Fantasy Baseball: How to Keep Your Head on Straight in a Marathon

Two years ago, I played only two fantasy leagues, winning them both. I thought to myself, "Hey, maybe I've got some skill at this...let's try some more leagues on for size next year!"

Too much of a good thing.

Next thing I know, I was in five competitive leagues. I'm thankful nobody skimped out in any of those leagues, because I hate "dead" leagues. Kills the spirit of the game. And I hate not finishing something I begin. But c'mon....five leagues, for a kid in college, working at a career in the Mass Comm. field? Heck, between padding the resume, making money, and occasionally going to class, it was easy to forget about a couple of leagues for days at a time.

In a sport requiring daily attention, missing five days can be lethal.

So, I struggled along, a few days a week splurging an hour or two to check all my teams and try and stay in the playoff mix. I made playoffs in all four head-to-head leagues, and finished third in a 14-team roto league. Not bad, right? Then playoffs began...and I bombed out of each league. No first round victories. No championships. All because I overcommitted and didn't feel like giving enough energy to make a push in crunch time.

So, what's this all add up to? Here's a few things I've learned; hopefully, you won't burn yourself out like I did.

#1: Know your time restrictions. For me, midterms and playoffs happen to coincide. Not exactly a recipe for success. Most of you are adults with real families, lives, and jobs. A tad more demanding than mine, I'd say. Keep that in mind as you begin the fantasy season.

#2: Know your league. This is a bit tougher, as it takes a few weeks of the season to really gauge how competitive each respective league will be. But knowing where to put the majority of the valuable time you manage to spare for your teams can make all the difference between one good finish, and many.

#3: Diversify your strategies! So you're thinking, "wait a sec. Wouldn't that make things tougher to keep track of?" In a sense, yes, because as you check each team, you have to refresh your memory a little bit.

But here's some basic knowledge: The same thing over and over is BORING. I tried targeting power in all four head-to-head leagues, which meant I was going after the same players. For some, that might be advantageous, and initially it cut down on my research time as well. But eventually, seeing the same thing over and over dimmed my enthusiasm for the game.

Take what you will.

#4: Set It in Advance. Virtually all sites will allow you to set your rosters in advance. Although it's recommonded you check your lineup daily, sometimes you simply can't. Is your stud pitching two days from now? Go ahead and get him in a starting slot on your roster for that date! Taking care of things ahead of time certainly takes the pressure (and the chance you don't get any needed stats!) off, and keeps you in the game.

Aaaaand now, for the obvious:

#5: Keep the f-u-n factor. Too often in life, we commit to something we think will be enjoyable, only to have it become more than we bargained for! Suddenly, it's more like work instead of play. Where's the fun in that? If a couple of leagues are draining the fun for you, do something about it! If it means giving up control of that team to someone more willing to play, do it. Not only will it make your life a bit easier, but it keeps that league going strong, so nobody loses out in the end.

Best of luck to everyone this fantasy season!