Two weeks in a row with two winning fantasy teams. This weekend’s matchups weren’t particularly thrilling, so it’s hard to write anything too interesting about them. But this whole recapping exercise was really just an excuse to get me writing again, and it’s working. I’ve got a few other blog items I’m working on that I’ll post soon, so let’s get this one over with.

Vancouver Volcanoes (6-2) 135,
Madisonville Maggots (4-4) 83

Every week I stress a bit about who to play in my flex spot, and that decision was made all the more difficult by the emergence of Shonn Greene last week. I went with Breaston over Bradshaw, Fred Jackson and Greene, and it was the right choice, but it really didn’t matter in the long run. Wayne, Turner, Thomas and Flacco combined for enough points to win this matchup for me, as my opponent didn’t get much from Eli Manning, Ronnie Brown or the injured Owen Daniels. Up next, the High Mountain Widowmakers, a team with lots of options. If I were him, I’d have a hard time deciding between Roethlisberger @ Denver or Hasselbeck vs. Detroit.

PDX Prowlers (6-1-1) 76,
TwoManningsOneCup (0-8) 49

Having Drew Brees in the Monday night game was a nice ace to have up my sleeve, but he put up a few stinkers earlier in the season. So I was a little concerned when, at the end of the early games, I trailed an opponent who had failed to replace Kerry Collins, Muhsin Mohammed and Calvin Johnson in his starting lineup. My concern faded as Jonathan Stewart turned in his best performance of the season against the #1 Arizona rush defense. His 20-point performance offset the -1 I got from Steve Slaton, who was benched after an early fumble. While Slaton’s issues didn’t cost me this week, they did cast further doubt on an already suspect backfield. Not a good time to be facing my next opponent, the Well Hungarians, who are building a contender with some very shrewd trades.

Between recovering from the Umphrey’s McGee show at the Crystal Ballroom and preparing for the debut of the Harmless Eccentrics Sunday night, I was able to put together another 2-0 week for my fantasy teams.

Vancouver Volcanoes (5-2) 140,
Amite Steelmakers (3-4) 133

The league’s Player of the Week award went to Carson Palmer, who combined with Chad Ochocinco for a monstrous 75 points, but Cincinnati’s defense kept my opponent within striking distance. Had I trusted Lee Evans over Steve Breaston, I’d have had a bit more breathing room. Instead, I watched nervously on Monday night, hoping that none of the Redskins multiple 4th quarter red zone chances ended up in the hands of Santana Moss. This week’s matchup with the Madisonville Maggots looks to be a much lower scoring affair, with tough matchups for some of our biggest producers.

PDX Prowlers (5-1-1) 142
TDs ‘N Beer (4-2-1) 89

Another award-winning blowout, thanks t0 huge games from Drew Brees, Vernon Davis, DeSean Jackson and the Philly Defense, the latter two putting the game way out of reach on Monday night. Not only did I outscore my other team in the much higher scoring ESPN league, this was the highest point total recorded all year in this league, putting me comfortably ahead of the pack with the all-important tiebreaker, total points for the season. Next week, the roll looks to continue against the winless TwoManningsOneCup (eewww!)

Last Sunday should have been a forgettable day. Both of my teams were involved in lopsided matchups, one winning and one losing. But after weeks of sick and/or lazy Sundays, I was ready for some fun. I watched the early games at a great sports bar, then had quality rehearsals with two of my bands, Mystic Canyon and Harmless Eccentrics. Turns out the best way to get over a crushing loss for the Giants is to jam late into the night.

North Coast Greenleaves (4-2) 162,
Vancouver Volcanoes (4-2) 120

Jason and I had been looking forward to this matchup for a few weeks, as it also happened to be the week that his Saints faced my Giants. We met at the Cheerful Bullpen for the 10am start. While the game was painful to watch, the breakfast was tasty and the Spanish Coffee strong! Drew Brees gave Jason an early lead, and Randy Moss sealed it later in the day. Like the Giants, the Volcanoes put up enough points to win against a lesser team, especially during the bye weeks. But there was no catching Jason, even if Pierre Thomas had managed to be one of the 7 Saints to score a TD.

