Categories
GAMING

The Gamer in me GL-4 Video game releases

The benefits of being patient.

New console video games are released every month.  I used to purchase at least one of those new releases each month.  I’d read every preview, watch every trailer, and gather every snippet of news that was released about every game of interest.  Then when release day came I’d be first in line to pick up my copy.  There are two problems that come with buying new games the second they are released every month.

The first problem is not having enough time to finish some of the longer open world games.  Before you are even halfway done.  A new game is released that you can’t wait to try.  Then the game you were currently playing gets put on the back burner.  By the time you get back to playing it.  You might have already forgotten key elements of the game.  You could be totally lost of where you are in the story, or confused about the game controls.  In some cases it’s easier to just start over.  Then before you know it.  Another game you’ve been anticipating comes out.

And so on…and so on…

The second issue with purchasing too many games at release, I touched on in a previous post.  Quite a few of the games released each year are total crap.   The majority of them are actually.   I’ve learned to be very wary of glowing previews.  You know who gets to preview a game?  Someone who’s written glowing reviews, or previews for games released by that Developer before.  Try writing a review about how you think a particular Game is garbage.  Then send that Developer a request to preview their next game.  Good luck with that buddy.  If I represented that Developer I wouldn’t send you a preview copy either.    You need to be skeptical of early test versions of games being demoed at E3 also.  Half of the time these demos are being presented on state of the art gaming computers.  The image quality, and frame rate could far exceed the capability of your consoles.

Your best strategy to insure that the majority of games you purchase don’t totally suck.  Is to wait at least one week after it’s been released.  Then read the reviews posted by actual players.  Are there any server issues?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Is the game plagued by glitches?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Does it suffer from frame rate problems?  You’ll find out in the reviews.  Does the game just fail to deliver what you expected?  You’ll find out… Well you know where this is going.

Now some of you are worried about missing out on all that release day swag.  Those special character skins, bonus equipment, or extra downloadable content.  Truth be told, most of those release day bonuses are still available one week later.  If it isn’t.  Are you really going to be devastated about missing out on a character skin that everyone is using?  I know I’m not.  I get bored of having the same outfit, equipment, or vehicle that everyone else has right quick.  Don’t you?

Trust me if you remain patient, and only buy the highest rated reviewed games.  You will enjoy your game system that much more.  You’ll also have the necessary time to fully explore those fantastically realized open worlds.

Categories
FANTASY

Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-7 Jameis Winston

Top 100 highlights

My fifth selection for the Top 100 highlight series from the 60-51 group is

Jameis Winston

Since entering the league Winston has managed to post back to back 4000 passing yard seasons.  His Fantasy numbers last season were better than Brady’s.  Keep in mind that Brady played four fewer games before you get too excited.  One category he definitely exceeded Brady in was total number of interceptions unfortunately.  Jameis Winston threw 18 interceptions last season.  When you compare that to only two for Brady, it’s obviously a problem.  If your Fantasy league penalizes Quarterbacks the usual -2 points for an interception.  Then Jameis Winston flushed an additional 32 points more than Brady down the drain.

Should that be enough to keep you from drafting Jameis Winston?

It’s obvious that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers believe in there number one overall draft pick.  All they’ve done is surround him with talented offensive targets.  Any quarterback in the league would be happy to have the group of skill Players at Winston’s disposal.  Cameron Brate, and O.J. Howard to create mismatches across the middle.  A true WR1 in Mike Evans that most people including me would consider a top 5 Wide Receiver in Fantasy football.  Now you can add DeSean Jackson to the mix. He now provides Jameis Winston with the deep threat he was lacking.  Do I see another 4000 yard season in Jameis Winston’s future?  You don’t need a crystal ball to figure out that the answer is yes.

The Bucs weren’t able to effectively stretch Defences last year.  As a result of that Jameis Winston was forced to throw in to some really tight windows.  It’s no wonder he racked up 18 interceptions.  With the addition of DeSean Jackson Defences won’t be able to simply clog up the first 15 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.  The Tight Ends will have more room across the middle, and Evans shouldn’t face as many double coverages.  The real benefactor here is Jameis Winston.  He won’t be forced to place every throw just perfect, or make as many risky throws.

