Since both of my two college basketball teams had disappointing results on Friday night – and were obviously not going to be a part of this year’s March Madness – my sports focus was fully on my Saturday morning Yahoo draft for the first of two fantasy baseball leagues I will join this spring.
As I told you last week, my competitive itch needed to be scratched.
I used to love being a part of a fantasy sports league in which I knew all the participants. You had more of a stake in doing well (for bragging rights, if nothing else). But, here, it’s just you versus 11 faceless, nameless individuals who could be spread from Charlotte to Cheyenne.
All you know is you’re “versing” teams like: The Aces, Pinch Hitters and Brittany’s Team. It’s a creative group of names but you don’t know anything about your fellow competitors.
So, when I said last week (It’s not much but maybe, in the short-term, it will help.), you see where it’s not nearly as satisfying as participating in a league with folks you know. Still, you have the opportunity to research and learn and make good picks so it is definitely one way to check the box.
There is no real trophy to hoist at the end of the season, however, like the one in the good ol’ Smokey Louis Fantasy Baseball League, the uber-competitive league for which I celebrated a championship some years ago.
In the Yahoo league, there is no hardware; just a virtual trophy to hoist!
Speaking of Yahoo, my draft was scheduled for 8 a.m. last Saturday. I told Holly and Lisa that, if all went well, I’d be done by 9 a.m. and we could go grab some breakfast. I have seen some Yahoo drafts in past years that flew by in less time.
In a case like this, you hope that everyone is on their game and that there are no “lollygaggers.” Unfortunately, there were a couple teams that auto-drafted. That is to say, there was no person present so they had the computer did the picking for them. In that case, unfortunately, the pick goes for the whole 90 seconds before the next person has their turn.
I guess 8 a.m. was too early for them to be up and at ‘em. Maybe they are west coasters?
But with 12 teams and each picking 23 players, that’s a total of 276 picks. If each one takes a minute, well you can see, you’re well past breakfast time into brunch!
Actually, I think this draft came in at about 90 minutes.
In addition to the autopicks, there was one guy – Gilligan, ironic name and, coincidentally, my opponent for week one – who took the full allotment for most of his selections.
The way it goes is something like this.
The teams are randomly selected in order from 1-12 (my team picked ninth). In round one, the picks go in that order and in round two, the order reverses from 12-1. It alternates in a similar fashion throughout the entire time you are on draft. For me personally, that meant I had a quick turn between picks and then a fairly long wait until my next two (time for a water break or to do some quick internet research on a player in my queue).
As my team, I give myself a B rating. I selected some good hitters but the way the draft played out, I was never able to build a strong pitching staff the way I usually like to do. Also, my bench is a little thin.
I picked a few Braves, which is good, but not too many, which is really good. Over the course of the season, I’ll need to watch for some players to add via the waiver wire and if I make the right moves, this team should be one of the contenders for post-season.
JG
Originally posted 3/16/2015
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