With a free agent pool that has grown to over 30 people, the Pittsburgh NABA will look to maintain its current slate of 10 teams, and possibly even expand for the fifth straight year.  In order to evenly distribute that talent, the Pittsburgh NABA will have a first-year player draft tentatively scheduled for March 30th.  Teams will draft in order of their previous years' finish, with provisions to ensure teams most in need of additional players are afforded that opportunity.  Players wishing to be included in the draft (and the free-agent pool) will pay an up-front fee that will be passed along to their new team upon their being added to the official roster.

To ensure accurately reflect their roster needs for the draft, players dropped from a teans 2007 roster will be ineligible to return to that team for the duration of the 2008 season.  They can, however, re-join the league on any other team as a free agent.  Middle rounds of the draft will be structured to give first priority to teams who are either new to the league, or have depleted rosters from previous years.

Players who played for the Pittsburgh NABA in 2007, and free agents in general, will still be able to contact managers and switch teams at their own discretion as has been standard in the past.  The draft will only affect players who had previously been assigned to teams by the league president in previous years.  Players wishing to join the league after April 1st will be added to a free-agent pool for teams looking for players in mid-year and will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Players wishing to switch teams mid-year will only be able to do so with the consent of both managers, and the approval of the league president.

In other news, the league will seek to hire a new Umpire Association for the year, which is expected to raise the league dues.  The League is attempting to offset the increase with sponsorship opportunities, reduced administration and equipment costs, and overall league development.  League President Joe Graff promised to work to keep the increase in fees below $2 per player per game.

A weekly podcast is also in the works to supplement and promote the weekly awards of the Pittsburgh NABA.  Brian Strom has agreed to host the show, and has already begun to line up guests with an initial air date set for March 2nd, following the third managers meeting.

The next manager's meeting will be held Sunday March 2nd at noon.  Tentatively scheduled for Moonlight Cafe in Brookline, the topics will include games at Consol Energy Park, as well as finalizing plans for the First-Year Player Draft.