Fantasy preview

So what if I missed the first two weeks? I'm going to try and do a fantasy football blog every Friday or Saturday. I am no fantasy genius, but I watch a lot of football and think I have a decent grasp on the topic. Let's do this!

Players to start:

• Any and all Green Bay Packers - They are playing the Rams so they should score a lot of points and hold the Rams to single digits.
  
• Any and all New Orleans Saints - OK, so these first two are no brainers.
  
• Denver D/ST - While the fact that only the Jets are giving up less than yards per game is a product of their schedule, the Broncos are playing the Raiders and should continue to put up solid numbers. Raiders' QB Jamarcus Russell is 19-for-54 this season with two picks. Expect Champ Bailey to have one. Also, Robert Gallery is out, so Russell with be in a hurry most of the game.
  
• Willis McGahee - He's averaging almost 5 yards per carry and has four touchdowns. He's playing the Cleveland Browns, who gave up 180 yards to Adrian Peterson and a combined 151 yards to Correll Buckhalter and Knowshon Moreno. He also seems to have taken over the goal line duties from La'Ron McLain.
• Mark Sanchez - OK, so last month I told fantasy owners to stay away from him because he was a rookie with little college experience and questionable wide receivers. I'm here to tell you I was wrong. The Tennessee Titans gave up 300+ yards in their first two games. Don't expect Sanchez to replicate the yards, but 250 and two scores is definitely doable.
• Steve Slaton - He stops sucking this week thanks to a mediocre Jacksonville Jaguars defense that gave up more than 100 yards on the ground to the Arizona Cardinals. He can't fumble in every game, can he?
  
• Matt Schaub/Andre Johnson - The Jags' pass defense has been poor as well.
  
• Maurice Jones-Drew - You're going to start him no matter what, but the Texans have been especially bad against the run this year.
  
• Kevin Smith - The Detroit Lions still suck, but the Washington Redskins have been pretty bad as well. Their offense only managed nine points last week against the St. Louis Rams. The Lions will stay in the game and Smith will have his best day yet this season.
• Felix Jones - Marion Barber won't be 100 percent if he plays, and the Carolina Panthers defense has been pretty bad.
• Willie Parker - There is a lot of talk in Pittsburgh of Fast Willie being washed up. He's not and this is the game where he proves it.
• Jay Cutler - The Seattle Seahawks have some big injuries to the defense and Cutler threw for two scores against a tough Pittsburgh Steelers team last week. Expect at least two scores this week.
  
• Philadelphia D/ST - If your league gives one point for sacks, the Eagles are going to have a good day. If you r league gives two points per sack, they're going to have a great day.
  

Players not to start/won't have big days:

• Frank Gore - You took him in the the first or second round and have been rewarded so far. The Minnesota Vikings are going to stack the box and force Shaun Hill to beat them. Gore will be lucky to have 60 yards.
• Cleveland Browns - They suck. Seriously, they and the Rams might go 0-16 this year.
• New England Patriots running backs - The Atlanta Falcons defense is pretty solid and the Patriots don't run the ball with any of their 20 running backs.
• Matt Cassel - The Philadelphia Eagles are going to sack him... a lot.
• Vikings receivers - The San Francisco 49ers defense is actually good this year. Also, Brett Favre only attempted three passes longer than 10 yards last week. Expect a lot of Adrian Peterson and not a lot of passing.
• Michael Turner - Like Gore, you're going to start Turner every week, but I see this game as a shootout with very little running in the second half.
• Seahawks - Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is not going to play, and look at how they did last year when he was hurt most of the season.
• Joseph Addai - The Cardinals have been great against the run dating back to the Super Bowl last year. It helps that Addai hasn't been the same since his rookie year and he's splitting carries with rookie Donald Brown.
• Tampa Bay running backs - The New York Giants gave up a lot of rushing yards to the Dallas Cowboys last week, but I think they remedy that this week. I also expect the Giants to score a lot and force the Bucs to pass most of the game.
• Falcons and Patriots Def/ST - As posted up above, I think this is going to be a shootout. One of these defenses might have negative points this week.

Sunday Updates: Make sure you get Brian Westbrook, Kevin Curtis, Dwayne Bowe, Wes Welker and Domenik Hixon out of your lineups. They are all inactive.

Let it Roll Down the Highway - Bachman Turner Overdrive

What a terrible idea

Fick Nell sent me this link today. In case you're too lazy to click on the link, the gist of the story is that King's Island Amusement Park is running Halloween Haunt Show and pictures leaked onto the internet depicting a skeleton of Steve McNair and his mistress.

