You're The Best

2009 3K World Cup Championship
CO Giants-131
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-81
Nothing's ever gonna keep Giant Mike down. Facing a barrage of black gee'd fantasy football contenders, the CO Giants crane kicked their way to championship supremacy. With the exception of Brandon Marshall, every Giant player performed like Hall of Famers (especially when it counted). The Giants rattled off 130 points like it was their job, and left PG and his Hot Dogs drowning in their wake. MVP running back Chris Johnson put up the performance he needed to and set the tone early for the Giants. The name of the game is touchdowns, and the Giants lead with 6. The Three Amigos, consisting of Santonio Holmes, Steve Smith, and Brent Celek) combined for 277 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Amazing. The Hot Dogs showed just how Cobra Kai they really are...a bunch of motorcycle riding, boombox throwing, grass smoking hooligans that couldn't come through when it was all on the line. PG needed big games from Thomas Jones, Ricky Williams, and his receiver corp, but was left with lackluster performances. Congrats to Giant Mike and the CO Giants on winning the 2009 3K World Cup and $700 in prize money. My only regret was that I had to play the role of Johnny Lawrence in the finals, when I much rather would have been Dutch and lost in the quarter's. You're all right, LaRusso, good match.

2009 3K Good Hands Bowl
Hoosier Heat-92
Nigerian Nightmares-72
Going into last nights Bears-Vikings game, Old Linc had a 72-69 lead on Mr. Hackman and Hoosier Heat. With the Nightmares experiencing the back breaking news that Stephen Jackson would sit the week out, it seemed like a matter of time before Heat RB Adrian Peterson would finish this contest off. And boy did he ever. Rattling off two TD's and 94 yards, Hoosier Heat coasted to victory to finish 3rd place in this season's fantasy football league.

SIDENOTE-Greatest part of that montage is when Fidel (the Filipino karate master) takes down the "fat Cobra Kai" with a roundhouse to the chest.

End Game

Here we are, the final week of 3K's 2009 Fantasy Football League. It's been a great season with more close games than one would care to live through again. Should be a fun final week, with the final two contests to follow as you are opening your Christmas gifts. Here we go....

2009 3K World Cup Championship
CO Giants vs. Roscoe Village Hot Dogs
A classic David vs. Goliath matchup. The 6 seeded Hot Dogs, entering the playoffs one game under .500 face off against the juggernaut 1 seed CO Giants. It's no secret that Giant Mike has run the table since the 2nd half of the season started (no pun intended). With a #1 ranked running back corp and potent QB, the CO Giants are clearly in the drivers seat after a nailbite victory against Hoosier Heat. The Giants have a clear advantage in the QB/RB category, while it's a wash with the receiver corp (the Hot Dogs have a distinct advantage over the Giants in the TE category). If PG wants the World Cup, he (like Mr. Hackman) better pray for a repeat performance from Chris Johnson and Cedric Benson. That is the only thing that is going to keep him in this game (as it did Mr. Hackman this past week).

2009 3K Good Hands Bowl
Nigerian Nightmares vs. Hoosier Heat
The Good Hands Bowl, brought to you by Allstate. That's Allstate, are you in good hands? With Old Linc kicking himself for starting Jason Campbell over Vince Young, the Nightmares look to redeem themselves and finish with a strong #3 ranking. I'm not sure it gets any harder for Mr. Hackman, who came within 2 points of unseating the #1 ranked team and a trip to the 3K World Cup Championship game. Slight advantage goes to Hoosier Heat in this one, with Adrian Peterson, Greg Jennings, and a tough Pats D leading the way. His receiver corp is paltry, and Old Linc can make up significant ground with solid performances by DeSean, Marques, Welker, and Vernon. In true 3K League fashion, I believe we're looking at another nailbiter.

Home Stretch

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-100
Nigerian Nightmares-67
Carrying a 33 point lead heading into Monday night, PG and his Dogs are feeling guardedly optimistic, however this one is far from over. With Old Linc slating Jason Campbell (a must play, according to fantasy experts) and newly minted running back Quinton Ganther, there is plenty of room for catch up. Keep in mind the Hot Dogs will have tight end Fred Davis going tonight. If he has a decent game, chalk this one up.

CO Giants-104
Hoosier Heat-93
If I'm Giant Mike, I'm a little nervous going into Monday Night Football. Both teams seasons (and a trip to the fantasy championship) rest on the foot of Lawrence Tynes (a Hoosier Heater). If only I could be a fly on the wall at Giant Mike's castle and see him root against the New York Giants. Mr. Hackman needs 11 for the tie, 12 for the win. A tall order, keep mind Tynes has only achieved 11 or more points 3 times this year (weeks 1, 2, and 5). Interestingly enough, he scored 11 in week 1 against, you guessed it, the Washington Redskins. I told you this one was gonna be close.

Semi-Final's Thursday

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs vs. Nigerian Nightmares
This is certainly looking like the closest contest of the week, with both teams matching up quite nicely. Trash has been talked, songs and poems have been penned. Now it's time to put all of that aside and see what team is worthy of the 3K Sportsworld Fantasy Football Championship game. One key development to follow is the health of Nightmare RB Stephen Jackson. Jackson missed his 10th straight practice on Wednesday with what is being described as a lower back injury. He dealt with it last week, but only rushed for 47 yards on 19 carries. The Hot Dogs clearly have the advantage on the ground. If Old Linc is going to win this game, it's going to be with his receivers. And boy do they look good. DeSean Jackson is coming off a 23 point performance and has found the end zone in the last 3 games he has played in. Marques Colston has found the end zone in three consecutive weeks, and Vernon Davis has hit paydirt in 4 consecutive weeks. Oh yeah, Wes Welker is coming off 167 and 105 yard performances. The Hot Dog receivers are formidable as well, but both Donald Driver and Robert Meachem are coming off lackluster weeks (with a combined 6 catches for 68 yards). If they're performances are on the wane, PG could be in big trouble.

PREDICTION-Hot Dogs reach the fantasy finals in a nailbiter.


CO Giants vs. Hoosier Heat
I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, this looks like a pretty lopsided matchup. The uberstrong CO Giants look like their sashaying into the fin...wait, wait, wait..don't bring the bubbly out just yet. I wrongly predicted a Goat Locker rout last week and was left with egg on my face. This game is no different, and will be a close one (but not quite nailbiter territory). The QB matchup here looks pretty one-sided (however, if there is a shootout, it could be closer than seems). However, it's going to be an uphill battle playing in San Diego. I like how the running back's match up in this contest. Chris Johnson has been all world this season, and the CO Giants running back corps is the best in the business. But how can you count out Adrian Peterson (especially after coming off a 25 point performance and a very weak Panthers run defense)? And I'm sorry, if Reggie Bush isn't a wild card factor, I don't know who is. Mike Bell will be back this week, but it #3 on the depth charts. If the Saints stick with last week's running back plan, look for Bush to put up big numbers. The CO Giants have the clear advantage this week with their receivers (what with Brandon Marhshall coming off a 21 reception performance). If the Heat keep it close with their running backs, I believe this is where Giant Mike will pull away.

PREDICTION-CO Giants will win and advance, but the score is going to be a lot closer than everyone thinks. Giants win by 10.

Hot Stove Thread

The blog has been a powder keg of sorts lately, with a lot of hard feelings and ill will being tossed around. In an effort to turn the ship around, let's shift our focus to the Hot Stove.

Rumors are swirling that the Red Sox are making a big push for Adrian Gonzalez. To me, the Lackey signing hurt bad (by hurt, I mean, hurt being a Yankee fan) for now the Sox have a very impressive starting 3. Adding Gonzalez will officially mark their return to offensive potentcy. Guys like Gonzalez, Martinez, Youklis, Cameron, and Pedroia? Impressive.

According to SI's Jon Heyman, the Mets "tweaked their offer to Jason Bay," offering five guaranteed years as an alternative. By adding Bay, the Mets are trying to keep up with the Phillies and Braves of the world. I've never seen a team that is so talented achieve so little.

Meanwhile, Johnny Damon has stated, ""I am going to start looking around. Teams are getting better and there are teams interested. I can’t wait forever and I am sure [the Yankees] are trying to figure things out. I have to be ready." So, if Damon moves on, and Bay and Holliday land elsewhere, where do the Yankees turn?

First Round Wrap-Up

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-125
Jimmy's Daddy-65
Who's your Daddy now, Hef? The Hot Dogs come out in week 1 of the playoffs with an absolute statement maker. The league is on notice, this isn't your father's Roscoe Village Hot Dogs. Despite a few of the Hot Dog receivers, the squad was running on all cylinders. Hef was left scratching his head after Randy Moss, Antonio Bryant, and Jerome Harrison simply didn't show up. Hef was serving up shit burgers while the Hot Dogs were having a BBQ of their own.

