Mike Tufaro's Blog

Week 13

2009-12-02T12:12:00.001-08:00

Looking Back:

On top by a point! Who would have thought that after 13 weeks, less than 10 points would separate the top three. Mr Horsey had a nail come out of his hoof last week, dropping a game to end up behind DommyBear in 5th. At this point it looks like Raiderettes and (obviously) The A Team are out of the playoff race, and it looks like Team Hurricain will likely end up in the bottom three as well. It looks like the most important question will be Mr Horsey or DommyBear, and both could very easily end up with identical records. This thing could be decided on points alone.

Looking Forward:

Sons of Anarchy v. Mr Horsey:

A lot will be determined by the status of Kurt Warner and DeSean Jackson. If both are out, Sons of Anarchy will look like a very different animal than that which has dominated lately. The Horse is healthy this week, and has a very good chance in my opinion, especially considering what we saw his QB do last week. My Pick: Monsieur le Cheval comme gagnant. (<-- trying to facilitate a little intra-office fantasy discussion for ActionKacton...)

The A Team v. Raiderettes:

Wouldn't it be great if The A Team actually won a game? This week is probably as close as he'll get. Roughly 10 theoretical points separate these two... well within the realm of possibility for an upset victory. Both teams are out of the playoff race, but ill be watching this one closely. My Pick: Raiderettes

DommyBear v. Team Hurricain:

This week will have major implications for the playoff picture. I think Mr Horsey wins, and DommyBear loses. Team Hurricain is not looking good overall in terms of position, but this week, with Michael Turner questionable and no real star to replace him, DommyBear could be in trouble. In weeks past I would have thought Pittsburgh's DEF was being undervalued against OAK, but with Palomalu out and some key injuries, they have not looked dominant lately. My Pick: Team Hurricain

M240 vs. Air it Outtt:

I would feel pretty confident, but there are too many unknowns. Forsett's status is a big deal, whether he starts for Jones again. Similarly, Maclin becomes a great play if DeSean Jackson is out (which i think he should be, given the caution Phi. has shown with Westbrook.) Air it Outtt looks to be starting a very strong lineup, but if my receivers wake up this week, and either Forsett or Maclin takes a big role, I hope to eek out a victory here. My Pick: ME

Week 12

2009-11-25T12:22:00.001-08:00

Looking Back:

Four for Four in last weeks picks! We've now got a three-way tie at 7-3, and Mr. Horsey is only one game off the pace at 6-4. The playoff race is heating up big time. Injuries also played a factor last week, with several teams running into depth-issues, especially at the RB position.

Looking Ahead:

Mr. Horsey v. DommyBear:

The word of the week here is going to be 'injuries.' DommyBear has Julius Jones and Michael Turner in his RB spots, both of which are not healthy. Jones practiced again with the team on Wed. but with Justin Forsett very ably filling in, it is unlikely he will get much, if any, playing time. Turner might also play, but its not definite, and if he does, he'll be limited. Mr. Horsey is not plagued by injuries this week, but his team isn't looking exceptionally good either. Cleveland showed last week they knew how to score, and Cincinnati LOST to Oakland... That Defensive matchup is not looking as good as it did before last Sunday. Also, none of his WRs are projected to have huge days, and Detroit is going to fall behind so fast Kevin Smith will not be getting a lot of touches. My Pick: Mr Horsey to continue his trot up the ranks.

Sons of Anarchy v. Raiderettes:

Sons of Anarchy is obviously the pick here. It seems like Raiderettes has been following in the A Team's footsteps these last few weeks, fielding less-than-ideal matchups. The only bright spot has been Brandon Jacobs, who really seemed to be running well last week against Atl. Unless there is a line-up change, I don't think Raiderettes can close this gap - nowone looks explosive enough to make the difference. My Pick: Sons of Anarchy

Air it Outtt v. The A Team:

As has often been the case, if The A Team fielded a complete team this week, they would have a decent shot at this game. Air it Outtt got hurt with injuries last week, especially at the RB spot. They have maneuvered into a decent position, but don't look quite as dominant as they did before they lost certain starters. The A team has good matchups this week for players. Of course, they wont start a complete team, so this one looks to be going fairly easily into the Win column for Air it Outtt. My Pick: Air it Outtt

M240 v. Team Hurricain:

Looking forward to playing Justin Forsett against StL, who gave up both of Hightower's 100yd+ games this season. Forsett got almost 15 pts. against Min. last week, and I expect a huge performance from him against the Rams. Steve Smith (NYG) against Denver should be a good matchup for Hurricain, but on the other hand the top corner should be on him, leading me to think that Eli will be targeting Manningham more. I have the edge in theory, but its too close to feel really squared away on this one. My Pick. Me

Week 11

2009-11-18T14:34:00.000-08:00

If anyone needed proof that the standings were not yet set-in-stone, just take a look at what happened last week. Air it Outtt rebounded from a seemingly impossibly deficit to win, while M240 failed to close a seemingly very realistic gap once his opponent had mostly played. I went into Monday night with a 10 pt. lead over Mr. Horsey - not nearly as much as I would have liked it to be - and lost because the Cleveland Browns have now scored 5 touchdowns in 15 games. I suppose it's not surprising the Ravens' DEF dominated them.

Looking Ahead:

Sons of Anarchy v. Air it Outtt:

Undoubtedly the Game of the Week. Sons of Anarchy has been a scoring machine of late, and I doubt this week will be any different. Warner and Fitzgerald against STL, and Ray Rice projected to get big points against Indy. The only issue with Rice is if Baltimore falls behind early, but otherwise it looks like a strong lineup. Opponent Air it Outtt seems unstoppable, but there are cracks in his armor this week. Cedric Benson is not 100% by any stretch of the imagination, and while he'll likely play, he is not a sure thing. Similarly, Randy Moss could have a much worse week than he has lately, as the JETS held him in check last time they met, and will certainly be focusing on him this week as well. My Pick: Sons of Anarchy. DommyBear almost got Air it Outtt last week, and Sons of Anarchy is on a roll right now.

Mr Horsey v. Team Hurricain:

Mr Horsey trampled me last week, but I'm not sure about this week. Cleveland's DEF put on a pretty good show against BAL on Monday Night, and if ever there was a team that's due... Maybe Brady Quinn finally scores a touchdown and Stafford has to throw, limiting Kevin Smith? Weirder things have happened. But in all seriousness folks... I think Steve Smith has a good week for Hurricain, with the Giants in a truly must-win position, and fresh off the BYE. Chad 85 should have a good time against OAK, and Miami has some backup DEF personnel in right now, which should be to Jonathan Stewart's advantage. Roddy White might run into trouble if the NYG DEF is fresh enough to get all up in Matt Ryan's grill. My Pick: Mr Horsey. He's playing a team that has seen an RB take a knee on the goal-line, while he has been looking like a blue-ribbon winner these last few weeks.

DommyBear v. Raiderettes:

Yikes! Lots of injuries in this matchup. Some seemingly not possible to shuffle-out of the lineup. Without knowing the moves to be made this one is tough to call. Both teams will need to do some serious thinking. As of now, DommyBear looks a little stronger. My Pick: DommyBear, but if ever there was an unfounded, arbitrary guess, this is it.

