To subscribe to DERRICH.com by email, please enter your email address into the following field and click "Submit"
Don Banks. Your logical assessment of Matt Schaub is wrong!
This weekend in my fantasy football discussion, I chose Matt Schaub to be one of this season’s sleepers. I’ll admit…my estimation is based on his college experience and a little hope. And I like to pull for the underdog. Last year, my rants involved J.P. Losman who actually didn’t have such a bad season last year. Of course, the constant ribbing from my friends only added to the satisfaction that I by the end of the season, I wasn’t completely full of it.
No doubt he has alot of weight riding on his shoulders. I mean…this is the team that passed up on Reggie Bush and Vince Young to draft Mario Williams. No offense, Mario (hey, man…you mind if I ride in your Veyron sometime?). This is the team that hasn’t made any notable improvements to its offense line. The Texans even remark at the offensive line issue on their website. These unexplainable moves (or lack thereof) give new meaning to the phrase “Houston, we have a problem”.
Don Banks is a sports writer for SI.com. Today he writes about “Schaub’s tough task” in Houston as the Texans’ QB.
[Matt Schaub] is getting his first shot as a starter in his fourth NFL season. Schaub started two games for the Falcons in his three years in Atlanta, but he made his name as a starter-in-waiting, largely based on his performance in one game, just as Johnson did. In October 2005, Schaub started at home in place of Michael Vick against the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, whose defense was fairly well decimated against the run at the time, with the likes of Monty Beisel and Chad Brown in the starting lineup.
Schaub was boffo in a 31-28 loss, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns, for a eye-popping 112.1 QB rating. But he owns just one other start in the NFL (also a loss), and his six career touchdown passes and six interceptions have helped result in a ho-hum 69.2 passer rating, with a 52.2 completion percentage.
Let’s throw out those solid facts for a second and just say I have faith in the guy. And basing his future on his performance in 2 games isn’t necessarily practical either. With a slew of weapons to throw to, I think Schaub will have ample opportunity to move the ball down the field effectively…once he learns to throw the ball within 2 seconds. 
I think I took offense when Don compared Matt to Brad Johnson. Don, please don’t compare Matt Schaub to Brad Johnson again. And I won’t compare you to Ethan Skolnick. Be sure to read the rest of Don Banks’ article at SI.com.
 |
Speaking of QBs From Atlanta…
Just when you thought Michael Vick has been picked on enough…enter the Vick Dog Chew Toy. At $10.99 plus $2.00 for shipping & handling, it’s a steal. The creators of this doggie knickknack are donating a portion of these proceeds to various charities. Which charity remains to be seen as “squabbling over charitable donations” has occured.
Unlike Vick, our manufacturer is so sure of its durability they guarantee it against the most playful dog destruction. It Bends. It Bounces. It Flies. It Floats. And best of all, it lasts through the whole season and more!
I completely expect to see these guys on The Big Idea With Donnie Deutsch. Why didn’t I think of that???
Popularity: 3% [?]
My brother, Jason, made a video for his friend, Aaron, who was recently in Argentina. I’m not sure what he was thinking, but if you enjoy South Park-ish humor, you’ll like this video. He’s also the man behind the Spurs celebration video. If you’re watching this at work, be sure to turn the volume down. It’s rated R for a few choice words he threw in there. Enjoy.
Popularity: 1% [?]
This month’s revenues have taken a small dive. July 2007 was a busy month for me…particularly with the progressive opening of Retox Bar. While I’ve continued to make regular contributions to Derrich.com, I haven’t been able to go out of my way to take advantage of my #1 revenue source: PayPerPost. It is important to stay on top of the list of review opportunities. Failure to do so will surely impact your earning potential…unless you don’t mind doing a number of $5.00 reviews. AdSense remained about the same.
Last month, I mentioned that some bloggers were reporting a notable decline directly following Google’s elimination of arbitrageurs. Mine increased. While many bloggers noticed a significant increase in AdSense revenue for July 2007, my AdSense earnings decreased despite increased traffic.
