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My father and two sisters went to Texas for a family event, and (partly to care for Scooter) I decided to stay and house sit. I finished tilling the backyard garden today, and a few more small outdoor tasks remain ahead of the first winter snows. Last week, we were in shirt sleeves, but the cooling has finally begun for good.
As you can see from these pictures taken today, Scooter is just fine. She's engaged in that favorite afternoon activity, sleeping on her blanket. Here, little naps alternate with bits of today's South Africa-United States men's soccer match. The thunderous din of 51,000 vuvuzelas didn't bother her nearly as much as her dad's presence with a camera.
Likewise, Ian Darke's voice on ESPN didn't perturb The Cat of May Colors™. On the other hand, Darke has
annoyed me in the past; but apparently, he's secured the post of voice of the American men's national team on U.S. TV. He didn't say anything obviously colonialist on today's ESPN broadcast, so I might actually get used to him.
The game itself ended in a 1-0 win for the U.S., but both sides were trying out new players. It felt less like an international friendly than the second half of an NFL exhibition game.
Fantasy update: Real life, abetted by schedule confusion on my part, hurt my teams this week. With the family trip coming in two days, I spent a good chunk of last Thursday helping my father get ready. By the time we were done and I had taken a nap, the Ravens-Falcons game had kicked off.
Oops. I'd forgotten about that early game.
The Fluttering Horde was to have dropped Atlanta kicker Matt Bryant, as Horde regular Rob Bironas was back from his bye week. On top of that, with no one to pass to, Peyton Manning was headed to the Horde bench in favor of Bryant's teammate, Matt Ryan.
Meanwhile, no one in the public league cared to trade for Michael Vick, so maybe he'd start for the Middlemen this week. Why not? Vick was up against Washington, while Middlemen regular Joe Flacco faced the Falcons.
Neither substitution went through. Thursday night was too late.
The Horde did just fine. My permanent receiver corps racked up 60 points, including Mike Thomas's hail-Mary touchdown, and despite missing Ryan's best performance of the year, the Horde defeated the Southside Hitmen, 121-106. At 6-4 in a two-division league, the Horde is likely headed to the playoffs.
The Middlemen? Not so much. Vick was the 'I win' card, breaking fantasy-football records, but he was still on my bench. In a bizarre match that also saw both sides reduced to eight men, the Middlemen fell 110-100 to the Dallas Drunks. Their 6-4 record is still good for a playoff spot, but it's the last one. Aaarrrrrgh.
