Okayama League Newsletter 2009.16 Championship

And here we are. The championship game. Chris versus Frankson. And Derek versus Kevin.

*Week 15 Review – Highlights from Week 15

Kevin’s team actually had me all freaked out. Well, more specifically, my team’s issues at WR had me all freaked out because I was up against Kevin’s team. Calvin Johnson and Fitz were dealing with injuries and the former had issues with his team even if he played. The thing is, I fucking targeted and acquired Johnson FOR this one game. The Cards can give up scores. It made me over-thinking things and sit MJD for Charles. I needed a fucking grand slam.

I didn’t feel so good Thursday night. MJD had 26 on my bench and that game just didn’t play out like I expected or rather feared. But Jennings had a great TD grab for some 12 points early and my team scored their season average. Charles actually did as well as I was hoping. Even the DST I selected did well. I actually had targeted the Saints and Denver DSTs but they didn’t go back on the wire. Glad they didn’t.

Kevin’s receivers didn’t go off and his RBs didn’t either. Shame about Harrison. My suggestion for a RB showdown last week would have fucked me over. Double shame about Stewart. I’ve had him on my team and he does this all year.

Chris and Derek had a really close game. They had nearly the same amount of players playing at the same time and the score was pretty close the whole time. But AP needed just one more TD for Derek. The Vikings were miserable when he needed them to shine. Shame about Foster. Must have been a tough choice deciding between him and Morris. Chris doubling up on points with every Rivers TD throw to Jackson is pretty hard to beat.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Starting Foster over Morris

Sitting MJD

Sitting Calvin Johnson

Starting Matt Forte at Baltimore

*Interview – Thank you Chris for your response.

Newsletter: What went well for your team this season?
Chris: Well, I’m in the championship game for the second year in a row, so I’ve got to be doing something right. I was pretty lucky to make it into the playoffs at all, though. It was kinda like in Top Gun when Maverick and Goose get in after that other guy broke down.

Newsletter: What didn’t go so well?
Chris: I dealt with some injuries during a few crucial weeks not too long ago which almost shattered my chances of making the playoffs. That trade with Kevin seemed like it was royally fucking me over until very recently.

Newsletter: Do you feel that you made any mistakes or missed any opportunities you should have capitalized on this season? If so, what were they?
Chris: I felt like I could have made some more trades this year. I’m still not sure whether or not the Thomas Jones trade was the right move or not. I guess we’ll see this weekend. I also took Dwayne Bowe as one of my top receivers. Yeah, that really worked out didn’t it.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Chris: Cedric Benson, without a doubt. Talk about draft value. He’s playing better than a lot of the guys that were taken in the first round. I also didn’t expect Chris Johnson to do this well. He’s been standing on his head for me pretty much all season.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Chris: My wide receivers have been terrible this year.

Newsletter: You made this trade with Kevin that didn’t work out for you for a few weeks. In fact, it nearly took you out of the playoffs because your other RBs got hurt. But Jackson did well last week and pretty much won you the game this week. How do you feel about the trade now?
Chris: Like I said, I’m still not sure about that trade. I needed to trade up to get a good receiver, and it seemed like a good deal at the time. We’ll see how he does for me in the finals.

Newsletter: What did you think of your chances for winning against Derek before the game? How about some gloating now that you won?
Chris: I knew it was going to be a good game. If you asked me that question back in like Week 5, I don’t think I could’ve taken Derek. His team was scary. No gloating for me. I’ll gloat if I beat your ass, Frankson. Until then, I’m happy enough knowing that Derek lost to the D-D-Douchebags.

Newsletter: What are your thoughts on the championship game?
Chris: Let me say congratulations to you, Frankson. I was pretty sure you were going to the finals this year. All that hard work payed off didn’t it? I guess that’s what happens when Fantasy Football is your full time job.

I just hope both of our teams come out to play. Nobody wants to see a blowout in the finals.

Newsletter: What was your draft strategy going into the draft? How did it play out? Did you stick to your plan?
Chris: My draft strategy was to pick awesome players. So yeah, I kinda stuck to it. Aside from Dwayne Bowe, that fat piece of shit, I came out alright.

Newsletter: Do you think we should have divisions next year?
Chris: The divisions were fun in the sense that it made it seem like a real league. Sure, why not?

I also want to thank you for writing this newsletter every week. People have not been posting any smack talk on the homepage, and it’s been fun reading this newsletter every week. Good luck to you in the finals.

