tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-144883032024-03-14T00:23:27.493-04:00Fantasy DraftsFed up with those pesky sports fantasy drafts? We've decided to hold fantasy drafts of everything else.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1147898109075022992006-05-17T16:12:00.000-04:002006-05-19T12:42:13.380-04:00Sports Mascots Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/7F05.1.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/7F05.1.jpg" border="0" /></a> Some how, some way, FantasyDrafts made it into an ESPN.com <a href="http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=11730">chat</a>. Here, the merciless worshipers of the <a href="http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=75660945">Worldwide Leader</a> tore into the <a href="http://fantasydrafts.blogspot.com/2005/12/breakfast-cereals-draft.html">Breakfast Cereals Draft </a>(well, mostly Sarah's draft). Near the end of the chat Tim from Atlanta asked a simple, but brilliant, question: what would be the first pick in a draft of sports mascots?<br /><br />We had found our muse. The FantasyDrafters immediately set to work on devising draft boards and working out draft day deals. Sarah and Sydney teamed up for this one. The results are below:<br /><br /><br />Round 1<br /><br />Adam - <a href="http://pages.prodigy.com/lemus/mrmet/sdchik3.jpg">San Diego Chicken</a><br />S&S - <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/ABPub/2005/09/24/2002519003.jpg">Notre Dame Leprechaun</a> (Notre Dame)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/mark_bechtel/08/17/daily.blog/p1_phanatic.jpg">Philly Phanatic</a> (Philadelphia Phillies)<br />Albert - <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5b/SunsGorilla.jpg">Phoenix Suns Gorilla</a> (Phoenix Suns Gorilla)<br />Dan - <a href="http://www.cwelch.com/i/youppi_040618_mon_a.jpg">Youppi</a> (Montreal Canadians/Expos)<br />Chris - <a href="http://www.mindspring.com/~tbgray/images/loriotto.jpg">Otto the Orange</a> (Syracuse)<br /><br />Round 2<br /><br />Chris - <a href="http://uhaweb.hartford.edu/HEATH/mrmet.JPG">Mr. Met</a> (New York Mets)<br />Dan - <a href="http://milwaukee.brewers.mlb.com/mil/photo/2001_community/bernie_brewer/ph_bernie_brewer_288.jpg">Bernie Brewer</a> (Milwaukee Brewers)<br />Albert - <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/2005/writers/jay_mohr/08/16/hot.read/p1_mascot.jpg">Chief Osceola and Renegade</a> (Florida State)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://media.dailyemerald.com/vimages/shared/vnews/stories/3e89a398b82db-18-1.jpg">Donald Duck</a> (Oregon)<br />S&S - <a href="http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/98-99/art/slug.mrc_simpson.98-10-05.jpg">Sammy the Slug</a> (UC Santa Cruz)<br />Adam - <a href="http://www.aacps.org/aacps/HILLTES/bird2.jpg">The Oriole Bird</a> (Baltimore Orioles)<br /><br />Round 3<br /><br />Adam - <a href="http://wplr.com/images/clipart/yale-handsome-dan.jpg">Handsome Dan</a> (Yale) (Traded to Bryan for Stanford Tree)<br />S&S - <a href="http://www.chem.purdue.edu/nakhleh/b-special.jpg">Boilermaker Special</a> (Purdue)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.dailybruin.ucla.edu/DB/issues/97/10.31/images/mascot.Stanford.jpg">Stanford Tree</a> (Traded to Adam for Handsome Dan and mascot to be named later)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.autumnspectacle.com/Mascots/USC%20(Tommy%20&%20Traveler).jpg">Traveler</a> (USC)<br />Dan - <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/f/f6/Keggy.jpg">Keggy the Keg</a> (Dartmouth)<br />Chris - <a href="http://www.topperfan.com/wku/pictures/bigred/bigred14a.jpg">Big Red</a> (Western Kentucky)<br /><br />Round 4<br /><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.olemisscheer.com/images/Colreb_at_SMU_1998-1999.jpg">Colonel Reb</a> (Mississippi)<br />Dan - <a href="http://www.usnaaaa.com/images/bill-the-goat.jpg">Bill the Goat</a> (Naval Academy)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.mackbrown-texasfootball.com/images/2001_02/main_images/structure_images/proudtrads/bevo_400.jpg">Bevo</a> (Texas)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/9/99/Sparty_mascot.jpg">Sparty</a> (Michigan State)<br />S&S - <a href="http://homepage.mac.com/lspath/rally_monkey.jpg">Rally Monkey</a> (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim)<br />Adam - <a href="http://knoxkoupons.com/ktown_photos/photo_gallery/images/costume_smokey.jpg">Smokey</a> (Tennessee)<br /><br />Round 5<br /><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.coasttocoasttickets.com/images/ncaab_elonphoenix.jpg">The Fighting Christians</a> (Elon)<br />S&S - <a href="http://www.buccaneers.com/media/graphics/cheerleaders/capt_fear_1.jpg">Captain Fear</a> (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://graphics.fansonly.com/schools/wake/trads/images/wake-trads-demon-deacon.jpg">Demon Deacon</a> (Wake Forest)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.rhsmith.umd.edu/news/stories/2004/images/mdday-fifth.jpg">Testudo</a> (Maryland)<br />Dan - <a href="http://www.mascotspot.com/pics/witchita-wushock.gif">WuShock</a> (Witchita State)<br />Chris - <a href="http://media.theinsiders.com/media/image/26/263654.jpg">Brutus Buckeye</a> (Ohio State)<br /><br />Round 6<br /><br />Chris - <a href="http://liq-xtal.cwru.edu/wahoo3.jpg">Chief Wahoo</a> (Cleveland Indians)<br />Dan - <a href="http://osu-ns03.cis.okstate.edu/tools/webtools.nsf/Images/Millis2/$FILE/davebridea.jpg">Pistol Pete</a> (Oklahoma State)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.geocities.com/jlyfsh/JlyfshAndAlbert.jpg">Albert Gator</a> (Florida)<br />Bryan - <a href="http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/stjs/sports/m-baskbl/auto_action/64598.jpeg">St. Joe's Hawk</a> (St. Joseph's)<br />S&S - <a href="http://www.teammascot.com/aaa/images/products/160/17270_160.jpg">Cayenne</a> (Louisiana Lafayette)<br />Adam - <a href="http://www.cvm.tamu.edu/cgr/images/reveille.jpg">Reveille</a> (Texas A&M)Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1147291044611569822006-05-10T15:31:00.000-04:002006-05-10T16:38:22.426-04:00Worst Comic Strips Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/image_187284.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/image_187284.0.jpg" border="0" /></a>Welcome back folks. We could make lots of excuses as to why there hasn't been a post on FD in a while. I could tell you about the increased responsibilities at my job. Adam could tell you something about his workload vs. the Asian dollar. Sarah could probably tell you something about how we're <strong>that </strong>much closer to finding a vaccine for AIDS. Yes we would love to tell you about how productive we've been, but that would be a lie. Plus it would get us away from the real reason you haven't seen us recently - because we're lazy.<br /><br />In that same spirit of laziness, we've decided to draft the work products of the worst/laziest cartoonists out there. Nothing is worse than sitting down with your bowl of corn flakes in the morning, flipping to the comics only to want to gouge your eyes out when you see Cathy, Family Circus or Marmaduke. How do these people sleep at night? Maybe Dickie the Cockroach will save us.<br /><br />Round 1<br /><br />Sarah - <a href="http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6db31b3127cce88aee3500c9200000016108BcNWjlo5c0">Cathy<br /></a>Chris - Family Circus<br />Sydney - Mark Trail<br />Adam - Ziggy<br />Dan - Mary Worth<br /><br />Round 2<br /><br />Dan - Rex Morgan, M.D.<br />Adam - Nancy<br />Sydney - Barney Google and Snuffy Smith<br />Chris - Zippy the Pinhead<br />Sarah - Love Is...<br /><br />Round 3<br /><br />Sarah - Marmaduke<br />Chris - Judge Parker<br />Sydney - Prince Valiant<br />Adam - B.C.<br />Dan - Sally Forth<br /><br />Round 4<br /><br />Dan - Rose is Rose<br />Adam - Mallard Fillmore<br />Sydney - Momma<br />Chris - Andy Capp<br />Sarah - Broom Hilda<br /><br />Round 5<br />Sarah - Dennis the Menace<br />Chris - Heathcliff<br />Sydney - One Big Happy<br />Adam - Beetle Bailey<br />Dan - BaldoChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1143174985522392082006-03-23T23:28:00.000-05:002006-03-24T10:27:07.246-05:00Disasters Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/Poster_287.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/Poster_287.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>OK, so we're insensitive, we know. We were upset that we weren't at any of these events so that we could liveblog. We're gonna make up for it right here. Rules: Man-made or natural disasters and the major activity had to happen on a single day.<br /><br />First Round<br /><br />Bryan: Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, 2004<br />Sydney: Hurricane Katrina, 2005<br />Chris: Huang He (Yellow River) Flood, 1931<br />Sarah: meteor that killed the dinosaurs, 65 million BC<br />Adam: atomic bomb attack on Nagasaki, 1945<br /><br />Round 2 <br /><br />Adam: terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001<br />Sarah: eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, 79 AD<br />Chris: nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, 1986<br />Sydney: sinking of the Titanic, 1912<br />Bryan: Hindenburg explosion, 1937<br /><br />Round 3 <br /><br />Bryan: Challenger explosion, 1986<br />Sydney: Great Fire of London, 1666<br />Chris: Eruption of Krakatoa, 1883<br />Sarah: Lisbon earthquake, 1755<br />Adam: Pearl Harbor attack, 1941<br /><br />Round 4 <br /><br />Adam: San Francisco earthquake, 1906<br />Sarah: Kashmir earthquake, 2005<br />Chris: Bhola cyclone, 1970<br />Sydney: Shaanxi earthquake, 1956<br />Bryan: Great Chicago Fire, 1871<br /><br />Round 5 <br /><br />Bryan: Exxon Valdez oil spill, 1989<br />Sydney: atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 1945<br />Chris: bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, 1988<br />Sarah: sinking of USS Maine, 1898<br />Adam: Bay of Pigs invasion, 1961<br /><br />Round 6 <br /><br />Adam: sinking of the Lusitania, 1915<br />Sarah: Galveston hurricane, 1900<br />Chris: Tangshan earthquake, 1976<br />Sydney: 10th Plague, death of firstborn, c1300 BC<br />Bryan: Val di Stava Dam collapse, 1985<br /><br />Round 7:<br /><br />Bryan: Boston Molasses disaster, 1919<br />Sydney: Kristallnacht, 1938<br />Chris: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, 1911<br />Sarah: Al-Aaimmah Bridge stampede, 2005<br />Adam: crash of the Beechcraft Bonanza, 1958<br /><br />Round 8:<br /><br />Adam: eruption of Mt. Tambora, 1815<br />Sarah: crash of TWA Flight 800, 1996<br />Chris: Bhopal chemical leak, 1984<br />Sydney: crash of Valujet 592, 1996<br />Bryan: Beirut Embassy bombing, 1983<br /><br />Supplemental Draft:<br />Albert's NCAA BracketChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1140043008552669372006-02-15T17:25:00.000-05:002006-02-15T21:14:44.933-05:00Olympic Events Draft Results<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/1600/olympic-rings.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/320/olympic-rings.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Sigh. I don't think anyone knows the rules to this draft. Below is a draft of olympic related items. If you're really bored (particularly at work) feel free to click - and waste hours of time.<br /><br />Round 1:<br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=17872">Bobsled</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.snapgames.net/en/freesnap/games/games.asp?ID=13">Swimming</a> (<a href="http://www.snapgames.net/en/freesnap/games/games.asp?ID=13">Fishy</a>)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.sikids.com/games/slapshot/slapshot.html">Ice Hockey</a> (<a href="http://www.electrotank.com/playGame.electro?gId=109">Air</a>)<br />Adam - <a href="http://www.dragongamez.com/streetluge.htm">Luge</a><br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/marathon.html">Marathon</a><br /><br />Round 2:<br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.allgamesfree.com/play/load.php?ID=829">Track (Sprints)</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.miniclip.com/tabletennis.htm">Table Tennis</a><br />Albert - <a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/sixasidesoccer/play.php">Soccer</a> (<a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/euro2004volley/play.php">Volleys</a>) (<a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/games/euroheaders.html">Headers</a>)<br />Chris - <a href="http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=17864">Figure Skating</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://media.putfile.com/DunkShot17">Gymnastics</a> (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elbl8b6zyOU&search=gymnastics%20ouch">Ouch</a>)<br /><br />Round 3:<br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.funflashgames.com/monkeydiving.htm">Diving</a><br />Chris – <a href="http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=17957">Skiing</a><br />Albert – <a href="http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-768.htm">Boxing</a> (<a href="http://www.eonline.com/Fun/Games/Boxing/game.html">OJ</a>)<br />Adam – <a href="http://www.sikids.com/games/bomba/bomba.html">Basketball</a><br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.strangecosmos.com/content/item/102103.html">Water Polo</a><br /><br />Round 4:<br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.family.ca/games/snowball/index.htm">Speed Skating</a><br />Adam – <a href="http://www.volleyball.com/volleyball-game/">Volleyball</a> (<a href="http://oneslime.net">OneSlime</a>)<br />Albert – <a href="http://www.arcadetown.com/poolsidesumo/playgame.asp">Wrestling</a><br />Chris – <a href="http://www.allgamesfree.com/play/load.php?ID=831">Decathalon</a><br />Sydney – <a href="http://www.funflashgames.com/weightlifting.htm">Weightlifting</a><br /><br />Round 5:<br />Sydney – <a href="http://www.allgamesfree.com/play/load.php?ID=830">Track (Hurdles)</a><br />Chris – <a href="http://myweb.cableone.net/yoeddy1/fights/Clint_Malarchuk.wmv">Short Track Speed Skating</a><br />Albert – <a href="http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games/tri/">Triathalon</a><br />Adam – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8m-IBhUW4Ms&search=fencing">Fencing</a><br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.miniclip.com/nordicchill.htm">Biathalon</a><br /><br />Round 6:<br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.gamescraze.com/games/?g=massaqua.swf">Rowing</a><br />Adam – <a href="http://www.flashgames247.com/game/flash-sports-games/panda-badminton.html">Badminton</a><br />Albert – <a href="http://www.tennislovers.com/games/webtennis2000.htm">Tennis</a> (<a href="http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-169.htm">Topless</a>)<br />Chris – <a href="http://www.candystand.com/play.do?id=17946">Baseball</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/handball.html">Handball</a><br /><br />Round 7:<br />Sydney – <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/boomboomvolleyball.html">Beach Volleyball</a><br />Chris – <a href="http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-488.htm">Ski Jumping</a><br />Albert – <a href="http://www.transience.com.au/el/elgameo.html">Cycling</a> (<a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/unicyclerider.html">Uni</a><br />Adam – <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mjIhANEmvg&search=donkey">Pentathlon</a><br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.2flashgames.com/f/f-Little-Johns-Archery-2-2184.htm">Archery</a><br /><br />Round 8:<br />Sarah – <a href="http://www.dol.gov/oasam/regs/statutes/titleix.htm">Field Hockey</a><br />Adam – <a href="http://www.ebaumsworld.com/captainchaos.html">Sailing</a> (<a href="http://www.sikids.com/games/speedboat/speedboat.html">Speedboat</a>)<br />Albert - <a href="http://www.mousebreaker.com/games/virtualcurling/play.php">Curling</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.mofunzone.com/online_games/snowboarding.shtml#">Snowboarding</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.top-game.net/startgame/Bobsled.html">Skeleton</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/1600/mascot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/320/mascot.