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First Full Week (Week 2)

Week 2 has come and gone but not with some confusion of the rules.

The controversy surrounding the number of goalie starts begins with the change from last year's requirement of two to 4 initially. The Commissioner admits that this change was made without announcement and with no mention in the rule changes discussed over the off-season. This has caused problems between the returning franchises and the expansion teams. The Commissioner has announced today that for the remainder (and vast majority) of the season, the requirement for goalie starts will be three (3).

Last week saw last year's champions suffer another humiliating loss, this time at the hands of AmIGone. While it is still too early to fix any team in their position, Nocturne's Killers are looking for a little inspiration to avoid being Nocturne's Lament. Meanwhile, Mighty Taco and DaZ fought a close battle with DaZ emerging the 1-point victor. This keeps both teams high in the Yahoo rankings (divisional rankings to follow soon), an outcome neither can be too sad about. Both teams looked evenly matched - their previous wins look less like an upset and more like the start of a trend. The Stingrays continued their early season dominance by trouncing Wicked Pissahs. The Pissahs went from one of the highest hitting teams in Week 1 to the lowest in Week 2 - will inconsistency be the byword for this team? The Underdogs again proved themselves to be a misnomer as they cowed Margaritas on their way to first place in the league, followed closely by Stingrays and DaZ.

This week, the Stingrays air all their grievances against the Commissioner's team in an all-out Casino Royale! James Bond will be on hand to throw out the first puck - don't miss it! In another top match, Ice Kinkajous and The Underdogs fight in a match worthy of Ali vs. Frasier, though considerably less well attended. Oh and ahh as these heavy-weights of the Zamboni throw down (or fall down) on the ice! In a grudge match of titanic proportions, Mighty Taco and Nocturne's Killers look for supremacy in the Bowman division! It may not be Cain vs. Abel, but it will be biblical... Meanwhile, Thunder Bay and Wicked Pissahs each look for a way out of the basement labyrinth. Don't expect David Bowie to show up, though - He's adverse to the ice. Margaritas look to keep the Chiefs from staying above .500 while the Chiefs, who finally figured out how to capitalize their name, look to capitalize on their recent aquisitions. Perhaps their success will rival that of the Flying V! Finally, the RedBombers look to leverage their position against DaZ to bring about a power shift by capitalizing on their core competencies to lessen the quality gap. Sounds Thrilling!

The Highs and Lows of Week 2:

Skaters:
G: 13 (DaZ); 5 (Wicked Pissahs)
A: 23 (Mighty Taco); 8 (Wicked Pissahs)
+/-: 12 (AmIGone); -11 (Wicked Pissahs)
PIM: 44 (Wicked Pissahs); 12 (Ice Kinkajous)
PPP: 15 (Mighty Taco); 7 (Nocturne's Killers, Wicked Pissahs, Margaritas)
SHP: 1 (Mighty Taco, Margaritas, Ice Kinkajous, RedBombers); 0 (everyone else)
SOG: 100 (Stingrays I); 68 (The Underdogs)
FW: 107 (Ice Kinkajous); 49 (Margaritas)

Goalies:
W: 5 (Margaritas); 1 (Thunder Bay, RedBombers)
GAA: 1.76 (AmIGone, DaZ); 4.18 (Thunder Bay)
SV: 182 (Margaritas); 66 (Thunder Bay)
SV%: 0.946 (DaZ); 0.848 (RedBombers)
SHO: 2 (AmIGone); 0 (all other but Nocturne's Killers)

Season Highs (week of record in parentheses):

Skaters:
G: 14 - Wicked Pissahs (1)
A: 23 Mighty Taco (2)
+/-: 17 - Stingrays I (1)
PIM: 57 Wicked Pissahs (1)
PPP: 17 - Wicked Pissahs (1)
SHP: 2 - DaZ (1)
SOG: 101 - Wicked Pissahs (1)
FW: 107 - Wicked Pissahs (1), Ice Kinkajous (2)

