Week 10: Separation Week

So, I am changing formats this week with just two games left in our regular season. Every game this week features teams very close to each other in the standings and for anyone jockeying for playoff position, it's a critical spot. Here is a game-by-game look at what is on the line and commish selection.

#1 Keyser Soze (8-1) vs. #2 Roethlisburgh Suspense (7-2)

Barring an absolute blowout by Roethlisburgh, Keyser Soze cannot be knocked off the #1 seed this week. A win by Big Ben can force a tie going into the final week were anything can happen. If Big Ben loses, he could be in a dogfight for the second bye next week. A win by Keyser Soze and they're guaranteed the #1 seed for the playoffs.

Commish Pick: Bye weeks hurt Keyser Soze and Roethlisburgh Suspense pulls out the W to make week 11 very interesting.

#12 Cardiac Kids (1-8) vs. #11 A-Fraud (3-6)

Without a win, Cardiac Kids will be locked into the basement for the final standings.

Commish Pick: Philip Rivers on a bye, Matthew Stafford done for the season and one ugly receiving corp for A-Fraud. Cardiac Kids pick up their second win.

#3 Staven Broncos (6-3) vs. #4 Orlando Mendez-Valdez (6-3)

Only three total points separate these two in the standings. Winner can keep the dream of a bye week alive while the loser will have the likelihood of that all but diminished. Both teams are comfortably locked into the playoffs when you consider their points scored lead on the rest of the field.

Commish Pick: The Broncos are currently lacking a TE to play (while OMV has extras) and do not have much for options at the second RB. If Roddy white doesn't play, this is a no contest. Even if he does, I'll still take Orlando Mendez-Valdez.

#7 Team Parzych (4-5) vs. #9 Cincinnati Rockers (3-6)

Two teams just on the outside looking in need wins. Both probably need a win for any hope of sneaking into that top 6.

Commish Pick: Lacking Drew Brees is a big blow to the Rockers lineup. Combine that with strong matchups for Cedric Benson and Ryan Fitzpatrick... I'll take Team Parzych.

#8 Serenity Now! (3-6) vs. #10 Manny's Dreadlocks (3-6)

This one is easy... winner keeps a glimmer of hope alive, loser starts playing for a ceiling of 7th place.

Commish Pick: A hard pick for me this week, but the one-two punch of Chris Johnson and Arian Foster is just too much and Serenity Now! keeps his hopes alive.

#6 Chief Noc-A-Homa (4-5) vs. #5 Chapel Hill Rainmakers (6-3)

Chapel Hill Rainmakers can clinch their playoff birth with a win. A loss puts some pressure on for next week as clearly the low team on the 6-3 totem pole. Chief Noc-A-Homa may still be fighting for their playoff lives big time next week without a win.

Commish Pick: CNH will find some tough sledding with Hillis and Forte facing the Jets and Vikings respectively. That and Matt Ryan has to play Baltimore tonight on a short week. Matchups win out, and so does Chapel Hill Rainmakers.

Last week: 3-3

Season total: 24-12

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 9

#6 Team Parzych (4-4) vs. #8 Chief Noc-A-Homa (3-5)

This week we focus on another battle for playoff position. Team Parzych currently sits in the final playoff slot with three weeks to play and Chief Noc-A-Homa is lurking one game back.

Team Parzych has favorable matchups all over the place (Cedric Benson aside) and are highlighted by fantasy phenom Ryan Fitzpatrick hosting Chicago on the turf in Toronto. Losing only Mike Sims-Walker to the bye (but he's sucked anyway), Parzych is at nearly full strength.

Noc-A-Homa does not have the lineup fortunes that Parzych is. Randy and Santana Moss and Knowshon Moreno are all on bye. Strong matchups are there for Hillis and Forte, but I refuse to believe Roy E. Williams is anything but a terrible #1 guy and there is no second WR available at this time on the roster of CNH.

Parzych's full strength lineup may be the difference here as he looks to continue his surging second half and separate himself from the non-playoff portion of the pack.

ESPN Prediction: Chief Noc-A-Homa (-4) over Team Parzych

Commish Pick: Team Parzych should get Anquan Boldin into his lineup and flip that line. I'll take Team Parzych to win.

The Rest of the Action

#5 Orlando Mendez-Valdez (5-3) over #1 Keyser Soze (8-0)

#2 Staven Broncos (6-2) over #9 Cincinnati Rockers (2-6)

#3 Roethlisburgh Suspense (6-2) over #7 Serenity Now! (3-5)

#10 Manny's Dreadlocks (2-6) over #12 Cardiac Kids (1-7)

#4 Chapel Hill Rainmakers (6-2) over #11 A-Fraud

Last Week: 5-1 (bitches!)

Season Total: 21-9

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 8

Before I get to this week's picks... I have gone 4-2 all three weeks I've done the picks. I wish I could pick real NFL games like this... and now I've jinxed myself to a .500 or below week.

#8 Team Parzych (3-4) vs. #11 A-Fraud (2-5)

This week there is not a single game featuring two teams with winning records. Where do we turn, then, to find our game of the week? How about a pair of teams playing a de-facto playoff game. Team Parzych and A-Fraud have both been toiling at the bottom of the standings and without capitalizing on a weak opponent this week, all hope may be lost.