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Red Baronesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12345109016660895664noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1140036726012653642006-02-15T14:16:00.000-05:002006-02-15T16:17:37.530-05:00Shameless Popularity Plug<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/1600/dvd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/200/dvd.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Well, according to <a href="http://scobleizer.wordpress.com/2006/02/13/the-brrreeeport-report/">this guy</a>, bloggers are supposed to put the word "brrreeeport" in their blogs. Let no one say that Fantasy Drafts is not at the cutting edge of cool or immune to social bandwagons. Brrreeeport away!Red Baronesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12345109016660895664noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1139849589830067032006-02-13T11:43:00.000-05:002006-02-15T15:59:41.483-05:00Columnists Draft Guest Commentary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/1600/Journalist-790539.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/5224/618/320/Journalist-790539.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Outsourcing has struck again. Yes, the drafters were a bit too lazy to do commentary this time around and have found a much cheaper labor alternative in Bombay. Well, she may not come from Bombay, but she does like Bombay Saphire. When not writing about <a href="http://www.third-way.com/data/product/file/14/porn_standard.pdf">child pornography</a>, this guest commenter (a scorpio) enjoys playing T-ball and grilling. I introduce to you the commentary of Miss Kate Blosveren, aspiring policy wonk.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sarah's Draft:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">1. Hendrik Hertzberg (New Yorker) 2. Michael Kinsley (Slate) 3. Judith Martin (Miss Manners) 4. Sebastian Mallaby (WP) 5. Nicholas Kristof (NYT) 6. Louis Menand (New Yorker) 7. Verlyn Klinkenborg (NYT) 8. Dahlia Lithwick (Slate)</span><br /><br />Sarah certainly wins for having the most columnists that I did not know by name immediately, which is a dubious, yet inconsequential to the grading, honor. Not being a reader of the New Yorker, it is a bit of reach for me to come out in fully support of picking Hendrik Hertzberg first, but considering I know how much Sarah loves the New Yorker (as the sole New Yorker of the bunch), I have no problem saying that’s fine and moving on. Kinsley is a cool choice and as the founding editor of the awesomely amusing Slate, he certainly has my respect.<br /><br />Miss Manners’ real name is Judith Martin. Well, you learn something new everyday. This is a pretty fun pick, even if her advice rarely informs my etiquette. She wins real points, however, for writing this <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/review97/empirestrikesbackmartin.htm">bitchin’ review of Empire Strikes Back</a>.<br /><br />Sarah’s next two choices are a bit uninspired. Mallaby and Kristof are both good writers, but it seems to me that these picks are more representative of Sarah’s esteem the Post and the NY Times than for the columnists themselves. I don’t have much to say about Sarah’s choice of Menand beyond that, at this point, it’s just nice to see non-political columnists being chosen. Sarah finishes with Klinkenborg, whom I had never heard of before taking on this assignment (should I have?), and Dahlia Lithwick, whom I read regularly, making her Even Steven in my book.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: B+. </span>Sarah’s love of Slate won me over.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Chris' Draft:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">George F. Will (WP) 2. Paul Krugman (NYT) 3. Tony Kornheiser (WP) 4. William Safire (NYT) 5. EJ Dionne (WP) 6. Bob Novak (CST) 7. Maureen Dowd (NYT) 8. George Vecsey (NYT)</span><br /><br />Now I must give Chris credit for bucking the trend, and drafting a conservative columnist first. While the rest of the gang went with more obvious choices for highly educated readers residing in Blue states and/or districts, George Will is a commendable and unique first selection - even though I always personally prefer the Newsweeks that feature Anna Quindlen on the last page.<br /><br />I understand the allure of the NY Times op-ed page, but Paul Krugman is not someone I can get behind. He’s the kind of NY Times writer that gives liberals a bad name. He is a better choice than boring old Bob Herbert, but much weaker than the later picked Maureen Dowd and Nicholas Kristof.<br /><br />Chris’s next three picks were all fairly solid, perhaps the highlight of his entire selection. Tony Kornheiser does his sports thing well and is a nice deviation from your first two choices. As an fan of good old etymology, I’ll give you credit for snagging Safire. Since I am a personal fan of all things E.J., that choice also gets you points from this commentator. However, from this point on, Chris’ draft becomes a bit weak and repetitive. Bob Novak, well, just imagine me doing a big old fake “HACK” sneeze right now. Dowd and Vescey are both good picks, on their own, but they represent your third and fourth NY Times columnists.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: C+. </span>While a lover of all things New York Times myself, it shouldn’t compose half of your picks. My advice: diversify.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adam's Draft:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">1. Thomas Friedman (NYT) 2. David Brooks (NYT) 3. Charles Krauthammer (WP) 4. Christopher Buckley (Forbes) 5. Peter Gammons (ESPN) 6. Carl Hiaasen (Miami Herald) 7. Mort Kondracke (Roll Call) 8. Lexington (Economist)</span><br /><br />Thomas Friedman is the obvious first choice in a world where even five year olds talking about the flattening of the world, and arguably, the columnist that carries the most weight (to anyone not an economist). David Brooks as the second pick completes a strong one-two punch, gets Adam’s NY Times’ picks out of the way early, and makes room for a wide breadth of selections.<br /><br />Although I’m no fan of neocons, Krauthammer is the self-appointed president of this gang (seriously, you should have seen him rough Bill Kristol up in that street fight, that was some crazy shit) and, according to a hyperlink on Wikipedia, is “<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish">Jewish</a>,” which is an amusing use of technology.<br /><br />Christopher Buckley? No, you must be mistaken and mean William Buckley, who’s dead and hasn’t written a column in some time. Wait, he has a son? Who is an editor of Forbes? Oh. That’s cool. Moving on: Peter Gammons. He’s no Bill Simmons, but an original pick that I can totally get behind. Carl Hiassen, well, I’d never heard of him and may never hear of him again, but he’s from Florida, which is nice for him, and he apparently writes about the environment, which is nice for all of us.<br /><br />I’m all about Adam’s Kondracke pick, partially because he writes for a smaller niche newspaper – which is a nice change from the more mainstream sources otherwise represented – and partially because I really dig his writing. Adam rounds out his draft with the illusive Lexington of the Economist, which might go a further in my book if he was the sole Economist columnist selected, but still wins points for being something different.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: A-.</span> While there was a slight falter in the middle (again, Christopher Buckley? Really?), this is a commendable set of picks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sydney's Draft: </span><span style="font-style: italic;">1. Frank Rich (NYT) 2. James Surowiecki (New Yorker) 3. David Broder (WP) 4. Alex Ross (New Yorker) 5. William Saletan (Slate) 6. Gene Weingarten (WP) 7. Tim Harford (FT) 8. Roger Ebert (CST)</span><br /><br />Sydney starts with Frank Rich, who, while over the top sometimes, is an ace writer and a logical first pick. Surowiecki, well, I don’t know the guy, so I don’t have too much to say beyond that he does have a good resume, but his bio on Wikipedia is truly disappointing in comparison to other picks. I’m tempted to add something, maybe a Polish hyperlink. Is he even Polish?<br /><br />David Broder, while not as bombastic as EJ, is arguably the best op-ed columnist at the Washington Post, so points to Sydney for that lucky pick. Again, Alex Ross means as much to me as Surowiecki, which isn’t that much, but whatever.<br /><br />Sydney’s choice of William Saletan demonstrates her love of science and mockery, but is also one of the more creative picks across the board. While Gene Weingarten is clearly a poor man’s Dave Barry, in light of the predetermined rules of the draft barring Dave Barry from being chosen, his status is elevated from sloppy seconds to an acceptable substitute. Tim Hartford writes for the Financial Times, which I just learned today. That’s all I’ve got on him.<br /><br />Sydney’s final choice of Roger Ebert is near fantabulous and is only weakened by Ebert’s overwhelming recognition for his television show rather than his column. However, I give the man respect for putting up with Roeper, a sad replacement for the late great Gene Siskel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: A.</span> Syd’s draft includes political writers, music and film reviewers, a science critic, a satirist, and an economist who writes "Dear Economist". That’s a tight draft in my book. <span style=";font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;" ><b><br /></b></span>Red Baronesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12345109016660895664noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1138399479593497352006-01-27T16:49:00.000-05:002006-01-30T10:25:17.946-05:00Columnists Draft Results<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/murfy/images/Newspaper.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.resource.nsw.gov.au/murfy/images/Newspaper.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Well, after the usual groaning and bickering, we all decided that columnists would be defined as writers who currently published a regular column for some sort of newspaper/magazine, online or otherwise. We were all sad we couldn't pick <a href="http://www.davebarry.com/">Dave Barry</a>, but there are RULES, people.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span>Round 1</span><br />Sarah: Hendrik Hertzberg<br />Chris: George F. Will<br />Adam: Thomas Friedman<br />Sydney: Frank Rich<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 2</span><br />Sydney: James Surowiecki<br />Adam: David Brooks<br />Chris: Paul Krugman<br />Sarah: Michael Kinsley<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 3</span><br />Sarah: Judith Martin<br />Chris: Tony Kornheiser<br />Adam: Charles Krauthammer<br />Sydney: David Broder<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 4</span><br />Sydney: Alex Ross<br />Adam: Christopher Buckley<br />Chris: William Safire<br />Sarah: Sebastian Mallaby<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 5</span><br />Sarah: Nicholas Kristof<br />Chris: E.J. Dionne<br />Adam: Peter Gammons<br />Sydney: William Saletan<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 6</span><br />Sydney: Gene Weingarten<br />Adam: Carl Hiaasen<br />Chris: Bob Novak<br />Sarah: Louis Menand<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 7</span><br />Sarah: Verlyn Klinkenborg<br />Chris: Maureen Dowd<br />Adam: Mort Kondracke<br />Sydney: Tim Harford<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 8</span><br />Sydney: Roger Ebert<br />Adam: Lexington<br />Chris: George Vecsey<br />Sarah: Dahlia LithwickRed Baronesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12345109016660895664noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1137189765795235412006-01-13T16:28:00.000-05:002006-01-13T17:07:28.533-05:00Best Picture Oscar Winners Draft Results<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/oscar.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/oscar.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />"<a href="http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/halleberryoscarspeech.htm">Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I'm sorry.</a> Wow. This draft was totally unexpected. There are so many people I need to thank. Just so many people. This project...this whole thing is the product of so many people. So many people make this possible. Wow, this statue is heavy...<br /><br />I'd like to thank the Academy for respecting my work. Heck, I'd like to thank them for reading it in the first place. To be honored for my accomplishments just makes me...it just overwhelms me. I've been working so hard, all of us have, at this for, what? 8 whole months now? This is just amazing, all of this work.<br /><br />But I need to thank people. Like Albert and Bryan, and Sarah and Chris for participating. And people like Dan and Justin who were there from the beginning and who have supported me, even though they can't always participate. And then Sydney, so loved by so many for her contributions to me. She's great. Thank You! And sweet, dear Adam. Making almost every draft, a true champion. And the...<br /><br />Turn that music off! I'm not finished. I'm not done! No. You let Roberto Benigni act like a circus carny on speed. And you won't even let me thank God!<br /><br />There we go. Like I was saying, I'd like to thank the man who made this all possible. <a href="http://www.darrendelaye.com/">Darren Delaye</a>. You're a champion. And the bloggers. And the people of blogspot.com. I know, I know, I'm not supposed to plug people, but they do such a great job and...look at me, I'm tearing up.<br /><br />So finally, I'd like to thank the readers, without you this wouldn't be possible. And I know that the only people who read this are the people I mentioned in my speech, but I don't care. Thank you to the audience, you give me the energy and the comments to keep this going. Thank you. San Dimas High School football rules! Goodnight!"