Blah Blah Blog

9.28.2006

Power Rankings Power Rankings


Have I mentioned I hate power rankings? This link bait is as worthless as a set of '90 Pro Set. So I figured I'd mock them by ranking 5 of the most obvious rankings out there. But then I got goofy and actually created loose criteria to judge them by, including:
  • Ranking the undefeated defending NFC champs in the top 5 last week (+2)
  • Ranking the Saints in the top 10 this week (-1)
  • Analyzing last week's Eagles performance by talking about "big" Mike Patterson (-2)
  • Visually pleasing page layout/graphics (+1)
  • Introducing rankings with scoring criteria (-1)
  • Allowing the world to read content created in part by John Clayton for free (-1)
  • Including team records so we can easily see how stupid at least 3 picks are (+2)
  • Dropping a previous week's #1 5 spots after losing to the Colts (-5)
  • Ranking Bears (returning division champ) ahead of Ravens (beat TB, OAK and CLE) (+1)
  • Donovan McNabb's name in bold anywhere on the page (+1)
I think that's it. Without further adieu:
  1. CBS - Power Rankings (+4)
    Prisco #1? The Hawks were in the top 5 and no mention of Patterson.

  2. ESPN - NFL Power Rankings (+3)
    Not making this Insider content cost them a crucial point... always pay for Clayton!

  3. Fox Sports - NFL Power Rankings (+1)
    Bears over Ravens was this Schrager fella's only scoring category.

  4. NFL.com - Power Poll (E)
    The inclusion of team records bailed out the ugliest looking pro sport's site.

  5. SI - Dr. Z's Power Rankings (-6)
    If the Jags fell from 1 to 6 because they lost to the Colts, Z couldn't have really believed they were 1. The best looking set fails miserably across the board.

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9.27.2006

Bilco Entry


Sometimes talking a little trash pays. Last week I called out a few common opponents on their Yahoo! fantasy sports performances. While clicking around on links within the player profiles, I discovered that I am able to access my fantasy leagues through the page's fantasy archive listings. I can even log-in and make changes to my teams, completely bypassing Websense filters. Thanks to this Bilco Entry, the price of fantasy hoops just went up!

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9.26.2006

Everybody Hates the Gout


That includes David Wells. The San Diego Padres pitcher missed a start last night with Chris Rock's favorite disease. Catch episode 15 of Everybody Hates Chris for an excellent Gout infomercial. Also, DVR the season premier of Chris this Sunday. Attn The CW: That 7:00 start-time is, well, risky.

As for the Padres, their win without Boomer Wells helped to create what is becoming a 3-race final week in the NL. St. Louis' Central lead is down to 2.5 over the surging Houston Astros, San Diego holds a 2 game lead over LA in the West, and those Dodgers are even with the Phils for the Wild-Card berth. Remember, should a West division team win the WC, they'll face the Metropolitans in the post-season's first round. Should the Phils fight to win the 4th seed, they will not square off against the Mets since they're in the same division. I'm rooting for Mets/Padres, Cardinals/Phillies match-ups.

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9.25.2006

Point Forward


If you're reading this at work - go home! Its September 25th! Enjoy an afternoon of driveway hoops or breakout that old Bulls/Heat VHS... today's Scottie Pippen's birthday.

I was unable to find as many interesting Scottie Pippen happenings on this world-wide web as last year, so I offer these short-and-sweet articles:

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9.24.2006

Eagles 38, 49ers 24





A Garner-esque performance by the bay for Westbrook.

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9.22.2006

The Callout!


Just to let you fantasy players know that BSnyde30's keeping tabs...

Ed Peabody
That does look like a mixture of old Kochansky/new Kochansky... too bad your old high school hoops game didn't translate into your new fantasy hoops game.

HitmenMCB
Real nostalgic player card Bender... does the 6% hoops lead I'm holding over you look any better in sepia tone?

ExJay13
Ordinary player card, ordinary hockey team.

TFloodGo
Can you believe Flood came off the fence a grand total of 6 times in the past? 53% Overall Performance makes TFloodSo-So. Dude, just stay on the fence.

Apphex8
Your teams are as non-descript as your player card. Under 40% in anything involving a lineup.

F14Flyer
More gray people... Until the Backyard Ballers do something in the Keystone Ball and Stick, DoubleBatterWiffleSack trophies are Skunk Awards to me.

Trout 8_5
Dog Kauffman - you do not look like that! Quantity does not equal quality.

