FANTASY FOOTBALL

 Join up, Log In, Play against your favourites. 

Draft Wednesday Evening. 

Click here 

or here 

  https://football.fantasysports.yahoo.com/f1/460591/invitation?key=6cb4ae5ff6685f06&soc_trk=lnk&ikey=1a085c02d38e366e

Rumpole tip- Denver and Atlanta QBs are real good late round value picks. Avoid Kyler Murray. 

FANTASY FOOTBALL DRAFT TODAY (SUNDAY)

 The world famous REGJB Fantasy Football draft is TODAY (Sunday) at 5pm  (last year there was a conspiracy and the time was changed and Rumpole missed the draft). 

And by the luck of the draw  Rumpole is drafting .....NUMBER ONE. 

"Luck is the residue of design" 

            Vince Lombardi. 

WHO SHOULD WE PICK NUMBER ONE? Receiver seems to be the top choice. But never underestimate a great kicker. 

FOOTBALL 2022

 There are important things like judicial races (and candidates like Renier De La Portilla who don't believe in the presumption of innocence) and then there is Football. Are you ready for some football? 

SURVIVOR POOL 

For a record breaking 30th year* the earth quaking, booty shaking, Fake Alex Michaels pick making,      viagra takin, world famous E STREET BAND Justice Building Survivor pool returns!

You know the rules. Send an email to FBpool12@gmail.com to play. Last year's champion Feet of Clay Kaeiser looks to repeat. Retired Judge Jon Colby, currently in Miami, and a long-time enthusiastic player,  was the runner up. Colby can taste hosting the famous Rumpole Survivor Pool Trophy**.  But as we all know it takes a combination of luck and skill to outwit, out last and out survive a deep and talented pool of experienced football survivor pool players.  So send an email to FBpool12@gmail.com and answer this simple riddle: who am I? I am running for Judge. I have sent a flyer attacking a siting judge for being racially targeted and wrongfully arrested while in college although I well know he was exonerated shortly after his arrest, and I do not believe in the presumption of innocence.  Hint: Fidel Castro has endorsed his candidacy. 

Solve the riddle and become a SP playa! 

The rules are simple. You pick one team every week to win. No spread. Just a win. You get one pass for any week you like. There are in-season contests to get you more passes and an extra special extra life. 

First week;s contest. The season kicks off with the Super Bowl Champ LA Rams playing the Super Bowl contender Buffalo Bills. Person(s) closest to the point total wins an extra week's pass. This means if the Bills win 35-34 and you guessed 69, you win.  Any player getting the exact score correct (ie., Bills 9 Rams 6- if that is the exact score at the end of the game you get a second life in survivor pool) wins the extra life bonus. For the judges that are playing, a week's pass allows you to safely sit on the sidelines for a week and automatically advance to the next week. Send an email to  FBpool12@gmail.comand you will automatically be added to the list. And don't forget to send your week one pick.  We are really serious about the  FBpool12@gmail.com address. We will NOT register you or accept any picks to our regular email.  Several blogger/SEC/ European Union rules prohibit running contests from an award-winning blogger's email address (and it causes us too much confusion mixing blogger tips with football picks). 

FANTASY FOOTBALL

Long time player De la Over is chomping at the bit to play this season. He lost in the finals to yours truly although he was the favorite and had the stronger team. But as Vince Lombardi once said "luck is the residue of design" and although we had a rough start to the season, we stuck with our team, tweaked our lineup, and held true to the strategy of drafting kicker, defense, backup kicker, in the first three rounds.*** Sounds counter intuitive to all those "grab running backs first" players, but you cannot argue with success. Watch these pages for the signup info for the league and the all important draft day. The more players the merrier.  MDLO was the de-facto and de-jure commissioner last year, helping us run the league, and we will be imposing upon his good nature for the same this year. 

*Hyperbole. We don't remember when we started this, but it was a long time ago.

**More Hyperbole. No such trophy exists. 

*** This only works when you use our patented KD (kicker defense) scoring system where field goals are awarded 9 points for under 30 yards and 11 points between 31-50 and 17 points over 50 yards and 11 points for each sack and Int a defense records. We often threaten this in our league, but after an outcry we always go back to the standard and mundane  PPR scoring system. 

PRISONER'S DILEMMA 2.0

 We won ALL of our bets yesterday that we publicly posted publicly Raiders +2.5; Steeler/Ravens Under 42.5; Jets +16.5; and  Jags +15.5. No other tout publicly post their picks and has the record we have. We don't just have a talent for trying cases. 

