9/5/01
After a long time, perhaps too long, of playing in the same local
league, it folded. The reasons for the break up were familiar, loss
of interest, nomadic behavior and some actually got a life. I accepted
the loss, but found a hole in my life demanding to be filled. I was
in one out of state league, but one league was not enough. After four
minutes of deep and reflective thought, I decided to go cyber and
try my hand at fantasy football on-line.
I had no idea what to look for or how the whole thing would work,
but I was determined to play in at least one more fantasy league.
With the thought came inspiration, and I knew this would be the subject
of my next article. It was a great excuse to sample several leagues
and assuage my fantasy "Jones." I had some apprehension
about playing in cyberspace, but my thirst for further stress in my
life had to be quenched. Besides, I knew there had to be other people
out there just like me searching for a change. They deserved a guinea
pig and I was willing to play this role for them. With this supreme
goal in mind, I began to search for a fantasy football site where
I could have fun and inform those who may be considering the Internet
plunge themselves. I felt it to be a noble calling.
The first thing I found, to no surprise, was that there are leagues
everywhere on the net. It seemed like every search engine had their
own sites and so did all of the sports oriented sites. To keep it
simple, I went with three of the most advertised sites. All of them
are associated with the National Football League. For the sake of
variety, and purely research, I selected three different styles of
play. On one site I am part of a free "all comers" game
where you have a cap limit of points each week. It is up to you to
create a starting line-up at or under those points and you compete
against the cyber universe for the season. At another site I joined
a 12 team live draft for experienced players, which was also free.
For my last site I selected a pay site with a live draft just to see
the differences between actually buying into a league and playing
for free. I liked the idea of a live draft and I wanted to be able
to compare drafting on-line to drafting at the usual watering hole
"face to face."
With a great deal of apprehension, and a certain amount of confidence,
I signed up and joined two live drafts leagues. It was easy and there
are thousands out there. I had no idea what to expect, so I wrote
some of the other people in the leagues and asked them for information.
Their responses were on the mark and I could already feel myself warming
to the concept of digital fantasy. Though they were helpful, I could
already feel the under current of competitiveness. Still, I questioned
whether or not it would be as intense as a room filled with living
people?
Before the on-line drafts I had the same butterflies in my gut, the
same burning determination and the same act of pacing the floor hours
before the event. I was prepared as always. I had my depth charts
broken down by position. I had my large plastic cup of cold drink,
my same pens, high lighters and pencils, schedules of off teams and
other paraphernalia I require to feel ready to draft. I would shortly
find I would need all of these things, and they had to be close at
hand.
The drafts started, the clock was set at one and a half minutes and
it was unforgiving. Just like in a face-to-face draft, my initial
strategy changed immediately and I began to plan on the run. I began
to improvise. I could feel the knot in my stomach tighten as I saw
players I wanted being scooped up by perfect strangers. My mind was
planning as many selections ahead as I could allow. Despite the fun
distraction of the live chat rooms, I could begin to see patterns
emerging as the true intentions of owners took shape. I could relax
as I quickly fell back to what I thought were effective counter strategies
and I took my first breath.
It was just like a real live draft only a little less personal and
a lot quicker. The twelve- team draft took a matter of an hour and
45 minutes and I've been a part of 8 owners drafts that took upwards
of three hours. When I was done I had the same questions and doubts
about selections and the same restlessness that requires a one in
a half to two hour wind down. The only thing missing was buying a
round a posturing "humble" with my colleagues, and a great
deal of reflection.
In both of the drafts I was fixated enough to attempt to read the
procedures and get in the draft rooms early. It not only alleviated
some of my fears, but it also allowed me to be prepared. Both of the
sites required a listing of draft selections in the order you would
like to draft them. Just in case you ran out of time or had to leave
the room, there would be an automatic selection taken based on this
information. I also found that both systems offered a "bank"
where you could begin to deposit players by position in preparation
for the live action. Pre-selecting your own players is a must because
the action is quick and the clock is unforgiving. Although both sites
varied slightly in their format, both had lists broken down by position
and some sort of indication that a player had been selected or was
available. One completely eliminated the player while the other had
the name change to a duller color. It was impossible to draft a player
that had already been selected and few owners tried.
