The NFL regular season kicks off tonight as the Washington Redskins play the Super Bowl champion New York Giants. Millions of Fantasy Football leagues also kick off Thursday. For those that don't know what Fantasy Football is, in a nutshell, a group of friends get together, and by using the rosters of each NFL team, draft players at certain positions that they think will score the most points for the season. each week, the fantasy coaches submit a starting lineup and plays another coach. High score wins the game.
Sounds simple right? Well, actually, it was. I say was for many years back, around 1975, my brother George and I dreamed up our own type of fantasy football. No, our lineups weren't online, (The Internet wasn't around yet) nor did we have complete team lineups with stats from weeks and years past, nor backup or practice squad players. Hell, at the time, we only had access to two games on Sunday.
A Sunday ritual was George and me watching NFL football all day. He was a Browns fan, (I didn't hold that against him) and I of course a Viking fan. We were both very competitive brothers. We made wagers on many things, especially football. Parlay pick four and pick ten teams were played weekly. But we found something a little different. A little more personal. Something we could have bragging rights about.
We would not just bet on the game being played, but on the players individual performances and how many points each would score. The GPFL (George & Pat) Football League was formed.
We quickly came up with some easy rules to avoid any stats wars anomalies. The rules were as follows:
* A coin toss before each game determined who got to pick first.
* 8 positions would be selected.
* You had to pick one, and only one Quarterback, one Kicker, one Tight End, two running backs, two wide receivers, and one defense.
* A $2.50 wager per game was the fee to play. No mercy.
* A TD pass equaled 6 points.
* A TD run equaled 6 points.
* An interception, blocked kick or punt, or fumble return for a TD equaled 6 points.
* A safety equaled 2 points.
* A field goal equaled 3 points.
* An extra point equaled 1 point.
* This stands for all players. Example, if a running back throws a TD pass he is awarded 6 points. If your QB throws a TD pass to your receiver, you will 12 points, 6 points for the pass, and 6 points for the reception.
* After both games are played, (The 1pm and 4pm game) the coach with the highest combined score was declared the winner.
* In case of a tie, the coin flip at the beginning of the day determines the winner.
George and I would play weekly keeping a running win / loss record as well as stats for each game. Everything would be recorded in a spiral notebook pad.
As the weeks turned into years, George and I became very good at our game. We understood each other tendencies, who we would likely pick, stay away from, but most of all, we became Mel Kiper like experts. Not just for our own teams, but for every player in the NFL. We knew the best receivers on each team, what running back came in for goal line plays, what defense was the best, how quarterbacks reacted to other teams defenses, and how a team played in bad weather.
We weren't in it for the money. Remember, we were very competitive. If I won that week, I would always send my brother a letter. Inside the letter would be a picture cut out from the newspaper or magazine of one or more of his team members with either an arm or leg missing and I would add a funny caption or two. I loved to gloat and rub it in. And so did George. He would put signs in the front yard displaying his victory. Other times, he would have his friends call me on the phone claiming to be players on his team. They would say, "Truly the night of the Cardinals." (The Cardinals was the name of his team) At the most unsuspecting time, there would be a note hanging in the closet, taped to my steering wheel, in a cupboard door. You never knew where or when he would pull his prank.
As technology caught up in the 1980's, we added a third and then a fourth game to our mix. ESPN was our third game and Monday Night Football became our fourth game. Strategy became more intense, scores became higher, and the rivalry more intense. The rules remained the same however.
The 1990's saw real change to our league and the rules. We added more coaches, 10 of us in total, and we drafted like the NFL did. We had 15 rounds and after week one, we were able to add three more players to our roster. That would be determined by league record. Worst record picks first. If they deferred, second worse selected, and so on. The players we drafted before the season began were ours for keeps. The next year we would start with those same players making the draft an actual rookie draft and other players cut or waived from our coaches. The USA Today paper became our bible. Whatever the stats said we went with. If there was a typo, it was to bad, the bible was the final say. (Born again Christians must love fantasy football )
The Internet changed things once again. We noticed that many of our rules were the same rules as AOL's fantasy football and Yahoo and CBS sports line. Everything was automated. Scores would magically populate and wins and losses would tally each week. (Electronically they keep the baseball score - Sonny & Cher - The Beat Goes On) Even the gloating became electronic. We would now email our victory smack talk with the push of a few buttons.
