the buzz log

The baseball season is almost here. As the players prepare to take the diamond, a less athletic but equally passionate group awaits the first hit of the season... or walk... or anything that produces a statistic. We speak of the lovable lunatics known as fantasy baseball owners.

These armchair GMs are searching for last minute tips on how to draft their best possible team. Lookups on "fantasy baseball" are up 20% this week, but that's just the beginning. We're seeing Ruthian blasts on "fantasy baseball rankings" and "baseball reference," one of the Web's top sites for statistics junkies. Terms like "2008 fantasy baseball mock draft," "fantasy baseball player rankings," and "2008 fantasy baseball projections" are also swinging for the fences. Fantasy players clearly want to separate baseball's studs from the slumpers.

One way to accomplish this momentous task is by searching on "fantasy baseball sleepers." This super-sneaky query is big with fanatics looking for the next superstar before rival owners catch on. Fantasy baseball may be a bit nerdy, but its also as competitive as Ultimate Fighting. And on draft day, only the prepared survive.