Bears Trip

Last year my friends and I started what I hope will become our annual Bears trip. This is where we all meet in the city of Bears away game for a weekend of heavy drinking, and watching of football. And drinking. Did I mention the drinking?

Last year we went to Atlanta and if not for the last 11 seconds of the Bears game it was an awesome weekend. The stadium, as well as a number of other bars and restaurants were all within walking distance of our hotel, which was really convenient.

The NFL schedule came out yesterday so we have to figure out where to go. I'll be traveling from Chicago. Two of my friends are coming from the East coast, so games out there work better for them. The fourth member of our group is working in Japan for a year, so I'm fairly certain that he's out no matter what, but if there was any chance of him making it to one of the games I think it would have to be on the West Coast.

Here's our options. I don't know very much about most of these cities, so I'm open to suggestions.

9/13 - Green Bay Packers - Opening week. I doubt we can get affordable tickets, and I don't particularly want to go to Green Bay, even if it is one of the more convenient options on the list.

9/27 - Seattle Seahawks - This is one of my top choices. I'd like to visit Seattle at some point. Why not see a football game too? I'm concerned that it would be tough to get tickets though since their fans are pretty hard core.


10/18 - Atlanta Falcons - We already went to Atlanta, but I thought it worked out well. I'd go again. It might be more difficult to get tickets this time around since they might actually be expected to be decent this year, but I think its a good bet.

10/25 - Cincinnati Bengals - I don't know why by I think Cinci is a ghetto town. I've never been, but if I was to pick the most likely place on this list to get stabbed walking down the street it would be Cinci. Actually it would be Detroit, but Cinci would be a close second. It does look like there is some stuff to do near the stadium, so this might work out.

11/12 - San Fransisco 49ers - Another one of my top choices. This has the added benefit of the Niners being terrible so the chances of a Bear win and us getting good seats significantly improve.


11/29 - Minnesota Vikings - meh. Walking around Minnesota in November doesn't sound like a lot of fun. Plus I'd have to listen to that asshole blow his Viking horn for three hours.

12/20 - Baltimore Ravens - Might be good, except for the cold and the fact that I can't go anywhere that weekend because of my wife's cousin's Wedding.


1/3 - Detroit Lions - Walking around Detroit, while probably not fun at any time of the year would be even less fun in January. Plus I don't know about the New Years travel chaos.


So there's the options. I think its probably going to come down to Seattle, San Fran, Atlanta and Cinci. Anyone know of a reason why I should or should not take one of those?

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

November Tournament Summary

Here we are in the 11th month of the year and our monthly gathering is getting together for the fourth or fifth time. Nice work.

Before I get into the wrap up, did any one see the Illini game on Saturday? You know, the one where they knocked off #1 Ohio State? Just wondering. When I went to U of I I think the football team had a total of five wins over four years, so when they've gotten to the point where they can contend with and beat ranked teams, Its pretty exciting.

Back to poker. The game was supposed to start at 5:30. Of course the Illini game was just ending and since a large number of attendees are alumni, many of them were late. We'd normally just blind them in, but it was about a third of the field, and we weren't sure exactly how many of them there were, so we figured we'd wait since they claimed they were ten minutes out. By ten minutes they must have meant 45. But its ok because we were finally playing poker and the Illini won. Have I mentioned that yet?

We were expecting a big turnout since we haven't played since May, but alas only had 21 people show up, seven of which were new to the group. The game itself was painfully slow. I don't know if it was all the new people, or just who happened to end up at which table, but on just about every hand there would be at least one, and often two or three occasions when we'd all be sitting around waiting for someone to act who had no idea that the action was on them. I'm not against talking about non-game related things at the table, but you still have to pay attention to the game.

I was also fairly frustrated because very little that I was doing was working. There were a few players at my table would call almost anything which pretty much forces you to get a good hand as bluffing is all but impossible. I don't consider myself to be someone who flat out bluffs very often, but I do things like continuation bets and stealing orphaned pots that are like bluffing. I'm more just betting that no one else has anything than that I can make them think I have a monster.

In the first game I got crippled by losing a couple of all-ins against smaller stacks . In the first case I had 73o in the BB and got to see a free flop of A33. Hooray for big blind specials. I bet half her remaining stack and she called. The turn was a rag and I put her all in. She calls with an Ax and hits another Ace on the river. Not the end of the world because she didn't have many chips to begin with, but enough of a hit to prevent me from entering as many speculative pots.

Shortly thereafter I made a decent sized preflop raise on the button with AT and one limper. I think I have a pretty tight table image, at least among the people still in the hand, so I was expecting everyone to fold right there, but the big blind pushed for his remaining stack. I figured he had a middle pair, or a decent ace, so I was probably behind, but I was getting decent enough odds to call plus the satisfaction of knocking him out was enough to justify the call. He turns over JQs, which was about the best I could have hoped for, and then he hits a Jack.

I played small stack poker from there on. We combined to two tables at 16 players, and then we were down to 8 and ready to combine to one when I busted out. I was in the small blind and had 89o. We were four handed and the other two players had limped. I had enough chips to last a few more orbits, but I wasn't doing great. I thought to myself I should fold and get to the 8 person table where I could wait for a premium hand to push with, but I was getting 7-1 on my money and couldn't fold. The flop was 77T giving me an open ended straight draw. I pushed hoping no had a piece of that, or that I'd hit my straight. The BB had gotten a piece, with 7x so I was in big trouble. Until a Jack came on the turn. I was looking to be in pretty good shape for the final table. And then the case seven came on the river. Bleh.


Game two didn't go much better for me. The whole late arriving crowd as well as a number of other players, bailed on the second game since it was so late so we only had 13 players. I should have dominated my starting table as there was a ton of dead money there, and the only really good player seemed determined to either go out first or last, with strong leanings towards first.

Unfortunately I wasn't patient enough. I also got screwed by paying too much attention to what people had done on prior hands and just assuming they were doing it again. In the first example, the guy to my right had called all the way to the showdown with a pair of tens when an ace had hit the flop and the river paired the board. I had a weak ace, and had anyone else been in the pot I probably would have folded, but I knew that he was capable of calling with a weak hand. And it paid off.

A few hands later I was in a similar hand with him with A8 and an ace on the flop. This time it was me following him to showdown where he turns over big slick. Maybe I should have folded, but he just as easily could have had a pair of sevens, or a weaker ace.

Later on I was done in by the player I mentioned earlier who seemed determined to bust first or build a huge stack. The blinds were getting high, we were four or five handed, and he had on a few occasions he had shown his garbage cards after making large pre-flop raises. He had made another pre-flop raise, of the same amount and I had A5s in one of the blinds. Again I figure I have a tight image, plus we are short handed and he's very likely just trying to steal the blinds, so my A5 is quite possibly the best hand, so I push. He thinks about it for a while and then calls, turning over A9 and knocking me out. Booo-urns. Better luck next time.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Fantasy Football Draft 2007

I usually start thinking about football, and thus fantasy football around the beginning of June. You know, right around the time when the Cubs are traditionally mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. So imagine my surprise when this year I find that our draft is actually happening with the Cubs still in contention. Who knew it was almost football season? Since I've been focused on baseball all this time, I have spent zero time preparing for this year's draft. Prepping didn't exactly help me last year so I'm probably not missing much. OK, that's not entirely true. I did spend about three minutes to print out a cheat sheet from ESPN, which came in quite handy.


Before I get to the draft I would like to remind everyone to checkout Fantasy Sports Live. Its a fantasy sports site started up by a fellow poker blogger and caters to those of us with short attention spans. Its basically a Fantasy Sports Sit-N-Go where each contest only lasts one day. Its fully legal in the US and does involve real money wagering on your fantasy sports skills. Or lack thereof. Check it out. I've played baseball there for a while and it is much more enjoyable than my full season league. Football should be up and running soon. Use bonus code POKERWORDS or one of the links on this page for a %20 deposit bonus rather than the standard %10.




