Fantasy Football has become an obsession

I really am not that big a fan of the NFL. I don't have a favorite team, my favorite players are generally just former Ducks, and the only NFL gear I have is an old Randy Moss jersey Ryan gave me back in College. However, every Sunday, I follow the NFL like crazy. All because of Fantasy Football.

Sitting on the couch in front of my TV with NFL Sunday Ticket's Red Zone Channel pumping all the best plays into my living room with no commercials, the DirecTV Player Tracker TV app tracking the performance of all my players, my computer open with the Live Stat Tracker tracking the performance of all my teams, and my ESPN Fantasy Football app open on my phone just so I can have all my players at my finger tips.

I get pumped when any of my fantasy players do well. Like, physically pump my fist or jump off the couch. And why? Because they scored me points. Not because I care about the game itself. I could care less about the games, or division records, or even the early playoff games that happen after my leagues end even. It's all about the fantasy leagues. And it's an obsession. I think I'm addicted.

Obviously, this has to make the NFL so happy. Fringe fans like me that become raving fans without them really having to do anything? That's any marketing department's dream. But they have done a great job creating things to love about the NFL aside from the games themselves. Or at least cultivating those things. In Those Guys Have All The Fun, the book that explores ESPN from the inside out, they discuss the NFL contract negotiations and how important the NFL is to the success of a sports network. However, it's such an expensive contract because of the built in mega-audience with a rock solid demo that the networks end up having to build their entire week around it to drive ad dollars. And the NFL just keeps getting stronger.

But for me, the beauty of the NFL is in the fantasy league. Or in my case, leagues. I am in 5 this year. But only one is a cash league. Because for me, it's not really about the money, it's about the bragging rights. And NFL fantasy is built so perfectly. Having one match up a week so it's not too overwhelming, and having one day a week where you can sit there and get instant gratification throughout the day as the points grow. Then, of course, the trash talk with friends is so key as well. It all just boils down into such a nice, neat package that has me addicted.

And by the way, I won my match up in 3 of 5 leagues this week. The 3 I won all happened to be against Allen. Talk about bragging rights.

New Oregon Ducks Black Helmets!

Check these out!





YES!

[via]

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit (of coming home)

I haven't blogged in a while, and with a little push from Adam, I figured I'd get on here and try to spark my interest in writing again.

It's a little hard with my job now, because the office internet is ridiculously locked down, so I spend half my time looking for loopholes in order to post to twitter and read news and stuff. I still haven't found a way to update the blog, and when I come home, the last thing I want to do is sit in front of a computer. The previous 9 hours of the day have kind of ruined it for me. Kind of like college and textbooks did with reading. I'm actually reading The Watchmen right now, and while it's only a graphic novel, I consider it a big step up from not wanting to read ANYTHING during college. Plus, The Watchmen is really good. I recommend it for anyone who liked Sin City and/or is interested in seeing the movie.

Anyways, life here in Texas has been pretty good. It's been cool lately (mid-70's), I've met some cool people, and I'm getting to the point of training where I understand a lot of stuff, so it's a lot more fun than it was 2 months ago. I'm going to Albuquerque this next week for a training trip with another employee who's been at it a lot longer than me. I'm heading home to Portland the weekend before (this weekend) and am really looking forward to it. I haven't seen Hayley in a while (or Bella!), as well as Mom and Dad, so this will give me a chance to see all of them. If anyone else will be in town, I would love to see you all, so just let me know and we'll figure something out. I'm only in Texas until Christmas, and will be home twice before that, so I think these next couple months are going to fly by, which is more than welcomed.

