Welcome Home, Thanks for the Free Bike!

Black Beauty

I spent the last year living just outside the most bike-stealingest city I can imagine, but I had to come all the way home to sleepy Austin Texas to become a victim of cycle thievery, myself.

Last week I finally took the time to write out the details of my employment exile in New Jersey. It was great to read all the feedback from friends who appreciated the sentimental story of sacrifice and family reunion. I thank you all...but sadly I have no such happy tale to tell you this time.

Finally Home With No Plane to Catch

What man WOULDN'T be beaming??

While a rare biblical-level storm pours down on my beloved hometown of Austin Texas tonight, I'm wrapping up an amazing week in which love has rained down on me like a flood. For the first time in almost a year, I'm home living it up with my family, without having to worry about a plane to catch.


July 2011 to July 2012 was one of the most challenging and unstable years of my life. After a few things went haywire with my job situation last summer, I headed to New Jersey for a three-month freelance gig that ended up stretching to eleven months plus. Though I was blessed with some great rewards professionally, the personal sacrifices I had to make felt just plain dumb.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Final Report

The last ball has been kicked in Kiev, and the biggest question in world soccer has evolved from "Who will be European Champion?" to "Is Spain the greatest dynasty in the history of the sport?"


There are of course a few other answers out there still to search for: What was Jogi Loew thinking? Who the hell is Jordi Alba?? And why did it take me a week to finish this final writeup???

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Semi #2 Roundup

When Mezut Ozil stepped up and banged home a penalty kick in the 94th minute of the second semifinal of Euro 2012, no one watching, save for possibly GiGi Buffon, thought the gifted goal would actually lead to a change in the match's end result.

But while it may've been too little, too late for Germany, Ozil's conversion from the spot went a long way towards shaping the final standings on our fantasy leaderboard.

Besides just the big points to Ozil himself, the goal erased clean sheet bonuses that the Italian defense had seemed destined  to earn most of the day. Even though most of Mezut's owners in contention lost those bonuses along with everyone else, they more than made up for it with a big chunk of MID Goal points all to themselves.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Semi #1 Roundup

Euro 2012 has seen 311 minutes of pitch time since Xabi Alonso did Spain right with an unmarked header that gave new definition to the idea of "open play." Since then the only kicks that have found the back of the net have come from the penalty spot. 


Amazingly though, two straight goalless draws have produced the two highest fantasy scoring outputs of the tournament. 

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Qtr #4 Roundup

The last Quarterfinal of Euro 2012 gave us the most exciting Nil-Nil draw I've seen in quite a while, even if the English attack eventually lost steam and the air of Italian inevitability took over once it went to the penalty shootout (even if "some people" were dumb enough to predict the exact opposite).


But for our purposes, the game was more than just a good soccer match. Even though the ball never hit the back of the net (at least not without the flag going up), extra time and clean sheet bonuses turned this one into a fantasy bonanza.

Euro 2012 Diary, Quarterfinals #3 & #4 - Quick Picks

You didn't really think these guys were beating the Champs, did you?

Real life issues kept me from actually writing up my Spain/France pick before the game yesterday, but ask any of my friends, I was all over Spain.


I actually found it funny to read more than one "France is a sneaky upset pick" preview columns in the days leading up to this one. I mean, you watched the France-Sweden match, right?

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Qtr #3 Roundup

The action on the pitch in Quarterfinal #3 of Euro 2012 was mostly hypnotizing, but peppered with a few brief flashes of action that at least made you feel like you'd actually just watched a world class win-or-go-home soccer match.

But with the only goals coming from a player owned by no one in our pool, the game could hardly have been duller from a fantasy perspective. Muchas puntos extras created by Spain's third straight clean sheet may've made this the highest scoring day of the Knockout so far, but they sure as shit didn't shake up the standings much at all.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Qtr #2 Roundup

Well, Gentlemen, we officially have a fight on our hands. After more than a week of running away from the field, Andrew L. finally gave back major ground today. 


Back on Day 9 of the Group Stage, I focused my recap on the contrast between a lot of high scores and a lot of low ones. But that was nothing. Today the same theme played out even stronger, with several contenders taking goose eggs on the day and others scraping for a single, solitary point. Meanwhile a few people rode big gains to reshape their destinies in this pool.

Euro 2012 Diary, Quarterfinal #2 - Quick Pick

This isn't weird....right?

