Week 4 Earners and Bums (Studs & Duds)

By David Ortega for Football Reporters Online



Week 4 Earners and Bums
(Studs & Duds)




Now that we’ve entered the 5th week of the 2009 fantasy football season, it’s time for “The Collector” to make his weekly rounds and let everyone on Fantasy Football Boulevard know who is earning their keep and who’s not carrying their weight.

After once again reviewing the books and checking the balance sheets, here were the week four money earners (studs) bring home the cash and the dead-beat bums (duds) short changing fantasy owners;

The Earners (Studs)
(Note: Not your normal stars/check the wire)

The Jaguar’s quarterback David Garrard was bank this past Sunday completing 27 of 37 passes for 323 yards with three touchdowns in the team’s win.

The Lion’s running back Kevin Smith didn’t find too many holes on Sunday against a tough Bears run defense. He rushed for only 30 yards, but when he did find a crease he made it count scoring twice.

The Bronco’s quarterback Kyle Orton was money on Sunday against the Cowboys, completing 20 of 29 passes for 243 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The Titan’s rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt brought home some bacon last Sunday in the team’s loss catching seven passes for 105 yards.

The Raven’s second year running back Ray Rice earned his keep last week against the Patriots rushing the ball 11 times for 103 yards and catching five passes for another 49 yards.

The Giant’s third year receiver Steve Smith was cash-money this past Sunday against the an over-whelmed Chiefs defense hauling in 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

The Niner’s quarterback Shaun Hill scored some pocket coin on Sunday against the Rams completing only 14 of 24 passes for 152 yards, but also tossing two touchdowns.

Sidney RiceThe Viking’s third year receiver Sidney Rice is earning his keep with a solid Monday night showing of five catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.

The Jaguar’s wide receiver Mike Sims-Walker was money last Sunday against the Titans catching seven passes on the afternoon for 91 yards and two big scores.

The Browns running back Jerome Harrison getting a chance to start brought in some big coin last week against the Bengal’s defense rushing for 121 yards and adding five catches for another 31 yards.

The Bums (Duds)
(Note: We expect more from these guys/be careful starting)

The Cowboys TMZ star quarterback Tony Romo was less than impressive last week passing for 255 yards with no touchdowns and one interception.

The Jet’s rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was less than sensational last Sunday against a Saint’s defense that had him completely throttled to the tune of four turnovers.

The Bronco’s second year receiver Eddie Royal has been playing a disappearing act this season and last week he could hardly be found finishing the day with only two catches for 16 yards.

The Cowboy’s wide receiver Roy E. Williams was not only a non-factor last Sunday with only three catches, but he was non-existent in the critical moments down the stretch.

Sunday night against a tough Steeler defense running back LaDanian Tomlinson was rusty and completely ineffective rushing for only 15 yards on seven carries.

The Chiefs former superstar running back Larry Johnson has not been a reliable money-man in sometime, but 18 carries for only 53 yards last week will not get it done.

The Saint’s big playmaking wide receiver Marques Colston made few plays last Sunday finishing the game with only two catches for 33 yards.

The Packer’s wide receiver Greg Jennings was a disappoint this past Monday night finishing the game with just three catches for 31 yards.

The Buccaneer’s tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was a non-factor this past weekend finishing this past Sunday’s action with only two receptions for 21 yards.


Check back for more weekly “Earners and Bums”

President Obama wins Nobel Prize! David Letterman's happy!

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Today the Nobel Foundation announced that President Obama, or as Rush Limbaugh likes to say "Barack Hussein Obama" was awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples."

David Letterman's happy because President Obama's Nobel news finally takes his name off the top of the news buzz for the week.

Frankly, I'm not surprised that President Obama won the prize and I can't for the life of me believe that some in the media would even be so blind as to ask "What did he do to deserve it." Memories really are short in this new media society, eh?

Ok, I'll tell you what President Obama did.

First, as Senator running for President, Barack Obama gave what some feel was the greatest speech on race and race relations in a generation last year. Chris Matthews hailed Obama's speech as "Worthy of Abraham Lincoln". Johnathan Alter of Newsweek observed that the speech gave us a chance to move to a better racial future. It was a speech so popular that at one point it represented 15 of the top 20 most viewed videos on YouTube.

Obama's race speech:



Second, as President, Obama gave what was called a "game changing" interview to Al-Arabiya, a historic first time an American President has been interviewed by Arab media.

President Obama's Interview with Al-Arabiya:



And of course there was President Obama's speech in Cairo in June. There, and at great personal and political risk, Obama called for a new era of relations between the United States and Muslims Worldwide. While the speech was liked by some and not by others in the Mideast, it was frank, to the point, and inspirational.

The Cairo Speech:



In each of these examples, and there are many more, President Obama has, at again great political and personal risk, worked to reach out to build bridges between people around the World. I think we take what he does for granted because he makes it look all so easy, the Le Bron James of International politics.

And on that, I personally think this was Oslo's way of making up for a terrible and unnecessary Olympics snub, not to mention the gleeful reaction on the part of American conservatives.

And that leads me to this point:

GOP conservatives and their more wild-eyed confederate-flag-waving friends sound more and more anti-American every day. If it's not Rush Limbaugh siding with terrorists like the Taliban, which panned the Obama awards, it's GOP Chairman Michael Steele expressing disappointment and not a word of congratulations for our President.

