We're not journalists, we're fans

 As fun as it would be if Astros players were being beaned on purpose, it just isn't true. So far this spring 10 players have been hit by a pitch more than once. None of those ten players wear an Astros jersey. In fact 85 players have been hit by a pitch so far. 7 of those were Astros. As of this morning there were 4 teams who had more HBP than the Astros and 3 more tied with them.  The only 2 Astros batters involved in the 2017 scandal to be plunked are Jose Altuve and Alex Bregman. They were both hit with off speed pitches. I can assure you if a pitcher were trying to enact some sort of justice it would be done with the fastest 4 seam they could muster.  The reality of the situation is that it's spring training. Not only are we seeing a lot of young pitchers with control issue, they are rusty. We are talking the first week of competition here. It shouldn't be a surprise pitches are getting away from some of these guys.  There is a lot of talk that it will ram...

 Week 4 of XFL football is upon us. Which means so is week 4 of XFL DFS. I am going to give you 5 core players to build around this week.  I play mostly cash games. So these will be cash game plays. But this week it seems that the decisions to play a lot of players will be the best bet for any type of contest. Quarterback - Landry Jones - Dallas   It's no surprise that the Houston-Dallas game has the highest over under. Currently sitting at 50.5 points. The spread is only 2.5 so Vegas thinks this will be a shootout and I agree.  Jones has tossed for 305 and 274 yards in his two starts this season with 4 tds in those games. Houston is giving up the most through the air and the third most points through 3 weeks. Jones should feast and his $9800 price tag on Draft Kings is reasonable.   Wide Receiver - Kahlil Lewis - Houston   In a game like this you want a piece of both sides. Conventional wisdom would say to go with Cam Phillips. But Phillips sim...

 If you have ever been interested in playing daily fantasy football the XFL provides a unique opportunity to test yourself and develop a process. With only 4 games a week and 8 total teams it's a great way to sharpen your skills without having to dedicate the time it would take for the NFL. I play on Draft Kings almost exclusively (not being paid for this) so all examples will be based on DK scoring and prices.  I'm going to give you the basics to get you going playing XFL DFS. What to expect, what to know, how to build a winning roster. Again these are the basics, a very high level overview. But you can win with these steps. I know because I do it all the time in both XFL and NFL. I plan to dive deeper into most of these points in the future. 1. You're not going to become a millionaire playing DFS.  I know you will see people who say they have won X amount of thousands of dollars. What they won't tell you is how many thousands of dollars they put into play every ...

#5 Transparency As football fans, we love the game and its intensity. However, the NFL has long been a league that keeps the fans at arms length when anything controversial happens. We are given a prepared statement that gives little insight into how they arrived at their decision. Thus far, the XFL has been very transparent. They allow you to hear the play calls, the review communications and the locker room pep talks. They even go as far as in game interviews with players being asked about a mistake they just made on the field! What is not to love about hearing a player be asked about a fumble on the goal line? #4 Rules There are several rule differences between the XFL and NFL. Here are just a few: kickoffs, punts, and point after attempts. Kickoffs are done with the players lined up 5 yards apart with the kicker back as usual. This is done with player safety in mind- taking away the high risk of the play, but allowing the play to still be a fun part of the game. Punts ar...

Yesterday, Saturday February 22nd 2020, was a wild day in sports. It's a perfect example of the chaos of sports. A reminder that anything can happen. The Great Eight does it!   Alexander Ovechkin  finally scored his 700th career goal early in the 3rd period in Saturdays game against the New Jersey Devils. The accomplishment was marred a little by the fact that the Washington Capitals would go on to lose the game. That isn't reason not to celebrate however. Ovechkin is just the 8th player in NHL history to reach this milestone. He is also the second youngest and second quickest to reach the mark (34 years old, 1144 games). The only man to do it faster was The Great One, Wayne Gretzky  (29 years old, 886 games) Big names go down in the NCAA  Things got crazy at the top of the College Basketball rankings yesterday. The top four teams in the nation all played yesterday. #1 Baylor and #3 Kansas squared off in Waco Texas. Baylor came in on a 23 game winning str...

The Transfer Portal With the institution of the transfer portal, college sports have been infused with more controversy. There is already a hot debate to whether college athletes should be paid- with how much money they make for their respective university. The NCAA implemented the portal to help aid with a more streamlined transfer process for student-athletes. The NCAA didn't create the portal to be "free-agent signing", but to more easily assess a potential transfers eligibility. What it has become may be something different. Thus begins the debate. Student-Athlete Options Athletes are now able to have themselves listed on the transfer portal if they wish to attend a different university that may offer them more playing time. This has sparked a heated debate among coaches, players, and fans. Coaches hate to lose players, players want to play, and fans want to see loyalty. Is it wrong for a player, who has worked countless hours, to want to have more pl...