Month: December 2006

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Playoffs Round 1 1/2)

by Deck

Only one more week to go… The Springfield Bullhawks (#1 seed) have taken a narrow early 104-99 lead over the Houston Inferno (#3 seed). LaDainian Tomlinson had an off week (only 14 points) for the ‘Hawks, but Steven Jackson picked up the slack with a 39 point performance. Will the Inferno come back with one more big week, or will LT lead the ‘Hawks to a league championship?

My Spooky Boogeymen (#4 seed) are leading the P’burg PrairiePride (#2 seed) by a score of 101-72. Both teams left big time points on the bench this week… 65 for me and 87 for the ‘Pride.

The Kentucky Mad Max (#7 seed) took a 78-67 lead this week over the Shelbyville Outkasts (#5 seed). Ladell Betts’ 26 point performance made the difference for the Max despite five double-digit scorers on the Outkasts.

Peoria OrangeCrush (#9 seed) had a big week and built a nearly unsurmountable lead over the Batavia Bulldogs (#6 seed) with a 132-51 score. I have a feeling the ‘Dogs got distracted by the holidays and neglected to update their lineup, with two players listed as “Out” and four total zeros.

The Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (#8 seed) took a narrow lead over the Foreign Bodies (#10 seed) with a 67-62 score. Although the Bodies left 53 points on the bench, they only need to deal with a five-point deficit next week.

Good luck to everyone next week… Especially Jeff! ;-)

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Playoffs Round 1)

by Deck

The Springfield Bullhawks (#1 seed) defeated my Spooky Boogeymen (#4 seed) by a final score of 205-158. LaDainian Tomlinson lead the ‘Hawks to a 98-92 win in this week’s game, which was the second half of Round 1 in the Champions bracket.

The Houston Inferno (#3 seed) beat the P’burg PrairiePride (#2 seed) with a total 187-147 score. The Inferno won the second half game 84-69. The Inferno will meet the Bullhawks starting next week to decide the 2006 Red Zone Fantasy Football League Championship.

The Shelbyville Outkasts (#5 seed) defeated the Batavia Bulldogs (#6 seed) 202-177 total. The ‘Dogs actually won the second half this week 86-81, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the Outkasts large first-half lead.

The Kentucky Mad Max (#7 seed) won 179-140 over the Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (#8 seed). The Max got a big game from Michael Vick in an 85-48 second half win this week, while the ‘Puffs only managed one scorer in double-digits.

The Peoria OrangeCrush (#9 seed) climbed out of the cellar with a convincing 192-127 victory over the Foreign Bodies (#10 seed). The ‘Crush got a big game out of Peyton Manning winning this week 96-61.

So, in two short weeks the FFL crown will be awarded. Here are the final round match-ups…

Championship Game
#1 Springfield Bullhawks vs. #3 Houston Inferno

Everybody Else
#2 P’burg PrairiePride vs. #4 Spooky Boogeyman
#5 Shelbyville Outkasts vs. #7 Kentucky Mad Max
#6 Batavia Bulldogs vs. #9 Peoria OrangeCrush
#8 PowerPuff Girls vs. #10 Foreign Bodies


Good luck everybody!

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Playoffs Round 1/2)

by Deck

This week was the first half of the Red Zone playoff round 1. The Springfield Bullhawks (#1 seed) took an early 107-66 lead over my Sucky, uh, Spooky Boogeymen (#4 seed). The running backs scored big for the ‘Hawks as LaDainian Tomlinson and former Boogeyman Steven Jackson earned 29 and 25 points respectively. Yeah, that was a good trade. :|

In the other half of the Champions Bracket, the Houston Inferno (#3 seed) are on top of the P’burg PrairiePride (#2 seed) with a 103-77 score. The Inferno got double-digit scoring from six of their players.

The Shelbyville Outkasts (#5 seed) are ahead of the Batavia Bulldogs (#6 seed) 121-91. Drew Brees had a record-setting week for the Outkasts with a 50 point score. Theoretically speaking, if there were money awarded to the team with the leading single game scorer, I’d say that the Outkasts would be in good shape. So far, anyway… ;-)

In the only close game this week, the Kentucky Mad Max (#7 seed) hold a slight two-point lead over the Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (#8 seed) with a 94-92 score. Even the bench scoring was close so far in this game with a 55-51 edge to the ‘Puffs.

And finally, in the effort to avoid the league cellar, the Peoria OrangeCrush (#9 seed) hold the lead over the Foreign Bodies (#10 seed) 96-66. Rookie running back Maurice Jones-Drew lead the way with 38 points for the ‘Crush.

p.s. Sorry for the late post… Busy week. :-P

Posted inMusic

Concert Vault – Where Live Music Lives

by Deck

Concert VaultIf you are a fan of classic live music, you owe it to yourself to check out the Concert Vault site, which bills itself as “the world’s greatest collection of vintage concert recordings.”

As I type this, I am listening to a streaming audio feed of Bruce Springsteen’s concert at the Winterland in San Francisco on December 15, 1978. And there are literally hundreds of other live shows available on the site ranging from .38 Special to Neil Young, with more recordings added every week. How cool is that?!?

