Viva Murillo!

Last week I mentioned a few things you can do in July to enhance your fantasy football season in September. They involved doing things early instead of waiting until the last minute. Unfortunately, not everyone will follow that advice and they will wait until the last minute. That's why you have something else you need to do.

There's a good chance you play in a league with an opening, whether you know it or not. The commissioner doesn't know it yet, and the owner dropping out might not even know it yet. But, at the last minute, that owner is going to decide that your league doesn't fit into their 2010 plans, and they'll bail. It wouldn't be a big deal if they did it this week, but they won't. No, they'll wait until a couple of days before the draft, and then your league will be in panic mode.

You know how this ends, right? People start scrambling for a replacement, and then someone says "Hey, I know a guy at work who would probably play," and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. This new owner has impressive qualifications: They can afford the entry fee and have a couple of hours to kill on your draft day. So the league welcomes them and you move on.

That, my friends, is how a great league becomes a good league, or just an okay league. Poor planning leads to watered-down ownership which leads to less fun. When an owner drops out and you replace them with "a guy at work," that's what you get: A guy. Is that the high bar you want to set for your league? Is that the best you can do?

Well, on short notice...maybe that is the best you can do. But if you put yourself on notice now -- and plan for the inevitable opening in one of your leagues -- you can save yourself some headaches and replace good owners with even better owners, improving the league in the process. Just take a few minutes and think about who you'd want as a replacement owner in your favorite league. I suggest using the following criteria:

Personality fit. There are some good people who don't belong in good leagues. If your league gatherings resemble a Comedy Central Roast, with jabs and jokes punctuating every other sentence, that environment might be a bad fit for someone who isn't used to that kind of banter. They might be a great owner -- for another league. But that group needs someone with thick skin, and preferably someone who is already familiar with the owners and can roll with the punches.

Likewise, a friendlier league that is built on camaraderie and casual play wouldn't be a good fit for someone who joined to make money or is hyper-competitive and only cares about winning. You have to make sure the candidate has the right personality for the league, and you can't really do that 36 hours before draft day.

Activity. Will this new owner be active? Check e-mails for trade offers? Post on message boards? Get together to watch games if your league meets in person? You don't need someone who can make the draft and then disappear, and you don't want someone who is doing you a favor because you're in a bind. You want an owner who will bring something to the table, and be active throughout the season. Ask yourself which of your friends and acquaintances is easy to reach, and which tend to disappear from time to time. You don't want to wonder where they are in October. They should be known as reliable and responsive before being offered a spot in your league.

Fantasy Football Ability. You should give this criteria absolutely no weight whatsoever in determining the right candidates for your league. None. As long as the person has interest in football, and knowledge and enthusiasm for the game, that's a potential candidate.

There's nothing worse than hearing an owner tout their "fantasy football resume." What does it even mean? Who did they beat? Were they lucky? What about all the times they didn't win? What about their dynasty team that makes the Rams look stacked with talent by comparison?

As much as we like to pat ourselves on the back for our "skills," the truth is that any football fan with interest and desire can beat you with an Internet connection. All it takes is a little luck and the right trading partners. So don't let how "good" someone is at fantasy football cloud your decision-making. If they're an enthusiastic, active owner, they're an asset to the league. And they can win it, too.

Take a few minutes and compile a short list of replacements -- potential owners who could step in and enhance your league if there was an opening. That way, if an owner waits until the last minute to drop out, your league doesn't have to suffer. You might even find yourself with an upgrade.

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

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