This Season's Not Over Yet

Martinsville Speedway may be one of the shortest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, but it's big enough to alter the Chase race as well as the fate of the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team scored 260 points during Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville. Our season total of 8,655 lifted us into a tie for fourth place in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league with SteelerFan4Tony.

As we start dreaming of a top three finish, let's look as this week's results.

Kyle Busch: Started 6th, finished 27th (7 laps behind the leaders), 126 laps led and 58 fantasy points. It just goes to show that one tire flying off your car can ruin your whole day.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 9th, finished 7th and 78 fantasy points. That was Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. In his nine starts, he had an average finish of 15.7 and an average score of 66.3. Strangely, Talladega Superspeedway was the site of his best performance for us (95 points and a 4th-place finish in April) and his worst performance for us (52 points and a 25th-place finish in October). And Earnhardt would probably be the first to tell you that, even though he made the Chase this year, his team is still not where it wants to be. Fortunately, Hendrick Motorsports seems willing to give him another shot in 2012.

Brad Keselowski: Started 3rd, finished 17th and 58 fantasy points. If only Keselowski could have that last restart back.

Regan Smith: Started 26th, finished 13th and 66 fantasy points. It's a truly remarkable finish when you consider that Smith had to overcome the damage he suffered when Dave Blaney got into him early in the race.

That leaves us with three races to make our mark. The next stop is Sunday's race at Texas Motor Speedway. The polls are now open and will stay open through Thursday evening. Get your votes in now.

We'll be back with the fantasy football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 8

To get back to the .500 mark, the weekly fantasy football picks for the People's League need a miracle, or a 5-0 week. That's because last week's forecasts went 2-3, lowering our season record to 15-20. If only the picks could play against Wisconsin this week. But we'll do the best we can with these.

People's Pigskin vs. LA Lockouts. The Pigskin can mount a Sunday night comeback thanks to the presence of both Tony Romo and Jason Witten in the starting lineup. The pick here is for the Pigskin to mount such a comeback and end the losing skid.

Arcadia Roses vs. Hudson Valley Hawks2. Both of these teams currently sport 4-3 records. But one has two players (Dwayne Bowe and Antonio Gates) who should be featured by their offenses on Monday night. Look for the Hawks to ride the prime time performances to victory.

VinSethVaughn Bears vs. Minneapolis Fantastic Houll. One has Tom Brady. The other had Tim Tebow. That's enough to predict a win for the Houll.

t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown 85. In addition to the longest combined team names, this matchup sports Ahmad Bradshaw versus LeSean McCoy. McCoy is the player with the higher ceiling this week, so look for the BearDowns to win.

Glen Gardner's Finest vs. Team Brotherton. Michael Vick plus Calvin Johnson equals a sixth victory for the Finest. Sometimes the math is just that simple.

Thanks for reading. Enjoy the games. Some new polls should be up shortly.

The People's Choice - Week 8

Neither nor could stop you, the Internet, from making your voice heard in this week's fantasy football polls. As a result, the People's Pigskin will field this lineup this weekend against the LA Lockouts.

Quarterback: Eli Manning may have the Dolphins on his schedule, but Tony Romo gets the Sundy night spotlight. Maybe that's why Romo won this week's pool. His prime time opponent is the Philadelphia Eagles.

Running back: Two players tied for first place in this poll, despite their less-than-stellar performances last week. They are Ray Rice (who gets to take out his frustrations against the Arizona Cardinals) and DeAngelo Williams (who gets to do likewise against the Minnesota Vikings).

Wide receiver: It should surprise absolutely nobody that Wes Welker won this week's poll, even if he gets a late afternoon game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It also should surprise few that Larry Fitzgerald came in second, even if he does visit the Baltimore Ravens.

Flex: Danny Woodhead, the third-place finisher in the running back poll, got more votes than Percy Harvin, the third-place finisher in the wide receiver poll. Therefore, Woodhead gets the late afternoon start against the steelers.

Tight end: The People's Pigskin will be busy on Sunday night. That's because Jason Witten won his head-to-head voting battle against Brandon Pettigrew and gets the start against the Eagles.

There were no changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the New England Patriots) or kicker (John Kasay, playing against the St. Louis Rams).

Thanks again for voting. We'll be back later with the People's League predictions.

Fearless Predictions - Martinsville

It's not Sunday yet. At least, it's not Sunday yet in most of the United States. It's already Sunday evening in China, even though they don't have Faith Hill to inform them of that. But even if it's not Sunday where you are, you can still look forward to Sunday with the help of these predictions for the top 10 finishers in NASCAR's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway. Last week's predictions finished a paltry 1-3, leaving us with a season record of 43-77.