Now is Jameis Winston a top tier Fantasy QB you should target in your draft?  Well that’s going to depend on what type of QB you are after, and which round you intend to draft them?  If the Quarterback position is something you place a great deal of importance in.  Then grabbing Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, or Andrew Luck early makes sense.  If you would prefer to wait until later in the draft to pick up a consistent trustworthy signal caller.  Then grab Russell Wilson, Kirk Cousins, or Philip Rivers to play it safe.  Now if you’re like me.  You’ll want a Quarterback on your roster that has the potential to have Boom or bust weeks.   You can probably hold off for a bit and pull the trigger a little later to get Jameis Winston, Cam Newton, or Tyrod Taylor.  Each of these Quarterbacks have the ability to take over a game, and put up huge Fantasy numbers on any given week.  They also have the occasional flop.  Hopefully you are able to draft them late enough that their flop weeks are offset by the amazing Running Backs, and Wide Receivers you drafted earlier.

Categories
GOLF

Track your statistics – Beginner’s guide to Golf

Here is a bit of advice I wish someone had given me when I first started testing my ability on actual Golf courses.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR SCORE AND STATISTICS!

The key statistics being the total number of Fairways hit per round, and your success percentage.  The total number of Greens in Regulation per round, and your success percentage.  The total number of Putts taken per round, and the average number of Putts per hole.  Figuring these statistics out is easy.  You’d be amazed how few Golfers actually bother to do it though.

In case you aren’t familiar with these terms I’ll go over them with you.  A Fairway hit is any tee shot on a Par 4 or Par 5 that ends up in the Fairway. So if you play a course with eight Par 3s, eight Par 4s, and two Par 5s.  Then you could have a maximum of 10 Fairways hit.  If you only hit 5 of them, your success percentage would be 50%.  A Green in Regulation is any shot that lands on the Green, and leaves you at least two Putts for Par.  So your tee shot would have to land on the Green to count as a Green in Regulation on a Par 3.  Your first, or second shot would have to land on the Green to count as a Green in Regulation on a Par 4.  Your first, second, or third shot would have to land on the Green to count as a Green in Regulation on a Par 5.  Every hole provides a potential Green in Regulation, so if you got 6 Greens in Regulation on an eighteen hole Golf course.  Your success percentage would be 33.3%.  In order to figure out your putting proficiency.  Just count the total number of Putts you made in the round.  Then divide that by the number of holes you played.  That will give you your Putts per hole average.

Knowing these statistics will enable you to set reasonable goals.  Beginning with something attainable like 3 Fairways hit, 3 Greens in Regulation, and 45 total Putts will help build confidence.  These goals aren’t as simple as you might think.  Depending on the course it could be extremely difficult to hit the Fairway, or have your approach shots hold the Green.  Greens with a lot of break can turn into four Putts.  Setting goals will help you develop one of the most underrated aspects of Golf.  The mental Game.  Before I began keeping track of my Statistics.  My Club selection on the Tee became a simple process of which club can I hit furthest towards the hole without going past it?  More often than not I was pulling my Driver out of the bag for every Par 4, and Par 5.  There’s a reason why PGA tour Pros don’t do that.  It isn’t because they hit it so much further than we do.  It’s because they take into account the locations of hazards.   I’m not just talking about Bunkers, and Water.  A narrow Fairway is a hazard.  A poor angle to the Green is a hazard.  Before I began tracking Fairways hit.  Missing the Fairway was less important to me than getting as close to the Green as possible.  Which more often than not meant landing in the rough.  Being 50 yards away from the Pin in deep rough seemed better than being 100 yards away from the Pin on the Fairway.  I was completely wrong.  You know what to expect from a good lie.  You’ve hit so many shots from a perfect lie at the Range.  You can practically predict what will happen when you strike that ball.  I know that I hit my Pitching Wedge around 100 yards from a nice lie.  I couldn’t give you an educated guess how far I hit it, or any club for that matter out of the deep rough.  So being half the distance to the PIN but in the rough leaves me with a total gamble of an approach shot.  I don’t know how far it’s going to go. If it’s going to come out straight, or if it’s going to come out at all.  The amount of stress that single shot can put you through isn’t worth the extra 50 yards.  This takes me to the next statistic you should be tracking.  Your Greens in Regulation.  Taking aim at the Green from the Fairway provides you with a reasonable chance for success.  Trying to get there from the rough, a bunker, or through some trees is a snowballs chance in hell unlikely.   Consequently this will adversely effect your putting.  For example you are playing a Par 4.  You reach the Green in 4 after a series of poor shot selections.  How desperately do you want to sink that first putt?  Get away with a Bogey on what was a brutally frustrating hole.  You’d want to sink that first putt really bad.  Try to imagine how rattled you would already be just having reached the Green in 4.  Then add the additional stress to one putt.  In this situation it wouldn’t surprise me if you finished that hole with a triple bogey.  The mental focus and skill required to make that putt can be too much for a beginner to handle.  Now what happens if you played that same hole cautiously, and chipped up on to the Green in 3?  You still didn’t get yourself the Green in Regulation, but you reached the Green stress free.  Your first putt is relatively stress free.  If you make it you save Par, and a miss will probably leave you a tap in Bogey.  As a Beginner a Par is awesome, and I’ll gladly take tap in Bogeys all day.  In this situation I would consider a double Bogey highly unlikely, and your chances for Par pretty good.  That’s what happens when you concentrate on reaching the Fairway safely off the Tee.   It then provides you with a decent chance of reaching the Green in Regulation.  Which in turn gives you an opportunity to two putt for Par, or Bogey.

