From the Windup: Embrace the Fantasy

From the Windup is Matt Snyder's extended look at some aspect of America's pastime each Thursday.

Once baseball teams report to camp for spring training, the anticipation for the coming season begins to build. Along with the ever-present optimism that comes with the territory, many die-hard baseball fans have something else to look forward to: fantasy baseball.

Oh, I know. Here we go. The dinosaurs who still resist learning anything about the incredibly popular hobby still stigmatize it. Call those who play "losers" or tell us we need to get "girlfriends" if you must. That's OK. I don't mind the insults.

I do have to question why a die-hard baseball fan would deprive himself (or herself!) of a fun hobby involving his favorite sport, though. If you watch a lot of baseball and enjoy checking out box scores, you would enjoy fantasy baseball. There is no doubt in my mind on this.

I used to cringe when people knocked certain things without trying them. Now, in old age, I just laugh. Look, I totally understand that in some cases you don't have to "try" something to know you won't like it.

Right-wing politicos will not like Keith Olberman's commentary, just as left-wingers won't enjoy Rush Limbaugh. People who hate seeing gore in movies should definitely avoid the Saw franchise. I don't like fish, thus, you won't see me ordering sushi anytime soon. But sports fans resisting fantasy sports? I'm lost.

You don't have to play, so it's hilarious to me that there are people so insecure they have to get on Internet message boards to call people losers -- especially considering playing in one fantasy baseball league is something these fans would probably enjoy. Go ahead and pound your chest about how cool you are for not playing (by the way, those are usually the types of people who are the real losers).

Why should you play fantasy baseball?

First of all, let's debunk a favorite myth of the haters. Fantasy baseball is not "fake." Don't be fooled by the name. Fantasy baseball players watch games and use real statistics. It's not some new-age version of Strat-o-matic. You simply gather a group of people (comprising the "owners" in your fantasy baseball league), divvy up real players (either via draft or auction) and whoever in your league has the collection of talent with the best stat-lines by the end of the season wins. If you're already watching lots of baseball and paying attention to statistics, how does playing fantasy baseball become a leap to loserdom?

It doesn't. If you are already delving into the stats, you have enough time to play fantasy baseball.

Ah, yes, time. The favorite alternative reason given by many other fans who don't play. I don't have enough time. Yes, you do. You don't have to become one of those people who spends several hours per day concentrating on your fantasy team. My father is an executive at a health insurance company and works 50-hour weeks very often. He's also played in my longest-running fantasy baseball league since its inception about 10 years ago. He drafts a team, checks the box scores in the newspaper every morning and sets his weekly lineup Sunday night. All in all, I bet he spends an average of five extra minutes on fantasy baseball a week since he's already checking the box scores anyway. If you don't have five free minutes a week, you shouldn't be reading this.

But how is it fun for someone like that? Easy. There's a vested interest in almost every game. Instead of looking passively at the Arizona Diamondbacks score -- when my Cubs fan father normally wouldn't care much -- he can look at Justin Upton's line and be fired up for his own fantasy team. Or see that Dan Haren tossed another gem and think, man, I should have drafted him in the third round instead of Adrian Gonzalez. When he's sitting in a bar Saturday night and sees Mark Teixeira hit a grand slam, he might think "who has him" instead of simply, "4-0 Yankees."

It's simply another layer of fandom. That's all. Not only that, but trade talks are really fun -- just shooting emails back and forth with friends over a possible fantasy blockbuster. It's not anything close what real general managers go through, but it's really fun nonetheless. FanHouse football writer Dan Graziano joined our baseball league last season and made a plethora of deals. He recently told me that was the most fun part of the league -- just trying to figure a multi-player trade that made sense for his team while convincing a fellow owner to make the deal.

Another item the resistors (aka haters) of fantasy baseball might proclaim is, "I don't play fantasy baseball. I have a life."

That's great. I'm really happy for you. Do you have nine friends who like baseball? Start a league. Have your draft the day of the NCAA basketball Final Four in the early afternoon. Grill out and knock back some cold ones together. Finish the draft right before tipoff of the first Final Four game. Keep the food and beer going during the game, then head out to the local gathering spot for the second game. If you're a typical male sports fan and that doesn't sound entertaining to you, you're gonna have to explain to me why. You got an early start, discussed baseball, made fun of each other's picks and then watched basketball. That's how we roll in my 10-year-old league (except, since I have a life, we have 16 teams).

Obviously, the stigma attached to fantasy comes from the stories you hear about someone playing in 15 some odd leagues. That shouldn't deprive you of enjoying one league. I've never played in more than three leagues per season and usually limit myself to two. Even then, I only play in different formats. For example, this season I'll be playing in a mixed total points league, an AL-Only roto league and a 5x5 head-to-head league. If you don't know what those mean, that's OK. It's easy to learn.

Interested yet? If so, that's great. Go check out our coverage. We're releasing one team preview and one feature per day, with other items sprinkled in. You can go over to Fleaflicker to start a league and go from there. If there are any questions about logistics, please don't hesitate to contact me.

If you aren't interested, that's all right, too. It's not for everyone. Some people only want to watch their own favorite team and don't have interest in others. I still think those people would find it an enriching experience if they tried it, but to each his or her own.

You don't often talk to true baseball fans who have played fantasy baseball and not enjoyed it. In fact, most of my friends who play both fantasy baseball and football prefer baseball.

Instead of knocking it, why not give it a shot? You have nothing to lose.