Don't Worry Rubio Won't Be Here

I'm not worried that we won't see Ricky Rubio in a T'Wolves jersey for two years. It's probably for the better.

Let Ricky brush up on his English before he enters into the NBA media. The kid is 18. Does anyone really know how good he was going to be?

Think about the current state of the Western Conference... Los Angeles, Denver, San Antonio, New Orleans, Houston, Utah, Portland...There really isn't much room at the top right now, or in the near future. The Timberwolves don't need to pay out all sorts of money to get Ricky over to Minnesota to play in front of empty blue seats in the Target Center. The Wolves are young, they are unorganized, they are a mystery and are in no shape to try to pretend like they are a contender to make the playoffs.

Let's be happy for a second that we drafted Jonny Flynn.

Minnesota should prepare for Ricky to arrive. Build the team for him to take over. Use some money to sign some free agents. Talk to Ricky over the next two years and give him the blueprints. Let him in on what he needs to know.

Treat him like a MLB team treats their rookies. Treat it like we drafted some phenom pitcher and we are going to store him and build him up in the minors before unleashing him when his arm is just perfect. We don't need to waste a good healthy young vulnerable arm when we can simply create a better more stable arm to use over the longer term.

Ricky should be a good pro someday. But who knows, he could go down in history as the most overhyped player ever -- it's pretty likely since the Wolves drafted him.

For now, we at least can rest on the fact that we own his rights, he will have two years to get bigger, more fluent in English, better overall and more mature. We can at least scout him for the next two years and develop a team for him to lead.

Don't be worried. We are all good.

Wojnarowski: Rubio to stay in Spain for two more seasons

The Minnesota Timberwolves and the NBA will have to wait until 2011 for Ricky Rubio to leave Europe, a high-level source told Yahoo! Sports on Monday night.

Regal of Barcelona has agreed to a six-year contract with Rubio after working out a buyout package with DKV Joventut of Spain on Monday. Rubio’s contract with Barcelona doesn’t allow for an NBA buyout until after the 2010-11 season.

After weeks of haggling, Minnesota Timberwolves GM David Kahn was unable to facilitate a buyout that would’ve brought the fifth pick in the 2009 draft to the NBA this season.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=Ak.CHiWD.kX6kcRNlkz4rh05nYcB?slug=aw-rubiobarcelona&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

This Year, I'm Not Drafting RB, RB

Ok, I heard Matthew Berry say "the reason why people take running backs first is because you have to play two each week".. What? You dumb dumb. Do you even know why?! It's not because you play two -- or we'd all be drafting WR's (because we play 3).

The reason people draft running back heavy is because the top tier running backs outscore the middle tier running backs more than the other positions. Example.... since I'm not really looking up the stats... it's something like the 10th best RB score 1000, the 10th best WR scores 1000 and 10th best QB score 1000. But the 20th best RB only score 500 while the 20th best WR/QB score 750.

The value of having two of the top tier RUNNING BACKS is critical.

Or is it?

This year I'm actually going to draft for talent. I really want to get one top guy at each of the three positions, with my first three picks. I might have to take a QB first to secure that, as there are only 4-5 top QBs (IMO), compared to 12-14 WRs and 14-16 RBs this year.

I don't like RB heavy in fantasy anymore. Not with nearly every NFL team using a two-back system. And especially with the amount of unknown backs who come up out of free agency each year. I like to have one of the better QBs and a couple reliable and almost-sure thing WRs. I think that's how I'll draft.

Despite Report, No Buyout Reached for Rubio

MINNEAPOLIS (AP)—Minnesota Timberwolves president David Kahn says “no team in any league has reached a deal” on a buyout for Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio.

A Spanish media report circulated earlier Wednesday said that Regal Barcelona had reached a buyout agreement with Rubio’s team, DKV Joventut. The report said Rubio would sign a six-year deal with the team that included an affordable buyout in 2011 that would allow him to come to the NBA.

