We're six weeks in and there have been some beauty games. I have to admit that I haven't watched as much as some of you but I think for me, I find more enjoyment in the fantasy game than I do in the actual game. Weird I know, but it's true. I enjoy coming home from church on Sunday morning and seeing how close my match up is or how badly I am crushing my opponent or how badly Eli Manning is doing. Honestly with a name like Manning he should be good all the time!
Some have been very active in the free agent market and have had varying success with your strategies. Others have left their lineups alone. Whether that is on purpose or out of apathy I'm not sure but it has worked for some and not for others.
16 teams, each with a manager who has a style and strategy of their own. We still have a long way to go and so much can happen over the next few weeks that could turn out standings on their head. One injury to a key running back or a QB who hits the skids and starts to make decisions like Jason Campbell or a receiver who starts acting like Jerry Rice could change a teams fortunes in a single weekend.
For now though, here are our current standings.
Our friend from the West Coast the Victoria Vikings are in a three way tie with the superbly manages Big Punters and Fishfan (who have successfully implemented the heavy of the free agent strategy) for top slot.
Favre's Flip Flops, the Slayers, and worst to middle of the pack Super Bowl Kings sit at 4-2 with First Don and the Hot Tigers one game back at .500.
The lower half of the pool is in a log jam as Meanmachine, Bone Crusher, Soccerslack, Titans, The B Team, the Cold Lions, Pack Attack, and Al's All-Stars are working on moving up into playoff contention. Unfortunately for some it may be a rebuilding year, but you never know, crazier things have happened
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Thursday, September 9, 2010
0
Week 1 Is Upon Us
The teams are drafted and games start in just a few hours. If you're like me you probably had a few of those "who the heck is that guy?" moments. Hopefully I'm not alone in that one. Anyway not to fear, you can make trades, claim players off of waivers or pickup undrafted players throughout the week.
A few little side notes as we go into the real deal. Each week is a head to head match up. Points are given out for each position and bonus points for major milestones reached by an individual player. You can check out all the scoring details under the League tab on the yahoo site.
Week 1 sees some pretty high octane match ups
Favre's Filp Flops v. Titans
Hot Tigers v. Cold Lions (totally random first week match up but that's AWESOME!)
Slayers v. Bone Crushers
First Don v. Soccerslack
Mean Machine v. Victoria Vikings
Superbowl Kings v. Fish Fan ( the kings may need a little help with Matt Stafford starting QB)
The B Team v. Pack Attack
The Big Punters v. Al's All Stars
Should be an epic first weekend.
If anyone has any questions or comments leave them in the section below or e-mail me.
A few little side notes as we go into the real deal. Each week is a head to head match up. Points are given out for each position and bonus points for major milestones reached by an individual player. You can check out all the scoring details under the League tab on the yahoo site.
Week 1 sees some pretty high octane match ups
Favre's Filp Flops v. Titans
Hot Tigers v. Cold Lions (totally random first week match up but that's AWESOME!)
Slayers v. Bone Crushers
First Don v. Soccerslack
Mean Machine v. Victoria Vikings
Superbowl Kings v. Fish Fan ( the kings may need a little help with Matt Stafford starting QB)
The B Team v. Pack Attack
The Big Punters v. Al's All Stars
Should be an epic first weekend.
If anyone has any questions or comments leave them in the section below or e-mail me.
Monday, August 30, 2010
0
Next on the docket...
It has been quite the summer for sporting events. The World Cup dominated the beginning of the warm months and just as it was finishing up the Tour de France kicked into high gear. Then everything kind of went quiet...TDF ended on July 25th and it is now the 30th of August. Sure NFL preseason is underway and Tiger gets to swing a club for a few hours a week but unless you are a die hard MLB fan you've been stuck watching the Kraft Celebration Tour on Sports Centre followed by the litany of World Series of Poker shows.
But now, as September is just on the horizon, life comes back to the sporting world. Never mind that the least of the Grand tours is into it's third stage, where Cav just relinquished the red leaders jersey to Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto, now is the time when NFL Fantasy pools rule the workplace, when NHL training camp is so close you can smell the rancid stench of hockey cologne , when every true sports fan wonders who the next Mr. October will be, and when wives wonder why nothing is getting done around the house.
It is a wonderful time of the year!
But now, as September is just on the horizon, life comes back to the sporting world. Never mind that the least of the Grand tours is into it's third stage, where Cav just relinquished the red leaders jersey to Philippe Gilbert of Omega Pharma-Lotto, now is the time when NFL Fantasy pools rule the workplace, when NHL training camp is so close you can smell the rancid stench of hockey cologne , when every true sports fan wonders who the next Mr. October will be, and when wives wonder why nothing is getting done around the house.
