Archive for August, 2006
Fantasy Draft – Numero Uno
Posted by showtime in Fantasy Sports, SHOWTIME on August 31, 2006
Last night was my first of many upcoming fantasy drafts for SHOWTIME. There was actually a draft party and so the war room was in full swing, six owners there live, the other six were participating from various locations across the country. By the end of the night the room was hot and musty but when the smoke cleared, my fellow owners graded each team and gave me an A- (there were only two other owners who received and A-) and three of them have me playing in the championship game and two thought I can go all the way. We will see, there is a lot of risk to my lineup and I grabbed a couple of back-ups hoping that they will pan out at some point. This draft is always intense and I have not faired very well in the past as you do have to dig a little deeper in these 12 team leagues and I have been drafting early on. Last night I drafted 11th and it was a refreshing change of pace. Let me know what you think of my roster:
Starters: QB – Jake Delhomme, RB – Ronnie Brown, RB – Lamont Jordan, WR – Chris Chambers, WR – Reggie Wayne, TE – Heath Miller, K – Josh Brown, DEF - Colts
Reserves: QB – Byron Leftwich, RB – Kevan Barlow, RB – Correll Buckhalter, RB – Michael Turner, RB – DeAngelo Williams, WR – Reggie Brown, WR – Terry Glenn
Jeff George is back in the NFL
That is right, this is not an old post nor is Jeff joining the coaching ranks. The Raiders announced that they have signed Jeff George to play quarterback. I know that Al Davis has an infatuation with older talent and George had plenty of talent but this seems to be a bit much. George hasn’t played since 2001 when he argued with then coach Marty Schottenheimer for the Redskins and stunk up his first two games with a quarterback rating of 34.6. What is even more mysterious is that there are already three quarterbacks on the roster (Brooks, Walters, and Tuiasosopo) so it is not very clear what need he is filling.
George had this to say to the media, “I’m really excited to be back, I’m just very thankful that this organization believed in me and allowed me another opportunity, because I don’t know where I would be without them,” George said after taking part in his first practice since signing with the team. “I felt good out there. I felt like I really hadn’t missed a beat. Once you’re a part of this family, you remain a family and I have felt that even though I wasn’t here, I really felt like part of the Raider family. I knew from the get go, that if I was going to get back in the league there was only one team that I wanted to be a part of.”
“He looks good. He did a very good job of throwing the ball. He still has that zip, he still has that quick release and he was very impressive,” Raiders Head Coach Art Shell said after Monday afternoon’s practice. “He has the talent and I’m looking forward to working with him. He still has a passion to play the game.”
Sadly enough, Jeff’s passion level was probably the biggest detriment to his career. Hopefully he has learned to temper and control that passion in his older years but I still don’t see how he makes it on to the field. I hope you prove me wrong Raiders.
State of the Raider Nation / Preseason 3-0?
It has been a while since I have posted anything about the Raiders and we are now three games into the preseason so this is long overdue.
Yes, the Raiders are undefeated at 3-0 so far but as we all know, preaseason win records are meaningless (although it does feel good doesn’t it?). Even though the offensive starters looked better against the Whiners last week, they have been shaky to say the least. Let’s also not forget that they were playing against one of the worst teams in the league. I still have hope that this squad will be better than last year but I am far from making any post season type of predictions. Here are my concerns:
1. Offensive line – I was hoping that Coach Shell would have this unit in tip top form but this has not been the case. I hope they gel quickly and turn this around or it will be a long season. This leads to my next two points…
2. Quarterback play – The accuracy of Brooks is also a concern but I think the lack of protection can take part of the blame. Brooks also needs to develop better chemistry with Moss. I am not suggesting Moss be the target on the majority of the plays but so far (in limited action mind you) Brooks has only thrown his way less than 10 times this preseason. I don’t think that Walters is the answer either (at least for now) but he has shown some potential for the future.
3. Running game – How many times has Jordan been stuffed at the line so far this year? Again, part of the blame needs to be given to the Oline but I have not yet seen the energy and drive that I saw last year. Maybe he is saving up for the real season.
On the flip side, the defense has shown improvements and I think they will be better than the experts are predicting. They just need to stay away from the mental penalities and they should not be a liability this year. Also, I think it is safe to say that Sebass is back. The loss of weight combined with the competition in camp has seemed to motivate him this year. I am very excited about his performance so far. Notice how I did not list Porter as a concern. As far as I am concerned, he can remained burried on the depth chart. His selfish attitude is a perfect illustration of the recent Raider mindset and we need this squad to put the team first if they want to succeed.
There is still plenty of time to work these issues out and I still remain hopeful that they will. RAIIIIIIIDERRRRRRRS!
Bobcats Unveil New Alternate
Gone are the days of sticking with one identity for longer than 15 minutes. Don’t get me wrong, I live for new uni changes but I don’t think we will see an expansion team stick with one set of unis for years like we can see with some of the classic teams out there, for better or for worse.
Here is the story from the Bobcats website:
The Bobcats will have a new look in 2006-07, as they unveiled their new alternate team uniform on Wednesday, with blue as the predominant color and accented by the team’s other official colors of Bobcats Orange, black and silver. This uniform serves as the second road uniform, to be worn in addition to the orange away uniform the team debuted before the inaugural 2004-05 season.
