Fantasy Sports: Advice you need to win your fantasy baseball league

Winning fantasy baseball isn't even about the prize money. The real prize for winning your fantasy baseball league is the bragging rights that you'll own for a year.

It gives you the opportunity to tell a group of your best friends that you're better than them is an opportunity you must seize. Don't wait for things to fall in place, put things in place.

Fantasy baseball is a marathon, not a sprint. It's a 26-week season. Forget about that. The most important stretch of the year is a sprint. The time to act is now with only six weeks left in the baseball season.

Only one team can be in first place, and if you're not the owner of a first place team then you've lost. Second place gives you the right to brag about having lost.

There's a reason you're not in first place. You haven't just been unlucky. Every team has under performers, injured players and guys in slumps. Don't complain, fix it.

At this point in the season you have to do whatever it takes to win. The winner of a league is never the guy who checks his team once a week and forgets to remove injured players from his starting line-up. Unless you're willing to put up with the ridiculing that comes with last place, you can't afford to make these blunders.

Make sure you check your fantasy team everyday. It's absolutely essential to do so. The more often you check, the more likely you'll be able to land a player that someone drops.

Every team has different needs, so some teams will end up cutting players that are of use to your team. For example, one team may have an overabundance of pitchers and drop one to make room for another hitter. A team with weak pitching will want to get this player.

Don't miss out on free help to your team because you're too lazy to check your team. Make it routine to check you fantasy team and league daily.

Check the box scores to see how your players are performing. Make sure you know the current health of all your players. If your player gets hit by a pitch or catches a virus and will miss three games, put him on your bench. You can't afford to lose three games worth of points. You can't afford to lose any points that you can easily avoid.

Throw your favorite players and teams out the window. You can't let your personal feelings and emotions get in the way of winning the league. Even if you love Khalil Greene, he doesn't belong on your fantasy team. Cut him. Even if you hate the Yankees, it's a necessity to understand the value and help that Gary Sheffield or Hideki Matsui could provide.

Don't be patient. In April when Alex Rodriguez hit .268, it was okay to be patient. You could even have afforded to wait out the months that Mark Prior sat out due to injury. You can't afford to wait out a four week injury anymore. Last years American League Cy Young award winner, Roy Halladay, is someone you should cut. He's having a sub-par season and it's unclear when he will return, if at all. Don't wait for someone to heal and maybe help your team for a week or two. Add someone who will help your team right now.

Pick up a rookie call-up when the rosters expand in September. Look for players with upside like Joey Gathright (TB), Alexis Rios (TOR) or Luis Terrero (ARI). Ride a player's hot hand.

Every other owner is doing whatever he can to win the league. Don't sit on your hands and be too timid to act, take a risk. Join the fracas, join the fun.

You can contact Timothy Taizo Ohashi at ohashikto@yahoo.com if you have questions, comments, or any feedback.