But Kahn issued a statement Wednesday afternoon saying no deal has been reached.

The Timberwolves selected Rubio with the fifth pick in the June draft. Kahn has made two trips to Spain since then to try to help Rubio negotiate a buyout and play in the NBA this season.

FF: Top 25 QB's

The other day I wrote a blog about where Brett Favre should be drafted amongst quarterbacks. Here is an updated list of QB's:


1. Tom Brady
2. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
4. Aaron Rodgers
5. Philip Rivers
6. Matt Schaub
7. Donovan McNabb
8. Tony Romo
9. Kurt Warner
10. Matt Ryan
11. Carson Palmer
12. Ben Roethlisberger
13. Eli Manning
14. Trent Edwards
15. Jay Cutler
16. Matt Hasselbeck
17. David Garrard
18. Joe Flacco
19. Matt Cassel
20. Brett Favre
21. Chad Pennington
22. Mark Sanchez
23. Kerry Collins
24. JaMarcus Russell
25. Kyle Orton

Others:

Shaun Hill, Jake Delhomme, Marc Bulger, Matthew Stafford

FF: Top 25 RB's

With Andre Johnson taking the top spot for WR's, where does Texans Running Back Steve Slaton rank on the list of Top 25 RB's:

1. AP
2. Michael Turner
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Matt Forte
5. Steve Jackson
6. LaDanian Tomlinson
7. Frank Gore
8. Brian Westbrook
9. Chris Johnson
10. DeAngelo Williams
11. Brandon Jacobs
12. Steve Slaton
13. Marion Barber
14. Clinton Portis
15. Joseph Addai
16. Larry Johnson
17. Ronnie Brown
18. Ryan Grant
19. Kevin Smith
20. Pierre Thomas
21. Willie Parker
22. Thomas Jones
23. Marshawn Lynch
24. Reggie Bush
25. Knowshown Moreno

Others:

Derrick Ward, Chris Wells, Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, Cedric Benson, Jamal Lewis, Felix Jones, Ray Rice, Tim Hightower, Laurence Maroney, Jerious Norwood

FF: Top 25 WR's

I wrote a blog about how if I couldn't get Andre Johnson I would want to draft Kevin Walter. Andre Johnson is seriously crazy talented and led the league in receptions and receiving yards last year despite missing the first game of the season. Kevin Walter has the skills of a No. 1 and will be taking advantage of playing alongside Johnson. I have Johnson No. 1 and Walter No. 25 on my top 25 list of WR's.

1. Andre Johnson
2. Larry Fitzgerald
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Reggie White
5. Randy Moss
6. Greg Jennings
7. Roddy White
8. Anquan Boldin
9. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
10. Marques Colston
11. Terrell Owens
12. Wes Welker
13. Chad Ochocinco
14. Dwayne Bowe
15. Brandon Marshall
16. Steve Smith
17. Braylon Edwards
18. Roy Williams
19. Santonio Holmes
20. Bernard Berrian
21. Lee Evans
22. Anthony Gonzalez
23. Vincent Jackson
24. Jerricho Cotchery
25. Kevin Walter

Others:

Lance Moore, Eddie Royal, Hines Ward, Ted Ginn, Santana Moss, Laveraneus Coles, Antonio Bryant, Devin Hester, Chris Henry, Torry Holt

If I can't draft Andre Johnson, I want Kevin Walter

If I for some reason can't get Andre Johnson in my fantasy drafts, I will overspend to draft Houston's number two Kevin Walter.

Andre Johnson will probably have one of those seasons. What does that mean? Well, one of those seasons that will make you think twice before grabbing him as the first receiver overall in early September of 2010.

The Texans are stacked with fantasy talent. Steve Slaton is getting drafted in the top 10. Matt Shaub is considered as one of the 2nd tier elites. Andre Johnson, like I said, is about to break into the realm of best fantasy receiver. So, what about Kevin Walter?

