Taking on Vegas

Last week I conquered the points spread in a big way, taking Washington +7 over the Cowboys, Cleveland -1 over the Jaguars (random guessing, and barely won the bet), and my big money bet was.........Oakland +2.5 over the Vikings. That was the best feeling I had about a game in a long time, and it didn't disappoint: The Raiders dominated that game from start to finish.

I've been watching a lot.......LOT OF NFL Rewind, so I have some in-depth knowledge on these teams (I hope).

Chicago +3 at Oakland.......The Bears have covered the spread a LOT during their 5-game winning streak, yet they continuously get disrespected. Sure, Caleb Hanie is a downgrade from Cutler, but this team was built on Defense, Special teams, and running the football anyway. Watch for that to continue, especially against Carson Palmer without his fancy tools (McFadden, Denarious Moore, Jacoby Ford). Chicago has at least a 50-50 shot at winning this game, which is why you take the points.

Cleveland +7 at Cincinnati: Throw out the records when these 2 teams get together. Cleveland plays teams tough and should continue to do so here; feels like a let-down game for the Bengals after 2 brutal matchups against tough division opponents.

Carolina -3.5 at Indianapolis: You simply cannot take a team that is trying to lose. Seriously, a win is a loss for them, so if you give ANY credence to that theory whatsoever, you gotta take the Panthers.

Seattle -3 at Washington: Lovin' the Seahawks at home against an inferior team. What are the oddsmakers thinking? Marshawn Lynch is consistently in Beast Mode," especially at home, and the magical healing powers of Seattle somehow transform them into an above-average football team. And Redskins coming off OT game traveling to the Pacific Northwest. Gimme the Hawks, over and over again.

New England -3.5 at Philadelphia: No Vick, No Jeremy Maclin, probably no Nmadi Asomugha, and Tom Brady is still alive and playing in this game? For some reason Vegas this year constantly, constantly believes in an Eagles comeback....they might stop harboring this notion after this demolishing.


Pittsburgh -10.5 at Kansas City: The "Home Dog" factor gets cancelled out here by the "Tyler Palko Sucks" factor. See the Steelers piling on and rolling by more than 2 TD's.


Atlanta -9.5 v. Minnesota: Christian Ponder, Boy Wonder? That myth has pretty much been debunked the last 2 weeks, and AP now officially declared out. Falcons smell a playoff spot and aren't going to let this one get away at home.


Jacksonville +6.5 v. Houston: call me crazy, but like the home dog here. If I were physically in Vegas, I'd try to get a +7 line out of this, but take what you can get v. Matt Leinart. Bet heavy against him.

Giants +7 at New Orleans: Betting on another "Dr. Jekyll" week as opposed to Mr. Hyde.

NYJ -9.5 v. Buffalo: Buffalo is DONNNNNNNNNEEEEE. Should be quitting if down at half.

San Diego -5.5 v. Denver: Sigh. One last hurrah for the Chargers?


St. Louis -2.5 v. Arizona: Hate picking this game. Throw a coin in the air; heads are the Rams, tails are the Cardinals.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Black Friday

Friday, Friday, every day is Friday......I don't know if it's ironic, or sad, or wonderful, or what, but the popular Youtube hit "Friday" was performed by a Rebecca "Black." Sigh. Someone really has a sense of humor.


I don't think I've EVER gotten up early or waited in line for Black Friday. Call me crazy, but I just don't like the idea of camping out, waiting forever, being uncomfortable, depriving myself of sleep, for the pleasure of PAYING MONEY for products. It's not like you're getting these things for free, people. The stores are still making money. Personally, I wouldn't wait 9 hours to get something for free, much less at a supposed "bargain basement price."

What I DO like to do on Black Friday, however, is put up Christmas lights. Perfect time to do it: You're feeling fat and bloated from gorging yourself with Thanksgiving delights from the night before, it's time to do some physical activity/ work. Climb a ladder, set up some penguins, hammer in some deer, that's what I enjoy doing. Plus, it's the last off day you get before Christmas; and it contributes to the awesomeness of living in surburbia, which is the vast array of Christmas decorations that almost all families have.