It is a wonderful time of the year!
Monday, July 12, 2010
0
Rest Day at TDF 2010
Today was the first rest of the Tour de France. It has been a great first 8 stages with a few surprises, a few disappointments, and more than a few crashes. The cobbles of stage three were a real challenge that produced a few time gaps but the real challenges lay ahead on the weekend.
The riders hit the Alps (Lance kind of fell into them) and one by one on Sunday they began to fall off the back of the main group. Cavanel with his second stint in the Yellow Jersey could not keep the tempo set initially by Team Sky, then Saxo Bank and finally Astana. Everyone was in pain and Paul Sherwen was loving it! "Everyone is suffering now!"he announced cheerily.
But really how bad could it be? It's not that bad if you consider riding 143 km before starting to climb a mountain at 9% grade for 14 km then a quick descent before going for another quick 12km climb at the same grade. What's a measly 9% grade. In riding south of Calgary I've found some pretty stiff hills. I have been humbled many a time by the hills...HILLS! I did the old mapmyride.com thing to check the elevation and grade for a ride that Doc and I did a few weeks ago, because I'm sure they were like 10 km at 12% grade that we rocked.... 4% for 800 meters. I'm a Pansy! Paint my bike pink (not cool pink like at the Giro) and call me Francois. These guys are animals! Just look at Daniel Navarro, (not to be confused with Dave Navarro of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction fame). He looks like he's having a great time eating up those mountains! In contrast to Navarro's pain, the riders sitting second and third wheel, Contador and Schleck, are actually looking quite comfortable. Navarro put in a ton of time at the front pulling Contador along farther than I think even Contador expected and giving the Spaniard a chance to win the stage.
Shifting gears, cycling is not an overly popular spectator sport here in North America. Even with the emergence of the Tour of California and Lances emense popularity, there still is not the following one might expect. It is only in the past two years that I have started following cycling in earnest and this is the first year that I watched the Classics, which are truly great one day races (Cancellara is a monster).
With that being said, I am continually surprised at how many of my friends are into road cycling and through the wonder of Facebook I have discovered an old friend who is following the tour. Not only is he following the tour, but he is able to carry on a conversation (such that a FB conversation is, about the stages. Fantastic! In thinking of a moniker to bestow upon him, I thought the Predator would be fitting to his location geographically but then I thought that might conjure up images of a young guy with a handlebar mustache sitting around in a hospital gown watching men in spandex grind their way around Franceand we wouldn't want that. So we'll call him Klink, an homage to camp years gone by.
Now onto stage 9, more mountains and more time gaps. Exciting action all morning long.
Klink, enjoy the stage and heal up quick.
The riders hit the Alps (Lance kind of fell into them) and one by one on Sunday they began to fall off the back of the main group. Cavanel with his second stint in the Yellow Jersey could not keep the tempo set initially by Team Sky, then Saxo Bank and finally Astana. Everyone was in pain and Paul Sherwen was loving it! "Everyone is suffering now!"he announced cheerily.
But really how bad could it be? It's not that bad if you consider riding 143 km before starting to climb a mountain at 9% grade for 14 km then a quick descent before going for another quick 12km climb at the same grade. What's a measly 9% grade. In riding south of Calgary I've found some pretty stiff hills. I have been humbled many a time by the hills...HILLS! I did the old mapmyride.com thing to check the elevation and grade for a ride that Doc and I did a few weeks ago, because I'm sure they were like 10 km at 12% grade that we rocked.... 4% for 800 meters. I'm a Pansy! Paint my bike pink (not cool pink like at the Giro) and call me Francois. These guys are animals! Just look at Daniel Navarro, (not to be confused with Dave Navarro of Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Nine Inch Nails and Jane's Addiction fame). He looks like he's having a great time eating up those mountains! In contrast to Navarro's pain, the riders sitting second and third wheel, Contador and Schleck, are actually looking quite comfortable. Navarro put in a ton of time at the front pulling Contador along farther than I think even Contador expected and giving the Spaniard a chance to win the stage.
Shifting gears, cycling is not an overly popular spectator sport here in North America. Even with the emergence of the Tour of California and Lances emense popularity, there still is not the following one might expect. It is only in the past two years that I have started following cycling in earnest and this is the first year that I watched the Classics, which are truly great one day races (Cancellara is a monster).
