College Football Viewing Schedule

For the past 20+ years of my life, Saturday afternoons in the fall have meant one thing - college football. I woke up to Gameday, ate lunch with the early morning games, got fired up for the 3:30 SEC contests, got my second wind for the prime time offerings and sometimes even stayed up for some West Coast football before bed.

Then I had two kids.

Last football season was the first hint towards my future. It was a little tougher to commit to 15 straight hours of college football with Abby running around. She needed attention. She needed food. She needed fresh diapers.

I know what you are thinking - what about your wife? Where is she? Good questions. She thinks that when I'm home, she is off-duty. It is truly disgraceful.

Okay, that is not true at all. I'm just not a big enough schmuck to sit on the couch and ask her to raise the young'ens all by herself.

I am, however, enough of a schmuck to ask her to do it for one game a day. So I'm looking ahead at the college football season for the one game I cannot miss. It may seem like a nightmare scenario for those readers without infants, but it is my reality.

One game a Saturday? I'll take what I can get.

I already have a process in place for this venture that I think will create the greatest football satisfaction possible. The first thing we must do is look for Tennessee's big games and commit to those. Then we go to big SEC games because a) it is the best football and b) those games matter the most to me. After that, we'll look for big match-ups and traditional rivalries to round out the year.

Looking at my calendar, there are about 15 college football Saturdays coming up. Not much to choose from, huh? This is going to tough, but we'll get through it together (and for the record, I'm doing this process as I write, so you really are on board for the entire experiment. I hope that adds something to posting, but it probably just means more spelling and grammar errers.).

The calendar looks like this:

August 30 -
Sept. 6 -
Sept. 13 -
Sept. 20 -
Sept. 27 -
Oct. 4 -
Oct. 11 -
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 -
Nov. 1 -
Nov. 8 -
Nov. 15 -
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 -
Dec. 6 -

Let's start with the Vols. Luckily, the UCLA game is on a Monday night so that opens up the first weekend. I'm planning on going to the UAB and Northern Illinois games, so that takes away two weekends that I might have skipped out on watching the Big Orange. Obviously, the Florida, Georgia and Alabama games are musts each year and this year we go to Auburn so chalk that one up too. I'm not going to initially commit to South Carolina, Vandy or Kentucky until I get a sense for how good each will be (this calendar is subject to change).

As a reasonably optimistic Vols fan, I'm going to block the SEC Championship game as well. I don't really believe it just yet, but if Gators keeps getting hurt and Bulldogs keep going to jail, we might have a shot.

So let's update the calendar as such:

August 30 -
Sept. 6 -
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 -
Nov. 8 -
Nov. 15 -
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 -
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Now to the SEC. The Florida/Georgia game is a must, but so is Florida/LSU (same day as UT/UGA). Maybe we can get a baby-sitter on the 11th. The Gators also host Miami which probably won't be much of a game, but the slate is pretty thin that day.

LSU/Alabama looks great on paper, so I'll commit to that one as well as two more Bama games - the Iron Bowl and the opening game against Clemson. Georgia/Auburn looks like a winner too, so we'll add that one. I'm curious about the Arkansas/Ole Miss game (Houston Nutt vs. his old team), but not enough to actually commit to it.

Calendar update:

August 30 - Alabama at Clemson
Sept. 6 - Miami at Florida
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 -
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 - Florida vs. Georgia
Nov. 8 - Alabama at LSU
Nov. 15 - Georgia at Auburn
Nov. 22 -
Nov. 29 - Auburn at Alabama
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Let's fill in the holes. Ohio State/Michigan is always fun and fits on Nov. 22nd (though I'm bummed about missing Ohio State/USC on the 13th as my calendar currently stands). That leaves us with one open date - October 18th - which is the Red River Shootout. That, my friends, fills in the calendar:

August 30 - Alabama at Clemson
Sept. 6 - Miami at Florida
Sept. 13 - UAB at Tennessee
Sept. 20 - Florida at Tennessee
Sept. 27 - Tennessee at Auburn
Oct. 4 - Northern Illinois at Tennessee
Oct. 11 - Tennessee at Georgia
Oct. 18 - Oklahoma vs. Texas
Oct. 25 - Alabama at Tennessee
Nov. 1 - Florida vs. Georgia
Nov. 8 - Alabama at LSU
Nov. 15 - Georgia at Auburn
Nov. 22 - Michigan at Ohio State
Nov. 29 - Auburn at Alabama
Dec. 6 - SEC Championship

Luckily, it looks like the Thursday offerings are much improved this year. I've already spotted Auburn/West Virginia, Clemson/Wake Forest, West Virginia/Colorado and Texas/Texas A&M for my Thursday night viewing as well as Kansas/South Florida and Memphis/Louisville on Friday nights.

