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- Written by Patrick McGovern
- Category: The Godfather's Picks
- Published: 29 October 2021
- Created: 29 October 2021
- Hits: 6442
Ladies and Gentlemen of the TSL Universe. On Saturday, October 30th in the Year of Our Lord 2021, 24 TSL teams will walk into the Rose Garden with one single purpose: go to battle and acquire Social Co-Ed Football Immortality.
For some, they could take a title in their first season of existence.
For others, it could be a long realized dream that finally came after years of heartbreak.
For a few, it may cap off the end of Social Co-Ed Football dominance.
Every single one of the remaining 24 teams has a story. They’ve all taken a different path to get to Championship Saturday. When the smoke has cleared, only 6 teams will be allowed to call themselves champions, the undisputed best football teams in WNY, nay, the World.
But the question remains: Who will it be?
It’s not an answer even I can do myself, so I brought in the TSL QB Committee to give me their collective thoughts on what will be a hard fought, incredibly entertaining, and probably a little wet Championship Saturday.
GF: Well, we made it. Power Rankings are over for the year, so I think I’ll make you guys do some work anyway.
Committee Member 1: Honored to be here Godfather.
Committee Member 2: Glad to be back.
GF: Thanks for doing this. Before we get into it, thoughts on the season as a whole?
CM1: Feels like it's lasted forever, right? That isn't meant in a bad way, but this IS the longest season we've had in a while (thanks to a rain-out week that, okay, maybe we're regretting now given this Saturday's Championship forecast) and it's hard to imagine that when we started the season it was still in the blazing heat of August.
CM 2: It feels like a lifetime ago when teams first started playing and everyone (as always) was confident they were going to be unstoppable this year. Now we're down to our final four in each division and it feels like a war of attrition: Who has the stamina to STILL be standing after an 11 week season?
GF: There’s a reason its called Immortality. It’s earned. We’ve had thousands of TSLers play here throughout the years, and many of them have retired without gaining at least one title. The season itself was a bit of a grind sure, but let’s focus more on what we have for the playoffs. So, what are your big surprises from last week?
CM2: Depends what you call a "surprise". There were nine "underdog" wins last week where the lower seeded team beat the higher seeded, but in three of those cases (Lenny's Ladies over Victorious Secret, Blitzkrieg over Graves Bros, 716 over Woodpeckers) the lower seeded team actually had a better point differential on the season, which means they shouldn't REALLY have been considered "underdogs" to begin with.
That leaves six teams that were true lower seeds AND projected to lose based on point differential that somehow bucked the odds and won anyway. Which is the most impressive? Apologies in advance Mr. Godfather, we know you don't normally have to paste graphs into your article, but we HAVE to include this one:
CM 1: Two things stand out from the graph above, which shows how much each pair of teams' point differentials suggested that the losing team should have WON by:
1) Excuse our language (censor us if you must) but what the fuck happened in D5? These were two MONSTER upsets. The odds of either Not So Sticky or Lettuce Win still being alive this week were incredibly low. But both? Impossible to predict. Compared to the other four upsets (which were expected to be much closer anyway) these two really stand out for their improbability.
2) Sticky Nation had two of the top three upsets on the day. Not So Sticky was obviously much less likely to win, but the Sticky Bandits were also supposed to lose to a good Slob Kabombs team, and didn't. Impressive day for Sticky athletes everywhere.
GF: I don’t think Sticky Bandits winning was a surprise, they were a fingernail away from playing for the D1 title last session. Their literal drunk cousins in D5 though? That was a shock, I’ll give you that. It’s funny, because even though there weren’t our usual handful of actual upsets (Every #1 seed won Saturday, how boring) D5 was the division assumed to most likely go “chalk”. Wasted Potential threw a wrench in that one very early on in the day.
CM1: Before we get into the games, we have some questions for you too.
GF: Go for it, what’s up?
CM1: Do we know of any big absences for championship week that are likely to throw a wrench in the final round of games?
GF: Surprisingly, not nearly as many as you’d think. Topper gave me the requested subs before I wrote the article, and other than some D5 female subs being needed, nothing really stood out. The only information I’ve gotten otherwise from my various informants is that Tommy Hughes is going to be out for Public Enemy, which is tragic considering it’s their Last Rodeo. He’s not the top player on that team, but I’m sure Cole would like his security blanket on the sidelines. And then there’s the *big* one. Due to scheduling snafus, and an inability to move some games, The Angels play at the same time as Tight Ends In Motion (as of press time, this could change but seems unlikely when I talked to Topper). For those unaware, that means Robin, Emily, and Lindsay (you know, arguably 3 of the Top 5 women on the planet) have quite the “Sophie’s Choice” to make here: they can bone TEIM and go play with the Angels (and have a great shot at winning D3) or they don’t and bone the Angels for a shot at defending their D1 title.
