Can The Good Guys Win?

By Scott “Love Handles” Rathmill
Love of Sports Correspondent

Another week, another hard-fought and well-deserved victory.

My fantasy team, “The Centerfolds”, battled tooth and nail. They overcame adversity. When the going got tough, they got going.

Several other clichés for victory also happened. You know the drill.

“The Centerfolds” are hanging onto third place in the league at this point. Not too shabby for a collection of the friendliest, most warm-hearted gentlemen in the league.

We narrowly beat our opponents by a score of 5-4 this past week - nearly taking home the wins in three-pointers and shooting percentage categories as well, but just falling short. Although I’m happy we won, this was still a week of lost opportunities and misplaced priorities. We should have hit a few more treys. We should have nailed a few more open jumpers. But can I really blame my team for this?

With Hanukkah just behind us - and Christmas approaching with the speed of a Steve Nash behind-the-back, no-look, left-handed, one-footed, laser-rocket pass - there are plenty of distractions for my fantasy players. My job is to keep the team focused on one thing, and one thing only – winning at any cost!

But when it comes to holiday shopping, “winning at any cost” just won’t do. At this time of year, though, there’s no need to spend an entire game check or two on gifts – if you do some smart online price comparisons.

With Amazon.com offering free two-day shipping, and Ralph Lauren online featuring its fabulous winter sales, how could I expect the bargain hunter in every fantasy basketball player to remain focused on basketball?

I can’t expect that level of sacrifice from anyone, not even my family or closest friends.

So, was I disappointed when I caught Yao surfing Target.com for bargain-basement deals on big-screen TV’s?

No.

Did I raise my voice when Kevin Durant had 50 Sony Playstation 3’s delivered to the fantasy locker room – on sale this week only! (and with free shipping) - from Amazon?

Not in the least.

Instead, I was very proud of my players. They showed the same tenacity for finding an outstanding deal on ladies’ outerwear (up to 40% off at Macy’s), as they do driving the lane and taking a flagrant elbow to the jaw for the foul.

Besides, with both Ray Allen and LaMarcus Aldridge nursing relatively minor injuries this week, they had plenty of free time to do a little value-shopping for everything from plane tickets to Mexico ($99 one-way on JetBlue) to great deals on refurbished digital cameras (as low as $49.95 at the Refurb Depot).

On the whole, “The Centerfolds” are trying to make the most of the holiday season - both on the court and off.

Maybe we didn’t hit quite enough shots this past week, or maybe we didn’t dominate quite as much in points scored, rebounds and blocks as we normally do. But this time of year is a season for giving and receiving.

So, I can justify giving our opponents a few extra wins here and there if it means I can receive some good deals on home electronics and DVD’s. 

Happy holidays - and happy online shopping.