Entering Week 8 of the NFL season, my fantasy football team sits at 4-3. It's my first year playing in a league and it's been real exciting so far. My star quarterback, Robert Griffin III or RG3, is putting up great numbers for me while the Arizona defense has been good for me as well.
I made a blockbuster trade last week, sending Matt Forte, Cam Newton, Scott Chandler and Brandon Marshall to my buddy Laser in return for Ahmad Bradshaw, Victor Cruz, Tony Romo and Vernon Davis. It's been the biggest trade in our 12-person league to date. Whether it pays off remains to be seen.
The biggest thing I like about fantasy is the way you watch the game. Instead of cheering for a team, or for a certain score like you would betting on Proline or Point Spread, you cheer for individual players at key moments in games. It makes every individual play that much more exciting.
The worst part about fantasy is the frustration of having a bad week. There's nothing more painful than putting up less than 90 points and having your co-workers insult the fabric of your being. For all those uber-competitive sports fans out there, I feel your pain.
Although it's probably distracted me from school work on Sundays, it's been a good way to hang out with my dad - as he's heavy into Proline and football in general. With the Winnipeg Blue Bombers out of the playoffs, and no Winnipeg Jets to cheer for, it looks like the NFL will be filling the void.
Check out the full fantasy standings HERE
Leave a comment about your fantasy football experiences, teams, trades, etc. I'd love to hear about it.
Till next time, Go Redskins!
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Small town hockey: Lorette, MB
Even though NHL hockey is locked out and doesn't appear like it will begin anytime soon, I want to assert that there is indeed still good live hockey to watch in your area.
I'm from Lorette, MB and although I live in Winnipeg now, I am still deeply connected to the hockey scene in Lorette. For the past several seasons, the two teams that I've been involved with have made tremendous strides. But before I get ahead of myself, some history is needed for this story.
In 2004, the Lorette Comets joined the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League. It was abysmal. They did not win a game, going 0-24, but at least junior hockey was back in Lorette after years in hiatus. Flash forward to the 2008-09 season. I was in my second year on the team. We replaced our coach the season before and our team became competitive. Although we didn't get past the first round of the playoffs, the groundwork was laid out for the following year.
2009-10 was a big year for hockey in Lorette. Our junior team went 20-4 and for the first time in six years, Lorette had a high school hockey team. Laird Laluk, phys. ed. teacher from the local elementary school got the program running again and asked me to be the assistant coach. I gladly accepted. I actually played the last Scorpions game back in 2004 when the team folded. So to be apart of the rebirth of the club was exciting for me. We had a tough season but made progress throughout the year.
Back to the juniors. After eliminating the Mitchell Mohawks in 3 games, our Comets team looked for its second playoff series victory ever, taking on the always dangerous Grunthal Red Wings. In a wild series, we eventually eliminated the Wings in Game 6 in Grunthal. Off to the championship series against the Red River Mudbugs. We fell 2 games to 0 in the series but battled back winning games 3 and 4. Red River took Game 5 in Lorette and traveled home for Game 6. Leading 3-1 after two periods of play, our chances looked grim. Then with roughly 10 minutes left, my line of Eric Laurin and Paul Bissonette netted two goals in 20 seconds, tying the game at 3. Red River went ahead yet again and with the Championship just 74 seconds away, cue the heroics. Bissonettte was left all alone in front and he made no mistake, tying the game at 4 and sending it to overtime. Both goaltenders played on their heads in OT. After a scoreless first OT, both teams showed signs of fatigue in the second overtime period but with just under a minute left, Joey DeFoort managed to get one by the Mudbugs goaltender - forcing Game 7 the following night. It was truly a magical evening. Our goaltender Jordan Dreger made 56 saves that night and deserved full marks for his performance. We won Game 7 by a score of 5-1, claiming our first Championship in team history in front of a massive crowd in Ile-des-Chenes.
I was lucky enough to be captain of that championship team and I will cherish the memory of winning forever. Since then, the Comets have made it back to the Finals the past two seasons, but have fell just short. They lost in overtime in Game 7 against the Red Wings in 2011 and fell to the Steinbach Huskies in 5 games last year.
As for the Scorpions, I continued to coach with Laluk and our other assistant coach, Lionel Boulet for two more seasons. It didn't take long for the Scorpions to follow in the footsteps of the juniors, as we claimed the Winnipeg High School Hockey League championship last season at the MTS Iceplex - defeating the Shaftsbury Titans 2 games to 0.
