You know that movie "Old School" where Will Ferrell's character has a bit too much to drink at a frat party and decides to go streakin' and yells, "We're going streakin!" while no one follows him? Well, thankfully I'm talking about a different kind of streaking.
I'm talking about ESPN's Streak for Cash streaking, and for those of you who haven't tried it yet, be warned: It's highly addictive. I got invited to a league by one of my law school buddies and have just been totally hooked on it this month. Basically, there's a menu of prop bets that you can select in a day, anything from who wins the game (most common), one team's win margin v. other team's 3-pointers, how many goals will be scored in a soccer match, and which golfer will have a better front 9 score. If you win a bet, you get a win streak of one, and you keep going until you lose.
See now, the whole premise of Streak for Cash is that you know who's gonna win, so it's a little different than the traditional fantasy sports that I do: I don't really know sports that much, I don't follow individual teams, I go with individual players and their stats. But Streak for Cash is kind of a hybrid, where you have to invest in a certain team and look up their stats, see if their worth it or not, and start/sit. Whereas if you're a fan of a sports team, you have to root for them no matter what, in Streak you have a menu of options, and it's similar to fantasy in that you pick up who you like and play them.
Well, I've had some unsuccessful attempts the first part of the month, betting on some ridiculous teams / people I had no idea even existed like a soccer team called Gefle IE (win), a college team called Qunnipiac (loss), some golfer called Michael Bradley (loss), and on the field against some horse named Master Minded (win).
But the last few days have been euphoria as I've been on a long winning streak that puts me in the lead of my league. I chronicle my adventures for you (hopefully with some funny twists), and maybe one day when I become famous I'll look back on this and say, "this is how I started Streak for Cash."
1.) Wake Forest 3-pointers v. Texas win Margin: First game after a loss is always a freebie, you can pick almost anything. Happened to be Thursday night after a long day of opening day of NCAA action, I clicked in right after losing UNLV v. Northern Iowa. Saw the option, had WF in my bracket, and this game seemed like 50-50 Wake Forest would WIN, 3-pointers just a bonus.
Wake Forest takes Longhorns to overtime, but then goes down by 8, my streak's in jeopardy, but then Longhorns collapse and Deacons pull out a victory. Good start.
2.) Brian Gay win or tie v. Nick Watney win: Literally do not know who these 2 are, could just be some random white guys as far as I'm concerned, but in golf my rule is always pick the "win or tie" because tie gives you the extra leg up. Gay shoots 36, Watney a 37. I win.
3.) Xavier Musketeers v. Minnesota Gophers: Probably the one I felt most confident about all day, Minnesota was worse than Illinois but got in, a bad team that got hot at the end and squeezed in. More a bet against them than a bet v. Xavier. (Like seeing my opponent start Al Thornton in fantasy playoffs against me).
4.) Missouri Tigers v. Clemon Tigers: A true 7-10 tossup that I risked cuz a 3-game win streak is not SO much, probably the last level I was really to bet on, plus Big 12 seemed stronger than ACC this year. PLUS common denominator was both played Illinois; Missouri won and Clemson lost. Hence, Missouri. The game turned out to pretty much a tossup, lotsa lead changes and ties but Missouri's 40 minutes of hell wore out Clemson in end.
5.) Gonzaga v. Florida State Seminoles: Another 8-9 matchup, but somehow I felt the Zags were gonna be better prepared for this game and just the better team in general. Also, most of my league had the Zags. Really, this game illustrated luck: I picked with my gut, called heads, and it turned out right. Gonzaga got off to a 15-point lead, lost some of it in 2nd half but still hung on.
6.) Caroline Wozniacki v. Agniezwa Radwanka: I had rushed through all of Friday picking NCAA tourney games just so I could get to the Tennis game at night, which I thought was a STONE COLD DEAD LOCK. I knew Wozniacki was good and had never heard of the other girl, so this was easy. Women's tennis is pretty predictable, the better player usually wins if she doesn't injure herself. Turns out, I had Wozniacki confused with another player called Wickmayer whom I'd seen play well against Justine Henin at the Aussie Open. Moot point as Wozniacki won 2-0 easily.
7.) Baylor Bears v. Old Dominion Monarchs: Now a 6-game streak is pretty serious in a regular league, and the leader had 9. But I had to tread carefully. And I'm glad I did as Saturday morning I avoided all the soccer/ golf garbage I had no idea on (basically avoiding high-cholestrol foods on the menu), and then passed on a HUUUGE trap game, Nova over St. Mary's. Almost chose it but exercised discipline, so after St. Mary's won I felt like I was playing with house money. Then passed on Butler over Murray St., which was a bit overcautious as my opponent got to 7 wins with that, but did get the other absolute DEAD LOCK of the college day: Baylor, a Big 12 team, playing Old Dominion who had just won their first NCAA game ever or something over Notre Dame which just had an awful day. Also, I'd picked Baylor twice before in the month with positive results both times. The Bears made it a 3rd.
8.) Women's basketball Gonzaga Bulldogs v. North Carolina Tar Heels:
Talk about games I knew nothing about, I'd maybe know things if this was men's hoops, but had never seen a single women's basketball game before, and didn't catch this game. All I knew was, the game was in Sacramento (closer to W. Coast), the Bulldogs were hot, and the Lady Heels' season mirrored that of the Gentleman Heels: disappointing, not so good. This game turned out to be back and forth, lots of lead changes, but Zags pulled away in the final minute.
9.) Atlanta Hawks v. San Antonio Spurs: Now in the only-pick locks mode, I got frazzled when my opponent got to 9 early on Sunday with a come-from-behind victory from ManU. My decision-making was sound to pick the Hawks (better record) at home against the Spurs who were .500 on the road and playing without Tony Parker, but it didn't play out that way as the Spurs got off to a 13-point lead in the first half. Hawks led by 2 at half, but then were losing by 4 with 1:30 to go and I thought I was toast. Thankfully, thankfully, Al Horford was a beast and had a series of tip-ins, and Matt Bonner missed a key 3-pointer for the Spurs, and Hawks won in OT. Thrilling game, couldn't have asked for anything more to defend my streak. Absolutely jazzed to win and tie.
10.) NIT, Virginia Tech Hokies v. Connecticut Huskies: This was the big one. Lose and I had nothing to show for my efforts, win and I overtake the lead. Hokies snubbed by NCAA, playing at home against a very disappointing UConn team. Hokies 15-1 at home this season. UConn looked lost in their first NIT game, almost losing to Northeastern (who?) I felt good until about 10 minutes into the game, when UConn came out firing and went up by 10 early. Tearing my hair out, can't believe my eyes, only salvation is VA Tech is at home and may rally.
Va Tech pulled it to within 5 at half, and went back and forth in 2nd half, came down to one play: UConn had ball with 11 seconds to go and down 1, Jerome Dyson drives left, puts up a shot, gets blocked, gets his own rebound, drives the lane again, double teamed and flips to "White Guy in Corner" who had 2 seconds to shoot and wide open layup, but "White Guy in Corner" didn't know how much time was left so rushed the shot, it went too hard off backboard and just barely escaped passed the lip, and Hokies win. Hokies WIN!!!! I TAKE THE LEAD!!!!!!! I literally was standing in the weight room of USC Lyon Center watching the game on ESPN, nobody else in the room giving a second thought to the game, and I'm clapping and cheering like I'm a Hokie cheerleader. Insane. That's what Streak for Cash does for you, folks.
