Truth and Reconciliation: Recent Episodes
Truth and Reconciliation
Across misty fields, the bagpipes echo.Brave managers of the Ellwood Fantasy Football League, we’ve donned our war paint and gathered our clans, standing ready on the digital battlefield where honor is won and legends are birthed. As the parchment of our draft boards unfurls, each pick resounds like the thunderous clap of shields.Freedom from last season's defeats is what we seek; freedom to claim the crown that could be ours! Let no past failures deter us. This draft is our battlefield, and we are the warriors destined to carve our fate with every selection.They may take our points, but ...
(Cue the Wellerman Sea Chanty tune)There once were a band of managers keen,With fantasy drafts, keepers, and trades.They studied stats and scoured the news,To make their lineup, no time to lose.Soon may the weekend come,bring us points and wins and fun,Sunday, when the matchup is won,We’ll celebrate and go.Well, Charles had a strategy so bold,Plays the waiver wire, fearless and cold,They look at the matchups and grin with a nod,Their lineup’s set, ready to shock and awe.Soon may the weekend come,Victories sweet and losses numb,One day, when the season is done,We'll draft anew and go.Now Chris he plaid with ...
As the Squish Factor™ celebrates big wins in Week 6, League Managers scaffold their dry and dusty line-ups amid the bye-week drought of Week 7.T&R welcomes to the pod a special guest who quickly violates our NDA, Non-Compete, and Indemnification clauses simultaneously. Too bad he's more lawyered up than any of us.The trade block reeks of desperation while the league scrambles to record-manage, both in near-term crisis and long-term outlook, and the relentless sands of time fall heavy and daunting through the cold, heartless hourglass that is our fate.Could we be more dramatic? No, no we could not.It's the ...
Just in time for the first cold front of fall, league managers scramble to patch their rosters as Week 5 ushers in the first bye-week blast of the season.Team Rankings continue to squish as this week's lineup offers a monster head-to-head matchup amidst the mostly pithy slap-fights. And yet, as the wise Bobby Hill once said via his All-American athlete ventriloquist dummy, Chip, "a W's a W anyway you get it."And as Bobby's dad Hank poetically added, "my son plays with dolls. There, I said it."Chip is right, and every W matters. But with a bone-dry waiver wire and ...
Surprising Squish has arrived early as Week 4 begins with no team better than 2-1, mostly due to narrow wins and the bad beats brought by happenstance the schedule.League chatter is lively as waiver activity and trades abound, the latter including significant (but not unequivocal) exchange.Those with winning records look to increase their margins, while the rest seek a shift in momentum as Week 4 flirts — nay, whispers — of those dreaded, irrecoverable rankings, whose eerie voices can be faintly perceived on the distance but approaching wind. While it's not quite do-or-die, for some, it's certainly time to ...
It's Week 2 in the (P)Ellwood Fantasy Football League, and in addition to learning the P is silent, Week 1 was chock full of surprises. Namely, we were wrong.Wrong about everything.Our draft grades? Wrong.Week 1 predictions? Wrong-o.Power Rankings? Not even close.But look. As stated in our fine print, T&R is for entertainment purposes only. Not to sound defensive here, but what do you want from us? I mean, we put ourselves out there, week after week, ya know? We take risks in front of a global audience! (Probably).And for what? To be told "you're wrong and stupid"?! Well, PARDON ...
Now, here on this ragged patch of earth called the Draft Lobby, hordes face obliteration.A-ooh!Just there the barbarians huddle, sheer terror gripping tight their hearts with icy fingers -- knowing full well what merciless horrors they suffered at the swords and spears of the 12.A-ooh!The enemy outnumber us a paltry 11 to 1; good odds for any Greek. This day we rescue a world from mysticism and tyranny, and usher in a future brighter than anything we can imagine.Give thanks, men, to the Ellwood Fantasy Football League, and the brave 12.A-ooh! A-ooh! A-ooh!To victory. It's the greatest fantasy football league ...
