Tuesday, September 20, 2005
How'd I do? Part II
NATIONAL LEAGUE: Mountain
1: Pool Outlaws - You can't argue with the talent they've added. I only need to say the word "Mick" to get my point across, but that's only if he gets his games. 0 played, and less than a week to go to the start of the season, uh oh... They still have enough players over 100 games to get the job done though. The first few weeks may be shakey, but when haven't they been when you look back on previous seasons?
RIGHT. They're #1 even though they never were able to get JD and Mick to play due to the eligibility rules. 4-1, they did lose to BritPool in Week 3, but otherwise they've been solid, as predicted, they've simply stepped it up in big matches like the one against PoolFiction last week, hello Playoffs.
2: Beer Ball Masters - Well, look! People who said 100 games was gay and stupid because they don't have time... Some are making nice progress! lol. Anyways, Brandi's their new captain, I figure there will still be trouble but if I know Brandi at all she's gonna be cutting people if that happens. They've got a ton of talent this season, and I'm actually curious to see a lot of NL matchups here.
RIGHT. I'm good. :-s They're tied with the Outlaws at 4-1, they've got a big match comin up tonight with PoolFiction, they've also been very solid, only losing to DreamPool 4-3, you're going to see more often than not, when leagues like a BBM and PO lose, it's usually only a 4-3 and it's against other tough opponents. BritPool certainly isn't on the same level as a DreamPool, but they are a tough league to put away when you give em an opening, and they capitalize on it. No Clogz, no Scott, know what? I'm no expert but I'd say BBM is actually better off as a whole team WITHOUT them. My basis for that? Standings page.
3: PoolFiction - After that huge collapse last season, they've got a new Captain as Mick heads to the Outlaws, but they've also made up a lot for it I think. Adding apparently derekgnr, SexySycoChick, and they've got a player xlx_shotz_xlx they can use, despite being a Yankee fan. Add all that to Jammy staying, Marty possibly returning at least for MLP, if he still has some of it in him, PFN could make a run at redemption for last season.
RIGHT. Well, even though they were able to keep Mick, JD, and the gang, they're still 3-2, flirting with .500 with the final part of this rough schedule stretch to come tonight. I think PFN absolutely needs to win tonight, they can't take 3 losses this early in the season and expect to go a long way, this is easily the biggest match of the week coming up tonight in MLP.
4: 8Ball Runners - This team was the most underachieving team in MLP, period. The talent was all there, and they blew it. I don't think we'll see a repeat choke job this season, simply because I'm not convinced that they've gotten better necessarily. They might have an average season, but to really excel in this tough NL they will need everybody to play top-notch.
RIGHT. Tied with PFN at 3-2, however after their trademark slow start of 0-2, they are now 3-2. However, they play the Outlaws tonight. This is a match I highly doubt they'll win, the Outlaws are too powerful, but they are in the same situation as PoolFiction here, you don't want to start the first 6 weeks playing .500, in such an elite conference. However, there do seem to be 8 sure locks and they are one of the 8, but that doesn't mean they and PFN can rest.
5: BritPool - Well, after a short Playoff stint in that awful, pathetic Atlantic Division last season, and by the way I'm so glad they made it because they played better than their record at times, BritPool is looking to make a repeat performance. Unfortunately, they have a LOT of doubters, and one of them obviously is me. But, they are a fun bunch to watch and who knows? Maybe, juuust maybe...
RIGHT. Tied for 5th, same difference. Anyways, we'll all see last season was a fluke that they got in, they're good at playing spoilers but not much for playing 10-win seasons, they got in the Playoffs in hands-down the worst MLP Division ever, and now they're off to a 2-3 start. They did get a spoiler win over the Outlaws which was quite impressive, but even the D-Rays beat the Yankees consistantly. 9, 10 losses this season I'm thinking.
6: Break And Run - I'm done predictin these guys to make a Playoff run. Not in this stacked-up conference. They've shown quite a few signs of improvement over the last few seasons but even that's not enough to snatch a spot here. They'll still be a fun group to watch as brownie takes over as Captain, and it'll be interesting to see how they handle these big-name leagues in this Conference.
RIGHT. Close enough really, though I expected them to, I dunno, WIN a match or 2? 0-2 at home, some win/loss record I dunno doesn't seem anybody's competent enough to add because 10 and 26 doesn't equal 35, but whatever. Spoilers maybe, 10+ losses definitely, I've really lost faith in this league's ability to make it past the Regular Season. It seems they've de-progressed back to their Season 2, 3 ways.
7: Hot Shotz - Another group that I don't think has really improved much and over the past few weeks they've had their fair share of drama. I think they still have a solid core of 2-3 players who can win a few games, but it's going to be a very rough season.
