Got another book recommendation: Barack Obama's 2006, pre-presidential election campaign work, "Audacity of Hope." Whether or not you agree with him, it's like he's talking to you through the book, and you really got a good sense of what he thinks. It's VERY VERY honest, and my views of him have, let's say, "evolved" through it.
There will be two types of lawyer jokes in this post: the regular, make-fun-of-lawyers-cuz-they're-the-scum-of-the-earth-but-i-chose-to-become-one-anyway variety, and then a new, fresh batch of Robert Yan-type lawyer jokes that you gotta try on for size.
Came across these online:
What do lawyers use for birth control?-- Their personalities.
What's the difference between a porcupine and an ambulance chasing BMW
carrying three lawyers?-- A porcupine has the pricks on the outside.
What do you call a lawyer who doesn't chase ambulances?-- Retired.
What's the difference between a lawyer and God?-- God doesn't think he's a lawyer!
Why should you not run over a lawyer on a bicycle?-- It might be your bicycle.
Haha, good stuff.
Now for the good stuff: these jokes are like the jokes my law school classmates got sick of me using the whole year, yet it really shows some creativity on my part. Feel free to ceremoniously lift it and use it for your own use.
When playing fantasy basketball, you really enter into a contract with your NBA player. There's no mutual assent, but there's all the ups and downs in the relationship with a basketball player: the lack of performance, the overproduction, the total material breach of a contract that makes you never deal with that player ever again.
This year I have entered into a contract with Dirk Nowitzki: paid him lots of fantasy money: 5th pick in teh draft, based on his course of performance in the last 8 years or so, had expectations and he's lived up to them. Good investment. Now, a real tort has been committed by my drafting Andrew Bogut. Man's a fraud, I almost feel like suing for impractibility or misrepresentation or unconscionability or something, this guy just lured me into a false sense of security, gave me false hopes, and definitely did NOT act in good faith.
Unfortunately, I've been screwed before. In 2005 and 2006, I drafted Tracy McGrady in THREE LEAGUES each of those years. Talk about assault and battery, this guy did the whole package. He battered me, destroyed the whole foundation, stole my property, hit my in the balls, the whole nine yards. He has an affirmative defense in 2006 because I assumed the risk of drafting him AGAIN in all those leagues, but I might be judged by a different standard in some courts due to mental incapacitation in those years. (It must have been insanity to let him screw me again).
Every time I see Jermaine O'Neal ever again on a draft board, I file a 12b6 motion to dismiss mine, get his butt straight out of court and never hear from him again, if he ever comes up the next year I'll file a res judicata defense that the case has been tried already, and JO has definitely failed on the merits.
OK that didn't work out too well. I'll try better next time.
I'm so obsessed by TO's in my roto league, I seem to have just realized that they are worth any other category, yet i just don't take great weight in them. Guy like Dwayne Wade, 4.0 TO's per game, can kill you in that category automatically. Gotta keep that in mind. Guys like Rasheed Wallace (1.1 TO's) and Peja Stojavoic (0.9 TO's) get an added boost because they're like the thin, lean version of meet, limits their turnovers despite limited numbers in other cats.
Fantasize on, Robert Yan
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Extra Gift under the tree: More fantasy b-ball analysis
Back to business: As it's christmas and I'm in a giving mood, this is an extra long post on fantasy basketball players. It's really not a big problem for me, it's like telling an ice cream taster that he's got another batch coming: No complaints here.
I will say that basketball seems to be more interesting this year already: I dunno if it's again that dichotomy between law school and leisure, but it sure seems like storylines are getting better: LeBron James maturing into the legendary one like he should be, dwayne wade being my favorite player by morphing back to 2006 form, and the lakers-celtics inevitable finals matchup (Many think it HAS to happen- w/o a better option I'd have to agree w/ them).
Thinking about gettin' an intramural softball league going for law school: Be nice to bond w/ some peeps. Also, wanna have the SBA 1L reps to start some sorta talent show at the end of the show, w/o people embarrassing themselves of course. (Gotta imagine someone has a fire-breathing or grass-whistling trick up their sleeve in law school)
I'll do my player evals in this format: How high I was on the player on draft day, and whether they've exceeded general expectations. (By animal, I guess, big = exceeded, small = underacheived)
Allen Iverson: Like a termite. This guy has grossly underachieved, most of it not on him after getting traded to the graveyard of fantasy entities: Detroit. Doesn't fit his game at all, it's like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, doesn't work. Especially not for AI's fantasy game. If anything, rodney stuckey is BETTER than the answer there.
Steve Nash: Butterfly. Sure he still looks flashy, still got that soccer-playing, handsomely charming, European good looks, but his numbers are downright ugly. Less assists, less 3's, less points, more turnovers, not good. Right there that's the 4 no-no's. And it's not like he's been hurt, which can be explained away. It's just the system has changed, and that's never a good thing if the coach isn't close to being fired yet. Uh-oh.
Yao:
Rhinocerous. Prodigious just cuz he hasn't gotten hurt yet. Lovely good, having him healthy and producing at Y!- ranked 8th level. Those peripherals alone are to die for: 54.4% FG and 88% FT, at a high volume too helps carry those 2 cats. It's like finding some ivory horns in your closet.
Jason Richardson- earthworm. Definitely shriveling. What could u expect from any fantasy player who was in charlotte long-term? Actually, he's no longer in charlotte and in phoenix where u'd think the fantasy atmosphere's more favorable, but shaq's bogging down that offense and jr's like the 4th option on that time. Urg if you're his owners.
Josh Smith- Dinosaur egg. Kinda puny right now, but very soon about to become a giant. Started off slow, but he's still a freak, and freaks put up steals and blks in abundance for a long time in this league, unless your name is andrei kirilenko. Smith will explode (hatch) soon.
Brandon Roy: shark. 52 points? Who? Roy. I was high on him comin out of college after he single-handedly eliminated the Illini from the tournament one year, so this comes as no shock to me. Again, there's some wierd air in the pacific northwest.
Pau Gasol: Fox. Not huge, not foreboding, but plays very smart, very consistent, comes to work night in and night out, love his work ethic and what he means for lakers ( lakers = mediocore team w/o him).
Danny Granger: cassowary (very big bird that nobody talks about). That's Granger in a nut shell. Puts up great numbrs, everything you need ( 2.5 3's, 1.0 stls, 1.4 blks, and 24 pts) but just is like a forgotten man in indiana. Fantasy force for many years to come.
"You are as high as a kite!" just saw an ad for pineapple express. Hahahaha.
Nene: Tazmanian Devil. for many years we heard about what this guy could do when healthy. Well, now we know. Stud for the nuggs, he just looks like a whirlwind on the floor. Also steals and swats like nobody's business.
Again, Merry Christmas, everyone!
Present over.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I will say that basketball seems to be more interesting this year already: I dunno if it's again that dichotomy between law school and leisure, but it sure seems like storylines are getting better: LeBron James maturing into the legendary one like he should be, dwayne wade being my favorite player by morphing back to 2006 form, and the lakers-celtics inevitable finals matchup (Many think it HAS to happen- w/o a better option I'd have to agree w/ them).
Thinking about gettin' an intramural softball league going for law school: Be nice to bond w/ some peeps. Also, wanna have the SBA 1L reps to start some sorta talent show at the end of the show, w/o people embarrassing themselves of course. (Gotta imagine someone has a fire-breathing or grass-whistling trick up their sleeve in law school)
I'll do my player evals in this format: How high I was on the player on draft day, and whether they've exceeded general expectations. (By animal, I guess, big = exceeded, small = underacheived)
Allen Iverson: Like a termite. This guy has grossly underachieved, most of it not on him after getting traded to the graveyard of fantasy entities: Detroit. Doesn't fit his game at all, it's like trying to fit a round peg into a square hole, doesn't work. Especially not for AI's fantasy game. If anything, rodney stuckey is BETTER than the answer there.
Steve Nash: Butterfly. Sure he still looks flashy, still got that soccer-playing, handsomely charming, European good looks, but his numbers are downright ugly. Less assists, less 3's, less points, more turnovers, not good. Right there that's the 4 no-no's. And it's not like he's been hurt, which can be explained away. It's just the system has changed, and that's never a good thing if the coach isn't close to being fired yet. Uh-oh.
Yao:
Rhinocerous. Prodigious just cuz he hasn't gotten hurt yet. Lovely good, having him healthy and producing at Y!- ranked 8th level. Those peripherals alone are to die for: 54.4% FG and 88% FT, at a high volume too helps carry those 2 cats. It's like finding some ivory horns in your closet.
Jason Richardson- earthworm. Definitely shriveling. What could u expect from any fantasy player who was in charlotte long-term? Actually, he's no longer in charlotte and in phoenix where u'd think the fantasy atmosphere's more favorable, but shaq's bogging down that offense and jr's like the 4th option on that time. Urg if you're his owners.
Josh Smith- Dinosaur egg. Kinda puny right now, but very soon about to become a giant. Started off slow, but he's still a freak, and freaks put up steals and blks in abundance for a long time in this league, unless your name is andrei kirilenko. Smith will explode (hatch) soon.
Brandon Roy: shark. 52 points? Who? Roy. I was high on him comin out of college after he single-handedly eliminated the Illini from the tournament one year, so this comes as no shock to me. Again, there's some wierd air in the pacific northwest.
Pau Gasol: Fox. Not huge, not foreboding, but plays very smart, very consistent, comes to work night in and night out, love his work ethic and what he means for lakers ( lakers = mediocore team w/o him).
Danny Granger: cassowary (very big bird that nobody talks about). That's Granger in a nut shell. Puts up great numbrs, everything you need ( 2.5 3's, 1.0 stls, 1.4 blks, and 24 pts) but just is like a forgotten man in indiana. Fantasy force for many years to come.
"You are as high as a kite!" just saw an ad for pineapple express. Hahahaha.
Nene: Tazmanian Devil. for many years we heard about what this guy could do when healthy. Well, now we know. Stud for the nuggs, he just looks like a whirlwind on the floor. Also steals and swats like nobody's business.
Again, Merry Christmas, everyone!
Present over.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas
O the weather outside is frightful.........
Man it's good to be back. Looking at my last post, I was pretty accurate about what to expect from my first semester of law school.....it was quite the experience, and I'm gonna remember the last 4 months (actually, exactly 4 months). It was full of causation, breach of duty, 12b6 motions, stiff-arming common law judges, running for SBA 1L election under a Sarah Palin platform, it was crazy. Really crazy. The winter break has been so much more enjoyable this year, though, cuz I know I worked so freakishly hard the last few months. The contrast between work and play is especially highlighted, I guess.
Anyway, lotta fantasy matters to attend to. I won one of my fantasy baseball leagues this year again, not gonna brag but it's becoming routine. My well-tailored strategy has proven useful for me year after year ( if you don't know it, see my previous posts, fools), and my predictions were mostly correct: Ryan Howard broke 45 HR's again, Grady Sizemore was a stud, and the Cubs won the World Series! (Ahem, that last one was a figment of my imagination, and I actually really prefoer NOT to talk about it, so let's drop it, shall we?)
Fantasy basketball is well under way, and I'm doing well. Did I mention I LOVE fantasy basketball? Probably my fav game, ESPECIALLY in roto leagues. You just gotta manage your team really well in roto, and every game counts, just like fantasy baseball. So pure, roto is, none of this, "get past the week and wipe the slate clean" stuff. If Shaq gets off to an 0-for-10 start from the line, do you get to wipe that slate clean? No, you SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES for playing him! Not to sound cruel, but it's true. Roto is why Dwight Howard is a monster in real life but a mediocre player in fantasy, is why 3-point specialists like peja or steve blake( this year) have value, and where 5X5 cats are born (a la Josh Smith)
Ok let's get to it. I LOVE kevin durant this season. This man is getting better and better every day, he's on possibly one of the worst basketball teams on earth right now but still proves to be a roto stud. Ever since the thunder (terrible name, btw, I woulda named them the "honky donkey's" or the "blustery butterballs" before I named them the thunder) changed coaches and changed KD's position to SF, he's been a beast. He scores 20 + nightly, gets the defensive stats (either stl's or blk's, you choose) and the percentages to boost ( I actually rely on his 85% FT% along with dirk on my team to steady that cat). Man's solid and will probably be at least a top-20 fantasy player by year's end and drafted in the early 2nd round next year. Lot of good things happening.
Just traded Rudy Gay and Baron Davis away for Jose Calderon and Al Horford and Peja Stojakovic. Didn't really need peja, was a throw-in and probably a drop after i get him. It doesn't look good on paper, and it goes against one of my principles of trying to get players drafted higher on draft day, but for my team it's healthy ( I like how I've adopted a nourishing mentality to my team as opposed to "you guys fuckin' suck!" The key to this trade is B-Diddy's ineptitude in roto. Like D12 in FT%, Davis absolutely KILLS ur FG%, especially this year (atrocious 36.9% from the field). Nothing else is really terrible, like the 2.5 TO's per and actually his FT% is dece this year at 78%, but that FG% is gonna hold me back like a cancer. Calderon, the Spanish Flea, on the other hand, is the anti-diddy in that he posts nice peripherals, limits turnovers, and isn't an injury risk. None of the sexy numbers like 1.8 stl's and 18 PPG, but calderon is like a caesar salad health-wise to Diddy's omelette (not gonna kill you, but causes high cholestrol) Al Horford is a double-double waiting to happen, but key is is his 52% FG and 1.7 Blk's. He's learned to become a shot-blocker this year alongside J-Smoove on the hawks, and he's only getting better.
Steve Blake: The air in the Pacific Northwest must be easier to travel through, cuz White Chocolate is just rainbowing 3's from down-town. Love him cuz he throws in other #'s (asts, pts) along w/ limited turnovers.
biggest disappointment you could've seen coming: Elton Brand. New team, coming off injury, just signed big contract.......I woulda avoided brand at all costs in this year's drafting considering he was going at #5 or 6. Every other first-rounder except the matrix has played to form.
Chauncey Billups is just a great real player, but his fantasy stats didn't suffer after getting moved to denver. He's just so solid.
Buy low on david west. That hornets team will be back in action soon and running on full cylinders, and in roto west's 49% FG and 85% FT are very attractive.
Shoulda sold high on Spencer Hawes. I didn't. Now, though, I feel like you should Stash him and buy low, cuz he's in a rut but will get more opportunity as soon as the kings get into "play-the-young guys-cuz-we're done" mode again. ( An annual occurence)
More to come. I promise. Got a lotta free time this winter break.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Man it's good to be back. Looking at my last post, I was pretty accurate about what to expect from my first semester of law school.....it was quite the experience, and I'm gonna remember the last 4 months (actually, exactly 4 months). It was full of causation, breach of duty, 12b6 motions, stiff-arming common law judges, running for SBA 1L election under a Sarah Palin platform, it was crazy. Really crazy. The winter break has been so much more enjoyable this year, though, cuz I know I worked so freakishly hard the last few months. The contrast between work and play is especially highlighted, I guess.
Anyway, lotta fantasy matters to attend to. I won one of my fantasy baseball leagues this year again, not gonna brag but it's becoming routine. My well-tailored strategy has proven useful for me year after year ( if you don't know it, see my previous posts, fools), and my predictions were mostly correct: Ryan Howard broke 45 HR's again, Grady Sizemore was a stud, and the Cubs won the World Series! (Ahem, that last one was a figment of my imagination, and I actually really prefoer NOT to talk about it, so let's drop it, shall we?)
Fantasy basketball is well under way, and I'm doing well. Did I mention I LOVE fantasy basketball? Probably my fav game, ESPECIALLY in roto leagues. You just gotta manage your team really well in roto, and every game counts, just like fantasy baseball. So pure, roto is, none of this, "get past the week and wipe the slate clean" stuff. If Shaq gets off to an 0-for-10 start from the line, do you get to wipe that slate clean? No, you SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES for playing him! Not to sound cruel, but it's true. Roto is why Dwight Howard is a monster in real life but a mediocre player in fantasy, is why 3-point specialists like peja or steve blake( this year) have value, and where 5X5 cats are born (a la Josh Smith)
Ok let's get to it. I LOVE kevin durant this season. This man is getting better and better every day, he's on possibly one of the worst basketball teams on earth right now but still proves to be a roto stud. Ever since the thunder (terrible name, btw, I woulda named them the "honky donkey's" or the "blustery butterballs" before I named them the thunder) changed coaches and changed KD's position to SF, he's been a beast. He scores 20 + nightly, gets the defensive stats (either stl's or blk's, you choose) and the percentages to boost ( I actually rely on his 85% FT% along with dirk on my team to steady that cat). Man's solid and will probably be at least a top-20 fantasy player by year's end and drafted in the early 2nd round next year. Lot of good things happening.
Just traded Rudy Gay and Baron Davis away for Jose Calderon and Al Horford and Peja Stojakovic. Didn't really need peja, was a throw-in and probably a drop after i get him. It doesn't look good on paper, and it goes against one of my principles of trying to get players drafted higher on draft day, but for my team it's healthy ( I like how I've adopted a nourishing mentality to my team as opposed to "you guys fuckin' suck!" The key to this trade is B-Diddy's ineptitude in roto. Like D12 in FT%, Davis absolutely KILLS ur FG%, especially this year (atrocious 36.9% from the field). Nothing else is really terrible, like the 2.5 TO's per and actually his FT% is dece this year at 78%, but that FG% is gonna hold me back like a cancer. Calderon, the Spanish Flea, on the other hand, is the anti-diddy in that he posts nice peripherals, limits turnovers, and isn't an injury risk. None of the sexy numbers like 1.8 stl's and 18 PPG, but calderon is like a caesar salad health-wise to Diddy's omelette (not gonna kill you, but causes high cholestrol) Al Horford is a double-double waiting to happen, but key is is his 52% FG and 1.7 Blk's. He's learned to become a shot-blocker this year alongside J-Smoove on the hawks, and he's only getting better.
Steve Blake: The air in the Pacific Northwest must be easier to travel through, cuz White Chocolate is just rainbowing 3's from down-town. Love him cuz he throws in other #'s (asts, pts) along w/ limited turnovers.
biggest disappointment you could've seen coming: Elton Brand. New team, coming off injury, just signed big contract.......I woulda avoided brand at all costs in this year's drafting considering he was going at #5 or 6. Every other first-rounder except the matrix has played to form.
Chauncey Billups is just a great real player, but his fantasy stats didn't suffer after getting moved to denver. He's just so solid.
Buy low on david west. That hornets team will be back in action soon and running on full cylinders, and in roto west's 49% FG and 85% FT are very attractive.
Shoulda sold high on Spencer Hawes. I didn't. Now, though, I feel like you should Stash him and buy low, cuz he's in a rut but will get more opportunity as soon as the kings get into "play-the-young guys-cuz-we're done" mode again. ( An annual occurence)
More to come. I promise. Got a lotta free time this winter break.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Dawn of a new day
So tonight is the last night I'll have before I officially begin law school at the University of Southern California. Sure, for the last week or so we've had orientation days to get us acquainted with the whole process, but tomorrow it truly, truly begins.
Preparing for law school has been an interesting experience, insofar as the thing I've been waiting for hasn't even begun it. The last several weeks have been shrouded in a mist of the last days of summer, including the last weeks of day camp, a long weekend at Disneyland with my hometown friends, and the monumental Olympic games in China. However, not lost amongst these moments was the realization that law school was quickly upon me, that those days of freedom will inevitably come to an end. And soon.
I'm writing with the understanding that in about 3 months I can look back on this blog and realize the naivete and amateurish attitude that I had at this point before law school even started, but here are my thoughts about how the next few months are gonna go: Law school will be tough. There will be lots of work, lots of readings. There will be deadlines to meet, outlines to produce, professors to meet, and pressures to alleviate. I will have my ups and downs, exhilarating highs ( I don't mean the drug kind, or at least i hope not) and depressing lows. However, I will come out of this semester much more prepared for a career in law, but also more complete as a person because I will have mastered a semester of one of the toughest endeavors of anybody anywhere: law school. Well, hopefully, I'll master it. Let me tone that down a bit: I'll have survived, haha.