Things don’t look too good for Pierre this week either against a stiff Miami defense, but the rest of my team looks solid going into Sunday’s matchup against another New Orleans native, Steve, and his Amite Steelmakers, who are gonna need to make some moves due to injuries and byes this week.

PDX Prowlers (4-1-1) 111,
Degoba Green (1-4-1) 55

It was a small consolation as my Giants went down in flames that Drew Brees’ huge game was at least helping me in this league. But the Prowlers’ biggest point total of the year went to waste as my opponent didn’t even show up. Greg Jennings remained on his bench from the previous week’s Bye, and he never picked up a Defense to replace the ones that weren’t playing this week (Miami and SF.) At least I got the Toyota Biggest Fantasy Blowout award for the week, a new feature on Yahoo’s league page. This weekend’s matchup holds a lot more promise as I look to break a first place tie with TDs ‘N Beer.

As much as I love this game, it can be quite frustrating. I like to let my victories speak for themselves – smack talk has always been bad karma for me – and I like to think I am gracious in defeat, especially if I can’t pin the loss on a poor personnel decision on my part. The most infuriating thing for me is a tie, so for the last 36 hours I have been driving myself crazy with all of the ways I could have scored just one more point, praying that a miraculous stat correction from the league could sway the result my way. You win some, you lose some, and I can deal with that, but you tie some? Aaarrrrggghhhh!!!!

Vancouver Volcanoes (4-1) 136,
Team Johnson (0-5) 118

All of Jimmy’s players were playing in the early games Sunday, so he got off to a great lead despite the injury to Calvin Johnson and a Baltimore game plan that mostly ignored Willis McGahee. But my RB tandem of Turner and Bradshaw put me in great position to catch up with 5 TDs between them. By the time Sunday night came around, all I needed was a few points from Reggie Wayne and/or the Indy Defense to put me over. Fred Jackson’s production is tailing off as expected, but with my crucial bye weeks passed, he has served his purpose. Another highlight was a showdown between my two QBs; although Carson Palmer won the battle on the field, Joe Flacco proved to be the wiser choice for our scoring system, which rewards a high completion percentage.

Next week’s contest will be huge; not only am I playing Jason, commissioner of the league and the other half of the Mystic Canyon percussion section, but Jason’s favorite team, the Saints, will be hosting my Giants. I wish my boy good luck, because after last week, when he dropped Jeremy Maclin and started Mike Sims-Walker, he’s going to need it!

PDX Prowlers (3-1-1) 78,
Krest Street Killaz (0-4-1) 78

My fretting about this matchup began early in the week, when I realized I had no QB. With Brees on a bye week and Pennington done for the year, I needed to spend my #1 waiver priority on a decent backup. My best option by midweek was Seneca Wallace, so I picked him up, only to learn the next day that Matt Hasselbeck would be back under center for Seattle. I briefly considered sticking with Wallace, assuming he’d get some work, but I took a no-guts-no-glory gamble on Daunte Culpepper that paid off. In this 16-team league, it was either him or JaMarcus Russell, and I wasn’t going there.

I guess I can’t be too upset, as our lineups were quite evenly matched. I got a big game from Houshmandzadeh, while he got a slightly better performance from Nate Burleson. My DeSean Jackson put up a zero, but so did his Laveranues Coles. Defenses, kickers, tight ends and running backs were all within a point or two of each other. In the end it came down to Sunday Night – the Killaz were done and all I needed from Nate Washington was 40 yards. He went for 37. And dropped an 8-yard pass in the 4th quarter that would have won the game (for me, certainly not for the Titans.) Still I have to take the blame myself, because had I stuck with my original plan, going with Hakeem Nicks instead of Washington, I’d have won.

My next opponent, Degoba Green, has tasted the bitterness of deadlock as well. At 1-3-1, this team looks to break out huge next week with a trio of hot receivers (Marshall, Jennings and Edwards) in favorable matchups. This matchup also has a heavy Giants-Saints element, as Eli Manning faces my returning Drew Brees. It might be a close one, but please, no ties! There can be only one!

