What Youve Heard

Pre-Season Fantasy Football Rankings For Your Draft

Author: domnik

Fantasy football has gotten a huge following as more and more people look to the Internet to set up their leagues and teams. One of the most important things to do for a successful fantasy season is use the pre-season fantasy football rankings to prepare for the draft of your team.

Long before the day of the fantasy football draft arrives, there are several rankings that have been done by the experts. In these rankings, they predict what players they think are going to do the best that season. Even though this is just a prediction, most of the real experts have inside knowledge on the players and teams.

A person who is serious about fantasy football is not going to wait until the draft day to start choosing his or her team. In fact, there are many participants who start writing down names and ideas before the summer even begins. If you happen to read a lot of articles and look towards the pre-season fantasy football rankings, it is a smart idea to write down the players whom you want to keep in mind.

When you have read enough information and you have written down your own predictions, only then can you start to actually choose the players for your team. Remember, the key is to choose the best players to begin with so you can succeed the whole season.

Some people find that pre-season fantasy football rankings are the be-all-to-end-all, but this is not true. Most of the time it may be your intuition or your research into new players that makes your team win in the end. Even though the rankings are not the only thing you should base your team on, if you are serious about the game, you should still read the pre-season ranking reports to get all the information you can. The more information you have, the better chance that your team may just win it all.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/clothing-articles/preseason-fantasy-football-rankings-for-your-draft-1164924.html

About the Author

"To find out more aboutfantasy football rankings, take a moment and visit us at www.fantasyfootballchallenge.com

Fulham in Premier League 2009-10

Author: roybrown27

Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London, usually considered to have been founded in 1879 (though the semi-professional Cray Wanderers F.C. are the oldest team in London still in existence).

The club spent much time in the old First Division through the 1960s but never gained any major honours. In 1975, as a Second Division team, they contested the FA Cup final for the only time in their history, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, the Fulham side that day containing former Hammers great Bobby Moore. Fulham qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2002 by winning the Intertoto Cup, beating Bologna 5–3 in the final over two legs. In the UEFA Cup, they won through two rounds before being defeated by Hertha Berlin. In the mid-1990s they had a brief spell in the former Fourth Division, but within less than a decade, they advanced into the top flight. No doubt their new millionaire chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed played a crucial role. In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the top-flight, coming 7th to qualify for Europe once again.

The club has produced many British greats including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was undergoing renovations to bring it up to Premier League standards. The club's training ground is located near Motspur Park (and was where Chariots of Fire among others was filmed), where Fulham's Academy is also situated, including a mini-stadium where the reserves play. Fulham currently have a partnership agreement with the Boston Red Sox baseball team.

After Fulham's relegation escape, Hodgson spoke of the need to ensure Fulham never found themselves in such a precarious position again. He struck early during the summer transfer window to claim the signing of experienced, Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a free from Middlesbrough on 22 May 2008. On 28 May 2008, the club announced that captain and club legend Brian McBride would not renew his contract and would be returning to USA to play for the Chicago Fire. On 12 June Fulham added the signing of Andranik Teymourian to its summer acquisitions. The 25-year-old Armenian-Iranian defensive midfielder has played most recently for Bolton and the Iran national football team. Zoltan Gera was also added to the squad earlier in the same month, after turning down a new contract with newly promoted West Bromwich Albion. In early July, Toni Kallio, whom Hodgson had signed on loan in January, signed a full contract with the club. On 15 July, Fulham announced the joint signing of Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil from London rivals West Ham. Next followed the saga of Andrew Johnson in which it was reported in the press on 29 June that Johnson (from Premier League rivals Everton) would be joining immediately for up to 12 million pounds. The transfer eventually happened more than a week later and at fees rising to almost 13 million, he is the second most expensive signing in Fulham's history, (after Steve Marlet), and was looking to make an impact along with the other 9 player Roy Hodgson signed in the 2008–09 season. The current captain is Danny Murphy.

Fulham's start to the season was not fantastic: a 2-1 defeat away to Hull City. However, two home games in quick succession saw them record a surprise 1-0 victory over Arsenal, as well as a 2-1 win against Bolton Wanderers. They also beat Leicester City in the Carling Cup, but it was a nervy affair for Fulham, who won 3-2 after being 2-1 down with 7 minutes to go: Danny Murphy scored the winner in stoppage time. Four successive defeats, three of which were in the League to Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion saw Fulham slide down the table: the other defeat, away to Burnley, saw them go out of the Carling Cup. Two draws against Sunderland and Portsmouth helped to stop the rot, and a 2-0 home win against Wigan Athletic was crucial. Fulham then somehow contrived to lose away to Everton, but they rectified this by defeating both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage. The win against Spurs was particularly noteworthy, as Roy Hodgson's side became the first to beat Tottenham under their new manager Harry Redknapp. Two 0-0 draws away to Liverpool and Aston Villa saw them rise to 10th in the table, and they have already picked up over half their points tally of last season. Their 1-1 draw at home with Manchester City, followed by their 0-0 draw away at Stoke City mean that they are now unbeaten in six matches. Following the Stoke match, Fulham had a very comfortable 3-0 win against Boro. Despite not winning either of their next two fixtures, the Christmas period was a satisfactory one for Fulham: on Boxing Day they drew 0-0 away to Tottenham (the year before they had lost 5-1 in the same fixture on the same day), and two days later they snatched a dramatic draw at home to their local rivals Chelsea, with both goals coming from American Clint Dempsey. This saw them cement their place in mid-table, where they still remain at 9th position in the third week of March 2009, a month in which they have had mixed results, losing 1-2 to lowly ranked Blackburn Rovers and 0-1 to Hull City, but sensationally prevailing 2-0 on 21 March 2009 at Craven Cottage against Premier League defending champions and 2008-09 leaders Manchester United, who had two players, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney sent off. The goals for Fulham were scored by Danny Murphy and Zoltan Gera. Earlier in the season, the team reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup, eventually losing at home to Manchester United. Fulham finished the season in seventh place allowing them to enter the recently re-named Europa League for only the second time in their history.

The Fulham FC club official mascot is Billy the Badger who was the winning design sent in by Kyle Jackson after an online competition by the club. Billy the Badger wears the number 79 Fulham shirt, in reference to the club's year of founding (1879). Controversy first surrounded Billy when he tried to cheer up Chelsea manager Avram Grant during a home match in front of the television cameras. Secondly, Billy was seen on television being sent off during the home game against Aston Villa on Sunday 3 February 2008, for breakdancing in the corner of the pitch after the referee had commenced the game. Billy blamed his badger hearing and eyesight for the incident, and apologised to referee Chris Foy. On Wednesday 11 March 2009 Billy walked across the goal during a match although it was not spotted by the referee. The former mascot for Fulham was Sir Craven of Cottage, the Knight. The cheerleaders were known as the Cravenettes, formerly the SW6ers.

Fulham fans consider their main rivals to be Chelsea. Despite this fixture not being played that often in the years preceding Fulham's ascent to the top division, this is a clear local derby as Chelsea's ground, Stamford Bridge, is in Fulham. However, it is only recently that the two teams have been competing in the same league. Chelsea supporters don't consider Fulham to be their main rivals, sharing more intense rivalries with Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, West Ham United, Leeds, Millwall and more recently Liverpool. The reason for this is not certain but most likely owes to the fact the two clubs have spent many years in different divisions and Chelsea's considerably larger fan base.

Fulham consider their secondary rivalries to be with QPR and Brentford. Fulham last played QPR in the 2000-01 season and Brentford in the 1997-98 season. They also have small rivalries with other London clubs, including West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Outside of London, Gillingham are still considered rivals to Fulham despite the two clubs having played in different divisions for the past eight years. Fulham and Gillingham have been involved in several high-tempered matches in the lower leagues. The death of a Fulham fan outside Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium in 1998 has only served to intensify the bad relationship between the clubs' fans.

