Mission Accomplished For Seefeldt In Chicago League 1

[Tom Kessenich]

Aaron Seefeldt was on a singular mission when when he entered the NFBC this year.



“My only goal was to win my league. That was it,” he said.



Mission accomplished.



A strong draft coupled with some season-long strategies he prefers to keep to himself enabled Seefeldt to realize his pre-season goal as he finished first in Chicago League 1 this year.



“I am very happy to have won my league – and so is my wife,” said Seefeldt, a 33-year-old importer of olives and peppers in the Midwest.



Finishing first in Chicago League 1 wasn’t Seefeldt’s only strong NFBC result, however. He also finished second in the overall competition and was in the thick of things right down to the wire, being tied for first place with two days left in the season.



“I am proud (of finishing second overall),” he said. “I never thought I had a chance to compete in the Top 10 once Billy Wagner started having injuries.



“As far as winning the money (for finishing first in his league and second overall), it is really nice. For years now my wife has been saying to me, ‘Why do you put all that time and effort into (fantasy baseball) just to win a lousy t-shirt?’ Now that we have the $20,000 to show for it, she is thrilled. She is already telling me to get ready for next year and asking when is the draft?”



Apparently another fantasy baseball convert has joined the fray.



Seefeldt has been competing in ESPN fantasy leagues for several years and he takes his pre-draft preparation seriously. So it was no surprise he was quite focused on preparing for his NFBC draft.



“The draft actually starts for me in the middle of the winter and I study hard,” he said. “I spent a good couple of hours each night studying everything I could get my hands on as far as players were concerned.



“My wife often said to me that it was like I was studying for a college exam. She’s right, but it is much more enjoyable than that.”



Thanks in large part to that serious preparation Seefeldt left his Chicago draft feeling pleased with his team. But he knew more work needed to be done if he was going to realize his pre-season goal.



That meant working the Waiver Wire.



“I was able to pick up Oliver Perez every early in the season from the Waiver Wire,” he said. “He was huge for me as he and Carlos Zambrano and Jake Peavy built a strong foundation for all of my pitching stats.



“My other key Waiver Wire pickups were Brad Lidge – about two weeks before he became the full-time closer – and Omar Vizquel as he had a very solid season.



“My team strengths were pitching, pitching and pitching although I did finish tops overall in stolen bases. If Billy Wagner had not been on the DL for so long, I would have won the overall title. I’ll take second, though.”



He also plans to take in another round of the NFBC.



“I absolutely loved the entire NFBC experience from Day 1 through game 162,” he said. “Greg and Tom really run a fantastic fantasy baseball competition. I have been playing fantasy baseball for a long time and have done many different competitions; not a single one of the others compares to Krause’s competition.



“It is a class act that other competitions can only dream of knowing how to run. Greg and Tom are the backbone of the single greatest fantasy competition event. I’d like to send a special thanks to Tom and Greg for their professionalism and friendliness. Count me in for next year and the year after that …”

[Gordon Gekko]

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:

My other key Waiver Wire pickups were Brad Lidge – about two weeks before he became the full-time closer that makes it official. this year draft in chicago.

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:

that makes it official. this year draft in chicago. You're not just saying that cuz you're dyin to meet me are you Gordon?



[ November 23, 2004, 10:52 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]

[Gordon Gekko]

Originally posted by Tom Kessenich:

You're not just saying that cuz you're dyin to meet me are you Gordon? i'm hoping you'll slip me an extra beer ticket

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by Gordon Gekko:



i'm hoping you'll slip me an extra beer ticket I make no promises other than it's my strong intention to make sure everyone has a good time at the event again.