Monthly Archives: March 2007

What Are They Thinking?

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What Are They Thinking?

Pick of the Day – Spartans @ Badgers

Michigan State Spartans @ Wisconsin Badgers

Badgers (-3.5)

Friday, March 9th – 6:40 PM ET

The Michigan State Spartans come into this game with the Badgers, playing for their NCAA Tournament lives. The Badgers, on the other hand, are looking to run their way to a #1 seed, and if they can win the Big 10 Tourney, they might just find themselves stealing their conference rival’s spot.

Bottom Line: It’s hard for me to believe the Spartans stand a chance in this one, despite the fact that this is college basketball and anything can happen. The Spartans may have more to play for, but Wisconsin is much better than State, and the Badgers won’t be happy unless they win this Tourney. Alando Tucker is one of the Top 5 hoopers in the Nation, and this is his time to shine. Don’t be surprised if the Badgers win by 12-15 in this one.

What Are You Thinking?: Just a small question to some NFL teams and players out there, I have one simple question for you; What are you thinking? For the “no sun in sight” Oakland Raiders, what the hell do you expect people to give you for players no body wants? Last year you asked for 2 first round picks for a receiver that rarely saw the field all year long, Jerry Porter. And this year, it’s Porter and Randy Moss. I know Moss is a huge name, and you gave up a 6th pick overall and a solid young linebacker to get him, but give your head a shake you pack of dolts. Moss has been the 2nd biggest distraction in the game for the last 5 years, and Porter hasn’t had a 100 yard game for years. I’ll trade you all my first round picks for the next 35 years for Moss… Deal? Get real. Doesn’t anyone understand the way trading works? If you want to trade someone, don’t tell people you want to trade them. Its painful to see professional sports squads making 5 year old mistakes. And Dominic Rhodes, you just went from Super Bowl Champion to Oakland Raider. Nice. I don’t even have to say any more about that. Take a million less and go to a team that will actually use you. Seattle Seahawks, I know you need to make some cap room, but dropping a decent defensive end, Grant Wistrom isn’t the best way to make yoru defense stronger. When are you going to learn that two starter level players isn’t a way to become a championship? People get hurt, you’ll need Grant sometime this year, you’ll see. You gave the guy 20 million guaranteed, keep his around. And for the rest of the NFL, how do stud running backs become merely 3rd round pick fodder? Thomas Jones, was good for a pick trade, 24 year old Willis McGahee was worth two 3rd rounders. Value? This upcoming draft must be the strongest in years, because last time I checked, there’s about 10 first round busts, 15 second round busts, and 15 3rd round players that never see valuable time in their respective NFL careers. Wes Welker? 30 million bones? Yeah, I said it. What the hell would you pay him that much to do? He better come with all the hot girls from Entourage!

Pesky Patriots

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Pesky Patriots

Pick of the Day – Pacers @ Jazz

Indiana Pacers @ Utah Jazz

Jazz (-10)

Wednesday, March 7th – 9:00 PM ET

The Utah Jazz keep fighting the odds to remain the in the Top 4 of the Western Conference, while the Pacers are doing their best not to fall off the face of the earth. This should be interesting, as the Pacers just lost another last night in Sac Town.

Bottom Line: This is not the kind of road trip the Pacers needed to keep their spirits up. A back to back with the Kings and Jazz, right before you play the Spurs and Mavericks… Nice. Good luck to anyone in the league who wants a win out of that scheduling nightmare. There best chance at a W was last night against a Artest-less Queens’ squad. No dice. Deron Williams has been the 2nd best point guard in the west, (Steve Nash #1) while big man Carlos Boozer, just coming back from injury, has become one of the league’s premeir power forwards. Jermaine O’Neal can’t do it all. He’ll have a big game, but don’t expect much from the rest of his marry men, as Utah should cover, even with the double digit doozey. To put the Pacer woes into perspective, they’ve lost 5 straight, and in those 5, they haven’t been closer than 10 in any one contest. Bet those Jazz, don’t let the spread fool you.

