SOLD OUT: Chicago Main Event League 2

[COZ]

Is that Lou Malnati's pie?

That is a whatever-it-takes-to get-you-to-come-to-Chicago-to-draft pie! Not to go full-on Chicago Pizza snob on you (which of course means I will), after much careful inspection, I am of the opinion that those pictures I posted previously are NOT in fact a Lou Malnatti's pie. Lou Malnatti's has more of a yellowish, golden brown flaky crust due to the butter used in the crust preparation as well as they use more of a fresh tomatoey paste rather than a heavy red saucey-sauce (is that even a word? Geezus, no idea where that came from)(speaking of saucey-sauced, that is a pretty apt description of the condition Jay Lyons will be in by the end of the Auction; but I digress....I kid Jay). Ummmm....below are two pictures for you that I think accurately depict a Lou Malnatti's Pizza Pie and you can note the flaky, golden butter crust as well as the fresh tomatoey paste used which is subtle yet sweet enough so as to provide a perfect blend to, yet not overwhelm, nor distract, your taste buds from the delicious fresh hot mozzarella used.





**(note the glass of merlot in the upper left corner awaiting KJ upon his arrival)(also, it should be noted, KJ, Chicago is very dog friendly as we had a dog at our Auction last year, and I'm not even kidding about that.....and now that I think about it, we actually had two if you include Pausma's lap dog, Jack Haan. )

COZ

[MadCow Sez]

Is that Lou Malnati's pie?

That is a whatever-it-takes-to get-you-to-come-to-Chicago-to-draft pie! Not to go full-on Chicago Pizza snob on you (which of course means I will), after much careful inspection, I am of the opinion that those pictures I posted previously are NOT in fact a Lou Malnatti's pie. Lou Malnatti's has more of a yellowish, golden brown flaky crust due to the butter used in the crust preparation as well as they use more of a fresh tomatoey paste rather than a heavy red saucey-sauce (is that even a word? Geezus, no idea where that came from)(speaking of saucey-sauced, that is a pretty apt description of the condition Jay Lyons will be in by the end of the Auction; but I digress....I kid Jay). Ummmm....below are two pictures for you that I think accurately depict a Lou Malnatti's Pizza Pie and you can note the flaky, golden butter crust as well as the fresh tomatoey paste used which is subtle yet sweet enough so as to provide a perfect blend to, yet not overwhelm, nor distract, your taste buds from the delicious fresh hot mozzarella used.





**(note the glass of merlot in the upper right corner awaiting KJ upon his arrival)(also, it should be noted, KJ, Chicago is very dog friendly as we had a dog at our Auction last year, and I'm not even kidding about that.....and now that I think about it, we actually had two if you include Pausma's lap dog, Jack Haan. )

COZ

Damn convincing argument for the Windy City. Already committed to Vegas but still damn convincing

[Vander]

Welcome to the new out of towners. Hope you can make it in person if not thanks for participating. Would love to meet you guys in person though. Chicago is small, no huge parties involved and everybody knows everybody but a great group non the less. Gotta find out how Doug liked Turks and Caicos last year. Guy was going on a great family vacation last year but didn't want to leave the draft when over. We were the last ones out. Thought the hotel staff was going to gang up on us to throw us out.

[Greg Ambrosius]

NOW ONLY 2 SPOTS LEFT in the Chicago Main Events as we welcome back another Charter Member to the Windy City. George Kleemann of Palatine, Illinois joined the NFBC in 2004 after seeing a story in his morning newspaper in early March and decided to give it a try. He later recruited his wife and two of his sons to join the NFBC and George is still competing to the fullest today. This will be his 13th straight Main Event League.

It's been 5 years since George, Sandi, Michael and Chris all drafted in separate Main Events live in Chicago. Since then George has battled a bad back and the boys have started families and moved on. But George is feeling strong enough to come to the live events for the first time since 2011 and we're happy to welcome him back. You boys take care of George and Sandi and make sure you give them a hearty welcome because they're coming to the Sheraton Northbrook on Saturday!! Whaddaya say about that?

Okay, we're working hard on the last two spots and feel kind of good about them this morning. We'll know more. Set your KDS preferences and we'll have this set up soon enough. Welcome back George and best of luck with this crew. Now let's get this done.

Here's the list for Chicago. Anyone else have the courage to join?

