Sightseeing 9/29

My fantasy world officially turned nightmare on Sunday. Allow me to preface. Last year my fantasy football team was embarrassed by a ridiculous performance from Michael Vick. He was then traded to another opponents team where he again destroyed me. Jump to the third-place play-off game and things were looking on the up and up as the NY Giants were corralling Vick pretty handily with only 8 minutes remaining in the game. We all know how this story ends, and I was cursing him left and right. Fast forward to Sunday when he leaves the game with only 2 fantasy points to his name and MY TEAM STILL CAN'T WIN! I am now sure that he is my kryptonite, and his presence most certainly ensures my team's demise. But I digress. Actually no. Let's continue with some verbal abuse if only for my own therapeutic purposes.

• The dog slayer's post game comments are quite hypocritical. "I'm not tryin' to blame the refs." Well, I'm not buyin' it. Watch how definitively he says "absolutely" when asked if he thinks he's not getting the same calls as other quarterbacks. To my own dismay, he may be right and I think I know why; he's a dog slayer! But, not only do I bring obvious hindsight observations, I also come with solutions; run faster! You're the fastest player on the field, Vick, and I will no longer tolerate such an insolent attitude. There's no crying in Football. There, I feel slightly better.

Any chance I get. A Dawg fan can't resist

• The Falcons have got to motivate their offensive line. Matt Ryan getting sacked 13 times in 3 games is Bush League. Center McClure was back in the line-up, and I saw little improvement. Perhaps Dahl was the glue that held that line together. Unfortunately, the Falcons are up against the salary cap and simply could not afford to retain all the starting linemen from last season. Let's give some credit where it is deserved as well. The Buc's defense brought some heat all game long. I am also not going to point fingers at any of ATL's defensive linemen for jumping offsides at the end of the game. You simply got did by a better team. Better luck next week Falcons.

• The Georgia Bulldogs have got to be the most gullible team in the nation. Fake punts, onside kicks, reverse kick returns- they all seem to work so perfectly when executed against the presumptuous Dawgs. Have they never seen these plays before? It's like watching white guys play basketball. As Ole Miss kept faking the reverse, I knew they were setting it up for later in the game. I, on the same note as the Bulldogs, never saw the reverse pass coming. Well played Rebels... I mean Black Bears... oh, its the Rebel Black Bears (WTF?). At least it takes a trick play to have a chance at beating the Dawgs. Gladly, they were able to overcome.

• If you don't watch UFC, it's time to start. Quentin "Rampage" Jackson entered the ring with an unnervingly goofy stare instead of any fighter's typical bouncy anticipatory energy. I couldn't tell if he had brought some of his acting chops back with him from Hollywood or if he was just that focused. Either way, Jon Jones, the light-heavyweight champ, undressed him with a showcase of style. Long and tall, his chicken legs don't match the rest of him, but he mixed his kicks wonderfully, showed off great grappling skills, and eventually got the win via submission. I am definitely drinking the Jon Jones Kool-Aid right now. One other note, Nate Diaz taunted his opponent by dropping his hands, jutting his chin, and gesturing for a punch to be thrown. Sorry dude, you are not Anderson Silva. I wish someone would instantly KO any fighter who attempts this unsportsmanlike mockery.

What I want to see next week:

• I will be attending UGA's upcoming game against Miss St. Tailgating starts at 7 a.m., and I am at the mercy of the designated driver, so this may be the only game I see Saturday. In depth coverage to follow, possibly with a photo gallery.

WHO ARE THE AD WIZARDS THAT CAME UP WITH THIS ONE!?!

If the Thrashers and Hawks had the exact same marketing slogans just three years apart, I'd chalk it up to yet another notch on the TJ Maxx discount-bin belts of the Atlanta Spirit LLC (a cheapness that for SOME inexplicable REASON did not extend to Mr. Joe Johnson).

However, what I would like to know, is how the fuck did THIS happen:

I know the ad industry is hurting right now, and that more people have watched that video on YouTube than attended Hawks games that season (Antoine Walker, Al Harrington and Ren Wright RIP as the main three attractions!), but c'mon, generic sports marketing agency. That's just lazy.

A Playoff Predictions Column? Brilliant!

