NFL lockout officially over! Fantasy Football is back is business!

The longest lockout in NFL history is halted at 136 days after the NFLPA and it’s representatives voted 32-0 on the new CBA that was proposed by owners just a few days ago. Football is back! I’m even more excited than this kitten! Sure they still have to tweak it a bit, but transactions are now underway! Free agency. Trades. Rookie signings. The whole nine yards. Most importantly, for us fans, fantasy football is good to go. There are a multitude of top tier free agents available and we can only hope that our favorite teams sign them. We were all discussing with our friends how the transition to Fantasy Hockey when the NFL season was cancelled would frustrate us all (no hate for the hockey fans). Now, we don’t have to worry about it. It’s time to start prepping those cheat sheets and tracking those offseason injuries/surgeries.

For those who haven’t had a chance to check out my latest eBook, be sure you do for it is filled with information on not only how to play fantasy football, but how to win at it. Click here to purchase.

In the near future I will be posting links to mock drafts and rankings from both the top sports sites and myself. I’m also looking to fill a CBS Sports fantasy football league with my friends and fans. $99 to play. Simply comment to this post if interested.

Look at the bright side, we have 10 years before we have to go through this same shindig all over again

The network underlines a prejudice.

NFL lockout finally over?!?!?!

News came in today that the (greedy) owners have proposed and approved a new 200 paged CBA. Now we just need the players association to agree to it. However, if it is not fair to the players, I’m fine with missing out on the entirety of the preseason. So far we have already lost the entire first week of preseason games including the Hall of Fame game. I’m personally saddened about the HoF game because I had recently visited (and kicked a field goal on) the field. What I am hearing from ESPN and reading from NFL player tweets is that it doesn’t look like it was everything the players association needed to see. Thus, don’t get excited just yet.

Good News: Players can start coming to camp and Free Agency is now open immediately following the NFLPA acceptance of the new CBA (July 27th at 2pm to be exact). Time for my phins to sign one of the many intriguing QBs on the market. Carson Palmer and Kevin Kolb to name a few.

Bad News: The players association have until Tuesday to vote. Players are commenting that such an early end cap makes them feel rushed to a very serious situation.

Good News: The new proposed CBA is a 10 year contract. So if it DOES get accepted, we have 10 years before another annoying lockout offseason happens.

Bad News: Everyone seems way too excited about the news of today EXCEPT for the NFL players themselves. I just want 16 games (plus playoffs…hopefully) of Dolphins football.

Free Agency Scout Patrol for the win!

I’ve said before that anyone is expendable in Fantasy Baseball. Being able to figure out which players to add and which to drop is the main tool for winning your games and season. If you have a job where you are at your computer often or have no life and live in your parent’s cellar, then you MIGHT be able to handle daily pay-to-play fantasy baseball leagues (as opposed to weekly lineups). The intensity of it all is very stressful, so hopefully you are getting your money’s worth if you win. Most leagues have at least 4 teams who “know what they’re doing.” You have to be on your computer 7 days a week at the day’s specific roster-lock time to acquire new starting pitchers that start in the following 48 hours and drop those who started the day of (those who aren’t your studs you keep year round anyway). It’s tough stuff. If it were easy, they’d call it cheerleading

This week I did some intensive cleanup with my batting lineup. I dropped previously hot, big name players like Grady Sizemore (OF), Jeff Francoeur (OF), Logan Morrison (OF), and Kelly Johnson (2B). They are big names and scored well earlier, however they weren’t pulling their weight. I knew most of these players would be picked up by other teams within a week or so but I needed players who were scoring points NOW and not THEN. The players I had been tracking or “scouting” for a week or more and decided it was time to give them a spot on my roster were Danny Espinosa (2B), Michael Bourn (OF), Ty Wigginton (1B/2B/3B/OF), and J.J. Hardy (SS). Boy did it pay off BIG TIME! In the 3 days I started Wigginton he hit 3 HRs. Bourn racked up stolen bases like they were candy, and the others hit their share of HRs and RBIs as well. I’d also like to add that my 2nd batter drafted, Evan Longoria (3B) wents nuts this week and clocked in 45.5 points for me (thus earning the blog pic honors). I usually get excited when my batters score 20 in a week. He was injured most of the first two months and didn’t really do much since, but this week he started batting with no gloves and it looks like it will stay that way. I have one batter left currently playing and I have already locked down the highest point total for the week, surpassing the second highest point total by 130 points! My main problem all season has been my batting lineup not doing their job, thus relying on my constant adding/dropping of pitchers for wins. Now I can be less stressed if I keep scoring 547 points (CBS scoring) a week with my batters doing their part.

You should ALWAYS be scouting players, all players, everyone. When someone gets hot, ride it. When they get cold, drop them in a heartbeat. When you don’t win the championship you will look back at those who didn’t help you and wish you would’ve dropped them. Do yourself a favor, start hot players, win the moolah.

