First Fantasy Football Draft of the Season

Getting the Fantasy Football season started, and the first draft this year is for 7th Season of the league that I'm the commissioner of, The Beltway Brawls.  14 teams, Points Per Catch, 9 Starting Positions (QB, WR, WR, WR, RB, RB, TE, K, DST) and 7 Bench Positions.

I had the #1 Pick and battled between a top tier elite QB and a RB that is a solid #1 on his team and make a lot of catches as well.  Here's a screen shot of how my draft turned out.

 

 

I went with Ray Rice because he's pretty much the number 1 WR and RB for the Ravens, as long as he stays healthy he should give me a consistent amount of points each week and the points per catch are defintely a bonus.  Andre Johnson went right before my #28 pick, I would have scooped him up but instead I went with someone less injury prone and who has been consistent as well, Greg Jennings, and the turn  around pick I decided to grab my QB Matt Schaub. Matt is in the same bucket Eli was last year, he can be elite, he's had really good seasons, I think he can finish among the best of them this season.  Pick #56 came around and Ahmad Bradshaw, another RB that is a solid #1 back and catches the ball a lot was still available so I picked him up.  I think he can also be consistent week to week.  On the turn around this time I picked up DeSean Jackson, after taking a year off to get a better contract, I'm hoping that he plays up to the level that we all know that he can this year.  In the 6th round I went with Jacob Tamme, a bit of a reach, it was still early Antonio Gates went two picks before that, I had my eye on him.  I figured I should get a TE that I felt could get 6 every week.  Tamme took me to the Championship in another league when Dallas Clark got injured a few years back.  I figure that he has the connection with Peyton already and we know Peyton loves his TE's.  Next I grabbed my 49er pick, Randy Moss.  Not sure if he'll stay in the #3 WR slot on my team too long, he's a wild card.  He seems to like his roll with the Niners but he might end up being use as more of a decoy for others to get lighter coverage, only time will tell.  Houston's defense in an easy division seemed like a no-brainer.  Only downfall is that my team might live and die with Houston due to me having their DST and QB.  I may look for another defense as a back up later on.  Ben Tate, backup to Foster on my bench. He put up great numbers when Foster was injured and when he was healthy last year, I'll put him in for byes and tough match ups for my starters.  Rashad Jennings, I think he's a steal.  Especially since MJD hasn't signed a contract yet.  Rashad couldn't end up being the #1 back.  Evan Royster has had a great camp this year, he has the potential to be a #1 as well, but if he falls down the charts it won't hurt to drop him for another hot player.  Earl Bennett seems like he will be a good #2 in Chicago and possibly benefit from Brandon Marshall getting double coverage at times.  Shane Vereen just seemed like a back in NE with a lot of potential to be like Darren Sproles was for Brees last year.  Steven Hauschka is my kicker, not completely sold on him, but I wanted someone that I felt would be kicking more field goals than extra points.  Devery Henderson...eh he's always hit or miss, I just wanted to grab another WR.  Last but not least Blaine Gabbert as my backup QB, if another available QB seems hotter, he will be replaced immediately.

 

Hip-Hop Cover Art, the Lego Versions

Randomly clicking to though the interwebs and I found this link that I thought was cool enough to share.  They took some Rap CD Covers and recreated them using Lego people. Here's the link and a few of my favorites.

http://www.formatmag.com/features/lego-hip-hop-album-covers/



ESPN's 30 for 30 for ALL!!!!

Well maybe not for all but for everyone that has a Netflix account all the ESPN 30 for 30 films are available for streaming.  Apparently as of the beginning of this month they were made available, I must have missed the big announcement.  I would definitely suggest that any sports fan or fan of real life documentaries, opposed to fake life reality shows, sit down in front of your Netflix enabled device (smart tv, bluray player, xbox 360, wii, ps3, smart phone, etc) and enjoy some great short films.  My wife suprised me with the complete set on bluray for my 30th birthday (2011) and I was completely estatic.  While I haven't made it though all of them, all of them that I have seen have been simply amazing.  I'm not one to watch many things over and over, but the films in this series are something that I could watch at anytime. 

