Review of “The League”- Episode One
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Fantasy Football, TV, review | Comments Off
The Counselor is IN:
When I first heard the concept of a half an hour sitcom about a group of guys in a fantasy football league, I thought it was a great idea. Outside of the typical stereotypes, you could develop a fun show with great characters. My mind instantly brought up images of TBS’ My Boys with all the characters and plot of that show. Right away, I set my DVR to record "The League" on FX.
I sat down to watch the show with my wife in the same room. I figured my wife would be tuned out since the show is about a group of Fantasy Football guys. The first scene got my wife’s attention because it started with a simulated sex scene which did not show much but was pretty explicit in the language. As the show moved along, the foul language continued to dumfound me because of the randomness of where it was inserted. The topics turned to smoking pot and then to pubic hair. One of the characters who is a stoner, wrote and sang an inappropriate song for a kid’s birthday party about the night of passion the parents must have experienced when the child was conceived. The draft is held at a loft where the owner decides to throw a social party along with the draft- are you kidding me?
There were moments of laughs and enjoyment in this opening episode. The champ from last season had a webcast to taunt the other owners, which was very humorous. There is a scene where the commissioner of the league has the other owners draw numbers out of a hat and then informs them that it is not for draft order but rather for the number on the child in the sack race at the birthday party and the position that the child finishes in will be the draft order. I loved the portrayal of the fantasy owner who accidentally chooses a retired player every year and this year he chose “Keyshawn Johnson”. The best scene was the defense attorney dealing his number 1 overall pick in the fantasy draft to the assistant DA to get a better deal for his client.
Overall this show is a miss. I did not care for any of the characters. Is the thinness of the plot supposed to be masked by the inappropriate scenes? It appeared that the creators did not know much about fantasy football or the people who play.
I will check out next week’s episode to see if it gets better and hope for more laughs and less disgust. But I have a feeling that it will be removed from my DVR record list shortly there after. Watch it at your own risk.
The Counselor is OUT:
Illini Win??!!?? Yes, You Read That Right!
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Big 10, How in the hell did Illinois win, How in the hell did Michigan lose, Illinois, Illinois Fighting Illini, Illinois beats Michigan, Maybe Illinois isn't awful, Maybe Michigan is really awful, Michigan, Michigan Wolverines, Rich Rodriguez Michigan Wolverines Football, Rich Rodriguez sucks, RichRod is the devil, college football, erin andrews thong, fire rich rodriguez | Comments Off
By Paul Schmidt
There’s no one anywhere who predicted an Illinois win Saturday against Michigan. I’m about the biggest Illinois apologist that there is, and even I was urging you to bet against the Illini, and to lay 7 points while doing it!
After a short amount of time, however, the glow of a great victory has waned and left two very poignant questions to be asked.
The first is whether this was a victory from an Illinois team finally playing up to expectations, or whether this victory can completely be attributed to the wheels falling off of this Michigan teams’ wagon.
The more that I think about the game, the more I really believe the latter to be true. Michigan’s defense is starting to play ridiculously bad. It’s almost getting comical at just how bad they are playing.
The Wolverines are doing whatever the opposite of peaking is, winning only one game in their last five, with that win being against FCS opponent Delaware State. With NCAA investigators descending upon Ann Arbor, RichRod looking dirtier than Rod Blagojevich and a best-case scenario of six wins (with games remaining against Purdue, Wisconsin and Ohio State, winning one would be an accomplishment), Michigan is definitely in disarray.
Illinois just managed to take advantage of that.
The second question is much more accusatory towards the Illini — Just where was this type of offensive production all season?? I understand that Michigan’s D isn’t that good, and that Illinois just managed to take advantage of it. But 55 rushes for 377 yards? Illinois didn’t even manage that production against Illinois State earlier this season, in their only other win. That type of production has little to do with the quality of your opponent — You’re just getting the job done up front and mangling a team when you get that many yards. And even if Michigan’s defense (along with coordinator Greg Robinson) is terrible, Illinois still was great on offense, just like everyone thought they would be all season long.
So why now? Why, when they are 1-6, and 0-5 in the Big Ten, can Illinois suddenly move the football? Why is the offense NOW able to create some opportunities? Why did it take so long for this team to finally get motivated and put up the effort which we all knew they were capable of?
Unfortunately, those are all questions that only Ron Zook has the answer to, and no doubt he’s not giving anyone the answers.
And therein lies the ultimate problem.
This team would have almost been better off playing horribly the rest of the season — this win only provides a ridiculous tease to an increasingly more disenchanted fan base. While they were certainly placated during the second half, and most likely after the game as well, soon all of their minds will turn to these questions, namely, just where was all this effort all season long?
If Zook can’t figure out what worked this week, and how to consistently squeeze this type of effort out of his team, remarkably, the win may end up reflecting worse on him than any loss would have.
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Fantasy Report: Week #8 Picks
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Fantasy, Fantasy Football, Gremlins | Comments Off Week #8 Hot starts for this weekend QB 1) P. Manning – IND 2) D. Brees – NO 3) A. Rodgers – GB 4) T. Romo – DAL 5) J. Cutler – CHI RB 1) J. Addai – IND 2) M. Forte – CHI 3) K. Smith...(This is a content summary only. Visit lonestarstruck.com for full links, other content, and more!)
