Santa Barbara Raider Fans Fantasy Football League

  Win Some, Lose More   There's an episode of the classic sitcom  I Love Lucy  from 1952 where, after being scolded by their husbands about their excessive spending, Ethel and Lucy get jobs at the local candy factory to maintain their independence by retaining their consumerist power. As we know, what ensues is one of the classic slapstick moments of the show, where the candy "boss" orders Ethel and Lucy to not let a chocolate on the line go by unwrapped or they will lose their jobs. As the belt moves faster and faster, Ethel and Lucy are forced to pull chocolates off the line, stashing them in their clothing and, ultimately, stuffing them in their mouths in order to keep their paychecks to freedom. "I think we're fighting a losing game" says Lucy to Ethel, and, as usual Lucille, you're more right than we mostly know. The bittersweet irony here, as I see it, is that in order to maintain the only power they (think they) have—consumerism—Lucy and Ethel are...

  Yes, Fifteen... ...I double-checked. And I suppose we could count the longevity of this here league to a sort of madness—even plain old haplessness—but from my perspective, such indefatigable dedication is a fault for which we should all be proud. For that, I thank you and welcome everyone back for the fifteenth running of the SBRFFFL—a league that, at this point, has only one Raider fan left that actually lives in Santa Barbara proper. Yet again, thanks Dad. But the father '15' of the Raiders franchise was none other than Tom Flores, who in 1960 was not only the AFL Raiders' first QB, but the first Latino starting QB  ever  in professional football. As a player, Flores' marquee season was 1966 as he made the Pro Bowl by throwing for 2,638 yards and 24 TDs in 14 games. Of course, most of us remember Flores as one of the greatest Head Coaches of the Silver and Black, winning—first—Super Bowl XI as an assistant to John Madden—and then bringing championships to both Oakl...

Super Bowl XIV Preview Mosquito Repellant Advised Welcome to Super Bowl XIV of the Santa Barbara Raider Fans Fantasy Football League. This year’s championship contest features the newO SWAMP and the Los Angeles River of Los Olivos. The SWAMP (no Super Bowl wins) won last week by the skin of their teeth, 72-71 over the Cupcakes of Koepke. Baltimore tailback Mark Ingram II led the way and newO got just enough to overcome DeShaun Watson and the rest of the Cupcakes. The River (winner of Super Bowl I) earned their spot in the title game by narrowly edging the Sitter of Vick’s Dog, 103-98. MVP candidate, Christian McCaffrey, as he has done countless times this season, carried Los Angeles (or is it Los Olivos?) on his shoulders. The Sitter battled hard, led by 29 (!) points from Miles Sanders, but came up just short. Which brings us to this week. The SWAMP are the early 3-point favorites as projected by ESPN. With a potent backfield of Matt Ryan, Ingram II, and Mike Boone, newO is able to...

Week 14 – Round One of the Playoffs In Lamar We Trust. The Golden Receivers start Lamar Jackson again this week behind center. Jackson has scored more points this season in the SBRFFFL than any other player and his presence along gives The Golden the edge. Now, wait just a minute you say. Jackson will be going up against the Bills in Buffalo where it will “feel like” 33 degrees at kickoff thanks to 18 mph winds coming out of the south southwest. And the Bills are the third-best against the pass. Yep. And Jackson tore up the Patriots. The Receivers other stud, Alvin Kamara, faces the Niners and their stout defense. On closer inspection, the Niners give up over 100 yards a game on the ground, but have allowed only 6 rushing touchdowns this season. And Kamara has found the end zone only twice (!) this season, both times in week 3 against Seattle. So, of course, Kamara will find it twice this week, because that makes no sense at all. Even if Kamara is shutout again, it won’t matter much...

After two weeks as #1, Nacho’s Cheese tumbled four spots after losing to #14 Vick’s Dog Sitter. Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Milk are the bully on the block as they put up over 90 points for the fourth time in five games. But the Super Bowl is not won after five weeks and six teams are one win behind the Milk. -Josh Rozelle 1. Brooklyn Milk  (Rick Reid) Last week:  Won 97-76 over the River Record:  4-1 Week 3 Ranking:  2 Brooklyn has scored the most points the past three weeks, has scored the most points on the season, and has the most wins. They have the #1 QB (Mahomes), the #1 WR (Kupp), the #2 D/ST (Jets), the #3 RB (Gordon), and the #3 TE (Cook). There are three starters are all Top 20 at their positions. Give ‘em the trophy now. 2. 3rd Avenue Schmutz  (Christian Hansen) Last week:  Won 123-105 over the Wea ver Record:  3-2 Week 3 Ranking:  5 It will be interesting to see how RB Conner does no...

So it goes. One week you win. The next week, maybe not. I once was told that the average temperature in the universe is 2 degrees Kelvin, so we're pretty hot around here. And Bob Dylan wants to know how many years until a mountain washes to the sea. Homeostasis reigns in the Santa Barbara Raider Fans Fantasy Football League. So, if you are down towards the bottom of the ladder, at least you can expect to end up in the middle. Here's to looking up! Four weeks in and the Cheese remain on top after a tie - so no perfect season for them. The Hill Billies got their first W - so no winless season for them. In case you actually read this blog and are curious, the rankings are done with some science... voodoo science, perchance, but science. The rankings this week are influenced by last week's ranking, the total points scored in the last three weeks, the total points scored on the season, and the number of wins. Trying to take subjectivity out of it. ...

That's how you end a losing streak. Both the Santa Barbara Fokkers and the Wea ver won their first games of the season. The Fokkers passed the century mark in their domination of the the Hill Billies while the Wea ver handled the Cupcakes. Meanwhile, the Milk and River each saw their two-game winning streaks snapped as they were each handed their first L of the year. The Cheese are on top. The Hill Billies are not. -Josh  Rozelle 1. Nacho's Cheese  (Mark Diaz) Last week:  Won 52-45 over the Big Boss Record:  3-0 Week 2 Ranking:  2 The Cheese posted the third lowest score of the weekend, but their opponents, the Big Boss, had the second lowest total.  It wasn't pretty, but all that matters is the W.  2. Brooklyn Milk  (Rick Reid) Last week:  Lost 79-82 to the Waddlers Record:  2-1 Week 2 Ranking:  1 The Milk went to bed Sunday evening with the lead. But Monday Night came and Big Ben wen...