2008 In Review - Fantasy Football

I'm sneaking this one into the 2008 In Review series because, technically, it is a look back at the year and it's all I could think of to write about today!

I was in three leagues again this season, each on a different game site (ESPN, Yahoo and Fox Sports).

The league I've been in the longest is called Terror in the Trenches and includes one of my oldest and best friends, Jeff Becraft. He works here. This was my fourth season in the league and I had finished fourth each year. I was actually the only team to make the playoffs each of those three seasons. Well, the wheels kind of fell off this year. We had the option of keeping up to 4 players from last year's team, but only one at each position. I was tired of finishing fourth and wanted a shot at getting over the hump and winning the league, so I decided to rebuild. Well, sort of. I actually kept two players who I felt were locks to be great in 2008 - Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson and Browns receiver Braylon Edwards. Other guys I could have kept included Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Packers receiver Greg Jennings.

Now, if you've followed the NFL at all this season you probably know that Edwards was a bad choice and Tomlinson's value dropped like a rock this season. You probably also know that Brees has a chance to become just the second player in NFL history to pass for 5,000 yards in a single season. Jennings has nearly 1200 yards receiving and 9 touchdowns this season.

So, my keepers didn't pan out like expected and it killed me this season. I finished tied for seventh place.

Jeff also invited me to a league for a second straight year called West MI Fantasy Football. I don't remember for sure how I finished the first year, but I think I did pretty well. This year I finished second in my division and had the No. 3 seed in the playoffs. I lost my first-round game and the fifth-place game, leaving me in sixth place.

Finally, I started my own league this year on espn.com. I called it Dan's 16 and changed the scoring system around to try to make quarterbacks, running backs and wide receivers have equal value. It was the first time I've played in a league with more than 12 teams. It is not easy to play in a 16-team league. The free agents list gets pretty thin.

Well, things worked out pretty well for me in this league. I only lost once and beat Derry Prenkert in the playoffs to win the title.

So, here are my postseason awards which include my players from all three leagues:

MVP: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears rookie running back. I owned him in all three leagues. I think there was only one week the whole season that I did not start him, and paid for it. I think he should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year in the NFL, but there's a few other guys who could win it as well.

MDP (most disappointing player): Terrel Owens, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver. Don't get me wrong, I was happy to have Owens on two of my teams, but he wasn't the consistently high-scoring player I was hoping for. He had some great weeks, but he also had some clunkers.

MSP (most surprising player): Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers quarterback. I went into the season thinking Rodgers would be pretty good, but he was great. I only owned him in the Dan's 16 league, but he finished as the third highest scoring player for the season in that league. And it was a good thing, too, because I traded away my only other QB (Eli Manning) before the first week of the season and there were only one or two guaranteed starters on the free agents list at any point during the season.

Best pickup: Tyler Thigpen, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback. Where did he come from? He wound up starting for me several times and I was never disappointed. Steelers running back Mewelde Moore was also a pretty good find.

Keeper (the one player from all three teams I would keep for next year if I could): Forte. He's just a rookie and unless the Bears change their entire offensive scheme and become a pass-crazy team, as long as he stays healthy his value is huge.

All-Stars (the best combined starting lineup from my three teams): QB - Aaron Rodgers, RB - Matt Forte, RB - Brandon Jacobs, WR - Randy Moss, WR - Wes Welker, WR - Anquan Boldin, TE - Kevin Boss, K - Mason Crosby, D/ST - Tennessee.

So there you have it, another year of Fantasy Football in the books. I can't wait for next season.

For any fantasy players out there, I could use your help. I'm thinking of changing things around in the Dan's 16 league next year. First off, I'll probably cut the teams to 14. I'm also thinking of eliminating the kicker and defense positions. I may also go to a more standard scoring system. What do you think? Any suggestions? Anyone interested in playing in that league next year?

2008 In Review: The 30s

During 2008 we celebrated four very significant birthdays. Katie and three of her best friends, Janelle Prenkert, Mindy Graverson and Rachael Thompson each turned 30 this year. That leaves only Mindy's husband Marty as a 20-something among that group of friends. He'll hit 30 some time in 2009.