I believe the term you're looking for is too soon. Messed up and sick could also work in this instance.

The man was unfaithful, which is pretty classless in it's own right, but McNair still has a family out there. For someone to come up with this idea and think it's funny, or OK makes me wonder how that person has a job.

That is the scariest thing. Not that someone came up with the idea, but that more than one person thought it was a good or funny idea.

If you read the whole story, you know that the display won't be up when the park opens the Halloween show, but that doesn't change the fact that they were thinking about it. It's also interesting that the park's spokesman tried telling the media the display never existed, despite pictures and video circulating on the internet.

I'm not one of those people glorifying McNair after his premature death, but there are some things that should not be done. Portraying a skeleton that is poking fun at the circumstances of his death is one of them.

Casey Jones - Grateful Dead

Oregon fan gets his money back

Poor Tony Seminary. The man flew from Portland, Ore., to Boise, Idaho to see his University of Oregon Ducks lose 19-8 to the Boise State Broncos.

According to a story on espn.com, Seminary was so angered by his team's performance he sent a $439 bill to Ducks' head coach Chip Kelly. While a fan expecting his money back because the team lost is not surprising, the fact Kelly actually sent him the money is.

Kelly wrote a check to Seminary, and now Seminary is saying Kelly is a classy guy that won't hear anymore criticism coming from Seminary.

This is bad. Kelly better get an extra mailbox or two, because once some Oregon fans read this, he's going to get a lot of letters.

For this fan to send a letter and a bill is ridiculous. Sports fans know what they're getting into when they buy a ticket and travel to see their team play. There is a 50 percent chance your team is going to lose. Now combine that fact with playing a consistent top 25 team at a very tough place to play, and it shouldn't be that surprising the Ducks lost.

This is going to open a door for tons of silly sports fans that think they deserve to be reimbursed for watching their team lose. Letters are going to come streaming in to team offices across the country from fans that would balk (and rightfully so) at teams asking for fans to pay double after their team upsets someone. Should Oregon send bills to all the fans in attendance to last weekend's upset of the No. 18 Utah Utes?

Just imagine that for a moment. Your unranked team just toppled a top 25 team in your home stadium. You're ecstatic and nothing could take the smile from your face as you approach the exit. Suddenly, there is a long line, and when you get to the end of the line there are ushers checking your tickets. Your smile disappears. They are looking at your tickets so they know what to charge you for witnessing an upset.

I'm pretty sure it would be illegal for a school or pro organization to do this, but you get my point. You would be outraged. So what gives this Seminary guy, and others like him, the idea that they deserve their money back if their team doesn't meet expectations?

Just stay home next time.

Get Over It - The Eagles

Liking the Tennessee, Florida rivalry

It's hard finding a good rivalry in sports today. Everyone is too nice, or pretending to be. That's why the constant shots University of Tennessee's Lane Kiffin and University of Florida' Urban Meyer are taking at each other are so refreshing.

It started when Kiffin was hired. Telling the Tennessee faithful that he was excited to sing "Rocky Top" all night long after beating Florida. Kiffin went on to accuse Meyer of a recruiting violation in front of media, even though he was wrong.

The latest episode is Meyer telling the press he kept his offense conservative in Florida's 24-14 victory over Tennessee because he didn't think the Volunteers were playing to win. Meyer also blamed the flu, and yes, he even brought up his fear of swine flu.

Kiffin said he played to win, it's just running the ball was how Tennessee was effective. Look at the stats from the previous two weeks, and it's easy to see where Kiffin is coming from. Vols' quarterback Jonathan Crompton is not reliable. Against UCLA he went 13-for-26 with three interceptions. His team probably wins if he doesn't play so poorly. So why not run the ball, when it was working so well against Florida.

The young Vols coach also made sure to take a shot at Meyer afterward. Kiffin told reporters "I guess we'll wait and after we're not excited about a performance, we'll tell you everybody was sick."

I'm all for sportsmanship. Taunting bothers me, and people being cry babies is really annoying. But neither is the case here. These are just two guys, and programs, that do not like each other. And we need more of that in sports.

It's a shame the teams only play once this year. If Tennessee improves and regains their spot as a top 25 program in the next couple years, this could be a very fun rivalry to watch.

