Daily Fantasy, Daily Life: Volume XV - KBO DFS: Gone, But Not Forgotten
Two years ago, it was a lifeline.
A year ago, it made waking up at 5 a.m. (because I have the bladder of a 90-year-old woman) a lot more fun than it should be.
This year, it’s been ripped away from my body and soul and I am none too pleased about it.
Of course (of course?) I’m talking about Korean Baseball Organization daily fantasy baseball. You know. KBO DFS. Rolls right off the tongue like we were born with the ability to say it. Go ahead. Say it out loud. All together now … KBO DFS. It makes your mouth happy, doesn’t it?
Yeah. It made my mouth happy as well. But now, today? No more. Or as they say in South Korea, “deo isang-eun eobs-eo,” which is a crap-ton of words and syllables to say “no more” with, but whatever. It’s 100% deo isang-eun eobs-eo, as DraftKings is not offering KBO DFS this year.
Hey there, unfortunately, we won’t be offering KBO contests for the 2022 season.
— DraftKings CX Team (@DK_Assist) April 2, 2022
Roll back the clock to April of 2020.
Coronavirus is sweeping the county, and lockdowns are happening. It was the worst. And KBO DFS helped keep me sane. Not kidding, not hyperbole: I have congenital neurosis, and COVID nearly did me in, mentally. And not having daily fantasy sports as my daily non-family anchor was threatening my sanity.
Enter KBO DFS, which I played every day for months. I’d set my alarm for 5 a.m. or so five days a week (and 12:30 a.m. on Saturdays) in order to get my lineups in. I’d then go back to sleep, and I’d usually wake up in the 7th inning or so hoping for a sweat.
I’m telling you: It was a godsend, having KBO DFS during this time.
Last year? I didn’t need it, but I played it. Instead of setting my alarm, I’d go to bed with KBO on the edge of my consciousness. If I happened to wake up around 5 a.m., I’d stay up to get a lineup or two in by 5:30 a.m lock. (KBO lineups, unlike MLB lineups, usually don’t come out until minutes before game time, which was tough, especially not knowing most of the players.)
While in 2020, I’m pretty confident I was a KBO expert, in 2021 I was just firing away at a few contests for fun. But still: Early morning DFS baseball? Who says no?
And this year, I was even more excited for the action, as Yasiel Puig was continuing his career for the Kiwoom Heroes. Puig is a DFS all-timer, as far as I’m concerned. A true feast or famine player. (KBO teams can carry a maximum of three non-Korean players.
They’re usually the superstars on their team. Some names from years past include Preston Tucker, Aaron Altherr, Dixon Machado, and others who are true KBO superstars – like Jose Fernandez – who had a cup of coffee in the majors before heading overseas.)
But yes. Puig is the cleanup hitter, and you just know he’s going to mash in the KBO (he just hit his first home run Tuesday morning, for the record).
— Kiwoom Heroes International (@kwheroesfan) April 5, 2022
Now, do I “need” KBO DFS? I don’t. But not having it … especially after all it meant to me back during the lockdown … well, I sure do miss it.
Where have you gone, Yang Eui-Ji? A (DFS) nation turns its lonely eyes to you.