Spmusic Monday: Re-Up and Wind-Down
(1 Cent): LA-LA Land!
It looks as though the Dodgers organization wasn't satisfied with only making the playoffs last year ... as they look to not only make it again in 2007 but actually win a playoff series or two. Which is good to me.
The most notable acquisitions that have been made thus far are:
-- SP Jason Schmidt: former San Francisco Giants ace pitcher and all star, he now joins our ace/all star pitcher Brad Penny ... very nice 1-2 combo ... Jason had a 3.59 ERA and an 11-9 W-L record, which should have been A LOT better but the Giants didn't give him ANY run support (i.e. in his 9 losses, here's how many runs the Giants scored for him: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 8, 1, and 3 ... and on the game where they scored 8, Jason only gave up 4 runs while the team lost 13-8) ... basically, he was 'Schmidted' on ... honestly, he could've gone 20-1 if his team could've scored some runs ... the Dodgers were 2nd in runs in the NL last year ... can you say Cy Young? ... I can't wait to keep on saying "Schmidt happens!" next year ... shoot, I'll start this year! Schmidt happens!!!
-- CF Juan Pierre: former Chicago Cub outfielder had batted .292 with 3 HR's, 40 RBI's, but most importantly 202 hits and 58 (!) stolen bases ... maybe even more important, during the past 4 baseball seasons he is tied for 1st in total games played (648), 3rd in hits (810), 2nd in triples (45), and 1st in steals (225) -- stats from ESPN.com ... he's a great defensive outfielder (because of speed, not so much the arm) and is always on base or stealing them ... can you imagine the 1-2 combo of Rafael Furcal and J.P. at the top of the line-up? I'm giddy all over again!
-- SP Randy Wolf: former Philidelphia Phillies pitcher who came back late last season after some elbow surgery ... didn't have the best ERA in the world at 5.56 (!) but was 4-0 ... how? They scored runs for him ... plus, he's had all this time to rest, will have training camp and preseason, and there's no reason why he couldn't return to his career average of a 4.21 ERA ... just a solid rotation guy who'll eat innings and is a lefty... which is good enough for me.
-- LF Luis Gonzalez: former Arizona Diamondback whom I'm not sure why we signed (although it was just a 1 year deal, but $7 million? Goo!) ... he wasn't terrible, but wasn't spectacular, having a .271 BA with 15 HR's and 73 RBI's ... an average player that doesn't miss many games ... but what gets me about this deal is that the man just turned 39 years old in September while we had a good outfield without him already (projected: CF Juan Pierre, RF Matt Kemp, and LF Andre Either ... with Jayson Werth and Jason Repko being just as good as Kemp and Either AND 2B/OF Marlon Anderson on the team still) ... why did we need Gonzo? Do we not trust our super young OF? I need answers ....
Overall, though, as a Dodgers fan I am excited about the free agent signings (and the extension of Nomar Garciaparra). If they can all stay healthy (which history has shown to be a BIG if, with all stars Nomar and Jeff Kent -- and newly departed RF J.D. Drew and closer Eric Gagne -- missing a lot of time) then they have a shot to make some noise. I like noise.
(2 Cent): The Re-Up!
As you might have guessed, this week's album review is entitled Eminem Presents The Re-Up and it is pretty darn good. There are 22 tracks (which for me always makes your rating go up unless they absolutely suck) which have a ton of great new beats (from Eminem himself and a new producer -- at least to me -- called The Alchemist ... and one from Dr. Dre), some old beats with new raps on them (i.e. "Pistol, Pistol" remix with Obie Trice) and some remixes entirely (i.e. "Ski Mask Way" with 50 Cent).
This CD is basically Eminem putting out a couple of radio smash hits, letting some old friends do some tracks (50 Cent and Lloyd Banks from G-Unit, D-12, and Obie Trice from his label), and bringing to light some of his new friends (Stat Quo, Cashis, Bobby Creekwater). The original crew brings their usual heat and his new guys have some game in this rap thing, too. Each new artist has a unique voice and have a good flow ... I'm sure rapping over Em's beats doesn't hurt either.
