For most fantasy football players, one of the hardest parts of the last week in August, other than watching the last preseason games, is making sure their draft picks actually can take the field when the season gets started.
National Football League teams had until Tuesday to get their rosters down to 75 players. This round of cuts was not the deepest (next week, that 75-player roster has to get down to 53), but it was extensive, and it can affect your roster if you're not careful.
With that in mind, here's a survival strategy for the season of The Turk.
1. Draft as late as possible. If your draft was in early August, you might know someone who took a late-round flyer on Antonio Bryant or Derrick Ward. That's why the People's League plans to hold its draft the night before Labor Day. (By the way, we still need six teams to join, so feel free to join now.)
2. Know who was cut. This is not as easy as it seems. A lot of the "usual suspect" Web sites don't seem to have a list of all the people released by 32 NFL teams. This seems to be the closest thing ESPN has to such a list. At least it does let you know that the Broncos running attack won't include Huggy Bear's kid.
3. Know your terms. The NFL seems to have more lists than the folks who put together the Top Ten of Everything books. The injured reserve list (home of Jim Sorgi and Sinorice Moss) is for players whose seasons are over. The physically unable to perform list (where Sidney Rice resides) is for players who are injured but could still contribute to their teams during the season. Then there's the "waived failed physical" list, which means the player is off a roster but free to sign elsewhere. And if the player was put on the list by the Bengals, the player's agent is free to crucify the team for it.
By the way, the Bengals may not actually have these folks on its medical staff, but they may want to consider getting some second opinions.
We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Meanwhile, back in NASCAR ...
While the Cincinnati Bengals were getting fricasseed for paying Antonio Bryant $8 million to take his gimpy knee and go home, the folks who run NASCAR were giving their Sprint Cup drivers the week off. (True, some of them went north of the border to lose to Boris Said at a road course, but that doesn't count, right?)
Also, you, the Internet, were helping the People's Pigskin determine its draft board for a draft that's scheduled for a week from now. We now know who will be fifth overall (Frank Gore), who will be the third QB (Aaron Rodgers), who will be the third WR (Brandon Marshall) and who will be our top tight end (Dallas Clark) and our top defense/special teams (the New York Jets). Thank for voting.
The newest polls ask who should start for the People's Pitstop for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta. Please vote now. And please sign up to run a team in the People's League. You wouldn't want the Internet's favorite fantasy football team to have nowhere to play, would you?
The results of our most recent football polls can be seen below.
[polldaddy poll=3674874] [polldaddy poll=3674884] [polldaddy poll=3674892] [polldaddy poll=3674903] [polldaddy poll=3674905]
Also, you, the Internet, were helping the People's Pigskin determine its draft board for a draft that's scheduled for a week from now. We now know who will be fifth overall (Frank Gore), who will be the third QB (Aaron Rodgers), who will be the third WR (Brandon Marshall) and who will be our top tight end (Dallas Clark) and our top defense/special teams (the New York Jets). Thank for voting.
The newest polls ask who should start for the People's Pitstop for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Atlanta. Please vote now. And please sign up to run a team in the People's League. You wouldn't want the Internet's favorite fantasy football team to have nowhere to play, would you?
The results of our most recent football polls can be seen below.
[polldaddy poll=3674874] [polldaddy poll=3674884] [polldaddy poll=3674892] [polldaddy poll=3674903] [polldaddy poll=3674905]
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
New Football Polls
Another set of fantasy football surveys are in the books, and here are the results.
On the question of who should be No. 4 overall on our draft board, you, the Internet, selected Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.
When you were asked which quarterback should be second to Drew Brees, you said Peyton Manning. (One reminder: This league doesn't offer fantasy points for commercials.)
On the question of which receiver should be second on our board to Andre Johnson, you stayed in Indianapolis and selected Reggie Wayne.
Thanks for voting. We have another set of polls up now. Three of them continue our ongoing conversations (No. 5 overall, No. 3 QB and No. 3 WR). The other two ask about two new positions: tight ends and defense/special teams. The polls will close Sunday night. The results of our most recent polls appear below. Feel free to vote now, and please sign up for a team in the People's League.
[polldaddy poll=3648677] [polldaddy poll=3648686] [polldaddy poll=3648696]
On the question of who should be No. 4 overall on our draft board, you, the Internet, selected Ray Rice of the Baltimore Ravens.
When you were asked which quarterback should be second to Drew Brees, you said Peyton Manning. (One reminder: This league doesn't offer fantasy points for commercials.)
On the question of which receiver should be second on our board to Andre Johnson, you stayed in Indianapolis and selected Reggie Wayne.
Thanks for voting. We have another set of polls up now. Three of them continue our ongoing conversations (No. 5 overall, No. 3 QB and No. 3 WR). The other two ask about two new positions: tight ends and defense/special teams. The polls will close Sunday night. The results of our most recent polls appear below. Feel free to vote now, and please sign up for a team in the People's League.
[polldaddy poll=3648677] [polldaddy poll=3648686] [polldaddy poll=3648696]
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Caveat (Auto)Drafter
There's no denying the popularity of fantasy football drafts. Many of you will be participating in more than one between now and Labor Day, including those of you who sign up for the People's League (hint, hint). If you go to a million Web sites, you will probably get a million different strategies and pointers for handling your draft. We at the People's Pigskin would like to offer one tip at this time:
Treat the autodraft option the way you would your seat cushion on an airplane: something to be used only in an emergency.
Earlier tonight, I was involved in a live draft for another league. I arrived in the draft room about a half-hour in advance. A few of the players arrived just a few minutes before the scheduled start.
Some never arrived at all. They relied on their pre-selected player lists and the autodraft option.
The results speak for themselves. In the fifth round, one of the auto-drafters picked Sidney Rice. This would have been a fine pick last week, before we learned that he might miss the first half of the season. In the seventh round, that auto-drafter picked Vincent Jackson, who is facing a three-game suspension and may miss even more time than that.
Now, if you have to use the automated draft option because of a family emergency or something, go over your list verrrrrry carefully. You don't want to be the one starting this guy because your list was out of date.
Treat the autodraft option the way you would your seat cushion on an airplane: something to be used only in an emergency.
Earlier tonight, I was involved in a live draft for another league. I arrived in the draft room about a half-hour in advance. A few of the players arrived just a few minutes before the scheduled start.
Some never arrived at all. They relied on their pre-selected player lists and the autodraft option.
The results speak for themselves. In the fifth round, one of the auto-drafters picked Sidney Rice. This would have been a fine pick last week, before we learned that he might miss the first half of the season. In the seventh round, that auto-drafter picked Vincent Jackson, who is facing a three-game suspension and may miss even more time than that.
Now, if you have to use the automated draft option because of a family emergency or something, go over your list verrrrrry carefully. You don't want to be the one starting this guy because your list was out of date.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Football Polls and a Bristol Wrap-Up
The People's Pitstop spent Kyle Busch weekend scoring only 257 points at the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team now has a season total of 6,425, ranking us 49,698th overall on Yahoo Sports and dropping us five spots, to 69th, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details.
Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 27th (6 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 49 fantasy points. That includes 1 point for qualifying and 10 points for leading that single lap. Good thing he got the lead before Tony Raines found him.
Jamie McMurray: Started 7th, finished 3rd, 11 laps led and 96 fantasy points. Imagine what would have happened if he weren't snakebitten on pit row.
Kasey Kahne: Started 11th, finished 5th and 82 fantasy points. As this race chart shows, Kahne was at his strongest at the end of the race. Maybe he would have led if this race had 600 laps.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 10th, finished 31st (12 laps behind the leaders) and 30 fantasy points. The title of this video says it all: Double Trouble.
The drivers are taking this week off, so it's time to turn our lonely eyes to fantasy football. The three polls are still open and will stay open until Wednesday night. Remember that you, the Internet, have already decided that Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew should top our draft board, while Drew Brees should be our top quarterback and Andre Johnson should be our top receiver.
Also, there's still time for you to join the People's League and compete against the People's Pigskin this season. Sign up today.
Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 27th (6 laps behind the leaders), 1 lap led and 49 fantasy points. That includes 1 point for qualifying and 10 points for leading that single lap. Good thing he got the lead before Tony Raines found him.
Jamie McMurray: Started 7th, finished 3rd, 11 laps led and 96 fantasy points. Imagine what would have happened if he weren't snakebitten on pit row.
Kasey Kahne: Started 11th, finished 5th and 82 fantasy points. As this race chart shows, Kahne was at his strongest at the end of the race. Maybe he would have led if this race had 600 laps.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 10th, finished 31st (12 laps behind the leaders) and 30 fantasy points. The title of this video says it all: Double Trouble.
The drivers are taking this week off, so it's time to turn our lonely eyes to fantasy football. The three polls are still open and will stay open until Wednesday night. Remember that you, the Internet, have already decided that Adrian Peterson, Chris Johnson and Maurice Jones-Drew should top our draft board, while Drew Brees should be our top quarterback and Andre Johnson should be our top receiver.
