PHIL NGUYEN

I’ve left this blog absent for quite some time now. I don’t think I’ll be posting too much real stuff from now on, but I do want to have a record of some personal thoughts regarding my fantasy football leagues. I’m in a 3 leagues this year: a $1000 MSNL league, a $300 Deuces Cracked league, and a $200 Blue Ribbon league. I drafted for my BR league last night and I want to detail some of my thought processes as well as acknowledge some mistakes I made in order to prevent them next time, where my competition will surely be tougher.

Round By Round Analysis

1.9 Calvin Johnson: this was by far the weirdest start to a draft I’ve ever been in. I’ve been in numerous leagues in past years and I’ve done my fair share of mock drafts but I was pretty much at loss with this pick. The league is standard scoring with bonuses for 100/200 yard games as well as 50+ yard plays. QB TDs were also worth 6 points rather than the customary 4. Anyway, Brees went third overall which was definitely high and Fitzgerald went at 5 which caused a huge WR run. Andre Johnson and Moss went off next so I was left in a weird spot at 9. I’ve been stressing to pretty much everyone I talk to about fantasy football the importance of a “number 1″ WR this year, especially because of the fall off from elite to above average WRs and the amount of mid round RB depth. Still, I had a tough choice. On my personal draft rankings, Steven Jackson and Chris Johnson were still on the board, two guys I have ranked higher than Megatron. I felt that if I went with a RB here, I’d probably end up taking a guy like Slaton in round 2. I’m nearly certain that Megatron would go next and there was a fair chance that Roddy White would be gone too. I figured as much as I would liked to have a Chris Johnson/Steve Slaton combo, I didn’t want to get shut out on a elite receiver. So I reached for Megatron and hoped someone would fall to me in the next round.

2.4 Steven Jackson: Merry Christmas to me. Somehow, Tomlinson, Westbrook and DeAngelo Williams are taken giving me my two choices I was contemplating earlier! I have Chris Johnson and Steven Jackson ranked almost identically, with 424 having a bit more upside. However, I’m concerned about the Tennessee offense this year and how he’ll deal with a heavier workload. I ended up taking Jackson who is quite a bit safer and should produce 1200 rushing yards, 400 receiving yards, and 10 touchdowns. I think he’ll bounce back from last year and produce high RB1 numbers. THAT SAID, in retrospect, I think I should’ve gambled on 424 because his potential is enormous and this league does favor big plays. Either way, it’s marginal. Also, I briefly considered going with another elite receiver here (White or Jennings) but I couldn’t pass up RB1 value and going with a high variance WR-WR strategy heavily negates my edge in this soft league.

3.9 Anquan Boldin: I took about 3 seconds to make this pick as I was praying he’d fall to me as I watched guys draft ahead. I think this is a pretty good steal. The past three seasons in games were he and Fitzgerald have played in the same game, they have nearly identical stats. Of course, Boldin has injury concern but that’s a risk I’m willing to take. I think that if he stays healthy, he has the ability to outperform his teammate and be a top 5 wideout. I love this pick.

4.4 Dwayne Bowe This was a pretty easy pick for me. Nothing was available at RB that I really wanted. I like Kevin Smith more than most but I had planned from the beginning to try to get big time WRs and then have a “RB2 by committee” approach and play matchups since there were some RBs left on the board that I can wait for. Bowe could end up being a monster if he gets adequate QB play. And since KC is pretty terrible and are going to air it out a ton this year, I like this pick tons.

5.9 Ray Rice: I would have loved if Smith dropped but he went a few slots earlier, along with McFadden. I planned on not getting QBs until late so I knew that I was going to spend this and the next wraparound pick on two mid level RBs. I went with Rice first because I thought he had a better chance of being picked by someone behind me since he’s been getting a ton of press recently. This might have not been great value in according to ADP principles but it’s a pick I needed to make and plus, he’s a Rutgers guy!

6.4 Marshawn Lynch: After a few people make very questionable WR2 picks (Holmes, Hester, Breaston), I am thrilled to take Lynch with this pick. The past two years, he’s been a top 15ish RB even though he’s missed games for various reasons. Of course, he dropped because of his three game suspension this year, but I think it’s a great stashed pick for me. Pretty much there is all upside and very little downside here for a RB3. I considered Knowshon Moreno but I couldn’t pass up a guy who would be picked in the top 30 if he was set to go from day 1.

7.9 Chris Beanie Wells: I’d have liked Moreno here but he went 2 spots above me. That’s ok though because Wells has really impressed in preseason and should perform well in the high octane Arizona offense. I imagine him getting at least 15 carries a game going forward with potential for more.