Anyway, on a lighter note, guess I'm an idiot. The mole was NOT alex. I would most assuredly have been eliminated from the Mole if I had gone 100% for alex at the executions. But the thing is, I woulda never went 100% for someone until the final 4 or 3 because the format of the show makes playing the odds ( a.k.a. targeting everybody so that you at least get some questions right) the best strategy. You just have to AVOID being the worst tester on any given quiz, you don't have to get the best score. I don't understand why the contestants don't understand that. And i'm gonna just hush hush it up from now cuz if I ever DO get on the mole ( fingers crossed) i don't wanna fellow contestants stealing my startegy.
I guess Craig was a good mole. But I feel like Alex would have been so much more deceptive. Craig had a built-in excuse every time he failed. O, and also, I felt like he overestimated his social ability to manipulate other players. Sure, being friends with other players probably brushed off some suspicion, but it's not as if he personally executed every single player through HIS game player. Gotta give other players more credit than that, Craig. But overall, good job.
Olympics are also over. Man, there was some drama this year. Can't remember the games being so exciting. There were a lot of close finishes, anxious moments to wait for judges' scores, etc. It was quite the spectacle. Wish I was there.
sorry for the lack of baseball knowledge trinketts, friends. I'll try to be back w/ more of that, but law school does start, and the first year is the most important of all. But I'll try.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Preparing for law school has been an interesting experience, insofar as the thing I've been waiting for hasn't even begun it. The last several weeks have been shrouded in a mist of the last days of summer, including the last weeks of day camp, a long weekend at Disneyland with my hometown friends, and the monumental Olympic games in China. However, not lost amongst these moments was the realization that law school was quickly upon me, that those days of freedom will inevitably come to an end. And soon.
I'm writing with the understanding that in about 3 months I can look back on this blog and realize the naivete and amateurish attitude that I had at this point before law school even started, but here are my thoughts about how the next few months are gonna go: Law school will be tough. There will be lots of work, lots of readings. There will be deadlines to meet, outlines to produce, professors to meet, and pressures to alleviate. I will have my ups and downs, exhilarating highs ( I don't mean the drug kind, or at least i hope not) and depressing lows. However, I will come out of this semester much more prepared for a career in law, but also more complete as a person because I will have mastered a semester of one of the toughest endeavors of anybody anywhere: law school. Well, hopefully, I'll master it. Let me tone that down a bit: I'll have survived, haha.
Anyway, on a lighter note, guess I'm an idiot. The mole was NOT alex. I would most assuredly have been eliminated from the Mole if I had gone 100% for alex at the executions. But the thing is, I woulda never went 100% for someone until the final 4 or 3 because the format of the show makes playing the odds ( a.k.a. targeting everybody so that you at least get some questions right) the best strategy. You just have to AVOID being the worst tester on any given quiz, you don't have to get the best score. I don't understand why the contestants don't understand that. And i'm gonna just hush hush it up from now cuz if I ever DO get on the mole ( fingers crossed) i don't wanna fellow contestants stealing my startegy.
I guess Craig was a good mole. But I feel like Alex would have been so much more deceptive. Craig had a built-in excuse every time he failed. O, and also, I felt like he overestimated his social ability to manipulate other players. Sure, being friends with other players probably brushed off some suspicion, but it's not as if he personally executed every single player through HIS game player. Gotta give other players more credit than that, Craig. But overall, good job.
Olympics are also over. Man, there was some drama this year. Can't remember the games being so exciting. There were a lot of close finishes, anxious moments to wait for judges' scores, etc. It was quite the spectacle. Wish I was there.
sorry for the lack of baseball knowledge trinketts, friends. I'll try to be back w/ more of that, but law school does start, and the first year is the most important of all. But I'll try.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, July 13, 2008
July Rumblings
Long time no see, friends, long time no see. I've been real busy with this camp business, and every summer it seems I get in a lull with this blog and forget to write for a while, or am just too lazy to do so after a long day of work. But checkin' in now cuz fantasy is getting pretty interesting.
First off, wanna recommend another book. Yea, yea, i kno, i've done that a bunch of times already, but for fantasy owners, nothing hits home as well as "Fantasyland" by Sam Walker, a chronicle of the author's journey through a full season of Tout wars, the premiere fantasy league in all of baseball. The thing is, i'd barely even heard of Tout Wars before reading the book, and there were some references to it in certain media outlets that made it seem like this mysterious, omnicient cult, but now I know what it is. And you will too after reading the book. But anyway, the book totally reflects everything that a fantasy owner goes through, from analysis of certain players to investing heavily in certain favorites to cursing managers for leaving pitchers in games to agonizing losses to the salivating before making a big trade you KNOW is favorable to you. O man, get it, get it.
Another recommendation if you're bored and are flipping through channels waiting for the September premieres of shows ( Btw, heroes: villains from what I hear will be awesome), check out a show called Total Drama Island on Cartoon Network. Very unconventional, I never thought i'd recommend anything on a kids show. But this show was made with adults in mind too, and it's more "Survivor" than "every cartoon show you've ever seen." It follows the reality TV show format, has great character development for a half-hour show, and makes some great jokes. Good entertainment. And you don't have to worry about someone stupid winning like Parvati did winning the last one. ( Urg, i so hated Cirie). Anyway, if you check out that show my favorite storyline is Duncan-Courtney. That budding romance is a great match.
Speaking of match(up)s, the last day of baseball before the all-star break has some marquee ones. Right now I'm following Cole Hamels vs. Brandon Webb in a 1-0 pitcher's duel, which has great fantasy implications, especially when it's ur fantasy pitcher vs. your closest rival's best pitcher. It really transcends into the fantasy world. Brandon Webb, btw, shares my birthday, giving him extra props in my book.
Later, it's Tim Lincecum vs. Ryan Dempster. O man Lincecum is turning out so nicely, it's a pleasure watching him grow into a future Hall-of-Fame pitcher.
At this point in the season, you are OBLIGATED as the manager of a fantasy team to sit down, assess and reasses your teams, come up with unbiased analysis of your team, the strengths and weaknesses, and address them. Have a game plan for the rest of the season. Know what you need. Go for the win. No more haggling along. If you're up 25 homers or more on the rest of the league, it's probably time to trade Ryan Howard for whatever else you need. You'll have to make a decision soon to pull the trigger, cuz half the season is gone. Then again, don't automatically assume if you're leading a category right now you'll just outright win it. Nothing hurts more than trading a guy who was nuts in a certain category, then watching everybody else in the league catch up to you in that cat by September. that's where that solid analysis comes in. Come up with a plan, make amends to it, make a move. Don't be afraid to consider all options, but don't make a desperate one.
Although, if you're in last place in your league, disregard all that advice you just received. You're probably toast already, my friend.
Who are the guys you should look out for to help your team down the stretch?
Volquez and Lee are the guys everybody sees as breakout pitchers this year, and rightly so, but Ervin Santana is now 11-3, a guy you coulda picked up off the waiver wire in late April. The guy's solid. I would ride him for the rest of the way as he and Lackey are the horses in that Angel pen. Joba Chamberlain is another guy who's fresh ( not too many innings worked) and has devastating stuff. He'll never really disappoint you cuz the strikeout numbers are there even if his peripherals suffer a little bit.
I was pumping francisco liriano before the season started only to see him go into a fantasy coma, but he should be back after the all-star and this time, it should be the real deal. If you need pitching help, you can't really let the chance that liriano has a 2006-like explosion on a good twins team go by the way side. Speaking of the twins, no one speaks of scott baker. He's probably the best pitcher on that staff.
For hitters, I would hang on to Ian Kinsler. That 1st half was no fluke, man can hit, and he's got some offensive juggernauts behind him, to say the least.
Watch the Arizona lineup. They started off all mashing, then went into a long flunk. Watch for them to break out of it w/ guys like Tracy, Reynolds, and Chris Young carrying the load.
No other 1st-round pick this season has disappointed more than Miguel Cabrera. I think he finally adjusts to America's armpit called Detroit and mashes to his usual tune the 2nd half.
Ryan Howard will have more than 45 homers again. That's almost a given in my mind unless he gets hurt.
If you can get Joe Mauer somehow, get him. He's good. He won't disappoint cuz he's just a sick ballplayer.
There will be some young hitter who tears up the league the 2nd half of the season as he rounds into shape. Candidates for that are Billy Butler, Adam Jones, Jay Bruce, and Mike Jacobs. Watch for those guys.
Biggest 2nd-half guy you should watch: Nick the Stick, Nick Markakis. Third-year player, historically good Augusts, this guy will be rewarding you tremendously soon.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
First off, wanna recommend another book. Yea, yea, i kno, i've done that a bunch of times already, but for fantasy owners, nothing hits home as well as "Fantasyland" by Sam Walker, a chronicle of the author's journey through a full season of Tout wars, the premiere fantasy league in all of baseball. The thing is, i'd barely even heard of Tout Wars before reading the book, and there were some references to it in certain media outlets that made it seem like this mysterious, omnicient cult, but now I know what it is. And you will too after reading the book. But anyway, the book totally reflects everything that a fantasy owner goes through, from analysis of certain players to investing heavily in certain favorites to cursing managers for leaving pitchers in games to agonizing losses to the salivating before making a big trade you KNOW is favorable to you. O man, get it, get it.
Another recommendation if you're bored and are flipping through channels waiting for the September premieres of shows ( Btw, heroes: villains from what I hear will be awesome), check out a show called Total Drama Island on Cartoon Network. Very unconventional, I never thought i'd recommend anything on a kids show. But this show was made with adults in mind too, and it's more "Survivor" than "every cartoon show you've ever seen." It follows the reality TV show format, has great character development for a half-hour show, and makes some great jokes. Good entertainment. And you don't have to worry about someone stupid winning like Parvati did winning the last one. ( Urg, i so hated Cirie). Anyway, if you check out that show my favorite storyline is Duncan-Courtney. That budding romance is a great match.
Speaking of match(up)s, the last day of baseball before the all-star break has some marquee ones. Right now I'm following Cole Hamels vs. Brandon Webb in a 1-0 pitcher's duel, which has great fantasy implications, especially when it's ur fantasy pitcher vs. your closest rival's best pitcher. It really transcends into the fantasy world. Brandon Webb, btw, shares my birthday, giving him extra props in my book.
Later, it's Tim Lincecum vs. Ryan Dempster. O man Lincecum is turning out so nicely, it's a pleasure watching him grow into a future Hall-of-Fame pitcher.
At this point in the season, you are OBLIGATED as the manager of a fantasy team to sit down, assess and reasses your teams, come up with unbiased analysis of your team, the strengths and weaknesses, and address them. Have a game plan for the rest of the season. Know what you need. Go for the win. No more haggling along. If you're up 25 homers or more on the rest of the league, it's probably time to trade Ryan Howard for whatever else you need. You'll have to make a decision soon to pull the trigger, cuz half the season is gone. Then again, don't automatically assume if you're leading a category right now you'll just outright win it. Nothing hurts more than trading a guy who was nuts in a certain category, then watching everybody else in the league catch up to you in that cat by September. that's where that solid analysis comes in. Come up with a plan, make amends to it, make a move. Don't be afraid to consider all options, but don't make a desperate one.
Although, if you're in last place in your league, disregard all that advice you just received. You're probably toast already, my friend.
Who are the guys you should look out for to help your team down the stretch?
Volquez and Lee are the guys everybody sees as breakout pitchers this year, and rightly so, but Ervin Santana is now 11-3, a guy you coulda picked up off the waiver wire in late April. The guy's solid. I would ride him for the rest of the way as he and Lackey are the horses in that Angel pen. Joba Chamberlain is another guy who's fresh ( not too many innings worked) and has devastating stuff. He'll never really disappoint you cuz the strikeout numbers are there even if his peripherals suffer a little bit.
I was pumping francisco liriano before the season started only to see him go into a fantasy coma, but he should be back after the all-star and this time, it should be the real deal. If you need pitching help, you can't really let the chance that liriano has a 2006-like explosion on a good twins team go by the way side. Speaking of the twins, no one speaks of scott baker. He's probably the best pitcher on that staff.
For hitters, I would hang on to Ian Kinsler. That 1st half was no fluke, man can hit, and he's got some offensive juggernauts behind him, to say the least.
Watch the Arizona lineup. They started off all mashing, then went into a long flunk. Watch for them to break out of it w/ guys like Tracy, Reynolds, and Chris Young carrying the load.
No other 1st-round pick this season has disappointed more than Miguel Cabrera. I think he finally adjusts to America's armpit called Detroit and mashes to his usual tune the 2nd half.
Ryan Howard will have more than 45 homers again. That's almost a given in my mind unless he gets hurt.
If you can get Joe Mauer somehow, get him. He's good. He won't disappoint cuz he's just a sick ballplayer.
There will be some young hitter who tears up the league the 2nd half of the season as he rounds into shape. Candidates for that are Billy Butler, Adam Jones, Jay Bruce, and Mike Jacobs. Watch for those guys.
Biggest 2nd-half guy you should watch: Nick the Stick, Nick Markakis. Third-year player, historically good Augusts, this guy will be rewarding you tremendously soon.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Dude, guys, alex is the mole!
First off, I wanna say that I have not read any spoilers on who the mole was, nor will I succumb to that particular temptation before the show wraps up. However, I am just absolutely convinced, with all the conviction that can exist in my 175-pound body, that Alex is the mole. And I love it.
Alex has been on my radar for a while, and I gotta say, he's done a great job being the mole. Very tricky, very tricky. As I mused about in a previous column, he did subtle sabotage in the first episode by going first and losing, attributing it to being the first one to go, and then was absolutely piss poor playing soccer. Well, we'll done w/ 4 episodes now and here are the additions: Alex sabotaged the luge game by putting up 2 apples and getting only 1 fruit correct, but blaming it smoothly on Nicole as she was the one who slipped up.
So many little things throughout have pointed to Alex, without the producers throwing a big sign on the screen that screams, "Alex is the mole!" I just don't get why people are still suspecting the other players, to be frank. Obviously, I could be wrong and just look like an idiot at the end of this, but seriously, and for that reason I've entertained ideas about it being someone else, but the signs just point to alex. If you look at it from a producer's point of view, alex in episode 1 supposedly suspected marcie in order to first establish a prime suspect, and indeed marcie was the prime supsect of the majority of the players, as voted on, until she left. Then, alex supposedly suspects nicole, the next primary suspect, and teams up with her in different challenges ( luge, piggy game) so that he can blame stuff on her. Alex never has to try too hard to sabotage missions, and many times he uses his producer-selected assets ( speaking Spanish to the natives) as a cover for his sabotage ( he gets back quickly w/ the piggies but then drops a bunch of them on the ground in an erroneous attempt to use the slingshot, which the producers probably told him to just absolutely bungle).
I'm soothed by the fact that victoria was eliminated cuz the episode before that it seemed like most boards speculated that she was the mole. Nada. My suspicions are being confirmed every week. Which leaves me to guess on a winner. I'm guessing paul is eliminated as some point cuz he trusts alex too much and is his friend, nicole might finally stop guessing wrong mole candidates like bobby and victoria, but clay and mark seem like the coalition that actually knows what it's doing. I'll go with the sentimental pick of mark, but i'd hate to see kristen win, just cuz she goes to UCLA ( haha, not really) but also cuz she seems like she's done nothing in this whole season. Honestly, very little. And people still think she's the mole? Puh-leez.
Alex has been on my radar for a while, and I gotta say, he's done a great job being the mole. Very tricky, very tricky. As I mused about in a previous column, he did subtle sabotage in the first episode by going first and losing, attributing it to being the first one to go, and then was absolutely piss poor playing soccer. Well, we'll done w/ 4 episodes now and here are the additions: Alex sabotaged the luge game by putting up 2 apples and getting only 1 fruit correct, but blaming it smoothly on Nicole as she was the one who slipped up.
So many little things throughout have pointed to Alex, without the producers throwing a big sign on the screen that screams, "Alex is the mole!" I just don't get why people are still suspecting the other players, to be frank. Obviously, I could be wrong and just look like an idiot at the end of this, but seriously, and for that reason I've entertained ideas about it being someone else, but the signs just point to alex. If you look at it from a producer's point of view, alex in episode 1 supposedly suspected marcie in order to first establish a prime suspect, and indeed marcie was the prime supsect of the majority of the players, as voted on, until she left. Then, alex supposedly suspects nicole, the next primary suspect, and teams up with her in different challenges ( luge, piggy game) so that he can blame stuff on her. Alex never has to try too hard to sabotage missions, and many times he uses his producer-selected assets ( speaking Spanish to the natives) as a cover for his sabotage ( he gets back quickly w/ the piggies but then drops a bunch of them on the ground in an erroneous attempt to use the slingshot, which the producers probably told him to just absolutely bungle).
I'm soothed by the fact that victoria was eliminated cuz the episode before that it seemed like most boards speculated that she was the mole. Nada. My suspicions are being confirmed every week. Which leaves me to guess on a winner. I'm guessing paul is eliminated as some point cuz he trusts alex too much and is his friend, nicole might finally stop guessing wrong mole candidates like bobby and victoria, but clay and mark seem like the coalition that actually knows what it's doing. I'll go with the sentimental pick of mark, but i'd hate to see kristen win, just cuz she goes to UCLA ( haha, not really) but also cuz she seems like she's done nothing in this whole season. Honestly, very little. And people still think she's the mole? Puh-leez.
Friday, June 13, 2008
Why aren't more people watching the mole?
Yea that's the question on my mind right now. Jeez, louise, people, you're missing out on a great show! Get a move on! Yea guess i'm just disappointed in the low ratings for the mole, which are somewhat explained by its out-of-the way 10/9 c time slot.
Man, when I wrote a few posts back that I was a lil disappointed about the first episode of the mole, I didn't expect it to have such an impact! Haha, seriously, watch the mole, give it a chance, it's a quality show. Someone on another blog made a point that the mole is superior to other reality TV shows like survivor or bachelor in that viewers actually have a lot of interaction with the show; they follow along with every move of every player and decide for themselves their own list of the suspects, and the quiz that all the players are take are available online. Trying to guess at the mole is the main premise of the show. And it should be the main premise of your monday night TV viewing habits. C'mon, people!
For what it's worth, after 2 episodes I've changed my pick of mole from Clay as orignially guessed to Alex. Clay has done nothing to indicate whatsoever that he's the mole, which doesn't necessarily mean he isn't, but..........Alex has been craftily making his way through the first 4 tasks. I can easily see how the producers set it up so the first task he goes first off the waterfall ( due to alphabetical order) and misses the bag w/ the built-in excuse of being the first to fall, then does terrible in the soccer game ( seriously, i dunno what soccer league he played in, but when does a soccer player dribble around with the ball on a penalty kick?), and then subtlely messing up the flying piggies game. If I were a contestant in the season, I wouldn't put all my eggs on him, obviously, this early in the game, but the writing's on the wall. It's not a full wall yet, but there's some scribbles.
Anyway, fantasy baseball. I've had plenty of distractions this season from my favoritest game, but now i'm back and more pumped forever. But just to encourage those who've fallen off a bit from the game, I can relate. Sometimes you feel through the long, long season that it doesn't really matter whether Ichiro went 0 for 4 last night, or your top reliever ( say, Heath Bell) got rocked for 2 runs and 4 hits last night. It's such a long season that it all balances out in the end, or you feel that it's just not very significant. They didn't really have that big an impact on the game! O, and you're leading in HR's anyway, so who cares if Justin Morneau got robbed at the wall?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, lemme just tell you a lil' story: Last year, I played in a winners league that I was very passionate about, all the players in the league were active participants, things were tense. I really wanted to win. And there were a few days I felt exactly what I'd just described, a feeling of triviality, that it doesn't really matter, or I'd seen it all before. I even got bored sometimes with Carlos Beltran: I mean, the guy isn't very exciting. Well, last season I lost by 0.5 points in the Yahoo! rotisserie league after making a furious comeback the last day to gain 3.5 pts but still lose by an eyelash. What was more upsetting was the # of categories I could have gained in. Two more runs and I would have gotten another half point. 1 More home run. Couple more points in batting average. That means on any given night, I could have just made another wise move or two, guessed right on somebody getting hot or facing a familiar pitcher and taking him/ her deep. I was sure I could have squeezed another one of those situations out, but I didn't. It hurt. Therefore, fantasy players, I urge you, don't let the season's length take its toll on your participation level. It'll cost ya.