One of the coolest things in life is going for a job in a suburban neighborhood (such as my own) on December 22nd, 23rd, or even 24th.......every house is decorated to the brim with fake Santas, colorful reindeer, festive lights, and it-almost-looks-real candy canes. It's one of the more amazing sights in life, going down the roads, seeing almost every house lit up in such decorative affair. You don't have to be religious, really like Christmas, or even like bright and shiny lights to like it. It's one of the miracles of life that so many people are willing to go to such lengths to celebrate one day of the year.

Anyway, I'm going to the USC-UCLA football game Saturday night, the season finale and the end to another great season of USC football. Go figure, the 3 years I attended USC they were perpetually in decline, were sanctioned for NCAA violations, and went through a coaching change. (they were especially mediocre the 2 years I had season tickets, 2009 and 2010.) Now, finally, when they're back to being a top 10 QB again with a franchise QB (Matt Barkley), I have to pay regular fare. Go figure. Not complaining, though, let's hope for multiple national championships in the near future.

And Illini, please have a good basketball season? Please?


Anyone ever watch the Amazing Race: Asia or Amazing Race: China Rush? Actually pretty entertaining, you can tell it's made by the same Amazing Race people. And that opening theme; you can recognize it anywhere. Btw, my 8+ years of watching Amazing Race tells me that Marcus & Amani are going to win the most recent edition of the Race, although the edits throughout the season don't usually suggest a winner. It'd really be a shame if Jeremy & Sandy won; barely know who those guys are, they've done so little.


Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

I am bad at tennis

Can't really remember how I got started playing tennis.... I was never really good at it, never took serious lessons with it, didn't follow tennis great Michael Chang or Pete Sampras growing up, didn't have a hard-hitting uncle that gave me his old wooden racket from his playing days, inspiring me to seek greatness in the sport...Nope, I just started playing. One day I was at my community park hitting around with friends, the next I was going with my dad, my friends, more and more.... one day I showed up at high school tennis tryouts.......one day I started matches on the JV team...one day I made it on varsity and played some matches.

So it goes. My "career" at tennis has really been self-taught.... I just like the game. Not love; the game is too frustrating, too hard to improve, too prone to inconsistent stretches for me to fully love it. And I'm just not that good at it, so I lose more than I ever win. But being good at tennis seems like it could be really fun. Place the ball wherever you want, ace your opponent on command, hit drop shots like they're a piece of cake, shoot winners down the line.....basically, feel invincible. Unfortunately for me, I've only gotten that "invincible" feeling a couple times in my life, and never for more than 5 minutes. Here's what's wrong with my game (and what's wrong with many amateur's games).

1. My serve is wildly inconsistent. First serve: can hit it pretty hard, but not ace material, rely on the other guy to mess up. Problem is, I don't spend the time to ready myself and rush the serve. Second serve: I'm much too dastardly to try to do anything with the second serve. Basically a pancake to the opponent served on a silver platter with the ball screaming, "HIT ME HARD," and I'm on the defensive. It's to the point where I hit a semi-decent second serve on the first serve just so the opponent doesn't move up on me and whack it.

2. Backhand needs work. Many pros' backhands are better than their forehands. Not the case with me ( and most amateurs). My muscle memory with the forehand is sufficient to where I can get some control, but I just haven't hit a million backhand shots like Andre Agassi did before he was 15, so I often don't know where it's going when I'm prepared to hit it, so don't even ask what happens when I'm on the run and have to hit a shot. Birds fly away and squirrels scatter when I wind up to hit that backhand; it flies everywhere.

3. Net game. I love playing net; I like playing doubles more than I do singles cuz I'm already at the net. But playing the net is a lot tougher than it looks, cuz volleys are a whole 'nother game than groundstrokes. I have yet to develop the volley put away shot; usually my volleys look like I see the ball coming at my face and at the last second, I bring up my racket purely out of desperation to protect myself, not asserting any type of accuracy or tenacity at all. O, and I run through volleys like "Fast and Furious" actors run through red lights. It ain't pretty.

