What about Mike?

Lions WR Mike Williams has played in the same number of NFL games that I have so far this year. Now, if I was 6'5", 228 lbs. (I might be one of those), this would make sense. What does Williams need to do to earn a starting spot? Well, that's the problem: he doesn't know, and the coaches won't tell him. So he's frustrated. That's just a great job at motivation. The more I read about the Lions, the more I doubt the coaches. Here's a prediction (look, I'm Roy Williams!): the Lions win no more than 6 games.

Lumberjack Song

I know this has been posted before, but I can't find it because Blogger search is currently a piece of crap. So, to augment my ripping of Ump on the league message board:



You're welcome.

In Case You Missed It

No pun intended for what you are about to read when it comes to "missing" things.

No, I'm not talking about Instant Replay in Oregon. Those officials were terrible. Off the record...ah heck, let's keep this for the record: You're dang right I'm glad it happened to Oklahoma.

But anyway, speaking of bad calls, and this may be the most obsured you've ever heard happen Adam.

Friday night: USA v CC at USA.

USA just scored a TD and kicked off to CC. The ball banked off the chest of the CC returner harder than Nathan Fritz attempting a layup in Basketball. So the ball bounced in front of the returner and he was going after it, just like the USA kick coverage team was racing to get to the ball before him. Well, like a typical fumble, there was a big pile. It appeared the CC returner got to the ball first, but it also appeared a USA player recovered the ball. But, like I say, it was a typical fumble where you don't really know for sure what happened, plus, we were in the stands on the USA 35 yard line. It happened on our sideline, but at the CC 20 yard line.

So the officals all got together like normal to determine who will get the ball. So, what did the officals decide? I'll give you multiple choice.

A. Cass City ball
B. USA ball

Errrrr (buzzer sound). That is incorrect. The correct answer is neither.

They decided to just kick the ball off again. A freakin' Do-Over? According to the Chronicle, the referees ruled that no team had control of the ball before an inadvertent whistle, which resulted in a do-over. Inadvertent whistle my tail. Personally, I think USA got screwed and this all happened near the USA sideline. (Note: On the do-over kickoff, since USA got screwed, there was a "blocking" penalty against CC. Hmmm. I'll bet.)

Then later in that same 2nd quarter, USA threw a 25 yard TD that appeared to be an incomplete pass. Again, we were 75 yards away, but it sure looked like a drop. In fact, I can't even use the word "drop" because that would mean he actually had the ball in order to drop it. If you never had possession of something, it's impossible to drop it. It basically had just enough time to hit both his hands (without dropping it, mind you) and then FALLING (not dropping) to the ground. The referees ruled he had the ball long enough. Rumor has it the officals didn't actually see what happened and by the time they looked (since he was so wide open and it was a perfect pass) they just assumed he caught the ball. Like I mentioned, it was difficult to see the play because...well, let me set it up for you.

CC just got done punting or whatever and USA got the ball on the CC 25 yard line. There was less than 1 minute in the first half remaining. ON THE VERY FIRST PLAY, Bitzer (Brandon) dropped back to pass and everyone in the stands could see this was going to be a TD. Which is why we didn't see the "drop" very well because EVERYONE in the stands stood up waiting to exploded with gayness. And because the guy was so wide open and it was right to him, everyone knew he was going to catch it. But with everyone standing up and the receiver running to the corner of the endzone, I seen it hit his hands, assumed he caught it, blinked, and then seen it falling to the grass. And then I noticed the referees signaling a TD. I thougth they would at least talk about it to see if he had it long enough. Nope. I still didn't believe my eyes, so I just so happened to turn my head to look at the scoreboard to see how much time was left and I saw the USA score changing...28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33.

I hope that painted a good enough picture for you. But I'll throw this at you. I was at the game with Fritz and the gang as well and after what we all just saw minutes ago with the "do-over" kickoff, we were making fun of the refs on what they would call this time. Fritz thought we were just joking around. After seeing the highlights on TV-5, I called Fritz to see if he saw the "drop."

Quote:
Haag: "Did you see the pass they called a TD on the news?"
Fritz: "What are you talking about?"

Fritz didn't even know they called that a TD. Keep in mind, this was after the game at 11:30 pm and he still thought it was a drop.

News 5 was there and showed it on TV but the sports guys did the highlight reel like it was no big deal. If I was the Sports Anchor (since the USA/CC game was the lead highlight) I think I'd question what I just saw. He blew over it like someone in his earpiece threated his wife and kids. News 5 used to keep the video on the net so you could watch from your computer, but they don't do that anymore, or else I'd suggest you watch it on video for yourself.

Colorado Dodgeball

Heads up...

...comin' at ya. Fastball high and tight.

You Want Some More of This?

Heidi Klum, eat your heart out! Oh yeah, that's snow you see on your left.

Just Hangin' Around

Calculus....or....Colorado?

Yup, climbed that. Mt. Belford. 14,197 ft...0% Oxygen

Sick Man

Want to read a concise description of Michigan's economic woes? Check out this article from Rich Lowry at NRO. A quote:

According to the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy’s analysis of United Van Lines data, Michigan is now the No. 1 state in the continental United States for outbound traffic. An estimated 65 percent of the moving company’s Michigan interstate traffic is families moving out of the state, headed to more economically open and vital destinations. As an official in Wyoming put it, "Michigan has been very good for us."

Ouch.

CBS Sucks

I'm a little peeved at CBS. You want to know why? Well, I'll tell you anyway. It's about football. There's not enough of it on. There is absolutely no reason why on Saturday or Sunday at 1pm that CBS isn't showing a football game. I don't care about golf, tennis, or infomercials. It's especially bad on Sunday, when I'm otherwise stuck watching the Vikings in their awful new uniforms. It would have been nice to watch the Bengals roll up the Browns for a while. Or the offensive show put on by Manning's Colts. Nope, infomercials and the Vikings. Grrrr...

Jedi Squirrels

I think the title pretty much explains the link. (Hat tip: The Corner)

Money, Money, Money

At the beginning of the week, Reggie Bush was being talked about because of his performance is his first regular season NFL game. By the end of the week he was being talked about for allegedly accepting more than $100,000 in improper benefits while at USC. Here is the story you've heard so much about.

If Bush is guilty he'll have his Heisman trophy taken away. Does that mean they give it to Vince Young? Would he really want it? USC could also lose its 2004 national championship. I know those are the rules, but I don't know that it's right. If USC knew, then sure. But it's taken this long to find compelling evidence that Bush might have been ineligible. Is USC really responsible for that?