CHICAGO
Sheraton Northbrook
Saturday, March 26, Noon CT
1. Brent Grooms, Atlanta, Georgia
2. Christopher Cosley, Rolling Meadows, Illinois
3. Reinaldo Diaz, Miami, Florida
4. Kyle Brinkmann, Albion, Illinois
5. David Van Der Stuyf, Willow Springs, Illinois
6. Gary Gelesh, Akron, Ohio
7. Joseph Martens, Bloomington, Illinois
8. Matthew Anderson, Mahomet, Illinois
9. David Geisinger, Brookfield, Illinois
10. Vince Clemente, Elmhurst, Illinois
11. John Pausma, Tinley Park, Illinois
12. Doug Gruber, Troy, Michigan
13. Dominic Cirigliano, Columbia Station, Ohio
14. Kim Dettmann, Mt. Prospect, Illinois
15. Eric Albright, Loveland, Ohio
16. aaron silver, chicago, Illinois
17. Mike Diedrich, Darien, Illinois
18. Eric Leggitt, Port Washington, Wisconsin
19. Anthony Kurysz, Hometown, Illinois
20. Michael Makula, Chicago, Illinois
21. Ronald Uganski, Portage, Michigan
22. Derrick Kaleta, Winnetka, Illinois
23. Russel Wyatt, Oswego, Illinois
24. Emo Bonaminio, Chicago, Illinois
25. Jeffrey Bryl, Germantown, Wisconsin
26. David Cushard, Grass Lake, Michigan (P)
27. KJ Duke, San Diego, California (P)
28. George Kleemann, Palatine, Illinois

[headhunters]

kj must have 1) looked at the weather here and decided it was safe to spend a few days here 2) decided it was easier to draft here than vegas. keeping in mind it probably wasn't vegas that made him take puig or hanly in the 1st round. 3) he wants to at least scout wrigley again to make sure he can find his way around when he goes to those world series games in october/november

[KJ Duke]

kj must have 1) looked at the weather here and decided it was safe to spend a few days here 2) decided it was easier to draft here than vegas. keeping in mind it probably wasn't vegas that made him take puig or hanly in the 1st round. 3) he wants to at least scout wrigley again to make sure he can find his way around when he goes to those world series games in october/november

1) I like March way better than Dec-Feb!
2) Too many vets from the MLBC and other lges to think Chicago is easy. Puig - the made me do it; got within 1/2pt of leading the Platinum on last day in spite of him, an expensive mis-pick.
3) I still know my way around Linc Pk and Wrigley with the exception of a lot of new restaurants I need to visit. Perhaps I should plan for October visit rather than March.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, I have one more almost ready to sign up for Chicago Main, but I'm still looking for one more. Obviously we'd like to have that owner live in Chicago and I'm contacting all of the Auction guys who aren't in the Main to see if they can squeeze this one in, but we could take one more phone drafter too. If anyone wants to help us fill this last Chicago league let me know. Thanks.

We are going to pick all draft spots this morning for full leagues. Please be patient with us as we fill this last Chicago league and the second Las Vegas league. We're working our asses off to get those filled after deciding to do two in each city rather than just combine them. I'm glad we did, but we're going to need a few extra hours to do it.

Call around Windy City drafters. We still need one!!

[Vander]

Thanks for working to make this happen. I'm sure I can speak for the majority of Chicago drafters if not all of them that we would like to see 2 leagues full with people that are actually there. If it has to be filled by phone that's ok too. I'd just like to say your efforts are appreciated. Sorry Chicago just can't seem to generate enough live event interest to fill on it's own. While the online drafting is great it kind of killed us as a regional player. We have lost many usual players to Vegas and online. It's natural evolution. Makes it way more convenient and less costly for many. I enjoy drafting online but it does pale in comparison to the live experience. These Friday and Saturday event experiences have become the highlight of my year. Some might say that's sad, but I really enjoy it and I know for a fact, I'm not the only one.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Thanks for working to make this happen. I'm sure I can speak for the majority of Chicago drafters if not all of them that we would like to see 2 leagues full with people that are actually there. If it has to be filled by phone that's ok too. I'd just like to say your efforts are appreciated. Sorry Chicago just can't seem to generate enough live event interest to fill on it's own. While the online drafting is great it kind of killed us as a regional player. We have lost many usual players to Vegas and online. It's natural evolution. Makes it way more convenient and less costly for many. I enjoy drafting online but it does pale in comparison to the live experience. These Friday and Saturday event experiences have become the highlight of my year. Some might say that's sad, but I really enjoy it and I know for a fact, I'm not the only one.

