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With Daily Games, Fantasy Sports are Becoming Reality for NFL Players

with daily games fantasy sports are becoming reality 2015 nfl images“Thanks for the 0 points you loser,” an angry fantasy owner Tweeted at Denver Broncos kicker Brandon McManus after the team’s 29-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. “Just like the same amount of TDs that trash QB of yours had today.”

“You’re welcome,” replied McManus in his usual cool, calm, and collected manner.

“He was wrong. I obviously had one point,” said McManus. He’s right. That one PAT put him on the board.

Being verbal punching bags for angry fantasy owners comes with the paycheck in the NFL. Players have grown accustomed to being treated as pawns in the great chess matches of fantasy fanatics over the years; however, with the recent proliferation of one-day fantasy sports leagues on websites such as Draft Kings and Fan Duel, things have gotten a bit out of control.

Get this: NFL players and personnel are, of course, prohibited from betting on games. Fantasy leagues and one-day games are 100 percent legal under the league’s rules.

But there’s a catch—you cannot accept more than $250 in prize money for one league. On top of that, enforcement of that amount is based completely on the honor system. If Adrian Peterson plays himself in Draft Kings and wins $251, he’s expected to turn himself in.

I don’t consider one-day leagues gambling. They’re games of skill, after all, but there is still a bit of chance and luck mixed in there as there is with anything in life. Just enough to give team personnel an unfair advantage in this industry.

For example, if I’m a trainer for the Arizona Cardinals, I would have known that John Brown wouldn’t make it out on the field Week 8 against the Cleveland Browns despite being listed at about 90 percent probable. While a player may not care enough about $250 to take advantage of this knowledge, a trainer or ball boy wouldn’t turn down the extra spending money.

Then again, that is assuming that the league is actually enforcing the $250 rule. Download Tor browsing, use a fake name, and the NFL couldn’t find out even if they wanted to.

Forget the players, though. The fans are the real problem.

“I see people get blown up about it all the time,” said McManus. “Even our fans go into the game and say ‘Oh, I need so and so.’ I don’t think they realize their fantasy is our reality.”

Social media doesn’t help either. Thanks to Twitter, disgruntled owners now have a medium to blow steam directly at the players.

“They talk noise and try to figure out who’s player and who’s starting,” said Broncos wide receiver Andre Caldwell. “They hit us up all the time and talk noise when you don’t play well.”

If you’re ever the player in this situation, just remember, using logic never works.

“Some people have been like, ‘You cost me such and such money, you cost me $1.2 million!’,” said Broncos tight end Daniel Owens. “I’m like, ‘If you would have won $1.2 million, would you have given me any amount of that money?’ If you’re saying I didn’t earn it for you, then if you had won, I did earn it for you. So I need a cut.”

Fat chance.

Some players like Pierre Garcon aren’t taking no for an answer. Garcon filed a class action lawsuit against Fan Duel earlier in the season for using his name and image without permission. He has encouraged other players to join in.

“I would,” said Broncos defensive end Malik Jackson when asked about joining in with Garcon. “I mean, that’s like me using your name and your likeness and not giving you anything. But that’s the league. They feel they pay us enough so they can do whatever they want.”

Unfortunately for Jackson, defensive players probably won’t be getting anything out of the lawsuit in the end. Players like Garcon, however, certainly have a point.

No matter what New York says, fantasy sports are here to say—and they’re altering reality for the real players.

‘American Horror Story Hotel’ 508 Ten Commandments Recap

american horror story hotel 508 ten commandments 2015 imagesAfter its short Thanksgiving hiatus, American Horror Story: Hotel returned with its weekly dose of scares and seduction. This week’s episode fittingly titled “Ten Commandments Killer” dove into the murders that have been intertwined throughout the season. From the beginning, Detective Lowe has been trying to determine who is behind the string of murders that have plagued the city; all of which had something to do with one of the commandments. For example, a pair of twins got dismembered for killing their parents in order to inherit their fortune. Evidently, the twins broke the “honor thy father and thy mother” commandment.

The episode begins where the last left off, as John Lowe tries to wrap his head around all that is happening. Wren, his one connection to the killer, jumped in front of a car and died and, therefore, he is once again left with no leads.

Afterward, John heads back to Hotel Cortez where he rages at Liz Taylor in frustration. Unfortunately, Liz is still mourning the loss of his love, Tristan Duffy, who The Countess killed suddenly in the last episode. However, Hypodermic Sally (played by Sarah Paulson, 40, who is rumored to be dating actress Holland Taylor, 72) comes to John’s aid and tries to help him figure things out.

Ultimately, Sally tells John that she will show him where the murderer keeps his “trophies” (aka dismembered parts of each of his victims). In a dark room, Sally shows him numerous body parts from the different crimes that John has been investigating, such as the hands of a thief, the eyes, and tongue of a cheater, amongst numerous others. Immediately, John gets confused as he tells Sally that he remembers bringing some of these artifacts to the police lab and, therefore, it is impossible for them to be here in the hotel. However, not long after reality finally sets in and John realizes that he is, in fact, the killer he has been searching for this whole time.

In the beginning of the season I wouldn’t have been able to predict this turn of events. However, the past few episodes (especially the last one) pretty much gave it away.

John runs off to see his former boss, Detective Hahn. He confesses to Hahn that he was behind the Ten Commandment killings, but Hahn does not believe him. Hahn tells him the first murder happened years ago, way before John was ever involved in the whole mess. John then begins to recount that he was, in fact, present for all of the gruesome crimes.

In a flashback, John explains that he went to the hotel to get a drink after a hard night on the job (where he found an entire family dead). While at the hotel, sinister Mr. March becomes intrigued with his hotel guest, as he claims he can see people’s auras and John’s is “jet black.”  As the night goes on, John gets more and more intoxicated and begins venting to Mr. March. John admits that he often finds himself holding in violence, due to the injustices he has seen in the world. This triggers Mr. March to take him under his wing (although John is unknowing of this).

Detective John Lowe ends up spending the next two days at the hotel, as he becomes Mr. March’s murder mentee. However, March realizes that he needs something to push John over the edge if he truly wants him to embody the habits of a brutal serial killer. Therefore, March enlists The Countess to kidnap his son, Holden, which The Countess gladly does.

