NFBC Message Boards

Okay, it's time for a fireside chat with me tomorrow afternoon as we sit down with a Corona together and talk some baseball. Tom and I have already done several Industry League drafts, we've produced two fantasy baseball magazines and are on deadline with a third one and we're working hard on other major news. But it's time to sit down with our customers and chat some.



I'll be here tomorrow at 2 p.m. EST for an hour to take all of your questions and comments. You can even get the ball rolling with some questions ahead of time if you'd like and I'll ask my publicist to draw up the answers for me! Bring it on, anything that's on your mind. We'll have some fun with this.



Tom will take over after this and do AT LEAST one live chat per week until Draft Day. We'll also bring in industry guys like Ron Shandler, Matthew Berry, Nate Ravitz and others like we did last year for live chats. It's time to get these Message Boards rolling with baseball talk. Are you ready?



Bring it on!!! I'm ready.

Question #1 - Will we be receiving those cool player Draft Event Passes this season and can I receive mine from the lovely Jill again in March?

greg- non fantasy question ( sort of). are the brewers, cubs and dodgers in a race to see who can field the worst defense of the 21st century?

GA - I don't have any Coronas in the fridge, but will grab a replacement beverage and see you tomorrow.



For the Q box - In Vegas will there be more space to isolate the individual leagues better at the draft, or could they put more partitions between them to cut down the noise?



Is there any activity on tap for Friday evening?

If you don't have entertainment scheduled, you could add evening auction leagues - only additional rule needed = one adult beverage per round.

Originally posted by Sack:

Question #1 - Will we be receiving those cool player Draft Event Passes this season and can I receive mine from the lovely Jill again in March? Yes, we are working on those right now. We think we have a very fine card sponsor lined up and you'll like them. Donruss doesn't have a baseball card license, so it looks like our options are Topps and Upper Deck. We should have that finalized soon.



The lovely Jill will be among our entourage in Las Vegas and she will take care of Sack and Chips if he's around!

Originally posted by headhunters:

greg- non fantasy question ( sort of). are the brewers, cubs and dodgers in a race to see who can field the worst defense of the 21st century? Hah, good question. I'll speak for the Brewers on this one. Rickie Weeks actually finished well at second base as I think he had like three errors in his last 54 games or something like that. A lot of folks want to move him to centerfield, but I think if the Brewers are patient he could be a good defensive second baseman. A healthy J.J. Hardy makes the defense stronger there, but it will be interesting to see who mans centerfield if Billy Hall is in left field and Corey Hart is in right field. I can't see Hart in center if Jenkins isn't traded.



I'll let others speak on the Cubs' and Dodgers' behalf!

Originally posted by Captain Hook:

GA - I don't have any Coronas in the fridge, but will grab a replacement beverage and see you tomorrow.



For the Q box - In Vegas will there be more space to isolate the individual leagues better at the draft, or could they put more partitions between them to cut down the noise?



Is there any activity on tap for Friday evening?

If you don't have entertainment scheduled, you could add evening auction leagues - only additional rule needed = one adult beverage per round. There will NOT be partitions for the main event as I am a believer that the wide open look of multiple leagues is a beautiful site and a cool thing to partake in. However, this year we do have 20,000 square feet at the Flamingo and 30,000 square feet at the Javits Center. Since each U takes up about 850 square feet, we should be in GREAT shape to spread out the concourses. I'd love to get 10-12 leagues in Vegas and really give everyone space to spread out. So it should work out.



Friday night the auction leagues start at 4 p.m. and usually end around 10:00 or so. The ESPN Zone is right across the street (well, kind of), so buy me a drink there!!

Will owners in an auction or main event league be able to plug their laptops in once the draft starts

hey greg!!!



will there be nfbc hats this year???? RT



counting down the days my brotha!!

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

Will owners in an auction or main event league be able to plug their laptops in once the draft starts It says right in the rules that you can't do that. Tom will be heading up New York, so have no fear GG, he will control that this year!

Originally posted by RoundTrippers:

hey greg!!!



will there be nfbc hats this year???? RT



counting down the days my brotha!! You know, I kept thinking about buying 100 of those like I did for football and taking care of my guys. I may have a surprise up my sleeve, but nothing is in the house yet. But those 195 original owners from 2004 certainly deserve something, don't they? Let's see what my budget looks like as we get closer to March!

Will unruly message board regulars again be placed in a private room away from the rest of the draftees?

Originally posted by King of Queens:

Will unruly message board regulars again be placed in a private room away from the rest of the draftees? I have the white jacket waiting for Gekko in the Javits Center closet, if that's what you're asking? Nah, this year at the Javits Center we have 30,000 square feet of space reserved, which is enough room for about 30 leagues. We won't use it all and may partition the Saturday draft a bit, but the price was right and it eliminates any worries about having too many registrants for the main event.

Will unruly message board regulars again be placed in a private room away from the rest of the draftees?Hey, I was next to Gekko!



I didn't see too many obnoxious people in NY7 last year.



As for the questions, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 2, so I'll miss the chat. Here are my questions:



1. Who do you see as this year's Justin Morneau?



2. What type of foundation should an owner look for when drafting in the 1st three rounds? (Example: 300 combined avg, 300 runs, 100 HR, 300 rbi, 75 sb) or go after pitching? I know it depends on several factors like draft spot, who is falling, etc. Ok, I guess put this way, if you were drafting in the 11-12-13 spot area, which three players would you target, assuming there are no serious drops.



