The Lockdown Corner

It’s the Lockout playoff semifinals preview episode! 3 talking heads during the Friendsgiving episode wasn’t enough, so we’re upgrading to 5 for this very special gathering to kick off Week 16:

• All of the final four managers join Ray to preview their semifinals showdowns: George (The Little Football Boys), Adam (Chicken Wings of Destiny), Tom (Fields of Dreams) and Steve (Scuba Squad II)
• Everyone's favorite classic childhood holiday gift that best epitomizes their season to-date
• Thursday Night Football tilting already with Rams-Seahawks during this recording
• Why this was Tom's Flu Game Episode
• The history of this league through the many years of Philip Rivers

Tom Levin (Fields of Dreams) and George Stakos (Little Football Boys) return to the pod to join Ray at the proverbial Friendsgiving dinner table to sink their teeth into:

• George's reaction to his star WR's suspension
• Fantasy ramifications of Brian Daboll getting canned (not the cranberry sauce kind)
• The nearly record-breaking 72-68 Week 11 "victory" for George
• Thanksgiving slate fantasy preview
• Potluck-style roundtable of dish-to-player metaphors (e.g. who has been your team's green bean casserole, teetering gravy boat, turkey and pies?)

A bellcow RB workload-sized episode to lead into Halloween weekend. Jam-packed with a NFL trade deadline preview with very special guest Seth Walder (NFL Analyst @ ESPN) in addition to:

• Seth's 21-day streak of Tim Tebow training camp stories
• Best pro athlete that Seth covered on the NY Daily News high school desk
• Using the ESPN pass russ, run stop, blocking win rate rankings to get a fantasy advantage
• Stu Woo’s affinity for special teams
• Revisiting Seth’s boldest preseason predictions

Adam (Chicken Wings of Destiny) joins Ray ahead of Week 8 to pour one out for his 2024 finals defeat, plus:

• Adam's book The Usher published last year
• Player from fantasy past that Adam would summon back
• Death to Ranch / Franks + Butter!
• Ray & Adam's explosive 305-pt Week 4 clash
• Keeping the Honmoon strong in their respective households going into Halloween

Betsy (Tender Validation) joins Ray on the heels of her husband George's (The Little Football Boys) episode to set the record straight and discuss:

• The fierce rivalry between Tom (Midland City), George and Betsy
• What the real "Spousal Showdown" household atmosphere was like in Week 1
• Drafting on player names and "vibes"
• Her axes to grind on Stefon Diggs and Bo Nix
• Big Week 7 matchup against Ray!

Ray looks ahead to Week 6 with special guest George "The Greek Freak of Lockout" Stakos (team The Little Football Boys). George joins Ray from his home in Cape Cod where they cover:

• The life and times of Pats fandom (visual: Mac Jones walking into the ocean)
• Finding the league through mutual friend Tom Levin (Midland City)
• Past life at Bleacher Report making uncomfortably fun videos with Beast Mode
• Roping wife Betsy (Tender Validation) into the league in 2024 and household side bets
• A BAD beat last season by -0.6 pts that paved the Steve's Team path to the '24-25 title belt
• Favorite (wicked good) ballpark food

Ray returns from a bye week to welcome guest "Scuba" Steve Hong (Scuba Squad II) for the Garden State episode — live from the Bluestone Lane Coffee shop in Paramus, NJ. The two dive into:

• Turn The Dial: Jaxson Dart QB1
• Friendship roots from The Orchard
• Origin story of the Scuba Squad name
• Sniping $9 waiver TEs
• Week 4 matchup preview (Battle of East Rutherford) vs Glenn & Juice

Ray covers the big tight end headlines from Week 1 before bringing on his special guest, Stu Woo (Stud Woods - @stuwoo).

Stu tells us about the roots of his friendship with Ray, being a football fan across three continents including while as a NFL beat reporter, his back-to-back autodrafted Lockout title belts, and his recent $31 winning claim on Harold Fannin Jr.

Tom Levin (team Fields of Dreams) joins Ray for a very special pre-draft episode (recorded literally 1hr before):

- Reminiscing about their days as roommates (first few years of the Lockout league!)

- "The 10-Year Bet"

- A new fantasy news segment called Turn The Dial - this time examining the NFC North fantasy impact of the blockbuster Micah Parsons trade

- Tom's 11th draft slot

Recorded live from New England and joined by our first-ever guest: Rachel Blomerth (the artist formerly known as Hot Rod(gers) — new team name announcement in the episode!)

(1:38) Ray kicks off with a fantasy news segment with his take on the fantasy impact of the Browns and Colts newly-announced starting QBs.

(6:18) Ray introduces his guest and they talk about Rachel’s long history in the Lockout league, keeping the Gang Green faith, her new fantasy team name (spoiler: finally non-QB!) and how she feels about her #7 draft spot.