Even in my worst moments as a liberal blogger, I've never been disrespectful of "Number 43" President George W. Bush. Not once. How President Obama is treated by some is just north of nuts.

Obama's Oslo Speech is a must-see for the World

On December 10th President Obama will be in Oslo, Norway to pick up his Nobel Prize and make a speech. That speech and platform will mark Obama's "second coming" - the introduction of a new World leader and a man with a giant mission, but really one he embarked on long ago: to unite the World.

Alameda Naval Air Station - time to redevelop it!

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I took a self-created video tour of Alameda Naval Air Station, and I must say that I'm profoundly disappointed that this once great facility, the economic engine of Alameda when it was open and running, is in what can only be called a horrible state of disrepair.

In other words, it's blighted.

The land that was this great "Aviation Gateway to the Pacific" supports some of the largest buildings I've ever seen in my life. As a member of the first "Alameda Base Reuse Committee", it was our collective dream to see this 1,500 acre monument to America's Military history redeveloped.

Now, after years of not visiting the land as extensively as I did Wednesday, I'm really shocked that basically nothing has been done to improve this property and restore it to economic production.

A remade and expanded trail is not enough. Even SunCal's terrific development proposal, while needed, only covers 700 acres of the property. In a time of serious economic need, using "NAS Alameda" as the center of the rebirth of the Bay Area economy should be a not just a priority, but a cause.

I'm not at all sympathetic to the opponents of the development plans for the station, who want to maintain Alameda's "small town character" because they (with all due respect to them) don't seem to understand that the SunCal idea does not represent "building up" because what's being proposed for resuse is a huge, unused part of Alameda. It's so big, that the new mix of uses could go in and barely - really not - impact Alameda's image.

I could really understand if the proposal was for the "upzoning" of downtown Alameda to allow buildings 40 stories tall, but that's not what this is. Again it's the reuse of a once-proud part of the City of Alameda. In fact, it's replacing a population that was forced out by the Navy's closure decision.

In 1938 Alameda lobbied to get the Naval Air Station; they got it. Over time, Alameda's benefited from it both economically and socially and no one complained that the "small town character" was hampered by its existence. Now, when it and the people who inhabit it are gone, we have people actually complaining that replacing the lost activity would hurt Alameda!

That's nuts.

We need the redeveloped Alameda Naval Air Station now, not later. If you have a chance, visit the grounds. You'll see first hand just how much of a blighted ghost town it is and agree that something should be done.

FANTASY SLEEPER – WEEK 5-Tim Hightower

FANTASY SLEEPER – WEEK 5-Tim Hightower
By William Queen Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
 
Averaging a solid 10 fantasy points per game, Arizona running back Tim Hightower takes over as this week’s fantasy sleeper.
 
Though he’s barely managed to rush for 100 yards all season, Hightower can defiantly pack a punch when he carries the ball. And ranking 3rd to last as far as run defense is concerned, that’s a punch that the Texans defense defiantly can’t take.
 
The unique feature about Hightower is that, unlike most backs, he’s not one-dimensional. Racking up more receiving yards than rushing yards this season; he can hurt you through the air, as well as on the ground. If he performs like he did in week 1 vs. San Francisco, catching the ball 12 times for 121 yards, then we’re looking at 15 fantasy points at the minimum. 
 
Common knowledge tells us that when a team passes it, the balls most likely not going to the running back. Therefore, less fantasy points for the running back, more for the quarterback. However Hightower may be in luck, as no matter what the score is, he’s getting the ball. Blowout in favor of Arizona, they’re pounding him all day. Blowout in favor of Houston, he’s running routes, catching the ball like he did vs. the 49ers. Close game, then it’s a healthy mix of the two.
 
According to ESPN Fantasy Sports, in 92% of fantasy football leagues, Hightower is on a team’s roster. Yet, only 23% care to start him. Do yourself a favor and slide Hightower into the line-up this week, you won’t be disappointed.

FRO’s Favorite Five” Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks Week 5

“FRO’s Favorite Five”
Frankie’s Favorite Fantasy Picks
Week 5
By Frankie Underwood, Senior Fantasy Writer at www.footballreportersonline.com Email questions and comments to Frankie@footballreportersonline.com


Jacksonville Jaguar’s Quarterback David Garrard looked great Sunday against the Tennessee Titans this past weekend. Hopefully that momentum will carry across country to Seattle where he will face a depleted Seahawk’s secondary. Seattle has been terrible at stopping the run so they should concentrate on holding Maurice Jones-Drew in check. If they do focus on MJD that should open up downfield for the other hyphenated rising star WR Mike Sims-Walker, and it seems that once Jacksonville abandons the run, they tend to forget to go back to it. In case you forget, whichever Philly QB starts this weekend against Tampa Bay should be in your line up.

