Ben Knows His Stuff

We compete against each other, but he knows what he's talking about, Running the Numbers.

http://myfantasytake.blogspot.com/

The Sandlot - 2011

After a disastrous end to the 2010 fantasy baseball season, the 2nd place Back on a Boat (heretofore known as 'The Boat') has re-emerged with a new owner and new name, the appropriately titled, Smoak Monster. No, I do not own Justin Smoak, but will shortly.

Here is the roster as it currently stands:

Bats: Carlos Santana, Adrian Gonzalez, Aaron Hill, Ben Zobrist, Asdrubal Cabrera, Pedro Alvarez, Matt Holiday, Josh Hamilton, Logan Morrison, Gabby Sanchez, Chris Young (ARZ), Brandon Belt, Kendrys Morales

Arms: Jon Lester, Cliff Lee, Clay Buchholz, Matt Cain, Jordan Zimmerman, J.A. Happ, Brandon Morrow, Sean Burnett, Tyler Clippard, Jordan Walden, Kenley Jansen, Chris Sale, Daniel Bard.

This is an 8 X 8 league where saves and holds are the primary reliever categories. I live by the old mantra of not paying for saves. I will never draft a top tier closer like Mariano Rivera or Brian Wilson, unless the price is very low (think 21st round and below). In this league, holds are just as valuable and more widely available. Some set up guys are just as valuable as closers, and most got picked between the 20th and 25th round or were waiver wire fodder. I play the ratios with solid middle relievers, high K starters, and potential closers (Jordan Walden, chief among them).

This is a serious league with serious players. I have gone from last, to 8th, to 6th, to 4th to 2nd the last several years. As HHH would say, its my time. The Smoak Monster will wipe out every one in its path.



As sad as it was to see the Steelers fall in the bowl, they played well enough to win. When you turn the ball over, its difficult to win in the National Football League (I just channeled my inner Ron Jaworski there).

I thought the Steelers would be able to overcome these mistakes, and in fact, I was pretty happy seeing newly-engaged Ben come out with 2 minutes and change on the clock and 80 yards to go. Alas, it wasn't to be.

Then Pitt loses to freaking Butler. I am still not ready to fully discuss that disaster. Especially when Butler went to the title game and SHOT 18 FREAKING %!!!!
Pitt would have shot at least 25% and maybe played better D. As far as Pitt vs. Butler, I blame the coaches as much as the players. The coaches should put players in a position to succeed, and they failed there.

Finally, after a short hiatus, my buddy got me back on the wagon as far as keeping up with this. The AD analysis is in the works, and I will also review the film 'The Social Network' not as a critic but as a regular dude watching a movie. I also plan on watching MLB network when they bounce from game to game, similar to the Red Zone channel for the NFL.

Please Sid, come back soon...the Pens need more goals already!

Quote of the Night: 'Congratulations to Ben Roethlisberger, he got engaged. The girl originally said no, but he took that as a yes.' -Leno
Listening to: The Lonely Island, Black Keys, Bo Burnham, Gorillaz, Let's Go Sailing!, The Strokes, The White Stripes
Watching: The Social Network, The Killing (an AMC), Mr. Sunshine, Hawaii Five-0, Modern Family....and The Office (Michael Scott's finale will be documented here along with some greatest hits and misses)
Embarrassing Download of the Day: Jimmy Fallon's album of comedy songs-just terrible
Awesome non-sports related website: Preston and Steve WMMR Philly
Bonus Awesome Website: World Cafe Live at the Queen Theater. I bartend on the side here...its fun.

I'm Taking the Steelers and the Points Because of Big Ben

Off the field issues be damned, somehow, the Steelers have made it to the Super Bowl. Big Ben, a.k.a., the most clutch quarterback in the game today, is probably going to win this game for Pittsburgh. He will make three or four improbable plays like where the pass rush gets right to him but can't bring him down, spin around for 5 seconds, and then hit Heath Miller in the flat for 15 yards, on 3rd and 14.

For some reason, since his rookie year in 2004, when the most pressure presents itself, Ben has found a way. Sure he had statistically the worst game of a winning Super Bowl QB in Super Bowl XL against Seattle, but they didn't need him to have a great game. Anyone who saw the wild card game against Cincy, the divisional game against Indy and the AFC championship game against the Broncos knows that he was the best player on the field in every one of those games. He made the plays when they needed to be made. Even looking at Super Bowl XLIII against Arizona, he had only thrown for something like 170 yards through the first 57 minutes of the game. Only when the chips were down did Big Ben step up to the plate and hit a grand slam in the bottom of the 9th.

