November 2013 Fantasy Box Office Results

November 2013 is the first month of the three-month long Quarter 4 (Nov. - Jan.). 
For the rules of Fantasy Box Office, click here.
To see the movies that were drafted for this quarter, click here.

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MOVIE: Free Birds (Pick #12)

PLAYER: O'Keefe

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 23% = 2x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $15.8 = 1 Points

SCORE: 2 Points

MOVIE: Enders Game (Pick #8)

PLAYER: John

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 63% = 4x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $27.0 = 2 Points

SCORE: 8 Points

November 4th Notes

Free Birds performs less than expected for an animated kids movie and starts O'Keefe off with 2 points. John has a little more luck as Enders Game puts John on the board with 8 points. Last Vegas scores 3 points that go unclaimed.
1. John (1/4) - 8 Points // 2. O'Keefe (1/4) - 2 Points // 3. Dougy (0/4) - 0 Points // 3. Mike (0/4) - 0 Points // 3. Sheppard (0/4) - 0 Points

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MOVIE: Thor: The Dark World

PLAYER: Mike

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 65% = 4x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $85.7 = 8 Points

SCORE: 32 Points

November 11th Notes

Mike got the last pick of the first round but still scores an impressive 32 points off of Thor. Superhero movies usually perform well at the box office and Marvel adds another success to their brand.

1. Mike (1/4) = 32 Points // 2. John (1/4) = 8 Points // 3. Matt (1/4) = 2 Points // 4. Dougy (0/4) = 0 Points // 4. Sheppard (0/4) = 0 Points

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November 18th Notes

The Best Man Holiday scores a surprising 12 points. No one claimed this movie.

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MOVIE: Hunger Games: Catching Fire (#1 Pick)

PLAYER: Dougy

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 89% = 5x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $150.8 = 15 Points

SCORE: 75 Points

November 25th Notes

Hunger Games: Catching Fire had the fourth largest opening of all time and the largest since we've started playing Fantasy Box Office. It's 75 point haul passes Gravity's 50 points as the highest score since we began Fantasy Box Office.
1. Dougy (1/4) = 80 Points // 2. Mikael (1/4) = 32 Points // 3. John (1/4) = 8 Points // 4. Matt (1/4) = 2 Points // 5. Sheppard (0/4) = 0 Points

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MOVIE: Oldboy (Pick #16)

PLAYER: Mike

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 42% = 3x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $0.8 = 0 Points

SCORE: 0 Points

MOVIE: Frozen (Pick #3)

PERSON: John

ROTTEN TOMATOES SCORE: 84% = 5x

BOX OFFICE GROSS: $66.7 = 6 Points

SCORE: 30 Points

December 2nd Notes

Oldboy completely bombs at the box office, not even scoring a million points. Goose Egg Mike's score won't be hurt too bad because of the success of Thor, but his next two picks will have to do better if he hopes to advance. John wisely picked Frozen and it payed off big. Animated children's movies always do well and the holiday boost helps even more.
1. Dougy (1/4) = 75 Points // 2. John (2/4) = 38 Points // 3. Mike (2/4) = 32 Points // 4. O'Keefe (1/4) = 2 Points // 5. Sheppard (0/4) = 0 Points

Marquette's Rough California Night

It seems like almost all prominent college basketball teams take their talents to a warm weather or big city location to play in a holiday tournament featuring games that can really improved their non-conference resume come March. Marquette played in the Wooden Legacy where they made it to the final to play San Diego State after they upset Creighton making it a de facto road game for the Golden Eagles. They fell for the third time this season losing 67-59 in a game marred with a combination of bad officiating and Marquette not being able to capitalized when it mattered the most. 

When teams lose close games, it is simple to blame officials. In fact, it is the easiest thing to do because it diverts the blame off the players at hand. The officials in last night's affair between the two squads were awful, there is no real way to sugarcoat it. Jeff Triplette looks like a goddamn officiating genius compared to these three in Anaheim on Sunday night. There is bad officiating all over college and professional sports, but when it is blatantly obvious to the viewer at home, you wonder how is this possible? Further, if it becomes a lopsided effort where one team suffers more costing them the win, the defeat becomes more depressing. 

