I just finished reading over 16 emails that I received from various on-line sports related websites. How exactly did they get my address again? I probably gave it to them, considering that I have been an active on-line fantasy sports participant for about 10 years now. Somehow, some way, they will continue to get to me. Should I change my email address? Won’t matter. The fantasy sports on-line marketing mafia will find me, no matter what. That’s their job. To keep people like me informed of their new and approved product, their industry-best price points and their unbelievable ability to forecast the statistics of every player that has the slightest chance of cracking a big league roster in 2006. How else would I know that Derek Jeter was going to hit 22 Home Runs, steal 27 bases, chew 278 packs of gum and date 7 women during the 2006 162-game baseball season? It’s all in the on-line marketing tools of these various websites. Someone who has absolutely no time on their hands should go back the past few years and compare some of these forecasts to the actual player results. It would be interesting to see just how good these self-proclaimed gurus really are at predicting a player’s statistical expectations. More on this topic later. First, I need to vent a bit….
Two days have passed since the conclusion of Super Bowl XL. The parade in Pittsburgh has not even occurred yet and I am already dreading the hollow days that follow. Every year, between the Super Bowl and opening day of the Major League Baseball season, a gray cloud hovers over the sports world. At least, it does in my opinion. In my house, during the months of February and March is usually the time when the minor home improvement projects get completed. Clean out the basement, paint the hallway trim, clean out the slow-running drains. Would not want every light bulb in the house to be out at the same time. Could make it difficult to see at night. Probably best to change them as I go. Anyhow, this two month time period can be rather uneventful for any avid sports fan.
So, what is there to pass the time between February 1st and April 1st ? I can no longer be bothered with the NBA and the NHL regular seasons. I may watch a bit of the NBA playoffs. If a game is tight in the 4th quarter and I can name at least 3 players in the game, then maybe it will be worth a look. Otherwise, I am not interested in watching one player on each team try and score all of the points for their team. Kobe Bryant’s 81 points does impress me. None of his teammates touched the ball in the second half. Nobody cares about Shaq and Kobe, unless they are a fan of the Heat or the Lakers. I do not need to receive daily updates on their personal relationship and how much they despise each other. Danny Ainge continues to rebuild the Celtics, but it may be another 2 or 10 years before they can come close to being considered a title contender. Oh, and it was great to see the Celtics go up against the T’Wolves the other night, just a few days after the teams completed a 7-player trade. It if almost funny how Marcus Banks put up 20 points and 6 assists and Mark Blount added 16 points and 10 rebounds against their old mates. Why can’t the Celtics get players like that? I know. It was only one game and Wally Szcerbiak did put up 22 for the Green. You still have to laugh at how that played out. As for the NHL, the league plays 80 games, just to eliminate 12 teams from playoff contention. Seems like a waste of time to me. Fifteen years ago, I could name at least 10 players on every team. Today, I may barely be able to name 10 players in the entire league. Fourteen days until pitchers and catchers report. I suppose I should not forget about March Madness, which gives even non-sports fans something to follow during the month of March. Can’t wait to fill out my brackets. This year my goal is to get every game correct. 63-0. Oh, and there is also the mostly annual trip to Marco Island in March to see family. The trip usually entails breakfast at 6AM, a little beach, a little bingo, a little golf, maybe some bocce or shuffleboard, dinners at 4:15 PM sharp, bedtime after Jeopardy; but the real bonus is the 45-minute drive up the coast to Fort Myers. Did I mention that I sat next to Manny once on a puddle jumper as we flew from Fort Myers to Miami? Good guy. Quiet. He had his faced buried in the spring training box scores within the sports page of the USA Today. Good to see he keeps an interest in the entire league by conducting off-the-field research as he preps for the season. Either that or maybe he was preparing for his upcoming fantasy baseball draft? There will be more on that topic later. In the few brief conversations that we did have, I managed to ask Manny what he thought about the squad as they prepared for the 2004 season. He sort of grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said,”ah, we’ll be all right. Asi, asi.” Just so, so. Little did he know then, was that this “so-so” squad would make it to Game 7 of the ALCS that year and then follow it up with a World Series title in 2005. Anyway, it is always fun to watch the boys of summer rollout of hibernation and shake off the cobwebs during spring training. This year should be interesting with all of the new faces. Not sure it matters, as long as Manny and Ortiz are in the middle of the lineup. As of today, however, the Sox front office still has some holes to fill. Let’s see. Zero shortstops, 9 second baseman, zero experienced bench players and 14 general managers. There are a lot of chefs in the kitchen, but they have nothing to cook with. I have faith. What else is going on during these 2 months? It’s tax season. Boring. Easter egg hunts? Only good for an hour or so. Spring break. No more trips for me. Yard work? Not yet. Too muddy and we are always good one for one more nor’easter in late March.