<br /><br />Round 1<br />Albert - Casablanca<br />Bryan - Ben-Hur<br />Sarah - The Godfather<br />Chris - Gone With the Wind<br /><br />Round 2<br />Chris - Lawrence of Arabia<br />Sarah - West Side Story<br />Bryan - The Deer Hunter<br />Albert - Patton<br /><br />Round 3<br />Albert - On the Waterfront<br />Bryan - The Godfather Part II<br />Sarah - All About Eve<br />Chris - Schindler's List<br /><br />Round 4<br />Chris - One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest<br />Sarah - Out of Africa<br />Bryan - The Sting<br />Albert - Silence of the Lambs<br /><br />Round 5<br />Albert - Gandhi<br />Bryan - Braveheart<br />Sarah - Annie Hall<br />Chris - Midnight Cowboy<br /><br />Round 6<br />Chris - Forrest Gump<br />Sarah - American Beauty<br />Bryan - Rocky<br />Albert - Driving Miss Daisy<br /><br />Round 7<br />Albert - In the Heat of the Night<br />Bryan - Gladiator<br />Sarah - S. in Love<br />Chris - The French Connection<br /><br />Round 8<br />Chris - Unforgiven<br />Sarah - Titanic<br />Bryan - Platoon<br />Albert - A Man For All SeasonsChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1136483412775552542006-01-05T12:48:00.000-05:002006-01-08T21:09:18.903-05:00S. & S. Music Factory Commentary Jam Session – Board Games<a href="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096RJB.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; float: left; width: 200px;" alt="" src="http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000096RJB.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em>Adam’s picks: Monopoly, Go, Risk, Parcheesi, Stratego, Othello, Hex, Quarto<br /></em><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Here’s the thing about Adam’s games: I have only actually played two of them, ever. I mean, what the hell is “Hex”? “Quarto”? Did Adam just make these up or what? Yeah, OK, Adam, I’ll follow your “Quarto” with MY genius pick of “Praxatron.” Best. Game. Ever.<br /><br />Anyway. Monopoly, a lovely first pick by any stretch of the imagination, kind of grates on me because I think it’s a stupid game, and it’s WAY too high-maintenance – board, game pieces, property cards, money, chance, community chest, houses and hotels, dice – in addition to being a huge pain in the neck to play, the game is ruined forever if the dog chews up even a tiny <span style="font-family:georgia;">portion of it! That doesn’t happen with chess, my friends, and you can ask the half-shredded white bishop in my house if you don’t believe me. But I won’t begrudge Adam this choice, since it is the archetypal non-generic board game. Plus it’s perhaps the only game for which people display quite that level of fervent, violent loyalty to particular game pieces (I’ve seen people trade away vast amounts of money before the game has even started for, say, the wheelbarrow.)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Go is allegedly one of the great games of all time, but it’s insanely complicated and requires a lifetime to master and, let’s face it, who doesn’t just want to play some Museum Caper Clue instead? Risk has a pretty hilarious premise, until people start taking it too seriously, and then it’s just unsettling. I’ll admit that I’ve never played Parcheesi and haven’t the faintest idea what it entails. Why yes, I AM too lazy to look it up. Thanks for asking. And would it be possible to come up with a name stupider than “Stratego,” which, in addition to being really half-hearted-sounding, doesn’t even have the same pronunciation as the word from which it purportedly derives? In the future, stick to sober, adult game names such as “Hungry Hungry Hippos,” OK?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Luckily, Adam’s draft is totally redeemed by the brilliant sixth-round pick of Othello. Incredibly straightforward, yet surprisingly entertaining. You can play it in a car, you can play it at the bar. You can play it in my house, you can play it with a mouse. Well, not really, but you CAN make a homemade version that works pretty well.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: georgia;">Final grade: B.</strong><span style="font-family:georgia;"> Big points for classics, and confused sheepish overcompensating points for games I’ve never heard of, but ultimately this draft only contains one game that’s actually fun.</span><br /><br /><em style="font-family: georgia;">Sydney’s picks: Trivial Pursuit, Clue, Battleship, Connect Four, Chinese Checkers, Operation, Scene It?, Twister<br /></em><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Let’s get one thing straight: I freaking love Trivial Pursuit. I could take or leave the whole dice-rolling, wedge-involving, rainbow-ordered-circle-making, legitimate “game” part of it, but there’s just nothing more enjoyable than sitting around and reading Trivial Pursuit questions to pass the time. That said, a certain incident circa sophomore year of high school, involving some really OBVIOUS cheating, has poisoned my relationship with Trivial Pursuit vis-à-vis Sydney. So let’s just move on.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Clue is an absurd game (and what’s the deal with those tiny pencils they give you?), but it has a certain peculiar charm, I think. Nice second-round grab. Battleship is idiotic beyond description, but it was the first vertical board game pick in the draft, and for that, I am impressed. Connect Four is one of the most enjoyable games in this entire draft, AND it had one of the catchiest little jingles in the history of commercials. Go for it! Connect Four! Go for it! Connect Four!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:georgia;">Chinese checkers is a nice, simple game that also makes a good last-minute desperation gift, since there are so many tasteful, attractive versions of it. Operation may be riddled with egregious medical inaccuracies, but any game that teaches children to embrace invasive surgery as a solution to minor physical problems is OK in my book. I don’t know what Scene It? is, but any game with a pun AND “pun”ctuation in the title wins me right over. And Twister was a smart last-round pick, even though (come ON) it’s not really a board game. Also, those of us who have serious problems distinguishing left and right have always hated it because it draws attention to our bizarre brain deficit. But we can at least recognize that other people seem to consider it a classic.</span><br /><br /><strong style="font-family: georgia;">Final grade: B+.</strong><span style="font-family:georgia;"> A great draft, but sorry Sydney, cheaters don’t get As.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris' Picks: Scrabble, Checkers, Yahtzee, Boggle, Cranium, Trouble, Sorry, Guess Who</span><br /><br />Chris started out with the very strong pick of Scrabble. Any game that rewards people for their prowess of two-letter words gets a star from this commenter. Checkers is a standard. Who doesn't like saying "King me"? Yahtzee, while not technically a board game (where’s the board, you may ask), is fun and requires almost no skill. Boggle is an excellent game (although its boardgame-y-ness is also debatable), especially when your opponent is a beginner and can only find words like "eat".<br /><br />Getting back to board games that use actual boards, Chris selected Cranium. Cranium is truly the chimera of board games, combining other games such as Name that Tune, Pictionary, Charades, Trivial Pursuit, and a spelling bee, to name a few. It also involves clay that gets all over whatever surface it touches.<br /><br />Sorry was a heart-wrenching game. Getting sent back to the beginning was always such a drag. Guess Who, while a last round pick, is a sexist, sexist game. There were maybe 5 cards with women on it and if you picked a woman, you were basically screwed, making any player hate women. For this very reason, this commenter is opposed to Guess Who.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Grade: C+.</span> </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Nice start, but this was a draft of <span style="font-style: italic;">board</span>games.</span><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Sarah’s Picks: Chess, Backgammon, Candyland, Mastermind, Life, Mancala, Museum Caper Clue, Chutes and Ladders</span><br /><br />Sarah began with the be-all-end-all of board games, Chess. I mean, people devote their lives to the game and develop computer programs to play it. And then the computer programs duel each other! If that’s not a board game, I don’t know what is.<br /><br />Sarah, truly the child at heart of this draft, ended up with both Candyland and Chutes and Ladders. What’s not to like? They’re both fun and colorful, with incredibly simple rules, very much the gateway drugs of board games, leading children onto harder games like Mastermind.<br /><br />Mancala and Mastermind both got bad reputations due to their close associations with classrooms and terms like “high educational value.” I could never truly enjoy a game I played in class. Life could be fun, especially with pink and blue kids in the back of the car. Much like real life, losing the game of Life was not fun. Coupled with the potential Social Security collapse, the game instilled fear of entering the not-as-nice retirement community </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">in the hearts of many</span><span style="font-family:georgia;">.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Final Grade: B. </span><span style="font-family:georgia;">Chess is great, but let's face it, Life is depressing.</span>Selfish Country Music Loving Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16552762105055123971noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1136338018510367272006-01-03T19:48:00.000-05:002006-01-04T14:30:25.286-05:00Board Games Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/draft.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/draft.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />Originally the brilliant, talented and impossibly good looking kids at fantasydrafts.blogspot.com wanted to use the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_games">wikinition</a> of board games as: "any game played on a board (that is, a premarked surface) with counters or pieces that are moved across the board." <br /><br />We (that is to say this draft's tyrannical administrator) applied a completely subjective definition to what constitutes a "board game." At first I tried to justify my seemingly arbitrary decisions with pesky words, but then I finally settled on "What do I think of when I hear the term 'board game'?" If you really want me to, I suppose I can come up with a definition that allows Yahtzee, Boggle and Twister and excludes Pictionary, Taboo, Dominoes and Oujia boards. But I'm not going to. You can debate it in the comments.<br /><br />Round 1<br />Sarah - Chess<br />Adam - Monopoly<br />Sydney - Trivial Pursuit<br />Chris - Scrabble<br /><br />Round 2<br />Chris - Checkers<br />Sydney - Clue<br />Adam - Go<br />Sarah - Backgammon<br /><br />Round 3<br />Sarah - Candyland<br />Adam - Risk<br />Sydney - Battleship<br />Chris - Yahtzee<br /><br />Round 4<br />Chris - Boggle<br />Sydney - Connect Four<br />Adam - Parcheesi<br />Sarah - Mastermind<br /><br />Round 5<br />Sarah - Life<br />Adam - Stratego<br />Sydney - Chinese Checkers<br />Chris - Cranium<br /><br />Round 6<br />Chris - Trouble<br />Sydney - Operation<br />Adam - Reversi (Othello)<br />Sarah - Mancala<br /><br />Round 7 <br />Sarah - Museum Caper Clue<br />Adam - Hex<br />Sydney - Scene It?<br />Chris - Sorry<br /><br />Round 8<br />Chris - Guess Who<br />Sydney - Twister<br />Adam - Quarto<br />Sarah - Chutes and LaddersChrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1135285842442117332005-12-22T16:09:00.000-05:002005-12-23T10:41:49.700-05:00The Great American Novel....s DraftAfter much squabbling, griping, bickering, whining, walking back and forth over the Brooklyn Bridge, and the inevitable couple of vicious mob killings, we squeaked out quite a lovely American Novels draft, if I do say so myself. All novels originally published in the U.S. were eligible.<br /><br />Thus marks the end of the Era of Cutesy Little Comments about Justin in the Sidebar. And the beginning of the glorious Era in which Three-Person Drafts Are Considered Acceptable.<br /><br /><br />Sydney: Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath<br />Justin: Melville, Moby-Dick<br />Sarah: Nabokov, Lolita<br /><br />Sarah: Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird<br />Justin: Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby<br />Sydney: Twain, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn<br /><br />Sydney: Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises<br />Justin: Faulkner, The Sound and the Fury<br />Sarah: Ellison, Invisible Man<br /><br />Sarah: Wharton, The Age of Innocence<br />Justin: Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter<br />Sydney: Irving, The World According the Garp<br /><br />Sydney: Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse-Five<br />Justin: Stowe, Uncle Tom’s Cabin<br />Sarah: Hemingway, For Whom the Bell Tolls<br /><br />Sarah: Stegner, Angle of Repose<br />Justin: Kerouac, On the Road<br />Sydney: Roth, American Pastoral<br /><br />Sydney: James, Portrait of a Lady<br />Justin: Salinger, Catcher in the Rye<br />Sarah: Morrison, Beloved<br /><br />Sarah: Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities<br />Justin: Heller, Catch-22<br />Sydney: Alcott, Little Women<br /><br />Sydney: Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas<br />Justin: Kesey, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest<br />Sarah: Roth, Portnoy’s Complaint<br /><br />Sarah: Mitchell, Gone with the Wind<br />Justin: London, Call of the Wild<br />Sydney: Dick, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rif.org/assets/Images/ReadingPlanet/readaloud.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://www.rif.org/assets/Images/ReadingPlanet/readaloud.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Selfish Country Music Loving Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16552762105055123971noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1135116027261222202005-12-20T16:28:00.000-05:002005-12-20T17:07:58.193-05:00Breakfast Cereal Draft - Commentary<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/cereal.0.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/200/cereal.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />The drafters are true Americans. We love apple pie, Ike, urban sprawl, wiretaps of dubious legality and the nuclear family (which, no thanks to the godless democrats, is <a href="http://www.fortunecity.com/lavendar/sidjames/210/meltdown.wav">dissolving</a>). And what would the nuclear family, and America, be without breakfast cereal? Probably Iran. <br /><br />Anyway, the incomparable <a href="http://www.brooforamerica.com">Matt</a> did a wonderful job taking time out of his schedule to build a <a href="http://www.brooforamerica.com/?p=32">draft board</a> for the breakfast cereals draft. Now that those pesky law school finals are done, Matt blinds us yet again with brilliant **GUEST** commentary.<br /> <br />Sarah - Cheerios, Cracklin' Oat Bran, Frosted-Mini Wheats, Wheat Chex, Post Cranberry Almond Crunch, Grape Nuts (Now Gravel Flavored!)