I'm at W10!!!! I feel a grand sense of accomplishment, like one of my life missions has been accomplished.
One last addendum. Honestly, Streak for Cash has a great deal of luck attached to it. In any given game, the max chance I'd say you have of winning is like 75%. That's like flipping a coin twice and hoping Tails doesn't come up twice. There's definitely a chance of losing. You can think a game is an "Absolute Lock" all you want, but when the game starts and the ball is thrown in the air, it's still 5 guys playing 5 other games with the same rules of basketball. There's no extra advantage cuz you picked a game. The last, I'd say, 5 games of my streak could have gone either way. Virginia Tech came down to whether a layup bounced in or out. Hawks game could have been an extra layup by Manu Ginobili. Even in the games that didn't turn out to be so close, anything could have happened within reason that woulda totally been beyond my control; Wozniacki coulda easily pulled a hamstring and retired; Gonzaga could have easily come out flat. These things do happen, and I've been lucky during the 10-game streak that they haven't when I picked. But I'm sure it'll happen soon. All I can do is make the best bet and hope for the best.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, March 22, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Stunner Saturday
Quick question: What city is host to Northern Iowa University, and what's their mascot?
Couldn't answer, could you? Well, the Northern Iowa Panthers hail from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and they're led by their sharpshooting 3-point machine with the best last name in the NCAA tourney, "Ali Farokhmanesh." Haha, and they are officially crowned the Bracketbusters of 2010, cuz a majority of brackets in America went into the trash cuz Kansas was on the bottom line as the champion .
It's funny how this stuff works. Kansas, the favorite going into the tourney and consensus best team in America, probably would have won this game 8 or 9 times out of 10 if they played that much. But in a one-game, 40-minute, single-elimination affair, things are much more dicey and luck plays a factor.......a three-pointer called a 2-pointer here, a charge called instead of a blocking fall here, and a ball rolling out instead of staying down could be all the difference.
Insane, insane, insane. An NCAA bracket obliterated after 2 and a half days of action--- now that's fast. I actually had changed my Villanova final 4 pick to Duke right before the deadline, but imagine if I had Villanova too.........woo boy. That woulda added to the mayhem. As it is, I think people around the country should scoop their crumpled-up bracket from the trash and double -check their league: there's a good chance that a good portion of your league is in the same situation, and the #2 team is Kentucky.....if Kansas can falter, so can Kentucky, so stay in there. What myself and other Jayhawk-widows (those who were married to the Jayhawks but who suffered when Kansas left prematurely) have to root for a Kentucky loss, plus their other semifinal team to win (so if you had Kansas v. West Virginia in the finals, you're rooting for W. Virginia to win it all), AND you want someone BAD to come out of the Midwest region instead of Kansas, NOT Ohio St, cuz Kansas-shorters probably picked Kansas. #3 Georgetown is already out, so you want Maryland, Tennessee, or Michigan to get to the Final 4. Or, dare I say it, maybe even the Northern Iowa Panthers! (gasp). It'll be a long shot, but we've already seen some of those long shots hit the mark.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Couldn't answer, could you? Well, the Northern Iowa Panthers hail from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and they're led by their sharpshooting 3-point machine with the best last name in the NCAA tourney, "Ali Farokhmanesh." Haha, and they are officially crowned the Bracketbusters of 2010, cuz a majority of brackets in America went into the trash cuz Kansas was on the bottom line as the champion .
It's funny how this stuff works. Kansas, the favorite going into the tourney and consensus best team in America, probably would have won this game 8 or 9 times out of 10 if they played that much. But in a one-game, 40-minute, single-elimination affair, things are much more dicey and luck plays a factor.......a three-pointer called a 2-pointer here, a charge called instead of a blocking fall here, and a ball rolling out instead of staying down could be all the difference.
Insane, insane, insane. An NCAA bracket obliterated after 2 and a half days of action--- now that's fast. I actually had changed my Villanova final 4 pick to Duke right before the deadline, but imagine if I had Villanova too.........woo boy. That woulda added to the mayhem. As it is, I think people around the country should scoop their crumpled-up bracket from the trash and double -check their league: there's a good chance that a good portion of your league is in the same situation, and the #2 team is Kentucky.....if Kansas can falter, so can Kentucky, so stay in there. What myself and other Jayhawk-widows (those who were married to the Jayhawks but who suffered when Kansas left prematurely) have to root for a Kentucky loss, plus their other semifinal team to win (so if you had Kansas v. West Virginia in the finals, you're rooting for W. Virginia to win it all), AND you want someone BAD to come out of the Midwest region instead of Kansas, NOT Ohio St, cuz Kansas-shorters probably picked Kansas. #3 Georgetown is already out, so you want Maryland, Tennessee, or Michigan to get to the Final 4. Or, dare I say it, maybe even the Northern Iowa Panthers! (gasp). It'll be a long shot, but we've already seen some of those long shots hit the mark.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, March 19, 2010
Flatter Friday
Sitting around at my friend's hosue watching the nightcap of the Day 2, and it's safe to say, it's not as good as yesterday's affairs. Only one game's gone down to the wire that I've counted so far (Wisconsin v. Wofford), and it didn't really come down to a "last-second" shot per se. I guess I've amassed some high stnadardshere, but yesterday was absolutely one of the best days in sports I've EVER experienced.
I look at the scoreboard and I don't see anything to get too excited about: Duke blowing out Arkansas Some Place-Some Place by 19, Gonzaga boatracing Florida State at halftime, Michigan St. deciding the game before halftime, and ONE possible good game between OK St. at halftime.
The Big East was much-maligned yesterday and is doing much better today, but I wish I knew the Big 12 would look so good. ACC's not looking so good, Big 10's doing OK, and Big East has a big game (Louisville v. Cal) later.
My friend, btw, has a new dog and is trying to train her. My thoughts on dogs: Not worth my time, kinda of a burden, big commitment, and I'm not mature to maintain them. I do think that going and walking a dog is good exercise, but the varying schedules would be an annoyance for me. If I do start with pets, I gotta go with a low-commitment animal first, like a goldfish, versus high-maintenance pets like dogs or like, anacondas.
Here's a thought about monitoring your brackets: Obviously, part of the intrigue of the first few days of the NCAA tournament is rooting for teams on your piece of paper, picking 5-12 upsets that actually pan out or at least give the top dogs a run for their money. But really, Thursdays and Fridays of NCAA tournaments don't really determine anything if you're playing in a standard league (where 1st round is 1 point, 2nd round is 2, 3rd round is 4, etc.) All you're really rooting for is that your Sweet 16/ Elite Eight/ (and gasp) Final Four teams don't get knocked out early.....everything else is not that important. (Experienced gamblers, this may be painfully simple for you, but just trying to educate novice-intermediate NCAA bracketfillers). Also, in a pure mathematical sense, if you're SOLELY in it to win a bracket, to get a check at the end of it, it's probably mathematically accurate to pick straight chalk......no upsets, just pick the higher (or lower numerically) number in every matchup...... It's boring, you won't be commended for having balls of steel or being the life of the party, but at the end of the day, you're making the correct decision. Seriously, I might try it next year, especially with the last few years being dominated by No. 1 seeds and No. 2 seeds.