8.4 Antonio Bryant: I still don’t have a QB or TE yet and I still didn’t with this pick. I just couldn’t pass up massive value here (sense a theme?). This league seemed very soft with people taking kickers and mid level TE like Cooley in the 6th round. Little do they know that RB and WR depth is dominant. I beefed up my already stellar WR group with Antonio Bryant, a guy who had a real breakout season last year and through the last quarter of the season, he quietly scored like the fourth most points among WRs. I compare him a lot to Roddy White last year (who I struck gold on). He’s a guy that exploded at the end of a season when a lot of people were either not paying attention or forgot about and a guy that if he “gets it” this year, could be in for a big year. For a WR4, he’s better than many teams’ WR2 and I’m thrilled with this pick.

9.9 Derrick Ward: This could’ve been a mistake of a pick if I want to be results-oriented. As stated, I still didn’t have a QB and the guy I was targeting (Carson Palmer) was still available. I scanned peoples’ rosters and everyone had a QB so I didn’t think anyone would grab a backup right now so I decided to wait. Ward is 6th round value and I think he’ll be productive this year. The downside is that he has very little upside. And since I was stocked with RB depth, I should’ve gone with QB here. Oh well.

10.4 Ben Roesthlisberger: Carson Palmer went before me and had me cursing all over. Now I have a low upside QB2 as a QB1. This could be problematic so hopefully I’ll try to scour the trade market during the season. I didn’t have many options at this point and I planned to pair a safe QB2 with a high risk QB2, so I went with the safe option first. Big Ben has also looked tremendous in preseason so hopefully he’ll be solid, if not spectacular for me.

11.9 Owen Daniels: This was my target all along at TE and I’m glad to have him. He’ll put up better numbers than many bigger named players. I never planned on getting a top tier TE because there is so much depth this year at the position. I expect him to be around the 7-10th ranked TE this year.

12.4 Eagles DST: About half the teams had already taken defense and special teams and somehow the Eagles were still on the board. I have them ranked as the fourth best so this was a pretty easy pick for me. What people don’t realize with DST is that fumbles, DEF touchdowns, and special teams TDs are pretty much all variance. What is consistent from year to year though are sacks and interceptions, two things the Eagles high pressure defense does very well.

13.9 Fred Jackson: It’s weird taking a RB2 “handcuff” but he is much more useful for me. For one, he’s starting the first 3 weeks. Secondly, even when splitting time, he’s a RB3 bye week filler. I think it’s a sneaky pick and with Lynch’s history with the law, I would not be shocked if he were suspended for more unscrupulous activity. Also of note, I was tossing the idea of drafting Favre here but he went a few spots ahead of this.

14.4 Trent Edwards: Again, this was a questionable pick for me. I heavily considered Garrard with this pick but I have some hope that Edwards can break out here. It takes QBs a few years to get adapted and coming from Stanford, he’s certainly a smart fellow with an accurate arm. He will benefit from TO, not from the direct value, but because he’ll open the field up for guys like Lee Evans. I think those two could be this year’s Jennings and Driver with, guess who, Edwards playing the role of Aaron Rodgers.

15.9 Kenny Britt: Pretty much a homer pick since I love all Rutgers players. But you never know, apparently Washington is out a few games so Britt will indeed by starting and hopefully keeping it.

16.4 Kris Brown: Kicker, whatever.

Team Analysis

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Trent Edwards
RB: Steven Jackson, Ray Rice, Marshawn Lynch, Beanie Wells, Derrick Ward, Fred Jackson
WR: Calvin Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Dwayne Bowe, Antonio Bryant, Kenny Britt
TE: Owen Daniels
K: Kris Brown
DEF/ST: Eagles

My QBs are poor, perhaps the worst in the league but I’m going to try to maneuver a trade. There are guys with a few quality QB options so I’ll look at them first, especially if those teams get off to poor starts. My RB group is solid. Jackson is a prime RB1 and I just need one of the 3 RB2s to step up and I think I’ll field an above average RB lineup. My WRs are the best in the league. I have an elite WR1, a low end WR1 with high end WR1 upside, and two solid WR2s. That is pretty awesome and that has me so confident for this seasons. I think I have an average TE, and an average kicker, and above average defense. Overall, I’m thrilled with this draft. From scanning other teams’ rosters, I think there are only two that can challenge me.

