Game # 2 - Flag Football

Well, my son had his second game on Thursday night. Either we had refs that didn't know the rules in the first game, or something....but we had new rules for this second game. Now we have four 8-minute quarters, and after a touchdown the team can get 1 point for running the ball in, or 2 points if they pass it in. I brought my camera, however my batteries lasted long enough to turn it on, then they decided to quit on me....serious bummer. On to the game:

We were on defense first, and on the first play their RB ran right up the middle untouched for a first down....I guess we were cuaght off guard. lol They go for the extra point, and we tackle them about the 1 yard line, but the official scorer gives them the extra point anyway! 7-0

We get the ball back and march down the field for a TD. # 5 got the TD this time, taking the handoff from my son. We get the extra point by going right up the middle. 7-7

We stop them on defense and take over at the 40 yard line. My son is at the RB position, he gets the handoff and runs around the end for a 40 yard touchdown. We miss the extra point on a double reverse....that was fun to watch, I'm not even sure our own team knew what we were doing. 7-13

The other team marches down and ties it on a 3 yard run. they get the extra point and go up 14-13.

It's the 4th quarter now and there is only about 2 minutes left, so a long drive with a TD should win it for us. So, my son hands off the to the RB who promptly runs it all the way for a TD....so much for burning the clock! we miss the extra point again, and the game is now 14-19 with about 1:30 left.

they take over and they are driving down the field, the get to about the 10 yard line and call a timeout with .08 seconds remaining....time for one play. This is nerve-racking Flag football at it's finest! The hand off and try to run around the end, and is forced out of bounds by one of our players....and time expired!

It's the first victory for our team! So far, the record is 1-0-1. With lots of smiles and happy kids.

A fun night out

Well, some things have got me down over the past few months, and luckily I have God, a great family and great kids that help me keep straight and help keep me happy.

About a month ago or so, a friend (John) emailed me that I hadn't talked to in a long time. We've gotten together a few times to watch TV, play some Playstation.....which I can totally kick his butt at, and we both have boys around the same age, so they play together. It's been a great time.

Last Friday we decided we wanted to go out and play some pool. So, we headed over to The Fox and the Hound and another friend (Jason) joined us. We soon found out that neither of us are pool sharks, but the food was good, and so was the company. We played for hours, just chatting about recent events and such. The highlight of the night? John backing up to sit in his chair and completely missing it and falling on the floor. I was laughing too hard to help him up, so someone at the table next to us asked him if he was okay. He lauged it off though and kept playing.

It was a great time, I hadn't laughed that hard in a very long time. We'll have to venture out for PN2 (pool night 2) sometime soon.

We are also in a Fantasy Football league together, and come week 5 I am going to steam roll his team....I'll write a nice recap about that one!

Tuesday Night Lights

Tuesday Night Lights



Tuesday was my son's first Football game. He has had several practices and scrimmages, but tonight was the real deal. He's in 1st grade, and this is his first year of Football. It's Flag football, although he desperately wanted to play tackle football....which he can't do until the 3rd grade.

He plays Quarterback and Running back on the offensive side of the ball, and Safety on the defense, and he wears # 3. In this first picture, he is getting the play from his Coach and then heading to the line of scrimmage.

The first play was a pass, a beautiful spiral that went about 10 yards, unfortunately the receiver only went about 5 yards....incomplete. The second play, he was the running back, and he took the handoff as you can see in the second picture:

He took the handoff and ran off the left tackle for a 45 yard touchdown run! He was excited, but rest assured their was no "sharpie" celebration, no "Hall of Fame Jacket" celebration, not even a Riverdance with his teammates. He just handed the ball to his coach, and headed back to his teammates, looking determined to help his team win. It was his first touchdown in a real game, I'm not sure how long he'll remember that first play, but I know that I'm going to remember it for a long time.

After a short time out and substitution, we started play back again. We kicked off (an 8 yard kick) and the other team had the ball for the first time.








So, next up was their first Defensive series. Let me remind you, he wanted to play tackle, not flag football. On the first play it was a handoff to the running back and he came around to the opposite side that my son was playing, so he followed him, the RB then turned around and got around the corner for a 20 yard gain until he was finally caught by one of my son's teammates.



The next play, he chased the kid out of bounds, and the kid "fell"...he promises he didn't touch him. lol



Then, on the next play the opposing team ran in for a Touchdown to tie the game at 6-6. They took over on the 35 yard line (it's an 80 yard field) and on the first play my son handed off to the RB and he took it to the house, which put us up 12-6 (no extra points in flag football). The other team tied the game on their next possession....as you can see, both teams struggle a little bit on defense.



