MR. FANTASY

OBSESSIONS Along with thousands I of other Dallas sports junkies, I’ve spent each Monday night this fall tabulating rush-ing-receiving-passing yards, touchdowns, interceptions, extra points, field goals, etc. for 128 pro football players-meticulously charting the points (TD=10 pts., 60 yards rushing or receiving=6 pts…trust me, it’s more than you want to know) racked up by each player and team in my league. My wife says if I promise to put that much care and attention into our marriage, she’ll quit trying to get a date with Troy Aikman.

To aid the estimated 50,000 Dallasites who play fantasy football, now there’s fantasy czar Jim dent, who left the Dallas Times Herald in May after covering pro football for 14 years. Dent not only co-hosts the KRLD Fantasy Show on Wadnesdays at 7 p.m., but also has his own 1-900 fantasy-er, fantasy football- line. The line (1-900-PRO-BOWL), which began August 15, costs $1.95 for the first minute, 95 cents for each additional minute.

Once he decided to start the line, Dent called Ciscorp, which dispenses 1-900 numbers. “They had actually been trying to call me to see if I wanted to do it,’1 he says, laughing. “Most TV and radio stations and newspapers don’t take this [fantasy football] too seriously. There really is a need for updated information on players.”

Updates on that day’s trades, free agent signings, injuries, etc. are available through Dent’s line. But as any fantasy team owner knows, numbers alone aren’t enough. To supplement the stats, Dent calls the beat reporters for NFL teams, then lets his legions know whether, say, Joe Montana will be playing or sitting the bench, and other bits of knowledge crucial to putting the best fantasy lineup on the field.

“I’m working harder right now than the last couple of years in the newspaper business.” says Dent, who updates the line seven to eight times a day. Still, Dent’s team finished fourth in his own fantasy league last year. “I get really frustrated when I lose, since this is my job.”