At this point, I'll take what I can get. And I'm starting to want it to get here more and more.

Top 10 Future Olympic Events I'd Like to See

1) Golf - seriously.

2) Supermarket Sweep - even seriouser.

3) Poker - this might actually be really fun to watch, but probably an idea three years too late.

4) Chess Boxing - I'm fascinated.

5) MMA Cage Fighting - that MMA is so hot right now.

6) Football - because there is no such thing as too much football.

7) Australian Rules Football - because I used to love it on ESPN as a kid.

8) Canadian Rules Football - because Doug Flutie is American.

9) Dancing With the Stars - two words: Kristi Yamaguchi.

10) Guitar Hero - rock music + video games = American gold

Others receiving consideration: Cricket (looks like it might be cool), Family Feud (always entertaining), Craps (I'd like to learn the rules), Wiffle Ball (the Cubans would probably dominate), Bass Fishing (USA! USA! USA!) and any other variety of women's beach volleyball (4 on 4, 6 on 6, 1 on 1 - any combo is welcome).

Goodbye, Skip Caray

I have more wonderful memories of watching the 1980s Atlanta Braves than most people. Maybe it took being an 8-year old to enjoy the Chuck Tanner Experience...I don't know. I fondly remember Picture Day when my brother and I got our pictures taken with Dale Murphy, Glen Hubbard and Chief Knockahoma (I also remember insulting reliever Jim Acker when I told my dad I didn't want a picture with him because "he's horrible."). I learned about heckling during the last innings of another Braves blowout loss from a group of rowdy rednecks.

One of my favorite memories involves Skip Caray. For some reason, I really hated Harry Caray when I was a kid. I thought the Cubs were Atlanta's rival because they were both on television all the time. I hated Ryne Sandberg. I hated Jody Davis. And I hated Harry Caray.

I also had no idea that Harry was Skip's dad. I knew they had the same last name, but I thought it just added to my imaginary Cubs/Braves feud. So when I found out that we were going to Atlanta to see the Braves play the Cubs, I was really fired up. To me, this was Ali/Frazier or Tom/Jerry. This was Cubs/Braves.

In my excitement about the game, I came up with an idea that I pitched to Mom and Dad. Now, keep in mind, I'm a 2nd or 3rd grader at this point. My idea was a sign to hold up between innings that read:

"Hey, Harry, our Caray can "Skip" all over your cow."

Brilliant, no? I remember my parents' reaction like it was yesterday. There was laughter alongside a knowing look of, "We've got something special right here." It was the beginning of a promising writing career that climaxed in the 8th grade with my classic homeless people essay (won me $50 and got a rousing ovation from the patrons at the Community Kitchen) and has sputtered out with occasional postings on an insignificant sports blog.

Back to my story...

I held up that sign every half inning for the entire game, but never made the Jumbotron or TBS. It was not for a lack of trying. The people in front of us turned to read the sign and laughed approvingly, but I guess the Powers That Be on the SuperStation couldn't handle calling out that WGN drunkard.

I think of that sign often when I see Skip Caray. It is a fun childhood memory centered around a major part of my adolescence: my love of the Atlanta Braves. Skip Caray was part of the team along with Pete Van Wieren and Ernie Johnson. They taught me much of what I know about baseball, though mostly in the context of "Don't do what the Braves just did."

Plenty of people think of Skip Caray as a "homer" who openly pulled for the Braves during the TBS broadcasts. Those people never listened to him when the Braves were bad. He was a different kind of homer then, the type who whose voice deflated when the bullpen coughed up another lead or grounded into another double-play. He wasn't so much a cheerleader as a punching bag who took gut shots every night the Braves played their pathetic brand of baseball.

That is why the Skip Caray of the 1990s was so excited and so over-the-top. His most famous call - the Sid Bream slide to beat the Pirates - was the release of years of pent up frustration towards the Braves.

There is something sadly fitting about Caray passing during the same season that the Braves no longer play on TBS. It wasn't right seeing Caray on something called Peachtree TV and you could feel his boredom in the radio both simmering through the speakers (or that might have been his annoyance with Mark Lemke's nasal voice. It would have been mine.). For me, Caray and TBS went side-by-side, just like Skip Caray is indelibly linked to my childhood.