Also, there's still time for you to join the People's League and compete against the People's Pigskin this season. Sign up today.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Bristol
While you get ready to split your time between watching tonight's NASCAR Sprint Cup race and warming up to play quarterback for the suddenly needy Giants, it's time to offer predictions for which drivers will finish in the top 10 at Bristol Motor Speedway. Last week's forecasts should have hit the snooze button -- they went a pitiful 3-7, lowering the season record to an equally pitiful 104-116.
1. Kevin Harvick. The points leader can now cruise to the Chase. Of course, if he knew how to cruise, he wouldn't be the points leader now.
2. Jimmie Johnson. The four-time defending Sprint Cup champion needs to stop cruising. Of course, it helps that he has the pole for tonight's race.
3. Tony Stewart. You want a hot driver? How about one who has finished in the top 10 in five straight races and nine of the last 10?
4 and 5. Kurt and Kyle Busch. One driver has five Sprint Cup wins under his belt here. The other one has won two races here this week.
6. Clint Bowyer. He's holding the final Chase spot, but he'll need to stay on his toes...
7. Mark Martin. ...because this driver isn't going to let that spot go without a fight.
8. Juan Pablo Montoya. With his 7th-place finish at Michigan last week, Montoya now has 10 finishes in the top 10 this season. You know who else has that many? Denny Hamlin. (I'm just saying.)
9. Carl Edwards. He's won here before. He's starting in the front row tonight, and, perhaps most importantly, he's starting with six rows of cars between him and Brad Keselowski, who just can't seem to avoid trouble lately.
10. David Reutimann. Yes, he still counts as a medium to long shot, even though he's won a race this year and is starting 5th tonight. That's because he's starting one of the toughest races on the NASCAR schedule while recovering from the type of food poisoning that would make you and I want to crawl into bed, assume the fetal position and pray for a quick demise.
Enjoy the race, and if you're a fantasy football fan, or you'd like to become one, make sure you sign up to run a team against the People's Pigskin in the People's League. We'll be back with results and new polls.
1. Kevin Harvick. The points leader can now cruise to the Chase. Of course, if he knew how to cruise, he wouldn't be the points leader now.
2. Jimmie Johnson. The four-time defending Sprint Cup champion needs to stop cruising. Of course, it helps that he has the pole for tonight's race.
3. Tony Stewart. You want a hot driver? How about one who has finished in the top 10 in five straight races and nine of the last 10?
4 and 5. Kurt and Kyle Busch. One driver has five Sprint Cup wins under his belt here. The other one has won two races here this week.
6. Clint Bowyer. He's holding the final Chase spot, but he'll need to stay on his toes...
7. Mark Martin. ...because this driver isn't going to let that spot go without a fight.
8. Juan Pablo Montoya. With his 7th-place finish at Michigan last week, Montoya now has 10 finishes in the top 10 this season. You know who else has that many? Denny Hamlin. (I'm just saying.)
9. Carl Edwards. He's won here before. He's starting in the front row tonight, and, perhaps most importantly, he's starting with six rows of cars between him and Brad Keselowski, who just can't seem to avoid trouble lately.
10. David Reutimann. Yes, he still counts as a medium to long shot, even though he's won a race this year and is starting 5th tonight. That's because he's starting one of the toughest races on the NASCAR schedule while recovering from the type of food poisoning that would make you and I want to crawl into bed, assume the fetal position and pray for a quick demise.
Enjoy the race, and if you're a fantasy football fan, or you'd like to become one, make sure you sign up to run a team against the People's Pigskin in the People's League. We'll be back with results and new polls.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Umm...Oops
Put simply, the people who bring you this Web site fell asleep before setting the lineup for this week. No excuses. We screwed up. It will never happen again.
Yahoo will not allow us to change our drivers at this point for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will only allow us to send starters to the bench and vice versa. So the People's Pitstop has the same driver pool we had last week: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Paul Menard and A.J. Allmendinger. The best qualifiers will start. (Kevin Harvick, who's now ineligible to start, will stay on the bench.)
Meanwhile, on the fantasy football side, you, the Internet, decided that Maurice Jones-Drew should be No. 3 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson), and that Andre Johnson should be the top wide receiver on our board.
We have three new polls up now. One asks which football player should be No. 4 overall on the board. The others ask which quarterback we should rank second after Drew Brees and which receiver we should rank second after Andre Johnson. The results from our previous polls appear below. We'll update this after the qualifying session.
Oh, and there are still spots available in the People's League for those who want to match wits with the Internet's favorite fantasy football team.
UPDATED 8:00 A.M. The results are in. Tony Stewart not only beat out Jeff Gordon, but he also earned us a bonus point for qualifying 4th. Jamie McMurray (7th) and Kasey Kahne (11th) get the B List starting spots. A.J. Allmendinger qualified 10th, just two spots ahead of Paul Menard, who will live to start for us another day.
We'll be back with the weekly predictions.
[polldaddy poll=3630901] [polldaddy poll=3630910] [polldaddy poll=3630921] [polldaddy poll=3630934] [polldaddy poll=3630941]
Yahoo will not allow us to change our drivers at this point for the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Bristol Motor Speedway. It will only allow us to send starters to the bench and vice versa. So the People's Pitstop has the same driver pool we had last week: Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray, Jeff Burton, Paul Menard and A.J. Allmendinger. The best qualifiers will start. (Kevin Harvick, who's now ineligible to start, will stay on the bench.)
Meanwhile, on the fantasy football side, you, the Internet, decided that Maurice Jones-Drew should be No. 3 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson), and that Andre Johnson should be the top wide receiver on our board.
We have three new polls up now. One asks which football player should be No. 4 overall on the board. The others ask which quarterback we should rank second after Drew Brees and which receiver we should rank second after Andre Johnson. The results from our previous polls appear below. We'll update this after the qualifying session.
Oh, and there are still spots available in the People's League for those who want to match wits with the Internet's favorite fantasy football team.
UPDATED 8:00 A.M. The results are in. Tony Stewart not only beat out Jeff Gordon, but he also earned us a bonus point for qualifying 4th. Jamie McMurray (7th) and Kasey Kahne (11th) get the B List starting spots. A.J. Allmendinger qualified 10th, just two spots ahead of Paul Menard, who will live to start for us another day.
We'll be back with the weekly predictions.
[polldaddy poll=3630901] [polldaddy poll=3630910] [polldaddy poll=3630921] [polldaddy poll=3630934] [polldaddy poll=3630941]
Thursday, August 19, 2010
The People's Facts - Irwin Tools Night Race
There is still time to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for NASCAR's Saturday night Sprint Cup race. To help you select the drivers who will start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team, it's time to offer some information about this week's track.
Track basics: Bristol Motor Speedway is still the half-mile "bull ring," though these bulls usually stay in the ring and out of the stands. And it's still the place where you need to pay attention every millisecond, even if all you're doing is practicing. You can click here to download Yahoo's handy guide.
Last time we were here: Way back in March, when NASCAR was here for the "spring" race, Jimmie Johnson got his first-ever win on this track. The People's Pitstop left him on the bench in favor of Mark Martin. As a result, your favorite fantasy racing team racked up only 223 points, one of the lowest totals of the season.
Recent winners: For the August race, the list goes like this -- Kyle Busch (2009), Carl Edwards (2008), Edwards again (2007).
Who wins here a lot: When it comes time to discuss Jeff Gordon's Hall of Fame credentials, someone should bring up his knack for showing up in this category week after week. He and Kurt Busch are tied for the lead among active drivers with five victories apiece here.
A dish best served with sheet metal? Since the Chase lineup seems to be all but finalized, the only things left for drivers to settle over the next few weeks are scores. Bristol races often turn into high-speed games of bumper cars, so this would be the perfect place for a driver to try to right a perceived wrong by another driver. Edwards and Brad Keselowski are always a good bet to fight. Kurt Busch and Johnson may still need to resolve their Pocono dispute, and Joey Logano's dispute with Ryan Newman is so fresh it still has that "new fight" smell. There are plenty of storylines to consider. Vote wisely.
But also vote quickly, because the lineup polls and the fantasy football polls will close tonight, to be replaced with fresh football polls. Speaking of football, there's still time to join the People's League if you feel like competing against the People's Pigskin this fall.
We'll be back with poll results.
Track basics: Bristol Motor Speedway is still the half-mile "bull ring," though these bulls usually stay in the ring and out of the stands. And it's still the place where you need to pay attention every millisecond, even if all you're doing is practicing. You can click here to download Yahoo's handy guide.
Last time we were here: Way back in March, when NASCAR was here for the "spring" race, Jimmie Johnson got his first-ever win on this track. The People's Pitstop left him on the bench in favor of Mark Martin. As a result, your favorite fantasy racing team racked up only 223 points, one of the lowest totals of the season.
Recent winners: For the August race, the list goes like this -- Kyle Busch (2009), Carl Edwards (2008), Edwards again (2007).
Who wins here a lot: When it comes time to discuss Jeff Gordon's Hall of Fame credentials, someone should bring up his knack for showing up in this category week after week. He and Kurt Busch are tied for the lead among active drivers with five victories apiece here.
