hey! i was worried that they were gonna mess it up ... but now that i've seen it and the verdicts are in, i'm so happy "the blind side" was in john lee hancock's hands. as patrick goldstein of the los angeles times says hancock now gets out of movie jail.

in the same weekend that "the twilight saga: new moon" had the 3rd best alltime box-office opening, our most anticipated movie "the blind side" scored the highest-grossing sports drama opening ever. "the blind side" also garnered an "A+" cinemascore from audiences seeing the film, which means lotsa return business thru the holidays for alcon entertainment/ warner brothers ... the movie made $34.5 million in 3 days on 4100 screens at 3110 sites. on a personal note, i'm just happy it was a great movie ... with michael lewis' book being an alltime top fiver for me, i'm glad cast & crew did the michael oher story justice. it'd be impossible to cover all the nfl/historical ground that lewis covered in the book, but director john lee hancock & company did a great job making a mainstream movie that stayed true.  

friday's almost here ... can't wait to see "the blind side," the movie about one of my favorite players, baltimore ravens rookie right tackle michael oher ... i just hope it does the book justice because michael lewis' "the blind side" is one of my five favorite books ever. i know we've been hyping it over and over again. but watch just one more vid of michael oher, the wonderful tuohy family and the actors who play them in the film ... oh. and i posted a new trailer for the movie that just runs automatically, lol. hit pause so you can watch the first vid. ... photo by neal slavin / new york times magazine ... photo by amy davis / baltimore sun

jerry ferrara & friend max greenfield talk about their los angeles gentlemen's fantasy football league entourage ...

brett favre may have won the games, but fantasy football fans ain't complaining about aaron rodgers' play thus far, which has led him to the top of the fantasian scoring list at the nfl season's halfway point. here's the all-fantasian midway teams thru 8 games ... first team qb aaron rodgers, packers ... 1989 passing yards, 14 td, 2 int, 2 fl, 1 rush td, 188 rushing yards, 7 g, 147 fantasy points rb maurice jones-drew, jaguars ... 801 rushing-receiving yards, 10 td, 27 rec, 1 fl, 7 g, 131 fantasy points rb adrian peterson, vikings ... 979 rushing-receiving yards, 9 td, 19 rec, 2 fl, 8 g, 141 fantasy points wr reggie wayne, colts ... 689 receiving yards, 6 td, 51 rec, 7 g, 102 fantasy points wr vincent jackson, chargers ... 664 receiving yards, 5 td, 37 rec, 7 g, 94 fantasy points te vernon davis, 49ers ... 375 receiving yards, 7 td, 32 rec, 7 g, 78 fantasy points k nate kaeding, chargers ... 15-18 fg, 20 pat, 7 g, 66 fantasy points d/st saints ... 154 pa, 16 int, 5 fr, 6 td, 7 g, 95 fantasy points second team qb peyton manning, colts ... 2227 passing yards, 15 td, 4 int, -4 rushing yards, 7 g, 139 ...

felix jones, who is a superhero created by stan lee, is 5 days away from leaping tall buildings in a single bound and rushing 9 yards with a single carry. pcl seems aok. the rising felix missed two games since being injured by panther ... on sunday, he takes on falcon.

my pick for rookie of the year, michael oher, and my pick for defensive player of the year, jared allen, got into a war of words monday after a classic battle on the football field sunday. oher: "In the second half, I feel like I shut him out. There is nothing really special about him. I think if we played them [in Baltimore], it would make a big difference. The false starts were just mistiming the snap." allen: "Well that’s just some idiot trying to talk himself up. I beat that dude like a red-headed step child, let’s be honest. If he was so good why did they have to chip me all day? Ask him that. That's just a rookie trying to build his self confidence up. Besides, you lost and your quarterback spent his whole day on the back of his head until the fourth quarter. That guy will watch film today and realize. Everybody else in the world saw me abuse him." i watched the game (since as all y'all know michael is one of my faves) and the ravens left tackle more than held his own against one of the game's greats in allen, who had 1 sack ...