However, until then, I'm finding a lot of ways to enjoy my time in Houston. It's a pretty ridiculous city, and you'd have to be here to know exactly what I mean, but it has its perks. There is a LOT of good music that comes touring through here. I went to a Ben Kweller concert last week, which was great. My brother actually saw him this weekend in Eugene, so that's pretty cool. I also went to see The Kooks, but they canceled because the lead singer was "ill" (hungover), so the opening band The Whigs played as the headliners for free, and were actually pretty darn good. Next, I'm going to see Kings of Leon later this month, as well as Keith Anderson, and (hopefully) TV On The Radio. I thought Portland was big on live music, and they are, but not on quite the scale that Houston is. You can go out EVERY weekend and see good live music anywhere, as well as check out tons of concerts, so I've been doing that a lot.

I've also been exercising a lot with Allen, a buddy I met down here who's going to Orange County. He's the one I've been going to concerts with, too. But we've been getting up every morning to run and then going to the gym most nights after work. It gives me something to do, and keeps my mind off of missing home, as well as get me into shape, so it all works out. We are starting to drive out to Memorial Park by 6:00am, get a solid 30-50 minutes of running in, then head back in time to get to work by 8:00am. Running in the morning really makes me feel good at work. I'd never done it before, but it's a really nice way to wake up. It's relaxing for me, but also gets my body going.

Last weekend I played 36 holes of golf. The first 18 were in a company tournament. I helped my team to a solid last place finish, but it wasn't my fault. It was a scramble, but we had to use a certain portion of everyone's shots. First off, our A (best) player didn't show up, so we were already off to a bad start. But then, the guys I was teamed with were awful. I mean, we struggled to take any of their shots. We used almost all of my drives, approaches, and inevitably (after they missed) my putts. Anyone who has golfed with me knows, from those statements, that the team was pretty bad. I mean, I was our best player? Come on guys. Plus, I was using a friend's clubs, which weren't anything like mine at home except in the fact that both sets suck. But anyways, Allen, Rob and I decided to go out for a second round right after we finished the first. Rounds at this place (Blackhorse GC) were typically $75, but we got the "replay" rate, which was $16! We couldn't pass that up. However, we did go get a bottle of Pendleton and some beer. That helped us through the second 18. But when I come home, you better believe I'm going to be wanting to go out on the course. Anyone in for a round this weekend?

I have been trying to keep up on the Ducks, but aside from a few games that they have at sports bars, I haven't been able to catch many. Last week's was just ugly, so I played Big Buck Safari instead of watching the end of it. Franklin has done a pretty good job of keeping me updated, which I really appreciate. Him and Rob Moseley have been my only links out here. Oh, and if I have to hear anymore bullshit about the Texas - Oklahoma game this weekend, I'm going to shoot myself. I hate both teams, but that's all I hear out here. Ugh. I can't wait to get back to Oregon where I can watch football without all the stupid shit. Well, not counting FSN...

I can't wait to start watching Blazers games, too. Hopefully they will play the Rockets in Houston while I'm here. That would be awesome. Tonight they're beating Sacramento in their first pre-season game. Can't wait to see Oden in action!

This is an interesting time in America. The presidential elections are a month away, the economy is the worst it's ever been since the Great Depression, and yet here I am, displaced and feeling totally removed. It's a weird feeling. I am following the debates and everything, and will vote, that's a given. But I don't have any money invested in the stock market (if I have to hear Wall St. vs. Main St. one more time...), no house, no mortgage, not much money in general, so I really haven't felt the hit. And it's kind of scary. I know all this crap is going to affect me, especially when I go to get a mortgage, or eventually start contributing to my 401k, but I just can't make it seem real right now.

Alright, well, I've rambled on long enough. I want to keep up on the blogging thing, but a little nudge now and then won't hurt. I plan to come out with a Top 5 Albums of the Year list soon, as I've been listening to a LOT of music lately. Any other ideas? Just ramble about life or what?

You can always keep up on my life somehow. I'm always trying to find ways to communicate, and have a few methods:

• Twitter.com/KevinRegan
• KevsPix
• Facebook

Hopefully I can catch up with everyone somehow soon. I miss everyone and home, and am excited to come home soon. I'll do my best to keep you and this blog updated, but if not, yell at me (or just call...)

