The Sanderson Gazette - 2014-10-29 - Fire Spread to the House
I'm not going to bury the lede: week eight was the second-highest scoring week of all time.
Week Eight Recap
Pulley def. Ed, 111.80-104.40:
After the early Sunday games, the score of this game was 79.17-5.30 - in my favor. And even on Monday night, Pulley started slow; but DeMarco Murray (22.77) and Alfred Morris (14.90) came through. And that was too much for me, despite Philip Rivers (20.30) and Emmanuel Sanders (34.60) putting up over half my total on Thursday night.
Rabbit def. Schertz, 153.86-99.95:
Nick is hot right now. Rob Gronkowski put up 37.87, T.Y. Hilton 26.67, and Randall Cobb 22.80. Schertz got his usual big game from Matt Forte (26.60) and Jay Cutler (20.95), but he fell just short of 100 points... and well short of a victory.
Babel def. Pat, 151.00-118.22:
This is a very tough loss for Pat, as it all but crushes his playoff hopes. And making it tougher: his score would be good for a victory nearly five-sixths of the time. Babel got a huge 36.93-point day from Jeremy Maclin and 26.93 from Sammy Watkins, nearly grabbing his second-straight Team Blangums.
Richie def. Mike R., 97.62-95.46:
Richie finally has a crooked number in the win column, thanks to six of his players scoring in double figures. Mark Ingram (23.60) in particular had a very good game. Bernie got 26.00 from Aaron Rodgers and 15.00 each from his kicker (Justin Tucker) and defense (Buffalo).
Allen def. Dave, 108.28-98.27:
I think Allen finally found his match with Arian Foster (36.03). This about it - their first names both follow the A---N pattern. OK, I admit, I had nothing more interesting to say about this game.
Derrek def. Kevin, 132.23-93.75:
D got his second straight win, with his WRs coming through strong; Larry Fitzgerald scored 27.33 and Golden Tate 26.13. Kevin finally got a good game from Keenan Allen (15.73), but it wasn't enough.
Matt def. Rob, 126.12-76.51:
OK, Matt's officially back - though this was probably the most bland 126.12-point game I can recall. Meanwhile, Rob lost it on Thursday night, as Julius Thomas (3.07) and Branden Oliver (7.20) disappointed mightily.
Current Standings
Pulley, 7-1, 964.48
Rabbit, 6-2, 899.32
Matt, 5-3, 851.94
Rob, 5-3, 830.93
Schertz, 5-3, 760.14
Dave, 4-4, 887.22
Babel, 4-4, 883.05
Allen, 4-4, 726.61
Mike R., 3-5, 784.00
Pat, 3-5, 737.12
Ed, 3-5, 734.97
Derrek, 3-5, 715.41
Kevin, 2-6, 731.52
Richie, 2-6, 671.28
Weekly Awards
Team Blangums: Rabbit's 153.86 is the twentieth-highest score ever. (Babel's 151.00 is twenty-third.)
Slapped Heartbeat: A rare Slapped Heartbeat for Rob, who's 76.51 was well behind any other contenders in the very high-scoring week eight.
Weekly MVP: Rob Gronkowski put up 37.87 for Rabs. (Ben Roethlisberger's 50.00 would have taken this for the same owner, but he was left on the bench.)
Misplay of the Week: In a normal week, I would get this for playing Marques Colston's 6.53 over Mohamed Sanu's 19.37. However, this was not a normal week; Rabbit would have broken the all-time Blingaleague scoring record by more than twenty points had he only played Ben Roethlisberger's 50.00 over Tony Romo's 9.55. So yeah, apparently you can get Team Blangums AND Misplay of the Week all in one issue.
Week Nine Preview
Game of the Blingaweek
Pullman's MondoSquad (Pulley, 7-1, 1st) vs. Pralines & Dick (Rabbit, 6-2, 2nd):
All-time series tied, 3-3.
It seems like we've had quite a few 1st-vs.-2nd matchups this year, and this looks like it might be the best of them all.
Rabs appears to be back in championship form. Rob Gronkowski (vs. DEN) is coming off an amazing game, while T.Y. Hilton (@NYG) has been producing like a monster all year.
Meanwhile, Pulley's bee in championship form all season. Andrew Luck (@NYG), Antonio Brown (vs. BAL), and DeMarco Murray (vs. ARI) have been among the best at their positions the whole year.
I'll be blunt: both these guys will make the playoffs, so this game really only has bearing on potential byes.
Pick: Pullman's MondoSquad.
Other Blingamatches
THRILLHO (Rob, 5-3, 4th) vs. schertzopotamus (Schertz, 5-3, 5th):
Schertz leads all-time series, 2-0.
Rob's still searching for his first win against a Blingaleague expansion team; with Juju's two most consistent players (Jay Cutler and Matt Forte) on bye this week, he should get it.
Pick: THRILLHO.
Harrison Hammers (Matt, 5-3, 3rd) vs. The Chocolate Donuts (Kevin, 2-6, 13th):
Kevin leads all-time series, 4-3.
Would you have guessed Kevin's had the edge on Matt through the years? If this year's Donuts squad, comfortably out of the playoffs, can pull the upset, I'll officially say he's got Matt's number.
Pick: Harrison Hammers.
Keep Calm and Le'Veon (Babel, 4-4, 7th) vs. D's Nuts (Derrek, 3-5, 12th):
All-time series tied, 3-3.
These are two of our hotter teams, and yet both are on the outside of the playoff picture. Babel, of course, is barely out. D, on the other hand, will need a miracle even after his two-game winning streak. Watch out for the defenses in this one; Babel's got Seattle vs. the Raiders, while Derrek sends out San Francisco against the Rams.
Pick: D's Nuts.
Bernie's Bullies (Mike R., 3-5, 9th) vs. Optimus Prime (Allen, 4-4, 8th):
Mike R. leads all-time series, 4-3.
Redanably, Allen has crawled back to .500. It's mainly due to Arian Foster (vs. PHI) and the Arizona defense (@DAL). If Mike wants to have any chance of making the playoffs, he'd better beat Dr. Clark.
Pick: Bernie's Bullies.
BANGARANG RUFIO (Dave, 4-4, 6th) vs. DICK ARMOUR (Richie, 2-6, 14th):
Dave leads all-time series, 2-0.
Richie has not been very good since rejoining the Blingaleague, taking on Dave's former "worst team" title. However, this week, things might break his way. Cam Newton gets to play the Saints, while Dave is forced to play Teddy Bridgewater (vs. WAS). Our new father mocked at me for picking him last week; well, I'm gonna do it again.
Pick: DICK ARMOUR.
Live Commish (Ed, 3-5, 11th) vs. Vinegar Strokes (Pat, 3-5, 10th):
Ed leads all-time series, 5-0.
Pat and I are on separate three-game losing streaks. Since this will be the year I finally miss the playoffs, might as well be the year I finally lose to Pat.
Pick: Vinegar Strokes.
Closing Thoughts
I'll put in another plug for the fantastic Blingaleague Google Hangout we have going on, not just on Sundays, but perpetually. As long as you're name is not Mark (we already have one of those), you're allowed in.
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