So, with that in mind, I think in this game, the Steelers own the QB edge. Analysts have been saying that the way to beat the Pittsburgh defense is to spread them out four or five wide and throw it quickly. I don't buy it. Baltimore and the Jets both tried it and failed. Only one team holds that key to the defense, and its New England, simply because of Tom Brady. Plus, it goes without saying that the Pats just seem to have the Steelers number, the way the Steelers have the Ravens number. Simply put, I don't believe that the Packers will march up and down the field like they did against Atlanta. Can I see A-Rod having a nice game with 275 yards and a couple of TD passes? Sure. But if thats what they give up to that offense, the Steelers will win this game. I think Rodgers needs to have a monster game for Green Bay to win. Think 360 yards and 4 TDs. They won't run the ball very effectively, so Rodgers will be the offense.

I like the Steelers defense, QB, coach, and RB more than I like Green Bay's. Experience will be a big factor, especially in the first half and I think that all adds up to a 27-20 Steeler win. Big Ben is the MVP (should have won it in XLIII) and most of America is now comparing the Steelers to the Pats, and not all for good reasons.

Watching: Archer, 'Salt', Super Bowl XLV, 'Terminator 2', SNL, 'Rambo'
Listening to: Lonely Island, Flobots, Flight of the Conchords, Ok Go
Embarrasing Download of the Day: Justin Bieber, 'Baby, Baby'
Fantastical Website of the Day: Pro Football Talk (since its Super Bowl Weekend)
Next on the Netflix Queue: 'Party Down Season I' and 'The Other Guys'

Up Next: I have not forgotten about the full review of Arrested Development. It's in the works. Your average movie goer movie review, and a recap of Steelers-Packers.

Arrested Development: The Column

I like to think I don't watch a lot of TV, preferring to believe that quality is much better than quantity. Sure, I watch SportsCenter or a Steelers, Penguins, or Pitt game when its on, which makes up a lot of my TV time, but that doesn't really count. Choosing to watch a show like 'Lost' or the previously discussed (in not nearly enough detail) 'Dexter', 'The Wire', '24', 'Breaking Bad' or 'Band of Brothers' takes serious interest and commitment, since these shows have arcing stories that really should be followed as often as they are aired. Ever miss an episode of 'Lost'? Guess where you end up? That's right, lost.

Point being, its easy to be a fan of 'Cheers', 'Flight of the Choncords', 'Seinfeld', 'The (American) Office' or 'Curb' (all of which are all-timers in my book and probably a lot of other books as well). You don't have to pay that much attention, there aren't many references to previous plot lines, and most of all, you can watch 'The Soup Nazi' and it stands on its own just fine. Investment is limited and ultimately that makes the viewing experience less rewarding. There is no payoff when said experience ends.

For me, that all changed when I began watching AD on DVD in 2007. The show had been canceled by Fox the previous winter of 2006 and I had heard and read too many good things about it to ignore it any longer. Thanks to Netflix, there was an easy way to remedy this situation.

Once I got started, it was impossible for me to stop. I watched all 53 episodes in a matter of a couple of weeks, only stopping to go to work, sleep a few hours a night and fit in a few social functions. I liked everything about it: a riches-to-rags story, full of unlikable characters that somehow came off as likable and funny, lots of references to current events such as the Iraq War, many just plain awkward scenes and moments, references to other shows and movies that actors in the show had played, incest, Saddam Hussein, the war on terror, homosexuality, drug use and abuse, lying, cheating, stealing, murder, and above all, family.

The Bluths are a lot of things (criminals, disbarred doctors, awkward teenagers, failed actors, failing magicians, drunks, drug abusers, con artists, single fathers, irresponsible parents, etc.) but they always seem to hold their place in the family above all other things, though sometimes it takes a while to get there.

That being said, I have watched and re-watched this show over and over and I still laugh out loud at certain scenes, moments or episodes. I still cannot pick a favorite episode. They are all great and interconnected in some way. The writing is what won AD all the awards and for good reason. It is sharp, not dumbed down at all, and there is no 'Applause' light or laugh track. It wasn't necessary. If you couldn't keep up with all of the stories, then the show probably wasn't for you.