Kevin Walter is a stud, and the best thing about him? Nobody wants to think Kevin Walter is a stud. What do they call that? Oh yea, a sleeper. Walter is my favorite sleeper.

Andre Johnson led the league in receptions last year with 115, Kevin Walter had just 60. I think that 85 is not unreasonable with Johnson getting the majority of double teams. Andre Johnson led the league in receiving yards with 1575, Walter had 899. Johnson had 8 touchdowns, Walter had 8.

So, if I can't draft Johnson (which I intend and hope to do), I will definitely grab Walter later. And if I can't get Walter, I'll at least need Shaub.

CHESPN LEAGUE: Fantasy Football 2009

Any of you out there interested in a real, competitive fantasy football league? Let me know.

I have already set up the Yahoo Fantasy League for CHESPN.com. It is a "PLUS" league, so you get the extras for free (thanks to you knowing me).

Draft Date: Sunday September 6th
Draft Time: 2:30pm CT
Entry Fee: $50.00
Transaction Fees: $1/trade or add

Payouts will be:
30% to winner ($150.00)
25% Second ($125.00)
15% to third ($75.00)
15% to regular season champ/best record regular season ($75.00)
15% cumulative score season ($75.00).
All add/trade money will be divided up to the weekly points winners (lead the week in points, earn $, est. 80 adds = $80/16 weeks = $5.00 per week).

Hopefully you won't shy away from the $50 entry fee because as you can see, it's easy to earn your money back... or make money!

The League is on Yahoo -- message me and I'll get you the ID/Password.

Thanks,
CHE

Fantasy Football Top 100 (August 25, 2009)

TOP 100 Fantasy Football Players

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Michael Turner
3. Maurice Jones Drew
4. Matt Forte
5. Steven Jackson
6. LaDainian Tomlinson
7. Brian Westbrook
8. Frank Gore
9. DeAngelo Williams
10. Chris Johnson
11. Tom Brady
12. Brandon Jacobs
13. Drew Brees
14. Larry Fitzgerald
15. Andre Johnson
16. Marion Barber
17. Peyton Manning
18. Reggie Wayne
19. Randy Moss
20. Steve Slaton
21. Ronnie Brown
22. Calvin Johnson
23. Greg Jennings
24. Roddy White
25. Joseph Addai
26. Clinton Portis
27. Anquan Boldin
28. Pierre Thomas
29. Ryan Grant
30. Dwayne Bowe
31. Steve Smith
32. Marshawn Lynch
33. Kevin Smith
34. Terrell Owens
35. Larry Johnson
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Chad Ochocinco
38. Wes Welker
39. Marques Colston
40. Brandon Marshall
41. Tony Romo
42. Aaron Rodgers
43. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
44. Kurt Warner
45. Philip Rivers
46. Antonio Gates
47. Santonio Holmes
48. Darren McFadden
49. Knowshon Moreno
50. Lee Evans
51. Antonio Bryant
52. Roy Williams
53. Thomas Jones
54. Donovan McNabb
55. Vincent Jackson
56. Jonathan Stewart
57. Willie Parker
58. Matt Schuab
59. Matt Ryan
60. Jason Witten
61. Carson Palmer
62. Felix Jones
63. Reggie Bush
64. Trent Edwards
65. Tim Hightower
66. Jay Cutler
67. LenDale White
68. Anthony Gonzalez
69. Jerome Harrison
70. Eli Manning
71. DeSean Jackson
72. Ben Roethlisberger
73. Bernard Berrian
74. Lance Moore
75. Jerricho Cotchery
76. Matt Cassel
77. Hines Ward
78. Ray Rice
79. Joe Flacco
80. Donald Brown
81. Devin Hester
82. Derrick Ward
83. Eddie Royal
84. Ted Ginn
85. Matt Hasselbeck
86. David Garrard
87. Cedric Benson
88. Baltimore D
89. Kevin Walter
90. Laurence Maroney
91. Torry Holt
92. Chris Wells
93. Julius Jones
94. Fred Jackson
95. Dallas Clark
96. Santana Moss
97. Laveranues Coles
98. Donald Driver
99. San Diego D
100. Pittsburgh D

