2012 Fantasy Baseball Rankings, Advice & Analysis
 Jordy Smith It's on! I am not talking about another surf contest in subpar conditions. I am referring to the man and the boy - Kelly Slater v. Jordy Smith. Jordy Smith born in 1988 is currently sitting at the top of the rankings as the tour rolls into San Clemente, California for the Hurley Pro at Trestles. Smith is only 250 points ahead of Slater, born in 1971 and is facing a huge amount of pressure as Slater focuses in at a contesthe first won when Smith was 2 years old. Smith, undoubtedly will win multiple world titles by the time he is done, but Slater is frantically attempting to secure his tenth world title and Smith may be forced to wait one more year for a title. With the conditions being typical for this summer - crap - it will be a hard one to pick a solid team. Teahupoo treated my picks well and I am currently sitting at 785th place out of 15,984 players. Not too good, but it could be worse and it most likely will as I try to pick a team for a contest held in less than ideal conditions. I invested most of my allotted $50 million into my top two picks and then was forced to pick up some average pros and a few local wildcards to get a full roster. Hurley Pro 2010 Roster Kelly Slater - is in 2nd place but is having a hard time winning contests. Sater needs a win, not a 3rd. Has he lost his mojo to seal the deal? Go Old Man Go! Jordy Smith - Smith and Slater could have been the best rivalry in all of surfing if they were closer in age. I expect a top 5 finish. Taylor Knox - the old guy is sinking fast - hopefully, his familiarity with his local break will propel him into a top 10 finish. Born in 1971 and still going. Jeremy Flores - small and weak conditions could help the Frenchy see a solid result Brett Simpson - local knowledge and surfing for Hurley may influence the judges for a few high scores Adam Melling - unsponsored and surfing well- he will get through a few heats here -needs the money. Is he the new Bede Durbidge? Rob Machado - wildcard pick - I think the new judging criteria exposes his age. Kolohe Andino - wildcard pick - born in 1994 - the future is near, but not now. Local knowledge may get him through few heats. Need to waste a few hours at work? Watch it live at http://www.hurley.com/hurleypro/ Patrick Reilly is not a grom. He is actually the Fantasy Surfer Editor @TheFantasyFix.com. Email - Patrick@thefantasyfix.com Who is in your starting lineup for the Billabong Pro Tahiti? Let us know on Twitter @TheFantasyFix! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Blog, Fantasy Surfer, Pro Surfing, Patrick Reilly, Hurley, Hurley Pro, Lower Trestles, San Clemente, Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater Add Comment Shhhhh….if you listen closely you can hear the huge sigh of relief from the Brazilian contingency on tour! The Billabong Pro Tahiti held at Teahupoo – the greatest spectator surf contest in the world has been regulated to nothing more exciting than the US Open in Huntington Beach. This is my favorite contest to watch on tour…when there is swell. It keeps the best surfers in the world awake at with sweats and images of being impaled on the deadly reef at Teahupoo. But this year, like last year – nothing.  Tamaroa McComb I selected my team for the contest based on my hope for a solid swell. I went with a crew of guys known to charge anything thrown their way. With no swell for the entire contest waiting period, I know I should have gone back and altered my line up and replaced my die hard chargers like Andy Irons, Kelly Slater and the Hobgoods with Brazilian air reverse kings Jadson Andre and Adriano de Souza. However, stupidly, I am sticking with my team. I am still holding out for a magical phantom swell that will send the weak to the reef and the heavies into the winners circle. Tamaroa Mccomb – local wildcard –cheap- and local knowledge may get him the best waves Manoa Drollet – see above – if there was swell he would go far Damien Hobgood – how is it that Floridians are some of the best barrel riders on the planet? CJ Hobgood – see Damien!  Andy Irons Andy Irons – expect an early exit – 3 foot Teahupoo will not keep his attention Kelly Slater - needs a win to keep title hopes alive Bobby Martinez – previous contest winner and can do well in sub-par conditions Fred Patacchia – goofy footer barrel rider Patrick Reilly is not a grom. He is actually the Fantasy Surfer Editor @TheFantasyFix.com. Email - Patrick@thefantasyfix.com Who is in your starting lineup for the Billabong Pro Tahiti? Let us know on Twitter @TheFantasyFix! Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Blog, Fantasy Surfer, Pro Surfing, Patrick Reilly, Billabong, Billabong Pro Tahiti, Andy Irons, Kelly Slater, Jadson Andre, Adriano de Souza, Tamaroa McComb, Manoa Drollet, Damien Hobgood, CJ Hobgood, Bobby Martinez, Fred Patacchia Fantasy Surfer: Jeffreys Bay Recap 08/04/2010
