Auction Draft experience

First off, I was in the waning (and perhaps the most important) rounds of an online-snake draft, with a bunch of drunk and disorderlies, really laying into me. I, too, enjoy a good round of trash talking and so on, but here I am, engaged in mind games with a dozen drunk dudes and trying to make good picks. I didn't feel like I'd lose my edge, but perhaps I'd make a mistake due to the division of my attention.

Other factors to consider:

I only knew two of the dudes in the auction league, therefore we're a lot more cordial.
I was doing this auction draft on the phone. (Estimates put the total draft length at 4 hours, vurp)
These dudes were not drunk yet.
So I'm toggling between draft rooms, keeping track of everyone's picks (that's 26 people's worth), and trying to maintain some kind of edge with the Hammered Philadelphiliacs, and this room full of strangers from Cranston, RI on the phone. I was feeling very Bobby Fisher, playing a gymnasium full of chess matches.

This auction league is a 5x5, h2h keeper league, and I kept Ryan Howard, Prince Fielder, Stephen Drew, Ryan Ludwick, Cole Hamels, Jair Jurrjens, and Jay Bruce. All this cost me $22. I had $188 to play with. I have no speed or pitching. Hamels and Jurrjens are nice, but Hamels threw 260+ innings last year and the Braves are (in my opinion) rebuilding. Tough to rely on. I feel like what I've spent on my keepers gives me some flexibility, meaning I can go all in on a stud or two, and not worry too much about value. When I'm spending hours on end staring at the numbers over the season, I want to see names I like up there. Not a bunch of shots in the dark.

My turn to throw out a name. David Wright's my guy. I spend $52 on him. There's my stud.

The team eventually takes shape, looking like this:

Wieters, C ($9)
Fielder, 1B ($5-last year of his contract)
Kelley Johnson, 2B ($17)
S. Drew, SS ($2, 2nd year of contract)
D. Wright, 3B ($52)
J. Bruce, OF ($2-2nd year of contract)
R. Ludwick, OF ($2-2nd year of contract)
D. Span, OF ($1)
R. Howard, DH ($5-last year of contract)

C. Hamels, SP ($4-4th year of contract)
J. Jurrjens, SP ($2-2nd year of contract)
Y. Gallardo, SP ($27-Half-priced Johan Santana?)
M. Garza, SP ($25-former minor league pitcher of the year, untouchable in game 7 in last year's ALCS...this guy's absolutely for real)
C. Qualls, RP ($15, AZ closer, dominant in last year's second half, a steal compared to Joe Nathan for $35)
B.J. Ryan, RP ($17)

Bench:
My boy Ryan Spilborghs, Travis Snider, Sean Marshall (meh, Cubbies' 5th starter...think I'll drop him for Yadier Molina, as Wieters won't play for at least a month), and Chris R. Young.

With 3 dollars to spare. Now, it's obvious I'm short on steals, but I'm trying to move Bruce for someone with 5-category value. One of our categories is On-Base percentage, and frankly I don't think Bruce's will ever top .340. He doesn't walk, and while I don't doubt his talent, he's really just a 'sexier' Travis Snider.

So yes it was frustrating as hell to be on the phone for 4 hours, late to my softball game (ahem-4-4, HR, 3RBI, 3R definite first-round material), and all, but I think I am in the money in both leagues for SURE. The auction league's defending champion has won it in back-to-back years. The stage is set, you could say.

I don't recommend doing two drafts at once. Period. But I understand time is at a premium in the week or two before opening day, and sometimes you have to make sacrifices. The best approach, I believe, is NOT to drink (have I mentioned this?), to map out your strategy well beforehand, hone it in as many mock drafts as you can manage (Really, you want to win, you might as well do at least 15-20 of them), and just do your best to stay focused on Draft day. When you're only doing one draft at a time, it's much easier, and when your strategy becomes part of you (as it should, grasshoppers-heh), and you're SOBER, you will make out very well. Couple steals, couple mistakes, but you won't regret your roster.

See you in Old Town!