M240 v. The A Team:

Just what I need coming off 2 tough losses. Im also looking forward to seeing how the Giants come out of the BYE week, since I'm carrying 2 NYG WRs that haven't seen action in my lineup for over a month. It would be nice to see Eli come out guns-blazing against ATL this week. The only worry, and it's not a major one, is that NE has one of THOSE games that has almost driven The A Team, its owner asleep at the helm, to victory. Some insurance in the fact that if they go big, Welker goes big along with them. My Pick: M240

Final Thoughts: As the league tightens, this weekend holds the potential for even more shake-ups. Mr Horsey is galloping up the standings, and Air it Outtt's duel with Sons of Anarchy will have a big impact, whichever way it goes. Good luck.

Week 10

2009-11-12T22:09:00.001-08:00

In the words of Queefy Queef, Its game time.

Week 10, only 4 weeks left in our regular season. Last week air it outtt pulled even for first place with M240. Sons of Anarchy is alone in second, and then there are 3 teams with 4-4 records all fighting in 3rd. One week can change a lot at this point. We've seen some serious action on the Waiver Wire this week, suggesting that owners are starting to obsess even more (if that were possible) about their lineups. Injuries start to rear their head at this point in the season, and the spectre of unreasonable upsets becomes ever nearer.

Looking Forward:

Raiderettes v. Team Hurricain:

I like Raiderettes here, but Hurricain isn't fielding a full roster as of now. If they do, things could change. I feel not so confident in picking these things since my record hasn't been much better than 50%... Even so, Favre should have a good, possibly great, game against Detroit, IF he doesn't get up by 3 touchdowns in the first half and then just hand the ball to A.P. for the rest of the game. This could also affect Berrian. On Hurricain's side we have Roethlisberger. He's a winner, but he hasn't been a fantasy football stud this season in the way that other, less-winning QBs have. My Pick: Raiderettes

Air it Outtt v. DommyBear:

LET THIS BE THE WEEK. Air it Outtt has been pretty much unstoppable this season, but Thurs. game has yielded a seriously underwhelming performance for Vernon Davis in the low-scoring contest with Chicago, whereas Dommy has gotten what points he deserves out of the D. Last week the Giants made San Diego look like the class of the league, but that is not, I believe, the case. This week against Philly should be tough, while SDs D didn't look good enough last week to seriously harm McNabb's game. Although I very much hope they do... In Air it Outts favour: Reggie Wayne and Randy Moss should benefit from the shootout. My Pick: Air it Outtt. But C'mon Dom, I'll buy a bottle of Gin we can drink with Mr. Kacton, in front of his much finer half, if you make me wrong this week.

Sons of Anarchy v. The A Team:

Sons of Anarchy take their turn against The A Team this week. A strong showing is projected for Sons, and it could move him into second place if Air it Outtt or M240 have a bad week. My Pick: The A Team. Just kidding.

M240 vs Mr. Horsey:

Less than a point separates the projected matchup. This has been a head-scratcher for me all week, although I dont really have many options in the way of lineup changes, with 5 players on the BYE week. The best news, in spanish: El senor caballo quiere ver el futbol americano con sus amigos, y su novia lo permite (problamente). That means that ActionKacton himself wants to watch this game, and Riley will probs let him. Party in Margaret's basement this Sunday, and no Dom that's not a euphemism. My Pick: ME

Week 9

2009-11-05T17:16:00.000-08:00

Looking Back:

DommyBear did what I didn't think likely, getting a blowout victory over Sons of Anarchy, thanks in large part to amazing performances by Chicago's DEF and Tennessee's Chris Johnson. Air it Outtt beat Mr. Horsey, which is not the outcome I was hoping for. The equestrian can blame it on some very lackluster performances by his WRs, with 3 combining for less than 7 pts, although Steve Smith finally had a decent game in Carolina's surprising victory over Arizona. Team Hurricain beat the now 0-7 (soon to be 0-14), A Team. The game between M240 and Raiderettes was the most exciting fantasy game i've watched yet. 2 of my RBs combined for -1.1 pts. I went into the afternoon game down 35-98. I didn't think there was any hope, and I was already dejected from watching the Giants crash and burn against the Eagles. Aaron Rodgers looked awful in the first half of the Vikings game, but Vincent Jackson was doing his usual thing and picking up good numbers. Rodgers picked it up BIG TIME in the second half, throwing well over 200 yards. I watched the score become 50-98, 60-98, 70... ending up at 92-98 in 4th quarter of that game. A screen pass to Peterson that he took for some 40 yards, a few more desperation completions by Rodgers, and it was all over. Gonzalez then tacked on another 9 pts. on Monday Night. A very satisfying comeback!

Looking Forward:

DommyBear v. The A Team:

Looks like Dom should be going on a W-2 streak here. It just isn't fun thinking about anything to do with The A Team anymore... My Pick: DommyBear

Team Hurricain v. Air it Outtt:

Air it Outtt's N.O. players ought to have a good week against Carolina, but on the other hand Carolina is coming off a big win against another strong offensive team, Arizona. It is not outside the realm of possibility that they upset the favored Saints. Similarly, I could see Philadelphia's DEF having trouble with Dallas. I hate Dallas (and Philly), but the Cowgirls have looked very strong on offense in recent weeks. On the other side... actually, the projected stats look more realistic for Team Hurricain, with the possible exception of several points less for Denver's D, and perhaps Maurice Jones-Drew. Im hoping this is the week that takes Air it Outtt down a peg... they're way too close (and good) for comfort. My Pick: Team Hurricain to play better than they spell.

Mr Horsey v. Raiderettes:

Mr. Horsey hasn't looked very good lately, despite having a big-time QB and some good depth at RB to choose from. Steve Smith has been a (very) slow starter but he did OK last week, and he might keep it up. Raiderettes are looking pretty mediocre this week, although Hou. will be throwing all day to try to keep up with Indy., which should give Andre Johnson lots of looks, especially since Owen Daniels (another big Schaub-target), is out for the season. Brandon Jacobs hasn't looked great lately, but with the overall problems the Giants are having, it isn't really his fault... I hope against hope he has a big game this week... meaning the Giants aren't getting blown out and having to throw constantly... My Pick: Mr. Horsey is due.

M240 v. Sons of Anarchy:

Looks like a big win for Sons of Anarchy. Adrian Peterson is out for me this week, but I get Welker back, which is great news. As much as I hate to say it, SD should be able to exploit the Giants this weekend, and Vincent Jackson could have a bigger game than he is projected. It seems like a number of the projected stats for my side are low, but I'm not convinced they mean much anymore. I think this one will be closer than it looks right now, and as always My Pick: M240

Week 8

2009-10-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Looking Back:

Sons of Anarchy and Team Hurricain was the close game last week, with the three others being pretty much blowouts. DommyBear's last player left the field with the team down by roughly 20, and it only got worse. In furtherance of the argument that projected stats are useless, Hines Ward and Fred Jackson combined for less than one point (!), and defense for both Dom's and my team nearly tripled the projected stats. Gov got a great performance from Ryan Grant to push him over the top in that contest. Air it Outtt also saw great play from Philip Rivers and Vernon Davis, with the former hitting Vincent Jackson for franchise's new receiving record, catching 142 yards in 30 minutes of play.

Looking Forward:

Sons of Anarchy v. DommyBear:

First things first. Dom has depth-problems this week. His D is on a bye, and he needs to fill Hines Ward's WR spot. He has some decent benched players, but the best are RBs, and that would require some shifting to free up the flex spot instead. Gov on the other hand has Warner/Fitzgerald teeing off against Carolina, and is at full strength. This one looks pretty one sided, with the players that DommyBear does have going up against teams like N.O. and Indy. Barring some very skilled roster-shifting/adding/dropping of players, and maybe Matt Ryan rebounding from last weeks loss for a huge comeback, (and a Miles Austin repeat of last week...), I think the only part of this battle worth watching will be which manager gets to cuddle with Queefy. My Pick: Sons of Anarchy to catch snippets of victory in-between T.V. cutouts.