The New York Giants RBs have a dream scenario this weekend. First they are playing the lowly Oakland Raiders who can’t stop a running back. Second, their star QB Eli Manning is hurt for a game that they should be able to win without him. Needless to say start Brandon Jacobs this weekend. Since I don’t give the easy choices here, let’s go deeper, as in Ahmad Bradshaw and deeper still, Gartrell Johnson. Only one of these two backs will be playable so watch the injury report, If Bradshaw plays, then he is your man. If he doesn’t, and you need a flex player or are in dire need of a RB, pick up Johnson as a long shot that could pan out. Also, If you have Mendenhall, get him in against Detroit, and Julius Jones is home against the Jags, get him in.

Up to this point Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs hasn’t had the all-star season that he was projected to have. Neither was Denver’s Brandon Marshall until he ran into Bowe’s next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys. Dallas’s defense has been shamed by the likes of Byron Leftwich and Kyle Orton. In fact every QB facing the Cowboys is putting up over 200 yards and at least one td. Chiefs QB Matt Cassel should be able to keep up the trend. Although Cassel has favored new addition Bobby Wade in the Red Zone, Bowe matches up perfectly with Dallas’s smaller CB, not to mention they have a starting safety out in this game. As a side note, keep an eye on Cleveland’s Mohamed Massaquoi, with Braylon Edwards out of town Massaquoi should continue as Derek Anderson’s favorite target.

TE was difficult this week, but I want to test a new theory. Most ¾ defenses struggle to cover TEs. I looked at the New England Denver Match up, but neither team has a true starting TE. Then I looked at Dustin Keller in Miami, I liked the talent but Miami does seem to cover TEs. Tony Gonzalez against the 49ers? Who isn’t starting him? Unfortunately I settled on Brandon Pettigrew of the Detroit Lions who should be playing catch up with the Pittsburg Steelers. The Steelers have given up yards and scores to tight ends this season and the Lions should be passing plenty. If Matt Stafford toughs it out and play I love this match up, but Culpepper is a wildcard. Back up QBs, like Culpepper, tend to favor the number three WR, which could be Dennis Northcutt or even Derrick Williams. I’ll take my chances. By the way, Owners should play Keller if they can.

Defense might have been harder than TE this week. All the Poor teams (St. Louis, Oakland, and Tampa Bay) are playing Defenses that you would start anyway (Minnesota, NY Giants, and Philly). That left me choosing between Dallas at KC, Buffalo versus Cleveland, and Washington at Carolina. Washington and Buffalo have both let me down in the past, so let’s give the Dallas Cowboys a shot. The secondary scares me, but hopefully, KC’s offensive line allows the Cowboys outside rushers to finally pressure a QB into some mistakes. Washington could also show up If Delhomme hasn’t improved.


Last Weeks Favorite Five

Carson Palmer – 2 Tds, That’ll work

Darren McFadden – Injured after a terrible start, sorry.

Devin Hester – Injured early in the game, sorry.

Zach Miller – Injured, are you serious, did I jinx these three or something? I guess Palmer lucked out.

Buffalo Bills – 6 Sacks is pretty good, too bad they couldn’t recover one of those fumbles.


Fantasy Tips:
Do not play Seattle Running Back Julius Jones when his team is on the road!
Backup QBs favor the third receiver, who was probably the starting receiver on the second team.
3-4 defenses struggle against TEs, so do Houston and Minnesota.


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

3,000 Facebook and 7,000 Twitter friends? Have a YouTube Meetup!

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Someone - I think it was San Francisco Chronicle Columnist Mark Moford - asked what to do with 5,000 Facebook friends, or at least that was the headline of the column. Unfortunately, I missed my plan to read it, but it never left my mind.

Now, I've got over 3,000 Facebook friends, 7,000 Twitter followers, almost 4,000 YouTube subscribers, and am on 34 social networks and have a network of over 90 blogs.

To some like my friend MC Hammer, who has a ridiculous 1.5 million Twitter followers, I'm an ant. But to me, it's a signal to do something. Big. Someday. Soon.

That something should be a party, and yes, as I'm a YouTube Partner, it's going to be a YouTube Meetup.

For those who dont' know what a YouTube meetup is, the videos below give a real good idea of what happens at one of these things and also how I'm going to change things up a bit.

My first YouTube Meetup was in 2007 at Pier 39 in San Francisco. In fact, Pier 39 didn't officially know it was happening, even though it benefited that tourist attraction and led to a really funny video spoof of the event. Here's my video and the really funny one by "BetterBadNews":

2007 As-One Meetup:



The "Better Bad News" video:



So that's an idea of things to come but the difference is that mine will be in Oakland. I love San Francisco, but Oakland's my home and it's way, way overdue for a real good YouTube Meetup, featuring my Facebook and Twitter friends (of all political stripes).

That will be interesting.

Oh, if you're reading this and a YouTuber (which means you're a person with an active YouTube channel with videos you've uploaded), give me a ping for more information.

Oakland Gang Task Force disbanded

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The Oakland Gang Task Force, that was the much talked about unit of the City of Oakland's Police Department in the Discovery television series "Oakland Gang Wars", has been disbanded.

In fact, this action happened just about a month ago according to sources who do not wish to be named. The reason for the action is a combination of budget cutting and political infighting out of the view of Oakland's City Council.

Reportedly, but I offer this is not the exact explanation and only a caricature of entire story, the eight-person unit had one officer who was not well liked by the commanding sergeant, who wanted him reassigned. The other officers involved like and respect the officer and so disagreed with the planned removal. That set in motion a number of actions, some involving high level OPD execs, that my sources did not fully disclose but had something to do with the eventual end of the task force.