IM_Kramer007

32% in baseball leagues? Since your the father of constant name-changes, how about a new Yahoo! ID? UR_Jeltz1985.

Notes about Yahoo! leagues:
  • I've got serious work to do on my football score. I hate their default scoring system, and I always seem to miss the drafts, but 58% is not satisfactory. Maybe Whitey's 12 team, 2 defense league will help me start to turn the tide.

  • Also, Merrifield's Triples saved me even more embarassment in that SusCom Bombers league. Of course Triples was a category.

  • Maybe the greatest Yahoo! league of all was that testy String Bean Basketball II league. Back-alley deals, knucklehead posts, Shakes/Splits. Plus some of the best fantasy team names: Majestic Mapp (how's Scientific doing these days?), Tiny Archibaldings, Tired Pool Boys. Oh yeah, and it was the last time I won a league.

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9.18.2006

10 things Peter King would think he thought about football if he were me


  1. Chad Johnson’s not the NFL’s best WR, he’s not even his team’s best WR.

  2. The most disappointing thing about the Eagles collapse this week against the Giants was the jovial attitudes players had with each other (David Akers excluded) on the playing field. There were many instances, but this culminated with John Runyan and Michael Strahan laughing about a hold called on Runyan during the Eagles collapse.

  3. Not only do they start for actual NFL teams, but Jon Kitna and Rex Grossman put on quite the week 2 quarterbacking clinic in their head-to-head matchup, combining for 43 of 57 passing (about 75%), 4 TDs (all Grossman’s) and 0 Interceptions.

  4. If Ben Roethlisberger is standing on the sidelines wearing a gray sweatsuit and backwards cap again tonight, the NBA better fine him for dress code violations.

  5. Good to see Billy McMullen getting into the action in each of his first 2 games with the Vikings.

  6. I caught bits and pieces of the Raiders/Ravens game yesterday and those announcers (Gus Johnson and Steve Tasker) were praising Oak-town QB Andrew Walter. That doesn’t make any sense.

  7. Michael Pick’s playing well enough to get his hype-machine jump-started. Thankfully, Brett Favre isn’t.

  8. Count me in for voting “yes” for Reggie Bush gaining dual position eligibility in fantasy football leagues.

  9. Other fantasy issues: 1) Tatum Bell, Mike Bell… pick one Shanahan!; 2) Maybe Bender was right… grab Jericho Cotchery while you can; 3) Is my third round pick Matt Hasselbeck even in the top 20 at his position?

  10. Non-football thought of the day: I accidentally drank from the wrong can of soda this morning. The blue can to my left was cold, refreshing and headache-reducing. The red can to my right was open for 3 days and nearly empty. I found out that the red can was also full of ants. Its harder than I thought it would be to mentally get past a mouthful of Cherry-Coke and ants.

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9.17.2006

Giants 30, Eagles 24





Donte and LJ were both listening to "Drop"
by The Pharcyde prior to the game.

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9.15.2006

Weekend Reading XI


Upon my return home yesterday, many cars and a few News Vans were parked along the street in front of our neighbor's house. There were no ambulances or fire trucks, no police cars. Speculation ran amok at our dinner table. MJ, we'll call her Ace, ventured a "hazing" guess that proved to be the right theme. Check out "Players Plan to Appeal" on YDR for the whole scoop.

Psychology Today #1 - This must-read's 8 pages long, so instead of navigating through each screen and downloading all of those banners and graphics, I recommend clicking the "Print" link to read "A Nation of Wimps" in its entirity.

Psychology Today #2 - For those of us regrettably (yes!) or not-so-regrettably (really?) linked at one end or the other in the chain of anti-muslim themed forwarded emails, check out "Why We Hate."

Joe Dumars made an appearance in a dream I had the other night. It was a few days ago so I can't remember the setting or circumstances, but I remember waking the next morning thinking "Joe Dumars?" Ridiculous. But not as ridiculous, according to Bill Simmons in "Building the Halls of Justice," as Joe D entering the Hall of Fame.

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9.14.2006

The Nature Boy


Sometimes I wonder why I blog. Many of my posts are whack. Few people really read the thing (despite well-targeted FloodWords). When I am unable to come up with posts or don't have time to do so, I feel like I'm failing at it.

But one year ago today, I quoted Ric Flair. And that's why Blah, Blah, Blogs. Whoooo!

