My Fantasy Football Draft Strategy...sort of

Ok, back to Fantasy Football. I pick 1.12, 2.1, 3.12, 4.11 and 5.2. My keepers in the top 5 rounds are Moss at 1.12 and either Hasselbeck at 4.11 or Jimmy Smith at 5.2. If I decide to keep Smith, then I'll try to work to trade up in the 4th and down in the 5th...I haven't decided yet. I think I can get Hasselbeck in the 4th anyway, or another qualified QB of comparable value. 

So, the question really is, who do I take at 2.1 and 3.12? Other keepers who will likely not be available to me are Kevin Barlow, Domanick Davis, Rudi Johnson and Stephen Davis. Oh yeah, and I have Brian Westbrook as a 9th round keeper, which is great value as he'll make an excellent #2 RB. So, do take Fred Taylor, Travis Henry, Tiki Barber or Corey Dillon? Or should I consider taking another top WR (like Harrison if available, or Hines, or TO -- nahh, I don't think I could stand TO on my team)?

Thoughts?

Fantasy football has begun, and I am psyched. More soon... 

Malone (and thus the Lakers) got old fast

I almost forgot to post about the Detroit-Lakers Championship Series. There's been enough said about the buzz saw that the Lakers ran into with Detroit (and congrats to the team and their fans, by the way -- they outplayed the lakers in every respect), but it seems to me that the series would have been very different if Karl Malone was A) not injured; and B) not 40 years old, which is most definitely the major contributor to injury.

Malone is in great shape, especially for a 40 year old, however having recently turned 40 myself, and not playing 260 pound players (or rarely at least), I can't even begin to imagine the recovery time it takes for him to "feel good" again after a game. I play 1.5 to 2 hours a day usually 4 days a week, and I can barely move most mornings. It used to be that I could play all day and be ready to play again the next day, almost every day. But no mo'. At 40, bones, cartlidge, ligaments, etc. just aren't as flexible as they were at 20 or even 30 years old.

Maybe I need to take up Yoga.

Lake Tahoe Pictures

Lake Tahoe is one of my favorite places to spend Summer and Winter. These views are from our condo. Can't wait to get back up there next week. 


Winter view. 

Best Thing That Happened Yesterday

Dinner and a funny TV show with the family.

Funky Prince

You want funk? Check out the latest from Prince, titled "Musicology". Tell me what you think...I can't get enough of it.

Blogs on Basketball

It's funny (to me anyway) that my posts are tending to be basketball focused, which really isn't my intent. It's just taking me some time to get adjusted to the whole Blog thing.

I really do like basketball (in case you could not tell), but I'm also a big fan of music, technology, and a number of other sports. I figure that I'll soon get used to posting more frequently and will turn my attention to many of these other items. But not this instant.

My favorite NBA team was the 1975-76 Phoenix Suns who, on a 42-40 regular season record, made it to the NBA finals against the Boston Celtics. The team included Paul Westphal, Ricky Sobers, Curtis Perry, rookie Alvan Adams, Garfield Heard, Dick Van Arsdale, and others. I remember watching Game 5 with my mom (who was, and still is a huge Suns fan!), and I could not sit down. It was definitely one of the most exciting games in history of the NBA...yes, including this recent Lakers-Spurs game (though that too was pretty damn exciting).

The NBA used to be fun to watch all the time...now it's only fun every now and then. I can't wait for football season.

The Los Angeles Lakers

It never ceases to amaze me how this team seems to be able to turn it on whenever they need to do so. I guess when you have that much talent on a single team, players may wind up waiting for somebody else on the team to take over. Then, if nobody is stepping up, 2 or more of the players start getting more assertive, and look out.

I'm not a Lakers fan. At this point I'm hardly an NBA fan, with all the horrible shooting and lack of team work. But, I do know a good team when I see it, and this team is just too tough to beat. Detroit (Eastern Conference champ predicted in 7 in another post) will be a physical matchup with the Lakers, and will definitely challenge. My prediction to follow.

New York Sunset Reflection

New York is a great place to celebrate your 40th birthday, or any birthday from 21 on up. There are a lot of restaurants in New York...and a lot of bars.