In
This Issue:
Current
Standings
Road, Sweet Road
For
those of you who are new to our little FBH community, the "Default"
for your picks is the Home Teams. Meaning, if you forget to make
picks, or are unable to make picks in any week, you are given the
"default" picks. You can choose your own Default
if you like. You can make your default the Visiting Teams, or the
Favorites or Underdogs. Most people just opt for the Home Teams.
Some years, this strategy can take you far toward the top of the
standings. Some years, it can sink you to the bottom. If Week 1
of the NFL season is any indication, assuming the Home Teams this
year might not be such a good idea. You see, the Home Teams went
4-12 last Sunday. Ouch! Many of you took that Home Team default
and you find yourselves a full 8 games out of first place. Not
a good way to start the season. Hurt most by the Home Team
demise was FBH Cadet Lupita "I won't forget
to make picks again" Arzola. Lupita is one of several
new Business Access associates to join FBH this year. She's
a full-fledged Cowboys and Notre Dame fan and knows more
about football than it might seem. She's also expecting her first
child by season's end. Lupita consciously took Miami on Thursday
night, and Dallas on Sunday, both losers. After that, she got stuck
with the Home Teams, making her record 2-14 for the week. Double
ouch! I have faith in her tho, and she'll be trying to make that
poor week 1 record a distant memory.
Zack "I'm better than
Dad" LeDuc made
everyone over the age of 12 look foolish with his amazing 12-4 record
in what is usually the most difficult week to make picks. Also debuting
in the Top 5 is young Jayden "I'm better than
Mom and Dad" Howell,
daughter of James and Kelly. It seems the adults in this league
could learn something from the younger set.
Another new-comer this season
is Madden Football. Huh? That's right, a video game
has joined FBH. I have created a Season in Madden NFL 2007 on the
Xbox and each week I will let it simulate every game for that week.
I'll take the final scores it spits out and applying the point spread
to the outcome will be what Madden Football's picks will be. In Week
1 it went 10-6. Not too bad. It'll be interesting to see how it performs
against the rest of us humans (and one cat).
Until next week, good luck everyone!
Vegas, Baby
Not
Everything Stays in Vegas
I got home yesterday and still the adrenaline
buzz has not worn off. In case you were wondering, Las Vegas, Nevada
is still a happening and groovy place, even if you’re in the
middle of 1,500 fantasy football geeks at World Championship of Fantasy
Football V.
Ken “Love Cat” Davis redefined the term “Fear
and Loathing in Las Vegas” by kicking some serious roto-booty
in the WCOFF league 42 draft. He bobbed when they were thinking “weave” and
vice versa in dominating a draft spiked with some good players including
two supposed “experts” touting their own web site. (Hey,
Ralph and I have our own web site.) Ken “represented” for
FBH’ers everywhere. I was merely the Sancho Panza in this modern-day “Man
of LaMancha” story but I highlighted those cheatsheets with
pride and provided the plucky comic relief.
I had, for me, two other
unique experiences on this trip. First, cocktails in the Voodoo lounge
on the roof of The Rio Hotel (standing on top of Las Vegas makes
one feel very boss indeed and is highly recommended). Second, I actually
came home with some of the casino’s
money, thanks in large part to the Rutgers and Jets football squads.
We
had a run of good mojo at the right time and it carried over to our
week one picks: 11-5 for Ken and 10-6 for your ever-loving Commish.
I want to publicly thank Ken for including me in the fun; it really
was a trip to remember.
UVA,
Aika, Zaurie and Dane
College Football Finds a New Fanbase
Last week, our good friend Dave
"Dane" Schwade attended his first
University of Virginia football game with his lovely wife Zaurie
(pronounced "Zow-dia") and his equally lovely step-daughter
Aika. Zaurie and Aika were born and raised in Kazakhstan and
had never seen American Football played in person. Dave was born
and raised in New Jersey and might never not have attended many
NFL games. He filed this report...
Aika and Zaurie
are big, big UVA football fans! We went to
the game this past Saturday, and it was a lot of fun. Many
of the gals and guys at UVA attend the games in dresses or
shirt and tie (one guy wore an orange hula skirt, which must have
been made on Project Runway). Coach Groh doesn't have to
worry about the students piling onto the field and tearing down
the goalposts in a riot; they wouldn't risk messing up their
attire. It
appears that the best "seating" may be on the grass, underneath
the scoreboard (attached photos were taken from this vantage). At
least that's where the fun seating is.
If you have the opportunity
to attend a game, the stadium is very nice, but bring a pad for
your seat and hope for the shady side of the stands. Or,
go sit with the students on the grass.
UVA 13
Wyoming 12
Here are the "attached photos"
Guest
Column
If
You Can't Beat 'Em, Stab 'Em
(A
true story, inspired by Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan)
Here at FBH, we have one simple rule. Only
2 Schwades are allowed to participate at a time. If we let more than
two in, all hell would break loose. This leaves older (wiser?) brother
John Schwade to be simply a fan and avid reader
of this (semi)weekly newsletter. And since Tom Schwade didn't
send us anything for this week's issue, we can allow John to throw
in this little tidbit...
Football fans,
Well, here's something you don't hear every
day: the 2nd-string punter for the University of Northern Colorado
football team stabbed the 1st-string punter in his kicking leg.