Launching the Wii

Nintendo announced yesterday some vital stats for its new system. The most important one: $249. The second most important: Nov. 19th, the release date. I hope you like white (I don't), because that's the only color available at launch. Games should run you about $50. Prices for the controller: remote $40, nunchuck $20, classic controller $20. That's a lot of money you'll have to put into controllers if you want to play with friends. The Virtual Console games, which are (were) a big selling point to me will be priced as follows: $5 NES, $8 SNES, and $10 N64. That's a little steep. I mean, I love Tecmo, but I'm not sure I want to pay $5 for it, especially when I think about the other games I'd like to have available. Finally, Nintendo promised more than 25 unique games for the new console yet this year.

"big man" On Campus

Adam,

When you went back to MSU for more classes after you had your degree, did you feel like you walked with a little different...swagger on campus? More like a..."I've got a college degree" swagger? Or maybe it's the fact my pocket book is lighter because I just shelled out $500 for a class, thus causing an imbalance in the weight applied to my lower body from what I'm normally used to?

Guza-isms

At Ump's request, a list of our favorite phrases from Mr. Guza.

Mr. Guza: "What do you do when you see one like #26?"
Adam: "Close the book."
(I think we should really credit Steve with this one.)

Mr. Guza: (in scary voice) "Story problems."

Mr. Guza: (clears throat 3 times) "Be reasonable."

Mr. Guza:(disgusted) "Freshmen orangutangs."

Mr. Guza: "Tricky, tricky textbook people."

More to come.

Back in Black

I'm going to geek out for a minute. Since just before Marvel Comics began its "Civil War" event, which I mentioned here, Spider-man has been wearing a costume that looks like this:


Not bad, and is makes sense in context, but it's not classic. Well, Marvel has just announced that once "Civil War" is over Spider-man will wear his black costume, which I've posted about before, and is one of my favorites. The cover of the issue where Spider-man will return to classic duds:


Of course it's just a fortuitous coincidence that a black costume will be featured in Spider-man 3.

Billy's Going Back To School

Well, I'm back in school. Big ol' Delta College. I enrolled in Calculus, after disappearing from math since I graduated high school (7 years?). Keep in mind, that was my senior year, and Guza didn't push us too much. So, mentally I've been away from Math more like 8 years 'cuz Guza didn't teach. In fact, every day was "group work" and I never really caught on to Calc anyway. So, it's no surprise that I'm a little behind, not to mention I missed my first two calc classes while in Colorado camping/hiking. After attending my first class (3rd class scheduled), I dropped it like a bad habit...then quickly transfered to Pre-Calc which is the exact same nights and times as the Calc class. Go figure. Now I've only missed 3 pre-calc classes and behind on a few assignments. But I made it to the 4th schedule pre-calc class last night and I'm doing alright I think. Maybe it helps that I have a calculator that I can follow along in class with. You see, my superior Ti-86 is apparently inferior to the Ti-83, Ti-83 Plus, and Ti-84. Well, it's really not inferior, they just choose to use those ones instead. The 86 would work just fine, but I have barely used my calculator that it takes me forever to figure out how to do what the instructor did on his 83 because I've barely used my 86. It can do the same stuff, but you have different setting and buttons to push to accomplish it. I don't have time to not only learn freakin' pre-Calc, but a 300 page manual on how to use my 86. So what did I do? Called Kevin, of course, and stole his Ti-83 Plus. Actually I traded my 86 for his 83.

It's hard for me to sit in class and not think "what would Guza say." I think I'll like my instructor. We were using the calulators last night and going back and forth from the "y=" screen to the main screen. He told us to press "2nd", "Quit" to clear the screen and get back to the main screen. However, a collegue had difficulty with that:

Classmate: "My screen didn't clear when you told me to do that."
Instructor: "We can use a hammer."

(I think when he said that I was the only one paying attention or heard him, because no one else chuckled.)

Oh, if only I could remember more Guza-isms. If anyone would like to help build a library of Guza-isms so I can shout them out in class at random times, I'd appreciate it. Or, if we could build a list of the inverse of Guza-isms, that'd be great too. For example:

Mr. Guza: "What do you do when you see one like #26?
Adam: "Close the book."

Let's start a list.

Remembering 9/11

I don't have much to say today. NRO has all sorts of good articles up, both from today and from five years ago. This picture, from the Wisconsin State Journal, was posted at Blackfive:


I think it's very fitting.

The Protector

The Protector rocks. Need proof? Here's some proof. We'll start with a small fraction of a scene filmed all in one take:



Here's Tony Jaa fighting a guy using what Andy thinks is "southern monkey style" kung-fu:



Finally, here's Jaa kicking a guy out of a helicopter:



Convinced?

Joe Duuuuuuuumars...

...was inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame last night. There's lots of coverage at the Pistons website. Check it out.

James Bond will return...

...in Casino Royale. You can check out the trailer here. This looks to be a new direction for the Bond franchise. No invisible cars in this one, though the Aston Martin is still present. Daniel Craig looks hardcore. I'm definitely going to have to check this one out.

Fallacious

Here's a fun list of fallacies. Here is a more serious one. If you don't find the first one humorous, than you need to study more philosophy, rhetoric, etc. From Jonah Goldberg via the Corner.

I want one...

Equalizer T-shirt. Functional.

More Crystal Ball Time '06

My picks for the '06 NFL season. You can compare with ESPN's experts here.