Well the off day midweek must've lulled me to sleep, I forgot to actually post my pick for the first quarterfinal before the match....but guess what, my prediction was Portugal 2-0!  That perfect pick helped make up for an ugly end to the Group stage, where I was way off in picking the French and Ukrainians as winners.  

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Qtr #1 Roundup

For those like me who are conflicted about the ambivalent nature of their mixed feelings toward Cristiano Ronaldo, the first game of the Euro 2012 Knockout round dished out a generous slice of cake then let us take a big old bite.

Ronaldo's performance vs. the Czechs came flavored with all his classic attitudes, emotions, and abilities. Early, it was petulance dashed with determination topped off with a bit of blubbering disbelief. Later, strong notes of savage brilliance, and a tiny sprinkle of raw, honest patriotism, all served up with a sauce of brittle arrogance, unable to forget for even one single moment that most of the world still thinks Messi is better.

Why I Finally Bought a Walking Dead Comic Today After Downloading 98 Issues

Over the last year I've become a ravenous fan of all things Walking Dead.  But the way I go about consuming the content, both in TV and comic book form, probably wouldn't leave its creators or sponsors too thrilled.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 12 Roundup

Day 11 wrapped up Euro 2012's Group stage in style. It featured a happy hello for Rooney, a fizzling farewell to Sheva, a doubled disappearance by Evra, and a wild where-the-hell-did-that-come-from by Larsson. 


For 48 minutes, I even got to entertain the idea of France making yet another early exit from a big tourney, which would've satisfied my anti-Gallic inclinations while also giving a tiny boost to my chances of somehow, some way climbing into the Top 20 of my own pool.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 12 - Quick Picks

Alright, my first day going 2 for 2!  I'm not out of this thing yet! (And by "this thing" I mean a barely respectable .500 record). 

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 11 Roundup

With no one player really standing out from the pack (Pirlo, Cassano, and Iniesta all tied for top daily scorer with a mere 7 points), Day 11 was all about small, subtle storylines. 

Of course, every tiny edge you can get on the stat sheet counts, and enough little edges put together will pay off big - as evidenced by the pool's increasingly dominant top dog, Andrew L.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 11 - Quick Picks

These two have been much more on target than my picks

I've been slipping with posting my picks with regularity, so let's get caught up:

 

Today's Picks:

-Spain 3-1 over Croatia

-Italy 2-0 over Ireland

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 10 Roundup

From the moment the balls were drawn in Warsaw last winter, they called it the Group of Death. And when it came to the action on the pitch, they couldn't have been more correct - even the mighty Germans could never be assured of advancing until they scored in the 260th of the 270 minutes the Group Stage contains.

But gambling doesn't always imitate life, and for fantasy purposes, Group B will likely end up as the liveliest of all.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 9 Roundup

In a day of extreme tension on the pitches of Group A, the fantasy scoresheet featured a few standout performances matched against lots of low numbers.


The top echelon of the Leaderboard is shoring up position, with owners trading a few spots back and forth here and there, and bracing to see which players they'll have on board for the stretch run.  The middle of the pool remains as bunched as ever, while at the low end, we congratulate Kyle S. -  who moved up his second spot in as many days.  If only we were running this thing until September. He might've gone all the way to the top.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 9 - Win or Stay Home

We've reached Matchday 3 of the Group Stage, which means two teams won't be part of Euro 2012 anymore by this evening. If we're lucky, as fans, our Polish co-hosts won't be joining that group today.

I forget which ESPN commentator it was yesterday who said that the atmosphere around a big tournament finals like this always benefits the longer a host nation stays involved.  I agree that it just seems to engage the neutral fans in every crowd a little more.  After all, they're not just watching, they're scouting!

Sadly, I think Ukraine had their moment in the tournament in Match 1, and I don't see them advancing from Group D. That leaves it to Poland to represent for the hosts and keep that special buzz going for at least a few more days.

There are all kinds of hypotheticals inside of scenarios wrapped up with permutations of what can happen in Group A today.  All four teams are alive, and some even have hopes of advancing with just a draw, but everyone will be playing to win.  If everyone's got a chance to advance, that means everyone's got a chance to be eliminated, too.

I really don't know what will happen in the Russia/Greece match.  Russia should win based on form from the first two games, but history has shown the folly of betting against the Greeks in a Euro.  I'll take Russia but not without reservations...I am fully back in the "Arshavin is Awesome" camp, but I don't know if his teammates will continue playing so well.

