I am looking forward to fantasy football again this year. I hope
to submit more articles for this site. My usual tack is to point
out the funny or ridiculous things involved with being the pretend
owner of a made-up team in a non-existent sport. One of the best
things about being fantasy team owners is our ability to look in
the mirror and see some reasons to be amused. But I ask you to excuse
me today. Today I want to pay tribute to Troy Siade, who passed
away this year at the age of 38.
Troy was a long-time fellow owner in two of our leagues here
in St. Louis. He loved sports, followed them all. Notre Dame football,
St. Louis Blues and Rams. He even helped operate the manual scoreboard
at Busch Stadium for the Cardinals. If you don't think that is
a big deal, try sitting in the stands on a typically humid, 95-degree
day in St. Louis, and imagine being locked in a metal box with
no air conditioning for the entire game.
Troy loved fantasy football.
He was one of the founding owners in our first, and still most
prized, redraft league. He wasn't always successful; in fact,
he probably missed the playoffs more years than he made them.
But as an owner, he was solid-other commissioners out there can
attest that many owners lack interest if they are not consistently
successful, but Troy was there every year. He was dedicated and
competitive.
Like most competitors, the owners in these leagues didn't always
get along, but you knew that Troy would be active and would try
to win. Like I said, a foundational-type owner for any league.
Late last year, I learned what other, closer friends and family
already knew. Troy suffered from non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a deadly
form of cancer. He fought, he underwent treatments, he held himself
in such a way that those who didn't know about the disease couldn't
even tell he was sick. I gained a new respect for him and hoped
for the best.
In the end, he was overcome, and passed away at far too young
an age. Fittingly, last year, his last year in our keeper league,
he won the Super Bowl. His skill and his persistence paid off-his
roster is stacked with the likes of Priest Holmes, Clinton Portis,
Torry Holt, Brett Favre, Matt Hasselbeck, and Eric Moulds.
We will remember him. We will collect donations for the Leukemia
and Lymphoma Society, and will play for the Troy Siade Memorial
Trophy for (hopefully) years to come. This year, at your own draft
day, feel free to take a moment and appreciate your buddies all
around you. And raise a glass to Troy and all of us who love this
game so much.
