Pigskin Pick 'Em
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 117-59
Last Week: 11-5
Clutch Games: Minnesota over Washington, San Diego over Indy
WTF Games: Denver over St. Louis, Tennessee over Houston
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 114-62
Last Week: 12-4
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: N/A
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 104-72
Last Week: 8-8
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: Continually choosing against the Bears, Tampa Bay over Baltimore, Jacksonville over New York (N)
WTF Game of all three of us: choosing Derek Anderson over the 49ers
Game of Inches Fantasy Football League
- Sexy Rexy (T): 8-3-1
- TBO (L): 8-4
- Cubsfan4ever1 (W): 7-5
Standings:
- Sexy Rexy: 2nd in Michelle Beadle division, 3rd overall
- TBO: 2nd in Erin Andrews division, 4th overall
- Cubsfan4evr1: 4th in Erin Andrews division, 6th overall
Notes:
- Sexy Rexy guaranteed himself a playoff birth this week. He joins Swag On (2nd overall, 1st in Andrews division) and Str1fe5 (1st overall and in Beadle division) who guaranteed playoff births last week
- Sexy Rexy lost Frank Gore and Tony Romo for the year. I'm extremely pissed.
- The 'Bright' One is still 1st overall in points
A Quick Reminder Of Why I Hate Dusty Baker
Remember Kerry Wood and Mark Prior? Imagine what the Cubs franchise would look like if they never met Dusty Baker.
Look at Mark Prior's 2003 game log, for example. Over each of Prior's last seven starts, Dusty kept him in for 110+ pitches. In fact, in Prior's final two starts, Baker had Prior pitch over 130 pitches. And of course, we know what Dusty did with Prior in the playoffs. Such is criminal to do to any pitcher's arm, especially after a season's worth of mileage.
So too, was the fate of Kerry Wood. Baker had him pitched 114+ plus pitches in each of his final six outings (120+ in his final two).
Baker already broke Aaron Harang (details in the middle of the post). Good luck Alroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and Homer Bailey and friends.
Look at Mark Prior's 2003 game log, for example. Over each of Prior's last seven starts, Dusty kept him in for 110+ pitches. In fact, in Prior's final two starts, Baker had Prior pitch over 130 pitches. And of course, we know what Dusty did with Prior in the playoffs. Such is criminal to do to any pitcher's arm, especially after a season's worth of mileage.
So too, was the fate of Kerry Wood. Baker had him pitched 114+ plus pitches in each of his final six outings (120+ in his final two).
Baker already broke Aaron Harang (details in the middle of the post). Good luck Alroldis Chapman, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, and Homer Bailey and friends.
DME's Top 20 Fantasy First Basemen For 2011
It is up a few days earlier than expected, but my first basemen fantasy rankings for 2011 have gone live. Enjoy.
TBO and Sexy Rexy Reunite For A Long Awaited Podcast
New podcast on a newish site. Listen here!
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SEXY REXY'S EDITOR'S NOTE: If you'd like a mp3 file of the podcast to listen to it on your iPod, email gameofinchesblog@gmail.com. Sorry for the technical difficulties, we're working on putting this momentous podcast to our iTunes account
____________
SEXY REXY'S EDITOR'S NOTE: If you'd like a mp3 file of the podcast to listen to it on your iPod, email gameofinchesblog@gmail.com. Sorry for the technical difficulties, we're working on putting this momentous podcast to our iTunes account
Stolen Goods: How far will $11 get you at Taco Bell
How far will $11 get you at Taco Bell? It's not baseball (or sports) related, but it is on a baseball blog. Too bad the article does not use food WAR (calories over replacement meal), which is an awesome stat to say the least.
Definitely worth a read.
Definitely worth a read.
Box Score Tonight: Week Twelve/Late Games Edition
I'm going to skip the early games for now because a) I need a chance to talk about the only game I saw in full today and b) I'm taking a break studying and only want to talk about 3 games. I feel like I'll be taking a lot of "breaks" during this finals season so maybe all five of you loyal fans will get lucky and get your BST fix. I'll go get your tourniquet. We'll begin just as soon as I turn my traditional beginning of the year losing streak around to win the rest of my games and make the playoffs.
- The Bears are now legitimate threat in the NFC by soundly defeating the Eagles 31-26. Don't let that close score fool you, the Bears throughly dominated all three aspects of this game.
- Since there are not a lot of late games, I'm a Bears homer, and this was the only game I saw in full, I will be spending a little extra time of this game and this team.
- Lovie Smith is officially out of the "Guaranteed To Get Fired Group" and bypassed the "Tipping the Tightrope" group and is borderline between "Playoff or Bust" or "Neutral". I personally think Lovie Smith is a bad coach and no matter happens he should be fired. I just don't think that happens after this win and how this season has turned out so far.
- Like most new Bears things, I was extremely cynical about hiring Mike Martz as our offensive coordinator but I love him and want him as the offensive coordinator for life. Finally this organization has somebody who actually understands how an offense should work! I love his pass happy style and he's actually running the ball as well.
- Speaking of the offense, let's talk about Cutler, Forte, and crew. Jay Cutler has a bit of "Rex Grossman" in him in the sense that he can be Bad Jay in some games and Good Jay in others. But never ever EVER compare him to sexy Rexy. Cutler is right now an infinitely superior quarterback than Grossman ever will be and ever was. I've seen some of my friends complain about Cutler on their Facebook status and such and it's ridiculous. He is a franchise quarterback and an amazing talent and I will continue to sing his praises when he's being Bad Jay (in fact I did last year).
- Cutler's numbers on the day: 247 yards, 4 TDs, no INTs, and a near perfect passer rating of 146.2. And he looked great as well, made great decisions, and ran the ball effectively and when he needed to.
- Earl Bennett gets 2 TDs, and Johnny Knox and Greg Olson each get one as well. Hester led all Bears receivers with 86 yards. Knox, Hester, and Bennett each got similar targets (5-6) and Olson continues to not get many looks (1 target today) but makes the most of it.
- Matt Forte looks like his rookie self gaining 117 yards on 14 carries (8.4 YPC). Chester Taylor gets -3 yards on 6 carries. I still think he needs to be in for drives at a time and not just sporadic plays. As happy as I am about an overall effective running and how Martz is committed to the run this year (especially since Chicago's bye) he needs to use his backs like Kansas City is (maybe not as many attempts though).
- I was watching this game with my brother, my girlfriend, and a friend of mine and I said that the Bears will guarantee be the first team that intercepts a Mike Vick pass. I then went even bolder and said DJ Moore will be the one who does it. Well, I was half right as safety Chris Harris intercepts a red zone pass from Vick. I'm very upset I did not tweet my prediction or make that my Facebook status as proof that I (half) called the Vick INT.
- Vick's numbers on the day: 333 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 94.2 passer rating, 9 carries, 44 yards. His receiver missed a lot of key catches that were great throws by Vick and he still looked like a legit MVP candidate. As much as I love Rivers and will continue to praise him for MVP, I will not be upset (well, THAT upset) if Vick gets it. But the Bears had a great 4 man rush on Vick and showed why they are the #1 defense in fantasy against opposing quarterbacks.
- Brent Celek is finally back in action (somewhat) and is not officially dead: 3 receptions (8 targets) for 50 yards and a TD. My 2008 Madden MVP Jason Avant led all Philly receivers with 83 yards (8 for 9). Jeremy Maclin (4 for 6) only gets 47 yards and DeSean Jackson has an awful day: 2 for 5 with only 26 yards.
- LeSean McCoy pulls out his inner Brian Westbrook: 53 yards on 10 carries (5.3 YPC) and 8 for 9 with 67 receiving yards
- The Rams actually win a game away defeating the Broncos 36-33. Their crappy D almost gave up a 33-13 lead allowing 3 TD passes in the 4th quarter.
- Kyle Orton will never be better than Jay Cutler, unless he is in the better system. I like Kyle Orton and I'm sure fantasy players do as well: 347 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 110.5 passer rating. I don't understand why Josh McDaniels had to throw a shit fit to get Matt Cassel and diss Jay Cutler. If Kyle Orton can look this good in this system then Jay Cutler absolutely would have looked this good and there was no need to waste draft picks trying to get Cassel (as awesome as he looks this year and is).
- I don't know what Brandon Llyod's catch rate is but I can't imagine it's that good considering I feel like I've seen a lot of these type of games from him: 4 receptions but 10 targets. But, hey, he led all Broncos receivers in yards (76) and caught 2 more TDs. Eddie Royal comes back to life, back, back, to life (Ursher!) catching 6 of his 9 targets for 74 yards and a TD. Jabar Gaffney has an alright day and a poor fantasy day: 3 for 6 with 59 receiving yards.
- Knowshown Moreno must have a magnet attached to himself that leads directly to the end zone but he's been en fuego with TDs recently. He gets a rushing one this weekend. He also pulls out his inner Brian Westbrook: 12 carries for 56 yards (4.7 YPC) and 6 receptions (9 targets) for 63 yards.
- I've praised Sam Bradford so for those of you still reading this BST should know my opinion of him. This game only helps him: 308 yards, 3 TDs, no INTs, 113.3 passer rating.
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Michael Hoomanawanui catches a 36 yards TD pass (his 2nd in the past two games) and his lone target. Some white dude named Billy Bajema who claims he's in the NFL and a TE for the Rams gets Bradford's other two TDs.
- For fantasy purpose you still can't trust any Rams receiver. Danny Amendola, Laurent Robinson, and Danario Alexander each get 4 receptions. Amendola gets 7 targets and the other two get 6. Alexander wins the Least Crappy Rams Wide Out award today leading all St. Louis receivers with 95 yards.
- Steven Jackson had an awful game with his 2.5 YPC on 29 carries. For those of you who can't do the math, that's only 72 yards. A guy of Jackson's status should EASILY be getting 100+ yards when he gets 29 carries. Back up Kenneth Darby gets the lone rushing TD.
- The Ravens defeat the Buccaneers in Baltimore 17-10. This game doesn't and shouldn't tell you anything about either team by THAT score.
- Joe Flacco continues to make strides but still is being a jerk and not throwing for the yards like I predicted. I blame Anquan Boldin (seriously). Remember the time we convinced Andre that Asian guy was Anquan Boldin? Flacco gets 289 yards, 2 TDs, an INT, with a 103.2 passer rating. Boldin has another crappy day. He caught 3 of his 4 targets but only for 27 yards. You should not be starting him in fantasy leagues unless you're in a crazy deep league.
- Todd Heap and Derrick Mason pull up the slack today. Heap's numbers (2 for 4, 79 yards and TD) by a crazy good 65 yard TD pass. Derrick Mason by far led all Ravens in yards (87), targets (13), and receptions (8).
- It's hard to criticize a man who has a 4.5 YPC and gets 20 carries in a game but here I go. Ray Rice only gets 85 rushing yards and no TDs. If for some reason you have Willis McGahee on your fantasy team and you don't own Rice, you're dumb. Drop him. He gets 9 yards on 3 carries.
- Josh Freeman scores another TD in the 4th quarter. Too bad he didn't throw another one within the last three minutes. He throws numbers like we thought he would in the beginning of the year: 162 yards, 1 TD, no INTs, 67.6 passer rating. To his credit though, he's cut the interceptions WAY down.
- Since I only tend to give offensive players credit, I'll give a huge shout out to Aquib Talib, corner back for the Bucs. He got a 25 yard INT and is a top five corner in the game this year.
- TE Kellen Winslow led all Bucs receivers in yards (44), targets (9), and touchdowns (1). He had four catches which was second to Cadillac's 5. Mike Williams went back to his drinking ways as he only catches two of his 7 targets for 20 yards.
- I think I may have not listed Mike Williams in my ROTY odds. I'll go back and fix that.
- LaGarrette Blount is still getting the main workload (13 carries to Cadillac's 4) but only gets 55 yards with them. I guess a 4.2 YPC is average to above average though.
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Arrelious Benn goes 3 for 6 with 9 yards. Oskee Wow Wow.
- I should talk about San Diego defeating Indy (like I predicted) but I'll save it for another time.
And we... are... OUT!
Damn was this post unnecessarily long
- The Bears are now legitimate threat in the NFC by soundly defeating the Eagles 31-26. Don't let that close score fool you, the Bears throughly dominated all three aspects of this game.
- Since there are not a lot of late games, I'm a Bears homer, and this was the only game I saw in full, I will be spending a little extra time of this game and this team.
- Lovie Smith is officially out of the "Guaranteed To Get Fired Group" and bypassed the "Tipping the Tightrope" group and is borderline between "Playoff or Bust" or "Neutral". I personally think Lovie Smith is a bad coach and no matter happens he should be fired. I just don't think that happens after this win and how this season has turned out so far.
- Like most new Bears things, I was extremely cynical about hiring Mike Martz as our offensive coordinator but I love him and want him as the offensive coordinator for life. Finally this organization has somebody who actually understands how an offense should work! I love his pass happy style and he's actually running the ball as well.
- Speaking of the offense, let's talk about Cutler, Forte, and crew. Jay Cutler has a bit of "Rex Grossman" in him in the sense that he can be Bad Jay in some games and Good Jay in others. But never ever EVER compare him to sexy Rexy. Cutler is right now an infinitely superior quarterback than Grossman ever will be and ever was. I've seen some of my friends complain about Cutler on their Facebook status and such and it's ridiculous. He is a franchise quarterback and an amazing talent and I will continue to sing his praises when he's being Bad Jay (in fact I did last year).
- Cutler's numbers on the day: 247 yards, 4 TDs, no INTs, and a near perfect passer rating of 146.2. And he looked great as well, made great decisions, and ran the ball effectively and when he needed to.
- Earl Bennett gets 2 TDs, and Johnny Knox and Greg Olson each get one as well. Hester led all Bears receivers with 86 yards. Knox, Hester, and Bennett each got similar targets (5-6) and Olson continues to not get many looks (1 target today) but makes the most of it.
- Matt Forte looks like his rookie self gaining 117 yards on 14 carries (8.4 YPC). Chester Taylor gets -3 yards on 6 carries. I still think he needs to be in for drives at a time and not just sporadic plays. As happy as I am about an overall effective running and how Martz is committed to the run this year (especially since Chicago's bye) he needs to use his backs like Kansas City is (maybe not as many attempts though).
- I was watching this game with my brother, my girlfriend, and a friend of mine and I said that the Bears will guarantee be the first team that intercepts a Mike Vick pass. I then went even bolder and said DJ Moore will be the one who does it. Well, I was half right as safety Chris Harris intercepts a red zone pass from Vick. I'm very upset I did not tweet my prediction or make that my Facebook status as proof that I (half) called the Vick INT.
- Vick's numbers on the day: 333 passing yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 94.2 passer rating, 9 carries, 44 yards. His receiver missed a lot of key catches that were great throws by Vick and he still looked like a legit MVP candidate. As much as I love Rivers and will continue to praise him for MVP, I will not be upset (well, THAT upset) if Vick gets it. But the Bears had a great 4 man rush on Vick and showed why they are the #1 defense in fantasy against opposing quarterbacks.
- Brent Celek is finally back in action (somewhat) and is not officially dead: 3 receptions (8 targets) for 50 yards and a TD. My 2008 Madden MVP Jason Avant led all Philly receivers with 83 yards (8 for 9). Jeremy Maclin (4 for 6) only gets 47 yards and DeSean Jackson has an awful day: 2 for 5 with only 26 yards.
- LeSean McCoy pulls out his inner Brian Westbrook: 53 yards on 10 carries (5.3 YPC) and 8 for 9 with 67 receiving yards
- The Rams actually win a game away defeating the Broncos 36-33. Their crappy D almost gave up a 33-13 lead allowing 3 TD passes in the 4th quarter.
- Kyle Orton will never be better than Jay Cutler, unless he is in the better system. I like Kyle Orton and I'm sure fantasy players do as well: 347 yards, 3 TDs, 0 INTs, 110.5 passer rating. I don't understand why Josh McDaniels had to throw a shit fit to get Matt Cassel and diss Jay Cutler. If Kyle Orton can look this good in this system then Jay Cutler absolutely would have looked this good and there was no need to waste draft picks trying to get Cassel (as awesome as he looks this year and is).
- I don't know what Brandon Llyod's catch rate is but I can't imagine it's that good considering I feel like I've seen a lot of these type of games from him: 4 receptions but 10 targets. But, hey, he led all Broncos receivers in yards (76) and caught 2 more TDs. Eddie Royal comes back to life, back, back, to life (Ursher!) catching 6 of his 9 targets for 74 yards and a TD. Jabar Gaffney has an alright day and a poor fantasy day: 3 for 6 with 59 receiving yards.
- Knowshown Moreno must have a magnet attached to himself that leads directly to the end zone but he's been en fuego with TDs recently. He gets a rushing one this weekend. He also pulls out his inner Brian Westbrook: 12 carries for 56 yards (4.7 YPC) and 6 receptions (9 targets) for 63 yards.
- I've praised Sam Bradford so for those of you still reading this BST should know my opinion of him. This game only helps him: 308 yards, 3 TDs, no INTs, 113.3 passer rating.
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Michael Hoomanawanui catches a 36 yards TD pass (his 2nd in the past two games) and his lone target. Some white dude named Billy Bajema who claims he's in the NFL and a TE for the Rams gets Bradford's other two TDs.
- For fantasy purpose you still can't trust any Rams receiver. Danny Amendola, Laurent Robinson, and Danario Alexander each get 4 receptions. Amendola gets 7 targets and the other two get 6. Alexander wins the Least Crappy Rams Wide Out award today leading all St. Louis receivers with 95 yards.
