Many unions help give rights, benefits and adequate living wages for workers. However, having a union for highly paid professional athletes is like organizing one for CEOs. NFL players made an average of $1.3 million last season, and total compensation for the players exceeded $2.5 billion. Growth has been astronomical with a 20 percent increase in the last two years, and player salaries have more than doubled since 1994 when the average was $627,000.

Why ruin a good thing?  In many other lines of work, owners are less generous and even stingy, and few or zero opportunities are given for outside sources of income. Is it a right for players to have more money? Popular or not, at the same time, owners have a right to give less.

Who needs the NFL more? Without the NFL, many players would need to find other sources of income or line of work. The owners don't need the NFL for income. It's a hobby, not where they make a living. The NHL players lost a year's salary in the hundreds of thousands in their short shelf life of a pro athlete and didn't receive more with their holdout. The NFL is not the place to battle for worker rights.      

It's interesting to see that two strong opinions have emerged in steriod use by baseball players. One camp says there's if there's no hard evidence like a positive test to confirm a baseball player used steriods, then he should be viewed as never using a performance-enhancer. However, this view of turning a blind eye to the issue, such as by the media, helped keep the use of steriods by players from public scrutiny.   The other side believes if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, then the player is presumed guilty. However, like a court of law, a player has the right to be innocent until proven guilty. This creates polarizing views of home run kings Mark McGuire and Sammy Sosa for entrance into the Hall-of-Fame. Significantly, though, baseball executives ignored the steriod issue by keeping it legal in baseball by not penalizing the use. Technically, baseball players who used steriods prior to last season were not breaking any MLB rules. However, if the consensus is that steriods should be removed from the game and unfairly gives its users an advantage, then these players violated the spirit of the game.    

Drafting a player in fantasy baseball packs more excitement, twists and turns than a Olympic downhill ski run.

You have the chance to create your own roster of players and outwit other owners.  More than football, baseball drafts involve strategy, and the picks are a game of chess. A vast list of players at an array of positions lay before you, and it's exciting to decide your direction. There's a balance in picking the best player available vs. one at a scarce position. Here are my five tips for a 5x5 MLB league:

1. Build your infield first - Numerous outfielders, pitchers and closers are available, but the depth of strong players at second base, third base and shortstop go quickly.

2. Grab at least three high-strikeout pitching aces with solid ERA and WHIP averages

3. Take three closers to avoid punting the saves category. The goal is to score high in all categories, gaining at least a seven in 10-team leagues, or nine in 12-team leagues. 

4. Draft at least one steal leader who also contributes in other categories, or three all-around players that have a solid chance of stealing 25 or more bases. 

5. Draft five-tool fantasy hitters who produce in all five categories (Runs, RBI, HR, Steals and Average) and avoid players who significantly hurt one category. Some of these include some obvious and not-so-obvious hitters:

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Jason Varitek and Ivan Rodriguez

First base: Albert Pujols, Derrek Lee, Mark Teixeira, Shea Hillebrand, Chad Tracy, Todd Helton and Lance Berkman

Second base: Alfonso Soriano, Chase Utley, Jeff Kent, Brian Roberts, Marcus Giles and Tadahito Iguchi

Third base: Alex Rodriguez, David Wright, Morgan Ensberg and Melvin Mora

Shortstop: Michael Young, Derek Jeter, Miguel Tejada and Felipe Lopez

Outfield: Vladimir Guerrero, Bobby Abreu, Jason Bay, Carl Crawford, Grady Sizemore, Hideki Matsui, Randy Winn, Brian Giles, Jermaine Dye, Raul Ibanez, Matt Holliday and Coco Crisp

Sleeper tip:  Take a chance later on proven, veteran hitting stars who were unusually injured or struggled last season. These include Jim Thome, Scott Rolen, Mike Lowell, Jason Giambi, Edgar Renteria, Torii Hunter and Ivan Rodriguez.

Flop tip:  Watch spring training reports for injuries. Last year, you would have been more likely to stay away from busts Jim Thome, Eric Gagne, Barry Bonds and Kerry Wood if you took into account their spring training injuries.

Thome missed spring training games with a back injury, Gagne was ineffective after injuring his knee on opening day of spring training, Bonds wrestled with his brittle knee, and Kerry Wood battled back and shoulder ailments. These were early round picks and put gaping holes in their owners' lineup, placing them at a serious disadvantage entering the season.

What are the rules/strategy you like to follow?

If you like, millions of other owners, enjoy fantasy sports, meet the new generation of them.

Simulation sports offer something that fantasy sports can't, and that's the thrill of being a coach, in addition to a general manager.

Of course, we can't coach players in fantasy sports, so after drafting and setting our lineups, we have no control over players' performances.

However, sim sports like football provide the chance to directly coach players, build their skill level, create gameplans and oversee a team vying for the title with others.

"What's a double team?" Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Haven't you been frustrated by gameplans set by coaches, thinking you could do better? For example, I still don't understand the Bears decision to put single coverage on Steve Smith in its playoff loss. And seeing how poorly Seattle and Pittsburgh played in the Super Bowl, any contending team may not be that far off from a Super Bowl title with the talent level seemingly even. So coaching and gameplanning are so critical to a team's success in the NFL. And you can get a taste of that.

Currently, I'm playing WhatifSports' College Football Gridiron Dynasty and am having a blast in attempting to build a contender. It's very therapeutic!

You'd be surprised at how much you actually know in how to build one. If there's any question, plenty of owners have shared their experiences and provided a blueprint for success. Check out this insight from a generous owner (moranis) .

