What’s wrong with the Giants

What’s wrong with the Giants?

By Dr. Bill Chachkes-Managing Partner/Executive Editor-Football Reporters Online.
Photo Credits: NY Giants Helmet from Wikimedia Commons
Kevin Boss vs. Tampa By Tomasso DeRosa

Because there is something wrong at the Timex performance center, but It’s not something that people should be surprised about. The Giants have some key Injuries most notably on the defense, that are keeping them form gaining the upper hand and beating the teams they play.

Why, you ask? They should be 8-0 or 7-1? I think some people have really missed the boat here. I had said over the summer that the Giants were poised to make another strong run this year. Then I saw three of the 4 pre-season games, and the way they played in the first two regular season games, even though they were wins. There are just too many key injuries on defense, especially in the secondary with the extended absences of Kenny Phillips and Aaron Ross. In the linebacking corps, Aaron Pierce is playing hurt and Michael Boley is out as well as defensive tackle Chris Canty who has a calf injury.

Not that the offense is without It’s share of the injury bug. First, rookie first round draft choice Hakeem Nicks sprains an ankle, then left tackle Kareem MacKenzie gets injured, plus running back Ahmad Bradshaw has developed a “nagging” ankle injury, and now Mario Manningham, the second year receiver who was finally “breaking out” is injured as well (shoulder). Plus Sinorice Moss has a foot injury and Dominik Hixon has a hip pointer. So you see where I’m going with this right?

More importantly, this week against the Eagles was the first time there were real breakdowns in all 3 phases of the game. Eli Manning contributed two picks, which led directly to Eagles TD’s, The defense tackled like a bunch of 4th graders, and the special teams has their first bad game of the season as well. Big Blue has been a big bust so far. Last year they gave up the ball a total of 13 times with just three fumbles. This year it’s already up to 15 turnovers with 9 fumbles already.

The Giants receivers are down to Hakeem Nicks, Derek Hagan, Steve Smith, Hixon if his hip pointer is better by the end of the week, and Ramses Barden who has yet to be given a chance to play except for two games where he was active and played special teams. Not to mention that the players on both lines are getting banged up with each game. Nicks had his first career start as a Giant, and caught 4 passes for 53 yards, including the Giants best effort of the game, a 35 yard catch.

It doesn’t matter how good a coaching staff you have, or how much talent your team has, when the Injury bug bites (like the flu), all you can do is take your medication and wait for it to heal. The big question now is do the Giants have to time to wait for every player who is hurt to get healthy again? I doubt it and you shouldn’t count on it either.

The Giants won their first five games on the backs of weaker opponents. Now that their own weaknesses due to injuries have been exposed, first by New Orleans, then Arizona, and now the Eagles who aren’t really that good, The Giants are living proof that It doesn’t matter how good you are in the NFL, It matters how healthy you are over the course of a sixteen game seventeen week season.

The players are still quite confidant in themselves and their coaches, which is a good thing, but that doesn’t matter all that much in the total picture.

What matters now is weather or not the Giants, just two years removed from an incredible post season run to a super bowl XLII win, can even make the post season, much less win the NFC Eastern Division again.

Earners and Bums (Studs & Duds) For week 8

Earners and Bums From week 8

(Studs & Duds) By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online



Once again “The Collector” is back this week to let all of you fantasy owners know about those not-so-highly known fantasy gems that continue to score big points. While these diamonds in the rough make noise, we also have some of your weekly Studs that looking more like Duds.

When you need a big week, sometimes you can count on your regular sources of scratch to pay-off, “The Collector” will tell you who is dropping the most coin and who you should maybe just drop.

Here were the Studs (Earners) and Duds (bums) for Week 8;

The Earners (Studs)
(Min 15 fantasy points)

Another week of what could have been and maybe what should be (for next week). Here are this past weekend’s top fantasy point getters and those players that maybe need another bye week or just a good-bye.

Is it really that much of a surprise to everyone to see the 40-year old kid still playing at the highest level. The Vikings quarterback Brett Favre was one of week eight’s biggest “earners” torching the Packer’s secondary on Sunday for the second time in the past five weeks. Favre completed 17 of 28 passes for 244 yards and threw four touchdowns on the afternoon. (33 fantasy points)

When one player is dropping all of the loot, sometimes you have to make a change which is what the Texans did on Sunday. With running back Steve Slaton (7 fumbles in 2009) fumbling away the game, the Texans turned to running back Ryan Moats. The backup runner was brilliant cashing in big with 126 yards on the ground and three touchdowns. (32 fantasy points)

The Jet’s rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez did his best impression of a green scoring machine on Sunday. Sanchez completed 20 of 35 passes for 265 yards passing and three touchdowns (including one rushing). (28 fantasy points)

If Tony Romo isn’t your weekly starting quarterback you could missing out on some serious coin. The Cowboys quarterback knows green, especially the kind you find in the end-zone. Romo passed his way to 256 yards on Sunday and threw three touchdowns. (27 fantasy points)

The Saints have their own two-headed monster in the backfield that they can now boast and on Monday night, one of them got loose. Running back Pierre Thomas was cash money rushing for 91 yards and scoring twice; one rushing and one receiving. (21 fantasy points)

The Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck did his best on Sunday to earn his keep for every fantasy lineup he was Sunday. Hasselbeck completed 22 of 39 passes for 249 yards and threw two touchdowns. (21 fantasy points)

The Panthers used their two headed rushing attack out of the backfield to ground the Cardinals. Running back number two, Jonathan Stewart was a Sunday cash cow hitting paydirt twice and rambling his way to 87 yards on 17 carries. (20 fantasy points)

The Eagles rookie running back LeSean McCoy made the most of his opportunity with a rare start. The rookie feasted on the spotlight gaining 82 yards on the ground including a dynamite 66-yard scamper to pay-dirt. (15 fantasy points)

Players not quite earning their way to this honor roll, but drawing some attention include;

TE-Spencer Havner……….(21-yards, 2-touchdowns)
WR-Percy Harvin………….(86-yards, 1-touchdown)
RB-Justin Fargas…………..(79-yards, 1-touchdown)
TE-Dustin Keller……………(76-yards, 1-touchdown)
FB-Leonard Weaver……….(75-yards, 1-touchdown)
WR-Braylon Edwards…….(74-yards, 1-touchdown)
TE-Kevin Boss……………….(70-yards, 1-touchdown)



The Bums (Duds)
(Less than 5 fantasy points)

And of course where you find the “haves” you will find the “have-nots.” Here are your week 8 fantasy studs that left their “A” game for another day and brought their “D” for “Dud” game instead.

There is word that Trent Edwards could return to the lineup; after Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 117 yard passing day with two interceptions and no touchdowns, the sooner the better. (zero fantasy points).

