Some would say, “it’s the most wonderful time of the year…” Some actually sing it or at least, hum it to themselves.

No, I’m not talking about “only 481 days till Christmas,” although that’s a pleasant thought too. I am talking about kicking pigskins, spiking Mikasa in su casa, slamming dimpled resin covered rubber balls and pounding the trails across country.

High school sports began their heated competition last week and people had a chance to get a good look at the 2022 fall sports teams in Platte County.

We are also getting close to football games that actually count toward the schedule without watching replacement players. The real NFL season is upon us, and you know what that means…

Fantasy football parties, everyone so optimistic about their picks and trading like used car salesmen.

Here we are in the last week of the fantasy football draftings and I am still on the fence, knowing that most of my family has already drafted and much activity is going on within their teams with hirings, firings, trades, injury reports and stocking up the beverages and the brats for week one.

According to the Daily Press, “Fantasy football has grown to become a billion-dollar industry that has impacted the sports world and even businesses. Outplacement consultancy Challenger, Grey and Christmas Inc. estimates businesses nationwide lose $14 billion in productivity due to employees managing their teams during work hours. Research also shows the average fantasy football aficionado spends an average of two hours each day researching, discussing and managing their fantasy teams.”

Thank God most of my kids don’t take it that seriously, but don’t quote me on that. My grandson is a four-year fantasy Superbowl champion and he’s only 10. Following in my footsteps at that age, he has most of the averages and stats memorized each week and is well prepared for any glitch in his system.

Now, my son Tyler, a second-generation DeLap fantasy football athlete juggles three fantasy teams, two dogs, a career as an accountant and managing to keep up with his wife’s schedule at the hospital where she is a doctor and no, she doesn’t have a fantasy team mixed in somewhere with her patients.

I’ve heard about the parties that these gen X kids have as they have been pioneers in taking fantasy football to the next level. He usually calls me on his draft day, somewhere between the third and fourth rounds to tell who he’s got and to ask my opinion as to his choices that he has to make in one minute and 27 seconds to pull the trigger on another running back or a kicker.

For those well-versed in fantasy football, nobody takes a kicker in those rounds, so I pretty much have to talk him down off the ledge and assure him that kicker’s not going anywhere. Now. That being said, if he, God forbid does miss out on that kicker and gets bitten from behind going into the playoffs, I know I will have multiple calls on my voicemail.

Just something to look forward to for you parents raising children and realize that nobody has written the book on “teaching your children how to have a bad day: fantasy football for mentors.”

And, although nobody in the family wants to admit that the smug little 10 year-old has all the answers, there have been secret calls made to Minneapolis, reaching out to the Viking Yoda.

This, for me is a little like deer camp. You go out with your gun and your ammunition big smiles, huge aspirations and an inner overconfidence while on the outside you tell everyone, “oh geez, I don’t know if I’m feeling lucky this year.”  You end up back at the cabin with stories and excuses and lots of reasons to drown your sorrows with Jacob Leinenkugel and a few of his friends. (Again, Wisconsin reference; Google it.)

I think I best remember a line from the movie “Down Periscope” where the sailor in explaining why he lost a bet says, “Did you ever bet on a sure thing and then the horse gets a cramp?”

Got to hand it to my son’s trading abilities though. He is shrewd enough to have traded away two players who retired, three that were out on IR and one who had died… in 1989.

Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022. Are you ready for some football? Fantasy football aside, Josh Allen the Wyo product will be going head-to-head with last year’s Super Bowl Champion Los Angeles Rams. Wait. They are still in Los Angeles, right? Sorry St. Louis.

I also apologize to the woman who was three-quarters of the way through this column only to find out I’m not talking about pumpkin spice lattes or Christmas.