Fantasy Football Update #4 2010 (Week 4)

A very workman like 128-84 victory in week 3 for the Dirty Dawgs. Even though I didn’t get any production from my running backs (Portis 4 pts, Rice 8 pts), I still put up very solid numbers getting value from every other position.

Dirty Dawgs (CBS) 10 Team League/Mostly Standard Scoring/6 Playoff spots (5^th Pick)

Current Record 2-1

Week 3 Lineup (Subject to change):

QB-Tom Brady (@MIA)-Brady on Monday Night @ the Dolphins worries me a bit, but I still think he gets over 250 (yds) and at least 2 TD’s.

RB-Brandon Jackson (DET)-This will be a down to the wire call for me as it’s starting to look like Rice will start (@PIT), but it’s the Steelers and he doesn’t sound like he’s a 100% healthy. My RB situation after losing R Grant and K Moreno early is going to be a work in progress all year. All I can say in defense of this move is that B-Jax last 100 yd game came in 2008…against guess who?…the Lions.

WR-Roddy White (SF)-He has been great every week for me and I could really use a big day again from him as my roster is thin this week. I am hoping for a 2 TD day, but I expect at least one TD.

WR-Jeremy Maclin (WAS)-After his 2 TD day last week its hard for me to bench him, he seems to really have connected with QB M Vick. I got him as a value pick late in this years draft, and he’s been invaluable to this team thus far.

WR-Johnny Knox (@NYG)-He is Cutler’s go to guy so far, and he is explosive and capable of big plays as he averages 23.5 yds per catch thus far. My RB’s are all hurting right now so he is in there as a fill in, but I hope he plays like a starter.

TE-Antonio Gates (@SEA)-Just another 109 yds and a TD last week for Mr. Gates who without Vincent Jackson on that offense is the go to guy.

K-Jay Feeley (@SD)-I have no idea what Feeley will do here…I hate kickers, seriously hate them.

D/ST-Saints (CAR)-I really try to get the right defense in there at the right time, I can’t think of a better defense (the opportunistic Saints D) against a really bad offense (the lost in the sauce Panthers with a rookie QB)…maybe Defense will get me the win this week?

Some advice from the guy who is 2-1-Here come the bye weeks which means 2 things, guys who don’t normally start find themselves in your lineup, and guys who have glaring needs for the immediate matchup are more likely to trade to fill in the gaps…so my advice is no matter how much people get offended by trade offers they deem not worthy, just keep cranking out offers and staying active looking for the right trade.

Keep an eye on-Ben Jarvis Green Ellis, LaGarrette Blount, and Ryan Torain. 3 RB’s that I think will all be getting much more work than they are right now in the next coming weeks…ok that’s it for this week as I need more room to do my betting section.

Bet on this, but don’t get mad at me-(Week 4)-2009 stats-66% on the Like em bets, 26% on the 3 If you can stomach em underdog picks, and 58% on the Parlay to try picks. 2010 stats-44% (4 for 9) on the Like em bets, 33% (3 for 9) on the 3 If you can stomach em bets, and 66% (6 for 9) on the Parlay to try picks.

Like em-The Packers screwed us out of a perfect week last week so I’m staying away from them this week, instead try the Pats -1 @ MIA as they go into the bye looking strong. Take Over 39 with SEA @ STL as both these teams are young and big play friendly. Lastly, though I like Ryan Fitzpatrick I don’t like him being hurried around the pocket by the Jets Defense so take NYJ -5 ½ @ BUF.

3 If you can stomach em-Coming into this last game Sebastian Janikowski had made 19 straight FG’s…he missed 3 including a game winner…that was hard to stomach. Look Pit can’t keep this up forever and BAL could use a win I like BAL +ML @ PIT. I may be looking at this wrong but I am rolling with McNabb in his return game…Reid might let him win this one…go for WAS +ML @ PHI. I don’t love this game but you guys would kill me if I went with the Bronco or 49ers again so here we go: take Cutler and his Bears +ML @ NYG, even though it’s a must win for the Giants.

Parlay to try-HOU -3 @ OAK, Over 39 in the SEA @ STL game, and seal it up with NYJ -5 ½ @ BUF.