Since our preseason NFL picks worked out so well (Cowboys-Saints #1-2 in the NFC!), I knew that Sue's playoff picks would be in high demand. So as I close out the last hour of "work" for 2008, I bring to you some unsolicited thoughts on this year's playoffs that are probably not that different than any of the thoughts by the other 328332093270932732 people who write about the NFL on a regular basis.

1. I can't remember the last time that all four wild card teams were held in higher regard than their division-winning round one opponents. This is what you get when you decide to roll with eight divisions, giving seeding priority to those division winners. The NBA faced a similar problem a few years ago and responded by seeding the playoffs based on records, while still reserving a spot for even the shittiest of division winners. I'd like to see the NFL adopt this format. Actually, I'd really like to see the NFL revert to three divisions per conference, but as OBJ points out, sports leagues rarely revert to the past when it comes to expansion/realignment...it's all about moving forward. So just a simple re-seeding of the playoffs would be fine, just so we don't have to see things like a 12-4 Colts team having to travel halfway across the country to play an 8-8 Chargers squad.

2. I've been picking against the Falcons all season long, and it's served the local football collective well. Why stop now? The Birds are actually favored at Arizona this weekend, but I see Cardinals winning a close one, making everyone who is finally giving the Falcons their due feel like a dunce. The Cardinals run defense isn't half-bad, so if they can stuff the run at the line of scrimmage, they'll be forcing a slumping Matt Ryan to beat them. Even with a shoddy pass D, the Cards will take that matchup with a rookie QB on the road in the playoffs. Likewise, I have no faith in the Falcons secondary or one-man pass rush stopping that sick Zona passing attack either.

3. Joe Flacco and the Ravens stout defense travels to Miami in the other rookie-QB-on-the-road game, which should be a field day for both defenses. Unlike OBJ, who has the Ravens making the AFC title game at a minimum, I view this game as a toss-up. The Dolphins simply don't turn the ball over that much, and much of the Ravens offense this season has been aided by good field position created off turnovers. That said, as a Jets fan, I've watched Chad Pennington in the playoffs, and RayRay, Eddie Reed and Co. have to be licking their chops. The over-under in this game is 37.5. Thats probably 27.5 points too high.

4. I think Indy could/would win the Super Bowl. Other than maybe the Steelers, I'd even anoint them the favorite. But going to San Diego to play a hot Chargers team that always plays them close is the worst possible matchup in Round One for them. By the way, how appropriate was it that LaDanian Tomlinson waited until Week 17 to have his fantasy breakout game, after every league championship had been decided? That, combined with his groin injury and question of if he would be ready for this weekend's game, were easily the locks of the year, at least until the inevitable fracases outside of Philips Arena after the Weezy show tonight have the ATL Spirit brass on the phone Monday at 9am offering Panic a blank check to come back and play next New Year's Eve.

5. I will not be watching the Vikings-Eagles game. Pretty interesting though how the Vikes opened up at 1-point favorites and now, 2 days later, Philly is favored by 3. Everyone's been overrating the Iggles all year long; so again, why stop now? Also, props to Brad Childress for naming Gus Ferotte the starter "for the remainder of the season" only to bench him for an equally inept Tavaris Jackson during the stretch run for the playoffs. That should work out well.

6. Beyond Round 1 in the NFC, the Giants and Carolina look like locks to re-create their epic Week 16 showdown in the NFC title game. I'm taking Carolina in the NFC, for reasons that will probably make no sense on the eve of the NFC title game. OBJ is taking the Giants, because well, it's the easy way out. Personally, I just think he wants to see 80 Archie Manning interviews when his predicted Giants-Colts Super Bowl (aka Manningasm) plays out.

7. As for the AFC, I know the Titans are getting no love; because much like with the Giants beat-up receiving corps, you can't overlook the injuries to their defensive line. Kerry Collins has also looked ineffective of late, and other than Flacco, is probably the worst QB standing in the AFC. As long as they can continue to run the ball, I do think they will make the AFC title game and possibly the Super Bowl; but as I stated earlier, I believe the Colts and the Steelers are the best two teams in the NFL, and you'll see the winner of that matchup (be it in the Divisional Round of the AFC Championship) hoisiting the Lombardi Trophy in early February (move it back to January, Rog).

