ON SPORTS ~ At The Break...

 This is absolutely the suckiest day in sports.  Did you know that the day after baseball's All-Star game is void of sports?  No baseball games.  The World Cup is over.  Golf tournies don't start until Thursdays.  NASCAR is on the weekends.  Football training camps haven't opened yet.  Basketball and Hockey are in their off-seasons.  All you hear are crickets out there if you are searching for sports.  Which may be a day of celebration for all you sports haters.  For me, it is time to take stock of my fake baseball team and find a way to win our Fantasy Baseball League.

I shared with you a few months ago how this is my rookie year in this league - the only girl battling toe to toe with nine boys - Andy included.  I don't know any of these guys aside from Andy.  But they are becoming quite familiar with me.  I have been at or near the top of the standings consistently so far.  I gave up my lead in May, only to be saved by my fantasy baseball stud Roy Halladay's perfect game.  That is an actual term, not an exaggerated description.  A perfect game means that you don't give up any hits or walks to the opposing team, no one on your team makes an error, and you pitch a complete game shut-out for the win.  It is a very rare occurrence in baseball's history with only 20 overall.  They are worth a boatload of points and allowed me to make up some huge ground on the Commish.

The Commish is not that friendly Michael Chiklis character that comes to mind from that TV show before he turned all bad-ass in The Shield.  Our league's Commissioner is named Phil.  Phil is a very happy fellow who loves music and sharing the tunes he records from live shows wherever he goes.  Andy met him through an online music site and Phil decided it would be fun to start this fantasy baseball league.  When Phil puts on that Commish hat however, he gets a little nutty.

The Commish likes to brag.  He loves to revel in his success and is not shy about pointing it out.  And he will pounce right on someone else trying to knock him down a peg or two.  It is very easy to push his buttons and it is entertaining to watch him respond.  Needless to say he told me to mind my own business and worry about my own team when I snarked at his overtaking my lead.  In fact, he spouted off guarantees of victory and runaway leads over my humble efforts.  So of course it is driving him crazy that I continue to hang around - like an annoying little gnat that won't go away.  My team's pressure on him, always lurking nearby, makes him do some kooky things to hold that lead, to his strategy's detriment and my sideline delight.

So as we gear up for the second half of the season, I crunch some numbers, research some options and cross my fingers.  I look forward to the challenge and hope that my staff comes through for me.  The trading deadline is approaching and needless to say, I won't be dealing with the Commish.  Think of him as the Yankees and me as the Red Sox.  They don't trade with each other, and they both duke it out at the top of the AL East standings each year.  The Yanks won the trophy last year - and I'd hate to see them repeat.  And just like I want the Sox to be victors this season, I'm hoping just as hard for SOX Girl to win it all.  If that happens, I may not get a Duck Boat parade like the real Sox - but you sure as hell know I'll figure out a virtual one for all of you supporters ;0)