Fantasy Football Preview

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Written on 12:38 AM by DRV

Today was the first Friday in months in which I stayed home and didn't do anything outside of the house. So, in respect, I was so bored that I had my second Fantasy Football draft today. Yeah, it's June, but I still take these things seriously.

I'm one of those people who steadily believes in ALWAYS taking a Running Back first and second. Sadly, that didn't happen tonight. That's honestly the first time it happened. I was in a 12-team draft a while ago, and here's my first 6 picks.

Round 1 -- Shaun Alexander
Round 2 -- Steve Smith
Round 3 -- Torry Holt
Round 4 -- Andre Johnson
Round 5 -- Santana Moss
Round 6 -- Fred Taylor

That'll probably really end up to bite me in the ass. But look at the bright side... I'm set at WR. I pretty much went the approach of taking "The Best Player Available." Maybe a trade will come up where I can land another #1 RB.

Since this blog will be devoted to Fantasy Football, allow me to unveil the best 5 fantasy players at every position. Again, this is simply my opinion, but I'll provide reasons as I go on. I'll also add sleepers to the end of the post.

TOP FIVE FANTASY QUARTERBACKS
1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Manning is the best QB in the NFL, and has always been the most productive quarterback for years. His ability is never questioned, as evidenced by his record-shattering 49 TD's a few years ago. He has the services of Marvin Harrison, Reggie Wayne, and newly drafted first round pick--Anthony Gonzalez. He's the only QB to even warrant a first round pick, but if you pick Manning, you risk your shot at the elite RB's.

2. Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
Palmer has a rocket arm and strong supporting cast with Chad Johnson, T.J. Houshmandzadeh, and Chris Henry as his targets along with a strong backfield consisting of Rudi Johnson and Kenny Irons. His numbers should be up this season as he has no injuries to worry about.

3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots
Tom Brady went through some pains last season with a depleted WR corps as he lost both Deion Branch, David Givens, and Bethel Johnson last season. However, he proved he was a fine QB by making guys like Reche Caldwell and Jabbar Gaffney produce greatly at the later part of the season. Now, not only does he have those two wideouts back, but they'll have a depleted role as New England has made a splash taking receivers Wes Welker, Donte' Stallworth, and troubled receiver Randy Moss. Not that Brady has top notch weapons, it just might be enough to make another strong push for his 4th ring.

4. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles
McNabb actually put up 200 points last season in only 8 weeks before getting hurt. 200 points is actually more than a third of what the other QB's put up last season, so enough said about that. Also, since the Eagles drafted Kevin Kolb with a 2nd round pick this year, it shows that they're tired of McNabb being hurt. Look for McNabb to play hard this season all year, especially with new WR Joe Horn from the Saints.

5. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints
Brees is a very inspiring success story. He's become one of the most accurate and productive quarterbacks in the league this couple years, and he'll only get better. Marques Colston and Reggie Bush are a year older, and Devery Henderson is starting to come to his own. Add first round WR Robert Meachem providing some help and Brees is gonna continue to look good.

TOP FIVE FANTASY RUNNING BACKS
1. LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers
This does not even need to be explained. Last year he was rated 2nd, and he proves all the professionals wrong. Never put LT passed #1. Never. He already has Hall of Fame written on him.

2. Steven Jackson, St. Louis Rams
Steven Jackson is set to produce more this year as Linehan wants to continue to pound the ball. Jackson has gotten faster and stronger, and he's actually become a receiver in the backfield in recent years. He looks a lot like Edgerrin James in his prime, and it wouldn't surprise me if Jackson ran for 1800 this year. Look out for Jackson.

3. Larry Johnson, Kansas City Chiefs
Larry Johnson is a workhouse RB whose stock falls because his offensive line is slowly being depleted of talent. But that doesn't take any talent away from the hardnosed Larry Johnson. The problem is that he's threatening for a new contract, but don't let that stop you from taking him.

4. Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks
Shaun Alexander fell victim to the Madden curse last season getting injured, but when he came back, he bounced back in a good way. Look for Alexander to put up numbers expected out of Alexander the Great this season, especially with the loss of Darrell Jackson--Holmgren might seemed poised to run the ball a lot more.

