Boogie Night for Dave

What was supposed to be a quiet night in on the sofa probably playing a bit too much Call of Duty: Black Ops turned into an evening of entertainment courtesy of the Strictly Come Dancing live tour. Held in the O2 here in Dublin, I actually bought two tickets for my parents as a Christmas present. When the day finally arrived and I had no plans to speak of, they kindly asked me to come along. I figured, what the hell. I wasn't exactly going to be having a riveting time at home alone.

Well, I'll tell you something folks: it turned out to be one of the most entertaining shows I've ever been to. Going to see Chicago in the West End of London was a treat, but this show tonight was something special. The arena was buzzing with somewhere in the region of 9,500 fans of the fancy footwork displays on show from both the professional dancers and the celebrities, all of whom could be called veterans of the dancefloor after several months of intense training courtesy of their professional courterparts.

The show itself lasted about two and a half hours, with Zoe Ball hosting the event. I must say, Ms. Ball (or is it Mrs. Ball?) looked rather lovely although her sparkling dresses - she changed her dress at least a couple of times - were slightly blinding at times. I'm no dancing expert, but it's the kind of show that is easy to enjoy to those with an untrained eye. Entertainment was the name of the game, with contestants continuously commenting on how amazing the crowd here in Dublin was. Sometimes it's hard to know where sincerity ends and playing to the audience begins. Nevertheless, I can't take anything away from them after all the hard work that went into putting on such a great spectacle.

A favourite of mine is Aliona Vilani, a hot Russian seductress who has basically a perfect body. Seriously, I couldn't design a woman better. And you know, that segues nicely into my next point. The glitz and glamour of the dancing is what the women go for, but for us red blooded males it's all about the ladies. Oh yes, gentlemen. If you want to get involved with a hot chica, look no further than dance classes. I know not every woman you dance with is going to be a looker, but the crew on this tour were all hotties. Aliona is the highlight for me, and here is a picture of her to convince you of my point.

Just awesome, isn't she? (Forgot that guy with her...)

Anyway, it was a simply magnificent night that both my parents thoroughly enjoyed. It kind of makes me want to try this whole dancing thing, but then I remember I have no money and no job and hence taking on new hobbies is a tad difficult.

I'm hoping to apply for the diploma in Sports Journalism at the Independent Colleges in the city centre. That will knock me back a good €900 but I think it'll be worth it, to be honest. You have to get your feet wet in the industry before you can fully commit to it. My path isn't yet determined, but I'm confident that with hard work and dedication - like these dancers showed tonight for the adoring audience - I'll find my niche in this thing we call life and be happy.

After all, being happy is what life is all about. So go now, my readers, and smile. The next stranger you see in the street, shoot them your pearly whites (make sure you've brushed!). I hope you've enjoyed reading about my boogie night experience.

Super Bowl XLV, Life Lessons and Job Hunts

Welcome back to the blog.

We're going to take the blog many directions today. You might say it's going to be a chameleon blog. Since my last entry there have been several interesting developments in my life, none of which incidentally are getting a job. How unfortunate... We start the blog as always with the latest from the world of pro football, quite possibly (ah, let's be honest, definitely) my favourite thing in the whole world.

1. Football News

The 45th Super Bowl is set at last, and man does it look like a tantalising one. The Green Bay Packers and Pittsburgh Steelers will contest it. Both teams had very different paths to the dance, the Packers having the tougher road. Green Bay defeated three pretty good football teams (Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago) on the road and made it look comfortable for the most part. Pittsburgh just did what they always do. Success is in their blood. They defeated arch rivals Baltimore and budding rivals New York Jets to reach Dallas.

I want to devote a paragraph to a guy many of you know as Aaron Rodgers because... well, it's his name. Look, Rodgers has had his critics over the past few years since taking over as starter from perhaps the biggest shadow in sports history, Brett "Do Me a Favour" Favre. He had to sit and be patient for a time, but GM Ted Thompson knew what he had in Rodgers and anointed him the starter. It took the former Cal Bear some time, but he has taken the Pack to the Super Bowl after three seasons as a starter. Rodgers will go to more big games, people. He has it in his blood. His performance against Atlanta was simply incredible. He sliced up the Atlanta defense like a surgeon. The game against Chicago wasn't as convincing, but the Bears offense gave the Pack little to be concerned about even when Jay Cutler was in the game.