New England Dynasty: The Patriots are breaking the bank to sign some big time guys this offseason, and it’ll pay off. The thing is, they got the best guy out there, Adalius Thomas, before the market went boom. He’s the best player for their system, as he’ll be an enormous version of the versitile Troy Brown. This is what makes the Patriots so much better than every other team; the sign big time players when they should spend cash, and let the others go. The Patriot front office isn’t loyal to individuals, they are loyal to the team, and they are consistent with that. More big name guys who can help the Pats look to be on the way, like Donte Stallworth, and possible even Randy Moss though I think the latter is a stretch, just because of the high price the Raiders are asking. Expect Tom Brady to have his greatest weapon package in years, as his best receiver last year, Reche Caldwell will be his 3rd receiver, at best, this year. Laurence Maroney, chosen at the right time to spell an again Corey Dillon, will be the best running back out of last years’ class, and New England always has good linemen. What else can they do? If they can assure Asante Samuel a long term deal, they’d be set for the next 5 years, but I don’t know how they can spend that kind of money after the shopping spree they’ve been on thus far. I’m not a New England fan, mostly because I hate awesome teams that always seem to get better, but this is how you run a successful franchise, and the rest of the league should pay attention. Its not just free agency, its not just the draft, its the best of the free agents, or the best prices out there, while selecting the perfect players. If only Ron Artest could be so perfect.

Fantasy Blunder

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Fantasy Blunder

Pick of the Day – Spurs @ Blazers

San Antonio Spurs @ Portland Trailblazers

Blaxers (-6)

Tuesday, March 6th – 10:00 PM ET

The Portland Trailblazers host the San Antonio Spurs in a Western Conference comedy sketch, Tuesday in Oregon’s only real city. Portland looks to try and build their youth movement, while the Spurs continue their push to join the Suns and Mavs at the top of the West.

Bottom Line:I know the Blazers have won 3 of their last 8 (actually a nice little stretch for them) but that’s 3 times as many wins as they have against San Antonio in the last few years. Since April of ’04, the Blazers have just 1 win against the Spurs in 10 chances, and only one of those losses was by less than 6 points. I know Portland has been better at home this season, but Zach Randolph & Brandon Roy won’t have enough answers for the Spurs trio of Tim Duncan & Manu Ginobli & Tony Parker.Expect nothing less than a double digit drumming in Portland.

One huge Dynasty Blunder: Listen here, I love the Colts’ fantasy stars as much as the next guy, but recently a giving soul in my newest Dynasty League (a complete roster keeper format, with 16 different owners) did one of the best (for me) and worst (for him) things a guy could do. With his 1st selection, he took a quarterback. With his 2nd selection, he took a receiver. These two combined decisions will almost certainly end your chance at a title, but this is a Dynasty League, so these two picks alone won’t kill you… Unless of course the 2 guys you picked average 32 years of age. Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison. That’s the sound of Death hovering over said owner’s team. Now he lucked out, and right before his 3rd pick, Thomas Jones signed with the Jets, but instead of taking him, he went with Ahman Green. Another 30 year old. That brings me to this conclusion. If you pick 3 guys over 30 with your first 3 picks, not only will you lose this year, but you’ll lose for a long time. So, don’t do that. For your sake, don’t ever do that.

Fantasy King – Pick of the Day

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Fantasy King

Pick of the Day – Bulls @ Bucks

Chicago Bulls @ Milwaukee Bucks

Bulls (+2.5)

Sunday, March 4th – 3:00 PM ET

The recently hot Milwaukee Bucks, winners of 3 straight, host the Chicago Bulls on Sunday in the NBA. Chicago looks to continue their push to the top of the Eastern Conference, while the Bucks look for their second 4+ game win streak of the season.

Bottom Line:After just 3 wins in their previous 25 games, the Bucks have won 2 straight games coming into this home contest with the Chicago Bulls. That’s fine and all, but don’t expect their first streak in sometime to continue. The bulls are playing nice ball of late, winning 5 of their last 7, and 4 of their last 5 games away from homeBen Gordon & Luol Deng have shown why it was a good idea not to trade them, as both have come out with their triggers on automatic since the All Star break. Look for the Bulls to pull away from the Bucks early in the 2nd half, getting an underdog win easily in Milwaukee.