AFC East: Dolphins
AFC North: Bengals
AFC South: Colts
AFC West: Broncos
AFC Wild Cards: Ravens, Jaguars

NFC East: Giants
NFC North: Bears
NFC South: Panthers
NFC West: Seattle
NFC Wild Cards: Bucs, Eagles

AFC Champ: Colts
NFC Champ: Panthers

Super Bowl Champ: Colts

Coach: T. Dungy
MVP: P. Manning
Def. POY: E. Reed
Off. POY: L. Johnson
Def. rookie: A.J. Hawk
Off. rookie: M. Bell
Comeback POY: D. McAllister

I reserve the right to change any of these up until kickoff of the first game. Here are my picks from '05, updated to show the correct picks in parentheses where they were wrong. Not too awful:

AFC East: Patriots
AFC North: Ravens (Bengals)
AFC South: Colts
AFC West: Chiefs (Denver)
AFC Wild Cards: Chargers, Jaguars (Steelers, Jaguars)

NFC East: Eagles (Giants)
NFC North: Vikings (Bears)
NFC South: Panthers (Bucs)
NFC West: Seahawks
NFC Wild Cards: Rams, Lions (Panthers, Redskins)

AFC Champ: Colts (Steelers)
NFC Champ: Panthers (Seahawks)

Super Bowl Champ: Colts (Steelers)

Coach: T. Dungy (Lovie Smith)
MVP: P. Manning (Shaun Alexander)
Def. POY: J. Peppers (Brian Urlacher)
Off. POY: P. Manning (Shaun Alexander)
Def. rookie: D. Ware (Shawne Merriman)
Off. rookie: C. Williams
Comeback POY: S. Smith (Tied with Tedy Bruschi)

Stupid Appendix

Ben Roethlisberger just can't stay out of the hospital. He underwent an emergency appendectomy today. The surgery went well, but it is uncertain when Ben will return. The recovery time from an appendectomy is a couple of weeks. Roethlisberger will not play in the season opener; Charlie Batch will start in his place. This also leaves the Steelers in a bit of a bind a QB: they only had 2 on the roster. Maybe they'll try and acquire disgruntled Billy Volek?

It's Not Easy Being Green

I've thought the above statement many, many times while watching Spartan football, as I'm sure many Spartan fans have. So it's strangely appropriate that the Grand Marshal of the Michigan State University Homecoming parade will be none other than Kermit the Frog. Said Kermit: "I’m thrilled that Michigan State University asked me to be Grand Marshal of this year’s Homecoming parade, and I promise to continue to wear the school colors year round in honor of this momentous event! Thank you, Spartans!"

A Question

What happened to Ohio State's jerseys? They used to look like this:


Now they look like this:


Why did they mess with a classic uniform?

Show Your Colors

Home Depot is doing something pretty cool: they're offering paint in your favorite teams' colors. Want to paint your den just the right shade of honolulu blue? Home Depot has it. Here's an example. It should be noted though that if anyone paints a room maize and blue, I might have to hurt them. At least a little.

Man on a Mission

Drew Stanton has just one mission this year: put Michigan State football on the map. A quote from Stanton:

"It's a piece of me. If I left without doing everything in my powers, I think I would have regretted it down the road. The more I started to think about it, I've invested a lot in the program. I'm a Spartan fan at heart. I grew up a Spartan fan."

Stanton is the kind of guy you love to have on your team. He's not just passionate about his play, or his team's play, he's passionate about his school. You might say he's fighting with a vim. Though he's a Heisman candidate, Stanton only has one measure of success this year: wins. He gets his chance to start at noon.

Time for Cuts

Today is the day NFL teams will make final cuts to get their 53-man rosters. The biggest name who might be cut is Charles Rogers. The Detroit News has a look at the salary cap ramifications of cutting Rogers. It seems a foregone conclusion that Chuck will be gone by the end of the day. Marinelli made up his mind very early about him, and from the fan's perspective, never gave him a real chance. He didn't even play in the last preseason game. I've already wrote what I think about cutting Rogers. I'm sticking with that prediction. Here's another: Marinelli will be another in a long line of failed Lions' coaches. He wants the Lions to be a tough team, which is great. But you have to coach the whole team differently than just the defensive line. An NFL coach isn't just a drill sergeant, he's got to be a bit of a politician. A head coach is a general, not a grunt. Marinelli seems to be coaching as a grunt. This team will look different, but not better.

UPDATE: It's official, Rogers in no longer a Lion.

NBC Football...

...has new theme music, which you can listen to here. If you're a fan of film scores, you can guess who wrote this one. I'll give you one clue if you can't figure it out: it sounds an awful lot like battle droids are invading an NFL stadium.

Crystal Ball Time '06

Every year just before the season begins, ESPN like to post its experts picks for the upcoming NFL season. So here they are. You can also check out the picks from 2005. Joe Theismann was the only one to correctly predict the Super Bowl winner last year; this year he picks the Colts. I had meant to go back and score the rest of these predictions at the end of the season, but never got around to it. To be fair, I should also post my picks from last year. I can't promise I'll try to get my '06 picks up before the season starts, but I'll try to try.

Draft Aid

Need some help preparing for the upcoming fantasy football draft? ESPN has made it's live draft results available, for free (GASP!), so you can see what other people are thinking. So, if you believe a large group of people is smarter than individuals, this is the way to go.

"Don't drive angry."

You know, my dog Max has been hit by a car or two, but I never thought about teaching him to drive one. Mostly because it would be INSANE. You see, dogs don't have thumbs, which are pretty crucial to steering a vehicle. But that didn't discourage this woman from letting her dog take a turn behind the wheel. Predictable results followed. Coolness points to the person who names the movie the quote in the title is from. (Hat tip: The Corner)

I want one...

...courtesy of the Castle Argghhh!!!

A hammer...

...is like the back of a Trivial Pursuit card: full of answers. You should really read Get Fuzzy today.

Bachelor Chow 1: Famous Dave's Cheesy Chicken and Rice

Starting a little series on what I've learned of cooking while living one my own.

Up first is something I threw together for the first time last night.

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
1/2 to 3/4 cup rice (I used regular brown, I suppose instant would work also, more on that later)
mixed veggies (I used mexican blend, whatever you want can work)
Famous Dave's BBQ Sauce (Texas pit, is adventurous try the devil spit variety)
1-2 sliced cheddar, Monterey, or Colby

Using regular rice, first measure the rice (amount depends on how hungry you are and how much else you are adding, around 1/2 cup is a good place to start though). Dump that in the pan. Measure out twice that volume in water. Add that and turn on the heat (med-hi). Add mixed veggies (optional) (don't bother to thaw, they'll be in hot water for awhile).
Now cook your chicken by your preferred method. I use 3 minutes in the microwave, cut it up, then ~2 more to cook a good sized breast. Your mileage may vary. When this is done, cut the chicken up into small pieces, then dump in the pan.
Now add a healthy shot of BBQ to the pan.
Mix it up, then stir occasional to prevent burn on.
When there isn't much free water, tear the cheese up and add it in. Watch it here so the cheese doesn't burn on. Once the free water is gone, pull it off heat and let it cool enough to eat.

If you use instant rice there won't be as much time to let stuff marinate together, so you should probably heat the other stuff ahead of time and mix it together at once.

