Anyone else intrigued about this ongoing story about a college grad going across the country to work a different job in each of the 50 states? http://www.ksnt.com/home/ticker/36673669.html I find it fascinating, and it made me wonder:
1.) Where does this guy sleep? He sleep in his car/ find an apartment for just one week, and then move on? Or does he do the "rely on the kindness of others" bit?
2.) Really, he's 26 and he couldn't find one job w/ an econ degree from USC? That's scary?
3.) How many bad jokes did he try to pull on employers when he got rejected from 40+ interviews? Man, that's devastating.
4.) Would a non-white person be able to do this? Never mind getting on CNN w/ an Asian face like mine, but most of the jobs he does (Morman church boy, rodeo announcer, wedding director) are pretty stereotypically white jobs, and I just wonder if the employers would hire a non-white person to do it. Not to be racist, but that's just the reality: If I applied for a job as a pallbearer at a Catholic church in a pre-dominantly white neighborhood, I'm not sure they'd hire me under any circumstances.
5.) #4 aside, Why didn't I do something like before him? Urg, I love doing odd jobs and volunteering and such, this would have been awesome to get some publicity, be America's hero, and at least find a job.
Urg. Anyway, inspired by this dude, I'm now appreciative of NBA players who do more than just one job: play defense, be a good teammate, show up in an NBA cares commercial, be a good father. But on the fantasy side, here's some lesser-known players (we all know about wade, lebron, chris paul) who do more than just one job on the cats, a little of everything:
1.) Rasheed Wallace: is just a pure athlete but playing center most of the time, opening him up for the usual cats of rebounds and blks, but he plays on the perimeter so he averages more than 1 three a game and picks up loose steals as well, with some assists peppered in as well. His most important job, though, in my opinion, is to keep those turnovers down (just 1.1 TO's per game), which really makes him valuable cuz he gets all his #'s with only half the tradeoff.
2.) Jason Kidd: he's done it for a long time, but worth mentioning cuz even though he's no longer an elite NBA player, his fantasy stats are rejuvenated this year w/ his usual triple-double #'s (pts, rebs, asts) but a very-high steals total this year as well. On the trey department, Kidd is like the veteran waiter at your favorite local restaurant, he just keeps serving'em up.
3.) Vince Carter: What T-Mac was and is supposed to be today, VC still revs up those roto numbers, and I'm always fascinated by how he averages four and a half dimes a season, even when Kidd was in New Jersey too, but then I realize how much he hogs the ball, as long as he makes one pass to someone open he gets one. But 1.9 three's and 20+ pts every season, that's already good enough, but 80%+ FT shooting and about 1.0 stl's are also tasty goodies.
Alrighty then, Monday law school starts up again and I'll be in a funk. However, I have a feeling this NBA season will get even more interesting, and I'll have no choice but to post.
See ya.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, January 9, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
My fascination w/ Scott Turow
Scott Turow is my newest A.T.I.E.W, or Author that I'm enamored with. This guy knows how to write, and he's a lawyer. My kind of fella. Not
Turow's style is very engaging, told in a story format but also with enough sophistication and background about the legal system so as to give an informative twist to the story. In "Presumed Innocent," he assumes a first-person point of view masterfully, and it's as if we go through the long train of memory by the main character, Rusty Sabich, image by image. Not like comic-book style image by image w/ Spiderman flying through the New York sky to battle Dr. Octopus, but very real, very human emotions filled within the pages. (Instead of the peanut butter or cookie crumbs that usually somehow get into my books).
Here's a masterful passage:
"We were not, I realized later, lovers who fulfilled each other's needs. For all her pretense to sophistication, I found that she could border on the gross. She liked to talk dirty..........." Ok, sorry, wrong passage.
"I wonder at first if he is talking about the eulogy he is going to deliver. He has just looked over his notes again and is returning two index cards to the breast pocket of his blue beige suit." Very detailed, very indicative of what the main character is thinking, I love it.
O, for you law school nerds out there, put down the glannon civil procedure book, look up for your outlining, and put a brake on chasing ambulances to read "One L," a non-fiction about Turow's own passage through one-L year. Man it's scary, but it shows true bravery. Most non-lawyers would say the rite of passage to becoming a lawyer shows as much courage as taking out the garbage, but 1L year is hard, lemme tell ya.
