This thread contains comments on StlSluggers's Article "Fantasy Before Reality", which was posted in the Cafe's Articles section on May 21, 2007. The full article can be read here.
Yes doctor, I am sick. Sick of those who are spineless. Sick of those who feel self-entitled. Sick of those who are hypocrites. Yes doctor, an army is forming. Yes doctor, there will be a war. Yes doctor, there will be blood.....
Wow...I can't believe you had the marbles to write something like that -- I mean, you didn't even sound like any internal conflict was going on there. I'm a HUGE Twins guy and the thought of rooting for the opposing pitcher to crush my team is nauseating.
So here's what I do: I set boundaries for the amount of satisfaction I can take in certain outings. I refuse to root for any batter or pitcher facing my team, but say to myself, "At LEAST it was my guy doing it" after the game.
But yeah, you have to struggle with it or you're a waffler and that's no good. There's got to be a line you can't cross in sports fandom, and it seems you've jumped back and forth enough times to where it has disappeared.
jamastaballa wrote:Wow...I can't believe you had the marbles to write something like that -- I mean, you didn't even sound like any internal conflict was going on there. I'm a HUGE Twins guy and the thought of rooting for the opposing pitcher to crush my team is nauseating.
Hypothetical situation:
It's the middle of August. Real baseball still has quite a few weeks to go, so anything is possible there, but the regular season of your FBL is coming to a close any day now. You're only a hair out of the last playoff spot (or first place in your roto league), and you're best SP is going up against the Twins. Your entire season may ride on this one outing.
jamastaballa wrote:Wow...I can't believe you had the marbles to write something like that -- I mean, you didn't even sound like any internal conflict was going on there. I'm a HUGE Twins guy and the thought of rooting for the opposing pitcher to crush my team is nauseating.
Hypothetical situation:
It's the middle of August. Real baseball still has quite a few weeks to go, so anything is possible there, but the regular season of your FBL is coming to a close any day now. You're only a hair out of the last playoff spot (or first place in your roto league), and you're best SP is going up against the Twins. Your entire season may ride on this one outing.
Who do you root for and why?
This was an interesting article, but I definitely do not agree with it.
Responding to this hypothetical situation (replacing the Jays instead of the Twins), I would cheer for the Jays. Yes like you said in your article, you can take pride, and you can win some money, but I don't think that compares to the chance to go to the playoffs. The AL East is so tough that most likely the Jays would end up having to take the Wild Card to get a spot in the playoffs, that being said every win is very important. If your team ends up losing, then like jam said, 'At LEAST it was my guy doing it'.
I do see what you're saying in your article, and I respect that. But I couldn't see my self going against my team when we have a shot to get into the playoffs.
sportsguy138 wrote:Responding to this hypothetical situation (replacing the Jays instead of the Twins), I would cheer for the Jays.
I'm trying to be careful here, as I don't want to sound like I'm telling people that they're wrong or anything. Like I said in the article, if you know for a fact that your Jays are more important, than that's your preference. I'm glad you know it for a fact. I'm just going through my entire list of questions here, because I think that many people blindly follow their team without questioning why they have that allegiance.
In this case, let me ask you if you really think that a game in the middle of August will make or break the Jays season? I know the whole "play every inning of every game" thing, but if the Jays were to lose that game, who's to say that one particular game was the backbreaker? What about the game in June when an OF muffed a line drive, or the game in April when the catcher let a pitch get away from him? You know for a fact that this game matters - to your fantasy baseball team. It probably has no real bearing on the Jays' season. So why not root for your fantasy team now? You can root for the Jays in September when fantasy baseball is over, right?
StlSluggers wrote:In this case, let me ask you if you really think that a game in the middle of August will make or break the Jays season?
I don't necessarily think that, that one game will make or break the Jays season. Although, it's all those little games that will effect the overall placement in the standings and weather they will make the playoffs or not.
StlSluggers wrote:What about the game in June when an OF muffed a line drive, or the game in April when the catcher let a pitch get away from him?
That's why I go for the Jays over my fantasy team no matter what.
It's the middle of August. Real baseball still has quite a few weeks to go, so anything is possible there, but the regular season of your FBL is coming to a close any day now. You're only a hair out of the last playoff spot (or first place in your roto league), and you're best SP is going up against the Twins. Your entire season may ride on this one outing.
Who do you root for and why?
Good question.
I root for my Twins to win, but won't act pissed off if my guy does a number on them. It's all about justifying things in your mind, to me. I mean, it's tough to just pick one of the two, so why not have the best of both worlds? Root for your guy not to suck, but always have your allegiance lie with the "real" team.
In effect, fantasy sports can lead to a different type of sports bigamy, where your favorite team stops taking precedence. Not a good road to go down, because you continually are choosing to root against your team when it suits you best.
Cafe Home
Fantasy Football
Fantasy Basketball
Fantasy Hockey
by WebHamster » Mon May 21, 2007 11:05 am 
Good read. 
