| In honor of the Major League Baseball opening | | | | track record but minimal upside. |
| weekend, I decided to take a moment today to | | | | Finally, at some point within the last few weeks |
| reflect on why I love the start of the season in | | | | heading up to opening weekend, they draft their |
| each of the sports that has a fantasy game I | | | | team or teams. Believe it or not, the date of the |
| enjoy. | | | | draft is a HUGE event for the fantasy sports |
| By this point in time, the vast majority of fantasy | | | | aficionado! You spend all this time preparing, |
| leagues have completed their drafts and are | | | | figuring out when you have to draft certain guys |
| waiting in anticipation of the first pitch. While this | | | | to get them before someone else does, and |
| may seem like the time that fantasy sports | | | | mapping out how you want to approach the draft |
| games start to the casual observer, that is far | | | | itself, and this is the day when you finally know |
| from the truth. | | | | what you're going to battle with. |
| You see, fantasy games can be a year-round | | | | But it's not over there. You spend the next |
| activity for the hard core player. I know many a | | | | week(s) until the season starts re-evaluating the |
| fan who follows nothing but football or baseball | | | | selections you made. Oftentimes, your last pick or |
| every single month on the calendar. On the other | | | | two are expendable if someone else better |
| hand, there are players like me. These are folks | | | | comes along. So you have to watch new |
| who play every major fantasy sport, which | | | | developments and react in a way that will best |
| conveniently enough, just happens to touch on | | | | position you to compete. |
| every month of the year. | | | | Obviously, with all this prep and hard work, the |
| Typically, depending on just how interested you | | | | anticipation heading up to the first day of games |
| are in a particular fantasy game, you may put in | | | | can be nearly unbearable some years. I know I |
| a couple of days researching who to pick, or you | | | | completed all of my serious drafts by last |
| may be preparing for months. Some of us even | | | | weekend, and the last week has been great, but |
| continuously prepare for future seasons while we | | | | there's nothing like the games actually starting. |
| aren't even finished with the one under way! | | | | Anti-fantasy sports naysayers may call this a |
| The most competitive and savvy players will | | | | waste off time, but many a fantasy player has |
| spend at least a few weeks doing their research | | | | compared either the draft itself or opening |
| for the season. Many of them keep their own | | | | weekend to Christmas morning. Y'know, that |
| projections or download these stats from one of | | | | excited feeling you got when you were a kid |
| many websites that offers their take on | | | | when you walked into whatever room "Santa |
| prognosticating actual numbers. They spend time | | | | Claus" left his gifts in? It's a lot like that. |
| debating and splitting hairs between whether to | | | | So in honor of the first round of a long 162 game |
| take a rookie second baseman with a new | | | | season, I'll take this chance to say it for |
| starting job or an established shortstop with a | | | | myself..."Play Ball! |