By Bob Bonett

Before I address the issue at hand, I will acknowledge the critics, and offer an excuse.

Yes, I know that every one of my predictions over the past weeks have been wrong. I saw the Mavericks lose to Golden State and Phoenix back-to-back, I witnessed Long Beach State (my Sweet 16 Cinderella) get mauled by Bruce Pearl’s Volunteers, and I know that North Carolina State didn’t even get out of their region in the National Invitation Tournament.

Thus, I ask you, the reader, to give me a clean slate. I have learned my lesson the hard way, and I promise that I will make no more guarantees.

That being said, the baseball season is upon us at last.

No, not the Major League Baseball season, but the fantasy baseball season. The 22-week stretch where you, the fan, get to draft all the best players in the game, (whether you hate them or love them), put together your dream all-star lineup, and battle foes across the country for the ultimate prize: bragging rights.

Sure, some people take fantasy baseball a joke. I acknowledge the fact that I am a nerd for sitting in front of my computer, sometimes hours at a time, researching the splits of players on my teams, trying to find out who the next great prospect will be to grace my roster.

Hear me out though.

The biggest story in the majors last year may have been the steroid scandal. However, in the fantasy baseball world, there are no scandals. Managers don’t engage in a frenzy when Sammy Sosa is caught with a corked bat; they go crazy when sensations such as Cole Hamels, (as much as I hate to tout a Philly), are added to the player list.

Last year, the World Series in the majors was a complete bust. Two average Midwest teams played mediocre baseball to the worst viewer ratings ever.

However, in one of my fantasy baseball leagues, the championship went down to the wire, with the champion clinching the title by one-tenth of an ERA point. (Talk about drama!)

The best part of the year, though, is without question the draft. Hours upon hours of planning force the fan to be the scout: to find out what the chances are of Matt Garza cracking the Minnesota Twins rotation as the fifth starter, or how many at bats Shawn Green will tally before Lastings Milledge is inserted into the starting lineup.

And come draft time, there are only two certainties. The first is that Albert Pujols is going to be drafted first. The second is that you will, without question, draft a player from a team you hate. Other than that, anything can happen.

After the draft, you get to analyze your team, and start making nothing short of a plethora of trades, trying to perfect your team. You want substantial dominance in every category, unwilling to sacrifice the least bit. Anything short of utter supremacy is not acceptable in the fantasy world.

The season comes along, and for the only 22 weeks of the year, you are eager to wake up. You cannot wait to see how your team did the night before in comparison to the other team, and what moves you need to make to ensure victory will result for the week. This process repeats itself for the next few months, and if all goes well, you will hoist the championship banner come September.

Now, as I mentioned above, all of the arguments that arise regarding fantasy baseball manifest as a result of the abandonment of allegiances. How can I, a Mets fan, possibly have the nerve to draft Jimmy Rollins as my shortstop, when I will swear on my very own grave that Jose Reyes could play him into the ground?

My response to that? It is simply part of being a manager.

The Phillies have donned former Mets on their team before. (See: Turk Wendell.)

And the Mets superstar closer even wore a Phillies uniform for a few years. (See: Billy Wagner.)

That is what the game is about though; sacrificing your allegiances for a greater cause; the ability to tell all your friends that if anyone were to manage a Major League Baseball team, you would be best.

So go online, get together a group of eleven friends, and prepare to engage in a season-long battle of the wits. Surely enough, once you sign up for your first Yahoo! Fantasy baseball team, you will be absolutely hooked, singing the game’s praises.

And that, I can surely guarantee.