Thanks for the memories, Skip.

Coaches Poll - UT Ranked #18

Thoughts?

1. Georgia (22);11-2;1,438;3

2. USC (14);11-2;1,430;2

3. Ohio State (14);11-2;1,392;4

4. Oklahoma (3);11-3;1,329;8

5. Florida (5);9-4;1,293;16

6. LSU (3);12-2;1,163;1

7. Missouri;12-2;1,143;5

8. West Virginia;11-2;1,008;6

9. Clemson;9-4;999;22

10. Texas;10-3;979;10

11. Auburn;9-4;888;t14

12. Wisconsin;9-4;747;21

13. Kansas;12-1;714;7

14. Texas Tech;9-4;644;23

15. Virginia Tech;11-3;568;9

16. Arizona State;10-3;560;13

17. Brigham Young;11-2;547;t14

18. Tennessee;10-4;506;12

19. Illinois;9-4;422;18

20. Oregon;9-4;399;24

21. South Florida;9-4;350;NR

22. Penn State;9-4;313;25

23. Wake Forest;9-4;203;NR

24. Michigan;9-4;112;19

25. Fresno State;9-4;91;NR

Others Receiving Votes: Alabama 83, South Carolina 64, Utah 60, Rutgers 53, Florida State 53, Boston College 47, California 41, Pittsburgh 34, Boise State 25, Oregon State 23, Nebraska 17, Cincinnati 13, Virginia 12, Connecticut 9, Michigan State 9, Mississippi State 6, Kentucky 5, Notre Dame 5, TCU 5, Maryland 4, Texas A&M 3, UCLA 3, North Carolina 3, Louisville 2, Georgia Tech 2, UCF 2, Tulsa 1, Oklahoma State 1, Arizona 1, Colorado 1.

Jason Bay to Braves...Almost

The news from Atlanta on Trading Day is not nearly as exciting as the Cincinnati-Chicago or Boston-Los Angeles blockbusters. Braves news is the deal that almost was.

GM Frank Wren admitted that he thought the Braves had Pittsburgh's Jason Bay for four minor leaguers, including the light-hitting Brent Lillibridge and outfielder Brandon Jones.

Instead of Atlanta, Bay is off to Boston as part of the biggest trade of the day to try to replace Manny Ramirez. (I can't wait to hear Maximum Jack's thoughts on the deal that sent his dog's namesake to Joe Torre).

No doubt, Jason Bay is exactly the kind of player the Braves need. There might not be a team in the majors that gets less out of its left-fielder than Atlanta. Jason Bay would have been a big bat in the middle of the Atlanta order through next season. As miserable as this year has been in Georgia, the prospect of a Chipper-Bay-McCann middle of the order next year would have been a promising one.

Instead, Atlanta looks to be saving its pennies for a run at a primo free agent in the off-season. Who that will be...I don't feel like looking it up right now. Instead, I'm going to continue to wallow in my own "getting Bay would have been fun" funk for a few sentences longer. At the least, it would have taken the sting off today's Hudson needs Tommy John surgery news.

The silver lining - at least the Braves are not the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Adios, Tex

I turned off the Braves game tonight. It was just too sad to watch. The season that was supposed to be officially had the plug pulled on it as Mark Teixeira was dealt to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

After giving up double-digit runs in three straight games, GM Frank Wren finally conceded that the Braves could not compete in the mediocre National League. Between the laundry list of injuries and poor performances from key contributors, Atlanta made the correct move in becoming a seller in the MLB market. Expect Will Ohman to be the next to go.

I'm a little confused by the trade. Casey Kotchman, who seems like a nice enough player, is a free agent just like Teixeira. Steve Marek has mediocre minor league stats, though I can't find much about him otherwise.

Is this the best Atlanta could get? Maybe so, but I sure wish the Braves were getting more than a couple of months out of Kotchman. It is quite a letdown from the possibility of Conor Jackson, though the D-Backs seemed intent on not letting that happen. It seems that Arizona realizes that this might not be their year with Chicago and Milwaukee playing so well, so better to hold onto their young stud.

Back to Atlanta, the Braves haven't been this irrelevant since 1990 under Russ Nixon. Yes, Russ Nixon. It is not even August yet and Atlanta is out of it. It is a sad day for a spoiled Braves fan.

