Welcome to the BIGS! That's Baseball in Grand Scale -- the CBS SportsLine.com in-house AL- and NL-only Head-to-Head leagues. Entering its second season, the BIGS has become one of the more competitive challenges between 20 of SportsLine's finest.

Get your 2006 Owners Manual and Draft Guide!

This league actually has some interesting items you might want to employ in your leagues. Ten teams face off in each league, but during MLB's interleague play, we actually have interleague play between our AL- and NL-only teams. It's become a great source of trash talk and message board fodder as both leagues' owners have a certain amount of pride for their side. Last year, in Weeks 10-12, there were three weeks of Fantasy interleague play.

All 20 teams are placed in the same league site on SportsLine, but we hold the drafts separate and insert the rosters manually. These drafts are slow, extended drafts, held over a couple weeks. The drafts are 22 rounds deep.

We also set the schedule manually, which is quite a chore, in order to have the AL teams face AL opponents and likewise in the NL. Since each league can only pick up players in their leagues, the waiver wire works just like a normal one. Even if there are five AL teams atop the waiver order, the highest NL team knows that they can't pick up an NL player, so it doesn't matter how many AL teams are above him.

As far as trades go, when an AL player moves to the other league or vice versa, owners do not get to keep the stats accrued in the other league. But they are able to trade that player to a team in the opposite league for another player that swapped leagues the other way. For instance, at the trade deadline, Fantasy writer Michael Fabiano traded Randy Winn (who went from Seattle to San Francisco) to Westwood One's Tommy Tighe for Phil Nevin (who was traded from San Diego to Texas).

You thought I was kidding when I said, "Baseball in Grand Scale."

Speaking of trades, one of CBS SportsLine.com's newest features this season is the ability to trade draft picks. Dave Richard and Brian Flood started it off when Flood sent his 1.9 and 7.9 picks for the 2.8 and 3.3 picks from Richard.

We used the scoring system and Fantasy lineup from the CBS SportsLine.com Single leagues. We have to start: C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, DH, 3-OF, 5-SP and 2-RP. We also allow for six reserves and three players are allowed to go on the injured reserve in-season.

Fantasy writer Brian Flood came through with the inaugural championship last season after he went streaking in the final months, riding red-hot relief pitching all the way to an AL championship win over fellow Fantasy writer Michael Fabiano.

Tommy Tighe of Westwood One overtook Fantasy writer Eric Mack in the NL version of the BIGS. But he was unable to beat Flood's AL squad in a three-game BIGS World Series to end MLB's regular season. Flood swept him 2-0.

We feel strongly that in Head-to-Head play, where two-start pitchers can make or break you, that a three-game series to end the playoffs is the best indicator of which team is stronger overall.

Don't forget that this is just the National League side of the BIGS. Check out how our American League BIGS draft is doing also.

You, the reader, are welcome to voice your opinion on these selections. Feel free to commend an owner for the quality of the pick or disagree and propose which route he should have taken.