Fulham have a large fan base and have millions of fans all over the world and people love to watch their matches live into the play ground. Fulham fans love to enjoy and experience the thrill during the Fulham match live in the ground. Getting football tickets for Fulham Matches is really a hard task for the Fulham fans. Ticket4football.com solves this problem by offering the Fulham football tickets, easy to get and relatively at cheaper price. So Fulham Tickets are just at the distance of one click from the fans.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/fulham-in-premier-league-200910-1478494.html

About the Author

Roy brown
31
Single
From London
play and watch football

Fantasy Football Ranking

Author: Onesimus Smith

Although it is helpful, reading fantasy football ranking, cheat sheets, and benching injured players is just not enough. You have to be pro-active and strategic. Fantasy football is a chess match. And, you have to think like a chess player. Analyze your opponents and block them from moving.

Whether you've studied Yahoo cheat sheets or the ESPN fantasy football rankings and your fantasy football team is on its way to the fantasy football league championship, don't worry if your efforts are still not enough to make your fantasy football team work because there is still a lot of time.

A fantasy football ranking can always change as long as the football league is not over yet. Doing your own fantasy football ranking is a part that you will love whenever you play fantasy football. Last year's stats won't be like this year's stats. When doing you own fantasy football ranking, checking out the most recent rankings and stats could help you a lot. Don't think ahead. The guys doing the ranking just figure that the players will basically finish as they did in the previous year.

This year's stats don't equal last year's but they make a good starting point. Now that you're ready to eliminate your fantasy football ranking of any player who finished top 10 last year, let's take this slowly. We will need some baseline from which we can adjust player projections either upward or downward.

Change is one factor that will impact how a fantasy player will perform but it has a dozen of different things. Every year, players get older by one year and for young players, it is another year of valuable NFL experience. For older players, it is another year of physical pounding. Free agents signing always can impact the game results. Some teams lose good players while other teams get better ones. This will always affect the fantasy football ranking of each teams and players. It is your job to research on these matters.

Yes, it'll take a lot of thought and research. But when you're done, you'll have a pride of ownership in your work. And my guess is that you'll have a lot of fun doing it. After all, if you play fantasy football, it's for love of the hobby. Doing your own fantasy football ranking should be part of that love!

Head over to www.fantasyfactor.com and check out their state of the art software and amazing one day fantasy leagues for Fantasy football, Fantasy Baseball, and many other fantasy sports.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/fantasy-football-ranking-2729068.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

English Premier League (EPL) the Top Football League in Europe

Author: English Premier League

English Premier League was founded in 1992 and will complete its 17th seasons as, of the end of the 2008–09 seasons. Seasons run from August to May. All teams play 38 games each. The league held its first season in 1992–93. Initially there were 22 teams in the league, however it was the intention since the inception to cut that back to 20 and as of now that is how many there are. The first ever Premier League goal was scored by Brian Deane of Sheffield United in a 2–1 win against Manchester United. The English Premier League is without a doubt, the most lucrative football league in the world. The Premier League clubs are among the richest in the world. The Premier League is operated as a corporation and is owned by the 20 member clubs. The premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. The English Premier League has become the world's most watched sporting league. The English Premier League currently has some of the world’s most famous players and oldest clubs. According to the International Federation of Football History and Statistics (IFFHS), the English Premier League is the top football league in the world for the second consecutive year.

Three of the final four teams in the Champions League semi-finals are from the EPL, and it has been like that the last 3 years. EPL is the strongest and most sought after club league in the world.  The English top flight is a massive worldwide product that is ever increasingly difficult to quantify.  42 clubs have graced the top flight since the breakout of the Premier League of which only 11 of the 42 have managed a top 4 finish in 16 years. 4 clubs have won the title in the 16 seasons of competition. 15 of the 16 titles have been won by Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The present champion of this league is Manchester United. They won the ninth title in 2006-07. No team has ever won the title for this number of times. The top English clubs are now massive sports franchises that dominate the global game.  Top players are lured to the Premier league by riches that no other league can rival. Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool have consistently occupied the top four positions with complete domination in four of the past five seasons with the sides taking the top places on 19 out of 20 opportunities. Each of the clubs in the league is considered to be a part owner in the league. The league continues to grow and become a force in the world of football. The top four team’s qualified in the Premiership graduated and now play in UEFA Championship League

The 2008/09 season has given us one of the best and closest starts to a season in many years. Liverpool has begun to prove them as a consistent force. Last weekend’s 2-1 win to Arsenal has well and truly brought them back into calculations, even at this early stage in the Premier League season. With Manchester United expected to win their game in hand, it brings the big 4 that much closer together.

As of 2008, it was ranked as the highest grossing league with La Liga, Spain and Serie A, Italy trailing behind. The Premier League will continue to dominate world football for years to come. Through hard work and effort the Premier League was able to rise to the top. England's most improved club Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool. the English Premier League Tickets is considered as the planet's most popular and most-viewed professional football league, and is seen across the globe by an estimated half a billion people. There are many websites those sell Premier League tickets.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soccer-articles/english-premier-league-epl-the-top-football-league-in-europe-1150185.html

About the Author

The author providing information about english premier league is a football fan and provides latest information regarding football matches, football tickets, football travel packages all over the world. For more information on English Premier League Tickets visit http://www.worldfootballtravel.com/

La Liga Football Shirts Outsell Premiership Football Kits

Author: Arthor Pens

The Premiership is the richest league in the world at the moment and for a few years it was where the top players in the world were being attracted to. However with the return or the Galacticos mentality at Real Madrid we appear to be witnessing a shift in power once again, with Spain being the attractive league for most of the top names in world football at the moment.

The Premiership teams have dominated the Champions League in recent years with Chelsea, Liverpool, Man Utd and Arsenal all reaching the later stages of the competition on a regular basis, but it was Barcelona who triumphed over Man Utd this year to take the title and with both Real Madrid and Barcelona continuing to strengthen Spain could be set to restart their domination.

The top teams in Europe are always big shirt sellers but as a result of the quality of players moving to the Premiership we had seen a rise in the number of Premiership shirts sold in comparison to other leagues, however his is expected to change due to the number of top names signing for Real Madrid in particular. The signing's of Benzema, Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo alone are huge shirt sellers with Cristiano Ronaldo selling 3000 shirts in the club store in the first two hours.

La Liga shirts have already taken a good lead as the Premiership trail behind in the signing of top quality players. There are a number of top players linked with moves to England so there is still a possibility that the Premiership shirts will make a resurgence but at the moment La Liga shirt sales are way out in front.

The loss of the Cristiano Ronaldo from the Premiership will in itself make the sales of shirts go down and because of his world record price tag he immediately becomes a fans favorite. His signing has completely overshadowed the signing of Kaka who in comparison to Ronaldo only sold 800 shirts in his first day whilst Ronaldo sold 3000 in the first two hours and the club shop sold out by the end of the day.

With more big names expected to arrive in Spain from the Premiership and beyond the number of La Liga shirts that are expected to sell is considerable with supply likely to struggle with the considerable increase in demand. This will be intensified further can follow up their big spending with trophies this season.

The most popular La Liga football shirts, other than Real Madrid and Barcelona, depends on which teams qualify for the either the Champions League or the Europa League. Teams that are regular big sellers are the likes Atletico Madrid, Villareal and Valencia . Another aspect of these teams is that they all have top players playing the club, so often the sale of their shirts is not because of their on pitch performance but their star player.

As the start of the season fast approaches it is certain that lots of transfer activity has still to come, especially from the Premiership where everything has been quiet so far. At the moment the Spanish La Liga football shirts are far out selling their Premiership rivals but with top names such as Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Franck Ribery, Luis Fabiano and Zlatan Ibrahimovic all being linked with possible moves to the Premiership then there is a long way to go to see whish countries shirts will be the biggest sellers for this year, but with Real Madrid looking far from finished in their spending then La Liga shirts are certainly the ones leading the way at the moment.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/la-liga-football-shirts-outsell-premiership-football-kits-1030914.html

About the Author

For more information on the latest La Liga football shirts to be worn in the upcoming 2009-10 season, visit myfootballkits. We provide the latest news on all the new La Liga shirts including the latest designs, release dates and special offers.

