The Proposal

It all started with an episode of Friends

In the episode "The One with Frank, Jr." (Season 3, Episode 5) Chandler mentions he and his girlfriend have a list of five celebrities the other can sleep with and incur no relationship wrath. The comment prompts discussion amongst the six friends, centering on Ross' intense deliberations. He finally decides on a list of five (Uma Thurman, Winona Ryder, Elizabeth Hurley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dorothy Hammill), laminating the list to seal it.

This (in addition giving us a name for this pop culture phenomenon) eliminates Isabella Rossellini, whom he later encounters in a coffeeshop. After minimal conferencing, the sanctity of the list is destroyed and Ross is allowed to (unsuccessfully) approach Isabella.

NOTE: You can find an episode guide for "The One with Frank, Jr." at The Original Friends Site.

It compounded inside the mind of a man with a vision

A lover of sports growing up in the internet age, it was inevitable that the worlds of The Brooklyn Boy and fantasy sports would collide. The Brooklyn Boy regularly schooled his friends in various leagues, peaking when he finished in the 99.3 percentile of ESPN.com's Gridiron Challenge during the fall of 2001. Any leagues he did not win were the result of thinking too far ahead, like drafting and sticking with Roy Halladay, winner of the 2003 Al Cy Young award, during the 2000 season.

Buoyed the bonds of friendship and competition engendered by fantasy sports, it came to The Brooklyn Boy in a flash — what if one's Laminated List hinged upon those of his friends? By applying the general principles of fantasy sports to the concept of the Laminated List — no duplication, positions need to be filled, starters, a bench, etc. — the Laminated List Fantasy Draft was born.

NOTE: You can view the original Barbershop Backtalk entry proposing the LLFD here.