Cheetah's and Turtle's Have Never Mixed

[DOUGHBOYS]

Since Draft Championships were born, there have been disagreements, arguments, verbal fights, chiding, bullying, name calling, threats, and a general discontentment among drafters.
In the beginning, DC Drafts were called 'slow drafts'. This had a largely negative conotation. For some drafters, it meant that they could go as slow as they wanted. The clock was theirs. Drafters, knowing they were on the clock, would go to a two hour meeting, they would go to Church. Funerals, weddings, even ball games were fair game to attend while on the clock.

We've heard all the comments.
"It's called a SLOW DRAFT!"
"I have a life"
"Get a life"
I'll take as long as I want"

And on the other side....

"C'mon, make a pick!"
"zzzzzzzzzzz"
"We're not going to get done before the season"

For myself, I like fast paced draft. A fast paced draft invites chatter. A brotherhood among drafters cloaks that draft room.
A feeling that those who participate in really slow drafts will never enjoy.
I started a draft 14 days ago that is in the 28th round. Most of the comments have been terse. As there have been in most DC Drafts.

Why does this happen?
For one reason, there are no rules. We are awarded 15 draft spots. A starting time. An eight hour countdown clock.
Each drafter is left up to their own devices to choose in how to use the clock once it is their turn to draft.
Like the current run for President, drafters approaches vary. Although all candidates and drafters have the same goal, which is to win, each candidate and drafter will want to follow a plan that is best for them. And when one candidates plans crosses with another candidates or drafters plans, cross words are usually exchanged.

Whether a drafter takes one second or seven hours and 59 minutes, the effect on the draft is the same. One player has been selected. Many drafters (including me) sought out an answer to relieve the fighting over the clock.
'Like minded drafts' were formed. These have given me peace of mind. I know of at least 60 drafters who have joined one of these DC Drafts. Not one has come aaway disappointed.
In fact, the only drawback of a 'like minded draft' is that they are over much too soon. Most lasting five to six days.
The clock is taken out of the equation with a 'like minded draft'.
All drafters have a sense of duty to pick in a prompt manner. If not, a note such as "Have a meeting, be an hour", will be left by a drafter.
There are no terse words in a draft like these. Just a lot of ball busting because chat is used almost all day long.
In the end, there are also no rules in a 'like minded draft'.
There are 15 drafters who share a responsibilty and integrity to do the right thing by the other 14 drafters.

In DC Drafts, slower drafters think of faster drafters as the enemy. And vice versa.
In actuality, both parties are flawed. The clock is the enemy. The clock is interpreted differently by both parties.
For the faster drafters, the clock is only there for sleeping hours.
For the slower drafters, the clock is theirs. Whether it is to take their time in making a pick, not checking in often, or having something in real life that even prohibits them from checking in much.
Unfortunately for ALL drafters, the draft revolves around that clock.

There have been many, many suggestions in making a DC Draft a pleasurable experience for everybody. Most have something to do with the clock. four hour, six hour, eight hour clocks with a stoppage at night. Personal clocks, one time out and auto are some of the solutions.
All may well work, but there is one problem with all of these suggestions.
They are well down the STATS totem pole's 'to do' list.
I talked with Greg (through emails) last week and the problem if anything is worsening.
The fast drafters are outing slow drafters on the Boards. The slower drafters are feeling bullied and threatening law suits and the NFBC.

So, if we are to come up with solutions for this problem now, we have to do it without a technology change.
I have a thought, but it could not be used till next year AND I'm so technologically challenged that I don't know whether new technology would be needed.
Right now, we register for a DC Draft and voila! we are on the list for the next draft.
What if we had three different DC Draft choices?

1. A draft in which the drafter is confident in checking in at least every hour and has constant access to the draft room.

2. A draft in which the drafter checks in as much as possible. That could mean as long as an hour or two without checking, but sometimes within minutes.

3. A draft in which the drafter does not want to be bothered about time. I can feel confident in taking five or six hours at work before checking in without fear of being bullied by those in the draft room.

Technology may be needed to put these different drafts on registration. Now that I write that, I'm sure there is. So this suggestion may even be for naught.
How about anybody else?
Without using technology, is there a way to bridge the fast and slow drafters?
If having a suggestion, please leave the solution.
Thanks Everybody.

[Red Sox Nation-]

Dan--All good suggestions. I'll add something that has been brought up before.

Text messages - I think two would work best.

#1- You're on deck. The team before you is on the clock.
and
#2- It's your turn. You're on the clock.

If you want to take this a step further have a draft room link the text messages. You get the text and right there is the link to take you into your team to make the pick or revise your queue.

Although we get emails, sometimes they are slightly delayed and tough to keep track of due to the quantity.

Jason

[Red Sox Nation-]

Dan--All good suggestions. I'll add something that has been brought up before.

Text messages - I think two would work best.

#1- You're on deck. The team before you is on the clock.
and
#2- It's your turn. You're on the clock.

If you want to take this a step further have a draft room link in the text messages. You get the text and right there is the link to take you into your team to make the pick or revise your queue.

Although we get emails, sometimes they are slightly delayed and tough to keep track of due to the quantity.

Jason

[DOUGHBOYS]

Like mine, Jason, I think this would require some technology.
But also like mine, it doesn't seem like a huge fix.

The problem would be for the drafters that are out of touch for hours or plain don't care that they are, and want to take their time.
As a fast drafter, I would love just two texts instead of the barrage of e-mails. The volume of e-mails overweighs any warning one benefits from them.
If possible, your suggestion should be implemented if STATS can swing it, no matter any other solution proposals.

[Hollenole]

As the guy that regretfully started the "Do Not draft with" thread. Let me say thanks for posting this. I think this a much better tact than I chose in a moment of anger. I have done many DC draft since discovering the NFBC about 3 years ago and usually enjoy them very much. This particualar drafter was actually logging on and off for 30-45 minutes at a time and when(IMO and not by me but others) prompted with non confrontational prompts of "lots of green lets's go" chose to tell everyone to "STFU". I have been in plenty of DC's with slow drafters and know it's part of it. But that particular poster drove me to do something I now regret.
That being said I appreciate this post and am hopeful that this can be a constructive way to create the changes to make these DC's more enjoyable for all. A solution with minimal IT involvement would obviously be ideal. Hopefully this idea or one like it can gain traction and Greg and Tom can implement it in the future.

[Atlas]

I know this has been suggested in earlier incarnations of this topic, but it might be of help if we had similar times zones drafting together.

I did a DC last year that took 3 hours for the first pick. THE FIRST PICK!
The #1 said he got confused as to the time zone we were posted in.

It might also help if we all went to sleep and woke up on the same clock.

Just a thought.