Guess What's Back.....

After a few weeks on the DL, my computer has made its way through a rehab stint and it now healthy enough for the big leagues. It is nice to have it back, and it should lead to more posts on the blog. Another factor in more posts will be the Twins coming down the home stretch, the Vikings season getting officially underway, and a bit of a buzz about other Minnesota sports (gopher football, wolves basketball, wild hockey, gopher hockey) starting up. Should be a fun couple of months coming up!

Since the last post I've had two more fantasy football drafts. These are the "big leagues" of my fantasy football leagues. I'm happy with one draft, and not that happy with the other. Here are a rundown of the two teams.

League A

QB: Matthew Stafford
QB: Vince Young
RB: Chris Johnson
RB: Shonn Greene
RB: Rashard Mendenhall
RB: Michael Bush
WR: Roddy White
WR: Vincent Jackson
WR: Anthony Gonzalez
WR: Dez Bryant
WR: Devin Aromashodu
TE: Kevin Boss
K: Matt Prater

This draft happened a day or two before Vincent Jackson said he was prepared to sit out basically all season long. That was unfortunate for me to say the least. Hopefully he gets traded and is dominant somewhere else for a season. Otherwise I need to hope one more receiver, other than Roddy White, turns out. If that happens I think I'll be alright. I have three solid running backs, and I think Stafford will be good in a league where there are no penalties for turnovers.

League B

QB: Matt Schaub
RB: Frank Gore
RB: Rashard Mendenhall
RB: Lesean McCoy
RB: Kevin Smith
RB: Felix Jones
WR: Mike Wallace
WR: Steve Breaston
WR: Devin Aromashodu
WR: Laurent Robinson
WR: Malcolm Floyd
WR: Sidney Rice
TE: Jason Witten
K: Matt Prater

This team is wild. I draft a lot of receivers and running backs in the hopes I stumble on a gem. If that happens I should be set. I have a great QB and TE, which typically isn't my forte in leagues. I also grabbed two or three solid running backs. Receivers is up in the air. I think Breaston and Wallace could be good, and I think the three other guys have upside. I then have Sidney Rice, who I am hoping will step in later in the season and make my already good team GREAT. That's just my plan though, we'll see how it works out.

So you can guess which team I like and which team I don't. Either way I have one more draft left, and it's the league I've won 3 years in a row. That means it's time to get serious. I have a plan, just have to execute.

Until then - GO TWINS!

Also I highly recommend you go to the state fair. Many many many many new great food options.

Fantasy Team Number One

So tonight was my first fantasy football draft of the 2010 season. This draft was for a new league for me, a league with my fellow Target co-workers. The draft took place at Old Chicago after work today, and we received some nice specials for having our draft there. We were there for happy hour, which I haven't decided if it helped or hurt my team, but it did make for some great drink specials. For 7 dollars we got unlimited pizza and some cheat sheets/fantasy magazines/and big board. All in all it was a good deal.

So to the draft. Like I was saying this is my first year in this league, and I'm not sure what to expect. I'm an avid fantasy footballer, for those of you that don't know me. I mess around with other fantasy sports, mainly the sports with longer seasons. I commend those of you who can commit to longer seasons of fantasy sports, it is just hard to do when you are busy all of the time. Fantasy football is a different story. I have won our friends league 3-straight years and have been playoff bound in my other leagues for longer than that. I know nearly every player and also have opinions on all of them. I felt like the Target league has numerous players who aren't very active in fantasy land, but I could be wrong. The league is headed by someone who claims to have played fantasy football since, "before I was born." He made numerous statements about that and how he seems to know everything about football, needless to say I'm counting the days until our matchup. Overall I think it will be a competitive league, but I feel I will be one of the most active managers, something that should hopefully keep me near the top of the league all season long.

