NFL…..
I’m excited that the Giants game is this evening because otherwise, I might not watch it. Today is Christmas and the Breeders Cup all rolled into one. There is nothing like Week 1 in the NFL. Fantasy football is the king of all games fantasy. I’m not going to disclose how many teams I’ve got going at fanduel.com today. I played almost everyday in baseball this Summer and never came close to this number. But there are simply too many angles this week and too many noobes trying the daily game out for the first time. It’s free-money Sunday.
I wonder how fantasy games have come to affect the attitude of the players. This has become an enormous business. I watched a regular Joe win 1 million dollars a couple of weeks ago on a single day of fantasy baseball. And make no mistake about it, the players know about the action on them. They play it themselves on the “other” sports in their home games. There are not one but TWO million dollar tournaments today at fanduel. After Kaep runs for a TD and he’s doing his kiss-his-arm thing, is he thinking, “I just helped someone win a hundred grand with that run.”
The impact of the players scoring individually has turned into a billion dollar legal industry. And it’s only going to get bigger. The NFL (and all sports) love daily fantasy games. It’s been a boon for them with fans who normally wouldn’t care about a game suddenly glued to the tv to root for an outcome. Everyone wants a piece of this action and you can see the explosion of advertising on the radio, tv and internet.
Daily fantasy sports has been a revelation for me and with my favorite team choosing to start a domestic violence perp in Dallas today, I’m happy to be able to distract myself from my pathetic Niners with a real interest in pretty much every single other game out there. Let’s get it on….
See ya around 5:07pm….
A Place To Talk About Giants Baseball 
I actually am a closet “non fantasy-football player.” I have never participated in fantasy anything. I know enough about the game that I can get by in any Monday morning fantasy talk to make my coworkers and buddies think otherwise. It’s not that I don’t want to play, I just dont think I would ever have the time.
the *no time* thing is a legit issue. I will say that I’m a single dad with a full time job so I have had to make some life adjustments to allow myself the time to do the research to play everyday. You guys have probably seen the quality of the Flap blog threads go down this year. I rarely go out to bars anymore. I get up at an absurd time every morning (usually 4am). And I have my twitter feed honed and focused to get me immediate info on any player I’m interested in. Pretty much any free time I have goes into the research and building of daily lineups but I love it so it’s easy for me to do. In short, I make it work but I understand life’s time constraints.
I do not and will not ever play anything “fantasy” in sports, for many reasons, time and distance being likely the biggest. So, when I say this, it’s not judgmental, I’m just trying to understand the thrill. “It’s been a boon for them with fans who normally wouldn’t care about a game suddenly glued to the tv to root for an outcome.” Outcome of what? Apparently not of the game, but only of certain players? … “… a real interest in pretty much every single other game out there.” Again, really? Interest in the game? the teams? or just “your” fantasy players? And, maybe it doesn’t matter. I’m just curious…. Football, I don’t really care, it’s marginally interesting to me unless a team I really like (and there aren’t many) is playing. Baseball seems different, though. You don’t seem so interested in all the other games, just your team’s. ? Are you saying this is good for “the sport”?
And that said, truly, I do remember really liking “opening weekend” of football. But really just because I had a favorite team or two. Still do, although I won’t talk about them here, too at odds with ya’ll… 🙂
Just the plAyers who I roster
Yeah, I guess the “don’t have time” excuse is a cop out, but I probably would become a single dad if I started now. 😉
It’s hard to explain Paul, but for me – who is past my own “prime time” playing sports – it gooses my competitive juices in ways that pale compared to other activities I have (except one, which I will mention at the end of this post). Similar to Flavor, I NEVER go to bars State side. For what reason? I don’t drink and the old hags that look like shoe leather don’t attract me. However, in Latin America and South East Asia, where “ageism” isn’t an issue . . . Umm, let’s just say that is a different story (as you well know).
