11.25.2012

Battleship Football.

We're going out on a limb here...comparing the classic game of Battleship to the more serious 'game' of Fantasy Football. Two players face off - each with their own grid/roster. In battleship, players strategically arrange their ships. Aircraft carrier, battleship, submarine, cruiser, and destroyer. In Fantasy, each player analytically sets their roster. QB, WR, RB, TE, Flex, Def.

Objective: to be the last one standing. Just as ships are sunk in Battleship, players go down in football.

TE 87 - "HIT!"
Gronkowski down will hurt a lot of teams, I imagine. Especially those who used a first round pick on him. How many decent tight ends are out on the waiver? Good luck with that one.

RB 23 - "HIT!"
Who in your league scrambled for Ronnie Hillman? Willis McGahee tore his MCL and is out for the season. Did that one sink your ship?

WR 85 - "HIT!"
This ship has been doomed since week 4. Greg Jennings has been everything from O, P, Q, I...frustrating, to say the least.

QB 7 - "HIT!"
Give this guy a break. Him and his wife just gave birth to their first child, Benjamin Roethlisberger, Jr. I'm sure he wants to spend some time with his kid.

And then there's the hits that cause temporary unconsciousness or confusion. The ship pieces that got so discombobulated that they have to go through a series of manufacturer tests to be able to be used again in the game.


QB 10 - "HIT and CONCUSSED!"
Consider this hit crisis averted when the Redskins played the Falcons early October. Robert Griffin, III was knocked out and diagnosed with a mild concussion. Fortunately, for fantasy owners, he has shown no signs of a set-back.

QB 6 and QB 11 - "HIT and CONCUSSED!"
Week 10 was not kind to quarterbacks. Both Jay Cutler and Alex Smith went down, and both have been battling clearance into the game. Might the concussion have cost Smith his starting role with the 49ers? We'll see how Colin plays today. Good news for the Bears (and Jason Campbell), as Cutler is cleared to play this week.

RB 25 and QB 7 - "HIT and CONCUSSED!"
The Eagles have struggled all season and concussions to LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick just come a la carte. The offensive line has not been kind to Vick. A concussion has been chasing him since week 1. Ernie Sims finally got to him.

Good luck in your game of Battleship this week. How many of your ships will sink by the end of the football week?

-bObD.

11.21.2012

Real Talk

This blog is about honesty. We want to convey thoughts and issues that mean something to us. Hopefully, it gets information out there and entertains you, as well. All this done in a honest medium. So ya'll tell me.. Who are we really mad with tonight when the Knicks visit the Mavs at the AAC? Be honest now...are you mad at JKidd for bailing on us in favor of the Knicks? Are you mad at Cuban for not taking the time to meet with DWill; therefore (possibly) breaking up that sweet dream tandem of JKidd and JKidd with a jumper? Are you mad at Tyson for leaving, or are you mad at Cuban for not ponying up the cash right after the championship? Real MFFLs have some decisions to make tonight. Maybe you have already made yours, maybe not...but what would be prudent here? Being A MAVS fan for Life means backing the team first and foremost. Now, that doesn't mean that you can't be disappointed when the head makes decisions that you don't agree with. It's all a part of being a die hard. It's a conundrum that's hard to solve. We must be vigilant in our thoughts on the matter tho. Boo Kidd and Tyson if you must, but remember what they did for us while they wore our colors...this story is not flat or black; its round and grey. Loyalty isn't what it used to be in sport and that goes both ways from management to the talent. Tonight, look up in the rafters and remember the joy that these players brought us in '11.....then boo them lustily.



-tshurn

11.19.2012

Shots, Shots, Shots...Weekend Shots!