My lineups required some minor tweaking to account for the absence of Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals and Panthers from the Week 4 schedule. But roster depth and foresight prevailed as both teams won in relatively easy fashion.

Vancouver Volcanoes (3-1) 120,
Wyoming Ball-Busters (2-2) 71

As the score suggests, there was not much drama in this matchup. My WRs, Wayne and Ochocinco, were solid and the Redskins Defense has been a steady contributor. Pierre Thomas more than made up for off-weeks from the other RBs (Fred Jackson and Ahmad Bradshaw.) The Ball-Busters got solid performances from Matt Forte and the Denver D, but single-digit scores from everyone else. Had he started Rodgers or Favre over Schaub (and yes, he does have all three!) things would have been a little closer. Week 5’s game is against Team Johnson, a perennial playoff team looking to turn around a winless season at my expense.

PDX Prowlers (3-1) 77,
Orton’s Neckbeard (0-4) 55

This one had the potential to be a lot closer, as Drew Brees turned in another lackluster week, and I got zeroes from McFadden and Stuckey. Thankfully, my gamble on the Texans paid off as Steve Slaton got in the end zone twice while the Texans D held the hopeless Raiders to 2 FGs. I had snagged the Texans D right after the draft knowing I would need to cover Philly’s Bye Week, so that foresight was a game-winning strategy. Oddly, both of my opponents started Matt Schaub this week, but because this Yahoo League doesn’t penalize sacks and incompletions the way the ESPN league does, Schaub was Neckbeard’s most productive player. My next match-up is against the Krest Street Killaz, another winless team that has a much better lineup than one would think. With Brees on a bye and Pennington done for the year, the search is on for a starting QB.

Over their nearly 20-year career,  Pearl Jam has become a hard band to define. Of course some will forever think of them as a Grunge band, but while 1991’s Ten somehow both defines and transcends the subgenre, their follow-up Vs. shows the band had already outgrown the limitations of that label. Fifteen years and seven more studio albums later, the band’s instantly identifiable yet unclassifiable sound combines punk energy, progressive complexity, folky melodic simplicity and arena rock bravado.

Some critics have seized upon that seemingly incongruous blend and suggested that Pearl Jam may indeed be a jamband! And while the very thought may send a shiver down the spines of longtime Ten Club members, the comparison does have its merits. Though they don’t tour every year (and perhaps because of this) fans follow the band for multiple shows, and lasting friendships and families have been born from the resulting community atmosphere. And while they don’t scramble the setlists every night to the degree that Phish does, there is a true sense that any song in their catalog is in play on any given night.

To really get to the essence of Pearl Jam, all you need to do is see a show like the one they played last Saturday at the Clark County Amphitheater in Ridgefield, WA. It becomes apparent that this band does not need a label or a genre. You know what you are getting at a Pearl Jam concert – a heavy dose of the new album, plenty of singalongs from Ten and Vs., a few lesser-known album tracks and a song or two that will not be heard again for the rest of the tour. All played with the same urgency and passion as the day they were written. 

 I suppose it’s become somewhat cliche’ to say that a band transcends genres and defies classification, so let me just say it this way. Pearl Jam is a rock band. When was the last time anyone had to explain what kind of music is the Who or Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones or U2, Bruce Springsteen or Jimi Hendrix? While Pearl Jam may not have reached as wide an audience yet, they have earned the respect given to those legendary names by creating music that defines their era.

Sep 26, 2009
Set 1
Gonna See My Friend, Last Exit, Why Go, The Fixer, In Hiding, Johnny Guitar, Green Disease, Amongst The Waves, Even Flow, Off He Goes, Unthought Known, Daughter, Supersonic, Present Tense, Got Some, Once, Life Wasted
Encore 1 Golden State*, The End, Red Mosquito**, Inside Job, Go
Encore 2 Do The Evolution, Not For You(Modern Girl), Black, Porch, Yellow Ledbetter(The Star-Spangled Banner) 
*Eddie w/Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney) 
** w/Ben Harper

Donna was psyched to get a t-shirt with the classic stick man logo.

