Last year I tried my hand at a round of fantasy baseball. It was something whose fascination I never quite understood, yet I found myself filled with anxiety as draft day rolled around.
I sat there, at the keyboard, praying that the players I wanted wouldn't be snagged out from under me. It happened a few times, but I ended up with a halfway decent team. I would log in daily and figure out what changes I had to make, but a few months in, I slipped off and found my team slip off to the bottom of the pile.
Well, it is a new year, and a new baseball season is nearly upon us. I got the invite, this time at ESPN's fantasy leagues as opposed to Yahoo! Sports. The biggest difference is that we play 20-man teams, not 25. Will this year be any different?
This year there was no question that I was going to sign up, unlike last year's tentative entry. My thoughts swirled as I wondered who I would choose, or who would be left to be drafted. Dreams of Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, Alfonso Soriano, and Johan Santana danced in mind. Oh, to know what picks I would have. Would I be high up in the draft? Would I be languishing in the shadows of the rest of the league? Would I stock up on players from my favorite team? The combinations were staggering.
Suddenly, draft day was upon us and I hadn't even done any pre-ranking. I was so bad that I hadn't done any research on the lesser of the big names. As I went through the work day, I could not help but think I was a lost cause for the big selection. My dreams of All-Stars fell to dreams of the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and the Kansas City Royals.
Fortunately, I was able to do some quick checking and a little bit of pre-ranking, and I think my team looks better this year than it did last, when I made a few hasty choices. This year I missed out on a few names that I really wanted, but I feel I have a better chance at ranking higher this year. Now, I am not getting ahead of myself and thinking I have any shot at winning it all, but definitely thinking of a higher placement.
When the draft started, I found myself at the south end of the action — seventh of eight. At least the order reversed in round two. That turned out to be sort of a blessing, with better placement also came less time to look through the remaining players looking for the next pick, that was followed by a long and agonizing wait as you peruse the lists with almost too much time on your hands.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
"I think the only choice I wasn't that crazy about was Nick Swisher â€" not sure why."
And you don't look like Billy Beane either.