The two worst calls obviously came late in the game when they mattered the most to Marquette. After a strong defensive possession, Winston Shepard, San Diego State's highly touted 2012 recruit, rose up for a three only get 'fouled' by Jake Thomas. After the replay, Thomas was being held like a defensive lineman and only reached to attempt to alter Shepard's shot. He would make two of three free throws giving San Diego State two point lead.

 On the very next possession, the second bad call came when Deonte 'Bane' Burton had the ball on the baseline and started to go to the lane with a San Diego State player flopping in the process of the play. Burton lost control of the ball when the ball hit off an Aztec player, not Deonte's foot. On the subsequent possession, Shepard scored again pushing San Diego State's lead to four with under two minutes left to play.  Both calls killed Marquette's chances at winning last night yet they were not the end all be all of their struggles.  

The officials were not the only problem with Marquette on Sunday evening. They missed 10 free throws throughout the game, and that proved to be the difference. Only Steve Taylor Jr. was perfect from the charity stripe meaning seven Marquette players missed at least one free throw attempt. For the season, Marquette has one game where they have shot over 70 percent from the free-throw line meaning Golden Eagles are missing right around four free throws per every 10 they shoot.  This is not a good sign for a team who prides themselves on getting to the line. Further, usually poor free-throw shooting cannot be fixed which should be worrisome for Marquette.

Another major issue with Marquette's performance yesterday was the second-chance points for San Diego State. While the rebounding does not look one sided on the box score, it felt like the Aztecs got every rebound possible including a brutal tip-in late in the game after Marquette had already allowed one offensive rebound. I see this as a blip on the radar. San Diego State is a physical team and not having Davante Gardner at 100 percent probably plays into why the Aztecs dominated glass on Sunday. Further, this was the first time they played a true zone and it was clear Marquette had some confusion on the defense end was to whom to box out.

Marquette now has three losses to begin the year. They still have tough games against Wisconsin and New Mexico in December meaning they could have five losses before they get to conference play. Marquette needs one of those wins at the very least to improve their non-conference resume. Saturday against Wisconsin is not a must-win, but the game carries even more importance than just being a rivalry.

Charlie. 

Rob Ford Enjoyed Buffalo Bills in Toronto

Buffalo Bills did their annual trip to Toronto as they have been for the last five years. Buffalo has only won one game in that span, and they were screwed by a questionable pass interference call with about two minutes left to go in the game. But good news, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford made an appearance at the game decked out in Bills jersey and he was pretty photogenic plus he stole Mark Mays, a famous? songwriter seats, standard day for Robbie Ford.  

Rob Ford is sitting in my seat at the Bills game. He stole my seat. I don't know what to do.
— Matt Mays (@MattMays) December 1, 2013

I have to kick him out right? It's awkward. I'm by myself.
— Matt Mays (@MattMays) December 1, 2013

I have to kick him out right? It's awkward. I'm by myself.
— Matt Mays (@MattMays) December 1, 2013

The mayor stole my f@#%ing seat man!!
— Matt Mays (@MattMays) December 1, 2013

Rob doesn't look to be about that selfie life. 

Charlie. 

Auburn's Second November Miracle

College Football has a way with theatrics. Whether it is a bowl game like Miami-Ohio State in 2002, Boise State-Oklahoma or a regular season game like the 'Bush Push', 'The Play', it tends to have a thrill for the dramatics. On Saturday, Auburn, Alabama played host to the latest film in college football masterpiece with Auburn beating Alabama, 34-28, winning in the most improbable fashion knocking the Crimson Tide from their third straight National Championship appearance, continuing their dream season and Gus Malzahn's limited dominance of Nick Saban.

Alabama won their last 15 games going into Iron Bowl on Saturday, and to win that many games in a row, you need to execute with precision and near perfection. Alabama played a less than stellar game in all facets of the game starting with their special teams. Cade Foster did his best Kyle French impression by missing three field goals including one that would have gave Alabama a 10 point lead in the final four minutes of the game. This would lead to an Auburn touchdown on the next game tying the game. Madness would then happened at Jordan-Hare.