With that being said, I am continually surprised at how many of my friends are into road cycling and through the wonder of Facebook I have discovered an old friend who is following the tour. Not only is he following the tour, but he is able to carry on a conversation (such that a FB conversation is, about the stages. Fantastic! In thinking of a moniker to bestow upon him, I thought the Predator would be fitting to his location geographically but then I thought that might conjure up images of a young guy with a handlebar mustache sitting around in a hospital gown watching men in spandex grind their way around Franceand we wouldn't want that. So we'll call him Klink, an homage to camp years gone by.
Now onto stage 9, more mountains and more time gaps. Exciting action all morning long.
Klink, enjoy the stage and heal up quick.
0
World Cup 2010 Finale
The games have all been played and we are now able to breathe a little sigh of relief. In my mind the World Cup lived up to all the hype..except for maybe the final. Holland and Spain was set to be a great game between two European titans. Now, don't get me wrong the game was good. Both sides had their chances, really good chances, and if it wasn't for some outrageous goal tending regulation time would not have ended in a nil-nil draw. After seeing the Dutch play several games during the tournament they looked to be in a great position to knock off the European Champions. But when the game started they started to play dirty. It kept getting worse, and worse as the game went on. It was like Lindsay Lohan's past 5 years was being played out on the pitch, which meant that it was only a matter before their was a disaster and the verdict came down the dutch were crying in the courtroom.
I got to thinking how a team that played so well went so bad and I wonder if it isn't partially the fault of the ref. I know, everyone blames the ref. The ref set out at the beginning of the match to show who was in control of the game, him. He called penalties that may have been marginal in hopes that the players would adjust and play a more open honest game. How'd that work for you Howard? What ended up happening was the Spanish adapted and the Dutch got upset and instead of concentrating on the game they concentrated on the officiating. The dutch ended the match with 9 players being carded and one receiving a red card.
From our end we can relax. There are no more games to contemplate, hard decisions to be made, no more calculating who is going to miss the match because of consecutive games with yellow cards. The final numbers are in and we have a champion. There were 8 players who entered teams in the elimination round and so in that spirit we'll list the top eight.
In eighth place is "Regina Rocket" Jim Haney, a couple points ahead was Lumpy who had an impressive streak from the quarters on. Al came in tied with Lumpy at 29 points. My dad and I were unable to resolve anything in the father/son battle as we both cane in at 31 points. Steve finished in the money at 32 points, Jamie made a valiant run, and won the other father/son match up, beating Lumpy by 3 points (sorry Lump). But our Champion who had an edge on us by growing up for a time in Germany is Andrew Shareski at 38 points.
Andrew has the honor of carrying the title of...guy who won the free pool, for the next 4 years.
So until Brazil 2014, when the vuvuzela will hopefully be a distant memory, and we can join in with most fanatical of Football fans in celebrating World Cup 2014!
I got to thinking how a team that played so well went so bad and I wonder if it isn't partially the fault of the ref. I know, everyone blames the ref. The ref set out at the beginning of the match to show who was in control of the game, him. He called penalties that may have been marginal in hopes that the players would adjust and play a more open honest game. How'd that work for you Howard? What ended up happening was the Spanish adapted and the Dutch got upset and instead of concentrating on the game they concentrated on the officiating. The dutch ended the match with 9 players being carded and one receiving a red card.
From our end we can relax. There are no more games to contemplate, hard decisions to be made, no more calculating who is going to miss the match because of consecutive games with yellow cards. The final numbers are in and we have a champion. There were 8 players who entered teams in the elimination round and so in that spirit we'll list the top eight.
In eighth place is "Regina Rocket" Jim Haney, a couple points ahead was Lumpy who had an impressive streak from the quarters on. Al came in tied with Lumpy at 29 points. My dad and I were unable to resolve anything in the father/son battle as we both cane in at 31 points. Steve finished in the money at 32 points, Jamie made a valiant run, and won the other father/son match up, beating Lumpy by 3 points (sorry Lump). But our Champion who had an edge on us by growing up for a time in Germany is Andrew Shareski at 38 points.
Andrew has the honor of carrying the title of...guy who won the free pool, for the next 4 years.
So until Brazil 2014, when the vuvuzela will hopefully be a distant memory, and we can join in with most fanatical of Football fans in celebrating World Cup 2014!
Monday, July 5, 2010
0
Surprises Abound
So this weekend I was poised to move into the lead! I was sure that no one else had thought to select Brazil over the Dutch, or Argentina over Germany, or Ghana over Uruguay, or Spain over Paraguay. How wrong was I!
I didn't even watch much of the action. I caught the score early in the Brazil/Netherlands game and Brazil was up 1-0. I figured that was it. Brazil has never lost a World Cup match when leading after half. It wasn't until the next day that I found out that the Dutch had come all the way back to win the game.
I did see the second half of the Ghana/Uruguay match and the extra time and the shootout. A shootout that never should have happened. For those of you who saw it you will agree. For those of you who didn't this is what happened.
