GobbleDog

Trump has talked of easing Russian sanctions... ridiculous. Maximized. Countries buying Russian oil/gas (particularly India) need heavy diplomatic pressure exerted. Same for those helping to evade sanctions - China and Armenia. Confiscate the $300 billion in Russian foreign holdings to be used for Ukraine's defense. Provide more and better weapons - remove all restrictions on where they can be targeted. European countries will follow suit. Most importantly make it known - "We will not rest until Ukraine wins the war." Not the Ukraine just can't lose jargon Biden peddled. Had those things happened in the first year of the war... it'd be long over with Putin dead or in prison right now. That's what should happen, but probably not realistic with Trump... though who knows what the mineral deal included. I'll give him credit for one thing - in spite of every disgusting thing he's done regarding Ukraine so far, he's gotten Europe to get off their lazy asses to actually spend on defense. NATO turned them into bums... "why should we spend money, the US will always save us." Unfortunately Trump made the US look like unreliable Putin loving donkey's while doing it, but whatever.

Hopefully Ukraine got some security guarantees in exchange. Who knows what terms are, but Trump's initial offer was absurd demanding $500 billion, as repayment for $100 billion which was granted to Ukraine in the form of outdated weapons/artillery, which the US was going to restock anyway, and Ukraine gets nothing in return. Especially given Ukraine is fighting for its life against a common enemy. I will say I recently saw a report that Ukraine had actually offered a mineral deal to the US long before Trump took office that never came to fruition. So, if that's true I guess Ukraine was willing to negotiate with it. Just doesn't feel right... let's help Ukraine win first and then talk business. Trump is a slimeball.

Every time I hear it I picture old white executives sitting around spitballing "I wonder what jingle could we make that would hit our target demographic? Wait I know - a rapping jingle sung by a brother!" They'll love it.

Pushing/pulling was illegal for decades until the early 2000's, when the pushing part was removed. The logic - refs were throwing flags indiscriminately because they couldn't always tell for sure who was pushing who. After it was removed, nobody really noticed ... until the Eagles suddenly found a way to exploit it and had the personnel to do it. If they make pushing illegal again, they'll have the same problem they used to. At this point, I say leave it be. Defenses will eventually figure out a way to stop it - like they always do. And it's not that big of deal - "it ain't football"... meh, looks like football to me. And I'm certainly no Philly fan.

I also used to be perplexed how Starbucks could charge so much for coffee.... then last year my wife took the 13 yo kid and her friends somewhere and stopped by a Starbucks drive-thru, got them all coffees or whatever and went on to wherever. She said "all the girls walked around with their Starbuck cups proud as could be." Never would've occurred to me, but apparently that branding is huge - even with kids. Now I get it... it's just a status thing that young folks are willing to pay for. Lucky I wasn't driving... they would've gotten cheapo McDonalds.

Sending in Korean troops, importing Korean artillery shells, and they've been using donkeys in recent months to carry supplies. There's also numerous videos of Russia sending old men and wounded soldiers on crutches to the front lines. The Russian army is clearly having issues and ya have to wonder how much longer they can go on. They're nearing 1 million causalities. Obviously Putin has been gambling on Trump coming to the rescue. And sadly, it seems that gamble might pay off.

I've never been so disgusted by my President... and I despised Obama - considered him the worst President in my lifetime. Not anymore.

It’s that time of year so let’s hear some bold predictions before everyone drafts and boldly predicts all their players will be superstars. A little reasoning would be nice, but hey whatever ya got. Raiders & Bucs finish with a combined total of 7 wins. Ya don’t sign Garoppolo and Mayfield unless you’re serious about full tank mode. Nico Collins (Wr 53) finishes top 25. Cooks left town and 3rd year Collins steps up with a massively upgraded team. Justin Herbert will break Manning’s single season passing record of 5,477 yds. After playing with broken ribs, bruised sternum and torn labrum (still passing 4,700+) Herbert is finally healthy. The old dink and dunk OC is gone replaced by high-flying Kellen Moore. George Pickens scores more fantasy points than Dionte Johnson. Though both unreliable due to pathetic Qb. Diontae just isn’t a #1 Wr. Sam Howell (Qb 29) finishes top 15. Josh-Allen-Lite is flying under everyone’s radar, but won’t be after this year. Miami Dolphins replicate ’72 Dolphins by going undefeated. 2023 is forever known as Year of the Fish. What yall got?