Once I got the hang of things, I could begin to relax. I could feel
the ebb and flow of the draft and get a feel for when people were
hard-pressed to make a choice. Due to the absolute restrictions of
time, and in some cases numbers, the experience was very intense.
I found my concentration level higher than at a face-to-face draft
and I liked it. I am not going to share my teams, leagues or what
sites I am using. I have no idea what my teams will do, but I feel
confident in my abilities. The other owners in the leagues do not
know they are part of a "serious" research project and deserve privacy
and I will not advertise for any site except FFToday.com. Even though
I am not an expert, I will offer up what I have learned from this
experience so far.
Pre-Draft:
(The time of great indecision)
- Research your sites and find one that's fits you. There are
too many out there to name, but they are all similar and offer
similar features. Find a draft that you know you can attend because,
unlike people drafts, the computer will start without you and
it won't feel bad about the selections it makes. Check out the
various scoring systems and read the rules. There is no room for
whining.
- Do your homework and be ready. During the draft you will have
very little time to daydream or scan magazines in search of players
and ratings. You are going to have to be focused and ready to
select before your turn actually arrives.
- Get into the draft room as early as possible and explore the
technology you will be using. If the opportunity arises, do some
mock selections and become familiar with it. It will save stress
in the long run.
- Build your required pre-select list to at least 30 players deep.
It only takes a few minutes and may allow you some time to get
into the flow of things without scrambling to find players.
- Take care of all of your personal needs prior to the draft.
Get your drinks, food, depth charts and anything that may take
you away from the draft done. The selections can happen in seconds
and your turn can come and go in a few heartbeats.
- Shut off the phones and don't answer the door. Don't let anything
disrupt you as the computer has no concept of these things and
it does not care.
During the Draft: (The
rush of competition and blur of selections)
- Highlight the players selected. It will help you stay on top
things and help develop any changes in strategy you may require.
- Some sights have a visual for draft order and some do not. Make
sure you map out the draft order and keep it in easy sight. It
may allow you some breathing room give you time to flex your strategies.
- Keep track of your "banks" and positions lists available on
the site. Sometimes it moves so fast you miss a player being taken.
If you select a player taken, you are eating into valuable time.
- Don't waste a lot of time trash talking the chat room. Some
draft rooms have an alarm to let you know when you are on the
clock and some don't. You would kick yourself if you were busy
trash barking while the computer selected Jim Harbaugh for you.
(On the other hand, maybe you would deserve it.)
- Stay focused. The draft can move so fast you can be derailed
if you get distracted. You just don't have the time.
After the Draft: (Reflective
time and a cold one.)
- Write to your fellow league members and introduce yourself.
Take a chance and get to know a little something about the people
who are going to be a part of your life for the next 17 weeks.
Most sites allow you to mass email the league with the push of
a button.
- Place postings on the community bulletin boards and see if there
is any response. You don't have to trash talk and I don't recommend
it. Why create enemies before the season even starts?
- Take the time to look at the drafts of everyone and begin to
think about free agents and the trade market. Trades can be tendered
as form of introduction and most sites allow them for free. All
leagues have some sort of trade scrutiny and most offer a chance
for league votes on trades. It is a way to get everyone involved
quickly.
- If you are in only one, or if you are in many leagues, get your
draft materials separated and organized. Have your sign-ins and
passwords where you can find them easily. Make a binder with tabs
to separate the various leagues and league results. Down load
results and track the performance of your competitors. Not only
does this keep you on top of what is happening, but it allows
you to be more engaged and less scattered.
Like at the end of any draft, I have high hopes for my team and I
am already thinking about deals and week one match-ups. What is different
is that I am competing with people from all over the country and beyond
the borders of America. So far things are fairly low key and all of
the owners who have exchanged emails have been friendly and excited
about what is to come. I have no idea what the prizes are for any
of the sites I am with, and I really don't care. Just as in a face-to-face
league, my main goal is to make the play-offs and do my best to win
the championship.
So far I find the opportunity to compete with people I don't know
exciting. I hope everyone is on the same skill level and willing to
communicate, but I never know. I can be sure there will be no arguing
about the rules, because the computer will refuse to argue with you.
The rules are the rules period. There are things I will miss about
my old league; the familiarity, the usual comments and the same pidgins,
but change is the only constant in life. During this season I am going
to see if this is a change for the better.
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