The league was called Spiced Lamb Shank.
By November, the draft confusion was over. Trade messages had taken its place.
ESPN sent a confirmation when two teams accepted a deal. The subject said the trade was complete. The rest of the league could open the message and see the details.
The notification meant both sides had finished the action inside ESPN. It was no longer only a proposal sitting between two owners.
Both teams had accepted it.
The team names were most of the fun. Horse Chokers. Sweet Lincoln's Mullet. Mustache Ride. The Teddy Ginn Junior Family. Mine was not subtle either.
Nobody needed fantasy football to be serious. We still created plenty of administration around it.
There had been draft lotteries, keeper rules, schedule changes, time-zone corrections, proposed trades, accepted trades, and reminders to log in. ESPN turned each step into another email.
The same friends appeared elsewhere in my inbox. We shared party plans, utility bills, game tickets, camping weekends, car links, and whatever else somebody sent around. The league kept another conversation running through football season.
Fantasy football gave the group another shared thread during the week.
The accepted-trade message did not include the full standings or the eventual league winner.
The league and team names carried plenty of personality on their own.
It confirms that the league was active in November and that two teams had reached a deal.
Spiced Lamb Shank was still going. ESPN handled the trade notice and the league moved to its next week.