To give us a little perspective on why it was so wrong for buddy to miss that penalty let us turn to mathematics. A soccer goal is approximately 8 feet tall by 27 feet wide. Lets say on average a soccer ball is 8.65 in diameter but to make the math a little easier lets say 1 foot. Lets go a little further and say that a soccer ball is approximately 1 square foot while the goal is 216 square feet. so you would think that it would be ease to put a little ball in a big net....but wait what about the goalie? Fair enough. Let's add them into the equation. At 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide he'll take up 12 square feet. All in you still have 204 square feet to hit.
Either way, the guy missed and it set up for an exciting shoot out where the Uruguayan goalie made two fantastic saves to lead them to the victory.
So we only have 4 games to go. Tuesday 12:00 sees the first semi final with Uruguay v. Netherlands, Wednesday has the second semi with Germany facing Spain. The losers of those matches will play on Saturday while the winners close out the tournament on Sunday.
Get your picks in by lunch to ensure they count.
I didn't even watch much of the action. I caught the score early in the Brazil/Netherlands game and Brazil was up 1-0. I figured that was it. Brazil has never lost a World Cup match when leading after half. It wasn't until the next day that I found out that the Dutch had come all the way back to win the game.
I did see the second half of the Ghana/Uruguay match and the extra time and the shootout. A shootout that never should have happened. For those of you who saw it you will agree. For those of you who didn't this is what happened.
To give us a little perspective on why it was so wrong for buddy to miss that penalty let us turn to mathematics. A soccer goal is approximately 8 feet tall by 27 feet wide. Lets say on average a soccer ball is 8.65 in diameter but to make the math a little easier lets say 1 foot. Lets go a little further and say that a soccer ball is approximately 1 square foot while the goal is 216 square feet. so you would think that it would be ease to put a little ball in a big net....but wait what about the goalie? Fair enough. Let's add them into the equation. At 6 feet tall, 2 feet wide he'll take up 12 square feet. All in you still have 204 square feet to hit.
Either way, the guy missed and it set up for an exciting shoot out where the Uruguayan goalie made two fantastic saves to lead them to the victory.
So we only have 4 games to go. Tuesday 12:00 sees the first semi final with Uruguay v. Netherlands, Wednesday has the second semi with Germany facing Spain. The losers of those matches will play on Saturday while the winners close out the tournament on Sunday.
Get your picks in by lunch to ensure they count.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
0
Down to 8
The first elimination round ended yesterday afternoon with a disappointing loss by Portugal to Spain, 1-0. Yesterday also saw the first shoot-out of the tournament. After two hours of scoreless soccer the match went to penalties where Paraguay bested Japan 5-3.
There were three teams that stood out in the second round, Holland looked very much in control in their win over Slovakia, Brazil proved that they are the #1 team in the world and Germany, even after all the hype (and controversy) lay a thumping on England.
A couple of thoughts on the England Germany. I was only able to watch the first bit of the game...enough to see Germany go up 2-0. England's defense did not look good, at all. The real hot topic is the disallowed goal that wasn't really a disallowed goal. Wouldn't a goal need to be allowed in order to be disallowed? Either way, the shot that should have been a goal and tied the match going into half time, has caused an uproar in the international soccer community, and rightfully so. But there is nothing we can do about it. They aren't going to institute it for the rest of the tourney. FIFA knows that a mistake was made and that there is technology out there that could have solved the problem but they have their feet planted so deeply in the 1800's that they think that if they institute replay it would soil their squeaky clean game when in fact it would only make it better.
As for the update of our standings, we have had a split in the group. It's either a split or half of you are really good at picking who is going to lose.
Andrew continues to lead the way at 32 points, Jamie is at 31 and is on win away from claiming victory in the first Father/Son battle over Lumpy (23), Steve is 3 points behind at 28. In the second father son battle my dad is edging me 27-26 (but his luck can't hold out!). Jeff remains tied with Al at 25 points even though he hasn't picked a winner in the elimination round. Jim who mocks, is at 24 points.
The remnant of the roster rounds out as follows:
Ryan(22), Dan(21), Kent(21), Pete(21), Brock(20), Mark(19), Elaina(18).
The next matches are coming up on Friday so put your picks in.
There were three teams that stood out in the second round, Holland looked very much in control in their win over Slovakia, Brazil proved that they are the #1 team in the world and Germany, even after all the hype (and controversy) lay a thumping on England.