Others worth mentioning:

Michael Crabtree, Brett Favre, Donnie Avery, Leon Washington, Derrick Mason, Jerious Norwood, Steve Breaston, Chris Henry, Willis McGahee, Deion Branch, Chester Taylor, Ahmad Bradshaw, Fred Taylor, Kellen Winslow

Johan Santana Shut Down

Johan Santana will not be helping the Mets anymore this season. Santana's elbow pain is not something new, he's been experiencing issues since the All-Star break. The extent of Santana's injury is unknown, it could effect him all the way into next season -- an perhaps put a halt on a potential HOF career.

Go Twins.

During the '07 off-season when the Twins were debating signing Johan to an extension, I couldn't have been any more for it. I loved Johan, perhaps it's because I love the sweet sounds of the guitar played by Carlos Santana -- but ultimately it's because he was NASTY for the Twins.

I was annoyed with the Twins decision to let him go sign with New York. Much like I have been annoyed with a lot of the decisions the Twins have made over recent free agents (Torii Hunter, plenty of others).

With the most recent injury to Johan, it makes me wonder if what the Twins have going is right... If Minnesota was counting on Johan to help make a push for the Wildcard spot, where would we be now? We'd be screwed.

This injury has made me a believer in the Twins -- "let 'em go" mentality.

Beasley's controversial photo & tweets

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun-Sentinel/RealGM: "Heat forward Michael Beasley has taken down his Twitter page for the second time in less than a month. His latest account, GorillaBeas, was removed from the social networking site sometime overnight Saturday. Shortly before his account disappeared, Beasley posted a picture of his new back tattoo. It caused a stir because two plastic bags appear on the floor in the background of the shot. It's hard to make out exactly what is in the baggies, but many outlets are speculating that they contained marijuana. Beasley made a few frustrated posts prior to taking down his page: 'Y do I feel like the whole world is against me!!!!!!! Back on my FTW!!!!! I can't win for losin!!!!!!!!!!' ... 'Feelin like it's not worth livin!!!!!!! I'm done' ... 'not feelin this at all!!!!!'"


Heat forward Michael Beasley checked into a Houston rehabilitation facility over the weekend and is being treated for various issues, including depression, according to an AP source.

Beasley's admission comes after a handful of disturbing Twitter posts and photos were attributed to him on Friday.

Here's what they're saying out in the ether about the news ...

Dime has been down with Beasley since the summer before his senior year of high school, on through his pit stop at Kansas State, and through his rookie year with the Heat. All along, he's always been just a different kind of kid, whether he was being alarmingly immature or comically laid-back. And if you know his backstory, it's easy to see where some personal issues may surface.

Michael Wallace, The Miami Herald: "It's hard to know what's been racing through Beasley's mind during an offseason filled with emotional speed bumps. It's hard to know what may have driven him to the brink of substance abuse. But life came at Beasley fast this offseason. It started with the birth of his first child, daughter Mikaiya, back in May. At one moment, Beasley talked about how the birth had changed his outlook on things. I spoke to him in June about this very issue and he went as far as to say that he planned to save 75 percent of his salary to put away for his family.In the very next breath, Beasley was as defiant as ever when it came to the maturity issue. He wondered out loud why everyone expected this 20-year-old young man to act like he was 30 or, well, a mature 20. In July, there was the second snub from USA Basketball execs, who passed over Beasley as they picked out young prospects who will be in line for future Olympic squads. Almost everyone who was anyone in the draft lottery the last three or four years was invited to that Las Vegas training camp tryout. Except Michael Paul Beasley, Jr., the No. 2 overall pick in 2008. That omission sent Beasley on the rant that led to the disappearance of his first Twitter account. He posted something about being in 'kill mode' entering next season as a result of the USA tryout snub. Then came the trade rumors ..."

