Maybe I can answer some of these questions in a public way, so that others who are thinking along the same lines will have those answers as well.....
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No, I've never met Gekko. I've been in plenty of drafts with him. I've had a lot of contact with him. From what I hear from others who have met him, he is a nice guy.
There is not a soul in the NFBC who wants to win more than Mark. If he is in your league, you're up against one of the best.
He's a tenacious player.
If you beat him (and chances are that he'll be in your Draft Championship League) you'll have beaten one of the best.
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I have met Mike the Mouth. Mike comes across as gruff on the Boards, maybe even arrogant in his posts.
I know some are afraid to retort to a Mikey posting.
What you'll get from Mike is 100% honesty. In that way, he's the anti-Gekko.
The problem being that Mike does not have Gekko's reputation at the draft table.
If you're ever in a foxhole and need somebody at your six, you'd be hard pressed to find somebody more capable than Mike the Mouth.
( Just don't mention any foods that start with the two letters 'Mc' to him
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Now to the question I get asked about more than anything.....
Do not be afraid of FAAB!
I know that most players come from a 'waivers' background.
Most sites have waivers for football and baseball, not FAAB.
It may be the hardest adjustment from being a Yahoo Kid to coming to the NFBC.
My best advice for those playing with FAAB for the first year is to go vanilla.
There are 26 weeks to a baseball season leaving about $40 a week. With that thought in mind, you'll want to bid more in earlier weeks, in hopes that those players will help you over a longer period of time.
In the first high priced league with FAAB, I would refrain from going after rookies that may cost $500-800.
Stay within a semi-budget.
I spend my FAAB money as I do money in real life. That $1,000 is a gift. It buys many players. Pick wisely.
There is one steadfast rule to FAAB I have never broken. It is this:
NEVER, EVER LEAVE ONE DOLLAR OF FAAB ON THE TABLE AT THE END OF THE YEAR.
Especially in a Main Event.
There are rankings done by KJ for Main Events. They may not mean much to you at first but they may later. If leaving a dollar on the table, your team probably could have been better.
Everything said on the Boards about FAAB seemingly has a negative connotation. From going to waivers and figuring it out, to the page itself which always seems to need work, to the time taken each week to make FAAB moves.
It is a major reason a lot of fence sitters deciding on a Main Event team, end up choosing a Draft Championship team or go back to conquering Yahoo leagues once again.
The process is not as formidable as it appears to be on these Boards.
Most of the players posting have at least 10 teams and they are speaking for themselves, not the new player.
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Describing a 'Live Event'.
Pure and simple, the first time walking into a Live Event is the same as walking into your first Major League park.
It is beautiful.
Draft Boards, tables and chairs are all set up endlessly.
Better yet, every person at these live events are approachable and have like minds.
There is nothing like the beauty of being engulfed in the same room as 150 others who are thinking like you.
My wife compares it to a 'Trekkie' convention, unbelieving that there are so many people like me.
There is no comparison to drafting online.
Online is masturbation.
Live events is sex with the starlet of your choice.
There is only one drawback to live drafting. A problem that has been going on for years and never fixed.
We can hear the tables around us.
So when somebody calls out the name DOMINICK BROWN! And you were hell bent on getting Brown in your draft, you'll do one of these
or one of these 
and hope that that doesn't signal somebody at your table to take them.It's a nuisance.
But compared to all the benefits of a live draft, it is something that is lived with.
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15 teams does lessen the player pool. That is what makes this competition more difficult. There are 12 team leagues available if leery of 15 team leagues.
But you owe it to yourself to give 15 team leagues a try.
First in the Draft Championships, then in Satelites as we get closer to the end of drafting season.
If you really like your teams here and there, maybe you're ready for the Main Event now.
If not, wait another year and get used to it.
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The amount of teams owned is up to you.
I've owned as many as 40 and like most everybody, started with one.
Sometimes the drafting experience of which we are all so fond, gets in the way of how many teams we can truly handle.
I know that when the season begins, I prioritize every team.
My Main Event teams always come first. Others are rated in how much I would like to win each league.
FAAB teams will take more time. If you're already a busy fella, I may try to limit those the first year, then add/subtract following years after knowing how much time goes into each team.
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Truth be told, the Message Boards on the NFBC may hold more information than the NFBC site pages and information themselves. During the season, if you go to a players page, it'll tell you how many games they've played at each position. That is the only use I have for their pages.
They are lacking. They always have.
My favorite sites are Baseball Reference and ESPN for stats.
Fangraphs for informational approach in a Numerish sort of way.
Mastersball if looking for advice for fantasy.
I refer all new NFBC players to Mastersball because NFBC players do most of the writing and running of the site.
And I know that customer service there is top notch. If explaining to them that you're new to the NFBC, they'll know exactly how to answer any question.
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If you have a personal question for Greg, I would not put it on the Boards under any subject.
E-Mail Greg at gambrosiusATstats.com
I use AT because somebody said it was bad to use @ on Message Boards, so you get the point.
Greg will answer any questions concerning the NFBC and you'll get a timely response.
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Last, it is a jump in competition. No doubt.
For years, you've beaten up on the same nine or eleven guys in a home league.
Or unknown folks in an online league.
The money has been minimal.
Or you've beaten or been beaten by people after questionable trades.
Trades be damned here.
You're left to your own devices. It is the skill of the draft and play or skill of the draft and hold here.
Not the art of a deal.
Do not underestimate another player here. If they are ponying up that money, they have cleared the first hurdle.
The first hurdle is that you have to THINK in your own mind that you are good enough to play here.
The second hurdle may come as standings pass by each week.
That second hurdle is KNOWING you are good enough to play here.
The third hurdle is knowing you are good enough to STAY here.
And once you're over that third hurdle, you'll never want to go back.
Like Rotary to dial and like dial up to WiFi, there will be no reason to go back.
You've made it and you're one of the best.
Now, you just have to show that you are THE best.
The prestige of a title to those on the outside probably means about as much as the world's top bass fisherman means to me.