There's only one October!

Dane Cook has me so pumped for the World Series.

Or maybe it's the fact that my childhood team, the Colorado Rockies, is in the fall classic for the first time in franchise history.

But even if it wasn't my favorite professional sports team playing for a world title (and it is, if I didn't mention that), I'd still be watching.

Here are the top 5, Cook-less reasons for watching the 2007 World Series:

5. It's not going to be on TBS: Rockies fans have endured through two series on the "Superstation," whose production of postseason baseball made my cell phone videos look Emmy-worthy. Fox never sounded so good.

4. Josh Beckett vs. Jeff Francis: Beckett may be one of the greatest postseason pitchers ever already in his career. Francis has emerged as the Rockies' true ace. Game 1 will be a can't-miss affair.

3. The Old meets the New: Everyone's heard of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez. But numbers-wise they are no longer far ahead of Rockies' outfielder Matt Holliday. Troy Tulowitzki is also emerging as a superstar at short stop.

2. Destiny vs. Dynasty - The Rockies, winners of 21 of their last 22, have made one of the greatest postseason runs in sports history. Can the magic last or will the Red Sox win their second Series in three years?

1. There's only one October - Not two, not eight, just one. I think Cook would be very upset if you missed this - just a feeling.

And for the record, I've got the Rox over the Sox in 7.

Go Rockies.

Mid-Season Awards

As week eight of the NFLseason wrapped up tonight with a fantastic loss for the Denver Broncos, it is time for the mid-season fantasy awards.

Let's go position-by-position and honor the players who have shown true excellence at their position.

We'll start with the MVP's at each position for the first half of the fantasy football season and then throw in a few extras at the end.

Quarterback: Tom Brady, New England - No argument here. Brady's 259 fantasy points this season in my league is 105 more than the nearest player of any position (Tony Romo, 155).

Running Back: LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego - The number one projected player in most fantasy drafts has - amazingly enough - gotten off to a slow start, and still picked up 845 total yards and 8 TD's.

Wide Receiver: Randy Moss, New England - As much as I'd like to give to just about anyone else, Moss' numbers don't lie: 779 yards, 11 TD's, 115 fantasy points. He's still a jerk, though.

Tight End: Dallas Clark, Indianapolis - Clark not only has 388 yards and 6 TD's - the most of any tight end - he also has 14 rushing yards. For a tight end, that's 14 more than you'd expect.

Kicker: Kris Brown, Houston - Brown has more fantasy points than any other kicker (76), and has 11 makes over 30 yards, including five over 50 yards. Impressive.

Defense: Minnesota - I must disclose my bias here: the Vikings are my defense. But they deserve this, with just 131 points allowed, 16 turnovers, and a league-best 4 defensive touchdowns.

Rookie of the Year: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota RB - A.P. leads all NFL backs with 740 rush yards, plus his 118 fantasy points ranks second only to Tomlinson.

Comeback Player of the Year: Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh QB - Going unselected in most drafts, Big Ben has bounced back in a big way: 1,533 yards and 15 TD's, six interceptions.

Biggest Disappointment: Lee Evans, WR Buffalo - Honestly, I thought Evans was the biggest sleeper at the position heading into the season. Seven games in and he has just one TD.

Tailgate Trades

With the Rockies in the World Series, college and pro football in full swing, and the new season of Dancing With the Stars going strong, it is likely you will be spending some quality guy time soon.

And quality guy team inevitably includes a few brews.

That's a good thing normally, but as Brad Evans from Yahoo Fantasy Sports writes, "inevitably, hanging out for ten-plus hours with owners from my local 12-team keeper league will lead to numerous trade discussions."

This can be a good thing, but it could also be dangerous. Here's Evans' advice for discussing trades while consuming adult beverages.

My favorite part:

"Have an attitude that mixes the hubris of Bill Belichick with the tearful compassion of Dick Vermeil." Good luck with that.

By the way, my money players for Week 8 include Ben Roethlisberger against a swiss-cheese Bengals defense, Plaxico Burress against a Dolphins team ready to fold, and the Cleveland defense, which matches up against St. Louis, the league's most turnover-prone team.

Lucky Number Seven

Believe it or not, we're nearly halfway through the 2007 NFL season already.

For fantasy owners, we are especially close to the middle mark, considering most leagues only go 16 weeks.

This means the playoff push is just around the corner.

