Annual Interview with the Champ

I want to thank our reigning champion, Christian Tankiamco of the Philippines Garbage Dumps, for joining us for our annual interview with the champion.

Bali, thank you for taking the time with me for this interview. I really appreciate all you do for the league.

Question: First of all it’s been 15 long years. Describe the experience of getting back to the big game and winning #3.

It’s been quite the long agonizing 15 years. Long ago, back in the leather helmet days, when the PGD last won their championship, the league was quite different. Different GMs (Dennis, Evan, and Ryan Bradley among others). Different rules (we only knew how to count in whole numbers). The PGD has gone through multiple changes, such as going through multiple co-GM’s (obviously their fault we didn’t get anywhere, not mine), including my “rival”, Kushal, and we went through multiple league expansions, but I could never find the right combination of draft picks (even with future draft pick trading), free agency players, and trades to really bring my team back to the legally distinct big game. Over the last 15 years, I don’t think the PGD has made it back to even the playoffs, let alone the legally distinct big game. We’ve been a consistent .500 team and loved playing spoiler in the last divisional games of the season, but other than that, just a team to ignore and not be afraid of at all.

That being said, I’ve been consistently trying different strategies. For those of you that have been in the season for awhile, you may distinctly remember my all Niners team. You may also remember me talking a lot about drafting and starting PGD alumni. I wouldn’t say I’m an ultracompetitive person, but when Kushal got his co-GM “3rd” championship, it stung a little and when Casey got his “back-to-back” championship, that stung a little too. But I knew someday, that the rising sun, oh wait that’s Japan, the Three Stars and a Sun would rise again.

I don’t think it really hit me until Chet and I were discussing the 1st Charity Bowl and who we wanted to donate our winning to, that I really considered that PGD could win it again. There were a couple demoralizing weeks last season, like when the highest score was mine for only a couple weeks, and when Jonathan Taylor wasn’t performing as well, where I really questioned would I even make it. Then I remembered the last time I made the playoffs, I lost to Kushal on his way to his 1st or 2nd Championship, so it was never really something I expected.

One of the hardest decisions I had to make for the legally distinct big game, was who to start at QB, Matthew Stafford, the surprise pick that most people had written off (including Kushal, who let me know as soon as I drafted him) or Brock Purdy, who I drafted 3rd and was expecting to lead my team to “victory”, but was injured most of the season. I had to play my studs obviously. After Purdy dropped 30+ points, I was sweating a little bit, but when Alec Pierce didn’t have any production at all, that’s when I knew. Counting down the seconds and winning that 3rd after 15 years may have been a better feeling than being a father for the first time. Just kidding, maybe the second time. Totally kidding, it was quite the experience, nothing close to becoming a father, but special nonetheless.

Question: Last season was one of the most dominant teams we had seen in a while. You were consistently ranked #1 in the power rankings most of the season and you briefly held the scoring record. What was the blueprint of last years team that translated to so much success?

Honestly, I think I was very lucky. Obviously, we all know that fantasy football is somewhere around 40% draft, 40% in season management, and 20% luck. And I think for whatever reason I was firing on all cylinders this past year during the draft and managing the team week to week. I had some great trades, drafted a great backup QB who ended up starting most of the season, and just really focused on keeping a high standard for every player on the team where I was always open to trades and making moves.

Question: This season you elected to open the draft with back to back wide receivers after last season you had the deadliest RB-RB combo. How do you assess your teams ability this season and is it good enough to go back to back?

For the draft, like year after year, I wasn’t really going into the draft with a specific plan and just letting the players available and my rankings of them dictate who and where I’m going to draft. I think at my draft position in the first couple rounds, the best players were WRs, so that’s who I went with. 

I think I’m always looking to try something different and having a different strategy. For my first two championships, people always keep making fun of the fact that I had Aaron Rodgers on my team and he “carried” my team. So I wanted to make sure that I won a different way so people couldn’t hold that over my head (even though I did consider trying to trade with you and Sammi for Aaron Rodgers, just to have him on my team as a good luck charm as the ultimate PGD alumni).

Honestly, in our league, with a little luck on your side, some key trades (my trade lines are ALWAYS open), and great FAAB management (you know I love a trade with FAAB included), anyone can make it into the playoffs and win the legally distinct big game. Long story short, yes, I believe my team, just like any other team, can make it and bring PGD a back to back championship. However, my team as drafted may look a whole lot different by the end of the season. We may be looking at some big, medium, or little trades and free agency pickups to bolster this team (trade lines are open).

Question: You opened the season with a crucial victory over your greatest rival in BFFL history. As you look to make history being the first four time champion, who are some teams around the league you feel are the biggest challenges to that claim?

Biggest rival, who are we talking about here? Maadhav? Stan?

All jokes aside, as you know, I believe (no bias whatsoever so ever of course) that the FFC West is the strongest division in the league. We’ve had seasons where the division winner was down to the last game and where 3 teams made it into the playoffs (division winner + both wild card spots). So I would be remiss to ignore the strength and pedigree of the GMs in the FFC West, so they’ll be bringing a pretty strong fight these first 4 weeks which is why it was good to get the first win out of the way (who knows it might be my only win this year). I think adding Stan/Marvin to the mix may have made the FFC West a little too strong for my taste, but you know the saying, iron sharpens iron, so if I want to make it far, I have to take each challenge on and hope PGD triumphs. 

I don’t want to single out any specific GM, but I think they know exactly who they are (like Stan/Marvin) and would love to play spoiler, even the three new GMs who just joined. I think I have a huge target on my back, so I’ll have to defend this championship from any and all directions. Maybe even from a direction I didn’t expect, but surprise, I’m ready from any direction.

Bali. Thank you for taking the opportunity out of your busy day to have this interview with me. I’d like to wish the best of luck to each and every member of the league this year. If any of you have any concerns about anything, feel free to reach out to any of the CC members, myself, or Bali. This league isn’t the greatest without each and every one of you; and remember, the trade lines are always open. 

I’d like to leave the interview with a quote from Bill Nye the Science Guy, “To leave the world better than you found it, sometimes you have to pick up other people’s trash” and that’s exactly what the PGD will do for you.