So this draft was not an auction style draft, something that all of my other leagues are. Instead this is old school, mainly because the commish is old school. We drew cards and selected players turn by turn. I wanted pick 1-3, 6, or 11. Instead I drew the 4 pick, something I wasn't that happy about. I attempted a few trades, but they were quickly shot down by the old school commish. We have 11 teams in this league, why that is I don't know. The commish wanted to have a bye, which I think is stupid. Generally you have a team that is bad enough to count as a bye, if not multiple teams. Either way, we have 11 teams. Pick 1 went to Maurice Jones-Drew, Pick 2 was Chris Johnson, and Pick 2 was Minnesota Running Back Adrian Peterson. I knew these would be the first three picks, I just didn't know what order they would be in. I got a little excited when Adrian wasn't picked in the top 2, for a moment I thought he could fall one more pick to me at 4. However, he didn't, and I ended up having to go a different route. So here is a pick by pick basis, of what I can remember (it was happy hour), of my team.

Pick 4 - Ray Rice - I basically had to take Ray Rice here. We are in a PPR league, and Rice had over 70 receptions last year. Taking this into account, Rice could be argued for the 1st overall pick in the draft. I'm very happy with this pick, especially since Flacco has a year under his belt, and he now has Anquan Boldin to throw to. That should hopefully open up the field for Ray Rice to run wild. Pick Grade = A+

At this point I should add that we went up and down and up and down the draft order. So I picked at 4, waited for us to go all the way up to the 11th pick and then back down to the 4th pick again. So the 11th pick had back to back picks at 11 and 12. Think of it as up and down a ladder.

Pick 19 - Randy Moss - At this point I wanted to snag a top level receiver. Andre Johnson, Miles Austin, and Reggie Wayne were gone. I saw Moss staring at me and had to take him. I feel like the Patriots will be a solid team this year, and if Moss stays healthy, he should be very productive. He also has the capability of going for 180 and 3 any game. Love this pick. Pick Grade = A-

Pick 26 - Calvin Johnson - Usually I make it a point to not draft Detroit Lions players, unfortunately I never listen to myself and always seem to draft Detroit Lions players. I guess if you are going to draft a Lions player, it would be Calvin. He is arguably the most gifted receiver in the league, and is capable of a huge season. The Lions should be better than they have been the past few years, or at least that's what I told myself before I made the pick. Johnson is also loved in fantasy land, and has huge trade potential. People love his big play capability, even though he seems to get hurt every year, and hasn't reached his true potential. Here's to hoping he gets there this year. Pick Grade = B+

Pick 41 - Jahvid Best - So the whole "I won't pick any Lions players," thing didn't really last. Then the "I'll only pick one Lions player," thing died as well. I took rookie Running Back Jahvid Best with my 41st pick in the draft. I think this was a solid pick. There wasn't a ton left at Running Back depth at this point, and Best should earn the starting role in Detroit. I loved Best in college, and that no doubt played a role in me drafting him. He brings everything to the Running Back position. He has breakaway speed, ankle-breaking moves, and perhaps most importantly, football intelligence. If Best can play his way into the starting role in the preseason, or early on, he could have a solid year for what will hopefully be an above average Lions team. Pick Grade = B+

Pick 48 - Brett Favre - Yeah I did it. What the Hell. It is his last year, a year I think the Vikes will dominate, why not back it up with the selection of their Quarterback. If Favre stays healthy I think he will throw for 35 Touchdowns and 4000 yards easy. I'll take that with the 48th overall pick in the draft. This is me riding my feeling more than anything. It will come down to health, but in my mind, its destiny. Pick Grade = A+

Pick 63 - Vernon Davis - I hate Vernon Davis. I do respect what he did last year however, so I drafted him. He was just sitting there, staring me in the face, saying, "I'm projected 15 spots higher than anyone else that is left, what are you thinking?" SO I TOOK HIM. GIVE ME A BREAK OK! I'm hoping he has another solid season, if he does I'll probably try and shop him later on. Pick Grade = B-

At this point I should mention a little bit about the setup of the league. We play one QB, 2 RB's, 2 WR's, 1 WR/TE, 1 K, and 1 DEF. We get a point a reception, and 1 point every 10 rushing/receiving yards. We also get a point every 25 passing yards. We lose points for interceptions thrown and getting sacked. There are a few other wild rules, like bonus points for 300 passing or something, but I figured those won't really apply that much. So I don't even have to start a Tight End technically. I drafted one anyway, which brings me to my next pick.