Ducks Stewart and Dixon in Uniform

Boom!





Looking sharp, gents.

[thanks to Franklin for the pics]

"Please take that ugly OSU shit off." Love, Franklin

There's a story in some po-dunk news paper in Albany about a tour at the UO Athletic Department on Friday where the tour guide asked kids to take off or cover up their OSU crap. Well, it was our good friend Franklin [from Allow Me To Be Frank(lin)] and now he's famous! Check out the article in the Albany Democrat Herald.

I would just like to commend Franklin on his efforts. I think it's disrespectful to wear clothes with a rival's name and/or logo to that school. It would be fine if the Beavs were playing, of course, I would actually encourage that. But it wasn't. It was a tour, given by an unpaid intern, for free. Show some courtesy.

But this kid made a big deal out of nothing really. The teachers even said they didn't think anything of it. It wasn't like they were forced to take their stuff off, it was a comment playfully jabbing back at some kids who, by what they were wearing, were jabbing at him. How do I know? Franklin told me.

There is a lot of chatter on the eDuck forums about this. I like a lot of them (like "That tour guide deserves a raise."), and you should check them out if you need a laugh or a reminder of how dumb some people are, but I would just like to post one comment in particular that was relevant and that I liked a lot:

"I think it's humorous in many ways...

1. that you think there is something bad about it
2. that the tour guide takes his school and colors so seriously
3. that the kids "parents" take it so seriously that they made it a point to dress their kids up in osu garb prior to the field trip to U of O
4. That the teachers did not address something like that in a note to the parents prior to the field trip, like is normally done.
5. That you and I are even commenting on it."

So true buddy, so true.

Oh boy, those crazy Albanians (I assume that's what they're called), everything's a big story when you live in the sticks, I guess.

What do you think? After reading the story, is this a big deal or not?

New Poll: McFadden or Stewart?

Which of the top 2 running backs taken in this year's draft will be the first to rush for 100 yards in a game, Darren McFadden or Jonathan Stewart? You decide.

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Jonathan Stewart's Draft Day

The epitome of class:

Jonathan Stewart's draft day

If you didn't catch the draft, he went 13th overall to the Carolina Panthers. Congratulations Jonathan!

Inside Oregon Athletics: Part 2

The second episode of this video series pulling back the curtain on Oregon Athletics. Take a look:

What the hell is this? Inside Oregon Football

Franklin just pointed me to this video that is part of a series that is allegedly going to "pull back the curtain" on Oregon Football and expose it for what it is. I'm eager to see just what this thing has to say, and if this is real or not. Take a look, and stay tuned for the next episode:

Nike SPARQ Makes Pete Carroll Look Stupid

So, as a Ducks fan, I have no respect for Pete Carroll. Any respect I might have had for him vanished when Carroll mouthed "fuck you" to Mike Bellotti during the USC game this year. For those of you that don't remember, you can check out the YouTube video here. But don't worry, his shady recruiting tactics had my respect out the door a long time ago.

With this in mind, it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed how Nike's recent commercials for their SPARQ Training line made Pete Carroll look like an idiot. French toast and batteries; nice Coach. Idiot... Take a look:





I do like the commercials overall. Very Nike.

Jonathan Stewart Prepares for the NFL Combine

My GOD! This is a video of (former) Oregon Ducks running back Jonathan Stewart training for the NFL Combine; lifting weights, doing drills, and practicing his interviewing skills. Holy shit this man is a beast. Check out the part where he's doing bicep curls while laying on the ground. He is huge! Even the trainer, a guy who sees huge NFL prospects every year, said he "looked like a He-Man figure." It's ridiculous.



In other news, I got back from Vegas yesterday, after a great trip. I had a lot of fun, and pretty much caught up on my sleep last night, which is surprising given the amount I DIDN'T get in the last 5 days. Anyway, I decided against daily updates, but I'm ready to write a big post covering the whole trip, so look for that, probably tomorrow.

