Do We Have Any Fruitcake?

The best way to start my columns from here on out will be to do some house cleaning from my previous post. It was my very first post, and the response I got was quite good. There were several more people reading it than I had originally anticipated which goes to show you that by building a simple link in an AOL profile, they will come. And you did. However, I have a bone to pick with some of you.

I have only one comment from my first post, and it is from some company trying to sell me something. I don't get it. I have been getting IM's, facebook wall postings, and actual face to face conversations all telling me about my post. That's all fine and whatnot, and it did bolster my wall postings to an even 100, but post a comment or two at the end of the actual post next time. Let me know why you hated the column or you can let me know what you had for dinner. Either way, comments would be appreciated. To facilitate this, I called up blogspot and asked them to allow anyone to post a comment. You no longer need to register to anything, so type till your hearts content. I digress.

As for myself, I found from my first post, that I need to proofread these columns. I have been in the habit the past 8 years that once I'm done writing anything all I need is a simple spelling check on Microsoft Word, and we are good to go. Not the case. I'll try to brush up on my grammar skills and edit these things beforehand. That's my promise to you. You're welcome.

I decided to write two columns a week. My first one probably on Wednesday, and then a weekend wrap-up on Sunday. The best way for me to keep this going is to find at least a dozen comments on this post. Come on, let's make this dream a reality. If not, then I can blame my family and friends for my own laziness. You don't want that to happen.

Allright, lots to talk about, so let's do it to it.

I bought a notebook the other day, just for this website. I have been writing in it since my first post to remind myself of what I want to talk about in my next one. Well, I have written down a lot of things, so this might be one of my lengthier columns. If it is too much for one read, then make it a two-nighter. And besides, for you readers who aren't in college yet, look to me as more of an educated scholar who is preparing you for your soon to be rigorous college studies. Now if this was a reading assignment for me, I would have read the title, the first and last paragraphs, and then started playing Tiger Woods.

Everyone is playing fantasy sports these days. Fantasy football is by far the biggest, but that is no surprise due to professional football being the most popular sport. Fantasy sports give the fans a rooting interest in each and every game. You will still root for your team, but when the other games are on, you root for individuals. The main part is that you are still watching all the games. I do not like to pay for my playing of fantasy sports, unless I have a group of friends who all decide to join a league. Web services are making a fortune off these things by not rewarding the winners with the majority of the money. My friend recently paid 100 dollars for a 12-team fantasy football league. 100 X 12 = $1200. It was a winner takes all league. He won. $600. That's it. CBSportsline took in the other half. That is ridiculous, and I will not take part in such a scam unless I am the one operating it. All the business aside, I still enjoy taking part in free public leagues. This year, in my four football leagues, I made the playoffs in two, and won one. Not the greatest of track records. However, I also joined just one public basketball league. My history with fantasy basketball is simply awful. I don't keep up with the day to day operations, and end up near the bottom of the pack. Well this year with my team "Bron Over Wade," I grabbed the fifth spot in the playoffs. My team got hot, and I won the entire thing. Not gonna lie, I'm pretty damn proud of that accomplishment. My draft was mediocre but I made some good mid-season pickups, and got hot at the right time. I was planning on talking about the players on my team, but I rambled on a little too much about it already, so that will wait until a slow week.