It would be just too easy to say that Tobias Funke, Lindsey Bluth's husband, a former psychiatrist-turned-wannabe actor, is the funniest character on the show. Easily, he is top two probably for any fan of AD. As much as I love George and Lucille, the mother and father, I am definitely a GOB guy.

George Oscar Bluth II is a magician who doesn't do tricks, he does illusions, because we all know that 'a trick is something a whore does for cocaine, or candy.' His stage music is 'The Final Countdown' by 80's Euro techno-rock band Europe. Which is funny enough. A couple of his accomplishments during the run of the show:

-Founds and then is expelled from the Magicians' Alliance, a group formed to protect trade secrets
-Pseudo president of the Bluth Company, while having no real power
-Marries 'Wife of Gob' (her name is never revealed) after a series of escalating dares
-Has Buster's hook hand jammed up his backside
-Has a child from a high school girlfriend who then briefly dates his niece, unaware that they may be related
-Gob has no friends, except for the Hot Cops, a group of male strippers
-Makes the Bluth yacht 'disappear'....by sinking it
-Introduced ventriloquist portion of his act with a black puppet named Franklin, who speaks in a very stereotypical manner, refering to his nephew as a 'cracker ass' and recording a CD in order to breakdown racial barriers

Gob's favorite thing to say is 'I've made a huge mistake.' He probably could make that statement at least once in every episode. C'mon!!!!

Not only are the main characters funny and despicable in every way, the supporting roles are also perfectly cast and written. The family attorney, Barry Zuckercorn, played by Henry Winkler, is a terrible lawyer who hangs out at rest stops on his spare time and sues the Los Angeles Kings for getting hit by a puck in the stands. Later in the series, he is replaced by a lawyer called Bob Loblaw (blah blah blah), who is played by Scott Baio. A call back to when Baio replaced Winkler on Happy Days.

George's assistant, Kitty Sanchez, is equal parts crazy and threatening. Michael dates two women through the course of the series: Maggie Lizer (Julia Louis-Dreyfuss) and Rita the British chick (Charlize Theron) in Season 3. Wife of Gob is played by Amy Poehler, Will Arnett's real life wife. If you are looking for guest stars, you will find no shortage here.

It is a rare television show that received and deserved every accolade sent its way. I was never disappointed by one episode that was presented to me. Everytime Gob does his act, I laugh. Everything George Michael tries to overcome his strong feelings for his cousin Maeby, I cringe, and then laugh. Every time Tobias makes a blatant attempted to be a straight man and fails, i laugh even harder. These are not great human beings, but the try their best to be themselves, even if that means they are in it only for themselves. Ultimately, dedication to family, through the greed, selfishness, and trying times, pulls the Bluths through....right to your local cinema in 2012! I for one and psyched up. I am going to grab a frozen banana, make some cornballs, admire my Mr. Bananagrabber stuffed doll and pop in Season 2's episode, 'The One Where Michael Leaves'. I urge you to do the same.

I Would add the Super Bowl to this

I love this commercial but a few items could definitely be added...

Words, Words, Words and the Super Bowl

Pittsburgh Steelers (+2.5) vs. Green Bay Packers


Its Super Bowl Monday. Media Day is tomorrow, so we can look forward to cliche after cliche after cliche. And then the two teams get down to business. I don't know if it will happen, but this version of the bowl has the potential to be fantastic. After the Steelers wins in the Divisional round over the Baltimore Dirty Birds and the AFC Championship against the Rex Ryan Jets, they seem incapable of not playing a tight game. The Packers nearly lost to Philly, they blew out the Falcons, and won by a touchdown at Soldier Field against the Bears third-string QB, the mustached Caleb Hanie. I am not as sold on the Pack that everyone else seems to be. As a Steeler fan, its nice to see them the underdog in this game. I thought for sure this would be at most a Steelers -1 line. Maybe even -3.

All I know is that this seems like a 30-27 game if the Packers win, and probably 27-14 if the Steelers win. The Steelers #1 ranked defense is getting absolutely no pub. Everyone wants to talk about what Clay Matthews and Charles Woodson will do blitzing the Steelers O-line. Well, what are James Harrison and Lamarr Woodley going to do to Chad Clifton and rookie Brian Bulaga? Isn't it reasonable to assume that they could get 3+ sacks between the two of them, knock A-Rod around a bit, maybe force a fumble (like they seem to do in every playoff game)? The only issue I have with the Steelers line is that C Maurkice Pouncey is unlikely to play with an ankle fracture. Backup C Doug Legursky will need to play the game of his life if the steelers are to win this game. That said, I think they have a great chance to ascend the stairway to 7. Either way, it should be and epic battle. And this gets me pumped up...