- Steven Jackson had an awful game with his 2.5 YPC on 29 carries. For those of you who can't do the math, that's only 72 yards. A guy of Jackson's status should EASILY be getting 100+ yards when he gets 29 carries. Back up Kenneth Darby gets the lone rushing TD.
- The Ravens defeat the Buccaneers in Baltimore 17-10. This game doesn't and shouldn't tell you anything about either team by THAT score.
- Joe Flacco continues to make strides but still is being a jerk and not throwing for the yards like I predicted. I blame Anquan Boldin (seriously). Remember the time we convinced Andre that Asian guy was Anquan Boldin? Flacco gets 289 yards, 2 TDs, an INT, with a 103.2 passer rating. Boldin has another crappy day. He caught 3 of his 4 targets but only for 27 yards. You should not be starting him in fantasy leagues unless you're in a crazy deep league.
- Todd Heap and Derrick Mason pull up the slack today. Heap's numbers (2 for 4, 79 yards and TD) by a crazy good 65 yard TD pass. Derrick Mason by far led all Ravens in yards (87), targets (13), and receptions (8).
- It's hard to criticize a man who has a 4.5 YPC and gets 20 carries in a game but here I go. Ray Rice only gets 85 rushing yards and no TDs. If for some reason you have Willis McGahee on your fantasy team and you don't own Rice, you're dumb. Drop him. He gets 9 yards on 3 carries.
- Josh Freeman scores another TD in the 4th quarter. Too bad he didn't throw another one within the last three minutes. He throws numbers like we thought he would in the beginning of the year: 162 yards, 1 TD, no INTs, 67.6 passer rating. To his credit though, he's cut the interceptions WAY down.
- Since I only tend to give offensive players credit, I'll give a huge shout out to Aquib Talib, corner back for the Bucs. He got a 25 yard INT and is a top five corner in the game this year.
- TE Kellen Winslow led all Bucs receivers in yards (44), targets (9), and touchdowns (1). He had four catches which was second to Cadillac's 5. Mike Williams went back to his drinking ways as he only catches two of his 7 targets for 20 yards.
- I think I may have not listed Mike Williams in my ROTY odds. I'll go back and fix that.
- LaGarrette Blount is still getting the main workload (13 carries to Cadillac's 4) but only gets 55 yards with them. I guess a 4.2 YPC is average to above average though.
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Arrelious Benn goes 3 for 6 with 9 yards. Oskee Wow Wow.
- I should talk about San Diego defeating Indy (like I predicted) but I'll save it for another time.
And we... are... OUT!
Damn was this post unnecessarily long
Blake Griffin: The Narrow World of Sports
You can't patent this idea, but click here for some hilarious humor involving some NBA guy or something. I don't know. It's not baseball.
Is it baseball season yet?
Is it baseball season yet?
DME's Top 20 Fantasy Catchers For 2011
I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving yesterday. Starting today (and every friday thereafter), in place of my in-season "Waiver Wire" article, I starting a top 20 fantasy players by position series. I kicked the series off today with my top 20 fantasy catchers for 2011. Next week, first basemen. Enjoy.
Box Score Tonight: Thanksgiving Day Edition
Despite me not having to do anything but eat today, I actually didn't see too much football. I saw the end of both the non-NFL network games so I guess that's a plus? We'll begin just as soon as I keep it close for three quarters and then blow it in the fourth- like I've done for the past decade.
- The Lions actually make this game enjoyable for most of it but of course blow it at the end as the New England Tom Brady's defeat the Detroit Lions away 45-24.
- I have a buddy from "Detroit" tell me why the Lions will continue to play on Thanksgiving. Dan Ilitch owns the Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings and essentially all of Detroit. He also owns the CBS pre-game show and forces them to give love to the Lions. Which unfortunately means we're stuck with the Lions on TV. Forever.
- After a year's long worth of fantasy mediocrity, Tom Brady goes off for 341 yards, no interceptions, and 4 TDs. Tom Brady throws two, his hair throws one, and the clef in his chin throws one. Deion Branch catches two, Wes Welker catches two and BenJarvin Green Ellis (I feel like I always say The Law Firm and I just want to make sure you know who I'm referring to. I'm sure all five of you do, I'm just covering my ass).
- Tom Brady has a perfect passer rating
- Wes Wekler has also had a mediocre year but returns back to form with eight catches (10 targets) and Branch gets 113 yards on 3 receptions. What they have to be thankful for: the Lions secondary.
- The Pats TE situation is messed up as always but it looks like Rob Gronkowski has replaced Aaron Hernandez. Rob G gets 5 targets (catches them all)and gets 65 yards. A-Hernz catches his lone target and gets 18 yards.
- Shaun Hill makes me regret starting for the second straight week: 285 yards, TD, 2 INTs, 65.9 passer rating.
- The Lions claim Jahvid Best is "injured" but I think it's because they know he sucks. By the way, the dude was injured throughout his career so it should be no shock that he's injured now. In his place Maurice Morris gets 2 TDs on 9 carries. Some guy names Aaron Brown gets 13 carries.
- I'm glad Matt Millen didn't cave in to pressure and actually drafted a wide receiver named Calvin Johnson. He's awesome. Part of that was sarcasm and part of that was seriousness.
- Donkey Kong Suh gets a sack and now has 8 in 11 games. He's a freaking defensive tackle folks.
- Dallas makes it worth our while to put them on Thanksgiving as they keep it close with New Orleans but loses to them 30-27.
- From what I saw of this game Drew Brees looked like his 2009 self at times and like Jake Delhomme in others. He's still very good but I've said it before and I'll say it again- he's not the same guy he was the past few years. He gets 352 yards but only one TD, one INT with a 86.7 passer rating.
- The great Reggie Bush is back! He's the greatest professional running back of all time! He's the centerpiece of this team and the reason they score points! Yet he gets one carry for one yard and one reception (3 targets) for 12 years. Julius Jones gets 10 carries (45 yards) and Chris Ivory gets 7 carries (38 yards) and two of them are rushing TDs
- New Orleans top four wide receivers all have numbers between ten and twenty: Colston (12), Henderson (19), Meachem (17), and Moore (16). It's pretty surprising considering most teams have at least ONE, like an 80 or 81. The order I mentioned is the heirarchy for receiving yards. Colston gets 105 yards and Moore catches Brees' lone TD- which happened to be the go ahead game winner.
- Jon Kitna gets 303 yards, an INT, and no TD. Yeah, suck it Tony Romo!
- Miles Austin is Dallas's leading rusher with 60 yards (and a TD). Felix Jones gets 13 carries, Marion Barber gets 10 and get a rushing TD. Tashard Choice also gets a rushing TD. Jones pulls an LT and also gets 7 receptions for 69 yards.
- Jason Witten led all Cowboys with 10 receptions and 99 yards. Really Witten, you couldn't have gotten one more damn yard! Don't you know people play fantasy football you jagaloon!
- Dallas had seven fumbles in this game but luckily only lost two. My brother thinks Roy Williams was getting too cocky and that was the reason Jenkins stripped him of the ball. It looked like just an a amazing strip and I think no matter what that ball was getting stripped.
- The New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets defeat the Cincinnati B-U-N-G-E-L-S Bungels Bungels Bungels 26-10. Finally the the Jets don't "win" in the last minute.
- As quoted from one of the two non-GOI authors GOI fan's facebook page, "9-2!!! Brad Smith, you're my hero! Good job New York! J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!!!" Brad Smith gets 3 carries for 55 yards and a TD and a 89 yard kick off return. Yay.
- Shonn Grenne gets 18 carries and L.T. only gets 13 and actually gets more rushing yards (70 to 49). LT gets two receptions. Greene gets one. Is this the game Shonn Greene officially takes over LT's role as the best Jets fantasy running back?
- Dustin Keller leads all Jets receivers with 49 yards. Santonio Holmes gets Sanchez' lone TD.
- T.O. was on Revis Island all game apparently because he only gets 3 receptions for 17 yards off of eight targets.
- My favorite Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley has the best Cincy WR fantasy day because he catches Carson Palmer's lone TD
- Cedric Benson has also had a mediocre fantasy year and he continues it today when he gets 18 carries for 41 yards.
- The battle for the best USC quarterback is here! No i'm just kidding because Carson Palmer sucks. He has a 3.6 YPA and a 41.0 passer rating. Mark Sanchez has a 71.4 passer rating.
FIN.
- The Lions actually make this game enjoyable for most of it but of course blow it at the end as the New England Tom Brady's defeat the Detroit Lions away 45-24.
- I have a buddy from "Detroit" tell me why the Lions will continue to play on Thanksgiving. Dan Ilitch owns the Pistons, Tigers, and Red Wings and essentially all of Detroit. He also owns the CBS pre-game show and forces them to give love to the Lions. Which unfortunately means we're stuck with the Lions on TV. Forever.
- After a year's long worth of fantasy mediocrity, Tom Brady goes off for 341 yards, no interceptions, and 4 TDs. Tom Brady throws two, his hair throws one, and the clef in his chin throws one. Deion Branch catches two, Wes Welker catches two and BenJarvin Green Ellis (I feel like I always say The Law Firm and I just want to make sure you know who I'm referring to. I'm sure all five of you do, I'm just covering my ass).
- Tom Brady has a perfect passer rating
- Wes Wekler has also had a mediocre year but returns back to form with eight catches (10 targets) and Branch gets 113 yards on 3 receptions. What they have to be thankful for: the Lions secondary.
- The Pats TE situation is messed up as always but it looks like Rob Gronkowski has replaced Aaron Hernandez. Rob G gets 5 targets (catches them all)and gets 65 yards. A-Hernz catches his lone target and gets 18 yards.
- Shaun Hill makes me regret starting for the second straight week: 285 yards, TD, 2 INTs, 65.9 passer rating.
- The Lions claim Jahvid Best is "injured" but I think it's because they know he sucks. By the way, the dude was injured throughout his career so it should be no shock that he's injured now. In his place Maurice Morris gets 2 TDs on 9 carries. Some guy names Aaron Brown gets 13 carries.
- I'm glad Matt Millen didn't cave in to pressure and actually drafted a wide receiver named Calvin Johnson. He's awesome. Part of that was sarcasm and part of that was seriousness.
- Donkey Kong Suh gets a sack and now has 8 in 11 games. He's a freaking defensive tackle folks.
- Dallas makes it worth our while to put them on Thanksgiving as they keep it close with New Orleans but loses to them 30-27.
- From what I saw of this game Drew Brees looked like his 2009 self at times and like Jake Delhomme in others. He's still very good but I've said it before and I'll say it again- he's not the same guy he was the past few years. He gets 352 yards but only one TD, one INT with a 86.7 passer rating.
- The great Reggie Bush is back! He's the greatest professional running back of all time! He's the centerpiece of this team and the reason they score points! Yet he gets one carry for one yard and one reception (3 targets) for 12 years. Julius Jones gets 10 carries (45 yards) and Chris Ivory gets 7 carries (38 yards) and two of them are rushing TDs
- New Orleans top four wide receivers all have numbers between ten and twenty: Colston (12), Henderson (19), Meachem (17), and Moore (16). It's pretty surprising considering most teams have at least ONE, like an 80 or 81. The order I mentioned is the heirarchy for receiving yards. Colston gets 105 yards and Moore catches Brees' lone TD- which happened to be the go ahead game winner.
- Jon Kitna gets 303 yards, an INT, and no TD. Yeah, suck it Tony Romo!
- Miles Austin is Dallas's leading rusher with 60 yards (and a TD). Felix Jones gets 13 carries, Marion Barber gets 10 and get a rushing TD. Tashard Choice also gets a rushing TD. Jones pulls an LT and also gets 7 receptions for 69 yards.
- Jason Witten led all Cowboys with 10 receptions and 99 yards. Really Witten, you couldn't have gotten one more damn yard! Don't you know people play fantasy football you jagaloon!
- Dallas had seven fumbles in this game but luckily only lost two. My brother thinks Roy Williams was getting too cocky and that was the reason Jenkins stripped him of the ball. It looked like just an a amazing strip and I think no matter what that ball was getting stripped.
- The New York J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets defeat the Cincinnati B-U-N-G-E-L-S Bungels Bungels Bungels 26-10. Finally the the Jets don't "win" in the last minute.
- As quoted from one of the two non-GOI authors GOI fan's facebook page, "9-2!!! Brad Smith, you're my hero! Good job New York! J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!!!" Brad Smith gets 3 carries for 55 yards and a TD and a 89 yard kick off return. Yay.
- Shonn Grenne gets 18 carries and L.T. only gets 13 and actually gets more rushing yards (70 to 49). LT gets two receptions. Greene gets one. Is this the game Shonn Greene officially takes over LT's role as the best Jets fantasy running back?
- Dustin Keller leads all Jets receivers with 49 yards. Santonio Holmes gets Sanchez' lone TD.
- T.O. was on Revis Island all game apparently because he only gets 3 receptions for 17 yards off of eight targets.
- My favorite Bengals receiver Jordan Shipley has the best Cincy WR fantasy day because he catches Carson Palmer's lone TD
- Cedric Benson has also had a mediocre fantasy year and he continues it today when he gets 18 carries for 41 yards.
- The battle for the best USC quarterback is here! No i'm just kidding because Carson Palmer sucks. He has a 3.6 YPA and a 41.0 passer rating. Mark Sanchez has a 71.4 passer rating.
FIN.
Game of Inches Football Results: Week 11
Pigskin Pick Em
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 106-54
Last Week: 13-3
Clutch Games: Buffalo over Cincinnati
WTF Games: St. Louis over Atlanta, Cleveland over Jax
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 102-58
Last Week: 14-2
Clutch Games: Dont know
WTF Games: Dont care
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 96-64
Last Week: 12-4
Clutch Games: None
WTF Games: Houston over NYJ, Indy over NE
Game Of Inches Fantasy Football League
- Sexy Rexy (W)(8-3)
- TBO (L) (8-3)
- Cubsfan4evr1 (W) (6-5)
Standings
- The 'Bright' One is number 3 overall in the league and 2nd in the Erin Andrews division
- Sexy Rexy is 4th overall and 2nd in the Michelle Beadle division
- Cubsfan4evr1 is 6th overall and 4th in the Erin Andrews
Notes
- Cubsfan4evr1 was the #2 points leader this week
- The 'Bright' One finally overtakes Sexy Rexy as the #1 overall points leader!
- Of TBO's 3 losses this year, 2 have come to heated rival Cubsfan4evr1
Sexy Rexy's Fantasy Advice: Rankings For Week Twelve
While it's technically, according to my clock/ cell phone, Thursday and thus Thanksgiving I still consider the day to be Wednesday until either a) I wake up the next morning or b) The sun comes up before I go to bed. But until either (a) or (b) are met, it's not the next day and thus NOT Thanksgiving and therefore I'm not obligated by blogging law to mention "what I'm thankful for", But I'll do one anyway.
I'm thankful I'm not dead list in this rankings thingy.
You can see my rankings for Week Twelve here.
I'm thankful I'm not dead list in this rankings thingy.
You can see my rankings for Week Twelve here.
I feel cheated like Eva Longoria. Zing!
Is TBO really writing a post? Is TBO even alive? Is TBO referring to himself in the 3rd person pseudonym? Why yes, yes I am
So how can I possibly be comparing my situation to that of the sluttiest of the Desperate Housewives Eva Longoria? She was played by her younger, richer, Frencher hubby Tony Parker. Seriously, guys need to learn how to delete incriminating emails/texts. Now Eva will have to take to talents to South Beach in search for another athlete husband. How sad
Me on the other hand, i've been whipped for 20 years by a mistress called sports. For as long as i can remember, it has consumed my life to the point where I am basically committed till the end, you know for the kids. The good has definitely overshadowed the bad when it comes to my experience with sports. It entertains me, stimulates me, and may i say completes me, boo who hoo. I even got to experienced a Stanley Cup and and an Antonio Alfonseca handful of NBA championships.
However, there has always been a part of my relationship with sports that has disappointed me every holiday season. A time of joy and celebrations smeared by the greed of the rich and wealthy. Yes, of course, I am speaking of the BCS
I have been a big fan of college football since the days of Peter Warrick killing the Hurricanes every labor labor day. However, after watching the SEC religiously every Saturday in 2007, college football has become the queen to baseball's king. But what is a sports without a championship? Every seasons concludes anticlimactically with a championship game between 2 teams subjectively chosen by a computer. What is this, baseball?
This same argument is made every time this time of year, but I not claiming that this is an inadequate system. I am claiming that my life's sporting experience is being cheated away from me by a faceless institution. I dont even know who to point my anger at? There is no one individual like a commissioner, CEO, or president to blame for this injustice. How can people fight and protest for change when we dont even know who's in charge.
Proponents of the system claim the BCS system is best for numerous reasons
- It's always been that way, why mess with tradition
- It makes every regular season game matter
- College athletes cant play 16 game schedules
- Small schools benefit from playing in crappy bowl games
- It makes everyone a crapload of money
Let me lay out the perfect playoff system for college football
The regular season remains basically unchanged. Every team plays 11 games instead of 12. Eliminate one out of conference game making it 3 out and 8 in conference games. Eliminate the conference championship games. The point of the conference championship game is give an automatic bid to a BCS game. Regardless how bad the ACC or Big East may be, one of their crappy teams will ruin your New Years Day. Eliminate all the Human and Coaches poles from consideration and only use the BCS computer standings to determine the Top 25. Eliminate the preseason polls. No one knows how good a team full of 20 year old sex starved gangsters is going to perform on the field. Teams in the preseason top 16 who turned out horrible: Florida, Texas, VT, USC, Pitt, GT. It has too large an impact on the ranking going forward. Everyone starts with a clean slate and computer algorithms should decide who ranks where. Sit back and enjoy the regular season as a build up to the grand daddy of 'em all the BCS Playoff!
