ON A FAVORITE DAY

Last night was my fantasy football draft. During the day, I repeatedly told people it was my "fifth-favorite day of the year." (Christmas Day, Thanksgiving Day, my birthday, July 4th, and the FF draft. Arbor Day can go to hell.) As the day went on, I started to believe it, and tried to figure out why the day mattered so much.

The league has been (mostly) the same group of guys for going on eight years. We've done a live online draft for three years, allowing us to mock picks as they are made for people who are online. While I would prefer we all get together and do the draft together, the distances involved prevent it (from Massachusetts to Calgary - we're spread out).

I guess if one word had to sum up the experience, it would be potential. Immediately after the drafting is over, there's a week before anything happens. I have that whole week to think about how good my team is going to be, how everyone else's teams will be crushed by injuries or poor play, and how good it's going to feel to get the championship bobblehead. I have the whole football season to look forward to, and I spend a good half an hour trying to figure out which games will be on TV here so I can cheer my players on (as I have Tom Brady, that means I will get to see my QB play every week).

It was also entertaining to watch my own draft kind of self-destruct. I had ranked 143 players, with the idea that I would strictly follow that list throughout the draft. It didn't happen. I reached for a team defense a round or two before I should have. I didn't take the top tight end I had ranked, I skipped a few receivers...but overall, I think it came out well.

Now, to figure out my week one lineup...