The A Team vs. Team Hurricain:

Uh-Oh. We all knew this week would come... New England is on a BYE! That means half the A-Team is on a BYE too, and my best guess says that there will not be any roster-shifting to correct for this. This one isn't even worth discussing. My Pick: The A Team to be forced to forfeit because half the team didn't show up, giving Team Hurricain the win without his players even having get out of their warm-up gear.

Mr Horsey v. Air It Outtt:

I should start by saying I really want Mr. Horsey to win. Nothing would be better for me than having the No. 5 team knock the No. 2 team down a bit. Brian Westbrook got hurt last week, and while he'll probably play against NYG, I think that D. will get after him early and hard, and he won't be 100% either. Antonio Gates should do well against OAK, as should Boldin against Carolina. Nothing needs to be said about Brees. Rivers should do better against OAK than is currently projected, but on the flip side I did see OAK beat the Eagles a few weeks ago... We'll see. My Pick: Mr Horsey won't lead wire-to-wire, but I hope he wins by a nose.

M240 v. Raiderettes:

Andre Johnson didn't practice today with a lung contusion, and Hou. is apparently designing more and more plays with Slaton as a receiver. Im hoping this mitigates Johnson's production, even slightly. Romo is playing Seattle, which could be a big day out for him. Look for him to keep hitting Miles Austin... Matt Forte and Ronnie Brown are both solid backs, but on the flipside so are Peterson and Slaton, with the former OVERDUE for some big breakout runs. I've just picked up Shonn Greene of the Jets, who should be getting a lot more carries now that Leon Washington is out with a broken leg. I don't know which D to start, which QB, or how much I trust Maclin as an up-and-comer. This is going to be a close one I think. Once again, I don't feel exceptionally confident having lost Welker for a week to the BYE, but I'm hoping to come away with this. My Pick: M240

Week 7

2009-10-23T15:01:00.000-07:00

Looking Back:

Sons of Anarchy took a second straight loss to Mr. Horsey last week, which is good news for the Caballero, but potentially troubling for the Anarchists. That being said, Drew Brees' domination in the Giants game was a major factor for Mr. Horsey, as was Sons decision (which I heard considerable consternation surrounding) not to start Ray Rice. Hindsight is 20/20, but one can't be too judgmental. If last week showed me anything its that projected stats OFTEN MEAN NOTHING. The A Team, with an absentee owner and 2 unfilled starting spots almost defeated the well-coached Raiderettes. In doing so, they scored more than DOUBLE their projected total. Granted, games with a margin of victory north of 55 pts. are exceedingly rare, but in this same week Matt Hasselbeck scored less than 2 pts, while Wes Welker and Randy Moss both exceeded 30 pts. thanks to the misfortune that befell Tennessee. Projected points may let you feel confident during the week while you set your lineup and dream of an upcoming 8.7 point margin of victory over your opponent, but in reality I think last week proved that gut-feeling is worth at least as much as the Rotowire numbers.

I want to move on to the look forward, but I would also like to point out my narrow margin of victory over air it outtt last week. I was pretty sure I was going down against a very strong opponent, but i escaped. I've also learned my lesson. While its good to give your picks a few weeks to get going, players like Santana Moss, and Steve Smith (Car.), and T.O. need a serious second look.

Looking Forward:

Air it Outtt v. Raiderettes:

This one is tough to call as an inside source tells me Raiderettes isn't entirely set on its starting roster. As it stands, the Projected Stats favour Air it Outtt, but im not sure. I like Randy Moss against Tampa, Reggie Wayne against StL, and Vernon Davis in general. That said, I think New Orleans is due for a loss, and might have to throw more than hand it to Pierre Thomas. Also, Benson seems over-valued against Chicago. Its week 7, some of these teams are due... On the other side, I really like Brown against N.O. I think that game should be close, and I'm hoping that Miami comes out on top, to be honest. Jacobs is my favorite RB, but against Ari. I see New York exploiting the high yards-allowed situation by the Cardinals.

My Pick: These are two teams coached by true fans of the game, and this is tough to call. Lets go crazy... Ill call 2 straight losses for Air it Outtt. Raiderettes.

Mr. Horsey v. The A Team:

Mr. Horsey is playing the un-managed 'A Team', but according to the stat-rats, he has a game in his hooves. Both D's are predicted to OWN their opponents, and both teams are starting stud quarterbacks. I hope Boldin has a bad day out because they're playing the G-Men, and I think the projected stats are legit in this case. Fitzgerald and Breaston will get the majority of the grabs over the injured (Questionable) Boldin. On a second note, Mr Horsey needs to get rid of T.O. He's not performing. It was an OK idea when he was a F.A., but things have changed. There are lots of better W/R candidates. My Pick: Mr. Horsey because i'm hoping The A Team goes all Detroit '08 on us.

Sons of Anarchy v. Team Hurricain:

This is a matchup. Two RBs on bad teams going up against good teams. Two kickers slated to kick often and well. Its all tied up... I like Team Hurricain because I think Peyton does better than Warner against his little brother, and Collie has the potential to gain from that matchup too. That said, Addai should get a lot of touches IF Indy gets off to a huge lead at the half. Of course, StL is due, and sometimes the teams with the worse records can come out and get you... or they can lose another. I think Hurricain because I anticipate Sons' Defence to have a worse week against Pittsburgh than the statisticians. Big Ben (rarely) falls hard. My Pick: Sons of Anarchy to seek comfort in Indian desserts after taking a hard-fought loss to Team Hurricain

M240 v. DommyBear:

Statistically Im looking good. Schaub is leading the league in TD passes, and is going up against S.F. which has allowed >320 yds/game of offense. Combined with Slaton catching a bunch of those passes, and Peterson due for a breakout run, Im feeling OK. Not sure which Defence to start... How much do I trust the Giants? Jets have been disappointing but everyone is great against Oakland. Im thinking I let them have a go against Jamarcus Russell. That said, Dallas Clark should have a good week, and Michael Crabtree is an unknown entity. Could be great, could be horrible. My Pick: ME

Ending Thoughts:

This should be a good week for ActionKacton football. The standings are close, and the results have been often upsets and/or blowouts.

Also, we should work out some sort of beer-drinking, football viewing, stats-on-laptop-tracking Sunday in the weeks to come.

Good luck everyone!

Week 6

2009-10-13T20:29:00.000-07:00

Looking Back on week 5.

The most interesting thing that happened Week 5 was Sons of Anarchy having the perfect season bubble burst. Raiderettes beat them handily, opening the league wide open, although it is still relatively early.

It was also a week that showed me how fantasy points can have little to do with team points. I started Schaub at QB (Hou.), and nowone would have given Houston a chance to beat Warner and the Cardinals. However, he put up over 20 pts. and threw over 160yard in the 4th quarter alone... If a team has no defence, the QB has to throw... A LOT... and sometimes he completes those throws, even if the team loses in the end. On the flipside, I dropped Addai because he's a great RB, but Indy doesn't run. Hardly insightful comments, but this season has been good because its made me interested in watching games, and players, that I previously would have neither known nor cared about.

