A Season in the Homer Bush League

I just completed one of my annual rites of spring, the purchase of my ESPN Fantasy Baseball team. My Mendoza Line Drivers will be out to defend their title in the Homer Bush League IV.

This is the sixth season I’ve competed, and the seventh team, and my experiences have run the gamut. I won during my first season in an NL-only league, and finished as low as 9th (in a 10-team league). Some years, the best thing about playing is naming the team, such as the case for the Dock Ellis Islanders or the Homer Bush Leaguers (sub-par precursors to my current franchise).

I don’t take myself to be an especially good owner, though I obviously follow the season very closely. My best trait is knowing when to stick with the hand I’m dealt. Last season I won my league without making a single trade or using my waiver slot. Then again, with a pitching staff that included Roger Clemens Eric Milton, Jason Isringhausen, Ramiro Mendoza, Mike Stanton, Steve Karsay and Latroy Hawkins (1st Half), and hitters like Jim Thome, Miguel Tejada, Troy Glaus, Tino Martinez, Carl Everett, Shannon Stewart and Ellis Burks, it didn’t take a moron to see that I had a good thing going from the outset.

Which isn’t to say that I don’t know when to strike. My NL win back in ’97 was thanks in part to my accepting an offer to trade Tony Gwynn for Barry Bonds, and a late pickup of Otis Nixon off waivers to replace the traded Rickey Henderson.

Anyway, I’ve generally made it a point not to go off too much in this space about my fantasy teams, but I wanted to extend an open invitation to my readers to join me this year. It’s the Homer Bush League IV (not to be confused with the inaccurately named “Real Homer Bush League 3,” which by definition is a blatant fraud). It’s a 10-team AL-only league with 5×5 scoring (Wins, Saves, K’s, ERA, WHIP for pitchers, R, RBI, HR, SB, AVG for hitters) and a multi-list draft which runs on March 31 (I’m of the opinion that nothing wrecks a season like a draft run long before the final trades and injuries of the spring).

The league is public, so it’s on a first-come, first-served basis, and you don’t need a password to join. I hope some of you readers do so–the more people we know, the more active and fun the league will be. So come and get it.