"It's not like we're not friends anymore."

That's what we have to tell ourselves about Ed's departure.  Since he told us that he was leaving the league, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that we all held out hope that he would change his mind.  But while I can't speak for Ed either, I'm pretty sure he was completely sure of this decision.

He has his reasons.  I don't respect him any less because he left our league.  It's just a matter of que sera sera, and now we have to move on and focus on the upcoming draft (another reminder: Sunday 8/11 at 5 pm CST).

But we also need to address the elephant in the room.  That is, who's going to replace Ed?  You all basically know the answer.  It's Joe!  No, wait, it's Mihir!  No, wait...

Actually, it's going to be both of them.  Considering this will be either's first time even playing fantasy football, having them double up is a decent way to have them learn the game.  It's not like our league is easy either.  Auction drafts aren't easy for beginners, so diving right in makes it a bit tough.  However, we all are smart people, so learning it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

I've already spoken to Joe and given him a rundown of how our league works.  There's no going back now.  Ed is 100% gone.  Joe's excited.  Mihir's excited.  Were not going to pull the rug out from under them.

So let's thank Ed for what he's done for this league.  He brought us many an ode, some great trash talk, and was my favorite person to play during a season.

But now we're just adding a different flavor.  And if we expand to twelve teams next year, Joe and Mihir will both have some experience under their belt.

Looking forward to a fun draft next week!