CO Giants-142
Tallcorn Cobras-64
Talk about statement makers, the CO Giants have established themselves firmly as the team to beat in the playoffs. Giant Mike is in the drivers seat and is the odds on favorite to win the whole kit and kaboodle. I'm sorry, when Brandon Marshall is catching 21 passes for 32 fantasy points and Chris Johnson is throwing up his usual 35, nobody in this league is going to come close. T-Dub saw a bad situation get worse, with lackluster showings from star Tom Brady, Fred Jackson, and his receiver corp. He needed stellar performances from all to stay in this matchup. Instead, the Cobras are left cleaning out their lockers.

Nigerian Nightmares-111
Lawndale Longhorns-97
Huge win for the Nigerian Nightares, who upset the first place Lawndale Longhorns, and advance to the semi-finals of the playoffs. Without DeSean Jackson's monster game last night, Old Linc would be preparing his concession speech or biting his nails for a big Vernon Davis game this evening. For New Linc, the key was the underperformance of Aaron Rodgers, coupled with abysmal numbers from his receiver corps (and Johnny Knox sitting on the bench certainly is salt in the wound). So New Linc goes home, and Old Linc lives to fight another day. Sometimes the younger brother does come out on top.

Hoosier Heat-76
The Goat Locker-62
What a week to get the injury bug. The Goat Locker has put up monster numbers all season, and Hoosier Heat was viewed as a road apple on the way to the finals. That is usually when the other shoe drops. And did it ever. I don't know what hurts more. Mike Bell sitting or Reggie Bush blowing up in his stead. Then there's Brett Favre's favorite target Percy Harvin. After 3 weeks in a row with a touchdown, he sits this week...absolutely painful. These injuries left a huge opening for Mr. Hackman, who took advantage and is now advancing. All it took was a great performance from Adrian Peterson and C level numbers from the rest of the squad. Have fun cleaning out that Goat Locker, Goat Locker.

Jimmy's Daddy-10
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-0
This was a chance for Hef to come out of the gates strong, establish himself as the aggressor, and pave the way to victory. Unfortunately, the mission was not accomplished. Running back Jerome Harrison came up with one point, and the Pittsburgh Defense/Special Teams was left with 1 sack, 13 points allowed. The battle is going to be uphill for the Daddy's, as the Hot Dogs feel more and more confident. If Ricky Williams and Thomas Jones put up big numbers, it could be lights out. Who knows? Perhaps the Hot Dogs will morph into "Hef's Daddy"?

CO Giants-9
Tallcorn Cobras-0
Giant Mike had Santonio Holmes put up 9 points (0 TD's). The CO Giants wanted to come out like an M-80, instead he had to settle for a firecracker. Still not a bad showing, though. T-Dub is gonna need some monster numbers out of Rowdy Roddy, TO, and TJ Howsyamutha to make up for the Chris Johnson/Cedric Benson juggernaut.

The Goat Locker-6
Hoosier Heat-0
It's Christmas time, so I suppose Mr. Hackman's prayers have been answered thus far. Goat Locker receiver Percy Harvin is dealing with a migraine, and so is Goat Locker, as stink bombs were layed by both Heath Miller and Mike Wallace last night against the Browns. The key to this game are The Goat Locker's receivers. If they put up Mike Wallace numbers, you'll see Hoosier Heat standing proud in the second round.

Nigerian Nightmares-0
Lawndale Longhorns-0
All is quiet on the Central Illinois front. Gonna be a showdown at high noon on Sunday. Family Feud style!!!

Playoff Time

Here we go, first week of the playoffs. Here are the matchups-

CO Giants vs. Tallcorn Cobras
This is looking like a very good matchup right out of the gates. Who could forget the big Cobras victory over the CO Giants in week 8? That week saw huge production out of the Bears defense and DeAngelo Williams for the Cobras. Since then, the Bears defense has floundered and DeAngelo Williams is inactive (enter Tim Hightower?). Tom Brady will not have a bye week and will be available for the Cobras this time around. Giant Mike's anchor, Chris Johnson, has been the top running back in the league this season and Cedric Benson will be rounding out his corp this week. Add Philip Rivers and the Ravens defense (against the abysmal Detroit Lions) to the mix, and you have a solid foundation. I predict a Giant cake walk.

Lawndale Longhorns vs. Nigerian Nightmares
No playoff scenario would be complete without a good old fashioned family feud. And a pretty evenly matched family feud at that. New Linc has the bragging rights, having defeated the Nightmares in week 3 by a score of 104-72. Both squads have new quarterbacks, but the faces remain relatively the same. With DeSean Jackson coming back from a concussion, it is likely Old Linc will start Santana Moss against a poor Raiders defense. Last week's output but Longhorn's Ray Rice and Maurice Jones-Drew should worry New Linc a bit, but all indications are they will return to form. Should be interesting to see if receiver Braylon Edwards remains on the sidelines (Kellen Clemens behind center doesn't help matters). My prediction? A nightmare for the Longhorns as Old Linc walks away victorious.

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs vs. Jimmy's Daddy
You can't beat a PG North grudge match!! Nor can you beat a re-match from Week 3's brouhaha. The Hot Dog's won that game 93-69, but this is an entirely different scenario. There is not one week 3 Hot Dog that is starting this weekend. Grab a beer, Mr. Cutler, you're sitting this one out. You're looking at a totally revamped and reengergized Hot Dog squad. The Daddy's look a bit different as well, but his foundation (Drew Brees, Randy Moss, and Antonio Gates) remains. According to reports, Hef believes he needs big weeks out of all three players if he wants to advance. Look for Pierre Thomas and the Steeler's D to put up decent numbers as well. Hef has a distinct advantage with QB, TE, and DEF while the Hot Dogs are getting the upper hand at receivers and running backs. I believe the Hot Dogs will advance in a nailbiter.

The Goat Locker at Hoosier Heat
I like this matchup, both teams are in second place, both slugging it out to get to the next round. Mr. Hackman hasn't scored as many points at The Goat Locker, but he sure did in week 11 when he defeated them 100-89. Granted, The Goat Locker started Ryan Moats who came up with bupkiss, but a win is a win. The Goat Locker touts the best passer in the league and has an impressive array of receivers. The Heat are looking at a formidable running back corp (led by Adrian Peterson) and a stellar defensive in the Patriots. The outcome? The Goat Locker should demolish Mr. Hackman's Heat and move one step closer to the 70% payout.

That's right, first place gets 70% of the take, 2nd gets 20%, 3rd gets 10%. Man up, it's playoff time!!!!!!!

DONE DEAL

How bad did the Diamondbacks get bent over in this deal? Essentially giving up Scherzer for Edwin Jackson (and adding Ian Kennedy)? The Tigers made out like bandits in this trade, and the Yankees essentially traded an younger/unproven version of Curtis Granderson for an older/battle tested Curtis Granderson.

Thoughts?

Hot Stove Thread

11:51am: Morosi sees progress being made, while MLB.com's Steve Gilbert thinks this thing is close; the Arizona Republic's Nick Piecoro agrees.

10:33am: Heyman tweets that this deal is "back with a chance." Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News agrees, noting that the Tigers "may be caving" on the price for Granderson. He says the Yanks would likely downgrade one of the pitchers, most likely Dunn. Wouldn't be the Winter Meetings without three-team trade scenarios and the constant back-and-forth.


The White Sox agreed to a three-year deal with Mark Teahen, tweets team employee Scott Reifert. AOL FanHouse's Ed Price tweets that the deal is worth $14MM.

Recap Monday

Does anyone else think it's funny that a guy who is standing on the sidelines in street clothes is passing judgement? Just checking...

Perhaps 3K should change the name of his league, from This Time We Get Paid to We Don't Even Know How Much OR Make The Rules Up As We Go Along OR...wait for it....Regular Season Don't Matter With An 8 Team Playoff. Lots of questions to be answered (questions that should have been addressed prior to the beginning of the season). GM's are abuzz at the confusion. But hey, I'm not the commissioner. You out there, 3K?

Now, onto the recaps-

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-110
Chimps Gone Wild-91
Big win for the Hot Dogs, who roll with a head of steam into the playoffs. And how about that Robert Meacham? What a free agent pickup that was. If the Hot Dogs receiver corp can keep this up, perhaps they can make up for the poor production from Jay Cutler and their depleted running back corp.

The Goat Locker-108
CO Giants-103
This one is going down to the wire, but it's looking like The Goat Locker is going to pull of this one and win the division. Too bad, Giant Mike, I was really rooting for you to finally win something outright. It's the battle of the Mason's (Crosby vs. Derrick) with The Goat Locker having a 5 point cushion. Whoever wins plays the 8seed!!