The PayPerPost reviews I did happen to complete once again brought a steady stream of high-eCPM ads. Some of those posts included topics such as financial responsibility for teens, drug rehab, and traveling to Jamaica.
Here are my blogging revenues for June 2007:
| Google AdSense: | $46.43 |
| Text Link Ads: | $22.40 |
| PayPerPost: | $164.50 |
| AuctionAds: | $1.01 |
| AzoogleAds: | $0.00 |
| Amazon Associates: | $0.68 |
| Advertising on brohans.com: | ($4.00) |
| TOTAL: | $231.02 |
My TLA revenues remained flat. Although I set a goal to improve this source of revenue, I was unable to lure new advertisers to Derrich.com. If you guys have any suggestions on how I can sell my remaining inventory of 9 sidebar ads, I’d greatly appreciate it. Much of the problem is likely from the fact that my content isn’t specialized, which is understandable. But I know a few “general” blogs that have sold more ads than I have, so I know it can be done.
Thank you!
Once again a big thank you to my Top Commentators for July. They included Urbanist, Gregg Hawkins, Matt Propst, Derek Semmler, Brown Baron, and Ed Lau. So don’t forget, U Comment, I Follow…and keep ‘em comin’. Special thanks to sponsor, StockTrak.com for its continued support of Derrich.com.
Please share your blog success with us, and any practices or secrets you have applied to your own blog to increase your monthly revenues.
Popularity: 3% [?]
The preseason hasn’t even begun and my main league’s fantasy football draft is this Sunday. As often as I watch NFL Total Access and Inside Training Camp for each team…and Sportscenter…to prepare for this day, I’ve realized you’re never as prepared as you want to be.
Drafting strategies take many forms. A majority of fantasy footballers draft as many “skill” players as they can starting with running backs. I, on the other hand, take a different approach. I draft RB, QB, WR, WR/RB, TE, WR/RB, DEF, K for my first 6 or 7 picks. I try to get as many of the best in that position before anyone else. It’s a risky strategy because if you’re marquee player gets hurt, it’s likely your backup player is a scrub. To mitigate that risk, I watch for moves, injuries, etc like a hawk with the hopes of securing a worthy replacement for a potential injury or bye week. So far, my strategy has worked like a charm. I’ve finished either 1st or 2nd in the regular season each year…except last year (thanks, Shaun Alexander).
I thought I’d post my top 3 favs in each position for this post, but I don’t want to give away any hints for my league opponents before the draft. I will, however, list a few sleepers for each position.
My Rookie Sensation pick is Adrian Peterson, although Calvin Johnson will be strong. Sorry Jamarcus and Brady. You guys have to actually sign deals before you can play. Don’t matta much anyhow. I’ll be waiting to see what Kevin Kolb and Drew Stanton do when they get their shot.
Popularity: 2% [?]
That’s Nine Hundred, Sixty-Seven Thousand toys! Just about 2 months after the Thomas The Tank Engine recall for lead paint, enter Mattel to recall approximately 967,000 toys that contain “excessive levels of lead paint”. A majority of the toys are Dora, Diego, and Sesame Street figures. I don’t think my little one has any of these, but I can assure you we’re checking as you read this.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. (To access color photos of the following recalled products, see CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.)
The recalled involves various figures and toys that were manufactured between April 19, 2007 and July 6, 2007 and were sold alone or as part of sets. The model names and product numbers for the recalled toys, which are all marked with “Fisher-Price,†are listed below. The toys also have a date code between 109-7LF and 187-7LF marked on the product.
The following list of toys and product numbers are included in the recall:
Read the rest of this entry »
Popularity: 2% [?]
Ok. So, it has been a couple of months since I’ve posted my thoughts on the stock market. For those of you that have been following the stock market closely, there have been a number of opportunities to buy and many shifts in focus with regard to industry. Technology stocks are back. Great. I’m glad I started my IRA in a Technology-specific fund right before the sector’s steep decline. Lesson learned. I’m ready to play again; more on that later.