Fine add a sensor. But without sensors in their knees or butts I'm not sure how much it helps. "We know the ball went this far! But we have no idea whether he was down before that or if the whistle was blown."

Wife is at a Chicago concert right now. Before leaving she said "I'm going to the Chicago concert! What are their hit songs?" Me: Well known band, who probably has some hits... but damned if I can name any.

In recent years, nearly 70% of people who "attempt" to summit succeed. The youngest / oldest to do it... 15 and 80. With modern gear, oxygen, and sherpa's toting everything.... the greatest challenge is having enough cash. With good weather, Stephen Hawking could make it.

Don't know about the rest of the country, but the deer population in Florida/Alabama/Georgia has gotten out of control IMO. Scary driving down two-lane roads at night. Herds of them everywhere. I don't know what the bag limit is, but it needs to be raised. For that matter, they could completely lift the ban on killing gators. Way too many. Every river, lake, and retention pond has 'em, though they rarely hurt people. Just scary walking with kids or dogs around a shoreline.

I was 6 when Star Wars came out - perfect demographic. Loved it, had all the toys and cards. Empire was the best. Couldn't wait to see the next one after Jedi, but they went on a 20 years hiatus. By the time it finally came back, I'd grown up and didn't care anymore, but out of curiosity I watched whatever the 4th one was... yeah, gay Jar Jar. Years later while channel surfing I came across another new Star Wars... it was Yoda in a sword fight.... bouncing around like a ping pong ball. Looked ridiculous. Sadly, Star Wars is dead to me. Don't like the CGI, which definitely makes the effects bigger, but it's basically a glorified cartoon. I was more impressed when they had to make models, explosions, puppets, etc. look real.

Windows only apparently. Not surprised given the detail and number crunching the puter has to do. Doesn't require the greatest gpu, but eats RAM. The game doesn't officially call itself "Das Boot" after the famous movie, but it's clearly trying to mimic it. And does a great job.

The UBoat game I mentioned went on sale a couple weeks ago... from $30 to $9.... had to buy it. Thoughts.... HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL greatest money I've ever spent. It's Uboat simulation, but with impressive graphics. Find shipping boats with a hydrophone, estimate course, sail ahead to get a peak - identify boat type, and speed... calculate a torpedo solution. FIRE~!~!~! Oh the satisfaction when ya blow sh*t up. I have a crew of officers / sailors to manage... at least, those who live through the missions. The learning curve is pretty high, especially if ya set the difficult settings high like I did. Took a bunch of Youtube videos to get any of my torpedoes to finally hit. Then there's dealing with the enemy destroyers, corvettes, and airplanes who like to drop depth charges on ya. Lots of missions - sinking ships, delivering spies, finding lost uboats, etc. I've been playing for two weeks, but feel like I'm just getting started. It's still only 1940 and Germany just conquered France, which means I have a new port to leave from. Several more years under Hitler's service. Got a lot of killing to do in the meantime. Highly recommend.

Russia did about about-face with the Syrian rebels. For the past decade they were referred to as "Western supported terrorists" - today they're an "armed opposition." No longer terrorists. Russia even raised their flag at the Syrian embassy in Moscow. Apparently Russia has military bases there they want to keep, but they've been using them to bomb the rebels for the past ten years so you'd think the new leaders would want them out.

