Any chance of getting.....

[Teufel Hunden]

Wanted to bring some items up early in the off-season to see if we could get some added by the start of 2017 drafting/play.

1) A single owner standing page. It would be nice to click on a page and be able to see every team I own, where they are in league and overall standings, points in league and overall. Ideally it would break all categories out by points as well. For me it would make managing many teams easier and encourage me to play even more. Guessing it would do the same for many other owners.
2) Improve the overall standings/live overall standings link. If I am looking at a DC team and click on overall standings it takes me to Main Event standings. Would seem to be more efficient to go directly to overall standings for format I am viewing.
3) Get rid of the non NFBC fantasy baseball stats displayed on live team stats. I don't need to see that one of my hitters committed an error in today's game.
4) Get rid of LF/CF/RF on player page. For our purposes we only care about OF games played. Adding 3 OF categories just complicates and clutters view.
5) Get rid of blown save on team page. NFBC does not use the stat so IMO it does not add anything to page.

I am sure there are many additional issues others would like addressed. Perhaps we could add them on and start working to make it happen. Don't want to get to March and hear "great idea, but we are too busy right now, maybe next year." Thanks.

[King of Queens]

All of these changes are fine with me, so long as we keep the "on fire" designation.

[Bronx Yankees]

As long as we are sending Greg and Tom our wish lists:

1. Can we get the draft room open before Thanksgiving this year? I'm hoping the draft room does not require any additional surgery during this off-season and that all that needs to be done is to enter this year's youngsters to the player lists and update positional eligibility. Now that I've had my two weeks off following the end of the regular/fantasy season, I'm getting that itch to draft again. If memory serves, there is a group of NFBC'ers ready and willing to draft now or real soon. The question is will we be able? Seems like extra money in the NFBC's pockets if the draft room opens earlier than last year. I think the goal should be to have the draft room open by no later than the day after the World Series ends.

2. Can we keep the option of using the old FAAB pages for at least another season? I'll admit to being a technological dinosaur who generally prefers the status quo over change, but I still find the original FAAB set-up easier to navigate, at least on my iPad which I use predominantly for NFBC purposes.

3. Is there any way to fix the problem with Auto Pick where if you are in the draft room on one device (e.g., laptop) and set Auto Pick and then enter the draft room through another device (e.g., smart phone), the Auto Pick turns off? This problem seemingly rears its ugly head in virtually every DC draft causing multi-hour delays until the person who thought his/her pick was being made automatically can be contacted or otherwise realizes that Auto Pick got turned off.

Thanks!

Mike

[jvetter]

3. Is there any way to fix the problem with Auto Pick where if you are in the draft room on one device (e.g., laptop) and set Auto Pick and then enter the draft room through another device (e.g., smart phone), the Auto Pick turns off? This problem seemingly rears its ugly head in virtually every DC draft causing multi-hour delays until the person who thought his/her pick was being made automatically can be contacted or otherwise realizes that Auto Pick got turned off.

+1

I think this would help speed up drafts significantly and be less frustrating for new users that don't know the quirks of the software.

[mbendar16]

Is there any chance of getting the draft champions separated into 3 groups of speed? This always seems to come up after these drafts start and could set a good tone to either change it accept the way things are without change.

Please let this gain some tration so it takes the top thread over the election.

[Doggy]

I love the idea of a 2hr 4hr 8hr slow drafts in DC. Should go along way to easing the fustration that drafters have.

[mbendar16]

I was referring more to slow, medium and fast. I have been in a drafts that took 5 days and ones that have taken weeks, so the clock is not the main factor. Setting the expectations when you sign up, especially for new players, is more important in my opinion. There are already different price points on the sign up page, adding a slow, medium and fast number of rounds expected seems to be a way to make these leagues better and potentially grow more.

[Greg Ambrosius]

The quick answer here is that YES we are working to get the site live early in November and hopefully hosting Draft Champions leagues earlier than last year. We're updating the site now and working on the Player Default List, Eligibility and everything else. There's a lot to finish up but I guarantee that IT is working on it as we speak. My hope is that we will be drafting earlier than ever before. But payments MUST go out first to 2016 winners.

We have some incredible plans going forward and I think you're going to like what we have to announce for 2017. More to come on all of that very shortly. That being said, we won't be coming out of the gate with all of these requested features that everyone wants. We're getting the site up with last year's draft rooms and without 2-Round Auto for the DCs. It's just the truth. But a tech upgrade in many aspects of our online products is on the horizon and we'll talk about that right after our 2017 launch. Online is where the growth area is and you are going to see a concentrated effort to improve that with our season-long games and quite possibly with some new in-season offerings.

