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"Uncle Earl, will you do the same for next week please please please" -- The Roo
In the name of full disclosure, I confess to being a sucker for green-eyed women that say "please please please." And that's despite having heard it whispered so many times in the past. [Viewing of the scars by appointment only.] Perhaps I'd better visit St. Catherine's of Sienna for a bit of Reconciliation before I go further. Be back soon.
Since I'll be on the road next week to Tampa, here we go for Week 1 of the Brackets . . .
The 2011 McCarthy Cup Sweet 16 was retribution night across the continent.
"You don't want us in your silly tournament?" says Jilly's. "We got your McCarthy Cup right here . . ." taking the top spot in a very tough game.
The McCarthy Cup Brackets field is composed of nothing but all-stars, yet the best of the bunch could only finish third for the night. Between the NCAA and us, this is the year of upsets and rising new talent.
#16 Concert Pub over #1 New Edinburgh??!!! Are you kidding me?
Down south, The Concert Pub, having checked Uncle Earl's predictions that blew them off in the face of New Edinburgh's #1 seeding, saluted the forecast with only one finger and totally upset all expectations. Meanwhile up north, it must have been heartbreaking to fall so far so quickly. As soon as the scores were posted, I cocked an ear to the east-northeast. Wow, I never knew that Canadians could cuss like that! They must be lip reading Hockey Night In Canada.
Next week, the Houstonians take on Danny K's. For their consistency, I'll pick Danny K's to advance.
#2 Henry Hudson's vs. #15 Grand Slam
Wherever in Oklahoma City people may play Buzztime games, apparently they play Showdown at Henry Hudson's. Posting the night's 3rd best score, the Cowboys toasted the Congressmen (if only it could happen in real life) at DC's Grand Slam.
You have to give the Slammers credit -- that location has been a stalwart in Big League Showdown since Thomas Jefferson manned two playmakers just to one-up Alexander Hamilton. This team has changed much over the years, but somehow they just keep coming back with new talent able to carry the torch. Keep in mind, also, that Henry Hudson's fielded 19 players to Grand Slam's six.
BWW-Tallahassee steps up in the OK corral next week.
#3 Teaser's vs. #14 Fletcher's
I told everyone yesterday that "Historically, The Kzoo Krew seems to do its best as Wild Card underdogs," and that proved true again. With better numbers in the tourney to date, Teaser's was even favored by me, but stumbled to elimination by Fletcher's. Admittedly, the Kzoo Krew was at near-full strength (with a surprise guest from Big Deals Sports Bar in Kalamazoo and yes, you're damned right we tried to recruit her!), but we were still kissing our asses good-bye with a 44.7K score when Buzztime reported that as good for 13th place and eight spots better than Teaser's 21st place.
The bad news is Fletcher's faces the Fellowship next week. In my opinion, it's not worth the effort of un-puckering in the intervening week. Just sayin'.
#4 Mad River vs. #13 Blue Goose
Even supplemented with guests, Mad River could not withstand Mother Goose MENSA and her Gaggle who put a 2nd page score against the Mad Rivermen's 3rd page offering for the upset.
Mad River bows out this time, but count on them to run hard for the Sandbag in the Fall. After all, they've got EARL and EARLZ playing for them. (ANON asks, "Is that an advantage or a handicap, CTCOOK?")
I'm thinking that the Blue Goose is merely using this tournament as the means to an end -- the end of Damon's domination in Ohio. To achieve that goal in the McCarthy Cup, Blue Goose has to get past Coaches next week, and either Concert Pub or Danny K's on April 12 in order to face The Fellowship in the finals. If it were easy, it wouldn't be the McCarthy Cup.
In six days, it's Blue Goose versus Coaches. Who wins? Keep reading . . .
#5 Coaches vs. #12 BWW-Evansville
Until this morning, it was only assumed that Coaches 12th place finish last night was good for the win. It was. In 51st place, explaining their absence from the board last night, BWW-Evansville was simply outclassed by the Albuquerquians. At the top of this posting, I mentioned "rising new talent," and Coaches is one of those teams.
So is BWW-Evansville. They didn't get to the Brackets on boyish good looks and manly charm alone. I'll watch for them to return in the Fall.