“Alternate uniforms have proven to be very popular with fans across sports and we are proud to introduce our third uniform to Charlotte Bobcats fans,” Bobcats President and Chief Operating Officer Fred Whitfield said. “Bobcats Blue is one of our team colors and the new blue uniform will look sharp on our players and complement our orange and white uniforms very well.”
The Bobcats Blue road jerseys will bear the “Bobcats” wordmark across the chest, similar to the team’s white home jerseys, with white letters and numbers. The uniforms include a solid black side stripe, compared to the side panel design featured on the current white and orange uniforms. Orange is still present in the uniforms with vertical stripes flanking the black side stripes and also running along the bottom of the shorts. Silver piping separates the black stripes from the orange stripes along the sides of the uniform.
Additional features on the jersey include black stripes along the outside shoulders of the jersey and inclusion of the Bobcats’ partial logo on the back of the neck. On the shorts, the Bobcats secondary logo sits within the black side stripes on both sides.
The Bobcats worked with the NBA to design the blue uniforms, which include the signature wider opening at the jersey’s back V-neck to allow freedom of movement. Charlotte is the only NBA team to sport that unique feature. The blue jersey also mirrors the current set with angled numerals on both the front and back of the jersey and includes an insert (orange in color) at the front V-neck.
The jerseys will be on sale in mid-November in coordination with the team debuting the uniforms on Saturday, Nov. 18, when Charlotte plays at Orlando and two days later at home for the first time on Monday, Nov. 20, when Dallas visits Charlotte Bobcats Arena. A full list of retailers who will stock the blue jerseys will be announced in November. The Bobcats will wear the alternate uniform for a minimum of six games during each season and up to a maximum of 15 games.
Authentic blue jerseys are currently available exclusively as part of a special offer for Bobcats fans. New season ticket holders who sign up for two or more club seats beginning with the 2006-07 season will receive an authentic blue jersey, autographed by the player of the customer’s choosing.
“Once again, the Bobcats have developed a uniform that is unique but respects the classic basketball silhouettes that are core to the game,” said Christopher Arena, vice president of apparel licensing for the National Basketball Association, which worked together with the Charlotte Bobcats as the architects of the Bobcats identity. “Second road uniforms allow teams to extend their identity and connect to the fans in an authentic manner. The Bobcats second road uniform, while utilizing many of the core elements of the team’s identity, features the Bobcats Blue with black inserts and integrates their signature orange in a bold, unique way.”
In contrast to the team’s current uniforms, the principal uniform fabric on the blue uniforms is adidas clima-cool diamond back mesh which permits air flow to keep the players cooler. The side panels are adidas clima-cool shimmer, which wicks moisture away from the skin to the outside of the fabric where it quickly evaporates.
America Steps Up!
I’m not exactly sure what it says about our country when Step Up can outperform World Trade Center at the box office. Say what you want about it being far too soon for a movie about 9-11, and I would be inclined to agree with you, but still…IT’S FREAKING STEP UP!!! I fear for the world…
Does size matter?
Posted by showtime in SEVEN, Video Games on August 15, 2006
Ah yes the age old question. That is if you are asking if size matters when you are considering your new purchase of a next gen system this fall. If size is important to you then might I suggest taking a look at the acompanying picture:
My goodness the Wii is so small you almost don’t even see the side picture of it there between the behemoth PS3 and OG XBOX.
Jordan XXII
This news is a week or two old but I felt like it needed to be shared. Not enough folks out there visit Nike Talk, what can I say? So behold, the first clear image of the Jordan XXII:
Thanks goes out to the folks on NikeTalk for the info and aznnoodleboi from ISS
It’s Real-Wii Cheap!
Posted by showtime in SEVEN, Video Games on August 15, 2006
Another in a long line of Wii rumors came out today that puts the price of the upcoming Nintendo WII at less then $200. Nikko Citigroup in Japan is reporting a price of 19,800 yen. For those of you who can’t convert yen to dollars (I am one of you) that puts the price at roughly $170.
The interesting thing is that this really isn’t a rumor, its being reported as fact by Nikko Citigroup in Japan. So either they have gotten some bad info or you just might be able to pick up 3 and a half Wii’s for the price of one PS3.
M.Y.O.M. (make your own madden)
Posted by showtime in SEVEN, Video Games on August 15, 2006
I was just carousing through my usual internet sites today when I came upon a nifty article on Joystiq.com (the blog for games donchya know!) where Gamestop is offering up free downloads of cover mock ups for your favorite team. Now i’m not sure who out there would actually print out this cover of a badly drawn helmet and swap it out for the real deal once you get the game but who knows. Check it out at the link.
Here we go again…
Well another month of silence goes by and Droppin.com seems to be dead once again. But just like the proverbial Phoenix we are here to rise from the ashes once again with a new design incorporating a full fledged blog for your reading pleasure. Sure it may look different but never fear fatefull reader, the more things change the more they stay the same. I’m still here, I think Showtime is still here, and just like that annoying neighbor neighbor Droppin.com will always be here! So stay tuned…
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