Barack Obama On Commanding A Fantasy Football Team

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Sure, Sen. Barack Obama is a formidable presidential candidate ... but can the man pick a decent fantasy football team?

ESPN reporter Rick Reilly "asked each candidate to be my running mate for one week in a fantasy league, just to see what kind of president he'd make -- how he'd handle decisions under pressure and balance a budget. Only Obama bit. We settled on the Week 6 games."

Here's more from his column:

He is taller, grayer and quicker to laugh than I expected. Moves sort of like an athlete -- cool and smooth. "Now, you're the expert," he began. "And I'll gladly be the junior partner in this, but I really think we should take Drew Brees. He could have a big week. Oakland's secondary is a wreck."

Ohhhh, so that's how it's going to be. "Well, I like Carson Palmer," I said. "He's due for a big week, plus he plays in Ohio and I figure that's a state you need, so ..."

He looked at me like I'd stuck my elbow in his soup. "Man, this is more important than politics!" he insisted. "This is football!"

This is a man who could potentially audit me forever. We paid $7.3M for Brees.

He wanted Clinton Portis. I wanted Adrian Peterson. We took Portis ($6.6M). He wanted Brandon Marshall. I wanted Bernard Berrian. We took Marshall ($5.7M).

Doesn't work well with others. Check.

Have to admit, though, he knows his stuff. Turns out, he played a little. He was a tight end in ninth grade until a coach told him to "trample" an opponent's back. He gave up football for hoops. In 2004, when Mike Ditka considered running against him for Senate, Obama--remembering how Ditka let William Perry score a Super Bowl TD instead of Walter Payton--said that "anybody who would give the ball to Refrigerator Perry instead of Sweetness doesn't have very good judgment." Ditka didn't run. "Too bad," Obama says. "We were hoping he would."

Likes to bait Hall of Famers. Check.

It took us 30 minutes to pick nine slots. The man was into it. I said I'd need to talk to him the following week about how we did.

"Cool," he said. "How's Tuesday?"

"Sorry," I said. "Getting married Tuesday."

He looked stunned. "Who'd marry you?"

Wise guy. Check.

We wound up in a dark tunnel under Fifth Third Field in Dayton for a campaign event. He was telling me a story about throwing out a first pitch when suddenly I heard over the PA system, "... the next president of the United States, Barack Obama!" He looked at me, said "Gotta go!" and sprinted up some steps to a thunderclap of a roar.

Read the rest.

Geoffrey Bennett

Tags: Barack Obama | ESPN | Rick Reilly | fantasy football

12:37 PM ET | 10-23-2008 | permalink

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