God Damn

Avenged Sevenfold, one of the few hard rock bands that I listen to with regularity recently released their seventh studio album, "The Stage." I listened to the album on Spotify today and it was pretty good. In my listening experience, Avenged Sevenfold has like 3-5 good songs on each album, and the rest kind of blend together in a listenable, but seemingly dull slur. One of the best songs that is within the top 5 songs on the album is the track "God Damn." I really enjoyed the bridge especially.

The fantasy football championship week recently concluded, and while I was in the title game in dynasty, I unfortunately ran into the juggernaut that is Todd Gurley, and fell by 25. In the other league that I made the playoffs, I ended up losing in the third place match, so I took fourth place. Lastly, I won the ninth place game, avoiding the cellar in my main redraft league. Thanks for reading, and I took an early look at my predictions from earlier this fall, and they weren't too bad. :)

Anyways, I have several photos in an album to share from Little Falls wrestling against Foley, Dec. 14, an Upsala/Holdingford boys and girls basketball doubleheader from Dec. 16 and a Royalton boys/girls basketball doubleheader from Dec. 19.

You can see those photos here.

Offended

Though as an album it was a mixed bag, the latest Eminem effort, "Revival" was better than I expected. After his "freestyle" and the single "Untouchable" (see last week's post), I was skeptical that the album could contain anything good. However, it had a few really great things, a couple of creative tracks and some duds as well. "Offended" was insane, and really showed Eminem's talent. Some of his creative sampling that was on display, like "In Your Head" was pretty great. Though some samples also didn't work at all, like in "Reminde Me." That song did not do what he wanted. Other good tracks included: "Chloraseptic," "Nowhere Fast," and "Castle." Certainly worth a listen for Eminem's biggest fans, but the only must listen is "Offended."

The fantasy playoffs continued last week, and I won the entrance exam to the championship in my dynasty league. My biggest rival is up this week in the title, fingers crossed. I lost in my other semifinal and will be playing for third place this week. In my final league, I'm trying to avoid the cellar in the ninth place game this week.

I have a massive amount of photos (88) to share including my first foray into Dance. Check all those photos and more out here.

Untouchable

Here is a very short review of Eminem's latest single, "Untouchable."

Eminem, you're not black.

The end.

As for my fantasy football teams, I'm on to the semifinals in both my dynasty league and one of my re-draft leagues. I'm in the consolation (toilet bowl) semis in my main re-draft league after going 4-9 in the regular season (4-1 in the final five weeks). Hopefully I'll be bearing news of championship possibilities next week.

As for photos, I have a bunch of them from my first foray to a Little Falls boys hockey game, Nov. 30; the Royalton/Holdingford boys basketball opener, Dec. 1 and Little Falls wrestling at Albany, Dec. 5. You can so those here. 

Don't Blame Me

There appear to be a lot of parallels that one can draw in the careers of Taylor Swift and Britney Spears. Both have five No. 1 hits and more than 10 top 10s. Both have success despite not being in the dominant genre of their time. Britney topped all the boy bands, while Taylor rules over hip-hop. Perhaps that's why when I recently decided to listen to Swift's latest release, "reputation," that I felt some flashbacks to Spears' fifth studio album, "Blackout." It was a dark turn for Spears, but just another step in her evolution as an artist. I think that "reputation" is a similar foray into the dark arts for Swift. I mean there are still a bit of bubbly popness in the album, but if you listen close enough, you might see the hurt. A lot of people will negatively review this album, and they're not wrong. However, if you take the album in the big picture of Swift's career, it is a necessary step to keep her career heading where it needs to go.

As far as fantasy football for TO this week, the week isn't over yet, because I'm writing this a day early, but returns have me losing in dynasty for the first time six weeks. I appear to have closed out the regular season in my redraft league with a win, which finishes me at 4-9. I have a better team that a lot of the league at this point with Alvin Kamara and Kirk Cousins, but my team just took too long to flesh out. As for my other redraft league, I appeared to have clinched a playoff spot, unless the Steelers have a big night tonight. A win would clinch a playoff spot, and possibly push me up to as high as fifth place. A loss, and I might not make the playoffs, or I would drop to eighth place and barely get in.

Anyhow, here are the some photos from the Pierz Football team's Prep Bowl victory and the GBB opener.

Hotel California

One of the single greatest works of music history recently turned 40. The album "Hotel California" by the band that had it all and helped define the age of "Classic Rock" came out around this time in 1977. Recently, I discovered a 40th anniversary edition on Spotify, and opened my heart and mouth to all that is Eagles.You're welcome for the next hours of Eagles music that I caused you.

As far as fantasy football is concerned I won in all three leagues of mine for the first time all year. It only took 12 weeks, lol. I am firmly entrenched in second place in my dynasty league. I moved up to seventh place out of 12 in one league, and am mired in ninth in my final league with no shot at climbing.Playoffs begin soon, and it appears I'll be in two out of three, which as Meatloaf once opined, is not bad.

Here are a few photos from the Pierz state semifinals against Jordan, Nov. 18.

Dusty Rooms

What the hell did I just listen to? I'm fairly certain it was some kind of magnificent troll job. Barenaked Ladies, everyone's favorite late '90s/early '00s goofy pop/rock Canadian act, recently released an album, "Fake Nudes." Sounds promising. It is pure garbage. It's filled with weird, wannabe Mumford and Sons songs that sound like they're performed by a bunch of dads. I guess that's what the Barenaked Ladies are relegated to: mature, soft folk. Gross.

