Dos Santos: Rolling the Dice-K
Dos Santos torn between reality and fantasy...teams
Hugo dos Santos, sports columnist
Issue date: 4/24/07 Section: Sports
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The best way to describe what fantasy sports does to an individual is to tell you that my brother-in-law, D., a die-hard Yankee fan who can quote specific dates in Yankee history off the top of his head, owns Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K) in one of his fantasy teams.
That's right, he owns the single most important player signed this off-season by none other than the Red Sox. And get this, he's proud of it.
D. is proud of it because Dice-K has turned out to be quite good, and he's more proud about his ability to spot talent than he is embarrassed by what he has done --drafted a Red Sox player.
(I need a moment… OK. I'm fine. I'm fine.)
Just thinking of what D. has done makes me sick to my stomach, like I'm going to puke my gizzards or something. Those who are familiar with the long-storied rivalry between these two clubs understand how deep the hatred runs. And how long, too. As Curt Schilling famously quipped after being signed by the Red Sox, "Well, I guess now I hate the Yankees."
His comment was tongue-in-cheek, yet it perfectly captures the feeling that the fans, more so than the actual players, feel.
There is no greater insult to a Yankee fan than someone walking around Yankee Stadium during a game wearing a Red Sox cap. The opposite is equally true at Fenway.
Yet fantasy sports have changed that. During opening day at Yankee Stadium, as we sat among the thousands of bleacher-creatures, D. commented to another fan how he owns Dice-K in his fantasy league. (Along with Pavano and Igawa, but these last two, however, have not worked out as well as the former.)
The conversation proceeded, without even the smallest bit of hesitation on either part.
Now, someone who wasn't there as it happened may guess that D. and the other fan he spoke with are just mature individuals and that the conversation they had illustrates as much.
But I would venture to guess that even in the bleachers, the rowdiest of all New York crowds, if we asked those who participate in fantasy games how many would like to own Dice-K, at least 85 percent would say yes.
That's right, he owns the single most important player signed this off-season by none other than the Red Sox. And get this, he's proud of it.
D. is proud of it because Dice-K has turned out to be quite good, and he's more proud about his ability to spot talent than he is embarrassed by what he has done --drafted a Red Sox player.
(I need a moment… OK. I'm fine. I'm fine.)
Just thinking of what D. has done makes me sick to my stomach, like I'm going to puke my gizzards or something. Those who are familiar with the long-storied rivalry between these two clubs understand how deep the hatred runs. And how long, too. As Curt Schilling famously quipped after being signed by the Red Sox, "Well, I guess now I hate the Yankees."
His comment was tongue-in-cheek, yet it perfectly captures the feeling that the fans, more so than the actual players, feel.
There is no greater insult to a Yankee fan than someone walking around Yankee Stadium during a game wearing a Red Sox cap. The opposite is equally true at Fenway.
Yet fantasy sports have changed that. During opening day at Yankee Stadium, as we sat among the thousands of bleacher-creatures, D. commented to another fan how he owns Dice-K in his fantasy league. (Along with Pavano and Igawa, but these last two, however, have not worked out as well as the former.)
The conversation proceeded, without even the smallest bit of hesitation on either part.
Now, someone who wasn't there as it happened may guess that D. and the other fan he spoke with are just mature individuals and that the conversation they had illustrates as much.
But I would venture to guess that even in the bleachers, the rowdiest of all New York crowds, if we asked those who participate in fantasy games how many would like to own Dice-K, at least 85 percent would say yes.
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