Well, even though the Rose Bowl is on, I have to watch RAW to see how they build for the Royal Rumble as I am curious to see if things get any better for the flagship show.
Needless to say, there are some pretty awful spots on RAW right now and it has to have rattled some cages (no pun intended, Y2J) to see that SmackDown defeated them in the ratings this week.
Now, don't get me wrong, there are some good things going right now.
Kevin Owens and Jericho are gold together, no doubt. That being said, I can't be the only one that feels like KO should be holding the Intercontinental belt and not the Universal Championship.
Let me be clear here, Owens IS good enough to be the Universal Champ ... but the bookers sure don't seem to feel that way.
Could they possibly go out of their way to make him look weaker?
When is the last time he pinned a rival, clean 1-2-3 in the middle of the ring?
He either wins by cheating, DQ or ... more and more often, GETTING PINNED by his opponent.
Would it kill them to give him a win over Rollins or Reigns without interference?
There is seemingly no chance he retains at the Rumble with Jericho being caged up. The only way I can see him holding onto the strap would be to get himself DQ'd, counted out or someone new (Samoa Joe?) comes in and helps him win.
It's a shame that they have devalued him to the point that I do not feel like he can win without assistance.
Moving on.
Roman Reigns will likely win the title at the Rumble and, unless he cheats and turns heel, the building may riot.
I have never seen someone get such a push while the entire audience revolts against him. The guy just does not have the "it" factor to be John Cena, which they clearly want him to be.
He has some spots you can use him in and get better reactions, but certainly not the way they are doing it.
Seth Rollins is one of the best in-ring performers of our generation and, in the midst of everything else going on, he is being completely wasted.
Seriously? The best feud you can think of for Seth at WrestleMania is HHH?
How can you justify keeping this guy out of the title hunt?
Reigns needs to be pushed back down the ladder a bit, maybe even pairing him up with someone with a bit more charisma, and getting him in the mid-title levels.
I get what they're doing with Sami Zayn and Strouman ... but c'mon. Sami is awesome, yes. I loved him before NxT and everyone loved him as the "guy that wouldn't quit" during his run while in NxT, but he's not Daniel Bryan. Stop trying to turn him into that guy.
Strouman is a monster. He is your typical Vince guy, but not a Vince Champion. Braun is the prototypical big muscular heel that the face champ can beat all of the odds by pinning at some point.
Who on this roster can make the above happen without people thinking it's a sham? I'll get there in a minute.
Speaking of talent being wasted, and no offense to the tag belts, but Cesaro needs to be in the main event scene sooner rather than later. That guy has everything you could want out of a heavyweight champion.
Will they be breaking up the New Day soon? They have kind of run their course, right? Should Woods (if eligible) head to 205 live? Should Big E be moved into the mid-title singles slot? I am not sure how much longer they can come out and keep the same old act and remain in their spot.
Please, WWE, trade "The Club" to Smackdown. You've made fools of them long enough on Monday nights.
The Charolette v Bayley feud has gotten off to a very lackluster start, and that's hard for me to accept as I am a huge Bayley fan. There just seems to be a spark that is missing here that we got with Sasha in this spot. The charisma of Bayley and the attitude from Flair do not seem to be coming across as well as it did in the smaller NxT venues.
Also, speaking of the women's division, where does Sasha go now? They can't really run too long with this feud against Jax. Sasha was getting injured by the abuse from Charolette, so I can't imagine what her body will have to endure matching up with Nia!
I won't even really mention Brock or Goldberg because, lets be honest, they are on TV almost as much as I am.
So what can they do here to spice up the show? Barring a trade, there is only really one answer, and that's raid the NxT roster.
I would rather see The Revival head to Smackdown to be the heel team to challenge American Alpha for their titles, but I could see them making their way to RAW instead to help solidify the tag team division on the red brand.
To me, there's really only one person that has the "it" factor that you could bring in to be the fact of the franchise: Shinsuke Nakamura.
RAW needs someone that can come in and give them that huge fan favorite that they've been dying for, and Nakamura is that guy.
With the success that he had while in Japan and the run in NxT, he has proven to everyone that he is not afraid of the limelight and thrives in matches against multiple styles of opponents.
If RAW wants to back to the top of the "ratings war" and solidify their slot as the flagship show, the King of Strong Style is the guy that can get them there.
Monday, January 2, 2017
Final lineup for Monday
Well, as expected, there was a flurry of moves right towards the end of lock that changed a number of things. I'm not thrilled with the way my team ended up, but here goes:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
G: Michael Carter-Williams
F: Trevor Ariza
UTL: Wilson Chandler
Wish me luck -- and good luck to anyone following along!
