A Two-fer
- Commish
- Aug 23
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 8
If you enjoy reading my blog posts - and I know you do - you're in for a treat. This post covers our fantasy football and fantasy baseball leagues! In a sense, this is the "Bo Jackson" of blog posts written by the "Bo Jackson" of commissioners. #humblebrag
For those on the baseball side of the Sagebrush Cactus League wondering where the posts have been all season, I should probably apologize for making this my first one. But I won't. I took the season off and it was much needed.
If you're on the football side of the league, get ready because you know the posts are going to start flowing - clear your inbox and make room.
Baseball
Our fantasy baseball league owners have waited all season for a post, so it's only right they get theirs first.
A few short weeks ago, it appeared we would see a heated race to the finish line in the Cactus division. But a 4 game losing streak by the Perros and continued dominance from Ringworm, Smalls, and Whitmer has cleared the table and provided clarity. Though we still have 1 more week of regular season play left, the postseason field is set.
In the Cactus division, Dude It Was Ringworm will enjoy a week of rest while You're Killing Me Smalls and Whitmer battle in the first round. In the Sagebrush division, the Poke Bananas earned a first-round bye and will await the winner of CheezitupMax and Akes & Pain.
For what it's worth, my money is on Ringworm. They have it all: Judge, Soto, Raleigh, Skubal, deGrom, and more. They hit. They pitch. And they score a lot. More than any other team in the league.
If you're looking for a dark horse in the mix, don't sleep on Whitmer. They're 4-2 against their Cactus playoff counterparts and 3-0 against Smalls, their first round opponent.
Over on the Sagebrush side, it's hard to see anyone other than the Bananas being relevant. The Bananas swept Akes & Pain this season and appears to be on their way to a 2-1 record against CheezeitupMax.
Provided the facts above, it seems logical to expect we'll see a World Series matchup between You're Killing Me Smalls and CheezeitupMax.
All-Star Challenge
The Los Perros Locos lead our All-Star Challenge field of 5 - yes, 5 - with a total of 5379 pts. I'm not sure why only 5 owners joined a free contest where they have a chance to win prize money, but I digress. Just behind the Perros is Dude It Was Ringworm with 5375 pts. This one looks like it could be a close finish with each featuring a lineup from opposing leagues.
Batting Champion
Anyone wanna take a guess who the top 2 players are in this contest? Ringworm's Aaron Judge leads Smalls' Shohei Ohtani by just 7 points, but neither can afford a slump with Kyle Schwarber and Cal Raleigh lurking in the shadows. In case you're keeping score at home, Dude It Was Ringworm has 3 players ranked in the top 10 which likely explains the stellar season they've put together.
Cy Young Award
Some might assume Tarik Skubal is leading our Cy Young field but he's actually 2nd to Garret Crochet. Along with Crochet, Whitmer also has Zack Wheeler (7th) ranked in the top 10.
Football
While our baseball league is winding down, our football league is just getting started. So buckle up because we've got a lot of work to do over the next couple of weeks.
Last week some of you participated in our Keeper Draft. I say "some" because it appeared to be a spectator sport for a few of you. If you came away with nothing more than a single player or, perhaps, a $6 kicker - you know who you are - it's time to set all of that aside and get ready for your last chance to start the season right: the General Draft.
General Draft
Our General Draft is scheduled for tomorrow (Sunday, August 24th) at 7:00 PM PDT on the ESPN platform. This draft will function exactly like they have in the past; you'll nominate a D/ST for $1, the bidding will commence and, eventually, you'll walk away with them for $16. What a steal!
Challenges & Contests
This might be the only chance some of you have to win some prize money, so be sure to get your entries submitted.
Golden Ticket: You can CLICK HERE to submit your roster for our annual Golden Ticket contest. But remember, there are a few key rules to consider: 1) You can only use players from the same conference, NFC or AFC but not both and, 2) You can only use 1 player from any NFL team. At least one of you will mess this up.
Pigskin Pick'Em: You probably already received an invite to join our group, but in case you didn't you can CLICK HERE to join. The password for our group is: SCL#1.
Eliminator Challenge: Like the Pick'Em, you might have been invited to this too. But if you didn't see the invite, just CLICK HERE and use the password SCL#1.
Looking Ahead
I stumbled across something yesterday that almost completely resembles fantasy football ideas I've held for years.
Fantasy football is fun, but I've always wanted more out of it than what's available on all the major platforms. Hence, I've made adjustments to our league format that extend beyond ESPN's capabilities - Franchise Tags, Restricted Tags, side games, etc.
I've always wanted to host a league that was much closer in functionality and features to what a actual GM would be responsible for managing. I'm talking about player contracts, salary caps, practice squads, rookie drafts, trades involving draft picks and cash, etc. I know...I've got a problem. Admitting that is the first step.
The second step, however, is addressing it which I think I did when I stumbled across the League Tycoon fantasy football platform. For a fantasy sicko like myself, their Contract Leagues have it all - everything I listed above, plus, plus, plus. Eureka!!
Next year I fully intend to run a Contract League and I'd love to know how many of you might be interested in playing.
"What's a Contract League, Commish?"
In short, it's a fantasy league concept for those who aren't quite right in the head. It's fantasy football taken the Nth degree. And rather than waste a lot of space here explaining it, you should just CLICK HERE to visit League Tycoon's site where they've already done all the work for me. Be sure to watch their intro video and read the details they provide.
To be clear, this will not replace our current league - at least not yet. Unless, of course, you all want it to. But if it works the way I expect and people enjoy it the way I think they will, I wouldn't be surprised to see us eventually leave the stale ol' ESPN platform for something that someone put some real thought and energy behind.
Good luck in whichever league you're in!
Commish
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