I'm a Fantasy Football Loser

I love fantasy football and this season....I stink and not just a whiff of something gross when you live in a house full of boys, I mean a full decomposing, dog poop, pole cat kind of stench.

I had the first round pick in the draft, I chose Jamal Charles...he's injured and out for the season.  These things happen, it's part of the game but this year I've really taken the cake on losing.  I've picked up, dropped, changed defenses, kickers, quarterbacks...so many combinations of things all to no avail.  James keeps asking for me to give up and give him my "good" players....No Way!  I will play to the death, er, end.  And besides...I don't have any good players!  As I'm typing this, none of my players have scored more than single digits today.  My record is 2 - 8 soon to be 2 - 9.  I have no chance for the playoffs but I will keep playing, keep yelling at my players on the tv and kick them to the curb when they don't perform.  Because....I really do love fantasy football.

Fantasy Football is NO Fantasy

I admit it...I'm addicted to Fantasy Football.  Well, not as addicted as my oldest son but I do really love it.

I really used to think it was quite silly or annoying but Christian started a family league "The Hoagland Cup" a couple years ago and I've been hooked ever since.  This is year 3 and I plan to win it all this year, I came so close last season but Christian's stinkin' kicker scored an unbelievable amount of points to overthrow me.

I participate in mock drafts before the season begins.  Christian schedules a Fantasy Football Draft night and I wait in anticipation.  The order is random and this time I got to choose my first player last, I knew who I wanted to pick first but was afraid one of my offspring was going to pick him.  I threatened them with something but Cameron still picked my first choice.

I talk to my players.  I know they can't hear me but I talk to them anyway, I threaten to bench them, I cheer for them, urge them to run faster!  I've always like football but this, this is something else.  I played in 3 leagues last year...too many, I would sometimes be playing against a player I had on another team and I just didn't like that.  I am playing in 2, our family league and a friend's league, my friend, one other person I know and a bunch of his friends from college.  Yes, I'm the only girl but that makes it all the sweeter when I kick their butts and I do kick their butts.

I get to name my teams anything I want, my Hoagland Cup team is named "Mama's Monkeymen", don't ask me why...I don't have any answer but for some reason I like to name them with two words that start with the same letter.  My other team is "Porky Passers"...I know, I know...cool name.

James laughs at me, I'm not sure if he thinks it's cute when I talk football or thinks I'm completely out of my mind.  Maybe a little bit of both...

ValleyPalooza!

Missouri Valley College hosted "valleypalooza" a family weekend in which we were invited to partake.  It was MVC's first home football game and families were fed a nice dinner beforehand and entertained by the dueling pianos...I think that was really their name, they were..um...interesting...and loud.  Regardless, we had a good time and watched a good football game, I love football.

So stinkin' cute.

A Football Player???

Since moving our kids to Lincoln High School, Christian decided he wanted to play football again.  He played in 3rd grade and then in grades 7th and 8th.  Christian is not an enormous fellow but he wanted to play and we didn't stop him.  He absolutely loved it, he stunk really bad after practice, and endured two concussions.  Dr said that's it after concussion number 2, much to my delight.  Now, I really love watching football but it's too distracting worrying about your kid getting hurt during a game to really enjoy it to the fullest extent.  Since he's a senior, he was a team captain, now that was fun...he walked out to the middle of the field with three other seniors, no risk of injury ;).  Lincoln only started a football program a couple years ago so they were still getting into the swing of things, this year was a year of firsts.  They won their first game ever and won many more after that.  It was a great season.  Cameron has no interest in football whatsoever...I suppose that's okay.

Football is more than the cookies

Warsaw High School football is a big deal.  I have been attending games since 1988...yes, for over 20 years.  I have witnessed teenage boys cry over a heart breaking loss and rejoice over winning a State Championship.  WHS football is legendary.  Coach Morrow is in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for coaching.  I have seen him yell at players and break down and bawl talking about Jesus.  I've sung the National Anthem there and so has Christian with the Madrigal Singers.  I recalled when he was little and we were at an away game getting ready to walk across a parking lot, I reached for his hand and he looked up at me matter-of-factly and said, "Mom! I am in Kindergarten!"  The boys didn't watch too much of the games then, they mostly played in the grass with other children, having their own football game.  The crowds that gather are large, they fill up the bleachers and stand and watch next to the field halfway around the track.  WHS football is one of our favorite pasttimes. 



 Tonight was Homecoming!  The booster club sells brown bag specials with your choice of brats, hot dogs, or burgers along with a bag of chips, soda or water, and a homemade cookie.  Yummy!  We are always at the games early, I mean early, we have our spot, top row of the bleachers close to the speaker where we set up our bleacher seats and where I lay out my blanket to save seats for James' parents.  The speaker is loud, way too loud before the game starts.  They play the same songs they played when I was in high school..."Welcome to the Jungle", "Hells Bells".  I do not like these songs anymore!  But we endure it for the love of the game.  Madrigal Singers sang the National Anthem tonight, I could clearly hear Christian (that's so cool), and it sounded great!


Christian singing, he's the one in the white t-shirt

 

The players storming the field, ripping through the "Beat the Mustangs Banner"

They're holding hands.....aw, sweet

The game was good, we won 40 - 30.  The season hasn't been like most, our record is 3 - 3, there have been some injuries and other mishaps but we are still hopeful for the playoffs. 

I took this before our last home game.