So far ... the rebel leader al-Sharaa has been doing/saying all the right things such as allowing international media in, talking about protecting rights of minorities, and even sent a representative to the Alawite area to assure no retribution. Hopefully it lasts, but who knows. Experts point out the recent track record of Middle East countries after removing dictators hasn't worked out well. Egypt, Lybia, Yemen, Iraq... either became more oppressive, partially run by terrorists, or just flat out dysfunctional.

I'd forgotten about the Syrian Civil War... it'd been dormant for 6+ years. All of a sudden rebels are taking over major cities. The US was supporting the Syrian Democratic Forces, but at this point Al Qaeda has joined in among others. Maybe that explains the renewed success, but jeesh... removing al-Assad just to have those terrorists in charge.

I rarely buy new games, but when I do I play it for years.... still play Battlefield 1 released in 2016. And Crusader Kings III which is pretty old. In any case, recently found a new game that I'm very interested in.... UBOAT, released August 2024. Only $30. Videos look pretty cool.

Not exactly a "stocking stuffer", but in-laws bought me a Jackery 300 couple years back. LOVE IT. Basically a silent generator without gas. Runs a tv for 3-4 hours - perfect for tailgating. Later bought a solar panel so it can run all day. Price down to $150 now, was $300 couple years ago. Decided to give my nephew my old 300 and upgrade to the Jackery 1000 ($400). Three times as powerful. Can run a kitchen refrigerator for a day or so. I have the powah! https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Portable-Explorer-Generator-Emergency/dp/B083KBKJ8Q

Sounds like Putin knows negotiations will begin after Trump is Prez and wants to land grab as much as possible... regardless of human life.

Forced to listen to a greatest hits album every day the rest of my life.... Beatles - I Want to Hold Your Hand, Twist & Shout, Hard Day's Night, 8 Days a Week, etc. Stones - Start Me Up, Beast of Burden, Miss You, Waiting on a Friend, Brown Sugar, etc. Yeah, I'm going Stones. Those oldies by the Beetles would get tiresome day 1.

"Old or not Ali is the greatest. Holmes is screwed." "If McGregor connects, he'll drop Mayweather. " "Pacquio always beats the odds and has experience. He'll pick Maywather apart." "Who cares if he's 58, hasn't fought in 20 years, and has ulcers/back problems - it's IRON MIKE." Anything can happen in sports, but we've seen this movie before. Odds don't match reality. Tyson is +225, but +2000 would be more realistic.