After scoring in three straight games, the Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown only totaled 29 yards on Sunday. That won’t pay the rent. (two fantasy points)

The Jet’s rookie running back Shonn Greene goes from the penthouse one week, to the outhouse the next. Greene rushed for only 18 yards on eight carries with a fumble. (minus one fantasy point)

The Jaguar’s top receiver Mike Sims-Walker scored twice in their first meeting, but on Sunday he was a huge disappointment against the Titans. Sims-Walker finished with just nine receiving yards. (zero fantasy points)

There was no bigger disappointment on Sunday than the one for all of the Steve Slaton fantasy owners. Slaton was expected to be a player this season, but on Sunday he hardly played after a costly fumble (his seventh this season). Slaton finished the day with 11 total yards. (minus one fantasy point)

Fantasy owners that are waiting on wide receiver Eddie Royal to get going in 2009 are only becoming more frustrated. The Broncos speedy wideout finished Sunday with just 10 receiving yards. (one fantasy point)

For all the money the team paid to wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh, they are just not seeing any returns this season; 24 receiving yards on Sunday. (two fantasy points)

The Bronco’s wide receiver Brandon Marshall may be saying all the right things now off the field, but he’s still yet to do all the big things he did a season ago; 24 receiving yards on Sunday. (two fantasy points)

The Rams second year receiver Donnie Avery is just not having that breakout season some fantasy owners had hoped he would have; 15 receiving yards on Sunday. (one fantasy points)

Injuries played a huge part in putting these two duds on our list this week; Anquan Boldin caught just three passes for 23 yards and Owen Daniels had just one catch for 22 yards.

WEEK 9 FANTASY SLEEPER

WEEK 9 FANTASY SLEEPER-By William Queen for Football Reporters Online
 
A diamond in the rough; Seattle Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson serves as this week’s fantasy sleeper.
 
Nate Burleson is an experienced 7-year receiver out of Nevada-Reno College that is often overlooked when teams study the Seahawks. He never makes the headlines and he never makes the highlight film, but he always makes sure-handed plays.
 
Burleson has put up above average numbers, racking up 38 receptions for 487 yards and 3 touchdowns this season. But two things that stick out to me are that 24 of his 38 receptions come at home, as they are playing at home this Sunday, and that they are playing a bad defense in the Detroit Lions.
 
The Lions have allowed the second most points per game on defense and have given the opposing quarterback the highest average passer rating in the NFL at 108.97. This showing me that Burleson shouldn’t have any trouble getting the ball this Sunday.
 
Coming into this game, Burleson has an average of 8.4 fantasy points per game, including a 21-point performance on the Jaguars. So there’s no question that he can rack up the points, it’s just a matter of if he can take advantage a gaping opportunity in the Lions defense.

Seven & Out – Week #8

Seven & Out – Week #8
By Michael – Louis Ingram, Associate Editor/Director of Scouting-Football Reporters Online/Black Athlete.com contributing Writer

 
 
PHILADELPHIA (FRO/BASN) Eight is never enough when it comes to the National Football League. It’s time once again to peruse the scandal sheets of statistics and present our take on the week’s activities.
Alright, new shooter comin’ out…
  
·    Miami’s TED GINN had kick-return touchdowns of 101 and 100 yards in the third quarter of the Dolphins’ 30-25 win over the New York Jets.  Ginn is the first player in NFL history with two touchdowns of 100 yards in the same game and is the eighth player in NFL history with two kick-return touchdowns in a game.  Ginn also became the first player to record two KR-TDs in the same quarter since Green Bay’s TRAVIS WILLIAMS in 1967.
 
(Anytime you can get Travis “Roadrunner” Williams, in the mix, I can’t argue with that. Rex Ryan needs to shut the fuck up and remember that offense, defense and special teams get the job done; especially after you got house-called twice for triple-digit yard scores!  Let’s also give Ginn credit for not sulking after losing his starting spot at wide receiver; a great example of a player knowing he has to “ante up” and come through for his teammates…)
 
 
·     In Tennessee’s 30-13 win over Jacksonville, Titans running back CHRIS JOHNSON rushed for touchdowns of 52 and 89 yards (228 rushing yards total) and Jaguars running back MAURICE JONES-DREW rushed for touchdowns of 80 and 79 yards (177 rushing yards total).  The game was the first in NFL history with four rushing touchdowns of at least 50 yards.
 
 
(While I am happy for Johnson & Jones-Drew, the league wasn’t going to go out of its way to showcase a duel between two Black QBs – unless it would be to point out their flaws. Vince Young is now 19-11 as a starter, but the mainstream media and the muthafuckin’ Mouse wants to pretend he never won a fucking game. If somehow Young goes say, 7-2 the rest of the way as a starter, what does that say to Titans’ fans and season ticket holders? It says, “you wuz robbed!”)  
 
 
·     Indianapolis quarterback PEYTON MANNING completed 31 of 48 passes for 347 yards in the Colts’ 18-14 win over San Francisco.  Manning, who now has 4,026 completions in his career, reached the 4,000-completion mark in his 183rd career game, the fastest in NFL history.  Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback DAN MARINO reached 4,000 completions in 193 games.  Manning is one of only four players in NFL history to record 4,000 completions, joining current Vikings quarterback BRETT FAVRE (5,894) and Hall of Famers Marino (4,967) and JOHN ELWAY (4,123). 
 
(Of all the reasons to like Peyton Manning, the one I appreciate most is that he is a throwback to the way the position was meant to be played. Manning is the best in the game today because he doesn’t play for fantasy geeks, and he doesn’t “manage” a game. You would think in an era where successful trends are supposedly copied, teams would want to emulate Manning’s approach and endeavor to have their QBs push to be students of the game, instead of button-pushing fantasy farts…)
 
 
·     Philadelphia wide receiver DE SEAN JACKSON had a 54-yard touchdown reception in the Eagles’ 40-17 win over the New York Giants.  Jackson became just the second player in NFL history with six touchdowns (four receiving, one rushing, one punt return) of at least 50 yards in his team’s first seven games of a season. 
 
(Well, we had this talk last week! The kid can ball…)
 
 
Jackson joins Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver ELROY (CRAZYLEGS) HIRSCH, who had six touchdowns of at least 50 yards in 1951 with the Los Angeles Rams, as the only players to accomplish the feat.
 
(Actually, Mr. Jackson reminds me of another former Philadelphia Eagle receiver, Harold Jackson {who you could make a valid Hall of Fame argument for} good hands, better technique – and great speed.)
 
 
·     San Diego running back LA DAINIAN TOMLINSON rushed for 56 yards in the Chargers’ 24-16 win against Oakland.  Tomlinson, who now has 12,027 rushing yards in his career, reached the 12,000-yard mark in his 132nd game, the fourth-fastest in NFL history behind Pro Football Hall of Famers JIM BROWN (115 games), ERIC DICKERSON (118) and BARRY SANDERS (125).  The NFL’s all-time leading rusher, EMMITT SMITH, accomplished the feat in 133 games and Hall of Famer WALTER PAYTON reached 12,000 yards in his 134th game.
 
(When you think of how much bullshit and disrespect Tomlinson has endured by A.J. Smith and the Chargers’ hierarchy, you have to wonder why he re-signed with them. The fourth fastest ever to 12,000 yards – and his punk-ass GM has the nerve to imply he’s soft.)  
 
 
·     Minnesota quarterback BRETT FAVRE passed for four touchdown passes in the Vikings’ 38-26 win over Green Bay.  Favre threw at least four touchdown passes in a game for the 21st time in his career and tied Pro Football Hall of Famer DAN MARINO for the most such games in NFL history.
 