2 to win in College Football-Take the Irish ND +1.5 @ BC…they are due for a win after a tough run and BC is my team, I watch them, they won’t be able to handle this well coached team. I’d love to tell you to take Penn St. +7 @ Iowa but I know better this is about winning and if you want to win take Arkansas St. -6.5 vs. Louisville.

Results will be posted after Week 4

Good Luck in all Fantasy and Reality!

Fantasy Football Update #3 2010 (Week 3)

Well I guess in a way I deserved to lose this week, as I was rooting for the 49ers to cover, that said if they had failed to tie the game my Dirty Dawgs Fantasy team would be a strong 2-0 right now…oh well that’s fantasy.

Dirty Dawgs (CBS) 10 Team League/Mostly Standard Scoring/6 Playoff spots (5^th Pick)

Current Record 1-1

Week 2 Lineup (Subject to change):

QB-Tom Brady (BUF)- Look if Ray Rice was going to lay another egg I needed Brady to actually produce something in the 2^nd half of the Jets game…he didn’t and I lost. About mid 3^rd quarter all I could think about was where is my Pats Hoodie and get a freaking haircut! Brady can make up for it this week by pummeling the Bills at home…which he will.

RB-Ray Rice (CLE)- Rice was supposed to carry me, 87 RuYards and 30 RecYards wasn’t quite good enough, but I’m still not worried about him really. Now if he doesn’t dominate the Browns at home…then I’m worried.

RB-Clinton Portis (@STL)- I went Jerome Harrison over Portis last week and it cost me, it was probably because I was rooting for Harrison to do well as he was one of my big sleeper picks, but that sentiment ends now as Portis vs the Rams awful defense is a week I have to pencil him in for double digit fantasy points.

RB-Knowshon Moreno (IND)- Look he hasn’t been bad so far this year, but he hasn’t been that great either, I figure that the Colts vs Broncos game will actually be a close one, and I don’t really like the Colts run defense, so here we go Knowshon you get a start.

WR-Roddy White (@NO)-Anybody else think Roddy White is a legit top 3 WR in the NFL? How about anybody else think that the Falcons can beat the Saints in New Orleans?

TE-Antonio Gates (@SEA)-THIS IS WHY YOU DRAFT GATES EARLY…I hope if you drafted Tony Gonzalez or Chris Cooley and thought meh that’s good enough, you have learned your lesson.

K-David Buehler (@HOU)-The Cowboys can’t find the endzone…well at least I know their kicker will be useful.

D/ST-Eagles D/ST (@JAC)-This Defense isn’t good, but they do have playmakers and they are going up against JAC who just threw a million INT’s last week…I think it is a smart start.

Some advice from the guy who is 1-1-Make adjustments as quickly as you can, look if you had Pierre Thomas he is bumped up a notch…if you don’t have him, you may want to consider going out and getting him now that Bush is out. There are a lot of players that benefit from injuries and QB switches that you may recognize but others don’t. Remember Michael Vick and TE A. Crumpler?…now consider Brent Celek? How about Sammy Morris (in a deeper league) from New England, because someone has to play the Kevin Faulk roll? These are guys you can “buy low” on and get away with.

Keep an eye on-Demaryius Thomas (WR DEN) I was really on board with Jabar Gaffney (there were lots of us that were), but right now this guy looks legit. I thought about Louis Murphy (WR OAK) in a few drafts but just couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger on him, now I think if you have room he might be worth it, Bruce Gradkowski is a fan favorite and I think will unseat Campbell and that should be good news for Murphy. I’m just not buying Hester but give me a week and I may reconsider. Deep Sleeper Alert! Ok don’t laugh…I think Ryan Fitzpatrick (QB BUF) is ownable in 2 Quarterback leagues…they play the Pats who have a hard time with the pass this week, and maybe the Harvard boy gets on a roll after that…call me crazy but I like him WAY better than Trent Edwards.

Bet on this, but don’t get mad at me-(Week 3)-2009 stats-66% on the Like em bets, 26% on the 3 If you can stomach em underdog picks, and 31% on the Parlay to try pick. 2010 stats-33% (2 for 6) on the Like em bets, 33% (2 for 6) on the 3 If you can stomach em bets, and 66% (4 for 6) on the Parlay to try picks.