It's that time of year gentlemen. Let's talk turkey! Top 10 Rb (ppr) per FantasyPros: 1) Christian McCaffery - ADP 1.01. Last year 16 games, 272 car, 1,459 yds (5.4 avg), 67 rec, 564 yds, 21 total Tds with seven 100-yd rush games. Finished #1 Rb with 24.5 pt/gm. No major coaching or personnel changes. O-line ranks 1st. Ironman past two years, but turns 28 yo soon with 1,968 career touches. At 1.01 McCaff is the ultimate boom/bust player considering age-usage-history. Some worry the Niners might reduce work for playoff push, but the same was said last year and never happened. We shall see... 2) Breece Hall - APD 1.07. Last year 17 games, 223 car, 994 yds (4.5 avg), 76 rec, 591 yds, 9 total Tds with three 100-yd rush games. Finished #2 Rb with 17.1 pt/gm. Jets drafted a 1st rd O-lineman - no major coaching change, but offense should boost with Rodgers healthy. O-line ranks 4th. Hall just turned 23 yo and enters junior season. Nothing to knock... the clear goal line back, reception guru, great o-line, no injury problems last year, and probably faces fewer stacked boxes with Rogers - the Jets are solid all around. 3) Bijan Robinson - ADP 1.08. Last year 17 games, 214 car, 976 yds (4.6 avg), 58 rec, 487 yds, 8 total Tds with two 100-yd rush games. Finished #9 Rb with 14.5 pt/gm. Falcons drafted... qb Penix (wtf) and nothing else offensively. New head coach, o-coordinator and Qb - Kurt Cousins so offense expected to improve greatly. O-line ranks 15th. Bijan is 22 yo entering softmore season. The former 8th overall NFL pick didn't quite live up to last year's lofty expectations, which was mostly blamed on coach Smith and bad qb play. Does Bijan get more goal line work over Algeir with new coaches? Probably, but nobody really knows. Still, a young talented Rb on a loaded offense. Cousins made Cook a reception king years back, so receptions should stay solid and possibly increase. Looks to be a good year. .................................................................................................. 4) Jonathan Taylor - ADP 1.12. Last year 10 games, 169 car, 741 yds (4.4 avg), 19 rec, 153 yds, 8 total Tds with only one 100-yd rush game (week 18 unfortunately). Finished #33 Rb with 15.6 pt/gm. Colts drafted o-linemen rds 3 & 4 - no major coaching change. O-line ranks 22nd. Taylor is 25 yo with 1,048 carrier touches. Now enters 5th year with a monster contract (clearly Colts believe). Missed early games last year - supposedly ankle, but more likely hold out... then missed time for thumb surgery. Hard to know how this situation plays out with qb Richardson eating goal-line work, designed runs, and the o-line not so great. Taylor used to be good for 3-4 rec per game, but that didn't pan out last year. Will Richardson dump it off ? Lot of questions here. Feels a bit risky. 5) Jahmyr Gibbs - ADP 2.01. Last year 15 games, 182 car, 945 yds (5.2 avg), 52 rec, 316 yds, 11 total Tds, with two 100-yd rush games. Finished #10 Rb with 16.1 pt/gm. Lions drafted o-lineman 4th rd and some scrub rb - no major coaching or personnel change. O-line ranks 6th. The former 12th overall NFL pick recently turned 22 yo and had a very productive rookie year. David Montgomery is still around who vultured 13 Tds last year... and shockingly had 219 carries and 1,015 yds (4.6 avg). Monty turns 27 soon, but no reason to believe Gibbs gets a considerably bigger piece of pie this year given how efficient the offense ran. Still, Gibbs seems like a relatively safe pick for another top 10 finish with the receptions, solid o-line, and overall potent offense. If Monty goes down, Gibbs becomes a monster. 6) Saquon Barkley - ADP 2.03. Last year 14 games, 247 car, 962 yds (3.9 avg), 41 rec, 280 yds, 10 total Tds, with one 100-yd rush game. Finished #13 Rb with 15.9 pt/gm. O-coordinator fired and replaced by Kellen Moore (fired from Chargers). O-line ranks 3rd in spite of Kelse retiring. Barkley is 27 yo with 1,489 career touches. Once one of the most elusive Rb's in the league - injuries, age, and usage have taken a toll as metrics have declined in recent years. There won't be much Rb competition in Philly, except for - Jaylen Hurts who cannibalizes goal line TDs. Hard to know what to expect from Barkley this year... he can catch, but the Eagles aren't known for that - last year Swift (known for receptions) had ten games with 2 or fewer catches. So, we have an aged Rb with declining metrics, Hurts taking goal lines, and probably not tons of receptions.... ADP 2.03 ??? Wow. .................................................................................................... 