As a Beginner I play a lot of shorter courses.  I might only pull out the Driver once, or twice in a round.  In some cases not at all.  The result is that my scores have greatly improved.

Green in Regulation

There is a hole on one of the courses I play often where I used to pull Driver every time.  I averaged a double Bogey on that hole teeing off with the Driver.  Now on that same hole I tee off with a 6 hybrid instead.  I give up around 75 yards on average off the Tee.  I now average just a little over Par.  I play it almost a full two strokes better.  Simply because I rarely miss the Fairway, and reach the Green in Regulation half the time.  If that doesn’t make you a believer in hitting the Fairway, and reaching the Green in Regulation.  Then I don’t know what else will.

Beginner’s guide to Golf

Categories
FANTASY

Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-6 Jay Ajayi

The top 100 highlights

My fourth selection for the Top 100 highlight series from the 70-61 group is

Jay Ajayi

Ajayi began last season as a mid to late round flyer of a draft pick.  By mid season he was a definite RB2 with breakout game potential.  By season’s end he was statistically a true fantasy RB1.  It wasn’t like Ajayi wasn’t on people’s radar during draft time.  He showed flashes of what he could become briefly in 2015.  Then with Lamar Miller gone in 2016 the door was open for him to become the man.  It just took him a little longer to turn the handle and step on through.  By the end of the preseason when most Fantasy drafts occur.  He really hadn’t performed well enough to give Fantasy team Managers any real idea of what to expect.  He finished the season with almost 1300 rushing yards.  I don’t think anyone expected that, including the Miami Dolphins.  Well you can be certain that nobody will be sleeping on Jay Ajayi this year.

Jay Ajayi finished last season as a legitimate Fantasy RB1.  What can we actually expect to get from him this year?  Much of the same my friends.  Much of the same, and possibly even a little bit better.  You can go out and bet the farm that Adam Gase will involve Ajayi even more this year.  Every indication is that Ajayi is eager, and ready to become Miami’s bell cow Back.  Something there are very few of in today’s NFL.  Running Backs thrive in an Adam Gase system.  Even average Running Backs put up good numbers.  Ajayi’s three 200+ yard games last season are evidence enough that he is way better than average.  It took about a quarter of the season before Miami fully involved him last year.  That won’t be the case this year.  Ryan Tannehill’s further development, and increased level of confidence after making the playoffs last year.  That can only help keep the opposing Defence honest, and Ajayi should find plenty of running room.  Playing against the Buffalo Bills twice during the Fantasy playoffs has got to have Fantasy Managers just drooling.  Keep in mind that two of the three games Ajayi rushed for over 200 yards came against the Bills last year.

I must sound like the president of the Jay Ajayi fan club right about now.  To clarify, drafting Ajayi does come with a few concerns.  First of all the sample size of actual NFL experience is just too small.  Remove the three 200+ yard games from last year’s stats.  Ajayi only averaged 54 yards per game, and one touchdown for every three games played.  Average that over a 16 game season, and your final stat line would be, 864 yards rushing with 5 touchdowns.  That doesn’t sound like an RB1 to me.  Now how eager are you itching to draft him?