Tallcorn Cobras-76
Lawndale Longhorns-63
Another nailbiter, what a league! With Lawndale's Aaron Rodgers going tonight, T-Dub might be kicking himself for not subbing Darren Sproles for DeAngelo Williams. Both teams will make the playoffs. The winner will get the 5 seed and the loser will most likely get the 7 spot.

Berwanger's Brawlers-98
Jimmy's Daddy-85
Big win for the Brawlers, who are scratching and clawing to finish strong. Riding high on a big Tony Romo week, newbie Knowshown Moreno has been a welcome elixir for The Ger's running troubles. Meanwhile The Daddy's loss won't mean much for playoff implications, but nobody wants a loss before going into the playoffs.

Nigerian Nightmares-106
Hoosier Heat-63
If Hoosier Heat's Greg Jennings goes for 260 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns, he's got this one in the bag! Otherwise, Old Linc picks up his 7th win of the season and could sneak into the playoffs with a Trombone loss.

The Rockpile-84
Rusty Trombones-71
Congrats to Rocky Mike for picking up a moral victory, and the Rusty Trombones finish 1 game under .500 for the regular season. Even if 3K started Marshawn Lynch, it wouldn't have been enough. Rocky Mike can personally thank both Kurt Warner and Anquan Boldin for the victory, the two shining lights in an otherwise tough week. This loss for 3K means the difference between a playoff bid and going home early. Tough pill to swallow for the defending champions.

Who's Hot, Who's Not

Quick reminder for everyone to get their checks into Mr. 3K as soon as possible. We wouldn't want a delay in payment at the end of the season, right 3K?

Also, if 3K could indulge us on how the playoff scenario is going to work in the comments section, that would be great (i.e. how many teams, etc).


Here's a listing of the hottest fantasy football players for the last 3 weeks.

1. Drew Brees-Jimmy's Daddy-85 points
2. Brett Favre-Goat Locker-84 points
3. Aaron Rodgers-Lawndale Longhorns-75 points
4. Chris Johnson-CO Giants-74 points
5. Philip Rivers-CO Giants-56 points
6. Ricky Williams-Hot Dogs-55 points
7. Tom Brady-Tallcorn Cobras-54 points
8. Sidney Rice-CO Giants-48 points
9. Terrell Owens-CO Giants-48 points
10. Tony Romo-Berwanger's Brawlers-47 points

BLOCKBUSTER TUESDAY

The Berwanger Brawlers have announced a trade that sends wideout Donald Driver to the Roscoe Village Hot Dogs for Knowshon Moreno and Mario Manningham. With both teams struggling in the lackluster PG North division, this move is viewed as a "Custer's Last Stand", of sorts.

Entering the Brawlers DuPage County training complex, The Ger stated, "This will decide my season, and I can live with that."

The Brawlers have been running back starved for a few weeks now. With 5 total points last week from his runners, it was time for The Ger to make a move.

Meanwhile, the Hot Dogs were working the phones for the past 3 days trying to secure a bonafide wideout. After losing star Reggie Wayne, PG didn't want to rely soley on Miles Austin for his receiving output.

"Look, we're a .500 team that needs to move up a level or two...if it means taking a gamble on a deep threat, I'm gonna do that, quipped PG.

With Robert Meachem being a welcome addition to the Hot Dogs, Driver may be the celery salt PG needs complete the perfect Hot Dog lineup.

In an unrelated issue, I think I want Kyle Orton back....

Recap Tuesday

Nigerian Nightmares-112
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-105
Like most contests this season, this matchup went down to the Sunday night Bears-Eagles game and like most Bears games this season, the Hot Dogs were left scratching their heads. LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson single handedly won this game for the Nigerian Nightmares. The Hot Dogs had the lead until the 4th quarter, and the Philly D and Hot Dog Nightmare Jay Cutler simply couldn't keep up. I knew it was you, Jay Cutler, you broke my heart.

Hoosier Heat-100
The Goat Locker-89
Steady as she goes, Mr. Hackman. Hoosier Heat continues to win at the right times and stays atop PG South. The Pats D went a long way to helping the Heat win (although the same cannot be said about Devery Henderson). As for the Goat Locker, I'm not quite sure about the Ryan Moats start. I mean, I get it, he broke off 126 yards and 3 scores a few weeks back, but in the words of Janet Jackson, what have you done for me lately? Chad Ochocinco needs to stop twittering and start concentrating on helping The Goat Locker, what a brutal slump. And after taking a look at the Goat Locker's running back corp, I'd be very concerned.

CO Giants-88
Jimmy's Daddy-76
I never thought I would see the day, but Giant Mike is leading his fantasy football division. The Daddy's missed a golden opportunity to wrap up the sub-par PG North, but the long slog continues. With two consecutive 20 point performances, Sidney Rice has cemented himself as the leader of the Giant receiver corp (and a dangerous leader at that). With running backs at a premium, Hef is going to have a hard time hanging on to this division with Justin Fargas and Pierre Thomas at the helm.

Tallcorn Cobras-91
Berwangers Brawlers-70
T-Dub with a pretty easy victory this week, with Terrell Owens COMIN OUT OF THE BOOTH!!!!!! That's two weeks of good production and only time will tell if he'll return to fantasy prominence. It has to be frustrating to decide week after week who to start, Beanie Wells or Tim Hightower? This could get him into trouble down the stretch. Hey Ger, it might be time to give Devin Hester a seat.

Chimps Gone Wild-132
The Rockpile-93
The Matt Schaub-Andre Johnson one-two punch can be flat out dangerous, as it was last night (with a combined 37 points). When you're putting up a 132 spot, it's gonna be almost impossible to win (I don't care who you are). Toss loss for the Rockpile, who can't seem to get it together this season. Although he has to be excited by Justin Forsett and Jason Snelling, who have emerged as two serious fantasy threats. If they can continue the output, don't count The Rockpile out.

Lawndale Longhorns-116
Rusty Trombones-115
How many close games can the Trombones be in? And two close losses in a row, has to hurt. This might be weird to say, but the player 3K blames for his week 11 woes is none other than Jay Cutler!! You know you're a shitty quarterback when you are causing fantasy teams that you are not on to lose. New Linc is pacing quite well, and positioning himself to make a run in PG South. All he has to do is figure out when to play or sit Roy Williams, and he'll be ok.

Monday Recap

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-60
Rusty Trombones-57
Game.......blouses.

Berwangers Brawlers-68
The Goat Locker-67
The Ger is hanging by a very thin thread here and in his words..."he's got the Ravens D, lights out". The Ger is correct, Team Locker not only has a potent Ravens D, they also have Derrick Mason going tonight. With a Trombone loss, the Goat Locker is poised to reclaim at least a share of first place in PG West. FOOTNOTE-Is the Goat Locker worried about competing down the stretch with his current receiver corps?

The Rockpile-114
Tallcorn Cobras-100
Bronco Mike already enjoying the Reggie Wayne-Thomas Jones blockbuster, as Reggie rips off 24 fantasy points this week (including the game winner). Amazing. This loss is excruciating for T-Dub, as he could have tied it all up in PG Central. My guess is Beanie Wells will be starting next week.

Jimmy's Daddy-111
Lawndale Longhorns-80
Hef continues to keep that Dalai Lama fantasy karma going with a big win over the Lawndale Longhorns. Sure, Linc has Ray Rice going tonight, but there's no way he's getting 32 points for the win. Who does he think he is, Randy Moss? The No Doz "Caught Sleeping Behind The Wheel" Award goes to New Linc this week with his Kevin Boss play. That's No Doz....wake up, turbo!!!

CO Giants-138
Nigerian Nightmares-30
Talk about two extremes, Giant Mike has the best week of his life while Old Linc has the absolute worst week of his life. The result, a 108 point differential. I must say, if the CO Giants are running on all cylinders, ain't nobody beatin em!!! RB Chris Johnson goes all Rhianna on the Buffalo D and that's all she wrote. Pretty embarrassing that Giant Mike could have sat his entire team, just played Chris Johnson....and still won. BTW, Old Linc, did you really call me a windbag on my voicemail Friday night?

Chimps Gone Wild-82
Hoosier Heat-81
I think Mr. Hackman needs a hug. First, Favre embarrasses the Packer faithful two weeks ago, rendering him permanently bitter. Now, Joseph Addai can't close last night with 20 more yards (10 for the tie). That injury in the middle of the game HAD to hurt. The silver lining, however, is that every other team in his division lost as well.

BLOCKBUSTER!!!!!!!!!!

In a surprising Veteran's Day Move, the Roscoe Village Hot Dogs have traded star wideout Reggie Wayne to The Rockpile for running back Thomas Jones.

"This is all about shaking things up", said Hot Dogs GM PG, "what we're doing right now clearly isn't working, our running game is non-existent".

"At 2-7, I had to", declared Rockpile GM Bronco Mike, "I have the #2 rushing offense but am last in receiving, so I was in a position to make the move".