I didn't know what to expect, but since Em was the producer, I knew it had to be no less than average ... and I was right. Although there are a couple of tracks that sound almost instrumental if you buy the radio edit version, this is still a good buy with a lot of variety and 3 can't miss tracks in a row with Em and 50 (tracks 6, 7, and 8 ... more on that below). I won't put "Jimmy Crack Corn" with Em and 50 in my Fav Five because it's been on the radio, but know it is one of the best tracks on there. I give the CD an overall 8.5 out of 10. The CD is capable of just listening all the way through.
**Fav Five**
1) Track 6, "The Re-Up" (Eminem with 50 Cent): It's been my experience that albums with a song entitled the same as the CD have been bad (i.e. below average) ... this is the exception ... this is a sweet beat that Em and 50 do wonders on ... the bass with 50 in the background are exceptional ... both verses of their rap have great flow ... I'll never get tired of this song ... boom, boom, chop!
2) Track 7, "You Don't Know" (50 Cent with Eminem, Lloyd Banks & Cashis): There was a roomer that this song has a video ... I've yet to see it (or hear it on the radio) ... either way, this song is a great song with a hardcore ridin'/clubish beat ... great rhymes from all involved ... catchy hook from 50.
3) Track Track 18, "Get Low" (Performed by Stat Quo): This is the only beat from Dr. Dre, but it doesn't disappoint ... Stat Quo does his thing on here (if that name sounds familiar, try checking out the soundtrack of the video game NBA Live 06) ... think of a remix of the "Outta Control" remix (by 50 Cent and Mobb Deep).
4) Track 22, "No Apologies" (Performed by Eminem): This is one of those Em classics that divulge some of the deeper feelings that is going on with him inside ... this has a similar feel to it that "The Way I Am" and "Cleaning Out My Closet" had ... and a similar use of a digitized string instrument that Dre and Em have made famous.
5) Track 16, "Smack That" (Remix) (Akon featuring Stat Quo & Bobby Creekwater): The original version of this song appears on Akon's CD that just came out (Konvicted) which features and is produced by Eminem ... this version is produced by Akon and has a smoother, less club feel to it and features two of the "new guys" ... I'm glad that they didn't use the same beat to just add the new raps to it ... Akon even has new lyrics but keeps the "classic" hook.
(1/2 Cent): Next Victim!
Okay, so the Busdrivers team finally puts out a squad that can score and we dirtied up the opposition. This was also overcoming a sprained ankle by Kobe in a game early last week (which stunted his week's overall output, but still was above average). Methinks that this is the kind of scoring I can come to expect if everyone stays healthy.
We are 2nd in the league in overall scoring -- trailing the leader by less than 5 fantasy points (FP's). Overall, I'm happy with the way the players from my team (it's easier to say "my" than "our" team and having to explain why I'm talking collectively -- just know that J.H. and I are co-owners). When I don't have to complain about the Fred Jones' of the world, it makes for shorter columns. I guess that's a good thing.
The team we play this week scored a whopping 208 FP's (yes, for those following along, that is sarcasm) so we should have no trouble winning again. Of course, stranger things have happened and so I won't rule out anything. But, if I was a gambling man in Vegas, I would totally double down right ... now.
Week 6: W - 329.25 to 252 ... W-L Record: 4-2 (Second in division, fifth in the league)
*Note: Top 4 teams make it to the playoffs (i.e. the 3 division winners and then the next best record of the remaining teams)*
Week 6 Fantasy Stud: Dwayne Wade (G, MIA): 54.67 FP's
Week 6 Fantasy Dud: No one in particular who started ... perhaps my worst bench player, Nick Collison (F, SEA): 15.67 ... but remember, that is 3 times more FP's than Fred Jones scored last week for me ... and I dropped Nick for Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell ... and no, I won't stop mentioning Fred Jones.
