I really haven't been wondering, but I have noticed a little absense of Andy lately. Thinking back to our baseball trip last weekend, Adam made a comment about Andy having a lady friend. It seems Andy has met a woman and...poof! He's gone. So, I can't help but remember the post Fritz made a few years ago in the fantasy football league when Bader used to talk smack every week. Then, all of a sudden, no more Bader. No more smack. And then it hit Fritz and that's when he made the infamous statement, "He must have a girlfriend." Andy's absense (girlfriend) explains it all. I do have just one question though for you Andy...does she like Fantasy Football? Because we could use a 10th team. Congrats. Oh, and, you do still have my back when Frank Hawley comes around, right? "FRANK!" (Coach Oesch)
Oh, and about the title of the post. I know we are now living in this world where we have to be all politically correct and embrace everyone and everything. For instance, people who may be homosexual. I can live with that. Let's not be prejudice. If people are gay, fine. But, if we are living in this new world were it's free and enlightening to be gay and make a big statement about it, why do people have to make a statement about it then? (I'm referring to former NSYNC boy band member Lance Bass "coming out" in People magazine and the cover reading "I'm Gay.") That's great. Buy why do we have to make a special announcement...if we are supposed to no longer make a big deal out of someone who is or isn't gay? It just seems like we are contradicting ourselves. Before, you were "special" if you were gay. Now we're not supposed to treat people as "special" if they are different. Fine. So...why are we treating Lance Bass like he is "special" for being gay? If were aren't supposed to make a big deal about someone being gay, why are we making a big deal about someone (Lance Bass) being gay?
Ladies and Gentlemen, I'M STRAIGHT. (Okay, where is my photo on Sports Illustrated?)
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Iron Man Video
I have to say that Iron Man blowing up terrorists to the tune of "Iron Man" is the coolest thing I've seen all summer.
RE: Changes I'd Be Willing To Make
I made the three changes I mentioned to the league, so you can take a look and see what you think. I still have to but in defensive point values and would appreciate some feedback. We can go back to IDPs, I just thought I'd let everyone see what a different approach would look like.
After looking at the settings I think Yahoo may have solved our problem for us. You can set multiple yardage bonuses now at the different positions. This could be useful for other positions too, but I think it would simplify return men. I would suggest setting points for kick return yards to zero (or very small, depending on how the system interprets it) and set points for certain yardage levels: 50, 100, 150. Maybe those aren't the right levels, but you get the idea. I think this would allow us to reward them without distorting the game. Thoughts?
After looking at the settings I think Yahoo may have solved our problem for us. You can set multiple yardage bonuses now at the different positions. This could be useful for other positions too, but I think it would simplify return men. I would suggest setting points for kick return yards to zero (or very small, depending on how the system interprets it) and set points for certain yardage levels: 50, 100, 150. Maybe those aren't the right levels, but you get the idea. I think this would allow us to reward them without distorting the game. Thoughts?
Changes I'd Be Willing To Make
I could go with the 3 changes Adam has mentioned.
Because I still agree with the philosophy that a yard is a yard no matter what, then I can live with the current system we have as long as more teams are added to the league.
Let's be honest, we only had 6 teams in our league last year. All 6 teams had all the best players and we scored astonomical points. If we have more teams, I don't care what the point values are, not all the good players would be on just a handful of teams. Just adding 2 teams to the league will make a 125 point week a good week, at least I think. Before, a 175 point week was a good week.
I like our uniqueness and would rather remain the same if we can get 10 teams...to see how it plays out. I really think that will "fix" everything.
If not...here are my changes, either in addition to Adam's or modifying his:
1. Take kick return points down to 30 yards/point. I've been in a league using 30 and it was a kick in the pants. 50 would really suck. But, that league didn't use fractional points either.
2. To add an incentive to using REAL RB's or WR's or QB's, 2-point bonus for a 100 yard receiving/rushing game or 300 yard passing game. Could be a difference maker...or we all start scoring 225 points a week.
3. Not sure yet.
I think deflating the special teams stats will create more strategy. Before, if you had to decide between a WR or a kick returner who was a WR, you went with the kick returner because the chances of him getting 100 return yards (10 points) was a guarantee compared to the chances of the WR scoring a TD and having 40 receiving hards (10 points). No strategy there, just common sense. If you knock it down to 30 yards/point, you are running a risk of your special teams WR of not getting you many points. A 5 point day by a WR who only returns kicks would be great. A WR who is only a WR could get you 5 points, but could also get you 15...or 2. The 5 point play is a guarantee like the interest rate on you CD. But, you could get more or less depending on the risk you want to take.
Back to our philosophy. A yard is a yard. Correct. But are all yards equal? Are all yards just as easy to obtain? Let's compare the WR and kick returner again.
What does it take for a WR to get 2 points?
1. Someone has to throw them the ball.
2. Get open to be thrown to.
3. They have to catch it.
4. They have to be down field when caught or gain a total of 20 yards on the play.
Oh, and you have to do all that on just one play in order to get the 2 points. How often are there 20 yard pass plays?
What does it take for a kick returner to get 2 points?
1. Catch a kickoff after a team scores or a punt and the returner is always wide open.
2. Run 20 yards with no one within the first 20 yards to touch him.
So, were both 20 yards just as easy to obtain?
Because I still agree with the philosophy that a yard is a yard no matter what, then I can live with the current system we have as long as more teams are added to the league.
Let's be honest, we only had 6 teams in our league last year. All 6 teams had all the best players and we scored astonomical points. If we have more teams, I don't care what the point values are, not all the good players would be on just a handful of teams. Just adding 2 teams to the league will make a 125 point week a good week, at least I think. Before, a 175 point week was a good week.
I like our uniqueness and would rather remain the same if we can get 10 teams...to see how it plays out. I really think that will "fix" everything.
If not...here are my changes, either in addition to Adam's or modifying his:
1. Take kick return points down to 30 yards/point. I've been in a league using 30 and it was a kick in the pants. 50 would really suck. But, that league didn't use fractional points either.
2. To add an incentive to using REAL RB's or WR's or QB's, 2-point bonus for a 100 yard receiving/rushing game or 300 yard passing game. Could be a difference maker...or we all start scoring 225 points a week.
3. Not sure yet.
I think deflating the special teams stats will create more strategy. Before, if you had to decide between a WR or a kick returner who was a WR, you went with the kick returner because the chances of him getting 100 return yards (10 points) was a guarantee compared to the chances of the WR scoring a TD and having 40 receiving hards (10 points). No strategy there, just common sense. If you knock it down to 30 yards/point, you are running a risk of your special teams WR of not getting you many points. A 5 point day by a WR who only returns kicks would be great. A WR who is only a WR could get you 5 points, but could also get you 15...or 2. The 5 point play is a guarantee like the interest rate on you CD. But, you could get more or less depending on the risk you want to take.
Back to our philosophy. A yard is a yard. Correct. But are all yards equal? Are all yards just as easy to obtain? Let's compare the WR and kick returner again.
What does it take for a WR to get 2 points?
1. Someone has to throw them the ball.
2. Get open to be thrown to.
3. They have to catch it.
4. They have to be down field when caught or gain a total of 20 yards on the play.
Oh, and you have to do all that on just one play in order to get the 2 points. How often are there 20 yard pass plays?
What does it take for a kick returner to get 2 points?
1. Catch a kickoff after a team scores or a punt and the returner is always wide open.
2. Run 20 yards with no one within the first 20 yards to touch him.
So, were both 20 yards just as easy to obtain?
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
RE: 3rd Place...Chiming In
Great post. Now, let's talk philosophy. The idea behind the current system is that a yard is a yard, no matter how it's gained. Why should a QB score less points on a pass than a WR? Should an 80-yd run be worth more than an 80-yd pass? I don't really have any problem with 200+ point games and 70 point games by QBs. There's only an average of one 200 point game per week anyway.
HOWEVER...
The game needs to be about fun as much as about simulating football. The current point values for QBs might "break" the game, so adjusting them might be worthwhile. But if we're going to talk "broken", we have to talk kick returners. Do you know who the top WR in total points was last season? Maybe Marvin Harrison? Nope, he was #2 behind Wes Welker. I hate to de-emphasize the return game at a time when it's gaining more prominence in the NFL but we just can't have that kind of result. I like Welker, but last year he was a decent #3 fantasy WR, not a must-start player. Eliminating kick return points, or severely reducing them, would actually solve most of the issues you mentioned. For example:
1. Kick returners are harder to keep track of, so if you're not spending much time setting up your team you're at a disadvantage. Get rid of them and the field is more competitive.
2. Return men are the biggest reason that we have guys scoring a lot of points with scoring TDs. If you look at the point totals by position the highest scorers are generally the guys who scored TDs, with the exception of guys who returned the ball many times. Take them out of the equation and high scores track pretty close to high TDs.
I think returns fall under special teams if we go to a team defense, so we don't have to totally lose the return game.
As for your other points:
1. Ten teams would certainly make the league more competitive. Eight is the minimum for a decent league. From my experience 10 spreads the players out just enough that good drafting and waiver wire work is rewarded but it's not impossible to find guys and you're not totally screwed with the last position in the draft.
