Friday, January 27, 2006
Continued Pre-Ranks
DIVISION II
1: Nice Racks - Yes, Nice Racks. They had an impressive season in their debut in S6, and now they look to make a statement and they have a break - They are in a Division below their level of play. They SHOULD be in the top tier, and will be next season, so this time around Pita added to the mix, look for them to steamroll to a 1-loss record, worst case.
2: Jokers Alley - Why not? They had a great Season 6. They went 9-6, they finished the season strong going into the Playoffs, these guys are really good, there may be some question about mtvaldo, so that stops them from being #1 in my eyes, but we'll just have to wait and see.
3: Wild Angels - Another league that is very much so rising. I said at the end of S5 they'd compete in S6, and do very well in S7. They advanced further than I thought they would last season, and now in an average division will have a chance along with NR and JKR to become a force.
4: UnitedPool - Yet another impressive league. The loyalty here is great as it is with the top 2, and with the players they have, Ketan, and Eddie primarily, they will make some waves here in this season.
5: Quez - Declining I think, and they'll be about average. They had some issues last season at the end, and the Captain made an unpopular choice. Kevin is still a great Captain but is he going to be the one leading them this season? So much just seems unclear to me this season concerning these guys. It's more of a gut instinct I have that they will continue to fade into obscurity.
6: CueKeepers - Can anyone figure these guys out? They're up, they're down, they have this weird roller coaster of a season which makes them nearly impossible to project. So, naturally, to be safe I'm putting them in the middle of the pack and seeing what they do. They have a couple fairly good players they can ride, but others do need to step up.
7: Real Players - They had a decent season, but nothing really impressive. They were only better than Breakers Alley, PH who quit, and BlackSilver who quit. I'm gonna need a reason to move them higher before I do, and right now I don't have one.
8: StraightShots - Why so low? They were rising! ...That was until a conflict that took Roy and other SS players out and landed them in Xtreme StraightShooters (XSS.) SS still has talent, no doubt. But they're without their leader, and they are gonna need someone reliable to take his place. Then just imagine if XSS gets one of those open spots... Sure they'd start in Division III but...
9: XPool - Consistently underachieving. However, between SS, XP, and BP, these guys would be the 2nd best. They have enough talent to stay out of the cellar, but not nearly enough to take the top spot or even finish .500.
10: BritPool - They had one really good season where they made Playoffs but that was in the asterisklantic division back in S5, where there were 3 good leagues and then everyone else sucked. BP put up a decent fight in the Playoffs that season but really stood little chance. They can all of a sudden turn it on and get hot, but they just lack consistancy. Jai also has too hot of a head to stay focused as a Captain night in and night out. Then of course factor in the time zone difference, etc., not at all a great scenario for BP.
Division III sometime over the weekend.
