In
This Issue:
Current
Standings
She's Back In The Saddle Again
Unfortunately
for Dave "Back Where I Belong" Schwade,
Week 4 was NOT "Reverse-Picks Week" here at FBH. While Dave's streak
of double-digit victories was snapped, his streak of double-digit
wins and/or losses remained intact. With a league worst record
of 4-10 last week, Dave fell far from the top spot and landed in
a tie for 8th place. Was First Place just an apparition for Dave?
Can he climb his way back to the top spot? Nope.
Replacing The Dane at the
top of the heap is former first place holder Jennifer
"BA's own" Pickert, riding a 10-4 week 4 back
into the lead. Right behind her is Sonya "BA's own" Morgan who
has an uncanny knack for knowing when to take the default Home
Teams. A very close 3rd place is held by Roy
"BA's own" Bunting who is only 2
games out of first and will one day actually be in first place
(maybe). While rounding out the Top 5 and tied for 4th are Ralph
"BA's own" Shupp,
Jayden "Daughter of BA" Howell, Jeff
"Brother of BA" Vanek, and
Will "No affiliation with BA" Wong.
Last week's leading FBH'er with
an impressive 11-3 record was Wouter van "Halen"
Zutphen. And the
league minimum by Dave was matched by James
"BA's own" Howell and
his 4-10. James kept up the Howell streak of mediocrity after Kelly
"BA's own" Howell turned in a league worst 3-11
in week 3. (I forgot to mention you last week, Kelly, and for that
I apologize. Keep doing poorly and I'll make sure the rest of the
world knows about it.)
After finding the cellar door
and poking his head out for a week, it seems Yogi
"Groundhog" Yeager saw his shadow and
now faces 6 more weeks in the FBH basement. Luckily for him, he's
not alone for at least this week as Kelly has decided
to join him down there. You two should have some more company soon
as 6 other people are only one win ahead of you. It seems the races
for both ends of the FBH standings will be hotly contested this year.
And finally, I managed to get
thru an entire current standings article without mentioning Lupita.
Oops. Damn it. I mentioned her. So close! Maybe next week.
Until then....!
Positivity Breathing On Me
Roy
Enjoys A Threesome
It
has been a rare confluence for me lately. Rutgers is winning. The
Mets have one of their best teams ever. The Jets, panned by the pundits
in pre-season, are playing with guts and determination…
But isn’t it ironic that at the times
when the light in our lives is strongest that darkness does its
level best to knock us off kilter? While hearts should be full
of excitement about opportunities to come, anticipation of positive
outcomes finds itself fending off the interloping worries of possible
(or impending) failure.
Sports are exciting by nature; it’s one
of the primary reasons they attract us either as players or spectators.
Mets and Jets fans, really sports fans in general, have plenty
of opportunity to feel the range of their emotions both in breadth
and depth.
When the excitement gets turned up and the
adrenaline gets pumping, many people take that natural physical
cue to mean something is seriously wrong…when, really, the
body is just gearing up for what’s
happening around us. Tricked by a wave of sensation, the brain begins
frantically searching for answers, often resting on illogical or
irrational conclusions. When the intensity becomes too great, humans
can lose their poise and the emotional floodgates swing wide. All
that stuff we usually keep pent up deep down inside come spewing
forth. And what can come out is sometimes not very charming.
Don’t be fooled my darlings…it’s
not that complicated. The world is not ending; you’re just
having fun.
Another human trait is to be influenced
by those around you. But you can’t expect everyone else in
a Shea Stadium crowd to be an evolved person like yourself. Why take
on someone else’s
inner demons? Sure we’ve got a common experience and a comradeship
as Met fans, but don’t get sucked in to their personal pity
party. We’ve got men on base and a rally to snuff out! You
can maintain your own deal and stay positive in the face of overwhelming
circumstance. And, no, it doesn’t make you less of a fan in
some way. Actually, it makes you more of one.
Studies have consistently proved that positive
self-talk results in more successful outcomes. As Casey Stengel
would say, “It’s
a fact, you could look it up.” If you’re putting good
vibes out there, you’re making the world around you resonate
in the direction you want it to go. If you’re thinking The
Mets are going to win the game, you’re tipping the scales for
the good guys.
At the very least, staying positive makes
the experience more fun along the way. Why torture yourself living
out worst-case scenarios? Treat yourself by basking in your wildest
dreams! Focus on channeling all that positive energy into helping
your team at the present moment. The experience is not about not
about past or future failures or successes. The thrill of the game
is being connected to its energy – being
alive
No
Money In FBH ?
