Hardly Irrelevant

“Things that appear irrelevant yet work: moths have cocoons, bears have caves, and men have fantasy football”

The sitcom Seinfeld was supposedly a show about nothing, yet it captivated millions of viewers.  With that being said, I would like to make a case for fantasy football, which some understandably consider irrelevant.  In the process, I hope to pass along some tips to those who do not understand or grasp this phenomenon. Playing fantasy football, at least for me is my ultimate nothing box.  A place where I can go for a few minutes a day, while I take charge of an imaginary team and make moves no one questions. Not to mention, if my team loses one week I have no fear of being fired.

Before I go any further might I add a disclaimer: I do not condone or recommend that fantasy football should be placed in front of family time and or work around the house.  However, when done moderately can provide an excellent form of relaxation.

So, here are a few key phrases I believe can increase your fantasy football I .Q.

Tip#1: If you’re taking him, he must be a good pick.  By making this statement you will immediately get the attention and admiration of just about any man.  Speaking as a guy, men love approval rather than, my grandmother can pick better than you. 

Tip #2:  Adrian, Aaron or Drew.  If you are feeling brave and the subject of fantasy football comes up you can always drop one of these three names.  Adrian Peterson, Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers are all can’t miss players and it validates you as someone that knows a little something about football.  When you pay attention to something men like, you are paying attention to them.

Tip #3: Always pick points.  The reason this works is because your answer is vague, yet empowering.  It shows you care without putting any strain on him to pick someone you might have normally otherwise suggested.  Simply put, you have put the ball in his court.

Tip#4: Put your hand on his shoulder.   My wife taught me this one. More than once while I was doing my Fantasy Football thing on the computer she has gently placed her hand on my shoulder.  Positive reinforcement instead of words can go a long way for men, at least for me.  This lets me know she doesn’t mind me doing something she doesn’t fully understand.  Instead of analyzing me she is accepting me for who I am.  Word of caution, only do this with a spouse or loved one, does not apply to strangers.

Tip#5: Are you’re doing that again?  My last piece of advice is to avoid saying the above-mentioned question.  I understand that this commonly used phrase can be warranted at times.  But, I believe,“ hey honey would you like to watch something together in  few minutes says the same thing without all the angst.” There have been times in the past where I had become too obsessed with being a coach of an imaginary team and needed to come back to reality.

Directly below is a YouTube clip I watched right before I went to my fantasy football draft last Saturday. It is a story entitled “Mr. Irrelevant” that provides some real perspective and few tears as well.  Double click below and enjoy.

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:9120618

 

 The story of John Tuggle's battle against cancer and how he affected his Hall of Fame coach Bill Parcells and his New York Giant teammates is one that should give us pause.  Like Coach Parcells said, “some attributes you just can’t see.”  Often things that seem irrelevant take on a form of relevance if we do them with fervor and a good attitude.  Like John Tuggle it matters how we do life.

Relevance in life is most often measured not in what you are doing, but in how you are doing it.

Swavel

All-Out Effort

"If a kindness I may show, if a good deed I may do to a suffering fellow man, let me do it while I can….. for it is plain I shall not pass this way again.” -Unknown.

          

Have you ever put yourself out for someone you didn’t know?  You know like helping someone even to the point of your own detriment, like the Good Samaritan did.

Just in case you are not familiar, here’s a quick summary.  Regular guy sets out on a journey and gets accosted by muggers.  They take everything he has leaving him for dead.  Sometime afterward two religious men happen by and see the man’s predicament.  Tragically, neither stops to help, but rather walk by on the other side.  Then a man who was raised to disdain the nearly dead man, stops to assist him.  The compassionate man tends to his wounds, personally transports him to proper care and puts it all on his bill. Now that’s a heck of a guy. 

When I think about story of the Good Samaritan, two common responses run through my mind. The first response, when faced with someone else’s misfortune, is to stand around and do nothing or just to keep moving. The second response, which I believe is the best option, is to go all out and do what needs done with no thought of personal gain.

Just the other week, I read about a guy from Tennessee who on his way to work saved an entire family from harm.  He was driving on a busy road and saw a woman with some kids whose car was struggling with smoke billowing out of it.   He convinced her to pull off the road and then proceeded to get them all out to safety.  The car then caught on fire.  All this as others drove by, only he and one other guy stopped to help. Had the man not acted promptly, the results could have been far different and possibly tragic. However, he put himself out and did the right thing.

 

Then there’s the story of the ill-fated Air Florida Flight 90, which was set to depart from Washington,D.C. on January 13^th, 1982.  However, due to the ice on the wings the plane crashed into the 14^th St. Bridge and then plunged into the frigid Potomac River. On that dreadful day over seventy passengers lost their lives, nevertheless five miraculously survived.

 

One of them survived because of Lenny Scutnik’s fast thinking heroics. At the time, Lenny was a 28 year old government errand runner, who just happened be at the scene. In the icy water, was one passenger, Priscilla Tirado, who was too weak to grab the line dropped from a rescue helicopter. She was yelling out for somebody to please help her and then appeared to pass out in the icy water.

 This is what Skutnik said in response to what he saw, “When the girl needed saving, God had looked around and said, eenie, meenie, minie and you’re mo.  So, I jumped in.”  All this while, others stood horrified not knowing what to do in the freezing temperatures, waiting for the proper rescue teams to come give assistance. So, Lenny took off his boots, dove into the frigid river and swam out nearly thirty feet to get her.  Then, he brought her back to shore where she was transported to a hospital, thus saving her life. 

On a side note, before I discuss my favorite story, I would like to share something personal. When I was fourteen, due to a leg cramp and poor swimming technique, I nearly drowned in a camp lake.  Had it not been for a friend who initially got me back to the surface, then a girl, half my weight, used all her force till she got me to where I could stand safely. I never did get to thank her.  It is an awful feeling to have no control of your own destiny and needing to be saved.  Yet, I am so grateful to be rescued knowing it was none of my doing.

Now here is the heroic tale of Joe Delaney. It was thirty years ago, yet it still speaks volumes to me and somehow has stayed with me all these years.  At the time, Delaney had just completed his second year as a professional football player for the Kansas City Chiefs.  On June 30^th, 1982, he was at a park in Monroe, Louisiana with friends when he heard three boys scream for help in a nearby pond.  The pond was once a construction pit, which had a deadly drop in it, and the boys were in over their heads. Joe Delaney, who couldn’t swim, didn’t hesitate.  He jumped into the pond to rescue them, all the while others watched, afraid to help because of the danger. 

In the end, one boy survived while two boys and Joe drowned.  Although Delaney’s action cost him his life, like Louisiana sunshine, his example still shines today. It left a lasting impression on me, because even though he didn’t survive, he made an all-out effort to save someone else’s life.  He held nothing back and showed that the life of someone he didn’t even know, was more important to him than his very own. 

May it never be said of us that we were just onlookers when others needed a helping hand, and may all our headstones read like Joe Delaney’s:  “Greater love hath no man, than to lay down his life for another.”

Swavel