49erAddict-08 Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I am commish of a league that is switching to an auction format for the first time this year. I was wondering how other leagues run their auctions. What do you think is the best format? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 1. Assign an auctioneer. Always best to have someone not in the league to do it but hey - who wants to? 2. Whatever the auctioneer says is final - no arguing. If he says time expired - it expired. If he says your bid was too late - it was too late. I like it when the auctioneer points at the highest bidder and repeats it. He needs to be as consistent as he can with "going... going... gone" but bottom line - he must have the authority. 3. Have everyone clearly visibile to the auctioneer. 4. Have the bidder state the team-position-player name and then the bid. Ie. "KC running back Larry Johnson $2" 5. Take breaks whenever someone calls for it. We usually arrange for the pizza to arrive mid-auction in my local league. 6. Every so often have the official recorder say how many players and how much money each team has left. If there is any disagreements, better to catch it early than late. 7. Enjoy it - I love auctions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 1. Assign an auctioneer. Always best to have someone not in the league to do it but hey - who wants to? 2. Whatever the auctioneer says is final - no arguing. If he says time expired - it expired. If he says your bid was too late - it was too late. I like it when the auctioneer points at the highest bidder and repeats it. He needs to be as consistent as he can with "going... going... gone" but bottom line - he must have the authority. 3. Have everyone clearly visibile to the auctioneer. 4. Have the bidder state the team-position-player name and then the bid. Ie. "KC running back Larry Johnson $2" 5. Take breaks whenever someone calls for it. We usually arrange for the pizza to arrive mid-auction in my local league. 6. Every so often have the official recorder say how many players and how much money each team has left. If there is any disagreements, better to catch it early than late. 7. Enjoy it - I love auctions. I agree with all, especially with number 5. I love auctions as well but hate that guys want to fly right through them. It's not like a draft where you can wait at least 12 picks before selecting again; there you have time to work out trades, plan, etc. An auction is much faster and anything can happen. Taking breaks to allow owners to focus, regroup, and most importantly talk trade is crucial. We also have a rule that states if two teams are talking trade and someone interferes in any way, that team is docked $5 auction dollars per infraction. I know the auction is for trash talk, but guys interfered verbally with trades that did not happen...all because the team that makes out better was in their division. Good luck; you'll love it and will NEVER go back to a draft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jolly Rodgers Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 1. Assign an auctioneer. Always best to have someone not in the league to do it but hey - who wants to? I agree but finding someone to do the dirty work is hard. In my local we have a guy that works for all the beer and pizza he can eat. Seems to be worth it for him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 Great posts. I would add: Try to have it someplace where kids won't be running around, etc. ie kind of "isolated" so there are no interruptions or other noise that would distract, etc. A basement is often a great choice, or a reserved room in a local pub/whatever (the pub has the added benny of food/beer in easy reach, although pricier). Tell the loser cell phone junkies to leave the @#$! things in the car unless they have a LEGIT reason otherwise, eg on call for work (spare me the "what if my family is hit by a meteor" or similarly unlikely BS excuses). Start either late AM or early/mid afternoon so as to time the break to coincide with lunch or dinner as DMD mentioned. Personally I prefer about 11 AM so you can figure on about a 1 PM lunch (we cooked out in my old league was great) and wrap up before dinner. Then you still have your Sat evening. (I also hate the "let's hurry up and finish" goobers. If you're that uninterested, why did you bother joining in the first place?) Emphasize - then re-re-re-emphasize - to everyone when the thing starts and be there on time or you will begin w/o them. (actually we tend to wait maybe 10-15 mins but no more) Also emphasize to anyone new to the league to make VERY sure they are up on the rules. Auctions are 100 times better than a "snake" draft - have fun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted July 19, 2006 Share Posted July 19, 2006 I agree but finding someone to do the dirty work is hard. In my local we have a guy that works for all the beer and pizza he can eat. Seems to be worth it for him. I did it last year (I'm also commish). Kind of a pain but not that big of a deal IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
piratesownninjas Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Good luck; you'll love it and will NEVER go back to a draft. I agree 100% Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticRay Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 That depends on if it is a live auction or one done on a web site over time. I do slow auctions on MFL that take from 4-6 weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeeR Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 That depends on if it is a live auction or one done on a web site over time. I do slow auctions on MFL that take from 4-6 weeks. Sorry but that sounds about as interesting to me as watching paint dry. The biggest appeal of an auction is all that action going on the whole time (vs a "snake" draft where you make a pick and just sit around waiting....and waiting....). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaticRay Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 Sorry but that sounds about as interesting to me as watching paint dry. The biggest appeal of an auction is all that action going on the whole time (vs a "snake" draft where you make a pick and just sit around waiting....and waiting....). Then don't use it. I'm now doing my 4th league there with a slow auction because people love it. Each to his own taste. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskey Pimp Posted July 20, 2006 Share Posted July 20, 2006 1. Assign an auctioneer. Always best to have someone not in the league to do it but hey - who wants to? We just select 1 person to start and then whoever wins the player auctioned nominates and becomes auctioneer for the next player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FFLongSnapper Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 At a live auction, what happens if owners want to trade a player during the auction? Do you experienced auctioneers have a rule in place where owners can call a time-out (1-2 mins) and negotiate a trade mid-draft? Our league has been discussing giving each owner 1 timeout to take during the auction to negotiate trades, or simply catch their breath. This since we will be drafting auction style for the first time, and there's some concern over the auction going too fast to accomodate owners wanting to trade. Any suggestions? FFLongSnapper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wolf Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 At a live auction, what happens if owners want to trade a player during the auction? Do you experienced auctioneers have a rule in place where owners can call a time-out (1-2 mins) and negotiate a trade mid-draft? Our league has been discussing giving each owner 1 timeout to take during the auction to negotiate trades, or simply catch their breath. This since we will be drafting auction style for the first time, and there's some concern over the auction going too fast to accomodate owners wanting to trade. Any suggestions? FFLongSnapper See my post above. MAKE SURE you have time built in to talk trade. Stop every 10 picks for a few minutes or something. The clowns in my league like to go too fast for my taste. I like to work trades and as commissioner encourage others to do so as well. If someone wants to talk trade, he should be allowed to stop the auction for a couple of minutes, pull someone out of the room, and talk trade. This is the best and most important day of our season and it should not be rushed through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted July 21, 2006 Share Posted July 21, 2006 (edited) There is seriously no better fantasy football experience than a live auction. What my league has found very useful is to have someone borrow a computer projector from work so that we can have a spreadsheet up on the wall showing everyone's current roster and remaining budget. Edited July 21, 2006 by wiegie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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