2005 NFBC Champion Profile: Brian Oldenski

Tom Kessenich · Post by **Tom Kessenich** » Tue Oct 11, 2005 3:34 am

When Lady Luck smiled at Brian Oldenski, she cast a generous eye in his direction. And he now has 100,000 reasons to be grateful.

Oldenski's good fortune in the NFBC this season resulted in a first-place finish and the $100,000 grand prize. Was it purely skill that resulted in his title run? Or some deft FAAB maneuvering? Or the perfect draft position?

Guess again.

"I think the main reason I won was sheer luck," said the 32-year-old Oldenski, who became the NFBC's second champion, joining fellow East Coast participant Artie Rastelli, who took home the grand prize in 2004.

"Even though I had a few lengthy injuries to key players, almost all of them happened late in the week or to players that weren't in my starting lineup. I also hit the jackpot on a handful of career years. I surely can't say that I targeted players like Brian Roberts or Morgan Ensberg going into the draft, but I will say that I managed to make the right calls when I felt certain key players had fallen too far."

An honest man ... and also a very wealthy one thanks in large part to the big seasons turned in by players such as Roberts and Ensberg. Oldenski also cited strong seasons by Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera and Jimmy Rollins as being pivotal reasons for his team's success.

"Without those performances, I certainly would not have won," he said.

The seeds for Oldenski's championship season were planted on Draft Day at the Hilton in New York when the Middletown, N.J. resident parlayed the eighth pick in New York League 5 into a team which stormed out of the gate quickly.

"For most of the year, my goal was to stay in the Top 10 overall, all the while thinking that first place was not a realistic possibility," said Oldenski, who works on Wall Street for a major brokerage firm. "Until early September, The Doughboys and his stacked lineup enjoyed a consistently big lead. Then suddenly, The Doughboys lost about 100 points or more within the span of a few days, but remained in first place. At that point, I finally thought I had a shot at the big prize."

After moving into contention, Oldenski's team found himself in a unique situation - not only was he in the hunt for the $100,000 grand prize, but was so was the team he was fighting for first in New York League 5 (Martin Bedell's MGBS109 team).

"I led New York League 5 for almost the entire season, although MGBS109 was always knocking on my door," Oldenski said. "He cut my lead to two points with only a few days to play. There were four categories where he and I were neck-and-neck, and whenever one of us passed the other it was a quick two-point swing.

"For the last week of the season I kept thinking I might win $105,000 or it's quite possible I might finish second in my league and fourth overall and win $4,250."

Not surprisingly, that led to quite a few anxious moments for Oldenski as the season drew to a close.

"I hardly got any sleep in the last week of the season," he said. "I was stressed out and felt anxious whenever baseball popped into my head. I thought that week would never end, and I stayed up watching all the West Coast games until they ended."

Those sleepless nights turned out to be worth it when the season ended and Oldenski's team was perched atop the NFBC. Not only was the finish the culmination of a strong season of fantasy ownership, it also came at an ideal time for the Oldenski family.

"My wife (Laura) is currently pregnant and we also have a 1-year-old, so the money couldn't have come at a better time," he said. "We'll invest almost all of the winnings, with the biggest portion going toward college funds."

Oldenski admitted he was a bit overwhelmed to finish first given the strength of competition the NFBC provides.

"The NFBC is the premier fantasy baseball contest," he said. "To beat 299 of the best fantasy competitors is quite an accomplishment. I'm proud to be this year's winner."

Interestingly, Oldenski has a connection with another of our high-stakes champions. He as introduced to the world of fantasy sports by Mark Srebro, who was the 2004 National Fantasy Football Champion.

The two used to play in small bar leagues before both entered the world of high-stakes fantasy competition in recent years. And now both have a pair of $100,000 prizes on their fantasy resumes.

"I've been in many leagues over the years and krause Publications has the best events by far," he said. "I think the biggest selling point is the level of support that the NFBC provides. It's five star.

"The NFBC also attracts the most knowledgeable, fair and friendly members in the industry. I will be back to defend my title in 2006 and I have already signed up to draft in New York."

[ October 11, 2005, 10:06 AM: Message edited by: Tom Kessenich ]

CC's Desperados · Post by **CC's Desperados** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:27 pm

Nice job Brian, but where the hell are you now?

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:42 pm

Tom pretty classless move to post this again and kick Dan Kenyon right square in the nuts. Poor Danny boy...

Greg Ambrosius · Post by **Greg Ambrosius** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:46 pm

Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

Tom pretty classless move to post this again and kick Dan Kenyon right square in the nuts. Poor Danny boy... I think Shawn was testing our past history on the boards while setting Dan and Brian up for a nostalgia jolt!!

I don't think Brian ever came back to the Main Event, instead sticking to satellite leagues. He's the only NFBC champion never to return to the Main Event. Everyone from Artie Rastelli to Stephen Jupinka (2004-2010) has come back each and every year.

Chest Rockwell · Post by **Chest Rockwell** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 2:52 pm

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

Tom pretty classless move to post this again and kick Dan Kenyon right square in the nuts. Poor Danny boy... I think Shawn was testing our past history on the boards while setting Dan and Brian up for a nostalgia jolt!!

I don't think Brian ever came back to the Main Event, instead sticking to satellite leagues. He's the only NFBC champion never to return to the Main Event. Everyone from Artie Rastelli to Stephen Jupinka (2004-2010) has come back each and every year. [/QUOTE]I do not buy it. Dan has privately always thought that Tom had writer's envy of him. I think this only proves it. Dan has waited his entire life for someone to have envy after coming to the conclusion that pe.Nis envy was never going to happen. I also believe that Oldenski was just a schill for Srebro.

CC's Desperados · Post by **CC's Desperados** » Fri Feb 25, 2011 4:14 am

Originally posted by Greg Ambrosius:

quote:Originally posted by Chest Rockwell:

Tom pretty classless move to post this again and kick Dan Kenyon right square in the nuts. Poor Danny boy... I think Shawn was testing our past history on the boards while setting Dan and Brian up for a nostalgia jolt!!

I don't think Brian ever came back to the Main Event, instead sticking to satellite leagues. He's the only NFBC champion never to return to the Main Event. Everyone from Artie Rastelli to Stephen Jupinka (2004-2010) has come back each and every year. [/QUOTE]Actually it was moved forward for some reason so I thought it was time to start the search party for Brian.

Chest- Dan----what about me? I had the Walla Walla curse. He declared me the winner with three to go. My team stunk the last 19 days of the year.

Moneymaker · Post by **Moneymaker** » Sat Feb 26, 2011 1:34 pm

Thanks for thinking of me. I'm still alive. I was just considering possibly signing-up for the online championship and I bumped into your post. I've haven't had enough free time to play fantasy for the past few years. I may be back playing in more leagues in the next year or so -- but no main event for me again this year.