THE INTERNATIONAL FANTASY LEAGUE WEEK 7: MEET TEAM CANADA

Courtesy Rachel Maruno

Oh, Canada.

Rachel Maruno, skipper of team Canada, grew up going to BC Lions games in Vancouver, where her family had season tickets, and one of her favorite places in the world is Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. But Rachel didn't start playing fantasy until the guys she worked with in a golf pro shop drove her nuts with their constant babbling about their teams. Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? So she did.

"If you took a look at me, you'd never think I know anything about football," Rachel says. "I'm not a tomboy at all. I love shopping, getting my nails done, doing yoga. I'm obsessed with Sex and the City." But fantasy has changed her a little: "I used to spend all my time shopping online, now I use it for Fantasy purposes. It's saved me a lot of money!"

Maruno's in two leagues and routinely places among the winners. She spends time each day checking out stats, looking at matchups and numbers and reading blogs and columns. After a rocky 0-4 start in the International League, she's on a three-game winning streak, and her team has an outside shot at the title.

Rachel moved to the U.S. to play golf for the University of Missouri, Kansas City, in 2001, on a full scholarship. She met her husband there and they've been in Kansas City together for five years. She says they plan on returning to Canada someday, because it's too beautiful not to.

They won't be going for the football. Vancouver is a hockey town, Maruno says. "They might get 30,000 out to a regular season CFL game." Some Vancouverites are Seahawks fans because it's an easy drive to Seattle to catch a game and also because Seahawks games are the primary NFL games on TV there. "I don't personally know one person in Vancouver who plays Fantasy," Rachel says. "People in Vancouver don't understand how huge the NFL is."

Contrast that to being introduced to the NFL in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium amid a bunch of crazy Chiefs fans. "I feel that living in Kansas City, I was introduced to the NFL on the greatest level. I'll never forget my first NFL game: Chiefs versus Jags, opening day, 2002. I never knew what tailgating was. Why would people get up at 6:30 am to drink beer in a parking lot? There was a haze of smoke over the parking lots from people firing up their grills. Little kids throwing the ball around, college boys playing washers or beer pong, people of all ages drinking, eating and enjoying a Sunday morning together. Entering Arrowhead I felt like I was somewhere special, somewhere kind of sacred."

If she's not watching Chiefs games with her best friend at Arrowhead, or watching them at Dave & Buster's, she's watching the NFL at home with her husband. Her favorite player is Chad Johnson. "He makes the game exciting to watch, I'm always wondering what stunts he has planned, or what crazy things are gonna come out of his mouth next," she says.

She got a shirt made last year for the Chiefs-Bengals game. It says "I swear I'm a Chiefs fan, but I love Chad Johnson" on the front and "Mrs. Ocho Cinco" on the back. "I had seats front row, on the 50 behind the Bengals bench," she says. "All game, me and my best friend were hollering at him. In the fourth quarter he finally came over to read my shirt. He thought it was hilarious!"

Rachel works full-time for a youth-development organization called The First Tee, which teaches children life skills via golf. She also slings drinks on Saturdays at a club in Kansas City and books buses for her friend's party bus business. She and her husband go to the gym five days a week. She's pretty busy, she says, which is why her golf handicap has fallen from three to seven.

Next season, Rachel's commissioning an all-girls fantasy league. "We're having martinis at our draft, and the winner gets a manicure and pedicure! Football and hot girls. It's every guy's dream!"

LEAGUE UPDATE

Team India and Team Saudi Arabia have both won five games in a row after losing their first two; early frontrunner Team Japan, the only undefeated team after three weeks, has lost four straight.

At this point, Prince Abdullah's Team Saudi Arabia is looking really strong top to bottom. His competition beyond Team India is Team Mexico and Team Chile. If Tomlinson gets his legs under him, Team Chile will be the one to beat.

Team USA remains perhaps the worst fantasy squad of all time. I can't believe we've got two Ws.

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