As he continues to remember his involvement in the murders, John tells Detective Hahn that when he lost his son he lost everything that ever mattered to him. While Hahn thought that John powered through the loss of his son, John explains that he only ever found peace when he would slip away to the Hotel.

One night when John was talking to Mr. March about the loss of his son, March begins discussing a hotel guest who is a pedophile. Vulnerable, John decides he wants to avenge his son’s disappearance, and the guest is the perfect outlet to do so.

The pedophile guest turns out to be Gold Derby blogger, who we saw at the beginning of the season, beaten to death (now we know it was John who did it). Shortly after his first murder, John is overwhelmed with shame and tries to hang himself, but his attempt is unsuccessful because March ends up cutting him down.

Hahn interrupts John’s story and tells him that he is just confused, as he is describing interacting with people that have been dead for years (i.e. Mr. March and Sally).

Meanwhile, John remembers Sally telling him that Hotel Cortez is a “jealous mistress,” therefore he will never be able to remember those he interacts with and what he does when he leaves the Hotel walls. He then proceeds to recall that he was suspicious that his wife and Detective Hahn were having an affair. John tells Sally he wants to murder them both, but Sally advises him to kill people he has no connection to. Thus, John decides to take out his anger on two hotel guests who meet up every week to have an affair (the victims of the Thou Shall Not Commit Adultery murder from the first episode).

Nonetheless, even after his long confession, Detective Hahn still isn’t convince that John had anything to do with the murders and believes he is just manifesting his story from the guilt he feels for not being able to find the true killer. Suddenly, John stabs Hahn in the gut as he states, “thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife.” Evidently, referring to his suspicion that something romantic was going on between his wife and Hahn.

John returns to the hotel with a dismembered part of Hahn to add to his collection. He confronts Iris, and she then realizes he finally remembers all that he has done over the past five years. He now understands that he has been living as two different versions of himself and everyone at the Hotel was aware of it except him.

While we may know that John was behind the Ten Commandment murders, he still has two murders to complete. Now that he has embraced his dark self, we will have to see who his final two victims are that will round out his Ten Commandment killings (will it be one of his daughter? Will he try to kill his wife or Holden (who are both vampires at this point)?)

You can catch American Horror Story: Hotel next Wednesday, December 9 on FX.

‘Fresh Off the Boat’ 209 We Done Son Recap

This week on Fresh Off the Boat everyone is caught up in their own issues. With a special guest star that gives all kinds of nostalgia, the episode is one of the best this season.

Jessica and Honey feel that they are finally ready to put their investment property on the market. While going through their monthly expenses, Honey notices that Jessica spent $500 on a fortune teller because ya know, it’s just something that Chinese people do. “I consult Madam Shing about everything.” Honey doesn’t get it and tells her that they can’t afford it. But Jessica seeks to prove her wrong. So what does she do? Calls the fortune teller and puts her on speaker with Honey. Although the woman knew some things about her and despite advising them to wait three months before putting the house on the market, it is not enough to make Honey a believer. She and Jessica get into an argument when she tells her that she is a sucker. Jessica ends their friendship, their partnership, and the book club.

While his mother is dealing with her friend, Eddie is telling his friends about the gift he plans to get his girlfriend for her birthday. It’s a necklace that costs $49.99, and because he’s a great saver, he will have no problem getting it for her. Only, he’s not that great of a saver, and so he asks his dad if he can work at the restaurant… and get paid. Louis says “no” but points him in the direction of a new country club member who is looking for help around the house. Enter DMX (yes the rapper).

Eddie is ecstatic to work for him but is bummed that he can’t tell his friends or girlfriend about it. Nonetheless, he puts in the work so he can get the necklace. But he soon finds out that working is not what it is cracked up to be. He gets to school and is super tired because he’s works so much. When his girlfriend tries to talk to him, he’s rude, and she tells him, “I don’t like you like this.”

Later that day, he tells DMX why he took the job and what he’s trying to do, and D tells him it’s not about the money you spend on your girl, it’s about the time you spend with your girl.

Speaking of work, that’s what Louis is putting in as his old friend comes to visit. Barry, played by JB Smooth, is in town and Louis gives him the benefit of the doubt that he is there just to visit and not ask for money. But he soon learns that Barry once again wants him to invest in another one of his ideas. The last one involved Vitamin L, and you can probably already guess that didn’t do to well. This one has to do with an internet garage sale.

In the meantime, Jessica quickly learns that ending her friendship with Honey wasn’t the best idea. She doesn’t have anyone with whom to gossip, and when she realizes that she doesn’t want to be like her mother in law who seemingly drove her friends away too, she goes back to Honey like nothing happened. But Honey doesn’t let her in that easily. She expresses to Jessica that she doesn’t like the fact that her ideas are not considered, like the one she made about going to a team building seminar and in true Jessica fashion, she makes light of it. So Honey tells her that their friendship is, as she said, over.

When she gets home, Jessica tells her husband what happened, and he admits to her that she was right about Barry only wanting money. He tells her she has to really apologize, and she asks, “What will I say” to which he says, “Show her your friendship matters.” As for him, he knows what he has to do with Barry.

The next day, Louis “rips the band-aid off” and tells Barry to get out because he won’t be investing in his “garage sale dot com” or what it is better known today as eBay!

After talking to DMX and understanding what he suggests, Eddie pays a visit to his sweetheart. With the help of his employer and his fly car, he impresses the hell out of her. They pull up in DMX’s whip while she practices her flute on the porch, and she stops in her tracks. They park in front of her house, and she goes crazy. Eddie then gives her flowers and tells her, “It’s not about presents but about presence.” She tells him it’s the best birthday ever.

Making a real effort to get her friend back, Jessica shows up Honey’s  team building seminar. They volunteer for a skit to demonstrate customer service, but it turns into Jessica telling her friend that their friendship matters. Needless to say, they hug it out on stage.

In the end, they choose to put the house on the market despite Madam Shing telling them to wait three months. As they prepare for their open house later that night, the maintenance guy tells them there is black mold, and it’s going to take 90 days to get it removed.

