2010 NFBC Champion Profile - Stephen Jupinka
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 3:54 am
What a long, strange trip it’s been.
Stephen Jupinka can relate to those iconic words from the Grateful Dead. A charter member of the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, he has proven to be one of the top players in the event year in and year out.
However, the long, often tortuous but truly rewarding journey that results in the $100,000 prize at the end of the season had always eluded him.
Until 2010.
That was the year Stephen Jupinka placed his stamp on the fantasy baseball industry forever with authority and cemented his standing as one of the game’s premier players. That was the year Jupinka took home the industry’s most coveted honor as he became the seventh overall champion in NFBC history.
That was the year Stephen Jupinka brought home $100,000.
“It was very satisfying on a personal level,” Jupinka said of winning the overall title. “Most importantly, it was justification for the time and effort put forth wherein now the whole family can enjoy it.”
The overall NFBC title put the cherry on the top of what has become an extremely impressive NFBC resume. He is now one of only two players to have won four league titles in the event’s history. Jupinka also won league titles in 2004, 2005 and 2008.
But the story doesn’t end there.
He won his Las Vegas League with 144.5 points, a new NFBC record. Drafting from the 12th spot, he led the league in Runs, Batting Average, Steals, ERA and WHIP, while finishing second in RBI, Home Runs, Wins, Strikeouts and Saves.
In short, it was a dominant performance from one of the NFBC’s most- battle tested veterans.
That’s not to say it was smooth sailing, however. As is the case with any fantasy baseball title, the season had its shares of peaks and valleys. With intense competition for the top spot in place in the season’s final weeks, Jupinka admitted his nerves were put to the highest test.
“(The final weeks of the season) were long,” he said. “For most of the season, fantasy baseball would mesh nicely with life in general. The last three weeks or so, it became the 800 pound gorilla in the room.”
Jupinka was happy with his team when he left Draft Day as most owners are but he admits he didn’t believe the team was “anything special.” It wasn’t until there were about two weeks left in the season that he afforded himself the opportunity to truly believe his team had a chance at the coveted overall crown.
“I had a nine-home run, two-day period which drove me toward 3,900 (points) from the upper 3,700s,” he said. “Prior to that, I thought (second-place finisher Mark) Srebro’s team was going to pass me. I actually stopped looking at the overall standings when (David) Longood made his run in August. (Glenn) Lowy made me think about cataclysmic collapses the last week.”
No matter the challenger, however, none could topple Jupinka when it mattered most. His team reigned supreme at season’s end.
For those hoping to pick a national champion’s brain about how best to win $100,000 Jupinka said they may not find a specific guideline they should follow each year.
“I don’t subscribe to any particular strategy come Draft Day,” he said. “Multiple drafts prior to the Las Vegas Main Event helped me isolate pockets of inventory. Some (strategies) may work some years and some may not. I say take what the draft gives you and adjust on the fly but don’t lose sight of the categories. Dynamic trumps static.”
He also said one key was to take that ability to adjust during the draft and apply it throughout the season as well.
“I think you have to be constantly recalibrating,” he said. “I was able to nail the starters when the closers were struggling and then pull back the starters when the closers were available. I dropped a lot of good players because they didn’t fit the program that week and wish I still had them two weeks later. You have to constantly address your weak spots and that can seem to change from week to week.
“I wish I had a cookie cutter methodology in place but I don’t. It sure would make things a lot easier. I guess I can say my prep is thorough but other than that I don’t know what sets me apart. I have a lot of respect for the game and the other players to believe my success will continue unabated.”
The 45-year-old Jupinka is married with three children. He is a controller for a commodity dealer on Wall Street. Having watched him play fantasy baseball since 1989, his family was well aware how involved this game can be. And their reaction when he told them he had taken home the NFBC’s grand prize?
“I got a double wow from my wife, Tracey,” he said. “My 10-year-old was thrilled. She thought I won $100. They all know how much time I put into it so they were very happy for me.”
Of course, with $100,000 in the bank the inevitable question becomes – what will you do with all that money?
“I plan on playing in the ($10,000 NFBC) Diamond League next year and buy a diamond band,” he said. “You can’t do one without the other, can I?”
His wife would likely agree. So would his fellow NFBC competitors, all of whom respect the results Jupinka has delivered over the years and now view him as the No. 1 threat they must topple in 2011.
For some, that might be an uncomfortable position to be in. And certainly, the humble Jupinka isn’t one to puff out his own chest and pronounce his own greatness. He understands the fantasy game can be a fickle beast and each season is different. But no matter what happens in the future, nothing will ever erase the magic that came his way in 2010.
Jupinka has enjoyed many terrific seasons in the NFBC but in 2010 he celebrated a glorious one.
“Seven years is a long time and it’s been quite a journey,” he said. “But winning the championship has made it all worth it.”
