About two years ago I joined a wiffle ball team, and it was pretty fun, and surprisingly competitive. I thought that it was pretty amazing that guys were throwing a wiffle ball that weighs an ounce forty feet at upwards of 50 mph! I’m not saying that it hurts to get hit by the ball, but I did get a few welts here and there from pitches. Although I only had one glorious wiffle season it made me respect guys that could make the ball go where they wanted it to. The video above is 2008 first round draft pick Pat Leahy. Yes, they do have drafts and free agency in wiffle ball. I guess it’s getting to be pretty big over on the east coast, where they do take it pretty damn serious! Fast Plastic is a growing league, and might be something worth checking to see if they have it in your area. Everything’s worth trying once!
Author Archives: chappy81
About chappy81
Iron Mike is Finally Sorry…
I don’t know why, but this recent Oprah interview with the infamous duo of Holyfield and Tyson gets me laughing for some reason. Why is this ear biting relevant in the first place? It happened a decade ago, and you figure Holyfield has fogave and forgot by now. I guess not since he was the one that called this meeting with Oprah… I doubt Tyson thinks at all, so you know this hasn’t been a burning issue on his mind, until someone else (Holyfield) brought it up. I guess Holyfield’s child support checks are adding up quickly, so he figured Mike wouldn’t mind jumping into the news a little to possibly raise a few $$! I wonder if Iron Mike even knows he looks like a five year old on camera. It was laughably similar to Jim Zorn’s apology for the Redskins offensive performance! Both were sincere, but you just can’t help but chuckle deep down. Sorry Mike, whatever momentum you gained back by being in The Hangover, you abruptly ended that for me with this interview.
Doin the NBA Two Step
This looks like a fitting new logo for the league. Why keep the old one that has someone dribbling!?!
This shouldn’t really change the NBA much, but they officially put it in the rulebook so it’s now allowable to take two steps reported by ESPN. I guess this is good since guys ALREADY take two steps pretty much every time they drive to the hole. I think the NBA just wanted to make it clear in the rule book that the decades of taking two plus steps is now a legal move. It’s been reported in the past that the refs were supposed to ignore that “one step” rule to some extent allowing players two steps. Some say it’s to promote more scoring and more interesting games, so if that’s the case are refs going to let three steps go now?!? I wonder why they are just changing the rule now just two weeks before the season. I guess they wanted to keep those replacement refs on their toes! They’ve already eliminated the hand check rule to help out scoring in games, so maybe the next move doesn’t included dribbling at all! Are we heading toward jungle ball or something? I guess this can only help my Warriors as they don’t even play defense, so maybe that extra step will help them average 120 a game! On second thought looking at this clip I doubt anything will change since a lot of guys didn’t even get called for three steps…
Doin Lines Week 6
I think she might be more accurate than JaMarcus... We should give her a shot at the starting job, right?!?
Ouch, I think that was about as good of a week as Rush Limbaugh’s had in the press. Just like his run it’s not the first time it’s happened! I think I must’ve been distracted making my picks like JaMarcus reviewing the game plan with a burger sitting in front of him. A rocky 1-6 weekend has led me to my first, uh oh, did I jinx myself by thinking I had it figured out!?! It’s a second straight week I’ve taken a Brady like roughing the QB ankle biter hits to my once amazing record. Now I’m 17-14, which isn’t anything to write home about. In all honesty, I expect better from myself. I think this was the week I was talking about on Doin Lines Week 4, when I thought a Brad Lidge type meltdown was coming. It did happen, but strangely it was a Ryan Madson type meltdown two weeks later, weird… Anyways, it’s good to get that bad week out of the way, and now I’m ready for a big comeback this Sunday! Here are my Week 6 picks. Same as before the home teams are in BOLD.
Minnesota (-3) Over Baltimore
It’s funny how after the first couple weeks of the season everybody had the Ravens as the best team in the league, which I really never agreed with. Minnesota will be tested in this game, but I think they have the firepower to get it done against the Ravens D. I really like how balanced they are. It used to be all AP, but now defenses have to scheme around the passing attack as well. Speaking of AP, he hasn’t had one of those freakish highlight reel games in awhile, so maybe he’s due. Chances are against that against Ray Ray and the Ravens, but he is the best back in the league so it’s always possible.
Chiefs (+6.5) Over Redskins
Whatever coach, just give me the damn play!
Exqueeze me? Baking powder? Did Vegas give the Redskins a touchdown spread? The Skins haven’t shown me enough to prove that they are worthy of being nearly a 7 point favorite. They barely escaped the Lambs by two! If the Skins showed any life against the really easy schedule they’ve had so far I might pick them, but when I honestly think KC could win this game outright I may as well take some points with that. It’s not that I think KC is close to good this year, but it seems like they actually are showing up to compete every game, and I do see them playing hard in this one. Kansas City gives up a lot of points, but Washington just can’t move the ball no matter who their playing. I look for this to be about as entertaining as last week’s Bills and Browns suckfest, so put your money on KC and just check the ticker.
New Orleans (-3) Over NY Giants
This is a tough one, and even though they both came off the bye weeks, I have to take the Saints at home. You might say the Giants played last week, but it was against the Raiders, so it was just a long scrimmage for them.
You could argue that the Saints have played better teams so far, and that would be true, as four of the Giants games were against teams with a combined 3-13 record. So by strength of schedule the Saints are the better team. I like good teams coming off bye weeks with plenty of time to study their opponent. Drew Brees with lots of time to prepare sounds like a setup for one of those MVP case building games. His crazy chant and dance ought to fire up the home team enough to put up 10 a quarter and give this Giants D something to actually test them. With Eli’s sort of injury, it’ll be interesting to see if the Saints bring some pressure early to test his durability.
