Why do we love? What is it about an individual that makes us feel very strongly about them? Is it that we share common goals and aspirations? Or is it that they possess a singularly intangible quality that a limited amount of people notice. These are some of life's biggest questions. 

But they're not about relationships.

No, ladies and gentlemen, when I ask those questions I'm not asking from the relationship perspective, I'm asking about fantasy baseball. Why is it that those of us among the Hot Ham Water community are fans of specific players, for example, Tim Lincecum? In this case, I think Lincecum is a combination of goals and aspirations, and intangibles. Which, in turn, makes him even more "desirable." He has the cold, hard statistics that bear out his talent, and he has that certain something, that intangible quality that leads one to believe he will be an incredible major league talent. Another example of a player who just seems to "have it" is Jake Peavy. When you watch him pitch, he has ridiculous talent, and he has the intensity and competitive spirit that leads to greatness. And in another example, this one outside of the world of sports, George Clooney comes to mind as someone who fits that description. He has acting chops, as shown by his excellent performance in "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and someone who can make any movie better with his charm and suaveness. Tim Lincecum has that kind of ability. Unfortunately, it appears he will continue to toil for a poor quality team in San Francisco, instead of going to pitch for a contender. 

One of the best parts about fantasy baseball is the ability to lock in on your favorite players and follow their careers from the minors to the majors.  Somehow, I managed to not get Lincecum on any of my three teams this fantasy baseball season. As depressing as that is, a few of the other plays that I feel this way about are currently residing on rosters at least in part controlled by me. While I know that these gut feelings of mine do not conclusively lead to hall of fame careers, it does provide for much more enjoyment and satisfaction. Again, to put things into entertainment terms, having players on your team you consistently root for is like seeing a movie where the plot doesn't necessarily interest you, but the actors do. I'm not a Giants fan, in fact, I despise the Giants, but Lincecum is one of my favorite fantasy players. 

So someday soon hopefully I'll be able to acquire Lincecum on one of my teams, and happiness will prevail across the land. Or, I could just win my three leagues and the $1500-ish that goes along with that. Happiness would definitely prevail across the land then too.

Until then I'll keep wondering about just why I love Tim Lincecum.