What I believe is that Jay Ajayi finished what was statistically a very good season last year.  In spite of being improperly utilized for most of the season during a transitional year for the team.  I don’t think Adam Gase will overlook Ajayi this year, and that the Miami Dolphins will be fully prepared to start the season.  If you draft Jay Ajayi as your RB1 you should be fine.  If somehow you are able to draft him as your RB2 then obviously you scored a great draft position.  Either way you are in good shape if Jay Ajayi is on your Fantasy team.

Categories
GOLF

Choosing a Golf Putter – Beginner’s guide to Golf

Selecting a Putter

The single most important club in your bag.

The right Putter can mean the difference between a good day on the course, or a frustrating one.  You don’t think so?  Here’s two actual examples of the difference having the correct Putter can make.

The first example is of a hole I played with the second Putter I purchased.  It wasn’t the right Putter for me for a number of reasons.  I had developed a decent putting stroke by this time though.  I wasn’t completely hopeless on the Greens.  This happened on the 8th hole at Scarlett Woods Golf course in Toronto, Ontario.  A fantastic course for beginners by the way.  The Pin was placed back left on the Green, and the hole was playing about 170 yards long.  At that time 170 yards was a 4 hybrid distance for me.  I wasn’t making particularly good contact that day, and there was a bit of wind to deal with.  I clubbed up, and decided to go with my 3 hybrid off the Tee.  My Tee shot drifted left of the target.  I was left with a difficult pitch over a bunker roughly 20 yards away with very little green to work with.  I hit my 56 degree wedge which successfully cleared the bunker.  Unfortunately my shot ran through the Green to the opposite side and settled in the fringe.  At this point I’m thinking two putts for bogey on a par 3 that I missed the Green is perfectly fine with me.  I actually finished that hole with a triple bogey!  Now here is how it happened, and it’s all because of the Putter.  I had a Taylormade Rossa Daytona blade style Putter.  Why this Putter was wrong for me begins with the weight.  It was definitely too light for me.  A heavier Putter helps me follow through with my pendulum style swing.  It also has a specially designed insert in the face of the Putter that reduces weight, and improves the feel at impact.  I found the insert to be a bit spongy feeling, but it did get the ball rolling smoothly with perfect contact.  The real problem was the combination of a spongy Putter face matched with an extremely soft covered ball.  I was strictly using the Wilson Staff Elite 50 balls at the time, and they have a very soft outer layer.  This meant that it required a lot of additional force to get the ball rolling when putting.  My first putt struck me as requiring a little extra power to get it through the fringe, and on it’s way to the hole.  The hole was on a bit of a downslope though, so I didn’t want to hit it too hard.  Due to the fringe the bottom of my Putter brushed along the ground during the stroke.  It slowed it just enough for the soft insert in the Putter, and the soft outer layer of the ball to come together and my ball travelled a total of 2 feet.  It only just made the Green.  Well at least I was on the Green now right.  So now I’m looking at double bogey.  One long lag putt plus a tap in, and I can get on to the next hole.  My next putt wasn’t bad by my standards. I left myself a 4 footer with very little break for the double.  It should of been an easy putt to make.  With a Putter that feels too light in your hands, isn’t balanced right for your type of swing (toe weighted), and takes a fair amount of force to get the ball rolling.  A short downhill putt is unnecessarily challenging.  Needless to say I left it just short.  Triple effing bogey!