Like em-Cincy -3 @ CAR at first glance this would appear to be a game John Fox and his Panthers would win, but take a closer look at that Bengal defense and that Notre Dame QB…yeah I think this is a lock. I love Over 42 in the NE vs. BUF game…look the Pats will score…and sadly so will the Bills as the Pats Defense is WHO WE THOUGHT THEY WERE! Finally the Packers -3 @ the Bears is one I can’t lay off of, I don’t care what they say about Martz and Cutler…he throws 2 picks in this game!

3 If you can stomach em-So last week didn’t go so well, who knew the 49ers were going to hand it to the Saints? Let’s try some more reasonable upsets this week…well maybe one crazy one. Take Oakland +ML @ AZ as I still see almost nothing good in Glendale. Give some props to Atlanta +ML @ New Orleans as I don’t see the Saints going 3-0, though I do think they will ultimately win that division. I was so tempted to go Detroit @ Vikings but my senses won’t let me so how about an equally crazy one…Denver +ML vs. Indy…I hate Indy so it may be blinding me, but even taking that into consideration I still could see this a Bronco victory.

Parlay to try-I want to try Tenn +3 @ NYG, Over 42 in the Pats vs. Bills game, and seal it with the 49ers -3 (I will regret this) @ KC in what will be a huge test for fragile minded Alex Smith in a LOUD stadium.

***BONUS COLLEGE FOOTBALL PICKS***It’s one week early (I like to go week 5 on College before betting) but I will throw you two games I like this week, Penn St. -15 vs. Temple is a lock and I’ll take the +4 with BYU at home vs Nevada.

Results will be posted after Week 3

Good Luck in all Fantasy and Reality!

Movie Review #46 (The Town)

The Town (2010) Ben Affleck, Jeremy Renner Directed by Ben Affleck

The problem with raised expectations is that they can hijack your experience, but I couldn’t help it with this film, all of my go to critics praised it. I’m not going to say I was disappointed because it was a very entertaining piece of work from Affleck, however I was hoping for another Oscar contender (like 7.5 or higher on the scale…so few of those so far this year) and The Town is just not good enough to qualify for that kind of praise. That said The Town is a good solid heist film that is easy to watch and especially enjoyable if your fascinated by the Boston accent (which Affleck uses to the full degree saying things like Dungaroos and Arbitrary…great Boston words). I blame only myself for expecting more.

The Town is the story of Doug MacRay a 2^nd generation Irish bank robber in “the town” of Charlestown Mass. After a robbery in which he takes a Bank Manager hostage, he gets a spot of the Moral Shakes and wants to reconsider his life choices (of course he does). Around that same time he actually falls for this Bank Manager (played very well by the lovely Rebecca Hall). This romance doesn’t sit well with the rest of his long time crew, especially the crazy James Coughlin (played by the brilliant Jeremy Renner) who is doubly pissed because he wants Doug to be with his sister (who is played by a very strung out looking and often annoying Blake Lively). Doug tries hard to change his ways and leave it all in the rearview but Fergie Colm (played by a turnipy looking Pete Postlethwaite) uses Doug’s new romance as leverage to convince him to do one more job…any guess where this job takes place?…hmm…Affleck…Boston…um…try Fenway Park…over the top?…yes…enjoyable to watch?…yes it is. The cop who is on the chase for the crew is FBI agent Frawley (played well by Mad Men Vet John Hamm) he has the best line of the film toward the end. The film makes some of the same mistakes as Public Enemies (2009) did, lots of character, look, and feel…but little substance, and the romance is simply unbelievable. All that said it is a really fun movie, and though it isn’t the intelligent fall movie I was hoping for (more like a fun summer heist film) I still highly recommend it…I just hope there is more to come from the fall films.

(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) Don’t Paarrk your Armored Carr in the Harvard Yard if you don’t want it to be jacked! Listen I love Boston and they even mention my actual hometown of Nashua in the film…so I would be thrown to the wolves if I didn’t give it at least a 7.0 on the scale.

