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Congratulations to Blues Brothers in Chicago League 3 for finishing first in the NFBC last week with 2,921.5 points.



A strong week from Garret Anderson (.400) led the way offensively, while Carlos Delgado (.391-3-11), Dan Uggla (.375-3-6) and Russell Martin (.375-1-8) also came up strong. Ted Lilly fanned 16 while James Shields struck out 11 to lead the pitching staff, while Shields and Gil Meche picked up two wins and Huston Street recorded 5 saves.



For finishing first last week Blues Brothers wins a Brooks Robinson autographed photo courtesy of Tri-Star Productions. Congratulations again to Blues Brothers and good luck to everyone in the NFBC this week.

One of the best things about baseball is the length of its season provides fantasy owners with a strong test of the skills. But when your team is struggling an already long season can often become insufferable.



That’s when it’s nice to have a shining light come down upon your team and provide a ray of sunshine in an otherwise overcast environment.



Such was the case for Nathan Tennessen and Andy Speakman’s Blues Brothers team in the NFBC. Struggling to a 14th-place finish in Chicago League 3, they’ve been looking for a good reason to get excited about this season.



They got one last week when their team topped the NFBC field with 2,921.5 points.



A strong week from Garret Anderson (.400) led the way offensively, while Carlos Delgado (.391-3-11), Dan Uggla (.375-3-6) and Russell Martin (.375-1-8) also came up strong. Ted Lilly fanned 16 while James Shields struck out 11 to lead the pitching staff, while Shields and Gil Meche picked up two wins and Huston Street recorded 5 saves.



“We really needed this,” said Tennessen, who along with Speakman, are co-workers in law enforcement in Minnesota. “Jamie Shields was a huge pickup (last week). Without his line (2 wins, 12 shutout IP, 11 Ks), I don’t think we could have pulled out the win for the week.



“The rest of the staff was very good too. Offensively, we had a very good week. Only three players had weak numbers.



“Dan Uggla was a player we wanted in the draft. However, he was taken just before we had a shot at him. Once he slumped and was dropped we were very happy. He had a heck of a week. We are still hoping he will be our Chase Utley of last year.”



Tennessen and Speakman joined the NFBC last year thanks to a referral from their friend Mike O’Connor. Tennessen admitted their first season in a high-stakes event was definitely a learning experience.



“We have both played fantasy baseball for about five years, but learned a great deal last year because all of the owners were as fanatics as us so there was no way good players slip too far down in the draft.



“With free-agent pickups, someone is always gathering the same information as we are. Then it is just a matter of how much of your budget you’re willing to part with.”



Those lessons learned led to a change in strategy heading into 2006.



“This year, Andy researched the pitchers and I took the offensive players,” Tennessen said. “We both use point systems that help us compare players against one another for the 5x5 league. We usually use a three-year average if available to take out the chance of one breakout year.



“The problem with baseball players and their stats is that sometimes they are as unpredictable as the stock market. The season and the injury bug will let us know how we did and if we improved for our second season of NFBC play.”



Another change the team made was to target closers earlier and make sure they had two solid ones, having been left with only one in 2005. It wasn’t until last week, though, that plan had really paid off, Tennessen said..



“We are having a rough go with our pitching staff,” he said. “Andy Pettitte was our first selected starting pitcher and things have not been great for him. Our only hope now is that with Roger Clemens returning, he can get his friend back on track because we sure need him and the rest of our staff to lower the ERA and WHIP if we want a shot at placing.



“Offensively, I think our team can be good enough to compete. However, the loss of Gary Sheffield does not help this cause. I would say our one regret is that many of our offensive players are on the older side, which means a greater chance of injuries.”



For finishing first last week Blues Brothers wins a Brooks Robinson autographed photo courtesy of Tri-Star Productions.

Congratulations guys. I have a feeling that Mike O'Connor is buying you guys a drink at the clubhouse for your accomplishments! Congrats.