A dish best served with sheet metal? Since the Chase lineup seems to be all but finalized, the only things left for drivers to settle over the next few weeks are scores. Bristol races often turn into high-speed games of bumper cars, so this would be the perfect place for a driver to try to right a perceived wrong by another driver. Edwards and Brad Keselowski are always a good bet to fight. Kurt Busch and Johnson may still need to resolve their Pocono dispute, and Joey Logano's dispute with Ryan Newman is so fresh it still has that "new fight" smell. There are plenty of storylines to consider. Vote wisely.
But also vote quickly, because the lineup polls and the fantasy football polls will close tonight, to be replaced with fresh football polls. Speaking of football, there's still time to join the People's League if you feel like competing against the People's Pigskin this fall.
We'll be back with poll results.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The People's Pigskin, Season Two
The fantasy football democracy experiment is back!
Yes, the People's Pigskin will try to improve on last season's fifth-place performance by renewing its effort to rule the gridiron with the help of you, the Internet. This year, we have formed a public league, the People's League, for the People's Pigskin and nine other teams. Here are the details.
Rules: We will use the standard ESPN rules, which you can peruse here.
Draft: A live draft is scheduled for Sunday, September 5, at 9 p.m. Eastern. Yes, you may have to turn your heads away from Jerry Lewis for a little while, but he'll still be there when we're finished.
Democracy: The People's Pigskin will determine its lineup and make other decisions on the basis of regular polls like the ones to the right of this post. (While you're here, feel free to vote on them.) Other teams will make decisions for themselves about their lineups, and they are free to use any method they see fit.
If you'd like to compete against the People's Pigskin and have your matchup featured in the weekly fearless predictions, join the People's League now. We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.
Yes, the People's Pigskin will try to improve on last season's fifth-place performance by renewing its effort to rule the gridiron with the help of you, the Internet. This year, we have formed a public league, the People's League, for the People's Pigskin and nine other teams. Here are the details.
Rules: We will use the standard ESPN rules, which you can peruse here.
Draft: A live draft is scheduled for Sunday, September 5, at 9 p.m. Eastern. Yes, you may have to turn your heads away from Jerry Lewis for a little while, but he'll still be there when we're finished.
Democracy: The People's Pigskin will determine its lineup and make other decisions on the basis of regular polls like the ones to the right of this post. (While you're here, feel free to vote on them.) Other teams will make decisions for themselves about their lineups, and they are free to use any method they see fit.
If you'd like to compete against the People's Pigskin and have your matchup featured in the weekly fearless predictions, join the People's League now. We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR track.
Monday, August 16, 2010
Summing Up Michigan
It was both the best of weeks and the worst of weeks for the People's Pitstop.
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team compiled 287 points at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. The season total is now 6,168. We're 46, 780th overall on Yahoo Sports, and we rose 6 spots, to 62nd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details.
Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 6th, 36 laps led and 91 fantasy points. That includes a 1-point qualifying bonus and a 10-point lap-leader bonus. And this clearly unbiased source tells us that "a win is just around the corner" for Stewart.
Kevin Harvick: Started 8th, finished 1st, 60 laps led and 100 fantasy points. Harvick finished his eligibility for the People's Pitstop in the best way possible. In his nine starts for us, he gave us 7 finishes in the top 10. Though we missed two of his wins, he gave us an average finish of 8.7 and an average score of 81.1. If we exclude the spring Martinsville race (where he finished 35th), he gave us an average finish of 5.5 and an average score of 87.2.
Kasey Kahne: Started 1st, finished 14th and 74 fantasy points. That's right -- the driver who started on the pole (and got the 10 point bonus for doing so) couldn't hold the lead for a single lap.
Paul Menard: Started 10th, finished 35th (3 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It's a good thing he signed that Richard Childress contract before starting this race.
This week NASCAR takes its show to prime time for a Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The new lineup polls are open and will close Thursday night in time for Friday's qualifying session.
We also have a fresh set of fantasy football polls. The results of our two most recent ones appear below. You, the Internet, decided that Chris Johnson should be No. 2 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson), and you said decided that the first quarterback we should target is Drew Brees. This time around, we ask you to pick the No. 3 player for our draft board, as well as the top wide receiver. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=3615257] [polldaddy poll=3596858]
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team compiled 287 points at Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. The season total is now 6,168. We're 46, 780th overall on Yahoo Sports, and we rose 6 spots, to 62nd, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the details.
Tony Stewart: Started 4th, finished 6th, 36 laps led and 91 fantasy points. That includes a 1-point qualifying bonus and a 10-point lap-leader bonus. And this clearly unbiased source tells us that "a win is just around the corner" for Stewart.
Kevin Harvick: Started 8th, finished 1st, 60 laps led and 100 fantasy points. Harvick finished his eligibility for the People's Pitstop in the best way possible. In his nine starts for us, he gave us 7 finishes in the top 10. Though we missed two of his wins, he gave us an average finish of 8.7 and an average score of 81.1. If we exclude the spring Martinsville race (where he finished 35th), he gave us an average finish of 5.5 and an average score of 87.2.
Kasey Kahne: Started 1st, finished 14th and 74 fantasy points. That's right -- the driver who started on the pole (and got the 10 point bonus for doing so) couldn't hold the lead for a single lap.
Paul Menard: Started 10th, finished 35th (3 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It's a good thing he signed that Richard Childress contract before starting this race.
This week NASCAR takes its show to prime time for a Saturday night race at Bristol Motor Speedway. The new lineup polls are open and will close Thursday night in time for Friday's qualifying session.
We also have a fresh set of fantasy football polls. The results of our two most recent ones appear below. You, the Internet, decided that Chris Johnson should be No. 2 on our draft board (after Adrian Peterson), and you said decided that the first quarterback we should target is Drew Brees. This time around, we ask you to pick the No. 3 player for our draft board, as well as the top wide receiver. Please vote now.
[polldaddy poll=3615257] [polldaddy poll=3596858]
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Michigan
This breakfast edition of the People's Pigskin features our predictions for the drivers who will finish in the top 10 at today's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway. Last week's forecasts went a respectable 6-4, raising the season record to an almost respectable 101-109.
1. Kasey Kahne. He's on the pole for this race, and he's finally settled the whole "where will you drive next year while you wait for your Hendrick deal to take effect" question.
2. Mark Martin. Being the defending champion of this race and holding the last Chase spot has to count for something.
3. Kevin Harvick. So does being the current points leader.
4. Jeff Gordon. So does having 10 finishes in the top five (more than anyone else).
5. Clint Bowyer. The driver battling Martin for that final Chase spot will start third today.
6. Jimmie Johnson. Front row. Five 2010 wins. Four titles. Nuff said.
7. Tony Stewart. He's finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races (and eight of the last nine).
8. Carl Edwards. Meanwhile, Edwards has finished in the top 10 in the last five races, and his average finish on this track is 6.6.
9. Brad Keselowski. He's certainly comfortable at Michigan; he won the August Nationwide race for the second straight year. Yes, he's starting right behind Edwards, but surely they can get along for one day. Right?
10. Paul Menard. This week's medium to long shot celebrates Menard's deal to join Richard Childress Racing next year. He does have three top 10 finishes under his belt this season, so Childress certainly isn't making this move just because the driver comes with his own sponsor.
Be sure to vote on our fantasy football polls. They'll close tonight. We'll be back with race results and fresh polls.
1. Kasey Kahne. He's on the pole for this race, and he's finally settled the whole "where will you drive next year while you wait for your Hendrick deal to take effect" question.
2. Mark Martin. Being the defending champion of this race and holding the last Chase spot has to count for something.
3. Kevin Harvick. So does being the current points leader.
4. Jeff Gordon. So does having 10 finishes in the top five (more than anyone else).
5. Clint Bowyer. The driver battling Martin for that final Chase spot will start third today.
6. Jimmie Johnson. Front row. Five 2010 wins. Four titles. Nuff said.
7. Tony Stewart. He's finished in the top 10 in each of the last four races (and eight of the last nine).
8. Carl Edwards. Meanwhile, Edwards has finished in the top 10 in the last five races, and his average finish on this track is 6.6.
9. Brad Keselowski. He's certainly comfortable at Michigan; he won the August Nationwide race for the second straight year. Yes, he's starting right behind Edwards, but surely they can get along for one day. Right?
10. Paul Menard. This week's medium to long shot celebrates Menard's deal to join Richard Childress Racing next year. He does have three top 10 finishes under his belt this season, so Childress certainly isn't making this move just because the driver comes with his own sponsor.
Be sure to vote on our fantasy football polls. They'll close tonight. We'll be back with race results and fresh polls.
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Yes, Virginia, You Should Watch Preseason
Most fans of the National Football League, even the ones who watched "Big Fan" and thought "What a lightweight," find preseason football about as stimulating as listening to this guy. However, in between your perusal of things such as Christopher Harris' list of "must-draft players," Brad Evans' ADP Progress Report and Bill Simmons' analysis of the 10 types of holdouts, all fantasy football players should find some room in their busy August schedules to catch a few preseason games.