Dave Hyde, South Florida Sun-Sentinel: There are questions to ask: If Beasley's career is in trouble, how does the Heat recover? What does it mean for Dwyane Wade's(notes) future here? Where does this franchise then go? All summer long, as the roster stayed the same, the consolation for Heat fans was knowing Beasley should be improved in his second season. It's what everyone rooted for. Now you're rooting for something else with Beasley. You're rooting he's OK. You're rooting for a good ending to all of this, whatever it exactly is. All anyone knows for sure is the previous story of a goofy, 20-year-old kids who just needs to grow up gets told a lot differently now."

Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: "Some young American athlete once stood near something that looks like it could contain marijuana? You're kidding. Didn't we know that before we saw the photos? (Did anybody here go to college?) Beasley's Michael Phelps moment does not matter a bit to me. Except for two things: The scary things Beasley has been feeling (assuming he really is behind that shuttered Twitter account) and the serious help he has sought. Instead of learning that something goofy has happened with a young athlete and some internet technology, we are apparently learning instead that one of the NBA's better known players is having a terrible time."

Heat Daily: "It's unclear at this point how serious the problem is and what to expect. Training camp starts soon. We know Beasley has been training hard this summer to get better, but his mind is a lot more important than his physique at this point. Let's wish Beas the best in recovering and coming back stronger and happier to our team. We need him and I think the best cure will be showing himself and the whole world that he has the potential to be one of the best basketball players in the league."

FF: Where do you draft Brett Favre?

If you're from Minnesota, you are going to be drafting Brett Favre much much too early in your fantasy drafts. But who from Minnesota wouldn't? We, the state, will be drafting Brett Favre in the second or third round, heck, I wouldn't be surprised if he went in the first round of an all-Sota league. How can you blame us?

I personally won't draft Favre. Especially if the league deducts points for interceptions.

Realistically, Favre should be drafted, but should only be drafted as a back-up, in the later rounds. I just saw a tweet from Matthew Berry saying he would put Favre among QBs between 18-20. I tend to agree, giving him a slightly better ranking. Here is my breakdown of QBs as of today, the day Brett held up the purple No. 4:

1. Tom Brady
2. Drew Brees
3. Peyton Manning
4. Aaron Rodgers
5. Philip Rivers
6. Tony Romo
7. Donovan McNabb
8. Carson Palmer
9. Matt Schaub
10. Matt Ryan
11. Kurt Warner
12. Ben Roethlisberger
13. Eli Manning
14. Jay Cutler
15. Matt Cassel
16. Brett Favre
17. Trent Edwards
18. Joe Flacco
19. Matt Hasselbeck
20. David Garrard
21. Chad Pennington
22. Mark Sanchez
23. Jason Campbell
24. JaMarcus Russell
25. Kerry Collins

In a league of 10 teams, he is in the middle of the pack of back-up fantasy QBs. Brett may be able to drop passes to AP out of the backfield for easy TDs. Favre may develop a good connection with Bernard Berrian (Coles looked amazing last year in the first few games). I wouldn't be surprised if Favre has similar, if not exact, numbers as he did last season with the Jets: 3,400 yards, 22 TDs, 22 INTs.

All in all, if you're from Minnesota you are going to draft him WAAAY to high. If you're realistic (or putting up $800 just to join the league) you will chose him as a back-up in the later rounds. Minnesotans, draft with your brain not your heart.

Brett Favre Signs with Vikings

Just over two week after I wrote that we should get Vick in a Vikings uniform, we end up signing Brett Favre.

With Michael Vick signing with the Eagles last week, the Vikings choices for leader of the Purple offense narrowed. Over the weekend I was able to see a little bit of the Vikings pre-season game against Indy. Sage looked good, back-up good, not starter good. Travaris Jackson looked horrible, like back-up horrible. I got the feeling that it would be a long season.