So I just went to look at these team's rosters... each has 4 players in their lineup that will not play because of bye or injury. A-Fraud doesn't have QB to put in. Team Parzych will have to start Chester Taylor and Leon Washington and doesn't have a tight end right now.

Screw trying to write this up. I retract my previous statement... both teams are beyond repair.

ESPN Prediction: A-Fraud (-4) over Team Parzych

Commish Pick: Assuming he picks up a QB to put in his lineup, I guess I'll take Team Parzych since he actually has a few player worthy of being in a normal lineup.

The Rest of the Action:

#1 Keyser Soze (7-0) over #9 Cincinnati Rockers (2-5)

#7 Serenity Now! (3-4) over #2 Staven Broncos (5-2)

#5 Orlando Mendez-Valdez (4-3) over #10 Manny's Dreadlocks (2-5)

#3 Roethlisburgh Suspense (5-2) over #6 Chief Noc-A-Homa (3-4)

#4 Chapel Hill Rainmakers (5-2) over #12 Cardiac Kids (1-6)

Last Week: 4-2

Season Total: 16-8

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 7

#2 Roethlisburgh Suspense (5-1) vs. #5 Staven Broncos (4-2)

Statement games (in very different ways) for both teams in the only game featuring two winning records, again. Roethlisburgh Suspense needs a win to keep pace with the thus-far untouchable Keyser Soze and assert himself as a level above the rest of the above .500 squads. A loss and he joins the mob lurking just a game back. Staven Broncos is the lowest of the 4-2 group by way of having scored the fewest points. A win and he solidifies his place with the big boys. A loss and he's suddenly just a game up on the clusterfuck* of many teams currently sitting at 2-4.

*Sidenote: Seriously??? Six teams sitting at 2-4 right now? I don't know that I've ever seen a league so bunched in mediocrity.

Injuries continue to haunt the Staven Broncos. McFadden might be back, which would be a boost over the pathetic Mike Tolbert, Gates is banged up, DeSean Jackson is out for a few weeks, Mark Clayton is on the IR and I'm not totally convinced that Clinton Portis isn't dead. Combine that with McNabb facing a stout Bears defense and MJD heading into a revived Arrowhead, off a poor game and a short week... scoring doesn't look good for the Broncs.

Roethlisburgh Suspense is trending the other direction. The squad is healthy and full of playmakers throughout the lineup. Steve Smith (NYG) remains a decent WR2 in this PPR format, Marcedes Lewis is finally living up to his early-career hype and Big Ben didn't take long to knock off the rust to the tune of 20 points last week.

Both teams are at full strength and it will take a Roethlisburgh Suspense letdown combined with herculean efforts from Roddy White, Antonio Gates and MJD, combined with an effective return for Run DMC to keep it close.

ESPN Prediction: Roethlisburgh Suspense (-34) over Staven Broncos

Commish Pick: Roethlisburgh Suspense locks it up even before Steve Smith plays on Monday night.

The Rest of the Action:

#1 Keyser Soze over #10 Manny's Dreadlocks

#3 Orlando Mendez-Valdez over #7 Serenity Now!

#4 Chapel Hill Rainmakers over #8 Cincinnati Rockers

#9 Team Parzych over #12 Cardiac Kids

#6 Chief Noc-A-Homa over #11 A-Fraud

Last Week: 4-2

Season Total: 12-6

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 6

Keyser Soze (5-0) vs. Staven Broncos (4-1)

The only game featuring two above .500 teams this week also happens to include #1 and #2 in the rankings. A win by Soze could give them a real leg up on the coveted top seed as the league passes the halfway mark. A win by the Broncos and we have the potential of five teams tied atop the standings (all other 4-1 squads play teams with losing records) and a mad dash to the finish line.

Soze is sighing relief now that it appears Aaron Rodgers will start for the Packers, even if he will miss his favorite target, Jermichael Finley, for the remainder of the year. Both lineups are pretty stacked, and the difference this week may come down to matchups where there is a large difference and will likely be the deciding factor in the matchup.

Only Donovan McNabb has a "favorable" matchup for the Broncos as the rest of the lineup faces squads in the top half of the league for fantasy points allowed at each respective position. That, along with Mike Tolbert (the only significant hole in either team's lineup) starting, means scoring will be an uphill battle for the Broncos compared to the impressive numbers they have normally been putting up.

On Soze's side of the ball, Frank Gore and Ahmad Bradshaw face the two defenses that allow the most points to runningbacks this year. And while Jermichael Finley's departure may hurt Rodgers a bit, it may cause him to rely on Greg Jennings a bit more. As long as health doesn't knock Rodgers out of this game, it should be a strong overall showing.

ESPN Prediction: Keyser Soze (-39) over Staven Broncos

Commish Pick: Keyser Soze will prevail, but in a game much closer than the 39 point projection. Look for both teams to score between 115 and 130 with the Soze RBs proving to be the difference.