The bad news is that you may have yet to get your first win. Or maybe you've got Marc Bulger. Or maybe you just now realized you're actually supposed to "set your lineup," as your buddies say.

Never fear. Even the winless can still make the playoffs with the right management from here out.

Week 7 provides us with several sleeper picks who could help turn around your season in a heartbeat.

At quarterback, fantasy football toolbox likes Brian Griese from the Bears, who has seven TD's and over 700 yards passing since replacing Rex Grossman in week 4. Plus, Griese faces Philadelphia, the 21st-ranked passing defense in the league.

Selvin Young, running back for the Broncos, is another interesting possibility. Travis Henry is questionable to play (possibly due to injury, possibly due to his bad luck with secondhand smoke), and Young has shown the ability to break big plays for a run-first offense.

Donte' Stallworth, wide receiver from New England, is another good option for Week 7, though it pains me to say it. I dropped him two weeks ago and he has since gone off for over 200 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Oops. If he's available - get him.

Finally, if you need a defense this week, I'm looking for Seattle to have a solid week against a St. Louis offense that has turned the ball over a league-high 17 times this year.

Play it smart, and your season could turn on a magnificent (week) seven.

Here's the story...

...Of a man named Tom Brady.

What an incredible start to the season.

Brady is off to one of the best starts an NFL quarterback has ever had, with over 1700 yards passing and 21 touchdowns in six games.

Compare that to Peyton Manning's 2004 season, which some regard as the best ever for a QB.

That year, Manning finished with over 4500 yards and 49 touchdowns.

If Brady keeps up his current pace, he will finish the year with over 4700 yards and 56 touchdowns.

If you own Brady on your fantasy team, count your lucky stars. You may be benefiting from the greatest season an NFL QB has ever had.

His job is on the line

Let's be honest.

We've all got a little George Steinbrenner in us.

There has been a lot of bad press surrounding the Yankees owner's statement that manager Joe Torre's job was on the line in the team's playoff series against the Indians.

George had this to say on Sunday in an article in the New York Daily News:

''His job is on the line,'' Steinbrenner said. ''I think we're paying him a lot
of money. He's the highest-paid manager in baseball. So I don't think we'd bring him back if we don't win this series."

Harsh? Maybe.

But perhaps we fantasy owners need to follow the lead of "The Boss" and look to our own squads.

Here is a list of a few players who should be put on notice that they are playing for their jobs in fantasy football this week:

Reggie Bush, Saints RB - With just 147 rush yards and one TD in four games, "the President" has been about as effective as the Hoover administration.

Drew Brees, Saints QB - Not to pile on New Orleans here, but Brees - rated as one of the top 5 fantasy QB's heading into the season - has an unthinkable one TD and nine interceptions.

Larry Johnson, Chiefs RB - Granted he has yet to get his typical number of carries this season, but LJ has averaged a measly 55 yards per game and has yet to reach the end zone.

Lee Evans, Bills WR - Touted as a "breakout" wide receiver this year, Evans has zero TD's and only 11 total receptions. Plus he plays for the Bills.

Should these guys get the Joe Torre treatment and be sent to the unemployment line? No, probably not.

But if they don't start performing soon, look to trade them before their value completely diminishes.

You can't win championships on hope. Just ask Steinbrenner.

Rock-Solid Future

Unbelievable.

The Colorado Rockies are in the 2007 playoffs. And no, I'm not a bandwagon fan.

I have at least 30 ticket stubs in my possession from this season, and I don't keep them all.

And while I hope this team rolls all the way to the World Series, I am already looking forward to next season's prospects.

In 2008, the Rockies will be the team to beat in the NL West, Matt Holliday will finally get his respect, and Manny Corpas will become one of baseball's best closers.

But how about the rest of the league?

Here is my Rockies-inspired list of players on the rise for fantasy baseball 2008:

Prince Fielder - 50 HR, 119 RBI, Fielder will go in the top 5 of most fantasy drafts in '08.

Eric Byrnes - Has become the face of the D-Backs franchise, .286, 50 SB, 179 hits.

Fausto Carmona - Ranked 315 among starters by Yahoo before the season, he finished ranked in the top 10.

J.J. Putz - Best ERA (1.38) among full-time closers, plus 40 saves is nice, too.

It's never to early to get ready for fantasy baseball 2008.

It's never too late to jump on the Rockies bandwagon.