Off to the playoffs. I am in the dynasty playoffs unless some kind of miraculous junk goes down. Speaking of, I needed some miracles to make the playoffs in my main re-draft league. They all failed this week, so at 2-9, I'm officially done. However, I did win my fifth straight to move to 5-6 and in the final playoffs spot in my other league.

I have photos from Pierz' state quarterfinal against Proctor in Brainerd, Nov. 4. Enjoy them here.

Kamikaze

Walk the Moon busted on to the mainstream with their mega hit "Shut Up and Dance" in 2015 off their album "Talking is Hard." I believe that I have discovered their next big hit in "Kamikaze" off the new release "What If Nothing." The song sounds like something that will catch on. It is catchy, with strong lyrics and I really enjoyed it. The album itself is mediocre. It starts with a string of so-so songs, but does finish strong. If you listen, skip the first six tracks.

On to the playoffs in dynasty fantasy league for TO. I'm 8-2 and all but wrapped up a playoff spot. I'm 2-8 in my main re-draft league, and barely have life for playoffs. I need a bunch of things to break right. I'm 4-6 in my other re-draft league and am close to getting back into playoff contention.

I have several photos from playoff football and volleyball to share. See them here and enjoy.

It 'Aint My Fault

While the landscape of country music is littered with a barren wasteland of talentless tarts like Luke Bryan, it also includes some really great music. A great example of that is the Brothers Osborne, who took home three CMA Awards the other night. Chris Stapleton also won a couple, and he too is a shining example of what country should be. Please keep Niall Horan, Thomas Rhett and the rest of the pop-country losers out of country music. Please.

Anywho, I finally earned a win in my main re-draft fantasy league! Problem is, it is week nine, and now I'm 1-8 and all but out of playoff contention. I am in second place with an 7-2 record in dynasty though, so that's good. I also won again in my autodraft league, and am at 3-6 and only a game out of playoff contention. (8 of 12 teams make the playoffs).

I have a good number of playoff action photos to share from Oct. 27-31. They include some playoff volleyball from Section 5A, both Swanville and Royalton were in action. I also have some football photos from the Royalton home section semifinal game. Hope you enjoy!

Access the photo gallery here.

3's Company

Snoop Dogg has something to say, but that wasn't why I listened. The beats on Snoop's latest album, "Make American Crip Again," were the reason to listen. I'm not sure who created those, but they were perfect to go with the harshness of the Dogg. This is best exemplified on the joint "3's Company" which features Chris Brown. "Good Foot," also has a solid beat.

Dropped to 0-8 in my main re-draft league :( However, got another win in dynasty, pushing me to 6-2 and firmly in third place. I got another win in my other re-draft league to move to 2-6. I'm still two games out of a playoff spot, but I'm on the move.

I have some photos from Upsala volleyball, USA playoff football and the Section 6AA cross country meet. It's a bit of a light week because of MEA. Check out for more playoff photos next week. See this week's photos here: https://ecmpublishers.smugmug.com/MorrisonCountyRecord/Sports/SportsOct23-26/i-CRcFJCK

Solid Gold

One of the bands that formed my musical tastes thanks to their massive hit, "I believe in a thing called love," has released a new album. Should I listen? Heck yes! The Darkness recently dropped "Pinewood Smile," the band's fourth since the debut "Permission to Land" that had IBIATCL on it. While I haven't kept up with how their music's been, I noticed the new album in a deep dive of browsing new releases on Spotify, and based on the nostalgia of Duluth road-trip sing-a-longs I decided to give "Pinewood Smile" a try. The album doesn't quite live up to the iconic hit, but it is pretty groovy at times, and quite clever. I particularly enjoy the song "Solid Gold." Give it a listen. Worth it.

Fantasy football is continuing to go down hill. I can't win to save my life in my main league, and dropped to 0-7. I had a good week in dyansty, but ran into a buzz saw of 173 points and fell by about 40. I'm down to third place, but I'm still very safely in playoff contention, so I just need to stay ready for playoffs. In my third league I'm in 11th at 1-6 :(

Many photos from the weeek of Oct. 12-17. You can find them here.

Hungry

I recently saw that "Eric and Jesse" was coming back (the reality show featuring Rocori standout athlete and NFL WR Eric Decker (who I once played in Little League)). I was confused. Why is a receiver who hasn't done much of anything since leaving Denver, and a country singer, who hasn't had a single hit, get their once-cancelled show back. However, searching through the "new releases" function of Spotify today to find an album to review, I got my answer. Jesse James Decker has a new album out, "Southern Girl City Lights." Not sure why a record company would give her another chance, considering her previous failures to chart, and lack of true talent. Clearly they did, and went all in by getting their boring reality show back too. I've unfortunately watched a couple episodes out of curiosity to see the man whom I once was decimated by as a pre-teen. It was awful and unwatchable. Even worse than this sorry excuse for an album by Jesse James Decker. She's an above average singer at times, but she also has a nasally annoyance on a lot of her notes. Her songs are also super generic. One song, toward the end of the album (which I am still surprised I made it all the way through) was "Hungry." It wasn't awful.

Anyways, fantasy has plugged on. I'm 5-1 in dynasty, but 1-5 and 0-6 in my redraft leagues. It just isn't my year there. As far as dynasty goes, I honestly wasn't planning on being competitive for a few years, but since I am, I went all in. I traded both first round picks I acquired to get Jerrick McKinnon and Deandre Hopkins. I now have a seriously legit chance at winning. I could really use it, because I certainly am not winning anything elsewhere. Daily has been down lately too.

