Brainy Gamer

Spring approaches and brings with it the familiar sounds of baseball - the crack of the bat, the peanut vendor, and the drunk shouting obscenities at the slumping right fielder. Ah, you can't beat fun at the ol' ballpark.

That is, unless you're playing in the Brainy Gamer Fantasy Baseball League!

That's right, I'm forming a fantasy league for Brainy Gamer readers, and you're invited to join. Even if you've never tried fantasy baseball, you're welcome to jump in and manage your own team to World Series glory.

Here's what you need to know:

• This is a casual league for gamers who want to have fun. Hardcore rotisserie players bent on collusion and winning at all costs...this probably isn't the league for you.
• The league is completely free to join and play. We will use ESPN's fantasy baseball service.
• I will function as league commissioner, which means I will set everything up and keep things organized.
• We will use head-to-head scoring, so you will play a weekly schedule against another player. Each week your stats in various categories (Hits, Home Runs, Steals, etc.) are matched against your opponent's, and you will receive a win or loss.
• Video game and book prizes will be awarded at the end of the season.

The live draft is scheduled for Saturday, March 29, at 9:00pm Eastern. If you're not online at that time, the system will automatically draft players for you based on projected outcomes of players this season. I recommend visiting ESPN's fantasy baseball site, where you can sign up and participate in a mock draft to see how this works. It's very easy and lots of fun.

ESPN requires you to sign up for a free account, and you can opt out of all additional correspondence from ESPN when you enroll. I apologize for the commercial nature of the service, but the free features provided--including a draft kit and live online scoring--are the best I've seen.

Want to join? Send me an email to [email protected]. I'm planning for an 8-10 team league, but I can make it bigger or smaller as needed. I'll get back to you with the invitation you'll need to join.

Let's play ball! :-)