*Looking forward

I’ll be going with the Bengals for a DST next week. I actually took them a few months ago for this game but KC has been doing much better recently. I need to figure out what to do about Calvin Johnson if Stafford comes back. I’m not sure Jennings has another big game in him.

Chris will hope to get more Rivers / Jackson action and I’m going to hope it goes to Gates. Hope the Titans roll double coverage on Jackson and try not to give up the big play. I’m going to activate my shrine so mess up Chris Johnson but he is going to kill me, I’m sure. Fucking Benson runs against KC. Chris has great matchups at nearly every position.

Derek and Kevin will go at it for 3rd.

Good luck.

WordPress 2.9

WP 2.9 was a bitch to upgrade. The auto-update failed. Had to do a manual file and dbase backup. Then do a manual upgrade. That worked. I think it was a problem with the plugins. Had to move them around to deactivate the installed and active plugins then move them back after the upgrade. No worse for wear it seems. I removed the ones I don’t use.

Earthquake

Felt another earthquake today.

2009.12.15_earthquake

Earthquake Information (Information about Seismic Intensity at each site)
Issued at 14:23 JST 16 Dec 2009

Occurred at (JST) Latitude
(degree)
Longitude
(degree)
Depth Magnitude Region Name
14:12 JST 16 Dec 2009 33.1N 133.4E 30km 4.7 Tosa-wan

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.15 Playoffs

Dave. What happened? You were playoff bound. Kevin didn’t even need this win. He only put up 82 points. He started Jerome Harrison for you.

Dave lost so either AK or Chris can get in with a win. AK, if he had won, would have had better tie-breakers than Chris. But he played the Chinese. Chris won his game and returns to the playoffs.

Frankson, Derek, Kevin, Chris would like to thank AK, Matt, Tim, Dave, Brian, Rhett for donating your money this year.

*Week 14 Review – Highlights from Week 14

AK lost a game he really needed against the Chinese. Brady shat a turd. Ricky Williams did OK. The 49ers DST had a fucking huge game. 7 turnovers and 4 sacks. They could have been playing against a high school team. My WRs had terrible games. Ray Rice is a bona fide stud. Imagine if Magahee didn’t steal his TDs. Jamaal Charles is 3 times better than Larry Johnson.

Dave broke all our hearts by losing week 14 instead of 15 or 16. Marshall had a crazy as fuck game too. Kevin made it easy. The Saints DST haven’t had a single digit game since week 6. Wish they would have saved that for next week. Thomas Jones was a brilliant trade. I don’t think anyone else has made a better trade this year.

Tim barely showed up for the final game against Derek. If not for Gore’s heroic efforts, Tim would be at around 50 something points. What happened, Tim? You were 6-4 and about to be locked into the playoffs. Losing 4 in a row in the end isn’t the way to go out. Derek only had 2 guys really producing. AP and Andre Johnson. But produce they did.

Rhett never saw that Sucker Punch coming. He still can’t figure out why he isn’t in the playoffs. Getting Ryan Grant was actually a pretty good trade for Matt. Grant, Brees and Dallas Clark all rocked 20+ points to help Matt get a week high 123 points. I’ve been saying for months that Rhett doesn’t win because he doesn’t pick the right players to start. That wasn’t the case here. Rhett could only have gotten at most 119 points if he started his top producers. It wasn’t Rhett’s fault.

Chris finishes strong to get into the playoffs. Vjax finally has a decent game. Chris Johnson continues to show Ray Rice how to be the best all purpose back. Bironas, with 19, is a strategic advantage.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Kevin wins out the last 4 games.

Tim does the opposite.

Dave takes over for me in 5th place. I’ve had this seat for the past 2 years.

*Interview – Thank you AK for your response. There will be a bonus interview of past champions starting this week. Thank you Tim for your response.

Newsletter: What went well for your team this season?
AK: Well i suppose my running backs did pretty well. but overall I am not pleased with my team.

Newsletter: What didn’t go so well?
AK: My team just couldn’t get it together, some people would play well, and others would suck. No unity. And my schedule was tough.

Newsletter: Do you feel that you made any mistakes or missed any opportunities you should have capitalized on this season? If so, what were they?
AK: Well I probably could have made some trades early on. Maybe gotten someone useful for a bench player. But I don’t know enough about football to really get unto all that.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
AK: ricky williams

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
AK: I never had really high expectations for any of them. All losers.

