NFBC To Host 3 Tout Wars Auctions In New York

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:00 pm

The NFBC is proud to announce today that we have partnered with Tout Wars to host their auctions at Citi Field in New York on March 26 and 28. The league includes more than 40 industry writers and executives including the founder of Tout Wars, Ron Shandler.

Three separate auctions will be held at Citi Field. The 12-team AL-only Auction League will be held in the Promenade Room on Friday starting at 4 pm. Owners who compete on Friday in the Auction Championship or Live Double Play will have a chance to stick around and watch the auction take place.

On Sunday, the Mixed Auction League will begin at 9 am in the Promenade Room. I believe that is an 18-team mixed league. Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but I think that is right. NFBC owners who compete in any of the Sunday offerings are welcome to see part of this auction as well. The 13-team NL-only auction league follows at 2 pm in the Promenade Room.

We're excited to be the host of these industry events and we think it will be good for our members, good to have these top-flight industry guys in the neighborhood the weekend of our event so that they can still play in the NFBC's main event and other side events, and good for the industry overall. It's time to bring more attention to this league and showcase some of these draft results and league results.

We'll have more news soon. I'll ask Todd and others in Tout to post who won league titles last year and a little history of Tout Wars. Feel free to cite those who have won multiple league titles and who have had the most success in various leagues. Also give a brief history of Fantasyland and Sam's involvement. Lawr or Todd or Brian can certainly help there.

Thanks all and enjoy this addition to the wild weekend at Citi Field. Should be fun for everyone. Enjoy on us.

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 1:30 pm

We have a web site at www.toutwars.com, but here are a few follow-ups to Greg's announcement.

Last season, Mixed was actually 17 teams. This year's total is still up in the air.

2009 AL winner: Lawr Michaels, mastersball.com (his second AL Tout title)

2009 NL winner: Brian Walton, mastersball.com (Brian also won his NFBC main league, good year!!)

2009 Mixed winner: Chris Liss, rotowire.com

NFBC's own Larry Schechter (sandlot Shrink) won the first 3 Mixed Auctions from 2005-2007.

Other 2-time AL winners include Ron Shandler (BaseballHQ), Jason Grey (ESPN) and Trace Wood (LongGandhi).

2-time NL winners include John Coleman (Sandlot Shrink), Scott Wilderman (Fanball)and 3-time champ Mike Lombardo (Wise Guy Baseball).

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:29 pm

Somewhere in Walla Walla, Washington, a man sits in his chair with four broken ribs and a sudden urge to change his drafting venue from Las Vegas to New York.

CC's Desperados · Post by **CC's Desperados** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 3:45 pm

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Somewhere in Walla Walla, Washington, a man sits in his chair with four broken ribs and a sudden urge to change his drafting venue from Las Vegas to New York.

We can take donations to send him there!

DOUGHBOYS · Post by **DOUGHBOYS** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 4:09 pm

Great idea!

John, you up for it?

Walla Walla · Post by **Walla Walla** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 5:25 pm

There's a reason they're going to New York.

The Shark Tank in Las Vegas!!! Fear is what I smell!!!

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:31 pm

Originally posted by ToddZ:

Last season, Mixed was actually 17 teams. This year's total is still up in the air.

todd - does this mean you might be looking for an owner or two? if so, with me drafting in NY, what would it take for GG to make it to the big show?

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:16 am

Originally posted by Gekko:

quote:Originally posted by ToddZ:

Last season, Mixed was actually 17 teams. This year's total is still up in the air.

todd - does this mean you might be looking for an owner or two? if so, with me drafting in NY, what would it take for GG to make it to the big show? [/QUOTE]Stating at the beginning that although leagues like Tout Wars and LABR are labeled expert leagues, heck, Tout is a synonym for expert, as Greg can tell you as well as anyone, they are more industry showcase leagues than a group of the foremost experts competing against each other.

With that as a backdrop, and this is discussed on the Tout Wars site, there are some baseline qualifications necessary to be eligible to compete, then a process by which you are nominated and voted upon.

The eligibility criteria involves being in the industry for a specified length of time and presently having an avenue to promote and/or discuss Tout Wars.

If there are any openings, a group of veteran Tout members are asked to nominate qualified candidates. The 4-man LLC that fronts the group (Ron Shandler, Peter Kreutzer (Rotoman), Lawr Michaels and Jeff Erickson, familiar names all, then pare down the lists and send out a consolidated list of the most mentioned candidates for everyone to vote on, with certain criteria in mind.

The LLC gathers these votes and starts at the top, inviting the most worthy candidate as decided by the other Toutians.

As one can imagine, the LLC gets numerous inquiries for membership every year. The suggestion is to find ways to get your name recognized by posting on popular forums, going to events such as the First Pitch Forums sponsored by Baseball HQ and yes, we strongly suggest they participate in the NFBC. Really, we do. While I will stop short of deeming it a popularity contest, the interested party does need to find a vehicle to be recognized by his or her peers.

On a side note, FWIW, the LLC recently instituted a new by-law by which you have to earn the right to keep your AL or NL only seat by maintaining a minimal performance level for 2 straight years. If you fall below this threshold, you can play in the Mixed League.

[ January 20, 2010, 10:25 AM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 4:21 am

DANG IT -- don't you hate it when you hit quote instead of edit when you want to edit your post and you end up putting your edit in quotes under your original post you wanted to edit?