2. Fantasy football is a commitment. Not much of one, but if you're going to play you've got to be willing to spend some time. Kevin's 5 minutes a week is enough to field a decent team every week. It's not that hard to make sure you have a full team starting every week. 5-10 minutes and you're good. If you can't spend that much time on a game you're playing with your friends you shouldn't bother to sign up.
3. I really don't want to make our team more TD-focused. I played in a league that was tilted heavily towards TDs and it wasn't much fun. Like I said earlier, I think return men are the major distorting factor you're seeing in the scoring. That with reduced QB scoring would practically eliminate this problem.
4. I like IDPs (individual defensive players) because they allow the defense a little more focus. However they're a hurdle for the more casual guys and harder to draft. I think a team defense is usually just an afterthought, but if you've got 5 random IDPs, it's about the same thing. If we went to a team defense it would be a litle easier and I think it would the goal of shrinking the roster. I'm not really up for giving up any other roster spots.
So, here's the changes I'd be willing to make:
1. QBs from 10 yds per point to 20 yds per point.
2. Eliminate kick return points or take them down to something like 50 yds per point.
3. I could live with team defense/special teams.
HOWEVER...
The game needs to be about fun as much as about simulating football. The current point values for QBs might "break" the game, so adjusting them might be worthwhile. But if we're going to talk "broken", we have to talk kick returners. Do you know who the top WR in total points was last season? Maybe Marvin Harrison? Nope, he was #2 behind Wes Welker. I hate to de-emphasize the return game at a time when it's gaining more prominence in the NFL but we just can't have that kind of result. I like Welker, but last year he was a decent #3 fantasy WR, not a must-start player. Eliminating kick return points, or severely reducing them, would actually solve most of the issues you mentioned. For example:
1. Kick returners are harder to keep track of, so if you're not spending much time setting up your team you're at a disadvantage. Get rid of them and the field is more competitive.
2. Return men are the biggest reason that we have guys scoring a lot of points with scoring TDs. If you look at the point totals by position the highest scorers are generally the guys who scored TDs, with the exception of guys who returned the ball many times. Take them out of the equation and high scores track pretty close to high TDs.
I think returns fall under special teams if we go to a team defense, so we don't have to totally lose the return game.
As for your other points:
1. Ten teams would certainly make the league more competitive. Eight is the minimum for a decent league. From my experience 10 spreads the players out just enough that good drafting and waiver wire work is rewarded but it's not impossible to find guys and you're not totally screwed with the last position in the draft.
2. Fantasy football is a commitment. Not much of one, but if you're going to play you've got to be willing to spend some time. Kevin's 5 minutes a week is enough to field a decent team every week. It's not that hard to make sure you have a full team starting every week. 5-10 minutes and you're good. If you can't spend that much time on a game you're playing with your friends you shouldn't bother to sign up.
3. I really don't want to make our team more TD-focused. I played in a league that was tilted heavily towards TDs and it wasn't much fun. Like I said earlier, I think return men are the major distorting factor you're seeing in the scoring. That with reduced QB scoring would practically eliminate this problem.
4. I like IDPs (individual defensive players) because they allow the defense a little more focus. However they're a hurdle for the more casual guys and harder to draft. I think a team defense is usually just an afterthought, but if you've got 5 random IDPs, it's about the same thing. If we went to a team defense it would be a litle easier and I think it would the goal of shrinking the roster. I'm not really up for giving up any other roster spots.
So, here's the changes I'd be willing to make:
1. QBs from 10 yds per point to 20 yds per point.
2. Eliminate kick return points or take them down to something like 50 yds per point.
3. I could live with team defense/special teams.
3rd Place...Chiming In
I was going to comment to the last post, but it's easier to read when all the posts and comments are in front of you. Let me paraphrase in my best possible National Inquirer way of the REAL story of what happened and was discussed on the way home, minus all the shouting, swearing, middle-fingering, wife threats, name calling, groin kicking and bottle throwing in the van.
I forgot to mention another thought of making the league better/tougher to score points.
1. Less total roster spots to fill. As Adam already mentioned, we have 20 spots (rounds). Either we go with a smaller bench (which is what we discussed) or less total positions to fill. We didn't really go with that idea of cutting position players because if we did, we'd be cutting the defensive positions.
2. QB points. 25 yards/point was not brought up. Fritz is right, we talked about 15 or 20 yards/point. I've been in two other leagues that QB's got 1 point for every 25/yards.
3. I think it has been mentioned in the past (last year?) that if we had more competitive players for the WHOLE season (or just one freakin' week...MATT!) then we'd have a top notch league and we wouldn't have to make any statistical changes. So, adding 2 more guys for a total of 10 either makes our league more competitve or just adds 2 more competitive guys that can weed out the Boston Celtic players in our league (Aaron and Matt) that just "shut it down" once things started rolling downhill. And once those 2 competitive guys are added, it gives us a league of 10, but actually 8 solid competitive guys. Kevin admits, he "only puts in 5 minutes a week." That may be so, but at least he's competitive.
Here is the problem with the words you used Adam: "It would bring the league more in line with standard scoring." Some people don't want to be "standard." Fine. We like our creative league, I agree. The argument is "Just play the league the way the system is set up." Absolutely. I'm not saying our league needs to be touchdown dominating like some other leagues. But in ours, there's really no point to go after ANY player who scores lots of TD's. My argument is, the last time I checked, football was about scoring TD's. The enemy to that argument is "Who cares? Our league is about picking guys that will get you the most points, whatever it takes." In our league, a guy who scores TD's doesn't mean jack squat. Since that is the case and I don't think anyone can argue with me on that point, then we have in our league, because of our system, a surplus of players for any position that can give you a ton of points each week...which is why we score +200 points...and still lose. But, again, if we have 10 teams to dispurse the players, point totals would drop because each team would have less guys to score astronomical points...for basically doing everything but scoring touchdowns. Because at that point, they aren't really running backs or wide receivers. They are guys that only touch the ball 5 times and get you 15 points...without a TD.
By the way, the leading scorer every week in 2005 and 2006 in our league was a QB.
I was just looking at previous posts on the Monkie blog about our suggestions to the league in years past. I went all the way back to February 2005 and couldn't find anything. I could have swore we talked last year (on the blog) about possible changes.
I forgot to mention another thought of making the league better/tougher to score points.
1. Less total roster spots to fill. As Adam already mentioned, we have 20 spots (rounds). Either we go with a smaller bench (which is what we discussed) or less total positions to fill. We didn't really go with that idea of cutting position players because if we did, we'd be cutting the defensive positions.
2. QB points. 25 yards/point was not brought up. Fritz is right, we talked about 15 or 20 yards/point. I've been in two other leagues that QB's got 1 point for every 25/yards.
3. I think it has been mentioned in the past (last year?) that if we had more competitive players for the WHOLE season (or just one freakin' week...MATT!) then we'd have a top notch league and we wouldn't have to make any statistical changes. So, adding 2 more guys for a total of 10 either makes our league more competitve or just adds 2 more competitive guys that can weed out the Boston Celtic players in our league (Aaron and Matt) that just "shut it down" once things started rolling downhill. And once those 2 competitive guys are added, it gives us a league of 10, but actually 8 solid competitive guys. Kevin admits, he "only puts in 5 minutes a week." That may be so, but at least he's competitive.
Here is the problem with the words you used Adam: "It would bring the league more in line with standard scoring." Some people don't want to be "standard." Fine. We like our creative league, I agree. The argument is "Just play the league the way the system is set up." Absolutely. I'm not saying our league needs to be touchdown dominating like some other leagues. But in ours, there's really no point to go after ANY player who scores lots of TD's. My argument is, the last time I checked, football was about scoring TD's. The enemy to that argument is "Who cares? Our league is about picking guys that will get you the most points, whatever it takes." In our league, a guy who scores TD's doesn't mean jack squat. Since that is the case and I don't think anyone can argue with me on that point, then we have in our league, because of our system, a surplus of players for any position that can give you a ton of points each week...which is why we score +200 points...and still lose. But, again, if we have 10 teams to dispurse the players, point totals would drop because each team would have less guys to score astronomical points...for basically doing everything but scoring touchdowns. Because at that point, they aren't really running backs or wide receivers. They are guys that only touch the ball 5 times and get you 15 points...without a TD.
By the way, the leading scorer every week in 2005 and 2006 in our league was a QB.
I was just looking at previous posts on the Monkie blog about our suggestions to the league in years past. I went all the way back to February 2005 and couldn't find anything. I could have swore we talked last year (on the blog) about possible changes.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Simplify
Quoting Ump:
And:
I'm not against simplifying the league to make it easier to draft and I'm open to changing points for stats. The current draft goes 20 rounds; cutting 5 roster spots would speed it up significantly. I like having the extra emphasis on defense with IDPs, but they may be more trouble than they are worth. And after 3 years of study I think that kick returners are probably distorting our league a bit much. I'm a holdout on the QB points, but I guess I can let go of that if everyone else wants it to change. It would bring the league more in line with standard scoring.