Thomas Jones has amassed 704 rushing yards with 7 touchdowns this season (with 433 of those yards coming in his last 3 games). Reggie Wayne has 753 yards receiving, finding the end zone 6 times thus far.

With the Roscoe Village Hot Dogs posting a 3-6 record and The Rockpile at 2-7, the trade is being looked at as a last ditch effort to save their respective seasons.

"It's now or never, if we don't start winning some ball games, we can kiss the playoffs goodbye", quipped PG.

Monday Recap

Note to self, if you punch someone who has a helmet on, it's not going to hurt them.

Tallcorn Cobras-79
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-66
DeAngelo Williams and Tom Brady were the excitement in this matchup. Huge win for T-Dub as he keeps pace with Mr. Hackman and Hoosier Heat. I can't tell who is worse, the Chicago Bears or the Roscoe Village Hot Dogs. The week I decide to sit Cutler, he decides to break off 31 points. I would fire myself if I could.

Lawndale Longhorns-92
Goat Locker-74
Linc and his Longhorns are hanging in there in PG South, and this win is big. That is, if Mike Wallace doesn't decide to spoil the party tonight (which I don't see as a possibility). As long as the Longhorns have Rodgers, Jones-Drew, and Ray Rice as his core players, they're gonna be in the conversation come playoff time. And cutting his lead in his division to one game is monumental. PG South is officially up for grabs.


The Rockpile-92
Jimmy's Daddy-88
All Willie Parker needs to do is run (or receive) for 50 yards and he'll open a 2 game lead in a very weak PG North. In case that doesn't come to fruition, Hef has the Steelers D to sew this one up. The Rockpile was caught snoozing Sunday with Anquan Boldin (where were you on that one, Bronco Mike?). Disgraciad!!

Berwangers Brawlers-87
Nigerian Nightmares-78
This was a HUGE win for Ger and the Brawlers. If the Daddy's stall this evening, then it'll be a two way tie in the PG North standings. Larry Fitzgerald did not disappoint yesterday, as he answered the call (and The Ger's tweet) for a very productive day. Tough loss for the Nightmares, with every team in the division winning, they needed to be victorious.

CO Giants-109
Chimps Gone Wild-109
A photo finish? Not so fast!! Giant Mike has Brandon Marshall going this evening and is 10 yards away from victory. Could Giant Mike create a three way tie for first place of the fabled PG West (not likely, but there's an outside chance)? The Chimps lost Clinton Portis to a head injury, and that could have meant the difference in game.

Hoosier Heat-85
Rusty Trombones-70
I'm sure 3K doesn't want me to make the prediction and jinx it, but I believe he will be in the winners circle by the end of the evening. And it's Big Ben and Hines Ward who are going to take him there. This win is big, as 3K will take control of PG West and defeat a surging Hoosier Heat who are on a 7 week winning streak. Look for 3K to be gloating and talking trash for the forseeable future (God help us).

Top Quarterbacks-Week 8

Aaron Rodgers-Lawndale Longhorns-34 points
Brett Favre-Goat Locker-33 points (Did not start)
Tony Romo-Berwangers Brawlers-27 points
Donovan McNabb-Rusty Trombones-26 points
Matt Hasselbeck-Chimps Gone Wild-21 points
Drew Brees-Jimmy's Daddy-20 points
Joe Flacco-Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-13 points (Did not start)
Eli Manning-Jimmy's Daddy-13 points (Did not start)
Peyton Manning-Goat Locker-13 points
Philip Rivers-CO Giants-13 points
Matt Ryan-Nigerian Nightmares-11 points
Jay Cutler-Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-10 points
Jake Delhomme-Hoosier Heat-9 points
Kurt Warner-Rockpile-9 points
Matt Schaub-Chimps Gone Wild-8 points
Kyle Orton-Rusty Trombones-7 points
Marc Bulger-Tallcorn Cobras-5 points
David Gararrd-Berwangers Brawlers-3 points

Photo Finish Monday

I would have LOVED to watch yesterday's Vikings-Packers game with Mr. Hackman. We should have hired a psychiatrist to observe Mr. Hackman during the game. Talk about being conflicted. His idol is playing for the wrong team (conflict #1) so he is forced to hate him (even though it's counter to every feeling he's ever had about the guy), he is rooting (in the inner depths of his psyche) for Adrian Peterson (who is on his fantasy team) while at the same time Peterson is treating Lambeau Field like his own backyard. If Jimmy's Daddy had the Packers Defense/Special Teams, I'm afraid that would have sent Hackman straight to the looney bin.

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-94
Goat Locker-86
God, are you there? It's me, PG. Could you do me a big favor and render Michael Turner useless for tonights game against the Saints?

CO Giants-97
Tallcorn Cobras-74
T-Dub needs 24 points and has Roddy White and a dinged up Jeremy Shockey (questionable) going tonight. To me, that's a pretty tall order. Will Giant Mike be celebrating TWO victories this evening?

Hoosier Heat-82
Jimmy's Daddy-41
Are Drew Brees and Pierre Thomas enough to make up 41 point deficit? Normally, I would say Hef is in the clear, but I'm afraid Devery Henderson and John Carney are going to carry Mr. Hackman over the finish line. Look for a nail biter here.

Recap Tuesday

CO Giants-98
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-97
Words cannot express the pain that was felt with 1:48 left in last nights game as the Philly defense gave up a touchdown to the Washington Redskins and costing the Hot Dogs a victory. The slide PG is coasting on is quite steep. Meanwhile Giant Mike has willed his way into a 3 way tie for first place in PG West.

Hoosier Heat-119
The Rockpile-98
Mr. Hackman is the official rainmaker of PG South, winning decisively against Bronco Mike and his Rockpile. Is there anything more impressive than Carson Palmer's 5 TD passes? The Rockpile sat Steve Slaton and paid the price. Wouldn't have helped, but it's nice to make the right calls.

Berwanger's Brawlers-113
Lawndale Longhorns-92
It's games like these that keep a man going. Don't look now, but the Brawlers are 1 game out of first place in PG North. His Dallas connection of Tony Romo and Dallas D were the difference in this one...and how about Donald Driver still putting out? Jerome Harrison? Ouch, that's gotta hurt, New Linc.

Tallcorn Cobras-90
Jimmy's Daddy-72
T-Dub is on a roll, and he wasn't gonna let the Daddy's rain on his parade. He dodged a bullet in starting Hightower over Beanie Wells, but DeAngelo Williams made up for the misstep. The Leon Washginton broken leg clearly hurts the Daddy's, and he might be in the market for a running back this week (3K, are you listening?).

Nigerian Nightmares-119
Rusty Trombones-110
DeSean Jackson....I mean...the Nigerian Nightmares defeated 3K and his Trombones this week, as he tries to keep pace in the white hot PG South. 3K is left scratching his head as he descends into an abyss of defeat. One might wonder what would have happened if the Trombones were still making sweet music with Aaron Rodgers? Word is 3K is scouring the countryside in search of a wide receiver. And early indications are he's not getting too far.

The Goat Locker-115
Chimps Gone Wild-77
An absolute orgy of points over at The Locker while the Chimps were swinging from the vines of mediocrity. A league leading 729 points make The Goats a formidable foe week in and week out. The scary part was he could have sat both running backs and still punched out 100 points. Is there any other receiver more disappointing than Lance Moore? Tough week for Frank Gore, but it's his first back from injury, so we'll see how he fares moving forward.

Matchup Friday

Found a great little site that features favorable matchups, so I thought I would post it here and give you guys a little food for thought going into the weekend.

