Both things started in the shower. For whatever reason, that happens to be the place where I come up with some of my best ideas. One day, bam, it popped into my head: We should name our daughter Annabelle Grace. Another day, bam, it came to me: I should take Jimmy Graham with one of my first three picks in the fantasy football draft.
These two things -- naming a daughter and drafting a fantasy football player -- may seem dissimilar. What does a three-month-old girl have to do with statistic-hungry junkies staring at professional football games every Sunday? At first glance, not much. But digging deeper, these two things eerily blended together to help me cross two things off my life bucket list this fall: Become a dad and win a fantasy football championship.
Let's start at the beginning. No, not in the shower, pervert. At the draft:
August 19: I'm always nervous at fantasy football drafts. When else is two hours so important to the ensuing four months of your life? If you draft a bad team, you're going to be on the losing end of games and trash talk until December. If you draft a good team, the sky is bluer, the sun is brighter, and the birds are chirpier. This year, though, I was more nervous than ever because Annabelle was due any second. She was officially due on the 23rd, but I clutched my phone during every pick of the draft waiting for Bridget to call and say, "It's go time." But the call never came and I stuck with my plan of drafting Jimmy Graham in the third round, a move that was maligned by my fellow draftees.
Week 1: With my arms filled with the best good luck charm in the world (a four-day-old baby), I won my first game of the season, 101.1 to 88.2. Jimmy Graham caught a touchdown pass. I had a good feeling.
Weeks 2 - 6: For some reason, I was positive Annabelle would be colicky. I'm not sure why, really. I just had this awful suspicion that she was going to be one of those babies that cried 10-12 hours a day and made bleary-eyed parents question everything in their lives. But colic never came. In fact, Annabelle started sleeping 5-6 hours a night by the time she was a few weeks old. She was happy and healthy. And in fantasy world, I was 4-2 and looking strong in the league. Jimmy Graham already had six touchdowns and was, by far, the best tight end in football.Week 7: I was realizing that even with an "easy" baby (I hate that phrase), parenting was really hard. The days of coming home and relaxing mindlessly in front of the TV were gone. And then, out of nowhere, like the clouds parting after a rainy month, Annabelle smiled. That same week, inexplicably, someone offered me the most lopsided trade of the fantasy season: I gave up Marshawn Lynch to get Calvin Johnson and Eddie Lacy. Suddenly, my team, Texas Forever, was stacked.
Weeks 8 - 11: Annabelle was smiling, laughing, and generally being the cutest thing ever. Meanwhile, Jimmy Graham caught his 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th touchdown passes of the season. I won four straight games and clinched the first seed in the playoffs.
Weeks 12 - 13: Going into Week 12, I was 9-2 and, seemingly, untouchable. But then I lost a game. Then another. And to make matters worse, Annabelle decided to start waking up at 1 AM, 3 AM, and 5 AM. Ugh.
December 22, Championship Sunday: After squeaking into the title game (despite a paltry 2.5 points from Jimmy Graham), I was nervous this past Sunday. My team was reeling and I was the underdog against a team that included Peyton Manning and Jamaal Charles, the two best players in fantasy football this season. When things started poorly -- Charles had a 30-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and Manning threw for 296 yards in the first half -- I got that sinking feeling: I was going to fall short again. But then, with Annabelle asleep in my arms and my Dillon Panthers T-shirt on, things started to turn around. One of my receivers, A.J. Green, scored a touchdown. Then he scored another one. And then, toward the end of the fourth quarter, Jimmy Graham caught a touchdown, his 15th of the season, and the tide turned for good. I pumped my fist in joy, waking up Annabelle in the process. Sorry, honey, Daddy's just really excited. The 4 PM games started and everything clicked. A long run here, a touchdown there, and Texas Forever was on its way. By the time I went to bed Sunday night, I knew that trophy at the top of the page (and a nice $300 Christmas bonus) was mine.
Is it all a coincidence? Would I have won my first fantasy football title this fall if Annabelle was born last May or next February? Maybe. But I don't think so.
In the words of Coach Taylor, the greatest TV character of all-time: "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose."
No comments:
Post a Comment