In the words of Jessica, they “just got Shinged”

Grigor Dimitrov Season Recap & 2016 Preview

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grigor dimitrov season recap 2016 preview 2015 imagesTennis stars like Grigor Dimitrov are taking a little bit longer to bloom nowadays than they used to. It seems like the days of Boris Becker winning Wimbledon as a seventeen-year-old are more than just long gone – they are ancient history. When one glances at the ATP’s year-end Top Ten, one finds that half of the players are at least 30 years of age or older, while 25-year old Kei Nishikori is the youngest player currently in the upper echelon of men’s tennis. Perhaps the increasing age of the best players is a point to consider as we look back at Dimitrov’s 2015 season and speculate on what 2016 might bring.

The recently completed ATP season definitely was not Dimitrov’s best. He finished the season nowhere near contention for entry into the ATP World Tour Finals, as the World No. 28. Following a fantastic 2014 campaign, one that saw him make the Wimbledon semifinals through Andy Murray, I was one that certainly expected more from Dimitrov in 2015.

But in a sport where the best players are generally judged by their Grand Slam success, Dimitrov basically did nothing in the last year to make positive headlines for himself. After making the fourth round at the Australian Open, the Bulgarian failed to clear the first hurdle at Roland Garros. Moreover, Wimbledon 2015 was nowhere near Wimbledon 2014 as Dimitrov fell in the third round in the former after making the semifinals in the latter. The 2015 US Open was even worse than the grass court Slam as Dimitrov lost in the second round.

Dimitrov’s 2015 lapse is a point that I commented on mid-season in article about surprises on the 2015 ATP Tour:

“Another surprise, albeit in a bad way, has been the poor season so far of Bulgaria’s Grigor Dimitrov. The current World No. 17 has long been tipped for the top of men’s tennis and yet, at the age of twenty-four, he is giving up plenty of losses to players that one would think that he would be defeating if he was, in fact, the chosen one.”

A shoulder injury certainly affected Dimitrov during the 2015 season, one that undoubtedly cost him a much higher year-end ranking. Adding insult to injury, Dimitrov and heart-breaker Maria Sharapova split in news that was announced in July.

But Dimitrov’s potential, as a tennis star, still looms very large. As a junior back in 2008, he won the Wimbledon title, and it is not surprising that his best slam to date is from the All England Club. Furthermore, this is a player who has stated openly that he believes he can be the World No. 1 someday, a statement that very few players make and even less achieve.

But if the shoulder injury still bothered him late in the season, it did not show as much as it did previously. There seemed to be improved play in both Basel and Paris, where Dimitrov challenged Rafael Nadal and defeated Marin Cilic.

Tennis’ off-season is a short one, and it seems like the players have barely been off the courts. However, the 2016 season-opening tournaments will come around in about a month’s time, giving all players a chance to rest and recuperate. Dimitrov, barring changes, is next expected to be in action at ATP Brisbane, a tournament that is part of the South Pacific swing that builds up to the Australian Open.

For success in majors, Dimitrov is most likely to win Wimbledon someday in my opinion. However, even if he improves his game, it is hard to imagine him supplanting Novak Djokovic anytime soon on top of men’s tennis. I do believe the change is in order, but not for at least a couple more years.

Iggy Azalea Erykah Badu Snap, Jussie Smollett Empire Talk & Chris Brown’s Rihanna Hit Hurts

Iggy Azalean has some words for Erykah Badu, Keyshia Cole‘s ex Daniel Gibson not ready to let go, Jussie Smollett wants fans to hang in with his “Empire,” and Chris Brown‘s Rihanna hit still hurting him.

Iggy Azalea Erykah Badu SnapIggy Azalea Claps Back at Erykah Badu

It’s no secret that people, in particular, black people, feel a certain kind of way about Iggy Azalea. I mean, she isn’t what you would traditionally think of when you think of rap. But some people have been a lot more vocal with their thoughts about her as an artist and her music.

Erykah Badu sent a big load of shade her way during the 2015 Soul Train Awards, which aired on Sunday. During her opening monologue, in which she said rap nor hip hop is welcomed during the two and half hour show, she “gets a call” from Iggy.

“Uh yes? Who is this? Iggy Azalea? Yeah, hey. Oh, no, no, no, no, you can come, ’cause what you doin’ is definitely not rap.”

Yea she got her. Well, Iggy has responded to Badu, breaking her month long Twitter silence with this post:

“We are days from 2016, but I came online today and saw its still cool to try and discredit my 2014 accomplishments. LOL… “Fucking hell. Seems exhausting. Anyway – I’ve been enjoying the holiday season, and I hope you all have too.”

Now, Iggy you know full well it doesn’t matter how long ago something happened or was, it will always be connected to you and a lot of times, you will be known for that more than your talent. So get over it boo and just keep doing what you’re doing because it obviously works.

keyshia cole engaged 2015 gossipKeyshia Cole is Engaged But Does Estranged Husband Want her back?

Singer Keyshia Cole has found love again and announced via a response to a fan on Twitter that she is indeed engaged. But how does her estranged husband Daniel “Booby” Gibson feel about it? Well, according to his social media, he may not be willing to let his girl go just yet.

Keyshia announced earlier this week that she is engaged to an unknown man (no it’s not Birdman), which caused social media to question whether or not she is telling the truth. But Gibson’s response to the announcement seems to have given fans the confirmation they need.

He posted a picture on his Instagram with a message seemingly targeted to her new man.

“She not mine, but you can’t have her.”

It sounds like something is brewing. Maybe a love triangle? We’ll see how this all unfolds.

jussie smollett empire talk 2015 gossipJussie Smollett Tells Fans, Stick With Empire

Apparently I am not the only one who feels that Empire is jumping the shark. Fans have taken to social media to let the stars of the show know how they feel about the storylines and more.

One cast member, in particular, Jussie Smollett, is having an open conversation with fans about their issues with Empire. The show’s ratings have been falling and even with A- list guest stars, people are losing heart with Empire’s antics. But Jussie encourages them to stick with it. He told Essence,

“I understand the backlash. They have something to compare it to now. But this isn’t a show about happy endings… It’s messy and wild and emotional and complicated and fucked up, but it’s worth the ride. It will pay off. Don’t stop watching.”

He goes on further to say how Empire caters to a diverse group of fans and thus there is a lot of value in what the show portrays.