With No. 4, things are looking up.

I imagine that the happiest Viking is running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson would have surely seen plenty of "men in the box" if Jackson or Rosenfels was about to be under center in '09. But unlike the Timberwolves, who wasted the prime of Kevin Garnett's career not focusing on building around him, the Vikings have decided to use Adrian Peterson as the centerpiece for a title run.

I almost wrote a blog a couple days ago about how we are lucky we don't have Brett coming to Minnesota. Reasons being that he is old, he's coming off shoulder surgery, he's playing more out of spite than desire and the drama, give me a break! Make up your mind already!

But there is a serious upside to having Favre in Purple. He won't miss a game. If he misses a game, it will be because his career is over. Favre will want to win, he will especially want to win against the NFC and especially especially against his former team. Favre's experience alone puts the Vikings in a better position. Without Favre the Vikings are still likely a playoff team. With him, the playoff team becomes a title contender... because once the Vikings make it to the playoffs, you can bet that Brett will be shedding a lot of wisdom and assurance to his new teammates. Plus, there is no time like the present, Favre doesn't have many chances for another ring, in fact, it's probably his last shot.

Not only does Brett bring experience, he fills one of the only needs the Vikings had: Quarterback.

Minnesota has a sick defense, one of the best in the league. Last year in a fantasy expert league I stretched and grabbed the Vikings D in round 8 or something stupid. They didn't exactly pan out like I had thought, but the defense is deep and talented, worthy of being considered one of the best in the league. The receivers aren't the leagues best, but they are efficient and productive (even when Jackson or Gus Frerrotte are chucking it). Kicking game and Special teams are solid, not sure how you judge this really, but the Vikings seem adequate. The Vikings running game? I think Minnesota is at the top of the AP rankings there. Overall, arguments can be made that Minnesota should have a Super Bowl dream.

So with Brett on board, maybe the team is finally complete. This could be the first time in over 10 years (since '98) that I think Minnesota has what it takes.

Minnesota hosts Green Bay on Monday Night Football on October 5. Brett plays against the Pack in Lambeau on November 1.

Advice for Attending a PGA Event: Stay Home!

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday leading up to a PGA Golf event are designated as practice rounds. They are usually open to the public, and are usually not heavily attended. However, 21,000 people attended Monday's practice round.

I attended today, the last day for players to practice before tomorrow's opening round.

Other than the "feeling" of being "there"...if you are considering going to the event this weekend, it might be easier to stay home and watch it on TV. Here is a rundown of my experience:

Parking. I didn't think much about parking, but right before Ryan and I took 212 to Chaska we were given advice about how to park. That advice wasn't helpful once we realized we didn't want to get towed. We opted to fork over $20 to park what we thought was close by... it was as close as possible without having a VIP pass. After walking around to the "entrance" we had already worked up a sweat, so we paid $2 for two bottles of water since it was 90 degrees out. We saw a truck with the bed full of 36 packs of plastic water bottles, the little girls selling it on the side of the road probably made $1000 easy.

Once we finally got to the gate, we needed to figure out where to go. There was a map of the course. We were trying to watch Phil's group (Mickelson was playing with our boy Dustin Johnson and Freddy Couples). They tee'd off around 10am, we got there a little after noon, so we figured they were on the back nine at that point. We headed out.

The number of people inside the gates was crazy. I turned to Ryan and asked him who was on the leaderboard, we joked that it was like there was actually a round of golf to watch or something. You'd think if they have this many people interested in the practice rounds, they might as well put them on TV.

We made our way past the putting green. Angel Cabrera had four people helping him with his putting. We saw Lucas Glover, but he didn't see us because of the brim of his hat being so low, it covered his eyes (jokes). Anthony Kim practiced chip shots on number 9. He had a pretty big following, maybe it was because of the hot blond that was walking with the group.