Lastly, I have a number of photos from Upsala volleyball, Little Falls football, Royalton volleyball, Royalton and Pierz cross country. You can see those photos here.

Life of the Party

Though it pales in comparison to their earlier work, a decent album was recently released by one of my favorite of the pop punk genre, All Time Low. That album is "The Last Young Renegade." It was kind of disappointing compared to their 2015 release, "Future Hearts," which was a refreshing throwback to their best works like "So Wrong, It's Right," and "Nothing Personal." This was a step back, but that's kind of how it has gone for ATL, up and down. That said, one of my favorite tracks on the album is "Life of the Party."

I dropped to second place and 4-1 on the year in my dynasty league. I also lost in my main re-draft league, falling to a dismal 0-5 after scoring better than 6 of the 10 teams in my league this week. I'm still trying to fight and piece together a team. Wish me luck. I did earn my first win in my autopick league, and am now in 11th place at 1-4. No giving up there either. I've been hovering around even in daily so far, just keeping my money around to try and hopefully hit a great lineup and take home some $$.

I have many photos from events between Sept. 28 and Oct. 3. See them, purchase them, here.

Here is one of the best from Little Falls tennis:

Stay tuned for more musical musings and updates. Have a suggestion for me to review? Leave a comment or email me at tylerohmann@gmail.com.

Breakdown: NCHC hockey preview

My earliest memory of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is listening to the band's greatest hits album in the mid 1990s with one of my older cousins, who was probably in high school at the time. Looking back, she was pretty damn cool to listen to that. I remember specifically being drawn to the song "Mary Jane's Last Dance." Of course at the time, I was naive to who "Mary Jane" was, but as I grew older my love for the song never faded. I also learned to really appreciate the span of Petty, who had mega hits in the 70's, 80's and 90's. His 1994 album "Wildflowers" was brilliant, and contains one of my favorite Petty songs of all time "You Don't Know How It Feels."

I'm writing all this because the world lost another great one. R.I.P Tom Petty.

In honor of Petty, I've named my annual NCHC hockey preview to his 1977 hit, "Breakdown."

First, let's take a look at how I predicted the conference a year ago and how it actually shook out.

No. 1 in 2016-17: UND. Actual finish: 4 (35 pts). The Fighting Hawks weren't as powerful as I predicted.
No. 2 in 2016-17: Denver. Actual finish: 1 (59 pts). The Pioneers were a dominant force a year ago, eventually riding their amazing regular season to a National Championship.
No. 3 in 2016-17: SCSU. Actual finish: 5 (31 pts). I overestimated my alma mater. The Huskies didn't have the fire power I figured that their young talents would provide, plus they were average at goalie.
No. 4 in 2016-17: UNO. Actual finish: 6 (29 pts) Way off, though I predicted they'd be tough to predict, which was true.
No. 5 in 2016-17: Miami. Actual finish: 7 (23 pts) Miami had one of its worst seasons in the past two decades.
No. 6 in 2016-17: UMD. Actual finish: 2 (52 pts) Boy was I off about the Bulldogs having a down year. They went all the way to the national finals.
No. 7 in 2016-17: Western Mich. Actual finish: 3 (42 pts) It was quite the leap that the senior-led Broncos went on a year ago, which I don't think anyone predicted for the perennially bottom half team.
No. 8 in 2016-17: CC. Actual finish: 8 (17). The Tigers have been cellar dwellers for years, and this was the easiest pick to make and I nailed it.

As you can see, predicting is a fickle business, even in an eight-team college hockey conference. However, I did my research and hopefully 2017-18 will prove to be better to me. Here are my thoughts on the upcoming season.

1. Denver: There should be little chance the defending champs stay on top. They return most of their scoring from a year ago as well as goaltender Tanner Jaillet. Denver also has a strong recruiting class, though they will be a bit thinner at D without Will Butcher and others that left/graduated. The key to the Pioneers' season will be keeping Jailet healthy.
2. North Dakota: A lot of fellow prognosticators have the Hawks closer to where they were a year ago, but I think they should really be solid. They will be stout in net with Cam Johnson back for his senior year, and that is going to be a key. They will need to find a replacement in scoring for departed star Brock Boeser, who left early for the NHL.
3. SCSU: The Huskies should be much better on offense this year as most everyone returns and should be a year older and more improved. Goalie might still be a question mark as Jeff Smith is back as a sophomore, but was decidedly average a year ago. Slovakian David Hrenak could challenged for spot.
4. UMD: The Bulldogs should drop quite a bit as goaltender Hunter Miska left early for the pros as did a couple other players. Scoring should be pretty good yet, but defense is also a bit of a question mark. The key though will be finding a replacement for Miska, who was sensational last year.
5. Miami: Miami should be back in semi-contention and around 30 pts this year. They do lose top scorer Louis, but return most of the rest of its scoring and defense. Recruits were light, but the key for the Red Hawks is goalie Ryan Larkin. If he makes a huge sophomore leap, Miami could get a home playoff series.
6. UNO: Head Coach Dean Blais is gone, so a new era begins for Omaha. Goalies all come back, but they weren't particularly good, plus they lose Ortega, their leading scorer. Recruits were pretty good, but the key will be new coach and former Red Hawk defenseman Mike Gabinet. It could be a bit of rebuilding year. 
7. Western Michigan: Two of the Broncos' best left early for the pros. Several others graduated, so the Cinderella story from a year ago looks to be headed back down near the cellar. Recruits are weak apart from Josh Passolt, but the key will be to replace scoring, which could prove difficult. 
8. Colorado College: Bergh and LeClerc return, but Gerdes and Hansen are gone. However, the Tigers were not good a year ago. Can recruits such as Vanderbeck make them better? That will be key. 

