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You’re in a tight race and there is only one MLB week left. Whether you’re in first place trying to keep the guys behind you from gaining ground or if you’re in second place making that push for the title, you need to know how to manage your team in this final week of baseball. Here are 5 tips:

1. Now is not the time for holding on to players because they are big named guys. If you have one of the top names in baseball but he’s not producing and hasn’t been for a while, cut him. For this last week you need players that are hot, very hot RIGHT NOW! A recent minor league call up who’s hitting the cover off the ball is better than a pre-season top 5 player who isn’t. (Obviously, this strategy isn’t gonna fly in a keeper league)
2. Make sure you have a full roster of active players whose teams are playing on the normal travel days; Monday and Thursday. A warm body who will get 4 at bats is much better than someone who has the day off because his team is traveling.
3. Know which stats you can gain ground in (Rotisserie scoring) and which ones you have no shot. If you need RBI’s and HR’s, go out and grab guys who are hot in those categories right now.
4. On the flip side of #3, you’d better know which categories you cannot afford to lose ground in. Do not forget about those categories. Don’t let anyone sneak up on you.
5. When setting your lineup, make sure your players are actually playing. A lot of big named players who are on teams that have clinched playoff spots will rest in the final week when all is said and done. That does you no good if you’re trying to gain ground or hold off the second place team.

Yes, the title says it all. Prior to football season kicking off I was mired in second place in one of my most competitive rotisserie leagues. What was billed as a good two team race quickly turned into a one pony show as I was more than 10 points behind with less than 30 games to play.

But today I stand in a tie in first place. How did I do it? Two pickups helped me bridge the gap in home runs and RBI’s. They were James Loney and Edwin Encarnacion. This league also uses the holds category. Since I had a lock on Wins, I traded in some starters for good set up men and closed the gap there too. But, the main reason I think I caught up was the start of football season. I play in a football league with these same guys, and they are all full force locked into football.

My point here is to say that you can gain a lot of ground late in the season in a rotisserie league. Focus on the categories you can climb the ladder quickly and focus on categories where you gain ground and the guy ahead of you loses it. Plus reminding your baseball league about football happenings can only help take their minds off you trying to catch up.

There are 15 games to go and the Sox are up by 5 and a half on the Yankees. But, more important is the fact that you need a few wins without sacrificing ERA or WHIP to maintain your hold on first place in your rotisserie league.

That being said, the Yanks and the Sox start a three game set tonight with Dice K on the mound. Should you start him? I realize that I getting ready to quote someone from the New York media, but he makes some good points as to why putting Dice K in your lineup tonight might be a bad idea.

I wanted to share a stat with you that they just spoke about during the Mets/Braves game on FSN South. In 29 starts this season, John Smoltz has allowed 3 of fewer earned runs 26 times. That’s pretty darned good. He should be approaching 20 wins with that statistic, but due to very poor run support from the Braves while Smoltz pitches, he has only 13 wins.