I'm not saying you should shell out the legalized-extortion money that teams charge fans to come to their stadiums and see future high school coaches play for an entire half. I'm also not saying you need to stay tuned for every last two-minute drill. But I am saying that preseason games can offer some clues about how certain players will be used in the regular season (and whether said players are worthy of our draft/auction consideration). A few examples:
Who will carry the rock? (And I don't mean Rex Ryan's gut): Giants vs. Jets, Monday, Aug. 16, ESPN. Ryan has already signaled that he will break with NFL tradition by playing his starters beyond the first quarter. But he has not shown his hand when it comes to his starting running back. LaDainian Tomlinson is the newcomer and a former fantasy MVP, but he's taken more abuse than the Bluesmobile. Shonn Greene has been called the Jets "bell cow," but how many mistakes would it take for him to find the bench?
Playing a game of catch: Cowboys at Texans, Saturday, Aug. 28, CBS. Miles Austin saved many a fantasy player's bacon with his breakout 2009 season. But Roy Williams seems to be eager to dispel the notion that the Cowboys paid a king's ransom for a court jester. And then there's Dez Bryant, who's out of his cast and may be ready to play when this game comes around. And we haven't even discussed the potential of a Kim Kardashian factor yet.
Some people call me ... Tim: Steelers at Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 29, Fox. The Broncos could have simply traded for Brady Quinn and had him match up with Kyle Orton in an old-fashioned quarterback competition. Instead, they traded up to get Tim Tebow and throw a monkey wrench at every fantasy football player. Tebow is a truly long shot for the starting job, at least in his rookie season. But what happens if the Broncos decide to use him in some option packages? Will they have to make Quinn or Orton the emergency third quarterback? Will we be able to draft Tebow as a tight end? Will we be able to take him seriously after this?
(Those of you who have NFL Network will get a head start on the rest of us. They'll be broadcasting Denver's game against the Bengals on Sunday.)
All of the above: Eagles at Bengals, Friday, August 20, Fox. Then there are games like this one that offer multiple questions. How will Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick split their quarterback snaps? Can Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens co-exist once they realize that only one of them will be the Bengals' No. 1 receiver? Who's going to fill Michael Westbrook's shoes as both a running back and a target of fantasy players' ire?
You can wait like everyone else to read the game stories, or you can watch and try to answer these questions for yourself.
We'll be back with our NASCAR predictions.
I'm not saying you should shell out the legalized-extortion money that teams charge fans to come to their stadiums and see future high school coaches play for an entire half. I'm also not saying you need to stay tuned for every last two-minute drill. But I am saying that preseason games can offer some clues about how certain players will be used in the regular season (and whether said players are worthy of our draft/auction consideration). A few examples:
Who will carry the rock? (And I don't mean Rex Ryan's gut): Giants vs. Jets, Monday, Aug. 16, ESPN. Ryan has already signaled that he will break with NFL tradition by playing his starters beyond the first quarter. But he has not shown his hand when it comes to his starting running back. LaDainian Tomlinson is the newcomer and a former fantasy MVP, but he's taken more abuse than the Bluesmobile. Shonn Greene has been called the Jets "bell cow," but how many mistakes would it take for him to find the bench?
Playing a game of catch: Cowboys at Texans, Saturday, Aug. 28, CBS. Miles Austin saved many a fantasy player's bacon with his breakout 2009 season. But Roy Williams seems to be eager to dispel the notion that the Cowboys paid a king's ransom for a court jester. And then there's Dez Bryant, who's out of his cast and may be ready to play when this game comes around. And we haven't even discussed the potential of a Kim Kardashian factor yet.
Some people call me ... Tim: Steelers at Broncos, Sunday, Aug. 29, Fox. The Broncos could have simply traded for Brady Quinn and had him match up with Kyle Orton in an old-fashioned quarterback competition. Instead, they traded up to get Tim Tebow and throw a monkey wrench at every fantasy football player. Tebow is a truly long shot for the starting job, at least in his rookie season. But what happens if the Broncos decide to use him in some option packages? Will they have to make Quinn or Orton the emergency third quarterback? Will we be able to draft Tebow as a tight end? Will we be able to take him seriously after this?
(Those of you who have NFL Network will get a head start on the rest of us. They'll be broadcasting Denver's game against the Bengals on Sunday.)
All of the above: Eagles at Bengals, Friday, August 20, Fox. Then there are games like this one that offer multiple questions. How will Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick split their quarterback snaps? Can Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens co-exist once they realize that only one of them will be the Bengals' No. 1 receiver? Who's going to fill Michael Westbrook's shoes as both a running back and a target of fantasy players' ire?
You can wait like everyone else to read the game stories, or you can watch and try to answer these questions for yourself.
We'll be back with our NASCAR predictions.
Friday, August 13, 2010
The People's Choice - Michigan
Another week of voting has concluded, and you, the Internet, have made your choices for the drivers who will represent the People's Pitstop in Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race in Michigan. Here are the poll results.
A List. Ties are pretty common here at this Web site, but having two drivers take all the votes in a poll is not. This week, the voters split their votes evenly between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. The qualifying session will serve as the tiebreaker.
B List. Once again, we will have three drivers competing for two starting spots. Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne will compete for those spots. (If Harvick gets one, he will represent the People's Pitstop for the final time this season.) The worst qualifier among the three will sit on the bench with Jeff Burton.
C List. It's nothing but ties this week for the World Wide Web's favorite fantasy NASCAR team. This poll came down to either A.J. Allmendinger or Paul Menard. Once again, the top qualifier gets the starting spot.
The poll results can be found below. For you fantasy football fans, the quarterback poll is still open, and we have a new poll. Last week, you, the Internet, decided that Adrian Peterson should top our draft board. Now we are asking you who should sit at No. 2. Please vote now. We'll update this post when qualifying is over.
UPDATE 6:30 P.M. Oh, what a qualifying session it was. Tony Stewart finished 4th, earning him a starting spot over Jeff Gordon and earning us a bonus point. Kasey Kahne got us 10 more bonus points for winning his second pole of the season, and Kevin Harvick (8th) edged out Jamie McMurray (19th) for the other B List spot. By the way, Happy Harvick better make this start count; it will be his last of the season for the People's Pitstop.
Even the C Listers ran well today. Paul Menard qualified 10th and earns the starting spot over A.J. Allmendinger.
We'll be back with more football thoughts.
[polldaddy poll=3596835] [polldaddy poll=3596845] [polldaddy poll=3596851]
A List. Ties are pretty common here at this Web site, but having two drivers take all the votes in a poll is not. This week, the voters split their votes evenly between Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon. The qualifying session will serve as the tiebreaker.
B List. Once again, we will have three drivers competing for two starting spots. Jamie McMurray, Kevin Harvick and Kasey Kahne will compete for those spots. (If Harvick gets one, he will represent the People's Pitstop for the final time this season.) The worst qualifier among the three will sit on the bench with Jeff Burton.
C List. It's nothing but ties this week for the World Wide Web's favorite fantasy NASCAR team. This poll came down to either A.J. Allmendinger or Paul Menard. Once again, the top qualifier gets the starting spot.
The poll results can be found below. For you fantasy football fans, the quarterback poll is still open, and we have a new poll. Last week, you, the Internet, decided that Adrian Peterson should top our draft board. Now we are asking you who should sit at No. 2. Please vote now. We'll update this post when qualifying is over.
UPDATE 6:30 P.M. Oh, what a qualifying session it was. Tony Stewart finished 4th, earning him a starting spot over Jeff Gordon and earning us a bonus point. Kasey Kahne got us 10 more bonus points for winning his second pole of the season, and Kevin Harvick (8th) edged out Jamie McMurray (19th) for the other B List spot. By the way, Happy Harvick better make this start count; it will be his last of the season for the People's Pitstop.
Even the C Listers ran well today. Paul Menard qualified 10th and earns the starting spot over A.J. Allmendinger.
We'll be back with more football thoughts.
[polldaddy poll=3596835] [polldaddy poll=3596845] [polldaddy poll=3596851]
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Coming Soon (or Not) to a Camp Near You
There are some things that always happen at this time of year. Someone will try to get America to care about golf's fourth major, and NFL players are going through training camp.
Most of them, that is.
While you're getting ready for your draft (regardless of how it is set up), some teams are dealing with players who, for one reason or another, have decided to stretch out their summer vacation. Here are a few examples, and whether fantasy players need to be worried about them.
Darrelle Revis, New York Jets. If you caught the first episode of this year's "Hard Knocks," you saw a lot of people, but Revis was not one of them. He wants to get Nnamdi Asomugha money. And Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, has raised the possibility that Revis will miss the season as a result of this holdout. Should fantasy players be concerned? Yes. Revis is one of the primary reasons the Jets defense will be one of the first off your draft board.
Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers. He's one of several Chargers involved in contract disputes. One of the others, Shawne Merriman, is reportedly ready to sign his deal, but Jackson has been away from the team long enough that he's "not a part of the plan" anymore. If you're a fantasy player, you probably cooled off on Jackson a long time ago. The reason: He faced a three-game DUI suspension the moment he signs, anyway.
Logan Mankins, New England Patriots. Yes, we're going to discuss a guard's holdout. He's trying to get something the Patriots are loath to give out: a lucrative deal. You probably aren't going to draft him (unless you're using the services of our friends at Trench Fantasy), but you probably have an eye on the man he guards. Should fantasy players be concerned? Not yet. Keep an eye on Dan Connolly during the preseason games. He wouldn't be the first Patriot to come out of nowhere and become an All-Pro player.