To all the tradition geeks, the Bowl games are here to stay, just in a slightly different format. Only the top 16 teams in the BCS poll enter the playoff system, the rest of the bowl eligible teams fill out the remaining 30 bowl games. Currently there are 5 BCS games. Sugar, Orange, Fiesta, and Rose, with one getting duplicated for a 5th game and designated The National Championship game.
Normally, the 30 non-BCS bowls get played out through most of December, with the BCS bowls played between Jan1 and the 2nd Monday of January if I recall correctly. This creates a huge problem in that the Championship game is usually played 40-50 days after the conclusion of the regular season. I recall Ohio St. in 2007 having some 51 days between their last reg season game and the championship game. Needless to say they got manhandled by Florida. Instead, they can use the NFL style and play playoff games every weekend leading up to the final the first week of the new year.
Week 1, Sweat 16: 8 games. 1v16, 2v15 ...
Week 2, Elite 8: 4 games
Week 3, Final 4: 2 games
Week 4, Championship Game
The playoff games are played at the usual 4 BCS sites, with each alternating the Championship Game every 4 years. Or maybe get creative and go outside the BCS stadiums for the championship. Who wouldnt want to see the final game at the hoarse shoe, the big house, or death valley.
So why 16 teams and not more or less. This is a subjective number, but my experience tells me that most years any team in the top 16 BCS ranking can upset any team in the first 2 rounds. The 16 seed beating the 1 is absolutely not out of the question. This isnt basketball. I say it would happen about 1 out of every 4 years. Based on what poll you look at, the 16 seed right now would be either Nebraska, Missouri, or Virginia Tech. Nebraska already beat Missouri. Missouri already beat Oklahoma. And VT has dominated every game since losing the first 2 of the season. You cant tell me they dont stand a chance against Oregon.
Once we get down to the Elite 8, anything goes. There will be no favorites. Just chaos. Stanford v Auburn. Boise v Alabama. LSU v Wisconsin. Ohio St v Oregon. The only downside is students all over the land failing Fall finals from all the excitement.
Or just keep the crappy system as is. Cant wait to wait 50 days to see Auburn rape Boise St
Matt Cassel vs. Mark Sanchez
EDITOR'S NOTE: This posts uses advanced statistics. For an explanation of DYAR and DVOA, click here. For an explanation of WPA, click here. For an explanation of EPA, click here.
During my box score tonight's, I keep claiming that Matt Cassel is the best former USC quarterback currently playing in the NFL. Over the past decade, Pete Carrol has produced many first round quarterbacks and top tiered, highly rated talent. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez all led USC to great years and were all taken within the first 10 picks of their respected drafts. But despite all this, the best QB was one that didn't even play a snap in college: Matt Cassel.
Now some of the reason Cassel is the best USC QB is by default. Carson Palmer looked amazing early in his career and looked like he was fully worth the high draft pick. But after destroying his knee in a playoff game and taking a year off to recover, he just doesn't look like the same quarterback. And I will still defend Matt Leinart but I'm sad to say it looks like his development has been too stunted at this point for him to succeed. The only real chance Leinart ever got was in his rookie year and I will never judge how good a QB truly is in his rookie year- despite the flashed of greatness we have seen from Leinart.
But Mark Sanchez still has a shot. I saw many of his games early and he looked good. He looked like he was making great decisions and making many accurate passes, but his receivers have probably the worst hands in the league. Sure he makes a lot of short passes, well guess what, not everybody can be Peyton Manning. Plus, the few long bombs I've seen him throw (especially to Braylon Edwards) he's looked pretty darn good doing it.
I said I won't fully judge a QB based solely on his rookie season and I certainly will take the fact that Sanchez doesn't even have two full years under his belt. But what that being said, this is a debate on who's the best USC quarterback RIGHT NOW.
We'll start off with the basic statistics. In five less games from 2010 to 2009, Mark Sanchez has thrown 3 more TD passes (12 to 15) and 14 less interceptions (20 to 7). He's increased his TD% by 136% and decreased his INT% by a whopping 262%. He currently holds a 2.14 TD/INT ratio- and anything over 2/1 is commendable and respectable. Cassel's biggest problem, like Sanchez, last year was interception. He threw 16 touchdown, but just as many interceptions. In five less games Cassel has thrown two more touchdowns (16 to 18) and 12 less interceptions (16 to 4) from 2009 to 2010. Cassel currently is fourth in the league in INT% (considering he only has FOUR interceptions on the year) and has a 4.5 TD/INT ratio- more than double that of Sanchez.
Somewhat frustrating is Sanchez's completion percentage. You always like to see a QB improve as he plays more games and a critical part of a QB's game to develop is his completion percentage. While it did go up slightly (53.8 to 55.1), it's still not close to being ideal (at least 59-60%). Versus Cassel who also had a mediocre comp% last year (55%) and raise it up to where it should be this year (59%).
My initial thought for this was because Sanchez has some pretty bad receivers from a catch rate perspective. Edwards has a 51% and Holmes has a 54% of the year. But Dwayne Bowe also has a 54% catch rate. Jamaal Charles has a 71%, LT has a 68%, and Thomas Jones has a 56%. All pretty much the same across the main receivers and backs which tells me the completion percentage of the quarterbacks is mostly the result of the quarterbacks and not the receivers.
Currently, Cassel has more touchdowns, less interceptions, and a better: completion percentage, passer rating, and yards per attempt than Sanchez with essentially the same sack percentage. Although Sanchez does have more yards. And more attempts.
Now onto the advanced stuff! We're getting kinky now. Matt Cassel is 13th in DYAR (essentially total value) and 14th in DVOA (essentially value per play). Sanchez is 18th in DYAR and 25th in DVOA. I think you can make your own conclusions about what this means. Where Sanchez does beat Cassel is in clutchiness. Sanchez has a 2.32 WPA and a 31.2 EPA versus Cassel's .75 WPA and 59.3 EPA.
Lastly, its helpful to look at offensive lines. Drastic differences in offensive line play can greatly affect a QB's play. You can chalk up a lot of bad stats to poor offensive line play. It's hard to throw the ball effectively when you have a guy in your face constantly. But luckily for us, Kansas City has the 9th ranked passing offensive line and the Jets have the 10th this year. Even more reason to think these players' numbers are the result of their true talent right now and not some other, outlier factors.
So who is currently the best USC QB playing the game? Matt Cassel. You can see this cat Cassel is a bad mother- shut your mouth! But I'm talking about Matt!
During my box score tonight's, I keep claiming that Matt Cassel is the best former USC quarterback currently playing in the NFL. Over the past decade, Pete Carrol has produced many first round quarterbacks and top tiered, highly rated talent. Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart, and Mark Sanchez all led USC to great years and were all taken within the first 10 picks of their respected drafts. But despite all this, the best QB was one that didn't even play a snap in college: Matt Cassel.
Now some of the reason Cassel is the best USC QB is by default. Carson Palmer looked amazing early in his career and looked like he was fully worth the high draft pick. But after destroying his knee in a playoff game and taking a year off to recover, he just doesn't look like the same quarterback. And I will still defend Matt Leinart but I'm sad to say it looks like his development has been too stunted at this point for him to succeed. The only real chance Leinart ever got was in his rookie year and I will never judge how good a QB truly is in his rookie year- despite the flashed of greatness we have seen from Leinart.
But Mark Sanchez still has a shot. I saw many of his games early and he looked good. He looked like he was making great decisions and making many accurate passes, but his receivers have probably the worst hands in the league. Sure he makes a lot of short passes, well guess what, not everybody can be Peyton Manning. Plus, the few long bombs I've seen him throw (especially to Braylon Edwards) he's looked pretty darn good doing it.
I said I won't fully judge a QB based solely on his rookie season and I certainly will take the fact that Sanchez doesn't even have two full years under his belt. But what that being said, this is a debate on who's the best USC quarterback RIGHT NOW.
We'll start off with the basic statistics. In five less games from 2010 to 2009, Mark Sanchez has thrown 3 more TD passes (12 to 15) and 14 less interceptions (20 to 7). He's increased his TD% by 136% and decreased his INT% by a whopping 262%. He currently holds a 2.14 TD/INT ratio- and anything over 2/1 is commendable and respectable. Cassel's biggest problem, like Sanchez, last year was interception. He threw 16 touchdown, but just as many interceptions. In five less games Cassel has thrown two more touchdowns (16 to 18) and 12 less interceptions (16 to 4) from 2009 to 2010. Cassel currently is fourth in the league in INT% (considering he only has FOUR interceptions on the year) and has a 4.5 TD/INT ratio- more than double that of Sanchez.
Somewhat frustrating is Sanchez's completion percentage. You always like to see a QB improve as he plays more games and a critical part of a QB's game to develop is his completion percentage. While it did go up slightly (53.8 to 55.1), it's still not close to being ideal (at least 59-60%). Versus Cassel who also had a mediocre comp% last year (55%) and raise it up to where it should be this year (59%).
My initial thought for this was because Sanchez has some pretty bad receivers from a catch rate perspective. Edwards has a 51% and Holmes has a 54% of the year. But Dwayne Bowe also has a 54% catch rate. Jamaal Charles has a 71%, LT has a 68%, and Thomas Jones has a 56%. All pretty much the same across the main receivers and backs which tells me the completion percentage of the quarterbacks is mostly the result of the quarterbacks and not the receivers.
Currently, Cassel has more touchdowns, less interceptions, and a better: completion percentage, passer rating, and yards per attempt than Sanchez with essentially the same sack percentage. Although Sanchez does have more yards. And more attempts.
Now onto the advanced stuff! We're getting kinky now. Matt Cassel is 13th in DYAR (essentially total value) and 14th in DVOA (essentially value per play). Sanchez is 18th in DYAR and 25th in DVOA. I think you can make your own conclusions about what this means. Where Sanchez does beat Cassel is in clutchiness. Sanchez has a 2.32 WPA and a 31.2 EPA versus Cassel's .75 WPA and 59.3 EPA.
Lastly, its helpful to look at offensive lines. Drastic differences in offensive line play can greatly affect a QB's play. You can chalk up a lot of bad stats to poor offensive line play. It's hard to throw the ball effectively when you have a guy in your face constantly. But luckily for us, Kansas City has the 9th ranked passing offensive line and the Jets have the 10th this year. Even more reason to think these players' numbers are the result of their true talent right now and not some other, outlier factors.
So who is currently the best USC QB playing the game? Matt Cassel. You can see this cat Cassel is a bad mother- shut your mouth! But I'm talking about Matt!
Box Score Tonight: Week Eleven/Late and Night Games Edition
We'll begin just as soon as I play so poorly I get my head coach fired.
- Falcons destroy the Rams 34-17 and make a legitimate case that they are the best team in the NFC
- Matty Ice strikes again! 253 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 101.8 passer rating
- Michael "The Burner" Turner finally plays like the top five back that he should be: 28 carries, 131 yards, 4.7 YPC, TD
- Roddy White plays fine but Ryan spreads the ball around to Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins (for some reason)
- Sam Bradford sets a rookie record for most completions (169, haha "69") without an interception.
- As my odds show, Bradford is the favorite to win offensive rookie of the year and has a decently average game with his 84.7 passer rating
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Michael Hoomanawanui gets TD pass for go along with his 4 catches for 41 yards
- Bradford also spreads the ball around to probably the worst receiving corps in the NFL to Amendola, Robinson, Mikey H, and Gibson. These guys are so bad that their first names are not worth mentioning.
- Noleans Saints defeat the USC Seahawks 34-19
- I was wrong on my superstitious-Madden curse of Drew Brees. Sure he's throwing a bit more interceptions but he's still awesome: 382 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 106.9 passer rating
- Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas still aren't back so Chris Ivory puts the running game on his back and actually gets it done: 99 yards (4.3 YPC) and a TD.
- After I declared I would never start Marques Colston in fantasy I have continued to start him and he's done amazing things: 8/11, 133 yards, 2 TDs
- Matt Hasselbeck had one of his up games thanks in large part to Mike Williams who caught six of his seven targets with 109 yards. Williams finally has a good fantasy day NOT against the Arizona Cardinals
- Marshawn Lynch (7 carries) continues to be an awful fantasy player and Justin Forsett (8 carries) is right behind him. In his extremely limited work Lynch gets 5.1 YPC.
- Tampa Bay is a top five NFC team (maybe 6) but I don't know why they were a three point dog at Candlestick against one of the worst teams in the NFC. Bucs defeat the 49ers 21-0.
- Josh Freeman didn't need to drive down the field late like he was a New York Jet to win this game. Freeman is a step above game manager and a step below Good Jay Cutler. 13 for 20, 136 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTS, 117.9 passer rating
- LaGarrette Blount doesn't run that effectively (3.2 YPC) put puts up decent fantasy numbers with his 82 yards. Cadallic Williams was promoted from Skateboard Williams to '93 Nissan Williams after this game with 7.3 YPC and a TD
- Mike Williams doesn't need to be sober to catch all three of his targets for 54 yards and a score.
- After two good weeks, Troy Smith comes a bit down to Earth with his 51.5 passer rating. Fans of him will chalk this one up to "just one of those games". Haters of his will say this is true skill set. I am a fan of his.
- Frank Gore has an atrocious week- as evidenced by Troy Smith (45) getting more rushing yards (23) than him. He's still an integral part of the passing game.
- While Michael Crabtree is not Darrius Heyword-Bey bad, he's still pretty bad: one catch for 15 yards. He's also not Ted Ginn Jr. bad: 1 catch for 7 yards. Josh Morgan was the Gold Miners best receiver: 4/6, 51 yards.
- Aside from teams you're a fan of and follow, New England/Indianapolis is The Game Of The Year. It's always good, always fun to watch, most of the time has playoff seeding implications and probably the one game we can never send overseas because it's too important for us in America. So why the fuck was his only a normal Sunday afternoon game and not a prime time game!?
- New England scrapes by with a win against Indy 31-28 due to a very late interception by Peyton Manning.
- Peyton Manning is not the same Peyton of old. I don't buy "he has no receivers" argument for a second. Philip Rivers has NO receivers and he's setting records. Manning had no receivers last year and did great. His final numbers: 396 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INT. Great fantasy numbers but this was one game you had to watch and see Peyton be off his game.
- Blair White catches 2 TD passes late. Reggie Wayne is a stud as always: 8/11, 107 yards, TD. Donald Brown started this game and got 68 yards off of 17 carries (4.0 YPC). Edge's cousin gets 3 carries and no TDs.
- Tom Brady continues to put up numbers like he's Matt Cassel: 186 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 123.1 passer rating.
- Legal midget Danny Woodhead has a score and 69 carries (9.9 YPC). The Law Firm gets a score and 96 yards (4.6). Yeah, in case you weren't aware, the Colts rushing D sucks without Bob Sanders- which means the Colts rushing D sucks.
- Did you you the Pats had a LB in the early decade named Jarvis Green. Apparently the Pats liked him so much that they infused him "The Fly" style with a dude named Ben Ellis. And out came the superhero named BenJarvis Green-Ellis. Designed to stop crime, fight criminal defendants, and run over the Colts! Law Firm Powers Activate! Ho!
- There was only one true sentence in that last blurb. Can you guess which one it is?
- This week Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker win the Belichick TD sweepstakes. Deion Branch leads all Pats receivers with 70 yards off of 7 catches.
- The Michael Vick Show continues as the Eagles defeat the Giants 27-17 to contend as the best team in the NFC
- Vick has just a decent game for him: 83.0 passer rating, 34 rushing yards and his only TD was a rushing one. He still doesn't have an interception on the season.
- LeSean McCoy makes his best case to be SOTY: 111 yards a a TD off of 11 carries.
- Jeremy Maclin does his best DeSean-Jackson-with-hands impersonation: 120 yards off of 9 catches. DeJackson does his best Jeremy Maclin impersonation: 50 yards off of 5 receptions.
- Eli Manning played awfully and I'm sure looked awful with his 3 interceptions and 53.5 passer rating.
- Ahmad Bradshaw shit a brick and did his best Jahvid Best impression: 29 carries off of 12 yards and a fumble
- Hakeen Nicks is now also injured for the next few weeks along with Steve Smith. Go Pokeyball Manningham Go! Nicks gets 65 yards off of 6 receptions and Mario Manningham gets 24 off of 3.
- Phillip Rivers is a beast among men and he's my personal choice to be MVP over Vick. He's setting record breaking numbers with NOBODIES and watch him and his Chargers make a late season playoff push like they always do.
- The Chaaaaaahhhgers defeat the pissy pants Josh McDaniels's 35-14 on Monday Night
- After the Chargers were up 35-7 in the 3rd I decided to watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother. What a great show that is.
- Malcolm Floyd, Mike Tolbert, Darren Sproles, Patrick Crayton, and Jacob Hester all get TDs. Boo hoo hoo Ryan Matthews. The Sproles, Floyd, and Crayton TDs were mainly the result of the receiver than Rivers, but whatevs.
- Rivers numbers on the night: 233 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 116.8 passer rating.
- Kyle Orton must have been drinking some Jack from his neck beard because he had just an alright day: 76.3 passer rating.
- Knowshon Moreno has a fine fantasy and reality day: 13 carries, 58 yards, 4.5 YPC, TD
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Brandon Lloyd continues to make me look like a genius: 6/9, 78 yards, TD
And we... are... OUT!
