It's impossible these days to link to a sports site and not be confronted by ads for fantasy baseball. To be sure, fantasy baseball has been around for quite a while now and I have been somewhat intrigued. I was scared to try it out because I don't like the feeling of not knowing what I'm doing. For a stat freak, fantasy baseball seemed to be a dream come true.

A coworker helped prod me along into the fantasy world this past Winter with a fantasy football league. Football is my second favorite sport and is another passion, so I let my coworker bring me along. It was a small league of only eight teams so there were enough great players to go around. It was safe as the site didn't get much traffic and I didn't have to feel stupid. To my surprise, I did well and most of my strategy decisions worked out great. I came in second in the league (or maybe third, but first among my coworkers!).

It was true that it was a stat freak's ultimate fun, but fantasy sports has a definite sinister side. Playing the on-line game changed my whole perspective on the real game. My whole purpose for watching and rooting in the game was changed completely. Yes, I wanted the Patriots or the Bills to win, but dang, I hope they win 35 to 33 so that the running back on the other team ran for 200 yards and scored four touchdowns. It totally changed my view of football. It was fun, but it was evil.

My coworker friend recently asked me about joining him again in fantasy baseball. I am hesitant. Football is great and I love it...but baseball is sacred! Seeing how fantasy football changed my perspective on that game, I can understand a little better now how dangerous gambling is for pro players and managers. If Pete Rose did happen to make bets on baseball, wouldn't his strategy and perspective change in a similar way to playing fantasy baseball. Perhaps to the max it would, yes.

Okay, so I sign up for fantasy baseball. The Yanks are playing the Marlins in an interleague game. Clemens is pitching and now has 299 wins. I don't have him on my fantasy team but I've been watching him pitch for eighteen years and desperately want to witness this culminating moment in his career. It's the fifth inning and the Yankees have a 4-1 lead. There are two outs and Clemens is laboring a little and has walked two to load the bases. Ivan Rodriguez is up and I DO have him on my fantasy team. Ivan hits a smash toward third and it smacks viciously into the third baseman's shin. He collapses in a heap and the ball careens into foul territory up the left field line. One run scores and it's 4-2. Two runs score and it's 4-3. Jeter is chasing the ball down and cuts in front of Hidecki. Does he know the Japanese words for "I got it"? Anyway, he gets the ball just as Lowell is rounding third and passes the third base coach. Jeter plants his right leg and fires home and falls backwards in the effort. The ball screams toward home and Posada is poised to receive the ball. Lowell is thinking he might have to crash into Posada...or should he hook slide? The ball arrives the same time as Lowell. I gasp and jump up but now my whole universe is upside down. The fan of the past would be screaming: "TAG HIM! GET HIM!" and I would be praying to preserve the Clemens lead...

But this is the new fantasy baseball reality. My mind is doing flipflops and I'm trying to see if Rodriguez got to second base before Lowell reaches home. After all, a double is more points. Do I root for Lowell to score so that Rodriguez gets three RBI? Now I am rationalizing that Clemens will get another chance to win his 300. It won't be tonight because if Lowell scores and ties the game, Torre's going to come out and yank Roger.

Jeter's throw is perfect. Posada blocks the plate beautifully and Lowell's a dead duck. Roger pumps his fists in the air. He runs over and high fives Jeter. I should be jumping up and down in a delirium but I'm doing a quick calculation instead wondering how many points Rodriguez got for the play. Oh man...this is messed up.

I'm not going to play fantasy baseball. Football is okay...but baseball is...well...baseball.



And now a quick note about the Mesa/Visquel flap: Threatening to kill someone is serious business. Mesa has already plunked Visquel in a game. Was that attempted murder? I don't care whether this is a stupid disagreement or not, you can't take words like that lightly. The last I heard, Criminal Threatening was still a crime in this country. This situation needs some serious intervention and I don't know what the answer is but you can't have a star player in America's game making statements like that. Whoah...