Pittsburgh (-14) Over Cleveland
I’m not sure I buy that the Steelers are good this year, but I do buy that they are two touchdowns better than the Browns. I’m still kind of shocked that the Browns are even in the win column, but someone had to win that game last week. I think Pittsburgh will blow this one open early, as their passing attack looked pretty good last week. I feel like they’ve been playing down to their opponent, but they’re due for a big blowout. It looks like Mendenhall is getting some nice big holes to run through lately, and I think that’s why the passing game is opening up for them. The Browns boast a 32nd ranked rush defense so I’m hoping we get to see Ben scramble for some always fun awkward white guy running moments.
Detroit (+13.5) Over Green Bay
I’m not sure why I like them to cover. Maybe it’s a little because I’m turning into a mini Lions fan from a gambling standpoint, or maybe it’s because they only lost by 8 to the defending champs. Either way, I like taking the points against an inconsistent Green Bay team. Do I think Detroit will win? Doubtful, but seeing their new frisky attitude shows me that they are starting to be considered a “team” instead of a “speed bump”. Also, since the Pack have had such a hard time protecting Rodgers it helps this choice, because the Lions pass rush is actually pretty good. I also think the surprisingly good Lions running game could do well against a bad run defense. Hopefully Megatron will be on the field, he’s definitely worth about 6 points to in this game.
Seattle (-3) Over Arizona
I still think that both these teams suck, but one has to win, and I think it will be the home team as they get healthier. Seattle has the 9th ranked passing defense, so they should be able to at least somewhat contain the Arizona passing attack. On the other side, the Cards have the worst passing defense in the league ranked 32nd. Last week against Jacksonville it finally looked like Hasselbeck was getting comfortable with his receivers, which included a sighting of their big offseason acquisition TJ Whosyourmama. Maybe I got caught up after watching Sonicgate and am picking a bad team foolishly, but it’s tough to convince me Arizona wasn’t a red hot playoff fluke last season.
Doin Work’s 2009 NBA Fantasy Mock Draft
It’s hard to not get fired up about the basketball season by doing a mock draft! The NBA kind of sucks in some ways because if you are unfortunate and a few of your top two picks get injured your team is already pretty much done for the season. It’s weird how there are the top 35 guys in the league that help your fantasy team win, and the rest of your team is filled with streaky guys that can impress or disappoint you nightly. We did the first three rounds in a 12 team league, bookmark it if you need to for your draft!
#1 – Odom’s Shoulder Vein – Lebron James, Cleveland
Its Lebron enough said…..Last year however I took Chris Paul at #1 over Lebron and was able to run away with a league title. So, there is a possible consideration with not going with the King here. That thought is fleeting though, Lebron is easily the most multi-cat producer in the game, and will only get better and more dominating, and he is simply too good to pass up under any circumstance.
#2 – Hard on for Rajon – Kobe “Doin Work” Bryant, Los Angeles
He is the best guard in the league, he’s still in his prime, and they’ve added one of the best defenders in the league to help take a bit of pressure of him in Artest. Let’s not forget Ariza wasn’t more than a role player still at mid-season before he started to get more minutes with Walton injured. Kobe will get his shots and be fresher in the 4th qtr this year.
# 3 – Oden Retirement Home – Chris Paul, New Orleans
CP3 over Superman
In 2007, I took Chris Paul with the 8th pick overall. It was a great pick and he led me to an 8th place finish. This time, getting him up at #3 means better picks to surround him with championship talent. Or does it? Even though I missed the playoffs last year, this yahoo snaking order isn’t helping me get competitive!
#4 Walker Texas Granger – Danny Granger, Indiana Pacers
He may not be a superstar in the NBA like the guys picked around him, but he is a fantasy stud. He fills up the stat sheets, and I named my team after him, so I had no choice but to pick him! He killed me last year every time I was against the team that had him, and my strategy is to pick those guys this year.
#5 Cross Over Kings – Dwayne Wade, Miami
Extremely happy Dwyane Wade was available here at 5. I think a case can be made that is a top three player, and with his huge scoring ability I would consider drafting him ahead of Chris Paul. Health concerns the last several years have been an issue you can’t ignore with Wade, however last years strong season should temper some of those larger concerns. No reason not to consider Wade a corner stone player with your squad come draft day.
# 6 – Nelly’s Belly – Kevin Durant, Seattle
At least we briefly saw KD in a Sonic jersey
That’s not a typo. Much like I refuse to call South Florida USF, I choose not to acknowledge that there is an NBA team in Oklahoma City and not Seattle. Anyway, Durant has proved he can do more than just score, and he’s the Yahoo cover boy! He has to have a big year right?
#7 – Pippen Ain’t Easy – Dwight Howard, Orlando
Superman, nuff said. Would like to see that FT % finally go up, lot’s of hype last year and only a small increase. Losing Hedu can’t hurt him too much, especially with Nelson coming back healthy.
#8 – Who’s the Bosh? – Dirk Nowitzski
I can’t lie, the clock was running down on my turn, and I figured I may as well start my team off with a the top white guy on the board who plays nearly every game every season, and is consistent. I almost picked my boy Bosh, but I’ve always believed that picking your favorite player will jinx your team ,so I’m staying away from my Canadian brethren.