Pick 70 - Owen Daniels - Yeah I drafted another Tight End, get off my back! Much like Vernon Davis, Owen Daniels started talking to me as well. He said "Mike, listen, last year before I broke everything in my knee, which really hurt by the way, I was on pace to lead the league in receiving." I said to Owen, "lead the league for Tight Ends?, big deal." He said, "NO, LEAD THE LEAGUE IN RECEIVING!." I said, "wow.... seriously?" He said, "YEAH MAN." Then I drafted him. What was I supposed to do, he talked me into it. So what, I drafted two tight ends.

Pick Grade = B with potential A+

Pick 85 - Reggie Bush - I think Reggie is a steal here. He can have ridiculous games, when he catches 10 passes, and is worth the risk at 85. If there are some injuries in New Orleans, this could be my best pick of the draft, period. It wasn't that long ago that Reggie Bush was one of the most coveted players in all of fantasy football, especially in PPR leagues. Oh, and did I mention I get points for Punt Return and Kick Return Touchdowns?

Pick Grade = A

Pick 92 - Percy Harvin - So maybe I ran with the Kick Return thing, or maybe I'm a homer, but I took Harvin here. I have the Favre to Harvin connection, and I think if they both manage to somehow stay healthy, they could be deadly. Harvin has big play capabilities and at this point in the draft, I'm looking for upside and possibilities. This could be a steal. Plus he's a Viking, whats not to love?

Pick Grade = B

Pick 107 - CJ Spiller - Went with another upsider here if you will. Spiller has lots of hype coming out of college, and comes into a backfield that is plagued with injuries. I figured there was no way he would last this long, so when he did, I was eager to snag him. I love to take rookie running backs, because typically one of them turns out to be pretty solid. I'm hoping Spiller is that guy this year.

Pick Grade = B+

Pick 114 - Santonio Holmes - Holmes is suspended for the first four games of the year, or so I was told by my fellow draftees. I'm guessing he brought a gun to a nightclub or something. Regardless I think he is a steal this late in the draft. I have some excellent receiving options already, so why not take a flyer on Holmes. He appeared ready to take the next step last year to an elite receiver. He was very solid all year, but just not elite. I think with a new offense, and a very confident team in the NY Jets, this could be his year. There aren't a ton of established receiving options in that offense, so I'm hoping Holmes fills those shoes.

Pick Grade = B

Pick 129 - Michael Bush - Bush is a running back for what should be a terrible Oakland Raiders team. For some reason he is ranked high in most fantasy guru's minds. He was also ranked fairly high in my fantasy magazine, so I figured I'd take him late in the draft. I didn't really want to take him, but felt like I had to take the best player available according to multiple sources. If McFadden stays injury prone, who knows, maybe he'll pan out as a nice bye week filler.

Pick Grade = C

Pick 136 - Vince Young - Needed a filler for a bye week or if Favre (knock on wood), gets hurt this year. Vince Young came back with a vengeance last year, and was a solid fantasy option late in the season. He runs for a lot of yards, and wasn't that bad as a passer either. He plays at Dallas on Minnesota's bye week, a game he should be motivated for to say the least. I don't mind this pick at all, it could turn out to be a bargain at 136.

Pick Grade = B-

Pick 151 - Tennessee Titans Defense - They play Oakland at home in week 1. Enough said.

Pick Grade = A+

Pick 158 - Matt Prater - My last pick, the Denver kicker. He has a good leg, capable of 50+ yard field goals, that's all I'm looking for.

Pick Grade = B

So my starting lineup looks like this:

QB Favre

RB Rice

RB Best

WR Moss

WR Johnson

WR Daniels or .......