“Everyone, no matter their age, race or sexual orientation can relate to the underdog…Everyone has felt misunderstood and counted out – some of us more than others – but we all know that feeling and that’s what Jamal represents.”

I hear you Jussie I really do, but Empire is not the underdog. Yes, I understand that Lee Daniels is all about that, it’s just not translating very well onto the screen.

chris brown rihanna past 2015 gossipChris Brown Past Affecting his Present?

Well, Chris Brown, it looks like no matter what you do, there is just no escaping what you did to Rihanna’s face almost seven years ago.

Reportedly, his Australian tour has been cancelled because of his assault on RiRi in 2009. According to Rolling Stone, Australia’s Minister of women Michaelia Cash said, “People need to understand if you are going to commit domestic violence and then you want to travel around the world, there are going to be countries that say to you: ‘You cannot come in because you are not of the character we expect in Australia.”

Chris Brown was not able to obtain a visa because immigration authorities were not having it. His promoters, thus, had to cancel that segment of his five-day tour.

“Mr. Brown and the promoters both remain positive that the tour will take place in the near future. Mr. Brown wishes to express his deepest gratitude to the fans for their support.”

That’s a really big stance to take and one that a lot of people will commend. If only more countries held that kind of ethical standard.

DraftKings Weekly Fantasy Football Picks 2015

draft kings weekly fantasy football picks 2015 imagesThis Week in DraftKings – December 1, 2015

There was a lot of DraftKings news this week, with The New York Times seemingly making it their mission to paint daily fantasy sports as the devil incarnate.

My personal DraftKings news was bad, losing out on most of my contests and wasting a few bucks. I did win 3/5 head to head matches even on a bad week.

I monitored the DK Millionaire Maker once again, checking in on the Sweat Show to see who was in contention for a life changing payday.

With a stinker of a Monday night game between Cleveland and injury riddled Baltimore, much of the top part of the field in the Millionaire Maker had no PMR (player minutes remaining). Who wanted to take a bunch of backups or Cleveland’s mediocre regular starters?

There were a couple of top guys that had MNF ballers left on their roster. Bstew21 sat at 30th place with  running back Javorius Allen left andWakeyWakey was at 19th with the Browns defense / special teams yet to go.

With lots of scoring on MNF, Bstew21 moved up 25 spots to fifth place in the end, winning $60K! WakeyWakey did OK too. He got to tenth pace for $25,000.

Watching the Sweat Show I heard WakeyWakey mention that he’s been putting up a couple hundred entries each week. If all those were in the Milli Maker, then that’s 200 x $20, equaling $4,000 a week! Dude must be getting free entries by referring friends and strangers as well. Obviously not many players can afford that kind of loss each week.

The winner of the top prize of a cool million was keasy who probably slept in this morning. He racked up 256 points by featuring Russell Wilson and Doug Baldwin, two stacked outliers that less than three percent of the field was drafted.

Guessing right on the week that Seattle’s passing game lights up the scoreboard is pretty damn lucky! Wilson was on six of the top seven rosters in the Milli Maker.

Congrats to keasy. His lineup is below.

keasy draftkings lineup movie tv tech geeks fantasy football

Now on to less fun fantasy news.

It looks like DraftKings and FanDuel are trying to stay more low key with many ads toning down the hype, showing smaller winners and even promoting smaller head to head contests in some radio ads. This could be a move to help them in court to convince judges that these companies don’t promote unrealistic results by the average player.

Week 12 NFL big money tournaments saw a drop in entry fees on both DK and FD.  That could be a sign that casual users may be getting wary of playing a game that is facing more legal troubles each week. The more likely reason is that with fewer ads running, the momentum of DFS has fallen off a bit.

There was no way to keep that spiking interest going forever. It’s better to grow the industry a little more naturally anyway. The type of players solely influenced by a TV ad are the same types that could be influenced by ambulance chasing lawyer ads on daytime TV. We don’t need more class action lawsuit participants. We need DFS players who enjoy the game, not ones willing to sell their soul to get $22 in a class action settlement.

The most interesting news item involving daily fantasy sports came again from New York. The New York Times ran an article last week that was meant to show the DFS industry to be a danger to gambling addicts.

Joshua Adams is the poster boy for the piece, highlighting the dangers of daily fantasy sports for those addicted to the high of chasing fast money that can come from gambling.

Mr. Adams’ story is pretty sad. It’s the usual theme of tens of thousands of dollars wasted, lies to borrow money from family, and an eventual rock bottom awakening. Adams is now recovering from his gambling addiction but had this to say about the TV spots. “That’s one thing that bothers me — when they say this year FanDuel is paying out over $200 million,” he said. “They leave out what they’re taking in. They don’t say that there are going to be more losers than winners.”

Wow, what a revelation. The company is taking in more money than it is spending. That’s called trying to make a profit. It ain’t the red Cross son!

Of course, there are more losers than winners. Most people who play on DK or FD understand this math. If not then they would waste their money on other stupid activities anyway because a fool and his money are not compatible.

I’m glad Joshua Adams is getting his life back together. I am aware that many others are addicted to gambling and that daily fantasy sports could harm these folks. Problem is I don’t see why that should affect me playing a few dollars a week just for the hell of it.

The Times article points out that Adams was also making bets with illegal bookies that were easily found. So how is stamping out FanDuel and DraftKings going to help gambling addicts when they can just call five different guys in their town to make a straight up sports bet?

I’m sure the writers of this addiction piece are truly concerned about those affected by gambling issues. But they seem pretty naive about how to help those folks. They make a point about DraftKings and FanDuel opting not to put a 1-800 gambling help line on their website. Then take it a step further to condemn DraftKings linking to the National Center for Responsible Gaming. The article points out that organization is partly funded by the casino industry.

But so is New York’s attorney general.

I do have sympathy for addicts. It’s easy for you or I to say they should just stop doing meth, smoking cigarettes, drinking, or gambling their paychecks away in various manners. If it were so easy to stop these addictive behaviors, then wouldn’t they just stop? Nobody wants to walk around looking like a meth head or go hungry because they chose $120 worth of scratch off tickets over groceries.

That said, people have to be accountable. I haven’t lied to my parents about needing a new roof to borrow money for fantasy football like Mr. Adams did according to the NY Times piece. That’s on him.