Another item of note is that we know how valuable our Draft Champions format is and improving the drafting experience in this format is top of mind for us. That means in drafting and in mobile. All of what we want won't be there to start out in 2017, but everyone agrees that those features need to be added to improve the experience and quality of this format. Adding the features people want in the DCs -- even adding clocks to individual drafters -- has been included in our future plans. Give me a chance to explain the timeline on all of this shortly.

We also know that there's a real growing trend in football for optimal scoring lineups and contests that introduce our game to more users through this easy Draft 'n Play format. I think we can grow baseball and basketball the same way. I'm not sure if we'll do this beyond the Cutline Championship in 2017 but it's definitely in my plans for the very near future. People want to draft and the NFBC and our other contests have to give people more ways to enjoy that. If lower-priced, entry-level optimal scoring contests can be devised and it helps bring in new users we should try it.

In clarifying this post, I'm responding to the questions to say that yes we hear you on all of the requests and we'll clue you in on the plans to address all of this very soon. Tech is very much the next announcement. But be ready to draft, be patient with us on technology and look for your winning checks very soon. Good things are coming your way soon.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Is there any chance of getting the draft champions separated into 3 groups of speed? This always seems to come up after these drafts start and could set a good tone to either change it accept the way things are without change.

Please let this gain some tration so it takes the top thread over the election.

We have 4 hour and 8 hour options on Registration right now, but nobody ever signs up for the 4 hour option. This seems like a fast and a slow option. That being said, sure we'll continue to provide separate leagues for those who want a faster drafting experience and whether that means creating Message Board threads to create those leagues or something else we'll help in that process. Last year Dan Kenyon and Mike Massotto helped manage several "Fast" DCs that finished within a week and a lot of folks like that. Say the word and we'll get you in one of those.

But as for Registration, we have two DC options now and hopefully more owners will push the 4-hour leagues this year.

[Greg Ambrosius]

One item we will also have to address is the state-by-state taxes and licenses that we're dealing with. Virginia residents will be exempted by the NFBC starting in 2017. There's no way around that state bill, which is asking for a $50,000 licensing fee to run season-long fantasy baseball in the state. It's part of their DFS bill, but they are including season-long in the mix.

We have applied for a license in Indiana, which also has a $50,000 licensing fee, and we hope that they will deal with each company individually after they have finalized the licensing process. That isn't in place yet, but should be soon and then we'll see what happens. New York and Missouri have onerous state taxes and we'll have to pass those on to state residents. It's either that or exit those states. We're still working through all of this and will need to have this discussion once we launch the site as well.

At this point our goal is still to host live drafts in Las Vegas, New York and even Chicago. We'll return to the Windy City for baseball after exiting there for football. Let's keep things alive in the Windy City. New York is obviously tricky right now, but our hope is to return to Manhattan for a 14th straight season and work with New York if needed. We've started that process now. Again, hopefully New York residents (and other residents of states now taxing their residents to play) understand what we're dealing with to keep our contests live in their states.

More discussions on all of this soon. Thanks all and good luck.

[Bronx Yankees]

The quick answer here is that YES we are working to get the site live early in November and hopefully hosting Draft Champions leagues earlier than last year. We're updating the site now and working on the Player Default List, Eligibility and everything else. There's a lot to finish up but I guarantee that IT is working on it as we speak. My hope is that we will be drafting earlier than ever before. But payments MUST go out first to 2016 winners.

We have some incredible plans going forward and I think you're going to like what we have to announce for 2017. More to come on all of that very shortly. That being said, we won't be coming out of the gate with all of these requested features that everyone wants. We're getting the site up with last year's draft rooms and without 2-Round Auto for the DCs. It's just the truth. But a tech upgrade in many aspects of our online products is on the horizon and we'll talk about that right after our 2017 launch. Online is where the growth area is and you are going to see a concentrated effort to improve that with our season-long games and quite possibly with some new in-season offerings.

Another item of note is that we know how valuable our Draft Champions format is and improving the drafting experience in this format is top of mind for us. That means in drafting and in mobile. All of what we want won't be there to start out in 2017, but everyone agrees that those features need to be added to improve the experience and quality of this format. Adding the features people want in the DCs -- even adding clocks to individual drafters -- has been included in our future plans. Give me a chance to explain the timeline on all of this shortly.

We also know that there's a real growing trend in football for optimal scoring lineups and contests that introduce our game to more users through this easy Draft 'n Play format. I think we can grow baseball and basketball the same way. I'm not sure if we'll do this beyond the Cutline Championship in 2017 but it's definitely in my plans for the very near future. People want to draft and the NFBC and our other contests have to give people more ways to enjoy that. If lower-priced, entry-level optimal scoring contests can be devised and it helps bring in new users we should try it.

