NFBC Weekly Profile - Michael Sonday
Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 10:18 am
Michael Sonday remembers fondly what it was once like to get a good night’s sleep. The comfort of knowing you would wake up each morning rested and prepared for the day ahead.
For Sonday, such moments of respite are a thing of the past. With his team sitting atop the National Fantasy Baseball Championship and a $100,000 prize within his sights, sleep is something for others to enjoy.
“I have been losing a lot of sleep,” Sonday said. “It feels like I have to watch every pitch of every game. But needless to say, it’s been a blast so far.”
Sleep can come later. Right now it’s all about doing whatever can be done to ensure the team he shares with co-manager Derek Lande can remain atop the overall standings at season’s end, securing them a place of honor among fantasy baseball players across the country.
“Playing in the NFBC has been one of the best competitive experiences that I have had,” Sonday said. “I have played fantasy baseball since 1990 but this has been the ultimate challenge.
“I am a huge Cubs fan but if my starting pitcher is going against them I hope the Cubs lose. The same goes for Derek. He is a Twins fan but loyalty has gone out the door.”
As first-time competitors in the NFBC, Sonday and Lande made sure they were as thoroughly prepared as possible for the Classic event. So the night before the draft, they did a mock draft using the NFBC’s Average Draft Position list. Sonday said that proved to be quite valuable when the actual event began the following day.
“We needed to know where players were getting drafted and where we should select players that we targeted,” he said. “Guys that we desperately wanted were Jonathan Broxton (fourth round), Carlos Gonzalez (seventh round), Vladimir Guerrero (13th round), Stephen Strasburg (14th round) and Troy Glaus (16th round). Getting Mike Pelfrey with the 450th pick in the draft was nice.
“We wanted a Top 3 closer and we did that with Broxton. Our strategy going in was to wait on outfielders because we felt it was such a deep position. We liked what we came away with in the outfield. We also wanted to get a guy like (Martin) Prado in case of any injuries. That way, we could just plug him into the position needed. Our goal was to go young with players that could give us the most value for his draft position but keep bounce back players in mind such as Glaus and Vlad.”
Despite getting less-than-stellar production from catchers Matt Wieters and Kurt Suzuki, the team has maintained a grip on the top spot of the Classic. It’s certainly helped that the team has made good use of the Waiver Wire thus far. Among their top FAAB pickups have been John Ely for $6, Alex Gonzalez for $23 and Angel Pagan for $40.
“At the time, I felt we paid too much (for Pagan) but he has done well,” Sonday said.
Although the road to the end of the season remains long and daunting, it would be understandable if a team sitting atop the standings started dreaming about the $100,000 prize. Sonday, though, said the overall championship and the prestigious prize that goes with it has been far from their thoughts.
“We have not thought about the $100,000,” said Sonday, who is married and works as a deputy for a county sheriff’s office. “Our goal from the start was to finish in the Top 3 in our league. Guys playing in the NFBC are the top of the fantasy baseball food chain, so for a first-year team like ours finishing in the Top 3 in Chicago League 3 would be an honor.
“The guys in our league were sharp. They knew what they were doing and at the draft we were pretty intimidated by the knowledge of the other individuals in our league. The NFBC is truly the national championship. I am just happy to be competitive in this league.”
Whatever intimidation may have existed on Draft Day is long gone. Sonday and Lacke have earned their chops with their strong showing to date. With plenty of local league titles under their belts the 31-year-old Sonday and the 29-year-old Lande are now aiming for a bigger prize.
“Our team is doing great, but it is a long season, so we’re just hoping that we can hang on,” said Sonday, who also runs a web site (mnhockeyprospects.com). “If we were to win the $100,000 we would go back to Chicago and celebrate at Gino’s East. This is where we hung out and had many player discussions in the days leading up to the draft.”
[ June 09, 2010, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]
For Sonday, such moments of respite are a thing of the past. With his team sitting atop the National Fantasy Baseball Championship and a $100,000 prize within his sights, sleep is something for others to enjoy.
“I have been losing a lot of sleep,” Sonday said. “It feels like I have to watch every pitch of every game. But needless to say, it’s been a blast so far.”
Sleep can come later. Right now it’s all about doing whatever can be done to ensure the team he shares with co-manager Derek Lande can remain atop the overall standings at season’s end, securing them a place of honor among fantasy baseball players across the country.
“Playing in the NFBC has been one of the best competitive experiences that I have had,” Sonday said. “I have played fantasy baseball since 1990 but this has been the ultimate challenge.
“I am a huge Cubs fan but if my starting pitcher is going against them I hope the Cubs lose. The same goes for Derek. He is a Twins fan but loyalty has gone out the door.”
As first-time competitors in the NFBC, Sonday and Lande made sure they were as thoroughly prepared as possible for the Classic event. So the night before the draft, they did a mock draft using the NFBC’s Average Draft Position list. Sonday said that proved to be quite valuable when the actual event began the following day.
“We needed to know where players were getting drafted and where we should select players that we targeted,” he said. “Guys that we desperately wanted were Jonathan Broxton (fourth round), Carlos Gonzalez (seventh round), Vladimir Guerrero (13th round), Stephen Strasburg (14th round) and Troy Glaus (16th round). Getting Mike Pelfrey with the 450th pick in the draft was nice.
“We wanted a Top 3 closer and we did that with Broxton. Our strategy going in was to wait on outfielders because we felt it was such a deep position. We liked what we came away with in the outfield. We also wanted to get a guy like (Martin) Prado in case of any injuries. That way, we could just plug him into the position needed. Our goal was to go young with players that could give us the most value for his draft position but keep bounce back players in mind such as Glaus and Vlad.”
Despite getting less-than-stellar production from catchers Matt Wieters and Kurt Suzuki, the team has maintained a grip on the top spot of the Classic. It’s certainly helped that the team has made good use of the Waiver Wire thus far. Among their top FAAB pickups have been John Ely for $6, Alex Gonzalez for $23 and Angel Pagan for $40.
“At the time, I felt we paid too much (for Pagan) but he has done well,” Sonday said.
Although the road to the end of the season remains long and daunting, it would be understandable if a team sitting atop the standings started dreaming about the $100,000 prize. Sonday, though, said the overall championship and the prestigious prize that goes with it has been far from their thoughts.
“We have not thought about the $100,000,” said Sonday, who is married and works as a deputy for a county sheriff’s office. “Our goal from the start was to finish in the Top 3 in our league. Guys playing in the NFBC are the top of the fantasy baseball food chain, so for a first-year team like ours finishing in the Top 3 in Chicago League 3 would be an honor.
“The guys in our league were sharp. They knew what they were doing and at the draft we were pretty intimidated by the knowledge of the other individuals in our league. The NFBC is truly the national championship. I am just happy to be competitive in this league.”
Whatever intimidation may have existed on Draft Day is long gone. Sonday and Lacke have earned their chops with their strong showing to date. With plenty of local league titles under their belts the 31-year-old Sonday and the 29-year-old Lande are now aiming for a bigger prize.
“Our team is doing great, but it is a long season, so we’re just hoping that we can hang on,” said Sonday, who also runs a web site (mnhockeyprospects.com). “If we were to win the $100,000 we would go back to Chicago and celebrate at Gino’s East. This is where we hung out and had many player discussions in the days leading up to the draft.”
[ June 09, 2010, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]