OBJ AFC: Colts over Ravens
OBJ NFC: Giants over Panthers
OBJ SB: Colts over Giants

Joe Friday AFC: Colts over Titans
Joe Friday NFC: Panthers over Giants
Joe Friday SB: Colts over Panthers

Yeah, I probably should've told you up above that you could've skipped that wack-ass analysis and just peeped the predictions right there, but that's about as fun as listening to someone bitch about if they just hadn't benched A.J. Bryant in Week 14 they would have won their fantasy league. We'll be back next week to completely revamp our predictions and hopefully delete this post without anyone noticing. Until then, Happy 2009 and be safe.

BLOGASM 12.23: You NFsmelL What the Rock Is Cooking?

Gotta say, I definitely like the "Matty Ice" moniker better than my predicted "Mattycakes"

--------------

(enter GMAIL) On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 10:51 AM, Obama Ben Jammin wrote:

So for the league MVP (why does baseball do one for each League, and the NFL doesn't?), I think I'm going to have to go with Michael Turner. Call me a homer, but I just think you have to validate this incredible and unlikely turnaround for the Falcons with an official league approval of individual achievement. If it ain't Matt Ryan, it should be Michael Turner. If Bill Parcells were behind this turnaround, it would be leading SportCenter every night.

Of course, Turner "Field" ain't gonna win it. It'll go to Peyton, if I had to bet a finger on it. The right ring finger, if I had to choose. Although I'd have to relearn to type.

-------------

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 3:24 PM, Joe Friday wrote:

So, after rubbing Matt Ryan's jock for the last three months, following that riduculous-from-day-one meme that "Ryan is the Falcons/NFL MVP" you want to hop onboard the Turner Train? Figures. And rightfully so. Turner is the Falcons MVP, one of the league's top candidates and has followed a career path that is currently making Darren Sproles giddy. Unfortunately, I'm going boring/consensus(ual?) on this one and taking Peyton Manning. Dude spent the first portion of the year clearly injured, demons and old age have possessed his #1 target at WR, and Dominic friggin' Rhodes is their best option out of the backfield. And still, Indy is looking at another 12-4 season like it ain't no thang. I'm a subscriber to the Shaq (99-05 version) or Tim Duncan should always win the MVP theory, and Peyton Manning is as close to that as it gets in the NFL.

Also up there? Give me Turner, Purple Jesus and let's throw Drew Brees some love. He ain't paid to tackle.

What about Coach of the Year? Before you break yourself to give it over to Mike Smith, lemme just make my case for Tony Sparano. Smith, while performing an excellent, excellent job with the Falcons, has made some dumb miscues late in games, and he wasn't exactly the guy who signed Turner, drafted Ryan or turned Roddy White's career around (thanks Petrino). That Falcons season has been a total effort from the front office down.

Sparano, meanwhile, is coaching a team that was 1-15 last year. His QB is Chad Pennington, and said Pennington was signed after training camp had started. Their running backs rank 24th and 41st overall in rushing yards. Trust me, you don't even know who his receivers are. They've won with defense, special teams and solid QB play. Props for getting the most out of a limited roster. But what really wins Sparano (NO LAME SOPRANOS JOKES PLEASE) the award is unleashing the badass Wildcat formation to the NFL. For that, you Da Main, Tony.

Who ya got as coach? Also, try and figure out some award we can give Calvin Johnson. He'd get some vote on my MVP ballot, just for the sick numbers he's posting with the Orvoloskys of the world throwing to him. It's unimaginable where Detroit would be without him. I mean, no shit they'd be 0-15, but how many TD's you think they would have scored this season? I'm thinking four.

-------------

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 4:01 PM, OBJ wrote:

Absolutely disagree it goes to Sparano. McKay and Blank are still around, and they're the ones that brought in Dimitroff - although bringing in Ryan and Turner (not to mention letting go of misfits like Hall [but why Crumpler??]) are looking like the two best moves of the past two seasons.

But the primary reason I disagree is because the Dolphins were clearly faced with a new front office leadership approach. Not only that, but Tuna has a track record of turning around teams. As soon as he gets to a new organization, their winning percentage during his first year increases by .387 %. That's insane. I'm sorry, but my vote goes to Smith.