As of this writing, the Lorette Scorpions are 4-0 and are poised to be another dominant team this year. The Comets are 1-0 and although they are young group, they have the potential to go places this season.
I'm now the assistant coach and President of the Comets organization - my first year as a coach and third season as the President. It's amazing what a few years can do for a hockey organization. Being part of a Championship team is something not too many people get to experience. That being said, having the opportunity to do it as a player in 2010 and as a coach in 2012 makes me feel blessed.
Check out the websites below for more info on both teams discussed above.
HTJHL
WHSHL
I'm from Lorette, MB and although I live in Winnipeg now, I am still deeply connected to the hockey scene in Lorette. For the past several seasons, the two teams that I've been involved with have made tremendous strides. But before I get ahead of myself, some history is needed for this story.
In 2004, the Lorette Comets joined the Hanover Tache Junior Hockey League. It was abysmal. They did not win a game, going 0-24, but at least junior hockey was back in Lorette after years in hiatus. Flash forward to the 2008-09 season. I was in my second year on the team. We replaced our coach the season before and our team became competitive. Although we didn't get past the first round of the playoffs, the groundwork was laid out for the following year.
2009-10 was a big year for hockey in Lorette. Our junior team went 20-4 and for the first time in six years, Lorette had a high school hockey team. Laird Laluk, phys. ed. teacher from the local elementary school got the program running again and asked me to be the assistant coach. I gladly accepted. I actually played the last Scorpions game back in 2004 when the team folded. So to be apart of the rebirth of the club was exciting for me. We had a tough season but made progress throughout the year.
Back to the juniors. After eliminating the Mitchell Mohawks in 3 games, our Comets team looked for its second playoff series victory ever, taking on the always dangerous Grunthal Red Wings. In a wild series, we eventually eliminated the Wings in Game 6 in Grunthal. Off to the championship series against the Red River Mudbugs. We fell 2 games to 0 in the series but battled back winning games 3 and 4. Red River took Game 5 in Lorette and traveled home for Game 6. Leading 3-1 after two periods of play, our chances looked grim. Then with roughly 10 minutes left, my line of Eric Laurin and Paul Bissonette netted two goals in 20 seconds, tying the game at 3. Red River went ahead yet again and with the Championship just 74 seconds away, cue the heroics. Bissonettte was left all alone in front and he made no mistake, tying the game at 4 and sending it to overtime. Both goaltenders played on their heads in OT. After a scoreless first OT, both teams showed signs of fatigue in the second overtime period but with just under a minute left, Joey DeFoort managed to get one by the Mudbugs goaltender - forcing Game 7 the following night. It was truly a magical evening. Our goaltender Jordan Dreger made 56 saves that night and deserved full marks for his performance. We won Game 7 by a score of 5-1, claiming our first Championship in team history in front of a massive crowd in Ile-des-Chenes.
I was lucky enough to be captain of that championship team and I will cherish the memory of winning forever. Since then, the Comets have made it back to the Finals the past two seasons, but have fell just short. They lost in overtime in Game 7 against the Red Wings in 2011 and fell to the Steinbach Huskies in 5 games last year.
As for the Scorpions, I continued to coach with Laluk and our other assistant coach, Lionel Boulet for two more seasons. It didn't take long for the Scorpions to follow in the footsteps of the juniors, as we claimed the Winnipeg High School Hockey League championship last season at the MTS Iceplex - defeating the Shaftsbury Titans 2 games to 0.
As of this writing, the Lorette Scorpions are 4-0 and are poised to be another dominant team this year. The Comets are 1-0 and although they are young group, they have the potential to go places this season.
I'm now the assistant coach and President of the Comets organization - my first year as a coach and third season as the President. It's amazing what a few years can do for a hockey organization. Being part of a Championship team is something not too many people get to experience. That being said, having the opportunity to do it as a player in 2010 and as a coach in 2012 makes me feel blessed.
Check out the websites below for more info on both teams discussed above.
HTJHL
WHSHL
Friday, October 12, 2012
Corporate America
After watching the Vice-Presidential debates yesterday, with the split-screen effect showing two candidates go at it, I couldn't help but laugh.
If I asked you who was running for President in the United States federal election this November, you'd say Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney. Some of you may even say that's a stupid question, because the answer is so obvious. On the contrary, my friends.
Here's who's running for the US Presidency:
Tom Hoefling - America's Party
Merlin Miller - American Third Position Party
Virgil Goode - Constitution Party
Dr. Jill Stein - Green Party - Check out this petition as well.