The Rest of the Action:

Cardiac Kids (1-4) over Orlando Mendez-Valdez (3-2)

Manny's Dreadlocks (1-4) over A-Fraud (2-3)

Chapel Hill Rainmakers (4-1) over Serenity Now! (1-4)

Roethlisburgh Suspense (4-1) over Team Parzych (2-3)

Chief Noc-A-Homa (2-3) over Cincinnati Rockers (1-4)

Last Week: 4-2

Season Total: 8-4

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 5

Keyser Soze (4-0) vs. Chapel Hill Rainmakers (4-0)

Selecting this weeks game was pretty easy as the two remaining undefeated squads go toe to toe. The biggest difference is that Chapel Hill comes limping in with eight players showing up on their team's injury reports. That, along with some key bye weeks, it'll take a herculean effort from CHR to knock off the reigning champ. CHR still needs to find a QB with Vick out and Brady on a bye. Even if he plugs the current holes, it doesn't look good and Keyser should once again take control of the league.

ESPN Prediction: Keyser Soze (-62) over Chapel Hill Rainmakers (who currently has multiple projected zeroes in his lineup)

Commish Pick: Consistent double digit scoring across the board and a couple of big numbers propels Keyser Soze to an easy lead and the outright lead of the league.

The Rest of the Action:

Cardiac Kids (1-3) over Roethlisburgh Suspense (3-1)

Staven Broncos (3-1) over A-Fraud (2-2)

Serenity Now! (1-3) over Team Parzych (1-3)

Cincinnati Rockers (0-4) over Manny's Dreadlocks (1-3)

Orlando Mendez-Valdez (2-2) over Chief Noc-A-Homa (2-2)

Season Record: 4-2

Baseball Season (Finally) Over

Well, the long baseball season is in the books and Keyser Soze is finally on top after falling just short in 2009. With a truly dominating performance, the outcome at the top was not of much question for the final weeks of the season. The win also launched him from the bottom half if the standings to just two points out of the overall money.

Below that, however, thing tightened up significantly. Orlando Mendez-Valdez was securely in second for most of the stretch run with Team Manciero behind in third. After that, there was much jockeying throughout the ranks with final positions being decided for some teams on the final day.

At the top of that heap in the middle is Serenity Now! who helped his case in the overall standings with a huge 9 point lead and just two events left.

Delinquents... PLEASE PAY ME!!!

Fantasy Football Spotlight Game: Week 4

Just for fun, I am going to highlight the biggest game of the week moving forward if I can, give a little commentary and make a pick. Would love to see some comments on this matchup or others around the league.

Chapel Hill Rainmakers (3-0) vs. Orlando Mendez-Valdez (2-1)

As the bye weeks set in, roster depth beings to really be tested. These two teams, however, are relatively unscathed this week. OMV has no healthy players out and Chapel Hill loses only marginal players at defense and tight end. Both teams sport big-time playmakers at WR, but Chapel Hill gets a major edge at QB and RB. Eli Manning is simply not in Tom Brady's class and both face what I would consider relatively neutral matchups.

At RB, OMV has Ray Rice beat up and playing the incredibly tough Steelers defense and Brandon Jackson who hasn't shown anything. If he doesn't do it against the porous Lions defense, it is big time trouble. Shady McCoy and Ronnie Brown both threaten 20 points and it is over.

The ESPN Prediction: Chapel Hill (-7) over OMV

Commish Pick: Going into Monday Night, Tom Brady and Ronnie Brown will need to outscore Brandon Marshall by 5 points or more to seal it up, and Chapel Hill Rainmakers take care of business to stay among the unbeaten.

The Rest of the Action

Keyser Soze (3-0) over Team Parzych (1-2)

Cardiac Kids (0-3) over Cincinnati Rockers (0-3)

Roethlisburgh Suspense (3-0) over Manny's Dreadlocks (0-3)

Serenity Now! (1-2) over A-Fraud (1-2)

Staven Broncos (2-1) over Chief Noc-A-Homa (2-1)

Season Record: 0-0

***Baseball Update***

First, second and third are all locked up, but with five days remaining, there is a tight race throughout the rest of the standings. It should come down to the wire and the event will really close the gap near the top of the overall standings as Cardiac Kids will likely fall back down to the pack.

The Event Nobody Wanted To Win

Holy crap... talk about wilting under pressure. Thank to the PGA Championship, neck-and-neck leaders Keyser Soze and Cardiac Kids bombed out to 7th and 11th, respectively. Orlando Mendez-Valdez put up a final event score of 304, higher than the four-major total score of five teams.

Meanwhile, Serenity Now! was slow and steady, eventually riding Martin Kaymer's big day to the top of the PGA Majors event and the overall standings. Congratulations.

REMEMBER: NFL Fantasy Football draft is this Wednesday night and PLEASE PAY ME IF YOU HAVEN'T!!!

NFL DRAFT ORDER SET!

Alright everyone, the Fantasy Football draft is Wednesday, August 18 at 8:30 EST. I hope many of you can make it! With the help of Cardiac Kids and random.org, here is the draft order.