Since this is the first time we are rolling "shots" out, I guess that an explanation is in order. These are just some quick notes from things that we were paying attention to this weekend, drink up!....knowledge son:

  • Our beloved Mavs squeaked by the Cavs on Saturday...ugly win, but a win nonetheless...
  • Oregon and K-State lost proving the adage that the Irish really are "lucky" or that Nick Saban really did make a pack with the devil
  • We finally got around to seeing "Argo" this weekend. Ben Afflect is on a roll directing/staring in movies at the same damn time! Pulling off the Kanye double threat....Thoughtful and funny, this film is a must see....if you like smart things that is.
  • Oklahoma State men's basketball team won the Puerto Rico shootout with an impressive win over N.C. State. Dallas natives Marcus Smart and LeBryan Nash lead the team to victory. Smart is a born leader; it will be interesting to see how much he chages the program
  • The Baylor women's basketball team lost for the first time in 42 games. One day after I (tshurn) predicted no one would come within 25 points of them all year...prognostication is the devils work....call me the cooler.
  • Gronk broke his forearm; putting a dent into my fantasy football aspirations......cooler
  • A.Dd+ won best rap group in the Dallas Observer's best of, music poll and they also scored the cover of the publication.....#ADDHOE!
  • The Cowboys escaped with a narrow victory over Cleveland...has there ever been more of an example of playing down or up to competition....the answer is no!
  • Sundays "Homeland" episode was was fantastic as usual. Brody and Carey got it in again while her entire team of CIA snoops listened in one it! Brody was kidnapped and heliflown?? to an undisclosed location...this damn show is so epic!
  • Adrien Broner aka "The Problem", or as we call him here at Words, "Floyd Mayweather Jr Jr"....dispatched some poor soul this weekend. He came out to Kendrick Lamar's "Backseat freestyle"....KL is taking over the world.....yabish!

One Love


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-tshurn

Emotionally Pink.

Pink's performance last night on the 40th AMA awards immediately left me with things to say...things to feel.



It's amazing what artists can do - how far they've come in the industry. They truly define artistry by taking performance to a whole new level. Taking a simple stage and bringing it to life - their life. Pink took everything music stands for and put it into words and movements in her performance of Try. She put on a show...she told a story without sacrificing her song. Beginning to end, it was heart-winning.

Justin Bieber is talented; there is no doubting that. His performances are entertaining, and we have Usher to thank for that. Unfortunately, the entertainment factor becomes the choreographed dancing, and the words, the lyrics, are distracted by the sliding and the popping. The beats are filled with steps. The soul is lost in the movement. The heart is removed.

Carly Rae Jepsen, you had a good year. Your song went viral with the help of the US Swim Team, but until you learn to perform and show the world your lyrics are more than just words, you will be no more respected than the next internet virus. Please, don't call me...not even maybe.

-bObD.

11.13.2012

Death of the College Basketball Fan


It's November and that means that it is college hoops season! I'm excited! But am I the only one? Amongst everyone I know, I can say that I know about three "real" college basketball fans!?! WTF?! I know that I am using a lot of exclamation marks, but I tend to do that when I first realize that something really surprises me. I mean, we are talking about the best game ever invented1. That's indisputable. I won't go into all the reasons why that is the case on this post, but if anyone wants proof I will write a long dissertation on the subject2. We are also talking about a segment of the game (college) that has more merit than its professional counterpart. College ball has its flaws3, and its governing body clearly has very unintelligent monkeys running it; but the positives far outnumber the negatives. College basketball players play the game for the love. These young student athletes still love the game that they grew up dreaming about, and they know they have reached the zenith. 90 percent of them know that their playing days will be over after these special four years4, so why not have fun doing it? That attitude shows with the passion and sacrifice that they leave out on the court. These are some of the reasons that I am so surprised that no one watches or cares about my beloved game anymore. If I slow down and think clearly5, then I will realize that in this day and age college ball is not the same game that I grew up watching. I started watching and falling in love with the college game when Christian Laettner, Alonzo Mourning, Billy Owens, and Shaquille O'Neal were ruling the game. These guys were household names. Many players stayed at a program for at least two or three great years. Now the best players leave after one good year6. The main problem is that humans don't care about you unless they know who you are. We don't know who the stars are anymore. That's not a good formula for a game that's star driven. So, in a last ditch effort to familiarize my peeps with some stars/teams...here is a list of players and their respective teams to look out for this season......Cody Zeller/ Indiana; Mason Plumlee/ Duke; Otto Porter/ Georgetown; Kyle Wiltjer/ Kentucky; James Michael Mcadoo/ North Carolina; Doug McDermott/ Creighton; Phil Pressey/ Missouri; Tony Mitchell/ North Texas; Nate Wolters/ S. Dakota St; Isaiah Canaan/ Murray St.....Enjoy these guys and these teams this season, and next time you are choosing between watching Kentucky vs. Indiana or the Wizards vs. the Bobcats, choose the bluebloods son. Tradition and passion always trump lazy millionaires who blow.


