March 11, 2004 - 1:18 AM

Fantasies Come True

My heart raced today. It actually fluttered. Palpitations surged. Not only that, but the increased heart-rate was acompanied by waves of heat rolling up my neck and lines of sweat trickling across my brow. My mind scurried to keep the rest of me one step ahead of the game. Shallow breathing and moist hands betrayed any attempts at remaining poised and collected. I was flushed, I was unnerved, I was quivering with anticipation.

Today, I had my first fantasy baseball draft of the season.

It only lasted half as long as I thought it would, but in the actual doing of it, there was both the sense that it was taking forever, and the sense that it was moving at lightning speeds past me. One minute I'd be savoring the move I just made, waiting for the others to finish up, and then *BAM* it would be my turn again and I'd be flustered, worrying about what I should do next and hoping to god that I didn't screw it up.

The big draft, with Nick, Tony, Phil, and others, is scheduled for this Saturday, and has been for several weeks. I've been trying to hold out for that one, to make it my first, partly because I sense that I'm not ready yet, I don't have enough information, haven't done enough preparation; but also because the longer you wait for it, the better it is.

The anticipation, though, has been overwhelming. And the fact that Tony kept telling me about all the drafts that he's been doing, asking me for advice, and urging me to get involved finally did me in. I could no longer abstain from playing the game. And really, as Tony has pointed out, the draft, before play actually begins, is truly the most fun part.

After a few premature draft attempts in the past two weeks, I finally gave myself an ultimatum, saying that THIS was the day. I'd been looking forward to doing a draft for so long, I thought that I was prepared enough and that I knew what to expect. I was nervous all day, trying to find the ideal league to pick, one that had all the stats that I was looking for; I finally found one, but was too late, as someone filled it up before I could. And then it appeared- a perfect league like the others, only with a couple of unique twists, a little curveball that would cause me to rethink some strategies. I was hooked.

The draft itself started, and all my thoughts that I'd been collecting flew apart. I scrambled to bring the fragments back together, but barely managed to get by by the seat of my pants. It was exhilarating and mortifying. I was pretty satisfied with my picks as I made them, but afterwards, in hindsight, I was a bit disappointed. Part of making a good draft is being able to choose the best player available at the time in addition to trying to figure out how the other people are going to choose, while factoring in the quality of players left at each position and what your individual needs are as well. My first three picks were right on target, perhaps even steals at the numbers where I got them; my fourth pick might have been able to slip another round or two, but my fifth pick, Aubrey Huff, was, I think, a coup. From then on, it was a mixed bag where I managed to fill holes, but with picks that could have been stronger. I guess it goes to show that you can do all the prep work that is humanly possible in advance, but, in the heat of the moment, all you can rely on are your britches and your wits and a little bit of luck.

Let me tell you, this experience has certainly whet my appetite for round two (and three, and four) this weekend. I've had a little taste, I've got experience under my belt, now I can start in whatever position I get and expect to dominate that mother like the Fantasy Baseball master that I am.

Why do I feel like I need a girl right about now?

Now Listening To : Rachael Sage-Smashing the Serene
Random Thought : Barely a week into her tour, and Vienna Teng has lost her voice. Dang.

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