Love him or hate him, Rivers is quietly enjoying a pro bowl season if that’s somehow possible. Look for continued success against a Browns team that can’t get out of its own way.

Matt Shaub

Schaub had a great first half against the Colts last week, the coaches have reminded him there is another half after the first one for this weeks playoff elimination type matchup with the Jags.

Vince (gulp) Young

Never thought I would see his name in this column, but hey, isn’t life full of second chances, we just may have found the next Jim Plunkett. Look for Young to be effective against a young colts secondary.

Carson Palmer

The Bengals offense has been on holiday the last 3 weeks, look for Palmer to show some veteran leadership in lathering up the Lions this week.

Aaron Rodgers

When he gets time to throw, he can light you up ! That will be the question against the Ravens defense this Monday Night, having Chad Clifton and Mark Tausher healthy are key here.

RB’s

Chris Johnson

Move over Adrian Peterson, there’s a new kid in town ! The colts don’t know what they’re in for this sunday.

Adrian Peterson

“Hey, did you just tell me’s to move over ? Watch me tears it up gainst the Cardinals dis weekend !”

Larry Johnson

They’re working him in slowly, Cincinnati adding another character in the locker room makes them replace the Raiders as the kookiest team in the league.

Ricky Williams

Everyone knows the Dolphins are going to run the ball, yet, who can stop them, Pats showing you can lay the wood to them this year with their defense in tatters.

Maurice Jones Drew

Everytime Jags get whooped, they get this brilliant idea to run the ball more next game, well, good news, the Jags got whooped last week !

Felix Jones

This kid is a Chris Johnson clone, only problem is he can’t stay healthy, giants defense is a shell of itself since Spagnuolo Aiglie Olio…anyways since that italian guy left !

WR’s

Desean Jackson

This guy can flat out fly. Look for him to do some damage this weekend as McNabb is going to him more often.

Chad Ochcinco

Showing veteran leadership this year, let’s give Chad some credit as he was off everybody’s radar when the year started and he’s definately putting up good numbers this year.

Andre Johnson

It’s time for AJ to show up in a big game for Houston, if he likes his coach, we will see the results this Sunday.

Devery Henderson

Came out of the same draft class as Sheili Manning, finally delivering on the potential he’s always had, having Drew Brees doesn’t hurt either.

Kilometres Austin

Roy Williams does all the talking, Miles Austin does all the receiving ! Only problem here is that the QB known as Mr. November is throwing him the ball !

TE’s

Antonio Gates

Mr. Gates is from Michigan, close enough that I’m sure he’ll put on a fine show for family and friends

Tony Gonzales

The Eagles are vulnerable against the tight ends, Atlanta has one of the best ones in the league.

Dallas Clarke

The guy is just too good not to mention , he and Peyton do the Vulcan mind meld once a week (we have any trekkies out there ?)

Visante Shiancoe

Brett Farve was embarrassed to throw to a guy who’s name he couldn’t pronounce , I just learned last week he can call him Shank, so know he can  throw the ball to him because they have a  new friendship to build on .

“The Yankees reducing payroll?  That’s kind of like putting a pig on a diet.”

“How will they survive on only 185 MILLION DOLLARS ???”

“Every year the Yankees say they will cut payroll, and then they realize that Matt Holliday is on the market and only wants 20 mil a year from them, and then “HEY! welcome to the Yankees!” and then they think, “what the heck… why not get John Lackey while we’re at it?”

“Anyone who believes this, please contact me; I have some swampland in Florida you’ll be interested in. I’ll even throw in a bridge or two.”

“The Yankees have a budget? When did this start?”

“Just add a zero to last years “budget” – should work.”

Behind the Mask

Here are some notes of interest for fantasy goaltending heading into the weekend:

The sound you probably didn’t hear last month was Tim Floyd waving goodbye to College Basketball. By accepting a job on the bench of the New Orleans Hornets, Floyd made it clear that he was done with college basketball, at least for now. Things unraveled very quickly for the coach of the Trojans basketball team that advance to the Sweet-16 in last year’s edition of March Madness. Just three months later, without saying a word beyond his terse one paragraph resignation letter to USC Athletic Director Mike Garrett, the embattled coach indirectly fired a shot across the bow of the late Myles Brand and his gang at the NCAA.  Hard on the heels of last year’s pathetic performance by Indiana’s Kelvin Sampson, who despite mounting evidence of his unwillingness to comply with NCAA rules, refused to release the death-grip he had on his job without first tossing loyal assistants, staffers and even players under the team bus, Floyd simply refused to fight. You could argue that Floyd saw the writing on the wall and turtled, realizing that he has very little support among his peers in College basketball and that no one at USC including his A.D. is going to stick their neck out for someone who might jeopardize Pete Carroll’s juggernaut. You could say that given the choice between quit now or get publicly tarred and feathered later, Floyd chose the easier route.  You could say that…but you’d be wrong.