#9 – Artest Dog Kennel Co. – Pau Gasol, Los Angeles
Yikes where did all of the players I have targeted go? Crap, literally every player I wanted (some I had no chance to grab at 9) went flying off the board in round one. I had to quickly scramble for a player I want that would deserve a top 9 pick…..With only a few seconds left to spare I took a leap of faith on Pau Gasol. 20 & 10 a night at PF is not a bad building block for your team I guess, however Gasol lacks that buzz you might want from your first pick. Pau is a totally different type of player I’m use to building around so early out of the gates.
# 10 – Sovinet Union – Chris Bosh, Toronto
If we were drafting haircuts, I wouldn’t take Bosh in the first round. But, when it comes to ball, I’m a fan of lanky guys, and he fits the mold. Plus, he’s in a contract year, and although he seems to have a good relationship with Toronto, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind being courted by a few large market American teams.
#11 – Be All You Camby – Al Jefferson, Minnesota
Talk about a team built around one player. It’s like Big Al and a bunch of speedy guards and forwards (except Kevin Love of course). And they are all mediocre at this point in their careers. The Twolves will struggle, but Big Al will get his. Let’s put it this way, the active backups at C currently listed on the roster are Ryan Hollins and Jared Reiner. Exactly.
#12 – Baby Curry – Deron Williams, Utah
With an injury plagued start to his season last year, I look for Deron to have a big bounce back fantasy season. It’s not like he didn’t show that he wasn’t healthy last year as he averaged 11.5 assists after the All-Star break, and looked like a top fantasy player for a month or so. I didn’t hesitate to pick him with the last pick in the final round.
ROUND 2
#13 – Baby Curry – Amare Stoudamire, Phoenix
The Suns can only hope!
Goggle boy should fit nicely with Deron, as I now have a solid base for nearly every category. I see Stoudamire having a great year under Gentry, and without Shaq he is the unquestioned low post option everytime down the floor. He once again has something to prove so I’m betting he steps it up a notch! Rumor has it he’s even been working on his defense.
#14 – Be All You Camby – Tim “TIMMAY” Duncan
I won’t lie, I just went with a huge line up drafting Tiny Tim and Big Al back-to-back. Timmy might have lost half a step, but we know him as the Big Fundamental for a reason: he’s always textbook in every move he makes. And he’s one of the strongest two-way players in the game at his size.
# 15 – Sovinet Union – Brandon Roy, Portland
I don’t have any fancy numbers or theory on this pick. I was just simply taking the best player on the board. He may not put up all-around numbers, but I’d sure rather check his box scores than JR Rider, who was my other choice at this spot.
#16 – Artest Dog Kennel Co. – Chauncey Billups, Dever
With my rebounds and pts locked up early, my attention quickly turns to grabbing a top flight PG before they all disappear. I’ve always marveled at the consistency of Billups and the fantastic stat line he puts up each night….This was an easy pick for me.
#17 – Who’s the Bosh? – Gilbert Arenas, Washington
Does Gilbert have any game winners this year?
I can’t say that this isn’t a reach, but there is a ton of upside here. I hope he’s back to dominant form. I somehow feel like I could get him later, but why wait for something that feels so right. He could be the NBA and fantasy comeback player of the year, so I’ll roll the dice. I usually lose leagues anyways, so I may as well try out a new strategy.
#18 – Pippen Ain’t Easy – Carmelo Anthony, Denver
I can’t tell if this is a gamble or an insult to Melo, being drafted 18th after the likes of Roy, his teammate Billups, and Arenas who has been bed ridden for the past 3 years. Melo is such a moody player, it’s ridiculous. I can only pray his in whatever mood it takes to put up his potential more often than not. He’s 30-10 followed by 15-5, but he is becoming a slightly more consistent at least.
# 19 – Nelly’s Belly – Derrick Rose, Chicago
Maybe I’m reaching here, but I’m probably still thinking about Game 1 of the Bulls – Celtics series last postseason. I know he didn’t live up to that game for the remainder of the season, but he ended up averaging 20, 6, and 6 for the series. If that’s where he’s leaving off, I can’t wait to see how he progresses in his second NBA season.
#20 – Cross Over Kings – Steve Nash, Phoenix
Point guards, point guards, point guards…..Did I say point guards? Teams that win fantasy basketball titles are rich with talent at the PG position, and if the opportunity presents itself in the early rounds I’ll be drafting the best player at this position every time. This is a keeper league we’re drafting for, so I didn’t think twice about snatching up Steve Nash here, and team him up with D-Wade. I love the nightly production I can expect from these two, but now will be turning my attention to boards, and three pts with future draft picks.
#21 – Walker Texas Granger – Devin Harris, New Jersey
With Vince gone, I think Harris will have to assert himself all season long, and that’s going to be good news for fantasy owners. Although he usually gets injured at one point in the season, he was probably my steal of the draft last year, so I’m thanking him by taking him here.
# 22 – Oden Retirement Home – Joe Johnson, Atlanta
Joe Johnson is like that girl who looks pretty good most of the time, but isn’t quite gorgeous. But, every once in a while she’ll look smokin and she’ll, I mean he’ll put up a triple double and you fall in love. We’ve had an on and off relationship in fantasy hoops over the last few years, but with Atlanta emerging as a playoff threat and rounding into their prime, I’m ready to commit to Joe. Flanked by Josh Smith, Bibby, and Jamal Crawford, I think he’ll be at the center of that offense dishing out plenty of dimes to go with his strong scoring numbers.