We've had 8 teams the past couple of years, I'd be glad to get it to 10. I'd say we have 7 solids. Kid Loe has played for quite a while, so he's likely number 8. If Rick is in we get to 9. Bader and brother-in-law Joe have invites, if either joined that would push us to 10.
Speaking of kick returners...we had a big (heated) discussion on stats, positions stats, team defense, individual defense, stat/point tweaking, etc. on our way home as soon as we left you in the dust.
Here is what the concensous was to make our league better:
1. 10 teams in the league. We have Rick Parrott, so someone needs to contact him. We need one more person.
2. Less points for QB's. 25yds/point.
3. 15yds/point for kick returns.
And:
Basically we were saying we need to deflate some of the point totals. But I think we are all satisfied (not necessarily happy) with keeping individual defensive players. Some would like a team defense.
I think it will be more difficult doing the draft party/live draft when it comes to individual defensive players. It's easier when a computer is in front of you.
I'm not against simplifying the league to make it easier to draft and I'm open to changing points for stats. The current draft goes 20 rounds; cutting 5 roster spots would speed it up significantly. I like having the extra emphasis on defense with IDPs, but they may be more trouble than they are worth. And after 3 years of study I think that kick returners are probably distorting our league a bit much. I'm a holdout on the QB points, but I guess I can let go of that if everyone else wants it to change. It would bring the league more in line with standard scoring.
We've had 8 teams the past couple of years, I'd be glad to get it to 10. I'd say we have 7 solids. Kid Loe has played for quite a while, so he's likely number 8. If Rick is in we get to 9. Bader and brother-in-law Joe have invites, if either joined that would push us to 10.
Sunday, July 29, 2007
Draft Night in CC
As I mentioned during the baseball trip, I tentatively will be home Sept. 1-9 (pending approval from my new boss). It was noted that our fantasy football draft would occur that same week. So, do we want to have a draft party? This might be difficult for Kid Loe, but I think it would work for the rest of the league. The tentative date would be Sept. 2nd. Let me know if this sounds feasible. A couple of questions:
-Is there a big-screen TV that could be hooked up to a computer available? If so, we could use either a draft program or a spreadsheet to keep track of the draft. A projector would also work great if we had access to one. Alternatively, we could buy a draft board or just get a really big sheet of paper and some markers.
-Where?
-Just how much food would we need?
-Do we need to simplify the teams, i.e. get rid of individual defensive players, to make this work?
-Is there a big-screen TV that could be hooked up to a computer available? If so, we could use either a draft program or a spreadsheet to keep track of the draft. A projector would also work great if we had access to one. Alternatively, we could buy a draft board or just get a really big sheet of paper and some markers.
-Where?
-Just how much food would we need?
-Do we need to simplify the teams, i.e. get rid of individual defensive players, to make this work?
GPS
Since everyone was asking questions about my GPS during the trip I thought I'd dig p some data. It's a Mio DigiWalker™ C310x. You can find it for sale at Amazon, as well as other places.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Great Quote
An awesome quote I ran across today from George Carlin:
From The Quotations Page.
The very existence of flamethrowers proves that some time, somewhere, someone said to themselves, "You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I'm just not close enough to get the job done."
From The Quotations Page.
40 Days...
...and counting until the 2007 Cass City Monkie Fantasy Football Draft. If you're not already signed up, and only two of you are, why not? All the info is right here. Seriously, you don't have to wait for Calvin Johnson to sign before you join the league, and I'm sure you'll be able to draft someone to replace Curtis Martin. Go now.
Where have I been
So Mike Piazza plays for the A's now? Who knew?
UPDATE: I have to admit, I only learned that because of this story yesterday about Piazza getting hit in the head in the on deck circle by a thrown water bottle from a fan.
UPDATE: I have to admit, I only learned that because of this story yesterday about Piazza getting hit in the head in the on deck circle by a thrown water bottle from a fan.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
"Mattingly, I told you to shave those sideburns."
With "The Simpsons" coming to theaters this weekend ESPN's Page 2 has a great article by Jim Caple about baseball-themed episodes of the long-running show. That only leaves one thing to say: "Do you want to know the terrifying truth, or do you want to see me sock a few dingers?"
"Dingers! Dingers!"
"Dingers! Dingers!"
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
New Plans
After talking with Kevin last night (as he was looking at Map Quest) we've come up with this agenda:
Friday: Leave Cass City by 3:30pm to meet at Kevin's by 4:30pm with rental van. Realistically speaking, leave Bay City by 5:00 pm. Drive to Moline (7 hours?) and spend night...12:00am
Saturday: Drive to Des Moines (2 hours?) and pick up Adam. Adam leaves truck at some hotel. Continue driving the rest of the way to Kansas City (3 hours?) to the game. After game, drive back to Des Moines (3 hours?) and get Adam's truck and spend night at hotel...12:00am
Sunday: We all go our separate ways.
We could drive to Des Moines Friday night, but that could put us there after 1 or 2am. I'd say leave the option open for either Moline or Des Moines. The farther we can make it, the better. If we are making good time on the roads and we think we can get to Des Moines at a decent hour, let's shoot for it. If not, we better settle with Moline rather than take our chances with a corn field. If we drive down the wrong row in the corn field called Iowa, we'll miss Des Moines.
Friday: Leave Cass City by 3:30pm to meet at Kevin's by 4:30pm with rental van. Realistically speaking, leave Bay City by 5:00 pm. Drive to Moline (7 hours?) and spend night...12:00am
Saturday: Drive to Des Moines (2 hours?) and pick up Adam. Adam leaves truck at some hotel. Continue driving the rest of the way to Kansas City (3 hours?) to the game. After game, drive back to Des Moines (3 hours?) and get Adam's truck and spend night at hotel...12:00am
Sunday: We all go our separate ways.
We could drive to Des Moines Friday night, but that could put us there after 1 or 2am. I'd say leave the option open for either Moline or Des Moines. The farther we can make it, the better. If we are making good time on the roads and we think we can get to Des Moines at a decent hour, let's shoot for it. If not, we better settle with Moline rather than take our chances with a corn field. If we drive down the wrong row in the corn field called Iowa, we'll miss Des Moines.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Trip "Plans"
After talking with Matt about the plans for the trip, here are some thoughts we had:
Friday: Leave Cass City sometime after 3pm (give or take 15 minutes). Drive x # of hours until we pick up Adam...somewhere. Then continue driving until we are within 5 hours or so of Kansas City. Find hotel and sleep.
Saturday: Get up and drive the remaining 5 hours or so and go to game at 6:05 CT. After game, drive at least 2 hours and find a hotel. Sleep.
Sunday: Continue driving and go home.
Using Mapquest, it looked like Moline would be a decent area to pull off Friday night for a hotel. Adam, what do you think? Do you know any good areas? Would Moline work? Des Moines also looked possible.
Friday: Leave Cass City sometime after 3pm (give or take 15 minutes). Drive x # of hours until we pick up Adam...somewhere. Then continue driving until we are within 5 hours or so of Kansas City. Find hotel and sleep.
Saturday: Get up and drive the remaining 5 hours or so and go to game at 6:05 CT. After game, drive at least 2 hours and find a hotel. Sleep.
Sunday: Continue driving and go home.
Using Mapquest, it looked like Moline would be a decent area to pull off Friday night for a hotel. Adam, what do you think? Do you know any good areas? Would Moline work? Des Moines also looked possible.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
The Backup
Who has the most to gain from Michael Vick's legal troubles? Well, that would be the backup QB, Joey Harrington. Perhaps you've heard of him. Last season Harrington had to carry the weight of the Dolphins when they found Daunte Culpepper was not sufficiently rehabbed to be a starting QB. Now he may be called upon to save the Falcon's season if Vick misses significant time. If so, can he deliver?
Friday, July 20, 2007
IDEAS FOR SENATE DEMOCRAT STUNTS TO LOSE IN IRAQ
Some ideas:
* Holding their breaths until we retreat from Iraq.
* Drinking the problem away (Kennedy's idea).
* Light a cross on the White House lawn (Byrd's idea).
(more at IMAO.us)
* Holding their breaths until we retreat from Iraq.
* Drinking the problem away (Kennedy's idea).
* Light a cross on the White House lawn (Byrd's idea).
(more at IMAO.us)
Thursday, July 19, 2007
College Fantasy?
I'm assuming we still don't have much interest in playing college fantasy football, right? You need 8 people to have a league, so without that much interest it's pointless.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Samson: The Action Figure
Wal-mart is going to test market a line of Bible-themed action figures. I figured the current and soon-to-be parents might find this interesting. I hope the Samson figure comes with Philistine-slaying action and a donkey's jawbone accessory. That would be sweet.