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Listening to: Bo Burnham, David Cross, Wiz Khalifa (for obvious reasons), 3OH!3, Jonathan Coulton, Stephen Lynch, The Lonely Island
Watching: Breaking Bad, The Wonder Years, The Office, OSN SportsDome, Archer, Fringe, Super Bowl XLV
'Music I am ashamed I downloaded' of the Day: 'Burt Bacharach Sings His Hits'
Next on the Netflix queue: 'The Other Guys', 'Who's Harry Crumb?', 'Salt'
-Awesome non-sports related web site: Victims of Dexter Morgan (Major spoilers)

Take me home, Wiz.

My Love Affair with Showtime's 'Dexter'



As the title might imply, I love this show. It is fantastically entertaining, suspenseful, dramatic and funny in a demented sort of way. Michael C. Hall, who plays the role of Dexter, was a perfect casting decision, and is by far the best part of the show. However, every single supporting character, with the exception of Jimmy Smits character, Miguel Prado in Season Three, is entertaining and important to the story arc, and some cases, very likable (see the Trinity Killer). And unlike a lot of Dexter fans, I love Rita. She was a very important part of the first four seasons. Definitely something that Dexter got right, through no fault of his own.
Sgt. James Doakes may have been my favorite character just because he hates everybody and lets us know it.

NSFW, lots of cursing and a spoiler:



Dexter is a good man. Socially incapable and unable to express any type of emotion except for apathy, he is not wired correctly, which throughout the run of the series, he explains in great depth what is wrong with him and how he remedies this (the whole point of the show). I just can't figure out how he has never been caught. Eventually, this will have to happen. I am just as interested to see what happens after that as what happened before.

I can't help but think that there is some moral to be learned from Dexter's plight, what kind of human being he is. I think that all of us struggle in some way day to day with some of the same things that Dexter does. Social awkwardness. Difficulty expressing emotions and feelings. Putting on a certain face or a certain crowd. Juggling these faces between family, friends, colleagues, foes and strangers. All of us have these issues to some extent, none of us have the urge to kill, like Dexter, thankfully.

Its a wild ride, with lots of jokes, swearing, murder, surprising guest stars, and redemption. So, if you haven't seen it, get the dvds of the first four seasons pronto. It will be worth it.

Revised pick for BCS Championship: Auburn 22, Oregon 19.

On the docket:

Arrested Development and its greatness



and

Steelers-Ravens Look Ahead

Back from the Bye Week

Going to try to make this a regular thing now. Its 1/10/2011, the BCS championship game is tonite, the wild card round of the NFL playoffs has just passed, we are at the midway point of the NHL season, NCAA hoops is beginning conference play, Lebron got booed when he returned to Cleveland wearing a Miami Heat jersey. A few quick takes.

-Oregon wins, 48-42
-I think the Patriots, Steelers, Bears and Packers winning this weekend.
-With a healthy Crosby, the Penguins are the best team in hockey.
-Who will stop Duke? As much as I want to think Pitt, but it won't happen.
-I will never be convinced that Lebron can carry MJ's jock strap.

Fantasy Baseball, I finished in 2nd place. Too many injuries down the stretch, and a bad trade on my part. Those things happen. Still, $200 is $200 and its all about the Benjamin Franklins.
I made the playoffs in three football leagues, winning won (on the strength of Michael Vick), finishing second in another (thanks to LeGarrette Blount, Vincent Jackson and Phil Rivers) and bowing out in the first round of the playoffs in a third. Overall, a good and profitable year.

Listening to: Black Keys, Old 97s, The Beatles, Train, Maroon 5, The Commodores
Watching: Breaking Bad (THE most underrated show on TV in my opinion), The Wonder Years, V, A Nightmare on Elm Street (new edition)
'Music I am ashamed I downloaded' of the Day: Katy Perry's 'Teenage Dream'
Next on the Netflix queue: 'Inception', 'Family Guy: Its a Trap', 'Vampires Suck' (for Jen)
-Awesome non-sports related web site: http://radar.weather.gov/Conus/full_loop.php

Finally, if there is one thing you should do in 2011, you should hide your kids and hide your wife, like that home break in dude said a bit ago. Cheers.

Coming up: Dexter and the people I have spread it to.