A couple of thoughts on the England Germany. I was only able to watch the first bit of the game...enough to see Germany go up 2-0. England's defense did not look good, at all. The real hot topic is the disallowed goal that wasn't really a disallowed goal. Wouldn't a goal need to be allowed in order to be disallowed? Either way, the shot that should have been a goal and tied the match going into half time, has caused an uproar in the international soccer community, and rightfully so. But there is nothing we can do about it. They aren't going to institute it for the rest of the tourney. FIFA knows that a mistake was made and that there is technology out there that could have solved the problem but they have their feet planted so deeply in the 1800's that they think that if they institute replay it would soil their squeaky clean game when in fact it would only make it better.
As for the update of our standings, we have had a split in the group. It's either a split or half of you are really good at picking who is going to lose.
Andrew continues to lead the way at 32 points, Jamie is at 31 and is on win away from claiming victory in the first Father/Son battle over Lumpy (23), Steve is 3 points behind at 28. In the second father son battle my dad is edging me 27-26 (but his luck can't hold out!). Jeff remains tied with Al at 25 points even though he hasn't picked a winner in the elimination round. Jim who mocks, is at 24 points.
The remnant of the roster rounds out as follows:
Ryan(22), Dan(21), Kent(21), Pete(21), Brock(20), Mark(19), Elaina(18).
The next matches are coming up on Friday so put your picks in.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
0
Last Days of the Robin
For those of you who have known me through my university days in Edmonton, you know that I worked at the dirty bird, Red Robin, while I finished off my schooling. I was a master server and could sling fries with the best of them! I was also known to step behind the swinging door and chop some veggies and whip up some world famous buzz sauce.
Shortly after moving back to Calgary and before I found meaningful employment with Rockford Developments sweeping out recently dry walled multifamily dwellings and cleaning out by hand mud filled storm drains, I was again fortunate enough to work at the Robin. I felt a little sorry to leave but when all the Red Robin establishments in Calgary closed two weeks after I left that feeling subsided.
Really that has nothing to do with today's update.
By 2:30 mountain time the round robin portion of the tournament will be done and the draw will be set for the first matches of the elimination round.
It has been a hectic week of games with 4 matches being played per day. The only bad thing about the schedule is that there are always two games being played at the same time. How do they expect me to keep track of both games. I only have two monitors and I need to at least try to be a little productive. I can only imagine what the lady across the hall thinks when she hears me cheer loudly at a scoring opportunity. Fortunately for me she usually turns her hearing aid down when she's not on the phone so I can assume that my shout resembles only a faint mouse squeak to her. That would explain why she is constantly jumping on her chair and looking under her desk.
More importantly here are the match-ups as we know them right now:
June 26
Uruguay v. South Korea
USA v. Ghana
June 27
Germany v. England (bring out the riot gear for that one)
Argentina v. Mexico
June 28
Netherlands v. Slovakia
June 29
Paraguay v Japan
It has been a hard fought battle among our ranks. Shareski (25 pts)has come out flying and hasn't looked back. Jeff and Jamie are close behind at 22pts. Jim from Regina, the city that rhymes with fun, started out a little shaky but has managed to move into the upper echelons. But he has not forgotten about the little people he left behind. He made good use of the ESPN message boards and heckled me mercilessly. Steve and Dick round out our top group with 20 points. There is a log jam at 19 points with Lumpy, Dan, Ryan, Kent and Pete. I'm one back of them at 18 and Mark and Brock are one back of me. The Godfrey's are still have hope with Al and Elaina rounding out the group.
So bye bye Round Robin! Elimination round begins Saturday. Make sure you go in and fill out your picks. For our offline friends be sure to e-mail me your picks as soon as possible.
Shortly after moving back to Calgary and before I found meaningful employment with Rockford Developments sweeping out recently dry walled multifamily dwellings and cleaning out by hand mud filled storm drains, I was again fortunate enough to work at the Robin. I felt a little sorry to leave but when all the Red Robin establishments in Calgary closed two weeks after I left that feeling subsided.
Really that has nothing to do with today's update.
By 2:30 mountain time the round robin portion of the tournament will be done and the draw will be set for the first matches of the elimination round.
It has been a hectic week of games with 4 matches being played per day. The only bad thing about the schedule is that there are always two games being played at the same time. How do they expect me to keep track of both games. I only have two monitors and I need to at least try to be a little productive. I can only imagine what the lady across the hall thinks when she hears me cheer loudly at a scoring opportunity. Fortunately for me she usually turns her hearing aid down when she's not on the phone so I can assume that my shout resembles only a faint mouse squeak to her. That would explain why she is constantly jumping on her chair and looking under her desk.