Despite all the struggles with their kicking game, Alabama attempted a 57-yard field goal at the end of the game after Nick Saban received one second on the clock. T.J. Yeldon went out of bounds and the officials correctly gave a second back. It seemed like Saban's deal with the devil was merely just continuing here as they brought in a backup kicker to try and win this game. It fell short leading to senior cornerback Chris Davis taking it back from the end zone throwing the Auburn's crowd in pure pandemonium while Alabama fans could only wonder 'What the f--- just happened.'



It is hard to tell whether Alabama's field goal unit saw Davis head back to the endzone because watching the video, the first Crimson Tide player appears at the 15-yard line and not many after it. As Gary Danielson of CBS noted, 'the team was full of fat guys' meaning Davis had more of a clean path than say on a kick off return. While Rod Bramblett's call is fantastic, nothing is better than a perfect crowd reaction video shot here by Bruce Haynes. He turned on his phone video and all of the natural noise can sum up how much this game meant to the fans.



Many people are calling this 'The greatest game ever' and it is very hard to argue with it even if we can perceive it as 'in the moment' yet think about how much was on the line with National Championship, SEC West and the rivalry itself which is probably the most hated in college football right now. On top of it, Auburn continued their storybook season that feels like it should be an original series from Netflix.

Whenever a team comes out of nowhere, I try to look what I said before the season started and surprisingly, I had nice things to say about the Tigers. My thoughts were 'Malzahn would start to lead this back to prominence,' but I did not see this coming at all. To think Auburn started the season by having to sweat out a home game against Washington State is a testament to college football and the coaching job of Malzahn. Auburn lost one game this season against LSU in late September but since then, they beat the likes of Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Georgia and of course, Alabama. The craziest thing about the Georgia win is it happened in similar miraculous fashion yet it did not have the importance plus the craziness of Saturday's affair. Georgia fans have belated thanks this holiday season. Auburn could end up in the National Championship, and that is something no single person, not even the biggest Tigers fan could fathom on Labor Day. Even for Auburn to play in a January 1st bowl game would have seemed insane at the beginning of the year.

It all starts with Malzahn and ends with Malzahn. We talked about it two weeks ago when Auburn beat Georgia, but he has done a masterful job. One of the things that might be getting overlooked given the nature of the big play on Saturday is how well Malzahn has done against Nick Saban during his time in the SEC. In 2010, Alabama led Auburn 24-0. It seemed like the Tide were dashing Auburn's National Championship hopes and Cam Newton's Heisman bid. Malzahn adjusted the offense at halftime leading the Tigers back to victory in the second half.

Last night, Auburn's running attack dominated Alabama to the point where they had two 100 yard rushers, something that has not happened against the Crimson Tide since 2004 when Mike Shula was the head coach. Saban did not have an answer for Malzahn's potent attack. While this is only two games, not many people get Saban multiple times. Les Miles is the only one other than Malzahn, and technically, he only got him once. Yet this is something to monitor in the coming years in the SEC as Auburn will continue to get better.

Auburn's Athletic Director Jay Jacobs already started campaigning for the National Championship as Auburn has one loss. Yes, the SEC has won seven straight, but if Florida State or Ohio State does not lose next Saturday, Auburn or Missouri for that matter will be on the outside looking in. SEC may have cost themselves an eighth straight National Championship, but they played one of the best games ever. I say that's worth it.

Charlie.

Tap's Trailers: Need For Speed

I refuse to believe this is a real movie. At the same time, I realize this movie has a chance to make a lot of money. Need For Speed is one of the longest-running video games in history. I remember playing it on PlayStation and I think they still make games for it. This is Aaron Paul's first major starring role coming off massive success as arguably one of the biggest supporting roles in television as Jessie Pinkman in Breaking Bad. He seems weirdly perfect for the role, and it will probably be a good way to separate him from the Pinkman character. It also stars Michael Keaton looking like a man who needs a paycheck.

Charlie.

First Taste: TKO (Remix) - Justin Timberlake (Feat. J.Cole, ASAP Rocky & Pusha T)

Justin Timberlake does not really need to do remixes. Usually when people do remixes, it is that they need more popularity whether it be on the radio or with Internet credibility. There are multiple songs where you say 'The song sucked, but the remix was fantastic.'  But JT felt like TKO needed a remix so he added J.Cole ASAP Rocky and Pusha T to the track. He's worked with Pusha before he was just a member of Clipse in the past and Rocky is slowly moving up the charts of hip-hop artists that people want to work with on a regular basis. Cole is an interesting choice but he tends to kill it on these features. Let's get off on the right foot, Tappers.