#23 – Hard on for Rajon – David West, New Orleans
David West can thank two guys for making his job pretty damn easy: the unbelievable CP3, and Peja when he’s healthy. We already know about CP3, he’s the best PG in the league. But Peja takes a lot of bodies out to the perimeter to get a hand in his face, opening up the post for the talented West to operate. Lots of chances for Off Rebs and he’s solid on D as well. Nice balance to first pick Kobe.
#24 – Odom’s Shoulder Vein – Jose Calderon, Toronto
Waiting an entire two rounds to draft again is a steep price to pay for having the number pick, however I find in basketball rounds three and four are still rich in talent. Top tier point guards disappear quickly in the first three rounds and had to make my move here to pick one up. I was excited to see Calderon available and didn’t give anybody else serious thought. He seems like an ideal PG to team up with Lebron…Assists, steals, FG%, Pts, 3pts are already in good hands two picks in.
#25 – Odom’s Shoulder Vein – Gerald Wallace, Charlotte
Not sure about this pick after I made it….In retrospect I think Vince Carter was the better value. It’s not like Wallace is a bad player or won’t even put up very similar numbers…but if I can the player that is on a much better team (ie Orlando) with less health concerns that’s usually the better move. In terms of over all production, I’m extremely happy with my first three picks.
#26 – Hard on for Rajon – Andre Igoudala, Philadelphia
The other AI is in for an even bigger season with the loss of veteran PG Andre Miller. Besides, with so many Andre’s on the court it was getting confusing. It looks as though Iguodala will be starting with Lou Williams at the point and Thaddeus Young at the 3, so there will be plenty of opportunity to score in this offense. We all know his athletic ability alone is pretty special.
# 27 – Oden Retirement Home – Shawn Marion, Dallas
I’m not a Shawn Marion fan by any stretch of the imagination. Once he left Phoenix, his fantasy value has deteriorated. However, I feel like this is the year the Mavericks either make one last push, or blow it up completely. If it’s the former, it’ll be because Marion is enjoying a comeback season pertaining to his fantasy relevance.
#28 – Walker Texas Granger– Kevin Garnett, Boston
This pick is a risky one, since Garnett’s production has been falling off faster than Raiders ticket sales, but hopefully he’ll be rejuvenated after getting the last couple months of last season off. I have little doubt that when he’s in there he’ll produce, the question is will he be in there?
#29 – Cross Over Kings – Antawn Jamison, Washington
Here in the third round I was looking for an all-around producer from either the SF or PF position. If I can find a scorer who boards, and can knock down some threes as well, I feel like this would be an ideal addition. Paul Piece was a serious candidate, but I was hoping to get a few more rebounds, which made Jamison the most viable player to go with. His average of 8+ boards a night to go along with 20 pts, and a few threes seem like a good fit. I would argue Jamison is one of the most under valued players in the league when it comes to fantasy players….
#30 – Nelly’s Belly – Josh Smith, Atlanta
The Josh Smith saga continues. I jumped on the bandwagon early, and by the time he hit his fantasy peak, he was in someone else’s hands. In his third run on my team in 5 years last season, he had a disappointing campaign. This year, I’m hoping to pair him with Anthony Randolph in a later round and have the scariest fantasy team ever on paper!
#31 – Pippen Ain’t Easy – Rashard Lewis, Orlando
I guess I’m all in on the Magic offense after the loss of Hedu in the off-season. Long-range Lewis and Superman will get a few more touches, and a healthy Jameer Nelson will give them great opportunities to excel.
#32 – Who’s the Bosh? – Rajon Rondo, Boston
Woohoo, hi-five!
I guess I might need a backup plan at PG in case Gilbert goes down, and Rondo is a dishing machine that should only get better with age! I’m not sure if he’s an alien or not, but it’s good to have another Sam Cassell looking guy in the league.
#33 – Artest Dog Kennel Co. – Vince Carter, Orlando
Wow….Vince Carter sitting here so late is a nice gift if you ask me. And it’s these types of players you draft in rounds 3, 4, and 5 that can net you a fantasy title. With Carter playing for a winning Orlando team full of talent, I think it’s reasonable to think he has a decent chance to put up top 15 type numbers this season. I feel great about having top players at PG, PF, and SF….Carter does carry some health risks, but those fears seem to only come up when he is playing for bad teams!
# 34 – Sovinet Union – Paul Pierce, Boston
The Celtics took a year off to celebrate, and this season should be the last chance for Pierce, Garnett, and Allen to get one more ring. Since KG and Ray both have the durability of a pine cone, Paul Pierce is going to have to hold down the fort through much of the regular season.
#35 – Be All You Camby – Jason Kidd
After taking two big men, I’m delighted to see two great PGs left to choose from: Kidd and Tony Parker. I’m going with Kidd only because he outs up better assist numbers and more 3 pointers. The Dallas offense looks filthy with a healthy Josh Howard, Dirk and Terry, plus new addition Shawn Marion keeping plays alive and providing a bit of energy.
#36 – Baby Curry – Monta Ellis, Golden State
The Warriors camp has been the most active, and not in a good way. I hate to pick the guy that told my mancrush that he couldn’t play with him, but he should be primed for a big season whether or not they end up being competitive. Anyone guaranteed starters minutes on the dubs should be a good pick!
Sonicsgate, A Good Reminder of an Ugly Chapter in the NBA’s History
I hope Durant and Westbrook leave when their contracts are up, it's hard for me to NOT to root for them.