This has the bonus advantage of minimal nutrient loss from the veggies, as you aren't discarding the water they were cooked in, with its leeched vitamins. Also, you can tell your mom that you've been eating your vegetables. With the strong BBQ sauce you won't even have to taste them.

The Protector

I previously recommended Ong-Bak as a great martial arts film. Well, Tony Jaa is back in a new film, The Protector, coming September 8th. You can see the trailer here in HD. It looks to be every bit as breathtaking and brutal as Ong-Bak. I think it needs to be said again: Tony Jaa is the man.

Scoring Options Revisited

I heard some questions about our point per reception scoring, so I'm reposting this to refresh everyone's minds on the scoring system.

I've put together a sample game from a week to illustrate the effects of different scoring options. Here it is:


The stat lines are:
Bulger- 225 yds, 1 TD, 7 rush yds
Holmes- 75 rush yds, 4 rec for 47 yds, 1 TD
Martin- 134 rush yds, 2 TD
Boldin- 4 rec for 48 yds
Smith- 6 rec for 60 yds
Jacson- 10 rec for 135 yds, 1 TD
Gates- 7 rec for 49 yds, 1 TD
Akers- 33yd FG, 2 XP
Peppers- 3 solo, 2 ast, 1 sack, 1 PD
Thomas- 9 solo, 9 ast
Brooking- 8 solo, 1 INT for 27 yds, 1 PD
Rossum- 109 return yds, 4 solo
Barber- 9 solo, 7 ast, 1 FF
Winfield- 3 solo

Green- 224 yds, 3 TD
James- 69 rush yds, 1 TD, 1 rec for 23 yds
Johnson- 130 rush yds, 1 TD, 1 lost fumble
Mason- 4 rec for 65 yds
Coles- 7 rec for 53 yds
Bennett- 13 rec for 160, 2 TD
Gonzalez- 7 rec for 76 yds
Kaeding- 33, 42yd FG, 1 XP
Freeney- 2 solo, 1 ast, 2 sack
Brooks- 10 solo, 4 ast, 1 PD
Morgan- 7 solo, 2 ast
Reed- 3 solo, 1 ast
McGee- 94 return yds, 2 solo, 1 ast, 1 FR
Darius- 6 solo, 5 ast, 1 PD

Let me know what you think.

Corey Schlesinger...

...spent some time as a fan last year. And he didn't like it. Schlesinger on going home after a game spent on the sidelines:

"It feels terrible. It feels like I didn't do anything that day, and I basically didn't. I'd rather come out of there beat up, tired, sick to my stomach, than fresh and not participating."

Could you guess the guy's a fullback? Check it out, it's a good read.

Awful analysts

A good color commentator or studio analyst can make a huge positive difference in the entertainment value of an NFL game. Bad ones are either a waste of space, or make the game worse. So what commentator got me thinking of this? Tony Siragusa. What a waste of air time. I don't know who on Fox decided Siragusa needed to get more involved in the broadcast, but they should be forced to act as a tackling dummy for Ray Lewis. Just being able to fill the time with words doesn't make you smart or insightful. Being loud isn't a substitute for actual knowledge either, but you wouldn't know it from watching Michael Irvin, probably the worst in-studio analyst ever. I don't think I can watch ESPN's pregame coverage anymore, I just can't stand that guy.

You know what's worse than those two? Local news. The local news here decided it was a good idea to break in at the end of the 1st quarter of the NFL game and show you that we had a thunderstorm this afternoon. And a tornado. I guess the people of the Twin Cities have never seen video of a tornado before. And I thought I was a hick. How can TV stations in Minneapolis be MUCH worse than the Tri-Cities? Anybody?

NFL Moves

A rare three-team deal occurred in the NFL today involving the Broncos, Falcons, and Redskins. T.J. Duckett was traded to the 'Skins from the Falcons, who received former Broncos' WR Ashley Lelie, who had been acting like your typical me-first WR all through training camp. The Broncos will send an undetermined draft pick from the 'Skins. Fantasy fallout? Duckett probably gets a slight upgrade, especially if Portis' is slow to heal. Lelie could quickly become Vick's top option at WR, if he can play to his ability and stop pouting. But then, he is a Hawaii product after all.

Drew Henson is also on the move. Off the Cowboys' roster that is. Said Parcells: "He's not going to be on our roster. That's all you need to know." Ouch. Is this the end of the line for Henson? If it is, don't feel too bad for him, he's made a ton of money being a disappointing player in 2 sports.

Finally, Willie McGinest is an idiot. He wore #55 at USC to honor Junior Seau, who he followed at the school. Now he doesn't want Seau to wear #55 with the Patriots, the team McGinest just left. Yeah, that makes sense.

What's up with Chuck?

I've referenced previously that Charles Rogers was down in the Lions' WR depth chart. But this article in the Detroit News makes it sound like the Lions have decided Rogers' fate regardless of his play in camp. Mark my words: unloading Rogers would be a big mistake. He's talented and he's a local guy. He will be successful if he goes somewhere else and the front office will, once again, look like a bunch of idiots. Beware.

College Vs. NFL

ESPN, looking to boost some interest during the long wait for football, posted a bunch of articles today of a "Which is better?" type comparing NCAA and NFL football. Surprisingly, they didn't charge you to read it, as they try to do with almost anything worthwhile on the site anymore. Anyway, various writers, commentators, and personalities sound off, and of course there's the obligatory SportsNation poll. I looked at one this morning, and some people actually voted that the NFL had a better atmosphere than college games. Have these people ever been to a college game? Oh, only Ferris and Eastern? Well, maybe that explains it. But seriously, the NFL can't touch the atmosphere of big-time college football. Tailgates. Mascots. Huge sellout crowds. Crazy fans. Fight songs. Johnny Spirit (well, only at State I guess). It's electric at Spartan Stadium before kickoff. It's enough to turn even me into a screaming idiot. I don't see how anyone could even remotely compare the atmosphere. When it comes to gameplay, I'll admit that the NFL has better players. But which is more fun to watch? I'll give you just one reason why college ball is better. The option. Need I say more? Am I wrong about all of this?

12 Planets?

Some astronomers want to add 3 planets to the solar system. The article has much more detail, but basically some astronomers believe that some Pluto-sized garbage out at the edge of the solar system should be counted as planets, and surely not just to go down in history as the guys who redefined our solar system. Just leave it alone guys. There's enough planets to remember as it is, and no one care about space junk beyond Pluto anyway.