As far as Calvin Johnson, I suppose he should receive the "One GI Joe Against All of Your Cobras Award" for being the only man standing on his team. What? You didn't play with GI Joes and have one good guy against all the rest? Fine. Come up with a better way to acknowledge C-John's diamond in the middle of a steaming pile of shit. Fantastically, I will not only continue to draft C-John, but I will expect him to be a Top 5 or Top 10 receiver for years to come. Dude's a stud.

-----------------

On Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 3:24 PM, Joe Friday wrote:

Can't argue with a blind homer. Or maybe I've just had enough with all the NFL talk and don't want to. When's the next bowl game? Actually, doesn't matter...Hawks-Thunder tonight (wooooooo playing down to the level of your competition + Kevin Durant!), and then, tomorrow's nationally televised evisceration of everything Knute Rockne and the Gipper stood for. As Notre Dame. Travels to Hawaii. To play in a bowl game. On Christmas Eve. As 1.5pt favorites. Against Hawaii.

I'll leave y'all with this gem that just came hot off the wire from OBJ:

OBJ: YANKS GRAB TEXIERA LOLOLOL

That's the anti-Red Sox, not pro-Braves fan talking.

List! Top 10 Atlanta Pro Athletes

What's a sports blog without a nice, arbitrary, completely subjective list apropos of nothing? Well, it's probably a good one actually.  

So without further adieu, here's one man's opinion on the Top 10 Professional Athletes in Atlanta.  Criteria?  No thanks.  Let's get it:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk - I first came up with the idea to do this list while writing the one and only hockey post you'll ever find on this here blawg.  Ilya has slipped quite a bit this season under Coach Anderson's new system (apparantly, as I haven't watched a second of regular season action. I can't lie), but are their any other Atlanta athletes that have been one of the truly elite players in their sport over the last few years?  Dude has been among the Top 10 goal scorers every year since his rookie season and he's only 25.  Hopefully, this current slide is just an early season slump.  

2.  Chipper Jones -  Wins a batting title at age 36.  Still among the game's most feared hitters, even if his power has slipped a bit with age.  Sure, injuries have taken a toll, and and it speaks to the current crop of pro athletes in this city when the 2nd best athlete is a 36 year old that misses 15-20% of each season, but Chipper remains an elite talent at the hot corner and at the plate.  

3.  Brian McCann -  In terms of pure plate discipline and ability to turn a crap pitch into a solid single or hard-hit ball, few young players in baseball remind me of a young Chipper in the batter's box the way McCann does.  Add in the fact he's a catcher and that makes his bat even more valuable.  At age 24 he's already a three-time All-Star and could have ten appearances in the midsummer classic before all is said and done.  Using Baseball References "similar batters through age X" stat, here are some of the guys McCann compares to at this point in his career:  Joe Torre, Ernie Banks, Tony Lazzeri, Yogi Berra, Hanley Ramirez, Joe Mauer, Scott Rolen.  You're talking Hall-of-Fame capabilities here, brother.  

4.  Joe Johnson -  He's probably one of the few Hawks that has reached his ceiling in terms of development (well, assuming these players don't spend their whole careers under Mike Woodson), and thats fine.  Hell, it probably already makes him the best shooting guard in Hawks history.  That said, he's a 2nd tier star (think Paul Pierce, Carlos Boozer, TMac five years ago or Elton Brand) and you're probably not winning a championship with him as your #1 option.  

(Aside:  Anyone thinking Paul Pierce doesn't belong on that list needs a reality check.  Those Celtics teams where he was the clear cut go-to-guy were usually awful, and a conference finalist at best.  I'm not saying he didn't deserve the Finals MVP last year, but he had two great games, two good ones, and two really shitty games.  And he doesn't even sniff that stage without KG and RayRay.)

5.  Michael Turner -  How insane is it that Turner could actually go ahead of LDT in next year's fantasy drafts?  Not in mine of course, as I'll probably be picking LDT in the Top Five until 2015, but in most normal people's that don't discount the facts of life regarding aging and the pounding that 200+ carries for 5+ NFL seasons can put on a player.  Anyways, anyone who had Turner on a fantasy team in years past and was hoping for an LDT injury saw the potential in this guy, and now he's the best back the Falcons have had since Jamal Anderson's fluke season ----errr---- prime.  Turner, not Matt Ryan, is the Falcons MVP this season.  

