“Is this the real life, is this just fantasy, caught in a landslide, no escape from reality”

Many Fantasy Football leagues have either already had their draft, or will shortly be doing so.  This is the time for all the know-it-all wannabe GM’s to flaunt their stuff, by choosing the best players in the NFL for their squads.  Of course they do so (At least in the greater majority of leagues) without a salary cap, and occasionally, when you’re player is hurt, another excellent player is usually available via the waiver wire.

I have participated in FF for quite some time, but my first few years were spent in  “dual ownership” with my best friend.  This league entry fee was $460.00, so many teams had 2 owners, to absorb the expense.  He was a FF vet by the time I joined him, and admittedly, I allowed him to overrule me many times due to his experience.  We won a fair amount of cash one year, after the split we walked away with $1200 in our pockets after winning it all.

That particular league was a RB driven league.  You had to have the horses at RB, or you were lost.  Rushing TD’s were worth 6 points, while Passing TD’s just 4 points.  This league also did not feature PPR (Point Per Reception), which benefits players who get a lot of balls thrown to them, whether they are WR’s, TE’s or RB’s.  I remember well one of my first years in that league, we had RB Charlie Garner of the Raiders.  Garner had come from the Eagles, and the Raiders did well with him.  THEY did well, WE suffered.  Garner would carry the ball up and down the field, rip off a 35 yard run and get taken down at the 10 yard line.  Get one more carry and bring it to the 2, and then OUT HE WENT, so the Raiders could sub in short yardage specialist Zack Crockett.  Even Charlie Garner used to get mad, as Crockett shot through a gaping hole and scored.  I recall him once rushing for a bout 60 yards on one drive, and then the coaches signaling Garner to come off the field for Crockett, and he waved them off, and and the coaches more excitedly waved him off, until finally Garner took of his helmet and and cursed all the while stomping off the field like a 3 year old throwing a temper tantrum.  I did the same in my family room each time BTW.

This year, I’m playing in 2 leagues at the same time, I have never done that before.  One is a new format for me, it’s a “Keeper League” AKA sometimes as a “Dynasty League”  In this league, you get to keep 9 players from your last years roster over to the next year.  I have to share this because it’s funny.  I wanted to make sure that I kept a well rounded 9, so I kept my defense and kicker.  Just for clarification, I did NOT play in this league last year, so I really didn’t know jack about the format, and how it works.  I took it over for someone else (A friend of Joe Momma’s).  So I get an e-mail from one of the owners in the league asking me if I’m serious keeping a kicker.  I sat there red faced, and embarrassed, realizing what I did. Live and learn

The NFL realizes that FF is a vehicle to make more money for them.  A LOT more $$$.  They know that people who would otherwise NEVER be fans of the sport, tech nerds eating up NFL statistics now for breakfast, lunch and dinner, where before were watching the Sci-Fi channel.  Now they have DirecTV with the NFL Sunday Ticket, The Redzone channel, and more than likely 3-4 computers and monitors, along with 3-4 TV’s to keep up with all their FF games and stats.

Spouses, men and women alike, may be losing their partners to FF on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays, and occasionally on Saturdays too.  Women are heavily into the FF scene as well.  What was once a male dominated audience is now a unisex population.  Of course we all know Gigi and Herd, but they are just the tip of the iceberg.  Rhino’s daughter plays FF, and I’m sure we all have wives, girlfriends, sisters or daughters who play as well.  The NFL is raking it all in, and embracing it.  NFL stadiums will soon be required to have Wi-fi available and to also upgrade their video screens so to better enable FF players to catch their stats and what’s going on around the league on the RedZone channel.  Did they ever care about “regular” fans that just loved football, and wanted to see what was going on in other games?  Oh HECK NO!  We have political debates on here often, and just like the greasy politicians of the old tried and true  Democrats and Republicans, the NFL is simply following the $$$.

Tonight is Draft Night for what was formerly know as “The Mob FF League”, and I’m excited to be joined by F-ME “creator” Walker and F-ME “do fucking everything” Gigi, as they become the first partners in our league.  Fitting!

Good luck to everyone in this league, and good luck to everyone else who plays in other leagues, and I’d almost guarantee that leaves no stone unturned, and every single person who reads this blog, comments on this blog is involved in that in one way or another.

“Are you ready for some football???”

Rock, thanks for your suggestions, but the BOTW has, and always must be, MY CHOICE! 😉

Now, for the babe of the week . . .