More importantly here are the match-ups as we know them right now:
June 26
Uruguay v. South Korea
USA v. Ghana
June 27
Germany v. England (bring out the riot gear for that one)
Argentina v. Mexico
June 28
Netherlands v. Slovakia
June 29
Paraguay v Japan
It has been a hard fought battle among our ranks. Shareski (25 pts)has come out flying and hasn't looked back. Jeff and Jamie are close behind at 22pts. Jim from Regina, the city that rhymes with fun, started out a little shaky but has managed to move into the upper echelons. But he has not forgotten about the little people he left behind. He made good use of the ESPN message boards and heckled me mercilessly. Steve and Dick round out our top group with 20 points. There is a log jam at 19 points with Lumpy, Dan, Ryan, Kent and Pete. I'm one back of them at 18 and Mark and Brock are one back of me. The Godfrey's are still have hope with Al and Elaina rounding out the group.
So bye bye Round Robin! Elimination round begins Saturday. Make sure you go in and fill out your picks. For our offline friends be sure to e-mail me your picks as soon as possible.
Monday, June 21, 2010
0
After Ten Days
It has been an exciting 10 days of soccer action. There have been a few big upsets and more poor showings than expected.
The biggest of upsets came from Switzerland who beat the reigning European champions, Spain. 1-0. Also being upset was Shareski favorite Germany, losing to Serbia 1-0.
As much as the losses have been shocking there have been quite a few draws that are shocking.
France and Uruguay, England and the US and Algeria, Italy and Paraguay and New Zealand. All games you would expect to be won by the bigger name squad but anything can happen in 90 plus minutes of play.
So here are the current standings as of Sunday June 20.
Andrew Aden Jamie are in the lead with 14 correct matches, Steve and Brock are right behind with 13. There is a bunch up at 12 points with Jim, Jeff, Pete, and Dick. Dan and Kent have 11 points and rounding out the group are Ryan, Mark, Al, Lumpy, Elaina and myself.
More exciting games to come over the next three weeks. We are sure to see some more upsets and at least one blow out (although none will match the 7-0 drubbing that North Korea just got from Portugal).
Keep checking back for updates throughout the week.
J.
The biggest of upsets came from Switzerland who beat the reigning European champions, Spain. 1-0. Also being upset was Shareski favorite Germany, losing to Serbia 1-0.
As much as the losses have been shocking there have been quite a few draws that are shocking.
France and Uruguay, England and the US and Algeria, Italy and Paraguay and New Zealand. All games you would expect to be won by the bigger name squad but anything can happen in 90 plus minutes of play.
So here are the current standings as of Sunday June 20.
Andrew Aden Jamie are in the lead with 14 correct matches, Steve and Brock are right behind with 13. There is a bunch up at 12 points with Jim, Jeff, Pete, and Dick. Dan and Kent have 11 points and rounding out the group are Ryan, Mark, Al, Lumpy, Elaina and myself.
More exciting games to come over the next three weeks. We are sure to see some more upsets and at least one blow out (although none will match the 7-0 drubbing that North Korea just got from Portugal).
Keep checking back for updates throughout the week.
J.
Monday, June 14, 2010
0
I'm just saying...
Anyone who is remotely a sports fan and who doesn't admit to watching a bit of soccer this past weekend is lying! My daughter who is 3 1/2 even wanted to watch soccer over her Sunday morning cartoons. Little does she know that soccer is kind of like an action packed trailer to the, A River Runs Through It . The build up is amazing full of car chases and white water rapids but when actual movie is over, you've sat through 123 minutes of fly fishing.
That's not entirely true. Take for example the first game of the tournament, South Africa vs. Mexico. Now, I had heard that Mexico was one of the more highly touted teams in this years World Cup. But how do you blow your vuvuzela for anyone other than South Africa in the tournament opener in their home town? I have to admit that I was torn. I originally chose Mexico, who I believed was the stronger team, however, I was drawn into watching the pregame festivities and felt drawn to change my pick, which I did with about 4 minutes to game time. Then I started to think about it. Was I picking with my heart or my head (not that my head would have the first clue about any of this soccer stuff)? I rushed back from grabbing my third pregame coffee and managed to change my pick back just in the nick of time.
Now, I don't really remember a whole bunch about World Cup 2006 in Germany other than Italy won and Dino was elated. The one thing I remember clearly was the repetition of the phrase, "playing a possession game". For the uninitiated it's kind of like when you were in grade three and you went out to the big field with a few of your buddies and played keep away. The thing with the big field was that the field was so big you could never get the ball away. So that's kind of what I was expecting (and strangely I was still excited) but was I ever wrong.