I’m currently typing this in one of the master suites at the Water Club Hotel, the recent expansion at the Borgata. I’m not sure what I did in my past life to deserve this, but I was probably a previous incarnation of Mother Theresa. I can say with 99% due certainty that this will be the nicest hotel room I will have ever stayed in (there is a non-zero percent chance that my honeymoon suite ends up being more ridiculous than this, but that is highly unlikely unless I lucksack my way to a WSOP Main Event win!). There are two bedrooms each with its own bathroom. There is a living room and and a dining area. There is a massage parlor and a mini bar. There are three 40″ LCD’s hanging on the wall and smaller ones in the bathrooms. The decor is modern and everything is just lovely. The suite is on the top floor and there is beautiful view of downtown Atlantic City. I don’t think I will ever describe AC as beautiful ever again, but every place has their shining moment, no? Mostly everything is granite or mahogany or other assorted expensive materials and there are scultures and artwork and the whole bit. That might have been a run on sentence of some sort, but that is the least of my concerns at the moment. Of course, the best part is that all the accomodations were free, and that makes everything a gazillion times better.

Addendum: I wasn’t going to mention how this wonderful situation fell into my lap, but was told I would be a “huge asshole” if I didn’t, though I’m not sure that’s the case anyway. Long story short, KSK knows someone who knows someone who is the vice president at the Borgata. So ship the free $2000/night suite. This will be the last time I cater to anyone’s request on this blog, but this may (?) be well deserved. People always say it’s not what you know, but who you know. I think that phrase is fucking stupid. But maybe those people are on to something.

ANYWAY, the reason I’m in Atlantic City for the night is because I saw Girl Talk again. This is the third time in the past two weeks and I cannot say that I am disappointed. The Pool at Harrah’s isn’t the greatest venue, I don’t think, but it definitely was not the same old club scene that I feel Girl Talk is accustomed too. The acoustics were lacking, but you didn’t have to be an audiophile to enjoy this show. He played a completely different setlist when I saw him earlier this month and back in August, and I’m not sure I like the newer stuff too much but that’s usually to be expected when you want to hear things you are familiar with.

I did not gamble much this trip. I threw dice for maybe an hour which resulted in a small profit. Cutting off my session short was most likely a good move however as I was pretty intoxicated and not very coherent at the time. I don’t think I’m a world beater by any means, but I am probably an above average dice shooter. My only roll last night (early this morning?) lasted for about twenty minutes, and I scored three points and other various money making rolls. Some fine gentlemen were kind enough to tip me, which I didn’t think was warranted since I didn’t even shoot entirely well, but I’ll take any buck I can get! I don’t think anyone else at the table scored a point while I was there. That is fairly frustrating but what can ya do.

Casinos are a very strange place. It’s a bizarre mixture of old people, degenerates, and young people looking to get drunk on the cheap. These people are on the bottom tier of the hierarchy of life. In fact, I couldn’t name other demographics that I’d want to be around any less. Of course, my profession is that of a professional gambler so I’m not sure how much standing I have on that. I’m going to quit this blog now since my room service is soon to be arriving! Is french toast the best thing for a hangover cure? We will see!

I’m going to go on a sushi diet. For thirty days, I am going to try to consume one meal of fish a day. I don’t have any reason to do this except for the reason that I really enjoy it - and also because I live in what seems to be the sushi capital of the world. Within ten blocks of my apartment, there are no fewer than a dozen different sushi joints. In that same vicinity, there are two pizza parlors. I will never understand this ratio. This tells me that affluent white people are wont to eating a california roll after hard day’s work. It must suck to be a five-year old growing up here. Park Slope is also littered with a ton fashion boutiques. It is nearly impossible for me to find a standard black umbrella (and I did try), but if I wanted to buy a sequin-adored pocket sachet, then I’d be in business. My buddy theorizes that these shops are hobbies for stay-at-home mothers. Rich finance husbands will pay for it as a breakeven or even small loss endeavor just to satisfy their nagging wives. Moral of the story: Park Slope is fucking weird.