Hello and welcome to the Game of Inches podcast
- Falcons destroy the Rams 34-17 and make a legitimate case that they are the best team in the NFC
- Matty Ice strikes again! 253 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 101.8 passer rating
- Michael "The Burner" Turner finally plays like the top five back that he should be: 28 carries, 131 yards, 4.7 YPC, TD
- Roddy White plays fine but Ryan spreads the ball around to Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins (for some reason)
- Sam Bradford sets a rookie record for most completions (169, haha "69") without an interception.
- As my odds show, Bradford is the favorite to win offensive rookie of the year and has a decently average game with his 84.7 passer rating
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Michael Hoomanawanui gets TD pass for go along with his 4 catches for 41 yards
- Bradford also spreads the ball around to probably the worst receiving corps in the NFL to Amendola, Robinson, Mikey H, and Gibson. These guys are so bad that their first names are not worth mentioning.
- Noleans Saints defeat the USC Seahawks 34-19
- I was wrong on my superstitious-Madden curse of Drew Brees. Sure he's throwing a bit more interceptions but he's still awesome: 382 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 106.9 passer rating
- Reggie Bush and Pierre Thomas still aren't back so Chris Ivory puts the running game on his back and actually gets it done: 99 yards (4.3 YPC) and a TD.
- After I declared I would never start Marques Colston in fantasy I have continued to start him and he's done amazing things: 8/11, 133 yards, 2 TDs
- Matt Hasselbeck had one of his up games thanks in large part to Mike Williams who caught six of his seven targets with 109 yards. Williams finally has a good fantasy day NOT against the Arizona Cardinals
- Marshawn Lynch (7 carries) continues to be an awful fantasy player and Justin Forsett (8 carries) is right behind him. In his extremely limited work Lynch gets 5.1 YPC.
- Tampa Bay is a top five NFC team (maybe 6) but I don't know why they were a three point dog at Candlestick against one of the worst teams in the NFC. Bucs defeat the 49ers 21-0.
- Josh Freeman didn't need to drive down the field late like he was a New York Jet to win this game. Freeman is a step above game manager and a step below Good Jay Cutler. 13 for 20, 136 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTS, 117.9 passer rating
- LaGarrette Blount doesn't run that effectively (3.2 YPC) put puts up decent fantasy numbers with his 82 yards. Cadallic Williams was promoted from Skateboard Williams to '93 Nissan Williams after this game with 7.3 YPC and a TD
- Mike Williams doesn't need to be sober to catch all three of his targets for 54 yards and a score.
- After two good weeks, Troy Smith comes a bit down to Earth with his 51.5 passer rating. Fans of him will chalk this one up to "just one of those games". Haters of his will say this is true skill set. I am a fan of his.
- Frank Gore has an atrocious week- as evidenced by Troy Smith (45) getting more rushing yards (23) than him. He's still an integral part of the passing game.
- While Michael Crabtree is not Darrius Heyword-Bey bad, he's still pretty bad: one catch for 15 yards. He's also not Ted Ginn Jr. bad: 1 catch for 7 yards. Josh Morgan was the Gold Miners best receiver: 4/6, 51 yards.
- Aside from teams you're a fan of and follow, New England/Indianapolis is The Game Of The Year. It's always good, always fun to watch, most of the time has playoff seeding implications and probably the one game we can never send overseas because it's too important for us in America. So why the fuck was his only a normal Sunday afternoon game and not a prime time game!?
- New England scrapes by with a win against Indy 31-28 due to a very late interception by Peyton Manning.
- Peyton Manning is not the same Peyton of old. I don't buy "he has no receivers" argument for a second. Philip Rivers has NO receivers and he's setting records. Manning had no receivers last year and did great. His final numbers: 396 yards, 4 TDs, 3 INT. Great fantasy numbers but this was one game you had to watch and see Peyton be off his game.
- Blair White catches 2 TD passes late. Reggie Wayne is a stud as always: 8/11, 107 yards, TD. Donald Brown started this game and got 68 yards off of 17 carries (4.0 YPC). Edge's cousin gets 3 carries and no TDs.
- Tom Brady continues to put up numbers like he's Matt Cassel: 186 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 123.1 passer rating.
- Legal midget Danny Woodhead has a score and 69 carries (9.9 YPC). The Law Firm gets a score and 96 yards (4.6). Yeah, in case you weren't aware, the Colts rushing D sucks without Bob Sanders- which means the Colts rushing D sucks.
- Did you you the Pats had a LB in the early decade named Jarvis Green. Apparently the Pats liked him so much that they infused him "The Fly" style with a dude named Ben Ellis. And out came the superhero named BenJarvis Green-Ellis. Designed to stop crime, fight criminal defendants, and run over the Colts! Law Firm Powers Activate! Ho!
- There was only one true sentence in that last blurb. Can you guess which one it is?
- This week Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker win the Belichick TD sweepstakes. Deion Branch leads all Pats receivers with 70 yards off of 7 catches.
- The Michael Vick Show continues as the Eagles defeat the Giants 27-17 to contend as the best team in the NFC
- Vick has just a decent game for him: 83.0 passer rating, 34 rushing yards and his only TD was a rushing one. He still doesn't have an interception on the season.
- LeSean McCoy makes his best case to be SOTY: 111 yards a a TD off of 11 carries.
- Jeremy Maclin does his best DeSean-Jackson-with-hands impersonation: 120 yards off of 9 catches. DeJackson does his best Jeremy Maclin impersonation: 50 yards off of 5 receptions.
- Eli Manning played awfully and I'm sure looked awful with his 3 interceptions and 53.5 passer rating.
- Ahmad Bradshaw shit a brick and did his best Jahvid Best impression: 29 carries off of 12 yards and a fumble
- Hakeen Nicks is now also injured for the next few weeks along with Steve Smith. Go Pokeyball Manningham Go! Nicks gets 65 yards off of 6 receptions and Mario Manningham gets 24 off of 3.
- Phillip Rivers is a beast among men and he's my personal choice to be MVP over Vick. He's setting record breaking numbers with NOBODIES and watch him and his Chargers make a late season playoff push like they always do.
- The Chaaaaaahhhgers defeat the pissy pants Josh McDaniels's 35-14 on Monday Night
- After the Chargers were up 35-7 in the 3rd I decided to watch reruns of How I Met Your Mother. What a great show that is.
- Malcolm Floyd, Mike Tolbert, Darren Sproles, Patrick Crayton, and Jacob Hester all get TDs. Boo hoo hoo Ryan Matthews. The Sproles, Floyd, and Crayton TDs were mainly the result of the receiver than Rivers, but whatevs.
- Rivers numbers on the night: 233 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs, 116.8 passer rating.
- Kyle Orton must have been drinking some Jack from his neck beard because he had just an alright day: 76.3 passer rating.
- Knowshon Moreno has a fine fantasy and reality day: 13 carries, 58 yards, 4.5 YPC, TD
- Illinois Jerk Off Alert: Brandon Lloyd continues to make me look like a genius: 6/9, 78 yards, TD
And we... are... OUT!
Hello and welcome to the Game of Inches podcast
Odds On End of The Year NFL Winner
Offensive ROY:
Sam Bradford: 1-5
Dez Bryant: 1-1
Mike Williams: 3-2
Colt McCoy: 2-1
LaGarrette Blount: 7-2
Tim Tebow: 15-1
Jordan Shipley: 25-1
Field: 50-1
Defensive ROY:
Ndamukong Suh: 1-5
Earl Thomas: 10-1
Eric Berry: 15-1
Field: 50-1
Sophomore of the Year:
Mark Sanchez: 1-2
Clay Matthews: 3-5
Josh Freeman: 4-5
Mike Wallace: 6-5
Percy Harvin: 3-1
LeSean McCoy: 9-2
Hakeen Nicks: 6-1
Jeremy Maclin: 8-1
Vontae Davis: 9-1
Austin Collie: 15-1
Johnny Knox: 30-1
Field: 50-1
Defensive Player of The Year:
Clay Matthews: 1-5
Jerrod Mayo: 4-5
Ndamukung Suh: 7-5
Asante Samuel: 9-5
Patrick Willis: 7-2
James Harrison: 6-1
Derrelle Revis: 15-1
Field: 50-1
Most Valuable Player:
Michael Vick: 1-5
Philip Rivers: 2-5
Arian Foster: 1-1
Adrian Peterson: 9-5
Ben Roethlisberger: 9-2
Roddy White: 10-1
Field: 50-1
Sam Bradford: 1-5
Dez Bryant: 1-1
Mike Williams: 3-2
Colt McCoy: 2-1
LaGarrette Blount: 7-2
Tim Tebow: 15-1
Jordan Shipley: 25-1
Field: 50-1
Defensive ROY:
Ndamukong Suh: 1-5
Earl Thomas: 10-1
Eric Berry: 15-1
Field: 50-1
Sophomore of the Year:
Mark Sanchez: 1-2
Clay Matthews: 3-5
Josh Freeman: 4-5
Mike Wallace: 6-5
Percy Harvin: 3-1
LeSean McCoy: 9-2
Hakeen Nicks: 6-1
Jeremy Maclin: 8-1
Vontae Davis: 9-1
Austin Collie: 15-1
Johnny Knox: 30-1
Field: 50-1
Defensive Player of The Year:
Clay Matthews: 1-5
Jerrod Mayo: 4-5
Ndamukung Suh: 7-5
Asante Samuel: 9-5
Patrick Willis: 7-2
James Harrison: 6-1
Derrelle Revis: 15-1
Field: 50-1
Most Valuable Player:
Michael Vick: 1-5
Philip Rivers: 2-5
Arian Foster: 1-1
Adrian Peterson: 9-5
Ben Roethlisberger: 9-2
Roddy White: 10-1
Field: 50-1
The Dynasty Of Jimmie Johnson
Amidst Brett Favre getting Brad Childress fired in Minnesota and New England/ Indy coming down to the last minute on Sunday was Jimmie Johnson winning the Sprint Cup- for the fifth straight time.
Now I don't follow NASCAR nor claim to know anything about it, but I do know this- winning five in a row is one of the most impressive feats and might be the most impressive dynasty of our generation. Better than the Patriots Dynasty. Better than anything the Lakers have done. Johnson's feat rivals with Tiger's (pre 2009 Thanksgiving) and Federer's great decade.
Congratulations Jimmie Johnson.
Now I don't follow NASCAR nor claim to know anything about it, but I do know this- winning five in a row is one of the most impressive feats and might be the most impressive dynasty of our generation. Better than the Patriots Dynasty. Better than anything the Lakers have done. Johnson's feat rivals with Tiger's (pre 2009 Thanksgiving) and Federer's great decade.
Congratulations Jimmie Johnson.
Box Score Tonight: Week Eleven/Early Games Edition
Sorry about no BST last week folks. This stupid grad school thing and it's semester ending and finals studying is getting in the way of more important stuff like blogging. Before I begin let me set a rookie record for most completed passed without an interception...
As always we'll start with the Bears. This time we have an excuse because the Bears played Miami on Thursday Night to kick off the football week.
- I know I'm going to have literally ten million games to preview since the bye weeks are over, I'm not going to complain too much about how much non Thanksgiving-TNF games suck balls. Not only are they on a network no one gets but its unfair to all the players. And they suck balls.
- Bears defeat the Dolphins in Miami 16-0.
- I love that the Bears are winning but it scares me that people are getting a false hope that Lovie Smith is a good coach. There was an article in the Chicago Tribune that Lovie might get a contract extension. I really don't want to have to take Lovie out of the "Guaranteed To Get Fired" category and into the "Playoff or Bust" category. He's so bad! The only thing that will change my mind is if he wins the SuperBowl. Seriously Bears fan, don't have short term memory- remember how we felt about this guy last year!?
- I didn't see this game (damn homework) but it looked like this defense was on top of its game with 6 sacks- three from Peppers and one from Urlacher. I don't care what Peppers numbers say, he gets continuing pressure and looks amazing whenever he's on the field.
- I don't know if Cutler was bad or if Miami/the bad wide outs just didn't give him any deep stuff to work with. He only had 156 yards (hell Illinois RB Mikel LeShoure had double that in rushing yards this week) but he completed 64% of his passes and the Bears were 10-18 (56%) on passing third downs
- Matt Forte continus to be (below) average with his efficiency with his 3.9 YPC but he finally converts a goal line stand. I'm happy to see Chester Taylor get 10+ carries but not if he gets a 0.9 YPC to go with it
- Again, I didn't see this game but I've heard good things about Vontae Davis this year. I wish him all the best.
- MY BOY Tyler Thigpen returns! (and TBO likes him as well). But only to get beat up by the best fantasy defense against opposing quarterbacks. His 63.4 passer rating with only slightly below Cutler's (64.8)
- Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combine for 6 carries for 11 yards! Hooray for a running game! And not one of them threw it.
- Brandon Marshall has a decent game (5/6 for 70 yards). Er, sorry, I mean those #1 Miami receiving numbers belong to Davone Bess. Er, sorry, my bad. I guess I'm only looking at the #1 numbers and assuming it actually belonged to a good WR. Those numbers actually belonged to Brian Hartline. Marshall and Bess combine for 4 catches for 50 yards.
- Marshall leaves this game with an injury
- The hottest team in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills winning two in a row. The Bills crushed the Bengals 49-31
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (who was on my fucking bench. FUCK YOU RYAN FITZPATRICK!) has the game of his life: 316 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 107 passer rating. Steve Johnson collects three of those TDs and 138 of those yards.
- Just saying: Lee Evans caught 2 passes on 8 targets. WHY DID YOU RUIN FITZPATRICK'S COMPLETION NUMBERS YOU JERK!
- Fred Jackson also has a crazy mo fo day: 116 yards, 5.5 YPC, 2 TDs
- Carson Palmer and his twin brother Jordan combine to be one decently average/ kind of crappy quarterback. I really don't know if Jordan and Carson are related but for some reason Jordan completed all three of his attempts
- Credric Benson has a damn fine day: 124 yards, 5.0 YPC, TD
- Jordan Shipley won the "most Bungels receiving yards" award with 70. T.Ocho caught a TD.
- I may have spoke too soon on the Bills being the hottest team as Dallas rolls over Detriot 35-19 for its second straight win
- Since ESPN likes nicknames for games I dub this one "The Battle Of Crappy Detroit Quarterbacks" Catchy huh?
- Although Jon Kitna has 3 passing TD, a rushing TD, and 129.7 passer rating despite his 147 passing yards.
- Felix Jones has another crappy fantasy day but ran pretty effectively: 4.6 YPC on 11 carries. Much better than Marion Barber's 2.8 YPC on 13 carries.
- Mr. Kim Kardashian catches 2 TD passes (on 2 targets) and Dez Bryant gets one
- Shaun Hill was probably the epitome of average. He also threw it 49 times.
- Nate Burlson was the teams 2nd leading rusher (15) and had their best receiver (97 yards and TD).
- Jahvid Best sucks. Which is probably why the Lions gave the rock to Maurice Morris 10 times. Best got it 3.
- After coming off of a bye, the well rested Washington Redskins defeated the Tennessee Titans in over time 19-16
- Keiland Williams got 23 carries. Portis got 5. I-Can't-Stand-Torrain (He's supa dupa fly) was injured. Williams made the most of his carries with a 3.0 YPC. Portis had a 6.4. McNabb had a 4.0 (one carry).
- Bee Tee Dubs, I like Ryan Torrain. When I say I can't stand him I'm actually making a Missy Elliot reference. Learn your old school hip hop son!
- Santana Moss is pretty good- kind of in that Hines Ward/ Donald Driver category: 6/9, 106 yards, TD
- Vince Young had a lot of dink and dumps (probably, from his really high completion percentage, low YPA, and low yardage). He gets injured and some drunk fan they pulled out of the stands named Rusty Smith (sounds like a guy from Tennessee) finished the game
- Randy Moss blows donkey chunks. He wants a new contract my ass. 0 catches on 3 targets.
- Nate Washington actually seems like he wants to play and does well with Vince Young: 5/9, 117 yards
- CJ finally gets his ass moving again: 21 carries, 130 yards, 6.2 YPC
- The biggest upset of the day: Kansas City wins at Arrowhead. They defeat the Derek Anderson's 31-13. I'm sorry, I retract that, Derek Anderson beats himself. He sucks.
- Derek Anderson continues to be Derek Anderson with his 54.4 completion percentage.
- The Chiefs must have been wearing red since Anderson can't hit the broad side of a barn. He must have been aiming the the Chiefs and missed because Steve Breaston (5 for 92) and Larry Fitzgerald (6 for 90 and a TD) had good fantasy days. Oh wait, both had an under 50% catch rate. I guess the blind squirrel gets the nut eventually.
- Tim Hightower gets 12 carries. Beanie Wells gets 8. Who cares.
- Matt Cassel is still USC's best current pro QB with his 115.5 passer rating and 8.0 YPA
- Jamaal Charles is the most efficient back (7.3 YPC vs. 4.7 YPC) but Thomas Jones is the better fantasy back (2 TDs to none). What the hell KC. What the hell.
- Dwayne Bowe makes an argument that he's the best wide out in the game: 6/8, 109 yards, 2 TDs.
- Green Bay rapes Minnesota and then jizzes in its eye. My sincerest apologies for that extremely vulgar and obscene comment. Packers defeat the Vikings 31-3.
- Aaron Rodgers is very very good (4 TDs). Greg Jennings is very very good (3 TDs). Brett Favre sucks (51.2 passer rating). AD is very good (a very efficient 5.1 YPC but only 14 carries).
