Blech's Eliminator Cup(s) - 2020-21

Discussion in 'Games & Fantasy' started by blech, Sep 8, 2020.

  1. Hal

    Hal Member+

    Sep 9, 1999
    Saved by 10 minutes from Jota's debut with a goal for Liverpool. Aviators flirts with elimination early in the season.
     
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  2. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Eliminated Teams:
    22. FC Epikoinis - [16 points; GW3]
    23. Bunch of Muppets - [15 points; GW2]
    24. Parraraiders - [30 points; GW1]

    Episode 3: "Don't Mess with Royalty"

    There was a little bit of a twist at the end, perhaps appropriate for a crazy week where Chelsea conceded 3 goals to West Brom and perhaps ended up looking better defensively than Wolves did conceding 4 or Man City did while conceding 5.

    FC Epikoinis started the week's final game at the bottom with a mere 10 points, but jumped to 16 points to move second from the bottom after we hit the 60-minute mark. The combination of Auba as a captain and VVD on defense offered head-to-head prospects for points, but nothing significant had materialized. Meanwhile, Aviators had started the final game on 13 points, with Jota in Hal's starting lineup (or 1 point coming in via autosub if Jota didn't play). So, 14 was the magic number. Sir Grandpa Hal was sitting in the "North" seat at this week's tri-county duplicate bridge tournament and excused himself for a few minutes from the table, trying frantically to count the different ways that Epikoinis might lose points in the final minutes, such as Liverpool conceding a second goal or either of them picking up a yellow card or even better one of them scoring an own goal.

    And, out of nowhere, Sir Grandpa found a little bit of Aviators' magic. Jota came on with 10+ minutes to play and was immediately active and involved in the attack in his Liverpool debut. A nice pass for a potential assist. A sitter stolen from his path by a greedy/selfish Salah. A miss into the side netting. If they were watching (and cared at all about BE-Cup survival, which may or may not be the case), they both had to be on the edge of their seats. With his bridge partner asking him to return to the table, Sir Grandpa shouted: "Hold on. Maybe, just maybe." And, then, it happened. David Luiz - the gift who keeps on giving - headed a clearance straight to Jota at the top of the area and Jota promptly slotted the ball into the back of the net. The Liverpool victory was secured with the additional goal, and Epikoinis threw a half-eaten pretzel stick at the television.

    A frustrated Epikoinis was forced to accept at least some of the blame, fielding a team that ended up with only 9 players total, with only 7 of them playing 60 or more minutes: "Look, we knew this week was going to be an uphill battle. We've got guys injured. We've got a player (Brewster) still waiting for a transfer. We've already made a move this week to try to increase our overall minutes, and we will continue to look for ways to use the 5.0M bucket of cash that we have sitting in the bank. And, even with all of that, when we got to minute 60, we had found a way out of the bottom. We scraped, and clawed, and climbed, and there was this little bit of sunshine straining to fight its way through the clouds. For almost 28 minutes we were safe. And, then, boom. Luiz just offered that sitter up on a platter. Just clear the eff-ing ball. How hard is that to do? Don't get me wrong. We didn't deserve to survive after that performance, but that doesn't make it hurt any less when you're that close."

    Asked what he thought about the close call, Sir Grandpa Hal responded: "I don't need this stress. You can add my name to the long list of managers who have asked questions about this silly immunity concept. When I heard that there was going to be immunity, I expected that it would be granted to the fantasy royalty (like me), not handed out based on the merits of how teams did last year. I am a founder. They don't call me 'Sir' for nothing. And, I am the parent of a parent. They don't call me 'Grandpa' for nothing either. I don't know about you, but back in the day when I was a kid, immunity was about respect, not merits. It all worked out in the end for us but I should have been the one relaxing in a Lobo-recliner while sipping mint juleps with nothing to worry about. I know there are more than a few out there who thought I was done and eliminated, but I am fantasy royalty and, most likely, your elder. Don't forget it. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to the bridge game. If you think this Jota trick was something, you won't want to miss my next bid at 3 hearts."

    As for immunity, it is now put to rest for the balance of the BE-Cup season. Lobo had it, and didn't ever need it, and didn't even think once about giving it to frasermc, even after the package of Scottish orange drinks arrived Cash-On-Delivery. And, frasermc didn't need it either, so hopefully they're all good with each other.