The officers which made up the group were reassigned to the narcotics beat.

I was told that the Oakland Gang Task Force did such a good job that even the criminals they caught pointed to their fairness and professionalism in their work. No, I'm not kidding when I write that. (As a point of information, I'm told that in Oakland, the estimate of 10,000 gang members may be an undercount.)

Many of the group officers are Oaklanders and former gang members themselves, who understand how that way of life works and how to navigate within it. They truly care about Oakland and reportedly conducted their work in that way.

While political infighting and budget cuts doomed the Oakland Gang Task Force, one may aak if the recent $10.8 million grant from the Obama Administration helped. I'm told it did, in that it caused Oakland to be able to retain all of the recently hired officers.

The unfair system

Some have written that the Oakland gang effort targets black neighborhoods in our city. I do agree because the other part of the problem is the demand for drugs in areas that have the resources and are mostly white but go "unpoliced". In fact, I'm told the former members of the Oakland Gang Task Force state that's a large problem.

The answer may be to increase police activity in areas of demand, perhaps even to home inspections with a search warrant. What that would do over time is wake up the population to the severity of the gang and drug problem.

But - and I'm willing to bet - that some would claim cocaine is used for medicinal purposes, and push for the legalization and taxation of its use.

I'm being "tongue-in-cheek" here to a degree, but look folks, it's really an out-of-whack society that punishes one group with arrests for selling drugs, the poor and minority, and rewards the other group with freedom of use of drugs, the rich and white.

Fortunately, Oakland's finest agree with me.

The N – Files, Volume II: Collateral Damage

The N – Files, Volume II: Collateral Damage
By Michael – Louis Ingram, Associate Editor /Director of ScoutingFootball Reporters Online
FRO/BASN
 
PHILADELPHIA (FRO/BASN): (two weeks later)
N-Files Glossary: UPS (Ultrasonic Pulse Scanner); BIG UPS (Bilateral Integrated Ghost Ultrasonic Pulse Scanner);
RATs (Residual Audio Templates); MAUS (Mobile Analog Uplink Source)
RBG (Red Black Green, aka Reparations by Graduations); MAMA (Modified Analog Masking Apparatus)   
 
 
“We don’t keep track of single quarter records; but geez, 356 yards – who could’ve gained more than that?”
(Seymore Siwoff, head of Elias Sports Bureau, commenting on Washington quarterback and Super Bowl XXII Most Valuable Player Doug Williams’ second quarter performance against John Elway’s Denver Broncos; Williams would lead his team to a 35 point, 356 yard explosion – which resulted in a 42 – 10 destruction of favored Denver.)
 
Over the din of cheers and elation over Washington and Doug Williams at San Diego’s Jack Murphy Stadium, some asshole is bleating on-air about how he hopes this (paraphrasing) “Finally dispels the myth as to whether or not Black men are capable of playing the position…”
 
Las Vegas…1988:
(A bottle of Johnny Walker Blue Label goes flying across the room, the incensed silver-haired man who had every intention of toasting a Denver victory with the signature scotch whiskey, grabs the Presidential Suite’s house phone. “There is something very wrong here,” the gravelly gruff baritone bellowed. “We need to talk – like now!”)
 