Food For Thought: Next up for Affleck is a Terrence Malick directed Untitled Romance co starring Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams. For Jeremy Renner there is Mission Impossible 4 coming in 2011.

Fantasy Football Update #2 2010 (Week 2)

A stunning 95-78 opening week victory for my Dirty Dawgs, it was seriously exhausting watching all that football after such a long layoff…(in all honesty I fell asleep from shear boredom watching that Cowboys Redskins game). When it was all over I popped a bottle of wine and detoxed from football with Rubicon and Mad Men two good AMC shows that you should be watching…alright let’s break it down.

Dirty Dawgs (CBS) 10 Team League/Mostly Standard Scoring/6 Playoff spots (5^th Pick)

Current Record 1-0

Week 2 Lineup (Subject to change):

QB-Tom Brady (@Jets)-Looks like the 16-0 Brady from 3 years ago may be back…I’ll temper my expectations against the solid Jets Pass Defense.

RB-Ray Rice (@CIN)-It was a bad matchup (Jets) and 43 RuYards and 19 RecYards is pretty bad for a first round pick but I won’t complain given that I won anyway. Cincy’s run defense is pretty good but Rice has a history of good games against them…I need him to carry me this week.

RB-Brandon Jackson (BUF)-Losing Ryan Grant was a huge blow to my team and the idea of starting 3 RB’s every week is pretty much a thing of the past for me (unless Jackson shows up big) but at least I was able to grab his back up…now it’s time to see what Brandon Jackson can do, against Buffalo you couldn’t ask for a better starting opponent.

RB-Jerome Harrison (KC)-Last week I ended up benching Crabtree at the last minute for Jerome Harrison who would have had a good game but Peyton Hillis vultured some carries away from my man, he still put up 52 RuYards in only 9 carries and something tells me Delhomme won’t be allowed to throw late in this game after last week, so he gets another chance in my starting roster…BTW last year KC was the team he put up 200+ RuYards against.

WR-Roddy White (ARI)- I drafted him to be my #1 receiver so you know I liked him, but even I was shocked to see how often Matty Ice threw to him, 13 catches and 111 yards is gonna be just fine every week…maybe throw a TD in there every once in awhile.

TE-Antonio Gates (JAC)-Going into Monday Night I needed 2 points to win, Gates gave me 14 and that’s why you draft him as high as you do.

K-David Buehler (CHI)-Last week Feeley let me down a bit (5 pts) so this week I decided to give the Cowboys offense a chance to score some points…this could be ugly. (P.S. Why does Jason Garrett get paid so much for being one of the worst offensive coordinators in the league?).

D/ST-Eagles D/ST (@DET)-I was tempted to stick with the Saints who did a nice job against the Viking last week, but I couldn’t sit the Eagles D/ST against Shaun Hill and the Lions, though I still think the Lions can do some damage, I am just rooting for turnovers.

Some advice from the guy who is 1-0-If you haven’t learned your lesson yet, you should now know to draft your stud RB’s backups…they seriously come in handy when someone does a “Ryan-Grant” on you. Stick with your guys through week 1, if you own Gore, Rice, Spiller, or even Matthews don’t just give up on your guy…one week does not make a bust. Look TE’s are the only way you can really pull off the 3 RB/1 WR starting roster…that stud TE acts as your 2^nd WR and allows you to roll the dice on a RB that is guaranteed touches. I have always been pro drafting a QB early and pro drafting a TE early…they add such balance to your roster. If he stays healthy Gates will be more valuable to my team then Ryan Grant would have…now let’s see how my theory plays out. Lastly it is never too early to start making adjustments toward your playoffs. If you know your team is good and you really think you will get into the playoffs then start trading guys toward those guys you want in weeks 14, 15, and 16…it’s never too early to trade.

Keep an eye on-Nate Washington who put up 88 yards and a TD in week 1, maybe he is what we thought Kenny Britt would be. Austin Collie, now Manning threw like 4,000 times but it is hard to ignore 163 receiving yards and a TD…I would grab him if your roster permits. Denver WR’s, i.e. Eddie Royal and Jabar Gaffney…look this team is going to throw the ball a la Patriots grab these guys now!