No problem Dave and it's the same across every city. Look at the New York list and you can compile a full league from those doing the 26th Online who used to draft live in New York City. I'll blame Easter weekend for that, but convenience and cost savings are factors. That being said, I agree with you on the weekend experience and you guys will have a blast in Chicago. If you have to put up with KJ, Dyv and maybe one more person on the phone, well, it's acceptable. They can be pretty annoying in person, if you know what I mean.

We're getting there. Chicago has been fine for this year. Let's make it happen and let's make it a great weekend.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, we're happy to welcome Peter Schoenke of Rotowire.com to the Chicago live draft. Peter is still working around his schedule, but he's committed to a team live in the Windy City. NOW ONLY 1 SPOT LEFT!! I know we can do this.

Okay, here's the current signup list. Please set your KDS preferences for this league ASAP and hopefully we'll run draft spots yet today. Thanks all for your patience and this is shaping up as a good, good league. Here we go:

CHICAGO
Sheraton Northbrook
Saturday, March 26, Noon CT
1. Brent Grooms, Atlanta, Georgia
2. Christopher Cosley, Rolling Meadows, Illinois
3. Reinaldo Diaz, Miami, Florida
4. Kyle Brinkmann, Albion, Illinois
5. David Van Der Stuyf, Willow Springs, Illinois
6. Gary Gelesh, Akron, Ohio
7. Joseph Martens, Bloomington, Illinois
8. Matthew Anderson, Mahomet, Illinois
9. David Geisinger, Brookfield, Illinois
10. Vince Clemente, Elmhurst, Illinois
11. John Pausma, Tinley Park, Illinois
12. Doug Gruber, Troy, Michigan
13. Dominic Cirigliano, Columbia Station, Ohio
14. Kim Dettmann, Mt. Prospect, Illinois
15. Eric Albright, Loveland, Ohio
16. aaron silver, chicago, Illinois
17. Mike Diedrich, Darien, Illinois
18. Eric Leggitt, Port Washington, Wisconsin
19. Anthony Kurysz, Hometown, Illinois
20. Michael Makula, Chicago, Illinois
21. Ronald Uganski, Portage, Michigan
22. Derrick Kaleta, Winnetka, Illinois
23. Russel Wyatt, Oswego, Illinois
24. Emo Bonaminio, Chicago, Illinois
25. Jeffrey Bryl, Germantown, Wisconsin
26. David Cushard, Grass Lake, Michigan (P)
27. KJ Duke, San Diego, California (P)
28. George Kleemann, Palatine, Illinois
29. Peter Schoenke, Madison, Wisconsin

[Greg Ambrosius]

Heads up to Las Vegas League 2: I have to confirm one final entrant and then we can run that draft order as well. Hopefully we can finalize Chicago 2, Las Vegas 2 and the Chicago/Las Vegas $1500 Online Championship Plus. That's the goal, so stay ready. Thanks all for your patience and I'm glad things are working out for all three leagues.

We are almost there.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, Las Vegas League 2 is now filled up. What a great job by everyone in that league. Tim Short is competing in Las Vegas on Friday in the $1300 Auction Championship and he's going to take that last spot on Saturday. We caught a break when Joe Berg was going to be in town and he took this spot and one in the $1500 OC Plus that afternoon, helping us to fill both leagues. So it was a great day for us. Good job all.

Here's the final lineup card. Draft spots will be posted shortly:

NFBC Las Vegas Main Event League 2:
16. Peter Peluso, Glen Cove, New York
17. Jeff Erickson, Monrovia, California
18. Shawn Childs, Forestdale, Massachusetts
19. Chris Hill, Santa Fe, New Mexico
20. kenny enfield, Sept-Iles, Quebec
21. James Roday, New York, New York
22. Scott Keikoan, Las Vegas, Nevada
23. Jason Steeves, Calgary, Alberta
24. Mario Malgeri, Harrison, New Jersey
25. Joe Berg, Fullerton, California
26. Tim Short, Blacklick, Ohio
27. Mark Bendar, Monmouth Junction, New Jersey (NY)
28. Dusty Wagner, Houston, Texas (P)
29. Joe Anthony Wake Forest, North Carolina (P)
30. Colin Forestal, New York (NY)

[Navel Lint]

Damn Greg!

I can't believe we can't fill out this last spot.
KJ was paying attention, now I guess I should advertise to the rest of the NFBC Sharks....