- Surprises: Sidney Rice comes back and is the Vikes leading receiver with 56 yards. He also got three receptions on ten targets. Percy Harvin had an awful game: 2/5, 12 yards. James Jones (with Donald Driver active) gets 51 yards and a TD.
- Brandon Jackson reverts to his early season form: 14 carries and 28 yards. This dude named Dimitri Nance gets 37 on 12 carries.
- The Jets love to only play in the last minute out of the 60 that they play. They squeak by with another win defeating the Texans 30-27
- Mark Sanchez is making an attempt to beat at Cassel as USC's best QB. What a sad state of affairs that is. Although he had a great game today: 315 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 1002.2 passer rating and winning the game with 10 second left to play.
- The Texans prove yet again why they're the worst passing defense giving up 126 yards and 2 TDs to Santonio Holmes and 86 yards and a TD to Braylon Edwards. Drops McGee has a 51% catch rate this year (47% last year and 40% the year before). Santonio Holmes has a 54%. I hate to say I told you so. So welcome to Miami.
- I'm extremely impressed if you got that reference.
- LT's stock is on the decline as Shonn Greene's is rising. Grenne gets 15 carries and LT gets 12. They combine for a 2.89 YPC. Yet LT still managed to be my best fantasy RB.
- Matt Schuab isn't half bad. These words should never be uttered because he's such a great talent and we shouldn't have to stoop so low or have any doubt. He had a 92.2 passer rating.
- Arian Foster is making a contention for MVP. Just not in this game. He has an above average day: 22 carries, 84 yards, TD
- Back up TE Joel Dreesen catches all 4 of his targets and gets 106 yards and Schaub's lone TD. Andre Johnson gets 32 yards on 4 cathes (9 targets). What's wrong with that picture?
- DAMN YOU NO BYES! I still have more work to do
- Steelers crush the Raiders 35-3
- Rape-y Ben Roethlisberger is good and Mike Willace is good. Normally so is Rashard Mendenhall but he gets a crappy 59 yards on 23 carries (2.9 YPC). He's still a horse and a TD machine.
- Hines Ward must still be concussed: 3/5 and 28 yards.
- I told you so: Run DMC sucks! 14 yards on 10 carries. I'm vindicated! Michael Bush gets 4 carries (33 yards).
- Johnny Lee Higgins wins the best Oakland WR award this week with 37. I don't know what on Earth possessed Cubsfan to take Bey over Michael Crabtree. Bey didn't even get a target.
- I think Jason Campbell started but his 3 good games a year card expired and Bruce Gradkowski finished the game. You don't need me to tell you their stats: they faced Pittsburgh's defense. You can figure it out.
- Might as well finish what I started. *grumble grumble grumble*
- The Ravens defeated the Panthers 31-13
- Ray Rice continues to under perform on the ground with only a 3.4 YPC but makes up for it in the air: 6/7, 66 yards
- TJ Whose-Your-Mama get the bulk of Flacco's work on 2 catches (2 targets): 79 yards and a TD.
- Anquan Boldin continues to make my prediction look foolish with his 29 yards against the Panthers.
- Back up to the back up Mike Goodson gets 120 yards on 22 carries. Baltimore's rushing D is not the same as it once was.
- David Gettis makes another BST appearance: 2/4, 92 yards, TD
- Jaguars defeat the Browns 24-20
- Colt McCoy is in the running for ROY. He can see the finalists ahead of him but at least he's still in the race
- Who knew it was the vaunted Jacksonville defense that could stop Peyton Hillis. Not Pittsburgh. Not Baltimore. Not New England. Jacksonville. Oh wait I spoke too soon. Hillis had 95 receiving yards and a TD
- MJD finally shows why maybe we consider him a beast among men: 133 rushing yards (5.8 YPC), rushing TD, 3/3 and 87 receiving yards
- Mercedes Lewis continues to be Cris Carter and just catches TDs. He caught his 8th of the year (in 10 games). Mike Thomas also catches one
- Mike Sims Walker was inactive for this game. Although even if he was active the score and stats for everybody would still probably be the same.
Good Lawd. Don't expect me to do more of these long mo fos until after my finals are over.
And we... are.. OUT!
As always we'll start with the Bears. This time we have an excuse because the Bears played Miami on Thursday Night to kick off the football week.
- I know I'm going to have literally ten million games to preview since the bye weeks are over, I'm not going to complain too much about how much non Thanksgiving-TNF games suck balls. Not only are they on a network no one gets but its unfair to all the players. And they suck balls.
- Bears defeat the Dolphins in Miami 16-0.
- I love that the Bears are winning but it scares me that people are getting a false hope that Lovie Smith is a good coach. There was an article in the Chicago Tribune that Lovie might get a contract extension. I really don't want to have to take Lovie out of the "Guaranteed To Get Fired" category and into the "Playoff or Bust" category. He's so bad! The only thing that will change my mind is if he wins the SuperBowl. Seriously Bears fan, don't have short term memory- remember how we felt about this guy last year!?
- I didn't see this game (damn homework) but it looked like this defense was on top of its game with 6 sacks- three from Peppers and one from Urlacher. I don't care what Peppers numbers say, he gets continuing pressure and looks amazing whenever he's on the field.
- I don't know if Cutler was bad or if Miami/the bad wide outs just didn't give him any deep stuff to work with. He only had 156 yards (hell Illinois RB Mikel LeShoure had double that in rushing yards this week) but he completed 64% of his passes and the Bears were 10-18 (56%) on passing third downs
- Matt Forte continus to be (below) average with his efficiency with his 3.9 YPC but he finally converts a goal line stand. I'm happy to see Chester Taylor get 10+ carries but not if he gets a 0.9 YPC to go with it
- Again, I didn't see this game but I've heard good things about Vontae Davis this year. I wish him all the best.
- MY BOY Tyler Thigpen returns! (and TBO likes him as well). But only to get beat up by the best fantasy defense against opposing quarterbacks. His 63.4 passer rating with only slightly below Cutler's (64.8)
- Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams combine for 6 carries for 11 yards! Hooray for a running game! And not one of them threw it.
- Brandon Marshall has a decent game (5/6 for 70 yards). Er, sorry, I mean those #1 Miami receiving numbers belong to Davone Bess. Er, sorry, my bad. I guess I'm only looking at the #1 numbers and assuming it actually belonged to a good WR. Those numbers actually belonged to Brian Hartline. Marshall and Bess combine for 4 catches for 50 yards.
- Marshall leaves this game with an injury
- The hottest team in the NFL is the Buffalo Bills winning two in a row. The Bills crushed the Bengals 49-31
- Ryan Fitzpatrick (who was on my fucking bench. FUCK YOU RYAN FITZPATRICK!) has the game of his life: 316 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs, 107 passer rating. Steve Johnson collects three of those TDs and 138 of those yards.
- Just saying: Lee Evans caught 2 passes on 8 targets. WHY DID YOU RUIN FITZPATRICK'S COMPLETION NUMBERS YOU JERK!
- Fred Jackson also has a crazy mo fo day: 116 yards, 5.5 YPC, 2 TDs
- Carson Palmer and his twin brother Jordan combine to be one decently average/ kind of crappy quarterback. I really don't know if Jordan and Carson are related but for some reason Jordan completed all three of his attempts
- Credric Benson has a damn fine day: 124 yards, 5.0 YPC, TD
- Jordan Shipley won the "most Bungels receiving yards" award with 70. T.Ocho caught a TD.
- I may have spoke too soon on the Bills being the hottest team as Dallas rolls over Detriot 35-19 for its second straight win
- Since ESPN likes nicknames for games I dub this one "The Battle Of Crappy Detroit Quarterbacks" Catchy huh?
- Although Jon Kitna has 3 passing TD, a rushing TD, and 129.7 passer rating despite his 147 passing yards.
- Felix Jones has another crappy fantasy day but ran pretty effectively: 4.6 YPC on 11 carries. Much better than Marion Barber's 2.8 YPC on 13 carries.
- Mr. Kim Kardashian catches 2 TD passes (on 2 targets) and Dez Bryant gets one
- Shaun Hill was probably the epitome of average. He also threw it 49 times.
- Nate Burlson was the teams 2nd leading rusher (15) and had their best receiver (97 yards and TD).
- Jahvid Best sucks. Which is probably why the Lions gave the rock to Maurice Morris 10 times. Best got it 3.
- After coming off of a bye, the well rested Washington Redskins defeated the Tennessee Titans in over time 19-16
- Keiland Williams got 23 carries. Portis got 5. I-Can't-Stand-Torrain (He's supa dupa fly) was injured. Williams made the most of his carries with a 3.0 YPC. Portis had a 6.4. McNabb had a 4.0 (one carry).
- Bee Tee Dubs, I like Ryan Torrain. When I say I can't stand him I'm actually making a Missy Elliot reference. Learn your old school hip hop son!
- Santana Moss is pretty good- kind of in that Hines Ward/ Donald Driver category: 6/9, 106 yards, TD
- Vince Young had a lot of dink and dumps (probably, from his really high completion percentage, low YPA, and low yardage). He gets injured and some drunk fan they pulled out of the stands named Rusty Smith (sounds like a guy from Tennessee) finished the game
- Randy Moss blows donkey chunks. He wants a new contract my ass. 0 catches on 3 targets.
- Nate Washington actually seems like he wants to play and does well with Vince Young: 5/9, 117 yards
- CJ finally gets his ass moving again: 21 carries, 130 yards, 6.2 YPC
- The biggest upset of the day: Kansas City wins at Arrowhead. They defeat the Derek Anderson's 31-13. I'm sorry, I retract that, Derek Anderson beats himself. He sucks.
- Derek Anderson continues to be Derek Anderson with his 54.4 completion percentage.
- The Chiefs must have been wearing red since Anderson can't hit the broad side of a barn. He must have been aiming the the Chiefs and missed because Steve Breaston (5 for 92) and Larry Fitzgerald (6 for 90 and a TD) had good fantasy days. Oh wait, both had an under 50% catch rate. I guess the blind squirrel gets the nut eventually.
- Tim Hightower gets 12 carries. Beanie Wells gets 8. Who cares.
- Matt Cassel is still USC's best current pro QB with his 115.5 passer rating and 8.0 YPA
- Jamaal Charles is the most efficient back (7.3 YPC vs. 4.7 YPC) but Thomas Jones is the better fantasy back (2 TDs to none). What the hell KC. What the hell.
- Dwayne Bowe makes an argument that he's the best wide out in the game: 6/8, 109 yards, 2 TDs.
- Green Bay rapes Minnesota and then jizzes in its eye. My sincerest apologies for that extremely vulgar and obscene comment. Packers defeat the Vikings 31-3.
- Aaron Rodgers is very very good (4 TDs). Greg Jennings is very very good (3 TDs). Brett Favre sucks (51.2 passer rating). AD is very good (a very efficient 5.1 YPC but only 14 carries).
- Surprises: Sidney Rice comes back and is the Vikes leading receiver with 56 yards. He also got three receptions on ten targets. Percy Harvin had an awful game: 2/5, 12 yards. James Jones (with Donald Driver active) gets 51 yards and a TD.
- Brandon Jackson reverts to his early season form: 14 carries and 28 yards. This dude named Dimitri Nance gets 37 on 12 carries.
- The Jets love to only play in the last minute out of the 60 that they play. They squeak by with another win defeating the Texans 30-27
- Mark Sanchez is making an attempt to beat at Cassel as USC's best QB. What a sad state of affairs that is. Although he had a great game today: 315 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 1002.2 passer rating and winning the game with 10 second left to play.
- The Texans prove yet again why they're the worst passing defense giving up 126 yards and 2 TDs to Santonio Holmes and 86 yards and a TD to Braylon Edwards. Drops McGee has a 51% catch rate this year (47% last year and 40% the year before). Santonio Holmes has a 54%. I hate to say I told you so. So welcome to Miami.
- I'm extremely impressed if you got that reference.
- LT's stock is on the decline as Shonn Greene's is rising. Grenne gets 15 carries and LT gets 12. They combine for a 2.89 YPC. Yet LT still managed to be my best fantasy RB.
- Matt Schuab isn't half bad. These words should never be uttered because he's such a great talent and we shouldn't have to stoop so low or have any doubt. He had a 92.2 passer rating.
- Arian Foster is making a contention for MVP. Just not in this game. He has an above average day: 22 carries, 84 yards, TD
- Back up TE Joel Dreesen catches all 4 of his targets and gets 106 yards and Schaub's lone TD. Andre Johnson gets 32 yards on 4 cathes (9 targets). What's wrong with that picture?
- DAMN YOU NO BYES! I still have more work to do
- Steelers crush the Raiders 35-3
- Rape-y Ben Roethlisberger is good and Mike Willace is good. Normally so is Rashard Mendenhall but he gets a crappy 59 yards on 23 carries (2.9 YPC). He's still a horse and a TD machine.
- Hines Ward must still be concussed: 3/5 and 28 yards.
- I told you so: Run DMC sucks! 14 yards on 10 carries. I'm vindicated! Michael Bush gets 4 carries (33 yards).
- Johnny Lee Higgins wins the best Oakland WR award this week with 37. I don't know what on Earth possessed Cubsfan to take Bey over Michael Crabtree. Bey didn't even get a target.
- I think Jason Campbell started but his 3 good games a year card expired and Bruce Gradkowski finished the game. You don't need me to tell you their stats: they faced Pittsburgh's defense. You can figure it out.
- Might as well finish what I started. *grumble grumble grumble*
- The Ravens defeated the Panthers 31-13
- Ray Rice continues to under perform on the ground with only a 3.4 YPC but makes up for it in the air: 6/7, 66 yards
- TJ Whose-Your-Mama get the bulk of Flacco's work on 2 catches (2 targets): 79 yards and a TD.
- Anquan Boldin continues to make my prediction look foolish with his 29 yards against the Panthers.
- Back up to the back up Mike Goodson gets 120 yards on 22 carries. Baltimore's rushing D is not the same as it once was.
- David Gettis makes another BST appearance: 2/4, 92 yards, TD
- Jaguars defeat the Browns 24-20
- Colt McCoy is in the running for ROY. He can see the finalists ahead of him but at least he's still in the race
- Who knew it was the vaunted Jacksonville defense that could stop Peyton Hillis. Not Pittsburgh. Not Baltimore. Not New England. Jacksonville. Oh wait I spoke too soon. Hillis had 95 receiving yards and a TD
- MJD finally shows why maybe we consider him a beast among men: 133 rushing yards (5.8 YPC), rushing TD, 3/3 and 87 receiving yards
- Mercedes Lewis continues to be Cris Carter and just catches TDs. He caught his 8th of the year (in 10 games). Mike Thomas also catches one
- Mike Sims Walker was inactive for this game. Although even if he was active the score and stats for everybody would still probably be the same.
Good Lawd. Don't expect me to do more of these long mo fos until after my finals are over.
And we... are.. OUT!
Maybe Not Every Sport Should Play At Wrigley
I don't know anyone who would admit Wrigley Field was "comfortable" I've been to my fair share of games at Wrigley this past season and I'm not going to be a complete White Sox hater of the stadium like some of my friends that I know. But it's sure as hell historic. There's an undeniable prestige about The Friendly Confines that can't be ignored. Travelers, tourists, and baseball fans alike have flocked to see at least one game at Clark and Addison. ESPN Page Two ranks Wrigley Field as the 13th most important sports venues. They also rank seeing a Cubs game in the bleachers as the 22nd best thing a sports fan should do before they die. I'm sure there's no more Pro-Wrigley top 100 rankings because Wrigley and Wrigleyville is just an integral event and part of Sports Americana. People love Wrigley and rightfully so.
But that being said, let's stop having anything other than baseball games be played at the stadium.
In 2008 on New Year's Day, for the great Winter Classic- the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field. Overall it was a resounding success (especially for Red Wings fan who rallied from a 0-3 deficit to win 6-3) and it has gotten many praises. But it wasn't without it's problems.
There were reports about problems with putting ice down on the field, the temperature was WAY too cold for both players and fans, and most importantly- it was hard to see the game for a lot of the fans. While I'm not going to make a joke about poles being in the way, one of the best experiences (so I've heard) is being up against the glass and having the possibility of seeing a check right in front of your face. But because Wrigley Field is not conducive (really) for a hockey rink, it was hard for a lot of people to see the game. Not only were there no people up against the glass but you could just how far away people had to sit to watch the game- even for those who got great seats if you were watching a baseball game. I bet for the people who paid an arm and a leg and through the nose for those seats lost some of the appeal of a hockey game compared to a game at the normal arena.
But, again, the Winter Classic was considered a resounded success so if you want to refute me on any points (respectfully of course) be my guest- I won't put up a fight.
But what really grinds my gears is regarding the upcoming Illinois-Northwestern game being played at Wrigley this Saturday. While I'm thrilled, because this game is at Wrigley, that my beloved Illini will receiver national attention and receiver it's sixth win to be bowl eligible (cross your fingers), it's how the game will be played that's got my slightly ticked.
On EPSN.com today, there was a story that both offenses will be playing towards the same touchdown. This is because the other touchdown will be against the right field wall and there's fear that an injury will occur.
WHAT!? This isn't a pick up game in your back yard with your family right before a Thanksgiving dinner. This isn't a game where there's that one due who's a permanent QB because you have an odd number of players. This is a college football game. This just seems absurd to me.
