Well, quite a year for fantasy football. At least in the Xavier McDaniel League.
Cooley made the draft more memorable, because everyone got to see his Raider hat in person. He still regrets not drafting Charlie Frye, but there is always next year. Cooley, you are studying for your bar exam, but don't tell your clients you finished in last place three years in a row in the X-Man FF league. Wow, you really are an Al Davis fan. I thought you were being sarcastic when you talked about him...
Dernbach won the regular season year one and year two, and his run came to a crashing halt despite keepers AP and Megatron. Megatron broke down like a transformer that was played with a little too roughly. And Brandon Jacobs has to be one of the biggest disappointments of the year. Draft boredom led to three QBs, and I would have to admit if you keep Mark Sanchez it is the ballsiest thing I have ever seen. Related to FF. Maybe next year you tape a crossword puzzle to your pizza box?
Tim Beck will be holding tryouts for a new middle name, as FF doesn't quite fit after this season. Steve Slaton seemed like one of the ideal keepers, but he turned out to be a real letdown. I think everyone missed THE HOFF team name, and in retrospect making teams change their names is a black mark on my legacy as commish. On the plus side, Rashard Mendenhall looks to be a great keeper. Unless you still hold a grudge about Super Bowl XL. Of course, Fleharty drafted Fast Willie Parker, and I thought this would be one of the first signs of the apocalypse.
Ross formed the Houghton Houdinis much like Saruman created the Urik-Hai. Down in his basement right under everyone's nose. In my ill-fated draft analysis (available via mail-order), Ross had the second best draft. Halfway through the year, I though Ross had created the greatest FF team I had ever seen. Why didn't I draft Ray Rice again? Because of someone named LeRon? And what about Vincent Jackson? Beanie Wells? Cedric freaking Benson has no backup? Unfortunately for Ross, "The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor the bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill, but time and chance happen to them all" (Eccl 9:11). Yes, I won $200 because JaMarcus Russell threw a 20 yard TD pass on 4th down in week one.
Jay's Mom (Hi Kathy!) encountered the curse of the keeper. Michael Turner and Deangelo Williams in the 3rd and 5th looked to be a championship lock for the team of the Poulsbo/Oak Harbor/Motorhome triangle. Even the un-trade of Vernon Davis/Ricky Williams couldn't keep this train on the tracks. Bad WRs are a death sentence, and Lee Evans is a bad wide receiver. Thing are looking up though with Jerome Harrison as a keeper next year. What? It's a mistake to put too much stock in guys who blow up at the end of the season? Yes LJ of 2008, I am talking to you. Oh wait, Jerome is a Coug. You know those guys are built for the long haul. Rueben Mayes, I am talking to you.
Sweet Dick Willie came to play this year with multiple magazines (bought???) from his place of employment. His 1-2 punch of Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson were the epitome of feast or famine, and despite having one of the more talented teams (in my opinion), the lack of a stud RB was Willie's downfall. In one of the closest matchups in playoff history, Willie lost out on the 3rd place payout due to Quinton Gaither's inability to keep the dream of alive. Who in the hell is Quinton Gaither? Willie's most consistent player was David Akers, and kickers don't win championships.
Surintr (the TR is silent) shocked the world by picking Drew Brees number one. And by shocked the world I mean made everyone happy they would be able to get a better RB or WR than they thought. The nice thing about Surintr drafting first is he could not pick someone who had already been taken. DeSean Jackson is a keeper. Kind of like Chris Chambers, but different. This year was a double bonus for this long-time Bronco fan, because they are going to barely make the playoffs, just like he barely won third place. On a side note, Surintr wins his money back this year for 3rd place, but he deserved $50 anyway because he will sing "Jane Says" at the drop of a hat. Loud.
The second place finish went to a man who is no stranger to late season runs. Last season Chris Fleharty took his number 8 seed, won the play in game, beat the 1 seed (Dern), then beat Surintr to take his money back. This year was deja vu all over again. He had his check marks in all the right places, and with his Tim Hightower voodoo doll getting poked like Pinhead (you know, from Hellraiser?), Flea almost shocked the world with (count them) five guys starting that he drafted. This king of the waiver wire used his poor regular season showing to his benefit, picking up such stallions as Laurence Maroney, Jamaal Charles, Fred Davis, Nate Kaeding, Jason Snelling, and you know it, the Chiefs D. The x next to Tony Romo still is a sore spot, but remember, "to err is human, to forgive is a pretty nice thing to do" (the Wuj).
Reister. The most unkown member of our Fellowship, has become the champion. Looking back on the season, Reister used his draft like a taunt. "I will take Derrick Ward and Lance Moore too early, and still win the league. I will draft two kickers, one of which is not even on a roster right now, and still win the league. I will draft some dude named Patrick Turner, and I will still win the league." Reister watched the waiver wire like a hawk. A hawk that puts everything in its mouth, swallows it, and hopes it is food. 37 acquisitions this year alone, is more that a couple guys have made in the 3 years of the league. But, to look at Reister's team now, it rivals Ross for greatest FF team ever: the number 1 QB, the number 1 and 5 RB, the number 4 and 5 WR, the number 2 TE, number 4 defense, and number 3 kicker (not one of the two he drafted). Nice work, and it kind of goes to show maybe the draft is not all that important after all. Or, maybe it means we should all drink Rainier from the green can come draft day.
Thanks gentlemen. Happy New Year.
Wuj
2009 Regular Season Champion
2008 Playoff Champion