A certain quarterback, Minnesota Vikings. He's not the first veteran to decide he doesn't like training camp. He's just inspiring more stories than most. Unless he files retirement papers with the National Football League office (something he didn't do after either of his previous two stops), you should expect to see him show up as late as he can get away with.
Incidentally, would we all feel differently about him if all these stories about his situation used the word "holdout"? He is under contract, after all.
Anyway, the lineup polls for the People's Pitstop will close later tonight. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
Most of them, that is.
While you're getting ready for your draft (regardless of how it is set up), some teams are dealing with players who, for one reason or another, have decided to stretch out their summer vacation. Here are a few examples, and whether fantasy players need to be worried about them.
Darrelle Revis, New York Jets. If you caught the first episode of this year's "Hard Knocks," you saw a lot of people, but Revis was not one of them. He wants to get Nnamdi Asomugha money. And Woody Johnson, the owner of the Jets, has raised the possibility that Revis will miss the season as a result of this holdout. Should fantasy players be concerned? Yes. Revis is one of the primary reasons the Jets defense will be one of the first off your draft board.
Vincent Jackson, San Diego Chargers. He's one of several Chargers involved in contract disputes. One of the others, Shawne Merriman, is reportedly ready to sign his deal, but Jackson has been away from the team long enough that he's "not a part of the plan" anymore. If you're a fantasy player, you probably cooled off on Jackson a long time ago. The reason: He faced a three-game DUI suspension the moment he signs, anyway.
Logan Mankins, New England Patriots. Yes, we're going to discuss a guard's holdout. He's trying to get something the Patriots are loath to give out: a lucrative deal. You probably aren't going to draft him (unless you're using the services of our friends at Trench Fantasy), but you probably have an eye on the man he guards. Should fantasy players be concerned? Not yet. Keep an eye on Dan Connolly during the preseason games. He wouldn't be the first Patriot to come out of nowhere and become an All-Pro player.
A certain quarterback, Minnesota Vikings. He's not the first veteran to decide he doesn't like training camp. He's just inspiring more stories than most. Unless he files retirement papers with the National Football League office (something he didn't do after either of his previous two stops), you should expect to see him show up as late as he can get away with.
Incidentally, would we all feel differently about him if all these stories about his situation used the word "holdout"? He is under contract, after all.
Anyway, the lineup polls for the People's Pitstop will close later tonight. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
The People's Facts - Carfax 400
While the fantasy football world ponders such weighty questions as "How much is Darrelle Revis truly worth?," the fantasy NASCAR world turns its eyes to Michigan. You, the Internet, have until Thursday night to select the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's Sprint Cup race. To help you cast your vote, here is some information about this week's track.
Track basics: Once again, we're at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile oval where a few drops of fuel can mean the difference between winning and looking really dumb. (Speaking of which -- winning, not looking dumb -- Yahoo Sports has prepared this PDF to help you make your picks this week.)
Last time we were here: In the June race on this track, Denny Hamlin took the lead on Lap 179, survived a late caution and won for the fifth (and, to date, last) time this season.
Recent winners: For the August race, we have Brian Vickers (2009), Carl Edwards (2008) and Kurt Busch (2007).
Who wins here a lot: Now here's a switch -- the top active NASCAR driver on this track is Bill Elliott, with seven victories, followed by Mark Martin (five) and Bobby Labonte (three).
Same time next year? Michigan is one of the handful of tracks with NASCAR's equivalent of the Golden Ticket: two Sprint Cup races, including a mid-August date without any competition from the NFL or college football. Will that still be the case after the Russian Roulette of scheduling for next year is finished? Maybe. This mock schedule includes a pair of Michigan races, including one for the second weekend in August. But if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath.
We'll be back with some more football thoughts.
Track basics: Once again, we're at Michigan International Speedway, a two-mile oval where a few drops of fuel can mean the difference between winning and looking really dumb. (Speaking of which -- winning, not looking dumb -- Yahoo Sports has prepared this PDF to help you make your picks this week.)
Last time we were here: In the June race on this track, Denny Hamlin took the lead on Lap 179, survived a late caution and won for the fifth (and, to date, last) time this season.
Recent winners: For the August race, we have Brian Vickers (2009), Carl Edwards (2008) and Kurt Busch (2007).
Who wins here a lot: Now here's a switch -- the top active NASCAR driver on this track is Bill Elliott, with seven victories, followed by Mark Martin (five) and Bobby Labonte (three).
Same time next year? Michigan is one of the handful of tracks with NASCAR's equivalent of the Golden Ticket: two Sprint Cup races, including a mid-August date without any competition from the NFL or college football. Will that still be the case after the Russian Roulette of scheduling for next year is finished? Maybe. This mock schedule includes a pair of Michigan races, including one for the second weekend in August. But if I were you, I wouldn't hold my breath.
We'll be back with some more football thoughts.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Feeling Like Road-Kill
The People's Pitstop didn't have as bad a weekend as Tiger Woods, but that's about the only positive thing we can say about it.
Your favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up only 256 points during Sunday's Sprint Cup race, including the 1-point qualifying bonus for A.J. Allmendinger. That leaves us with a season total of 5,881. We slipped to 55,540th overall on Yahoo Sports, and we fell 3 spots, to 66th, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the unpleasant details.
Tony Stewart: Started 6th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. The only thing missing from his day was a lap led. (But we'll get back to his day shortly.)
Jamie McMurray: Started 2nd, finished 6th, 5 laps led and 95 fantasy points. That includes the 5-point bonus from qualifying and a 10-point bonus for leading a lap.
Matt Kenseth: Started 31st, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. Well, he did move up 18 spots during the race. (And he's now one of three B List drivers who can start only one more race for the People's Pitstop.)
Boris Said: Started 13th, finished 38th and 16 fantasy points. Apparently, bygones were not allowed to be bygones. After having a run-in with Stewart in June at Sonoma, Said had another get-together with Smoke on Sunday, and the road "specialist" got the worst of it. Who would have guessed "have at it" would mean "Drivers, go ahead and treat everyone's fantasy teams like a pinata."
Anyway, the road courses are now in our rear-view mirror, and it's time to get back on the ovals. NASCAR heads to Michigan this week, and we have a new set of lineup polls that will close Thursday night. We also have a quarterback-centric poll for you fantasy football fans. Please vote now. The results of our last fantasy football poll can be seen below.
We'll be back with a sneak peek at this week's track.
[polldaddy poll=3563148]
Your favorite fantasy NASCAR team racked up only 256 points during Sunday's Sprint Cup race, including the 1-point qualifying bonus for A.J. Allmendinger. That leaves us with a season total of 5,881. We slipped to 55,540th overall on Yahoo Sports, and we fell 3 spots, to 66th, in the Fans of From the Marbles league. Here are the unpleasant details.
Tony Stewart: Started 6th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. The only thing missing from his day was a lap led. (But we'll get back to his day shortly.)
Jamie McMurray: Started 2nd, finished 6th, 5 laps led and 95 fantasy points. That includes the 5-point bonus from qualifying and a 10-point bonus for leading a lap.
Matt Kenseth: Started 31st, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. Well, he did move up 18 spots during the race. (And he's now one of three B List drivers who can start only one more race for the People's Pitstop.)
Boris Said: Started 13th, finished 38th and 16 fantasy points. Apparently, bygones were not allowed to be bygones. After having a run-in with Stewart in June at Sonoma, Said had another get-together with Smoke on Sunday, and the road "specialist" got the worst of it. Who would have guessed "have at it" would mean "Drivers, go ahead and treat everyone's fantasy teams like a pinata."
Anyway, the road courses are now in our rear-view mirror, and it's time to get back on the ovals. NASCAR heads to Michigan this week, and we have a new set of lineup polls that will close Thursday night. We also have a quarterback-centric poll for you fantasy football fans. Please vote now. The results of our last fantasy football poll can be seen below.
We'll be back with a sneak peek at this week's track.
[polldaddy poll=3563148]
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Watkins Glen
It's time once again to predict which NASCAR drivers will finish in the top 10 at Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. Last week's forecasts went 6-4, leaving us with a season record of 95-105. That's right; we're back to the point where a perfect week of predictions (how hard can that be?) would bring us back to .500.
1. Tony Stewart. Two words: defending champion.
2. Kevin Harvick. Two more words: points leader.
3. Marcos Ambrose. He won his third straight Nationwide race at this track on Saturday. Eventually, that has to translate into Sprint Cup results.
4. Kyle Busch. He's the last driver other than Stewart to win at this track, but you already knew that.
5. Jeff Gordon. But did you know he's won more road races than any other driver in NASCAR history? Well, you do now.
6. Juan Pablo Montoya. He's starting third today, and he may need a road course to get his second win in a Sprint Cup car.
7. Clint Bowyer. He seems to be handling the pressure of holding the last Chase spot rather well.
8. Mark Martin. Meanwhile, guess who lurks only 34 points behind Bowyer?
9. Denny Hamlin. We can't really back Jimmie Johnson or Kurt Busch until they settle the whole he said/he ran me over thing, so we'll go with this season's other five-time winner, who, by the way, has finished in the top 10 in each of his four starts at Watkins Glen.