While I admit this is at the bottom of my list of "shit I should care about" right below the color of my bowel movements (ooo going Blue!), this still shouldn't happen. I think it's time to reevaluate other sporting events that will play at Wrigley. I understand why sports want to do it. I understand the prestige and the "OOOH" factor involved in playing at Wrigley. But at the same time, let's be realistic here. At some point the mystique factor should be outweighed by the realism factor.
But that being said, let's stop having anything other than baseball games be played at the stadium.
In 2008 on New Year's Day, for the great Winter Classic- the Chicago Blackhawks hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field. Overall it was a resounding success (especially for Red Wings fan who rallied from a 0-3 deficit to win 6-3) and it has gotten many praises. But it wasn't without it's problems.
There were reports about problems with putting ice down on the field, the temperature was WAY too cold for both players and fans, and most importantly- it was hard to see the game for a lot of the fans. While I'm not going to make a joke about poles being in the way, one of the best experiences (so I've heard) is being up against the glass and having the possibility of seeing a check right in front of your face. But because Wrigley Field is not conducive (really) for a hockey rink, it was hard for a lot of people to see the game. Not only were there no people up against the glass but you could just how far away people had to sit to watch the game- even for those who got great seats if you were watching a baseball game. I bet for the people who paid an arm and a leg and through the nose for those seats lost some of the appeal of a hockey game compared to a game at the normal arena.
But, again, the Winter Classic was considered a resounded success so if you want to refute me on any points (respectfully of course) be my guest- I won't put up a fight.
But what really grinds my gears is regarding the upcoming Illinois-Northwestern game being played at Wrigley this Saturday. While I'm thrilled, because this game is at Wrigley, that my beloved Illini will receiver national attention and receiver it's sixth win to be bowl eligible (cross your fingers), it's how the game will be played that's got my slightly ticked.
On EPSN.com today, there was a story that both offenses will be playing towards the same touchdown. This is because the other touchdown will be against the right field wall and there's fear that an injury will occur.
WHAT!? This isn't a pick up game in your back yard with your family right before a Thanksgiving dinner. This isn't a game where there's that one due who's a permanent QB because you have an odd number of players. This is a college football game. This just seems absurd to me.
While I admit this is at the bottom of my list of "shit I should care about" right below the color of my bowel movements (ooo going Blue!), this still shouldn't happen. I think it's time to reevaluate other sporting events that will play at Wrigley. I understand why sports want to do it. I understand the prestige and the "OOOH" factor involved in playing at Wrigley. But at the same time, let's be realistic here. At some point the mystique factor should be outweighed by the realism factor.
Hamilton or Cabrera for MVP?
Inspired by an ongoing debates in the comments section over at THT Live, I propose to you the following considerations:
- Josh Hamilton’s AVG/SLG stats (.359/.411/.633) are slightly better than Miguel Cabrera’s (.328/.420/.622), but Miggy has a slight edge in OBP (which is more valuable than slugging).
- Even with park factors considered, Miguel Cabrera’s wOBA is .427. Hamilton’s is .447
- In terms of total batting production, Hamilton’s BRAR is +55.5, having missed almost a month of play. Cabrera’s is +55.3 with an additional 17 games played.
- Miguel Cabrera’s 1B fielding is was indexed at -6.1 UZR/150 (take 1 year UZR with a serious grain of salt), while Hamilton’s OF fielding per 150 was +10.8. Hamilton plays the relatively more premium fielding position.
- Hamilton’s cumulative WPA on the season was +6.25, whereas Cabrera’s was a higher +7.42. If we keep everything constant and pro-rate Hamilton’s playing time to match Cabrera’s, Hamilton’s extrapolated WPA becomes 7.09. Thus, it’s closer than it seems, but Miggy does out-edge Hamilton here.
- In terms of pure raw peripherals, Miggy edges Hamilton in ISO (.294 vs .274) and owns him in BB% (13.7% vs 7.5%).
- Hamilton was the more prodigious clipper (22.0% LD% vs 18.9% LD%) and Hamilton grounded into less double plays per AB (2.1%) than Miggy (3.1%)
So yes, the overall end of season numbers are pretty darn close, but when you consider that Hamilton’s team made it to the playoffs (a major factor in G/9 analysis) and that Hamilton was just as valuable over 17 less games, you honestly have to give the edge to Hamilton. Plus Hamilton didn’t get to drink any champagne (though he did never dress up in the raincoat with duck tape over his mouth as he promised the media...). Accordingly, this is why I feel that he most deserves the award.
Joe Morgan DFAed, What Now FJM?
Now that ESPN has designated Joe Morgan for assignment (well, they really just outright released him), do you think Kenny Williams or Bruce Bochy will sign him? They love their crafty veterans and that "veteran presence," right?
But on a serious note, does anyone remember that ingenuous blog (whose untimely demise sparked the birth of this blog), Fire Joe Morgan? Just a few days over two years ago, Ken Tremendous and crew said their final goodbyes, but left us FJM enthusiasts with a glimmer of hope in the comments to that final post:
Please Ken, we miss you!
But on a serious note, does anyone remember that ingenuous blog (whose untimely demise sparked the birth of this blog), Fire Joe Morgan? Just a few days over two years ago, Ken Tremendous and crew said their final goodbyes, but left us FJM enthusiasts with a glimmer of hope in the comments to that final post:
Many of you guys have written in to ask us to reconsider -- even if we just post something once in a long while. You guys are nice and awesome.I realize that FJM has reunited for one day of glory over on Deadspin.com for two-years running now, but FireJoeMorgan.com is yearning for new material. If this news is not something particularly noteworthy (though it is worth noting that the guys at FJM did not actual proclaim a desire for Joe Morgan to get fired, only that people disregard that "old baseball" knowledge that science and math has disproved), then what in the world is?
And, well, we might. We might come back here once in a while and post something particularly infuriating or noteworthy. We like this place too.
Please Ken, we miss you!
Is Cliff Lee A Top Five Starting Pitcher?
A friend of mine and myself were at a bar about a week or so ago and got into a pretty heated, but interesting debate that I would like to extend to the rest of the internet and blogosphere: is Cliff Lee a top five starting pitcher in the major leagues? Clearly he is the top crop pitcher of the FA pool, but is he one of the five best in all of baseball? My friend says yes, and I say no, though I feel Lee is top ten.
Here is my list of the top fifteen starting pitchers in baseball (based on age, talent and durability -- salaries are ignored):
Leave the answers in the comments section.
Here is my list of the top fifteen starting pitchers in baseball (based on age, talent and durability -- salaries are ignored):
- Felix Hernandez
- Tim Lincecum
- Roy Halladay
- Adam Wainwright
- C.C. Sabathia
- Josh Johnson
- Jon Lester
- Cliff Lee
- Jered Weaver
- Justin Verlander
- Ubaldo Jimenez
- Dan Haren
- Francisco Liriano
- Max Scherzer
- Mat Latos (yes, I really believe he is that good)
Leave the answers in the comments section.
Stolen Goods: The wOBA Calculator
Fresh off the press at The Hardball Times is a wOBA Calculator. Now you can nerd up any bar, any party, any time, with any set of numbers! Rejoice!
Roy Halladay Unanimously Win Cy Young
Josh Johnson's back and shoulder as well as Ubaldo Jiminez's 15 first half wins are pouting in the corner throwing a hissy fit.
_________
SIDENOTE: Shame on all four of us that we have never created a "Josh Johnson" post label before today.
_________
SIDENOTE: Shame on all four of us that we have never created a "Josh Johnson" post label before today.
Game Of Inches Football Results: Week Ten
Pigskin Pick Em
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 93-51
Last Week: 9-5
Clutch Games: New England over Pittsburgh, Chicago over Minnesota
WTF Games: Houston over Jacksonville
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 88-56
Last Week: 7-7
Clutch Games: Chicago over Minnesota
WTF Games: Baltimore over Atlanta, Houston over Jacksonville
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 84-60
Last Week: 7-7
Clutch Games: Jacksonville over Houston
WTF Games: Minnesota over Chicago
Game Of Inches Fantasy Football League
- Sexy Rexy (W)(7-3)
- TBO (W) (8-2)
- Cubsfan4evr1 (L) (5-5)
Standings
- The 'Bright' One is number one overall in the league and in the Erin Andrews division
- Sexy Rexy is 4th overall and 2nd in the Michelle Beadle division
- Cubsfan4evr1 is 6th overall and 4th in the Erin Andrews
Notes
- The 'Bright' One was the #1 points leader this week
- Sexy Rexy remains the #1 league leader in points
- The Godfather beat FFSpin by 0.5 points and The Honolulu Blues (3rd in points this week) defeated Viking Quest (4th in points this week) by 1.0 points.
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 93-51
Last Week: 9-5
Clutch Games: New England over Pittsburgh, Chicago over Minnesota
WTF Games: Houston over Jacksonville
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 88-56
Last Week: 7-7
Clutch Games: Chicago over Minnesota
WTF Games: Baltimore over Atlanta, Houston over Jacksonville
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 84-60
Last Week: 7-7
Clutch Games: Jacksonville over Houston
WTF Games: Minnesota over Chicago
Game Of Inches Fantasy Football League
- Sexy Rexy (W)(7-3)
- TBO (W) (8-2)
- Cubsfan4evr1 (L) (5-5)
Standings
- The 'Bright' One is number one overall in the league and in the Erin Andrews division
- Sexy Rexy is 4th overall and 2nd in the Michelle Beadle division
- Cubsfan4evr1 is 6th overall and 4th in the Erin Andrews
Notes
- The 'Bright' One was the #1 points leader this week
- Sexy Rexy remains the #1 league leader in points
- The Godfather beat FFSpin by 0.5 points and The Honolulu Blues (3rd in points this week) defeated Viking Quest (4th in points this week) by 1.0 points.
Quick ROY Rant
Can someone please explain to me why Steven Strasburg received no NL ROY votes? I presume it is because he "only" tossed 68 innings this season. However, that Neftali Feliz guy who won the AL ROY award only tossed 69 innings. What, is 69 the magic number all of the sudden here (hehe, I said 69)? I find this outcome quite perplexing.
According to Fangraphs' WAR system, Strasburg was worth +2.6 WAR in his limited pitching role for the Nationals this year. That extrapolates to approximately an +8.0 WAR full season. Now I realize that awards on not based on extrapolated values, but the logic of ROY voting befuddles me here on two accounts. First, Strasburg gets 0 votes, while Netali Feliz, in a mere +1.7 WAR showing, takes the AL ROY cake. Second, following the theme of voters should ignore extrapolated values, how in the hell did Buster Posey (+3.9 WAR) beat out Jason Heyward (+5.0 WAR) for the NL ROY award? And don't tell me it was because Posey was a catcher, because WAR factors in relative positions. Heyward got a -6.2 run positional adjustment off his bottom line, while Posey got a +3.5 run bump. With this extra WAR considered, Heyward was still more than a full win more valuable. In the absolute context of 5.0 versus 3.9, the 1.1 WAR differential may not seem like much. However, in terms of relative value, Heyward was 22% more valuable this season. So no matter how you argue it -- that we are not looking at extrapolated value or that we ARE looking at extrapolated value -- the voters got the NL ROY award wrong. Plain and simple, no argument to be made to the contrary.
Don't like WAR?
Heyward was also better than Posey in WPA, was more clutch (per Fangraph's leverage-indexed "Clutch" rating). Heyward's 91 walks this season is also top ten all time for a single-season for a player under age 21 (in good company with guys like A-Rod). Heyward also has better minor league numbers, better MLE numbers, better major league numbers, was a comparable defender (if we ignore position), produced more batting runs...Really, Posey only beat Heyward in K%...the power output for the two players was comparable this season and Heyward's numbers to date (and pedigree) indicate that he has the clear power upside.
Don't like WAR?
Heyward was also better than Posey in WPA, was more clutch (per Fangraph's leverage-indexed "Clutch" rating). Heyward's 91 walks this season is also top ten all time for a single-season for a player under age 21 (in good company with guys like A-Rod). Heyward also has better minor league numbers, better MLE numbers, better major league numbers, was a comparable defender (if we ignore position), produced more batting runs...Really, Posey only beat Heyward in K%...the power output for the two players was comparable this season and Heyward's numbers to date (and pedigree) indicate that he has the clear power upside.
Also, I think that AL ROY voters are too obsessed with relief pitching.
Ugh. I have a headache.
How Safe Is Your Coach's Job?
Already Gone
- Wade Phillips (DAL)
Guaranteed To Get Fired After This Year
- Lovie Smith (CHI)
- Brad Childress (MIN)
- Jack Del Rio (JAX)
- John Fox (CAR)
- Jason Garrett (DAL)
Tipping On The Tightrope
- Marvin Lewis (CIN)
- Mike Singletary (SF)
Playoff Or Bust
- Gary Kubiak (HOU)
- Mike McCarthy (GB)
- Norv Turner (SD)
Should Be Fired But Too Young (On Team)
- Josh McDaniels (DEN)
- Mike Shanahan (WAS)
- Chan Gailey (BUF)
- Jim Schwartz (DET)
Neutral
- Tom Cable (OAK)
- Jim Caldwell (IND)
- Tony Sparano (MIA)
Shouldn't Be Fired And Are Too Young (On Team)
- Pete Carrol (SEA)
- Steve Spagnolo (STL)
- Todd Haley (KC)
- Raheem Morris (TB)
- Eric Mangini (CLE)
- Rex Ryan (NYJ)
Have Earned Respect (This Year and In Past) To Stay On Team
- Andy Reid (PHI)
- Sean Peyton (NO)
- Tom Coughlin (NYG)
- Ken Wisenhunt (ARI)
- Mike Smith (ATL)
- John Harbaugh (BAL)
Safest Job In The NFL
- Mike Tomlin (PIT)
- Jeff Fischer (TEN)
- Bill Belichick (NE)
- Wade Phillips (DAL)
Guaranteed To Get Fired After This Year
- Lovie Smith (CHI)
- Brad Childress (MIN)
- Jack Del Rio (JAX)
- John Fox (CAR)
- Jason Garrett (DAL)
Tipping On The Tightrope
- Marvin Lewis (CIN)
- Mike Singletary (SF)
Playoff Or Bust
- Gary Kubiak (HOU)
- Mike McCarthy (GB)
- Norv Turner (SD)
Should Be Fired But Too Young (On Team)
- Josh McDaniels (DEN)
- Mike Shanahan (WAS)
- Chan Gailey (BUF)
- Jim Schwartz (DET)
Neutral
- Tom Cable (OAK)
- Jim Caldwell (IND)
- Tony Sparano (MIA)
Shouldn't Be Fired And Are Too Young (On Team)
- Pete Carrol (SEA)
- Steve Spagnolo (STL)
- Todd Haley (KC)
- Raheem Morris (TB)
- Eric Mangini (CLE)
- Rex Ryan (NYJ)
Have Earned Respect (This Year and In Past) To Stay On Team
- Andy Reid (PHI)
- Sean Peyton (NO)
- Tom Coughlin (NYG)
- Ken Wisenhunt (ARI)
- Mike Smith (ATL)
- John Harbaugh (BAL)
Safest Job In The NFL
- Mike Tomlin (PIT)
- Jeff Fischer (TEN)
- Bill Belichick (NE)
Pick One: The Top 30 FA Landing Spots
Last week, I gave some insight on my expected landing points for the top 20 free agents of 2011. Since, I've made a few bets with friends and talked to some guys at THT and in the spirit of committing myself to a decision, here are a list of where TBO, two law students, and myself see the top free agents landing this offseason. I have a strong feeling that Hiroki Kuroda is going to mess up my predictions big time by re-upping with the Dodgers...
NAME DME TBO A. Bassan D. NangleCheck THT Live next week for more insight by me and three other THT writers into where we think the top FA's are going to land. At that point, we will have officially beat a dead horse.
Cliff Lee Nationals Rangers Yankees Yankees
Carl Crawford Angels Angels Red Sox Angels
Adrian Beltre Red Sox Red Sox Mariners Red Sox
Jayson Werth Red Sox Nationals Angels Red Sox
Adam Dunn Cubs Nationals White Sox Cubs
Victor Martinez Tigers Red Sox Tigers Tigers
Rafael Soriano Diamondbacks White Sox Astros Angels
Mariano Rivera Yankees Yankees Yankees Yankees
Paul Konerko White Sox White Sox White Sox White Sox
Derek Jeter Yankees Yankees Yankees Yankees
Hiroki Kuroda Rangers Orioles Pirates Nationals
Jorge De La Rosa Pirates Pirates Nationals Pirates
Carl Pavano Twins Twins Astros Rangers
Jake Westbrook Rockies Cardinals Cardinals Cardinals
Aubrey Huff Giants Giants Giants Mariners
Juan Uribe Giants Giants Orioles Giants
Carlos Pena Nationals Angels Nationals Nationals
Jim Thome Rays Twins Rangers Twins
Vladimir Guerrero Rangers White sox Rays Rangers
Manny Ramirez White Sox Rangers Athletics Athletics
Magglio Ordonez Tigers Tigers Blue Jays ---
Orlando Hudson Cardinals Cardinals Cardinals ---
Lance Berkman Rangers Yankees Orioles ---
Derrek Lee Orioles Cubs Blue Jays ---
Andy Pettitte Yankees Yankees Retired ---
Jon Garland Cardinals Rockies Mets ---
Javier Vazquez Nationals Braves Orioles ---
JJ Putz Angels Red Sox Twins ---
Scott Downs Red Sox Blue Jays Yankees ---
Hideki Matsui Mariners Mariners Mariners ---
Brandon Webb Mariners Cubs --- ---
Game Of Inches Football Results: Week Nine
Pigskin Pick 'Em
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 84-46
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: N/A
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 81-49
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: N/A
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 77-53
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: San Diego over Houston
WTF Games: Buffalo over Chicago
Game Of Inches Football League
- Sexy Rexy (L) (6-3): 2nd in Michelle Beadle division, 4th overall (still #1 overall in points)
- TBO (W) (7-2): 2nd in Erin Andrews division, 2nd overall (#1 points leader this week)
- Cubsfan4evr1 (L) (5-4): 3rd in Michelle Beadle division, 5th overall
SIDENOTE:
Due to the great help of Cubsfan's influence, I was #6 overall in my predictions for this week- and my worst category this week was wide receivers
1) Sexy Rexy
Overall: 84-46
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: N/A
2) The 'Bright' One
Overall: 81-49
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: N/A
WTF Games: N/A
3) Cubsfan4evr1
Overall: 77-53
Last Week: 10-3
Clutch Games: San Diego over Houston
WTF Games: Buffalo over Chicago
Game Of Inches Football League
- Sexy Rexy (L) (6-3): 2nd in Michelle Beadle division, 4th overall (still #1 overall in points)
- TBO (W) (7-2): 2nd in Erin Andrews division, 2nd overall (#1 points leader this week)
- Cubsfan4evr1 (L) (5-4): 3rd in Michelle Beadle division, 5th overall
SIDENOTE:
Due to the great help of Cubsfan's influence, I was #6 overall in my predictions for this week- and my worst category this week was wide receivers
Worthless Sports Predictions: DME's Top 20 FA Landing Points
1. Cliff Lee – Nationals or Rangers. He may go to the Yankees, but I'm betting the Nationals offer the most dollars and years.
