Monday, March 17, 2008
American League vs. National League - Two polar opposites
So instead, a look at the differing styles in the AL and NL. Much like Major League Baseball, Major League Pool has two conferences that couldn't possibly be any more different. The American League is comprised of powerhouses - 8Ball Runners, Cue Keepers, Cheap Shotz... Which of the leagues are actually, you know, seriously active leagues? MagicPool, Straightshots, maybe UNY I haven't paid much attention to... But the 3 at the top, they're interleague teams who happen to have a set of league initials in front of them. And it works - A collection of groups of friends (sorta) playing together and battling amongst each other for bragging rights, and a shot at the World Series. Do leagues like UNY, SS, MP really have legitimate shots? Not really. You're maybe looking at SS/UNY in the 4-5 Wildcard match, with the winner sent off to execution at the hands of one of the Big Three.
In the National League, Pool Legends - Very active. Poolfiction - Very active. True Pool Legends - Far as I know, very active. UnitedPool - Very active. Luckyshots - Pretty active from what I've seen. Dreampool - Maybe too active and confusing for their own good, but one of the most active leagues out there. Breakers Alley - Not a tourney/game machine, but there's more to it than just loading up and playing 5 games a week. Pool Pals - Pretty active as far as I know. See the difference? This isn't to say "OH AMERICAN LEAGUE! EVIL STACKED TEAMS!!" They were all, at one point, RIDICULOUSLY active. 8BR tries, NHP I'm sure tries... But what really matters to them? Winning in interleagues. And hey... If you're gonna compete in one, why the hell not? Might as well make it your priority. I just found it amazing that, completely unconciously, we the Admins separated the leagues so perfectly that they're all perfect mirrors of each other, as far as activity goes.
Which school of thought will prevail in 2-3 months? There's plenty of pool to be played before we figure that out... Primarily in the National League leagues.
Next week, at the halfway point... There's almost always, in interleagues, one match at the END of the season... Where the winner gets to play at least 1 more match, and the loser... Doesn't. I'll break that one down 7 weeks ahead of time for ya.
For this week... FUN at the top! 8BR and Cue Keepers tonight, while Poolfiction and TPL do battle in the NL Wednesday night! Oh by the way... PL and UP put on a little pre-game show for that match Wednesday night. This is yet another chance for a National League team to throw another giant wrench into the gears, and create havoc at the top. Remember... This is only week SIX of 14!