-----------------
For "S&G's", I wanted to compare the order of the first 12 picks of our draft to their fantasy point average (FPA). Here's what follows:
1st Pick: LeBron James, F - CLE
2nd Pick: Dirk Nowitski, F - DAL
3rd Pick: Kevin Garnett, F - MIN
4th Pick: Kobe Bryant, G - LAL
5th Pick: Dwayne Wade, G - MIA (Busdrivers' pick)
6th Pick: Steve Nash, G - PHO
7th Pick: Gilbert Arenas, G - WAS
8th Pick: Allen Iverson, G - PHI
9th Pick: Carmelo Anthony, F - DEN
10th Pick: Shawn Marion, F - PHO
11th Pick: Baron Davis, G - GS
12th Pick: Tim Duncan, F - SA
Now, in descending order of FPA per week:
1) Wade: 47.4
2) James: 46.6
3) Iverson: 46.3
4) Nash: 43.9
5) Arenas: 42.5
6) Garnett: 42.2
7) Anthony: 42.1
8) Davis: 40.8
9) Nowitzki: 39.6
10) Duncan: 38.3
11) Bryant: 38.2
12) Marion: 35
My observations: with the 5th pick, so far we have the best fantasy scorer in the league ... for a #2 pick, Nowitzki hasn't been doing enough (fantasy-wise) to justify it ... Iverson is a beast and won't slow down (well, if he gets a new team ... because he's done in Philly) ... if you average the past 4 weeks (the NBA has played 6 weeks) where Kobe was getting back to playing shape and testing his surgically repaired knee, he's averaged 41.25 FP's (and that's including his game where he sprained his ankle and averaged only 36 FP's) ... Jason Kidd (our G from NJ) is averaging 39.7 FP's thus far and Zach Randolph (our F from POR) is averaging 37.4 ... both worthy numbers of a Top 12 pick ... oh, yeah, I like Busdrivers version VI.
------------------
This will be the last entry for the week ... with Two And A Half Cents returning to action on December 21st for Pet Peeve Thursday. I have a busy two weeks ahead of me (as I'm sure most of you do as well). Thanks for reading. Feel free to still post comments and questions by clicking the Comments link below or writing to HCP207@gmail.com ... I'll be collecting them for the Grab Bag Friday on the 22nd.
HCP
It looks as though the Dodgers organization wasn't satisfied with only making the playoffs last year ... as they look to not only make it again in 2007 but actually win a playoff series or two. Which is good to me.
The most notable acquisitions that have been made thus far are:
-- SP Jason Schmidt: former San Francisco Giants ace pitcher and all star, he now joins our ace/all star pitcher Brad Penny ... very nice 1-2 combo ... Jason had a 3.59 ERA and an 11-9 W-L record, which should have been A LOT better but the Giants didn't give him ANY run support (i.e. in his 9 losses, here's how many runs the Giants scored for him: 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 0, 8, 1, and 3 ... and on the game where they scored 8, Jason only gave up 4 runs while the team lost 13-8) ... basically, he was 'Schmidted' on ... honestly, he could've gone 20-1 if his team could've scored some runs ... the Dodgers were 2nd in runs in the NL last year ... can you say Cy Young? ... I can't wait to keep on saying "Schmidt happens!" next year ... shoot, I'll start this year! Schmidt happens!!!
-- CF Juan Pierre: former Chicago Cub outfielder had batted .292 with 3 HR's, 40 RBI's, but most importantly 202 hits and 58 (!) stolen bases ... maybe even more important, during the past 4 baseball seasons he is tied for 1st in total games played (648), 3rd in hits (810), 2nd in triples (45), and 1st in steals (225) -- stats from ESPN.com ... he's a great defensive outfielder (because of speed, not so much the arm) and is always on base or stealing them ... can you imagine the 1-2 combo of Rafael Furcal and J.P. at the top of the line-up? I'm giddy all over again!
-- SP Randy Wolf: former Philidelphia Phillies pitcher who came back late last season after some elbow surgery ... didn't have the best ERA in the world at 5.56 (!) but was 4-0 ... how? They scored runs for him ... plus, he's had all this time to rest, will have training camp and preseason, and there's no reason why he couldn't return to his career average of a 4.21 ERA ... just a solid rotation guy who'll eat innings and is a lefty... which is good enough for me.