On the other hand, there is something fairly relieving about this awful season. It feels like I've been dumped by a girl I always knew wasn't right for me. 1991 broke my heart. 1996 kicked me in the groin and then broke my heart. Kyle Farnsworth broke my heart live at Minute Maid Park. The 2008 Braves? I'll be over them in a couple of stiff drinks.

When does the football season start?

2008-09 Tennessee Basketball Schedule

Thoughts?

UT basketball schedule

Date Day Opponent Site

Nov. 3 Mon. Indianapolis (exhibition) Knoxville

Nov. 7 Fri. Tusculum (exhibition) Knoxville

Nov. 15 Sat. UT-Chattanooga Knoxville

Nov. 18 Tue. UT-Martin Knoxville

Nov. 21 Fri. at Middle Tennessee Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Nov. 27 Thur. 1-Old Spice Classic Orlando, Fla.

Nov. 28 Fri. 1-Old Spice Classic Orlando, Fla.

Nov. 30 Sun. 1-Old Spice Classic Orlando, Fla.

Dec. 3 Wed. UNC Asheville Knoxville

Dec. 13 Sat. at Temple Philadelphia, Pa.

Dec. 16 Tue. 2-Marquette Nashville, Tenn.

Dec. 20 Sat. Belmont Knoxville

Dec. 29 Mon. Louisiana-Lafayette Knoxville

Jan. 3 Sat. at Kansas Lawrence, Kan.

Jan. 7 Wed. Gonzaga Knoxville

Jan. 10 Sat. at Georgia* Athens, Ga.

Jan. 13 Tue. Kentucky* Knoxville

Jan. 17 Sat. South Carolina* Knoxville

Jan. 20 Tue. at Vanderbilt* Nashville, Tenn.

Jan. 24 Sat. Memphis Knoxville

Jan. 28 Wed. LSU* Knoxville

Jan. 31 Sat. Florida* Knoxville

Feb. 4 Wed. at Arkansas* Fayetteville, Ark.

Feb. 7 Sat. at Auburn* Auburn, Ala.

Feb. 11 Wed. Georgia* Knoxville

Feb. 14 Sat. Vanderbilt* Knoxville

Feb. 18 Wed. at Ole Miss* Oxford, Miss.

Feb. 21 Sat. at Kentucky* Lexington, Ky.

Feb. 25 Wed. Mississippi State* Knoxville

March 1 Sun. at Florida* Gainesville, Fla.

March 5 Thur. at South Carolina* Columbia, S.C.

March 8 Sun. Alabama* Knoxville

March 12-15 SEC Tournament Tampa, Fla. Raycom & CBS TBD

To the Victorino Goes the Blame

I like Shane Victorino. He plays hard and plays the right way. He's fast, athletic and exciting.

But he did not need to run over Brian McCann today.

If you haven't seen the replays, you will. It is a brutal collision on a play at the plate. The relay throw and Victorino were racing to home. Brian McCann fielded the throw cleanly, moved to tag the Phillie runner and was then knocked silly as Victorino lowered his helmet into McCann's head.

Before you tell me this is part of the game, consider this: Brian McCann was not blocking home plate. He fielded the throw and then dove toward the plate to tag what he assumed was a sliding Victorino. The play was a race to the plate which did not necessitate a collision. Beyond that, Victorino led with his helmet rather than his shoulder or forearm. He used his head as a battering ram to jar the ball loose from McCann, only instead of hitting glove he hit McCann's noggin. The Braves catcher has a concussion as a result of the play.

Victorino was rightfully concerned about the play, but that doesn't excuse it. There was no reason to plow over the Braves All-Star catcher. There was no reason to give the guy a concussion; we have all learned from Troy Aikman to Chris Benoit how devastating concussions can be to the human body and brain.

It makes no sense to me that throwing a baseball near someone's head is brawl-worthy, but running over a defenseless catcher is good baseball. It isn't. It is unnecessary and unfair to the catcher.

Here is hoping that when the Phillies visit Atlanta in September, the play is not forgotten. That will be good baseball.

The (Sad) State of American Tennis

Non-Slam Tennis doesn’t get much coverage on SportsCenter, but in between the seven Favre stories on Thursday you may have noticed that Roger Federer was bounced early in this year’s Rogers (ironic?) Cup by Gilles Simon. Rest assured, the game’s greatest player is not finished. Yes, Nadal gave him a spanking earlier this year in the final of the French, and, yes, Rafa was able to do the unthinkable (at least to anyone who didn’t watch last year’s Wimbledon final) and dethrone the Fed Express at the All England Club. While it is no longer a forgone conclusion that Roger will break Pete Sampras’ record of 14 majors, I do believe he’s not going to retire with merely the 12 Slams on his current resume. In fact, I’m making a bold prediction that Fed will win another Slam long before we see another American holding up a champion’s trophy from any of the Slams.

