2011 fantasy recap, week 3

With the baseball post-season just a few days away, here’s how a few notable MLB personalities are getting ready:

-- Phillies manager Charlie Manuel: Trying to remember how many bases it takes to score one run.

-- Former Braves manager Bobby Cox: Giving Heimlich Maneuver lessons to the Braves staff, as the team’s resident playoff choking expert.

-- Yankees manager Joe Girardi: Pretending that another World Series title would actually mean something to the franchise.

-- Red Sox manager Terry Francona: Seeing if Bobby Cox is available for outside consultant work.

-- Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson: Putting up billboards around the country reminding folks that Arizona has a playoff team too.

-- Mets manager Jerry Manuel: Dusting off his golf clubs.

QB: Joe Flacco, 34.26 pts -- on ChampMike's bench
RB: Darren McFadden, 32.57 pts -- started by ChampMike
WR: Wes Welker, 44.37 pts -- started by Sam
TE: Jermichael Finley, 30.67 pts -- started by Dad
K: Dan Bailey, 21.50 pts -- on the wire
DEF: Baltimore, 21.00 pts -- started by Jim
D: (tie) Greg Hardy, 10.50 pts -- on the wire
D: (tie) Jared Allen, 10.50 pts -- on the wire

Just missing this list was Ravens rookie WR Torry Smith, whose first three catches in the NFL each went for a TD. He's the first rookie ever to haul in three TD passes in a quarter. And that sounds great, but you know that's just going to raise unrealistic expectations. You never want to be known as the guy who only catches touchdowns. Just ask Chris Carter.

In case you missed it, Baltimore police announced on Sunday that they had found and captured a local man impersonating Eagles QB Vince Young at charity events and conning women out of money.

And while the Baltimore cops should be applauded for that effort, it’s an embarrassment to the Philadelphia police department and Philadelphia Eagles fans, who still have not located the real Vince Young since the end of the preseason.

Seriously, though, special thanks to Vince for coining that whole “dream team” thing and then disappearing for a month. I’d accuse him of talking big and coming up small, but that would imply that he has showed up at all this season. And I seriously don’t know if he’s still even in this country.

”Everybody hurts” edition
3rd place: NY Jets, 0.00 pts -- started by Ant
2nd place: Cecil Shorts, -0.02 pts -- on the wire
1st place: Mike Kafka, -2.60 pts -- on the wire

Pity poor Kafka -- He threw only seven passes on Sunday, and tosses #1 and #7 were both back-breaking INTs. As ChampMike said, you’ve got to do better than that if you want to become the next Eagles backup QB to be traded for a second-round draft pick.

During the Sunday night game, Colts QB Kerry Collins suffered a concussion in the late third quarter. That forced backup backup QB Curtis Painter into the game. The commentators asked sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya if he was prepared for the task. Her response:

“When I spoke to him before the game, he said he felt pretty good, he felt pretty relaxed. He said he only had a couple of reps early in the week with the offense, but he said he took as many mental reps as he possibly could, both on the field … and in the meeting room.”

So he didn’t practice at all, but he thought reaaally hard about it. I can’t decide if that’s the dumbest thing I heard all week or the saddest thing I’ve heard all year.

Congrats to Giants QB Eli Manning, who had a career best day on Sunday in the New Jersey squad’s win over the Eagles. How surprising was the performance? Consider this:

** Eli tossed four TDs and no INTs on Sunday, only the second time in 114 regular and post-season starts that he’s thrown that many scores without a pick. Conversely, he’s had 14 games in his career with no TDs and at least one INT.

** In fact, Sunday’s no turnover game was only the fifth time in the last 26 games where he didn’t have a turnover. Over that same span, he’s had five games where he accounted for three or more turnovers.

** But wins is the only stat that really defines a QB, and that’s where Eli’s game Sunday really shines. It brought his record over the last 30 games to 15-15, putting him in the elite company of average QBs.

** On a more personal level, Eli’s fast start this season has finally given him the chance to be the best QB in his family for the season. His six TDs and 735 yards passing are well ahead of his brother Peyton’s pace, since he’s been out since day one of the season. Eli has never finished with better stats than his brother.

So good for Eli -- it couldn’t happen to a nicer man-child.

The question all week surrounding the Cowboys was whether QB Tony Romo would play Monday night (he did) and how team physicians could let him play with a serious rib and lung injury. It seems cold from afar, but if you examine the issue a little closer, you see how they could make that decision:

Cowboys’ Tony Romo’s cracked rib and busted lung
** Doctors mock dude’s ugly brain, corny downbeats **

If even the doctors -- the guys whose job it is to keep you healthy -- don’t care if you live or die, it’s a pretty good indication that you’re not well liked. Just saying.

Week 3 standings

The distance between second and eighth place is less than three TDs, but the distance between first and second is a doozy. NewMike posted another huge week and jumped way out front, but it's still early. Unless you're Bob, in which case it's already getting late in the game.


** I’m 30-18 with my picks on the year, which is pretty good, but still two games worse than Dad. Vikings QB Donovan McNabb is 0-3 on the year and I’m 1-2 picking his games so far. Good to know the guy can still cause me heartburn even when he’s across the country.

** What's weirder, that Tom Brady threw four INTs on Sunday or that the Lions are 3-0? Neither. The weirdest thing in the NFL this year is that Brett Farve hasn't unretired yet. But the Colts need a new QB, so give it time.

** The Phillies just won 100 games for only the third time in their history. I feel like I should have had an item on that.

** Hey, does anyone have those Mets "choking hazard" signs from a few years back? We might need to update them with a Braves or Red Sox logo. And it can't hurt to have them around just in case the Eagles keep playing like this.