9.13.2006

Treadmill


For those of you who are about to be married, please understand the inevitability of the treadmill. "I do" commit to purchasing a new or used (stress the or used when exchanging vows) treadmill at least once during our lifetime together; and "I will" assist in executing the sale of a space-eating basement decoration that looks like a treadmill at least once during our lifetime together.

Well, MJ and I are at the "I do" treadmill stage of our marriage... anyone at or know of someone who is at the "I will" stage? Email me if you do.

9.12.2006

AdWords Thought


It was mentioned during this morning's meeting that San Diego Golf Academy is considered our primary competition in the Golf Course Management market. So I thought I'd check out their site, and Googled them by company name. Obviously, they were right there near the top on the results page, but the same URL appeared as a sponsored link. I spared them a buck and clicked on the standard listing, but a negative keyword addition to their AdWords campaign would remove the possibility of having to pay for a click they would have gotten anyway. Could there be a benefit that I'm overlooking?

---

How do you get Travis to actually click on a blog title displayed on his start page via RSS? I'm sure something like "Panther Football", "Ricky Gervais", or "Popeye's Chicken & Biscuits" would induce a click. I call them FloodWords. I'm also guessing "AdWords" is a FloodWord.

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9.11.2006

Weekend Reading X


A day late...

Many of you are familiar with Yuck, Team Yuck, York Yuck or Mr. Yuck. You may have lost to him in the finals of your fantasy league, or he may have called you a knucklehead on your league's message board (does Ken Dodson read blogs?). Well, his dad's post-9/11 journal was published in the York Daily Record over the weekend. For those who may have missed it and are looking for interesting reads on this 5th anniversary of the attacks, get your read on.
"Most of them have trouble with images that penetrate quiet moments. Bodies hitting the street and immediately transforming into something that no longer resembled the owner."
Elsewhere, Blah, Blah, Blog is declaring current Tulsa Driller Joe Koshansky as odds-on NL Rookie-of the-Year next season. Not to go all Yahoo! on you, but scoop him up in '07 NL-only leagues.

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9.10.2006

Eagles 24, Texans 10





Over before it started?

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9.07.2006

LeBronze James Pt. II


Before I pack up my camcorder and head to Europe to film the best basketball documentary since "Hoop Dreams" itself, I'm willing to give this thing another shot. I'm willing to back off my "we don't play the world's best basketball" stance a bit under one circumstance: We send the roster of our (2006) NBA Champion to the next international competition. Until an actual NBA roster is sent to represent the States, maybe hope is still alive.

But the questions about fulfilling our basketball potential as a nation remain. Again, we were beaten by a nation with less than 50% of the population of New York City/Suburbs. I'm no probability wiz, but I don't think we're getting enough from a very deep talent pool.

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9.01.2006

LeBronze James


The worst thing about Team USA's loss to Greece in the World Championships is the disappointment in finally having to admit that we just don't play the world's best basketball. A dominating performance by the Americans could have kept hope alive, but our style of play, our brand of ball, just isn't effective enough.

Team USA's new approach to international competition breathed new life into our struggling program. An actual former NBA General Manager was hired to run the team much like he would have run the Suns. A top-notch college coach was hired to guide the group, hoping to connect with the more youthful, selfless side of the players. The team featured a balance of "traditional" position players and defensive assets, not to mention the cast of the second-coming including LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony and Dwayne Wade. But at the end of the day, we couldn't shoot (FT or from 3) or defend and Greece, with a population of 11 million people (half of that of Texas alone), beat us in the quarterfinals.

It turned out that the focus of our new approach was too focused. Before the top 5% of NBA players can play the most effective basketball in the world, this nation needs to prepare millions of kids and young adults to play the most effective basketball they can. What's keeping that from happening? What makes us different from other countries? Here are a few of many possibilities...
  • Too much playground in our game?
  • Capital-driven society?
  • More focus on winning than teaching in youth programs?
  • Are we putting in the gym time?
  • Unwillingness to refine the fundamentals of those with great physical gifts by coaches and players?
  • Not enough trapezoid keys at our parks?
I don't care about gold medals. I care that we aren't reaching our basketball potential as a nation. We should be the best. My ego takes a hit because if our pros aren't the best pros in the world, then our suburban church-leaguers probably aren't the best suburban church-leaguers in the world either. Some dude nicknamed "Garcon-Blanche" would probably drop 53 on Westminster in the quarters. This problem needs a resolution... we need a Gap Analysis!!!

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