Sportscenter

So when Sportscenter does their 1 am taping and there are two baseball games still in the 14th inning and the game is still going in the 17th inning when the 1 am Sportscenter finishes, do they then have to tape another Sportscenter so the late games are included? Are they taping at 3 a.m. eastern time? Do they wait till the game finishes, instead of assuming it will finish sometime during the next SC? I'm pretty sure it was 1:30 am in the 15th inning for the Cubs v Houston and when I watched SC this morning, the Cubs/Astros were the lead story, followed by the other 18 inning game, Rockies/Diamondbacks. Did they do another Sportscenter and do some major editing to put those games at the top of the show? Or, did they wait till who knows when it finished so they could make it the lead highlights? I should have just stayed up and watched the game and immediately clicked to SC to see what's going on. Maybe they tape another show, but it's not aired on ESPN until 5 am.

Ching, Ching

Ryan King asked me over the weekend, "So who are the Twins playing when you're there?" "You know, I think it's the White Sox." Sure enough. Hmmm...our tickets are $21/ea. Hmmm...this is a huge weekend series. Hmmm...this has big time wild card ramifications. Hmmm...I wonder how many people would love tickets to this game? Hmmm...I wonder how much people would be willing to pay for some tickets? Hmmm...Do we really have to take Matt? Do you see where I'm going with this? Anyone interested in turning your $21 ticket into some nice cash?

P.S. Adam, is there any posibility of adjusting the draft to a later time on Labor Day? It's set for 7:30 now, can we get it later? Even an hour?

Houshmandzadeh

You know you're a serious fantasy football player when you add "Houshmandzadeh" to your office program's dictionary. Just an observation.

Beware of Mascots

Playing quarterback in the NFL can be a dangerous job. Large, angry men are always trying to hit you real hard. Also, you can get run over by the mascot driving a golf cart, like Adrian McPherson did in last night's Saints-Titans preseason game. "He got run over by the mascot. I don't know what to do. We've got to play the Titans. The mascots and all the other stuff going on, it's crazy," said Coach Sean Payton. McPherson was bruised and missed the second half. The news wasn't all bad and bizarre for the Saints though, Reggie Bush looked good with 59 yds on 6 carries, including a 44-yd run where he reversed field and then blew by defenders. Good thing he didn't have to elude any mascots.

On Board

Where's the strangest place you've ever practiced football? In the gym? Maybe in a parking lot? How about on the deck of the USS Ronald Reagan? That's where the San Diego Chargers had their walkthrough yesterday. You can read about if from the Chargers' perspective and the sailors' perspective. This is a great thing, especially in wartime. Besides the obvious coolness of having practice on the deck of an aircraft carrier it also means a lot to the crew. The Chargers also presented the crew with a #76 jersey (the Ronald Reagan is CVN 76) signed by all the players. Said Serviceman 3rd Class Jacob Allison: "It was a lot of fun to watch the Chargers practice on the flight deck. It really helped raise the morale of the crew."

College Fantasy

I presume there's still really no interest in playing college fantasy football at CBS Sportsline? You can check out the rules here. The big difference here is that you draft positional units, i.e. Michigan State QBs rather than Drew Stanton. Thoughts?

Camp Update

Here's a Lions training camp update from ESPN's John Clayton. The short version? Camp with Marinelli is much tougher than last year, the toughest many of the players have ever been in. The guys are really behind Jon Kitna at quarterback. Check out the rest.

Where's my shotgun?

You may have heard of Dead Rising, a video game that revolves around, if you hadn't guessed from the title, killing zombies. It's pretty violent, which has lead to some controversy, including being denied a rating in Germany. But not in the UK, they've decided to give it an 18 rating. This isn't all really that interesting, what gets me is the BBFC's reasoning: "There is no clear evidence that playing games leads to copycat behaviour." (Notice it's spelled Britishly) Is this really a worry in the UK? Are there lots of zombies around that people don't want killed? And should we be worried about British zombies making it to our shores? I may need to go get a shotgun... and a chainsaw.

Third String

The Detroit Lions released their depth chart for the first preseason game yesterday. The big surprise? Receivers. Roy Williams and Corey Bradford are #1 and #2, which isn't surprising. But Chuck Rogers and Mike Williams are listed in the third group. Now I know in the NFL no one's job is safe, and these guys, especially Chuck, probably need the motivation, but I cannot believe that Glenn Martinez and Mike Furrey are better WRs than Mike and Chuck. That's simply not possible. They better get out there and prove it.

Heading for the Bottom

Half a bottle of vodka, a hatchet, 4 guns, and a bullet resistant vest. Sounds like a wild night, huh? Or maybe an average one if you're Maurice Clarett, who was arrested last night after fleeing police when they tried to pull him over after making an illegal U-turn. Clarett had to be maced to be subdued since the vest made a taser ineffective. Apparently the guns were loaded; they included three pistols and one "assault rifle". (Disclaimer: "Assault Rifle" is a media term for any big gun that looks mean.) That sound you hear? That's Clarett punting whatever future he had left away.

UPDATE: Clarett was pulled over just blocks away from the home of a witness in his burglary trial. That doesn't look good at all. Apparently he also called ESPN's Tom Friend last night and talked about his life. Go read that article, it's sheds a lot of light on this story.

One Man Mock

For those of you too lazy to look for your own fantasy football research, here's a one man mock draft from Brandon Funston of Yahoo Sports. This might give you some idea of how our draft might unfold.

Ummmm....

So, I thought I'd go into my Yahoo! account and change my password. I'm planning on doing something that requires giving out my password, so I wanted to change it before I did that. In order to do that, I had to log into my account. Now picture the typical Yahoo login box: Yahoo ID is already filled in with "bodybyhaag." All that's left is my password. So I type in my password and this is what comes up:

Yahoo! ID Card

Name: Mr Laura Laming
Yahoo! ID: bodybyhaag
Yahoo! Mail Address: bodybyhaag@yahoo.com
Password: Change Password

Member Information Edit

Gender: Male
Birthdate: On file
Industry: None, not employed
Occupation: College/Graduate Student
Yahoo! Mail Address: bodybyhaag@yahoo.com
Alternate Email 1: Nathan_Haag at hotmail . com (primary)

The blog won't let me actually show the web page as it comes on up Yahoo. When I add the link to the page, it sends you to the Yahoo login screen instead. Sorry.