Football Fantacy Information

Author: johnsmith williams

The popularity of football is increasing at a very fast rate in India. A country which is fully engulfed in cricket has started to finally bend towards football. The object of the game is to manipulate the football into the opponent's end zone and score points. The success of a football team depends largely on the kits used by the players. These kits not only serve as the basic support for the entire team, but also ensure the health and the safety of the team members. The games of elite football groups attract thousands of people. The football game is commonly known as ‘Association Football’ around the World.

However, in comparison with the store, online shopping gives you the advantage to shop a wide range of gift items that are rare and genuine. On the internet shopping, football gifts collection related to famous football teams and legendary players can be purchased. For example: photos of the football teams and famous players, shirts of the players, the football newspaper memorabilia book etc. are some fascinating gifts for football lovers. Each gift items has its unique features and significance.

This football betting guide will give you a basic understanding of lay betting and help you to make money by becoming a football lay betting winner. Take this football betting advice and understand this one football betting tip and you will be able to improve your football betting profits in the most explosive way. This is not difficult, just a different way of thinking.

Football shares allow a person to become a real share holder of some famous football clubs. It also gives power to attend shareholder meetings, vote on important issues, get annual reports etc. The football share comes with a welcome note, explanation of the gift, shares and share holding booklet and a personalization certificate. Such football gifts make the person feel like a part of the family. Another football gift is the football season book that captures the interesting news and every buzz of the world of football. This book is bind in a A4 quality glossy soft-back cover.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/football-fantacy-information-1877419.html

About the Author

John Smith,A football lover with a gift just consider the exquisite collection of  football information about football gifts, country wise football information

Real-time Fantasy Football Manager: Billionaires' Game

Author: SPORTiana.com

There's a saying: 'Money can't buy you happiness'. If you're a football club owner with the biggest budget on the market you can buy best players, that can make you happy. Now, if those players do not make you good profit, would that not make you happy? Not if you are a billionaire, what are millions in compare to billions.

With a net worth of , , billion, are you to invest money and much of your time in something that may bring you profit over the years of no more than several hundreds of millions or losses in the same value? How could you spend a billion anyway?

You buy the most expensive cars, houses, yachts, airplanes, all that luxury still may not top billion. Pleasure among machines, butlers, personnel, can make you feel like a saddened King from fairy-tales. There must be a more humanly joy.

You buy a media exposure, be in the spotlight where everybody are watching, you move masses of tens of thousands of people in the stadium as if they are marionettes and you are a wire-puller, you build your own fantasy world.

You make news headlines by being a super spender in the most watched sporting league in the world. Yes, you buy yourself a top football club and it wouldn't cost you more than a billion or so! You become a real-time Fantasy Football Manager.

Fantasy Football Manager is a football management simulation computer game first released in 1980s where you are the General Manager of your very own fantasy football team. Nowadays, most popular sports web-sites offer a chance for visitors to play the Fantasy Football League Management game.

In the real-time world, Chelsea FC was purchased by a billionaire in June 2003. Since then, the club is witnessing record losses, the billionaire's involvement with Chelsea is described by Wikipedia as 'to have distorted the football transfer market throughout Europe, as his wealth often allows the club to purchase players virtually at will (frequently at inflated prices), without regard for the effects on the club's financial outturn'.

How does this effect the reality of football? Football becomes a sub-real simulation of its own reality. With one club owner having limitless budget, his/her football knowledge, work and skills of managing a club do not effect his/her success in the business, billionaire can continue to bring in the expensive players, sack head-coaches upon his/her desire.

Even if the club suffers the biggest financial losses in football world, the club will not go to bankruptcy as the billionaire will add additional hundreds of millions since the football club's budget does not depend on its football performance.

How does this effect the game of football? There doesn't seem to be much sportsmanship for one club to buy world top players (so many that a half of them will be reserves) while many other clubs can't afford to pay one or two such players for their first team.

The beauty of the game suffers as well. In two and a half years with Portugal's FC Porto coach Jose Mourinho won 2 domestic titles, including the European Champions League title in May 2004 by eliminating clubs with far greater budgets. Several months later Mourinho, named the world's best coach in 2004, was brought to Chelsea.

In just 3 years he managed to win 2 league titles, including club's first championship in 50 years, 1 FA cup, 2 Carling Cups, along setting several Premier League records. Mourinho at Chelsea did more than simple buying world football super-stars like Real Madrid C.F. did at that time, he offered contracts to players who were to develop to some of the world's best team-players playing for Chelsea.

Chelsea as a sovereign ruler of England's football fields and a perfect football team was as if not offering enough excitement for the club's billionaire owner. After winning consecutive titles, Chelsea signed two major football super-stars, Shevchenko (for a British record transfer fee) and Ballack, both of which did not match Mourinho's concept of team play.

It was the beginning of one great football mind's end with Chelsea, Mourinho was fired as the most successful head-coach in club's history in the years of his success. Welcome to the real-time Fantasy Football Manager as a spectator, player or head-coach!

SPORTiana.com is the author of this text. None part of the text is copyrighted by the third parties. Feel free to published, broadcast, rewrite or redistribute the text in full or part and add a link to http://www.sportiana.com/ upon your wish.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/soccer-articles/realtime-fantasy-football-manager-billionaires-game-247351.html

About the Author

Dayan Smreca, Sport Press

Fantasy Football Leagues

Author: anne cano

There are dozens of fantasy football leagues now available, each with their own rules, game format, and prize structure. The growth of the internet has brought on an explosion of interest in fantasy football, along with a plethora of information designed to aid everyone from the beginner to the shrewdest and experienced owners to help dominate their fantasy football leagues. There is no better place to dominate than

www.fantasyfactor.com the home of the one day fantasy leagues.

With beginners, figuring out which type of fantasy football league to join can be very confusing. It's like figuring a quarterback passer's rating without a calculator. Here's an explanation I have put together regarding the popular types of fantasy football leagues.

The Standard Draft League is the most popular among other fantasy football leagues. It generally begins with teams selecting all their players in a serpentine style draft. Owners then set their lineups each week based on the number of players per position allowed by its rules.

There are basically two different types of standard draft fantasy football leagues; head-to-head and total points. In a head-to-head league, a team matches up against a different team each week with the team receiving the most points of the two that particular week being awarded a win while the other team is given a loss. At the end of the regular season, teams with the best won/loss records meet in the playoffs to decide an eventual champion. Total points leagues do not track wins and losses, rather teams accumulate points on an ongoing basis with standings being determined by the teams' total points. The teams that build the highest total points at the end of the regular season advance to the playoffs.

These are the types of leagues (1) Auction Draft Leagues (2) Dynasty Leagues (3) Keeper Leagues (4) IDP Leagues (5) Survivor Leagues

Survivor Leagues: On a weekly basis all a fantasy owner needs to do is avoid having the lowest score of all teams in the league. Of course, as the weeks go by and the number of teams drops, it becomes increasingly difficult to do just that. The last team remaining after all others have been booted is the survivor and is crowned league champion.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/baseball-articles/fantasy-football-leagues-2307317.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

Cat Illnesses-How to Spot A Bladder Infection in Cats

Author: Kate Rieger

You may have heard about the problem of a bladder infection in cats. This can be a reasonably common problem that occurs typically when there is an obstruction in the flow of urine from the cat's bladder. If you have a cat that you think may be suffering from a bladder infection, then you can be sure that there is a wide range of medications and also herbal treatments that can aid your pet.