O, and don't forget to watch the mole this monday 10/9 c. It'd make my day.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Man, when I wrote a few posts back that I was a lil disappointed about the first episode of the mole, I didn't expect it to have such an impact! Haha, seriously, watch the mole, give it a chance, it's a quality show. Someone on another blog made a point that the mole is superior to other reality TV shows like survivor or bachelor in that viewers actually have a lot of interaction with the show; they follow along with every move of every player and decide for themselves their own list of the suspects, and the quiz that all the players are take are available online. Trying to guess at the mole is the main premise of the show. And it should be the main premise of your monday night TV viewing habits. C'mon, people!
For what it's worth, after 2 episodes I've changed my pick of mole from Clay as orignially guessed to Alex. Clay has done nothing to indicate whatsoever that he's the mole, which doesn't necessarily mean he isn't, but..........Alex has been craftily making his way through the first 4 tasks. I can easily see how the producers set it up so the first task he goes first off the waterfall ( due to alphabetical order) and misses the bag w/ the built-in excuse of being the first to fall, then does terrible in the soccer game ( seriously, i dunno what soccer league he played in, but when does a soccer player dribble around with the ball on a penalty kick?), and then subtlely messing up the flying piggies game. If I were a contestant in the season, I wouldn't put all my eggs on him, obviously, this early in the game, but the writing's on the wall. It's not a full wall yet, but there's some scribbles.
Anyway, fantasy baseball. I've had plenty of distractions this season from my favoritest game, but now i'm back and more pumped forever. But just to encourage those who've fallen off a bit from the game, I can relate. Sometimes you feel through the long, long season that it doesn't really matter whether Ichiro went 0 for 4 last night, or your top reliever ( say, Heath Bell) got rocked for 2 runs and 4 hits last night. It's such a long season that it all balances out in the end, or you feel that it's just not very significant. They didn't really have that big an impact on the game! O, and you're leading in HR's anyway, so who cares if Justin Morneau got robbed at the wall?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, lemme just tell you a lil' story: Last year, I played in a winners league that I was very passionate about, all the players in the league were active participants, things were tense. I really wanted to win. And there were a few days I felt exactly what I'd just described, a feeling of triviality, that it doesn't really matter, or I'd seen it all before. I even got bored sometimes with Carlos Beltran: I mean, the guy isn't very exciting. Well, last season I lost by 0.5 points in the Yahoo! rotisserie league after making a furious comeback the last day to gain 3.5 pts but still lose by an eyelash. What was more upsetting was the # of categories I could have gained in. Two more runs and I would have gotten another half point. 1 More home run. Couple more points in batting average. That means on any given night, I could have just made another wise move or two, guessed right on somebody getting hot or facing a familiar pitcher and taking him/ her deep. I was sure I could have squeezed another one of those situations out, but I didn't. It hurt. Therefore, fantasy players, I urge you, don't let the season's length take its toll on your participation level. It'll cost ya.
O, and don't forget to watch the mole this monday 10/9 c. It'd make my day.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Cubs-Dodgers
Eh. Super. So went to the Sunday Night baseball game at dodgers stadium, not much to report. Cubs win, take a split in Los Angeles, but the game was pretty boring, IMO. Got off to a fun start w/ DeRosa homering immediately and then the Blue Crew answering in the bottom, but it was pretty much downhill from there. Marquis actually had a good outing tonight? Wow. He is the one guy u can rely on to allow 3 ER's or more, and he gives up a measly unearned run tonight. Go figure.
Anyway, the real value was teaching my 11-year-old sister about baseball, a subject in which she actually seemed interested, asked genuine questions, it was a good time. It's definitely a step up from me trying to explain finance to someone; while explaining baseball i don't have to worry about retracting something i said 5 minutes ago after I get asked a rebuking question.
The rundown tonight: ( one piece of fantasy tidbit per game):
1.) NYY beat KC 6-3: People forget how good Jason Giambi once was. He fell off a bit the last few years w/ injuries and such, but in 2006 he hit 37 homers and 110 RBI's in just 484 AB's. He has a lotta opportunity for production.
2.) Det beat Cle 5-2: Maybe the reason both struggle is that neither leadoff hitter is really a leadoff hitter: they hit more home runs than they should, could probably put them in 3 hole or elsewhere ( granderson and sizemore)
3.) Tor beat Bal 5-4: Roy Halladay has to pitch more innings than anyone. Ever.
4.) Fla beat Cin 9-2: Corey Patterson still on that team? He got a pinch-hit HR today, apparently. The man-child HanRam racking up 2.
5.) Pitt def. Ariz 6-4: The Max Scherzer experiment officially over for me. Not starting anymore and not dominating batters enough.
6.) San Fran beat Wash 6-3: Lastings Millege watch: HR ( ding). Brian Wilson impressively w/ 17 saves, on pace for close to 50.
7.) Philly 6-3 over atl: Add Ryan Howard to that list of peeps u need to buy low on. NOW! Before it's too late.
8.) Bos 2-1 over sea: Told u about JD Drew yesterday. Justin Masterson is a good-looking young arm, but again, don't be too enamoured by the good starts so far. It'll normalize.
9.) Two pitchers to look at in St. Louis 5-4 over Houston: Wandy Rodriguez the starter for Houston, Ryan Franklin closer for STL taking over maybe permanently.
10.) CHW over Min 12-2: Joe Crede has a magnet in his bat. Check his bat! Check his bat! He's hitting everything.
11.) MIL 3-2 over Col. I looked at this box score and saw NOTHING really notable. If I had to take anyone in that depleted rockies lineup i'd get atkins.
12.) Oakland 7-3 over angels, on a walkoff grandslam by mark ellis, i believe.
That's one guy who's a great baseball player, not so great fantasy wise. Ervin Santana might make me regret trading him for carlos guillen by the end of the season.
13.) San Diego over NYM 8-6: There goes Jose Reyes on the basepaths. But there might go Willie Randolph's job after a sweep in San Diego.
14.) Texas over Tampa 6-3: Milton Bradley: Wild thing! You make my heart sing!
That's it. It's over. It's all over.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Anyway, the real value was teaching my 11-year-old sister about baseball, a subject in which she actually seemed interested, asked genuine questions, it was a good time. It's definitely a step up from me trying to explain finance to someone; while explaining baseball i don't have to worry about retracting something i said 5 minutes ago after I get asked a rebuking question.
The rundown tonight: ( one piece of fantasy tidbit per game):
1.) NYY beat KC 6-3: People forget how good Jason Giambi once was. He fell off a bit the last few years w/ injuries and such, but in 2006 he hit 37 homers and 110 RBI's in just 484 AB's. He has a lotta opportunity for production.
2.) Det beat Cle 5-2: Maybe the reason both struggle is that neither leadoff hitter is really a leadoff hitter: they hit more home runs than they should, could probably put them in 3 hole or elsewhere ( granderson and sizemore)
3.) Tor beat Bal 5-4: Roy Halladay has to pitch more innings than anyone. Ever.
4.) Fla beat Cin 9-2: Corey Patterson still on that team? He got a pinch-hit HR today, apparently. The man-child HanRam racking up 2.
5.) Pitt def. Ariz 6-4: The Max Scherzer experiment officially over for me. Not starting anymore and not dominating batters enough.
6.) San Fran beat Wash 6-3: Lastings Millege watch: HR ( ding). Brian Wilson impressively w/ 17 saves, on pace for close to 50.
7.) Philly 6-3 over atl: Add Ryan Howard to that list of peeps u need to buy low on. NOW! Before it's too late.
8.) Bos 2-1 over sea: Told u about JD Drew yesterday. Justin Masterson is a good-looking young arm, but again, don't be too enamoured by the good starts so far. It'll normalize.
9.) Two pitchers to look at in St. Louis 5-4 over Houston: Wandy Rodriguez the starter for Houston, Ryan Franklin closer for STL taking over maybe permanently.
10.) CHW over Min 12-2: Joe Crede has a magnet in his bat. Check his bat! Check his bat! He's hitting everything.
11.) MIL 3-2 over Col. I looked at this box score and saw NOTHING really notable. If I had to take anyone in that depleted rockies lineup i'd get atkins.
12.) Oakland 7-3 over angels, on a walkoff grandslam by mark ellis, i believe.
That's one guy who's a great baseball player, not so great fantasy wise. Ervin Santana might make me regret trading him for carlos guillen by the end of the season.
13.) San Diego over NYM 8-6: There goes Jose Reyes on the basepaths. But there might go Willie Randolph's job after a sweep in San Diego.
14.) Texas over Tampa 6-3: Milton Bradley: Wild thing! You make my heart sing!
That's it. It's over. It's all over.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Josephine Kao
More than a week after the 2008 National Spelling Bee, I have some lingering thoughts about it, especially to a certain "sphendone"-ousted speller.
But first, just wanted all to know I will be at the Chicago Cubs- LA Dodgers game tomorrow. I'm expecting a cubbies win after consecutive losses to the Blue Crew to split the series, but it's Jason Marquis pitching, haven't been too impressed with him all year.
Btw, right now is a great time to be talking about that "buy low" stuff in fantasy baseball. So many great opportunities present themselves, and chances are you have a dude on your team right now who's done quite well that will go into a slump soon that you find saying, "what am i still doing with this guy?"
Anyway, guys I'd target nowadays are Carlos Beltran ( those homers have gotta start coming), Alex Rodriguez ( uh, he's was a monster last year, guys), Jose Reyes ( should be super-thief in 2nd half), Matt Holliday ( while injured), and Jake Peavy on the pitching front ( again, while injured).
Btw, JD Drew is a solid pickup as he will try to be the new David Ortiz of the Boston lineup, which he won't do but he'll have the same number of run-scoring chances.
Okay, so after reading some news on the National Spelling Bee that came across an article that described Josephine Kao as being devastated after being eliminated in the 7th round at the NSB and "having to process all of it" before deciding whether to compete in next year's bee ( She was a 7th grader this year and has one more year of eligibility left). I apologize if these statements were taken out of context by a reporter, Josephine, but here's my message to you if the above was true:
Do the spelling bee next year. I don't purport to know what it feels like to study for the national spelling bee year after year like you have, nor what the pressure is in washington D.C. during competition. However, I do know a little bit about missed opportunities. I would sacrifice a lot to go back in time and be able to compete in the NSB. I, unfortunately, never had a chance to be in the NSB. If this is something that you truly love, that you want to compete, the opportunity won't come again. Never again will you be able to compete in the National Spelling Bee, and if you quit now all your life you'll wonder, if I studied that last year for it, would I have won? It might not seem like a big thing to bypass now at age 13, but being a national spelling champ will carry with you throughout your life, something you can look back on and say, "I achieved that, I succeeded." And that's a mighty thing to be able to say you did. I personally can look back and say, " I achieved straight A's or I won individual awards in state chess," but nothing compares to the prestige of being the ONLY WINNER of THAT YEAR in the COUNTRY. You will truly be, quoting a winning word of a spelling bee, "nonpareil."
Your motivation doesn't even need to be just winning. You've gone 3 times, finished in a better position every time, and ending your spelling career w/ a top 10 finish will be nothing to scoff at, coupled with your 4-year resume of work: A 47th, a 16th, a 13th.
But if winning is your main motivation, you got a good chance. Look at the spelling bees from 2005 on. Every time, the favorite didn't win, but a repeater who was had substantial experience did win. In 2006 and 2007, Samir Patel was the favorite, but got out, and long-time repeaters Kerry Close and Evan Dorney took it home. In 2008 a trio of favorites ( Thomas, Evans, Shivashankar) all fell, but a 4-timer Mishra won. In 2009, Kavya Shivashankar will be the ESPN favorite, the crowd favorite, the odds-on candidate, whatever, but she will get all the attention, and you can quietly operate under all that pressure, knowing full well you're probably just as prepared as she is even though she placed slightly higher the last few years.
Truly, there's a reason why every winning speller in the last decade had at least some experience in the previous years. It takes a lot of time and energy just to GET to bee-ready level, going through the Consolidated Words List of 23,000 gnarly words, as well as learning essential Greek and Latin roots. However, for returners, especially FOUR-TIMERS, you've already done all that. All you have to do is review those words, make sure you don't forget them, then focus on your weaknesses, or new words in the addendums, or anything you want, building on your skill level. It's truly a great advantage, and next year you'll be one of few to have it.
Therefore, don't be afraid of pulling a samir patel or matthew evans and placing worse than you did the year before. That happens very rarely, as the first 5 rounds are jam packed with CWL words, or at least words you can figure out using roots. It'd take something very serious to knock you out, and there's probably one in a thousand words in the first few rounds that can. After that it's all on your own, with a little luck involved. Hey, luck worked against you this year when you got a tough one w/ sphendone while others got some fat pitches to hit. All you need is a little recompensatory luck in 2009.
Why am I saying all this, you might ask. Well, as a recently-turned 21-year-old, I should be worried about a lot of other things. However, when I see a competition like the NSB bring out the best in spellers, allow their intelligence, skill, and spelling savvy to shine through, I feel a sense of pride and yearning for each of you to do well. Selfishly, I also like the storylines of "who's coming back next year," who's determined this year, basically the journey of one's experience leading him/her to one of the most prestigious awards they can ever receive. O and I'd like a fellow Californian to win it ( and fellow Asian/oriental at that, haha). So, Josephine Kao, I encourage you to pursue your dream of becoming the national spelling bee champion for one more year. You'll have at least one ardent fan here.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
But first, just wanted all to know I will be at the Chicago Cubs- LA Dodgers game tomorrow. I'm expecting a cubbies win after consecutive losses to the Blue Crew to split the series, but it's Jason Marquis pitching, haven't been too impressed with him all year.
Btw, right now is a great time to be talking about that "buy low" stuff in fantasy baseball. So many great opportunities present themselves, and chances are you have a dude on your team right now who's done quite well that will go into a slump soon that you find saying, "what am i still doing with this guy?"
Anyway, guys I'd target nowadays are Carlos Beltran ( those homers have gotta start coming), Alex Rodriguez ( uh, he's was a monster last year, guys), Jose Reyes ( should be super-thief in 2nd half), Matt Holliday ( while injured), and Jake Peavy on the pitching front ( again, while injured).
Btw, JD Drew is a solid pickup as he will try to be the new David Ortiz of the Boston lineup, which he won't do but he'll have the same number of run-scoring chances.
Okay, so after reading some news on the National Spelling Bee that came across an article that described Josephine Kao as being devastated after being eliminated in the 7th round at the NSB and "having to process all of it" before deciding whether to compete in next year's bee ( She was a 7th grader this year and has one more year of eligibility left). I apologize if these statements were taken out of context by a reporter, Josephine, but here's my message to you if the above was true:
Do the spelling bee next year. I don't purport to know what it feels like to study for the national spelling bee year after year like you have, nor what the pressure is in washington D.C. during competition. However, I do know a little bit about missed opportunities. I would sacrifice a lot to go back in time and be able to compete in the NSB. I, unfortunately, never had a chance to be in the NSB. If this is something that you truly love, that you want to compete, the opportunity won't come again. Never again will you be able to compete in the National Spelling Bee, and if you quit now all your life you'll wonder, if I studied that last year for it, would I have won? It might not seem like a big thing to bypass now at age 13, but being a national spelling champ will carry with you throughout your life, something you can look back on and say, "I achieved that, I succeeded." And that's a mighty thing to be able to say you did. I personally can look back and say, " I achieved straight A's or I won individual awards in state chess," but nothing compares to the prestige of being the ONLY WINNER of THAT YEAR in the COUNTRY. You will truly be, quoting a winning word of a spelling bee, "nonpareil."
Your motivation doesn't even need to be just winning. You've gone 3 times, finished in a better position every time, and ending your spelling career w/ a top 10 finish will be nothing to scoff at, coupled with your 4-year resume of work: A 47th, a 16th, a 13th.
But if winning is your main motivation, you got a good chance. Look at the spelling bees from 2005 on. Every time, the favorite didn't win, but a repeater who was had substantial experience did win. In 2006 and 2007, Samir Patel was the favorite, but got out, and long-time repeaters Kerry Close and Evan Dorney took it home. In 2008 a trio of favorites ( Thomas, Evans, Shivashankar) all fell, but a 4-timer Mishra won. In 2009, Kavya Shivashankar will be the ESPN favorite, the crowd favorite, the odds-on candidate, whatever, but she will get all the attention, and you can quietly operate under all that pressure, knowing full well you're probably just as prepared as she is even though she placed slightly higher the last few years.
Truly, there's a reason why every winning speller in the last decade had at least some experience in the previous years. It takes a lot of time and energy just to GET to bee-ready level, going through the Consolidated Words List of 23,000 gnarly words, as well as learning essential Greek and Latin roots. However, for returners, especially FOUR-TIMERS, you've already done all that. All you have to do is review those words, make sure you don't forget them, then focus on your weaknesses, or new words in the addendums, or anything you want, building on your skill level. It's truly a great advantage, and next year you'll be one of few to have it.
Therefore, don't be afraid of pulling a samir patel or matthew evans and placing worse than you did the year before. That happens very rarely, as the first 5 rounds are jam packed with CWL words, or at least words you can figure out using roots. It'd take something very serious to knock you out, and there's probably one in a thousand words in the first few rounds that can. After that it's all on your own, with a little luck involved. Hey, luck worked against you this year when you got a tough one w/ sphendone while others got some fat pitches to hit. All you need is a little recompensatory luck in 2009.
Why am I saying all this, you might ask. Well, as a recently-turned 21-year-old, I should be worried about a lot of other things. However, when I see a competition like the NSB bring out the best in spellers, allow their intelligence, skill, and spelling savvy to shine through, I feel a sense of pride and yearning for each of you to do well. Selfishly, I also like the storylines of "who's coming back next year," who's determined this year, basically the journey of one's experience leading him/her to one of the most prestigious awards they can ever receive. O and I'd like a fellow Californian to win it ( and fellow Asian/oriental at that, haha). So, Josephine Kao, I encourage you to pursue your dream of becoming the national spelling bee champion for one more year. You'll have at least one ardent fan here.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Beast Wars
Back in the late 1990's, when i was just getting through middle school, there was a nice little animated TV series on UPN that aired for three seasons in the morning during school time, and I loved it. It was called Beast Wars, a spin-off of the popular transformers series.
I still love it. The entire series is posted on YouTube by some magnanimous soul, and I applaude him/her. Anyway, it's a great watch even for a cartoon, as there's great battling, good story lines, funny voices, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, even a love story ( better than the soaps, eh?), and popular media references. In 3 different scenes, Dinobot quotes Hamlet. Ex: when dying, Dinobot quotes, " The rest is silence." Found courtesy of Ali Godil. Check it out if you're like me and have a bit of free time in the summer.
Chien- Ming Wang is like the spark of the Yankees rotation: Can't live without him ( The Beast wars bots had sparks as hearts). Anyway, the guy is just so steady especially for a team that always has problems with pitching, injuries, and so forth. 19 wins the last 2 seasons, ERA under 4, pitches in one of the most stressful sports markets in America, gotta love'em. Again, i think i mentioned it before, he was 2nd in voting for AL Cy Young a couple years ago. And he's only 28. He's got a bright future. He's Taiwanese, btw, not Chinese, altho some would argue that those are the same nationality.
Mike Mussina and Greg Maddux might be on the verge of bounceback years, while John Smoltz on the verge of retiring. Sad about Smoltz, as he's had an illustrious career but might end it on a BS, blown save. Maddux's peripherals are so far really awesome, while Mussina's 8 wins lead the AL, i think.
Whatever happened to Alex Rios? I just looked at his stats and he'd be like a 4th outfielder in fantasy leagues. 3 hr's? .266? Not gonna get the job done, man.
Jorge Posada back in the Yankees lineup today, or as my friend Justin calls him, George Posada. He woulda had 20 Hr's in a full season, I'll say 15 as a rough estimate for this year. Still real good for a catcher.
Ryan Howard 2006 NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins 2007 NL MVP, Chase Utley 2008 NL MVP?? Sure looks like it. After his big tear in april, thought he'd regress a little bit, but he's still hammering homers all over the ballpark, to the tune of a major-league leading 21. We're in early June.