Both of my teams now stand at 2-1 as we enter the Bye weeks. The Yahoo team suffered its first defeat while my ESPN team continued its winning ways. Here’s how things went down.

Vancouver Volcanoes (2-1) 134
Virginia Beach Polish Pride (1-2) 108

I had some challenging lineup decisions to make this week, and while my trust in Joe Flacco over Carson Palmer paid off, my flex spot was a much tougher call. Ahmad Bradshaw has been looking solid, but I couldn’t be sure he’d get enough touches. Lee Evans was a tempting matchup with Buffalo sure to be down and throwing a lot. Ultimately, I put my trust in a healthy Pierre Thomas, and though he made me sweat the decision through the first half, he paid off in the second half. While my margin of victory might suggest that any of these guys would have won me the game, I could not afford to take chances against the team that recorded the highest total of the season in Week 2. This week I enter a matchup with the Wyoming Ball-Busters with Michael Turner on my bench and Fred Jackson having his workload potentially cut in half.

PDX Prowlers (2-1) 69
The Pomeranians (2-1) 82

My backfield of Slaton and McFadden continues to disappoint, but Jonathan Stewart isn’t giving me much reason to sit either of them. Though the decision to replace Nate Washington with Chansi Stuckey cost me a little, the blame for this loss can surely be laid at the feet of Drew Brees, whose season-low 172 yards and 1 lost fumble negated fine performances by DeSean Jackson and Vernon Davis. The Pomeranians 3-headed Horse attack of Manning-Wayne-Addai nearly won this matchup on their own. Up next, Orton’s Neckbeard, looking surprisingly loaded for an 0-3 team (even with Steve Smith on a bye.) They’ll try to exploit the Giants matchup against KC while I hope the Texans and Raiders engage in a brutal ground war.

There were some mind-boggling numbers put up this week by the likes of Chris Johnson, Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Dallas Clark and Frank Gore. I don’t have any of these guys on either of my teams, but fortunately, I didn’t have to face them either.  So even though my point totals were down from last week, I came away with two close wins.

Vancouver Volcanoes (1-1) 111
Death By TD (1-1) 95

Michael Turner was back to his expected numbers and Fred Jackson and Chad Ochocinco had great games, more than making up for Reggie Wayne’s disappearing act Monday night. The decision to go with Flacco over Carson Palmer cost me a few points, and Matt Prater’s missed FGs negated the ones he made. Still it was enough as Devin, already burned by the decision to start Nate Burleson over Vincent Jackson, saw all hope for a comeback pull up lame along with Marion Barber. Next up: Virginia Beach Polish Pride, who snagged Team of the Week honors this week thanks to Clark and Andre Johnson.

PDX Prowlers (2-0) 84
Buck an Ears (1-1) 83

Drew Brees’ big numbers and DeSean Jackson’s 71-yard TD catch were the highlights of an otherwise unspectacular effort. Still it looked like I had things sewn up going into Monday night’s game with an 11-point lead. My opponent, perhaps earning his Bort handle “crazylilmofo,” had one more chance to catch up with Pierre Garcon. For nearly 57 minutes, I enjoyed the very strange Colts-Dolphins game without even thinking about the possibility of losing. Then, when Frenchy turned a 2-yard sideline pass into a 48-yard score, my mind started racing. Is this a PPR league? Did he make any plays earlier in the game that I missed? Thankfully, Indy didn’t get the ball back and my lead held up. Despite him not being on my team, my game ball goes to Dallas Clark for crossing midfield before stepping out-of-bounds on the previous play. Next week, the Pomeranians’ Colts-heavy lineup is all that stands between me and a 3-0 record.

There were outstanding performances on both of my fantasy teams in week 1, but only one of my teams emerged victorious. 

Vancouver Volcanoes (0-1) 129
Couver Crusaders (1-0) 151

Reggie Wayne and John Carlson helped the Volcanoes rack up the highest losing point total in the league. Unfortunately, it was not enough to overcome Danny’s NFFL defending champions, who racked up an incredible 53 points from Philadelphia’s defense alone. Michael Turner was underwhelming and Carson Palmer has earned himself a spot on the bench for week 2. I also missed the news that Steve Breaston would not play, but as it turns out, my other flex options (Lee Evans, Ahmad Bradshaw, Earl Bennett) would not have made a difference. Coming up this Sunday, I face Death By TD, and we’ll see if Devin can dominate the fantasy gridiron like he can the saxophone.