Janelle's husband Derry set the bar high with a surprise party for Janelle in June. I felt like I had to at least match what he did so I threw Katie a surprise party in August. Then Marty followed suit and surprised Mindy in October. Rachel's husband Jason did not go the surprise route but still threw Rachael a great party to wrap up the celebrations.

Here's a picture of all the girls and some of their parties:

2008 In Review: Vacations/Getaways

The time spent away from home in 2008 was very memorable for my family and me.

In order of memorability, here's the trips/getaways we took this year:

1. California in June

In front is my grandparents' dog, BJ. Sitting on the bench are my grandparents with my kids and in the back, from left, are my parents, my sister and Katie and me.

This was easily the best vacation my family (all 4 of us) has ever taken. It was the first time for my wife and kids to set foot in California. It was also the first time we got to visit my friend Chuck on his turf.

I knew this was going to be a great vacation when we woke up the first morning (after getting to my grandparents' house after midnight), the kids realized they were in a new setting and went outside to explore and David discovered snails. He loved them. Other discoveries included the orange, grapefruit, lemon and avocado trees in the yard.

Some highlights of this trip included: Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Hollywood, Santa Monica Pier, 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica, Padres game, U.S. Open Golf Tournament (seeing Tiger Woods in person) and spending time with my grandparents, my half-uncle Steve and his family and Chuck.

2. Ludington in October

Katie and I set up the camera to take a timed picture on the rocks at the end of the jetty in Pentwater, Mich.

The main reason this one comes in second instead of third is because it was a getaway for just Katie and me. That makes it incredibly special and something that doesn't happen very often.

Katie and I were fortunate enough to obtain the use of a cottage near Lake Hamlin (thanks to Derry's parents) and spent a few days away from the kids. We did a lot of relaxing, watching movies, playing games, eating at local restaurants and sightseeing. We drove to Pentwater, which is the first town south of Ludington along the Lake Michigan shoreline, and revisited some of the shops and beaches where my family and I had spent time in the summers while I was in high school.

Above all, the trip was a time for Katie and I to connect in a way that is very difficult to do when you've got two young kids running around and begging for your attention.

3. South Haven over 4th of July Weekend

Craig is getting ready to bury David in the sand at the beach in South Haven.

This was kind of a last-minute decision to take off for the weekend and join our friends Craig, Jill and Craig's parents in South Haven for the weekend of the 4th of July.

We were tipped off about a week in advance that Craig was going to propose to Jill and then he called us the night it happened. So, the weekend ended up being not just a getaway for our family but a chance to celebrate with Craig and Jill. They're getting married on December 27, by the way.

While in South Haven we spent time at the beach, drove up to Saugatuck on July 4 for dinner and fireworks and spent some more time at the beach. Derry and Janelle Prenkert (and Katylynn) also drove up on July 4 but did not spend the night, so that was a lot of fun.

2008 In Review

I am not unaware of the fact that reading this blog has gotten quite boring lately. I write it and I'm bored with it! It seems like inspiration has been hard to find lately. That might be because the sun has been hard to find lately, or it might be because I'm having trouble finding the time and motivation to write down my thoughts.

Either way, you deserve better. For those of you who regularly check back here for new content and those who might just happen upon this space for whatever reason, I am going to do better.

I've got an idea for a new series. It's not completely original because it seems lots of people are looking back at the year of 2008 and recalling their favorite significant life-changing wake-up call boring best/worst of the year that is almost over. But, I'm going to do it anyway. Mine is going to take the form of the best/most significant/memorable items from a number of categories. I've got some categories in mind, but nothing set in stone yet.

If you've enjoyed the sports posts, don't worry. They're going to continue. In fact, the next post you read here will be my college bowl game picks. And sometime in the near future there is sure to be a fantasy football season wrap-up. But, there will also be some 2008 In Review posts coming very soon. I promise.

So, don't give up on me!