May be the last time i ever talk about a washington national: I think Lastings Milleage is in the right place. Go out to a low-market team, no pressure to succeed, get your game developed, bat in the prime hitting spots in the lineup, live up to 1st round draft pick hype, become future star. Or be a bust. Either way.
Milleage could follow in the prototype of Adrian Gonzalez, former overall #1 pick: Sweet swing, man.
As I write this Milleage gets picked off of first. Great!
My friend Arsalaan and I applied for the Amazing Race 14, long shot if any but the only sure thing is if you DON't apply you have ZERO shot of making it, so we did under a "Harold and Kumar" theme. Btw, if you haven't seen H+K 2, i'd still recommend it although people didn't think it was as good as the first one? Where'd they get that idea?
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I still love it. The entire series is posted on YouTube by some magnanimous soul, and I applaude him/her. Anyway, it's a great watch even for a cartoon, as there's great battling, good story lines, funny voices, CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT, even a love story ( better than the soaps, eh?), and popular media references. In 3 different scenes, Dinobot quotes Hamlet. Ex: when dying, Dinobot quotes, " The rest is silence." Found courtesy of Ali Godil. Check it out if you're like me and have a bit of free time in the summer.
Chien- Ming Wang is like the spark of the Yankees rotation: Can't live without him ( The Beast wars bots had sparks as hearts). Anyway, the guy is just so steady especially for a team that always has problems with pitching, injuries, and so forth. 19 wins the last 2 seasons, ERA under 4, pitches in one of the most stressful sports markets in America, gotta love'em. Again, i think i mentioned it before, he was 2nd in voting for AL Cy Young a couple years ago. And he's only 28. He's got a bright future. He's Taiwanese, btw, not Chinese, altho some would argue that those are the same nationality.
Mike Mussina and Greg Maddux might be on the verge of bounceback years, while John Smoltz on the verge of retiring. Sad about Smoltz, as he's had an illustrious career but might end it on a BS, blown save. Maddux's peripherals are so far really awesome, while Mussina's 8 wins lead the AL, i think.
Whatever happened to Alex Rios? I just looked at his stats and he'd be like a 4th outfielder in fantasy leagues. 3 hr's? .266? Not gonna get the job done, man.
Jorge Posada back in the Yankees lineup today, or as my friend Justin calls him, George Posada. He woulda had 20 Hr's in a full season, I'll say 15 as a rough estimate for this year. Still real good for a catcher.
Ryan Howard 2006 NL MVP, Jimmy Rollins 2007 NL MVP, Chase Utley 2008 NL MVP?? Sure looks like it. After his big tear in april, thought he'd regress a little bit, but he's still hammering homers all over the ballpark, to the tune of a major-league leading 21. We're in early June.
May be the last time i ever talk about a washington national: I think Lastings Milleage is in the right place. Go out to a low-market team, no pressure to succeed, get your game developed, bat in the prime hitting spots in the lineup, live up to 1st round draft pick hype, become future star. Or be a bust. Either way.
Milleage could follow in the prototype of Adrian Gonzalez, former overall #1 pick: Sweet swing, man.
As I write this Milleage gets picked off of first. Great!
My friend Arsalaan and I applied for the Amazing Race 14, long shot if any but the only sure thing is if you DON't apply you have ZERO shot of making it, so we did under a "Harold and Kumar" theme. Btw, if you haven't seen H+K 2, i'd still recommend it although people didn't think it was as good as the first one? Where'd they get that idea?
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Just another day in June
For this blog's 100th post ever, I thought I'd get back to the basics: straight fantasy baseball. Classic time in fantasy baseball too: Midseason approaching, all the teams gelling, contenders separated from pretenders, fantasy studs and fantasy duds proving themselves as such.
Zack Greinke: Fantasy dud, pretty much. Got off to a great start, but he's more of a control pitcher, doesn't miss a lot of bats, and plays on a terrible team. That means little K's, little W's to compensate, so if his ERA and WHIP ( peripherals) aren't great he's worthless. He's starting to become worthless after he gave up 8 ER.
Brandon Webb: Fantasy stud. Man o man, has he turned into a fantasy powerhouse. Never really gets injured cuz he's a groundball pitcher, posts elite numbers every year, should be even better in W's this year on the D'backs. And he shares the fantasy guru ( yours truly)'s birthday, May 9th.
Josh Hamilton: Wow, where has this guy been all my life? Homered for the 4th straight game today, anchors the best offense in the game, period. Look at his stats and let your jaw drop. And he's not a one hit wonder. We're watching the blossoming of a fantasy force for the next 10 years.
On the same team, Ian Kinsler's success pretty much tied to JHam's, he gets the runs and SB's while Joshy gets the mashing done behind him. He has 16 stolen bases in 16 attempts, so u figure he has the green light 50% of the time, all the time. ( actually, really just all the time).
David Ortiz out for at least a month, maybe for the season? Ouch. Honestly, though, you could somewhat see that coming. He's had some wear and tear the last few seasons, and chronic problems that's lowered his power production
The Bruce, the bruce, the bruce was on fire! Reds superprospect Jay Bruce finally cooled down and ONLY hit 1 for 3 today. The kid is ridiculous and has jumped out of the gate, but he wasn't good enuff for me not to trade him and randy johnson for adam dunn. All signs point to rookies struggling in their first years, but tell that to ryan braun last year.
Law school as a home? PRE-posterous! Ha ha, listening to 2007 speech by Ronald Garet at USC Law. Going there this fall, as far as i know, and am excited. Incidentally, I have a Illinois vs. USC 2008 rose bowl shirt that pretty much symbolizes my transition from undergrad to law school. Awesome. Now move on to more fantasy, you say. Will do.
Saw major league and major league 2 in the last few weeks about the cleveland indians and "wild thing," winning the division and going to the world series. And lemme tell ya, the 2008 version ain't it. Just for proof, look at the offense. This is not just a fantasy-inept lineup but just inept lineup. Victor Martinez has ZERO home runs yet? Travis Hafner's on the DL, David Delluci routinely hits in the 3-hole ( today it was Ben Francisco, of all people), Garko and Casey Blake doing virtually nothing, and Sizemore not really being a leadoff hitter that they need ( he's still alright fantasy-wise, though, i admit). Dump these guys and any cleveland pitching u might have. ( That includes cliff lee, whose robust start is built mainly on pixie dust).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Zack Greinke: Fantasy dud, pretty much. Got off to a great start, but he's more of a control pitcher, doesn't miss a lot of bats, and plays on a terrible team. That means little K's, little W's to compensate, so if his ERA and WHIP ( peripherals) aren't great he's worthless. He's starting to become worthless after he gave up 8 ER.
Brandon Webb: Fantasy stud. Man o man, has he turned into a fantasy powerhouse. Never really gets injured cuz he's a groundball pitcher, posts elite numbers every year, should be even better in W's this year on the D'backs. And he shares the fantasy guru ( yours truly)'s birthday, May 9th.
Josh Hamilton: Wow, where has this guy been all my life? Homered for the 4th straight game today, anchors the best offense in the game, period. Look at his stats and let your jaw drop. And he's not a one hit wonder. We're watching the blossoming of a fantasy force for the next 10 years.
On the same team, Ian Kinsler's success pretty much tied to JHam's, he gets the runs and SB's while Joshy gets the mashing done behind him. He has 16 stolen bases in 16 attempts, so u figure he has the green light 50% of the time, all the time. ( actually, really just all the time).
David Ortiz out for at least a month, maybe for the season? Ouch. Honestly, though, you could somewhat see that coming. He's had some wear and tear the last few seasons, and chronic problems that's lowered his power production
The Bruce, the bruce, the bruce was on fire! Reds superprospect Jay Bruce finally cooled down and ONLY hit 1 for 3 today. The kid is ridiculous and has jumped out of the gate, but he wasn't good enuff for me not to trade him and randy johnson for adam dunn. All signs point to rookies struggling in their first years, but tell that to ryan braun last year.
Law school as a home? PRE-posterous! Ha ha, listening to 2007 speech by Ronald Garet at USC Law. Going there this fall, as far as i know, and am excited. Incidentally, I have a Illinois vs. USC 2008 rose bowl shirt that pretty much symbolizes my transition from undergrad to law school. Awesome. Now move on to more fantasy, you say. Will do.
Saw major league and major league 2 in the last few weeks about the cleveland indians and "wild thing," winning the division and going to the world series. And lemme tell ya, the 2008 version ain't it. Just for proof, look at the offense. This is not just a fantasy-inept lineup but just inept lineup. Victor Martinez has ZERO home runs yet? Travis Hafner's on the DL, David Delluci routinely hits in the 3-hole ( today it was Ben Francisco, of all people), Garko and Casey Blake doing virtually nothing, and Sizemore not really being a leadoff hitter that they need ( he's still alright fantasy-wise, though, i admit). Dump these guys and any cleveland pitching u might have. ( That includes cliff lee, whose robust start is built mainly on pixie dust).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, June 2, 2008
The Return of the Mole
Tonight was the return from a lengthy hiatus of The Mole, one of my absolutely endeared shows... and as excited as I was about it coming back to TV, I gotta say, I was a little disappointed. Now, granted, I know for sure already that this season's gonna be better than the 2 celebrity seasons that really killed the series the first time around, but not as good so far as Mole 2, which I guess is why I'm a little disappointed.
Really, what I wanted from the mole was not too big of a difference from Mole 2 next betrayal, which to me is THE best season of television ever ( no joke, don't try and talk me out of it, y'all.) I wanted them to stay w/ the concept, cast interesting/ intelligent people instead of some of the ratings-hogs on some of the other networks. The 2 big things that stand out for me after watching the first episode this year is that a.) the difference in host is noticeable. b.) the musical score is noticeable.
Now a), i think everyone'd agree w/ me that anderson cooper was just a terrific host of mole and mole 2, really kept the show going, was as funny as he was professional and participated fully in the show. So far, i don't get that same feeling from jon kelley, the new guy. Obviously, he has time to grow on me. So too does the music. It's a little biased coming from me who owns the mole soundtrack from the first 2 seasons, but i thought the music this season got newer but not better. The elimination music especially in mole 2 is one of the most suspenseful things I've ever witnessed, and this one doesn't do it for me yet.
As for the actual show, i'll plant a seed of doubt for those who think they already know who el mole is: the mole historian ( a.k.a. yours truly) says that The first 2 moles, there was no sign of mole behavior from the actual mole in the first episode. In mole 1, kathryn actually helped SAVE a task in the first episode and didn't look suspicious at all. In mole 2, Bill was the assigner of tasks and didn't really seem like he did anything to influence the decision, doing the logical thing of leaving the swing for life ( by far the scariest task ) w/ no money.
So this time, in mole 3 ( or mole 5, whatever number shall be assigned) there's a difference between what the producers want me to see and what I want to believe. I say that chances are good that any of the peeps mentioned as potential suspects that did suspicious behavior aren't the mole and that he/ she's lying in the weeds so far. And he/ she really didn't need that much help, there was so much bungling it was ridiculous. Paul is trying so hard to look like the mole ( putrid effort on both tasks) that he can't be the mole, bobby playing the dorothy card not being athletically fit at all, mark the history teacher not getting the robinson crusoe items correct, craig being the guy w/ the easy excuse not to be the mole, all those guys i don't suspect. Obviously i don't know definitely who the mole IS, though, definitely, so I'll just throw it out there and say that Clay is the mole. Time for a minority to get a crack, and he had absolutely no suspicious activity this first ep. So if he is indeed it, you heard it here, first, y'all.
And in baseball news, Adrian Gonzalez hit his 17th homer of the season. This after i traded him in both of the leagues i had him thinking his hot start would cool down because of his team's deficiencies. Yippee.
Jay bruce homered again. Yippee of the non-sarcastic fashion.
Mark Prior out for another season. Anyone wanna bet his career's over?
O and one more thing about the mole. Please watch this season. All the grumbling I had about the mole earlier pale in comparison to how much i actually adore this show, particulary the entire concept of building up money with a traitor in the midst, with the real challenge the social game instead of the monetary part. So please watch this season, as solid viewership will greatly enhance its likelihood of getting picked up again, and let's hope that it will instead of such roaring successes like " the next great inventor" or "the nine."
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Really, what I wanted from the mole was not too big of a difference from Mole 2 next betrayal, which to me is THE best season of television ever ( no joke, don't try and talk me out of it, y'all.) I wanted them to stay w/ the concept, cast interesting/ intelligent people instead of some of the ratings-hogs on some of the other networks. The 2 big things that stand out for me after watching the first episode this year is that a.) the difference in host is noticeable. b.) the musical score is noticeable.
Now a), i think everyone'd agree w/ me that anderson cooper was just a terrific host of mole and mole 2, really kept the show going, was as funny as he was professional and participated fully in the show. So far, i don't get that same feeling from jon kelley, the new guy. Obviously, he has time to grow on me. So too does the music. It's a little biased coming from me who owns the mole soundtrack from the first 2 seasons, but i thought the music this season got newer but not better. The elimination music especially in mole 2 is one of the most suspenseful things I've ever witnessed, and this one doesn't do it for me yet.
As for the actual show, i'll plant a seed of doubt for those who think they already know who el mole is: the mole historian ( a.k.a. yours truly) says that The first 2 moles, there was no sign of mole behavior from the actual mole in the first episode. In mole 1, kathryn actually helped SAVE a task in the first episode and didn't look suspicious at all. In mole 2, Bill was the assigner of tasks and didn't really seem like he did anything to influence the decision, doing the logical thing of leaving the swing for life ( by far the scariest task ) w/ no money.
So this time, in mole 3 ( or mole 5, whatever number shall be assigned) there's a difference between what the producers want me to see and what I want to believe. I say that chances are good that any of the peeps mentioned as potential suspects that did suspicious behavior aren't the mole and that he/ she's lying in the weeds so far. And he/ she really didn't need that much help, there was so much bungling it was ridiculous. Paul is trying so hard to look like the mole ( putrid effort on both tasks) that he can't be the mole, bobby playing the dorothy card not being athletically fit at all, mark the history teacher not getting the robinson crusoe items correct, craig being the guy w/ the easy excuse not to be the mole, all those guys i don't suspect. Obviously i don't know definitely who the mole IS, though, definitely, so I'll just throw it out there and say that Clay is the mole. Time for a minority to get a crack, and he had absolutely no suspicious activity this first ep. So if he is indeed it, you heard it here, first, y'all.
And in baseball news, Adrian Gonzalez hit his 17th homer of the season. This after i traded him in both of the leagues i had him thinking his hot start would cool down because of his team's deficiencies. Yippee.
Jay bruce homered again. Yippee of the non-sarcastic fashion.
Mark Prior out for another season. Anyone wanna bet his career's over?
O and one more thing about the mole. Please watch this season. All the grumbling I had about the mole earlier pale in comparison to how much i actually adore this show, particulary the entire concept of building up money with a traitor in the midst, with the real challenge the social game instead of the monetary part. So please watch this season, as solid viewership will greatly enhance its likelihood of getting picked up again, and let's hope that it will instead of such roaring successes like " the next great inventor" or "the nine."
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, June 1, 2008
The 81st annual Scripps National Spelling Bee
Hey guys- a little late, but I shoulda updated this blog while watching the national spelling bee thursday- friday:
Wow. What an experience. I really stumbled upon the spelling bee in november, when i read James Maguire's book "The American Bee" and just became fascinated with the concept of this national spelling bee testing the wits of young students across America ( and other English parts of the world), and watching the documentary Spellbound really cemented that interest. I was hooked.
Over the course of the first part of the year, i studied a big chunk of the spelling bee Consolidated Words List ( CWL). By big chunk i mean just 1/3 of what they had given out, and whew, i gotta tell ya, there are a lot of obscure words in the english language, and it really gave me an appreciation of what these kids go through.
Anyway, then led to the national spelling bee aired on thursday-friday. Thursday was the quaterfinals, a.k.a. round 3 + 4, which weren't too bad but there were a lot of kids, and it really served to separate the pretenders from the contenders, narrowing the field from 90 to about 45, i think? No favs went out ( each year there are favorites in the field of the spelling bee, usually kids who have been to the spelling bee multiple years in a row and have shown success previously). This year i'd say the major favorites going in were Tia thomas and matt evans ( both five-time national contenders) and Kavya Shivashankar, the ESPN favorite, back for her 3rd year. ( Later we would find, of course, neither of these favs would win, which happens too, but like EVERY other year the winner was a multiple-year competitor, in this case a fourth year.)
Beginning of round 5 and friday's rounds gave us some shocks, as all the remaining canadian spellers went down like ducks in a row, even one of the favorites anqi dong ( when you get an ESPN video about yourself, you're usually considered a favorite too, at least one of the top 10). Then in round 6, biggest shocker of the day matthew evans struggled with "secernent" and spelled it "secernant." Common mistake if you don't know a word, and secernent's one of those words that's just weird enough to trip up a speller but easy to hide in a sea of words because of its relatively simple structure. No one would think to spend too much time on it, instead moving on to similar tougher words like "eleemosynary" or "triskaidekaphobia," so secernent lies in the weeds. I think that's what happened to matt: he'd probably seen the word before, but didn't give much thought to it. It's unfortunate. That's a lot of time and effort in practicing 5 years for a bee, and then this last year he does all that and finishes worse than he did last year. Probably one of the worst feelings, not that i'd know.
Anyway, so round 6 ended with 16 spellers, then i thought they'd break it up to make it the "finals," but instead they did another round to try to cut it to 12, and they really did, thanks to a pretty easy round. However, one of my personal favorites that'll probably do really well next year, got out on "sphendone." I can understand whey she got it wrong: It's not on dictionary.com, it's not in answers.com, it's a weird word that was somehow in there, and she made a great guess just missing the "y" at the end, probably a 50-50 that she lost. Truly unfortunate, she was probably a top 5 speller in terms of preparedness this year, i really think so. Should be strong next year.
Anyway, so 12 got to the finals, with 2 of my favs from the home state Illinois representing, especially Kyle Mou of peoria. Lol, really reminded me of myself when i was in 7th grade, really. Good kid though, got out later in round 10 , but should be back. Also Rose Sloan from Riverside, IL, which i think is where Brookfield zoo is in Chicagoland suburbs, about 15 minutes from my old house. She did really well, and apparently from throwingthings.blogspot.com, a real crowd favorite ( or viewer favorite, whatever). Tied for 4th, really solid. That's a lotta, lotta studying. Man, 4th best speller in the country, that has a nice ring to it. And it really might be the 4th best spller in the country, cuz excluding all the former spelling bee contestants who've went on to high school, ( like anurag kashyap, samir patel, kerry close), the spelling bee seems to get harder and harder every year, kids really study more and more to get to the top, the words they spell are just ridiculous.
The 2 other favorites, Tia Thomas and Shivashankar, got 3rd and 4th respectively, really respectable showing for Tia, she has to be really proud, improved her placing every year, very consistent, and her performance every year is almost enough to compensate for not winning, although she probably doesn't feel that way. Honestly, she might've been the best speller there, and if you did a test of 10,000 words and just determined a winner based on the least number wrong, she probably would have won this year. However, the bee doesn't work like that. Get an obscure, difficult-to-figure word like opificer, get forced into choosing from 3 different choices that first "uh" sound, and anybody'd be likely to be out. I think it's telling that evans, thomas, and shivashankar all got out on relatively simple-looking words ( secernent, opificer, and ecrase). All future favorites should learn from this trend, seeing samir patel the overwhelming fave get out last year on "clevis" in 2007 too.
Anyway, i think it's a little unfortunate this year that the winner had already missed a word in a "round"--- not to take away from what sameer mishra did, i just think it takes away from the sanctity of the bee that a winner didn't need to be perfect to win.... i guess "round 2" is not really a round because it's part of an overall point system that adds a bonus, but still, what's to say that word wasn't in round 3 or round 4 where he coulda been eliminated really early. Another way that luck plays a role in the bee, too. For the record, watching from round 4-6 i didn't think sameer had any chance of winning cuz he took the longest time on words that weren't that hard, but he really picked it up towards the end and really nailed some tough words.