    Danger Zone: The previously mentioned Aviators (19), survive despite own goals this GW by Jiminez and Dunk combined with the rare 2-point from super-captain De Bruyne, and Aviators was joined in the danger zone by Top Shelf (26) and Real Newark (26).
     
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  3. Hal

    Hal Member+

    Sep 9, 1999
    Pulitzer Prize for creativity. And yes, I do play lots of bridge.
     
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  4. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Eliminated Teams:
    21. Soccer Steve - [25 points; gw4]
    22. FC Epikoinis - [16 points; GW3]
    23. Bunch of Muppets - [15 points; GW2]
    24. Parraraiders - [30 points; GW1]

    Episode 4: "This Season Just Got Crazier"

    A very strange weekend. Word leaks on Friday that Mane has tested positive and won't play. Mourinho updates us that Son wants to play but still believes it is unlikely, which intentionally or not is excellent cover since it is Mourinho. Saturday starts normally enough with Chelsea finally figuring things out and Everton's attack continuing to roll, but then we get a hint that something is still up as Man City draws with Leeds. I'm going to put Arsenal at 2-1 as a "normal enough" result, and the 1-0 win for Wolves is their bread and butter, even if it wasn't Jiminez doing the buttering. But, Leicester loses 0-3, and the United loses 1-6, and then Liverpool loses 2-7. I don't mean any disrespect to the teams that won -- West Ham just put two wonderful games back to back, Spurs have now had two massive routs on the road, and Villa are tied for 2nd with a game in hand! But, these are shocking score lines, in my opinion.

    Jumping straight into it this week, elimination landed with Scott Steve, who managed just 25 points. Kevin De Bruyne surely looked like a sensible captain play, with Andy Robertson a reasonable vice captain, but with the benefit of a little bit of hindsight, their scores of 2 and -1, respectively, were not the way to go when you own Dominic Calvert-Lewing, the hottest and highest scoring player in the league after the dynamic duo of Son and Kane and my personal favorite Salah (which means 4th highest scoring player, if your following along at home). DCL is now on 37 points, with 6 goals in 4 games, and, in contrast to Son, Kane, and Salah (each of whom have scored goals in 2 out of their teams 4 games), DCL has at least 1 goal in every game played this season. And, DCL's 6 points - had they been doubled - would have scooted Soccer Steve to safety. Soccer Steve had one danger zone visit in gw1 and then a gold medal in gw2, and now exits the BE-Cup in gw4. A roller coaster ride so far.

    PS - While I'm pointing out that Soccer Steve perhaps might have captained DCL, it is also worth pointing out that there are 21 of 24 teams who don't even have DCL...., who was taken 31st, 34th, and 37th in the three drafts (landing end of the 4th round to end of the late in the 5th round). Anyone wish they could have a re-do on their 2nd or 3rd pick.....? In the world of a crazy 2020-21 season, certainly DCL's hot start has to rank up there among the crazies.

    Danger zone -- Tangers FC (27), Top Shelf (32), Journeyman (34). Tangers had to use immunity in gw1 to stay alive, and in gw4 finished next to the bottom, with just 2 points to spare. Living dangerously, but Tangers will be happy to survive this week, with Mane moving to the bench based on Friday's news and Allison being substituted due to a collision in practice yesterday and with Havertz (c) for 6x2=12 making the difference. Top Shelf must likewise be pleased to have gotten safely to the 30s after another weekend with big expectations but disappointing results from Kevin De Bruyne. And, while all of the teams eliminated or in the danger zone this week have at least one defender posting a -1, Journeyman actually had THREE defenders go negative - TAA (-1), VVD (-2), and Maguire (-1). With Richarlison hobbling off in the first half as well, getting into the 30s was actually a decent showing.

    Unfortunately, no one stopped for interviews this week.

    The real world Premier League transfer deadline winds down in less than 24 hours, so perhaps some new players to shake things up. And, keep an eye out for the separate thread on the DE-Cup, which will go up at some point in the next week.
     