Cue whistling…
 
Ask anyone who works for a living in Philadelphia, and they will tell you the lunch carts are the life force of the workforce. Good food and a good price for folks trying to make it, no matter what collar one wears.
Chanticleer Piper observed the noon day bustle along 16th Street in Center City, waiting to put in his order at his favorite cart, parked near the corner of 16th and Spruce streets.
The idea of a chicken cheese steak sounded even better as it was sizzling on the grill next to the other orders. A clear day and a little sunshine vitamin always stimulated the appetite, and as the sandwiches and drinks were being piled onto to the small cardboard box Piper was carrying, he spotted Agent George Wheelwright a few yards away sitting on one of the bench areas, bantering with Agent Craig Buchanan.
It didn’t take any eavesdropping device to know the subject being discussed, Piper walking into the discourse as Buchanan was pontificating. “Yeah, Wheels your Silver and Black looked good beating up on San Diego, but they didn’t get the job done!  Not like my Pittsburgh Steelers, the six time Super Bowl Champions, and the only – “
“Aww, here we go; now you know can’t get away with sayin’ that in “Iggles” country!” laughed Piper. Clearly, your temporary insanity requires nourishment, so here’s lunch. Cheese steak, chips and apple juice for CB - and a tuna hoagie with cheese, chips and an orange soda for you, Wheels.”
 Wheelwright digs into his bag, then stopped. “Hey Piper, where’s my –“
“Oops, my bad – here you go, Wheels.” Piper took the package out of his jacket pocket and handed it to Wheelwright, whose eyes lit up. “Yeah, my Krimpets,” smiled Wheelwright. These bad boys are hard to get out in Cali.” Wheelwright opened up the Tastykake Butterscotch Krimpets, and chomped down on one of the iced sponge cakes.
“You don’t have to tell me, bro,” said Piper. My Aunt Dessa used to always bring those and the Chocolate Juniors and cup cakes from Philly whenever she and my cousins came to New York; when I was a kid, you couldn’t get them there, either.”
Piper took a bite out of his chicken cheese steak and a swig of his IBC Root Beer before continuing. “I think now’s as good a time as any; MAMA’s five-by-five on the signal, so plug in and enable your MAUS if you haven’t already.”
The two agents nodded affirmatively and Piper tapped in his clearance code.
“Alright, guys – time to compare notes. MAMA’s listening and Director McClain is receiving. Wheels, let’s start with you – what did you do in San Diego?
“I planted an Ultrasonic Pulse Scanner on one of the city transit’s light rail cars whose route ran by where Jack Murphy stadium used to be; confirmed unit was working and properly scanning every six hours until I left town four days later.
“I then contacted RBG Central and through one of our contacts in Las Vegas had a BIG UPS connected underneath the antenna atop the Stratosphere Hotel; it started sending signals ten minutes after confirmation of connection.
“After the composite scan, readout produced 16 pages of ghosts. After locking in on the area of greatest concentration, RBG dispatched two agents who placed RATs in the race/sport book areas of six different casinos, with timers set for January 30, 1988 - the day before Super Bowl XXII. Out of the six RATs, four picked up recoverable information before self-destructing.”       
“Sounds good, Wheels - Mr. Buchanan, what did you find out on your end?”
Pausing to digest the chomp’s worth of steak sandwich, Buchanan coughed and cleared his throat.  “You know, when you first brought this up, I started thinking about Super Bowl XXII and how Doug Williams lit up the Broncos.
“Well, it got me thinking about how hyped I was about my Steelers when they not only signed Joe Gilliam, but when he won the starting spot at quarterback in 1974. Hey, I wasn’t even old enough to really grasp the idea of it; I just knew how everyone else reacted to it so I knew it had to be something special.
“Now everybody knows Gilliam didn’t lose his job because the team was bad; by all accounts, they should’ve been a favorite that year – and he was 4-1-1 after six games.
Wheelwright jumped in. “So, Pittsburgh realizes they have a Black man leading a team with serious Super Bowl potential – and they freak out! Hey, Gilliam didn’t have a losing record – he won almost 70 percent of the games he started in.”
“Exactly,” said Buchanan. “Ain’t no other way to say it - they bitched up big time in not following through on an opportunity a Black man had earned. My Uncle Nate talked about that a lot as Williams and Washington were getting closer to the Super Bowl.
“So before we all hooked up, I did some digging on my own. According to all accounts, Gilliam had the job taken from him; he didn’t lose it.
“Well, when you put this together with the fact Jay Schroeder was supposed to be Washington’s quarterback when the 1987 season started, it further proves Williams’ elevation to first string and everything else that followed wasn’t supposed to happen.
“So I had Digital Donna plant a BIG UPS in the area that was Three Rivers Stadium (now Heinz Field) and pre-set it for September of 1974 in the hopes we could scare up a ghost or two. As of right now, we’ve got barely a page of data; the time difference is making this a bit more difficult to sort through; but it is giving up something.”  
Piper smiled. “Good lookin’ out on that, Craig – you tying in what Pittsburgh did and didn’t do gives this more weight. Especially when it came to Vegas setting the odds:
“You got to figure even with Schroeder starting that game, Washington would have gotten more play; maybe even gets a slight favorite. Because anyone who really understood football knew that in every unit – offense, defense and special teams – Washington was superior.”
Wheelwright chimed in. “You got that right, brother man. Washington’s ‘Hogs’ on the offensive line were arguably the best line in football at that time.”
“Exactly,” said Piper. And let’s not forgot how Washington benefitted from the USFL getting co-opted by the NFL in court. They used Kelvin Bryant and George Rogers to get there on the ground; and had Ricky Sanders, Gary Clark and Art Monk to catch the ball along with Clint Didier and Don Warren when they ran out of that twin tight end formation.
“Bryant, Sanders and Clark were USFL All-Stars, and Monk – well, he was only a Hall of Fame receiver.
“Denver had no answer for that.”
“They didn’t have any answer for them on defense, either,” said Buchanan. Aside from Mecklenburg at linebacker and Dennis Smith at safety being a big hitter, they really didn’t have anyone who scared you.
“Washington had a good pass rush, and three of the guys in their secondary had made All-Pro. Hell, Darrell Green was at his peak, and he’s a Hall of Famer now.”
“Okay, so you put all this together,” paused Piper, ”and in spite of all this Washington stays a three point underdog – and we know why – no way this Nigger’s supposed to beat their pigskin god John Elway.”
    
Las Vegas -1988…
 
(The silver haired man was showing streaks of red through his somewhat tanned face as he continued his telephone rant. “The goddamn game is over and how the fuck am I gonna recoup my losses?
“You said them sumbitch Redskins was a busted flush; where the fuck was all that damn offense when they were playing during the goddamn season? I lost everything – even the under – and some asshole’s running up and down the damn hall squealing like a bitch about how he made $250K on Ricky Sanders catching that damn TD pass!”
“Listen you don’t-know-shit-from-Shinola peckerwood – when you all get together in Palm Springs over the next couple months, there has to be insurance that this situation can never – and I mean never - happen again!”)
 