Dallas Mavericks win in 6 games. Binky for baby Bron-Bron.

The Dallas Mavericks gained over a million more fans by simply going into the Finals as soon as Heat and/or LeBron haters got news of the Heat advancing to the NBA Finals. I personally was never a fan of the Heat, but was never a Heat “hater”. However, the nonsense of the offseason with LeBron having a televised announcement of where he was “taking his talents to” was a nail in the coffin for me. News flash LeBron, Michael Jordan was never a douche AND he was on Space Jam…Space Jam. You want Jordan status and you act like a moron. You want to leave Cleveland? Sure, leave. Sign a new contract with another team in the offseason. Done deal. Don’t make a sideshow and have events just to give your big head more media attention. You do that with your playing (and by playing, I mean actually scoring points in the 4th quarter of NBA Finals games).

Props to the Dallas Mavericks on their first NBA title. They deserved it. They earned it. I was never a Mavs fan but I have always liked Dirk Nowitzki and his work ethic. The Mavs simply wanted ONE title while the “big 3″ talked about winning “6 or 7 or 8″. Greedy little boys. Maybe they’ll make it to the Finals again in “6 or 7 or 8″ years. When asked in a press conference immediately following game 6, LeBron was asked if he felt like he “choked”. Instead of answering with the obvious “yes” any REAL captain or leader of a team would answer in the same situation, he passed on the opportunity to blame himself (since he did the majority of the sucking) to Dwayne Wade sitting to his left. It’s frustrating when someone who acts so childish at times makes so much money and has so much skill. Maybe it’s poor parenting. Maybe it’s due to his early entrance into the NBA and lack of college life. Either way, it’s time to give baby Bron-Bron his binky.

Greatest Shortstop of All Time?

Who do you think the greatest shortstop of all time is? Derek Jeter who has the multitude of championships? Cal Ripken Jr. who has the consecutive starts record? Alex Rodriguez who is making his way atop the *tainted* home run record leader board? (yes he is a 3rd baseman for the Yankees now but prior to that he was an MVP at shortstop). If you think that neither of these three qualify for greatest ever at their position, then feel free to click that option while commenting who you think IS the greatest shortstop of all time. Personally, I’m hoping Hanley Ramirez gets his butt in gear and starts on the path towards being considered for such an honor (and by Hanley Ramirez, I mean any Florida Marlins player)

Scott’s Corner – Episode 2 – NBA Lockout?

Scott’s Corner is a new mini blog series where my esteemed colleague Scott asks an in depth question and all of my fans/subscribers/readers/people-who-accidentally-clicked-a -link-to-my-page have a chance to answer it in the comments section with their own personal response. You are allowed to reply to comments already posted, but please have a sportsmanlike approach to it.

Episode 2: The NBA seems to be headed in the same direction this coming off-season as the NFL already is this off-season. The NBA is heading towards a lockout and small market owners want revenue sharing amongst teams. How do you feel the NBA, it’s teams, and it’s owners should act to ensure that anything close to a lockout does not happen? Should they rid the league of one or two of its lesser teams that aren’t pulling their weight in performance and ticket sales while asking for a piece of the cake the top tier teams are bringing in? If so, what teams? You may also add any personal opinion you possess about the current state of the NFL lockout and the greedy owners it has. Discuss.

 

Also, make sure you check out my previous post as it contains a very interesting poll.

Relentless = Gold

How do you go a week in fantasy baseball allowing 80+ earned runs from your pitching staff and STILL go on to win? You must be relentless. I was down at the beginning of each day of the week and finally came back Sunday afternoon because I didn’t give up, I kept acquiring new pitchers hoping that at least a few of them will do what they get paid to do, get batters out. Luckily my two pitching studs started on Sunday and did their jobs, scoring a combined 60+ points (Kershaw & Verlander). This tip also applies to the season. Until you are mathematically eliminated from making the playoffs, do NOT lose hope. Keep trying, keep digging. Even after that unfortunate time comes, you still have to make your usual roster adjustments. You don’t ever want to be a “cupcake” match up since you don’t update your team and give  someone the “easy win.” This sucks for those competing against the victor of the easy win for a playoff spot. You play to win the game!

On the topic of Fantasy Football, I am going to create a league on Cbssports.com this year. It will be $99.99 per team granting $600 for first place. If any of my readers are interested in competing against me please let me know asap since spots are limited!

My eBook is doing really well and I am getting great feedback on it. Many readers who have never played a season of Fantasy Football are sending me messages saying how happy they are to know how to finally play and will definitely do so this season. Be sure to check it out here!

I’ve been on a hiatus recently. Just returned from spending a week in Ohio. I did get a chance to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was pretty neat. I even got a tour of Fawcett Stadium (where they play the NFL Hall of Fame game every year) and kicked a field goal and caught a touchdown pass in it. I have a few videos of my time at Fawcett Stadium and have this poll below to see which video you guys want me to post in my next post. First video to get 10 votes wins!