In-N-Out The 64/60

What a week in sports it has been. Cardinals add another title to their storied franchise and surpass the last Cardinals Championship squad as the worst World Series winner ever. Pujols goes without saying but outside of Holliday, Carpenter, and perhaps Berkman no other Cardinal is a top 200 player in baseball. Regular at bats during this postseason were taken by the likes of Nick Punto, Ryan Theriot, Jon Jay, and a terrible Rafael Furcal. The bullpen was a grease fire for six months of the season and after the loss of Wainwright the starting pitching was just slightly better than league average. Despite being dead with three weeks remaining the Cardinals rode the hot bats of Freese and Berkman in combination with LaRussa's call to the bullpen all the way to a title. Of course Washington's clinic on Mismanaging a ballgame during Game 6 certainly helped. Shortly after the series clincher LaRussa announced his retirement. As it has been well documented I'm not the biggest fan of LaRussa but his track record of success cannot be questioned. The success of this team compared to it's parts speaks volumes to how effective of a Manager LaRussa was.
In college football the realignment continues as WVU is heading to the Big 12, Missouri is SEC bound and the Big East is just grasping for straws. As a College Football fan WVU to the Big 12 makes sense. WVU is a football first school with a solid history but unlike other schools such as Houston, Boise State, and SMU that perhaps were being considered, WVU can also bring it on the court and add to the depth of the respectable Big 12. If I were a WVU fan I would hate the move. You will trade home games with Oklahoma, Texas,and Oklahoma State anyday over anything the Big East has to offer. The problem is outside of the suite holders what WVU fan could afford more than one road game during a season? The lack of travel opportunities leads to less excitement around the football team. As long as you keep winning it doesn't matter but if one loosing season grows into three it could easily start chipping away your home attendance. WVU need to look no further than then their Step-Brothers to the south to see what negative impact potential a conference move can have. For the Big East unless you somehow land Notre Dame, just stop trying to salvage this thing. Air Force, Navy, Houston and possibly Boise State still should not and I think will not be enough to give you inclusion into BCS considerations. When the Big East was created it was a Basketball Conference and you could argue outside of a handful of seasons it always has been. Get down on your hands and knees and beg UConn to stay. Get Villanova's football Program to the BCS Division raid the A-10 in basketball adding Temple to the football side, then add one team from somewhere. Get it to 10 teams and be happy with your 5 bowl bids and use football to bridge the gap to when it really matters, basketball season.

So now that I have ranted it's time to get on with what is really important Fantasy Football. Hard to believe we are already in Week 9 of the season meaning that in the 64/60 and in most leagues teams have only 5 more games to make their move. So with only five games to play let's go ahead and pencil in the Marshall Maniac's and BCFP into two of the 6 playoff spots. With 7 wins and the lead league in points scored the Maniac's could go 0-5 down the stretch and earn a spot. The 6 wins by the Factory leaves them 1 short of the 7 that will likely be needed to earn a spot and once again, given his point total thus far on the season, it appears the tiebreaker should be in his advantage. So keeping the 7 Win plateau in mind say goodbye to the Argumentative 9irons. GRC3's demise began on draft night when he checked out early and said those fateful words, "Just Get Me A Kicker.". GRC3's wish was granted and before his season began it was over. 0-8 and in pursuit of being perfectly imperfect. I would like to take the time to commend GRC3 for his effort. Here in the In-N-Out post we have been hounding him here of late. Many people would throw there hands up in the air and close down the laptop and wait for Baseball season. Not GRC3 here he is on a off day taking a break between Starbucks and Waffle House to pick up something to keep his lineup full and stocked still in pursuit of that elusive W. The 9irons aren't alone in their season being over. Welcome the 2-6 *. The * could go on a 5 game run. The roster does have some talent and his points scored total is comparable to the league average but to expect a run with a team this inconsistent in the balanced 64/60 is just too much to ask on anyone. Much was expected of Whitley given his renewed focus on the 64/60 but for whatever reason things just haven't fallen into place once again.


Game Recaps

BCFP 165 vs. Curtis Painters Mane 136. The Guarantee Victory Tour abruptly ended for the Curtis Painters Mane. Once again it was Josh Coleman who stole the Hair Gel from the Teeny Bopp and put a big dent in his playoff pursuit. In this battle of rivals the Factory has certainly had the upper hand of late in both football and baseball and is cementing his status as the best player in the game.