How to play

First, you're given a recruiting budget and it's up to you to figure out how to attract talent in high school. They've provided the options to recruit, you just pick the way. Most importantly, it's fun to choose which players to recruit based upon 12 categories, including work ethic, durability, strength, speed, agility, athleticism, tackling, game instinct, elusiveness, hands and technique. All are rated up to 100.

You'll focus on the categories important to the position you are recruiting. For instance, with running backs, you may focus on speed, athleticism and elusiveness first, then go for game instinct, strength, hands, durability and work ethic secondary. You can improve each category in the preseason and in-season by practicing individual drills like conditioning (improves athleticism, durability, e.g.), strength and agility drills. You formulate a practice plan for individual drills and team ones based upon 180 minutes.

"Hey, I forgot to put in the two-minute drill gameplan!" Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

Offenses that can be run are I-formation, Wishbone, Pro-Set, Notre Dame Box (two TEs), Shotgun and Trips. Defenses that can be implemented are 3-4, 4-3, 4-4, 5-2, Nickel and Dime. It's best to pick three offenses and two defenses to fit the practice plan. When gameplanning, you can set your offenses for tendencies to run or pass in first-, second-, third- and fourth-down and distance situations. For example, if it's 2nd-and-5, I might ask to run the wishbone with a run tendency. You can choose up to three offenses for every setting.

All the conferences are mirrored after real ones, and there are four divisions with IA, IAA, II and III.

I've chosen the Wishbone, I-formation and Pro-set to focus on the run and suit my strengths best, which is at running back. Division III offenses aren't known for their highly proficient passing attacks. I'm using the 4-3 so it's versatile to defend against the run and pass, and the 4-4 to defend against run-oriented situations.

When the season starts, the games are simulated and the play-by-play is available for every quarter. If you win your division, you play for the conference title. After that, you may be invited to a bowl game in Division I and will be in the playoffs for the other divisions. You can apply for job openings at a higher level or same one, or you may receive job offers if your team does well.

I'm looking forward to trying baseball, pro football and pro and college basketball. Other ones available are auto racing and hockey. (Baseball, hockey pro football and pro basketball use actual current and past players.)

Good luck!

I love fantasy sports. It's empowering in a sports world of egregious egos, bad contracts, horrible decision-makers, questionable calls and frustrating finales. No longer do I need to rely on others for my sports fulfillment or feel the need to be consoled for days after a terrible loss. I can control my own destiny. Idiotic management or coaching doesn't solely determine my happiness in the sports world.

In fantasy, no Padres like Steve Garvey loom over you, saying "Who's your daddy?" Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Sporting failures can slam a young fan's world. When I was 13, the Cubs lost to the Padres in five games in the playoffs after a 2-0 lead. They should have had home-field advantage in the last game. But the city wouldn't let them have lights for night games, even though they earned the right to play the last game at home. In fantasy, you earn what you get. Whoever you decide to play, that's who'll you receive. In the fair fantasy leagues, everyone is on a level field playing by the same rules, and other interests don't interfere.

I don't need to have a cheesy Rod Stewart song, "Some guys get all the luck" bite me like it did in 1984. A Leon Durham soaked glove won't determine my fantasy fate. Unfortunately, it helped shape my fortune as a Cubs fan that fateful fall.  And Cubs fans still haven't gotten the breaks. But, though I'm a hard-luck Cubs fan, I, like anyone else playing fantasy, can create my own fantasy luck and get all the breaks for a title season.  Wet gloves don't destroy dreams of fantasy championships.      

No longer does my sporting world hinge on a general manager's whims. When the Cubs failed to sign Greg Maddux for the 1993 season because of a comparative measly few dollars based on principle, that move set them back for another decade of futility.  Feeling helpless is frustrating as a fan.   Though the signs were there for Maddux to be a great pitcher, other reasons clouded the decision-making.  Signing soon-to-be bust Jose Guzman to a big contract to replace Maddux didn't help. He lasted just two years and was highly paid for another two years.  I guess a "true" fan would follow blindly, say the Cubs didn't know any better and leave it at that.  Hope isn't reality when bird brains are running the show.

Fantasy owners, unlike fans, won't find themselves at the mercy of a bust without their say. John Ferry / Getty Images

 

 

In fantasy, though, I can make decisions on who I want on my team. When the Bears traded their No. 1 draft pick in 1997 for Rick Mirer, the Bears were the laughing stock among insiders. That's the equivalent of trading Anthony Wright for a No. 1 pick in today's fantasy world. What smart fantasy owner would do that? Of course, Mirer was released by the Bears after one season. What knowledgeable fan would draft future busts like Rashaan Salaam, Curtis Enis and Cade McCown as their No. 1 picks? As a fantasy player, you run your own organization, deciding which players will give you the best chance to win.

 

When your "real" team does win a championship or wins consistently, you can appreciate the many sound decisions and great players who came together to help win a title. For me, that occurred with the '85 Bears and the '90s Bulls. It was fun watching the team develop into championship quality after enduring tough losses and learning from them.  However, in fantasy, you don't need to wait for that "magic" to occur and hope the decision-makers in the organization know what they're doing. You can create your own magic in any fantasy season by using your wit and knowledge of sports. You can make the solid choices that lead to a title. Someone else doesn't determine your happiness in the world of sports. You don't need to be bitter or jaded. You can create your own team!

And if your favorite "real team" wins, then you can enjoy their ride as a fan. If your fantasy team wins, then you receive the immense satisfaction that you helped create it.  And that's not a bad deal at all. You can be one of the lucky guys.