-- LF Luis Gonzalez: former Arizona Diamondback whom I'm not sure why we signed (although it was just a 1 year deal, but $7 million? Goo!) ... he wasn't terrible, but wasn't spectacular, having a .271 BA with 15 HR's and 73 RBI's ... an average player that doesn't miss many games ... but what gets me about this deal is that the man just turned 39 years old in September while we had a good outfield without him already (projected: CF Juan Pierre, RF Matt Kemp, and LF Andre Either ... with Jayson Werth and Jason Repko being just as good as Kemp and Either AND 2B/OF Marlon Anderson on the team still) ... why did we need Gonzo? Do we not trust our super young OF? I need answers ....
Overall, though, as a Dodgers fan I am excited about the free agent signings (and the extension of Nomar Garciaparra). If they can all stay healthy (which history has shown to be a BIG if, with all stars Nomar and Jeff Kent -- and newly departed RF J.D. Drew and closer Eric Gagne -- missing a lot of time) then they have a shot to make some noise. I like noise.
(2 Cent): The Re-Up!
As you might have guessed, this week's album review is entitled Eminem Presents The Re-Up and it is pretty darn good. There are 22 tracks (which for me always makes your rating go up unless they absolutely suck) which have a ton of great new beats (from Eminem himself and a new producer -- at least to me -- called The Alchemist ... and one from Dr. Dre), some old beats with new raps on them (i.e. "Pistol, Pistol" remix with Obie Trice) and some remixes entirely (i.e. "Ski Mask Way" with 50 Cent).
This CD is basically Eminem putting out a couple of radio smash hits, letting some old friends do some tracks (50 Cent and Lloyd Banks from G-Unit, D-12, and Obie Trice from his label), and bringing to light some of his new friends (Stat Quo, Cashis, Bobby Creekwater). The original crew brings their usual heat and his new guys have some game in this rap thing, too. Each new artist has a unique voice and have a good flow ... I'm sure rapping over Em's beats doesn't hurt either.
I didn't know what to expect, but since Em was the producer, I knew it had to be no less than average ... and I was right. Although there are a couple of tracks that sound almost instrumental if you buy the radio edit version, this is still a good buy with a lot of variety and 3 can't miss tracks in a row with Em and 50 (tracks 6, 7, and 8 ... more on that below). I won't put "Jimmy Crack Corn" with Em and 50 in my Fav Five because it's been on the radio, but know it is one of the best tracks on there. I give the CD an overall 8.5 out of 10. The CD is capable of just listening all the way through.
**Fav Five**
1) Track 6, "The Re-Up" (Eminem with 50 Cent): It's been my experience that albums with a song entitled the same as the CD have been bad (i.e. below average) ... this is the exception ... this is a sweet beat that Em and 50 do wonders on ... the bass with 50 in the background are exceptional ... both verses of their rap have great flow ... I'll never get tired of this song ... boom, boom, chop!
2) Track 7, "You Don't Know" (50 Cent with Eminem, Lloyd Banks & Cashis): There was a roomer that this song has a video ... I've yet to see it (or hear it on the radio) ... either way, this song is a great song with a hardcore ridin'/clubish beat ... great rhymes from all involved ... catchy hook from 50.
3) Track Track 18, "Get Low" (Performed by Stat Quo): This is the only beat from Dr. Dre, but it doesn't disappoint ... Stat Quo does his thing on here (if that name sounds familiar, try checking out the soundtrack of the video game NBA Live 06) ... think of a remix of the "Outta Control" remix (by 50 Cent and Mobb Deep).
4) Track 22, "No Apologies" (Performed by Eminem): This is one of those Em classics that divulge some of the deeper feelings that is going on with him inside ... this has a similar feel to it that "The Way I Am" and "Cleaning Out My Closet" had ... and a similar use of a digitized string instrument that Dre and Em have made famous.
5) Track 16, "Smack That" (Remix) (Akon featuring Stat Quo & Bobby Creekwater): The original version of this song appears on Akon's CD that just came out (Konvicted) which features and is produced by Eminem ... this version is produced by Akon and has a smoother, less club feel to it and features two of the "new guys" ... I'm glad that they didn't use the same beat to just add the new raps to it ... Akon even has new lyrics but keeps the "classic" hook.
(1/2 Cent): Next Victim!