One from the front: Thanks to Saturday afternoon's washout, this week's starting order is being set by driver points. That means Kevin Harvick gets to start in fifth place. He always seems to drive better when he's absolutely ticked off at somebody. And it was awfully nice of Greg Biffle to step into that role for him this week.

One from the back: You won't find someone in this week's bottom 10 with a top 10 finish this season. But Travis Kvapil is probably the next best thing for our purposes. First, he's currently in 35th place (the last spot guaranteed a spot in every race), so he's motivated not to start and park and surrender that spot. Second, he has a name that's fun to try to say out loud. For those of you keeping score at home, it's pronounced KWAH-pul, according to this site.

Two from the middle: Denny Hamlin sits in 11th place and won the truck race that NASCAR was able to run in Martinsville on Saturday after it couldn't run its qualifying session. Oh, and the Virginia native has won four Sprint Cup races at Martinsville. Yeah, there's always that.

If you're nervous about Clint Bowyer having the 13th spot, don't be. It means he's got the highest point total among non-Chase drivers. He has momentum from last week's win at Talladega. And he has a new team owner to impress. (Maybe he can wear the dog suit in those commercials.)

Remember to get your votes in on the People's Pigskin lineup. The polls will close later tonight. Thanks. We'll be back with the results.

The People's Choice - Martinsville

In addition to wreaking havoc with football games up and down the East Coast, Saturday's storm of rain and snow washed out the qualifying session for this weekend's Sprint Cup race. However, it did not stop you, the Internet, from voting on the People's Pitstop lineup. Here are the drivers who will represent the Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team at Sunday's Chase race at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia.

A List: Somebody must think Jimmie Johnson still has a chance to win a sixth straight Sprint Cup. He won this week's poll over runner-up Kyle Busch. However, with qualifying washed out, the order for this race is set by driver points. Busch (6th) starts one spot ahead of Johnson and will earn a spot in our starting lineup as a result. Let's just hope NASCAR doesn't give out penalties for bad singing.

B List: Because of a computer error, this poll ended quicker than the other two. That might be why we had a four-place tie involving Dale Earnhardt Jr., A.J. Allmendinger, Brad Keselowski and Kasey Kahne. By virture of points, Keselowski (3rd) and Earnhardt (9th) get starts, while Kahne (14th) and Allmendinger (16th) get spots on the bench. This will be Earnhardt's ninth and final start for the People's Pitstop this season. Let's hope he makes the most of it.

C List: To heck with foot injuries, the people said. The winner of this poll was Bobby Labonte. David Gilliland tied for second place with Regan Smith, who gets the roster spot by virtue of the driver point tiebreaker. Speaking of points, Smith (26th) gets the starting nod over Labonte (29th). So much for .

We'll be back later today with predictions for Sunday's NASCAR race. In the meantime, be sure to get those votes in for the fantasy football polls. We need to get the People's Pigskin out of its losing streak, and your votes can help make it happen. Thanks.

Smile When You Say That, Asante

Maybe it's the impending snowstorm, or maybe it's the stress of a game against the Dallas Cowboys, or maybe he stayed up late the night before watching a World Series game. Regardless of the reason, Asante Samuel lost control of his tongue this week.

(By the way, I know Samuel sort of backed down later from the comments that are the subject of today's post, but wouldn't you like an unhappy athlete to just keep his mouth shut just once, instead of saying something stupid and then spending the next few days retreating from it or deleting it and pretending it didn't happen? Wouldn't you like for one of these folks to think before opening the mouth or the smart phone -- just once? Couldn't they just go home and gripe in the privacy of their own home like everyone else?)

Anyway, Samuel was unhappy that the Philadelphia Eagles spent the shortened offseason signing other defensive backs. Or maybe he's unhappy that Vince Young, another new addition, saddled the Eagles with that laughable "Dream Team" tag. And Samuel decided to tell everyone that he was unhappy with the Eagles front office. Here's what he said, courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"A couple people upstairs might not want me, but who cares. They probably never played football," Samuel said. "It's a business, they run it like a business, so they're going to do what they need to do. So they're upstairs playing with a lot of money, playing a little fantasy football, so they’re doing their thing."

Now, no one would argue that Philadelphia has had a stellar season, especially its defense, which currently ranks 12th in fantasy scoring in standard ESPN leagues. But to throw around the "playing fantasy football" phrase like an accusation isn't entirely fair.

