FantasyTrophies.com is again proud to say that the fantasy industry plays for one of our trophies.  The FSTA just held it’s summer conference in Chicago and nearly 36 participants from 36 different companies will compete for a chance to have their name immortalized on one of our Throwback trophies.  The 36 members are divided in to three 12 team leagues with each winner of that particular league getting their name on the trophy.  These are the big shots of the industry.  Companies like Rotowire, Fanball, ESPN, and USA Today are just a few.  I listed our team in an earlier post and you can check it out for yourself and tell me what you think.  I must say, it would be awfully nice to have FantasyTrophies.com engraved on that bad boy.  I’ll be relying on L.T., Donovan McNabb, Antonio Gates and Stephen Jackson big time.

My fondest memories as a child almost always involve my Dad and sports.  Like many Cleveland fans, I remember going to the old Municipal Stadium to watch the Indians and being able to pick pretty much any seat we wanted  because only about 15-20,000 fans would show up.  Or driving down to the Richfield Coliseum because Dr. J and Moses Malone were in town and maybe World B. Free and the guys could pull of a miracle and knock ‘em off.  OK, so I realize it was wishful thinking. Those days, like today, were filled with their fair share of frustration. 

However, I think the most memorable sports moment I share with my Dad is of a Browns game we went to in the late 70’s against the Houston Oilers.  My Dad worked with a women who was the aunt of  Curley Culp, nose tackle for the Oilers, and because of that he was able to get the signatures of all the Browns/Kardiac Kids on a poster he had made.  A big deal back in that day.  He was also able to get tickets to the game up  in the bleachers, long before it would become known as the Dawg Pound.  The game was close and the Oilers took the lead on a controversial touchdown scored directly in front of us.  Soon beer bottles and anything else fans could get their hands on were being launched on to the field in a drunken display of frustration and displeasure.  If only Mike Phipps could’ve thrown as far as those fans.  Being 8 years old at the time, my Dad took my head and covered it like he was protecting me from a thrown Molotov cocktail. I remember trying to peak out through his arms and seeing the sky filled with bottles and hearing every obscenity my Dad had tried to protect my virgin ears from at that age.  The entire endzone would become filled with debris and looked more like a war zone, forcing the extra point to be kicked on the other end of the field.  The combination of fear and excitement mixed with a strong dose of my Father’s protective instincts was undoubtedly the defining moment in me becoming a Browns fan for life.  You could say it was my Browns baptism.  I also now had a story to tell my friends.  A story that was all mine and one that I knew they were jealous of and  one that probably grew in detail and scale every time I told it.  A story that I share with my Dad and one that I’m sure he can still recall at the drop of a hat.  However, I’m confident his version would have a little less excitement and a lot more fear mixed in.  

It’s Father’s Day today and soon I’ll pick up the phone and wish my Dad a great day and thank him for being such a wonderful guy.  Maybe this time though I’ll also thank him for being the one who both protected me from Browns fans and at the same time helped in making me in to one all those years ago-  I think.

I just got back last night from the summer FSTA conference in Chicago and now have a little more time to look back on the fantasy team Pat and I drafted. Yes, I realize it’s only the middle of June, but it’s the only time the fantasy world can all get together before the start of the season. With that said,  we had the 11th spot in a 12 team draft and went with L.T. followed by Steven Jackson in rd. 2.  I couldn’t believe that both guys were there considering it’s a PPR league and both should catch plenty of balls out of the backfield.  WR’s then started to fly off the board and we had to go with Housmanzada as our #1, Lance Moore, Lee Evans, Justin Gage and Heyward Bey.  Like I said, WR started to fly off the board so we didn’t quite get a stud.  We did however get Antonio Gates as our TE which softens the blow.   Our stable of  RBs ended up being L.T., S. Jackson, A. Bradshaw, Sproles, and Fargas. I knew we had to go with the handcuff in Sproles since L.T. was a little banged up.   So, if all goes well I think our week 1 lineup will be as follows:

QB-McNabb

RBs- L.T., S. Jackson

WR.- Housmanzada, L. Moore, L. Evans

TE- Gates

Flex- Bradshaw

K-Folk

D-Chicago

Tell me what you think.  I can take it- I’m just not sure about Pat though.  -DM

The NFL rumor mill has just pumped out it’s latest–Brandon Marshall is on the radar of the Baltimore Ravens.  This one makes perfect sense.  Marshall is a stud receiver that now desperately wants out of Denver and Baltimore has been searching for a true #1 since their move from Cleveland. Though  Marshall has had his fair share of incidents off the field, he proved last year he is a top 5 wideout when he suits it up.   The question isn’t really IF the Ravens would want him, but CAN he stay out of trouble and not suffer a major suspension from the Commissioner.  Roger Goodell is going to crack down on players that are involved and convicted of domestic violence, as he should, and  if Marshall has another incident he could easily become his first major case.   Keep an eye on this one.FantasyTrophies.com

The smoke is starting to rise higher and higher in regards to the rumors about Shaq being traded to the Cavaliers.  At this point it’s only that, smoke.  However, with Phoenix wanting to dump salary and the Cavs needing an inside presence, this rumor has all the necessary elements to turn it into a raging wildfire.  

The Cavs realized against Orlando that the concrete that Z had in his shoes isn’t going to cut it against Dwight Howard and his athleticism.  Howard continually pounded the Cav’s bigmen inside and set the tempo in many of their games.  On offense,  the Cavs strategy was to try and clear the paint of Howard so Lebron, Mo Williams and Delonte West could drive the lane and kick it out if need be.  However, putting Z at the 3 point line and having him shoot 20 ft jumpers wasn’t the bait to do it.  Enter Shaquille O’Neal.

Shaq may not be the player he once was, but he’s still 350+ pounds that takes up a lot of space and will always demand attention.  Making Howard work on defense is a great way  to slow him down on offense and any player that goes up against Shaq  still needs to pack his lunch and hardhat.  Post position on both ends of the floor was a missing element for the Cavs against Orlando and Shaq has never been shy about setting up camp on the low block.  Danny Ferry, Gm of the Cavaliers, knows that Orlando isn’t going to be going away any time soon and he needs to add some key pieces to the puzzle to overtake both Orlando and Boston.  He also has to prove to Lebron his unending commitment to try and bring a championship to Cleveland.  After all, Lebron has a big decision to make at the end of next season.  Having Shaq as a Cavalier could make that decision a little easier.   Get that flame going Danny Ferry. -DM

Why does Dad always get the shaft when it comes to father’s day?  Mom gets jewelry, chocolate, and flowers while Dad has to settle for the lame tie, socks, and a tool -if he’s lucky.  This post is for the dads out there.  Well, it’s actually for the moms who hopefully run across this post and realize that the man helping to raise her wonderful kids deserves more than just that horrible tie.  It’s for the siblings who now have a job and a college education( in large part to Dad) and can afford more than that sweater you were about to give him–AGAIN!  Doesn’t Dad deserve more?  Show him some true father’s day love.

Give Dad a gift he’ll remember and not a Father’s Day present that will end up buried in the back of his closet with the others.  Baseball  is in full swing and football season is right around the corner.  What about giving Dad a trophy for his fantasy league?  Take a look at the Armchair Ace, The Throwback, or the Armchair Quarterback (FantasyTrophies.com) and understand that they’re a gift Dad will remember and cherish long after this Father’s Day is over.   It’s a gift that keeps on giving and one he’ll be sharing with his buddies.  You’ll be turning your Dad into the hero of his draft when he shows up with one.  So take that tie  and the “worlds greatest Dad” coffee mug back to the discount store you bought it from and give the man who helped to bring a life into this world a truly memorable Father’s Day gift.  

Sitting next to my Dad watching Larry Holmes devoir the heavyweight division still ranks up there as some of my fondest memories of childhood.   Boxing, almost more than any other sport,  has a history and a lineage that would be passed from one generation to the next.  My Dad did it with me and now I sit with that history knowing it is going to rot away and fall far from this tree- never to be enjoyed again. My son couldn’t tell you the  name of one professional fighter.  Hell, he couldn’t tell you a fighter besides Muhammad Ali.  Is that my fault?  Perhaps.  However, I blame boxing.  

In this age of pay per view, boxing just doesn’t seem to understand that very few care.  I haven’t payed for a professional fight since Mike Tyson fought (bit) Evander Holyfield.  The personalities just aren’t there any more to make me want to watch. Well, I’ll take that back.  I just don’t know the personalities.  Manny Pacquiao is considered the best pound for pound fighter with a great story that nobody knows.  The heavyweight division seems like a prehistoric age that went extinct long ago.  Who are they?  

