Here we are at the half-way mark of the season, and all I can say is, here we go again. I'll take bets on whether we see the same teams that currently occupy the top 8 spots land that way when the playoffs start. I'll definitely be playing with house money on that one - the chances that any team makes it out of the conference season undefeated is pretty small, and the chances that Durban won't turn their season around is just as slim.
Darth Pinky Sez!
That's right, boys and girls, we're returning from hiatus to bring you what will be the biggest game of the first half of the season, as our final two undefeateds take the field at Quiçama National Park. So far, the Rangers have turned back every challenge, including a prison-rape thrashing of the third-place Empire and the other once-beaten squad, the Bloody Mess. The Serpent Eagles come in having dispatched the competition with an offense that relies heavily on their incredible runners Sly Rax™ and Norrin "Silver Surfer" Radd. And to top everything off, it's another big-time collision between former A5 rivals. Calling this the "Game of the Week" is just redundant here.
As is the norm, there are a slew of other good games on the Lion slate. So, without further ado, the disclaimer: as always, the predictions are real but the snark is added for your entertainment only. You've been warned. Onward.
Durban DesertHawks vs. South African Ratels - You gotta love the Rabids - back in their infancy, the Marine inherited an expansion team with only hours to field a squad, and by his second season, had put together a team that could regularly challenge for a conference title. This season is no different - they've taken a couple hits that may not occur later in the season when their chemistry has peaked and their tactics have solidified. As for the Dessert Carts, you have to wonder if there's some head-scratching going on in the Port City - what looked like a certain title contender at the end of last season has started off with five defeats before the first half is out. However, we're all kidding ourselves if we think they can't adjust. We've seen it happen before, and it will happen again. Don't count them out.
Prediction: Rabids still have my lean in the pick'ems
Comoros Killer Whales vs. Comoros Lions - The battle for Comoros or just a battle for respect? This season hasn't gone well for these two squads - the Shaven Kitties have to be wondering why relegation couldn't have dispatched them to A ball after last season, and Free Willy has to just be wondering how the bottom fell out of this thing so fast after a respectable showing last season. Regardless, there could be a large stench rising from the islands this evening.
Prediction: I'd love to see the Willies keep themselves from regressing to Guppies, but I can't see it here
West Nile Mosquitos vs. Djibouti Booties - The Skeeters are finding AA a bit tougher row to hoe than A ball. They're not an embarassment - they belong here - but it's not Season 8, A5 anymore, and the big boys have come to play. Da Booties, however, are playing more like baby booties after the pre-season gut job. This one is a no-brainer.
Prediction: Skeeters bite hard on Da Booty
Zambezi Silverbacks vs. Monrovia Blood Diamonds - The Big Monkeys need need this one, as it can get late early in Lion, but the Bloody Mess is no bloody joke. The Monkeys have a fight on their hands to solidify their playoff position; the Mess expect they'll be messing up the playoff hopes of lots of teams over the remainder of the season. Keep this in mind: both teams show some serious defensive wizardry on a weekly basis.
Prediction: Low-scoring and tight, but the Bloody Mess prevails
Quiçama Park Rangers vs. Madagascar Serpent Eagles - Radd and Rax vs. Rock Monster and a cast of thousands. Buckle those chin-straps.
Prediction: Rangers get my nod after the thrashing they put on my team
Ghana Ashanti Empire vs. Combat Wombats - Except for the obvious problems I have with the geographic inaccuracy of the team, the Combat Wombats have been a nice surprise from A6 to date. Let's see what happens from here.
Prediction: Whatever. Make your own.
Namibia Wildehond vs. Savannah HITCHHIKERs - I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Bad Doggies. Like the Bloody Mess, they know that the only bars that matter serve overpriced drinks and real beer on tap. The Douglas Adams Fan Club is treading water so far, but there's a lot of season left; how well they keep that thumb up may depend on games like this one. The Doggies are clinging to that final playoff spot as we speak; how well they are able to improve that spot also depends on games like this.
Prediction: The Bad Doggies show how baddddd they are today by chasing the Wanderers back to the African desert
Central African Tigers vs. Cape Town Cowboys - The Tabbies are playing much better than their first trip to AA; not so much the Cowpies. An interesting matchup between teams on their return trip to the league but with little else in common at this point. Tabbies trying to prove they deserve a less-demeaning nickname; Cowpies trying to simply prove they belong.
