[bjoak]

I imagine at your new site you are doing player profiles. Give us a taste. Give us someone's profile that includes a piece of (fantasy relevant) information that the vast majority of people don't know or haven't figured out.

[Quahogs]

CHILDS - got a couple for you... Who do you like to have a better season :

A.Pujols or C.Pena ?
CC Sabathia or Joe Saunders ?
Tulowitzki or A.Casilla ?

[NorCalAtlFan]

A.B.D. Mr. Jupinka!

[bjoak]

Someone informed me your site is free. Cool, I will check that out (if anyone tells me what it is called). But I'd still love an answer to my question. Give us a nice showpiece with unique info.

[Greg Ambrosius]

It looks like our regulars are in hiding Shawn, or maybe they don't want your knowledge anymore!! I'll start it out:

a) We aren't bidding for three shortstops again in LABR NL, are we? Do you think we could have won LABR with that strategy if Hanley had given us anything for our $42 bid?

b) Is it still possible to get 75-75 with your first three picks with fewer stars able to go 20-20? Have you ever taken a SP with your first three picks?

c) Did the Year of the Pitcher change the way NFBC drafts are going this year compared to past years or is the starting pitcher pool still deep enough to hold off on Wins and K's?

d) Your take on Carl Crawford in Boston: Bad fit or good shot at a comeback season?

[Sack]

Shawn:

For the second time in three seasons, Lindy Hinkelman has won the $100k Grand Prize.
To the best of my knowledge, Gabe Hinkelman has to receive that new set of wheels you promised
Him that his Dad would buy if history repeated. Do you think that Gabe should hold out on reporting
To Vegas this March in a power play to get his just due? Will the pig farmer be as effective without
The young stud by his side on draft day?


Scanning the player pool this season, what position do you think holds the best possible
Upside in regard to finding a creditable contributor beyond Round Ten to plug into your starting
Fourteen?

[Thunder]

Shawn, what's your take on Darvish, Cepedes (if he gets a Visa) or any other of the foreign players making their much hyped MLB debuts this year?

[Glenneration X]

Shawn, I've been considering grabbing the last spot and testing myself in the AL Auction in Vegas, but have been able to resist the impulse thus far. I've never done an "Only" draft or auction to date. However, I know you've got some serious experience and successes in the format. If you were going to provide a few tips and note the differences between an Only and a Mixed Auction, what points would you highlight?

Thanks for doing this again Shawn. See you in Vegas.

[Quahogs]

Childs, congrats on your new fantasy paying gig. A dream of all of ours. However it doesn't seem right that Fleming makes you wear a suit to work

If you had PICK #1 who would be your 1st pick and your LAST. Why ?

[headhunters]

have childs and the guy turning the nfl into flag football ever been seen in the same room at the same time?. invite them both to vegas and see if they both show up. tell mr. flag football that you have 10 more ways he can take hitting out of the game and 10 more ways for even more commercials- he'll show. that is, if he isn't childs.

[Hells Satans]

What's your projection for Cepedes?

[Captain Hook]

What's your projection for Cepedes?

It's CESPEDES

[Hells Satans]

What's your projection for Cepedes?

It's CESPEDES

I prefer Cepedes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

C'mon, let's load Shawn up with more questions than this. And don't forget to be here on Sunday night when Shawn is forced to type and think at the same time!! Should be entertaining.

Shawn, I'll see you next Friday in Phoenix. I'm already lining up a good group of NFBC locals to join us for a game or two. Be ready.

[Nevadaman]

Hi Shawn, 1) Who will be the first three closers to lose their jobs? Will Mike Trout get enough at bats to be a productive fantasy player?

[Doctor Who]

Hey Shawn, you love aggressive style strategies in auctions, as you shocked everyone with your 3 SS last year.

1) What are some of the most agressive auction strategies you have seen work in the NFBC?

2) Are the strategies different for you in mixed league auctions vs AL or NL only auctions? If so, how?