So now, without further ado, here is how our draft went down. Since I didn't prepare for the predraft its hard to critique everyone else's performance, but I'm going to do it anyway.

Salsiccia Kings
1. (1) LaDainian Tomlinson
2. (20) Maurice Jones-Drew
3. (21) Marvin Harrison
4. (40) Marc Bulger
5. (41) Anquan Boldin
6. (60) Todd Heap
7. (61) San Diego
8. (80) Nate Kaeding
9. (81) Laveranues Coles
10. (100) Tatum Bell
11. (101) L.J. Smith
12. (120) Trent Green

We drafted in the reverse order of our finish last season, and so this year, as in many previous years the Salsiccia Kings are drafting first. Their manager was not present for the draft so he was given the best available player at the time, which means this will be his best team in a long time. Its tough to go wrong with drafting LT #1 so the team should at least be competitive with just him alone. This is the team most likely to star a player on injured reserve, or their bye week, but this year he may actually win anyway.


No Talent Ass Clowns
1. (2) Steven Jackson
2. (19) Ronnie Brown
3. (22) Chad Johnson
4. (39) Randy Moss
5. (42) Donovan McNabb
6. (59) Chris Cooley
7. (62) Jerious Norwood
8. (79) Calvin Johnson
9. (82) Vince Young
10. (99) Philadelphia
11. (102) Dallas Clark
12. (119) Jason Elam

The second draft pick went to our commissioner who has one league championship under his belt. He's had a reasonably solid draft with one of the best RB's in Stevan Jackson and WR's in Chad Johnson. If McNabb stays healthy and Calvin Johnson ends up being as good as some are projected, he could have a real good team.

Chocolate Squirrels
1. (3) Larry Johnson
2. (18) Cedric Benson
3. (23) Torry Holt
4. (38) Donald Driver
5. (43) Jon Kitna
6. (58) Tony Romo
7. (63) Jamal Lewis
8. (78) Darrell Jackson
9. (83) Terry Glenn
10. (98) Pittsburgh
11. (103) Randy McMichael
12. (118) Joe Nedney

I was really hoping the manager of the Chocolate Squirrels would pass on LJ, but alas it was not to be. Stranger things have happened in our league, but it looks like people are starting to do at least a little research before picking say Brian Westbrook with the #1 overall. I don't have much to say on his draft. As a Bears fan I hope Benson does well, and that could end up making or breaking his team. Holt always puts up decent numbers but how old is he now? 50? Kitna should put up some big numbers since the Lions are horrible and will be passing a ton to try to catch up. That's why Kitna was such a good fantasy QB a few years ago with Cincy.

Norwegian Blues
1. (4) Shaun Alexander
2. (17) Steve Smith
3. (24) Brandon Jacobs
4. (37) T.J. Houshmandzadeh
5. (44) Matt Hasselbeck
6. (57) Jeremy Shockey
7. (64) Ahman Green
8. (77) Denver
9. (84) Shayne Graham
10. (97) LaMont Jordan
11. (104) Donte' Stallworth
12. (117) Devin Hester

And we come to my team. I've won this league two of five years so I have high expectations, but I'm not really happy with my draft. I hated having the fourth pick. I was torn between Alexander, Gore, Addai, and Manning and wasn't happy about any of them. I would have taken Gore, but he's hurt and while he should be fine by the start of the season, who knows? I also strongly considered Addai, but was worried he'd split carries. You can't go really go wrong with Manning, but the falloff between him and an average QB isn't nearly as much as that of a top RB and middle of the road. So I got Alexander. At least he's likely to put up a large amount of TDs.

I got Steve Smith as the first receiver on the board. Conventional wisdom might have said to take another RB at that point, but there wasn't anyone left that I felt I had to have and I don't think I missed much by picking Jacobs in the third. Of coarse I know nothing about Jacobs other than the fact that he was the highest projected player remaining when it was my turn.

I try to make a point of spreading out my bye weeks and minimizing players on the same team yet I have drafted two pairs of teammates and four players with byes on week 9. Brilliant.

I think I did good with LaMont Jordan and Ahman Green as my backup RB's. As far as I know they are both starters, and while their teams suck, at least they should be getting the ball as much as any other backup.

And yes I picked up Devon Hester. It was my last pick and the ceiling is way too high to pass up. And I'm a Bears fan.

Drunken Pirates
1. (5) Frank Gore
2. (16) Carson Palmer
3. (25) Clinton Portis
4. (36) Larry Fitzgerald
5. (45) Plaxico Burress
6. (56) New England
7. (65) Robbie Gould
8. (76) Kellen Winslow
9. (85) DeAngelo Williams
10. (96) Joey Galloway
11. (105) Jay Cutler
12. (116) Heath Miller

A few years ago the Drunken Pirates passed on LT, Larry Johnson and Shawn Alexander to take Brian Westbrook with the #1 pick. He did a little better this year. He took Gore in round 1 who I very almost took, then Portis in three who I also strongly considered. I was all set to take Fitzgerald in round four but he beat me to it. He took a kicker a bit early but you can't fault a guy for wanting a Bear on your team, can you? I don't see any significant holes in this year's Pirates lineup.

DADS DYNASTY
1. (6) Peyton Manning
2. (15) Thomas Jones
3. (26) Marques Colston
4. (35) Willis McGahee
5. (46) Chicago
6. (55) Reggie Brown
7. (66) Alge Crumpler
8. (75) Neil Rackers
9. (86) Julius Jones
10. (95) Ben Roethlisberger
11. (106) Vincent Jackson
12. (115) Owen Daniels

It wouldn't be a Dad's Dynasty team without Peyton Manning and bunch of home grown talent. I wonder if he knows Thomas Jones isn't on the Bears anymore. Actually I was disappointed he took Jones because I think he's underrated and would have gladly taken him if he fell to me in round 2. Taking a QB number one left his RB core somewhat depleted, but at least he got the #1 QB in the game.

fighting Danimals
1. (7) Joseph Addai
2. (14) Laurence Maroney
3. (27) Terrell Owens
4. (34) Reggie Wayne
5. (47) Adrian Peterson
6. (54) Philip Rivers
7. (67) Jacksonville
8. (74) Matt Leinart
9. (87) Vernon Davis
10. (94) Chris Chambers
11. (107) Greg Jennings
12. (114) Greg Olsen

Perennial winners of the losers bracket it looks like the Danimals managed to make the playoffs last year. I actually like his picks a lot. I think Addai could have gone fourth and TO and Reggie Wayne make a pretty good group of receivers as long as TO manages to play all year. Adrian Peterson was on just about everyone's sleeper list which, makes him not a sleeper, but I was really hoping he'd fall a few more rounds. He failed to draft a kicker again this year which means he'll have to make a move before the season starts, but that probably isn't a bad thing. Kickers aren't worth much so you might as well lock up another real player until closer to the start of the season and decide who to drop then.

Vikings
1. (8) Willie Parker
2. (13) Reggie Bush
3. (28) Roy Williams
4. (33) Andre Johnson
5. (48) Lee Evans
6. (53) Tony Gonzalez
7. (68) Adam Vinatieri
8. (73) Marion Barber III
9. (88) Braylon Edwards
10. (93) Eli Manning
11. (108) Brett Favre
12. (113) Minnesota

I don't have much to say. Willie Parker was probably the best player available for his #1 pick. As I've mentioned I haven't done much research so I'm not sure how much the Saints plan to use Bush this year, but if they were smart it would be a lot more than they did last year. I have a feeling his fantasy production will fluctuate quite a bit.

