We are less than a week away from the most anticipated moment in professional sports. Well that is the most anticipated in Fantasy professional sports: Opening Day.

It may be an open debate as to which sport’s beginning is more anticipated in the US but my guess is it would still be between college hoops and baseball but you can rest assured as far as fantasy sports go this day falls second to none.

For those of you that are avid baseball fans you know that feeling that comes around in late March, and early April where once Marquette gets bumped out of the NCAA Tournament, the only think on your mind is Opening Day. You can not wait for that first pitch, the first time Prince comes to the plate and the first game that you can tailgate for. Every other sport becomes meaningless and any day that your team is off seems like the longest day of the year.

While those feelings are similar among those that are ready to kick off their fantasy leagues for the 2010 season, but I can promise you their excitement and love for the game is on a whole other level. Their world is one absorbed in statistics and completely consumed by potentials. They have no favorite team, and their only favorite player is the one producing the most points. Their only concern for that first pitch is how the pitcher looked and whether or not he needs to be traded in order for the betterment of a fake team. Prince’s plate appearance will matter only for a fake team only one person will ever care about, and no tailgating will be done because let’s face it they will be too busy exploring trades for J.J. Hardy that will help the Nosepickers.

If you do not know about the craze that is single handedly consuming grown men and women’s lives believe me the players know about it. Ryan Braun who is widely considered one of the best prospects for any fantasy team has reportedly been feeling the pressure. Aside from the pressures of a new contract, being the team’s go-to guy of the future, opening his new restaurant in downtown Milwaukee, he now has the pressure of baseball nerds everywhere to perform.

The pressure of the fantasy world has been by far the most stressful part of the young sluggers new season. According to sources that may have no contact with Braun, his status as a pre-season fantasy all-star is taking his toll. He has been taking extra cuts at practice, working on his fielding, and studying pitchers for the sole purpose of some unknown fantasy geek in Tacoma, Washington who hopes he will be the anchor. He is reportedly hoping that he can have 30 multi-homer games this season just so that he can escape the condescending eyes of owners of fake teams nationally.

These owners no longer care if their favorite team wins more than 50 games because let’s face it they have no favorite team. The fantasy teams have sacrificed the sanctity of America’s pastime for the prospect that they’ll be crowned a victor in a league that eleven other people will see the results. You think steroids had a bad effect on baseball? Wait until people begin complaining that their star player has had to sit out two games with a lower back strain. Who cares about any potential Cinderellas in the 2010 season? The guys that run their fantasy teams sure won’t. Just remember when your favorite team has just rattled off a ten game win streak this season and is in the thick of the play-off race, fantasy owners everywhere will find fault with their guys that have not hit .400, slugged 60 homers and stolen 100 bases.

**DISCLAIMER – This article is apart of The Warrior’s April Fool’s Edition

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