6.  Josh Smith -  When his contract is up in five seasons, I could see him at #1 or #2 on this list, or completely absent from the list.  Neither would surprise me.  Whatever.  I'm so ready for him to come back that I'd be happy with the Hawks bringing in Randolph Morris and Solomon Jones to just clothesline folks as they continuously penetrate the baseline and take it to the rim, flagrants and suspensions be damned.  Say what you will about Smith's defense, but opposing players feared taking it to the rim with JSmoove shadowing them.  That isn't the case when he's not in there.  

7.  Roddy White -  Looks like a Pro Bowler.  If only he was this effective when MV7 was under center.  Not bitter or anything.  Moving on...did anyone else read this article and get blown away by White's revelation that it was Joe Horn and Bobby Petrino who had the greatest influence on White's transformation into the player he is now?  What the hell were the odds of that happening?  Glad they were able to earn at least part of the millions they essentially stole from this organization.  

8.  Al Horford -  Yeah, he's definitely gotten off to a slow and injury-riddled start this season, but if he develops as his talent warrants (insert Woodson caveat), he could shoot to the top of this list in the next few seasons.  My one concern is that, unlike Dwight Howard, he probably doesn't have the size to excel at the center position; and yet, he doesn't have the "game" of a power forward.  Still...the talent is there for multiple all-star appearances in his future.  

9.  John Abraham -  Talk about frustrating.  When this guy is on, he is on.  Hell, earlier this season, the talking heads were calling him the best since Lawrence Taylor at getting to and sacking the QB...now, that's obviously insane, but you can understand how good the guy looks when fully healthy and doing his thing.  Unfortunately, he hasn't been able to stay healthy for prolonged periods throughout his career, so you take what you can get.  

10.  Slava Kozlov -  Token Thrasher #2...but if Marvin Williams shows that his improvement is for real and sustainable, he could get on this list shortly.  I'm sure he'll be thrilled.  

One thing I thought when making this list was how devoid it was of elite superstars, so off the top of my head, I decided to go through some other cities with four teams and see what players would have made their lists, in comparison to Atlanta's.  

Again, off the top of my head...

Denver - Cutler, Brandon Marshall, CHAMP, generic Rockie hitters, Melo...eh...

Phoenix - Warner, Fitzgerald, Bolden, Nash, Amare, B-Webb...nice...

Dallas - Romo, TO, Barber, Dirk, JoHo, Hamilton, Kinsler...is Mike Modono still playing?

Philly - McNabb (kinda), Westbrook, Samuel, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Rollins, Brand, Iggy...wow

Boston - This will be fun...Brady, Moss, KG, Pierce, RayRay, YOOK, Papi, etc. etc. etc.  Shit, Wes Welker probably would have been #7 on the Atlanta list.  

Maybe Atlanta doesn't have it too bad...after all, there is a lot of young talent on the above list (7/10 players are 28 or younger), but then again, when you pick in the Top 10 as often as the Hawks and Thrashers have, that is going to happen.  Hopefully in two weeks I can edit this list with Jake Peavy in the top slot.  We keep it optimistic here at Sue's.  

BLOGASM 11.20 - In which we sit bored at work...

...while consuming a healthy diet of Christmas popcorn and Grizzly Mint.

--------------
(enter GMAIL) On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 12:55 PM, Joe Friday wrote:

You know it's a slow news day when this headline makes the front page of espn.com:

Aaron Heilman is demanding a starting spot, or a trade.

Seriously? Dude, do you not think the Mets have been trying to trade you for the last couple of seasons? You're a terrible middle reliever, which by default, makes you about as bad a pitcher as exists in major league baseball. Best case scenerio, you and Kyle Davies combine to hold up the front end of the Royals AAA affiliate's rotation. My two favorite parts of the article:

Heilman's agent, Mark Rodgers, told the New York Daily News, "The object is to get out of the bullpen. The most success he's ever had as a pitcher has been as a starting pitcher. He was drafted by the Mets as a starting pitcher."

...followed by this money line...

