This week, Matthew Berry
put out his 10 lists of 10, so I thought I’d make my own list. Mine will try to explain why people can’t
seem to get enough of the fantasy guru in their lives. Everyone might not agree with the reasons I
lay out below, but this is my perspective.
I read all of his fantasy football articles (and some of the baseball
ones), follow him via social media, and I’ll catch a podcast every now and
then. I really enjoy the guy. But why?
There are plenty of fantasy football “experts” out there. What makes him so special? Well, I’ll try to explain why I think that is the case, but
I think most of these boil down to one thing: he’s the
regular-everyday-normalguy.
Hopefully if he takes
the time to read this, he’s flattered and not pissed off. I’ve seen some of the nasty tweets and emails he gets, and while most are
hilarious, that’s not me. I have nothing
but respect for the guy. I’ll start with
the most obvious reason and work my way through until a couple that I think are
the most apt to his readers.
He’s on the four letter
I realize the guy
hasn’t always worked for ESPN, but he’s there now. I don’t know his life story, but I imagine he
didn’t pop out of the womb posting his love/hate lists. He had to work hard (and/or maybe get a break) to
get there. Whatever the case may be,
he’s working for the worldwide leader, and that’s where most people go to get
they’re sports 411. The thing is, there
are plenty of other guys who do fantasy stuff at ESPN, but with him I guess the
cream has risen to the top. Any way you slice it, ESPN has definitely put him in the best position to succeed, but what else is it about him that people like?
He takes this $*^# seriously
I mean, it is his job, so I’d hope he takes it
seriously. But this guy drops stat
nuggets that I don’t see other people producing. Sure, he has his sources so he’s not doing
100% of this himself, but you try Googling “2011 red zone targets QB to TE” and
see how far you get. Yeah. Ninety seconds later and my brain
hurts. I’ll just check out Berry’s article
where he puts it all out there nicely wrapped, bow and all.
From his Hundred Facts…
“Over the final five games last season, no quarterback had a
higher QBR than Philip Rivers
(94.4 out of a possible 100).”
Where else are you
going to get stuff like that? That is
invaluable. We all have day jobs. Let guys like him sort through the stats and
give us greatness like that. Just make
sure you can sort through everything and make your own mind up
yourself.
He doesn’t take this $*^# too seriously
“Wait. But you said he does.” What I mean is that
he seems to recognize the craziness that is fantasy sports, and he rolls with
the punches. The picture of him standing
in Times Square says it all. This guy
can laugh at himself. I can’t imagine
the type of hate mail he gets because I’m sure he’s only sharing a few here and
there. You need to have some pretty
thick skin and a good outlook on life to deal with that mess, and I think he
does. I have to respect him for that,
and I’m definitely glad he does share some of it with us.
He gives insight into his personal life
Speaking of sharing, I
think it’s a big reason that people enjoy his material. I loved the story in this year’s Love/Hate
when he tells us about doing the kid’s league.
Great stuff. I like that he
includes a little insight into something other than just fantasy football, and
I think people like to relate. I mean,
how many of his readers can probably relate to a middle-aged, balding, family
man? Quite a few. That’s how many. Meanwhile, it gives his writing a little
something more than just quick stats and “pick this guy over that guy”.
His writing style
To add on to that
thought, I personally really like his writing style. It’s casual, conversational, funny (slash
corny at times). He references pop
culture, mixing in a little old and new.
I mean, I think this guy just gets it.
Again, mass appeal and super-relatable.
And also again (I know, great English), I hope he takes that as a
compliment.
He’s social media savvy
If you don’t think he
“gets it”, I would point to his Facebook page, Twitter, Chats, Podcasts,
etc. The dude is everywhere. And not only that, but he reacts to his
fans. He’s interactive enough for
people to feel like they have a connection, and in this age of social media,
that can be really important to readers.
He’s a Redskins fan
Let me explain because
if you’ve read any of my previous posts, you know that I am also a Redskins
fan. However, I’m not implying that
people enjoy his writing because he’s a Redskins fan. That’s just insane. What I mean is that you know he’s a
Redskins fan. He’s known to wear his
heart on his sleeve (and he usually acknowledges it), he’s genuine, and even self-deprecating
at times. Oftentimes writers,
journalists, and the like will try to remain neutral. Not Berry.
You know he’s a Skins fan through and through, but he’s sure to keep a
balance with it by letting you know he knows it. I think people appreciate that honesty.
He sticks to his guns
I heard a rumor that
he’s purchased his burial site right next to Michael Vick’s. I don’t know if it’s true or not (probably
not because I’m just now starting it).
How long is he going to stick with Vick?
I think it’s great. He pretty
much stuck with him all of last year, and I believe he’s alluded to it a time
or two in 2012. I was surprised not to
see him ranked in his top-10 this year, but I guess he’s a little
snakebit. If Vick starts the year off
hot, I bet Berry will be praising him until the end…or at least until 2018 or
so. This is just one example, but I
think he has very strong opinions and he sticks to them. He’ll also acknowledges that he’ll get some
right and he’ll get some wrong. It’s the
nature of the beast.
We all need self-affirmation
These last two I think
are the most telling. I started working
on my rankings some time in early July I think, and one of the first things I
looked forward to was how they would compare with “expert” rankings,
specifically Berry’s. Why? I think it has to do with some type of
affirmation and satisfaction that I’m on the right track with my own
rankings. And maybe everyone doesn’t
take the time to make their own list, but they have certain ideas about
players, and they want to confirm them with someone who does this for a
living. I’ll be honest, it feels a
little lonely out on this limb with Benjarvis Green-Ellis as 19th
overall on my list. On one hand, I’d
like to see someone write an article featuring him or hyping him up as a top pick. On the other, I don’t mind him
lasting to the middle rounds because then I’ll probably be able to snag him a
little earlier than everyone else. If
I’m right, awesome. If I’m not, then
maybe I should’ve listened to the experts…
People need a goat
I’m not referring to
the “greatest of all time” here, but rather someone to blame. There are a lot of haters out there who want
someone to blame when told to start this guy over that guy. We need Matthew Berry so we don’t have to
take responsibility for that heartbreaking fantasy loss. After all, it was his advice that cost us
the championship, right? I could go on
and on with the sarcasm for this last point, but I think you get it.
OK, fantasy football fans. It's back to the day job for me. Enjoy your weekends!
Cheers,
Bart
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