THE CHEAP SEATS with STEVE CAMERON: Save your fantasies for another time

Let’s consider this a group apology message.

First off, I love to hear from you.

The more correspondence, the better.

It’s great to know what you’re thinking, and if you have a legitimate sports question, I’ll try my best to answer it.

But.

I also get a boatload of sports fantasy quizzes, and those go nowhere.

Fantasy contests have become massive events in this country (and around the world, generally connected to soccer), and I get it.

I’m not the least bit interested, though.

Sorry.

It seems like a goofy thing to “draft” players for your fantasy team, and then discover four or five real-life players from your “actual” favorite team have been drafted by somebody else.

So, right off, let’s say your real human team is the Mariners, or the Seahawks in a football pool.

You’ll have to endure something like your New England defense sacking Geno Smith, and knocking him out for five weeks with a shoulder injury.

Would you celebrate that turn of events, if it bumps you up a couple of spots in the fantasy standings?

IN THAT scenario I just laid out, Geno isn’t your fantasy quarterback.

One of your pals will have to suffer that injury.

But you ARE a Seahawks fan in real life, and the actual Geno is being carried off on a stretcher.

Are you going to be thrilled because you drafted the Pats defense, and they were the ones to knock out that QB you root for every week.

Apologies, but situations happen like that all the time, and I think they’re just too weird.

I want to have an allegiance to real teams, and not have to worry about when and where they’re going to cross paths with my fantasy teams.

These weird situations happen most often in baseball, where it’s actually routine for your fantasy pitcher to face a couple of your fantasy hitters.

Suddenly, you have to scramble to see whether the hitter or batter needs the fantasy points more desperately.

No.

Not for me.

I want my real team’s human beings to rack up strikeouts, or sock a hanging slider into Edgar’s.

Maybe I just like to keep things simple.

If you’re a kid at heart, your team either succeeds or fails, and you don’t have to pull out a calculator to gather details.

ONE MORE thing keeps me from any available fantasy teams.

Yes, I do believe in legal betting.

Whether we’re enjoying the ambience of a nearby casino or doing business with an online wagering company, I like the thrill of winning or losing — and having it go one way or the other because of my own logic.

If I hit a four-team parlay, I’m going to feel just fine about taking some money from BetMGM or ESPN Bet.

Those outfits are doing just fine.

By the way, if someone you know challenges the legality of betting with one of these several online companies, almost all are good as gold.

The only hang-up is the state where you want to set up an account.

For instance, Idaho has a mish-mash of laws on gambling (and lack of laws in many cases).

Here’s the best summary I’ve found:

“Online sports betting in Idaho is not regulated by the state, and there are no specific laws stating that online betting is illegal. 

“Currently, no state regulated online sportsbooks are available. 

“Offshore sportsbooks are Idahoans’ only option to bet online. 

“These bookies, based out-of-state, adhere to the laws and regulations of the jurisdictions in which they reside.”

Now, here’s some irony.

Getting back to fantasy betting, the major daily sports books like FanDuel and DraftKings WERE legal in Idaho, but subsequently have been halted here.

Fantasy games, though, are illegal, so you’d best set up in your buddy’s kitchen.

For the record, I am NOT suggesting that, or that you should break the law in any other way.

I’m only giving you a look at the Idaho sports betting landscape — as best I know it.

Have fun.

But please don’t email about your fantasy team.

Many thanks.

Email: scameron@cdapress.com

Steve Cameron’s “Cheap Seats” columns appear in The Press four times each week, normally Tuesday through Friday unless, you know, stuff happens.

Steve suggests you take his opinions in the spirit of a Jimmy Buffett song: “Breathe In, Breathe Out, Move On.”