Consequently, come 5:00pm, I am playing at least one fantasy league baseball tournament (2 tournaments on the weekend days) and I am in two pro season long leagues. Quite frankly, if you are good (as I think I am in the season long leagues), my blood pressure goes through the roof, e.g., seriously am mouthing F Bombs at the top of my lungs and ready to throw my lap top off the 3 story balcony. 🙂
Same deal with basketball. With football, as Flavor will tell you, it is much more difficult then baseball, primarily due to the injury factor, i.e., it is hard to select all the players you really want because inevitably they are nursing some sort of injury. Couple that with a myriad of other important factors, well let’s just say – that similar to what Flavor said yesterday about “war room,” you become obsessed with ensuring your roster is optimum for game day. Many, many other reasons to get into this, but competition and of course, money – are my prime reasons for loving it.
By the by, I know how many teams Flavor has and I wont disclose it either, except to say, he is focused. No time for idle chit chat. Me? I do this shit for fun. Conversely, my other activity I alluded to above is the stock market. I am focused from 7:30am to 2:00pm Mountain time (with a break at the gym) on making money and frankly, I have done really well, albeit, I never touch it – living on my generous pension. Only in America. 🙂
I’m in one fantasy football league run by a college buddy, no money, that’s it. But when it comes to the NFL, I can watch just about any game, and don’t need gambling as a hook. I can’t say the same for baseball, especially if it’s an AL game. As for today, this is one of about three times this season I’ll say GO NINERS!
FF isn’t my thing either, mostly because I don’t follow \pro football near as closely as I used to. Starting next week I’ll be coaching b-ball practices sometime Sundays, and then by November my team will be usually playing games, into February.
Funny thing about FF is listening to gals I know who are into it, and talk megashit when they do well. Some are just in family/friends type leagues, but they are into it. Good for them. Gotta admit, if I was in a league with spouse or gf and their team was kicking mine and I had to listen to it I might be less than good natured about it.
I usually stay on cbs site, which is great to follow multiple games with updates every play. If you go on the individual game tracker you can read blogger comments, which are usually reminiscent of that all time great mid game thread here, “Our piece of shit offense can go…” Extended to offensive co-ordinators, secondary, tacklers, QBs, et al.
And unlike SF Giants, some teams and fanbase spend entire football season like that.
Since this is still a baseball blog: Happy Derek Jeter Day everyone!
Jetergasm at Yankme Stadium…
I wonder how the clubhouse and team spirit factors play into fantasy outcomes? I think that may have been the secret edge my Strat-0-Matic teams always had. That, and my “quick pitch” dice-scooping technique that would drive my little brother crazy: “That was a 3-5, not a 3-6!”
Jets coach Buddy Ryan is a huge Strat-O-Matic player; well, he is huge, anyway.
Break out the wrap. Giants with the best OPS in the majors since the AS break!
Amazing.
I just browsed through team stats at ESPN. Surprised at how good our batting is. Some intriguing pitching stats too: best ERA? Wash. CGs? We are tied with LAD at 7.
Amazing how the first games for the NFL have taken over almost the entire US sports interest, steamrolling at least for the day, the ongoing MLB races. I’m very much still in baseball mode, particularly with the Gyros in the thick of it, and playing better. I don’t give an S about how the Pats do vs. the Dolphins, or the Bears and Bills, let alone individual players. Niners are of some interest, especially to see how their D does missing major pieces against a pretty good Dallas offense…
Giants are going to need to win probably 4 of 6 vs. Doghairs, at least. Tall order. Not expecting much help against LA from the stinking Rocks (6 games, including last weekend of the season), but the Pads should give them a test (3 games starting tomorrow). They have 3 on the road v. Cubs (who have been playing better – can we get a Cubs late 2010 v. Pads redux? If the Giants are behind going into that series down at the Latrine beginning 9/22, they’ll have to take the series, most likely. The Rockies will go belly up to LA that last weekend, I wouldn’t count on them for jack…
I think 4 of 6 is necessary. But only now and only as a prediction of guaranteeing the division; 4 of 6 should do that.
The problem as I see it is the dogers have 2 games in hand. Meaning we have to win both of those games just to stay 1 game back. hence, breaking even with LA is treading water and a tall order to gain ground that way. LA has the pitching advantage (this year), but I still think we are the better team. And now the Athletics are relieving us of the “worse slump in 2014” tag.
I am blessed to be a Giants fan.
Go Gigantes!
