On Wednesday night, I'll load up the computer and participate in my latest draft. I've done so many this draft season that I've admittedly lost count. My soon to be two-year old is counting to 12, so I'll go with her estimation.

But tomorrow's draft holds a special place in my football-loving heart. It shows all that's right about the world of fantasy football (and fantasy sports overall, of course).

This Wednesday's draft will be conducted with friends and former colleagues all over the map. We'll shut the doors to our respective offices, crack open a frosty beverage and raise a glass to all the expletive-slinging, knockdown, drag out, battles in conference rooms, IM and email exchanges. It was all business, never personal. You took it in stride and did your job.

We've all since moved on to other opportunities, but the rally call comes at the same time each year. We may not communicate as a collective but once or twice each year, exhanging thoughts about a particular sports story or news of another friend or former colleague's new endeavors. But that all changes when it's time to signal the opening of a new fantasy football campaign.

The smack-talking begins early. Bold predictions are made for each league member's favorite team. Some of them rival Jon Kitna's bold projections for the Lions in 2007!

We'll share some laughs and tell some tales of days gone by.

And we'll thank the inventors of this glorious game, both on the field and in the fantasy realm.