2005 Ultimate Champion Profile - David DiDonato
Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 2:44 am
It wasn’t that long ago that the Ultimate was just a niche part of the NFBC’s overall competition. The $5,000 entry fee was enough to separate it from the pack. As did the $40,000 grand prize.
But as the NFBC has grown, the Ultimate has grown along with it. That means the competition is going to more and more fierce with each passing year – and that makes the title earned an even sweeter one.
Just ask David DiDonato.
DiDonato took home the first-place prize in the 2005 Ultimate and he had just one word to describe his championship season.
“It was awesome,” said DiDonato, who owns several pieces of commercial real estate and a liquor store in Johnston, RI. “It was especially satisfying because the standings were constantly changing for the last week and a half.
“The competition was intense. Everyone played extremely hard which made it exciting right until the end. Four teams had 100-plus points and the Top 6 or 7 teams had a chance to finish in the money right until the end.
“It was an uphill battle at times but I made it. The 40K first-place prize wasn’t too shabby either.”
Like many fantasy players, DiDonato got his start in the mid-80s playing in a small local league with a modest entry fee. The stats were kept by hand using the box scores in the morning newspaper.
Twenty years later, he was part of the industry’s only multi-city, high-stakes fantasy baseball event and $40,000 richer thanks to his title in the Ultimate. How times have changed.
“It is amazing how far fantasy sports have come when you compare our first league to the NFBC,” he said.
DiDonato admitted he did not have a particular Draft Day strategy, preferring to simply build a well-round team around his opening selection.
“I try to be as flexible as possible, not taking players until the rounds I feel they should be picked,” he said. “I probably go by gut feeling rather than my own rankings or any publications rankings.”
He also wasn’t shy about acknowledging one critical aspect of his first-place result.
“I won’t lie,” he said. “The key to my success was luck.
“At first, it was all bad luck as I lost Kerry Wood, Jim Thome, Randy Wolf, Rich Harden, Mike Cameron, Carlos Guillen, Keith Foulke and Ken Griffey Jr. for long periods of time. Despite all the injuries, I was able to remain in the chase with successful free-agent bids for Joe Blanton, Vicente Padilla, Jae Seo, Ryan Howard, Mike Timlin and especially Huston Street.
“In the end, the numbers fell just right as nine Ks meant five points and eight RBIs meant three points. With the number of injuries and the closeness of the categories I was lucky to win.”
For DiDonato it was an exciting – and ultimately rewarding – season. And another example in his opinion of what makes the NFBC such a special event.
“I thought the NFBC was great from the start,” said the married father of two young children. “There was no miscommunication, no controversy, everything was exactly as spelled out in the rules.
“The Web site was easy to navigate and all you guys were very accessible throughout the season. I was in a competing league (in 2004) and there really was no comparison.”
But as the NFBC has grown, the Ultimate has grown along with it. That means the competition is going to more and more fierce with each passing year – and that makes the title earned an even sweeter one.
Just ask David DiDonato.
DiDonato took home the first-place prize in the 2005 Ultimate and he had just one word to describe his championship season.
“It was awesome,” said DiDonato, who owns several pieces of commercial real estate and a liquor store in Johnston, RI. “It was especially satisfying because the standings were constantly changing for the last week and a half.
“The competition was intense. Everyone played extremely hard which made it exciting right until the end. Four teams had 100-plus points and the Top 6 or 7 teams had a chance to finish in the money right until the end.
“It was an uphill battle at times but I made it. The 40K first-place prize wasn’t too shabby either.”
Like many fantasy players, DiDonato got his start in the mid-80s playing in a small local league with a modest entry fee. The stats were kept by hand using the box scores in the morning newspaper.
Twenty years later, he was part of the industry’s only multi-city, high-stakes fantasy baseball event and $40,000 richer thanks to his title in the Ultimate. How times have changed.
“It is amazing how far fantasy sports have come when you compare our first league to the NFBC,” he said.
DiDonato admitted he did not have a particular Draft Day strategy, preferring to simply build a well-round team around his opening selection.
“I try to be as flexible as possible, not taking players until the rounds I feel they should be picked,” he said. “I probably go by gut feeling rather than my own rankings or any publications rankings.”
He also wasn’t shy about acknowledging one critical aspect of his first-place result.
“I won’t lie,” he said. “The key to my success was luck.
“At first, it was all bad luck as I lost Kerry Wood, Jim Thome, Randy Wolf, Rich Harden, Mike Cameron, Carlos Guillen, Keith Foulke and Ken Griffey Jr. for long periods of time. Despite all the injuries, I was able to remain in the chase with successful free-agent bids for Joe Blanton, Vicente Padilla, Jae Seo, Ryan Howard, Mike Timlin and especially Huston Street.
“In the end, the numbers fell just right as nine Ks meant five points and eight RBIs meant three points. With the number of injuries and the closeness of the categories I was lucky to win.”
For DiDonato it was an exciting – and ultimately rewarding – season. And another example in his opinion of what makes the NFBC such a special event.
“I thought the NFBC was great from the start,” said the married father of two young children. “There was no miscommunication, no controversy, everything was exactly as spelled out in the rules.
“The Web site was easy to navigate and all you guys were very accessible throughout the season. I was in a competing league (in 2004) and there really was no comparison.”
