It's My Fantasy

My Ace's Web World team finished first in the Yahoo Fantasy Basketball League: ROUNDBALL, having eked out a victory over Brooklyn USA in the finals; I finished third in the League: Miami Street Hoops playoffs after having been first in the standings all season long. Anything can happen in the playoffs - coaches rest key players, thereby, decimating your team.

There was a similar story in my ESPN leagues. I finished first after a down-to-the-wire tie-break decided final in league "big ballers." Team Wagoner had had me on the ropes and, in fact, took the lead with just a handful of games left on the final day of the season. But, players in the late games came through for me, gave me a tie, which, with tie-break considerations, turned out to be enough.

Of course, with the NBA fantasy season over, I can now give more attention to my fantasy baseball teams, all eight of them - 4 on Yahoo, three on ESPN, and one at MLB.com. Nothing much to report; many of my best players, pitchers and hitters, are off to a slow start. Check back with me in June.

Last season, in response to an invitation issued by someone I've clashed with in various fantasy leagues, I joined Underworld Baseball, a so-called Yahoo Keepers League which I quickly learned meant that each manager got to keep ten players from last year's roster going into the new season. Other spots were filled through a draft. I battled all season, dropping duds and picking up replacements from free agency, and made it to the two-week head-to-head finals. I led after the first week, but injuries and the all-to-familiar resting up players for the play-offs wasted my offense and I wound up coming in second to Texas Express, just by a whisker.

I picked my ten keepers for 2011 and prepared for the draft, even made my first round selection. Then, the draft order was brought to my attention. As a reward for his Championship in 2010, Texas Express was given the first pick in the draft. Second pick went to the team that had finished first in the regular season, before the playoffs started. My team, the team that had finished second by an eyelash in 2010, was given no special consideration. In fact, all that my efforts from the previous season had earned me was the last pick in the first round. I mean everybody, those who finished ahead of me, and those who finished behind me, drafted ahead of me. It just didn't seem right and the more I thought about it, the more I felt like the league commissioner had given me the shaft. So, I dropped out and moved on with my life. Hey, screw me once - shame on you; screw me twice - shame on me.

The only other thing I have going in the fantasy world is one ESPN Fantasy Stock Car team. Let's just say, thus far, I'm not tearing up the competition.