  5. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    #30 blech, Oct 20, 2020
    Last edited: Oct 20, 2020
    Eliminated Teams:
    20. Top Shelf - [31 points; gw5]
    21. Soccer Steve - [25 points; gw4]
    22. FC Epikoinis - [16 points; GW3]
    23. Bunch of Muppets - [15 points; GW2]
    24. Parraraiders - [30 points; GW1]

    "Emerging From The Pile"

    While there were no tie-breakers and there was even a 2-point separation between elimination and the next lowest score, there was a true pile up at the bottom, with the bottom 4 remaining teams separated by just 3 points, and the bottom 7 remaining teams separated by just 5. I've no idea if that's some new kind of record, but it feels that way. On the other hand, the elimination mark of 31 points the new "highest" low mark. It is still very early in the elimination season to be seeing teams exit with 30+ points, and this is not the second time that we've seen that.

    Emerging from the bottom of the pile up to make his way to the exit is Team Top Shelf. Third time was the charm having been in the danger zone for the past two game weeks. With KDB out injured, Top Shelf knew that this might be a tough week and handed the armband to Captain Pulisic, but that was asking too much at this stage of the season as CP continues to reintegrate into the lineup after his most recent injury. Top Shelf posted an 8 from Wan-Bissaka and 7 from Saiss, but it was otherwise 1s and 2s across the board, as TS became the first team from Small to be eliminated.

    Top Shelf owner and spokesperson Wendys spoke briefly: "It's been a tough start to the season and the goals just have not been coming. You've got a small round ball and a large rectangular goal, and it just shouldn't be so hard, but it feels at times like we've got it reversed and that we've been trying to put a square peg in a round hole. But, ultimately, we've got to accept that the scoring has definitely been a little frosty.... " :rolleyes:

    Stormin Gunners had a pretty big scare, watching Captain Vardy not suit up and seeing Vice-Captain Lacazette not start and just come on for the last 21 minutes and 1 lonely fantasy point. Add in a Richarlison red card, and this quickly becomes a week where you are just happy to survive. But, the combination of 1 captaincy point doubled and a couple of autosub points (literally 1 each from a couple of autosub players) was just enough.

    Meanwhile, with this week's less than spectacular outing, CSS takes Top Shelf's position as the only active/remaining team with two danger zone visits. Catching up briefly with Fraser: "We recognize that we are now marked with a second DZ visit and that DZ visits are not good news, but I'd rather still be in than be out. If you had asked me Friday who would be the key, I wouldn't have said Che Adams, but his goal and assist for 11 points are the reason that we're not going home. I'm off to buy the lad a beer."

    They won't be counted or tracked in future Danger Zone tallies, but given how close the teams were too one another, I've added three honorable mentions, with Journeymen and the dawgs standing out for finishing so near the bottom while player the wildcard!

    DangerZone: Hakuna Arteta (33), Storming Gunners (34), ChrisSuttonsSlippers (34) [with honorable mention for blechs_dawgs (35), Journeymen (36), and Tangers FC (36)].


    PS(1) - Just so it is also posted in this thread, I've revised the tiebreakers, so that the first tiebreaker will the removal of points from chips (i.e., triple captaincy and bench boost). Then, followed by the prior tiebreakers as and if necessary.

    PS(2) - I'm guessing that you're either groaning or chuckling just a little, or that you don't live in the US. :rolleyes:
     
  6. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    We are wrapping up gw6 with 2 games to before we have our first eliminated quartile. Several squads in contention with some banking on TOT captaincy decisions to make their weekend reputable.....

    Sasha Jr - 16 + Lamptey +Son*2

    ColdDogSoup - 16 + 1 + Reguilon + Pereira + Kane*2

    Blechs_dawgs- 20 + Lloris + Lamptey + Trossard + Pereira

    Morning glory - 20 + Kane*2

    Glorydaze - 22 + Trossard + Wood

    Journeyman - 26 + Maupay*2

    =======
    Very hard to say who should be feeling the most nervous. Certainly the Kane/Son captaincy choices could well send all of those teams clear and safe at any point, and smart money is on those choices. But if either or both blank, it becomes a real scramble. Good luck!
     
  7. lobomojo

    lobomojo Member+

    Chelsea, Gillingham
    Jul 17, 2004
    Freedom
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    now those immunities have no experation dates riiiiggghhht...
     
  8. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Those original immunities are long gone, but these shows usually have an extra wrinkle or two, and it may be worth spending the next hour digging in the sand around the palm trees to see if something was buried there that might help you. Absent finding something like that, you're going to have to take care of this one yourself.

    Fortunately (for you), the oddsmakers have you as the least likely of the group above to depart this week, as a mere 4 points from Reguilon and Pereira will put you ahead of Morning Glory and make Kane's return not matter for you.

