Image courtesy of Busted Tees As part of a recurring series, I’ll be covering the weekly matchups in the “OBP Podcast Fantasy Football League”. The league, which is much better than your stupid league, is made up of podcast nerds, witty tweeters and desperate loners. Check back for the weekly Power Rankings.
I suppose it is time for an introduction, of sorts. My name is Sal, and I love playing fantasy football. When I was in middle school, I realized that FF is the perfect combination of gambling and pretending to run a professional franchise. After years of playing all sorts of fantasy leagues, ranging from baseball and football to Fantasy Congress (no, seriously, check it out), I feel as if I’m well qualified to lead a well-designed fantasy union. I will serve as commissioner and historian, as well as one of the twelve competitors. I choose to write from the perspective of an unbiased journalist, so I will revert to third-person when referring to myself. Without further adieu, here are the twelve contestants for this season.
*Bios are constructed based off of the information (pics, tweets, etc) on their twitter pages*
1) Calum Renner: Cal works at a bank, hosts a podcast and he owns and operates his own t-shirt company. Check out some of his finer designs. He is a fan of the Ravens, Aaron Rodgers and other high-scoring quarterbacks. Projected Finish: 8th
2) Joseph Papparatto: When he’s not working as a production assistant for MASN, ‘Joe Pa’ is fighting Beliebers. Also a contributor to the OBP Podcast, Joe is the resident football expert. By far the biggest football fan of the three, the pressure is squarely on him to have a great season. Projected Finish: 7th
3) Eric Gregson: Eric has not lost a fantasy league in three years. His confident claim quickly caught the eye of the selection committee. He rocks an intricate tattoo on his right shoulder, and he has a cat named “Clutch”. In sports, it is difficult enough to repeat, but a four-peat is almost unheard of. The pressure is mounting, but it appears as if Eric thrives in that environment. Projected Finish: 2nd
4) Miles Needer: Sorry, ladies, this “die-hard Orioles fan” is also a loving husband. His wit and creativity are well received in this league. His team name, “Hauschka of Cards”, is nearly perfect, except that Hauschka plays for the division rival Seahawks. Oh, and he’s also addicted to caffeine. Miles may not win the league, but he is the favorite to win the message board. Projected Finish: 9th
5) Jay Polz: Like the commissioner, Jay’s favorite football team fell to the “Team of Destiny” last January. As a Broncos fan, he will probably select one of the amazing receivers that will soar at Mile High this season. Expect a parallel between his fantasy and favorite team this season. They’ll both contend, but neither will finish as the champ. Or maybe they will, after all, aren't all projections totally wrong? Projected Finish: 4th
6) Josh Sroka: He attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and he seems to be quite the Ravens fan. Josh is on the Section 336 Podcast, a member of the Baltimore Sports Report Network. However, microphones do not always equate to knowledge, as many ex-players prove on a weekly basis. Josh might have used all of his luck on last year’s Super Bowl run. Projected Finish: 10th
7) Josh Cross: According to his twitter profile, the other Josh, is a Penn State fan. Those Nittany Lions supporters are loyal and dedicated. Cross will probably draft a terrible running back, like Shonn Green, and continue to play him week in and week out. Loyalty is a weakness, Josh. However, he already promised to play a spoiler role if the cards aren't in his favor. I have a feeling he will greatly exceed this lowly expectation. Projected Finish: 12th
8) Frank Stracke: Frank is an Orioles and Ravens fan. His knowledge and understanding of football is well above replacement level. When he isn't trolling fans of rival teams, he’s scouring the sports pages to pass time at his job. Will this translate into fantasy success? Probably not, but it certainly does not lower his odds. Projected Finish: 3rd
9) Sal Rinaudo: John Gruden is probably the only person that could utter a rave review about this guy. He is a Patriots fan, so he is not very popular during winters in Baltimore. This however, allows him to hide in his room and study fantasy football. His teams will not look impressive on paper, and he will be projected to lose many weeks, but his expert scouting formula will help him luck into the playoffs. Projected Finish: 6th
10) Timmy Jones: If trophies were given to people with the most generic names, Timmy would win most fantasy leagues. As an intern for The Fan, he is surrounded by sports all day. For all anyone knows, he may have direct access to inside information. You have to watch those media-types. Projected Finish: 4th
11) Josh Jacyna: Clearly, the selection committee has an affinity towards the name ‘Josh’. This Josh is different, because he’s a Jets fan. That’s right, folks. Finding and interacting with a Jets fan, is like hooking a megalodon at your local fishing hole. Here’s to hoping he is real, and has not catfished his way into a spot in the league. Projected Finish: 1st
12) Charlie Hoppes: The Pride of Pennsylvania, Charlie is a member of the Orioles Spastics Podcast, the ONLY Orioles/Arrested Development themed podcast. When he’s not watching old TV shows, he’s coaching Ultimate Frisbee. A die-hard Skins fan, Charlie spends most of his Sundays praying that RGIII stays in the pocket. Projected Finish: 11th
Editor's Note: Sal is a lifelong O's and Patriots fan, and a founding member of the OBP Podcast, make sure to follow him on Twitter at @SalTeamSix and try not to hold the whole "Patriots fan" thing against him.