Passwords
Ladies and Gentleman, it is time for "15 seconds to complain" so climb on board. This has really been bothering me lately. Certain websites I log into require you to change your Password every so often. I'm cool with that actually. However, it can't resemble anything of a previous password. Then, you've got to have a combination of 17 different characters, symbols, numbers, letters, CAPS, pictures, strands of DNA, blood samples, boogers, stool samples, and an updated urine test to change your password. Oh, and then you have to remember that combination when you finally decide to log back in a week later. Cute. So I've given up because I have about 10 other Passwords and ID's I have to remember for other various accounts, etc. I've finally created an Excel spreadsheet to list all my accounts that require an ID and Password. The one that bothers me the most is my Delta College email password. Like I really care if someone takes the time to hack into my Delta email account. Oooooo. I'm scared. I was getting one email per day telling me I had to change my password by July 13 or I wouldn't be able to access the account again. Oh no.
The best way it has been put to me is this: Passwords only keep out the honest people. Anyone if they really wanted to could hack your account no matter what special password it had.
Kinda like a business having two locked front doors. Why lock them both? The first door only keeps out the honest people. If they really want to get in, they will break down both doors, so you might as well save the money it would take replacing door #2 and leave the second door unlocked.
Anyone else irrated about constantly updating passwords? Has it seemed to help or work for you any better? Do you really feel any safer?
The best way it has been put to me is this: Passwords only keep out the honest people. Anyone if they really wanted to could hack your account no matter what special password it had.
Kinda like a business having two locked front doors. Why lock them both? The first door only keeps out the honest people. If they really want to get in, they will break down both doors, so you might as well save the money it would take replacing door #2 and leave the second door unlocked.
Anyone else irrated about constantly updating passwords? Has it seemed to help or work for you any better? Do you really feel any safer?
The Trip is ON!
We are heading to KC for July 27-29. Aaron has to work on that Friday until 4:00. Rumor has it he will get off at 2:00 though. I figured we'll be leaving Cass City around 3:00 hopefully.
The game is at 6:05 pm CT on Saturday. As of right now, I don't plan on buying any tickets. I think the odds are in our favor that we can get 6 whereever we want. Plus, by just showing up at the ticket box to buy our duckets, we save at least $4/person. Ticketmaster screws you through the $3.00 "service charge" (PER TICKET), $4.25 shipping and handling, ?% sales tax, and I'm sure some other office expense.
If anyone opposes me not getting the tickets early, let me know.
Kevin is in charge of getting the rental car/van.
Late
The game is at 6:05 pm CT on Saturday. As of right now, I don't plan on buying any tickets. I think the odds are in our favor that we can get 6 whereever we want. Plus, by just showing up at the ticket box to buy our duckets, we save at least $4/person. Ticketmaster screws you through the $3.00 "service charge" (PER TICKET), $4.25 shipping and handling, ?% sales tax, and I'm sure some other office expense.
If anyone opposes me not getting the tickets early, let me know.
Kevin is in charge of getting the rental car/van.
Late
Monday, July 16, 2007
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Another Great Word
I heard another great word while at church today: cogitate. I'll leave you to ponder whether it is worthy of the title or not.
Monkey-flavored
Andy told me Friday that he picked up this tea because of the picture on the box:
So, how's it taste? Does it need more monkey?
So, how's it taste? Does it need more monkey?
Saturday, July 14, 2007
Badger Update
A UK military spokesman says:
I think that's in the running for Best Quote Ever. (Hat Tip: Mark Steyn at The Corner)
"We can categorically state that we have not released man-eating badgers into the area."
I think that's in the running for Best Quote Ever. (Hat Tip: Mark Steyn at The Corner)
Friday, July 13, 2007
Bigfoot
The Bigfoot Field Researchers Organization says they have a recording of Bigfoot's howl made somewhere in the Upper Peninsula. Does this mean Michigan will have to replace its official state animal? Personally, I think if anyone actually finds Bigfoot he'll be running across a corn field in the Thumb, like that wolverine.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Badgers? We don't need no steenking badgers!
Giant badgers are stalking the streets of Basra by night, eating people. No, seriously, that's what some of the people of Basra are saying. The rumor is also circulating that they were brought in by British forces, because obviously the badger would be the animal of choice for intimidating the populace. Apparently the director of the local veterinary hospital believes the rumors are false, but who's he to get in the way of a good badger-eats-man story? (Hat tip: Jonah Goldberg at The Corner)
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monkies 11
After watching "Ocean's 11", "...12" and now "...13", I've been reminded of a "fantasy" I've been meaning to post about. Could we, the Cass City Monkies, pull off or at least line up, our 11 "players?" By the way, #13 was better than #12...but still wayyyyyyyy too far fetched of a story line.
Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on setting up "Monkies 11." A few thoughts. If we go with the 6 of us guys and our 5 wives, that makes 11 players. But I didn't think that was as cool as us coming up with 11 of our own fellas. But who would play the girl?
I don't have figured out who would play what character yet. For instance, I don't know who would be "Danny Ocean" or "Rusty" etc. But I thought I'd try to find our 11 first, and match characters second.
The Players:
Nathan Haag
Nathan Fritz
Adam Stoeckle
Matt Ross
Kevin Schott
Aaron Barrigar
Rusty Hudson
Andy Stoeckle
Brad Speirs
Rick Parrott
Tyler Bader?
Josh Sorenson?
Paul Langmaid?
Thoughts?
Anyway, I'm looking for suggestions on setting up "Monkies 11." A few thoughts. If we go with the 6 of us guys and our 5 wives, that makes 11 players. But I didn't think that was as cool as us coming up with 11 of our own fellas. But who would play the girl?
I don't have figured out who would play what character yet. For instance, I don't know who would be "Danny Ocean" or "Rusty" etc. But I thought I'd try to find our 11 first, and match characters second.
The Players:
Nathan Haag
Nathan Fritz
Adam Stoeckle
Matt Ross
Kevin Schott
Aaron Barrigar
Rusty Hudson
Andy Stoeckle
Brad Speirs
Rick Parrott
Tyler Bader?
Josh Sorenson?
Paul Langmaid?
Thoughts?
Adios
Dan Patrick announced yesterday on his radio show that he is leaving to pursue new interests outside of ESPN. His last day on air will be August 17th. Patrick is great at what he does, but do you think he can be a real success in another field? Let's just hope he doesn't go the Keith Olbermann moonbat route.
UPDATE: Sorry, didn't mean to use lingo not everyone understands. According to Wikipedia, moonbat "is a term often used currently in U.S. politics as a political epithet referring to anyone that is liberal or on the left." Personally I associate the term with the far-left fringe: Kos kids, Moveon.org, and others from the liberal fever swamps. From what I've read, Olbermann's work for MSNBC matches up fairly well with that description.
UPDATE: Sorry, didn't mean to use lingo not everyone understands. According to Wikipedia, moonbat "is a term often used currently in U.S. politics as a political epithet referring to anyone that is liberal or on the left." Personally I associate the term with the far-left fringe: Kos kids, Moveon.org, and others from the liberal fever swamps. From what I've read, Olbermann's work for MSNBC matches up fairly well with that description.
Saturday, July 07, 2007
Good News Everyone
According to ESPN's Ric Bucher, Chauncey Billups has agreed to a multi-year contract with the Pistons.
Friday, July 06, 2007
Thursday, July 05, 2007
KC or Chi-Town
It looks like it's down to going to Kansas City or Chicago White Sox. However, if we choose Chicago for Saturday, July 28, it appears there is only one group of 6 tickets left in section 550. The rest are sporatic. I think Chicago will be difficult to pull off.
Kansas City said they would pay us to come...if that helps the decision.
Votes for Kansas City: Fritz, Haag,...
Votes for Chicago:
Kansas City said they would pay us to come...if that helps the decision.
Votes for Kansas City: Fritz, Haag,...
Votes for Chicago:
Wednesday, July 04, 2007
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
Baseball Trip
I've done some more checking on baseball games, locations and dates:
Kansas City Royals: Home = July 27-29
Chicago White Sox: Home = July 27-29
Chicago Cubs: Home = August 3-5
Toronto Blue Jays: Home = August 3-5
Detroit Tigers: Home = August 3-5
Minor League Trip: = August 3-5
My gut feeling is it will be tough to get tickets for the Cubs and Tigers. White Sox? Not sure. I know their season is going down the drinker, but people early in the season probably bought a lot of tickets expecting them to compete.
I'm available both weekends. I'm assuming if Aaron has the July 27-29 weekend available, then he's probably working the Aug. 3-5 weekend. Fritz would prefer not the Aug. 3-5 weekend, but he can make it work. Matt? Kevin...I couldn't remember the weekends he said would be bad. It seemed the weekends after Aug. 3-5 were worse for him. Adam, any new news on your relocation situation?
Out
Kansas City Royals: Home = July 27-29
Chicago White Sox: Home = July 27-29
Chicago Cubs: Home = August 3-5
Toronto Blue Jays: Home = August 3-5
Detroit Tigers: Home = August 3-5
Minor League Trip: = August 3-5
My gut feeling is it will be tough to get tickets for the Cubs and Tigers. White Sox? Not sure. I know their season is going down the drinker, but people early in the season probably bought a lot of tickets expecting them to compete.
