The Fantasy Guys: Who are they anyway?
We thought it might be a good idea to share a little of ourselves with anyone who cares to know. Each member of Fantasy Guys Fantasy Football Place was posed 10 questions. What follows here are the questions, and the answers to those questions. Enter what is our world ...
Question #1: What is it that they call you?
CS - They call me Chris Slater,
but you can call me anytime ...
JP - Joseph Pinecrest
JO - Johnny Oaktree
GT – Greg Tuscon
JB - Joe Blake
HR - Holden Ridge
Question #2: Hey baby, what's your sign?
CS - Da'
Bull - so watch out for my horns ...
JP - Libra
JO - I'm an Aries
GT - Aries
JB – The Age of Aquarius
HR - Aries (not sure what
that has to do with football)
Question #3: What is your SECOND favorite football team?
CS
- Gotta go with the J-E-T-S Jets Jets
Jetss. They get no respect.
JP -
JO - The
GT - The Cowboys got pushed back to 2nd place by the
Redskins in the offseason. I lived in Dallas
for 10 years but have now spent 17 years in the VA so it was time to pull for
the home team. This guarantees that the Cowboys will win the Super Bowl
this season.
JB - Seahawks
HR -
Question #4: What fantasy league(s) are you in? Team name(s)?
CS - I've been in a highly
competitive but unnamed league with the same group for over ten years, and
several internet leagues. Team names vary from my long standing Doom, to
the Fuzzy Bunnies, and the Mucketymucks.
JP - I'm in two
leagues. Destroyers in the No Name League, and the
Erasers in my company league. Aurora Destroyers in an
another league.
JO - I'm in a whole bunch of
leagues ... The Unnamed League for over 10 years as the Stingrays, the BRL
(Bragging Rights League) for 8 years as the Brahma Bulls, the Northeast League
for 2 years as the Avengers, the S & S Fantasy League for 2 years as the
Titans, the All American League as Blitzkreig, and
the "Lets Get it Right" League as the Scorpions.
GT -
I'm paired up with Joe Pinecrest on team
Erasers and fly solo with A Team To Be Named Later in the No Name League.
JB – Too many, usually
Seahawks
HR - I was in 5 leagues
last season, Raiders in all.
Question #5: What makes you such an expert, huh?
CS - I am a fantasy football
geek who spends way too much time on it. Way too much.
But I've got multiple league championships in each of the aforementioned
leagues, including a run of three in a row in the most competitive league I'm
in. Trust me - I've got this cold.
JP - I have won six titles
since the No Name League was founded in 1991, placed 2nd three times, and third twice. Last year I finished in the
middle of the pack due to injuries and Kevin Jones. One 1st
place finish and one 2nd place finish in two years. Finished in 3rd place in first year as Aurora
Destroyers.
JO - The Stingrays
have one championship and multiple top three finishes, the Brahma Bulls have
two championships and a second place finish to their credit, and both the
Titans and the Scorpions were the 2002 league champions. Also count me
for a second place finish in the Northeast League. My Predators ran away
with the 2003 Championship, as well.
GT - I'm a stay-at-home
dad. What the hell else to I have to do besides analyze NFL facts and
figures while the rest of you slave away in the corporate world?
JB - Expert? Who me? I win at
least 1 league every year for the past 5 years. In 13 years I have won probably
8 championships. However, that doesn't make me an expert. I love football and
follow it all year round, so I try to have as much info as possible;which I will be happy to pass on.
HR - Mostly just gathering
info. Listening to satellite shows, Direct TV, and 20 years
experience with 7 championships over that time.
Question #6: On Sunday's .....
A) I am a season ticket holder and attend games
B) I have Direct TV/NFL Ticket and watch 'em all
C) I have regular cable, but watch every game and update I can
D) I'm busy on Sundays , but live on ESPN Primetime for updates
E) I watch them while I stay online for for up to the minute updates
CS - E) Long live the clicker
& the mouse...
JP - B) Love
that NFL ticket
JO - E) Multi tasking
baby
GT - C & E)
Got HD cable with the NFL channel. Who do we have to bribe at Comcast to
get the NFL package on cable?
JB – B & E
HR - B since the beginning.
Question #7: How much time do you spend preparing for your draft? Where do you do your research?
CS - All summer I surf the
‘net looking for golden nuggets of information. I also enjoy varied
periodicals when I’m hanging on the beach. But the reality is that I
follow football info and moves all year, so I rarely am lacking for info.
