Fantasy Baseball Makes a Long Season More Fun

The Washington Nationals host the Atlanta Braves to kick off the 2008 Major League Baseball season, but the thing that I'm most excited about is the start of Fantasy Baseball. This is my 16th year playing Fantasy sports, and I'm pretty optimistic about my chances to win it all this year!

Thanks to all of the fellow dads out there who helped me pick my Keepers, as well as the input for my #3 overall pick. My first pick in the draft, by the way, was the Chicago Cubs pitching staff, as the shift to team pitching made this the most valuable roster spot to fill.

Here's the All-Star roster for my 2008 team:

Starters:

1. Russell Martin, C, LA
2. Derrek Lee, 1B, CHC
3. Rickie Weeks, 2B, MIL
4. Adrian Beltre, 3B, SEA
5. Hanley Ramirez, SS, FLA
6. Adam Dunn, OF, CIN
7. Jeff Francoeur, OF, ATL
8. Austin Kearns, OF, WAS
9. Carlos Lee, OF, HOU
10. Chicago Cubs, Pitching Staff #1
11. Milwaukee Brewers, Pitching Staff #2

Reserve Players:

1. Kevin Youklis, 1B, BOS
2. J.D. Drew, OF, BOS
3. Jeremy Hermidia, OF, FLA

The draft was a blast! Eight of ten guys got together (2 participated online) - several of us enjoying a rare night out for dads - and chastised picks, had a few beers and smoked stogies. We finished the draft in about two hours, and then proceeded to play darts and bowling on Wii. The games were not a pretty sight - I'm sure an average 5-year-old could have schooled us.

The best thing about Fantasy Baseball is that it makes a very long baseball season bearable. I love going to about 4-5 games a year, but if it wasn't for fantasy I would spend most of the summer waiting for football season to start. And this year, with the Olympics, I probably would not have paid any attention to baseball.

There is something special about going to the field and watching a game in person, but I hate watching baseball on TV. In my opinion, and others may disagree, fantasy sports saved a lot of fans from abandoning baseball altogether. I know it did for me. What about you? Any true fans out there? I'm a true fan for football, but a fantasy fan for baseball. Does that make me a bad person? Feel free to share your thoughts.

Related Posts:

Help Me Pick #3 Spot in Fantasy Baseball Draft
Fantasy Baseball Fun Activity for Dads
Pick My Fantasy Baseball Keepers - Batters Only