The guy who really impressed me the most was the runner-up, the 1st-timer, sidharth, who woulda proved me and my experience theory all wrong by winning, but settled for 2nd. This guy just came out of nowhere ( and seeing that he lives in michigan, it might as well be nowhere, lol). But no, seriously, he nailed some doozers, and i think if he would have just settled down on his last word, took about 10 more seconds to spell, scribbled a lil more on his number placard, he woulda gotten it, the end sounded just like the end of "onomatopoeia." Urg.
So my first time watching the whole of a spelling bee. Pretty exciting, u get attached to the kids, and are heartbroken when some of them leave. But some of them do get next year, and here's my early faves for the 82nd annual scripps national spelling bee:
1.) Kavya Shivanshenkar ( ESPN will be all over her and her little sister, and i hope she doesn't become another sameer, but she was really solid this year, scary to think what another year will allow her to do).
2.) Sidharth Chand ( Only way to improve next year is a win).
3.) Josephine Kao ( gonna be her 4th year back next year with T-16th and T-13th places in back to back years, impressive this year in handling of eremophyte on the roots).
4.) Kyle Mou ( The little asian that could, a T-7th finish this year was no joke).
Alright. Long post. Hope you enjoyed.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Wow. What an experience. I really stumbled upon the spelling bee in november, when i read James Maguire's book "The American Bee" and just became fascinated with the concept of this national spelling bee testing the wits of young students across America ( and other English parts of the world), and watching the documentary Spellbound really cemented that interest. I was hooked.
Over the course of the first part of the year, i studied a big chunk of the spelling bee Consolidated Words List ( CWL). By big chunk i mean just 1/3 of what they had given out, and whew, i gotta tell ya, there are a lot of obscure words in the english language, and it really gave me an appreciation of what these kids go through.
Anyway, then led to the national spelling bee aired on thursday-friday. Thursday was the quaterfinals, a.k.a. round 3 + 4, which weren't too bad but there were a lot of kids, and it really served to separate the pretenders from the contenders, narrowing the field from 90 to about 45, i think? No favs went out ( each year there are favorites in the field of the spelling bee, usually kids who have been to the spelling bee multiple years in a row and have shown success previously). This year i'd say the major favorites going in were Tia thomas and matt evans ( both five-time national contenders) and Kavya Shivashankar, the ESPN favorite, back for her 3rd year. ( Later we would find, of course, neither of these favs would win, which happens too, but like EVERY other year the winner was a multiple-year competitor, in this case a fourth year.)
Beginning of round 5 and friday's rounds gave us some shocks, as all the remaining canadian spellers went down like ducks in a row, even one of the favorites anqi dong ( when you get an ESPN video about yourself, you're usually considered a favorite too, at least one of the top 10). Then in round 6, biggest shocker of the day matthew evans struggled with "secernent" and spelled it "secernant." Common mistake if you don't know a word, and secernent's one of those words that's just weird enough to trip up a speller but easy to hide in a sea of words because of its relatively simple structure. No one would think to spend too much time on it, instead moving on to similar tougher words like "eleemosynary" or "triskaidekaphobia," so secernent lies in the weeds. I think that's what happened to matt: he'd probably seen the word before, but didn't give much thought to it. It's unfortunate. That's a lot of time and effort in practicing 5 years for a bee, and then this last year he does all that and finishes worse than he did last year. Probably one of the worst feelings, not that i'd know.
Anyway, so round 6 ended with 16 spellers, then i thought they'd break it up to make it the "finals," but instead they did another round to try to cut it to 12, and they really did, thanks to a pretty easy round. However, one of my personal favorites that'll probably do really well next year, got out on "sphendone." I can understand whey she got it wrong: It's not on dictionary.com, it's not in answers.com, it's a weird word that was somehow in there, and she made a great guess just missing the "y" at the end, probably a 50-50 that she lost. Truly unfortunate, she was probably a top 5 speller in terms of preparedness this year, i really think so. Should be strong next year.
Anyway, so 12 got to the finals, with 2 of my favs from the home state Illinois representing, especially Kyle Mou of peoria. Lol, really reminded me of myself when i was in 7th grade, really. Good kid though, got out later in round 10 , but should be back. Also Rose Sloan from Riverside, IL, which i think is where Brookfield zoo is in Chicagoland suburbs, about 15 minutes from my old house. She did really well, and apparently from throwingthings.blogspot.com, a real crowd favorite ( or viewer favorite, whatever). Tied for 4th, really solid. That's a lotta, lotta studying. Man, 4th best speller in the country, that has a nice ring to it. And it really might be the 4th best spller in the country, cuz excluding all the former spelling bee contestants who've went on to high school, ( like anurag kashyap, samir patel, kerry close), the spelling bee seems to get harder and harder every year, kids really study more and more to get to the top, the words they spell are just ridiculous.
The 2 other favorites, Tia Thomas and Shivashankar, got 3rd and 4th respectively, really respectable showing for Tia, she has to be really proud, improved her placing every year, very consistent, and her performance every year is almost enough to compensate for not winning, although she probably doesn't feel that way. Honestly, she might've been the best speller there, and if you did a test of 10,000 words and just determined a winner based on the least number wrong, she probably would have won this year. However, the bee doesn't work like that. Get an obscure, difficult-to-figure word like opificer, get forced into choosing from 3 different choices that first "uh" sound, and anybody'd be likely to be out. I think it's telling that evans, thomas, and shivashankar all got out on relatively simple-looking words ( secernent, opificer, and ecrase). All future favorites should learn from this trend, seeing samir patel the overwhelming fave get out last year on "clevis" in 2007 too.
Anyway, i think it's a little unfortunate this year that the winner had already missed a word in a "round"--- not to take away from what sameer mishra did, i just think it takes away from the sanctity of the bee that a winner didn't need to be perfect to win.... i guess "round 2" is not really a round because it's part of an overall point system that adds a bonus, but still, what's to say that word wasn't in round 3 or round 4 where he coulda been eliminated really early. Another way that luck plays a role in the bee, too. For the record, watching from round 4-6 i didn't think sameer had any chance of winning cuz he took the longest time on words that weren't that hard, but he really picked it up towards the end and really nailed some tough words.
The guy who really impressed me the most was the runner-up, the 1st-timer, sidharth, who woulda proved me and my experience theory all wrong by winning, but settled for 2nd. This guy just came out of nowhere ( and seeing that he lives in michigan, it might as well be nowhere, lol). But no, seriously, he nailed some doozers, and i think if he would have just settled down on his last word, took about 10 more seconds to spell, scribbled a lil more on his number placard, he woulda gotten it, the end sounded just like the end of "onomatopoeia." Urg.
So my first time watching the whole of a spelling bee. Pretty exciting, u get attached to the kids, and are heartbroken when some of them leave. But some of them do get next year, and here's my early faves for the 82nd annual scripps national spelling bee:
1.) Kavya Shivanshenkar ( ESPN will be all over her and her little sister, and i hope she doesn't become another sameer, but she was really solid this year, scary to think what another year will allow her to do).
2.) Sidharth Chand ( Only way to improve next year is a win).
3.) Josephine Kao ( gonna be her 4th year back next year with T-16th and T-13th places in back to back years, impressive this year in handling of eremophyte on the roots).
4.) Kyle Mou ( The little asian that could, a T-7th finish this year was no joke).
Alright. Long post. Hope you enjoyed.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Rebound
So- long time no see. Since the last post a month ago, much has happened. I wish I could get into all of it, but my internet connection at my dad's apartment is a little skittish, and before that I was in the whole finals craze, so it's been a while.
Wow so much baseball since April 13. I'm gonna have to eat my words about ryan braun soon, although i still hold that at the beginning of the season he was going too high. For those who took the risk and went exactly opposite of what i told u about ryan braun, congrats. But i do have some other stuff right: Raffy Furcal owners are thanking me, I'm sure.
LeBron gets one last shot at the celtics. Convention and common sense tells me to pick the c's, but how long can they go without winning a single road playoff game? And these are atlanta and cleveland's home stadiums we're talking 'bout. If it's a close game, though, watch out. Boston's cursed with having too many great players, so no one's been given the definitive "closer" role. Everyone and their mother knows who gets the ball for cavs if it's close game at end, and for that reason bronbron have the edge at the end.
On a personal note, graduate from college ( Yay!), haha, kinda anti-climatic as I did it in 3 years and i barely knew anybody in the class i graduated with, but with 1000+ graduates just at the college of business ceremony, there wasn't much room for reminiscing and hanging out anyway.
This might just be my last summer of freedom for a LONG time, so i'm gonna enjoy it with trips to the beach, working at my camp, playing games, watching the spelling bee/ the premiere of the mole, and of course, catching up with fantasy sports right along with all you fans out there during the long, LONG baseball season. O how i love fantasy baseball. Gimme the #'s, baby!
(Btw, somebody tell me this isn't a real stat: Mike Napoli (9) has the same amount of home runs as teammates Vlad Guerrero(4) and Torii Hunter (5) have COMBINED!) That's sick.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Wow so much baseball since April 13. I'm gonna have to eat my words about ryan braun soon, although i still hold that at the beginning of the season he was going too high. For those who took the risk and went exactly opposite of what i told u about ryan braun, congrats. But i do have some other stuff right: Raffy Furcal owners are thanking me, I'm sure.
LeBron gets one last shot at the celtics. Convention and common sense tells me to pick the c's, but how long can they go without winning a single road playoff game? And these are atlanta and cleveland's home stadiums we're talking 'bout. If it's a close game, though, watch out. Boston's cursed with having too many great players, so no one's been given the definitive "closer" role. Everyone and their mother knows who gets the ball for cavs if it's close game at end, and for that reason bronbron have the edge at the end.
On a personal note, graduate from college ( Yay!), haha, kinda anti-climatic as I did it in 3 years and i barely knew anybody in the class i graduated with, but with 1000+ graduates just at the college of business ceremony, there wasn't much room for reminiscing and hanging out anyway.
This might just be my last summer of freedom for a LONG time, so i'm gonna enjoy it with trips to the beach, working at my camp, playing games, watching the spelling bee/ the premiere of the mole, and of course, catching up with fantasy sports right along with all you fans out there during the long, LONG baseball season. O how i love fantasy baseball. Gimme the #'s, baby!
(Btw, somebody tell me this isn't a real stat: Mike Napoli (9) has the same amount of home runs as teammates Vlad Guerrero(4) and Torii Hunter (5) have COMBINED!) That's sick.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, April 13, 2008
10 things I wish I woulda known......
About this NBA season at the start:
1.) Marcus Camby was gonna be healthy all year. Wow, that woulda made a difference. To give him credit, this guy has gutted it out all year despite my ( and other experts') consistent pleas to sell high on him, and when he's healthy he's real, real good. Plus he's a C, which u need in many leagues. Looks like he'll play 79 games this season................79 games of sick production: I mean, you just don't get guys who put up 13 + rebs a game and 3.6 blks a game very often. For 79 games.
2.) The Chicago Bulls were gonna be terrible. This is not that fantasy relevant cuz since I have always tended to stay away from them due to their teamwork and lack of a truly dominant player, but it woulda been nice to know just as a fan. They were truly lackluster this year, no other way to describe it. They'd always spool out a bit of hope beating golden state or cleveland multiple times, but nothing spectacular at all about this team. And not gonna make the playoffs in east = ew.
3.) Mike Dunleavy's breakout season has arrived. Yup, he's good! ( this is an obscure reference from the most popular Time cover of all time, ellen degeneres's, "Yup, I'm gay!") But yea, great stats from Jr. this year, especially the 18.8 pts and 2.0 3's a game. He could always shoot and be a tall guy (6-9), but now we know given the opportunity, he can play a bit, too.
4.) Yao Ming and Dwayne Wade would have season-ending injuries. Every year there are season-enders that cut off people's fantasy seasons: High profile cases like Yao and Wade happened this year, never good when ur first-rounders are out. This includes gilbert arenas, although he wasn't technically out for the season as he came back recently, but for all intents and purposes, he did the same.
*Sidenote: Also, Elton Brand was already injured before the season started, but he'd also be clumped in this category if you drafted him thinking he was healthy.
5.) The trio of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett wouldn't cut too bad into any one of their fantasy seasons. Despite Garnett going down slightly in production ( he sank below LBJ, paul, and marion but not much farther than that), these 3 found enough synergy to make up for the limitations of one ball and were able to put up great fantasy numbers and stay healthy all season and produce at least what owners were expecting, so anybody who resisted the hype of them stealing from each other got rewarded.
6.) High-powered offenses would still generate high-powered fantasy players. What immediately comes to mind are the Phoenix suns and golden state warriors. Not much surprise that they were able to maintain great stats for their members, but i thought there might be a drop-off, for the warriors especially. However, monta ellis got better, baron davis stayed healthy, andris biedrins still was the only big guy, and everybody fed off runnin up and down the court.
7.) The Denver Nuggets would be the easiest team to put fantasy #'s on. This was a result of the nuggets not only playing very little defense, but playing a frantic pace up and down, allowing for more possessions for both teams to do whatever. Consistently 120+ scores either for or against the nuggets this season. Thanks. George Karl.
8.) All the mid-season trades that were rumored to happen did actually happen. That woulda allowed me to get an early jump on getting excited about the season. Now I'm REALLY excited about the postseason. WHOO! ( Let's get it started, in here, Let's get it started........)
1.) Marcus Camby was gonna be healthy all year. Wow, that woulda made a difference. To give him credit, this guy has gutted it out all year despite my ( and other experts') consistent pleas to sell high on him, and when he's healthy he's real, real good. Plus he's a C, which u need in many leagues. Looks like he'll play 79 games this season................79 games of sick production: I mean, you just don't get guys who put up 13 + rebs a game and 3.6 blks a game very often. For 79 games.
2.) The Chicago Bulls were gonna be terrible. This is not that fantasy relevant cuz since I have always tended to stay away from them due to their teamwork and lack of a truly dominant player, but it woulda been nice to know just as a fan. They were truly lackluster this year, no other way to describe it. They'd always spool out a bit of hope beating golden state or cleveland multiple times, but nothing spectacular at all about this team. And not gonna make the playoffs in east = ew.
3.) Mike Dunleavy's breakout season has arrived. Yup, he's good! ( this is an obscure reference from the most popular Time cover of all time, ellen degeneres's, "Yup, I'm gay!") But yea, great stats from Jr. this year, especially the 18.8 pts and 2.0 3's a game. He could always shoot and be a tall guy (6-9), but now we know given the opportunity, he can play a bit, too.
4.) Yao Ming and Dwayne Wade would have season-ending injuries. Every year there are season-enders that cut off people's fantasy seasons: High profile cases like Yao and Wade happened this year, never good when ur first-rounders are out. This includes gilbert arenas, although he wasn't technically out for the season as he came back recently, but for all intents and purposes, he did the same.
*Sidenote: Also, Elton Brand was already injured before the season started, but he'd also be clumped in this category if you drafted him thinking he was healthy.
5.) The trio of Pierce, Allen, and Garnett wouldn't cut too bad into any one of their fantasy seasons. Despite Garnett going down slightly in production ( he sank below LBJ, paul, and marion but not much farther than that), these 3 found enough synergy to make up for the limitations of one ball and were able to put up great fantasy numbers and stay healthy all season and produce at least what owners were expecting, so anybody who resisted the hype of them stealing from each other got rewarded.
6.) High-powered offenses would still generate high-powered fantasy players. What immediately comes to mind are the Phoenix suns and golden state warriors. Not much surprise that they were able to maintain great stats for their members, but i thought there might be a drop-off, for the warriors especially. However, monta ellis got better, baron davis stayed healthy, andris biedrins still was the only big guy, and everybody fed off runnin up and down the court.
7.) The Denver Nuggets would be the easiest team to put fantasy #'s on. This was a result of the nuggets not only playing very little defense, but playing a frantic pace up and down, allowing for more possessions for both teams to do whatever. Consistently 120+ scores either for or against the nuggets this season. Thanks. George Karl.
8.) All the mid-season trades that were rumored to happen did actually happen. That woulda allowed me to get an early jump on getting excited about the season. Now I'm REALLY excited about the postseason. WHOO! ( Let's get it started, in here, Let's get it started........)
Friday, April 11, 2008
Aspirations of appearing on Reality TV
Ahh, it's that time of year again.... I find that over the course of my life i have a lot of phases that I go through, and right about now i'm firmly entrenched in my reality TV craze. Call it illusions of grandeur, celebrity-chasing, pure insanity, or whatever, but i firmly believe that one day I will be on a Reality TV show. And do well.
I've been watching a lot of these reality TV shows since they become popular ( and since a lot of TV viewers bashed them for being low quality). I agree, a lot of them are pure trash ( Temptation Island, ManHunt, Rock of Love, the next great inventor come to mind), but a lot of them are, for me, very tempting.
Below I've compiled the list of shows I would want to be on:
1.) The Mole
2.) Big Brother
3.) Survivor
4.) Amazing Race
5.) The apprentice
This is, of course, all given that these shows still exist in a few years when I'm in my prime. The only reason I've been stopped all these years is that I'm not yet 21, that happens May 9th of this year for anyone checking. I feel like the clock's ticking down, but for once in my life I feel like MY OWN LIFE is moving too slow in that I'm not catching up to the reality TV craze. I REALLY REALLY HOPE that the mole does well in its return this season on ABC, not only cuz i'm a big fan but cuz i'd FINALLY be eligible for the next casting call.
And if I sound like i'm a lunatic, feel free to read on to the fantasy advice. As always. No pressure.
One main aspect of my reality TV aspirations: I'm not necessarily in it to become famous/ start a movie career/ anything like that. My main motivation for going on a strategy show like the mole or big brother is just to the play the game. I love the premise behind these shows of mystery and intrigue ( the mole ) as well as power and social relationship that I feel like I've learned as much as I can as to how best to play the games, and I want to be in there, I want to be part of the game and show off my intellectual/ strategical prowess. I feel like I can do so much better than some of my contestants. The drool from licking my chops is dripping to the ground. Reality TV producers, this is all you need to know:
* I would LOVE to be part of any reality TV show and would compete at every waking moment and give you and the rest of the viewing nation some pure entertainment.
Haha. 'Nuff of the self-plug.
Early returns from the young, young baseball season:
Mark Reynolds, a guy nobody drafted, is off to a crazy-hot start, 5 HR's with 13 RBI's already. He's not like the annual Chris Shelton, though, he will not cool off dramatically and get sent to Triple A anytime soon. Although ESPN's Mr. Roto saying he will get 40 HR's is a little ludicrous, this is just one of many young Snakes that is primed for a breakout season.
The snakes really have started off hot, and it's actually cuz of hitting so far rather than their m.o. last year, pitching. Eric Byrnes, Justin Upton, Reynolds, Chris Young all have gotten hot, and those guys aren't even batting in the 3-4 slots tonight, the prototypical "best hitter" positions.
Carlos Pena w/ the biggest offensive night so far in the season, w/ a 2 of 3, 2 runs, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBI night against the orioles. Wow. Stock up on this guy.
So far I've been right on getting off the prince fielder bandwagon. This guy hasn't seen the light of day w/ 5 runs and 5 rbi's but no HR's. BA was .242 to start the night, went down more tonight. However, it's early.
Good thing it's early, too, cuz Alfonso Soriano is another bust so far w/ a .170 BA. He does have 2 HR's, but this guy is such a freeswinger. Good thing he's a streak hitter and dependable source of offensive production u can be patient on.
The general trend so far all around baseball is that pitching is prevailing on the most part. This is to be expected as it's april, there's rain delays, cold weather, bad swinging mechanics so far, but as soon as summer comes around there seems to be magic pixie dust floating around to make hitter's bats come alive and baseballs fly out of stadiums. Therefore, I'd say to be a little more inclined to be patient on a struggling hitter than a struggling pitcher...........hitters should come around. But hey, what do i know. I waited and waited for jason bay last year...............disaster.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I've been watching a lot of these reality TV shows since they become popular ( and since a lot of TV viewers bashed them for being low quality). I agree, a lot of them are pure trash ( Temptation Island, ManHunt, Rock of Love, the next great inventor come to mind), but a lot of them are, for me, very tempting.