Let's just say I have a very good feeling about Green Bay in the Super Bowl. I'll have more thoughts on the game as the date approaches, but for now I think we all need to bow down to the greatness that is Aaron Rodgers.

2. The Job Front

The job front is quiet right now. I find that with these things you just have to approach it with the right attitude and then things will flow from there. I went down to a local shopping center today to submit some CVs. Some shops simply didn't take them. In a lot of cases, no staff can be hired because of the current economic climate. I won't claim to understand the nuances of running a country, but clearly we as a nation took some terrible missteps along the way. It will take time to get out of the mess we made ourselves - something I like to compare to soiling sheets in a bed - but we will do it. We may be a little reckless at times, but we're a resilient people.

I'm starting to consider other options, like perhaps doing a Masters here in Dublin. My best friend has managed to secure a Masters that he thinks he will enjoy. I need to find something I will enjoy. That is the great challenge. Until I have more to say on this issue, I'll leave it at that. It goes without saying that I have a long road ahead of me.

3. Life Lessons with Dave

Remember that even when things are difficult, keeping your life in perspective is the most important thing to do. Assignments? No problem. Missed a bus? Come on, quit whining. No credit? It could be a lot worse.

That's kind of my phrase - "It could be a lot worse". I know it appears to a rather general statement, but I believe it and it is all part of my positive makeup as a person. And that is why I will not let this job search get me down, I will rise to the occasion and do the absolute best I can.

Fantasy Football: My Dynasties Year In Review

At 0:00 in the Minnesota/Philadelphia game last night, the first NFL game to be played on a Tuesday night in forever, the fantasy football season came to an end. Some owners rejoiced, others bemoaned their pre-kickoff decisions over who to start and some just didn't notice, having been out of contention for weeks. The end of the fantasy season brings with it many things - chief among those being hope for next year if you were unsuccessful in winning your league, or if you did win then simply determination to repeat the feat.

Either way, it has been a memorable fantasy football season for me because I just enjoy the hobby so much. Like real football, it is unpredictable and exciting. What follows are my thoughts on my three dynasty teams in 2010.

SCHNOCKERED DYNASTY
Team Name: The Sofa King Awesomes
Team Record: 2-12

My hope was to follow up my 5-9 season in 2009 with a better season in 2010 in this league, but in truth the moves I made in the offseason pretty much guaranteed that wouldn't happen. I would say this is the league where I've made the most mistakes, but I've definitely learned from them. 2010 was a step backward in terms of record, but in terms of my overall team quality I think I've improved.

At QB, Matt Ryan is the unquestioned QB1 and has scored a solid 287 points for me this year. I spent a high enough draft pick on Ryan in the startup draft in summer 2009 and this looks like it will pay off. The backup situation is dicy, and perhaps I should address that in the offseason by trading a low round draft pick, but QB's become available during the season all the time and Ryan rarely gets hurt. My stash at QB is Matt Flynn, the promising Green Bay Packer with a ton of upside and someone who I feel will be a valuable asset to have for the future.

Running back is the Achilles heel of the roster without a doubt. With only Marshawn Lynch, Fred Jackson, Brandon Jackson, Tyrell Sutton and Brian Westbrook, this is an area of my team that needs a lot of upgrading. Enter a top 6 draft pick in the first round next year along with a pair of 2nd rounders and four 3rd rounders and I should have a decent chance to grab a couple of promising backs. My draft last year in retrospect was actually quite solid. The trade I made to acquire the 1.09 pick resulted in Jermaine Gresham who has come on strong these past few weeks. I also took Demaryius Thomas with the 1.12 pick and Arrelious Benn in the 2nd. I am going to be aggressive in the 2011 rookie draft and go after the players I like in a "win now" sort of mode.