Seven months later with a Putter far more suited to me the second example took place.  It was on the 11th hole at Dentonia Golf club in Toronto, Ontario.  This is also a 170 yard par 3, but it plays significantly downhill.  I chose to hit my 6 hybrid which ended up being just a little too much club that day.  My line was close to perfect, and I ended up rolling the ball off the Green, through the fringe, and settling in the short rough.  The Green slopes downward to the hole from my position.  Once again I’m staring down a shot that could potentially get away from me.  The distance to the hole was about 25ft.  I considered a short chips, but my chipping had been horrendous that day.  Instead I chose to go with the Putter.  I was using the third Putter I had purchased at this time.  A Yes Milly face balanced mallet.  It is a completely different design then the previous Putter.  First of all it’s quite heavy, so once you begin your swing bailing out isn’t an option.  It also has a face insert, but instead of being designed to provide feel.  It’s firm not soft, and designed to quickly get the ball rolling.  These two features practically eliminated my propensity to leave the ball short on touch shots.  I used the same stroke I had used at Scarlett Woods.  This time though the ball didn’t come to a complete stop at the edge of the Green.  It rolled on through without losing too much speed at all.  It tracked well, caught the downslope, and ended up in the hole for birdie!  The speed of the ball when it dropped would have probably left me a 5 footer coming back up hill if I missed.  A very doable putt for par.  Either way a massive improvement over the last Putter.

A quick word about how much you should spend on a Putter.  Given it’s importance, price should not be the deciding factor when purchasing a Putter.  You still need to be careful with your budget though.  While testing Putters I had some very good results with a Scotty Cameron model.  It was three times the price of the Yes Milly Putter I eventually picked though.  In the end I believe that there are features on the the Yes Milly Putter that actually benefit me more.  The true alignment aid on the base of the Milly is one particular advantage.  Once you’ve settled on which type and balance of Putter is for you.  You should be able to find one that fits your price point as well.  For instance Wilson makes quite a few different Putters at great prices.  One of my particular favourites is the one available for less than $50 on Amazon as of the publishing of this post.

When I check my scorecards, and count the number of putts per round.  I used to average 45 putts per round.  Now I average 36 putts per round.  That’s an improvement of 9 strokes per round of golf.  There are very few clubs in your bag that can make that much of an improvement in your game.  All it takes is switching to the model that’s the correct fit for you.  I can’t stress enough how important it is to have the right Putter.  So don’t take choosing a Putter lightly.  Test as many as you can.  Visit the putting practice area at your local course, or range.  Ask to try a few swings with other Players Putters.  Visit your local store and get a Putter fitting done.  Once you know which type of Putter suits you.  You can then decide which one to purchase.

Beginner’s guide to Golf

Categories
FANTASY

Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-5 Julian Edelman

The top 100 highlights

My third selection for the Top 100 highlight series from the 80-71 group is

Julian Edelman

Edelman reaped the benefits of being Tom Brady’s favourite target last season.  He had a career best 1106 receiving yards.  This was from hauling in his second highest amount of total receptions in a season with 98.

What’s clearly evident is that Tom Brady has complete trust in Julian Edelman.   All the proof you need is to think back to last season’s Superbowl.  Remember that miracle catch Edelman made to keep the comeback alive.  Not an easy catch to forget is it?  If you haven’t forgotten, then obviously Brady hasn’t.  You can bet your ass the other Fantasy Managers in your league haven’t forgotten it either.  There is definitely going to be a lot of interest in Edelman at this year’s Fantasy draft.  Julian Edelman will probably get drafted a round or two earlier then his statistically projected draft position.  Should you make the reach, and grab him before somebody else does?

I definitely won’t!

Things really aren’t looking good for Julian Edelman’s potential output in 2017.  If you are hoping for a repeat of last year’s numbers, or even better.  Well keep hoping.  Hope real hard because there are a number of things that need to occur in order for that to happen.  The Patriots made a big move in the off season to sign former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks.  Cooks is 8 years younger than Edelman, has the potential to reach the end zone every time he touches the ball, and has a similar skill set.  Who actually ends up as Brady’s favourite target in the end is anyone’s guess.  There in lies the problem.  Even if Edelman remains as Brady’s favourite target.  Cooks is still going to get a fair number of looks which means less opportunity for Edelman.  Another thing to consider is how many games a banged up, but altogether healthier Gronkowski will play this year.  Gronkowski played only 8 games last year at less than 100%.  As a result he scored a career low 3 touchdowns instead of his usual double digit tally.  You would think that should have provided ample opportunity for Edelman to find pay dirt.  Well it didn’t.  In 16 games Edelman reached the end zone only three times.  That’s a problem for Fantasy owners.  Instead the Patriots gave the ball to their bruising Running Back Legarrette Blount.  Well Blount is now an Eagle.  I still believe that Edelman will be mostly ignored in the Red zone.