DEF TENN

K Prater

Possible Starters

RB R. Bush

WR Harvin

RB Spiller

WR Holmes

TE Davis

For Fun

QB Young

RB M. Bush

So there it is for you fantasy lovers. Draft 1 of 4. I probably won't go into as much detail for my future drafts, mainly because I'm guessing about 2 people are still reading this right now. First draft of the year though, football is coming, I'm excited! Until the next post - GO TWINS!

Into the Night

So I was home for the weekend and didn't have computer access, hence no posts since the Twins prediction (which I must say was accurate). Since then we have had some drama in the sports world, some good, some bad. Here are a few of them.

• Dustin Johnson - Johnson suffered multiple heartbreaks on Sunday in the final round of the final major of the year. He had a one shot lead and was in the final group of the tournament, all he had to do was par. His drive went far right, into what looked like some rough dead ground. He hit his second shot near the green and then chipped to 5 feet, a putt to win the tournament, or so he though. He missed the putt and was presumably headed to a playoff. However a rules official came over to him and said there was an issue. Johnson had grounded his club in a bunker on his second shot, a bunker that Johnson, and honestly no one, even realized he was in. He suffered a two stroke penalty and missed out on the playoff. I felt terrible for Johnson and didn't even watch the playoff between the other two players. My main problem with this, is that the bunker had people standing in it. Literally there were dozens of people in this bunker before he hit and as he was hitting. In that situation, I think maybe a rules official could have mentioned to him that it was a bunker. It's frustrating, I couldn't even tell that he grounded his club, but he was honest, and said he did. I guess it takes something like this to happen for it to never happen again. Johnson will win a major, most likely sooner than later.

• Twins take 4-Game Lead over White Sox - The Twins took 2 of 3 from the Sox, swept the A's, and have taken the first game of the Sox series with an epic walk-off home-run from Jim Thome. The Twins are playing great baseball right now, and considering arguably their best player has been out for over a month, everyone should be excited about this team. The Twins have two more games against the Sox, and with Liriano going tonight, are looking to distance themselves from the Sox. At this point I'm thinking more about positioning in the playoffs, and becoming one of the best teams in baseball, more than I am about edging out the Sox in the AL Central.

• Brett Favre is Back - I, and many people, saw this one coming. He is officially back, and in my mind the Vikings are officially one of the best football teams in the NFL. In my mind we are the best, and there will soon be a lengthy Vikings prediction post. Favre practiced today and I'm assuming will take a few reps in the next preseason games. September 8th is only a few weeks away!

I don't have much else to cover for now. For those of you that are from the Brainerd Lakes area, Sheps on 6th is having its annual ELBOW CONVENTION this weekend. Even if you aren't from up there, head on up, it will be a fun time. I'll be making an appearance both nights, come grab a drink and talk sports!

Bring the Pain

Arguably my most favorite team in sports opens up a huge 3 game series against arguably my most hated team in sports tomorrow night in Chicago. The two teams are deadlocked at 63-49 atop the AL Central. While these teams will still play each other six more times this year, this series is still vital, and will no doubt feel like late September at the ballpark. The Twins are 6-3 against Chicago this year, and look to improve upon that record in Chicago. Lets take a quick look at the matchups.

Tuesday Night - Baker vs Garcia

Wednesday Night - Perkins vs Danks

Thursday Night - Liriano vs Floyd

Obviously the most questionable matchup is Perkins' who is filling in for Slowey. I have a lot of confidence in Slowey right now, so it is too bad he is out. Liriano has been pitching well up until his last start. Apparently he had a little be of a "dead arm" during his last start, according to the manager. He got an extra day of rest from his last start, so he should be ready to go. Baker has pitched well of late too, going 8 strong innings against Tampa Bay last week, and winning his last 2 starts before that. All in all the Twins starters have been rolling pretty solid lately, I see no reason why that shouldn't continue.