The next possession my son hands off to the RB, and he runs about 15 yards. This kid is pretty good at cutting back and running right where the defense isn't. On the next play, my son faked the handoff and ran around the right side for a 25 yard TD. That put us up 18-12, with about 5 minutes left. The other team scored on their first play, to tie the game at 18-18. On our next series, we drove the ball all the way down to the 10 yard line with about 2 minutes remaining. We failed to get into the endzone this time, as one of our RB's was stopped at about the 5 yard line. The other team took over and was driving down the field. With about 5 seconds left, they snapped the ball and ran a reverse....totally faked out all of our kids, except one. He's #5, and I can't remember his name right now, but either he wasn't fooled by the reverse, or just didn't want to run to the other side of the field...lol. Either way, he was standing right there, waiting for the RB as he came his way. He grabbed his flag, which ended the game in a tie.



So, after a hard fought game, we ended up with a tie. The good thing is, no one went home with the feeling of losing their first ever football game. The whole team played great, and they really started to play better as the game went on. The offensive line started blocking, the defenders started playing their positions with a little more attention.

It was a great night for some football. Like I said earlier, I'm not sure how long he'll remember his first game, but Dad's never going to forget that first night under the lights.

McNabb's future is in Chicago?

Could McNabb be the next QB in Chi-Town?

We all heard the rumors last year, and there was a lot of validity as to the reasons why. Rex was struggling, Philly was growing tired of McNabb, and McNabb is a Chicago guy.

So, here we sit 2 weeks into the NFL season, and the rumors are already starting again. Grossman is "holding back" the Bears. McNabb is hearing boo after boo from his home crowd.

Now, a trade during the season has a 99.99% chance of not happening. In fact, a trade at all probably has a 90% chance of not happening. But here is what I do know:

• Chicago's window for the SB is open. Their weakest link is no doubt the QB position.
• McNabb is not happy in Philly, no matter what he says.
• Philly is not happy with McNabb, especially the fans.
• McNabb is a Chicago guy, and has already spoken highly of the Bears.
• Rex is in the last year of his contract, and doing nothing to warrant an extension.
• It makes perfect sense for both teams

McNabb is 31 years old, and the Eagles already drafted his replacement in Kolb. The Bears have Greise and Orton behind Grossman, nothing that really inspires confidence.

With every 2 interception game Rex has, the calls will continue to get louder. I've always supported Rex, but I'm grwing very impatient with him. He just doesn't make good decisions under pressure, and he could have easily cost us the game against KC if not for Devin Hester. How long can Chicago leave him in there? How long can the defense and ST keep carrying Rex?

I do know this; McNabb would be a HUGE updgrade, and all the Bears need is a QB that can intimidate teams, not one that gets intimidated.

I hate to admit it, but I think the Rex experiment is winding down. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Greise get the nod very soon. I still have hopes for Grossman, he has all the tools, and hopefully he can still put it together, but it may not be in Chicago.

I'm not sure what the Bears would have to give up, probably a 1st rounder and something else, but I think it would be well worth it. Jerry Angelo is a great GM, and I have the confidence in him to get something done.

Will McNabb ever have an Orange "C" on his helmet...your guess is as good as mine, but I know it would look good.

What a week in the NFL!

The Browns and Bengals get together and score about 1,751 points....okay, maybe not that much but you get the point. Philly and NO drop to 0-2 and the mighty Texans reach 2-0 for the first time in their existence. The Boo calls are ringing down on Rex Grossman, Donavon McNabb, and Luke McNown. Could QB changes be in the forecast? I know of at least 1 starting RB who will start losing his job this weekend to an undrafted FA, and that guy is probably available in all of your Fantasy Leagues. Check out NLS for the Waiver Wire moves of week 2 to find out who you should be picking up for your teams!

It's very important to stay active on the Waiver Wire and on the trade market. Even if you are 2-0, that doesn't mean improvement can't happen. Always strive to be better, because I guarantee the other players in your league are doing just that.

All your Fantasy Football Needs

We have posted the Power Rankings, Cheatsheets, Waiver Wire information over at NLS.

Hop on over and check us out. Also, you can post questions asking you who should start/bench and get some good advice to help you pull out a win in Week 2.

Week 1 in Fantasy Football world is a rap! I'm in 13 leagues, (I know, I need help). I went 10-3 though, that's a pretty decent start. Check out this "rap" that's on YouTube:



Pretty funny stuff right there.

If you are looking for Waiver Wire recommendations, Cheat Sheets, Who to Bench and Who to Start....check us out at NLS. All YOUR Fantasy information is FREE to regitered members....and it's FREE to register!

