A roundup of items recently posted on the FSB News page.

– The news slipped by us at holiday time, but Mastersball.com and CREATiVE Sports have merged, operating under the Mastersball heading since the start of 2010. As fantasy veteran Lawr Michaels explains in his open letter to readers, the move combines staffs long on experience. The outlet is also part of Fantasy Sports Ventures’ Fantasy Players Network.

– Fantazzle is looking to hire a full-time social-media guru and add a few interns.

– Perhaps you’re sitting there looking over the RotoWire fantasy baseball draft kit on your PC and iPhone, wishing that you could get just one more electronic format. Well, if you’re a Kindle owner, you can now purchase the baseball preview magazine wirelessly.

– OPENSports.com’s Chris Chester states it in terms that I probably wouldn’t use, but his issues with the iPad pertaining to viewing baseball games and accessing fantasy baseball make sense.

– The NFL RedZone Channel on my cell phone? Yes, please. (Now all I need is a phone on which I can watch it …) The appeal of this channel to fantasy players is obvious for anyone familiar with the concept. If you’ve been asleep for a while, it’s a channel that shows every score (touchdowns and field goals) through the day games on NFL Sundays, switching live to contests in which one time is nearing the end zone.

Send all of your news, job postings, stories and profile ideas to FantasySportsBusiness@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter (FSBcom).

A roundup of recent posts on the FSB News page.

– In the wake of its deal to put on fantasy games for FOXSports.com, OPEN Sports announced a $4 million round of funding. Investors were not disclosed.

– Restaurant-entertainment chain Dave & Buster’s has put together a promotional package aimed at drawing fantasy football players to D&B for their drafts. The offer page says that the package includes “Free Draft Kit and Fantasy Magazine,” though it doesn’t specify the source. CBSSports.com is mentioned in the promo, but it no longer puts out a print preview magazine.

Send all of your news, job postings, stories and profile ideas to FantasySportsBusiness@gmail.com. Follow us on Twitter (FSBcom).

“We may not make it into the top 3 in year 1 of this, but certainly expect to be there in a short period of time.”

That is the stated expectation of Fox Sports Interactive Senior VP of Operations Jeff Husvar in Tuesday’s Sports Business Daily report of the fantasy deal struck between Fox and OPEN Sports.

According to the report, the multiyear partnership will begin with the coming football season, include baseball in 2010 and extend to other unspecified sports beyond that.

The football offerings will include a standard commissioner-style setup, a commissioner game that allows “real-time” substitutions during NFL games and the “shorter-form” Fox Fantasy Quick Challenge that sounds like it will probably fit into the growing stable of weekly fantasy games.

“We’re looking to make a very big statement to the marketplace,” Husvar told SBD. That statement will begin in earnest Tuesday night’s MLB All-Star Game, when the new fantasy setup is due to get a 20-second spot on-air. Husvar also reportedly said he is talking with fellow Fox executives to figure out how to better integrate fantasy into the network’s studio offerings. (Apparently he’s not satisfied with Brian Baldinger, Troy Aikman and co. picking one “fantasy stud” before each game.)

As for the plan to join the “big three” of mainstream fantasy sites within a year, that seems like a pretty lofty goal. Yahoo, ESPN and CBS Sports all sit way ahead of Fox in that race with gaggles of engaged, returning customers.

The one area that could gain Fox a foothold is if the in-game substitution model works out. Nearly all of us play in formats that require lineups to be set before kickoff, so this newer concept could be intriguing. Of course, we here at FSB.com would like to reserve true judgment on the concept until we learn more about it. SBD’s story says that each football offering will provide free-play options, though it’s not clear if Fox plans to build pay products as well.

No financial terms were announced for the deal, but the partnership is reportedly designed to end up giving Fox part ownership of OPEN Sports. It’s also worth noting that Husvar and OPEN Sports founder Mike Levy were once colleagues at CBSSportsline.com. (Levy, of course, founded Sportsline before CBS acquired it.)

(Click here for the official press release.)

Yesterday we spotlighted the companies that claimed multiple plaques at the Fantasy Sports Writers Association awards ceremony, but there were seven other honors handed out Tuesday.

Here are the victors in those remaining categories, as well as the other finalists with whom they competed:

Football Writer
Andy Behrens, Yahoo Sports
Jay Clemons, Sports Illustrated
Jeff Pasquino, Footballguys

Football Print Article
Dan Grogan, Athlon
Ginny Loveless, Football Diehards
Matt Waldman, Football Diehards

Football Print Publication
CBS Sports/Pro Football Weekly
RotoWire
Rotoworld

Baseball Print Article
Andy Behrens, Yahoo Sports
Jason Grey, ESPN
Tim Heaney, KFFL

Baseball Web Article
Jeff Erickson, RotoWire
David Gonos, Open Sports
Eno Sarris, Baseballguys

Hockey Writer
Sean Allen, ESPN
Janet Eagleson, RotoWire
Scott Pianowski, Yahoo Sports

Humor Article
Jeremy Fisher, Fantasy Football Trader
Lenny Pappano, Draft Sharks
Geoffrey Stein, Mock Draft Central