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 It was a little creepy. I was enjoying wine with a friend after work. We exchanged silly stories that seemed to get more and more ridiculous the longer we talked. Laughter and wine ensued. At some point, I briefly mentioned my plummeting fantasy team, which is not at all funny. I’m sure for a moment, I had the look of despair and disgust.
We apparently gained the attention of an eavesdropper, who felt the need to invade our space and our conversation. Maybe it was my Chardonnay that lured him over. I love white wine, but I’m pretty sure it makes me look cheap. “Excuse me,” he muttered. “Whoever he is, he’s not worth it. You can do much better.”
Wait, what? We weren’t really sure what he was talking about. Did he think my team was a bad boyfriend? That’s a 16-man lineup of boyfriends, plus six reserves. Cheers to that, creepy eavesdropper. I nervously laughed and thanked him, and then looked down hoping he would go away.
I did not have immediate plans to dump anyone on my team. Sure, I have the regular add/drops, like all fantasy managers. But I thought about it later. Did the creepy creep have a point? Was I settling?
Just like real relationships, we hang on to fantasy players too long. What makes us do this? Are we in denial? Perhaps we think they’ll change, even though they rarely do. But every 0-for-5 night is a reminder that he’s wrong for your. Each blown save and each bases-loaded pop-up, are also signs.
Wouldn’t this premise make for a great Lifetime movie? The players you have loved, but don’t love you back. I’m pretty sure at some point Stephanie Powers dumps James Shields and throws herself into the arms of Cliff Lee, and they walk hand-in-hand into a fantasy World Series. So romantic.
Speaking of Shields, I have given him repeated chances, mainly because there isn’t anyone better. He gives me strikeouts, but the 4.90 ERA and 8-9 record are unimpressive. The Ks he provides are nice, but he’s like the bad boyfriend who tries to redeem himself by giving me nice things. I’m not alone in my hesitation. Shields is owned in 84 percent of Yahoo leagues.
And just how bad does Aaron Hill have to become before you drop him? If you still have him, take a good look at this season. At what point did he seem promising? He had a bad April, followed by a bad May and bad June. Even with a slightly improved July, his average stands at a dismal .201. But we’re all fools in this. In Yahoo leagues, he’s 75 percent owned.
Curtis Granderson is another one we can’t seem to let go. He’s batting .240 with seven dingers, 24 RBI and 38 runs. And he plays for the Yankees, so he really doesn’t have any excuses. He has talent ahead of him and behind him in the lineup. Granderson’s another one with bad numbers yet we refuse to see the signs. He’s owned in 83 percent of Yahoo leagues.
And let’s not forget Adam Lind, who showed promise last year, boasting a .305 batting average with 35 home runs. His 2010 campaign has many shortcomings including a .215 average and 13 homers. Once again, a disappointing player. But once again, many of us hanging on. He’s owned in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues.
I finally said goodbye to Michael Bourn. It was six weeks too late, unfortunately. I appreciated his stolen bases, but at the expense of poisoning my batting average. But with no power or RBI production, I realized I wouldn’t really miss him. And I don’t.
If you remove the names (and yourself), and just look at the stats, it’s easy to make decisions on keeping or dropping. But once you know the names, and once you consider your own team, you begin to make excuses. Why is it so much easier to give someone else advice? I am guilty of this too. Repeatedly, I’ve told others to drop a player who I wouldn’t admit I still owned. But it’s different when it’s your own team. Because it’s your team. It’s like the doctor who smokes cigarettes.
We hold on for lots of reasons. No one better out there. We think they’ll improve. And it’s just easier to do nothing. All bad reasons. And all affirmation that the creepy guy was right.
Read more from Erin Skelley at erinthefantasygirl.blogspot.com. You can also hear Erin every Friday morning during the football season on Sports Radio 610 in Houston, the flagship home of the Houston Texans. Trackback(0)
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