(As in the last Minny/GB matchup, Favre had a clean jersey, and it was target practice all day against the Packers’ secondary…)   
 
Favre returned to Lambeau Field for the first time as a visiting player.  During his 16-year career in Green Bay, Favre won 89 games at Lambeau.  Favre is the first player since 1970 to win 90 games at a stadium as both a home and visiting player.  Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback JOHN ELWAY won 95 games at Mile High Stadium – all as a Bronco – and is the only other quarterback since 1970 to win at least 90 games at one NFL venue.
 
(All that’s well and good – it’s that neutral site game in Florida that better be won if they wish to further embellish on the Legend of Favre...)
 
 
·     Indianapolis rookie head coach JIM CALDWELL improved to 7-0 with an 18-14 win over San Francisco.  Caldwell joined POTSY CLARK of the 1931 Portsmouth Spartans (8-0) as the only rookie head coaches in the past 80 years to start the season 7-0.
 
(Well, talk about happy days, why don’t you? Sounds like Caldwell knows the dice are coming his way! Obviously, the mainstream muckrakers won’t speak well of Caldwell until Indianapolis is the last team standing {undefeated, that is} or Ralph Mouth, Richie Cunningham and the Fonz become beat writers for the Colts!)
 
As always, gang – once the point is established, if you throw a seven – you crap out!
 
 
mike@footballreportersonline.com
 
   

What to make of Week 8-Fantasy Football Talk

What to make of Week 8
Fantasy Talk- By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online

Chambers out, but not closed….
The Chargers released the veteran receiver, but it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise. Though Chambers is a talented receiver in his own right, Rivers likes to go vertical and loves to throw to his bigger receivers. With Chambers standing at all but 5’11” he was dwarfed by his receiving corps teammates. Buried on the depth-chart behind a pair of 6’5” wideouts, his release may have come at a good time. Just barely out on the open market Chambers has already been grabbed and could looking to reignite his fantasy value in a Chiefs uniform. Stay tuned for this one.

Rice is the man in Baltimore…
There is no longer any debate, discussion over. While many teams in the NFL embrace the running back by committee formula, the Ravens no longer appear to be a believer in that theory. Over the past several weeks there were tell-tale signs indicating that second year back Ray Rice was the featured ball carrier, but his 28 touches on Sunday against the Broncos proved his case without a shadow of a doubt. In his two previous starts Rice had his number called 21 and 22 times, but on Sunday he finished with 28 touches (23 carries, 5 receptions). As far as fantasy goes, his 874 total yards and five touchdowns also put him in rare company this season.

Miles Austin has arrived….
In case you haven’t been noticing the playmaking receiver in Dallas these days is not Roy E. Williams, not Terrell Owens, and not even tight end Jason Witten. From out of nowhere 4th year receiver Miles Austin has arrived under the big top in Big-D to lead the Cowboys aerial attack. Austin has caught 21 balls for 482 yards and five touchdowns in his last three games. Now implanted as one of the starting wideouts in Dallas fantasy owners can make ready for a big second half from a receiver who had only caught 18 passes in 37 career games prior to the start of the 2009 season.


Looking under the microscope

While there was so much debate in the offseason surrounding the Cutler trade to Chicago, the biggest question had to be who would Jay throw to. After looking over the past eight weeks of football it becomes clear; it’s not a former teammate, a surprise rookie, or a projected all-pro potential tight end. Over the past three weeks wide receiver Devin Hester appears to be blossoming into the role quite comfortably. Both he and his quarterback seem to be developing a very good chemistry with Cutler looking his way 27 times over the past three weeks. In the same span Hester has caught 21 of those balls for 265 yards and one touchdown. The 4th year receiver from the University of Miami still has some work to do with his route running, but there now seems to be little doubt about who Cutler will be throwing to these days.


More fantasy Notes

One of the biggest notes from this past weekend had to be the emergence of running back Ryan Moats in Houston. With starting running back Steve Slaton handing the ball away like a concert flyer (has fumbled seven times this season), the door has been swung wide open for Moats. On Sunday he seized the day rushing for 126 yards and scoring three times. His performance was so strong the question is raised “should Moats start?”

While some fantasy owners may have run out of patience, those that stayed the course with Bears running back Matt Forte reaped big rewards on Sunday. In Forte’s two previous starts he had totaled just 109 yards with zero scores. Sunday was a different story for the Bear’s back as he carried the ball 26 times, caught a couple of balls, totaled 121 yards and scored two touchdowns. Welcome back Matt Forte!

With his fumbling woes in 2009, the Texan’s running back Steve Slaton pulled the biggest disappearing act on Sunday finishing the day with just three touches for 11 total yards and one turnover.

FRO's 2009 Drew Brees Watch

Brees-ing Past Marino's Mark?

FRO's 2009 Drew Brees Watch-By Jon Wagner for Football Reporters Online

One year after passing for the second most yards (5,069) in an NFL season, only 15 yards behind Hall Of Fame quarterback Dan Marino's single-season record of 5,084 yards in 1984, New Orleans Saints' quarterback Drew Brees is again poised to take aim at Marino's record. FRO follows Brees' prusuit of Marino each week, throughout the season:

Brees’ 2009 Avg. Yards Per Game: 286.57
Avg. Yards Needed To Pass Marino: 342.11

WEEK DATE OPP/RESULT COMP-ATT % TD-INT YARDS REMAINING
1 Sun 9/13 vs DET W, 45-27 26-34 76.5 6-1 358 4,727
2 Sun 9/20 at PHI W, 48-22 25-34 73.5 3-1 311 4,416
3 Sun 9/27 at BUF W, 27-7 16-29 55.2 0-0 172 4,244
4 Sun 10/4 vs NYJ W, 24-10 20-32 62.5 0-0 190 4,054
5 Bye
6 Sun 10/18 vs NYG W, 48-27 23-30 76.7 4-0 369 3,685
7 Sun 10/25 at MIA W, 46-34 22-38 57.9 1-3 298 3,387
8 Mon 11/2 vs ATL W, 35-27 25-33 75.8 2-1 308 3,079
9 Sun 11/8 vs CAR
10 Sun 11/15 at STL
11 Sun 11/22 at TB
12 Mon 11/30 vs NE
13 Sun 12/6 at WAS
14 Sun 12/13 at ATL
15 Sat 12/19 vs DAL
16 Sun 12/27 vs TB
17 Sun 1/3 at CAR

PF-PA COMP-ATT % TD-INT YDS
TOTALS; 273-154 157-230 68.3 16-6 2,006

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE Top Five NFL Moments - Week 8

FRO's FAVORITE FIVE
Top Five NFL Moments - Week 8
by Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer-At Large, Football Reporters Online


#5: RAVENS REV UP THE DEFENSE

After winning three straight, then losing three in a row, the Baltimore Ravens needed a good win and a solid all-round game to get back on track, particularly from a usually good defense which had often underperformed this season. The Ravens got both. The good victory was a 30-7 rout of previously unbeaten Denver. The solid performance was in allowing just 200 yards of total offense, stopping the Broncos running game (held to just 66 yards) and passing attack (just 134 yards) very well. Offensively, Joe Flacco only threw for 175 yards, but he was a very accurate 20-25 including a fourth quarter touchdown pass which put the game out of reach at 23-7, as the Ravens scored 24 points in the second half to pull away after leading by a slim 6-0 margin at halftime.


