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John Tierney | Archive | Email |
Staff Writer

Change Is Good
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.