Take my advice and let somebody else reach for Julian Edelman.  He is at best a high end WR3.

Categories
FANTASY

Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-4 Doug Baldwin

The Top 100 highlights

My second selection for the Top 100 highlight series from the 90-81 group is

Doug Baldwin

After clearly establishing himself as the number 1 Wide Receiver in Seattle in 2015.  Baldwin didn’t have the kind of season Fantasy owners were hoping for last year.  By no means was it an off year for Baldwin.  He still had a career best 94 receptions, and 1128 receiving yards.  So how was that a let down to his Fantasy Football owners?  What I failed to mention was that he scored half as many touchdowns as he did in 2015.  A decrease from 14 touchdowns to 7.  That’s 42 Fantasy points in most formats, for those of you that are keeping track.  Imagine a full roster of players that lost 42 points worth of touchdowns from the previous season.  Chances are you wouldn’t even be sniffing the playoffs.

Doug Baldwin’s lack of touchdown production wasn’t all his fault.  For most of the season Russell Wilson wasn’t playing at 100%.  After slowly increasing Wilson’s pass production year after year, and giving him the go ahead to throw the deep ball.  Seattle chose to reign him in a little last year to protect their franchise quarterback.  If it wasn’t for their lack of a quality running game.  Seattle would have probably dialed the passing game back even more.  So even though Wilson actually threw quite a lot of passes.  The majority of those were short to intermediate length routes.  That’s why Baldwin despite having a career year in receptions, didn’t find the end zone nearly as often.

Am I expecting a further decline this season?  No I am not.  The opposite actually.  This could very well be the year that Baldwin is considered among the elite Wide Receivers in the NFL.  What I am actually expecting is a mixture of his 2015 & 2016 seasons.  A stat line of something like 95 catches for 1100 yards, and 11 touchdowns is highly probable.  I believe that he could actually exceed those numbers.  It will depend on the production of recently acquired Running Back Eddy Lacy though.

Without question Doug Baldwin is a WR1.  I would draft him over Fantasy favourites like DeAndre Hopkins, T.Y. Hilton, and Demaryius Thomas.  With a healthy Russell Wilson back in the huddle.  Look for Doug Baldwin to find lots of room on the outside, and down field.  Another year in the Seattle Seahawks system has Jimmy Graham keeping defences honest so Baldwin won’t have to face too many double coverages.

Categories
FISHING

The Right Angle RA-3 Fishing Tackle

What every tackle box should have.

Quite a few of the items on this list are overlooked by rookie Anglers.  When filling your tackle box things like additional line, hooks, floats, weights, and lures, are obviously included.  There are quite a few other items that are often forgotten.  In this Post I’ll provide a list of items I don’t go without.

First of all if you intend to use lures, and fish for a variety of species.  I would add a package of quick change leaders to your tackle box.  Being able to quickly switch between different types of lures can be key to landing a trophy fish.  When fishing with friends it allows each of you to try a different presentation.  Then you can quickly switch to whichever lure the fish are striking.

The next item I won’t leave home without having it in my tackle box is Needle nose Pliers.   If you don’t currently have one in your tackle box.  Stop reading for a moment, and go add it in now!  You can thank me later.  If you’ve ever experienced how difficult it can be to unhook a Bass after it’s swallowed your treble hook.  Then you’ll understand the importance of the Needle nose Pliers.

Another important item to include in every tackle box is a textured rubber glove.  Some fish species are particularly difficult to hold.  Having a glove handy that you can slip on is so much easier.  Being able to get a better grip without having to squeeze the fish with additional force is extremely important.  Especially if you intend to catch and release like I do.  Too strong a grip will seriously harm a fish, and in most cases make a successful release unlikely.

Something I currently have in my tackle box that I didn’t include before is barbless hooks.  I won’t fish anywhere new without having a few with me.  I’ve also filed down a few of my favourite lures to make them barbless as well.   Experience has taught me that certain areas only allow barbless hook fishing.  Whether it’s local regulations, or because certain species are spawning.  If you didn’t include barbless hooks in your tackle box, your day is over before it even began.  You don’t want to miss out on a great fishing opportunity because you didn’t have a few hooks.  Trust me, it happened to me once.  I watched a kid land a 2lb Salmon on a section of the Credit River I had planned to fish.  If I had even 1 barbless hook that could have been me.  I’m never going to let that happen again.