Headlines
WR Michael Crabtree to play about half of the snaps on Sunday
RB Jerious Norwood out indefinetly
RB Marion Barber will play with fractured thumb
RB Sammy Morris doesn't make trip to London
QB Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely start for Bills

Worst Run Defenses (Opposing Running Backs)
26. St. Louis Rams (Joseph Addai-Donald Brown)
27. San Diego Chargers (Larry Johnson-Jamaal Charles)
28. Oakland Raiders (Thomas Jones-Leon Washington)
29. Carolina Panthers (Marshawn Lynch-Fred Jackson)
30. Cleveland Browns (Ryan Grant)
31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Laurence Maroney-Kevin Faulk)
32. Buffalo Bills (DeAngelo Williams-Jonathan Stewart)

Worst Pass Defenses (Opposing QB,WR,TE)
24. Minnesota Vikings (Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Heath Miller)
25. Kansas City Chiefs (Rivers, Vincent Jackson, Antonio Gates, Darren Sproles)
26. Dallas Cowboys (Matt Ryan, Roddy White, Antonio Gonzalez)
27. St. Louis Rams (Manning, Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark, Austin Collie)
28. Cincinnati Bengels (Cutler, Hester, Johnny Knox, Earl Bennett, Greg Olson)
29. Detroit Lions-BYE
30. Jacksonville Jaguars-BYE
31. Arizona Cardinals-(Manning, Steve Smith, Mario Manningham, Hakeem Nicks)
32. Tennessee Titans-BYE

Fox Sports Roger Rotter's Week 7 Top 20 Players
1. Peyton Manning, Ind (QB)
2. Drew Brees, NO (QB)
3. Tom Brady, NE (QB)
4. DeAngelo Williams, Car (RB)
5. Randy Moss, NE (WR)
6. Reggie Wayne, Ind (WR)
7. Adrian Peterson, Min (RB)
8. Thomas Jones, NYJ (RB)
9. Aaron Rodgers, GB (QB)
10. Matt Schaub, Hou (QB)
11. Philip Rivers, SD (QB)
12. Ben Roethlisberger, Pit (QB)
13. Larry Fitzgerald, Ari (WR)
14. Greg Jennings, GB (WR)
15. Andre Johnson, Hou (WR)
16. Roddy White, Atl (WR)
17. Marques Colston, NO (WR)
18. Michael Turner, Atl (RB)
19. Ronnie Brown, Mia (RB)
20. Frank Gore, SF (RB)

Fantasy Football Toolbox Start 'Em-
QB-Matt Cassell-Although the Chiefs won their first game of the season last week, Cassel wasn't at his best. Look for him to bounce back this week when he faces the San Diego Chargers.

RB-Laurence Maroney-Can it really be possible that Laurence Maroney might finally get a real chance to be a fantasy starter? Last week with Fred Taylor already out with an injury and Sammy Morris going down in the first quarter, Maroney stepped up and carried the ball 16 times for 123 yards and 1 touchdown to go along with 3 catches for 10 yards. So follow Morris's injury status this week and if he is out, then Maroney should be in your line-up.

RB-Ricky Williams-Even though Ricky is splitting carries with Brown, he has rushed for over 50 yards in 4 out of 5 games, to go along with 11 catches for 132 yards and has scored a touchdown in 3 out of 5 games. It seems it doesn't matter who the Dolphins play and if they are winning or losing, they will run the ball as often as they can. Look for another solid week from Ricky Williams.

WR-Miles Austin-Even if Roy Williams is back this week, Austin will be staying in the starting line-up and Romo will continue to look to him to make big plays. Get Austin in your line-up this week.

WR-Austin Collie-It took Collie a few weeks to get going, but over his last 2 games he has 14 receptions for 172 yards and 3 touchdowns as he gains Peyton Manning's confidence. This week the Colts face the St. Louis Rams, who can't seem to stop very much these days. Until Gonzalez comes back from injury, Collie should be a good start

BLOCKBUSTER THURSDAY

Mr. 3000 was looking for a suitor and by God he has found one. The Lawndale Longhorns send WR Michael Crabtree, Marshawn Lynch, and Cadillac Williams to the Rusty Trombones for Kenny Britt, Jerome Harrison, and Aaron Rodgers.

As of press time, both GM's were not available for comment. Hopefully we'll get a few words from them sometime today.

In the meantime, let's start armchair quarterbacking. Good deal? Bad deal?

Fantasy Football Daily

Great banter on the blog, lately. I like what I'm seeing. Here's a quick fantasy football update-

Weekly Schedule-
Hoosier Heat at Rockpile
Lawndale Longhorns at Berwanger's Brawlers
TallCorn Cobras at Jimmy's (or Ryan's) Daddy
Nigerian Nightmares at Rusty Trombones
Chimps Gone Wild at The Goat Locker
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs at CO Giants

Top 3 Free Agents-
1. Matt Cassell QB-80 fantasy points
2. Redskins D-69 fantasy points
3. Shaun Hill QB-63 points

Team's Top Performers
Berwangers Brawlers-David Gerrard-88 points
Chimps Gone Wild-Matt Schaub-144 points
CO Giants-Philip Rivers-96 points
Hoosier Heat-Adrian Peterson-104 points
Jimmy's Daddy-Drew Brees-125 points
Lawndale Longhorns-Maurice Jones-Drew-102 points
Nigerian Nightmares-Matt Ryan-96 points
The Rockpile-Kurt Warner-92 points
Hot Dogs-Joe Flacco-121 points
Rusty Trombones-Ben Roethlisberger-132 points
Tallcorn Cobras-Tom Brady-138 points
The Goat Locker-Peyton Manning-129 points

Team Rushing Touchdown Leaders
1.Hoosier Heat-14
The Rockpile-14
Lawndale Longhorns-14
4. The Goat Locker-13
5. Rusty Trombones-11
6. CO Giants-10
Hot Dogs-10
8. Tallcorn Cobras-9
Chimps Gone Wile-9
10. Berwangers Brawlers-8
11. Jimmy's Daddy-5
Nigerian Nightmares-5

Trash Talk Tuesday

Great day on the blog yesterday, boys. We had offers, anonymous folks trying to stir the pot, and finally a tit for tat dustup between two teams in the same division. You've gotta love fantasy sports!!! I'm actually curious to hear what the offer was, perhaps it'll leak to the press and be open up for scrutiny?

Lawndale Longhorns-100
Hot Dogs-96
Excruciating loss for the Hot Dogs. Turns out Kaeding had the opportunities, and took advantage. New Linc is back at the .500 mark.

Rockpile-109
Berwangers Brawlers-81
The climb continues for Bronco Mike, winning his second in a row.

Jimmy's Daddy-139
Rusty Trombones-85
The Daddy's take over PG North with a message sender!! Autodraft or not, could the Daddy's return to conversation as a force? The Trombones hang onto first in PG West (although ominous signs are beginning to take root).

Tallcorn Cobras-125
Chimps Gone Wild-71
After a slow start, T-Dub and his men are starting to make the turn, trying to make up some ground in the fabled PG South. As an aside, if the Chimps start Matt Schaub instead of Matt Hasselbeck, they're the winners this week.

Nigerian Nightmares-121
The Goat Locker-98
Big win for Old Linc this week, beating The Goat Locker is no small feat. Very tough pill to swallow for The Locker faithful. A win would have tied up PG West.

Hoosier Heat-94
CO Giants-76
Brandon Marshall and Philip Rivers throw up two duds, and the CO Giants lose their second in a row (and a critical matchup at that). Mr. Hackman is sitting pretty atop PG South and also has the best record in the league. Well done, sir.

Last Stand Monday

Hot Dogs-96
Lawndale Longhorns-87
Thanks to sophomore disaster (and 4th overall pick) Matt Forte, the Longhorns are 10 points away from a win. New Linc is hoping that Nate Kaeding's foot will split the uprights to victory. Looks like a nailbiter.

The Rockpile-109
Berwanger's Brawlers-81
With a 28 point lead (and Eddie Royal going tonight), the Rockpile has this one in the bag.

Jimmy's Daddy-132
The Rusty Trombones-68
Hef is nursing a whopping 64 point lead against a VERY RUSTY Trombones squad. 3K has Chargers D and Vincent Jackson, Hef has Antonio Gates. This could be the week The Daddy's reclaim first place.

Tallcorn Cobras-125
Chimps Gone Wild-71
This matchup is closed, chalk one up for T-Dub.

Nigerian Nightmares-121
The Goat Locker-98
Big win for Old Linc, stopping the skid.

Hoosier Heat-92
CO Giants-58
Giant Mike is still very much in this contest, down 34 points with Philip Rivers and Brandon Marshall going tonight. Let's hope they perform better than Big Blue's D...disgraciad!!

Wide Receiver Wednesday

This position has been, by far, the most unpredictable in fantasy football this year. And there really is no rhyme or reason to it. Great receivers are flops, relative unknowns are studs. It really is quite something. So I thought I would list the top 15 receivers in the league, the team that owns said player, fantasy points, and round they were drafted.

1. Steve Smith, CO Giants, 71 points, 9th round
2. Reggie Wayne, Hot Dogs, 68 points, 3rd round
3. Andre Johnson, Chimps Gone Wild, 65 points, 2nd round
4. Brandon Marshall, CO Giants, 51 points, 5th round
5. Miles Austin, Free Agent, 50 points, Undrafted
6. Mario Manningham, Hot Dogs, 50 points, Undrafted
7. Roddy White, Tallcorn Cobras, 50 points, Round 3
8. Nate Burlelson, Berwangers Brawlers, 49 points, Round 9
9. Chad Ochocinco, The Goat Locker, 49 points, Round 5
10. Larry Fitzgerald, Berwangers Brawlers, 48 points, Round 1
11. Vincent Jackson, Rusty Trombones, 48 points, Round 3
12. Hines Ward, Rusty Trombones, 46 points, Round 5
13. Mike Sims-Walker, Chimps Gone Wild, 43 points, Undrafted
14. Randy Moss, Jimmy's Daddy, 41 points, Round 2
15. Santana Moss, Nigerian Nightmares, 41 points, Round 8

A few observations...The best receiver in the league is a 9th rounder, the first receiver taken in the draft is the 10th ranked receiver, and three undrafted receivers are ranked in the top 15. Pretty interesting.