Goalies:
W: 5 - Margaritas (2)
GAA: 0.75 - Nocturne's Killers (1)
SV: 182 - Margaritas (2)
SV%: 0.973 - Nocturne's Killers (1)
SHO: 2 - Nocturne's Killers (1), AmIGone (2)

The Season Begins (Week 1)

The season has begun and parity looks to be the word to best describe the events of the first week. Of the top three teams from the 2006 season, the best showing was from the reigning champions, Nocturne's Killers, who lost to Wicked Pissahs 6-7. AmIGone lost their season opener with a devastating 3-7 loss to Mighty Taco, most likely due to a bad case of indigestion; their goalies certainly choked. It went worse for Thunder Bay, losing 3-8 to the inappropriately named The Underdogs. Offensive performance was lacking in Thunder Bay's return as was a good GAA.

In contrast to the returning champions, the expansion teams came out relatively strong, with Stingrays tying the Chiefs (now properly capitalized), Margaritas tying the RedBombers (color added to spice up their team), and the aforementioned trouncing of Thunder Bay by The Underdogs. In other action, DaZ (last year's bottom team) has moved their team into a position of power as they took out last year's #4 team Ice Kinkajous 10-3. DaZ's offense and goaltending were both in sync on their way to the biggest win of the day.

Next week promises to be even more exciting as former heavyweights AmIGone and Nocturne's Killers face off to see who will gain the early upper hand and who will be sent to the scrap heap. Mighty Taco & DaZ will face off after each of their upset wins in a matchup that is sure to feature plenty of offense! Stingrays will take on the Wicked Pissahs while Margaritas take on The Underdogs as the expansion teams continue to make noise in the league. Who will emerge as the power to beat? Old and New powers Thunder Bay and Chiefs will face off, with the biggest question being if Teemu Selanne will decide to play or retire - the Chief's entire strategy will change on his announcement. Finally, the RedBombers look to defeat the Ice Kinkajous by use of their spiffy new RedPower(TM). Look for the Kinkajous to avoid a loss by exploiting their colorblindness.

Best and Worst Performances of Week 1:
Offense:
G: 14 (Wicked Pissahs); 2(Thunder Bay)
A: 22 (DaZ); 7 (Ice Kinkajous)
+/-: 17 (Stingrays I); -12 (Nocturne's Killers)
PIM: 57 (Wicked Pissahs); 8 (AmIGone)
PPP: 17 (Wicked Pissahs); 5 (AmIGone)
SHP: 2 (DaZ); 0 (Wicked Pissahs, Stingrays I, Chiefs, Thunder Bay, Margaritas, Ice Kinkajous)
SOG: 101 (Wicked Pissahs); 59 (Margaritas)
FW: 107 (Wicked Pissahs); 36 (Margaritas)

Goaltending:
W: 4 (Nocturne's Killers, Stingrays I); 0 (AmIGone, Wicked Pissahs)
GAA: 0.75 (Nocturne's Killers); 4.54 (AmIGone)
SV: 140 (Margaritas); 50 (Wicked Pissahs)
SV%: .973 (Nocturne's Killers); .832 (AmIGone)
SHO: 2 (Nocturne's Killers); 0 (all other except DaZ)

Week 5 Matchups

Here's the commentary on the matchups this week. If you have press comments as an owner that you'd like added for weeks in the future, please submit a press release in the form of a comment.

Jackson Orangemen / Black Dragons

The Orangemen have stunned the rest of the league as a rookie owner claims the top spot after four weeks running. They sport a solid all around team and though QB Peyton Manning hasn't had the year people thought he might, the Orangmen bench makes up for it. They have almost all of their players available and the bye weeks have yet to hurt them.

The Dragons come into the matchup 2-1-1 after tying last week. The coaching staff made a tough coaching call to leave WR Calvin Johnson in the lineup being a game time decision that was a bust. The Dragons want nothing more than to play spoiler this week and have the means to do it. However, they're without the service of WR Chad `Ocho-Cinco` Johnson as he's on bye.

