Late-Round Perspectives: Jake Ciely

JJ Zachariason (0:00)

Jake Ciely is a senior fantasy writer at The Athletic and host of the All-In Speedrun Podcast. Many may know him as the All-In Kid. He'll rank just about anything, he loves ducktails, he once owned a deli, and you're better off not asking him to join a league with kickers. These are his Late-Round Perspectives.

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Jake Ciely (1:34)

So, it's going to sound so mean being in the industry, but 90% no. I try to dip in a little bit. Like, I obviously have listened to you. I've listened to Chris Harris, Alfredo with the series, which I think you're about to talk about. Yes. But the biggest reason, and I think I don't want to speak for you, but I feel like you do the same thing, is like I don't want to cloud my opinion too much. I want to have mine in place, and then I just go and like, hey, I'll check this one out this week, and maybe I miss something.

JJ Zachariason (2:00)

Right, exactly. It's more so for me, of course you want to support friends and stuff in the space and whatnot, but I also just, not only that, but I kind of want to break from all this stuff that we're doing 24-7. I just want to kind of veg out and just think about something else. But I was listening to anyone who hasn't done so, Alfredo Brown, friend of the show, he started doing the Pretend GM podcast again, and he is bringing on different analysts. I was on, you were on, and he talks more about process and life and not just fantasy football stuff. So to me, I'm like, oh, I have friends that are being interviewed, I want to hear the kind of crazy things that they're going to say on this show. I listened to parts of your episode, and you know what, I completely forgot that you owned a deli.

I completely forgot that it was, because when we first, I mean, we've known each other for over a decade basically now.

Jake Ciely (2:52)

Yeah.

JJ Zachariason (2:52)

And when I first met you, I feel like it was around the time that you would have owned the deli, right?

Jake Ciely (2:59)

It was right around that time actually. I think it was close to closing. It's funny, you bring in deli, that's the reason you say I want to digest other things. I can always compare it to if you're a butcher, and then you have to come home and eat steak for dinner every night.

It's not the last thing I want to do is just do more of this, but you need that break. But yeah, it was the deli. It was also the ill-fated wonderful football.com. Do you remember that from back in the day? That's actually one of our first overlaps.

JJ Zachariason (3:26)

I forgot about football.com. I completely, it was just out of my memory. Wait, didn't I do stuff on football.com also?

Jake Ciely (3:35)

Yes, yes. It was you, me and Denny for a little while and then- I completely forgot.

JJ Zachariason (3:42)

How pathetic is it that I did work for a website and I don't even remember doing it?

Jake Ciely (3:49)

Somebody had to remind me about it last year. It's like, oh yeah, the biggest waste of a URL in the history of everything.

JJ Zachariason (3:55)

Oh my gosh. This is like mind-blowing to me. I have a decent memory for stuff like that. None, zero, no memory of football.com. I'm assuming it's not even close to a thing anymore.

Jake Ciely (4:10)

It's not really and it's all soccer.