The Rest of my Leagues-I went 0-3 in my other 3 leagues and though I put up good numbers in all of them it wasn’t good enough. I am making adjustments and hoping for a rebound in all 3.

Bet on this, but don’t get mad at me-(Week 2)-2009 stats-66% on the Like em bets, 26% on the 3 If you can stomach em underdog picks, and 31% on the Parlay to try pick. 2010 stats-33% on the Like em bets, 66% on the 3 If you can stomach em bets, and 66% on the Parlay to try picks.

Like em-I like Over 41 in the Eagles @ Lions game, the Lions can still score and the Eagles will score on defense…maybe more than once. I’ll take the Vikings -4 vs. the Dolphins, the Fins really showed me nothing in week 1 and they won’t be able to run on the Vikings. Finally the Patriots -1 ½ @ the Jets have to be a lock…the Jets are in disarray and Mr. Belicheck is coming to town.

3 If you can stomach em-In the Manning vs. Manning bowl I will go with lil bro Eli and his Giants +ML @ Colts, Don’t laugh but I’m not walking away from the 49ers +ML who just might pull off an upset Monday night vs the Saints, finally I was tempted by the Cowboys/Bears game but then I remembered Cutler and Martz and how much they suck so for the big payday upset why not try to ride out this Norv Turner is an idiot thing and bet on the Jaguars +ML to roll out a 2-0 start after beating the Chargers in San Diego. (I did go 2 out of 3 last week so I took some more risk on this week).

Parlay to try-Patriots -1 ½ @ Jets, Over 42 ½ in the Bills @ Packers game, and actually the Raiders -3 ½ vs. the Rams. 2 out of 3 on my 3 teamer last week won’t cut it but don’t give up on me yet!

Results will be posted after Week 2

Good Luck in all Fantasy and Reality!

Fantasy Football Update #1 2010 (Week 1)

Alright so I have drafted all my teams and though I did basically try to stick with the guys I liked, I did try two different methods and found myself in one rather precarious must-trade situation. This year I have chosen to basically chronicle my “work” league. This league is veteran heavy one and has a fairly shallow bench. We just got them to finally switch to standard scoring, but there is no INT or Fumble deductions and Pasing TD’s are 6 points. This league allows one keeper. Let’s break down my draft.

Dirty Dawgs (CBS) 10 Team League (5^th Pick)

Keeper: QB Tom Brady-I had to give a first and third round pick last year to get him and he didn’t quite live up to expectations. I still finished third and I have every reason to think that he will get better this year given his new TE’s, Moss’s contract year, and the fact that this team may be in some shootouts with that young and injured Defense they have.

First Pick: RB Ray Rice-With most of the big dogs kept (Peterson, Gore, Johnson) how I ended up with Rice in the five spot is beyond my understanding…even crazier I had the choice between him and Turner…people love QB’s in this league and at this draft you have to expect the unexpected…every time I draft for this league I just wait to hear name that I believe somebody reached on and then I pounce on the value that was left behind…this year I rolled into a high value guy in Ray Rice…I expect great things.

Second Pick: WR Roddy White-Again with (Andre Johnson, Calvin Johnson, and Randy Moss) kept, I felt the need to grab White as fast as I could, I have him in several leagues and actually think he will be a worthy #1. Atlanta plays CAR, SEA, and NO during this leagues playoff weeks so that makes me happy.

Third Pick: RB Ryan Grant-I am not a huge Ryan Grant guy, apparently nobody else is either, I have him in another league where he was left for dead…at this range I had to take him as a #2 to Rice I think he will be fine. (Though I did get his handcuff and may look to trade the pair).

Fourth Pick: TE Antonio Gates-If you read my blog you know I value TE’s, plus in this league (as most leagues) once you pick one TE they all go…so I popped the TE cherry this year with Gates. With Vincent Jackson in limbo and the Charger defense looking bad, I think Gates will be as good as ever.

Fifth Pick: WR Michael Crabtree-There is some risk here having him as my #2 WR, he may not be ready for that, but I had a long list of value wideouts I knew I was going to grab later in the draft. He is capable of 1000 yards and 8+ TD’s.