Some of the symptoms of bladder infection in cats are frequent squatting and crying when urinating. They may associate the cat litter box as a place where the pain occurs, so they may suddenly start to wet in areas like the sink, corners of the room or other places that are unusual to your cat's normal behavior.

Your cat may also urinate only a few drops of urine at a time when it is able to pass them, and their thirst will most likely be dramatically increased. Other signs may include licking their genitals frequently and sometimes they may even pass small drops of blood.

Should your cat be showing one or more of these symptoms then you will need to take it to your veterinarian as soon as you are able to. Your cat will be in a degree of pain and this can be treated quite effectively once diagnosed.

In order to diagnose the problem, your veterinarian may do a urine analysis for your cat. This will show what infections may be present and therefore determine how it is to be treated.

Sometimes, bladder infection in cats can be a precursor to other more serious problems. The infection occurs typically because there has been a disruption to the flow of urine. This may have been because of bladder stones or cystitis.

If your cat has not urinated for an entire day, you will need to get him or her to the veterinarian fast. Your cat will no doubt be in excruciating pain and needs to be relieved of it fast. Many times your veterinarian will catheterize your cat and relieve the flow of urine in order to address the infection.

Acting as soon as possible when you notice any of the signs of bladder infection in cats will ensure that your cat's infection does not result in a blockage. This can affect the kidneys, and if left untreated can result in death within 24 hours. You can understand that this is a very important health issue for your pet that must be addressed as soon as you notice it.

Once your cat has been diagnosed with a bladder infection your veterinarian will most likely place it on a course of antibiotics. Your cat will have no doubt had an injection of long-acting and possibly short-acting penicillin when it was diagnosed, and you would need to commence the course of antibiotics yourself at home. Sadly, once a cat has had a bladder infection, he is likely to have it recur in the future.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pets-articles/cat-illnesses-how-to-spot-a-bladder-infection-in-cats-3072128.html

About the Author

The good news is that you can help fight off another bought of bladder infection in cats using a natural formula. Just add it to you cat's water or canned food, he'll never know it s there. This will help keep in urinary system healthy and at the correct pH. Here's where you can find out how to get this formula and you may qualify for free product. Check it out at http://Cat-Bladder-Problems.com.

Free Ncaa 09 Rosters

Author: Victor Vasquez

This year, NCAA Football 09 for the Xbox 360 & PS3 has a great new feature - the EA Locker. This allows free and easy roster sharing via your gaming console, so long as you are connected online with it.  The EA Locker allows users to download rosters from their friends or select community members. Conversely, it also allows gamers to upload their own created roster file they wish to share with the gaming community. Please do NOT be deceived by websites and e-Bay auctions that promote roster downloads for sale. There are members of the NCAA Football gaming community that provide quality rosters for free every year. One of the pioneers of editing rosters is FAIRDALE KINGS. Every year since 2002 he has shared his rosters files to the Xbox gaming community.

If you have never played NCAA Football with the actual names on your rosters than you don't know what you're missing. The names of all the players actually show up in the game, and the announcers say the names too. Visit www.fairdale-kings.com and get the rosters for yourself. Or just download them via the EA Locker. You will be glad you did.

Getting rosters for NCAA Football has never been easier. Here’s how you use the EA Locker feature for the Xbox 360:

• On the main menu for NCAA Football 09, click ‘Online’
• Then click on ‘EA Locker’
• Then enter in the Gamertag: FAIRDALE KINGS

From inside the locker, you can also browse the ‘locker’ of your friends to download any roster files that they may have. You can also enter in the Gamertag/PSN ID for a certain user as well and download any rosters they have.

If you need rosters for the PS3:

• On the main menu for NCAA Football 09, click ‘Online’
• Then click on ‘EA Locker’
• Then enter in the Gamertag: ncaaStrategies

This season, the EA Locker ushers in a new era of NCAA Football. Gamers no longer need to hunt down hard to find transfer devices and most importantly, they no longer need to pay outrageous prices from scam artists who steal their roster file from free sources. If you enjoy your roster file you are strongly encouraged to donate to the roster creator but there are no requirements. FAIRDALE KINGS and Chris Jacobs both provide 100% FREE roster downloads.

This year, make sure you tell all your friends about the EA Locker and visit freeNCAA09rosters.com for PS3 roster information provided by Chris Jacobs. For Xbox 360 roster information visit Fairdale-Kings.com for the "Best Rosters on the Net!"

Fast. Easy. Free. Spread the word.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/video-games-articles/free-ncaa-09-rosters-473846.html

About the Author

About the Author:

Victor Vasquez is the owner of Fairdale-Kings.com - provider of free NCAA Football rosters files for the PS2, PS3, and Xbox 360. His company offers the purchase of new memory cards, memory card mail-in service, and FREE roster download service specializing in NCAA Football 09 Rosters.

Fantasy Football Projections for Dummies

Author: micheal tietjen

There are many things to keep in mind when it comes to fantasy football projections because so many variables can affect your players' performance. Here are a couple of the things that I pay close attention to.

I always look out for injury reports. It's quite possible that a concussion or a sprained knee will come back to bite that player in the new season. A clean bill of health makes for a better player and will translate into more game points for you.

Watch out for weather conditions since rain, sleet and even high winds are sure to affect the players' ability to complete passes and score touchdowns.

Take note of weeks when your players have a bye. It would be advisable to stock up on bench players who have different byes to fill in for these weeks.

Also, it's important to understand what positions are most valuable according to your league's scoring settings. Most leagues give the same amount of points for touchdowns to all players whether it is a pass, reception, or rushing touchdown. However, quarterbacks and running backs are invariably worth investing a higher draft pick on because they tend to be involved in more point opportunities. On the other hand, tight ends tend to have a lower ceiling.

Lastly, make sure you keep up to date on the player statistics, rankings and even the cheat sheets that circulate through the Internet. Sometimes the website hosting your league will post relevant information, but I've found another site that's much more complete with schedules, team stats, injuries, positions, rosters, depth charts, and much more!

Are you looking to improve your ranking in your office league? Check out the most comprehensive and easy-to-access fantasy football projections site on the planet at fantasyfootballchallenge.com.

"For more information on fantasy football projections, visit http://www.fantasyfootballchallenge.com/."

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/fantasy-football-projections-for-dummies-1500454.html

About the Author

2009 Nfl Pro Bowl Snubs and Notables

Author: Clayton Terry

Now, the game may be absolutely meaningless, and it is probably one of the most boring games in sports, but the NFL Pro Bowl is an honor for players to be selected into. The official Pro Bowl rosters were released Tuesday, and there are a fair share of snubs to make cases for, and a number of notables to be congratulated.

AFC Notables

Andre Johnson, WR, Houston Texans

Even with the inconsistency at the quarterback position this season due to injury, Andre Johnson has come back to his form of two years ago. He has been the focal point of the Texans offense, and just came off of a colossal game against the Tennessee Titans in which he caught 11 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. He is currently leading the league with 1,408 yards receiving.

Chris Johnson, RB, Tennessee Titans

This explosive rookie running back came into the league considered a reach in the NFL draft. Looking back on it, the Titans are considered genius for drafting him when they did. He is in the top ten in the league in total rushing yards and yards per carry, despite sharing the load with fellow back LenDale White. No one can argue about his speed, and Johnson has now quickly become one of the biggest offensive threats in the league.

Mario Williams, DE, Houston Texans

Formally known as the guy who got drafted over Reggie Bush in the 2006 NFL Draft, Mario Williams is now considered one of the top defensive ends in the league. After recording only 4.5 sacks in his rookie season, Williams was starting to be considered another gigantic draft bust. However, he rebounded in his second season and recorded 14 sacks, but failed to make the Pro Bowl. He has finally been selected into his first Pro Bowl this season, gaining recognition from his 11 sacks, 46 tackles, and 4 forced fumbles. Keep in mind, Williams is only 23 years old; he’s only just beginning.