Anyhow, that is how it will happen. I'd say five of the teams will make the NCAA as UMD and Miami both squeak in as four seeds. Denver will be a one. UND will be a two and SCSU a three seed. I'm looking forward to a good season. 

For sports photos from the week of Sept. 21-26. Click here.

Corner Store

Macklemore is back! I am seriously digging this new Macklemore album, "Gemini." Macklemore rolls out an impressive number of guests, yet never loses himself or outshines his talent. A lot of his guests are up and coming, and from his home in the Seattle area, which is cool. I enjoyed a number of tracks, but one that immediately stuck out was the beat and great verses on Corner Store.

Fantasy football is still a struggle in two leagues, where I'm 0-3, despite what I think is a couple of decent teams.

However, my dynasty league, where I inherited a terrible team in January is absolutely dominating. I scored 174 points this week and am currently 3-0 with by far the most points scored. A lot of that has to do with Rookie draft first round pick Kareem Hunt. I also happened to trade for the No. 10 RB so far (Tarik "Chicken Salad" Cohen) and the No. 1 receiver so far (Stefon Diggs). Shout out to my Vikings. I did inherit Tom Brady (No. 1 QB) and Zach Ertz (No. 2 TE), so I can't take all the credit, but I did most of the work. Oh, and the whole league is super salty toward me, changing their names to some form of "Tyler Sucks" and such. That's the biggest compliment I could receive, honestly. Makes me feel better from the crap I'm doing in my other two leagues.

I've already talked a lot about myself, but one more thing is that I'm back to bowling again. The good ole Over the Hill League in Albany on Monday nights. I've been steadily getting better. Week three was last night and I finally broke a 500 thanks to a clean 214 last game. I missed four 10 pins in the second game (a 148) or I could have rolled a much higher series.

Anyhow, check out the link below for photos from the Lucky Lindy cross country meet, a swim/dive meet, Little Falls football in Albany and girls soccer. It was a Flyer-dominated week, but I'll have some other schools next week.

****Sept. 14-19 photos****

Subterranean Homesick Blues

Nah, not another Bob Dylan opus today. Just heard a cover of this by The Lumineers feat. Andrew Bird (violinist). I'm glad the version is really different, and I really enjoyed the violin, but the words were so rushed and fast, that the meaning of the song, which is what Dylan really did well (lyrics and stories) were lost. No need to rush boys, just chill.

Anyways, I'm doing really well (2-0, 1st place) in dynasty. However, I'm in dead last in my two redraft leagues. Things haven't been panning out for some of my thoughts thus far. However, it's not time to panic yet, I can still scrape together some wins yet. If I'm winless in two weeks though, then I'll start to panic.

Enjoy these photos from Sept. 7-12: Gallery

Ride My Llama

Considering that there are a few artists (cough) Bruce Springsteen (cough) that I hate almost exclusively because of their voice, it may come as a surprise that I LOVE Neil Young. His creativeness and uniqueness is transformative. Honestly, his voice doesn't bother me that much either. I really enjoy that the majority of his songs compellingly tell a story. Recently, Young released his 38th (Wow!) studio album, "Hitchhiker." The album is a number of re-releases of songs, mostly from the late 1970s, and a few previously unreleased tracks. It is a well-selected collection that shows off Young's story telling abilities. Personally, I enjoyed "Ride My Llama," which was a song off of 1979's "Rust Never Sleeps."

Fantasy football began with the start of the NFL season. I went 1-2 as I'm only in three leagues this season. The winner was a dynasty team that I inherited and instantly made into a contender. One loss was a brutal loss to the highest scorer in the league. It was brutal because my team scored the third-highest score of the week. I would have beaten seven teams in my league. Ughhh.

I have quite a number of photo albums to share, since I didn't last week. Here are the photos, which can also be purchased. It is really convenient. Pick out some photos, edit how you want them, and they are printed and mailed to you:

Aug. 25-29
Aug. 31-Sept. 5

Annual cruddy NFL predictions

This is the year. Of course I borrowed that slogan from the Madden '18 campaign, but I truly mean it, 2017 is the year that I finally have a great year that is far from cruddy, and maybe even could be construed as genius. This is THAT year. I may have thought that last year. Lets see how 2016 went, it couldn't have been that bad right?

NFC
Redskins v. Giants (WC)
Cardinals v. Packers (WC)

AFC
Bills v. Browns (WC)
Texans v. Jets (WC)

Divisional:
NFC
Panthers v. Packers
Vikings v. Giants

AFC
Bengals v. Jets
Chargers v. Bills

Conference Championships:
NFC
Panthers v. Giants
AFC
Bengals v. Chargers

Super Bowl:
Panthers over Bengals

So, a year ago I picked the Panther over the Bengals!? That can't be. Two teams that didn't even make the playoffs. Two teams that were a combined 11-19-1. Wow. That was off.

To breakdown the nastiness that was 2016, I had 2-of-6 NFC playoff teams right, and only one (the Texans) in the AFC. The AFC was particularly bad as I had 1-15 Cleveland (Cleveland!?) and the 5-11 Jets as playoff teams.

This year, you'd think I'd probably change up my formula. Do something different. Pick the exact opposite. Nah, I'm going to do it the same way I've always done it. Game by game, gut picks. Remember, this is the year.

