Ya Gotta Believe Is The Week 6 Winner

[Tom Kessenich]

Congratulations to Ya Gotta Believe for being the NFBC's Week 6 winner. By besting the competition last week, Ya Gotta Believe wins an autographed Jeff Bagwell triple exposure photograph with a retail value of $200. Congratulations again to Ya Gotta Believe and good luck to everyone this week.



Here are the stat leaders per category for last week:



AVG: .340

R: 63

HR: 18

RBIs: 63

SB: 15

ERA: 1.69

W: 8

WHIP: 0.91

K: 71

SAVES: 8

[Greg Ambrosius]

Okay, so we know which team won the Week 6 prize, courtesy of Upper Deck Authenticated. But who was the team owner? Let's find out:



Ari Benjamin had to be convinced by co-worker Yoni Bornstein that entering the National Fantasy Baseball Championship would be a good idea. Bornstein had already signed up for the NFBC's draft at the Javitts Center in New York and he knew that his fellow worker was a die-hard fantasy baseball player. With a little prodding from Bornstein and the lure of a Pete Rose autographed baseball, Benjamin signed up for the NFBC just a few weeks before the deadline in March.



Now he's glad he did.



Benjamin's team, Ya Gotta Believe, currently leads the NFBC's overall standings after earning the Week 6 top honor. Benjamin won an autographed Jeff Bagwell triple-exposure photograph from Upper Deck Authenticated, which is valued at $200 for the weekly honor. Led by Ben Sheets, Craig Wilson and Adrian Beltre, Ya Gotta Believe finished the week with a .340 average, 63 runs, 18 home runs, 63 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, a 1.69 ERA, eight wins, a 0.91 WHIP, 71 strikeouts and eight saves.

Benjamin leads New York League #4 where he had the ninth pick in the draft. Benjamin selected Miguel Tejada, Magglio Ordonez, Bobby Abreu, Jason Schmidt, Kevin Brown, Scott Podsednik, Bobby Crosby, Joe Borowski, Cliff Floyd and Luis Gonzalez with his first 10 picks. Other top picks included Craig Wilson in the 12th round, Adrian Beltre in the 15th, Ugueth Urbina in the 17th and Craig Biggio in the 21st. His strategy of filling his outfield spots right away was criticized by one noted industry writer, but Benjamin is getting the last laugh now.

"Our strategy on Draft Day was different than many other teams and was in fact criticized by some of the experts," said Benjamin. "In the first 10 rounds our belief was to go after the best impact hitter, no matter what the position. In addition, in the first 10 rounds we wanted two quality pitchers, one of the top 10 pitchers, and one second tier pitcher. We filled our outfield with the first 10 picks: Ordonez, Abreau, Podsednik, Floyd, and Luis Gonzalez. Some of our best picks in rounds 11 through 20 were Craig Wilson, Beltre and Sheets. Our biggest busts today have been our closers in Riske and Borowski. My greatest regret has been dropping Todd Walker, and my best free agent move has been picking up Wilson Alvarez, until last night."



Benjamin, who lives in Summit, N.J., with his wife Lauren and a 15-year-old dog, has been playing fantasy baseball for over 15 years and participates in two other office leagues, one with his new employer (Deloitte & Touche) and one with his old company. He's fortunate because he shares this hobby passion with his wife.



"One year when I suddenly became ill, my wife Lauren helped me with my preparation for the draft, which gave her an interest in fantasy baseball," he added. "From that point on Lauren has been involved with computer leagues. She also has been involved in live leagues on her own for the past two years. Lauren’s grandfather was a minor league umpire, which gave her a love for the sport."



Benjamin has enjoyed his time in the NFBC and believes it will be a wild race not only for the overall title but his league title as well.



"We think the NFBC is being run by a class organization," he said. "You have handled all issues with a great deal of professionalism. We are really finding the competition challenging and enjoyable, particularly in New York League 4. At one point last week there were three teams from our league in the top 5. I can see one team winning the division, but not being the highest ranked team nationally in the division. It is going to be very tough to win this division."



[ May 19, 2004, 09:11 AM: Message edited by: Greg Ambrosius ]