Terrelle Pryor Does Not Commit, Will Visit Oregon

Today is signing day. It's the first day high school football prospects can sign their letters of intent, finalizing where they will play their college ball next year. This means that it's one the biggest day in recruiting, and everyone in college football is watching.

For those of you who don't know, Terrelle Pryor is the biggest name in high school football right now. He's a senior at Jeannette High School in Pennsylvania, plays quarterback, and is the #1 prospect in the nation. His decision has seemingly been the most anticipated of all prospects, and today he declared... that he wasn't declaring.

That may seem like a letdown to some people, but not if you're a Ducks fan. In that case, it's one of the best things that could have happened to us.

Every school in the nation went after this guy, and after months, he narrowed it down to basically Ohio St. and Michigan, with Oregon hanging around. The real problem for us was that, being from Pennsylvania and a dual sport athlete (football and basketball), it was difficult to get him out here to see us. We are a very attractive school if you take a visit. So much so that other programs are afraid of losing recruits to us due to our amazing facilities, coaching staff, relationship with Nike, and winning program. So with Pryor, Ohio St. and Michigan were both furiously campaigning for him to make a decision today without seeing Oregon.

Well, I'm happy to say, they lost that battle.


Pryor announced today that he will wait to sign his letter of intent because he feels he hasn't done enough homework, due to sports and school, to make the best decision. Basically, he doesn't know where he wants to go yet. In a statement made to ESPNU this morning, Pryor gave everyone an insight into some of the reasoning behind this decision, and it should have Duck fans very excited:

"No, I will not make my commitment today, I’m delaying because no one really knows this, but I play football, we won the state championship and two days later I jumped into basketball, so I haven’t had too much time to get involved in the recruiting process. I’d like to be fair to the coaches, they’ve put a lot of time into me."

He went on to say this about his choices, and this is the good part,

"It’s Ohio State, Michigan, Oregon, Penn State, Oregon’s still in it because I have time, so I can visit now so I can head out there and check it out."

You hear that? Pryor is going to visit! We've been trying to get this guy out here for months, and now it's finally going to happen. And the news came out of HIS mouth this time, specifically calling us out to come visit. Now we have to put on a show for this kid. I think he would be a great fit here. He plays now like Dixon played last year, so he should fit perfectly into Chip Kelly's "Spread 'em and Shred 'em" offense. Hopefully he knows that, at least from us, he'll get honesty and respect in his plans for college. We just want him to do what's best for him. Hopefully that means come to Oregon.

Read the Pryor story from Scout here.

So far today I count 18 guys who've signed with us, and adding the Pryor announcement, it's been a good day so far. GO DUCKS!

Jonathan Stewart #2 RB in NFL Draft says SI

Sports Illustrated recently released their NFL Draft prospect rankings by position, and ranked Oregon's Jonathan Stewart #2 among running backs. They think he'll go behind Arkansas' Darren McFadden, which is most people's clear #1 (but not me). This was not a poll, like the one Zach mentioned last week, so it can be taken with as much weight as you give SI's NFL Draft crew. Stewart's coming off a career year, which you can read about here.

So, it's one of those picture countdowns, and the little caption they have next to his picture says,

He's a strong interior runner with surprising speed and the ability to make defenders miss.

Anyone who's seen him play knows that's true, but kind of an understatement. Jonathan Stewart is one of the more talented backs in this draft class, and it's nice to know he's getting some recognition for that, even if it's behind McFadden who only had the numbers he did because he WAS Arkansas' offense. But I digress.

The real reason for this whole post isn't so much to praise Stewart, or SI for that matter, but rather to give Michigan and all their fans even more shit this year. I like giving Michigan as much shit as possible, so when the opportunity arises...