Hip-Hop fans will appreciate "One Night in Vegas" as well as "Straight Outta LA". Maryland, DC, and Virginia folks will be forced to reminisce by "The Band That Wouldn't Die", "No Crossover", and "Without Bias". Also if ya'll thought the LeBron "Decision" was a big deal, you have to watch "Kings Ransom" (which has nothing to do with LeBron). One City vs. A Whole Country. I feel like this set of documentaries have something that everyone can enjoy, not just sports lovers.

Here's the Editorial Review from Amazon, the films that are in bold are the ones that I've seen so far.

ESPN Films 30 for 30 Limited Edition Collector Set, includes the complete collection of films from the ESPN award-winning 30 for 30 series. Featuring a remarkable group of directors from Academy Award-winners Barry Levinson and Barbara Kopple to Academy Award-nominees John Singleton, Steve James, Ron Shelton, as well as two-time MVP Steve Nash and legendary rapper Ice Cube, each filmmaker provides their unique perspective to some of the most extraordinary sports stories in the last 30 years. Time Magazine applauds this thrilling collection and The Los Angeles Times calls them some of the best films of 2010. Several films were official selections by the Cannes, Sundance, Toronto and Tribeca Film Festivals. The 30 for 30 Limited Edition Collector Set is packaged in a collectible box & contains 30 for 30 Gift Sets Volume 1 & Volume 2 as well as an exclusive retro ESPN hat featuring the companys original logo. The 12-disc set includes all 30 films from the series: Kings Ransom (Gretzky), The Band That Wouldnt Die (Baltimore Colts/Ravens), Small Potatoes: Who Killed The USFL?, Muhammad & Larry, Without Bias (Len Bias), The Legend of Jimmy The Greek, The U (The University of Miami), Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. The New York Knicks, Guru of Go, No Crossover: The Trial of Allen Iverson, Silly Little Game, Run Ricky Run (Ricky Williams), The 16th Man, Straight Outta L.A. (NWA & the Raiders), June 17th, 1994 (OJ & Everything that happened in sports that day), The Two Escobars, The Birth of Big Air, Jordan Rides The Bus, Little Big Men, One Night in Vegas (2Pac & Mike Tyson), Unmatched, The House of Steinbrenner, Into The Wind, Four Days in October, Once Brothers, Tim Richmond: To The Limit, Fernando Nation, Marion Jones: Press Pause, The Best That Never Was and Pony Excess.

Still not convinced? Go to Amazon and read the reviews that everyone else left.

ESPN Films presents an unprecedented documentary series in celebration of ESPN’s 30th anniversary, by engaging some of today’s finest storytellers to create films centered on the last 30 years in sports. Some of Hollywood’s finest directors and producers such as Peter Berg, Barry Levinson, John Singleton, Ice Cube, Spike Jonze and Frank Marshall are among those participating in the “30 for 30” films project, exploring topics ranging from the end of the USFL to the title fight between Muhammad Ali and Larry Holmes to the story of the Baltimore Colts Marching Band which continued to march even though the team had moved to Indianapolis. Each filmmaker brings their passion and personal point of view to their film detailing the issues, trends, athletes, teams, rivalries, games and events that transformed the sports landscape from 1979 to 2009. Whether played out on the field, in the ring or on the court, every great sports drama is ultimately a human tale of conflict, determination, passion, triumph and loss. These films represent an extraordinary and diverse mosaic of the impact of sports on America and world culture.

In Biggie's Story, Which New York Knicks Player Got Robbed?

Well since the twitter trending topic #unansweredhiphopquestions showed up a couple months ago, I would tend to think differently when listening to some of my favorite songs from years back.  This morning "I Got A Story To Tell" by the Notorious B.I.G. played on my Songza app, and I immediately wondered which Knick Player he was referring to.  I was going to do the research myself, but I googled it and found the answer on theurbandaily then verified the key information.  Looks like a very legit answer based on the clues that Biggie gave us in the song.  I added the links that I found that verify the information to the original article.