the new england patriots' 59-0 dominant performance sunday landed them all over the week 6 all-fantasy football team, with tom brady taking player of week honors ... qb tom brady, patriots ... 380 passing yards, 6 td rb maurice jones-drew, jaquars ... 178 yards, 3 td rb ray rice, ravens ... 194 yards, 2 td wr randy moss, patriots ... 129 yards, 3 td wr wes welker, patriots ... 150 yards, 2 td flex deangelo williams, panthers ... 152 yards, 2 td te owen daniels, texans ... 78 yards, 2 td k ryan longwell, vikings ... 4 fg, 3 pat d/st packers ... 0 points allowed, 3 turnovers, 5 sacks photo by winslow towson / associated press

new york's steve smith was getting ready for his fantasy-football player of week acceptance speech, when rashard mendenhall swooped in out of nowhere on sunday night football to take the POW from him with his pink gloves ... now we'll see if the steeler running back can keep the week 4 title after monday night football. [update: he did ... rashard gets the POW. and he's joined on the all-fantasian team by monday night football stars brett favre, jermichael finley & bernard berrian] QUARTERBACKS 1. David Garrard, Jaguars ... 28.72 2. Brett Favre, Vikings ... 22.64 3. Ben Roethisberger, Steelers ... 21.32 RUNNING BACKS 1. Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers ... 32.10 2. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins ... 23.50 3. Steve Slaton, Texans ... 21.90 4. Pierre Thomas, Saints ... 21.20 5. Matt Forte, Bears ... 21.00 6. Joseph Addai, Colts ... 19.10 WIDE RECEIVERS 1. Steve Smith, Giants ... 30.90 2. Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars ... 24.60 3. Mohamed Massaquoi, Browns ... 18.80 4. Calvin Johnson, Lions ... 18.50 5. Derrick Mason, Ravens ... 17.30 6. Brandon Marshall, Broncos ... 17.10 TIGHT ENDS 1. Antonio Gates, Chargers ... 28.90 2. Heath Miller, Steelers ... 23.00 3. Jermichael Finley, Packers ... 21.80 KICKERS 1. Robbie Gould, Bears ... 14.00 2. Josh Scobee, Jaguars ... 14.00 3. Adam Vinatieri, Colts ... 10.00 DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS 1. San Francisco 49ers ... 31.00 2. New Orleans Saints ...

normally it's terrell suggs and the ravens' defense hoggin' the spotlight when baltimore does well ... but with the purples getting off to a 3-0 high-scoring start, it's the O that's earning raves this season--like this piece by bleacher report's isaac barrow that breaks down the offense, player-by-player, to show us why b-more is more. and, yes, they gave fresno beach fave michael oher a glowing review.

ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FELIX FOOTBALL?!?!?!!! big-fish-in-any-pond-u-put-him-in felix jones puts on his 9 yards-per-carry show tonight on monday night football for the dallas cowboys against the carolina panthers. had 30 carries in 2008 before he got hurt--got 266 rushing yards ... has 13 carries so far in 2009--got 118 rushing yards. that's right--384 yards on only 43 carries ... if the 6-0, 218-pound back ran for nada on his next 34 rushes, he would still maintain a 5 yards-per-carry average ... throw in the 5 touchdowns with limited touches, and you see why i'm always calling him the best player in football!! can't wait!! ... might even go fishin' first & later throw a tulsa-style barbecue just so i can get in the mood to watch some felix football!!! [update: well, felix jones played great on monday night football ... and then cut the party short when he got hurt following a 40-yard run ... that said, felix finished the game with 94 rushing yards on 8 carries and 20 receiving yards on 1 reception ... and for you statheads out there, the game's best rusher now has 478 career rushing yards on 51 carries, which figures to 9.4 yards per attempt ... a ...

