Congrats Josh Hunt for winning the picks last week. Looks like our motivational talk last week paid off, or else you really wanted to join Pat on his next stupid tattoo day. His big pick was Liberty Hall > Slowride. Don’t submit picks this week—see the previous post and get your bracket to me on Sunday.
It’s been a hell of a season for the league, and I love the board’s decision to kickoff the tournament with a full slate of 1st and 2nd round games at YSC. The second round will be chalked full of great matchups, and spectators will be able to watch 4 games at the same time! Here’s a look at the most intriguing match ups and predicted match ups Sunday:
FIRST ROUND
16 Slowride v 17 Brew Ballers
This is the closest pairing of the first round and should make for a great game. This has been a breakout season of sorts for S, but some of their luster has faded as they are coming off a 2 game losing streak to Channel 6 and Liberty Hall. Interestingly, S wound up with the same tournament seeding as they had last season. Meanwhile, BB was seeded 9th in the tournament last year. They had a disappointing pool play, but have gained momentum playing with the 4’s.
These teams play with different defensive alignments that I think will play a major factor in the outcome in this game. S plays with an athletic male pitcher who controls the infield, and takes the Screamers/’09 Jazzhaus approach with a girl at catcher. BB have a female pitcher, plays the “fertile crescent,” and takes away the long balls by packing the outfield with four guys. BB have a balanced offensive attack and could use the bunt game to their advantage, whereas S will have to find ways of keeping the offense going without the benefits of the deep ball. PREDICTION: BB 11 S 9
15 Liberty Hall v 18 Channel 6
A rematch of the week 7 GOTW that ended in a 24-13 LH win. Many who have played CH6 says they’re fun to play because they kick away all game. CH6 did so to upset the Screamers in the playoffs last year. Can they pull off another upset by kicking away for 9 innings? PREDICTION LH 15 CH6 8
14 Eastsiders v 19 West Coast
Another coin flip for me. West Coast looked sharp blowing out Murda Tang and will win big again if they keep kicking like they did in that game. Eastsiders held their own in the 3 pool and shows flashes of a promising rebuilding team. PREDICTION: WC 9 E 7
11 Mad Greek v 22 Murda Tang
These teams are turning into quite the rivalry. They met last year in the less awesome bracket and MT (then Miltons) went on to win Miss Congeniality (BTW, I’m impressed that someone on the board still had a sense of humor after 4 hours of bracketing). Placed in the same pool, Mad Greek won 12-7 against Murda Tang in week 4. Both teams have taken a different course this year. It’s been a resurgence of sorts for MG, who held their own through pool and rank play, finishing 6-4 against strong competition. MT, on the other hand, had high expectations entering the season as the 10th ranked team, and went a disappointing 3-7. They still have a few of the best players in the league, and are capable of a big upset. PREDICTION: MT makes another deep run in the less awesome bracket MG 13 MT 7
SECOND ROUND
8 Das Boot v 9 Screamers
Yes, I think there will be some upsets in the first round, but I don’t think it will be any of the teams I’m predicting to advance to the second round. By the way, these second round games are some of the most exciting match ups of the year. Starts off with DB v S. Two weeks ago, S were ranked by some as high as #4 in the league, but they’ve lost back to back games in ugly fashion. They were lifeless against Red Lyon and completely out coached against the Rowdies (hats off again to captain Dover). It’s been a rough rank play run for DB, but I know from talking to them that they are too hungry to care about their losses. DB enters the tournament in the same #8 seeding that they did last year. These teams seem so similar to me, both offensively and defensively, which makes this a very interesting match up. I’ve seen both teams play with 4 guys in the outfield and I expect both defenses to play that way again against offenses that love to drive the ball. PREDICTION: DB 11 S 10
5 Yello Sub v 12 Jazzhaus
After an extra-inning battle with them in last year’s tournament, I was drinking the YS Kool-Aid well before Cougar knew it existed. But losing the sweet goodness of Shahir was like switching to the sugar free version. Since, they’ve lost ugly to Screamers, edged out a very shorthanded Red Lyon 8-5, and needed 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th to beat Mad Greek. Before I go and write them off, I have noticed that they’ve been playing very calmly, so maybe they’re just not sweating the small, regular season stuff as they regroup. Speaking of not sweating the small stuff, Jazzhaus has treated the regular season like a day at the beach…strike that…like a very long day at the bar. They have their big weapons back and qualified for the playoffs. Jazzhaus is my darkhorse for the playoffs, and I’ve already warned my good friends on Sacred Sword to prepare their outfield for a firestorm. Two big questions will be answered in this game: 1) We know how good Jazzhaus can be, but will a season of heavy drinking and playing with the 4’s inhibit their preparations for a big postseason run? 2) With all their improvement and success this season, I don’t know that YS has satisfied their own high expectations. Will the intensity and drive to win return? PREDICTION: J 12 YS 8
7 Eldridge v 10 Rangelife
This game holds particular interest for me, as I hope LG will be playing the winner. I also think it will be a great one. Eldridge had a strong pool play run and I think gained a lot of toughness in rank play. I have a lot of respect for their team, they have several highly athletic and skilled players, and can be dangerous when they put the pieces together. Rangelife breezed through the 3’s after entering the season as the most underrated team in the league, and they can underscore that assertion with a big win Sunday. They have great soccer-style kickers throughout their line up, and have been the league’s best hecklers for 3 years running. I’ve heard that they may even start bunting now that the postseason is here. Yikes. PREDICTION: E 8 R 7
6 Red Lyon v 11 Mad Greek
What’s going on MG? Not only did they play Murda Tang last postseason, but they also played Red Lyon in the opening round. MG also played RL in week 7, losing in a shoot out, 15-11. MG has had a good season, but hasn’t been able to come up with a defining “upset” win. Unfortunately, I don’t think it happens against Red Lyon. I think Red Lyon will elevate their game for the playoffs and will go on to give Pita Pit a serious challenge. PREDICTION: RL 13 MG 7