My brother George passed away November 20th, 1997. I haven't played our game since. My heart just isn't in it. However, several times over the course of the last 10 years when the New York Yankee's (George's favorite baseball team) or his high school football team, (The Mooney Cardinals) won the World Series or State football Championship, I would stick a yard sign with the newspaper headlines of his teams success on his grave to remind me of the fun we had and that I still miss the hell out of him.
Truly, the night of the Cardinals.
R.I.P. Big George
LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL
Showing posts with label aol. Show all posts
Showing posts with label aol. Show all posts
9/03/2008
10/08/2007
Big brother Is Watching You And Me
The Grassy Knoll Institute knows the story.
The year was supposed to be 1984 when the Government would be all encompassing, all knowing, seeing, and powerful. George Orwell’s book titled 1984 about a future society where the government is watching and in control forcing citizens into conformity has finally come true in the year 2007. The mantra of the book was control and conformity. If the government said 2+2=5, you would not question but accept it.
The personal home computer era began in the early 80′s with the introduction of the Commodore 32 computer which was basically a word processor. Then came the Commodore 64 computer with the advanced floppy disk. The computer at this point was still a glorified word processor and would have to wait patiently for technology to evolve enough before Orwells 1984 vision could be realized.
It wouldn’t be until a trilogy of technology evolved at the same time for Big Brother to begin watching us. The first element was Bill Gates of Microsoft and his revolutionary Windows operating system. The second element was more powerful computers enabling consumers to do more than simply word processing. The third element was of course the world wide web, the Internet.
These three elements allowed people to connect with each other like never before. With these new technologies, the personal computer era took off faster than the CB radio in the 1970′s. Tens of thousands of people were logging in and getting online each and every day. America Online, (AOL) started telling everyone that they had mail. Little did these unsuspecting consumers realize that information was being collected about them every time they turned on their computer. In time, that information built a profile of your internet usage and advertising was tailored to your distinct tastes. At first, you thought it cute and clever how the internet people were able to send you advertising you were interested in.
The evolution. Windows 3.1 turned into Windows 95 that turned into Windows 98 that turned into Windows 2000 and ME that turned into Windows XP, which turned into Vista. Computers powered up going from a 286 chip to a pentium IV powered by a three gig chip with dolby surround sound audio better than most home theater systems, video and DVD. The listening and monitoring devices also evolved and improved but rarely mentioned as the internet controllers kept these little secrets to themselves. Personal and business information was being gathered by the minute with every keystroke made. Life was good, 2+2 did not equal 5 and we could prove it on our computer generated calculators.
This brings us to the present. 2007. Like it or not, every keystroke you make is recorded. Every site you visit is recorded even if you erase your hard drive and cache. Your IP address is your personal thumb print and your surfing habits are being monitored. The fire walls and stealth programs you purchase really don’t work on the governments technology. The pop up ads you once thought were so cute are now so obnoxious that you buy software programs to block them. Still, you get pop up ads. Scumware and spyware install themselves on your computer without your knowledge or permission making it even more easy to spy and collect data on you.
The government is telling us that of 2+2=5 Some citizens are listening. Soon, very soon, the government will have total control. The government already knows what you are thinking, what you are planning to do, what TV programs you watch. They know all your dislikes and likes. They know if you are a good citizen or a bad citizen. The government has the ability to react quickly and put down a rebellion, or force you to pay that errant forgotten parking ticket. They know your innermost private thoughts and who you trust them to.
All your email and instant messaging services are a window to your soul. Privacy will be a thing of the past. Webcams will be the norm in every business, neighborhood, and home watching your every move, actually inviting the government to spy on you.
