Operation

Post Reply
DOUGHBOYS
Posts: 13088
Joined: Sat Feb 05, 2005 6:00 pm

Operation

Post by DOUGHBOYS » Wed Jun 09, 2021 2:36 pm

99.9 percent of folks think what we do is...

1. A tremendous waste of time
2. Trivial
3. Nerdy
4. Stupid
5. All of the above

I'm ok with that. I would feel the same way about hobbies such as gardening or stamp collecting.
The difference being that I understand gardening and stamp collecting. I know how both hobbies work.
Of those 99.9 folks that think we're wasting our time playing fantasy baseball, hardly any really understand it.

My health hasn't been all that wonderful lately. Don't reply or contact me about it. There is nothing worse than talking about health.
I still have the hebejeebies of when I was a kid and my Aunt Ruth came to the house and rattled off all of her health problems.
That woman had every problem a body could possibly have with health and her largest pleasure was sharing those problems with those that would listen.
Ugh.

So I am in a doctors office and he is asking about the stress in my life as it relates to my heart.
I thought to myself, is fantasy baseball stressful?
Does it count?
I know every Sunday I want to get 'my guy'.
I wouldn't call it stress....I don't think.

Watching my guy come up with the bases loaded and nobody out, only to pop up....Is that stress?
These are things that never bother gardeners or stamp collectors!

Seeing a 16-4 score , feeling certain that your best hitter must have done well, only to see an 0-5 ...Is that stress?

Making your lineup decision on Monday, vacillating between two pitchers and seeing the benched pitcher throw well and get a Win...Is that stress?

To me, it is stress, but it's not at the same time.
It's all part of our wonderful game that those 99.9 percent of folks don't get.

My wife's hobby is reading. She reads a book every other day.
I try to tell her that fantasy baseball is like a book.
It has a beginning, middle, and if lucky, a climax that can't be beat.
It has plot twists and things that'll make you fall out of your seat every day.
It'll make you laugh. It'll make you cry.
It'll bring out every emotion possible over a six month span.
It's the best book in the world, because even the writer doesn't know what's going to happen.

"Dan?" "Is fantasy baseball stressful?"
The Doc looked impatient
I had put a lot of thought into his question.
"Doc, pretend you're at home and your 10 year old son wants to challenge you to a board game."
"Your son picks 'Operation'."
"He thinks that you should be marvelous at this game"
THAT is the way fantasy baseball players feel.
Every DAY.
We've watched this game our whole lives.
Our friends and family think we SHOULD be great at this game.
"So Doc, when he starts setting up Operation for you to play....Do YOU feel stress?"

Now, it was his turn to think.
"Wow, you go through that EVERY DAY?" I think that is a little bit stressful."
I told him that I prefer to think of it as challenging.
It is mind play. An unrelenting hobby.
I also told him that asking me to give it up would be a lost cause.
He understood.
A good thing.
If not, he would be coming home the following day to his kids excited voices about the package they received that day.
Now, they want Daddy to play their 'new' game.
Operation.
On my tombstone-
Wait! I never had the perfect draft!

Post Reply