THE TOILET BOWL
(10) #OHMYGUSH (0-5-2) vs. (9) WE DO KICKIN RIGHT (1-4-2)
One of the best parts of the draft league is that even if you underperform your hopes during the season, there is still something to play for at the end. Even if that something to play for is a Golden Plunger.
#OhMyGush was struggling to earn that first 'W' even before first round draft pick, Geoff Morehart hurt his shoulder and missed some time. Despite a talented roster, something just hasn't clicked and they have been unable to get the job done in close games. Of their 5 losses, all have been by 1 run with the exception of a 2 run loss to Ring Pop. That's an average differential of -0.85 runs per game, which makes them the team with the most experience in close games. It hasn't worked out for them yet this season, but you have to figure that they're due and if the Toilet Bowl is close, I give them the edge.
On the other side, we have We Do Kickin' Right. The story of WDKR has been about their offense or lack thereof. In the first five games, they only put up 1.8 runs per game on the way to an 0-4-1 start. Captains Brad Gault and Jenn Devlin have made some tweaks to the game plan, and in their last two games, they've seen a dramatic turnaround. They've averaged over 5 runs in both contests and went 1-0-1. There is no doubt that they have the momentum going into the Bowl week.
THE DOG BOWL
(8) F YO COUCH (2-4-1) vs. (7) UNDER CONTRACT (2-3-2)
Lead by #1 overall draft pick, Gene Efird, it looked like F Yo Couch was title contenders early. They won their first two games before the wheels completely fell off. They finished the last 5 games with a 0-4-1 record and that slide began in week 3 against their opponents tonight, Under Contract. In that week three contest, UC came away with a 3-2 win.
The main issue for The Murphys has been on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up a league high 41 runs, including 18 in one game. On the other side, Under Contract only plated 18 runners this season, 9th in the league. Which trend will continue? Will FYC lock the low scoring UC offense down or will the Realtors get off the snide by taking advantage of a porous outfield that is susceptible to the home run.
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| Yay. The Dog Bowl... Cool. |
(6) RING POP SQUAD (3-3-1) vs (5) PRESTIGE WORLDWIDE (4-3)
Besides having the best name out of all the Bowl Games, the Manute Bowl is always interesting because it features two teams that probably wish they were in the top four. Both teams barely missed the playoffs and no doubt are a little disappointed, but a win tonight would end their seasons on a high note.
The two teams played each other all the way back on July 5th. In this season opening encounter, Prestige Worldwide defeated RPS 5-3. Can they achieve the same results 6 weeks later? Prestige Worldwide's performance throughout the season has been a roller coaster. The same week they defeated RPS, they gave up 13 runs to Kitty Sprinkles. They went on a tear midway through the season becoming the first team to beat Who Runs the World and then putting up 18 runs on FYC. Going into the final week they needed a double header split to make the playoffs, but fell short against Brunch Life.
For RPS, their talented roster was decimated by injuries. Co-captain Brian Neal was hurt in the preseason and lost for the year. Shortly afterward, their first round draft pick Casey Heck was also injured after tweaking a hamstring. Jennifer Neal and Ryan Kiel both were hobbled as well at various points throughout the summer. It sounds like Heck is ready to go tonight which will help tremendously, but if that leg flares up again it might be too much for RPS to overcome.
CHAMPIONSHIP ROUNDS
THE SALAD BOWL(4) THE BRUNCH LIFE (3-2-2) vs (1) REVENGE OF THE NERDS (5-1-1)
After tying FYC in the final week, The Brunch Life squeaked into the final four via tie-breakers. But as we've seen in years past, it doesn't matter how you make it in. As long as you're in the big dance you got a shot at the title. In order for Brunch Life to win the Tapps Bowl though they will need to take a path of redemption. Their two losses this season were to Who Runs the World & Revenge of the Nerds and they played to a draw against Kitty Sprinkles. With a 0-2-1 record against the other three teams, you wouldn't think it would be a smart bet but it's always a challenge to beat a good team twice and BL is a good team.
The Salad Bowl has all the makings of a defensive battle. Statistically speaking, these were the top two Ds in the league. The Brunch Life gave up 2.71 RPG while Nerds lead the league with only 1.86 allowed. The Mike Sprow / Josh Carr infield combination has shown to be particularly tough on opposing bunters. Same with the Alex Noctor / Alex Jackson pairing. Neither D is going to give you many easy bases, so whichever team is the sharpest tonight will come away with a shot at the title.
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| That's where the brunch goes. |
(3) KITTY SPRINKLES (3-1-3) vs (2) WHO RUNS THE WORLD? (5-2)
If the Salad Bowl is shaping up to be a defensive battle than the opposite side of the bracket looks like a shootout. Kitty Sprinkles (5.86 RPG) and Who Runs the World (5.14 RPG) boast the league's two most prolific offenses. Each roster is stocked with speed, skill, and power throughout the lineup. When these two teams met in week 2, it was a fairly high scoring affair. Who Runs the World came out on top with a 7-5 victory. In that game, Nathaniel "Jorts" Johnson brutally took our World Runners top pick Randy Devlin with a vicious hip check that left the veteran out of action for weeks. Devlin is expected back in the lineup tonight, but if he's less than than it could be the difference between these two evenly matched teams (as well as a built in excuse for me personally).
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| Police sketch of the man who mugged Randy Devlin. |
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