Last night was the fantasy draft for my baseball league. I had resisted playing fantasy for years because, although I like the sport, I didn’t want to become, you know, one of “THEM”. But at work 3 years ago, it was such a rage and part of the daily banter, that I HAD to get on board.
I played and found out in that first year (2005) how LITTLE I really knew about the game. Fantasy has made me a much better fan. I pay attention more steadily throughout the season and I take note of guys I normally wouldn’t have. It really pays off in the posteason as I can actually strategize in the other divs/league and appreciate, fully, what is going on. Even if I didn’t care a hoot about fantasy, it is worth it, to me, to keep me plugged in all year.
In 2006 I had a decent team but no pitching. The result of a failed experiment to bet it all on young guys who didn’t turn into Cy Young. Lesson learned. This year, I spent the first two picks on the most blue of blue chip pitching available, the rest of the roster be darned. No matter, I specialize in finding the quirky guys later on in the draft that others don’t want–but who DO perform.
Last year, I quit the league because of unfair practices among the other owners. We had a couple of politicians who would knock their own mothers down to win and they decided to block a trade I wanted to make to get ready for the playoffs. The trade was perfectly fair. Blocking it was not. So I was out. My ghost team went to the last day of the finals being managed by someone else. Problem last year was no stated resolution process for trades. That and the fact that the guy who most feared me improving my team in the power dept, was the commishioner, and he made sure it didn’t go through. That’s why this year, I have formed a new league and I am the commish and we have paid the 12.50 per man for the Yahoo trade arbitration service. Well worth it, if you ask me.
Also this year, we have involved a lot of the children of the managers. My three brothers and their boys are all involved as is two other guys I know. Nice to expose the thing to the kids and keep it fun. I drafted last night alongside my brother Ed, and his son Max, who is 7.
It was a real pleasure to help Max and watch him draft and get excited and learn what was going on (he did). He drafted 70% of the guys and I really only had to talk him out of 2 or 3 moves that were unsound. He was great! What a gas that was. He was very proud of his squad when he was done and told me that my team wasn’t so good (we’ll see). He also told me that “the draft was exciting”. I agree, on many levels. –fog
