MenOfStone
Hall Of Fame
Joined: 13 Apr 2003
Posts: 815
Location: South Burlington, Vermont
|
 Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 9:22 am Post subject: First Draft: Jose Uribe will guide me! |
 |
|
| Eric Karabell - ESPN.com wrote: | First Draft: Jose Uribe will guide me!
As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the first-ever known fantasy baseball draft, I hearken back to my first fantasy baseball experience. And it all started with Wade Boggs.
I've probably drafted a few thousand players since that fateful day in the spring of 1989. I cannot remember why I chose Boggs with my first pick (12th overall) in my first-ever fantasy baseball draft. It's not that Boggs was a bad pick; he did have a career batting average of .356 at the time. But I've always loved speed, and Rickey Henderson was still on the board. He ended up being the next pick.
What was I thinking, I said to myself. Little did I know I would think that to myself at times during and after a fantasy draft each spring for the next 22 years.
Obviously I've had a lot of time to ruminate about that draft, but I have no complaints. I still like that first team. One never does forget their first, do they? Armed with a balanced offense and an overloaded bullpen (trade bait!), that inaugural team did quite well, finishing just 3 1/2 points out of first place. I recall making a few trades -- OK, maybe a hundred or so trades -- including a critical one to acquire young Dodgers right-hander Tim Belcher, who went 10-4 with a 2.20 in the second half. Of course, who knew then that my career would take this path? Back in 1989, one couldn't make a career out of fantasy sports!
A hearty 22 seasons later, I remain a member of that thriving league with buddies from my alma mater, American University, and the Washington Post, in better standing now than when I started. You see, in 1989, I was unfortunately that guy who spent a bit too much time researching every player, each transaction, talking trash and calling other owners at odd hours to make deals. There was no Internet back then. We didn't e-mail each other or text offers. Our girlfriends hardly enjoyed the late-night phone calls. Let's just say if my 1989 league mates could have picked one crazy guy from that first league to end up covering fantasy sports for a living … it probably would have been me.
Thankfully, I've changed quite a bit since making Keith Moreland, Jose Uribe and Joe Magrane maiden members of my first fantasy baseball team. For one, I can't call that league my sole fantasy baseball endeavor anymore. I'm in a lot of leagues now, some for fun, some for professional pride, some to mock and prep and this one, still thriving with a slew of original owners. And trust me, that familiarity does affect the level of participation. Like the founding fathers of Rotisserie baseball themselves, a few of which I have been able to meet in person and discuss this great game with, we had no idea how this industry would blossom. I just loved baseball and thought a fantasy draft, whatever that was, would be a blast, a fun way to spend a few hours, a new hobby. Wow, it has been much more than that for 22 years.
But oh, how things have changed. Back in the day -- somehow I'm now talking like a grandfather who recalls Greta Garbo, rationing and disco -- we didn't get up-to-the-second updates each time a player swung a bat or threw a pitch. Our hard-working commissioner had to wait until the Tuesday and Wednesday that USA Today issues came out, for all the stats were printed those days (NL on Tuesdays, if I remember correctly, AL on Wednesdays).
Stats were done by hand and fantasy standings were mailed out that Friday. I recall our commissioner, who later became a member of my wedding party and remains a friend to this day -- and just as important, our commish! -- sarcastically thanking me for my determination to get rid of any guy who went hitless in more than three at-bats, making my team's statistics harder to compute than the theory of relativity. Um, sorry about that, but back then, I really didn't know any better.
I dug up the papers of that first draft, and it brought back great memories. Why I still had those papers is an obvious source of contention in my household, but hey, tradition is tradition. Cincinnati Reds closer John Franco, coming off a league-leading 39 saves and 1.57 ERA, was the first overall pick in our league. Now what was that guy thinking? Maybe that's why I never draft closers early; it was ingrained by that first drafting experience. No middle infielders were chosen before Ryne Sandberg in Round 3. Had we never heard of position scarcity? And how could I pass up the great Henderson in the first round? He stole 93 bases the previous season … and we share the same birthday! Back then, with limited knowledge of how to construct a team, I would have thought that last fact mattered quite a bit. It didn't stop me from aiming to acquire Henderson the very next day, though. Our commish got him, and he probably remembers the phone calls.
Much like the fantasy baseball forefathers, who we all should be grateful for, I cannot recall why we decided it would be a good idea to start a fantasy baseball league in March 1989, or why I drafted the way I did. A sweet 22 years later, I'm just glad we did it.
ERIC'S INAUGURAL DRAFT (1989)
ROUND 1
Team 1: John Franco, RP, Reds
Team 2: Kirby Puckett, OF, Twins
Team 3: Jose Canseco, OF, Athletics
Team 4: Andres Galarraga, 1B, Expos
Team 5: Mike Greenwell, OF, Red Sox
Team 6: Orel Hershiser, SP, Dodgers
Team 7: Darryl Strawberry, OF, Mets
Team 8: Ellis Burks, OF, Red Sox
Team 9: Roger Clemens, SP, Red Sox
Team 10: Dwight Gooden, SP, Mets
Team 11: Eric Davis, OF, Reds
Team 12: Wade Boggs, 3B, Red Sox
Team 13: Rickey Henderson, OF, NYY
ERIC'S FIRST TEAM
C: B.J. Surhoff, Brewers (Round 7)
1B: Jack Clark, Padres (5)
2B: Jose Oquendo, Cardinals (17)
SS: Cal Ripken Jr., Orioles (6)
3B: Wade Boggs, Red Sox (1)
CO: Keith Moreland, Tigers (21)
MI: Jose Uribe, Giants (19)
OF: Andre Dawson, Cubs (2)
OF: Rafael Palmeiro, Rangers (9)
OF: Tom Brunansky, Cardinals (11)
OF: Gerald Young, Astros (12)
OF: Mickey Brantley, Mariners (16)
UT: Willie Wilson, Royals (18)
SP: Dave Stewart, Athletics (3)
SP: Dave Stieb, Blue Jays (8)
SP: Kelly Downs, Giants (10)
SP: Joe Magrane, Cardinals (13)
SP: Ed Whitson, Padres (22)
RP: Jeff Russell, Rangers (20)
RP: Todd Worrell, Cardinals (4)
RP: Jeff Parrett, Phillies (14)
RP: Duane Ward, Blue Jays (15) |
_________________
 |
|