Heilman, drafted out of Notre Dame in 2001, made 25 starts from 2003 to 2005, going 5-13 with a 5.93 ERA. In 2006, however, he was moved to the bullpen, where he has served as a set-up man. Last season, he finished 3-8 with a 5.21 ERA, with five blown saves, and gave up 44 earned runs, the most in his three seasons as a reliever.

Great success story there, buddy. Way to know your client's strong points.

Omar Minaya would be lucky to get a handjob from a pregnant Atlantic City whore for this guy. At least that article was good for a midday laugh.

----------------------

On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 2:43 PM, Osama Ben Jammin' wrote:

I sincerely do not know where else to take this. I read the article and was all set to hunker down on my keyboard and mash out the exact same thing. Unfortunate.


I guess the only thing I can say is that, did you know he was only 30? Is he one of the oldest looking 30-year olds you've ever seen? Greg Oden thinks this guy looks distinguished.

Speaking of a slow day in sports, how's about Matt Ryan the Savior of Everything to be Saved being on the front page of the WWL?

I feel...conflicted. I love Michael Vick. But, apparently, so does Ryan. Used to play as the Falcons every time he played Madden? Man whenever I watched people play Madden I always demanded someone be the Falcons. This tells me unequivocally that Matt Ryan is a HUGE Mike Vick supporter. Hell, his dad even said he raised his son making sure that he had no sense of entitlement. These days, that's a tough thing to do.

On the other hand, I long for the days of Vick scrambling around for 5 seconds until he bursts down the field, jukes out 3-5 guys in the secondary, gains 35 yards and steps out of bounds to save the clock. Dude was ridiculous fast, too. It's kind of like when your parents get divorced I think. Like, no matter how badass and more sober your stepfather is, many times he'll never replace your real father and will only serve to make you have more contempt for your other parental figure (in this case, stretching the analogy to a ridiculous degree, the organization).

At this point I feel this completely unfair to Mr. Ryan. I still think we'll see him have a huge dropoff sophomore season, but at this point you need to ask yourself, "what else could I possibly want from my new franchise quarterback?"

Wondering where such high-quality journalism originated, luckily the following paragraph assured me that it was most certainly an O-Ridge report from the AJC:

One place you won't find Ryan is the Web-networking phenomenon Facebook -- at least, not anymore.

"Our junior year, when he was starting to be known as a good player, he was on Facebook," Poles said. "But 90 percent of his friends' list was male. There were hardly any girls. We used to rip him apart for that -- here's one of the top QBs in college, and almost all his friends were guys. That's why he's no longer on there."

Hmm. Straight-edge kind of guy. Doesn't electrocute puppies. Not bigheaded. Loyal to girlfriend? Who the hell does this guy think he is?

----------

On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 3:55 PM, Joe Friday wrote:

Give me a break. Everybody wanted to be the Falcons for those couple of years on Madden. Marcus Vick's ex-girlfriend's brother prolly fought with his boys for the right to play Video Vick in those days. Anyways, co-sign me on Ryan's Sophomore Slump. In fact, I'll go a step further and say it starts right now. Before the season, I had the Falcons penned for 4 wins...now? I'll go with 7.

Believe me, I was wrong about Sir Ryan. His accuracy (Vick's biggest weakness) is impeccable for a rookie. He is calm in two minute drives and manages the game well. His arm strength and mobility is better than what I remember from his senior season at BC. That being said though, the whole "OUR FRANCHISE QB HAS ARRIVED" talk is fairly premature. Case in point, Vick's stats from his first year as a starter (2002) vs. Ryan's.

	Record	Comp %	Passing Yds/game	Rushing Yds/game	TD's	INT
Vick	8-6-1	54.90%	195.7	51.8	24 (8 rush)	8
Ryan	6-4	59.70%	215.9	7.2	11	6

Taking everything into account, I'd say it is a pretty close call. What Ryan is doing as a true rookie is impressive, no doubt, but if there is anything that an Atlanta NFL fan should know, it is the fleeting nature of early QB success stories. Let's not clear off a spot for him in the Falcons Ring of Fame just yet.

xxxx

Alright, how does the news that Chase Utley, who always seems to be on whatever team wins the friggin' championship every year in any fantasy league I am in, is out until June after hip surgery affect his draft status in fantasy. Does he still go in the first 2-3 rounds? Slip until the 8th round? Further? Playing russian roulette with an injured player in a fantasy draft (while nobody in the draft room dares to mention his name) is one of the most tense situations one can deal with while sitting in front of a computer screen feeling like a total geek. I'm looking forward to our draft already.

xxxxx

Last year, any win in any situation against the Wizards would have been a welcome addition to a stagnant W column. This year? The Hawks and Wizards played a crapfest in front of a half-empty Philips Arena, and I couldn't even get too excited about a win over a depleted Wizards bunch that was seemingly freezing out their only available offensive weapon. Ok, that's a lie. I was pumped as hell about this ugly win against a 1-9 team.