*, Corn Chex, Just Right<br /><br />Sarah started the draft out with a solid, albeit unspectacular, #1 pick in Cheerios. I had Cheerios out of the first two rounds entirely, due to the fact that other than it’s longevity in the marketplace, there’s just nothing interesting or delicious about the cereal. Still, it is a firmly entrenched name in the American kitchen, and favorite Ziploc-baggie snack of toddlers everywhere. She comes through in the second and third rounds with Cracklin’ Oat Bran and Frosted Mini-Wheats – two good selections that provide both taste and some health value (although Cracklin’ Oat Bran does hold the dubious distinction of providing more fat content in a single bowl than two pop tarts). After the selection of Wheat Chex and Post Cranberry Almond Crunch, it becomes very evident that Sarah’s draft angle is “Middle Aged Women Dietary Cereal.” The next three picks, Grape Nuts, Corn Chex, and Just Right all follow this pattern, but come on Sarah…Corn Chex AND Wheat Chex? Isn’t one enough? Overall, it looks like Sarah followed a plan, which is laudable, but I simply cannot discount the fact that the overwhelming majority of her cereals are ones that people buy because they have to, not because they particularly want to. <br />GRADE: C+<br /><br />Sydney - Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Life, Honey Bunches of Oats, Kix, Golden Grahams, Smart Start, Muselix, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios<br /><br />Cinnamon Toast Crunch is a great 1st round pick, starting you off with taste and a sugar buzz all at once. One pick into the books and Sydney is off to a flying start. The 2nd round choice of Life is odd, though. It isn’t that great of a cereal, but there is no denying its place in popular culture with “Mikey likes it!” and the ever-persistent urban legend that the kid from “Life” cereal commercials had committed suicide. Similarly quizzical is her pick of Honey Bunches of Oats, a good cereal without a doubt, but perhaps a little early with some other great cereals on the board. She knocks her next two (Kix and Golden Grahams) out of the park; both are great, balanced cereals that provide taste that any kid can get without begging mom and any adult can eat without feeling like an idiot. Smart Start isn’t a bad late round pick, but it isn’t a particularly good one either as it doesn’t seem to fit into any overall draft strategy that I can make out. Her final round selection of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, a good alternative to the already selected Apple Jacks, rounds the draft out nicely. I don’t know where she was going…perhaps I’ll term this draft the “Everyone go pick out a cereal and bring it back to the shopping cart” draft. There’s enough good to outweigh the bad, but if we rewarded just barely breaking even, the Redskins would be staring at Super Bowl status.<br />GRADE: B<br /><br />Chris - Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, Rice Krispies, Fruit Loops, Corn Flakes, Total, Granola w/Raisins, Smacks<br /><br />Chris is a Frosted Flakes fan. I know this, because I've seen him fill and consume many a bowl (for dinner, no less) over the years. His 1st round choice, therefore, comes as no surprise. Frosted Flakes is a great choice: Delicious? Check. Not overly junky? Check. Fun loving cartoon mascot wearing a sexually-questionable neckerchief? Check. Honey Nut Cheerios is a steal in the second round, mainly because it’s just better than Cheerios. Everything you can do with regular Cheerios (cut some fruit up in it, give it to your kid as a snack in the car) you can do with Honey Nut Cheerios and it just tastes better. Regular Cheerios: you’re on notice. Rice Krispies, another pick off the draft board, is a good pickup in the 3rd round as well. It’s a cereal that shows versatility both in and out of the bowl – come on, who doesn’t love Rice Krispie Treats? Anyone raising their hand to disagree is a communist. Fruit Loops is another Bruff-favorite, and in this commentator’s opinion, a better choice than the Fruit Pebbles which went one spot higher. Chris used the late-middle rounds nicely to get the healthier cereals that had slid down the draft board. No arguments for taking it old school with Corn Flakes, but he loses points for selecting Total due to the cereal’s unbelievably annoying commercial featuring waiters bringing patrons stacks of cereal bowls. Are they actually going to charge those people for the 50 bowls of Smart Start it would take to equal the calcium found in one bowl of Total? I ask, because if they’re not, that’s wasting a crapload of Smart Start, and some arrogant waiter is going to be out of a job. Chris rounds his draft out with Smacks, which seems like an OK “last round” cereal even though I can’t recall anyone ever actually owning a full box of the stuff (those little “Variety Pack” boxes were the biggest I ever saw anyone eat). Overall, Chris did a good job striking a balance with his cereals: enough sugar to keep the heart rate up and enough health food to keep the heart beating. Well played.<br />GRADE: A-<br /><br />Bryan - Lucky Charms, Wheaties, Corn Pops, Fruit Pebbles, Special K, Smurf Berry Crunch, Nintendo Cereal, Pac-Man Cereal.<br /><br />In this draft, I weep for what could’ve been. Bryan had a chance to complete a draft that would’ve made him more beloved by children than Santa Claus, Batman, Superman, Mario and Luigi put together…but I’m getting ahead of myself. Bryan opens with Lucky Charms, which for what he was trying to do is the consensus #1 pick. It’s a cereal designed to get kids operating at 100 mph early in the morning. There may or may not be a toy surprise at the bottom but we’re not certain because the sugar has probably dissolved it by the time you eat that far down into the box. There is a cartoon mascot, a slogan engraved into minds across America, and more shriveled marshmallows by volume than the Stay-Puft monster’s grandfather. In short, a perfect #1 selection. He comes back with Wheaties in the second round, which I thought might’ve derailed this draft right as it was getting started – but then I thought a little deeper: this is the ONLY healthy cereal that kids actually beg their parents to get. They don’t want the cereal on the inside (and parents know this), they want the picture on the outside: Michael Jordan, the 1994 Olympic Team, Brandi Chastain in her sports bra, etc. It is a sly, sly #2 pick which continues a brilliant draft strategy. Bryan picks up Corn Pops and Fruity Pebbles in the next two rounds. I see where he’s going, and stop only to quibble with Fruity Pebbles over Fruit Loops. Fred Flintstone stopped being relevant to kids a solid 20 years ago; time to pick a new spokesperson for that particular brand. But then, in the 5th round, Bryan blew it. With glory in his grasp, Bryan comes up short – ball clanking off the iron, ground ball straight between the legs, the stretch coming up just a yard short. Why God, Why? In this case: Special K – why Bryan, why? You had it – you had selected nothing but amazing junk food, kid specialty, “Oh mommy, if I don’t get it, I’ll stand here and hold my breath until I pass out” cereals. You were on the verge, and then you went with Special K?! Kids cereal after kids cereal, each one as delicious as the one before it, and then you go with the soccer-mom diet cereal? It’s a pick so disastrous that it negates the amazing picks of Smurf Berry Crunch, Nintendo Cereal, and Pac-Man Cereal. In another draft, I’d laud them for being tremendously trendy, delicious, and able to pay for college in an eBay auction. In this draft, I look at them and wonder “What If.” Overall, you have nobody to blame but your Special-K loving self.<br />GRADE: D-<br /><br />Adam - Raisin Bran, Cap'n Crunch, Crispix, Rice Chex, Banana Nut Crunch, Apple Jacks, Cocoa Krispies, Honey Bunches of Oats with Peaches<br /><br />Adam ends the first round with Raisin Bran, where it probably is more of a steal As I said on the draft board, it is the original (and still the best) “combo” cereal. He follows it up with official cereal of Horatio Magellan Crunch, Jr.: Cap’n Crunch (bandaids for the interior of the mouth optional). Cap’n Crunch is a good pickup here, combining great taste and the only commissioned mascot in the bunch (although, rumor has it, the Corn Flakes chicken did do time as an infantryman in World War 2, though he really hates talking about it). A bit of a snag, perhaps, as Adam selects both Crispix and Rice Chex back-to-back. It’s cool if you love little hollow bits of mesh-patterned things, but otherwise let’s be honest: it’s the same damn thing. I still cannot fault the pick, as you’ve never experienced delicious until you’ve tried some Rice Chex with a little bit of honey drizzled on top. Banana Nut Crunch and Apple Jacks are Adam’s next two offerings, and both are solid choices. Banana Nut Crunch gets points for being both delicious and fairly healthy, but Apple Jacks loses those points right back for having two absolutely terribly slogans: “It tastes more like Apples” and “We eat what we like.” It tastes more like apples than what? Something not artificially flavored to taste like apples? That’s like “The West Wing” being advertised as “The show with more politics.” Idiocy. Adam comes up next with Cocoa Krispies, which I only remember for having a singing monkey as the mascot. Come to think of it, a monkey advertising a “cocoa” cereal probably isn’t the most politically correct thing in the world. I’m either on to something with that one, or I just need to spend less time thinking about cereal at 4 in the morning. Either way, it’s an average pick at best, but not bad as a late round selection. Adam finishes his draft with Honey Bunches of Oats with Peaches. Stop. This cereal is simply trying too hard. There’s too much going on in that title. Hell, they probably need to double the size of the box just to fit both the name of the cereal and the obligatory picture of the bowl with cereal and milk. Oates and Peaches, Banana Nut Crunch…Adam’s “Gwent Stefani meets the Presidents of the United States of America” draft was a solid entry, but I expect better from the man only .05 off a perfect score. Adam: you’re on notice. <br />GRADE: B<br /><br />*may not contain 100% of your daily requirement of gravel**<br /><br />**coment may not have been part of Matt's guest commentary**Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134166760163929532005-12-20T13:14:00.000-05:002007-01-20T18:05:45.303-05:00Breakfast Cereals Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/Christicles.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/Christicles.jpg" border="0" /></a>For you regular readers of fsd.bs.com, this draft should come as no surprise. You may have checked out Matt's <a href="http://www.brooforamerica.com/?p=32">big board</a> ("That's what she said") and maybe you were playing along at home. <br /><br />So without further ado, enjoy the results. Some discussion questions for the comments: Most Sugariest? Most Healthy? Whose draft would you want? What cereals did we miss?*<br /><br />Sarah - Cheerios<br />Sydney - Cinnamon Toast Crunch<br />Chris - Frosted Flakes<br />Bryan - Lucky Charms<br />Adam - Raisin Brain<br /><br />Adam - Cap'n Crunch<br />Bryan - Wheaties<br />Chris - Honey Nut Cheerios<br />Sydney - Life<br />Sarah - Cracklin' Oat Bran<br /><br />Sarah - Frosted Mini-Wheats<br />Sydney - Honey Bunches of Oats<br />Chris - Rice Krispies<br />Bryan - Corn Pops<br />Adam - Crispix<br /><br />Adam - Rice Chex<br />Bryan - Fruity Pebbles<br />Chris - Fruit Loops<br />Sydney - Kix<br />Sarah - Wheat Chex<br /><br />Sarah - Cranberry Almond Crunch<br />Sydney - Golden Grahams<br />Chris - Corn Flakes<br />Bryan - Special K<br />Adam - Banana Nut Crunch<br /><br />Adam - Apple Jacks<br />Bryan - Smurf Berry Crunch<br />Chris - Total<br />Sydney - Smart Start<br />Sarah - Grape Nuts<br /><br />Sarah - Corn Chex<br />Sydney - Muesli(x)<br />Chris - Granola w/Raisins<br />Bryan - Nintendo Cereal<br />Adam - Cocoa Krispies<br /><br />Adam - Honey Bunches of Oats with Peaches<br />Bryan - Pac-Man Cereal<br />Chris - Smacks<br />Sydney - Apple Cinnamon Cheerios<br />Sarah - Just Right<br /><br />* N.B. - We don't really care about your opinion.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134757201276488672005-12-16T13:15:00.000-05:002005-12-16T13:33:49.436-05:00Songs Draft - Commentary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.hellbentanimation.com/hellbentanimation/Monocle-man.gif"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px;" src="http://www.hellbentanimation.com/hellbentanimation/Monocle-man.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>Commentary from Albert (last 3) and Adam (first 3) on the <a href="http://fantasydrafts.blogspot.com/2005/12/songs-draft-results.html">recent songs draft</a>. Keep in mind the following: Albert is crazy, and Adam is perhaps one of the most arrogant pricks of all-time.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris's draft:</span></span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Like A Rolling Stone, Dock of the Bay, The Weight, Johnny B. Goode, Heartbreak Hotel, Georgia On My Mind, Unchained Melody, Papa's Got A Brand New Bag, Tiny Dancer, Simple Man</span><br /><br />Christopher unequivocally wins the award for "smallest range in year songs were released," and I definitely win the "Most Pointless Award" award. Blessed with the first pick in the draft, Chris saw no point in hiding his goal: keeping Albert angry. While it's not very hard to keep Albert angry, Chris did snatch Dylan AND The Band from under his cute little nose.<br /><br />In doing so, however, Chris managed to amass a fairly impressive roster of songs, with "Georgia On My Mind" in Round 6 proving a most admirable nab. With suitable balance between ballads, hard-rockers, and plain-old-Good-Songs, his draft shows a true appreciation for the best songs ever recorded - and also Lynyrd Skynyrd. Props for Johnny B. Goode with #24 overall, too.<br /><br />Slips: "Dock of the Bay" was probably a reach with the 12th overall selection, and Skynyrd doesn't really deserve a spot in the canon. Also, piggybacking on one of the louder (if not entirely legitimate) critiques going around, Chris didn't pick any female performers - though I'm sure he intended to. The results from everyone's favorite suburbanite could probably best be described as a Chipotle burrito - all the ingredients are there in a nice little package, but pinto beans make you fart.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: B+.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Sarah's draft:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">River, Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, My Girl, Let's Get It On, Passionate Kisses, Nightswimming, Eli's Coming, Independence Day, 6'1", Romeo and Juliet</span><br /><br />Well, your faithful team of Fantasy Drafters sure managed to build a fire on Main Street, but Sarah shot it full of holes. (Wrap your mind around THAT one, people.) While Sarah has managed to scrape together a leaderboard climb never-before-seen in Fantasy Drafts history (mainly, because such a thing does not exist), the only reaction this commentator had was indeed, "Oh, Mama! Can this really be the end?"