NFL far and away is the most hyped-up piece of crap in professional sports. Much of this has to do with gambling.
This is peak season for baseball and all the news in the sports world is pro-football. Makes me wanna gag. There are pennant races going on and last i looked this is still Summer for more than two weeks deeper into September.
Okay, so pro football and the boobtoob are made for each other. Nobody but nobody paid much attention to the NFL till the mid-late 60’s by which time most American homes contained a teevee set. The attention to FB really took off when color hit the little screen. So, yes, i’m browned off about a secondary sport ~ at least so far as poets, thinkers and the aesthetically unchallenged are concerned. Football is great for corporate executives, clock-watchers, jocks gone to seed and general barroom boobtoob addicts. Not for me. I’ll start tuning in by the first weekend in November. Football season.
Thank you, sir!!!!
Wow, for a minute there I thought I was on Chucks Niner blog. Ha ha anyway Snarkk is right, this is the only day that takes away baseball! MLB should probably just make this a bye day for all teams, or if there have been rain outs play them on this day.
Snakes bullpen could not hold off the LaBumbos last night. Their offense is just good enough to top teams with questionable pitching. The one thing Mattingly seems to have done very well is set his rotation is such way as to position Kershaw, Greinke and Ryu against SF. That is the edge which LaLaLanders currently have over the Giants.
So those 6 big games will require that not only our rotation holds their own vs the Bums’ hitters, but also that our Posey-driven offense carry a heavier load against some potent pitchers. The team spirit and moral, to say nothing about momentum currently works in our favor. That combination could provide the winning edge. Tigers threw a couple of very good pitchers against SF in those first two games of the series. Giants jumped on both of them. Same thing happened to Brewtown’s best. Betcha over the next several days our hitters will be looking at lots of videos on how to blast the Blue crew off the mound.
Meanwhile to all the buildup vs LA, Giants need to focus on one more vs. Los Tigres and then back home for some good, old-fashioned snake-stomping.
When I worked in publishing in NY in the Eighties, a lexicographer friend told me about rotisserie baseball, I believe the forerunner of all fantasy sports. The name came from a restaurant. Some famous writers were involved. Daniel Okrent, maybe. My friend, David Grambs, showed me their newsletter. Brilliant. And remember that all stats, everything, was done manually. Today I reserve my fantasies for … Nope. Won’t go there. Real Life has been pretty darned good to me. In fact fantasy has merged with reality in the last year, delectably. The End.
p.s. I am only interested in the NFL in the last few weeks of the regular season or a big matchup; then the playoffs. I’m a nominal fan. No, not even that. I’m a fairly detached, insignificant, sedate observer of the NFL.
Boohoohoo. KC raining on Jeter’s parade, the way the SF Giants did on Mo Rivera’s coronation last year. I was there. With Yankee Stadium Mystery Woman.
Too bad the Cowboys don’t have Casilla warming up.
Fantasy sports are fun; I used to do it in the past, but as has been said, it takes a big time commitment if you want to do well. I won a few league championships, but lost out in other years. I started playing fantasy football in ’84, and quit sometime in the early ’90s.
It’s so much better now with the internet. Back in the prehistoric days, you had to wait until they gave you highlights during a game: you lived for “And now let’s here from so-and-so in our New York studio….” The first big Sunday night highlight show was a thing called “George Michael’s Sports Machine.” A show that would look ridiculously low-tech now, but gave a substantial amount of highlights. But other than that, you were left to get all the results by CHECKING THE NEXT DAY’S FOOTBALL BOXSCORES IN THE NEWSPAPER. It seems primitive in retrospect. 🙂
The most fun of the whole thing was draft day. It was a big party at someone’s house, and we just had a great time laughing at each other’s picks as we all huddled with our magazines and other notes. And each player would address and stamp a bunch of envelopes, and whoever’s turn it was to be commish that year had to put together the schedule, and fill in the league boxscores each week, photocopy them, and mail them out. And keep track of all transactions, phoned into the commish at appointed times.
It was a lot of work being the commish, so what was the upside? Everyone paid the commish their entrance fee, plus money for transactions throughout the season, so the commish basically got some cash, and only had to make sure they could pay out the prizes at the end. It was like getting a loan for a few months. Hey, we were poor college students. Getting some quick cash was always a cool thing.
