Sunday, September 14, 2008
Week Ten Preview
MATCH OF THE WEEK:
True Pool Legends @ Pool Legends - From the last match of week 9, to the first match of week 10, Match of the Week. I said in my review of week 9, I don't think Pool Legends can beat TPL. It's just not a team I've seen PL show they've been able to beat. On paper, True Pool Legends have much more talent to showcase than their opponents this week. The key for the "other" Pool Legends Monday night will be simply changing it up. Everyone knows Sova will wait until Game 7 to play. PL is the home team this week. Luckydog can afford to take the chance and if TPL plays a weak player, or someone he thinks he can beat, I would not be surprised to see Sova come out early and try to throw a curve. Regardless, TPL wins this, 4-3, maybe 5-2. Oh by the way, first place in the AL is on the line.
Very fortunate Dream Pool has an automatic win thanks to Pool Pals quitting after not being able to win. They pick up a win to keep in line with Pool Fiction as PFN battles Tourney Pool. This is similar to TPL-PL, in that of late, Pool Fiction has had Tourney Pool's number. PFN a good comeback last Thursday, didn't look great, more a product of Dream Pool choking time after time. They're still vulnerable. You still won't likely see Pool Fiction's lineup at its absolute best, but I do think PFN can beat TP this week. There's always Jamie, and that's a big confidence booster for everyone on the team knowing the big guy is there. Tourney Pool makes a good run at 'em, but PFN wins 4-3.
United Pool plays Pool Loverz... While UP HAS lost 3 straight, big sigh of relief this week. As always, saying PZ will lose because they're terrible will give them a chip on their shoulder yada yada yada... United Pool wins 5-2. Match is close for a short while, but UP ends it quick to keep up in the AL race.
Elite Pool Legendz and Lucky Shots, very intriguing matchup a little further down the National League ladder. Lucky Shots has been on fire as of late, back-to-back 5-2 wins, more impressively a couple weeks ago against Pool Fiction and against a fading Magic Pool squad last week. It's a first-time meeting between these two as well, as Lucky Shots handed Extreme Cues loss #1 on the season back in week 3, soon after EC was replaced by this EPL team. Not to be outdone, EPL has also won the previous 2 matches, both 5-2. But remember I said nobody cares about Pool Pals & BNR anymore? That's who EPL beat. So by that thinking, the logic basically mandates my prediction here - Lucky Shots should win this one 4-3, and scratch and claw back to .500.
Devine Cuez about in the same boat as United Pool as far as who they play this week. It's a matchup with Wasted Shotz. They took Pool Loverz lightly, looked past them, but came ready to play and beat Pool Legends. Lewis and co. won't make that mistake again. Devine Cuez DO roll this time, 5-2, and that's about all there is to say about this matchup.
Magic Pool falling fast but perhaps a little grace at just the right time, they play Break And Run. BNR, despite being irrelevant and out of the Playoff picture, can still play spoiler. Regardless of the result of LS-EPL, Magic Pool will not be more than 1 game out of the Playoff hunt. HOWEVER, why bother right? Magic Pool needs this win simply to assure themselves that they're not dead money. It would be a huge momentum boost, with a Bye against the vacant Pool Pals slot coming up next week. All the pieces are in place for Magic Pool to make the Playoffs. They're getting all the breaks as far as the schedule goes - playing in the weaker Conference, the Bye, having 2 easy weeks in a row, sandwiched in between a match with #5 LS and #4 EPL (2 weeks from now.) If Magic Pool does not make the Playoffs this season, they'd might as well not waste their time playing future seasons. They SHOULD be there at #5 when it's all said and done, and it starts with a 4-3 win against BNR, despite their in-house issues.
Cheap Shotz and Straight Shots cap off the week. At this point SS is all but eliminated and just trying to play spoiler, like BNR over in the NL. I should be picking CZ to just roll over these guys and keep pace in the AL, but Straightshots is one of those teams that no matter how bad they are or how bad they look, still comes up big in one way or another when you least expect it. So, weary as I am here, I'm taking a Cheap Shotz team that's better than its record (much better,) to win 5-2.