I'm available both weekends. I'm assuming if Aaron has the July 27-29 weekend available, then he's probably working the Aug. 3-5 weekend. Fritz would prefer not the Aug. 3-5 weekend, but he can make it work. Matt? Kevin...I couldn't remember the weekends he said would be bad. It seemed the weekends after Aug. 3-5 were worse for him. Adam, any new news on your relocation situation?
Out
Sunday, July 01, 2007
The Juggernaut Index
When I read the first article posted by Andy Behrens for Yahoo Fantasy Sports I thought he was an arrogant upstart fantasy writer. He probably is, but he's endeared himself to me by explaining who the Juggernaut is that inspired his list and by writing that Jon Kitna thinks Calvin Johnson will have the same impact on the Lions "gamma rays had in Dr. Banner." Yes, two comic book references will get you into my good graces. Anyway, he has posted a list of the top offensive "juggernaut" teams this season who will help you win your fantasy league. Worth reading.
Gun Kata
I felt like watching Equilibrium today, but wasn't sure I had the time, so I checked out Youtube. Then I thought: "Why not share?" So here you are. Just a note: Yes, Christian Bale does rack those shotguns for real and a real person performs that jump off the motorcycle.
Vampire Peacocks
Vampire peacocks roam the parking lots of Staten Island Burger Kings. Or maybe this guy is just crazy. Frankly, there's nothing about this story I don't find hilarious. If you think that sounds cruel to peacocks then you haven't spent near as much time with them as I have.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Crap
Only single tickets are available (the whole weekend series) for the Chicago Cubs v the Arizona Snakes. NO tickets are together.
Monday, June 25, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Shock Wave Therapy
There's an interesting story over at ESPN The Website from ESPN The Magazine regarding Magglio Ordonez resurgence after 2 years of recovering from injury. Mags received an experimental treatment in Austria called shock wave therapy, which sounds as though it should leave you with superpowers. This may not be far from the truth as Ordonez is leading the majors with a .383 batting average. Check it out.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Monday, June 18, 2007
The Cautionary Tale of Numero Cinco
One of my coworkers just returned from a week working at one of our plants in Mexico. He had a picture of himself at a party with some of our Mexican counterparts. In the picture, they were all wearing wrestling masks. I noted that it would have been cool if he had that mask and wore it to work. Better yet, we discussed how much fun it would be if we all wore masks to work for the entire day. Of course, we'd all have to come up with Mexican wrestler aliases. I think I would have to wear this mask and go by the name El Mono. My coworker? Definitely El Tigre. How would this not be awesome?
Nothing New
Since we can't quite come up with any plans, can we at least agree the last weekend of July (July 27-29) is the best time still? And if that is the case, can we all agree to still keep that weekend open for any possibilities?
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Hold the phones
Without speaking to a human being, I could not find tickets for the July 27-29th series in St. Louis. I only searched for Saturday's games. That's right, GAMES. It seems they play a doubleheader on Saturday, which is awesome because game 2 is at 7:05...NO SUN!!! But, I tried for 6 tickets and then 3 for both the day and night double dip. Nada. But, that's usually the case before speaking to a mammal. Stay tuned for further updates.
New Stadium + World Series Champion = zero tickets
UPDATE: Standing Room Only is all that is available for either game on Saturday, July 28. Suggestions?
UPDATE #2: Toronto is dying to get rid of tickets. Plenty of $30 Field Level 1st baseline tickets available for Saturday, July 21. Feedback needed.
Fritz is willing to go for the Standing Room Only. I'm not so gung ho on driving 14 hours and paying $13-18 to stand (possibly 3 hours in the sun) to watch a team that beat our Tigers in the WS.
Do we try for tickets to the Sunday cardinals game and take off Monday instead of Friday?
New Stadium + World Series Champion = zero tickets
UPDATE: Standing Room Only is all that is available for either game on Saturday, July 28. Suggestions?
UPDATE #2: Toronto is dying to get rid of tickets. Plenty of $30 Field Level 1st baseline tickets available for Saturday, July 21. Feedback needed.
Fritz is willing to go for the Standing Room Only. I'm not so gung ho on driving 14 hours and paying $13-18 to stand (possibly 3 hours in the sun) to watch a team that beat our Tigers in the WS.
Do we try for tickets to the Sunday cardinals game and take off Monday instead of Friday?
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
All you ever needed to know...
...about compact fluorescent light bulbs, courtesy of IMAO. Here's a sample:
Enjoy.
Q. How is it that CFLs use less energy than regular incandescent light bulbs?
A. A CFL turns electricity much more efficiently into light than an incandescent bulb which wastes 90% of the electricity in consumes in the form of heat. Also, instead of drawing all its power from electricity, a CFL also draws some of its power from Satan (check the packaging of the bulb for the specific percentage).
Enjoy.
9.0-0-0-0-4-12
No, this isn't a post about Lost, that's Verlander's stat line from last night: innings, hits, runs, earned runs, walks, and strikeouts. That's a no-hitter folks, the first for a Tigers' pitcher since Jack Morris in 1984. More from the Detroit News here.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Horsing Around
Chad Johnson beat a horse in a race on Saturday. Well, sort of, he was spotted a 100m head start, which was roughly half the distance the horse needed to cover. Now that's still fairly impressive, but isn't it sort of like saying you "won" in sudden death OT if your opponent decided to give you the ball at the 15? Of course Johnson, being mentally incapable of keeping his mouth shut said he wanted to "conquer" other sports: boxing, basketball, and auto racing specifically. Yawn. That's all talk, tell me when he jumps in the ring with a kangaroo.
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Ringtones
I recently replaced my old phone after it broke when it hit the floor. Hard. I might have thrown it. Anyway, the new phone allows me to set individual ringtones for each caller, at least until I'm out of memory. So, any requests?
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
RE: Comic Book Movies
You asked for it, I'm going to geek out hardcore here. I think you hit the nail on the head at the beginning of your post. The main problem is money: directors and actors start demanding more of it. I think boredom is also part of it. After watching Spider-man 3 I can't believe Raimi was as into it as he was during the first two or he wouldn't have made such a mediocre movie. Yes, it made a lot of money, but it's still not all that good.
I think the other big problem is that the studios worry about losing audience interest, like you said. Comic books never really end since the publishers can't afford to kill off their most popular characters. This results in lots of stories to choose from when adapting a character to the screen, though only a few classic or important stories. There's also generally plenty of villains to choose from though they may not all be well-known. Batman, for example, is generally considered to have the best rogues gallery of any superhero. Everyone knows Joker, but here's a few more off the top of my head: Two-Face, Man-Bat, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Ra's Al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, The Ventriloquist, Bane, The Riddler, The Scarecrow, Killer Croc. All of these are strong enough to keep the audience's interest if there's a good story. And that's the problem: instead of good writing most superhero sequels go for a bigger spectacle. In Spider-man 3 the story suffered while they tried to shoehorn in 3 villains. The result is all are wasted AND you lose the audience. X3 did the same thing. We had more mutants but less story.
So, I guess my answer would be that a superhero movie could attain Rocky-esque levels of sequelage IF the studios were willing to wait for a good story instead of rushing out a script. Not killing all the villains would help too.
One further note: television would be the perfect place for a superhero story, but networks haven't been willing to take the risk to go all-out with it. The current television model means you probably can't put the money necessary to tell a good story with most superheroes, but this is where they would really shine, especially if you let their universes be connected. Smallville does this, more or less, but those aren't classic versions of the characters. A Batman show would be cool, a Batman show with a guest appearance by Superman would rock. Spider-man with special guest the Fantastic Four. Deadpool and... well, Deadpool doesn't need special guests. All right, that's enough for me. I better quit before I really start to ramble.
I think the other big problem is that the studios worry about losing audience interest, like you said. Comic books never really end since the publishers can't afford to kill off their most popular characters. This results in lots of stories to choose from when adapting a character to the screen, though only a few classic or important stories. There's also generally plenty of villains to choose from though they may not all be well-known. Batman, for example, is generally considered to have the best rogues gallery of any superhero. Everyone knows Joker, but here's a few more off the top of my head: Two-Face, Man-Bat, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Ra's Al Ghul, Mr. Freeze, The Penguin, The Ventriloquist, Bane, The Riddler, The Scarecrow, Killer Croc. All of these are strong enough to keep the audience's interest if there's a good story. And that's the problem: instead of good writing most superhero sequels go for a bigger spectacle. In Spider-man 3 the story suffered while they tried to shoehorn in 3 villains. The result is all are wasted AND you lose the audience. X3 did the same thing. We had more mutants but less story.
So, I guess my answer would be that a superhero movie could attain Rocky-esque levels of sequelage IF the studios were willing to wait for a good story instead of rushing out a script. Not killing all the villains would help too.
One further note: television would be the perfect place for a superhero story, but networks haven't been willing to take the risk to go all-out with it. The current television model means you probably can't put the money necessary to tell a good story with most superheroes, but this is where they would really shine, especially if you let their universes be connected. Smallville does this, more or less, but those aren't classic versions of the characters. A Batman show would be cool, a Batman show with a guest appearance by Superman would rock. Spider-man with special guest the Fantastic Four. Deadpool and... well, Deadpool doesn't need special guests. All right, that's enough for me. I better quit before I really start to ramble.