After all, fantasy football players do the same sort of thing general managers do. They assess teams and players and try to determine which players are critical to a team's success and which ones can be allowed to leave via trade or free agency. Sometimes, these decisions backfire (Chris Johnson, anyone?). Sometimes, they work out spectacularly (Cam Newton -- at least in the short term). But not bringing in new players because doing so might hurt other players' feelings doesn't make sense in either fantasy football or the NFL.

Besides, Samuel might not want to bring up the "fantasy" label right now. When ESPN published its list of top 150 individual defensive players before the season began, the "Worldwide Leader" listed four Philadelphia Eagles among the top 150. Samuel was not one of them.

Speaking of fantasy, you have until later tonight to vote in the NASCAR polls on the right. You also have until Saturday night to vote in the football polls. That is, if you don't lose power first.

An Ugly End to a Painful Weekend

Some weekends, you can do no wrong as a fantasy player. And then there are weekends like the one the People's Pigskin had. The only thing that didn't malfunction for us was the bullpen phone.

The Internet's favorite fantasy football team extended its losing streak to four games with a 74-65 loss to Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Our season record of 2-5 puts us in the bottom of our division in the People's League.

Here are the (mostly) unpleasant details.

Tony Romo, QB: 14 of 24 passing for 166 yards, 2 touchdowns and 14 fantasy points. If you're a fan of the Dallas Cowboys, it's hard to find a downside to having a rookie running back set the team record for rushing yards in a game. If you're a fantasy football player starting the Cowboys quarterback, finding a flaw in that strategy is much easier.

Ray Rice, RB: 8 rushes for 28 yards, 5 receptions for 35 yards, 1 fumble lost and 3 fantasy points. Rice was on the losing side of one of the ugliest Monday night games in recent history. He was in a position to fuel a comeback for the Pigskin, if only he could find a hole (and hold on to the ball).

Michael Bush, RB: 17 rushes for 99 yards, 2 receptions for 12 yards and 10 fantasy points. The good news is that Bush got most of the carries once Darren McFadden left with a foot injury. The bad news is that, despite the multiple interceptions thrown by both their quarterbacks, the Oakland Raiders eventually had to abandon the run to try to get back into Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Larry Fitzgerald, WR: 4 receptions, 78 yards and 7 fantasy points. Every wide receiver is dependent on his quarterback. And Fitzgerald's quarterback simply isn't getting the job done right now.

Damian Williams, WR: 1 reception, 5 yards and 0 fantasy points. As a show of gratitude for getting picked up by the People's Pigskin (and many other teams across the fantasy landscape), Williams missed the second half of his game with headaches.

Percy Harvin, Flex: 2 rushes for 8 yards, 2 receptions for 15 yards and 1 fantasy point. At least Harvin got on the fantasy scoreboard before missing the second half of his game with a rib injury.

Jason Witten, TE: 5 receptions, 35 yards, 1 touchdown and 9 fantasy points. Finally, a positive trend -- Witten's touchdown was his third in as many games.

Pittsburgh Steelers, D/ST: 1 interception, 2 sacks, 1 safety, 20 points allowed and 6 fantasy points. Kevin Kolb isn't giving the Pigskin many points through Fitzgerald, but he did provide us some defensive points with his grounding in the end zone.

John Kasay, K: 2 for 2 on field goals, 8 for 8 on extra points and 15 fantasy points. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Pigskin's top-scoring starter was its kicker, who was a beneficiary of a New Orleans dismantling of the Indianapolis Colts.

Bench: Despite all those lousy statistics, the Pigskin could have still walked away with a victory if it had started Plaxico Burress. His three touchdowns on four catches left him with 20 fantasy points -- more than he compiled in his previous five games combined.

Of course, Burress will now take his talents to the bye week, along with Bush. And the Pigskin must dust itself off and get ready for this week's matchup against the LA Lockouts. Obviously, we need your help. The football polls are now open (on the right side of this page, right below the NASCAR polls) and will stay open through Saturday night. Please vote. We need all the help we can get. Thanks.

That Could Have Gone Better

Talladega Superspeedway didn't give us anything that could be classified a Big One on Sunday, but that doesn't mean it didn't do any damage to the People's Pitstop.

The Internet's favorite fantasy NASCAR team managed to score only 226 points during this week's Chase race. Our season total of 8,395 dropped us one spot in the 9beersfantasysportstavern league standings, to fifth place.

Here are all the relevant details.