I’ll share my most agonizing fantasy football moment. I was behind by two points in my head-to-head match at the end of a Sunday, back in the late ’80s, but I had still had a player going on Monday night, and my opponent had nobody in the Monday night game. The Dolphins were playing the Jets on Monday night, and I had the Dolphins place-kicker. So, I was thinking, surely the Marino-led Dolphins’ kicker will score at least three points, and I’ll get the win. A single fieldgoal would do the trick.
Well, the Dolphins, as usual in those days had a horrible defense, and that night they couldn’t stop the Jets’ running game at all, and the Jets defense handled Marino well. The Jets dominated the time of possession something like 45 minutes to 15 minutes, Marino was hardly ever on the field, and the Jets won 24-7. I got one point from that kicker, and lost that week’s fantasy football game by one point.
For Christ’s sake, the D-Backs are fucking putrid.
Yesterday their thirdbaseman made the kind of bad play that bad teams make. Fishing where there ain’t no fish, he tried to force a runner at second and threw about a million years too late. Everybody on the planet could see there was no way it would work, and it turned into a Dodger rally.
SF has 6 more with Dbacks, they better fold against the Giants like they’ve done against the Doghairs…
Belt cleared to resume “baseball activities”, per Baggs. Question is whether he’ll practice in AZ or in SF …
I didn’t see the Niner game (at a festival), but I just read this, “Part of the problem was the noise from large swaths of red-clad 49ers fans seeing their team for the first time in the regular season in the $1.2 billion home of the Cowboys.”
Wow! America’s (so called) team shouted down by 49er fans? Shocked. Anyone who saw the game – comments?
TONs of Niner fans at Jerruh’s place. Looked like Giants fans invading Petco!
I’ve never seen that much red in Dallas, ever.
Dallas “fans” selling seats must have made StubHub very happy. And why not — they know their teams sucks big time…
Lobstein is a funny name for a pitcher. Hope I’m still laughing in 3 hours…
this has been a whirlwind day. I’m going to be going back and forth on on the Giants game and the Indy/Denver game.
The first Niner TD, they showed the crowd, and I was blown away by the amount of fed jersies in the stands.
Gotta say the new look offense was pretty sweet. he refs on the other hand . . . atrocious.
Amen on the refs. I didn’t watch the game except fits and starts. But, I did see a coupla times they’d call illegal contact on the Niners, and the replay shows phhhhtttt — the D back did nothing, or the receiver pushed off on him. The NFL is going to flag its way out of popularity. More flags and the game will become nearly unwatchable without some kind of opiates on board…
Giants batters up and the whole Giants inning they show the ESPN announcers yukking it up in the booth with Mike Tirico, promoting MNF tomorrow night, and wondering why the Tigers aren’t better than they’ve shown. These networks diss the Giants big time…
Would really appreciate it if the Giants pitchers would pay more attention to improving their moves to first, and holding runners on first better. Hudson just kinda ignored the runner, the guy had a huge jump there….
ESPN’s exaggerated “sounds of the game” are annoying.
Cabrera’s bad wheel doesn’t seem to be affecting his swing much. Guy was made for the DH.
Dear Rooster:
Shut up.
Your friend since 2007,
DJLoo
Hey, Loo – good to see you too.
IDK, but with rosters expanding and all, you’d think the Tigers would have someone else to play first other than a hobbling Cabrera. Why risk having him mess that ankle up more when they could just sit him on the bench and let him come up to rake four or five times a game?
We did not score first but we still have our secret weapon – Detroit pen
So, I had to listen to Fox last night and the network that shall not be named tonight. It is always darkest before the dawn as my plan will be landing just about game time on Tuesday and this will be my last 1am Giants game this season. woot.
Not a real good AB there, Duvall… http://media.fyre.co/zA635LZVTGu9DF7kAr27_duvall.jpg
Helluva piece of pitching there in the 4th by Huddy with two in scoring position and nobody out. His pitch count is pretty elevated so bullies will be in relatively soon. Time for bottom of the order to begin solving the Tiger kid.