<br /><br />Sarah, full of visions of a world where "River" is the sixth-greatest song of all-time and "Eli's Coming" is a better song than "Wedding Bell Blues," tried to get a little too clever for this draft. With a self-described draft strategy of picking songs she liked instead of songs that were important, Sarah inevitably hampered her ability to please the Powers That Be, namely your commentatorati.<br /><br />With a few strong showings (Diamonds, Let's Get It On, Romeo and Juliet at the end), Sarah managed to save her grade, but not her reputation for wandering aimlessly off the beaten path. In her quest for variety and quirkiness, her train rolled into Confusion Junction by the end. Quite simply, I refuse to believe that many of these selections are in the top 60 songs of all-time. I'll excuse her desire to avoid the horrific conformity that generally grips a fantasy draft like this, and award her a grade commensurate with her misguided but ultimately reasonable selections.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: B.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Albert's draft: </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">My Generation, Satisfaction, Folsom Prison Blues, Born To Run, Smells Like Teen Spirit, Another Brick In The Wall (Pt. 2), The Thrill Is Gone, Light My Fire, No Woman No Cry</span><br /><br />It appears that for the first seven rounds of this draft, Albert took his strategy from a rebellious 14-year-old's poster collection. While all of these songs are excellent ("Hello, I'm Johnny Cash"), they lack the ingenuity normally required to receive a superior draft grade. I was surprised Albert didn't go ahead and take Bob Saget's Full House performance of "My Generation" instead of the Who's original, and "Born To Run" seemed all too au courant to be a Round 4 pick. Great song; overrated.<br /><br />Johnny Cash in Round 3 is a defensible move, and getting BB King, The Doors, and Marley to close out his draft was a strong, strong finish. I take a little umbrage with the song choice for his Pink Floyd pick, particularly with it coming in the 6th round, but the irony of Albert working in education (of which, apparently, "We don't need no") makes it OK. "Light My Fire" is an outstanding late-round selection, as I mentioned earlier, and proved outstanding fire-drill tape-loop fodder for my dad back when he was manning the board at WRSU.<br /><br />All in all, Albert had a reasonable if bland showing - again, you have to spice it up if you want to get some props. This is particularly true of a draft like this, where the bar is set higher for an audiophile like Al. There we were now - we demanded - "entertain us!" And Albert gave us the Fantasy Draft equivalent of Dylan at Newport in '65 - full of expectation, short on content, dissatisfying to true fans and haters alike, but in retrospect not too shabby.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: B+.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Sydvicious's Draft: </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Day In The Life - The Beatles ~ All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix ~ Paranoid Android – Radiohead ~ Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2 ~ Say It Ain't So – Weezer ~ White Room – Cream ~ Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel ~ Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen ~ How Soon Is Now - The Smiths ~ Thriller - Michael Jackson</span><br /><br />Sydney, the little redhead that could, got out to an impeccable Olson-twinish start, by nabbing a no-brainer top 5 selection (which was also my first pick in our Beatles draft). She followed that up with Jimi’s version of Dylan’s masterpiece All Along the Watchtower, which I had slated at #7. She kind of stumbled with Paranoid Android, and I’ll be up front I don’t really like the band. It seems all their songs sound the same (a subtle attempt to say “I’m a loser babe, so why don’t you kill me”). Also picking them before contemporaries such as U2 & Nirvana maybe gave them a little more clout than they deserve. Sydney may have stumbled but she had a place to fall, and that was in the delicate loving arms of Bono – Pride (In the Name of Love) is a phenomenal song, and U2 truly is a seminal band, a good timely selection in round four. Say It Ain’t So is a wash for me, good song, good band, but nothing really differentiates that musical output from their other songs or Nirvana, RHCPs, Pearl Jam, etc. etc. It’s like getting the same thing at a restaurant every time you go, sure you’ll be happy, but you’ll always wonder what would happen if you got the clam basket. Taking White Room with Layla still on the board is a minor oversight, but points for picking the correct Cream song. I’ll pass by Solsbury Hill because it makes me think of Salisbury Steak and Mac N Cheese microwaveable meals. I like Bohemian Rhapsody, but I think this is a back door attempt to lend credit to her #1 overall selection of a Wayne’s World quote in the movie quote draft. Plus I like Fat Bottomed Girls more (there I said it, wow I no longer feel like Atlas). We’ll bypass How Soon is Now cause Syd had the coup of taking Thriller 59th, it’s the point neuf of the arch de triumph.<br /><br />Correct Song for the Artist, Correct Round: 4; So-So (I’m fine with it): 4; Iffy (only redeemable with the selection of Michael Jackson): 2…all in all great job.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: B+</span>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Bryan's draft:</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey ~ For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder~ Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel ~ Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel ~ Toxic - Britney Spears ~ Hit Em Up - 2Pac ~ Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson ~ The Way I Am – Eminem ~ Big Poppa - Notorious B.I.G. ~ My Way - Frank Sinatra</span><br /><br />Maybe Bryan got caught up in the death or birth of his savior, or maybe with his sister being home for Christmas he wanted to give his friends something different to talk about, either way he took the sugar-coated bubble gum, big breasted, All I Want for Christmas. This is the biggest train wreck in fantasy draft history, like not only is the band on the field, but some crazy lunatic just drove the Titanic through Lake Placid. The only way he could recover is if you believe in miracles. No! For Once In My Life is a good song, but has nothing on Sir Duke, Another Star, or Superstition. Bridge over Troubled Water is truly an emotional thought-provoking song, and I have no problem listening to it in the dark, sobbing and holding hands (with Bryan’s sister). Billy Joel – We Didn’t Start the Fire, the only way you could go. Rap had a place in this draft and that place was in Bryan’s lap, although taking perhaps the three biggest rappers of the hip-hop revolution surprisingly didn’t bring along some of the biggest rap singles. For my money there is only one thing better than Hot in Herre, Brooklyn Zoo, & We Thuggin, and that’s when she calls me BIG POPPA. My Way could have been the steal of the draft, but well, he had too much help in making the selection.<br /><br />Anyway I’d like to say I could give Bryan an A for effort, but someone made his last two selections for him, so with a D for effort, his grade gets pulled up to a...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: D-.</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><br />Adam's draft: </span> <span style="font-style: italic;">Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin ~ Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys ~ Imagine - John Lennon ~ Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin ~ London Calling - The Clash ~ Into the Mystic - Van Morrison ~ Layla - Derek and the Dominos ~ Love and Happiness - Al Green ~ Crazy - Patsy Cline ~ This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie</span><br /><br />I’ll give Adam major points for not taking Stairway to Heaven, and Dazed and Confused is an admirable choice, but I would have gone with Whole Lotta Love. Either way there is very little argument over this selection; like choosing between blondes, brunettes, or redheads, I mean hey, it’s all good. Good Vibrations is just a stellar cool wave of music, a tad early for the second round, but nothing catastrophic, almost gave me excitations. Imagine is a great song, if not better than Vibrations, at least on the same level, great grab in the third round. Chain of Fools is not Respect (the great Otis Redding cover), and in my opinion was quite a faulty choice, while Chain is a tremendous song there is a reason its #2 on the album to R-E-S-P-E-C-T. London Calling was apparently the first selection Adam counseled someone not to take, only to turn around and pick. Cant really fault him for that though, good strategy good pick, just don’t leave him alone with your sister, he might try to date her for like 3 years. What to say about Into the Mystic, I don’t really know – I cant get the image of a bloated Van dancing in a red velour vest at The Last Waltz out of my head – kind of a bland choice, don’t cha think? Layla is a great pick, not quite the woman who launched a thousand ships, but she was stolen from George Harrison; his life was too blissful anyway, he needed his come-upens. If you go Al Green you have to go Let’s Stay Together, just a phenomenal song, truly Al’s masterpiece. Sorry Adam, Zed’s dead. Crazy is a good song, and a woman sings it, of course it’s about her being nuts – aren’t they all though, with their diamond swatches, baby blue pinky rings, and lovely lady lumps. Now for the second GTS of Adam’s draft: This Land is Your Land. I was deciding between it and No Woman, No Cry; I believe Adam said “you have to go Marley.” I did and with the very next pick he took the wonderful Woody Guthrie tune – bravo!<br /><br />Correct Song for the Artist, Correct Round: 6. So-So, 2 (man Van got a beer belly). Trying to be cool and pick an atypical song: 2. All in all well done, and that’s how I like my steak.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Final grade: A-. </span>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134520337857621472005-12-13T19:13:00.000-05:002005-12-13T19:32:17.876-05:00"Songs" Draft - Results<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/1600/Lets_Rock.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/320/Lets_Rock.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>The gang picked songs today, with some special caveats:<br />1. Post-1920.<br />2. No musical theatre (including opera).<br />3. Songs must have words.<br />4. Once a song is picked, the artist performing it (specified in the pick) is "locked out," i.e. can't be picked again.<br /><br />So it ended up being somewhat of a combination draft between artists and songs. Six participated. This one went 10 rounds. Same disclaimer holds ("let us know what you think" ... "we don't care what you think").<br /><br />The results:<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 1:</span><br />Chris: Like a Rolling Stone - Bob Dylan<br />Sydney: A Day In The Life - The Beatles<br />Bryan: All I Want for Christmas - Mariah Carey<br />Adam: Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin<br />Albert: My Generation - The Who<br />Sarah: River - Joni Mitchell<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 2:</span><br />Sarah: Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes - Paul Simon<br />Albert: Satisfaction - The Rolling Stones<br />Adam: Good Vibrations - The Beach Boys<br />Bryan: For Once In My Life - Stevie Wonder<br />Sydney: All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix<br />Chris: (Sittin' on) The Dock of the Bay - Otis Redding<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 3:</span><br />Chris: The Weight - The Band<br />Sydney: Paranoid Android - Radiohead<br />Bryan: Bridge Over Troubled Water - Simon & Garfunkel<br />Adam: Imagine - John Lennon<br />Albert: Folsom Prison Blues - Johnny Cash<br />Sarah: My Girl - The Temptations<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 4:</span><br />Sarah: Let's Get It On - Marvin Gaye<br />Albert: Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen<br />Adam: Chain of Fools - Aretha Franklin<br />Bryan: Scenes From An Italian Restaurant - Billy Joel<br />Sydney: Pride (In the Name of Love) - U2<br />Chris: Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 5:</span><br />Chris: Heartbreak Hotel - Elvis Presley<br />Sydney: Say It Ain't So - Weezer<br />Bryan: Toxic - Britney Spears<br />Adam: London Calling - The Clash<br />Albert: Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana<br />Sarah: Passionate Kisses - Lucinda Williams<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 6:</span><br />Sarah: Nightswimming - R.E.M.<br />Albert: Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) - Pink Floyd<br />Adam: Into the Mystic - Van Morrison<br />Bryan: Hit Em Up - 2Pac<br />Sydney: White Room - Cream<br />Chris: Georgia On My Mind - Ray Charles<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 7:</span><br />Chris: Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers<br />Sydney: Solsbury Hill - Peter Gabriel<br />Bryan: Since U Been Gone - Kelly Clarkson<br />Adam: Layla - Derek and the Dominos<br />Albert: Friend of the Devil - The Grateful Dead<br />Sarah: Eli's Coming - Laura Nyro<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 8:</span><br />Sarah: Independence Day - Elliott Smith<br />Albert: The Thrill Is Gone - B.B. King<br />Adam: Love and Happiness - Al Green<br />Bryan: The Way I Am - Eminem<br />Sydney: Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen<br />Chris: Papa's Got A Brand New Bag - James Brown<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 9:</span><br />Chris: Tiny Dancer - Elton John<br />Sydney: How Soon Is Now - The Smiths<br />Bryan: Big Poppa - Notorious B.I.G.<br />Adam: Crazy - Patsy Cline<br />Albert: Light My Fire - The Doors<br />Sarah: 6'1" - Liz Phair<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Round 10:</span><br />Sarah: Romeo and Juliet - Dire Straits<br />Albert: No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marley<br />Adam: This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie<br />Bryan: My Way - Frank Sinatra<br />Sydney: Thriller - Michael Jackson<br />Chris: Simple Man - Lynyrd Skynyrd<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></span></span></span>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134519000375777362005-12-13T18:58:00.000-05:002005-12-13T19:33:59.530-05:00A Landmark Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/1600/ripken.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/320/ripken.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Yesterday, 12 December 2005, <span style="font-style: italic;">Fantasy Drafts</span> was visited by its <span style="font-weight: bold;">5,000th</span> patron. While our general penchant is for self-aggrandizing chest thumpery, we should give credit where credit is due: The <a href="http://volokh.com/">Volokh Conspiracy</a>. Good old VC delivered us 703 visitors yesterday, to bring us up to 5,050 at day's end, and we've gotten another 362 today. So yes, nearly 20% of our site's total visitors came in the last 24 or so hours.