Spider Pig
1. (9) Rudi Johnson
2. (12) Brian Westbrook
3. (29) Javon Walker
4. (32) Tom Brady
5. (49) Marshawn Lynch
6. (52) Hines Ward
7. (69) Santana Moss
8. (72) Carnell Williams
9. (89) Mark Clayton
10. (92) Jason Witten
11. (109) Seattle
12. (112) Jason Hanson

Rudi Johnson has been on my team a few times so I'm a Rudi Johnson fan, and Brian Westbrook is a pretty good second round choice, especially since our league gives more points for receptions than most other leagues.

HOOSIER DADDIES
1. (10) Travis Henry
2. (11) Edgerrin James
3. (30) Drew Brees
4. (31) Antonio Gates
5. (50) Baltimore
6. (51) Deion Branch
7. (70) Jeff Wilkins
8. (71) Deuce McAllister
9. (90) Devery Henderson
10. (91) Michael Jenkins
11. (110) Warrick Dunn
12. (111) LenDale White

Depending on who you ask last years champ has won this league two or four times. The manager of the Daddies claims championships in 2000 and 20001 even though the league didn't start until 2002. My guess is that he was in another league with our commissioner and thinks they are somehow related. Maybe they are. I'm still not going to recognize any championship in a season in which I didn't participate.

Championship discrepancies aside the Daddies usually have an unorthodox draft style, but it also seems to be pretty effective. He's probably the team to beat by default. There aren't a lot of great RBs to choose from in the 10th or 11th slot but I hate the Edgerinn James pick. Maybe its because he burned me last year, but he is not a very good back on Arizona. I don't think LT or Larry Johnson could do much in that offense. They get behind big and early and resort to passing a lot. I think Antonio Gates is a great pick. Some people are going to consider themselves lucky to get a point or two out of their TE, but he's going to expect 100 yards + a TD just about every week or so. That can make up for your crappy RB production.



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And that's all I have to say on this year's draft. Would it be too cliche if I asked if you were ready for some football?

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Fantasy Sports Sit-N-Goes

One of the problems with Fantasy Sports, especially baseball is that through the course of a full season you tend to get bored with it. There's nothing worse than getting off to a horrible start in fantasy baseball and then having to watch your team flounder in last place for three or four months. You probably end up more or less abandoning your team which makes the league less fun and competitive for the remaining players. Even if you are doing well, don't you get tired of checking up on your team daily or weekly, month after month?

Enter Fantasy Sports Live. This brilliant idea, dreamed up by poker blogger Blinders is the short attention span version of traditional fantasy sports. Each contest lasts but one day, so there's none of the hassles of traditional leagues such as maintaining your roster, making sure your players aren't on the DL, checking the waiver wire etc. You just pick your team for the day and go.

Oh, and did I mention the best part? You get to bet on the outcomes. Bet may not be the correct term. You pay an entrance fee for the contest and can win cash prizes. Its very much like a fantasy sports SNG.


From what I understand, this is perfectly legal even in the face of the UIGEA, and they even take deposits from major credit cards and PayPal. Since anti gambling laws have carve outs for horse racing and fantasy sports, sites such as this could be the new craze for people wanting to gamble test their skill online.




Go check it out. Sign up now and get a $10 bonus on your first $100 deposit to try out the site. Use bonus code POKERWORDS and get $10 for a $50 deposit, $20 for $100 or $30 for $300.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Super Bowl Comments

Bleh.

That was exactly the sort of Bears team that I was afraid might show up.

A lot of people are putting the blame on Grossman's shoulders but I don't think that's where it belongs. This team is based on defense first and their defense sucked. Sure they kept Indy out of the end zone for the most part, but did they have any three-and-outs that whole game? I'm too lazy to check, but I don't think so. They gave up 8-12 yard plays just about any time Indy needed them. They made the occasional stop on first and second down, but on third and eight they would let Indy's receivers catch the ball 10 yards down field, and then let them run a few more yards before hitting them. Eventually they Bears would stop them, either just before the endzone, or just out of field goal range, but is it too much to ask for them to make a stop in Indianapolis territory?

The Bears are a great play from ahead team. When you have to force plays they make you pay with turnovers, and impressive offence, but when their offense has to be the one making the plays, they're in trouble. Its been like that all year so it shouldn't have been a surprise.

There's a lot more I could say about the game, but its just going to put me in a bad mood, so I won't. Plus I have a ton of other post vacation stuff to catch up on.

So yeah. bleh.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Super Bowl Predictions

A friend of mine complained that the Bears have made the Superbowl and yet I have not provided the world with my expert analysis. There’s a couple of reasons for that. First, the whole neteller arrests and withdrawal from the us market has basically demoralized me in terms of poker. I’m frustrated with the whole situation, and the mere thought of poker has puts me on tilt. Seeing as this blog is theoretically about poker, I haven’t felt like writing anything, Superbowl or not. Then of coarse there’s my history of post season predictions where last year I predicted and easy playoff win for the Bears against the Carolina Steve Smiths, I mean Panthers.

Now that I’ve gone this far, I might as well give you my thoughts.

My biggest concern going into this game is not Rex Grossman or the Bears offense. It’s the defense. The much talked about, Bears D. In the beginning of the year they were so good it was ridiculous. The only way they would give up points was if the Bears offense or special teams gave their opponent great field position, and even then it was tough. They lost Mike Brown and Tommy Harris and had a few other injuries, and they haven’t been the same since. They play a frustrating bend but don’t break style of D, which has caused more than a few ulcers in Chicago land. In pressure situations they’ll give up large chunks of yards, and way too many first downs, before finally making a stop just outside of field goal range. They can’t seem to get a key three and out in any close games.

The Bears offense I’m not concerned about. Rex has been getting better at throwing the ball away instead of into his opponent’s hands, and I’m pretty sure he can do that against Indy’s less than impressive D. Thomas Jones and Cedric Benson have been running at will on opponents in recent weeks, and if there’s one thing the Colts suck at its stopping the run.

As for the Colts, of the final four AFC teams I think they are the team I would most like the Bears to play. Yes, they have Peyton Manning, and used to be able to score at will, but this year, and as recently as two weeks ago, teams have been able to stop their offence. I don’t know if the Bears can keep Indy out of the endzone like Baltimore did, but I do know that the Bears can score more than three field goals. Too many of the Colts games come down to Manning leading a fourth quarter drive to win. He usually converts, but not this time.

I was scared of the Chargers because the Bears have had problems stopping the run, and the Chargers could just give the ball to LT all day. I think the Bears are better than the Patriots, but that wouldn’t stop them Pats from winning as they tend to just outplay their opponents, not matter what the game looks like on paper. And Baltimore’s defense could have single handedly beaten the Bears, much the same way that the Bears D has been known to win games on its own.

So, my prediction….

Bears 34, Colts 20. Jones, and Benson each get a TD, and Grossman passes for two, one to Berrian, and one to the TE Desmond Clark. Manning passes for two TDs, but gets picked off on a key fourth quarter drive.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Confidence

I must have a gambling problem. I think I've watched a total of 4 complete college football games this year. And one of those was really just an excuse to hang out with some friends at bar as we watched the Illini get pounded by Iowa. Still, despite the fact that I know almost nothing about college football I've decided to enter a confidence pool at work.


For those of you unfamiliar with how a confidence pool works, it is as follows. You predict the winner of each of the 32 bowl games. You rank each game with a score of 1-30 corresponding to how confident you are that you picked the winner of the game. You can only use a number once, and you get two byes. For each game that you pick correctly you get a number of points equal to your confidence score. Most points at the end of the bowl season wins.


Confidence pools are even more biased in favor of those who actually know what they are doing, rather than those of us hoping to get lucky since you not only have to get lucky and pick the winner, you also have to be lucky enough to have assigned a high point value to that game.