1. Serenity Now!

2. Orlando Mendez-Valdez

3. Roethlisburgh Womanizers

4. Team Manciero

5. Keyser Soze

6. Cardiac Kids

7. Chapel Hill Rainmakers

8. Manny's Dreadlocks

9. Cincinnati Rockers

10. A-Fraud

11. Chief Noc-A-Homa

12. Team Parzych

Please log into our site and get your team name uploaded if you have not already!!!

http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/leagueoffice?leagueId=222699

PGA Championship Draft (COMPLETE)

Here we go with the final event. A lot of people still in the running to make big moves, so draft well!

Draft Results

60. Keyser Soze - Trevor Immelman

59. Cardiac Kids - Peter Hanson

58. A-Fraud - Justin Leonard

57. Serenity Now! - Scott Verplank

56. Team Manciero - JB Holmes

55. Cincinnati Rockers - Brandt Snedeker

54. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Ricky Barnes

53. Manny's Dreadlocks - Jeff Overton

52. Team Parzych - Bo Van Pelt

51. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Ryo Ishikawa

50. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Francesco Molinari

49. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Kevin Na

48. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Bubba Watson

47. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Ryan Moore

46. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Alvaro Quiros

45. Team Parzych - Rickie Fowler

44. Manny's Dreadlocks - Hunter Mahan

43. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Nick Watney

42. Cincinnati Rockers - Kenny Perry

41. Team Manciero - Charl Schwartzel

40. Serenity Now! - Ross Fisher

39. A-Fraud - Ben Crane

38. Cardiac Kids - Miguel A. Jimenez

37. Keyser Soze - Vijay Singh

36. Keyser Soze - Adam Scott

35. Cardiac Kids - Angel Cabrera

34. A-Fraud - KJ Choi

33. Serenity Now! - Robert Karlsson

32. Team Manciero - Tim Clark

31. Cincinnati Rockers - Stewart Cink

30. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Edoardo Molinari

29. Manny's Dreadlocks - Sergio Garcia

28. Team Parzych - Louis Oosthuizen

27. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Geoff Ogilvy

26. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Lucas Glover

25. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Y.E. Yang

24. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Tim Clark

23. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Matt Kuchar

22. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Henrik Stenson

21. Team Parzych - Robert Allenby

20. Manny's Dreadlocks - Dustin Johnson

19. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Sean O'Hair

18. Cincinnati Rockers - Camilo Villegas

17. Team Manciero - Zach Johnson

16. Serenity Now! - Martin Kaymer

15. A-Fraud - Retief Goosen

14. Cardiac Kids - Anthony Kim

13. Keyser Soze - Justin Rose

12. Keyser Soze - Padraig Harrington

11. Cardiac Kids - Graeme McDowell

10. A-Fraud - Paul Casey

9. Serenity Now! - Steve Stricker

8. Team Manciero - Luke Donald

7. Cincinnati Rockers - Ian Poulter

6. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Ernie Els

5. Manny's Dreadlocks - Rory McIlroy

4. Team Parzych - Jim Furyk

3. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Mike Weir

2. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Phil Mickelson

1. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Tiger Woods

Oosthuizen!

We are at the 3/4 post of the PGA Majors event, and as usual, the British Open proved to be the most unpredictable major and caused quite some shakeups in the Heptathlon.

Both Cincinnati Rockers and Chapel Hill Rainmakers had outstanding British Open results coming in under the 40 point mark and jumping 4 spots each.

On the other side, Orlando Mendez-Valdez had a very disappointing 140 and slipped an incredible six spots from #4 to #10. And this is on the heels of leading after the Masters.

At the top, only one point separates Keyser Soze and Cardiac Kids with A-Fraud lurking in third.

Up next are the PGA Championship draft, and look for information regarding our Fantasy Football event and a draft date being revealed soon!

Viva Espana!!!

The rare eighth event of the Heptathlon is in the books. Congratulations again to Serenity Now! for taking home the win and getting the honor of being the defending World Cup champ until 2014. Below are the final results and the overall standings have been updated.

1. Serenity Now! (119)

2. Cardiac Kids (104)

3. Keyser Soze (103)

4. Orlando Mendez-Valdez (95)*

5. Manny's Dreadlocks (95)

6. A-Fraud (84)

7. Chapel Hill Rainmakers (71)

8. Team Parzych (67)

9. Team Manciero (54)

10. Chief Noc-A-Homa (53)

11. Roethlisburgh Womanizers (41)

12. Cincinnati Rockers (33)

*Won tiebreaker #1

Serenity Now! Doesn't Hate The Dutch

There are two things I can't stand in this world: People who are intolerant of other people's culture, and the Dutch.

Well, that's not what Serenity Now! thinks of the Oranje. By correctly predicting their ascent into their 3rd World Cup Final, he lapped the field and has won his first Heptathlon event. He has the distinct honor of being the World Cup defending champ for the next four years, and is making a nice push to the top of the leaderboard.

Congratulations!

The Spain/Netherlands final will still affect a few other spots in the event standings. Results will be posted after the big game.

British Open Draft (Time to Hustle)

So, I dropped the ball and didn't get this draft going soon enough. We really need to hustle through so I would really appreciate people being on top of things. If you know you won't be able to respond to an email or text promptly, you can send me a queue of a few names for me to take the best available from when your turn comes up.