When Floyd arrived on the scene of big-time college basketball in 1994 with a team at Iowa State that would go on to set a school record for victories and a #5 seed in the Tourney in his first year, he was described in the local Ames, Iowa paper as “combining school-boy good looks with a fierce determination to win”. Floyd’s erstwhile good looks are long gone, having been replaced in recent years with a perma-scowl of such psychopathic intensity that a ref once “T’d” Floyd for looking at him. But the determination to win remained and Floyd finally figured out something that everyone figures out who hangs around on the inside of college hoops long enough, you can play by the rules or you can win, but you can’t do both!

 “Whoaaa there big fella”, you say.  “Are you saying that Mike Cryzewski, Roy Williams and…and…and…” Go on, try to come up with another name that you would categorically state has not broken the rules to win. The point is that even if the Dukes and UNCs of the world don’t pay players to play for them they certainly are receiving “benefits” not available to players at South East Missouri State or Lafayette. Have you seen the way these teams travel, or the facilities the players train in and live in? And for the coaches of the other 300+ teams in Division 1 not in the class of the Top 10 programs, a more overt type of cheating is the only solution.  In 2003, SMU coach Dave Bliss, a coach who had worked in College basketball for over 20 years and was regarded as a sterling example of coaching integrity, publicly admitted that he paid players to play and to avoid detection had tried to implicate a player as a drug dealer to explain his lifestyle while in college.  Oh by the way, that player happened to have been recently murdered by a teammate. What could possibly explain this level of “scumbaggery” by a seemingly upstanding coach? The system created by the NCAA.

It is the highest form of hypocrisy for the NCAA to accuse any coach of unethical behavior. For the NCAA and its member institutions to benefit to the tune of 100s of millions of dollars in TV and licensed product revenue from the efforts of unpaid players and then impose a set of rules on these athletes so draconian and pervasive as to make them all but incomprehensible and ensure a poverty level existence for these players away from the comfort of their campuses, is immoral. That ethics and the NCAA sound as compatible as Jessica Simpson and a MENSA convention, is hard to argue. But everyone except the players has such a vested interest in the continuity of the situation that no one breathes a word about it. Not the media that generates sales and ratings, not the coaches and administrators that make a fine living of the avails of the game and certainly not the ticking heart of the goliath, the pencil-pushing evil geniuses at the NCAA.

So, Tim Floyd was left with no choice at all. He went home knowing that he would return down the road on the bench of some NBA team. As a throw-back, discipline oriented coach more at home in another age of college basketball, Floyd never looked comfortable stalking the sidelines of this modern game.  A newer mindset exists among these athletes who are now surrounded by handlers and acolytes from the time they lace up their shoes in high school. “I’m going to get mine” is the mantra of these players, but it is the NCAA that has created a world in which playing for school pride and for the love of the game is not only gone but are ideals more retro than the David Thompson shirts this unpaid workforce sport on the blacktop.

Keith Ballard of the Florida Panthers took hockey “goonism” to a whole new level by attacking his own goalie Tuesday night.  He claims it was one of the biggest “brain cramps” of the year when he almost decapitated netminder Tomas Voukun with a vicious two-hander, suggesting he was simply trying to smash his stick in frustration into the goal post after the Panthers gave up a goal to the Thrashers Ilya Kovalchuk.  The video evidence however looks like Voukun’s head was a Titleist and Ballard was teeing off on a long par-5.  Voukun was down for several minutes and had to be carried from the ice on a stretcher while Ballard looked on from the bench area with his teammates giving him a wide berth.  Fortunately, “facial and skull lacerations” were the “only” consequence of Ballards collossal miscue.  Just when you thought playing professional hockey inside when it is 95 degrees outside was the craziest thing going on in Sunrise, Florida, Ballard comes along to lower the “wacky” scale a few more inches.  Voukun, when finally reached for comment said that he doesn’t remember the incident but is looking forward to spending some time at the beach this week with his “omay” and 3 little brothers in Karlovy Vary, Czechoslovakia and would like to be a professional hockey player when he grows up.

Let’s get one thing straight coming out of the box, I love sports movies. If you are looking for ruthless objectivity you have come to the wrong place. I am a sports guy reviewing a sports movie not movie guy who is more concerned about where this movie ranks next to Citizen Cane (which, by the way, stunk).

