By Bob in Cleveland

League 4

I know what you’re thinking. The trade deadline has passed. There’s nothing more you can do for your team, and now it’s time to turn your attention to bigger and better things … namely, fantasy football.

At this time of year, fantasy football’s siren song starts howling loud and clear, seducing us into leaving our baseball teams to manage themselves. Don’t let it happen, I tell you!

If you’re still fighting for this year’s baseball championship, I’m sure I don’t have to worry about you. You’re keeping your “nose to the grindstone”. You’re mining the waiver wire. You’re setting your line-ups. All on a daily basis.

You see, most of us have played this game for long enough to know how hard it is to win. If you’re this close to a title, there’s no way you’ll lower your guard. You won’t relax. You’ll keeping paying attention to your teams. After all, it’s all of that attention that got you where you are today.

Let’s face it, however. One of the most enjoyable parts of any fantasy sports season is the draft. Who doesn’t like to spend mountains of time preparing for the perfect execution of their draft … or drafts? And, isn’t the dawning of a new football season just one more opportunity to show everyone just how expert we are at building and managing a team?

And, then, after the draft is over, when you’re sure you drafted the best team ever assembled, who doesn’t obsess over every player on their team to make sure they tweak their roster into picture-perfect shape? Who doesn’t micro-manage their team to make sure they are dragging every single point out of their players in the season’s first few weeks?

For those of you out of the baseball championship hunt - those of you dreaming of fantasy football glory - I implore you … don’t forget your fantasy BASEBALL teams! I’m telling you, YOU can make a difference in your league’s final standings … no matter what place you are in right now.

I’ll give you three examples from my own personal experience … all from last season. On a lark, I played in a Yahoo! 10-team, 5×5, league last year. About one or two months into the season, it became obvious to me that only two of the owners, myself and one other competitor, were still actively managing their teams. Out of sheer pride, I managed my team to the end - and won! - but, what was the point? I ultimately won a 2-team league?? What a blast!! Not!

Our old friend, The Censor, Evan Dickens, ran a 12-team, 5×5, league last year called Slow Mothermockers. This league, for much of the season, found the infamous Bas in Holland, defending Mafia League 8 champion, running away with the title. At the same time, due to a misguided draft and injuries, yours truly found himself buried for most of the campaign in the league’s lower division.

Did I give up? Heck no. I churned and burned, day after day, and without fail. Where did I find myself at the finish? Before everyone noticed, I had slipped past them all. Well, except for Bas, that is. For a team that scuffled so much of the year, I can tell you that I was darn pleased to snag 2nd place. How’d this really happen, though? Well, sadly, I think more than a couple of key league-members took an early exit and opened the door for my charge.

Finally, there is League 4. I was fortunate enough to win last year, but I have to tell you that the competition from 2nd to 9th place was INTENSE! So much so that I’m convinced that the fact that those teams spent so much time stealing points away from each other that no one team was able to accumulate enough points to catch me. Do you think that 9th place team, and extremely active owner, didn’t make a difference? They did to me.

In the end, isn’t the reason you joined a Mafia league because you ached for fierce competition? Didn’t you expect, no - want, to be in a league where everyone played their team every day … for the entire season? Don’t be the guy or gal who is letting their league-mates down and allowing their team to fall into shambles. Play your team to the end!