IN THE EVENT THAT WE DON'T GET THIS DONE... I may have to force auto-pick the entire last round or two. That would suck in my opinion, but it would just be the best available golfer on the Official World Golf Rankings that is entered in the event.

Draft Results

60. Keyser Soze - Darren Clarke

59. Cardiac Kids - Scott Verplank

58. A-Fraud - JP Holmes

57. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Mike Weir

56. Team Manciero - Tom Watson

55. Manny's Dreadlocks - Kenny Perry

54. Serenity Now! - Ryo Ishikawa

53. Roethilsburgh Womanizers - Rhys Davies

52. Team Parzych - Ryan Moore

51. Cincinnati Rockers - Edoardo Molinari

50. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Jeff Overton

49. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Alvaro Quiros

48. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Ricky Barnes

47. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Justin Leonard

46. Cincinnati Rockers - Oliver Wilson

45. Team Parzych - Rickie Fowler

44. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Peter Hansen

43. Serenity Now! - Angel Cabrera

42. Manny's Dreadlocks - Chris Wood

41. Team Manciero - Nick Watney

40. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Ben Curtis

39. A-Fraud - Ben Crane

38. Cardiac Kids - Dustin Johnson

37. Keyser Soze - Vijay Singh

36. Keyser Soze - Adam Scott

35. Cardiac Kids - Charl Schwartzel

34. A-Fraud - Y.E. Yang

33. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Stewart Cink

32. Team Manciero - Francesco Molinari

31. Manny's Dreadlocks - Sergio Garcia

30. Serenity Now! - Robert Karlsson

29. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Miguel A. Jimenez

28. Team Parzych - Hunter Mahan

27. Cincinnati Rockers - Sean O'Hair

26. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - KJ Choi

25. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Matt Kuchar

24. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Lucas Glover

23. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Henrik Stenson

22. Cincinnati Rockers - Geoff Ogilvy

21. Team Parzych - Zach Johnson

20. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Tim Clark

19. Serenity Now! - Ross Fisher

18. Manny's Dreadlocks - Martin Kaymer

17. Team Manciero - Camilo Villegas

16. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Retief Goosen

15. A-Fraud - Robert Allenby

14. Cardiac Kids - Anthony Kim

13. Keyser Soze - Justin Rose

12. Keyser Soze -Graeme McDowell

11. Cardiac Kids - Ian Poulter

10. A-Fraud - Paul Casey

9. Orlando Mendez-Valdez - Jim Furyk

8. Team Manciero - Luke Donald

7. Manny's Dreadlocks - Padraig Harrington

6. Serenity Now! - Rory McIlroy

5. Roethlisburgh Womanizers - Ernie Els

4. Team Parzych - Steve Stricker

3. Cincinnati Rockers - Lee Westwood

2. Chapel Hill Rainmakers - Tiger Woods

1. Chief Noc-A-Homa - Phil Mickelson

Group Stage Over, Go USA!!!

So, the group stage has come and gone for the World Cup and provided some major surprises. USA won their group, Spain lost a game (and is the most selected champion in our pool) and Keyser Soze selected 13 of 16 correct teams to reach the knockout stage. Right on his heels, one point back, is Cardiac Kids, who is actually ATTENDING the World Cup this week. (I hope it is a great trip Cols).

The fact is that the score spread is small and there are tons of points left to be earned. Good luck to all and GO YANKS!!!

NBA Playoffs Complete

Another event is in the books, and we now go into a scoring lull until the World Cup finishes. Congratulations to Cincinnati Rockers who wrapped things up long ago. The win pushes him up to a tie for fourth. Cardiac Kids has retained the lead, but Orlando Mendez-Valdez is right on her heels.

For complete NBA results, please check the NBA Playoff page. U.S. Open scores will be updated this weekend. There may be a round two update before the weekend after the cut.

Viva the vuvuzelas!

The Mythical Game Seven

What a blessing for us sports fans! So often championship games and series do not live up to the hype surrounding. This has been a very interesting series even holding my attention (not much of an NBA fan at all) and I am pumped for a rare winner-take-all game seven.

How rare is a game seven in the NBA finals? In the last 30 years, there have only been four NBA championships to go seven games. Most recently, the 2005 San Antonio Spurs beat the Detroit Pistons.

I hope everyone is able to sit down and enjoy the game on Thursday. I'll be rubbing the Celtics win in Chapel Hill Rainmakers' face (not because I"m a big Celtics fan, but because I can't stand the Lakers).

NBA Playoff Bracket final standings by result

If Los Angeles Wins:

1. Cincinnati Rockers

2. Team Manciero

3. Chapel Hill Rainmakers

4. Roethlisburgh Womanizers

5. Orlando Mendez-Valdez

6. Cardiac Kids

7. Serenity Now!

8. Manny's Dreadlocks

9. Keyser Soze

10. A-Fraud

11. Team Parzych

12. Chief Noc-A-Homa

If Boston Wins:

1. Cincinnati Rockers

2. Roethlisburgh Womanizers

3. Orlando Mendez-Valdez

4. Cardiac Kids

5. Team Manciero

6. Chapel Hill Rainmakers

7. Serenity Now!

8. Manny's Dreadlocks

9. Keyser Soze

10. A-Fraud

11. Team Parzych

12. Chief Noc-A-Homa

Draftapalooza, Part Deux

The mad drafting continues. Please also remember to GET YOUR PICKS IN FOR THE WORLD CUP. The event starts in a week and a half and you must get your picks in before then.