The Blind Side was based on the Michael Lewis book of the same name. It recounts the story of Michael Oher and his life. It focuses mostly on his relationship with the Tuohy family. The story itself has it all. The life of this young man was truly a tragedy. The scenes that involve Michael and his biological family are truly poignant. His mother’s situation is heart-rending and the movie does a great job of portraying, whether accurately or not, the hopelessness of situations like Michael’s. The transformation of his life and his resiliency in the face of it all are amazing. Too, watching the way the Tuohy’s cared for him remind me of the inherent goodness we are all capable of. The only time I was really uneasy during the film was the cameo’s of then Tennessee coach Phillip Fullmer, and then LSU coach Nick Saban. Having a litany of recruiting coaches parade through the house was a little schmaltzy, especially the Saban one, as he looked about as comfortable as Danny DeVito in a speedo. While on the one hand it was pure fromage and looked like these guys agreed to the cameos only to further today’s recruiting, it is a sports movie, and that kind of stuff is allowed.The other acting was quite good, Bullock was excellent and Quinton Aaron,the young man who played Michael was compelling. Tim McGraw wasn’t too bad either. You can tell he has a ways to go as an actor but he didn’t embarrass himself at all and the dude undeniably has charisma.

All in all it was a great movie and is a must see for anyone who likes a great story.

What to Look For

Lou Holtz – By far the most natural and comfortable of all the cameo’s, even if he is a little crazy.

Nick Saban doing his impersonation of a cross between a wooden plank and a cardboard cut out.

Finally, my favorite scene, where Bullock’s character Leigh Anne in high heels goes out in the field and delivers a Vince Lombardi-like speech to Michael, the QB and the running back.

Hot Flashes

As we enter the cold winter months, here’s a look at some players that are starting to heat up in the month of December:

Nathan Horton, Florida - when Olli Jokinen was traded from Florida to Phoenix in the summer of 2008, the Panthers expected that Nathan Horton would step up and fill the void created by Jokinen’s departure. Horton certainly seemed to possess all the tools to be a solid player moving forward, but ended up being a large disappointment that season, netting only 45 points in 67 games. One year later however, and the former 3rd overall pick seems to have adjusted to the pressure of being Florida’s top dog. Thus far, Horton has 22 points in 26 games, and has points in nine of his past ten games, while adding 28 PIM and a plus-3 rating. Despite the fact that he’s only scored seven goals, we can certainly see much upside in his goal totals as he possesses a career 15.1 shooting percentage, and has never been below 12.7%, which is remarkable considering that many of the elite goal scorers (eg. Heatley, Kovalchuk, Gaborik) are in the 15% range as well. As an added bonus, he has dual eligibility at Center and Right Wing.

Maxim Afinogenov, Atlanta - next to Alex Kovalev, Maxim Afinogenov is, historically, one of the most talented underachievers in the league. Despite being gifted with tremendous speed and stickhandling skills, the lack of consistency has killed his fantasy value in recent years. This year however, he seems to be having a rebirth, playing alongside fellow countrymen Nik Antropov and Ilya Kovalchuk. He’s got 25 points in 24 games thus far and has been the 2nd best fantasy player in the past month: 8 G, 10 A, plus-12, 12 PIM, 5 PPP and 1 GWG. If there is one knock to Afinogenov’s hot start though, it’s the fact that he has a tendency to get hurt – in the past three years he has missed an average of 29 games a year. Keep that in the back of your mind if trade offers come your way, but for the time being, Afinogenov seems poised to deliver a top 25 performance for the remainder of the year.

St. Louis Blues: - despite a terrible start to the season, the St.Louis Blues are starting to show signs of breaking out. Goaltender Chris Mason posted a 1.97 GAA and a .932 SV% in the month of November, and defenseman Erik Johnson has been the fourth best fantasy-defenseman in the league over the past month, with 11 points in his past 13 games. Even Brad Boyes and David Backes are strating to turn things around, just one week after being nominated for our Aki Berg Fantasy Award, for lame duck players: Boyes has four points in the past five games, and Backes has six in his past four, with an impressive 30 PIM to go along. The window for acquiring some of these players is rapidly closing however, so if you plan on making a move, do so quickly.

Ryan Malone, Tampa Bay - despite my earlier posting that Malone was poised to fall back to Earth after his hot start, the fact remains that he is currently the ninth-best left-winger in the league according to Yahoo!’s ratings. He is fourth in the league in goals scored, and second, behind Rich Peverley, for the most game-winning goals, with four. So is he the real deal or not? I still maintain my position that Malone is overachieving, and that you would be better off trading him while his value is high. In fact, you may want to look to Ovechkin and/or Smyth owners for a potential trade, as both of those left wingers are either out (Smyth) or potentially out (Ovechkin: knee injury and likely suspension following his hit on Tim Gleason Monday night) for a period of time. Whether or not this is a foreshadow of things to come, or simply a tough stretch of games, Malone has just two points in his past six games, so take that into consideration.

R.J Umberger, Columbus - Although I don’t expect Umberger to continue posting these numbers, he has been very productive over the past month: 12 points, a plus-3 rating and 2 GWG in his last 14 games. Four of those points did come in his most recent game against St.Louis however, in which he notched a hat trick, inflating his statistics somewhat. Nevertheless, considering that Umberger went undrafted in the vast majority of leagues, he’s delivering a decent performance overall, and would be a third center candidate in 12-14 team leagues.