We also WON our FF championship game, 155-108 against De La Fins. It was a little skill and a lot of luck and we will take being lucky over being good any day of the week. It's why we play the lottery.  We are the first TWO TIME REGJB FF LEAGUE CHAMPION. That and eleven bucks gets us a Latte and a muffin at Starbucks. 

If you stayed up and watched the last game of the 2021 regular season you saw Game Theory and Prisoner's Dilemma at work. The game went to overtime naturally. In OT both teams scored a FG, and with less than two minutes less, with the game tied, the Raiders had the ball at midfield. If the game ends in a tie, BOTH the Raiders and the Chargers make the playoffs. But neither team could communicate their intentions. The best result was a cooperative strategy, but neither team could afford to cooperate for the tie, because if the other team did not cooperate, the cooperative team would lose. 

We (as criminal defense attorneys, not us personally) face this situation all the time in co-defendant cases. If both clients remain silent and proceed to trial they can often do better than if both plead guilty. But with the advent and imposition of minimum mandatory penalties in state court, and the general trial tax in federal court, the prosecutors and judges have managed to tilt the playing field, jeopardizing the Sixth Amendment right to trial, and rewarding the first in the door to surrender.

There are mathematical solutions to this formula. However, while they apply in investment and business decisions, it is harder to apply them to individual cases and clients where individual lives are at stake. 

For now, if you listened to our tried and true advice and avoided setting cases for trial in the first two weeks of January- made easier by the Omicron unofficial ban (it has to be unofficial because the Florida Supreme Court, locked behind large wooden and hermetically sealed doors in Tallahassee cannot understand why fifty or sixty people would have an issue showing up in a small and windowless room for a jury selection)- then you are set up to try a whole bunch of cases between February (when Omicron hopefully has burned itself out) and the Memorial Day -July Fourth start of summer vacations. 

Until then, stay safe, wear your mask, and bet as much as you can afford on our playoff picks. We are on a roll.  

QUESTIONABLE COVID DECISIONS

 Federal Judges are canceling jury trials. See DOM's blog here.  McDonalds is closing      in- restaurant dinning. Our Starbucks has closed in-store ordering, eating and drinking for over a year. 

You know who is up and running and ignoring Covid like an Oklahoma preacher? Miami-Dade County Court, that's who! Last week they had TWO jury trials. One covered by Ace Herald Reporter David Ovalle involved a serious charge against a police officer. The case fell apart when the main evidence was altered or doctored once in the custody of the State Attorneys Office, the irony being the officer was charged with falsifying official documents. No word on whether that hot mess will be re-tried. The OTHER jury trial in County Court last week was ....wait for it...A RECKLESS DRIVING CHARGE!! Not a DUI where the jury came back with a reckless verdict. The actual charge was reckless driving. Jurors were called from the community down to a Justice Building Courthouse which has been glowing red-hot with covid all summer. Court personnel, a Judge, clerks, a court reporter were all brought into a courtroom -and they RISKED THEIR LIVES TO TRY A RECKLESS DRIVING CASE. 

TALK ABOUT BEING RECKLESS! 

Folks, this is madness, pure and simple. 

We have a Delta Variant 100X more virulent than the original disease. We have breakthrough infections of people vaccinated- including several well known REGJB lawyers- and we have people dying. What we should NOT be doing is trying reckless driving cases before juries. Period. End of discussion. 

Speaking of the Delta Variant, The REGJB Fantasy Football league kicked off another exciting season with a draft Sunday. Drafting in the 9th spot- Rumpole's team- The Delta Variant (because we cannot be stopped) nabbed Saquon Barkley, Cooper Kupp and Najee Harris with the first three picks. The second overall rated QB- Josh Allen- was nabbed by us in round four- talk about value- and top-rated TE Tyler Higbee fell right into our lap in round six. And yet...and yet...Yahoo rated our draft a C+. Well ladies and gentleman, they do not decide the title on pre-season rakings. You have to play the game. 

Johnny's Sack- managed by a very experienced FF player was Yahoo's top rated player in our draft. Kudos to getting the top TE Travis Kelce,  but here is a few things JS is going to learn- Dak Prescott is done; never pick a Cincinnati  WR or a Jax RB (he has several), and the problem with Steeler WRs is that they have too many good ones. There will be no breakout star despite JS drafting one of their best- Dionate Johnson. 

Everyone's fav Judge loaded up on WRs- he has eight of them, and some questionable Dolphin players, but then again his team is called De la Fins. 

Good luck to everyone. The race for second place is on. 

THE SURVIVOR POOL IS BEING FILLED. The water is being added; the chairs set-up. Watch this space for the "everybody in the pool" whistle. 