Looking ahead to Week 6:

The A Team v. Raiderettes:

Not much to say here... The A Team hasn't really shown up to play so far this season, sometimes leaving spots on the starting roster blank through game day, etc. From an outsider's perspective it seems a team heavily based on the Patriots, which might have worked well several years ago, but they are outclassed this year in most respects, which has been having bad repercussions for The A Team. That said, they're playing Tennessee the coming week, so they should have a good week out. Both Raiderettes and The A Team have BYE spots that have not yet been filled... too early to call this one without seeing who fills the spots in. My Pick: Raiderettes - if history tells us anything about The A Team not fielding 10 men on game day.

Sons of Anarchy v. Mr Horsey:

Looks to be close. Both teams are not starting their No. 1 picks at QB as of now, but its projected to be within 2 points. I like DeSean Jackson to have a good week at Oakland - McNabb is starting to show his stuff this season, and Oakland is just plain awful. Similarly, both Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald have a chance to beat up on the Seahawks (although id love to see them ignored in favour of Breaston...) My Pick: Mr Horsey - It just wouldn't be fair for him to fall 1-4, the damn league's named after him! Plus, if he becomes uninterested, he might just quit watching Sundays in favor of greener pastures. Get it together, Mr. Horsey... if you can handle a Moustachio situation, you can handle Sons of Anarchy.

DommyBear v. Team Hurricain:

Another situation with one team needing to fill the BYE slots. I think Maurice Jones-Drew's projected totals are high... Stl. is bad, but sometimes its the worst teams that you have to worry about... especially as it gets deeper into the season and they have something to prove. On the other hand, will they do well enough to force Jacksonville to rely on Garrard... someone who's only thrown 5 touchdowns this season and lost 4 fumbles? We'll see...

In fact, both QBs could end up handing the ball off too much to put up huge numbers... especially McNabb. Oakland secondary isn't as bad as the front-line, so the long-ball won't look as attractive as giving to Westbrook or throwing underneath... My Pick: DommyBear

M240 v. air it outtt:

Sad to say stats favour my opponent this week. Going to have to make some changes, but not sure how to approach this week... sometimes the numbers just aren't with you. That said, I can't root against myself. Heres hoping for 4-1.

ActionKacton-Week 4

2009-10-01T12:21:00.000-07:00

Looking Back

DommyBear lost to Air it Outtt, putting Air it Outtt at the top of the rankings, with a perfect record thru 2 weeks. Its hard to pinpoint a weakness in Air It Outtt. Rivers is 9 away from 1000 yards passing already, Darren Sproles has been getting lots of work with L.T. out, Pierre Thomas stepped up last week to make up for Brees' slightly disappointing outing... Altogether a solid team, with no injuries. Easy to understand why they lead.

Sons of Anarchy share a perfect record, again with solid players and no injuries. The One-Two punch of Kurt Warner completing to Larry Fitzgerald makes Sons an annoying team to play against, as I found out in Week 2. Just when you think your doing ok... a 40 yard touchdown pass bumps Gov's team up like a hundred points or something outrageous.

M240's Team beat Mr. Horsey handily, with Slaton and Moss finally coming out of their slumps. Wes Welker still isn't playing, but Steve Breaston was a fine substiture, even though they lost to Indy.

Raiderettes lost to Team Hurricain. I suspect this is because the Cowgirls quarterback is a sissy girl. Also, Hurricain has one of those lineups like Air it Outtt, solid throughout with no injuries.

Looking Ahead

DommyBear v. Raiderettes:

Tough to call as it stands now. DommyBear has no quarterback to field because of Bye-Weeks, which I take responsibility for. When i was drafting that team I picked Matt Ryan, and then worked off a requested players list from Dom for the 2nd pick, without checking the Bye situation. Hopefully he is in the process of picking someone up from waivers. Hard to call because the matchup will change depending on who Dom decides to field in place of his Bye players. He has a few solid choices on the bench. Raiderettes have the advantage this week in my opinion. Brandon Jacobs should have a good game against KC, and the Romo/Crayton situation could prove valuable. Any team with Jacobs and Forte sharing the backfield is one to watch. My Pick: Raiderettes

Sons of Anarchy v. Air it Outtt

The battle of the undefeated teams. When Air it Outtt subs Chi. defence in for golf-course bound Philly, the projected stats should be within a few points of each other.

Phillip Rivers is going up against a tough Pittsburgh defence, albeit one that has struggled in recent weeks. Pierre Thomas, likewise, is going to face the Jets Defence, which has allowed only 27 pts. in 3 games. Sons, on the other hand, have several players involved in the GB, Minn. game. It should be epic.

L.T. hopes to come back, possibly limiting Sproles. Thomas has to face NYJ, and Moss has to face tough Baltimore Defence. Its a hard call, but the matchups for the key players favour Sons of Anarchy. My Pick: Sons of Anarchy

Team Hurricain v. Mr. Horsey

Keith is in a tough spot here. Lots of players have BYEs this coming weekend. Kevin Smith is a game-time decision, possibly putting Mr. Horsey even farther up the creek in terms of filling his roster. Hurricain on the other hand has Peyton Manning playing Seattle. Let me repeat that. PEYTON MANNING gets to beat up on the Seahawks. The only thing to consider is that if they jump out ahead early, maybe Addai starts running more and Peyton throws less. Either way, itll be a good day out for the elder Manning. I hate to do it, but this week I think Mr. Horsey, through no fault of his own, might come up lame. My Pick: Team Hurricain to ride Mr. Horsey like its name was Riley.

M240 v. The A Team

I think I've got this. Gore is out due to injury, but A Team does have a deep reserve of RBs to put in. Best guess would be Fred Taylor, but he would be against Baltimore Def., not fun for any RB. In addition, Tomlinson might not even start, which would necessitate another RB swap, or a re-organization to include Lance Moore. Whatever happens, I like M240 to win this week. Peterson is expected to have a big game against GB, and Rodgers is expected to have a good game against Minnesota. Some favour GB, some Minn. I hope they're both right. Also, Santana Moss is going to TB, where even Jason Campbell and crew should be able to do some damage. Slaton is running into Oakland... My Pick: Me

Should be a good one.

Week 3 Fantasy Football

2009-09-24T13:44:00.000-07:00

Some reflections on the week past:

- Dom owned everyone on the amazing performances from Dallas Clark and Chris Johnson. I imagine these guys are going to remain a major factor for his team in the weeks to come.

- Despite picking Adrian Peterson and Aaron Rodgers, I finished dead-last with a sub-100 pt weekend. Starting Joseph Addai in the 4th WR/RB spot was a bad idea. Peyton is arguably the best quarter-back in the NFL, notwithstanding Drew Brees' exceptional start. The problem with Indy is that they THROW touchdowns, and THROW underneath in short-yardage situations. An Indy running-back in a Miami-hosted points-shootout just didn't allow me to beat Gov.

- The close game of the week was Raiderettes vs. Kacton's Horses, which was decided at the very end of Monday Night by less than 2 pts.