Anyway, get on that like Latrell Sprewell's former wives get on Latrell Sprewell for child support. ("It's hard feeding your kids when you're an NBA player" )
Anyone ever see Andre Miller shoot? It's not a pretty site. It's like he's almost embarrassed to be tossing up the shot, he already knows beforehand it's not going in. Well, I just acquired him for ron artest.
Best moment for me of ron artest: Fight at Auburn Hills. Gots the crazed look in his eye like he's about to gut a chicken and splash the blood on somebody's face. We also get a nice pic of his armpit hair as he's lying on the scorer's table, as well as what's left of the one dude's face who's stupid enough to get in the way. That's like waving a red flag at a crazed bull, man. There will be consequences.
Predictions for the rest of the NBA season:
1.) Tony "I found myself the hottest woman in the world and made her my wife" Parker will finish with the best numbers of his career, at least scoring wise, as the Spurs' 3rd option, Ginobili, is hobbled, Tim Duncan cuts half a point off his scoring average each year he gets older, and the rest of the Spurs team couldn't hit Santa Clause's torso w/ a snowball (unlike Fred Claus, who did so repeatedly in the 2007 movie).
2.) Yao "he's my homeboy so I got nothing bad to say about him" Ming is gonna finish the year w/o a significant injury. Yay! And now that I said it he'll probably blow his ACL the next game. Seriously, though, he might have purchased an invisible circle of protection over the off-season cuz he's actually as healthy as salads this year.
3.) John "don't mistake me for trout cuz I'm actually" Salmons will become the #1 scoring option for the Kings this year. They got a lot of young offensive talent on that team but not enough D, and Kev-Mart will let go of that role and be Robin to Salmons's batman.
4.) Jarret "I'm definitely not a white cracker" jack will replace T.J. "does anyone know what the T and J stand for" Ford as the starting point guard for Indiana, either through consistent injuries or ford or just by merit.
5.) D.J. "I was actually born in November" Augustin will be Larry Brown's favorite, and cause Raymond "I reached down into my pants and" Felton to be jettisoned from north carolina for the first time in his life.
6.) Nene "don't be tellin' me I'm not funny" Hilario will be injured at some point in the season and be out. Seriously, this guy is the livin Frankenstein with 2 reconstructed knees, a new elbow, dented shoulder caps, and high cholestrol. If I were the nuggs, I'd check his eyes to make sure they weren't pulled out of someone else's sockets.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Turow's style is very engaging, told in a story format but also with enough sophistication and background about the legal system so as to give an informative twist to the story. In "Presumed Innocent," he assumes a first-person point of view masterfully, and it's as if we go through the long train of memory by the main character, Rusty Sabich, image by image. Not like comic-book style image by image w/ Spiderman flying through the New York sky to battle Dr. Octopus, but very real, very human emotions filled within the pages. (Instead of the peanut butter or cookie crumbs that usually somehow get into my books).
Here's a masterful passage:
"We were not, I realized later, lovers who fulfilled each other's needs. For all her pretense to sophistication, I found that she could border on the gross. She liked to talk dirty..........." Ok, sorry, wrong passage.
"I wonder at first if he is talking about the eulogy he is going to deliver. He has just looked over his notes again and is returning two index cards to the breast pocket of his blue beige suit." Very detailed, very indicative of what the main character is thinking, I love it.
O, for you law school nerds out there, put down the glannon civil procedure book, look up for your outlining, and put a brake on chasing ambulances to read "One L," a non-fiction about Turow's own passage through one-L year. Man it's scary, but it shows true bravery. Most non-lawyers would say the rite of passage to becoming a lawyer shows as much courage as taking out the garbage, but 1L year is hard, lemme tell ya.
Anyway, get on that like Latrell Sprewell's former wives get on Latrell Sprewell for child support. ("It's hard feeding your kids when you're an NBA player" )
Anyone ever see Andre Miller shoot? It's not a pretty site. It's like he's almost embarrassed to be tossing up the shot, he already knows beforehand it's not going in. Well, I just acquired him for ron artest.
Best moment for me of ron artest: Fight at Auburn Hills. Gots the crazed look in his eye like he's about to gut a chicken and splash the blood on somebody's face. We also get a nice pic of his armpit hair as he's lying on the scorer's table, as well as what's left of the one dude's face who's stupid enough to get in the way. That's like waving a red flag at a crazed bull, man. There will be consequences.