Newsletter: What was your draft strategy going into the draft? How did it play out? Did you stick to your plan?
AK: Well I was told I would have 1st pick, but then that changed. So after I was moved to 7th or something. I just got whoever I thought might be worth a damn

Newsletter: Who are some players you think you might target next year?
AK: no idea, Peterson maybe

======

Newsletter: What happened to your team during the playoff run?
Tim: Everyone shit the bed at the same time. First Gore goes cold, then Wayne, They Roy Williams heats up for only one game, then Warner gets 7 POINTS! unbelievable.

Newsletter: Do you feel that you made any mistakes or missed any opportunities (waiver wire, trades, etc.) you should have capitalized on this season? If so, what were they?
Tim: My biggest mistake was spending time with a wife new to Canada and a new born baby instead of researching my fantasy games each week. I did have some pretty tight waiver wire pick ups. My coaching rating was #1 for most of the year despite ZERO time to devote to FF. That said, I should have dumped my shitty RBs early and traded wayne for a decent RB while his value was high. I shouldn’t have traded Celek for a WR. Should have traded him for a 10 point per week RB. Fucking Rhett. I thought Wallace would be much better. Should have taken Rhett’s best WR for him or gone to someone with more WRs.

Newsletter: What was your draft strategy going into the draft? How did it play out? Did you stick to your plan?
Tim: I stuck to my plan and I thought it was a great combination of sleepers and solid players. Instead the solid went soft and the only sleeper that worked Brent Celek, I had to trade to shore up holes in my swiss cheese offensive team.

Newsletter: Who are some players you think you might target next year?
Tim: If I told you that I’d have to kill you. I’m so pissed off right now that I’d love to double the stakes for next year, but I don’t think you broke bitches could afford it. Except David “English Empire” Fulvio and Frankson “canaffordayearoff” Lee.

Newsletter: Do you think we should have divisions next year?
Tim: Definitely not. Fantasy football is lucky enough already. Top four league wide should be in the playoffs.

*Looking forward

Fitz got hurt that last game and is getting an MRI. I don’t like that. Looks like he will play but could be hindered. MJD against Indy might not be great. He has been getting stuck at the goal line recently. Matt Stafford needs to get his ass back on the field and hook up with Calvin like teens on MySpace. Jamaal Charles over MJD is actually under consideration.

Kevin: please continue to start Harrison. Against KC. We can go Charles vs. Harrison. Hoping for a monster storm in Buffalo next week. Going to be a close game.

Derek has been very successful this year but every time I look at his team, I don’t see any depth. He hasn’t needed it until now. Kevin Smith is out for the season and maybe questionable for the start of the next season with a monster injury. I want him there as a run threat myself this week for the Lions. Derek must be hard at work building a shrine dedicated to Benson breaking his legs for LJ and to help Chris win.

The Donkey Punchers and Chris Johnson is going to go all DP on Derek and Miami next week. And they are going to put it in the same hole. The dirty hole. Chris used to have depth. Now he is one injury away from Rock Cartwright. Fuck shrines for Benson. I’m headed to Home Center Daiki to start on one for Chris Johnson.

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.13

Folks sure got screwed by some injuries this week. Two QBs laid goose eggs for their owner and those owners got a L. Damn near the whole league still has a shot for the playoffs though. Three way tie in the West. Three teams only one game behind Dave in second place. Two games left. Crunch time.

*Week 12 Review – Highlights from Week 12

The Chinese improve to 10-2 thanks to Matt Ryan getting hurt and laying an egg. My RBs continue to be solid but I had a rough WR day. How about Jamaal Charles. Looks like I was wrong about Larry Johnson. I’m shocked he had a productive day. Meaningless game though. Derek and I are both locked for the postseason.

Chris. What happened to your team? It’s in freefall. I thought you were good for the playoffs too. Chris went from being stacked at RB to starting Rock Cartwright. I don’t know that guy either. If you only had Jamaal Charles. Chris Johnson alone (#1 pick next season?) ain’t gonna win you every game. Great job Brian. Forty from 2 WRs is hot stuff. You get to pound Chris into putty one more time this season.

Rhett and Dave had themselves an exciting game. Dave was 6 points down with the Ravens DST to play after Sunday’s afternoon games. Rhett was freaking out since the Ravens DST was likely to put out more than 6 points. The Ravens DST didn’t do jack fucking shit the whole game but they go into OT with Rhett up 2 points. Rhett has never cheered for the Steelers harder in his life. The very suddenly, in OT, Dixon throws a pick and Rhett is crushed. A tie. He’s been here before and he lost to the Chinese in Week 3. His bench is down about 11 points. Dave and Rhett have 2 bench players left for Monday’s game but Dave’s guys are all hurt. But Rhett is victorious. He showed us what a great coach he is and left Maroney’s 20 points on the bench for the tiebreaker.