Regardless of the fact that I have no idea what I am doing I am going to enter said pool with the following picks. No fair to my coworkers who may read this blog, submitting an entry with the exact opposite picks. Although I'm tempted to do that myself. There are probably a number of huge mismatches in some of the lesser known bowls that I'm just not aware of because I have never heard of half of these schools. Middle Tennessee vs Central Michigan? I bet my high school team playing against our cross town rival would generate more interest.

Anyways, here are my picks. Feel free to point out any obviously bad picks or to post your own for bragging rights. Winners are in bold, confidence to the right of the bowl name.

San Diego County Credit Union - 26

#24 TCU (10-2) vs. Northern Illinois (7-5)

Pioneer Pure Vision Las Vegas - 5

#20 Brigham Young (10-2) vs. Oregon (7-5)

R&L Carriers New Orleans bye

Rice (7-5) vs. Troy (7-5)

Papajohns.com - 2

South Florida (8-4) vs. East Carolina (7-5)

New Mexico - 1

New Mexico (6-6) vs. San Jose State (8-4)

Bell Helicopter Armed Force - bye

Tulsa (8-4) vs. Utah (7-5)

Sheraton Hawaii - 7

Arizona State (7-5) vs. Hawaii (10-3)

Motor City - 4

Middle Tennessee St (7-5) vs. Central Michigan (9-4)

Emerald - 10

Florida State (6-6) vs. UCLA (7-5)

PetroSun Independence - 11

Oklahoma State (6-6) vs. Alabama (6-6)

Pacific Life Holiday - 3

#19 California (9-3) vs. #21 Texas A&M (9-3)

Texas - 16

#17 Rutgers (10-2) vs. Kansas State (7-5)

Gaylord Hotels Music City - 15

Clemson (8-4) vs. Kentucky (7-5)

Brut Sun - 21

#25 Oregon State (9-4) vs. Missouri (8-4)

Autozone Liberty - 12

Houston (10-3) vs. South Carolina (7-5)

Insight - 18

Texas Tech (7-5) vs. Minnesota (6-6)

Champs Sports - 6

Purdue (8-5) vs. Maryland (8-4)

Meineke Car Care - 24

Navy (9-3) vs. #23 Boston College (9-3)

Alamo - 27

#16 Texas (9-3) vs. Iowa (6-6)

Chick-fil-A - 23

Georgia (8-4) vs. #14 Virginia Tech (10-2)

MPC Computers - 17

Miami (FL) (6-6) vs. Nevada (8-4)

Outback - 25

#18 Tennessee (9-3) vs. Penn State (8-4) 25

AT&T Cotton - 22

#10 Auburn (10-2) vs. #22 Nebraska (9-4)

Toyota Gator - 28

#12 West Virginia (10-2) vs. #25 Georgia Tech (9-4) 28

Capitol One - 19

#13 Arkansas (10-3) vs. #5 Wisconsin (11-1)

Rose - 20

#7 USC (10-2) vs. #3 Michigan (11-1)

Tostitos Fiesta - 9

#9 Boise State (12-0) vs. #8 Oklahoma (11-2)

FedEx Orange - 8

#6 Louisville (11-1) vs. #15 Wake Forest (11-2)

Allstate Sugar - 30

#11 Notre Dame (10-2) vs. #4 LSU (10-2)

International - 14

Cincinnati (7-5) vs. Western Michigan (8-4)

GMAC - 13

Ohio (9-4) vs. So. Mississippi (8-5)

BCS Championship - 29

#2 Florida (12-1) vs. #1 Ohio State (12-0)

Tie Breaker BCS Championship Game Total Points: 50

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

I hate the Dolphins

I hate the Dolphins.  Seriously, I hate the Packers as much as any Bears fan, but I have my own special hatred for the Dolphins.  There is no team whose losses I enjoy more than Miami.  Had it been any other team to knock the Bears from the ranks of the unbeaten it would have been ok.  I wouldn’t have liked it, but it would have been ok.  I don’t honestly expect them to go the whole season with out a loss.  

But the fucking Dolphins?  Again?  Anyone but them.  I hate them.  I hate everything about them.  And I especially hate their obnoxious undefeated 72 team.  I wanted the Bears to go undefeated this year to shut them up more than anything.

Did I mentioned I hate the Dolphins?

Oh wait, I think the Bears just fumbled again.  

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Beeaaaarrrrrs

ummmmmmm Rock much?

I was a little hesitant to get overly excited about the Bears season so far since they haven't exactly played anyone worth mentioning, but I'm pretty sure a 37-6 victory over the team most people pick to go back to the Super Bowl is worth getting excited about. I'm going to start looking for my Super Bowl tickets now. I'm thinking the Bears will still be undefeated at that point.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

Are You Ready for Some Football

Sweet sweet football, how I’ve missed thee.

Thank God for the beginning of football season, effectively ending the baseball season as far as I’m concerned. The only thing keeping me remotely interested in baseball this year was my fantasy team, but it looks like I’m destined to finish that in fifth, or maybe fourth, but out of the money either way.

Could the Cubs possibly suck any more? This season has been horrible, even by their pathetic standards. I’m going to a Cubs Fantasy Camp with my Dad this winter and I think there’s a good chance I’ll make the team.

-------

We actually managed to organize another poker game for tonight. I heard we are expecting 15-20, but you never know how many of those will actually show up. Last time we were expecting over 20 and we got 10.

-------

Why do the Bears have to have the late game tomorrow? I know that Bears/Packers is a big rivalry, and it will be Favre’s last home opener, and defense is going to break whatever the record is for most points scored by a defense, but still, its really inconvenient for me, and I think they should reschedule.

You see, my wife is out of town this weekend, which means I have no plans for Sunday. I was going to watch the Bears at noon and then play in the PokerStars Sunday Million Guaranteed which starts around three I believe. I’ve wanted to play in this tournament for a really long time, but I’m never available on Sundays.

Now I’m going to have to either choose between the Bears or the tournament, or bring a TV up to my office and do both. Somehow I think watching a football game while playing the most expensive tournament I’ve ever entered is very +EV. I’ll have to see how I feel tomorrow I guess.

Originally posted at blog.pokerwords.com

2007 Fantasy Football Draft Review

2007 Fantasy Football Draft Review


Last year I thought it would be fun to do a round by round analysis of my Fantasy Football league’s draft.  Three hours later I was halfway done and I realized that fun was a little bit generous in my assessment, but it was too late to stop then.  This year I’m just going to list the teams in the league, their picks and maybe a few comments on bad they are.  More than anything its just a chance to make fun of the other members of the league.

Before I start I should point out that each team will play the following positions:  QB,RB,RB,WR,WR,TE,K,D and we get two bench players.  That’s right two.  We previously had played with a two WRs and a WR/TE slot, and this year I suggested adding a full TE since there seem to be more TE actually contributing offensively these days.  After some discussion, we converted the WR/TE to just a TE and removed half of our already small bench.  All I can say is I hope the two teams that pushed for that format get a key player injured while they have other big players on a bye week, so they have to drop them.

I should also mention that I spent about an hour prepping for this years draft, unlike previous years where I spent months ahead of time doing research.

So here we go.

Drunken Pirates:

Last year the Pirates choose Brian Westbrook with their number one pick, which is why they are picking first again this year.  They did a bit better this year in taking Shaun Alexander.  I would have gone with Larry Johnson, but what do I know?  It’s not like I won the league last year or anything.  Oh wait.  I did.   Here’s his picks:

• Alexander, Shaun


• Palmer, Carson


• Boldin, Anquan


• Lewis, Jamal


• Bears  D


• Galloway, Joey


• Witten, Jason


• Delhomme, Jake


• Maroney, Laurence


• Tynes, Lawrence

Shaun Alexander’s production will cover up a lot of draft mistakes. The Pirates are lacking a Strong second RB and WR which is what happens when you take a defense in the fifth round.  Of coarse it is the Bears D, so he might just win most of his games based on their production.