James Harrison, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Harrison has become one of the more dominant linebackers in the league, and has deservingly been selected to his second consecutive Pro Bowl. He now leads the team with 15 sacks, which ties the franchise record, and has a chance to break it with two games left in the season. Harrison’s path to the NFL was very unique, as he went undrafted and made the team through the practice squad. He and his team have a big game ahead of them against the Tennessee Titans this week, a game which decides who has home-field advantage throughout the playoffs in the AFC. Don’t be surprised if Harrison comes out of that game with the franchise record-breaking sack.  James Harrison is one of the great stories in the NFL, and is more than worthy of his second consecutive Pro Bowl.

Nnamdi Asomugha, CB, Oakland Raiders

Asomugha could have made a case to be in the Pro Bowl last season after recording a career-high 8 interceptions, but has made it this season with only one interception on the year. Now, only one interception may not sound like a Pro Bowl year, but nobody throws the ball his way. Asomugha has been recognized as a premier corner in the league, and is undoubtedly the most feared, as he has only been thrown to a handful of times. He is a big, physical man-to-man cover corner who has been looking for a long-term contract with the Raiders for the past two seasons. Now that Asomugha is gaining the type of recognition that he has, the Raiders will most likely be competing with a few other teams for that desired long-term contract this offseason.

Other notable selections: Jay Cutler (first selection), Brett Favre (10th selection), Joey Porter, Ray Lewis, Ed Reed, Troy Polamalu, Leon Washington (Kick Returner)

NFC Notables

Anquan Boldin, WR, Larry Fitzgerald, WR, Kurt Warner, QB, Arizona Cardinals

First the Cardinals win their division for the first time in 33 years, then this. The Cardinals have made more history by becoming the first team to take a quarterback and two wide receivers from the same team to the Pro Bowl. Wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, along with quarterback Kurt Warner, have become some of the more efficient players in the league offensively, and this two-headed receiving tandem has clearly been the most dominant in the league. They have also been extremely troublesome for opposing defenses to game plan for, and their numbers have been nearly identical. Fitzgerald and Boldin have 88 and 89 catches on the season respectively, with Fitzgerald having more yards with 1,200, and Boldin having more touchdowns with 11. Warner has had a great year as well, recording 26 touchdowns, over 4,200 yards passing, and a 97.5 passer rating (which is third in the league). He has also been in the conversation for MVP of the league this year. All three of these guys continue to propel their stats, make history, win games, and now, make Pro Bowls together. (As well as increase their fantasy football rankings).

Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

Speaking of MVP discussions, Drew Brees has been flawless this season and is all but deserving of a Pro Bowl selection. Brees has currently thrown for a league-high 4,332 passing yards and 28 touchdowns. Even though his team has been performing at a mediocre level, Brees has performed at a level that has propelled him towards the top of the quarterback class. His team has also gone through many injuries on the offensive side of the ball throughout the season, but that hasn’t prevented Brees from competing at a Pro Bowl level, and has made a large case for MVP of the NFL this season.

Michael Turner, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Michael Turner, along with the rest of the Atlanta Falcons team, has been one of the pleasant surprises of the season. Now out of the shadow of LaDanian Tomlinson, Turner has been one of the key factors in turning this Atlanta team around. He is currently second in the league with 1,421 yards rushing, and is leading the league with 15 rushing touchdowns. Turner has now made a name for himself, and his team has as well; becoming legitimate playoff contenders in the NFC. This is Turner’s first 1,000-yard rushing season, and this is the first time he has been selected to the Pro Bowl.

Other notables: Roddy White (first selection), Steve Smith, Eli Manning (first selection), Adrian Peterson, Julius Peppers, DeMarcus Ware

AFC/NFC Snubs

To start this off as positive as possible, there are many players worthy of a Pro Bowl selection, but it is hard to place them above the players actually selected.

DeAngelo Williams of the Carolina Panthers has been playing better than any back in the NFL the past few weeks, and is in the top 5 in both rushing yards and touchdowns this season, but it is hard to shove him in the lineup with Peterson, Portis, and Turner already in. This isn’t an enormous snub, but I felt I had to throw it in there because of how well he’s done this season, and how big of a fan I am of his. He just had a great amount of competition.

Calvin Johnson is in the same boat. He is 5th in the league with 1,165 receiving yards, and has 10 touchdowns on the year. Despite having a depressing season (to say the least) with the Detroit Lions, Johnson has lived up to his hype coming out of college. He will be a top receiver in the league for years to come, but will have to wait on the Pro Bowl. Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, and Steve Smith got in ahead of Johnson. Again, too much competition.

Matt Ryan is also in the same situation, but he should be just fine. His numbers were slightly better than that of Eli Manning’s, but it is hard to say he had an overall better season. He has been great to say the least, and has been the biggest component in making Atlanta a remarkable team in the NFC South. Matt Ryan has brought the city of Atlanta back to the Georgia Dome, and he will have plenty of seasons for his chance to go to Honolulu.

The last player in this situation is John Abraham of the Atlanta Falcons, who is third in the NFL in sacks and just came off of a 3-sack game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Abraham has been one of the biggest contributors in turning this Atlanta defense around, not to mention the team altogether. But it is very hard to argue Julius Peppers, Justin Tuck, or Jared Allen out of that Pro Bowl lineup. The NFC is full of talent at the defensive end position, and in this case, John Abraham is the odd man out.

Three of the top five players in tackles also didn’t make the Pro Bowl this season. (D’Qwell Jackson of the Cleveland Browns, Kirk Morrison of the Oakland Raiders, and London Fletcher of the Washington Redskins.)

Now, to the complete snubs.

First of all, the AFC quarterback lineup looks very weak, (with the exception of Peyton Manning) and there are a few quarterbacks of the AFC who can make large cases and should have been selected. Chad Pennington, Kerry Collins, and Matt Cassel would all be better selections then the ones who got in: Brett Favre and Jay Cutler.

Cutler is the quarterback for the most inconsistent team in the league, and is very inconsistent himself, and Favre’s performance has been almost the same. They both had great starts to the season, which has to be the only reason that they were even selected.

Pennington could easily be in this game, as he has led his team to one of the biggest turnarounds in NFL history, and is in the top five in total passer rating this season. Phillip Rivers has been what you would call consistent, leading the entire NFL with a total passer rating of 101.4. Matt Cassel has also been stellar this season, taking the reigns in New England after Tom Brady’s season-ending injury. And one quarterback that nobody has mentioned is Ben Roethlisberger, who is quarterbacking a Superbowl-caliber team and is also in the conversation for MVP of the league.  No one can deny any of these quarterbacks’ performances this year, and I consider all of them snubbed, considering who made the Pro Bowl ahead of them this year.

Ryan Clady was also snubbed out of this year’s Pro Bowl. He had a great rookie season, giving up only a half a sack the entire year on the offensive line for the Denver Broncos, and was well deserving of a selection.

In Indianapolis, Dallas Clark was absolutely snubbed. There is no reason why he shouldn’t have been selected, and why Antonio Gates should have made it. Clark is currently 5th in receiving yards for all tight ends, and has 5 touchdowns on the year. Antonio Gates didn’t have these types of numbers, and plays for the most disappointing team in the NFL. This is just another example of a popularity contest when it comes to Pro Bowl voting.

The Pro Bowl is a privileged honor for players of the NFL, and multiple selections can elevate players to the most prestigious in the league. There were many deserving players this year, and as always, there were a fair share of snubs. But, to the fans, who cares? Does anybody even watch this game anyway?

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/2009-nfl-pro-bowl-snubs-and-notables-688929.html

About the Author

Aspiring journalist of only 18 years of age. Currently in college; writing many sports related articles to gain some experience and recognition. You can check out my blog at sportsblogclaytonterry.blogspot.com

Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft Strategy

Author: Francis Vincent

Today I'm going to give you my three straightforward steps that I take before I start my fantasy baseball mock draft. These are my awfully personal secret steps that I've been doing for many years to help me achieve success in what actually counts, draft day.