[southpaw23]

Assuming you've filled out your potential starters with your first 25 picks, what is your typical strategy or what do you like to accomplish in those last few rounds?
Handcuff your closers? Grab some extra SP's that pitch in good home parks and would be a good matchup/2 start guy? Grab a 3rd C in case of injury? Go for a big prospect that probably won't make the team out of spring but you never know?

[Foo Dog]

Mike Morse, about same age as Jose when he broke loose. bigger and stronger but less FBs. I have seen him go as early as a #2 but usually a 4 or 5. Last year he was almost a flyer, does he take that next step or not? The reason I don't play (yet) in the main is my struggles with 15 team leagues. When I saw the NFBC XII I was all in ASAP. I saw on your web site that you some times have problems with the 12 team format, what is the big difference? Why do you think I can't make that transition? What are you leaning towards in your KDS? (Don't answer that if it may corrupt your plans). Thank you.

[Bob Enzyte]

Shaun, you have put a lot of work into your site. Do you think that all the writing helps you or hurts you in your NFBC endeavors?

[Rog]

In my last slow draft 60 pitchers went in the first 10 rounds.1 team in general had 5 pitchers in his first 9 picks.With that many pitchers flying off the board do you think it is still possible to go heavy on hitting and get enough of an advantage to grab enough good pitching late to still win a league? The main?
Does this make you feel like you must start grabbing pitching or put the blinders on and stick to a master plan?
In the same draft 1 team drafted one 1st baseman and 4 outfielders with his first 5 picks,1 team went of,1b,3b,2nd,c, and 1 team went 2b,sp,1b,of and c.Now we all know that you cant win a draft with your first 5 picks but you can lose one,do you believe in sticking to a game plan at all costs ,position scarcity or best player on the board?

[Joe Sambito]

Shawn,

Typically in a 15-team draft, you have to "cheat" some area. in the past you have "cheated" on closers. What area do you foresee yourself 'cheating" on considering this year's inventory of players?

[gpchurchill]

Hi Shawn,

thanks for taking the time out of your crazy schedule. great work at sportsdraftdaily. i've been pointing every fantasy player i know in that direction.

i have some questions about preparing for the nfbc 15 team mixed auction championship.

I've been playing A.l. auction and N.L. auction roto since 1985. This season will be my first try at a mixed league auction, apr 1, in vegas. i think i have a fairly clear idea how to build my pre-draft player values for single league play. I am guessing that for a mixed league, i should adjust the expected costs at auction down, because of the increased supply. kemp should cost less in a mixed than in an N.L., and adjust from there based on all the normal factors. is this the case ? i have adjusted prices down by the percent difference between population base drafted, mixed vs single league. does that sound correct?

I am guessing that post-auction, seeing as the quality of players available to draft for your bench is much stronger in a mixed, than in a single league, that my targets should change. what is your post-auction draft strategy for filling your bench in a 15 team mixed?

finally, of the several championship teams i looked at in high stakes leagues from 2011, many finished the season no where near the top of the leader board in saves. last year's mixed auction champ tallied four saves. also, almost all those teams finished high in the other four pitching categories. Do you think those team's success will result in downward pressure on the price of closers this year, and increase the cost at auction of top starters?

thanks again,
spitball

[The Franchise]

1. I think Hanley will have another bad year and think that end of first/ early second is too early for him. I think he hits less than 20 HR with ballpark 25 SB and .280 AVG Here are the 3 reasons why:

1. I don't think he is going to adjust to 3B all, that well
2. Shoulder surgery will sapp his power this year/ Example: A-Gone last year
3. I'm hearing ballpark could play similar to Citifield

What are your thoughts?

2. I have always been in love with Rasmus. Like Rihanna, Did I find love in a hopeless place?

3. With pitching dominating lately do you think more teams play small ball and that we could see 75+ SB guys again?

4. Matt Moore seems to have caught your eye. The question is when the chips are on the table are you going trust him as your #2 pitcher?

5. Rent to own daughter. When does that expire?

6. What's your least favorite thing to do and why. Wear a suit or draft a pitcher in the 1st rd?