Shandler on NFBC entry

[Gekko]

partial exerpt from article on HQ website...



My challenge now is to figure out how to use this information to help me compete in the NFBC in 2010. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle, right?



All of the inputs create a profile of the high-stakes fantasy player. My opponents next month...



*will likely have a strong self-perception of their ability, possibly inflated.



*yet could still have some real expertise.



*likely will rely on proven strategies and take few risks.



*will likely be motivated by the potential for cash winnings, perhaps even moreso than the competition.



*In addition, they may be extra-motivated to take down the "expert."



How do you defeat such an opponent? Manpower.



If it takes a village to raise a child, it may well take an army to win a high-stakes fantasy league. So I have assembled an army. Actually, more of a "management team." Sam Walker may have used a few "consultants" in his Fantasyland saga, but his 2004 downfall could well have been that he didn't have enough of them.



My army is five strong. Dave Adler, Brian Rudd, Joe Hoffer and Bill Macey will be joining me in this experiment. Each of us will have assigned roles in managing this team. Just like Major League GMs don't do everything themselves, this team will also be run as a group effort.

[Gekko]

my response as posted on the HQ forums...



"Interesting article.



As someone who has played in the NFBC since the start, I think you have your work cut out for you.



1. You are new to the event

2. You will feel implied pressure to do well

3. You will feel implied pressure to "follow" what HQ prescribes (for if you don't you will be called out for it)

4. You have a "team" of people with their own responsibilities (NEVER works and finger pointing will begin)

5. Everyone has an ego, including somone who has their own website, book, etc...

6. A lot of your HQ thinking has been published, ie, people have your playbook, but you do not have theirs. For example, don't expect owners to let Wandy slip knowing that you covet him.



Seeing how we are both drafting in Citi Field, I am hopeful we will be in the same league. It will be fun."

[GOD Loves You]

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron?

[Gekko]

Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron? listen, RON wrote the article aboout the NFBC. remember back in 2004 when he wrote an article bashing a lot of NFBCers?



i'm commenting on the article he wrote. you know, this is a message board where people comment on things.



next, are you going to question me about why i care so much about fantasy baseball? i also write more posts to Greg than Ron. maybe you could question me about why i care for Greg too.



may i suggest you focus your time and energies on drafting a team that can hit more than 232 hr. THAT IMO would be a much more productive use of you fantasy baseball time.

[Glenneration X]

Hey Mark.....why do you care so much about fantasy baseball?





Glenn

[Greg Ambrosius]

Originally posted by Gekko:

partial exerpt from article on HQ website...



My challenge now is to figure out how to use this information to help me compete in the NFBC in 2010. After all, knowing your enemy is half the battle, right?



All of the inputs create a profile of the high-stakes fantasy player. My opponents next month...



*will likely have a strong self-perception of their ability, possibly inflated.



*yet could still have some real expertise.



*likely will rely on proven strategies and take few risks.



*will likely be motivated by the potential for cash winnings, perhaps even moreso than the competition.



*In addition, they may be extra-motivated to take down the "expert."



How do you defeat such an opponent? Manpower.



If it takes a village to raise a child, it may well take an army to win a high-stakes fantasy league. So I have assembled an army. Actually, more of a "management team." Sam Walker may have used a few "consultants" in his Fantasyland saga, but his 2004 downfall could well have been that he didn't have enough of them.



My army is five strong. Dave Adler, Brian Rudd, Joe Hoffer and Bill Macey will be joining me in this experiment. Each of us will have assigned roles in managing this team. Just like Major League GMs don't do everything themselves, this team will also be run as a group effort.



This is great news and I applaud Ron for this idea. When he told me and Ryan what he was going to do this year, I thought it was a fantastic idea and one that will bring attention to the NFBC. Ron is right, MLB GMs have a team of experts analyzing each area of their teams, so why not do that with the highest-stakes league he can win? I love it.



It will be great editorial content for his users and now this is the "team" to beat for a lot of you. Ron is stating that his team of writers is ALL IN on this team and bringing the best competition to the table is what all of you are looking for. Nobody wants an industry expert in this event who just shows up to draft and then fakes it through the year. Ron not only isn't half-assing this venture, he's OUT TO WIN!!



All of us should be applauding him for his war plan in the NFBC. And again, I know he will write about this team and bring attention to the NFBC that we couldn't buy on his site. This is great, great news.



Now, can anyone beat his army of experts? Let's find out. May the best team win.

[The Franchise]

"maybe you could question me why i care for Greg too."





Actually, now that you said something the thought did cross my mind?