THERE IS NO JOY IN MUDVILLE (OR CHAMBERS)

The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the De La O eleven on Sunday:
The score stood 135 to 124, with but one day more to play,
And then when Gordon ran for 9, and Gronkowski did worse with 4,
A pall-like silence fell upon the Judge whose eyes were cast upon on the floor

A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest
Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast;
They thought, “If only De La O could but get a whack at that—
We’d put up even money now, with De La Oat the bat.”

And Winston threw for 38, and Evans caught 28 more,
But those totals were answered by Pat Mahomes throwing for 33 and his wide receiver Hill getting 34;
So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat,
For there seemed but little chance of De La O getting to the bat.

But his Seattle D scored 13, and the Judge's kicker 8 more; And Hamilton caught five, and posted 9 upon the board; And Conner ran and got him 12, and Gordon rumbled for 9 more;
And when the dust had lifted
De La O had scored 245, but Rumpole 32 more.

Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell;
It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell;
It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat,
De La O wasn't done and was advancing to the bat. For T Hilton his wide receiver had not yet played a down And with Andrew Luck throwing perhaps Rumpole would finally frown
There was ease in De La O's manner as he managed his team all year;
There was pride in the Judge's bearing and a smile lit upon his face.
And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat,
No stranger in the crowd could doubt ‘twas De La O at the bat.

Ten thousand eyes were on him as he chose his players well;
Five thousand mouse's clicked to wish him very well;
Then the final game began - a season on the line.
From the stands full with people, there went up a muffled
  roar,
Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore;
They needed Luck to throw the ball to Ty Hilton ever more;
Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light;
And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children
     shout,
But there is no joy in Mudville—or in Judges' chambers throughout Hilton did not catch the ball; The Mighty De La O has struck out! Rumpole- 299; De La O: 253 For those of you who want to read the original poem Casey At The Bat by Earnest Thayer, 1888, click here. Consolation (set of steak knives) bracket: Johnny S- 295 - Mia Courthouse Rules- 127 (for the record, in the championship series, Rumpole outscored everyone). Rumpole is the Champion of the 2018 Justice Building Fantasy Football League.

IF

It's Championship Sunday for the REGJB Fantasy Football league. After part one last week, Rumpole (Boo! Hiss) magnificently managed his injured underdogs to squeak out a 135-124 lead. But that lead didn't materialize until the final quarter of the Sunday night game, and for most of the day the teams battled to an even draw.  
So don't count Judge De La O out yet. He's even headed when all those around him are losing theirs. He needs a big game from his up again/down again TE Gronkowski, while Rumpole needs his RBs who let him down last week to return to their former greatness. It will all be over by the end of Sunday's night game. 
Will the Judge strike a blow for all robed readers who have silently suffered the slings and arrows of Rumpolian abuse, mock, and scorn all these years? 
Or will Rumpole prove what he has always said? The judiciary cannot hold a candle to a good lawyer who is well prepared and motivated to prevail? 


IF You can meet with triumph and disaster
And treat those two imposters the same....

Our Millennials, our robed readers, and even worse- our robed readers who are Millennials- probably have not perused poetry and Rudyard Kipling's poem IF. So to assuage their short-comings and communicate with them in their preferred medium (You-Tube Videos) and in keeping with Championship Sunday, we present the following by John Facenda who was...never mind, it takes too long to tell. Just enjoy.  And although it is quite out of character for us to say it, we wish our worthy opponent the best of luck on the field of battle today. 







(He's going to need it. You didn't really  think we could end this without a cheap shot, did you?) 

IT'S ON!

It's the matchup everyone expected and everyone wanted. Today, the championship round of the REGJB Justice League Fantasy Football concludes with the Honorable Judge De La O and his De La Fins taking on yours truly and his rag-tag band of players on the MAGA-MAGA team.
It's been a year of streaks for Rumpole, winning the first two games, then losing the next three, before superior managing skills righted the ship and his team tore off nine straight wins, for a 11-3 record. 
So who will win today? The respected and bespectacled jurist, with a  quiet and steady hand and who is known for the monk-like intensity  he brings to any problem- legal or fantasy-football related? Or the brash, outspoken, robe-dissin blogger who came from no-where to shock the league and  whom legions of judges are rooting against? 