A Prizeless League Is Not Such A Bad Thing
Last
season we decided to take the money out of FBH and do it all just
for fun. There were several reasons for this, not the least of which
was how difficult it became to keep track of who had paid and who
was owed prize money. Those of you who won major prizes in the last
few years know how long it took to receive your prizes. Those of
us who run this league have a history of "falling asleep at the wheel"
when the season comes to a close. And let's face it, most of us never
won any money anyway.
I've heard both sides of the "money"
argument from various members. Some like the league more without
money, while others miss the cash incentive. Still, we have a great
turnout every season, with or without cash prizes, because it's really
just for fun and bragging rights anyway. We're working on an actual
"surprise prize" this season that we think may mean more
than just money. You can get money anywhere. What we have in mind
is a totally original, one-of-a-kind item. Stay tuned.
Meanwhile, we got this offering
last week from Paul Kessler:
When
I was playing golf with some local Chinese business associates
here in Hong Kong, I went out and hit a embarrassing 55 on
the front - screwing around, going for impossible shots, hitting
flop shots for 5 yard hits... you know, just not taking it
serious... the people I had played with were high handicaps
and we felt like it didn't make sense to put money on the game
with such a large disparity in players...
After 9, I said... "How bout this guys... $1HK (15 cents US)
a hole and I'll give all of you two strokes each a hole" We
all agreed.
I went out at shot a 37 on the back.
My point is that I was missing the ooomph factor... the
proverbial promise of gold at the end of the rainbow... I could
use another euphemism, but I don't know how PC FBH is nowadays.
I think the game needs a prize.... Just my 2 cents.
I understand your point, Paul.
But to quote our friend Roy, "If you want to
make some money in this league, wager with Yogi".
Braun-Eeyore Stomp
Closer To
"Lead Foot" Than Led Zeppelin
Judging
solely from Sunday’s apologetic and contrite post-game
comments from Titans DT Alfred Haynesworth, one was left feeling
these were not the words of a “dirty” player; just a
man who had simply, inexplicably lost his cool for a split second
in the heat of battle. The bloody evidence of the well-publicized “Tennessee
Two-Step” he performed by on the face of Cowboy C Andre Gurode
was apparently to be chalked up as an aberration.
But days later, the plot thickens…
A former teammate has emerged with a similar
story of Haynesworth kicking him during practice. Seems Alfred
had a reputation in camp of having a problem handling getting “beaten” on
a play. Sadly, this proves to be the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
A look into the past uncovers no less than a half-dozen prior incidences
of Alfred “losing his cool” and acting out in an aggressive
and physical manner. Most egregious among the churlish resume? A “road
rage” incident in which he tried to run another car off the
road.
So Alfred is not only an ass, but a scoundrel
who lied about his true nature in an attempt to evade prosecution
and curry sympathy. In the words of Daffy Duck, “You’re
Des-PIC-able!”
Earlier this week, the NFL meted out
a five-game suspension to the troubled Haynesworth for the extremely
unsportsmanlike conduct that resulted in thirty stitches for Gurode,
who is still waiting for his vision to return to normal. To me,
this is treating the symptom, not the disease. Clearly, Haynesworth
needs treatment for anger management issues and should be medically
cleared by a psychiatrist before resuming the privilege of being
called a “professional” athlete.
If that takes five weeks, so be it, but he doesn’t belong on
a field before he can show respect to his fellow players.
Guest
Column
Praise For Last Week's Issue
The Guest Column this week is
an email Bob Shupp sent to me and Roy after reading
last week's issue of FBH. Entertain and educate. That's our goal
here at the FBH-HQ...
Congratulations and thank you
for a great issue. The spleen thing was too much. I hope that Phil
Simms looks up spleen on Google, and it directs him to this week’s
issue. He’ll get to see
the medical charts of his son. If he has a sense of humor (though
really, who could expect him to) maybe he’ll sign up and
make picks.
Also, I learned a thing or two about the
AAFL. Thanks for that. I agree that for the Browns to honor a 60
year anniversary is kind of weird under the circumstances. I guess
they figure that was three less seasons of finishing last, so who’d
notice. I guess the three seasons without a team was to them, just “rest
time”.
I hope the FBH readers enjoy what Ralphie and I used to giggle
about all the time in the old days – that the Browns are
the only logo-less team, sporting only a colored helmet, but the
color is the wrong color. That’s something that you would
have expected by now, one of the dolts on TV would think to mention.
Perhaps it’ll
occur to one of them in 2018. If Chris Berman finally does, we’ll
know that he’s a closet FBH reader – as well he should
be!
Keep up the wonderful work. It is appreciated.
Bob
P
on the PP
T.O. - O.D.?