Sixth Pick: RB Knowshon Moreno-He fell to a spot I had to take him at, though I don’t love him and was unable to get his backup in Buckhalter, but at this spot I think the upside is worth the risk. As a #3 he makes me feel better about Grant knowing this guy can slot in there if Grant doesn’t produce. He gets TD’s but did not post a 100+ yard game last year…let’s hope that changes.

Next 5 Picks: (RB) Jerome Harrsion, (RB) Clinton Portis, (WR) Jeremy Maclin, (WR) Jabar Gaffney, and (WR) Johnny Knox. I went right after depth at both the WR and RB…I may have made a mistake not taking a better TE backup considering the injury risk with Gates, but I can always make a move.

The Rest: (QB) Alex Smith, (RB) Brandon Jackson, (WR) T.J. Housmandzadeh, (TE) Tony Scheffler, (K) Dallas, (K) Arizona, Eagles D/ST, and Saints D/ST. I couldn’t help but draft T.J. Housh even after learning about his cut from the Seahawks…he will go somewhere and play, and if he doesn’t I can live with cutting him.

Week 1 Lineup (Subject to change):

QB-Tom Brady (vs CIN)-That Cincy defense should be good and they will run on the Pats, but nobody benches the “Golden Boy” in week 1.

RB-Ray Rice (@NYJ)-Another bad matchup for me, but I can’t bench him, I like him for a TD and we can never get a handle on team defense until 2 or 3 weeks in.

RB-Ryan Grant (@PHI)-I am tempted to go Jerome Harrison here, but for now I will just hope Grant squirms into the endzone against that Philly Run D.

WR-Roddy White (@PIT)-Yet another bad matchup for me against the good Steeler Defense, but I like the guy as a #1 WR and he will start every week for me.

WR-Michael Crabtree (@SEA)-I don’t know what to make of Seattle right now, they may end up being a solid team, but that much change is never good for a defense…Crabtree has a big week 1.

TE-Antonio Gates (@KC)-Can my team be carried by a TE in week 1?...I hope so.

K-Jay Feeley (@STL)-I’m going Feeley over Dallas’s Buehler because of that St. Louis defense which is bad.

D/ST-Saints (vs MIN)-They lost Sharper…now I’m concerned, but Farve may be a bit pass happy in week one…I’ll roll the dice and see if they can recreate that turnover magic from a year ago.

Some advice before the season starts-It’s a long season, I generally always play the matchups during the season, but in week one you want to stretch your muscles and play your top guys. It is afterall one week and if you lose there is time to correct things. Remember defenses that get drafted early in drafts are never as good as you think they will be…(in fact none of the defenses that were drafted in the top 5 finished in the top 10 at seasons end) so don’t go crazy with the analyzing defense, we aren’t sure what we are dealing with just yet. Start your top guys in week 1!

Keep an eye on-Good guys on bad teams…Johnny Knox is a guy finally getting some love in drafts, but there are other guys you can grab that will pad your depth. Try grabbing Mohomed Massaquoi or Kenny Britt, then go get their QB’s in Vince Young and Jake Delhomme so you can pair them up if they get hot for your main QB’s bye week.

Tale of a draft-In one league I was drafting in the 6^th spot and their was 10 guys kept including all the good runners, so even though I had kept (QB) Tom Brady, I went ahead and drafted the best guy on the board, (QB) Peyton Manning-now it was a risky thing to do (and it did make people mad) but I started working right away on a trade. I thought I would be able to offer another pick to get Frank Gore (the guy I wanted) but still did okay settling for WR Roddy White and a 6^th round pick (turned into {RB} P Thomas) for Manning and a 13^th round pick. I didn’t get the guy I wanted, but the decision did give me a nice WR duo in that league in Calvin Johnson and Roddy White…now I have to figure out which one of my mediocre RB’s will turn out (Best, Thomas, Bush, Bush, Williams, Portis, and Forsett).

Bet on this, but don’t get mad at me-(Week 1)-Since the start of this feature (week 3 last year) we have picked pretty well. 66% on the Like em bets, 26% on the 3 if you can stomach em underdog picks, and 31% on the Parlay to try pick.