After the J Bay contest, I am in 659th place out of 15,164 active players. My line up for the contest changed a bit from my initial line up and unfortunately most of my team under performed. My team for the contest was Jordy Smith, Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Taylor Knox, Andy Irons, Nate Yeomans, Timmy Reyes and Dale Staples. Going into the contest, I thought this line up would do excellent. However, the over scoring of local Sean Holmes, knocked Slater and Irons out and ruined my chance of a high placing. Below is the breakdown of how my team performed. Jordy Smith - 1st place - he has arrived - old school power and new school moves for the "new" judging criteria - watch out Slater and bye bye Fanning and Parko.  Mick Fanning Mick Fanning - 9th - lousy - world champs don't lose to a backsider at J Bay! Hobgood is no Occy. Andy Irons - 9th - respectable - but taken out by over scored wildcard Sean Holmes- I have been harsh on AI, but he seems to be sobering up and his surfing shows -hope he keeps going! Kelly Slater - 17th - beaten by an over scored local wildcard Sean Holmes - but if he is only putting up 13 points in a heat, he deserves to lose. 9 time champs do not lose to a wildcard!  Kelly Slater Nate Yeomans -17th - not bad, but will he make the cut or will he be sent back to the minors? Adios Nate! Taylor Knox - a 33rd on a wave designed for you? This makes no sense. Is the end here for the old man of the tour? I hope not, but it looks that way. Timmy Reyes - wildcard - only wins one heat - seems that the Edison High School Charger has never recovered from the knee injury Dale Staples - local wildcard - loses first two heats Next up on August 23rd is the Teahupoo,Tahiti contest and it if it HUGE, Smith and the young guys on tour will have to prove that they have the brass to surf one of the most dangerous waves on the planet. Stay tuned for my prediction for the Billabong Pro Tahiti. Patrick Reilly is not a grom. He is actually the Fantasy Surfer Editor @TheFantasyFix.com. Email - Patrick@thefantasyfix.com Tags: The Fantasy Fix, Fantasy Sports Blog, Fantasy Surfer, Pro Surfing, Patrick Reilly, Billabong, Billabong Pro Tahiti, Dale Staples, Timmy Reyes, Taylor Knox, Nate Yeomans, Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning, Andy Irons, Jordy Smith Fantasy Baseball Geeks: Meet Kelly Slater 05/25/2010
 Jordy Smith Cocaine, booze and foreign discos sounds like a wild night, but these are the things distracting the top surfers in the world as they compete around the globe in contests.~ These factors also must be taken into consideration when setting your line up for Fantasy Surfer because it is well known and documented that more than a few of the top surfers keep late hours on the piss and marching powder. There is no such thing as a curfew check in the world of professional surfing and in many contests the lack of one prevents some of the top names from getting solid results. Drugs, booze and loose women make Fantasy Surfer one of the hardest “get it right” fantasy games in the world of sports. Fantasy Surfer hosted by Surfer Magazine at www.fantasysurfer.com is a growing fantasy league in the world of professional surfing. It boasts over 90,000 participants. It is similar to most fantasy sports, in that you select a roster prior to each event. The “season” consists of twelve contests held in various parts of the world. Some of these locations include France, South Africa, Brazil, Australia, Hawaii, Tahiti and southern California. The team selection is based on a payroll. Each players starts with a bank of $50 million and with that cash you are able to select a team of eight competitors. Top competitors like Kelly Slater, Mick Fanning and Taj Burrow fetch between $10-12 million, while middle guys like Taylor Knox and the Hobgood twins get about $7 million and the perennial bottom feeders like Mick Cambell and Neco Padaratz cost in the $3 million range. To top out the list, there are always a few local wildcards going for $300,000. Usually those are the guys used to fill out your roster when you are broke and surprisingly their knowledge of the wave sometimes makes them the best bargain available. With three contests down the usual guys are at the tops, but one surprise being Jadson Andre from Brazil. The newcomer won that last contest in his home country which vaulted him to a number four ranking and as a result his fantasy cost has risen. I did not have him picked and I really never do well when selecting a team for the Brazil contest. It’s proximity to the source (Bolivia, Colombian and Peru) combined with the Brazilian female contingency that run amuck at contest sites has caused many a top surfer to spend their time in Brazil holed up in a hotel room with a pile of powder and a few hot babes instead of focusing on their upcoming heats. Can you blame them? Next up, the Jeffery’s Bay, South Africa contest held between July 15th and the 25th. The right hand point is considered one of the wonders of the world of surfing. A long right where leg strength and speed are a prerequisite for any type of success. I am looking for the top guys to have solid results. There are not blow peddlers on every corner and hot women running around in g strings (sorry bru) on the beach, so this contest will have far less casualties than in some of the other contest locations. I am going with a team of regular footers and hoping for the best. My line up - Kelly Slater - focused and on a roll and his 18 year old girlfriend has him feeling like a grom again Andy Irons - if he can stay clean or at least 1/2 way clean, he could be back on track Mick Fanning - speed he has, power he is getting - always dangerous in long rights Patrick Guadauskas - surfing well and we need another CA tour main stay Brett Simpson - I am from HB, I have to go with him Travis Logie - the lone goofy footer on my team, but he is from South Africa and that will help Jordy Smith - confidence of a vet - combining new school tricks and old school power - back at home in South Africa Wild card - pick one up for cheap right before the contest Patrick Reilly is not a grom. He is actually the Fantasy Surfer Editor @TheFantasyFix.com. Email - Patrick@thefantasyfix.com Tags: Fantasy Surfing, Fantasy Surfer, Fantasy Sports Advice, Fantasy Sports Blog, The Fantasy Fix, Kelly Slater, Jordy Smith, Jadson Andre, Patrick Guadauskas, Brett Simpson, Travis Logie, Andy Irons, Mick Fanning, Patrick Reilly, Taj Burrow, Neco Padaratz, Taylor Knox, Damien Hobgood, CJ Hobgood, Fantasy Surfer, Jeffery's Bay |