Where does it all come from? In 2003, the Wolfgang’s Vault vintage music and memorabilia site acquired master recordings from the archives of Bill Graham Presents. Bill Graham launched the rock and roll concert industry in the mid-1960s. From then until his sudden death in a 1991 helicopter crash, he promoted more than 35,000 concerts worldwide at venues including the Fillmore West and Winterland in San Francisco and the legendary Fillmore East in New York City. Graham’s first venue, the ground-breaking Fillmore Auditorium, was home to many of rock’s greatest performers; Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, The Grateful Dead, Otis Redding and Jefferson Airplane.

Graham recorded thousands of these live performances and stored the tapes in the basement of the BGP headquarters. No one is quite sure what he intended to do with these recordings, but now they (and additional collections as well) are available for our listening pleasure. Free!

Now if you will excuse me, I want to listen to a couple more songs before I head off to bed. BRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCE!!!!!!!!!

Posted inGames / Sports

Red Zone Wrap-Up (Week 13)

by Deck

Red ZoneThe Springfield Bullhawks (10-3) managed to steal the Norris Division title from the Houston Inferno (10-3) with a 112-52 win. The Inferno only had one player in double-digits this week. I assume the Inferno players just decided to coast the week before the FFL playoffs start. The ‘Hawks enter the playoffs next week as the #1 seed, while the Inferno have to settle for #3.

The P’burg PrairiePride (7-6) wrapped up the Long Division title with a 80-68 victory over the Peoria OrangeCrush (4-9). Reggie Bush had the first monster game of his career with a 41 point performance. Unfortunately, Reggie sat the ‘Crush bench this week. The ‘Pride go into next week’s playoffs as the #2 seed.

My Spooky Boogeymen (7-6) decided to wake up just in time for an important win over the Kentucky Mad Max (5-8). Marvin Harrison and Tony Gonzalez came up with big performances for the Boogeymen. With the win (and a loss by the Outkasts), the Boogeymen have somehow managed to qualify for the playoffs as the #4 seed.

The Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (7-6) knocked the Shelbyville Outkasts (7-6) out of the playoffs with a 95-70 defeat. The PowerPuffs got even scoring throughout their lineup, with the Steelers Defense leading the way with 20 points. The Outkasts held their fate in their hands, as a victory this week would have put them into the playoffs. With the loss, the Outkasts end up with the same record as my Spooky Boogeymen. However, a 3-point win in week 6 gives the Boogeymen the head-to-head edge and a pass into the playoffs. Sorry Jack! ;-)

The Batavia Bulldogs (6-7) defeated the Foreign Bodies (4-9) by a score of 66-48. The Bodies could have used some of the 46 points that were left on the bench this week. However if that were legal, the Bulldogs could have fought back with 81 bench points of their own.

Here are the final regular season standings…

NORRIS DIVISION
Springfield Bullhawks (10-3)
Houston Inferno (10-3)
Spooky Boogeymen (7-6)
Shelbyville Outkasts (7-6)
Batavia Bulldogs (6-7)		 LONG DIVISION
P’burg PrairiePride (7-6)
Kentucky Mad Max (5-8)
Petersburg PowerPuff Girls (5-8)
Peoria OrangeCrush (4-9)
Foreign Bodies (4-9)


As I might have mentioned once or twice above, the playoffs start next week. Unlike the regular season, each playoff game is two weeks long and there are two playoff games (for a total of four weeks). Here are the brackets…

Winner’s Bracket
#1 Springfield Bullhawks vs. #4 Spooky Boogeyman
#2 P’burg PrairiePride vs. #3 Houston Inferno

Consolation Ladder
#5 Shelbyville Outkasts vs. #6 Batavia Bulldogs
#7 Kentucky Mad Max vs. #8 PowerPuff Girls
#9 Peoria OrangeCrush vs. #10 Foreign Bodies


Good luck!

Posted inRant n' Rave / Sports / WTF?

BCS = Better Change Soon

by Deck

BCSI am definitely not a Michigan fan. In fact, every time I hear that damn Michigan fight song (too often unfortunately when they play the Illini), I can’t help but think of the alternate, highly unflattering version one of my roommates taught me back in college. But that doesn’t change the fact that Michigan was one of the best teams in college football this season. In fact, I believe they were the second best team in the country and deserve a rematch with undefeated #1 arch-rival Ohio State. Instead, the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) will feature OSU and Florida in the Tostitos BCS Championship Game on January 8th.

Personally, I think Michigan got robbed, but that’s not exactly what this entry is about… What I am ranting about is the BCS itself. Why is Division I-A college football the only organized sport I know of that absolutely refuses to adopt a playoff structure to decide the season championship? The answer, of course, is money.

The existing Bowl games and their inevitable sponsors have lots of dough invested in keeping the games where they are. To get an idea of how out of hand the current bowl system has gotten, take a look at this list of scheduled bowl games. C’mon, the “San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl”? All due respect to the fine folks who work at the San Diego County Credit Union, but that has to be the most ridiculous excuse for a Bowl game that I’ve ever heard.

What I don’t understand is why the NCAA is so resistant to a college football playoff. Think “March Madness” at Christmastime. It would be huge. It would definitively answer the question of who is the best football team in the country every season. It would still be possible to have a number of Bowl games featuring teams that didn’t make it into the playoffs. And at this point, I think it’s just a matter of time before popular demand for a playoff system forces the NCAA to rethink the outdated and overcommercialized Bowl games. Can’t wait!

BTW, I’m rooting for both Ohio State and Michigan to win each of their games by embarrassing margins. :-)