Looking Ahead:

(Dommy Bear v. Air it Outtt)

- Dommy Bears are estimated to take a loss by over 15 pts. to Air it Outtt, but with Dom's active week regarding waivers, etc. Im looking for him to have had some good reasons for his acquisitions. I see Randy Moss getting less catches if Wes Welker plays, which i suspect he will. Westbrook has also had some ankle-swelling issues and is likely to be listed as questionable going into the weekend. I imagine he plays, but I suspect that game will be closer than the projected outcome. With Indy potentially playing another 'Thru the Air' game this weekend at Arizona, I see Dallas Clark having another big day. My Pick: DOMMY BEAR

(Sons of Anarchy v. The A Team)

- Gov's Sons of Anarchy go into this weekend HEAVILY FAVOURED over The A Team. The A Team is hampered by LaDainian Tomlinson's limited return behind Darren Sproles, and Marion Barber's quad injury. Barber is going to be a limited factor this weekend. I like Kurt Warner for Sons of Anarchy because against Indy its going to be a high-scoring, thru-the-air affair. The one-two punch with Fitzgerald will pay dividends for Gov. My Pick: SONS OF ANARCHY

(Raiderettes v. Team Hurricain)

- Raiderettes v. Team Hurricain currently is looking like a one-sided affair with 2 Raiderette

players (both receivers) in a sub-par state. That being said, i expect come game day they will either be better, or they will be benched. Hurricain has Steve Smith of the NYG, and I have tremendous faith in this guy following the Home-Opener in Dallas when the Giants went to Jerry-world and put the cowboys in their place. To be fair, Im a Giants fan so i hate the cowboys, but that being said, a lot of questions re. the Giants' receivers' suitability have been answered in my mind, at least for the time being. I myself picked up Manningham, and I expect, with Hakeem Nicks still out, Smith and Manningham are going to be Eli's targets... and I think he's going to hit them. That being said, Brandon Jacobs is going to be a factor this weekend against TB. As things stand, I think Hurricain has it, but given the almost assured line-up shifting that will happen for Raiderettes, this one will be close. My Pick: MY GUESS IS AS GOOD AS YOURS

And now I have wasted as much time as I reasonably can to put off my HW... By providing uneducated pontification about a Fantasy Football League.

Don't agree with my assessment? Have a comment? Wanna make a pick for the week? FEEL FREE TO LEAVE A COMMENT! I know we're all becoming way too invested in this for our own good (and the good of our schooling, employment, relationships etc.) so I wanted to open up one more avenue of involvement with the ActionKacton League.

-M240

Fantasy Football Draft

2009-09-18T09:13:00.000-07:00

It pays to be the commissioner I guess. Here is the lineup:

QB	Aaron Rodgers
WR	Wes Welker
WR	Vincent Jackson
WR	Santana Moss
RB	Adrian Peterson
RB	Steve Slaton
TE	Tony Gonzalez
W/R	Joseph Addai
K	Rob Bironas
DEF	New York

Running Backs:

- Joseph Addai was in retrospect a strange choice at least insofar as I never really had any opinion of him personally. Also he plays on a team with Peyton Manning at the QB spot, so im not sure how many carries he will be getting. Adrian Peterson was obviously my Round One, Pick One choice, and he's the number one player in all of Fantasy Football. Ive already had a trade offer for Brandon Jacobs and Ronnie Busch in exchange for Peterson, but my whole draft strategy was based around that number-one spot, so i think if anyone will be with me the whole season, its Peterson. One guy who is a big question-mark for me is Steve Slaton. I've heard a lot of talk about him, and he had a great season last year, but he also had a disappointing start last week- Not that I take speculation that he's "lost his edge" and will have a bad season to mean anything at all after one week of play. I hope he'll have a strong season, because based on last year, starting Adrian Peterson and Steve Slaton at RB would have been amazing.

QuarterBack:

- Again, Aaron Rodgers was an easy choice. I was also live-drafting for my buddy's team and his second pick came before my second (because i picked first.) So he got Brees and I got Rodgers. Im pretty happy with both choices.

Wide Recievers:

- Wes Welker, Vincent Jackson and Santana Moss. Welker was a pick based on ranking, because I dont know anything about him. I liked Vincent Jackson last season, and I think he'll be a strong pick, especially given that there seems to be some speculation that LaDainian Tomlinson was overvalued in the Rankings. He's healthy right now, but a number of injuries last year, and that fact that he's turning 30 seem to point to a potential for issues. Given that, I hope SD will be looking to the air often, and I think they will be looking at Vincent Jackson. I'm a Giants fan and so I don't like the Redskins... but Santana Moss is a very good receiver and so hopefully in the weeks when they aren't facing the Giants Jason Campbell and he can connect. Thinking of it, in the weeks they are facing the Giants I guess it'll be a moot point anyways, as I expect Campbell to spend a lot of time trying to run away from Osi and Tuck.

TE:

- Tony Gonzalez. What can I say. Kevin Boss on the bench for Gonzalez' BYE week. Im happy.

- Bironas. Great Kicker. Not much more to say.

DEF:

- New York Giants! The Number-One (in Fantasyland, anyways) ranked defence was not my last pick, as perhaps would be the normal strategy. Given that it was only an 8-team draft, and with the order being what it was, I had filled my positions with top players with only the Option Spot (WR/RB) slot remaining, and the kicker. Instead of filling the bench with 3rd or worse string RBs or Receivers, I took a risk, hoping to rely on the excellent QB and RB picks, and picked my Giants defence "early". Even if I lose the pool because of it, it'll be worth my $20, because I already get pretty damned excited when the Giants force a turnover, and now that they are MY defence as well as my team? It should be madness...

2009-09-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

Just a quick entry. Played golf a few times in San Diego. Couldn't replicate my 89 that i shot last year at The Vineyard. Did have a breakthrough in the swing department though. I started standing closer to the ball... lets me have a nice downward impact on the iron shots, and on the fairway woods its a much more controlled shot. Bought a 60 Deg. CG10 that was on sale from a place called Golf Galaxy, as well as a nice Callaway bag. Also came into a TaylorMade Burner 5-wood that I really like.

Played Bighorn in Palm Desert. It was hot, and I by no means managed a good score (106), but I actually felt like I played pretty well. And, the worst day playing golf at a place like Bighorn is better than just about anything else! I even put on my golf shoes next to Arnold Palmer's locker!!!

Golf at Shuksan

2009-08-17T20:53:00.001-07:00

Brief update about playing down in Washington on Sat: Broke my 5-wood in half (at a loss how... just pulled it out of the bag on one of the holes to find it in 2 pieces). Also, hit a great shot on the ninth hole over a pond... onto the wrong green. How i didn't realize which green was which is beyond me. Finally, hit a 315 yard drive! Followed it up with a couple right at around 300, so all in all I was happy with that aspect of my game. I also bought a putting matt with ball return so I can hopefully hit hundreds of putts and maybe, finally, start to improve.

Eagle!

2009-08-14T19:47:00.001-07:00

So i played last night with the new wedge. Didn't shoot as well as I'd hoped, although i feel that had a lot to do with using the new club for every shot i possibly could (even when the lie, etc. didn't suit it) and also not really understanding that you have to hit it much more authoritatively to get the ball to pop up in the air versus just go 3 ft. On a positive note, however, I chipped in on a par 4 for an Eagle! My first one in nearly 10 years of golf, and I must say it felt pretty great! Ill be heading down to Bellingham tomorrow with a couple of friends to play a round at Shuksan, and ill hopefully have a few things to discuss after that round as well.

Finally going to try the CG12!

2009-08-13T16:04:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorms this morning in Vancouver. Wasn't looking very promising to get out and play golf today, but i think it will be nice enough. I cant wait to give the new wedge a try!

