Tag Archive: fantasy playoffs

We’ve Got the Coolest Fantasy (and Weddings) Around

September 6, 2011 Randy Neil

First, I gotta talk about this guy. Way to be, fellah. If you didn’t see it, my man in the Phillies jersey over here decided to lean over the railing to catch what was going to be Hunter Pence’s double. Marlin’s outfielder Bryan Petersen complained that it interfered with his catch (which it did) and the umpires got together to review the play.

All the while, our friend in the stands sits on his cell phone, radiating with glee because of the amazing event that just happened to him! He couldn’t have had a bigger smile. Does he not remember Steve Bartman?

Then, umpire and former frog Joe West comes out from the dugout, points at Hunter Pence, gives him the boot, points at Ryan Howard, and puts him back at first. According to the rulebook, if at any point an ump feels a fan interfered with the ball, it is then ruled dead and the batter is automatically out.

Baseball, unlike football, may be the only sport that has video review and still manages to create controversy. You’re supposed to review the video IF and ONLY IF you think it was a home run. Apparently, you can’t review fan interference if the umps originally determined the ball to be a double. Charlie Manuel got ejected for arguing this.

OH MY CONTROVERSY ABOUND!! Of course, the Phillies lost this game, which was fitting. Arguing about whether reviewing the ball was correct or not seems meaningless to me. That’s like a defense attorney getting evidence thrown out in court because their defendant murdered the victim with a rent-a-car instead of his own car. If it happened, it happened. Get it right.

And nameless fan…. you got it wrong.

The boring, long, dull task of managing fantasy baseball is almost over. Theheadrush’s league was a great success this year. Adam and I are both in the playoffs (no surprise there.) In a last minute effort to scrape by with a win, I’ve dipped into the free agency pool. My team has been pretty solid all year (Konerko, Cano, Granderson, Ortiz, Francoeur) but I decided to grab a few “wildcards” to put me over the top.

The hardest stat to conquer in fantasy baseball may very well be the “Save” category. Who gets more than 2 saves a week, honestly?? Well, from August 24th-Sept 4th, my man Bobby Parnell from the Mets got 6. Nevermind that I’m risking a whole point on a guy who just got called up from the minors to perform on a dismal team with no future. I saw the numbers, I picked him up.

Then, I look through some of the hitters to see James Loney is available?? Check-mate. Loney has been a meager hitter to have all year, but in the past 14 days, .365 average, 12 runs, 12 RBIs, 3 homers. That’s all I care about. Who’s hot right now? Who can I add to my consistent line-up to give me that extra something?

You can see how well that works out for me here. It’s Tuesday, and I’m losing 2-5. Loney makes his start tonight.

Enough about baseball, though. She’s had her fill. Football is less than a week away!! That’s great and all, but really what we are saying is : FANTASY FOOTBALL IS LESS THAN A WEEK AWAY!!

We just finished the draft and I have to admit my team is utterly stacked. Bad news is, so is everyone else. We narrowed it down to an 8-man league, mostly because very few people wanted to play for money. The Lincoln Logs and Tonka trucks are down the hall, fellas. This here for the big boys.

I had the honor of first pick. Michael Vick? Yes, please. Our league sits apart from others in that it has 2 quarterbacks, so a QB was a no-brainer. Even with more traditional scoring leagues, I’m not opposed to a QB first pick. He’s going to be your bread and butter. Ain’t nobody winning a Superbowl with Rex Grossman… just saying.

The other downside to an 8-man league is I don’t know who to drop!! Just to list some of the people I drafted : Roddy White, Jeremy Maclin, Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis, LeGarrette Blount, Darren Sproles, Tim Hightower, Mario Manningham…. I still don’t have a Defense or Kicker, lol.

Two things I will note: 1) Tim Hightower is going to have an incredible fantasy year. I’m calling it right now. Great pre-season, new team, new offense, sole responsibility. No more Arizona front-line setting him up. 2) LeGarrette Blount is on Yahoo!’s Do Not Cut list? I can’t drop Blount? How did this guy get in the ranks of Peyton Manning and Calvin Johnson after one year?

Check out the draft results and league here. I’ll have the banner and football predicts coming later this week. Get ready.

 

My man Adam is getting married this week. Congratulations, brother. We’re going to party it up this week to what may be the most awesome-sauced 80’s throwback event of all time.

If there’s one thing I can do, it’s the electric slide. Ladies gon’ feel me.

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The Fantasy Recap : Learn From Our Mistakes

December 29, 2010 Randy Neil

After a Tuesday night debacle with the Eagles, most people’s fantasy leagues are over. The champions have been crowned, and my fantasy play off runs have come to an end. Funny enough, Adam and I both ran leagues this year, and we took first place in opposite ones. It was my first championship victory in 4 years of fantasy football. This was Adam’s 2nd year in a row in my league. What can I say? If that isn’t a staple of sports blog credibility, then I don’t know what is.

First the recap of “Carlos Ruiz los loco” in Adam’s league as I have an amazing 11-2 season :

Pretty dominating I must admit. Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers, Jon Kitna. Yes please.

Adam’s slow start but dominating finish down the stretch. He did the exact same thing last year. You’ll have to ask him but I think he started out 0-4 last year, and went on to win it. The man is good at adapting.

Then of course, there was the BIG BIG money championship league, where I was in the finals and couldn’t have crashed and burned more horrifically:

The guy goes out and grabs Arizona’s DEF right before the game, on a hunch? Kitna get’s sacked 4 times, throws 2 picks in the 1st ten minutes, and is pulled from the game. How the hell can you foresee Arizona’s D picking apart them that bad?? I should have known better. Here I am letting my fantasy destiny rely on a man that not only plays for one of the most despised teams in the NFL for me, but a man who also led the Detroit Lions to the worst season in NFL history. I learned my lesson.

Naturally, sitting on my bench is Dwayne Bowe who caught what I think to be 160 yrds and a TD. 28pts or so. Dexter McCluster, on the bench, 18pts. Something urged me to sit Reggie Wayne and start Bowe, but I thought “stick with the most reliable solid guys.”

Living with Adam for a year has made me know one thing : The Raiders Nation. I would never know about a guy like Nnamdi Asomugha unless Adam brought him up and mentioned how little coverage a player like that gets, because… well…. let’s face it the man get’s absolutely no recognition in the sports media. I had to Google his name just to write this. I kept saying to myself, even though a sick cornerback like this will most likely shut down Reggie Wayne, Peyton Manning is going to have to throw to somebody, and Austin Collie is out. I had Tamme and Wayne, and I started both, like a retard.

Knowshown Moreno was injured, I put him on my bench. Larod Stephen-Howlings, which if you get return yards you know about this guy, was injured, on the bench. And don’t even get me started on Chris Johnson. Damn I cursed him last week. Such an unreliable back. 58 yards? FIFTY EIGHT?? What was that 2500 yard record you were going for? Is that next year? Oh that’s right, that’s next year.

Ah fantasy football…. you are a harsh lover. Still came up 2nd in the big money league, +$100. I’ll take it. Although there was no official buy in for Adam’s league, he is getting $100 in mine, so the way I see it some sort of consolation brunch is in order. Perhaps a Denny’s grand slam.

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