Poland probably shouldn't be able to beat the Czechs, they have inferior talent and the Czechs looked like a completely different, much better team in Match 2 compared to Match 1.  It's no stretch to assume them playing their best game so far against the hosts.

But I think we'll see a bit of magic today, with Poland winning their way to survival. I'm tipping Szczesny for a huge bounceback effort, a clean sheet, and elevation to national hero status.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 8 Roundup

Things got dicey on Day 8, Fantasy Footie Fans.  I've never had 5 of you immediately e-mail me right after the scoring report when out until today! 

The obvious reason? For the first time so far in the tournament and the pool, credit for a goal was given to one player, then the ruling was changed mid-game. 

And the impact on our Leaderboard was even bigger, because it wasn't just the original goalscorer and the new one involved in the play, there was also the matter of the assist!

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 8 - Quick Picks

-Ukraine draws 1-1 with France

-England 2-1 over Sweden

Thursday's record: 1-1

Overall: 3-7

Perfect Scorelines: 1

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 7 Roundup

Well, fantasy friends, what to say about Shay Given? 


Under Furia fire from the opening kick, Given was often beaten and never graceful, but ultimately he was the only thing that kept Spain from reaching double digits on the scoresheet.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 7 - Quick Picks

Balotelli tries to decide which personality will take the field today

I'm feeling better after finally getting a few wins under my belt, even though Portugal almost blew it.  Today's games are about to kick off so I'll make these short and sweet:

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 7 - Group B Chaos, Group C Yearning

Speed Solvers, go!

Halfway through the Group Stage of Euro 2012, no one has been eliminated, no one has guaranteed advancement, and no one is really sure what to make of what's going on in Group B.

From Nicklas Bendtner's controversial undies, to Arjen Robben's emergence as a total headcase, to Cristiano Ronaldo's inelegant misdirections, there's a lot to confuse us fans.  Master wordsmith Ian Darke likened Group B to a Rubik's Cube this morning.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 6 Roundup

An explosion of scoring in Group B led to some big moves on the Fantasy leaderboard on Day 6, and the contenders for the big money are starting to pull away from the pretenders, permanently.


Speaking as a pretender, this sucks.  As a fan of drama and scenario generation, however, I'm lovin it.  Barring a Konoplianka hat trick or two, I can start to make peace with the fact that this isn't gonna be my four years.  But I am still here to serve those of you in the pool with the same dedication, hopefully a few of y'all enjoy these writeups to make it worth the effort.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 6 - Desperate Dutchmen

It's been a couple days since I've pumped out any non-Fantasy Pool related thoughts on the Euros.  Chalk it up to equal parts busyness, fatigue, and lack of inspiration. Almost halfway through the group stage and I have only really gotten to sit and watch a couple of games with full focus - and unfortunately one of those games was England v France, which literally put me to sleep in the second half.

Day 6 brings a remedy for some of those problems, but not all.  I'm still busy and I'm again on the day shift which means not watching the games live, but I've finally caught up on sleep, I feel fantastic, and today's matchups come loaded with inspiration.

Topping the list of things to look forward to: Desperate Dutchmen. 

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 5 Roundup

If you were wondering why we have decimal points in our scoring categories, this is why. Just five days into the player pool madness, and only six tenths of a point separate first from fourth.  That means a couple of saves mean the difference between pole-position for a big fat payday at the end of the month and the first-place loser. 

Incroyable!!  The final margin may not end up quite so razor-thin, but you see that this thing is likely to stay very close down the stretch.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 4 Roundup

A couple of memories came back to me this morning as I thought about yesterday's player pool action. 


The first was from a few years ago: an overmatched, out of place, past his prime star trying to dupe the world into believing he could be an elite Premier League striker. 


The second was from a few days ago: my good buddy Mike S. submitting his lineup for the player pool, and me responding with a text asking him if he was actually serious about selecting Andre Schevchenko.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 4 - Anticipating the Ox, and Today's Quick Picks

"So, just who was on that Milan backline, anyway?"

Today England plays their first match in the European Championships since I was still in my early 20s.  Since I was introduced to the game by and Anglophile friend of mine and I follow the English Premier League closer than I do any other in soccer, I'll always lean toward the three lions in a big international tournament. Against France, even more so.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 3 Roundup

Day 3 gave us a new name atop the leaderboard, some old reliables coming up strong, and the timeless tradition of hustle plays making prima donnas look ridiculous.