Rocky Anderson - Justice Party
Gary Johnson - Libertarian Party
Tom Stevens - Objectivist Party
Peta Lindsay - Party of Socialism and Liberation
Rosanne Barr - Peace and Freedom Party - I had to.
Lowell Fellure - Prohibition Party
Andre Barnett - Reform Party USA
Stewart Alexander - Socialist Party USA / Liberty Union Party
Jerome White - Socialist Equality Party
James Harris - Socialist Workers Party
There are also 10 others with ballot status in at least one state and over 60 others with no ballot status, running as independents.
Why haven't you heard of any of them? Why hasn't the media given at least some attention to these individuals - especially the ones who represent large constituencies such as the Greens or Libertarians?
One major reason is because these individuals and their parties don't have anywhere near the budget of the Republicans or Democrats. Also, the massive corporations that contribute big dollars to their campaigns are mostly the same corporations that buy advertising on the major news networks. That means that media coverage of so-called "alternative" parties is limited to all but nothing.
But the biggest reason it seems only two people are running for President is because America runs on a two-party system. It's ingrained into the American psyche that every election is the Republicans VS. the Democrats. The media plays a big part in that, particularly when they televise debates with two parties represented. Surely, 300 million Americans can't be grouped into two political ideologies. In Canada, we have 34 million people and we at least acknowledge four political parties/ideologies at the federal level.
That's why I laughed at the debates. There is no debate. It's the same two headed monster arguing with itself. It's been destroying the US for years through illegal wars, ludicrous fiscal policy and the destruction of civil liberties. If regular Americans think that the Republicans or Democrats have their interests in mind, they are sadly mistaken. Unfortunately, they don't have much choice because of the media blackout of alternative political parties/views/ideologies.
I think everyone is able to realize that life is more complicated than black vs. white, right vs. wrong and good vs. evil. It's the same thing for American politics. Yes, one party needs to be elected. But in a country as big and as populated as the United States, the majority of political views are not represented by two political parties. The corporate media have most people believing so and that's why the public has never heard of the majority of the Presidential candidates.
If I asked you who was running for President in the United States federal election this November, you'd say Barrack Obama and Mitt Romney. Some of you may even say that's a stupid question, because the answer is so obvious. On the contrary, my friends.
Here's who's running for the US Presidency:
Tom Hoefling - America's Party
Merlin Miller - American Third Position Party
Virgil Goode - Constitution Party
Dr. Jill Stein - Green Party - Check out this petition as well.
Rocky Anderson - Justice Party
Gary Johnson - Libertarian Party
Tom Stevens - Objectivist Party
Peta Lindsay - Party of Socialism and Liberation
Rosanne Barr - Peace and Freedom Party - I had to.
Lowell Fellure - Prohibition Party
Andre Barnett - Reform Party USA
Stewart Alexander - Socialist Party USA / Liberty Union Party
Jerome White - Socialist Equality Party
James Harris - Socialist Workers Party
There are also 10 others with ballot status in at least one state and over 60 others with no ballot status, running as independents.
Why haven't you heard of any of them? Why hasn't the media given at least some attention to these individuals - especially the ones who represent large constituencies such as the Greens or Libertarians?
One major reason is because these individuals and their parties don't have anywhere near the budget of the Republicans or Democrats. Also, the massive corporations that contribute big dollars to their campaigns are mostly the same corporations that buy advertising on the major news networks. That means that media coverage of so-called "alternative" parties is limited to all but nothing.
But the biggest reason it seems only two people are running for President is because America runs on a two-party system. It's ingrained into the American psyche that every election is the Republicans VS. the Democrats. The media plays a big part in that, particularly when they televise debates with two parties represented. Surely, 300 million Americans can't be grouped into two political ideologies. In Canada, we have 34 million people and we at least acknowledge four political parties/ideologies at the federal level.
That's why I laughed at the debates. There is no debate. It's the same two headed monster arguing with itself. It's been destroying the US for years through illegal wars, ludicrous fiscal policy and the destruction of civil liberties. If regular Americans think that the Republicans or Democrats have their interests in mind, they are sadly mistaken. Unfortunately, they don't have much choice because of the media blackout of alternative political parties/views/ideologies.
I think everyone is able to realize that life is more complicated than black vs. white, right vs. wrong and good vs. evil. It's the same thing for American politics. Yes, one party needs to be elected. But in a country as big and as populated as the United States, the majority of political views are not represented by two political parties. The corporate media have most people believing so and that's why the public has never heard of the majority of the Presidential candidates.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
CreComm: One Month Later
In recognition of one completed month of Creative Communications, why not celebrate with a toast... in blog form.