Staying with the NBA, the playoffs are underway, but with them going all the way until June, I'll hold off on my comments. I would like to talk about who deserves to win the MVP trophy. The candidates are Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, and Steve Nash. Dirk and Chauncey are nice players, but I don't believe have a realistic shot to win. If it was my decision, the voting would look like this.
Third Place - Kobe Bryant. If I were a gambling man, (those who know me are laughing at this) would put good money on Kobe winning. However, I will be upset if this does happen. Sure, he led the league in scoring. Sure, he scored 800 points in a game. Sure, without him, the Lakers don't even sniff the playoffs. I just don't like him. Everything that is Kobe Bryant, I don't like. I think he shoots too much, gets angry at teammates when he is not shooting, and gets way way too many comparisons with Michael Jordan. There are some huge differences between these two players. First off all, when Michael won his championships, he was obviously the best player on the team. Kobe, not the case. Kobe had Shaq. Shaq was better. Those who say, "Well, Michael had Scottie," are idiots. Did Michael win a championship without Scottie? No. Could he have? Absolutely. Could Kobe have won those rings without Shaq? The answer lies in front of us right now. He can't. He won't. I guarantee it.
Second Place - Lebron James. King James had a great season. He led a horrible Cavs team to fourth place in the East, single-handedly. He is all the Cavs have, but it was enough for a fourth place finish and probably a first round win in the playoffs. James put up good numbers this year, and will continue to do so for years to come. Lebron will end his career with at least three MVP's, so don't get upset with him not winning it this year. For this year belongs to a Canadian.
First Place - Steve Nash. Without a doubt, he deserves this award. He won it last year, and should win it again this year. He has put up better numbers than last year and he has done it with less. How he doesn't win it is because of two things. One, affirmative action. And two, he's from Canada. Are the Phoenix Suns w/o Nash better than the Lakers w/o Kobe? Without a doubt. Doesn't mean anything. You put Steve Nash on the Lakers and not only do the Lakers have a better record than they do now, but, the rest of the Lakers would enjoy life much much more. Nash makes everyone else play better. Lebron does as well, but not to the same extent of Nash. If you would look at this race from an outsider's perception, you would agree with me too. Don't lie to yourself.

Off of the NBA, and onto some baseball. Why? Because I can.

I went to the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati a couple of weeks ago. I like the place. Stadium is really nice, and unlike Jacobs Field in Cleveland, there is plenty of space on the inside of the stadium to walk around. One problem. You decide to name it "The Great American Ballpark," yet, your American flag can barely be seen. I have star and stripes boxer shorts that are bigger than the flag the Reds have up in centerfield. That is a joke. It also gives the NBA another reason to give a Canadian the MVP award.

The Reds picked up Brandon Phillips this past week, and all he has done is hit. Rumors had it that Barry Bonds was sighted taking notes of Phillips' swing, trying to figure out the old-fashioned way to get it done. Phillips was a prized talent in the Indians farm system, which is why he gets mentioned today. The Indians had no place for him to go, so they traded him to the Reds for a number two on Wendys value meal. Bob Wickman was delighted. Phillips never panned out because Cleveland said he couldn't field very well. I say, they never gave Phillips a chance. Why Brandon was not the utility infielder this year just bugs me. Instead we have Ramon Vasquez and his career .192 average in there again. If you give Brandon the spot, he at least has a chance. Phillips will become a good player. The Indians are going to miss him badly next year when Ronnie leaves us at second base. Shapiro and Wedge missed this one.

Did anyone else see Todd Hollandsworth rob a home run in Detroit last weekend? It was his very first start in left field this season. You think Jason Michaels would have caught that one? Ha. Laughable at just the thought of him trying. With one catch, Hollandsworth has done more with his defensive life than Michaels can even dream about doing.

Is it wrong that even though the Indians were up 15-1 on Baltimore, I still felt uneasy to see Danny Graves start to warm up? Just the thought of shaggy running in there made me think the Indians needed more runs.

Casey Blake is hitting .400. Let me repeat. Casey Blake is hitting .400. I still don't believe it. If Aaron Boone and Ben Broussard get their lives together too, all I will have left to make fun of will be Bob Wickman. I guess it's not that bad. You can always rely on the Wickster for some comedy relief.

On a lighter side, Love Monkey made its return this Tuesday on VH1. About time. I was pretty angry when CBS pulled the plug. Just because it is not a reality show or have cops solving the world's problems doesn't mean its a bad show. The only reason I like it is because it reminds me of how good "Ed" used to be. That's really it.

That about wraps it up for me today. Our softball team Cool Runnings hits the field tonight. Hopefully with all eligible players. Next time you can look forward to why OUIM is dumb, Notre Dame football, and a preview of my Top 25 sports figures of all time. Read it. Roll it. Hole it.