One
night last week, as I was getting ready for bed, I saw a breaking
news flash that Terrell Owens had been taken to Baylor Hospital here
in Dallas. Witnesses claimed he was on a gurney with tubes in his
nose. I wondered what had happened, but didn't care too much, and
slept peacefully. I awoke the next morning to reports that Owens
had tried to off himself by overdosing on pain pills. I didn't believe
it for an instant. Overdose, sure. Purposely, no way. The guy may
be a jerk and a horrible teammate, but there's no way he'd try to
kill himself during the football season. And with a game against
the Eagles in Philly coming
up the next week, he's got more than 25 million reasons to live.
His ego would not allow him to miss that game. If he has a bad game
in Philly, and THEN tires to kill himself, that I'll believe. I saw
the whole thing as the media trying to hype up a non-story. If you
dislike T.O. (and who doesn't?) then you'd really want to think that
it was a suicide attempt. A desperate act by an overblown, over-hyped,
athlete. So what if it was an accident? Don't let the facts ruin
a good story.
So what did the FBH community think
when they first heard the news? Did you believe it, or not? Here's
the results:
19 people said that No, they did
not believe it.
15 people said, Yes, they did believe it.
4 people plead ignorance
and said, "T.O. did what?"
Bill Sullivan had
my favorite quote of the day when he said, "It's days like
this that make me glad I'm not a Sportswriter anymore".
I hear ya Bill. Can you imagine the media circus that occurred here
in Big D for those couple of days?
Here's what other FBH'ers had
to say about the TO ordeal...
Wouter van Zutphen: I had him
last year in my fantasy so I was hoping that he finally did, but
someone had to ruin the party and call 911 ;-)
Mike Carothers (Eagles
fan): TO was scared that Big Brian Dawkins is going to kick his ASS
next week in Philly.
Jeff Vanek: Somebody
should of put the whole bottle of pain killers in his mouth and stuffed
a sock in it too!!! Has he caught one pass this season. Get
rid of the loser!!!!
Dave Schwade:
After 48 hours of continuous mainstream media coverage how could
anyone not believe that Terrell Owens had attempted suicide after
offing Jon Bonet and fleeing to Indonesia with the Lindberg baby,
$2 million dollars in Brinks money, a 400-pound cat, and an 800-pound
catfish caught in the sewers of New York. The media just would
not make this stuff up.
Angelo Forgione:
T.O. who?
Kelly Howell:
What about a choice of "who
gives a F%CK" That would be my P on the PP choice.
Extra Points
The Fastest 3 Minutes in Football Happenings
Rutgers
won their first Big East conference game last weekend vs. South Florida,
thereby improving their season record to 5-0 and remaining in the
major top-25 polls. RU has a bye this week before meeting 4-1 Navy.
More on the build-up in the next FBH.
[ The
super slo-motion replays on ESPN’s baseball coverage are friggin’ artistry!
[ In
the wake of last Sunday’s 31-28 Colts over Jets result, much
has been written about Jets Coach Eric Mangini’s choice to
attempt a 4th and goal from the two-yard line rather than a field
goal. The attempt failed, and even the thickest sportswriters and
fans were able to “do the math” regarding Indy’s
three-point margin of victory. However, this is not an open-and-shut
case of cause and effect surrounding one play. The entire Jets game
plan was clearly to “take it to” the Colts. Eschewing
the FG was not merely a snap decision; it was emblematic of the character
of the coach and, by extension, team. With the low expectations many
placed on the Jets coming into 2006, seeing the team respond with
guts, professionalism, and confidence makes me proud to support these
guys.
[ Happy
Bird-day to Angelo! Fittingly, his birthday comes when thoughts are
already focused on Philadelphia with the big Eagles/Cowboys game
on the coming week’s schedule. Salute!
[ It
will be interesting to see how the, shall we say “creative”,
Philadelphia fans react to the return of their, shall we say “beloved”,
Terrell Owens. I’ve already heard rumblings of a plan to replace
the “T. O.” chant with “O. D.” or perhaps
Owens items being burned in effigy. Should be a blast.
[ Congratulations
to Jeff Burns whose Baroid’s Bail Bonds won this year’s
Yahoo fantasy baseball championship in The Banned Substances League.
The Cream, piloted by Ken and me, came in second, ending our run
of three consecutive titles. Dad’s Cranford Crackers held off
Bob’s Bacne for third place. Don’t forget, pitchers and
catchers report in February!
<<Whistle blows! Flag on the play! The Extra Point
will be attempted again>>
Your
mighty Scarlet Knights of Rutgers have made the front cover of
Sports Illustrated this week! Check it out...
Well, it's a start. Red Team Up Stream!