CM2: So what would you do in this situation?
GF: There’s no easy answer here. For the story lines, I’d have them play with the Angels, and have TEIM get the subs needed for their game. Considering the sub rules, TEIM could get literally get just about anyone as comparables for them approved. I’m not sure how the sub rules work for a gender team, so getting the subs there may prove trickier. I guess for me, The Angels have the better shot at making history, since D1 is on a Public Enemy vs Eyes Downtown Final Battle Collision Course, just how Lenny would want it.
CM1: Does the weather help/hurt any teams in particular, or is everyone equally disadvantaged when it starts to pour on Saturday?
GF: Everyone is equally disadvantaged. There will be balls slipping off hands into the other team’s arms, bad throws, awful footing, and all of that fun. What it really means is that any result can happen in our final weekend.
CM2: Okay last one we had: Who was the bar scene's breakout star this session?
GF: Does it have to be a single star? The truth is that Zack Attack as a whole were the winners from what I hear. They stayed late constantly, played darts, and were bar superstars all season.
And with all of that out of the way, let’s get going on what you’re all here for: The Games!
D1:
Last Week’s Games:
#5 Sticky Bandits 28, #4 Slob Kabombs 24
#3 Tight Ends In Motion 46, #6 Losing Streak 29
Tight Ends proceeded to get their championship attitude back in order just in time as they cruised to the second round. Sticky proceeded to pull out a close one against the Slob Kabombs to earn a date with Public Enemy.
Top Story Line:
GF – Topper said we weren’t allowed to talk about it and “make it a big thing” this season, but it’s not like I can get in trouble for the last article. The answer is simple. It’s Chris Cole’s swan song. Despite not everyone being convinced that this is truly it, it feels like it is. And it’s so much more than that. I’ve been told this could just be the end of Public Enemy, and we may get even more retirements than we’re expecting.
CM1: We’ll be alternating these. It's Chris Cole and all of Public Enemy's last hurrah, sure. That's THE biggest storyline. But is a healthy TEIM hungry enough to fight for the D1 crown they haven't lost yet? Is Bobby McConnell ready to steal his old rival's thunder and ruin his retirement? It won't be a boring D1 playoffs.
#1 Public Enemy (8-1) vs #5 Sticky Bandits (2-7)
Points For: PE 42.88 (1st), SB 24.38 (6th)
Points Against: PE 28.25 (1st), SB 36.00 (4th)
TSL Ranking: PE 3rd, SB 41st
Past Games: PE 44 – SB 35, PE 40 – SB 6
Line: Public Enemy (-12)
GF: Sticky Bandits had a big win last week (even if I specifically told you in this very article that they’d win by 4), but they’re standing in the way of something bigger than them. They’ll play their hardest, but it just won’t be enough. PUBLIC ENEMY BY 13
CM1: Public Enemy over Sticky Bandits by 10 - we think it'll be closer than these two teams have played in the past. P.E. is rolling right now, but they might fall victim to the same trap T.E.I.M. almost did last year and overlook their first round opponent. If they do, the Sticky Bandits could make things interesting, but if Public Enemy play their game, they should be fine
#2 Eyes Downtown (7-2) vs #3 Tight Ends In Motion (5-4)
Points For: ED 38.44 (2nd), TEIM 31.00 (5th)
Points Against: ED 31.00 (3rd), TEIM 28.67 (2nd)
TSL Ranking: ED 8th, TEIM 25th
Past Games: TEIM 30 – ED 28, ED 44 – TEIM 34
Line: Eyes Downtown (-3)
GF: This game is going to be brutal, and the winner of this one will be more about surviving than anything else. Tight Ends are almost forgotten as D1 champions, essentially playing 3rd fiddle all season as we wondered what was wrong with them. Spoilers: nothing. If I didn’t think Lenny Alba was pulling the strings up above for these games, I’d choose Tight Ends, but the best story line needs its villain as the Final Boss. EYES DOWNTOWN BY 6
CM2: Tight Ends in Motion over Eyes Downtown by 3 - A full strength TEIM is very different than the product they've trotted out for most of this season. The champs want to show the world they're STILL the champs when they've got the whole band together, but Bobby and team are good enough to play spoiler.