#4: McNABB MAKES MOST OF GIANTS’ MISCUES

The Giants, for the third straight week, played careless, unfocused football, and Eagles’ quarterback Donovan McNabb made them pay before the Giants could even blink. After the Eagles were already up 7-0 less than two minutes into the game, McNabb needed just two passes after a Giants’ turnover to throw a 17-yard touchdown pass for a 13-0 Philadelphia lead just 3:45 into the game. After New York made it a game at 16-7, with under two minutes left in the half, McNabb again struck like lightning with two touchdown passes in the final 98 seconds of the half to break the game open, 30-7, by halftime. Starting at the Eagles’ 54-yard line after a good kickoff return, McNabb needed just one play, a 54-yard touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, for a 23-7 Eagles lead with 1:38 left in the half. After another Giants’ turnover, McNabb needed only two plays –- a 20-yard completion followed by a 23-yard touchdown pass –- to give the Eagles that 30-7 lead, 46 seconds before halftime.

#3: FAVRE’s HAPPY HOMECOMING

He already had beaten his former team once this season, with 3 touchdown passes, and returning home to Lambeau Field for the first time as a visiting player, Brett Favre helped his Minnesota Vikings complete the sweep of the Green Bay Packers. Favre was a rather pedestrian 17 of 28 for 244 yards, but he didn’t throw an interception, and he tossed four touchdown passes –- three in the second half, two in the fourth quarter –- to help the Vikings take a 24-3 lead and then hold off the Packers and Favre’s Green Bay successor, Aaron Rodgers (who had three touchdown passes of his own, all in the second half), 38-26, to help the Vikings take a commanding lead in the NFC North.


#2: MOATS RUNS AROUND BUFFALO

Houston statistically dominated its game in Buffalo. The Texans had nearly twice the time of possession (39:08–20:52),
almost three times as many first downs (24-9), and more than double the yardage (439-204) as the Bills. Yet, for the second week in a row, the Bills were poised to win even after being outplayed. That is, until RB Ryan Moats took over in the fourth quarter, with three touchdowns to help Houston turn a 10-9 deficit into a 31-10 win with a 22-0 fourth quarter. Moats finished the game with 23 rushes on 126 yards and the 3 TD’s… special note on this game: rookie safety Jarius Byrd’s two interceptions made him the first player since San Francisco’s Dave Baker in 1960 to have two or more interceptions in three straight games.


#1: GINN SAVES THE DOLPHINS

The top spot on this week’s list really ought to go to the New York Jets’ defense for allowing just 52 yards rushing and 52 yards passing. So, how DO you lose a game at home in which you score 25 points and hold your opposition to just 104 total yards on the day? Well, when you don’t cover kickoffs well, it can happen. Miami’s Ted Ginn not only blew by the Jets’ kickoff team the entire length of the field once, but he did it twice –- in the same quarter, just 6:44 apart! After the Jets’ Jay Feely kicked a 55-yard field goal to give New York a 6-3 lead, Ted Ginn returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown with 10:10 left in the third quarter. Later in the quarter, after the Jets scored a touchdown to cut the Dolphins’ lead to 17-13, Ginn struck again, going one more yard then before, just for good measure, this time, taking it 101 yards to the house, with 3:26 left in the third quarter, for a 24-13 Dolphins’ lead that they would not relinquish. When he crossed the goal line the second time, Ginn became the first player to return two kickoffs for touchdowns in the same quarter since Green Bay’s Travis Williams, back in 1967.

“FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 9

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 9

By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Matt Hasselbeck of the Seattle Seahawks gets to face the woeful Detroit Lions this weekend. The Lions just lost at home to the Rams. Now they have to travel across the country to Seattle, the furthest city from any other. Usually it’s the west coast teams that struggle traveling east, but Seattle is a tough travel for any team. Hasselbeck played well this past weekend and seems to be over the rib injury. Advice: David Gerrard and Matt Cassel both have nice match ups this weekend, against each other. One will look good and one will not, do you really want to chance it? Stay away from both.

The Green Bay Packers running back Ryan Grant is facing a Tampa Bay team that has forgotten how to play defense. Grant has played reasonably well this season but only has on game with over 100 rushing yards this season and no multiple TD games. Against the Buccaneers he should achieve both of these feats. Tampa has given up over 100 yard rushing performances to DeAngelo Williams, Ahmad Bradshaw and, are you ready, Fred Jackson. Here I go beating up on the Lions again but, Seattle RBs, Julius Jones and Justin Forsett could have nice games against them. Remember what I said about J. Jones in Seattle.

The NY Giants defensive backs have been embarrassed over the last few weeks. Now the pass happy San Diego Chargers and new starting receiver Malcom Floyd come to town. Floyd, in the past has been a red zone threat but his recent play has convinced the Chargers brass that he could handle the job and they released former starter Chris Chambers (now a KC Chief). SD QB Phillip Rivers must love Floyd’s combination of size and speed. Third receiver Naanee could also be a nice high risk play. Rookie, former holdout, Michael Crabtree could also show out against the Titans this weekend.

While NY Giants QB Eli Manning has been struggling as of late, he and TE Kevin Boss should be able to put something together this weekend. The San Diego Chargers are coming into New York this weekend and even more than the other ¾ defenses they struggle mightily attempting to cover tight ends. Although it is a late game, San Diego will also be traveling west to east which as I stated before is a challenge, but more so for early game participants. Boss got going against Philly last week, now hopefully he can continue. Kellen Winslow also has a great match up this weekend.

The Green Bay Packers travel south to Tampa Bay to face new starting rookie QB Josh Freeman. Freeman will be starting his first game after only minimal live game experience this season. The Packers are still learning their new ¾ defense but against the Buccaneers they should be able to put up some stats this weekend. The Packers all Pro defensive backs Charles Woodson and Al Harris should be able to bait Freeman all game long. The Atlanta Falcons defense really showed up this weekend against the Saints, so I’m expecting them to really tee off against the Washington Redskins.

Last Weeks Favorite Five
Matt Stafford – 168 yards, 1TD (rushing) and a 2pt conversion – Not bad.

LenDale White – 47 yards – I wanted more but as a last resort….

Devin Hester – 81 yards (plus return yardage depending on your league) wanted a TD but this will work.

Dustin Keller – 76 yards and 1 TD – How many people said to avoid him? Not me.

Detroit Lions – 1 INT – Sorry.

The Fantasy Fixx week 9

THE FANTASY FIXX

Target Practice: Week Nine in the NFL-By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online
(photo: NY Giants WR Steve Smith leads All NFL Wideouts in receptions-By Rich O'Neil

It’s always tough to find the right receivers each week for your fantasy matchup. One of the keys is not just what a player has done, but in a lot of cases you have to consider the potential of a player when you look their matchup. Another factor that needs to be included into this equation is which players are getting their number called most.

Look Who’s Hot….
If you are a fan of, and more importantly a participant in, a PPR league than you have to love what you are seeing from wide receiver Devin Hester. In the last three weeks he’s averaged nine targets per game and with so many chances he’s delivered. Hester has 21 receptions for 265 yards and is looking more and more like a go to receiver in Chicago. He can only get better and if you drafted him as your number three, you’ve got yourself what looks to be a great steal in the second half.

