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Now is the brief moment during which fantasy baseball players can stop and smell the roses. Painful as it is for the fantasy guru to admit, this is the turning point at which we all must get our heads out of our computers and enjoy some actual baseball.

After 162 arduous games, the playoffs have begun and the men have been separated from the boys. (Surprisingly, the Angels turned out to be men.)

We can also take time to look back on the fantasy season with 20/20 hindsight and laugh at those who drafted Paul LoDuca in the first round, took a chance on Hank Blalock or Morgan Ensberg as their starting third baseman, or expected Phil Nevin to repeat a .306-41-126 season (this year: .285-12-57).

It’s also time to hand out the 2002 Daily Bruin Fantasy Guru Fantasy Baseball Awards (DBFGFBA), which will in no way resemble any awards handed out thus far in the history of fantasy sports.

Without further ado:

The Bill Buckner Award for Biggest Fantasy Baseball Choker: Roberto Alomar, Mets.

The most consistent offensive stat-producing second baseman over the last 15 years, Alomar was coming off a season in Cleveland that saw him hit .336 (a career high), steal 30 bases, hit 20 home runs, drive in 100, and smack 12 triples.

This year, sandwiched in a lineup with Mo Vaughn, Mike Piazza, Roger Cedeno and Edgardo Alfonzo, the sky was supposed to be the limit for the loogie-hawking second baseman with the New York Mets.

What we got instead was a .267 average, 11 home runs, 53 RBIs, 16 steals and, in case you noticed, 4 triples. Ouch.

The Speaking of the Mets, Didn’t-They-All-Kinda Stink-This-Year Award: Yeah, they did. Here’s their opening-day lineup with statistics (BA/HR/RBI/OPS):

Cedeno, LF: .260/7/41/.664*

Alomar, 2B: see above

Vaughn, 1B: .259/26/72/.805

Piazza, C: .280/33/98/.903**

Alfonzo, 3B: .308/16/56/.851

Burnitz, RF: .215/19/54/.677***

Payton, CF: .284/8/31/.750, before being traded to Colorado

Ordonez, SS: .254/1/42/.616

*Plus 25 steals, after 55 last year

**These are good numbers for a catcher but bad for Mike Piazza.

***Confound this with his 135 strikeouts, and Burnitz is flirting with Rob Deer territory.

The “Sure, I knew they’d combine for 107 saves” Award:

Eric Gagne, Dodgers and John Smoltz, Braves.

The Albert Pujols Award For Coming Out of Nowhere to Save Your Team: Alfonso Soriano, Yankees.

It’s always been a good idea to draft Yankees, but never Soriano. After a near 40-40 year, he’s a sure-fire first round pick next season.

The First Annual Darryl Kile Award For Midseason Tragedy Which Supercedes Statistics: I wonder if anyone successfully traded him after his death.

The Award For Worst Imitation of Hudson-Zito-Mulder: The Marlins’ quartet of Ryan Dempster, Josh Beckett, A.J. Burnett and Brad Penny were supposed to be the second wave of young starting pitchers to rack up killer fantasy numbers. With the exception of Burnett, it didn’t quite pan out this way.

Beckett: 6-7, 4.10 ERA in 107.2 innings.

Penny: 8-7, 4.66 ERA in 129.1 innings.

Dempster: 10-13, 5.38 ERA. Lots of innings pitched, but they were all pitched for Cincinnati after a July 11 trade.

Fantasy Comeback Player of the Year:

Johnny Damon, Red Sox. Said he liked playing closer to his East Coast home after a year with the A’s. Statistically speaking, he’s correct (AVG/HR/RBI/SB):

2000, Kansas City: .327/16/88/46

2001, Oakland: .256/9/49/27

2002, Boston: .286/14/63/31

Who will be next year’s fantasy comeback player of the year? Chances are he plays for the Mets. Who will win the second Annual Darryl Kile Award? No one knows for sure. Read the next DBFGFBA to find out.

It’s time for the playoffs, where a present-day, real-life Bill Buckner will surely emerge.