I joined a fantasy baseball league. Okay, I was sort of egged into joining. Sort of. When the email went out asking for people to join, one of the recipients sent me an email about how he would dominate the league, insinuating he was the Jordon-Zeus-Jesus of fantasy baseball and making it known I would be entering a world of defeat. It worked. I signed on.

If you’ve never participated in a fantasy baseball league, then you can’t begin to imagine what I’m up against, especially since baseball has never been a front-burner sport for me. I usually don’t become interested until the pennant races and playoffs. Who in their right mind has time for 160+ games? And as a Cubs fan, well let’s just say baseball season is not usually the  highlight of my year. Bartman or no Bartman, being a Cubs fan is a heavy, wet-blanket burden.

Then came along a Freak, a dude with a red thong, a bearded wonder, and a team of so-called misfits. I was intrigued by the black and orange. I followed their playoff run closely, becoming obsessed to the point I even watched their victory parade in San Francisco, something I reserve solely for my Chicago teams. But can you blame me? Years of following a team cursed by a long-dead goat would make anyone cheat. And that’s what it feels like. Cheating. 

I’m guessing it was this new-found baseball team crush and the fact I am the only chick in the league that enticed me to join. After all, how tough can it be? I played in a fantasy football league, winning it all twice, so this should be a piece of cake. Right? Wrong. It’s been compared to “fantasy football, but on steroids,” and I have to agree. Gone is the week of preparation. When baseball teams are slugging it out daily, you have to be ready to set your roster daily. I’ve become obsessed with the MLB network, watching it first thing in the morning and catching games at night. I’m online checking MLB.com, ESPN.com., and any other sports site I can find. And still, somehow I miss when one of my guys is not in the lineup for a game. It’s maddening.

But I’m hanging in there, the Bearded Ladies ( an obvious nod to Brian Wilson) began at the number two spot opening weekend, dropping to eighth a week later, and have moved their way up to fourth. Of course, there is a whole lot of baseball to go, so I’m prepared, now, to ride this rollercoaster of standings.

And I’m learning a lot about teams and players (For instance, I had no idea Chipper Jones is still playing. Isn’t he my age?). And it’s been fun, so far. We’ll see how fun it is come mid-June.

As I prepare for the Bulls playoff run, keep an eye on what will surely be an early playoff departure by the Blackhawks, and spend a few days on the hill at Eck Stadium, I’ll be watching major league baseball, much to my husband’s chagrin. After all, this used to be the one time during the year he could catch a break and not have to share me with Sportscenter.