First off, the picture SI has for Stewart, the one above (which you can click for large version to send your Michigan fan friends), is of him dominating 2 D-linemen, including Terrence Taylor, a junior D-tackle who was contemplating the NFL Draft himself (what a joke). Nice tackle TT, but you don't get credit if it's your own guy. The second thing is that, if you take a look at the list of backs on SI, you'll see that Michigan's precious Mike Hart is ranked at #8, 6 spots behind Stewart. The caption by his picture calls him "a solid third-round choice" that "will fit in as a third-down back." Basically, he's on the bench. Michigan's poster boy is an NFL washout, and Stewart is a first rounder. That makes me smile. Thanks SI.

Jonathan Stewart Declares for the NFL Draft, I Cry

Today, Oregon Ducks star running back Jonathan Stewart declared that he will forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft. He's coming off a record setting Sun Bowl with 253 yards rushing, a new career best and Sun Bowl record, plus he was awarded Sun Bowl MVP, as well as a record setting season with 280 rushes for 1,722 yards, a new Oregon best. And he's had an amazing 3 years with 2,891 yards for 27 touchdowns, so, obviously, it's very sad to see him go, but we all know that this is his decision and are rooting for him no matter what.

On the decision, Coach Bellotti said,

"We appreciate Jonathan's contributions over the past three years although we wish it could have lasted one-year longer, but I fully support his decision and believe he will be a first-round draft choice and represent the University of Oregon with the class and character he has demonstrated here."

There's no doubt about it that he's going to be a first rounder, I even think he'll go higher than Darren McFadden. His body type and rushing abilities are just ungodly. Pound for pound, he's got to have the biggest thighs in all of college football, that's just a fact. The man is a beast, and hopefully he'll go to some team that knows how to use him. I'm excited to see how he does. Hopefully his story turns out better than Joey's. I mean, I love the guy, but he just hasn't been able to do anything.

Not sure which sport Dixon is going pro in yet. I think he can do both, and should, but if he does go to the NFL, it will be a really exciting draft day for the Ducks.

Jonathan, we all love you and wish you would stay, but wish you all the luck in the world in the future, and hope you are successful in whatever you do, even if it's being a state trooper someday. It's been amazing watching you play. Thanks, and we'll miss you.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope you all have a great holiday! May your turkeys be delicious and not eyeball you like this one. And may USC beat Arizona St.

Oregon Ducks #2 in all polls!

After the win against Arizona St., the Ducks jumped to #3 in all polls. With a bye this week, we would need someone above us to lose to move up, and sure enough, Ohio St. went down. It was only a matter of time. But now, the Ducks are #2 in every poll behind LSU.

The only thing that worries me is Kansas, who's 10-0 record have put them in the #3 spot in the BCS rankings. They need to lose, and then it's all on us. If we win out, there's a damn good chance we will be heading to the National Championship game. My new Christmas wish: tickets to New Orleans!

GO DUCKS!

Gameday is Coming Back for ASU @ Oregon

ESPN College Gameday announced earlier today that they will be coming to Eugene this Saturday for the Arizona St. game. They should have made it out here this weekend, but they're making up for it with this one. The game right now is scheduled for 3:30pm, but if ESPN picks it up, which they should, it will probably be at 12:30. Either way, Gameday will roll cameras at 7:00am (10:00 ET). There was a line of tents outside Autzen today at 10:00am, waiting for tickets tomorrow at 9am, so I'm sure there will be plenty of people there Saturday early.

The top 5 BCS rankings didn't change this weekend, so it will be the #4 Sun Devils against the #5 Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Hopefully we can win convincingly and jump a bit in the polls, but we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Just wanted to get that out there.


Type rest of the post here

USC @ Oregon Is The Best Game In The Nation

It's too bad ESPN didn't get the memo. College Gameday will be at the Ohio St. - Penn St. game this Saturday. Granted, Ohio St. is the #1 team in the nation, but really, that's a technicality. They have to be because they're undefeated. #24 Penn St. is the first real team they play, and I smell an upset.

#5 Oregon plays host to #12 USC this weekend, and by god that's going to be one exciting game. Two marquee QB's (if Booty starts), a heated recruiting rivalry, and both team's BCS bowl game futures. Not sure there's as much on the line for both teams in any other game this weekend. Not to mention there are going to be points all over the place.