Who is Mr. Laura Laming and why does it says that's my name? I've had my bodybyhaag account since at least 1998.

Extreme!!!

What happened to you X Games? You used to be cool.

Do you remember the first X Games? It was in Rhode Island. Chris Fowler and Suzy Kolber hosted the coverage. There was some really great events: skateboard vert, street luge, even rock climbing. It was pretty entertaining. Now they've pretty much botched the whole thing. They have "cool" commentators who are awful to listen to (Note: being on TV doesn't make you a professional broadcaster). They moved to LA, which is really all you need to say about that. They dumped events like rock climbing, I can only assume because they weren't EXTREME enough. Even the camerawork tries too hard to be cool. It's really too bad, because many of the events really are entertaining. Tony Hawk's skateboard run that ended in him jumping off the course into the bay was a sports moment that was really memorable for me. "Extreme" sports are never going to be taken seriously with this kind of coverage.

Batboat?

This is the coolest boat I've ever seen. It actually has wings that serve a purpose. Apparently it's a blast to drive too, even for those who aren't professionals. Very cool.

Weapon of Choice

You should read Day by Day today, it's quite funny. One of my favorites I've seen from that particular strip. If you don't get it, then watch the video below (you should probably watch it anyway):



You're welcome.

Preseason Rankings

It must be almost time for college football, because the coaches released their first poll today. The top five:

1. Ohio State (28)
2. Texas (11)
3. USC (1)
3. Notre Dame (9)
5. Oklahoma (13)

Check the rest out here. You know what my only problem with the poll is? Duke got a vote. Duke. Yeah, it was just one, but it's just wrong. The coach who did that should be beat by an angry man with a big stick.

Red Stripe - Jamaican for Beer

So, like most of you the other night, I was watching the cult classic "Cool Runnings" on TBS. There is a scene where the Jamaican bobsled team is competing in the Olympics. Then, of course, they shoot back to the scene where all the people in Jamaica are sitting at the bar watching. If you look closely at the tables in the scene, everyone is drinking "Red Stripe."

48...and counting

That's the magic number for the Tigers to clinch the A.L. Central division. 48, and any combination of Tiger wins or White Sox losses.

Funniest Thing I've Heard All Day

Donovan McNabb asked on PTI what the most hurtful criticism he heard last year was (paraphrased): "That I wasn't sexy enough." McNabb is a great, great interview. I think I'm almost to the point where I can forgive him for ruining my '03 fantasy football team.

Also, I noticed that LeBatard was actually kind of entertaining. I think embracing his hatable-ness has made him a better host.

When you think

Of someone who does crazy (and I mean deeply disturbing) the first actor to come to mind is of course....


Heath Ledger.

Yup.

Think about it, he did star in brokeback mountain. This is one twisted puppy.

The official title is the Dark Knight.

The penguin is also supposed to appear, as some international arms dealer. Could work, though given the history of comicbook movies, I would be reluctant to use two villains. Have to see how that works out.

Title is good, casting and story...remains to be seen. Chris Nolan is directing again, so I'm quite hopeful. Lets just avoid logic gaps like the microwave generator that could blow a water main and do nothing to someone standing next to it.

Story from IGN.

RE: You're Fired

Why was Harold Reynolds dismissed from ESPN? Care to take a stab at it? I'll give you a minute.
.
..
...
....
.....
......
That's long enough. The answer: sexual harassment. (Hat tip: Deadspin)

The Metrodome

This weekend my family came out to visit me. The main activity we planned was the Tigers-Twins game on Saturday night. It was a great game that went down to the last pitch. Here's some pics to prepare those of you coming out to Minnesota in a few weeks.

The outside of the Metrodome.


Kenny Rogers warming up. He didn't pitch in this game, but he was close enough to get a picture of.


It's the cows.


Game action.


So, yes, the Metrodome really is as ugly as you've heard or seen on TV. But there's one thing that makes it beautiful: air conditioning. That can't be undersold when it's 95+ degrees outside. Maybe it's not as beautiful as a 400-yard headshot, but still pretty nice. One other impression from the game: Zumaya really does throw that fast. Seriously, I think that ball was going so fast it actually went back in time.

Seriously

I didn't fully express myself last post.

We've all done some shooting, so you can have a vague idea how tough those shots were.

Now recall that he was under fire.

You all know I'm not Catholic, but I now have a patron saint of marksmanship.

I would say that he would never be able to buy a beer anywhere in the country, but NO ONE would believe him.

In conclusion,
OOH-RAH

Third Time's the Charm

The Red Wings have decided that Dominik Hasek is the answer to their goal-tending woes. Osgood will also remain with the team. Hasek played with Ottawa last season, so the big question is whether he can stay healthy long enough to make an impact.

Hasek's signing wasn't the only player movement in Detroit today. The Tigers traded AA right-hander Brian Rogers to the Pirates for left-handed bat Sean Casey. Chris Shelton was demoted to make room on the roster.

The Lions, not wanting to be left out, signed 1st-round pick Ernie Sims to a five-year contract. Technically this happened yesterday, but I'm betting you weren't paying close enough attention to notice.

Hardcore

I couldn't even do this in a videogame.

During a large-scale attack on Easter Sunday, Wilson says, he spotted six gunmen on a rooftop about 400 yards away. In about 8 seconds he squeezed off five rounds - hitting five gunmen in the head. The sixth man dived off a 3-story building just as Wilson got him in his sights, and counts as a probable death.

Hat Tip IMAO.

Thats nuts. Bad guys JUMPING off BUILDINGS to get away from him, 400 yards away!

Lag free HDTV

IGN composed a list of lagful and lag-free HDTV's (lag refers to the time it takes for some hi-defs to scale images, thusly making games hard to play). You can find it here.

Mmm... sausage.

Miller Park is adding a new sausage to the Klement's Famous Racing Sausages team: the Chorizo. The move is designed to appeal to the Latin community, as the Chorizo is a mexican sausage. Apparently the new sausage will wear a sombrero. Mmm... sombrero. (Hat tip: Deadspin)

Okay...

...since we're posting movie posters/images pretty heavily now, how about a wallpaper from the Spider-Man 3 website:


Two other wallpapers available at the site.

You're Fired

According to this report from SI.com, Harold Reynolds is out as baseball analyst for ESPN's Baseball Tonight, where he's worked for 11 years. No word on why right now. Doing too many instructional videos maybe?

I am Iron Man

..shut-up and enjoy the ozzie. From ign.com.

