Las Vegas League 3 Champion -- Nate Ravitz

[Tom Kessenich]

The disabled list. For fantasy baseball owners it is akin to garlic to a vampire, kryptonite to Superman and a black lace bra and matching thong to Rosie O’Donnell.



In other words, it’s something to be avoided at all costs.



That’s the idea anyway. Or it is usually. However, Nate Ravitz not only got chummy with the disabled list in the NFBC this season, it paved the way for a championship season.



Ravitz took home first place in Las Vegas 3 this year and also finished sixth overall in the main event. A key part of his successful season was based on a Draft-Day strategy that would make use of the disabled list and what Ravitz saw as potential value there.



“I decided to take a chance on getting some injured players who would miss at least the first month, assuming I could get them for good value,” said Ravitz, the Editor in Chief for RotoTimes.com. “I took Lance Berkman in the 12th round, Frank Thomas in the 22nd and Adam Kennedy in the 29th.



“I got very lucky with Berkman, as I think he went in Round 8-9 in most of the other leagues. Kennedy was huge for me (.317, 15 stolen bases while in my lineup), especially since Angel Berroa didn’t pan out as my original Middle Infielder. Also, even though Thomas didn’t play very long, I got 11 big homers out of him, and my batting average was so good that it didn’t even matter that he was a dog in that regard.”



Ravitz left Vegas feeling confident in his NFBC squad. And it didn’t take him long to start believing he had a legitimate shot at his league title and a strong finish in the overall standings.



“By mid-season I was pretty sure I was going to win the league and at least compete in the overall,” he said. “I felt I had an incredible team on Draft Day and if I could hang around until some of my pre-season injury guys came back, I’d be in great shape.”



Boosted by his strong draft, Ravitz said another key to his first-place finish was having each of his top five players match or exceed expectations.



“I (also) had a number of tremendous values,” he said. “Most notably were Julio Lugo (Round 16), Cliff Lee (Round 18) and John Patterson (Round 30).



“Just as important was spending my FAAB dollars aggressively. When Guillermo Mota went down, I bid $362 on Todd Jones, basically just hoping for 3-5 weeks worth of saves. Obviously, I got quite a bit more.



“I also got lucky when it was erroneously reported that Coco Crisp would miss the rest of the season. He was dropped in my league and I snatched him up, which became particularly important when I had some injuries in the second half.”



Although Ravitz coasted to his league’s title, there was a fierce battle for the remaining money spots. That tight competition served to fuel Ravitz’s belief that his league championship was well earned given the competition.



“There were some very strong players in my league so it was definitely an accomplishment, especially since I was nowhere near the money last year,” he said. “Fortunately, I had a very big lead when the final eights of the season rolled around, but there was a fierce battle among about seven other teams for the remaining money spots. I felt like everyone stayed in it until the end with FAAB bids.”



A well-respected member of the fantasy industry, the 28-year-old Ravitz has been playing fantasy sports since 1990 and fantasy baseball since 1999. And now more than $6,200 richer thanks to his strong showing this year, he has nothing but praise for the NFBC.



“I think it’s a terrific game and incredibly well run,” he said. “There’s not much I’d change.”

[DOUGHBOYS]

Black lace bra and matching thong to Rosie O’Donnell.



Thanks Tom, really didn't need that picture in my mind.



[ October 18, 2005, 06:45 PM: Message edited by: DOUGHBOYS ]

[Tom Kessenich]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Black lace bra and matching thong to Rosie O’Donnell.



Thanks Tom, really didn't need that picture in my mind. I thought Nate might appreciate that.