That brings up a good point about underdogs: People love 10+ seeds in the first days of the tournament for whatever reasons, either a.) cool name (Wofford or Siena), b.)geography, c.) saw them randomly at a bar and think they're the best team ever, d.) their alma mater, but they are like playing craps without a good strategy: Sucker bets. Vegas, and other people in your bracket, WANT you to pick those teams because in the long run, you keep picking upsets and you won't do well, cuz they just don't happen THAT often. But we keep betting them, because once in a while San Diego beats Connecticut, or Murray St. beats Vanderbilt, and we think it's a common event. Lesson learned.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
I look at the scoreboard and I don't see anything to get too excited about: Duke blowing out Arkansas Some Place-Some Place by 19, Gonzaga boatracing Florida State at halftime, Michigan St. deciding the game before halftime, and ONE possible good game between OK St. at halftime.
The Big East was much-maligned yesterday and is doing much better today, but I wish I knew the Big 12 would look so good. ACC's not looking so good, Big 10's doing OK, and Big East has a big game (Louisville v. Cal) later.
My friend, btw, has a new dog and is trying to train her. My thoughts on dogs: Not worth my time, kinda of a burden, big commitment, and I'm not mature to maintain them. I do think that going and walking a dog is good exercise, but the varying schedules would be an annoyance for me. If I do start with pets, I gotta go with a low-commitment animal first, like a goldfish, versus high-maintenance pets like dogs or like, anacondas.
Here's a thought about monitoring your brackets: Obviously, part of the intrigue of the first few days of the NCAA tournament is rooting for teams on your piece of paper, picking 5-12 upsets that actually pan out or at least give the top dogs a run for their money. But really, Thursdays and Fridays of NCAA tournaments don't really determine anything if you're playing in a standard league (where 1st round is 1 point, 2nd round is 2, 3rd round is 4, etc.) All you're really rooting for is that your Sweet 16/ Elite Eight/ (and gasp) Final Four teams don't get knocked out early.....everything else is not that important. (Experienced gamblers, this may be painfully simple for you, but just trying to educate novice-intermediate NCAA bracketfillers). Also, in a pure mathematical sense, if you're SOLELY in it to win a bracket, to get a check at the end of it, it's probably mathematically accurate to pick straight chalk......no upsets, just pick the higher (or lower numerically) number in every matchup...... It's boring, you won't be commended for having balls of steel or being the life of the party, but at the end of the day, you're making the correct decision. Seriously, I might try it next year, especially with the last few years being dominated by No. 1 seeds and No. 2 seeds.
That brings up a good point about underdogs: People love 10+ seeds in the first days of the tournament for whatever reasons, either a.) cool name (Wofford or Siena), b.)geography, c.) saw them randomly at a bar and think they're the best team ever, d.) their alma mater, but they are like playing craps without a good strategy: Sucker bets. Vegas, and other people in your bracket, WANT you to pick those teams because in the long run, you keep picking upsets and you won't do well, cuz they just don't happen THAT often. But we keep betting them, because once in a while San Diego beats Connecticut, or Murray St. beats Vanderbilt, and we think it's a common event. Lesson learned.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
March Madness commences
So I'll give away my March Madness bracket pick: Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, baby. Although I am terrible at brackets, it's mainly because every year I go for a "perfect" bracket, and go for sleepers, not real things. If you look at 2007, 2008, and 2009, a LOT of top seeds have made it to the Elite 8 + Final Four, and Cinderellas have taken a backseat to the big dogs after the Sweet 16. Ever Since 2006, there have been no George Masons. There have been Davidson's and some others, but you just CAN'T bank on those, so no use predicting them.
My Final Four is Big East Heavy: Kansas, Syracuse, Villanova, and West Virginia. Could be a serious mistake.
Also ,I did an interesting experiment on asking people the following question, "Who do you have winning your bracket?" Keep in mind, these were mostly law students, so not necessarily a good sample of the general population, but here goes:
1.) Kansas, for sure.
2.) Kansas, but I don't feel good about it.
3.) Syracuse.
4.) DUKE FOR THE WIN, BAAAAABBBYYYY ( guy from Duke said this).
5.) Illinois. We're talking about the NIT, right?
6.) Cornell, who else?
7.) Sawyer.
Clearly, #7 was a little goofy, probably from St. Patrick's Day festivities,but still a good compilation of responses, and reflects the fact that Kansas is definitely the odds-on favorite this year. Kentucky's getting a little love, but their youth and less arduous regular season schedule has people less enthusiastic. It all begins tomorrow.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
My Final Four is Big East Heavy: Kansas, Syracuse, Villanova, and West Virginia. Could be a serious mistake.
Also ,I did an interesting experiment on asking people the following question, "Who do you have winning your bracket?" Keep in mind, these were mostly law students, so not necessarily a good sample of the general population, but here goes:
1.) Kansas, for sure.
2.) Kansas, but I don't feel good about it.
3.) Syracuse.
4.) DUKE FOR THE WIN, BAAAAABBBYYYY ( guy from Duke said this).
5.) Illinois. We're talking about the NIT, right?
6.) Cornell, who else?
7.) Sawyer.
Clearly, #7 was a little goofy, probably from St. Patrick's Day festivities,but still a good compilation of responses, and reflects the fact that Kansas is definitely the odds-on favorite this year. Kentucky's getting a little love, but their youth and less arduous regular season schedule has people less enthusiastic. It all begins tomorrow.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Note writing
A man who dares waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life." -- Charles Darwin.
Geez, Charles, setting some high standards there, are we? Understandably, though, the guy was a machine. Probably why he was so successful.
Sometimes, I wish I had the ability not to waste time, and actually this year I've been pretty good about it, EXCEPT this week (spring break) and this whole note-writing process. Today was Day 1 of the note-writing process and I've already worn myself out. The note, for those who don't know, is the law-school equivalent of a coming-of-age tale that most law students have to endure in their 2nd year, a mid-law school barrier sent to you between the horrors of 1L year and the blitzkreig that is bar preparation after 3rd year. Cuz let's face it, the 2 years between 1L and graduation are not that hard, academia-wise. You go to your law school classes, which are fairly substantive courses, but by no means are they as much of a grind like 1L year because a.) you're used to law school now, b.) grades don't matter as much, and c.) you take less of a courseload.
But this note is a different thing altogether. Of all the single endeavors I've done during law school, this one has been the most tedious. It's worse than the legal writing papers (done mostly over the course of 12 hours on Sundays), work applications (print out many copies of my resume and alter my cover letter a bit for each place I apply to) or even the write-on at the end of last year (a one-week affair right after the first semester of law school that was bad timing). At least the write-on had research already done and a solid prompt (not to mention a lower 10-page limit). The note is just a different process altogether because from the start, there was very little guidance. You pick out a topic from the vast ocean that is legal topics in the world and write about SOMETHING, ANYTHING that hasn't been written about. Which seemed OK until I realized I have no deep understanding about legal understanding. Law school is more geared towards teaching breadth of knowledge, not depth of knowledge, and a minimum 35-page essay about one single topic is just not do-able without further research. It's really like asking me to build a computer out of scratch and make it the best I can be. I know what a computer looks like, I know all the different things that go into a computer, but what's the method to get there? Ihave no idea. And THAT's what's been so hard about the write-on, not knowing the method and finding your own way. Pretty much a microcosm, too, of law school: a rite of passage that requires you to find your own way.
And now I've spent 20 of my precious minutes of spring break RANTING about the write-on after spending 7 hours during the day WRITING the write-on. It's been a rough day.