player of week maurice jones-drew rushed for 119, received for 28 and had 3 rushing TDs to lead all fantasians in scoring for week 3. [update: tashard choice & the dallas cowboy defense/special teams played well enough on monday night football to be added to our updated list] QUARTERBACKS 1. Peyton Manning, Colts ... 29.06 2. Aaron Rodgers, Packers ... 28.56 3. Kevin Kolb, Eagles ... 27.18 RUNNING BACKS 1. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars ... 34.70 2. Pierre Thomas, Saints ... 24.60 3. Tashard Choice, Cowboys ... 21.80 4. Julius Jones, Seahawks ... 21.10 5. Willie Parker, Steelers ... 19.90 6. Fred Taylor, Patriots ... 17.40 WIDE RECEIVERS 1. Santana Moss, Redskins ... 28.80 2. DeSean Jackson, Eagles ... 23.90 3. Reggie Wayne, Colts ... 22.10 4. Jerricho Cotchery, Jets ... 20.80 5. Derrick Mason, Ravens ... 20.30 6. Kevin Walter, Texans ... 20.20 TIGHT ENDS 1. Vernon Davis, 49ers ... 25.10 2. Brent Celek, Eagles ... 20.40 3. Daniel Fells, Rams ... 16.50 KICKERS 1. Stephen Gostkowski, Patriots ... 14.00 2. Mason Crosby, Packers ... 13.00 3. Olindo Mare, Seahawks ... 13.00 DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS 1. Dallas Cowboys ... 19.00 2. Baltimore Ravens ... 17.00 3. Denver Broncos ... 16.00 Honorable Mention: Jason Campbell, Redskins; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers; Jay Cutler, Bears; Brett Favre, Vikings; Joe Flacco, Ravens; Mark Sanchez, Jets; David Garrard, Jaguars; Phillip Rivers, Chargers; Tom Brady, Patriots; Kyle Boller, Rams; Matthew ...

run ryan run ryan mathews takes his game to cincy saturday morn to see if the 5-11, 220-pound fresno state supastar (and fresno beach fave) can put up 69, 60 and 68s on yet another top 20 team--just like the nation's leading rusher did last week against boise state ... catch him if you can on vid, to the beats of new fresno beach amigo dac!!! ... 21 FOREVER, Y'ALL!!! ... photo by gary kazanjian / associated press [update: mathews ranryanran for 145 yards on 38 carries saturday and added 32 yards on 2 catches in fresno state's 28-20 loss saturday at #14 cincinnati]

glad warner bros. & alcon entertainment made a better trailer this time ... here's the new trailer for the movie about my other favorite nfl player michael oher (who is my pick for nfl rookie of the year ... GO RAVENS!!!). the movie comes out november 20, so go get the 2006 book by michael lewis and read it first. it's one of my five favorite books ever.

chris johnson--who is on all three of my fantasy football teams (WOO-HOO!!!)--was the player of week with his 197-yard rushing, 87-yard receiving, 3-touchdown performance on week 2 sunday. [update: 2 colts & 3 dolphins were added to the honors list after the monday night football game] QUARTERBACKS 1. Matt Schaub, Texans ... 30.68 2. Phillip Rivers, Chargers ... 22.44 3. Drew Brees, Saints ... 22.34 RUNNING BACKS 1. Chris Johnson, Titans ... 50.90 2. Frank Gore, 49ers ... 35.70 3. Ronnie Brown, Dolphins ... 25.60 4. Darren Sproles, Chargers ... 24.50 5. Marion Barber, Cowboys ... 22.50 6. Willis McGahee, Ravens ... 21.90 WIDE RECEIVERS 1. Andre Johnson, Texans ... 31.90 2. Mario Manningham, Giants ... 26.00 3. Marques Colston, Saints ... 25.80 4. Steve Smith, Giants ... 24.40 5. Vincent Jackson, Chargers ... 23.10 6. Mike Sims-Walker, Jaguars ... 21.10 TIGHT ENDS 1. Dallas Clark, Colts ... 27.80 2. Kellen Winslow, Buccaneers ... 18.50 3. Tony Gonzales, Falcons ... 16.60 KICKERS 1. Rian Lindell, Bills ... 16.00 2. Dan Carpenter, Dolphins ... 14.00 3. Lawrence Tynes, Giants ... 14.00 DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS 1. Arizona Cardinals ... 19.00 2. Denver Broncos ... 17.00 3. New Orleans Saints ... 15.00 Honorable Mention: Carson Palmer, Bengals; Eli Manning, Giants; Byron Leftwich, Buccaneers; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers; Matt Ryan, Falcons; Aaron Rodgers, Packers; Kevin Kolb, Eagles; Kurt Warner, Cardinals; Jay Cutler, Bears; Jake Delhomme, Panthers; David Garrard, ...

