Who's Coming To The 2013 NFBC And Where?

[Greg Ambrosius]

Every year since we started the NFBC in 2004 I've created a Welcome Wagon thread that allows me to introduce every new signup and to give some past history on those new players. In 2004, I did this to honestly show who was joining the NFBC and which cities were getting the most love. Through time, it became a great way for veterans to see which events everyone was playing in and to have a little past history on folks they may be competing with, while also giving new members a little history of our great players.

It was much easier to do back then when we had 1 or 2 signups a day and we finished with only 16 full leagues. Today, it's extremely tough to keep up with the signups and to look back at everyone's past history. But I'm going to do my best to keep up with the flow of signups going forward and do all I can to make sure everyone knows which events are selling out and who is currently signed up for them. Keep me on my toes folks with as many signups per day as you can manage!!

The obvious starting point is our defending NFBC $100,000 champion, Dave Potts of Auburn, Alabama. Dave is a singer/songwriter/musician who will make you feel good when you listen to his CDs, but who can kill you in any fantasy baseball league you're in!! Go out and buy his CDs so that you're ready for the hammer that's coming later!! Dave has been in the NFBC for the past 5 years and he told me he didn't play in the Main Event his first year but has been doing that each of the last four years. He took his lumps early, but he's been among the top finishers the last couple of years and last year he hit the Holy Grail. Dave won the March 24th Las Vegas Main Event League 1 with 130 points and he also won the overall title with 3,628.0 points (86.38% of all available points). Dave also finished 3rd overall in the NFBC XII as he made a great run at that $50,000 grand prize and the $75,000 cash bonus for winning both Mains.

Dave competes in as many live events as possible and last year he stayed out in Las Vegas with me for both weekends of live drafts. He had a phenomenal season as you can see by his results below:

1st in NFBC Main Event League
1st in NFBC XII Main Event League
1st in NFBC Online Championship League
1st in NFBC Online Championship League
1st in NFBC $375 Slow Draft League
2nd in $1,300 AL Auction League
2nd in $1,300 NL Auction League
2nd in the Mixed Auction League
3rd in the Super League

He took home over $130,000 in prize money last year and now is back for more in 2013. I know he's staying out in Las Vegas again for both weekends and will defend his Main Event title on both Saturdays at the Bellagio, along with the newly added Wednesday, March 27th Main Event in Las Vegas. He's also doing the NFBC XII and Auction Championship on Friday, March 29th, the $1,300 NL Auction League, the $1,300 AL Auction League, the Diamond League and the Ultimate Auction League. He also likes the Super Leagues!! Welcome back Dave and CONGRATS on your NFBC Main Event title and all of your other accomplishments. We'll toast you in Las Vegas and then get ready to tee it up again in 2013. Best of luck in the hunt for this year's $100,000 grand prize and all of these other great league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Just a side note on Dave: He also is signed up for our first Draft Champions Leagues and he admits that participating in those 50-round leagues were a BIG help in preparing him for the Main Events. He entered 11 of those "slow drafts" last year and cashed in six of them. So not only did they help him as he progressed through the off-season, but he also ended up winning money in those contests. So kudos there Dave and best of luck in those DCs, which will hopefully start up this week.

[Greg Ambrosius]