So, without further ado, here are my picks for 2017 (Winners in Italics):
Round 1: 
NFC
Arizona (WC) at Green Bay 
Carolina (WC) at Seattle
AFC
Cincinnati (WC) at Pittsburgh 
Kansas City (WC) at Tennessee
Divisional Round: 
AFC
KC at New England 
Pittsburgh at Oakland 
NFC
Carolina at Atlanta
Green Bay at Dallas
Conference Championships: 
NFC
Green Bay at Atlanta
AFC 
Oakland at New England 
Super Bowl: 
New England vs. Green Bay

Champ: New England

Yep. The Patriots do it again. A healthy Gronk wins the MVP, as the Pats top the Packers in a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI in front of a horde of Cheeseheads who made the short trip to Minneapolis from their farms in Dairyland. Uh huh, Tom Brady has to start using his right hand to wear his rings. Remember now, this is the year, and that means you can take these picks straight to the bank. That might not get you too much, because New England is the prohibitive favorite to win the Super Bowl, as previous winners often are, but it is what it is.

Tight Ends: The last frontier

The final piece of advice that I implore on those about to do their fantasy draft in this final week before the NFL season begins, wait on tight ends. The top tight ends from a year ago are either injury prone or old. I feel like you are better off trying to find the next Cameron Brate or waiting to take a safer pick (Kyle Rudolph, Delanie Walker).

First, lets take a look at my predictions for TE's a year ago:
Picked No. 1 for 2016, Rob Gronkowski: Actually finished: 24. This is always the risk with Gronk. He could get hurt and miss several games.
Picked No. 2 for 2016, Travis Kelce. Actually finished: 1. Was a pretty easy pick for him to be near the top and with Gronk down, he stepped up.
Picked No. 3 for 2016, Jordan Reed. Actually finished: 9. He effectively played 10 games, so this was a pretty good finish based on his prediction.
Picked No. 4 for 2016, Martellus Bennett. Actually finished: 8. Despite a Gronk injury, Bennett didn't quite live up to his expectations a year ago. I think he'll be even worse in Green Bay, even as a No. 1. 
Picked No. 5 for 2016, Greg Olsen. Actually finished: 3. Good pick. He's always up there. Despite his age (32), he dominated during stretches a year ago.

Here are my tight end ranks for 2017:
1. Jordan Reed: I honestly think, as a receiver, he is more talented than Gronk. Also like Gronk, he has a lot of injury risks, so this is a risky pick. I don't want a top tight end in 2017, because they go too high, but Reed, if healthy, is the best.
2. Rob Gronkowski: He is a transcendent talent, but like Reed, has an injury history. If healthy, he can be a game changer.
3. Kyle Rudolph: Rudolph proved himself to be a favorite target for Sam Bradford a year ago. He should be fully healthy. All this also happened with only 7 TDs. He could easily be in the 10-12 range this season.
4. Greg Olsen: Always solid, but this could be one of his last seasons as a top tier TE.
5. Delanie Walker: Jimmy Graham is a popular high TE pick, but I feel like he and Wilson are still not in the best of sync. Seattle has a ton of weapons and TE doesn't appear to be high priority. Walker is much better off, even with the Titans nabbing a bunch of new weapons. Walker is the most steady.

As always, for kickers and defense, either don't draft one and then pick one up right before the year starts, or if you'd like to have that solid full roster wait until the final two rounds to take a defense and kicker, in that order.

I have a huge batch of photos that can be seen and purchased here.

Fantasy football rankings 3: Wide Receivers

Drafting a top notch wide receiver in a league that is either PPR or like mine, .5 PPR, can be a huge part of season-long fantasy football success. The key is to pinpoint who will be one of the top wideouts and go with it.

First, lets try and learn from my mistakes. This is how I did a year ago:

Picked No. 1 for 2016, Antonio Brown. Actually finished: 1. Not a tough pick to make, and he is expected to do the same again this year.
Picked No. 2 for 2016, Julio Jones. Actually finished: 7. Not a horrible pick, and he got a bit banged up, which hurt him toward the end of the year.
Picked No. 3 for 2016, Odell Beckham Jr. Actually finished: 5. Pretty good pick, but another easy one. He is a stud, and will be for many years to come.
Picked No. 4 for 2016, DeAndre Hopkins. Actually finished: 33. Wow. I was wrong about how absolutely GOD AWFUL Brock Osweiler is. Thankfully he is gone.
Picked No. 5 for 2016, AJ Green. Actually finished: 38. SAD! Injuries derailed his season total, but he was the No. 5 receiver on a per game basis, so really I was right on.
Picked No. 6 for 2016, Dez Bryant. Actually finished: 35. Another poor pick. Injuries derailed him in 2016, and I'm staying away after two injury-plagued years.
Picked No. 7 for 2016, Allen Robinson. Actually finished: 28. The league finally got wise to Bortles' late-game chuck and pray, and Bortles' regression really hurt Robinson.
Picked No. 8 for 2016, Keenan Allen. Actually finished: 176. He was again totally unlucky, tearing his ACL in week 1. It was the second year Allen has missed significant time, but seemed fluky. Picked No. 9 for 2016, Mike Evans. Actually finished: 3. Wasn't high enough on him.
Picked No. 10 for 2016, Brandon Marshall. Actually finished: 53.He was hurt and played with Jets. That hurts anyone.

