FAAB...Freaking FAAB

[DOUGHBOYS]

I've gotten old.
Or, my priorities have changed.
Or, real life takes hold more than my fantasy life.
Here's the deal. I used to look forward to Sunday's. Sunday was the day that I would better my team through FAAB.
Sunday was the day I would sweat getting the players that could really help my team.
I could still hear it on the radio..."SUNDAY! SUNDAY! SUNDAY!"
Now, now I cringe that it is Sunday.

It seems the time and effort that goes into FAAB for Sunday, has overshadowed the excitement of getting helpful players.
Once upon a time, I separated my teams into categories of importance. Now, I separate the FAAB teams from the non-FAAB teams. I try to limit my FAAB teams. It is the single largest problem in owning multiple teams.
A conumdrum.
If putting the time and effort into FAAB, you'll probably be happier with your team.
If putting the time and effort into real things, you'll probably be happier with your life.
I guess, for me, my fantasy life used to outweigh real life.
Now, not so much.

When Greg introduced the Cutline game, he stated that there would 'only' be four FAAB periods.
I know four doesn't sound like much.
I know it's a lot better than 26.
Heck, I can eat four Doritos at once.
Not 26.
At the same time, it IS a FAAB team.
I would have to be labor-intensified for four Sundays, because I would know that those four FAAB periods meant even more than teams that had 26.

It's not Greg's fault. It does seem like there is 'only' four FAAB periods. And that is how I would sell this Cutline League as well.
But when those four FAAB periods occur, I know how I'll feel.
The feeling isn't as bad as watching a doctor put on a glove and telling you to drop your pants. But sometimes, it feels like it is.
For me, FAAB has changed from Dorothy, so full of hope, to the Wicked Witch of the East, so full of evil.

Games like the Main Event, Auctions, 12 teamers, and now the Cutlines all have that same confounded drawback.
Drafting in these events are a total kick in the ass.
And in a different sense, FAAB is a kick in our ass once we have the team.
It is THE reason in why my DC teams grow every year, while the leagues mentioned shrivel.
FAAB gives me a badditude.
It's a word.
Look it up.
Just do it at your leisure. Not because you have to.

Am I alone?
Does FAAB make y'all as grumpy as it does me?
Sometimes, I feel like I'm the only one.
I have gone from over 20 FAAB teams to 15, to 12, to 10, to seven, until last year, when I had only four.
And this year, it may be two or three.
We study for one to six months leading up to the season, at our leisure.
But during the season, Sunday goes from the Sabbath day to the Crabbath day. Also a word. Ah never mind, it isn't.
But, it should be darn it.
If so, it would make the definition of FAAB- 'An activity on the Crabbath Day leading to a badditude.'
Yep, that works.

[Bronx Yankees]

My take on FAAB:

FAAB is a chore, but I don't dread it as you do now. Then again, I've never had anything close to the number of FAAB teams you've carried. No wonder you're all FAAB'ed out!

I look at FAAB leagues the same way I look at my FAAB budget. You have $1,000 of FAAB per team. You have to budget that money accordingly throughout the season. Similarly, you only have so much time for FAAB leagues on the weekends, and you have to budget that time as well. I know how much time I have for this game, and so I limit my FAAB leagues. If I commit to too many FAAB leagues, my performance in FAAB, such as it is , would suffer. On the other hand, although I try to limit myself to one DC draft at a time, my capacity to set lineups in DC leagues seems unlimited compared to my capacity for FAAB leagues.

I think the NFBC has done a good job trying to make FAAB easier and less time-consuming. Those efforts have helped, but there is no substitute for the research and analysis that needs to go into FAAB. Lately, I've tried starting my FAAB work earlier and earlier, and usually manage to get a chunk of it done prior to the weekend (at least identifying potential targets and drops), and then use the weekend to refine my lists and bids. This way, I still feel like I have most of the weekends free for family stuff and real life. I almost always watch the Sunday night baseball game and use that time to multi-task and finish my bids. Although it can be a chore, I confess that I still get a rush most weeks when I click the link to see what bids I won and lost.

Mike

[teflontim]

FAAB is why I like the draft master leagues so much. I'm too busy with work, family, etc to keep up with it now. Priorities have changed.