10. A.J. Allmendinger. This week's medium to long shot is starting second and is hoping to have a better day than last week's pick for this spot did. (Sorry about that, Elliott.)
We'll be back after the race with results and new polls. Be sure to get your vote in for which fantasy football player the People's Pigskin will target first.
1. Tony Stewart. Two words: defending champion.
2. Kevin Harvick. Two more words: points leader.
3. Marcos Ambrose. He won his third straight Nationwide race at this track on Saturday. Eventually, that has to translate into Sprint Cup results.
4. Kyle Busch. He's the last driver other than Stewart to win at this track, but you already knew that.
5. Jeff Gordon. But did you know he's won more road races than any other driver in NASCAR history? Well, you do now.
6. Juan Pablo Montoya. He's starting third today, and he may need a road course to get his second win in a Sprint Cup car.
7. Clint Bowyer. He seems to be handling the pressure of holding the last Chase spot rather well.
8. Mark Martin. Meanwhile, guess who lurks only 34 points behind Bowyer?
9. Denny Hamlin. We can't really back Jimmie Johnson or Kurt Busch until they settle the whole he said/he ran me over thing, so we'll go with this season's other five-time winner, who, by the way, has finished in the top 10 in each of his four starts at Watkins Glen.
10. A.J. Allmendinger. This week's medium to long shot is starting second and is hoping to have a better day than last week's pick for this spot did. (Sorry about that, Elliott.)
We'll be back after the race with results and new polls. Be sure to get your vote in for which fantasy football player the People's Pigskin will target first.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
The People's Choice - Watkins Glen
As our long national Albert Haynesworth nightmare ends, so does another week of voting for the People's Pitstop. We asked you, the Internet, to pick our lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International. Here are the results.
A List. It shouldn't come as a complete surprise that this poll had one clear winner: Tony Stewart. He'll start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team (as he did at the Sonoma race), while former teammate Kyle Busch will sit on the bench.
B List. It wouldn't be the People's Pitstop without at least one tie. This week, three drivers tied for two starting spots. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray will fight for those spots. The qualifying session will serve at the tiebreaker. Whoever qualifies worst will join Kevin Harvick on the bench.
C List. As he did at this season's other road race, Boris Said won your vote. He'll start for the People's Pitstop. The bench spot goes to A.J. Allmendinger.
We'll update this post after the qualifying session. The poll results appear below, and if you haven't voted on our fantasy football poll, please do so now.
UPDATE 2 P.M. The qualifying session is over. Jamie McMurray will start in 2nd place. He earned a starting spot in our lineup and 5 bonus points. Matt Kenseth (31st) gets the other B List spot over Kasey Kahne (36th). And A.J. Allmendinger, who will watch from the bench, earned us a bonus point for qualifying 4th.
We'll be back with our predictions.
[polldaddy poll=3563123] [polldaddy poll=3563133] [polldaddy poll=3563140]
A List. It shouldn't come as a complete surprise that this poll had one clear winner: Tony Stewart. He'll start for the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team (as he did at the Sonoma race), while former teammate Kyle Busch will sit on the bench.
B List. It wouldn't be the People's Pitstop without at least one tie. This week, three drivers tied for two starting spots. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Jamie McMurray will fight for those spots. The qualifying session will serve at the tiebreaker. Whoever qualifies worst will join Kevin Harvick on the bench.
C List. As he did at this season's other road race, Boris Said won your vote. He'll start for the People's Pitstop. The bench spot goes to A.J. Allmendinger.
We'll update this post after the qualifying session. The poll results appear below, and if you haven't voted on our fantasy football poll, please do so now.
UPDATE 2 P.M. The qualifying session is over. Jamie McMurray will start in 2nd place. He earned a starting spot in our lineup and 5 bonus points. Matt Kenseth (31st) gets the other B List spot over Kasey Kahne (36th). And A.J. Allmendinger, who will watch from the bench, earned us a bonus point for qualifying 4th.
We'll be back with our predictions.
[polldaddy poll=3563123] [polldaddy poll=3563133] [polldaddy poll=3563140]
Friday, August 6, 2010
Deflecting Bill Simmons' Rocks
The people who put together the People's Pigskin have been fans of Bill Simmons (aka "The Sports Guy") since he was writing over at Digital City. In fact, if you've missed any of his Vegas journals, you owe it to yourself to take a look at them in his archive.
You'll also find plenty of columns about fantasy football. Today, under the headline "Throwing rocks in fantasy football pool," Simmons offered his latest plan for shaking up a game where "We do things pretty much exactly the same way" as we did a decade ago. It's funny how chess is essentially the same game it was when Benjamin Franklin was playing it, but fantasy football needs an update.
Most of Simmons' column is as funny and insightful as anything he's ever published, even if it does come close to violating his own "150-minute rule" (if you're going to spend more than that much time on anything, you better have a rock-solid reason). However, his recommendations for shaking up fantasy football leave something to be desired. Here are the main recommendations, along with some counterpoints.
1. "Everyone agrees on a Universal Fantasy System"
Longtime readers of the People's Pigskin may have already figured out that I enjoy beer. In fact, I prefer beers on the Guinness end of the spectrum. However, I'm not arrogant enough to expect everyone to like Guinness as much as I do. You might think it is too bitter for human consumption. That's fine. I'll sip my Guinness and allow you to drink your Coors Light (which I wouldn't drink if my esophagus were on fire), and we'll both have a good time. That's why any bar worthy of the name has more than one beer tap.
It's the same way with fantasy football. So far this summer, I've signed up for three fantasy leagues, and I plan to sign up for at least one more. (More details on that in a later post.) I like having choices about how teams are set up, how points are distributed and how ties and championships are determined. Making everyone play the same way wouldn't help fantasy football. It would stifle innovation.
2. "Everyone switches to an auction format"
To continue the beer metaphor, liking Guinness doesn't stop me from sampling new beers. Likewise, I've never been part of an auction draft, but I wouldn't mind trying one out. One reason: "Someone like Chris Johnson goes to the highest bidder instead of someone who just lucked out by pulling an ace from a deck of cards."
3. "Keepers"
Simmons recommends a system that would allow fantasy players to keep some of their players for up to four seasons at a time. You have to pay a little more each year -- this recommendation is based on an auction draft -- and after season 2, you have to decide whether to keep the player for the next two seasons. (No dropping the player after season 3.) If only the New York Jets could to this.
4. "Safe words"
Simmons wants us to pick a word to shout out to stop someone from telling a boring fantasy story. Not only do I agree with him on this, but I'm one step ahead of him. I already have a word for such situations. I find that "SHUTTHE****UP" works just fine.
5. "Menage A Trois Week"
No, Simmons has not been sharing ideas with Kim Kardashian again. He's suggesting that several weeks of the fantasy season should feature matchups involving three teams instead of two. You versus two opponents, with one team getting a win and two teams getting a loss.
One problem: Fantasy players don't need yet another way to lose. The Brian Westbrooks of the world are giving us enough opportunities to lose needlessly as it is.
6. "The Backgammon Cube"
I'm not even going to try to explain this idea, except to say that it involves both escalating double-or-nothing bets and the chance to concede the week's matches before they're over. And to say that it's a way to drive any league's commissioner to slit his/her wrists.
The best conclusion to draw from all this: If ESPN.com is featuring something like this on its front page, how long can it be until we're watching games that count?
By the way, the lineup polls will close soon. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
You'll also find plenty of columns about fantasy football. Today, under the headline "Throwing rocks in fantasy football pool," Simmons offered his latest plan for shaking up a game where "We do things pretty much exactly the same way" as we did a decade ago. It's funny how chess is essentially the same game it was when Benjamin Franklin was playing it, but fantasy football needs an update.
Most of Simmons' column is as funny and insightful as anything he's ever published, even if it does come close to violating his own "150-minute rule" (if you're going to spend more than that much time on anything, you better have a rock-solid reason). However, his recommendations for shaking up fantasy football leave something to be desired. Here are the main recommendations, along with some counterpoints.
1. "Everyone agrees on a Universal Fantasy System"
Longtime readers of the People's Pigskin may have already figured out that I enjoy beer. In fact, I prefer beers on the Guinness end of the spectrum. However, I'm not arrogant enough to expect everyone to like Guinness as much as I do. You might think it is too bitter for human consumption. That's fine. I'll sip my Guinness and allow you to drink your Coors Light (which I wouldn't drink if my esophagus were on fire), and we'll both have a good time. That's why any bar worthy of the name has more than one beer tap.
It's the same way with fantasy football. So far this summer, I've signed up for three fantasy leagues, and I plan to sign up for at least one more. (More details on that in a later post.) I like having choices about how teams are set up, how points are distributed and how ties and championships are determined. Making everyone play the same way wouldn't help fantasy football. It would stifle innovation.
2. "Everyone switches to an auction format"
To continue the beer metaphor, liking Guinness doesn't stop me from sampling new beers. Likewise, I've never been part of an auction draft, but I wouldn't mind trying one out. One reason: "Someone like Chris Johnson goes to the highest bidder instead of someone who just lucked out by pulling an ace from a deck of cards."