Carl Edwards: Started 9th, finished 11th, 1 lap led and 80 fantasy points. The Edwards team strategy had him spending a lot of time in the back of the pack. But Edwards isn't complaining, since he retained his spot at the top of the driver standings.

Mark Martin: Started 1st, finished 20th, 2 laps led and 72 fantasy points. Martin got 10 points for winning the pole, 10 more points for leading a lap, but no points for having his car find Regan Smith's late in the race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Started 6th, finished 25th, 2 laps led and 52 fantasy points. This blurb from SpeedTV says it all: "When he led briefly, the crowd went wild. Then reality set in."

Bobby Labonte: Started 21st, finished 35th (15 laps behind the leaders) and 22 fantasy points. It wouldn't be the People's Pitstop without a driver limping away from a race.

Time for some honesty. At this point, winning the 9beersfantasysportstavern season title is about as likely as Tony Sparano keeping his current job through New Year's Day. But we're going to keep competing through these last four weeks, because that's what fantasy players do.

And that means it's time to turn our attention to Sunday's race at Martinsville Speedway. The lineup polls are now open and will close Friday night. Please feel free to get the voting process started right now.

We'll be back with the football results.

Fearless Predictions - Week 6

Last week's fantasy football predictions for the People's League fared about as well as the Oklahoma Sooners did Saturday night. The forecasts went a chilly 1-4, lowering our season record to 13-17. It's time to start steering these picks back toward .500.
People's Pigskin vs. Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85. Neither quarterback (Tony Romo or John Beck) will set the world on fire, but both teams have a star running back taking the field on Monday night. Somehow, you have to like Ray Rice's chances a little bit better than Maurice Jones-Drew's. The Pigskin's losing streak ends right here.
Hudson Valley Hawks2 vs. Glen Gardner's Finest. Yes, the Finest will get plenty of points from Calvin Johnson, but so will the Hawks, because all those passes will be coming from Matthew Stafford. The Hawks should take this battle of division-leading teams.
Minneapolis Fantastic Houll vs. Arcadia Roses. The top two fantasy-scoring quarterbacks are facing off here. But in the battle of Aaron Rodgers versus Cam Newton, you have to take the player with the cheesy State Farm commercial. Look for a Houll victory here.
LA Lockouts vs. VinSethVaughn Bears. Adrian Peterson gets to take handoffs from a rookie quarterback starting his first NFL game. Drew Brees gets to throw to Jimmy Graham, currently the top-scoring tight end in fantasy football. (Look it up.) The Lockouts have the tools to get a fifth win.
Team Brotherton vs. t-bay jacks Young'ry Buccs. ESPN's experts have the defense/special teams matchup here as a "push." The people who bring you this fine Web site would respectfully disagree. The advantage goes to the Baltimore Ravens defense/special teams, who should lead the Brothertons to a Monday-fueled victory.
Thanks as always for reading, and enjoy the games (and the race). We'll be back with some results.

The People's Choice - Week 7

Bye weeks might have limited the choices, but they did not stop you, the Internet, from coming out to help us halt the People's Pigskin losing streak. Here are the players you chose for our fantasy football showdown against Palm Bay, Fl. BearDown85.
Quarterback: With Eli Manning off the proverbial table, you decided that Tony Romo should take the field again this week. He faces the St. Louis Rams in a late afternoon game. Let's hope he fares better against St. Louis than the Texas Rangers pitchers did Saturday night against Albert Pujols.
Running back: This poll had two winners to fill the two available slots. They are Ray Rice (who gets the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday night) and Michael Bush (who will help his new starting quarterback -- whoever he is -- deal with the Kansas City Chiefs in a late afternoon game).
Wide receiver: This poll resulted in a three-way tie. Since we have only two starting spots available at this position, we look at projections to break the deadlock. The two victorious receivers are Larry Fitzgerald (playing the Pittsburgh Steelers in the late afternoon) and the newly acquired Damian Williams (who plays the Houston Texans and, curiously, is the only Pigskin starter with an early afternoon game).
Flex: In our weekly meeting of third-place finishers we find Percy Harvin facing off against DeAngelo Williams. No need for projections this week. Harvin got more votes and thus will start for his late afternoon affair with the Green Bay Packers.
Tight end: Brandon Pettigrew served us fairly well the last two weeks, but you decided to hand the ball back to Jason Witten. He'll play the Rams in the late afternoon.
No changes at defense/special teams (the Pittsburgh Steelers, facing the Arizona Cardinals in the late afternoon) or kicker (the ageless John Kasay, who hosts the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night).
Thanks again for voting. We'll be back shortly with predictions for the People's League.