Angels’ fantasy league goes big time
September 4th, 2008, 1:14 am · Post a Comment · posted by BILL PLUNKETT, OCREGISTER.COM
They did it up right this year.
Perennial league doormat (so they tell me) Scot Shields played host to the Angels’ annual fantasy football draft on Monday. Usually, the guys get together at a hotel ballroom on the road somewhere.
But Shields makes his off-season home in a suburb just outside Detroit (how’s that for backwards — winters in Detroit, summers in Southern California) so he had all the pretend-GMs over to his house for the draft.
Shields went above and beyond, though. He arranged for a shuttle bus to pick players up at the airport when the team plane landed here Monday (Shields flew out ahead of the team to be with his family) and drop them off at his house. The same bus picked some players up at the team hotel in Birmingham — and took everyone back at the end of the night.
“I can imagine what my neighbors were thinking when this bus rolled up and 15, 20 guys got out,” Shields laughed.
The draft was a catered affair this year — Famous Dave’s BBQ — and Shields invited anyone else from the team’s traveling party (football geek or not) to attend.
The team “owners” adjourned to the basement (they have those here) for the draft. Defending champions Darren Oliver and Dustin Moseley had the first pick (via random draw) and took Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson. From there:
Mike Napoli and Jeff Mathis — Eagles RB Brian Westbrook
Travel secretary (and league commissioner) Tom Taylor — Patriots QB Tom Brady
Joe Saunders and Chone Figgins — Vikings RB Adrian Peterson
John Lackey — Cowboys QB Tony Romo (surprising no one)
Reggie Willits and Jered Weaver — Rams RB Steven Jackson
Assistant trainer Adam Nevala and Mark Teixeira — Colts QB Peyton Manning
Garret Anderson — Patriots WR Randy Moss
Robb Quinlan — Chargers QB Drew Brees
Torii Hunter and Jon Garland — Cowboys WR Terrell Owens
Bullpen catcher (and two-time past champ) Steve Soliz — Colts WR Reggie Wayne
Shields — Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald
Teixeira was a surprise entry in the league, teaming up with Nevala at the last minute apparently. I joked with Shields that this could be taken as a sign that the free-agent-to-be is thinking of sticking around beyond this (baseball) season.
“That’s good,” Shields joked back. “Write that he signed an extension.”
