Monday, December 15, 2008

What Fantasy Football Means to Me

The Fantasy Football Gods are fickle. Luck is very much a part of the game. For example, if you look at the playoff brackets in the UPL, you'll see something interesting. Of the 8 teams that made the playoffs, the 4 teams from the winner's bracket have (by a clear amount) the 4 lowest scores this week (ranging from 107.05 to 141.87). The 4 teams from the loser's bracket have scores ranging from 169.81 to 186.15. Of course, the Fantasy Football Gods are likely not in the mood to allow a repeat championship for a team that starts Tyler Thigpen and Davone Bess. Thank the Gods for that.

But more to the point of this post, fantasy football has this incredible ability to make the mundane into something spectacular.

For example, this week's Monday night matchup is a brick by most normal, sane views. Browns vs. Eagles, two teams that are rumbling about firing their coaches. These are teams that have gone through QB carousels (sort of) - the Browns due to poor play, and then two injuries, and the Eagles due to poor play and lack of knowledge regarding overtime rules.

But this game is a pivotal one in the UPL Football semifinals. Coming into Monday's game:

1 vs. 4 seed:
(4) I Giocatori - 108.43
(1) IAmJabrone - 128.08

The Jabrones are looking for their first UPL Football crown, as well as the 2nd leg of the Roland Slam. They are done for the week and have a 19.65 point edge on I Giocatori, who is the most successful UPL Football franchise, with 4 championships already. The only player left to go for I Giocatori? Brian Westbrook, star running back for the Eagles, who is "projected" by Yahoo! to have 27.41 points.

2 vs. 6 seed:
(6) O.N. Thugs - 141.87
(2) Superbowl Shuffling - 107.05

I'm looking for my 2nd UPL Football crown, after losing deep in the playoffs the last 3 seasons. I'm done for the week, and hold a 34.82 point lead. Superbowl Shuffling has one player remaining. Donovan McNabb, QB for the Eagles, who is "projected" to have 27.41 points.

There's a reasonable chance that we'll have 4 sets of eyes watching the TV with more interest than any sane person normally would.

Who am I rooting for? Kevin Kolb.

-Chairman (aka O.N. Thugs)

3 comments:

CJ said...

Hey now... dont crap on Tyler Thigpen. He did better than the following drafted idiots..
Carson Palmer
Matt Hasselbeck

Chumps in the UPL? ME.

clauff said...

Hilarious how the two teams that looked like locks for the finals decided to play for 3rd instead. If you and Mikey would have won your respective semi-final games, then we would be calling Mikey the 5-time, 5-time, 5-time, 5-time...........5-TIME, UPL Fantasy Football Champion.

But alas, the Jabrone's pull it out against all odds and secure the second leg of 3 legs of the JABRONEslam.

Now, I have to produce the real miracle. Winning basketball this year.

Unknown said...

I don't know if you'd say that we were locks. I was leery of my outcome from the get go.

Funny story - I actually set my alarm for 11:40 so that I'd wake up at the last second and make sure that Addai and Kevin Smith were playing. Saw that Addai wasn't playing, so I benched him, but couldn't find anywhere that would tell me that Kevin Smith was in for sure, so I left Cadillac Williams in (who I picked up in a panic that Saturday night). Go figure.

Of course, I didn't figure that it would matter, once I saw that McNabb had thrown 2 picks in the end zone. The problem was, I wasn't watching the game that closely, and didn't realize that it was Desean Jackson who had thrown one of the picks. So, the entire game, I was just keeping track of points in my head, and thought that I had the W (it's really hard to get over 35 points if you throw 2 picks, unless you just go crazy throwing the ball).

So when I saw later on that it wasn't McNabb w/ both picks, I wasn't really thrilled :-)