[The Mighty Men]

Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron? "recognition envy"

[The Franchise]

This was also part of an article on their website.....





{"While the standings are obviously very important, as always, we are very focused on the process throughout this experience. Therefore, we have decided to give our readers an in-depth look at our preparation, our draft, and our in-season management. We will be running columns on a regular basis that will provide you with details of the process that we are using to manage this team. You will get the scoop on our strategy, our roster management, and just how the five-person management team is working."}



{"In the coming weeks leading up to the draft, we will be taking a look at the advantages/disadvantages that we see in various draft positions, our general draft strategy, and ADP trends. After the draft, we will take a look back at how our plan worked, some other things that we took away from draft day in New York, and a preview of the first few weeks for our team. These are just a few of the columns that we have lined up. We think it is going to be an entertaining experience, and look forward to getting feedback from you, our readers. "}





Not only does he expect to do well.....He expects you to know his strategy while he's doing it?!?





To be honest. I think his strategy will be similar to Gekko's.



He hopes everyone is so consumed with what he is doing or not doing, that they lose focus of their own draft plan.

[Gekko]

Originally posted by The Mighty Men:

quote:Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron? "recognition envy" [/QUOTE]hey, it's the self-appointed MB cop. shouldn't you be on the wcofb boards?

[Gekko]

Originally posted by The Franchise:

To be honest. I think his strategy will be similar to Gekko's.



He hopes everyone is so consumed with what he is doing or not doing, that they lose focus of their own draft plan. sheep do get slaughtered.

[GOD Loves You]

Originally posted by Gekko:

quote:Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron? i'm commenting on the article he wrote. you know, this is a message board where people comment on things.



next, are you going to question me about why i care so much about fantasy baseball? i also write more posts to Greg than Ron. maybe you could question me about why i care for Greg too.



may i suggest you focus your time and energies on drafting a team that can hit more than 232 hr. THAT IMO would be a much more productive use of you fantasy baseball time. [/QUOTE]Exactly, it's a board and I'm commenting on your incessant use of Shandler's name. Shandler this, Shandler that, only a select few seem to be as concerned about one person.



Maybe I should suggest you focus your energies on baseball and not one person.



BTW, the last time I checked, our leagues are decided by 10 categories and not one. I didn't focus on HR's, hence the low amount.....or maybe I can use the "I have 4 kids excuse."

[GOD Loves You]

Mark, in all seriousness, since you obviously know Shandler and HQ as well as anyone, where do you anticipate him finishing?

[Gekko]

Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

or maybe I can use the "I have 4 kids excuse." you can't use that one, you said you were unemployed

[Gekko]

Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Mark, in all seriousness, since you obviously know Shandler and HQ as well as anyone, where do you anticipate him finishing? in the top half of the league. maybe an outside shot at making the money

[Schwks]

I heard much of what Gekko wrote on his podcast. A couple of interesting points:



1. I DO believe that NFBCers for the most part will be utilizing very simialr strategies. Raise your hand if youve had a sip of the Childs' 75-75 Kool Aid? Id guess there are a lot of hands up in the air right now.



2. Ego I believe is not at play and if Shandler is counting on that, he will not find an edge. I believe that even Gekko is quite humble about his chance if you put him under a lie detector. This means that even the best of NFBC'ers have confidence in their abilities, probably based upon prior success at NFBC or local leagues, but overconfidence is tossed out the window when you see the extreme work and prep that goes into people's drafts and thought processes. If people were so overconfident I do not think youd see that kind of effort.



3. I agree with Gekko that number of people to perform the work does not translate into success in fantasy baseball. The statistical analysis as well as the news research are all important, but all need to be filtered through a player's gut. Having 5 "guts" is impossible. The "gut" is what wins fantasy baseball IMO, at least on a consistent basis.



4. Shandler constantly decries the monetary reward aspect of fantasy baseball...which is ludicrous. The high stakes I would argue, for most people is important because it increases the amount that each team cares about winning and keeping his team competitive. Ever do a Yahoo league with nothing on the line? By May, most owners will never look at hteir team again. (Im in an NBA yahoo league and there have been no pick ups for a month) So yeah its nice to have a league like Tout where winning comes wth accolades and recognition, but that is one in a million



All of this said, Shandler's entry along with publishing his team nd thinking will only serve to help make the NFBC the premier league. As such, I think tha his entry is a great thing for the league

[Greg Ambrosius]

Originally posted by The Franchise:

This was also part of an article on their website.....





