AFL Symposium Cage Matches

[Greg Ambrosius]

One of the best kickoffs to the next baseball season is the Arizona Fall League Symposium that is hosted by Ron Shandler and Rick Wilton. It happens the first weekend in November each year and is comprised of solid guest speakers, industry experts, industry drafts and trips to AFL ballgames. Every year about 140 or so baseball die-hards are on hand in Phoenix to see the best prospects in baseball and it's a great, great time for anyone who is serious about fantasy baseball.



I'm lucky enough to be invited back as a guest speaker this year and I'll be on hand Nov. 4-7 at the Doubletree Phoenix. My job is to sit at the ballgames, drink beer and talk about the NFBC, a job I KNOW I can do well!! : Hopefully we'll talk about the NFBC with returning players and maybe even recruit a few newcomers to the NFBC Slow Drafts, satellite leagues, live events or Online Championship. I'm looking forward to meeting everyone at the ballgames.



I'm also involved in the industry Cage Matches that Ron has set up. I have two topics that I'll battle over involving toe-to-toes with Todd Zola and Lawr Michaels. I'm looking forward to the debates. Here are the subjects and the people who will be doing the debates:



Jose Bautista - 35 HRs in 2011?

OVER - Todd Zola

UNDER - Greg Ambrosius



More home runs in 2011 - Matt Wieters or Buster Posey?

WIETERS - Tim Heaney

POSEY - Eric Karabell



Should Stephen Strasburg owners sign him to a long-term contract?

YES - Greg Ambrosius

NO - Lawr Michaels



Will Jose Reyes return to 1st round dominance in 2011?

YES - Lenny Melnick

NO - Jock Thompson



Will Albert Pujols drop below 1st round/$30 value within 2 years?

YES - Nick Minnix

NO - Peter Kreutzer



Is Carlos Gonzalez a legitimate first round pick?

YES - Todd Zola

NO - Ron Shandler



Will Justin Upton be the next Carlos Gonzalez?

YES - Ray Murphy

NO - Phil Hertz





Actually, I thought it might be fun for NFBC die-hards to get the ball rolling before the AFL Symposium begins. If anyone wants to start the debate on any of these subjects, I have a feeling someone else will dive in with a dissenting view. Jump in and grab a subject if you'd like. This could be fun. Let's get Jupinka and Childs in a cage match, or Gekko and Doughboys. That would be fun.



Anyway, go to www.baseballhq.com for more details on the Arizona Fall League Symposium and join me there. You won't regret it. And in the meantime, pick a subject and let's have a couple of fun debates. Take it away.

[DOUGHBOYS]

No offense to Mr. Shandler or his staff, but these questions are on the boring side.

Really, who cares if Pujols falls below $30 in two years? For the most part, this is a year to year hobby.

Not meaning to be mean, just fact. And I've never attended, so I don't know the crowd, heck they could be older than me!



Who can go from 15 to 50 like Bautista next season?



Bigger first round bust- Longoria or Tulowitzki?



What does Carlos Gonzalez have this year,that Matt Kemp didn't have last year?



A little more entertaining.....carry on

[ToddZ]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

No offense to Mr. Shandler or his staff, but these questions are on the boring side.

Really, who cares if Pujols falls below $30 in two years? For the most part, this is a year to year hobby.

Not meaning to be mean, just fact. And I've never attended, so I don't know the crowd, heck they could be older than me!



Who can go from 15 to 50 like Bautista next season?



Bigger first round bust- Longoria or Tulowitzki?



What does Carlos Gonzalez have this year,that Matt Kemp didn't have last year?



A little more entertaining.....carry on Let's just say you wouldn't be the oldest person there, and maybe not even in the top 15-20%.



The cage matches are a new feature and we are admittedly trying to figure out the best way to do them. Last fall, they were 15-30 minutes long. And other than an incredibly entertaining, hilarious and informative exchange between Joe Sheehan and Jason Grey, it was discovered this was WAY too long. We cut them down to 6 minutes or so for the spring tour and they went over much better.



As for the other suggestions for topics, keep in mind there are many other sessions and most, if not all of that will be covered.



Plus, with respect to the cage matches, it is not necessarily the actual talking point that is most important, but it can be the thought process that is more relevant, with the talking point being used as the best example to demonstrate that. At least in my way of thinking anyway.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Darn it, Todd. Quit making so much sense!