It’s not taking much effort, but the Eagle’s second year receiver DeSean Jackson is quickly emerging as an elite player in this league. He’s only needed ten targets in his last two games and three touches in each to find the end zone three times. With two receptions and one scintillating 67-yard end around in week seven Jackson scored twice. Last Sunday he only needed three catches to work his magic and find pay-dirt. The explosive receiver is averaging a little more than four touches per game and around 20 yards per touch. Now that’s explosive!

Who’s worried….
If you drafted Michael Crabtree back in August and have had the patience to wait all this time, relax because not only are you the most patient ever, but the pay-off could be coming soon. In his first two games as an NFL receiver Crabtree has had plenty of chances with 15 targets, but more importantly he’s already starting to produce with 11 receptions for 137 yards (projected over 16 games; 88 receptions, 1,096-yards)

For some fantasy owners, it might be time to worry when your number one receiver has only 125 yards combined in his last two games and has not scored a touchdown in his last three starts. Add to the facts that he was just injured a week ago and questionable for most of the week and it might make sense for panic to set in, but when that receiver is Andre Johnson you really haven’t much to worry about. This little dip in production is a mere bump in the road. Johnson was back on the field Sunday, he’s still one of the most targeted receivers in the game with (80) and a tremendous receiving talent.


Keep your Eye on these gems…
The Jets tight end Dustin Keller has been on a bit of a circus string with his numbers fluctuating from week to week. In the two previous weeks Keller has seen his target numbers go from 10 in week six down to just four in week seven. Week eight treated the Jet’s second year tight end much better with 13 targets and his production improved greatly with eight grabs for 76 yards and a touchdown. As the rookie Mark Sanchez continues to mature under center, we’d expect to see him lean more on his tight end going forward.

A couple of players that fantasy owners should continue to monitor are a pair of Indy receivers. With Reggie Wayne drawing a lot of attention and well deserved with 20 targets in week eight, Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon continue to warrant some discussion. Over the past two weeks both receivers have seen plenty of action in the Colts passing game with 14 and 16 targets respectively. As long as number 18 is under center, these two will at least merit WR3 considerations moving ahead. Also, the real missing stat here is Manning’s 26 completions per game!

Here is the breakdown for fantasy pass catchers (targets) this season;

Through Eight weeks:

Top-10 Targeted Pass-catchers

Player Targt Recpt FPTS
Johnson, Andre WR HOU 80 44 92
Smith, Steve WR NYG 78 53 87
Wayne, Reggie WR IND 77 51 102
Fitzgerald, Larry WR ARI 73 47 78
Burleson, Nate WR SEA 66 38 59
Moss, Randy WR NE 66 43 77
White, Roddy WR ATL 66 37 88
Smith, Steve WR CAR 65 30 47
Ochocinco, Chad WR CIN 64 39 82
Welker, Wes WR NE 62 46 70

[points based on traditional scoring]

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: sorting out the tragedy

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First, my sympathies to the families and people directly and indirectly harmed during the Fort Hood Shooting. Watching that unfold was difficult and confusing. Let's sort out what happened on Thursday, because I'm still confused about what happened and why.

First, all of this actually started at 1:30 PM Central Time, according to my notes, blogs, other blogs, and updated information, reports of shots were coming from Fort Hood, Texas, the largest military installation in America.

(Fort Hood is huge. It spans 339 square miles and is the largest active duty armored post in American. It's home to about 5,000 active duty officers and 45,000 enlisted; with approximately 9,000 civilian employees. It's located next to Killeen, and northeast of Austin, Texas. To give you an idea of how large Fort Hood is, Walt Disney World is 49 square miles, larger than Manhattan Island. Fort Hood is over six times larger than Walt Disney World.)

At that time, according to Army spokesman Lt. Col. Nathan Banks, shots were fired and there's where things got confusing for me.

I was watching MSNBC at the time and as the moments advanced, they said that there were reports of more than one gunman at Fort Hood. At that point Fort Hood was on "lockdown": no one can get in, no one can get out or move from place to place. So I turned to CNN for a different perspective, as they commonly find someone to go on camera as an information resource.

I then found this video, thanks to Cao's Blog:




Then I wrote: There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN. The shooting happened at the solidier readiness facility on the base.

The gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on the Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago.

President Obama was informed of the incident and CNN reported that the White House expected him to make a statement, soon.

Then here's what was confusing for me:

First, the number of gunmen, which started at one, then two, then three, and now it's back to one. What's unexplained is how there could be gun shots in different places of the installation in the same time frame?

Then there were the number of fatalities: it started at 7, then went to 12, then 11 because one of them was said to have been the gunman or a gunman, and now its at 13. The number of wounded is at 31, that increased steadily during the day, starting at 12 people.

Obama makes his statement:



Finally after a woman "first responder" reportedly shot the person who's said to be the "lone gunman" named Major Malik Nadal Hasan. At that point he was reported to have been killed. We later learn he's still alive and said to have been upset over the chance that he would be sent to war.

This is from the Associated Press, later in the evening:

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said the president is being kept updated as details about the shooting emerge.

Gibbs said he told Obama about TV news reports that seven people were dead at the Texas military location and others were injured. Gibbs said he informed Obama based on broadcast reports and the president is being kept up to date through the White House Situation Room.

The Web site of the base in central Texas has posted an alert that says, "Effective immediately Fort Hood is closed." The Web site said that units at the base have been ordered to account for all personnel.

The site says, "This is not a Drill. It is an Emergency Situation."

Fort Hood is located halfway between Austin and Waco.

On the Fort Hood Web site, the word "closed" is posted with the statement, "Effective immediately, Fort Hood is closed. Organizations / units are instructed to execute a 100 percent accountability of all personnel."

Fort Hood was asking people on post to stay away from windows, CNN affiliate KXXV said. The incident took place at the sports dome, now known as the soldier readiness area, the station reported.

FBI agents are headed to the scene to assist, said Erik Vasys, spokesman for the FBI office in San Antonio. He had no other details.

The military installation is located near Killeen, Texas. It is the Army's largest installation, Honore said.

What to make of this? Well, what does concern me is a report by CNN that Major Malik Nadal Hasan was constantly working as a therapist for soldiers who've gone through horrible stuff, and yet he has no outlet. No girlfriend or wife to come home to and share what he's going through or better yet, forget about it for a bit.

He's one - reportedly according to Keith Olbermann's interview with Clint Van Sant, a former profiler with the FBI - shrink responsible for about 750 officers who are being processed to enter society after returning from wars. That's a hard job to do and keep one's mind straight.

Major Hassan was placed in a sensitive position, dealing with the issues and pains of fellow officers and internalizing them, and with no outlet, he apparently snapped and shot a lot of people, or shot at them.

He had to have lost it: Hassan had no previous extensive experience using guns and was said to have hated the idea of going to the gun range.

(Oh, this has nothing, zero, zip to do with being Muslim or Arab or anything , so please don't be a major bonehead and go there.)

California's education and economic problem; Chevron's aide

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Aside from jobs, education funding is the most important problem in California. I was surprised to learn that Chevron Oil Company - the company commonly associated for bad things and unfairly so in my view - was behind a $7 million initiative to fund education non-profit organizations in Northern California.