Fantasy Football Re-Cap

Hoosier Heat-89 (3-2)
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-77 (4-1)
Perfect example of a GM not starting the right personnel. If Dwayne Bowe is in the lineup instead of Kelley Washington, the Hot Dogs take this matchup. Of course, Chris Cooley actually catching a pass would have helped as well. It was fairly close going into last night. Damn you, Teddy Ginn, damn you.

The Rockpile-106 (1-4)
Lawndale Longhorns-78 (2-3)
Bronco Mike's first win of the season was done in decisive fashion. Throwing up a 107 spot is nothing to sneeze at (wait, I think it actually IS something to sneeze at). "Wildcat" Ronnie Brown made the difference in this one, and the vaunted Jets defense manages to give up 31 points, 413 yards, and NO FANTASY POINTS. Lawndale Longhorns....zero...point....zero. The climb is steep for The Rockpile, but the first win of the season is always the hardest.

Berwangers Brawlers-73 (2-3)
CO Giants-72 (3-2)
This win by The Ger just warms my heart. Simply because I was picturing Giant Mike sitting on his couch begging for Mark Sanchez to throw Dustin Keller the ball. But it was not to be. The Yankees are going to the ALCS, Giant Mike, don't push your luck.

The Goat Locker-111 (3-2)
Jimmy's Daddy-62 (3-2)
The Battle of Lake Villa is boiling over, with both The Goat Locker and The Rusty Trombones vying for supremacy. This week, it was 3K who was stuffed in the locker. The high octane Goat Locker offensive went over the century mark again for a league leading 111. Ahmad Bradshaw came out of his cleats this weekend, and lead Team Goat to victory. When Michael Turner (who garnered 27 points this week) is sitting on your bench, you're doing a-ok. For the Daddy's, in a word, LACK-LUSTER. Amazingly, they are still tied for 1st in PG North after a Hot Dog loss. Hey Hef, when you negotiated that deal with the devil, did you opt out of the eternal damnation clause?

Tallcorn Cobras-110 (2-3)
The Rusty Trombones-55 )4-1)
PUT IT ON THE BOOOOOOOARD, YES!!!!! Big upset, upset of the week. T-Dub is hanging on in PG South with a big win over the high-powered Rusty Trombones (suffering their first loss of the season). 3K might claim bye week blues, but the Cobras rode this wave on the backs of Rowdy Roddy White and T.J. Howsyamutha. Judging by last night's Jet's gameplan, I'm wondering if 3K is cursing the Braylon Edwards trade?

Chimps Gone Wild-103 (2-3)
Nigerian Nightmares-75 (1-4)
I'm gonna say it right now, the Chimps are my dark horse candidate to win the whole darn thing this year. With Frank Gore out, the Chimps employed the "double points" strategy by starting Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. And it worked, translating to 4 touchdowns. Gore will be back for Week 7, and it'll be interesting to see how many points the Chimps can put up. Meanwhile, this is the dog days of fall for the Nightmares. They just can't seem to get anything going. There's gotta be a trade out there that can jolt this team back into coherence.

Speaking of trades...where are they? I'm shocked we haven't seen a blockbuster yet. Is anyone in the market? Is anyone even sniffing?

Baseball Open Thread

How bad is Matt Holliday feeling today? That Nobel Prize worthy error could have possibly cost the Cardinals the series. And I don't care what anyone says, that caught him in the balls.

Since our fantasy baseball back and forth has reached spam proportions, let's use this as an open thread. So throw out your ideas, dreams, and fears (and at the same time stop filling up my inbox).

Rockpile at Lawndale Longhorns
CO Giants at Berwanger's Brawlers
The Goat Locker at Jimmy's (or Ryan's) Daddy
Rusty Trombones at TallCorn Cobras
Chimps Gone Wild at Nigerian Nightmares
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs at Hoosier Heat

How Is Your First Rounder Doing?

Hoosier Heat
Adrian Peterson-
412 rushing yards, 56 receiving yards, 5TD's
70 fantasy points

Lawndale Longhorns
Maurice Jones-Drew
296 rushing yards, 97 receiving yards, 5 TD's
64 fantasy points

The Goat Locker
Michael Turner
226 rushing yards, 5 receiving yards, 2 TD's
29 fantasy points

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs
Matt Forte
271 rushing yards, 92 receiving yards, 1 TD
39 fantasy points

Tallcorn Cobras
DeAngelo Williams
180 rushing yards, 84 receiving yards, 2 TD's
34 fantasy points

Jimmy's Daddy
Drew Brees
1031 passing yards, 9 TD's-2 INT, 108.4 passing rating
87 fantasy points

Nigerian Nightmares
Steven Jackson
367 rushing yards, 67 receiving yards, 0 TD
37 fantasy points

Chimps Gone Wild
Frank Gore
241 rushing yards, 57 receiving yards, 4 TD's
51 fantasy points

Berwanger's Brawlers
Larry Fitzgerald
181 receiving yards, 2 TD's
29 fantasy points

CO Giants
Chris Johnson
434 rushing yards, 117 receiving yards, 3 TD's
69 fantasy points

The Rockpile
Steve Slaton
192 rushing yards, 121 receiving yards, 2 TD's
35 fantasy points

The Rusty Trombones
LaDanian Tomlinson
70 rushing yards, 1 TD
10 fantasy points

Playoff Time

Is everybody ready for the playoffs (real life, not fantasy)? I, for one, have been waiting for this all season. A few points here-

How awesome was that Twins-Tigers game last night? Now, I don't think it was the greatest game I ever saw (as Orlando Cabrera intimated), but it was a dandy nonetheless. I wonder if the Tigers gave Ryan Raburn a seditive and a team of psychitrists for the plane ride back to Detroit?

I'm gonna be honest here, gentleman. I'm worried. Here's why...everybody is saying the mighty New York Yankees are going to cake walk into the World Series. The Twins are simply a road apple on their march to glory. They're tired from the late night flight to New York City after an exhausting season (and extra inning playoff game). Superstar C.C. Sabathia takes on rookie Brian Duensing in the opener. All the signs point to a massacre. I'm cautiously optimistic. But as I was telling 3K last night, Derek Jeter ALWAYS says it's not the best team that wins the World Series, it's the HOTTEST team. And right now, what team is on more of a roll than the Minnesota Twins? Whether you like to admit it or not, the Twins are already in playoff mode. They've been this way for weeks. Their mindset is there, the Yankees have been coasting since July.

Secondly, the Yankees bats tend to go cold when it matters most, the postseason. Here are the Yankees postseason batting averages for their last three appearances.

2007-.228
2006-.246
2005-.253

Do we have a new team? To some extent, but the cold bats are an issue in my eyes. Even more of an issue are certain players on the team that go cold. The most obvious is Alex Rodriguez, who has hit .267, .071, and .133 in his past three appearences. Johnny Damon (.278, .235, .231) and Hideki Matsui (.182, .250, .200). Also, don't forget Jeter hit .176 in his last postseason appearence, Posada hit .133, and Melky hit .188. I'm not saying this is going to happen, it just makes me worry.

On a side note, looks like Carl Pavano dodged a bullet, getting to pitch against Andy Pettite on Saturday in Minnesota. I'll bet he begged not to throw in the Bronx.

Now that I have bored everyone with Yankee talk, let's hear your post season predictions? Who advances to the ALCS/NLCS? World Series?

Points Leaders

1. CO Giants-439.00
2. Rusty Trombones-429.00
3. Chimps Gone Wild-406.00
4. The Goat Locker-405.00
5. Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-400.00
6. Lawndale Longhorns-343.00
7. Nigerian Nightmares-323.00
8. Tallcorn Cobras-311.00
9. Hoosier Heat-308.00
10. Ryan's Daddy-308.00
11. The Rockpile-293.00
12. Berwangers Brawlers-262.00

What is fascinating is the points dropoff between 5th and 6th place (57 point differential). In the words of shower hanger Michael Hutchence from INXS, it makes you wonder how the other half lives.

Final Baseball Rankings

Congratulations to Hef and Jimmy's Daddy, winner of the 2009 PG Sportsworld fantasy baseball league! In an absolute trouncing, the Daddy's took every category (save strikeouts) and show the Sportsworld that he is the undisputed champion.

So here we go, fellas, the final rankings for 2009. These will be used to determine next years draft order and will, of course, be used for end of the year fantasy points.

