EncourageYou!

As a baseball fan, I'm enjoying another year managing my fantasy baseball team. I took some time off when my children were babies, but I started as a teenager in the 1980s. I'm also blessed to be in the same league with guys I've known for 10-20 years or more. Here are some examples of what I've learned. Some observations are funny, some serious. Feel free to post your own observations if you like.

• You are young when you look up to athletes who are grown up.
• You are old when you root for athletes who are younger than you.
• You are really old when athletes are younger than your high school diploma.
• One superstar is more valuable than a group of average performers. This is true in sports, business, friendships, and romance. Don't trade your superstar for a group of so-sos. If you have a superstar, don't let go.
• Drafting is more valuable than trading. Players taken in the draft are free, players traded for cost something.
• You can't win them all, but you can lose them all. At least I can.
• No matter how good you are, there's someone smarter, faster, or more shrewd than you. If not, somebody is working on it.
• Nothing in life is certain. That's why you play the games.
• When negotiating a trade or making a business deal, know the facts. It's not the other person's job to look out for your best interests, it's your job.
• Speaking of negotiating a trade, if someone you've known for a decade or two tries to get the better of you, it's nothing personal.
• Players come and go, but friends stay forever.
• Friends stay forever only if you're committed to the time and effort.
• On any given day, you can win, or you can lose. How well you're doing depends on the long haul.
• The dice are thrown, but God influences the outcome (see Proverbs 16:33)
• It's not whether you win or lose, it's how you play the game.

My fantasy baseball league plays simulated games based on players actual performances. For more information, link to www.apbagames.com