5. Brian Westbrook, Philadelphia Eagles
Yes, it is true, I have a mancrush on Brian Westbrook, but the fact remains that he's a very sturdy project. I pick him and he always produces. Why? The man can catch. A catch is a point in most leagues, not only that--but he can return kicks too. Brian Westbrook is the Boobie Miles of Fantasy Football, and he's definitely a top five...especially considering he's the centerpiece of the Eagles' offense.

TOP FIVE FANTASY WIDE RECEIVERS
1. Chad Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals
"Ocho Cinco" he calls himself. I don't know why. Ocho cinco is eight-five, not 85. But whatever. The guy has T.O.'s body type, and he's probably just a bit faster. After all, he raced a horse and won. But this guy is Palmer's main target, and he is a TD MACHINE. This guy has a nose for the endzone, and if there's ever a game where the Bengals make the highlight reel... it's usually preceded by Ocho's crazy out takes.

2. Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers
At 5'9" Steve Smith is actually one of the strongest WR's in the league. Seriously, it's not really his speed that makes him hard to stop, because he really isn't the fast. This guy is just always open and is a fantastic route runner. That's why he's on the highlight reel all the time. He's actually Delhomme's only target.

3. Marvin Harrison, Indianapolis Colts
Route-running is the true key to all-time success, and nobody runs them better than good ol' Marvin. He's Manning's unquestioned favorite receiver, and don't even mention his age. He's an ageless wonder. 10 touchdowns. Guaranteed.

4. Torry Holt, St. Louis Rams
Holt is another great route-runner, and he's deceptively fast which allows him to easily get open. He's Bulger's unquestioned number one, and he probably has the best hands on this list. Harrison might have better hands though. Either way, it's consistency. There's never been a season in which Holt has received for less than 1300 yards.

5. Terrell Owens, Dallas Cowboys
Yes, he's an asshole. Yes, he always wants the ball. Yes, he's stupid. But he's good. He'll drop balls, but there's no penalty in the fantasy world for that. He actually scored the most TD's last year. Enough said.

TOP FIVE FANTASY TIGHT ENDS
1. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
Other than LT, who are the Super Chargers known for? This guy.

2. Alge Crumpler, Atlanta Falcons
Let's be honest. Michael Vick sucks. He has no receivers, but he has Alge Crumpler. Crumpler makes Vick minorly better, but he's also their main source of points.

3. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Gonzalez is someone who many still believe is the best. But he's old now, and the Chiefs wanna get younger. Either way, he and Shannon Sharpe revolutionized the position, and he's a guaranteed 7 TD's.

4. Jeremy Shockey, New York Giants
Jeremy Shockey is extremely tough and he's all about football. Sure, he's become a celebrity, but there's no questioning his talent. The problem is that he's underutilized, but with the absense of Tiki Barber, Shockey should see more balls come his way.

5. Todd Heap, Baltimore Ravens
Heap's been a letdown the passed few seasons but seemed to pick it back up along with Mark Clayton at the near end of the regular season. Expect he and McNair to have a better throw and catch relationship.

TOP FIVE FANTASY KICKERS
1. Adam Vinatieri, New England Patriots
He disappointed last year. But that's not fair--he wasn't on the field. This is still the same guy who kicked 50 yard field goals in blizzards. Where's he playing now? A dome that houses the best offense in the NFL. He'll get you points, easily.

2. Jeff Wilkins, St. Louis Rams
Jeff Wilkins is an accurate kicker who kicks in a dome with one of the best offenses in the NFL. He also was one of the top five productive kickers last season. Good track record.

3. David Akers, Philadelphia Eagles
David Akers was injured too last year, but now that he's not, he's still one of the best in the league. If McNabb gets injured again, their offense should at least be good enough to get within Akers' range.

4. Robbie Gould, Chicago Bears
The Bears showed sparks on offense last season but had trouble in the red zone. That's good for kickers.

5. Shayne Graham, Cincinnati Bengals
Shayne Graham is just as productive as his offense. That's all you need to make the list. You have to kick a lot, and you can't suck.

TOP FIVE FANTASY DEFENSES
1. Baltimore Ravens
Their young talent has just become more experienced. They lost Adalius Thomas, but that gives Bart Scott and Dan Cody bigger roles.

