I tried this last year and it seemed to work out pretty well. I think everyone involved had a good time so we’re back again this year with some fantasy football.

NFL Football is pretty much the only major sport I pay much attention to these days. Of the arguably four major sports (baseball, football, basketball and ice hockey) it’s the only one I think that goes well with craft beer. Hear me out. I know you can get decent beer at most sporting events if you’re willing to pay a premium price and do some extensive searching around the park, stadium or whatever. But baseball is played in the summer months and both basketball and hockey are indoor sports so all three tend to favor warm weather light beers, the kind made in vats the size of Montana. Football, on the other hand, is usually played outdoors in the dead of fall or winter, in rain, sleet or snow, with the wind whipping through the frozen tundra turning everyone into human Popsicles. That’s the perfect time for a nice warming barleywine, doppelbock or Belgian tripel. Or perhaps a thick Imperial Russian Stout, an über hoppy Double IPA or even a nice Wee Heavy. Now those are football beers. Yum.

Despite having grown up in Pennsylvania, I’ve been a Green Bay fan my entire life. But after the Lombardi years, the Packers went through a twenty year drought that made my enthusiasm for the game pretty hard to sustain. It’s hard to keep rooting for a team that never wins, especially when all your friends are 49ers fans, it’s the Montana/Young era and they rub it in your face at every opportunity. But finally in the early nineties, Brett Favre joined the team and they finally started winning again. And ever since it’s been fun again to follow football. This year, with Favre at the New York Jets, I’ll have two teams to root for, though if they play Green Bay it’s no contest: Go Pack!

So I’ve set up two free Yahoo fantasy football games, one a simple pick ’em game and the other a survival pool, and you’re invited to play along. Up to 50 people can play each game, so if you’re a regular Bulletin reader feel free to sign up. It’s free to play, all you need is a Yahoo ID, which is also free. Below is a description of each game and the details on how to play.

Pro Football Pick’em

In this Pick’em game, just pick the winner for every game each week, with no spread, and let’s see who gets the most correct throughout the season. All that’s at stake is bragging rights, but it’s fun.

In order to join the group, just go to Pro Football Pick’em, click the “Sign Up” button (or “Create or Join Group” if you are a returning user). From there, follow the path to join an existing private group and when prompted, enter the following information…

Group ID#: 29057 (Beer Bulletin Pick’Em)
Password: bulletin

Survival Football

If picking all sixteen football game every week seems like too much, then Survival Football is for you. In Survival Football, you only have to pick one game each week. The only catch is you can’t pick the same team to win more than once all season. And you better be sure about each game you pick because if you’re wrong, you’re out for the season. Last man standing wins.

In order to join the group, just go to Survival Football, click the “Sign Up” button and choose to “Join an Existing Group”, then “Join a Private Group”. Then, when prompted, enter the following information…

Group ID#: 8612 (Beer Bulletin Survival)
Password: bulletin