The Giants need to liven this game up with some offense.
Hey, Zoom – saw here a while back you mentioned that you had started reading Cornwell’s Sharpe series. Good stuff – he’s great at historical fiction, and weaving likable characters into the story. Saw some of the episodes on BBC that were based on the series – they were not very good to be honest, not anywhere near as good as the books.
What the fuck is historical fiction?
It either happened or it didn’t.
Rooster, I’ve been impressed with the Cornwell books (I’ve also been reading his Medieval series about Alfred the Great.) I think it’s cool for American readers to “get the other side of the story” so to speak. We grew up hearing all about the evil redcoats fighting the Americans, and Cornwell (a British author), in the Sharpe series, takes the reader into the world of the redcoats. History is complex. The redcoats were the “bad guys” when fighting the Americans, and they were the “good guys” when they fought Napoleon.
I was just talking to somebody recently about a similar thing. We grew up hearing all about the “evil” Russians, but not hearing much about how they were our allies in WWII, with 20 million Russians getting killed by the Germans.
I’m excited about the new Ken Follett novel coming out. His 20th century series continues….
2 out rally
almost. a lot of pressure on Panik and he didn’t
panic
Listen up Flappers . . . Flavor will never toot his own horn (like me. lqtm), but consider this . . .
There are 34,479 entrants in the $2 Fan Duel tournament (1st prize is $5000.00) . . . Now guess who is in 1st place at the moment???? Uhh huh, that’s right – FLAVOR!
However, that is possibly minor news . . . He is also entered in a MILLION Dollar tournament with a realistic chance of being in the top ten. Go Flavor! All of you Flappers do a mind meld and wish him well.
More news at 10 . . . 🙂
That’s amazing. When does it pay out?
Five grand is paid immediately after tomorrow night’s game. Dunno about the other tournament . . . Defer to Flavor.
thanks. I appreciate the shout out. I’ll post a screen shot after tonight’s game with the scenarios going into the 2 Monday night games. Like I said, whirlwind day!
wow. Think of ATT damn near full, all fantasy players, and Flav is #1 out of everyone in the park.
Impressive.
Yeah, my thoughts exactly Willie. Very, very difficult to do.
The world revolves around numbers – go, go magnus.
meanwhile, good chance to get one here.
🙂
Not certain this will appear properly . . . For comparison, I also went to the bottom of the screen (this is my account window) and I am in 4098 place, still good for a measly $5.00. LOL
1 oneflapdown77
3
172.22 $5,000.00
2 sousdawg14
3
162.54 $2,500.00
3 kingsley15
3
162.4 $2,000.00
4 bryanw33
3
161.72 $1,500.00
5 ecbivbama
3
161.22 $1,000.00
6 moose77
3
160.46 $800.00
7 agcoe17
4
160.42 $600.00
8 stlsnowman3
3
159.92 $400.00
9 buckeye201014
0
159.68 $300.00
10 jwnike24
0
158.76 $300.00
4098 blade3colorado
7
113.32 $5.00
←1…3448→
Hella AB from blanco there, but I don’t think his buddy Arias is too happy.
Arias 15 for his last 30…any room for him next year at all?
Both teams 21/2 back not wanting to go 3.
Kelly just told Blanco to be bold but don’t get picked off and . . .
Let’s go angel
Hooooooooo
Ouch.
what happened; was watching; lost signal…..
Fuck
Pagan filed out to short rf, Panik fouled out.
what was the challenge over?
whether Blanco got picked off 1b or not. Safe on review, but it was close play.
commercials get tiring, but I could watch that hair one with Sofia Vergara forever, esp once she starts dancing to the music.
Are they still showing Gunilla Knutson in the Noxzema ad?
End of the season we’ll have to have Snarkk compute what Lopez made this year per appearance. inning pitched, or worse yet per pitch thrown the entire season.
I don’t care if he gets a mill a pitch as long as he gets ’em out.
oooops
dauber going down
Another good thing about football season is there’s something else to put on when the Giants game goes sour.
how do you finish your scorecard?
John Kruk thinks the base coaches’ boxes are triangle-shaped.
He shan’t recover from that one.
