Well this was week 17 and my team played for 3rd place... And won. So yay, I guess.

I'm still bitter about not starting Jacobs last week. Ah well, gotta let it go. I remember when I won last year I told myself to savor it because it might not ever happen again! So I've been wearing the cap I had made with pride all week. :)

Speaking of Brandon Jacobs, did anyone catch the Giants/Patriots game last night? I'll tell you what: as a football fan, I really appreciated NY putting everything they had into the game since they could have easily rested their starters what with their playoff positioning already locked up. But I guess the starters all begged the coaches at halftime to let them finish the game because they felt they had a good shot of knocking the Pats off the streak. A good shot, yes, but in the end it wasn't enough. Talk about a great game, though.

Speaking of great games... Well, never mind -- it's impossible to segue into the Bills after that last paragraph I just wrote.

But did anyone hear the rumor that Levy is stepping down as GM this week? 10-1 odds that Modrak is going to take over since he was also under Donahoe and is probably cool with collecting a paycheck just for saying "Yes, Mr. Wilson." And "Of course, Mr. Wilson. Anything you say, Mr. Wilson."

Heck, I could do that!

Today I stayed home to assist my wife in navigating through the mess that is (now, was) our house. The girls got so many gifts between our two families that I need to look into new and creative ways to store things. (Side note: in an effort to play down materialism, we decided to only get them both 5 things each and then 1 larger toy -- a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playset -- to share. Unforunately we apparently didn't verbalize this well enough to *our* parents!) C'est la vie.

As it turned out, my wife woke up (I let her sleep in since I decided I was staying home) sick, which wasn't exactly planned. So she took some well-deserved rest and I managed the kids for the majority of the day. And had a total blast. Not to brag but not only are my kids the cutest around (sorry (e:enknot), et al) but also the most fun. We had a ball goofing off all day and enjoying each other's company.

It sounds crazy but sometimes it is hard to get "the perfect storm" in which we're able to hang out and have no one cranky or whiny or whatever (including Dad). The fact that I typically only have a 2.5 to 3 hour window after work each day when they're both tired after a long day of getting their play on definitely is a part of the equation.

But today... Today was good. It's tempting not to run in their room and wake them up and demand more playtime when I feel like this. Thankfully a healthy fear of my wife has always prevented me from doing so. :)

(See the post's title)

...It's always start the player on the team that *needs* the game.

Yeah, peeps, more fantasy football ramblings.

I had a hunch to start Brandon Jacobs against the porous Bills defense but instead paid too much heed to the stupid various online rankings that ranked Earnest Graham so highly. The dude was playing in a game that meant nothing to his team and promptly scored me 5 pts as opposed to Jacobs who finished with 27.

Ugh. Well, it was a good run. I just hate losing knowing that if I'd have just trusted my gut I'd be in the championship next week. :(

The past few weeks, if I'm not thinking about work or family, I'm thinking about Fantasy Football. I feel like a total tool about it but I'm completely obsessing.

I can't wait for the season to be over and done with (assuming I win the league again -- otherwise, well.. no.. I have to win) so I can get back to looking forward to the next season. It's so much less stressful.

My matchup this week is not favorable. For those that "get it," take a look...

Nassau Sharks
QB: Kurt Warner (maybe Donovan McNabb vs. the Saints?)
RB: Earnest Graham, Ryan Grant (maybe Brandon Jacobs vs. the Bills?)
WR: Larry Fitzgerald, Torry Holt, Hines Ward
TE: Heath Miller
K: Rob Bironas or Phil Dawson (I'm undecided)
DEF: Vikings

Italian Stallions
QB: Ben Roethlisberger
RB: Joseph Addai, Jamal Lewis
WR: Chad Johnson, Brandon Marshall, Derrick Mason
TE: Kellen Winslow
K: Kris Brown
DEF: Steelers

The scary part is that my opponent has 3 players participating in the Cleveland/Cincinnati game which will most likely be a shootout (last time they played in Week 2, the score was 51-45).

Ugh. Well, if I lose at least I had a good run after losing every week for the first month. One game away from the Big Dance is nothing to be ashamed of.

My fantasy team, the "Nassau Sharks," won today over the "Last Pick in the Genetic Draft" and will be moving on to the next round to face either the "Italian Stallions" or the "Smoking Goatheads" (think Sabres' 1997-2005 logo). It's a big deal for me especially since I've never beaten that team in our league's 3 year history.

It's been a long tough road thus far after starting 0-4. I made literally hundreds of waiver wire acquisitions and trade transactions, pretty much playing the stock market each week with matchups and everything, with nary a superstar to lean on. I traded Peyton Manning away (he was my "keeper" from last year) after the slow start and promised myself not to become emotionally attached to anyone this year and decided to just treat them all like mercenaries. That's a big deal as those who know me know I have a total man crush on #18.

Anyway, the hard work's paid off thus far and if all goes well I'll repeat as the league champion. Nice!

Stressful though. I think next year I'll just draft well instead. :)

Hey, you all know how Schmap.com has travel guides for like all over the world?

No? Well, me either until last week when I received an email that said a photo I took of some sushi I had at Wasabi Bistro in Seattle this past July had been selected as a finalist for their Seattle travel guide (thanks to Flickr: ).

Now, thanks to this page: I am one step closer to being an Internet superstar. Scroll all the way down to Wasabi Bistro and you'll see my photo on the right-hand side with a credit to me!

I remember thinking, this food is so pretty I need to pull a "Paul" and capture it on my camera so I can remember it... True story.

Well, I guess I can die now. There's pretty much little left to accomplish.

Sarcasm aside, that site actually looks pretty handy.

I'm sitting here at the ballet studio "waiting room" (I don't know if there's a better name for it) while my daughter's class is going on and there are two apparent siblings of one of the girls in her class that are running around yelling like freaking lunatics. The mom is just sitting here reading her book and occasionally shushing them but really I think all it does is just add a little more occasional noise to what's going on.

She is glancing over at me every few minutes to (I think) gauge my reaction to the situation but I'm just sitting here typing away with my headphones nearly making me deaf just to cope, pretending to be oblivious.

Kids will be kids, I understand but as a father of two there has to be some kind of balance. I'm not trying to raise two automatons but they do know how to behave (as best a 4 year old and 1 year old can) in public.

Oh my gosh the one just ran in with her pants half down and her torso covered in water. Brilliant!

One Web site, www.thinkgeek.com, already sells T-shirts with the word "w00t" printed on the front.

Not for anything, but the Word of the Year (trademarked, I'm sure) has been around for I dunno... ten?

I think it's the "already" in the quote that amuses me the most.

"I take full responsibility for my actions..."



Then stop the whining, accept the fact that you got busted for something that is morally reprehensible and do your time.

It sickens me that all these great "heroes" of sports media like George Foreman and Hank Aaron were trying to get the the judge to give Vick a light sentence. Come on! The dude had BANKROLLED A DOG-FIGHTING RING for several years! Not only is it just incredibly sick, cruel, and twisted but it's also a federal offense.



I love that Pete Rose is banned from baseball for tainting the game through gambling.

I love that Vick's longtime, ongoing actions are a constant topic even now 6 months or so after it first hit and that he's doing time. And that when he's done doing time he's going to be in the Arena Football League at best most likely.

I love that thanks to the Mitchell Report of a few days ago that Roger Clemens is now in the same conversation as Barry Bonds. Busted!

I'm a huge fan of sports but it's nice to see when the jocks that are used to always getting their way (and millions of dollars) just because they can throw a ball well are held to the same set of rules as everyone else.