On the bright side, I predicted that the NIT opening first-round game between Jacksonville St. and Arizona St. would have a total of more than 129 points! Yay! I'm a genius! Ha, I'm a mess.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Geez, Charles, setting some high standards there, are we? Understandably, though, the guy was a machine. Probably why he was so successful.
Sometimes, I wish I had the ability not to waste time, and actually this year I've been pretty good about it, EXCEPT this week (spring break) and this whole note-writing process. Today was Day 1 of the note-writing process and I've already worn myself out. The note, for those who don't know, is the law-school equivalent of a coming-of-age tale that most law students have to endure in their 2nd year, a mid-law school barrier sent to you between the horrors of 1L year and the blitzkreig that is bar preparation after 3rd year. Cuz let's face it, the 2 years between 1L and graduation are not that hard, academia-wise. You go to your law school classes, which are fairly substantive courses, but by no means are they as much of a grind like 1L year because a.) you're used to law school now, b.) grades don't matter as much, and c.) you take less of a courseload.
But this note is a different thing altogether. Of all the single endeavors I've done during law school, this one has been the most tedious. It's worse than the legal writing papers (done mostly over the course of 12 hours on Sundays), work applications (print out many copies of my resume and alter my cover letter a bit for each place I apply to) or even the write-on at the end of last year (a one-week affair right after the first semester of law school that was bad timing). At least the write-on had research already done and a solid prompt (not to mention a lower 10-page limit). The note is just a different process altogether because from the start, there was very little guidance. You pick out a topic from the vast ocean that is legal topics in the world and write about SOMETHING, ANYTHING that hasn't been written about. Which seemed OK until I realized I have no deep understanding about legal understanding. Law school is more geared towards teaching breadth of knowledge, not depth of knowledge, and a minimum 35-page essay about one single topic is just not do-able without further research. It's really like asking me to build a computer out of scratch and make it the best I can be. I know what a computer looks like, I know all the different things that go into a computer, but what's the method to get there? Ihave no idea. And THAT's what's been so hard about the write-on, not knowing the method and finding your own way. Pretty much a microcosm, too, of law school: a rite of passage that requires you to find your own way.
And now I've spent 20 of my precious minutes of spring break RANTING about the write-on after spending 7 hours during the day WRITING the write-on. It's been a rough day.
On the bright side, I predicted that the NIT opening first-round game between Jacksonville St. and Arizona St. would have a total of more than 129 points! Yay! I'm a genius! Ha, I'm a mess.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, March 15, 2010
75 and sunny
March 15, 2010 had weather conditions that Southern California is all too familiar with: 75 and sunny.
Not complaining, there's plenty of awesomeness that goes with SoCal weather: AMAZING sunsets, great time to go hiking, biking, swimming, tannin, kiting, whatever's your cup of team, and along with that is the ability to stay physically fit: The weather makes you want to get outside and do something, to be active, and you burn off more calories. Makes a whole lot of sense, that's why some of the fattest cities in the nation are Chicago, and Philadelphia, and Detroit.....cold weather destinations. For me, a young 20-something-year-old, it's doubly awesome cuz I want to lose weight, but I also like a bunch of outdoor activities like tennis, baseball, football....right up my alley.
Good weather also allows you to have a more enhanced mood: usually when it's rainy and drippy, people's countenances reflec that, but once the sun comes out, universally it's a "turn that frown upside down" situation...... and even if other stuff in your life is bad, at least the weather's cooperating!
Good weather also means everything goes as planned, including baseball games (when's the last time the Dodgers got cancelled at home cuz of rain?), barbeques, rock concerts, camping trips, cookouts, company gatherings, beach trips. They all go as planned, which keeps everybody happy and probably in the process avoids a plethora of breach of contract claims on faulty rain checks.
So I appreciate the L.A. weather. But you know, on a deeper level, when it's 75 and sunny EVERY day, you don't appreciate it that much. It's too much of a good thing. You take it for granted. Ice cream's real good when you have it once in a while, but imagine having it every for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. Not so much. Similarly, in my native Chicago or other cold-weather cities, I imagine, you complain, moan, wail, and commiserate about the bad weather during the winter/spring/summer/fall (basically all the time), but on that rare 75 and sunny day, that beautifulsummer afternoon with little to no breeze, you really sit back and enjoy it, because you know it doesn't come along too often. That's the feeling I miss, the "sun just broke through the clouds" feeling of having weathered the really tough times, gotten through rippling winds and depressing downpours, to have the clouds clear and the skies open up, and the Mr. Sunshine sneaks shily through and eventually comes out of his shell. THAT's a great feeling.
And that's the thing with L.A., in general, too. People don't appreciate things that much. Yay, we have the beach. Great, you go once in a while but get bored of it. Yay you have Hollywood Bowl, but you tire of it. Yay you have great sports teams in all 3 major sports (well I guess the USC Trojans count), but you get tired of them (unless the Lakers win the Championship). There's just too much good stuff for people. I bet if you gave people in Smallville, USA just one of the things people in L.A. had (say, move the Getty Center to Champign Illinois) that it'd be the biggest thing to come through that town of all time, yet here in L.A. it's just a cool reminder of a time you went there in 7th grade as you drive down the 405.
I have a theory that all this "taking for granted" attitude is what drives people to consume marijuana and become consumers of other illicit drugs, but that's fodder for another post.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Not complaining, there's plenty of awesomeness that goes with SoCal weather: AMAZING sunsets, great time to go hiking, biking, swimming, tannin, kiting, whatever's your cup of team, and along with that is the ability to stay physically fit: The weather makes you want to get outside and do something, to be active, and you burn off more calories. Makes a whole lot of sense, that's why some of the fattest cities in the nation are Chicago, and Philadelphia, and Detroit.....cold weather destinations. For me, a young 20-something-year-old, it's doubly awesome cuz I want to lose weight, but I also like a bunch of outdoor activities like tennis, baseball, football....right up my alley.
Good weather also allows you to have a more enhanced mood: usually when it's rainy and drippy, people's countenances reflec that, but once the sun comes out, universally it's a "turn that frown upside down" situation...... and even if other stuff in your life is bad, at least the weather's cooperating!
Good weather also means everything goes as planned, including baseball games (when's the last time the Dodgers got cancelled at home cuz of rain?), barbeques, rock concerts, camping trips, cookouts, company gatherings, beach trips. They all go as planned, which keeps everybody happy and probably in the process avoids a plethora of breach of contract claims on faulty rain checks.
So I appreciate the L.A. weather. But you know, on a deeper level, when it's 75 and sunny EVERY day, you don't appreciate it that much. It's too much of a good thing. You take it for granted. Ice cream's real good when you have it once in a while, but imagine having it every for breakfast, lunch, AND dinner. Not so much. Similarly, in my native Chicago or other cold-weather cities, I imagine, you complain, moan, wail, and commiserate about the bad weather during the winter/spring/summer/fall (basically all the time), but on that rare 75 and sunny day, that beautifulsummer afternoon with little to no breeze, you really sit back and enjoy it, because you know it doesn't come along too often. That's the feeling I miss, the "sun just broke through the clouds" feeling of having weathered the really tough times, gotten through rippling winds and depressing downpours, to have the clouds clear and the skies open up, and the Mr. Sunshine sneaks shily through and eventually comes out of his shell. THAT's a great feeling.