Yes it's good to be among the leaders now, but it's better to be scoring points that no one else is getting, and a few people got a good number of preciously unique points through goals from Fabregas and Jelavic, owned by only a pair of owners each our pool. 

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 3 - Quick Picks

No time for analyis here this a.m. as I've got a few other things pressing, so here are some REALLY quick picks for today's games:

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 3 - Missing the Action, In Action

As much as I've been looking forward to this tournament, timing has not been my friend so far over the first two days.  First I was stuck in the middle of a busy workday on Friday, then Saturday I passed on watching games that only happen every four years to take up an opportunity I considered even more rare.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 2 Roundup

Which of these guys would you guess is the full-blooded German?

Day 2 of the Fantasy Pool was headlined by two stars ... one of them Kind Of German and the other one Very German.  Gomez's header was the only goal scored by anyone active in the player pool, and Neuer's 3 saves nosed him ahead of a large group of back liners who joined him in picking up Clean Sheet points.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 2 - Quick Picks

Well, that didn't go as planned....


So after calling out both the Greeks and Russians with my Day 1 picks, then being taught a pair of lessons, I'm feeling like maybe I have the wrong read on a few of these teams, which is never a good thing when it's time to evaluate the Group of Death.


My pre-tourney bracket has Germany and Holland advancing out of this group, and I haven't really been expecting much from Portugal.  However yesterday's experience has forced me to consider the pseudo-Spanish in a new light, especially their polarizing frontman, CR9.

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 2 - The Andrei Arshavin Exhibit

In the summer of 2010, I was working an absolutely horrendous schedule: two 9-hour overnight shifts on Thurs/Fri, then two 11-hour all day shifts on Sat/Sun.  It was a brutal grind, made much worse by the fact that management considered this schedule a privilege and loved to remind me of that fact ("you've got a built-in three day weekend!"), and also by the fact that the girl I worked those overnights with was an absolute pill.

Euro 2012 Fantasy Player Pool - Day 1 Roundup

Day 1 of the Player Pool was a real eye opener for me and I'm sure for a lot of you.  Not only did I realize just how badly my pre-tourney reads on the Russians and Czechs were (thankfully I was far from alone there), but I also came face to face with the fact that I hate the scoring system for this pool!

Euro 2012 Diary, Day 1 - Quick Picks

I'm going to see how I can do at picking the results of each game, then I'll try to follow with my extended thoughts during the evenings.  We'll see how regular I can keep this.  Also, unlike just about every "professional" picker out there that predicts the results of matches, I'm actually going to track my results, even if they're terrible!

So here we go:

Blogging the Euros!

There's not much in the sports world that I love more than a big international soccer tournament.  Obviously the World Cup is the gold standard, but as the American footie fanbase seems to be realizing, you can't sleep on the Euros...I mean just look at those mascots!

Split-Second Decency and Prolonged Determination

Bill & Bill's House

For the second time in less than a week, I set a new personal distance record for riding my bike yesterday.  After powering through 36 miles of NYC streets last Saturday, I spent Wednesday cruising on a 40-mile jaunt through Palisades Park.


There were many moments of wonder contained inside the nine hours or so it took me to complete these trips, but none stand out more than the split-second I locked eyes with the funniest man in America and one of my favorite actors, Mr. Bill Murray.

What is this Writing? And Why is it on the Wall???

Rembrandt in the House!

The title of this blog is taken from a story in the Biblical book of Daniel, my namesake prophet.  Though I consider myself "anti-religious" these days, I was raised in a strong Christian tradition (my parents were both pastors) and I retain a lot of those early roots.  The Bible's actually a pretty good book, I just wish so many people didn't take it so damn seriously!

Anyway, though I can't promise to never write about religion, I can promise it will be a rare occurence.  As for topics you can expect this blog to Feature Regularly, they include:

Trading One Master For Another

Soooooo anyway, despite my declared aversion to making a grand proclamation to start off this blog, there is at least a little bit of explanation in order.

Took Ya Long Enough...

Well, it's been on my mind to start a personal blog for quite some time, and now I've finally gone and done it.  I've actually been pretty committed to the idea for a few months, but it's that single step to start the journey that's always so hard to take.