To find out what the strategy is that I use to prepare a fantasy baseball mock draft then you want to keep reading. Be exceptionally careful when reading and take notes on what I'm about to inform you about because this may change your fortune in fantasy baseball.

Are you ready? Let's go!

Step 1 - Rankings

Setup all of your fantasy baseball rankings before entering your fantasy baseball mock draft however do not be like those massive websites that pump out over hundreds of rankings for each position. You want narrow your rankings for your Mock Draft to just the top fifteen players at every infield position and then the top thirty pitchers and outfielders. That's IT!!! There isn't any reason why you have to go beyond this because for goodness sakes there are customarily only around ten to twelve members in any particular fantasy baseball league. So if you only rank the amount of players I have advised for each position then you'll instantly be in front of the curve.

Step 2 Research

This may be the most significant part to success not only in your fantasy baseball mock draft but to victory on the genuine draft day also.

After you get to grips with only ranking the amount I have recommended in step one. You now have to compile all the data that you have time to research. Only, gather as much info has you candle because too much info isn't always useful.

What I do to help me out with this BEAST of an issue is that I break it down into segments. First, I focus on the infield minus pitchers, then I move to outfielders and lastly I look pitchers including starters and relievers. This brings me to another significant problem people often screw up on, stats. What are you supposed to have a look for when inspecting each player's statistics? Well, I could talk about this for another three or four articles, so in this case let's just keep away from this for the point of this article and move on to step three.

Step 3 - Organization

This is fundamental to having a good draft. Without an organizational plan you will only become confused and discombobulated. My answer to this is problem is to TYPE UP and print out your rankings. YES, I suggested typing up your rankings, only because you'll be stunned when draft day comes how often people can't even read their own handwriting! When you type up your rankings be certain to have bold headings for each position and make it straightforward keep one position on a page.

So to sum up this step, type up and print out your rankings, don't bring anything else to your fantasy baseball mock draft day. Keep away from all those intriguing fantasy baseball mags and stick to your ordinary typed pages. My motto is K.I.S.S., keep it simple stupid.

I hope that you took notes on some of the thing I have spoken about here. If you follow these 3 steps you will definitely have triumph in your Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft and eventually translate into your real Fantasy Baseball Draft, which may carry over to victory in your Fantasy Baseball League.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/hobbies-articles/fantasy-baseball-mock-draft-strategy-1826879.html

About the Author
read more info on a Fantasy Baseball Mock Draft
watch this video to get some more Fantasy Baseball Advice

Free Fantasy Sports

Author: drin

Fantasy sports are being played across the whole country of the United States as well as some other countries across the globe. Sport fans enjoy ‘owning' teams and creating their own drafts in order to win a fantasy league. There is no better place to do this than www.fantasyfactor.com the home of the one day fantasy league.
Fantasy player rankings are observed when playing fantasy sports. As a fantasy team owner, it is your responsibility to analyze the fantasy player rankings of each real life players in a professional league. Whether you visit big fantasy sport sites like Yahoo, ESPN, CBS or other smaller sites, you can always find fantasy player rankings on them because it is very relevant when playing fantasy sports.
Fantasy player rankings are essential during your fantasy drafts because it will help you choose the right players for your fantasy team. Analyzing their stats and rankings will give you more chance to win your league.

After every game of the real world sports leagues like NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, there will be fantasy player rankings that you can check. It records the points and statistics of players which will determine your points in a fantasy sports leagues. Fantasy player rankings are valuable tools when executing a successful draft. These rankings are normally arranged by different positions in the games. They can help you to decide which players to choose in your draft.
Most fantasy players check out different websites for fantasy player rankings so they can compare rankings in order to decide as to which player they should choose. If you want to win more often in the fantasy sport you have joined in then you need research well and gain more knowledge from different resources.
In closing, a successful fantasy team or league always need fantasy player rankings, stats and a good sense of analyzing statistics. Try practicing first. And you'll see that your Fantasy team will definitely be a success.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/basketball-articles/free-fantasy-sports-2561079.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

NFL Tickets - Final Mock Draft: The End of the First Round

Author: Morgan Dunn

Here is my final projection for picks 21-32 in the 2010 NFL Draft:

Cincinnati Bengals – Jermaine Gresham, Tight End, Oklahoma: The Bengals need to add a playmaking offensive weapon at tight end and Gresham fits the bill.  He's supremely talented and should give the Cincy offense a dimension it sorely needs.

New England Patriots – Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Oklahoma State: Bryant comes with his issues, but he has the talent to have a very nice NFL career.  His size, speed and penchant for making big plays make him a potential Pro Bowl receiver.

Green Bay Packers – Kareem Jackson, Cornerback, Alabama: They could use offensive line help, but they decided to bring back both of their tackles for another season and the unit played decently down the stretch last season.  They could opt for Charles Brown here, but I think corner is a more immediate need.

Philadelphia Eagles – Charles Brown, Offensive Tackle, USC: The Eagles will need to protect Kevin Kolb as he assimilates into this young, talented offense.  Jackson might be the pick if he's still on the board, and Earl Thomas is an option, but Andy Reid has preferred to go line early in the draft in the past.

Baltimore Ravens – Jared Odrick, Defensive Tackle, Penn State: Odrick is a perfect fit for Baltimore, who could use a player of his size on the defensive line.  He should be a very good pro and could end up being one of the better picks toward the end of the first round.

Arizona Cardinals – Sergio Kindle, Outside Linebacker, Texas: Kindle would be a fit for a team that is looking to become a more defensive-oriented squad.  He'll help fill some of the void left by Karlos Dansby.

Dallas Cowboys – Taylor Mays, Safety, USC: Mays is a physical beast, but has some trouble in pass coverage.  Some people think he's Roy Williams all over again, but he could be a top seller of NFL tickets with his playmaking ability if he realizes his full potential.  The Cowboys need help at safety and Jerry Jones will love Mays' physical attributes.

San Diego Chargers – Ryan Mathews, Running Back, Fresno State: Mathews is a bruiser that would be a perfect complement to the speedy Darren Sproles.  He's a downhill runner that projects as a full-time back in the pros.

New York Jets – Jerry Hughes, Outside Linebacker/Defensive End, TCU: Hughes is a perfect fit for the Jets' blitz-heavy defensive scheme.  He should be able to get after the quarterback with ease on this team.

Minnesota Vikings – Jimmy Clausen, Quarterback, Notre Dame: I don't necessarily think he'll fall this far, but it's possible if he gets by San Fran at 17 and nobody trades back into the first round to get him.  The Vikings would feel good picking him this late regardless of what Brett Favre plans to do.  In fact, Favre could be just the guy for Clausen to learn from.

Indianapolis Colts – Rodger Saffold, Offensive Tackle, Indiana: Saffold seems to be gaining steam as we approach the draft.  A lot of teams are rumored to like him, and the Colts need a young tackle to develop.

New Orleans Saints – Sean Weatherspoon, Inside Linebacker, Missouri: Witherspoon appears to be a great fit for New Orleans and should help replace the departed Scott Fujita.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/nfl-tickets-final-mock-draft-the-end-of-the-first-round-2297964.html

About the Author

This article about NFL tickets was written by Morgan C. Dunn in association with StubHub, a leader in the sports tickets, concert tickets, theatre tickets and special events tickets market.

Free Fantasy Sports

Author: drin

Fantasy sports have been a hobby and a past time of some sport fans. For some, they like paying for their fantasy sport games, for example buying software and joining sites that offer memberships in fantasy leagues. Free fantasy sports are also available on some websites if you just want to play for fun. One of the best sites to sharpen you fantasy skills for free is FantasyFactor.com
the home of the one day fantasy league, where they give premium information and better and accurate statistics and expert advices.