The perfect segue after announcing last year's Main Event champion is to welcome our debut NFBC champion back to the 2013 NFBC. In our debut season of 2004, we finished with 195 owners for the Main Event and with two days left to go in the season, there was a statistical tie for first place between Artie Rastelli and Aaron Seefeldt. Artie took the lead the next day and then held on for the $100,000 grand prize, but it was the perfect finish to what was a great, great debut season. Now Artie -- who appropriately is from Hoboken, New Jersey, the birthplace of baseball -- is back for his 10th NFBC season and a shot at joining Lindy as the only 2-time overall champion. Artie has drafted every year on the East Coast and last year his Triple A squad finished 7th in Mahwah League 1 with 81 points and 212th overall with 2,085.0 points. But Artie is coming to Las Vegas with his father Artie Sr. on March 23rd for the Main Event and will have two reasons to party that weekend. 1) is naturally the Main Event at the Bellagio and meeting many new owners for the first time. And 2) He has scheduled his bachelor party that week with 30 friends and family and is telling everyone to join him in Sin City and draft in the NFBC. I love it that he's scheduled his bachelor party around the NFBC!! You're the best CHAMP!! Welcome back Artie and you will be one of 70 or so NFBC Charter Members that we will honor on Draft Day, along with all 8 overall champions. It will be an incredible weekend of honors, drafts and camaraderie (and drinks!!). See you there and best of luck again in the hunt for this year's $100,000 grand prize and the very nice $6,500 league prize.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Let's stick with the overall champions coming to Las Vegas that First Weekend because we will bring them all up in front of the audience for our 10th anniversary season and honor them. The only person in the history of the NFBC to win the overall championship twice is Lindy Hinkelman of Greencreek, Idaho. Lindy also has a chance to be the only person to win three straight NFBC Main Event titles as he's now won titles in 2009, 2011 and 2012. His Bob Enzyte team won Las Vegas League 1 on March 31st with 124.5 points and finished 11th overall with 3,348.5 points. Lindy also led his March 31st Las Vegas NFBC XII team to a league title with 101.5 points and finished 5th overall in that contest with 2,041.0 points. He's the only one to win the $75,000 cash bonus for winning the Main Event and the Online Championship in the same year (2009), and here he was again last year trying to win the $75,000 cash bonus for the Main Event and the NFBC XII. Lindy, our insurance company asks you to stop toying with them!! Lindy will be back for the Main Event, Ultimate Auction, Auction Championship and probably an NFBC XII, but I thought it would be right to introduce him early on since he's an NFBC Hall of Famer and already signed up for many of our First Weekend events. Welcome aboard Lindy and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $100,000 grand prize and all of the other great prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

The first league that officially sold out this year and the only league that again returns all 15 owners from last year is the NFBC Diamond League that will draft on Sunday, March 24th at 10 am at the Bellagio. This is the fourth season for this event and past winners include James Stanard, Jim Ferrari and now Donn Johnson of Atlanta, Georgia. Donn and Gino Yu won the $75,000 league prize last year with 114 points as they masterfully managed their pitching staff down the stretch. This league saw five teams switching places in the money spots continuously and at the end of the day Donn finished first, Glenn Schroter of Whiteside, New York finished 2nd to win $35,000, Chad Schroeder of Omaha, Nebraska finished 3rd to win $20,000 and KJ Duke of San Diego, California finished 4th to win $10,000. The same 15 owners return and the same prize structure remains. The list of entrants includes NFBC Hall of Famer Stephen Jupinka, two-time NFBC Ultimate champion and overall champion David DiDonato and 2010 Diamond Champion Jim Ferrari. This is a GREAT collection of owners and I look forward to this league every year. Best of luck guys in the hunt for this year's $75,000 league prize and $140,000 in prizes overall.

[Greg Ambrosius]

While we're on last year's national champions, let's welcome back the defending NFBC Auction Championship champions, Andy Saxton of Bear, Delaware and Jeff Dobies of Farmingville, New York. The two had met at past New York events and decided to share one auction team together last year. They wound up leading the April 1st New York Auction League from start to finish and won the league title with 132.5 points and the overall title and the $15,000 grand prize with 1,181.0 points. GREAT JOB GUYS!! They are both likely to defend their title in New York City on the Second Weekend. Andy has already signed up to compete in the March 27th Main Event Online and the Auction Championship in New York City on March 28th and twice on March 29th. Welcome back Andy and best of luck in the hunt for the $115,000 in grand prizes and the $11,500 in league prizes as the Auction Championship now has a $5,000 league prize. I think folks are really going to like those league prizes this year!!