    (Of course, this mention is now the equivalent of the reverse double hex on both of them...., so take that back to the witch doctor and drink a double potion to see if you can re-reverse the double hex....)

    (And, keeping digging in the sand....)
     
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  9. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    One game down, and one to go. It doesn't appear that any of the BHA/WBA players will be in for bonus points, which puts it at:

    Sasha Jr - 17 + Son*2

    ColdDogSoup - 19 + Reguilon + Kane*2

    Morning glory - 20 + Kane*2

    Glorydaze - 25 + Wood

    Blechs_dawgs- 26 + Lloris

    Journeyman - 30

    For the 6 teams still at risk, we now know that it will take 30 to see safety. To run through the permutations, the first question will be whether Kane and Son get points....

    CDS is already feeling the beginning stages of a curse, as Reguilon looks set to start on the bench, but the Kane goal could still be enough to see CDS and Morning Glory to safety.

    As between the two "Kane teams" at risk, Morning Glory still sports a 1-point lead as well as the edge on the tie breaker, so unless Reguilon scores at least 2, Morning Glory is safe.

    Sasha Juniors still sits bottom. The Son goal should be enough to get to the 30s assuming no cards (min. 7, doubled, would jump to at least 31). Otherwise, Juniors needs Son to outscore Kane by at least 1 (if Reguilon doesn't play, or by 2).

    And, if Kane and Son both tally points, this suddenly could see Glorydaze and the dawgs face off, with the Burnley striker against the Spurs keeper. Notably, with Wood facing Lloris, unless there is a PK save or something bizarre with bonus points, it seems unlikely for both teams to reach 30, providing Journeyman with quite a bit of breathing room.

    Quick summary - Morning Glory and Journeyman are in decent shape, while Juniors and CDS will need Son and Kane to put up points, and if both do, it's a dawgs/glorydaze showdown. Got it? Enjoy the game....
     
  10. lobomojo

    lobomojo Member+

    Chelsea, Gillingham
    Jul 17, 2004
    Freedom
    Club:
    Chelsea FC
    well this is the most exciting shite week I've ever had, 10 minutes left for a Kane Hat-trick, or Wood to destroy Lloris' points or:confused:
     
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  11. glorydaze

    glorydaze Member+

    Liverpool FC
    Apr 5, 2007
    Shenandoah Valley, Virginia
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    or.....an early exit for me. Done in by one fell swoop in the 76th minute.
     
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  12. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Eliminated Teams:
    19. Glorydaze - [27 points; gw6]
    20. Top Shelf - [31 points; gw5]
    21. Soccer Steve - [25 points; gw4]
    22. FC Epikoinis - [16 points; GW3]
    23. Bunch of Muppets - [15 points; GW2]
    24. Parraraiders - [30 points; GW1]

    Ep.06: "Seeing Red!"

    It twists the scores slightly to focus on the last game, but this was the order in which the games were played and it perhaps provided an added bit of intrigue for those at risk today to know what did and didn't matter. And, in the world of 2020, we will take bonus moments of excitement when and where we can find them without complaint.

    As noted in the earlier posts, Journeyman and Morning Glory were essentially safe when the GW's final gameweek kicked off barring something truly bizarre or spectacular. Sasha Juniors started the final game with the low score, but then passed that honor along to CDS on the tiebreaker when we reached minute 60 and Son picked up a point for the clean sheet, and then it would have shifted back but for Kane's wonderful defensive header to clear a Burnley shot that beaten Lloris, before the tables shifted once more in the 76th minute to put Glorydaze at the bottom, when Kane flicked on a header off a corner to Son who headed it home for the goal. The points for Son and Kane moved CDS, Morning Glory, and Sasha Junior upward, and left Glorydaze needing a goal from Wood in the dying minutes to complete the final twist and boot out the dawgs, but it wasn't meant to be.

    For Glorydaze, it was red eyes from all the tears of elimination. "I love this Cup. It's so special in its simplicity. At least we've got still got the DE-Cup to see out, but this one is my favorite." However, the manager's entire face turned as red as his eyes when asked about how close it was and what might have made the difference. "Since we had the tiebreaker, we just needed 2 more points. And, we lost 3 points from Digne's red card. Lobo left the door wide open by fielding only 9 even after autosub, and we not only couldn't capitalize, but we actually posted a negative score. This has gotten ridiculous. This is the third week in a row that we've had a red card. Three weeks in a row. That's enough for the entire season and we're still in October. I've told them it has to stop as those points are going to matter, but it continues and it all comes down to basic discipline. I'm not going to blame the refs. The blame rests with the players as they put themselves in these positions. It is too late for the BE-Cup as we're done. But this has got to stop." Red eyes, red face, red cards.

