Twitter has long been an excellent source of instantaneous news and wide-ranging opinions. We ran a series of interviews two years ago to help users new and old get to know some of our favorite tweeters.
Our series is back for 2014. Today we interview Michael Beller, fantasy guru over at Sports Illustrated. Get to know him below.
Kill the sac bunt. Kill it dead.
— Michael Beller (@MBeller) May 16, 2014
Who Am I?
Name: Michael Beller
Twitter handle: @MBeller
Tweeting since: September 2009
Number of tweets: 10,156, as of mid-May, 2014
Follower count: 2,400
Hometown: Skokie, Illinois
Day job: This is it. I also cover the MLB and college basketball for SI.com.
Family life: Unmarried, but I do have the world’s greatest girlfriend. I also have two sisters and the best parents on the planet.
Quick bio (who you are, site(s) you represent, etc.): I’ve been covering fantasy sports for SI.com in some capacity since September of 2010, shortly after finishing graduate school. I’m now the lead fantasy sports writer for the site. I grew up just outside of Chicago and, as such, believe it to be the greatest city in the country. I went to the University of Wisconsin for undergrad and have a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University.
What is something unique about you that few would know about?: I used to be a political reporter covering Congress and assorted federal agencies. I traded that circus for this much more fun one.
What you do for fun during the football offseason: Baseball is my favorite sport, so I spend a lot of time watching and writing about the MLB. I love being with friends and family, spending as much time outside as possible, and playing a ton of basketball and softball.
Favorite NFL team(s): Chicago Bears
Favorite NFL player(s): This is going to be very Bears-centric. I love Charles Tillman, Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs and Devin Hester. I was born in 1984. They were the only exciting things about the Bears for a large chunk of my life to date. It’s a brand new world for Bears fans now, and some of my current favorite players include Brandon Marshall, Matt Forte and, yes, Jay Cutler. Basically, if you help the Bears win, you can get on my list of favorite players.
Give us your “must follows” on Twitter: For fantasy purposes, Michael Salfino (@MichaelSalfino), Jeff Erickson (@Jeff_Erickson), Derek VanRiper (@DerekVanRiper), Scott Pianowski (@scott_pianowski), Chris Liss (@Chris_Liss), Peter Schoenke (@PeterSchoenke), Ray Flowers (@BaseballGuys), Steve Gardner (@SteveAGardner) and David Gonos (@davidgonos). For non-fantasy purposes, @celebrityhottub is, in my opinion, the one person who tweets about sports and regularly succeeds at being funny.
I also have a lot of Chicago-related must-follows. Hit me up on Twitter if you’d like those.
What do you like most about Twitter?: That it is a self-cultivated news-gathering source.
Years playing fantasy football: 2014 will be my 17th year playing fantasy football. Started up a home league with my friends when we were in eighth grade way back in 1998.
How many leagues, typically?: Four. Home league, college league, grad school league, and an experts league.
Atlanta has allowed 9th-most fantasy PPG to QBs this year, but has only allowed three big games. I'd steer clear of Kirk Cousins.
— Michael Beller (@MBeller) December 11, 2013
Inside the Guru’s Studio
What is your favorite fantasy word?: Won
What is your least favorite fantasy word?: Lost
DC Comics or Marvel?: Neither
What is your favorite film?: The Godfather
What is your favorite book?: This is a tough one, but I promise to contain myself. I love Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis, which tells six stories surrounding some of the most important events in American history between 1790 and 1800, the first 10 years under the Constitution. A Country of Vast Designs by Robert Merry is also great. It’s about the presidency of James K. Polk. Team of Rivals, which is by Doris Kearns Goodwin and covers the Lincoln administration, specifically the relationships the president had with each one of his Cabinet members, is a wonderful read. And American Colossus by H.W. Brands covers the rise of the corporate capitalists, guys like John D. Rockefeller and J. Pierpont Morgan, for better and worse, all while Reconstruction was foundering in the South and Indian wars were raging in the West. It’s a fascinating time in American history.
OK, that’s enough for now.
Cake or ice cream?: Ice cream
Star Wars or Star Trek?: Also neither. As you can see from my favorite books, I have plenty of nerdy pursuits. They just don’t have anything to do with comic books or science fiction.
What sound do you hate?: Sirens
What sound do you love?: The Rolling Stones, The Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Sam Cooke, Chuck Berry and various other artists that were at their peak before I was born.
Film or Stats?: You have to use both. Numbers don’t lie, but they don’t tell the whole truth, either.
Predictions and Advice
Favorite fantasy style or combination of styles of play (Dynasty, Redraft, Auction, Best Ball, Daily, Survivor, etc.): When it comes to auctions or drafts, I’m all auctions, all the way. As for style of play, call me old-fashioned, but I love redraft leagues for football. The player pool in football is small compared with baseball, and I like getting new players every year. Plus, I think it’s a good test of an owner’s mettle to see if he can win with different players year after year.
Studs ‘n Duds or Value Based Drafting?: Value-based is the only way you can do it in a draft. In an auction, if the Studs ‘n Duds route presents itself, I will take it. Auctions are all about being able to deviate when the market gives you the opportunity.
What's the biggest mistake you see fantasy players make?: In football, being too reluctant to make big moves early in the season. The regular season is only 13 weeks long in most leagues. Yogi Berra would probably be a great fantasy football owner because he understands that it gets late early. More owners should heed his advice.
How much of fantasy football is skill? How much is luck?: There’s plenty of both. We’ve all lost in a week where we had the second-highest score in our league. Conversely, we’ve all won with the second-worst score. Your schedule is all luck. Avoiding injuries is, too, unless you fill your roster with the Michael Vicks and Danny Amendolas of the world.
The rest is skill. Targeting the right players in your draft or auction, being proactive in the trade and free-agent markets, and the managerial decisions you make with regard to your starting lineup are all facets of being a fantasy owner based on your own skills.
Go out on a limb—give a wild prediction about the 2014 season that would shock the world if it happened: Jay Cutler will be in the MVP discussion.
Super Bowl XLVI Teams and Score: Green Bay 34, New England 28. That should counteract any claims of homerism deriving from my previous answer.
2014 Fantasy MVP: Calvin Johnson
2014 Fantasy Most Improved: Le’Veon Bell
2014 Fantasy Bust of the Year: Zac Stacy