[Greg Ambrosius]

Another league that is close to filling right now is the $1,300 NL Auction League, which will be held at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Friday, March 22nd at 9 am PT. We now have ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT in that 12-team league. The defending champion of that event is Jason Gill of Chicago, Illinois as he led his Endorsed by Tom Emanski team to a league-best 102 points. That was good enough for the $8,100 top prize last year. Jason is an NFBC veteran who also competed in Las Vegas League 6 on the Second Weekend. His FLAWLESS VICTORY team finished 5th in that league with 93 points, while placing 139th overall with 2,414.0 points. Jason returns to the Bellagio on March 22-23 for these same two events and we wish him best of luck in the hunt for the $100,000 grand prize and the $13,900 in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Let's welcome back another defending league champion as Donald Warner of Wayzata, Minnesota will be returning to Las Vegas on March 22-24 for several live events. Donald led Team Warner to the April 1st Las Vegas Auction Championship league title with 122.5 points and that team finished 2nd overall behind ALL IN Saxton. Don gave Andy and Jeff a good run for their money, but finished slightly behind at 1,108.5 points. Don also led his Minnesota Legend team to an 8th place finish in Las Vegas League 4 of the Second Weekend Main Event with 82.0 points (169th overall at 2,280.5 points) and his top NFBC XII team finished 3rd in the Las Vegas March 23rd 10 am league with 77.5 points (69th overall with 1,532.5 points). Don is returning for the Main Event, the NFBC XII Main Event, the Auction Championship and the Ultimate Auction League. He wants to get into the Diamond League if a spot opens, so we'll see. Great job last year Don and best of luck in the hunt for the $165,000 in overall prizes and the $58,000+ in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

I have to be honest here: I am getting STOKED about that First Weekend in Las Vegas. I love the fact that we are going to have a fantastic LIVE EVENT again with so many great owners drafting in one venue. The fact that we just have one venue that weekend means that I'm going to meet so many great owners who always draft on the East Coast for the very first time. The early list includes Mike Massotto, Jeff Dobies (damn, 10 years just on the phone), Artie Rastelli and his dad, Anthony Palavis and so many more still to come. As our veterans know, the Bellagio is a beautiful setup and there's plenty of time before, during and after the drafts to just hang out and relax. It's also great to have Tom out there that first weekend and allowing many of you who have never met Tom to get to know him. He likes his beer like I do....he just can't handle it like I do!!

Anyway, this is shaping up well and please secure your spots early if you can. Remember, we just have Las Vegas and Online that weekend and we need perfect 15's in each location if possible for the Auctions, Main Events and everything else. We have to have cutoff dates when we reach perfect 15's, so please don't be the last signups and get left behind. Also, we don't have unlimited space at the Bellagio for the Saturday Main Event, so get in while you can because I know how many leagues we can fit in the allotted space. I'll keep pushing for more -- and I really do think we'll have a record number of teams out there this year -- but first-come, first-served. Thanks all.

I'm still working on the NCAA Viewing Party and the rest. Damn, this is going to be fun!!

[Greg Ambrosius]

