Next year's number one pick?


Spring training is in full swing and so are many fantasy drafts.  Some people can’t wait, but I think the later the better.  I prefer drafting in late March after the position competitions have settled a bit.   It’s too much guesswork when you draft in early March, or God-forbid, February.  You should not be drafting baseball players in the same month that the Super Bowl was played.  It’s bad karma.

Mock draft all you want now, but if you can, convince your commissioner to be patient.  I like to ease myself into the baseball season after playing and writing about fantasy football for months.

Comedian George Carlin had a routine comparing baseball and football. Carlin was on to something. (Yes he was on something as well, but that is another story.)  According to Carlin, “Baseball begins in the spring, the season of new life; Football begins in the fall, when everything's dying.”  He would continue: “Football has hitting, clipping, spearing, piling on, personal fouls, late hitting and unnecessary roughness.  Baseball has the sacrifice.”

Another Carlin observation: “Only in baseball does the manager or coach wear the same clothing the players do. If you'd ever seen John Madden in his Oakland Raiders uniform, you'd know the reason for this custom.”  While real football and baseball differ on attire, this is one area where their fantasy counterparts are more in tune. How many of you have shown up to a draft wearing a team jersey?  Me too.

Which is the better fantasy experience, baseball or football?  One sport is a more intense simulation, while the other provides a better fantasy/life balance.  Your preference will have a lot to do with which sport you are more invested in, because both have their appeal.  Let’s take a look from a baseball point of view, at how it matches up with fantasy football – better or worse?

For Better

1. It’s a marathon – The football season is a sprint.  Start 0-3 and you’re dead. The baseball season is a marathon.  It’s a loooooong season – a little too long in some cases, as Mets and Padres fans found last season.  Fantasy baseball will hold your attention for 162 games, and occupy all that free time you would have wasted on your wife, your kids, or your job. Advantage: Baseball

2. Everybody plays – In fantasy baseball, pitching counts as much as hitting.  You need both to win your league. In most fantasy football leagues you virtually ignore defense.   Even in Individual Defensive Player (IDP) leagues, you still see the offensive players dominate the early rounds of drafting.  And what of offensive linemen?  They are critical in real football, but in fantasy, they don’t exist. Advantage: Baseball

3. Positional Equality – In football the best running back is selected with the first pick in the draft.  The second best running back is then taken second and so on.  It continues into the second round until someone finally takes Peyton Manning.   How realistic is that?  Not very.  In fantasy baseball drafts, no one position dominates.  This year the consensus first pick is Alex Rodriguez, 3B.  The year before it was Albert Pujols, 1B.  Next year it could be a shortstop, like Hanley Ramirez or Jose Reyes.   Advantage: Baseball

4. Versatility – I love that you can have a guy like Ty Wigginton play at first base on Monday, second base on Tuesday and third base on Wednesday.  Versatile baseball players are useful in fantasy.  In football, you get one position and that’s it.   Devin Hester is a tremendous talent for the Bears, but the kick returner/wide receiver is of little use in fantasy.  Advantage: Baseball

5. Off-days beat bye weeks – I hate the NFL’s bye weeks.  It’s an artificial means to extend the season for the television networks. It’s silly to have to draft a less talented quarterback because your other quarterback has the same bye week.   This is not a decision a real NFL coach or general manager would have to make.   Baseball has off-days, but they have a much more subtle effect than bye weeks.  In real baseball, managers give their starters a rest from time to time, which is similar to off-days.   Advantage: Baseball