WRONG. Only one in this Division really. They've had a decent 2-3 start, but haven't really been anything great. The off-season drama definitely seems to have caught up with them, .500 at best it seems for them.
NATIONAL LEAGUE: Pacific
1: Pool Legends - Of course. And, they've added quite a bit of talent, be it part-time or full-time, that remains to be seen. I think Pool legends are almost a lock to make a repeat Playoff performance, given that they had a phenomenal season last season with a sub-par record, and their improvements don't hurt them any, especially with their great Captain.
RIGHT. Why wouldn't I be? Last team to lose this season, officially, they fell at the end of last night. Definitely a match they should've won big, but they didn't. You can expect them though to rally off a few in a row, they'll end this season with at least 11 wins.
2: DreamPool - Another team that had a nice season and added improvements, the biggest of which is obviously MJ. This is a team very capable of a World Series run this season, but it's going to be a warzone in the NL Playoff Bracket.
RIGHT. M I RITE?!? Anyways, MJ has been their absolute savior this season, without him they may be 3-2, or hell, 2-3. I can't say I respect the whole team as people, but as players they are going to be very tough to beat. They've got some very, very clutch players.
3: Pool Masters - Consistantly good, solid players who every season take loyal league members (mostly) and get to the Playoffs. It really is a treat every season to see how well these guys play. A lot is expected of them each season with their constant success, this season is no different.
RIGHT. They're doing a good job of keeping pace in the Division, they lost the first match of the season and have stormed back to win 5 straight. 10-13 wins this season? Oh yeah, very likely.
4: Pool Hustlers - Once Theike got away from stacking teams, and allowing actual PH players to play, they went on a great run and just blew everybody away. But of course, they suffered their usual round 1 choke and here we are again. The team seems a little depleted with Theike missing and Ryan leaving, and Cory will really have his hands full getting a competitive team in there each week, but I think they can make a pretty good run.
RIGHT. So far at least. But, their replacement captain doesn't have the respect of a few of her key players. That of course due to Cory just quitting on the team for whatever reason, and has really left this team crippled. They're due up for a big dropoff in the final 5 weeks of the season I think, but for now they're right there.
5: Real Players - You may not have heard of these guys but they're a fairly strong team, and the most interesting part of it, I think, is it seems they have a few of Breakers Alley's players in other interleagues, and they still have success. I think we can expect a lot out of not only this group, but expect a few improvements on BA's end as well.
RIGHT. Yep, right around there at .500 but don't seem to pose any real threat to the 3-2 and 4-1 teams in the Conference. They do play Breakers Alley this week and have a good chance to make it to 3-3, but they're gonna need to catch lightning in a bottle if they want to keep up with everyone. I doubt them a lot, let's see if my doubt is misplaced.
6: Black Silver - A team that does seem to be a bit depleted, and even had question marks about whether or not they'd be returning after losing so many players. However, I think they can put up a decent fight but I can't see any way Lisa gets this team in a position to make the Playoffs. As I've said before, the Conference is just way, way too good.
WRONG. Dead wrong. They've been pathetic. All the good players they've actually had, and they're 0-5. Now Eddie's gone along with some others, they went to I'm assuming all UnitedPool, stick a fork in BS, their league has been slowing down, they've lost their best player ever in interleagues, if they're lucky they'll finish the season with less than 15 losses.
7: Nice Racks - Expecting them to have a below-average season of course by this Conference's standards, but I think if they stick around a couple seasons or more, having to play in this stacked Conference can really only help them get a feel for the competition, and in turn that leads to improvements, and maybe next season if the divisions get shuffled a little, they can make a competitive run.
RIGHT. Tied for 6th/7th with Breakers Alley, they've had an ugly start and not just loss-wise, but that match with DreamPool where DP all acted like total dicks, certainly not the way you wanna welcome a league in but oh well. That's past them, I actually think as a team they've severely underachieved, but it doesn't change the fact that they're 1-4, they can hardly buy a win, better luck next season I suppose.
8: Breakers Alley - Yes I said they'd improve but after last season that's really all you can do. I still don't think they're really above anyone else in this Division, or even Conference but what impresses me is they know how to have fun. You go into their room for a match and yes, sometimes you get a whiff of drama but usually you see them having fun. That's why they're always welcomed back every season - it's fun to have them around.
WRONG. Yeah, they're only 2ND to last instead of dead last because Black Silver has turned into a wasteland. Oh well, hey, have fun, that's what it's all about in the end, maybe they can play spoilers with a few teams, I dunno.
So, there you go. I was actually right for the most part (go me!) but there are still 2/3 of a season to play. Anything (yes, ANYTHING) can happen.
5 weeks+ in... How'd I do?
