I entered this fall with the distinct feeling that my interest in the NFL had waned to a level near zero and last Sunday may have clinched it. Maybe it's just the annual process of wading through the September garbage games but I'm not so sure.
This story actually begins on Friday when I hit happy hour for a "couple" beers and that predictably devolved into a six-hour bar hopping boozefest that ended with an Irish Car Bomb, an unfinished smoke and a guy who was somehow drunker than I was telling me the same story three times in six minutes.
It's been raining here for a week so playing golf was only available for the die hards and the deranged which left me with nothing to do during my recuperative weekend but purge my golf wardrobe and watch sports. I'm pretty sure you could clothe an entire family of four with just the sleeves from the shirts I wore in the late 90's and early 2000's. I'm surprised I didn't tear a rotator cuff trying to swing through those things.
The Saturday-Sunday viewing options included a solid slate of college football, the Presidents Cup, Premier League and the NFL. The WNBA had a couple of Sunday playoff games and I have developed an interest but not beyond maybe 20 minutes on a Tuesday night after I'm caught-up on Slow Horses or maybe an episode of The Mayor of Kingstown if I'm in the mood to live in a state of complete despair and hopelessness for an hour. (Apparently gangster cowboys were just the tip of Taylor Sheridan's darkness).
In what was a bit of an upset, the Presidents Cup ended-up dominating the weekend. I feel like almost overnight, the United States team became likable which is interesting because the only major changes from Rome were the addition of Russell Henley and the subtraction of Zach Johnson. Maybe that's all it took.
I also appreciated the random chemistry of the International squad and how the Canadian crowd rallied behind them. Everyone from Adam Scott and Hideki Matsuyama to Taylor Pendrith and Mackenzie Hughes embraced the underdog role and made it work for them. Despite being completely overmatched, they were going toe-to-toe with the Americans deep into Saturday evening until Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa and Patrick Cantlay said enough of this nonsense and slammed the door with a 45 minute flurry of clutch shots and putts.
Despite it being pretty much all over but the shouting, I watched most of the Sunday singles matches after the Tottenham-Manchester United game had gotten out of hand in favor of the good guys. I tried to duck over to NFL Redzone a few times and, as much as I like Scott Hanson, you still have to endure the blithering idiocy of the actual game announcers. The scarcity of ex-players who can call a game without mind numbingly stating the obvious throughout is actually somehow greater than the scarcity of quarterbacks who can play it at a professional level. That ineptitude combined with the incompetent and arbitrary officiating has made the game unwatchable. At least for me.
I did make it halfway through the Ravens-Bills game but years of experience has taught me that it's better to wake-up to a blown lead than to watch it unfold on a Sunday night. Harumph.
TWEET OF THE WEEK
At least I'm not a passive fan of a team owned by Snidely Whiplash.
Fitting that the Falcons did this on a night when they were losers. pic.twitter.com/JRKKPUPuEk
— Ronny Elliott (@FantasyGolfRep) September 23, 2024
GOLF ANALYSIS
Let's be honest. If you're gambling on this golf tournament, there are at least three hotlines that you should have on speed dial. And remember, I am not judging, just commiserating. Alas, here we are with a second rate golf tournament in Mississippi, a fantasy golf website and a job to do.
Ben Griffin lost here in a playoff last year and has recently shown signs of being above-average so he's our guy. As always we'll be rooting for @HomelessHubbs to get his first win but he won't which is part of the reason we love him.
The rest of this week's cast includes a bunch of familiar faces because, like most middle-aged guys, I tend to go with what I know. And by "tend," I mean "do it all the time."
One and Done Pick: Ben Griffin
 |
| I could've posted a picture of Merv Griffin and no one would've known the difference. |
Other Guy I’d Pick: Mark Hubbard
Sleeper Pick: Bud Cauley
DraftKings Top Ten Values
|
Seamus Power |
$10,200 |
|
Nick Dunlap |
$9,700 |
|
Ben Griffin |
$9,500 |
|
Stephan Jaeger |
$9,000 |
|
Adam Svensson |
$8,700 |
|
Mark Hubbard |
$8,100 |
|
Doug Ghim |
$7,900 |
|
Taylor Moore |
$7,600 |
|
Jacob Bridgeman |
$7,400 |
|
Bud Cauley |
$6,600 |
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