There are regulations that could help the DFS industry’s image and I’m all for that. Putting a gambling help hotline on all DFS websites is fine and might even actually help a few people. Just know that when New York first put such an 800 number on their lottery tickets, the hotline often got calls from lottery players wanting the winning numbers from the previous night or advice on bettering their odds.

That example should show that some gamblers are too ignorant to even be allowed to carry around money and can’t be helped.

As for DFS being a trap for addicts. It’s true for a small percentage of players. But there are addiction traps all around us, yet cigarettes remain totally legal. Alcohol is available on every corner along with lottery options in most states.

Should we shut down the internet? After all it delivers porn, one of the fastest growing addictions in North America. How about all the pharmacies out there turning a large percentage of Americans into Oxycontin zombies on a daily basis? Down with Walgreens and CVS?

Yes daily fantasy sports can be a problem for the few. But for those people  focusing in on this one relatively harmless industry, maybe they should take a look at the other examples of addiction I’ve mentioned.

We’ve got much bigger addiction issues with which to occupy our time and energy.

‘Being Mary Jane’ 308 Wake Up Recap

being mary jane 308 wake up 2015 imagesSo next week we are set to get one hell of a season finale on Being Mary Jane. But that doesn’t mean they didn’t come with the drama this week because, trust and believe, they did.

The whole family sits down to a meal prepared by Patrick. He has really been on his game lately hasn’t he? While eating, MJ brings up the idea of the family creating wealth for themselves by everyone doing their part monetarily, especially since Niecy wants to buy a car and she hasn’t even started saving yet. They don’t want to hear what she has to say, of course, and in her words and leaves her at the table. “That’s why ya’ll don’t have nice things.”

On this episode, Mary Jane deals with feelings of selling out, which come up strong for her after guest speaking in a college class and learning that most young people, indeed, see her as a sellout, in particular because she gave up her old show for primetime. To them, it’s all about the money and fame for her but she doesn’t see it like that.

Her feelings of selling out ring even louder being that she finally has sex with her “white man can’t jump” lover. She is super bold in making sure they practice safe sex. I am not talking condoms here. I am talking at home STD kits and shit. He is taken aback but as she puts her charms on him, gives in. They do it, and thus she has finally had sex with her first white boy. But is it what she thought it would be? Well according to what she tells Kara, he exceeds her expectation, but it doesn’t seem that they were high in the first place. She comments that his penis is really pink and boy “do they love to chomp on the box.”

Back to MJ’s selling out situation; her feelings are further amplified when she pays a visit to CeCe at her bookstore during a lecture from an influential black author. After hearing the man speak and give advice to black mothers on who to protect their sons, MJ asks her extortioner if she’s a sellout and without hesitation she says, “Yes.” Their relationship is very interesting here because this woman that she meet through tragedy, who ends up being her blackmailer ultimately becomes a kind of mentor for MJ. CeCe tells her that she should go back to her old show to make an impact.

While MJ is dealing with herself, Patrick and Tracy share an intimate dinner with their daughter. After she puts her to sleep, she tells Patrick that she is ready for them to be a family again, which he said would happen when she got clean. Apparently he didn’t mean it as he tells her that she is the mother of his child and someone he had sex with not someone with whom he wants to build a family. Ouch.

Tracy is both pissed and concerned, so she pays MJ an unexpected visit and she is less than thrilled to see her at CNS. She tells her that despite what it may look like, Patrick is indeed using again, and she should know. Only MJ does not want to hear anything she has to say, does not believe her and kicks her out, not before threatening to have her arrested the next time she shows up, of course. Tracy calls her a bitch and tells her that she is right.

Now Mary Jane doesn’t totally disregard what Tracy says and keeps it in the back of her mind as the accusation clearly raises concern for her. As she mulls over what to do, she has taken CeCe’s advice and asked for her old show back… while still doing primetime. Her newfound “friend” paid her a visit and told her that she was wrong. She doesn’t need to give up primetime. She needs to do both because “our babies need to see you.” So what does she do? Goes into Greg’s office and makes a compelling argument about why he should give it back to her. And get this- he says ok.

Naturally, she wants Kara to do produce it but the Latina tells her friend that she can’t do it. She likes primetime; she likes the work she is doing revamping Mark’s show, and she has her boys. MJ hears her but still insists. Kara then suggests that MJ produces it herself, which initially makes her whine but then she entertains the idea.

In the end, the news that Tracy brought her about Patrick prompts her to do a type of intervention, which pisses Patrick off. To him, having their parents walk in on them as he tells her he’s taking a certain kind of drug to help him focus is a trap and one that brings about a very heated argument between Patrick and their dad; an argument that leaves both of them broken, hurt and in tears. Paul is tired of his son’s ways, and Patrick is livid and disappointed in his sister.

It was a deep one this episode and from the looks of what’s to come, there is more shock and awe to come.

Robert Lewis Dear: Just Another Day for Planned Parenthood & America

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robert lewis dear just another day for planned parenthood 2015 opinionThis is a tough one to talk about here because there are some many opinions about who is to blame, what it means, etc. So this is me offering some kind of reasoning on the situation.

On Friday, November 27, one day after people gathered with their families to celebrate Thanksgiving, Robert Lewis Dear walked into a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, CO, remarked “no more baby parts” and opened fire, killing three people.

Folks on all sides have their thoughts about why Dear committed this crime. From people on Twitter pretty much saying, “that’s what they get for killing babies” to others citing mental health issues as the core of the incident; the truth is, there are several things that have aided and continue to aid in these kinds of situations. In this article, I will point out the two I deem most important.

America has become a country of mass shootings. I cannot tell you how many times I walk into a public place and subconsciously plan my escape route in the event of a shooting. The higher ups don’t like to hear it because it means that they are not doing their jobs, but the ability for a person to walk into any communal area, open fire and kill innocent people is a form of domestic terrorism and those who say otherwise, please, explain to me why so.

This incident is an example of just that and represents the sad truth of two very important musts in our society- the need for gun control and the need for truth in talking about issues.

