Are YOU Ready For Football?

I’m not. The official kickoff of the NFL season is at 4:00 PM Pacific (right after Ellen on NBC — now that’s a double-feature). I’m still wrapped up in Major League Baseball — especially my Angels, whose “magic number” to win the division is only seven with twenty-four games left to play. And, I hope to still be wrapped up in baseball through the post season as my Angels go on and win the World Series. As long as the baseball season is going on I won’t fully be into the 2008 NFL season.

That won’t stop me from enjoying games (and beer) on Sundays with friends, as well as keeping up with my football team — the San Francisco 49ers (yes, still), who ESPN currently ranks at 29 out of the 32 teams. And, I am of course, once again playing fantasy football this season in two leagues — my keeper league (that I’ve been playing in for three seasons) and my “big-money” league.

But, I will have the Redskins/Giants game on in the background this afternoon/evening as I work. The Angels had a day game today.

Baseball Is Finally Here

The 2008 Major League Baseball season goes full-swing today with the majority of the franchises playing their first game with the “third” Opening Day of the season — there was the tw0-game Boston/Oakland series in Japan last week and the Washington/Atlanta “Opening Night” game last night in the newly christened $611 million National Park.

And, while I won’t be seeing a game in person until this Friday with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s home opener against the Texas Rangers, I am jazzed about the Halos’ game today with Minnesota. Other than a shaky pitching rotation — due to injuries to Kelvim Escobar and John Lacky — my Angels are looking strong with the addition of Torii Hunter in center field.

I am in two fantasy baseball leagues this season — both for bragging rights over cash, though knowing me and the fact that their head-to-head leagues, I’m sure there’ll be a side bet or two during the course of the season. Naturally, I ended up with a lot of Angels players on both of my rosters, with some players being on both squads. I have Chone Figgins, Vladimir Guerrero, Torii Hunter, Jered Weaver, Francisco Rodríguez, and John Lackey on both teams — and Garret Anderson and Howie Kendrick on one of the two teams. I’ll admit it here that I’m way overloaded with personal favorites, but that’s how I’ll start the season.

Alright, about a half hour away from turning on the Toronto/New York Yankee’s game — the final season opener in the current and historic Yankee Stadium. Maybe with any luck I’ll get out to New York this season and catch my first and last game at the original Yankee Stadium.

Last Chance League – Fantasy Baseball

I decided that being in only one Fantasy Baseball League wasn’t enough to drive me batty this season, so…

I’m putting together another last minute fantasy baseball league for anybody that’s interested using Yahoo’s Fantasy Sports. Scoring will start the second week of the season, April 7th. (Did anybody watch the two games that “counted” between the Red Sox and the A’s that were played in Japan the last two days?) It’ll be head-to-head play with an autodraft that I’d like to schedule for Sunday morning before the Opening Day that we’re having here in the states with the Braves and the Nationals.

If you’re game, send me an email, message, text, signal from the third base coach, whatever, and I’ll fill you in on the details to join.

2007 Kickoff Fantastic

The NFL regular season starts tonight, and with that, so do my two fantasy football leagues. Both leagues are leagues in which I participated in last year — one of them a keeper league that I ended up in second place at the end of the season (even if I was kicking ass throughout the regular season). Here are the two rosters that I’ve got going for me this season…

GREY OPS (Formally the 17th Street Knights — Keeper League) Quarterbacks: Carson Palmer (CIN), Alex Smith (SFO), Matt Leinart (ARI); Running Backs: Ladell Betts* (WAS), Warrick Dunn (ATL), Jamal Lewis* (CLE), LenDale White (RB); Wide Receivers: Jerricho Cotchery (NYJ), Chad Johnson (CIN), Reggie Wayne (IND); Tight Ends: Dallas Clark* (IND), Randy McMichael (STL); Kickers: Nate Kaeding* (SDC), Neil Rackers* (ARI); Defenses: 49ers (SFO), Bears (CHI)

