FFL Draft Night and Dating a New Man…Is There Any Difference?

That would be Hell and No…according to my friend, Sharra, that is. And now that I’ve given it some thought, I might have to agree.

Okay, I admit it, both Sharra and I are incurable optimists. She with dating a new man; me with my annual Fantasy Football Draft. We’re all positive thoughts, thinking this is going to be great. Me: I’m going to draft some elite players and they’re going to win me a championship and I’m going to be this year’s number one on my league. Sharra: I’m going to meet a man and he’s going to be special and I’m going to fall in love.

But when all is said and done, I end up slapping the palm of my hand to my forehead  because that is so not what happens.

Let me explain… Last night (on or about September 2) was Draft night and it started off peachy. I got the number two pick (out of a rudimentary cardboard box made from an empty Kleenex box), which meant I’d have my choice of elite Quarterbacks or Runningbacks or Wide Receivers (for those of you who are clueless). But wait–my nemesis then got the number one pick (damn him!), which meant I wasn’t going to get my number one pick (Drew Brees), but instead would have to settle for Aaron Rodgers (no big deal, and not such a bad number two pick).

From there, everything went to hell. For those of you who know how fantasy football picks work, you can skip this part. But for those of you who don’t, read on. Having the number two pick means you’re assured an elite player on your team. But then you have to wait. And wait. And wait…through 21 picks (for a 12-team league). It’s good-bye Adrian Peterson, Arian Foster, Doug Martin, Marshawn Lynch, and Ray Rice (all elite RBs). Good-bye Calvin Johnson, A.J. Green, Brandon Marshall, Julio Jones, and Dez Bryant (all elite WRs). Good-bye Jimmy Graham, Rob Gronkowski (had him two years ago and he rocked), Jason Witten (all elite Tight Ends). See you maybe next year…if I’m lucky.

So what does all of that have to do with dating a man for the first time? Like Sharra says, she goes into a first date all positive, thinking she might fall in love. But when the date doesn’t go as planned, she leaves scratching her head and wondering what the hell just happened. I can relate. The Draft didn’t turn out nearly as easy and perfect as I thought it would. It was hard (as it is every year). So many questions and choices and things I wasn’t prepared to deal with. And when the night ended, I had a team that was iffy at best (Sharra’s date wasn’t as tall as she’d hoped). Then again, I did end up with an elite Quarterback (then again, Sharra’s date did have gorgeous eyes and really really nice hands).

So once more, here I am wondering if the man I’ve chosen (Aaron Rodgers) will be able to carry me through the football season to victory? (Will Sharra’s next first date turn out to be Mr. Right-for-her?) I have no idea, and neither does she. I may win; I may lose. Sometimes life happens and we have no control. But when it happens the way we hope, it’s pretty darn sweet. If it turns out to be a bust, well,  there’s always next year (and there’s always the next date for Sharra).

Here’s wishing all of you a fantastical football season. If you’re on a fantasy football league, I wish you the best of luck with your picks. But if you’re planning any first dates, don’t get your hopes up too high. You might have to until next year to claim victory!