My biggest mistake of 2010
The 2010 fantasy football regular season is coming to an end. There are only a few more weeks before the playoffs start and leagues around the county will crown their champions.
It’s that time of year when owners look back on all their successes and mistakes.
Alright…mistakes.
I am no exception. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (yes, I named my team after a Canadian team) sit in third place, and a playoff spot is almost a certainty.
And yet…I am not content.
Why am I not content? Three words.
Baltimore Ravens defense.
(Courtesy of AP)
It was draft day, and an interesting opportunity presented itself. I immediately seized it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense AND the Baltimore defense?
If there was a fantasy football version of Penthouse Forum, I’d send that in.
I was made in the shade (like this).
(Pete Atkinson/Getty Images)
All I would have to do would be to wait and see which one did better and flip the other one for a huge gain.
I thought it was to good to be true.
Turns out it was.
The first phase went off without a hitch. I felt like some sort of mastermind, sitting back and watching my brilliant plan unfold.
Then came week two.
I had started the Pittsburgh defense in week one, so I moved to phase two: play the other defense and see who does better.
I quickly got my answer.
Not only did the Ravens D fail to deliver, the Steelers D, sitting on my bench, threw up 26 points.
It was a defense beatdown.
(Guess which one Pittsburgh is.)
Week three yielded similar results, only this time Pittsburgh outscored Baltimore 18-3.
I decided that it was time to move in to phase 3: trade the lesser defense for something awesome.
Unfortunately, I failed to consider three things.
1. Everyone else noticed how poorly the Ravens D was doing.
2. No one else wanted them in the first place.
3. Trying to negotiate a trade with the other people in my league is like trying to convince a group of five-year-olds that the organic fruit snacks are just as good as Fruit by the Foot.
So now, here I am, two months later, and that same Baltimore defense sits on my bench, eating up a roster spot because I’m to proud to drop it.
Fantasy football is a game of pride, and in that aspect, I always win.