Comic Book Movies
I'm no comic book expert, but I enjoy many of the movies made from them. And, they are usually quite successful. But I'm curious, at what point do "they" stop making more sequals to a particular comic book movie? I realize the more sequals made, the higher the chance it will be a new director and/or difficulty of signing important cast members to return. And, the more movies, the less interest in the series usually.
I want to use the new Batman series as an example. I don't know a whole lot about Batman actually. But I know, like most comic books, Batman has lots of characters and villains. We know in "The Dark Knight" that the Joker will be in the movie. But there are so many characters and villains, how do you fit them all in the movies. If you don't make enough sequals, you won't get many of the characters in the series. Or, you run the risk of too many characters in one movie to fit them all in. But, if you make too many sequals, you run the risk of people losing interst in a 4th or 5th Batman movie (unless they were all like "Batman Begins").
There has been one Batman movie so far (under the new series). Can anyone tell me what most directors are thinking? You have this long list of characters (Catwoman, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Robin, Mr. Freeze, etc, etc.) so who do they make sure gets in the sequals and who do they not mention? What order of characters gets introduced? Who are the "main" characters to be in all the movies? Is the "Batman" story every finished or any comic book story EVER completed? When does a series just finally end? Could "Spiderman" just go on and on and on? Adam referenced the villain "Venom" for the "Spiderman" series. Is there ever an end to all the villains in a story? Do they just keep coming up with new characters to keep fighting crime?
For those of you comic book guru's, what is your take?
Oh, and I read on espn.com today that Gary Sheffield is the nephew of former MLB pitcher/druggie Dwight Gooden. Does that strike anyone as odd? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Isn't Gary like 50 years old and Dwight 45? Dwight can't be that old can he? Gary is 38 and Dwight is 42 actually.
I want to use the new Batman series as an example. I don't know a whole lot about Batman actually. But I know, like most comic books, Batman has lots of characters and villains. We know in "The Dark Knight" that the Joker will be in the movie. But there are so many characters and villains, how do you fit them all in the movies. If you don't make enough sequals, you won't get many of the characters in the series. Or, you run the risk of too many characters in one movie to fit them all in. But, if you make too many sequals, you run the risk of people losing interst in a 4th or 5th Batman movie (unless they were all like "Batman Begins").
There has been one Batman movie so far (under the new series). Can anyone tell me what most directors are thinking? You have this long list of characters (Catwoman, the Penguin, Two-Face, the Riddler, Robin, Mr. Freeze, etc, etc.) so who do they make sure gets in the sequals and who do they not mention? What order of characters gets introduced? Who are the "main" characters to be in all the movies? Is the "Batman" story every finished or any comic book story EVER completed? When does a series just finally end? Could "Spiderman" just go on and on and on? Adam referenced the villain "Venom" for the "Spiderman" series. Is there ever an end to all the villains in a story? Do they just keep coming up with new characters to keep fighting crime?
For those of you comic book guru's, what is your take?
Oh, and I read on espn.com today that Gary Sheffield is the nephew of former MLB pitcher/druggie Dwight Gooden. Does that strike anyone as odd? Shouldn't that be the other way around? Isn't Gary like 50 years old and Dwight 45? Dwight can't be that old can he? Gary is 38 and Dwight is 42 actually.
Monday, June 04, 2007
...BOOM.
It's here. Sign-up for Yahoo Fantasy Football 2007 has begun. The league ID number is 1880 (that's right, I was on it that fast) and the password is, of course, monkie. You can see the league at this link. All of the settings have been imported from last year, so if there's anything you didn't like you've got plenty of time to complain. The live draft is currently set for Tue Sep 4 6:30pm CDT. If this needs to change I need to know ASAP. It looks like Yahoo has taken the time to integrate all of the data from previous leagues, so we should be able to see all kinds of things like all-time head-to-head records. That's right, bragging rights will no longer be at the mercy of foggy memories. So what are you waiting for?
Hanging Chads
After talking with some other members of the CCMBTC, a suggestion has been brought up and possible re-vote. How about going to St. Louis's new ball park? Or, is Toronto a chance? So, I decided to look at some weekend dates of the Jays and Cards.
St. Louis:
July 27-29 (Milwaukee)
August 10-12 (Dodgers)
August 24-26 (Atlanta)
Toronto:
July 20-22 (Seattle)
August 3-5 (Texas)
August 17-19 (Baltimore)
The only thing I haven't looked at is ticket availability. I'd say no matter which ballpark we visit, we'd have to do a Saturday game. Let the people speak. Just like that fellow member, I am also a team player, so whatever works. But I like the Cardinal idea. We could pick up Adam in Chicago and still have plenty of QT with a hairy beast.
St. Louis:
July 27-29 (Milwaukee)
August 10-12 (Dodgers)
August 24-26 (Atlanta)
Toronto:
July 20-22 (Seattle)
August 3-5 (Texas)
August 17-19 (Baltimore)
The only thing I haven't looked at is ticket availability. I'd say no matter which ballpark we visit, we'd have to do a Saturday game. Let the people speak. Just like that fellow member, I am also a team player, so whatever works. But I like the Cardinal idea. We could pick up Adam in Chicago and still have plenty of QT with a hairy beast.
Sunday, June 03, 2007
Who Knew?
I just discovered that R. Lee Ermey has an official website. It has pictures, sounds, and a store where you can buy various merchandise like a 12" R. Lee Ermey motivational figure. That's not enough? How about recipes, a fan club, a forum, and podcasts? It's amazing. So what are you waiting for? Click on the link, maggot!
Saturday, June 02, 2007
History Lesson
I've just gathered the data from Yahoo and compiled the standings of every Cass City Monkie fantasy football league to date. I think I'll have to put this in a spreadsheet so I have it handy, but this will do for now. Enjoy.
* = made playoffs
Cass City Monkies 2006 Results
1.All Night Long! 12-1 2262.90 W-4*
2.Time to lose again 11-2 2089.80 W-3*
3.Battletoads 9-4 2001.30 L-1*
4.Pooper Scoopers 8-5 2169.70 W-2*
5.Crackers Dont Matter 6-7 1806.40 L-2*
6.Losers! 3-10 1656.50 W-1*
7.Non-competitives 3-10 1604.00 L-2
8.Your Chance to Win 0-13 1275.80 L-13
Playoffs
1. GOOD NIGHT NOW!!! (All Night Long!)
2. Time to lose again
3. Pooper Scoopers
4. Battletoads
5. Crackers Dont Matter
6. Losers!
7. Non-competitives
8. Your Chance to Win
All Night Long!= Fritz, Time to lose again= Schott, Pooper Scoopers= Haag, Battletoads= Stack, Crackers Dont Matter= Andy, Losers!= Barrigar, Non-competitives= Matt, Your Chance to Win= Kid Loe.
Cass City Monkies 2005 Results
1. Clobberin' Time 12-1 2217.00 W-4*
2. HorribleSpaceMonkies 10-3 2173.00 W-3*
3. DoggiesThruTheEndzon 7-6 2038.60 W-1*
4. 22 Pull Sweep on 1 6-7 1856.80 L-2*
5. KindaHypeThatlClrARm 6-7 1774.60 W-2*
6. Trade teams anyone? 5-8 1808.60 L-1*
7. The Sunday Suckas 4-9 2007.10 L-4
8. Let's go 2-11 1648.00 L-8
Playoffs
1. Clobberin' Time
2. HorribleSpaceMonkies
3. KindaHypeThatlClrARm
4. Trade teams anyone?
5. 22 Pull Sweep on 1
6. DoggiesThruTheEndzon
7. The Sunday Suckas
8. Let's go
Clobberin' Time= Stack, HorribleSpaceMonkies= Andy, KindaHypeThatlClrARm= Kid Loe, Trade teams anyone?= Schott, 22 Pull Sweep on 1= Fritz, DoggiesThruTheEndzon= Haag, The Sunday Suckas= Bader, Let's go=Barrigar.
Cass City Monkies 2004 Results
Season
1. Go Deep!!! 11-4 2178.15 W-3*
2. Soon 2 be the leader 9-6 2050.45 W-8*
3. BimSkalaBimmin' 9-6 1978.75 L-3*
4. Turf Smack 8-7 1999.10 W-1*
5. DTownThunderCats 8-7 1887.30 L-2
6. The Tecmos 7-8 2134.25 W-2
7. The Living Legend 7-8 2064.85 L-1
8. Bone Collectors 1-14 1574.70 L-3
Playoffs
1. Go Deep!!!
2. Soon 2 be the leader
3. BimSkalaBimmin'
4. Turf Smack
5. The Tecmos
6. Bone Collectors
7. The Living Legend
8. DTownThunderCats
Go Deep!!!= Barrigar, Soon 2 be the leader= Fritz, BimSkalaBimmin'= Andy, Turf Smack= Haag, The Tecmos= Stack, Bone Collectors= Matt, The Living Legend= Bader, DTownThunderCats= Kid Loe.