4. Mental mistakes. It's almost incredible, but I don't always focus when I play tennis on the game. When I play basketball, it's continuous, back-and-forth action; there's really no time to think about anything else, it's constantly go-go-go, gotta be everywhere, so I never lose focus. Chess, you're gonna be there for 2 hours and you make like a move per 2.5 minutes; you can space out a bit. Tennis is the in-between: I really shouldn't be spacing out, but I space out anyway. I think about my day, which players I'll be starting that weekend in fantasy football, and the next thing you know my opponent hits a strong serve right at my body, I don't move out of the way and attempt a cross between a dink and a push at the ball, and it goes wimpering feebly into the net. That's how about 10 of my points go each match, probably costing me 3 or 4 games in the process. It's really quite the problem, and I haven't fixed it cuz I don't have a coach, I never had a coach, and no one tells me these things. I'm on my own!!!!!

5. I just don't act like a tennis player. I don't look like a tennis player. Tennis players hit hard; they hit consistent ground strokes; they make good decisions;they stay poised under pressure. If anyone's ever seen me play tennis, I do the exact opposite. I often hit slices over the net to try to get spin and win my "garbage" and not power because I don't generate much power; I consistenly hit ground strokes into the net; at no time have I ever hit back-to-back strokes that are the same; I'm always all over the place and I have like 8 different forms; I make terrible decisions; I lob when I should pass; I go backhand when I should go forehand, I rush to the net imprudently and allow the opponent an easy passing shot; I hit a weak shot just because I'm lazy and give up the advantage on the point. All kinds of things. O, and when the pressure's on, I run around like a chicken with his head cut off.

The bottom line is, with tennis, I didn't really learn HOW to be a tennis player, I learned to hit the ball with a racket. I run around just trying to get to balls and hit them back; I don't know technique, I don't know style, I don't really know how to win a tennis match. Thus, I am bad at tennis. However, I still like tennis and will keep on playing; and I have fun playing, which is all that counts. (Unless you're Roger Federer. Or Rafael Nadal. Or Novak Djokovic).



Btw, I met a family with kids who all play football today at a Thanksgiving dinner party. Sound mundane? How bout when I mention it was a CHINESE Thanksgiving dinner party? Shocked that the parents let the Asian kid play football at all. Aren't they afraid the kids' automatically-thrust-upon reputations as nerds will be tarnished? That helmet-to-helmet hits will cause the kids to lose their great math-and-science intelligence abilities? That our fragile Asian bodies will be broken in half by pure American muscle? All kidding and stereotypes aside, I commend the fam and the kids on going into a sport that Asians are underrepresented in. Try something new, break stereotypes and tradition, DAMN THE TORPEDOS!!!!! That said, I'll still stick with tennis.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

What's on my IPod,

It occurred as I was doing my jog after my uber-fantasy blog earlier this evening that I don't talk about music much......It is, after all, a big part of my life. I started playing violin when I was 7, played in a bunch of youth orchestras, still play in the LA Lawyers Philharmonic (although, I actually have to make it to rehearsal one of these weeks)... I genuinely like playing violin, it's a big stress relief, and I'm genuinely fond of some time-honored classical pieces (notice I used the proper term "pieces," not "songs" - Vivaldi's Four Seasons comes to mind, Beethoven's Opus No. 5, Tsaichovsky's Marche Slaive (although that thing's brutally difficult for 1st violins).

But, not unlike many Americans, I am sucked into the Top 40 hits, the most popular music that's featured prominently on Kiss FM stations everywhere. The tunes are so catchy and are designed specifically to get you pumped up, are very available, and like a drug, they make you want to go back and listen over and over again.


Like others, too, I have songs that are "go-to" for me, like I "go to" them first on my 3-mile jogs, or "go to" them and keep listening if they're on the radio. I got my IPod (I know, already obselete technology) in 2008, so I downloaded all of these "tunes" since then. Here's my Top 10:


10.) The Show Goes On (Lupe Fiasco): Very nostalgic for me of Spring 2011, my most recent ASB trip to Seattle/Orcas Island, Washington. Love it.