Say Oregon wins. They move to 7-1. I pick Ohio St. to lose to Penn St., Boston College to lose to Virginia Tech, and Arizona St. to lose BIG to Cal. That means 3 of the top 5 teams lose and are all 7-1 as well. LSU will be #1 (they have a bye this weekend), and since the Ducks' strength of schedule is much higher than the other 3, we jump to #2. Then, later on down the road, if we beat UCLA (while winning out), we win the PAC-10 and go to a top BCS bowl game.

Then, maybe Tim Tebow goes down, like I've been hoping for all season, Dixon stays on par and wins the Heisman. What a season that would be. Plus, we just brought in the best recruiting class we've ever had, so we have a bit of a dynasty brewing. Well, maybe the last parts are just wishful thinking, but hey, it's my last year at Oregon!

But I honestly think that Gameday is going to the 2nd best game in the nation this weekend, and even then, I think the Cal - Arizona St. game will be better than that, so maybe the 3rd best game in the nation. Too bad. Watch for me on the field on Saturday! GO DUCKS!

Ducks Put the Huskies Down, 55-34

Sporting new white helmets, the Ducks rolled over the Huskies yesterday, 55-34. Despite putting up 34 and keeping it close for a while, Washington proved to be no match for the Ducks.

Jonathan Stewart finally had a big game, rushing for a career-high 251 yards (second highest in program history) with 2 touchdowns on 31 carries. Plus, with Jeremiah Johnson out for the season, it's good to know our backfield didn't miss a beat as Andre Crenshaw stepped up with 113 yards and 2 touchdowns.

While the Ducks played great, they also looked great. Read about the pearl helmets after the jump.


This weekend the Ducks added yet another facet to their uniforms: the white helmet. The green helmets, some of the prettiest in college football, are the classics. You've also seen the yellow helmet in last year's Las Vegas Bowl. But now, after months of testing and tweaking, the white helmets are here.

There was a little problem early in the year with the white helmets in that, when the NCAA tested the durability of the helmets with a "cold test" in which they freeze the helmet and then drop it from a few feet, the helmets shattered. As you can imagine, that would be bad news on the field. But they got them approved and now they're another bullet in the Ducks uniform arsenal.

I've heard that some people said we looked like stormtroopers from Star Wars (can you say mailout idea?), and maybe they did, but I think they looked badass. Especially with the white uniforms and the white shoes. And they didn't turn shit brown like Hawaii's uniforms. I loved them.

With the BCS rankings coming out a bit later, the Ducks jumped to #5 in both the AP and USA Today polls. Let's hope the BCS doesn't fuck us again.

Ducks Debut at #10 in BCS Poll, #7 in AP

The BCS poll came out for the first time this week, and the Oregon Ducks fell into the #10 spot. With the convincing 53-7 blowout of the Cougars yesterday, I had higher hopes for our BCS standing, but there's still a lot of football to be played this season. The 3 undefeated teams, Ohio St., USF, and Boston College, took the top 3 spots, LSU stays atop the 1-loss teams at #4, and Oklahoma rounds out the top 5.

The fact that we are #10 doesn't really bother me, especially in this crazy season. In my opinion, the 3 undefeated teams on top right now are very beatable, so I am confident that two 1-loss teams will be playing for a national championship. I don't think Hawaii will be in there, even if they win out. They'll be the Boise St. of this year. Hopefully we can win out and be in the thick of the BCS race, but we have to go through USC first.

If USC can beat Cal, and then we can beat USC, we win the PAC-10 championship. I don't think Arizona St. will be sticking around, as they still have to play both of those 2 and us. I think they'll be 9-3. We did suffer some big injuries to big guys yesterday, but I think we're deep enough to bounce back. We can't have any more guys go down though.

Anyways, enough of my ranting about the Ducks, check out the week 7 rankings here.