JP - I prepare approx. 20
hours for the draft. I have found that the more time I spend, the worse I
do. I overanalyze things too much. I follow sports year round so I
do not need to read too much around draft time, but I do get 2 FF preview
magazines every year, as well as using various websites for ideas and comments.
JO - I buy three magazines.
One of them (Cliff Charpentier's Football
Guide) I buy religiously every year, and is the only one I read from end to
end. The others I buy just to get a different perspective on certain
players and teams. I believe getting a different point of view on certain
players helps you draft better and you can realize their value as well as their
potential and associate this information to which round they should be
available.
GT - Since so many
web-based resources have starting charging fees, I started relying on own
ability to crunch numbers and analyze personnel moves. The NFL website is
a wealth of information as long as you're willing to put in the effort.
I'll probably put 40+ hours into this year's draft.
JB - I pretty much answered
this in #5; all year. I have one book which I jokingly refer to as "The
Bible". However, I never use just one resource. All resources are opinion, the good one's will say this upfront. The question
is how well it is backed up.
HR - I never stop preparing
for the draft. After the Bowl, I watch player movement, all summer I read mags and websites, during the year looking for those
rookies for next year, and watch plenty of college.
Question #8: What is your draft strategy?
A) Conservative, I draft the best player regardless of position.
B) I stick with seasoned veterans, known commodities.
C) I draft based on need and position to fill.
D) I concentrate on my favorite players/teams and big names.
E) I take risks, selecting lesser name players, hoping for big things.
F) I watch what others are doing when making my choices.
CS - C) Gotta get my starters, damnit (except for those kickers).
JP - A and E) I go after key starters and key reserves first, sometimes at the expense of other positions if I see quality in later rounds. I will take risks, but only in the mid- to later rounds. I also leave players I want to avoid during the draft off my draft lists, so I don't get caught up picking someone I do not want.
JO - A) in the early rounds, B) I try to get a rookie every year, D) I learned this one will burn you - avoid this at all costs, E) I always take chances, sometimes too many, but if you can find a player in the later rounds who has a break out year, you will be rewarded with a great fantasy season, F) In my leagues where I play division teams more often this is a strong factor.
GT - This
is totally league dependent. In a trade-happy league, I'll go (A) with a
splash of (E). I want to get as much talent as possible and then use
trades to address any position of need. In a low-trading keeper league its more of (B) and (C) with a dash of (E).
JB – I never choose D or
F, unless you enjoy losing. I use a combination of the rest depending on my
league rules and scoring system.
HR - A. You can always build a team around the
best players on the board.
Question #9: Are you into Fantasy Football for the cash that comes with a championship, or are you just in it for the fun of it?
CS - It's all about fun, baby. I love preparing for the
draft, going to the draft, playing out the season, and crushing my competition
(gracefully). The cash ain’t so bad
either!
JP - I participate mainly
for the enjoyment. I am very competitive and the bragging rights are
great, but this makes football that much more enjoyable.
JO - Winning is great, but I
will always enjoy getting together with friends and trash talking all year.
Especially with friends who have moved away; the fact that we still get
together every year and do this is great.
GT - All of the
above. I love the competition that only comes when something of value is
on the line. I love the fun of staying in touch with my friends and
talking junk during the season. And I love how fantasy football keeps me
interested in nearly all NFL games, even a late season matchup
between the Jets and Bills.
JB - Both, but bragging rights
are the best, especially in leagues with trophies. No one can erase your name
etched on a trophy, especially multiple times.
HR - I think its the fun. Where else can you keep in touch with friends,
and still beat their ass.
Question #10: What are your favorite parts of the Fantasy Football season?
A) Preparing for the Draft
B) The Draft
C) The weekley competition
D) The trash talking
E) Making moves and trades to improve your team
F) The Playoffs
G) Winning the Championship
CS - H)
All of the Above
JP - B) ... and the
second guessing that comes afterwards.
JO - A) I love
preparing for my draft, ranking players, and finding sleepers, B) Getting
together with friends which I only may see once a year (and Fern's Baked
cookies!), C) trash talking in the Bragging Rights League - the name
tells you why, and G) Nothing is better than dominating your league, then
looking to repeat the following year.
GT - B) The
draft is where you have the most control over molding your team. After
that, it's mostly up to the players on the field except for an occasional trade
or waiver wire pickup.
JB - All of the above, except
maybe D.
HR - The draft itself.
Getting together, food, plenty of yelling, and walking out thinking you have
the best team.