Viva Murillo!

I'm going to ask you to make a difficult phone call. You need to call to congratulate your league champion.

I know about difficult phone calls. When I was on a previous career path (drifting between them, really) I used to cold-call people. Yes, I was that guy -- the one who would interrupt your dinner or favorite TV show to pitch something you didn't ask for and probably didn't want. It was a real lose/lose all around: The people I called didn't like it and I didn't like it, either. It was tough just getting mentally prepared to make a call like that.

As hard as that was, congratulating an owner who bested you might be harder. I know that it's easier to simply type "congrats" on a league message board or just make a joke about it the next time you see them. But this isn't about "easy." This is about doing what's right, and if the league is worth anything then its champion deserves some accolades.

And it doesn't matter how they became champion. I don't care if the Kurt Warner non-TD pass gave them an unexpected win and they backed into the finals. I don't care if their opponent started Steven Jackson and was unable to make a change due to archaic league protocol. I don't care if they simply read off a cheat sheet at the draft and coasted on nothing but luck. They won the league, and you should congratulate them.

I don't know anything about the winner in your league, but I bet they're one of your league's good owners -- they care about their team, they pay attention to waiver wire opportunities and they try to make trades. They didn't ditch your league in week six when their drunken "all Lions" strategy didn't work out. They didn't leave injured and bye week players in their lineup because they were too cool to pay attention to their roster. They were like you. They cared and they wanted to win. You have to reward good owners like that, and let them know that the title was worth winning.

Plus, it makes you look good. How many owners are going to actually call someone and congratulate them? That alone will make you stand out. And when you win the league (next year, right?) don't be surprised if they're the first one to congratulate you. You know that thing about "do unto others?" We don't play a real sport but we can be good sports. And if you want to be a little selfish about it, it might help your team as well. If they need a trading partner next year, who will they be more receptive toward? A random team in the league, or the one owner who acknowledged their victory?

By the way, if you're the winner this year, let me offer my congratulations. Be proud of your accomplishment, but don't rub it in. Trash-talking is fun when there's a competition. But the season is over now; let your accomplishments speak for themselves. I won a league this week where I was one of the biggest trash-talkers. That's the personality of that league, and I usually go all-out. But after last week's games I was silent on the message board. It was all in good fun, and it's over now. A bad winner is just as obnoxious as a sore loser, so avoid falling into either category.

And please, take note of who actually congratulated you. Those are the good owners in your league. You all should stick together, so remember them and be sure to congratulate them when they win.

Finally, if the league is among owners who never talk to each other, an e-mail would be okay. But it should be a genuine, personal note of congratulations. In most cases I think you should call. If you have their number, use it.

Cold-calling and calling your league's champion are unpleasant calls to make. The difference is, after one call you feel better because you did the right thing, and after the other you don't. Guess which one is which?

You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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