Sonicsgate: Requim For a Team is a great documentary for any true NBA fan! I found myself locked in within the first 10-15 minutes. It was a great recount of everything that was the Seattle SuperSonics, and the second half of the documentary is the final season and a horrific way to end a 41 year old franchise. It’s been little while since it happened, and my memories of it were starting to get a little foggy, so I’m glad this little refresher came out. It’s depressing for any fan of the NBA to see just how powerless we are over the future of our teams. It’s also very frightening how easily any owner like Clay Bennet can come in and hi-jack a team like the Sonics and transplant them in Oklahoma City.
Save your time, Commissioner Stern and Clay Bennet weren't going to listen.
It just shows you how a few retards that have way too much money can ruin years and years of history in a great sports city. The league pretty much proved that it doesn’t even care what the fans want, which is even more sad. Not that I’m an expert about rooting for teams with competent management, but I couldn’t imagine going through an ordeal like they did, and hope I never have to.
Here are a couple of things from the video I forgot about;
- Stern’s homo erotic sounding e-mails to Bennet (about the 7:10 mark on part 2). It’s amazing that these two actually can say they cherish each other! I wish there were more owners that had a relationship with Stern that mirrored his and Mark Cubans.
- David Stern’s comically awkward answers after announcing the Sonics would move to Oaklahoma City. I remember seeing the interview, and not thinking much of it at the time. Stern really did avoid every question they threw at him which only made him look more guilty.
- Mark Cuban (Mavericks Owner) and Paul Allen (Blazers Owner) were the only two that voted against letting the Sonics relocate to Oklahoma City. It’s good at least two guys had the balls to see that this was a jack move, too bad the other revenue sharing money grubbers wouldn’t do the same.
Too bad they had to reign in the Jordan era, they were a great duo.
- How bad the deal was that the city of Seattle took before the ruling was read by the judge(36 minutes in part 2)! I can’t believe a Sonics fan didn’t assassinate him.
- My one lingering question at the end of this video is will Gary Payton allow Oklahoma City put his jersey in the rafters? Of all the players that seemed to stand up for keeping the team there The Glove was on the front line leading the charge. I’d love to see him snub them in OKC on his jersey retirement night! That might be the last possible jab the Sonics have left to throw at the Thunder.
WNBA is Doin Work
Sweet layup!
The WNBA released their ratings for the playoffs, and shockingly did better than they ever have. I’ve never been a fan of watching them shoot jumpers and layups, but apparently it’s caught on enough to average nearly half a million viewers during the playoffs on ESPN2. Good work WNBA, maybe one day you’ll have a full city’s worth of people watching the finals! I don’t know one person who follows the WNBA, and don’t think I’ll meet one anytime soon. It’s crazy there’s all this positivity about the league, but most of their stadiums are emptier than Oakland A’s games. I bet TMZ gets 500K viewers a night. One thing I can’t deny is that they’d probably school me on the court, but Americans only want to watch the best, and THAT is another reason we aren’t all that excited about soccer.
I Guess it’s Time For SJax to Go…
Well, since I’ve been following SJax from the start of his trade demands on DIME magazine, I guess I can finally admit he’s burned his bridges for dubs fans. We’ve been very tolerant of Jackson in the sense that he’s always played hard, and been a great leader on the court. I thought he’d actually show a little more respect to the organization that’s stood by him when many others wouldn’t. I guess even he is wearing out his welcome. It’s been hard for me to admit that Jackson is a cancer to the team, but this weekends events have shown me the light. I didn’t actually see his preseason game that earned him a two game suspension, but it sounded like a bitch move. Seriously, if you don’t want to play you don’t need to pick up five personal and one technical foul to prove it. He already made his point by demanding a trade, so why pour it on. I feel like the Warriors have pretty much done everything an organization can do for him. They’ve overpaid him, and pretty much handed this young roster over to him to lead. I guess that’s not enough , and I understand he’s frustrated, but he’s going about it the wrong way. The most amazing part to me is Artest now seems like the guy who has matured since the infamous Detriot slugfest. Artest has made slightly sane maneuvers (aside from not knowing that San Diego existed), but he didn’t take a ridiculously large contract like Jackson did, and now he’s playing with the champs. If Jackson really thought it through, he should’ve stuck with that old contract that was slightly more tradable. Now he’s just overpaid, spoiled, and selfish, which can only be traded to teams like the Clippers and Grizzleys of the world. It’s scary that all this is just starting to come clear to me. I’m not even caring what we get at this point even if it’s Zydrunas Ilgauskas’s dead corpse. He’s pretty much made his trade value lower than the Raiders franchise hopes. I’d like to see a deal done before the season starts, so his attitude doesn’t spread to the few positives we have going into the year.
Freestyle Walker Gets Owned
Well, I’ve always thought freestyle walking was one of the lamest sports ever invented, especially when they came out with the shoes that the little plastic pieces on the bottom to allow you to slide down rails. I’m not sure if this guy IS in fact freestyle walking, but he REALLY needs to get a little more practice in!
Doin Lines Week 5
It looks like we are starting to be able to tell between the contenders and the pretenders are already. The games actually seem much easier to pick than the past couple years. Even though last week was a little disappointing for my standards (2-3), but I wasn’t overly confident in very many games going into the week, which is why I probably only picked 5 games. Green Bay killed me when they went for the FG while down two scores. Why didn’t they go for a TD to cover that spread! I guess that should be no excuse, I expect better from myself! I’m still 16-7 on the season, so I have a little leeway at the moment in terms of a winning record on the season. I can honestly say I felt different last week watching the games, and suddenly realized that JaMarcus has single-handedly overthrown any hopes I had left that the Raiders could be competitive from week to week. Sure they might show up every third week and give someone a close game possibly even winning a couple, but in my eyes, the “caring” about the outcomes part of this season, is over. It’s scary that I was more excited about a pre-season Warriors game than my Raiders game in week 5! This should be good news from a betting perspective though! I’ll have minimal emotion attached to my picks. Here are my non-emotional LOCKS for week 5, and same as always, the home teams are in bold.