 
To be continued…
 
copyright  c 2009 michael-louis ingram
 
 

David Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt's "steamy" letters

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This whole deal between David Letterman and his long-time assistant Stephanie Birkitt is getting even more interesting with the NY Daily News' revelation that Stephanie wrote Dave "steamy" love letters.

As I've stated this has less to do with any "boss - aide" relationship, as those who point such fingers seem bent on painting the woman as not having a mind of her own. There was obviously no hint of coercion in Letterman's actions, and evidence that she wanted Letterman perhaps more than he wanted her. The letters are called "steamy" more than "kinky" in the NY Daily News:

"It's her musings about them," a source who perused Birkitt's purple prose told the Daily News. "It's trash...It's clear she's having a sexual relationship with Letterman."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/10/07/2009-10-07_david_letterman_.html#ixzz0TKBbPbWC
"
Stephanie Birkitt moved in with Robert "Joe" Haldeman in 2005 after Haldeman divorced his wife in 2004. While it's not clear when Letterman and Birkitt started their affair, Birkitt has worked for Letterman since (at least) 2004.

Birkitt left Haldeman this year after. Haldeman discovered the news of the affair between Letterman and Birkitt after reading her diary. Haldeman then allegedly developed the $2 million extortion plot against Letterman, even attempting to deposit what was a phony check he got from the talk show host. That led to his arrest for extortion.

Wanda Sykes hits the late show circuit with "The Wanda Sykes Show"

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Comedian Wanda Sykes - who wowed America with her monologue at the Washington Correspondent's Dinner earlier this year - has a new talk show. "The Wanda Sykes Show" will be on Fox starting November 7th.

Her website carried this statement:

I’m married, so this was a great excuse to get out of the house on a Saturday night,” said Sykes. When asked about returning to FOX, she added, “Yes, my relationship with FOX hasn’t been the best, but if Rihanna can go back to Chris Brown, I can go back to FOX. Oprah tried to talk me out of it, but I think FOX has changed.”

Wanda Sykes and her wife, Alex

Fox's show website explains...

A new weekly late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW will feature Sykes' personal take on the events of the week punctuated by field pieces and produced comedy segments. Everything from news, politics, sports and pop culture will get examined from a point of view not currently offered on television.

Oh, boy. This is gonna be interesting.

Wanda's last show, called "Wanda at Large" was canceled after it was moved to the "death time" of Friday nights. Sykes charges that Fox lied to her, stating that another time slot would be found if Friday didn't work. But apparently all that's in the past as Sykes' "Q-rating is apparently on the rise over the last two years, even if it has come from pissing off certain segments of the political landscape.

What got Sykes into trouble with conservatives at the Correspondent's Dinner was this series of statements about Rush Limbaugh:

"Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails, so you're saying, 'I hope America fails,' you're like, 'I don't care about people losing their homes, their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq.' He just wants the country to fail. To me, that's treason,"

Frankly,I agree with her. We let a guy like Rush Limbaugh collect a contract valued at around $400 million for making statements that are against any American success that President Obama has something to do with, which is essentially rooting against one's own country!

More of Sykes from the Washington Correspondent's Dinner, where she's cracking on Rush:

"He's not saying anything differently than what Usama bin Laden is saying," she continued, before addressing the guest of honor, President Obama. "You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight...Rush Limbaugh, 'I hope the country fails' -- I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? ... He needs a good waterboarding, that's what he needs."

If you missed her performance, here it is, courtesy of C-SPAN and YouTube.com:

Irving Penn more popular than Michael Crabtree; who's Penn?

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Today, the San Francisco 49ers signed now-former Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Frankly, I expected he and agent Eugene Parker to avoid the purgatory to come if Crabtree skipped out on the Niners and sign what turned out to be a nice six-year, $32 million deal with a $17 million signing bonus.

What I didn't expect was that Crabtree's signing would be overshadowed by Irving Penn on Twitter's "Trending Topics". But who's Irving Penn?

Irving Penn's a fashion photographer who's work you've seen, even if you didn't know who did it. My favorite, which is the way I became just remotely familar with Penn, is this one of Truman Capote:

Truman Capote

But other than that, I'm a bit less than informed of all of Penn's work.  Since Penn passed away at 92 years old, let's take a brief look at some of his work and life.

Penn  who was born June 18, 1917, passed away in his apartment in New York City today from unknown causes, according to the LA Times.  But what he leaves behind is a legacy of achievement in capturing life through the lens in an unforgettable way and presenting his view through Vogue.   He was with the magazine since 1943. 

Penn got his start in the public eye when Harper's Bazaar published his sketches after he graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School after 1938, then joined Vogue in '43. From there, he launched a career that saw him photograph celebrities like W. H. Auden and Marlene Dietrich.

 Marlene Dietrich

Penn's style has been described as "minimalist" and "classical" but I would just use the word "cool" because it seems to capture all of the other adjectives in one fell swoop. Always in black and white, his images captured the attention of modern industrial culture and defined the World around him.

Since Penn passed away on the same day Michael Crabtree was signed, it's fair to ask if Crabtree will be the kind of artist on the football field that Penn was away from it.

Only time will tell.

