Do you believe in karma?

I'm feeling pretty chipper this Monday, especially after taking 3 Ls seven days ago.

I finally won for the first time this season in my keeper hockey league, but it's the tie in my other league that has me pumped. I trailed the entire week and entered Sunday, down 191.3 to 210.6. I knew the second-to-last game of the night, between the Blue Jackets and Kings, was going to decide the matchup. When I started watching early in the second period, things looked dire. My supposedly stud goalie, Steve Mason, had already given up two goals. The only consolation was that I had three Kings.

I was tempted to switch to the ALCS or Sunday night football, or even the Canucks/Oilers game that started one hour later, but I held out hope. Sure enough, my two LA forwards, Anze Kopitar and Alex Frolov, started to score -- albeit against Mason -- and at even strength, meaning at least they were getting plus points instead of zero or minus, along with D-man Jack Johnson.

I wound up watching the rest of the late game, but did not want to add up the fantasy points prematurely since scoring decisions can be changed. Now I know I had absolutely nothing to do with those Kings players doing what they did, but still it's fun to root, to hope and to believe, right? If I had turned away from that game in disgust and woke up this morning to find out that I had pulled out a tie, I wouldn't have felt as good about myself as I do now.

The tie puts me at 0-2-1. I'm still second-to-last in points, so I've got a lot of work cut out. But this tie at least provides a good story to tell -- especially the next time I see my opponent (and friend), Brian.

My win in fantasy football was nothing to brag about; my friend Paul had both his starting QBs on bye and there were no replacements available on the waiver wire (it's a 12-team league in which we start 2). Barring anything outrageous in tonight's Redskins/Eagles game, I'll be 4-3 and in a four-way tie for first place in my division (the top four teams go to the playoffs).

Later this week: I'll use an example from my fantasy soccer league that might aid you in fantasy football.