Here’s the truth. Maybe this 2-month timeframe is not as bad as it first seemed. The fact of the matter is that my favorite hobby gets put to rest. Drum roll please……..fantasy sports. Baseball and football to be specific. Most women in America are rolling their eyes right now. Maybe I am too old for this nonsense, but it is still fun to draft and manage your own team. It allows me to fill in the gaps during my busy week. 8 hours of sleep per night is too much. That would mean that one-third of my life would be spent dozing while visions of grand slams and 80-yard touchdowns danced in my head. 7 hours is enough. Sometimes 6. Anyway, as far as I am concerned, the fun ends after the Super Bowl and does not start up again until the boys of summer are ready to kickoff the regular season in early April.
Two days have passed since the conclusion of Super Bowl XL. The parade in Pittsburgh has not even occurred yet and I am already dreading the hollow days that follow. Every year, between the Super Bowl and opening day of the Major League Baseball season, a gray cloud hovers over the sports world. At least, it does in my opinion. In my house, during the months of February and March is usually the time when the minor home improvement projects get completed. Clean out the basement, paint the hallway trim, clean out the slow-running drains. Would not want every light bulb in the house to be out at the same time. Could make it difficult to see at night. Probably best to change them as I go. Anyhow, this two month time period can be rather uneventful for any avid sports fan.
So, what is there to pass the time between February 1st and April 1st ? I can no longer be bothered with the NBA and the NHL regular seasons. I may watch a bit of the NBA playoffs. If a game is tight in the 4th quarter and I can name at least 3 players in the game, then maybe it will be worth a look. Otherwise, I am not interested in watching one player on each team try and score all of the points for their team. Kobe Bryant’s 81 points does impress me. None of his teammates touched the ball in the second half. Nobody cares about Shaq and Kobe, unless they are a fan of the Heat or the Lakers. I do not need to receive daily updates on their personal relationship and how much they despise each other. Danny Ainge continues to rebuild the Celtics, but it may be another 2 or 10 years before they can come close to being considered a title contender. Oh, and it was great to see the Celtics go up against the T’Wolves the other night, just a few days after the teams completed a 7-player trade. It if almost funny how Marcus Banks put up 20 points and 6 assists and Mark Blount added 16 points and 10 rebounds against their old mates. Why can’t the Celtics get players like that? I know. It was only one game and Wally Szcerbiak did put up 22 for the Green. You still have to laugh at how that played out. As for the NHL, the league plays 80 games, just to eliminate 12 teams from playoff contention. Seems like a waste of time to me. Fifteen years ago, I could name at least 10 players on every team. Today, I may barely be able to name 10 players in the entire league. Fourteen days until pitchers and catchers report. I suppose I should not forget about March Madness, which gives even non-sports fans something to follow during the month of March. Can’t wait to fill out my brackets. This year my goal is to get every game correct. 63-0. Oh, and there is also the mostly annual trip to Marco Island in March to see family. The trip usually entails breakfast at 6AM, a little beach, a little bingo, a little golf, maybe some bocce or shuffleboard, dinners at 4:15 PM sharp, bedtime after Jeopardy; but the real bonus is the 45-minute drive up the coast to Fort Myers. Did I mention that I sat next to Manny once on a puddle jumper as we flew from Fort Myers to Miami? Good guy. Quiet. He had his faced buried in the spring training box scores within the sports page of the USA Today. Good to see he keeps an interest in the entire league by conducting off-the-field research as he preps for the season. Either that or maybe he was preparing for his upcoming fantasy baseball draft? There will be more on that topic later. In the few brief conversations that we did have, I managed to ask Manny what he thought about the squad as they prepared for the 2004 season. He sort of grinned, shrugged his shoulders and said,”ah, we’ll be all right. Asi, asi.” Just so, so. Little did he know then, was that this “so-so” squad would make it to Game 7 of the ALCS that year and then follow it up with a World Series title in 2005. Anyway, it is always fun to watch the boys of summer rollout of hibernation and shake off the cobwebs during spring training. This year should be interesting with all of the new faces. Not sure it matters, as long as Manny and Ortiz are in the middle of the lineup. As of today, however, the Sox front office still has some holes to fill. Let’s see. Zero shortstops, 9 second baseman, zero experienced bench players and 14 general managers. There are a lot of chefs in the kitchen, but they have nothing to cook with. I have faith. What else is going on during these 2 months? It’s tax season. Boring. Easter egg hunts? Only good for an hour or so. Spring break. No more trips for me. Yard work? Not yet. Too muddy and we are always good one for one more nor’easter in late March.
Here’s the truth. Maybe this 2-month timeframe is not as bad as it first seemed. The fact of the matter is that my favorite hobby gets put to rest. Drum roll please……..fantasy sports. Baseball and football to be specific. Most women in America are rolling their eyes right now. Maybe I am too old for this nonsense, but it is still fun to draft and manage your own team. It allows me to fill in the gaps during my busy week. 8 hours of sleep per night is too much. That would mean that one-third of my life would be spent dozing while visions of grand slams and 80-yard touchdowns danced in my head. 7 hours is enough. Sometimes 6. Anyway, as far as I am concerned, the fun ends after the Super Bowl and does not start up again until the boys of summer are ready to kickoff the regular season in early April.
posted by Peter B at 9:01 AM
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