This is season is a story of Qbs and RBs. De La Fins made a solid pick in Saints QB Brees, and then a late round stunner of Steeler RB James Conner who emerged as a true superstar when Pittsburgh let their superstar RB Bell walk. But in a late season set-back, Conner went down and De La O quickly nabbed off the free agent list his rookie replacement who merely tore up the Patriots for 144 yards  last week. Does De la O and his RB have one more breakout performance in him which could push the Judge over the top and allow him bragging rights for the year? 
Or will Rumpole's dynamic combo of breakouts- QB Patrick Mahomes and  rookie RB Barkley- come through once again and give Rumpole the 70-80 points this dynamic duo have provided in his remarkable run to the top of the Justice League?
The Steeler- Saints matchup is the 4:15 game, while the Chief play the late Sunday night game at 8, so this matchup will go into the wee hours of the weekend. And all eyes are on Rumpole as his ponders what to do with the injury to one of his top WRs - Steeler JuJu Schuster-Smith who has a nagging groin injury but who bravely tweeted yesterday to all of his FF owners that he was a go today and he would not let them down in the championship week?

Meanwhile back at the courthouse...
courtesy of FACDL prez Carmen Vizcaino who never rests, is this lineup of judges and coverage for the end of the year:

XMAS WEEK

1. Judge Simon will cover Zilber (5) then Del Pino (16) then her own (1) on 12/24.  She will cover Johnson (9) then Del Pino (16) then her own (1) on 12/26-12/28.

2. Judge Fine will cover Wolfson (21) then Venzer (11) then his own (2) all week.

3. Judge Zilber will cover Diaz (21) then his own (5) on 12/26-12/28.

4. Judge Multack will cover Hersch (13) then Diaz (20) then his own (6) on 12/24. Judge Multack will cover Hersch (13) then his own (6) on 12/26-12/28.

5.Judge Glick will cover Milian (18) then her own (12) all week.

6.  Judge M. Hirsch will cover Schlesinger (19) then his own (14) on 12/24.  Judge M. Hirsch will cover Schlesinger (19) then Miranda (7) then his own (14) on 12/26-12/28.

7.Judge Walsh will cover Hendon (4) then her own (15) on 12/26-12/28.

8. Judge Tinkler Mendez will cover Blumstein (17) then Rodriguez-Fonts (10) then Ward (3).

 (On Xmas eve only, Judge Rudolph will be available for backup in case one of the other judges cannot make it because of foggy conditions. Ho. Ho. Ho.)

WEEK OF 12/31 AND 2019

1. Judge Fine will cover Zilber (5) then Del Pino (16)  then his own (2) on 12/31.  Judge Fine will cover Del Pino (16)  then his own (2) on 1/2-1/4.

2. Judge Ward will cover Hersch (13) then Diaz (20) then her own (3) on 12/31. Judge Ward will cover Hersch (13) then her own (3) on 1/2.

3.Judge Zilber will cover Diaz (21) then his own (5) on 1/2-1/4.

4. Judge Multack will cover Wolfson (21) then Venzer (11) then his own (6) all week.

5. Judge M. Hirsch will cover Simon (1) then Miranda (7) then his own (14) all week.

6. Judge Milian will cover Walsh (15) then Rodriguez-Fonts (10) then his own (18) all week.

7.Judge Tinkler Mendez will cover Blumstein (17) then Johnson (9) on 12/31 only. 

FOOTBALL FOOTBALL FOOTBALL

It's that time of year again, when a Cleveland Brown's fan turns to thoughts of playoffs and that elusive Super Bowl. Why are we picking on the Browns? Because they are our sleeper this year. Forget the Manzel mania. Brian Hoyer is the QB to lead them to the promised land. The Browns have talent, a tough defense and a very very underrated QB in Hoyer. 

It's also that time of year that REGJB regulars put their money where their mouth is about their Football prowess in winning the coveted SURVIVOR  Pool title and the Fantasy Football title, two services that we provide, much against our philosophy, free of charge as an altruistic service to our fellow man and woman. 


SURVIVOR POOL: Hop in, the water is cool. The rules are simply, but devious.  Just pick one winner outright every week. Once you pick that team, you cannot pick that team again for the rest of the year. Sounds easy.....

To register to play, write your name and email address on the back of a hundred dollar bill and mail it to..... (that's an old joke from the Car Talk guys)

To register to play, send an email to FBpool12@gmail.com  and in the subject line write: LABJD&D  - which means- and you don't have to write this: "lawyers against broward judges drinking & driving."

FANTASY FOOTBALL. 
We have confirmed players so far, David O Markus with a K, Judge De La O(ver), Rumpole, Mike "The Commish" Greico,  and Rumpole. We are sure Richard Baron will confirm shortly. David Ovalle is ducking us like the San Diego Chicken. 

David Ovalle? 

If you got an invite/email from the league, RESPOND. If you want to play, or played last year and changed your email, send us an email (any of our emails) and we will add you.
We have plenty of room, so join up and play against your favourite judge, lawyer, but unfortunately, not your favourite media star. 

COMING MONDAY: FACDL LISTSERV: IT'S WAR!