9.) Viva La Vida (Coldplay): Perfectly signifies what happens on Big Brother (power shifts, going from the king to dusting the streets and all that jazz). Great lyrics. Smart; very smart.

8.) The Sweet Escape (Gwen Stefani): Use it when you're busting out of the house or whatever monotonous activity you were doing to go for a run. Great release, makes you want to go faster. And the music video's HOOOOOOT.

7.) Big Girls Don't Cry (Fergie): Takes me back to the simple days of the summer of 2007, a time of less stress, great economy, still working as a bus captain at a great summer camp job... I can still feel the warm summer breeze.

6.) Amazing (Kayne): play it every time the NBA Playoffs come on. Perfect song for that occasion and also after you've accomplished something (recently for me, not too much......cross my fingers for this Friday!)

5.) Who's that Chick ( Rihanna): song that recently caught on. Just super, super catchy. As I run, I do a little fist pump whenever the melody changes. That's when you know you're addicte to a song.

4.) Ignition (R. Kelly): Great song in 2001 or so....O man brings me back.

3.) Lose Yourself (Eminem): Every time I play this song I run a little faster, stand more erect, get focused.....you literally cannot do anything else when you hear this song.

2.) On the Floor (J. Lo): On fire.

1.) Party in the USA (Hannah Montana): this 2009 hit is gonna go down as one of the best songs in Hannah Montana's repetoire, maybe even of this century so far. Seriously, don't you just want to just have a party every time you listen?


OK, so ya, a lot of girly music, I know, and a lack of rock. I told you, I get sucked in. What can I say?


Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

NFL Week 10

Going back to the bread and butter: note on each time that played this week in the NFL (and since no team had a bye this week, that means every time.) Remember, If I get 60% of these right, you have no right to complain....My preseason predic's were right on, btw, thank me later).

1. Jacksonville v. Indy:
Obvious that Indy is a fantasy wasteland, but Donald Brown has been hyped to break out for like 5 years now....these last 6 games might finally be his chance.
MJD had monster yardage games in the 2nd half last year, but unfortunately he's already used up his game against Indy (the next one comes Week 17 in Indy which is useless). I'd sell high after his recent back-to-back TD games...Lance from my league is probably reading this now and exploiting it. O well.

2. Atlanta v. N. Orleans:
Matty Ice's 351 yards and 2 TD's are no fluke......congrats to owners who bought low on him.
I recently cut Mark Ingram in one of my really deep leagues and feel no remorse about it whatsoever.... the Saints backfield is a fantasy buzzsaw, he's playing hurt, and they have a bye next week. Wait for next season for Mr. Ingram's time.

3. Houston at Tampa Bay:
Texans are a real contender. The RB's are sick; is it time to add their THIRD-STRINGer Derrick Ward.
Yea Josh Freeman is not good. Avoid EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE. May be worse than Indy.

4. Pittsburgh @ Cincinnatti:
Julio Jones and A.J. Green,man. Both are studs.
LOVE, LOVE Antonio Brown. Exactly what Pittsburgh and your fantasy team needs.

5. Tennessee @ Carolina:
BUY Cam Newton, NOW, NOW, NOW!!!!!! Whatever discount you can get him at, do it now. Chalk it up to a bad game, but he is a top-5 QB no doubt.
SELL Chris Johnson, SELL, SELL, SELL. Best example of both sides of a "buy low, sell high" situation. CJ2K fans are probably saying, finally, he's back!!!! Uh, no, I'm not gonna take 1 game of mirage over 8 games of fantasy reality: he's toast and you should get like a Cedric Benson for him now. Seriously.

6. Arizona @ Philadelphia:
Wow, John Skelton, really? 315 yards and 3 TD's? Even in the worst nightmares of the Philly "Dream Team" they didn't think they'd give up 315 yards to John Skelton. Screw it, pick up Skeletor if only because he has Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet to throw to.
What did I say about Michael Vick? Tsk, tsk... not only is a huge injury risk now, he's also a huge suck risk. Congrats Matthew Berry for defrauding innocent fantasy owners everywhere and telling them to take Vick 1st.