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
G: Michael Carter-Williams
F: Trevor Ariza
UTL: Wilson Chandler
Wish me luck -- and good luck to anyone following along!
Monday DFS Pick #5 - Small Foward
I originally had Tyreke Evans at SF, but due to Draft King's multi-position spots, I moved him to SG so that I could select another SF.
SF: Kevin Durant - Golden State - $9,900
Do I really need to say more? Durant has been having a dominating season that is simply being over-shadowed by the video game numbers Westbrook and Harden are running out each night.
Seemingly a lock for 50+ each time he puts his shoes on, I felt the need to grab a piece or two from the game with the highest over/under on the board ... and if I'm going to buy a piece, it might as well be a big piece, right?!
Denver is actually decent at guarding the SF position, but this isn't your ordinary SF. I like to think that Durant is about as "match-up proof" as they come.
Roster so far:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
SF: Kevin Durant - Golden State - $9,900
Do I really need to say more? Durant has been having a dominating season that is simply being over-shadowed by the video game numbers Westbrook and Harden are running out each night.
Seemingly a lock for 50+ each time he puts his shoes on, I felt the need to grab a piece or two from the game with the highest over/under on the board ... and if I'm going to buy a piece, it might as well be a big piece, right?!
Denver is actually decent at guarding the SF position, but this isn't your ordinary SF. I like to think that Durant is about as "match-up proof" as they come.
Roster so far:
PG: Jrue Holiday
SG: Tyreke Evans
SF: Kevin Durant
PF: Jabari Parker
C: Rudy Gobert
Monday DFS Draft Kings pick #4 - Shooting Guard
Here is my first "value" guy of my team tonight, though his owner % is likely on the rise:
SG: Tyreke Evans - NO - $4,100
I know, you typically should never take a player on a minutes limit, but I am willing to take the risk here (and on another player you'll see in a later write-up tonight).
Tyreke's minutes have started to grow from 15 to 16 to 18 the last few games. During those games, minus one dud, he put up fantasy point totals of 22.75, 26.25 and 28.75.
As you can see, he's getting better.
All DFS players know how good Evans can be when he's healthy as he is a legit threat to triple double, and fill every stat line, at any given time.
Being that his salary is still a mere $4,100 - he is nearly a lock for 5x with a chance of getting up to 8x if they increase his minutes a little tonight vs the Cavs.
Combining his continued improvement with the fact that he's coming off the bench, so likely not running the risk of seeing too much of the "Big 3" from the Cavs, and I believe Ty has a legit chance of crushing his salary tonight.
SG: Tyreke Evans - NO - $4,100
I know, you typically should never take a player on a minutes limit, but I am willing to take the risk here (and on another player you'll see in a later write-up tonight).
Tyreke's minutes have started to grow from 15 to 16 to 18 the last few games. During those games, minus one dud, he put up fantasy point totals of 22.75, 26.25 and 28.75.
As you can see, he's getting better.
All DFS players know how good Evans can be when he's healthy as he is a legit threat to triple double, and fill every stat line, at any given time.
Being that his salary is still a mere $4,100 - he is nearly a lock for 5x with a chance of getting up to 8x if they increase his minutes a little tonight vs the Cavs.
Combining his continued improvement with the fact that he's coming off the bench, so likely not running the risk of seeing too much of the "Big 3" from the Cavs, and I believe Ty has a legit chance of crushing his salary tonight.
Monday DFS Draft Kings pick #3 -- Power Forward
There are several solid plays at the PF position tonight, both at the high end and mid to lower end of the spectrum.
I will give you the one I will likely be using several times tonight:
PF: Jabari Parker - MLW - $7,300
The early over/under of this game is set at 212 with the Bucks being 1 point home favorites, which means the game should stay close and give the starters more minutes in crunch time.
Parker averages a whopping 7 fantasy points per game more at home vs on the road, so playing in Milwaukee should benefit the young star.
The Thunder should push the tempo vs the Bucks and, in turn, give this game a fairly good chance of going over the projected total. OKC ranks in the middle of the pact in DEF vs the PF position at 16th and give up an average of 45.20 FFPG to this position.
Here is my other thought on the game ... many people will be jumping onto the Malcolm Brogdon train after showing major upside since being moved into the starting lineup.
I will not be one of those people tonight.