Hoosierbucks

I don’t know the manager of the Hoosierbucks outside of this league, but our commissioner has certainly talked him up in years past as the man to beat based on other leagues that are in together.  He employs a unique strategy that ether works out really well or really poorly.  I think he won the league a few years ago, but based on the fact that he’s drafting second this year, last year must have been a one of the not-so-good years.  Larry Johnson at #2 overall is a no brainer.  I think Willie Parker will be a pretty decent second back, and he managed to get a QB in the 7th round, and sooner or later Vick has to live up to his potential.  Or not.

• Johnson, Larry


• Harrison, Marvin


• Parker, Willie


• Heap, Todd


• Ravens D


• Akers, David


• Vick, Michael


• Muhammad, Mushin


• Foster, DeShaun


• Mason, Derrick

Dad’s Dynasty

Dad is our commissioner’s father.  He finished the regular season in first place during our inaugural season, before I knocked him out of the playoffs on route to my first league championship.  I think that was his best year.  Apparently that’s what makes Dynasty these days.  Speaking of dynasties, he picked up the quarterback of the dynasty that is the Indianapolis Colts with his number one pick.   Conventional wisdom says to take a RB with your first pick, especially when it’s the third pick overall, but what do the experts know?  And before you tell me how many TDs he might pass for, I should point out that passing TDs are only worth four points while rushing and receiving TDs are worth 6

• Manning, Peyton


• Jones, Julius


• Gates, Antonio


• Jackson, Darrell


• Panthers D


• Taylor, Fred


• Stallworth, Donte


• Feely, Jay


• Rhodes, Dominic


• Benson, Cedric

He did manage to steal Antonio Gates from my. I was hoping to get him with my 3rd or 4th round pick.  Other than that, I’m thinking Dad is going to be hitting the waiver wire hard once the season starts.  

Menace to Sobriety

Menace gets a gift in Tomlinson, and does pretty well for himself after that.  He looks to have a pretty solid team and if I had to pick a winner right now this would be my choice.

• Tomlinson, Ladanian


• Holt, Torry


• Westbrook, Brian


• Wayne, Reggie


• Shockey, Jeremy


• Dillon, Corey


• Bledsoe, Drew


• Indy D


• Gore, Frank


• Graham, Shayne

Salsicciakings

What the kings lack in fantasy football skills he makes up for in trash talking.  He’s had some of the funniest exchanges with other members of the league that I’ve ever seen, but those exchanges will probably be the highlight of his season.  There’s also a good chance that by halfway through the season he will have forgotten his user name and password and he’ll be starting half his team on their bye weeks.  Not that he hasn’t won games in years past by doing that.  

• Barber, Tiki


• Fitzgerald, Larry


• Brady, Tom


• Bush, Reggie


• Walker, Javon


• Davis, Domanick


• Houshmandzadeh, T.J.


• Vinatieri, Adam


• Crumpler, Alge


• Washington D

Rabid Danimals

Perennial winners of the losers bracket, Danimals Animals are Rabid this year.  Scary.   They traded their 6th and 15th picks for my 10th and 11th.  If his team stays healthy I think the trade worked out better for him.

• Portis, Clinton


• Williams, Carnell


• Owens, Terrell


• Williams, Roy


• Jones, Kevin


• Bulger, Marc


• Johnson, Andre


• Winslow, Kellen


• Jax D


• Warner, Kurt

No one wanted TO after last year.  I think he’ll end up being one of the steals of the draft going late in the third round.  I also think Kurt Warner is a good pickup with the last pick.  Now that they have a solid RB, I would think Arizona’s offense could start doing something.  And if not, then he’ll be passing a lot which should work out well.

Vikings

How someone growing up in Chicago, whose parents have season tickets for the Bears can become a Vikings fan I’ll never know.  Despite such poor decision making skills, he usually does pretty well in fantasy football. He was running away with the league last year until TO screwed him, and Priest Holmes went down, letting me play Larry Johnson for rest of the season to catch up.  

• Jackson, Steven


• Johnson, Chad


• Dunn, Warrick


• Moss, Santana


• Hasselbeck, Matt


• Smith, LJ


• Horn, Joe


• Glenn, Terry


• Elam, Jason


• Green, Ahman

He stole Chad Johnson from me in the second round.   I think he’s going to end up being the most productive receiver this year, and I’m pissed I missed him.   Overall the Vikings have a pretty solid team.  

No Talent Ass Clowns

The esteemed commissioner of our league finished in third place last year.  I’m not real impressed with his team so far so I don’t think he’s going to be repeating his trip to the post season this year.  Of course if history is any indicator I just jinxed myself and he’ll end up winning the league while I’m looking up from the opposite end.

• Brown, Ronnie


• McGahee, Willis


• Manning, Eli


• Ross, Randy


• Burress, Plaxico


• Cooley, Chris


• Pittsburgh D


• Bell, Mike


• Bell, Tatum


• Vanderjagt, Mike

Pig in a Poke

Last years second place finisher also has a pretty strong team again.  I had Rudi Johnson the last two seasons and almost took him again this year, but I was planning on getting Chad Johnson in the next round so I passed.  I also had Chris Chambers last year, and I think he’ll do real well this year with an actual offense to work with.

• Johnson, Rudi


• Jordan, Lamont


• Chambers, Chris


• Mcnabb, Donovan


• Gonzalez, Tony


• Driver, Donald


• Taylor, Chester


• Smith, Rod


• Seattle D


• Kasay, John

Remember Last Year

Usually my team name is Wait Til Next Year, because I’m a Cubs fan and that’s what we do.  I changed it up a bit this year because I’m funny like that.  Enjoy it because that’s about as creative as I get.

I really hate my draft.  I had planned on taking the best RB available with my #10 overall pick and the Chad Johnson with #11.  I was then going to hope Antonio Gates would survive through the third round, where I would also pick up a second WR or RB.  That was about the extent of my planning.  At the last minute I traded with the Danimals and ruined any plan I might have had.

I took Edge with my first pick hoping that with a decent back the Cardinals offense won’t suck.  I have a feeling I’ll regret that.  I then took Steve Smith with my second pick because the Vikings stole Johnson from me the pick before.  I think Smith will do OK this year, but nowhere near as good as last year.  He doesn’t warrant a 15th overall slot, but there were no running backs left that I would rather have, so I took him.  Oh, yeah, and he has the same bye week as my number one pick, so if I have any injuries I’m screwed.  

I desperately need another RB because I don’t think Reuben Droughns is going to do much in Cleveland’s offense. I like McMichael as my TE except that he’s on the same team as my QB who I took with the very next pick.  Which means once again if I have any injuries the week they are on a bye I’m screwed.   I also like my kicker, except that his bye week is the same as my first two picks, so one of them will have to go.  Guess who.  

• James, Edgerrin


• Smith, Steve


• Ward, Hines


• Droughns, Reuben


• McMichael, Randy


• Culpepper, Daunte


• Rackers, Neil


• Tampa Bay D


• Kennison, Eddie


• Jones, Thomas

The one thing I wanted to do  with this draft was avoid bye week overlaps, and I couldn’t have messed that up more if I tried.  I’m still going to win.   Can’t wait for football to start.

Football season?

Football season?

Is it time for football season yet? I’m pretty sure that baseball is already over. Seriously, any time the Cubs want to score a run would be fine by me. They’ve scored a grand total of three runs in the last five games. I understand that losing Derek Lee took a bit out of their offense, but he wasn’t all of it, was he? At this point getting Kerry Wood and/or Mark Prior back isn’t going to make much of a difference, unless they learned how to hold their opponents to -1 runs during their minor league rehab.