7) Travis Etienne Jr. - ADP 2.09. Last year 17 games, 267 car, 1,008 yds (3.8 avg), 58 rec, 476 yds, 12 total Tds, with two 100-yd rush games. Finished #3 Rb with 16.6 pt/gm. Jaguars drafted Wr Thomas Jr. with first pick - no major coaching or other personnel changes. O-line ranks 19th. The former 25th overall pick enters his junior season (25 yo) coming off a great '24 campaign. Many worried the '23 drafting of Tank Bigsby (3rd rd) would spell the end of Etienne's goal line work as he struggled with it in '22, but that didn't pan out - mainly because Bigsby kept fumbling at the season's start and coaches seemed to give up on him. Pure volume made Etienne relevant last year... but his 3.8 yd per carry was awful - Out of the top 25 Rbs, only Rachaad White was lower (3.6). Moving forward, hard to see much change unless coaches decide to give Bigsby a second chance, which they might if the inefficient running continues. Etienne doesn't seem to be a "special" Rb with elite skills - he's just-a-guy and another top 3 finish would be shocking. Top 10-ish feels about right as the receptions are the saving grace. 8)) Kyren Williams - ADP 3.04. Last year 12 games, 228 car, 1,144 yds (5.0 avg), 32 rec, 206 yds, 15 total Tds, with six 100-yd rush games. Finished #7 Rb with 21.3 pt/gm. Rams drafted rb Blake Corum in 3rd, no major coaching or other personnel changes. O-line ranks 14th. The former 5th rd pick (23 yo) enters his junior year after an amazing season. Missed four games mid-season due to high-ankle sprain, but immediately picked up where he left off. Has now missed some ota's due to a "foot issue", which doesn't sound like a big deal. So going forward, what to make of Williams? Dude was a stud last year and if he had the back-field to himself and no injury concerns, he'd probably be a top 5 pick. Prior to last year, coach McVay had historically favored multiple backs over a bell-cow usage. Williams solo work last year might be partly explained by the Rams lack of Rb talent and McVay sticking with the hot hand. Enter Blake Corum (3rd Rb taken) who was excellent at Michigan and is described as a "bowling ball Rb", thus might vulture some goal line work. Overall though, Williams' only real knock is the injury concern, which is somewhat accounted for as an early-mid 3rd rounder. 9) Rachaad White - ADP 3.10. Last year 17 games, 272 car, 990 yds (3.6 avg), 64 rec, 549 yds, 9 total Tds, with two 100-yd rush games (just barely... 100 & 102). Finished #4 Rb with 15.8 pt/gm. Bucs used a 1st rd on O-lineman, and 4th rd on rb (Bucky Irving), o-coordinator left and now replaced by Kentucky's coordinator (known for running). No other personnel changes. O-line ranks 18th. White - former 3rd round pick is 25 yo and enters his junior season after a strange season. Racked up a lot of receptions and was given 272 carries in spite of unspeakably bad efficiency - likely due to lack of rb competition. White only averaged 3.7 ypc in 2022 so his running skills are questionable at best. The Bucs clearly drafted Bucky Irving - an elusive runner, hoping to add a little more efficiency to the running game thus White's carries will almost certainly decline along with the Td total. But the receptions should remain high and is probably good for a top 15-ish finish. ............................................................................................. 10) Isiah Pacheco - ADP 4.03. Last year 14 games, 205 car, 935 yds (4.6 avg), 44 rec, 244 yds, 9 total Tds, with three 100-yd rush games. Finished #15 Rb with 15.3 pt/gm. Chiefs drafted wr 1st (Worthy) and o-lineman 2nd. No major coaching changes, but did sign wr Marquise Brown. O-line ranks 3rd. Pacheco is 25 yo and a former 7th round pick entering his junior year. He did miss two games late last year for a shoulder clean-up procedure, but came back strong and scored in 3 out of the 4 Chiefs playoff games. He's the clear lead back coming off a great season, and maintained high efficiency from the year prior (4.9 avg in '22 on 170 carries). Word is the Chiefs likely acquired wr's Brown and Worthy to try to stretch the field a bit with deep shots, which could open up some running room. Interesting stat - games where Pacheco touched the ball fewer than 15 times last year, the Chiefs record was 1-3, in all games the Chiefs won - Pacheco average 20.3 touches. Seems likely the Chiefs will want to continue feeding him the ball. Overall, an early 4th round pick seems like value.

Watch Giants Week 7 highlights.... it wouldn't matter if the Giants had Brady or Manning at their peak. That o-line played so horribly, nobody could succeed under those conditions. Heck, if anything Jone's wheels kept some plays alive. He probably won't ever be a franchise Qb and the Giants will likely move on... but until they fix the o-line, it won't change anything.