7. KC v. Denver:
I swear, if Dwayne Bowe ever had a real QB to throw to him like a Brady, Romo, or Manning......2 rec for 17 yards is a colossal waste of his talents.
If you're starting any Denver WR's, you must love betting green on roulette. Eric Decker owners, get out now while you can.....Tebow might complete like 8 passes the rest of the year.


8. Dallas v. Buffalo:
If I had done a post last week I would have touted Laurent Robinson for you...heh. Love'em. If you have a Cowboy, any Cowboy, get ready to go for a ride cuz they're all about to run wild.
Bills are done.

9. Cleveland v. St. Louis.
There is nothing here. Another mediocre year for Steven Jackson, I have no idea why anyone still drafts him anymore because there is no upside, none, ever.

10. Washington v. Miami:
There is nothing here part 2. Some guy named Hankerchief or Hankersnoggle had a 100-yard game for the Redskins but will go back to 2 rec. for 21 yards pretty soon; Reggie Bush's 2-TD day is completely unsustainable. I'm pretty sure you can't draft Reggie ever again and feel good about it.

11. Seattle v. Baltimore:
Seahawks are awesome at Qwest Field, a.k.a. the Fountain of Youth in which they shower repeatedly before the game. If "Beast Mode" can beast 109 yards and a TD agaisnt the Ravens, we might be on to something here.
When did Joe Flacco turn into Alex Smith? 255 yards and just 1 TD, 1 int against a hapless Seattle Secondary. Tsk, tsk.

12. San Francisco v. NYG:
Watched this game live and whatever Qwest Field is for Seattle, playing San Francisco is the opposite for both teams. The Niners grind it out and make it as ugly as possible (kinda like some food shows I've been watching), and it hurts both teams' fantasy players.
NYG: if you start any Giant receivers, just know they'll be good, but not spectacular, no 150-yard, 2 TD days here; Eli spreads it around like butter on a croissant. (Just spent 2 minutes trying to spell that after taking French for 4 years)

13: Chicago v. Detroit:
If you started the Chicago D, you had a good day. The Chicago D is a MUST-START anytime they're at home. O, and Julius Peppers is good. REALLY good.
Megatron got defeated by Optimus Prime (My new name for Peanut Tillman) on this edition of Beast Wars, but he'll be back. My over-under on number of TD's is 18 this year.

14. New England v. NYJ:
Gronkowski is a top-5 WR who qualifies for TE. Sick. Brady got off the snide in a big way, further proving the old adage, " You always start you studs. ALWAYS."
Mark Sanchez is not a stud. In fact, he's getting kind of sucky. As a Trojan fan it hurts to say this, but if NYJ wants to win a Super Bowl and not just J-E-T-S just end the season, they need a new (and better) QB.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

Inside Job

Anyone still upset about the 2008 financial crisis, here's a film that will further fuel your furor: Inside Job. There's been a lot of books, a lot of films, lot of news, etc. written about the whole ordeal, but Inside Job does a great job of getting you excited and angry. Honestly, it was a little one-sided and put a LOT of blame on a LOT of people, but it also was pretty accurate in its lesson: We tried to get bigger profits by taking more profits, and when the fit hit the shan (I learned that phrase from Colin Cowherd), the ones who were responsible got off scott-free with millions, and regular citizens got left holding the bag. O, and the film's narrated by Matt Damon....always nice to hear a familiar voice.

It goes to the same message I had about the Penn State scandal with Joe Paterno, and the same message that I deal with in my case at work (and also, just to top off the analogy, the message in Spiderman): With great power comes great responsibilities. Sure everyone wants the power, wants the chance to be able to control things, decide the fates of others, and have an impact in the world, but when you take that power it's not free; you have to understand the responsiblity that comes with it. When you're a head coach of a prominent college powerhouse, you have a responsibility to report child molesters on you staff...when you are the CEO of one of the top 5 investment banks in the country, you have a repsonsibility not to sell bad investments to your clients; when you're an attorney who handles all of an individual's legal problems, you have a responsibility to do the best job for them.... So much in life revolves around that one principle. You can take the good but you gotta be there when the bad comes.