The chart below is the Derrich.com portfolio as I left it since the last Stock Watch on May 21, 2007. As you can tell alot has happened since then.
| Symbol | (thru 05/31) |
(thru 08/01) |
|||
| AGII | |||||
| COH | |||||
| DEO | |||||
| DOW | |||||
| FMS | |||||
| GPX | |||||
| KCI | |||||
| MOT | |||||
| Q | |||||
| SGU | |||||
| SIFY | |||||
| SIX | |||||
| YHOO |
With so many changes in the prices of the stocks above, we’ll get rid of a few and add others in their place. Out with MOT, SIX, SIFY, and FMS. In come the following.
| Symbol | |||
| SUNW | |||
| HPQ | |||
| UA |
*Last Trade as of market close on 08/01/2007. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Moral of this story? Don’t leave your portfolio unattended. This is why many people opt to use a stock broker or financial advisor. If you can’t commit to the time necessary to do our due diligence, get some help from an expert. For me personally, opening Retox Bar in addition to my “day job” and my blogging has caused me to neglect the Stock Watch…to do the necessary research to make a worthwhile analysis.
Sun On The Horizon
Sun Microsystems (NASDAQ: SUNW) was one of the dogs of the Technology sector since the stock peaked back in September 1, 2000 when it closed at $128.63. Now at just over $5 per share, it is being hailed by some as a steal. Sun has reported 3 straight quarters of profit and a stronger Balance Sheet despite an increase in long-term debt. And Sun plans to use $3 billion of its nearly $6 billion in cash to repurchase stock over the next few years. Perhaps we’ll find out more on Sept 5th in New York when the company holds its financial analyst meeting. As Jim Cramer so lucidly explains in the following video, Sun has accomplished its new found “green” by being a better manager of its operating costs…because it sure isn’t a significant increase in revenues. And don’t just pay attention to Erin Burnett. Listen to what Sun Microsystems CEO, Jonathan Schwartz, has to say about why his company is a good candidate for your portfolio. Think…international exposure.
Gotta love the Jim Cramer strongarm interrogation to get the answers when you need em. I’ve always wondered why he doesn’t “push # on your keypad to ask a question” during the call.
Despite uncertainties with regard to what Sun will do with its cash, and whether or not the company will grow its revenues more considerably, I’m putting all my chips on Sun. If you want to do your own research, check out this list of tech stock sectors for recent performance. You can drill down into each specific sector for a list of stocks. As always, I’m open to your picks as well, and will consider including those in future analyses.
Popularity: 6% [?]
Like most BlogCatalog users, I recently received this email from the BlogCatalog crew about a new contest they are holding.
During the past 6 months BlogCatalog has grown from a little known blog directory into one of the best known blogger social communities on the Internet. One of the main reasons for this growth is you. Everyday we receive new ideas and feedback from bloggers. Since many of you already share your ideas with us and we know that all of you have great ideas, we have come up with a challenge to make it more worthwhile and fun for you to share your feedback. To do this, we have created the BlogCatalog Big Idea Challenge.
The BlogCatalog Big Idea Challenge is a contest for the best ideas to improve BlogCatalog. To enter, come up with an idea that you believe will make BlogCatalog the most extraordinary Blogger Social Community on the Internet.
The Grand Prize winner will be awarded $2,500. With second receiving $500. To enter, submit your ideas via email or regular mail (with links to applicable online presentation if applicable).
Via Email Send To:
webmaster [at] blogcatalog {DoT} com
Via Regular Mail (if applicable):
BlogCatalog
7126 Eckhert Road
Suite 208
San Antonio, TX 78238
Submission Dates:
Open July 12th, 2007
Close August 31st, 2007 (11:59pm EST)
Prize Dates:
Winners will be announced before September 30th, 2007.
Popularity: 2% [?]
© 2008 Derrich.com. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Wordpress and Blog Design.