This is a gun control issue and an issue that is hard for me to be honest. I believe that people should have the right to bear arms, but the system in place right now makes it too dangerous for people to bear arms. Does that mean that we take away that right? Hell no! But without a doubt something has got to be done on a state and federal level to properly regulate the selling, possession, etc. of firearms. I don’t know what it is holding up-regulation. Sometimes I feel like incidents happen on purpose so that we can have the conversation again. The conversation has had a significant effect on people, and there is an overwhelming majority that wants something to be done about it, not at the expense of our freedoms but certainly not at the expense of lives either. You cannot tell me that there isn’t a solution because humans are too smart, too clever, and too advanced not to find a way to solve this issue. It just comes down to wanting to at this point.

Secondly, the Planned Parenthood shooting is a truth issue, meaning a call for people like Republicans and other influencers to stop their rhetoric must be made and acted upon. This man is quoted as mentioning baby body parts, and that is something that we have heard a lot of from the Republican camp. It’s propaganda people, and the folks who are running for office understand it better than anyone. They know that if they can get us to see their framed opinion on an issue their way we will carry out their will, the way in which they want.

I do believe that in certain situations and on certain topics, the media’s influence shapes public opinion for a passive demographic of people so much that it becomes truth for them. This is disheartening because too many times truth is the last thing present in what politicians, leaders, influencers and the media say.  Too many times what they say inspire action that is ill informed and downright unjustified. I do believe that people, especially folks like Republicans, need to take into consideration the contents of their agendas and subsequent messages because they may end up vehemently pushing to their followers something from which none of us can recover.

As much as people want to paint this as s Planned Parenthood issue, I do not believe that it is. I don’t believe that this is all a part of a bigger plan to take out other PP facilities in an attempt to show the world their “ugly realities.” This comes down to what people believe and what they are willing to do for what they believe.

These occurrences have become a commonplace in the everyday lives of Americans. Now is the time that we look at these things as acts of violence against one’s own country and label it as such. I mean hell, we do it to other cultures that we feel pose threats to our national safety. I was once not allowed to check-in online for a flight, or at the outside kiosk of an airline because the combination of my name raised a red flag and put me on a kind of no-fly list. What if we did that based on the “mental state” of these domestic terrorists that the media tries to paint as the reason they commit these acts? Will that help the situation?

Let’s look past the hype and the agenda setting and get to the heart of the matter.

NFL Stadiums and Off Duty Cops with Guns

NFL Stadiums and Off Duty Cops 2015 imagesOff-Duty Cops Really Want To Bring Their Guns Into NFL Stadiums

Like it or not, Roger Goodell is largely responsible for ensuring the safety of hundreds of thousands of NFL fans each week. He’s not running metal detectors or frisking Jets fans as they enter the stadium, but he does play a large role in coordinating the security efforts.

Goodell received a request from the National Fraternal Order of Police on November 20th to lift the NFL ban on concealed carry, at least for retired or off-duty police officers.

This is a tricky subject and came back to the surface after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. The FOP believes that more trained people with firearms could help stop such an attack in an NFL stadium.

Concealed carry laws would still be specific to each city and stadium of course, but the NFL does have the power to lift the overall ban so as to open up options.

This issue is one that has been carefully planned out by Goodell and the League. Their decision to ban all concealed weapons in NFL stadiums came in 2013 after consulting many different law enforcement agencies.

“We concluded that public safety inside NFL stadiums on game days would be best-served by the carrying of firearms by on-duty officers specifically assigned to work the game as part of the comprehensive public safety plan for the event,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told FoxNews.com “This approach has been certified by the Department of Homeland Security under the SAFETY Act (Support Anti-Terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies).”

Gun issues are a touchy subject in America with mass shootings and police shootings sparking more debates than ever. To some, having more guns at an NFL stadium sounds like lunacy.

To others it seems like the safest idea ever.

How could one idea have such opposing views? It comes down to perspective. If you grew up around responsible gun owners then you likely have the belief that guns are not the issue, evil or insane people are the problem.

If you did not grow up around parents who believed in having guns for personal protection or hunting then your view is going to be skewed toward banning guns at as many venues as possible.

I belong to the first group, having received my first rifle when I was just eight years old. I can hear the gasps from the internet as I type. Yes, eight years old, but I was taught to use the gun safely. To this day I treat every gun as if it’s loaded even if I know for a fact it is empty. I also never point it in a direction that I do not intend to shoot. I’m not perfect. I just try to be as close to it with gun safety as possible since I know the damage a gun can do, even accidentally.

Do I think more trained gun owners with concealed weapons at NFL games would help stop an ISIS attack or a random nutjob that starts stabbing folks beside him? Yes I do. At the very least a lawful citizen with a gun could mitigate the damage done by such an attack.

It’s very difficult to stop a terrorist willing to blow himself up to kill others. I am painfully aware. I would just rather stack the odds as much as possible in the favor of the good guys against a mass killer.

Of course this mythical citizen hero would have to be at the right place at the right time. The same holds true for the on duty police officer at the stadium though. Cops and security guards can’t cover every square inch of a NFL venue.

More law abiding people with a weapon to protect those without a weapon could cover more ground.

For those, like Bob Costas, who think this mythical citizen hero with a gun never shows up in these emergencies, just check out youtube for example after of example of guns saving lives against criminals.

Just because I would feel safer knowing concealed weapons were allowed in NFL stadiums doesn’t mean that is the right policy. It’s a personal thing with me. With Roger Goodell, he is trying to do the safest thing for the greatest number of people.

If concealed weapons were allowed in NFL stadiums, it’s possible that a gun could accidentally go off and an innocent person could be hurt or killed. It’s also a slight possibility that one of these off-duty officers goes bananas after a few $7 beers during the game and caps an unruly fan that keeps bumping into his wife.

Goodell and the team owners have to do what they think best and have consulted the highest authorities on the subject of defending against terrorism.

I don’t see Goodell lifting this ban no matter what group makes the request. It’s just too polarizing a topic so why change the policy now? If a terrorist attack did happen at an NFL venue, most people wouldn’t blame the Commish because he banned concealed weapons.

On the other hand, if the ban was lifted and an innocent person was hurt by a legal weapon, Roger Goodell would face a storm of criticism that would he would be unable to survive as commissioner of the League.

