Funky Wheat Pennies

I was talking last week at a tennis match with Ted, another teacher at work. After exchanging pleasantries and idle banter, we talked about the tennis match and sports in general. He mentioned something I hadn't thought of in years.

Strat-o-matic. One of the first sports fantasy games.

The Fantasy sports boom has reached all over this great land of ours. Fantasy Football, Baseball, Basketball. Fantasy NASCAR, Golf, Tennis. It's probably a billion dollar a year industry. Not to mention the lost productivity at work as fantasy owners scour the internet looking for that edge that will grant them victory.

Heck, back in college the guys on my floor and I made up a Fantasy Lumberjack League. I was in a rock band back in those days, and after we'd get back from practice, we sit in the lounge till all hours and root for our fave Lumberjack. Rolin Eslinger was my man, and though he shone brightly at first, he soon tumbled into sawdust obscurity. Still, looking back on it now, there was probably something not entirely healthy about cheering for Penny Halvorson at 3:00 a.m Wednesday mornings.

The thrill of competition was there. It is a way for people who can't compete at the actual sport to show we at least know more about it than our neighbors. Victorious, we do our little dance while in our mind the voice of John Facenda forever immortalizes our victory.

I just google'd 'ol Rolin, and sure enough, he's still swinging that axe and revving that saw. Come on back, Rolin. Some of us still believe in you.