We made our way around the course searching for Phil and Dustin. I would compare it to a safari. Or a zoo. It was like the players were animals. Some spectators just stayed in one spot, waiting for the animals, er, players to come to them. Some spectators searched for the animals, er, players, watched them for a little bit and went on searching for the next. Some spectators follow a specific animal, er, player for their entire round.

We stopped at the Teebox of No. 16, waited for a couple groups to go through. This hole boarders the water so players (encouraged by the fans chanting "skip") were taking golf balls, teeing them up and smashing line drivers out into the lake trying to see how many times they could get the ball to "skip" across the water. This was entertaining.

Once we finally found our desired group (Lefty, Dustin and Freddy), it was nearly impossible to really get a good look at them. I would be shocked if you could get a good glimpse at Tiger on a Sunday round of a Major with all the people. We watched the pros approach the green from the fairway. They threw out a couple balls each and hit from different yardages. But to my surprise all of their shots ended up on the opposite side of the green as the actual flag. They were intentionally aiming for spots that may be hole locations throughout the weekend. Then once they got to the green, they all putted to different locations. They spent the most amount of time chipping and putting around the green.

After they went past us, we walked over to where the little kids were begging for autographs. Three or four times Phil Mickelson had to say, "I'm going to be signing after the round. I am not signing while I'm playing, after No. 18". That would suck. After every hole you have little kids holding out stuff yelling "Phil! Phil!". And after every hole he has to say the same thing. Annoying.

We decided to call it a day after Phil's group went past us. We walked the rest of the longest course in PGA history and saw only a couple more golf shots. Exhausting. Overall, I'm glad I can watch the tournament this weekend and say... "Yea, I was there" and be able to reference what holes look like live. But it was really overrated. Watching the tournament on TV is the best bet. You don't have to deal with walking, crowds, heat and you'll be able to actually watch and follow the golf tournament.

There are only three ways you can watch the event if you there in person:

1. Bounce around watching sporadically, not being able to follow anyone for more than one shot, but seeing a lot of golfers. This way doesn't allow you to follow the action, but gives you the best perspective of the PGA players. For example, you will not be able to follow a players trends or compare players with each other so well. But you will be able to see an assortment of shots. This way does require a lot of walking.

2. Stay in one spot watching groups pass through so that you can see everyone. This way only lets you see golfers doing one or two shots. You will see those same shots all day. For example, if you are on the tee box, you will see how everyone drives, but not necessarily how they chip or putt or hit out of the sand, etc. This doesn't let you move to where the action is or give you the freedom of seeing the same player take different types of shots. This way does require a lot of patience as there is downtime between groups.

3. Follow one group or your favorite player throughout their entire round. This way allows you to see a golfer perform throughout the day. But it does not let you get the same perspective of other PGA players. This also doesn't let you go to where the action is, if the group you are following is out of it, or boring, you are stuck.

I wouldn't want to go to a PGA tour event on the Sunday round. It'd be the same as wanting to attend a slalom skiing event. It's like, seeing a PGA tour event in person is about the same as seeing the X Games live. You have to stand outside, can't really see much, you are in the middle of a pack of people that is 25 deep and you are given moments of action followed by minutes of boredom. You might be able to see Tiger swing and then he's gone, just the same as seeing Shaun White stop, spray snow on you, turn his back for the results, and push off to the chairlift.

In conclusion, I am more than satisfied with watching the PGA event at home on the couch. If anyone says that they are going to be there in person, ask them which one of the three ways they'll be watching.