‘The Voice’ 923 Karin Bukowski Try Try Tried Too Hard

the voice 923 korin bukowski 2015 imagesLast night, the Top 10 artists on The Voice performed and tonight we find out the results revealing the 9 that will be performing next week. Tonight is the last time that the competition is only eliminating one singer, as next week they are cutting down the Top 9 to the final 4. Thus, it was once again a big event for the contestants, as they are nearing the home stretch.

So here is the recap of tonight’s Live Eliminations:

The night kicked off with a performance of “Locked Away” by R. City and coach Adam Levine. Fortunately, Adam’s vocal performance improved a lot since the last time he took the stage (when he performed a group song with his team). It wasn’t flawless, but it is enough for him to continue to mentor his team without feeling completely unqualified (which again, Pharrell Williams might feel following the release of his embarrassingly revealing deposition video from the “Blurred Lines” lawsuit).

Afterwards, host Carson Daly welcomes the 10 artists to the stage. He starts by asking Amy what things are like off-camera on Team Adam. Of course, Amy emphasizes how much of a “family” they are and how [all of Team Adam] is so thankful that God put them in the competition (probably will win over a few Christian voters with this line). Basically all of the answers you would expect to hear from her, definitely nothing groundbreaking.

Following a few more questions, Carson announces the first two artists that are moving on Team Blake’s Emily Ann Roberts and Team Adam’s Jordan Smith. Both of these singers earned their place with their performances this week, so I am not surprised to see them head to the semifinals.

After we return from the first commercial break, Blake announces that Dolly Parton is going to act as a mentor for the remaining 9 competitors next week, and she will also be performing. Carson asks Blake if he knows Dolly well, in which Blake jokingly responds, “No, is she real?”  While I don’t think he intended to, Blake, unfortunately, lead himself into the territory of plastic surgery jokes with this response.

As the Live Eliminations continue, Carson announces the next two safe artists: Team Gwen’s Jeffrey Austin and Team Blake’s Barrett Baber. I am happy to see Jeffrey move on, as he had a really good performance this week. However, I have never been a big fan of Barrett and don’t see any unique appeal to him as an artist. Nonetheless, I have a feeling he won’t make it through the big cut next week.

Shortly after, Pharrell lets out a huge sigh of relief, as Carson announces that his last team member Madi Davis is moving on to next week’s performances. In addition, Amy Vachal of Team Adam is also safe. Amy is definitely one of my favorites of the competition, and Madi is also a top contender in my eyes. I am hoping Amy can keep up her streak of good song choices, and Madi can have a real breakout moment (as I don’t know why, but I somehow get the sense that she is the underdog currently) that will keep her safe in next week’s cuts.

After a performance from wig-wearing Sia, Carson brings out the remaining artists awaiting their fate. Carson announces the final two contestants voted in are Team Blake’s Zach Seabaugh and Team Adam’s Shelby Brown.

Thus, once again Korin Bukowski of Team Gwen finds herself singing for her life. In addition, Gwen’s Braiden Sunshine also ends up in the bottom. While I didn’t think Korin had a particularly strong performance this week, I have been waiting for Braiden to go home for weeks now and just don’t understand how he keeps scraping by. It gave me faith in the voters when he didn’t get chosen ahead of the really good singers.

The first one to take the stage is Korin, who sings, “Try” by Colbie Caillat. While this may be Korin’s third time singing for her life and you would think she has gotten used to the pressure by now, she manages to stumble and forget the words early on in her performance. You can literally see Gwen’s heartbreak, as she watches her team member. Unfortunately, Korin was never able to fully recover from her slip ups (yes, plural) and seemed to give up on herself and wave a white flag. It felt sadly like a Try Try Try meltdown as those were the main words Korin could seem to remember, and ironically she was singing ‘you don’t have to try so hard’, but at that moment, she really had to try her hardest.


Afterwards, Braiden takes the stage with “Harder to Breathe” by Adam Levine’s band, Maroon 5. He definitely had a lot more energy than Korin, which isn’t saying much. Midway through the song, Braiden seems to have some trouble keeping his breathing technique on track, and it literally seems to get “harder and harder to breathe” for him (sorry, I had to). I think this lack of breath ends up sabotaging him, as he has a minor slip up in lyrics towards the end. However, admittedly he does recover better than Korin did. In the end, I think if it were any other night Braiden would have a good chance of going home. However, considering Korin’s big blunder during her performance, he is most likely heading to the semifinals.

In the end, Carson announces that Braiden Sunshine got the most votes and was Instantly Saved by America be mere points. Thus, after 3 rounds in the bottom 2, Korin is finally sent packing. Unless Gwen Stefani can truly steer this kid in the right direction, he’ll be going home next week much to many Americans joy. I don’t mean to knock Braiden, but he’s like that relative who loves to sing songs that their vocal cords were obviously not meant for. He’s got a very pretty voice,  and there’re so many great songs that can really show that off. Hopefully, Gwen isn’t getting so shtupped to death by Black Shelton that she’s losing sight of her singers.

You can catch The Voice semifinals next Monday, December 7 on NBC at 8 pm.

2015 NFL Season. Who isn’t Hurt?

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2015 NFL Season Who isn't Hurt images giantIf 2015 keeps following the current trend, we may see a Super Bowl played with a few scabs who work full time at Kroger or UPS. Injuries have really put a damper on what has otherwise been a great NFL season so far.

Looking over the injury report on Pro Football Reference, I found over a hundred players on the IR list and another 32 who are listed as out. These are not all unimportant pieces either.

Names like Jordy Nelson, Joe Flacco, Steve Smith, Terrell Suggs, Julian Edelman, Marshawn Lynch, and, of course, Tony Romo are key pieces to their franchise puzzles.

Hell, Romo has suffered the same injury twice, basically rendering the Cowboys’ 2015 campaign impotent.

The Patriots have been hit really hard by the injury bug. Since losing star runner in the making in Dion Lewis, they went on to lose Edelman indefinitely, Amendola missed week 12, and Gronk went down with a knee injury against Denver though it appears this isn’t a serious injury. A shot at Lombardi Trophy number five looks to be in serious jeopardy right now.

The Ravens and Packers were in trouble from the jump. Green Bay hasn’t been able to replace Jordy Nelson who went down in preseason, and the Ravens have missed the defensive presence of Terrell Suggs since week one.

