So we're going to have a few things to settle over the next week or two, and being the democracy that is Pounding '07, I will be putting everything to a vote. The day before said vote, I will lay out the options and let those who want to make an argument do so. Then I will simply post the poll and take the winner after a couple days. If there is a tie, the P7 Inner Circle will consult and come to a reasonable decision. Okay, so here goes...Issue #1.
Side Note: Gillean just referred to me as the "League Commissioner of Nerds", much in the same way The Sports Guy's wife refers to his as the "League of Dorks". It's a proud moment in the Wade household.
So I think this has been the hot topic (if there was one) throughout the offseason. How will we determine the draft order? Do we go in reverse like the NFL? Do we wipe the slate clean and give everyone a fair shake? What do we do about the 3 expansion teams? Should they get a shot at the #1 pick?
All good questions.
I have a few answers. First, I have decided that the draft will be determined much in the same way the NBA draft is determined: a lottery. A select few are aware of how this lottery will be performed, but that is yet to be revealed and is not the issue we are dealing with tonight.
The issue tonight comes with 2 questions:
1. Should the lottery be weighted (as the NBA does it)?
2. Should the 3 expansion teams be included in the lottery?
That is what we are here to answer. I have devised 5 possible solutions to this problem, which I have listed in no particular order.
OPTION #1. The slate is wiped clean. All teams (INCLUDING the expansion teams) have an equal chance at the #1 pick. For example, if we were using ping pong balls, then everyone has 1 ball in the pool from the beginning.
OPTION #2. The slate is wiped clean for everyone EXCEPT the expansion teams. There are 2 lotteries - the first with 9 balls (last year's remaining P6 league members) to determine picks 1-9 and then a 3-ball lottery with the expansion teams to decide picks 10-12.
OPTION #3. Same deal as #1, but with a twist. Everyone gets 1 ball, but the 3 expansion teams are not added to the pool until AFTER the #1 pick is decided. Then everyone would be eligible for picks 2-12.
OPTION #4. The lottery is weighted in reverse order of the final standings from last year. Fuquay would have the least amount of ping pong balls and whoever finished in 9th place (Woodfin was 10th) would get the most balls, giving them the best chance for a high pick. There are really only 2 options for the expansion teams in this scenario. First, they are relegated to the back-end BEHIND fuquay, so for example, if Fuquay got 4 balls in the pool, the expansion teams would each get 2 or something.
OPTION #5. Or secondly, the expansion teams wouldn't be involved and would have a 3-ball lottery after picks 1-9 were decided, as in option #2.
So those are the five options we have to choose from. I will make my case for the one I think we should go with in the comments section, and I hope you will do the same. If you have a separate scenario that you think works better than these five, let it be known. I will put the poll up tomorrow after everyone has had a chance to express their opinion.
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As of now, having not heard any arguments thus far, I am voting for #3. Personally, I think the expansion teams deserve some level of hazing, and the only way I can think of to accomplish that is through the draft; however, I don't think it's fair to relegate them to the very end. I think #3 takes care of that - they can still get pick #2 or #3 (which last year would have netted you LT in most leagues), but are just out of the running for the top pick.
As for a weighted lottery (#4 and #5), I just don't think it works well for this. If we were in a keeper league it would make total sense, but being in a league where you have to start from scratch, I think the lottery should work the same way...
...even if that does mean Fuquay could end up with LT again. I shudder at the thought.
I vote for #1 on its face, but I do understand the argument of disallowing a new member to obtain the first pick in the first year of pounding.
So I will cave into to Potentate and vote #3.
Because there is absolutely no carry over from last year, last year's standings should have no influence on the draft positioning for this year.
Plus, I have seen teams with the #1 pick overall win leagues and have also seen teams with #11 or 12 win. It's great to have that superstar with the first pick but sometimes it doesn't work out (for instance, how wonderful would it be to see fuquay get LT again and for LT to break both legs on the first play from scrimmage in game 1?) The first pick is important but good teams hit on their later round picks. Very few are one-man teams.
With that said, I want a chance to get the #1 pick and believe there is no reason I should be penalized because Stewart sent last year's invitation to the wrong email address and didn't follow up with me until week 5! But that's neither here nor there. I believe a level playing field is necessary to ensure the competitive integrity of this great league. If there are no expansion teams next year, then a reverse order draft would work well. If keepers are involved, then a weighted draft lottery also makes sense.
In summary, I vote OPTION 1 and implore my fellow justice-lovers to champion my cause.
Otherwise, option 3 is fine too.
Option 2, 4 and 5 blow.
Personally, I'm in favor of hazing the new guys, so I would vote for 2, 4, or 5.