    Dangerzone: CDS (29), Journeyman (30), and Morning Glory (30). With bonus points coming in for Son and Lloris, Juniors and the dawgs ended up comfortably safe. Asked for a quick word, Lobo smiled: "I spent the afternoon digging in sand for immunity, but I didn't find anything. So, I had taken a couple of sticks and a piece of string and made this voodoo stick man and I was going to use to try to fake immunity had things not turned right. A shite week for sure, but always good fun when I'm using smoke and mirrors and my most creative creations."

    PS - I thought momentarily about creating a special "3s are wild" card, which could be used by a manager whose team has secured 3 red cards in 3 consecutive weeks to rescind the final red card, but that would have been too crazy (even for 2020).....
     
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  13. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Turning attention again to the final 2 games of the week on Monday, this is looking like it will be the highest scoring elimination of the season. Kopite Jrs. is done and in the locker room with 44. If you beat that, you are safe. Meanwhile, Kopite Jrs will be watching 5 teams who are still seriously scrambling:

    Tangers - 30 points + Dallas + Anguissa + Mitrovic
    Stormin Gunners - 28 points + Meslier + Klich + Vardy(c)
    FC St Pauli - 36 points (including autosub) + Johnstone + Bamford
    Kicking & Screaming - 40 points (including autosub) + Pereira
    Hakuna Arteta - 40 points (including autosub) + Maddison + Rodrigo
    Kopite Jrs - 44 points

    There were a few other teams that show as sub-44, but they appear likely to get past 44 so aren't included. While 44 is the safety mark, this currently looks like a battle between Tangers and Stormin Gunners. Tangers currently has a 2-point edge over Stormin Gunners, but Stormin essentially has an extra player with his captain to play to cover that 2-point deficit (and perhaps a better-than-average player with this captain to play). As they both have a piece of the Leeds defense (Dallas vs Meslier), that piece is potentially a wash. Tangers has to go back to GW2 to find a game where Anguisa and Mitrovic got points, and will have to hope that they are "due".... If everyone puts up basic 2s, they end up tied at 36 (and at quick glance, Tangers may have the edge on the final tie-breaker).

    FC St Pauli, Kicking & Screaming, and Hakuna Arteta don't need a lot (and may not need anything more at all), but that's why they play the games......

    Good luck to all...
     
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  14. Kevin McGuire

    Kevin McGuire Member

    Jul 19, 2016
    Club:
    Blackpool FC
    Surely my luck must run out soon?
     
  15. kopiteinkc

    kopiteinkc Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 1, 2000
    Shawnee
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Lamptey points on the bench are hurting me as I watch between my fingers today ...
     
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  16. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Mitrovic, Johnstone, Anguissa, and Pereira are all announced to start in the FUL-WBA game.
     
  17. kopiteinkc

    kopiteinkc Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 1, 2000
    Shawnee
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Two assists for Mitrovic
     
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  18. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Looks like no bonus points coming for these 4 from the early tally showing of the bonus system, so Mitrovic (8), Anguissa (3), and Johnstone (1) and Pereira (1). That would appear to put Kicking & Screaming on 41, with Tangers and Kopite Jrs safe.

    Hakuna Arteta is at 40 with Maddison and Rodrigo not starting. Is Rodrigo on the bench? Can Maddison get int? Stormin Gunners gets off to an early start with a Vardy assist. FC St Pauli now looks to Bamford to get it into the 40s.....

    Good luck all....
     
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  19. kopiteinkc

    kopiteinkc Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 1, 2000
    Shawnee
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Maddison is on
     
  20. kopiteinkc

    kopiteinkc Moderator
    Staff Member

    Jun 1, 2000
    Shawnee
    Club:
    Liverpool FC
    Nat'l Team:
    England
    Assist for Maddison on the penalty
     
  21. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Eliminated Teams (the second quartile):
    18. FC St. Pauli - [39 points; gw7]

    Ep.07: "How Easily the Mighty Tumble...."