Like em-Saints (-4) vs Vikings-Everybody wants a little action on the first game, I know the Vikes want revenge but Favre just got there and the Vikes lost their best WR. 49ers (-3) @ Seahawks-Start believing now the 49ers are a good team, this should be a lock. Over 47 ½ Packers @ Eagles-The Packers can score, but so can the Eagles, who have the better defense overall, but Kolb is young and will turn the ball over so I expect a shootout of sorts and if you take the 47 ½ you should be well over half way there at halftime.

3 If you can stomach em-Chiefs (ML +200) vs Chargers-The Chiefs have a new toy in Thomas Jones and Matty Cassel is a gamer, let’s not forget how bad the poorly coached Chargers play in the early stages of season-One name-Norv Tuner…see what I’m saying?…make some cheese on this one. Texans (ML +115) vs Colts-I don’t love this one, but last year this team should’ve beat them twice…ok at least once, one of these years they are going to stick it to the Colts…I say this is that year. Lions (ML +220) @ Bears-Another one of my sleeper teams is going to be an offensive force…and let me remind you how bad the Bears have looked so far and that Cutler (now with Mike Martz) will take even longer to release the ball from his hands…I think “A Boy Named Suh” might catch up to him a few times.

Parlay to try-Dolphins (-3) @ Bills, 49ers (-3) @ Seahawks, and I’ll avoid taking an Over/Under by taking the Browns (+3) @ Bucs…even though it’s ill advised to go with three road teams on a Parlay.

Results will be posted after Week 1

Good Luck in all Fantasy and Reality!

Movie Review #45 (The Switch)

The Switch (2010) Jason Bateman, Jennifer Aniston Directed by Gordon & Speck

How many times are we going to ride the “Friends that never realize they should be together” train in the movies? At least with The Switch we get the clever twist of one jealous friend switching his “Man-chowder” with the donor “Man-chowder”…pretty funny. This movie isn’t a work of art, but it is sweet and at times unexpectedly dark. The Switch goes places you may not think it will go, it also goes places we all know it will go…and maybe a bit too often, so I will concede that it is at times a bit generic. The film is funny and I am both a Bateman and Aniston fan so I do tend to root for them. I also can’t help but like Jeff Goldblum, even if he just shows up in films to be Jeff Goldblum, so The Switch is a film I will recommend.

The Switch is story of Kassie (played by a nice Jennifer Anistiony, Jenifer Aniston) a single woman who thinks the time has come for her to have a baby, and it shouldn’t matter that she hasn’t found the right guy yet. Her BFF Wally (played very well by Jason Bateman) thinks differently…probably because he really likes Kassie, but for some strange “goofy movie” reason can’t get himself to tell her. On a night where Kassie is having a “Baby” party he gets wasted, blacks out, and secretly switches the donor “stuff” with his own “stuff”. Kassie moves away and years go by, eventually Kassie moves back and introduces her old friend Wally to her new son Sebastian, now 6 years old (played just like a little Jason Bateman by Thomas Robinson). It becomes pretty clear that this is Wally’s son, at least to Wally and the rest of the movie is really about him churning up the courage to tell Kassie what he did. The best scenes in the film are the ones where Wally and Sebastian are together. They are a spitting image of one and other. The films “tiddy” ending and obvious plot turns are a bit lazy, but if you like Batman and Robinson together, you will like the movie. Juliette Louis and Jeff Goldblum both provide a little comedy and a surprisingly solid performance by the often annoying Patrick Wilson (you know him as the annoying good looking bad guy in well…everything) is charming as well.

(The Shawshank Scale 1-10) It’s not Best Picture Worthy, but The Switch is a sweet and likable comedy that is not going to have you asking for your money back. It gets a very nice 7.0 on the scale as I am feeling generous tonight and I really want to see Jason Bateman do well…so support him and see this film!

Food For Thought: Next up for Bateman is a film called Paul about two geeks who find an Alien and of course in 2012 the Arrested Development movie will arrive! Anistons next is Just Go with It that co stars Adam Sandler and Nicole Kidman.