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Thank you, James Naismith.
2 Just take my word on it...only real college bball heads would want to read that book
3 short 3 point line, mediocre talent sometimes, hypocritical governing body...etc.
4 I know I knew
Rarely happens
I am excluding last year's Kentucky team...that was a great year...one for the ages.


-tshurn

11.10.2012

Royalisms, never forgotten.

The Texas Longhorn football program lost a great one this past week. Darrell K Royal.


"To be successful as a team, you must bring all of the parts together and play as one heartbeat."
20 years as the head coach at the University of Texas at Austin, Royal only knew how to win. He turned a losing program into a winning one.

In honor and remembrance of DKR, The Longhorns ran Royal's Wishbone formation in today's game against Iowa State. With "DKR" decals on their helmets, the Longhorns proudly won 33-7.

Every pass, every tackle, every kick resonated in the stadium, which was renamed after Darrell K Royal in 1996. We bleed Burnt Orange for Coach Royal. Texas Fight!

-bObD.

11.07.2012

"SupaLion"!!! Crowder

Well fellow MFFLs, the time has come! Jae Crowder is finally going to get the minutes he deserves. Unfortunately, Jae's time to shine comes with a caveat. Another one of this blog's favorite players, The Matrix, is out for a small period of time. That blows. Oh well, this is professional sports - injuries happen. We were becoming concerned that an out of shape Troy Murphy was getting The Lion's share of minutes Jae was getting before he signed. Not that we don't like Troy...but until he starts making his open jump shots and gets up and down the floor with more fluidity, we are ignoring him.

Let's just list all the positives that Jae brings to the team. Number 1, his hair. Dude's hair makes him stand out to the North Dallas trust fund baby chicks in the bottom bowl of the AAC. Which, in turn, makes them pay more attention to the game, and they just may stop sipping their Merlot for a minute, look up from their IPhone5s and cheer for their home team. The energy level in the building goes up! Number 2, his tats. I think his entire torso and arms are tatted up. We like this for other reason than we miss Delonte (Love you, dog :( ). Number 3, the real shit...the guy's motor never stops. You are gonna get all that he has. You simply cannot make that same statement about at least 80% of the NBA. I know, it's sad. But it's the truth. Number 4, his production. He knocks down open shots, 3's, and 2's; he rebounds and defends. What more can you ask of an NBA player? From all accounts, his attitude might be his best attribute. Carlisle says he listens and absorbs knowledge, and that is key for an NBA rookie...and we all know what Carlisle thinks of rookies...he doesn't think of them at all...

Okay, so we love Jae "SupaLion" Crowder. We just made that nickname up; every cult NBA player needs a nickname.


-tshurn

11.01.2012

82 and Oh, no 'mo.

Two games into the season, first loss last night. Is this where we start to lose the FMFFL1? The same fans that completely lost faith when we let Tyson Chandler and Barea go? The ones that threw in the towel when Jet and Kidd left the city and then threw an "Everything is Bigger in Texas"-sized fit when Deron chose Brooklyn this past June.

All the fakers had given up before the season, or rather pre-season, even started. Who the hell is Melvin Ely2? Don't worry, FMFFL's, he did not make the cut.

And then the tip-off for the 2012 season happened. The hopeless Mavs3 beat Kobe and the respected Lakers. And just like that, there was a mountain of hope again. Talk of an undefeated season4 was in the air. Only to be quickly silenced 24 hours later. An all too familiar scene - Mavs blow their first half lead and lose to the Utah Jazz. All FMFFL quickly abandon the NBA season and turn to their fantasy football line-ups5.

We're 1-1. The season is not lost, my friends. Please do not jump on that Houston bandwagon6 just yet.

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1 Fake Mavs Fan For Life.
2 Rhymes with "really"...unlike the more well known Eli of the Manning family.
3 Not to be confused for the disappointing Cowboys.
4 People who speak of this are called, DFMFFL - Delusional Fake Mavs Fans For Life.
5 Is anyone really starting a Charger or a Chief tonight? Good luck with that.
6 There's a new beard in town at the Toyota Center, and he's got Houston-ites thinking Championship.


-bObD.