Alright alright alright!It's the final countdown as we mighty men emerge from hibernation and step out into the sunny rays of fantasy football. That's right, the 2023 Draft is upon us.Like the morning dawn, the season ahead offers bright promise and hopeful future. Anything is possible, and much is expected. The 2022 season offers a plethora of narratives waiting to be redeemed, and never before has our league champion(s) and incumbency carried such asterisk. The stage is truly set for opportunity.But to thrive, one must survive. So shake off the cobwebs, lick the wounds, and polish your past accolade ...
And then there were six.Six fierce competitors sit in the coveted seats of the 2022 Playoff Bracket, each with formidable chances of a successful run. And while their victories may be short-lived, their 2023 "incumbent" status and badge of honor is secure — and that can't be taken away. So here's to you, gentlemen. Enjoy the spoils, for this Sunday, we dine in hell.If you find yourself alone, riding in the green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium, and you're already dead.And to our fallen comrades, those Unfortunate Six ...
A chaotic wind blows as the league is wrought with statistical anomaly. We teeter on Squish Factor™ while not one—but two—teams have yet to claim a win on the eve of Week 8.How is that even possible, you might ask? How could two talented managers, each with the medals to prove their own chops, have such a record?? Forget skill—how is it even statistically possible?Exceedingly rare though it may be, it is a reality that once again proves what we all know to be true about our league: we are a special snowflake.It's the greatest fantasy football league in ...
Tensions are high as the League faces an existential crisis: the reckoning of variable draft dollars and its implications this season and beyond.
In this episode, two mighty managers square off in public discourse — the kind that reminds us the value of democratic process, respectful dispute, open forum, and constructive debate for the greater good.
Just kidding, it's a blood bath.
The free-for-all melee has begun, and the night will be darkest before the dawn. In the midst of the madness, let us all remember (and agree upon) one critical and universal truth:
Rules. They're what separate us from the animals.
It’s the ...
It's Week 4 of the Pellwood Fantasy Football season, and Occam's Razor slashes fiercely at the hopes and dreams of many a manager. The few who have avoided its cuts stand unscathed and triumphant while others seek only to stem the bleeding.
However, one manager's blood loss is different than the rest. Widely accepted as the league's villain, this Pellwood Staple's 0-3 start — and even more challenging schedule ahead — provides the League with a certain hope: schadenfreude.
A sense of pending justice and league-wide catharsis is rising in the air.
The Man Who's Good At Everything is...suffering.
—
...or is he?
Turns out, ...
Week 1 is over and done, and what's not to love?
Everything. All of it. Let it burn.
This week we're joined by the first brave soul to challenge the alleged Podcast Curse: Chris "Chewie" "It's All Uphill From Here" Clark, who enters week 2 looking to climb out of a pile of Golden Poo.
Week 2 notables include the T&R Bowl, the Chris Bowl, and several 1-0/0-1 matchups looking to bring balance to ye ole Squish Factor (TM).
It's the greatest fantasy football league in the world, and THIS is its ...
In less than 48 hours, fantasy football managers from here will join others from around the world. And you will be launching the largest fantasy battle in this history of mankind.
Mankind -- that word should have new meaning for all of us today.
We can't be consumed by our petty differences anymore.
We will be united in our common interests.
Perhaps its fate that today is the 4th of July 9th of September, and you will once again be fighting for our freedom, not from tyranny, oppression, or persecution -- but from annihilation.
We're fighting for our right to live, to exist.
And should ...
Alright alright alright!
Smell that? Smells like mock drafts, spreadsheets, podcasts, and pagan rituals offering blood to the fantasy gods.
It's football time, and the Pellwood League is kicking off yet another thrilling season to be filled undoubtedly with highs and lows, comradery and backstabbing, sickness and health, and the occasional blown ACL.
It's the drama we live for, the friendships we'd die for, and all the marbles up for grabs as we once again gather 'round the infamous draft lobby — that dusty, stained Colosseum in which we modern-day gladiators prepare to spill our blood, sweat, and the occasional tear — ...
We're at better-late-than-never-but-really-late-sorry status here at T&R as we present to you the episode you've been waiting for: The Reckoning Of Charles Gaines.
Week 7 was a doosey, and it's been downhill since then for most* managers as more and more key players become inactive, on and off the field. Looking ahead to week 9, only one team has 6 wins — meaning Squish Games are in full effect, in more ways than one.