<br /><br />Our question is, <span style="font-style: italic;">What the hell are you doing with your time?</span> Are we that funny? (No.) Are we like so many car crashes and Ashlee Simpsons, so-bad-you-have-to-watch? (Maybe.) Are we glad you came? (Yes. Was it good for you?)<br /><br />In conclusion:<br />1. Thank you, Anonymous Person from Riverbank, CA.<br />2. Thank you, everyone, for reading. And searching for things like "teenage mutant shredder bishop," "nasty rotten redheads," and "'unnaturally large' blogspot."<br />3. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Note to <span style="font-style: italic;">Fantasy Drafts </span>Staff: </span>you can stop clicking 'Reload' now.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/1600/yaay%20come%20visit.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/320/yaay%20come%20visit.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134071015934270272005-12-08T14:27:00.000-05:002005-12-09T14:31:33.980-05:00The Breakfast Cereal Big Board<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/mel.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/mel.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br />It is really amazing how some people can make a living by commenting on and evaluating somebody else's work without having to produce anything themselves. Mel Kiper (pictured), Bill O'Reilly, Sarah, Adam, you get the point. Anyway, our good friend at <a href="http://www.brooforamerica.com">brooforamerica.com</a> is clearly not one of those people, he simply enjoys fsd.bs.com for the fun of it.<br /><br />He graciously volunteered to do a draft board for our next draft: Breakfast Cereals. His <a href="http://www.brooforamerica.com/?p=32">tracking</a> will certainly be an invaluable (<a href="http://download.lardlad.com/sounds/season12/error12.mp3">"What a country!"</a>) resource. Maybe even Sydney will read it; remember, even though she's fallen down the leaderboard, she has a phenomenal upside.<br /><br />Fokker, Out.Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1134011207986469762005-12-07T22:02:00.000-05:002005-12-07T22:28:28.003-05:00Cities Draft - Objective Commentary<p><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/commentary.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/400/commentary.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Because there was so much *opinion* in the last set of commentary, we decided to do a strictly "objective" critique of this week's draft.<br /><br />Overall #s:<br />36 Cities Drafted<br />11 Asian Cities<br />9 European Cities<br />7 North American Cities<br />3 South American Cities<br />2 Middle Eastern City<br />2 African Cities<br />2 Oceania Cities<br /><br />Most Populous Metropolis: Tokyo (Dan, #5 Overall)<br />Least Populous Metropolis: Prague (S., #15 Overall)<br /><br />Most Eurocentric Drafter (tie): Albert (3), Adam (3)<br /><br />Draft by Avg. <a href="http://www.citypopulation.de/World.html">Metropolis Population</a><br /><ol><br /><li>Chris 14,066,667<br /><li>Dan 13,670,833<br /><li>Sydney 11,316,667<br /><li>Sarah 11,154,167<br /><li>Adam 7,991,667<br /><li>Albert 4,700,000<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/worldsbest/results.cfm?cat=cities">Travel + Leisure Worldwide Rankings </a>(Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Sarah: 207.567<br /><li>Albert: 116.62<br /><li>Dan: 113.414<br /><li>Chris: 78.227<br /><li>Adam: 77.485<br /><li>Sydney: 41.207<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://www.citymayors.com/features/quality_survey.html">Mercer Consulting's Cities with the Best Quality of Life</a> (Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Dan: 46.667<br /><li>Albert: 42.933<br /><li>Adam: 38.733<br /><li>Sydney: 29.867<br /><li>Chris: 5.600<br /><li>Sarah: None of her cities were on the list<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://www.travelersdigest.com/best_cities_live.htm">Traveler's Digest Best Cities To Live</a> (Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Albert: 16.625<br /><li>Dan: 11.375<br /><li>Sydney: 7.875<br /><li>Chris: 6.125<br /><li>Adam: 3.500<br /><li>Sarah: None of her cities were on the list<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://www.business.nsw.gov.au/factsReports.asp?cid=34&subCid=154"><br />Conde Nast Traveler Magazine's Best Places to Live</a> (Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Sarah: 148.138<br /><li>Adam: 147.438<br /><li>Albert: 143.325<br /><li>Sydney: 76.825<br /><li>Chris: 72.450<br /><li>Dan: None of his cities were on the list<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://www.cntraveller.com/ReadersAwards/2004/Cities/">Conde Nast's Best Places to Travel</a> (Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Albert: 27.417<br /><li>Adam: 18.667<br /><li>Sarah: 15.750<br /><li>Sydney: 11.667<br /><li>Chris: 8.750<br /><li>Dan: 6.417<br /></ol><br /><a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/06/02/115059.php">Some Guy Named Tyler Brûlé's Top 10 Cities in the World</a> (Scores Quality Adjusted)<br /><ol><br /><li>Albert: 22.167<br /><li>Sydney: 11.667<br /><li>Sarah: 10.500<br /><li>Adam: 1.167<br /><li>Chris: None of his cities were on the list<br /><li>Dan: None of his cities were on the list<br /></ol><br />Overall Rankings (Adjusted Average)<br /><ol><br /><li>Albert: 3.857<br /><li>Dan: 3.000<br /><li>Adam: 2.857<br /><li>Sarah: 2.714<br /><li>Chris: 2.571<br /><li>Sydney: 2.143<br /></ol><br />The Worst City in the World?<br /><a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/3D9630AF-4683-492E-BB0E-BEF75C36E98F.htm">Baghdad</a> (Chris)</p>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1133895725693719842005-12-06T13:55:00.000-05:002005-12-06T16:18:32.010-05:00Cities Draft -- Results<b>Homer:</b> Well, kids, there it is! Capital City!<br /><b>Marge:</b> Look, the Cross-Town Bridge!<br />(begin vamp)<br /><b>Tony Bennett:</b><i>(singing)</i> There's a swingin' town I know called... Capital City. People stop and scream hello in... Capital City.<br /><b>Homer:</b> Kids, look! Street crime!<br /><b>Tony Bennett:</b><i>(singing)</i> It's the kind of place that makes a bum feel like a king.<br />And it makes a king feel like some nutty, cuckoo, super-king.<br /><b>Marge:</b> Look, it's Tony Bennett!<br /><b>Tony Bennett:</b> Hey, good to see you.<br /><i>(singing)</i> It's against the law to frown in... Capital City.<br />You'll caper like a stupid clown when you chance to see...<br /><b>Marge:</b> Fourth Street and 'D'!<br /><b>Tony Bennett:</b><i>(singing)</i> Fourth Street and 'D'! Yeah!<br />Once you get a whiff of it, you'll never want to roam.<br /><b>Homer:</b> The Duff brewery!<br /><b>Tony Bennett:</b><i>(singing)</i> Capital City, my home sweet, yeah!<br />Capital City, that happy-tal city,<br />It's Capital City, my home sweet swingin' home!<br /><b>All:</b> Capital City! Yeah!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.dubbadoo.com/cities/USA-NY-NewYorkCity-webshotsgeoffreykoot1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.dubbadoo.com/cities/USA-NY-NewYorkCity-webshotsgeoffreykoot1.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><u>The Cities Draft.</u><br /><br />Chris: New York<br />Adam: Paris<br />Sarah: Rio de Janeiro<br />Albert: Rome<br />Dan: Tokyo<br />Sydney: London<br /><br />Sydney: Shanghai<br />Dan: Amsterdam<br />Albert: Barcelona<br />Sarah: Mumbai<br />Adam: Berlin<br />Chris: Moscow <br /><br />Chris: Beijing<br />Adam: Manila<br />Sarah: Prague<br />Albert: Hong Kong<br />Dan: Cairo<br />Sydney: Delhi <br /><br />Sydney: Sydney<br />Dan: Istanbul<br />Albert: Washington, DC<br />Sarah: Cape Town<br />Adam: Canton<br />Chris: Buenos Aires <br /><br />Chris: Los Angeles<br />Adam: San Francisco<br />Sarah: Bangkok<br />Albert: Stockholm<br />Dan: Calcutta<br />Sydney: Boston <br /><br />Sydney: Lima<br />Dan: Montreal<br />Albert: Melbourne<br />Sarah: Mexico City<br />Adam: Budapest<br />Chris: Baghdad<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/assets/product/0618152520.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/assets/product/0618152520.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a>Selfish Country Music Loving Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16552762105055123971noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1133738794384157862005-12-04T18:09:00.000-05:002005-12-04T18:29:57.406-05:00Wait, TWO Guest Commentaries?Yes, two guest commentaries. For review and unedited critique of our <a href="http://fantasydrafts.blogspot.com/2005/11/amendments-to-constitution-draft.html">Constitutional Amendments Draft</a>, we reached out to a pair of legal minds whose work product can be at once impressive and confounding (see below).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/1600/sarah%20salad%20tongs.0.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/200/sarah%20salad%20tongs.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Salad tong-wielding offspring notwithstanding, two accomplished lawyers accepted our offer and reviewed our most recent draft. Robotic, inexplicably mean, and regular-type commenters may direct their praise or ire to our guest commentators: the fathers of Fantasy Drafts leaderboard titans, <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/11759101">Sarah</a> and <a href="http://www.blogger.com/profile/10276872">Adam</a>. Separate posts, appropriate for their widely divergent opinions on our results, follow below.<br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><br />(For those people whose lives are empty enough to follow our leaderboard: grades will be averaged and counted as one draft grade. Creeps.)</span>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1133736980672089752005-12-04T17:47:00.000-05:002005-12-04T20:50:50.793-05:00Amendments **GUEST** Commentary - Part I of II<span style="font-style: italic; font-family: lucida grande;font-family:georgia;font-size:100%;" >Adam's dry-humored father reviews the draft, in the fixed-width font so enamored by public sector attorneys, paired with a writerly voice eerily evocative of several of our staffers:</span><span style="font-family: courier new;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">It has been said that where you stand depends upon where you sit. From where I sit, the Amendments to the Constitution (except the 13th) have pretty much been mistakes, right from the get-go. As many feared at the outset, enumeration of certain rights has not only denigrated others, but given our judiciary (intended by the Founders to be by far the weakest branch) the ammunition in its successful battle for utter supremacy. Oh well, on to the commentary.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Whereas the world is filled with not-too-bad beer, the Constitution hath but 27 Amendments, of which:</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;"> * some fix mistakes perceived almost immediately (11 & 12),</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;"> * some try to make the point (never yet taken) that the people are more powerful than their Government (9 & 10),</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;"> * one does nothing more than cancel another (21 vs. 18),</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;"> * three deal with matters of embarrassing triviality (20, 26, 27),</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;"> * while two are such obvious mistakes as to make the angels weep (16 & 19).</span><br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">By my count, that leaves only 16 worth fighting over. Yet our Fantastic Drafters failed to select two (3 and 7), apparently concluding that they’re entirely down with live-in Marine or two from time to time (quartering of soldiers, the 3rd Amendment), and really can’t figure out what all the fuss is about with letting the King’s judges do whatever they damn well please in civil suits (the 7th, guaranteeing juries in cases at common law, and prohibiting routine review on appeal of matters of fact). Our players are perhaps so far removed from the 3rd that it seems only an historical anomaly. And, as for the 7th, our little nimrods – as Masters of the 21st Century – have probably become so comfortable with judicial tyranny that they don’t know it when they see it. Or maybe they’ve just been dodging their jury summonses. </span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Sigh . . . . But I digress . . . .</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Adam’s first selection, and the first selection overall, was, well . . . the First Amendment. Only firm self-control permits us to overcome the vague fear that he picked it only because it was first on the list, thinking perhaps that as such it was bound to say something important. It is, of course, the Amendment most often cited by children when complaining to their parents, and it guarantees the right of all people to practice their religion as they please, free of Government interference (so long as we’re pretty sure they’re not serious.) But his second and third choices (4th & 5th) show that he had a plan: fully half of his selections were single-digit amendments, while no one else got more than one. Come to think of it, perhaps the theme is incipient criminality, since if you’re a terrorist or a professional criminal, the Fourth and the Fifth Amendments are the Daily Double. But he clearly has earned the Bill of Rights Consolation Prize.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Adam’s last three picks all have to do with elections. He stumbled in the fourth round, though, apparently not realizing that the (single digit) Second Amendment was still available, and chose instead the 12th. Mandating separate election of the president and vice-president (so as to avoid the spectacle of the election of 1800, which the dishonest and hypocritical Jefferson stole from Aaron Burr), it represents mere tinkering. Elimination of the poll tax (24th) showed a spark of life, but then going for winter Presidential Inaugurations (with two single-digit amendments available) showed a lack of attention.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Overall, unable to overcome our suspicions about the 1st Amendment, a solid B.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Sydney started off with a bang, snagging the 13th Amendment which, in abolishing slavery, finally dealt with the great shame that the original drafters had had no choice but to kick down the road, while their grandsons in the Senate had prohibited themselves from debating. Perhaps attempting to establish a theme, her second pick was the abolition of sobriety when she staggered away with the 21st. Two bad ideas down the drain. Great start.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">There are those who will say that she faltered in the third round, selecting the 10th Amendment. But not so: her choice reveals that she’s a strict constructionist at heart, pining for the lost days of the supremacy of the individual over the mob (plus one grade from this reviewer). Oddly, the much-overlooked Sixth Amendment (the provisions of which we mostly assume as a condition of the universe) was still around for her to snag as her fourth choice (as Chris and Sarah, apparently unfamiliar with our form of Government, passed it up so as not to miss popular election of Senators and Presidential term limits).