I manage Sidney Crosby. No big deal.

Today's Topic: The Fantasy Sports Arena

If you're a true sports fan and really enjoy watching fast paced games in HD or live in the arena, sports fans like this have at some point asked themselves "I wonder what it would be like to manage a professional sports team." Thanks to Yahoo!, every sports fans gets that opportunity to be a GM. To run the show. To decide whether to play Tom Brady or Brett Favre. To bench Sidney Crosby or put him in your lineup. And the cost? Not a cent.

I've been playing fantasy sports on Yahoo for almost four years now. I've been the GM of a top tier basketball team, fearless hockey squads and even a football team. Through all the up and downs that a sports season brings, I feel like I have learned so much more about the ins and outs of sports with fantasy teams. It dedicates you to the game, following every night of the season on who to start and who to sit. I've always been a huge sports guy, watching all the big games on all the big nights. Yahoo has developed an incredible empire by putting users in the driver's seat of a professional sport. From drafting, to trading, to starting guys day in and day out, working the waiver wire and picking up free agents; the only thing a person can't do is sit down and talk to his players after a great or poor performance. For me, it's almost like a therapy for what seems like a pipe dream and the possibility that I will ever own a sports franchise.

I am in a hockey league with my friends from school and it has become the best way to keep in touch with all of my close friends from my university days. If you want to know how a guy is doing, just check the fantasy league and drop a message on the board. I feel like if it wasn't for this league, it would be almost impossible to stay in touch with 10 of my closest buddies from the college days. This league has become so big for us now that we are now entering into keeper status, meaning we keep some of the players we drafted last year. Yep, we are essentially building our own fantasy franchises. And it is awesome. There's something very empowering about being in control of a sports team. It's highly addictive and it's highly entertaining. Girlfriends don't get it. They don't get why we get excited when Ovechkin gets a hat trick or Carey Price gets a shutout. And you know what? It doesn't have to make sense to anyone but us. When I'm checking my stats or making moves, I'm in my own little fantasy world, hence the name Fantasy Sports. It's a dream to have all the best NFL, NHL or NBA players all under one roof. You become your own legend, your own coach, your own general manager and your own boss. Wins become rewarding, and losses...well, they still sting the same as real life. Bragging rights are huge in fantasy sports, and maybe that's why chicks don't get it either. It goes back to the whole "dominant male of the tribe" mentality and a ruthless battle for a higher position.

If you're a sports fan and you've never tried managing a team, trust me when I say it is a must that you manage at least one. Once you manage one, you'll want to manage two. And once you manage two, you'll be hooked. Join the literally millions of other fans out there who become the most epic managers of their time. Where else can you make the decision on who will be the best fit for your team and who will help you win the sought after fantasy cup. Real players, real rules. Yes, it's just players in a lineup and you don't win thousands of dollars. But, you call the shots. And you can't put a price on that.