And that's the thing with L.A., in general, too. People don't appreciate things that much. Yay, we have the beach. Great, you go once in a while but get bored of it. Yay you have Hollywood Bowl, but you tire of it. Yay you have great sports teams in all 3 major sports (well I guess the USC Trojans count), but you get tired of them (unless the Lakers win the Championship). There's just too much good stuff for people. I bet if you gave people in Smallville, USA just one of the things people in L.A. had (say, move the Getty Center to Champign Illinois) that it'd be the biggest thing to come through that town of all time, yet here in L.A. it's just a cool reminder of a time you went there in 7th grade as you drive down the 405.
I have a theory that all this "taking for granted" attitude is what drives people to consume marijuana and become consumers of other illicit drugs, but that's fodder for another post.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Pi Day
March 14th = Pi Day (3.14159267........)
"To err is human, to forgive divine." -Alexander Pope.
Such a smooth, easy-to-remember phrase and yet people fail to adhere to it, including me. It's also the theme of this post.
So it's been a crazy whirlwind of college basketball for me this weekend, and the real NCAA Tournament hasn't even started. But there's one team close to my heart that's not going to the tourney this year: The aforementioned Fighting Illini. After a HEARTBREAKING loss to Ohio State in Double Overtime on Saturday, the Illini were one of 3 "last teams out," a true bubble team that had its bubble burst during Selection Sunday. It could have gone either way, I think, with a few at-large teams (Florida comes first to mind) that might have flip-flopped.
So obviously, my first reaction upon hearing the news was anguish, and sort of going (quickly) through 4 of the first 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression. My friend and fellow Illini faithful texted me right after the Selection show, "Bullsh*t." I was feeling the same thing. And a lot of anger was directed towards the Selection Committee. How could they be so obtuse, so insensitive, so cold and hateful?
But then I took a step back. Listen, I love Illinois basketball like any other shmoe from the Land of Lincoln. I stuck with them from 1999, the days of Sergio McClain and Corey Bradford, through the Frank Williams years, through the Deron Williams years, Dee Brown, Brian Cook, James Augustine and finally the current regime of Demetri McCamey et. al. I could probably name you every NCAA appearance they've made this decade and who knocked them out. But this year's team had some MAJOR blemishes that, like really bad acne, could not be ignored.
1. Let's start with the record. 19-14. That's 5 games above .500, and the pattern resembles much more a W-L-W-L combo than a consistently winning team. The magic number for the Selection Committee is 20 wins, and the Illini fell just short.
2. Some BAD losses at the beginning of the season: The story of American failures, the Illini had one bad weekend in Vegas in November, losing to both Utah and BRADLEY. Epic fail.
3. Finished season losing 6 out of 8: The Selection Committee historically rewards finishing the season strong, and Illinois did anything but.
4. Didn't beat a great team: The Illini had a few quality wins (@ Clemson, vs. Michigan State, v. Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin twice), but none was a MARQUEE win. The Spartans win was supposed to be big until Mich. St. showed its flaws, and Illini went 0-5 against Ohio State and Purdue, the class of the Big Ten.
5. Head-to-head: The clincher was the home loss against Minnesota. Switch that one from loss to win and the Illini have 20 wins and are in, taking Minnesota's spot. If you can't beat fellow bubble teams, your bubble should be popped.
So thinking about these COMPELLING reasons that the Illini shouldn't be in, you gotta agree that the Selection Committee had some good reasons. Ultimately, all bubble teams have to look in the mirror: the fact that you're on the bubble means that you've messed up somewhere, and it's on you to play yourself off the bubble, not have someone else save you from it. Those 2 last plays against Ohio St. at end of regulation and first OT will forever haunt this year's squad.
You know, also, not everyone can make it to the NCAA tournament. There's a lot of quality basketball teams, and sometimes these teams falter. It's human nature. You make mistakes. But to move on, not blame other people for it, that's divine. And look on the bright side, the Illini have a NUMBER ONE seed.......in the NIT.
This situation really reflects on many facets of life too: A lot of people tend to blame other people for their problems. You see it on the road every day: angry drivers honking at others when it's their own aggression that's the problem, or simply that someone else made a mistake. It's OK, people. Breathe. Get along. Live happy.
Application #2 of the "to err is human" post: The latest Amazing Race episode. From what I saw, Joe and Heidi have every reason to be pissed off at people after their challenge. The Amazing Race producers throw a random "Blind U-Turn" into the leg, and the Undercover Cops for some reason went after Joe, citing previous "cockiness" as the reason for the U-Turn. Well, basically, they sealed Joe and Heidi's fate, cuz they got stuck with the Detour from Hell and couldn't complete. You know, sometimes Amazing Race challenges don't seem too hard, and it looks like contestants are just wimpy or not smart enough to get it (see last season Big Easy's epic fail not scrambling "Franz" after somebody told him the F was first), but the Morse Code challenge looked HARD. There's a reason civilizations have used Morse Code as an emergency language, cuz you need to be TRAINED to use it. Such a divergence of difficulty between the detours of 1.) crouching down and just waddling through an obstacle course v. 2.) learning an ancient form of communication from scratch and deciphering a message seems grotesquely unfair, and there was a reason EVERY team decided to go for #1. Amazing why the TAR producers decided to throw the Blind U-Turn at this detour of all detours, forcing one team to go through an impossible task. It's almost as if they got lazy and didn't test the challenge with real people first before unleashing it. Sheesh.
But anyway, my point is, Joe and Heidi seemed upset about being Blind U-Turned, but then went ahead and acknowledged it was a game. That's classy. That really is, and I'm not saying it cuz they speak Mandarin like me and I can relate to them and whatnot, which I do. But sometimes you make mistakes, and despite a lot of factors weighing heavily against them, the team did make some errors, and tipped their hat in their exit. To err is human, to forgive divine. They were basically saying also that the Undercover Cops (as well as TAR producers, in my opinion) probably made a mistake, but we'll forgive them. Take the higher road. I love it. Thanks guys, you will be missed on TAR.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
"To err is human, to forgive divine." -Alexander Pope.
Such a smooth, easy-to-remember phrase and yet people fail to adhere to it, including me. It's also the theme of this post.
So it's been a crazy whirlwind of college basketball for me this weekend, and the real NCAA Tournament hasn't even started. But there's one team close to my heart that's not going to the tourney this year: The aforementioned Fighting Illini. After a HEARTBREAKING loss to Ohio State in Double Overtime on Saturday, the Illini were one of 3 "last teams out," a true bubble team that had its bubble burst during Selection Sunday. It could have gone either way, I think, with a few at-large teams (Florida comes first to mind) that might have flip-flopped.
So obviously, my first reaction upon hearing the news was anguish, and sort of going (quickly) through 4 of the first 5 stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression. My friend and fellow Illini faithful texted me right after the Selection show, "Bullsh*t." I was feeling the same thing. And a lot of anger was directed towards the Selection Committee. How could they be so obtuse, so insensitive, so cold and hateful?
But then I took a step back. Listen, I love Illinois basketball like any other shmoe from the Land of Lincoln. I stuck with them from 1999, the days of Sergio McClain and Corey Bradford, through the Frank Williams years, through the Deron Williams years, Dee Brown, Brian Cook, James Augustine and finally the current regime of Demetri McCamey et. al. I could probably name you every NCAA appearance they've made this decade and who knocked them out. But this year's team had some MAJOR blemishes that, like really bad acne, could not be ignored.
