By JIMMY D / Fantasy Sports

A law firm in New Jersey wants fantasy sports declared illegal in the United States as a mildly less evil cousin of sports betting.

A dude named Charles Humphrey, who claims to not even play fantasy games, is suing the big mainstream fantasy companies, saying league fees and other payments for playing fantasy constitute gambling.

What a loser.

Major League Baseball continues its suicidal court action against a fantasy sports provider, claiming MLB owns all players stats and only rich companies such as Yahoo! or CBS Sportsline deserve licenses to use the data.

What a bunch of money-grubbing control freaks.

Jimmy is not sure what the future holds for our great pastime. It seems its boom has attracted all sorts of negative attention, with jealousy and greed now replacing creativity, innovation and plain old fun.

While there are some positive things on the go (note that NFL poolies will be able to play IDP - Individual Defensive Player - Stat games this year where linebackers and corner backs will earn points for sacks, tackles, pick and forced turnovers.)

And Jimmy clings to his dream of a mega keeper pool feature that will permit players to draft teenage hockey players, high school footballers, even the Little Leaguer down the street and to protect them for years until they blossom into fantasy studs.

With the latter in mind, Jimmy has been spending less time on his fantasy roster and more time at the local ball fields. Trying to predict the future is tough work, but as always, Jimmy is up to the task.

T-Ball Fantasy

T-Ball actually offers fantasy action in itself, in addition to the value in scouting young players. For example, pick how many kids will need to go pee in the woods before practice is over.

The boys think outdoors peeing is great and if one goes, they pretty much all go.
The girls seem to have either bigger bladders or more couth or both and manage to stay on the field.

Or pick how many kids will make it to the end of practice without needing Mom’s kiss on a scrape or pleading to go home.

One kid is standing on third base oblivious to the action at the plate. The batter makes contact – after wacking the tee 14 times in a row - and a coach yells “Home! Go home!”

She makes a beeline across the diamond toward the parking lot before other coaches head her off.

“Not that home, home plate, run that way!”

Here, in T-Ball, the second spawn of Jimmy D is honing his skills.

Little Jimmy is six and shows excellent speed, albeit at the expense of positional play. While manning third base, he can regularly chase down a grounder up the first-base line before the first baseman gets it.

Later, he lines a drive dangerously close to the ear of the five-year-old 2B who had been performing beautiful, care-free pirouettes near the bag.

A few miles down the street, 10-year-old Jimmy jr. is in action.
He’s got Gary Sheffield-like bat speed, but so far only Buddy Biancalana-like power.

After 10 rainouts in a month, he finally scores his first run, drives in his first run and endures his first hit-by-pitch on the weekend.

For good measure, the coach hands him the ball a few hours later for his pitching debut. Some minor wildness – nothing Rick Ankiel-like – but strikes out three in two innings and plunks some poor kid in the thigh.

Jimmy jr. gallops over to apologize as the kid gimps to first base.

It was pointed out to Jimmy jr. that it is not always a good idea for the offending pitcher to rush to his victim. Often, he is still carrying a bat and quite angry with his burgeoning bruise.

Nice gesture though.

Showing genuine concern for the player and the game is not something we can expect big business to demonstrate as sport – and fantasy sport – looks to the future.

Maybe Jimmy jr. will become commissioner when his playing days are over to make sure corporate America doesn’t hijack fantasy sports and run it into the ground.

It’s bad enough they made a mess of the real game.

As always, stay busy and stay lucky.

In the meantime, stay busy and stay lucky. Jimmy D