Thursday + Day Games Week 1

Welcome back to Football everybody. The games will be recapped weekly, generally grouped by time started. We begin with...

The Green Bay Packers hosting the New Orleans Saints. Green Bay led off with a pair of touchdown passes by Aaron Rodgers, 7 yards to Greg Jennings and 3 yards to Jordy Nelson, with Mason Crosby converting the extra points. Drew Brees answered with one TD pass, a 31 yard shot to Robert Meachem, followed by John Kasay's extra point. Rodgers restored the 14 point lead with a late first quarter 32 yard pass to Randall Cobb, also good for a touchdown and Crosby extra point. Kasay tacked on a field goal of 30 yards in the second quarter, and the Saints pulled even closer with a 72 yard Darren Sproles punt return TD, providing Kasay another extra point. The Packers made 28-17 at the half with James Starks' 17 yard touchdown rush, and Crosby's extra point. Kasay pushed back with a 38 yard field goal to open the second half scoring, but the ensuing kickoff was returned a whopping 108 yards by Cobb for a touchdown and Crosby extra point. Brees and the Saints avenged this mishap with a 29 yard TD catch by Devery Henderson, followed by Kasay's PAT again. John Kuhn added some points for Green Bay in the fourth quarter with his 1 yard touchdown run and Crosby's PAT. The Saints tried some late heroics, pulling within 8 when Brees found Jimmy Graham on a 5 yard pass and Kasay extra point, but they would come up short and lose 42-34 when the clock ran out. The Packers open 1-0 while the Saints start in an 0-1 hole.

On Sunday, the games begin with the St. Louis Rams hosting the Philadelphia Eagles. Steven Jackson gave St. Louis the early lead with his explosive 47 yard touchdown run, followed by Josh Brown kicking the extra point. Philadelphia answered with Michael Vick passing 7 yards to LeSean McCoy for a touchdown, and Alex Henery made his first NFL PAT. The Eagles struck again with a defensive touchdown in the style of Juqua Parker recovering Sam Bradford's fumble and taking it to the house 56 yards away, followed by a successful Henery extra point kick. The Rams got a few back with Brown's 49 yard field goal in the second quarter. Henery kicked a field goal in response, from 34 yards out, to make it 17-10 Philadelphia at the half. The Eagles extended their lead in the third with Vick's touchdown pass to DeSean Jackson, good for 6 yards and 6 points, as Henery added the seventh extra point. The Rams put another field goal on the board with Brown's 23 yard chip. Philadelphia padded the lead with McCoy rushing 49 yards for a TD, and Henery supplied the extra point. The Eagles took the win 31-13, going to 1-0 and dropping the Rams down to 0-1.

Across the state, the Kansas City Chiefs host the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo drew first blood with a Ryan Fitzpatrick touchdown to Scott Chandler from 4 yards out, and a Rian Lindell extra point. The Bills tacked on another touchdown with Fitzpatrick finding Stevie Johnson for 27 yards, and Lindell's extra point makes it 14-0. Lindell put six more points on the board in the second quarter with his 29 yard and 38 yard field goals. Kansas City finally found the scoreboard with Matt Cassel passing 6 yards to Jamaal Charles for a touchdown, allowing Ryan Succop the extra point. Buffalo took a 20-7 lead into the half, and got back to work in the third with Fitzpatrick and Chandler meeting again, for 11 yards and a touchdown, with Lindell making the PAT. Fitzpatrick went aerial for another touchdown, and he found Donald Jones for 4 yards and a score, followed by Lindell's trusty PAT. The Bills would not quit in the fourth, as C.J. Spiller rushed 9 yards for a touchdown, and Lindell again made the extra point. Buffalo would win by a 41-7 landslide, improving to 1-0 and dropping the Chiefs to 0-1.

Northward to Chicago, where the Bears host the Atlanta Falcons. Robbie Gould got Chicago on the board with his 41 yard field goal, but was promptly answered by Matt Bryant and Atlanta with a 48 yard kick between the uprights. The Bears broke the tie later in the first quarter with Jay Cutler connecting with
Matt Forte for a 56 yard catch and run touchdown, and Gould converted the extra point with ease. Gould added two field goals in the second quarter from 23 and 26 yards away. The Bears take a 16-3 lead into the locker room. The Falcons drew blood in the third with Bryant kicking a 25 yard field goal. Chicago replied with two touchdowns, as Cutler connected with Matt Spaeth for a yard and Brian Urlacher recovered Matt Ryan's fumble and took it 12 yards to the end zone. Gould made both extra points. Atlanta struck again in the fourth, with a defensive touchdown as Cutler was picked off and Kroy Biermann took it back 50 yards, although Ryan was unsuccessful on the two point conversion. The final would have the Bears up 30-12 on the Falcons, improving themselves to 1-0 and dropping the opponent to 0-1.

