I am in an NL-only eight-team perpetual league (we get to freeze up to seven players from year to year based on salary status). I am currently in first place, but because my pitching is kind of shaky, I might not be there at season's end. My best player was Dante Bichette (Team Name: Dante's Inferno), but I traded him, so it is probably Greg Vaughn now. Or maybe it was Vaughn all along.

I think the rumor mill is good for fantasy baseball. I am the commissioner for the league and in the past two weeks I have seen more trading than during the rest of the season. Some of the trades are based on major league trade speculation (I traded Bichette for that reason) and some of the trades are made in anticipation of who might be coming to the NL from the AL. The rumor mill, like fantasy baseball itself, has people talking about baseball and 'what ifs'. Anything that gets communiction between team owners has to be a good thing.

The best part of the rumor mill is what it does to baseball itself. It's the equivalent of a shot in the arm. During July, baseball seems to drag on and on -- hence the phrase 'dog days of summer'. Rumors and the trading deadline are the perfect things to spice up a rather dull time during the season. Same goes for fantasy baseball.