If Adrian Glass were a woman, his new concept might be met with a flood of marriage proposals.

The former accountant quit his job a little more than two years ago and will soon open a sports bar in Maplewood, Mo., designed for fantasy players.

A growing number of adult-beverage establishments have begun marketing to fantasy folks in the late summer, when many are looking for a place to fill their football rosters and add a few wing-sauce stains to their favorite jersey. Glass’ place, however, will go a few steps further.

According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, “The Post will feature a draft room with a 60-inch TV where leagues can hold drafts and meetings … two computers for public use and $900 worth of high-end wireless routers to make sure any number of players can jump on their laptops … (and) a fantasy guru to talk patrons through trades and other draft issues.”

The Post is also reportedly working out a deal with Fanball — now based in the St. Louis area — whereby the company will provide custom software and fantasy games for the bar.

Glass aims to not only draw the draft-time fantasy crowds but extend its fantasy hospitality by catering to the growing market of weekly fantasy games.

Count Fantasy Sports Association president Greg Ambrosius among those who like the concept.

“They’re doing something that should have been done years ago,” he told the Post-Dispatch. “This guy may have a chance to be ahead of the curve.”

Of course, non-fantasy players won’t be turned away at the door (just snickered at).

“We’re a sports bar,” Glass told the Post-Dispatch. “If you’re not into fantasy sports, you won’t notice that we’re different.”

No details yet on how to apply for the position of bar fantasy guru, but you can bet that when I hear them, I’ll be keeping them a secret.

Talk about a dream job.

Yahoo! Sports recently announced Mark Teixeira as the cover athlete for its 2009 fantasy baseball product, which got me wondering: What kind of benefit would the Web’s most highly trafficked league-management system see in such a practice, one that none of the other top outlets seem to follow in quite the same way.

Rather than simply wonder, though, FSB.com asked a few questions of David Geller, Yahoo!’s director of fantasy sports products. Here are his answers …

1) What does Yahoo! seek to accomplish by signing cover athletes for its big four sports? How did this program come about?

The program was created by Yahoo! Sports Marketing Manager Ben Schechter in 2007, the first athletes were MLB players Johnny Damon and Andruw Jones. The program was the natural progression from previous years’ “DRAFT ME” events in Bryant Park. Those events allowed fans to run drills and interact with NFL players such as Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Matt Leinart. The overall goal of the event was to encourage fans to register for Yahoo! Sports fantasy football and to draft one of the featured NFL players as their top pick. The success of the program highlighted how much fans value Yahoo! Sports’ association with professional athletes and fun.

2) How important is the presence of these faces, especially considering that Yahoo!’s fantasy games draw the largest audience?

While Yahoo! Sports is the leading provider of fantasy sports, the association with top athletes, such as MVP Jimmy Rollins or World Champion Paul Pierce, strengthens Yahoo! Sports #1 position and enhances the credibility of our fantasy products.

3) Have you seen increases in traffic or game participation since these athletes were brought into the mix?

All Yahoo! Sports fantasy games show solid growth each year, however, we do see increased interest in the game after launching cover athletes campaigns. We track the click-through rate for all of our campaigns and there is typically an incremental benefit when a recognizable athlete is included in the promotional ad units.

4) How are the players chosen, and what do they do beyond having their likenesses appear on the site?

We look for dominant athletes who are popular with fans and work well with Yahoo!’s brand. Yahoo! is a fun and innovative company and we look to work with athletes who exhibit some of those same spirited qualities. For instance, in 2007 we did a really successful campaign with Chad Johnson, called the “Ocho Cinco Celebration Contest” in which we encouraged fans to submit their best end zone celebration video. The winner of the contest was flown to a game in Cincinnati and had the opportunity to perform the dance for Chad. It was a great way to have fun with Chad’s personality and Yahoo!’s brand.

5) ESPN has its commercials with athletes. The FFOC got Jerry Rice to be its honorary commissioner in its first season. None of the other front-of-the-market fantasy outlets seems to brand its fantasy games with cover athletes the way Yahoo does, though. What does this do for the Yahoo! product that other fantasy providers aren’t getting?

I think most of the major competitors have used cover athletes at some point. However, Yahoo! Sports views the cover athlete campaigns as partnerships with the athletes, who typically host events and participate in media outreach. This kind of dynamic relationship with the cover athletes extends the relationship off-line and furthers the value of the partnership — resulting in increased registration, overall brand awareness and ultimately fan approval.

6) Have the company’s larger financial issues impacted the cover athlete program at all? If not, why haven’t they? What kind of budget is there for the cover athletes?

We do not disclose budget information. Yahoo! Sports fantasy games are a priority and resources are and will continue to be allocated to appropriately reflect our dedication to being the No. 1 fantasy sports provider.

Previous Cover Athletes

Baseball 2007 — Johnny Damon and Andruw Jones

Football 2007 — Chad Johnson

Basketball 2007 — Tracy McGrady

Baseball 2008 — Jimmy Rollins

Football 2008 — Braylon Edwards

Basketball 2008 — Paul Pierce

Hockey 2008 — Alexander Ovechkin

Many of our readers might have already heard that Athlon fantasy football editor Dan Grogan suffered some significant injuries in a biking accident back on March 1, including multiple fractures to his left arm and fractures to his pelvis and lower back.

Fortunately, less than two weeks later, Grogan reports that he has already returned to work and that he’s “doing fairly well, all things considered.”

Grogan, an avid rider who has been training for several upcoming events in Colorado, says that he’ll have to alter his competitive riding schedule but anticipates being “up and about fairly soon.”

“The doctor even said I could begin riding my indoor trainer bike whenever I wanted to!” he told FSB.com, excitedly.

Grogan also says he appreciates the messages that friends — including those within the fantasy industry — have sent his way.

“I know from many of the well-wishing e-mails I’ve received that there is a genuine care about my well-being,” Grogan says.

We here at FSB.com certainly wish you well in your continued recovery, Dan.

The Fantasy Sports Writers Association has picked up strong support in its effort to deliver the industry’s official player of the year awards.

“It is our belief that fantasy writers can act in the same capacity as other writing groups, such as the Associated Press or Pro Football Writers of America, in selecting the awards relevant to fantasy play,” FSWA president and chairman Mike Beacom said in a statement.

Gaining the backing of fantasy content providers “will put an official stamp” on a selection process that is already in place, according to Beacom. So far, major-media companies CBS, NFL.com, Sporting News, NBC/Rotoworld, Pro Football Weekly and Athlon have climbed aboard.

In addition, the FSWA has the support of prominent fantasy outlets such as Fanball, Fantasy Planet, Footballguys.com, The Huddle and RotoWire.

The “official stamp” would extend to players of the year in various fantasy sports, as well as other awards for things such as the top rookies. Beacom says the FSWA isn’t limiting the scope of the practice. DeAngelo Williams won the fantasy football player of the year award after the 2008 season.

Ultimately, the FSWA would like to apply a sponsor’s name to the awards and use the revenue to set up a scholarship fund for college-aged fantasy writers.

Other coverage: Fantasy Game, Real Awards

(Note: Beacom is also the publisher for World Fantasy Games, which owns and operates this site.)