THE FINALS PREDICTION:
GF: Public Enemy vs Eyes Downtown. No, it’s not the same Eyes Downtown as years past, but the main character in Bobby McConnell still exists. ED didn’t do themselves any favors by beating PE during the season, that only makes them thirsty for more. As much as Eyes Downtown wants to ruin the fairy tale ending, This just means too much to too many people on the PE side of things. There will be tears. There will probably be blood. And there will be the first happy ending Christopher Cole didn’t have to pay for. PUBLIC ENEMY BY 9
CM1: Public Enemy over Tight Ends in Motion by 4 - PE will break out every move they have to win this thing and go out on top. Impossible not to see they want it the most right now. They're the pick.
D2:
Last Week’s Games:
#1 A&A 48, #8 Bullet Club 41
#2 Top Shot 30, #7 Passed Our Prime 19
#3 Scared Hitless 16, #6 Notorious BNB 7
#5 XTC 37, #4 When Dove Cries 26
The most shocking thing about these scores is how shocking they weren’t. There were no real upsets this time around. Even XTC winning isn’t an upset when you consider that they just bested WDC a couple of weeks ago. A&A beat Bullet Club for the 3rd time in 5 weeks, but this was more of a game then the others. Top Shot took care of business against POP. Scared Hitless overcame BNB in what was deemed an offensive struggle for both teams.
Top Story Line:
GF – I still feel like there has to be some D2 crazy times magic here. This can’t go chalk. So I’ll point to how XTC is being treated like an afterthought. It’s all about the “Big 3” (well, the Big 2, and their little brothers who are ALMOST at their level) in D2. Experience matters, and XTC might be playing better than anyone right now.
CM2 - Which of the "big three" teams in D2 are going to blink first? We don't expect as much of XTC as others (the Godfather included) but the other three teams are legit contenders, and they finished the regular season in the exact right order. A&A SHOULD win, but TopShot and Scared Hitless both have the guns to pull off the upset. Also: is the D2 winner going to move up to D1 for the third year in a row? We imagine the D1 jump will be less intimidating once Public Enemy rides off into the sunset but who knows what super-team will fill the void?
#1 A&A (8-1) vs #5 XTC (3-6)
Points For: A&A 38.11 (1st), XTC 34.67 (4th)
Points Against: A&A 30.00 (3rd), XTC 34.78 (5th)
TSL Ranking: A&A 1st, XTC 35th
Past Games: A&A 41 – XTC 38
Line: A&A (-6)
GF: XTC has been damn good. They came up short far too often, and realistically should’ve had more wins than they did. They’re the hotter team right now, and it feels like they can’t be stopped. Not to mention there’s a good chance that this could be Matty’s 3rd game of the day, in a row. The craziness that is D2 returns, XTC BY 3
CM2: A&A over XTC by 9 - XTC's mediocre regular season record and point differential plus near collapse in the When Dove Cries game doesn't fill us with confidence in their chances. A&A is undefeated this season with Matty quarterbacking, right? We don't see that changing on Saturday in either of their games
#2 Top Shot (8-1) vs #3 Scared Hitless (7-2)
Points For: TS 32.00 (6th), SH 35.50 (3rd)
Points Against: TS 25.78 (1st), SH 28.75 (2nd)
TSL Ranking: TS 2nd, SH 7th
Past Games: Top Shot 33 – Scared Hitless 32
Line: EVEN
GF: This is the best game of the 2nd round. Look at these two teams. They’re so even. Scared Hitless boasts the better offense (to the shock of MANY reading this), and Top Shot is slightly better on defense. Both are separated by about 3 points, which is why we saw a 1 point win for Top Shot earlier this season. I expect more of the same. When it comes down to it for me, I tried so very hard to pick Scared Hitless here. They have the better girls, and their guys are no slouches. But in the rain, in a huge game? You have to give me Dylan Jaloza over Dylan Day. This comes down to the QBs, moreso than usual. Prove me wrong Johnny Football, I’d love to see it. TOP SHOT BY 3
CM2: TopShot over Scared Hitless by 4 - TopShot has this reputation for collapsing in the playoffs, but ONE game is not enough to hang a reputation on, right? They're the better team and one of the scarier male rosters in the division. They SHOULD win this game, if they can keep up with the Scared Hitless girls.
THE FINALS PREDICTION: ;
GF – I have XTC vs Top Shot. Even if I’m wrong about XTC winning over A&A, it wasn’t going to matter. I think Top Shot is going to put it all together and take home the title. TOP SHOT BY 7
CM2: A&A over TopShot by 3 - A&A is just a slightly better team we think. It's no disrespect to TopShot, they had a great first season in D2, but we think Matty and Co win and finally make the jump to D1.