The matchup as it stands calls for the Orangemen to run away with this one 105 to 74, but I think this one will be a much closer call. The Dragons are relying heavily on the Lions who play against an unproven Redskins team and could rally lots of points. On the other side of the coin, the Oragemen have many of their faithful going against some of the best defenses in the league including the Pats, Bucs, and Chicago.

Margaritas / Footballers

The Margaritas have had a solid 3-1 start with one week of just run away scoring that shocked the entire league to the core. However, that type of performance doesn't seem likely this week as they have 3 high class players on bye. The Margaritas are not on the rocks however because they have some very solid backups with some great matchups this week.

The Footballers have had real issues getting on the scoreboard so far this year but found a breath of fresh air last week when they went on to tie the Black Dragons in a great matchup. This week the Footballers look stronger than ever and ready to get back on track. Giants RB Brandon Jacobs is finally returning after a sprained knee injury and should definitely add production to the offense. Hopefully he will be 100%.

The matchup leaves this one in favor of the Footballers 88 - 81, but honestly I think it'll be a coin toss. Historically LT has just mauled the Denver defense and he's been looking for a game to break out in. With the Margaritas having Chargers QB Rivers and the Denver D, that game could be the one that decides this matchup.


Stingrays / Irish Mexicans

The Stingrays have started middle of the road at 2-2. They've been hounded by injuries and the coaching staff has got to be struggling with what they're up against here. They've also got 2 players on bye this week which continues to eat away at their playable lineup. They're still fielding a serviceable squad, but it's really all a matter of which players will be healthy come game time.

The rookie owner of the Irish Mexicans wasn't sure what to expect from fantasy football and is still trying to find combinations that work after starting 1-3. They're not doing bad from injuries and have a solid set of players but have some QB controversy. Both Hasselbeck and Favre have excellent seasons going and with a fight to play the lineup right, they also have some decisions to make come game time. The Irish Mexicans also only have one kicker on their squad and he's on bye this week so that should give the Stingrays a breather.

The matchup calls this one going to the Stingrays 85 - 75. It's going to be a matter of if the Stingrays guys can go 100%. There's also some favorable matchups for the Mexicans if they decide to do a last minute line up change. I'll go out on a limb and call this one to the Stingrays in a close one.


Starlings / Ex Bando

The Starlings have had a rough start going 1-3 and many of their draft picks have yet to pan out. They're not affected much by the bye week and that's definitely to their avanatage this week. With QB Vince Young going against a sloppy Falcons D, they could put up points in bunches.

The ExBandos have had a near perfect season. They drafted well and their only loss was to the top ranked Orangemen, but they barely came to play that week. That's put some doubt among the ranks of the ExBandos. They're also without perma-starter QB Carson Palmer this week out on the bye and WR Marvin Harrison has not been dealing well with an injury.

The matchup calls this one going to the ExBandos 95 - 93, but being a Bowman Brother Rivalry matchup, this one is anyone's call. Do I smell an upset ? Only time will tell.

Da Beers / Chowdaheads

Da Beers have started a respectable 2-2 but are still licking their wounds from last week's beating at the hands of the Supernova. What strikes worse is that they're also without QB Donovan `Mr. Consistency` McNabb. That brings up backup QB Jay Cutler. They've also got a few injuries among the ranks and it'll be tough to see who can play 100%.

The Chowdaheads have had the worst start in the league but it's very misleading. They've put up more points for than half of the league and still just have not had the luck on their side to get a break. With the season on the line the coaching staff have been scrambling to get their best players in the game.

The matchup leaves this one going to the Chowdaheads 97 - 87. For this one I have to agree, the Chowdaheads are long overdue for their first win and I think that they will not be denied against a banged up Beers squad.

Yankees Suck / Supernova

The Yankees Suck have started a solid 2-2 to start the season and have limited injuries to hurt their ranks. Some of their players have not panned out like originally intended, but that has not stopped the ownership from continuing to make some great additions to the team. They have a little bit of a QB controversy as to which one will come to play. They also only field one defense on their squad ( Minnesota ) and they're on bye this week.

