The Sports Page        

Volume 9, Issue 19        The On-Line Newsletter of the Erie Fantasy Football League                 Jan. 19, 2002

Owners have blast at banquet

Record turnout celebrates fantasy season at annual awards dinner

Eighteen owners, a wife and a girlfriend attended the sixth annual Erie League Awards Banquet on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2002 at Twin City Pub and Grille in Twinsburg. Click here for additional photos from this year's event.

A main reason many of the participants attended this year, notwithstanding champion Kirk Pavelich's pledge to buy everyone a drink, was to collect cash and awards for the 2001 fantasy football season. Of the 18 owners present, all but one - Black Diamond GM Joe Nunney - walked away with some sort of monetary award.

Pavelich, pictured at right with a photo of last year's championship team, collected $653 for winning the league, the All-American Conference, his division and the overall points championship.

Other big winners included: Donikers-DTL GM Sam Profio ($293 for the Browns Conference championship), Masons owner John Thiem ($216 for All-American Second Place and Most Points in a Single Game), Blockheads GM Jody Barth ($195 for All-American Third Place, Best Record over the final six games, and a division title), LTP owner Don Jones ($141 for All-American Fourth Place, Best Record over the first six games, and a division title), Titlebound Two co-owners Brett Harney and J.P. Dougherty ($185 for Most Points in the Browns Conference, Best Record over the final six games, and a division title) and Stonehenge GM Jamie Roush ($139 for Browns Conference Second Place).

LTP GM Don Jones (pictured left, receiving his check from Commissioner Pavelich), received recognition as both the General Manager of the Year and Coach of the Year in the All-American Conference for his club's domination of the league over the first 13 weeks. In the GM of the Year balloting, Jones bested Midnight Vigilantes GM Kirk Pavelich, 52-48. For Coach of the Year, the margin was even slimmer, with Jones taking the prize over Pavelich, 40-38. Click here to see past General Managers of the Year.

In the Browns Conference, Titlebound Two co-owners J.P. Dougherty and Brett Harney also captured both awards. For GM of the Year, Dougherty and Harney's 48 points (6 first place votes, 3 second place votes) placed them well ahead of Gibby's GM Jason Gillespie (28 points) and Donikers-DTL GM Sam Profio (26 points). The margin was much closer in the Coach of the Year race, as the duo held off Psychedelic B's owner Bryan Vince, 34-26. Click here to see past Coaches of the Year.

Rams running back Marshall Faulk won his first Erie League Most Valuable Player award, both as a player for the All-American Conference's Black Diamond and the Browns Conference's Donikers-DTL. In the All-American Conference, Faulk earned 34 total points (4 first place, 4 second place, 1 third place) to defeat real life teammate Kurt Warner (20 points). In the Browns Conference, Faulk defeated Titlebound Two WR Terrell Owens, 54-22. Click here to see past Regular Season MVP's.

Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson won Rookie of the Year honors in each conference. In the All-American, Tomlinson's 60 points was 26 better than Atomic Punks RB Anthony Thomas. In the Browns Conference, Tomlinson's 62 points held off Shadow Bandits QB Tom Brady, who finished with 46 points. Amazingly, eight straight Rookie of the Year awards have gone to a player at the running back position. Click here to see past Rookies of the Year.

Despite having horrible games in both the Erie League Fantasy Bowl and the Ultimate Bowl, Midnight Vigilantes QB Aaron Brooks was named the Most Valuable Player for the Playoffs for scoring a team high 72 points during the post-season. Click here to see past Post-Season MVP's.

In the Rules Discussion portion of the evening, Stonehenge GM Jamie Roush proposed an overhaul to the awards payout system. Roush, who was upset that his second place finish in the Browns Conference only netted $139, said he didn't understand why teams needed to be rewarded for "sneezing the right way." Despite Roush's argument, the rest of the league voted to keep the current system, which awards $20 to playoff qualifiers, $50 to division champions, $50 to the teams with the best record over the first six games, $50 to the teams with the best record over the final six games, and $75 to the Consolation Tournament Champion. According to Commissioner Pavelich, the only way these figures could decrease would be if there was a reduction in the amount of money spent for franchise players.

Cosmic Monsters GM Brad Rzyczycki proposed a rule change that would prohibit owners new to the league or those who jumped conferences from having the opportunity to protect a player from an inherited roster. This motion was approved by the league, although Pavelich stated that new Browns Conference owner Steve Payne would be grandfathered in with the old system. According to Pavelich, all new owners who join the league from this point on will not have the opportunity to participate in the Franchise Player keeper system.

A final change that was approved for the 2002 season involved the use of the decimal scoring system. For the first time next season, points will be awarded as follows: RUSHING: .1 pt/1 yd, 6 pts/TD, 2 pts/Conv., RECEIVING: .1 pt/1 yd, 6 pts/TD, 2 pts/Conv., PASSING: .05 pt/1 yd, 3 pts/TD, 1 pt/Conv.

That concludes the 2001 Erie Fantasy Football League season. The next deadline to be aware of is July 31, 2002. At that time, all returning owners can designate a franchise player who can be kept for $20 at the auction value he went for during last year's draft. Click here to see a list of eligible franchise players and their respective values.

"Thanks to all of you who made this year's awards banquet and this year's Erie League season a tremendous success," Pavelich said. "See you all in 2002!"

Blockheads GM Jody Barth (left) and Lardass GM Will Van Bibber talked some memorable smack on one another throughout the course of the season.  On awards night, the two rivals took the time to pose for a picture. Commissioner Pavelich has already announced an interleague matchup of the Blockheads and Lardass for the 2002 season. Psychedelic B's owner Bryan Vince (second from left), this year's King of Smack Award Winner, takes time to pose with three members of what Vince earlier termed "The Geriatric Conference." From left to right are Bonecrushers GM Dave Bell, Vince, King Salmons owner Jim Damicone, and Donikers-DTL GM Sam Profio.

Bonecrushers owner Dave Bell celebrates when Commissioner Pavelich announces the award for Most Points in a Browns Conference Game.  Bell's club scored 125 points in a Week Nine win over the Gibby's. Donikers-DTL GM Sam Profio takes a moment before delivering his acceptance speech for being runner-up in this year's Erie League. Profio thanked Pavelich, who he said was one of the greatest commissioners in the country, for doing an excellent job during the 2001 season.

Polish Monarchs GM Mike Szydlowski looks disgustedly at his check for $33 while Blockheads owner Jody Barth helps distribute the round of beers purchased by 2001 League Champ Kirk Pavelich. Masons owner John Thiem (left) accepts a check for $216 from Commissioner Pavelich while Titlebound Two co-owner Brett Harney applauds. Thiem collected the nice paycheck despite losing to Pavelich's Midnight Vigilantes in the Conference Finals.

Click here to read the feature story -- ERIE OWNERS FIRE PARTING SHOTS

Click here to read the owner profile story on KEITH KURATKO

Click here to read the feature story on THE EVOLUTION OF SMACK TALKING

Click here to read the owner profile story on STORM THOMAS

Click here to read the owner profile story on JODY BARTH

Click here to read the owner profile story on BRYAN VINCE

Click here to read the owner profile story on JASON GILLESPIE

Click here to read the owner profile story on JOHN THIEM

Click here to read the owner profile story on JOE NUNNEY

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