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.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
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.
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