Thoughts

   Reader(s), I want to apologize for being so quiet recently.  Aside from the fact that I divulged my fantasy strategy in roughly a week about two months before football begins, there just isn't too much going on in sports right now.  I hate to disregard the MLB as a whole, but nothing that interesting is happening other than the whole Biogenesis nonsense.  I don't have a particular topic I want to talk about today, but just a heap of thoughts that I need to put somewhere....probably right here.  Whether it be fixing my baseball predictions (some of which look so foolish right now), or discussing the imminent NFL pre-season, I have some thoughts you should read.



NFL:  Can you believe it has been EIGHT years since the Patriots won the Super Bowl?  Suck it Patriots!  Everyone other than Patriots fans still hate the Pats, even though they really haven't done anything despicable like win 3 out of 4 Super Bowls in eight years.  Sure, they went to a couple more and lost both of them, and sure they are good every damn season, and sure they will probably be great again this season even with Tim Tebow as their number one receiver (my personal speculation), but they haven't been successful in so long I find myself not hating them nearly as much as usual.  In fact, I don't really hate any team right now other than the Falcons.  I think I've become too mellow.  Who can I hate this season?.....Hmmm.......how about the Bills.  Telling everyone they'll be good for sure THIS season, how disgusting.  But seriously, I think it's because the Panthers haven't been really competitive for a while, so no one in particular has crushed my dreams.  The Panthers used to meet the Giants and Bears in the playoffs all the time, but now I find myself cheering for them, mostly because they aren't the Patriots.  Oh, I do still hate the Patriots.  Good.  The pre-season starts in four days apparently (guess I didn't have that on my calendar), and I suppose that is exciting.  The first two drives of pre-season games are reasonably entertaining, but then Jimmy Clausen comes in and I have horrible flashbacks.  I couldn't hold off anymore and I finally joined a non-mock draft lobby because I wanted a real team.  I got the ninth pick and ended up as one of four guys to not be autopicking out of twelve.  How exciting.  Oh well, my team is actually quite nice and very reasonable despite the lack of human choice involved in the draft.  I'm still waiting to hear from the Bleacher Report (takes 10 business days apparently), and I must say they need me.  Their fantasy football articles are dry and uninteresting.  Nothing bold going on over there, just some copy and paste rankings from ESPN.  There was literally zero wit.  Seriously B/R, you need me!  I need you!  It would be a mutually symbiotic relationship!  Call me!

MLB:  Can the last A-Rod fan please put on the cone of shame?  Who could possible be behind this guy anymore?  We get it, you want the 100 million dollars owed to you even though Chad Qualls deserves it more and is probably a better player right now.  Just take your lifetime ban and the 100 million dollars you already have and never be on SportsCenter again.  Seriously, I hate you.  In other news, my baseball predictions look pretty silly right now.  The Pirates are 1.5 games in first as of last night, and the Nationals are anything but hot.  Meanwhile the Braves refuse to fall apart and the Cards have lost six in a row.  I still think I'll get four of the five playoff teams right, with the Pirates replacing the Nationals.  As for the AL the Rays will probably never lose again and the Tigers can't get a comfortable lead.  The O's are still in contention, but the Rangers are pretty cold right now.  I still think I will get four of the five teams right, with the Rays replacing the O's.  My roto league fantasy team is spiraling out of the top three.  This happens every year.  I guess I'm good at picking players who start hot and fizzle down the stretch or something.  Sigh, I need football.  Or an actual baseball team to cheer for.  But mostly football.  At least football games between teams I don't care about are still interesting.  I would probably rather watch the Browns take on the Bills than watch the Rays play the Cardinals.  Brandon Weedon is just so electrifying.

Fantasy:  I realize I have already talked about fantasy, but this is a more general note.  After I finished publishing my draft strategy I began to notice articles coming out on NFL.com and ESPN.com preaching the exact same advice!  Is it because the advice is painfully obvious?  I don't think so, but maybe.  Seriously though, an article on drafting QBs in the sixth round came out on NFL.com, an article on Larry Fitzgerry re-emerging showed up there as well, and an article on why Matt Stafford is the best value pick for QBs came up on ESPN!  All showing up after I wrote mine.  A little suspicious I'd say.

NBA:  Why on Earth are the Bobcats signing players?  Get Al Jefferson and Gerald Henderson away!  We want Wiggins!  Don't sign them to long term deals!  Seriously, you want to try to get better now??  Right when the Riggin' for Wiggins sweepstakes are taking place?  You were screwed out of the Anthony Davis pick after being the WORST TEAM IN HISTORY and you just want to give up on getting the first pick?  Luck has to swing your way sometime, right?  Michael Jordan, you stink at this.

That's all I've got right now, but as the NFL continues to approach and players like Percy Harvin continue to get injured, I'm sure I will have advice to give out.  36 days until the first game.  Can't wait.