The Packers have managed to stay afloat, but Baltimore was circling the drain early and has been flushed as Smith, Flacco, and Justin Forsett went down.

Data curated by PointAfter

Take a look at the best team on the NFL’s injury report and it helps explain how Carolina has remained undefeated so far through 12 weeks. They lost Kelvin Benjamin in practice before the season, but currently have a short list of walking wounded compared to most teams.

carolina panthers 2015 nfl injury report 2015Some positions are easier to fill than others. We know running backs can be shuffled around, and teams can still have success. See Kansas City. After Jamaal Charles went down for the year, they have seemingly gotten better using two young runners in Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware.

That’s not the case at QB of course. Check out the Dallas disaster after Romo’s first broken collarbone of 2015. His backups lost every single game. Sure Romo threw three picks in a half in his second game back, but at least fans felt like the team still had a chance in the second half. That would not have been the case had Brandon Weeden or Matt Cassel started against Carolina.

As for injuries in the receiving corps, it depends on the quarterback. Aaron Rodgers has made do without his main weapon in Jordy Nelson, but even Rodgers has found it difficult lately.

Tom Brady’s favorite target is Edelman. But Brady has shown he can make do over the years passing to guys like Troy Brown and Deion Branch. Whether he can get another Super Bowl without Edelman remains to be seen. If Gronk went down for the year, I think we all know the Pats would not go back to back.

These disastrous injuries don’t even include weekly games missed due to concussions. Devonta Freeman is as valuable to the Falcons as any offensive weapon in the NFL. He missed most of week 11 after leaving the game with a concussion then was left out of the week 12 matchup with Minnesota due to the new NFL rules on concussions.

In the past, a player would miss one game at the most due to being basically knocked out. Now two games is becoming the new norm.

If not for all the rules protecting the precious quarterbacks, 2015 would be even uglier. Already we have five major QBs being out for multiple games. Andrew Luck, Peyton Manning, Flacco, Romo, and Ben Roethlisberger have all fallen victim to the injury bug of 2015.

So the next time you find yourself complaining about a flag on a linebacker making a routine hit on a QB you might want to think over the consequences of less protection for passers. Do you really want to watch games with Brandon Weeden starting anymore? How about Mike Vick for Pittsburgh?

Injuries are part of the game. That’s not going to change. Even recent rule changes to protect players’ heads could be causing more leg injuries. There’s just no way to make football 100 percent safe. If so, then it would be called badminton and ratings would drop quite a bit.

‘Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’ 213 Bombs Ready for Reunion Part 1

We are to the point that every “Love & Hip Hop” franchise gets to where the gloves come off and the truth is told – The reunion episodes. This week it’s the “Love & Hip Hop Hollywood’s” turn, and we got a full dose of the cast and a lot was cleared up but still so much more remains to be said… which will be done next week in part two. But for now, here is what you need to know about the part one.

Ray J and Princess along with Teairra Mari take the stage first and, of course, their storyline is all kinds of jacked up. We find out that Princess and Ray are indeed engaged, and it is clear that it was a tough road because according to Ray, TM told him as soon as Princess it out of the way, she’s going to be back in his bed. She is such a sorry excuse, man, I swear.

Moniece is also on the stage, and when asked why she “went there” with Princess when she and TM met and fought on the rooftop restaurant, she says because Princess say things that are triggers for her. Then, Princess says something about her not having a roof over her head and Moniece, this grown ass woman, walks out muttering her “safe word.” I understand why she does it, but it comes off completely childish.

Speaking of Moniece, Rich is there and we, along and Moniece, find out that they are not together anymore. Apparently, after everything went down with them on screen, Rich texted her, and they actually got back together. But, because they have been on the rocks for a while and according to Fizz, Rich wanted a way out of the relationship anyway, he decided unbeknownst to Moniece that their relationship is over. This whole situation is so shady, confusing and I’m just like “whaaatttt?”

During Nikki Baby’s time on stage, she and Fizz reveal that Rich, during his conversation with Moniece’s baby daddy, said that he felt she still had feelings for him and thus that might be a the out he has been looking for. The thing about it, Rich doesn’t deny that he said that but does say that if he doesn’t want to be in a relationship, he doesn’t need help getting out of it. Apparently so Rich.

Also during their time on stage, Kaymiah is there to talk about what happened in her three-episode storyline, and she admits that she should not have confided in messy ass Jason Lee about Fizz not being able to get it up. Fizz, ever the lighthearted cutie, says, “Whatever you know my dick is good.”

Next up, Amber and her sister take the stage along with Miles, his sister, and Milan. The broken hearted rapper told herself she was not going to cry but talking about Miles telling her he is gay, she starts and has to take a moment. She gathers herself and says that her biggest issue was her daughter since Miles was like a father to her. All Miles can do is apologize, and Milan sits there, so over it all, doesn’t say much.

Brandi, Max, Willie, and Shanda are on the stage next along with Ray and Princess. Brandi talks about how crazy she is, which we all know, and Max admits that he should not have not worn his ring because he knew how it would make his wife feel. They seem to be in a good spot. When asked if she would care that Willie wasn’t wearing his ring, Shanda said no she wouldn’t because they don’t wear rings anyway. I’m not even going to touch on that.

The big event of the night centers around Moniece. Once she has calmed down and is back on stage, she is asked about being a mother to her son. Marla chimes in and says that being a mother means putting your child first. For whatever reason, Brandi, Shanda, and Amber talk from the couch and seem to be judging Moniece. They say things like, “you always put your kids first”  blah, blah, blah. Moniece tells them, in essence, to “shut the hell up” because they have no reason to be talking to her, and quite frankly, I agree with her. Then they go all ratched, ghetto, embarrassing black woman and shout “who you talking to… I’ll beat your ass” blah, blah, blah. Moniece stands up like “what,” Brandi and Shanda rush the stage and security steps in.

During this scene, all I could think, ya know, besides asking myself why the hell these reality TV women have to resort to fighting, is who would win between Brandi and Moniece? Both of them are cray, cray but honestly, I think Moniece would beat the hell out of Brandi. That’s just my opinion based on what I’ve seen on the show.

That was the first part and from what they show for next week, there is going to be a bomb dropped by someone that will shock everyone.

And we will see exactly what that is on the next episode.