Supernova have started a fantastic 3-1 with their only loss going to the ExBandos. They've been relying heavily They have starter RB Rudi Johnson coming off of injury as well as being on bye this week. The Novas also have some injury issues which has been causing the coaching staff some fits as to what to do on gameday.

The matchup on this one goes to the Supernova 97 - 80. The Novas have been reliant on the hot play of QB Tony Romo and there's no reason that it will stop this week. However there are a couple of injured players on either side that could prove to be an intangible.

Drafting Irregularities

So here's where we stand. DaZ did not correctly set his draft and caused a minor irritation during the begining of the live draft. Margaritas are mad because they were counting one extra left winger who was removed when the rosters were reset correctly. Also - many would like to see some action taken against DaZ when it was clearly stated that there would be consequences.

My official comments are as follows:
My initial rules (here)stated that the offending team would lose their franchise players to the free market and the affected teams would ultimately retain their franchise players while picking new players. The unforeseen consequence of this policy would be that the affected teams would effectively get an extra high draft pick, punishing teams that were not involved in the irregularities at all. In this case, Margaritas have been lobbying to retain Zetterburg in addition to their previous two franchise players (both properly restored). While I have no problems with this as a just (though perhaps harsh) punishment for DaZ and recompense for Margaritas, teams that were completely uninvolved will be at a disadvantage posed by this extra firepower. This is unfair as these other teams did not have an equal chance at Zetterburg (or Ovetchkin in the case of Thunder Bay).

So what can be done? The best is probably for DaZ to lose control of Zetterburg and Ovechkin without allowing any other team to access them. Since there is no way for me to do this in Yahoo that is foolproof, I will force those two players off of DaZ or any other team that tries to pick them up with no warning. They would be listed as banned and it would be best to leave them on the free agent market.

Does this sound like a just solution? How long of a ban should there be? Does DaZ lose these players all season or for a part? Please comment. We have until Oct. 3rd when these two play to decide. (Season starts Sept. 29th.)

Draft Rules

Our draft will be on Sun Sep 23 2:15pm EDT. Be sure to arrive a few minutes early to make sure your system works. Better yet, use the "test your system" link to make sure the kinks are out of the system RIGHT NOW so you can ask questions if it doesn't actually work (I'll be happy to help).

To actually make the draft work, there will be a few rules laid down. These will basically assure that you get your chosen franchise players. The rules are as follows:

1. Make sure the players listed here and here are in your "excluded players" section of the Pre-draft Player Rankings. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, ask.)
2. In those same Pre-draft Player Rankings, put your two franchise players in the top two positions. The rest of the rankings are up to you.
3. During the actual live draft, you MUST choose your franchise players for your first two selections (the first two rules assure this will happen for those managers who have to auto-draft).
4. Starting with round 3, each team may choose players according to whatever strategy they think best.
5. The penalty for not following the above rules will be severe:
   • Any player chosen in the first two rounds that was not a team's franchise player will lose that player to the waver-wire.
   • If the player chosen was another team's franchise player, that team will be given the franchise player with the option to drop any of their other players to keep the roster the correct size.
   • Failure to select your team's franchise player during the first two rounds of the draft will open that player to free-agency immediately.

You may notice that under the rules, if you fail to select your franchise players in the first two rounds, you will have effectively forfeited your first one or two draft picks and opened your franchise player(s) to any team's selection. In short - just follow the rules.