3. "Keepers"
Simmons recommends a system that would allow fantasy players to keep some of their players for up to four seasons at a time. You have to pay a little more each year -- this recommendation is based on an auction draft -- and after season 2, you have to decide whether to keep the player for the next two seasons. (No dropping the player after season 3.) If only the New York Jets could to this.
4. "Safe words"
Simmons wants us to pick a word to shout out to stop someone from telling a boring fantasy story. Not only do I agree with him on this, but I'm one step ahead of him. I already have a word for such situations. I find that "SHUTTHE****UP" works just fine.
5. "Menage A Trois Week"
No, Simmons has not been sharing ideas with Kim Kardashian again. He's suggesting that several weeks of the fantasy season should feature matchups involving three teams instead of two. You versus two opponents, with one team getting a win and two teams getting a loss.
One problem: Fantasy players don't need yet another way to lose. The Brian Westbrooks of the world are giving us enough opportunities to lose needlessly as it is.
6. "The Backgammon Cube"
I'm not even going to try to explain this idea, except to say that it involves both escalating double-or-nothing bets and the chance to concede the week's matches before they're over. And to say that it's a way to drive any league's commissioner to slit his/her wrists.
The best conclusion to draw from all this: If ESPN.com is featuring something like this on its front page, how long can it be until we're watching games that count?
By the way, the lineup polls will close soon. Please vote now. We'll be back with the results.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Reason #600 Football Trumps Baseball
You're going to hear about a lot of football happenings over the next few weeks. Some will have a long-lasting impact on your fantasy football league (such as an injury that may cause last season's sack king to miss this season). Some will have almost no impact whatsoever in the long run (such as a certain quarterback's attitude toward training camp). The impact of others will fall somewhere in the middle (LenDale White, anyone?).
Meanwhile, while we wait for the real football games to start and for NASCAR to drop the green flag on its latest race -- hint, hint, vote on the People's Pitstop lineup before Friday evening -- you may have heard that a certain baseball player reached a certain milestone this week. A lot of people are going to see this as a reason to celebrate that baseball player, but we at the People's Pigskin see this as a reason to celebrate something else.
Football.
That's right. Football, the sport that last visited Yankee Stadium during the Alan Ameche era.
For one thing, it's a reminder that the National Football League, for all its faults and failings -- and they are plenty -- got the issue of performance enhancers right.
Step into the Wayback Machine for a trip to 2006, when we learned that Shawne Merriman, one of the NFL's defensive stars at the time, had taken performance-enhancing drugs. Did we learn about it from reading a former teammate's tell-all book? Did we learn about it from an exclusive interview with Rich Eisen? No, we learned about it when the NFL said that it would be suspending Merriman four games (and taking away four game checks) after he failed an NFL test.
There was a swift test, a swift result and a swift and real punishment. Merriman didn't just face a nebulous sense of public shame for what he did. He lost a quarter of his salary for that season. He even became the namesake of a rule barring such players from the Pro Bowl.
And that type of tangible punishment is reflected in another difference between baseball and other sports: a historical record free of question marks.
The NFL's all-time leading rusher is Emmitt Smith, and its all-time leading receiver is Jerry Rice. Both Smith and Rice will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Does anyone suspect them of using shortcuts to get there?
The NBA's all-time leading scorer is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, for bonus points, is also featured in one of the funniest movies ever. Does anyone suspect him of using shortcuts?
The holder of just about every NHL record that does not involve goaltending is Wayne Gretzky. Does anyone suspect him of using shortcuts?
Now let's look at baseball's home run record. The current holder of that record not only is suspected of cheating, but he stands accused of lying to a federal grand jury about it. The person whom most expect to take that record is already on the record saying he cheated during the three-year period leading up to his trade to his current employer. And instead of being punished for his transgressions, he's been rewarded with the opportunity to perform on one of the biggest stages in sports.
Don't you feel better knowing that the biggest questions facing your fantasy team probably involve holdouts or Kardashians?
Meanwhile, while we wait for the real football games to start and for NASCAR to drop the green flag on its latest race -- hint, hint, vote on the People's Pitstop lineup before Friday evening -- you may have heard that a certain baseball player reached a certain milestone this week. A lot of people are going to see this as a reason to celebrate that baseball player, but we at the People's Pigskin see this as a reason to celebrate something else.
Football.
That's right. Football, the sport that last visited Yankee Stadium during the Alan Ameche era.
For one thing, it's a reminder that the National Football League, for all its faults and failings -- and they are plenty -- got the issue of performance enhancers right.
Step into the Wayback Machine for a trip to 2006, when we learned that Shawne Merriman, one of the NFL's defensive stars at the time, had taken performance-enhancing drugs. Did we learn about it from reading a former teammate's tell-all book? Did we learn about it from an exclusive interview with Rich Eisen? No, we learned about it when the NFL said that it would be suspending Merriman four games (and taking away four game checks) after he failed an NFL test.
There was a swift test, a swift result and a swift and real punishment. Merriman didn't just face a nebulous sense of public shame for what he did. He lost a quarter of his salary for that season. He even became the namesake of a rule barring such players from the Pro Bowl.
And that type of tangible punishment is reflected in another difference between baseball and other sports: a historical record free of question marks.
The NFL's all-time leading rusher is Emmitt Smith, and its all-time leading receiver is Jerry Rice. Both Smith and Rice will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday. Does anyone suspect them of using shortcuts to get there?
The NBA's all-time leading scorer is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who, for bonus points, is also featured in one of the funniest movies ever. Does anyone suspect him of using shortcuts?
The holder of just about every NHL record that does not involve goaltending is Wayne Gretzky. Does anyone suspect him of using shortcuts?
Now let's look at baseball's home run record. The current holder of that record not only is suspected of cheating, but he stands accused of lying to a federal grand jury about it. The person whom most expect to take that record is already on the record saying he cheated during the three-year period leading up to his trade to his current employer. And instead of being punished for his transgressions, he's been rewarded with the opportunity to perform on one of the biggest stages in sports.
Don't you feel better knowing that the biggest questions facing your fantasy team probably involve holdouts or Kardashians?
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
The People's Facts - Watkins Glen
You, the Internet, have until Friday night to vote on the People's Pitstop lineup for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. Here is some information to help you make your selections.
Track basics: Watkins Glen International in upstate New York is a road course that, at 2.45 miles, is almost as long as this race's official name: the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. (The over/under on number of official mentions of that name in Sunday's ESPN broadcast: 1.5.) Also, with its 11 turns, this course is less straightforward than a certain quarterback's stance on training camp.
Recent winners: Tony Stewart (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Tony Stewart (2007).
Who wins here a lot: As you might have guessed from that last item, Stewart leads active NASCAR drivers with five victories at Watkins Glen. He's followed by Jeff Gordon (four) and Mark Martin (three).
On the road again: Yes, NASCAR is making the second of its two annual Sprint Cup trips to a place where drivers have to drive a little bit more like you and I drive. That's why, in addition to having you click here for the weekly fantasy preview from Yahoo Sports, we at the People's Pigskin will urge you to click here and read Nick Bromberg's assessment of NASCAR's top road racers (and the loyal readers' response).
Oh, and don't forget to vote in the racing and football polls.
Track basics: Watkins Glen International in upstate New York is a road course that, at 2.45 miles, is almost as long as this race's official name: the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen. (The over/under on number of official mentions of that name in Sunday's ESPN broadcast: 1.5.) Also, with its 11 turns, this course is less straightforward than a certain quarterback's stance on training camp.
Recent winners: Tony Stewart (2009), Kyle Busch (2008), Tony Stewart (2007).
Who wins here a lot: As you might have guessed from that last item, Stewart leads active NASCAR drivers with five victories at Watkins Glen. He's followed by Jeff Gordon (four) and Mark Martin (three).
On the road again: Yes, NASCAR is making the second of its two annual Sprint Cup trips to a place where drivers have to drive a little bit more like you and I drive. That's why, in addition to having you click here for the weekly fantasy preview from Yahoo Sports, we at the People's Pigskin will urge you to click here and read Nick Bromberg's assessment of NASCAR's top road racers (and the loyal readers' response).
Oh, and don't forget to vote in the racing and football polls.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Fantasy Preview Review - Sporting News
Our look at the fantasy football magazines taking over your newsstand like so much ivy continues with another well-known brand.
Sporting News Fantasy Football
Vital stats: $7.99, 148 pages with a 2-page pullout sheet, 397 offensive players (294 ranked) and 170 defensive players (105 ranked) previewed.
Top 10 picks: If you are playing in the typical 10-team league, the Sporting News has put your draft's first round right on its cover. It says you should take Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Steven Jackson, Andre Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Drew Brees and Frank Gore.
Well, maybe not: The Sporting News "experts" held a 12-team draft, and they forgot to read their own cover. Two of the top 10 draft choices were used on Aaron Rodgers (a slight surprise, but nothing more) and Shonn Greene (a legitimate jaw-dropper).
Intriguing nugget: Like many fantasy football magazines, this one offers a peek at each team's schedule. Unlike most magazines, this one highlights the games that are likely to occur during your league's playoffs. For example, in weeks 14-16, the Dallas Cowboys face three teams (Philadelphia, Washington and Arizona) that "finished in the top nine in sacks last season."