On another golf-related note, i signed up for oobgolf.com today. It's a (free) website where you create a profile, and then can enter your scores, update the equipment in your bag, review courses, read golf-related comments etc. Also, it calculates your handicap, GIRs, success with a given club, success with different clubs in the bag... and on and on. It seems to have a wealth of statistics to review after your round, and you can also become friends with other members, review their scores... I managed to find three scorecards in my bag and so i entered them. It says I have a handicap of 21.9, which seems optimistic, although I did break 90 once last summer playing with Uncle Joe in California. That being said, sometimes I have trouble breaking 90 on a par 60... I also downloaded an iPhone app called smartscorecard that is free and interfaces with Oobgolf on the fly, acting as a scorecard app and also providing real-time stats. Im going to give it a try today, but it might prove to be more of a distraction than anything else.

First Post in a while

2009-08-05T15:45:00.001-07:00

Just want to post a quick entry saying that I'll be getting back into this, at least I hope to. Just waiting to go collect my car after having a catastrophic A/C failure repaired... thankfully under warranty. I think between the diagnosis and labour alone its been something like 16 hours... and then there are the parts...

Been playing a lot of golf this summer. It seems that every summer is the summer of something, and for me, this year, that something was golf. My buddy and I have been getting out a few times a week on average, almost always at Executive courses like Mylora or Musqueam (Musqueum?), although last weekend we played a new place called Country Meadows. I had an inauspicious start by sending it sailing to the left, and then taking three shots to get out of the rough... although in my defence the 'rough' was actually more like 'the marsh.' We had an enjoyable round, but with the fast greens i was having a really hard time getting the ball to check-up if i hit it on with a wedge. So naturally i ran right out afterwards and bought a new, higher-loft wedge. I went with a Cleveland CG12 from Golftown with the rust finish. Haven't got out to the course with it yet... can't wait!

I expect to have another entry with impressions from the course, although my golfing buddy seems to have a growing workload, so it might be a while.

Feast of the Goat

2008-04-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Just listening to the Ricky Gervais Show podcast and thought id do a bit of blogging to try to catch up. I dont really feel like a bad person because ive been doing the whole Wiki thing, but it has been a while since ive been on here.

This book is probably my favorite. Ive not finished it yet, but the normal plot-line is a welcome change. Also, as was mentioned in class, I feel the book has a very cinematic quality to it. I watched City of God last weekend (brilliant on a highdef TV- such amazing filming), and I could definitely see how this story could be a cool spanish-language movie with lots of violence and sex and crazy music.

I wonder what is going to happen when Trujillo gets killed. Something terrible apparently, and im also starting to wonder if Urania is somehow involved... given her issues regarding men etc. Im not convinced, but it seems that a major part of Latin American dictatorships involves punished people who arent involved...

Im also interested in this Simon Gittelman character. I saw Charlie Wilson's War over the xmas break (and was a bit disappointed... it was a weird mix of seriousness, but lacked the violence and intensity of a compelling war movie...) and Gittelman really reminded me of those characters who were financing wars in oppressed countries, but were tightly connected with the US government as well. Now that i think about it, a brief aside. In Lord of War the character is an arms dealer and it says its based on a true story, which i figured was either not true or true in the loosest sense of the word. Not the case! a few weeks ago the real-life inspiration was arrested and "Merchant of Death" escapades were very much the same as in the movie.

This is a very uninspired blog... Its odd because i have more to say when i don't like the book... this is just an entertaining read, although i find Urania to be a boring character. As are the conspirators... the Trujillo partition is very engaging though. I watch Judge Joe Brown and Cops religiously and i work at a rubbish removal company in the summer... i was told this week by my good friend that im fascinated with degeneracy... might be so. Maybe thats why im finding the dictators life the most interesting?

Part 2 (less animals)

2008-03-17T20:43:00.001-07:00

I've just written a few sentences explaining why im writing this entry rather early in the night, but ive realized it really isn't very interesting, so i deleted them. And now i've explained all that, so all the worse.

I had some music on, "Stick like Bolts" by The Perks (a local Vancouver band which i've just had the pleasure of discovering)... but as good as it is, its not very good for blogging to. Too... I dunno, just not Bolivarist enough i guess. Check it out if you get the chance though, its not too shabby at all for those (rare) times in your lives when you aren't blogging about SpanLit.

Now to the book. In this second half, i must have a dozen pages earmarked for looking back on, and i also had the hiliter out to get the passages down.

I find parts of this book quite funny. Apparently Facundo was funny, but i didn't really see it.

Earmark one: On page 99, Bolivar is inquiring about the girl he heard (he thinks) and upon being told theres no girls worthy of him, he asks "and how about any unworthy of my excellency." Its subtle, but i laughed, because it seems as though despite the failing body, he has a... playful?... (some sort of word that has more literary 'oomph' than 'Horny'?)?

Earmark 2: On page 105 there is a bit about mothers being more afraid of exposing there children to the cure than to the contagion. The whole thing just reminded me of how last month i learned the origin on the terms "hair of the dog"... drinking to cure a hangover. Well, apparently in mid-evil (or medieval?- I was always under the impression it was the former until recently... not sure if i'm wrong or just being deceived by evil-apologists) times the supposed cure for a dog bite was to put some of the hair from that dog on the cut. But, of course, the dogs were only a bit cleaner than the people, and so the cuts got infected and a lot of people got sick and died... --- I believe this to be true with regards to the drinking while hungover, however, two things. One, beer mixed with orange juice is good any time of the day, but is best served in the morning. And two, any beers you do drink before coming to class should be "casuals" (you know, the type that don't count towards your total number.)

Earmark 3: page 110: There are actually a lot more earmarks, each with a complete thought i had while reading the book, but I don't have the space here really to delve too deep, or to include them all. A simple thought on the part where he eats all the oranges or guavas or whatever... It just follows my thoughts on his body letting him down. Here he is, so excited and into the eating that he gorges himself... and then he gets to spend the next few hours emitting "fragrant farts". No wonder he hardly eats.

The General and his Vicunas

2008-03-10T21:19:00.000-07:00

Before i even begin i'll preface this entry with the fact that i've only read 11 pages so far. I sat down to read the first half of the book (which is small and has big words, instead of is big and has small words-that-are-sometimes-doubled-up-to-cram-twice-as-many-together), and was immediately drawn into this book. I really like it, all 11 pages of it. So i wanted to write a brief post, to by followed later by a more substantial one, still on the first half though.

First of all, they mention the Vicuna poncho. In truth this was what made me want to blog so early... I like watching nature shows and i watched one about animals in Southern Chile and near the Atacama desert etc. One of the animals that was on the show was the Vicuna, which is like a llama. Also, the guanaco. There are also penguins... never thought you'd find penguins next to the driest place on earth, hmm?

Also, in a more literary sense, the writing seems more modern and... peppy? I dunno, thats a weak word I suppose, but im liking how the characters are vividly described, as is what they do. The General's ablutions... the effort to keep his bath just the right temperature, etc. The description on the back of the book jacket seems almost like the journey down the river in Apocalypse Now... Im very much looking forward to it.

Second "Half" of I The Supreme

2008-03-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

In all honesty for the past week I hadn't touched the book, instead choosing to relish the thrill that is being one of the infamous "bad people out there." But, my inner law abiding self has triumphed, and so I will move to being a good person for at least a few days, since i suppose this means I will have to start reading yet another book and for Tuesday. Anyways, here goes...

IT IS WITH REGRET THAT I INFORM ALL WHO READ THIS POSTING THAT I HAVE FINISHED READING THIS BOOK... AND I DO NOT LIKE IT.