Charlie.

NFL Picks Week 13: Easy like Sunday Morning

I apologize for not getting these in on Friday. In fact, I apologize for the whole month of November which saw our lowest numbers since March of 2011. I think it had to do with a lot of things and I am sort of changing my philosophy on how we get content to you daily.  Hopefully, we turn it around in December. Enjoy the picks! 


Jacksonville (2-9) at Cleveland (4-7) (-7) 12:00 pm CBS - I have no idea why this spread is seven points. I do not think the Browns are playing good football right now, and Jacksonville seems fairly competent at this point. JAX 19-10

Tennessee (5-6) at Indianapolis (7-4) (-4)   12:00 pm CBS - I cannot put a finger on Indy right now. They are playing very inconsistent, but I cannot take Ryan Fitzpatrick on the road in a meaningful game.
IND 23-17

Chicago (6-5) at Minnesota (2-8-1) (-1) 12:00 pm FOX - As I noted earlier last week, Chicago has given up a total of 197 yards on average in the last five games against the run. If Minnesota uses their gameplan from last week, they win this game. I think they do and Detroit heads into pole position.. MIN 24-21

Miami (5-6) at New York Jets (5-6) (-1) 12:00 pm CBS - Peter King noted this morning Geno Smith did not throw a touchdown in the month of November. Miami is one of the weirdest teams in the NFL. I think they can go on the road and win this thing. MIA 20-14

Arizona (7-4) at Philadelphia (6-5) (-3) 12:00 pm FOX - Best matchup of the early Sunday slate. Arizona is red hot with a great offense. Philadelphia played great leading up to their bye and needs this win to stay with Dallas in the NFC East. I do think Arizona is legit, but I cannot ride with the west coast team traveling east in the cold, I will take Foles and Philly. PHI 28-23

Tampa Bay (3-8) at Carolina (8-3) (-7.5) 12:00 pm FOX - Panthers must not look ahead to New Orleans next week. Tampa is playing good football, but they come back down earth today with a big Cam Newton performance. CAR 30-17

New England (8-3) (-9) at Houston (2-9) 12:00 pm CBS - This I guess was billed as Houston's homecoming game and if that's the case, aren't you supposed to play a bad team? Patriots, big. NE 34-14

Atlanta (2-9) at Buffalo (4-7) (-3) 3:05 pm FOX (Played in Toronto) - Hate that this one is being played in the home of Drake but I digress, I think Atlanta is the worst team in the NFL. Buffalo is good enough to win on the road. BUF 21-13

St. Louis (5-6) at San Francisco (7-4) (-8) 3:05 pm FOX - Interesting affair here. Given Arizona's hot streak, no one is talking about the play of St. Louis. They are playing real good football and gave San Francisco quite the game last year in the Bay Area.  Although the Niners can stop the run and they will to win this football game. SF 16-10

Denver (9-2) (-6) at Kansas City (9-2) 3:25 pm CBS - A game that I feel has lost its luster just a bit with both teams suffering losses last week. It will be a pretty nice day for Peyton Manning as it is 55 degrees in Kansas City. I cannot trust the Chiefs to beat a good opponent plus Justin Houston out hurts this team way more than people think it does in my opinion. DEN 31-27

Cincinnati (7-4) at San Diego (5-6) (-1) 3:25 pm CBS - Woof. I have the slightest clue with this one because San Diego puzzles me and the same for Cincinnati. I have to think Andy Dalton can have a big game on offense, and this defense will be able to control Phillip Rivers. CIN 28-17

New York Giants (4-7) (-1) at Washington (3-8) 7:30 pm NBC - Woof The Sequel. This is not a good football game. I will take Washington because I feel like there is no way they can lay an egg two straight weeks at home on national television. WASH 23-21

New Orleans (9-2) at Seattle (10-1) (-5) 7:30 pm ESPN - I want to pick New Orleans so bad this one. I feel like Seattle is due for a loss, but when the weather is a high of 41 with rain and snow showers, it favors the Seahawks in a major way. I think the spread is too high, but in the end, Seahawks get the victory on a last-second field goal meaning they control the NFC. SEA 20-17

Charlie.