D3:
Last Week’s Games:
#1 Grey Hair Don’t Care 54, #8 Cobblestone 29
#3 The Angels 59, #6 Last Dance 36
#7 4th and Dong 36, #2 The Untouchaballs 12
#4 Frodo Swaggins 43, #5 Freeballers 26
Hello Grey Hair’s offense! Not exactly the offensive powerhouse during the season, they found their groove pretty nicely in this one, and took care of business. The Angles continued their incredible season by putting down Last Dance (who apparently got Ricky back at QB, but they had Newman so why downgrade?), And Frodo Swaggins took care of the Freeballers, who have found their ceiling in D3. And in one of the bigger upsets of the day, 4th and Dong woke up and channeled themselves from the beginning of the season, putting the Untouchaballs to rest earlier than I sure thought. Burr, you have nothing to hang your head on, awesome first QB season with that team.
Top Story Line:
GF – It’s not a happy one. Easily, the top story line is the Angels losing either all 3 of Lindsay, Robin, and Emily, or at the very least two of them. (Send one to the Angels, let the other two deal with Bobby). I’m sure the girls feel like they’ve already lost with this happening to them, but they have the TSL’s hottest QB who just doesn’t lose, and a roster of extremely talented girls to take on Frodo.
CM1: It's the Angels. It's unfortunate that the scheduling Gods have cost Matty some of the best female athletes in Western New York this week. We thought the Angels had a real path to victory. Without their TEIM girls, we really can't bet on them to beat the other remaining D3 teams.
#1 Grey Hair Don’t Care (7-2) vs #7 4th And Dong (4-4-1)
Points For: GHDC 26.56 (7th), 4ND 32.67 (3rd)
Points Against: GHDC 22.00 (1st), 4ND 30.78 (7th)
TSL Ranking: GHDC 10th, 4ND 27th
Past Games: GHDC 27 – 4ND 24
Line: GHDC (-2)
GF: GHDC won their division but they ended up 7-2 by the skin of their teeth. They pulled out FAR too many close games, which may be a strength, yes, but I think they look tougher on paper here. They tend to struggle to score (except against Cobblestone), and 4th and Dong just, doesn’t. Here’s another shocker: 4th AND DONG BY 4
CM1: Grey Hair - Don't Care over 4th & Dong by 7. Grey Hair has all the momentum in the world right now, and they haven't lost since September 18th. Good enough to make the finals, we think (the team they lost to on Sept 18th? Frodo Swaggins.)
#3 The Angels (6-3) vs #4 Frodo Swaggins (5-2-1)
Points For: Angels 36.13 (1st), Frodo 30.25 (5th)
Points Against: Angels 27.50 (6th), Frodo 27.13 (5th)
TSL Ranking: Angels 14th, Frodo 17th
Past Games: The Angels 33 – Frodo Swaggins 18
Line: OFF
GF: Cant really make a line when you’re not entirely sure who’s playing for the girls just yet. Frodo has had a weird up and down year, but they find themselves in the role of spoiler instead of the usual spoilees. Meanwhile the Angels figured out D3 after a rough year (turns out it was “Get Robin”) and dominated the last two months of play. I know the girls that are going to miss are big parts of the team, but can we remember who’s still ON the team? They’re no slouches. And you know what else? They’re really, really pissed off. THE ANGELS BY 7
CM1: Frodo Swaggins over the Angels by 11. No Emily, no Lindsay, no Robin (we're assuming) means no win. The other Angels aren't just good players, they're GREAT players, but their "big three" are GREAT great players, and Frodo are no slouches. Garrett scores enough points to win and move on to the Finals
THE FINALS PREDICTION:
GF – The Angels vs 4th and Dong. This gets a lot easier if Eyes Downtown beats Tight Ends in D1. But even if they don’t, this is a matchup they can still win. If the girls can beat Garrett at QB, surely they can beat Scotty Dro. It’s unlikely, but it’s a great story. THE ANGELS BY 13, TOPPER’S SCHEDULING VINDICATED.
CM1: Frodo Swaggins over Grey Hair - Don't Care by 5. Frodo always seems to play well against Grey Hair - Don't Care. We think they will again, and Garrett takes Frodo to heights that... dare we say it... Scotty never did.