Text below originally posted at http://theurbandaily.com/1816365/notorious-big-story-to-tell-knicks/

One of my favorites to debate was “Which member of the New York Knicks did Biggie rob on ‘Story To Tell.’” from Life After Death, released on March 25th 1997. To be clear, no one is advocating armed robbery or is suggesting that the late Christopher Wallace actually committed the crime he rhymed about (though he was known to smack a rapper on request).  But even one of his boys asked on the song who was the “vick” (victum) and Biggie answered dismissively, “One of them 6’5″ n*ggas.”

Using the clues in the song and that one factoid shared by The Notorious B.I.G. we have solved the “mystery” of which member of the Knicks had his 401K snatched up from under the floorboards  by Big Poppa in “I Got A Story To Tell.”

The sh*t she kicked, all the sh*t’s legit
She get d*ck from a player off the New York Knicks
N*gga tricked ridiculous, the sh*t was plush
This establishes who he was violatin’. Notorious B.IG.’s Life After Death was recorded between September of 1995 and January of 1997. So that is the window of time we’re starting with.

We f*cked in his bed, quite dangerous
 I’m in his ass while he playing against the Utah Jazz

Assuming this happened in NY, the New York Knicks played the Utah Jazz at The Garden on November 12, 1995. This was the only time the Jazz played the Knicks on their home court all season. So even if you want to debate the who, this is definitely the day somebody got the bedroom intruder treatment.

My 112, CD blast, I was past
She came twice I came last, roll the grass

**112′s debut CD was released in August of 1996, but was recorded between 1995 and 1996. Did Biggie have an advance? Very possible. If Big Poppa was rolling around with theme music to smash to (remember it was HIS 112 CD) chances are it was CD-R written on with a sharpie from the studio.

I’m up in this b*tch player this b*tch fucking run them old Knick ass n*ggas and shit,
I’m up in the spot though. One of them six-five n*ggas, I don’t know.

Ok, here is the one clue that can help narrow down the suspects. The Knicks roster from 1996 to 1997 listed two players at 6’6″; Allan Houston and Larry Johnson–no one at 6’5″.

However, during the 1995-1996 season there was only ONE player listed at 6’5…Hubert Davis.

During the aforementioned game in November of ’95 Hubert Davis only played for 9 minutes, scoring 4 points on one bucket and two free throws. Davis was a 3-pt specialist that averaged 10pts per game that season. This sub par performance makes “The Maestro” the most likely Knickerbocker to leave the locker room early after the game and head home to be consoled  by his wife. Boy was he wrong.

baller wives

** Food4Thawt EDIT - John Starks is also listed at 6'5" in some places (espn) but listed as 6'3" in other places, so for the fact that his height isn't confirmed at 6'5" I'm going to say that this couldn't have been him.  Not to mention the fact that the Knicks won the game and Starks had a good game, so I'm sure he'd be out celebrating instead of rushing home to his woman. Also if it was Starks, Larry Johnson, or Allan Houston Biggie would have recognized them instead of referring to them as "one of them six-five n*ggas" like they were a bench-rider. **

 Also check out "Ice Cube's Good Day"

Bain, Bane, its all the Same??? [Batman vs Politics]

Well a few months back I did a post that has received thousands of hits entitled "Is Obama Really the Dark Knight" just for fun based on an image that I found on G+ that compared the release dates of the Batman/Dark Knight Trilogy films and Barack Obama's political milestones.  I recently noticed that someone left an annonymous reply with links to several pictures comparing Mitt Romney to Bane, the villian from the Dark Knight Returns.  It's not hard to manipulate the movie into political views but I'll leave it at that.  I'd rather not spoil the movie for anyone who hasn't seen it by mentioning any of the story line, but I do suggest that you go see the movie as soon as possible.

The pictures are a bit funny to me, but what's more entertaining is that politicians and news providers have already taken on this story. The Business Insider, Huffinton Post put up a quiz comparing the two, The Washington Post, and CBS to name a few.  I'm sure you can Google search and find much more on this comparison.  Chuck Dixson, the creator of the character denies the comparison (link).  The Bane character was also in Batman & Robin (from the previous Batman series) as Poison Ivy's juiced up sidekick.  Not to mention that this character has always been around in the Batman storyline, so its pretty obviousl that the character wasn't created to poke fun at Romney.  Its still good entertainment though.  I thought only the NBA used Hero releated movies to make things seem more exciting during the playoffs...