    Wham, Bam(ford), .... Nope, not this week. FC St. Paul has been setting the standard. The squad has been waiting on the Olympics' podium for Fraser to show up with the medals for three straight weeks with spectacular scores of 81, 70, and 70 -- a three-week run that saw FC St. Pauli rise to the top of the Rocks' table. A small slip from the stratosphere put them at a very respectable Eliminator Cup score of 39 in gw7, but when the dust settled, 39 was not enough this week.

    As described in the post above, six teams entered Monday on the BE-Cup bubble. For FCSP, they were primarily hoping for Bamford points but also holding a slight lead and feeling comfortable that they'd be pushing 40 points. Surely 40-ish would be enough in week 7. But, the confidence turned to concern as the other bubblers began to rake in points -- Mitrovic, Vardy, and even Dallas scored. Could Coming off of last week's hat trick, could Bamford hold serve? Unfortunately for FCSP, the answer was no. Of all the hat tricks this season, I believe DCL is the only one who scored the following week. Bamford certainly had his opportunities -- a couple of decent chances in the first half and then another on a through ball late in the second half -- but on a cold, rainy, windy night, it wasn't meant to be.

    Fielding only 10 and going out by a mere 2 points after not making making any transfer moves, Owner scottk faced some tough questions from the supporters upon returning back to the stadium. "Look, everyone got punked by Ancelotti a week ago. It was a major blow for James not to play this week, but after what happened the week prior, we had everyone reason to believe that he would be in the starting lineup. Let's be serious. If James plays, we don't go home. Then, add in a surprise benching for Saiss and Antonio's injury and we suddenly don't look like the fit and strong team that stood top of the Rocks just 72 hours ago. Sure, we could have made a move this past week and we didn't. I guess that's a provable fact. But we were hoping to keep this squad together and continue to let them grow. I see these other teams constantly shuffling, and sometimes transfers are more disruptive than helpful when you're growing a team spirit. That's not something you can quantify. And, if you'd told me prior to the deadline that we'd get 39 points, I wouldn't have been happy as we've grown accustomed to 70s and 80s, but I wouldn't have thought we had to do something to stay alive in the BE-Cup."

    The FCSP elimination was elimination #4 for VSR in the first 7 weeks of the BE-Cup.

    The danger zone -- Kicking & Screaming (41), Hakuna Arteta (44), Kopite Jrs (44). Just barely safe in the 40s and it's only week 7. These are scary, crazy times.....

    Looking ahead, there are no Monday games next week, so we won't have the final day tracking that we've enjoyed the past couple of weeks. I'm not touching tomorrow other than to say that I'm glad that we all get along, and in a crazy year that just seems to get crazier at every turn and where it is nice to find little get aways when and where you can, be sure to make moves (or build "team spirit") as you see fit, get your teams in and ready for an early Friday deadline, and then sit back and enjoy the games..... But, before you do that, at least for those here in the States, there is less than 24 hours left, so, if you haven't done so yet, get yourself to a polling center and vote!
     
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  22. Bilbo43

    Bilbo43 Member

    Liverpool FC
    Australia
    Aug 24, 2020
    Id make a political joke about about how america is really stuck between choosing a turd sandwich and a giant douche (ill let each individual choose who is who) but i cant do that from any higher pedastool given australias had poor choices of leaders for years as has the uk. Good luck with whoever you end up with in the usa i suppose, enjoy the chaos ensuing
     
  23. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Eliminated Teams (the second quartile):
    17. Journeyman - [26 points; gw8]
    18. FC St. Pauli - [39 points; gw7]

    Ep.08: "Stop the Count....."

    The leaderboard/loserboard looked different on Saturday, but by the time the last of the Sunday scores had all rolled in and all autosubs were processed, Journeyman's 26 was the low score for the gameweek of the teams that remain. Captain Vardy scored his first PK for Journeyman but missed the second, turning what could have been another super fantasy game into an ordinary 4 points, doubled to 8. And, that was pretty much all Journeyman had to show for the week, with 3 points from Jared Bowen and then a bunch of 2s and 1s.

    However, we have held releasing the results for almost two weeks now pending news of potential legal action threatened by Journeyman. But, with a new set of games upon us, it is time to move forward. A BE-Cup first, the departing team's owner has refused to concede despite have the lowest points. Journeyman's initial challenge was denied by BE-Cup officials just 7 minutes after it was filed, with a note that it would have been denied faster but the commissioner got distracted by the box of donuts in the conference room. He has vowed to appeal and to take it to the courts.

