01:11 PM ET  03.26 | This year I take my first stab at Fantasy Baseball. Many of my buddies are into this to the point of obsession, and encouraged me to join as a way to get to know MLB better than ever before. So in I go. I did my research and participated in a live draft last week and ended up with a team of players that equally mixes people I like (note the number of Nats on the team, for example) with people who are good (who is Brian McCann, for example?). Here's the lineup: Brian McCann, Albert Pujols, Dustin Pedroia, Ryan Zimmerman, Derek Jeter, Nick Swisher, Kazuo Matsui, Hdeki Matsui, Brad Hawpe, Matt Kemp, Dmitri Young, Adam Jones, Luis Castillo, and pitching: Jake Peavy, Scott Kazmir, Chad Cordero, Rafael Soriano, Brad Penny, John Maine, Kevin Gregg, Dustin McGowan. Fannation, how did I do? Any chance of winning my league with this lineup? Less than a week until Opening Day. I'm anxious about the Orioles team, but excited for the whole season to begin. I've got tickets to Fanfest this Saturday, which should be a fun opportunity to see Adam Jones and Luke Scott in person, though both players are in a tremendous slump right now. Autograph sessions all day, and I'm thinking a Nick Markakis signature on my hat would be pretty spiffy. And what a day Saturday will be, as after Fanfest I walk right across the street to the Baltimore Arena to see the Baltimore Blast play. The Blast have clinched playoff berth and now are just trying to go into playoffs as a number 1 or 2 seed so they can take off the first week to rest. Blast are on fire right now, and got their first shutout in team history last weekend after some tremendous goal-keeping by Sagu. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the Blast are the best team in Baltimore. And speaking of firsts, the Nationals play their season opener in their brand new stadium this Sunday. I'll be sure to watch. Man, am I glad baseball season is here again! It's the last day of Spring Break and I've got a stack of papers to grade bigger than Barry Bonds' head. Better get to it. See you at the Yard! 5 days to go until Birdland is back! -B