The previous items were my absolute must haves.  There are a few other items I’ve added to my tackle box that aren’t absolutely necessary but worthwhile.  I have a small Flashlight because most of my fishing trips begin well before daybreak.  I keep a pair of Scissors in case I lose a leader to a snag or need to add a drop weight.  Cutting the extra bit of line after you tie the knot is much easier with Scissors than my teeth.  The last item I always have is a small package of tissues.  That’s right, if you fish in Canada you will deal with rapidly changing temperatures, and weather conditions.  Tissues come in handy for any number of reasons.  I almost always use at least one.

Add some or all of these items to your tackle box.  It will definitely make your next Fishing trip much easier, and more enjoyable.

Categories
FANTASY

Sports Fanatics play Fantasy SF-3 Adrian Peterson

The top 100 Fantasy highlights

This is my first entry of the Top 100 Fantasy takeaways.  Each entry will include a single Player selected from each group of 10.  Beginning with my first selection from the 100-91 group.

Adrian Peterson

This will be his first season representing a team other then the Minnesota Vikings.  At 32 years of age it seems like a strange time to be adjusting to a new system.  A Sean Payton New Orleans system which has traditionally been a drop back and throw first game.  Doesn’t sound like somewhere All Day Peterson could thrive does it.  Now wait a minute.  We are talking about Adrian Peterson here.  The same guy that came back after what should have been a Career ending injury for anyone.  Then just imposed his will to the tune of 1700+ all purpose yards with 11 touchdowns.  Considering his average draft position that year, he probably single handedly carried his owners to their Fantasy league playoffs.  Doubt this guy, and it could mean your Downfall.

Well you know what, I’m going to doubt him this year.  Unless he sets himself apart during the preseason, I’m taking a hard pass on Peterson.  It’s not that I don’t believe in his ability.  On the contrary, I believe Adrian Peterson is still a powerful Running Back that deserves respect.  What I don’t believe in is his situation.  Sean Payton is still one of the most brilliant offensive minds in Football.  He has had great success with a number of Running Backs.  The issue is that the majority of these Running Backs succeeded because they were great pass catching Backs.  Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and Mark Ingram were all successful in part to their pass catching ability.  Adrian Peterson is not a pass catching Back.  You are seriously delusional if you think otherwise.  The next issue is that Mark Ingram is still there, and has proven that he can be the lead back.  10 touchdowns last season (a 7-9 Season)  illustrates the point. They also drafted Alvin Kamara in the third round.  Have you seen the tape on this guy.  He’s just too talented to not be utilized by Sean Payton.  Another word of caution about Payton.  He really likes to spread the ball around.  Even if Adrian Peterson ends up as the number 1 Running Back on the depth chart.  There’s no guarantee that he will receive more than 15 touches a game.  For a Running Back that traditionally gets stronger as the game goes on the more touches he gets.  That’s something that you should worry about.  Then there is the question of age.  Most Running Backs begin breaking down at the age of 30.  As I mentioned before, Adrian Peterson is by no means like most Backs.  Still a few injuries have caused concern, and if The Saints find themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot by mid Season.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they further limit his touches in order to keep him fresh for the playoffs.  Great if you are a New Orleans Saints fan.  Terrible if you are relying on him to help you in your Fantasy league.  The last issue, and by no means the least is the Saints brutally horrible Defence.  Last year, and the year before that, and the year before that they couldn’t stop anyone from scoring.  They were so bad in fact, that I’d play bench players over my starters if they were playing against the Saints.  When playing from behind the clock becomes your enemy.  The last thing you want to do is run the ball.  Unless the Saints get their Defence figured out.  Drew Brees will probably finish in the Top 3 in passing yards, and first in attempts again.  Not a great situation for Adrian Peterson.

So am I telling you to totally avoid Adrian Peterson?  No I’m not.  Draft him as your RB3 if you want.  You can start him in a pinch, or as your flex if he has a favourable matchup.  Will I draft him as my RB3?  Probably not.  I’d rather try my luck on a young pass catching Back.  Of course I play PPR (point per reception) leagues so Adrian Peterson’s value is further diminished.