AMERICAN LEAGUE: Atlantic
1: Quez - Clearly the best league still, they've got the most successful Captain in MLP History there, they've got the players to repeat, it will take a lot to derail this team and their Captain.
WRONG. Quez have had a very mediocre start, actually much like last season. They won again tonight however to improve to 4-2, and they beat one of only 2 undefeated leagues coming into this week, and oh by the way by my memory this is the shortest we've ever gone in a Season, before every team gathered at least 1 loss.
2: Jokers Alley - Yeah, who? Newcomers to MLP but every time you see them in an interleague (if you care to look) it seems like they're always enjoying great success. Look for them to have a nice season.
WRONG. Just flip-flop the Jokers and Quez but give the advantage to Quez as they won the head-to-head. You could say they surprised a lot of people by starting off 5-0 before losing. Ha! Not so fast my friend. (End Corso Tags) Didn't I say they'd have a nice season? mtvaldo showed up considerably late for the match, that put Maverick in for the 3-3 Game 7 tonight, I know I'd have rather had Aldo, but hey stuff like that happens, they could finish with just this 1 loss or maybe 1 more on their report card.
3: Lava Pool Lounge - They're losing Romper apparently for this season, as last I knew he's taking a break. They lost Moe, which... Doesn't mean anything. Ogges always finds a way to give this team a shot at making the Playoffs no matter how much they struggle, this season looks to be no different.
RIGHT. Well, so far. They're actually tied for 3rd with Wild Angels who I still say will be like the Baltimore Orioles. They're having a fairly good start for now but they're going to fall off. LPL on the other hand certainly has room for improvement, but they have the experience and ability to remain consistent and I think they can take a fair share of matches throughout the final 10 weeks here.
4: MadSkillz - Well, I've started to wonder what all the hype is with this team they've been only one thing consistantly: Average. They were a nice surprise when they came in Season 4 to replace EZ8, but they finished the last 2 seasons with an average record. This time though, it may not be enough for them to get in where it'll be top 8 in the entire AL getting in.
RIGHT. Again, tied for 3rd at 3-2 but that's a 3-way tie in the Division, and still a mediocre start for them. Kinda like the MLP page where instead of a head to head page and stuff like that we're gonna add yet another new fancy shoutbox, and CueKeepers are STILL 12/20...? Anyways, MadSkillz need to give me a reason to actually believe they're for real before I actually say that they ARE for real.
5: Cool Pool - Well, this is assuming they actually get active enough, and have players to bring. It's not a league I particularly trust, but they'll probably have a decent season.
HAHA. Cheating dinks. Replaced by someone or another. I lost track.
6: Booze n Spliffs - Many former LPL'ers from a while back here, as they begin their first campaign in MLP. Vastly more active than CP but more active =/= better players necessarily. They could easily surprise a lot of players but I have many doubts.
WRONG. They're actually worse. Try 0-5 worse. Oh and they play Wild Angels so don't expect WA to finish with fewer than 4 wins this season. Yes, in advance I'm picking a Wild Angels win. Why? Because BNS have shown me so far these first 5 weeks they don't exactly like interleagues. Actually, they just don't like not being allowed to curse like sailors and crap like that. Too bad so sad, if they're lucky they might finish the season. If they're really lucky, they might win a couple matches. Didn't expect them to be great, but even still they've been a let-down.
7: CueKeepers - The league has been declining quite a bit in MLP, it does appear one of their very few consistant players will be around to captain the team in Rob_76, but it takes more than 1 person to make a season.
WRONG, SORTA. Rob's back, they're hovering around .500 but 2 things against them. #1: They're never prepared for a match until about 5 minutes before the match. Or even 50 minutes AFTER the match. #2: They lost to OPH. That's a loss that as far as I know has not, and will not be reversed, so they've got that embarrassment left with them. They've barely survived with 5-minute teams, but as the season goes on Rob needs to get everybody rounded up, at least a day ahead of time for a start. Otherwise, 5-10 here we come baby!
8: Wild Angels - Well at least they won the Sportsmanship Award. Average team at best, just here to have fun but I'd expect them to have an improved season over Season 5. I know, it's hard to have a decline after that kind of season, but I think they can improve a bit and have a decent record.
WRONG. Strong start for the Baltimore Wild Angel Orioles. And like I said somewhere up there, they're going to fall off and finish below .500, it's not yet their season. next season they have a good chance, this season they just hang around early and drop off late. They have improved in their late matches though, which seemed like the achilles heel from last season.
AMERICAN LEAGUE: Central
1: Regul8ors - Pita is one of the top Captains in MLP, despite never seeing a World Series. He always seems to get a nice team around him, he's usually able to pick them up with a win, and even though they lost Tracey to PO, the Regul8ors still have a sufficient team in what could be a mediocre Division overall.
