Renee Rosenow

Our ranking went up, by one. Yes, today we are eight out of 10. Not what I would have expected when I started this journey, but the good thing is our team did not end last. We ended with an overall record of 6-8, with a total of 1,215.03 points.

If 463 Snaps & Counting would have lost Week 14 we would have been seventh, but they didn’t. They beat The Loose Poopmen 122.65 to 82.24.

Even though I’m happy the Poopmen lost another game, I have to admit I want him to win the league. After that, I would hope The Donald Duckers takes second place, followed by the Mustard Lookers.

I want to thank those who gave me advice throughout the season, without those interventions our team would have not been able to play this week, like the Paladins and Naughty Parts who are finito.

We are now on Week 15 and our team is entering a new challenge. Snaps & Counting likes to call it, “Consolation round” – no pun intended – I like to call it “sudden death.”

If we lose, we are out.

This journey that started as an experiment, has become my obsession. I did not only read the news for my players, but also those of my teammates’ as well as the ranking advice of many Web sites.

I don’t think that was enough.

My first time was seven years ago and even though I knew the names of some players I do not know how well they played.

My teammate, the Poopmen, told me this experience had at least helped me to be more diligent when researching players before the draft, especially when the players’ bye weeks are. I agree. That was the first problem I encountered, and our team went downhill from there.

His advice was to watch as many games as I can so I can “understand why some players do well and other players play like garbage,” he said.

He also said I had to become a fan of the game of football. I thought I was a fan, but I learned that being a fan is not about liking how helmets crash or how players get tackled, is about how much you know about the players, anticipate their injuries and taking chances with players that might surprise you, like Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The way I learned to express all this emotion, through out the season, is by swearing at my computer, my T.V., teammates and myself because I felt so helpless I could not avoid my players from getting injured, or shooting themselves.

It was a fun journey that is not over yet. We can still end fifth.

So even though we did not make it to the playoffs, this experience has certainly got me interested enough to play it again next year.

After all, practice makes perfect.

Lozano is a senior print journalism major and sports editor of The Spectator. “Fantasy Virgin” is a column that appears every Thursday.