17TH STREET KNIGHTS (Formally Sacred Heart Scrubs — Big Money League) Quarterbacks: Peyton Manning (IND), Eli Manning (NYG); Running Backs: Ronnie Brown (MIA), Edgerrin James (ARI), Jamal Lewis* (CLE), Ladell Betts* (WAS); Wide Receivers: Steve Smith (CAR), T.J. Houscmandzadeh (CIN), Darrell Jackson (SFO); Tight Ends: Dallas Clark* (IND), Tony Gonzalez (KC); Kickers: Nate Kaeding* (SDC), Neil Rackers* (ARI); Defenses: Chargers (SD), Seahawks (SEA)

* Denotes same player on both teams in each league.

So they’re not bad squads. I’ve got a few high-light guys on each team. The Big Money League might have a breakout team that gets a jump on everybody — not sure if that’s my team. In the Keeper League I’ve got a number of strong returning players like Palmer, Johnson, and the Bears defense, and I’ve got a few extra quarterbacks that are starting to come into their own for possible trades if needed (or if Palmer goes down). It should be an interesting season.

Fantasy Football x3

Well, I’m in three fantasy football leagues this season (which kicks off today), and I managed to get a few of the same qualified players on two or three of my rosters. That’ll help keeping track of how I’m doing on Sundays a little easier.

League: Superbowl Shuffle 2 — This is my second year playing in this specific league and it’s definitely the bigger (at least in terms of losing or winning cash) of the two money leagues that I’m in. My roster for the Sacred Heart Scrubs (yeah, not a very tough sounding team name, but what the hell) is as follows (in no particular order):

• Carson Palmer – QB (Cin)
• Santana Moss – WR (Was)
• Roy Williams – WR (Det)
• Carnell Williams – RB (TB)
• Jason Winnten – TE (Dal)
• Deuce McAllister – RB (NO)
• T.J. Houshmandzadeh – WR (Cin)
• Dallas Clark – TE (Ind)
• Jake Plummer – QB (Den)
• Mike Vanderjagt – K (Dal)
• David Akers – K (Phi)
• Denver – DEF (Den)
• Reggie Wayne – WR (Ind)
• Tiki Barber – RB (NYG)
• Alex Smith – QB (SF)
• Chicago – DEF (Chi)

League: Keeper League – which is a keeper league (go figure, huh) as well as a money league, my roster for the 17th Street Knights is as follows:

• Carson Palmer – QB (Cin)
• Chad Johnson – WR (Cin)
• Reggie Wayne – WR (Ind)
• Tiki Barber – RB (NYG)
• Jamal Lewis – RB (Bal)
• Dallas Clark – TE (Ind)
• Keenan McCardell – WR (SD)
• Michael Clayton – WR (TB)
• Alex Smith – QB (SF)
• Matt Leinart – QB (Ari)
• Neil Rackers – K (Ari)
• Chicago – DEF (Chi)

League: Elite Comics Football Jamboree — my “just for bragging rights” league, my roster for the 17th Street Knights (yeah, I’m not that original with team names) is as follows:

• Carson Palmer – QB (Cin)
• Santana Moss – WR (Was)
• Roy Williams – WR (Det)
• Carnell Williams – RB (TB)
• Jamal Lewis – RB (Bal)
• Jason Winnten – TE (Dal)
• Keenan McCardell – WR (SD)
• Michael Clayton – WR (TB)
• Dallas Clark – TE (Ind)
• Alex Smith – QB (SF)
• Mike Vanderjagt – K (Dal)
• David Akers – K (Phi)
• Indianapolis – DEF (Ind)
• Denver – DEF (Den)

Hopefully this will be a stellar year for Carson Palmer since he’s my main QB for all three teams at this point. I won’t complain of Dallas Clark breaks out at TE as well.

When you’re a 49er fan nowadays it’s nice to have a diversion or three to help get you through the football season.