D4:
Last Week’s Games:
#1 Cunning Stunts 34, #8 Zack Attack 14
#7 Falconies 34, #2 Vaspian 28
#3 Buffalo Vice 42, #6 Puckett All-Stars 12
#4 Itches and Ohs 64, #5 Breast Friends 37
The Stunts came in and didn’t play any games, trouncing Zack Attack to ensure they play this weekend. The Falconies continued the run of 7 seeds winning (3 out of 4 won last weekend, and the other two divisions don’t have 7 teams) by handing Vaspian a slightly shocking loss. Buffalo Vice made sure that Puckett’s postseason magic didn’t have time to happen, as they shut them right down to move on. Finally, Itches and Ohs offense couldn’t be stopped as they rolled the Breast Friends and secured their spot on Championship Saturday.
Top Story Line:
GF – The top storyline for me is all about the Stunts. I have a feeling they’re annoyed at playing second fiddle in the gender team realm to the Angels (who’ve they’ve beaten for championships before!) and they’re on a mission to win this thing, and move up to reignite one of league’s best rivalries.
CM2: Parity gives us our best division Final Four yet. Any one of these teams could realistically walk out the champions without being considered a big upset. Do the Angels and Stunts resume their rivalry in D3 if Joey Batts leads his girls to the title? Is Seth even allowed to QB for Vice next year win or lose? Anything could happen.
#1 Cunning Stunts (7-2) vs #7 Falconies (5-4)
Points For: CS 39.00 (3rd) Falconies 27.44 (10th)
Points Against: CS 29.00 (6th), Falconies 24.67 (2nd)
TSL Ranking: CS 6th, Falconies 22nd
Past Games: Cunning Stunts 27 – Falconies 22
Line: Cunning Stunts (-8)
GF: I can’t imagine that the Falconies can beat another top team after last week’s upset win. While their defense is fantastic, they’re always going to have a female mismatch as just about everyone Stunt is a better player than what the Falconies can trot out. That’s not meant to be a slight on the Falconies females, its just a testament to how good the Stunts women really are. Better females and a better QB lead us to the obvious result here: CUNNING STUNTS BY 10
CM2: Cunning Stunts over Falconies by 9 - the Stunts are the best team in the division by record and point differential so hard to bet against them. Soooo we won't! Stunts take it, unless Falconies can somehow score 8 points on each drive (which we think they'll struggle to do)
#3 Buffalo Vice (5-3-1) vs #4 Itches and Ohs (5-3-1)
Points For: BV 33.22 (4th), Ohs 42.67 (1st)
Points Against: BV 27.78 (5th), Ohs 38.00 (11th)
TSL Ranking: BV 15th, Ohs 16th
Past Games: TIED 46-46
Line: EVEN
GF: This is going to be a game for the ages. These two teams matchup QUITE well against each other. We watched them battle to a tie early in the season. Vice is getting healthier each week. Itches and Ohs might have almost learned defense (Okay, let’s not get crazy). Joking aside, Vice even has the female talent to keep up with Ohs. I flipped a coin ten times to pick this game, and it ended up 5-5. But I did see some fire coming from the Ohs camp on the TSL Facebook this week. Even if it wasn’t the greatest look, you can see they WANT this title. It’s that little edge that’s going to have me give them a little edge. ITCHES AND OHS BY 1
CM2: Itches and Ohs over Buffalo Vice by 3 - this game was a 46-46 tie earlier this season. Seth is maybe the best QB in this division (and that's saying something since D4 has ridiculous QBs) but Buffalo Vice's Achilles heel has always been their defense, and the Moser clan is coming away with gender TDs more often than not. Tough to keep up with that. Itches to the finals.
THE FINAL PREDICTION:
GF – Cunning Stunts vs Itches and Ohs. When we last saw these two, it was a 61-52 battle that ended on an interception on the final drive. These are two teams on a mission, and if we went to OT in this game I wouldn’t be surprised. These are the two best QBs in the division, and they’re going to put on a show for the last game of the TSL season. Look for the Stunts to get the one stop they need (and maybe the only stop of the game) to get that title back. CUNNING STUNTS BY 8
CM2: Cunning Stunts over Itches and Ohs by 2 - The only team capable of keeping up with Itches gender scores, is THE dominant gender team in the division. What's the prediction, like 54-52? It'll be a good one, but the Stunts will find a way.