It's called The California Partnership and was developed to help those organizations that were focusing on, and making a difference in, disadvantages neighborhoods, primarily in Northern California.

I was invited to join other media at the San Francisco City Club and frankly learned something shocking. I learned that while other media outlets were invited, at least one organization said they only covered a story involving non-profits if their was something negative, like a staff member stealing funds, for example.

Think about that the next time you see a bad story on a non-profit in the media.

The organizations Chevron helped for this round of funding who attended the breakfast are Teach For America, Kiva.org, Donors Choose.org, and Project Lead The Way. Here's the total list of organizations assisted in 2009:

Chevron California Partnership Nonprofit & Community Partners for 2009
Education

- California State University Bakersfield (CSUB) – REVS-UP program for STEM education in local middle and high schools, and creation of a new STEM Activities Center at CSUB
- Contra Costa County Office of Education – online media services to local districts and schools
- DonorsChoose.org – providing grants to teachers to purchase tools for STEM education
- Project Lead the Way – preparing middle and high school students for careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics
- Project SEED – teaching high-level mathematics to increase education options for urban youth
- Science Buddies – online resource for science fair projects and content for class assignments
- Teach For America – places high-achieving college graduates as teachers in low-performing schools
- Techbridge – a hands-on after school science program for young girls

Economic Development

- AnewAmerica – business incubation, asset-building and social responsibility for entrepreneurs
- THE BREAD PROJECT – career training program for low-income people with barriers to employment
- EARN – asset-building services to help low-wage workers to escape poverty permanently
- Goodwill Academy – post-secondary vocational education and help for those with little work experience
- Jewish Vocational Services – vocational training and employment services
- Kiva.org – person-to-person microlending website for small businesses and entrepreneurs
- Opportunity Fund – provides loans to low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses
- Opportunity Junction – helping low-income adults build sustainable economic self-sufficiency
* WE Invest – provides tools and resources to help women achieve financial self-sufficiency
- Women's Initiative for Self Employment – training, resources and support for women entrepreneurs

The video features talks with representatives of the firms at the breakfast and I'll have more information on each company as they've got great stories to tell.

Ian McKellen rips out Bible pages of Leviticus..for a reason

Taking a bit of a break from what's frankly a hard chore of paying attention to shooting (Fort Hood), after shooting (Orlando), after shooting (Tokyo) to share a bit of light news.

I clicked over to Jewcy.com and learned that great actor Sir Ian McKellen (Lord Of the Rings, The X-Men series) has an interesting habit he practices in hotel rooms. He rips out a specific page of the Bible from Leviticus, Chapter 18, verse 22, which reads:

"Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."

According to Jewcy, McKellen told Details magazine:

"I'm not proudly defacing the book," he asserts, "but it's a choice between removing that page and throwing away the whole Bible."

McKellen says his actions have inspired others to do the same. "I got delivered a package of 40 of those pages that had been torn out by a married couple I know. They put them on a bit of string so that I could hang it up in the bathroom."

As one who's straight and Christian, but one who believes in civil rights for all - in fact that it's even a conversation is really annoying to me - there are parts of the Bible I elect to skip, like that one. So Sir Ian McKellen's doing a favor for me by taking out a part of the hotel version Good Book I skip anyway.

So the next time you're in a hotel, look at your Bible. If the page containing Leviticus, Chapter 18, verse 22 is gone, you'll know Ian McKellen was there.

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: 7 dead, 12 injured (video - updates)

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Video from local television station KCEN.

Original blog post with updates:

This is covered on television and just happened by what apparently and reportedly is an upset set of of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, near Waco, Texas. There are reports of up to three gunmen, one already arrested, two others the subject of a search. 7 are dead and 12 are injured.


Fort Hood is on lockdown now; the 55,000 people not allowed to go anywhere.

There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN. The shooting happened at the solidier readiness facility on the base.

The gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago. Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the country.

Cao's Blog reports:

Fort Hood is next to Killeen, northeast of Austin; home to about 5,000 active duty officers and 45,000 enlisted; with approximately 9,000 civilian employees.

In August, there was a shooting at Ft. Hood that left Spc. Ryan Richard Schlack, 30, of Oshkosh, Wis. dead and Fort Hood Spc. Armando Ray Baca was taken into custody. There was another shooting in August, and another in October.

This story is developing and much of the information beyond the deaths and injuries, and that the gunmen may be solidiers, is not well-known.

UPDATE: CNN reports that President Obama was informed of the incident.

UPDATE: Confirmed - more than one gunman and in military uniform.

UPDATE: U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson says 30 people were wounded.

More soon.

Fort Hood, Texas Shooting: 7 dead, 12 injured (developing)

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This is covered on television and just happened by what apparently and reportedly is an upset set of of soldiers at Fort Hood, Texas, near Waco, Texas. There are reports of up to three gunmen, one already arrested, two others the subject of a search. 7 are dead and 12 are injured.

Fort Hood is on lockdown now; the 55,000 people not allowed to go anywhere.

There was a graduation ceremony going on at the time of the shooting, according to MSNBC and CNN.

The Gunmen were carrying M-16s according to General Russell Honore U.S. Amry (Ret.) on Rich Sanchez Show on CNN just three minutes ago. Fort Hood is one of the largest U.S. Army installations in the country.

This story is developing and much of the information beyond the deaths and injuries, and that the gunmen may be solidiers, is not well-known.

UPDATE: CNN reports that President Obama was informed of the incident.

UPDATE: Confirmed - more than one gunman.

More soon.

Unemployment benefits extension passes House; on to White House

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After passing the U.S. Senate 98 to nothing on Wednesday, legislation to extend unemployment benefits has passed the U.S. House 403 to 12 and is on to the White House.

Free of its GOP Senate roadblocks, the bill is sailing through Congress on its way toward the White House. It's just one day and this legislation has done what few bills have: gotten almost unanimous approval so far.

What changed the fortunes of the unemployment benefits extension? Good question; I will answer later today.

Stay tuned.

National fitness model search by Wilhelmina Models

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I just received this out-of-the-blue email by "Project Breakout" (never heard of them) explaining a fitness model search contest they've launched , or as the email reads: "Wilhelmina Models has partnered with Shape and Men's Fitness (magazines) to find the next hot body!"

Fit body like this?  Wilhelmina Models wants you!

What kind person is a "fitness model?" Well, one example of someone who would be great for Wilhelmina Models is Jennifer Benda, a SF Bay Area Female Bodybuilder whom I interviewed a couple of years ago as she was trying to get her and story name "out there" while preparing for several contests that year.



So if you've got a great, beautiful, hard body like Jennifer Benda (and there are a lot of great candidates in the SF Bay Area) go for it. The search contest is open to men and women, ages 18 and over. (I wonder if whoever sent this was thinking I would try out for it myself because the email came from left field? If so it's a complement but I'm going to skip this one.)

The 10 finalists (five male and five female) will receive a three-day trip to New York City to be in the contest finals, a "spa and grooming experience", a day of personal training, and a $200 Vitamin Shoppe gift card.

If you want to participate in this contest to be a "Top Model" with Wilhelmina, go to www.wilhelminamodelsearch.com to enter now through November 30th.