Kevin wins a tough game against AK. He had 2 guys put up no points but AK couldn’t capitalize. Tom Brady playing like Jake Delholme or Eli manning really fucked AK over.

Tim, Halloween is over. You can take off that red headed stepchild wig. Don’t let Matt beat you like one. Matt’s back in the playoff hunt after a strong win. Tim shows off four 0s on his bench. Tim looks to be seriously hurting at WR.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Kevin for playing Snelling. 20 last week. Zero this week. Didn’t cost him the game though.

Tim left his wire pick up on the bench this week. Forsett scored 25 to lead all RBs this week. Not that it would have gotten Tim a win.

Chris dropped Fred Jackson and his 23 points from his team and started Rock Cartwright for 5.

*Weekly poll

One person reported being trade raped by Rhett. Five people reported being offered some shit from the wire from Rhett. Two reported being offered shit from the wire every year.

*Interview – Thank you Derek for your response

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Derek:  I think I’ve been really lucky with injuries, excluding last week.  My starting line is pretty strong, but my bench is weak, I guess you could say I kind of put all my eggs in one basket, and so far it has paid off.  I did a slick little double trade a few weeks ago and landed myself a great kicker too.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Derek: My QBs are really hit and miss.  Cutler has been really spotty lately. Then as soon as I benched him, Ryan hurts his toe and scores me a big goose egg.

Newsletter: Whose team would you least want to face in the playoffs?
Derek:  YOU YOU YOU.  It seems you don’t really have many off weeks, so if my whole team doesn’t show up with their game faces on, I’ll get blown out of the water.  Most other teams will put out a 70 point week every now and then, but not you.

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Derek:  Like you said in your last report, we have similar lines.  My RBs (Smith is great…he just plays for Detroit L) and WRs put out a lot of points. Relying on them and hoping for my QB or DEF to have a decent game seems to work out all right.Oddly, the injuries to my DEF have hurt me a bit.  If you check the bar graph, you can see exactly when Polamalu was away.  That man is a beast. [A beast with great hair. Head and shoulders above anyone else’s. -ed]

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Derek: No one has really been that surprising, because my strongest players I drafted early.  My kicker is the only player on my starting line I didn’t draft.   It reminds me of a quote I heard somewhere….

”Show me someone who sticks with only the guys he drafted, and I will show you someone who has not made the playoffs” [Funny how my team is like that too. Well I did get my kicker off the wire because someone took all the good kickers on draft day. -ed]

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?

Derek: Although I never expected that much from him, Keller hasn’t done much for me.  I looked around for a decent TE for a while, but to no avail. I think there just aren’t that many out there. I had nothing to offer timmy when he was looking to unload a decent TE without dropping someone from my starting line.  And I’d rather have a good WR putting out points than a good TE putting out points.

*Looking forward

Teams can win out to hit the playoffs. Every game has playoff implications.

[rant] Marshawn Lynch is totally shit. Since he returned from his suspension he has made his team lose and made Fred Jackson not worth owning. Glad to see Lynch as backup to Jackson now. [/rant]

Sorry Matt. I plan on kicking your ass. I’ve got some players that might not perform due to injuries though.

AK plays Tim. Tim’s team is running with a bunch of really random guys. Could be gold. Could end up with 60 points for the week. I think AK is going to get this one.

Rhett (3 game W streak) is up against Chris (3 game L streak). Boldin might have a rough game if Warner sits. I like Rhett for the W.

Brian will try to keep Dave from the playoffs. Brian and Dave are the 9th and 10th best coach in our league per the Coach Rating. If everyone in the East loses, Dave still holds onto second place.

Derek plays Kevin’s resurgent team. Kevin will bring WR and DST domination. Derek can’t finish worse than second in his division standings even with 2 loses.

Good luck.

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.12

Happy Turkey Day. And there are very early Turkey Day games so don’t forget to set your line ups even earlier for this week’s Thursday games.