Predictions for the rest of the NBA season:
1.) Tony "I found myself the hottest woman in the world and made her my wife" Parker will finish with the best numbers of his career, at least scoring wise, as the Spurs' 3rd option, Ginobili, is hobbled, Tim Duncan cuts half a point off his scoring average each year he gets older, and the rest of the Spurs team couldn't hit Santa Clause's torso w/ a snowball (unlike Fred Claus, who did so repeatedly in the 2007 movie).
2.) Yao "he's my homeboy so I got nothing bad to say about him" Ming is gonna finish the year w/o a significant injury. Yay! And now that I said it he'll probably blow his ACL the next game. Seriously, though, he might have purchased an invisible circle of protection over the off-season cuz he's actually as healthy as salads this year.
3.) John "don't mistake me for trout cuz I'm actually" Salmons will become the #1 scoring option for the Kings this year. They got a lot of young offensive talent on that team but not enough D, and Kev-Mart will let go of that role and be Robin to Salmons's batman.
4.) Jarret "I'm definitely not a white cracker" jack will replace T.J. "does anyone know what the T and J stand for" Ford as the starting point guard for Indiana, either through consistent injuries or ford or just by merit.
5.) D.J. "I was actually born in November" Augustin will be Larry Brown's favorite, and cause Raymond "I reached down into my pants and" Felton to be jettisoned from north carolina for the first time in his life.
6.) Nene "don't be tellin' me I'm not funny" Hilario will be injured at some point in the season and be out. Seriously, this guy is the livin Frankenstein with 2 reconstructed knees, a new elbow, dented shoulder caps, and high cholestrol. If I were the nuggs, I'd check his eyes to make sure they weren't pulled out of someone else's sockets.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Thursday, January 1, 2009
New Year's Day
What up my loyal readership-
Happy 2009, and a moment of silence for the just-passed 2008: It wasn't a great year, but for me a lot of stuff went on. It was a year of 4-dollar gas, political scandals involving governors/ senators w/ their pants down (some literally), the Olympic Games, "giant" upsets in sports, a presidential Democratic primary/ election that will go down as one of the most important in history, and so much more.
But I wanted to talk about my recent trip first. Nice little vacation, me and the fam went down to Arizona to spend a little time away from home, hit up University of Arizona in Tucson, nice place, actually designed a lot like University of Illinois, I dunno what it is about state universities but it was like the same restaurants, same bus system, same quad structure. Eerie.
I saw Joshua Tree on Entourage, but didn't know what it is. Now i know, and it's pretty cool. The only beef I have w/ it is it takes forever to get from the Hwy to the actual scenic places w/in the park, but maybe I was just really anxious or something that day ( It happens).
Also went through snow, which was significant cuz had been the first winter I've ever had in America w/o any snow, and living in Los Angeles, that distinction will probably be achieved at some point (perhaps in winter 2009/10), but this winter was not to be, as even in Arizona there was snow ( near Flagstaff)
Fantasy resolutions
1.) Never again draft slow-moving, over-the-hill running backs- Drafting Shaun Alexander in 2004? Excellent decision. Drafting Shaun Alexander in 2005 and 2006? Very, very poor decisions. I'm still suffering from those, as I second-guess all those draft picks. Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Eddie George, all (very old and ailing) ghosts from muy fantasy past. Ick.
2.) Stick to my strategy of drafting hitters in the early rounds.
That's worked out beautifully in the last few years, as I realized if i drafted starters they woulda been guys like Carlos Zambrano, Mike Mussina, Jake Peavy (the year he was injured) whereas the Cy Young candidates the last few years have come from like the 9th round (Josh Beckett, Tim Lincecum come to mind).
3.) Never draft players who are detrimental in 2+ roto categories.
One category is doable because a lotta guys like Wade (4 TO's per) have those deficiences, and they're still good because it's a 8:1 good vs. bad ratio. But when it gets dicey, you only get like 7 good v. 2 bad, you help w/ only 5 cats, the math just doesn't work out. Plus, you have to punt in one category if it's really bad. Baron Davis = main prototype, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, guys come to mind. You're done with these guys, it's over, officially broken up, put a restraining order on 'em, don't need'em in fantasy hoops.
4.) Always go into a fantasy season prepared to go through the whole season. A couple times I've just completely thrown in the towel on a season, counted myself out, fell into last place and felt my players all betrayed me (which, I swear, does happen from time to time, I draft these players who just hate me, like "He hate me" jerseys and don't perform). Anyway, in essentially quitting these leagues I sell myself short because overall, I consider myself to be a very good fantasy manager in all sports, and if I dedicate myself to a season, I always get good results, no matter how far I'm down. The bad breaks usually balance out, and if I quit before the good breaks show up, I'm not giving myself enough opportunity. Plus, the Yahoo! profile takes a hit when I have an 8 of 12 finish.