Down to Florida, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosting the Detroit Lions. Detroit opened with a Jason Hanson field goal of 23 yards, and Connor Barth traded the barb back by kicknig a 38 yard field goal for Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers took the lead when Aqib Talib intercepted Matthew Stafford and ran 28 yards for the touchdown, which Barth supplemented with the PAT. Hanson cut into the lead for the Lions with a 28 yard field goal. Stafford started throwing touchdowns to his own team in the second, starting with Calvin Johnson, whom he found for 36 yards and a score, with Hanson kicking the extra point. Stafford also connected with Tony Scheffler for 11 yards and score, while Hanson happily kicked the extra point. Barth added a field goal for the Buccaneers at the end of the half, his 31 yard kick making it 20-13 for the Lions at half time. Detroit got back to work in the third as Stafford tossed to Johnson again, the 1 yard pass going for a touchdown, and Hanson added another extra point. Tampa Bay pulled to within seven as Josh Freeman found Mike Williams for a 5 yard touchdown, followed by Barth with the extra point. The Lions would hold on to the 27-20 lead for the win, going to 1-0 while dropping the Buccaneers to 0-1.

Crossing the state to the east, where the Jacksonville Jaguars host the Tennessee Titans. Jacksonville struck open the scoring in the first quarter with a 21 yard touchdown run from Maurice Jones-Drew, and the PAT came from Josh Scobee. The Jaguars made it 10-0 with Scobee kicking a 48 yard field goal. Jacksonville leads 10-0 at the half. Scobee kicked a 21 yard field goal in the third quarter, and was promptly answered by Tennessee's first score, an 80 yard TD pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Kenny Britt, followed by Rob Bironas' extra point. Jacksonville took another field goal from Scobee, this time 45 yards from the posts. The Titans scored again as Hasselbeck and Britt met for a 2 yard touchdown, followed by Bironas with the PAT. The Jaguars weathered the final onslaught by Tennessee to win 16-14, and improved to 1-0 while dropping their opponents to 0-1.

Up to Ohio, where the Cleveland Browns host the Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati came out strong with Mike Nugent kicking a 24 yard field goal and supplying the extra point after the Andy Dalton-Jermaine Gresham 2 yard touchdown connection. Nugent kept it going for the Bengals with a second quarter 47 yard field goal. Cleveland got on the board with Colt McCoy connecting with Benjamin Watson for a 34 yard touchdown, and an extra point came from kicker Phil Dawson, who also tacked on the PAT when McCoy passed 2 yards to Evan Moore. The Browns got a bit of padding on their 14-13 half time lead, with Dawson blasting the pigskin through the uprights at 20 yards away. Cincinnati replied with a Bruce Gradkowski touchdown to rookie A.J. Green, a 41 yard reception, followed by Nugent with the extra point, putting the Bengals in front. The Bengals put the dagger in with Cedric Benson running 39 yards for a TD, with Nugent supplying the extra point for a 27-17 final. Cincinnati goes to 1-0 and the Browns drop to 0-1.

Eastward again to Maryland, with the Baltimore Ravens hosting their fierce rivals from Pittsburgh, the Steelers. Baltimore came out with two first quarter touchdowns, an aerial strike from Joe Flacco to Anquan Boldin for 27 yards and a ground attack by Ray Rice from a yard out and Billy Cundiff making two extra points. Pittsburgh got on the board in the second with Ben Roethlisberger connecting with Emmanuel Sanders for an 11 yard touchdown, and Shaun Suisham had the PAT. Rice and the Ravens worked for another late touchdown in the second quarter, catching a pass from Flacco for 11 yards, with Cundiff making the extra point. Baltimore will go to the showers with a 21-7 lead. Baltimore came out swinging in the third, with Flacco completing an 18 yard TD pass to Ed Dickson, followed by a PAT fake and Sam Koch conversion for two additional points. Cundiff would get his chance to kick shortly after, and he nailed the 29 yard field goal, and he also added a 30 yard boot in the fourth quarter. The final would stand at 35-7, with the Ravens going to 1-0 and dropping the Steelers to 0-1.

Finally, the last of the early games, where the Houston Texans welcome a crippled Indianapolis Colts team. In less than three minutes, Houston put up 17 points with Neil Rackers' 25 yard field goal and extra points on a Derrick Ward 1 yard rush and Ben Tate 2 yard rush, both going for touchdowns. Matt Schaub kept the Texans going in the second with a 4 yard touchdown pass to Andre Johnson, with Rackers again making the extra point. Rackers continued Houston's string of points with a 29 yard field goal kick, and kicked the extra point after Jacoby Jones returned Pat McAfee's punt 79 yards. The Texans can comfortably go to the locker room with a 34-0 lead. After a third quarter of silence, the Colts finally found out what scoring feels like in the fourth, as Kerry Collins connected with Reggie Wayne for a 6 yard touchdown, and Adam Vinatieri made the extra point. The final would put Houston up 34-7, sending them to 1-0 and knocking the Colts to 0-1.

Fantasy Baseball All Stars week 22

The playoffs should be in full swing now, and the following players helped the middle-of-the-pack teams with their last second push.

