Welcome to first edition of "Bruno Boys Fan Profile", where the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff writer Chris Ziza interview you, the Bruno Boys Nation (BBN)! We want to hear about your experiences regarding your fantasy sports career, especially football. By diving into your collective minds and extracting every bit of knowledge that BBN has to offer, we will be able to pass this knowledge on to all of your fellow Bruno Boys and Gals. This is your chance to step up and shine for 15 minutes, allowing you the opportunity to become the teacher, and not just the student! So enjoy the moment, let BBN know the true you, and let us have it!
Today I will be interviewing Giancarlo Bonifazi (pictured), better known on the message boards as Gian. He is a true Bruno Boy at heart and I can’t think of anyone better to start this new segment with. He has been a mainstay on the message boards the last few years, offering plenty of helpful advice as well as late-breaking news to all of BBN. Without further adieu, I give you Gian.
-------------------
BRUNO BOYS ZIZA (BBZ): Gian, thank you for sitting down and taking the time to interview with me today. To start, please give a one-paragraph self-description of yourself so everyone can get to know you a little better before we start the interview.
GIAN: Along with every other member of Bruno Boys Nation, I can safely label myself a "fantasy football freak." During fantasy football season I am always on the computer checking the status of all the players and getting advice from the Boys. Besides football I love hockey (Detroit Red Wings fan all my life, even though I live in Chicago) and I also enjoy watching some baseball from time to time. Although I've been dormant as of late, I collected cards a lot, as nothing feels better than getting that one jersey or signature card. Let's just say that without sports and the Bruno Boys, my life would be in shambles.
BBZ: Wow, shambles without the Bruno Boys, Gian? I knew you were a fan, but I guess I will have to label you now as a die-hard! Let’s begin the interview. Gian, what is your real name and location?
GIAN: My name is Giancarlo (most call me Gian for short) Bonifazi. I am 17 years of age and live in the Windy City of Chicago. The only Chicago team I like is the Cubs. Ha!
BBZ: Gian, I am a Cubbies fan as well. Die-hard Tigers fan though! So you can imagine my hate for the White Sox! How many years have you been involved in fantasy sports and which ones do you participate in?
GIAN: I've been involved with fantasy sports for about 4 years now. I have played fantasy baseball, basketball, football, and hockey in the past, but now I only play fantasy football as I think the other sports require too much time. While fantasy football gives me a week to prepare and make adjustments, where as I would only get a day or less with the other sports.
BBZ: I do agree with you on some of the other sports taking too much of your time. The one thing that I love about fantasy football, not that there is just only one thing, is how most of the action takes place during a 6 hour period on Sunday! It is a very thrilling time, especially when you are winning! This, of course, is why we Bruno Boys are here, as we all take great pride in helping each and every one of you! Talking about fantasy sports, how did you get your start?
GIAN: About four years ago, my friends invited me to play in a fantasy football league. I decided to give it a chance. I loved the idea of controlling my own team and I have played ever since.
BBZ: I think that is how most fantasy sports players get into the game! I have been playing for about 20 years and I remember seeing in a magazine the concept of fantasy baseball. I have been hooked ever since as well! It really has made an impact in my life. Just ask my friends and family! And talking about impacts, what type of impact has the Bruno Boys made on your fantasy football life?
GIAN: The Bruno Boys have been more than outstanding since I've been with them. No where else on the internet can one find such quality advice from a dedicated staff than with the Bruno Boys. When I started off with the Bruno Boys, I was a wreck. I owned way too many teams and I couldn't decide who to start on any of them. However, that all changed when the Boys provided me with the advice I needed and helped me get a head-start on the competition. What more can I say - the Bruno Boys have helped me win a fantasy football championship in each of the last two years!
BBZ: That is great to hear Gian, it really is! And to comment on owning too many teams, that has to be one of the deadliest sins when trying to be competitive in fantasy sports. If you stretch yourself too thin, all of your teams will suffer. It is always best to keep it to a minimum, decided by the amount of time that you truly have to dedicate yourself to those teams. And talking about your teams, everyone makes a good or bad trade that leaves a lasting impact on oneself. What is the one deal that you remember making that has left an impression on you?
GIAN: This memory is not a good one! It was Week 4 of last season and I had 3 straight wins and was looking at nothing but smooth sailing the rest of the way. I thought I could beef up my team through a trade and tried to complete one. Unluckily for me, the trade I completed was the wrong one, even though at the time the trade looked like heaven. I shipped over Randy Moss, Joseph Addai, and a player I can’t remember to my cousin for Terrell Owens, Steven Jackson, and another forgotten player. Like I said, when I made the trade it seemed to be the icing on the cake, but it quickly turned into a nightmare. Steven Jackson got the injury bug and Randy Moss went on to have a monster season. Fortunately, I still had enough talent to bring in the trophy or else I still would have been kicking myself to this day for making that trade.
BBZ: I could see how you would have been excited about making that deal. Many people in BBN traded for Steven Jackson just to kick themselves in their butts shortly after! Talking about BBN, what are the top 3 To Do’s that you recommend them doing to have a successful season?