First look at the 2007 American League ROY

The 2007 year is winding down to the playoffs. As many team have fallen out of contention, the talk now shifts to post-season awards. There are many players that are worthy, but I wanted to take a look at the top players, as I see them.

Rookie of the Year should be awarded to the most outstanding rookie player to enter the Major Leagues. Some of the past winners have gone on to do great things...Ichiro Suzuki, Carlos Beltran, and Derek Jeter to name a few. Some of them, Ben Grieve, Pat Listach, and Angel Berroa, have faded away just as fast as they arrived.

So who will it be this year? Will this player rise to an All-Star, or fade into Oblivion? Only time will tell, but here is a list of the players that I think should be in consideration for the 2007 American League Rookie of the year:

Brian Bannister, SP, Royals. He's 12-7 with a 3.16 ERA for the Royals this year. He's been a great addition to the staff and he seems to always come away with a quality start. They Royals got him in a trade in the off-season, and he has paid huge dividends giving the Royals a great young pitcher to go along with Gil Meche.

Dustin Pedroia, 2B, Red Sox. He's batting .329 with 6 HR's, and 45 RBI's. Plus, he's playing a very good defensive 2B with only 5 errors on the year. He's been very consistent for the Red Sox.

Josh Fields, 3B - LF, White Sox. He's batting .241 with 18 HR's and 54 RBI's. He leads all rookies in HR's, and he's only played in 80 games since being called up. He strikes out a little too often, but he's getting better. He supplies a lot of Pop to the lineup.

Daisuke Matsuzaka, SP, Red Sox. He's 14-11 with a 4.11 ERA. He's been consistent and fun to watch, but his numbers just aren't good enough for the ROY. His popularity may get him enough votes though.

Hideke Okajima, RP, Red Sox. He's 3-1 with a 1.54 ERA while setting up closer Jonathon Papelbon. Okajima has been a huge relief for the Sox coming into late game situations.

Delmon Young, OF, Devil Rays. Delmon has quietly put together a very impressive rookie year. He's batting .295 with 10 Hr's and 75 RBI's. He hasn't had the Pop they expected, but he's delivered in all other areas.

Alex Gordon, 3B, Royals. Alex started off very slow this year, but has really picked it up lately to bring his totals to .250 avg, 14 HR's, and 54 RBI's. If it wasn't for the slow start, he would probably be the frontrunner.

Reggie Willits, OF, Angels. He doesn't have any power, but the kid can hit and run. He's batting .292 with 0 HR's and 25 SB's. He's been consistent for the Angels and a pest on the basepaths, but that kind of production doesn't win post-season awards.

Well, those are the guys that I think are most deserving for the American League Rookie of the Year award. Lots of good young talent this year to choose from, although we will have to wait about a month or so before the actual winner is chosen. Any of these guys can win it still, especially if they have a hot September. Let's just hope that whoever wins the ROY of 2007 (and even those who don't) go on to many more great accomplishments in Major League Baseball.

NFL Power Rankings Week 1

For your NFL Power Rankings week 1, follow Go Here: Power Rankings week 1

The Power Rankings are right in the middle of the page!

Also, check out NLS for all your Fantasy Advice, Start/Bench, Trade Questions, Rankings, etc.

What is this I see?

Are you ready?

Can you feel it?

It's finally here! The regular season starts on Thursday with two high-powered offenses guaranteed to boost your Fantasy Teams scoring before the weekend even starts....either that, or it will boost your opponents scoring. A few things to remember as we kick of the 2007 NFL and FF seasons:

1. Watch the injuries. Be quick to notice if one of your guys goes down, the early bird usually gets the backup.
2. Watch out for one week wonders. Undoubtedly someone that is undrafted in almost every league will pop out of nowhere and have 100+ yards and a touchdown. This will lead to everyone in the league putting a waiver claim in on this person. If you drafted well, and the depth on your team is good, don't waive a solid player for someone who got lucky in week 1
3. Be active and pursue trades to make your team better. If you have a guy that is performing above average, don't be afraid to pull the trigger with someone to benefit the depth of your team.
4. Be active 7 days a week! News about players come out every single day, and if you don't pay attention you could end up starting someone that is injured or has a tough day ahead of them.
5. Be aware of matchups. Sure, you'd never bench your studs, but if you are stuck deciding between two guys of equal value and one is playing the Texans and the other is playing Baltimore....who are you starting?
6. Have fun! Fantasy Football adds a whole new enjoyment level to watching football.

Be careful out there in Fantasy Football world and always remember that I'm rooting for your team, as long as they aren't playing mine.