D5:
Last Week’s Games:
#1 Spinelli’s Plumbing 32, #8 TOX 24
#7 Lettuce Win 27, #2 Wasted Potential 18
#6 Not So Sticky 39, #3 Come From Behind 38
#5 716 32, #4 Woodpeckers 14
The most obvious division to go chalk simply would not be denied some craziness as the 5-7 seeds pulled off upsets. Spinelli’s didn’t even murder TOX as predicted, but they still live on. Lettuce Win gets the most shocking win of the weekend, as Wasted Potential proceeded to, well, waste their potential. Not So Sticky must not have been drunk and they need to be tested for steroids in a huge upset win over CFB. 716 proceeded to neatly dispose of the Woodpeckers, in the least surprising upset of the day.
Top Story Line:
GF – Can Spinelli’s be stopped? A week ago, I pretty much anointed them the champions, and then they go out and nearly lose to TOX. Perhaps they were feeling themselves a little bit and it almost cost them. Either way, with the road to the title even easier (statistically speaking anyway), AND they already had their “Oh that’s right, we didn’t actually WIN yet” scare/wake up call, I feel like they’re somehow going to be even more dominant.
CM1: D5 - Spinelli's cannot be stopped. The massive D5 upsets end this week. It's Spinelli's. Can we just skip them ahead of D4 and put them directly in D3 next session?
#1 Spinelli’s Plumbing (8-1) vs #7 Lettuce Win (3-6)
Points For: SP 42.22 (1st), LW 20.25 (7th)
Points Against: SP 29.00 (5th), LW 32.00 (7th)
TSL Ranking: SP 4th, LW 40th
Past Games: Spinelli’s Plumbing 44 – Lettuce Win 22
Line: Spinelli’s (-20)
GF: Okay, for Lettuce Win to pull this upset, lightning would literally have to strike twice, twice. I just can’t see it. SPINELLI’S PLUMBING BY 21
CM1: Spinellis Plumbing over Lettuce Win by 21- Spinelli's. Come on. It's Spinelli's.
#5 716 (4-5) vs #6 Not So Sticky (4-5)
Points For: 716 31.33 (3rd), NSS 23.00 (6th)
Points Against: 716 30.67 (6th), NSS 26.67 (3rd)
TSL Ranking: 716 29th, NSS 30th
Past Games: 716 44 – NSS 30, NSS 32 – 716 28
Line: 716 (-3)
GF: Oh look, another ridiculously close game. This is going to be a hell of a Championship Saturday folks. This is another coin flip for me, but in big games like this I always side with the more established teams. NSS has been a part of MANY a playoff game, and as far as I know, this is 716’s first season together. Give me the better defense, especially in the rain. NOT SO STICKY BY 2
CM1: Not So Sticky over 716 by 2 - These two teams split the regular season series 1-1 and this game could really go either way. We would have picked 716 a week ago, but that Come From Behind victory was unexpected. Maybe NSS has another gear? If so they take it to the finals... where they get annihilated by Spinelli's.
THE FINAL PREDICTION:
GF – Spinelli’s vs Not So Sticky. Even if NSS finds a way to slow down the SP offense even a little, I’m not entirely sure they can keep up for the entire game. SPINELLI’S PLUMBING BY 14
CM1: Spinellis over Not So Sticky by 15 - Spinelli's. Come on. It's Spinelli's.
D6:
Last Week’s Games:
#6 Lenny’s Ladies 41, #3 Victorious Secret 34
#5 Blitzkrieg 31, #4 Graves Bros 19
Lenny’s Ladies won the gender battle this past weekend, as they handled the girls from VS to move on. Blitzkrieg got their QB back and proceeded to put Graves Bros out of their misery this season and earned a date with Travis Henry’s Kids.
Top Story Line:
GF – The return of the king. Okay, maybe not the king, but Blitzkrieg, who was playing pretty well to end the season with a QB carousel, gets their QB Alex back just in time for a magical run on Championship Saturday. Having him there means that Fast Tom or Light Red Hoodie Guy will do what they do best, which is catching the ball and making defenses pay. Ethan was right when he emailed me months ago: Blitzkrieg was going to get healthy and peak at the end of the season. So far, so good.
CM2: D6 - Does TMA choke? This is supposed to be "their time" after so many sessions in D6. They ARE the storyline, and it's either a happy ending or a tragic one. Can't wait to see.
