My wife laughs when I do it.  I always turn the conversation to sports.  Let’s face it.  I enjoy it.  I love to see the excitement in the eyes of someone when they tell me about their team or the time they won their local championship.  My wife laughs because I usually don’t mention how much I play.  I always hope that after that conversation that the person I talked to decides to Google my name and fantasy sports and realize who they were talking with.

It’s July 1^st now.  That means that things are now getting a little tedious as they always do.  Some teams have given up.  What you need to do is establish a routine so that you don't fall into their trap. 

My NFBC team in the ebb and flow of things is 1^st to 7^th in Chicago #2.  I’m in a tight pack with 1^st place 7.5 points ahead of me and 7^th place four points below me.  That is a pretty tight pack.  The difference between 7^th and 8^th is an amazing 24 points!

From an overall perspective, I’m 79^th of 390.  Not too shabby, but not great.  Certainly my plan is working and I’ve picked much better than I did in Tout Wars.

Health wise, I have only one player on the DL, Alfonso Soriano.  He’s my #1 overall pick, so it stings, but I’ve made it up elsewhere.

Average wise, I’m hitting .2722, good for 5^th.  I need to gain .0035 to move into fourth.

From a Runs perspective, I’m at 571, good for 5^th place.  I’m 4 runs behind 4^th and only 28 runs from first, so with a hot week, I can move up easily here.

I’m 9^th in HR, six behind 8^th.  Getting Alfonso Soriano will help me here.

I’m 8^th in RBI, 1 behind 7^th and 2 behind 6^th.  Again, a hot week and I can move up quickly.

I’m 10^th in SB, 2 behind 8^th.  Again, a hot week and a healthy Alfonso Soriano and I can move up here.

I’m doing very well in the pitching category.

I’m second in ERA with a 3.74 ERA.  I’m 0.078 points behind first, so there isn’t much for me to gain here.

Wins is my most flexable category and the reason why I move from 3^rd to 7^th on a daily basis.  I’m tied for 5^th with 47, 1 behind 4^th, 2 behind 3^rd and 3 behind 2^nd.

I’m 6^th in WHIP with a 1.305, .004 behind 5^th.  There is a bit of a jump between 5^th and 4^th.  It is a good .02 points, but a hot week and I can break through.

I’m 3^rd in strikeouts at 627.  There is a big jump between 2^nd and 3^rd of 16 strikeouts.  In need two good weeks to catch up there.

I’m 6^th in saves, 4 behind 5^th.  I have a strategy to move up here.

Most importantly, I have $709 FAAB to spend, good enough for second overall.  The moment someone special is promoted, I’m ready to jump on him.

Basically, I’m in a good pocket.  If I slump a little bit, I’m only looking at moving now no lower than 7^th.  That 24 point pocket is going to be pretty to fall through.  With a hot week, I could move as high as 1^st.  The key is not to do anything too drastic.

I continue to search for pickups, but I haven’t found anyone I’m excited about enough to give up who I’m starting.  The key is that when I find the guy I’m looking for, I can quickly move on him.  I have plenty of cash.

Saves is the category that I can make the biggest gain.  I'm hoping that Joel Zumaya takes over as the closer once he shakes off the rust.  A combo of Jonathan Pappelbon, Joe Nathan, and Joel Zumaya should allow me to move up a good number of points in saves and WHIP while at the same time not costing me much in the strikeout category.  The nice thing is that I don't need to spend anything here.  I'm all set between my lineup and my bench.

I'm always on the lookout for home runs and stolen bases.  They have been hard to come by, but I'm looking out for them. 

As the All-Star break draws near, I'm in a position of strength.  I may not be first, but I'm close and I am nearly free to pick up anyone I want.  Fantasy Baseball is not a sprint.  It is a marathon and I'm holding just a little back for when the time is right.