I begin this recap with the scene in the newsroom this past Friday. We were asked to pick a topic at the beginning of our journalism class for our third streeter. A streeter is when we get two hours to go off campus, interview and get at least two quotes from two different people on our topic (no fellow CreCommers allowed) and then we have roughly an hour and a half to write an article. Making matters worse is the infamous auto-fail. An auto-fail is when we have a typo of a proper noun (for example, if we spell Mcdonalds like that instead of like this: Mc Donald's) or if we hand in our assignment late. And this isn't a flexible due date. If it's due at 1:50 pm and you hand it in at 1:51 pm, guess what? An automatic 50% is coming off your mark. That's the reality.
So, sitting at my computer at 1:41 pm with nine minutes remaining until my article was due, panic set in. And I wasn't the only one. The room started to buzz as people were sprinting to and from the printer and their computers - trying their best to avoid the aforementioned auto-fail. If it wasn't for the gracious help from a couple of my classmates (thanks Ty and Alan), I made not have made it in time. Whether or not I had any typo's remains to be seen...
As CreCommers, hard deadlines are something we deal with on a daily basis. The point is to get us ready for the real world and what a better asset to have. Employers know they're getting an employee who recognizes the importance of deadlines.
Creative Communications accepts roughly 75 students a year. We're then divided into three sections. I'm in section 2 and couldn't be happier about it. We're a tight-knit group that get along very well. Just ask Chris Petty at the beginning of every Writer's Craft class. We're all like-minded people, some with university experience, others not, but in all we share similar qualities about us that make the experience at Red River a treat rather than a chore.
The instructors in CreComm are all class acts. If I'm not mistaken, they all have previous work experience in their area of expertise. That makes them knowledgeable of the realities of the jobs we will eventually be applying to. Not only that, but they all genuinely care about their students. No more so than Forde Oliver, our Media Production instructor. He's an extremely friendly man who would love to see all his students succeed. It's too bad we only see him once a week!
Moving forward, I'm extremely excited for the opportunities this program will offer. With a phenomenal group of classmates, an intelligent and caring group of instructors, and a campus with cutting edge technology and services, the next 20 months are shaping up to be some of the best of my life.
Cheers to CreComm!
I begin this recap with the scene in the newsroom this past Friday. We were asked to pick a topic at the beginning of our journalism class for our third streeter. A streeter is when we get two hours to go off campus, interview and get at least two quotes from two different people on our topic (no fellow CreCommers allowed) and then we have roughly an hour and a half to write an article. Making matters worse is the infamous auto-fail. An auto-fail is when we have a typo of a proper noun (for example, if we spell Mcdonalds like that instead of like this: Mc Donald's) or if we hand in our assignment late. And this isn't a flexible due date. If it's due at 1:50 pm and you hand it in at 1:51 pm, guess what? An automatic 50% is coming off your mark. That's the reality.
So, sitting at my computer at 1:41 pm with nine minutes remaining until my article was due, panic set in. And I wasn't the only one. The room started to buzz as people were sprinting to and from the printer and their computers - trying their best to avoid the aforementioned auto-fail. If it wasn't for the gracious help from a couple of my classmates (thanks Ty and Alan), I made not have made it in time. Whether or not I had any typo's remains to be seen...
As CreCommers, hard deadlines are something we deal with on a daily basis. The point is to get us ready for the real world and what a better asset to have. Employers know they're getting an employee who recognizes the importance of deadlines.
Creative Communications accepts roughly 75 students a year. We're then divided into three sections. I'm in section 2 and couldn't be happier about it. We're a tight-knit group that get along very well. Just ask Chris Petty at the beginning of every Writer's Craft class. We're all like-minded people, some with university experience, others not, but in all we share similar qualities about us that make the experience at Red River a treat rather than a chore.
The instructors in CreComm are all class acts. If I'm not mistaken, they all have previous work experience in their area of expertise. That makes them knowledgeable of the realities of the jobs we will eventually be applying to. Not only that, but they all genuinely care about their students. No more so than Forde Oliver, our Media Production instructor. He's an extremely friendly man who would love to see all his students succeed. It's too bad we only see him once a week!
Moving forward, I'm extremely excited for the opportunities this program will offer. With a phenomenal group of classmates, an intelligent and caring group of instructors, and a campus with cutting edge technology and services, the next 20 months are shaping up to be some of the best of my life.
Cheers to CreComm!
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