27 December 2005

Week 16: Apocalypse Now Redux

Yes, this week's Ragnarøk is bigger, longer, and more catastrophic than last week's Fantasy Götterdämmerung. All five squads, who were amazingly still playing for something, were routed. Most of that is due to the Colts deciding to lay down and whimper into the postseason. I don't regret my personnel decisions, but I'm nevertheless dismayed with the outcome.

AnyGivenSunday: The Ballerz teabagged Philly Phalanx (13-2) 85-59
UIUCAAL: SunburnedCrackMidget bowled over the Philly Phizz (10-5) 104-79
WFL: Big Benz ran over The Senators (9-7) 109-60

WFL Bonus: Barbie's Bruins slimed Bentopolous Slugs 97-57
NLFFL: Chelmsford Coyotes gnawed on Philly Phrenzy (8-8) 133-69
asdf: East Bay Eyeblacks skinned the Olney Ocelots (8-7) 106-104


No analysis necessary...we folded down the stretch worse than the Chargers. What can ya do? There's always next year. The Phalanx have a 3rd place matchup next week, when I'll give final standings.

22 December 2005

Say hello to my lil' frien'!

The Bushman family would like to welcome Roscoe the miniature Schnauzer into their humble home.

20 December 2005

Week 15: Apocalypse Now

Three and out...that's how my obit will read this season. Three playoff games, three losses. As Vizzini would say, "Inconcievable!" But, alas, I do not think that word means what I think it means. The best thing I can say about last weekend is that at least the Phalanx were on a bye and didn't have a chance to lose.

AnyGivenSunday: Philly Phalanx (13-1) rested on a bye
UIUCAAL: The Flying Peytons ousted the Philly Phizz (10-4) 99-61
WFL: Heir Jordyn eliminated The Senators (9-6) 78-67

WFL Bonus: The Diehards mcclaned Barbie's Bruins 69-48
NLFFL: The Crows bounced the Philly Phrenzy (8-7) 82-56
asdf: Olney Ocelots (8-7) boiled the Cleveland Steamers 101-99

The Ocelots also have moved into 3rd place on the strength of their now 7-game win streak and, should the chips fall as they should, will probably overtake Mr. Danton's Hartford Holdouts for the #2 spot by the end of the season. So at least I got that going for me.

Also, Yahoo!'s got a new Fantasy Sports Profile for all its users. Trophy case and everything. I didn't even know it saved all that info, but it's pretty neat to see nonetheless. Note my Hockey Championship in 2002. I was en fuego sobre hielo.

19 December 2005

Couldn't have said it better...

To be fair, I couldn't really have said it at all, as my Schwartz is not nearly as long as Gideon's. However, I'm a big fan of putting Chanukah (or as the wife would say, Hanukkah) in perspective. It's a minor holiday, a very minor one, and having it marketed (for lack of a better word) as the Jewish equivalent of Christmas is silly. Gideon gives an enlightening 411 on Chanukah's position in the Jewish holiday canon.

Ye Olde Plutoe Facte Sheete

Click here to read a good article in the Washington Post today regarding New Horizons...real good, actually...answers all those little questions that people always ask me.

A quick review:
Mission Cost: $700M
Spacecraft Mass: About 1000 lbs, including propellant
Launch Vehicle: Atlas V-551
Launch Window: 1.17.2005 - 2.14.2005
Arrival at Pluto: 2015 if launch in first 11 days, else 2019-2020
Spacecraft Velocity: 28,000-30,000 mph after 3rd stage separation
Passes the Moon in: 8 hours (Apollo took 3 days)
Jupiter Gravity Assist: February 2007 (Galileo took 6 years)
Velocity after Jupiter Gravity Assist: 47,000 mph
Communications delay at Pluto: 4 hours, 25 minutes

Useful Links:
New Horizons Wikipedia Entry
Streaming Video of New Horizons at Kennedy Space Center
Johns Hopkins Magazine - Mission: Pluto

Very Useful Link, especially on Launch Day:
Mission Status Center at Spaceflight Now

13 December 2005

Week 14: Good Enough

Well this is a first....I've made the postseason in every single league I'm in that has a playoffs! My squads were pretty much juggernauts this week, laying waste to my opponents in various humiliating ways. All but one, but as the headline says, the Phrenzy was good enough.