Below I've compiled the list of shows I would want to be on:
1.) The Mole
2.) Big Brother
3.) Survivor
4.) Amazing Race
5.) The apprentice
This is, of course, all given that these shows still exist in a few years when I'm in my prime. The only reason I've been stopped all these years is that I'm not yet 21, that happens May 9th of this year for anyone checking. I feel like the clock's ticking down, but for once in my life I feel like MY OWN LIFE is moving too slow in that I'm not catching up to the reality TV craze. I REALLY REALLY HOPE that the mole does well in its return this season on ABC, not only cuz i'm a big fan but cuz i'd FINALLY be eligible for the next casting call.
And if I sound like i'm a lunatic, feel free to read on to the fantasy advice. As always. No pressure.
One main aspect of my reality TV aspirations: I'm not necessarily in it to become famous/ start a movie career/ anything like that. My main motivation for going on a strategy show like the mole or big brother is just to the play the game. I love the premise behind these shows of mystery and intrigue ( the mole ) as well as power and social relationship that I feel like I've learned as much as I can as to how best to play the games, and I want to be in there, I want to be part of the game and show off my intellectual/ strategical prowess. I feel like I can do so much better than some of my contestants. The drool from licking my chops is dripping to the ground. Reality TV producers, this is all you need to know:
* I would LOVE to be part of any reality TV show and would compete at every waking moment and give you and the rest of the viewing nation some pure entertainment.
Haha. 'Nuff of the self-plug.
Early returns from the young, young baseball season:
Mark Reynolds, a guy nobody drafted, is off to a crazy-hot start, 5 HR's with 13 RBI's already. He's not like the annual Chris Shelton, though, he will not cool off dramatically and get sent to Triple A anytime soon. Although ESPN's Mr. Roto saying he will get 40 HR's is a little ludicrous, this is just one of many young Snakes that is primed for a breakout season.
The snakes really have started off hot, and it's actually cuz of hitting so far rather than their m.o. last year, pitching. Eric Byrnes, Justin Upton, Reynolds, Chris Young all have gotten hot, and those guys aren't even batting in the 3-4 slots tonight, the prototypical "best hitter" positions.
Carlos Pena w/ the biggest offensive night so far in the season, w/ a 2 of 3, 2 runs, 2 Home Runs, 6 RBI night against the orioles. Wow. Stock up on this guy.
So far I've been right on getting off the prince fielder bandwagon. This guy hasn't seen the light of day w/ 5 runs and 5 rbi's but no HR's. BA was .242 to start the night, went down more tonight. However, it's early.
Good thing it's early, too, cuz Alfonso Soriano is another bust so far w/ a .170 BA. He does have 2 HR's, but this guy is such a freeswinger. Good thing he's a streak hitter and dependable source of offensive production u can be patient on.
The general trend so far all around baseball is that pitching is prevailing on the most part. This is to be expected as it's april, there's rain delays, cold weather, bad swinging mechanics so far, but as soon as summer comes around there seems to be magic pixie dust floating around to make hitter's bats come alive and baseballs fly out of stadiums. Therefore, I'd say to be a little more inclined to be patient on a struggling hitter than a struggling pitcher...........hitters should come around. But hey, what do i know. I waited and waited for jason bay last year...............disaster.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Collection of Random thoughts
It's crazy day on this blog I guess, randomest things I can thing of, here we go:
White has been my favorite color since about 9th grade when I arbitrarily decided i liked the way clean snow looked.
I have never really owned any pets. I am scurred of dawgs ( or, as Brad Pitt calls them in Snatch, "dags."
If I wasn't going to law school, I'd try to become an investment banker ( natural path for a finance major).
I kinda like M&A ( mergers and acquistions)
I really hope I'm not wrong about ryan braun this year, i'd look like a gigantic idiot.
How bad is the san francisco giant offense?
Felix Hernandez is a beast.
Jeff Van Gundy is a VERY GOOD color analyst for NBA basketball.
Marc Jackson isn't bad neither setting up JVG.
Adam made a terribly misguided, buffoonish move on Big Brother.
I wish I was on Big Brother. I'd show them.
Really a pretty hard episode to watch on survivor thursday in the sense that ami really begged and cried and hugged and did everything to say, and had convinced amanda and cerie, but ozzie being the big bossman he is laid down the law and kept his buddy eric.
Ozzie has really made me root against him.... he's the goliath that you want somebody to backstab. If I were on the island, I'd be buddy-buddy w/ him all throughout just so betrayal could be that much sweeter.
Nuggets sure don't seem like they want to make the playoffs. Lost at home to Sacramento last night, losing to Seattle tonight.
Harold & Kumar go to white castle was good, Harold & Kumar escape from guatanemo bay should be better. At least i hope so. Comes out next week.
Lot of hype about Tiger possibly winning the grand slam this year in golf. First he has to win the masters, the one he's won the most of. I'd say him vs. field is about even odds. That's sick.
I'm rooting for dallas to win the NBA championship. They've battled this year. Well, I'll root for them after LAL.
Shoulda went home to Darien this weekend, didn't do it. Regretted it. Great weekend to have done some bike riding, wheelin' dealing, high-flying', tennis-playin' with my dad.
Did I mention before that Percy Jackson series of "lightening thief," "sea of monsters," and "titan's curse" is really good? Go get those books.
Elton Brand could play major role in fantasy playoffs for many owners. Two games back he's done pretty well already in under-30 min action, he should get some more run and post even more. Such a solid 20-10 guy, don't usually just have these guys show up during fantasy basketball playoff season.
I dunno what I woulda done without chipotle this semester. That stuff is a bundle of flavor.
Looking for the good ol' days of summer.
Yahoo! looks more and more like they'll be forced to be acquired by MSFT. As a shareholder of the stock, even i want them to take it ( convert to MSFT stock, haha!)
RIMM stock = good, AMGN stock = not so good. Out of the two, i'd rather have AMGN be in better shape ( mom works there).
Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. Let go of another member of her staff today. What are we gonna do about you, girl?
In 6 months I will be extremely busy in law school. This post is gonna probably have to be a strictly- weekend thing.
Piece of fantasy advice: Grab Jeff Keppiner, at least for now. He's 3B/SS, very unusual position set but very good bat in that reds lineup. If success doesn't sustain, u can always dump.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
White has been my favorite color since about 9th grade when I arbitrarily decided i liked the way clean snow looked.
I have never really owned any pets. I am scurred of dawgs ( or, as Brad Pitt calls them in Snatch, "dags."
If I wasn't going to law school, I'd try to become an investment banker ( natural path for a finance major).
I kinda like M&A ( mergers and acquistions)
I really hope I'm not wrong about ryan braun this year, i'd look like a gigantic idiot.
How bad is the san francisco giant offense?
Felix Hernandez is a beast.
Jeff Van Gundy is a VERY GOOD color analyst for NBA basketball.
Marc Jackson isn't bad neither setting up JVG.
Adam made a terribly misguided, buffoonish move on Big Brother.
I wish I was on Big Brother. I'd show them.
Really a pretty hard episode to watch on survivor thursday in the sense that ami really begged and cried and hugged and did everything to say, and had convinced amanda and cerie, but ozzie being the big bossman he is laid down the law and kept his buddy eric.
Ozzie has really made me root against him.... he's the goliath that you want somebody to backstab. If I were on the island, I'd be buddy-buddy w/ him all throughout just so betrayal could be that much sweeter.
Nuggets sure don't seem like they want to make the playoffs. Lost at home to Sacramento last night, losing to Seattle tonight.
Harold & Kumar go to white castle was good, Harold & Kumar escape from guatanemo bay should be better. At least i hope so. Comes out next week.
Lot of hype about Tiger possibly winning the grand slam this year in golf. First he has to win the masters, the one he's won the most of. I'd say him vs. field is about even odds. That's sick.
I'm rooting for dallas to win the NBA championship. They've battled this year. Well, I'll root for them after LAL.
Shoulda went home to Darien this weekend, didn't do it. Regretted it. Great weekend to have done some bike riding, wheelin' dealing, high-flying', tennis-playin' with my dad.
Did I mention before that Percy Jackson series of "lightening thief," "sea of monsters," and "titan's curse" is really good? Go get those books.
Elton Brand could play major role in fantasy playoffs for many owners. Two games back he's done pretty well already in under-30 min action, he should get some more run and post even more. Such a solid 20-10 guy, don't usually just have these guys show up during fantasy basketball playoff season.
I dunno what I woulda done without chipotle this semester. That stuff is a bundle of flavor.
Looking for the good ol' days of summer.
Yahoo! looks more and more like they'll be forced to be acquired by MSFT. As a shareholder of the stock, even i want them to take it ( convert to MSFT stock, haha!)
RIMM stock = good, AMGN stock = not so good. Out of the two, i'd rather have AMGN be in better shape ( mom works there).
Hillary, Hillary, Hillary. Let go of another member of her staff today. What are we gonna do about you, girl?
In 6 months I will be extremely busy in law school. This post is gonna probably have to be a strictly- weekend thing.
Piece of fantasy advice: Grab Jeff Keppiner, at least for now. He's 3B/SS, very unusual position set but very good bat in that reds lineup. If success doesn't sustain, u can always dump.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Saturday, April 5, 2008
High School never ends
Ok add "speak" by laurie halse anderson as one of my favorite novels. I can't believe I haven't read this novel before. It was published in 1999 and won all kinds of awards, but I'd never heard of it. I wish i had read this thing before high school, cuz i might have done some things differently had i recognized that the hypocrisy and problems in high school were shared across the U.S.............so many things that "speak" paraodied were indicative of what we did in high school. Wow, just wow. A beautiful piece of work, in my opinion. Anyone who's ever been in high school ( and i think legally that means everyone over 18) can find something from the book to relate to it.
I have a lot of fond memories of high school, but sometimes i wish i could go back and redo some of the things in high school. Not that I had a terrible experience or any traumatic events occur in my high school career, but knowing what I know now, i would change so many things. The thing that troubles me about "speak" is that the absurdity in high school was recognized in 1999 when anderson wrote it, yet no one seems to do THAT much about it. There's still a lot of social cliches, bad teaching, educational policies that are never followed, and overall lack of compassion for students. Of course, this is not a bash on my old high school, it's just a recognition that across the U.S. this stuff happens even though we have A BOOK THAT CHRONICLES ALL OF THIS. Obviously it's really though to fix all of this, as principals and teachers can only do so much. It's like trying to fix homelessness: at some point, to some extent, the homeless themselves have to help themselves. That's why I wish I could go back in time: to become a high school student, be a voice within the whole world of absurdity to point out the flaws of the high school system, stop the categorization of "jocks, goths, and dorks" and really make everyone's high school experience much better. Ah, if only.
Lol, on that note, fantasy sports. Well, the NCAA tourney games were really interesting tonight but really pointed out how down college basketball is. My friend justin and I were watching the games and really noted the overall lack of quality of the basketball, even with 4 #1 seeds playing. Sure, these guys are real athletes, and there's a few quality basketball players on each team that played tonight, but the teams were just NOT THAT GOOD. UCLA couldn't put up offense, Memphis couldn't score besides rose and douglas-roberts, kansas got off to a big lead and then just played stupidly to almost give up the lead, and north carolina was just ice-cold and couldn't find any other way to score besides putting up prayers. The difference between an NBA game and a semifinal NCAA tournament game is still very noticeable. Although the NCAA tourney has great facets to it like cinderellas, upsets, last-second shots, and live look-ins, the quality of the game itself is just not as high as the NBA. Not even close.
First week of MLB.....some observations: Tigers offense might not be good as a lot of people think. They're 0-5 and certainly not hitting like most expected. Sure, this might just be a cold streak to begin the season, but be careful with your tigers, they faced kansas city and white sox hitting and couldn't get much done.
Justin Upton has 3 HR's already. Hmmm has he broken out already? I predicted he wouldn't yet, and it's only the first week so i'll go w/ my gut and say he's not gonna keep this up.
Alfonso Soriano couldn't have gotten off to a worse start. He's 1- for his first 5 games. NOT GOOD.
Injuries already. Gary sheffield has to wear a splint on his finger, better believe that'll bother him. Pedro Martinez out several weeks. He might be done, folks. No joke. Brad Lidge was out, now he's back. JJ Putz got put on the 15-day DL for the mariners, they now need a fill-in closer.....not sure who that is yet.
Johnny Cueto, pitchin prospect for Reds, probably no longer a prospect: great outing for them this week, has great stuff and is a strikeout pitcher.
Watch Jered Weaver. He might turn into the Angels' #1 pitcher this year not by default injuries but by performance. He was in control the first 2 games against twins and rangers.
Peavy already has a CG, repeat of Cy Young?
Carlos Zambrano began the season quite well, then had to leave, but he should be fine, so say the cubs. That's a pleasant surprise as he usually begins seasons like trash.
Whole Yankees lineup hasn't been very productive yet. However, this team i'm not too concerned about. Call me cynical but I've seen this chapter too many times to believe A-rod, jeter, matsui, giambi, posada, cano, et. al aren't gonna hit soon.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I have a lot of fond memories of high school, but sometimes i wish i could go back and redo some of the things in high school. Not that I had a terrible experience or any traumatic events occur in my high school career, but knowing what I know now, i would change so many things. The thing that troubles me about "speak" is that the absurdity in high school was recognized in 1999 when anderson wrote it, yet no one seems to do THAT much about it. There's still a lot of social cliches, bad teaching, educational policies that are never followed, and overall lack of compassion for students. Of course, this is not a bash on my old high school, it's just a recognition that across the U.S. this stuff happens even though we have A BOOK THAT CHRONICLES ALL OF THIS. Obviously it's really though to fix all of this, as principals and teachers can only do so much. It's like trying to fix homelessness: at some point, to some extent, the homeless themselves have to help themselves. That's why I wish I could go back in time: to become a high school student, be a voice within the whole world of absurdity to point out the flaws of the high school system, stop the categorization of "jocks, goths, and dorks" and really make everyone's high school experience much better. Ah, if only.
Lol, on that note, fantasy sports. Well, the NCAA tourney games were really interesting tonight but really pointed out how down college basketball is. My friend justin and I were watching the games and really noted the overall lack of quality of the basketball, even with 4 #1 seeds playing. Sure, these guys are real athletes, and there's a few quality basketball players on each team that played tonight, but the teams were just NOT THAT GOOD. UCLA couldn't put up offense, Memphis couldn't score besides rose and douglas-roberts, kansas got off to a big lead and then just played stupidly to almost give up the lead, and north carolina was just ice-cold and couldn't find any other way to score besides putting up prayers. The difference between an NBA game and a semifinal NCAA tournament game is still very noticeable. Although the NCAA tourney has great facets to it like cinderellas, upsets, last-second shots, and live look-ins, the quality of the game itself is just not as high as the NBA. Not even close.
First week of MLB.....some observations: Tigers offense might not be good as a lot of people think. They're 0-5 and certainly not hitting like most expected. Sure, this might just be a cold streak to begin the season, but be careful with your tigers, they faced kansas city and white sox hitting and couldn't get much done.
Justin Upton has 3 HR's already. Hmmm has he broken out already? I predicted he wouldn't yet, and it's only the first week so i'll go w/ my gut and say he's not gonna keep this up.
Alfonso Soriano couldn't have gotten off to a worse start. He's 1- for his first 5 games. NOT GOOD.
Injuries already. Gary sheffield has to wear a splint on his finger, better believe that'll bother him. Pedro Martinez out several weeks. He might be done, folks. No joke. Brad Lidge was out, now he's back. JJ Putz got put on the 15-day DL for the mariners, they now need a fill-in closer.....not sure who that is yet.
Johnny Cueto, pitchin prospect for Reds, probably no longer a prospect: great outing for them this week, has great stuff and is a strikeout pitcher.
Watch Jered Weaver. He might turn into the Angels' #1 pitcher this year not by default injuries but by performance. He was in control the first 2 games against twins and rangers.
Peavy already has a CG, repeat of Cy Young?
Carlos Zambrano began the season quite well, then had to leave, but he should be fine, so say the cubs. That's a pleasant surprise as he usually begins seasons like trash.
Whole Yankees lineup hasn't been very productive yet. However, this team i'm not too concerned about. Call me cynical but I've seen this chapter too many times to believe A-rod, jeter, matsui, giambi, posada, cano, et. al aren't gonna hit soon.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Fantasy MLB preseason overview, Part Deux
Catcher
Underrated: Not much to say here, the catcher stop has traditionally just been a dead position with about 4 to 5 worthy peeps out there but not really anything to get excited about.
Joe Mauer, Kenji Jhojima
It might be my personal prefernce towards Japanese players, but I think Jhoji gets very little love outside of Seattle ( I'm not even sure he gets love in seattle neither), but the guy hits double-digit homers, respectable average, and more than 50 R's or 50 RBI's each year. Not gonna hurt you, he'll be better than your average catcher.
Joe Mauer was the #2 overall pick 5 years ago, and he's been proving his worth ever since. He's just a good hitter, and you always draft talent over anything else.
Overrated: Russell Martin, Jorge Posada
Again, the instance of the career year effect. Martin's might be more of a steady trend cuz of his youth, but I don't see a catcher stealing 20 bases again this year. That's insane. And remember, last year he busted out of the gate really fast.......he'll need to do that again this year to maintain his stats over the long haul, I don't see it. Posada is just getting old man, if you think his 36-year-old eyes can keep up his .330 average from last year, be my guest, be my guest.
Outfield:
Underrated: Josh Hamilton: Look at his stats accumulated over 300 AB's last year = sick.
Nick Markakis: 3rd-year player on the brink of breaking out, being taken belong Curtis Granderson? What?
Ichiro: Again, never gonna disappoint you, his talent wins out.
Andruw Jones: Somehow I think this 40HR+ bat has fallen too far from grace. I'd still take a gamble on him.
Overrated: Carl Crawford: In a year of lots of people w/ potential for steals, his swipes aren't that statistically significant, and he doesn't do that much else other than that to compensate for such high draft ranking
Previously mentioned Curtis Granderson: He will never be drafted this high ever again.
Corey Hart: Have you ever heard of this guy before last year? Don't trust him just yet.
Adam Dunn: I didn't see how his stats improved that much from seasons past to give him such a rise. Sure, 40HR's will be there, but so will his detrimental BA. I've developed a trust in him, but some of that trust is not to his benefit.
Underrated: Not much to say here, the catcher stop has traditionally just been a dead position with about 4 to 5 worthy peeps out there but not really anything to get excited about.
Joe Mauer, Kenji Jhojima
It might be my personal prefernce towards Japanese players, but I think Jhoji gets very little love outside of Seattle ( I'm not even sure he gets love in seattle neither), but the guy hits double-digit homers, respectable average, and more than 50 R's or 50 RBI's each year. Not gonna hurt you, he'll be better than your average catcher.
Joe Mauer was the #2 overall pick 5 years ago, and he's been proving his worth ever since. He's just a good hitter, and you always draft talent over anything else.
Overrated: Russell Martin, Jorge Posada
Again, the instance of the career year effect. Martin's might be more of a steady trend cuz of his youth, but I don't see a catcher stealing 20 bases again this year. That's insane. And remember, last year he busted out of the gate really fast.......he'll need to do that again this year to maintain his stats over the long haul, I don't see it. Posada is just getting old man, if you think his 36-year-old eyes can keep up his .330 average from last year, be my guest, be my guest.
Outfield:
Underrated: Josh Hamilton: Look at his stats accumulated over 300 AB's last year = sick.
Nick Markakis: 3rd-year player on the brink of breaking out, being taken belong Curtis Granderson? What?
Ichiro: Again, never gonna disappoint you, his talent wins out.
Andruw Jones: Somehow I think this 40HR+ bat has fallen too far from grace. I'd still take a gamble on him.
Overrated: Carl Crawford: In a year of lots of people w/ potential for steals, his swipes aren't that statistically significant, and he doesn't do that much else other than that to compensate for such high draft ranking
Previously mentioned Curtis Granderson: He will never be drafted this high ever again.
Corey Hart: Have you ever heard of this guy before last year? Don't trust him just yet.
Adam Dunn: I didn't see how his stats improved that much from seasons past to give him such a rise. Sure, 40HR's will be there, but so will his detrimental BA. I've developed a trust in him, but some of that trust is not to his benefit.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Fantasy MLB 2008 preview - Fantasysportguru style!
Alright here's how we do this: I have 20 minutes from the start of this post until my last and most important fantasy baseball draft, so while I'm in the mood i'm gonna run down all of the positions in fantasy baseball and give you who's underrated, who's overrated, who you should draft, who you shouldn't, and some key names you should watch out for ( either positively or negatively).