The Times They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan

Baseball intro music

Seeing as my follower made a request, I shall honor it. This post is all about songs baseball players should come out to when they come up to bat. Whenever I attend Pirates games the music each player comes out to is weak. And they lose, but that's neither here nor there.

So let's get on with it. We'll start with the Buccos

Andrew McCutchen: Cum on Feel the Noize - Qiot Riot
Delwyn Young: Mighty Mouse theme
Garrett Jones: Any Metallica song that is not the crappy one he comes out to now
Lastings Milledge: Rockin' Robin - Jackson 5
Ryan Doumit: Dark Eyes - Bob Dylan (Have you seen Doumit? He has no iris, just pupil. They are pure darkness, and he sucks)
Brandon Moss/Steve Pearce: Sound of Silence - Simon and Garnfunkle
Andy Laroche: Carwash - Who cares
Ronny Cedeno: Substitute - The Who

Manny Ramirez: Because I Got High - Afroman
David Ortiz: I Don't Remember - Peter Gabriel
Roger Clemens: The Mercenary - Iron Maiden
Eric Chavez: Hurt - Johnny Cash or Trent Reznor
Derek Jeter: I'm Your Captain - Grand Funk Railroad
A-Rod: If I Had a Million Dollars - Bare Naked Ladies
Ryan Howard: Hungry Like the Wolf - Duran Duran
David Wright: My Brain - Weezer or Rivers Cuomo (You say they are the same, but really they are very different versions)
Prince Fielder: Brick House - The Commodores
Kellen Winslow: Warrior - The Scandal (I know, I know. He plays football and said he's a soldier, but I think the song fits. Just picture him dancing to it)

If I missed one or many, please feel free to fill it in.

Beard of depression

Ever notice how movies and television shows try to show you a character is depressed by giving him that scruff beard look?

I didn't until a friend of mine, we'll call him Fick Nell, pointed it out after we saw X-Men: The Last Stand. Cyclops was all sad about his girlfriend dying, so he had a lovely beard of depression going on.

After that conversation with Fick, I have noticed it in countless movies and shows. Jack Bauer had it in 24 at the beginning of Season 2. I won't spoil it for you, but his wife dies in Season 1.

Those are just two examples, but please, look for it and you'll know it's true. Now the question is; why does Hollywood think that a scruff or unkept beard is a sign of sadness?

Beards are glorious things in hockey. The uglier and worse the beard, the better. It's when you shave that beard that you become depressed. That mean's your team is out of the playoffs.

I know when I am sad, I don't stop taking care of myself and forget about hygiene. Am I the exception? I always thought we men went with scruff look because A) we're lazy or B) razors are expensive and we're trying to save money. I have never noticed my friends not shaving because they were just so sad they didn't care anymore.

Where did Hollywood come up with this idea, and is there a female equivalent? I haven't noticed it yet, but I'm on the lookout.

Legs - ZZ Top

R.I.P. Swayze

Acting legend Patrick Swayze lost his battle with pancreatic cancer yesterday. Some may disagree, but this loss is much worse than the loss of Ted Kennedy, Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett combined.

So many of us grew up wondering how Swayze could be so, well, Swayze. How many actors do you know had the range to go from saving the country from a Soviet takeover, to being a dance master, to ripping someone's Adam's apple out with his bare hands? The answer is one. Swayze.

The man could also do bad guys better than anyone else. In Point Break, Swayze had audiences in the palm of his hand. One moment we loved him, then we hated him, then we were hoping he'd get away with it. Even when he was bad, he was so good. In the director's cut (yes, there is a director's cut of Point Break) Swayze actually survives the once in lifetime wave. You have to wait until after the credits, but he pops out of the water and he calmly walks back to the beach.

He wasn't just a badass in his characters though, Swayze was a beast in real life. When filming the television show, "The Beast" last year, he went off his painkillers. That's right. The man was dying of cancer and in constant pain, but he thought the meds would take the edge off his performance.

Now I can't confirm this, but from watching Road House 247 times I think it's safe to say Swayze performed his own stunts in the movie. To make the feat even more impressive, he also did the rest of the cast's stunts. He was actually in the building when it exploded.

Let us not forget his softer side. He was a part of one of the best Saturday Night Live skits of all time. If he's not there looking incredible, then Chris Farley's performance is not nearly as funny.

I could go on for pages about the greatness of Swayze, but I will let you do your own research and learn to appreciate him in your own way.

And before you even try, nobody puts Baby in a corner.

Hungry Eyes - Eric Carmen