GIAN: Personally, I like to follow the 3 R's: Research, Rank, and Review. As far as research goes, don't be afraid to dig a little deeper than the competition. Besides coming to the Bruno Boys for help, research previous match-ups between a player and a team, injuries and NFL ranks in defense and offense. Trust me; it will be well worth the time spent. Then, after your research is done, rank your players based on what you have found out. You never want to sit your top guns (unless on a bye week) but maybe one of your RB’s on your bench has a better scoring potential that week than one of your normal starting RB’s so you may want to give him the nod. Finally, review your picks, both before your game, and after that week. Maybe one of your players is listed as doubtful, and you will have to constantly be checking on his status. After that week is done, look back on the decisions that you had made. Try to find the mistakes that you had committed and figure out how you can go about learning from them to help you in the future.
BBZ: That is some very sound advice Gian! Now that you covered the To Do’s, what can you suggest to BBN as far as what not to do?
GIAN: The first big thing I have to suggest is to not be lazy when it comes to injuries. Some injuries can be very unpredictable so you always have to stay up-to-date on your players statuses so it doesn't come back to haunt you. The second thing I have to suggest is to not be lazy when it comes to the free agent wire, especially on bye weeks. You never know when the next Marques Colston will be sitting there waiting to be plucked up, so always be checking that wire. A third thing you should never, ever do is to give up on a player after one or two weeks of underachieving. Maybe your player had two tough matchups or his team was just bad, but that doesn't mean you should trade him or throw him on the bench and keep him there until after he starts playing well again. If you do that, you will miss out when the player does have an outstanding game!
BBZ: To add a little to your once again very sound advice, I have this little rule in which I always play my studs, no matter what, barring injury. There is a reason that you drafted these players high. They are your bread and butter. So unless there is some type of injury that is affecting a player, I would strongly suggest always starting your stars!
Gian, it sounds as if you have learned a lot in the little amount of time that you have played fantasy football. Can you give us a short story of one of your experiences?
GIAN: I would love to! This story happened about 3 years ago. I was still a newbie to the fantasy football game and I didn't have much of a grasp on it. I had decided to join a public league on ESPN that had a Live Draft. Well, I finished the draft and was so amazed with it that I had to do it again and again and again. Being able to pick your own players in a real-time draft was very exciting to me. Unfortunately, I liked the live draft so much, that I ended doing a live draft for about 20 public leagues. Taking care of one fantasy football team is hard work, so taking care of 20 would be impossible.
As much as I hate to admit it, I completely ignored every single one of those twenty teams. I just hoped for the best for each one of them after the draft and said good riddance. I definitely learned a lesson from that night, and that is too much of a good thing can really hurt. The next year I cut down to only 3 teams, and last year I had only two. And since I have cut down and focused more on my teams, with the Bruno Boys Fantasy Football help I am able to brag about my two league championships!
BBZ: A lot of people fall in love with the live draft. Unfortunately, when you do what you had done by stretching yourself too thin, it is impossible to pay attention to the leagues. In a free public league there most likely is one or two newbies or veteran players that just can’t afford to pay for a cash league and want to take the league serious. Those people are impacted by the inactive owners and it makes the league less fun. I am glad that you have learned your lesson.
And as far as lessons go, what is the biggest lesson that you have learned while playing fantasy sports?
GIAN: The biggest lesson I have learned in my short tenure with fantasy sports is that you ALWAYS have to go with your gut instinct. I can't tell you how many times I got burned last year because I didn't follow my gut decision to start someone. Advice and numbers can only take you so far! But when that crucial decision has to be made, go with who you think will do better.
BBZ: Well said! After all, you are the owner of the team. If you really want to play a player, do so! There is nothing worse than following someone else’s advice just to find out that your gut instinct was right! When it comes right down to it, if you do what you feel is right, in the end you won’t have any regrets! And if your gut was wrong then you can learn from that situation and move on, making you an even better fantasy player! Most successful people in life failed time and time again, before getting it right! If you are too afraid to fail, one can never evolve into a true competitive fantasy player, year after year.
Thank you very much for taking the time to interview with me Gian, and I would like to leave you with one last question; burning question that is! My “Burning Question of the Week” for you is, in 2008 who would you take first at QB, Peyton Manning or Tom Brady and why?
GIAN: This is certainly a tough call. Brady had a historic season last year and will certainly be held in high esteem this year. However, I would still pick Peyton Manning, and not just because he's in a commercial every 5 seconds! This guy continually finds ways to get it done game in and game out. Last year, he still was good even without Marvin Harrison for the better part of the season. Not to mention that Indy's running game behind Joseph Addai is more of a threat in my eyes than Laurence Maroney so that will help take some of the pressure off of Peyton. Either way, with Brady or Manning, it's a win-win situation.
BBZ: Gian, with that said I wish you the best in the up-and-coming 2008 season! Keep spreading the word about the Bruno Boys!
-------------------
If you are interested in being interviewed by Bruno Boys Fantasy Football staff writer Chris Ziza, please email cziza@brunoboys.net to become part of the Bruno Boys Nation!