AnyGivenSunday: Philly Phalanx** (13-1) erased SupremeSilverSharpie 103-92
UIUCAAL: Philly Phizz** (10-3) rested on a bye.
WFL: The Senators* (9-5) beat my wife's Barbie's Bruins 126-78
NLFFL: Dayton Spirit spooked Philly Phrenzy* (8-6) 86-71
asdf: Olney Ocelots (7-7) nipped the Montana Mush Cats 139-105

* - Qualified for playoffs
** - Clinched first-round bye


And so the playoffs begin...not with a whisper, but an echoing thunder heard throughout the world.

06 December 2005

Week 13: Ouch.

Who can care about a good fantasy week when the Eagles are destroyed 42-0. The only bright side is that my decision to bench Joe Jurevicius didn't come back to bite me, as he was minimially involved in the rout. I did manage to go 4-1, fantasywise, and that loss is going to set up one heck of an interesting matchup next week.

AnyGivenSunday: Philly Phalanx* (12-1) spent the Greenbacks 106-80
UIUCAAL: Philly Phizz** (10-3) blasted Coruscant Sith 111-81
WFL: Sloe Comfotable embarrassed The Senators (8-5) 72-64
WFL Bonus: Barbie's Bruins (6-7) salted the Bentopolous Slugs 83-55
NLFFL: Philly Phrenzy* (8-5) hungover the S.C. Angry Drunks 87-73
asdf: Olney Ocelots (6-7) upset Diversity Factor 120-96
* - Qualified for playoffs

** - Clinched first-round bye

The Phizz can rest next week, they've secured the #1 playoff seed and a first round bye.
The Phalanx will likely do the same next week, whether or not they defeat their nemesis, Supreme Silver Sharpie, who knocked them out of the playoffs last year.
The Phrenzy are playoff-bound, but as a likely 5th seed.
The Ocelots beat league leader Diversity Factor in convincing fashion, proving that they're the San Diego Chargers of the fantasy scene (overwhelming talent losing some early close ones).
The most interesting matchup next weekend, really the only one that matters, will be the Senators against my own wife's Bruins, who so convincingly beat the Slugs this week, helping me maintain my 1-game lead in the standings. Special props to my sister's team, Heir Jordyn, who knocked the Diehards out of contention this week.

01 December 2005

Week 12: A very good week.

Any week when the Giants, Cowboys, and Redskins lose is a good week. When the Eagles win the same week, it's great. When I go 4-1 in my fantasy leagues to boot, well that's just plain exceptional!

AnyGivenSunday: Philly Phalanx* (11-1) roasted Giant Bag O Nuts 102-69
UIUCAAL: The Flying Peytons divebombed Philly Phizz* (9-3) 118-88
WFL: The Senators (8-4) edged the Diehards 62-59
WFL Bonus: Big Benz roasted Barbie's Bruins (5-7) 113-70
NLFFL: Philly Phrenzy (7-5) gorkoned Killeen Klingons 94-62
asdf: Olney Ocelots (5-7) liberated Iraqi Freedom 161-129
* - Qualified for playoffs


So two teams have qualified for the playoffs, and likely four will, which has got to be some sort of record. The asdf league doesn't have a playoff (I don't approve of that, but Dr. Leavitt seems to have something against playoffs), so I'll just have to win out (not likely...I'm going against Christine Rovner and her LaDainian train next week). For those counting, that's four in a row for the originally struggling Ocelots. They'll easily end the year with a winning record after starting 1-7.