Full Swing

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've been slow to post...again. Partly because I'm a springtime slacker, and partly because the blog had to be moved so it wasn't FTP-something-that-I-don't-get. However, thanks to my wonderful, highly skilled web guru, everything was safely moved and we're up and running. (Thanks, Maddee!)

In the meantime, having taken sixth place in my yearly NCAA Geek Pool (and soundly beating President Obama's tourney entry), I've moved on to baseball season.

First order of business: Fantasy baseball. I am once again playing in the ESPN Baseball Challenge. It's the world's easiest fantasy baseball league. You can join anytime, and you don't have to engage in a round robin draft of players or keep stats. Instead, you are given a (fictional) $50 million budget you simply pick whichever players you want by clicking on them. Easy, peasy. Then ESPN keeps track of how they do at the plate and tallies the score for you. It's a lot of fun. (Especially when you're doing well. I'm currently at the 95% of all players in the league. I don't expect it'll last.)

Second order of business: Real baseball. I signed up for my yearly wallet-depleting subscription to MLB Extra Innings so I can watch the Rockies games here in Boston, and I've already stayed up late for quite a few. It's painful, given the late starts and the two-hour time difference, but worth it. I also managed to get tickets on top of the the Green Monster at Fenway during the first Red Sox-Yankees series so I could see a game in person, and I'll be in my usual third-base seats for one of this weekend's games. Color me happy!

On the other hand, most of my baseball-loving friends claim they aren't as hopped up for the season as usual. Earlier this season, news stations in Boston reported that sales were down, and that the Red Sox might not continue their sellout streak at Fenway, but I'm not seeing it.

Anyone else feeling this way? Or is this a woe-is-me, typical Boston-area phenomenon? Do you care more about baseball (or whatever sport's your fave) once the season's in full swing than during the first month of games? Does playing in a fantasy league amp up your level of interest? Weigh in!