*Bios are constructed based off of the information (pics, tweets, etc) on their twitter pages*
1) Calum Renner: Cal works at a bank, hosts a podcast and he owns and operates his own t-shirt company. Check out some of his finer designs. He is a fan of the Ravens, Aaron Rodgers and other high-scoring quarterbacks. Projected Finish: 8th
2) Joseph Papparatto: When he’s not working as a production assistant for MASN, ‘Joe Pa’ is fighting Beliebers. Also a contributor to the OBP Podcast, Joe is the resident football expert. By far the biggest football fan of the three, the pressure is squarely on him to have a great season. Projected Finish: 7th
3) Eric Gregson: Eric has not lost a fantasy league in three years. His confident claim quickly caught the eye of the selection committee. He rocks an intricate tattoo on his right shoulder, and he has a cat named “Clutch”. In sports, it is difficult enough to repeat, but a four-peat is almost unheard of. The pressure is mounting, but it appears as if Eric thrives in that environment. Projected Finish: 2nd
4) Miles Needer: Sorry, ladies, this “die-hard Orioles fan” is also a loving husband. His wit and creativity are well received in this league. His team name, “Hauschka of Cards”, is nearly perfect, except that Hauschka plays for the division rival Seahawks. Oh, and he’s also addicted to caffeine. Miles may not win the league, but he is the favorite to win the message board. Projected Finish: 9th
5) Jay Polz: Like the commissioner, Jay’s favorite football team fell to the “Team of Destiny” last January. As a Broncos fan, he will probably select one of the amazing receivers that will soar at Mile High this season. Expect a parallel between his fantasy and favorite team this season. They’ll both contend, but neither will finish as the champ. Or maybe they will, after all, aren't all projections totally wrong? Projected Finish: 4th
6) Josh Sroka: He attended the Super Bowl in New Orleans, and he seems to be quite the Ravens fan. Josh is on the Section 336 Podcast, a member of the Baltimore Sports Report Network. However, microphones do not always equate to knowledge, as many ex-players prove on a weekly basis. Josh might have used all of his luck on last year’s Super Bowl run. Projected Finish: 10th
7) Josh Cross: According to his twitter profile, the other Josh, is a Penn State fan. Those Nittany Lions supporters are loyal and dedicated. Cross will probably draft a terrible running back, like Shonn Green, and continue to play him week in and week out. Loyalty is a weakness, Josh. However, he already promised to play a spoiler role if the cards aren't in his favor. I have a feeling he will greatly exceed this lowly expectation. Projected Finish: 12th
8) Frank Stracke: Frank is an Orioles and Ravens fan. His knowledge and understanding of football is well above replacement level. When he isn't trolling fans of rival teams, he’s scouring the sports pages to pass time at his job. Will this translate into fantasy success? Probably not, but it certainly does not lower his odds. Projected Finish: 3rd
9) Sal Rinaudo: John Gruden is probably the only person that could utter a rave review about this guy. He is a Patriots fan, so he is not very popular during winters in Baltimore. This however, allows him to hide in his room and study fantasy football. His teams will not look impressive on paper, and he will be projected to lose many weeks, but his expert scouting formula will help him luck into the playoffs. Projected Finish: 6th
10) Timmy Jones: If trophies were given to people with the most generic names, Timmy would win most fantasy leagues. As an intern for The Fan, he is surrounded by sports all day. For all anyone knows, he may have direct access to inside information. You have to watch those media-types. Projected Finish: 4th
11) Josh Jacyna: Clearly, the selection committee has an affinity towards the name ‘Josh’. This Josh is different, because he’s a Jets fan. That’s right, folks. Finding and interacting with a Jets fan, is like hooking a megalodon at your local fishing hole. Here’s to hoping he is real, and has not catfished his way into a spot in the league. Projected Finish: 1st
12) Charlie Hoppes: The Pride of Pennsylvania, Charlie is a member of the Orioles Spastics Podcast, the ONLY Orioles/Arrested Development themed podcast. When he’s not watching old TV shows, he’s coaching Ultimate Frisbee. A die-hard Skins fan, Charlie spends most of his Sundays praying that RGIII stays in the pocket. Projected Finish: 11th
Editor's Note: Sal is a lifelong O's and Patriots fan, and a founding member of the OBP Podcast, make sure to follow him on Twitter at @SalTeamSix and try not to hold the whole "Patriots fan" thing against him.
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