Speaking of suck, any time Carlos Zambrano wants to win a game would be great as far as I’m concerned. And would it be too much to ask for him, or any other pitcher on my fantasy team to make it through a game without giving up more than six runs?

So yeah, when does Bears training camp start?

Bears Free Sunday

Bears Free Sunday.

Not having the Bears to watch really frees up a good portion of my weekend.  I used that time to not money in a $10+1 on FullTilt.  I always question the notion that the players are significantly different on one site than another, but comparing the two tournaments I played this weekend, I’d have to say that FullTilt’s players quite different than the one’s on Stars.  They push hard early and often. There’s not much use in bluffing them because they’ll call preflop with 93o and then think their hand is good when a three hits on the flop.  The other side of this is that they will pay you off when you make a hand.  

For the most part the early stages of this tournament is an exercise in watching horrible players pick each other off.  Its insane the amount of all-ins I saw.  There’s not much use in trying to get a read on your tablemates because chances are they’ll be gone in a hand or two.  

One play that I made early on that I was kind of proud of saw me calling a larger than usual pre-flop raise with wired tens.  One other player called.  The flop was 883 and the original raiser goes all in.  Now, I was real close to folding this hand.  This is a hand that I usually get in trouble with.  I’ve hung myself by betting in to larger pairs with pocket tens on more than one occasion.  But this time he acted first and bet way more than what any normal player would consider reasonable.  Ultimately I decide that if he has a higher pair than me, he is going to slowplay it rather than chase people out of the pot.  I call and find out I’m right when he turns over AQ.  The turn and river don’t help him, and I double up.

From there on I played pretty solid, chipping up gradually, and winning a few big pots.  I was around the average chip stack for most of the way.

I then decided to throw it away in three hands.  Down to 54 out of 305 players, top 36 pay.  10 minutes till the second break and I’m in the small blind with A9o.  The dealer limps and I try to chase him away with a 3x BB raise.  I been stealing the player to my lefts blind often and I expected him to fold.  Unfortunately both called.  The dealer had played just about every hand for the last hour so it was tough to put him on hand.  The flop didn’t help me and I checked, not wanting to risk more chips in a three way pot.    BB also checks and dealer min bets.  I call.   I also check call the turn and river.  He wasn’t showing strength and the bet was so small compared to the pot that I figured I could call and see what happens.  I should have raised or folded, but I was afraid that he’d come over the top of me if I raised and it seemed so cheap to call.  A few hands later another steal attempt got blocked when I was called and I missed the flop.  I finally went out when I went all in pre-flop with K7.  I got called by the tourney chip leader.  He had 77 and caught the case seven on the flop.  My thought at the time was that I had to win some blinds before they got to me, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to scare anyone off a pot again.  Oh well.  

Playoff Reaction

You would think someone could have cued the Bears defense into the fact that they had a game today.

Any time they want to make a play is fine by me.

If you had told me that the Bears offense was going to score 21 points I would have guaranteed a win.

Hey look Steve Smith just gained another 30 yards.

As much as the offense sucked in the first half, they kept the Bears in the game and if the defense had played anywhere near at the level they are capable of this would have been an easy win. Other than Smith the panther’s offense is not anything to brag about and you would think the Bears could have stopped them every once in a while.

I guess it could be worse. I could be a Colts fan. At least they legitimately expected their team to win a Superbowl.

Playoff Predictions

Bears Defense . . . . . 42
Bears Offense . . . . . 17
Panthers Team . . . . . 03



Bring on Seattle.

Home Field Advantage?

Twelve weeks ago, had you told me that at this point in the season not only would the Bears have their division all but locked up, they would be worrying about potential first round playoff byes and home field advantage, I would have a asked for a shot of whatever it was you were drinking.

When I set the line at 6 ½ wins for the Bears this season, and my friend chose the under in our annual Bears bet, I immediately regretted my choice. I considered the money for that bet gone.

But now here we are. The Bears have at least a two game lead in their division, and they are tied for the best record in the conference. Their offence could still use some help, but they aren’t going to be going against a top five defense every week, so hopefully they’ll be able to start scoring some more. And as long as they don’t throw five interceptions, their defense should always keep them in games.

Is it too early to start thinking about the superbowl for Da Bears?

Stupid Football

What a crappy football day for me.

First off, the Bears lose a game they absolutely should have won. If they can’t pull this game out then I don’t see how they can expect to win another game this season. Although I think they’ve set a franchise record for most consecutive games with the same starting QB.

Then, I got knocked out of my football survivor pool. I think only 18 out of 70ish entries actually made it past the week one craziness, so I liked my odds. So much for that. Stupid good for nothing Tampa Bay can’t beat the lousy Jets.

And finally my fantasy team got destroyed. I brought it on myself betting my friend $5 on the outcome. We’ve had a number of $5 bets this on general sports related items this year and I think I’m 1-24. It didn’t help that my three receivers combined for a total of 10 catches, about 100 yards and zero touchdowns. Of course that is 6 receptions and 60 yards more than they had last week so maybe I shouldn’t complain.

So how long until baseball season starts up? Oh wait. Still going huh? Crap. This is going to be a long winter.

Fantasy Football Draft Results and Analysis

Fantasy Football Draft Results and Analysis

So the fantasy draft is over and all in all I would say it went pretty well for me.  As I mentioned yesterday I had the fourth pick and I was worried because after my top three draft choices there wasn’t really someone I wanted to take over any one else.  It worked out fine as the number one and three picks made some choices that I wouldn’t have expected.  So in case you are interested, here are the results.  Please don’t mock me too much for my selections or commentary. I make no claims to be an expert.  I’m also trying out this new Blogger Microsoft Word plugin, so if the formatting is messed up that’s why.  It looks good in Word I promise.

Oh yeah.  We play QB, RB,RB,WR,WR,WR/TE,K,D and have four bench players and scoring is as follows:  

• Completions (.1)


• Passing Yards (30 yards per point)


• Passing Touchdowns (4)


• Interceptions (-2)


• Sacks (-.5)


• Rushing/ Reception Yards (10 yards per point)


• Rushing/ Reception/Defensive/Kick Return Touchdowns (6)


• Receptions (.25)


• Return Yards (25 yards per point


• 2-Point Conversions (2)


• Fumbles Lost (-2)


• Field Goals 0-39 Yards (3)


• Field Goals 40-49 Yards (4)


• Field Goals 50+ Yards (5)


• Point After Attempt Made (1)


• Point After Attempt Missed (-2)


• Sack (1)


• Interception/Fumble Recovery/Blocked kick (2)


• Safety (4)


• Points Allowed 0 points (20)


• Points Allowed 1-6 points (10)


• Points Allowed 7-13 points (7)


• Points Allowed 14-20 points (4)


• Points Allowed 21-34 points (0)


• Points Allowed 35+ points (-4)

Round 1

1. Drunken Pirates     Bryan Westbrook


2. Vikings     LaDainian Tomlinson


3. Salsiccia Kings     Priest Holmes


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Shaun Alexander


5. Hoosier Daddies     Daunte Culpepper


6. Danimal’s Animals     Payton Manning


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Edgerrin James


8. High Quality H20     Cory Dillon


9. Dad’s Dynasty     Julius Jones


10. Salmon of Capistrano     Willis McGahee

Bryan Westbrook at number one was probably the biggest surprise of the draft, but I certainly appreciated it because that meant that I would at least get my third choice.  This league gives .25 points pre reception and Westbrook will have a bunch, so he might do OK.  I had him marked as a sleeper that I might be able to pick up in the third or fourth round if I had to take a QB or WR early.  Priest Holmes was another questionable call that I also appreciated.  I had him as a possible fourth pick, but I was worried about injuries, so I would have taken Edge over him.  I certainly would have taken Alexander over both.  And I did.  Good round for me.