[ November 04, 2010, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]
Stephen Jupinka can relate to those iconic words from the Grateful Dead. A charter member of the National Fantasy Baseball Championship, he has proven to be one of the top players in the event year in and year out.
However, the long, often tortuous but truly rewarding journey that results in the $100,000 prize at the end of the season had always eluded him.
Until 2010.
That was the year Stephen Jupinka placed his stamp on the fantasy baseball industry forever with authority and cemented his standing as one of the game’s premier players. That was the year Jupinka took home the industry’s most coveted honor as he became the seventh overall champion in NFBC history.
That was the year Stephen Jupinka brought home $100,000.
“It was very satisfying on a personal level,” Jupinka said of winning the overall title. “Most importantly, it was justification for the time and effort put forth wherein now the whole family can enjoy it.”
The overall NFBC title put the cherry on the top of what has become an extremely impressive NFBC resume. He is now one of only two players to have won four league titles in the event’s history. Jupinka also won league titles in 2004, 2005 and 2008.
But the story doesn’t end there.
He won his Las Vegas League with 144.5 points, a new NFBC record. Drafting from the 12th spot, he led the league in Runs, Batting Average, Steals, ERA and WHIP, while finishing second in RBI, Home Runs, Wins, Strikeouts and Saves.
In short, it was a dominant performance from one of the NFBC’s most- battle tested veterans.
That’s not to say it was smooth sailing, however. As is the case with any fantasy baseball title, the season had its shares of peaks and valleys. With intense competition for the top spot in place in the season’s final weeks, Jupinka admitted his nerves were put to the highest test.
“(The final weeks of the season) were long,” he said. “For most of the season, fantasy baseball would mesh nicely with life in general. The last three weeks or so, it became the 800 pound gorilla in the room.”
Jupinka was happy with his team when he left Draft Day as most owners are but he admits he didn’t believe the team was “anything special.” It wasn’t until there were about two weeks left in the season that he afforded himself the opportunity to truly believe his team had a chance at the coveted overall crown.
“I had a nine-home run, two-day period which drove me toward 3,900 (points) from the upper 3,700s,” he said. “Prior to that, I thought (second-place finisher Mark) Srebro’s team was going to pass me. I actually stopped looking at the overall standings when (David) Longood made his run in August. (Glenn) Lowy made me think about cataclysmic collapses the last week.”
No matter the challenger, however, none could topple Jupinka when it mattered most. His team reigned supreme at season’s end.
For those hoping to pick a national champion’s brain about how best to win $100,000 Jupinka said they may not find a specific guideline they should follow each year.
“I don’t subscribe to any particular strategy come Draft Day,” he said. “Multiple drafts prior to the Las Vegas Main Event helped me isolate pockets of inventory. Some (strategies) may work some years and some may not. I say take what the draft gives you and adjust on the fly but don’t lose sight of the categories. Dynamic trumps static.”
He also said one key was to take that ability to adjust during the draft and apply it throughout the season as well.
“I think you have to be constantly recalibrating,” he said. “I was able to nail the starters when the closers were struggling and then pull back the starters when the closers were available. I dropped a lot of good players because they didn’t fit the program that week and wish I still had them two weeks later. You have to constantly address your weak spots and that can seem to change from week to week.
“I wish I had a cookie cutter methodology in place but I don’t. It sure would make things a lot easier. I guess I can say my prep is thorough but other than that I don’t know what sets me apart. I have a lot of respect for the game and the other players to believe my success will continue unabated.”
The 45-year-old Jupinka is married with three children. He is a controller for a commodity dealer on Wall Street. Having watched him play fantasy baseball since 1989, his family was well aware how involved this game can be. And their reaction when he told them he had taken home the NFBC’s grand prize?
“I got a double wow from my wife, Tracey,” he said. “My 10-year-old was thrilled. She thought I won $100. They all know how much time I put into it so they were very happy for me.”
Of course, with $100,000 in the bank the inevitable question becomes – what will you do with all that money?
“I plan on playing in the ($10,000 NFBC) Diamond League next year and buy a diamond band,” he said. “You can’t do one without the other, can I?”
His wife would likely agree. So would his fellow NFBC competitors, all of whom respect the results Jupinka has delivered over the years and now view him as the No. 1 threat they must topple in 2011.
For some, that might be an uncomfortable position to be in. And certainly, the humble Jupinka isn’t one to puff out his own chest and pronounce his own greatness. He understands the fantasy game can be a fickle beast and each season is different. But no matter what happens in the future, nothing will ever erase the magic that came his way in 2010.
Jupinka has enjoyed many terrific seasons in the NFBC but in 2010 he celebrated a glorious one.
“Seven years is a long time and it’s been quite a journey,” he said. “But winning the championship has made it all worth it.”
[ November 04, 2010, 10:37 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]
What's the heck up with that !
and this 
- not everyday she sees someone ordering a plain chicken breast and salad(no dressing) in Hooters. HA! 