Few things in life get me more excited than fantasy baseball. I invite you to take a journey with me into the world of make-believe teams made of real players. Trust me, it's a lot cooler than you think...
The truth is, I think the day I draft my fantasy baseball team is the best day of the year. Remember the days when your birthday couldn't wait and you knew exactly how many days it was until your party? Chances are these days you don't think about your birthday plans until a month out at the earliest.
As a kid you rarely had a better day than your birthday besides maybe Christmas morning. As you get older the anticipation drops severely but it's okay because you're "mature" now. Wrong answer. Know why? It is because having something to look forward to helps stave off depression and the doldrums of life. How many times have you caught yourself saying, "I wish I still got that excited over something"? Too many, I'm sure.
My answer to that wish is to embrace something that allows me to reach that fever pitch every year like Christmas in the month of March. Here is a snapshot of my favorite day:
I'm thankful to be a part of group that feels like I do and allows me to be a kid again. The day of the draft is like being in the backyard treehouse with the guys and you just came across your dad's beer and porn collection. In other words, it couldn't be any more masculine or immature.
Imagine eight guys with eight computers, in a living room, drinking and smoking. Now imagine four more guys trying to stay involved in all the pre-draft trash talk/debauchery via the "Draft Room" online chat board (Note: don't be that guy, it only increases your chance of being picked on and decreases the fun of draft day).
The conversations in the room consist of which players will come off the board first and what potential trade offers could influence that. Also, you will overhear someone declare how everyone but him is an idiot because they have the perfect sleeper candidate. Basically, a "sleeper" is a player whom possesses so much upside that they fear mentioning his name at the cost of losing him to the guy who did not prepare a draft strategy.
See that's me, the guy who has the coolest under-the-radar pick of the draft that waits until the time is right. Then shoves it in everyone's face because they forgot about him but in reality no one really cares and I'm shutdown by my peers as I stare back into my laptop feeling embarrassed.
The funniest parts of the draft are the online chats with each other even though the majority of guys are in the same room. It becomes very childish but in that context it works famously. I've rarely laughed harder than the times spent reading the draft's chat log. I can't repeat these chats but let's just say, boys will be boys.
By draft's end each team "owner" starts checking out the other squads hoping to find the guy who drafted the "ugliest" team so they can rip their friends even more. I like to think I draft pretty teams but my friends still give me crap because I like taking players with high upside but still remain unproven. I enjoy a good diamond in the rough. What can I say?
Lastly, you get to name your team something ridiculous. Most guys try their hardest to combine their favorite player's name with a raunchy pun or something clever. Example: "the rICHIROund" (told you) or "the Say Eh? Kid" (after Canadian slugger, Joey Votto).
Once the season begins, the owners draft choices must prove their mettle. Baseball and especially fantasy baseball, is all about the numbers and figuring out how to interpret those stats into a winning team. A 162-game season is a grind. By August you're chomping at the bit for the playoffs to start. But alas, the season goes through September.
Winning your fantasy league usually includes a cash prize from all your vanquished opponents. More importantly a championship means you get to reign verbal blows on your friends until the next season begins. The pride gained and the grounds for trash-talk supremacy is equal to the money.
28 days and counting. I can't wait.