</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">We gently harumph past her selection of 18-year-old voting as a foolish error of youth, while applauding her recognition of the importance of the 23rd Amendment. That, of course, is the provision that recognizes that Presidential elections would be completely unfair if the candidates were to start out even, and so automatically awards three electoral votes to the Democrat. Good going, Syd!</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">No errors. Much subtle insight: A+.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Now, Sarah. Sarah, Sarah, Sarah. What are we to do with you? You could have been a contender. You passed on the 14th, 16th, 4th, 5th, and, with the third pick overall, went with “unenumerated rights?” Thinking what? That it preserves the average fat guy’s right to unlimited Big Macs?</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">OK. Maybe I’m being too harsh. There’s plenty of time for recovery. And she picks . . . . WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE!! You understand the history, I suppose?</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">The Eighteenth Amendment had passed the year before. Men looked forward with horror at a lifetime without self-medication. Without attitude adjustment. And, in their weakened state, blinked, letting themselves be nagged into giving their wives the vote. All-male electorates gave us Washington, Adams, Jackson, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt and Wilson. In the first Presidential election with female participation, the girls gave us Warren G. Harding. Good God!</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">But here she stopped the bleeding, and picked the (by-this-time) only remaining Civil War amendment, the 15th. An omen? A sign??</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Indeed. Because it is only AFTER the first three rounds that Sarah begins to shine. We believe it is not impossible that she threw away her first three picks on purpose, and then pointed with her bat to the center-field seats with a wry smile. With the draft more than half over, with nothing but leftovers . . . um, “left over,” she hit three home runs: 22nd, 2nd and 18th. Presidential term limits, the right to bear arms, and Prohibition. Three big ones! Without Prohibition there would have been no Al Capone, no Godfather, no Elliot Ness. No America as we know it! Without the right to bear arms, ordinary Americans could be deprived of their God-given right to own that shoulder-launched anti-tank gun every little boy dreams of.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">And, perhaps most important, without the Presidential term-limitation of the 22nd Amendment, we would be subject to endless, week-after-week, season-after-season, term-upon-endless-term blathering from Martin Sheen, reminding us how easy it is to govern the country when you know how everything comes out in the last 10 minutes.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Overall, a stylish if grotesque draft for Sarah: B-.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Like Sydney, Chris came out of the blocks strong, taking the 14th and the 16th Amendments. The first has brought us the unfettered right of every federal judge to do anything he damn well pleases, no matter what the people or the Congress might have said on the subject. And the 16th Amendment brought us the Income Tax. So Chris has immediately established his criteria: Constitutional Disasters; Amendment Root-Canal. Had he selected Prohibition in the third round he would have run away with the “Karl Rove Award” for refusing to get off-message.</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">But he blinked, and took the weasely Eighth Amendment. That’s the one that says bail and fines are both great ideas, so long as they’re not “excessive.” And then goes way out on a limb and endorses cruel punishment, expresses approval of unusual punishment, but draws the line at punishment that’s both cruel and unusual. You think?</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">It was downhill from there. After taking the 17th (which eliminates direct influence by the States over the Federal government by permitting direct election of senators), he made a last, best stab at a shoestring catch, and got hit in the face with the 25th. That one establishes all sorts of rules about passing bits of paper back and forth if the President decides he’s gotten a little weird in the head. Much easier to just pass an amendment declaring that, if the President starts cross-dressing, then Sarah Connor becomes president. Simple? Simple. And, for fear of further embarrassment, we won’t even mention his last pick (suits against states? What?)</span><br /> <br /> <span style="font-family: courier new;">Dismal, Chris. You should try harder next time. C.</span>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1133737749474078072005-12-04T16:57:00.000-05:002005-12-12T21:02:38.923-05:00Amendments **GUEST** Commentary - Part II of IISarah's dad, Professor of Law at Temple and <a href="http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2005_08_28-2005_09_03.shtml#1125585616">ostentatious enough to link to Fantasy Drafts from Volokh</a>, reviews the <a href="http://fantasydrafts.blogspot.com/2005/11/amendments-to-constitution-draft.html">Constitutional Amendments draft </a>below. Ivory tower comments have been withheld for decency.<br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The first thing to notice here are the Undrafteds: Two of the original ten in the Bill of Rights (## 3 and 7), but only one (# 27) of the remaining seventeen. How strange is that?! That # 3 would fail to make the grade was predictable – quartering soldiers in private houses having fallen rather precipitously out of favor during the last 200 years. But surely one would have expected number 7 (jury trials in civil cases) to end up as a solid mid-rounds pick. [It seems as though the all four of you hold the right to jury trial in rather low esteem – amendment 6 ending up being chosen at the end of the fourth round). And surely # 27 deserved a better fate – at least for its high curiosity value (the only Amendment that required more than 200 years to be ratified!).</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">On to the lineups.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Adam: 1st (Religion and Expression), 4th(Search and Seizure), 5th (Rights of Persons), 12th (Election of President), 24th (Abolition of the Poll Tax Qualification in Federal Elections), 20th (Commencement of the Terms of the President, Vice President and Members of Congress)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A solid and powerful Bill-of-Rights-heavy lineup. Taking the First Amendment with pick #1 was, while perhaps unoriginal, the right move; it certainly can lay claim to being primus inter pares, the one Amendment without whose protections (for freedom of expression, and the “press,” and thought, and assembly), the whole governmental scheme set forth in Articles I – VII could well have fallen apart (as Jefferson wrote: “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”) And how about nabbing the powerhouse tandem of 4 and 5? Who would have thought that they would still be available at the end of the 2d round?? [What was everyone thinking? Take away # 4 and the cops are crawling in your underwear drawers and pawing through your private correspondence, and # 5 . . . due process of law, double jeopardy, plus just compensation ...? That’s a third-round pick?] </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">With that top three, the composition of the rest of the team may not matter so much, which is probably lucky for Adam (though he does seem to have put together an interesting “voting rights and procedures” trio in ## 12, 24, and 20).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: A--</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sydney: 13th (Slavery and Involuntary Servitude), 21st (Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment), 10th (Reserved Powers), 6th (Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions), 26th (Reduction of Voting Age Qualification), 23rd (Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sydney seems to have opted, with her rather unusual first-round pick, for historical & symbolic, rather than strictly legal, significance. Abolition of slavery was, of course, a monumental event in the country’s history; but of the three Civil War Amendments (## 13, 14, and 15), number 14 does most of the heavy-lifting (from the perspective of constitutional law). Even without # 13, the Fourteenth Amendment’s requirement of “equal protection” would undoubtedly have done away with slavery; and with # 14 you get all sorts of other powerful stuff, not least of which is the prohibition against any State deprivation of “life, liberty, or property without due process of law”; it was this Constitutional provision that the Supreme Court relied upon for holding that the protections of the Bill of Rights (which speak only to Congress’s power) were enforceable against the States). (Plus, there’s a reason place-kickers – even really good place-kickers – don’t get picked in the first round of the draft ... the drafters know very well that they’ll be around in later rounds ... Same for # 13, surely). </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And her second round pick is truly bizarre – repeal of Prohibition, while ## 4 and 5 are still available?? What was she thinking? It wasn’t even clear we needed an Amendment to accomplish repeal – couldn’t we just (as we do with the repeal of statutes) just excise the offending Amendment (#18) from the Constitution? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Some nice mid-rounds choices here, though, picking up two of the remaining Bill of Rights Amendments in rounds 3 and 4. But overall Sydney’s fans (and they are legion) were surely muttering to themselves at the post-draft confabs.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: C+</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sarah: 9th (Unenumerated Rights), 19th (Women's Suffrage Rights), 15th (Rights of Citizens to Vote), 22nd (Presidential Tenure), 2nd (Bearing Arms), 18th (Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Another interesting first-rounder, the deeply misunderstood and often disparaged Ninth. Such a simple idea – just because we haven’t enumerated a right, doesn’t mean we (the People) don’t retain it – though it has been awfully hard, over the years, to know exactly what to make of it and/or how to enforce it. Too bad Sarah didn’t get to pair it with its equally misunderstood close cousin #10 (any powers not expressly delegated to the federal government are retained by the States and/or the People), although nabbing #2 in round 5 does give her a nicely libertarian-tinged lineup. Sarah also manages to put together a nice “extension-of-the-voting-franchise” duo with ## 19 (no denial of the right to vote “on account of race or color”) and 15 (no denial of the right to vote “on account of sex”) – I wonder if she would have reversed the order had she been a black woman? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">And it’s true that there wasn’t much left on the table by round 6, but still – # 18? The only Amendment that was ever repealed? While ## 7 and 27 are still available? Hmm ...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: B</span><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Chris: 14th (Rights Guaranteed, Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection), 16th (Income Tax), 8th (Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases), 17th (Popular Election of Senators), 25th (Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability), 11th (Suits Against States)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A great start, with the heart of the Civil War Amendments, # 14 (projected by most pre-draft commentators to be a No. 1 or No. 2 pick, for sure). Overall, though, it’s a little hard to see the theme in Chris’ lineup. He’s got a solid “federal power at the expense of the States” group -- ## 14, 16, and even 17 – but then he goes for #11, the prohibition against lawsuits “against one of the United States by Citizens of another State,” an amendment that the Supreme Court has held incorporates the notion of State “sovereign immunity,” and one on which the Rehnquist Court has relied heavily in its recent “new federalism” rulings, attempting to rein in Congressional power and carve out domains for State, rather than federal regulation.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Grade: B</span><br /></span>Hired Handhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12982749584124862461noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1133214609427671182005-11-28T16:45:00.000-05:002005-11-28T16:51:44.063-05:00Amendments to the Constitution draft -- results<a href="http://bensguide.gpo.gov/images/ben/ben_documents.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://bensguide.gpo.gov/images/ben/ben_documents.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br />Those of you who are avid fantasydrafts.blogspot.com fans might have noticed that a certain demographic of beer-obsessed shut-ins felt some contempt for our choices in the last draft. So we thought, let’s draft something we know really, really well. <br />Since we’ve already drafted <a href="http://fantasydrafts.blogspot.com/2005/08/simpsons-characters-draft-results.html">Simpsons characters</a>, we decided to go for our second-favorite thing besides TV, namely, FREEDOM! <br /><br />Behold the mighty Amendments to the Constitution draft. Any readers who aren’t comfortable with the handy Constitution Shorthand deployed here (“what the hell is ‘suffrage’?”) are advised to consult the <a href="http://www.house.gov/Constitution/Amend.html">full text</a>.<br /><br />Adam: 1st (Religion and Expression)<br />Sydney: 13th (Slavery and Involuntary Servitude)<br />Sarah: 9th (Unenumerated Rights)<br />Chris: 14th (Rights Guaranteed, Privileges and Immunities of Citizenship, Due Process and Equal Protection)<br /><br />Chris: 16th (Income Tax)<br />Sarah: 19th (Women's Suffrage Rights)<br />Sydney: 21st (Repeal of the Eighteenth Amendment)<br />Adam: 4th (Search and Seizure)<br /><br />Adam: 5th (Rights of Persons)<br />Sydney: 10th (Reserved Powers)<br />Sarah: 15th (Rights of Citizens to Vote)<br />Chris: 8th (Further Guarantees in Criminal Cases)<br /><br />Chris: 17th (Popular Election of Senators)<br />Sarah: 22nd (Presidential Tenure)<br />Sydney: 6th (Rights of Accused in Criminal Prosecutions)<br />Adam: 12th (Election of President)<br /><br />Adam: 24th (Abolition of the Poll Tax Qualification in Federal Elections)<br />Sydney: 26th (Reduction of Voting Age Qualification)<br />Sarah: 2nd (Bearing Arms)<br />Chris: 25th (Presidential Vacancy, Disability, and Inability)<br /><br />Chris: 11th (Suits Against States)<br />Sarah: 18th (Prohibition of Intoxicating Liquors)<br />Sydney: 23rd (Presidential Electors for the District of Columbia)<br />Adam: 20th (Commencement of the Terms of the President, Vice President and Members of Congress)<br /><a href="http://www.laprensa.com/grants/images/uncle-sam-pic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px;" src="http://www.laprensa.com/grants/images/uncle-sam-pic.