For 2017 I will rank how my WR will respond to PPR or .5 PPR drafts.
1. AJ Green:  I think a fully healthy AJ Green is poised to have a great year. Cincinnati drafted several weapons to bolster the offense, and this should take some pressure of AJ Green, which could lead to more open plays to the big play machine and Andy Dalton's go-to guy.
2. Julio Jones: Atlanta says they are going to target Julio more in the red zone, which makes sense, since he is like 6-foot-5 and super athletic. This means more touchdowns, which should keep him at the top of the WR charts.
3. Antonio Brown: Originally had OBJ here, but after the injury, I pushed Brown up. Pretty hard to argue with his production. As Big Ben's go-to man, Brown has had over 100 catches and 1,200 yards in each of the last four seasons. He has also averaged almost 11 touchdowns a year in that span as well. Nobody has been more consistent. Pitt has a great offense, and Brown is a focal point.
4. Brandin Cooks: Tom Brady. Weak conference. About to hit prime years. Check, check, check for Brandin Cooks this year.
5. Amari Cooper: I'm honestly bewildered why he isn't ranked higher on most people's lists. Derek Carr was fantastic a year ago, and he proved that Cooper was easily his most favorite target. Both have another year under their belts, and should benefit greatly.
6. Odell Beckham Jr.: OBJ sprained his ankle Monday night, but he's lucky that is all he did. They are saying that he might miss week one. I would say that a cautious Giants team, which should be in playoff contention this season, will keep him out a couple more. He is still going to be great when he gets back and is healthy, but I dropped him down three spots because I believe he'll miss 2-3 weeks.
7. Mike Evans: I'm not buying the top five Mike Evans hype, but mainly that's because I'm not buying the Jameis Winston hype. Winston still makes poor decisions and is reckless, but not in a Brett Favre kind of way. Evans is a beast, and he will get great fantasy numbers, no doubt, but I see him in a second tier of WR, not the top one.
8. Jordy Nelson: This might be Nelson's last foray in the top 10 of WR. He is getting up there in age (32) and not even Aaron Rodgers can make up for Father Time. His ypc has been declining and took a big step down a year ago. Expect everything else to as well, especially touchdowns.
9. Michael Thomas: Thomas could be a flash in the pan, but I highly doubt it. He isn't as great of a dynasty pick because once Brees leaves, who knows what will happen, but for 2017, Thomas as the No. 1 wideout for a Brees-led offense is a great second-tier WR1.
10. Doug Baldwin: I know what you're thinking: 'Really!?' Hear me out. Baldwin has been getting more and more targets each season as he has proven that he is a top-talent at wide receiver. He is depended on by Russell Wilson to make not only big plays, but also bubble screens, slants and other shorter routes. Expect him to be 1,000+ yards, 8-10 TD and 85-95 rec. again.

I have a big fantasy football draft coming up, Saturday, so I'll be working hard on rankings and mock drafts the next few days. A recap of that and a look at the top 5 TE's will be coming in next week's blog.

Thanks for reading, and enjoy some photos from Amateur baseball and the Morrison County Fair's mud races. Photos

Fantasy Rankings Week 2: RB's

Running backs as always are a key position in fantasy football. With the potential as rushers and pass catchers, RBs provide a lot of points to fantasy owners, and often make up the majority of picks in the first few rounds of a draft. At the top of the draft there are some heavy-hitting backs, but I also think that some diamonds in the rough shine later in the second and third rounds and even later, that could bring No. 1 or No. 2 RB value.

First, let's take a look at how I did at the volatile RB position a year ago:

Picked No. 1 for 2016, Adrian Peterson. Actually finished: 131.Talk about off. Whew, Peterson getting hurt was not in the cards.
Picked No. 2 for 2016, Todd Gurley. Actually finished: 17.Whiff. Missed again. He disappointed in 2016.
Picked No. 3 for 2016, Lamar Miller. Actually finished: 18. He missed two games, but that really wasn't the whole reason for the drop. Brock Osweiler was. He's gone, thankfully.
 Picked No. 4 for 2016, Ezekiel Elliot. Actually finished: No. 2. Pretty good choice here. Zeke was a beast as a rookie.
Picked No. 5 for 2016, Mark Ingram. Actually finished: 9. Not off by too much. I banked on a big year from him, and he sort of delivered. Not expecting so this year.
Picked No. 6 for 2016, Devonta Freeman. Actually finished: 6. Spot on here. Expect more of the same in 2017.
Picked No. 7 for 2016, David Johnson. Actually finished: 1. I didn't completely buy into the David Johnson hype, and that was a mistake.
Picked No. 8 for 2016, Le'Veon Bell. Actually finished: 3. Can't believe he put up the numbers that he did whilst missing a chunk of games for being suspended.
Picked No. 9 for 2016, LeSean McCoy. Actually finished: 4. He rose even higher than I expected, but a decent pick.
Picked No. 10 for 2016, Thomas Rawls. Actually finished: 62. Just couldn't stay healthy. SAD!

