Some Fantasy participants view February as a “slower” time for Fantasy Sports. Football season is officially over, as there are not even any playoff games to watch anymore. Spring training has not quite swung into a full groove, and the Hot Stove madness has calmed down a bit. Even the shortened NASCAR offseason gives us another break.
For real Fantasy players, however, there is no true down time in the calendar. Fantasy Basketball is in the midst of a challenging season riddled with injuries that seem to cause more lineup maintenance than ever. If you’re playing Fantasy Hockey, the nightly action seems to be nonstop. The Daytona 500 is now less than two weeks away, so that NASCAR offseason is about to end quickly.
Miguel Cabrera is an award-winning Fantasy Baseball selection. Photo Credit: Icon SMI
Plus, there is the pomp and circumstance of Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio’s awards program, dubbed “The Fantasies.” Voting is open for these prestigious industry honors until Monday, February 20 at noon ET. The show airs on February 23 from 8 to 11 pm ET on Sirius 210 and XM 87.
Fantasy Sports is growing so much, soon Sirius/XM will have to make this a major live event. It should be a lot of fun and very eventful when that happens. I am looking forward to seeing RotoExperts in the Morning producer Corey Parson walking the red carpet with Ving Rhames. It’s going to be a shame when security refuses to let Adam Ronis in because he looks like “riff-raff.” As long as Tony Cincotta does not host, it should be a success. I think Jeff Mans will likely have to buy a ticket, because no one knows who he is. And I certainly wonder how they are going to find a tuxedo, or create one, to fit Bob from Long Island, who may not be able to even fit in the venue.
Looking over the awards selections, while making choices for last year, I am also thinking ahead. That’s just how the Fantasy Expert mind works. The “Mr. Fantasy Baseball Award” asks us to pick the best player in Fantasy Baseball. It comes down to Albert Pujols, Matt Kemp and Miguel Cabrera. After voting for Kemp based on last year, I then have to decide if he is worth the No. 1 overall pick again this year. That’s a tough call when you consider Cabrera will be eligible at third base, and Pujols is possibly the safest pick you can make. Some are questioning whether Kemp can produce across the board at those levels, especially in the speed department.
So the question moves from “What is Your Vote” to “Who is Your No. 1 Overall Pick”? And after much thought and consideration, I’d have to say it’s Cabrera. The position scarcity at third base gives him the nod, and I know he will be providing nearly guaranteed high-echelon numbers.
Then there is the “Back on the Bandwagon” Award for the player who should bounce back in 2012 after a disappointing year. I like these awards, because they look ahead as well as behind in some cases. The choices are Carl Crawford, Adam Dunn and Hanley Ramirez. The easy selection for me is Crawford. Those in the know in Major League Baseball always say, “you are who you are” as a player. Crawford is simply much better than the numbers indicated last year and he is going to provide great returns in 2012.
Ramirez does not want to play third base, and he is no longer the lone and featured superstar in Miami, even though Ozzie Guillen is trying to spin the new acquisitions as an attempt to “build around” Ramirez. Hanley may brood and loaf at times, and his attitude may affect his numbers. Dunn is no longer the same hitter he was in the past it seems, as he may be mechanically and mentally off kilter, and I don’t have a lot of confidence that he can regain his better past form.
Looking at the Football section of the awards, it’s apparent that this is the one sport where there is no offseason at all. Bob Lung is consistently pinging me with ideas for the new season, and I think Jayson Braddock of TheXLog.com is out somewhere scouting a flag football game. There are lots of Fantasy Football purists who refuse to play any other game and have already started mocking for 2012.
The “Bell Cow” award is for the Best Fantasy running back in 2011. The choices are Ray Rice, LeSean McCoy and Maurice Jones-Drew. Do I give the award to the guy who produced the best stats, or the one who provided the best value? Rice was the most reliable RB wire-to-wire, but Jones-Drew was a second round pick who exceeded some expectations and led me to the championship in Michael Fabiano’s NFL.com Experts League. So I am going with MJD as my pick.
Plus, Jones-Drew can be in line for another terrific season, as I naturally look ahead to the 2012 campaign. As we all know, MJD consistently excelled despite having the most questionable supporting cast outside of the current lineup of Guns N’ Roses. If the Jaguars can move the ball better in the air in 2012, MJD could easily get back to double figures in rushing touchdowns.
Then there is the award for the driver most likely to finish the Sprint Cup season with the most points. Naturally, the choices are Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson and Carl Edwards. Of those three, I would most likely pick Edwards, as this appears to be the year he can surge completely to the top. But ultimately, he will not be able to outpoint my “write-in” candidate, Denny Hamlin, who I believe is truly ready for his best season yet. Hamlin always had the talent, and now he has the mindset of a mature, focused pro, and he is about to make people think he is the next Jeff Gordon.
I haven’t even gotten to the NBA, where I am starting to anticipate the potential return of Brook Lopez. Yessir, this is indeed a very busy time of the year. It will be even busier in the future at this point in the calendar, when Nick Minnix of KFFL highlights The Fantasies with his cover of “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love, Babe.” That performance, plus some karaoke from Program Director Matt Deutsch, should make it a very tough ticket. Maybe Ronis can scalp tickets outside.
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