Tomorrow I will highlight another Player from the Top 100 in the 90-81 group.

Categories
GOLF

Building your Golf set – Beginner’s guide to Golf

Assembling your first Golf set

(if you haven’t read my previous Starting from Scratch posts, I strongly suggest that you do)

Hopefully you have done your homework.  If you haven’t read it already.  Take a moment to read my Starting from Scratch SS-3  post.  It will properly prepare you to begin Assembling your first Golf set.

Golf clubs can be separated into 4 categories.  Super Game Improvement, Game Improvement, Player Improvement, and Tour clubs in order of easiest to hit to most difficult.  If you are only interested in becoming a casual golfer then I would suggest buying a complete Game Improvement set from Canadian Tire, or Walmart.  For the most part everything these stores offer are in the Game Improvement category.  They generally include a full selection of clubs from Sand Wedge all the way up to Driver.  Plus they aren’t going to break the bank.  Don’t sleep on the technology that goes into these sets either.  The majority of these sets are inspired by the top companies previous designs from a few years back.  Keep in mind that a popular set which can be found at big box stores is the Strata set.  It’s actually made by Calloway.  Wilson has some great entry-level mass market sets.  You will probably come across some Dunlop sets as well, and they are made by the same company that makes Srixon.  No one is going to judge you for playing any of those.  Buy one of these sets and you are ready to go.  Just head out to the range and start swinging.  As an added bonus the big box stores have excellent return policies.  If the set you picked doesn’t feel right.  Just take it back to the store and pick another.  You really can’t go wrong, or can you?

If you are a serious golfer the mass market sets can work for you as well.  In this case I would suggest choosing a set that includes two or more Hybrid clubs, and possibly buying an additional Putter.  Now if you are an obsessive golfer like me I would suggest a different route.  As an obsessive golfer you should already know your top 3 current irons through simulator testing.  If your budget allows.  Head back to your local store and swing your top 3 irons a few more times until you’ve reached a winner.  Then select the Hybrid/Irons combination set, and get fit for them.  The majority of these sets end at Pitching Wedge, so choose a Sand Wedge to buy also.  Which Sand Wedge you choose is entirely up to you.  I’ve honestly hit about six different Sand Wedges on actual courses, and there wasn’t a considerable difference in performance.  The one thing that my friends and I have noticed is that it’s easier to hit a cavity back wedge further with a full swing.  If you would like to really simplify things for yourself in the beginning.  You might consider buying a specialty Sand Wedge like the Cleveland Smart sole, or Calloway Sure Out Wedge.  You could also head over to the Putter section of the store and take some time to select a Putter.  I would strongly suggest against purchasing a Putter at this time though.  Your first few months of practice should be spent at the Range or in a Simulator where Putters aren’t necessary.

What about Fairway Woods, and a Driver you ask?  Forget about those for now as well.  The swing required to hit them properly is different than your Iron swing.  Learning both swings at the same time will only confuse things, and slow down your progress.

With a lower budget you can essentially begin your Golf set the same way.  What you will do differently is once you’ve decided which set is your favourite.  First check the clearance section of your local store for previous generations of that model.  If they aren’t available then you can definitely find them online.  That’s exactly what I did.  After testing a few Super Game Improvement, and Game Improvement sets.  I decided that the Adams Blue was the set for me.  At that time my local retailer was selling the Hybrid/Irons set with Graphite shafts for $899.00. I found an earlier version of the set with the same characteristics online.  They were on sale at a store in Ottawa for $199.00.  The set included a 3Hybrid, 4Hybrid, 5Hybrid, 6Hybrid, 7Iron, 8Iron, 9Iron, Pitching Wedge, and Gap Wedge.  This set was originally released in 2013.  Two years previous to the Adams Blues.  It didn’t come with a Sand Wedge so I eventually added a Cleveland Rotex 588 2.0 cavity back.  I also went through 3 Putters in my first year because I didn’t know what was required in actually picking the right one.  I’ll go over proper Putter selection in my next entry.

My first set

During my quest to select the right clubs I’ve tested so many.  If any of you have any questions about particular clubs just ask.  Also if you have recently made your first club selections.  Please feel free to share why you chose the clubs.

Beginner’s guide to Golf