FSC: Review of "The League"- Episode One
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under sports | Comments Off The Counselor is IN: When I first heard the concept of a half an hour sitcom about a group of guys in a fantasy football league, I thought it was a great idea. Outside of the typical st...The Latest Word From Jones Town
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Dallas Cowboys, Football, Jerry Jones, NFL, Opinion | Comments OffWhat He Said
“Let’s just say this, the decision is made a lot of times … the agreements call for the GM ultimately to make decisions. If not, the only one that can overrule the GM is the owner. Period. And that’s always been the way it’s been for 20 years.” (Jerry's answer to Richie Whitt's question of whether it was ultimately the head coach's call to demote a player.)
What He Meant
“I am the chief cook and bottle washer around here. This is my team. I am the owner, the GM, and the de facto coach. Wade understands this. Why can’t you?”
What I Think About What He Said
Scary for all Cowboys’ fans.
What I Think About What He Meant
Makes me feel a bit…hopeless.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
Explode in Sports: Site For Sore Eyes
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off On All Hallows Eve, the streets were bare and the wind was whistling through the trees above the telephone lines. The noise of a garbage can being blown over o...Roy Williams’ Time Will Come
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Dallas Cowboys, Football, Jason Witten, Jerry Jones, NFL, Opinion, Patrick Crayton, Roy Williams (Cowboys), Tony Romo | Comments OffLet’s get something straight; Roy Williams is a good receiver.
What Jerry Jones gave up in order acquire him and the amount of the extension he immediately paid him is inconsequential.
Roy Williams is a good receiver.
It’s seems that Cowboy Nation has found its latest gripe to unite around: Bench Roy Williams!
Since the trade mid-season last year, here are Williams’ sobering numbers with the Cowboys:
15 games
31 receptions
428 yards
2 TDs
By comparison, Miles Austin’s last two games have been more productive (16 rec., 421 yards, 4 TDs).
Cowboy fans should realize Williams isn’t Terrell Owens.
He’s not a stretch-the-field, deep attack, down-the-field receiver. In fact, he’s much more of a move-the-chains type of receiver who thrives in short to mid-range route running and is an asset to the run game with his blocking.
If anything, Williams is a younger, faster, stronger version of Keyshawn Johnson circa 2004.
Let’s not get it twisted, though; Williams is a talented receiver.
You don’t put up a 1,300+ season in the NFL by accident.
Williams’ role is still to be determined in Garrett’s offense. Make no mistake though, he has a role.
Don’t hold your breath waiting for Williams to be benched either.
Right, wrong or indifferent, there is no scenario in which Williams will find himself demoted and coming off the bench. Jerry didn’t make Williams the second highest paid receiver in the game for that honor.
Ironically, Austin’s emergence stands to benefit not only Williams, but the rest of the receivers, including tight end Jason Witten.
Going into training camp, the Cowboys envisioned Austin playing across from Williams as the No. 2 receiver. Austin would provide the team its first true deep threat since Terry Glenn.
Unfortunately, Austin had a lingering hamstring injury that carried on through camp. Crayton, who was having a great camp, assumed the No. 2 role out of necessity.
Now it appears the receiving corps is set with Williams being the “chain moving” No. 1; Austin the “deep threat” at No. 2, and Crayton at No. 3, working the slot where he’s one of the league’s best.
Williams’ time will come.
Standing 6’3” and 215 pounds, Williams is a big target with good hands and surprising build-up speed.
It’s apparent Garrett has realized making Williams a moving target is the best way to utilize his specific skill set.
During the past few games we’ve seen at least attempts to get the ball to Williams on quick slants. This will continue to be a work in progress as Romo has historically been inaccurate on these types of routes, often throwing behind or high to receivers.
It’s coming.
This offense precludes a dominant, game-in, game-out receiver. As we’ve seen thus far, Witten, Crayton, Hurd and Austin have all at one time been the team’s leading receivers for the game this season.
Williams’ time will come.
Will he ever perform enough to earn that contract? Probably not, but that should be taken up with the man who orchestrated the trade and created the contract.
Read more Dallas Cowboys news on BleacherReport.com
NBA Power Rankings: #8 Atlanta Hawks
October 31, 2009 | Filed Under Hawks depth chart, Hawks salary cap, Hawks season preview, NBA, NBA Preview, NBA predictions, nba power rankings | Comments Off
By: David Kay
2008-09 Season Summary:
Hawks management doesn’t get near the credit it deserves for re-building Atlanta into a respectable NBA franchise. They pretty much stole Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby in trades, and while a couple of their draft picks have back-fired (i.e. Shelden Williams and Acie Law), selections like Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams have been solid. Still, Atlanta is a far way from being an elite NBA team as demonstrated by them getting swept by the Cavs in the second round of the playoffs. With a move or two this off-season, the Hawks could take the next step to compete with the big dogs in the Eastern Conference.
Check out the Hawks season preview and other NBA previews.
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