Playing free fantasy sports give you the chance to master and hone your skills when playing fantasy sports especially if you decide to bet some money on it.
Most people who play free fantasy sports are those who pay it for fun with family, friends, and colleagues. With this, you can spend some quality fun time with them that you all can enjoy.
Owning a fantasy team is like a dream come true to some fantasy owners because they have the ability to pick their own players from their favorite sports leagues. That is why playing free fantasy sports is more enjoyable to them as they don't have to spend anything in order to do what they like to do.

If you have the passion for fantasy sports and want to play for money but you don't have it, some free fantasy sports sites offer free leagues and contest where you can win prizes or some cash too.
With the booming technology and the people getting more exposed to the internet, you are sure to find almost everything for free at no cost. You can research for some things online for free including free fantasy sports. Visit FantasyFactor.com now to play free fantasy sports! Fantasy Factor offer free software that helps you experience fantasy sports year round

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/basketball-articles/free-fantasy-sports-2531092.html

About the Author

Fantasy Factor is a new company founded by fantasy sports experts, that offers one day fantasy sports contests that can be played for free or for guaranteed cash prizes.

Major League Baseball Fantasy Camp – Spring Training for the Middle Aged

Author: Matthew Mulligan

ajor League Baseball Spring Training is set to begin shortly! The grass is clipped in Florida and the fields are getting some much needed water in Arizona as the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues prepare for the annual welcoming of the highly paid swingers of sticks. This heralds the onset of the hope and possibility season. Solidly connecting bat with ball just one time in three tries can get a 19 year old kid from the back waters of Alabama a multi-million dollar contract. Of course the pitchers who are paid to prevent those kids from connecting bat with ball are also present trying to make everyone hit nothing but air. But at this time of year, anything seems possible.

This tangle of strange activity made baseball America’s national sport. People who can play this game are rewarded with a great deal of money. People who watch are charged a great deal of money. Fans love to interact with players and frequently fantasize about being on the other side of the fence. Instead of paying .50 for a cup of flat, warm Budweiser, they dream of having an icy cold one brought to them in the locker room after a win.

Baseball has developed a remarkable scheme to make these fantasies at least a partial reality. Being a pudgy forty six year old no longer presents a barrier to living out one’s dream of being on a major league team – if even for a week or ten days. This only costs a couple thousand dollars. The middle aged pay to play scheme brings in countless poor souls trying to rekindle their youth. Remembering the play that won the big game in high school has these guys trying to find that same kind of ‘high’ thirty years later.

Team camaraderie from those years is a fond memory. Being young is a better memory. So after many years of slaving away in the business world and earning decent income has many looking to mid-January for the chance to escape the cold weather as well as escape middle age. Baseball fantasy camp offers a chance to don a real uniform –name and all - of one’s favorite team, be guided by the real team coaches and players and to once again, take a place on the field. Several major league teams offer these camps prior to the real spring training. It is a tremendous opportunity to part the zealous fan from several thousand of his dollars.

The Seattle Mariners offer a fantasy camp at their spring facility in Arizona. Interestingly, the team invites all over 30 years old – even if the participant has no experience. It then offers that same participant the chance to take on real pros in a game situation. This includes an opportunity to face Bill Caudill on the mound. This sounds like a classic sucker-punch. Allowing an inexperienced player to stand in the batter’s box with no idea what to do while a seasoned pro rockets a ball by his snooter is a recipe for disaster - or at least significant embarrassment. If the pitching pro starts daydreaming about the tank topped blonde in the third row, the middle aged hitter gets plinked off the knee cap. And after a long Midwestern winter it is difficult not to pay attention to the tank top instead of the catcher’s mitt. In either case there is not a snowball’s chance in Tucson of this poor, not quite senior citizen, to meet ball with bat.

Bats and mitts are only a couple of the accoutrement required by camp participants. Included in the fee for most of these things, one receives an official team uniform including name stitched on the back. The participant picks up his uniform at a pre-assigned, reserved cubicle in the real team locker room. This isn’t like having a reserved seat on the flight to Phoenix. This is a reserved cube that in a week or two will be used by guys who get paid to play the game. This is all very cool for the forty six year old trying to remember what it felt like to run the bases without coughing and hacking. But where else would a fan wear his new uniform ? He can show it off, but he probably won’t be wearing it to the family reunion in July.

Uniforms of course allow fans to easily distinguish one team from another. This brings up one of the more interesting things about fantasy camp in that participants actually attempt to play the game. Granted, some of these guys, even after several years selling paint in Minneapolis, are decent athletes. Some have kept their skills intact with frequent trips to the batting cages and playing in city leagues. The problems arise when the ones that have been short selling stocks from an office building in downtown Chicago think they can still compete.

Competing at this level is a challenge. Competing at this age might be just as entertaining as a real game but for entirely different reasons. Tripping over second base doesn’t count as sliding in. Most guys haven’t worn baseball cleats in 20 years or more – much less tried to go anywhere quickly in them. A face plant between bases is not unheard of. And stealing a base? Oh, wince!.

Going somewhere quickly – the younger generations refer to this as ’running’ – is a significant challenge in itself. Years take a great toll on the knees. The kids take a great toll on the back. The wife takes a great toll on… well… nevermind. No amount of hot-tubbing will cure these ills. Although hot tubbing with the tank topped blonde from row 3 might cause one to forget the pain.

Pain is a part of the fantasy experience. Running and swinging a bat alone involve the use of muscle groups not used with any vigor in decades. Many fantasy players say that age catches up with them during the week. It isn’t the age that catches up, it is the years of poor decisions that catch up. Years of second helpings of lasagna instead of salad adds quite a bit of dunnage to the midsection as well as stress to the quads.

Adding stress to the experience are the occasional if not infrequent bits of serious contact on and off the field. Contrary to general thought, baseball is in fact a collision sport. Collisions with other players and pieces of equipment are common. This doesn’t even take into consideration contact that occurs during actual play. Being hit by a pitch carries real risk of extended pain – even if thrown by a fifty year old. And if you get plinked by Bob Caudill, you might just get a cool, fast ride to Tucson General Hospital.

Part of baseball is having the sense to get out of the way of oncoming danger. Part of survival is having enough speed to get out of the way once a collision appears possible. Pile ups are indeed part of the game but surviving the game requires bodily functions that only twenty-somethings enjoy. They actually heal. They also have the speed and strength to avoid most smash ups. Ancient laws of physics hold that two things cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Fantasy baseball players routinely attempt to violate this one.

Violating one’s bank account is another element of the fantasy baseball experience. Several camps are offered at costs exceeding ,000 per participant for seven to ten days. The participant receives a uniform that he can really only wear at the camp, and the experience of playing the game. Although participant wives sometimes attend the camp, they frequently opt to attend the women’s retreat in Cancun instead. While the participant is running the bases and eyeing the blondie in the third row, the wife may be reading a book on a Mexican beach… or pool side in Vegas, or….well. If you can live your fantasy, the wife might just be living hers. And probably at far lower cost.

At least baseball is honest about what they are selling. It is a fantasy experience. If guys really want this for a fantasy and are willing to empty their wallets to get it, several major league teams are there to help. The chance to play the game again, wear a real uniform and get out of the Kansas City winter are genuine reasons to point the old SUV towards Scottsdale. (Actually, you don’t really have to make up a reason to get out of KC.) Hopefully the wife goes with. If she doesn’t, you can pick her up at the MGM on the way home.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/humor-articles/major-league-baseball-fantasy-camp-spring-training-for-the-middle-aged-736108.html

About the Author

Top Ten Fantasy Football Disappointments of 2009

Author: The Football Girl

#1) JASON WITTEN, Cowboys TE

YDs

YPG

TD

1030

64.4

2

What do Vernon Davis, Visanthe Sciancoe, Dallas Clark, Brent Celek, Antonio Gates, Greg Olsen, John Carlson, Fred Davis, Tony Gonzalez, Todd Heap, Heath Miller, Kevin Boss, Owen Daniels, Jermichael Finley, Ben Watson, Kellen Winslow, Spencer Havner, Kellen Davis, Will Heller, Jeff King, Zach Miller, Jeremy Shocker, and Todd Yoder have in common?  They are all tight ends with more TDs than this season’s biggest fantasy disappointment, the #1 TE on most draft boards.