Cass City Monkies 2003 Results
1. Gruesome Gamecocks 13-2 2172.00 W-1*
2. Forearm Shiver 13-2 2121.00 W-7*
3. Hail Mary! 11-4 2058.00 L-1*
4. Crackback Headhunter 9-6 2028.00 L-1*
5. Calm Like A Bomb 6-9 1850.00 W-2
6. Dirty Const. Workers 3-12 1442.00 W-1
7. kungfu death monkies 3-12 1436.00 L-3
8. Tenacious_D 2-13 1448.00 L-7
Playoffs
1. Hail Mary!
2. Gruesome Gamecocks
3. Crackback Headhunter
4. Forearm Shiver
5. Dirty Const. Workers
6. Calm Like A Bomb
7. kungfu death monkies
8. Tenacious_D
Hail Mary!= Barrigar, Gruesome Gamecocks= Bader, Crackback Headhunter= Haag, Forearm Shiver= Fritz, Dirty Const. Workers= Matt, Calm Like A Bomb= Stack, kungfu death monkies= Andy, Tenacious_D= Labar.
Cass City Monkies 2002 Results (Gridiron Madness)
1. Fireproof 12-2 1097.00 L-1*
2. GO Lions!! 9-5 1076.00 W-1*
3. probable losers 7-7 1007.00 W-1*
4. kidloe kickers 6-8 899.00 W-2*
5. Kevin's Team 5-9 903.00
6. Gansters 3-11 866.00 L-2
Playoffs
1. Fireproof
2. probable losers
3. GO Lions!!
4. kidloe kickers
5. Gansters
6. Kevin's Team
Fireproof= Stack, probable losers= Andy, GO Lions!!= Barrigar, kidloe kickers= Kid Loe, Gansters= Matt, Kevin's Team= Schott.
* = made playoffs
Cass City Monkies 2006 Results
1.All Night Long! 12-1 2262.90 W-4*
2.Time to lose again 11-2 2089.80 W-3*
3.Battletoads 9-4 2001.30 L-1*
4.Pooper Scoopers 8-5 2169.70 W-2*
5.Crackers Dont Matter 6-7 1806.40 L-2*
6.Losers! 3-10 1656.50 W-1*
7.Non-competitives 3-10 1604.00 L-2
8.Your Chance to Win 0-13 1275.80 L-13
Playoffs
1. GOOD NIGHT NOW!!! (All Night Long!)
2. Time to lose again
3. Pooper Scoopers
4. Battletoads
5. Crackers Dont Matter
6. Losers!
7. Non-competitives
8. Your Chance to Win
All Night Long!= Fritz, Time to lose again= Schott, Pooper Scoopers= Haag, Battletoads= Stack, Crackers Dont Matter= Andy, Losers!= Barrigar, Non-competitives= Matt, Your Chance to Win= Kid Loe.
Cass City Monkies 2005 Results
1. Clobberin' Time 12-1 2217.00 W-4*
2. HorribleSpaceMonkies 10-3 2173.00 W-3*
3. DoggiesThruTheEndzon 7-6 2038.60 W-1*
4. 22 Pull Sweep on 1 6-7 1856.80 L-2*
5. KindaHypeThatlClrARm 6-7 1774.60 W-2*
6. Trade teams anyone? 5-8 1808.60 L-1*
7. The Sunday Suckas 4-9 2007.10 L-4
8. Let's go 2-11 1648.00 L-8
Playoffs
1. Clobberin' Time
2. HorribleSpaceMonkies
3. KindaHypeThatlClrARm
4. Trade teams anyone?
5. 22 Pull Sweep on 1
6. DoggiesThruTheEndzon
7. The Sunday Suckas
8. Let's go
Clobberin' Time= Stack, HorribleSpaceMonkies= Andy, KindaHypeThatlClrARm= Kid Loe, Trade teams anyone?= Schott, 22 Pull Sweep on 1= Fritz, DoggiesThruTheEndzon= Haag, The Sunday Suckas= Bader, Let's go=Barrigar.
Cass City Monkies 2004 Results
Season
1. Go Deep!!! 11-4 2178.15 W-3*
2. Soon 2 be the leader 9-6 2050.45 W-8*
3. BimSkalaBimmin' 9-6 1978.75 L-3*
4. Turf Smack 8-7 1999.10 W-1*
5. DTownThunderCats 8-7 1887.30 L-2
6. The Tecmos 7-8 2134.25 W-2
7. The Living Legend 7-8 2064.85 L-1
8. Bone Collectors 1-14 1574.70 L-3
Playoffs
1. Go Deep!!!
2. Soon 2 be the leader
3. BimSkalaBimmin'
4. Turf Smack
5. The Tecmos
6. Bone Collectors
7. The Living Legend
8. DTownThunderCats
Go Deep!!!= Barrigar, Soon 2 be the leader= Fritz, BimSkalaBimmin'= Andy, Turf Smack= Haag, The Tecmos= Stack, Bone Collectors= Matt, The Living Legend= Bader, DTownThunderCats= Kid Loe.
Cass City Monkies 2003 Results
1. Gruesome Gamecocks 13-2 2172.00 W-1*
2. Forearm Shiver 13-2 2121.00 W-7*
3. Hail Mary! 11-4 2058.00 L-1*
4. Crackback Headhunter 9-6 2028.00 L-1*
5. Calm Like A Bomb 6-9 1850.00 W-2
6. Dirty Const. Workers 3-12 1442.00 W-1
7. kungfu death monkies 3-12 1436.00 L-3
8. Tenacious_D 2-13 1448.00 L-7
Playoffs
1. Hail Mary!
2. Gruesome Gamecocks
3. Crackback Headhunter
4. Forearm Shiver
5. Dirty Const. Workers
6. Calm Like A Bomb
7. kungfu death monkies
8. Tenacious_D
Hail Mary!= Barrigar, Gruesome Gamecocks= Bader, Crackback Headhunter= Haag, Forearm Shiver= Fritz, Dirty Const. Workers= Matt, Calm Like A Bomb= Stack, kungfu death monkies= Andy, Tenacious_D= Labar.
Cass City Monkies 2002 Results (Gridiron Madness)
1. Fireproof 12-2 1097.00 L-1*
2. GO Lions!! 9-5 1076.00 W-1*
3. probable losers 7-7 1007.00 W-1*
4. kidloe kickers 6-8 899.00 W-2*
5. Kevin's Team 5-9 903.00
6. Gansters 3-11 866.00 L-2
Playoffs
1. Fireproof
2. probable losers
3. GO Lions!!
4. kidloe kickers
5. Gansters
6. Kevin's Team
Fireproof= Stack, probable losers= Andy, GO Lions!!= Barrigar, kidloe kickers= Kid Loe, Gansters= Matt, Kevin's Team= Schott.
Sleepers, Part I
With fantasy football leagues about to form all over the country we're about to embark on a long summer of... waiting. Once you've picked out a team name, the only thing left to do is start on your cheat sheet. Now, if you're a busy sort, you'll wait until about Sept. 4th and just print something out. If you're crazy, you'll start doing research now. Let's get crazy! Here's Mike Harmon of Fox Sports on potential sleeper QBs. Top of his list? Jon Kitna. Someone's been passing the Lions kool-aid around.
Friday, June 01, 2007
Fred Thompson Facts
I haven't been following the Republican presidential nominee race all that carefully, but at the moment if I was going to vote I'd vote for Fred Thompson. So I decided to read this article by Jonah Goldberg at NRO this morning. It included some interesting facts from humor site IMAO, some of which I'll reproduce here:-Fred Thompson once ended a filibuster by ripping out a senator’s heart and showing it to him before he died.
-Only two things can kill Superman: Kryptonite and Fred Thompson.
-Fred Thompson once stood on our south border and glared at Mexico. There was no illegal immigration for a month.
-Fred Thompson vows not only to win in Iraq but also to forcefully free Vietnam from Communism, thus giving America a perfect win/loss record for wars again.
-Fred Thompson often fills in for Paul Harvey and Batman.
-They say that after a nuclear blast, the only things that will survive will be cockroaches and Fred Thompson... except that Fred Thompson doesn't like cockroaches. So the only thing that will survive will be Fred Thompson.
-Fred Thompson kills at least one terrorist every day before he even has his first cup of coffee. You don't want to be the terrorist he kills before he gets his first cup of coffee.
-Fred Thompson's favorite color is the blood of his enemies.
You can see more fact about Fred Thompson at IMAO.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Boom... Boom... Boom...
It's coming. Registration for Yahoo Sports Fantasy Football starts next week. So, a preemptive question: when do you want to draft? Labor Day is Monday, Sept. 3rd, the first NFL game is Thursday, Sept. 6. What day works best?
Roll Call
Okay, enough of the debating or whatever we're NOT DOING, and let's get down to business. Adam has put together some research on minor league baseball dates where we could see all 3 teams (Loons, Lugnuts and Whitecaps). As a member of the Cass City Monkey Baseball Trip Club (CCMBTC), yes, I pay membership dues, I'm voting for August 3-5 to "Make It Happen." So, speak up. Here are the votes so far, with one precinct reporting their results:
Yeas: 1
Nays: 0
Number of Yes votes needed to finalize: 4
Three more to go. Get out and vote!