In the same tournament this week, the top two Americans, James Blake and Andy Roddick, were also tossed out early. They are both still hovering in the top 10 in the world, but neither is on his way up in the rankings. Sadly, there is no one else even close. Sam Querrey and Mardy Fish are the only other Americans in the Top 50, #38 and #41 respectively. Contrast that with Spain— nine men in the top 50—or France—seven—and you start to see a gloomy picture of American Tennis. The women’s game isn’t much better. I mean the biggest splash this year from an American woman not named Williams, is the Tri-State area’s own Ashley Harkleroad, (pictured) who graced the pages of the August issue of Playboy Magazine.

Usually you’ll see an article similar to this one around the first week of the French Open. Americans traditionally do not do well on the red dirt of Roland Garros, but this isn’t the European Clay Court Season. This is the American Hard Court Season. This is our time to shine. Guys like Simon should not be winning tournaments in Indianapolis. I’m not saying he isn’t a good player—you don’t crack the top 25 or beat the world number one without a fair amount of talent, but still . . .

So, why are Americans lagging behind in a sport they have dominated for most of my lifetime? Over the last year I have been teaching tennis, mainly to juniors, at a semi-private tennis club here in the Scenic City. I have come to the conclusion that the developmental system in place for tennis in this country is seriously flawed, catering only to those who are financially secure.

You may be saying to yourself, tennis has always been an elitist sport. What’s the big deal? Surely someone will come along soon and reclaim our tennis supremacy. I’m not convinced. Much of the world has already surpassed us, such as Western Europe and the old Eastern Bloc countries and there is a large chunk of the globe, namely Asia, which is nipping at our heels. I don’t believe we will be able to compete on an international level if tennis continues to exclude a large majority of its population here in the U.S.

When I was growing up in Chattanooga in the late seventies and early eighties, tennis was at the height of its popularity in this country. It was truly a golden era in the sport. No one can deny the impact guys like Connors and McEnroe (and Borg) made on tennis. Public courts sprang up all over the place, and it was odd to drive by on a sunny, weekend day and not see them filled up with players of all levels. My, how things have changed. When was the last time you saw all the courts across from Red Bank Middle School being used? The city has already torn down two, leaving just five rapidly decaying courts for the entire city of Red Bank. The Red Bank High School team doesn’t even play or practice there anymore. Instead, they head over to Rivermont and use the six free courts closest to the baseball fields. Those courts are actually in decent shape, but it still seems odd that a town the size of Red Bank doesn’t have a decent public facility.

Those of you familiar with the area might know about the beautiful tennis facility know as The Champions Club, which is actually in the same city park as the Rivermont courts I mentioned. These courts are super, and there are 26 of them. My only problem with the facility is that you have to pay to play. If I would have had to pay to play when I was growing up, I never would have learned the game. I mean we were cheapskates. We used to buy Tretorn pressureless tennis balls because they would last forever—they actually got harder with age! So having to pay for court time would have absolutely stopped us in our tracks, and we would have found something else to do, which is exactly what is happening today.

The state of high-school tennis in this area is in shambles. The private schools are in pretty good shape, but other than that, the level of competitiveness is laughable. The USTA has instituted a “No Cut” Rule, which sounds egalitarian, but it just turns into a great big mess. You end up having 30 or 40 kids trying to share one or (maybe) two coaches and six courts. Ridiculous.

Even the private schools have some problems. Baylor’s two-time State Champion, Bo Seal, was forced to leave the area after his sophomore year because there just wasn’t enough competition for him here. He opted to finish high school at a private tennis academy in Florida. Imagine if someone had told B.J. Coleman in his junior year he would have to leave McCallie if he wanted to become a better football player. Nonsense.

Patrick McEnroe recently took the job at the USTA as Director of Player Development. He has a hard task ahead of him. I’ve heard rumors about other, more exclusive tennis academies on the horizon. I guess the feeling is if we can get the cream of the crop better prepared, they will go on to reach great heights. That may be the case in the short run, but for the long haul if the USTA doesn’t do something about making tennis instruction and courts more accessible and affordable, we may be heading for an extremely dark age in American Tennis.