As for 2017, my rankings are as follows:
1. David Johnson: He is a consensus No. 1. A great pass catcher with a ton of talent on a solid offense. He's the real deal.
2. Le'Veon Bell: If he can pull off even 80% of what he did last year this year, over a full season, he'll be up near the top.
3. Devonta Freeman: He just signed a big deal to be THE MAN in Hotlanta. He should be a stud for a few years for sure. Might need to jump into the 7th or 8th round to handcuff with Tevin Coleman, however.
4. LeSean McCoy: If healthy, Shady proved he can be a huge performer. Another that I'd snap up his handcuff (likely Jonathan Williams) too.
5. Melvin Gordon: He's also not a bet to stay healthy, but is in a good situation in LA, and could very well run near the top once again.
6. DeMarco Murray: Tennesee has one of the top OL's in the league, and Murray has at least one more season in him at an elite level. The addition of pass threats will help the Titans get more holes for Murray as well.
7. Isaiah Crowell: Another big, powerful back behind a great OL. Crowell is a true three-down back, and his pass catching will propel him up the ranks in 2017.
8. Jay Ajayi: Will not suffer with Jay Cutler at the helm. RBs have historically done well under Cutler and Adam Gase. Especially early on, expect the 'Phins to lean on Ajayi.
9. Christian McCaffrey: He is an exceptional talent. He is like a more athletic Danny Woodhead. The Panthers won't be afraid to give him the rock 20 times a game, which could mean big time production.
10. Danny Woodhead: Speaking of Woodhead. He may be old for a RB (32) and coming off an injury, but assuming he remains shifty and sure of hand, he could be productive as the top back for the Ravens.

Hope these rankings, which are for PPR formats are helpful. Next week we'll take a look the deepest position, WR.

Enjoy a few photos from our smugmug from Region 8C weekend 2 in Avon.

Fantasy rankings week 1: Quarterback

Album reviews are suspended here at The Full TO for the next four to five weeks, because it is time for my annual fantasy football rankings. This week, as is usual, I will begin with quarterbacks.



First, lets take a look at how I did last year:
*Note: These are based on 6 points for passing touchdowns, because that is what my main fantasy league goes by (not my decision).

 Picked No. 1 for 2016, Drew Brees. Actually finished: 2. Very good selection.  A lot of people thought he might fall off due to age, but that was certainly not the case.
 Picked No. 2 for 2016, Ben Roethlisberger. Actually finished: 11. He was hurt a couple times on some vicious hits. By average his rank was actually 7th. 
Picked No. 3 for 2016, Aaron Rodgers. Actually finished: 1. Underestimated Rodgers, but he had healthy receivers and showed that he is still very much in his prime.
Picked No. 4 for 2016, Russell Wilson. Actually finished: 13. Had some injury issues early on in the year, which limited his mobility. That hurt his ranks.
Picked No. 5 for 2016, Matthew Stafford. Actually finished: 6. The QB I targeted last season proved to be fortuitous.
Picked No. 6 for 2016, Andrew Luck. Actually finished: 5. Another really good job, Luck did a lot without much help offensively. He has a couple of talented receivers and Frank Gore keeps Goring.
Picked No. 7 for 2016, Cam Newton. Actually finished: 21. I was not expecting the precipitous fall of the Panthers after going 15-1 in 2015. That hurt Newton.
Picked No. 8 for 2016, Derek Carr. Actually finished: 7. Another strong pick, and I expect him to be even better this year, now that the Cooper/Crabtree combo is legit.
Picked No. 9 for 2016, Blake Bortles. Actually finished: 10. Pretty spot on with Bortles, who is awful in real life, but continues to put up fantasy numbers.
Picked No. 10 for 2016, Philip Rivers. Actually finished: 9. Pretty well done.

All in all it was pretty solid apart from a few selections. However, quarterbacks are pretty much the easiest to choose from year-to-year. If I can get six or seven more or less right in the top 10, that makes my odds pretty good. I just need to find value again this season like I did last year with Stafford.

My picks for 2017 at the QB position:
1. Tom Brady: Everybody is making a huge deal about Brady being 40. Big deal. That won't slow him down a bit. Actually with the skills of Brandin Cooks in his stable now, this year could be as close to the record-setting 2008 Brady as we'll ever see this year.
2. Aaron Rodgers: Pretty hard to overlook Rodgers after what he did a year ago. Add the giant Martellus Bennett roaming in the red zone and over the middle and Rodgers is poised for another giant year.
3. Derek Carr: I truly believe that Carr will take another step forward. He should be fully recovered from his broken leg, and I expect that Cooper/Crabtree will be great again and Marshawn Lynch could help open up some passing lanes too.
4. Matt Ryan: Pretty hard to argue with the guy who tosses it up to Julio Jones. Jones had injury issues all year and still put up great numbers, helping Ryan. He also benefited from young guys like TE Austin Hooper and RB Tevin Coleman hauling in passes and making plays.
5. Kirk Cousins: I don't really like Kirk Cousins as a quarterback. At least not in real life. In fantasy, he has thrown for nearly 5,000 yards for two straight years, and with Terrelle Pryor, who broke out last year, in his corner. He should be just as good.
6. Matthew Stafford: I expect Stafford to hold pat here at No. 6, but he'll also be drafted like he is the No. 6 QB, so I'll be avoiding him on my team's this year. Kenny Golloday could be a good deep threat addition for Stafford.
7. Marcus Mariota: Mariota should really be poised to make a step up this year. It's his third season and the Titans added a ton of weapons (Eric Decker, Corey Davis) to go along with an already strong arsenal. This means only good things for Mariota should he stay healthy.
8. Drew Brees: I had Ryan Tannehill in this spot, but we'll move Brees up one since Tannehill is out for the season. I think Brees will probably dip a little due to both age and the loss of Brandin Cooks.
9. Eli Manning: Adding some great weapons in Brandon Marshall and rookie TE Evan Engram should really help Manning put up some great numbers. He seems to have good fantasy years in odd years. Plus, OBJ.
10. Russell Wilson: A healthy Russell Wilson should rack up some rushing yards, and he's a very good passer too. I contemplated putting Roethlisberger and Andy Dalton at this spot due to their better assets around them, but Wilson's legs are an even better asset.

