Devine has more gold on his mind ahead of new campaign

JACKSON TWP. — With every passing year it seems as if David Devine’s trophy case gets fuller and fuller.

Over the past seven seasons, Devine has built himself into a Tiger Township Fantasy Football League juggernaut. In fact, he has become an all-sports guru, creating respect and notoriety for his teams along the way.

Yet, through all that recent success, Devine is still striving for more. Always cognizant of his place in the 12-man league’s rich heritage, the Ashland University alumnus feels the pressure — or, maybe just the shear responsibility — of reclaiming the Guy Julian Memorial Trophy again this season.

The feat would allow him to become the TTFFL’s fifth multiple-time champion.

“I think I do need to come up with a second (championship) here soon,” Devine said in a gripping, exclusive interview with Chibby’s Corner. “Another person can get two and someone may even get three. It’s time for me to get that second one, and if I do, I think I’ll be sitting up there (in the owner’s power rankings). I think it’s time to bolster a little bit.”

Before that, though, Devine has his mind set on other things. Because of his highly competitive nature, the former collegiate relief pitcher remains focused on his current task at hand. That, of course, is the fantasy baseball postseason, which began its semifinal round on Monday.

Obviously, Devine realizes many of his fellow league members have already turned their attention to the TTFFL Draft on Aug. 19 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He says he’ll get to that point, too, but not before he takes care of business on the baseball diamond first.

“One thing you have to understand is anything I do, I’m pretty much 100 percent in,” Devine said. “Right now, it’s baseball season. So, mentally, I’m trying to win that. I know that doesn’t end before football starts, so I’m going to have to flip that switch pretty quickly.”

Devine earned a third-place finish in 2016 following a 7-6 regular-season campaign. While a bit underwhelming, his win total actually improved a game from the previous year, one that saw him finish as the league runner-up to Pat Teynor in 2015.

Even though his season ultimately ended to Grant Seanor in the semifinals a year ago, Devine’s road just to get to that point was certainly extensive. He began the season just 1-4 before winning six of his next seven games between Weeks 6-12.

And if one looks even deeper into Devine’s 2016 campaign, it won’t take long to discover what his group went up against. The Glenmoor resident broke the league’s single-season record for most points against, yet still found a way to put himself within two victories of a championship.

Devine’s bronze medal meant he didn’t head off into the offseason completely empty-handed. It wasn’t the title he was hoping for, but it did satisfy something Devine aims to do at the end of each season.

“My ultimate goal is to give myself a chance,” Devine said. “As long as I give myself a chance, I can’t really control what happens next. Football is a crazy sport, so if I just put myself in a position where I have a chance, I feel like I’ll have a team that’ll at least be able to put up a fight by the end of the year.”

Last season became the fourth time in the last five years that Devine finished in the top three of the TTFFL standings. Along with his finishes in the past two seasons, he won his lone football title in 2014 and was the runner-up in 2012. Largely because of those marks, Devine owns the league record for most playoff games played (14), most total wins (62), most playoff wins (8 - shared with Evan Julian) and best average place finish. What’s more, Devine, who was won 54 regular-season games in the past seven years, is just one of three TTFFL members to never miss the playoffs during their careers (Joe Mitchin, Nick Sobevski).

Really, it feels like Devine's name should appear on the championship trophy more than just once. After all, he's made a career out of finding fascinating ways to win.

Devine says much of his continued success stems from proving his doubters wrong, not to mention keeping the league’s rugged competitive nature alive and well. The high school state-champion basketball player doesn’t want his critics to get the satisfaction of getting one over on him, so he tries to make sure they don’t get the opportunities to capitalize.

And, lately, they haven’t had many.

“The minute you see a little bit of failure, they’re all waiting to jump on you,” Devine said. “That just keeps me going, I guess. You don’t want to give them anything they can snip at. … I can’t imagine a full year when you don’t have a chance to win. That thought just creeps in the back of my mind. I don’t want to experience that.”

What Devine is hoping to feel again, though, is another run to the top. The recent success of other TTFFL members, especially rival Casey Irwin’s most recent championship, has done nothing but fuel that even more heading into the league’s newest fresh slate.

And in terms of properly readying himself for the fall despite his focus on other fantasy endeavors, Devine remains unfazed. He says he follows an old adage from former league member Jake Batcho to help him stay sharp. Devine, who credits his winning ways based on staying in the know of the NFL rather than anything analytical, says, ‘if you stay ready, then you never have to get ready.’

“We have two weeks left, so I better get going and finish my research if I want to have a chance,” Devine explained. “It’s starting to kick in, it’s starting to flip. Once you get going, everything else just kind of falls into place.”

And, to Devine, that means giving himself a chance to reach the TTFFL mountaintop once again.