2. Carl Crawford – Angels, Dodgers or Red Sox. Each of these teams are in need of an athletic outfielder. The Angels seem the most intent on Crawford, but their NL counterpart is Mannyless and Scotty Podless...
3. Adrian Beltre - Red Sox. The Red Sox could always play Youk at 3B, which gives them FA flexibility, but Beltre's slick glove and left field love (see his home run spray chart) says that Boston will bring him back on a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 years, $40 million.
4. Jayson Werth - Red Sox or Dodgers. See Crawford. Assuming the Angels get Crawford, the BoSox and Dodgers will duke it out for this 31-year-old ex-catcher who can play a mean CF and bat well.
5. Adam Dunn – Cubs or White Sox. No matter which side of the city he ends up on, he's coming to Chicago.
6. Victor Martinez - Tigers. They need a catcher...bad.
7. Rafael Soriano – Diamondbacks. They need a reliable closer...bad.
8. Mariano Rivera - Yankees. No brainer.
9. Paul Konerko - White Sox or Rays. Either the Sox bring him back or sign Dunn. Someone's gotta man 1B and Kenny loves Paulie.
10. Derek Jeter - Yankees. No brainer.
11. Hiroki Kuroda – Rangers, Pirates or Nationals
12. Jorge De La Rosa – Pirates, Rockies or Royals.
13. Carl Pavano - Twins. Maybe Nick Blackburn will grow a Mario Bros. mustache too.
14. Jake Westbrook – Cardinals or Rockies. Both teams are in need of ground-balling innings eaters.
15. Aubrey Huff – Giants. The Giants love to overspend on the overrated, the aging, and the overperforming. Seems like a match made in heaven!
16. Juan Uribe - Giants.
17. Carlos Pena - Nationals. Adam Dunn with defense. Seems to fit the National's team direction.
18. Jim Thome - Twins, Rays or A's. The Twins picked up Kubel's option, but there is no way they'd let a part-time player who put up a .400+ OBP and socked 25 home runs in a power-premium year walk, right?
19. Vladimir Guerrero – Rangers. They may have declined his option, but it was more about market value rather than interest. 2-years, $17 million?
20. Manny Ramirez – Athletics, Rays or White Sox (1-year deal). Boras will be trying to rebuild Manny's value a la Adrian Beltre. He'll go to one of these (fringe) contenders in need of an OBP machine with pop. The Rays make a lot of sense, especially if Pena does not resign.
2. Carl Crawford – Angels, Dodgers or Red Sox. Each of these teams are in need of an athletic outfielder. The Angels seem the most intent on Crawford, but their NL counterpart is Mannyless and Scotty Podless...
3. Adrian Beltre - Red Sox. The Red Sox could always play Youk at 3B, which gives them FA flexibility, but Beltre's slick glove and left field love (see his home run spray chart) says that Boston will bring him back on a deal somewhere in the neighborhood of 4 years, $40 million.
4. Jayson Werth - Red Sox or Dodgers. See Crawford. Assuming the Angels get Crawford, the BoSox and Dodgers will duke it out for this 31-year-old ex-catcher who can play a mean CF and bat well.
5. Adam Dunn – Cubs or White Sox. No matter which side of the city he ends up on, he's coming to Chicago.
6. Victor Martinez - Tigers. They need a catcher...bad.
7. Rafael Soriano – Diamondbacks. They need a reliable closer...bad.
8. Mariano Rivera - Yankees. No brainer.
9. Paul Konerko - White Sox or Rays. Either the Sox bring him back or sign Dunn. Someone's gotta man 1B and Kenny loves Paulie.
10. Derek Jeter - Yankees. No brainer.
11. Hiroki Kuroda – Rangers, Pirates or Nationals
12. Jorge De La Rosa – Pirates, Rockies or Royals.
13. Carl Pavano - Twins. Maybe Nick Blackburn will grow a Mario Bros. mustache too.
14. Jake Westbrook – Cardinals or Rockies. Both teams are in need of ground-balling innings eaters.
15. Aubrey Huff – Giants. The Giants love to overspend on the overrated, the aging, and the overperforming. Seems like a match made in heaven!
16. Juan Uribe - Giants.
17. Carlos Pena - Nationals. Adam Dunn with defense. Seems to fit the National's team direction.
18. Jim Thome - Twins, Rays or A's. The Twins picked up Kubel's option, but there is no way they'd let a part-time player who put up a .400+ OBP and socked 25 home runs in a power-premium year walk, right?
19. Vladimir Guerrero – Rangers. They may have declined his option, but it was more about market value rather than interest. 2-years, $17 million?
20. Manny Ramirez – Athletics, Rays or White Sox (1-year deal). Boras will be trying to rebuild Manny's value a la Adrian Beltre. He'll go to one of these (fringe) contenders in need of an OBP machine with pop. The Rays make a lot of sense, especially if Pena does not resign.
ESPN Has Actually Fired Joe Morgan
Probably one of the greatest baseballl websites ever and part of the reason we here at GOI decided to write was because of FJM, Fire Joe Morgan for short. I remember Cubsfan telling me he first went to firejoemorgan.com because he thought it was a petition to get the great second baseman/AWFUL commentator Joe Morgan off of ESPN. Even though FJM hasn't been writing for about two years now, they finally got their wish.
According to a story by ESPN which you can read here, Joe Morgan will no longer be working for ESPN. Here's an excerpt from the article
In support for Dustin Pedroia's MVP candidacy, Buster Olney was using "Runs Created" and baseball writers are starting to use OPS and WAR over RBI's and BA to analyze a player's worth.
I think ESPN is wise to this long awaited and long over due change and part of this movement is to get rid of Joe Morgan- who has become the poster child for the old way of thinking.
But that's just my theory. Unfortunately Morgan had to wait for his contract to expire (unlike Steve Phillips who we luckily got rid of because he's a piggy chaser) but he's gone nonetheless.
I wish you all the best on a personal level, but please don't ever analyze baseball ever again.
According to a story by ESPN which you can read here, Joe Morgan will no longer be working for ESPN. Here's an excerpt from the article
Morgan's contract is expiring and he will not be renewedWhile I have no proof of this, I truly believe this is because of the "Moneyball" movement that has not only taken bloggers and casual fans by storm, but also the baseball community. No longer are "wins" being used to measure Cy Young voters (see Grienke, Zach) and no longer is a team making the playoffs a prerequisite to win an MVP (see Pujols, Machine)
In support for Dustin Pedroia's MVP candidacy, Buster Olney was using "Runs Created" and baseball writers are starting to use OPS and WAR over RBI's and BA to analyze a player's worth.
I think ESPN is wise to this long awaited and long over due change and part of this movement is to get rid of Joe Morgan- who has become the poster child for the old way of thinking.
But that's just my theory. Unfortunately Morgan had to wait for his contract to expire (unlike Steve Phillips who we luckily got rid of because he's a piggy chaser) but he's gone nonetheless.
I wish you all the best on a personal level, but please don't ever analyze baseball ever again.
New Podcasts Up!
Cubsfan and I were on the phone for three hours discuss the meaning of life, the difference between religion and science, and LaGarrette Blount.
Listen to Part One here [Although I think the end got cut off :(]
Listen to Part Two here
Listen to Part Three here
You're slacking TBO!
Listen to Part One here [Although I think the end got cut off :(]
Listen to Part Two here
Listen to Part Three here
You're slacking TBO!
The Top 20 Film Soundtracks Of All Time
Taken from my days as a film critic, this list still rings true:
NOTABLE OTHERS
Pulp Fiction (A great collection of retro music, but it barely missed the cut)
Rushmore (Although the original soundtrack was apparently supposed to be entirely comprised of songs by The Kinks, the final outcome is still a great selection with songs from bands like The Who and John Lennon)
The Breakfast Club (A collection of classic 80’s tunes, but as awesome as the 80's were, you can't justify placing 80's music on this list)
Pretty In Pink (See The Breakfast Club)
When The Wind Blows (Roger Waters, David Bowie, Genesis, Paul Hardcastle and Squeeze - it’s got music for everybody!)
Hustle & Flow (The rap equivalent of The Breakfast Club)
8 Mile (The rap equivalent of Pretty In Pink)
The Blues Brothers (Classic blues music, but it just does not do it for me)
Fog Of War (A documentary with great music? What?)
Rocky (Eye Of The Tiger? Other of Survivor's classic tunes? Yeah, nuff said)
Batman (Danny Elfman’s best theme)
Garden State (A great movie with a soundtrack that was best described by SNL as “a Pitchfork mix CD.” Still, the movie had some great music in it, like “Caring Is Creepy” by The Shins)
The Virgin Suicides (The soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s debut film is also the second full length album by the electronica band Air. Unfortunately, “The Virgin Suicides” is one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies (and the same can be said about the soundtrack). Fortunately, I freakin’ love this movie)
The Wicker Man (This eerie 70’s film has an eerie collection of erotic folk songs and various children’s songs sung with a folksy, erotic tone. It’s unique, to say the least. I can’t get enough of Corn Rigs)
GUILTY PLEASURE SOUNDTRACK
Ghostbusters II (Another great 80’s flick, “Ghostbusters II” has a great collection of “80’s songs” from artistic like Oingo Boingo and Bobby Brown. The soundtrack’s highlights are Howard Huntsberry’s cover of the Jackie Wilson song “Higher And Higher” and Run-D.M.C.’s rap “Ghostbusters”)
20. The Royal Tenenbaums
This strong precursor to The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou features a great soundtrack with songs from bands like The Beatles , The Clash, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. The Royal Tenenbaums features a score by Wes Anderson’s friend and composer Mark Mothersbaugh (who also was a member of Devo).
19. Goodfellas
A great blend of fitting music brought to life by the colorful performances of Robert De Niro, Joe Pesci and Ray Liotta.
18. Forrest Gump
Another great movie with a solid classic rock collection, Forrest Gump is one of the most overrated (it was not the best film of 1994) and underrated (it was one of, if not the, most important and indicative films of the 90s) movies of all time. The soundtrack contains some of the best songs from the 60s and 70s from a variety of artists ranging from CCR and Bob Dylan to The Supremes and The Fifth Dimension.
17. Saturday Night Fever
This movie not only launched John Travolta’s name into superstardom, but also sent the Bee Gees career into overdrive. With songs such as Stayin’ Alive, How Deep Is Your Love? and Night Fever, Saturday Night Fever is the quintessential disco album.
16. Grease
This soundtrack does not need any reasoning nor justification as to why it’s on this list. It is common knowledge that Grease had a kick ass soundtrack. I love Frankie Valli.
15. The Harder They Come
Without Jimmy Cliff, the godfather of reggae, Bob Marley would not have become such a facet of our culture. In addition to acting the lead role, Cliff also sang all of the songs for the soundtrack. Both his songs and performance are completely solid and worth checking out if you get a chance.
14. Suspiria
Italian progressive rock/Goth rock band Goblin collaborated extensively with Italian film auteur Dario Argento in the 70s. Their work on Argento’s 1977 supernatural thriller is a breathtaking partnership. Goblin’s soundtrack is absolutely creepy, ethereal and unsettling.
13. Kill Bill Volumes I & II
Quentin Tarantino has an offbeat mind with a knack for offbeat music. As it was made evident in 1991 with Reservoir Dogs, Tarantino knows not only how to reinvent movies, but also music (case and point; the film’s use of the song Stuck In The Middle With You). With Kill Bill, Tarantino recruited RZA (of the Wu-Tang Clan) to create an eclectic soundtrack that features a wide range of music from remixes of old western themes by Ennio Morricone to Japanese pop songs.
12. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
Although I don’t like this movie enough to dress up in drag, it is still one of my all time favorites. Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Richard O’Brien, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf (yes, he’s in it too, though briefly) are utterly fantastic in this movie. Get into the mind flip, put your hands on your hips and jump to the right; Rocky Horror is a perfect rental for some campy fun.
11. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street
The latest Tim Burton/Johnny Depp flick is a big screen remake of the gory London play and although I have not heard the music to the original play (and thus cannot compare the two), I can say that I, without any doubt, utterly enjoyed the songs in the film. Although his days as singer in a rock band are long past, Depp proves he can still sing (quite well, in fact). Helena Bonham Carter, Sasha Baron Cohen, Alan Rickman and Timothy Spall all sing surprisingly well also.
10. School Of Rock
The soundtrack to School Of Rock is a fantastic collection of music, mostly from the 1970s. With tracks from rock legends such as T-Rex, The Who, The Doors, Led Zeppelin and Cream, this soundtrack is a great highlight of various classic rock classics.
9. The Big Lebowski
The Big Lebowski has a superb soundtrack that fuses avant-garde music with both folk and classic rock. The two best scenes in the movie utilize Kenny Roger’s Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) and Bob Dylan’s The Man In Me to their full artistic potential.
8. Juno
I fell in love with this soundtrack on my second viewing. What I loved about this film is it’s keen sense of artistic integrity -- Juno’s favorite bands are raw, powerful ones like Iggy & The Stooges and she thinks that Sonic Youth “is just a bunch of noise” (although, to their credit, Sonic Youth does have a fantastic CD (Daydream Nation) and a few great singles to their name). The soundtrack to Juno is every bit as pretentious as the movie itself and that, in my opinion, is what makes it so precious. The soundtrack features various singles from mainstream underground bands like Mott the Hoople, The Velvet Underground and indie obscurities such as The Moldy Peaches and Belle & Sebastian.
7. Moulin Rogue!
Moulin Rogue! is, without a doubt, my favorite live-action musical. Ewan McGreggor, Nicole Kidman and Jim Broadbent prove themselves to have superior vocal talent with the numerous songs they sing. Baz Luhrmann’s soundtrack features various original songs (Come What May, Because We Can), remakes (Children Of The Revolution, Nature Boy, Lady Marmalade), remixes (El Tango De Roxanne), and medleys of contemporary rock hits (Sparkling Diamonds, The Elephant Medley) - all of which are fantastic. In addition to the songs sung by the cast of the film, a few songs are voiced by rock stars David Bowie, Bono and Beck.
6. The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou
Wes Anderson, much like his female equivalent Sofia Coppola, has a strong ear for great music to complement his brilliant films. The soundtrack for The Life Aquatic largely features David Bowie songs and covers of Bowie songs by Seu Jorge, an extremely talented Brazilian musician who brings new life to old Bowie classics. Additionally, two other notable artists contributed their hits for this soundtrack: Iggy Pop (Search & Destroy) and The Zombies (Way I Feel Inside). Mark Mothersbaugh, again, penned the indie pop instrumentals for the movie.
5. Marie Antoinette
Attention indie music fans: the soundtrack for Sofia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette is a goldmine of music. The soundtrack vibrantly fuses remixes of various 80s names like New Order, Bow Wow Wow and The Cure with newer, lesser-known bands such as The Strokes, Windsor for Derby and The Radio Dept.
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
Written by Tim Burton and scored/sung largely by one of my favorite composers, Danny Elfman, this film has an excellent cult following.
3. Labyrinth
David Bowie is one of the greatest artists in rock history and his music for Jim Henson’s film Labyrinth is just as fresh and creative (albeit more poppy) as his work on his Ziggy Stardust album. Perfectly complementing Bowie’s work on Labyrinth is a magical score written by Trevor Jones.
2. 2001: A Space Odyssey
From the extended opening sequence, it is entirely clear that Kubrick’s film is a masterwork of all cinematic areas - especially cinematography and music. The soundtrack contains such powerful compositions as Thus Spoke Zarathustra and The Blue Danube Waltz.
1. Trainspotting
Danny Boyle’s soundtrack perfectly incorporates various genres (from electronica and new wave to glam rock and Britpop) to create the ultimate soundtrack. The songs so flawlessly correlate to the thematics of the script that you could easily assume that all of the songs were specifically written for this movie. Long live Iggy Pop!
