POWERPLAY 雜誌

Once a year, on the day after their Thanksgiving, something strange happens to our North American brothers and neighbours to the south in the U.S.A. In a tradition that has come to be known as Black Friday, common courtesies and general civility are thrown out the window in a mad dash to be the first to get the best bargains possible during the sale of the year.  People are trampled, fights break out, friends are betrayed, blood is spilled, limbs are broken, and sweat pants are worn, all in an attempt to get 50% off a pair of shoes or some other material crap.  Here on PPM we have a similar day, though instead of once a year it happens every week, it's called Wednesday. 

Wednesday is pay day, and managers hit the market in numbers, all vying to find the best deal on one of the many players that are available.  Much like Black Friday, the bidding wars can get a little nasty, friends outbid friends, people buy players on credit that they can't afford, and if everyone's webcams were turned on we'd probably discover that the number of sweat pants rivals that of the herd of shoppers at Wal-Mart. I'd even go so far as to guess that on PPM you may be bidding against someone who isn't wearing pants at all.  So how can you escape with a new player, and your bankroll and dignity intact? The dignity part is easy, wear pants...ALWAYS wear pants. As for the rest, here are five tips that have helped me make it out alive:

1.  Be present at the deadline.  If you drop a large bid on a player a day or two before their deadline hoping that will do the job, chances are you will be outbid and end up with nothing.  If you're not outbid, it usually means that not a single other manager saw any value in the player at the price you've bid. In my opinion this can mean you've paid too much. 

2. Don't get caught up in bidding wars.  Sometimes two or more managers can become so fixated on a player that that they recklessly bid back and forth against each other, driving the price well above the players actual value while a similar player whose deadline is 10 minutes later goes for half the price.  Worse yet, sometimes the bidding wars become less about the player himself, and more of a penis measuring contest between the two managers.  Don't get caught up in any of this nonsense.  Look at your balance, look at the player, look at your roster,  and decide well before the deadline what the maximum dollar amount you can spend is, while still providing value in return.  No matter what, don't bid more than what you've deemed reasonable.  If bidding surpasses your amount, there will be more players available, there always is.

3.  Sometimes you have to fight a little dirty, so I like to use the last second bid to my advantage.  There are a couple of reasons bidding at the last second can be beneficial.  You may be able to dupe the last bidder into thinking he has won the bid.  Some managers will refresh with a few seconds left, and when they see they are still the highest bidder, they assume they've won the bid.  If you can sneak in a bid at the last second, it will add one minute to the deadline, but sometimes the last bidder doesn't realize they've been outbid fast enough to get back in on the action.   It can also drive other managers crazy drawing out the deadline a minute at a time.  Keep dropping minimum bids at the last second and it just may frustrate the other buyer out of the auction completely, or tempt them to drop a large bid that leads to an overpayment.  If they overpay, you bow out and move on to the next player with one less manager as competition.

4. Often there will be numerous players at a position available with deadlines only a few minutes apart. If any one of the players would work for you as an upgrade, try going for what you might deem the second best option. The player that seems to be the best of the lot will likely garner much more attention from other bidders, and sometimes the second and third best options (who are still often excellent players) can slip through the cracks at incredible prices while everyone is bidding on the first. 

5. Patience. Don't go out and try to fill a void at any cost unless its a dire situation.  Chances are, while you may have a glaring hole, your team will survive another couple of weeks while you try to find a reasonably priced player.  It may seem like a long time, but can be a much shorter time frame than what it will take to financially recover after a bad overpayment. If Wednesday is a little too crazy, wait until Thursday.

Wednesday's can be a battle on the market, and hopefully this article will provide you a with few extra pieces of ammo to make it out unscathed. It is, however, important to remember that while Wednesday's may be a battle, this game is a war. Don't be afraid to limp away with nothing.  You can always come back better equipped with more money and time and win the next one.

**Even though this article deals with the Wednesday shopping frenzy, most of these tips can be applied to any day of the week**