Head scratcher: These folks tell us this about the notion of paying attention to preseason hype: "We can almost throw this one out without thinking about it." But then, what does that make this magazine?
Kicker rule obeyed? To quote Judd Nelson from "The Breakfast Club," not even close, bud. In the 12-team draft of Sporting News experts, four picked a kicker before the last round. The magazine's assessment? "Eight of the final 12 picks in the draft were kickers, which is how it should be." That's right; fantasy football rules should be followed only two-thirds of the time.
Listen up: While everyone else is all worked up about a certain quarterback who, as of this writing, has neither reported for training camp nor filed retirement papers with the NFL, this magazine does a good job of informing fantasy football players about the very real possibility that we will have no football in the 2011 season.
Two options that are raised (and dashed quickly) are fantasy CFL and fantasy college football. "Tyler Sheehan, Donald Buckram, James Cleveland? These aren't congressmen running for re-election; they're the No. 3 passer, No. 6 runner and No. 8 receiver, respectively, in college football last season."
We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR site.
Sporting News Fantasy Football
Vital stats: $7.99, 148 pages with a 2-page pullout sheet, 397 offensive players (294 ranked) and 170 defensive players (105 ranked) previewed.
Top 10 picks: If you are playing in the typical 10-team league, the Sporting News has put your draft's first round right on its cover. It says you should take Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew, Ray Rice, Michael Turner, Steven Jackson, Andre Johnson, DeAngelo Williams, Drew Brees and Frank Gore.
Well, maybe not: The Sporting News "experts" held a 12-team draft, and they forgot to read their own cover. Two of the top 10 draft choices were used on Aaron Rodgers (a slight surprise, but nothing more) and Shonn Greene (a legitimate jaw-dropper).
Intriguing nugget: Like many fantasy football magazines, this one offers a peek at each team's schedule. Unlike most magazines, this one highlights the games that are likely to occur during your league's playoffs. For example, in weeks 14-16, the Dallas Cowboys face three teams (Philadelphia, Washington and Arizona) that "finished in the top nine in sacks last season."
Head scratcher: These folks tell us this about the notion of paying attention to preseason hype: "We can almost throw this one out without thinking about it." But then, what does that make this magazine?
Kicker rule obeyed? To quote Judd Nelson from "The Breakfast Club," not even close, bud. In the 12-team draft of Sporting News experts, four picked a kicker before the last round. The magazine's assessment? "Eight of the final 12 picks in the draft were kickers, which is how it should be." That's right; fantasy football rules should be followed only two-thirds of the time.
Listen up: While everyone else is all worked up about a certain quarterback who, as of this writing, has neither reported for training camp nor filed retirement papers with the NFL, this magazine does a good job of informing fantasy football players about the very real possibility that we will have no football in the 2011 season.
Two options that are raised (and dashed quickly) are fantasy CFL and fantasy college football. "Tyler Sheehan, Donald Buckram, James Cleveland? These aren't congressmen running for re-election; they're the No. 3 passer, No. 6 runner and No. 8 receiver, respectively, in college football last season."
We'll be back with a look at this week's NASCAR site.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Reflections on Pocono
One thing's for sure: The People's Pitstop had a better Sunday at Pocono Raceway than Elliott Sadler did.
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up 301 points during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The season total is now 5,625, leaving us in 51,237th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us to spots, to 65th place, in the Fans of From the Marbles league.
Here are the details from a race that turned out to be more exciting than some had anticipated.
Tony Stewart: Started 1st, finished 2nd, 2 laps led and 108 fantasy points. The total includes 10 points for starting on the pole and 10 more for leading at least a lap. The only thing Stewart could not do was reel in Greg Biffle at the end of the race.
(By the way, Denny Hamlin, who sat on our bench, got us 3 points for qualifying third, though he only finished 5th.)
Kevin Harvick: Started 14th, started 4th and 84 fantasy points. All that was missing from his day was leading a lap. Somehow, I think the points leader will get over that.
Clint Bowyer: Started 40th, started 15th and 62 fantasy points. Bowyer was the least-discussed participant in the Kurt Busch-Jimmie Johnson get-together. But he was able to keep his car on the track, and he is still in the 12th Chase spot for the moment.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 24th and 44 fantasy points. The most memorable part of the day for Allmendinger certainly was bumping Sadler in that incident that ended with Sadler's engine on the grass.
One bit of good news for the People's Pitstop: All four starting drivers finished on the lead lap.
Now we hit the road for Watkins Glen. As usual, we have our lineup polls, which will close Friday evening, since there is a Saturday qualifying session.
Also (attention, fantasy football fans!), we have our first fantasy football draft poll of the season. Please vote on all these polls now. The results for the "how many leagues have you joined" poll appear below. We'll be back with another magazine review.
[polldaddy poll=3545732]
The Internet's favorite fantasy racing team racked up 301 points during Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup race. The season total is now 5,625, leaving us in 51,237th place overall in Yahoo Sports and lifting us to spots, to 65th place, in the Fans of From the Marbles league.
Here are the details from a race that turned out to be more exciting than some had anticipated.
Tony Stewart: Started 1st, finished 2nd, 2 laps led and 108 fantasy points. The total includes 10 points for starting on the pole and 10 more for leading at least a lap. The only thing Stewart could not do was reel in Greg Biffle at the end of the race.
(By the way, Denny Hamlin, who sat on our bench, got us 3 points for qualifying third, though he only finished 5th.)
Kevin Harvick: Started 14th, started 4th and 84 fantasy points. All that was missing from his day was leading a lap. Somehow, I think the points leader will get over that.
Clint Bowyer: Started 40th, started 15th and 62 fantasy points. Bowyer was the least-discussed participant in the Kurt Busch-Jimmie Johnson get-together. But he was able to keep his car on the track, and he is still in the 12th Chase spot for the moment.
A.J. Allmendinger: Started 7th, finished 24th and 44 fantasy points. The most memorable part of the day for Allmendinger certainly was bumping Sadler in that incident that ended with Sadler's engine on the grass.
One bit of good news for the People's Pitstop: All four starting drivers finished on the lead lap.
Now we hit the road for Watkins Glen. As usual, we have our lineup polls, which will close Friday evening, since there is a Saturday qualifying session.
Also (attention, fantasy football fans!), we have our first fantasy football draft poll of the season. Please vote on all these polls now. The results for the "how many leagues have you joined" poll appear below. We'll be back with another magazine review.
[polldaddy poll=3545732]
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Fearless Predictions - Pocono
Before you get too deep into your perusal of wedding photos, it's time to predict which NASCAR drivers will finish in the top 10 in today's Sprint Cup race at Pocono Raceway. Last week's predictions went about as well as Juan Pablo Montoya's afternoon, going 4-6 and leaving us with a season record of 89-101.
1. Denny Hamlin. Hard to pick against the driver who won the last two Sprint Cup races on this track.
2. Tony Stewart. Unless you go with the driver who won the race before that.
3. Jeff Gordon. He's a four-time winner on this track, and he's still second in driver points this season.
4. Kevin Harvick. And Gordon is still staring up at this guy
5. Jimmie Johnson. No mincing words -- his team stunk last week. Expect them all to bounce back this week.
6. Kyle Busch. The way he's tearing up the Nationwide circuit, you'd think he expects to transfer points from one series to another.
7. Jamie McMurray. It would be an understatement to say he's very comfortable on NASCAR's largest oval tracks this year. (Yes, I know Pocono technically isn't an oval. Work with me here.)
8. Mark Martin. At the moment, he's on the outside looking in as far as the Chase is concerned. Sounds like plenty of motivation to keep his car on the track and near the front.
9. Juan Pablo Montoya. If there is such a thing as karma in NASCAR, Montoya has to have it on his side by now.
10. Elliott Sadler. This week's medium to long shot -- and since he's starting 29th, "long" definitely applies here -- acknowledges Sadler's win in Saturday's truck race at Pocono, which makes him the 21st driver to win races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and truck series.
We'll be back with race results and some new polls.
1. Denny Hamlin. Hard to pick against the driver who won the last two Sprint Cup races on this track.
2. Tony Stewart. Unless you go with the driver who won the race before that.
3. Jeff Gordon. He's a four-time winner on this track, and he's still second in driver points this season.
4. Kevin Harvick. And Gordon is still staring up at this guy
5. Jimmie Johnson. No mincing words -- his team stunk last week. Expect them all to bounce back this week.
6. Kyle Busch. The way he's tearing up the Nationwide circuit, you'd think he expects to transfer points from one series to another.
7. Jamie McMurray. It would be an understatement to say he's very comfortable on NASCAR's largest oval tracks this year. (Yes, I know Pocono technically isn't an oval. Work with me here.)
8. Mark Martin. At the moment, he's on the outside looking in as far as the Chase is concerned. Sounds like plenty of motivation to keep his car on the track and near the front.
9. Juan Pablo Montoya. If there is such a thing as karma in NASCAR, Montoya has to have it on his side by now.
10. Elliott Sadler. This week's medium to long shot -- and since he's starting 29th, "long" definitely applies here -- acknowledges Sadler's win in Saturday's truck race at Pocono, which makes him the 21st driver to win races in the Sprint Cup, Nationwide and truck series.
We'll be back with race results and some new polls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)