There are five floors in my apartment building. The bottom floor is just the lobby, and each of the other floors house one apartment each. Because of this, pretty every knows everyone else. Well, I should correct myself. Everyone knows me. I’m too loud, too busy, and too drunk. I embody the image of someone you don’t want to have in a quaint neighborhood like mine. The lady on the second floor is an executive producer for the show Iron Chef. She also manages one of Bobby Flay’s restaurant. Once, she yelled at me for dropping cigarrette buds and a vomit-stained shirt on her terrace. The couple of the third floor are not around very much. I once ran into them in the elevator and they told me they cycle between three apartments around the world, and this is their New York location. I don’t know exactly what they do for a living, but they sure seem important. The couple on the fourth floor works from home. They have a Bichon Frise that yips every few seconds. In the summer when the windows are open, I can hear this satonic dog barking for hours. Whenever I see the dog in the elevator, he tries to bite me. I often dream about throwing an arsenic-laced bone down to their balcony. ANYWAY, I’ve been seeing this three year old child and a single parent often wandering around the building. Clearly, this throttles my every day normality and the Sherlock Holmes of me has to emerge. Apparently, the third floor couple had to sublet their floor while they weren’t around because of the financial crunch. Moral of the story: The ecomony - it affects us all.

For the past few months, I’ve been compiling essays on why human behavior is what it is. I am in the camp that believes most things that happen are linear. That is, A + B = C. Because this logic exists in the world, societal patterns can be inferred from simple human assumptions. I don’t know what sparked this, but I have too much free time on my hands and crazy ideas float into my crazy head. I’m not sure what exactly I’m going to do with these amateur pieces of writing, but one option I am mulling is making a category of them for this blog. I am reticent to do so because I’m sure many of my opinions are wrong (yes, I realize that opinions cannot inherent by “right” or “wrong” but these things are decided by people beyond my scope of control). But it’s definitely an option. That or they can sit as a digital file on my computer shuttered from the world to judge. Moral of the story: If a tree falls in the forest, and no one hears, it doesn’t make a sound.

I have a serious case of writer’s block. And my keyboard seems to be malfunctioning. I have not quit this blog. I did actually write a 700 word entry, but I think it sucks so I decided to send it to the recycle bin. Rest assured, I will make a bigger comeback than Anthony Michael Hall in the Dead Zone.

The Apple verses Microsoft advertising war delights me. All those “I’m a PC” commercials are just downright bizarre. They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and I cannot say I disagree. It’s kind of like that kid in high school that leaves for summer break as a nerd and returns in the fall as a punk. Something just isn’t quite right. Of course, Apple responded directly to that strange set of events with two sets of advertisements that ask why Microsoft is spending so much on an advertising budget and less on the development of the software itself - a pretty fair point. Windows Vista is a poo poo platter if I ever saw one.

I am pleased with Apple’s new line of Macbooks, Macbook Pros, and 24″ cinema displays. Though, I’m not purchasing any of them, it is definitely a step in the right direction and it seems that their market share will continue to increase.

This is definitive proof that people are, indeed, very stupid. I don’t think the book is all that great to be honest - I think pretty much everyone is categorized as a douchebag. It’s more geared towards bad comedy than its blog counterpart (you can google that, since I’m lazy). The blog is fairly academic and makes some valid points about the evolution of men, but the book moves away from that ideology which is upsetting.

Malcolm Gladwell is fantastic, and his ruminations about different kinds of geniuses is worth the read if you have some spare time. It’s kind of academic at points, so skimming through part of it isn’t a big deal - but definitely check it out. It’s not too late for me to realize my own self genius! I especially enjoyed the bits about how Mark Twain and how he wrote Huck Finn.

I made a trade in fantasy football. I gave up the touchdown machine Jonathon Stewart in order to acquire the injured Joseph Addai. I already rostered Addai’s backup Dominic Rhodes, so that makes the trade a little less risky. Since the Indianapolis coaching is staff is notoriously coy about their injury reports, there is a fair possibility that Addai’s injury is more serious than currently being let on. But anytime you get a chance to add a featured top 10 running back on a pretty strong offense, you jump on it. My current roster is pretty robust for a 12 team league:

QB: Romo, Delhomme
RB: Westbrook, Addai, Rhodes, Buckhalter, Charles
WR: Marshall, R. White, M. Jones, A. Bryant, Avery
TE: Clark
K: K. Brown
DEF: NY Giants

If I can get some of these guys healthy, I am very excited about the prospects of this season. I have an excellent receiving corp. Marshall is a top 3 fantasy receiver, and White would probably be redrafted in the 7-10 range. My depth there is not bad either, as the other three are definitely serviceable. I like my set of running backs too. I crushed this week thanks to strong performances by Avery and Westbrook, so now I stand at 5-3, but with the second most points in my league.

I want to buy a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Here is a baby boy pictured below. This breed is playful and easy to maintain. Perfect for me.

I probably have to wait on that for a little while. I’m concerned about house training a dog in the winter and that whole transition of becoming a pet owner, so this will probably have to wait until the spring, but gosh, I am excited.