Halbert
07-07-2003, 10:23 PM
Hi All,
As I have done the last several years, I will be setting up and running some FREE Fantasy Football leagues. I do this because 1) I love playing FF; 2) I hate paying for it; and 3) I like to play in leagues with people I know because it’s MUCH more fun that way.
I will be doing several leagues with different parameters - i.e. Open leagues, winner leagues, live draft and list leagues, leagues with defensive players, etc. The goal is to have 3-5 high quality leagues with active owners - versus me playing in 10-12 where the quality is questionable.
The single biggest problem with setting up free leagues is the plague of dead teams - those teams that are abandoned by their owners and left to die slowly. Dead teams are very frustrating for the remaining owners and often ruin what was a potentially fun league. Imagine being tied with your friend for the last playoff spot on the last weekend of the regular season, only to see that while you’re playing the best team in the league your buddy is playing the team abandoned in the second week and now only has 4 active players. On top of that, dead teams can’t trade; dead teams don’t ever drop players; and dead teams allow more of your opponents to get better players on waivers.
Ironically, teams that do poorly at the start of the season often end up strong at the end due to their ability to pick up the best Free Agents early in the season - when great pickups are much more plentiful. By the end of the season there is almost nothing of real value, except for bye-week fill-ins. A coach who abandons their team, however, never learns this lesson.
This season I am seeking coaches who are sincerely interested in playing a full season in a FREE league where others want to do the same. Obviously, extenuating circumstances happen that make FF unimportant, but leaving a team to die because you didn’t like your draft or you lost the first 3 games does not count.
In an attempt to avoid dead teams, I will be trying the following strategy. Please forgive me - if you’ve never tried to organize a league this might make me sound ridiculously anal (shut up, EE. lol). But less-anal methods have not avoided dead teams the last couple of years. For those who understand, this will help all of us in the league(s) have a much better time at our dumb little hobby. lol.
1. Set up the leagues as early as possible to give us maximum time to find “good” coaches.
2. Require a permanent email address, preferably a work address (Yahoo, Hotmail or other disposable accounts do not qualify). NOTE: You can use ANY address as your contact address once you’re in the league, but for this process it needs to be permanent. I will NOT publish your permanent address anywhere. This should help to avoid an impatient owner from disappearing without a trace.
3. Require a response to an email agreeing to the terms of the league.
4. Posting the online names in the league thread of all approved owners who have agreed to the terms.
5. Giving preference to regular posters or personal friends of reliable posters who can vouch for them.
6. Use optional features that make it easier for coaches to stay competitive - i.e. whenever possible use “flex” slots - they allow you to start either a RB or WR in a spot, making it easier to find a point producing starter to keep you competitive even after injury, bye week, demotion, etc.
7. In most leagues, maximize the number of playoff teams so that most teams are in it right up until the end.
Despite the way it may have sounded up until now, I am a very impartial Commissioner. I will attempt to set up the league so once it starts the system will take care of everything - in other words, I become just another coach. I will ONLY intervene when it appears there is cheating of some sort going on (cheating of any type will not be tolerated) or if something unanticipated comes up that needs attention.
Please forgive me for the FF-nazi tone of this post but I want to be perfectly clear in what I’m trying to set up. Trust me - you’d be surprised at what people try, and succeed, at getting away with in these leagues. For those that like FF as much as I do, doing it this way before the season starts will be a VERY good thing that allows us all to have a much more FUN season once the real games begin.
Finally, you don’t have to be a FF veteran to participate. As long as you keep your team active you’ll be competitive and are very welcome to play. In fact, watching the moves of other active veteran coaches is a great way to learn how to play the game. We’re really just looking to have FUN, and in FF that means having all coaches play through to the end of the season.
And remember - it’s all FREE!!! Keep your eyes open for postings regarding the new leagues I’ll be setting up.
See you in the leagues!
As I have done the last several years, I will be setting up and running some FREE Fantasy Football leagues. I do this because 1) I love playing FF; 2) I hate paying for it; and 3) I like to play in leagues with people I know because it’s MUCH more fun that way.
I will be doing several leagues with different parameters - i.e. Open leagues, winner leagues, live draft and list leagues, leagues with defensive players, etc. The goal is to have 3-5 high quality leagues with active owners - versus me playing in 10-12 where the quality is questionable.
The single biggest problem with setting up free leagues is the plague of dead teams - those teams that are abandoned by their owners and left to die slowly. Dead teams are very frustrating for the remaining owners and often ruin what was a potentially fun league. Imagine being tied with your friend for the last playoff spot on the last weekend of the regular season, only to see that while you’re playing the best team in the league your buddy is playing the team abandoned in the second week and now only has 4 active players. On top of that, dead teams can’t trade; dead teams don’t ever drop players; and dead teams allow more of your opponents to get better players on waivers.
Ironically, teams that do poorly at the start of the season often end up strong at the end due to their ability to pick up the best Free Agents early in the season - when great pickups are much more plentiful. By the end of the season there is almost nothing of real value, except for bye-week fill-ins. A coach who abandons their team, however, never learns this lesson.
This season I am seeking coaches who are sincerely interested in playing a full season in a FREE league where others want to do the same. Obviously, extenuating circumstances happen that make FF unimportant, but leaving a team to die because you didn’t like your draft or you lost the first 3 games does not count.
In an attempt to avoid dead teams, I will be trying the following strategy. Please forgive me - if you’ve never tried to organize a league this might make me sound ridiculously anal (shut up, EE. lol). But less-anal methods have not avoided dead teams the last couple of years. For those who understand, this will help all of us in the league(s) have a much better time at our dumb little hobby. lol.
1. Set up the leagues as early as possible to give us maximum time to find “good” coaches.
2. Require a permanent email address, preferably a work address (Yahoo, Hotmail or other disposable accounts do not qualify). NOTE: You can use ANY address as your contact address once you’re in the league, but for this process it needs to be permanent. I will NOT publish your permanent address anywhere. This should help to avoid an impatient owner from disappearing without a trace.
3. Require a response to an email agreeing to the terms of the league.
4. Posting the online names in the league thread of all approved owners who have agreed to the terms.
5. Giving preference to regular posters or personal friends of reliable posters who can vouch for them.
6. Use optional features that make it easier for coaches to stay competitive - i.e. whenever possible use “flex” slots - they allow you to start either a RB or WR in a spot, making it easier to find a point producing starter to keep you competitive even after injury, bye week, demotion, etc.
7. In most leagues, maximize the number of playoff teams so that most teams are in it right up until the end.
Despite the way it may have sounded up until now, I am a very impartial Commissioner. I will attempt to set up the league so once it starts the system will take care of everything - in other words, I become just another coach. I will ONLY intervene when it appears there is cheating of some sort going on (cheating of any type will not be tolerated) or if something unanticipated comes up that needs attention.
Please forgive me for the FF-nazi tone of this post but I want to be perfectly clear in what I’m trying to set up. Trust me - you’d be surprised at what people try, and succeed, at getting away with in these leagues. For those that like FF as much as I do, doing it this way before the season starts will be a VERY good thing that allows us all to have a much more FUN season once the real games begin.
Finally, you don’t have to be a FF veteran to participate. As long as you keep your team active you’ll be competitive and are very welcome to play. In fact, watching the moves of other active veteran coaches is a great way to learn how to play the game. We’re really just looking to have FUN, and in FF that means having all coaches play through to the end of the season.
And remember - it’s all FREE!!! Keep your eyes open for postings regarding the new leagues I’ll be setting up.
See you in the leagues!