#1 TMA (8-1) vs #6 Lenny’s Ladies (3-6)
Points For: TMA 34.33 (4th), LL 34.57 (3rd)
Points Against: TMA 25.78 (1st), LL 34.43 (3rd)
TSL Ranking: TMA 5th, LL 37th
Past Games: TMA 32 - LL 28
Line: TMA (-9)
GF – The last time these teams met, Topper was the QB. While the Lenny’s Ladies offense didn’t look to miss a beat last week with Joe K, playing a gender team is a lot different than playing TMA. TMA has waited for this for so long, I can’t imagine they lose their focus in this one. Assuming they have everyone at the fields, they should take this one. TMA BY 14
CM2: TMA over Lenny's Ladies by 2 - The only game between these two teams this session was a close one with TMA narrowly picking up the W, but we don't think TMA will bow out in their first playoff game. They HAVE to want it more than that, right?
#2 Travis Henry’s Kids (5-4) vs #5 Blitzkrieg (3-6)
Points For: THK 38.11 (1st), BK 28.67 (6th)
Points Against: THK 41.33 (6th), BK 26.78 (2nd)
TSL Ranking: THK 21st, BK 34th
Past Games: THK 42 – BK 37
Line: BK (-3)
GF: The last time we saw THK, they were getting brutalized back to back by TMA, and it almost cost them a bye. Blitzkrieg has been playing really well, and that was BEFORE THEY GOT THEIR QB BACK. Yeah, they have the lowest ranked offense in the division, but when you lose your QB and your best weapon (I hope you’re doing well and we see you soon Allie!) before the season starts, it tends to throw a wrench into things. Alex is back, Blitzkrieg looks pretty dialed in, and things are leaning their way. Pistol Pete is a fella I keep hearing about on THK, and he may be the best male player in this game, but after that its all BK before the next THK member pops up. The signs and the numbers just point to Blitzkreig. Here’s hoping they both don’t wear red. BLITZKREIG BY 7.
CM2: Blitzkrieg over Travis Henry's Kids by 4 - Blitzkrieg has been playing great football lately. It's been a while since Travis Henry's Kids played a game (the bye week plus the rainout is a momentum killer) so we don't even remember how they've been playing! Advantage: Blitzkrieg
THE FINAL PREDICTION:
GF – TMA vs Blitzkrieg. This is something. I really, really want this for TMA. They’re good people. League icons. They’re the current “best to never win one” team out there. But this is the worst matchup for them. TMA beat BK 30-29 early on, and they lost to them 28-8 in a game where BK made QB Ryan look terrible. And NOW BK gets its QB back and are on fire. Plus, history loves to repeat itself. I’m torn. These are two teams I love and want both to win. Maybe I’m just doing this to inspire TMA and its reverse psychology, but BLITZKRIEG BY 3.
CM2: TMA over Blitzkrieg by 1 - we predict Blitzkrieg takes a late lead in the championship game, TMA has a "come to Jesus" moment, unites behind the positive energy of Brent, and rallies for the final score to finally win the D6 championship.
FIVE QUESTIONS FOR SATURDAY:
1. Who is the #1 seed most likely to NOT win their respective title?
CM 1 - Well it's either Grey Hair - Don't Care or Cunning Stunts, right? Grey Hair had a weak point differential for a top seed (although they keep winning in spite of that) and D4 is just a WIDE open division so without disrespecting the Stunts, ANY #1 seed in that division was probably going to be the most likely to not win their division.
GF – I think my “most likely to not win” is also Grey Hair. If I had to rank “most likely to lose the title” 1 seeds: Grey Hair, Cunning Stunts, A&A, TMA, Public Enemy, Spinelli’s Plumbing.
2. Who is most likely to pull off an upset and be the most surprising champion?
CM 2 - Scared Hitless? They're good ENOUGH to win any game right now, and they were SUCH underdogs at the beginning of the season (not so much anymore) that they're our pick for most surprising potential champion.
GF – “Most Surprising”? Can it be the Angels given the roster issues? That’s not juicy enough. Travis Henry’s Kids bring all 25 people on the roster this week, and beat both Blitzkreig and TMA to take the title It’s possible, but that would be most realistic yet surprising.
3. Pick a Champion from each division that isn't the #1 seed.
CM1 - Frodo Swaggins was our ONLY pick that wasn't a #1 seed, although like we said, D4 (and to a degree D6) could also give us a non #1 seed champion.
GF – I’m pretty sure I picked 3 already, so for the ones that I didn’t pick the #1 seed – D1 would be Eyes Downtown (Bobby finally kills Cole for good), D4 would be Itches and Ohs (the best offense in the league just isn’t stopped), and D5 would be nobody, because for Spinelli’s not to win, a hole opened up in the Earth and swallowed everyone. Since I HAVE to take someone, give me Not So Sticky. I’ll always take knowledge of the game over anything else.