Both teams came out flying. Mexico dominated the play and within the first few minutes had several scoring chances. If it wasn't for the S.A. goal keeper the game would have been over after the first 10 minutes. Lucky for us who watched the game was full of action right up to the final whistle. The game ended in a draw, as many others have and will over the course of the tournament, but what a way to start off.
It sounds like I'm slamming soccer, which I'm not. I love watching the World Cup. This is going to sound cheesey but it can give us life lessons. When you're watching the next match have a look and compare it to our lives. We need to be aware of our surroundings and look for opportunities where we might be able to influence the game. We need to be cautious not to jump into a play that may be detrimental or that might lead to oportunites for our competitors. We need to trust that our teammates will be there to help us when we need it. We need to be patient, in some cases very patient. And we need to be in control, because if we're out of control some grown man close by may start flailing on the ground and crying for no good reason.
That's not entirely true. Take for example the first game of the tournament, South Africa vs. Mexico. Now, I had heard that Mexico was one of the more highly touted teams in this years World Cup. But how do you blow your vuvuzela for anyone other than South Africa in the tournament opener in their home town? I have to admit that I was torn. I originally chose Mexico, who I believed was the stronger team, however, I was drawn into watching the pregame festivities and felt drawn to change my pick, which I did with about 4 minutes to game time. Then I started to think about it. Was I picking with my heart or my head (not that my head would have the first clue about any of this soccer stuff)? I rushed back from grabbing my third pregame coffee and managed to change my pick back just in the nick of time.
Now, I don't really remember a whole bunch about World Cup 2006 in Germany other than Italy won and Dino was elated. The one thing I remember clearly was the repetition of the phrase, "playing a possession game". For the uninitiated it's kind of like when you were in grade three and you went out to the big field with a few of your buddies and played keep away. The thing with the big field was that the field was so big you could never get the ball away. So that's kind of what I was expecting (and strangely I was still excited) but was I ever wrong.
Both teams came out flying. Mexico dominated the play and within the first few minutes had several scoring chances. If it wasn't for the S.A. goal keeper the game would have been over after the first 10 minutes. Lucky for us who watched the game was full of action right up to the final whistle. The game ended in a draw, as many others have and will over the course of the tournament, but what a way to start off.
It sounds like I'm slamming soccer, which I'm not. I love watching the World Cup. This is going to sound cheesey but it can give us life lessons. When you're watching the next match have a look and compare it to our lives. We need to be aware of our surroundings and look for opportunities where we might be able to influence the game. We need to be cautious not to jump into a play that may be detrimental or that might lead to oportunites for our competitors. We need to trust that our teammates will be there to help us when we need it. We need to be patient, in some cases very patient. And we need to be in control, because if we're out of control some grown man close by may start flailing on the ground and crying for no good reason.
Friday, June 11, 2010
0
Let the games begin!
A full month of games starts this morning. Actually in about an hour and a half from now the opening ceremonies will be done and Mexico will begin to trounce on the hopes of South African soccer fans across the world. I could be wrong....but I don't really think so.
I have to admit it would be quite exciting to see South Africa come out of their group, slip past Argentina or Greece then face an ailing England squad in the quarters before having to face Brazil or Spain to reach the finals. That would be the feel good story of the year. Unfortunately I think it's a bit of a pipe dream.
I was surprised how many entries we have for this tournament. we have a grand total of 15. 13 online players and 2 offline players. with maybe one or two exceptions you have all said, "I have know clue about soccer." I definitely fall into that boat. The only soccer I watch is Saturday mornings when Morgan is running around with what seems like 500 other kids chasing a ball from field to field in the pouring rain.
So here we go. We'll claim that this is the official Canadian soccer squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Al Godfrey
Andrew Shareski
Brock Burnham
Dan Duggan
Elaina Godfrey
Jamie Lemire
Jeff Grieve
Jim Haney
John Nichols
Kent Macrae
Mark Peters
Mike Lemire
Pete Rowe
Ryan Hall
Steve Stanley
Good luck to everyone. Keep checking back for more updates and feel free to add you comments below.
j.
I have to admit it would be quite exciting to see South Africa come out of their group, slip past Argentina or Greece then face an ailing England squad in the quarters before having to face Brazil or Spain to reach the finals. That would be the feel good story of the year. Unfortunately I think it's a bit of a pipe dream.
I was surprised how many entries we have for this tournament. we have a grand total of 15. 13 online players and 2 offline players. with maybe one or two exceptions you have all said, "I have know clue about soccer." I definitely fall into that boat. The only soccer I watch is Saturday mornings when Morgan is running around with what seems like 500 other kids chasing a ball from field to field in the pouring rain.