This should be on Mullet Galore's Homepage.
Minnesota (-10) Over St. Louis
These teams are polar opposites of each other. I’m no fan of the Favre 24 hour network, but this team is very good, and can’t afford to take anyone lightly. It doesn’t seem like a team that would either. The Vikes and Rams records are mirror images of each other, literally (5-0, 0-5) I can’t write a backwards five but you get the idea. The Vikings are already the media’s darlings that are Super Bowl bound, and I have a hard time being convinced that they will let up this week. I actually can’t believe this spread isn’t over 14! Adrian Peterson should have a much better game compared to last weeks very un-AP like performance. The 49ers skunked the Rams last week 35-0, and I see this one ending close to that same score. This might be the easiest pick of the week. I’m more curious if Jared Allen is going to bring back that mullet! His hair looks long enough to do it again, bring it back Jared!
Buffalo (-6) Over Cleveland
Buffalo has been a little disappointing this season as I didn’t expect that heartbreaking opener to linger this long, but they’re not nearly as disappointing as the Browns. The Bills only have one way to go, and that’s up. They’re much too talented of a team to play this poorly as they showed last season that they were at least a team that could string together a few wins. I see them getting their swagger back against a scarily bad Browns team.
I’m not sure if Cleveland got worse because they made a terrible TV show on Fox with their town’s name, but they’re already looking to the future, and seem to have conceded this season. They already traded away Braylon this week, and seemed to get what they needed in some draft picks in the future. There is only one way I could possibly see the Browns being competitive in this one, which would have to include one spectacular game from Cribbs running some kicks back. That’s not all that likely since their defense doesn’t seem to like making the other team punt.
I doubt Patrick Willis is questioning much Singletary has to say on improvements to his game.
San Francisco (-2.5) Over Atlanta
Apparently the 49ers are more and more like Mike Singletary with each passing week. He seems to have the whole team believing in themselves, which can never be underestimated. They’re probably the least publicized 3-1 team that can only get better in four or five weeks when Crabtree gets all situated. If it wasn’t for that lucky/heroic Favre throw, they could be undefeated! They’ve covered or beat the spread for me every week this season, so this is no time to give up on them now with less than a field goal! Atlanta might be better than they’ve played so far, but their offense hasn’t been in sync all season. They are coming off a bye week, but I don’t see it being easy against a solid San Francisco defense. We might have to off on Michael Turner’s breakout week. Starter Shaun Hill is a surprising 7-0 at home for the 49ers which makes me more confident in this pick, and Vernon Davis is finally relevant in San Francisco. They have something amidst the foggy bay in an otherwise dead NFC West.
Carolina (-3.5) Over Washington
I’m not big on Carolina this year, and it’s pretty hard for me to pick this one since Delhomme gets booed as much as JaMarcus at home games. He’ll just have to hope their running game can help him cure his turnover habit he’s developed lately. They have a good O-Line, so I don’t see why they aren’t running more, oh yeah, they’re usually behind. I’m kind of picking them because I just have a hard time convincing myself that they aren’t a good team. They just had their bye week, so I’m sure they had plenty of time to prep for a crappy Redskins team. Also, there wasn’t any reports of Steve Smith punching a teamate, so that has to be a plus! The Skins have won two games, but they close games against the Rams and Bucs. One of their losses came to the Lions, so really the Redskins should have a winning record with the opponents they’ve faced so far. They just changed offensive coordinators, which is always a good sign for a team during the season. I see Carolina taking their frustrations out this week on a awful Washington team.
Wes is more!
New England (-3) Over Denver
Much has been made over the Broncos sparkling record of 3-0, but I’m still not a believer. They’re much hyped defense hasn’t really faced anyone with a reputable offense. I wouldn’t even really count Dallas as a great offense at this point. I don’t know what it is, but I just can’t take the Broncos too serious yet. I think the Patriots are going to be their first real test. I thought Brady has looked like he’s coming back to his old form, and with Wes Welker being inserted back into the lineup we may see the offensive fireworks once again. Moss will be able to stop running the short routes and head upfield again! I see them getting rolling on offense again. I think Orton will have to prove himself this week as the Pats run defense is pretty solid. He’s got some playmakers in the wide receiver corp, but will he have enough time to find them against the new Patriots blitzing style defense?
Jacksonville (+1.5) Over Seattle
Don’t ask me why I’m breaking my golden rule of not betting on two crappy teams, because I don’t think I really have that answer at the moment. I guess I just have to pick the Jags, because they really took it to the Titans last week, and showed that that can be a good team at times. The Seahawks may or may not have Hasselbeck in at QB, but at this point does it really matter? Their whole offensive line is hurt, so even if he is in there with hurt ribs, I don’t see him being in there for too long. They honestly need to show me some sign of life against a team not named the Rams for me to pick them at any point this season. If Garrard had anyone besides MJD to pass to, I’d probably parlay this pick with the Minnesota game.
Maybe having the same QB every week can make him keep the balls from falling to the ground.