    At the weekly press conference, Journeyman was animated and outraged and perhaps a few other things as well:

    "So, they've told us that we are out. But that's just not true. We looked at the points on Friday night. We didn't have the lowest score. Then we looked at the points on Saturday night. And we still didn't have the lowest score. Lokomotiv had only 9 points. We had 10. We were ahead by a lot at that point! At least 10%!"

    "And, I told everyone that we have to stop counting new points, that this was going to happen. And, lo and behold, I was right. This was exactly what I told you. And, these points just start coming in for Lokomotiv. Dozens and dozens of them. And, well, we have to only count the legal points. So, I claim victory."

    "And, I've got the greatest supporters. You should hear them chant. Just super. And, I'm going to fight for them the way they fight for me, so we are going to court to get these points counted correctly."

    "None of the Sunday points should count. Well, except for the Vardy points. And, Vardy actually got more point. Did you know that he made the second penalty? Some people say it was saved, but let me tell you -- he struck it so hard that it went through Rui's gloves, into the goal, hit the net, and then rebounded with such force that it was back out before anyone even realized it. We've got a hotline for people to confirm."

    "We were supposed to have an observer behind that goal, but they kept him far away. We'll go to court about that too. How can anyone trust the results of these games that no one can attend? Goals are being scored and not counted. And, there actually should have been 4 more penalty kicks for Vardy in this game, so he gets those points too. Do you actually think it's real just because it's on tv? I'm telling you, and I would know, they can, and they do, change those images."

    "So, not only is Journeyman still in the BE-Cup because we didn't have the lowest score, but I am also claiming the gold medal since we actually had the highest score. We'll see you next week. Good night."

    Ok, well then.....


    ==========

    Disclaimer: I know everybody knows that this is fiction. If you wrote a story like this about fantasy football (or about an election or anything else), everyone would look at it and know that it was too crazy to be true. But the lawyers have suggested that I go ahead and add a note to clarify that this is a parody and satire and a lot of other things and that Journeyman did not actually do or say any of this... And, again, like the square hamburger thing, I may have lost part of the audience, so apologies to those of you not in the States, although I sadly suspect you're all laughing the hardest.... :rolleyes:
     
    tarvinodos and Bilbo43 repped this.
  24. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    As we head to Monday of GW9 with Burnley vs Crystal Palace and Wolves vs Southampton on the schedule, the BE-Cup focus will be on the following teams:

    Kopite Jrs ------ 15 + Adams + Wood + Kilman + Ait Nouri
    Real Newark -- 17 + Zaha (C) + Neto + Jiminez
    Bigger Boat ---- 22 + Van Aanholt + Zaha + Boly + Adams

    If all three get into the upper 30s, there could be some other teams dragged into the battle. Bigger Boat sits best, with the 5-point cushion at the moment and with some coverage over both of the chasers with Zaha and Adams and even Boly vs Kilman.

    With Real Newark having Zaha has captain, all three teams have the equivalent of 4 players still to go, with all three having two in the first game and two in the second game to hopefully keep things extra interesting. Adding a small amount of additional comfort, Bigger Boat has a yellow-flagged Bertrand plus 1 point, in that order, on the bench should any of his players no show, while on the other end of the spectrum, Kopite has a yellow-flagged Ait Nouri already coming in as his only available auto-sub, and Kopite could well end up having to close the gap with one fewer player if that yellow flag ends up meaning a blank.

    Of course, only actual points posted count, but I think this is where it stands as of now. Good luck to everyone..................
     
  25. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Significant developments before kickoff, as news breaks that Zaha has been left out of the lineup today and is self-isolating. He is not the only player to have missed out this weekend, with Mo Salah probably the most notable, but Zaha's news comes as a late scratch, and in the context of the BE-Cup, it will be a big blow to Real Newark's chances. BUT, the good news for Real Newark is vice-captaincy will kick in, and that shifts this week's doubling of points to Jiminez.

    Van Aanholt and Wood are in the starting lineup in the first game, and one correction above is that Adams is in the second game, not the first, so Kopite and Real Newark will still have 3 each to play in game two (counting Jiminez twice for Real N).
     
    kopiteinkc repped this.

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