Lawr Michaels: The Approachable Man from ‘Fantasyland’

I was first introduced to Lawr Michaels while I was a junior in college. It wasn’t an in-person introduction, but after reading “Fantasyland,” I felt like I knew him pretty well. He seemed like an interesting guy. Maybe I’d meet him for real someday.

Six years later, I was working at MLB.com. Our offices at the Chelsea Market in Manhattan were hosting the 2011 Tout Wars drafts, and while my real job duties consisted of managing and writing for the Fantasy 411 blog and assisting with the production of the show, for that weekend I was playing the role of elevator operator. After greeting the Touts as they arrived at the elevator door, I’d use my access card to take them up to the fifth floor and show them to Conference Room B.

Shortly after I started this new and thankfully temporary job, the elevator doors opened on the ground floor and there he was, Lawr Michaels! From what I remember, Lawr was in the middle of a lively conversation about the Chelsea Market’s excellent food options that he was looking forward to trying. It struck me as odd that Lawr, just minutes away from embarking on the four-plus hour journey otherwise known as a Tout Wars auction draft, wasn’t talking about baseball. He was talking about food, and I’d soon learn that food and cooking was indeed a very important part of his life.

About an hour later, during a break in the AL auction, I went over to Lawr and introduced myself. I told him about my job and my writing, and he asked me to send him some writing samples. Perhaps I’d be interested in writing for Mastersball? I definitely was interested. He asked if I had a business card so he could contact me when he returned home to California. I handed him one.

He then asked if I had any more cards. He might lose that one. I handed him two more.

A month later, I’d write my first article for Mastersball. Lawr played a key role in my development as a fantasy sports writer and always encouraged me to write about whatever topic was on my mind. He was also quick to compliment an article that he especially liked, which means a lot when you’re in the early stages of your career. In 2012, about a week before Tout Wars, a spot opened up in the Mixed Auction league. I was invited to fill it. Lawr never said it, but I know that he played more than a minor role in recommending me. 

A couple years later, I’d take over as the main editor for Mastersball and had the pleasure of reading every one of Lawr’s articles. His passion for sports, fantasy sports, and, most important, life, was clear, though some of the sentences were way too long. I had to add in plenty of periods!

When I moved along with Lawr to Creativesports 2.0 to join a group that was a mixture of Mastersball veterans and newcomers, I wasn’t at all surprised to see how quickly he made the new writers feel at home.

Although our email correspondence was frequent, I only got to see Lawr once or twice a year (living 3,000 miles apart probably had something to do with it), once during Tout Wars weekend and sometimes when he came into New York for the FSTA summer conference. At least one of those meetings would include lunch at Virgil’s Real BBQ, his favorite restaurant in the city. Lawr was always quick to point out that he really did eat healthy at home, but when he came into New York, he just had to make some exceptions.

I’m usually hesitant to write these sorts of tributes. But for Lawr, I had to make an exception. I’ll be missing you. All of us will be missing you.