Let's welcome back one of our three NFBC Hall of Famers to our 10th anniversary season as Shawn Childs of Forrestdale, Massachusetts will be back with us in Las Vegas for the two Main Events. Shawn was among our first signups in 2004 and he went on to win a Main Event title and the first of his AL Auction titles. Shawn has won 4 Main Event league titles during his time in the NFBC and has finished 3rd overall twice and has finished in the Top 5 overall four times. Last year he won his third $1,300 AL Auction League title with 95.5 points, joining Eddie Gillis as the only 3-time AL Auction League champions. Shawn also won an NFBC XII league title with 89.5 points and finished 22nd overall in that contest. His best NFBC Main Event team finished 8th in Las Vegas League 1 -- the same league that Dave Potts came from to win the overall title and $100,000 grand prize -- while finishing 160th overall with 2,311.5 points. Shawn will be competing in the Las Vegas March 23rd and 30th Main Events, the AL Auction League and likely a couple of NFBC XIIs. Welcome aboard Shawn and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $150,000 in grand prizes and the $18,000+ in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Let's get the Welcome Wagon out again and try to catch up with all of our NFBC signups. Our next pickup is Mike Massotto of Caldwell, New Jersey, who is coming to Las Vegas for the first time to compete in a weekend full of live drafts at the Bellagio. Mike has jumped into the Diamond League on Saturday night, the Main Event and the NFBC XII, and he will be in the New York Super League and the Main Event in New York City on the Second Weekend. Last year, Mike created the MTM Super in Mahwah and was such a good host for that debut event that he let everyone beat him!! But no more Mr. Nice Guy for Mikey as he's out for blood this year. He's ALL IN this year on both weekends and looking forward to meeting all of our West Coast guys. Last year, Mike's top finishes included a 2nd place in the New York NFBC XII with 82 points (79th overall), 3rd in the $1,000 Slow Draft with 97 points, 5th in Mahwah Main Event League 2 with 86 points (178th overall) and 7th in New York League 2 of the Main Event with 79.5 points (201st overall). I look forward to meeting you Mike and we wish you all the best in the hunt for this year's $150,000 in grand prizes and all of these great league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Peter Berall of Montreal, Quebec is winning so much money in the NFFC right now that he probably doesn't have time to read the NFBC Message Boards, but we'll welcome him nonetheless!! Peter returns to the Diamond League in Las Vegas on Sunday, March 24th as an original member of that event and he will also compete in the Main Event in Las Vegas on Saturday morning. Last year, Peter led his PHILBY'S team to a 4th place finish in Las Vegas League 4 of the Second Weekend with 92.5 points (166th overall with 2,289.5 points), but his PHILBY'S Diamond League team really struggled. But he has his winning ways going again in football and he sure hopes to carry that over to baseball. Welcome back Peter and best of luck in the hunt for the $100,000 grand prize, the $75,000 Diamond League prize and the $6,500 Main Event league prize.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Douglas Lukas of Algonac, Michigan is an NFBC veteran who took last season off to concentrate on work, but he missed baseball so much last season that he locked in his Main Event entry early this year. Doug is also going to Las Vegas with the NFBC for the first time and will be joining us for the Main Event at the Bellagio on Saturday, March 23rd at 10 am PT. Welcome back Doug and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $100,000 grand prize and the $6,500 league prize.

[Greg Ambrosius]

It's always good to welcome new owners to the live events in Las Vegas and our newest arrival is Vance Wittie of Edgewood, Texas. Vance competed in the NFBC XII in Chicago last year and led his Marital Bliss team to a 6th place with 67.5 points, finishing 98th overall. Vance also finished 2nd in a 12-team $150 Satellite League with 89 points, but now he wants to step up to the big game. He will be drafting in the Main Event at the Bellagio in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 23rd for a shot at the $100,000 grand prize. Welcome aboard Vance and best of luck in the hunt for the big grand prize and the $6,500 league prize.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're glad to welcome back NFBC veteran Roger Martin of Sarasota, Florida to Las Vegas and the NFBC Main Events. Roger is returning again this year with his wife and looking forward to a nice, relaxing vacation after enduring some rough months of health issues at home. Unfortunately, there will be no time for him to relax in Vegas!! Roger is signed up for the NFBC XII in Las Vegas on Friday morning and the Main Event on Saturday morning and he's looking forward to that doubleheader. Last year he led his Lawnscape Unlimited, Inc. team to a 2nd place finish in the NFBC XII April 3rd Online League with 94.5 points, good enough for an 11 place overall finish (1,910.5 points). His Voice of Reason team also finished 5th in Las Vegas League 3 of the Second Weekend with 92 points (155th overall), while his YUK! $375 Slow Draft team finished 3rd with 105 points. Nice job last year Roger and best of luck in the hunt for the $150,000 in grand prizes and the $10,500 in league prizes. And I promise some relaxation for you and your wife on Thursday night!!