Round 2

1. Salmon of Capistrano     Deuce McAllister


2. Dad’s Dynasty     Randy Moss


3. High Quality H20     Domanick Davis


4. No Talent Ass Clowns     Jamal Lewis


5. Danimal’s Animals     Kevin Jones


6. Hoosier Daddies     Tiki Barber


7. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Rudi Johnson


8. Salsiccia Kings     Marvin Harrison


9. Vikings     Tory Holt


10. Drunken Pirates          Chad Johnson

I was hoping Davis would slip through as he’s another back that should get a lot of receptions this year.  Once he was picked I targeted Lewis, but that didn’t last long either.  I settled on Rudi Johnson who was on my team last year and did pretty well.   And then the run on top receivers began.



Round 3

1. Drunken Pirates     Joe Horn     


2. Vikings     Terrell Owens


3. Salsiccia Kings     Clinton Portis


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Donovan McNabb


5. Hoosier Daddies     Ahman Green


6. Danimal’s Animals     LaMont Jordon


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Javon Walker


8. High Quality H20     Andre Johnson


9. Dad’s Dynastyy     Tony Gonzalez


10. Salmon of Capistrano     Nate Burleson

I’m surprised Owens lasted this long.  I guess his holdout status has people worried.  Also not sure how Green didn’t get picked yet.  Did he really have that bad of a year last year?  I don’t usually like to take a QB this early, but the upper tier of WR were gone, and McNabb was the second QB on my sheet.  

Round 4

1. Salmon of Capistrano     Reggie Wayne


2. Dad’s Dynasty     Trent Green


3. High Quality H20     Curtis Martin


4. No Talent Ass Clowns     Hines Ward


5. Danimal’s Animals     Roy Williams


6. Hoosier Daddies     Pittsburgh D


7. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Michael Clayton


8. Salsiccia Kings     Anquan Boldin


9. Vikings     Mark Bulger


10. Drunken Pirates      Kerry Collins

I would rip on the Hoosier Daddies for taking a defense in the fourth round, but he usually ends up doing pretty well, so I guess I’ll just assume that He has some great master plan.   Pittsburg is certainly a good defense, and shutouts are worth a fat 20 points, which is why he said he took them, but I bet if he had waited two or three or four more rounds, he still could have gotten them.   Curtis Martin leads the league in rushing and then lasts until the fourth round.  Sooner or later his age has to catch up with him right?

Round 5

1. Drunken Pirates     Michael Bennett


2. Vikings     Steve Smith


3. Salsiccia Kings     Bret Farve


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Isaac Bruce


5. Hoosier Daddies     Mike Vanderjagt


6. Danimal’s Animals     Antonio Gates


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Michael Vick


8. High Quality H20     Larry Fitzgerald


9. Dad’s Dynasty     Warrick Dunn


10. Salmon of Capistrano     Stephen Jackson

Ok.  A defense in round four and a kicker in five?  Someone started drinking a bit too early.  I’m also not so sure about that Bennett choice.  Is he even still playing?  I haven’t paid too much attention to the Viking running backs this year since they always seem to rotate in three or four.

Round 6

1. Salmon of Capistrano     Tom Brady


2. Dad’s Dynasty     Darrell Jackson


3. High Quality H20     Jerry Porter


4. No Talent Ass Clowns     Muhsin Muhammad


5. Danimal’s Animals      Laveranues Coles


6. Hoosier Daddies     Donald Driver


7. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Ashley Lelie


8. Salsiccia Kings     Plaxico Buress


9. Vikings     Mike Anderson


10. Drunken Pirates     Jerald Sowell

Its getting tough to find good players now.  Lelie completes my starting offence but I’m not sure if he’s a good pick or not.  Like I said yesterday after the first twenty or so WR I didn’t really prepare.  Don’t know what the pirates are seeing in Sowell.  Unless they are expecting Curtis Martin to go down.  

Round 7

1. Drunken Pirates     Derrick Mason


2. Vikings     Michael Jenkins


3. Salsiccia Kings     Jerome Bettis


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Chris Chambers


5. Hoosier Daddies     Drew Bennett


6. Danimal’s Animals     Ronnie Brown


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Carnell Williams


8. High Quality H20     Keary Colbert


9. Dad’s Dynasty     Chicago D


10. Salmon of Capistrano     Jake Plummer

Ok, you’re going to have to let the over abundance of Bears picks go since most of us are die hard Bears fans.  I picked up Chambers mostly because he was the highest ranked player remaining and his bye week doesn’t conflict with anyone else on my team.  I’m not too confident in the Dolphins offence so I’m not expecting great things here.  

Round 8

1. Salmon of Capistrano     Jimmy Smith


2. Dad’s Dynasty     Jason Elam


3. High Quality H20     Aaron Brooks


4. No Talent Ass Clowns     Matt Hasselbeck


5. Danimal’s Animals     Baltimore D


6. Hoosier Daddies     Eric Moulds


7. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Larry Johnson


8. Salsiccia Kings     David Akers


9. Vikings     Kevan Barlow


10. Drunken Pirates     Adam Vinatieri

Nothing too exciting here.  I picked up Johnson because I think he’s supposed to get a decent amount of carries, and I think there’s a reasonably good chance that Priest won’t make it through the whole season.

Round 9

1. Drunken Pirates     New England D     


2. Vikings     Buffalo D


3. Salsiccia Kings     Carolina D


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Atlanta D


5. Hoosier Daddies     Keenan McCardell


6. Danimal’s Animals     Carson Palmer


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Philadelphia D


8. High Quality H20     Charles Rogers


9. Dad’s Dynasty     Jake Delhomme


10. Salmon of Capistrano     Rod Smith

And the rush for defenses is on.  I could have done worse than Atlanta.  I usually end up changing my defense up a few times during the season, so I’m not too worried about this.


Round 10

1. Salmon of Capistrano     Sabastian Janikowski


2. Dad’s Dynasty     Chris Brown


3. High Quality H20     David Carr


4. No Talent Ass Clowns     Eddie Kennison


5. Danimal’s Animals     Deion Branch


6. Hoosier Daddies     Fred Taylor


7. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Brandon Stokley


8. Salsiccia Kings     Byron Leftwich


9. Vikings     Travis Henry


10. Drunken Pirates     LaBrandon Toefield

I’m surprised Taylor lasted this long, although I guess he is injury prone.  If he stays healthy that could be one of the biggest steals in the draft.


Round 11

1. Drunken Pirates     Amani Toomer


2. Vikings     Tyrone Calico


3. Salsiccia Kings     Roy Williams


4. Wait ‘Til Next Year     Jeff Reed


5. Hoosier Daddies     Lee Evans


6. Danimal’s Animals     Chris Benson


7. No Talent Ass Clowns     Ryan Longwell     


8. High Quality H20     Jeff Wilkins


9. Dad’s Dynasty     Justin McCareins


10. Salmon of Capistrano     T.J. Houshmandzadeh

I pick up my kicker not that it matters.  I went for the Steelers kicker because I don’t think their offense is all that great so hopefully they’ll be kicking a lot of field goals.  Dad’s Dynasty completes his all Naperville IL team for the second year in a row.  For those of you non-Illinoisers, Naperville is a the large suburb about 30 miles west of Chicago where most of the members of the league lived at some point in our lives.