5.) Spend a lil less time on fantasy sports. Don't obsess over it. It's not a life-or-death thing. If Matt Cain gets lit up for 9 ER in 3.1 innings w/ 6 walks, don't blow a fuse. It'll be ok. Spend more time w/ the family. Spend more time w/ the law school books. Don't give up on a day just cuz Rasheed Wallace shot 1 for 11 w/ 4 TO's. Life goes on. And you're still a great fantasy player.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Happy 2009, and a moment of silence for the just-passed 2008: It wasn't a great year, but for me a lot of stuff went on. It was a year of 4-dollar gas, political scandals involving governors/ senators w/ their pants down (some literally), the Olympic Games, "giant" upsets in sports, a presidential Democratic primary/ election that will go down as one of the most important in history, and so much more.
But I wanted to talk about my recent trip first. Nice little vacation, me and the fam went down to Arizona to spend a little time away from home, hit up University of Arizona in Tucson, nice place, actually designed a lot like University of Illinois, I dunno what it is about state universities but it was like the same restaurants, same bus system, same quad structure. Eerie.
I saw Joshua Tree on Entourage, but didn't know what it is. Now i know, and it's pretty cool. The only beef I have w/ it is it takes forever to get from the Hwy to the actual scenic places w/in the park, but maybe I was just really anxious or something that day ( It happens).
Also went through snow, which was significant cuz had been the first winter I've ever had in America w/o any snow, and living in Los Angeles, that distinction will probably be achieved at some point (perhaps in winter 2009/10), but this winter was not to be, as even in Arizona there was snow ( near Flagstaff)
Fantasy resolutions
1.) Never again draft slow-moving, over-the-hill running backs- Drafting Shaun Alexander in 2004? Excellent decision. Drafting Shaun Alexander in 2005 and 2006? Very, very poor decisions. I'm still suffering from those, as I second-guess all those draft picks. Priest Holmes, Edgerrin James, Eddie George, all (very old and ailing) ghosts from muy fantasy past. Ick.
2.) Stick to my strategy of drafting hitters in the early rounds.
That's worked out beautifully in the last few years, as I realized if i drafted starters they woulda been guys like Carlos Zambrano, Mike Mussina, Jake Peavy (the year he was injured) whereas the Cy Young candidates the last few years have come from like the 9th round (Josh Beckett, Tim Lincecum come to mind).
3.) Never draft players who are detrimental in 2+ roto categories.
One category is doable because a lotta guys like Wade (4 TO's per) have those deficiences, and they're still good because it's a 8:1 good vs. bad ratio. But when it gets dicey, you only get like 7 good v. 2 bad, you help w/ only 5 cats, the math just doesn't work out. Plus, you have to punt in one category if it's really bad. Baron Davis = main prototype, Tracy McGrady, Ron Artest, guys come to mind. You're done with these guys, it's over, officially broken up, put a restraining order on 'em, don't need'em in fantasy hoops.
4.) Always go into a fantasy season prepared to go through the whole season. A couple times I've just completely thrown in the towel on a season, counted myself out, fell into last place and felt my players all betrayed me (which, I swear, does happen from time to time, I draft these players who just hate me, like "He hate me" jerseys and don't perform). Anyway, in essentially quitting these leagues I sell myself short because overall, I consider myself to be a very good fantasy manager in all sports, and if I dedicate myself to a season, I always get good results, no matter how far I'm down. The bad breaks usually balance out, and if I quit before the good breaks show up, I'm not giving myself enough opportunity. Plus, the Yahoo! profile takes a hit when I have an 8 of 12 finish.
5.) Spend a lil less time on fantasy sports. Don't obsess over it. It's not a life-or-death thing. If Matt Cain gets lit up for 9 ER in 3.1 innings w/ 6 walks, don't blow a fuse. It'll be ok. Spend more time w/ the family. Spend more time w/ the law school books. Don't give up on a day just cuz Rasheed Wallace shot 1 for 11 w/ 4 TO's. Life goes on. And you're still a great fantasy player.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
Friday, December 26, 2008
Lawyer jokes
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
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
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
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