So here we go. We'll claim that this is the official Canadian soccer squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Al Godfrey
Andrew Shareski
Brock Burnham
Dan Duggan
Elaina Godfrey
Jamie Lemire
Jeff Grieve
Jim Haney
John Nichols
Kent Macrae
Mark Peters
Mike Lemire
Pete Rowe
Ryan Hall
Steve Stanley
Good luck to everyone. Keep checking back for more updates and feel free to add you comments below.
j.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
0
Three days and counting
Only three days until Mexico and the host South Africa kick off World Cup 2010. I'm sure we've all made our picks and are ready to pull out our team scarves and rally around the tele, cheering our lads and berating the officials with all our might.
But now that you've made your picks, you've put mouse to screen and clicked the win lose or draw button...what now. You're probablly thinking, what if I chose the wrong team, what if North Korea's star striker Jong Tae Se blows a hammy and can't play the second round match against Portugal, what if Thierry Henry pulls a Zizou and gets tossed from the tourney in the first match. Not to worry.
Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament this is not a one shot deal. You have the ability to go in and make changes to your selections right up until the scheduled start time of the game. Just make the change save it and you'll be good to go.
There are 64 games to be played over the next month. I'll try to give updates every few days to keep us on track as to who is leading the charge, who is trailing off the back end, who are the tournament studs and who are the duds.
j.
But now that you've made your picks, you've put mouse to screen and clicked the win lose or draw button...what now. You're probablly thinking, what if I chose the wrong team, what if North Korea's star striker Jong Tae Se blows a hammy and can't play the second round match against Portugal, what if Thierry Henry pulls a Zizou and gets tossed from the tourney in the first match. Not to worry.
Unlike the NCAA basketball tournament this is not a one shot deal. You have the ability to go in and make changes to your selections right up until the scheduled start time of the game. Just make the change save it and you'll be good to go.
There are 64 games to be played over the next month. I'll try to give updates every few days to keep us on track as to who is leading the charge, who is trailing off the back end, who are the tournament studs and who are the duds.
j.
Monday, June 7, 2010
0
World Cup 2010 - South Africa
Just under five days remaining until kick off of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 32 Teams will be vying for the coveted FIFA World Cup Trophy .
If you have been following European Football at all over the past several weeks you already know that there have been some key injuries to some high profile players (most of which I had never heard of but they are a big deal inthe soccer world).
Spain has three members of their squad who are questionable, Fernando Torres and Xavi, and Cesc Fabregas. England, perhaps the most hyped country in World Cup History, has 13 players who have injuries. Of those 13, 3 are definitely out (Beckham, Owen, Woodgate), 3 are reasonably likely to play(Ferdinand, Zamora, and King), and the remaining 7 range from unlikely to improving.
Perhaps the most unfortunate injury, for both his Country of Ivory Coast and also for the World Cup organizers is Didier Drogba. Ivory Coast was being touted as the best chance Africa has had at getting past the Quarter Finals for the first time. Drogba is the biggest star in African Soccer and losing him for the tournament with a broken arm in a friendly against Japan is an enormous loss.
Other Key injuries to keep in mind as you are making your selection are:
Michael Essien, Ghana
Arjen Robben, Netherlands
Michael Ballack, Germany
John Mikel Obi, Nigeria
Oguchi Onyewu, USA
Kaka, Brasil
Robin Van Persie, Netherlands
William Gallas, France
Martin Skrtel, Slovakia
So there are just a few tidbits for you to ponder while you're making your picks.
If you have been following European Football at all over the past several weeks you already know that there have been some key injuries to some high profile players (most of which I had never heard of but they are a big deal inthe soccer world).
Spain has three members of their squad who are questionable, Fernando Torres and Xavi, and Cesc Fabregas. England, perhaps the most hyped country in World Cup History, has 13 players who have injuries. Of those 13, 3 are definitely out (Beckham, Owen, Woodgate), 3 are reasonably likely to play(Ferdinand, Zamora, and King), and the remaining 7 range from unlikely to improving.
Perhaps the most unfortunate injury, for both his Country of Ivory Coast and also for the World Cup organizers is Didier Drogba. Ivory Coast was being touted as the best chance Africa has had at getting past the Quarter Finals for the first time. Drogba is the biggest star in African Soccer and losing him for the tournament with a broken arm in a friendly against Japan is an enormous loss.
Other Key injuries to keep in mind as you are making your selection are:
Michael Essien, Ghana
Arjen Robben, Netherlands
Michael Ballack, Germany
John Mikel Obi, Nigeria
Oguchi Onyewu, USA
Kaka, Brasil
Robin Van Persie, Netherlands
William Gallas, France
Martin Skrtel, Slovakia
So there are just a few tidbits for you to ponder while you're making your picks.
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