Fun Facts About Nebraska

A taste of "Fun Facts About Nebraska" from IMAO:

The powdered soft drink Kool-Aid was invented in Hastings, Nebraska, and was originally sold by travelling salesmen who would kick down people's doors and shout, "OH YEAH!!!"

Check out the rest here.

More Than Meets The Eye

I don't know if the new Transformers movie will be any good, but this has definitely become my new wallpaper:


From AICN, slightly modified.

UPDATE: Three things I should mention: 1. The man who did the voice of Optimus Prime in the cartoon, Peter Cullen, will voice him in the movie. 2. There are wallpapers up at the official movie site. 3. Optimus Prime is Jewish.

Force Powers

Here's some video of pre-visualizations of force powers in a next generation Star Wars game from Lucasarts. Not actual game video, but still pretty cool. (Hat tip: Joystiq)

Cowabunga!

I had heard of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CG film that was in production, but honestly I hadn't thought much of it. Until I watched the teaser trailer here (also available in HD, which I'd recommend), which put a big smile on my face. It looks really cool. I don't know if it's supposed to follow the events of the original movies, or if it's going to be more like the comics or even the new cartoon. I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter too much to me right now. I know where I'll be March 30, 2007.

Donovan F. McNabb

McNabb responded yesterday to T.O.'s book and other comments about McNabb. The article is a little short on quotes, but it's still pretty funny. McNabb call's the book a "children's book" that he should have been the co-author of since he's mentioned so many times in it. He also mocks Owens for being misquoted in his own book. Funny stuff.

Spartan Baseball

Spartan baseball doesn't get much press. I can't really complain either, since I walked by the field almost every day for two years and never went to a game. So it really surprised me to see an article on the ESPN front page about head coach David Grewe. Grewe was only 29 when he took over the team last year. It's an interesting profile, even if you're not a Spartan fan.

Tigers Beat Sox

The Tigers won the finale of their 3-game series with White Sox today with a 2-1 win. Marcus Thames' slide, shown here (photo from AP), set up Chris Shelton for a key double in the 7th inning. It's games like this that make you think that the Tigers may really have a shot to do something. Things looked grim after their 7-1 loss in the first game of the series, but they turned things around admirably. Let's hope for a strong weekend against Oakland.

Portal

Portal looks mind-bendingly cool in this trailer. check it out.

Terrell Owens

I agree with Mike and Mike. Memo to T.O.: If you are going to write an autobiography, maybe you should read it!!! I know, how many people (athletes, celebrities, etc.) actually write their own book? They probably get a Ghost Writer. Fine. Maybe T.O. should get a Ghost Reader as well.

Heisman Top 100

Is it too early to talk about Heisman candidates? Of course not. Fox Sports just posted an article from CollegeFootballNews.com ranking the top 100 Heisman candidates. I'm not gonna lie to you: I love this stuff. Some notables:

97. RB Javon Ringer, Michigan State – The shifty Ringer will once again complement the Spartan passing attack one year after leading the team in rushing as a true freshman and averaging nearly seven yards a carry.

48. WR Jeff Samardzija, Notre Dame – Samardzija enters the 2006 season as one of the premier wide receivers in the country after he exploded for 77 catches and 15 touchdown receptions last fall. He’s got tremendous hands and size, and as Brady Quinn’s main target, will put up huge numbers for a second straight year.

34. WR Steve Breaston, Michigan – Braylon Edwards and Jason Avant have graduated. It’s time for Breaston to become Chad Henne’s go-to receiver. He’s already one of the game’s most dynamic return men, but must also become a 60-catch guy to have a chance to contend in this deep field.

17. QB Chad Henne, Michigan – Henne’s got a chance to become the Wolverines’ all-time leading passer after just three seasons in Ann Arbor. And now as the undisputed leader of a Michigan team looking to rebound from its worst season since 1984, he’s going to get more media attention than ever before.

15. RB Michael Hart, Michigan – Hart’s value to the Wolverines was never more evident than last year, when he missed substantial parts of the season and the offense sputtered in his absence. Chad Henne may have more pro potential, but Hart is the sparkplug, and with 12 games to prove it, he’s capable of becoming the first Michigan back in 66 years to win the award.

12. QB Drew Stanton, Michigan State – Winning the Heisman is a two-part recipe that requires the right combination of big numbers and big wins. And therein lies the rub for Stanton. He’s got a proven, two-year track record of gaudy stats, but unless he can engineer a career-first upset Michigan or Ohio State and get the Spartans back to the post-season, the Top 10 is off limits.

1. QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame – Quinn is by far the top returning Heisman vote-getter, but that alone doesn’t make him this year’s pre-season favorite. He flourished beyond anyone’s expectations in his first season under Charlie Weis, throwing 32 touchdowns and setting all kinds of Irish passing records. With a year in the vault and WR Jeff Samardzija back, he might be even better in 2006. And unlike Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whose quest rests on the development of others, Quinn is firmly at the controls of his destination.

My early pick? Well, it's early enough that I can bask in the glow unbridled optimism, so I'm going Drew "Banzai!" Stanton all the way.

Nice Weather

According to weather.com, here's the current weather in my neck of the woods:


Thank God for AC.

LeeCorso.com

I just thought you all should know Lee Corso now has a website. It really needs a sound clip section, but I guess no one is perfect. Sorry ladies, I don't think Herbstreit has his own site yet.

Fake TSB Ad

I think this will be right up Ump's alley:

Need stamps?

Find yourself in need of stamps? Well, these new stamps from the USPS might fit the bill. They feature Mickey Mantle, Roy Campanella, Mel Ott, and Tigers' legend Hammerin' Hank Greenberg. Yes, you'll have to get a Giant, Dodger, and even a Yankee (all three of the New York variety) to be able to put Hank on your bills and letters, but it's surely worthwhile. Some of Greenberg's stats in case you don't have them at hand: 2 MVP's, on 5 All-Star teams, .313 batting average, 1,276 RBIs, 58 HRs in one season, and served in the Army Air Force in World War II. He was actually drafted in 1940 and then honorably discharged on December 5, 1941. Greenberg re-enlisted after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 2 days later. He was in the militay until the summer of '45 when he returned to baseball and helped the Tigers win the AL pennant with a grand slam home run in the final game of the season. Pretty impressive stuff. So get yourself some stamps.