RIGHT. They're currently leading their Division at 4-1, the one loss being a heartbreaker week 1 to LPL. Pita went on some tear where he said he was done with 7v7 and 5v5, I dunno what set off his tantrum but he appears to be back, and Regs need him if they plan to keep up this pace. If he is in fact done, and only plays in the tourneys, Regs are simply screwed.
2: Online Pool Hall - Again it comes down to Captain. Not that Cole is any good because if he's had any captaining experience it has been limited to times where I haven't seen him. But, he's gonna be able to get players around him in this league, with their constant teamers, but not to the point where half the team becomes a cancer in MLP. The OPH-Regul8or match should be good.
HAHA. I can't believe I wrote this garbage and overrated them THAT MUCH. Pathetic. Replaced, good riddance, I think. And uh, someone needs to fix the Standings page so that either Pool Master or Blazing Cues whoever replaced Overrated Pool Hall are in the Central. What else is new.
3: StraightShots - I really think they can rebound from last season. They won the PLC Championship (as if it means anything) and while it's likely the 2 teas will be quite different, I think they have the ability to compete in an interleague where the focus will be on getting players to actually play games in their home league.
WRONG/RIGHT?. Well, they're 2nd behind a 3-way tie for 1st. So I'll call myself right, you can argue amongst yourselves. Problem is they're 3-2, apparently nobody knows how to add a negative number to indicate a losing streak on the Standings page, that or that too is automatically updated. 8-l Anyways, they're at least 2-0 at home, they're gonna need to keep that up but of course add some Away wins, otherwise they could be in some real trouble and find themselves scrapping for a spot come Weeks 12-15.
4: UnitedPool - They've shown a lot of promise the past couple seasons, and the same theory for SS applies for UP. They can compete in a mediocre division, where the emphasis is on loyal league members.
RIGHT. Though I thought they would be right there at 3-2 with SS, they're 2-3. But also unlike SS, they haven't been able to win at home. 1-2. They really haven't shown me yet that they want to win. I'm sure they do want to, but they haven't proven to me that they do. And until that does happen, you know what? You're gonna be picked to lose. And regardless of how the picks go, if you don't really show that you wanna win, you WILL lose. That's what we're seeing so far, they need to turn it around and fast. Fortunately, they are remotely capable of doing that.
5: PoolFighters - A big drop in stock here. They've taken huge hits to their team but they also weren't very happy with Corey towards the end of last season. Maybe without him they can pull something off but this is a completely retooled league with a lot of question marks around them.
WRONG. Who was I kidding, huh? The things a few true league members can bring to interleagues. Kinda funny isn't it? This league really does interest me because nobody expected them to have a great season. Corey was perceived to be the make-or-break factor, he has been worth doggy doo-doo on the side of a highway. I think PoolFighters will keep this up for the most part. Slow down in the final 3 weeks, but they'll live long enough to see some January matches.
6: XPool - When Judy isn't there they succeed! :P Joke was too easy to make. They finished an eyelash out of the Playoffs last season, they have shootalready who is undoubtedly one of the top shooters they've ever seen in that league, but I do question their ability to repeat the near-success they had last season.
RIGHT. While my joke certainly has lost its meaning in that first line, they're in a tie for 5th/6th, they've been average as expected, they got a truly amusing loss last season, the same exact way they lost the match to BritPool that eventually cost them a Playoff spot, Deja Vu all over again, and oh by the way the Ump there was DejaVu. I don't think anybody with concern for their league's success wants her as ump anymore ;) But, maybe they'll catch lightning in a bottle.
7: IndianPool - Well, first off they're on a VERY, very short leash but so too are the leagues that they play because there will obviously be aimer accusations thrown around because of their reputation in interleagues. We took a chance on them, namely because one of the MLP Admins convinced us that they've gotten rid of the troubles minus their head admin. I still think they'll be mediocre, but I also don't think they'll be as much of a distracton, unless the usual dumbasses around interleagues make them one.
WRONG. Big-time wrong. Tie at the top of the Division, they're in it, they're 4-1, they really have had their way with opponents so far, they really have been a good surprise this season. Oh by the way they're merging with some joke named BPC, so maybe they'll get stronger who knows? But they definitely look like a January MLP team.
8: Bearskin Eightballers - They haven't shown a lot of improvement, obviously they can only get better, they'll get a little better but not much of a threat to worry about.
RIGHT. Well, 1-4, better than only Fool Hall, and they're out, looks to be a battle for cellar-dwelling honors in the Division but they are somewhat capable of playing spoilers. It'll be decently interesting to see how the big dogs handle these guys.
That's the American League, and now that I've had my gripe session and pissed my fair share of people off it's time to get a nap, then wake up, breakfast, school, lunch, school, video games, Red Sox, other sports, sleep. Or something like that.