3. ARod seems like sure thing at 3B. If my pick came up and he were available, would you pass on him, opting for a 3b later, as the pool seems deep. Of course you run the risk of losing out on later pick to someone else. At the same time, you can get another player in 1st round to satisfy another position, who may not provide the same stats as ARod. (Do you pass on sure thing to gain advantage at another position or grab sure thing?)

Originally posted by poopy tooth:

2. What type of foundation should an owner look for when drafting in the 1st three rounds? (Example: 300 combined avg, 300 runs, 100 HR, 300 rbi, 75 sb) or go after pitching? 300 AVG, 300 Runs, 100 HR, 300 RBI, and 75 SB in three picks?



Wow!



You think you could get ARod, Soriano, and Jeter with your first three rounds?

Greg,



As a Brewer insider, what do you think the Brewers are going to do with Kevin Mench? Does he fit into the Brewers' plans? I know his head doesn't fit into many helmets...

Originally posted by Joe Sambito:

Greg,



As a Brewer insider, what do you think the Brewers are going to do with Kevin Mench? Does he fit into the Brewers' plans? I know his head doesn't fit into many helmets... They are trying to trade him with no luck. He didn't impress anyone last year and he's a fifth outfielder right now with a pretty hefty salary. Billy Hall will start in left field and right field is already crowded, so he's a goner. Mench and Geoff Jenkins are definitely on the trade block and as much as the Brewers hate to eat salaries, they may have to take on some of that with both players to trade them.

Okay, I'm in the house. Bring on the questions!! I'm here for an hour or so before I have to pick up the kids from school.

Greg,Do you think that some players took longer to come around after the World Baseball Championship ?Quite a few players that participated in the event have big halfway splits.

can/will Randy Johnson pitch like a #1, or more like a #3 or worse ?

here's another - in 3 drafts so far I've seen Matsuzaka go 6th, 7th and 9th rd - where would you take him ? or maybe a better question, does he rank above/below Sheets, Felix, Lackey, Smoltz & Schmidt ?

Originally posted by poopy tooth:

quote:Will unruly message board regulars again be placed in a private room away from the rest of the draftees?Hey, I was next to Gekko!



I didn't see too many obnoxious people in NY7 last year.



As for the questions, I have a doctor's appointment tomorrow at 2, so I'll miss the chat. Here are my questions:



1. Who do you see as this year's Justin Morneau?



2. What type of foundation should an owner look for when drafting in the 1st three rounds? (Example: 300 combined avg, 300 runs, 100 HR, 300 rbi, 75 sb) or go after pitching? I know it depends on several factors like draft spot, who is falling, etc. Ok, I guess put this way, if you were drafting in the 11-12-13 spot area, which three players would you target, assuming there are no serious drops.



3. ARod seems like sure thing at 3B. If my pick came up and he were available, would you pass on him, opting for a 3b later, as the pool seems deep. Of course you run the risk of losing out on later pick to someone else. At the same time, you can get another player in 1st round to satisfy another position, who may not provide the same stats as ARod. (Do you pass on sure thing to gain advantage at another position or grab sure thing?) [/QUOTE]1. Let's see, it's hard to find a guy who was coming off mononucleosis who can then go and win the MVP Award. I don't have a player to mention in that mold. I do think someone like Mark Buehrle, who was awful last year and is going in rounds 18-20 is a candidate to bounce back and put up good numbers. He's heading into his contract year and after seeing what Barry Zito got, he has to be thinking about the biggest payday he'll ever see. Yes, he was awful last year, but he has a lot to play for this year.



2. Your first three rounds MUST be your foundation for your team. You can't take risks in the first three rounds. I don't shoot for specific numbers, just guaranteed performances. A-Rod is a rock that I'd gladly build my foundation on. At 11-13, you could land David Wright, David Ortiz or Miguel Cabrera. Not a bad start. Then coming back you might get Jeter or Texeira. Again, not bad.

Originally posted by DiamondKing:

Greg,Do you think that some players took longer to come around after the World Baseball Championship ?Quite a few players that participated in the event have big halfway splits. Absolutely. I think the bigger concern is that these guys -- especially pitchers -- had to get ready much EARLIER to be game-ready in early March. Those weren't exhibition games, so they had to start throwing earlier in January and February and in the end it was just too long of a season for those guys. MLB would be wise to do that at season's end, rather than in early March.

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

can/will Randy Johnson pitch like a #1, or more like a #3 or worse ? KJ, RJ is like almost as old as me and I'm not what I used to be! How can you expect him to be the same?



When I watched Johnson the last two years, the fact that so many hitters took him yard tells me he's lost it. He gave up 32 homers in 2005 and 28 homers last year. Clemens gave up 11 in 2005 and 7 last year (in fewer starts, obviously). One guy still has it and the other guy isn't fooling anyone anymore.

Originally posted by KJ Duke:

here's another - in 3 drafts so far I've seen Matsuzaka go 6th, 7th and 9th rd - where would you take him ? or maybe a better question, does he rank above/below Sheets, Felix, Lackey, Smoltz & Schmidt ? Yeah, he went 82nd overall in our KP Experts League. Tom and I have him ranked 138th overall and 29th among starting pitchers, lower than he's been going in drafts we've seen. But no way should he go ahead of the pitchers above.