New York Jets (-1.5) Over Miami
The big question in this game is: can the wild cat beat the 4th ranked defense in the league? The Rexecutioners have allowed the fewest yards in the league, and held the Madden style Saints to 10 points if it weren’t for Sanchez’s two mistakes this would have been a very close game. Sanchez will have to shoulder the offensive load with his new buddy Braylon, and critics are eager to see if he can bounce back from a bad start in Hispanic Heritage Month. The Jets have won their last three games in Miami, so I don’t see history changing now that Miami is in the Chad Henne phase of the franchise.
The MLB Playoffs on TBS!
The MLB Divisional Series was kicked off today, and the most exciting game TBS has covered so far was the last game of the regular season. Not to say if your a Philly (won 5-1) or Yankee (won 7-2) fan it wasn’t a good day, but it just wasn’t all that exciting for the rest of us. The Dodgers game is the only one that’s been interesting so far. The Dodgers are currently up 3-2 going into the bottom of the 5th and are surprisingly ripping Carpenter. So this game could be promising! Watching the playoffs and the amazing last game of the regular season it has made me realize I just don’t enjoy any announcer combos baseball has to offer. Maybe they’re dumbing it down too much for the people who don’t know what’s going on, but I rarely hear anything remotely insightful. Maybe they use the sideline reporters too much, I think Craig Sager always scares me a little the first time I see him everynight. He gives me that hide your kids because I don’t know about this guy vibe, but at least we don’t have to hear them more than five or six times a game. One thing I’m a HUGE fan of TBS for having, is the pitch-by-pitch K zone up they throw in the corner for every batter. It almost makes up for the weak announcing crews that are scared to make anyone sound like a bad person. I’d love to hear them call guys out, and stop playing the soft story line. We need some more Charles Barkley’s on the air!
You can vote for more than one combo of announcers if you really think they are equally good… Is that even possible?
We Get It: Favre = God
Last night was another memorable Favre performance, but if you were only listening to the ESPN crew (Jaworski, Tirico, and Gruden) you may have thought Brett Favre was playing one on one with himself vs. his younger self in Minnesota. They brought out the full archives of Favre to show us that he was in fact once young. They talked like they’d leave their wives for him if he asked. ESPN’s bromance with Favre has reached a new level that I didn’t think could happen. Even on crucial plays for the Packers they’d still cut to Favre for a sideline shot. It was very important to show him kneeling on his “legendary knee” or scratching his “legendary stubbles.” All of the over hype made me actually hate the Vikings by the end of the game. I didn’t care all that much who won going into the game hoping to see a close divisional rivalry play out, but the bromance with Favre has made me into a Minnesota hater. Sure he was having a good game, I can’t deny that, but the Packers D was giving him 30 seconds to throw each time he dropped back. If any quarterback has that much time to sit there and look at every receiver he better find the open one. Hell, you could put JaMarcus’s corpse of a QB body back there, and probably put up 300 yards with that O-line performance last night! I wish Aaron Rodgers pulled a Tonya Harding on him when he was wishy washy on his first retirement, so we wouldn’t have to keep hearing about him. I guess we’ll just have to hope the Vikings ship sinks as fast as the Jets did last year, so the Favre bromance can end once and for all.
Sometimes you have to play 163!
The Tigers could be struggling at the wrong time!
Somehow the Tigers have found themselves in a tie atop the AL Central after a mild implosion coupled with a red hot Twins team. This marks the third straight year that we will have a pre-playoff playoff game. This will be the Twins second consecutive year that they are playing in a tiebreaker game as they lost last season to the White Sox. The game will be held Tuesday in the Metrodome in it’s second farewell to the regular season. As today was supposed to be the last game played there, and 51,000 showed up to show their support of a great longtime stadium. Now they have one more game with the winner advancing to the ALDS ti face the Yankees. The Twins own the regular season head to head tie breaker between the two clubs, and have the right to home field advantage. The starters for the game will be rookie Rick Porcello (14-9, 4.04) for the Tigers, and Scott Baker (15-9 4.36) will be tossing for the Twins. I think this is the first time I’ve been even mildly excited about the MLB playoffs so far, mainly because whoever comes out of this game as the winner, I’ll likely be forced into rooting for them take the AL Championship.
It’s been quite an amazing run for the Twins since former MVP, Justin Morneau, went down for the season. They’ve picked up their game and have gone 16-4 in their last twenty games to give themselves one final chance to get in.
Home hankies will be in full effect Tuesday!
They’ve been getting contributions from everyone including decent pitching (not the middle relief) but overall effective, and some very timely hitting. Delmon Young hasn’t been a stranger to receiving standing ovations at the Metrodome lately. He has been coming up with clutch RBI’s in a lot of games, which is very reminiscent of the way BJ Upton heated up for Tampa Bay in their playoff run last season. Joe Mauer has been quiet for his standards, but it’s mainly due to getting pitched around and walked more often. With this type of playoff push I hope this convinces MVP voters that Mauer is the obvious choice over Derek (I get way too much media hype) Jeter. When you look at the playoff matchups on paper, I think the Tigers would have a better chance of taking down the Yankees lineup wise, but the Twins are white label hot right now so it seems like you can never count a team on a roll out. As Billy Beane once said “It’s a crapshoot once you get in the playoffs, you just have to get there first!”
I’m predicting the Twins to win 5-4, and advance to play the Yankees.
