"Their fantasy players are a different ilk than the more general fantasy player, " said Bob Bowman, chief executive of MLB Advanced Media.

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In short, the rise of the four-quadrant mega-budget boy-centric fantasy picture coincided with the general demise of the female-driven genre film.

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In general, the popularity of fantasy baseball and sabermetrics has made for better-informed fans and pundits.

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"It's kind of a fantasy-hockey thing, " said Jim Nill, assistant general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.

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Though little known by the general public, Harryhausen made 17 movies that are cherished by devotees of film fantasy.

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