happy new year

october 5th is the most common birthday in america.  it just happens to be 274 days after new year's eve.  be smart tonight, kiddos.

week 17 update, nfl predictions

fantasy football was really hit-and-miss this year.  it was, sadly, one of my worst seasons ever.

league 1: i finished the regular season 4th (out of 12), $10 buy in.

i was really down on this team immediately after drafting.  adam pelkey, on august 28th, commented that it "could be an ugly season for this team.  sorry man."  well, I'M IN THE CHAMPIONSHIP, BYYAAAHHH.  this has been the only glimmer of fantasy hope this season.  my original roster consisted of the following:

QB: brady
RB: hillis
RB: the law firm
WR: andre johnson
WR: brandon marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: henery
DST: chiefs
bench: daniel thomas, flacco, mike thomas, woodhead, walter, zach miller

my final roster is substantially different:

QB: brady
RB: cj spiller
RB: stevan ridley
WR: jabar gaffney
WR: marshall
TE: winslow
FLEX: stevie johnson
K: bailey
DST: denver
bench: andre, hillis, flacco, driver, the law firm, jared cook

needless to say, i had some waiver wire luck.  ridley and spiller have merely been fillers for injury.  i hate that this league waits until week 17 to have the championship.  i'm hoping some of my players don't get benched early.  espn's projections have me winning 143-110.  fingers crossed.

league 2: 6th in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team sucked.  on paper, i was always projected to go big...but i'd lose high scoring affairs.  this league also pays out based on regular season, so even though i was one of the highest in terms of points, i didn't take home any money because of head-to-head standings.  dang.

league 3: 3rd place in regular season (out of 12), 4th place in playoffs.
this team was in 11th for most of the season and then i made a late-season push up the standings.  i didn't take  home any money, but to be honest we didn't collect money for the league.  i wouldn't be surprised if no one gets paid.  the league consisted entirely of bockmed's friends, and i only really knew 5 or 6 of the people in it. at the very least, i beat bockmed and all of his roommates (none of them made the playoffs) so at least i can hold those bragging rights over their heads for awhile.

league 4: 9th place in regular season (out of 12), didn't make playoffs.
what really pisses me off about this team is that i had 2 regular season losses that resulted from receivers dropping a ball on the final drive of the sunday night/monday night game.  had my players just CAUGHT THE BALL i would have been in the playoffs.

to add insult to injury, my team ABSOLUTELY WENT OFF DURING WEEKS 14, 15, AND 16.  my team averaged 147 points per week from week 14-16.  i probably would have won the playoffs.  did i mention this was my $50 league?  uggghhhhhh.  oh well.

predictions for the coming weeks:
if the giants lose sunday, tom coughlin will be fired.
john gruden will coach the rams next year--which is a shame because i don't think it is fair to judge any coaching performance given the injuries the rams have had this season.
gary kubiak will receive a contract extension even if the texans lose in the first round.
andy dalton will win the rookie of the year award.
adrian peterson will not play in week 1.  i don't care what people and reporters are saying.
i will have a better fantasy football season in 2012 than i did in 2011.

i love stories like this

i hope this blog isn't turning into a "let's-just-post-random-youtube-videos" place, but this video was just too "feel good" to ignore.

dang it, michael cuddyer

you are a class act.

I'm going to touch you where your swimsuit covers.

Well then.

It's fantasy football playoffs time. In my family league, I'm the #1 seed. In some ways this gives me pause. The #1 seed has never won this league. On the other hand, in its two year history, I've always won this league. I'm facing my brother, who happens to be the one who handed me 2 of my mere 3 heartbreaking losses this season. It would seem he has my number. On the other hand, I'm due for a win. Either way, it'll be an interesting weekend. Should I gamble on Ben Roethlisberger playing monday night? Flacco and Sanchez would be my best alternatives assuming they don't get snatched up.

In my other league, I finished a completely unrespectable 7-7. I only finished ahead of 3 of my opponents in total scoring. Most of the blame can be put on some questionable drafting, but to be fair to myself, I did have several players miss significant time due to injury and only 2 (Brees and V. Davis) managed to miss the injury bug entirely. Oh well.

I look forward to a merry Kubas weekend.

tebowing

on facebook today i posited a lighthearted (yet somewhat serious) question: does tim tebow's continued success prove that god exists?

here is what we know:

tebow is a horrible nfl quarterback

he runs a high school offense which just doesn't work in the NFL

he has a firm belief in christianity

since taking over at QB for the broncos, they have gone 7-1

the success of the broncos must be defined by one of three possible scenarios:

1) tebow is a good nfl qb

2) some external factor has led to the broncos winning

3) tebow's faith is being rewarded on the football field by the lord god almighty

per the above statement, we can rule out #1

some could argue that number 2 is true.  but let's look at the facts: the games that the broncos have won have had some oddities.  for example, today marion barber fumbled on an almost no-contact play.  some would argue that "many players fumble in the NFL.  it isn't that uncommon."  but let's look at the facts: this was barber's first fumble of the season.  he doesn't fumble often.  prater making a 59 yard field goal?  unbelievable.  philip rivers fumbling a simple snap?  uncharacteristic.  

thus, i have only one conclusion to make.  if tebow is actually having success as a QB in the NFL, it can only be attributed to the legitimate existence of an almighty creator showing favor on his life.  he (tebow) does not have the skills to make it at the professional level.  external factors have been odd and uncommon.  perhaps divine intervention has played a role in the external factors.  regardless, something is going on that has been making tebow a winning quarterback in the NFL.

i just proved the existence of god.  all in a day's work...

copied from someone on facebook

i saw this on my news feed and it really made me think.

"In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent - without exception - forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?"

i haven't yet gloated