Once Upon a Time in the Land of Fantasy

By Jeanne McPartland

Once a upon a time in the Land of Fantasy everything was coming up roses and glass slippers but not in this Land of Fantasy Football (This is not Disneyâ€Ts fantasy mind you.) Its not for the weak of heart. You could cry, sweat and loose sleep for your team and it wouldnâ€Tt make a difference. It would be easier to find a Mickey Mouse without ears than to win a spot in your fantasy football team playoffs. After three years of trying I finally did it and clinched a play off spot on my team. I was not a big believer in Fantasy teams at first for fear I would loose my love for my home team The Buccaneers. But playing didnâ€Tt destroy my home town love it enhanced it. Following the weekly injury reports and watching for game time decisions gave me a depth of knowledge I never thought possible. The boys of the gridiron are no toy soldiers; they do fall like the Rockettes at Radio City .

When Donovan McNabb fell, I thought there was no hope. He got me through my first year in fantasy. After all, he eats Campbell soup from his mom. My guy Chris Simms played his heart out against Carolina and what did he get for his efforts but a spleenectomy. Besides injuries three regulars fell figuratively to their junior counterparts, Jake Plummer fell to Jay Cutler, and Kerry Collins fell to Vince Young, and Kurt Warner fell to Matt Leinart. These substitutions cost points in the league since you are forced to go out and pick up a new player or play your backup which could be worse.

Week to week these changes cost you points in the Land of Fantasy especially if the player is replaced during the game. You feel like The Sorcerers Apprentice is coming to get you.

Going â€osub nuclear” is a Tre Wingo expression but it describes me when one of my Fantasy players is a game time decision and the decision goes against me. On the other hand you can get screwed royally when your opponent has LeDanian Tomlinson and he scores four touchdowns in a game. Its tough to make up 40 fantasy points unless you have Tom Brady on a good day and when is that? The Thursday night games made life tough because you had to get your team together before game time on Thursday. Itâ€Ts tough enough when you have to get it together by Sunday! The number of injured players kept mounting so forget subs for those last minute cancellations. Trade with your other scoundrel friends…forget it. They would sooner beat you into the ground than give you an edge and that includes family members who might be in your league

So went life in the Land of Fantasy 2006. But victory is sweet in and maybe , just maybe you got a chance to play for the big prize.

 

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