4. Which team is under the most pressure to perform well?
CM 2 - It's Public Enemy, right? This isn't just SOME championship game, they've done those before without trouble. This is LEGACY defining. Yeah, they've sewn up their spot in history already, but walking away the champ did wonders for John Elway's legacy. PE wants the same.
GF – I think it’s TMA. It’s been 75 seasons or something where they’ve been SO CLOSE and “SHOULD HAVE BEEN” champions only to fall on their face. I went and looked back, and I don’t think they’ve ever made a title game, but I could be wrong there.
5. Best QB from each division remaining? (since its kind of your thing)
CM2:
D1 - Chris Cole, but Bobby's not as far back as conventional wisdom says
D2 - Matty Ice. Dude hasn't lost since... is it August? We lose track
D3 - Matty again, but it won't matter if he doesn't have his best weapons.
D4 - Seth, followed closely by Joey Batts. These guys can scramble, assess, and throw.
D5 - Nick, by a mile. A mile.
D6 - John Langley. We're not betting on his team, but we think he's the best QB.
GF:
D1: Cole – Best to ever do it.
D2: Matty – He just doesn’t lose
D3: Scotty – Because I didn’t want to put Matty again
D4: Joey Batts – followed by Steve Moser. I just don’t buy into the Seth hype that he always gets.
D5: Rags. Wait, no, I read that wrong. Nick.
D6: Langley – He’s the most gifted, but he also the easiest to rattle and take him off his game.
TEN FINAL THOUGHTS BEFORE SATURDAY:
I was nice and let the committee members do five of them, they went first:
1) We hope/expect that teams stay and celebrate with their champagne no matter how shitty the weather turns out. Teams have worked too hard to not be able to enjoy their championship wins.
2) Remember how awesome our banquets were before COVID cancelled the last one? Just saying...
3) It's a shame the weather won't encourage people to stick around and play exhibition games. We've had a halloween drunk bowl, an eggplant bowl etc in the last weeks of prior seasons. Exhibition games (even crossover divisional challenge games) should be encouraged more in future sessions
4) We still can't believe Practice Squad didn't make the playoffs.
5) Are we ever going to see an indoor gender team? (GF: No. Not enough room and only one team per person)
6. Speaking of indoor, Topper announced the winter league officially! When I wrote this, 5 of the 10 available spots were already taken, so don’t sit around and wait forever to get your spot. I believe if you have any questions about it, you’re supposed to email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for all things Indoor League.
7. I was elated to get a picture from Topper last weekend showing me that B’s Brother IS ALIVE AND WELL AND MADE HIS GLORIOUS RETURN TO THE FIELDS!
8. Even if you’re out of the playoffs already, please come on down to the fields anyway to hang out and end this season in style. Rain or shine.
9. Everyone has worked so hard to get to this point, but just remember, just because it’s the playoffs/championships does NOT mean it’ll be like the wild west and the refs won’t throw their flags. As Rameer loved to remind the refs each Championship Saturday: they’re going to call penalties like its any other game. If anything, they’ll be less forgiving. Keep it in mind before you pull on a jersey or mouth off to them.
10. I waited until the end to do this because I didn’t want to dampen this fantastic article, but please, everyone, get your heads out of your asses. Listen, I know there was a big dustup at the fields this week in D4, and it involved lots of players, and refs, and people on the sidelines. I won’t name the names I was told about (because I wasn’t there, and well, you can see them arguing elsewhere in the TSL universe), here’s what’s important: This is Social Co-Ed Football. It’s the best league you’re going to find out there, and these petty arguments and attitudes won’t be tolerated, I’m sure of it. Don’t flood this league with negativity, because Topper, Lenny, and Rameer had a pretty good track record of getting people like that out of here. And that doesn’t matter if you’re newer to the league, have been here for a while, or inbetween. We come here to have fun. It’s really simple, turn the other cheek. Everyone has worked very hard to get to this Saturday. Let’s not ruin it by talking too much smack and going overboard. Win with dignity and lose with dignity. Nothing has to escalate further than that. If you’re watching a game, don’t provoke those playing in it. I don’t truly believe anyone involved wanted it to get so out of hand, so let’s control ourselves better. Everyone who reads this: Just do better. Nothing wrong with that.
Championship Saturday is HERE. The Race for Social Co-Ed Football Immortality is nearing its end, we can see the finish line. The TSL won’t be back until April, (besides the winter league, but that’s a different animal) so enjoy this weekend! Be safe out there, have fun, and good luck.
And honestly, I don’t think you’ll need to worry about the sunscreen.
-GF