I sure didn’t expect this to have happened but there are 6 teams in real contention for 2 playoff spots. Even Rhett is in the hunt after recently performing quite well. And Chris, who I thought was a shoe in, is really struggling. And Dave is actually second in the standings with his 8th place point totals. AK is on a 3 game win streak and is outscoring everyone in his division. I’m glad I’m not part of the excitement. I have been in previous years and have proven that I am great at just missing the playoffs.

*Week 11 Review – Highlights from Week 11

My team does just enough to get the win over Dave. No thanks to Romo. And thanks to me for not picking a goose egg DST. I also have to thank Dave’s entire group of receivers. 6 of 7 of them combined for 16 total points. Rodgers is a fucking amazing fantasy QB this year. 104 points on the bench and I didn’t lose. That is called depth.

Kevin snaps a long losing streak by laying crazy beats on Chris. Chris went from 3 10 ten RBs to having just one productive RB. AND Vincent Jackson got him only 5 points. Kevin’s fortunes are the opposite. His team went off and he got 20 from his wire pickup. I’m kind of scared of Kevin’s team.

AK put himself in the playoff hunt by beating Matt. His RBs went for 44 points after Thursdays game and that was pretty much the game. Matt could have won if he played the right RBs and WRs but it must be a bitch having to choose between those guys every week.

Tim lost to Derek to give other guys a chance at the playoffs. Tim was hurt by not having a second reliable WR to go with Wayne. Derek’s starting lineup looks a lot like mine actually. Very solid starting RBs and WRs. Mid-pack QB. He has also avoided major injuries too. Especially at RB.

Rhett’s team has been playing well of late and he beat Brian. Brian could not have set his lineup any better even though Owens had 25 on his bench. I’m glad I don’t play Rhett again too.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Kevin for wire pickup Snelling. Good for 20 points. (Rhett was mysteriously not all over the wire last week.)

Chris picked kicker Bironas off the wire and put his 12 points on the bench. His starter got him 1 point. This add/drop was performed instead of finding the RB he needed.

Tim worked the wire too for Forsett’s 14 points.

*Weekly poll

Chris and AK both got 2 votes each in this week’s poll. Rhett and Dave both got one vote each. There was no runaway favorite for who won’t make the playoffs.

*Interview – Thank you Dave for your response

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Dave: I have been winning games that I have no business winning, catching all of you other douche bags on your worst weeks.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Dave: My running backs haven’t exactly been lighting end zones on fire.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Dave: I fear no man, but it was a pretty sure thing that you were going to beat me last week.

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Dave: My secret is no trades and minimal drops/adds. For example, early in the season, RhettdubT was trying to get Rhoddy White off me for LT’s backup when LT just had a sprain, now he is my best receiver. People always try to come in and act like they are doing you a favor on trades when they should just be honest and say “Now I will fuck you up the ass with neither foreplay nor lubricant .” [Rhett might infamous for offering the shittiest trades ever. I’m actually shocked that he got a trade done with Tim. Would be interested to hear what some of the offers were before they reached an agreement. -ed]

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Dave: Aaron Rodgers has been a pleasant surprise at QB. Good for 20+ week in and week out.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Dave: My entire running back core looked badass on paper (Slaton, Hightower, LT, Bush), but they are inconsistent so I can’t tell who the fuck to start each week.

I would just like to say that I have 3 games against losing teams left, so I’m fairly confident in reaching the playoffs. Also, suck it, all y’all! WHOAH YEAH! Thank you so much for your time.

*Looking forward

The top 2 teams are going head to head this week. I expect to beat Derek just because I’m writing this even though we are pretty evenly matched. Pretty much a meaningless game.

Rhett is up against Dave. This game is pretty big for both players. A loss for Dave would be a serious blow to his playoff hopes. Rhett needs this game badly too. Dave is confident about his chances because he plays 3 losing teams but Rhett’s team has been doing well lately and Kevin’s team is looking really strong too after that trade.

Kevin plays AK. Both are 5-6 and both are still in the hunt. AK has a 3 game win streak and will hope there is a shootout at New Orleans and continue to lean on his strong RBs. Kevin will hope Turner stays benched and hope his WRs have a good week.

Matt plays Tim this week and I’m sure Kevin and Rhett are cheering for Matt. Matt will focus on making the right starts. For example: don’t start Beanie Wells. Tim will hope Warner isn’t banged up from his concussion.

Chris is up against Brian. I have no idea how Chris’ rank for schedule difficulty went up. He plays Brian 2 more times and Rhett once. Chris is also 5-6 and has been on the skids lately. Brian can totally ruin Chris’ hopes with a win here.