Now, to current business. Time for the second PGA golf draft. Remember, we are drafting in reverse order of the PGA standings to date for the U.S. Open. You can find the draft order and current overall standings on the PGA page.

On The Clock: THE END

On Deck: THE END

Selections

60. Justin Leonard (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

59. Michael Sim (Team Manciero)

58. Heath Slocum (Manny's Dreadlocks)

57. Yuta Ikeda (Serenity Now!)

56. Kevin Na (A-Fraud)

55. Hiroyuki Fujita (Roethlisburgh Womanziers)

54. Louis Oosthuizen (Cardiac Kids)

53. David Duval (Keyser Soze)

52. Thongchai Jaidee (Team Parzych)

51. Peter Hanson (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

50. Scott Verplank (Cincinnati Rockers)

49. Ryo Ishikawa (Chief Noc-A-Homa)

48. Miguel Angel Jimenez (Chief Noc-A-Homa)

47. Rory Sabbatini (Cincinnati Rockers)

46. Rhys Davies (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

45. Francesco Molinari (Team Parzych)

44. Ryan Moore (Keyser Soze)

43. Graeme McDowell (Cardiac Kids)

42. Alvaro Quiros (Roethlisburgh Womanizers)

41. Ricky Barnes (A-Fraud)

40. Chad Campbell (Serenity Now!)

39. Vijay Singh (Manny's Dreadlocks)

38. Bo Van Pelt (Team Manciero)

37. Robert Karlsson (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

36. Ross Fisher (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

35. Ben Crane (Team Manciero)

34. Sergio Garcia (Manny's Dreadlocks)

33. Nick Watney (Serenity Now!)

32. K.J. Choi (A-Fraud)

31. Matt Kuchar (Roethlisburgh Womanizers)**

30. Charl Schwartzel (Cardiac Kids)

29. Sean O'Hair (Keyser Soze)

28. Tim Clark (Team Parzych)

27. Y.E. Yang (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

26. Angel Cabrera (Cincinnati Rockers)

25. Stewart Cink (Chief Noc-A-Homa)

24. Kenny Perry (Chief Noc-A-Homa)

23. Henrik Stenson (Cincinnati Rockers)

22. Geoff Ogilvy (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

21. Camilo Villegas (Team Parzych)

20. Dustin Johnson (Keyser Soze)

19. Martin Kaymer (Cardiac Kids)

18. Lucas Glover (Roethlisburgh Womanizers)

17. Adam Scott (A-Fraud)

16. Paul Casey (Serenity Now!)

15. Retief Goosen (Manny's Dreadlocks)

14. Robert Allenby (Team Manciero)

13. Mike Weir (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

12. Hunter Mahan (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

11. Luke Donald (Team Manciero)

10. Rory McIlroy (Manny's Dreadlocks)

9. Padraig Harrington (Serenity Now!)

8. Jim Furyk (A-Fraud)

7. Zach Johnson (Roethlisburgh Womanizers)*

6. Ian Poulter (Cardiac Kids)

5. Ernie Els (Keyser Soze)

4. Steve Stricker (Team Parzych)

3. Lee Westwood (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

2. Phil Mickelson (Cincinnati Rockers)

1. Tiger Woods (Chief Noc-A-Homa)

*Original selection, Anthony Kim, had thumb surgery and is not participating. Substitution pick.

**Original selection, Justin Rose, failed to qualify the day after winning the Memorial and is not participating. Substitution pick.

Danica Lets Owner Down, As Predicted

Just as I brilliantly predicted, Danica was a horrible pick where Cincinnati Rockers took her as she taken third overall and wasn't even the scoring driver for her team! (Editor's Note: Please disregard where she actually finished.)

This Memorial Day weekend event rightfully belonged to First Lieutenant Nate Browell and his Roethlisburgh Womanizers. Dario Franchitti dominated the day in Indianapolis. Although Nate has served in Iraq, he is currently in Texas thankfully serving from domestic soil. Also, he is scheduled to be promoted on Tuesday to the rank of Captain. Congratulations and thank you and all of your colleagues for protecting and serving those of us blessed by this freedom.

Overall, Colleen Conlon's Cardiac Kids have taken the early overall lead by a slim margin over Chief Noc-A-Homa with others on their heels. This picture will be changing again soon if the NBA Finals ever actually start.

NBA Playoffs: Conf. Finals

It is the Lakers and the Celtics once again in the NBA Finals and I couldn't be more... apathetic about it. With only two teams in the Heptathlon still having their NBA Champion alive, seven of the 12 spots are locked into their finishes.

