Would you believe...

...that Sean Estes and Juan Encarnacion are bailing my ass out in a big way right now in fantasy baseball? And given that, would you believe that I'm not in last place? With Scott Rolen on the DL right now, the cupboard is pretty bare when it comes to offensive production and the consistent effort from Encarnacion has been a huge boon. At least with the ol' pitching staff, I still have my boy Jake Peavy to carry the burden while Ben Sheets is down. That kid is just so frickin filthy. Still hasn't lost this year...let's see if he makes it to 3 losses all season. Still though, without solid efforts from guys like Estes and Victor Santos, I'd only have that one, or once in a while, two good starts from Peavy a week. And is there a more consistently underrated player, fantasy or otherwise, than Bobby Abreu? All this guy does is produce in every important category - runs, homers, rbi's, average and steals. You'd think that since there are about 5 guys left in baseball that are still allowed to steal bases, Abreu would get some more dap. I know I'd kill to have him on my team. (side note: has anyone ever gotten a high pick in a fantasy draft? who do you have to pay to get one?)


Other ramblings:

-What the hell is this garbage about NASCAR and some "all-star" race? Are you f'in serious? Shut the hell up and realize that your sport can't have a fucking all-star event. IT'S STILL THE SAME FUCKING DRIVERS. It's not as if only the best drivers get in, or one guy from Roush, Penske, DEI or whoever else gets picked. Guess who came in third in the damn thing. Yeah, you called it, NASCAR all-star Brian Vickers. Who? Exactly. And don't fucking act like you're hot shit and compare your all-star race thingy that the racers give a rats ass about to the ones no one cares about in real sports (y'know, that require athleticism and/or more than the ability to turn left), because you simply can't. Put some sort of fucking limit on who gets to race (qualifying? well gee, that's not at all like what you have to do for every other fucking race is it?), and then come talk.


-I can't believe I have to write an extended rant about Ricky fucking Williams. Wasn't this bullshit over with? He wants to come back...and Saban is going to fucking let him? Come the fuck on. This guy betrays all his teammates and you want to let him back into that locker room? You think they aren't going to let him get wrecked if he actually gets back on the field? This stunt better be a big act to up his trade value, because Ricky in Miami just is NOT going to work. Oh, and did I mention he currently weighs in at a buck 95? Good luck taking a pounding without any beef on you, dipshit.


-Lastly, color me hoping that the handful of moderate Republican senators (Collins, Snowe, Specter, Chafee, McCain, Hag...err...sellout, DeWine, Murkowski and co.) realize that this judicial filibuster nonsense is nothing more than a shortsighted partisan powerplay and has nothing to do with principle. These far right whackjobs led by BillJames FristDobson are unequivocal hypocrites on this one, and I sure hope the handful of Republicans still in full or partial possession of their brains/souls have the balls enough to call them on it.

Oh and lest I forget...

..."fuck you's" to a couple of icky Ricky's - Santorum and Williams.

Reggie Miller calls it a career...

Wow. I can't believe I just saw Reggie Miller play his last game; I don't imagine it'll set in until sometime next season. And what a tough way to go out, lights out all game - 27 points, 4 threes - and he gets a 3 that would've put the Pacers back in the game blocked by Ben Wallace with about 30 seconds left. Not only was Reggie probably the best pure shooter in NBA history, but he was a tenacious defender, a hard worker and an all-around class act. Not to mention the huge number of clutch shots that left everyone this side of Rob Horry amazed. I think the greatest Miller Time moment had to be the '95 Eastern Conference Semis when Reggie scored 8 points in the final 8.9 seconds, leading the Pacers from behind to a stunning comeback victory. That sequence of the first 3, the steal, and then the second 3 left me in awe. Even Larry Bird's steal of Isiah Thomas' inbound and the subsequent dish to Dennis Johnson for the win pales in comparison to this one.

For me, Miller's retirement signifies an end of an era. Reggie, moreso than anyone except maybe Michael Jordan, represents the NBA of my youth. When I think of basketball from that time period, I think of the high class ambassadors the game had - Reggie, David Robinson, John Stockton, et al. With Reggie gone, the NBA is left to classless clowns like Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Carmelo Anthony. All too frequently are players putting their personal agendas before their teams', and are often still lauded in the face of these transgressions. Iverson thinks he's too good for practice, yet gets praised for his heart. Carter gets hurt every five minutes and even when he does play, admits that it often isn't his best effort, and is still voted a starter to the All-Star game year in and year out. Never would you see such nonsense from guys like Miller, Robinson and Stockton. That is not to say that this crop of players is all bad - the fact that a high-class, old school type player like Steve Nash was voted this year's MVP says as much. But I digress. This is about Reggie and how much he meant to the game. 18 years, 1,389 games played (6th all-time), .887 free throw percentage (7th), 25,279 points (12th), 2,650 (1st), and all as a member of the Indiana Pacers and all as a model citizen. In a time where aging superstars change teams as often as they change their shorts, looking for one last hurrah or one final shot at the title, Reggie Miller may very well be the last of a dying breed. Here's to you #31.

"The character of a man is to establish something where no one else has ever done before." - Reggie Miller

Hey yo...

(that was me channelling my best Scott Hall voice)


No seriously though. Hey. I promise that will be the first and last time I make reference to Scott Hall, Razor Ramon or anything else pro wrestling-related on this blog. So alcoholic ex-wrestlers aside, what will I discuss on here? Pretty much anything that pisses me off - not limited to, but most likely to be sports or politics related. Be warned: I have never, nor do I ever intend to be, wrong about anything. Period. Disagree at your own peril.