PDX Prowlers (1-0) 102
Der Bluten Kats (0-1) 71

Once again I found myself squaring off against the defending league champions, but this time I had Philly’s defense on my side. Scoring in this league is a bit more conservative, but the combo of the Philly D and Drew Brees helped me rack up the highest point total in the league. DBK’s best performance came from the over-achieving Cedric Benson, while LT’s early exit due to an ankle injury kept him from catching up. Up next are the Buck an Ears, relying heavily on a bounceback performance from Arizona’s potentially lethal combo of Warner and Fitzgerald.

September always feels like the beginning to me. Sure the calendar turns to a new year in January, and nature springs back to life around April. But once Labor Day has passed, and with it the Summer, new things start happening. Many years ago, that meant school, marching band, and new TV shows. Nowadays, it means a heavier gigging schedule, more new TV shows, and Fantasy Football.

This year I’ve gotten a reasonable handle on my addiction to America’s most counterproductive national pastime. I only signed up for 2 leagues this year, and ended up with two very different teams. I’ve been starved for blog content lately, so I’ve decided to chronicle my teams’ progress here. I’ll introduce the teams and leagues in this post, and post my Week 1 results later today. Each week, I’ll try to post my results by Wednesday and hopefully, this exercise will get my creative juices flowing so I can get back to more compelling subject matter.  

First up, the Vancouver Volcanoes (in draft order):

Hoping for a repeat of last year's dominance (espn.com)

Michael Turner, RB, Atl
Reggie Wayne, WR, Ind
Pierre Thomas, RB, NO
Chad Ochocinco, WR, Cin
Carson Palmer, QB, Cin
Lee Evans, WR, Buf
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB, NYG
Fred Jackson, RB, Buf
Steve Breaston, WR, Arz
Joe Flacco, QB, Bal
John Carlson, TE, Sea
Redskins DEF, Was
Shonn Greene, RB, NYJ
Earl Bennett, WR, Chi
Colts DEF, Ind
Matt Prater, K, Den
Martellus Bennett, TE, Dal

This is a 14-team head-to-head PPR league run by my drummer buddy Jason on ESPN.com. The rest of the owners are his friends and family, some here in Portland and the rest in New Orleans. I had the #4 pick in the draft, which was held at his house on August 23rd. Twelve of the 14 owners were in attendance, which was a first for me, so it was a lot of fun heckling questionable picks and owners who let the clock tick down to :02 before making their pick.

My other league drafted later that night. This is my second year in the Bort league, a 16-team Yahoo league for fellow Umphrey’s McGee fans. This draft was sort of an afterthought, and when I learned I had the 16th pick, I figured I would not get a quality team. I was very pleasantly surprised – here are the results, copied from Yahoo!

PDX Prowlers
1.	(16)	Drew Brees
2.	(17)	Steve Slaton
3.	(48)	T.J. Houshmandzadeh
4.	(49)	Jonathan Stewart
5.	(80)	Darren McFadden
6.	(81)	DeSean Jackson
7.	(112)	Philadelphia
8.	(113)	Sammy Morris
9.	(144)	Nate Washington
10.	(145)	Vernon Davis
11.	(176)	Hakeem Nicks
12.	(177)	Chad Pennington
13.	(208)	Malcom Floyd
14.	(209)	Chansi Stuckey
15.	(240)	Jerramy Stevens
16.	(241)	Neil Rackers
17.	(272)	Shaun Suisham

 

Suisham was an autopick at the end, I have sinced dumped him to add a backup Defense (Houston has a good matchup vs. Oakland on Philly’s Bye Week.) Also unloaded Stevens in order to add James Davis. I should note that this league plays 2 RBs and 3 WRs with no flex position. It will take some solid performances from young players to make this team a winner, but I like my chances. Good luck to all of my leaguemates – have fun!