Posted: 11/12/03

Fantasy fun

When I first heard of fantasy sports leagues where you are basically a general manager, I thought they were a joke and for people who needed work on their social skills. Then three years ago one of my buddies wanted me to join his fantasy hockey league just so he had enough people.

Reluctantly, I signed up. There was no money involved. The winner gets the same thing as the loser, nothing. We are all in it for our pride.

Initially I was just going to check my roster once in a while to see what the deal was. Then something happened ñ I got hooked, I wanted to be in first place. My team was in second place and I wanted to be in first. I started making trades and picking up free agents while dropping underachieving players. For the last half of the season I had a stronghold on the first place position.

I was having fun, until the very last day of the season when I saw I had dropped into second place by half a point. I felt like the New York Yankees, second place was not good enough. I wanted to be in first place, I wanted to let my buddy know that I won his fantasy hockey league, but I couldnít.

When last season NHL season was approaching, I was contemplating whether or not I would subject myself to the turmoil of running another fantasy hockey team. Then my buddy Rob who I had interned with e-mailed me to see if I would be interested in joining a league with him and his buddies from work.

Without hesitation, I agreed and set the league up myself. I went to the same site that had the free league the previous season and we had a nine-team league between my college friends, and Rob and the guys he works with. This season was starting off fun because not only was I now participating in a fantasy league, but I was the commissioner. I was the man in charge. I thought this commissionerís power would help me edge out my opponents, but it didnít.

After a fast start, my team fizzled out with injuries, scoring slums, and bad trades. If I would have been a real general manager in the NHL I would have probably been fired mid season. Instead of being in first place half the season, I was in dead last. People who forgot they even had a team and werenít making any moves were doing better than me. To salvage my pride, on the last day I moved out of the last place position ñ by half a point.

Not only did my team do terrible in the standings, but when I visited my buddy Rob, he and his buddies let me know how badly my team had done. They thought it was funny that the then college hockey player couldnít outsmart them in managing a fantasy hockey team.

Feeling dejected, I felt I had to redeem myself, so I set up the league again this year and invited the same people back so that I could show them I know what I am doing. To ensure we got things going in time I started e-mailing Rob to let the others know I planned to get a league going and all that good stuff involved in setting up a league.

I mentioned my participation in a fantasy hockey league to my cubicle neighbor at the office and she sounded worried. She was worried that I was going to be one of those over enthused fantasy managers whose day revolves around how my team does or sits on the phone trying to make a trade. She was pleased to hear I was not nuts like that, but I do spend a few minutes each day tinkering with my roster.
With the season young I am doing just fine in the standings. When the season is over I hope I can say that I had a successful season.

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