Lerch's Guide to Fantasy Success

Let's face facts... Most of us play fantasy sports to experience the success and sense of achievement that eludes us in our pitiless daily lives.  A victory in one's fantasy league brings prestige, bragging rights, and sometimes even financial rewards.  When your fantasy team loses because Brian Westbrook fell to the ground on the one yard line to allow the Eagles to run out the clock against the Cowboys, the emotional effects can be devastating.

As the defending champion of the "The Only League that Matters" in football and the current leader with a consistent 25 point cushion of "Below the Mendoza Line" in baseball, I think I have become Carpenter's fantasy ringer.  He sets up these leagues for his friends and family to have some sporting competition, and this guy from Texas keeps dominating.  Therefore, I've decided to put down some of my keys to success in fantasy sports as an olive branch to my competitors that read this blog...

1) "Value of High Draft Picks - Consistency Counts" - The current fantasy trend is to load up on running backs because you can always find quality receivers and quarterbacks later on.  While this is true, the fact is that finding those guys is a bit of a crap shoot, and consider that starting running backs are dropping like flies with injuries in the current NFL.  So, do you really want to pass on Peyton Manning, who is guaranteed to throw for a trillion yards every year, for Rudi Johnson, who is "projected" to run for 1200 mythical yards, and take your chances with Jake Delhomme.  Really, think about that one for a second.  Franchise quarterbacks and receivers are hard to find - Grab them while you can.

2) "Quarterbacks - 2008 is 2003" - Any passer can have a fluke year, but statistical consistency in the NFL is difficult to find.  You want to find quarterbacks who have performed well over the long run.  Right now, there is Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and everyone else.  If you can't get one of those two guys, you have three options.  One, my current choice, grab what you think is the franchise quarterback of the future, and pray to God something terrible happens to Jessica Simpson. Two, find a consistent veteran who may not have the stats of a Brady, but will usually get the job done, like a Donovan McNabb.  Of course, the drawback here is most of these guys tend to be injury prone.  Third, draft a young quarterback who has all the scouts and press saying the right thing, and may have even gotten hot in the playoffs so everyone thinks he's better than he is, and convince yourself he's the franchise quarterback of the future.  I'm not going to say any names here, but it rhymes with "Eat my Fanning" and I will enjoy watching him throw 10 picks in his first three games this year.  I hope you draft him.

3) "Runningbacks - 2008 is NOT 2003" - We've all been playing fantasy football for a while, right.  Well, who remembers the big debate in 2001? Well, it was "Should I take Faulk, James, or Tomlinson?"  (For the record, the correct answer that year was Faulk, and I took him) Alright, two of those guys are still alive, 10,000 tackles later.  Have mercy on your soul if they are still on your fantasy team.  Running backs have a short shelf life, and the sooner you realize this, the better.  Subtract one round for every year a back is over the age of 25.  Fill up your bench with a stable of young backs, and, eventually, everyone in front of them will be injured. 

4) "Two Back Systems - Good for real teams, bad for fantasy teams" - As a football coach, I can't emphasize enough how important it is to have two quality backs on a team.  You're really lucky if you have a big powerful runner and quick little guy so you can name them "Thunder and Lightning" and make t-shirts for everyone.  However, in fantasy, I avoid two back systems like the plague.  Because fantasy scoring is so biased towards scoring touchdowns, the chances of your guy being the one to carry the ball into the end zone are divided in half.  Even the so-called "goal line runners" who go in and just score touchdowns are unreliable because they gain 16 yards and no scores as often as they gain 32 yards and two scores.

- "The Maurice Jones-Drew Corollary" - The only exception to this rule is the running back who catches a ton of passes out of the backfield, doubling his opportunities to score points and thus negating the two back rule.  However, remember rule #1 here - It's not the Reggie Bush Corollary because he is way over valued.  Picking up Jones-Drew on waivers two years ago brought me a title.

5) "Two Receiver Systems - Good for real teams, good for fantasy teams" - NFL coverages tend to be focused on a single receiver.  Therefore, for a passing team, the second receiver becomes a great option for your fantasy team.  While Chad Johnson gets the press coverage, TJ Hooshmansomethingorother has been racking up incredible fantasy numbers.  We all saw what happened last year with Reggie Wayne's numbers.  Notice the emphasis is on "passing teams." The number ONE receiver on the Bears is a terrible option, let alone the second.

6) "Kickers suck in real life and fantasy" - No explanation needed on this one, right?