FRO's NFL Performance Rankings week 4

FRO's Performance Rankings week4
2009 NFL Season
By Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer At-Large Football Reporters Online

While there are many power rankings out there based as much on hype, expectations, and too often, unrealized and inaccurate projections, at Football Reporters Online, we prefer to rank NFL teams on what's actually happened, taking into account only how teams have performed on the field and who they’ve played. At F.R.O., you won’t find yet another power ranking that doesn’t tell you much. Instead, here are the F.R.O. NFL Performance Rankings:

Week 4

CONTENDERS:

#1 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 4-0 Wk: #1 Wk 4: Beat NY Jets, 24-10
The Saints remain at #1 for the third straight week, and they’re starting to become more of a complete team each week. We knew they could pass, but they’ve shown a strong running game and a great defense, too.

#2 NEW YORK GIANTS 4-0 Wk 3: #2 Wk 4: Won at Kansas City, 27-16
Steve Smith has emerged as the go-to receiver the Giants were seeking. Hakeem Nicks showed why the Giants used a 2009 number one pick on him, burning the Chiefs for his first career touchdown on Sunday. And, the D has been strong.

#3 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 4-0 Wk 3: #5 Wk 4: Beat Seattle, 34-17
Like a fine wine, Peyton Manning is getting better with age. Four 300-yards games in four games, all Colts’ wins, 9 TD’s and only 3 picks. Very impressive, even by Manning’s standards. Indy can all but end the Titans’ season on Sunday.

#4 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 4-0 Wk 3: #7 Wk 4: Beat Green Bay, 30-23
Speaking of getting better with age, in his final game in his 30’s, Brett Favre had a terrific game against the franchise that he’ll represent in the Hall Of Fame. As expected, Jared Allen has been a force with 18 tackles and 6½ sacks.

#5 DENVER BRONCOS 4-0 Wk 3: #6 Wk 4: Beat Dallas, 17-10
Dallas may end up a .500 team this year, but by beating them, the Broncos eased some questions about the legitimacy of their staying power in the AFC, at least for now. And, their defense has allowed a league-low 26 points (6.5 ppg).

#6 NEW YORK JETS 3-1 Wk 3: #4 Wk 4: Lost at New Orleans, 24-10
After three impressive weeks, Mark Sanchez and the Jets were dealt a huge case of reality down in the Bayou, but they only fall two spots after losing to #1 on the road, and because the defense for the most part, remains solid.

#7 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 3-1 Wk 3: #16 Wk 4: Beat Baltimore, 27-21
A big jump of 10 spots after beating last week’s #3 team. New England has righted the ship with a pair of solid home wins over Atlanta and Baltimore after raising a lot of early questions with poor showings against the Bills and Jets.

#8 BALTIMORE RAVENS 3-1 Wk 3: #3 Wk 4: Lost at New England, 27-21
The Ravens have still been pretty good overall, and thus, they’re still in the top 8, but losing a competitive game at New England, Baltimore falls from one of the elite teams down to one notch below the Patriots, for now.

#9 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 3-1 Wk 3: #8 Wk 4: Beat St. Louis
The Niners are still that one late Favre-to-Lewis Week 3 Minnesota Miracle pass from being a perfect 4-0. With everyone else in the NFC West under .500, San Francisco clearly looks like the best out west in the NFC.

#10 CHICAGO BEARS 3-1 Wk 3: #15 Wk 4: Beat Detroit, 48-24
The Bears have shown some mettle, rebounding from a tough season-opening loss in Green Bay, to win three straight. With 11 fewer first downs, 122 fewer yards, and 13 fewer minutes holding the ball, the Bears beat Detroit 48-24 (?!).

#11 ATLANTA FALCONS 2-1 Wk 3: #12 Wk 4: Bye
Matt Ryan looked sharp in a couple of home wins against poor competition (Miami and Carolina) but a trip to New England exposed some Falcon flaws. Coming off a bye, Atlanta will be tested again going to San Francisco next.

#12 CINCINNATI BENGALS 3-1 Wk 3: #10 Wk 4: Beat Cleveland, 23-20 (OT)
The Bengals are one of the league’s biggest enigmas thus far. The blow a game to Denver at home and struggle to beat the lowly Browns, yet they win at Green Bay and beat Pittsburgh. It all adds up to a good 3-1 start at the quarter mark.

#13 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2-2 Wk 3: #17 Wk 4: Beat San Diego, 38-28
If the Steelers could maintain their focus for a full 60 minutes each week, they’d rank in the top five. But, that problem let two road games Pittsburgh should have won get away, and instead of a perfect 4-0, their only at .500

#14 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 2-1 Wk 3: #13 Wk 4: Bye
The Eagles’ bye bought Donovan McNabb the final week of time he needed to recuperate and return to the lineup on Sunday. Games against three bad teams (Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Washington) ease McNabb back into things.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#15 DALLAS COWBOYS 2-2 Wk 3: #9 Wk 4: Lost at Denver, 17-10
At 2-2, Dallas looks to be on the path to 8-8. What they do well one week, they may not do the next, particularly with an inconsistent Tony Romo missing Terrell Owens. Dallas gets an easy one in Kansas City next, before the bye comes.

