Warpath Fantasy Football 2004

when it gets closer, someeone needs to tell me how the live drafts work... do we sit in front of a computer for 4 hours picking every 10 minutes? I've just never done live before...
on yahoo I think u get about 3 to 5 minutes a pick and if its a group of people knowing what they r doing it doesn't last more than 45 minutes total or so.

By the way, I also would like to know how the draft will work - I am in regardless, but am used to lightning drafts that last about an hour with individual defensive players and much less with defensive teams.
I second that motion! I'm all for a speedy live draft. I'm sick of doing drafts that drag on for hours and days. I know everyone has different scheduling needs, but damn-- either you're serious enough about it to make time to participate in the draft, or you're not. I would think that if you're willing to put down your hard-earned money to play, you would be willing to work your schedule around the draft as well.

It's just been my experience that long drafts involving draft cards and autopicks wind up causing more problems than they solve. Let's keep it short and simple!

I am in for the pay league just let me know where and when to pay

I will be glad to moderate ONE draft if you like, even if you have the stats done on Yahoo. I run over 40 football drafts every season, so you would need to lock in a time before July 20, when I schedule all my other drafts, if you want your pick of times. I allow 20 seconds per pick. But most guys do not take their 20 seconds, and I can go as fast as people can make their picks. The guys LOVE these drafts, but you absolutely have to be prepared, or you will get lost. We have had our 16-team leagues with a 25-man roster (400 picks) go in as little as 90 minutes. I do these drafts for all my leagues for individuals. Also, a few private leagues like this have me do them for a $100 fee. I will not charge you for this if you want it.

The downsides are:
1. Everyone has to call in to a conferencing system I use. You pay the long distance, but if you get one of those Sams or Price Club calling cards for 3 cents a minute, a 60-minute draft costs $1.80 phone time.

2. You will have to keep track of "picked" players yourself, unless you want to use my automated software. That is available free, but you would still make picks on the phone, and have to be able to connect to the internet in addition to the voice call. You would rate your players ahead of time, and the software shows your top 10 available players at all times, and top 3 available at each position. It updates automatically and immediately when players are taken. This is not a true "web site" - you would have to install the free software that would connect to our server. Basically, there is a small learning curve with this...

The upsides:
1. It is fast and exciting
2. You hear everyones voice and picks - there is time for a little discussion/trash talk at the start, during the 2-minute break in the middle of the draft, and after the end of the draft as long as you want to stay on the phone. It is a cool way to get acquainted.

Sounds good to me.

WOuldnt it be easier to use the live draft on yahoo? It does all of those things as well, and you dont have to be on the phone. I can see where your way is a lot quicker though. Could be fun. Either way is fine by me, ill put in the prep time, but I dont knwo if everyone wants to have all those lists made before hand. Yahoo would always have that info available to you.

WOuldnt it be easier to use the live draft on yahoo? It does all of those things as well, and you dont have to be on the phone. I can see where your way is a lot quicker though. Could be fun. Either way is fine by me, ill put in the prep time, but I dont knwo if everyone wants to have all those lists made before hand. Yahoo would always have that info available to you.

I agree. Live draft on Yahoo seems like the most painless, free option.

Just curious: When do most leagues draft? I've been in leagues now the past couple of years that draft anywhere from the first couple weeks in August to the first week in September.

Hope it's not too late to join in here. I'm down for both the pay and no-pay leagues.

As far as I know nothing has been set up yet, so it cant be to late to join. We've got plenty of peopel to do two pay leagues, I think Matty should take the first 12 people that pay and put then in one league, then start teh second league. That way you know the people are all paid up and serious about the league.

Hogskin, your offer is definitely generous and very appreciated. I think it will be easiest for us to stick with Yahoo for now though.