1. Let's start with the record. 19-14. That's 5 games above .500, and the pattern resembles much more a W-L-W-L combo than a consistently winning team. The magic number for the Selection Committee is 20 wins, and the Illini fell just short.
2. Some BAD losses at the beginning of the season: The story of American failures, the Illini had one bad weekend in Vegas in November, losing to both Utah and BRADLEY. Epic fail.
3. Finished season losing 6 out of 8: The Selection Committee historically rewards finishing the season strong, and Illinois did anything but.
4. Didn't beat a great team: The Illini had a few quality wins (@ Clemson, vs. Michigan State, v. Vanderbilt, and Wisconsin twice), but none was a MARQUEE win. The Spartans win was supposed to be big until Mich. St. showed its flaws, and Illini went 0-5 against Ohio State and Purdue, the class of the Big Ten.
5. Head-to-head: The clincher was the home loss against Minnesota. Switch that one from loss to win and the Illini have 20 wins and are in, taking Minnesota's spot. If you can't beat fellow bubble teams, your bubble should be popped.
So thinking about these COMPELLING reasons that the Illini shouldn't be in, you gotta agree that the Selection Committee had some good reasons. Ultimately, all bubble teams have to look in the mirror: the fact that you're on the bubble means that you've messed up somewhere, and it's on you to play yourself off the bubble, not have someone else save you from it. Those 2 last plays against Ohio St. at end of regulation and first OT will forever haunt this year's squad.
You know, also, not everyone can make it to the NCAA tournament. There's a lot of quality basketball teams, and sometimes these teams falter. It's human nature. You make mistakes. But to move on, not blame other people for it, that's divine. And look on the bright side, the Illini have a NUMBER ONE seed.......in the NIT.
This situation really reflects on many facets of life too: A lot of people tend to blame other people for their problems. You see it on the road every day: angry drivers honking at others when it's their own aggression that's the problem, or simply that someone else made a mistake. It's OK, people. Breathe. Get along. Live happy.
Application #2 of the "to err is human" post: The latest Amazing Race episode. From what I saw, Joe and Heidi have every reason to be pissed off at people after their challenge. The Amazing Race producers throw a random "Blind U-Turn" into the leg, and the Undercover Cops for some reason went after Joe, citing previous "cockiness" as the reason for the U-Turn. Well, basically, they sealed Joe and Heidi's fate, cuz they got stuck with the Detour from Hell and couldn't complete. You know, sometimes Amazing Race challenges don't seem too hard, and it looks like contestants are just wimpy or not smart enough to get it (see last season Big Easy's epic fail not scrambling "Franz" after somebody told him the F was first), but the Morse Code challenge looked HARD. There's a reason civilizations have used Morse Code as an emergency language, cuz you need to be TRAINED to use it. Such a divergence of difficulty between the detours of 1.) crouching down and just waddling through an obstacle course v. 2.) learning an ancient form of communication from scratch and deciphering a message seems grotesquely unfair, and there was a reason EVERY team decided to go for #1. Amazing why the TAR producers decided to throw the Blind U-Turn at this detour of all detours, forcing one team to go through an impossible task. It's almost as if they got lazy and didn't test the challenge with real people first before unleashing it. Sheesh.
But anyway, my point is, Joe and Heidi seemed upset about being Blind U-Turned, but then went ahead and acknowledged it was a game. That's classy. That really is, and I'm not saying it cuz they speak Mandarin like me and I can relate to them and whatnot, which I do. But sometimes you make mistakes, and despite a lot of factors weighing heavily against them, the team did make some errors, and tipped their hat in their exit. To err is human, to forgive divine. They were basically saying also that the Undercover Cops (as well as TAR producers, in my opinion) probably made a mistake, but we'll forgive them. Take the higher road. I love it. Thanks guys, you will be missed on TAR.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, March 12, 2010
Bubble Trouble
"When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them."
Having trouble reconciling Confucius's quote w/ my own situation: Should I abandon my faulty Sony computer, which has been enduring some serious "faults" recently, or go with a new computer that will last me until the bar next year? I'd gladly abandon my old computer if it wasn't for the $900 price tag that came with it. Decisions, decisions.
Anyway, the title of the post refers to a popular March Madness term, "the bubble." Each year, a good handful of teams fall right on the "bubble" of the NCAA tournament, meaning they could go either way, either in or out of the tournament. Basically, they're standing in line waiting to get into a club that houses 64, and they're not sure how many spots are left. THAT's the bubble, and millions of sports fanatics are obsessed with it every year, more than even the best teams in the land.
First of all, March Madness is amazing in and of itself: The rest of the year, only the most ardent of college basketball fans follow the sport, the preseason rankings, the incoming high school recruits, the RPI rankings, and conference breakdowns. Most people ONLY tune in this time of year, and (this analogy taken from Colin Cowherd), college basketball is like the scholarly college girl of the family of sports who comes home to visit every year for a month or so, and then leaves without being heard from until the next March. But when college basketball is here, everyone knows it. It mixes the tradition of old-school powerhouses Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, with crisp sounding names like Cornell, with original Cinderellas Gonzaga and Davidson, with your state (insert state here)'s best team.
But why are people so enamored with teams being on the bubble? To me, it's the excitement of not knowing whether you're in or out, comparing your resume with other teams' resumes, sharing signature wins, bad losses, RPI ratings, and strengths of schedule. It's the risk of every game knowing that your bubble might pop, that the next loss will be your last, that your season could be over at any over. It truthfully makes your team relevant, a team to cheer for, a team that people care about, as opposed to a team that is comfortably in the big dance but isn't a superior team: there's less intrigue about those teams. When you're on the bubble, Joe Lunardi, Andy Katz, and Jay Bilas and a host of ESPN writers talk about you all the time; they literally have a screen of 4 teams that you're a part of all the time, and you're in the national spotlight; it probably helps with recruiting and national exposure too. Seriously, if I were an athletic director and my school was a 8 or 9 seed, I'd want them to drop a couple spots to become a bubble team to make them a juicy team.
And so that's where I segue to the BIG matchup tomorrow, Illinois v. Ohio State, part III. My Illini woulda had to go home early with a loss today v. Wisconsin (they would have been 18-14 and really not justified of a bid), but a 20-win season with recent wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin would surely allow them in........but a loss? Don't know. This is the game that's been building up all season, the one that the Illini desperately need, the one that puts them into the dance for sure, or else they'll have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday. With Ohio State looking beatable (barely beat Michigan on last-second Evan Turner prayer today) and the Illini's backs against the wall, I say the boys from Illinois get it done and pull out a stunner, en route to the Big Ten Championship game. I-L-L! I-N-I!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Having trouble reconciling Confucius's quote w/ my own situation: Should I abandon my faulty Sony computer, which has been enduring some serious "faults" recently, or go with a new computer that will last me until the bar next year? I'd gladly abandon my old computer if it wasn't for the $900 price tag that came with it. Decisions, decisions.
Anyway, the title of the post refers to a popular March Madness term, "the bubble." Each year, a good handful of teams fall right on the "bubble" of the NCAA tournament, meaning they could go either way, either in or out of the tournament. Basically, they're standing in line waiting to get into a club that houses 64, and they're not sure how many spots are left. THAT's the bubble, and millions of sports fanatics are obsessed with it every year, more than even the best teams in the land.
