NFBC Weekly Profile - Joe Anthony
Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 3:55 am
When the All-Star break rolls around, the pressure begins to mount. At this point in the season, fantasy owners typically know if their teams have what it takes to make a championship run and what needs to be accomplished the rest of the way for that to occur.
It’s no different in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship’s Main Event. With 15 weeks in the books, the race for the $100,000 has begun to heat up with interest. Lindy Hinkelman continues to have a firm grip on the top spot but a number of challengers are poised to make a run at fantasy baseball immortality.
One of those teams belongs to Joe Anthony.
Anthony’s team in New York League 5 is in prime position to make a spirited run at the overall title this year. When play resumes on Thursday, his team will be in sixth place in the overall standings, a little more than 200 points removed from the Top 3.
“Health will be the most important thing I need the rest of the season,” he said. “I’ll need Hanley (Ramirez) to play like he’s capable and (Tim) Lincecum to go on one of his rolls. Other than that, my team needs the rest of the pitching staff to play above their heads for the balance of the season to pull out the league championship and push for the overall title. I also need to make up some stolen bases and batting average, so I have some work to do. But I’ll keep grinding.”
One of the keys to Anthony’s run toward the top of the Main Event standings thus far has been notable contributions from a group of players he targeted in the ninth round or later. Carlos Quentin, Michael Bourn, Neil Walker, Alfonso Soriano, Lance Berkman and Alex Avila were all found in the latter stages of his draft and all have delivered admirably thus far.
“I tried to script my first 20 picks and I got lot of my targets,” he said. “I intended to grab an elite starting pitcher in Rounds 3 or 4, an elite closer in the sixth or seventh and wait on outfielders until the ninth or 10th.
“I followed my plan pretty much but I had to adapt immediately. I had the seventh pick and Hanley fell to me. Ryan Howard then fell in the second and incredibly, Lincecum made it back to me in the third. I really thought that Hanley, Howard and Lincecum was a heck of a start and great anchors to the team. However, they haven’t been as good as expected. Brian McCann (fourth round), Quentin (ninth), Bourn (10th), C.J. Wilson (15th), Soriano (17th), Berkman (21st), Avila (24th) and Alexi Ogando (27th) have been the difference makers so far – especially Berkman.”
With a strong draft and good health to date, Anthony hasn’t needed to be overly active on the Waiver Wire. Among some of his key pickups so far have been Sergio Santos, Justin Smoak and Josh Tomlin.
“Santos and Tomlin have been fantastic for the most part,” he said. “They’ve become very important parts of my team surprisingly. Smoak was hot when I got him but he’s cooled since and found his way on my bench for now.”
The 36-year-old Anthony is a seasoned vet of both fantasy baseball and the NFBC. He has been playing fantasy baseball since the late ‘90s and has been part of the NFBC for the past five years. He’s engaged and lives in Clayton, N.C. and works as a Senior Supervisor of Purification at Biogen Idec.
Anthony received a strong taste of NFBC success last year when he won a league title. He’s hoping the lessons he learned and experience gained will help him steer the course toward another league title – and possibly much more – in 2011.
“My title last year came in Atlantic City in a league that included (2010 Main Event champion) Steve Jupinka, Eddie Gillis and Ken Magner,” Anthony said. “I think that experience surely made me a stronger NFBC player. The NFBC is a big challenge and I love it.”
It’s no different in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship’s Main Event. With 15 weeks in the books, the race for the $100,000 has begun to heat up with interest. Lindy Hinkelman continues to have a firm grip on the top spot but a number of challengers are poised to make a run at fantasy baseball immortality.
One of those teams belongs to Joe Anthony.
Anthony’s team in New York League 5 is in prime position to make a spirited run at the overall title this year. When play resumes on Thursday, his team will be in sixth place in the overall standings, a little more than 200 points removed from the Top 3.
“Health will be the most important thing I need the rest of the season,” he said. “I’ll need Hanley (Ramirez) to play like he’s capable and (Tim) Lincecum to go on one of his rolls. Other than that, my team needs the rest of the pitching staff to play above their heads for the balance of the season to pull out the league championship and push for the overall title. I also need to make up some stolen bases and batting average, so I have some work to do. But I’ll keep grinding.”
One of the keys to Anthony’s run toward the top of the Main Event standings thus far has been notable contributions from a group of players he targeted in the ninth round or later. Carlos Quentin, Michael Bourn, Neil Walker, Alfonso Soriano, Lance Berkman and Alex Avila were all found in the latter stages of his draft and all have delivered admirably thus far.
“I tried to script my first 20 picks and I got lot of my targets,” he said. “I intended to grab an elite starting pitcher in Rounds 3 or 4, an elite closer in the sixth or seventh and wait on outfielders until the ninth or 10th.
“I followed my plan pretty much but I had to adapt immediately. I had the seventh pick and Hanley fell to me. Ryan Howard then fell in the second and incredibly, Lincecum made it back to me in the third. I really thought that Hanley, Howard and Lincecum was a heck of a start and great anchors to the team. However, they haven’t been as good as expected. Brian McCann (fourth round), Quentin (ninth), Bourn (10th), C.J. Wilson (15th), Soriano (17th), Berkman (21st), Avila (24th) and Alexi Ogando (27th) have been the difference makers so far – especially Berkman.”
With a strong draft and good health to date, Anthony hasn’t needed to be overly active on the Waiver Wire. Among some of his key pickups so far have been Sergio Santos, Justin Smoak and Josh Tomlin.
“Santos and Tomlin have been fantastic for the most part,” he said. “They’ve become very important parts of my team surprisingly. Smoak was hot when I got him but he’s cooled since and found his way on my bench for now.”
The 36-year-old Anthony is a seasoned vet of both fantasy baseball and the NFBC. He has been playing fantasy baseball since the late ‘90s and has been part of the NFBC for the past five years. He’s engaged and lives in Clayton, N.C. and works as a Senior Supervisor of Purification at Biogen Idec.
Anthony received a strong taste of NFBC success last year when he won a league title. He’s hoping the lessons he learned and experience gained will help him steer the course toward another league title – and possibly much more – in 2011.
“My title last year came in Atlantic City in a league that included (2010 Main Event champion) Steve Jupinka, Eddie Gillis and Ken Magner,” Anthony said. “I think that experience surely made me a stronger NFBC player. The NFBC is a big challenge and I love it.”