Cabrera asked for and got the ball after getting his 100th RBI. That’s so weak it’s kind of unfathomable to me. I think I’ll sit and contemplate how pathetic that is.
It’s less pathetic than four easy stolen bases.
But not as pathetic as you hanging out at a blog of a team you don’t even like.
Cabrera’s already anticipating his future bankruptcy from “bad investments.”
Any slight hopes that ESPN had that they could give competition to the NFL game tonight in TV ratings has blown away in the wind.
That’s some selective plate appearances by Trashi and Arias.
How’s Puig doing lately? That’s right, he sucks lately. The Dodgers batted him SEVENTH today. LOL.
Phlabloxxxl = BORING JERK
Yawn.
Yeah, he’s an embarrassment to Dodger fans. I’m sure he makes Rooster cringe.
No doubt. Rooster and Sandy I respect. This fool is an imbecile.
This game has been damn near unwatchable as the second half of the Niner game today…
and in other sports news:
Despite coming in an hour and 22 minutes after Britain’s Olympic hero, it was Tracey Cramond who walked away with a gold medal and a place in history as the race’s millionth finisher.
And the 51-year-old, who was raising funds for hospice care in County Durham and and Cleveland, said she couldn’t be prouder to see “a North East girl play such a part in the North East’s biggest event”.
“The Great North Run is such a great event,” said the mum-of-two, who works for the NHS. “And I’m surprised and proud to be the millionth finisher.
And I heard no NFL news all night, but the 49ers followed unca’s advice. well done.
Notice Strickland has a little timing mechanism where he touches the ball to the glove half way through the motion. Kinda weird…
And, I can see Strickland as a 2015 closer candidate. Romo? Prediction is — he gone…
I could see that. Romo’s shelf-life seems to be reaching its limit.
Remember where Rob Nenn used to do a toe tap timing mechanism halfway through his motion? Maybe the good closers have some sort of weird timing thing to keep them on track…
Yes, and Timmy will step in and mow ’em down.
Loo, there are different levels of historical fiction. Cornwell’s books follow the history pretty closely, while introducing some fictional characters.
The TV show “Bonanza” not so much.
Man, this game is taking forever.
The Giants, tonight, got sucked into American League time-warp slow-game hades.
Panik (makes last out) in Detroit.
The NFL results were good.
Niners won, Dallas lost, New England lost. The Washington team with their racist name lost.
4-3 Roadie. Hard to find fault. They took the series in Detroit, a fairly tough team. Doghairs swept the dipshit Dbacks, no comparison between the level of competition there. Clear that the Giants have to at least take this next series, if not sweep the Dbacks, then take 2 of 3 from LA at ATT…
I hope the Giants pass the Dodgers, but I’ve decided I’m not going to angst about it. I’ve made my peace with the 1-game Wild Card playoff, if that’s the scenario. If the Giants are the home team, they will be favored in that game, especially if it’s Bum pitching.
And if the Giants do pass the Dodgers, then all the better, of course.
2 outta 3 in Detroit is good, right?
nearly a 4 hr game that nearly was.
Giants have the better pen, but not tonight.
Hudson got Cabrera to gitd and pop out but not the other ab.
dogers suck
If the Gmen don’t win the division by a game or two, they can look to their lackluster record against the hapless Rockies as a reason…
Yep. That sweep at home to the lousy Reds hurt, too.
Mac dog dropping David Bowie riffs . . . Missed the end of the game after the 2 on, none out.
As for this Jetergasm day in NYC, I have just two words:
Fuck Jeter!…
Cabrera can barely walk, let alone run. If I were a LH batter with speed (Blanco?) I would lay a drag bunt down every friggin time up and make that bigass, lumbering putz try to field it from 1b. I’d get 3 hits out of 4 tries a game. Why the Giants didn’t try that a lot, I don’t know…
Flabloxxxl comes off as a drunk teenager – he has to know it’s not a good look, doesn’t he?
Maybe not…
Regardless of how the division ends up, I’m looking forward to the 6 games left between LA-SF. It will be some good theater, I’m sure.
Doing a mini-road trip to see the SD and LA games on 9/21 and 9/22. Hope the division is still on the line by then . . . .
Be careful out there