I actually kind of like Chris’ chances of making the playoffs simply based on who he plays. (Sorry Brian). Maybe the schedule difficulty rank means #1 has the EASIEST schedule. That would explain my success. AK plays some pretty tough teams in the last 3 games and so does Dave. So while I think Chris’ team is pretty weak now, he might have the best shot at the playoffs (when Benson gets back, it will be much stronger).

Kevin has a pretty tough schedule for the last 3 games too. Rhett’s schedule is a bit easier. Tim’s isn’t so bad either. I think Tim might be going to the playoffs just because he is already ahead one game.

Damn shame no teams have any more games against division opponents any more. Would be more exciting if there were.

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.11

The big trade I was expecting happened. Kevin and Chris swapped a WR and RB. This season saw a lot more trading than the previous 2 seasons. A lot of meaningful trades happened and I enjoyed talking to about half the players about possible trades.

The other big news this week involve injuries. A whole shitload of players were hurt. Chris might have gotten the shortest end of the stick since he traded away his 3rd top RB and wound up with no depth at that spot. Can Chris still make the playoffs with that roster? Brian, AK and Kevin also took big hits at RB too.

*Week 10 Review – Highlights from Week 10

I lost to Tim. I’m a bit concerned about my record against Tim. I’m 1-5 in 3 seasons and that record fucking sucks. I could blame a ton of people for my loss. For example: Falcons DST for laying a fucking egg, MJD for taking a knee at the 1 yard line, Addai for not making it into the end zone on that last drive or Ray Rice for not going all crazy. Instead, I have to blame myself for picking the Falcons DST instead of any other team.

Rhett beat the shit out of Matt. Doubled his score is what he did. Matt’s playoff hopes might have been sealed with this loss.

Chris lost to AK even though Chris Johnson put up 35 points. Chris drops a game behind Dave.

Dave beat Kevin in a game with lots of playoff ramifications. Dave put up week leading points and Kevin’s WRs let him down. Dave is just a game behind division leader Derek. Kevin is now 2 games behind Tim due to his 4 game skid.

Derek continues to pile on wins. This week it was against Brian. Derek looks to be in good shape to get to the playoffs.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Kevin got a good trade from Chris. I’m sure he’s glad it was Jones and NOT Benson.

Chris, what happened to having backup RBs?

I suck at picking DSTs some weeks.

*Interview – Thank you Tim for your response.

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Tim: Reggie wayne has been consistently hot.  He’s saved my ass many times.  My TEs have been outstanding and my waiver wire dsts have been great.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Tim: My Rbs have been hit or miss and my second WR has been a nightmare.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Tim:  I fear all the Chinese teams.  Fucking Asian superiority. This isn’t even math. Wtf? [quit kicking my ass all the time then. -ed]

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Tim: I would say that the lack of pregame trash talk ha brought good karma. Injuries have plagued my rbs.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Tim: Brent Celek was a sick noname draft.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Tim: Barber sucks monkey balls.

*Looking forward

Frankson needs to snap that losing streak against Dave. Dave’s still fighting for his playoff spot but my team finally has a solid DST in the upcoming games. (I predict my own victory)

Chris and Kevin are both in 3rd place and both need wins badly. Chris only appears to be hurting at RB because Johnson can get enough points for 2 players every week. Both team’s playoff hopes appear to ride on this game. (I expect Kevin to win)

AK and Matt battle for the bottom of the division. (AK should get the win)

Tim and Derek are in a moderately important game. Winner might seal his playoff spot but the loser is still in the running. (Derek is going to win)

Rhett and Brian battle for the bottom of their division. (Rhett is going to win)

Four games left in the regular season. The playoff picture is clearing up.

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.10

It’s almost time for teams to make playoff runs so let’s talk about the contenders. Tim appears to be in contention for the second spot in the West division but Kevin is hot on his trail. In the East, almost everybody is still in contention but I see Derek and Chris as the favorites. I’m still trying to decide which team I would rather face in the semi-finals.

Saturday is the last day to make a trade so if you are looking to make a move, do it now.

Don’t forget we start Thursday night games this week so don’t forget to set your line-ups earlier.

*Week 9 Review – Highlights from Week 9

Rhett’s WRs let him down again as he was dealt a postseason ending loss. Maybe that 6-4 RB-WR balance has a little to do with it but the few investments Rhett made at WR sure didn’t pan out this season.

