In this special edition of the blog I will go in depth with fellow MLBlogs writer Keith Olbermann — who recently began his blog.  As some of you may know, Olbermann has participated in fantasy baseball for years dating back to when it was not as socially acceptable as it is now.  I know, fantasy sports are still not exactly considered “cool,” but it wasn’t that long ago that it was known exclusively as a “dork” or “nerd” activity.

The name of Keith’s blog?  The Baseball Nerd.  See, I told you.  He’s not at all ashamed of his fantasy baseball heritage.  In fact, he’s proud of it, as he should be.

And yes, this is the guy who used to work as the sportscaster in So. Cal., worked at ESPN and now does some show at MSNBC that has to with counting or something.  But I encourage everyone to treat him as just another baseball fan when reading his blog and especially if you are going to post a comment to him.

Keith respects the game and its history, so let’s show respect to him.  It’s true, that may be easier for those of us that geniunely enjoy the programming at MSNBC, but again we are all here because we love baseball.

 
OK, with that out of the way, let’s get into my exclusive, one-on-one interview with Keith on fantasy sports.  I guess I should explain exactly what I mean by “exclusive, one-on-one interview.”  Basically, I posted a question to his blog on Wed. (3/25/09) and he was nice enough to answer it yesterday (03/26/09) in his post.

Now, he didn’t address me by name when responding, but instead quoted Billy Crystal in saying “and you know who you are.”  So, in a stalking, twisted manner, I have taken his reply as an exceptional compliment and endorsement of me as a fantasy writer and human being.  If you are a fan of the Flight of the Conchords, then you can picture me as that obsessed female fan, Mel, who follows Bret and Jemaine around.

But hey, I was the only one who asked him about fantasy baseball, so he had to be talking to me when he discussed fantasy, right?!  Glad you agree… 

Alright, here we go.  Picture me and Keith Olbermann sitting opposite each other at a large table that is covered with statistical papers and books.  Keith looks a little nervous, because after all he is staring down the world-famous Johnny Archive (your hero!) and he has no idea about the grilling he is about to endure.  Sure, he’s been seen by millions and has an extensive resume of T.V. projects – including launching the ESPN 2 network, while sporting a cool leather jacket, with Suzy Kolber.

I waste no time and fire my first question.

JA – I’m curious, with your schedule these days, how many fantasy baseball leagues do you participate in?

Still a bit unsettled, he responds.

KO – I actually retired from Fantasy Ball in 1995 for fear of having to draft a line-up of UPS Drivers. Got talked back into it in 2007 by my friend Jason Bateman, then played football in his league that year. The rust having been shaken off, I won them both last year (NL-only, six-by-six format, no freezes, Jason likes to count Holds for goodness sakes). This year I’m co-owning an AL-only team in a league with some of the ESPN experts. I take this way too seriously (the league that went out of business in 1994 had 40-man rosters and we actually held a two-round amateur draft two weeks ahead of the actual MLB draft).

I have to admit, I was expecting some name-dropping, but who would have guessed that Jason Bateman would be the celeb’ thrown back at me and was such a big fantasy fan!?

Anyway, I came right back at him with the second question!

JA – I know you’ve been in leagues for years, I’d love to know your thoughts on the fantasy sports industry overall?

He just stared at me.  At this point, I began to wilt under the pressure!  For the love of God, this is Keith bleepin’ Olbermann I’m talking to here!!!  He has a very scary stare, man.  Just ask Bill Maher, the host of Real Time on HBO.  When Olbermann was on his show last week, Maher had him sit on the side of him so he wouldn’t have to make eye contact with him.

KO – I take this way too seriously (the league that went out of business in 1994 had 40-man rosters and we actually held a two-round amateur draft two weeks ahead of the actual MLB draft).

Then he went right back to staring, maybe even glaring at me!

So, after a few seconds of ”the stare” as I will now call it, I quickly moved on to my third and final question.   I know, three questions is a bit lame for an “in-depth, grilling,” but I was totally sceered of him.  Hey, he’s a big guy!  I mean, I was busy with other things and couldn’t spend all day with this interview, ya’ know.

JA – Maybe you could share some of your fantasy sleepers for ’09?!  I asked, sheepishly and yet defiantly!

It was at this point that I could see a twinkle in Olbermann’s eye.  Yep, he was starting to gain a level of respect for the ol’ Archiver!  It was as if he realized in the fantasy world I was somehow his equal.  He knew I had talent and he appreciated that.  Though he seemed to take a peek at my belly as he spoke.

KO – I’m better now but I still can’t imagine giving away my sleepers, at least until after the draft Sunday. I will say this, if it’s of any use: I saw Albert Pujols in Clearwater ten days ago and he looked 100% healthy for the first time in years. And no hint of a paunch. And I know my paunches.

And with that, I got up and ran from the room like a little school girl who just heard the bell for recess.  I didn’t appreciate the paunch reference, but hey, I wasn’t going to say anything to him about it!  I did a write down the inside information on this Albert Pujols dude.  Seems it could come in useful at some point.

So, there ya go.  A total make-believe interview for your reading enjoyment.  In all seriousness, I do want to thank Keith for answering my questions about fantasy on his blog.  Just having high-profile “cool” people semi-endorse fantasy sports helps the general public to regard it in a more respectable manner.

-Johnny Archive