2. Chicago Bears
"Da Bears" are actually the best defense in football, but they're going through a key loss once they get rid of Lance Briggs. They key to this defense being good is keeping Brian Urlacher and Mike Brown healthy. They are the souls of this defense. They also have the best defensive line in the league who always pressure the QB with Adewale Ogunleye, Tommie Harrison, Dusty Dvoracek, and Alex Brown leading that four-man front. The loss of Tank Johnson shouldn't hurt that much.

3. New England Patriots
New England added the best overall free agent with Adalius Thomas. That gives them a lot of depth to a linebacking corp that includes Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel, Rosevelt Colvin, Junior Seau, and Chad Brown. Rodney Harrison and Richard Seymour are healthy, so that should give their defense another push.

4. San Diego Chargers
Nobody knew it, but they had one of the top defenses last season. There's a lot of young talent who are continuing to get experience, including former defensive rookie of the year Shawne Merriman.

5. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins lose games because their offense can't score. That's their problem. They showed some sparks with Joey Harrington and not Daunte Culpepper, that's somewhat ironic. But this is about defense, and this group continues to grow and play well in a tough division.

THE SLEEPERS
Not too many people pay attention to these guys, but if there's nobody else and the time is right... grab them.

QB - Jon Kitna, Detroit Lions
He's talking smack saying the Lions are gonna win more than ten games this year, and that means he has some confidence in his group. Nobody realizes that he finished in the top 5 in passing yards last year thanks to Martz's system. And now with Georgia Tech WR Calvin Johnson, Kitna might be in some for some HUGE numbers.

RB - Travis Henry, Denver Broncos
He's lost respect because of his feud with Buffalo after Willis McGahee won the starting job. He didn't do all that well in Tennessee, but he definitely picked it up last season. Now he's in Denver. For the first time in years, Denver has a GOOD RB. Denver can make any RB look good, but they just might make Henry look like a hall of famer.

WR - D.J. Hackett, Seattle Seahawks
With the loss of Darrell Jackson, and the older Bobby Engram gets, Hasselbeck is gonna have trouble finding a favorite receiver. Deion Branch is great, but I'm not so sure about Nate Burleson, and he isn't worth his money. However, Hackett has shown some signs of grown last season, and he looks like a true starter. He just might breakout next season.

TE - Eric Johnson, New Orleans Saints
Johnson couldn't have landed in a better place. At once, back when the Niners sucked, Johnson was actually the top receiver in the NFL in terms of yards back when Rattay was still QB. He has some durability issues, but Brees LOVES throwing the ball to the tight end. Keep that in mind.

I'll post another thread with my teams on them, but that's it for now. Mind you, every year I host a Yahoo! Fantasy Football League that consists of 20 teams. If you want in, tell me as soon as possible so I can get you the signup information.

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I hate being of Asian/Filipino descent.

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Written on 10:43 PM by DRV

I know I promised that this blog would be about gaming, but I can't help it. I really was looking to do a huge editorial on it too, but I can't... because of my really fucked up life.

I didn't want this blog to turn into a place to vent out with my fake use of emo-ness, but this is just going to have to be the case... just once. Everyone knows about the stereotypical, overprotective, and strict Asian parents. You see, with Filipinos--it's sorta different, but again, sorta similar. With Filipino parents, they're either extremely strict or their incredibly loose. It's NEVER in the middle. Ask any Filipino. Their parents either don't give a shit about what they do, or they're never outside of their house.

For the latter part of my life, they've been strict, but it's gotten different beginning with my Junior year of high school, when I joined Mabuhay. Thanks to Mabuhay and other extracurricular programs, I've become more of an outsider. I've become more social. But now that I'm out of high school, my parents were wondering why the hell I was still doing Mabuhay activities.

Yesterday, when I got out of the shower, my father immediately called me down. This was the conversation.