In clarifying this post, I'm responding to the questions to say that yes we hear you on all of the requests and we'll clue you in on the plans to address all of this very soon. Tech is very much the next announcement. But be ready to draft, be patient with us on technology and look for your winning checks very soon. Good things are coming your way soon.

Greg: This sounds fantastic! Really looking to hearing more about the upcoming plans. One note: as successful as the DC leagues already are, I think there is room for more growth if the experience is improved further and folks are able to draft at or closer to their desired speeds without some of the periodic frustrations. Good luck with the rollout.

Mike

[Bronx Yankees]

One item we will also have to address is the state-by-state taxes and licenses that we're dealing with. Virginia residents will be exempted by the NFBC starting in 2017. There's no way around that state bill, which is asking for a $50,000 licensing fee to run season-long fantasy baseball in the state. It's part of their DFS bill, but they are including season-long in the mix.

We have applied for a license in Indiana, which also has a $50,000 licensing fee, and we hope that they will deal with each company individually after they have finalized the licensing process. That isn't in place yet, but should be soon and then we'll see what happens. New York and Missouri have onerous state taxes and we'll have to pass those on to state residents. It's either that or exit those states. We're still working through all of this and will need to have this discussion once we launch the site as well.

At this point our goal is still to host live drafts in Las Vegas, New York and even Chicago. We'll return to the Windy City for baseball after exiting there for football. Let's keep things alive in the Windy City. New York is obviously tricky right now, but our hope is to return to Manhattan for a 14th straight season and work with New York if needed. We've started that process now. Again, hopefully New York residents (and other residents of states now taxing their residents to play) understand what we're dealing with to keep our contests live in their states.

More discussions on all of this soon. Thanks all and good luck.

This, on the other hand, sounds ominous and depressing (as someone who lives in New York). The new taxes - for no real benefits, at least in our world - just seem like political grandstanding and money-grabbing at its worst. Totally understand STATS needing to pass all or a large chunk of these costs on to its customers, and why it would not be fair to pass them on to customers in the untaxed states. That being stated, this sucks for us in the taxed states, and I really hope that whatever is done has as small an impact as possible on the costs and/or payouts. I seem to recall that the New York tax - which I think only is applied to the net revenues from New York players - wasn't quite as bad as it perhaps sounded at first, but I haven't looked at the legislation in many months and this may be wishful thinking on my part. Anyway, with some trepidation, I guess I look forward to finding out how this will be handled. In terms of the live drafts, I certainly hope you'll be back in New York. That weekend has literally become my favorite weekend of the year.

Mike

[Yah Mule]

One item we will also have to address is the state-by-state taxes and licenses that we're dealing with. Virginia residents will be exempted by the NFBC starting in 2017. There's no way around that state bill, which is asking for a $50,000 licensing fee to run season-long fantasy baseball in the state. It's part of their DFS bill, but they are including season-long in the mix.

We have applied for a license in Indiana, which also has a $50,000 licensing fee, and we hope that they will deal with each company individually after they have finalized the licensing process. That isn't in place yet, but should be soon and then we'll see what happens. New York and Missouri have onerous state taxes and we'll have to pass those on to state residents. It's either that or exit those states. We're still working through all of this and will need to have this discussion once we launch the site as well.

At this point our goal is still to host live drafts in Las Vegas, New York and even Chicago. We'll return to the Windy City for baseball after exiting there for football. Let's keep things alive in the Windy City. New York is obviously tricky right now, but our hope is to return to Manhattan for a 14th straight season and work with New York if needed. We've started that process now. Again, hopefully New York residents (and other residents of states now taxing their residents to play) understand what we're dealing with to keep our contests live in their states.

More discussions on all of this soon. Thanks all and good luck.

If Chicago doesn't pan out, we're constructing a new hotel and convention center in beautiful downtown Greeley. Just thought I would throw that out there.

[Money]

Please fix Live Scoring first and foremost. The delay in seeing the total YTD stats and the constant appearing and disappearing live stats are beyond an annoyance. Thanks.

[Donnie Baseball]

I agree with Mike--Bronx Yankees--that the old FAAB pages are better and easier to use than the new pages. Let's keep what works. I also still prefer the old HTML draft room since I too primarily use mobile devices for fantasy purposes.Good luck to Greg and Tom in trying to meet the wishes of so many. It is no easy task and you do a great job.

Don

[COZ]

If Chicago doesn't pan out, we're constructing a new hotel and convention center in beautiful downtown Greeley. Just thought I would throw that out there.

Pretty sure Chicago will "pan" out just fine, thank you very much, Yah.