#16 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 2-2 Wk 3: #20 Wk 4: Beat Tennessee, 37-17
From 0-2 to 2-2. Is Jacksonville better than expected or did Tennessee already quit on the season after three tough losses? Maybe both. David Garrard has played well enough for the Jags to open it up more with the passing game.

#17 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 2-2 Wk 3: #11 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
The Chargers reach the bye and will remain in this area of the rankings until they can raise their game to match that of better opponents. So far, wins over the bad Raiders and Dolphins, but missed chances against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

#18 GREEN BAY PACKERS 2-2 Wk 3: #14 Wk 4: Lost at Minnesota, 30-23
Sure, Favre won the big showdown, but bigger picture, Jarred Allen has 4½ sacks, and Cincinnati’s Antwan Odom had five sacks in Green Bay’s other loss. Until they can fix their offensive line woes, the Pack won’t challenge in the NFC.

#19 HOUSTON TEXANS 2-2 Wk 3: #21 Wk 4: Beat Oakland, 29-6
The Texans have been inconsistent week to week, as shown by the L, W, L, W result. The Raiders at home were the perfect medicine for what was a very shaky defense that allowed a bunch of yardage over the first three weeks.

#20 ARIZONA CARDINALS 1-2 Wk 3: #19 Wk 4: Bye
The Cards would have been wise to use the bye week to work on their defense after Peyton Manning torched them in the desert. Warner and Arizona were great in Jacksonville but they’ve yet to play well at home in two losses.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#21 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 2-2 Wk 3: #25 Wk 4: Beat Tampa Bay, 16-13
With Redskin-of-the-teeth wins over awful St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and a loss in Detroit, Washington is about as unimpressive a 2-2 as a team can be. The defense has been okay, but the Skins are still waiting on Jason Campbell.

#22 MIAMI DOLPHINS 1-3 Wk 3: #27 Wk 4: Beat Buffalo, 38-10
Starting 0-3, looking pretty bad, and losing their starting quarterback to his latest season-ending injury, the Dolphins seemed to be going nowhere. Then, a 38-10 thrashing of Buffalo. That’s the unpredictability of the NFL at its best.

#23 BUFFALO BILLS 1-3 Wk 3: #18 Wk 4: Lost at Miami, 38-10
Now the flip side of that unpredictability. The Bills play well enough to win in New England, lose to the #1 Saints (understandable), and beat Tampa Bay easily. So, 0-3 Miami without Chad Pennington? Naturally, a 38-10 loss. Huh?!

#24 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1-3 Wk 3: #22 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
Now that we’ve got the NFL’s unpredictability down, here lesson 2: how quickly fortunes can change. After crushing St. Louis, the Seahawks lose three straight and go from #3 on this list all the way down to #24.

#25 DETROIT LIONS 1-3 Wk 3: #24 Wk 4: Lost at Chicago, 48-24
Could it be? Two wins in a row after 19 straight losses? Trading touchdowns in a 21-21 half in Chicago, the Lions made that thought possible. But, then that pesky 27-3 second half came and Detroit became the Lions we’re used to seeing.

#26 TENNESSEE TITANS 0-4 Wk 3: #23 Wk 4: Lost at Jacksonville, 37-17
What is going on down in Tennessee? From the only 13-3 team and a number one see a year ago, to an 0-4 start this season. So, no more Haynesworth, but way too much talent on the field and on the coaching staff to be winless.

#27 CAROLINA PANTHERS 0-3 Wk 3: #29 Wk 4: Bye
Good news for Panthers fans! Jake Delhomme didn’t turn it over last week. Oh right, Carolina was off. Ever since last year’s regular season ended, Delhomme has not been the same quarterback. At 0-3, he’d better find it again soon.

#28 OAKLAND RAIDERS 1-3 Wk 3: #26 Wk 4: Lost at Houston, 29-6
Jamarcus Russell has completed a shade under 40 percent of his passes and there’s talk of head coach Tom Cable being arrested for breaking the jaw of one of his assistants. The Raiders are a mess right now, but at least they have a win…

#29 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 0-4 Wk 3: #31 Wk 4: Lost at Washington, 16-13
Which bring us to the winless bottom four, and we start with the Bucs, who early on, couldn’t stop anyone while moving the ball some. Now that the defense has improved a little, the offense has disappeared. Long season in Tampa.

#30 CLEVELAND BROWNS 0-4 Wk 3: #32 Wk 4: Lost to Cincinnati, 23-20 OT
The Browns nearly got a… well, not a win, but almost a tie. Hey, gotta set you sights somewhere before you get better.
Cleveland did play Cincinnati tough after three bad games, so maybe there’s a some hope for a little improvement.

#31 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 0-4 Wk 3: #30 Wk 4: Lost to NY Giants, 27-16
All you need to know about the Chiefs so far this season, besides losing to three good teams each by double digits, is that when they statistically dominated the bad Raiders at home, they still managed to lose that one as well.

#32 ST.LOUS RAMS 0-4 Wk 3: #28 Wk 4: Lost at San Francisco, 35-0
And, bringing up the rear this week, falling four spots to get here after a horrid performance in Frisco, are the Rams. Two shutouts already? Just 24 points in four games? St. Louis is the NFL’s version of minor-league football right now.