Cincinnati Rockers has it all sewn up (and did after the last round) but spots two through six are still all up for grabs. With Team Manciero and Chapel Hill Rainmakers still cheering on the L.A. Lakers as their champion picks, they can shoot up as high as second and third. Roethlisburgh Womanizers, Orlando Mendez-Valdez and Cardiac Kids can all hold their ground with a Celtics win.

Check the NBA page for complete standings and be ready for the U.S. Open draft to begin in the next couple of days.

Go Bucks, Fear the Deer!

Indy 500 Draft Results

Well, that's another draft in the books. Now all that is left is sit back and enjoy the race. If something happens with your driver and they scratch before the race starts, you can drop and add from the rest of the field.

A couple quick thoughts...

Best 2nd Round Value: Ed Carpenter (Chapel Hill Rainmakers) - Carpenter has a good track record going into his 7th Indy 500. In six previous races, he's beaten his qualifying spot four times. All four of those races he finished 11th or better and has two top-tens the last two years.

Worst 1st Round Pick: Danica Patrick (Cincinnati Rockers) - The Rockers have reassembled their duo from last year that netted a third place result. This year, however, Danica has done nothing but complain about her car leading up to the race, say there isn't enough time to get things right, qualify poorly and generally be a bitch. I'm going to go ahead and say that's not a good sign... or she's just PMS-ing.

Good luck to all.

Draftapalooza, Part I

In the first of three events that are going to come up very quickly here. This week will be the Indianapolis 500 draft, followed immediately by redrafting for the U.S. Open and also the World Cup starts in a couple of weeks.

HIT UP THE WORLD CUP PAGE FOR SIGN-UP INSTRUCTIONS.

But for now, the Indy 500 draft order was randomized (thank you Random.org) and we are underway. For rules on the event, see the Indy 500 event page.

On the clock: DRAFT COMPLETE

On deck: DRAFT COMPLETE

Last Three Selections

24. Mike Conway (Serenity Now!)

23. Davey Hamilton (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

22. Mario Moraes (Roethlisburgh Womanizers)

Way Late Round 2 Recap & Congrats

Round two is in the books for the NBA (was awhile ago, I'm just slacking) and we already have a winner. With a very impressive showing early on, Cincinnati Rockers cannot be caught and will take home the NBA crown this year. A few spots are still undecided even-though brackets have been totally busted except for the Lakers. There are a few spots already locked up as no more points can be earned...

9. Keyser Soze (31)

10. A-Fraud (29)

11. Team Parzych (21)

12. Chief Noc-A-Homa (19)

Serenity Now! and Manny's Dreadlocks are 4th and 5th respectively and can earn no more points. Their final position depends on what those behind them do.

Look for more updates as the World Cup, Indy 500 and U.S. Open are all quickly approaching!

Fear the Deer, Next Year (NBA Round 1 Recap)

Round one of this year's NBA Playoffs are in the books and it is time for a Heptathlon update. Congratulations to Cincinnati Rockers as the only team to correctly predict the winner of every opening round series. That prognostication prowess has given him an early 3 point lead over the next nearest competitor, Orlando Mendez-Valdez, who only missed the Denver/Utah series.

Dallas busted the most brackets (predictably) with 10 of twelve competitors picking them to advance, five of twelve had them representing the West in the NBA final and just Chief Noc-A-Homa expecting Dirk to hoist the gold ball at the end. Team Parzych also lost his predicted champion when Denver bowed out to Utah in the first round. Not surprisingly, those two are looking up at the rest of the field in the standings.

On a personal note, it was a very disappointing loss for the Bucks. I don't claim to be a die-hard fan, but certainly support them in the league. After losing Bogut to that wicked injury, I did not expect them to win in the first round. In fact, I was ready to consider taking the series 6 games to be a victory. I am pleased with what they did, but hoped for a better fight in game 6 at home to close out the series. I am excited for the team moving forward.

One thing that kind of pissed me off was the NBA starting the second round games before the opening round was over. It both takes away from those opening game sevens (the greatest competition in all of sports) and distracts me from realizing what is actually happening in those new series. Anyone else in the same boat? Is this even new this year or just something I've been too apathetic to notice?

NBA Playoff Brackets Due

Brackets are due by 9:30 CST on Saturday, April 17!!!

This is done manually so I will be recording everyone's selections and manually tracking results. REMEMBER: You need to select the winner and how many games the series will go (all are best of 7).

If you have questions, please let me know.

Eastern Quarterfinals (5 points minus games off from actual)

(1) Cleveland v. (8) Chicago

(4) Boston v. (5) Miami

(2) Orlando v. (7) Charlotte

(3) Atlanta v. (6) Milwaukee

Western Quarterfinals (5 points minus games off from actual)

(1) LA Lakers v. (8) Oklahoma City

(4) Denver v. (5) Utah

(2) Dallas v. (7) San Antonio

(3) Phoenix v. (6) Portland

Conference Semifinals (6 points minus games off from actual)

(1/8) v. (4/5)

(2/7) v. (3/6)

Conference Finals (7 points minus games off from actual)

(1/4/5/8) v. (2/3/6/7)

NBA Championship (8 points minus games off from actual)

East Champ v. West Champ

Final Masters Results

One quarter of the way into the PGA Majors event, here is how they stand. I will leave the results up for a week or two, and then we'll start the second draft. The order will be the inverse of the standings below and will be straight snake-style (no repeating fourth round).