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're already working on our third Main Event league in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 23rd with room for at least 8 leagues. Don't delay if you want to be guaranteed a spot in Las Vegas on that First Weekend. One of the owners who will be joining us for the Main Event on both weekends in Las Vegas is Daniel DaSilva of Lake Peekskill, New York. Daniel competed in the NFBC XII Online last year and led his Wolfpac to a 7th place finish in the April 3rd League 2 with 63 points (134th overall). Now he's stepping up to the Main Event and the 15-team competition live in Las Vegas -- twice!! Welcome aboard Daniel and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $100,000 grand prize and the pair of $6,500 league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're glad to welcome another former $100,000 champion to the live events in Las Vegas on the First Weekend, but this champion earned his money in the other sport -- football!! Dave Clum of Pembroke Pines, Florida will be joining us at the Bellagio on March 22-24 to compete in the Auction Championship, Main Event and NFBC XII, and then adding a Main Event Online on Wednesday, March 27th. Dave won our $100,000 grand prize in the NFFC Primetime last year and he's back in the Championship Round of that event this year with a shot at winning the top prize again. Good luck there Dave. Last year in the NFBC, Dave led his DiamondKings2 team to a 6th place finish in the March 24th Online League with 82 points and finished 185th overall. His Ashley Bears finished 5th in the Las Vegas March 30th 9 am League with 92 points and placed 26th overall, while his 853-OKG Las Vegas NFBC XII team finished 3rd with 82.5 points and placed 49th overall. Welcome back Dave and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $165,000 in grand prizes and the $20,000+ in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're already working on our 3rd Main Event league in Las Vegas on what is shaping up to be a BLOWOUT weekend at the Bellagio!! That weekend is March 22-24 and the team of Kevin Bass of Potomac, Maryland and Marc Fleischer are among those coming for all three days of events. Kevin and Marc have been with us since 2006, but last year they went to New York for the first time and missed March Madness a lot. They led movers to a 6th place finish in New York League 3 with 78 points (232nd overall), finished 5th in the April 3rd Super League with 89 points and finished 9th in the New York $1,300 Auction League with 74.5 points (71st overall). But now they're in their comfort zone of Las Vegas and they're coming back with avengence, signing up for the Main Event, Auction Championship and Ultimate Auction League. Welcome back to Sin City guys and best of luck in the hunt for the $115,000 in grand prizes and the $50,000+ in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're glad to welcome back Tony Wilhelm of St. Louis, Missouri and Derek Pierson as they are each taking a Main Event team in Las Vegas on Saturday, March 23rd. Tony and Derek competed in the NFBC last year and they were with us for some fun at the Bellagio in September as well. They also are going to take a spot in the Saturday, March 23rd Diamond League. Last year, Tony and Derek shared a pair of teams that just missed money finishes. Their CYA Tomorrow Night team finished 5th in the March 24th Online League 3 with 99 points (86th overall), while their Tasty Two By Fours finished 6th in Las Vegas League 3 on March 31st with 78 points (222nd overall). Welcome back guys and best of luck in the hunt for the $100,000 grand prize, the $75,000 Diamond League prize and the $13,000 in Main Event league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

It's great to welcome back another defending Main Event league champion to our 10th anniversary season. Michael Leone of Buffalo, New York had his best season to date as he cashed in two Main Events and an Auction Championship League. Michael led his Ring Around The Posey team to a 1st place league finish and 16th overall finish in New York League 3, finishing with 118.5 points to win $5,600. He also led Team Gracie to a 2nd place finish in the March 24th Main Event Online League 4 with 105.5 points, placing 79th overall. And in the New York March 30th 10 am League Auction League, Michael's Pitchin' Ain't Easy team tied for 2nd place with 99.5 points and placed 20th overall. Wow, nice job Michael. He is now coming back for more in 2013, competing in New York on the Second Weekend in the Main Event and two Auction Leagues, while adding Main Events Online on March 23rd and March 27th. Welcome back Michael and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $115,000 in grand prizes and the $30,000+ in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Every year, Lenny Diveglio of Medford, New York is among our very first signups for the Main Event. The season can never come soon enough for Lenny!! This year he's back with entries in New York on March 30th and Online on March 23rd. Last year, Lenny's baseball sevants1 finished 5th in Online League 2 of the March 24th Main with 86.5 points (129th overall), while baseball sevants2 finished 9th in the March 30th Online League 1 with 69.5 points (227th overall). Welcome back Lenny and best of luck in the hunt for the $100,000 grand prize and the $6,500 league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