Because it's not a keeper league, I see little reason to weight the lottery in reverse order according to last year's standings since it's not like I'm getting any benefit from my sweet team from last year (eh, thank you), so I vote for #2.
On the other hand, though, I suppose I can see some logic in handicapping it this way. After all, I guess I did demonstrate my superior skill in taking the league last year and therefore it could be argued I should be penalized in the lottery to level the playing field.
Good day
Statement #1: "Because there is absolutely no carry over from last year, last year's standings should have no influence on the draft positioning for this year."
Statement #2: "If there are no expansion teams next year, then a reverse order draft would work well."
HIGH-larious.
I WILL say that I agree that it should be a level playing field, but honestly, when I was pledge, I didn't WANT to be hazed. But I was. Just like everyone else who came into the chapter after it was formed. The founding fathers didn't haze themselves, but realized that their chapter was so elite that those who wanted to be included needed to earn it. And missing out on an 8.3% CHANCE of landing the top draft spot is relatively lenient as compared with other suggestions that send you to the tail end of the draft pool (see previous comment). So whilst you may think I'm on their side, #3 is definitely the most moderate option.
And yes, I too agree that 2, 4, and 5 would blow. For you.
I too like option 3 the best. I'm all for fairness as long as it only applies to the "old" guys in the league. Some hazing is good fun but I don't like being a total butthole... just a partial one.
My first thought was that we would use last-year’s results to determine the draft order this year. After all, that is how the NFL does it—and, during the Great Playoff Seeding Debate of ’06, it was decided/suggested (much to my chagrin) that our tiebreaker was head-to-head record, not total points scored, because that was the most like real football. When Fuquay started whining and clamoring about how we should start off on a clean slate since this wasn’t a keeper league, I wrote off his arguments as a desperate attempt to avoid picking last (or next to last). But there is some merit in that position. Here’s my breakdown of each side.
Draft based on last year’s finish:
-This league has the same teams/owners as last year (+ lowly expansion teams), so there is no need to start from scratch. True, it’s not a keeper league, but the owners are the same, and they are the evaluators of talent. The better you are at doing that, then the more likely you are to win. If the owners of the playoff teams were better at evaluating talent, monitoring the waiver wire, and screwing Aggies via trades, then they are more likely to have success again this year—meaning they should be handicapped by drafting later. To the extent this was not true--or was nowhere close to true (*cough* Dr. Wade *cough)—then the reverse draft order helps even out the luck from last year. The playoff teams inevitably got some lucky bounces, while Nashville Smoke and Lose got hosed by Lady Fortune. The reverse order, therefore, helps smooth out these disparities.
-Coin, currency, etc. Fuquay is currently basing out the humble Speedway Abode with his fancy speakers that he bought with his winnings from last year. Fuquay had one of the worst drafts in the history of mankind (though still better than the Nashvillian who drafted 5 IDPs and Dr. Wade who took Samkon Gado before Micheal Vick). Nevertheless, Fuquay had a top three pick and got LT. LT had a career year, and Fuquay was able to survive the early part of the season while he unloaded the players he drafted in a series of trades to Wade, et. al. Maybe Fuquay and company won’t have their same players, but they have their winnings. For a close call like this is, even a small reason like this could be enough to justify the reverse drafting order. Plus, I want LT so I can win and buy sweet speakers, too.
Random Lottery:
-This is a new year with completely new teams. Since we all are starting from scratch, we should all start on a level playing field.
-Smoke ‘n Brew picked first, but he became Smoke ‘n Lose, so picking first, though important, doesn’t necessarily lead to wins. Meanwhile, Coyote Cubs picked second to last and dominated the league for an “ungodly” amount of time.
Hazing
-I think it’s probably fine to put the newcomers at the end of the line if we base the draft order on last year’s results, but not if we are doing a random order. There will be plenty of ways to haze them and make them earn their keep. As White wisely pointed out, he probably shouldn’t be punished because a fellow Aggie made an Aggie mistake and never sent him an email.
I'm with option #3. Moderately conservative for the pledges and respectfully unbiased for the vets.
stewart, your wife called my wife yesterday, attempting to recruit her for the Women Against Fantasy Football LEagues (WAFFLE) and help spread her propaganda against anything and everything both fantasy and football. let's just hope you manage this league better than you manage your household.
and as far as draft positioning goes, i'll trust the veteran leadership of the league to make a decision that is fair and just to all members. if they feel the need to handicap the newbies out of fear, malice or just adolscent hazing, then so be it. just know that my drafts are strong top to bottom, positioning be damned.
the leader of the late-round sleeper cell,
whitey