Still though...the one thing the Hawks needed to catch a break on this year was injuries. Three of the top seven in the rotation (and pretty much our entire low-post presence) are injured right now. Marvin is manning up as much as possible, and Zaza somehow pulled down 18 boards on a bum arm last night, but the Hawks need Smith and Horford can heal up as much and as fast as possible before anymore four-game losing streaks occur. With the streaky shooters on this team, we can not live and die by the jump shot, as we saw during last week's games against the Nets. Either way, I haven't enjoyed an NBA November this much in years.

----------------------

On Thu, Nov 20, 2008 at 5:43 PM, Osama Ben Jammin' wrote:

Falcons Ring of Fame? Who exactly would that include other than Jamal Anderson? I'm thinking really hard here...

Excellent head-to-head graphic (except for the lack of any graphic element, of course). Personally, I think what's missing here is quarterback rating and, more importantly, ranking. I'm thinking Matt Ryan is stacking up quite nicely against other NFL passers in the league right now. But after FJM's funeral the other day, I can't bring myself to look up any statistics. It's just...too early.

---------------------

Try picking up Utley in the 8th round, and see what happens.

The best case scenario is still a return to baseball activity in early April, worst case late-May or June. I'm willing to gamble on that and pick up Utley very, very early. Like the 5th round if he's still there. Oh, and the reason he's been on several fantasy championship teams is not because of him, it's because whichever fantasy manager has a tendency to pick up players like Utley - somehow low-key, super-productive in several categories. In other words, not the Sheffields and RanJos that we pick up.

---------------------

As far as our Baby Hawks, check this out: Atlanta is currently 7-4, one game behind Orlando in the Southeastern Division. Upcoming games are Charlotte, at Cleveland, Milwaukee, at Toronto and at Washington. These are the remainder of the games for the Hawks' 2008 November. Now, first of all it's amazing to look at all of these, and really any game and think they're winnable. The Hawks of the past few years could hang with the best, but you knew they'd inevitably lose. With that said, I see the Hawks finishing 3-2 in that stretch, at the least. Editor's note: just don't check out the December schedule, which includes the still-brutal at Dallas, at Houston and at San Antonio (with at Miami following to boot!)

The Magic, on the other hand, are at Indiana, Houston, Milwaukee, at Philadelphia, at Washington and Indiana. I'm thinking 3-3 here for Orlando.

Either way, we have something to watch for in November with the Hawks, which is in incredible and (sigh) a welcome addition to my normally-college-football-entrenched sports season peak. This is going to be interesting.

--OBJ

Raiders Take a Hall, Pass

Much more of a lock than that "other" Hall

$8 millie and a second-round pick for 8 games, eh? I was surprised to learn that DeAngelo has 3 interceptions thus far, good for $2.67 millie per. But then there's the 48 tackles, good for $166,666.67 per tackle. Isn't math fun?

Hey Raiders! Don't you feel like you just got a two-dolla whore that fell asleep after taking one lick of your balls and chafing up and down your dick a few times with her teeth? If you weren't the Raiders with Al Davis's crazy senile ass running your busted ass sinking ship, I'd feel bad for you.

Dude, how bad do you have to be in order to be released from the Raiders while Starbury's still pulling $20+ millie riding the bench? That's just disgraceful. You must be some kind of jerk, Hall. I'm sure someone will pick you up, but other than that sweet ass verbal beat down you gave Petrino following his sudden departure to Arkansas, you really haven't done anything to make me think you have redeemable qualities. Godspeed, DeAngelo. Because you were a Falcon and had Vick's back, I'll always have yours.

But who will support you, Mr. Hall?