Fantasy Football Top 75 (August 12, 2009)

TOP 75 Fantasy Football Players

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Steven Jackson
3. Maurice Jones Drew
4. Michael Turner
5. LaDainian Tomlinson
6. Brian Westbrook
7. DeAngelo Williams
8. Frank Gore
9. Matt Forte
10. Chris Johnson
11. Marion Barber
12. Steve Slaton
13. Peyton Manning
14. Larry Fitzgerald
15. Brandon Jacobs
16. Drew Brees
17. Tom Brady
18. Andre Johnson
19. Reggie Wayne
20. Clinton Portis
21. Ronnie Brown
22. Randy Moss
23. Greg Jennings
24. Steve Smith
25. Calvin Johnson
26. Pierre Thomas
27. Roddy White
28. Kevin Smith
29. Ryan Grant
30. Dwayne Bowe
31. Joseph Addai
32. Marshawn Lynch
33. Anquan Boldin
34. Terrell Owens
35. Larry Johnson
36. Braylon Edwards
37. Chad Ochocinco
38. Wes Welker
39. Marques Colston
40. Brandon Marshall
41. Tony Romo
42. Aaron Rodgers
43. T.J. Houshmandzadeh
44. Kurt Warner
45. Philip Rivers
46. Antonio Gates
47. Antonio Bryant
48. Darren McFadden
49. Knowshon Moreno
50. Jerome Harrison
51. Jason Witten
52. Roy Williams
53. Thomas Jones
54. Donovan McNabb
55. Vincent Jackson
56. Jonathan Stewart
57. Santonio Holmes
58. Felix Jones
59. Lee Evans
60. Willie Parker
61. Carson Palmer
62. Eli Manning
63. Chris Wells
64. Trent Edwards
65. Tim Hightower
66. Jay Cutler
67. LenDale White
68. Matt Ryan
69. Matt Hasselbeck
70. Matt Schuab
71. Ray Rice
72. Ben Roethlisberger
73. Cedric Benson
74. Lance Moore
75. Anthony Gonzalez

Others worth mentioning:

Matt Cassel, Bernard Berrian, DeSean Jackson, Joe Flacco, Donald Brown, Jerricho Cotchery, Derrick Ward, Eddie Royal, Ted Ginn, Michael Crabtree, David Garrard, Laurence Maroney, Baltimore D, Kevin Walter, Hines Ward, Torry Holt

PGA Championship: Tiger or Field?

Seriously, it's 50/50 that Tiger wins the 91st PGA Championship played at Hazeltine in Chaska MN.

If Tiger doesn't win this weekends major, it will be the first time he hasn't won at least one major in a calendar year since 2004. But this year's major winners aren't exactly the biggest names in golf: Angel Cabrera, Lucas Glover and Stewart Cink.

Oddsmakers have Tiger as an odds on favorite (3/2), with 'The Field' (12/1) and Phil Mickelson (15/1) just behind him. How could you not pick Tiger? Did you see him last weekend? I mean he's coming into the event "on fire".

And Hazeltine, at a mightly 7,674 yards, will break the previous record for longest course in Major history... guess who that favors...

Prior to this week, the two longest were Torrey Pines (2008 US Open - 7,643 yards) and Medinah (2006 USPGA - 7,561 yards) and guess who won those two events? Yes, Tiger Woods.

It is hard to make a prediction on who should win, I mean Rich Beem won it last time it was here (oh, speaking of Beem, the guy is staying in the hotel across from where I work (Sofitel) with a few other golfers). Dustin Johnson could be someone to watch, the guy is good friends with my boss. He is playing a practice round with Phildo tomorrow. Johnson is a young guy, up and coming, says he is one win away from getting his Lambo. Also, Johnson claims that the biggest prick on tour is Anthony Kim -- says Kim is full of himself. Geez, Who would have thought, Tiger calls Kim the best American and Kim gets a big head about it, wonder how that happened....

Anyway...

I would seriously put money on the following:

Tiger - 3/2
Steve Stricker - 25/1 -- Average finish so far in 2009: 14th
Sergio Garcia - 30/1
Kenny Perry - 40/1 -- Perry hasn't missed a cut all season (18/18)
Adam Scott - 100/1
Justin Rose - 100/1