As far as my wideouts, I am feeling really good about the future. In fact, this may be one of the best WR corps I've assembled in any of my leagues in a while. Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Smith (NYG) are my top two options, but besides them I have a great core of youth. Demaryius Thomas, Arrelious Benn, Jacoby Ford, Emmanuel Sanders, Andre Caldwell and Seyi Ajirotutu. This is a great group of young WRs who I have a lot of hope for. Youth is on my side at this position. Oh, and did I mention I have speedster Donnie Avery stashed away on IR too?

At TE, I picked up John Carlson after someone lost patience with him and dropped him recently enough. I think Carlson can be a good TE much in the same vein as Brent Celek in the right situation. Perhaps the guy I'm most pleased about is Tennessee TE Jared Cook, a physical freak like Jermichael Finley who has gotten his opportunity to start the past few games of this season and had some great games. If Cook can get it all together, he can be a breakout star next year. My starter at the position going forward will be Jermaine Gresham, but I've got plenty of options here for the long haul. I'm cutting Todd Heap this week as I don't see him playing a role in my long term championship aspirations.

Since this is a league without the wonder of IDP, that's the end of my roster assessment for Schnockered Dynasty for 2010. It's been disappointing to lose 12 games, but this may be the catalyst I need to push on and get a great RB and hopefully go from there. I am enjoying the rebuilding project with this roster, and I think if you took a look at the roster a year ago and compared it to the current one, the difference would shock you.

BLACK AND BLUE IDP DYNASTY
Team Name: The Wet Bandits
Team Record: 9-3 (won league championship)

The sweet smell of victory fills my nostrils this morning as I rejoice knowing that I have won my first ever fantasy football championship. In the three week all-play playoff format, I went 8-1 against my rivals and came out as the league champion. I scored over 300 points this week, and as I say "if you get over 300, you'll probably win". I couldn't be happier right now. Even my family is taking an interest in my championship. I have won $325 in cash and a trophy as well. I like getting the cash, but to be honest the trophy is the more exciting prize. I just hope I can get it shipped over here fast.

Instead of going through the team position by position in this league, I'm going to give out awards to some players who really stood out for me on this team. The players who really made that difference that secured me a league title. I'll go through my thoughts on the future of the roster in another blog entry. For now, let's start with the awards.

The Clutch Award for most points scored in Week 16 championship goes to...

RB Matt Forte for his 24.9 point effort.

Most Points Scored: QB Drew Brees (368 points)

Most Valuable Player: DE Justin Tuck (263 points)

Best Rookie: DT Tyson Alualu (140 points)

Best Free Agent Pickup: CB Alterraun Verner (229 points)

Best Future Pickup: LB Jamar Chaney

That's all the awards I have for now. I'm in a state of ecstacy right now about this victory. It's truly awesome. I want to thank everyone at FBG and everyone else who helped me throughout the year. All the time and effort I put into this league was worth it, and it feels good. Trust me, I'll be talking more about this during the offseason.

DYNASTYGUYS IDP CHARTER LEAGUE
Team Name: Puntzilla's Barnstormers
Team Record: 11-4 (#3 seed in playoffs)

Congratulations are in order for Motorboaters (Rob McAngus) for winning the league championship this weekend. Motorboaters were the team who beat me in the playoffs, so it feels better to say I lost to the eventual champion. My commisserations to Greg and Tristan who barely lost out in a tightly fought game.

Some good news about this league is that I'll be joined in it by my best friend John in due course, and to make things even spicier he'll be in my division. Interesting, eh? And John, if you're reading this, you're going down my friend.

I won't go into much detail on this team right now because this blog entry has been quite long already, but I will say that I feel I have a very solid team which can compete for a championship next season and beyond. I'll be looking to better my 11-4 record from 2010 in 2011.

Until next time, stay classy and stay on the defensive.

Fantasy Football: My Dynasties Through Week 15

The end of the season is nigh both in real life and fantasy football. It's sad how quickly the season goes in, but boy do I enjoy every second of it. There's nothing like an NFL Sunday. Absolutely nothing. I look forward to Week 16 as I compete for my first ever fantasy championship in two leagues, one with the possibility of a lot of money coming my way and the other just for pride. The fact that I am in the championship hunt is a nice feeling.