Here we go:

CHICAGO
Sheraton Northbrook
Saturday, March 26, Noon CT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Russel Wyatt, Oswego, Illinois
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.???????????????????

How much easier can Greg make it for you guys????

[Greg Ambrosius]

All 12 owners are cool with the setup in the $1500 Online Championship in Chicago and Las Vegas and Online for Saturday, March 26th. Look for those draft spots shortly as well. Thanks again to everyone for being so flexible. That should be a fun, fun league with a $9,000 league prize. Good luck.

[Greg Ambrosius]

Damn Greg!

I can't believe we can't fill out this last spot.
KJ was paying attention, now I guess I should advertise to the rest of the NFBC Sharks....

Here we go:

CHICAGO
Sheraton Northbrook
Saturday, March 26, Noon CT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
22.
23. Russel Wyatt, Oswego, Illinois
24.
25.
26.
27.
28.
29.
30.???????????????????

How much easier can Greg make it for you guys????

I thought I could get one of the Auction guys to stick around for one more, but Easter weekend is making it tough. I've called around and did my best sales pitch. We have one owner who is close to taking it on the phone. We'll make that happen if need be and get these draft spots to you yet tonight. That's the plan anyway. It's been tough, but I like the way this league is shaping up. Give us another hour to finalize things.

[headhunters]

Greg just fyi- Chicago drafts have never been on the 1st weekend. we have always drafted on the second weekend. also- many Catholics in the group. some non meat items at the auction would be nice. on Wisconsin

[Navel Lint]

Greg just fyi- Chicago drafts have never been on the 1st weekend. we have always drafted on the second weekend. also- many Catholics in the group. some non meat items at the auction would be nice. on Wisconsin

Coz said he would share some of his pizza....

[COZ]

Greg just fyi- Chicago drafts have never been on the 1st weekend. we have always drafted on the second weekend. also- many Catholics in the group. some non meat items at the auction would be nice. on Wisconsin

Coz said he would share some of his pizza....

Truth....except for the sharing of pizza part.

COZ

[COZ]

Greg,

What fruit-flavored wine coolers will the Sheraton be offering? Asking for a friend who wants to get down tonight (Ando)....

COZ

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay Windy City, how did things go? Did my buddy Dean Peterson show everyone a good time? Did Coz really bring in some deep dish pizza? Inquiring minds want to know.

I heard good things, but just want to confirm it. Thanks all and best of luck to everyone from the Windy City.

[Ando]

No pizza and no wine coolers. The disappointment I had in Coz reached epic proportions.

I was pleasantly surprised that he is a charter member for the subscription of "Gekko's Sleeper List Weekly".

Great time, glad I popped my cherry up here. Quality men all around. Closed the bar down Saturday night and we collectively did our best to keep Jay Lyons out of jail. If and when Jay does get incarcerated, we'll have to petition the penitentiary system to have him relocated to a facility in Oakland.

Thanks for keeping Chicago alive, Greg. I hope this tradition continues.

[Greg Ambrosius]

No pizza and no wine coolers. The disappointment I had in Coz reached epic proportions.

I was pleasantly surprised that he is a charter member for the subscription of "Gekko's Sleeper List Weekly".

Great time, glad I popped my cherry up here. Quality men all around. Closed the bar down Saturday night and we collectively did our best to keep Jay Lyons out of jail. If and when Jay does get incarcerated, we'll have to petition the penitentiary system to have him relocated to a facility in Oakland.

Thanks for keeping Chicago alive, Greg. I hope this tradition continues.

I think it will.

[COZ]

I was pleasantly surprised that he is a charter member for the subscription of "Gekko's Sleeper List Weekly".

This is not true at all and coming from the guy who is twirling the baton at the front of the Raisel-Iglesias-parade. A guy takes $$$Brandon Belt$$$ and automatically gets labeled as a Gekko-sheeple. Sheesh.

COZ

[COZ]

Okay Windy City, how did things go? Did my buddy Dean Peterson show everyone a good time? Did Coz really bring in some deep dish pizza? Inquiring minds want to know.

I heard good things, but just want to confirm it. Thanks all and best of luck to everyone from the Windy City.

