Fall Guys

I hate the fall. To me, every fall re-champions it's title as the worst period of time ever. They say that Cleveland has two seasons--winter and construction, and I think I would actually prefer construction over the fall anyday. I understand that for about three days, trees look pretty cool with the differences in colors of their leaves, but for the majority, its all bad. Colder weather, shorter periods of daylight, the aforementioned trees basically dying for a few months and most of all it reminds me of how much I despised the summer ending and returning back to school when I was younger. I hate it all, the look, the smell, the feel, yucccccchhhhhh!



There is a saving grace for this wretched period though, Football. Not just Football, but more importantly, Fantasy Football(and yes i do think it holds the properness of capital F's). I heart Fantasy Football!!!!



As a kid growing up in Cleveland in the late 70's early 80's, I played and watched alot of football on tv. On W. 46th and Busch Ave., kids grew up either Steelers, Raiders or Cowboys fans. I was a Cowboys freak and wished Roger Staubach and Tony Dorsett were my parents even though it would be wildly frowned upon, was illegal and oh yeah, I already had parents. There wasn't much hometown Browns love as they weren't very good.



I moved to Massachusetts in 1984 and although I continued to play football, I pretty much stopped watching it all together as my dad have rather watched blind LPGA snow golf than football and I spent most of my weekend time pursuing my dream of someday playing in the NBA by hooping for 10-12 hours each day. Good thing huh, look where it got me- fat, two torn ACL's, multiple broken ankles and if lucky, a wheelchair at 50.



Out of school and once I started working, I don't think I had a Sunday off for the next 15 years minus vacations or a few injuries. Football fell waaaayyy off the list of significance in my life.



In 2006, my buddy Troy invited me to join his fantasty league. I had never done it before and even though I was miseducated on the Fantasy game(and football players in general at this point), I wanted try as I had heard how much fun it was. I was not disappointed. I instantly became addicted, fell in love with it and impatiently await its arrival every year like a fat kid waiting for a new Dolly Madison outlet to open. In two weeks, I will be participating in my fifth season of Troy's league which kicks off with the Triple-S(Sympson Summer Spectacular) where he and his lovely wife Sara host us members with great food and hospitality and culminating with the choosing of our players.



This year I will be commissioning a league of my own for the second straight season with all of the members being people I work with. Troy's league is competitive, but a gentlemens(and lady) league for the most part besides the occasional ribbing by members toward each other. My league on the other hand is kind of like the now defunct XFL meets the first twenty minutes of Saving Private Ryan. We all have outrageously big egos and mouths, and no one, especially another member of our league can tell us our shit stinks.



If it weren't so cliche-ish, my league would appropriately be named 12 Angry Men. No one is safe, nothing is sacred. We will talk hateful shit to each other continuously the whole calendar year whether its football season or not. How mothers and family and significant others figure into this is a mystery but somehow in the banter that ensues, they do. It doesn't help that most of us will see each other nearly every day throughout the season. I love it and can't wait. Our draft is Sunday and it can't come soon enough.

I love every part of it from saving a date to deciding draft order to making the picks w all of the members to the food involved and of course the shit talking. The only thing bad about it is that you kind of lose NFL team loyalty as you want your Fantasy team to do better.

After the drafts, I will analyze and rate my picks and countdown to the beginning of the NFL season. From the kickoff of the first game until a champion is determined, these two leagues will consume my life. I will watch all three games on Sundays and the Monday night game as well, all the while following along on my computer screen with the real time results and scoring. I just don't want to beat my opponent for the week, I want them to cross the street if we're walking on the same side in embarrassment. So, please hurry 8/22/10, I've been waiting for you.


To me, as the Christmas carol states, "Its the most wonderful time of the year" and it lets me give the fall a BIG middle finger. Suck it fall. Fantasy Football gives me reason to live after August and thank you Troy Sympson for making this Fantasy Football Frankenstein come alive.

To members of The Cizz FFL good luck, I hate you.