[ January 20, 2010, 10:24 AM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]

Sack · Post by **Sack** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:09 am

Gekko:

In plain speak - NO

Sack · Post by **Sack** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:11 am

Todd:

Interesting selection process, made for a good read. Thx for taking the time. I apologize, can't miss a chance to take a shot at Mark. He invites this.

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:39 am

that's a lof of hoops to jump through todd! i just wanted an invite to take on the industry best. i don't have a website though.

PM me if i can get fast-tracked

Lunatic · Post by **Lunatic** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:37 pm

Originally posted by Gekko:

that's a lof of hoops to jump through todd! i just wanted an invite to take on the industry best. i don't have a website though.

PM me if i can get fast-tracked

You are on You Tube though, maybe that can score you some points....

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 12:44 pm

Originally posted by Lunatic:

quote:Originally posted by Gekko:

that's a lof of hoops to jump through todd! i just wanted an invite to take on the industry best. i don't have a website though.

PM me if i can get fast-tracked

You are on You Tube though, maybe that can score you some points....

[/QUOTE]i did a slow draft under a fake name. i'm thinking about publishing the results on the MB to get people's opinions. i tried a very unusual strategy. i punted hr and rbi!!!!!!

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:09 pm

Originally posted by Gekko:

i tried a very unusual strategy. i punted hr and rbi!!!!!! When 4x4 was the primary format, this was popular and was called the Sweeney Plan. I think we should rename it the Minaya plan.

Gekko · Post by **Gekko** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 1:44 pm

Originally posted by ToddZ:

quote:Originally posted by Gekko:

i tried a very unusual strategy. i punted hr and rbi!!!!!! When 4x4 was the primary format, this was popular and was called the Sweeney Plan. I think we should rename it the Minaya plan. [/QUOTE]probablt b4 my time, but who was sweeney?

ToddZ · Post by **ToddZ** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 2:00 pm

I don't recall his first name, but he was in the American Dream League (one of the longest running private leagues).

I believe Alex Patton tried it in either Tout Wars or LABR, probably Tout in the late 90s.

With the addition of runs as the 5th scoring category, it is not nearly as effective.

[ January 20, 2010, 08:02 PM: Message edited by: ToddZ ]

larryb · Post by **larryb** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:19 pm

Why We Sweeneyed

by Alex Patton, Baseball Snapshots/rotoball.com

It's a gimme.

When Peter Kreutzer and I looked over the rules of this new league that was calling itself Tout Wars, and saw the AB requirement was a mere 4200 (the IP requirement a mere a 950), we really had no choice... You're about to go into battle, someone offers you a bullet-proof vest -- don't you almost have to put it on?

In the Sweeney Plan, you spend not much more than $100 on offense. And come out exactly in the middle: first in BA and SB, last in HR and RBI. The rest of the money you spend on pitching. If you ace the pitching, you get 74 points. If you don't -- well, it's hard to spend $140 or so on pitching and not be above the middle. The Sweeney Plan is for sissies.

The only defense against it is a high AB reqirement. At least 5200. Peter and I had two choices when we saw the rules. Point this out. Or take advantage of it.

We decided the best way to point this out was to take advantage of it.

Who was Sweeney and Sweeneyism:

The first time it was tried was back in 1991 in the American Dreams League. Hugh Sweeney came to the draft -- as always, in his running clothes -- bought Alex Cole for $32, spent $163 on pitching, and then didn't make a move (or return a phone call) all year.

Came in sixth. The only thing that saved us was Alex Cole.

But we were scared. With good reason. We raised the AB limit, and kept on raising it, and still, just about every year, someone Sweeneyed. Always landing in the money. Two years ago, it finally happened: Nova won it all with the Sweeney Plan. Our reaction to that was to raise the AB limit to 5,500 -- which finally knocked Sweeney out of the box, and almost gave three honest teams nervous breakdowns, as they just did make their AB.

We cut back to 5,250 this year, which is tempting the devil again, I think. Unless we make trades (Curtis, Cordero, Santiago, Glaus), Peter and I will come in very close to 5,250 AB; 4,200 is a cakewalk.

We have $100 of FAAB money to spend entirely on pitching.

Of course, we can fall on our faces. Randy Johnson might not come around. Lofton was almost hurt the other day; that would cook us.

But assuming no catastrophe, there's really nothing anybody can do to stop us. We could copycat Sweeney entirely and not make any moves, and we'd still be fine.

Which is the trouble with the Sweeney Plan. It's not much fun. You tend to fall asleep. We picked up O'Brien the first week because, to tell the truth, we forgot we were Sweeneying.

And if you pay scant attention to your own team, you pay almost none to anyone else's. The Sweeney Plan is Rotisserie Ultra Lite.

It wasn't even Sweeney's idea in the first place; he stole it from a fellow Dreamer, Bruce Buschel. Still, it's named after the right person.

Sweeney was, and is, a very serious distance runner. In the early 80's he got into a pissing contest with a rival named Jack Brennan. They put everything on the line in the New York Marathon.

I remember watching the runners go by in Central Park, around 90th street on the West Side. Just after the elite runners had passed, along came Sweeney. He saw me, waved, turned around and started running backwards, his hand shielding his eyes. He ran all the way to the finish line that way, but he never saw Jack.

It's going to be closer than that in the AL Tout Wars race. But I'm quite sure as we come into the park in September...

Put it this way, Ron: you'll have to run faster than your current pace. If you only have 69 points, we'll be looking backwards at you.

Sweeney, by the way, has never played again in the American Dreams. We kicked him out.

For not returning the phone calls

Raskol · Post by **Raskol** » Wed Jan 20, 2010 5:30 pm

Great stuff, LarryB!