{"While the standings are obviously very important, as always, we are very focused on the process throughout this experience. Therefore, we have decided to give our readers an in-depth look at our preparation, our draft, and our in-season management. We will be running columns on a regular basis that will provide you with details of the process that we are using to manage this team. You will get the scoop on our strategy, our roster management, and just how the five-person management team is working."}



{"In the coming weeks leading up to the draft, we will be taking a look at the advantages/disadvantages that we see in various draft positions, our general draft strategy, and ADP trends. After the draft, we will take a look back at how our plan worked, some other things that we took away from draft day in New York, and a preview of the first few weeks for our team. These are just a few of the columns that we have lined up. We think it is going to be an entertaining experience, and look forward to getting feedback from you, our readers. "}





Not only does he expect to do well.....He expects you to know his strategy while he's doing it?!?





To be honest. I think his strategy will be similar to Gekko's.



He hopes everyone is so consumed with what he is doing or not doing, that they lose focus of their own draft plan. Thanks for posting this Nelson. I didn't see this post initially. This is exactly what Ron told us he'd do and this is fantastic. The NFBC is going to get coverage on the BaseballHQ site like CreativeSports has been doing the last several years. This is good for everyone.



As for Patrick and others looking out for Ron, honestly all, I think Ron understands this goes with the territory. He's likely the highest profile industry writer in our event and many of our players use his guides and drafting tools. It's only common for folks to battle him through taunts, rants and other forms of one-upsmanship. I think Ron has thick enough skin to handle this. Heck, he's had people blaming him for losing their league titles because of his advice for years, so he can take it!! He's helped more than he's hurt, but of course he only hears from the loudest in the group and that isn't any different here.



I'm very excited to have Ron in the NFBC. I hope he's in Phoenix in two weeks for LABR, but I think he's on tour that weekend. He's a great competitor, a great addition to the NFBC and this team concept in the NFBC is a great idea. I look forward to reading it every week...as will most of you.

[The Mighty Men]

Originally posted by Gekko:

quote:Originally posted by The Mighty Men:

quote:Originally posted by GOD Loves You:

Seriously, why do you care so much about Ron? "recognition envy" [/QUOTE]hey, it's the self-appointed MB cop. shouldn't you be on the wcofb boards? [/QUOTE]You can write whatever you like Mr. Gekko, as you always do.

[Gekko]

Originally posted by Schwks:

2. Ego I believe is not at play and if Shandler is counting on that, he will not find an edge. I believe that even Gekko is quite humble about his chance if you put him under a lie detector. even though i may be brash on the boards at time, I TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED ON THE FANTASY BASEBALL DIAMOND. it comes down to having a feasible plan and then executing. if done correctly, draft day should be a bit on the boring side actually.

[Walla Walla]

Ron Shandler's Gang remind's me of Charles Mason Gang. He's GOD. Except Ron sold the HQ and doesn't really do the stats anymore. By my standards he's rich!

So he calls on his former workers to form a team.

Is this Ron Shandler drafting or his former company jumping in with a team. I think the company. Of course Lindy had a Army of Pigs last year. So who am I to question.

[Jim Christie]

I actually enjoyed this thread and glad it was started. I also enjoy all the different personalities in the NFBC; I even like Gekko now...

[JohnZ]

Having one partner is problematic IMO.



In most cases, both guys want to be the chief and they don't clearly define their roles up front.



Having a team of five with clearly assigned roles (faab, draft strategy, etc) could work out great if they execute the plan.



I drafted against Ron (he had #1, I had #14) in the FSTA Draft a few weeks ago. It was a 14 team league.



All I have to say is he took advantage of some very poor picks prior to his picks and the man has plenty of game. He had a solid plan and he stuck to it. I really doubt he cares about your plan and he hopes you waste your time trying to figure out his.

[GOD Loves You]

Ron has already produced his picture for the front cover of next years mag. He stated he didn't care about holding the check.

[GOD Loves You]

There's also a rumor on what Ron will be wearing. Supposedly he stated he will be wearing these.....simply for easy access for others.

[kgrady]

Originally posted by Gekko:

listen, RON wrote the article about the NFBC. remember back in 2004 when he wrote an article bashing a lot of NFBCers? I was in the league that Ron was the facilitator for back in 2004. Yes, he was critical in his post-draft article, but most of his points were very fair. There were a few participants that were in over their heads. One team must have called out ten names of players that had already been drafted. Ron asserted that there were some really bad picks made during the draft. That's more a matter of opinion, but frankly I have come away from all 6 NFBC main event draft feeling the same way. One or two selections usually leave me scratching my head, but heck others probably feel the same way about some of mine. I think it's great that Ron is partaking this year. Should be fun!



Kevin