adrian peterson's 198 rushing-receiving yards & 3 TDs edged drew brees' 358 passing yards & 6 TDs to give a.p. fantasy football player of week honors for week 1. i'll be updating when the remaining night games finish, but as of now, here's the all-island team for the opening week in the nfl ... [update: greg jennings' great sunday night game bumped mark clayton off the all-island team down to honorable mention] [update2: after the monday night games, benjamin watson, fred jackson & randy moss made all-island, while todd heap, tim hightower & justin gage moved to honorable mention] QUARTERBACKS 1. Drew Brees, Saints ... 36.32 2. Tony Romo, Cowboys ... 26.32 3. Joe Flacco, Ravens ... 24.08 RUNNING BACKS 1. Adrian Peterson, Vikings ... 38.30 2. Thomas Jones, Jets ... 22.70 3. Fred Jackson, Bills ... 22.50 4. Willis McGahee, Ravens ... 21.50 5. Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars ... 20.80 6. Julius Jones, Seahawks ... 20.60 WIDE RECEIVERS 1. Reggie Wayne, Colts ... 27.20 2. Santonio Holmes, Steelers ... 23.60 3. Patrick Crayton, Cowboys ... 22.00 4. Randy Moss, Patriots ... 20.10 5. Greg Jennings, Packers ... 19.60 6. Devery Henderson, Saints ... 18.80 TIGHT ENDS 1. John Carlson, Seahawks ... 24.50 2. Benjamin Watson, Patriots ... 22.70 3. Jeremy Shockey, Saints ... 17.10 KICKERS 1. Nick Folk, Cowboys ... 12.00 2. Lawrence Tynes, Giants ... 12.00 3. Neil ...

now that my 3 fantasy football teams--all named "fastball"--have been selected, i feel now i can release my fantastic fantasy football 50 for the 2009 nfl season (based on points-per-reception leagues). if you're in a 10-team league, hopefully you have at least 5 guys on this list ... if you're in a 12-team league, you need at least four. so without further adieu, here are fastball's fantastic 50 fantasy football selections (with age in parentheses) ... "LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!" QUARTERBACKS 1. Drew Brees, NO QB ... 33 2. Tom Brady, NE QB ... 32 3. Phillip Rivers, SD QB ... 27 4. Peyton Manning, IND QB ... 33 5. Tony Romo, DAL QB ... 29 6. Aaron Rodgers, GB QB ... 25 7. Kurt Warner, ARI QB ... 38 8. Jay Cutler, CHI QB ... 26 9. Donovan McNabb, PHI QB ... 32 10. Carson Palmer, CIN QB ... 30 RUNNING BACKS 1. Chris Johnson, TEN RB ... 23 2. Adrian Peterson, MIN RB ... 24 3. DeAngelo Williams, CAR RB ... 26 4. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAC RB ... 24 5. Matt Forte, CHI RB ... 23 6. Steve Slaton, HOU RB ... 23 7. Michael Turner, ATL RB ... 27 8. Felix Jones, DAL RB ... 22 9. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD RB ... 30 10. Steven Jackson, STL RB ... 26 11. Frank Gore, ...

baltimore's always had the defense, led by defensive mvp ed reed, but now they have the o-line to make joe flacco, ray rice & derrick mason look like stars this season. i believe michael oher, marshal yanda, matt birk, ben grubbs & jared gaither will be the nfl's best offensive line in 2009 and for years to come. meanwhile, dallas has always had playmakers on d like sack king demarcus ware, but now they have incredible depth at the offensive skill positions--led by breakout superstar felix jones. they too will be a force on both ends. since the 2009 nfl season starts thursday, it's time for me to go on record with my predictions for the regular season and the 2010 nfl playoffs that end in miami february 7 at super bowl 44. here ya go ... AFC EAST 1. New England Patriots ... 12-4 2. New York Jets ... 8-8 3. Miami Dolphins ... 7-9 4. Buffalo Bills ... 4-12 AFC NORTH 1. Baltimore Ravens ... 12-4 2. Pittsburgh Steelers ... 12-4* 3. Cincinnati Bengals ... 6-10 4. Cleveland Browns ... 4-12 AFC SOUTH 1. Indianapolis Colts ... 10-6 2. Tennessee Titans ... 9-7* 3. Houston Texans ... 8-8 4. Jacksonville Jaguars ... 7-9 AFC WEST 1. San Diego Chargers ... 13-3 2. Denver Broncos ... 5-11 3. Kansas City ...

and since we're still lol'ing on adam sacks, here's his latest bit from his adam thinks blog.