It would be a huge surprise to me if the Bucks do not put Giannis or Tony Snell on Westbrook in an attempt to slow him down, thus leaving Victor Oladipo in charge of guarding Brogdon.
Oladipo's DEF is enough to scare me off Malcolm tonight and look for other value at the guard position.
That being said, this leaves Sabonis with the unenviable task of trying to guard Jabari.
Parker has scored over 40 fantasy points in his last three home games and I don't see it being a problem at all for him to reach that number again tonight. At $7,300 he would need almost 44 to get you 6x on his salary, and I think he's got a better than average chance of achieving that number.
I will give you the one I will likely be using several times tonight:
PF: Jabari Parker - MLW - $7,300
The early over/under of this game is set at 212 with the Bucks being 1 point home favorites, which means the game should stay close and give the starters more minutes in crunch time.
Parker averages a whopping 7 fantasy points per game more at home vs on the road, so playing in Milwaukee should benefit the young star.
The Thunder should push the tempo vs the Bucks and, in turn, give this game a fairly good chance of going over the projected total. OKC ranks in the middle of the pact in DEF vs the PF position at 16th and give up an average of 45.20 FFPG to this position.
Here is my other thought on the game ... many people will be jumping onto the Malcolm Brogdon train after showing major upside since being moved into the starting lineup.
I will not be one of those people tonight.
It would be a huge surprise to me if the Bucks do not put Giannis or Tony Snell on Westbrook in an attempt to slow him down, thus leaving Victor Oladipo in charge of guarding Brogdon.
Oladipo's DEF is enough to scare me off Malcolm tonight and look for other value at the guard position.
That being said, this leaves Sabonis with the unenviable task of trying to guard Jabari.
Parker has scored over 40 fantasy points in his last three home games and I don't see it being a problem at all for him to reach that number again tonight. At $7,300 he would need almost 44 to get you 6x on his salary, and I think he's got a better than average chance of achieving that number.
Monday NBA DFS Draft Kings pick #2 - Point Guard
I wrote earlier this morning about my interest in Utah's Rudy Gobert on tonight's NBA slate, so now I will give you another player that I am interested in.
Again, let me make it clear that guys like Westbrook and Harden are obviously studs on any slate where they are playing, but I am looking at other guys at the moment that could help solidify your roster.
This pick comes with an * as I want to see if Kyrie Irving is starting tonight for the Cavs, but I like:
PG: Jrue Holiday - NO Pelicans - $6,500
Jrue sees a little bit of a price increase tonight, rising from $6,300 up to $6,500 - but I still like his spot in this match-up.
Cleveland ranks 23rd vs the PG position, giving up an average of 48.14 fantasy points per game this season.
Battling back from injury, Jrue has played over 30 minutes in 8 of his last 10 outings and has taken double digit shot attempts in 9 of those games as well.
In his last 5 games Jru has averaged a little over 37 ppg which would put him at near 6x his current salary.
The game tonight looks to be a high-paced high-scoring affair and I think Jrue, a walking double-double threat, will go under owned and give you a nice little advantage on the field.
Stay tuned for my next player, coming soon...
Again, let me make it clear that guys like Westbrook and Harden are obviously studs on any slate where they are playing, but I am looking at other guys at the moment that could help solidify your roster.
This pick comes with an * as I want to see if Kyrie Irving is starting tonight for the Cavs, but I like:
PG: Jrue Holiday - NO Pelicans - $6,500
Jrue sees a little bit of a price increase tonight, rising from $6,300 up to $6,500 - but I still like his spot in this match-up.
Cleveland ranks 23rd vs the PG position, giving up an average of 48.14 fantasy points per game this season.
Battling back from injury, Jrue has played over 30 minutes in 8 of his last 10 outings and has taken double digit shot attempts in 9 of those games as well.
In his last 5 games Jru has averaged a little over 37 ppg which would put him at near 6x his current salary.
The game tonight looks to be a high-paced high-scoring affair and I think Jrue, a walking double-double threat, will go under owned and give you a nice little advantage on the field.
Stay tuned for my next player, coming soon...
First Draft Kings NBA DFS player I am locking in for 1/2/2017
Granted, it is early. My teams will, and should, change quite a few times before roster locks as I am sure there will be players ruled -OUT- thus adding value in other spots.
If you didn't know, Draft Kings is offering a tournament tonight with a $4 entry fee and a 1st place prize of $150,000.
Now would be a good time to get over there and sign-up. If you're already playing, comment with your username and I'll following along to see how you're doing.
I figure it is never too early to start researching, so I will take a moment and share with you my first pick of the night.