First base:
Underrated = Travis Hafner, Adrian Gonzalez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Delgado
Overrated = Prince Fielder, Garret Atkins, not too many else
Prince Fielder is universally being selected right where ryan howard is, usually the #1 first baseman, and that's a crime. After a breakout 50-HR season, people are buying what the prince is selling. Don't do it yet. Let somebody else figure out if he's REALLy for real.
Paul Konerko is a 30HR- 100RBI guarantee, yet he's being drafted as like the #12 first baseman. A.K.A, too low. Travis Hafner had one bad year w/ 3 great years before that and people are overcompensating for the 1 bad year cuz it's fresh in their mind. This is the last time you'll get pronk in the 4th round for many years.
2nd base:
Underrated = Kelly Johnson, Chone Figgins, Dan Uggla
Overrated = Brandon Phillips, Howie Kendrick, Robinson Cano
I love howiewood cuz of a closet angels fanhood, but him and cano are similar in that their rising stars ( people love that), but they bat for average. And in fantasy bases, u don't draft for average. You gotta draft for the power, run-producing cats, and these guys just haven't proven that yet. And they're not exactly base-stealin thieves, altho people "speculate" that kendrick might still 25+ bases. I'll believe it when i see it.
Where there IS proven power, tho, to the tune of 20+ HR's in both of last 2 years, is dan uggla. In chone figgins you have proven speed and proven runs in a potent lineup. Take the safer bets rather than reach. O and let someone else buy brandon philips' career-high stock.
Shortstop
underrated = derek jeter, michael young, orlando cabrera
overrated = jimmy rollins, troy tulowitzki, edgar renteria
I think it's one of the fallacies of this year's draft prognistication that tulowitzki is being projected ahead of derek jeter, one of the best players of our time. Sure, tulowitzki did great last year ( in the 2nd half), and he might exceed jeter's numbers this year too given the right situation, but you don't draft him hoping to do that cuz the chances are low. Jeter has done the same thing for 11 years; tulo did it for the last 3 months of the season last year. Don't buy in just cuz u read the sports illustrated baseball preview article about him.
Orlando Cabrera is a really good hitting shortstop and might see an uptick in HR's but a downtick in runs, but he shouldn't be drafted so low given his talent, and michael young is just a .300+ stick ready to explode if texas's offense finally does what it's supposed to do.
Third Base
Underrated = Ryan Zimmerman, Aramis Ramirez, Adrian Beltre
Overrated = Ryan Braun, Chipper Jones, Evan Longoria
I do think Evan Longoria's stock has dropped now that he's been sent to Triple-A to start the yera, but even before that this was a guy that I would not have drafted, simply because he's too young and needs to prove himself at least a bit before i draft him over veterans or other young budding stars w/ some experience under their belt. This year 3rd base is kinda thin, and you miss out on the top 3 of a-rod, wright, and cabrera want to get right in the middle of the 3rd base tier of ramirez, beltre, and zimmerman.......you definitely don't want braun, as i've alluded to earlier, and anybody lower than the terrific 3 i mentioned is a big drop-off. Yes, you'll be tempted by Chipper's numbers last year when healthy, but the key is WHEN HEALTHY. Not only was he hurt all the time, he's getting older. The only way i draft him is to ride out atlanta's easy early schedule, see if he produces like crazy, and then sell high.
To be continued.................
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
First base:
Underrated = Travis Hafner, Adrian Gonzalez, Paul Konerko, Carlos Delgado
Overrated = Prince Fielder, Garret Atkins, not too many else
Prince Fielder is universally being selected right where ryan howard is, usually the #1 first baseman, and that's a crime. After a breakout 50-HR season, people are buying what the prince is selling. Don't do it yet. Let somebody else figure out if he's REALLy for real.
Paul Konerko is a 30HR- 100RBI guarantee, yet he's being drafted as like the #12 first baseman. A.K.A, too low. Travis Hafner had one bad year w/ 3 great years before that and people are overcompensating for the 1 bad year cuz it's fresh in their mind. This is the last time you'll get pronk in the 4th round for many years.
2nd base:
Underrated = Kelly Johnson, Chone Figgins, Dan Uggla
Overrated = Brandon Phillips, Howie Kendrick, Robinson Cano
I love howiewood cuz of a closet angels fanhood, but him and cano are similar in that their rising stars ( people love that), but they bat for average. And in fantasy bases, u don't draft for average. You gotta draft for the power, run-producing cats, and these guys just haven't proven that yet. And they're not exactly base-stealin thieves, altho people "speculate" that kendrick might still 25+ bases. I'll believe it when i see it.
Where there IS proven power, tho, to the tune of 20+ HR's in both of last 2 years, is dan uggla. In chone figgins you have proven speed and proven runs in a potent lineup. Take the safer bets rather than reach. O and let someone else buy brandon philips' career-high stock.
Shortstop
underrated = derek jeter, michael young, orlando cabrera
overrated = jimmy rollins, troy tulowitzki, edgar renteria
I think it's one of the fallacies of this year's draft prognistication that tulowitzki is being projected ahead of derek jeter, one of the best players of our time. Sure, tulowitzki did great last year ( in the 2nd half), and he might exceed jeter's numbers this year too given the right situation, but you don't draft him hoping to do that cuz the chances are low. Jeter has done the same thing for 11 years; tulo did it for the last 3 months of the season last year. Don't buy in just cuz u read the sports illustrated baseball preview article about him.
Orlando Cabrera is a really good hitting shortstop and might see an uptick in HR's but a downtick in runs, but he shouldn't be drafted so low given his talent, and michael young is just a .300+ stick ready to explode if texas's offense finally does what it's supposed to do.
Third Base
Underrated = Ryan Zimmerman, Aramis Ramirez, Adrian Beltre
Overrated = Ryan Braun, Chipper Jones, Evan Longoria
I do think Evan Longoria's stock has dropped now that he's been sent to Triple-A to start the yera, but even before that this was a guy that I would not have drafted, simply because he's too young and needs to prove himself at least a bit before i draft him over veterans or other young budding stars w/ some experience under their belt. This year 3rd base is kinda thin, and you miss out on the top 3 of a-rod, wright, and cabrera want to get right in the middle of the 3rd base tier of ramirez, beltre, and zimmerman.......you definitely don't want braun, as i've alluded to earlier, and anybody lower than the terrific 3 i mentioned is a big drop-off. Yes, you'll be tempted by Chipper's numbers last year when healthy, but the key is WHEN HEALTHY. Not only was he hurt all the time, he's getting older. The only way i draft him is to ride out atlanta's easy early schedule, see if he produces like crazy, and then sell high.
To be continued.................
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Get those dusty bags ready
Cuz it's time for fantasy baseball!
O baby am I ready for the fantasy baseball season! We got past stars, future studs, slumbering sleepers, whiney sweepers, and closers by committee. Cannot wait. I'm planning on doing a huge baseball-centered blog in anticipation of the season.
However, the baseball season technically started monday/tuesday in tokyo w/ boston vs. oakland, and yes, those were real games. It seems, though, that any time that happens in the MLB ( the out-of-this-time-zone games in Japan) that the games split. At least the cubs and mets did a few years ago, and boston and oakland did this year.
A few notes: I wouldn't buy too much into Rich Harden's awesome performance in game 2, and i'm assuming most of you who own him sat him against the red sox, so I'd start him the next game, but I wouldn't draft him TOO HIGH if you're still drafting, cuz this is what happened last year: Great start.....injury. Be careful. If he does this again next week I'm almost start sellin high immediately.
Manny Ramirez- been burned by this guy a bit the last few seasons wouldn't trust him.
Dustin Pedroia- Not too fond of him. Would take kelly johnson over him.
Athletics lineup - not looking too hot. Do you really want to pick up Emil Brown? Is Kurt Suzuki the best hitter on that roster?
Okajima vulture win already. That's why you pick up neshek, betancourt, broxton- They keep those peripherals down and pick up those odd wins + saves. Can't hurt your team.
Josh Beckett- injury problems already? Not serious, but i cringe whenever i hear pitchers miss time at the beginning of the season cuz of possible lingering effects.
Alright so basketball- haven't updated in a WHILE.
Jerry Stackhouse biggest beneficiary of Dirk injury, as predicted. Close to 20 points a night now and probably the primary offensive weapon, no longer a spot-up 3-point shooter, he drives to rim, dunks on people, it's enlightening. It's what he was supposed to be coming out of college.
Antawn Jamison, former Mav, thriving on the Wiz. Really a breakout season this year, really impressed with this guy keeping Washington in the playoff hunt--- they even leapfrogged toronto.
T.J. Ford is clearly the better option now than jose calderon. It's reminiscent of last year's time share. If only one of them was like 5 inches taller and played power forward. Urg. Bad time if you're a caldern owner that this happened, DURING the fantasy playoffs.
D-12 might have run out of gas, or is out of breath, or something. His #'s just aren't as beastly as when he was dominating kids in the middle of the affair.
Just read Harlan Coben "Gone for Good." I regard Coben's books as more of airport novels, not exactly literary classics, but this man knows how to come up with a plot. Probably one of his best, Gone for Good. Niiiiiiice.
Will we look back on 2007-2008 as peja's renaissance season? Probably not, but his 3.0 three's are a career high ( tied).
If you want to look at correction to career averages and why you should draft based on talent, look at jason richardson. Man is tearing it up this year after being relegated to like the 3rd or 4th option on GS last year. Points are back to normal, stls back to normal, shoots better FT%, sinks more 3's, and is "The Man" of his team again.
If you want to look at a young player breaking out, case #1 is chris paul. Been dissected already. Case #1a): Deron Williams. 10.4 assists, 19.5 pts. Wow. Really blossomed as pretty much the MVP of that team, and don't tell me it's carlos boozer. Booz is soft on D and doesn't run that offense. Williams gets that show on the road and feeds it to booz who would look like a lost puppy without a good PG feeding it to him.
Marcus Camby still hasn't had a serious injury yet. Guess I underestimated him. Him and B-diddy, toughed out the whole season ( almost). Both still have to lead their teams into the playoffs. Well, they're the only reasons those respective teams are even still in the playoff picture. 3.7 blks for the camb-man? That team's defense would be worse the way carmelo and AI don't play any if not for camby protecting the rim.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
O baby am I ready for the fantasy baseball season! We got past stars, future studs, slumbering sleepers, whiney sweepers, and closers by committee. Cannot wait. I'm planning on doing a huge baseball-centered blog in anticipation of the season.
However, the baseball season technically started monday/tuesday in tokyo w/ boston vs. oakland, and yes, those were real games. It seems, though, that any time that happens in the MLB ( the out-of-this-time-zone games in Japan) that the games split. At least the cubs and mets did a few years ago, and boston and oakland did this year.
A few notes: I wouldn't buy too much into Rich Harden's awesome performance in game 2, and i'm assuming most of you who own him sat him against the red sox, so I'd start him the next game, but I wouldn't draft him TOO HIGH if you're still drafting, cuz this is what happened last year: Great start.....injury. Be careful. If he does this again next week I'm almost start sellin high immediately.
Manny Ramirez- been burned by this guy a bit the last few seasons wouldn't trust him.
Dustin Pedroia- Not too fond of him. Would take kelly johnson over him.
Athletics lineup - not looking too hot. Do you really want to pick up Emil Brown? Is Kurt Suzuki the best hitter on that roster?
Okajima vulture win already. That's why you pick up neshek, betancourt, broxton- They keep those peripherals down and pick up those odd wins + saves. Can't hurt your team.
Josh Beckett- injury problems already? Not serious, but i cringe whenever i hear pitchers miss time at the beginning of the season cuz of possible lingering effects.
Alright so basketball- haven't updated in a WHILE.
Jerry Stackhouse biggest beneficiary of Dirk injury, as predicted. Close to 20 points a night now and probably the primary offensive weapon, no longer a spot-up 3-point shooter, he drives to rim, dunks on people, it's enlightening. It's what he was supposed to be coming out of college.
Antawn Jamison, former Mav, thriving on the Wiz. Really a breakout season this year, really impressed with this guy keeping Washington in the playoff hunt--- they even leapfrogged toronto.
T.J. Ford is clearly the better option now than jose calderon. It's reminiscent of last year's time share. If only one of them was like 5 inches taller and played power forward. Urg. Bad time if you're a caldern owner that this happened, DURING the fantasy playoffs.
D-12 might have run out of gas, or is out of breath, or something. His #'s just aren't as beastly as when he was dominating kids in the middle of the affair.
Just read Harlan Coben "Gone for Good." I regard Coben's books as more of airport novels, not exactly literary classics, but this man knows how to come up with a plot. Probably one of his best, Gone for Good. Niiiiiiice.
Will we look back on 2007-2008 as peja's renaissance season? Probably not, but his 3.0 three's are a career high ( tied).
If you want to look at correction to career averages and why you should draft based on talent, look at jason richardson. Man is tearing it up this year after being relegated to like the 3rd or 4th option on GS last year. Points are back to normal, stls back to normal, shoots better FT%, sinks more 3's, and is "The Man" of his team again.
If you want to look at a young player breaking out, case #1 is chris paul. Been dissected already. Case #1a): Deron Williams. 10.4 assists, 19.5 pts. Wow. Really blossomed as pretty much the MVP of that team, and don't tell me it's carlos boozer. Booz is soft on D and doesn't run that offense. Williams gets that show on the road and feeds it to booz who would look like a lost puppy without a good PG feeding it to him.
Marcus Camby still hasn't had a serious injury yet. Guess I underestimated him. Him and B-diddy, toughed out the whole season ( almost). Both still have to lead their teams into the playoffs. Well, they're the only reasons those respective teams are even still in the playoff picture. 3.7 blks for the camb-man? That team's defense would be worse the way carmelo and AI don't play any if not for camby protecting the rim.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, March 21, 2008
the marching ensues
Ok, I mean, did you hear it here first or not? Siena over Vandy? C'mon, that was really a long shot, but I called it, front and square.
Every other part of my bracket, though, has been really bad, so I can't really back up that talk. Connecticut falling to San Diego really messed me up, as I had theme going a pretty long ways.
O and my 8-9 seed predictions didn't do so hot. The #8 seeds went 2-2, so basically a split. If you followed my advice, you got what you would have expected if you'd have just flipped a coin on those games. I coulda went 3-1 on those 8's if Indiana, the one I was most sure about, just went out and played to their ability. Unh-uh.
O well. The thing about the NCAA tournament, and some might say i'm just in a defeatist mood or whatever, but it's really a LOT about luck. I mean, just the basic element of it has a lot to do with luck. In a 40-minute, one-game elimination, the amount of 3's you hit has a lot to do with it. If your long-range shooters just happen to get hot in a game, you're prolly gonna win, cuz the score only goes up to the 60's and 70's, so three's are so huge. And that's where luck comes in: less basketbats and possessions to allow skills to come out to their full. THAT's why you see all these upsets all the time ( not this year to such an extent, but still why SD beat UConn or Western Kentucky beat Drake).
Also, if you think about it, what are the chances you get a game right? Even if you're just the biggest diehard, watch-every-game, know-the-weather-at-tipoff kind of fan, you STILL have just a 50-50 chance at getting an 8-9 game right. I mean, these teams are so close in skill level that there's really no way to differentiate on your prognostications, and the chances of getting games right are just about 50-50. ( 1-16 matchups excluded, the most confident you can ever get with these games is like 70-30).
So if you've picked a lot of games right one year, congratulations, but just remember you got plenty lucky. And if you picked a lot of games wrong like i do every year, just remember that it's not that you're a loser ( at least this is what i keep telling myself), chance pretty much bit you in the @$$.
Alright that's my abbreviated column for today.
Good luck, folks.
Announced casting for Big brother 10 recently. Man I wish I were on that show.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Every other part of my bracket, though, has been really bad, so I can't really back up that talk. Connecticut falling to San Diego really messed me up, as I had theme going a pretty long ways.
O and my 8-9 seed predictions didn't do so hot. The #8 seeds went 2-2, so basically a split. If you followed my advice, you got what you would have expected if you'd have just flipped a coin on those games. I coulda went 3-1 on those 8's if Indiana, the one I was most sure about, just went out and played to their ability. Unh-uh.
O well. The thing about the NCAA tournament, and some might say i'm just in a defeatist mood or whatever, but it's really a LOT about luck. I mean, just the basic element of it has a lot to do with luck. In a 40-minute, one-game elimination, the amount of 3's you hit has a lot to do with it. If your long-range shooters just happen to get hot in a game, you're prolly gonna win, cuz the score only goes up to the 60's and 70's, so three's are so huge. And that's where luck comes in: less basketbats and possessions to allow skills to come out to their full. THAT's why you see all these upsets all the time ( not this year to such an extent, but still why SD beat UConn or Western Kentucky beat Drake).
Also, if you think about it, what are the chances you get a game right? Even if you're just the biggest diehard, watch-every-game, know-the-weather-at-tipoff kind of fan, you STILL have just a 50-50 chance at getting an 8-9 game right. I mean, these teams are so close in skill level that there's really no way to differentiate on your prognostications, and the chances of getting games right are just about 50-50. ( 1-16 matchups excluded, the most confident you can ever get with these games is like 70-30).
So if you've picked a lot of games right one year, congratulations, but just remember you got plenty lucky. And if you picked a lot of games wrong like i do every year, just remember that it's not that you're a loser ( at least this is what i keep telling myself), chance pretty much bit you in the @$$.
Alright that's my abbreviated column for today.
Good luck, folks.
Announced casting for Big brother 10 recently. Man I wish I were on that show.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, March 20, 2008
O the Madness! It begins
If you're missing this post due to a bout of the common disease "March Madness," I understand.
I'm watching the games as we speak right now.
O wow. Xavier was just down 11 in the 2nd half, now they've taken a 52-49 game. This is clearly the game of the morning, as Kansas and Mich. St. are both polishing off their opponents. What's sad about Georgia being in such a competitive game is that Illinois coulda been in the exact same situation if they just had completed their miraculous run in the Big Ten tourney, getting a 14 seed and beatin a 3 seed. Altho, looks like georgia will prolly drop this game now. Cinderella hasn't come to the ball yet.
Watched Big Brother and Survivor last night. CBS is prolly my fave TV station, w/ my reality shows on there all the time as well as pretty good comedies like Two and a Half Men and How I met your mother. Also the NCAA tournament ( good segue, huh? )
Anyway, I was sorta sad to see Matt go. Not because he has a charming smile, not because he's a ripped roofer, not because he wanted to win some dough from his momma, and definitely not cuz he's from boston. What I like is how much he cared about the game. So many times in reality TV i'm just pulling my hair out watching these apathetic people "playin' the game," not making the best of the opportunity and sometimes ( GASP) even quitting. Maybe i'm just a really competitive person, but I see Big Brother, Survivor, or Amazing Race as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove myself against others, to play in a game on national TV and try to win competitions to preserve your life in the game, also use social relations to get ahead in life. I guess for me it's almost a microcosm of life, in how to get ahead and work with others as well as against them to get the best solution to yourself.
And of course I love games similar to Mafia, where there's mind games and tons of strategy, unlike chess, with real people.
Anyway, Matty had been the guy who really cared about staying in the house, and he did what I woulda done if I were in teh house: He got screwed/ "backdoored" in the house, which is a pretty low move when the guy who nominated him had already promised him not to put him up. Instead of really gettin pissed and blowing up, though, Matty really sucked it up, understood that it was part of the game, and went about trying to save himself. He was really in a no-win situation, cuz his own physical presence hurt him: He had a great handle on making everyone in the house feel comfortable w/ him, but in a game where strength is weakness, and weakness is strength, his social advantage worked against him. He did a great job appealing his case, too, but just didn't get his archnemesis ( james ) to keep him in the game.
Possibly one of my fave reality TV contestants ever ( or at least one of the most passionate).
Looks like Xavier is running away w/ it. Figures, they have more experience and better talent. Simply the better team. 59-51 now.
Other teams i'm hoping to win but not really counting on it:
Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Butler, all the 8 seeds of course, and my upset special:
#13 seed Siena over Vanderbilt. Again, don't count on it.