Don Denton shows Coaches as rising from 43 Top 100 Games in 2005 to 51 in 2009 and 48 last year. These guys are for real and won't fold easily to Blue Goose next week. Who wins? Who knows?
#6 Fellowship vs. #11 In The Zone
Back in its earliest days, the McCarthy Cup was tossed around out west between Texas and Nevada and then back to Texas. Then them college educated Easterners at Grand Slam sat on the cup for four years before the New Yorkers (New York?!) claimed it for two consecutive tournaments. Grand Slam took it back in 2007 for a year before losing it to the Midwest. Damon's, then at Stow, OH, won in 2008, followed by the aberration known as Fletcher's in 2009. Now, The Fellowship in Twinsburg wants to be the first back-to-back winners since the mid-Aughts. Finishing in fifth place last night advances that goal and returns Damon's to its more dominant position rather than the somewhat unimpressive sliding-into-victory run they've had lately. Never, ever underestimate The Fellowship for being a class act and a fierce competitor.
While In The Zone, probably Florida's best team (and no offense meant to BWW-Tallahassee), may have had every Showdown player in the Central Gulf Coast on hand, even a front page 10th place wasn't enough to overcome The Fellowship. The Zoners will be back in the Sandbag. This is your only warning.
So, will the Fellowship prevail against their fierce rivals in Kalamazoo? Not if there is any justice or kindness or benevolence or fairness or balance or innocent kittens or chocolate or Bourbon in the universe.
But there ain't no justice . . .is there?
#7 BWW-Tallahassee vs. #10 Gator's
This cross-continent contest was almost embarrassing -- an under 40K victory versus a 20K defeat. Sure, it was a 2-1 thrashing, but under 40K to win? That was one tough game that must have had MENSAJ, ASTRAN, ILIANB and the rest crying in their Cartwright’s from the Countdown Round through to the Final Showdown. Gator's is better than this score would indicate, but when the trivia gods choose you as their thunder mug, what can you do but duck and cover?
BWW-Tallahassee is also better than this -- by far. Don Denton rates the Seminoles at 19th in Place Points and 14th in Showdown Average in 2010. In the Elite Eight, they face Henry Hudson's, easily the best that Oklahoma offers, ranked in 2010 as 10th in Place Points and 15th in Showdown Average. By those numbers, this should be a real dust-up, but Henry Hudson's has been extra sharp lately. I think that as good as the Floridians are, things will be OK out west.
#8 Danny K's vs. #9 BWW-Ironton
TIMMAY, BYOTCH, HHHH and HHHHH (What? Four "H's" and five "H's"? Were all the good names were already taken?) at Danny K's do. not. like. to. lose. The California Crew can run as hot as a Little Deuce Coupe one week, then wipe out their boards the next. But they almost always rise to a challenge. They only had to post the 6th best score last night to hold off the Ohucky© (All rights reserved) Border Guards of BWW-Ironton who were in 8th place. 'Twas the closest match up of the night as the 8/9 seedings indicated. ITZQAZ, ERIC, ITIGER, GOOGIE et all will again ignore the Mason-Dixon line in the Sandbag, And the trivia world will tremble.
Danny K's next meets the stunning Concert-goers of Houston. By the numbers, Danny K's should win handily, ranked by Don Denton in 2010 as #1 in Place Points and #4 in Showdown Average. Tell that to New Edinburgh.
Nonetheless, I pick the West Coasters to move to the Final Four.
In summary, once again I'm picking the favorites (and dodging one call), as if that did me a lot of good last night with a 5-3 record. [Editor's note -- my wife, Sainted Mary Beth, She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed, did better by picking the more poetic state mottos.]
As noted earlier, I will be in The Sunshine State next Tuesday, visiting with In The Zone AND NOT DOING ANY KIND OF WORK 'cause I can't type AND hold a Bahama Mama (either the liquid or solid kind) so they'll be no report from moi. Had the Zoners won last night, the Kzoo Krew would have disowned me, but it's okay now and perhaps the Floridians and I can do a Jilly's on those still in play. (Maybe I'll sneak up to Tallahassee and play under a false name. Hmmm. Repeat after me, "There is no player named SANDMN. There is no player named SANDMN.)
Good luck to at least seven of the Elite Eight. Go Fletcher's!
Be well all.
_________________
"Do just once what others say you can't do, and you will never pay attention to their limitations again.”
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