Here's a few bonus pictures that I got from a REDDIT post that reference's my Obama/Dark Knight post and shot my hits through the roof over the past couple weeks. 

Cat Woman

Two Face & The Joker

The Avengers at the 2012 Olympics

Capcom should make a DC Comics vs. Marvel at the Olympics game...

The Wire (The Lego Version)

My homeboy LJ shared this video on Google+ and I thought it was pretty cool so I decided to share it.  If you are familiar with te HBO series The Wire, then you will enjoy this, it's a reenactment of the show done by Lego People in a Lego Baltimore.  Enjoy.  Oh yeah, if you aren't familiar with this show I highly suggest that you get on HBOGo or HBO Demand and watch all the seasons ASAP!

http://news.yahoo.com/video/sketchy-28439890/rabbi-burger-30061110.html

Rabbi Burger

Mon, Jul 23, 2012 - 4:04 | 74,330 views

Starring Jason and Randy Sklar bit.ly/KqjyVb, Jennie Pierson, Lainie Kazan, Judy Tenuta. Directors: Ethan S. Smith and Ron Yavnieli. Writer: Smith, James Carrey. Producers: Corey Moss, Tiffany Moore, Jason Berger. Editor: C. Drew Unser. DP: Topher Osborn.

Music For A Beautiful Day [Throwback] [Video]

Two songs that in my opinion are absolutely perfect for perfect sunny 75 degree days like today. One Pop/Classic R&B and the other is a Miami meets Atlanta HipHop classic (IMO).  But both make me wish I had a drop top, a full tank, a well lit cigar, and no where to go but plenty of open road...

Safe Sexting... [Apps]

Recently I've come across a couple articles about mobile apps coming out to help make sexting safer.  I'm guessing because camera phones are almost unavoidable at this point and many have front camera.  People like to get a little creative with what they send to someone they are interested in or dating.  The downfall to having this bit of extra fun to keep your mate entertained when you aren't near is what could happen if y'all go your separate ways or if they aren't into you like you are into them?  Do they just delete the picture or do they decide to put you on blast for their amusement and your embarrassment?  Most of us aren't famous enough for TMZ to end up with the pictures but with social networking and pictures sharing at an all time high, its not hard to believe that there have been a few ex's to broadcast pictures during Twitter trending topics on Tuesdays and Thursdays or other media sharing stages such as Instagram, Tumblr, Facebook, etc. 

Well that's the problem and now they are in the first stages of the solution.  I say first stages because both apps I'll list below have potential but both need some work.  What will probably end up happening in the future, iOS and/or Android will add an optional expiration to their text messaging applications. #MarkMyWord

The first application I heard about is called Snap Chat for iOS (only) available in the AppStore.  This application requires that both parties have the application but it allows you to set a time limit for the picture to be available after the other person opens it.  It doesn't prevent the other user from taking a screenshot but will send you a notification to let you know that they took one.  The application uses its own messaging services so your messages will not take away from your monthly text messages.

The second app (Fancy Snap) has its benefits and downfalls compared to the first one, this one doesn't require that both individuals have the application so even though the app is Android only, the type of phone the recipient has doesn't matter. The messages will use your monthly allotment for text messaging for those without unlimited SMS/MMS.  Fancy Snap is available on Android OS and has a free and paid version in the Android Market Google Play Store. Much like the application above you set a timer for the picture to expire, but it adds read receipts, and some graphics to help you do some censoring.  Here's a few screen shots of this app.

Which ever you choose or don't choose be safe and always know that whatever recklessness you participate in today can come back to haunt you in the future.

World's Greatest Dad [T-Shirt Junkie]

He's my shirt for today, its not my first time wearing it.  But today I'm going to my daughters class for a party we are having for her last day at her current daycare, so I deemed it a relevant shirt for the day.  Cupcakes, toys, contact cards, and gift bags for the friends she has made over the past year.  "Family Breakfast" is the title of the shirt and I really shouldn't have to explain it so I won't.  Enjoy.  [Woot Shirt Link]