AK was able to lock up his win even before the Monday night game with DeAngelo Williams putting up huge numbers. No comeback this week for Dave. White and Tomlinson both laid big turds this week and Dave still has to deal with Slaton. It might get worse if Larry Johnson enters the picture. Dave’s playoff hopes hang in the balance. Rodgers might be this year’s Drew Brees at this rate.

Tim lost to Chris but gets the whammy prize of scoring the second most points this week. Ouch. He ran into a team with 4 guys scoring 20+ points. Even Warner’s heroic effort couldn’t do get Tim this win. Olsen: DAMN! The loss didn’t hurt Tim’s playoff hopes but it helped Chris’. Chris is going to be hard to beat with those RBs scoring like they are.

Derek won a big game against Matt. Instead of being all tied up, this win puts Derek ahead of the pack and puts Matt in a pinch. Derek’s team showed some depth as he won with lots of his players not playing. Matt had enough bench points to win but bench points suck. Bears DST against the Browns = GOOD. Against Warner = BAD.

Brian gets win number 2 against Kevin even though he predicted his own defeat. Congrats to Brian. Michael Turner is getting hot a bit too late to help Brian into the playoffs. And is anyone other than Dave thinking “FUCK you GB”? Everything from GB smells like shit to me other than Rodgers. Kevin would have been all tied up with Tim had he won. That RB situation has to improve for Kevin if he is serious about making the playoffs.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Brian went with GB DST over Chargers DST. That should have been the right play but GB sticks like shit. Lost to TB? Fuck you guys.

Both teams got value from Celek/Wallace trade.

*Interview – Thank you Kevin and Rhett for your responses.

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Kevin:  Wide receivers.  I have 3 stud WR.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Kevin:  Running backs, my first and second round pics are not doing well.  All the backups I drafted are now injured and I dropped them on the waiver wire.  Rhett has collected every running back on the waiver wire so I have no depth.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Kevin:  Yours of course, I put up 97pts and lost

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Kevin:  This year I am luckier with the strength of schedule, in past years I have had the team that score the most points but cant get a win.  I have a ton of injuries and I am still looking alright.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Kevin:  Brett Favre, I picked him up on waivers the 2nd week after Schaub looked like another bust.  He keeps putting up big points so I need to keep him.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Kevin:  Definitely Forte.  I picked him with the 5 pick which I thought was a total steal since most websites had him as the 3rd overall pick.  The addition of Cutler seemed like a perfect combination for his success since defenses couldn’t stack the box.  I thought he was in for a huge season.

+++++

Newsletter: What’s going well for your team this season?
Rhett: First of all, let me say how much of an honor it is to be interviewed by the Son of Frank himself. As for my team, not much has been going right. However, Manning and S Jax have been consistent. Owen Daniels was a monster until I lost him for the season. And the Vikings have been known to put some nice points on the board here and there.

Newsletter: What isn’t going so well?
Rhett: Two Words: WIDE RECEIVERS. Steve Smith licks donkey balls. D Jax is boom or bust. And I haven’t gotten much from my waiver wire pick ups. Brian and Chris got the best ones in Austin and Sims-Walker.

Newsletter: Who’s team do you fear facing the most?
Rhett: I fear no one. But I do hate the divisional set up for our league, if I can go off on a tangent. I liked the fact that in previous years I would play everybody at least once. If we could change this going forward, I would highly recommend it.

Newsletter: What has been the key to your success or the cause of your failures?
Rhett: See above comments about Wide Receivers. If I could get some points from them, it would be a totally different team.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most surprising success?
Rhett: Owen Daniels was. He was the top TE in the league after just being a decent option is years past.

Newsletter: Which of your guys has been the most disappointing?
Rhett: I know S Jax has been consistent, but he has never blown up when I needed him to. Plus, the Rams blow yet again. That sucks.

In parting, I would just like to say that this league is definitely my most competitive ( I am in 3). I look forward to it every year. Let’s keep this up!!!

*Looking forward

Frankson is up against the only person who has beaten him so far: Tim. This is a BIG game for Tim. Tim can vastly improve his playoff hopes with a win but might get tied up with Kevin if he loses. Warner, Gore and White having huge games are key to Tim’s victory.

Brian will look to put together a winning streak against Derek. Derek can stay ahead of the East with a win. Big game for Derek.

Kevin has been on a 3 game slide and might be feeling like the Giants. Both he and Dave need wins here to improve their playoff runs though Kevin needs it more than Dave does. And both teams have some issues at RB. Last week to fix that with trades.