1. Jimmy's Daddy- $480.00
2. Client #9- $360.00
3. The Rockpile- $240.00
4. Tallcorn Cobras- $60.00
5. Hoosier Heat- $60.00
6. Clark & Addison
7. CO Yankees
8. Year 2000!
9. Lawndale Longhorns
10. Cornholers
11. Baby Gorillas
12. The SwinGERS

A few observations here....Yankee Mike and the CO Yankees went from 12th place to 7th place during the course of the playoffs. Congrats, Yankee Mike, what a climb!! Baby Bisho and his Client #9 team went from the 5 seed to the championship game and 2nd place. Well done, sir. On the opposite end of that, The SwinGERS went from 9th place to 12th place. Ouch!!

Give me a few days to get to the bank to get you guy's your money (since this is an account dedicated soley for the baseball league, I'll most likely be sending you a cashiers check). So if you are in the money, send me a quick e-mail with your home address.

I will also be calculating how many moves each team has made, and the costs associated. I'll post the amounts each team will have to send me.

HOME STRETCH

Jimmy's Daddy-6
Client #9-2
Tied-2
I think I know where this one is headed, as Baby Bisho is like Michael Rooker's girlfriend in the opening scene of Sly Stallone's "Cliffbreaker". In short, he's losing his grip. Hold on, Baby Bisho!!

The Rockpile-5
Tallcorn Cobras-3
Tied-2
My, how the mighty have fallen. Could Rocky Mike take the #3 slot and hand T-Dub his second loss in as many weeks? This one is very close though, the final chapter of this saga has yet to be written. Every at-bat (and pitch) counts.

Fantasy Football Re-Cap

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-93
Jimmy's Daddy-69
Looks like the shoe is on the other foot, huh Hef? With concerns over his starting running back corp, the Hot Dogs get satisfactory production this Sunday (although both Forte and Smith still have not scored a touchdown). Jay Cutler and Reggie Wayne simply carried PG over the finish line. Look on the bright side, Hef, looks like Pierre Thomas is emerging as Leon Washington's replacement.

Rusty Trombones-110
CO Giants-88
Rollin, rollin, rollin...keep those Trombones rollin!! The battle of PG West has shown that the 3K isn't so Rusty, as the defending champions continue to show they are a force to be reckoned with. Willis Magahee has 5 touchdowns in 3 weeks, and is proving to be the anchor of 3K's running back corps. Worries over the Trombone receivers have been answered by Jerricho Cotchery, who is complimenting Vincent Jackson quite well. Speaking of receivers, it might be time for Giant Mike to put Brandon Marshall into the starting lineup. With Marion Barber on the sidelines, this might be a tough road to hoe for the CO Giants.

Lawndale Longhorns-104
Nigerian Nightmares-72
The Battle of Lincoln ended with Brother Shane victorious, and at 2-1, he looks for PG South supremacy (with Maurice Jones Drew showing him the promised land). And hasn't Mark Sanchez impressed so far this year. Linc got lucky after Donovan McNabb went down (good drafting on his part). Lake Forest product Kevin Walter is back from his hamstring injury and had a big game. My guess is he'll replace Braylon Edwards, who has to be frustrated at the Browns QB situation. Meanwhile the Nightmares were asleep at the wheel, starting Brian Westbrook AND Wes Welker. If they start Julius Jones and Santana Moss, he's in first place and his brother is sucking wind at 1-2. What a shame.

Berwangers Brawlers-84
Chimps Gone Wild-79
Big win for The Ger and his Brawlers, as he looks to build a solid season after an 0-2 start. Even without Larry Fitzgerald, the Ger was able to get some good points out of receivers Nate Burleson and Devin Hester. Something to keep an eye on is QB Tony Romo's 57% completion rate, ouch. So far, PG East is a two way street fight between the Hot Dogs and the Chimps, so this loss could be pivotal. The Frank Gore loss hurts VERY BAD, as the Chimps have to weather three weeks without him.

Hoosier Heat-69
Tallcorn Cobras-54
Lackluster game of the week, you both should be ashamed of yourselves. Let's move on.

Team 11-128
The Rockpile-67
The high-powered PG West division continues to pump out the points, and Team 11 does his part this week by throwing up a 128 spot. Between Peyton Manning and the Ravens D/ST, Team 11 has a strong foundation in a very tough division. And how about 35 year old Derrick Mason passing the century mark this week? Certainly makes up for Percy Harvin (who can run back kickoffs, but doesn't get any love from Brett Favre). I wonder if Bronco Mike is worried about his QB situation. He just lost Chad Pennington to a shoulder injury, and Kurt Warner played like a guy who stocks shelves at a supermarket. That 30 yard sack for a loss was flat out embarrassing. I don't care about his completion percentage last week, Kurt Warner sucks. It should be interesting to see if he'll use Felix Jones as a featured back (especially if Marion Barber remains injured). Oh..wait...nevermind. With The Rockpile scoring 209 points in three weeks, do I sense some trade offers coming?

CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK

WOW, what a week. In the final innings of the week, Baby Bisho defeats the Tallcorn Cobras, unseating the #1 seed and shocking the fantasy baseball world. A dejected T-Dub checked in last night, quipping, "I knew it could happen....my pitching laid an egg, it'll take a while to let this go". The Cobras will take on Rocky Mike's Rockpile to determine the 3rd place winner.

Client #9 will take on #2 seed Jimmy's Daddy in the PG Sportsworld Fantasy Baseball final. The Daddy's have been playing almost flawless baseball of late. Hef, GM for the Daddy's walks into this week riding a wave of confidence. "How sick is my team, performing in the clutch?"

In the bottom bracket, Fenway Ed and Year 2000! will face Yankee Mike and his surging CO Yankees. In a sign that anything can happen, Yankee Mike points to the fact that a #12 seed can play for 7th place points. Only in PG Sportsworld.

For the 9th place slot, 3K's Cornholers will take on the Lawndale Longhorns. Be sure to check in during the week, final season points are riding on every game!!

Gut Check Thursday

AND DOWN THE STRETCH WE COME!!!!!!!! Getting down to the nitty gritty. Lots of money on the line here. Who's got the coins to step up and take it?

Semi-Finals
Client #9-5
Tallcorn Cobras-4
Tied-1
T-Dub better get his pitching staff in gear, or Baby Bisho is gonna be playing for all the marbles next week.

Jimmy's Daddy-9
The Rockpile-0
Tied-1
Now is not the time to take a week off, Rocky Mike. Almost as impressive as the Daddy's offensive showing? His RIDICULOUS pitching staff throwing up sub 1 numbers. At this point, I'd say Hef is the team to beat.

5th Place Final

Hoosier Heat-5
Clark & Addison-3
Tied-2
Hoosier is almost at cruise control mode, the only thing keeping Linc in the game here is his pitching staff. Hang in there, man, make it a contest!!

Year 2000!-8
Lawndale Longhorns-1
Tied-1
Is it possible that an 11 seed team could be playing for the #7 slot next week? Is Lawndale doing his best Brad Lidge impression here?

Cornholers-5
CO Yankees-5
I'm gonna be absolutely GLUED to this matchup this weekend.

Baby Gorillas-6
The SwinGERS-3
Tied-1
God, please, don't make me the last place team.

Wednesday Snapshot

Many say that a fantasy team lives or dies by their running back corp. Bad running backs, bad team right? Let's take a look at each team's rushing performance thus far.

1. CO Giants- 70 rushes, 484 yards, 6.9 YPC
2. Hoosier Heat- 75 rushes, 389 yards, 5.2 YPC
3. Chimps Gone Wild- 74 rushes, 376 yards, 5.1 YPC
4. Lawndale Longhorns- 68 rushes, 321 yards, 4.7 YPC
5. Nigerian Nightmares- 66 rushes, 319 yards, 4.8 YPC
6. Tallcorn Cobras- 69 rushes, 318 yards, 4.6 YPC
7. Team 11- 85 rushes, 309 yards, 3.6 YPC
8. Rusty Trombones- 65 rushes, 291 yards, 4.5 YPC
9. The Rockpile- 66 rushes, 240 yards, 3.6 YPC
10. Hot Dogs- 85 rushes, 206 yards, 2.4 YPC
11. Berwangers Brawlers- 51 rushes, 172 yards, 3.4 YPC
12. Jimmy's Daddy- 42 rushes, 123 yards, 2.9 YPC

Fantasy Football Re-Cap

Chimps Gone Wild-126
Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-78
The Chimps picked up their first win of the season by decisvely beating the Hot Dogs of Roscoe Village. Frank Gore and Andre Johnson absolutely went off, garnering a combined 395 total yards and 4 touchdowns. A bit of drama as they lose their starting QB in Matt Hasselbeck but not to worry, Matt Schaub, who had the best week of his career, is waiting in the wings. PG is starting to worry a little about his decision making skills as well as the talent on his team. You're not gonna win too many games when your two top running backs score a combined 12 points. Ugggggggggg-ly!!!!