Yeas: 1
Nays: 0
Number of Yes votes needed to finalize: 4
Three more to go. Get out and vote!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Crazy Cuban
Mark Cuban and others in a group of investors have a simple idea: "We think there is more demand for pro football than supply." So, they're looking at the possibility of forming a new league that would be stocked with sub-2nd round draft pick players. Obviously others have had the same idea, but's it's been less and less successful each time it's been tried. The AFL was relatively successful and became part of the NFL. But the WWE/NBC XFL? Not so much, all that's left is Rod Smart and the memory of the "He Hate Me" jersey. The Arena league has a chance to really carve out a niche, but a direct competitor to the NFL? Maybe I lack imagination, but I just don't see it working out. Unless all eight of the teams in the proposed league have monkey-related names, then it would be like printing money.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
The Best
Who has had the best basketball program over the last 10 years? Well, according to Andy Katz of ESPN.com, MSU has. Yeahbuhwhat? Sorry, I'm so used to my school being dumped on I'm quite sure what to do with such high praise. You automatically assume an ESPN writer will anoint Duke the king of NCAA basketball since they spend so much time slurping them during the season. So, is Katz crazy?
Why People Love Him
Barry Bonds on donating various items from his homerun chase to the Hall of Fame:
We know Barry, that's why everyone loves you so much.
"I'm not worried about the Hall. I take care of me."
We know Barry, that's why everyone loves you so much.
Monday, May 28, 2007
Monster Pig
Want to hear a wild story? An 11-year-old boy in Alabama killed a giant wild hog weighing 1,051 pounds and measuring 9 feet 4 inches. I read about this the other day, but it just doesn't have the impact without a picture. It's insane. They had to cut down trees to get the thing out of the woods. Sausage is being made out of the monstrous beast; they expect to somewhere between 500 and 700 punds out of the animal. Someone is going to need another freezer.
Line Rider
Line Rider is a timewaster that involves drawing slopes for a character to slide down on a sled. It's simple, but still addictive and fun. No zombies though. Possibly a candidate for the Hall of Fame?
Memorial Day
A couple of links for Memorial Day:
Fred Thompson on Memorial Day.
A message from Michael Yon.
(Hat tip: The Corner)
Fred Thompson on Memorial Day.
A message from Michael Yon.
(Hat tip: The Corner)
Sunday, May 27, 2007
The Clone Wars
It's stuff like this that makes me remember why I dig Star Wars so much. Check it out.
"Heavyweight"
According to a confidential source of ESPN, Michael Vick is a "heavyweight" in the dog fighting world. Probably not the kind of thing thing the Falcons and the NFL wanted to hear. Can you imagine what kind of punishment he'll receive if this is all true? Do you hear that ticking? That's the final countdown on Vick's career.
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Sweet
So, to save some coin, I kicked Comcast cable TV to the curb today (kept the internet service) and plugged in the old antenna. Did you know there's no such thing as an HD antenna? There isn't. If it gets UHF, you're good. Plugged it in and did some setup and I've got HD channels. Comerica Park in HD? Almost as good as being there. Almost.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Loonier
I just checked the schedules and it looks like if anyone wants to make this year the minor league version of the baseball trip and hit 3 games the best weekends would be July 13th-15th and August 3rd-5th. Games on Friday and Saturday would be at about 7pm, the Sunday game would be at 2pm or 3pm. This is assuming the teams we'd see are the Great Lakes Loons, the Lansing Lugnuts, and the Western Michigan Whitecaps.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Schadenfreude
Schadenfreude means "pleasure derived from the misfortune of others." I'm experiencing it right now. You see, after a controversial officiating in MSU's 2004 loss to Hawaii in Honolulu MSU decided to pay a $250,000 cancellation fee and drop out of the last game of what was scheduled to be a home-away-home series for Hawaii. Now the former Rainbow Warriors are having a hard time filling that 13th game on their schedule, which already includes two I-AA teams. No one wants to play them. Their athletic director was even grilled by state legislators this week about the state of UH athletics. Apparently they have an image problem. Can you taste that sweetness? (Hat tip: SpartanTailgate.com)
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
The Most Epic Battle In History
There's an epic struggle going on right now for the title of "Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth" at CBS Sportsline.com. Part of the final four is a match-up between Iowa State and the Michigan State Spartans. And this time, it's personal. For me anyway. My best friend at work is a Cyclone and I'll never hear the end of it if they win this one. So get out there and vote! Even if you're a Wolverine fan you have to jump on the bandwagon. Can we really let such an exalted title as "Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth" go to a bunch of windy birds from the Big 12? No! Strike a blow for the Big Ten and help me rub it in Eric's face.
It's on!
It's on!
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
More Mass Effect (Yet Again)
There's new media available at the Mass Effect site, including a new video of a distress call. You can also check out the first chapter on the prequel novel, Mass Effect: Revelation. Cool stuff, but this game needs to get here right away. But, in the interest of not losing all my free time to a video game, I suppose I can wait.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
400
Wow, that was the 400th episode of the Simpsons? Hard to believe that it's been on that long. Also hard to believe that crap like that actually passes for a Simpsons episode. This season has been pretty decent overall, but this was a huge disappointment for a fan expecting something special for number 400. And could someone explain how two different episodes aired consecutively make for a "one-hour special event"?
Saturday, May 19, 2007
"By the power of Greyskull..."
I'm pretty sure my childhood demands I buy this:
Too bad it's an exclusive, that'll be way too much money to pay for nostalgia.
Too bad it's an exclusive, that'll be way too much money to pay for nostalgia.
"Another serious miscalculation, another mouthful of poo."
(That quote isn't quite right, but I can't find it online to bolster my memory.) Dirty Jobs with Mike Rowe is coming to Michigan, the Mackinac Bridge specifically. The episode will cover painting and other maintenance of the 50-year-old bridge. It will also likely test just how comfortable Mr. Rowe is with heights. Hopefully the Mackinac Bridge can provide as much excitement as feeding casino buffet leftovers to pigs or shearing an alpaca.
Behind the Scenes
Ever wondered what it takes to keep the Joe Louis Arena ready for when the puck drops? The Detroit News has the scoop here.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Its a shame
Ah...high school
As the school day was coming to a close today, I was walking through my office (the gymnasium) and heard the click of an intercom system before the necessary announcement:
"Attention Staff, it is now okay to log back into SDS for taking attendance."
Thank you Mrs. Battle for taking me back to 1997.
Wow, is Kingston that far behind or did SDS finally get their act together?
"Attention Staff, it is now okay to log back into SDS for taking attendance."
Thank you Mrs. Battle for taking me back to 1997.
Wow, is Kingston that far behind or did SDS finally get their act together?
Saturday, May 12, 2007
Not Nuts
Out for a walk, I just saw a squirrel making off with a piece of fried chicken. Not very quickly since the chicken was nearly the size of the squirrel itself. According to Wikipedia, squirrels are omnivores, but fried chicken? This, in addition to the albino squirrel I saw last week, has me a little concerned about the squirrel population around here. I just know I'm going to get mugged by a gang of hungry squirrels looking for money to buy nuts and alcohol.
Empty Seats?
I know I've been out of it for a little while, but there's empty seats at the Joe? I know the Detroit economy stinks and the Pistons and Tigers are getting attention, but still, empty seats? Seriously? Maybe it's the coyotes.
Friday, May 11, 2007
NFL Roundup: Character Edition
News from around the NFL:
Ricky Williams has test positive for marijuana again, delaying any potential reinstatement. Shocking.
Pacman Jones received a speeding ticket (79 in a 55) four days before his meeting with commissioner Goodell about his season-long suspension. He's obviously learning his lesson.
Ron Mexico says that he doesn't know anything about the alleged dog-fighting ring on property he owns in Virginia. And he wants to focus on football, so please stop asking questions about it. "Now where's my water bottle?" Maybe he and Marcus have the same story and Marcus just decided to skip ahead a few chapters to the embarassing flameout.
Ricky Williams has test positive for marijuana again, delaying any potential reinstatement. Shocking.
Pacman Jones received a speeding ticket (79 in a 55) four days before his meeting with commissioner Goodell about his season-long suspension. He's obviously learning his lesson.
Ron Mexico says that he doesn't know anything about the alleged dog-fighting ring on property he owns in Virginia. And he wants to focus on football, so please stop asking questions about it. "Now where's my water bottle?" Maybe he and Marcus have the same story and Marcus just decided to skip ahead a few chapters to the embarassing flameout.
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Loony
Since we're having a difficult time figuring out the annual baseball trip, may I suggest a slightly different idea (courtesy of my mother)? Perhaps we could check out the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond? Maybe make a multi-game trip out of it and also catch the Lugnuts and the Whitecaps? Sure, minor league baseball doesn't have quite the thrill of the major ballparks, but it would still be fun, fairly easy on the wallet, and be a decent compromise while still maintaining the integrity of the baseball trip. Am I crazy? Well, yes, but is the idea sound anyway?
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