Too bad the blogger program doesn't have handwriting font, I wanted a cheap shot at a similarity with the

opening of this book... because, like the writing on the wall, THIS BOOK ALMOST KILLED ME. I would sit

and stare at it, knowing i had hundreds of pages to go and I was already behind and it wouldn't read itself...

and then i would crack a beer and watch Kitchen Nightmares instead. I had mentioned the enormity of my task to my

girlfriend's dad, who is an english teacher at UBC and is also named Jon, and he suggested that if worst came to worst i might

want to skip a section in the middle and read the ending and try to piece it together. Given the name-based credibility

he had, i figured i'd try. So i skipped a section and came upon the page where The Supreme, I believe (damn missing punctuation)

is telling of how Solomon used to sleep with concubines and torture them and hold their eyeballs etc. (which rather reminded me of Facundo, but i've said enough about that book as well)

So... I sense a theme amongst dictators...

I continued to read and came upon the section where the Supreme talks about Pilar the Black. He is a slave/servant from what i understand,

yet El Supremo speaks with a kind of respect for his abilities, and clearly this man is at least as intimately involved

in his life as is Patino. It also made me think of the bad treatment Patino would get near the very end...

Then there is the relaying of the story where Pilar steals his uniform and goes crazy, and the guards

don't know who to listen to, because they seem to mistake the Supreme for Pilar (with his voice) and Pilar for the supreme.

This is interesting to me because it reminds me of something i spoke of in an earlier blog, or at least meant to. The fascination

of these tin-pot dictatorships with pomp and ceremony and elaborate shoulder-padded uniforms with gold braiding and brass buckles etc.

Its almost as though, without his uniform, The Supreme is nothing. The very title is revealed to be ridiculous as well..

It reminds one of a child who has climbed a hill and declares himself The King of the Castle...and he is certainly The King, regardless of his ability to do the Job compared to the others...

but as soon as he leaves that hill

He is exactly the same as the others...

I apologize for the bizarre formatting... it just happened. I feel doubly-bad because we've all just gone through reading a bizarrely formatter book... and here I am making you do it again. I actually have just here figured it out I think... but i cant seem to get the rest to re-format. Anyways, your patience is appreciated, and i promise a more punctual, and I HOPE I HOPE I HOPE more interesting entry next week.

ps. Sorry Jon, I really wanted to love this book... if only to ingratiate myself to you so that at the next "Men named Jon meeting" you might talk me up.

First Half of "I, The Supreme" aka. "The coffee stain"

2008-03-03T20:03:00.000-08:00

Two brief administration points. First, i feel bad because i was a big hypocrite after getting annoyed at the lack of blogs by a late hour the night before they were due. Im about a week overdue here. I barely even started the book before this weekend. Which brings me to my second little anecdote. In class on thurs. i spilled coffee on my book, right along the bottom edge, and it left a stain on pretty much exactly the first half of the book. So, all weekend, as i was figuratively trudging through the viscous words that are "Yo el supremo", i kept checking back to see how much of the stain i'd worked through. Finally, just now, i looked down and realized i was a good 40 pages past the end of it! Well done me! Which leads me to my first substantive observation about this book...

It took me about 175 pages before i even began to be interested in continuing to try to discover what makes this book "The best book in latin american literature." And I am in no way convinced. So far i would say i've enjoyed this book far less than the president... or Facundo for that matter. I dont feel ive given authors enough credit up til this point for including basic punctuation. And for omitting the constant use of made-up words. And for changing settings. And for using punctuation. Ive said this twice because its at least twice as annoying as any other problem im having with this book. Or have had until p. 175 or thereabouts.

Now, im torn because part of me feels like I should qualify my issues with the first bit of the book by saying "I didnt see the merits, BUT..." More learned people than I have stated quite forcefully that this is, after all, The Greatest Book in Latin American Literature... But im just not seeing it so far. It is certainly an impressive feat of writing, if for no other reason than im having trouble READING it... I can't imagine writing 433 pages in this style- everytime you would get up to take a break or get a drink you would come back and look at an endless stream of discussion... how do you get back into the flow? Maybe this is the greatest book because great things are difficult to make?

Despite my not having been bowled over by this novel so far, i did dog-ear a few pages that i wanted to talk about, so ill mention a few. On page 70 The Supreme describes being put to sleep by the French-Catalan prisoner's stories. But the story of the "he-goat... attack[ing] the sex (which, ive learned, is a euphemism) of the universe." And talk of "the din of his battering-ram (another euphemism), the clamor of his orgasm..." Such is the bedtime story fit for a dictator. Bizarre.

The Supreme returns again and again to sexual imagery, but (so far) has no contact with women that i can tell. I was under the impression that an integral part of being a dictator was, well, dictating your way into your poor subjects pants-(or punching them in the face, a la Facundo). Maybe he asked his herbalist and was told he was not fit for sexual activity?

One last thing... when Patino and El Supremo... F*** the page together... I didn't really know they used that particular phrase back then. Although in cowboy movies I guess they do, like Deadwood... but I wondered then same thing about that... such a bizarre mix of shakespeare and cursing.

Now im off to pour a G&T down the other side of the book and then try to read past it.

2008-02-04T23:01:00.000-08:00

Having just clicked on 7 random peoples blogs and found not one response on the last half of The President (and i thought i was leaving it a bit late)... Ive given up for tonite.... and i SHANT be getting up early to respond tomorrow morning either. Have to try again tomorrow evening.

Last half of The President

2008-02-04T22:37:00.000-08:00

Just finished the book. It really started to draw me in for the second half. I wrote last time about being frustrated by the intricacies and use of 'poetic' language, which did persist throughout the book, but i read the second half essentially without putting it down. Several things really struck me:

First: I don't find myself easily offended by material i read or watch- ive never met a show with nudity, violence, and adult material that I felt glad to have been warned about. But... this book at times made me feel like I shouldn't be reading it. I had been slightly lagging during my last post, and hadn't read the whorehouse chapter yet. Nor, obviously, had i read the latter accounts of the people in prison... most notably the imprisonment of Angel Face himself... or rather "prisoner no.17". I found myself, when reading the accounts of the torture visited upon the various people... moved? scared? disgusted? disturbed? Maybe all of the above, to a greater or lesser extent. While it undoubtedly adds to the book... aiding it to its Nobel-Prize place in literature... i found it at times to be plainly unpleasant. Given a choice i wouldn't have continued reading, because why would i knowingly subject myself to material that i find unpleasant? --- When i started this paragraph that was all i intended to say on the matter, but just now something has struck me that seems worth putting in: I wanted to put down the book... to escape from the reality this book put forward. I could do that. And im just READING about this stuff. For the people who lived, and live today in regimes like this... I guess i can see why this book is thought to be so powerful.

Second: A continuation on the theme of escape for the people. Something that began in the first chapters and certainly continued was the rampant alcoholism throughout the population... and especially those charged with doing the dirty deeds. The jury was drunk at Carvajal's trial, and gave him the death penalty. The executioners and guards were drunk at the time... The President gets raving-drunk when he meet with Angel Face... I believe people can be evil. There are some people who aren't victims of circumstance or influence... they are simply, inexcusably evil. But these people are few. And certainly the number of people doing bad things to each other in this "fictional" city/state is too great for them to all be evil. I would guess there is a part in most of them that knows what they are doing is wrong, but is done to keep them as secure as they can be... at least for the moment. The booze must be the only way they can live with themselves...

