The Saints hosting the Chiefs in their first pre-season game Sunday reminds me that until relatively recently I thought fantasy football was another name for the exhibition games. But I suppose they are more like high-powered touch football.

Anyhow, I’m being encouraged to join a fantasy football league.

As I understand it, “owners” in such a league pick players from the rosters of NFL teams and compete on the basis of how those players perform during the season.

A touchdown counts so many points, a pass reception so many, etc.

I’m told there are all sorts of leagues with all sorts of rules. Some are free with participants competing for fun; others require a fee, with participants competing for cash prizes.

The man trying to talk me into his league says you don’t have to know anything about football, much like some real-life team owners, and I might win as much as $500.

That sounds like the same line I got when first lured to a casino. “Just put your money in and see what happens,” so to speak.

He says having a fantasy team makes watching the 17 weeks of games during the season more interesting, as if I could possibly spend 17 Sunday afternoons, or nights, or Monday nights, or Thursday nights doing that.

“Why I hardly see my wife any weekend in October or November or December, with getting ready for the game, watching the game, watching other games, counting points, figuring standings, checking the waiver wire and all that,” he said.

Fantasy or not, he just got my attention.

Jim Butler, a Bolton High School alumnus, was an acclaimed writer and editor at the Alexandria Town Talk for 36 years, the last 23 (1977-2003) as editor-in-chief. He led Pulitzer Prize-winning coverage of Hurricane Katrina for the Gulfport (Miss.) Sun-Herald in 2005. Butler returned home to Cenla a few years ago, and shares his talents and insight with Rapides Parish Journal readers.