Standings after Week 1

Yes I know I suck at html ... deal ... and scroll

Overall Standings

Name	Record	PCT	PTS	Back	WK	Streak
ExBandoRefugeRedux	1-0-0	1.000	109	000	0.5	W-1
Supernova	1-0-0	1.000	109	000	0.5	W-1
Margaritas	1-0-0	1.000	104	005	0.0	W-1
YankeesSuck	1-0-0	1.000	099	010	0.0	W-1
JacksonOrangemen	1-0-0	1.000	099	010	0.0	W-1
Black Dragons	1-0-0	1.000	090	019	0.0	W-1
Chowdaheads Return!	0-1-0	0.000	096	013	0.0	L-1
Irish Mexicans	0-1-0	0.000	091	018	0.0	L-1
Can_I_Football_Too?	0-1-0	0.000	091	018	0.0	L-1
Madison Starlings	0-1-0	0.000	080	029	0.0	L-1
Da Beers	0-1-0	0.000	068	041	0.0	L-1
Stingrays !	0-1-0	0.000	064	045	0.0	L-1

East Side Standings

Name	Record	PCT	PTS	Back	WK	Streak
ExBando Refuge Redux	1-0-0	1.000	109	000	0.5	W-1
Margaritas	1-0-0	1.000	104	005	0.0	W-1
Yankees Suck	1-0-0	1.000	099	010	0.0	W-1
Chowdaheads Return!	0-1-0	0.000	096	013	0.0	L-1
Can_I_Football_Too?	0-1-0	0.000	091	018	0.0	L-1
Stingrays !	0-1-0	0.000	064	045	0.0	L-1

West Side Standings

Name	Record	PCT	PTS	Back	WK	Streak
Supernova	1-0-0	1.000	109	000	0.5	W-1
Jackson Orangemen	1-0-0	1.000	099	010	0.0	W-1
Black Dragons	1-0-0	1.000	090	019	0.0	W-1
Irish Mexicans	0-1-0	0.000	091	018	0.0	L-1
Madison Starlings	0-1-0	0.000	080	029	0.0	L-1
Da Beers	0-1-0	0.000	068	041	0.0	L-1

I'll start doing Power rankings after a few more games get played. Breakdown reports are available upon request.

Draft Options

[The following is a copy of an email sent to the league]
There are two options for the draft:

The first (and obvious) option is to do the live draft as it is currently scheduled (unless a majority have a problem with the time). In this plan, you will need to pick your franchise players in the first two rounds. Failure to pick them then will result in loss of the draft spot (I will drop the player you choose instead) and will open your franchise player to selection in the general draft. Quickly put, you need to have all other franchise players on the exclude list and you MUST pick your players with your first and second pick. With this option, there is no chance to trade draft slots, players, etc while the draft is in motion.

The second option is to do the draft through the fantasy blog. The success of the expansion draft leads me to believe that this would be doable. I would put a post on the blog citing the draft rules and the selection would happen in the comments (I may split it into a couple of posts for clarity's sake). One major rule would be to make sure that you type both the first and last name of the player to avoid any confusion. Other than that, trading would be allowed in almost any form that teams would find acceptable. I would make sure to keep up with the selections in Yahoo so that you don't have to keep scrolling down through the comments to find who has been chosen. This would take a little longer (we have ~2 weeks) but would allow anyone to participate in the draft without having to sit down at the computer at a specific time. Also - if you want an "autopick" option during this draft, you can always email me your potential picks and any additional instructions like "draft a winger in the 5th round".

Which option do you prefer?

Expansion Draft

The Expansion Draft begins now. Leave your pick in the comment section here.

Again, the order is as follows:

Round 1:
1 (1). The Underdogs
2 (2). Stingrays I
3 (3). Creative Team Name

Round 2:
1 (4). Creative Team Name
2 (5). Stingrays I
3 (6). The Underdogs

Keep checking back to see if you are up for a pick. Be sure to make sure your picks do not overlap with those here.

Draft Order

The Draft order for the Main Draft has been posted. These draft picks (viewable here) can be traded just like franchise players.

The order for the expansion draft (2 rounds, 6 picks) is as follows:

Round 1:
1 (1). The Underdogs
2 (2). Stingrays I
3 (3). Creative Team Name

Round 2:
1 (4). Creative Team Name
2 (5). Stingrays I
3 (6). The Underdogs