I just want to send a quick shout out to my best friend John Nash who had to suffer his Giants falling to the Eagles after giving up 21 points in eight minutes including a DeSean Jackson punt return TD as time expired. That was one of the most unbelievable losses I've ever witnessed. Don't worry John, your boys will make the playoffs.

SCHNOCKERED DYNASTY
Team Name: The Sofa King Awesomes
Team Record: 2-12

I'm not even going to say much here, other than I played in a consolation game and lost. Look, I'm optimistic for this team long term and I like the players I have. I'm just not quite there yet. Another draft will get me there, especially if I can add a great talent like Ingram or Green in the first round.

BLACK AND BLUE IDP DYNASTY
Team Name: The Wet Bandits
Team Record: 9-3* (* = clinched playoff berth)

So in the all-play format of this league (which I particularly like) I'm now 5-1 after scoring enough points to beat all but one of my opponents in Weeks 14 and 15. I'm disappointed not to be 6-0, but True Grit just scored a lot of points this week. It's very exciting to know that I have a chance to secure my first fantasy football championship. We're discussing the possibility of a trophy in this league too, which would make the winning of the league all the more sweet considering I would also win 325 dollars in cash money. Oh yes, I'm reeeeeeeally looking forward to this week's games. If I better or match the record of True Grit this week, then I am the champion.

Here is how it stands as of now:

Wet Bandits 5-1
True Grit 4-2
Mudville 3-3

So it's basically between myself and TG. Bring it on!!!

Best Performer: TE Jason Witten (35 points)

I have to applaud myself for making a trade in preseason that may just result in winning a championship. I made the trade to get Witten and in the process gave up Jennings and a couple of other players. I got a good package in return, including a 2nd round pick. The funny thing is that I made that trade with True Grit, the only one who stands in my way. Witten's 35 points helped me secure a 2-1 record this week. He has been on fire recently. Great job Jason.

DYNASTYGUYS IDP CHARTER LEAGUE
Team Name: Puntzilla's Barnstormers
Team Record: 11-4 (#3 seed in playoffs)

The good news is that the guy who beat me in the playoffs is in the championship game, so if he wins I won't look so bad. :) Well, all I can say is that I'm happy I could add Jamar Chaney, middle linebacker for the Eagles, before his breakout game this week against NYG. He posted a 12-4 line which is studly and looked good doing it. I'll probably hang on to Chaney long term or sell him to the highest bidder, but LB is not a big strength of mine in this league.

That's all I have to say about this league. I just can't wait to compete next season and get to the title game this time.

Until next time! I hope I have good news to report next week!

Fantasy Football: My Dynasties Through Week 14

Funny story. I actually wrote this blog entry a couple of days ago but because of some weird error with this site the entry got deleted. I was pretty devastated. I'm going to give you a quick summary of my week in fantasy football. The playoffs began for me in two of my leagues, one which ended well and another which didn't.

All part of the game though, right?

SCHNOCKERED DYNASTY
Team Name: The Sofa King Awesomes
Team Record: 2-12

No news to update here as I was on a bye week after finishing with the worst record in the league. I'll be going into my rebuilding strategy throughout the offseason as I try to build this team into a contender.

BLACK AND BLUE IDP DYNASTY
Team Name: The Wet Bandits
Team Record: 9-3* (* = clinched playoff berth)

In the first week of the unique all-play playoff format I went 3-0 with a 297 point effort from my team. This gives me the perfect start in this three week gauntlet of games. Let's hope I can finish the job now. The best points output came from Jason Witten, but credit also has to go to the always reliable Drew Brees and the surprising Brandon Jacobs.

DYNASTYGUYS IDP CHARTER LEAGUE
Team Name: Puntzilla's Barnstormers
Team Record: 11-4 (#3 seed in playoffs)

And most disappointing of all I ended up losing in this league to an 8-7 team in the playoffs as I failed to put up enough points to secure the win. His team was a very good one and Schaub/Rice got him over the top on MNF. I hope to come back strong in this league next season though, and I have a good team in place to make it happen.

Next week I'll be going into a lot more detail on the leagues and talking offseason strategy, including giving out awards for my players of the year among other things.

