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Pitcher and Catchers Report!
Man, I love those four words.
Screw the groundhog. THIS, is the first sign of spring.
And with spring comes hope. Hope that our team will do better than last year.
Both our fantasy team and the team's we root for.

For the Indians and their fans, a surprise buying spree have left them wanting to start the season NOW.

For the Yankees, it's merely 'Pitchers Report'...They don't have any catchers.

For Kyle Lohse, it's having Scott Boras completing the check marking of his list:
Must be National League team
Must be pitchers park.
Must have great catcher.
Must have good offense.
Must have great defense.
Must be contender.

And Boras snickers, knowing that the best team for Lohse, and only team fitting those check marks... are the St. Louis Cardinals.

For Scott Rolen, it's the thought of wanting to play and not having a place to play.
The Johnny Damon of last year.

For Dayton Moore, an 'All-in' move on James Shields and then watching the Indians load up in his own division.
Like Custer, he'll mutter the same line, "God Damned Indians!"

For Mets fans, a time to watch Matt Harvey and think about the future....and a time to look at Santana and remember too, the present and past.

For Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria, another chance at health.
They know they have the talent. They know that in their heads. It's their bodies that won't co-operate.

For Phillies fans, another chance to watch the same infielders as they've had for the last 50 years...or so it seems.
Plus the added benefit of watching somebody 10 years younger who moves as 'slothier', Delmon Young.

For Ruben Amaro, it is listening to Phillies fans and going Young.
He signed both Delmon and Michael.

For the Rockies, a new year to trot out that 75 pitch max. It worked so well last year.
It may have saved the arms of their younger hurlers. The problem with that is that they saved the arms of their younger hurlers.

For Mike Napoli, a pay cut of 34 million dollars and he hasn't played an inning.

For Ryan Braun, the same thing as last year...whooda thunk?

For Mariano Rivera, consistency is no longer taken for granted

For Bryce Harper, remember that feeling when we were young and thought we had life by the balls?
Bryce Harper has that feeling.

For Andruw Jones, Sayonara

For Travis Hafner, another chance

For Lance Berkman, see Travis Hafner

For Vin Scully, a well-aged wine

For Tim McCarver, Boones Farm

For the NFBC, new records of participation and tremendous payouts

For the Yahoo Kid, another subscription to Fantasy Monthly and the 'trade of the century' dancing in his head

For Todd Zola, a new calculator...Not to use...to race.

And for all us NFBC'ers, knowing that we are just six weeks from entering what is still the premier league in fantasy baseball.
The Main Event.

Yep, screw the groundhog.
Our six weeks 'on the clock' and it starts with 'Pitchers and Catchers Report'

good stuff Dan

Captain Hook wrote:good stuff Dan

Thanks Perry.
Since writing this, I've had the thought of 50,000 'fans' packed into a huge stadium, watching Zola and a calculator line up for a 'race'.
That thought has ended my grumpiness.

What's up Dan? Enjoying your work again this year. I'm back for another crack at the NFBC only on a smaller scale after a very humbling year last year. Thought I would share a couple of thoughts about last year for me.

The NFBC format takes a lot of getting used to. I'd never played in a FAAB league before and it was just brutal. My use was embarrassingly bad. For new players, it really takes a lot of getting used to. On the one hand, if you don't fill your roster with guys who play every week, you fall behind. But if you overbid, you run out of money. That Sunday night takes a lot of dedication to try and figure out where to put your chips and it's crazy nerve racking.

The deep reserve roster is different than your average public league. Decent starting pitching and middle infield in particular were a trial to try and fill those spots week in and week out if you had a need. The pickin's were mighty slim.

It's definitely a step up in the class of player you're playing against. It's tough to game the system or find an edge that somebody else hasn't thought about or tried. This league is hard work. You have to know the players, follow the news, know the MLB roster movements. I think you have to watch a ton of baseball, listen to baseball, eat sleep and breathe it. Of course, that's kind of why we want to play right? To eat sleep and breathe baseball.

What really did me in last year was I screwed up the auction. I had fixed ideas in my head and I got price enforced like crazy by some really savvy guys in that room.

And finally, I put my team on autopilot last year. Something I never did before. It's kind of haunting. I think I came to your forum here because I came on strong in the comments here and then went down in flames. It's confessional...bless me for I have messed up.

So while this might have seemed like it was off the topic of your post, when you bring it back full circle, it's really on point. Pitchers and catchers. A fresh start. Another chance. Hope springing eternal. I'm starting to get the feel back. It wasn't all bad last year. I still believe in my player evaluation and I get the format now. And, I'm in the best shape of my life! (Not really).

I'm just in a satellite this year. Going to put in a year "in the minors" and try to work my way back up to the bigs.

Hope to see you around in the comments here in your excellent forum.

