As Mike and I sat in the bar earlier today, imbibing some atmosphere, baseball talk and, perhaps, a few of our favorite beverages, I shared with Mike some of my typical pre-draft angst. It seems each year brings stress before the draft. Sometimes the draft is stressful because I am employing a strategy - this always brings an element of stress particularly if you haven't tried it before (Mike will fondly remember my chain-smoking face of terror the first year I tried to Sweeney - it wasn't pretty). Other times, that stress is just being "amp"-ed before the draft.
This year is different than other years because I have a 7 month old - all routines go out the window. Nonetheless, generally speaking, I try to chill out on the night before the draft and ignore baseball (well, fantasy baseball anyway). Play with the kids, read a book, watch a movie - anything to quiet the voices in your mind telling you that your numbers are wrong, Crawford will go for $55, etc. and so on.
The morning of the draft is always the same. Wake up early. Make a good cup of coffee. Check the rosters, check the boxscores, check the DL. Leave early for the draft (I still remember spending 4 or 5 hours in the car on the LIE and showing up for our draft about an hour or two late many years ago). Unless something drastic happens, don't tinker with the numbers - like we used to hear in school, there is nothing good you can do in the five minutes before the test.
Anyone have any particular routines they follow? Superstitions? Good luck charms?
If you have drafts this week, good luck to you. Instead of writing about the American League auction on Sunday, I will actually share (finally) the strategy and results of the National League I drafted in for the first time last week.
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