It’s Just A Fantasy

The last time I wrote I mentioned an old column titled “I Remember…Part Three”. It was the last in a three part series of “I Remember” columns. After digging them out of the archives I took the time to read them again. One of the memories discussed in “Part Two” dealt with fantasy football. It made me smile because the next course of action after reading them was to check on fantasy baseball teams. Yes, I said teams. As in three.

Yes, fantasy sports is another of my many obsessions. However that old column explained that it wasn’t always that way. Here is a brief summary of what I wrote:

When I was a kid, playing fantasy football meant I was Paul Hornung. My younger brother was Willie Lanier of the Kansas City Chiefs and tried to tackle me. When the Vagnoni family got together, fantasy football meant that my dad and uncles took turns being Bart Starr, throwing passes to my cousins and me. We were Boyd Dowler, Max McGee or Carroll Dale, scoring touchdowns against the Bears or the Vikings.

Today all my fantasy football playing is done using my MacBook. My dad and uncles no longer throw passes to my cousins and me. I don’t dream about being Paul Hornung when I play fantasy football anymore. In 2009 when I play fantasy football I imagine being Ron Wolf or Bill Parcells.

That’s the thumbnail version of what I have wrote, but you get the point.

These past eight years I have played in no less than nine different Yahoo leagues, winning the championship three times and finishing third twice. Being a notorious creature of habit, I have stuck with Yahoo, never giving CBS Sports or ESPN.com a chance. That’s just the way I am, when I get used to something I am reluctant to try anything new.

As I touched on earlier, I am in three fantasy baseball leagues this year. That’s no big surprise. The shocker is that one of the leagues is a Sports Buff league! Yes, I tried something new this year. And I am glad that I did.

Not only am I enjoying this new form of fantasy baseball, but also it has opened my eyes to a new type of fantasy football. It’s called RapidDraft and to say it’s different would be a huge understatement.

RapidDraft is so unique that I have already drafted two teams, am preparing to draft a third and plan on drafting a couple more after that! I know, it’s not even August yet, what is this fool doing getting so excited about football already, let alone fantasy football.

I guess what has me so jazzed so early is that RapidDraft, although it has many elements of a traditional fantasy league, it also possesses so many unique features that you just can’t find anywhere else. This sets RapidDraft apart from any fantasy football that I have ever been involved with. You are in leagues playing against fantasy pros and you choose your draft spot!

Like I said, I have already participated in two of these drafts. They were both twelve team, twenty round affairs with one taking 45 minutes, the other thirty.

Don’t take my word for it, check for yourself. Click on RapidDraft anywhere in this column to get to their website.

Something else that makes RapidDraft stand out from the rest is that their world headquarters is located right here in downtown Kenosha, Wisconsin.

That’s right, since 1993, World Fantasy Games and its subsidiaries have operated games for more than 300 web, brand, and media partners including Chicago Tribune, Charlotte Observer, Taco Bell, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Prime Sports, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Miller Lite, Oakland Tribune, Bergen Record, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Sacramento Bee and more. They have processed more than two million entries. And have paid more than $3 million in prizes

These guys are the real deal. The guaranteed grand prize for RapidDraft is $250,000!

The final thing that makes RapidDraft special is their fact-filled Fantasy Lunch podcast that airs Monday through Friday from 1:00 pm to 2:00pm. The co-hosts are Pat Hegewald and Caitlin Morrall.

Hegewald, a lifetime Kenoshan, knows sports inside and out, having hosted the popular Instant Replay sports talk show on WLIP. This veteran of sports broadcasting has a gruff and unrestrained manner that is not only informative, but at the same time entertaining.

Hegewald’s style is contrasted by that of his co-host Morrall’s. Albeit much more demure than her partner, the former Miss Wisconsin comes across as both knowledgeable and engaging. Morrall gained broadcast experience while working at 540 ESPN radio in Milwaukee and doubles as the “spokeswoman” on the “RapidDraft” online tutorials.

That’s enough about fantasy sports. I have to check my baseball lineups and do some research for my next football draft. Until next time…from the booth.