Fantasy Football: My Dynasties Through Week 13

Celebrations are in order this week as I've made the playoffs in two of my main leagues - DG IDP Charter League and Black and Blue IDP Dynasty. I mean, both berths were essentially locked up last week but the end of the regular season in most fantasy football leagues just makes it all the more official.

In Panthers news, we lost again to Seattle last Sunday. After a strong 14-0 start, we gave up 31 straight points. The offense was really clicking in the first half, but it seemed that Clausen went into his shell and lost his mojo after the pick six that Lofa Tatupu managed to snag on a PA full back pass into the flat. Why we didn't run the ball on 3rd and 1 having run pretty well the entire game up to that point confuses me. Jeff Davidson simply has to go as the offensive coordinator. There's not enough ingenuity in the playbook. We need a QB coach to be offensive coordinator. The good news is that we're one loss closer to Andrew Luck. With games remaining against Atlanta twice, Pittsburgh and Arizona, we should have the No. 1 overall pick.

On to fantasy football!

SCHNOCKERED DYNASTY
Team Name: The Sofa King Awesomes
Team Record: 2-12

The regular season is over (mercifully for me) in this particular league, and I ended up with only two wins. As you look closer, however, I was very competitive in a lot of my games. Here are some of the close margins I lost games by (and keep in mind that this is a team firmly in rebuilding mode): 3, 10, 13, 6. They're close games if I've ever seen them. What this means is that there is room for optimism for the future. I've done a lot to improve this squad over the past two seasons and hopefully I'll be able to finish strong in the Consolation playoffs. I'm the reigning champion, after all.

Best Performer: QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

When your best performer gets you only 16.8 points, you know things aren't going so well for you. I lost the game this week 126-87. I left Marshawn Lynch and his 28 point game on the bench. It wouldn't have made a difference in the end as my opponent had Tom Brady on MNF, but it would have been nice to put up a more respectable score. Kudos to Matt Ryan for being a very consistent player for me throughout the season. He is the one of the building blocks of the team.

BLACK AND BLUE IDP DYNASTY
Team Name: The Wet Bandits
Team Record: 9-3* (* = clinched playoff berth)

Well, I had a bye this week, so there wasn't even a need to set my lineup. Now we enter the three week all-play playoffs which I am very excited about. It means that even if you have a bad week, you can come back the next week and post a better score hopefully. I hope it doesn't come down to that. I'm fired up and ready to go for next week, when it will be absolutely crucial to optimise the players in my lineup to get the best score possible.

DYNASTYGUYS IDP CHARTER LEAGUE
Team Name: Puntzilla's Barnstormers
Team Record: 11-4 (#3 seed in playoffs)

In the doubleheader final regular season week, I managed to go 2-0 to end the season on an impressive five game winning streak. It's the perfect situation to be in going into the playoffs. The playoff seedings are set now. I'll be the #3 seed, meaning I'll face the #6 seeded Bourne Rockers, who have also been on a very good run. It promises to be a tense affair as whoever loses is out, no questions asked. I would be massively disappointed if I didn't get past the first round.

Some bad news marred the victories and that was the news of Dez Bryant's broken ankle, meaning he will not be available to me for the remainder of the season. Luckily I have excellent depth at WR, but Santana Moss hasn't been lighting it up recently by any means.

Best Performer: LB Stephen Tulloch, Tennessee Titans

What a player this guy has been for me in two of my leagues! Tulloch has been the model of consistency. He hasn't failed to put up less than double digit points in any week and hasn't missed a game either. This week his 34 point effort (14 solo tackles, 3 assists) was a big factor in my two victories. With the Titans offense stumbling, I'm hoping for more of the same down the stretch from my LB1.

Unbelievable as well that one of the teams in the league is 0-15! I just can't believe he hasn't been able to get even one win. I feel bad for him but he still participates and makes moves to improve his team. He'll have the #1 pick to try to rebuild the team.

Here are the playoff matchups for next week:

Puntzilla's Barnstormers v Bourne Rockers
Evil Empire v Dalton Demons
Deranged Smackdown Clowns v Orange Crush
Omnipotent Raptors v Bloom and Doom

I can't wait for the playoffs to begin. Que sera sera. Let's hope I can bag a championship!

Until next time!