C: Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
There are so many mega-stars playing tonight and any time Anthony Davis is on the card, he will be one of the first person people look to at the center position.
I will likely be pivoting to Gobert, who finds himself in a pretty good spot.
The Jazz will be on the road on Monday as they face the Brooklyn Nets.
George Hill will be out Monday after taking a shot to the face in Utah's previous game, thus freeing up some shots for other players on the Jazz.
Gobert has been a double-double machine in the last month and, on Draft Kings, this is important due to the 1.5 pt bonus you receive for this feat.
Brook Lopez is a very solid offensive player, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
The Brooklyn Nets currently rank 30th in DEF vs the Center position, allowing a league high 55.57 FFPs per game on average.
At $7,400, Rudy finds himself as a solid second tier building block on your cash teams, and a potential low-owned pivot for your tournaments who could easily get you 5x value tonight.
If you didn't know, Draft Kings is offering a tournament tonight with a $4 entry fee and a 1st place prize of $150,000.
Now would be a good time to get over there and sign-up. If you're already playing, comment with your username and I'll following along to see how you're doing.
I figure it is never too early to start researching, so I will take a moment and share with you my first pick of the night.
C: Rudy Gobert - Utah Jazz
There are so many mega-stars playing tonight and any time Anthony Davis is on the card, he will be one of the first person people look to at the center position.
I will likely be pivoting to Gobert, who finds himself in a pretty good spot.
The Jazz will be on the road on Monday as they face the Brooklyn Nets.
George Hill will be out Monday after taking a shot to the face in Utah's previous game, thus freeing up some shots for other players on the Jazz.
Gobert has been a double-double machine in the last month and, on Draft Kings, this is important due to the 1.5 pt bonus you receive for this feat.
Brook Lopez is a very solid offensive player, but his defense leaves a lot to be desired.
The Brooklyn Nets currently rank 30th in DEF vs the Center position, allowing a league high 55.57 FFPs per game on average.
At $7,400, Rudy finds himself as a solid second tier building block on your cash teams, and a potential low-owned pivot for your tournaments who could easily get you 5x value tonight.
Every day is a blessing, but sometimes it rains
Blog post from August 29th:
Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, we all know that.
Life is not always sunshine and rainbows, we all know that.
I am a firm believer that each day we wake up is a blessing. I vowed, several years ago, to never take another day for granted. There were two times in the last ten years where my DR informed me that I was mere hours from losing my life.
This last hospital stay I swore to myself I would start living life to its fullest for as long as I can.
Each day I tell myself to make the best of it. Don't let little things get me down and to try and find a way to bring a smile to someone else's face.
All of that is well and good, but there are days that it rains.
Yes, every day is a blessing. Yes, I strive to enjoy every moment of life. Some days are just harder than others.
Whether it be something as small as getting annoyed with some bad driving or as big as pains that double me over or bring tears to my eyes, those days are hard.
I try and force the smile. I don't want anyone knowing I'm suffering. I never want anyone's pity or sympathy, so I usually just keep my issues to myself.
Some days are just harder than others.
Recently I've started bowling again, and bowling a lot. My ostomy bag has allowed me to begin living life again and I thank the Lord, each day, for this opportunity. This bag has allowed me to bowl, travel, go out with friends, go to the beach. I can now do things that most people have taken for granted their whole lives, that have always been a struggle to me.
Yes, this bag has given me a lot.
There are days I still hate it. With a passion.
Last weekend I was bowling an event in which I slipped a little while shooting a spare and felt the ring around my stoma shift, cutting the bottom of my skin. I came home to a bag of blood.
This past weekend I decided to suck it up and bowl another event. This one had trouble written all over it.
15 games straight. One day event. That is too much for a 'normal' or 'healthy' person, but I am not one to let my disease beat me, so I signed up.
For 11 games, things were fine. I was in contention and making a move up the standings sheet. Game 12, I slipped a little shooting a spare ... and deja vu all over again. I spent the next 3 games trying to simply survive and find a way to make good shots, all the while feeling like someone was cutting me with a razor blade every shot.
Pride would not let me throw in the towel. I was determined to finish. After game 15 concluded, I missed 'cashing' by 1 spot, but I finished. To me, that was a small victory in itself.
Here I am now, over 24 hours later, and I still feel the pain left over from yesterday's bowling. I get frustrated that my body can't or won't do what my mind knows it needs to. It's frustrating, as an athlete, to KNOW in your mind what you need to do but your body won't cooperate.
I was blessed to wake up today, but it is raining.
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