"Let me talk to you for a minute." (Note--whenever a parent says that, he/she really means yell or nag.)
"Sure dad."
"Do you still wanna go to school?"
"Yes."
"Then what are you doing?"
"What?"
"Why are you still going to those program?!"
"Huh?"
"That dancing dancing. Do you really need that?"
"It's not dancing I've been doing. It's community service."
"Do you even need that?"
"Of course."
"I thought you graduated already!"
"Yeah."
"You don't need that then!"
"*sigh*"
"What?"
"It'll help me for college."
"Help you how?"
"Leadership."
"That's bullshit."
"What?"
"You think if you're ever in trouble--they'll help you? Of course not, it's all bullshit! Don't go to those program anymore!"
"Why? What am I gonna do then?"
"You look for a job!"
"You haven't been looking for a job, all you've been doing is dancing with those people."
"I have been looking for a job."
"You stay home then!"
"What am I gonna do at home?"
"It's vacation. Take a rest!"
"Take a rest? That's why I've been sleeping until noon every day!"
"You don't need those stupid program. They're just manipulating you. They don't even pay you. They just give you awards. That's nothing! Those are bullshit!"
"Whatever. You always yell at me for the same stuff all the time."
"If you think you're smarter than me, you get out! We don't need you here. God damn it."

Whatever. So what happened to me that day? I listened of course. I stayed home. Instead of being trained for my FYC Internship, I MySpaced. What the fuck. I am just not happy right now. Today, I missed the start of FYC Summer Program. Tomorrow, I'm gonna miss Honors Night--where I finally get recognized for my accomplishments. Why? All this time, I thought my parents were proud that I've started to become so in touch with my culture... my people. Now, my dad says I'm being "manipulated."

I don't know what to do. What can I possibly do now? They just find new ways to hurt me. I'm 18 and I've known how my parents were for all these years. I was happy for the last two years of my life, and now I'm back to this ... undefined shell of mistreatment. I don't know anymore. I don't think I can last another day in this hellhole. I can only handle so much. But I just can't up and leave... even though I am a legal adult.

But I'm not talking to my father either. He's the reason why I'm so unhappy, and he doesn't understand shit to begin with. Then if someone else talks to him, they fall under his tight gripping mouth.

The programs I'm a part of were a big part of my life. I mean, look at my last entry... it's all about my newfound passion of Sayaw. I had goals. I wanted to find ways to become noticed and show my skill to professional dance companies in the hopes of being recruited. Now I'm banned from all things Filipino.

Damn it all. They're racist to everybody... even themselves. It's times like these where I wish I was fucking white.

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Renaisa's Cotillion

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Written on 12:35 AM by DRV

Renaisa's Cotillion was interesting to say the least. I wasn't a guest to the party, but I can safely say that the event was successful.

Mabuhay, mainly the graduating seniors, was invited to perform--so we did three folk dances. Two from the Barrio Fiesta Suite and one from our Southern Islands suite. For Barrio we performed Maglalatik (also known as the "coconut dance") and Sakuting (Mabuhay's trademark dance, done with two sticks to simulate an eskrima war... not really... that's what it's "known for", even though it's known in an incorrect fashion.) Then for the Southern Islands Suite and to close out our performances was Singkil, a Muslim dance -- also known as that one dance with 4 criss-cross bamboo poles with princess and a prince.

It took a lot of preparation to perform such a repertoire for the event. For one thing, to Mabuhay, Maglalatik and Singkil are new dances--and naturally they're more expensive. But seeing as how Mabuhay is both an alumni of Independence and an alumni of Mabuhay, I'm sure we gave her a fatass discount.

My main complaint is that, since we weren't really "guests" per say, we didn't really get treated all that greatly. All the practices for this event were to be at Cataldi Park. Seeing as how I don't drive, I had to take the bus to that park. I wasted more than $10 taking the bus all week. I shouldn't be doing that. I want my fucking car. Anyway, to avoid going off on a tangent, since limited dancers were invited we had to rechoreograph Maglalatik. For those of you who don't really give a damn...CHOREOGRAPHY IS VERY HARD TO PRODUCE. As for Singkil, the last time we performed this dance was April 20th--you got it, PCN.

So when we actually got to the venue, we never really got our own room to dress up in. It's not that big of a deal, but people need to realize how folk dancers work. It's an extremely annoying pet peeve to find your stuff mixed with somebody else's. We organize our equipment by the suite and the dance, but people still mess around with our stuff. I don't see any of us touching any of their fancy barongs, so why should we share a room with people who get touchy anyway? Either way, it wasn't a big deal since we were pretty much locked up in there anyway with nothing to eat. That's pretty much why we filled up on hand food appetizers, because we knew we weren't going to be fed anyway.