1. Orlando Mendez-Valdez (44)

2. Team Manciero (50)

3. Manny's Dreadlocks (52)

4. Serenity Now! (58)

5. A-Fraud (59)

6. Roethlisburgh Womanizers (69)

7. Cardiac Kids (72)

8. Keyser Soze (74)

9. Team Parzych (77)

10. Chapel Hill Rainmakers (104)

11. Cincinnati Rockers (145)

12. Chief Noc-A-Homa (153)

Masters Results (Thru Round 3)

Moving day came and went and boy did we see some movement. The tight pack at the top became a 7 person group with Orlando Mendez-Valdez taking a controlling lead to the final day. If Watney and Flesch keep up their strong play, he will be near impossible to catch.

Here are the current standings after day three. For a player-by-player breakdown, see the event page.

1. Orlando Mendez-Valdez (40)

2. A-Fraud (56)

3. Manny's Dreadlocks (59)

4. Keyser Soze (61)

5. Cardiac Kids (66)

6. Team Manciero (66)

7. Roethlisburgh Womanizers (69)

8. Serenity Now! (76)

9. Team Parzych (95)

10. Chapel Hill Rainmakers (96)

11. Cincinnati Rockers (149)

12. Chief Noc-A-Homa (152)

Heptathlon I Results

With the end of the NCAA tournament, the inaugural Fantasy Heptathlon is in the books. Congratulations to A-Fraud for becoming the first-ever champion. An overall strong performance which was highlighted by five finishes in the top four and one event win, Fantasy Baseball.

In a tight battle for fourth, Vick In A Box ends up taking the last money spot via tiebreaker over Serenity Now!. Vick In A Box closed out the year incredibly strong with two firsts and a second in the final three events

Tony is back to defend his title in the Heptathlon II. Below are the final results and total scores.

Rank Entrants Total

1 A-Fraud 57

2 Keyser Soze 56

3 Orlando Mendez-Valdez 45.5

4 Vick In A Box 43

5 Serenity Now! 43

6 Cincinnati Rockers 40

7 Chemically Enhanced 38

8 Chapel Hill Rainmakers 37

9 Cardiac Kids 36

10 Dirrty's House of Pain 28

11 Roethlisburgh Bikers 20.5

12 JetMet 18

NCAA March Madness Results

Congratulations to the Cardiac Kids for winning the first event of Heptathlon II! Colleen was the only one to earn 200 or more points in each of the first three rounds, and only one of three participants to get earn points for the Final Four.

For complete results, please see the NCAA page.

MLB Draft and PGA Rosters

After a league poll was conducted, the conclusion I expected was reached. The draft is not moving from its original time.

The draft will remain: Thursday, April 1 @ 8:15 EST.

If you can't make it, fill out pre-draft lists (you can edit an overall list and position-by-position rankings) or find someone you trust to log-in and draft for you. Sorry for the inconvenience for some, but this date was determined WELL in advance. The only person I feel any sympathy for is Peter who is going to the NIT Championship game... but that sympathy quickly fades away since HE STILL HASN'T REGISTERED!!!

Also, the golf draft is complete and teams are posted for The Masters. You can only drop a player if you have someone not participating or that pulls out of the tournament before it begins for whatever reason.

Let me know if you have questions.

Commish

Draft Reminder

A reminder to everyone... the baseball draft is THIS THURSDAY, April 1 @ 8:15 EST. The draft order will be randomly set one hour before the draft starts.

TEAM SCHAFFER, PLEASE REGISTER!

Everyone else, please name your team with your heptathlon name.

PGA Major Championships Draft (COMPLETE)

A group of participants just helped me randomize the draft order for the PGA draft. The order can be found on the event page. I will update this posting with the three most recent picks as they happen.

Some reminders...

• 12-hour pick clock (from when I post the previous pick) to make your selection by emailing/texting/messaging me. I will send you a notice you're on the clock.
• 5 round draft, top three finishers count at each event
• ***New this year: First four rounds are serpentine. Round five will follow the same order as round four.

***UPDATE*** The proposed change of format passed on a unanimous vote. This draft is now for The Masters only! No participants have chosen to alter their selection.

Last three picks (complete list found on event page)

60. Kevin Na (Chapel Hill Rainmakers)

59. Steve Flesch (Orlando Mendez-Valdez)

58. Thongchai Jaidee (Cincinnati Rockers)

Welcome!

One and all, welcome to Fantasy Heptathlon II. We return a strong field of 10 competitors from the inaugural season and two new players with high expectations. Competitor bios are on their way.

This site will the the home for all info related to the competition. Each event has its own page with relevant links, standings and rules. All manual results, transactions and draft info (such as Indy 500, NBA Playoffs and PGA) will be posted on this site as well.

We are already out of the blocks with the NCAA tournament and have much more to come! Bookmark this page and use it as our source for all things Heptathlon.

Jamie

Keyser Soze/Commish