Monday, Monday

Haven't got much to talk about today. Just a few bullet points (mostly baseball related), for your reading pleasure. ;)

• Opening Night @ the new Nationals stadium was last night. The Prez threw out the first pitch & there were some distinct boos in the crowd when he was first introduced. I was both surprised & unsurprised.
• Per the previous bullet point, did you know that baseball season is starting again? :) Here's MLB.com's cock-eyed, optimistic look @ the 2008 season.
• In fantasy sports news, I am currently 1st of 12 & 4th of 12 in my two baseball leagues and 9th of 29 & 11th of 17 in my two March Madness brackets. Clearly, I should stick to America's pastime.

So Close to Real Baseball

We're so close, you guys! For those of you not keeping countdowns, here are the stats. As of today, we have:

• 3 days until the first regular season game (Sox vs. A's @ the Tokyo Dome, first pitch @ 6:07am EST)
• 10 days until the first U.S. game (Sox vs. A's @ McAfee Coliseum, first pitch @ 10:07pm EST)
• 17 days until the home opener (Sox vs. Tigers @ Fenway, first pitch @ 2:05pm EST)

Plus, one of my fantasy leagues drafted last night & the other will draft tomorrow night, so I'm really tasting spring right now. :)

Tourney Pick 'Em

Had to post this because I know it won't last. At the moment, I'm 7 for 7 in my March Madness Yahoo tourney picks. That makes me tied for 1st with probably thousands of other people. ;)

But hey, it gave me a tiny thrill. :)

Fantasy Football Update

You guys know how much I love the Red Sox, right? I mean, surely I've mentioned that here once or twice. ;)

Yet I am abysmal at fantasy baseball! I played for the first time over the summer & came in 5th out of 10. Not exactly what I was hoping for.

Fantasy football, however? That's my game. :) I play in a Yahoo league with my sister, brother-in-law, two of his brothers, and a bunch of his friends. Last season, I earned third place (in a league of 12). This season, I'm solidly in third again. My team, the Portsmouth Punks, has gone 7-3, with a .700 winning percentage & 955 points.

I lucked out in the draft & ended up with a couple of standouts. My QB? Only the 7-1, 283.9 yards per game, 23 touchdown Tony Romo. One of my running backs? Only the 7-2, 95 yards per game, 7 touchdown Joseph Addai.

Obviously, these guys are my stars at the moment & not all my other players are as good. However, my back-up QB, Matt Hasselbeck, has been putting on the big boy pants lately, so that bodes well if (knock wood) Romo suffers any later-season injuries.

This week, I play my brother-in-law, who is right behind me at fourth, with a 5-5 record & 910 fantasy points. Wish me luck!

"Look, Ma, I got All-Stahs!"

First of all, why did they tell us it started at 8pm when the action, the real baseball, didn't start until 9? I mean - I was glad to see them honor Willie Mays, but the rest of the dog & pony show just didn't do it for me.

Second, I really hate Fox's commentary. During the 2004 ALCS, my roommates & I finally gave up, muted the TV, and listened to WEEI instead. I can now report that Fox hasn't improved in three years.

Third, I know the All-Star game is a big deal & that all professional sports are plastered with ads these days, but why do they have to inundate us with so many of them? We're at the top of the 6th & I've counted Taco Bell, Burger King, AT&T (naturally), The Simpsons movie, Master Card, and a few others.

But to end on a positive note - I checked the full list of this year's All-Stars & my fantasy team is well represented! I was pleased to discover that I've got eight All-Stars on my team:

1. Hideki Okajima
2. Alex Rodriguez
3. Derek Jeter
4. Vladimir Guerrero
5. Justin Morneau
6. Brian Fuentes
7. Orlando Hudson
8. Roy Oswalt