First of all, March Madness is amazing in and of itself: The rest of the year, only the most ardent of college basketball fans follow the sport, the preseason rankings, the incoming high school recruits, the RPI rankings, and conference breakdowns. Most people ONLY tune in this time of year, and (this analogy taken from Colin Cowherd), college basketball is like the scholarly college girl of the family of sports who comes home to visit every year for a month or so, and then leaves without being heard from until the next March. But when college basketball is here, everyone knows it. It mixes the tradition of old-school powerhouses Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, with crisp sounding names like Cornell, with original Cinderellas Gonzaga and Davidson, with your state (insert state here)'s best team.
But why are people so enamored with teams being on the bubble? To me, it's the excitement of not knowing whether you're in or out, comparing your resume with other teams' resumes, sharing signature wins, bad losses, RPI ratings, and strengths of schedule. It's the risk of every game knowing that your bubble might pop, that the next loss will be your last, that your season could be over at any over. It truthfully makes your team relevant, a team to cheer for, a team that people care about, as opposed to a team that is comfortably in the big dance but isn't a superior team: there's less intrigue about those teams. When you're on the bubble, Joe Lunardi, Andy Katz, and Jay Bilas and a host of ESPN writers talk about you all the time; they literally have a screen of 4 teams that you're a part of all the time, and you're in the national spotlight; it probably helps with recruiting and national exposure too. Seriously, if I were an athletic director and my school was a 8 or 9 seed, I'd want them to drop a couple spots to become a bubble team to make them a juicy team.
And so that's where I segue to the BIG matchup tomorrow, Illinois v. Ohio State, part III. My Illini woulda had to go home early with a loss today v. Wisconsin (they would have been 18-14 and really not justified of a bid), but a 20-win season with recent wins over Ohio State and Wisconsin would surely allow them in........but a loss? Don't know. This is the game that's been building up all season, the one that the Illini desperately need, the one that puts them into the dance for sure, or else they'll have to sweat it out on Selection Sunday. With Ohio State looking beatable (barely beat Michigan on last-second Evan Turner prayer today) and the Illini's backs against the wall, I say the boys from Illinois get it done and pull out a stunner, en route to the Big Ten Championship game. I-L-L! I-N-I!
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Monday, March 8, 2010
Playoff Panic
Having computer problems, so apologize for the length between posts, and first official reminder to self that Spelling Bee 2010 is drawing closer.
"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without." - Confucius
In many ways, the above quote personifies my attitude towards fantasy sports now: it's pointless going for "moral victories" or "reaching the playoffs is cool" sentiments. It's win or waste my time. And really, in the fantasy leagues I participate in (and I imagine a lot of your leagues at home), making the playoffs just requires a glance at your team once in a while, not due diligience, constant vigilance, or Nostradomus-like ability. It's like 9th grade algebra: just do your homework once in a while, show up for the test (the draft + the playoffs), and do reasonably well in the class. 'Nuff said.
However, WINNING a fantasy league (I'm talking 12-team minimums, not the 3-team splatter that some people make with 2 of their closest friends to boost their egos) requires a bit more than that... you need to be patient, proactive, shrewd, entrepreneurial, prognosticative, contemplative, and sometimes, it even requires some good fantasy advice.....which is where I come in.
My own fantasy team just lost a chance at a first-round bye in my compettive league because LeBron tweaked his ankle on Friday, was forced to sit out on Saturday, and naturally I missed out on my goal by 10 points (10 actual NBA points, not fantasy points, of which LeBron supplies a mere 30 a game). Urg, and now LeBron sits out on Monday, limiting him to a max of 2 games this week and seriously jeopardizing my team's chances when I need him the most.
Around playoff time, you need a fresh batch of fantasy advice because each decision is very important, understandably amplified by the gravity of the situation. Here are some calls on people you might be torn between starting/sitting:
1. The Matrix Shawn Marion is heating up just in time for the postseason, but will his latest row of numbers continue to proliferate?
A: Most likely. Marion is finally, and I mean FINALLY, getting in tune with the rest of the Mavs and along with Caron Butler, putting up some solid theft numbers, as well as capitalizing on the injury to Jason Terry to have some reasonable offensive production, at an efficient rate. Start.
2. Ben Wallace: Is his overall good numbers enough to compensate for his atrocious FT%?
No, for some reason he's been attempting even more this year, which is bad. And it's not just at the charity stripe: he hurts you in points as well without any 3's, and my general rule is that any man that HURTS you in 2 or more categories should be given a very short leash. Especially in a hotly-contested matchup where FT% becomes a contested category.
3. Taj Gibson: The rise of Taj. Love him w/o Noah.
4. Chris Paul: Should you count on him to be back?
A: Unfortunately, no. If the Hornets were smart, they'd have shut him down despite his protests to play a while ago. They're 5 games out of a playoff spot, Darren Collison's playing great anyway, and even Chris himself admits it's "difficult for him to run." Smells like a "end of the season scenario."
5. Anybody and everybody on Golden State: Start, start start. As long as Monta Ellis is on the floor, anyone who can breathe or move (not necessarily both) should be started. Yes, even Devean George. Here's a random analogy for you: Removing Monta Ellis from the Warriors lineup is like the Fed lowering interest rates: Economic (and fantasy) prosperity.
O and start everyone and everything who plays AGAINST the warriors. Case in point, halftime score tonight New Orleans v. GS = 67-62. 'Nuff said.
6. JaVale McGee: Forget the fact you've never heard of him, forget that he's on the Wizards, forget that you left the water running this morning (actually, remember that last part). McGee is a blocks machine and gets reasonable touches from Washington not to be one-dimensional, and you're not gonna find a better option on the waiver wire at this point in the season.
7. I don't trust Quentin Richardson as far as I can throw him because his value is entirely based on if opposing defenses decide to slack off and leave him open to put every available body on Dwayne Wade, but if anything, he'll pull down boards and get 3-point OPPORTUNITIES (not saying he'll make all of them), and you need to go with the hot hand. Q is really like a stick of dynamite: very volatile and you don't want to use it, but you'll be cursing his name if someone else picks him up and he blows up against you.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
"Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without." - Confucius
In many ways, the above quote personifies my attitude towards fantasy sports now: it's pointless going for "moral victories" or "reaching the playoffs is cool" sentiments. It's win or waste my time. And really, in the fantasy leagues I participate in (and I imagine a lot of your leagues at home), making the playoffs just requires a glance at your team once in a while, not due diligience, constant vigilance, or Nostradomus-like ability. It's like 9th grade algebra: just do your homework once in a while, show up for the test (the draft + the playoffs), and do reasonably well in the class. 'Nuff said.
However, WINNING a fantasy league (I'm talking 12-team minimums, not the 3-team splatter that some people make with 2 of their closest friends to boost their egos) requires a bit more than that... you need to be patient, proactive, shrewd, entrepreneurial, prognosticative, contemplative, and sometimes, it even requires some good fantasy advice.....which is where I come in.
My own fantasy team just lost a chance at a first-round bye in my compettive league because LeBron tweaked his ankle on Friday, was forced to sit out on Saturday, and naturally I missed out on my goal by 10 points (10 actual NBA points, not fantasy points, of which LeBron supplies a mere 30 a game). Urg, and now LeBron sits out on Monday, limiting him to a max of 2 games this week and seriously jeopardizing my team's chances when I need him the most.
Around playoff time, you need a fresh batch of fantasy advice because each decision is very important, understandably amplified by the gravity of the situation. Here are some calls on people you might be torn between starting/sitting:
1. The Matrix Shawn Marion is heating up just in time for the postseason, but will his latest row of numbers continue to proliferate?