It's the greatest fantasy football league in the world, and THIS is its ...
While the war wages for Top Dog, another race has emerged in the Pellwood League: Who will be the greatest underdog?
Charles sits alone at 5-0 in a streak fueled recently by Antonio Brown and personal anti-curse measures, including ducking the media and maintaining what we only assume is JoBu levels of ritual.
Chris sits alone at 0-5 after Pete nets his first W. Both are looking to capture Mo' and hang on for dear life.
For the rest of us, a sense of breathing room may lure us into a false security, as the past two weeks have proved: whether incumbent ...
Bowl Week is upon us! Week 5 features multiple bowl games of significance — both in relationship and record — including:
T&R Bowl - The Pod Hosts' grudge match Waskow Bowl - Father and son pretending this matchup won't effect Thanksgiving Squish Bowl - Chewie v Derrek are two powerhouse teams with even records
While it may seem like fun and games, every manager knows...well, it isn't. It's super cereal, you guys. With every W counting, teams will look to avoid the raggedy edge which only draws nearer.
It's the greatest fantasy football league in the world, and this is it's ...
It's week 4 as the League's closely-matched peloton of competitors begins to diverge into three distinct groupings. While no manager is down for the count, Week 4 is the kind of week that gives porch-rocking old men a prophetic pain in their bones that only they can interpret: "storm's comin'."
A distant thunder rolls in the air. The faint smell of impending deluge rises. What can save us from the inevitable flood destined to sweep away managers whose teams are built upon the sand?
Squish Factor, is what.
It’s the greatest fantasy football league in the world, and THIS is its ...
It's the eve of Week 3 as a small percentile of the league sits at the envied 2-0. But it's a long way to the top if you want to rock and roll, and the injury lottery seems as random as it is just. Whether or not you believe in — or pray to — the fantasy gods is irrelevant; their influence remains omnipotent.
Meanwhile, healthy Wide Receivers are as scarce as sympathy in the Pellwood League. It's only Week 3, and the bitter clawing has begun as managers hope to scratch and gouge their way to the almighty W.
Whether ...
Week 1 is in the books, and if our chatter-factor is any metric at all (and it should be), it was an interesting season kickoff to say the least.
While some in our league were regaled by the fruit of their drafting labor, plenty still were left wanting. And even fewer still, though you know who you are, count their W's with homage to the fantasy gods (and their personal pandering efforts).
One thing is certain — the Power Rankings don't lie. Win, or lose; this is the game. And we, its pawns.
It's the greatest fantasy football league in the world, ...
You should see the Draft Lobby, Spaniard. Fifty-thousand Romans watching every movement of your sword, willing you to make that killer blow. The silence before you strike and the noise afterwards. It rises. It rises up like a storm. As if you were the thunder god himself.
Brothers, what we do in life echoes in eternity.
Ultimately, we are all dead men. Sadly we cannot choose how but we can decide how we meet that end in order that we are remembered as men.
And when you die – and die you shall – your transition shall be to the sound of ...
It's been a long day without you, my friend And I'll tell you all about it when I see you again We've come a long way from where we began Oh, I'll tell you all about it when I see you again When I see you again.
It's the greatest fantasy football league in the world, and this is its ...
And then there were 6.
The race to the playoffs did not disappoint....except for those who..uh..didn't make it. But what a finish it was, with a surprise sleeper upset and a discombobulated bracket. Congratulations to Chewie and Brock for securing the first round byes (each via their own, vastly different means).
The gloves are off and niceties are history. It's every manager for himself, whether you're competing for ultimate glory, top score, toilet trophy, reputation salvage, or simply avoidance of the SATs. Good luck, and ...
It's Week 13. After a "brief" hiatus, the boys are back with another thrilling rundown of the week ahead. We're just in time, as our Game of Thrones culminates into an epic playoff race saga.
The attractive and talented Oberyn takes on the formidable Mountain as they duke it out for the #1 spot and first round bye.
The wealthy Lannisters spend all their FAAB in a last ditch effort to secure an army.
House Stark and House Fray prepare to cut each other's throats at a red wedding matchup.
The Night Watch Rangers are watching the wall. (You just keep doing you, ...