Under those rules, the NFBC Solo Shot was called out in 2021 when we cancelled the competition due to a lack of interest. We had unveiled this concept in 2019 and couldn't get it off the ground that year. We then tried again in 2020 and had a solid number of signups before the pandemic shut down the NFBC Solo Shot and all of our contests.
So as a result, the NFBC Solo Shot was sidelined for good in 2021, never to be heard from again.
But after checking the replay, we've reversed the call because we actually fouled off that third pitch in 2021!!
The count returns back to 0-2 and we've still got one swing left in the bat. We think this final swing will hit a home run, so here we go in 2024!!! 
Honestly, I've always felt that a single-entry, season-long, national fantasy baseball championship was a good idea, but convincing enough NFBC owners of that has been much tougher. We started our single-entry, season-long national fantasy football championship in 2018 with the NFFC Silver Bullet and that contest has sold out almost every year, reaching 252 teams in 2023. The fantasy football community loves the single-entry, season-long, national championship concept and it really doesn't take away from our NFFC Primetime Championship. If anything, it enhances that national championship.
So we talked with several die-hard NFBC owners in Las Vegas at the NFFC live events in September and we decided to try this concept once again in the NFBC. We are going to start out small with a $20,000 grand prize based on only 120 teams and 8 leagues. The entry fee remains at $1,000 and we'll pay the Top 3 in each league, including $4,000 to the league champion. We will try to start small and grow this contest through the years and maybe we'll even be surprised this year by growing beyond our expectations. We'll see.
But there seems to be interest from a solid group of NFBC die-hards who not only want to see this concept grow but they want to take their one shot at a live event in Las Vegas. We've added multiple draft times in Las Vegas and we'll let you folks decide which date and time works best to fill up with 15 unique owners. We would love to host multiple live event Solo Shot leagues at the Mirage in Las Vegas and showcase this really cool format.
So again, here's the format for the debut (two strikes against) 2024 NFBC Solo Shot:
* Single-entry national championship; each owner gets just one shot
* 15-Team Leagues
* 32 Rounds, In-Season FAAB
* 5x5 Rotisserie scoring
* $1,000 entry fee
* Pay Top 3 in each league, including $4,000 to 1st place
* $20,000 Guaranteed Grand Prize; Pay Top 10 Overall
* Prizes based on 120 Teams (8 full leagues)
* Live drafts in Las Vegas and Online drafts available
* FAAB only once per month; the first Thursday of every month at 10 pm ET
* Rosters expand to 34 players during the third FAAB run on Thursday, June 6th
Okay, a couple of things to digest from the rules above thanks to the input we received from our veterans.
First of all, this format is similar to the NFBC Main Event (15 teams, 5x5, league and overall prizes), but we are reducing FAAB to just once per month and running FAAB on a Thursday night. This way it won't interrupt any of your other FAAB deadlines you have for like the Main Event, High-Stakes, Auction leagues, etc. The players you pick up on that Thursday can't be put back into your starting lineups until the next Monday.
Because we are having FAAB just once per month, we have expanded rosters to 32 players to start the year. In the past, we proposed 34 players right away for a deeper bench, but that made FAAB during the early periods very thin. By limiting rosters to only 32 players through March, April and May, you should still be able to make solid pickups in FAAB during the April and May FAAB periods.
Then during the June 6th FAAB period, we will expand the rosters to 34 players. In the original draft, every team owner drafts 32 players and we'll add two Placeholders per team. Those Placeholders can't be dropped during the April and May FAAB periods, but in June every team owner can add two more players while dropping their two Placeholders. Their roster will then contain 34 players from June 6th until the end of the year, with FAAB still being held in July, August and September.
Here's the Rules link for the NFBC Solo Shot:
https://nfc.shgn.com/rules/2062
Here's the Lobby and Registration links:
https://nfc.shgn.com/lobby#430
https://nfc.shgn.com/signup/baseball?for=0;2062
I'd like to thank all of the NFBC veterans who came up with this unique format and who pushed us to try the NFBC Solo Shot one more time. I think we have a winning formula this time and I think the $1,000 price point will appeal to our die-hard players and attract new players. It will be interesting to see who can win this national championship with only one shot at the title.
We are interested in your feedback on the new rules and format. We can always tweak things in the future after we get rolling this year. But the key is to get this format off the ground and we think we can do that while guaranteeing only 120 teams and 8 leagues. It's small enough that the risk is minimal and yet the $20,000 grand prize isn't insignificant for all your hard work. Should be fun.
Now, who has what it takes to win the 2024 NFBC Solo Shot? Let's find out with the count 0-2 and a home run season coming!!!
Here's the current signup list:
NFBC SOLO SHOT
LAS VEGAS - Mirage
Thursday, March 21, 10 am PT
1. Bill Gaffney
NFBC SOLO SHOT
LAS VEGAS - Mirage
Saturday, March 23, 4 pm PT
1. TIMOTHY TUNKS
LAS VEGAS - Mirage
Sunday, March 24, 4 pm PT
1. Todd Whitestone
LAS VEGAS - Mirage
Monday, March 25, 10 am PT
1. Anthony Gialde
NFBC SOLO SHOT -- ONLINE
Friday, March 15, 8 pm ET
1. Danny Bronski
NFBC SOLO SHOT - ONLINE
Tuesday, March 19, 8 pm ET
1. Ken Clark
NFBC SOLO SHOT - ONLINE
Saturday, March 23, 8 pm ET
1. David Hinkel
NFBC SOLO SHOT - ONLINE
Sunday, March 24, 8 pm ET
1. Lane McVey
2. Jason Perkins