A: Most likely. Marion is finally, and I mean FINALLY, getting in tune with the rest of the Mavs and along with Caron Butler, putting up some solid theft numbers, as well as capitalizing on the injury to Jason Terry to have some reasonable offensive production, at an efficient rate. Start.
2. Ben Wallace: Is his overall good numbers enough to compensate for his atrocious FT%?
No, for some reason he's been attempting even more this year, which is bad. And it's not just at the charity stripe: he hurts you in points as well without any 3's, and my general rule is that any man that HURTS you in 2 or more categories should be given a very short leash. Especially in a hotly-contested matchup where FT% becomes a contested category.
3. Taj Gibson: The rise of Taj. Love him w/o Noah.
4. Chris Paul: Should you count on him to be back?
A: Unfortunately, no. If the Hornets were smart, they'd have shut him down despite his protests to play a while ago. They're 5 games out of a playoff spot, Darren Collison's playing great anyway, and even Chris himself admits it's "difficult for him to run." Smells like a "end of the season scenario."
5. Anybody and everybody on Golden State: Start, start start. As long as Monta Ellis is on the floor, anyone who can breathe or move (not necessarily both) should be started. Yes, even Devean George. Here's a random analogy for you: Removing Monta Ellis from the Warriors lineup is like the Fed lowering interest rates: Economic (and fantasy) prosperity.
O and start everyone and everything who plays AGAINST the warriors. Case in point, halftime score tonight New Orleans v. GS = 67-62. 'Nuff said.
6. JaVale McGee: Forget the fact you've never heard of him, forget that he's on the Wizards, forget that you left the water running this morning (actually, remember that last part). McGee is a blocks machine and gets reasonable touches from Washington not to be one-dimensional, and you're not gonna find a better option on the waiver wire at this point in the season.
7. I don't trust Quentin Richardson as far as I can throw him because his value is entirely based on if opposing defenses decide to slack off and leave him open to put every available body on Dwayne Wade, but if anything, he'll pull down boards and get 3-point OPPORTUNITIES (not saying he'll make all of them), and you need to go with the hot hand. Q is really like a stick of dynamite: very volatile and you don't want to use it, but you'll be cursing his name if someone else picks him up and he blows up against you.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Law School Classes
Hey 0L's (prospective law students), wanna know what law classes you have to take are like? Here's a brief description of the subjects I've taken through my first 2 years:
1. Torts: Basically, daily life: when you trip on a wire, hit someone in the face, rear-end someone's car, set up a bear trap in your backyard, it's basically everything that goes wrong in life, and everyone does it.
2. Contracts: Making Promises you can't keep and then getting sued for it.
3. Civil Procedure: the How-to book on how to go about suing people, it's basically giving the young studying attorney his driver's license. (or in this case, suing license)
4. Law, Language, and Ethics: Most schools don't offer this, with good reason. Basically a mix of philosophical dribble with interpreting what was going on inside a judge's head when making their decisions, the primary lesson I got from it was how to interpret what is considered a "vehicle."
5. Constitutional Law: The Amendments that you learned in high school take on a whole new light, especially those obscure ones you didn't even know existed like the 14th and 15th. Uncle Chemerinsky teaching you constitutional theory.
6. Criminal Law:
Monday, March 1, 2010
Pandora's Box
You know the feeling you get where you did something wrong and it's like all hell's broken loose? I'm getting that feeling now. I did something on Wednesday of last week that I regret, (for argument's sake let's say I took the fruit from the poisoned tree = an annoying tax law term), and now everything's going downhill for me.
1. Computer was a bit screwey before Wednesday, but afterwards it's like nail come down on the coffin and it's definitely on its last straws. Even as I type on it right now, I feel like it's watching me and deciding when to show the blue screen of death and end itself. At least a $500 purchase coming for a new computer that I need to dole out = there goes my spring break money.
2. Lost our prolonged Axis and Allies game = wasn't totally clear on the rules and thus lead to my ultimate demise, but still, heartbreaking.
3. Lost our IM basketball game in OVERTIME after ref botched a call at the end of regulation on our best player = epic officiating fail.
4. Did NOT get recruited by Survivor (or any other show) as I was walking around Santa Monica, looking good as always.
5. To top off the week, I get my wallet stolen right out from under my nose at the basketball courts at USC.... Ironically, right after I had played a board game with my friends called "Thief." Geez, if someone was trying to send me a message, that went right over my head. The thief that stole my wallet too was ambitious, as I was playing on the court within plain view of my pants at all times, and he had the nerve to take it right out of my pants.......it just makes my blood boil. I feel probably how a lot of crime victims feel, unfortunately.....it's not just the pain endured economically from losing my wallet and the time loss from scrambling around today calling credit card companies and filing stolen wallet reports w/ Department of Safety, it's the humiliation, the knowledge that I've been had, someone got the best of me and there's nothing I can do, that I'm powerless in the world to stop this stuff from happening to me.
Spring break cannot come fast enough. I got off to a pretty strong start to the year motivation-wise and work-wise, finding a summer position AND getting a rough draft of my note while paying attention in classes, but I've definitely hit a rut and need some time to lick my wounds, find a better computer, and recover from the pandora's box that opened as a result of my biting the fruit from the poisoned tree. AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!
Btw, Andray Blatche owners, enjoy the ride. The Beast from the East will be ripping my team and many others to shreds while causing major damage to my playoff positioning right before the fantasy basketball postseason. Praise the name of Andray.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
1. Computer was a bit screwey before Wednesday, but afterwards it's like nail come down on the coffin and it's definitely on its last straws. Even as I type on it right now, I feel like it's watching me and deciding when to show the blue screen of death and end itself. At least a $500 purchase coming for a new computer that I need to dole out = there goes my spring break money.
2. Lost our prolonged Axis and Allies game = wasn't totally clear on the rules and thus lead to my ultimate demise, but still, heartbreaking.
3. Lost our IM basketball game in OVERTIME after ref botched a call at the end of regulation on our best player = epic officiating fail.
4. Did NOT get recruited by Survivor (or any other show) as I was walking around Santa Monica, looking good as always.
5. To top off the week, I get my wallet stolen right out from under my nose at the basketball courts at USC.... Ironically, right after I had played a board game with my friends called "Thief." Geez, if someone was trying to send me a message, that went right over my head. The thief that stole my wallet too was ambitious, as I was playing on the court within plain view of my pants at all times, and he had the nerve to take it right out of my pants.......it just makes my blood boil. I feel probably how a lot of crime victims feel, unfortunately.....it's not just the pain endured economically from losing my wallet and the time loss from scrambling around today calling credit card companies and filing stolen wallet reports w/ Department of Safety, it's the humiliation, the knowledge that I've been had, someone got the best of me and there's nothing I can do, that I'm powerless in the world to stop this stuff from happening to me.
Spring break cannot come fast enough. I got off to a pretty strong start to the year motivation-wise and work-wise, finding a summer position AND getting a rough draft of my note while paying attention in classes, but I've definitely hit a rut and need some time to lick my wounds, find a better computer, and recover from the pandora's box that opened as a result of my biting the fruit from the poisoned tree. AAAARRRRRGGGGGGG!!!!!
Btw, Andray Blatche owners, enjoy the ride. The Beast from the East will be ripping my team and many others to shreds while causing major damage to my playoff positioning right before the fantasy basketball postseason. Praise the name of Andray.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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