Effected

Want to see in-game footage from Mass Effect? Sure you do. Check out Bioware's download site here. Go for HD, it's worth it. Trust me.

Crispy

Maybe this is what's it's like to be treated like Darth Vader:


But I'm pretty sure Jerry Jones isn't a cyborg killing machine, so maybe I took the quote the wrong way.

Misquoted

Some guys just can't catch a break. Take T.O. for instance. He's claiming he was misquoted in his own autobiography. In case you're thinking that sounds a bit odd, well, you're right. The defintion of autobiography from the American Heritage Dictionary: The biography of a person written by that person. So, yeah, Owens misquoted himself. Except that the book wasn't a true autobiography since his agent's brother, Jason Rosenhaus, who may be less slimy then Drew, was the co-author. Apparently he was the source of the misquote, which referred to Owen's Super Bowl return from injury as "heroic." Yeah, he's a real hero. But don't worry, everything is great for Owen's now that he's in Dallas, where owner Jerry Jones knows what it's like "to be treated like Darth Vader." What? I don't even know what that means.

Mental Stretching

I'm not up on string theory or its philosophical implications, but this is kind fun anyway.

Imagining the tenth dimension.

Demon Duck of Doom

Australian paleontologists claim they have found fossilized remains of a "killer kangaroo" and a "demon duck of doom." The story has more details about the fossils, but I can't say I care all that much. I just wanted to write "demon duck of doom." Sounds like a good fantasy football team name.

Re: Zumaya

You know, when I first read that post, I was curious who Matt was that Adam was talking about. Then today I actually noticed, after reading Adam's comment, that it was Aaron who blogged a post. Wow, when did Aaron enter the world?

P.S. Thank you American League for winning the All-Star game. Now when the Tigers go to the Series, the will have home field advantage.

"We don't want you."

According to this article by Len Pasquarelli, Randy Moss was really hoping to be traded to the Falcons, or maybe the Ravens, before the Vikings traded him to Oakland. Atlanta was his first choice, but apparently they gave him a Barrigar-esque "you suck" in response. Here's how the article puts it:

"I wanted to play with Atlanta just for the fact of Michael Vick's elusiveness," Moss said. "And I wanted to play with a guy such as [Ravens star middle linebacker] Ray Lewis, because he's on defense and I'm on offense. So I did have dreams and high hopes of being traded to the Atlanta Falcons, but the president and owner . . . told me specifically that [they] did not want me in Atlanta, there's nothing that I can do to get [to] Atlanta, and then wished me the best of luck. [Blank] did not think that Randy Moss would be a good fit in Atlanta."

Ouch. Must have been hard for a guy like Moss to hear the word no. Nice to see that being an immature jerk is still frowned upon by some teams.

Batwings

This is pretty cool. Apparently the UK military is considering using a backpack wing apparatus for the insertion of special forces troops. They would allow troops to jump out of a plane and glide 120 miles to the destination. You know, kind of like Batman in Batman Begins, except going a lot further. Not quite as cool as a cape, but pretty close. The wings would be almost impossible to detect on radar. I'm fairly sure I had a GI Joe that had similar gear, but maybe I'm wrong. I predict a big-budget action movie using these things in the near future.

Re: Just Stupid

I think this was the funniest thing I've read in a long time: "Even when I go to the gym I'm being accused of playing ball like him (Jordan)," Heckard said." What? How does that stadium chant go again..."Bull----, bull----, bull----, ..."

Stop the bleeding!

Brendan Shanahan is leaving the Red Wings and going to New York to play for the Rangers. I know Detroit isn't a great place to live, but this is getting ridiculous. In the space of a week Detroit has lost all of its active major sports heroes. Ouch. If the Tigers didn't have the best record in baseball Detroit fans would be in a deep depression. I think that news pretty much ruined my afternoon.

Detroit's Mt. Rushmore

Terry Foster of the Detroit News has an article today asking: "Who belongs on Detroit's sports Mt. Rushmore?" Listing the requirements as being a current active player on a Detroit team, being popular, having a Hall of Fame caliber career or at least playing on all-star teams, and possibly longevity. His list: Chauncey Billups, Nicklas Lidstrom, Pudge Rodriguez, and Brendan Shanahan. I'd say that's a pretty good list based on those qualifications. Foster's all-time list is Gordie Howe, Al Kaline, boxer Joe Louis, and Isiah Thomas.

I found this article particularly interesting because I have my own "Mt. Rushmore" in my apartment. When I moved and needed some color in my apartment I thought about buying a bunch of 8x10s of Detroit sports heroes. I still think this would be a cool thing to do, but I went with McFarlane figures instead because I thought they made a better display. So my qualifications went like this 1) Had to be available in plastic form from McFarlane, 2) Had to be a sports hero in the state of Michigan, 3) I had to have some affinity for them. The current roster looks like this, from left to right across the shelf:

1. Barry Sanders: No explanation needed here. Barry's the best running back to ever play in the NFL and the most electrifying player who's ever played, forget what they say about Vick.


2. Brett Hull: Even though he wasn't there for back-to-back Stanley Cups like Yzerman or Shanahan, he's still one of the guys I think of when I think of great Wings. Plus, he still won the Cup with the Wings.


3. Steve Yzerman: What can I say about the Captain that hasn't been said. This pose is how I'll always remember him.


4. Brendan Shanahan: He was the key addition that allowed the Wings to win back-to-back Cups, and has been a great player ever since. Probably the most recognizable Wing now that Yzerman has retired.


5. Ben Wallace: This one has come into question a bit in the past week. Still, Wallace has been the face of the Pistons and their return to glory. And who didn't love the 'fro? The one I have is in the white uniform.


That's it for now. Maybe someday soon there will be new faces that qualify or some old ones will be available. Magic Johnson is coming out soon and he might qualify on the strength of his career as a Spartan. Who am I missing? Who would you have?

Super Manning Bros.

There's an article up over at Yahoo about the brothers Manning and their work at the Manning Passing Academy, and in the New Orleans area in general. There hasn't been quite as much negative publicity for NFL players this offseason as there has been in the last few, but it's still refreshing to read about players giving back instead of acting like privileged punks.

Are you man enough?

According to Yahoo, our fantasy draft is 57 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes from now. Are you ready? Obviously you're not. So here's some help from FoxSports. By the way, don't expect fantasy help from ESPN unless you hand over your wallet. Jerks. Anyway, the real question is: "Are you man enough to face the Battletoads?" The defending champ says you're not. Out.