Sorry - there's always one random week where I forget to put my picks in and it basically ends my season right there. I know myself and never sign up for pick 'em leagues anymore.
Family definitely comes first. However, 1 of the other 11 owners surely knows someone who could have stepped in and drafted for him. Hell - you could have posted on any FF Forum that you need someone to just do the auction draft for him and you would have had 10 people willing to help. The...
Sometimes those kinds of games are more important than the actual championship!
I had the same kind of situation and though neither of us the championship in 4 years, we played each other twice per year and I was 8-0 in 4 years against him. Definitely felt nice.