We're glad to welcome another defending Main Event champion back to the 2013 event as NFBC Charter Members Gregory and Phil Glukhovsky of West Hills, California will be joining us again at the Bellagio Las Vegas on March 22-24 for the Live Event 3-Pack. Greg and Phil led the Worst Russians Ever to a 1st place finish and $5,600 in the March 31st NFBC Main Event League 4 with 117.5 points, finishing 24th overall. They were in the Top 12 overall for a while and I'm sure had visions of $100,000 dancing through their heads, but the league title is still a great, great accomplishment. The Worst Russians Ever also finished 6th in the March 30th 4 pm Las Vegas Auction League with 93 points (32nd overall) and finished 9th in the April 1st Las Vegas NFBC XII with 52 points (195th overall). They are back for all three events again this year in Las Vegas. Welcome back guys and best of luck in the hunt for this year's $165,000 in grand prizes and the $15,500 in league prizes.

[Greg Ambrosius]

It's always great to welcome new owners to our NFBC events and our latest new member is jumping in with both feet!! Drew Dinkmeyer of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida joined our basketball contest in October and is currently competing in our highest-dollar league there, the NFBBC Super League. He's having so much fun that he's now going to join us for baseball as he signed up for the NFBC Ultimate Draft League on Monday, March 25th at 7 pm ET and another NFBC Ultimate Draft League on Wednesday, March 27th at 7 pm ET. Drew will be drafting both Online, but we hope to get him out West someday soon!! Welcome aboard Drew and best of luck in the hunt for both $40,000 league prizes!!

It was tough to find the perfect dates for the Ultimate Leagues this year because of Easter being on the final Sunday of live drafts, but hopefully we can mix in a group from Las Vegas and Online for these two draft dates. I'll gladly host the folks in Las Vegas and we'll get everyone online and/or teleconference where needed. Should be fun. Thanks all.

[Greg Ambrosius]

I haven't had enough time to update this list the way I'd like with our football contest now coming to an end, but I'll try to get back to this soon. The good news that I like with the early signups is the response to our First Weekend drafts at the Bellagio during opening weekend of March Madness. I really think we're going to have something special at the Bellagio March 21-24. We're finalizing plans for our NCAA Viewing Party on Thursday night and we're loading the schedule up with as many drafts as possible over the following three days. If you're flying to Las Vegas for that weekend, please secure your flight and hotel accommodations as soon as possible because that weekend is going to be MIGHTY BUSY for sure. Thanks.

One nice trend that I'm seeing is that we'll have more NFBC Main Event overall champions in one room than ever before and we will honor them before the Main Event. Look at the list of champions coming to Las Vegas that First Weekend:

2004 - Artie Rastelli
2006 - David DiDonato
2009, 2011 - Lindy Hinkelman
2010 - Stephen Jupinka
2012 - Dave Potts
2011 NFBC XII - Chad Schroeder
2010/12 Auction Championship - Jeff Dobies
2011 Auction Championship - Richard Gordon

Bobby Jurney is still checking on his schedule for that weekend and I'll reach out to Terry Haney as well. Both won NFBC Main Event titles. This is going to be a celebration for all of us and it wouldn't be complete without our past champions. We're glad to have so many with us at once. Thanks all.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Now that the fantasy football season is complete, I'll try to get back to this thread. However, today Tom and I are contacting last year's participants via phone and email and making sure that folks don't get left out of certain events like the NFBC Auction Championship. So if you see a 715 area code on your cell phone, you can bet it's probably either Tom or me!!

Just a heads up that we passed 140 teams in the NFBC Main Event earlier today as we try for our 9th straight sellout. We're getting great response for the First Weekend in Las Vegas, so don't delay if you plan on going to Las Vegas. We have limited space there and we're planning for 8 leagues there. We'll seek additional space if needed, but right now we already have 4 leagues full, so don't delay. We don't hit credit cards until Feb. 15th and by signing up early you won't be left out. Let's make Las Vegas special and force me to find even more space for our Main Event.

Interest in New York City on the Second Weekend is also pretty strong. We'll send Tom from Las Vegas to New York to host that one and it looks like we'll have as many if not more leagues there this year as last year. Good job all and thanks.