![]() Roto, yes, a play on the movie "The Talented Mr. So in order to try to stand out a bit, I chose an over-the-top nickname - The Talented Mr. And what's the fun of writing a free column for a (at the time) fairly low-trafficked website if it's not going to be read? ![]() I had no designs on a career in fantasy sports at that time, I was just doing this for kicks. And after failing to get a gig at a couple of fantasy sports sites, Rotoworld gave me a shot at being an unpaid weekly columnist for them. When I was 28 and living in Hollywood as a professional TV and movie writer, I had the idea of writing fantasy sports columns on the side as a hobby. Since then, it has been my great passion and the only real hobby I have ever had. I have played fantasy sports since I was 14 years old. Suffice to say none of the options I considered back then were good ones.īut what actually turned around my life, what brought me out of the darkness and into the light is, in fact, a weekly fantasy sports column I started writing in 1999. I really was that depressed and, if not for therapy, and yes, fantasy football, I don't know what I would have done. So maybe you'll forgive the grand proclamation. If you asked my family and close friends, who knew how massively depressed I was in 2005, in a marriage that was breaking up and a career I hated, they'd agree with the statement. I'm sure many people thought it was hyperbole, designed to sell more copies of "Fantasy Life." No doubt, it's over the top and hey, I was definitely trying to sell books, but here's the thing: It's also something I truly believe. When I was out promoting my book, a common line I used was "fantasy football saved my life." ![]() I sit there, staring, unsure of what to say or how to react.īut I just keep looking at them. It is not a statement they would make without a tremendous amount of thought. My name is on it, but make no mistake, both of these gentlemen have spent countless hours suggesting, brainstorming, editing, adding graphics and photos, rewriting, researching and supporting almost every single preseason and weekly Love/Hate that you've ever read, in one place or another, for close to two decades. "Your Week 17 column should be the last Love/Hate ever." it clearly gives him no joy to say it, but he stands firm. Pierre, who has almost as much blood, sweat and tears in this column as I do. Roto site and edited every single Love/Hate I wrote there for many years. Pierre, who, prior to coming to ESPN, was the editor-in-chief of my Talented Mr. Pierre, who, prior to Keith, spent seven years editing every single Love/Hate I wrote for ESPN. I look over to Pierre, questions in my face. "We think you've written your last Love/Hate."Īnd Keith Lipscomb, who, for the past three years, has edited every single Love/Hate - 5,000-plus words a week - slowly nods back at me. They are both looking at me intently when Pierre starts our meeting with the following statement: He is sitting next to "Not Cool" Keith Lipscomb, who, when not appearing as part of the Fantasy Focus podcast, is actually a senior editor in ESPN's Fantasy department, overseeing all of our fantasy football content. It's five months ago, and I'm sitting in the office of my friend Pierre Becquey, who, among other things, oversees fantasy sports digital content for ESPN. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browser
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