CO Giants-145
Team 11-110
Giant Mike is sitting atop PG West tied for first place, and his team is absolutely coasting right now. Chris Johnson throws up a 45 spot, and Marion Barber gets 21 of his own. Oh, and I almost forgot, Cedric Benson sits on his bench waiting for an opportunity to shine. I wish I had his problems. Tough loss for Team 11, who made a good showing by passing the century mark. Exciting production out of Dallas Clark last night, 80 yards to paydirt right out of the box. This performance would win most weeks in fantasy football. But when you're in PG Sportsworld, the bar is set a little higher, isn't it?

Tallcorn Cobras-86
Lawndale Longhorns-83
T-Dub eeked out a nailbiter this week, as both teams put up C-level performances. Interesting to note not one player on either squad had 20 points or more. Something to keep an eye on. It was nice to see Terrell Owens show up to the party this week, and his 43 yard touchdown made all the difference in the world. Who know Superman Tom Brady would wilt under the green kryptonite that is the New York Jets defense. J-E-T-S-JETS-JETS-JETS!!!!! To me, I saw a quarterback that was throwing off his back leg because he's scared of re-injuring that knee. Don't worry, T-Dub, you always have your backup....wait...you didn't draft a backup? Hey Lawndale, can you explain your thought process of starting Kevin Walter at wideout this week? Sure, there was an outside shot of him seeing playing time...were you not by your computer come gametime? A Braylon Edwards play is a win for the Longhorns. Tough loss, champ.

Jimmy's Daddy-65
Berwangers Brawlers-43
You think the last contest was lackluster, only two players on both teams scored over 10 points in this contest. The Daddy's are 2-0 and are averaging 78 points a week. That's what happends when you have a cupcake schedule. This one isn't worthy of comment (or my time). Let's move on....

Hoosier Heat-90
Nigerian Nightmares-76
Mr. Hackman puts up a solid performance, as he gets to .500 with a nice win over the Nigerian Nightmares. Hoosier Heat shows consistency, averaging around 90 points in the first two weeks. Solid performances by Carson Palmer (finally)and Adrian Peterson were keys to victory. The Nightmares were loving Marques Colston and Matt Ryan this week, but I'm sure are VERY worried about their running back corp. Join the club, Linc.

Rusty Trombones-117
The Rockpile-93
The reigning champs continue in cruise control with a victory over Bronco Mike and The Rockpile. PG West is looking like a two team dogfight, and I'm excited to follow it through the season. 3K is running on all cylinders, and his Cardinals defense/special teams pick is paying dividends rather quickly. As long as his running backs continue to produce, I think we're gonna see the Trombones defending their title with gusto. Meanwhile Rocky Mike has nothing to be ashamed of, with great perfomances by Kurt "Mr. Efficiency" Warner and Ronnie "Wildcat" Brown. Even Kellen "The Soldier" Winslow put up some good points. I have a feeling The Rockpile won't be winless for long.

PLAYOFF UPDATE 2nd Round

Ok, guys, the playoffs are in full swing and dare I say...exciting? Saw the comments from the last post, btw, never realized that everyone liked the blog so much. By the looks of the number of comments people regularly make, I thought it was a ghost town (well, when you take away the whining, bitching, and complaining). BOOM!!!!!!!!

If the matchups don't excite you, perhaps this will. A refresher on how much money you could be taking home-

1st Place 40.00% $480.00
2nd Place 30.00% $360.00
3rd Place 20.00% $240.00
4th Place 5.00% $60.00
5th Place 5.00% $60.00

So far, Tallcorn Cobras, Client #9, The Rockpile, and Jimmy's Daddy are assured some sort of payout. But the bump between 4th and 3rd place is rather large.

Amazing that the lower seed teams in every contest prevailed, setting the stage for a dramatic round two. Could Client #9 truly show his fantasy mettle by ousting the juggernaut that is Tallcorn Cobras? Will the Rockpile stave off a typical weekend comeback from Jimmy's Daddy? Will Clark & Addison put the final nail in Mr. Hackman's coffin, rendering Hoosier Heat a paper tiger who cannot come through when it counts. Not to mention this contest is worth $60 (as the 5th place team sees that payout). As Derek Jeter always says, "it's not the best team that prevails in the postseason, it's the hottest team".

Down in the bottom bracket, we have Fenway Ed fighting for relavence as he takes on 7 seed Lawndale Longhorns. In an amazing upset, Yankee Mike earns the right to tussle with 3K, which I'm guessing will turn into a carnival of trash talk. In the toilet bowl, The Ger takes on yours truly, PG.

Keep in mind, every point counts in this 6 season league. Good luck gentleman!!

Playoff Update

CO Yankees-6
Baby Gorillas-3
Tied-1

The Rockpile-6
Hoosier Heat-3
Tied-1

Client #9-6
Clark & Addison-2
Tied-2

Year 2000!-6
The SwinGERS-3
Tied-1

Wade and I discussed this earlier this week, but in the event of a TIE, the following list will govern who wins the overall contest....

Batting Average
Wins
Home Runs
Strikeouts
Runs Batted In
Earned Run Average

So if there is a tie, whatever team has the higher batting average will win the week. If that category is a tie, then you move onto Wins. If that is a tie, you move onto home runs, and so on.

Fantasy Football Re-Cap

Roscoe Village Hot Dogs-122
Berwanger Brawlers-82
This is your textbook "statement maker". Whoever coined the phrase "defense wins ballgames" couldn't be more correct in this matchup. The Hot Dogs Eagles D scored a whopping 43 points, including 2 defensive/special teams touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 5 sacks, and 2 fumble recoveries. I'm crossing my fingers that The Ger's Chargers D/ST doesn't have a similar showing tonight against the Raiders. Meanwhile, the Brawlers enjoyed solid performances by Tony Romo and Devin Hester, who quieted concerns about his ineffectiveness as a receiver. If Cutler and Forte continue down this road, this is going to be a long season for the Hot Dogs.

CO Giants-79
The Rockpile-49
Giant Mike came up with a nice win this week, while Bronco Mike is left reeling after a subpar performance and an injury to wide receiver Anthony Gonzalez. After garnering only 7 points from his running backs and 2 points from 3 receivers, The Rockpile are scratching their collective heads about how to proceed. With Philip Rivers playing tonight for the Giants, Giant Mike may pass the century mark in points, and cement himself as a formidable fantasy squad. We'll keep an eye on his grade C performance from his running backs and receivers (save Santonio Holmes).

Lawndale Longhorns-95
Hoosier Heat-77
I know where Mr. Hackman and Lincoln Shane will be tonight..glued to their TV sets as this contest is far from over. 3K and I had a good laugh yesterday over the bittersweet situation Hackman finds himself in with Adrian Peterson. Come on, Hackman, come clean. You were cheering, weren't you? While Hoosier was cheering, Linc was most likely sobbing at the loss of Donovan McNabb. That one HAS to hurt. Meanwhile, Hoosier Heat still has Darren McFadden and Patriots D/ST to go and the Longhorns Nate Kaeding kicking for points tonight. Could Mr. Hackman be toasting to victory tonight?

Chimps Gone Wild-85
Jimmy's Daddy-62
Hef always had a knack for coming in at the last possible second and stealing victory. I've got news for you, it may happen again. The Daddy's tout Randy Moss, Antonio Gates, and Stephen Gostkowski tonight and the Chimps only have Lee Evans. Speaking of receivers, the Chimps have to be frustrated that Bernard Berrian was thrown to twice (with no receptions). What's that all about? Should be another excited finish!! I'll tell you what, if Hef can walk away with a W while getting no points from two injured starters (Steve Breaston and Pierre Thomas), he'll be a very happy man.

Nigerian Nightmares-98
Tallcorn Cobras-73
The Nightmares enjoyed a nice little week from quarterback Matt Ryan, and sleeper tight end John Carlson lived up to the hype by catching two TD's and almost eclipsing 100 yards receiving. T-Dubs squad put up two TD's in the tight end category as well, with resident dirtbag Jeremey Shockey racking up two of his own. I wonder if the Nightmares are panicking about Stephen Jackson yet? T-Dub needs 26 points out of Tom Brady and Terrell Owens to seal a victory. But not so fast, as the Fighting Okoye's have Wes Welker going for them this evening...or do they? Welker was listed as questionable but is expected to see action.

Team 11-70
Rusty Trombones-59
The battle of Lake Villa is raging, and 3K may just run the victory flag up the flagpole after all is said and done. The Trombones enjoyed good production out of his Green Bay contingent (Rodgers and Grant) and if he can keep that going with his San Diego squad (Tomlinson and Jackson), he'll walk away a winner. The 8 total points from 3rd overall pick Michael Turner and Chester Taylor may prove to be the achillies heel in Team 11's performance. It'll be interesting to see if anyone on his reserve squad will get the call in week 2.