It was a great time as usual seeing a lot of familiar faces that I always enjoy doing battle with and seeing who their "guys" are this year. My favorite weekend of the year, bar none, though I do lead a pretty uneventful life. Not to get all maudlin, but here are some the things that stick out for me, in particular. And I must warn that I have a keen appreciation for subtlety & irony, so here goes....my Top 13 things (David Letterman Style) about Draft Weekend in Chicago along with some of my usual dramatic license & embellishment:

13) Just getting to see the Chicago "regulars" again that I've gotten to know over the years, though it's always too short & brief....Doug Gruber, Vander, Vince Clemente, John Pausma, Russell, Jay Lyons, Bill Clevenger, Dave Geisinger, Gary Galesh, Kyle Brinkman as well as some new faces....Ando, Rey Diaz from Miami, Dominic Cirigliano, et al....all who simply share a passion for Fantasy Baseball and friendly competition.

12) Brunch with Ando & Russell Saturday and getting to know them a bit better.....'tskkkk awwwwww.

11) In my Main Event Saturday seeing Kris Bryant fall to 2.6. No home-town love for Bryant in Chicago apparently. BEWARE.

10) Team EFORCE (Vince Clemente & his team partner) who brought a Starbucks-sized container of coffee to the auction....let's just say their usual very vocal team dissension was more "caffeinated" than usual.

9) Post-auction, noting the empty bottles of beer lining the counter top brought back memories of my fraternity house after a party. Russell's picture in this thread above is not far off.

8) The realization by Jay Lyons again at the bar around midnight that he purchased 7 Oakland A's at the auction.

7) Dierdrich & Russell having the same auction values and battling for the same guys time and again...often ending with an even saltier Diedrich who tried to reign it in since he was sitting next to Pausma's daughter. Yes, we had a girl at our auction....apparently as punishment I can only surmise. No word yet on whether DCFS is conducting an investigation for child abuse. Good thing Pausma has enough Fantasy earnings over the years to cover the requisite therapy after having her spend 6.5 hours at the Auction, time she will never again have back.

6) Ando, Russell, Kentucky Bill & myself having a post-auction argument at the hotel bar with Jay Lyons was was insistent that Joe Morgan was a real smart guy.....and because he was so loud & insistent (and drunk), winning that argument. Also, trying to convince me that Jeremy Hellickson for a $1 was a steal after I pinched my nose between my thumb and index finger during the draft indicating a foul smell and what I thought of it.

5) Deidrich's reluctant admission that he had to stop & purchase a new calculator because as he left his home for the auction he apparently had put his calculator (yes, we have a lot of paper, pencil, calculator guys in Chicago....come one, come all) on the top of his car, and drove off with it still there....then, realizing it was on top of his car, driving back to find it smashed after he drove back over it. Needless to say, Mike was not just salty, he was a bit hostile, at least to our Auctioneer.

4) Getting a text from Jay Lyons Sunday morning at 2:00 AM (mind you he came in just for the Auction Friday night, not the Main Event but apparently stayed two nights) informing me that the bartenders were still giving him free Beers on the NFBC's tab and that his Saturday dinner consisted of the meal served for the Primetime draft. Nobody, bar none, gets more out of his event "fee" than Jay Lyons. The bartenders giving Jay free beer for two straight days is the equivalent of feeding geese....pretty sure Jay will continue to migrate north every Spring now as a result.

3) Having a post draft beer, shooting the shit & assessing the carnage while staring at the Draft Boards after the drafts and knowing the season is just around the corner....may be my favorite thing ever.

2) Doing the drafts LIVE and just seeing so many people who are passionate and care as much about this "silly little game" as much as you do. I'm usually the type of guy that prefers the anonymity and simplicity of online drafting, but ya really can't put a price on the feeling & adrenaline rush of drafting live....it's similar to watching a game on TV vs. at the ballpark. One is easier and a lot less hassle, but ya just can't put a price on the excitement & rush of DRAFTING LIVE.

And my number 1 favorite thing:

1) Danny Valencia....Third basemen.....Oakland A's.....$19.00

COZ

[Vander]

Great assessment Coz. My favorite 2 days of the year also. Always great to see everybody though it's a smaller group than it used to be. I do know the usual guys better than before due to seeing them more years as well as less guys to talk to. I enjoy them immensely. Russell's one of the nicest guys you'd ever want to meet. Pausma's quite but takes a lot of stuff in. You gotta watch those guys. Dietrich's outspokenness has been overtaken by Jay. You can't get a word in edgewise when he's around. Gary wears the same shirt every year and says it's the only day he wears it (for those not in Chicago it's a 1960 Pirates shirt pretty cool). Coz and Doug happy you guys enjoy this stuff as much as I do (I know Dave G does too). Hope we can do this again next year. Good luck everybody and let the games begin.