From there, the two grand prize winners would gain a five-year modeling contract with Wilhelmina, a photo shoot in Shape or Men's Fitness, a vacation for two at a Beaches resort, a Bulova watch, $1,500 Vitamin Shoppe gift card, and a one-year VIP membership to Gold's Gym.

Also, if you happen to read this and are in Miami, there's an open casting call for the contest at The Vitamin Shoppe on 1101 5th Street on Saturday, November 14 from 10am to 3pm.

Now this email tells me there's a $20 entry processing fee, so be warned and good luck.

The mainstreaming of women and muscle

This search contest is a great indicator of how far the athletic woman has come. From the days of being considered "unladylike" to "totally hot" and sought after by modeling agencies today, it's finally completely acceptable for a woman to look and feel strong. Regardless of how one feels about the female bodybuilder from a visual perspective, that development is something to celebrate.

Rihanna on "Good Morning America" talks about Chris Brown;

Rihanna

According to the Associated Press, just an hour ago, singer Rihanna was on the ABC show "Good Morning America" to explain that she regrets going back to Chris Brown after he beat her February 8th of this year, and during an argument over his alleged infidelity to her. Or in the AP's detailed paragraph:

The attack occurred in Los Angeles' Hancock Park neighborhood as Brown drove a rented sports car. A Los Angeles police detective described a brutal attack in a search warrant affidavit filed in the case, stating Brown hit, choked and bit Rihanna and tried at one point to push her from the car. A photo of her bruised face was circulated on the Internet. In an interview with Glamour magazine, posted online Tuesday, she said about the leaked photo, "I felt like people were making it into a fun topic on the Internet, and it's my life."

It's clear Rihanna (who has a new album coming out November 23rd) is at least more aware of her public image than Taylor Swift, who still as of this writing has not apologized for posing with a Swastika t-shirt wearing Hollywood model named A.J. English.

Regarding her actions in going back to Chris Brown, Rihanna said "That's embarrassing — that's the type of person I fell in love with. So far in love, so unconditional, that I went back," she said. "That's not what I want to teach people."

Rihanna continued: "When I realized that my selfish decision for love could result in some young girl getting killed, I could not be easy with that part. I couldn't be held responsible for telling them, 'Go back,'" she said.

"I didn't realize how much of an impact I had on these girls' lives until that happened," Rihanna added. "It was a wake-up call for me, big time, especially when I took myself out of the situation."

At 21, she's come a long way in a short time and has set an example for Taylor Swift to follow. As a public figure, one can't just "do what they want to do". They have to be aware of the messages and images they send out to the World.

This revelation puts Chris Brown's confession video in new light because the vast majority of people I polled did not believe him:



In retrospect, since Rihanna had gone back to Brown already he probably didn't feel entirely remorseful because he had her at the time even after the violence incident, and that came through on camera. Why do it then? To protect his career and get a lesser sentence, which happened, as Brown's doing community service work in place of jail time.

But the larger development is that of Rihanna the responsible public figure. Again, Taylor Swift can follow her example. Since Swift's silence on that horrible Swastika photo matter, I've got comments on my blog posts at Zennie62.com by people actually stating that the Swastika is a sign of peace, as if to apply some weird "PR" rescue to Nazi Germany.

Taylor Swift could silence those hate-filled people with one apology she has yet to give and yet is so easy to provide. If she needs guidance, Swift should turn to Rihanna to show her the way.

NY Yankees are World Series Champs; don't hate them for their payroll

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The New York Yankees just captured their 27th World Series Championship, in 48 playoff appearances, beating the defending World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies 7 to 3 and in six games as Hideki Matsui carried this game on his shoulders.

Hideki Matsui drove in three runs, first with a home run, then a single to center, then a double to deep center. The Phillies didn't threaten until the 6th inning, when Ryan Howard homered to bring the defenders to within striking distance 7 to 3.

But a Phillies threat in the 7th inning was blunted as Chase Utley, the hero of Game 5, struck out swinging at the plate.

The hero of the series? There were many, but I'm swayed by MSNBC's Keith Olbermann, who explained on TV and at his blog "Baseball Nerd" why Johnny Damon made the smartest play in World Series history, Sunday, when he stole a third base the Phillies left uncovered because of a defensive shift.

Yankees payroll puts them in a hard place

With the perennially highest payroll in Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees are in a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they don't position. With a payroll hovering around $200 million, they're supposed to win the World Series, or at least get to it. But when they don't win, fans are happy they didn't because they have such a high payroll.

According to an article in Psychology Today, when we teach our kids to hate the Yankees because of their high payroll, we cause them to forget that the baseball game is played on the field. In other words, hatred for the Yankees is so great, we have shrinks telling us how unhealthy it is.

I don't hate the Yankees at all.

As I've explained to students who use my Oakland Baseball Simworld in the classroom, its possible to construct the revenue to create a Yankees competitive player payment base. It's better to join the Yankees than beat them at their payroll game. That said, many teams opt for the "Moneyball" route, employing Sabermetrics (statistical analysis for baseball-related playing decisions) to find the best players and use them is specific situations, and keep salaries at manageable levels.

Improving Twitter - how about emailed tweets?

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I was reading TechCrunch blogger MG Siegler's post on the newest improvement to Twitter, that of notifications in a new "ticker tape" bar just above the list of tweets, when it hit me: Why not emailed tweets?

See, what Twitter's staff is trying to do is keep users engaged, according to MG's post, people tweet for a while or a period of time, then lose interest. The problem with the fix that's installed is one still has to come to the Twitter page to see it.

My idea is to send the tweet to the user via email so that it appears in one's mobile phone email account, thus the person doesn't have to have an app on their phone or go to their computer to know what tweets they're getting.

To clarify this would not be any tweet but just those directed at the user starting with the @zennie62 indicator. That would theoretically reduce the number of tweets flooding one's email in-box.

What do you think? Send an email or comment at my video page.

LA Lakers - Will The Lakers go 20 and 1? Record 3-1

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My LA Lakers watch, where I make a bet that the Lakers will go 20 and 1 has already taken a bit of a beating because the Lakers are 3 and 1 as I write this and face the Houston Rockets tonight.



NBA Western Conference, Pacific Division foe Phoenix Suns are the best team at 4 and 0. For the Lakers to help me win bet, they have to go 16 and zip. Can they do it? We shall see.

Take my poll:

create a free poll on pollsb.com

Unemployment benefits extension approved by Senate

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I was just informed that the U.S. Senate voted 98 to 0 to extend unemployment benefits for 20 weeks, which means those GOP Senators who were standing in the way of help for many Americans got the message and stopped being a road block to assistance, which they were as recently as Tuesday.

According to CNN, the benefits will be extended an additional six weeks for states, like New Jersey and California, where the unemployment rate is greater than 8.5 percent.

The measure now moves to the House for a floor vote, perhaps as early as Thursday. Then it goes to the White House for President Obama's signature.

AMPAS event "Brave Women In Wartime" a must see show

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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, home of The Oscars) announces a really cool, must see event, Wednesday, November 11th, 7 PM at the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood, CA.

I call it "Brave Women In Wartime" because it features two films: “Blessed Is the Match: The Life and Death of Hannah Senesh” and “Pray the Devil Back to Hell” which are about women who coped with difficult situations during the Holocaust and The Liberian Civil War. Both films were drawn from the 2008 Academy Awards pool of nominated films. 

