NFBC Weekly Profile - David Longood
Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 7:32 am
The light at the end of the tunnel is becoming visible. The bright light that represents a huge pay day and national prominence is finally within reach.
The race for $100,000 in the National Fantasy Baseball is entering its closing weeks and the teams in contention can view the finish line and the ultimate prize that awaits them if they end up on top.
David Longood is one of those teams. He entered Tuesday’s play in second place in the NFBC Classic event, just 31.5 points behind Stephen Jupinka’s first-place team.
With six weeks remaining in the season, there is enough time for Longood to move up and find himself entrenched in first place. He’s not getting too far ahead of himself but as his team has remained one of the best in the event for the past several weeks he admits the idea of walking off with the $100,000 prize has become more than just a dream.
“I started thinking about winning my league from Day 1 but I guess somewhere in early June I began to think I had a chance to win my league and now it looks like I have a shot at winning the whole thing,” he said. “The competition in the league, as always in the NFBC, is tough. I have to compete against Ken Magner and Shawn Childs, both of whom are among the Top 20 money winners all time in the NFBC.”
So far, though, Longood has more than held his own against that stiff competition. He said one of the keys to his team’s success this season has come from a standout core of pitchers.
“I have been a little lucky in the pitching department,” he said. “It would be hard to think Adam Wainwright and Cliff Lee were going to be as good as they have been. In addition, late rounder Chris Young, who I targeted, is producing like a second- or third-round pick.”
Offensively, there has been at least one surprising producer on his roster.
“I hated the Scott Podsednik pick I made on Draft Day but he has been outstanding,” Longood said. “Jose Reyes at the end of the second round was a make or break pick for me. If he healthy, he is a first rounder and can win it all for you. If not, your season is shot. He’s been pretty healthy so far.”
Watching Podsednik pay off, albeit surprisingly, has proven to be additionally beneficial because he is one example of Longood’s Draft Day strategy coming to fruition.
“My strategy every year is to find later round value in Rounds 17-23 and work backwards,” he said. “The downside is that if you miss your late-round value picks, you end up with a very bad player as a starter and probably can’t win. But when you’re trying to beat 400 other players I think you have to take that risk.”
A lifelong baseball fan, Longood is a charter member of the NFBC. He is married with two children and is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association.
“My two children, Ross and Patrick, are invaluable both in my life and as advisors in constructing my fantasy teams,” he said. “If I can see at all, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.”
The race for $100,000 in the National Fantasy Baseball is entering its closing weeks and the teams in contention can view the finish line and the ultimate prize that awaits them if they end up on top.
David Longood is one of those teams. He entered Tuesday’s play in second place in the NFBC Classic event, just 31.5 points behind Stephen Jupinka’s first-place team.
With six weeks remaining in the season, there is enough time for Longood to move up and find himself entrenched in first place. He’s not getting too far ahead of himself but as his team has remained one of the best in the event for the past several weeks he admits the idea of walking off with the $100,000 prize has become more than just a dream.
“I started thinking about winning my league from Day 1 but I guess somewhere in early June I began to think I had a chance to win my league and now it looks like I have a shot at winning the whole thing,” he said. “The competition in the league, as always in the NFBC, is tough. I have to compete against Ken Magner and Shawn Childs, both of whom are among the Top 20 money winners all time in the NFBC.”
So far, though, Longood has more than held his own against that stiff competition. He said one of the keys to his team’s success this season has come from a standout core of pitchers.
“I have been a little lucky in the pitching department,” he said. “It would be hard to think Adam Wainwright and Cliff Lee were going to be as good as they have been. In addition, late rounder Chris Young, who I targeted, is producing like a second- or third-round pick.”
Offensively, there has been at least one surprising producer on his roster.
“I hated the Scott Podsednik pick I made on Draft Day but he has been outstanding,” Longood said. “Jose Reyes at the end of the second round was a make or break pick for me. If he healthy, he is a first rounder and can win it all for you. If not, your season is shot. He’s been pretty healthy so far.”
Watching Podsednik pay off, albeit surprisingly, has proven to be additionally beneficial because he is one example of Longood’s Draft Day strategy coming to fruition.
“My strategy every year is to find later round value in Rounds 17-23 and work backwards,” he said. “The downside is that if you miss your late-round value picks, you end up with a very bad player as a starter and probably can’t win. But when you’re trying to beat 400 other players I think you have to take that risk.”
A lifelong baseball fan, Longood is a charter member of the NFBC. He is married with two children and is a member of the Oregon State Bar Association.
“My two children, Ross and Patrick, are invaluable both in my life and as advisors in constructing my fantasy teams,” he said. “If I can see at all, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.”