That's the
new American competitive spirit in athletics!
Perhaps this signals the beginning of the end
of the steroid era of American sports. After all, who needs performance-enhancing
drugs when you can defeat your competitor by simply stabbing him?
The Media Guide includes this gem:
Special Teams:
Next to quarterback, the area for Northern Colorado that will have
the most competition in fall practice will be kickers and punters.
Most pre-season predictions aren't worth a
darn, but this one was right on the mark. That is, unless the backup
quarterback shoots the starting quarterback.
Comments
You Said It, We Print It
Here's what people had to say as they
made their first picks of the new season...
Paul Kessler: How come
I don't see the Wallabies/All Blacks game posted???? What about
Arsenal/Tottenham? And
most importantly how about Indonesia/China badminton?
Bob Marin: Roy, Good
lord son what are you smoking, the Jets best hope is a first round
draft pick next year. They have already made tee time reservations
at the end of what should prove to be a verrrrry long season. As
a New York fan I would love to see them play well,,,,But
Mikey Joyce: After faltering on my pickin's
last year, I hope to make a better effort this year. We live
in Chicago now and I am at a law firm. I hope stability has
set in . . . but you never know.
Roy Bunting: And away we go!!!
Jeff Vanek: I'll be more interested
in those amazing Detroit Tigers, they have a 4 game series against
the Twinkies. TIGERS-METS, TIGERS-Mets, Tigers in the world
series.
Dave Schwade: [While picking Miami] Ahhhh ... when it's a plus one
spread, might as well go with your team. I might never not
have done that before.
Pete Blasevick: There are several wonderful
things about the onset of football season. I just can't think of
any right now...
forgot to pick thursday's game, but I LOVE the default home
team pick!!!
Bob Shupp: Ellen says
the Giants are going to win since I see-sawed, and went with Peyton.
GO Jets! [She was wrong]
Dave Schwade [again]:
Go Wahoos!!! Yeah
... Big UVA fans now! Screw the NFL; I'm all about college
football. (Of course, that will probably be the only UVA game
I ever attend, but what the heck.)
Happy you folks at the LBFBHHQ are back.
Angelo Forgione: Hope all is well at FBH headquarters!
Good Luck to everyone and welcome back!
P
on the PP
Ready for some Football ?
Yes folks,
the Poll on the Picks Page (or PPP for short) is back for another season.
You may also notice that the Bud Light ads are also back. Why? Well,
why not! We had a silent picks page last year and it was kind of boring.
So we brought the Bud Light ads back. Happy? Sad? Make your opinion
known when you submit your picks this week.
Last week we asked the simple
question asked a quarter of a million times thru the years prior
to Monday Night Football telecasts: Are you ready for some football??
27 people said, yes, they were
ready for some football.
3 people said, no, they were not ready for some football.
6 people responded that maybe they were, maybe they weren't ready
just yet. And from the looks of the standings after Week 1, many of
you weren't ready for some football, even tho you said you were.
Extra Points
The Fastest 3 Minutes in Football Happenings
The brave and valiant Rutgers Scarlet Knights have begun the season
with two victories after defeating coach John Bunting’s (a
distant relative?) North Carolina Tar (& Nicotine) Heels 21-16
at Chapel Hill and following it by taking care of business at home,
whitewashing Illinois by 33-0. Upstream Red Team!!!
[ The Mighty Jets are also on their way to a perfect
season record as they won “The Battle of the (former and current) Titans” last
Sunday 23-16. Let’s see how the undefeated record theory holds
up next week as Gang Green hosts New England.
[ I am just not used to seeing Herm Edwards in Chiefs
red. I hope he’s doing okay; he looked really tired in the post-game press
conference.
[ Here’s hoping that Chris Berman uses the nickname “Me
Joe Horn-y” during a Saints highlight this season.
[ Truth is stranger than fiction: Last month, Detroit
Lions defensive line coach Joe Cullen redefined the term “naked bootleg” when
he stopped at a Wendy’s drive-thru in the nude. Whether the
fast-food attendant asked Cullen if he “wanted fries with that
shake” or not was not confirmed by FBH correspondents.
[ Let’s hope it’s not an omen…the first football
signed by incoming NFL Commish Roger Goodell to be used in a regular
season game fell off the tee before being kicked off.
[ The Uniform Guru will have something to say about
this but those new referee outfits scream “change for the sake of change alone.” Those
new togs should be “overturned after further review.”
[ How ironic – the much-hyped ESPN Monday Night Football crew
were outperformed by their understudies working the later game. Dick
Vermeil and Ron “Jaws” Jaworski meshed well and sounded
polished (of course, Jaws was “Polish-ed” some years
ago). They were much easier to listen to and more entertaining than
their whining counterparts.
[ Get well wishes to Dad who is fighting off an
allergic reaction to his glaucoma medicine. (He’s doing well.) If you have any “alternative” home
remedies you can share, just send them along care of the love-beaded
FBH Headquarters for
“quality assurance” testing.
[ Kim’s Dad (Dick
Vanek) was also in the news
this past week, celebrating a happy 73rd birthday. Hats off to you,
big guy!
[ I’m
excited to have so many FBH competitors entering this season. We’ve
rededicated ourselves to giving you much to look forward to in the
coming months. Thanks for taking part.