Andrew Bynum coming back before the playoffs? Don't count on it, don't pick it up, and definitely don't expect him to produce at the levels he was before injury.
Pau Gasol is out for the lakers, so the purple and gold are basically the same team they were pre-Gasol that Kobe was complaining about. However, the difference is confidence. They beat dallas on the road w/o both bynum and gasol, that's saying something.
VC put up a lebron line last night, 39 pts, 10 rebs, 8 asts, and a blk. NO TURNOVERS? Wow. I didn't know he had this in him at this stage of his career. Give whoever was guarding him an assist.
Miami with FIFTY-FOUR points last night? Unacceptable. You'd think w/o shawn marion or dwayne wade OR Jason Williams somebody'd step up to be fantasy worthy, but w/ 54 points i would just ignore that team completely besides matrix if he decides to come back. Just to be fair to Ricky Davis for last year's 2nd half, I'd look at him too, but that's it.
Did Houston hit a peak? They've lost 2 a row now after the 22-game winning streak, granted it was vs. Boston and @ New Orleans, but just 69 points last night. Also let ex-teammate Bonzi Wells dump 25 pts, 2 stls, and 3 blks on them n just 26 minutes.
Cannot say enough about Philadelphia's meteoric rise. Beat Denver at their own game last night, winning w/ high score of 115-113. 12 asts for andre miller coupled with 28 points, veteran presence on a young team baby. Also, if your point guard is playing denver on any given night, expect a lot of assists. Except if you have a point guard from miami. ( see above)
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I'm watching the games as we speak right now.
O wow. Xavier was just down 11 in the 2nd half, now they've taken a 52-49 game. This is clearly the game of the morning, as Kansas and Mich. St. are both polishing off their opponents. What's sad about Georgia being in such a competitive game is that Illinois coulda been in the exact same situation if they just had completed their miraculous run in the Big Ten tourney, getting a 14 seed and beatin a 3 seed. Altho, looks like georgia will prolly drop this game now. Cinderella hasn't come to the ball yet.
Watched Big Brother and Survivor last night. CBS is prolly my fave TV station, w/ my reality shows on there all the time as well as pretty good comedies like Two and a Half Men and How I met your mother. Also the NCAA tournament ( good segue, huh? )
Anyway, I was sorta sad to see Matt go. Not because he has a charming smile, not because he's a ripped roofer, not because he wanted to win some dough from his momma, and definitely not cuz he's from boston. What I like is how much he cared about the game. So many times in reality TV i'm just pulling my hair out watching these apathetic people "playin' the game," not making the best of the opportunity and sometimes ( GASP) even quitting. Maybe i'm just a really competitive person, but I see Big Brother, Survivor, or Amazing Race as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to prove myself against others, to play in a game on national TV and try to win competitions to preserve your life in the game, also use social relations to get ahead in life. I guess for me it's almost a microcosm of life, in how to get ahead and work with others as well as against them to get the best solution to yourself.
And of course I love games similar to Mafia, where there's mind games and tons of strategy, unlike chess, with real people.
Anyway, Matty had been the guy who really cared about staying in the house, and he did what I woulda done if I were in teh house: He got screwed/ "backdoored" in the house, which is a pretty low move when the guy who nominated him had already promised him not to put him up. Instead of really gettin pissed and blowing up, though, Matty really sucked it up, understood that it was part of the game, and went about trying to save himself. He was really in a no-win situation, cuz his own physical presence hurt him: He had a great handle on making everyone in the house feel comfortable w/ him, but in a game where strength is weakness, and weakness is strength, his social advantage worked against him. He did a great job appealing his case, too, but just didn't get his archnemesis ( james ) to keep him in the game.
Possibly one of my fave reality TV contestants ever ( or at least one of the most passionate).
Looks like Xavier is running away w/ it. Figures, they have more experience and better talent. Simply the better team. 59-51 now.
Other teams i'm hoping to win but not really counting on it:
Gonzaga, St. Mary's, Butler, all the 8 seeds of course, and my upset special:
#13 seed Siena over Vanderbilt. Again, don't count on it.
Andrew Bynum coming back before the playoffs? Don't count on it, don't pick it up, and definitely don't expect him to produce at the levels he was before injury.
Pau Gasol is out for the lakers, so the purple and gold are basically the same team they were pre-Gasol that Kobe was complaining about. However, the difference is confidence. They beat dallas on the road w/o both bynum and gasol, that's saying something.
VC put up a lebron line last night, 39 pts, 10 rebs, 8 asts, and a blk. NO TURNOVERS? Wow. I didn't know he had this in him at this stage of his career. Give whoever was guarding him an assist.
Miami with FIFTY-FOUR points last night? Unacceptable. You'd think w/o shawn marion or dwayne wade OR Jason Williams somebody'd step up to be fantasy worthy, but w/ 54 points i would just ignore that team completely besides matrix if he decides to come back. Just to be fair to Ricky Davis for last year's 2nd half, I'd look at him too, but that's it.
Did Houston hit a peak? They've lost 2 a row now after the 22-game winning streak, granted it was vs. Boston and @ New Orleans, but just 69 points last night. Also let ex-teammate Bonzi Wells dump 25 pts, 2 stls, and 3 blks on them n just 26 minutes.
Cannot say enough about Philadelphia's meteoric rise. Beat Denver at their own game last night, winning w/ high score of 115-113. 12 asts for andre miller coupled with 28 points, veteran presence on a young team baby. Also, if your point guard is playing denver on any given night, expect a lot of assists. Except if you have a point guard from miami. ( see above)
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Gordon Korman is Awesome
This post is gonna deviate a little bit from the usual sports action although I'll include a bit of an update on the sports world.
Play-in game tonight for the NCAA tournament, the game that's like the numerous ads posted on the college community boards: Nobody cares. Whoever wins gets the pleasure of looking bad on national television to a north carolina team that's the hottest in the country. Lots to play for, gentlemen.
John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are reunited in Atlanta, but will they be the anchors of that rotation or the anchors dragging down a sinking ship? It's hard to imagine glavine has much left and as a finesse pitcher it's doubly difficult, and smoltz is also getting up there, but his ERA the last 3 years has been in the 3.00's and no real injury concerns linger, so smoltz should be the ace of that staff for one more year. He's perennially undervalued even though he's a solid pitcher on a team that wins at least 80 games every year.
All they need on the braves is to bring greg maddux back.
When you hear a guy say, " I feel like i'm holding a $90 million lottery ticket that I can only lose by coming back too early," you can't count on him to be back. ESPECIALLY if it's the player saying it. I realize gilbert is just being candid and that the wiz are in the playoff pic, but i wouldn't be suprised if he didn't come back until the playoffs or maybe 1 or 2 games before, which means he's practically worthless in fantasy. Dump. ( Shoulda done it about 3 months ago, unfortunately).
Alright now to the meaty part of the post. Gordon Korman. Now many of you prolly have never heard of him, but that's okay. He'll be part of your literature family as soon as you follow my advice:
1.) Get off the internet ( it's hurting your eyes)
2.) Go downstairs and put your shoes on
3.) Go to your closest local library ( or the one you have a card for)
4.) Search in their catalogues for "korman, gordon."
5.) Check out any of the following books: "I want to go home," "MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood," "The Chicken Doesn't Skate."
6.) Go home read the book
7.) Thank me via comments on this blog.
Gordon Korman is a writer mainly for young adults, probably from the 6th grade-8th grade level, but his writing is just hilarious. You know how you go to a comedy movie and come out feeling really good? Well, Korman does that, except he has about 20 comic books in his repertoire that are just insanely good. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them, it has so many subplots, twists, turns, ironic remarks and satiric wit that I consider him one of the greatest writers of our era. Sure, he doesn't have the artistic prose of an amy tan or the oratorial tone of shakespeare, but ask me what I like more, reading Korman or any other author and I go with my man Gordon. And of course he's still writing. Which is awesome.
What I recommend for ANYONE looking for a light, humorous, easy read ( not all of us can digest James Joyce's "Ulysses" or the Mitchell Report on baseball) is any of the 7 Bruno and Boots series books that Korman started out with, his incipient production that really showcased his genius, with the first one written as an English project when he was TWELVE! I dare any of you to read one of these books and NOT read any of the other 6.
Can you believe this guy's Canadian? Just for that I'm drafting Jason Bay on my fantasy team.
Anyway, seriously, follow my advice. I'm trying to help you. And if you're in a depressed mood, or at a crossroads in your life, in a stressed situtation, or tryin to relax before a big test, Gordon Korman will do more for your than any pills, psychics, or pieces of Dr. Phil advice. Trust me. This one's money in the bank. ( Unlike betting on 30 HR's from hideki matsui).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Play-in game tonight for the NCAA tournament, the game that's like the numerous ads posted on the college community boards: Nobody cares. Whoever wins gets the pleasure of looking bad on national television to a north carolina team that's the hottest in the country. Lots to play for, gentlemen.
John Smoltz and Tom Glavine are reunited in Atlanta, but will they be the anchors of that rotation or the anchors dragging down a sinking ship? It's hard to imagine glavine has much left and as a finesse pitcher it's doubly difficult, and smoltz is also getting up there, but his ERA the last 3 years has been in the 3.00's and no real injury concerns linger, so smoltz should be the ace of that staff for one more year. He's perennially undervalued even though he's a solid pitcher on a team that wins at least 80 games every year.
All they need on the braves is to bring greg maddux back.
When you hear a guy say, " I feel like i'm holding a $90 million lottery ticket that I can only lose by coming back too early," you can't count on him to be back. ESPECIALLY if it's the player saying it. I realize gilbert is just being candid and that the wiz are in the playoff pic, but i wouldn't be suprised if he didn't come back until the playoffs or maybe 1 or 2 games before, which means he's practically worthless in fantasy. Dump. ( Shoulda done it about 3 months ago, unfortunately).
Alright now to the meaty part of the post. Gordon Korman. Now many of you prolly have never heard of him, but that's okay. He'll be part of your literature family as soon as you follow my advice:
1.) Get off the internet ( it's hurting your eyes)
2.) Go downstairs and put your shoes on
3.) Go to your closest local library ( or the one you have a card for)
4.) Search in their catalogues for "korman, gordon."
5.) Check out any of the following books: "I want to go home," "MacDonald Hall Goes Hollywood," "The Chicken Doesn't Skate."
6.) Go home read the book
7.) Thank me via comments on this blog.
Gordon Korman is a writer mainly for young adults, probably from the 6th grade-8th grade level, but his writing is just hilarious. You know how you go to a comedy movie and come out feeling really good? Well, Korman does that, except he has about 20 comic books in his repertoire that are just insanely good. You don't have to be a kid to enjoy them, it has so many subplots, twists, turns, ironic remarks and satiric wit that I consider him one of the greatest writers of our era. Sure, he doesn't have the artistic prose of an amy tan or the oratorial tone of shakespeare, but ask me what I like more, reading Korman or any other author and I go with my man Gordon. And of course he's still writing. Which is awesome.
What I recommend for ANYONE looking for a light, humorous, easy read ( not all of us can digest James Joyce's "Ulysses" or the Mitchell Report on baseball) is any of the 7 Bruno and Boots series books that Korman started out with, his incipient production that really showcased his genius, with the first one written as an English project when he was TWELVE! I dare any of you to read one of these books and NOT read any of the other 6.
Can you believe this guy's Canadian? Just for that I'm drafting Jason Bay on my fantasy team.
Anyway, seriously, follow my advice. I'm trying to help you. And if you're in a depressed mood, or at a crossroads in your life, in a stressed situtation, or tryin to relax before a big test, Gordon Korman will do more for your than any pills, psychics, or pieces of Dr. Phil advice. Trust me. This one's money in the bank. ( Unlike betting on 30 HR's from hideki matsui).
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, March 17, 2008
Make Room for March Madness
Here we go, peeps, March Madness time- albeit about a week later this year, March Madness is upon us, and we got about 72 hours to fill out those brackets before thursday's games kick off.
Here our suggestions I wanna make for those filling out brackets:
a.) Never, never, go with my pick to win it all. I started doing brackets in 2001, and out of all those years where likely champions did actually win, I have NEVER picked the right one. I have always "had a hunch" about somebody, or even told somebody i might pick a certain team, but when it has come down to filling out brackets, or giving my official pick for winner, I've NEVER been right. Some may think i'm due, but i doubt it.
With that said, i'll give u my winner at the bottom of the page.
b.) One thing that I HAVE gotten right since my 2nd year is the 8-9 games. I haven't gotten them all right, per se, but there's a weird mathematical pattern that goes on with these games. You'd think these would be the hardest to pick with practically even teams that the selection committee just threw together w/o regard for the higher, but look closely. Go back to 2003 and look at who's won the majority of the games every year. In 2003, 3 of the 4 #9 seeds won, 2004 most of the 8 seeds won, 2005 back to 9 seeds, 2006 8 seeds, and so on. This has worked to perfection since then, so every year I get at least 3 out of 4 right on the 8-9's because of this.
So now you know my secret. To save you some time, this year it's the #8 seeds' turn.
c.) Expect more upsets than last year. Well, yea, duh. But seriously, last year was so upset-free in the first free rounds that it was almost boring. The fact that higher-seeded teems won, though, was actually an anomaly. Most years, the proability says it's actually LIKELY that they'll be upsets. However, don't go crazy. It's like poker, 70% you got it, 30% bluff. I'd say the 8-9 and 7-10's are crapshoots, you can pick either way, 6-11 I'd maybe pick 1 or 2 upsets at most, 5-12 and 4-13 I'd go with one upset each and just stick with it. There's upsets of 2's and 3's occasionally, but seldom enough not to bet on it.
d.) Don't go for another George Mason. Seriously, neither South Alabama nor winthrop is going to the final four this year. George Mason was like a once-in-a-decade thing. Usually by the 2nd weekends talent and the loaded programs take over.
More advice on picking brackets later. Notice how I didn't really analyze any teams. Brackets are sometimes dominated by math and probability, is my explanation. That and the fact that I haven't followed college buckets that closely this year cuz the Illini sucked.
Also w/ March Madness comes Fantasy MLB drafts, which can be even more maddening than cinderellas and bubbles bursting. I just recently did my first draft in a yahoo! winners league and it's maddening to me that......
For one, Ryan Braun is being drafted so high. As a prominent member of the fantasy community (Ha), or at least a participant in yahoo! public leagues, I am embarrassed by how early ryan braun is going. I don't care if ryan braun becomes the next alex rodriguez this season, he should NOT be being drafted this high. It's really violating one of the primary rules of fantasy: Do NOT draft high based on one really good season. And braun didn't even play a whole season last year. Sure, his #'s were incredible, but this is a 2nd-year player, arguably ROOKIE, that hasn't proved at all that he can do it again.
This goes back to the CENTRAL TENET of baseball that everyone needs to understand: You draft guys based on what they're gonna do for you IN THE FUTURE, not what they did last year. Guys, stop salivating over what Ryan Braun did for you last season, let those chops run dry a bit and think with another part of your head. Sure, this guy's a rookie, and "he's got great potential," but think about it: How many guys come up and go all gangbusters like this and are able to sustain it? It's baseball, guys, braun has to play 162 games this season when he has to deal w/ constant wear and tear, pressure of repeating what he did last year, making up for his shoddy defense, prolonged droughts where he questions whether he ever knew how to bat, and ESPECIALLY opposing pitchers adjusting to him and attacking his weaknesses. Plus, who knows what a long winter of inactivity did to him. As opposed to other guys being drafted BEHIND braun, like aramis ramirez, derek jeter, carlos lee, I KNOW what a long winter of inactivity will do to them: very little, and they've proven it. Ryan braun has not, and that at its base is why he is nothing more than a 4th-round pick to me. Not the 14th overall pick or even higher.
Get your head outta your ass, brandon funston. You too, andy behrens. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for ranking braun so high. I'd bet you guys that a-ram has a better season than braun, but I dunno if you'd take me seriously.
Anyway, my pick for the NCAA tournament winner is Kansas. I've been burned by them many times in the past, including last year when they got destroyed by UCLA, but there you go. Take it or leave it.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Here our suggestions I wanna make for those filling out brackets:
a.) Never, never, go with my pick to win it all. I started doing brackets in 2001, and out of all those years where likely champions did actually win, I have NEVER picked the right one. I have always "had a hunch" about somebody, or even told somebody i might pick a certain team, but when it has come down to filling out brackets, or giving my official pick for winner, I've NEVER been right. Some may think i'm due, but i doubt it.
With that said, i'll give u my winner at the bottom of the page.
b.) One thing that I HAVE gotten right since my 2nd year is the 8-9 games. I haven't gotten them all right, per se, but there's a weird mathematical pattern that goes on with these games. You'd think these would be the hardest to pick with practically even teams that the selection committee just threw together w/o regard for the higher, but look closely. Go back to 2003 and look at who's won the majority of the games every year. In 2003, 3 of the 4 #9 seeds won, 2004 most of the 8 seeds won, 2005 back to 9 seeds, 2006 8 seeds, and so on. This has worked to perfection since then, so every year I get at least 3 out of 4 right on the 8-9's because of this.
So now you know my secret. To save you some time, this year it's the #8 seeds' turn.
c.) Expect more upsets than last year. Well, yea, duh. But seriously, last year was so upset-free in the first free rounds that it was almost boring. The fact that higher-seeded teems won, though, was actually an anomaly. Most years, the proability says it's actually LIKELY that they'll be upsets. However, don't go crazy. It's like poker, 70% you got it, 30% bluff. I'd say the 8-9 and 7-10's are crapshoots, you can pick either way, 6-11 I'd maybe pick 1 or 2 upsets at most, 5-12 and 4-13 I'd go with one upset each and just stick with it. There's upsets of 2's and 3's occasionally, but seldom enough not to bet on it.
d.) Don't go for another George Mason. Seriously, neither South Alabama nor winthrop is going to the final four this year. George Mason was like a once-in-a-decade thing. Usually by the 2nd weekends talent and the loaded programs take over.
More advice on picking brackets later. Notice how I didn't really analyze any teams. Brackets are sometimes dominated by math and probability, is my explanation. That and the fact that I haven't followed college buckets that closely this year cuz the Illini sucked.
Also w/ March Madness comes Fantasy MLB drafts, which can be even more maddening than cinderellas and bubbles bursting. I just recently did my first draft in a yahoo! winners league and it's maddening to me that......
For one, Ryan Braun is being drafted so high. As a prominent member of the fantasy community (Ha), or at least a participant in yahoo! public leagues, I am embarrassed by how early ryan braun is going. I don't care if ryan braun becomes the next alex rodriguez this season, he should NOT be being drafted this high. It's really violating one of the primary rules of fantasy: Do NOT draft high based on one really good season. And braun didn't even play a whole season last year. Sure, his #'s were incredible, but this is a 2nd-year player, arguably ROOKIE, that hasn't proved at all that he can do it again.
This goes back to the CENTRAL TENET of baseball that everyone needs to understand: You draft guys based on what they're gonna do for you IN THE FUTURE, not what they did last year. Guys, stop salivating over what Ryan Braun did for you last season, let those chops run dry a bit and think with another part of your head. Sure, this guy's a rookie, and "he's got great potential," but think about it: How many guys come up and go all gangbusters like this and are able to sustain it? It's baseball, guys, braun has to play 162 games this season when he has to deal w/ constant wear and tear, pressure of repeating what he did last year, making up for his shoddy defense, prolonged droughts where he questions whether he ever knew how to bat, and ESPECIALLY opposing pitchers adjusting to him and attacking his weaknesses. Plus, who knows what a long winter of inactivity did to him. As opposed to other guys being drafted BEHIND braun, like aramis ramirez, derek jeter, carlos lee, I KNOW what a long winter of inactivity will do to them: very little, and they've proven it. Ryan braun has not, and that at its base is why he is nothing more than a 4th-round pick to me. Not the 14th overall pick or even higher.
Get your head outta your ass, brandon funston. You too, andy behrens. You guys should be ashamed of yourselves for ranking braun so high. I'd bet you guys that a-ram has a better season than braun, but I dunno if you'd take me seriously.
Anyway, my pick for the NCAA tournament winner is Kansas. I've been burned by them many times in the past, including last year when they got destroyed by UCLA, but there you go. Take it or leave it.
-Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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