Prediction: Tabbies might earn that nickname after a win here
That's it for today, y'all - the lawn in growing the way I'll be wishing it would come July, and it's not getting any shorter on its own. Play nice.
Darth Pinky Sez!
That's right, boys and girls, we're returning from hiatus to bring you what will be the biggest game of the first half of the season, as our final two undefeateds take the field at Quiçama National Park. So far, the Rangers have turned back every challenge, including a prison-rape thrashing of the third-place Empire and the other once-beaten squad, the Bloody Mess. The Serpent Eagles come in having dispatched the competition with an offense that relies heavily on their incredible runners Sly Rax™ and Norrin "Silver Surfer" Radd. And to top everything off, it's another big-time collision between former A5 rivals. Calling this the "Game of the Week" is just redundant here.
As is the norm, there are a slew of other good games on the Lion slate. So, without further ado, the disclaimer: as always, the predictions are real but the snark is added for your entertainment only. You've been warned. Onward.
Durban DesertHawks vs. South African Ratels - You gotta love the Rabids - back in their infancy, the Marine inherited an expansion team with only hours to field a squad, and by his second season, had put together a team that could regularly challenge for a conference title. This season is no different - they've taken a couple hits that may not occur later in the season when their chemistry has peaked and their tactics have solidified. As for the Dessert Carts, you have to wonder if there's some head-scratching going on in the Port City - what looked like a certain title contender at the end of last season has started off with five defeats before the first half is out. However, we're all kidding ourselves if we think they can't adjust. We've seen it happen before, and it will happen again. Don't count them out.
Prediction: Rabids still have my lean in the pick'ems
Comoros Killer Whales vs. Comoros Lions - The battle for Comoros or just a battle for respect? This season hasn't gone well for these two squads - the Shaven Kitties have to be wondering why relegation couldn't have dispatched them to A ball after last season, and Free Willy has to just be wondering how the bottom fell out of this thing so fast after a respectable showing last season. Regardless, there could be a large stench rising from the islands this evening.
Prediction: I'd love to see the Willies keep themselves from regressing to Guppies, but I can't see it here
West Nile Mosquitos vs. Djibouti Booties - The Skeeters are finding AA a bit tougher row to hoe than A ball. They're not an embarassment - they belong here - but it's not Season 8, A5 anymore, and the big boys have come to play. Da Booties, however, are playing more like baby booties after the pre-season gut job. This one is a no-brainer.
Prediction: Skeeters bite hard on Da Booty
Zambezi Silverbacks vs. Monrovia Blood Diamonds - The Big Monkeys need need this one, as it can get late early in Lion, but the Bloody Mess is no bloody joke. The Monkeys have a fight on their hands to solidify their playoff position; the Mess expect they'll be messing up the playoff hopes of lots of teams over the remainder of the season. Keep this in mind: both teams show some serious defensive wizardry on a weekly basis.
Prediction: Low-scoring and tight, but the Bloody Mess prevails
Quiçama Park Rangers vs. Madagascar Serpent Eagles - Radd and Rax vs. Rock Monster and a cast of thousands. Buckle those chin-straps.
Prediction: Rangers get my nod after the thrashing they put on my team
Ghana Ashanti Empire vs. Combat Wombats - Except for the obvious problems I have with the geographic inaccuracy of the team, the Combat Wombats have been a nice surprise from A6 to date. Let's see what happens from here.
Prediction: Whatever. Make your own.
Namibia Wildehond vs. Savannah HITCHHIKERs - I have nothing but the utmost respect for the Bad Doggies. Like the Bloody Mess, they know that the only bars that matter serve overpriced drinks and real beer on tap. The Douglas Adams Fan Club is treading water so far, but there's a lot of season left; how well they keep that thumb up may depend on games like this one. The Doggies are clinging to that final playoff spot as we speak; how well they are able to improve that spot also depends on games like this.
Prediction: The Bad Doggies show how baddddd they are today by chasing the Wanderers back to the African desert
Central African Tigers vs. Cape Town Cowboys - The Tabbies are playing much better than their first trip to AA; not so much the Cowpies. An interesting matchup between teams on their return trip to the league but with little else in common at this point. Tabbies trying to prove they deserve a less-demeaning nickname; Cowpies trying to simply prove they belong.
Prediction: Tabbies might earn that nickname after a win here
That's it for today, y'all - the lawn in growing the way I'll be wishing it would come July, and it's not getting any shorter on its own. Play nice.