Round 12

• Salmon of Capistrano     Indianapolis D


• Dad’s Dynasty     Joey Harrington


• High Quality H20     Washington D


• No Talent Ass Clowns     Kyle Orton


• Danimal’s Animals     Josh Brown


• Hoosier Daddies     Rueben Droughns


• Wait ‘Til Next Year     Thomas Jones


• Salsiccia Kings     Alge Grumpler


• Vikings     Chad Pennington


• Drunken Pirates      Jason Witten

Yaaaaay.  Done.  I think Thomas Jones is underrated, and picked him up just because it seems you can never have too many running backs.  Plus until Benson proves himself Jones should get the vast majority of the carries.    So.  There’s our draft.  Someone remind me how much of a pain in the ass it is to write this up, just in case I decide that writing this up might be fun again next year.

Fantasy Football Draft

My fantasy football league draft is tomorrow and I have absolutely no idea who I should pick. I have the fourth pick overall. I know exactly who I would take if I was in spots one two or three, but after that, the fourth through tenth guys on my list are all pretty much interchangeable. I’d much rather have a later pick so I’d be in better position for the second round. Maybe I’ll get lucky and one of my top three will slip through. As for the later rounds, I haven’t even thought about them. When it comes time to pick my third receiver, I might as well draw names out a hat. I don’t have time to worry about them; they never do what you expect anyway.

This will be the fourth year of our league. It started three years ago when my friend’s soon to be wife told him that she didn’t think fantasy football looked that hard. He took that as a challenge which he then put in front of all of the men involved in the wedding. Everyone was challenged to join a league with them, and beat the bride. I think my friend and his wife both ended up in the super losers game at the end of the season. I started out that year 0-4 as I had absolutely no idea what I was doing, and I drafted horribly. I think I took a kicker in fifth round. I managed to recover and tied for the last playoff spot, winning the tiebreaker. It was the year of Priest Holmes, but he had an off day when going against me in the playoffs, and somehow I managed to win the league. Figures there was no money on the line that time.

Year two saw the league expand to 10 teams, and I went into it pretty confident that I knew what I doing. I was wrong. I overanalyzed a few too many games, costing myself some valuable points as I watched my bench players do the exact opposite of what I though they would do when I benched them. Overall the league was pretty even that year. I think there was one run away leader, and one guy at 0-14 and everyone else was tied for second or a game behind. For the second year in a row I tied for the last playoff spot, but this time I didn’t have nearly enough points for the tiebreaker.

Year three was the year of Payton Manning as his owner ran away with the league. Going into the final week, I needed two teams ahead of me to lose, and the one tied with me to either lose, or just score fewer points than me, and I would be in the playoffs. One of the teams ahead of me lost, as did the team I was tied with. The other team that I was behind was losing by like 50 going into Monday night when Eddie Kennison caught 12 touchdown passes in the fourth quarter to give him the win and knock me out of the playoffs. What a bunch of crap that was.

So yeah, this year who knows what’s going to happen. I think the outcome is more decided by whoever has the least amount of injuries than anything else. Depending on how the draft goes, and how the Bears are doing I might post the draft results and comments tomorrow. You don’t actually want me to write about poker do you?

Teams I Like to see Lose

One of my coworkers was complaining this afternoon because he was bored, and I hadn’t updated my blog recently enough for him, so he nothing new to read. First off, Noah, you’re a slacker, get back to work. Secondly, I meant to write something yesterday but I didn’t get around to it. I also meant to play a lot of poker yesterday, but didn’t do much of that either. I happened to check ESPN’s website at halftime of the Kansas/OU game and saw that Kansas was getting their ass handed to them, so I decided I’d watch the rest of the game rather than blog or play cards. There aren’t really a whole lot of teams that I root for, but there a bunch that I root against and Kansas is definitely one of them. So with that being the reason that I didn’t play cards last night, and not wanting to have to listen to Noah complain, I decided I’d post a list of teams that I enjoy watching lose. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while anyway.

I apologize if your favorite team makes this list. You can at least take solace in the fact that if your favorite team is on the list then it’s because they are either perennial championship contenders, or they are strong rivals of one of my favorite teams, or they in some way did something that hurt one of my teams traumatizing me in the process.

So here it is. Teams I like to see lose, in no particular order.

• New York Yankees. Big surprise here. They fact that they just buy a playoff team every year is a bit annoying. If they would just go into a ten year playoffless streak I think I’d forgive them and no longer root against them. On second thought I’d still hate them. Boooo.
  
• New York Mets. I wasn’t around in 1969, but I think Cub fandom is hereditary so I think I was born with a natural hatred for the Mets. I did root for them over the Yankees during the last subway series, so they have that going for them.


• Notre Dame. Specifically their football team, but I also enjoy a good Notre Dame basketball loss. They wouldn’t be so bad except that you can’t go anywhere without having to hear about Notre Dame. Their football team has a contract with NBC, so every game is televised and overly promoted. And they are so over-hyped. And their fans are so obnoxious. I think I’ve rooted for Notre Dame once in my life and it was against BC a few weeks ago so that U of I would be the only remaining undefeated team.


• Any Football Team from Florida. Possible exception for Jacksonville who I don’t care about one way or the other. I hate the big three Florida college teams because it seems like at least one of them is in the National Championship hunt every year. I hate the Dolphins because they were the only team to beat the ’85 Bears and because of the way the members of their undefeated team celebrate each year when the last undefeated team loses.


• Green Bay Packers. I’m a Bears fan. Do I need any further explanation?


• Minnesota Vikings. Ditto.


• Kansas. I wasn’t a big Kansas fan to start with. I think it’s that whole consistent winner thing, but when Bill Self left the Illini to coach there, he turned me into a hater. I’ve really enjoyed their current losing streak and the fact that the team Self gave up is undefeated.


• Duke. They are like the Yankees of College Basketball. I wish they’d just have one or two years where they don’t make the tournament.


• New York Knicks. I really don’t watch pro Basketball much, but I remember them playing like a bunch of thugs during one of the Bulls championship runs.


• LA Lakers. They also win too much, and I’m so sick of Shaq. I’m nowhere near a basketball expert, but based on the limited times I’ve seen him play I would contend that I could do better if I was his size. (and yes I know he’s not on the Lakers anymore).


• St Louis Cardinals. Until recently I didn’t mind the Cards. The Cubs were never any good, so who cares if the Cardinals were? I saved my hated for those dirty Mets. Over the past few years as the Cubs have actually contended, my dislike for St. Louis has grown considerably.


• Houston Astros. Same as above.


• Dallas Cowboys. I don’t know why, I just don’t like them.


• Michigan. I’m not quite sure why I hate Michigan so much. I think they’re the evil villain of the Big Ten. I went to the Big Ten Tournament last year, and as they were listing of the schools, each school would get booed by the fans from its biggest rival. The whole entire stadium booed Michigan.


• Chicago White Sox. Growing up a Cubs fan, the Sox were always an afterthought. I would go their games if I had tickets and root for them, but I didn’t really care too much. They seemed so unimportant. I think my dislike for them started once inter league play began and the games between them started to mean something. I honestly think that the obnoxiousness of the White Sox fans, and their sheer hatred for the Cubs is what turned me against the Sox. It seems like the whole focus of the Sox is just to be better than the Cubs everything else is secondary. To make matters worse, my best friend, my brother (just to spite me), most of my co-workers and my wife’s entire family are Sox fans. It’s like I personally know every single Sox fan in existence. And I have to listen to them tell me how much better the Sox are than the Cubs all the time. Oops, got a little carried away there. Where was I?


• Any ranked team, playing an unranked, or lesser ranked team. Unless that team is Illinois, or sometimes a Big Ten team against a non-Big Ten Team, or if the unranked team is Notre Dame. You have to root for the underdog.

I think that about covers it. I’m sure there are a few others that I dislike, but if the teams listed above are playing, you can bet I’m hoping they lose.