Catcher: Miguel Montero, 3 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .320 average, .346 on base
First Base: Eric Hosmer, 9 runs, 11 hits, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 1 SB, .440 average, .484 on base
Second Base: Ian Kinsler, 6 runs, 6 hits, 4 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .250 average, .321 on base
Third Base: David Wright, 6 runs, 13 hits, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB, .500 average, .594 on base
Shortstop: Cliff Pennington, 3 runs, 10 hits, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 3 SB, .345 average, .406 on base
Outfield: Austin Jackson, 13 runs, 18 hits, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .529 average, .543 on base
Utility: Miguel Cabrera, 6 runs, 12 hits, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 1 SB, .414 average, .452 on base
Starter1: Brandon McCarthy, 17 IP, 1 win, 20 K, 1.06 ERA, 0.53 WHIP
Starter2: Daniel Hudson, 14 IP, 2 wins, 13 K, 0.64 ERA, 0.71 WHIP
Reliever: Craig Kimbrel, 5 IP, 1 win, 2 saves, 10 K, 0 holds, 0.00 ERA, 0.40 WHIP

Good luck to all of you in the playoffs, and look for Fantasy Football All-Stars next week on Tuesday.

Song of the Week XXXIV

This week, we have a new song to my collection, from Radiohead. The song comes off the highly regarded album OK Computer. It is the third track, entitled Subterranean Homesick Alien. The song has a soft, melodic feel covered by a nervousness in the lyrics about being away from home. It is a feeling expressed by many people who are in a strange place for the first time, or people who are stuck somewhere they'd rather not be. This is a very good song, on a masterpiece of an album. Check this column again next week.

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars week 21

This week marks the beginning of the playoffs in a select few leagues. Last week, many teams are feeling the pinch to reach the playoffs if the opportunity still presents itself. Here's the best players of last week's hurricane baseball:

Catcher: Matt Wieters, 5 runs, 6 hits, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB, .353 average, .476 on base
First Base: Adrian Gonzalez, 8 runs, 11 hits, 5 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, .393 average, .452 on base
Second Base: Howie Kendrick, 9 runs, 10 hits, 4 HR, 5 RBI, 1 SB, .500 average, .545 on base
Third Base: Mark Reynolds, 7 runs, 12 hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .429 average, .448 on base
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, 6 runs, 9 hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 0 SB, .409 average, .536 on base
Left Field: Carlos Gonzalez, 9 runs, 13 hits, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 SB, .481 average, .533 on base
Center Field: Matt Kemp, 8 runs, 8 hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .296 average, .321 on base
Right Field: Corey Hart, 9 runs, 13 hits, 3 HR, 5 RBI, 2 SB, .500 average, .552 on base
Starter: Chris Capuano, 9 IP, 1 win, 13 K, 0.00 ERA, 0.22 WHIP
Reliever: Francisco Cordero, 4 IP, 1 win, 3 saves, 3 K, 0 holds, 2.25 ERA, 0.75 WHIP

Fantasy Baseball All-Stars week 20

Some second tier teams have probably locked up their bid to a playoff spot, while the last few teams fight for the remaining seeds. Here's who did well last week.

Catcher: Nick Hundley, 8 runs, 12 hits, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 0 SB, .500 average, .520 on base
First Base: Joey Votto, 6 runs, 8 hits, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB, .400 average, .556 on base
Second Base: Ben Zobrist, 4 runs, 11 hits, 0 HR, 4 RBI, 3 SB, .500 average, .520 on base
Third Base: Aramis Ramirez, 4 runs, 11 hits, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 0 SB, .500 average, .556 on base
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, 6 runs, 8 hits, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SB, .348 average, .385 on base
Outfield1: Peter Bourjos, 7 runs, 15 hits, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 2 SB, .500 average, .516 on base
Outfield2: Ryan Braun, 9 runs, 10 hits, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 4 SB, .400 average, .464 on base
Outfield3: Carlos Gonzalez, 6 runs, 8 hits, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 0 SB, .364 average, .462 on base
Utility: Ryan Zimmerman, 5 runs, 12 hits, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 0 SB, .500 average, .500 on base
Starter: Jon Lester, 13 IP, 2 wins, 11 K, 1.38 ERA, 0.85 WHIP
Reliever: Mariano Rivera, 3 IP, 3 saves, 5 K, 0 holds, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP

Good luck to everyone battling for a playoff position this week.

Sandwich Showdown XXXI

This week, we have a veteran against a rookie. The first sandwich was a Turkey on Italian. A rather simple sandwich enhanced with two sauces, it worked well with what it had. The bread helped keep the simplicity and also a nice variety of flavor. The opposing sandwich is the rookie Oven Crisp Chicken, currently featured for a limited time only. Also using two sauces, it turned out to be very flavorful. With toasted Herbs and Cheese bread, there was no lack of flavors. The edge here goes to the Turkey, but don't let that deter you from the Crisp Chicken, if it is available in your area.

Song of the Week XXXIII

This week, our song comes from Gavin Rossdale. The song is called This Is Happiness. The song is at a fairly fast-tempo to keep a good and strong rhythm. It possesses an aura of strength throughout, which in turn makes the message deeper. Throughout, it is mentioned what is positive to the singer, and ties into the title and theme of happiness. That's all for this week, and we'll run this again next week.