When it was time to do Maglalatik, I seriously wasn't ready. I usually have my costume laid out, but that wasn't the case. So when I put my scrubs on, there was a bigass hole in the middle. With Maglalatik, the color of the pants you wear is really specific, so I can't just change. So I just threw on my coconuts and did the dance anyway. It's supposed to be funny.

Singkil was something I was really worrying about, because our entrance requires us to use the bamboos as a chariot for the princess, but the entrance door doesn't allow more than a few feet of height. So I had to crouch while walking with bamboos and a girl on top of them... not easy. A ribbon fell from out of nowhere and threw our prince off, but luckily, he caught himself and Singkil looked to be the strongest performance of the night. It was even louder than the response received by the Tahitian performers.

This is probably the last big floorshow I'll ever have with Mabuhay, then again, maybe it isn't. But if it is, I'm glad it was Singkil that ended our time. Next year's group is gonna have to work hella hard if they wanna leave the same kinds of ripples on Independence the way we did.

The rest of the party was just dancing... Some randomass songs were played, but that's probably because the DJ was a girl. No sexism intended, but the DJ wasn't all that great. I was disappointed from the lack of whistle blowing and ghost riding. Hahaha.

But yeah, this cotillion was actually one of the better shows I've performed in. I just wish we were treated somewhat better. After all, we take time out of our day to provide entertainment and showcase actual CULTURE in a Cotillion--a Filipino tradition. I do appreciate the fact that the debutant went as far as booking us months ahead of time. That's true organization.

And as for the comments I made about sharing the room--again. It's not a problem. If I had to share the room with anybody, I'm glad it was the Debut Court... I know how hard you guys have worked, and I'm not taking any of that away from you. You've all accomplished much.

Anyway, since Gurbir is the one who apparently reads my blogs now, I'm gonna reward him with the next one... which will use gaming as a focal point.

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Greetings

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Written on 5:43 PM by DRV

Allow me to say hello to whoever the hell decided to give this one a read.

By no means am I new to the art blogging. I've been blogging since 7th grade back when the Xanga craze got started. While it is annoying to conform with the way pop culture is nowadays, I think the Xanga craze is probably the best online fads that ever happened. See, it allowed people to have the desire to write. But now... what are they doing? They've submitted to their hidden narcicist by being extremely active in sites such as MySpace. I'm guilty of having one myself, and yes, I do have a slight rise of self-esteem when I see the bright words "New Comments!" but that's besides the point.

I started a blogger weblog because Xanga is too complicated even for me, and MySpace... well, I got in trouble blogging. I almost ended a relationship between two very good organizations, and that was never my goal. But for those of you wondering--yes, my blogs can be very powerful.

I needed a change. I can't post whatever the hell I feel on MySpace because the stuff I have up there is now stuff that nobody cares about. Who the hell cares that I used to be the Vice President / External Affairs Coordinator of the Mabuhay Cultural Club? Who the hell cares that I'm the only boy who graduated out of the Independence High School Class of 2007 who spent all his years in High School doing Powderpuff Cheerleading? Nobody cares about that stuf.

I'm using this weblog to just state what's in my mind, and do so to the best of my professional ability. If anything I say offends anybody, I apologize. But this is my way to vent, and I do so better here than anywhere else. I'm an open person, but only when I'm comfortable. I'm damn well comfortable here.

Not very many of my future blogs are gonna be all negative though, so don't worry about it.

My next blog will be up in a while. But yeah, I'm just introducing myself... but now that I realize it, I haven't done so yet.

My name is Danreb Reyes Victorio. I just graduated out of Independence High School. I'll be attending San Jose State University this fall. I'm very involved with what I do. Though I'm now a High School Graduate, I still spend most of my time performing with my friends as a dancer for the Mabuhay Cultural Club. I'm also an intern for the Filipino Youth Coalition--a non-profit organization with the prime goal of raising cultural awareness among Pilipinos and keeping the youth out of gangs and similar sorts of danger. Along with that, I'm a Junior Division dancer for the Hiyas Philippine Folk Dance Company, the top Filipino Folk Dance Troupe in the bay.

That's about it. I hate drama, but sadly, it happens to me.

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