From a (fantasy) King’s Persepctive: Regardless of where I pick, which of the top three sports I’m playing, in a seasonal format or a dynasty league, I am all but guaranteed to have my team finish in the top 4 of any fantasy league I play in. The concept is easy, as its just like the stock-market. Sure, like the market, a move here and there can hurt you, but if you play it smart, you’ll be yelling TJ Houshamazoolee, Championship! in no time. In this quick little rundown, let me give you the three keys for winning your fantasy league. 1- During the draft, start out with a promise to yourself, that unless a super steal comes on board, you’ll select the most important positions first. In all sports, here’s how you determine what those positions are. Take the one position that you use the most, and then look at the star depth at that position, if the supply doesn’t meat the demand, go for the gusto until that position is locked up for you. For example, in the NFL, running backs are proven to be most important. You almost always start 2, sometimes 3, and there are only 25 or so “real” starting backs in the NFL. So now, you have 12 teams competing for 25 backs. Supply doesn’t meet demand. Get the best ones you can right off the bat, maybe even 3 in a row. That’ll be a great start for finishing in the money. 2- Know your rules. If your baseball league is pitching stat friendly, or HR and RBI heavy, go with that kind of guy. If your football league is a point per reception deal, or quarterbacks touchdown passes are equal to rushing and receiving scores, your draft should change slightly. Like every game in life, the more you know about the game you’re playing, the easier it is to walk away with the trophy. 3- Buy low, and sell high. If you have the first pick, take LT, and don’t trade him and piss your season away, most of the time, it’s tough to lose that kind of production. But if you get Peyton, Rudi Johnson, and Steven Jackson for LT, feel free to take home the trophy without the Charger RB on your squad. The bottom line is, don’t every trade for a guy after he had the day, week, month, or season of his life, that’s when you stay ahead of the curve and trade your weekly superstar. You’d be amazed how easily most owners will fall in and out of love with a player. They’re like high schoolers for God’s sake. Always be ahead of the game. Look at schedules, player’s ability, and see if it looks like a guy will begin to awake from his slump. If you think he is, try to acquire the guy for this week’s super hero. Don’t be afraid to ask on a trade, it could get you the league #1.

Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money – Pick of the Day

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AP in Oak-Town?

Pick of the Day – Clippers @ Sonics

LA Clippers @ Seattle Sonics

Clippers (+8)

Thursday, March 1st – 10:30 PM ET

The Seattle Super Sonics host the LA Clippers in a Western Conference showdown, Thursday Night in Seattle. As stunning as it is, both the Clippers and Sonics still could make runs at the playoffs, especially with how poorly the bottom half of the Western Conference has been lately.

Bottom Line:I just flat out don’t believe the Sonics should be favored by 8 against anyone. Not that the Clippers have been good, but they have 4 proven scorers, as Sam Cassel, Cutino Mobley, Elton Brand & Corey Magette have all shown that they can get the job done. Ray Allen has been shooting just as poorly as Gilbert Arenas lately, and the Sonics just aren’t consistent. Luke Ridnour has take steps back this season, while Rashard Lewis is still looking to get back to 100% after his most recent run in with the injury bug. I’m not sure the Sonics will lose this game, but they have a knack for either losing big or winning small. Eight points against them is a nice bet regardless of who they’re up against. Take the Clippes all the way to the bank.

Too Much Money is the CRY!: As NFL Free Agency begins, their are annoying cries that claim too much money is about to be had. First of all, let me say this, BS! Sure, some guys that aren’t as good as other guys will be getting paid because they’re free agents, but surely, in relativity to the salaries in the 3 other major sports, football players make nothing. Sure, they’re professional athletes, and people love to say they’re overpaid, but these guys don’t smack a little white ball around a beautiful grass field, or shoot an orange (synthetic/leather?) ball into a hoop, the smash the hell out of eachother, dive, bleed, break bones, and tear ligaments. And they may only play 16-19 games a year, but that shouldn’t have jack to do with it. When you look at the money aspect, the NFL brings home the bills, and now the players who make the league go are going to start getting paid. Sorry to say, but that’s how it should be.