The last time I remotely knew a fighter was when watching the Contender on television.  Yes, I’ll admit to that. People are drawn to personalities and want to have some kind of connection to them.  Because fights are only on pay per view these days that connection has been broken, if not shattered into a million pieces.  Mixed martial arts (MMA) is the hottest sport going right now.  Why?  Because, I will argue, we know the personalities.  Their stories are compelling and, beyond the action of the sport,  help to draw us in.  They used reality television as a vehicle to get their fighters out there and now have overtaken boxing in many ways.  

Boxing needs to give us a reason to watch again.  I either want to like a boxer or hate him like I did Roberto Duran.  One thing is for certain, I need to KNOW him.  When that happens I’ll desperately try and breathe some life into this dried up, rotted fruit and see if my son will take a bite.  It’ll  be a hard sell, he’s not a big eater.

The weeks are counting down and before you know it fantasy football fans will be sitting with buddies, cracking a few cold ones, and picking what they believe will be the team to win it all.  Yes, football season is still 3 months away, but guys are starting to get anxious- including myself.  I also know this because the football trophy inquirees are starting to trickle in and leagues are thinking about playing for more than just the cash.  I always get a kick out of the guys that say to me “this is the greatest fantasy football trophy ever.”  Who am I to disagree?  

Take a look for  yourself.  You’ll find the plastic piece of crap, the lame pee wee football trophy posing as a fantasy trophy, and the knock off Lombardi trophies.  However, you’ll only find one trophy that is hand-crafted and totally original.  That’s at FantasyTrophies.com.  Believe me, I’ve done the research and it always amazes me that other sites actually charge more for their trophies than my highest priced trophy, The Throwback.  So take your time and look around.  After all, much of fantasy is about doing your research.  However, when it is all said and done don’t be the guy that wastes his precious time and energy on some washed up, overrated, piece of junk.  Play for the best fantasy football trophy you can find.  -DM

The Cavs are on a long summer vacation but that doesn’t stop the rumors from following them around.  The latest is that coach Mike Brown is on the firing block.  Like a cigarette thrown on dry brush, this rumor soon spread as fast as the internet would let it.  Soon it jumped offline and made it’s way to the television and then untimetely  back to the Cavaliers.  At that point water was finally thrown on the rumor and the Cavs have been denying it ever since.  This kind of stuff is what the Cavaliers are in for.  Since Lebron James is such a desired commodity after next season and THE story during this offseason, the Cavs can expect this degree of attention-good or bad  and true or false.  

Mike Brown was no doubt out coached by Ron Jeremy, but to think he’d be fired after a Coach of the Year performance is ridiculous at best.  Cavs owner, Dan Gilbert, has praised Brown more than any other member of the Cavs, except Lebron of course, and has made it very clear how “lucky” the Cavs are to have him.  Do I think comments like that are never taken back?  Of course not.  However, the Cavs better just keep plenty of buckets of water around because the internet brush fires are a comin’.

Slam magazine is reporting that the Cavaliers are seriously considering going after Detroit free agent  forward Rasheed Wallace.  As a Cavs fan it’s tough to imagine a Detroit player who I’ve come to truly hate in the wine and gold, but Wallace could be a nice fit.  Wallace can no doubt keep a defense honest with his 3 pt range and variety of moves with his back to the basket.  Adding another threat that can help to open the floor for Lebron is always a good thing. Also, on a team like the Cavs he wouldn’t be called upon to play significant minutes.  Especially if the Cavs resign Anderson Varejao and Big Z.  The biggest question with Wallace has always been his temperament and attitude.  Technical fouls have always followed him and thinking they’d suddenly end in Cleveland is wishful thinking.  You have to take the entire package if you make this deal.

A  plus though is that he’s  a veteran player that is familiar with the Eastern Conference and knows how to play defensive basketball.  This could be a good fit that makes a lot of sense for both parties.  Now we all know that Lebron would have to give the ultimate go-ahead, but I guess I’d be able to put my past grievances aside and give the guy a chance if he’s knocking down shots the way he did for the Pistons.  Get him in here Danny Ferry and hope he’s another piece of that illusive puzzle the Cavs are trying to finish that will ultimately spell CHAMPIONSHIP.-DM

FantasyTrophies.com Hand-made trophies worth bragging about