Doin Lines Week 4
This season has been great so far! I had a good Sunday last week going 5-1, and my sole misstep was betting on my own team. I guess my new rule should be to never bet on JaMarcus especially at home, where the crowd might be more hostile than any away game as seen on this youtube clip after the Denver game! My season record is now 14-4 from my picks last week, and my high confidence picks from the first two weeks. It’s scary how confident I feel picking games right now, I think I might be in for a big let down soon. Not like .500 let down, we’re talking Brad Lidge meltdown, but hopefully that won’t be next week! Since the bye weeks are starting up, I only really like five of the games on the board, so without further ado, here are my LOCKS of the week. Once again the home teams are in bold.
Detroit (+10) Over Chicago
I can’t really believe that I’m going to pick the Lions two weeks in a row, but when you get ten points for a team playing against a team that only shows up half the time, I’ll take those points. For some reason I think if Detroit tries hard in any game for the rest of this season it will be this one. If you win your first game out of the last 20, wouldn’t you be fired up to do it again? I’m pretty sure I would, especially going against a long time rival. I don’t see them winning on the road, but I look for them to put up a good fight to cover two scores.
On the Chicago side, it seems like even though they injected some insulin into their offense they still don’t seem to be clicking. Sure they beat Seattle, but it was lucky at the end of the game on some blown coverage. If a suspect Seahawks team can hang around with them, so can the Lions.
Indianapolis (-10) Over Seattle
Speaking of those Seahawks, they get to play against the princess of the NFL, Peyton Manning. In any betting format can anyone really talk themselves into taking Seneca Wallace over Manning on the road? Didn’t think so. Who cares if Freeney is out this game, Seneca probably couldn’t even start for the Browns. Seattle has six starters missing from the lineup including their QB. When you already have your 8th starting lineman in the lineup it’s not a good sign for Seattle’s offensive continuity. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 74% of their passes against the Seattle D, and although they get Lofa Tatupu back, I think Peyton should have this one finished off by halftime. Look for Joseph Addai and Donald Brown killing some clock in the second half. Like Fabulous says “Put it in the bag”.
Buffalo (-1.5) Over Miami
Pennington’s absence is obviously going to hurt the Dolphins. They can only run the wildcat so many times before they need to throw the ball, at least a little. For some reason I can’t see Chad Henne having the same type of success as Mark Sanchez or even Matthew Stafford has had in their young careers. Hell, he could barely manage Michigan’s offense. With Porter, their defensive leader, still questionable for the game I have to go with the Bills.
Are you ready for BEAST MODE!?!
It’s really hard to be confident in the Bills offense, as they somehow got shut down by a Saints team that seems to give up a lot of points even if it happens to be garbage time. TO didn’t record one catch last week, which was the first time in 185 games. I’m sure this news is as relevant as his show is, but they do need to find ways to get him and Lee Evans the ball. They will get a huge boost as Marshawn Lynch is coming back fresh off his suspension.
San Francisco (-9.5) Over St. Louis
Last weekend was a heart breaker for the 49ers as they were the better team through much of the game. Despite losing Gore they proved that Singletary has turned them into a full on team – that doesn’t quit. They seemed to receive contributions from everyone. Now that they’re in the confines of their own home, I see them dominating a weak St. Louis team.
The Lambs are racking up injuries and losses like they’re going out of style. They have dropped 13 straight which is making me a believer that they could be this year’s Lions. The lambs must be scared that there are wolves in the end zone, because they’re averaging a league low 8.0 points per game. Kyle Boller is supposed to start this weekend, so it looks like he’ll be Patrick Willis’s lamb chop.
Green Bay (+3.5) Over Minnesota
I have as much confidence in this pick as I believe Jordan can make a comeback at 50, but only picking four games is weak! I know we’ve all heard that this isn’t personal for Favre, and that he’s not taking it as anything more than a game. Screw what he says, I think it will be more emotional than he anticipates, and in a spiteful rage he’s going to force some throws maybe getting a little too greedy. This is a very bad idea against a ball hawking defense like the Packers. Their D already has 7 picks on the season, and I see Favre forcing one at some point for a pick 6. The Minnesota defense is currently ranked 4th in the league, but their first two weeks were against the Browns and the Lions (not exactly powerhouse offenses). Although the Packers lost to the Bengals, and haven’t showed much consistency this year, I feel like they are due for a all around well played game. I think Rodgers will benefit from overload of media surrounding Favre, so hopefully we’ll see relaxed Rodgers out there. Plus, in the wishy washy state I’m in with this game I’ll take the points, because many of these divisional battles come down to a last second field goal.
Tiger the First Billionaire Athlete!
Double Tiger fist pump!
Well, this shouldn’t really come as a shock to anyone, but by Forbes calculations when Tiger won his $10.5 million bonus at the FedEx Cup last weekend he surpassed the $1 billion mark in career earnings. This marks the first time any athlete has reached a billion in overall earnings. Tiger started the year at $895 million, and Sunday’s payout coupled with all the event winnings, sponsors, and his golf course design company Forbes projected he has made over $100 million this season and is now past a billion dollars. He continues to be the highest paid athlete of all time on an annual basis, and it’s not out of reach for him to hit the $3 billion mark before it’s all said and done. He’s has exceeded every expectation by far over his 14 year career, and looks to have a lot left in the tank.
$1 million a hole eh? How many strokes are you giving me Tiger?
I always knew that he was rolling in dough, but until I saw this reported, I didn’t realize how much more he made than all other athletes!
Even Michael Jordan hasn’t achieved this feat, and for some reason I figured he had. I guess his deals in the 90’s weren’t quite as lucrative as Woods’s are now. Jordan should reach that mark in the next four or five years with his current paychecks still rolling in mainly from Nike. I’m sure when Tiger finally calls it quits he’ll have plenty of crazy money games with MJ!
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