"Blessed Is The Match" is the first documentary about Hannah Senesh. Described as a modern day Joan-of-Arc, she was a paratrooper and resistance fighter. In 1944, Hannah participated in what turned out to be the only military rescue mission for Jews during the Holocaust. Her life ended sadly as she was captured, tortured and killed by the Nazis and all seen by her mother, Catherine.



(This is the kind of movie Taylor Swift and A.J. English should jaunt over to see, given their now famous Swastika row and the incredibly high level of insensitivity expressed about the issue, both is Swift's silence and in some of her defenders actually writing to me that the Swastika is a symbol of peace! As of this writing, Swift still hasn't apologized for the photo.)

“Pray the Devil Back to Hell” concerns the story of thousands of Liberian woman, armed only with white T-shirts, who came together to stage a silent protest that forced peace talks ending the conflict and the atrocities of Liberian dictator Charles Taylor during the 90s. It's a movie



Again, the event is at the The Linwood Dunn Theater,  located at 1313 Vine Street in Hollywood. For more information, call (310) 247-3600 or visit www.oscars.org.

Carly Fiorina called "Failed CEO" by California Dems

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I just got an email from California Democratic Party chairman John Burton that's a blistering attack on Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, who recently announced she was entering the race for California's next U.S. Senator as a Republican, thus challenging Senator Barbara Boxer. I can actually hear the legendary Burton say these words:

“The last thing Californians need in a U.S. Senator is a failed CEO who was fired by her last employer after taking $100 million for herself.

“In these tough times, hard-working Californians need a Senator who will fight to create jobs, not a millionaire former executive who laid off more than 28,000 Americans and shipped jobs overseas.

“Carly Fiorina may have millions to spend on a Senatorial race, but Californians will not be snookered by yet another millionaire neophyte in search of a new hobby.

“Maybe Fiorina’s ill-advised run for Senate will finally inspire her to take the time to vote.

“Senator Boxer and the California Democratic Party will be ready for Assemblymember Chuck DeVore, Fiorina or whoever wins the Republican primary in 2010.”

Now we see how "Carly 2.0" is going to be attacked by the California Democratic Party: first on political experience as she has little save for advising then-Presidential candidate Senator John McCain (and where she said neither McCain or Vice Presidential Running Mate Sarah Palin could run a company) ; second on wealth as Florina didn't leave HP poor but her income is after yesterday's election officially a liability (New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg almost lost his bid for a third term after spending almost $100 million in that city's mayor's race.); third on her voting record, where she's only voted five times in the last 18 elections.

Senator John McCain and Carly Florina

That kind of disengagement can and will be used by Dems as a "hammer and pound" message in the campaign. And why not: it works. The only person I can think of who was similarly disengaged in his past was Ross Perot, but the famous entrepreneur over came all of his weaknesses with a blast of personality in his Presidential run.

The other question I have is will Carly invite the Right Wingnuts to help her in her Senate bid. They lost their last election, that in New York State's 23rd District when Bill Owens beat Doug Hoffman, and were rejected by Republican gubenatorial candidate and now Governor-elect Bob McDonnell in Virginia.

Can Carly keep the Right Wingnuts off her campaign and present a blast of personality that overcomes her weaknesses? I have my doubts, but let's see if "Carly 2.0" is really a new version of Carly Fiorina or just a marketing slogan. Frankly, I can't wait for the first debate in this contest!

Unemployment insurance extension delayed by GOP; who to call?

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In my last blog post on the unemployment insurance delay problem, I explained how the GOP was delaying the much-needed extension of unemployment insurance.

To recap, on Tuesday it was revealed that legislation to extend unemployment insurance was being held-up by GOP Senators who were trying to dump a large list of amendments concerning ACORN and also (as The Hill reported) taking the money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) rather than the the unemployment surtax.

In other words taking money from the program to create jobs, thus weakening The Stimulus. Wild.

And the concern for the the unemployment surtax shows how little GOP Senators understand America's own unemployment funding system - that surtax is funded by the worker when they're employed. It's not a burden on the employer, or it should not be.

Many want to know who to call to place pressure on ending this bit of political gaming because Americans who need the extension ASAP are suffering. According to a number of sources, this is the GOP call list:

GOP Senators who voted against extending benefits:

JOHN BARASSO (R-WY) 202-224-6441
CHRISTOPHER BOND (R-MO) 202-224-5721
JIM BUNNING(R-KY) 202-224-4343
THOMAS CODBURN (R-OK) 202-224-5754
JOHN CORNYN (R-TX) 202-224-2934
JIM DEMINT (R-SC) 202-224-6121
MICHAEL ENZI (R-WY) 202-224-3424
LINDSY GRAHAM (R-SC) 202-224-5972
ORRIN HATCH (R-UT) 202-224-5251
JAMES INHOEF (R-OK) 202-224-4721
JEFFERSON SESSIONS (R-AL) 202-224-4124
DAVID VITTER (R-LA) 202-224-4623
ROGER WICKER (R-MS) 202-224-6253

I will continue monitoring this problem. Stay tuned.

NY 23 election results - Bill Owens beats Doug Hoffman, Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh

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Glenn Beck.  Doug Hoffman's Mentor

The Right Wingnuts led by Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Malkin lost their self-selected signpost election the 23rd Congressional District in New York. The ultra-conservative Republican candidate Doug Hoffman conceded to Democrat Bill Owens just about a half-hour ago.

Owens gained 49 percent of the vote, versus 46 percent for Hoffman, and six percent for Dede Scozzafava, who's name was still on the ballot, even though she dropped out of the race.

That the 23-rd District of New York is Democratic and moderate Republican country didn't seem to phase these Couch Potato Conservatives. (While Republicans have controlled that seat for years, their politics have been centrist.)

This race saw the original Republican challenger Dede Scozzafava back out of the race under extreme pressure from within her own party and the right wingnut fringe. They - led by media pundits Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Michelle Malkin - hand picked Doug Hoffman as the man who would save them. With their withering communications drumbeat, Hoffman rose from nowhere in the polls to the point of being considered the front runner before tonight's election.

What hurt Hoffman? Theatrics aside, he was new to the area. On Topix, one commenter wrote:

Hoffman doesn't even live in district 23. He thinks that our local issues and concerns are "Parochial" and... he was not able to answer questions about these local issues and concerns.


He was set up by the media? Poor baby. My cup runneth over with sympathy for him ( sarcasam intended )

Others were turned off by the drum-beat of ultra-conservative talk show mouth involvement, as well as Hoffman's admission that Glen Beck was his "mentor."

No kidding.

While that may have helped Hoffman, it wasn't enough and I argue that if Dede Sccozafava took her name off the ballot those votes would have went to Owens and not Hoffman. She backed Owens and for all practical purposes is a conservative democrat.

In other words Owens margin of victory could have been greater than three percent, perhaps six percent or better if Scozzafava's name were off the ballot.

Now if it were Scozzafava versus Owens, she would have won with the same media help but maintaining her more liberal political positions (That would have been something!)

Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin Michelle Malkin and Rush Limbaugh lose

With this we can say the "RHINO" purge - where wingnut pundits like Malkin developed a "hit list" of moderate Republicans - failed. Getting Dede Scozzafava out of the race caused the party to lose an election they could have won.