Most people like keeper leagues. Any fantasy expert worth his salt will probably tell you that keeper leagues are the dream scenario, they add another dimension to the world of fantasy sports because you have to keep track of all your players during the offseason, think long-term as well as short-term, keep track of young prospects, etc. etc. I don’t like it. Keep in mind, this might be the ramblings of a man who has issues committing long-term, who has never had a long-term girlfriend, who has been employed at 7 different places since law school started 3 years ago, has written a post on his blog basically stating he’s not loyal to anybody. Lesson: this might be a “me” problem, not a keeper league problem.
(For anyone who doesn’t know what a keeper/dynasty league is, it’s a format where players you have for one season carry over to the next season, thus each manager can keep up to a certain amount of players for the next season, obviously keeping the good ones, losing the bad ones.)
1. I want each year to be new. Fresh. Original. The whole fun of each season is that it’s a new season; new year, new possibilities: new players. Sure I like Ian Kinsler as much as the next guy, but a long-term relationship with him can be kind of…..stale. Sorry, Ian; just being honest. (It’s not you, it’s me)
2. I zone out of baseball in the offseason. When baseball season’s over, I zone out. Period. I follow other sports; I go on to other pursuits. I don’t want to continue thinking about baseball, like off-season trades, free agent signings, arbitration proceedings, etc,. etc. (a.k.a. I need trial separation periods in relationships).
3. Football is not conducive to keeper leagues. My analogy is, it’s like eating pizza with a fork. Just unnatural…….the draft is so big in fantasy football, it wouldn’t be the same if people were already taken before the draft even started……
4. It diminishes the draft. Part of the hype of fantasy sports is The Draft. People look forward for months to the draft; it’s the single-most exciting event in a fantasy sports season, a time when all players are up for grabs and you fill out your whole team within a matter of honors, and in most cases you’re stuck with those guys for the whole season. A lot can happen in those 3 hours of the draft: seasons are won or lost, long-term relationships are forged. I wouldn’t want anything to diminish it. (Translation: I need a big welcoming party to make a commitment to something, so if you want to hook me into a Ponzi scheme or something, make a big splash to get me interested.)
5. I dislike the concept of “playing for next year.” I realize professional sports teams have long-term plans regularly and often go into a year knowing they’re no going to be competitive, but that’s just not me. I play to win every year, all year. There’s no “replacing veterans with young guys” at the end of my seasons to play for next year; I don’t like it at all. I think every fantasy player should be playing for one season only. Because……guess what, unlike the MLB, NBA, or NFL…..people withdraw from leagues. Leagues break up. Who knows if the league will still be around the following year. Play for now. (Basically, I’m weary of entering into a relationship because I’m afraid of breaking up). Man, I feel like I’ve made some real progress in our therapy session today, Robert.
Anyway, starting my new job tomorrow. Should be interesting; I achieved this position primarily through networking (shocker, I know). I’m excited but a little apprehensive because there’s some pressure on me to perform, a friend of mine vouched for me and I don’t want to disappoint. No commitment issues here; I want to be with the firm for a long time and do good work.
For everyone still looking for work, I don’t want to speak too soon in fear that this new opportunity may not work out and I jinx myself, but basically….Keep the faith. I was pretty much in the depths of despair a couple weeks ago, thinking my future was ruined, thinking how am I ever going to pay back my law school debt while unemployed, what alternative careers can I pursue if law doesn’t work out, etc. Keep plugging away, because although I know applying for jobs can seem futile, and slogging away on job sites can seem desperate……..all you need is one thing to work out. One offer. One person to take a chance on you. And maybe a little bit of luck ( I readily admit I got pretty lucky). Good luck, my friends.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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