In closing, I've revised my initial assessment... I do like this book better then Facundo, perhaps for the same reason that disturbing accounts on the news, unpleasant as they may be, do more to stimulate thought than a 4 hour documentary on Argentine geography. If it bleeds it leads, to borrow a phrase. This book was unpleasant at times, but now i'm sitting here thinking about a group of people who i never would have bothered with before, even if they are "fictional."

First Part of The President

2008-01-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

I'm torn about this book so far. On the one hand, its different from Facundo, and that certainly can't be a bad thing, right? On the other hand, the bizarre language (the repetition of made-up syllables) and the theatrical quality to the dialogue makes it seem, well, a bit like a play, at points anyways. And to be honest ive never been one for plays, watching or reading. Which is why, strangely, i actually wish id spent the last few hours reading a more factual book like Facundo, which, while drier and more technical, always left me feeling as though id learned something. For whatever reason thats always been my issue with fiction: it didn't happen. My dad used to avidly read the Ann Rule true crime novels, and when i asked him why, he basically told me that its so much more involving and, well, upsetting, given that it actually happened. Might be why i tend to prefer non-fiction historical type books. Nevertheless, after i got into it a bit more, The President started to get better.

At the beginning, and possibly due to the mood i was in when i started, i found it hard to keep track of exactly what was going on... I imagine the author intended for the scheme to reveal itself as the book went on, and to his credit, after about 100-120 pages it started to become clearer to me, which has since made reading this book much more enjoyable.

I found the description of the street people at the beginning to be interesting, since for some reason i imagined Latin American dictatorships to have immaculate cities, with the destitute forced out. Im not sure why i made this assumption, knowing as i do little to nothing about the topic, but I suppose it might have something to do with the pomp and circumstance of the military displays that always feature prominently in any (fictional) movie on the subject.

Once again, Ill digress and just mention a favorite quote...

I've just spent 15 minutes looking for it and i can't seem to remember where is was. It was something along the lines of someone being "full of wind from the drink"... I need to use my time more wisely i feel... and yes, i have the sense of humor of a 10 year old.

Second Half of Facundo

2008-01-21T22:51:00.000-08:00

Again I ran into a minor hiccup when i tried to read the second half of the book. I'd left it til today for a number of football-playoff related reasons, and i wanted to get through the last 150pages or so at a decent pace. But i just couldn't do it. Personally i have a great interest in history, especially of the military variety, and Sarmiento's style of writing the "Society at War" chapters was just too detailed and involving to gloss over. I found myself reading every word carefully, and trying to keep track of the different generals and names, even re-reading some passages and flipping back at times to remember what had gone on. The only real downside i can see of this style is that these chapters lack, at times, the clear message that Facundo is a brutal Gaucho. That element is certainly there, but the discussion of the firing squads and the ransoming of civilians for war-chest funds exists in the framework of a long story about a convoluted civil war. Which brings me to the next thing I noticed...

Facundo is a coward! We discussed in class the fact that he had needed his friends to overpower the tiger that had him up a tree, and only then could he delight in taking his vengeance. I thought this might come up later in the book and it has. Facundo doesn't kill his own enemies, at least not in the majority of cases. When he suffers some affront, he usually calls for a firing squad... which makes no sense in the case of most of these issues. I would have expected the Gaucho to continue to delight in settling his difference mano a mano with his knife, but it seems that he's moved to a more... efficient type of violence. Similarly, whereas earlier in the story Facundo cuts off a woman's ear for some minor offense, as he gains power it seems he uses his aides to assault women. The part where he has them try to hold her down just doesn't ring true, this guy is a true force to be reckoned with... but needs his buddies to overpower a princess? Finally, even on the battlefield he is described on page. 131 as absent when his men win the big victory (in fact, things weren't going well when Facundo was there... and the tide turned after he ran away... only to return to kill some defenseless enemy and claim the victory (the tiger story:redux, anyone?)).

In another way, Facundo can be seen as brutal, but not noble or brave. He repeatedly disregards the European, gentlemanly way that wars should be fought. Or more specifically, he doesnt adhere to the rules of war, for example when he kills someone under the flag of truce.

Ive taken a whole page of various snippets i found interesting in this second half, including some about Facundo's manufacture of support through a sort of domino effect started by fear; his focus on monetary gain that never came from out-and-out theft; and when Sarmiento says that it isnt really Facundo's fault... he's just a gaucho who cant control himself and doesnt know any better (p.175 at the bottom). Given the need for brevity, Ill just mention two small items that stuck with me. The first was on p. 164 when Sarmiento describes how Rosas, Pavon, and Lopez would "[get] on their horses every morning and [ride] out to be gauchos on the pampas." I thought this was a great contrast in that it made brutal men sound like children again, playing at being cowboys. And finally, on a less serious note i loved the quote about the nature of some women on page 156: "A beautiful woman will often trade a bit of her own dishonor for a bit of the glory surrounding a celebrated man." - brilliant, and still true today, i feel.

First 5 of Facundo

2008-01-13T19:49:00.000-08:00

Not being entirely sure of how to write this i made the mistake of trying to remember details from the very beginning. Big mistake! The geography information, while interesting, makes the first chapter read much more like a non-fiction history book than what is, I suppose, a fictional (but based on real life...?) story. One thing that did really strike me was the romanticism that went along with Sarmiento's description of the life of the gauchos. Although it isnt obvious at first, the repeated discussion about gauchos, and their flaws, turns out to be important in trying to understand Facundo. Also, the fact that he (the author) describes in great detail a number of different types of gaucho serves to explain Facundo better. The Rastreador (the tracker) is especially impressive. Of all the sorts of gaucho, he seems to be the only purely "good", or at least "neutral", type. The Baqueano seems more warlike, although the fact that Sarmiento discusses a particular Baqueano fighting Rosas leads me to believe that Baqueanos cant be all bad. Back to the romanticism though...

In the first chapter the author mentions the life of the wagoneers "traversing the Pampas." He writes of the constant state of privation that they, and all the rural people, live in. I suppose romanticism is the wrong word. My mind drifted at times to images of cowboys in the American (North- interesting that the author uses "America" to describe South America") West. Although, i suppose also the images I came up with are considerably more romanticized than was actually the case. And, that even the reality of the American West was...nicer?... than what Sarmiento describes as the state of the Argentine lands.

That i kept drifting mentally thousands of miles North can be blamed on a few things. First, the writing is elaborate and flowery. This could be the result of translation from Spanish to English. I know that if you type in something like "I like to eat bread" into a translator from english to spanish, and then you do the result back to english... you get "i have taste to eat the bread." Now im in no way suggesting that professional translators don't have the sense to translate meanings as best they can, but obviously anytime you go from one language to another there is going to be interpretational decisions made. The more likely culprit, however, is the writer. When the class brainstormed the image of the writer, I wasn't the only one who thought he seemed a bit self-important. He wasnt forced to leave by the government... he was "pitifully exiled", and in his exile he wasn't going to write about what he thought, but rather intended "to make the rays of light of [Chile's] press project over to the other side of the Andes."

The last thing i'll mention was the description of the violent life of Facundo. Now, i cant help but feel the stories are embellished. Surely he didnt cut off his lovers ears over a wedding gift? Or kill a judge because he lost a bet? For some reason a book i read called "Killing Pablo"by Mark Bowden came to mind, which is basically about the attempts to capture, and finally kill, Pablo Escobar. The descriptions of the killings done by Escobar's men over seemingly tiny disagreements or infractions strike me as similar to the life of the bad gaucho (Facundo.)

Test Post

2008-01-13T17:44:00.000-08:00

Just a test post. Thoughts on the first 5 to follow.