Footballguys DFS Town Hall, Myles Jack RSP Film Room, Space Drum, ‘Escape Rooms’, and D&D turns 40.

Welcome

If you’re new to the Rookie Scouting Portfolio blog, welcome.  On Fridays I post links to pieces that I’ve found personally compelling or to content I hope will scratch that itch, but I haven’t read yet.

As I’ve long said about this Friday feature, you may not like everything listed here, but you’re bound to like something. I’m a little early on the delivery date, but trying to work around my usual, crazy schedule.

 Listens/Views: Space drum by Yuki Koshimoto

To a North American, this drum may not see of this earth.

Football Listens: Footballguys Town Hall

Wondering about Footballguys’ take on the recent events involving DFS? Site owners David Dodds and Joe Bryant answer questions from about the industry:

1. Gambling or game of skill?
2. Footballguys’ business relationship with DFS–are they mouthpieces reliant on their money?
3. Why Footballguys likes DFS formats?
4. How does Footballguys recommend its customers get started with DFS in a healthy, balanced way where the emphasis is on fun?
5. What are the differences between the perception and reality of DFS?

I’m a minor DFS player. I started playing on Fanduel in January. I put in $25, I play games with investments of $1 and $2. If I get a wild hair, I spend $5 on a game. I do it to learn about the format so I can decide if I want to write about it more. I’ve grown my bankroll to about $150 from that $25.

I’m still feeling my way out in the space. I’m not about trying to get you to play.  There are aspects of DFS I enjoy and areas where I have concerns. I’m posting this video because I think David and Joe did a sound job of discussing the growth of the format, the site’s relationship with it, the good, the bad, the problems, and some possible solutions. And I think it’s important for my readers who have thought about playing this format but may have concerns with the recent headlines.

Football Reads

• Matt Harmon’s DFS column at NFL.com – Steve Johnson, Stefon Diggs, Steve Smith, Houston RBs, and Harmon’s hair product.
• The Chess Match: Brady and the Jets – a Mark Schofield joint at Inside the Pylon
• Chase Stuart’s Week 7 Game Scripts

Views: RSP Film Room Video No.61: UCLA LB, Myles Jack

RSP Contributor Eric Stoner, a former LB, pulls out the UVA game to illustrate why Jack has what it takes to play the run in the NFL.

Download the 2015 Rookie Scouting Portfolio + Post-Draft Update!

Friday’s are also my chance to thank you for reading my work, encourage you to follow the RSP blog, and download the Rookie Scouting Portfolio publication.

If you’re in a dynasty league, the combination of the 2015 RSP and the RSP Post-Draft will have you prepared for this year and beyond.

Here’s just a sample of what my readers–new and old–are saying about the 2015 RSP.  (Get ready for “Squee!” “Dammit” and jaws dropping)

Take a video tour of the 2015 pre-draft to see what I mean:

Seriously, this analysis is worth the price of the 2015 RSP package alone, but you also get the post-draft addendum with your purchase of the RSP. Remember 10 percent of each sale is donated to Darkness to Light to prevent sexual abuse in communities across the United States. While that alone should get you to download the RSP package, do it because you will be blown away with the detail and insight of the analysis and content. It’s why the RSP has grown so much in the past 10 years.

Download the 2015 RSP and RSP Post-Draft here

Listens/Views: Project K-Paz (feat. Melissa Aldana)

Aldana is of the great new saxophonists on the scene today and a past winner of the Thelonius Monk Jazz Competition.

In Case You Missed It/Coming Soon

• Gut Check No.353: Week 8 – Dynasties Part I – QB Tiers 
• Ross Tucker’s College Draft Podcast – Who I like more and less than their determined consensus
• David Igono’s Analysis of Indiana QB Nate Sudfeld – Is Sudfeld a diamond in the rough? Igono, a former Div-I DB, thinks so.
• Gut Check No.352: Week 7 – Stefon Diggs RSP Sample, Zach Mettenberger-Dorial Green-Beckham connection, and options I still believe in.
• Clip Quiz: Cal WR Kenny Lawler – My answer at the end of this post, but you can supply your take in the linked post.
• Coming Soon: RSP Film Room No.62 w/Sharona on Sports
• Coming Soon: Gut Check No.354: Week 9 – Dynasties Part II – RB Tiers
• Coming Soon: RSP Film Room No.63 w/John Owning, Draft Breakdown

Reads (Life In General)

• How Clowns Became Terrifying – American Horror Story: Freak Show caps off centuries of suspicion towards Bozo & co.
• ‘Escape Rooms’ Challenge Players to Solve Puzzles To Get Out – Sounds fun as long as you’re not with anyone annoying.
• UK Football Stars Buy Hotel, Invite Homeless to Stay For Winter
• History Class and the Fictions About Race in America – High-school textbooks too often gloss over the American government’s oppression of racial minorities.
• Why Everyone Wants To Record ‘Live At The Village Vanguard’
• 84 Films By and About Women of Color – H/T Sigmund Bloom
• What Is Social Anxiety? – In the age of the digital hermit, a psychologist explains what it means to avoid other people–and what to do about it.
• After 40 Years, Dungeons & Dragons Still Brings Players To The Table
• Ex-Maine State Police Chief Pleads Guilty to Sex Assault of 4-Year-Old
• Study: Food Stamps Do Much More to Fight Poverty Than We Thought

 

Listens/Views: George Adams & Joe Lovano “Tenor Madness”

Listens/Views -James Carter “JC On The Set”

One of my fave saxophonists alive today. Particularly love his work on tenor and soprano. His technique is masterful, his style is expressive, and his sound is lush. He also has a nasty streak.