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Selfish Country Music Loving Ladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16552762105055123971noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1130968110428996792005-11-02T16:31:00.000-05:002005-11-02T16:52:25.433-05:00TV Sitcoms Draft<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/1600/Maggie-TV2.jpg"><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7484/1312/320/Maggie-TV2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Round 1<br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/">The Simpsons</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043208/">I Love Lucy</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098904/">Seinfeld</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367279/">Arrested Development</a><br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042114/">The Honeymooners</a><br /><br />Round 2<br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094582/">The Wonder Years</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086687/">The Cosby Show</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096694/">Saved by the Bell</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066626/">All in the Family</a><br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068098/">M*A*S*H*</a><br /><br />Round 3<br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083399/">Cheers<br /></a>Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108778/">Friends</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0182576/">Family Guy</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077089/">Taxi</a><br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094540/">Roseanne</a><br /><br />Round 4<br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098800/">The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air<br /></a>Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065314/">The Mary Tyler Moore Show</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058805/">Get Smart</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057751/">Gilligan's Island<br /></a>Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092400/">Married...With Children</a><br /><br />Round 5<br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0054533/">The Dick Van Dyke Show<br /></a>Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070992/">Happy Days</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088526/">Golden Girls</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053479/">The Andy Griffith Show</a><br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193676/">Freaks and Geeks</a><br /><br />Round 6<br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0285403/">Scrubs</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0290978/">The Office </a>(BBC Version)<br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0370194/">Reno 911<br /></a>Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077053/">Mork & Mindy</a><br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086827/">Who's the Boss</a>?<br /><br />Round 7<br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096684/">Quantum Leap<br /></a>Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072500/">Fawlty Towers<br /></a>Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0165961/">Sports Night<br /></a>Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092359/">Full House<br /></a>Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0149460/">Futurama</a><br /><br />Round 8<br />Sarah - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0159206/">Sex and the City</a><br />Adam - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0264235/">Curb Your Enthusiasm</a><br />Sydney - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077003/">Diff'rent Strokes</a><br />Chris - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106004/">Frasier</a><br />Bryan - <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096569/">Doogie Howser, M.D.</a>Chrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04587587617079338746noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14488303.post-1130508990031838212005-10-28T13:42:00.000-04:002006-10-09T18:51:30.326-04:00Famous People Who Died Young Draft Commentary<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2004/06/05/image621240x.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; width: 200px; cursor: pointer;" alt="" src="http://wwwimage.cbsnews.com/images/2004/06/05/image621240x.jpg" border="0" /></a>As done by Sydney (first three) and Chris (last two).<br /><p class="MsoNormal"></p>Oh, we went there - perhaps in the spirit of Halloween, perhaps for the spirits of those who departed before their time was up, but perhaps for our own sick sense of humor.<br /><p class="MsoNormal"><b style="font-style: italic;">Adam's Team<o:p></o:p></b><span style="font-style: italic;">:</span> Mozart (35), Raphael (37), Lou Gehrig (37), Robert Johnson (27), Bruce Lee (32), Robespierre (36), King Tut (18), Otis Redding (26), Gershwin (38), Jesse James (34)<br /></p>Adam started out his draft with Mozart, a fantastic pick because he was not only a prolific and outstanding composer, but also a member of the masons, and the inspiration for some delicious <a href="http://austrianshop.com/shop2/catalog/index.php?cPath=21">candy</a> as well. Raphael (for clarity's sake, we'll assume he's not talking about the beloved <a href="http://www.ninjaturtles.com/">TMNT</a> here) created some nice paintings, especially those freakin' adorable <a href="http://www.cv.tu-berlin.de/%7Emaxn/mom/dresden/raphael_angel.jpg">angels</a>. Not many people can say that they died from a disease later named after them, so Lou Gehrig is definitely a keeper. Without Bruce Lee we would have no martial arts film genre, and therefore no <span style="font-style: italic;">Rush Hour 3</span>, and where would be without that? Ask any high school world history student who they think of first when they hear the words "Reign of Terror" and they will immediately say "Robespierre." Such an ingrained response in our nation's youth has to be worth something for our little French Revolutionary leader, but not enough to save him from that pesky guillotine at the tender age of 36. King Tut is a solid pick, if only for that charming Steve Martin song. What this draft ODs on, however, is the Y-chromosome. Women die young too - equal opportunity, you know. Sorry, Adam. No women, no dice. <span style="font-style: italic;">B- </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;" ><br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b style="font-style: italic;">Sarah's Team: </b>Joan of Arc (19), Anne Frank (15), John Keats (25), Franz Schubert (31), Princess Di (36), Charlie Parker (34), Emily Bront<span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >ë</span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"> (30), Rosalind Franklin (37), Elliott Smith (34), Patsy Cline (30)<b><o:p></o:p></b><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><o:p style="font-family: verdana;"></o:p><span style="font-family:verdana;">Sarah wins for picking the pers</span>on with the most creative death, <a href="http://www.reconciliation.com/images/gp_burnedatstake3.gif">burning at the stake</a>.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> You don't hear of too many</span> people getting burned at the stake these days. Pity. Anne Frank died tragically at Bergen-Belsen, and there's just no way to make a joke about the Holocaust, so I won't. Although he was a tad too reliant on the strophic form, Schubert<span style="font-style: italic;"> is</span> the father of the german <span style="font-style: italic;">Lied </span>and wrote some bangin' string quartets in the process as well. Princess Di's death was heartbreaking, highlighting all that is wrong with the paparazzi world. However, it inspired the worst remake of a song ever. <span style="font-style: italic;">Candle in the Wind</span> is a stain upon the British throne. Wait, actually, that was <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/monarchy/story/0,2763,1410675,00.html">stained to begin with</a>. Emily Bront<span style=";font-family:Verdana;font-size:10;" >ë</span>? Come on. She published only one novel and it wasn't that good. Spare me, Heathcliff. Rosalind Franklin was an off-the-beaten-track pick, but should be commended because dear Rosie discovered that groovy <a href="http://www.envirohealthtech.com/images/DNA.jpg">double-helix DNA structure</a>. Elliott Smith, whose fame has posthumously skyrocketed, was a steal in the later rounds. All in all, a nice variety of deaths: diseases, burning stakes, mass murders, paparazzi accidents, and suicide.<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-style: italic;">A-<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-style: italic;">Chris' Team:</span> </b>Alexander the Great (32), John Belushi (33), Kurt Cobain (27), Jim Morrison (27), Sylvia Plath (30), Janis Joplin (27), Andy Kaufmann (35), Tupac (25), Mitch Hedberg (37), John Kennedy Toole (31)<b><o:p></o:p></b></p>One of the earliest world leaders, Alexander the Great was a solid first round pick. His army <span style="font-style: italic;">did </span>kick ass and he liked to take it in the.... John Belushi, whose character in animal house has left an unfortunate <a href="http://www.drafthouse.shoppingcartsplus.com/i/images/College2.JPG">fashion legacy</a> at universities nationwide, was a very funny guy. No one could impersonate a zit quite like him. Chris then moved from the drug OD to the drug OD with an added suicide with Kurt Cobain, most notable as a leader of the grunge movement and for picking up <a href="http://www.ba.no/multimedia/archive/00631/Courtney-Love-versj_631442e.jpg">classy women</a>. Jim Morrison was another great rockstar pick, mostly because his is the only grave in Paris on which is it acceptable to leave a joint. Additionally, his spirit was instrumental in helping Wayne and Garth assemble <span style="font-style: italic;">Waynestock </span>in the highly-acclaimed <span style="font-style: italic;">Wayne's World 2</span>. Chris finally veers into the Venus world with Sylvia Plath and Janis Joplin, two righteous babes. No draft would be complete without a tip of the hat to the East Coast/West Coast rap rivalries - oh, Tupac, with such poetry as "F*ck a damn cop (they claim that I'm violent)" (from "Violent" <span style="font-style: italic;">2Pacalypse</span>), we wonder where you would have gone if you had a second chance. Perhaps a tad too reliant on the glamour of teen idol deaths. <span style="font-style: italic;">B</span><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em>Sydney's Team</em></strong>: Jesus (36), Nero (31), Rimbaud (37), Billy the Kid (20), James Dean (24), Buddy Holly (22), "Lucy" (~20), Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (36), Sid Vicious (21), Evariste Galois (20)</p><p class="MsoNormal">Oh Sydney. What could have been. You had a fantastic draft and the revelation of your <a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4104/1254/1600/draft%20board.jpg">draft board</a> impressed me even more. BUT you had one slipup. Rimbaud in the third round? It puts you in contention for the worst third round pick of all time:</p><ul><li class="MsoNormal">Sydney - Rimbaud (People Who Died Young Draft) </li><li class="MsoNormal">Albert - War of 1812 (Wars Draft) </li><li class="MsoNormal">Denver - Maurice Clarrett (NFL Draft)</li></ul><p class="MsoNormal">Other than that your draft is solid, even spectacular. You nailed down the obvious top pick by selecting Jesus <a href="http://waumadscn7.eastbay.com/is/image/EB/70042201?tags=no&WID=500&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;$Number=1&$LNumber=1&$RNumber=1&$Name=JESUS&$ENLARGE$">#1 overall</a>. You stayed classical with the selection of Nero, who gets bonus points for fiddling. Billy the Kid is, perhaps, a bit high for round 4, but it won't ruin a draft. Your selectioneleciton is clearly James Dean in round 5. Some draft commentators thought that Dean was first round material, as he is the archetype for living hard and dying young. Buddy Holly is another fantastic selection, certainly one of the top musicians available at this slot. Sydney's selection of "Lucy" is perplexing. The administrator (yours truly) should have stepped in and disallowed this selection as it violates the "people" part of the draft. Though Australopithecus is part of the same zoological family as humans (Hominidae), she is a different species and, that, my friends is enough to disqualify her. Anybody choosing to disagree can mail their hate letters/explosive devices to River Avenue & E 161, New York, NY. Sid Vicious is a great choice. There aren't too many people who rose so meteorically and crashed so spectacularly in such a short period of time and at such a young age. She takes another Frenchman with her final pick - that means that her draft is comprised of 30% Frenchies. There are other places on Earth, Sydney. Take out those 3 and you'd be looking at an A++. Good job otherwise. <em>A-</em> </p><p class="MsoNormal"><strong><em>Albert's Team</em></strong>: Jimi Hendrix (27), Van Gogh (37), Bob Marley (36), Marilyn Monroe (36) Pushkin (37), Crazy Horse (28), Jeff Buckley (28), Keith Moon (32), Simone Weil (34) </p><p class="MsoNormal">Albert, like Adam, generally stayed away from the ladies, only drafting Marilyn Monroe and Simone Weil. He also went a little heavy on the musicians, picking up Hendrix, Marley, Buckley and Keith Moon. Marley and Hendrix are fine selections, but he could have done without Jeff Buckley, as his sound doesn't really fit with the rest of his musicians. Pushkin is known as the father of Russian Literature and I'm not sure that is a good thing. Before he came along the only literature Russians knew how to read were the labels on their vodka bottles....you're right, that's not quite fair. To be accurate, I doubt their bottles had labels. I do like this pick, though. Pushkin was a brilliant author and dissenter; he was not such a brilliant dueler, however, and that accounts for his inclusion on this list. I like Van Gogh in the second round for many of the same reasons. His death was also by gunshot, but his were self-inflicted. Crazy Horse is a bit of a perplexing choice this high in the draft. He obviously died young, but I don't know how famous he was in death. Plus, he doesn't need to be memorialized by us - they're building him the <a href="http://www.crazyhorse.org/">world's largest monument</a>. Overall a pretty good draft, Albert. Nothing too off the reservation (if you will), but nothing dramatic and inspiring. <em>B </em></p>Red Baronesshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12345109016660895664noreply@blogger.com9