The Art of War

Swag.

Hello gentlemen,

You see this guy in the pic above? Believe it or not, there's a lesson to be learned there, and it's this: In fantasy football, it doesn't matter where you live, what you look like, or what you do during your normal life, on Sundays (and some Mondays) you're a warrior, a gladiator, and a potential champion in the making. It doesn't matter if you're a fan of the Eagles, the Steelers, or the Patriots, or if your favorite team is notoriously wretched (Rams or Niners fans? Yeah, we're talking about you.) Maybe you're a young, wide-eyed rookie to this game, memories of sitting on the couch watching "The Backyardigans" while eating a PB & J sandwich still fresh in your mind--my sources suggest that this was how Teddy G spent his summer. Or perhaps, you're a seasoned veteran, almost ready to start getting that senior discount at the local Golden Corral, like our league's elder-statesman, Michael Polite, a man whose hairline starts so far back, you'd need to borrow the keys to Marty McFly's DeLoreon to find it ("Back to the Future" reference; look it up on Wikipedia if you're a '90s baby. Or Steve). The beauty of having these contrasting dynamics? None of this matters.

Any man, at any given time, can be a winner in this league. Sometimes, guys who were seemingly unstoppable juggernauts one year, fizzle out to become softer than baby hands the next. Other GMs can begin a season as seemingly as inept as ex Vikings coach Brad Childress (yes, I'm still bitter about Moss last year), and upon making the playoffs by some miracle, achieve a level of greatness that causes each of the other nine GMs to consider retirement just on principle. It's just how this stuff goes. There is room for growth, learning, and let's face it, a bunch of luck in becoming a successful GM in this league.

Some of us are businessmen. Some of us are ministers. Some of us are job hunting. Some of us are fathers. Some of us are husbands. Some of us shouldn't be trusted to keep a pet beta fish alive. But each of us, with the right level of attention to detail, scheduling, and fun, can be a warrior, a winner, and a champion. Three days 'till draft day, gentlemen. Game on.

~Bishop