Barboursville Stars 200 vs Busy Beavers 116. After a strong start to the season the Beavers have now lost four in a row leaving them a game under .500 and that is with that pesky tie on their resume. The Stars were the lone 200 point performer on the week and earned the Biggest Blowout Award to add to the trophy case. The 200 points also pushed the Stars over the 1300 point plateau on the season and to 4-4 on the year. I have no doubt the Junior McClung has reminded his father of the Standings on a daily basis. For the record if the Factory is eliminated the Barboursville Stars have my full support.


Marshall Maniac 165 vs. 12th Round Kicker 122. After a opening week loss to the Thomas R. Browns the Marshall Maniac's have won 7 consecutive games and as I have already mentioned all but assured themselves of a Playoff spot. I have stated time and time again that the Maniac's success has been very dependent on the stable of Panthers players on his roster. However in Fantasy Football name a team that isn't dependent on a handful of players. What cannot be lost in this success is the commitment to the 64/60 that Brandon McClung has given. I felt after his forgettable season in the 64/60 Auction League his ownership skills were questionable. Trying to juggle Homecoming Plans with Algebra Homework and a slew of developing zits on the forehead is tough enough. Adding on the pressure and expectations that comes with being a Owner of a 64/60 Franchise could have been to much for one person to bare. McClung has handled the challenge with ease and embarrassing many 64/60 veterans that attempted to stand in the way. As for the defending Champ the loss brings his mark to 4-4 but to listen to Hobson on the phone he might as well be 1-7. Terms such as "this roster makes me sick", "What does it really matter?", "the unhappiest I have ever been.", let's you know what Hobson thinks of his chances. For those 2-QB and 5-FLEX spot haters include Hobson in your plea for a changed 64/60 in 2012.


Seneca Wallace 158 vs. * 142. Leave it to a friend to put the final dagger into your playoff hopes. To give you some insight as to how ruthless Barker and Bowe can be with a 145 to 138 lead heading into Monday the Wallaces still had Battle for KC while * had McMichael and Jones both second string at their position. Bowe sent text after text questioning why he was unable to sub his Bears D that was on a BYE with either the Chargers or Chiefs. I explained the Waiver process but Bowe still demanded I dismiss these settings and allow him to move on with the transaction. Once again I lead with integrity and ignored the venom filled text that came my way. If so much enjoyment can be had at the expense of a friend I would hate to imagine how they would treat a stranger.


Sons Of Jim Mora 170 vs. Argumentative 9irons 112. The SOJ's always fly under the radar. His management and draft style are described as solid, not exactly the most desirable adjective. The TRB's post smack before during and after every meal the Chump Slayers and Marshall Maniac's promote in game taunting, Curtis Painters Mane had a Guarantee Victory Tour and the BCFP have a weekly platform to express their thoughts on everyone in the league. Fenney logs on, makes a lineup, and wins a ballgame. Keeping it simple has brought him a 5-3 mark and a "solid" chance at another playoff appearance. Sure the 9irons lost their 8th straight contest but he did manage to avoid the IR player or BYE week, he scored over a 100 points, and he recently updated his Team Slogan with a message of applying pain to whomever stands in his way. Improvement.


Thomas R Browns 155 vs. Chump Slayers 85. Big W for the TRB's who after a fast start have been somewhat hit or miss of late. 64/60 Owners should expect less trade offers this week as the W no doubt has Ev Lemaster confident that his team is all set for a playoff push. Anytime you earn a 70 point win over a former 64/60 Champ you have earned the right to postsmack talk such as "Ur team folded like a lawn chair homie" and "Spanked that ass". For Hardy the loss has to be humbling, losing to a bitter rival, failing to score 100, and falling to 3rd in the standings. However a W this week vs. the BCFP and all is right with the world.


Pickup Of The Week

Robert Meachem- Argumentative 9irons. From a move standpoint this was less than stellar. Meachem could be worth a roster spot especially on a roster as void of talent as the 9irons but not $31 in FAAB or even $5 for that matter. This honor is a result of effort. This award if for not giving up. It would be easy to walk away close shop and move on to baseball. But despite constant criticism from me GRC3 continues to plug forward and wants no part of 0-13.


Head Scratcher Of The Week

Brandon Jacobs- Marshall Maniacs. Sure Jacobs has done next to nothing this season but keep in mind injuries are at least partly to blame for the lack of production. In a league were the most productive FA RB is Montario Hardesty, Jacobs has to be stashed on your roster rather than released. As the weather becomes a factor I fully expect Jacobs carries and production to increase as well as TD chances. Come time for the 64/60 playoffs I fully expect Jacobs to be a viable FLEX option for someone other than the Maniacs.