Chris can help his playoff hopes with a win against AK. His running game seems unstoppable but can he count on his WRs without Boldin healthy? AK has a strong rushing game too and Brady vs. Manning might be some mad points.

Matt’s playoff hopes probably start with a win against Rhett this week. He might have to win out the rest of the season to make it. Rhett’s going to want some payback for last week so watch out Matt.

Rhett mentioned the schedule and divisions this week and I have something to add. I’m OK with the divisions like they are. I think most players play nearly every other team. At worst we play 8 of 9 other teams. Rhett doesn’t play Derek this year in case anyone was wondering. I play everyone but I haven’t checked the whole schedule. More importantly, I think more division games should be schedule for the end of the season instead of the beginning. There aren’t that many games against division opponents for most players in the playoff run where they would be the most interesting. More chances for determining your own destiny directly would be great.

I can see a few teams with trades that scream to be made.

Okayama League Newsletter 2009.8

Week 7 didn’t do a whole lot to the standings. The East Division is still in a holding pattern with lots of 4-3 teams. Only 2 games separates the top from the bottom. It is still anyone’s game there. Time to make some trades!

In the West, Tim beats Kevin to bring them even. Else everything is the same. A lot of distance between last place and first.

There are two and a half weeks before the trade deadline (11.14) so start talking up some trades.

*Week 7 Review – Highlights from Week 7

Frankson kept his win streak going against Brian with the help of Romo and Ryan Grant and the Patriots DST (off the wire). Brian left 76 points on the bench: most notably Palmer and Miles Austin with 29 each.

Rhett was the better 2-4 team as he beat AK in a non-division game. Rhett’s Vikings DST continue to put up consistent points for him. He is all over the waiver wire but the waiver pick ups he started only produced points in the single digits for him this week. Tough break for AK. Ricky Williams went off on the bench while Ronnie Brown was AK’s starter. AK is only 2 games back so he’s still in the hunt.

Dave get’s a big win against Derek, who was leading the division, to bring about a 3 way tie for first. Aaron Rodgers and Steve Slaton help Dave to his win. I have no idea why Braylon Edwards was started over Roddy White, though. Derek was attacked by injuries to his starters Leon Washington and Andre Johnson. Probably would have gotten 12 more points otherwise for the win. Derek also got attacked by Larry Johnson being a horrible human being. Someone needing a good DST (both scored 24 points)  might offer  Derek a trade for a RB…

Chris Donkey punched Matt to win this street fight and to get himself tied for first. Chris got the win with 5 guys on bye or injured and with his whole team contributing. All of Matt’s bench and 5 of his starters put up single figure point totals this game. Both players actually did perfect jobs as coaches.

Tim took down Kevin to get into a two way tie for second place. Westbrook was literally knocked out of the game and killed off Kevin’s hope for a victory. Matt Forte continues to drive Kevin crazy with terrible numbers. Tim was doing even worse at RB with every RB on his team putting up 8 total points. We all missed out on Tim’s offer of Vernon Davis’ 27 points.

*Best plays and worse plays (yeah, that’s right, not worst, just worse than the best)

Tim put Vernon Davis into his starting lineup just as he goes the fuck off. If anyone remembers last week’s word of the week, Kevin’s wiping some of it off now. Tim’s other TE wasn’t even on bye. Nice job.

A whole bunch of people pulled waiver wire DSTs and were rewarded with big points. Frankson, Kevin and Tim all hit 20+ DST points this week off the wire.

*Weekly poll

There were no clear winners to the worse first round pick poll.

Most of the league was disturbed by last week’s Newsletter picture.

*Interview

[Brian didn’t respond to the request.]

*Looking forward

The regular season is halfway done. The trade deadline is nearly upon us. The East division is all bunched up and folks are jockeying for second place in the West.

Frankson’s Chinese People are in a rematch with Kevin. Kevin can secure second place with a win from himself and Rhett.

Chris and Dave fight for leadership in the East.

AK will try to beat Derek to stay 2 games out or lose and move 3 games back.

Brian and Matt are in a non-division game.

Rhett will try to beat Tim and hope they fall into a 3 way tie for second if Kevin loses. If Kevin wins and Rhett loses, Rhett is going to be pretty far behind. Tim can secure second place with a win and a loss by Kevin.

Some guys don’t seem to be working the waiver wire hard enough.

Is it me or does it seem like DSTs are scoring a lot of points this season.