Bloomberg has made a pretty sizable splash with its leap into the sports analytics pool, and now we can finally check out the sports portal.

The extremely sleek design and attractive intro gives way to a page that simply presents options to read a bit about the Bloomberg Sports mission, pre-order the fantasy product or check out the services the company offers to pro teams.

The fantasy baseball draft kit says it will be available in February, though we sit nearly halfway through the month now with no more specific date mentioned. It’s also rather pricey, at $19.95, with the in-season component priced at $24.95 (or package them for $31.95).

Although there’s a decent description of what will be included, customers will apparently have to trust the worthiness of the product, as the site doesn’t seem to offer much in the way of demonstration of its wares. This is a bit disappointing for a new product/service from a company that certainly has the wherewithal to create some kind of a preview.

If any FSB.com readers order the Bloomberg fantasy product, we’d be interested to hear what you think — particularly as it compares to other fantasy services you have experienced.

Tuesday’s rulings in the CBS Interactive lawsuit against the NFL Players Association were even better news than we here at FSB.com realized.

After gathering more information on the proceedings and talking to some people smarter than we are, it has become clear that the NFLPA is very near the same result that Major League Baseball and its players association found in challenging fantasy companies previously.

The key part is that in granting CBS’ motion for summary judgment, the U.S. district court judge presiding over the suit in Minnesota ruled in the plaintiff’s favor — including a declaration that use of player statistics, news and headshots for fantasy games is protected by the First Amendment.

The NFLPA has 30 days from the date of the ruling to appeal the case and seems like it probably will. After all, this is pretty much the last chance for the league and players association limit access for fantasy game providers. If the ruling stands, the NFLPA — like MLB before it — won’t be allowed to take any other fantasy entities to court anywhere in the country over the same issues.

Of course, if the appeal is filed, it will head to the same Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled in favor of CBC in the baseball case. It’s tough to imagine the court going against its own previous ruling.

If baseball and football are both blocked in attempts to extract payments for access to player statistics, names and licenses, other sports would seem unlikely to mount similar challenges. They would certainly be allowed to, but the size of the fantasy markets in baseball and football put a lot more money on the line in licensing disputes. Would it be worth the lawyer fees for NASCAR or PGA to take fantasy providers to court? Probably not.

One also has to wonder whether such a challenge would be worth any potential public relations fallout that could accompany. With a smaller fan base than MLB or the NFL enjoy, the NHL — for instance — would feel the effects more of alienating any portion of its followers.

So, fantasy folks, although we’re not officially at an endpoint in the fight between sports leagues and game providers, we certainly appear to be closing in on the unofficial finish line.

There tends to be no shortage of excitement surrounding the start of baseball season and one of the country’s favorite fantasy pastimes. Unfortunately, baseball and its fans have gotten a heavy dose of reality lately.

Just days after a drunken driver took the life of young Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart, Major League Baseball has to deal with the deaths of Phillies voice Harry Kalas and former Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych.

Kalas — a Ford C. Frick Award winner as a broadcaster, longtime radio and television voice of the Phillies and a narrator for NFL Films for more than 30 years — clearly had the deepest and broadest impact simply by virtue of his career’s length and breadth. The sheer number of mentions and tributes available a day after his sudden passing makes clear that the loss of Kalas stretches beyond Phillies fans.

ESPN put together a nice video obituary with narration from former Philadelphia Inquirer writer Jayson Stark, as well as a written tribute by former Phillie and current Baseball Tonight analyst John Kruk.

Of course, with Harry the K, everything starts in Philly, and Philly.com — the online home for both the Inquirer and Philadelphia Daily News — devoted lots of coverage to the man who helped bring generations of fans to the city’s baseball team.

Plenty of fantasy folks also took the opportunity to pay tribute to an icon. KFFL’s Nicholas Minnix, who grew up near Philly, remembers a voice from his childhood. Fantasy Baseball Dugout opened it’s Kalas post with a few of Kalas’ more memorable calls.

Despite the prevalence of Kalas coverage, though, the deaths of Fidrych and Adenhart certainly haven’t gone undetected. Like all of us, Sporting News’ Stan McNeal was struck by the past week’s news and remembers being in Florida the spring after Fidrych, “The Bird,” flew onto the scene as a rookie phenom. (Anyone not familiar with Fidrych or convinced that rookie pitchers aren’t worth your time in fantasy should check out that amazing 1976 line.)

Finally, Adenhart — who’s death might be the most tragic because of his age (22) and the cause — has an online forum for rememberance at the site of his hometown paper, The Herald-Mail of Hagerstown, Md.

Obviously, it will take a long time for many touched by these individuals, their careers and their lives to deal with the loss. As fantasy baseball players, baseball fans and human beings, let’s acknowledge the departed, remember the good times and hope with all we have that this marks the lowest possible point of the 2009 baseball season.

Although I still believe it just ain’t right that Major League Baseball stopped opening every season with a Cincinnati Reds game — come on, Bud, they were first — it’s quite nice to have the game going again.

In celebration of opening day(s), here’s a very scientific, baseball-themed video that also demonstrates what happened to the fantasy values of Cliff Lee and Jason Motte in just one afternoon.

Welcome back, fantasy baseball.