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10th Anniversary Symposium to Bring Top Baseball Analysts and Fantasy Leaguers to Phoenix

By Anonymous

Phoenix, AZ August 28, 2004 -- Over a dozen of the industry's top baseball analysts will be in Phoenix this October 29-31 for the 10th annual First Pitch Arizona conference. Popular writers from ESPN.com, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus and Fox Sports Radio will speak at this 3-day event that looks at the fantasy baseball industry against the backdrop of the Arizona Fall League.

First Pitch Arizona, sponsored by popular website BaseballHQ.com, is a rare opportunity for national writers, industry vendors and fantasy leaguers to congregate outside their March draft rooms. During a time of year when Major League Baseball is mostly dormant, they'll attend games and watch baseball's best prospects at MLB's premier off-season league. Leading the group are the top baseball writers and analysts in the industry, experts in everything from the minor leagues to statistical analysis to Rotisserie strategy.

The 10th annual First Pitch Arizona will take place at the DoubleTree Guest Suites in Phoenix, Arizona. The event's web site can be found at http://www.firstpitchforums.com/arizona/

This year's conference will feature:

- John Sickels, ESPN.com's columnist and minor league author
- Jim Callis, Baseball America's Executive Editor
- Joe Sheehan, Baseball Prospectus columnist
- Ron Shandler, author of the Baseball Forecaster
- Matthew Berry, Fox Sports Radio personality
- Rick Wilton, founder of the Sports Weekly Hot Sheet
- Deric McKamey, BaseballHQ.com's minor league director
- Doug Dennis, BaseballHQ,com's bullpen analyst
- Jeff Barton, Scoresheet Baseball founder
- Todd Zola, Mastersball.com columnist
- Dony Levy, Department of Sociology, University of Connecticut

Shandler, McKamey and Dennis are also advisors to the St. Louis Cardinals.

"This is the only place where you'll ever get all of these people in the same room at one time, ever," stated Ron Shandler, publisher of BaseballHQ.com and sponsor of the symposium. "And it's a terrific group. All of our speakers are down-to-earth and accessible. They would be more than happy to share a beer with you at the ballpark and talk about your fantasy roster. It's that type of environment."

The 2004 program has been designed to provide attendees with a one-to-one, interactive experience that they cannot get just by reading industry publications or browsing the web. This year's theme is "The Challenges of Winning" and will focus on overcoming the obstacles to success. Highlights include...

- Keynote address by Don Levy, a sociologist who will share his research results on what makes fantasy leaguers tick.

- Three of the industry's leading minor league analysts will share their opinions on the projectability of prospects.

- In a takeoff on a popular television show, "Expert Eye for the Fantasy Guy," attendees will be given the chance to have a "roster makeover" by some of the experts.

- Several top strategists will discuss rules issues that cause unrest in many fantasy leagues.

- Every year, the program features a special guest from within the ranks of major or minor league baseball. Past guests have included: Al Pedrique, now manager of the Diamondbacks, Thad Bosley, former batting coach for the Oakland Athletics and Brent Strom, Minor League Pitching Coordinator for the Montreal Expos. This year's guest speaker will be Kimball Crossley, professional scout for the Toronto Blue Jays.

- The 3rd annual Xperts Fantasy League draft, with some of the top analysts in the industry competing head-to-head.

- The 5th Annual Arizona Challenge, a unique Rotisserie-style competition that tests attendees' ability to assemble the best
team against the clock.

And finally, there are ballgames. During the weekend, attendees get to see baseball's top new talent compete in MLB's highest level off-season league. Last year, attendees watched players like Joe Mauer, Khalil Greene, B.J. Upton, Bobby Crosby, Casey Kotchman, David Wright, Scott Hairston and many more who have already made it to the bigs in 2004. This year's crop includes such rising prospects as Rickie Weeks, Delmon Young, Jeff Francouer, Jason Kubel, Josh Barfield, Ian Kinsler, Ryan Howard, James Loney, Adam Loewen, Gavin Floyd, Joey Gathright, Houston Street and dozens more.

This event brings out the highest caliber of fantasy leaguers, including top Rotisserie players, Scoresheet champions and perennial contenders in national salary-cap contests. The speakers are experts in their fields, but often serve as no more than facilitators for the discussions that take place. Attendees depart Arizona having been enlightened and challenged, and over 75% of them return every year.

Even the speakers are some of the event's biggest fans. ESPN.com's John Sickels wrote: "First Pitch Arizona is a lot of fun, and a great way to meet fellow baseball fanatics. There’s nothing like a room full of diamond maniacs throwing tough questions at you rapid-fire to keep your mind sharp."

And first-timers, like attendee Brian Sank, also dole out the accolades: "The direct interaction with the foremost experts is tremendous and beyond all expectations. Couple that with the opportunity to share ideas with other fantasy players and AFL games is the best money spent on Roto."

Complete information about the 2004 First Pitch Arizona can be found at http://www.firstpitchforums.com/arizona/

Early bird rates are currently available. Those wishing to register can do so at https://www.baseballhq.com/subafl.html or by calling 1-800-422-7820.




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