The White Sox counter with Garcia tomorrow night. He has won two starts in a row, however they were against Seattle and most recently the Tigers. This isn't really impressive since Seattle is dead last in nearly every offensive statistical category in the league and the Tigers are on a losing streak that would make the Timberwolves envious. His two starts before that he was against two better teams in the A's and Twins, and he lost both, going only 1 1/3 innings against the A's and yielding 11 hits to the Twins. Dank's has a no decision and loss in his last two starts, and while the no decision was a good performance, I see no reason why he should pitch well against my Twins. Floyd has won three starts in a row, big deal, lets see you do against the L-Train.

Before the Twins went into Cleveland, I made a call to a close friend of mine that the Twins were going to take 2 of 3 in Cleveland and then roll into Chicago and bring out the brooms. While this call appears to be taking shape, it is difficult to sweep in the MLB, much less on the road. I think we'll lose one of the three games, but a series win would be huge for this team. They come home for a long home stand after this, and what better way to do it than on top of the division. Hopefully Morneau will be back for the home stand, but it looks like they are going to take as much time as he needs with this. He will not be traveling with the team to Chicago, so don't expect to see him pinch hit in big situations down there. Do expect Delmon Young to go yard twice in the series though. That's all I got. Go Twins.

For the Love of Favre

With all the coverage on the Favre saga V.3.0 I figured what the hell, lets get the blog up and going. People have been telling me to start one to write about all my sports rants, so here it is, hope it is enjoyed. I'll do my best to post frequently, and hopefully the technical aspect of it will improve as I learn more and more about how to add things to the blog. So here we go, post number one!

The first post is dedicated to the Viking's Quarterback situation. As some of you may or may not know, there is a considerable amount of drama concerning the current situation. Will Brett Favre be back? or will it be the T-Jack show? At this point I'm 100% sure that Favre will be back. I posted I was sure even after his so called "this is it" text messages were reported. Why am I so sure? There are many reasons.

First of all why go through all of this? Why have surgery? Why workout with the High School team? Why not tell the Vikings before the draft? Why not tell the Vikings before Donovan McNabb was sold at the dollar store? Why are the Vikings seemingly not at all concerned? Too many signs point to him coming back.

Another reason is why would you want to go out like he did. In all honesty I think we all remember it like it was last night. Favre rolls out to his right, with 15 yards wide open in front of him, and throws across his body, on a play that should have been called a run 110 percent of the time, and well, I think you know the rest of the story. Everything last season pointed to Superbowl Championship. From the numbers he posted, to the great plays like Greg Lewis' touchdown in the last seconds, to the destruction of the Cowboys, and lets face it, the destruction of the Saints in every aspect but the scoreboard. I realize that's the one that counts, but you get my point. We weren't supposed to end that dream season in the Superdome. There was more on the table, and everyone on that team knows it. That interception still has a bad taste in his mouth, and why would he want to end his storybook career with a play like that. He should end it the right way, with a ring.

The final point is that he is walking onto a better team than last year. We have basically the same team but everyone is a year older, which is beneficial for more players than it is harmful. Harvin has a year under his belt, Favre has a year of timing down with the offense, and the defense has had a chance to get healthy. Adrian should be upset at the year he had last year, because while it was still a solid year, he knows he could have done better. I think everyone on the team knows this is the year, the best chance they have had and probably will ever have to win a Championship. I think all of these things coming together is far too much for Favre to walk away from. The stars are aligned, this is the year, this is the team. So if you are worried about number 4 not coming back, start worrying about how the Timberwolves are going to win more than 4 games this year instead.

My time frame for Favre coming back is the third week of August. I've heard a few analysts say they think it will be before the third preseason game, however I think that he might want some attention before that point. The Favre noise will die down a little over the next week, and that should trigger him to say something to the media, most likely that he is coming back. I'll say around the 23rd or so of August. Be ready! Get back here Favre, and in the words of Paul Allen, "LETS PLAY!"