NOTABLE OTHERS
Pulp Fiction (A great collection of retro music, but it barely missed the cut)
Rushmore (Although the original soundtrack was apparently supposed to be entirely comprised of songs by The Kinks, the final outcome is still a great selection with songs from bands like The Who and John Lennon)
The Breakfast Club (A collection of classic 80’s tunes, but as awesome as the 80's were, you can't justify placing 80's music on this list)
Pretty In Pink (See The Breakfast Club)
When The Wind Blows (Roger Waters, David Bowie, Genesis, Paul Hardcastle and Squeeze - it’s got music for everybody!)
Hustle & Flow (The rap equivalent of The Breakfast Club)
8 Mile (The rap equivalent of Pretty In Pink)
The Blues Brothers (Classic blues music, but it just does not do it for me)
Fog Of War (A documentary with great music? What?)
Rocky (Eye Of The Tiger? Other of Survivor's classic tunes? Yeah, nuff said)
Batman (Danny Elfman’s best theme)
Garden State (A great movie with a soundtrack that was best described by SNL as “a Pitchfork mix CD.” Still, the movie had some great music in it, like “Caring Is Creepy” by The Shins)
The Virgin Suicides (The soundtrack to Sofia Coppola’s debut film is also the second full length album by the electronica band Air. Unfortunately, “The Virgin Suicides” is one of those love-it-or-hate-it movies (and the same can be said about the soundtrack). Fortunately, I freakin’ love this movie)
The Wicker Man (This eerie 70’s film has an eerie collection of erotic folk songs and various children’s songs sung with a folksy, erotic tone. It’s unique, to say the least. I can’t get enough of Corn Rigs)
GUILTY PLEASURE SOUNDTRACK
Ghostbusters II (Another great 80’s flick, “Ghostbusters II” has a great collection of “80’s songs” from artistic like Oingo Boingo and Bobby Brown. The soundtrack’s highlights are Howard Huntsberry’s cover of the Jackie Wilson song “Higher And Higher” and Run-D.M.C.’s rap “Ghostbusters”)
The Greatest ______ Of This Decade
Comedy Movies
10) Bad Santa (2003)
9) Step Brothers (2008)
8) Super Troopers (2001)
7) Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
6) Anchorman (2004)
5) The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
4) Old School (2003)
3) Knocked Up (2007)
2) Borat (2006)
1) Superbad (2007)
Honorable Mentions: Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
Superhero/ Comic Book Movies
10) 300 (2006)
9) Kick Ass (2010)
8) The Hulk (2008)
7) Spider-Man (2002)
6) Iron Man (2008)
5) Watchmen (2009)
4) Spider-Man II (2004)
3) Batman Begins (2005)
2) Sin City (2005)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mentions: V for Vendetta (2006)
Christopher Nolan Movies
7) Insomnia (2002)
6) The Dark Knight Rises (???)
5) The Prestige (2006)
4) Batman Begins (2005)
3) Memento (2000)
2) Inception (2010)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Oscar-Worthy Movies
10) Mystic River (2003)
9) Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
8) Minority Report (2002)
7) There Will Be Blood (2007)
6) Inception (2010)
5) Inglorious Basterds (2009)
4) Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
3) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
2) Requiem For A Dream (2000)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mentions: Munich (2004), Gladiator (2000), Sideways (2004), Memento (2000)
Animated Movies
10) Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
9) Waltz With Bashir (2008)
8) Toy Story 3 (2010)
7) Up (2009)
6) Monsters, Inc (2001)
5) Spirited Away (2001)
4) The Incredibles (2004)
3) Finding Nemo (2003)
2) Shrek (2001)
1) WALL-E (2008)
Villains/Bad Guys
10) Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) from Spider-Man (2002)
9) Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) from Batman Begins (2005)
8) Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) from Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
7) Det. Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) from Training Day (2001)
6) Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) from There Will Be Blood (2007)
5) Saruman (Christopher Lee) from The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (This Decade)
4) Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) from Saw (2004)
3) Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from No Country For Old Men (2007)
2) Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) from Inglorious Basterds (2009)
1) The Joker (Heath Ledger) from The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mention: Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) from Iron Man 2 (2010)
Television Shows*
10) How I Met Your Mother
9) Scrubs
8) The Daily Show With John Stewart
7) House
6) The Office
5) Freaks and Geeks
4) Mad Men
3) 30 Rock
2) The Wire
1) Entourage
Honorable Mentions: The Chappelle's Show, Heroes
Honorable Mentions (That I Have Not Seen): Lost, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The West Wing
* That I've Seen
10) Bad Santa (2003)
9) Step Brothers (2008)
8) Super Troopers (2001)
7) Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)
6) Anchorman (2004)
5) The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
4) Old School (2003)
3) Knocked Up (2007)
2) Borat (2006)
1) Superbad (2007)
Honorable Mentions: Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)
Superhero/ Comic Book Movies
10) 300 (2006)
9) Kick Ass (2010)
8) The Hulk (2008)
7) Spider-Man (2002)
6) Iron Man (2008)
5) Watchmen (2009)
4) Spider-Man II (2004)
3) Batman Begins (2005)
2) Sin City (2005)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mentions: V for Vendetta (2006)
Christopher Nolan Movies
7) Insomnia (2002)
6) The Dark Knight Rises (???)
5) The Prestige (2006)
4) Batman Begins (2005)
3) Memento (2000)
2) Inception (2010)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Oscar-Worthy Movies
10) Mystic River (2003)
9) Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
8) Minority Report (2002)
7) There Will Be Blood (2007)
6) Inception (2010)
5) Inglorious Basterds (2009)
4) Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
3) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
2) Requiem For A Dream (2000)
1) The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mentions: Munich (2004), Gladiator (2000), Sideways (2004), Memento (2000)
Animated Movies
10) Kung-Fu Panda (2008)
9) Waltz With Bashir (2008)
8) Toy Story 3 (2010)
7) Up (2009)
6) Monsters, Inc (2001)
5) Spirited Away (2001)
4) The Incredibles (2004)
3) Finding Nemo (2003)
2) Shrek (2001)
1) WALL-E (2008)
Villains/Bad Guys
10) Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) from Spider-Man (2002)
9) Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) from Batman Begins (2005)
8) Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez) from Pan's Labyrinth (2006)
7) Det. Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington) from Training Day (2001)
6) Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) from There Will Be Blood (2007)
5) Saruman (Christopher Lee) from The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy (This Decade)
4) Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) from Saw (2004)
3) Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) from No Country For Old Men (2007)
2) Col. Hans Landa (Christoph Waltz) from Inglorious Basterds (2009)
1) The Joker (Heath Ledger) from The Dark Knight (2008)
Honorable Mention: Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell) from Iron Man 2 (2010)
Television Shows*
10) How I Met Your Mother
9) Scrubs
8) The Daily Show With John Stewart
7) House
6) The Office
5) Freaks and Geeks
4) Mad Men
3) 30 Rock
2) The Wire
1) Entourage
Honorable Mentions: The Chappelle's Show, Heroes
Honorable Mentions (That I Have Not Seen): Lost, The Sopranos, Breaking Bad, The West Wing
* That I've Seen
Sexy Rexy as Kenny Powers
For Halloween I dressed up and GOI favorite Kenny Powers from Eastbound and Down. Here are some awesome photos from a great great character
And now me with some other people
And now me with some other people
New Podcasts Up!
Sexy Rexy has a few- *hmm hmm*- alcoholic beverages with his friend Daniel Bennett to discuss NFL and college football.
Listen to NFL in Part One here
You can listen to college football (and the better podcast) here
Listen to NFL in Part One here
You can listen to college football (and the better podcast) here
Sexy Rexy's Fantasy Advice: Rankings For Week Nine
Currently, I am ranked 30th overall. Out of 38. I'm 28th in QBs, 32th in RB, and 34th in TE.
There is one bright spot in that I'm tenth in wide receiver rankings.
Clearly my instincts and fantasy genius that I have applied to dominate the GOI league has not translated into predictive success. Now my strongest suit has always been ranting and explaining the past, but every week I do give my advice, and for the most part it has probably failed you.
With this in mind I gave great deference to Cubsfan's opinions. I gave SOME deference to Cubsfan when it came to wide rankings but for the most part I used my own gut because THAT has worked out well. But for my TE rankings I just saved and clicked. But for my QB and RB rankings, even though at first glance I hated it, I put a lot of stock into what Cubsfan thought.
So with that disclaimer being said, you can click on "my" rankings here
There is one bright spot in that I'm tenth in wide receiver rankings.
Clearly my instincts and fantasy genius that I have applied to dominate the GOI league has not translated into predictive success. Now my strongest suit has always been ranting and explaining the past, but every week I do give my advice, and for the most part it has probably failed you.
With this in mind I gave great deference to Cubsfan's opinions. I gave SOME deference to Cubsfan when it came to wide rankings but for the most part I used my own gut because THAT has worked out well. But for my TE rankings I just saved and clicked. But for my QB and RB rankings, even though at first glance I hated it, I put a lot of stock into what Cubsfan thought.
So with that disclaimer being said, you can click on "my" rankings here
Things I Got Right (And Wrong)
So we're about halfway through the NFL season and it's time now to boost my ego, but mainly show my humility.
THINGS I GOT RIGHT
Dressing up as Kenny Powers for Halloween
Actual Football
- Liking the Kansas City Chiefs. On my two part podcast I said Chiefs would be second in their division. While they probably would win it, I was on board the Kansas City bandwagon WAY before everyone else was. At a time where everybody was picking the Oakland Raiders to be good and finish behind the Chargers, I was picking the Chiefs. Part of my Week One slaughter of Cubsfan and TBO was me picking the Chiefs to beat the Chargers at Arrowhead- which they did.
- Liking the Houston Texans. I'm still not 100% convinced they'll make the playoffs (although I like them a lot) I did however predict their Week One domination of the Colts.
- Liking the phrase: I'm a man! I'm 40!
Fantasy Football
Players I Said To Stay Away From And You Should Have
- Ryan Matthews
- Jahvid Best
- CJ Spiller
- Ronny Cedeno
- Shonn Green
- Derrick Mason
- NYJ Receivers
Free Agent Pick Ups I Told You About
- Brandon Lloyd (Week One)
- Peyton Hillis (Week One)
- Mark Clayton (Week One)
- LeBron James (offseason)
- Michael Vick (duh!)
- Tony Moeaki (Week Two)
- Marshawn Lynch (Week Two)
Guys I Drafted So I Clearly Liked
- LaDanian Tomlinson
- Ahmad Bradshaw
- Frank Gore
- Gaines Adams
- Steve Breaston
- Arain Foster (I'm going to take SOME credit for this because Cubsfan and I got into a fierce bidding war over Foster. But I did lose out on him)
Board Bets
- Liking Eddie Royal over Jabar Gaffney and Demarious Thomas
- Liking Larry Fitzgerald over Randy Moss
- Liking Chocolate Milk over Strawberry Milk
- Liking Arian Foster over Steve Slaton (TBO tried to make this Board Bet with me as well)
- Liking Johnny Knox over Devin Aromashodu
Oh, and right now I'm first in total points (second overall) in the 14 team GOI league and currently leading TBO and Cubsfan in the Pigskin Pick Em league.
THINGS I GOT WRONG
Actual Football
- Thinking the Bears had talent
- Claiming the Indianapolis Colts would miss the playoffs. I did clarify that it was based upon nothing and only because I'm superstitious and thought Super Bowl losers don't make it back to the playoffs, but I looked like I'm about to proven wrong.
- Claiming the 49ers and Cowboys would win their division. I was WAY off on this one considering both team sucks more than a Thai hooker.
Fantasy Football
Guys I Liked But Are Not Very Good (Or Bad Values)
- Chris Johnson
- Michael Turner
- Brandon Marshall
- Applebees' 2 for $20 deal
- Chad Henne
- Tom Brady
- Justin Forsett
- DeAngelo Williams/ Jonathan Stewart
Guys I Was WAY Off Base About
- I ranked Joe Flacco as my number 6 quarterback coming into the year and Ray Rice as my number 3 running back. Both guys suck and are awful values
- I HATED Darren McFadden and even thought Michael Bush would be better.
- I loved Felix Jones and thought he would be the next Ray Rice. Turns out he's shittier than Ray Rice- this year
- Anthony Gonzalez. I wrote an entire post about A-Gon and thought he would be better than both Collie and Garcon.
- Thinking I could actually jump that shark on my water skis.
- Listing only 15 QBs and said if you have to have any other QB you'd be fucked. But QBs I left off the list- Kyle Orton, Josh Freeman, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Guys I left on the list: Joe Flacco, Kevin Kolb, Chad Henne.
- I said that Phillip Rivers will probably not get his numbers with no legit wide out. Turns out he's on pace to destroy Dan Marino's single season passing yards record.
- Tellings fans (and doing so myself) to bench Patriots Randy Moss against Darelle Revis and the Jets for Seattle's Mike Williams.
Board Bets
- Thinking Larry Fitzgerald will finish inside the top 10 among wide outs
- Thinking Joe Flacco would be a top 8 QB, that Kevin Kolb would be a top 10 QB, and that Chad Henne would be a top 15 QB
- Thinking Anthony Gonzalez would get more receiving yards than Pierre Garcon
- Thinking Chris Johnson would be better than Adrian Peterson
- Thinking Tom Brady could put up better fantasy numbers than either P. Manning, Rodgers, or Brees.
- Thinking Jonathan Stewart would be better than LeSean McCoy
THINGS I GOT RIGHT
Dressing up as Kenny Powers for Halloween
Actual Football
- Liking the Kansas City Chiefs. On my two part podcast I said Chiefs would be second in their division. While they probably would win it, I was on board the Kansas City bandwagon WAY before everyone else was. At a time where everybody was picking the Oakland Raiders to be good and finish behind the Chargers, I was picking the Chiefs. Part of my Week One slaughter of Cubsfan and TBO was me picking the Chiefs to beat the Chargers at Arrowhead- which they did.
- Liking the Houston Texans. I'm still not 100% convinced they'll make the playoffs (although I like them a lot) I did however predict their Week One domination of the Colts.
- Liking the phrase: I'm a man! I'm 40!
Fantasy Football
Players I Said To Stay Away From And You Should Have
- Ryan Matthews
- Jahvid Best
- CJ Spiller
- Ronny Cedeno
- Shonn Green
- Derrick Mason
- NYJ Receivers
Free Agent Pick Ups I Told You About
- Brandon Lloyd (Week One)
- Peyton Hillis (Week One)
- Mark Clayton (Week One)
- LeBron James (offseason)
- Michael Vick (duh!)
- Tony Moeaki (Week Two)
- Marshawn Lynch (Week Two)
Guys I Drafted So I Clearly Liked
- LaDanian Tomlinson
- Ahmad Bradshaw
- Frank Gore
- Gaines Adams
- Steve Breaston
- Arain Foster (I'm going to take SOME credit for this because Cubsfan and I got into a fierce bidding war over Foster. But I did lose out on him)
Board Bets
- Liking Eddie Royal over Jabar Gaffney and Demarious Thomas
- Liking Larry Fitzgerald over Randy Moss
- Liking Chocolate Milk over Strawberry Milk
- Liking Arian Foster over Steve Slaton (TBO tried to make this Board Bet with me as well)
- Liking Johnny Knox over Devin Aromashodu
Oh, and right now I'm first in total points (second overall) in the 14 team GOI league and currently leading TBO and Cubsfan in the Pigskin Pick Em league.
THINGS I GOT WRONG
Actual Football
- Thinking the Bears had talent
- Claiming the Indianapolis Colts would miss the playoffs. I did clarify that it was based upon nothing and only because I'm superstitious and thought Super Bowl losers don't make it back to the playoffs, but I looked like I'm about to proven wrong.
- Claiming the 49ers and Cowboys would win their division. I was WAY off on this one considering both team sucks more than a Thai hooker.
Fantasy Football
Guys I Liked But Are Not Very Good (Or Bad Values)
- Chris Johnson
- Michael Turner
- Brandon Marshall
- Applebees' 2 for $20 deal
- Chad Henne
- Tom Brady
- Justin Forsett
- DeAngelo Williams/ Jonathan Stewart
Guys I Was WAY Off Base About
- I ranked Joe Flacco as my number 6 quarterback coming into the year and Ray Rice as my number 3 running back. Both guys suck and are awful values
- I HATED Darren McFadden and even thought Michael Bush would be better.
- I loved Felix Jones and thought he would be the next Ray Rice. Turns out he's shittier than Ray Rice- this year
- Anthony Gonzalez. I wrote an entire post about A-Gon and thought he would be better than both Collie and Garcon.
- Thinking I could actually jump that shark on my water skis.
- Listing only 15 QBs and said if you have to have any other QB you'd be fucked. But QBs I left off the list- Kyle Orton, Josh Freeman, and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Guys I left on the list: Joe Flacco, Kevin Kolb, Chad Henne.
- I said that Phillip Rivers will probably not get his numbers with no legit wide out. Turns out he's on pace to destroy Dan Marino's single season passing yards record.
- Tellings fans (and doing so myself) to bench Patriots Randy Moss against Darelle Revis and the Jets for Seattle's Mike Williams.
Board Bets
- Thinking Larry Fitzgerald will finish inside the top 10 among wide outs
- Thinking Joe Flacco would be a top 8 QB, that Kevin Kolb would be a top 10 QB, and that Chad Henne would be a top 15 QB
- Thinking Anthony Gonzalez would get more receiving yards than Pierre Garcon
- Thinking Chris Johnson would be better than Adrian Peterson
- Thinking Tom Brady could put up better fantasy numbers than either P. Manning, Rodgers, or Brees.
- Thinking Jonathan Stewart would be better than LeSean McCoy