Okay, so the Busdrivers team finally puts out a squad that can score and we dirtied up the opposition. This was also overcoming a sprained ankle by Kobe in a game early last week (which stunted his week's overall output, but still was above average). Methinks that this is the kind of scoring I can come to expect if everyone stays healthy.
We are 2nd in the league in overall scoring -- trailing the leader by less than 5 fantasy points (FP's). Overall, I'm happy with the way the players from my team (it's easier to say "my" than "our" team and having to explain why I'm talking collectively -- just know that J.H. and I are co-owners). When I don't have to complain about the Fred Jones' of the world, it makes for shorter columns. I guess that's a good thing.
The team we play this week scored a whopping 208 FP's (yes, for those following along, that is sarcasm) so we should have no trouble winning again. Of course, stranger things have happened and so I won't rule out anything. But, if I was a gambling man in Vegas, I would totally double down right ... now.
Week 6: W - 329.25 to 252 ... W-L Record: 4-2 (Second in division, fifth in the league)
*Note: Top 4 teams make it to the playoffs (i.e. the 3 division winners and then the next best record of the remaining teams)*
Week 6 Fantasy Stud: Dwayne Wade (G, MIA): 54.67 FP's
Week 6 Fantasy Dud: No one in particular who started ... perhaps my worst bench player, Nick Collison (F, SEA): 15.67 ... but remember, that is 3 times more FP's than Fred Jones scored last week for me ... and I dropped Nick for Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell ... and no, I won't stop mentioning Fred Jones.
-----------------
For "S&G's", I wanted to compare the order of the first 12 picks of our draft to their fantasy point average (FPA). Here's what follows:
1st Pick: LeBron James, F - CLE
2nd Pick: Dirk Nowitski, F - DAL
3rd Pick: Kevin Garnett, F - MIN
4th Pick: Kobe Bryant, G - LAL
5th Pick: Dwayne Wade, G - MIA (Busdrivers' pick)
6th Pick: Steve Nash, G - PHO
7th Pick: Gilbert Arenas, G - WAS
8th Pick: Allen Iverson, G - PHI
9th Pick: Carmelo Anthony, F - DEN
10th Pick: Shawn Marion, F - PHO
11th Pick: Baron Davis, G - GS
12th Pick: Tim Duncan, F - SA
Now, in descending order of FPA per week:
1) Wade: 47.4
2) James: 46.6
3) Iverson: 46.3
4) Nash: 43.9
5) Arenas: 42.5
6) Garnett: 42.2
7) Anthony: 42.1
8) Davis: 40.8
9) Nowitzki: 39.6
10) Duncan: 38.3
11) Bryant: 38.2
12) Marion: 35
My observations: with the 5th pick, so far we have the best fantasy scorer in the league ... for a #2 pick, Nowitzki hasn't been doing enough (fantasy-wise) to justify it ... Iverson is a beast and won't slow down (well, if he gets a new team ... because he's done in Philly) ... if you average the past 4 weeks (the NBA has played 6 weeks) where Kobe was getting back to playing shape and testing his surgically repaired knee, he's averaged 41.25 FP's (and that's including his game where he sprained his ankle and averaged only 36 FP's) ... Jason Kidd (our G from NJ) is averaging 39.7 FP's thus far and Zach Randolph (our F from POR) is averaging 37.4 ... both worthy numbers of a Top 12 pick ... oh, yeah, I like Busdrivers version VI.
------------------
This will be the last entry for the week ... with Two And A Half Cents returning to action on December 21st for Pet Peeve Thursday. I have a busy two weeks ahead of me (as I'm sure most of you do as well). Thanks for reading. Feel free to still post comments and questions by clicking the Comments link below or writing to HCP207@gmail.com ... I'll be collecting them for the Grab Bag Friday on the 22nd.
HCP
posted by HCP @ 11:48 AM
1 Comments:
At 11:13 PM,
James said…
The Blue Bombers made a good decision signing Randy Wolf. I think he's really underrated and can flat-out dominate when healthy. I had him on a fantasy team a few years ago when he was nearly untouchable, and he racked up the wins on a really bad Phillies team.
If he can stay healthy that 1-2-3 Penny/Schmidt/Wolf trifecta will be really good.
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