Big Brother IS watching you and me. Right Now! When we get up in the morning, go to work or school, eat dinner, watch TV, and even while we sleep. New laws are being passed assisting the government in their pursuit of weeding out the so-called bad guys. CAPS II, an airport information gathering network, has already been implemented and is currently scanning passengers and qualifying them as no risk, low risk, or high risk. Microsoft now controls over 95% of the computer software and operating systems. They have powerful stealth capabilities.
Big Brother has many names but they all ask the same question.
How much is 2+2?
The year was supposed to be 1984 when the Government would be all encompassing, all knowing, seeing, and powerful. George Orwell’s book titled 1984 about a future society where the government is watching and in control forcing citizens into conformity has finally come true in the year 2007. The mantra of the book was control and conformity. If the government said 2+2=5, you would not question but accept it.
The personal home computer era began in the early 80′s with the introduction of the Commodore 32 computer which was basically a word processor. Then came the Commodore 64 computer with the advanced floppy disk. The computer at this point was still a glorified word processor and would have to wait patiently for technology to evolve enough before Orwells 1984 vision could be realized.
It wouldn’t be until a trilogy of technology evolved at the same time for Big Brother to begin watching us. The first element was Bill Gates of Microsoft and his revolutionary Windows operating system. The second element was more powerful computers enabling consumers to do more than simply word processing. The third element was of course the world wide web, the Internet.
These three elements allowed people to connect with each other like never before. With these new technologies, the personal computer era took off faster than the CB radio in the 1970′s. Tens of thousands of people were logging in and getting online each and every day. America Online, (AOL) started telling everyone that they had mail. Little did these unsuspecting consumers realize that information was being collected about them every time they turned on their computer. In time, that information built a profile of your internet usage and advertising was tailored to your distinct tastes. At first, you thought it cute and clever how the internet people were able to send you advertising you were interested in.
The evolution. Windows 3.1 turned into Windows 95 that turned into Windows 98 that turned into Windows 2000 and ME that turned into Windows XP, which turned into Vista. Computers powered up going from a 286 chip to a pentium IV powered by a three gig chip with dolby surround sound audio better than most home theater systems, video and DVD. The listening and monitoring devices also evolved and improved but rarely mentioned as the internet controllers kept these little secrets to themselves. Personal and business information was being gathered by the minute with every keystroke made. Life was good, 2+2 did not equal 5 and we could prove it on our computer generated calculators.
This brings us to the present. 2007. Like it or not, every keystroke you make is recorded. Every site you visit is recorded even if you erase your hard drive and cache. Your IP address is your personal thumb print and your surfing habits are being monitored. The fire walls and stealth programs you purchase really don’t work on the governments technology. The pop up ads you once thought were so cute are now so obnoxious that you buy software programs to block them. Still, you get pop up ads. Scumware and spyware install themselves on your computer without your knowledge or permission making it even more easy to spy and collect data on you.
The government is telling us that of 2+2=5 Some citizens are listening. Soon, very soon, the government will have total control. The government already knows what you are thinking, what you are planning to do, what TV programs you watch. They know all your dislikes and likes. They know if you are a good citizen or a bad citizen. The government has the ability to react quickly and put down a rebellion, or force you to pay that errant forgotten parking ticket. They know your innermost private thoughts and who you trust them to.
All your email and instant messaging services are a window to your soul. Privacy will be a thing of the past. Webcams will be the norm in every business, neighborhood, and home watching your every move, actually inviting the government to spy on you.
Big Brother IS watching you and me. Right Now! When we get up in the morning, go to work or school, eat dinner, watch TV, and even while we sleep. New laws are being passed assisting the government in their pursuit of weeding out the so-called bad guys. CAPS II, an airport information gathering network, has already been implemented and is currently scanning passengers and qualifying them as no risk, low risk, or high risk. Microsoft now controls over 95% of the computer software and operating systems. They have powerful stealth capabilities.
Big Brother has many names but they all ask the same question.
How much is 2+2?
LURKING ON THE GRASSY KNOLL
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)