#2) MATT HASSELBECK, Seahawks QB

TD

INT

FUMBLES

17

17

11

While he was listed as a mid-rounder, The Hass was supposed to be the sleeper that made it acceptable to pass on all those high-end QBs like Brees, Manning, and even Matt Schaub.  After all, he was leading what was supposed to be a pass-first offense in Seattle with weapons galore: TJ Houshmanzadeh, Deion Branch, and co.  He garners the #2 spot because he was a constant tease, frequently earning a spot on most fantasy sites’ MUST START lists due to his often favorable match-ups.   While Hasselbeck owners remained loyal week after week, all they got were more and more turnovers and a one-way ticket out of playoffland.

#3) MATT FORTE, Bears RB

YDs

YPG

TDs

928

58.1

4

Most fantasy experts listed Forte as #2 or #3 overall in the pre-season rankings.  Well, here he is at #3 again.  In a mostly abysmal Bears offense, Forte was the least productive of them all, treating the end zone like it was swirling with H1N1 virus.   He failed to have a 1,000 yard rushing season, a common feat accomplished by fifteen of his running back colleagues. And, he had a whopping six fumbles.

#4) MICHAEL TURNER, Falcons RB

YDs

YPG

TDs

871

79.2

10

The Burner didn’t burn it up in the yardage department, rushing for less than our #3 pick.  His ten touchdowns were fine – for a #3 back.  But considering his multiple multi-TDs of the previous season, and his clearly inflated status by many, including Matthew Berry who had him at #1, Turner owners are about the only ones feeling The Burn (thanks, I’ll be here all night.).

#5)  TERRELL OWENS, Buffalo Bills WR

YDs

YPG

TD

829

51.8

5

Sure, T.O. is always a risky pick due to his propensity toward the maniacal.  But even approaching AARP membership by today’s standards, we still expected productivity out of TO.  Instead, we got The Invisible Man until the last couple weeks of the season.  There are many angles to highlight his piss poor season, but #33 in receiving yards probably sums it up best.

#6)  CALVIN JOHNSON, Lions WR

YDs

YPG

TD

984

70.3

5

No one will debate Calvin Johnson’s athletic awesomeness, but the stats just don’t add up to fantasy  awesomeoness.   Considering he was in Larry Fitzgerald/Andre Johnson territory on many a draft board, we must say, Matt Stafford, Duante Culpepper, and Drew Stanton – C’mon men!

#7)  FELIX JONES, Cowboys RB

YDs

YPG

TD

685

48.9

3

Remember OTAs and Jerry Jones spouting off about his namesake getting more carries? Since it’s assumed that everything Jones says is gospel, we all thought Felix would be the starter in no time, paving the way for his rapid climb up fantasy draft boards.  Well, the ever resilient Marion Barber said no, leaving Jones owners with a lemon

#8) JAY CUTLER, Bears QB

TD

INT

FUMBLES

27

26

9

A top 10 fantasy QB on most draft boards, the Cutler Interception Bonanza has been pretty well chronicled.  So unless you were in a touchdown only league, you got to play the one step forward, two steps back dance all season long.

#9) STEVE SMITH, Panthers

YDs

YPG

TD

982

65.5

7

Yes, he had a psychologically damaged, inept quarterback, but somehow we still expected crazy heroics from the ever fiery Smith. Unfortunately for Smith owners, all you got was the productivity of a very average receiver.

#10) BRIAN WESTBROOK, Eagles

YDs

YPG

TD

274

34.2

2

I hate to add him because he’s such a great guy and had been such an integral part of the Eagles offense when healthy.  But the fact that he was a Top Ten pick in so many fantasy leagues, played in six games, and had the potential to come back at various points throughout the season makes him an utter fantasy disappointment.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/football-articles/top-ten-fantasy-football-disappointments-of-2009-1709641.html

About the Author

Melissa Jacobs is The Football Girl. Melissa is an Emmy-award winning television producer, spending most of her career at ESPN. She got her start as an Executive Producer for KNBR Radio in San Francisco, managing the #1 rated Razor and Mr. T. In 2000, she moved to Bristol to be a Producer for ESPN Radio, which she quickly parlayed into creating the Talent Department for ESPN television, specifically SportsCenter. In 2005, she moved on to book for ESPN Original Entertainment and manage talent at the ESPYs. Melissa has produced for some of the biggest names in sports, including Dick Schaap, Dan Patrick and Jim Rome.

More importantly, Melissa has been playing fantasy football for fifteen years, and she’s not even that old! She has been the commissioner of her own league for four years that includes the formidable Howie Schwab of “Stump the Schwab” fame. While Melissa doesn’t believe in the term “fantasy expert”, she would like to point out that she has won her league three of the last four years.

Fantasy Baseball and that Sweet Electronic Candy

Author: Albert Medinas

The 1992 Summer Olympics were the first to feature NBA players, and the squad from that year was known as the ‘Dream Team'. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird are just three of the legends that played on that historic and unbeatable team. Although Fantasy Baseball, Football, or even Basketball did not begin in 1992, these thrilling and interactive pastimes do carry on the tradition of that squad. By trying to assemble the best line-up of players from the game in any given year, and seeing how they would match up, fans can rearrange the leagues as they see fit and pretend to be owner, coach, and player all at once. Now, this may sound like a recipe for insanity, but it's actually a lot of fun - and it gives you some control over the game, even if only in your head. Fantasy Baseball is one of the more popular games for people to play, and there are even draft kits to help players navigate through the draft and auction process.

A draft kit? Is assembly required?

Ouch! Now, back in the olden days, before the Internet became the venue of choice for fantasy baseball enthusiasts, you had to keep track of your teams and players with a newspaper. Plus, you had to keep in contact with the other members of your league to keep tabs on who was winning the pool. Now, the Web keeps players from around the world connected, and brings a level of intensity to Fantasy Baseball and other such leagues that was not there before. To navigate through the maze of statistics and player data, the serious fantasy fanatic needs a Fantasy Baseball starter kit to best position himself for the upcoming season.

So..I get a Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit to use on the Internet? Do I actually get anything?

This is the Information Age, my friend, and that is precisely what you are getting with your Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit. Every kit is filled with "electronic candy" to fuel your dreams and propel your team to success. Analysts who live the dream of getting paid to study, breathe, and live baseball devote hours of hard work and energy to bring you:

- strategy to use during the draft and auction
- a list of potential "sleepers" who are just waiting to take their game to a
new level in the next season
- predictions about who is going to falter and fade in the coming year
- the best rookies to bring to your team
- cheat sheets filled with the must-know facts to be successful on draft
day.

Some Fantasy Baseball draft kit options include a mock draft for "newbies" to the game, and a host of other useful tips, to position you to bring home a championship - and hopefully some of that "play money" that everyone poured into a pool at the beginning of the season!

Hey look, if you like baseball, you are going to love Fantasy Baseball. Players and coaches change teams more often than lovers on some silly soap opera, so it is hard to be loyal to "traditional" teams. But, with Fantasy Baseball, you can build your own ‘Dream Team', and bring an exciting new element to a classic game. If you are new to the process, or just want an edge for the next season, a Fantasy Baseball draft kit is just what you need.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-and-entertainment-articles/fantasy-baseball-and-that-sweet-electronic-candy-8265.html

About the Author
Albert Medinas has developed and maintains the website Fantasy Baseball Guide, which answers the most common questions players have about Fantasy Baseball. Please visit us at http://www.fantasybaseballguide.net today.