It’s Just One of Those Years

So the luck of the fantasy gods weren’t limited to baseball for me this year. After winning my lone fantasy baseball league in the summer, I carried on the tradition — and the team name: “The Funky Bunch” — into the football season.

I participated in two fantasy football leagues this season — one with a few fellow GCTelegram current and former employees based out of Pittsburg along with a league contrived of teachers in the school district. After slow starts in both leagues, I reached the championship match for both leagues.

PLAYOFFS??? I JUST HOPE WE CAN WIN A GAME!

In the Pittsburg league, I started the season 2-4 and I had a Jim Mora mentality. But then the tides shifted, the momentum swung and the stars aligned. I went on to lose just one of the final 10 games — seven regular season games and three playoff games — with the lone loss being a hard-fought 123-105 loss two weeks before the playoffs.
In the first two games of the playoffs, I had to face the last two teams I had lost to in the regular season. But vengeance would be mine.
In my opening round game, I came away with an eight-point victory thanks to Tony Romo scoring 20, Ricky Williams and kicker Rob Bironas scoring 19 each and The Steve Smith racking up 14 and Maurice Jones-Drew coming away with 13.
Then, in Round 2, facing the only team I had lost to in the last 10 weeks — a team which sported Drew Brees, Larry Fitzgerald, Wes Welker and Thomas Jones and was No. 1 in the league in scoring — I more than doubled the opponents point total for a 134-66 victory. Romo put up 23, Steve Smith 26, MJD 31 and Baltimore defense came up with 18 to win 134-66 to reach the championship game, where I would face off with former GCTelegram web editor Emily Behlmann — who just like me, put up 134 points in the semifinals and eclipsed 100 in the first round thanks to one Chris Johnson.

(AP Photo) Atlanta Falcons receiver Roddy White (84) celebrates with teammate Michael Jenkins after catching a touchdown pass in the first quarter of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday in Atlanta.

The Tennessee running back set a gut wrenching tone on Christmas with a 28-point outburst for Emily. But fortunately, Ben Roethlisberger’s 12 points ended up being Emily’s only other double-digit contribution. I, on the other hand, received five 10-plus totals — and then some. Roddy White, who I had traded for thanks to having four top 10 running backs, scored 30 points, while Cedric Benson put up 18, Santonio Holmes registering 14, Romo another 13 and Steve Smith with 12. For the first time this year, I was able to rely on my wide receiver corp — which was needed with MJD scoring a meager nine points. Final score: Funky Bunch 120, Emily 63.

The Definition of Parity:

As for my Garden City teacher’s league, parity reigned in the playoffs. After reaching the post season as the No. 7 seed with a 6-7 record along with three others, the league was “plagued” with a swarm of upsets.
In the opening round, all four of the top seeds where upended leaving a semifinal of No. 5 vs. No. 8 and No. 6 vs. No. 7 as I sneaked past No. 2 seed by two points.
Then in the semifinals, I held on for a five-point victory thanks to the Philadelphia defense putting up 15 points — right behind Matt Schaub with 16.38 points to lead my team — and overcame a 27-point outing for Peyton Manning, a 17.87-point outburst from Beanie Wells and 14.8 points from Reggie Wayne.
Also pulling an upset in the semis was the No. 8 seed, scoring 133.86 points on the heels of a 115-point total in Round 1 — all this coming from the lowest scoring team in the league during the regular season.
The No. 8 seed got a big boost from former K-State running back Darren Sproles, who had a season-high 23.33 points, to go with Phillip Rivers’ 18.46 points and Frank Gore’s 16.5 total.
I got 21 points from Randy Moss, along with 18.8 points from newly acquired Jerome Harrison and another 14.34 points from Tony Romo.

(AP Photo) Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) scores on a run past Chicago Bears linebacker Lance Briggs (55) in the second half of an NFL football game in Chicago on Monday.

Heading into the Monday night game, I trailed 96.29-71.44 — a 24.85 deficit — with Minnesota Vikings players Sidney Rice and Adrian Peterson to face the less than spectacular of late, Chicago Bears defense. And thanks to Peterson putting up 22.27 points and Rice 9.73, I claimed a second fantasy football championship. Add these two along with the baseball championship, I went a perfect 3-for-3 in fantasy sports league in 2009 — after having never won a fantasy league prior.

Championship Rosters

Pittsburg League:
Tony Romo 13
Roddy White 30
Steve Smtih 12
Santonio Holmes 14
Cedric Benson 18
MJD 18
Visanthe Shiancoe 10
Rob Bironas 6
Baltimore D 8

Garden City League:
Tony Romo 14.34
Randy Moss 21
Sidney Rice 9.73
Adrian Peterson 22.27
Brandon Jacobs 0.10
Vernon Davis 7.2
Jerome Harrison 18.8
Stephen Gostkowski 5
Philadelphia D 5

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