One point loss

Wow!!! For those who bitch about losing a close game in their fantasy sports league, sit down, shut up and listen to me. I am about to tell you a story that will dwarf anything you have ever experienced.

I’ll set it up. This league has been going on for 10 years.  All of us in the league are Fraternity Brothers from back in college. My team shit the bed the previous year, as I went 2-10-1 and tied for the worst record in the league. I promised everyone that I would rejuvenate myself this year, and turn that record around. No one believed me.

Fast forward to this year’s draft. I had decent draft, not the best, but definitely not the worst. After sizing up everyone’s team, I started wheeling and dealing. I made 4 trades and had 30 adds this year, by far the most transactions of anyone. It paid off, though, cuz I went 12-1 in the regular season. I led the league in wins, points, margin of victory and pretty much everything else. My only loss was in a week I had my 2 best players on bye. I talked shit mercilessly all season, to everyone. I would talk the talk, but I definitely walked the walk, too. I easily won league, and handily beat my first 2 playoff opponents. The only thing standing between me, the title, not to mention the greatest comeback story in history, was a Finals match with my pledge brother Jim, who I had beaten during the regular season. His team was very good, but I had good matchups that week.

Jim gets out to a big early lead. His team definitely brings it. After Sunday’s games, I’m down by 26. Jim is done, but I still have my stud, the first pick in the draft, my team leader in points, Mr. Adrian Peterson, going. It's gonna take a big day, but I might be able to pull out the "W". The title is huge. Besides monetary reasons, it is also for bragging rights. Unfortunately, AP has bad first half, and only gets 2 pts. I start wondering why I didn't start Baltimore Defense, who I had specifically traded for for the playoffs. I wondered why I would not start Matt Prater, who had been getting 10 pts a week for me. Instead, I picked up Shane Graham on a hunch...a hunch that went terribly wrong. I got upset that I started Donald Driver instead of Bobby Meachem. These 3 bad moves cost me 20 points! Even without Meachem, the K/Def mistakes cost me 9...9 points that cost me the league title, but we will get to that in a bit.

In the 2nd half, AP started fucking shit up. He started breaking off big runs, catching passes...and scoring TD's. After his 2nd of the half, I found myself only down by 1 measly point, and there was still 5 minutes left in 4th quarter, I smelled victory! Then, Childress pulled AP and put Taylor in for most of what turned out to be the game tying drive. So, I find myself still down 1 with 22 seconds left as Minnesota faces a 4th and goal from the 6. They need a TD to tie and send it to OT, where AP will hopefully get me that 1 pt I need. I am obviously a little anxious at this point. I go outside, smoke like 8 cigarettes in a row, then come back in just in time to see Favre throw the tying TD pass. OVERTIME!

I need Minnesota to win the toss and get my boy the ball. So....of course, Chicago wins it. I watch as they drive down the field into FG range. I go outside and smoke 5 more cigarettes. I come back in just in time to see Robbie Gould MISS the winning FG!! I actually scream out loud in celebration like I am actually on the Vikings! Yet another chance for AP to get 1 pt. He doesn't even need 10 yards, mind you, he needs 6 yds rushing to get to 100, which is the benchmark for another pt. Even better, he just needed 1 reception for 3 yards if I wanted to win outright and not even need the tie breaker. When Minnesota gets the ball, Childress, for whatever reason, has AP on sidelines. Without him, Favre and co. go 3 and out and have to punt back to Chicago. I am really stressing now, this seems almost unfair. he has needed 1 pt for almost 10 minutes. I am sure I am screwed now.

Amazingly, Chicago goes 3 and out too, and Minnesota gets the ball back AGAIN!!! I am sure I am golden now, it is way too cruel for anyone to fuck with me like this unless I ultimately get the win in the end. Sure enough, on 3rd down, Favre completes a screen to AP, who runs down the sideline for a first down....and more. Much more, as his catch tied me with Jim, and his 13 yard scamper got me 2 more points. He had 27 yds receiving up until then. So, I find myself ahead. Just as I pump my fist and get ready to celebrate…I see the ball get knocked out of Adrian's hands, when he is 5 inches from ground. Chicago recovers. You do the math, 3 pts gained, then lost on same play, so I found myself once again down by 1 pt. Game ends two plays later.

This is fucked up, to end like this. I had the tiebreaker, so so many if’s. If Peterson got credit for an 11 yard reception he had in the first half that was negated because of penalty I would have won. This reception actually showed up on his stats until the third quarter, when yahoo finally removed it. If McNabb passed for 3 more yards, or ran for 1 more, I would have had that point. Roddy White had 139 yards receiving…if he had 1 more, I would have taken the title. If Miles Austin only lost 9 yards on his reverse, not 13, I would not have lost that point. If Vernon Davis had 2 more yards receiving, I would have tied Jim...and won the title. What about all those extra feet and inches gained on plays? If each of my starters got credit for those extra feet, that might have added up to a few yards for one of them. Also, if you count partial points, I would have won. For example, if a guy had 88 yards receiving, that extra 8 yards should count as .8 points. If you add up the partial points of both our starters, mine total 5.68 and his only total 2.66. I would have won by 2 points. This is aggravating, it’s really pissing me off, and now to have to live with it all fucking year. Congrats Jim, it was a thriller, game of the decade. I will get my revenge, though. Mark my words!!!!