***********************

When will Survivor and Amazing Race come to an end? Hopefully never. I've been watching those two shows since 2003, pretty much every episode of every season, and it really never gets old. Just like football never gets old, baseball never gets old, making money on the stock market never gets old, the news never gets old, Jeopardy never gets old, those 2 reality shows never get old. You know how I know? Cuz they would have been cancelled already due to bad ratings if it got old for people. We're in Survivor 23 now and Amazing Race 18, and each show has seen hundreds of contestants, but each year viewers like me keep coming back. For the Amazing Race, it's the thrill of the chase, the excitement of traveling to new and exotic places all while triggering your competitive juices in a run-for-your-life race, while Survivor is exactly what we face in our everyday interactions with people: co-existing with others, getting annoyed at some and wishing we could vote them off like in Survivor, all while trying to stay alive in a game of human chess: You win or you go home with nothing. I hope Survivor and the Amazing Race stay alive primarily because I'm still YEARNING to get on, but also because they're the equivalent of addictive potato chips: I just can't get enough of them, and I'll be watching.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan

The Smartest Guy in the Industry

Recently I've come to a revelation: I'm not that smart.

As arrogant as this seems in that it presupposes that I AM smart and also indicates that I once thought I WAS pretty smart, I think it's a very humble and honest assessment of my place in the world.

In grade school up until high school, I felt smart. Things came easily, I did my homework quickly, I got good grades, got awards for being smart. Yay for me. Everybody congratulated me, I tooted my own horn, felt great. BAM....get to college, and find out everyone at college did pretty well in high school too...so it's the cream of the crop. It's harder to get an A, people in discussions think of things that I never thought of, others' essays are more brilliantly written, things don't come so easily to me anymore, I often find myself confused. Go to law school, find out there's even SMARTER people here, it's the cream of the cream of the crop from college, and now I'm definitely not at the elite status. People do better than me in school, people think more clearly,


this is definitely a problem in a knowledge industry. Especially in a field like law (kind of like philosophy, mathematics, etc.), it's an industry primarily based on knowlege, and the smartest guys in the industry are the ones people want to hire, people look to. Not being smart in this industry is definitely a problem.

But it's not a mortal failing. I can still go back to my main strengths: determination, work ethic, and a new one I'm finding quite suitable for myself: likability. As much as I don't get something, or have a hard time understanding a concept, I make up for it by reading it over and over again, owning it. If all else fails, I admit defeat, and try to wiggle out through some self-deprecating humor.

It's definitely a limitation I'm a little worried about, but I have to keep it in perspective: I'm a law school graduate from a top law school who will hopefully (gulp, cross fingers) be licensed to practice law in California very soon. I don't have to be the smartest guy in the industry; I'm already pretty smart. (Keep telling myself that, keep telling myself that)


Now a little note about the Penn St. scandal that's been all over the news: If you haven't been following, Penn St. assistant coach Jerry Sandusky allegedly took showers with several boys at Penn State facilitiates over the span of more than a decade but was never stopped by Penn State officials, and head coach Joe Paterno knew about the behavior but only reported to the higher authorities.

Here's my feeling: I love kids. I've always stated that. I love their enthusiasm, their energy for life; it can be one of the best times in a person's life. But it can also be the worst, because you can be taken advantage of by adults who abuse their position of power. This is the worst kind of abuse of power oo: Using the power to exploit other people who are powerless into doing what you want for you. We as adults have so much power to make a positive change in a child's life, and that responsibility is an ultimate duty that we cannot breach. You can breach your duty to clean up after yourself, you can breach your duty to feed your pets, you can even breach your duty to be a good spouse (although, not recommended), but you CANNOT breach your duty to a child. That duty is inherent the day you become an adult and applies to everyone, even those who do not actively victimize children but know that it is going on. You have a duty to each and every child that is living, especially when you know they are being victimized by someone they cannot combat. So shame on you, Joe Paterno, shame on you, Penn St. administration and everyone who took a blind eye. May your failings be a lesson and a reminder to us all of what children mean to us.

Fantasize on,

Robert Yan