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....