KevanLee.com » Other

Kevan Lee Under Construction

kevanlee932 — Fri, 09 May 2008 21:32:17 +0000

As usual, even the basics of Internet design evade me. Fortunately, I have smart friends, and double fortunately, they owe me favors. I’ll be tinkering with the design, layout, and organization of this site for the next several weeks, so I appreciate your patience while I work through the process. I also appreciate your not judging me should the end product look like fifth-grade artwork. At this point, though, I might take that as a compliment.

Fantasy soccer: the rise of the ignorant

kevanlee932 — Tue, 06 May 2008 19:25:36 +0000

caption for photo

Last week, I complained that MLS fantasy soccer was hard. Apparently, I was wrong.

One week and zero roster changes later, I jumped over 1,000 spots in the league standings. You read that correctly. 1,000 spots. I went from 3,312^th place to 2,091^st by doing absolutely nothing more than crossing my fingers and wishing for the pain of fantasy soccer to go away.

I have some theories on how this happened.

1,000 people quit. This is the theory that makes the most sense. My meteoric rise would be far less confounding if it occurred as the result of a massive player walkout. Also, I can understand why so many people would want to up and leave fantasy soccer in pursuit of more entertaining, life-affirming things.
Landon Donovan had a really, really good week. The LA Galaxy star did, in fact, score two goals, but unless goals are worth 250 points apiece, I doubt that his performance alone boosted my standing so high.
Colossal computer error. Perhaps something went wrong with the MLS fantasy soccer computers. If they are capable of losing the entire rosters of every fantasy soccer player in the world, then I’m sure they are capable of fudging my numbers a couple hundred spots.
Fate. I guess my fortune could be explained by the universe’s desire for me to win MLS fantasy soccer. Although, I feel the universe has more important things to worry about.
I do not understand the rules of fantasy soccer. I know for a fact that this theory has validity, but I have a hard time believing that my innocuous rule knowledge could really play that big of a role in leapfrogging 1,000 people. Certainly, this theory explains why MLS fantasy soccer gives me a headache.

This post was written while listening to Pedro the Lion.

Fantasy soccer: digging myself an early hole

kevanlee932 — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:27:16 +0000

The art of MLS fantasy soccer is completely lost on me. Assuming, of course, that there is an art to MLS fantasy soccer.After two weeks of play, I sit in 3,312th place, and I have no idea if that is good or bad. I would assume that it is bad; prizes are not generally awarded for finishing behind 3,000 other participants. Yet, considering I had no expectations going into this aimless endeavor, the fact that I am an entire city population behind the leaders rings dissonant with me.

Nevertheless, I want to succeed, and until I discover that success in MLS fantasy soccer is impossible (read: Tuesday), I am going to do everything I can to be the best MLS fantasy player there is. Or, at least, the 3,311th best.

In order to do so, I am going to have to cut out some decidedly inopportune strategic mistakes ranging from starting non-starters to not knowing the names of everyone on my team. The process will not be easy or fun or particularly rewarding, but I am starting to believe that MLS fantasy soccer is not supposed to be any of those things. Ideally, it is supposed to be annoying, fruitless, and unimportant.

Starting this week, my plan to not suck as much officially gets underway. The first phase of Operation: Shin Guard is to have a starting line-up full of starters. Like in most other fantasy sports, I can only gain points if my players end up playing. Why I thought fantasy soccer operated under different rules is entirely beyond me.

Last week, I had the misfortune of having two players riding the pine. This fact, unbeknownst to me, significantly affected my point output for the week, considering riding the pine—no matter how successfully ridden—does not earn any points.

Stuart Holden was one such benchee. The Houston Dynamo midfielder sat out Sunday’s match, during which his teammates managed to score three goals. Had Holden been participating in the affair, I might not be wallowing in the 3,000s but rather sitting comfortably in the high 2800s.

Jozy Altidore was the other non-participant. His status as one of the league’s rising young stars was rather moot considering his sojourn on the sideline. While his fellow Red Bulls were shutting out the Columbus Crew, Altidore was shutting out my effort to appear competitive in the standings.

This week, things will be different. I have scoured news wires and team fansites for the latest news on my team. I have learned more than I ever wanted to learn about particular players, information I am sure will never be helpful at any other point in my life except for right now.

So, hopefully, next week when I check in on my fantasy squad, I’ll find the standings to be more in my favor. I’ve put in the hard work, dedication, and shortcuts necessary to make a significant jump in the league.

I may not understand the art of MLS fantasy soccer, but I certainly have a better grasp than the 3,313th-place guy.

This post was written while listening to Beloved.

TGIF: John Mayer’s announcing debut

kevanlee932 — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 19:24:37 +0000

If John Mayer called baseball games on a regular basis, I would watch more baseball.

Sleeping at Last video

admin — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 20:42:18 +0000

Here is a video of one of my new favorite bands. Someday, I’ll be able to play piano like that. The singing? Never.

The band is Sleeping at Last. The song is “Careful Hands.”

People’s Golfer post

admin — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 21:21:10 +0000

Check out my post at the People’s Golfer. Here’s the link: http://peoplesgolfer.blogspot.com/. We went golfing at Purple Sage Golf Course this weekend, and I didn’t want to give up the game of golf at the end. That’s a win in my book!

This post was written while watching Nacho Libre.

TGIF: the Office!

admin — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 21:24:02 +0000

Here is a video from one of television’s best shows: The Office. The clip goes through some pretty good Dwight pranks by Jim.