Great to hear from you again, Steve. Your input was/is always highly thought of.
And perfect timing as well. I have a lot of 'new folks' gravitate towards me. I don't know whether they get a sense of 'I won't bite or just feel comfortable around here, but I get PM'ed questions a lot by folks who are new to the site.
And FAAB is by far, the number one question.
I've been with the NFBC since 2005 and FAAB scared the crap out of me then. I decided I would go with my typical thrifty approach. 26 weeks in a season leaves a budget of a little less than $40 a week. I decided until I got 'used to' FAAB that I would follow those budgetary restraints.
It took me about two months to get used to. And I was happy I started with that approach. Some players will come up from the minors that put FAAB'ers in a bidding frenzy and most don't pan out. I usually stay away from them.
Closers in Waiting or CIW's become an important part of FAAB. The art is to buy them for a dollar two weeks before closing. If waiting till they have the role, as much as half your FAAB could be spent trying to fill one measly gap on your roster.
CIW's are best bid on the cheap.

Since starting with those budgetary restraints, I've learned to spend a little more earlier. Too many times you'll hear somebody say in June, 'I'm 12th in standings, but have the most FAAB.'
It's a suckers bet. There is little advantage to having the most money unless being high in the standings. Having the most faab in June and still being down in the standings is just a bad place to be.
The first thought is that while saving FAAB money, the rest of the league were pulling away from you while spending.
The second thought is that you're looking for that Ruby in a Mountain of rocks. A player that'll put you over the top late in the season. It doesn't happen much.
At no point in the season am I the guy with the most FAAB money. And I even have a frugal nature!
Going into September, I'm typically below $100. This is enough to find some of my mix and match parts as the month unfolds.
I'm also proud to say that in eight years, I have never left one dollar in FAAB money on the table.

Sundays are tough on everybody. There is just no getting around it.
And I've got a story for you. Last year, I got a job as scorekeeper for the Rockies rookie affiliate locally. My first thought in taking the job was FAAB Sunday. I decided (with a lot of prodding from family) that I could relax the Sunday hold that FAAB had on me and do it in advance of leaving for the ball park.
One sunday before leaving for the ball park, my internet went down.
Crap!
I was at wit's end. I wanted to put a healthy bid on Ryan Cook who I thought had a great chance to be Oakland's Closer. I didn't want to call anybody in the NFBC and burden them even more so I called a friend.
This friend knew little of baseball, but had great computer skills.
Before leaving for the ball park I told him how to get to the NFBC and where to find FAAB and all that stuff.

The first thing I did when getting home was to see if I got Ryan Cook.
Guess what?
I didn't.
In fact on both my Main Event leagues, I was now rostering Tyson Ross.
TYSON ROSS! My mind exploded, at the time I was second in one league, competitive in the other and here I was spending $60 for a pitcher in the minors.
I called my friend.

DOUGH- "Hey John, I see you got to the site ok"

John- "Yep, no problem at all, did you get the guy you wanted"

DOUGH- "Well, that's why I called, who was that guy I wanted?"

John- "Oh Crap!

DOUGH- "You forgot his name , didn't you"

John- I remembered you said an Oakland pitcher and I remembered he had four letters in his name, so I went with that guy"

DOUGH- "You don't even remember his name now, do you.

John- "No"

DOUGH- "That's alright, John, thanks for trying for me"

John- "No problem!"

And as I hung up the phone, I had to laugh. The story was better than the problem created by spending so much money for an 'unopposed' player.
I finished one and a half points from finishing first. In both leagues, Cook went for more than the $60 I'd have bid.
And I still wonder if things would have turned out better if I'd have had that extra $60.

Sundays are a bitch. Especially with multiple FAAB teams.
For myself, I work up. From the team I care about least to the teams I care about most. This way, I can spend more time thinking of the more important teams if my time is budgeted well.
I'll even do some teams on Friday or Saturday and adjust if there's adjustments needed.
I tried doing ALL the teams early and that didn't work. Too many things happen.
Time is wasted in having to re-set everything again.
You have to have an understanding family as well as live and breathe baseball. They know that in dealing with you on Sunday that we're there in body, not mind.

It is a step up in class. These players are the best. Some wish I'd shut my big mouth and not help 'newbies'.
But, we've all been newbies before and wished that somebody was there as a guide.
Nothing wrong with that.

Steve, I hope it comes easier for you. With a year of experience under your belt, and your smarts, I'm confident in saying that within a year, you'll be a fixture in not just satelites, but bigger events.
For the rest that are new to the NFBC and have questions you'd like answered, feel free to ask them here or continue to PM them to me.
I'm as sharp as a balloon, but I do know my way around these parts

Thanks for the kind words Dan. I was tempted to jump into the main event again this year, but I think that one extra year in the format at a lower investment level will pay off. But I do think I'll back sooner than later.

That is a great story. Really hit home as an A's fan because I was like, "oh you poor guy...not only did you get the wrong guy, but Tyson Ross is just TERRIBLE."

It's great of you to dispense advice. I can see how your friends and competetors in the NFBC might look askance. That's a competetive group. Not to mention the money on the line.

I would add one more thing if there are any other fellow newbies out there. Prepare for the bottom half of the draft as hard or harder than the top. Don't make the reserve slots throw aways. And you really need to understand who's likely to be available in reserve because you can't really predict where you'll be after round 23. Might need sp help, outfield help, closers in waiting. You have to be prepared for anything. Those last picks seem like where the rubber meets the road.

guys like you are the reason that the NFBC continues to grow with the stories that rekindle what we love about the game and following your favorite teams and players to the advice,info and willingness to answer questions of new people makes it a fun and interesting place to play fantasy baseball