My goal, as has been the case for the past 10 years at least, is to try and find one of the two or three QB's who are being drafted in the 15+ range, but who produces top 5 or top 10 numbers. It worked really well last year. This helps me focus on racking up RB and WR in the first 8-10 rounds, and sneaking a guy like Eli Manning or Marcus Mariota in the 11-12th round. Honestly, Tannehill was that guy for me until he got hurt. Going to have to re-evaluate before my draft, Aug. 26.

I will rank the ever-important running back next week. In the mean time, Here is a link to the photos I uploaded to smugmug for this week: Legion state and Region 8C weekend 1.
 

Run For Cover

The much anticipated album "Wonderful Wonderful" by The Killers comes out later this month, but the band recently released the album's second single, "Run For Cover." I must say, it certainly harkens back to the hay days of the band, but also adds some of the dimension of a band that is on its fifth studio album. "The Man," the album's first single was also strong, but this is on a crazy different level, and it gets me excited for the rest of the album.

I have a ton of photos from baseball events arranging from VFW to Rox baseball. Enjoy. Fantasy rankings start next week :)

Luke Girtz takes a big hack in the District 6 Title game against Albany, July 21.

Shortstop Preston Rocheleau rears back to fire to Noah Boser at first base.

Jesse Marshik runs up to haul in a fly ball to right field.

Upsala's Ben Burggraff walks off after Randall took the lead in a Region play-in game, July 21. Upsala got the win though.

Brett Strack slides in for the go-ahead run.

Strack reaches for the plate as Burggraff awaits the ball.

Cubs third baseman, Michael Fregin, tosses to first.

Brock Cichon, the Upsala shortstop, ranges back into left field to make a catch.

Randall catcher Alec Zack backhands a ball that was way outside.

The Blue Jays' Eric Lampert takes a healthy hack at a letters-high pitch.

Randall's Thomas Kunkel with a big swing. 

Randall pitcher Derek Poser gets back to first as John Fuchs of Upsala awaits a throw over from the pitcher.

Cichon prepares to slide head first into third as Fregin awaits a throw from the outfield.

Cichon rips one down the line in left.

Matt Swanson was the southpaw hurler for the Jays.

Kyle Boser pitches for the St. Cloud Rox in his first start of the summer, July 20.

Boser lays in wait as the game is about to start.

Nik Durfee with a big hack at a ball in the VFW's loss to Sauk Rapids, U

Flossin

Tyga certainly isn't a Jay-Z, Kanye or even Chance the Rapper or Kendrick Lamar, but he certainly has his place in the rap game. Much like his mentor Lil' Wayne, he is a bit of a shock-rapper, and has a strong flow. He picks out some good beats in his latest album. "Flossin" is one of the best laid-back raps I've heard in a while.

I have several baseball photos to share from VFW to Legion to Victory League.

Don't forget to purchase any of the following photos along with other published photos for this week here.

Little Falls VFW's Travis Wenzel pitches against the St. Cloud Tech VFW team.

Pierz Bulldogs leadoff hitter Craig Luberts rips a shot up the middle against the Pierz Brewers, July 16.

Ted Dehler of the Bulldogs slides into third for a triple off the top of the wall.

Breck Weber lays down a bunt for the Pierz Brewers.

Nick Herold turns on a pitch.

Herold takes off for second after the pitch is released by the Brewers' Mike Poser.

Herold with a bunt attempt.

Jesse Marshik pitches for the Pierz Legion team in a sub-district playoff game against Aitkin, July 14.

Marshik with a high sling.

Marshik brings it down toward the batter.

Matt Tautges runs down a ball in center field.

Lane Girtz came in to do some pitching for Pierz.

Girtz kicks up his leg as he begins his wind up.

Thomas Funk rears back to pitch against Aitkin July 14.

Pierz' Noah Boser swings and misses.

Another pitcher, Preston Rocheleau, comes in to pitch for Pierz in the playoff game.

Boser braces for a stray ball to hit him in the back.

Tautges started the game on the mound.

Alec Stark with a big cut in a game against the St. Cloud 76ers in District play in Sartell, July 17.

Little Falls' Hunter Swanson looks on as Joe Alholm camps under a high fly ball.

AJ Jenks attempts to unleash a compact swing.

Jake Kapphahn fouls a ball back to the screen.

Kapphahn with another foul ball.

Dan Marod camps under a fly ball in right field for the Flyers.

Austin Weisz prepares to haul in a line drive in center field.

Don't forget to purchase any of the following photos along with other published photos for this week here.

Like a Rock

Bob Seger is finally on Spotify. I really enjoy the Detroit rocker and his husky voice and diverse brand of music. Seger was one of the final Spotify holdouts after The Beatles, Led Zepplin, Eagles and AC/DC among others who finally relented to the future of music -- streaming services. I have enjoyed the bevy of Seger hits, but my earliest Seger memories were of the Chevy commercials during bowling on Saturday afternoons as a child that included Seger's hit "Like a Rock."

I have a few photos to share from some baseball action.

A Swanville outfielder tosses the ball into the infield after another outfielder was unable to make a diving catch against Avon, July 8.

Swans' outfielder Carter Loven delivers a big cut at a pitch.

Swanville's Troy Evans fouls a pitch straight down.

Evan Athman about to deliver to home against Sobieski, July 8.

Little Falls Legion catcher, Brett Czajkowski, unloads a throw to first base.

Czajkowski makes a scoop on a ball in the dirt.

Czajkowski about to catch a pitch.

AJ Jenks takes a big crack at a pitch.