Sean Avery, New York Rangers - following his trade from the Kings to the Rangers in the 2006-2007 season, Avery posted one of the best fantasy lines in the league for the remainder of that year: 20 points, a plus-11 rating and 58 PIM in just 29 games. Although he hasn’t been the same player this year, he is starting to show signs of regaining some of that value. He has five points (2 on the PP) in the past seven games to go along with 25 PIM, and more importantly, finds himself skating on a line with Marian Gaborik and Vinny Prospal, presumably as a bodyguard to the fragile Gaborik. If the current trend continues, it’s almost certain that Avery will be a big benefactor and could be very valuable to your team moving forward.

It’s amazing that in the decades of 4th Quarter collapses, I don’t ever remember one like this. To lose on a ‘too many men on the field’ penalty is hard to fathom even for a Rider fan. There seems to be a difference this time around though. I feel it myself and was surprised to find that I wasn’t alone. This was a loss with hope. In fact, notice below a letter forwarded to me, that was sent this morning to the Mayor of Regina:

Dear Mayor Fiacco,

I know you and City Council are among the many people of the province who share the feeling of disbelief and devastation after the end of last night’s game…. Watching the Montreal players celebrate, and listening to the eloquent but painful interview with Coach Ken Miller (especially his statement that “the disappointment of this loss is going to affect us as long as we’re on this planet”), an idea started to percolate:  that Rider Nation should hold a parade for the Riders in a couple of days – a ‘Rising Above Defeat’ parade, held in a spirit of snatching hope (if not victory) from the jaws of defeat.  I know there is a gathering at Mosaic Stadium this afternoon, but here are ten reasons for one more celebration for the Riders of 2009:

1.  The Riders had a great season, won the Western division, hosted and won the Western final, and in the process, brought a whole province (and a whole lot of fans outside the province) a great deal of joy.  The way in which we lost the Grey Cup has left all of us shaking our heads in absolute dismay, but it doesn’t seem right to end the season on that note, given the tremendous year we had.

2.  The Riders played well enough to win.  All those prognostications about the Alouettes being a far better team, about them being ahead of the Riders in most statistical categories, being the class of the league, 9 point favourites, we disproved and defied all of that.  We didn’t win, so this is not a victory parade – we’re still hungry for one of those – but we certainly showed we were capable of being Grey Cup champions.

3.  A small mistake on the penultimate play of the game cost us big.  But there is no value in scapegoating anyone.  In fact the end of the game eerily resembles much of human life, where often enough, things that go really wrong are at least in part our own doing.  Nothing is going to let us play that play over, or a handful of others plays which could have won us the game.  So rather than concentrating on who is to blame and dumping on their lawn, let’s do something positive and thank the players and coaches for a great season.

4.  This is not only a talented team which evokes a great deal of hope for coming seasons; it is also a classy team, with very likeable players and coaches, especially a head coach and starting quarterback who are two of the more intelligent and articulate people in football, who have the ability to keep things in perspective, and who have gained our respect not only for their coaching/playing, but for who they are.

5.  A great deal has been made about Rider Pride in the past weeks, and rightly so, but Rider Pride isn’t only about winning, about jumping on a bandwagon because we happen to have a championship-contending team.  Rider Pride has shown itself strong in the midst of football’s equivalent to the great depression (a couple of decades of losing seasons).  Doing something for the team now would show that Rider Pride is about supporting a team, players, a franchise, even when we didn’t quite pull it off this time.

6.  The players have obviously been grateful for the fan support from Rider Nation especially in recent weeks.  Celebrating the team in the days ahead would be a way of showing the players that there really is something different about this publicly owned franchise, and that there are some serious advantages to playing here rather than in the larger markets of the CFL.  It would show the class of the Rider Nation.

7.  Part of what makes sports exciting is that someone wins and someone loses.  But ‘loss’ isn’t the right word to describe that game or that season.  We certainly can’t call it a victory parade, but perhaps a ‘rising above defeat’ parade to show our resilience, to help put things into perspective, and to remind the rest of the CFL that we’ll be back….

8.  It would be somehow revealing about our knowledge and love of football on the prairies if we managed to have more people out for a parade for the Riders than the Alouettes would have at their victory parade in Montreal.

9.  What are our choices, eh?  Sulk and rage, or deal with it, make the best of it, and let our coaches and players know our gratitude for a year that has been special in many ways.

10.  It would be an anticipation and foreshadowing of a victory parade (hopefully) next year at this time.

Yours Sincerely,
Don Quixote and Friends (bleeding green)

Well Don Quixote, I couldn’t agree more!

I’m not sure if I’m fooling myself or not but it sure feels better than just focusing on another devastating loss.

NR